"Codex: Foreign Relationship of Sacred Phoenix Kingdom with the rest of Eastern Kingdoms Before the Dark Portal Wars - Part 2
Kingdom of Lordaeron - As the largest and strongest human kingdom in the Eastern Kingdoms aside from Stormwind, the relationship with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom is very complicated and partially strained. Most of this is attributed to the attitude of the Lordaeron Aristocracy and their hostility toward the Fire Nation, and especially that of the Imperial Cult.
Much of the Lordaeron's population considers the Imperial Cult as a heretical branch of the Church of the Holy Light. Another fact is that, due to many cultural differences, which are often too extreme for Lordaeron, the relationship between the two nations was never great.
This relationship was only partially mended by the efforts of King Terenas Menethil II of Lordaeron and Grand Chancellor Prince Iroh Septim, which led to a stable trading and commerce relationship between the two kingdoms.
Kingdom of Alterac - If there is one kingdom that has an outright hostile relationship with the Fire Nation, then it would be Alterac. The Phoenix Kingdom never really cared about this kingdom, which was often termed as backward and barbaric. At the same time, the Alteraci Nobles outright hated and feared the Phoenix Kingdom due to the form of government and regime, which drastically limited the power of nobility and gave a lot of power to commoners.
The Sacred Phoenix Kingdom doesn't interact with the Alterac in any way, which stems also partially because Phoenixians looked down greatly on the Alteraci for being a weak nation with little to no military power. According to even the most conservative estimations, a single Province of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom would be more than enough to run over the kingdom several times over.
Gilneas - The relationship with Gilneas could be considered good, as the Fire Nation established contact with Gilneas shortly after the war with the Jungle Trolls. Many say that the Fire Nationers admired the culture of self-reliance, indomitable spirit, and tenacity of its citizens.
Gilneans are proud, stubborn, and loath to accept the aid of outsiders. They are a very strong nation and strong people, because of that, even the martial-based Sacred Phoenix Kingdom respected the people of Gilneas and their King, Genn Greymane.
Stromgarde - From the human nations of the Eastern Kingdoms, Stromgarde is the second one that has the best relationship with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, aside from Stormwind, if Dalaran is not included, as it cannot be considered a pure human nation.
This relationship started developing primarily because of the militaristic nature of the Stromgarde, which was incredibly appealing to the Fire Nation, and also their hatred towards the Jungle Trolls, which was a shared sentiment.
Dalaran - Dalaran and Sacred Phoenix Kingdom have somewhat of a complicated relationship, one could say. Dalaran was long accustomed to being the sole place to obtain systematic and institutionalized Magic Education and become a Mage, so the appearance of the Fire Nation that created the Psijic Order became a certain kind of disruptor in that.
Despite this initial friction, Dalaran has a very strong alliance with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and, a few years earlier, even signed a Military Pact with each other. Meanwhile, Kirin Tor and Psijic Order often collaborate on the research of Magic and uncovering the mysteries of the Arcane.
Quel'Thalas - If there is one nation that nejyoed the greatest relationship with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, then it would certainly be the High Elven Kingdom of Quel'Thalas. The Quel'Thalas was the first nation of Azeroth that established diplomatic ties with the Fire Nation after the Great Shift and benefited massively from it.
At the same time, the High Elves spread Magic and Arcane to the Fire Nation, while the Fire Nationers spread the usage of Chi and its cultivation to the High Elves. Many of the High Elves even became Royal Citizens, but it was mostly the ones who wanted to pursue bigger opportunities in the Fire Nation compared to their homeland.
- Summary on the Foreign Relationship of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Year 1 Before the Dark Portal
***
Tirisfal Glades, Venomweb Vale
Tirisfal Glades, or simply Tirisfal, was an eerie region found on the northern coast of Lordaeron. It was named after the Titan Keeper Tyr, as Tirisfal means "Tyr's Fall" in the Vrykul tongue.
Tirisfal Glades was a place of power for centuries, being the seat of the Council of Tirisfal, who secretly waged their war against the demons of the Burning Legion. Among the places the Council members used was the Venomweb Vale, protected by magically conjured spiders.
