"That sounds... vague. Very vague."
I narrowed my eyes at the text before finally pulling back, scratching my temple.
Anathasia closed the book casually, letting out a quiet breath as she returned it to the shelf.
"Phew..." her voice wavered slightly. "What the...?"
My eyes widened a bit as I watched her shiver.
"What's wrong?"
A small chuckle slipped from her lips as she shook her head.
"It's just funny... I was joking when I said this library held knowledge across meta-narratives, but..."
She turned to me, snickering under her breath.
"...I guess I wasn't wrong."
A brief pause.
"There's no person named Jord in our Collective Sphere," she added, inhaling sharply before letting it out.
"Anyway, anyway-" she waved it off quickly. "At least we know they got a few things right... and a lot wrong."
"Basically hit or miss, huh...?" I muttered.
"Something like that, yeah."
She paced lazily, hands behind her head.
Then a thought hit me.
"By the way."
She stopped, glancing at me over her shoulder.
"What's up?"
"'There are many that claim such a name...' what does that mean?"
She paused, eyes drifting toward the towering shelves before shrugging and continuing to circle me.
"Authors," she said simply. "Probably the same kind that Rhea came from."
She raised a finger and pointed it at my nose.
"But there's a difference. Rhea's the Original Creator. The ones I'm talking about. Like whoever that Jord guy met, they're newer."
"Rhea's still the OG of their group."
My expression flattened.
"OG... original gangster?"
She froze for a second, slowly pulling her hand back as she thought about it. Then she tilted her head with a small smile.
"...Something like that?"
She cleared her throat and brushed past me, immediately dropping the topic as she stretched her arms overhead. A yawn slipped out.
"But anyway... we should check on Grace and the others."
"We were just talking about authors a second ago."
She turned instantly, waving me off.
"Tsk, tsk. Kyle, Kyle, Kyle... authors aren't important here. They're just people with authorship who think they can mess with meta-narratives because they see everything as fiction."
She scoffed lightly.
"Especially the younger ones. They're basically spoiled brats. Rhea's different though-she's an old hag."
My jaw slackened.
"Did you just-"
"Call her an old hag?" she folded her arms, a small smile forming. "Yeah. I did. And I'm not wrong."
She jerked her thumb toward the arched doors behind her.
"Let's go. We said we'd check how Reina's handling her jurisdiction, remember?"
I sighed, shoulders dropping.
"You're impossible..."
"And you've been reacting more lately."
She flickered, and suddenly she was right in front of me, leaning close. Her breath brushed against my cheek.
"I think it's cute."
My brows furrowed as I reached out and pinched her cheek before she could react.
"Don't tease me."
"Ow-hey... you poke at me all the time..." she muttered, wincing.
"That's different."
I let go after a moment. She stumbled back slightly, rubbing her cheek while puffing it out.
"Screw you..."
I just smiled, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"Whatever you say."
Then I glanced at her again, noticing the faint redness on her cheek slowly fading.
"I thought we were going to check on Grace and the others?"
She rubbed her cheek gently, then nodded, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"Yeah... that."
"Oh," I added casually. "You call Rhea an old hag... what about you?"
Her body went completely rigid.
Then, slowly, she turned toward me.
Luckily, I was already walking out through the arched doors.
"I'm still middle-aged!"
Her voice echoed through the hallway.
A few missionaries heading toward the library stopped mid-step, glancing at me, then quietly turning back around.
-
Later that day.
In the open plains behind Roselia's ducal estate, Reina and Grace stood in the middle of a wide field. Nearby, Roselia sat on a picnic cloth beneath a tree, with Anathasia and me beside her. The red-haired boy stood a short distance away, watching.
"You've already seen those structures and spheres before, right?" Grace explained, her voice carrying faintly across the field.
Above us, the sky stretched wide and blue, with oddly shaped clouds drifting lazily overhead.
Reina nodded, closing her eyes as Grace and Lucian stepped back. The flowers blooming around her began to recede.
"Yes... like that," Grace continued. "Imagine you're pulling them back into yourself. Keep them contained."
She gestured lightly.
"Like catching fireflies in your palm. Don't let even one escape."
