Shortly after we arrived back at the beach house…
I found myself standing in the open field behind it, watching Anathasia casually inspect her *Gungnir*—something about "output testing," apparently.
Then—
Between the double edges of the blade, an eye suddenly opened.
"Ah… it worked."
"What worked?" I stepped closer, giving the axe a once-over.
"It has an eye now… what's that even for?"
A pause.
Anathasia casually let the axe float a few meters away.
And in the next instant, it morphed into a pink-haired girl, soft curls resting at the tips of her hair.
"Cosmic Gods need something to keep them in check," Anathasia said, turning to me with a thumbs-up, her other hand resting on her hip.
"Right?"
My eyes narrowed, settling on the girl.
"That's supposed to be Gungnir?"
Anathasia nodded immediately, folding her arms before glancing back at the girl, who was quietly looking around the area.
"Collapsed totalities have insane potential," she said. "It'd be a waste to keep it as just a weapon."
"So why not give it sentience? Mix in some intelligence, too."
I froze, my gaze snapping back to her.
"You—"
She raised a hand, cutting me off.
"It's fine. She can live like a normal person if she wants," she said before I could argue.
"Free will exists for a reason. And dealing with Cosmic Gods would be like stepping on ants for someone like her."
I opened my mouth to argue—
Then stopped.
Crossing my arms, I frowned slightly, considering its implications.
"So… you made another type of god?"
She paused, tilting her head.
"In a sense…?"
Meanwhile—
"This place is…" the girl looked around, her eyes sparkling before she turned to Anathasia.
"Um… are you my master?"
Anathasia froze completely, her eyes widened.
Slowly, she turned toward the girl.
"Master…?"
The girl nodded.
Anathasia buried her face in her hands, then peeked at me.
"This wasn't what I had in mind…"
Letting out a sigh, I stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"For now… maybe just give her a name."
She stayed silent, occasionally glancing at the girl before sighing again.
After a moment of thought, I looked back at the girl, reaching out to gently pat her head.
"How about…"
A brief pause.
"Grace?"
Anathasia turned to me, tilting her head slightly.
"Grace…?"
I nodded.
Then—
The girl's smile slowly brightened.
Her form began to shift, growing. Changing.
Stepping back, I watched as Grace took on a more defined appearance… someone closer to a teenager now. Someone who shared my eye color a little too closely, paired with her pink hair.
"…Woah. What just happened?" I muttered, glancing at Anathasia.
She shook her head immediately, crossing her arms into an X.
We both looked back at Grace while rubbing our temples.
"…I mean," I started, exhaling. "At least she looks like a teenager now?"
Anathasia rested her chin on her finger.
"How about we let Rania take her in?"
"Rania?" My expression flattened.
"She's already insanely busy, and—"
"Grace needs guidance," she cut in, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think we can take care of her while handling everything else?"
She sighed softly, her brows furrowing.
"She needs someone who can always be there for her."
"And Rania's—"
"How about Roselia instead?"
Anathasia froze.
Then slowly turned to me, eyes widening.
She vaguely pointed behind her at Grace.
"Bro… that woman's unstable."
"…And you want her to take care of her?"
I met her eyes, glancing briefly at Grace before looking back at Anathasia.
"Yeah."
The moment the word left my mouth, Anathasia's jaw practically dropped.
She stammered, gesturing wildly before finally finding her voice.
"Are you… insane? Hello??"
She stepped closer, leaning in as she waved a hand in front of my face.
"Is my husband still there?? I don't remember feeding you anything weird today."
My lips curved into a small, wry smile as I gently caught her wrist.
"Yeah, I'm still very much here."
"Then why are you saying something that insane??" she shot back, incredulous.
I let out a quiet sigh, reaching out to lightly hold her chin—silencing her for a moment.
"Hear me out first, alright?"
A pause.
"Give Roselia some credit."
My gaze softened slightly.
"She needs someone too… doesn't she?"
Anathasia's eyes narrowed.
"So you're just throwing Grace at her like some kind of support animal??"
She crossed her arms, frowning.
"Are you sure your head's still working?"
I let go of her wrist and chin, folding my arms over my chest as I thought for a moment.
