+++++
Returning to that afternoon, when Higante and Stephen were forced to take Luka after Kabun evicted them, Kabun looked at the house he had emptied.
Sigh—Snap—
He sighed and snapped his fingers simultaneously to clean the entire house. What remained was unexpectedly a clean but sturdy one-story house.
"It looks like the house only needs a new wall and a roof," he mused.
He walked around to inspect the entire house. In front of the main door was an open space with the sleeping area on the right. The bed he had tossed outside had been located here, facing the center of the room, with a window behind it. On the right was the kitchen with another window. The all-purpose table and two chairs in the middle, between the kitchen and sleeping area, had also been thrown outside. The food was stored in a small room next to the kitchen, which was empty before he arrived. Another small room beside the bed served as additional storage, intended for clothes and other necessities, which he had also emptied with a snap of his fingers.
A hallway led to the back door between the two storage rooms. The back door opened to a path, with the outhouse on the left side, separate from the house. On the right side was another separate, larger structure with wooden trunks at each corner, covered by simple dried grass, which housed firewood.
"Tadi!" Kabun called out after walking back inside the house.
The tuque covering Lucy's head floated up and transformed into a human head with sewn eyes and mouth.
"Master," it spoke.
Kabun looked at the floating head before him and said, "I need to transform this house, but it needs to meet this continent's standards."
"Give me a blueprint of a two-story house, 2300 square feet in size. There should be four rooms upstairs, including two bedrooms with walk-in bathrooms and walk-in closets. The first floor should have an open-space concept: the right side will be the living area, and the left will be the kitchen, with a dining table in the middle. The pantry should be in a room next to the kitchen, and a full bathroom with a separate toilet should be across from the pantry, next to the living room," he added.
"Master, the house you described does not exist on this continent or even on this entire planet," Tadi corrected its master.
"Well, it only needs to look like a local house from the outside, right?" Kabun asked.
"Yes. Should I create a blueprint now?" Tadi affirmed and asked.
"Wait, I also need a half-buried basement with windows to let in light. The basement should be divided into four rooms. Half of it should be dedicated to a library with its bathroom, a quarter should be the laundry area, and the remaining quarter will house the systems that maintain the house's comfort, including the AC, filtration, plumbing, water, power, and more."
"There are no transparent windows in this world yet, Master," Tadi corrected again.
"We'll use a two-way mirror that looks ugly from the outside. I don't need an attic, so make a second story out of the roof. I also need a front yard and a backyard, each the size of the house. Add a fence that ensures our privacy but conforms to this world's standards."
"Is that everything, Master?"
"Yes."
"Creating the blueprint now—Done. I have three blueprints for you, Master."
Three small holograms of rotating houses appeared in front of Kabun.
"I will choose the simplest one, the third one."
Snap—
With another snap of his fingers, the entire space transformed into a replica of the third hologram shown by Tadi.
Kabun started walking around, carrying Lucy. Tadi gave him a tour of the house, explaining how to use its contents and their purposes.
"Master, I included all the furniture, learning materials, clothes, electronics, food, ingredients, necessities, and more for a single elf father with a half-elf infant."
Kabun furrowed his eyebrows and complained when he saw all the fresh ingredients in the kitchen refrigerator and pantry, "But I don't know how to cook." When he saw the food storage, he added, "I need pre-cooked food, snacks, drinks, and everything like that."
"Master, to be a great father, you must cook for your son."
"No. I specifically chose the only village on this continent that isn't under any higher power or governance, where my son can do whatever he wants. I've also built a house that functions like his previous world and a library full of knowledge to make him one of the strongest beings on this planet," Kabun grumbled in one breath.
"I will not learn how to cook. Who on this entire planet loves his son more than I do? Tell me, are there any fathers out there who have provided more for their sons or daughters than I have?" he added.
"None, Master—"
"That's what I thought." Kabun cut off the floating head.
"But Master—"
"Nope. Not. Gonna. Happen. Now give me a space ring that contains pre-cooked meals, beverages, medicine, and clothes that will last both of us for Lucy's entire lifetime."
"Yes, Master." The floating head nodded, and a normal-looking silver ring appeared on Kabun's right middle finger from nowhere.
"Is there enough supply in there for two half-elves' lifetimes?" Kabun questioned the floating head while binding the space ring to himself and Lucy. He then inspected the ring's contents.
"Yes, Master."
"Continue the tour and remove all food ingredients and beverages stored inside the house."
"Yes, Master. May I change my form into something more appropriate for an infant to carry around?"
"Why? What's wrong with your form?" Kabun asked, confused.
"I'm a floating severed human head with its eyelids sewn together and lips sewn shut."
"What's the problem with that?"
"Ah—" The floating head looked flabbergasted at its master.
"May I transfer information, Master?" Tadi asked instead.
"You may," Kabun nodded in agreement.
A few seconds later...
"Alright, change your form," Kabun finally agreed after receiving the information Tadi sent mentally. It contained the points Tadi wanted to explain about why its form was inappropriate in their current situation.
Tadi thanked its master and then changed into a teddy bear-like plush toy the size of an adult's head with longer front legs.
"Wahhhhwahhhh"
Suddenly, a baby's loud cry reverberated throughout the entire house.
Both looked at Lucy. Tadi changed into Lucy's bear-like tuque and returned to cover Lucy's head.
"Master, Lucy's past life's memory is not active," Tadi reported.
"Why is that? Is it because elves resemble humans in physical and mental growth but live longer and are more sensitive to the elemental spirits?"
"Yes, Master. In addition, Lucy's brain needs to develop more to house his previous memories. His physiology resembles a human's and an elf's, after all."
"We cannot do anything about it unless I change his physiology more. How long until he regains his memory?"
"It depends on him, Master. As long as he develops critical and complex thinking, his memory of his past life will activate, but before then, he will remember some bits and pieces of it."
"Hmm. We will let him slowly regain his memory, then."
+++++