JULIAN GREYRAT
The stalactites dangled like sharpened blades from all over the ceiling, staring down as if it intended to kill. Tricklets of water droplets fell from the pointed ends with a loud plop, accentuated by the eerie stillness of the labyrinth.
The water drops dropped down with a plop, the droplet jumping up and then finally going down before it merged into a ripple inside the small puddle of water that was forming beneath my feet, just along the stalagmite that had formed due to it.
It was an upward-growing mound of mineral deposits that had precipitated from water dripping onto the floor of a cave. Just like most stalagmites on earth, this too had rounded and flattened tips.
"Man, I only saw one of these in a documentary." Rudeus commented, his voice bouncing off the walls, expanding towards the darker tangent of the straight path that were walking on before completely vanishing, as if it was never there.
"Yeah, me too. I never saw one of these before." I replied. It wasn't a lie. I had seen them in book and studied how they work. However, I never saw them in person in my previous life. I came here before, but I never noticed these.
I was too hung up on doing something else at that time.
"Hoh? I had the impression you were kind of an entitled kid in the past. I guess not." Rudeus shrugged his shoulders, kicking a stray pebble in his path. It alleviated from the surface and rotated midair, before crashing into the wall and accelerating the process of water dropping from the ceiling for a few seconds before returning back to normal.
Me? Entitled? Hm, in a way, if I had to attribute my achievements, given if I had any, I would contribute it towards the situation I was put in since my birth. An entitled environment. Something not every kid had the chance to get. On the flip side, not every kid would have wanted to end up in the place. But regardless, it was the segregated upbringing that turned me into who I am today.
I had often wondered. What would it have been like if I was raised like other kids. Normally. Or from my point, abnormally. Since the norm for us in the White Room was what surrounded us. If the upbringing was identical to the bigger stratum of kids, would I have gotten a second chance at life?
Did I even die?
"Entitled, huh? Well, you are not entirely wrong. But not correct as well. It is a bit complicated." I replied, keeping my voice low enough so only Rudeus could hear it.
"Oh? Well, not going to pry into that. Both of us have out secrets. Regardless of that, I am just happy we could act like actual brothers despite our past lives. I really do see you like a brother." Rudeus smiled, looking at the ceiling.
Why would he think like that? The amount of lies and manipulation he had encountered, he should've been skeptical. Normally. But I guess, this is where individual human natures come into play. He wasn't gullible. Rudeus was just desperate for everyone around him.
His family. Their safety. That was the reason why he never doubted anyone and did whatever he could to protect his family.
Would I do the same thing I was in his shoes? Would I take a knee and surrender myself to someone?
Maybe.
Not for someone else. But for myself. But what would I stay like that forever?
Probably not.
"Yeah. Thanks." I replied to his previous words as we arrived at the last circle.
However, despite putting mana into it, it didn't activate. Rudeus placed his staff on to the cirlce and tried pushing some mana as well, but it all ended up in nothing.
"Did you mess up?" Rudeus asked, glancing in my direction.
"Hmm. No, I didn't. But it seems like someone destroyed the receiving end of the circle."
That was the only thing that could make sense. The circles were made perfectly, capable of teleporting 3 people at the same time. There was no reason for it to not function.
"What are we going to do now? Our family...no, no. Is it an attack?"
Cold sweat was dripping down Rudeus' forehead as lightning popped all around him. Mana was trembling. And lightning popped like balloons all around him while his hand paled due to how tightly he was gripping his staff.
"Calm yourself." I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't. You got someone to look after, but my house is unguarded. They got no one else other than me." Rudeus snapped.
"Before leaving, I had Adam stationed on your house. It's also his duty to inform Randolph whenever I am outside the city. Houses are safe. Even if there is an attack, formations are already laid out. They'd activate if hostile mana is detected." I reassured him.
There was something wrong the moment I came back to Sharia. It has been a few months since my return. However, except the first day, I couldn't make out of the person who made me felt that way.
"How are we going to go back then?" Rudeus asked, dejected.
"There are other backup circles. We have to find them before they do."
"They?"
"No idea. But someone is targeting the circles leading to Sharia. The other circles are working just fine." I pointed out towards the circle that led to Buena Village----our hometown.
"So, what do we do now?"
"Make a run for it, I guess?"
"God damn it. Fine." Rudeus' shoulder slumped down, but his ears stood as he looked at me. "Can you carry me?"
"No."
"How horrible." He let out an exasperated sigh, faking a tear.
"You done?"
"Not really. I am really mad. I really am going to miss my kid's birth." Rudeus stomped his feet into the ground.
