I spent the rest of the day as at work, designing, fabricating and testing. I didn't leave the lab, to even get me to eat Eve had to physically pull me away after the fifth "Five more minutes, just need to finish this".
Even as I ate though, I wrote, constantly fine tuning calculations and streamlining the technology. I saw first hand what she meant, fear had indeed proved useful as was pushing me into a surge of innovation.
I drew, erased, redrew and scrapped dozens of ideas. The Halo system, as I had dubbed it, was a masterwork of medical research, I had managed to miniaturise old stasis tech with which I could create sections of cellular stasis even as they burned meaning my brain would gain precious fractions of a second to receive healing and wouldn't be as difficult when it came.
As lunch time turned into dinner time, Eve brought mine to the lab, along with Quatal and the deva so I could explain the procedure as it had evolved. The deva listened intently, understanding the science and recognising some of the systems I had integrated.
"Da- Adam, Will it hurt? Maybe one of us should focus on pain nullification." Cosmael asked, apparently the idea of overthinking wasn't something she had to worry about. As far as she was concerned it was just ticking down the days to reversion.
"You should know better, there are no nerves in the brain, you can have someone cut into your brain with no numbing, the exit would in my skull though will be bad. I got shot in the arm once and the pain from bones being penetrated is no joke." I explained, wondering if a piece of tech might be able to solve that issue, then discarding the idea quickly.
"Idea?" Eve asked as she saw me stop for a second.
"Only a bad one, the mineral destabiliser would interfere with the magnetism which is the most important." I sighed, but jotted it down in case I finished the base equipment with time to revisit things like that.
"Mama, is Papa sick?" Quatal asked as I drew some sketches with one hand and ate with the other. "I've never seen him not eat quietly."
"More like injured, he has a scar in his head that needs to heal, but I'm sorry princess, you can't be there when it happens. He needs to focus and will be too busy wanting to cuddle you."
"Mama's not wrong, want to wrap me up while I work?" I asked whilst I forced the remaining food into a single mouthful.
"Til I get sleepy, Fala and I played a lot today and I want to go to sleep soon." She sighed with the exasperation only an all fun-ed out child knows.
I chuckled as I picked her up, then kept working, whilst she asked a million questions which would have been a bit annoying buy helped me troubleshoot problems I hadn't noticed.
Eve and the deva made several coffee stops over the next two hours, ensuring my mug never ran dry. "Anyone think he will stop for the night?" Celesael asked uncharacteristically concerned.
"Truthfully, I don't, he will stop and say good night to Quatal if she asks, then go right back to work." The little one replied, somewhat envious of her future sister.
"When it gets to that point, things will change... Papa is very bad at saying no and Auntie Astra is on your team, Mama Eve." Astrael winked, making Eve chuckle nervously.
I had finished three orbs for a prototype Halo when those magic words came accompanied by hot breath across my neck."I think it's someone's bedtime." I said as I twisted my head to kiss my passenger's
"Nuh uh, story time."
"I'm sur-"
"Papa story time." Quatal insisted drawing a stifled laugh from the audience that had been patiently waiting for that very scenario.
Naturally I caved immediately and we all went to the garden, which was apparently its official name according to the locals who had heard mention of it.
When we got into the garden Eve and I examined the mess of memory orbs, crumbs, empty drink canisters and blankets, Quatal and Celesael both tried to back away slowly. "Change of plans, first we clean up this sty.
"Biggest sister, biggest slob..." I muttered under my breath making Celesael embarrassed and slightly disappointed in herself.
"We tried to warn you." Astrael laughed. "When our creator was around she was always a perfectionist but the moment he left us the last time she watched the mortal realm obsessively. At first, just him, always him, then she saw him watch one and got obsessed."
"Don't try to be the responsible one. You were always running off to explore, you disappeared every time dad did just to play with the beasts." Celesal snorted. "You even tried to pick a fight with several creators of white just because you wanted to see if dad would come rescue you."
