“Ends are not bad things, they just mean that something else is about to begin. And there are many things that don't really end, anyway, they just begin again in a new way. Ends are not bad and many ends aren't really an ending; some things are never-ending.”

- The Journey to the Afterlife

***Dedessia, Royal Palace’s living quarters***

***Seria***

“I am not sure if that was the best idea you ever had, Mom.” I tilt my head and watch the two babies with suspicion. Warden, baby version, is sitting right next to my Illia. The two of them are looking at each other as if there is some silent communication going on. But that’s impossible. Isn't it?

Mom pushed that one out in record time. I wonder how much time they actually took to interrogate Warden. Seems like a hasty job, even for someone who can read minds like books. Was Dad involved at all? Shade and Elona dragged Warden away from the rest of us as soon as they got the chance. Maybe it’s better that I don’t know what happened between the three of them.

“Why not? At least Illia has a playing partner. And the two of them look cute together. Aren’t they real beauties? I am sure that they will grow up to be exceptional beauties. At least Warden has inherited a very special skillset.” Elona bends down to cuddle the two of them.

And I still believe that they are planning something. It’s in their eyes. They don’t watch their surroundings like normal children do. I don’t know what they are planning, but I’ll keep an eye on them. “In addition it feels awkward to have a little sister who is this small,” I voice the core of my issues.

Shade shrugs and leans back on the living room’s couch. He is playing a game of cards with Marcus. The two of them became real buddies during the last week. Another thing to worry about. “Believe me, in five hundred years a little age difference won’t matter at all. What are twenty or thirty years? No immortal cares about that.”

I know, but I still can’t help myself. Maybe some moral ideas from a mortal lifetime somehow took root in my mind? I shake my head to get rid of the thought.

There is so much to do. Warden is taken care of and the rift is closed. But Warden has established some independent operations which are still launching spirit attacks on their own. So the attacks won’t stop completely until we take down the last pyramid. Warden’s war machinery is a moloch which will keep fighting even without its head. At least the attacks aren’t a real threat to us any longer.

Warden was the only one who was in charge of organizing all the different pyramids. In one way that’s a good thing. It means that the different pyramids lost their coordination and will continue to operate as normal. Their central staging area is gone though, so there will be no more mass invasions. Unfortunately it also means that we have no way of shutting down all the pyramids. We have to pay a personal visit to each and every one of them.

“We still have a lot of work to do. Leaning back while the opponent is still active isn’t in my nature,” I complain and cross my arms in front of my chest.

Marcus looks up from his game, then his eyes wander to Illia. “Do you really want to say that we should be out there and fight battles? Don’t we have an army for that? The other nations should also do their share of the work. I hope that you realize that this whole issue with the pyramids could take years until it is resolved. Do you really prefer a life at the frontier to watching Illia growing up?”

I turn my attention to Illia. She is looking at me with those big, blue eyes of hers. And holding out her hands, begging me to pick her up. That’s just cruel, playing the baby card! I bend down and pick her up, silently cooing her.

After a lot of thinking and grimacing, the fight against my inner demons is lost. “Well, maybe we should settle down for a while. Just until she is bigger.”