Time flew by like a gentle breeze.
The seasons changed, and the quiet shrine was always filled with warmth and laughter.
Akeno grew up surrounded by love.
She was no longer a lonely, scared little girl.
She grew into a beautiful, happy teenager with lots of friends. She didn't have to hide anymore.
The Himejima clan never sent another assassin. They had learned their lesson.
The crushing defeat of their Elders was a warning they were too terrified to ignore.
They left Shuri and her family alone for good.
Baraqiel moved into the shrine permanently. He stepped down from some of his dangerous duties so he could stay home and be a real father to Akeno, and a loving husband to Shuri.
He also treated Elias like his own son.
Every day, Baraqiel and Elias trained together in the garden.
Baraqiel was a leader of the Grigori, the Fallen Angel faction. He knew everything about the supernatural world.
He taught Elias about Devil politics, Angel magic, and the histories of dragons and gods.
Elias soaked up the knowledge like a sponge.
With Baraqiel's guidance, Elias learned how to control his massive power so perfectly that he looked like a completely normal, harmless human.
One warm evening, the family was sitting around the dinner table.
They were eating Shuri's delicious food and laughing at a joke Akeno made about her high school teachers.
Dee was sitting next to Elias, happily eating a piece of fried chicken.
Shuri poured some tea and looked at Elias. Her eyes were warm and thoughtful.
"Elias,"
Shuri began softly.
"Akeno is doing so well in high school. But what about you? You spend all your time training or helping around the shrine. You are a bright young man. Do you want to go to University?"
Elias stopped eating. He blinked in surprise.
"University?"
He repeated.
"Yes,"
Baraqiel nodded, taking a sip of his tea.
Elias looked down at his tea. Then he looked at Dee.
Dee gave him a soft smile and nodded her head.
She knew what he was thinking. It was time to tell them everything.
Shuri already knew Dee was the Goddess of Death, but she didn't know the whole truth about where they really came from.
Elias took a deep breath.
"Shuri-san, Baraqiel-san,"
Elias said slowly, making sure to use simple and honest words.
"I would love to go to University. But... There is a big problem. I don't have a high school diploma. I don't have a birth certificate. I don't even have a real identity in this world."
Baraqiel frowned slightly.
"Because you lost your things in the animal attack?"
"No,"
Elias shook his head. He looked them right in the eyes.
"Because Dee and I are not from this world. We are from a completely different universe. I was hit by a truck in my old world, and I woke up here. That is why my power is so strange. That is why Dee had to seal her power to come here. We don't legally exist on this Earth."
The room was very quiet for a moment. Akeno looked at him with wide, amazed eyes.
Elias felt a little nervous. He was worried they might treat him differently now.
But then, Baraqiel threw his head back and let out a loud, booming laugh.
Shuri just smiled and covered her mouth as she giggled.
Elias blinked.
"You... you guys aren't surprised? You don't have a problem with that?"
"Elias,"
Shuri said, reaching across the table to gently hold his hand.
"I am Miko who serves the Goddess of Death of this world. My husband is a Fallen Angel with six wings. Do you really think being from another universe is going to bother us?"
Baraqiel smiled warmly, his dark eyes full of fatherly pride.
"Universe, dimension, or another planet—it does not matter to us at all,"
Baraqiel told him firmly.
"You are the boy who bled and died to save my wife and daughter. You are our family. That is the only thing that matters."
Elias felt a huge lump in his throat.
His eyes got a little misty. He squeezed Shuri's hand back, feeling completely and totally accepted.
"As for the identity problem,"
Baraqiel chuckled, waving his large hand in the air.
"That is the easiest thing in the world to fix. I am one of the leaders of Grigori. We hide supernatural beings in the human world all the time. I have very powerful connections. I can create perfect, legal human identities for you and Dee by tomorrow morning. High school diplomas, passports, whatever you need."
Elias looked at Baraqiel, amazed.
"You can really do that?"
"Of course,"
Baraqiel grinned.
"So, what do you say, son? Do you want to go to University?"
