AIKO
When we arrived back at the lodge, Eron was waiting with an older couple I hadn't met before. The man was tall and broad-shouldered with salt-and-pepper hair, while the woman was petite but radiated a quiet authority that reminded me of veteran warriors in the Blood Realm.
"Aiko," Eron called, beckoning me over. "Come meet my grandparents."
I approached nervously, suddenly aware of my borrowed clothes and the probable mess of my hair after a day at the medical center. The triumvirate bond hummed with reassurance, though whether it came from Eron or Daedillion, who had materialized beside the fireplace, I couldn't tell.
"Grandma, Grandpa, this is Princess Aiko," Eron introduced me. "Aiko, these are my mom's parents, Randall and Susan Kim."
Randall extended his hand in the human gr
