Thanks to defeating the Great Bone Serpent, Silas was able to receive a hefty pay. 200 thousand. This meant that he had the money to buy the Silenced Thorn pistol from that one Hunter sooner or later. First, it was a day outing with his family. Silas was heading out whereby Ferno was catching attention by being their transport for the day, flying through the sky to the shopping mall. They arrived without much worry, since HUnters were using most of their Familiars to do things. From shopping for groceries to evaluating weapons that other Hunters are selling.

"That was fun!" Bigby said, holding Silas's hand as Ferno shrunk to the size of an eagle. This time perched over Silas's shoulders, they headed downstairs via the lift. Stepping out to the mall where there were shops for Hunters. Today however, the plan was just to go out and buy some clothes for the family. A 200 thousand pay check was going to help a lot.

"Alright. Let's go shopping!" Alex said as she pulled Jensen's hand.

"Hey, Alex! Slow down!" Jensen's protest was left unheard as they stepped into the shops.

"Come on, Grandpa!" Bigby grabbed Ericson's hand, where the old man chuckled at the sight of his grand children enjoying themselves. Perhaps this was a sight that Joshua Gates had longed and the memories that had plagued him of just being a simple child. He had a weak heart but that didn't stop him from enjoying his life.

Was the envy kicking in for Silas or was it the idea of making a life his own. Taking over another person's body, it was something that he had because of Silas Glenn's actual wish. To ensure his family's safety. The Lord of Thorns who now bears the name of Silas Glenn with the power accumulated by Joshua Gates. Perhaps this time, he won't allow anything to happen. Ferno was tugging Silas's hand to follow the Glenn family through the shopping.

"Alright! You two always wear so simple! Come on let's put some fashion on you! I'd be embarrassed if I was your sister!" Alex said as she passed Jensen and Silas clothes to try on.

"Er... Alex why don't yo-"

"I SAID GO CHANGEEEEE" Alex pushed the two of them to the dressing room with the clothes. Silas and Jensen stepped out with Silas wearing black jeans and a white shirt. Jensen wore a plaid shirt and denim jeans.

"This is better!" Alex took photos of her elder brothers. Ferno was just flapping its wings around, just perched up at the counter greeting people. Ferno was always one who liked affection. Ferno was just flying around whistling a calming song for everyone, just for the fun of it.

"Ah, Alex. You're always rowdy. Come on let's go and eat." They went around the place to look for a place to eat. When they stepped out a few Familiars were standing to look at Ferno. Most of them were Familiars who had an affinity with fire. Skeletons that were on fire, a dragonkin, a flaming werewolf.

"Hi."

"Are you a Black Phoenix?" A knight asked, kneeling before him. They began to kneel one by one which caused a scene as Hunters were asking their Familiars to why they were kneeling.

"Oh. I'm a Black Phoenix." The Familiars turned to each other and began to speak a language with Ferno. Something that no one else could hear, but SIlas because he is Ferno's summoner can hear it all clearly. They were speaking about how they wished to be blessed by Ferno's flame.

"Master. They want me to bless them? It's something I've never done before. Is it okay if I get bigger?"

"Sure." Ferno flew up to the sky where the ground was blanketed by Ferno's shadow. The black phoenix was in its full form, it was smaller than the Ashen Phoenix, who's wings could blanket the entire planet with. Yet its grace could be seen as Ferno began to sing. The Familiars with an affinity to flames were getting a buff.

'The Indomitable's Blessing : Grants a 25% defense for all flame linked familiars.'

'The Black Flame's Call : For 3 dungeon runs flame affinity familiars will be given the use of black flames to heal MP and HP of both them and their masters.'

So about the blessings. They use power from the Lord of Thorns to grant blessings since you've ascended as Etana's Avatar of Seasons.

When you summon familiars with a high affinity to magic. You may grant blessings.

Bayran : Ice

Barakas : Wind

Cinder : Flames

Asim : Earth

Lopt : Darkness

Vingthor : Lightning

Bileygr : Wind.

Each blessing is different.

Bileygr's Blessing is for combatant type Familiars while granting them a passive wind element to increase momentum in attacks. Granting a 5% damage buff.

The other Familiars of the Lord of Thorns have reached a status as being legends because of their aid in stopping enemy attacks.

"Huh." Silas's system seemed to be able to joke with him and show information as if it was talking to him like a person. It's a lot different than when the system had acted with Joshua. Ferno returned to his small form, perching over Silas's shoulders.