Venomweb Vale was a wide valley located in eastern Tirisfal Glades. While the vale used to be a haven for hunting deer and rabbits, its trees verdant and the grass green, it was now a tainted place full of poisonous and deadly spiders led by Sri'skulk, which gave the vale its new name.
Venomweb Vale was the traditional meeting place of the Council of Tirisfal and the place where the first Guardian of Tirisfal was empowered. The spiders in the area were created by a member of the Council in a mad bid to secure the meeting place.
The Council of Tirisfall was essentially made defunct when the former Guardian Aegwyn disregarded the rules of the Council and passed the power of the Guardian onto her son, Medivh.
But five years ago, the Council was reformed once again due to the ongoing threats of the world, especially the increasing presence of the servants of the Old Gods and Evil Gods, and who knows what else that was sneaking into their world.
Thus, Dalaran, Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and Quel'Thalas decided to revive the Council of Tirisfal.
In the small mansion, in the depths of the Venomweb Vale, several people were sitting around the round table, each of them had rather grim expressions.
For the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, there were three members:
King Aenarion Septim, representing the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
Irene Belserion as the Queen of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom and Grand Patriarch of the Psijic Order.
Anton Griffin as the Grandmaster Hierarch of the Holy Templar Order of the Secret Fire.
For the Quel'Thalas, there were also three members:
Anasterian Sunstrider, the High King of Quel'Thalas.
Belo'vir Salonar, the Grand Magister of the Magisters of Quel'Thalas.
And finally, Lady Liadrin, the High Priestess of the Church of Light and Blood Knights of the Quel'Thalas.
Lastly, there was Dalaran, also with three members on the Council of Tirisfal:
Archmage Antonidas, the most powerful human Mage in recent history, leader of the Kirin Tor and Dalaran.
Archmage Krasus, whose true identity was Korialstrasz, was the prime consort of the Aspect of Life Alexstrasza. In the guise of the High Elven Mage Krasus, he was a senior member of the Kirin Tor, and one of the Council of Six, the ruling council of Dalaran.
Lastly, there was Archmage Modera, who was one of the very few female Archmages and one of the longest-standing members of the Council of Six of Kirin Tor.
Aside from them, there was also one seat reserved for the Church of the Holy Light, which was occupied by the Archbishop Alonsus Faol.
The Council worked much differently compared to the previous one, because right now, after Aegwyn's stunt, nobody wanted to create a new Guardian, and there was a deep sense of mistrust from the side of Dalaran and Quel'Thalas towards Medivh.
That was also the reason why he wasn't invited to the meeting.
Which was good, because Aenarion didn't need to persuade everyone from doing so, as Medivh was possessed by Sargeras.
The Council had its Speaker, who was something like a leader, but he couldn't command the other members of the Council.
He served more like an administrator, mediator, and guide towards the Council.
Obviously, everyone unanimously elected Antonidas because the old man was the best suited for the role, be it in terms of strength, knowledge, and skill. At the same time, even though he represented Dalaran, he could maintain a large part of neutrality when he was Speaker of the Council.
"With the attendance being full, we can start the sixth meeting of the Council of Tirisfal."
Archmage Antonidas started the meeting off with the Council of Tirisfal, as their program was rather long.
Once again.
Aenarion already suspected that the reason behind this was the disappearance of the Bronze Dragonflight.
Even though the Bronze Dragons were annoying to hell, they were doing a lot to protect Azeroth in their own way, but unfortunately for them...
They were irreconcilable enemies with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom.
Even right now, as they were speaking, the Dragon Hunters of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom were hunting the Bronze Dragons and searching for their whereabouts around the entirety of the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Now, the first thing on the topic of the day is the resurgent activity of the Church of the Starry Wisdom in the Lordaeron Continent. During the past year, Dalaran detected several attempts of infiltration, and many of the other attempts were aimed at the human nations of the Eastern Kingdoms."
Everyone became much more serious hearing about the recent activities of the Church of the Starry Wisdom, because it was the faction that popped up something around ten years ago, but managed to cause a considerable amount of trouble.
"Did we manage to find their headquarters yet?"
It was Archbishop Alonsus Faol who asked, because the Cultists were proving to be a very strong and intense menace in most of the human territories and were problematic to deal with.
