★289
My vision adjusted and just behind him was Hinata holding something. Something Clarivide itself couldn't reveal yet. Umbryss, the Fragment of Obscurity stood by the corner, raising both hands as if pleading not guilty. I didn't move, I couldn't, but Existence no, Ether pushed me forward, curious to see what that is.
With a steady, measured stride, I walked past the Dragon Vessel, his Anti-Being state utterly irrelevant to me, as I advanced toward them.
Without my command, Essen, Lucentis, Ontologions, Ontospheres, Morphytes, Formethium, and Pneumacels-the latter having just evolved from the Spiritual to the Etherium Plane, converged beside me, coalescing into a single, vast act of creation mid-stride.
(Remember what Eltanin said about Concept evolving?)
Both my Essen and Hinata's were irresistibly drawn into the forming substance, threads of our essence intertwining as the phenomenon took shape. No Primetons, Vitaelics, or Paradexons were present, yet the structure solidified, pulsing with impossible coherence.
This was no Creation nor spell or miracle. It was an anomaly beyond Thaumelyne, a phenomenon that transcended Energy, something unrecorded even among the highest layers of Existence. Born not from will, but from inevitability.
The Silver Dust dispersed, shimmering into the unseen currents of Etherium, welcoming me to witness her: my daughter. A being whose blood transcended Divinity, unbound by Mythaeon or Fictarions, as even those Fragments pillars of the Matrix's order stood still, silently watching this anomaly rest within Creation. The Silver Dust curtains closed, sealing me together with them.
As Clarivide adjusted, her sight intertwined with my transcendental eye, and for the first time, I saw true beauty, the kind around which Existence itself revolved.
I couldn't look away. Even as my essence trembled beneath her radiance, I found myself kneeling before Hinata, humbled, not as a God, not as a creator, but as a father, witnessing the dawn of something greater than both Divinity and Myth.
Ethyrites surged through me like divine adrenaline, and before I knew it, I was smiling.
"She's beautiful."
I whispered, brushing a strand of white hair from her tiny forehead.
"Just like you."
The chaos that had been raging within me divine, destructive & seemingly endless finally stilled. Hinata's smile softened the world itself.
"I wanted to surprise you but..."
She began, voice trembling between joy and disbelief.
"Don't worry. The fact that even the Fragments hid her from me means this really is a big surprise."
I interrupted gently. Her lips parted, speechless, and her smile only grew wider.
I Aether Move beside her, and she instinctively leaned her head on my shoulder.
"I'm so happy."
She murmured at last, holding our precious daughter close.
"In all my years of experiments, I've never felt anything like this, not since our wedding. But this... this is something else."
I wrapped my arm around her, my hand tracing the warmth of their existence, hers, mine, ours.
In that moment, even Ether itself bowed in silence, as if Creation dared not disturb the peace we had found.
Suddenly, something dared to disturb that fragile peace. Something in me flared, yet it quickly retracted after pinpointing the source.
The light that had been coalescing nearby solidified into a white draconic egg, its surface humming with a transcendental aura that rippled across all the Planes including Etherium. Without warning, cracks began to form, thin, radiant lines that pulsed with divine rhythm.
And then...
-Kyu, Kyu-
A soft sound broke the silence as the shell shattered in a burst of light.
From within emerged a tiny white-scaled dragon, shimmering with purity so intense that even the fragments of its shell glowed like stardust.
It didn't even need to flap its wings to hover in the air, it simply floated, bathed in a gentle radiance. A few bits of shell still clung to its head like a crown.
The little dragon blinked up at us, its eyes pure azure, unclouded and deep as mine but better. Along its scales, faint golden runes pulsed softly, breathing in harmony with existence.
-Kyu, Kyu-
It chirped again, a curious, melodic sound that melted the last remnants of stillness in the air. The Fragments seemed to pause yet again, watching in reverent silence the birth of something no realm had words for.
-Kyu, Kyu-
It cried once more, breathing soft, stardust-like flames.
I watched as each exhale twisted the existing Fragments and birthed new ones, only for them to fade moments later. Then it positions itself between Hinata and our daughter, its head resting protectively around our child.
Surprised, all we could do was watch.
