Raven was in an exuberant mood when he returned to the imperial palace with Mana. The two children found King Jaren and Azar waiting for them.
Raven rushed up and gave King Jaren a big hug as soon as he saw them.
"Thank you, Papa," he said softly, his voice so full of affection and admiration that King Jaren was taken aback.
King Jaren ruffled Raven's hair and picked up the boy as if he were a small child. Raven giggled happily.
Taking a cue from his Daddy, Azar promptly flew to Mana and demanded to be cuddled. Mana complied, naturally. Azar had grown bigger again – but whether he was five inches long or five hundred feet tall, he'd always be acting spoilt with his family.
"Something good happened, is it?" King Jaren asked, still carrying a shy but pleased Raven as he led the children towards their rooms.
Mana nodded.
"Want to talk about it?" King Jaren asked.
Mana nodded again.