The Church of the Starry Sky was something that was plaguing the entirety of the Eastern Kingdoms, though compared to the other Cults and ragtag Cultists of the Old Gods, Evil Gods, Outsiders, and Demons...
The Church was pretty smart.
They decisively avoided the most dangerous areas for them, namely Quel'Thalas, Dalaran, and Sacred Phoenix Kingdom. They also avoided places like Stratholme, which was home to the Church of the Holy Light, and places like Karazhan.
Overall, the Church's cultists were pretty smart, as they knew that in these places their presence would be discovered. Most of the activities of the Church of the Starry Sky were happening in the outskirts area of Lordaeron, followed by Alterac and Gilneas.
Then, of course, they were pretty active in the Arathi Highlands overall; their tracks were also traced back to Zul'Aman, where the Amani Trolls lived, and also in the areas of Blackrock Mountain and Shadow Forge.
Dealing with the Church of the Starry Sky has proven to be very troublesome for the Council of Tirisfal to deal with.
"Unfortunately, not... they are covering their traces very well and even the Iscariot doesn't have any results."
Archmage Antonidas looked at the King of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, who was sitting next to his fifth wife, Irene Belserion. Over the course of seventeen years, he became one of the most respected Mages in Azeroth.
If the Archmage Antonidas was the pioneer in the Arcane Magic, then Irene Belserion was the literal Queen of Magic who brought the Innate Magic to Azeroth.
Among the Mages of Azeroth, it was hard to learn Innate Magic, and one needed to go to the Psijic Order to undergo Innate Magic Awakening Ceremony, pay for it an exorbitant price, and even despite that, still have a good chance of awakening to nothing.
"Iscariot managed to track only the base of the Cult of the Black Sun into the depths of the Black Morass, which should be right now being assaulted by the Templars and Royal Army."
Everyone nodded in agreement because, well, this was already better than expected: the Cult of the Black Sun was another faction worshipping the Old Gods, but they were the more traditional cultists compared to the Church of the Starry Sky.
Meaning that they were running around, terrorizing mortals, conducting mass sacrifices, and wreaking havoc.
Yet, their foundation was nothing like the Church of the Starry Sky; they lacked powerful Mages, and they were overall pretty weak. There was also the fact that most of their members were randomly recruited here and there around the entirety of the Eastern Kingdoms.
Worse yet, they had many members among the Trolls.
"Well, I have to admit that the efficiency of the Iscariot is really frightening..."
Archbishop Faol muttered as the Church of the Holy Light was just now revising its doctrines and trying to copy the models of the Imperial Cult and the High Elven Church of Light, both of which used Light offensively.
Iscariot, also known as the Iscariot Agency, is a special unit that operates as part of the Imperial Cult and the Holy Templar Order of the Secret Fire, serving as a joint unit of both organizations.
Members of the Iscariot often operate around the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom or even the entirety of Azeroth, with their specialization being the exorcism of the most powerful and problematic evil entities, beginning from the Void, Demons, and other unsavory elements of Azeroth's life.
Right now, because the Church of the Holy Light lacked manpower, Kirin Tor had only recently started training specialized Mages in combating these threats; only the Iscariot and some of the High Elven units acted as the executioners of the Council of Tirisfal.
"Archbishop, how are the preparations of the Church in regard to the creation of their own Paladins?"
Grandmaster-Hierarch Anton Griffin asked as he looked at the Archbishop of the Church of the Holy Light.
Previously, before the establishment of the Council of Tirisfal and all of this upheaval, there was huge tension between the Church of the Holy Light and the Imperial Cult, especially due to the different approach to Light.
Two years ago, Archbishop Faol personally traveled to the Fire Islands, where he opened the first Cathedral of the Orthodox Path of the Light, as the Imperial Cult was considered an Unorthodox Path in the Eastern Kingdom. During that time, he also met with the King.
In the end, Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, not only they, but also Quel'Thalas agreed to send a few of the Paladins to Stratholme to train a new generation of Paladins for the Church of the Holy Light.
Aenarion was rather eager for this, because this could become another trump card for the Dark Portal War. During the Second Dark Portal War, it was the Paladins of the Silver Hand that turned the tide of the war, broke through the Orcish charges, and destroyed large swaths of the Horde.
