I brought Daisy to the marketplace where she is currently choosing what snack she wanted. I promised to reward her for being a brave girl and a promise is a promise. She was having trouble in selecting what snack she wanted as there were so many to choose from. I gave her freedom to make her own decision as I turned around to look at the marketplace. There was certainly a lot of people buying fresh goods and such. While I certainly preferred the fresh goods at the port, it does not justify taking entire day of carriage journey just to purchase fresh goods there and returning back to the city.
"Look Daddy, apple pen!" said Daisy as she tugged on my sleeve.
"No sweetie, that is a toffee apple. Do you want this as your snack?" I asked her.
"Nnn!" she nodded her head with a smile.
I purchased the toffee apple for her and head on home. Ah, what an adorable child. Apple pen? Now that is certainly something that I can think of. I chuckle at what she said earlier as we were walking back home. Hang on.. that is certainly something that only I should be able to think of. Why is Daisy mentioning it instead? Does she.. have my curse as well?! OH NO!! How am I going to tell Rose?! Not only does she have stunted growth, she also have my curse!!
"Daddy, you're sweating again. Are you alright?" asked Daisy with a genuine concerned look at me.
"I am fine. You don't have to worry. We are almost home," I told her.
Obviously I am not fine. Every step back to my house is like walking closer to the fiery death of Mordor. I opened the gate into our small garden and Daisy rushed in. I stood outside to admire my house. I bought this house with Rose when I decided to marry her. We did a lot of property searching and decided to settle upon this one. It was not a fancy house mind you, even though I could afford certainly afford a more expensive one. My royalty fees from my Mermaid's Breath potion had been accumulating for so many years. So much so that my next few generations would not even need to earn a penny from the day they are born. Of course, I wouldn't allow them to get lazy, I will make sure to lock majority of the money as fixed deposits and will only be opened to them when they reach a certain age.
This house is just a two-storey house with a small garden located at the front where I grew a tree for shade and other alchemical ingredients. It is the perfect size for a small family and it is not too far from all the basic necessities that we need for our daily life. All in all, I love this house.
I headed in and saw that Daisy was talking to Rose about what happened earlier. Rose just smiled at her and wowed at her story. Of course she asked why she was eating a toffee apple when dinner was approaching soon.
"I'm back," I announced to Rose as I removed my shoes and placed it by the entrance.
"Welcome back. Heard something exciting happened while you were picking up Daisy. Do you.. want to talk about it?" asked Rose as she was carrying Daisy.
"Before that, Daisy, I believe you have some schoolwork, right? Can you head upstairs and finish it?" I asked her.
"Awwwww.. there is still days before I will need to hand it in. Do I have to do it now?" she asked me.
"Hmmm.. I tell you what, if you finish it today, then daddy will bring you over to the playground tomorrow. Deal?" I pulled out my pinky to her.
"Deal!" she wrapped my pinky with hers and headed upstairs on the spot.
"Alright, what is going on? You don't usually bring her to the playground as you hate people staring at you. Tell me… o-nii-chan~" Rose whispered to me at the end.
Bloody hell, she sure knows how to get me pumped up. We spent countless nights enjoying ourselves because she knew how to excite me. Perks of being my little sister before my wife.
I brushed her hair aside and stroke her cheek. Rose had gotten older after 15 years. She is 32 now and her looks had gotten matured but much more beautiful. Whenever I bring her out, guys would either stare or take a quick peek at her. That and she had also learned how to put makeup on herself. I wonder if Lily was the one who taught her how.
I gave her a deep passionate kiss. Our lips parted and she was blushing. Even after all these years, she still blush whenever I give her a passionate kiss. She told me it is because I still look exactly as I did 15 years ago when I confessed and proposed to her. Seeing my face kept reminding her of that time. Yes, I stopped growing or probably had a stunted growth by the age of 20. I am worried that this is affecting Daisy as well. I still do not know why I stopped growing older as it just does not make any sense.
"Rose, stay calm about what I am going to ask you, alright? Do you think…. Daisy has some issues?" I asked her with a concerned face.
"What do you mean? Elaborate please," she asked me with a concerned look.
"Daisy.. doesn't feel like she is 10. Isn't she like.. shorter than both of us when we were 10? And also her demeanour, she is acting like she is half her age. Should we be concerned about it?" I asked her with a sigh.
"Oo… that. I was kind of hoping you didn't take notice about that," said Rose as she looked away.
"Rose, what do you mean? You knew about it?" I asked her with my mouth agape.
"I am her mother. Of course I noticed this years ago. I didn't tell you about it because I did not want you to know," she told me.
"W.. why? Am I such an incompetent husband that you do not deem me fit to know about the condition of our daughter?" I asked her with a sad look.
"Well, it did took you until today to realise Daisy's condition, but no. Zen dear, onii-chan~ I didn't tell you is because I promised Lily not to tell you. If I were to talk to you about Daisy's condition, you would had linked it to your own condition," she explained.
"So what is wrong with our daughter? I need to know is there something wrong about her. How come Lily has the right to know when the husband does not?" I pressed her for more answers.
