Adam and the others were led to a section of the Iyr which held a similar estate like those he was used to within the Main Iyr. These estates were only a single story tall, and each room was quite small, functional enough for one Iyrmen, though had enough space for a desk as well as several boxes they could store things within.

The Half Elf narrowed his eyes, glancing around the Front Iyr. ‘Where are all the children?’ He spotted a teen or two, but there were no small children about. ‘That’s weird…’

He explored the Front Iyr with Jurot, Lucy, and Mara. They first made their way to the centre of the Front Iyr, which was a large square, with a large number of roads leading out, almost like an eight pointed star. One road led out to the Guest estates, each which were built for a singular person, with enough space for them to relax and enjoy themselves within the Iyr, though Morkarai’s seemed to be the only one with a forge.

Near the estates, the pathway opened up, giving the estates their own space, where there were two figures who were sitting nearby one another, drinking and talking. One was a man, and another was a woman. Neither was Human, though they were almost Human. They each had a pair of horns, and some of their skin was scaled. The woman had black scales, and the other had bronze scales.

‘Who are they?’ Adam thought.

Jurot narrowed his eyes, noting the scales on the figures. Considering they were Guests of the Iyr, it was fairly obvious what they were. However, he didn’t know who exactly the pair were. ‘Bronze scales? A Wing? Black scales? A Burg?’

Lucy’s eyes scanned the area as she whispered to Mara. “Didn’t I tell you?”

“Yes, your Grace,” Mara replied, noting all the, as Lucy had stated, hunky men and women. She had thought that this world would have dealt with the Demon Lord’s peculiarities, but it seemed she had only become more corrupted.

“Oh!” Adam called, waving a hand. “Hey Strom!” He made his way towards the old man, who was almost unrecognisable. He had not yet noticed who Strom’s conversational partner was.

He was an older man, adorned in light clothes, even in the season of duskval, which was cool, with a chilly wind, and rain every so often. The outfit he wore was similar to that of the Iyrmen, though the stranger was no Iyrman, for though his forehead was tattooed, it was a collection of four dots in the centre which formed a diamond.

Adam froze, his hand still up in a wave. Jurot and Lucy also tensed up as the older man’s eyes fell across the group.

‘What the hell is he doing here?’

Mara stepped in front of Lucy, her hands crossed in front of her stomach. She had felt the air suddenly shift, and the way the entire group had tensed, she was certain that this old man was that guy.

Adam clutched as his die, but he felt a hand against his shoulder, and his eyes snapped back to see a familiar form of a handsome Iyrman. “Elder.”

“Adam,” Lykan replied, his voice calm. “I am glad that your travels went well.” He bowed his head to Mara. “You have accomplished your goals.”

“I did,” Adam replied, his eyes then darting back to the old man, who was looking past them. “What is he doing here?”

“He is a Guest,” Lykan said, before squeezing Adam’s shoulder. “Whatever happened outside of the Iyr shall remain there.”

“He killed Lucy.”

“Yes, but he is in the Iyr now,” Lykan replied, and before he could continue, he looked back to see Asa had arrived. Suddenly, his priorities had changed from Adam, the chaotic troublemaker, to the stranger who seemed to have some connection with Shama.

Strom stared up at Asa, and the smell which permeated the air had told him they were one in the same. “I didn’t expect to see another here.”

Shama’s eyes narrowed towards Asa, who was vaguely familiar. He could sense the man’s great strength, though he was like Strom. ‘Is it a trend to give up one’s Spark?’

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

‘Ah,’ Asa thought, glancing between the pair. ‘They’ve certainly grown since then.’

Strom also felt a vague familiarity from the figure opposite him, but he couldn’t quite place it. ‘He must not have been a good fight if I don’t remember him, but…’ Even from where he sat, he was certain that he would have proved a difficult adversary even for Shama.

Asa smiled, before leaving, wordlessly. Lykan let out a sigh of relief, swallowing. His heart calmed right away, and the nearby Iyrmen followed Asa, while the pair of Dragons who had been watching the scene unfold from nearby, returned back to their drinks to talk.

‘I am glad there are four Dragons nearby,’ Lykan thought.

“What’s with your company?” Adam asked, staring at Strom.

“Oh him?” Strom asked, chuckling. “We almost killed each other a few times. I suppose you could call us friends?”

“Friends?” Adam asked, his eyes falling to Shama, who finally returned his attention back to the group.

