-Thirty years after Light Fall-
Jakery and Hazen stood beside each other, enjoying the sunrise over the horizon. It's reddish-pink taint decorated the cool morning sky. Cold fresh air crept into their lungs as they enjoyed the other's company.
"Today is the day..." Hazen's voice trailed off.
"I know you've been excited for this day," Jakery softly laughed as he turned to face his home. "Do you want anything special for breakfast today? Maybe Eteni chops or soft boiled Sky Beast eggs?"
Hazen hugged herself, trying to hold on to that feeling of excitement. "Can we have both? I can help you cook."
"Sure, just don't cut yourself like last time," Jakery cocked his head towards her arms. "I hate seeing you hurt."
-Inside Ether's home-
Orako quickly made his way through the house, quietly stepping down the hall with a baby held gently in his mouth. This baby was called Azir, the name Jakery offered.
Distant thumping caught his attention, bringing him closer to the living room where the rest of the family was. Pearl sat in front of the fireplace, clothing her daughter, Etherna.
Right beside Etherna was her twin sister, Hylo. Who slept to the sound of crackling flames in the fireplace. A lullaby, she would explain from time to time, one she came to adore from her father's Third Rule.
"Neddy!" Orako's muffled voice rung through the home.
Ether glanced up from the cutting board in the kitchen, an inferno blazing in his chest for light. Making him seem like a devil in its purest form, but also like a sweet caretaker.
"Good morning, young Orako. Did baby Azir trouble you?" he asked with a pleased smile.
In response, Orako picked up Azir with his hands this time. Placing the baby Thrawed on the tabletop. The cold temperature instantly washed over him like a wet cloth.
Despite being the youngest out of the three sibling, Azir was one of the hardier ones. Contradicting that Yonie side he inherited from his father, which inspired Ether to be just like him.
"Where is Etherna?" Azir mumbled to his older brother.
"Do you want to see Etherna again?" Orako chirped. "You two are like a Feral and a Thresher, always against each other but need the other by their side."
Azir puffed up his cheeks and crossed his arms, something he learned from Ether. "I want Etherna..." he mumbled again.
Pearl stretched her arms, letting out a loud yawn before falling on her back. "Bring him to me. I can watch them. Orako, it's important for you to begin helping your Neddy out there."
Orako growled. "Wild... I am domesticated, very delicate!"
Ether bursted out of the kitchen, coming out to tug on Orako's 'sensitive' cheek. "But just look at your teeth! They are beginning to poke out of your mouth."
Azir shot both arms up, begging Ether to pick him up. And he noticed this, granting baby Azir his wish. Azir instantly dug his head into Ether's neck, feeling the fatherly warmth in his body.
"I wonder why Azir and Etherna always seem to fight each other but want to be with each other so much? Sometimes I get worried that Hylo is getting left out," Pearl voiced her concern.
But to this, Ether shrugged while putting his son down beside his daughter. "I wouldn't want to hinder them, Hylo is going to be my right-hand girl when she grows older. She is so fierce and demanding."
Upon hearing her name, Hylo woke up. She smiled cheerfully at the sight of her father's flames dancing so gracefully in his chest.
Through each ember, she learned more of what it meant to be a Zawed. She already understood Philious and Bakano, even started learning some Kenekuor from Orako.
All of these things were to equip her for real life. The kind of life she wanted was the one Ether had. To be a leader, being seen as an equal by her people, and loyal like her mother.
Digon has not yet called her name, but Suth claimed it will happen soon. Maybe sooner than they believed. Which excited Hylo, all the more reason to look forward in life.
Out of all things, she yearned to be like her father but also her mother. Sometimes, she would ask Ether why she was considered so special. And he would tell him tales of previous Coros members.
Such as Solice, the Warbinger, or the distant Zyrion, High Blast. Hylo would awe, marveling these stories of fabled warriors before her as her key to life. It was in her blood.
But Ether humbled her, patting her head before giving her a warm hug. Reminding her he was forging his own legacy, not out of brutality and power, but from his heart.
Pearl watched Etherna and Azir playfully tackling each other, playing a little game they made. To win, they had to hug the other, and the loser would have to remain in the winner's grasp.
It was adorable, Pearl would sometimes say to Ether. Trying to shed light on that Yonie stuck in its cage inside his Zegus heart.
"Today is the day!" Hylo's excited voice reminded her father.
Ether rubbed his thumbs on her cheeks, as if she was a Yonie herself. "It is - it is, but you won't be coming with us. I'm sorry little one."
Hylo frowned, crossing her arms to show her anger. "I never get to see anything exciting! Hmph."
Orako stood by the door, softly laughing with himself. "We will bring you gifts when we return. But we have to meet with our teams before the sky turns blue. Let's go, Neddy."
Ether gave Hylo a gentle peck on her forehead, then hugged Etherna and Azir. Before kissing Pearl on the lips, showing his still passionate love for her.
With that, the new journey was beginning. One that excited Orako more than anyone else because he, along with several other Scaler Ferals, were returning home to Olavin-Faa.