Omen: 9, 13

The smell of roasted boar invited Adam to awaken. The pulsing headache told him to return to slumber, but the heavy triplets told him to get up or to suffocate under them. He sat up slowly, noting that his triplets were still fast asleep.

‘Who are these cute children?’ Adam thought, reaching up to ruffle their hair, causing them to stir awake.

He carried the trio out to see the various Iyrmen all around, from the children, to the teens, to the adults, and even to Jarot, who was feeding the Goblin twins their food, fruit which had been mashed until it was almost completely liquid, though they wore much of the meal on their faces.

Adam sat down, and closed his eyes in thought. ‘I have definitely forgotten that today was something special. What is it? The festival happened a week earlier because usually the Iyrmen need time to leave beforehand for something, and then there was something else.’

Adam’s eyes scanned around the Iyrmen, only to note that it was the children who looked the most excited. ‘Hmmm. If the children are excited then it’s one of two things. Fights, or gifts.’

“Jurot,” Adam whispered, motioning with his head. “Fights or gifts today?”

“Yes,” Jurot replied. “It is gift giving today.”

“Ah!” Adam nodded. ‘Right, right! That was it! Damn, do I have anything?’ Adam narrowed his eyes. ‘Gems? I guess? I could give them a bunch of gems, but…’ Adam looked to the babies who were resting peacefully to one side. ‘That isn’t good enough, though…’

“I’ll be back in a moment,” Adam said, all the while the Iyrmen were dolling out food between one another.

“Did you forget it was gift giving today?” Zijin asked as the Half Elf approached.

“Yeah, I’ve been… occupied.” Adam rubbed the side of his neck. ‘How could I forget gift giving of all days…’

“You may choose items from the warehouse,” Zijin said, writing down a slip for Adam to take to an Iyrman who would be on duty that day. “We will take the coin from your pay at the end of the month.”

“Thanks.”

Adam eventually returned with myriad of items, each tied together by rope. There were shields, blades, axes, and staves within the pile, which he placed down onto a blanket.

The children looked to their parents, who nodded their heads, and they quickly approached Adam, queueing him before him, with Katool up front, and Taygak at the back.

Adam smiled.

“Thank you, Cousin Adam,” Katool said, accepting her staff, letting Adam ruin her bob as he ruffled her hair.

“Of course, of course,” Adam said, handing out the weapons one by one. He handed the children their corresponding weapons, greatswords to the Ool twins, longswords to the Gaks, and an axe to Turot.

Saygak accepted the longsword awkwardly from Adam, noting the looks from his parents, before he quickly shuffled away, hugging the longsword tight to his chest. He did not dare to pout at the gift, since it was still a wonderful gift from Adam.

The children noted there were still weapons and shields left over from the pile, and they eyed Adam curiously.

“Did you bring gifts for us too?” Jaygak asked, counting the weapons, before realising what they were for.

“Obviously they’re for my cute little Cousins who are too small to use them,” Adam said, having brought a set of weapons for each of the babies. “I’ve brought gems for my own children, since they seem to need money more, but I’ve brought weapons for the babies.”

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“Why do they need weapons?” Jaygak asked.

“They don’t need weapons, but I’ll have to enchant something eventually for them, won’t I?” Adam asked.

“Will you?” Jaygak asked, tilting her head.

“Can’t I?” Adam asked, tilting his head the opposite way.

Adam was truly Adam, the Iyrmen thought.

They enjoyed the day together, eating and relaxing, though the teens had to step out for a few hours to work, and the adults also did the same, though none worked more than a three hour shift, since it was gift giving.

“Why are you silly little babbies wearing your food?” Adam asked, causing his twins to squeal and laugh as him, all the while he dabbed their face with a cloth to clean them up. “Oh dear, oh dear. How could you two be so cute?”

“Adam,” Jurot called, standing beside Kitool and Jaygak, who were all geared up.

“What are you guys doing?” Adam asked, before realising he probably shouldn’t ask.

“We must leave,” Jurot said. “We have earned our rights.”