She gave a deep sigh and gave it some thoughts. I stared at her hoping for an answer about our child's condition. She gave in and eventually tell me about it.
"Onii-chan, you remember the time when you.. died? Lily was the one who resurrected you," she said.
"Yes I am aware of that. You told me before and I gave her my best appreciation when she came over previously. Is it due to what she used on me that is affecting Daisy?" I asked her.
"I did ask her about it when she came over. She refused to tell me what it was that she had used on you. But when she saw Daisy's condition, she explained that there is a high chance that the item she used on you had somehow affected Daisy as well. So, moving forward, we have to treat Daisy as though she is half her actual age. Capiche?" she explained to me.
"Is.. my stunted growth due to what she used on me as well? Come to think of it, the timeline seems to tally. Didn't she had to go somewhere right after my battle with Tom? What if she was punished for reviving me?" I started grabbing my head with my hands.
"I don't know, dear. I suspected as much too but Lily refuses give me any information about it. We just have to take it as what it is and hope for the best. Mind you, Daisy is not dumb for her age. As a matter of fact, Daisy is actually really smart and that was why I sent her for extra lessons because she seemed to have interest in doing alchemy like you," she explained.
"Are we really not allowing our daughter to be an adventurer? She seemed to be interested in seeing me fight earlier," I asked her.
"And how, Zen? Do you think it is a good idea to send Daisy to join a guild next year when she behaves this way? What kind of parent are we to send a 6 year old to her death? I'll be damned if I ever let that happen," said Rose with a frustrated tone.
Whenever Rose uses my name directly it meant that she is serious. And I do share her concern.
"You're right, I'm sorry. Come here. Everything is going to be okay. Everything will be fine. We'll take care of Daisy no matter how long it takes. I promise you on that," I gave her a hug while giving her head pets.
I did not know that Rose had thought about Daisy's condition all alone while being unable to consult me. What a fool I was in not noticing our daughter's condition much earlier. At least the cat's out of the bag now and we can discuss about it moving forward.
"Daddy, did you make mommy sad again?" asked Daisy.
We broke the hug as we were surprised that Daisy suddenly came down to talk to us.
"Did you finish your schoolwork already? That was fast," said Rose.
"There are a few questions that I don't understand. Can you guide me, mommy?" she asked.
"Of course. We'll finish it after dinner then," smiled Rose as she pet Daisy's head.
"Oh, right. What about the person who you fought with earlier?" she asked me.
"We'll talk about that later. Let us get the our dinner prepared first," I told her.
I followed my wife into the kitchen to help her in preparing for our dinner while Daisy went back upstairs. I was in a dilemma on whether I should tell her that Daisy might have my curse inside of her. I know it is not something Rose would like to hear but.. we swore to not keep secrets between ourselves unless it is really necessary.
"Rose.. you might not want to hear this, but.. Daisy might have my curse as well," I told her gently.
"Oh I know. I heard her mumbling about weird stuffs in her sleep before. I was hoping it was just a one time thing," she sighed as she stared at the ceiling.
"Do you.. regret in marrying me? I am so sorry that all this is happening is because of me," I apologised to her with a genuine sorry tone.
"What? No no.. Hey, look at me. I do not regret in marrying you. Never once did I think of that. Being together with you is my dream and it came true. Nothing is ever going to change that," said Rose as she held my cheeks with her hands.
I smiled and gave her a gentle kiss. We resumed with our cooking duties. As always, I helped her in preparing the ingredients while she does the cooking. It used to be using firewood to start a fire for cooking but with the invention of gas, things had become much easier. Of course if we wish to bake or roast something, firewood is still the way to go. Same goes for boiling water as gas is not cheap since it is relatively new to us.
As I was chopping some ingredients, Rose decided to ask me.
"Zen, are you.. still unwilling to accept Lily as your second wife?" she asked me out of the blue.
"You know that I am firm with my decision, right? Besides, how would we know that Lily is still single. For all we know, she could be with someone else right now," I told her.
"I doubt it. Lily will not find someone else as long as you are still alive in this world. I truly believe that is the case. You do realised that she saved your life, right? Shouldn't you.. you know? Repay her in some way?" she asked.
"Rose, do you think we still be this lovey-dovey if Lily was here? It would be you getting jealous seeing me pamper her and vice versa. Nothing good is going to come out in having two wives. Trust me," I explained to her.
"Sigh, I do not know why you keep sticking to your principals. Either way, if you decided to change your mind one day, I am fine if Lily joins our family. Truth be told, she is practically a part of our family now for me," said Rose as she started cooking.
I kept quiet and did not reply her. While yes, I am indebted to Lily for resurrecting me but I do not believe that marrying her is the only way to repay her. There are other methods for me to repay someone for saving your life and it is not just marriage. On that I am certain.
"Are you heading to meet the guildmasters tomorrow?" asked Rose.
"Yes, I received their invitation. Seems like they are going to get me started on a new task," I said.
"So did I, let's go together," said Rose as she showed me her letter.
"W.. what? Then who is going to take care of Daisy?" I asked her with a surprised look.