Aenarion knew that currently Azeroth was incomparably better prepared for what was to come, but he also new that things wouldn't be that simple.
He felt that right now, they would be facing the Horde in their full might and glory. Something was telling him that if the Dark Portal opened, then the Horde would be able to cross in much greater numbers.
Canonically, only a few hundred thousand of them crossed to Azeroth; the overall number of the Greenskins that reached their world wasn't even four hundred thousand.
Rest remained in Draenor, waiting for the vanguard to construct the Dark Portal properly and summon the rest of their species. Even though the vanguard consisted of their strongest warriors, the sheer numbers that were waiting on the other side gave Aenarion frights.
He knew very well that Orcs were in this regard exactly like Trolls.
Every single member of their species was a Warrior and was even inherently far superior and stronger; their physical capabilities would outshine even that of the Trolls.
"Slowly... some of the more traditionally minded members of the clergy are vehemently opposed to the changes, but we have managed to cultivate several tens of Paladins who have learned most of the techniques from the Templar Knight Order and Blood Knight Order. Perhaps in one year or two, Church of the Holy Light would have a functioning organization of Paladins."
Despite the obstacles, Archbishop Faol was very satisfied with the progress that the Paladins were making in Stratholme. At the same time, the relationship with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom became closer, which was another plus.
The power of the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom was too great compared to the other human kingdoms, but the relationship between the Fire Nation and the human kingdoms in the Lordaeron Continent wasn't the best one around.
Most of the relationship was entirely on the national level. Yet, the disdain that most of the Fire Nationers held towards the human kingdom was second only to that of the High Elves of Quel'Thalas.
Among the human nations, the only ones that got along well with the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom were Stormwind and, to a certain degree, Stromgarde.
"We need to strengthen our presence in the Eastern Kingdoms and intensify the search for the Church of the Starry Sky. Among all the cults that have popped up in the past fifteen years, they are the most dangerous ones."
Aenarion stated that because he knew that most of this mess was his indirect fault.
With the disappearance of the Bronze Dragonflight and the continuous death of many Bronze Dragons at the hands of Dragon Hunters, there was nobody who ensured the protection of the timeline and the elimination of the variables and people that were a danger to Azeroth.
Only after all of these years and the mess that appeared after the disappearance of Bronze Dragonflight, was the situation terrible.
"Quel'Thalas will contribute more of the Spellbreakers to the endeavor with a few Magisters."
Anasterian Sunstrider agreed with the sentiment because the cultists needed to be rooted out. Quel'Thalas was also interested in hunting down these Cults, because it was related to the security of Azeroth and the continuous existence of their own world.
"Dalaran will be sending more Mages out of the Violet Eye."
The Violet Eye was a secret sect founded by the Kirin Tor of Dalaran; they were assigned to keep an eye on Karazhan and to spy on the Guardian of Tirisfal, Medivh, and his works. After the Council of Tirisfal was reformed, the Violet Eye was expanded and reformed into the secret elite military arm of the Kirin Tor.
In the end, the meeting of the Council of Tirisfal ended with the decision to strengthen their military presence to hunt down the Cultists.
***
Black Morass, Southern Azeroth, Eastern Kingdoms
The cave itself, which was serving as the base for the cultists, was rather well hidden from public sight, and it would be troublesome to find it if not for the Chi Sensing, Screening Spells, and using Holy Light to search for the traces of the Shadows.
Alexandros Mograine also had several Mages from the Psijic Order accompanying him, because their expertise in Magic was needed on this mission. Psijic Order was even younger than the Templar Knight, but only by a few months.
But their foundation was a little bit weaker overall, because their numbers were much lower, and even despite the assistance of the High Elves of Quel'Thalas, finding people within the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom with aptitude for Magic was hard.
Though the Grand Patriarch of the Psijic Order, Irene Belserion, the Queen of Magic, was a frighteningly powerful Legendary Level Mage. Even the Chief Proctor, Loremaster, Ritemaster and Relicmaster of the Psijic Order were very powerful Hero-Level Mages.
Per his commands, the Shield-Captains took their Shield Companies and slowly surrounded the base under the concealment Spells cast by the Mages. Alexandros's two sons, Darian and Renault, were standing behind their parents as they acted as their squires for this mission.
