Liam’s heart seemed to beat quicker with every passing tree. This was familiar ground, dirt he had trod in past lives. The familiarity brought with it a sense of surreal disbelief, as if he were home, yet not. Quartz lined the road, smoothing their path forward and cutting the traveltime in half.

“Man, Green really screwed his barony by never taking care of the roads.” Muttered Liam, watching as Nora laid down a constant stream of mana.

“Truly. But Green was always a poor baron, hard to maintain a road without workers or income.”

“Or magic.” Said Liam.

An overhanging branch stretched across the road, level with their faces. Liam reached out with his mana, ordering the branch to bend then autotomise. It detached from the tree, falling into the overgrown bushes along the road. Liam growled at the growth, knowing each road should have the surrounding wood cleared back at least fifty feet.

“I’ll catch up.” Said Liam, hopping off the wagon.

Smooth quartz met his feet, and a lycan stopped to observe his master. Wind whispered through the branches, calling to Liam. His eyes fluttered shut, and aimed his manasight at a nearby tree, attempting to dominate the life mana within it. Wood shivered, but obeyed, offering it’s meager mana to the Lightning Lord–

–Dying in the process. Liam repeated the process a dozen times, then used the mana to tear apart the trees. Not felling them as Paul Bunyon might, but literally tearing them into splinters and covering the ground with woodchips. Like a Divine-Lightning powered wood chipper. There was a substantial mana cost to the act, but Liam’s mana conversion was like a purring V12, able to absorb the ambient mana almost as quickly as he used it. And Greenwood was an oil rig. Possessing more ambient mana than any of the magi knew what to do with.

“Good, let’s catch up.” Said Liam, flying back to the wagon.

Along the way he mulched the trees, laying down a carpet of chips that extended fifty feet on either side of the road, disturbing more than one auroch’s cud and scattering a plethora of smaller creatures. Many of whom were not native to any human land. Beings that swallowed the mana, and came to dwell in an empowered country. To gather their strength.

But to what end? Why does Pandora gain by sending all these random creatures here? Thought Liam, looking at a sloth with only a single oversized eye.

Mr. Sloth had fallen out of one of the woodchipped trees and was now digging himself out of the chips, with all the speed of chilled molasses rolling downhill. Or a sloth that had drank a fifth of whiskey.

Pandora, what even is that? Thought Liam, watching without pity as Karceia dug the sloth out and chowed down, ripping off its head before swallowing the body whole.

—

Before Liam knew it, they entered Greenhaven, moving through the city with little fanfare. A few said hello, but the city went about it’s business, or curtseyed for ‘Lady Nora and her Fluffy’. A name that was becoming harder to ignore. They were going to make a legend out of her, instead of The Twelve Trials of Hercules, it would be Nora and her Flaming Fluffy Friend.

Taloc help us. Thought Liam, flying ahead of the caravan.

He zipped over the city, landing in Greenwood square, a flat courtyard that led up to the Obsidian Keep he had once called home. Where he found three figures standing alone. A panther so large it could only be an umbraquin, a blonde eclipsiarch with lynx tufts on her eartips, a grown woman now, but Liam recognized those ears. An entire life had passed while he had fought his way across the continent. But all those thoughts vanished when his eyes fell upon the lead figure. A sabertoothed serval with an intriguing, almost tigerlike fur pattern, not quite yellow, nor was it orange. Exactly as he had seen in Quetzalcoatl’s vision.

Furana Green had come to meet him.

They stared at each other for a few moments, looking the other up and down. Their noses tingled at the other’s scent, recognizing something familiar. Yet unable to grasp the truth.

“My name is Tufan Biliam Alhusam, Lightning Lord, friend of Medusa, and commander of Kheresh’s crusade to Greenwood.” Said Liam, bowing first to the serval.

“Meow.”

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“Don’t you even start with that meowing! I know you can talk. Introduce yourself properly.” Snapped Liam, recalling Nekohiro’s pampered life of and her personality that bordered on overly pampered asshole.

Would Furana be the same? She’d be Nyota’s heir, discipline might be impossible, especially if she was a shapeshifter.

Furana pounced, shifting in the air to land on Liam’s chest, wearing a fitted dress of black and red that accented her hair and ears, emphasizing her tiger aspect.

“Don’t you already know who I am? Tough-man Liam Alhusam.” Said Furana, mocking his name as only–

“Sirin!” Hissed Liam, inhaling deeply.

Her scent was similar, different, but similar enough that it brough the desert sands back to him. It repulsed him. Made him want to electrocute the child in his arms an incinerate her until not even ashes remained. Mana crackled, answereing his will.