"Hm. Yeah. I think I am going to miss both of mine's as well." I replied.
Logically, it didn't really matter. I wasn't the one who was going to magically share pain with her and birth the child. However, for some reason, my presence there was duly needed. I decided not to argue against it.
Women are strange. Not in a bad way. It's just a bit hard to understand them. Men are the same. But there are a few more layers in women before you could actually reach the real meaning behind their words or actions... or desires.
"Oh yeah, you got 2. That suck big time."
"Hm, yeah. Anyways, try to catch up." I spoke before stepping on a thin stream of air before the surrounding blurred into a stretched black plane.
(***)
THIRD PERSON PERSPECTIVE
The entirety of Greyrat family had gathered at Julian's house, standing in the heard of the mansion that was adjacent to an empty room. The air was pregnant with tension and anticipation, with a tinge of worry, fear and anxiety.
At the center of it all was Paul, nervously tapping his heel against the soft carpet beneath.
He sat in a large armchair, his finegrs crossed.
By his side stood Lilia, Rudeus and Julian's stepmother, her eyes flickering with a blend of worry and unease. She'd borne her own set of hardships and now she was standing, free from the chains she had bound herself with. She was wearing casual clothes, for the first time in more than a decade now.
Zenith was also present in the house but wasn't inside the hall.
Norn and Aisha sat in a corner, their bright, innocent eyes reflecting a curiosity mixed with concern. They weren't quite sure what was happening in detail, but they knew it was something good and bad at the same time.
All three of Rudeus' wives were also present there---Sylphy with Lucy in her arms. Sara, who was herself a few days away from labour. And finally, Eris who sat in the couches, legs crossed and a defiant look in her eyes. Her facial expression screamed 'Do not talk to me.'
Roxy sat in the periphery of the bustling group, in a corner, her features marked by a nervous anticipation. She felt an odd mixture of excitement and dread, unsure of her place her stomach churned with unease. Bile rose up to her mouth as she stood up and ran towards her room.
Norn watched back but Aisha was quicker, as she stood up and ran after her, hoping she could help her a little.
Inside a room adjoining the living area, another kind of life was about to enter the Greyrat household.
Ariel was in the throes of labor, her usual grace and composure fading away in the midst of this momentous event. Her soft moans filled the room, muffling the backdrop to the collective pulse of the household.
On the other side of the dividing cloth, the atmosphere was quite different.
Nanahoshi had been thrust into an unexpected situation.
While it was normal for Ariel, it wasn't the same case for Nanahoshi.
Her amniotic sac or in simpler terms, her water bag had broken after 36 weeks.
Zenith bit her nails, uncertainty dancing in her eyes as she looked to the head nurse, who appeared equally at a loss. The Greyrat family had ventured into unknown territory.
Eva tended to Ariel with a reassuring touch, her eyes reflecting a deep understanding of the situation.
"What's h-happening there?" Ariel asked, out of breath.
"Please, concentrate on yourself." Eva spoke respectfully. Ariel's face scrunched, strength sapping from her body at a rapid rate. Eva slipped her fingers into her hand. "Press on my hand." Saying that, she prompted her to push once more.
On the other hand, the nurse and Zenith were still figuring out what to do.
"A...cut..." Nanahoshi whispered something.
"Don't talk dear..." Zenith tried to comfort her. However, Nanahoshi swatter her hand away and then pulled her by her clothes, bringing her ear close to her lips.
"A cesarean section..."
A cesarean section, often referred to as a C-section, is a surgical procedure in which a baby is delivered through an incision made in the mother's abdomen and uterus. This method is typically used when it is considered safer for the mother, the baby.
It wasn't entirely unfamiliar to the people of this world, but because a lot of people never had their water bag break, it was not entirely that well known.
"What is that?" Zenith asked.
Luckily, the nurse knew what it was as she started preparing for it.
As the tension in Nanahoshi's side escalated, the head nurse and Zenith remained on high alert.
The atmosphere was fraught with uncertainty as the decision was made to proceed with a C-section. In a synchronized efficiency, the head nurse and her lackey prepared the equipment for the procedure.
The very air seemed to hum with an underlying sense of urgency.
Nanahoshi didn't have enough time.
Inside the adjacent side, Ariel's labored breathing grew heavier.
Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, her fingers clenching and unclenching as waves of pain coursed through her. Eva stood by her side, holding her hand tightly and whispering words of comfort.
The room was filled with the palpable tension of impending birth.
And then, in a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity, Ariel's eyes widened as she felt a release. With a heaving breath, she realized that her ordeal was over.