"Oh don't worry. I've already asked Daffodil to come over to help out tomorrow. Her daughter seems to click really well with Daisy so I am sure they are going to enjoy each other's company," explained Rose.
"Alright. I guess you had everything planned out. Let's go on a date tomorrow before heading to the hideout," I told her.
"A date? You do realised that we are already married, right?" she asked me with a confused look.
"Who says that you can't date your wife after getting married? There is no such rule. I wish to rekindle our relationship further so do allow me to do so," I explained to her.
"Alright alright. I just love it when you get all philosophical," she chuckled.
***
We had our dinner and Rose was tutoring Daisy with her schoolwork. I was resting on my bed, thinking about what the future holds. There are certainly a lot of concerning reports about strange things happening around the world. I really wonder what is going to be my assignment tomorrow.
I was transported to a familiar white room. Then the scenery changed to an empty grassland with a flat rock in sight. I did not even realised that I had fallen asleep. What does these two want to talk with me all of a sudden.
"Hello boy. It has been a while," said Kirin.
"Yo," said Byakko as he sat on his favourite flat rock.
"It has been a while indeed. A pleasure to meet the both of you. What can I help you with?" I bowed to them.
"We are here to warn you about the future, boy. We noticed that the.. Ethereal had a lot of disturbance lately. Even us celestial beings are concerned about it," explained Kirin.
"Indeed. The cosmic beings are growing restless as of late. We do not know what is causing them behave this way, so be careful. I am certain a great battle is about to arise soon," said Byakko.
"I think I can guess what it is. Most probably the Demon King is coming back and he will be waging war against us. I hope the both of you are ready for your revenge," I told them.
"Careful boy, we had seen the Demon King's power and what he is capable of. He is indeed powerful. Truth be told, he is as powerful as a celestial being himself. Sadly, we cannot help you directly in your world in the upcoming battle. But I do not believe that the Demon King is the only thing that you should be worried about," explained Kirin.
I am certain you are all confused right now so allow me to explain. From what Kirin and Byakko told me, the Ethereal is a place where cosmic beings resides in. Cosmic beings are practically Gods of this world. Each God has a realm of their own in the Ethereal but they do not share with one another. The Gods had made a pact with one another that they cannot and will not interfere directly with this world but only through vessels. I have met such a vessel in the form of a Demon Queen. She is a vessel of a cosmic being that I still do not know of. I had been searching for a way to communicate with cosmic beings for the past 15 years.
As for celestial beings, they reside outside of the Ethereal. Think of the Ethereal as a house with garden. All the Gods stay inside the house while celestial beings are free to roam the garden like pets. Don't tell Kirin and Byakko I said that as they will kill me where I stand!
Celestial beings have a bit more freedom as they can come directly to this world but not in their true form. They can roam these lands as spirits but will have no direct participation in this world. Should they wish to, they can choose to become as legendary items where heroes or champions can wield them with pride. There is a reason why these two are weapons in my possession. However, not every legendary weapons are celestial beings. Such as my gauntlets, Hand of the Lightning God, could possibly be an item dropped by the Lightning God into this world.
"I am not sure if I am ready to fight him as I am right now but I do hope that Ivy would join us in our battle. She is the only great power that I had not met and introduced myself to," I told them.
"Ivy? Ah.. the most beautiful elf that I had ever seen. She fought beautifully and tenaciously during the war with the Demon King. I do wish to meet her once more if possible," said Kirin as he closed his eyes taking a trip down memory lane.
"Wow, I would had never expected Kirin to be praising anyone at all. I never knew you were into elves," I said bluntly.
"I am not interested in elves with the exception of Ivy," retaliated Kirin with a hmph.
"Ivy is the only elf that had piqued his interest. I wonder if he would ask her out if he met her again," mentioned Byakko with a shrug.
"I will not!" shouted Kirin.
I just sat there with an awkward smile.
"What is wrong with Lily? Isn't she beautiful as well?" I asked Kirin.
"Ivy is on another level. You will know if you have the chance to meet her," explained Kirin.
"W.. what? I doubt it. Lily is the most beautiful female elf that I have met so far," I argued back.
"Boy, what are you arguing for? You didn't even had the guts to take her as your second wife" said Byakko.
"Well.. I just thought that it wouldn't be possible for someone to be prettier than her," I said with a soft tone.
The both of them looked at me with a speechless face. It was probably because the both of them were surprised that I chose Rose in the first place rather than Lily. But now I am defending her instead.
"You do realised that Lily is just one confession away to be your second wife, right?" said Byakko.
"What? No.. 1 wife is all I need. I am not getting another one," I said firmly.
"Your wife gave you her approval. It's quite strange that you didn't consider her as she a wife potential. Seeing as she took your first," said Kirin.
"Alright, let us stop here. I already have my wife telling me about it and I don't need you two as well. Can we get back on topic please?" I pleaded the both of them.
"Just remember our warning, boy. We are always at your side should you need us," warned Kirin as the world started fading.
I bowed to both of them before the world disappears from my vision completely.