Chapter 117: Family

"Ok, so it is fixable, right? Having a soul inside of me doesn't really give me peace of mind." Ciaran asked, struggling to show a hint of sadness.

The dryads didn't know how to answer his apathy.

"Did you expect I would break down in tears of rage or what? I haven't even met the woman, why would I give a damn if she died? Don't get me wrong, what happened was more than messed up, but if you expect me to hate on my family for her, you have another thing coming." He said.

Surprisingly Diana nodded. She was far kinder than the boy, but even she recognized the irony of it all. The woman gave everything she had for him, but at the time, he was the only member of her family that was still alive. He on the other hand had more than one family. Between the Clades, the dryads, and her, Diana could see how there was no room for grief in the boy's heart.

"Well… we expected you to care at least a little bit. But it's for the better kid, crying never fixed anything anyway. So, on a lighter topic, are you ready to see your friends and family. Today is your last day here, and they are dying to see you." Eleftherios said with a sigh.

Deep down, he was scared their influence had corrupted the boy. He was acting less and less human every time he saw him. But at the same time, he was also happy the boy didn't allow the past to hold him back.

As the dryad was debating internally whether his disciple was improving mentally, or going even deeper into madness, a bunch of humans started making their way toward them.

Three beautiful women and two handsome men. They were the Clades and Ciaran's friends. The passing year had been far kinder to them, and then it was to him. The girls had hit puberty, and they were already developing into young women, while Rayon was in a class of his own.

At ten years of age, he was already two meters and forty centimeters (seven feet and ten inches). He still hadn't grown a beard but there were fey loose hairs growing on his face.

"So he finally returns. How has the North treated you, Rony? No wait, how have you treated it? I heard some wild stuff had happened there, how much of that was your fault?" Clara asked before she gave him a good long hug.

The two were not related by blood, but not of them cared for such meaningless things. They grew up together as a family, and in their books, they were siblings.

"I wish I came with you! It has been nothing, but constant boredom here without you." Sunny said before she too gave him a hug.

Sunny was never into physicality and allowing people to touch her, but she made an exception for the boy.

"Boss, you sure know how to cause a mess, don't you? They let you off the leash for one year and you set the world on fire. I really want to see the face of the fucker sitting on the throne, and his counsel of limp old man." Rayon said as he picked up Ciaran into a bear hug.

The boy soldier had only grown even stronger. He was all the way into Rank Three, a feat that was shocking, even for Diana. She was always hailed as a genius, but both brothers had managed to surpass her.

Rayon had beaten one of her records, and Ciaran was unmatched when it came to his magical growth.

"You ruined me, boy. Because of your little stunt, my business went under, and I am forced to whore myself in the desert." Liam said, not a hint of jest in his voice.

He was both angry and sad, as he looked at the boy. His hand was clenched into a fist and he was shaken by the overwhelming emotion.

"Don't listen to your father, we are doing better than ever. Without restraint, the Desert had been spending more than ever on weaponized science. The Empire may be suffering, but we are thriving. Liam is just upset because he has to deal with my mother on a weekly bases."

Liam trembled when the woman was mentioned; it seemed he was genuinely afraid. Wanting to change the subject, he focused on Diana.

"Well, well, well. Barely a year gone and he brings us a girlfriend home. My boy really has learned something from me." He said his persona of a clown back, stronger than ever.

Ciaran just laughed, Diana was outraged by this as she strode forward and grabbed the boy by the wrist.

"How dare you, I am no girlfriend, I am his wife, see?" She said as she showed them, what was supposed to be their matching tattoos. Now instead the boy had a tattoo of a crescent moon, and the girl bared the mark of a gray, stylized tornado shape with swirling winds, and perhaps some debris or objects caught in its vortex to emphasize its destructive nature.

The kids had hardly looked at their bindings so they never noticed the change. The adults however were frozen solid, because those were soul markings, and in magic society, that was much more than a cheap peace of roc stuck to your finger.

There was silence. The kids perceived her words as a joke, Ciaran recognized this was her little prank, as she was trying to get even with him, and Diana had the face of a good kid who did something naughty for the first time.

Verdania recognized their ignorance, so she pretended to inspect the tattoos while she clued the two in.

Ciaran's face lost all emotions, while Diana ran off searching for her grandfather. The man had created this mess, and surely he could fix it.

"What? What are those tattoos? You don't actually expect us to believe our little gremlin has found a wife right? No offense Rony, but she is out of your league." Clara wanted to break the ice.

It was the first time Ciaran had looked at her with real rage behind his eyes, and it was also the first time everyone here felt the power of the Storm. Unlike the Wind and his Water, it was a very aggressive element. It wanted to swallow the little girl whole, but Ciaran restrained it.

If the Clades couple was shocked before, they were damn right frightened to death when they felt their son use Mage-level magic casually. It was almost enough to make them overlook his outburst of emotion.

Almost.

"Mom, what is the easiest way to skin a Magus." He casually asked, prompting them to rush at him, thinking he has lost his mind.

"O shut up, I gave you my granddaughter, the last thing I want to hear from you is complaining. Besides, Mage or not, a brat still wet behind the ears isn't a threat to me." Old man Silver said as he arrived with Diana.

He still wore his stylish clothes, but now he had two handprints on both of his cheeks.

"This was it, by the way, my grand plan. There is no more scheming involved, not on my part anyway. Diana was going to die, and I tied her destiny to yours. With how chaotic her life is, I believed that she has to survive now. Still, credit where credit is due, I thought it would take you at least two years to become a Mage, and more than a lifetime to claim her heart." He said, casually revealing Diana's greatest secret.

She had been alone her whole life, safe for her grandfather who was around for maybe three years of it. So when the boy confessed, with true passion, she let him in her heart. She knew it was a mistake. He was insane, dangerous, and quite deranged. Not to mention he was far younger than her, but she still let him in.

The moment she saw his inner self, and accepted him for not only who he was, but what he saw himself as, she had initiated the union. The boy never had to give his consent, because that had been his deepest desire for a long time.

"Are you telling me Ciaran actually did it? He didn't have to struggle? And we didn't have to wonder for years will they, or will they not? Boo, I say, boo. That's not how the story should go." A random woman said, confusing everyone with her presence before they forgot they didn't know her.

Ciaran and the dryads were used to her weirdness, but Diana was ready to draw out her weapons. Ciaran shifted to her and grabbed her hand forcefully pulling her toward him.

'Not her! Never her Diana, she is way out of our pay grade. Let her shenanigans slide.' He said through their mind link.

All everyone else saw however how he pulled her in was and passionately stared into her eyes.