Adam glanced between the trio, before nodding his head. “When will you be back?”

“If we survive, the first month of dawnval,” Jurot said, extending out his arm.

“I shall see you during the first month of dawnval, since you aren’t a Diamond Rank Adventurer yet,” Adam replied, shaking Jurot’s forearm.

“Don’t miss me too much,” Jaygak said, shaking Adam’s forearm.

“As if I could.”

“Be well, Adam,” Kitool said.

“You too, Kitool. Keep an eye out on Jaygak, otherwise she’ll cause you too much trouble.”

Kitool bowed her head, though could not correct his words, otherwise she’d give away too much about their rights.

They said their goodbyes to the children and the babies, before they left, just like that.

Adam sighed, wondering what trouble they’d get up to without him. ‘It’s probably something dangerous…’

Konarot climbed onto her father’s lap, revealing the cube she was playing with, which held the stylised image of a Dragon’s head.

“I think your birthday is around this time too,” Adam whispered. ‘Should I make it today? No, no, that’s too awkward. The twenty fifth? No, that’s awkward too.’ “Do you want to have daddy’s birthday?” Adam asked.

Konarot wrapped her arms around his neck and purred quietly. Adam rubbed his cheek against hers and smiled. “Alright. Let’s share our birthdays together, then…” After the words left his mouth, he thought about his twins, who did not share the same birthday as him. ‘Should I have made their birthdays the same? Damn…’

The rest of the week passed with Adam enchanting and taking time off for his family, all the while oblivious to the moves various forces were making in the world.

“One hundred years,” Hadda said, placing down his cup with a shaky hand. “Do not war with the empire for one hundred years.”

“It would be more stable under my rule,” Shama replied, simply. He sipped the wine of the Iyr, feeling it warm his insides. Though nightval was ending, and the snow no longer encompass the entire Iyr, the Front Iyr was completed covered in snow.

“Allow my boy his birthright,” Hadda stated, pouring himself another cup of wine. “One hundred years.”

“One hundred years is too much to ask,” Shama asked. “How many times have we almost killed each other for you to request such a thing?”

“No.” Hadda smiled. “That’s why you’ll do it. Who else can say they are are close to me as you?”

Shama sighed, still unable to deal with how annoying Hadda was. “Why did you have to commit the ultimate taboo?”

“My soul will reach my daughter, and that is all that matters,” Hadda replied, simply. He sipped his wine.

“We will never meet again, in this life, or the next.” Shama didn’t want to admit it, but losing Hadda was a great blow to this world, and to him.

“Did you think I’d leave you without someone to fight?” Hadda asked. “One hundred years, and by then, you’ll have someone to fight.”

“Are you talking about that boy, Adam?” Shama could tell the boy would become troublesome in his later years, and perhaps, if he was lucky, fun.

“If not him, his sister.”

“His sister?” Shama could see the way Hadda’s eyes glowed with mischief. “The only Iyrman who can match my strength…” Shama stopped. He, who knew the identity of that woman, also knew how she came to possess such great strength. “You! You didn’t!”

Hadda howled like a hyena, coughing a mad fit as he reached for his chest, wheezing.

“How could you do something like that?” Shama’s brows flew upwards in utter shock, something which he hadn’t needed to do after Hadda desensitised him all those centuries ago with his wild antics.

“Aren’t you glad, Shama? I’ve left you something to look forward to once I’m gone! My last gift to you!” Hadda coughed, unable to contain his laughter.

“You! You’re crazy, you old bastard!” Shama shouted, though Hadda continued to laugh.

Shama’s hands were tied. He couldn’t nip the bud before it bloomed since the girl was an Iyrman, and still a babe. He heard the tales of how far the Iyr would go in order for vengeance, and Hadda had warned him many times, enough that it had become fact.

Shama was already thinking of a plan to deal with the amount of Chaos which would pour into this world when Hadda would die, and no doubt he’d have to clean up after the old man’s mess, but to think he’d go so far. ‘To think you’d commit two ultimate taboos, you crazy bastard!’