Ancestral Lineage

Two men strolled along a winding, paved path flanked by glistening trees and ornamental plants that shimmered with the hues of dusk. The scenery was ethereal—verdant leaves danced in the breeze, while the golden sunlight filtered through the canopy, painting everything with a gentle, sacred glow.

They resembled each other—one with a commanding, mature presence and fiery red hair slicked back over skin so pale it seemed carved from alabaster; the other younger, with long, white hair tied into a neat man bun and skin the color of polished obsidian.

Ethan and his son, Regnare.

After the chaos with his mothers, Regnare had managed to create a pocket of peace just for this moment—a long-overdue conversation with the man whose blood and legacy pulsed through his veins.

"Do you perhaps know anything about the Seven Deadly Sins?" Ethan asked, his voice low, yet laced with something ancient and heavy.

Regnare tilted his head, uncertain. "Hmm… Not really. I just know they're powerful. Dangerous, even."

Ethan gave a small nod, his expression unreadable. "That's enough. I don't know much either… not in the way one should. But—" He stopped walking, his gaze turning distant, as if peering through layers of time. "There's something you should know. A secret. One even your mothers aren't aware of."

Regnare's brows lifted, but he said nothing, sensing the gravity of what was coming.

"It all began when I was still a teenager," Ethan continued slowly. "I had already met Harley, Clara, Carmen, Andriel, and Lisa. Our bond was already forming back then. It was strange… effortless. Like we were always meant to find each other. Soulmates."

Regnare gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

"We took a trip to the Labyrinth Grove," Ethan said. "That's when it happened. I had a vision—a dream, or maybe something more. A demoness appeared to me. She was… stunning. Not just in beauty, but in presence. But it wasn't that which pulled me to her."

"What was it then?" Regnare asked, his tone hushed.

Ethan's golden eyes narrowed with memory. "It was who she was. The core of all corruption. The wellspring of every Sin. The Paragon of Sin herself. And…"

He hesitated.

Regnare stared at him, wide-eyed. "And…?"

"She's my soulmate," Ethan said softly. "In fact, she was my first soulmate. Before any of the others. Before I even knew what I was."

Regnare froze.

Ethan gave a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. I've started having visions—fragments—of another me. A past version, or perhaps a version from a parallel thread of time. He loved her. He belonged to her. And as those visions grow clearer, so does the pull. It's… overwhelming. It dwarfs even the connections I share with your mothers."

Regnare exhaled shakily. "This is… unbelievable."

Ethan nodded. "And yet, it explains so much. You see, I've come to believe that this other version of me… he's the original source of the Demonic Powers. He created the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins. And they've reincarnated, fragmenting and seeding themselves into this world."

"But your Path… it's one of Order and Mysticism. Light. Holiness," Regnare protested.

"Exactly," Ethan said grimly. "Which makes all of this a paradox. One I haven't untangled yet. But the signs are there, Regnare. Sixtie, your aunt, is the Sin of Pride. Elaine—your mother—is a Sin Candidate of Sloth. You, my son, are the Candidate of Wrath."

Regnare blinked, mouth slightly ajar.

Ethan looked away. "There may be more. I don't know how many of the Sins are circling us, but I know this: they aren't just random forces. They're gravitating towards me. Towards us. Because I—or rather, he—birthed them."

"This could mean only one thing…" Regnare whispered.

Ethan nodded, finishing the thought. "The lost Demon Realm… isn't truly lost. It's waiting. Watching. And at the center of it all is her. My forgotten soulmate."

"So, do you have any plans on what to do about it? Maybe find her or something?" Regnare asked, uncertainty lacing his tone.

"I don't really know what to do. This all feels too sudden… and dangerous," Ethan replied, his voice low. "I thought it was just something insignificant back then. But now that everything's converging like this—in waves—I'm... uncertain."

"Then why don't you talk about it with my mothers?" Regnare suggested.

"I plan to. But there's... a variable."

"A variable? As in?"

"There's another soulmate," Ethan confessed, sighing. "This one's... closer."

Regnare stared at him. "Just how many soulmates do you have?!"

"I don't know, Reg. It's... it's a concept far too layered for me. Soulmates—such a simple term on the surface, yet it runs deep, bound to laws beyond understanding. I think I'll just leave it all to fate."

