Adam eventually returned back to the Rot family estate, finding that his spellbook was exactly where he had left it, no doubt left untouched. Adam looked around to the children, and he narrowed his eyes at them. “Did any of you take a peek inside my book?”

One of the Rot family children puffed out their cheeks incredulously. “No. We did not play with your spellbook.”

“Are you calling us thieves?” another complained. “We are of the Rot family, we do not steal.”

“No thief,” a particularly young girl reprimanded, pointing at Adam. “Bad.”

“I was just asking,” Adam replied, chuckling. He couldn’t help but tease the children. “Of course the good little boys and girls of the Rot family would not peek in my spellbook.” Adam’s eyes fell to Jarot. “Though, can I say the same for the old elder?”

“No! Bad!” the little Iyrman girl admonished, but the slightly older children noted who he was looking at.

“Even if granduncle is silly, he did not peek,” a young teen said, assuring Adam.

Adam snickered, his lips forming a wide, teasing smile. “Even these kids know you’re like that?”

“What else do they know but the adoring granduncle who could not help but spoil them?” Jarot replied, with not an ounce of shame in his voice. These children all only knew the Jarot which had been born after the deaths of his children and grandchild, the same Jarot who still regretted allowing his brother and sister, Zaool and Tangak, to die back then.

One of the children stared at Adam, and then to Jarot. ‘Is Cousin Adam granduncle’s grandson?’ they thought, noting the similarities in their behaviour.

“Did they bully you?” Jarot asked, referring to the Great Elders. “I can reprimand them for bullying my grandson.”

Adam made a face at the old man as he packed up his spellbook. “No, they didn’t. They just asked me to explain all the maths.”

Jarot narrowed his eyes, but noted the children were looking at him, so quickly changed his expression to something more obviously playful. “Maths? I do not know what the Gods were thinking when they introduced such a thing to this world.”

“How else are you going to count how many beasts you’ve slain?” Adam joked.

Jarot chuckled. “I suppose it does have some use!” He had to be careful not to instil a sense of distaste towards maths in front of the children. Jurot, who had never been good at maths, had refused to learn more than necessary because of a joke he had made when the boy was young.

“Will you come to teach our Churot tomorrow?” Mulrot asked.

“I haven’t felt lucky for three days now, so chances are I’ll be lucky tomorrow,” Adam said. “I most likely won’t come tomorrow, but I hope that Churot will keep practising all the maths.”

“Yes,” the boy replied, writing some equations in his book.

“Alright, I’ll see you all later,” Adam said, waving at the Rot family, before heading back to the shared family estate.

Once Adam returned back to the shared family estate, he watched as the families were all ready to eat, this time the Gak family cooking. Adam could already feel the tingle of spice which would numb his lips.

“I heard that you were called by Elder Teacher,” Sonarot asked, cutting some of the egg and salya pancakes for her daughter.

“He and the Chief wanted me to explain some of the things I was teaching Churot, that’s all,” Adam replied. “I’m still surprised by how bright he is.”

“He has always been smart,” Sonarot stated, not for the first time. “It is a wonder that he comes from our family.”

Adam smiled. “What are you saying? Lanababy is going to grow up so big and strong and smart.”

Lanarot looked up at Adam upon hearing him call for her, biting into the pancakes which she had first begun eating so long ago because of him. “Hee!” She smiled at his smile, before going back to eating her food.

Shikan and Raool reacted first to the stranger who was approaching them from one of the four pathways, but as quickly as they had tensed up, they had relaxed.

Older, and of average height, with a lean but muscular form, it was one of the most well known figures in the Iyr currently.

“It Lion King,” Taygak said, pointing at him.

Ashmir smiled. He remembered that the girl had reacted the same way when they had first met. “I hope I am not bothering you.”

“No,” Halikan, Shikan’s wife, replied. Adam wondered if she replied because she was the highest ranking person around. He was certain that it was Halikan who married into the Kan family, and he didn’t know which family she had originally come from.

“I’ve come for Adam,” Ashmir said.