They wouldn't be participating in the high-end battle against the cultists, but instead, they would be going against some small fish that would try to escape from the encirclement.
When it came to life preservation, there were not many people who could contend against the Cultists.
The entire process of the encirclement didn't take more than twenty minutes, as he received messages through the Orbal Device that everyone was in the place. A year ago, one Orbal Engineer proposed creating an Orbal Device that could communicate with each other.
Right now, after a year of development and an enormous amount of resources poured into it, the Military was already testing the first models of the Orbal Communication Devices.
"Flush them out."
Alexandros said coldly as he looked at the base of the cultists, as Orbal Grenades were being thrown from all sides at the entrance of the cave and the surrounding area. These Grenades were "charged" with the Holy Light, and upon activation, which meant explosion, the Holy Light that was stored in them would be released and create a Holy Light Explosion.
They were pretty powerful and immensely useful when fighting against the enemies that were weak to the Holy Light that were hiding somewhere or were in a fortified location. This way, they could even kill the enemy without personally engaging.
Though that won't be the case this time, as long as they could inflict some losses on the cultists and flood them out of the caverns, it would be considered a win. Alexandros wasn't keen on fighting them down in the caverns, because they would have the advantage of the home field.
Aside from the traps and ambushes that they have prepared for the invaders, down there, there was just darkness, and it would give them a natural advantage over Templar Knights.
In the split of a moment, several huge explosions of Holy Light could be both seen and heard from the base of the cultists, as several tens of figures started fleeing from the cave. Seeing this, the Templar Knights and Mages of the Psijic Order went to work, as they prepared to engage the fleeting cultists.
Knight Champion Alexandros Mograine brandished his sword that was enveloped by the Holy Light as he charged toward the group of cultists that were leaving the caverns. Most of the cultists were injured to various degrees as the Holy Light Grenades were too powerful for the cultists.
Aside from their direct power, which wasn't entirely low, the effects of the Holy Light against the cultists whose bodies were corrupted by the Shadow Magic and Void were like poison that was killing the cultists upon single contact.
As soon as he appeared amid the fleeing cultists, he swung his sword as the head of one unlucky human cultist flew high in the air as he continued towards another. Several moments later, after him, the rest of the Templar Knights appeared on the battlefield and started massacring the cultists.
The Templar Knights used a plethora of weapons, from swords through spears to hammers that were all imbued with the Holy Light that the Templar Knights used, and they were easily slaughtering their way through the ranks of the worshippers of Shadows.
Some of the Templar Knights were even using the Secret Fire against the forces of evil, especially against the Shadow Priests and Shadow Hunters that were among the stronger ranks of the cultists in this place.
Knight Champion Alexandros Mograine searched for the more powerful among the Shadow Priests and Shadow Hunters, as the cultists were supposed to have some powerful person leading them.
This kind of number was rather big, compared to the other groups that the Holy Templar Order was cleaning out.
It was a rather troubling situation because during the past ten years, the number of cultists of Shadow and Evil Gods has skyrocketed.
Drastically.
Alexandros Mograine, as someone who was a rare talent within the Templar Order, was aware of some secrets of Azeroth and knew even the Council of Tirisfall was shocked about this sudden development.
Nevertheless, he continued fighting against the Cultists and cutting them down at a staggering pace because these cultists were no match for the elite forces of the Templar Knights of the Secret Fire.
Most of these cults that worshipped Void and used Shadow Magic joined only because of the promises of greater power. There was no organization, no structure, and no legacy for them...
The majority of these Cultists were not merely just corrupted by the Shadow and Void; some were so deeply corrupted that they completely lost their rationality and became nothing more than slaves to the Void.
***
Sacred Phoenix Kingdom, Homeland Central Province, Fire Islands, Royal Capital Wei-Jin, Valflame Palace, Three Months Later
The Valflame Palace had become even more majestic over the past 17 years, and it had undergone several expansions and strengthening. Not only was it a majestic palace filled with luxury, but most importantly, the Valflame Palace was also an engineering marvel of Azeroth.
Most powerful fortress that ever existed, perhaps outdone only by the underground fortresses of the Dwarven Clans, like Ironforge and Shadow Forge, or Gnomeregan of Gnomes.
