Eiden sat in the living room, a soft sunlight filtering through the windows as he played with Nedie. Though the child was only a few months old, he was already walking and functioning with an eerie, divine efficiency.
"Hey, Dad, could you teach me how to swing a blade?" Nedie asked, looking up with eyes that held too much intelligence for an infant. "I looked in the library, but the instructions seem boring."
Eiden tapped his chin, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Well, let me think... At your current age, you could use magic right about now. Or did none of your other dads teach you?"
Before Nedie could answer, frantic footsteps rushed into the room. "I'll help!" a voice called out. Gavran practically skidded across the floor, losing his balance for a split second before Eiden stood up and caught him mid-air.
"Careful," Eiden said, his voice a low, steady rumble.
Gavran stood fully, adjusting his massive white wings and smoothing out his robes. "Hah, my bad," he said with a soft, sheepish giggle.
Eiden gave a soft smile, though he shook his head slightly. Ever since I've woken up, he's been treating me like I'm an elder in need of constant help, Eiden thought to himself. He wouldn't even let me use magic for a full month.
"Well, if you are going to help, go ahead," Eiden said aloud. "I currently want to try and find a way to modify the Infinity Pocket." He leaned forward, giving Gavran a lingering kiss on the forehead before walking out of the living room.
He moved down the long, echoing hall and entered the silent sanctuary of the library. Sitting at a heavy oak table, he unclipped the small pouch from his waist. He looked at his ring, then at the pocket, his mind spinning with enchantments.
The door creaked, and Iris stepped in. "Hey, whatcha doin'?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer, approaching him from the front and wrapping her arms around him, burying her face against his.
"I know I did what I did for peace," Eiden said, stroking her hair as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "But I'm thinking about heading out into deep space. I haven't explored the void beyond our world, and I want to see what's out there. But I'm pretty sure there will be fights, and I don't want to carry all the weight on my back or waist. I want to be able to pull my equipment through an object."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" she asked, pulling back just enough to look at him.
"I'm thinking of earrings. And also embedding this ability into my ring. If I get into a weird situation, I'll have two ways to draw a weapon or an object in a flash."
"That's a good idea, you should do that." Iris patted his chest affectionately. "I'm going to head out with Sienna and the girls to help the kids use magic. Don't spend all day in here." She turned and vanished back into the hall.
Left alone, Eiden laid his hands over the pouch. He channeled a sliver of stable divinity, reshaping the fabric and the space within. In a flash of silver light, the pouch was gone. In its place sat two shimmering silver earrings.
He clipped them both onto his ears, feeling the weight of the pocket now tethered to his soul. He tapped his ring; it glowed with a faint silver light before dimming. Testing the connection, Eiden hovered his hand near the ring. In a blur of motion, one of his katanas appeared in his grip.
"Perfect," he whispered. With a flick, the blade vanished back into the void.
Walking outside, he watched the vibrant scene of his family—the girls and Gavran were in the meadow, guiding the children through their first elemental flickers. Eiden let out a soft smirk.
Suddenly, two figures descended from the sky like falling stars. Ou'weii and Uzak'me landed gracefully in front of him. Uzak'me didn't hesitate, stepping forward to pull Eiden into a brief, powerful hug. "Hey, man!"
"I haven't seen you in a while," Eiden said, stepping back. "How ya been?"
"Doing alright," Uzak'me replied. "What about you? You look like you're planning something."
"I am. I plan to head into the cosmos soon. Explore the stars."
Ou'weii tilted his head. "Oh? For what reason? Just to see what's out there?"
"Yeah," Eiden said. "Just for fun, I guess."
Uzak'me's expression turned serious. "Well, if you go, be careful. Space is vast, and there are beings out there with power that could rival even Yajin. Don't underestimate the void."
"I'll remember that," Eiden promised.
"Well, me and Ou'weii are gonna get going. We just came to check on ya." Uzak'me waved, and before Eiden could even say "be safe," the two of them bolted into the sky, leaving only twin sonic booms behind.
That night, the mansion was silent. Eiden lay on the couch in the living room, dressed in simple white pants and a white shirt. He was engrossed in his Grimoire, watching the ink shift as new spells formed on the pages.
Soft, rhythmic footsteps approached. It was Gavran. He looked drowsy, his white hair messy and his wings slightly ruffled. "Hey... whatcha doin'?" Gavran asked, rubbing an eye. "It's like... the middle of the night."
"I'm just reading," Eiden said gently. "The constant spells that keep forming... they're fascinating."
Gavran leaned against the couch, looking down at him with sleepy concern. "You should sleep, Eiden. It's bad if you stay up too much. You've earned your rest."
Eiden looked at his husband, then back at the book. He closed the Grimoire and flicked his wrist, watching the book drift into a pocket of nothingness.
"Cmere," Eiden said.
Gavran walked over to the couch in slow, stumbling footsteps, nearly tripping over his own feet. Eiden reached out and grabbed Gavran, pulling him in and hugging his head to his chest.
"You should sleep. You look exhausted," Eiden said, his voice soft as he gently scratched through Gavran's white hair. "Don't worry about me that much, it's ok."
Gavran stared at Eiden with his tired white eyes for a long moment, the concern in them finally giving way to the weight of his eyelids. He nuzzled his face into Eiden's chest. "Mkay," he said softly, instantly drifting off as he clung to Eiden.
Eiden leaned back, his fingers still tracing slow patterns in Gavran's hair, his eyes fixed on the moonlit sky beyond the window.