"Remember the time he barely made it in time, he was so angry he turned them to candle lights and then chained her to her bed with the black itself, then she thought if it could stretch around her room she might be able to escape so she jumped out the window..." Cosmael laughed, hard enough to make her fold at the waist.
"He found you dangling by your waist asleep!" Celesael finished as Astrael's embarrassment reached critical mass.
"Well... It was surprisingly comfortable. Anyway, we're tidying up your mess now not mine. Besides at least I didn't teach Quatal anything bad." She was trying to defend herself pitifully, the biggest issue was the lack of honesty however.
"Sorry to burst your bubble Astrael, but do I have to remind you about the "Alone time makes mummies and daddies happy" thing? I wouldn't exactly call that not bad... Admittedly correct, but still not a good lesson to teach." I said bluntly and unamused as Eve, Quatal and I were the only ones that were still cleaning the atrocity before us.
The two largest deva realised they needed to get back to work, leaving Cosmael laughing alone. "Oh little one, can you please go and start a fire in the pit, we can eat some roasted marshmallows during story time." I said to let them know I wasn't too mad in reality.
"Course I can, Dadam..." She froze looking embarrassed then ran out of the cabin.
"Are we even doubting her reversion anymore? Should we just let her do it now?" Eve said looking at, sincerely curious as to whether or not we were still considering it a possibility and not the certainty it clearly was.
"Eve, I fully intend the next the next child you have to be truly our's and she can revert after you have time to recover from the birth."
"You seem awfully sure... What about the whole "can't have kids" situation?"
"Ooo! Can I answer this one?" Astrael said, startling us both.
"Sure. I think I know but would be nice to have certainty." I replied honestly.
"Divinity can't be taken. Since Adam Is/was/will be a god, taking from him goes again creation. Take his blood you die suffering, take his.... you get the idea. If he gives it willingly however, his blood imparts divinity. If you want a child though, he should give you his blood first. If he doesn't, the baby would be like Ever when the nice candle recovered her."
"If that is the case, it is her decision, Eve would be leaving mortality behind..."
"Just do it dummy... I can't leave you alone for five minutes, let alone the rest of your potentially eternal life. You'd turn every deep snake into a feathered serpent just to have more to cuddle."
"OK... Astrael, Celesael, I will need you to guide me, I still don't remember what I need to do..."
"You dumb?" The statement was so blunt, it genuinely offended me, making me ramble on about my intellectual abilities for a truly cringe worthy amount of time. I didn't even know who said it, I was that annoyed by it.
"Seriously... You litterally did it to Quatal and Layaera already. Halfway done it with Fala to if i'm not mistaken, she still has the twitch." Astrael said in the same voice the previously mentioned question came in.
"Ah.... Well I guess... Wait... how did I do it with Quatal?"
"Love, you asked her to bite you, remember? You didn't exactly give her your blood, but you did let her take it which is the same thing I guess." Eve said, piecing it together with a smug expression.
With it decided, we didn't see the point in waiting, she wouldn't take long to recover with the deva and Quatal wanted "bigger Mama cuddle" so I used my new mana control to do what I did for Leeson's hangover but with my blood.
As she absorbed the blood, her eyes turned black for a second and when they returned to normal Astrael told me it was time. "Don't worry, remove her soul a bit first and we will numb it, it will be draining but luckily her natural capacity is pretty much maxed out so she should be much more welcoming for the additional."
I nodded and slightly pushed her soul out of her body, Astrael and Celesael both laid hands on her and began reinforcing it and nodded, then I used the empowerment to ascend her.
"Oh, this feels weird, like Ever is helping my body adapt at the same time." Eve said straightening.
"Of course... What girl wouldn't help her mother... future mother... whatever." I replied utterly baffled by having to include tensing in the relationship. "Anyway with that done, I think it's time for Quatal's story and last ever small hug with Mama."
That's exactly what happened, Cosmael was a bit upset by not being there to help, but we had smores, I told a story and then we said goodnight to everyone and retired after Quatal used emotional blackmail.
Upon getting to the bedroom I didn't even stop moving toward bed as I kicked off shoes and took off my shirt, simply rolling onto the bed as I sighed.