“Have you come for your axe?” Shama asked.

“No,” Adam replied. “I’ll get a new one soon, one which will match my shield.”

Shama wondered if Adam was trying to start a fight, but he let the matter go. Adam was too weak to bother with, even if he was a figure which would no doubt cause Chaos.

Adam turned and left, storming away. Jurot, Lucy, and Mara followed him away.

‘I’m too weak to deal with him.’ Adam frowned.

‘I should regain my strength,’ Mara thought, walking a half step behind Lucy, so she was between Shama and her liege.

‘I thought he’d do something,’ Stokmar thought, sitting atop a nearby wall, drinking from a bottle of wine. ‘Darn.’

“Wait,” Strom said, rubbing his forehead. “The kids you met on the way here, it was them?”

“Yes.”

Strom rubbed his forehead with one hand, drinking with the other. “How did I not put that together? Why did you kill her? You’re too old to be fighting kids! You should at least wait until they’re ripe before you pluck them!”

“They would not allow me to kill the Demon Lord,” Shama replied, simply. “Did you forget how troublesome it was when the last Demon Lord appeared?”

“Forget? How can I forget that you took a hundred of my islands from me?” Strom grumbled quietly.

“That was the price of peace.” Shama sipped his drink.

Strom clicked his teeth. “I’m still annoyed by the fact you took those islands from me!”

“Two of the three Anomalies are Demons,” Shama said. He hadn’t expected another to appear. ‘I shouldn’t cause trouble in the Iyr.’ He was aware of the two Dragons nearby, each of whom had answered the Iyr’s call. Then, of course, there was the Lord of Earth, who was currently favouring the Iyr.

“Shama,” Strom called. “Leave them be.”

“Why?”

“It will be fun when they’re grown,” Strom assured, grinning wide.

“Troublesome, you mean?”

“Lucy is not bad,” Strom stated. “Adam is a good kid. He’s strong, and he’ll grow even stronger given enough time.” Strom smiled as wide as he could, thinking about how much trouble Adam would cause in the future, as long as he was allowed to bloom completely.

“You are not wrong about that. He can use all manner of abilities, those which should be difficult to cross together, and yet he can use them as simply as though he were breathing.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised.” Strom sipped his wine, placing the bottle beside him, grinning like a madman. “With brothers like those two, their sister will become even more powerful.”

Shama recalled how Jurot had fought, a beast whose fangs were already so sharp as a boy. “She is still a normal Mortal, though.”

Strom chuckled. “I may have helped her a little.”

“How?” Shama didn’t like the way Strom had chuckled.

“You’ll find out in a few years.” Strom cackled, drinking the rest of his drink. He was unable to contain himself, not when he would cause so much Chaos after his death.

Meanwhile, Asa stepped up towards Morkarai, who had been sculpting a sword between his hand. “Excuse me?” Morkarai asked, wondering what the old man was doing.

“I see you are thriving in the Lower Realm,” Asa said, his eyes glancing between the items which had been made. ‘So they made a deal with the Fire Giants? Hmmm. There is only a single boy here.’

“It is awkward for we Iyrmen if you move within the Iyr as you please, Lord Asa,” Iromin said, standing within the courtyard, between Asa and the exit. Magic had engulfed the estate, silencing their voices from the outside world.

Asa smiled. “I apologise. I meant no disrespect. I just wished to speak with the young man.”

“The Iyr allows those with clear identities to travel within certain areas, but for those whose identities have not been confirmed, we hope they will choose to follow the rules.”

“My identity is awkward to state,” Asa replied, simply.

“What is your relation with Lord Shama?” Iromin asked.

‘Oh?’ Asa smiled, all the while he slowly sunk into the earth. ‘So, it was you, Stokmar?’ “Our relationship is complicated.”

Iromin remained silent, waiting for Asa to continue to speak. He had come all this way after hearing the suspicions of a particular Iyrman. It was merely a suspicion, but the Iyrman was quite good at judging such matters, though he was quite young.

“I suppose I can’t say we’re related after he plunged my own blade through my heart, but I will admit I once called the boy my son.” Asa smiled politely.

Morkarai began to sweat deeply, feeling his stomach hurt, his heart pound, and his entire body grow cold. Standing before him was the very same figure who had expelled the Fire Giants from the Upper Realms millennia ago, and his people’s worst enemy, long thought dead.

‘Why did I volunteer for this?’