The old one armed Iyrman huffed as he curled the dambell with his one good hand, feeling the burn against his bicep. He could hear the nearby clashing between his siblings, the married couple doing their best to kill one another. Once his brother lost, he returned back to the one armed Iyrman.

“I knew you had fought to gain your strength, but did you truly face against such monsters?” Tarot joked, sitting opposite his elder brother, panting for air.

“Sister is holding back against you,” Jarot replied, almost smirking. “I would not call her such a monster.”

Tarot chuckled, before drinking a cup of water. He sighed as though he had drunk his favourite peach wine. “Do you think brother is doing well in paradise?”

“What a brother we have to leave us behind to have his fun,” Jarot joked, lifting up the dambell above his head, completing his presses. He stabilised himself through his good foot, rather than his wooden leg.

Tarot thought of his elder brothers, one who had grown so wildly and yet had become so tame in his older age, and another who had been so tame, and yet had to leave to be wild. He watched as Jarot carefully lifted the weight over his head, each repetition completed with intention.

“You are too old for this now, brother,” Tarot said. “You have done enough for the Iyr.”

Jarot remained silent as he continued to lift the weight, before placing it down onto his knee, and then beside him onto his seat. “I do not train for the Iyr, but for those named Rot.”

Tarot let out a guilty sigh, before he smiled once more. “It is this way.”

“It is this way,” Jarot confirmed.

Zirot allowed the brothers to stew in their thoughts before continuing to clash with Tarot, until the trio returned back to their shared estate.

“Babo!” Jirot exclaimed as the old man approached, rushing up to him with little Jarot in tow, grabbing onto his leg.

“What is this gift given to me today?” the older Iyrman asked, dropping to a knee to embrace the pair. “Have you come to play with your babo?”

“Yes!” Jirot declared, before she started to climb up the old man’s arm to ride his back, while little Jarot waited to be lifted up.

The old man hid his wince with the wide grin on his face, before he lifted the boy up. “Since you have come to play, we must play!” He laughed wildly, but the children nearby had become so used to it.

“I come play!” Jirot stated, wrapping her arms around his pulsing neck. “Babo playing with me!”

“Yes!” Jarot chuckled as he held the twins against him.

Konarot pointed to her grandmother and looked up towards Vonda, who smiled and nodded her head, before Konarot led the rest of the triplets to their nano. Vonda placed down the basket of goods onto a table before she greeted the little Rot children of the extended family, who were excited to see the Priest of Life once more. After all, she was a member of the most prestigious order across the land.

Mulrot lifted the triplets up one by one and kissed their foreheads, before letting them go off to play with the other Rot children. The Family Elder sent one of the young Iyrmen to bring tea and peach wine, while she settled herself opposite the priest.

“You did not bring Lanarot?”

“Turot began reading the tale early,” Vonda replied.

Mulrot poured the young woman tea first, and the pair sat in silence as they watched the children play together. The triplets ran around with the children of the extended family estate before they all settled together to listen to Jarot’s stories.

“Did you think this old man would lose to the likes of a manticore?” Jarot exclaimed.

“No!” the children shouted back in response.

Jarot howled with laughter. “You are right! You are right! I would not lose to the likes of a manticore!” Jarot went on to tell the tale of when he slew the some of the last few manticore many years ago, before even their parents’ time.

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It was the last week of the year, and within the next fortnight, the Rot family would know if Adam was dead or alive. Mulrot stared at the children, especially the twins who sat against their babo, sucking their thumbs as they gripped his shirt.

“The children are growing so well,” Vonda said. “Jirot speaks so well now.”

“She speaks so much how can she not speak well?” Murlot asked, wondering what the young girl would speak about once the tale was done.

“She will be able to bully Adam so well when he returns.”

“Yes,” Mulrot replied, before she sent a young Iyrman for some fruit. Once the fruit was brought, she cut it, though Vonda and Tarot both assisted her.

Karot took a piece of fruit and brought it up to his lips, before picking one up to offer to Vonda. Vonda smiled and took it from him, thanking the boy, before the boy offered some to his nano and his other babo.

“You must eat too, Karot,” Tarot said, picking the boy up, bringing the fruit to the boy’s lips. Karot smiled shyly and rested his head against the old man’s chest, chewing the fruit slowly. Tarot held the boy close to his chest, brushing his hair tenderly.

“I fighting!” Jirot declared, pointing up towards the sky. “I fighting the ball and it the wall and the ball coming.”

“That is right,” Jarot said, petting her head gently.

“Daddy coming?” Jirot asked.