Her stomach seemed to shrivel back into place, hugging her bones. As her own suffering dissipated, a high-pitched wail filled the room, drenching the mansion in ecstatic jubilation.
Ariel's first instinct was to heave a relieved breath as the immense pressure released from her, her body feeling oddly deflated yet relieved.
Julian's firstborn had made their debut, crying out with the vigor of new life. Everyone in the house heard it. But no one came inside. Or rather they weren't allowed to. Outside the delivery room, the silver haired boy---Adam was standing with his sword unsheathed.
Not against his master's family. His senses were on high alert. He could sense something that the others couldn't.
Except Eris. The reason why she was on edge and feigned defiance and bad mood was because of the ominous premonition they were feeling. Both of them were at a level that they could sense it.
Meanwhile, Ariel's eyelids grew heavy, and exhaustion washed over her like a soothing tide. As soon as the umbilical cord was severed, she lost consciousness, her body succumbing to the toll of childbirth.
In the blink of an eye, the nurse, with her practiced expertise, casted healing magic to mend the residual damage and stop the bleeding. She worked quickly and efficiently.
Eva, stepped forward, her eyes shimmering with an unexpected tenderness as she took the little newborn in her arms. As she cradled the child, a gentle smile played on her lips. She had witnessed births before but this one filled her with joy.
With a soft, warm wet towel in her hands, Eva began to gently rub the newborn to get rid of the blood stains, her eyes never leaving the precious bundle. As her gaze rested on the tiny, squirming figure, a thought crossed her mind—a simple observation.
"Looks just like Master Julian."
Moving back to Nanahoshi's side, the place had become a whirlwind of time pressure and anxiety.
The very air was dense with anticipation as the preparations for the C-section were finalized. The head nurse, gloved hands steady, made the incision with precise care. The atmosphere was a mélange of antiseptic smells, the surgeon's focused breaths, and the constant hum of Zenith praying to her God Milis.
But amid all the hustle and tension, there was one striking absence—the absence of a baby's cries. A severe lack of it despite being completely outside the womb.
The room fell into an eerie hush as the baby emerged from the safety of its mother's womb.
Everyone in the room, except for the still agonized Nanahoshi, held their breath.
A profound sense of dread and disbelief weighed heavily in the air. It wasn't the result of something gone wrong, but something entirely unexpected—the hair color.
Emerald.
Emerald hair tumbled from the newborn's head, an evil hue that startled the nurse who had been assisting with the birth.
The room had been prepared for every eventuality, but no one had anticipated this. Zenith, overcome with a mix of bewilderment was the first to reach out, her trembling hands taking the baby into her arms.
The child remained silent, not letting out the expected cries of a newborn.
Its eyes, lazy and tired but eerily observant, seemed to focus on Zenith's face. She leaned closer and whispered a soothing melody inside her ear. The second-born, a daughter, finally parted her lips and let out a muffled cry before stopping again, looking at Zenith and bursting into tears again.
Eva came running towards Zenith. Zenith severed the umbilical cord by herself and then handed her to Eva. "Clean her up. I will be back with you in a while." Zenith spoke as she nodded and took the girl away.
Ariel had already regained her consciousness and was escorted to Julian's room. As the room opened and she was taken outside, Adam entered the room and almost bumped into Eva.
"What are you doing here?" She asked, scowling.
"Is the Lady, okay?" He asked, looking down. Although she inside the room, it was divided as such that no one on this side could look at the other side.
"She is. And the baby is fine and alive as well. She looks healthy." Eva replied happily, pointing at the girl. She had a few locks of a beautiful shade of green. Since Eva and Adam both had demon blood inside of them, they didn't really care about the green hair or understood the hate and fear.
Adam's lips curved into a narrow smile. He had been protecting Julian's house---Nanahoshi in particular. And over this time, the way she treated him like his own, it left a deep impression on his heart. And now seeing her kid filled him with joy he never knew he was able to feel.
The room had settled into an uncertain calm.
The initial shock of the emerald-haired child's arrival was giving way to tentative relief, yet no one dared to voice the myriad questions that circled their thoughts. The heavy atmosphere began to dissipate, and it appeared as if they could finally breathe easy.
Just as a faint, weary smile began to grace Zenith's lips, signaling the first glimmers of serenity, the room was plunged into chaos once more. The nurse, who had assisted in the C-section, let out a blood-curdling scream that sliced through the tension like a dagger.
"It's not over!" she cried, her voice trembling with fear and urgency. Everyone, who had begun to relax, froze in place, their eyes wide with alarm. Adam turned around but Eva held him by his arm.
"Are you stupid? You can't go in there."