"I'm just thinking, alright? I'm not trying to use Grace as some kind of… support for Roselia."
"But think about it."
Anathasia stayed silent this time, though one eyebrow remained raised.
"Don't you think… Roselia could actually change if she had someone to take care of?" I continued.
"A real responsibility. Not power. Not status."
A brief silence followed.
My gaze drifted back to Grace, who was watching me with a slight tilt of her head.
"Roselia needs someone… and she wants Rania."
"Right?" I glanced back at Anathasia.
She didn't respond, but she didn't interrupt either.
"But what if there was someone who needed her too?"
"Not as a politician. Not as a God…"
I spread my arms slightly.
"But just… as herself."
"As Roselia."
Anathasia's expression softened just a little as her gaze dropped, her finger lightly tapping against her cheek.
None of us spoke for a moment.
Then—
"Who is… Roselia?"
We both turned toward Grace.
"Master—"
Anathasia immediately raised a hand.
"Just call me Mom. Or anything else—just not master."
Grace's eyes widened slightly before she nodded, then looked at me.
"And…"
"Call him Dad," Anathasia added without hesitation.
I let out a quiet breath through my nose, but didn't argue. Grace hummed softly, her gaze wandering across the plains… until it settled on the house behind us.
"And this…"
"Is home," Anathasia finished gently, stepping forward as she reached out.
I watched silently as she pulled Grace into an embrace.
"You'll be Grace Veridielle Augthoria from now on."
Grace's eyes widened again, her gaze shifting to me as she rested her chin on Anathasia's shoulder, her arms slowly wrapping around her.
"…Okay, Mom."
—
A few hours later—
The two of us sat on the beach.
Watching Grace play.
She toyed with her authority freely, forming spheres of water in the air, shaping sandcastles with nothing but a thought, laughing softly to herself as everything bent so easily to her will.
Anathasia let out a small sigh.
"…Roselia, huh."
A stick appeared in her hand as she started idly scribbling on the sand.
"That woman… she knows what she's doing," she muttered, stopping briefly before glancing at me.
"But can we really trust her?"
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"What if she ends up being a bad influence on Grace?"
"What then?"
I didn't answer immediately.
My eyes stayed on the ocean, the steady rhythm of waves filling the silence between us.
After a moment, I inhaled slowly.
"If something like that happens…"
My gaze shifted toward her.
"Then I'll—"
CRASH.
A deafening sound tore through the air.
The sky darkened.
A low, unnatural rumble followed. Something vast… something that didn't belong.
"Um, Dad…"
Anathasia and I both stood at the same time.
Our eyes snapped toward Grace.
She stood near the water, pointing upward—
At something impossibly massive hanging in the sky.
Something that shouldn't exist.
"I think it's in pain."
She turned back to us, still pointing as the enormous entity began to fall.
"That's a Cosmic God," Anathasia said. Then stopped.
"…And it's dead?"
My eyes narrowed.
I walked toward Grace, pulling her closer gently as my gaze remained fixed on the collapsing thing above us.
"What do you mean 'it's dead'…?"
My voice lowered.
"How could something like that just…"
"…die?"
The three of us stood there—
Watching.
The massive thing in the sky continued its descent, its body beginning to burn as it entered the atmosphere. Slow, yet impossibly overwhelming.
"Wait,"
Anathasia narrowed her eyes slightly.
Then she glanced at Grace behind me.
I turned to her—
And froze.
Her eyes widened in realization.
A dry laugh slipped from her lips.
"What's wrong…?"
"It's Grace's passive effect," she said, looking back up just as a massive fragment broke off and crashed into the ocean beyond the horizon.
"Passive effect?" I pulled Grace closer, gently stroking her hair as I looked at Anathasia. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she rubbed her chin, thinking.
From the distance—
A towering wall of water began to rise.
I glanced at it.
"…Before we get into that,"
Anathasia snapped her fingers.
The wall of water vanished instantly, like it had never existed.
"Let's deal with that thing first."
She gestured upward—
At what remained of the entity, still looming high above, suspended just beyond Aegea's atmosphere as it continued to fall apart.