Across the palace halls, a small child was running. It was a girl, around six years in age, with scarlet crimson hair and golden eyes, as several servants and armored members of Phoenix Crownsguard ran after her in a hurry.
"Princess, please stop! His Majesty is currently in an important meeting!"
Several years ago, the Sacred Phoenix Kingdom celebrated a grand occasion when the King's first child was born. Only a few were aware that Phoenix King had a huge problem when it came to the passing of his Bloodline.
Because his Bloodline evolved after he reached the Legendary Level in power, he managed to fuse the original Lion-Turtle Bloodline of the Fire Nation with the Phoenix Bloodline that he got from his Patron God, Asuryan the Phoenix God.
The current Bloodline that he had, Nine-Headed Phoenix God Bloodline, was overwhelmingly powerful, and conceiving a child with a partner was very troublesome, because it required someone on the same Level of power in terms of Flesh and Blood.
Among the wives of the Phoenix King, only one person fulfilled the criteria, which was Irene Belserion, whom Aenarion Septim married several years after she arrived in this world. Irene Belserion, the Queen of Magic, was a Dragon, who became one through the Dragon Slayer Magic, but she was still a Dragon nonetheless.
Thus, the sole and only child of the Erza Septim was born in this world, and from the moment of her birth, she was a little helion. It was also because she was the only child in the Royal Family in many decades, she was very doted on and especially pampered by her father.
Even though several servants and guards wanted to stop the Princess from disrupting His Majesty in his work, it was futile, because the Princess was faster than they were somehow and managed to quickly reach the office of her father.
As she reached the office, she grinned victoriously, because this was another time that she managed to outrun everyone and evade the guards.
In the end, despite the fact that she barely started her training, her physique was comparable to that of the Elite-Level Warriors, and she wouldn't have problems reaching the Hero Level by adulthood.
She entered the office of her father, who was right now busy working on some paperwork, as he didn't even notice her entering the room. She slowly went up to his table, where he was reading through some documents, as she was bored with the lessons with tutors; thus, she decided to sneak out to play.
"Erza, what are you doing here, darling?"
The moment Aenarion saw her daughter hiding behind the huge wooden table, she ran to him, as he picked her up and placed her on his lap. Not even a few moments later, he heard knocking at the door as he saw several attendants and Crownsguards enter the office.
"You can leave... I will send Erza back to her classes after spending some time with her."
Aenarion waved his hands as he dismissed the servants and turned his attention to Erza, who was grinning happily that her father would spend some time with her. She knew that her dad was super, super busy, and he had the entire kingdom to run.
When she sneaked out, she could never go out and find mommy, because the headquarters of the Psijic Order was on an entirely different island within the Fire Island Archipelago, Artaeum.
Though even if it was in the Wei-Jin, the Crownsguard would never allow the Royal Princess to leave the premises of the Valflame Palace under any circumstances.
He put his daughter on his lap as he went through the scrolls, while she tried to catch one of the scrolls that he was reading.
These scrolls were either from the Temple of the Celestial Dragon Monks, which was also deployed in certain areas, or from the other branches that still didn't use the Orbal Tech for relaying information.
"Daddy, this is boring... can't we go outside to play? "
Not even ten minutes later, she looked at Aenarion pitifully with fake crocodile tears in her eyes, as Aenarion sighed in defeat and gave her a small kiss on the head.
"As you wish... where do you want to go?"
He asked her as he cut short his work, though he already knew where she wanted to go.
"Sardaukar Sword Grotto!"
She immediately shouted in an excited tone, because it was a place where they were Sardaukar trained in their Swordsmanship, learning various styles, Spellbreaking, and most importantly, the Sardau Sword Style and Ginaz Sword Style.
His little daughter was rather fanatic about swordmanship...
Her talent was rather frightening.
Even though little Erza was just a six-year-old, she was already better than most veteran Knights in the Phoenixia. She was natural with the weapon when he gave it to her to train a year ago, and soon enough, when she turned ten, she would start attending the Sacred Jia Nan Academy.
He picked her up and went to the training grounds, Sardaukar.
Aenarion knew that he would be late again with some paperwork, but he couldn't say no to his daughter when she wanted to spend time with her. If there was one thing that he would never really neglect, it was spending time with his family.