The flowers continued to withdraw. The faint glow surrounding Reina dimmed-
-and then vanished completely.
Reina opened her eyes.
"Like this?"
Sweat rolled slowly down her temple as she met Grace's gaze.
"That's exactly it," Grace clapped once, smiling as she stepped closer. "You'll get used to it eventually. You won't have to think about it all the time."
She gestured toward us under the tree. Anathasia was casually munching on cookies while Roselia waved back at them.
"Like the three of them over there."
Reina's eyes lit up slightly as she nodded, almost like a child. Then she turned toward Lucian.
Even from here, I could see the faint smile on his face.
"I can go back to school once I get used to this, right?"
Grace paused.
Her gaze lowered as she folded her arms, thinking.
"I'm not sure..." she admitted. "Maybe Aunt Roselia or Aunt Rania would know."
She looked back at Reina and gave her a thumbs up.
"I'll ask them. Don't worry."
Reina nodded slowly, her eyes drifting back to Lucian.
Grace stepped back, smiling lightly.
"Training's over for today, then. I'll head back."
She flickered and reappeared beside me, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
"Phew..."
"Sit," I said, patting the space between Anathasia and me. "You did good."
She exhaled, then dropped down beside us, her gaze drifting back to Reina and Lucian standing together under the sky.
"Thanks... Dad..."
A brief pause.
"I didn't think it'd be this hard teaching someone with their boyfriend around..." she muttered, shivering slightly.
"They keep stealing glances at each other..."
She groaned quietly.
"And this weird tension between them just feels like it's about to snap... it's unbearable...!"
"Typical," Anathasia chimed in casually, swallowing the cookie she'd been chewing as she watched Reina and Lucian finally head back toward the estate.
"Young people are always like that."
Grace and I slowly turned to her.
A flicker of surprise crossed Grace's face.
I just stared at Anathasia blankly.
"That's rich coming from you."
She paused mid-bite, then shot me a look, one brow lifting.
"Excuse me? I was never like that."
"Of course you weren't," I shrugged, glancing briefly at Grace, who was still staring up at her. "You're the type to stay the moment you decide someone's yours."
"Like that's a bad thing," she fired back immediately, popping another cookie into her mouth. "Besides, we've been together since before this story even started."
A small pause.
"Why would I bother looking at anyone else?"
I went quiet.
Then slowly leaned back, staring up at the sky.
Beside me, Roselia shifted, her form shrinking and reshaping as she curled into a golden fox.
Grace looked between us before leaning slightly toward me.
"Mom really got you there, huh, Dad?"
I kept my gaze on the sky, giving a small nod.
-
The afternoon passed with the four of us eventually falling asleep on the picnic carpet, my back resting against the tree behind us.
By the time my eyes fluttered open, the sky had already turned a warm golden-orange.
A white cat was curled up in my lap.
Beside me, a pink fox slept quietly, while a golden fox rested near the picnic basket.
"...So everyone else knocked out too, huh..."
I gently ran my fingers through the white cat's fur. It stirred slightly, its tail loosely wrapping around my wrist before one eye slowly opened.
"It's dusk already...?"
She let out a long, lazy yawn, claws pressing lightly into my slacks as she stretched. Her tail flicked once before settling again.
"Yeah," I murmured, stroking her head. "Guess we slept that long."
She stared off into nothing for a moment, silent. Then rolled onto her back across my lap like she owned the space, her tail occasionally curling around my wrist.
"So," I said, still stroking her fur gently, "think Reina passed?"
"She still needs a bit more practice," she replied, rolling lazily before tilting her head up to meet my gaze. "But with Grace and the others around her... she'll be fine."
I gave a small nod.
A moment later, she hopped off my lap.
White smoke curled around her form as she stood, stretching her arms overhead.
"Mmn~ things here are already stable..." her eyes swept across the plains.
"Roselia can handle technological development, so we can head back now."
She glanced over her shoulder, a faint smile forming at the edge of her lips.
"We should focus on what's happening back on Earth."
A brief pause.
Then she turned fully toward me.
"Like that organization..."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"...whatever those pesky things are."