With vows.
After the barrier suppressing the children’s power was set and they received the blessing of the Dual Goddesses, Elen and the others at last met with Origin.
Right now, the children are probably being bathed by their nurses.
The Dual Goddesses had some report to make somewhere, so after offering a brief congratulations, they left immediately.
“Mother!”
“Ori!”
Elen rushed to the bed where Origin lay. Though tired, Origin smiled warmly at the two of them.
“Both of you were in my belly? I’m shocked!”
“Yeah, Ori… thank you.”
Lovell kissed Origin, and Origin giggled happily.
“Mother… s-s-sama… uuu…”
Seeing Elen sobbing, overcome with emotion, Origin gently stroked her head, still lying on her side.
“You’re going to be an older sister now, Elen—no more crying, okay?”
“Uuu… just today, please…?”
“Then I can’t help it, can I?”
Elen wiped her tears with her sleeve and kissed Origin’s cheek.
Lovell watched Origin, who was squirming from the tickle, and Elen, laughing through her tears, with tender affection.
“Two shockwaves… I thought something had happened to Orie…”
Elen nodded vigorously, matching Lovell’s worry.
“Me too… I was shocked. The Great Spirits who took the first one off were careless—got blown away, you know?”
“Oh my… everyone’s safe, then?”
“Haha, yes, safe and sound. I was actually relieved—the room was fine, so we got off easy.”
Elen stared off into the distance, a little dazed. So this was what spirit childbirth was like…
"Oh, my labor was nothing special. Elen-chan’s time was when the castle actually collapsed."
"Ah! I’m so, so sorry!"
Lately, I’ve been hearing about how it was with Elen’s birth.
Whenever I hear this kind of story, Elen just freezes up and can only apologize.
"Anyway, wasn’t it rough with A-chan too? I heard Vint couldn’t see little Van for a while after he was born."
The "A-chan" Origin was referring to was Austor—the head of the Spirit Fangs and Van’s mother.
"Really?"
"Since they give birth in beast form, a mother’s excitement could easily turn deadly. You know—she might end up killing her husband."
"Yikes… that’s, uh… brutal…"
When I asked for more details, it turned out that the White Tiger clan keeps the mother and newborn sealed in a room for about a month—the time it takes for the baby’s eyes to open—during which the husband isn’t allowed to see them at all.
Origin explained how Vin had been restless the whole time, waiting to meet the babies.
Just as we were getting excited about it, a voice said, “Excuse me,” and the twins, wrapped in swaddling cloths, were brought in by the Great Spirits.
“Wow!”
First were Origin and Lovell. Then Elen leaned in to peek at the bundle.
“The hair… it’s just like Mother’s!”
“Really. But the temples—those little bumps are exactly like Lovell’s!”
The platinum blonde of Origin, with Lovell’s blood clearly showing in the springy little curls at the temples.
The hair was supposed to be soft and new-born, yet here, only at the temples, it had a stubborn stiffness, standing straight up like springs.
“Maybe they’ll look like Elen, and take after Orie?”
“Or perhaps they’ll take after Father!”
We buzzed with excitement, imagining their future close at hand.
“By the way, what names are we giving them?”
“Probably once their eyes open and their power settles, don’t you think? Can’t pick names without knowing what they’re meant to guide.”
Elen’s name comes from “element,” apparently. Spirits seem to choose their names based on the element they govern.
Apparently, naming them after their domain boosts their power as spirits.
Of course, you can name them anything—just not related to their role. But those spirits end up shackled, unable to access their power, or even miss out on blessings altogether. Bad luck, they say.
“Can’t wait to see what they’ll guide～～”
“Did you check their eye color yet?”
“Said they’re red now. But Elen was the same way when she first opened her eyes, so maybe they’ll change once their power stabilizes—just like Elen?”
“Really?”
“Will they be as beautiful as Elen’s eyes?”
“Would be nice if they turned out like Elen’s. I remember the first time I saw them—absolutely breathtaking.”
"Yeah. I thought they were the color of the world itself."
Origin and Lovell seemed to reminisce about old times, their voices rising with shared nostalgia.
Elen, hearing this for the first time, felt a faint flush of embarrassment.
"I think the color of Mother and Father’s eyes is lovely too!"
"Oh?"
"Such a sweet thing to say."
Five days of waiting, hearts fluttering with anticipation—finally, the twins’ eyes opened.
Both pairs were a deep violet, a perfect blend of Origin and Lovell’s hues.
And then, something else made Elen and the others burst into laughter.
"Oh my god—look at them! They’re exactly like Lovell! How adorable!!"
"Two Dads at once—wow!"
Origin and Elen cooed over the infants with wild excitement, but Lovell, being stared down with unnervingly sharp eyes by the twins, wore an expression that was… complicated.
＊＊＊
Two weeks after Origin had safely given birth.
The preparations for Gadiel’s half-spirit transformation ceremony finally began.
Since Origin had just given birth and was still recovering, the Dual Goddesses and Ark would be assisting as co-ritualists.
