Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

When Rain and Seara entered the underwater castle and made their way to the throne room, they were greeted by a large gathering of people. Among them were Seara's siblings, whom Rain had encountered a few times before, but he couldn't possibly remember the names of all thirty or so of them.

In addition to Seara's siblings, the gathering included many nobles from the sea folk. They had all gathered to witness the arrival of the first granddaughter of the sea emperor, which was a significant and joyous occasion in their society.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The presence of Seara's siblings and the sea folk nobles highlighted the importance of this event and the high regard in which the sea emperor's family was held. The atmosphere was likely filled with a sense of celebration and anticipation as they awaited the naming ceremony for Rain and Seara's new daughter.

As one would expect, Seadrei was all smiles, and he looked quite eager to see his granddaughter, and he showed a large smile when he saw her. Seara was also very happy. She had been smiling a lot lately, but this one was the best of those. Rain couldn't help but smile as well and forget the differences between them for a moment.

"She is so small and cute, just like you were when you were born," Seadrei said while puffing the roused cheeks of the girl who was sleeping. "Her name shall be Sealyn, the beauty of the sea."

That wasn't a half-bad name… it was a pretty good one, actually. For the first time in a while, Rain and Seadrei agreed on something and that the name suited such a cute child. In any case, Rain was tired of not using a name to call his child… it was just too weird.

Regardless, everyone in the throne room applauded, and then they approached to congratulate Seara and Seadrei. On that occasion, few people went to talk to Rain. He felt like a guard there.

"Don't mind it, since people here are thinking that you are just an in-law who won't live for long," Seadir whispered.

"Is that so… I wonder if they are planning something to make sure that will be the case," Rain shrugged.

"Don't joke about that… while you two aren't on good terms, Father wouldn't let such a thing happen," Seadir said.

Rain wanted to say that he wasn't so sure about that, but he stayed quiet. At that point in time, he knew that Seadrei was too stubborn and the type who would stop caring about someone who wasn't a yes man like everyone else around him. Their rulers lived for hundreds of years, so it made sense that their society focused on tradition quite a bit.

While Seadrei allowed his daughter to marry a human, if a time comes when he has to make a tough decision, he won't side with Rain. His influence and Status were more important than that.

After a couple of hours, the ceremony ended, and only a few people were left behind. Just a few members of the royal family were talking with Seara and wondering how Sealyn was behaving so well when Seara was once a huge cry baby… they didn't know that Sealyn was also like that most of the time.

"I am going home, and I will pick you up in one week, is that fine?" Rain asked.

"Yes, call me if something happens," Seara said.

"Wait, Rain," Seadrei said. "We need to talk about the possibilities of Sealyn's future."

Rain's emotions were a bit on the edge, and he had to suppress a torrent of sighs inside him. Dealing with Seadrei always seemed to push his patience to its limits, and it felt like a constant struggle to keep his frustration in check.

Seadrei's demeanor and interactions consistently tested Rain's ability to remain composed, making him feel like he might burst with exasperation if he had to keep holding back his sighs.

The tension and irritation between them made every encounter with Seadrei a challenge for Rain, and it was getting increasingly even more difficult to maintain his composure…

"Dad…" Seara said while showing a bit of a sad expression.

"Don't worry, dear," Seadrei said and then smiled. "I am just going to explain to him a few things that could end up happening. You look a bit tired so that you can go to your old room."

Seara also felt like sighing, in the end, she couldn't say much in that situation since no one could… it was clear in Seadrei tone that he wanted to talk alone with Rain, so everyone slowly began to leave the throne room. In the end, Seara looked at Rain, but he just waved his hands and told her with his eyes not to worry. It was annoying, but he knew when and how to act like a diplomat.

"Sealyn looks as healthy as she can be, you did a good job making sure that the birth happened without any issues," Seadrei said when everyone left the room.

"Terra did most of the job, I just held Seara's hands," Rain said.

"While I want to talk about the future indeed, we didn't have the chance to finish that conversation, did we?" Seadrei asked. "I still owe you for giving me this chance to obtain power quite fast."

Rain wanted to say that they truly finished the conversation, Seadrei even said that he could leave, after all. Still, that was his way of picking off in a point that would benefit Rain. However, he couldn't see any point in receiving a reward now. Rain was determined to do things on his own by using the means that he finds instead of counting on the possibilities that others will open to him.

"I am grateful, but there is nothing that I want right now," Rain said.

"That can't be. Besides, by the honor of my family, I have the duty to repay you for offering me such knowledge," Seadrei said. "You can ask for anything aside from my spear."