***Noth - Mortal World, The Realm of the Gods***

***Nazareth***

“You have done it! You are a genius Nazareth! To lead her back to godhood within just a few years! Freedom!” One of the lesser deities among us praises me upon my return to our little meeting place from where we are usually observing Sharid’s shenanigans.

When I enter, I notice that for the first time in years the observation screens throughout the room are empty.

“And now she is gone and we are free!” I announce while grinning at the others.

“PARTY! Years of guarding her every step from dying of hunger in the wild.”

The room breaks into a festive mood as Zenial pops a glass of champagne and others start bringing out their own beverages. That is… until the goddess notices that one among our ranks doesn’t seem as pleased as the rest of us. “Why do you look so sad, Nuin?”

“It is nothing. I am sure that I am just worrying over nothing.” Nuin, High god of the Sun, waves off the attention. “I just thought that I would have to peek on lesser girls from now on... it's lucky that I took a few pictures before she left.”

“I understand your troubles,” I affirm. “Although, she is definitely more trouble than stealing a few peeks here and there is worth.”

“All the years I had to look at those superior tits of hers!” another god moans. “And now they are gone!”

“Perverts!” Zenial, High Goddess of the Moon, admonishes us.

One of the minor goddesses suddenly has a disturbing thought. “I know that it doesn’t seem like he cares, because he never showed up after tasking us with overseeing Sharid, but did anyone think about what would happen if Angrod ever remembered about her and asked us where she is?”

A profound silence encompasses the whole room and it is almost like a fuse was lit as the gears in everyone’s heads start ticking like little clockworks.

I also pale, having almost forgotten my original task after almost two decades of playing babysitter. Somehow, I got so consumed with the task of leading Sharid back to ascension that I forgot to think of the repercussions should she actually achieve her goal. To be honest, I never truly expected her to manage it at all, let alone in a mere few years after receiving my guidance. Normally, I had assumed that I would have to guide her through several reincarnations!

In the next moment, the room explodes into fervent activity.

“Find her!”

“But she is somewhere out there in the multiverse!”

“No problem! Nazareth sent her off to Miruliru’s place!”

“Do you really think that beanbrain didn’t manage to take the wrong pathway? By now she could be anywhere!”

“She will get lost at the first corner!”

“Save her!”

“AAAAH!”

“We are doomed!”

“Don't burn my pictures of her!”

“Because of those you didn't do your job!”

***Void Zone, Chimera, The Eternal Palace***

***Seria***

The beat of a distant drum fills the night, clearly audible through the palace’s windows as the tone dimly reverberates throughout the throne room. It is the annual celebration of the Awakening, as people tend to refer to it. The day on which Seria returned everyone’s powers and most importantly, their memories.

What a bummer that instead of being out there partying, I am stuck in here in the throne room, having to explain to my parents how my big brother, the heir apparent to the throne, made a run for it in order to explore the multiverse.

“He ran away!? Why didn't you stop him, Seria?” Dad calls out in a surprised voice, looming over the room from his throne. For a brief moment, the shadow on the wall behind him flickers ominously, ready to expand and swallow his enemies. Ever since that final battle against the Calamity’s forces, the power-up he received by remaking his body was considerable. When he is in his shadow-form now even Mom has her fair share of problems with giving him a beating when having one of her emotional fits.

The Calamity itself might be beaten and suppressed for now, but it and its hidden Spheres are still a Sword of Damocles that is looming over all of us, forcing the powers that are to be always vigilant.

I smile and try to downplay the entire affair. “Geez! Don't call it running away. Aengus just wanted to travel the multiverse and have a little bit of fun. He is young and full of energy. It isn't like he won't come back at all.”

Dad grunts, apparently accepting the situation, even if he seems a little disappointed. “I wanted to give him a few jobs, involve him with the government. In time, I hope to retire completely if he proves to be a good leader.”

“Maybe it isn't so bad if he takes a good look at the multiverse before you load such responsibility on his shoulders,” I reply coyly. “Ah, and just because of interest, why wouldn’t you consider me for such a position?”

Mom, who is sitting on her place next to Dad, frowns at me. “And giving you any form of work wouldn’t make you run for the hills?”

I clear my throat, suddenly aware that my parents know me far better than I want to admit. “You are right. Giving me such a responsibility wouldn’t end well.”

“Haah, there goes my reduced workload,” Angrod complains. “Well, I am willing to let him run amok until it gets boring. It can't take more than a few years.” Dad leans back in his throne with a grumpy expression.

“Ahaha. Don't be so negative! If it gets out of hand I will drag him home,” I try to reassure my parents. I am confident that I can set my brother straight, should the need arise.

“At least my cute little daughter is reliable! How about trying your luck as an envoy in the Crystal City?” Angrod’s expression turns dirty as he blatantly ignores the little exchange I had with my mother just a mere minute ago.

“Dad, no! Mom, he has that grin again,” I try to divert the attention away from me.

“Not even if we make sure that working for us is worth your time?” He frowns, aware that Celes settled her gaze on him.

I have to probe for more information. “What would make this work ‘worth my time?’ ”

Dad leans back in his chair, apparently certain that he can sell this shindig to me. “You will have to deal with all those pests from the other powers. Really, your only task would be the interpersonal relationships with the other powers. Warden can take care of the paperwork. You will even get an official account with a schedule.”

“Yeah, you still haven’t mentioned what I would get out of it,” I point out.

“The power of an official capacity in our government,” he replies, knowing very well that this alone wouldn't sway my heart.

“… and some other benefits which we probably shouldn’t discuss here,” he adds after a moment of hesitation.

“A favour!” I clarify, knowing that bargains with my Dad should always be clear down to the letter.

“A favour?”

