Also, did you notice her eyes? She has six of them, like Lith and Morok.
Oh, I noticed them alright. Especially those right in front of your face. The others are a bit higher.â
âLord and Lady Ernas, nice to meet you.â The Fomor unfolded her wings while giving them a curtsy. âPlease, just call me Ryla. I havenât done anything to deserve Morokâs name and I donât want to sully it with my ignorance of etiquette and the ways of the Kingdom.
âI may be an adult woman, but please take care of me like I was a child because I know very little about the outside world and Iâm eager to learn.â
âDonât be silly, dear.â Jirni returned the curtsy before taking Rylaâs hands into her own and forcing her to stand up. âIâve barely met you and youâve already made a better impression than Morok ever did.
âIn a while, you are going to be part of the family so thereâs no need for formalities. Just call me Jirni.â She had to raise the ground with chore magic of almost one meter (3â˛) to not feel like a child.
Jirniâs pride couldnât be hurt by something as irrelevant as the height gap. She was used to be the shortest person in the room. Yet first impressions mattered and she wanted to face the Fomor as a peer and look her in the eyes.
âIndeed.â Orion raised a shorter dais and shook Rylaâs hand as well. âFeel free to call me Orion. If thereâs anything, like a tour of the nearby shops, you need, just ask. From what I understand, unlike this handsome young man, thereâs nothing stopping you from leaving the Mansion.
âAfter you learn how to shapeshift, I would be happy to teach you how to interact with humans and about the value of money.â
âYes and no.â Ryla sighed. âWe can both move, the difference is that Garrikâs life force would be forever compromised while mine already is. If I were to leave the geyserâs premises, my body would forcefully revert into a Balor.
âIâd lose my current appearance and even my magical powers. Shapeshifting canât help me, but thanks for the offer anyway.â
âMan, if you are short.â Garrik looked at Solus and Jirni who were barely taller than the five years old Fomor.
âDonât you have things like extra eyes, horns, wings?â He asked, receiving a streak of no in reply. âNot even fur? Iâm so sorry for you, your life must be very sad.â
âGarrik!â Rya flushed in embarrassment. âThis is no way to talk with friends.â
âWhy? Itâs not like I insulted them. I just told the truth.â The honest confusion in his tone made his rude words even worse.
âThereâs nothing wrong in being different, young man.â Lith said. âYet remember that words have a weight and up here, everyone is like them. How would you feel if they pointed out at your eyes and wings, claiming that they must make your life sad?â
Garrik opened his mouth and raised his finger to reply when everyone shapeshifted into their human form to let him understand what the standard appearance in the Kingdom was.
Suddenly surrounded by pink-skinned, short, wingless people with only a set of eyes, the young Fomor realized how different his mother was from them and him from her.
No one elseâs eyes moved freely along their bodies. No one had skin the color of the snow.
âAm I the strange one?â He made his eyes go back to their original place, closing all but two.
âNot strange, different.â Morok patted his back. âYou, I, and Uncle Lith are all unique members of our respective races, but that doesnât make us better or worse than them. Just different.
âIf you want others to respect you, however, you must respect them first. No one likes being treated like a freak.âI think you should take a look at
âIâm sorry.â Garrik nodded to his brother before giving Jirni, Orion, and Solus a bow. âI didnât mean to offend you. I just hoped you to be cool.â
Morok facepalmed and Ryla flushed even more when the boy managed to ruin his apology one step away from the finishing line.
âI can definitely see and hear the resemblance between you two.â Orion laughed. âThereâs no need to apologize, Garrik. You are Morokâs brother, but unlike him, you are still young and thereâs hope for you.â
âHey, I resent that!â The Tyrant snarled.
âThanks, I guess.â Garrik looked at the two men, having no idea why his big brother reacted that way to such nice words.
âResent what you want.â Orion scoffed, turning to Garrik again. âFor your information, I am cool. Iâm just not as flashy as these youngsters. Look.â
He took enchanted clothes and toys out of his dimensional amulet, giving them to both mother and son after explaining to them how to use each one of the artifacts.
âThank you, Grampa Orion!â Garrik hugged Orionâs legs before stripping naked and wearing his new clothes in front of everyone.
âAnd here he goes again.â Orion laughed again, stopping Ryla before she apologized for the third time in less than a minute.
âIs this our new friend?â Aran asked, riding alongside with Leria, Lilia, and Leran on their respective steeds.
âYes, he is. Guys, this is Garrik, Morokâs brother. I invited you here because he literally doesnât know anyone and can use learning about human customs through experience.
âGarrik, these are Aran, my brother, and Leria, my niece. Lilia and Leran are family friends and are special, like you.â Protectorâs children shapeshifted back and forth into their hybrid form, becoming red-furred humanoid wolves for a split second.
âSo cool! What about them?â Garrik pointed at the magical beasts. âAre they pets? Can I have one too?â
âThese are Onyx, Abominus, Slash, and Crash!â Garrik had no idea what a teacher was but Leriaâs lecturing tone gave him a solid example. âThey are not pets. They are our friends and are part of our respective families.â
The magical beasts nodded, leaving the Fomor flabbergasted.
âBut yes, you too can have one. Otherwise it wouldnât be fair when we play.â At a snap of her fingers, a Ry, a Shyf, a Gylad (stag-type magical beast), and a Byk, walked out of the woods, each with an expression more annoyed than the other.
They were the youngest members of the four clans of the kings of the woods and had been sent there by their leaders per Lithâs request. âPick one and give them a name. They actually already have one, but they are impossible to pronounce.â Leria said.
âThatâs not true!â Abominus said.âAnghrrwhonghayrmr just rolls off the tongue.â
âNo, it doesnât.â The sheer number of guttural and howling syllables made Garrikâs throat hurt just at the thought of saying it out loud.
The young Fomor examined the four magical beasts, from looking under their paws to checking the inside of their mouths and teeth.
âYou look majestic, but youâre definitely too fat.â He said to the Byk. âYou look more suited for an afternoon nap than taking part in a glorious battleâŚâ
âGuilty as charged. You canât win them all. No hard feelings on my side.â The Byk trotted away with a huge grin on his face.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.