"....Sorry. I will leave."
Apologising, Adam left the room.
In the blink of an eye, Zenith, Eva, and the nurse converged on Nanahoshi's side, their gazes locked on her still-swollen abdomen. Their collective dread materialized in a horrifying realization—it hadn't gone completely flat.
A hushed gasp hung in the air, and the reality of the situation dawned upon them with chilling clarity.
The implications were inescapable. The nurse steadied herself and reached a quick conclusion—it was twins.
Twin births were not unheard of, but this sudden revelation added a complex layer to the already intense situation. Nanahoshi was teetering on the edge of consciousness and unconsciousness and her body was going limp.
It was a genetic quirk, a trait passed down from Julian, a twin himself and the probability of every 7 out of 1000 Japanese women conceiving twins.
The probability of twins was now more understandable, and the room braced for the reality of two newborns to join their world.
Nanahoshi, still in a haze of pain and fatigue, couldn't fully grasp the new wave of urgency and activity that enveloped her.
The reality of being a mother to twins, a prospect that had remained hidden until this moment, was now thrust upon her. She had barely had a moment to recover from the birth of the first child before the nurse readied herself to aid in delivering the second.
The nurse steadied her nerves.
She had already performed a C-section for Nanahoshi, and this experience would serve her well for the second child's birth.
Nanahoshi remained in the throes of pain, exhaustion, and bewilderment. She couldn't fathom the whirlwind of emotions coursing through her; her world had been upended within the span of moments, and the prospect of not one but two children joining her life was both exhilarating and overwhelming.
She never imagined being a mother in her lifetime. She had given up on it. That was the sole reason why she allowed the others to make a move on him. Despite being in so much pain, she kept on thinking if she made the right decision.
However, the damage was done. And it wasn't the time to think all this.
The nurse carefully began the process to deliver the second child. The room seemed to hold its breath, and even Ariel who was quite a distance away felt somethng was off.
"She is screaming again...what happened?" Sylphy nervously asked, tugging Lucy closer to her.
"I don't know. I don't feel so good. Is she ok?" Sara added, her tension fanned by seeing the composed Sylphy.
Roxy was sitting on the couch, beside Eris, scraping at the skin on her thumb. Paul's forehead was creased in a frown. Not being able to hold it in, Lilia ran to the room, hoping she could help.
Veins bulged out on Nanahoshi's neck and her whole face turned red as she pushed out with last fragments of her strength. Zenith kept whispering prayers in her ears. Despite being a non-believer, she found that oddly soothing.
Then, finally, the second child emerged into the world—a smaller but equally fragile being. The relief was palpable, and a collective sigh of joy and relief filled the room.
In a striking contrast to the second-born, the third-born was rather energetic, crying and wailing as if its life depended on it, throwing hands and legs everywhere. Much like his brother.
Nanahoshi's head slipped to the side, and she lost consciousness. Zenith cupped her cheeks before her head could hit the side of the bed. A few tears left her eyes as gently placed her head back on the pillow.
Eva's eyes also reddened, out of joy, as Zenith took the kid away and started cleaning him herself.
"They calmed down, we should go see th---"
*boom*
A huge explosion blasted the lawn inside their house as two figures landed it. Every expected Julian and Rudeus...however, it wasn't them.
The two figures were clad in weird costumes.
The first one was a man with long, blonde hair gathered in a ponytail beside his right ear. He sported a unique appearance, wearing a vibrant yellow fox mask that concealed his face. His attire consisted of a well-fitted, white blazer with buttons and matching long pants.
The second was another man with almost the same appearance as first one, but instead of golden hair, he had cropped black hair.
A silver and teal blur zipped through the air and another explosion went off, pushing the two intruders behind.
Eris had already gotten outside, her silver Phoenix sword glimmering in the sunlight while Adam's teal sword was humming audibly with a huge amount of mana. His expressions were dark, a palpable rage erupting out of him like an active volcano, ready to erupt and decimate.
The two figures straightened themselves.
"I am Almanfi of The Bright."
"I am Dothbath of Destruction."
"As per our liege's orders, hand over the kid with green hair. It shall be examined by our lord and then decided whether to let it live or left alone."
"Your liege?" Eris spat on the ground, making Almanfi get angry, "To hell with him."
Adam's whole body quivered with rage; his eyes gleaming as he started to meld within the shadows.
The house that was deemed as a "no-violence" zone by Orsted had turned into one before one year of his disappearance into the Void World.
The mana irregularity had spread through the city of Sharia.
Death God - Randolph Marianne was on his way, oozing a sinister bloodlust that made people around him faint.