Her small chin was slightly raised, and her emerald eyes (glanced sideways at Nolan, with an arrogant air of "this young lady is scrutinizing You," completely lacking the unfamiliarity or curiosity other children showed upon first meeting their father.
"Pleased to meet You, my little Queen."
Nolan performed a knight's bow.
A hint of shyness flashed in the little Queen's eyes, but she feigned indifference: "Knight, I am Regla! Mommy says I was born to be a master of magnetism."
Polaris stood with her arms crossed, a proud smile on her lips: "Of course, my little Queen Regla."
Nolan chuckled, "Regla… a name that perfectly suits your temperament, little Queen."
Nolan stood up, finally casting his gaze towards the corner of the room, an area where the light itself seemed to automatically become a bit cooler.
Hela leaned against the wall, holding a baby girl in her arms. The child had the same dark green hair as her mother, skin so pale it was almost transparent, and seemed to be sleeping soundly with her eyes closed.
However, as Nolan approached, the baby girl's long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
They were a pair of startlingly pure emerald green eyes, so clear they seemed to reflect the essence of the soul, yet carrying Hela's characteristic chill.
Hela looked down at her daughter, her gaze uncharacteristically gentle, but her tone still carried the Goddess of Death's inherent arrogance and a hint of… disdain?
"Look at her, my daughter, as quiet as a snowflake from the deepest part of Niflheim."
She extended a finger, tipped with black nail polish, and gently touched her daughter's chubby little face.
"No aura of Death, no fluctuation of destruction, she can't even make a flower wither."
"Hrolf (meaning vitality/grace in Death), the name I bestowed upon You, seems a bit too 'gentle,' doesn't it?"
As if in response to her mother's words, little Hrolf yawned, and the cloth wrapped around her began to sprout green plants, unfurling at a visible speed and blooming into pure White flowers.
Hela's expression instantly froze.
She looked down at her daughter, still quiet in her arms, then at the vibrant flowers on her body, which were completely out of place with her Death divinity, and the disdain on her face intensified.
"My Goddess of Death's daughter awakening life energy? This is an utter blasphemy to my divine office!"
Nolan, however, smiled. He reached out and carefully touched the girl's soft hair.
The little baby girl's green eyes looked at him, showing no fear, only pure serenity.
"Death and life are two sides of the same coin, Hela," Nolan's voice was calm and strong.
"Withering is an end, but also the prelude to new life. Hrolf, this is your name, her power is not blasphemy, but the other side of your divinity that has never truly been seen—the tranquility that stills all things and the possibility of new life."
Before he finished speaking, black light glowed in Nolan's hand, and the flowers on Hrolf's body withered again. A few seeds fell from the withered flowers and were casually tossed into the garden outside, where White flowers bloomed once more.
Hela frowned, but her arm holding Hrolf instinctively tightened a little. She didn't retort, merely staring at her daughter's pure green eyes, lost in thought.
Next were Du Yao and Miracle. These were the first children, and Nolan touched their heads.
They were completely indifferent to their father and mother's disappearance and return, only eager to defeat each other.
Xing Yu, however, was different; he was very happy about his father's return.
Nolan's gaze finally settled on the overly quiet little boy in the corner of the room.
He had Kara's distinctive dark curly hair, but his facial features were more rugged and sharp than other children his age. In his blue eyes, complex emotions far beyond his ten-year-old appearance were settled—scrutiny, detachment, and indifference.
Kara gently pushed his shoulder, her voice encouraging: "Arthur, go to Dad."
The little boy—Arthur—his body tensed slightly. He didn't show curiosity or closeness like the other children. Instead, he lifted his gaze from the fingers he was playing with and met Nolan's eyes without evasion.
His gaze was clear but cold, like a frozen lake in a Kryptonian winter.
"I don't want this man to be my father."
The air instantly solidified, drawing everyone's attention.
Black Phoenix's fingers, teasing Viretta, stopped mid-air. Jean unconsciously tightened her grip on Sophira's waving little hand. Arya, in Gwen's arms, stopped her electric-like squirming. Even Regla, who was tugging on a small metal chain, forgot her "queen" posture and tilted her head to look over.
Hela held Hrolf, a hint of amusement flashing in her green eyes.
Wanda, Pamela, Nolan… everyone's eyes were filled with astonishment.
It could be said that the most worry-free children in the family were Kara's children. They could take care of themselves just a few months after birth, and if anyone was away, they would even look after their younger siblings.
Even Venom came out, curiously sizing up this kid who seemed to be asking for a beating.
Some of the color drained from Kara's face. She crouched down, placing her hands on Arthur's shoulders.
"Arthur! Don't talk nonsense, he is your father!"
"Is he?"
Arthur's voice remained calm, but it was as piercing as an ice pick.
"In my memory, he never existed. The word 'father,' before I learned to speak, was just a symbol, a picture, a symbol You told me was important but whose meaning I never felt."
His gaze swept over the younger siblings in the room, still in swaddling clothes or looking at him with puzzled eyes.
"They are luckier than me; at least when their'symbol' appeared, they didn't remember anything.
But me…"
He paused, and finally, a hint of a child's grievance and anger leaked from that maturity beyond his years.
"I've seen Mom cry late at night looking out the window; I've seen other children being lifted high by their fathers.
I've seen Aunt Pamela and them leave for errands, and I could only stay behind to take care of my younger siblings because 'Arthur is the most sensible'…"
He suddenly looked up, meeting Nolan's gaze again, his blue eyes burning with an icy blue Fire.
"I don't want to be sensible at all! But that'symbol' wasn't there! Where did he go?
To do those great, Universe-saving things? So great that he didn't even have time to come back and see his child being born, see his child growing up?!"
Kara's eyes instantly reddened. She hugged Arthur tightly, her voice choked: "Arthur, it's not like that, Dad, he…"
"Mom."
Arthur's voice softened a little, but he remained stubborn.
"You don't need to explain for him. I know he's strong, unimaginably powerful."
He broke free from Kara's embrace, his small body standing ramrod straight.
"But he missed my first breath, my first crawl, the first time I burned a toy with Heat Vision (though I quickly controlled it), the first time I flew and almost crashed through the ceiling… He missed every moment a 'father' should witness.
Now he's back, with a dazzling halo, everyone surrounding him, celebrating his return, welcoming him to fulfill the duties of a 'father'…"
Arthur took a deep breath, as if to unleash the emotions that had accumulated for three years, or even longer. His small chest heaved, and finally, he declared with absolute certainty:
"But to me, he's just a powerful stranger who suddenly intruded.
Just a'symbol.' I don't need his belated 'fatherly love,' and I certainly don't need a 'father' who only remembers to come home after a victory!"
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"