The family and guests observed with a mix of shock and awe as Lunaire held the bottled soul in her hand. The fox-shaped soul flames inside it appeared both vibrant and trapped. Lunaire's initial smugness transformed into a moment of realization about the immense power she had harnessed through the bearing of her first fruit. She cradled the bottle containing Elara's soul carefully and turned to face her family, who were still grappling with the extraordinary events that had unfolded. Lunaire's newfound abilities and the revelation of her blossoming powers were evident to everyone. Her parents exchanged proud smiles, a blend of astonishment and pride in their daughter's growth.
Elara, still coming to terms with what had just happened, addressed her family and the guests. Her voice wavered with uncertainty and guilt as she explained, "I...I didn't mean for all this to happen. I just wanted to help Lunaire find love."
The family and guests, still taken aback by the surreal turn of events, listened intently to Elara's words. Her voice carried a mix of uncertainty and guilt. Lunaire began to assure her sister, saying, "It's fine, Elara. I've gotten my revenge; now how...do I...turn you...back?"
As Lunaire's words left her mouth, she fell backward, passing out. Seriphina quickly caught her daughter, then picked her up. "Well, everyone, dinner was eventful. If you want to ask Lunaire about her love life, I'd advise doing it tomorrow because she is physically and mentally exhausted. So, I'm going to put her to bed. Oh, and Erevos, my love, go to the orchard." With those instructions, she walked away with Elara's bottled soul and Lunaire in her arms. Erevos watched her disappear into the distance, torn between his desire to check on Lunaire and the duty to visit the orchard.
Erevos, although concerned for his daughter's well-being, decided to wait until the following day to inquire about her love life. He focused on finding Lunaire's tree in the orchard and walked there, trying to set aside his worries for now.
Lunaire woke up when the sun was already well on its ascent. A small soul flame fox inside a bottle greeted her, banging against the glass. "Good morning, Elara."
The fox ceased its attempts to break free and said, "Oh, you're up. I can hear everyone's whispers about last night and your crush. Speaking of last night, are you okay? And did you figure out how to change me back?"
Lunaire smiled at her sister's concern and shook her head. "I'm fine, just a little tired. As for changing you back, I did figure out how to, but I won't change you back. You're going to help me with Lillith."
Elara was puzzled. "Help me? With what?"
"You're the goddess of love, so you're going to help me fall in love with me. I'll only keep you for a day, then let you go; this is my revenge."
Elara hesitated for a moment. "But last night you said-"
Lunaire cut her off. "I changed my mind."
With her determination clear, Lunaire grabbed the bottle and left the room for the orchard. Along the way, she noticed many of her family members, but none paid her much attention. Once she arrived at the orchard, she saw her mother, father, and twins gazing at a large, familiar tree and walked over to them.
"Hey, what are you all looking at?" Lunaire asked.
Erevos, her father, answered, "Hello, my sweet daughter. How did you sleep? We're just looking at the tree you grew."
Lunaire looked at the tree in awe and realized, "This is my silver blossom tree?"
Erevos smiled and nodded. "It's one of the biggest we've seen in a while. Anyway, why'd you come here?"
"Oh, I totally came here to talk to you guys and not steal a bunch of fruit," Lunaire replied, attempting to lighten the mood.
Her parents exchanged knowing glances, and Seriphina, her mother, playfully teased, "Let me guess, they're for Lillith."
Lunaire confirmed with a nod. "I don't think anyone would care anyway; they've already given her their blessing. It'll be the first time that a mortal has received the blessing of the whole pantheon." Erevos said as he raised his hand.
"Erevos dear did you forget about him? Oh right, you didn't like him because I had a thing for him." Seraphina added
Erevos recalled a past incident, saying, "Oh, him. Yes, I remember now. But that was ages ago, my love. I'm not jealous anymore."
Seriphina playfully teased him, "It's always fun to tease you about it."
Erevos chuckled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yeah I know"
Seeing how the conversation was going, Lunaire decided to inquire, "What happened to him?"
Seriphina pulled out of Erevos' grasp and fixed her dress then began the story, explaining, "It was back when us 'elders' were still young, so it was only us. He was really kind and charming. To be completely honest, he would've been your father, but Erevos threatened him, and after that, I barely saw him until he reincarnated."
Lunaire stared at her mother's happy smile and then looked at her father, who seemed rather agitated at the thought of him. "Why did Dad threaten him?"
Seriphina's grin grew, and her eyes took on a hint of mischief. "Oh, his soul was brought here by your father, so he had access to all his memories. It turns out he was a pure degenerate and only had one thought on his mind when he thought of women: toys. Luckily, when he reincarnated, that thought changed, and he ended up falling in love with a non-human slave. At the time, humans thought they were better than everything and everyone. He rose to power and founded his own kingdom, then united all the kingdoms, including non-human kingdoms, and made everyone sign a slave abolishment and peace treaty. Some started calling him the Unity king, one of the reasons being that he united the continent through war and greatly advanced technology and science. Actually, I think Lillith is going to his world, Aethercrest. You should have Lillith reincarnate in his kingdom,Solunaris; he is also from the same country as her, so if she finds a way to access some of his ancient texts, she can read them and learn his personal skills. Actually, Lillith has 20 blessings, therefore, she'll be about 2 times stronger than him."
Erevos handed Lunaire a bag filled with two of the largest fruits from each tree, each brimming with energy. "Here you go. That should help. Take it and go home. That girl is probably wondering where you're at; she's probably also hungry."
Lunaire took the bag and pulled out her scissors. With a quick snip, she opened a portal and said, "Oh, I'm taking Elara with me. She'll be back in a day or two."
With that, Lunaire walked through the portal, leaving the orchard behind. She reappeared in her office.