"Thank you, Flaming one! Thank you for your blessings!" The Familiars chanted as they showed the status to them. Though Silas did feel a few watchful eye on his position. The kind that speaks of ill intentions, perhaps they may want to try and kidnap Ferno.

Silas could see a collar binding Ferno, whereby he watched Ferno fly over to the person that issued it.

"Hah, now you're mine!" Ferno flew over to look at the lady in a hood.

"Too bad." Ferno's eyes met with hers. Bringing her to another world where it was all darkness.

"I guess that's how you humans are. Always trying to use others for your usefulness." She heard a voice coming from the front. She blinked and now she was bound to a chair. Seeing corpses hung on the walls, then seeing a man wearing an apron over his bare chest making his way towards her.

"Who.. Who the hell are you!?" She was struggling, trying to use magic to free herself.

"Oh me? I'm just the one who deals with those being mean to my fellow Familiars."

"You see. I serve the Black Flame Phoenix and you tried to enslave the Black Flame phoenix. Now, it's my job to make sure when you wake up. You'll be too afraid to tell anyone what's going on. The bodies here? They're meat of the ones who tried to do that in the past. Now let's see how long will you last?"

Ferno then flew back to Silas's side where Silas took off the collar. The lady in the hood was on the ground, foaming at the lips. Blood from her eyes, ears and nose. Silas was just wondering if Ferno had to call the servants of the Black Flame to do that. It seems Ferno had reached to Ancient Level like Bayran and the others. The Ancient of Black Flames, with his own group of people that were far more assassin like than a cult. Ferno's power as the Black Phoenix was not for show, Silas remembered watching a few bouts between Ferno and Cinder. Cinder was left weakened from their fights. Ferno's gaze could send a person's mind to another location and his Servants will do the rest.

Ferno may act like a carefree spirit but the time he spent with Joshua Gates has changed him to not just be merciless to those that try to harm him, but also to the ones that try to harm the ones near him. The same goes for his other familiars. Donovan was able to get in touch with his warriors the Shields of Ingressia and Iacus with the newly formed army of the Lunarian Kingdom, where he serves as the special counselor.

Lugasa got back his clan of Crimson Werewolves and Commander 151 have begun work on raising the next generation of the Azteris Suicide Division. The Seraphs were merely roaming around to enjoy what the world had to offer, but the Familiars that serve the Lord of Thorns have all gotten into a powerful state. One that can be said to be far more dangerous than anything else.

"Come on. Let's go figure out where to eat already!" Alex pulled both Jensen and Silas's hands ahead. For now, Silas could see the many on lookers but he already has a solution for that. The Void Dancers were lying in wait in a dimensional rift.

"There's a few observers lord. Quite a number of them."

"Some want you dead."

"Some are trying to protect you. They may clash in the streets in a few seconds."

Silas heard the report as he was looking through the menu.

"Pick whatever you want. I'll pay for it." Silas said where Jensen was struggling to look through the menu.

"Isn't this expensive?"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Well I did earn a big pay check. Can't wait for you to get yours Brother." Jensen shook his head.

"I hope so." Silas patted Jensen's shoulder, giving it a friendly rub. They ordered their food and Silas was enjoying this little moment of peace. Enjoying the meal, having idle conversations. Such a thing... It was not a bad thing. A nice memory for Silas's heart and to understand what more did Joshua Gates yearned for.

"Void Dancers. Take them both to a dimensional rift. Ask them questions, if the ones that wish to kill me try to harm my family. I want them dead. The others just give them a calling card so they can use to call upon you guys. You'll be doing mercenary work here and in our home. Would that be fine?"

"As you command Lord." Silas was relieved as he stepped out to not feel anything or any sharp gazes on his path. However, he did feel the presence of Margen who was roaming around like a ghost. Silas turned to Margen who stopped in his tracks. Margen fixed his spectacles.

"I don't like being tailed and I have questions." Margen put on an earpiece as he sat down in a cafe.

"Shit. Telepathy? It took me a while to learn this. So your bird. It can give blessings? How'd you manage that?"

"A summon crystal appeared and I used it. It appeared in the dungeon."

"It grants blessings and... I also heard about something else too. The 5 Guild Leaders are out to recruit you, and we want you on our team but... It seems that you've attracted some bad press. That bird might be dangerous for you to keep. You sure you can protect it?"

"Ooh! He's a strong magician isn't he?" Ferno used telepathy as well, while Silas was cutting a bit of the steak to give to Ferno. Bite sized chunks that Ferno ate with joy.

"It can use telepathy too?" Margen thought as he choked on his drink, looking at Silas with his spectacles turning foggy as a result.

"Master, he's a trust worthy person."