Taloc only moves souls between dead bodies…

Liam placed his palm on Furana’s chest, prepared to erase her from existence.

“How- no. Where is Furana’s soul?” Asked Liam.

She opened her mouth in a sneer, about to make a crass joke when she saw the look in Liam’s eyes. One wrong word, and she would die.

“Whoa, you grew up.”

Liam pressed harder on her ribs, limiting her air flow.

The umbraquin stood, advancing on Liam with intent. Lyra at his side.

Until Furana held up her palm to them.

“We- ah- need to talk in- private.” Said Furana, choking out the words.

Her gasping had a visceral effect in Liam, for deep down within his soul, he knew this was his daughter’s body.

“How?” He gasped, easing up the pressure.

“Liam,” Whispered Furana, “It’s just like your letters guessed. Taloc only reincarnates souls into dead bodies. And Furana, well, she would have been stillborn. But good ol’ Taloc made mom carry me fur years.”

“That fucking asshole.”

“Tell it to mom. He would have held it longer too, if I hadn’t– ahem. Shoo.” She began, interrupting her words to discourage the umbraquin’s approach.

“Lady Saryn! HE threatened your life, Nyota will skin me alive if any harm comes to you!” Growled the Umbraquin, his baritone voice resonating in their chests.

Liam took flight, rising twenty feet into the air and vanishing from sight and sound. The sudden movement made Furana tuck, wrapping her arms around Liam’s neck. His heart nearly stopped. Every part of him feeling his daughter cry out in terror at his actions. Which is the moment he realized it was impossible to harm her. He was physically capable of the deed, but his soul would never permit such a vile act.

“A multi year pregnancy isn’t possible!” Snapped Liam, furious at his impotence.

“Doesn’t your snake have a direct link?”

“Damnit. I’ve been too scared to ask. Too terrified that Nyota found someone else.”

“You blithering idiot. Mom cries herself to sleep thinking about you.” Said Furana, tugging on Liam’s ears in furry. “She tries to hide it but we all know she reads your letters in private. Didn’t I raise you to take care of mom?”

“That’s the worst god-damn pun I’ve ever heard! Listen, we do not speak of Kheresh. Understand? Consider that the resting place of both our previous lives. It would only hurt Nyota…”

Liam’s voice lost is fury, his eyes focusing on something behind Furana.

She twisted in his arms, looking back to find Arlet escorting Nyota. Without a though his spirit magic guided him to the object of his desires, flying him forward to land in front of Nyota.

“Be grateful mom is so loyal. What with all the good men around, like Arlet, and Jenkins, and Matimeo.”

“Don’t be a perv- Oh man… Having a grown woman in a child’s body is weird.”

“HA! Now you know how it feels!” Snapped Furana.

“Yeah, it was ten times worse for me. I knew it, and you knew it too. Oh, and why didn’t you bother telling me I was an elf?! That’s kinda an important detail.”

Furana shrugged, “Sirin only slept with one man in her life, and he was human. Where you got these dumboes is beyond me.” She said, pulling on Liam’s pointy ears.

Nyota’s ears followed their conversation, somehow hearing through the spirit barrier. She reached out a hand, intending to fight through the barrier, only for it to drop at her touch, revealing Liam and Furana.

“Ahem!” Said Furana, clearing her throat. “Allow me to present the Lady Nyota Green, Queen of Greenwood and her champion Arlet. Oof” She finished, pausing as Liam Jostled her.

“Their reputation precedes them. Your name then mine. That is the way a princess should lead.”

Furana flicked her hair, “Very well, but only because you recognize the supreme majesty of Saryn Furana Green. This is Lightning Lord–”

“--Liam.” Whispered Nyota.

Pupils dilated on three individuals as Nyota spoke, her word silencing the world. She prowled two steps forward, taking a large sniff of Liam’s chest.

“Uhm, my name is Tufan Biliam Alhusam…” Said Liam.

He winced. Receiving the full fist from Nyota that he deserved. Her knuckles connected with his nose, breaking it, and laying him out flat. Which had the strange result of Liam falling onto a cushion of wind, half floating, half falling to the ground. His hands covered his nose and healing repaired the damage in a second. Though blood still trickled out of his nose.

“Ouch, buh… I guess tha’s fair.” Said Liam, finding an unexpected hand helping him stand.

Arlet wrapped him in a hug, not letting go until Nyota knocked on his armor.

“You can cuddle later, but tonight, he’s mine.” She said, dragging him into the obsidian keep.