Adam narrowed his eyes, and for a moment he wondered if he did something wrong, but those thoughts were quickly pushed away. ‘There’s no way I accidentally started trouble with him.’ Adam furrowed his brows further. ‘Actually, that’s not true.’

“Adam?” Ashmir called, staring at the boy as he thought.

“Oh, sorry,” Adam said. “What do you need?” he asked, getting up to find a place to talk with him.

“I’ve come to invite you to my wedding,” Ashmir said. “It has been finalised for the end of this month.”

“Oh,” Adam said. “Congratulations!”

“You can bring all the Rot family you want to sit at the front,” Ashmir said. He only partly understood what happened at the weddings of the Iyrmen.

“You came all this way to invite me? I feel like I’m some kind of big shot.” Adam chuckled.

“Aren’t you?” Ashmir asked. “There are as many Iyrmen who know me who also know you.”

“Am I that much of a celebrity?” Adam continued to chuckle. “Well, I appreciate that you’ve come all this way. Do you want to eat some spicy food?”

“How spicy can it be?” Ashmir asked, raising his brow. He was Aswadian, spiciness was in his blood. As one of the most famous gladiators, he was given the chance to taste all manner of spices, and sometimes, poisons.

“It was the Gak family who cooked this time,” Adam said, motioning his head to the Devilkin.

“Ah,” Ashmir replied, understanding that the food would be properly spicy. “Then I will accept a bowl before I leave.”

Lanarot stared up at the large man, who held such dark skin. She began to whimper before she cried, causing her mother to pick her up.

“Lanarot,” Adam called, filled with a sense of awkwardness. “You can’t keep crying every time you see a Black guy!” The first time the girl had seen Dunes, who was all but confirmed to be Ashmir’s son, she had also reacted the same way.

“Black?” Ashmir asked, raising his brow at the young man.

Adam stared at Ashmir, puzzled, before his brows shot up in shock. “Oh, right. That sort of thing probably doesn’t exist yet.”

Ashmir threw Adam a curious look, all the while Adam shook his head, rubbing his forehead. “What does that mean?”

“Where I come from…” Adam shook his head. “No, never mind. It’s probably best we don’t talk about it.” Adam had to be careful in bringing certain things to this world.

Ashmir wondered if perhaps Adam was trying to disparage him for being Aswadian, but considering how close he was to his son, and that he was quite welcoming to the Iyrmen and himself, he wasn’t so sure.

Lanarot eventually calmed down, staring at the Aswadian gladiator, who was littered with scars from his history. She eventually squirmed out of her mother’s grasp, who held onto the girl’s waist, before she dropped down to eat her food again.

The children swarmed Ashmir once they were finished with eating, jabbering at him in their language at first, before they realised he wasn’t any good at speaking it. When Sonarot stood up, Lanarot looked up towards her mother, before standing up, the food on her lap dropping on her food. She stood firmly, her legs planted on the ground like a pair of tree trunks. She stumbled towards her mother, her feet slamming down on the ground, before she grabbed her mother’s leg.

Adam blinked. “Does that count? That counts, right?” Adam said, pointing to his sister.

“Well done, Lanarot,” Sonarot said.

Adam waited, all the while the other Iyrmen praised her, petting her head, brushing her hair. However, Adam pulled the girl from her mother, using his trick, Tricks, to clean her up, before he hugged her tight.

“Look at how big and strong you’ve become,” Adam said, planting a kiss on her forehead, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

The attention caused her to squeal and clap, enjoying the fact that everyone was playing with her.

“Did you see? Those big strong steps!” Adam ruffled the girl’s hair, all the while Lanarot clapped and laughed.

Adam placed her down and pulled back. “Come to me, Lanababy.”

Lanarot held out her hands to try and grab him, stepping forwards twice, before Adam scooped her up.

“Good job! Good job!” Adam continued to praise the little girl. “You are the best, Lanababy.” He continued to play with her all evening, all the while the other Iyrmen watched.

Ashmir looked to the others, wondering how they were responding to Adam wildly praising his little sister. They seem to give him a look which meant that Adam was simply Adam.