"How'd you know about that Ferno?" Silas looked at Ferno as Ferno sat on Bigby's lap.

"Bigby! I want pets!" Bigby was stroking Ferno's fur, feeling the softness of the feathers in his hand. Giggling as Ferno whistled as a response.

"It's because he has a phoenix by his side. It's the Blue Phoenix! Hi Bluey!"

"A black phoenix? How old are you? A few hundred?" A deep mellowed voice joined the conversation.

"I'm only 200!" Silas heard a sigh from the deep voice.

"I am Sapphire Phoenix, not Bluey! I have a name you know. It's Vita!"

"Hi Vita! My name's Ferno!"

"Ah. He's a child..." Vita complained as Silas turned to look at Margen's pet falcon which was a deep shade of blue.

"How can you see me? I am normally hidden from sight."

"Oh, is that you Vita? My I've not seen or heard of you for a few thousand years." Cinder's voice joined into the conversation.

"Eep!" Vita fell into Margen's lap, cowering in Margen's coat.

"Vita? What's got you spooked?"

"Oh of course he'd be spooked. He's the man who's afraid of his wife. Especially when his wife is... Much more powerful than he is. Vita... You did cheat on me three thousand years ago."

"I already apologized... So please don't... Bring it up..."

"You're married? You told me that Summons don't marry!"

"He's half right. But before we were summons, we all have many duties as phoenixes. When a Phoenix's life span ends, that is when they become Summons. For humans in worlds that need saving... Or destroying. Depending on what we're used for. I'm sure that Vita's trial to obtain him must have been difficult hasn't it? It's why he's always a loner." Cinder was deliberately scaring the falcon and even teasing it.

"I didn't know you were married, Cinder."

"Oh I was. Until that damned blue feathered brain decided to go out with a younger bird!"

"I already admitted that I was wrong and you clawed my right wing so bad it took me two thousand years to have it work again so I could fly!" This was already turned into a couple's argument. Silas was hearing them go on and on, it was bad until Ferno was cowering in Bigby's jacket, poking his head as Bigby continued petting him.

"Cinder. Please do not bother them. It is best if we stay hidden... Oh wait.. It seems that I have... Fallen into a pitfall because this telepathy communication has reached me as well. I apologize, Silas." That was Bayran's voice and the sudden pauses in that sentence meant that Bayran had accidentally entered into the telepathy.

"The White Dragon?! Oh god. You're not going to kill me are you?" Vita was now hiding inside Margen's hoodie, trying to fit itself. Frantically looking from left to right, as if trying to find Bayran.

"That depends on what your Summoner's reasoning for having this telepathic communication. If you are trying to threaten our master. Then be warned that we will strike back with force."

"Vita... How strong are they?" Margen asked.

"You think I'm strong? You've not seen those two... The White Dragon could turn a scorching desert into a winter wonderland! Cinder? Please don't make me talk about my wife like that. She'll scare every phoenix that tries to harm her."

"State your reason, Summoner."

"Just wanted to confirm if a phoenix would be safe in Silas's hands... But it looks like I'm the one being threatened here. Just a heads up, Silas. It seems that some of the Hunters that work for the underworld want to grab your Phoenix. They want to use it since it's powerful. I've asked a few of my -" Margen was cut off by the sight of 5 of his guild mates standing in front of him out of nowhere.

"He has Familiars that can do this. As for the threats around him, there's no need to be so worried. Allow me to show you." In an instant Margen could see the other Familiars hanging around. The Void Dancers who were hanging out by the rooftops. The Daemon Punisher's that were ready to take aim at Margen. The 3 Nightwings that were flying in the sky. The Familiars were all glaring at Margen, beasts waiting for the kill as Silas was sipping on his glass of soda.

"This is only a small exposure. He wishes to keep his strength hidden. I suppose you can understand why?"

"Alright. I'm convinced. You're all S-Rank level monsters. It'd be difficult to fight you in a head on fight. By the way. Did you send some of them to help out the Guild's A-Rank teams in dungeons?"

"Yes."

"Well. Trying to rope you in seems impossible because of how strong you are. If you have this much power, you're already at S-Rank and you can even out fight all 5 of us at once."

"Don't sell yourself short. If I faced you with my full power, I'd be struggling because of how much your attacks will inflict status effects. The skill gap between S-Ranks and A-Ranks are wider than A-Rank to F-Rank."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment. My A-Rank teams are going to be heading into dungeons that have a chance to turn into a higher ranked dungeons and as you've experienced. We're seeing a lot more dungeons carrying bigger and more dangerous enemies.You helped save Julie and Denver. They were going to level up to be B-ranked soon. I'm guessing there's more of your Familiars that have been dispatched into the Dungeons?" Silas nodded as he watched the waiter bring the Glenn family their desserts. Bigby was feeding Ferno some donut.