“Your father will return soon,” Jarot assured.

“Yes?” Jirot asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Little Jarot pouted up towards his greatfather. “Daddy?”

“Are you worried, my boy?” Jarot asked, rubbing the boy’s head. “You do not need to worry. Your father is strong, and so is his brother. Papo Jurot will help him.”

“Papo Juwoh?”

“Yes. Your aunts are with him too, kako Kitool and kako Jaygak.”

“Kako Jaygah?” Little Jarot looked around to try and find his aunt, whose skin was so bright and beautiful.

“She will return soon.” Jarot kissed the boy’s forehead and held him closer to his chest.

“No! I coming!” Jirot stated, holding up his finger towards her babo as she told him off.

“Yes, of course, my Jirot.”

“Yes.” The girl hugged him tighter.

“Your father will make such a mess,” Jarot said.

“Yes,” Jirot replied, sucking her thumb as she cuddled beside her grandfather.

The old man smiled, holding the pair closer to him.

“Daddy come back soon?” Konarot asked the bird, which tweeted in response. “Soon is soon.” The bird tweeted once more to the young girl. “Okay.” Konarot nodded and watched the bird fly away.

“Daddy come back soon?” Kirot asked her eldest sister.

“Daddy still in lake.”

“Okay.” Kirot frowned.

“…” Zirot stared at the pair of girls and blinked. ‘What?’

Vonda stayed at the extended family estate with the five children, the young woman staying with the triplets while the twins cuddled with their babo that night.

“She can truly speak with animals?” Mulrot asked her sister, tapping the table.

“She knows of the lake,” Zirot stated.

Mulrot reached up to rub her forehead gently. “It is not a surprise that his daughter would also cause trouble.”

Tarot chuckled from beside them. “If she can speak with animals, it is only a boon. Perhaps the lake means something else, or perhaps she truly knows what has happened to her father.”

“I will inform Elder Zijin of the matter and allow him to deal with it,” Mulrot said.

“You do not wish to deal with it?” Tarot asked, a knowing look within his eyes.

“We lost such a right.”

“Adam has forgiven us.”

“It is not shameless for him to forgive us easily since he did no wrong.”

Tarot chuckled once more. “Since you know, you know.”

“He will return and we will find another way to redeem ourselves,” Mulrot stated.

“If he does not return?”

“Then redemption will come easy.” Mulrot sipped her tea quietly.

Jarot remained laying with his greatchildren in his room, feeling the pair snooze against him. ‘If you do not return soon, I will steal them away from you, Adam.’ He smiled, before closing his eyes to sleep.

Karot held onto Vonda’s hand, sucking on his thumb. “Vonda?”

“Yes?”

“Kako is home?”

“Which kako?”

“Kako Lanawoh?”

“Yes. She is back with your nana.”

“Nana is home?”

“Yes.”

“I like nana.”

“I like your nana too.”

Karot smiled. “I love nana.”

Vonda reached over and brushed his cheek gently. “That is because you are a good boy.”

“Yes,” Kirot said, climbing up beside Karot to hug him tight. “Good boy.”

Karot smiled and hugged his sister in return. “Good boy.”

“You are a good girl too, Kirot,” Vonda said, before watching as Konarot got up and made her way out. “Konarot, what’s wrong?”

“Toilet.”

“Okay,” Vonda said, getting up. “You two stay here, okay?” Kirot and Karot stood up, and Vonda smiled slightly. “Okay, let’s go to the toilet together.”

The triplets led Vonda away to the nearby toilet, while Tarot followed them from nearby, pretending to take a walk in the night, before assisting the triplets.

“What? You wish to sleep with me tonight?” Tarot asked, picking up Karot. The boy shook his head and pointed to Vonda. “What? But I am your babo too!” He peppered the boy with adoring kisses all over his face.

Kirot reached up to hold his hand and led her babo back to where they were going to sleep, and pulled him in so he would also sleep with them. Tarot held the girl close to his chest.

“Kirot, you are the one who loves me most?”

Kirot smiled. “I love babo.” She hugged him tighter.

‘I understand why your father adores you so much.’ Tarot let out a sigh as he held the girl close to his chest. “Kirot, you cannot allow my brother to steal you.”

Kirot looked up towards her babo, before she smirked, the same way her younger sister would smirk and cause trouble.

Tarot sighed. “Your babo will train hard for you, my girl.”

“Good boy.” Kirot reached up to pat his head.

Tarot tried to stifle his chuckle as to not howl with laughter. “Yes, I am.”