Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I’m Stuck as Their Baby!

(Elyzara POV)

The sun was unusually bright that morning, hanging high in the sky like a perfect golden coin. I squinted against its rays, shielding my eyes with the back of my hand as I looked out at the horizon. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was oddly soothing, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt... at peace. The kind of peace that didn't come with the usual weight of uncertainty pressing down on me, the kind that came with a simple day of rest.

It was a rare Saturday off. The weekend was here, and for once, there were no secret missions, no dangerous rebels hiding in shadows, and no more murals depicting me and Velka fighting side by side in some ancient battle. Just a day to breathe, to relax, and most importantly get away from the mess of the last few weeks.

"Are you going to stare at the ocean all day, or are you actually going to join us?" Riven's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see him grinning mischievously, holding a volleyball in one hand. "I'm starting to feel like I've been abandoned over here."

I smirked. "You've been standing there for all of thirty seconds. Try being patient for once."

"Patience is for the weak," he said, his grin widening. "Which clearly doesn't apply to me."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the water. The day was perfect, if you ignored the ever-present tension I had with Velka, who was standing a few paces away with her arms crossed. Aria was enthusiastically talking to her, though Velka remained stubbornly silent, her gaze directed out toward the horizon, as if willing the entire world to disappear. I couldn't help but notice that the two of them had been in some kind of unspoken standoff since we arrived. Aria, as usual, was oblivious to the tension, trying her hardest to drag Velka into the group's activities.

"Come on, Velka!" Aria persisted, throwing her arms out wide, gesturing at the beach with an exaggerated flair. "We're at the beach! The beach! Who could resist this? You're going to regret it if you just stand there and sulk!"

Velka turned her head ever so slightly toward Aria, then gave her an unreadable look. I could see the conflict flickering behind her eyes. On one hand, she was stubborn. On the other, there was something vulnerable about her, something that made her want to be part of the group despite her usual aloofness.

"Fine," Velka muttered finally, crossing her arms tighter as if she could defend herself from the unrelenting charm of the beach. "But only because you're dragging me into this." She sounded like she was being dragged to the guillotine, but at least it was progress.

"That's the spirit!" Aria cheered, taking Velka's arm and practically pulling her toward where Mara and Elira were waiting by the water. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

I followed them, shaking my head with a small chuckle. Watching Velka try to suppress her discomfort was always amusing. She had this way of acting as if she didn't care about anything, but when it came to the group, she was just like the rest of us forced into participating in the most ridiculous of group activities.

As we approached Mara and Elira, who were already splashing around in the shallow waves, I couldn't help but feel a swell of affection for the two of them. Their laughter was like a balm, soothing my overactive mind. Mara looked effortlessly graceful in the water, while Elira was more playful, dunking herself under the waves with glee and coming up with a wild, triumphant grin.

"See? This is what you need to do," Elira said, her voice light as she turned toward us. "Just dive in! The water's perfect today."

Velka raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by the whole concept. "I'm not here to play. I'm here because Aria made me."

Aria, not missing a beat, grinned. "Exactly. And because you secretly love us all, right?"

Velka snorted. "Keep dreaming."

I leaned against a sun-bleached rock nearby, watching the group interact. The waves lapped at the shore, the rhythmic sound matching the gentle pulse in my chest, a steady reminder that for the first time in a while, things felt... okay.

Riven tossed the volleyball lightly in his hands, eyeing the water. "So, who's ready for some beach volleyball?" he asked, his eyes scanning the group. "Or do I have to carry all the glory solo?"

"You'd be lucky if you can catch the ball," I teased, folding my arms across my chest.

"I'll have you know I'm excellent at this," Riven replied, puffing out his chest. "I'm the undisputed king of beach volleyball."

Mara snickered. "You're the king of talking at best."

Riven shot her a playful glare. "Excuse you, but I don't need to prove anything."

"Oh, please," Mara replied, smirking. "You're the kind of guy who gets really excited about volleyball, but when you play against actual competition, you turn into a mess. I'll enjoy watching you try."

"Hey, I'm the undisputed champion of beach volleyball," Riven protested, tossing the ball into the air like it was some serious weapon of war. "So you better watch out. I don't do 'casual'."

"Right," Aria chimed in, "because I can totally feel your skill from here."

