Ancestral Lineage

Asteria blinked, surprised. Then she laughed softly—a gentle, affectionate, maternal laugh, like a queen seeing her beloved make a fool of himself for love. She hovered down beside him, catching his body with one hand.

"Still the same silly boy," she whispered, pulling him close. "It's good to be back."

Above them, the portal slowly closed, and the sun shone again—yet none in Anbord ever noticed that the sky had split.

But the stars? They all whispered.

She has returned. Fate's chosen has awakened.

And love—true, timeless love—had found its path again.

...

Soft fingers ran through his crimson hair. Gentle. Rhythmic. Comforting.

Ethan stirred slowly, blinking into the soft lavender sky above. The scent of stars and time wrapped around him—so familiar, yet foreign. His vision adjusted, and the face that greeted him stole the last bit of breath he had left.

Asteria.

She sat beside him on a conjured couch of blue silk and stardust, her legs tucked beneath her, her long hair cascading down her shoulders and wrapping them both in a warm cocoon. Her mechanical blue gaze stared into his, serene yet intense. A smile tugged at her lips, soft and deeply amused.

"Good evening, my emperor of nosebleeds."

Ethan groaned, covering his eyes with one arm. "Please tell me I didn't actually pass out."

"You did," she nodded, biting her bottom lip. "And quite dramatically too. Arms spread like a fallen angel. It was adorable."

"…Gods," he muttered.

"Close," she said. "But not quite."

He laughed, rubbing his face as the embarrassment ebbed into something warmer. He finally sat up and faced her properly. Her eyes. Her presence. It all flooded him with emotions he hadn't felt in what felt like forever.

"You're… real," he whispered. "You're really here."

"I always was. Just scattered—memories, fragments, dreams…" Asteria's fingers gently cupped his cheek. "But you gave me a name. You gave me me. And that pulled me back."

His hand rose, trembling slightly, before he rested it over hers on his face. "I didn't even know what I was doing when I named you. I just… followed my soul."

"And your soul knew mine." Her voice dropped lower, intimate and reverent. "That's all that ever mattered."

They sat in silence, gazes locked, hearts aligned. The sky above shimmered softly, a reflection of the divine energy naturally exuding from the both of them.

After a while, Ethan chuckled lightly. "You really came back as a milf."

"Tch. You're lucky I like you."

"I'm lucky Fate likes me."

"She really does," Asteria rolled her eyes. "She's a bit of a troll, you know."

"Oh, I know." Ethan leaned back, hands behind his head. "So… Chronomancy, huh?"

"And Cyber divinity. But that's for later." She gave him a playful wink. "Let me impress you slowly."

He smirked. "That's unfair. I already passed out once. What if I do again?"

"Then I'll catch you again. And again." She leaned in slightly, their foreheads now gently touching. "Because you're mine, Ethan. Always."

His eyes softened, and this time, it was he who initiated the kiss. Gentle. Deep. Eternal. When they pulled away, the wind carried the faint sound of laughter—hers, then his—blending into the sky like music only the stars could hear.

"Welcome back," Ethan whispered, voice thick with emotion.

"It's good to be home," Asteria replied.

"Ohohoho~ So you started without us, huh? Honey?"

The voice that sliced through the air was chilly, yes, but somehow hotter than any flame—each syllable laced with playful venom. It was soft, almost sultry, but with a weight that could flatten cities.

Ethan jumped like a startled cat, mid-air no less, flailing before he stabilized himself again. A deep, terrified shudder ran through his spine. His face twisted into an expression of pure, unfiltered horror—eyelids twitching, pupils dilated, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish gasping for air.

"Ah... no no no no no..."

He turned around slowly, painfully so, as if facing some ancient, inescapable divine judgment. And there it was.

A massive dragon, her scales a glistening dark orange, shimmered like molten amber under the rising moon. Her sheer size blotted out the sky, casting an oppressive shadow over the land below. She hovered with majestic, terrifying grace—her four massive wings beating the air with a slow rhythm that made the entire atmosphere vibrate.

Her glowing, deep orange eyes locked onto Ethan, narrowed with a level of intensity that made his soul shiver. Hot steam hissed out from her large nostrils, the air warping visibly from the sheer heat of her breath.

This was Barki, the Dragon Ruler of Flames and Fire—and Ethan's wife.

Perched atop her broad, deep orange back like a council of vengeful goddesses, sat his other wives. And each one looked very unimpressed.