“I could wait a bit longer…?”
Gadiel said, sounding apologetic—but the Dual Goddesses had already warned him that delaying any further would endanger his soul.
And so, on the day before the ceremony, Elen asked Driltra to send her into Gadiel’s dream.
“Elen!”
Gadiel ran toward her, grinning, upon seeing her face—and Elen waved back.
“What’s up?”
“Um… I wanted to talk about something…”
“Talk? Right, let’s go sit on the sofa.”
In the dream, Elen and Gadiel had somehow developed the habit of holding hands—always.
Today was no different. As soon as they met, they linked hands and settled onto the sofa.
"Ah, um... it's about Amiel..."
"Amiel?"
The name, untouched since that incident. A shadow crossed Gadiel's face.
"...I know the full story from the Dual Goddesses. Even though she's my cousin... I'm truly sorry I dragged Elen into this."
"No, that's not it. And besides, you helped me! That's what matters!"
Elen quickly shook her head, waving away Gadiel's bowing.
"Um... I was trying to purify Amiel's soul, the one that had merged with the curse... and I touched something like a core feeling."
"A core... feeling?"
"The feeling of Amiel, the one that had synchronized with the curse... I guess you could say the root of it. Back then... Amiel was just... crying."
Crying while searching for her mother and father.
Crying out in loneliness.
Elen spoke honestly, relaying exactly what she’d felt that day.
I think Amiel was always so lonely... The only friend she had was Agiel-san. But she cried, saying Agiel-san hated her. I wonder if that’s what triggered her merging with the curse...
Auntie...
Gadiel looked so pained, and Elen finally spoke the truth she’d been hiding.
I heard Amiel’s crying that day, and I thought—what’s really different about this child? She’s just a little girl, screaming, “Where’s Mother?”—just a lost kid, crying out in the dark...
...Yeah.
I kept wondering what purification even means. What I tried to do was erase every single memory. To wipe away everything the soul had held, all the emotions turned into a curse... But then—there was just a child, screaming, “I’m scared! I don’t want to disappear! I’m so lonely!”
Amiel...?
"So I told it... if you're lonely, I'll stay with you."
"…………huh?"
Gadiel's eyes flew open in shock. He seemed utterly lost, unable to grasp what Elen was saying.
"I told the shattered soul... stay with me. Let me hold you inside me. Rest here... I'll be right beside you when you wake up."
"……huh? huh? So that means... Amiel's soul... is inside you?"
Gadiel stammered, trying desperately to piece it together.
Elen nodded, exactly as he thought.
"This is what they call soul binding. I did it without even knowing... I bound Amiel's soul to mine."
The meaning of soul binding—the goddess's selection, chosen to birth a new age, and how she'd selected Amiel's soul.
As she explained it, Gadiel froze, mouth agape, utterly stunned.
"……Gadiel? You okay?"
"…S-sorry… I’m just so stunned… Amiel’s soul… inside Elen…?"
Gadiel’s eyes, still wide with disbelief, seemed to be searching every inch of Elen, as if trying to find some fragment of Amiel hidden in her flesh.
"U-um… Is Elen… okay? I mean… is she… doing alright?"
"Amiel’s soul is shattered and asleep, so she can’t become a goddess. But I want to be there when she wakes up."
Elen and Gadiel would be together. Side by side.
And that’s why Elen decided to confess it ahead of time—so Gadiel wouldn’t be shocked later.
"To be honest… I don’t even know how to say this… I’m just so shocked… I don’t know what to say…"
"Y-yeah… I guess… sudden, sorry…"
"Ah, no—actually… I should be the one thanking you, Elen."
"Wha—why?"
“About choosing souls… I get that you, Elen, bear that burden as a goddess. But what I really realized—what matters more—is that you saved Amiel.”
“Saved…?”
“Surely, Amiel reached for your hand back then?”
The words Amiel’s spirit whispered as it pressed against Elen—those words came back to her.
“…It was warm…”
“…So that’s it.”
The feeling from that moment surged back—the feeling of missing Amiel—and Elen let a single tear fall.
Gadiel wiped it away. She cried quietly, then finally let out the words she’d buried deep inside.
“…Maybe it’s just my own selfish satisfaction…”
“Elen, no. You don’t have to carry everything.”
Gadiel gently, tenderly hugged her.
"The curse that surrounded me... Amiel's soul... they were both saved by Elen, without a doubt."
"...R-really?"
"Yeah. And I was saved too. Just thinking about being with you from now on... I can't wait. Honestly, I'm buzzing."
"...I... I was saved by Gadiel too...?"
"Fufu, that's wonderful."
He hugged her tighter, pressing a kiss into her hair.
"Elen, you don't have to carry everything alone. From now on, let me carry some of it with you."
"Gadiel..."
"Elen, I love you. Let me stay with you forever. Even when Amiel wakes up, I’ll be right here."
He said that, then gently kissed her face, wet with tears.
A soft kiss on her lips—Elen opened her eyes.
They looked at each other. Then slowly closed their eyes, and shared a tender kiss.