The group had gathered around in a half-circle, with the sand stretching out before us, and the ocean whispering at the shore. But none of that mattered now. The volleyball game had become something bigger something much bigger. A battle. A magical showdown.

Mara caught the ball with exaggerated grace, twirling it between her fingers. "Let's spice things up a bit, shall we?"

"What do you mean, 'spice it up'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's make it interesting," Mara said with a grin that could only be described as dangerous. "No magic, no fun. I say we play with magic."

Aria's eyes lit up. "I'm in."

I glanced over at Velka, who was still standing a little off to the side, her arms crossed, looking about as willing to play as a cat being asked to go in the bath. But when she saw us getting into position, her lips twitched as if she was considering it.

"Fine," she said curtly, "but don't expect me to go easy."

"Never expected you to," I muttered, stretching. "Alright, let's do this."

Riven bounced on his heels, clearly thrilled by the prospect of using his magic for a ridiculous game. "No rules, right?"

Mara nodded, the competitive fire in her eyes flickering. "No rules."

And then, it began.

Riven was the first to serve, and let me tell you, it was less a volleyball serve and more a magical explosion that flung the ball high into the air with a spark of red energy. The ball hovered above us, crackling with magic, as it came crashing down toward me.

I wasn't about to let it hit the sand without a fight, though. With a determined grunt, I swiped my hand through the air, summoning a gust of wind to redirect the ball back towards Riven's side.

"Nice try!" he yelled, narrowly avoiding the blast of wind as he raised his hand. Suddenly, a wall of fire spiraled around him, a barrier that just barely contained the flaming ball. "I think we need a little extra heat to keep things spicy," he shouted, smirking.

Aria, never one to be left behind, jumped up and waved her hands in the air, creating a dazzling sparkle of glittering light around her. "I got this!" she shouted. The next thing I knew, the ball had turned into a glowing orb of light, almost blinding as it veered toward Velka.

Velka didn't even flinch. She snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the light ball froze mid-air. With a cool expression, she simply flicked it with a fingertip, sending it soaring toward Mara with the force of a small comet.

"Nice move, Velka," Mara said with a wicked grin, leaning back slightly. "But can you handle this?" With a flourish of her hand, Mara called upon the elements, the air around her crackling with static. The ball disappeared from view for a split second, only to reappear in a burst of lightning, zooming straight toward Riven's chest.

He yelped and barely managed to deflect the ball with a shield of wind, sending it flying straight back toward me.

I was ready this time. As the ball rocketed toward me, I gathered my energy, and with a flick of my wrist, I summoned a burst of icy magic that coated the ball in a layer of frost. It slowed down dramatically before freezing in mid-air. I shot a grin toward Mara. "Beat that."

Mara raised an eyebrow, looking at the frozen ball. "You think I can't handle a little ice?" she teased. She clapped her hands, and suddenly the ground beneath us began to quake. A section of sand shifted and rose up, creating a small mound in the middle of the court. With a flick of her finger, the mound solidified into a platform, and she used it to launch herself into the air.

As she landed in front of the frozen ball, she sent a powerful kick, releasing a stream of fire that melted the ice and sent the ball soaring toward Velka.

Velka watched the ball coming toward her with the same expression she always had unbothered, uninterested but there was a flicker of something in her eyes. A hint of challenge. Without warning, she thrust her hands toward the sky, and the ball was surrounded by a whirlwind of black smoke.

I couldn't help but laugh. "She's making it look easy."

"Don't get too comfortable," Riven called back, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "We've barely started."

I couldn't tell if Velka was serious or if she was actually enjoying herself, but as she swiped her hand through the air, the ball shot back toward me faster than I could blink. This time, I wasn't ready.

The ball struck me square in the chest, sending me tumbling back into the sand with a yelp.

"That's it!" I grinned, shaking sand out of my hair. "You're all getting seriously competitive."

Riven raised an eyebrow. "We didn't even start with competitive. We're just warming up."

But that wasn't quite true. There was something wild about the game now. Everyone was throwing magic into the mix without a second thought, and we were all caught up in the chaos of it all. The ball bounced from one side of the court to the other with more energy than any of us had expected.

I could hear Mara laughing, her voice carrying over the wind. "This is the best beach volleyball I've ever played," she called out, sending a bolt of fire spinning through the air toward Riven.

"Glad to see someone's having fun," I said, grinning from ear to ear.