"I don't even know why it manifested, but it did… because of our energy."
I reached out to touch it, but it bit me. I quickly pulled back my injured finger, watching as the Dragon glared at me before resting its head again in its previous spot.
My daughter's breathing rose and fell softly, her tiny chest moving in sync with the Dragon lying across her belly.
"It seems your feud with dragons never ends"
Hinata giggled, clearly amused.
Maybe she was right. Ever since my journey to Kalidor, every Dragon I've met seems to despise me. Whether it's instinct or something deeper, I can't tell.
Then she cooed. And in that single sound, everything in Existence turned as if answering her faint call. My heart skipped a beat. Hinata froze beside me, eyes wide yet unmoving, silently watching.
Slowly, ever so gently, her eyelids lifted, revealing otherworldly eyes dusted with starlight, soft, vast, and luminous. Pastel sky-blue irises shimmered with gentle gradients of drifting stardust. Tiny white specks glimmered near her pupils like reflections of distant stars. Those eyes carried a calm, sleepy innocence... and beneath them, the faintest blush warmed her ethereal glow.
I caught my breath, unable to tell whether she looked more beautiful asleep or awake.
"Hey there."
I murmured, waving with a smile. Her sleepy eyes widened, gazing at us with innocent curiosity.
"You're so cute, we might just name you Kawaii."
I said, brushing my fingers across her soft belly.
She giggled, a sound so pure it made the Ethyrites within me surge higher. The little Dragon only watched in stunned silence, its eyes wide, as if unable to comprehend why it suddenly couldn't bring itself to attack me.
"She's too cute."
Hinata leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on our daughter's forehead.
"Overloaded."
I muttered.
"I can't wait to see Issei's reaction. He's going to be so happy to have a little sister."
Not to mention Nyxon is on his way.
Hinata smiled, her gaze soft.
"We still haven't decided on a name for her. What do you suggest?"
I chuckled, still tickling the little one's belly as she giggled.
"I'm not good at naming, you name. I don't want to give her some astrological, cosmic names."
"Ok. How about this, you give her one and so will I. A person can't have enough names can they?"
Shi, she trapped me._.
"Okay... I'm thinking of Aenara."
I said, exhaling softly.
"It means boundless essence. A name that invokes transcendence, completeness, and timeless divinity."
I explained, the smile on me never fading.
"Don't blame me, I already warned you I'm bad at this."
Hinata smiled, testing the sound of it.
"Aenara... It's beautiful."
Then, after a pause, she added,
"Eirlys, it means snowdrop flower. It carries purity, beauty, and innocence."
"A flower, just like you."
I said with a faint smile as our heads leaned together, watching little Eirlys already asleep in her mother's arms.
"Aenara can be her title. Eirlys fits her better."
I whispered.
"Mmm."
Hinata nodded softly, her eyes heavy, her smile lingering, serene, and utterly at peace.
"Towa... where is she?"
Hinata asked softly, her voice tinged with concern for her rival.
"She's safe."
I assured her.
"Somewhere protected, with the Goddesses of Creation and Destruction."
She didn't even flinch at the mention of the Goddess of Destruction. Instead, a small smile formed on her lips.
"You always have your ways of taking care of things."
"Yep, that's me."
I gave a faint grin, though Ethyrites was still flooding through my body like divine fire. I needed to tell her before leaving.
"She's pregnant, too. Nyxon is on his way."
Hinata's eyes softened, her smile widening with quiet joy.
"Our family... It's growing."
"Yes. Yes, it is."
I said, a warmth filling my chest.
Her gaze shifted past me, sensing the presence ahead.
"Dragon Vessel..."
She whispered, her voice trembling faintly.
"Don't worry about him. I'll deal with it."
I replied, calm but firm.
"I... I know you will."
She said, her words trembling with faith.
"You'll save us all. End this war, and come back to us."
"I promise."
I replied, Silver Dust spiralling around us, already preparing to teleport them away.
"I'll wrap everything up and be by your side as soon as I can."
"I know you will."
I leaned in and kissed her, holding that moment, her warmth, her faith, before releasing them. Silver Dust shimmered and scattered, carrying them safely toward Star Island.
To be continued...