Ian nodded and picked her up, and got out of the small pool, placing her on the stool that sat in the corner of the bathroom.
" Find a knife and some clean clothes!" he demanded to either of the three people that stood in the doorway still staring at the burning pool.
Rhya nodded and pulled Athan along with her, and they both disappeared out of sight while Tyla turned her attention to the couple and the baby.
Although things didn't run their typical course, she decided to keep quiet for the time being and let them enjoy their time with the newborn.
" I will prepare another chamber for you!" she self-appointed herself to do something and scrambled out of sight; she knew they might want to have some time alone, and she quickly learned that Ian wasn't a big fan of having company around him, especially when Iris was there.
Ian nodded, and before he even had a chance to say anything to her, his mind went blank, and all of a sudden, darkness settled in.
" It is time for you to make your next move!" Ian spoke in a voice that wasn't his, making Iris flinch and gasp. She wasn't expecting Seth to butt in right when their son had been born. He was starting to get on her nerves; when he was needed, he refused to show himself and now that they were having an intimate moment, he decided to show up. She thought to herself.
Iris blankly blinked, not knowing what to say to him since she had just given birth, and she didn't feel like dealing with Seth at that moment.
" Oh, and I'm sorry for the early arrival of the baby; we are a bit short on time!" he casually commented while Iris blinked at him.
" It was you?" she managed to muster, feeling her blood boil at Seth having interfered with the pregnancy.
" Well, It was necessary, so I did what I had to do!" he nonchalantly explained while looking at the baby, that yawned and slowly opened his big blue eyes.
Iris frowned, looking displeased at the news " You could have told me at least that you were going to play with the life of our child!" she scolded, leaning against the wall and shooting daggers at him.
" As I said, we are short on time!" he vaguely explained while tracing the baby's face with his finger.
" What's the next move?" she asked while grimacing in displeasure at him, still not over the fact that he interfered with everything that was related to her baby.
" It's time for you and Bastos to separate, and Ian will, and I will have to part ways!" he informed while looking at the door.
" I don't understand! Why?" she curiously questioned while pushing herself off the wall.
" We need to take the fight to the witch instead of hiding in the forest and hoping that she won't find us!" he fervently explained while still looking at the door.
Iris nodded; she knew she would be safer if she and Bastos separated, knowing no matter what the witch did, she would survive, and so will Ian.
" What about the baby?" she worriedly asked while looking at him with pleading eyes.
Seth softly scoffed " You don't need to worry about him; he is stronger than you think!" he informed her while gently patting her head.
Iris pushed his hand away; she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the gesture; she felt that Seth was treating her like a child, not revealing his plans and experimenting on her like she was some rat.
The sound of the door softly closing made Seth give way to Ian, who found himself staring at the door.
Tyla appeared at the door " The chamber across from this one is ready; Rhya and Athan are waiting for you in there!" she informed while looking at the burning pool, still marvelling at such a sight, wondering if the baby was the cause of it.
Ian nodded and picked Iris up and walked out of the chamber and across the corridor into the other room, where Athan and Rhya were waiting for them.
Ian took Iris to the bathroom while Athan followed them and handed him the knife.
" Leave us !" Ian curtly asked while taking the knife from Athan, closing the door in Athan's face, somewhat confused at the change in Ian's mood.
Ian had noticed that whenever Seth showed up, his mind sunk into darkness and couldn't remember a thing, unlike Iris, who could call upon Bastos, but she remained in control. He wondered why Seth was keeping him in the dark; he knew it wasn't because of his kind nature.
Ian didn't waste any more time and cut the cord, throwing the bloodied knife on the floor and taking the baby from her.
Ian looked at the baby; he couldn't believe that it was his and Iris's son; he looked nothing like them and wondered if that was what sithrian babies looked like when they were born.
" All sithrian babies look like this?" he voiced his thoughts while pacing with the baby in his arms while Iris changed herself into clean clothes.
" No!" she absently replied, still thinking about her conversation with Seth.
Ian halted his steps in front of her " How do they look like?" he probed, wanting to compare his son with other babies.
" They are born with amber eyes and the same hair colour they will carry throughout their entire life!" she explained while taking the baby from his arms so that he could change.
Ian looked again at the baby's features and his big blue eyes and gathered that his son was indeed full of surprises, and he had a feeling that this was just the beginning.
Ian changed his clothes as fast as he could and opened the door only to find Rhya and Athan inside the chamber waiting for them.
Ian's lips twitched; he was in no mood for visitors; he wanted Iris to have some rest since they had spent the last few days screaming in pain, and he thought they deserved peace.
" Why are you still here!" Ian barked while the two looked at them with adoring wide eyes, bearly containing their joy.
" We just want to see the baby?" Athan commented in a sheepish tone while clasping his hand together.
Iris smiled " It's alright!" she softly added while meeting them halfway so they could look at the baby.
They hovered over the baby, awing at him and caressing every bit of him " He is adorable!" Rhya lovingly exclaimed while taking the baby's hand in hers.
" Yes, he is adorable! We need to rest, so leave! Please!' Ian asked, a little annoyed that they lingered despite knowing what they had been through.
They both awkwardly smiled and bowed " Call us if you need anything!" Rhya replied while getting dragged out of the room by Athan, who didn't want to feel his skin getting burned by Ian's ire.
Ian let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Iris and the baby, who was latched at her breast, making Ian glare at the baby and Iris giggle.
" You'll have to share now!" she casually commented while sitting on the bed, following him with her eyes as Ian glared at the baby.
" I can always take the other one!" he shamelessly proposed while grinning beside her.
Iris clicked her tongue " I don't think so!" she deadpanned while lying on the bed, placing the baby in the middle of the bed.
Ian finally crawled onto the bed and lay on the other side, placing the baby between them, and once again, Ian glared at the baby.
" I don't like him anymore!" he huffed with a pout while looking at Iris, who was already asleep.
Ian sighed and pulled the cover over Iris, slipping his free hand under the baby's legs.
Ian closed his eyes, and before he knew it, he fell into a deep sleep like Iris did, feeling shattered after spending two days awake in gruesome pain.
The cooing sound of a baby broke through their heavy sleep, making them groan and mumble words that even they found hard to understand.
Ian slowly opened his, still heavy with sleep and wondering how much time had passed since he felt just as tired when he fell asleep, and he had gathered that it hadn't been that much.
More cooing echoed through the chamber, and Ian felt something hit his chest, making him open his eyes wide only to see the baby staring at him with his big blue eyes.
It took a while for the image to sink in for him to realise that the baby staring at him wasn't the same baby he had lay next to.
Ian panicked " Iris! Iris!" he desperately called, not knowing what to make of it, and he felt like he was dreaming.
Iris moaned " What is it?" she asked in a groggy voice with her eyes still closed, feeling like the life was being drained out of her and opening her eyes was just too much to ask.
" The baby! Something is wrong!" he replied in a panicked tone, with the baby on his chest still staring at him, tilting his head.
Iris's eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself off the bed to see what Ian was talking about; when her eyes fell on the baby, she gasped and panicked as he did.
Iris picked up the baby to have a closer look, amazed at how much it had grown in such a short time, wondering if Seth had anything to do with this too.
" Iris?" he called, waiting for an answer that didn't seem to come anytime soon since she looked just as puzzled.
Iris looked at him, blankly blinking " I think Seth might have to do something with it!" she guessed, still unsure if her theory was correct.
" Seth?" he questioned in disbelief while pulling himself off the bed and getting closer to her.