"Ooh! That's very sweet!" Ferno said to Bigby.

"Want some more?"

"Yes!" Ericson was smiling at the sight of Bigby and Ferno, which brought a smile to Silas's face.

"I'll talk to the Association Chairman and make sure that your Familiars will be able to get permits as Special Dungeon Units. He might want to make your acquaintance."

"Special Dungeon Unit?"

"Basically they're familiars that can be brought into dungeons as allies. The SDU was limited because their powers are needed to be assessed. Only 20 SDUs are available. The main condition is that the Familiars must be able to face The Chairman's Familiars which form the basis of the SDU. You will get pay because you're the master of the Familiars but its difficult because the Chairman's 20 Familiars are at S-Rank class. He's been trying to bring up more Familiars to qualify but the issue is that they're either too weak or can't take enough hits to warrant it." Margen's explanation had Silas thinking. This meant that the SDU Familiars were as strong as S-Ranks and if his assessment was that Silas's familiars are at that rank. Then it means that they can be part of it.

"Is it a means to reduce the body count?"

"Yeah. It is but it's not been doing much because the SDUs are trying to make sure a Dungeon Convergance occurs. Those things will leak out monsters from the dungeon and attack the general populace. But meeting him. Don't expect him to be weak or his Familiars."

"When can you set up the meet?"

"How about at midnight? You need to spend time with your family right? I'd rather not bother you too much. Besides, it's my day off."

"Sure. Are the other 4 Guild Leaders going to be present?"

"Yeah. We're planning to meet him later anyway." Silas nodded as he paid the bill for the meal.

Heading back home after a long eventful day of shopping. Silas and Jensen were the ones in the kitchen with Ericson to cook while Bigby and Alex were playing with Ferno.

"Ah it feels good to have the boys be in the kitchen. Now come on, let grandpa teach you the family recipe. The Glenn family special feast!" Silas and Jensen were following Ericson's orders. A general in the military giving orders to his troops, where Silas and Jensen were struggling at every single minute.

"More salt!" Ericson said as Silas put a bit of salt, where Ericson took another spoonful.

"Oil's too hot, you'll burn the garlic." Jensen adjusted the flames.

"Come on boys! I raised your dad and uncles like this. So make sure you do everything right. A man's gotta know how to cook!"

"Yes, Grandpa!" The two young men answered diligently as they continued to cook as per Ericson's orders.

"I'm glad to be able to eat this kind of meal with my family. It's a Glenn family tradition. The men of the house cook while the women take a break on days when we feel that it's a good day. No matter how tired you are, no matter how tough the day was. We always make the time to cook to celebrate things." Ericson said as the Glenn family held hands. Singing a prayer before they ate. Ferno joined by sitting on Ericson's lap.

"Oh?"

"Can I eat too?"

"Of course. Would you like some chicken?"

"Yes!" Ferno ate enough food because Ericson was like a doting grandfather saying that Ferno looked too thin. It was at a point where Ferno was sleeping in Ericson's lap, with his wings hugging the old man. The food was delicious and it was something that Silas had not had. He felt tears falling from his face.

"What's wrong Silas?"

"Nothing grandpa. It's just. I finally get to have this taste after so long." Silas said as the others smiled. Silas left the house after dinner, making his way to where the Margen had told him. The 5 Guild Leaders were present along with an aged man who was walking with a cane, but Silas could see the powers that this middle aged man had. Despite the graying hair, the eyes were that of a fire. A fire that was burning deep through Silas's gaze.

The Grand Paladin of Faith, Loren was wearing a suit. One that was tailored to his lean bodied physique that leads the Guardians.

The Super Computer Magus, Margen who was wearing a shirt and vest with grimoires floating around him. The leader of Jesters.

Divine Blade of Storm, Cynthia who led the Heaven's Blade was wearing her kimono with a tachi by her side.

Crimson Demon, Beniya who led the Demoniacs. Wearing a demon mask over his face, tilting it a bit to light the cigarette.

Finally, Hofnier the Laughing Predator who leads the predators. Quite the man. The stature of both Hofnier and Beniya were one of martial artists, their bodies were as sturdy as a mountain upon a simple glance.

Yet none of them showed an opening.

"Silas Ryan. I heard that you have interesting Familiars. I'd like to see it for myself."