Elias looked around the table. He saw Shuri's loving smile, Akeno's excited face, and Baraqiel's proud look.
Finally, he looked at Dee, who was holding his other hand under the table.
She gave his fingers a happy squeeze.
Elias smiled a bright, genuine smile.
"Yes,"
He said.
"I want to go to University."
True to his word, Baraqiel returned the very next day with a thick folder.
Inside were perfectly forged documents: birth certificates, passports, and high school diplomas for both Elias and Dee.
To the human world, they were now completely normal citizens.
Soon after, Elias started his first day at the local university.
He carried a backpack, sat in large lecture halls, and studied history and literature.
It felt incredibly strange but wonderful to do something so normal.
However, Elias had a secret.
Chronologically, he had been in this magical world for several years now.
He was actually much older than his fake ID said. But looking at him in the mirror, he still looked like a young, healthy college student.
Dee explained this to him one night while they were doing homework.
"It is my blessing, Eli,"
Dee smiled, tapping the spot on his forehead where she had kissed him so long ago.
"Immortality doesn't mean you stay a teenager forever. Your body will age very, very slowly until you reach your absolute physical peak. Around your mid-twenties. Once you hit your perfect prime... you will stop. You will stay exactly like that forever."
Elias was relieved. He didn't want to look like a teenager for the rest of eternity.
He wanted to grow up, but knowing he would never grow old and weak was a comforting thought.
While Elias went to university,
Akeno was finishing high school.
She had grown into a stunningly beautiful young woman.
With her long dark hair, violet eyes, and sweet personality, she was the most popular girl in her school.
Boys constantly asked her to go on dates or go to the movies.
But Akeno turned every single one of them down with a polite smile.
She wasn't interested in normal high school boys. Her heart already belonged to someone else.
She had a huge, undeniable crush on her Onii-chan.
Elias was the boy who saved her life. He was the invisible hawk who watched over her when she was little.
He was the man who bled and fought to keep her mother safe.
To Akeno, no other man in the world could ever compare to him.
Every afternoon when Elias came home from his college classes, Akeno was the first one at the door.
She baked his favorite cookies, helped him organize his notes, and always found an excuse to sit right next to him on the couch, hugging his arm tightly.
Elias, being a normal guy, was a little nervous about all the attention.
He loved Akeno dearly, but he already had a girlfriend. He didn't want to make Dee upset.
One evening, Elias and Dee were sitting on the roof of the shrine, watching the stars.
Elias let out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"Dee... I think Akeno has a crush on me,"
Elias confessed quietly, feeling guilty.
"I don't know what to do. I don't want to break her heart, but I love you."
Dee just giggled. It was a bright, happy sound. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Oh, Eli. You can be so blind sometimes,"
Dee teased him gently.
"I have known about her crush for years. Everyone knows."
Elias looked at her in shock.
"You aren't mad? You aren't jealous?"
Dee shook her head, her dark eyes filled with pure affection.
"I am the Goddess of Death, Eli. I have lived for billions of years. Human jealousy is a very small, silly thing to me. Plus, I love Akeno too. She is a sweet, wonderful girl, and we both watched her grow up. If anyone else deserves a piece of your big, protective heart, it is her. I really don't mind sharing you."
Elias was speechless. He didn't know what to say.
The next day, Elias awkwardly brought the topic up with Baraqiel and Shuri while they were drinking tea.
He thought for sure that Baraqiel would be angry that Elias was stealing his daughter's heart when he already had a partner.
Instead, Baraqiel just let out a booming laugh and patted Elias hard on the back.
"Elias, my boy, you are thinking too much like a normal human!"
Baraqiel grinned.
"In the supernatural world, things are very different. Devils, Angels, and Gods live for thousands of years. Having multiple lovers or wives is a completely normal thing for a powerful being."
Shuri smiled softly and nodded in agreement.
"It is true,"
She added, sipping her tea.
"We only want Akeno to be happy and safe. We know that as long as she is with you, no harm will ever come to her. You have our full blessing, Elias. All of us."