Elina refused to hold any of the babies and kept staring at her hands as if each one of her fingers were a venomous snake hissing at her.

’I have so much to lose, yet so little courage.’ She felt her head throbbing harder by the second.

Shock, fear, and fatigue had brought Elina to the breaking point, and the soothing hot beverage only drained her strength further.

Nobody else had offered Lith to share their memories of the attack with him, and he had asked no questions.

"I think we could all use some sleep." He said. "Those who want to rest in the privacy of their rooms are free to go. Those who want company, please follow me."

Lith walked through a wide Warp Steps, quickly followed by the rest of his family. No one wanted to be alone. Even Elina, with all her self-loathing and guilt, couldn’t bear to not see her children for more than a minute.

The dimensional opening led to the ground floor of the tower, which had been rearranged into an indoor camping site. A bonfire crackled in the middle of the room, whose floor had been covered by a thick and soft cushion-like carpet.

There were plenty of blankets and pillows all over the floor, and many bathroom doors. The Doomslayer crib was near Lith’s cot, its walls translucent to let the babies and their parents see each other at any time.

Surin was already fast asleep, while Elysia was angry. The lack of Dragon Scales and the poor communication skills of Surin prevented her from explaining herself properly, but Elysia knew that something bad had happened to Surin.

The problem was that Elysia had no idea how bad it was, who was responsible, and if her parents would allow her to do something about it.

"Come." Valeron the Second gestured for her to join him. "Don’t scare Ral."

The baby boy, instead, was blissfully ignorant and sleeping.

"Wah." Elysia said, feeling the instinct to protect her younger brother.

"I swear to the gods, if someone takes more pictures of me, I’ll kick some butts." Solus locked her Voidwalker armor in its pajamas form and entered the crib.

She wrapped her hair around Surin in a blanket, and the baby girl’s sleeping expression relaxed. Soon, the other babies asked their due with their big, round pleading eyes, and Solus folded like a lawn chair.

"I knew it." She sighed as she weaved more blankets from her hair.

Elina and Rena looked at the scene in envy, wishing they could do the same. Over the years, they had often promised their children that they would protect them, and now those comforting words had turned out to be lies.

Leria, Teryon, and Falco snuggled up to their parents for comfort, but neither Rena nor Senton knew what to do about Lenart. The baby boy’s look was still lost, and he had yet to say a word since Reaper had brought him back.

"Mom, Dad, can I sleep with you, please?" Aran asked, knowing that his parents needed it.

"Of course, sweetie." Elina replied, moved by the request.

It restored but a sliver of her maternal pride, but it was more than what she had hoped for.

***

When they woke up, the sun had already disappeared below the horizon for a few hours. The Fastarrows had taken a nap as well, but they had remained in the Infirmary to keep Protector company.

Rest had soothed the restless spirit of most, but not all.

Surin had already forgotten about what had happened earlier, while the end of the relief provided by the peaceful slumber only made the harsh reality harder to face for Lenart and Elina.

In their dreams, everything was fine, and their lives were no different from how they had been until that morning. Once they opened their eyes, the memories of the kidnapping attempt haunted their minds.

"Please, Lith, prepare a feast for Slash and Crash on my dime." Selia said. "I want to thank them for saving my babies."

The Emperor Beasts still had a bone to pick with the huntress, but that couldn’t compare to an actual bone with lots of juicy meat attached to it. Slash and Crash bumped against Selia’s legs in approval, their mouths already watering.

"Same for Onyx." Raaz patted the feline’s huge head, who purred in reply. "She and Aran saved my life. Are you ok with meat as your reward, son, or do you want something else?"

"Something else, please." Aran nodded. "But I’m also starving, so I’ll take meat for dinner. Thanks!"

"And for Abominus." Senton sighed. "Today he’s my hero as well, and I’d like to give him royal treatment."

"Make it two royal treatments, Lith." Zekell grumbled. "I want these furballs to eat to their stomachs’ content. My treat."

"Then I’ll need some help, or we won’t eat before sunrise." Lith snorted. "Kami, Mom, Rena, Quylla, can you give me a hand?"

"Sure." The four women nodded.

Lith did his best to prepare everyone’s favorite dishes and serve them in large enough portions to leave plenty of seconds.

The meal smelled delicious, but while the Emperor Beasts wolfed down their food, the humans ate mostly out of habit. They were too busy reliving the Awakened’s attack and wishing they had reacted differently to enjoy Lith’s culinary skills.

Elina in particular tormented every morsel of food on her plate for so long that by the time she brought it to her mouth, it had gone cold.

"Lith, dear, do you remember what Ophya and Vyla told us a few months ago?" She asked.

"You mean their pitch about you and Dad becoming Awakened? It’s hard to forget." Lith replied.

"I think they were right." She said, her eyes fixed on her fork. "I don’t want to feel so helpless ever again. I want to Awaken."

"Mom, that’s not so simple." Lith shook his head. "Look at Aran and Leria. They practice magic for years and have Awakened for a while now, yet-"

"Yet they could fight and hold their ground while the rest of us trembled like lambs to the slaughter!" Elina slammed her cutlery against the plate, cutting him short. "They are young children, and we are their parents.

"We are supposed to protect them. To be by their side in their time of need. Not to be bumbling fools paralyzed by fear!"

There was fury in Elina’s voice, but it was aimed at herself. The tears in her eyes were born out of the frustration she felt, not because Lith had said something wrong.

"I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to yell, nor to be so harsh." Elina sniffled. "I’m terrified at the idea that something bad might happen again, and enraged because if I stay as I am, I won’t be able to do anything about it. It’s... too much."

She wanted to say more, but she didn’t want to spoil everyone’s dinner further by bursting into tears.

"I’m with your mother, Son." Raaz’s voice was calm, but the kind of calm born out of quiet desperation. "I hate studying, and I can barely sit in front of a book for more than ten minutes."