I nod. “Yes, you know. If there is something I want, or I mess something up, I cash in the favour and you have to give it to me, or let me off the hook, whatever it may be that I need the favour for.”

Angrod turns to his wife. “That sounds mightily dangerous with someone like Seria.”

Celes shrugs, apparently bewildered that I was willing to negotiate at all. “Our daughter sure is a wild card, but you know her. I am surprised that she is willing to do anything that would lessen our workload. She is nothing like Nix who is happy enough to work with us. I would take the deal as long as she is in a generous mood.”

I grin at Angrod with a bright expression. “Then I will be happy to show those ambassadors who the boss is!”

Angrod suddenly doesn’t seem so certain of his idea. “Actually, it might not be such a good idea. Do you want to have a political marriage instead? Urgh! Cough! Cough!” He rubs his side, where Celes cuffed him.

“What day and age are you from!? We certainly won’t sell off our children,” my mother complains.

Angrod rolls his eyes. “Our marriage was also political, sugar.”

She glares at him.

“…and look how wonderfully it worked out!” he quickly back-pedals with a cheerful voice, steering the sea of mother’s emotions like an expert.

I decide that it is time to shift the conversation away from arranged marriages, relatively certain that Dad was only joking anyway. “Don't you think I have enough issues on my own? All those perverted memories of the old Seria, her meddling with other peoples love-lives! And the nudity thing, I should have never taken that soul marble! But what disturbs me the most is that you two were willing to selectively wipe some of my memories! You are horrible parents!” I turn around and run towards the exit, rubbing my eyes with my right sleeve.

“W- Wait! I am sorry!” Celes is quick to apologize. “Of course you can do what you want!”

“You can have your favour!” Angrod calls after me with a troubled voice.

I stop and sniff as if I was about to cry. “Really?”

Okay! The snot out of my nose may have been a little too much, but I, unfortunately, managed to get some of the pepper in while I ran. That is just disgusting, so I quickly wipe it away with the sleeve that wasn’t prepped with pepper.

Angrod quickly gets up and comes down to me, giving me a big hug. “Of course! You can go for whatever type of guy you like! And if he doesn't treat you correctly, Dad will have a little conversation with him under two eyes.”

Wait a moment? “Just two?” Isn't it supposed to be four?

“Yeah! Someone who disrespects my daughter doesn't need useless organs.” Angrod strokes my head while failing completely as a parent. I hug him in order to have an excuse for not looking into his face. Scary! What else does he deem useless? “Okay.”

I am about to add a little more pepper to the mix, for the sake of a more genuine father-daughter moment, but Mom narrows her eyes at me and sniffs the air. Slowly, I lower my hand, knowing that the pepper-sleeve-trick works only on Dad.

“Why is big sis crying?”

My three little sisters suddenly enter the throne room, drawing all the attention and saving me from further scrutinization by my mother!

Oh so cute! I always wanted to be a big sis! All my dreams came true! Big Sis and little sister in one! “It's nothing! Big Sis got just a little agitated.” I abandon my father to shower the three little troublemakers with attention.

I bend down to hug the little Lada. Mwahaha! It will be the best once she regains her memories! Especially on how she lost that one bet and had to become my little sister! She will never find out that I cheated her with Aengus's help.

“We want to play with you! You promised to teach us a few tricks!” Eris grabs me from the side and links arms with me.

“Yes! Or we could go tower jumping again!” Arianne starts to jump up and down happily. “I found a really big cliff with a sea under it! And there are no guards who could disturb us!”

“I don't want to get wet!” Eris pouts her lips.

“You could try taking a pathway right before impact! That would be a new challenge!” Lada suggests.

“Oh, yes! Cool idea! Whoever gets closer to the ground wins!” Arianne claps her hands together, always enthusiastic about the tower-jump game which was originally invented by Aengus and me.

“Don't do any weird stuff!” Angrod snaps at us.

“Daddy is mean!”

“Scary dad!”

“We aren’t allowed to have fun...”

“Please don't jump from high places!” Celes interrupts the triplet's tirade, sounding tired. “You may have your aura to protect you, but it takes only one moment of inattention to go splat! I won't clone you another body.” She glares at Eris who already managed to break both legs and arms once when she failed to project her defensive energies correctly.

The child avoids her mother's gaze. “If you take us somewhere else cool?”

Lada raises her hand with a suggestion on her lips. “Like the zoo!”

“Mmh. Fine...” I decide to indulge the kids, knowing that my parents would probably want some time off. The triplets are also going to the Boarding School for Special Cases. The only issue is that they also have three weeks of vacation because of the festivities, meaning that the triplets are free to roam the palace and get into trouble.

“Ahem... Do what you want! I have work to do! I also think that I haven't fed my familiar yet!” Angrod vanishes by using a pathway.

I glance at the throne, not bothering to mention that the large Razorclaw is sleeping behind it in his fluffy form.

“Does anyone know why daddy always runs away when we ask him to take us to the zoo?” Arianne asks, as perplexed as a child with an IQ of two-hundred and seven can be, which is why we are also lovingly calling her little miss smarty pants.

“Nope.” Eris shakes her head. “But it's the perfect magic-word to get rid of him. Just say ‘zoo’ and he flees at the next opportunity.”

“Though we need a word to make him appear too!” Lada laments. “That would be too convenient. He would be the perfect daddy.”

I won't mention to them that the magic-word for that is 'boyfriend' - at least not yet.

“Always there when you need him,” Eris points out.

“Always gone when you don't need him,” Arianne affirms.

The tails of the triplets swing in perfect synchronisation from left to right while they contemplate Angrod's peculiarities.

Then they turn in perfect unison towards me. “Now we can play!”

Celes only smiles as if she could enlighten us on this particular quirk of our father, but rather chooses not to.