"What does this mea-" Before Eli was able to finish her words, the vision had already turned bright and blurry.
It was as if Eli's consciousness was being transported into another dimension yet again.
When she opened her eyes, she was now back in the same room where the staff was kept.
Leon and Kayden were by her side, Chief Eirllon, was on the core of the array ensuring that it will not harm Eli whose consciousness has drifted away.
"Eli, how are you feeling? Are you alright?" Leon saw that Eli was back; however, her complexion was pale and beads of sweat appeared from the side of her forehead.
"I'm fine… I just felt like my body was a little drained…" Eli forced herself to speak and recover from the vision she just saw and answered.
"Carry her up to the resting lounge, she needs to breathe and rest for a while," Kayden suggested to Leon as he observed Eli's half-dazed condition.
"Go guide them Kayden. I'll fix everything here…" Chief Eirllon looked at Kayden and signaled them to go back.
When the trio had already ascended back from the surface, Chief Eirllon contemplated for a little while. He saw the reaction of the staff during Eli's trance, it was like when it acted strangely before.
'What should I do?' He asked himself.
He tried to contact Lord Sylvain but the guardian did not answer. So he could only decide for himself. The staff was telling them something, however, he could not figure it out.
"Could it be that only Eli, who is an Asani can control the behavior of the staff?" He mumbled to himself.
After contemplating further, he sighed and with his deep green eyes, he looked gently at the staff and carefully took it out of the array.
He carried it and brought it back to the surface, where Eli and the rest were.
When he went up, it was already past midday. To his surprise, the entire event took them more than two hours!
–
While Eli and the rest were checking the staff.
Azayn brought Little Han onto their treehouse. "My little one, will you stay here for a while with Baobao? Auntie will just do something alright?"
"Yes, Aunchiee!!" Little Han sat obediently on a soft fluffy mat that was purposely filled with pillows.
Once Little Han was left there, he felt very comfortable and cozy. He nuzzled his little chubby body into the fluff and closed his eyes in satisfaction. He giggled and coaxed Baobao to touch the mat too.
Azayn ensured that Little Han will not fall or bump into an accident while her eyes were away from him. And so she ensured that the door was closed and the set-up of his little nest was on the wooden floor.
Her treehouse is spacious and brightly lit.
From the door, one could already see the living room and the extension of the dining room and kitchen, while there were doors leading to a room.
Azayn knocked on one of the rooms and called, "Elifas… Calderon, time to wake up…"
She did not use a very loud tone so as not to startle Little Han, so she repeated it a few more times.
After hearing nothing from the people in the room, she sighed helplessly and looked at Little Han again.
The little bun started to take out his stuffed toys and placed them on the fluff she set up. He was now talking to Baobao, while the panda was holding another stuffed toy, mimicking its movements.
And so Azayn went to the kitchen and heated up some food. She did it quickly and fast. In a blink of an eye, breakfast for two people was already prepared at the dining table.
"Little Han~~ do you want some snacks?" Azayn looked at the sensible Little Han and from time to time, she could see that the toddler was extremely obedient and did not cause trouble.
"Snacc? Yes aunchieee!!! Thayku!!!" Little Han heard food and he beamed in excitement, he grinned at Azayn and gazed at him with a wide toothy grin.
"Alright, Aunty will prepare for you and Baobao, so please wait for a little while okay?" Azayn chuckled and answered.
"Owkieeee!" Little Han answered before he continued to play with Baobao.
When Azayn went back to the kitchen, he knocked and called at the door once again, however it was apparent that she was already losing her patience.
But nevertheless, she still proceeded to the kitchen once again to make a simple fruit snack for Baobao and Little Han.
After everything was prepared, she took Little Han to the dining area, and also signaled Baobao to follow them. They sat on the table and with a wave of a hand, a special high chair appeared for Little Han to sit on.
When Little Han and Baobao started to eat, she no longer bothered to stand at the same door she was knocking on before and just shouted.
"Elifas, if you do not plan to wake up and start the day I will be sure that Calderon will know more about your adventures when you are a child. I will also ask him to tell it directly to whichever girl you fancy at school!"
After she said those words, Baobao and Little Han froze and looked at Azayn in confusion. Seeing their round innocent eyes, Azayn awkwardly smiled and coaxed them to continue eating.
Little Han loved Azayn's fruit snack which was a mix of freshly picked berries and some boiled apples and pears mixed with a drizzle of honey and shaved nuts.
She ensured that these combinations will be gentle for Little Han's tummy and Baobao's digestive system.
But just as they were about to continue, a loud scrambling sound could be heard in the room and a panicky voice of a young teenage boy sounded as he frantically opened the door.
"Mom! Why would you threaten me like that? It's not nice, my friend is here!" Elifas, Azayn, and Koehthar's son finally popped his head out of his room.
His appearance was quite unruly and uncanny for creatures like elves who always looked prim and proper. Elifas had the features of his mom and dad, and the attractiveness of his face was surely taken from his parents.
But what was distinct about it was the rebellious aura of a teenager in his demeanor.
"Good morning son, quickly wipe your drool and come to the table to have a meal." Azayn gazed at her son with a nonchalant look before continuing to feed Little Han.
"I want to sleep.. I'll eat later and Ahhhh!!! A b-baby! A b-bear!!!!" When his groggy eyes finally saw who was with his mother, Elifas panicked.
"Calm down Elifas, it is unbecoming of you to be raising your voice like that in your mother's presence." Suddenly another young teenage voice was heard behind Elifas.
He was Calderon, the champion of the tournament in the magic division and also Elifas's friend.
His hair and brows were as fiery as fire, and compared to his diplomatic and gentlemanly voice were a larger build compared to his friend Elifas. Probably this was because he was of dragon descent.
"This is my best friend, Lady Eli's baby which I told you about, and this is her contracted beast Baobao."
"O-oh… Lady Eli… is it… b-but…" Elifas had known his mom's friendship with the inventor, because he was still technically part of the village, he was also part of the mission to protect Eli and Little Han as Protector Sylvain commanded.
However, Calderon, who was an outsider, was here. He did not know how to approach the situation where Little Han's identity was supposed to be kept a secret because his best friend was also around.
"Aunt and Uncle had already told me earlier, don't worry I swore an oath not to divulge anything. Besides, it will not be long before his existence is announced. I'm sure my grandpa already knew it. Oh, in fact, the Mermaid King also knew it too…" Calderon nonchalantly patted his shocked friend's expression and walked towards the table to join the three in a meal.
"What you said is right, the mermaid king and queen themselves gave this little one his cradle… Many of the leaders from the Greenwave already secretly knew his existence. However, it was not yet time to announce his existence to the world." Azayn told the two boys, as she remembered, there were multiple items used by Eli that could only belong to the leaders of the Greenwave tribe leaders.
"Now come up and eat." Azayn looked at her son and reminded him once again.
In a daze Elifas sat at the table, looking at Little Han and Baobao who were quietly eating.
"Hewoo??" Little Han felt Elifas's eyes locking into his and became confused. The little child was unable to detect if the other party was angry at him or not, and so he greeted him with a face full of innocence, interest, and confusion.
Seeing the little toddler talking at him suddenly, Elifas's body stiffened. He did not answer Little Han right away and took a bite of his bread pretending not to see the little one.