"So you're just gonna go with the flow?"

"I guess so," Ethan shrugged. "Strength and power aren't always the answer when it comes to Fate."

"How the mighty have fallen," Regnare said, dramatically clutching his chest like a wounded poet.

Ethan's eye twitched. "Talk about yourself! You think I don't know how you've fallen?"

"What do you mean? Wait—"

"Hehehe... You thought I wouldn't find out? I was born before you, dumbass!"

"I haven't fallen!"

"Onyx would never lie to me," Ethan said with a mischievous grin. "Besides, she's connected to me in ways you can't even begin to imagine."

"No!!! This is a nightmare!" Regnare shouted, his face reddening with embarrassment. My Virtual Library Empire (M-VLEMPYR)

"So tell me," Ethan leaned in with a wide, predatory smile. "Have you done the deed yet?"

"No, you degenerate!" Regnare nearly exploded. "It hasn't even been a week since we started going out!"

"Tch. You disappoint me, son. I slept with your mother—Asteria—the very day she walked into my life."

"That's because you're all degenerates!" Regnare snapped.

"Piss off!" Ethan retorted, sticking out his tongue.

"But she's very cute and loving. I don't know… I guess it was love at first sight," Regnare said with a dreamy sigh.

"Oh? She's a beast, you know?" Ethan raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"I'm also a beast, bruh," Regnare replied flatly.

"Not in the literal sense. Onyx is a beast beast." Ethan emphasized the second beast with a chuckle.

"I don't care. It doesn't matter. Once there's love, I believe that's more important than anything else," Regnare said, his voice laced with firm conviction.

"True. Your mother, Athelia, is also a beast. She's a fusion of my first spirit beast, Angitia, and my sentient artifact, Tia."

"Woah!" Regnare blinked in awe. "I didn't know about that!"

"Hehe, I've got a library of secrets." Ethan smiled wistfully. "Speaking of sentient weapons… it's about time I created some. I haven't done it before."

"You mean, you've never forged a weapon before—and you're a dwarf? The origin of all dwarves?" Regnare blinked, dumbfounded.

"Surprising, innit?"

"That's beyond dumb, Father."

"Fuck off."

"Meh."

"I've made many things—structures, constructs, entire subrealms—but I've never crafted something from scratch like a traditional blacksmith or inventor would. I usually just conjure things from the ether or use a catalyst and transmute it using my Alchemy affinity."

"But why now? Why go old-school?"

"Sit down," Ethan said quietly, easing himself onto the grassy hilltop they stood upon.

They were perched on a tall hill adorned with fragrant wildflowers and lush green blades. Butterflies fluttered lazily through the air, and small birds chirped melodic tunes in the warm breeze. It was a tranquil place, almost too serene for two such beings—gods in mortal shells.

Regnare obeyed, folding his legs beneath him and settling beside his father in the grass. Silence enveloped them for a while.

Regnare stole a glance at the man beside him—his adoptive father.

He remembered his real parents, their faces fading memories of pain and death. But Ethan… Ethan had taken him in, despite his origins. Despite what he was. Despite what the world would say. Ethan gave him a name, a legacy, a place—a family. He made him royalty and never once hesitated to call him son.

Even if the threads of fate had arranged their meeting, Ethan was the variable that bent destiny itself. A King in every sense—not just in power or blood—but in presence. In spirit. Ethan was a piece on the chessboard that could move like the King and yet fight like the Queen, leap like the Knight, and endure like the Rook.

To Regnare, he was everything.

Because of Ethan, he had a mother—Barki, a Dragon Ruler. Because of Ethan, he had a little sister whom he cherished more than anything. Because of Ethan, he met Onyx—the one who made his heart race. Because of Ethan… he belonged.

"Thank you, Dad," Regnare said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Ethan looked over, slightly startled. "For what?"

"For everything. Thank you… I love you."

Ethan blinked, then smirked. "No thanks. I don't swing that way."

Regnare groaned. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Ethan burst into a hearty laugh.

"I should've left you in Mother Pisce's care!" Regnare shot back with mock anger.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ethan doubled over, laughing harder.

Amid the banter, laughter echoed across the hilltop. But beneath it all was something sacred—unshaken love, deep-rooted trust, and the warmth of a bond that transcended blood and fate.