"So… a second Godhead…?" Lena asked, her hands clasped together as she rested her elbows on her knees.
Anathasia glanced her way before nodding.
"Close, but not quite," she admitted, snuggling closer against me again. "There's only one Godhead."
"And that's me."
She reached for a strand of my hair, lazily twirling it around her finger.
"Your future sibling… is a bit different."
Lena raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly.
"Different… how?"
"They'll become the source of a new Era of existence," Anathasia replied calmly.
Then she pushed herself off me and stood from the couch.
"It's almost dinner time, so we'll continue this conversation later."
"Want some help?" I asked, about to stand up myself.
"No need," she dismissed. "Just get ready, I guess."
She walked toward the hallway before suddenly stopping at the threshold.
Glancing back at me over her shoulder, she chuckled softly.
"Lena seems excited to have a younger sibling, so…"
She winked before disappearing into the hallway.
For some reason, a faint chill ran down my spine at her words.
Lena slowly turned her gaze toward me before nodding.
"Good luck, Dad," she murmured with a smile.
"What's that supposed to mean…?" I narrowed my eyes slightly before looking away with a sigh.
Slumping deeper into the couch, I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I know married couples do stuff like this, but—"
"Is Dad a virgin?"
I immediately froze.
Slowly, I turned my head toward Lena, who was still sitting innocently on the other couch.
"…what makes you think that…?"
She went quiet for a moment, her gaze drifting to the chessboard on the small table in front of her.
"A guess…? Just a random one," she said.
Then she looked back at me.
"But that's not the case here, is it?"
"…well, no. That's a given—wait, why exactly are we talking about this right now?"
Lena smiled at me again.
Then she vanished from the couch.
—
The next morning…
Sunlight seeped quietly into the room as my eyes slowly opened.
Something warm and soft rested on my arm.
Turning my head slightly, I found a white-haired girl sleeping beside me. Or rather, Anathasia.
Her chest rose and fell gently, soft breaths brushing against my cheek as she snuggled closer.
"Mn…"
A small smile tugged at my lips.
My free hand reached out, gently patting her head before running my fingers through her hair.
Not even a moment later, my arm began to throb.
Then my back followed.
?! Is this because of last night…?
Anathasia stirred slightly, one hand moving to her eyes as she rubbed them sleepily.
The sheet slid slowly off her shoulders and—
…yeah.
Let's not go into that.
She's beautiful. That's enough.
Her eyes fluttered open, slowly meeting mine.
"Kyle…? Good morning…" Anathasia yawned before burying her face against my arm again.
I chuckled softly, nuzzling her hair with my nose before placing a gentle kiss on top of her head.
"Good morning… how are you feeling?"
"Ngh… I'm a little sore… but not in a bad way," she whispered, her voice muffled against my arm.
"I think I got a bit carried away last night…"
She placed her arm over my chest, looking up at me.
"You look… how should I say it… refreshed? Glossy? Sparkling…?"
She rubbed her eyes again before slowly pushing herself up. The sheet slid completely off her shoulders as she sat upright on the bed.
Even so, my gaze stayed on her face as I smiled.
"You look even more beautiful too, you know?"
She paused, glanced down at herself, then looked back at me.
"…I like that."
"Like what exactly?" I raised an eyebrow.
"The way you always call me beautiful… or gorgeous. Never hot or anything like that."
My eyes widened slightly before a small laugh escaped my lips.
"That's normal, you know. And I've been calling you that since… what, five or four years ago?"
She snapped her fingers and nodded, folding her arms over her chest.
"Fair. You've always been like that."
"Yeah…" My eyes drifted downward for a moment before returning to her face. "That said…"
"I think you should get dressed. It's the ber months, you know? Cold season."
I pushed myself up and wrapped the sheet around her shoulders.
"I'll take care of breakfast today, so you can wash up, okay?"
My hand reached out to pat her head again.
"Mhm, alright then," she replied, watching as I slipped out of bed.
—
At breakfast, Anathasia slid into one of the chairs around the table, with Lena following shortly after.
As I turned to place the eggs on their plates, Lena suddenly spoke.
"…You're glowing, Dad."
Then she glanced at Anathasia.
"Mom as well."
We both froze for a second, exchanging looks.
Lena's expression flattened before slowly shifting into a small grin as she looked between us.
"I see, I see… what I heard last night must've just been a mouse running around. The floorboards creaked a little."
She raised both hands innocently before turning to her meal.
"I heard nothing~ just the wind."
Lena continued eating casually, finishing her breakfast in just a few minutes.
—
The days that followed were mostly the same.
Sometimes I went to work. Sometimes I stayed home.
The changes started around three weeks later.
When Anathasia suddenly tugged on my arm.
"Say… can you get me something like… coconut juice? And maybe some steak for dinner? Please?"
"Sure," I replied, lightly tugging her cheek. "Coconut juice, huh… you never asked for that before."
She paused for a moment before pulling away and sitting down on the couch.
"Fair point," she admitted, pointing at me. "I don't remember liking coconut juice either. It's a weird craving."
We both went silent.
Then we slowly looked at each other.
"Say…" she began.
"Am I maybe—"
"Pregnant?" I finished. "Maybe… I mean, we've been… well, doing that and all."
She nodded, arms still crossed.
Then she suddenly materialized a pregnancy test in her hand before standing up.
"I'll go to the bathroom real quick."
"Mhm."
I watched as she walked away.
Then a minute later, she suddenly materialized beside me.
The test was still in her hand.
It now had two lines.
We exchanged another look.
Then nodded in unison.
A moment later, Lena suddenly walked into the living room, with Egrathiel and Rania behind her.
"Mom. Dad. Big sis Rania said—"
She immediately stopped the moment she saw Anathasia holding the test.
Rania and Egrathiel tilted their heads slightly, clearly confused.
"Is something the matter?"
Lena turned toward them before giving an awkward smile.
"That…" she stopped for a moment, glancing at us. "I might be having a younger sibling."
"Pardon?" Rania and Egrathiel replied instantly, their expressions shifting as they looked at us.
"Miss Anathasia is…"
"The First is…"
They glanced at each other before slowly turning back to us.
"Pregnant?"
Anathasia and I nodded, small smiles forming on our faces.
The two of them went still, speechless, before turning back to Lena.
She simply nodded.
Rania was the first to recover, forcing a polite smile.
"That's… congratulations, Miss Anathasia. Sir Kyle," she hesitated slightly.
"It seems… Roselia's words were not a lie after all."
Egrathiel, on the other hand, remained completely still, almost frozen in place.
After a brief silence, Rania cleared her throat.
"It seems… I arrived at the wrong time."
She suddenly grabbed Egrathiel by the shirt before turning away.
"I should take my leave. Perhaps inform everyone else of this joyous news…"
"Goodbye!"
And just like that, Rania vanished without a trace, dragging Egrathiel along with her and leaving the three of us behind.
We all stared at the spot where they had been standing only a second ago.
Then I glanced at Lena.
"So—"
She raised her hand, cutting me off.
"No worries, Dad."
Her hand curled into a thumbs-up.
"I'll look after Mom when you're away."
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"That's great. I knew I could always count on you."
A brief pause passed.
"Can you buy some meat and coconut juice for your mom? Maybe some other things too."
I scratched the back of my head.
"I want to cook for her, you see."
Lena's expression slowly shifted.
"…eh?"