Harley was at the front, her long red-streaked white hair tied in a high ponytail, swaying with the wind. She was smiling—a slow, poisonous smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her arms were folded beneath her chest, but her fingers crackled faintly with golden serpentine energy, distorting the air around her like an unstable gravity field.

Clara, the fox-eared enchantress, stood with her six luxurious tails swaying in slow, hypnotic arcs. Her eyes gleamed with playful mischief, but the way her aura coiled like a serpent around her form said something else—she was not amused.

Carmen, as usual, looked the calmest, serene, like the eye of a storm. But floating around her were miniature spheres of pure light and darkness, pulsing in sync with her heartbeat. They hummed ominously, vibrating with raw dual affinity magic.

Andriel, the moon elf, stood tall and proud. Her long silver hair glowed under the light of the moon, and the lunar energy around her sparked like starlight being torn from the sky. Her purple eyes locked onto Ethan, not with anger, but with quiet disappointment, which somehow stung more.

Lisa, the muscular thunder goddess, looked like a storm given human form. Her short black hair stood on end as though charged by static, and the gold lightning coursing through her arms flared every few seconds. Her arms were crossed, but her foot tapped impatiently, thudding like thunder.

Elaine appeared to be asleep—but only on the surface. She lay draped lazily along Barki's back, her green eyes half-lidded and hazy. But those eyes still carried the menace of someone who had the patience to destroy planets when properly motivated.

Christel didn't even bother turning her head. Her arms were folded beneath her impressive bust, her body slightly tilted away. A frigid wind blew around her, charged with disdain. She radiated apathy of the highest level, the kind that screamed: "You're not even worth my glare."

Seraphis and Pisces, the twin Ice Empresses, stood side by side—beautiful and terrifying. The air around them froze with each breath, a swirl of snowflakes and icy mist cloaking them in divine elegance. Their eyes—crystal blue and mirror-like—didn't need to speak. Their frigid, silent rage spoke for them.

And finally…

Athelia.

Standing at the center of them all, radiant and still. Her piercing, silvery blue eyes held no visible fury. No storm. No frost. Only betrayal. The kind that seared deeper than any magic Ethan had ever known. Her aura was steady, but the disappointment emanating from her crushed him more than anything.

Ethan wanted to disappear.

Literally.Figuratively.Spiritually.

He tried to open a portal to dive into, but nothing happened.

"I—I can explain—" he began, only for Barki's massive dragon head to lean in so close her glowing nostrils almost singed his Crocs.

"You better, husband." Her voice was as deep as a volcano rumbling and as sharp as a blade of obsidian. "Because it smells like betrayal… and MILF perfume."

Ethan froze, still mid-hover beside Asteria, every part of him screaming run, even though he knew full well there was nowhere to go. Not when the entire sky was filled with his wives—each one a force of nature in her own right. And at the center of this storm of celestial fury was the massive dark-orange dragon, Barki, staring him down with steaming nostrils and narrowed, glowing orange eyes that promised consequences.

"Uhh… I can explain," Ethan croaked, voice cracking like a teenager caught red-handed.

"Oh please, do," Harley said with a sweet, venom-laced smile that could curdle blood. "I'd love to hear the official version of how you nearly bled out from a nosebleed in another woman's presence."

Carmen raised a brow. "Another soulmate, Ethan?"

Lisa crackled with sparks as she folded her arms. "How many is that now? You know what, no, don't answer. I'll lose count."

Andriel let out a sigh that shimmered with moonlight. "You weren't even gone for a full hour. An hour, Ethan."

"She just got here! I didn't do anything!" Ethan defended himself, waving his arms. "Technically, I passed out before I could!"

Elaine snorted from Barki's back, eyes half-lidded but gleaming with judgment. "Typical. Bleed first, think later."

Athelia crossed her arms and narrowed her silvery blue eyes. "And here I was, defending your honor when Galeno said you had a wandering nose."

"Atheliaaa!" Ethan hissed, betrayed.

Meanwhile, Seraphis and Pisces remained silent, but their mere presence caused a frosted mist to roll across the sky. Even the air itself seemed to whimper in anticipation of frostbite.

Christel didn't even deign to speak, flipping her hair as she gazed off into the distance like she was too dignified to engage… but the aura around her was saying try me.

Then came the one voice Ethan had been hoping wouldn't speak.

"Explain. Now." Barki's voice echoed through the sky, tremoring like a volcano gritting its teeth.

Ethan turned slowly to Asteria. "Please… say something. Anything. Save me."

Asteria smiled—way too serenely. "Ladies, I'm Asteria. I believe he gave me that name."

The sky exploded in chaos.