“Baby is definitely ours… not only do I sense it, but the magical alignment is perfect. You don’t remember anything?”
“No… and yes, I shouldn’t have been drinking again. I know.”
“You got pretty lucky the baby came out healthy, Roscoe!”
There was a bitter sigh. Eye-Deku gave up on doing his naptime and sat up. It wasn’t like he truly slept anyway.
Eye-Deku crawled to the edge of his crib, and called out loudly, “BUH BUH!”
The door to his new nursery opened, and Art walked in. The tall man smiled down at Eye-Deku. “Hey, buddy… isn’t it your naptime?”
Eye-Deku held up his arms. “Papa!”
Art chuckled and picked him up. Eye-Deku didn’t fight the baby instinct, and grabbed some of Art’s wild, long, blonde hair. Instead of jamming it into his mouth, he simply played with it.
Roscoe walked in, smiling awkwardly. Just like a guy who just got chewed out. Art sighed and said, “Well… we were looking for a family.”
Roscoe smiled, and hugged Art and Eye-Deku both. “And now we finally one of our own.”
Eye-Deku giggled into the hug. He said happily, “Dada! Papa!”
Roscoe chuckled. Art said, “It’s almost like he understands us.”
Roscoe ruffled his hair. “Maybe just enough.”
Oh, more than you know!
Eye-Deku looked around as the small family went into the town. It was definitely a fantasy-based world. The buildings were constructed as if they were out of a fantasy novel, either an old-timey cabin or a square block building. There were no cars, but a lot of horses and karts.
What was surprising was plenty of what Eye-Deku liked to call magitech. Basically, technology made with the help of magic instead of traditional science. For example, there were public water fountains that Eye-Deku sensed a lot of water magic behind instead of pipes and water pressure. He had sensed it in the bathrooms too, but hadn’t thought much of it until now. There were boxes that pushed out air magic, AKA air conditioning units. Even the stroller Eye-Deku was sitting in was welded with fire and earth magic.
Humans could figure out how to do a lot of bullshit with what they had, huh?
Eye-Deku loved it.
And couldn’t wait to start getting his hands on these innovations!
They reached what looked like a church… with more of those Dolls. Yuck. Except these were quiet, their Claimed Souls seeming to be sleeping and at peace. Hmm…
Roscoe parked the stroller and picked up Eye-Deku. “Come on, Eye-Deku. Let’s get you inside and registered.”
Art said, “Eye-Deku? Is that what we decided for his name?”
Roscoe squinted, as if trying to remember. He must have subconsciously picked up on Eye-Deku’s name. Like every Roscoe Ford in the multiverse could do. “…I think so?”
Art sighed. He smiled. “Come on, idiot.”
They walked inside. Inside looked like a traditional Catholic church, complete with pews and glass-stained windows. Eye-Deku looked at the imagery, trying to decipher clues about the history of this world. But they were all just a pretty arrangement of colors.
The family walked up to the altar. A priest smiled down at them and walked over. “The Fords! How welcome, how welcome! Ah… have you finally been blessed by the Goddess?”
More like the All-Creator.
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Roscoe said, “We have. This is Eye-Deku.”
Art said, “We are here for the Registration and Type Alignment. Though… we’re not sure if he’s showing his Type yet.”
The priest nodded. “Many don’t fully show their Type until they’re 2 years old, so there is no worries. Come with me.”
They walked into a small room in the back. The priest pulled out something that looked to be a combination of a cutting board and an Oujia Board. The Priest said, “Everyone, put a hand on this. This will make sure the child is truly yours.”
Eye-Deku glared. But then patted the board like the little child his body was. Roscoe and Art didn’t notice, and the priest didn’t either. The two men put their hands on it, and the board glowed a brilliant shade of green.
The priest said, “Indeed, the child is yours.”
Yeah, FUCKING DUH.
But that did reveal a disturbing trend. This was possibly a world where bloodlines meant everything.
Eye-Deku may have a lot of cracking heads in his future.
The Priest then pulled out a ball with multiple orbs in it. He said, “This will reveal your child’s Elemental Type.”
Ah, the magic thing! I do wonder what I will register as. After all, I have dabbled and Downloaded so much, I probably am a jack-of-all-trades.
The priest handed Eye-Deku the ball. Eye-Deku giggled and shook it around. Then had to giggle when everything started bouncing around. Was he supposed to shake it like a snowglobe? He gave it another shake.
Roscoe chuckled. “Don’t need to shake it that much, kiddo.”
Art chuckled. “Well, it does look like a snowglobe.”
Eye-Deku said, “Shah shah!”
Then the orb began to glow. Eye-Deku watched as the small balls began to spin around. He didn’t fight the: “Oooooooo!”
The orbs spun around wildly, like trying to figure him out. Then all of them settled with a glow, turning into elemental symbols. But the brown one grew into a miniature mountain, complete with a tree.
The Priest said, “How… fascinating.”
He took the ball back. He said, “Your son seems to have affinity with all the Types.”
Art said, “What?”
Roscoe said, “Is that… possible?”
The Priest nodded. “Rare, but possible. But see here? The Earth Type is the strongest. That’s why it is the largest.”
Huh. That’s interesting. Then again… there is my unique constitution of having multiple worlds inside me. As well as being able to create and destroy them at will. Maybe that is close enough on this counter.
The Priest said, “That means that your child will be able to handle any magic-based career. But it would be best to focus on his strongest Type, since that will come with ease.”
Eye-Deku decided to keep up the baby act. He reached for the “snow globe” again. “Shah shah!”
Art rubbed his back. “Easy, buddy.”
The Priest chuckled. He put it back. “I will get him registered. What is his name?”
They both said, “Eye-Deku.”
There was suddenly a scream nearby.
Everyone moved quickly back into the chapel. A nun was laying on the ground, convulsing wildly. The Dolls had run in as well, their souls startled awake. Eye-Deku could feel one yelling medical orders, but he wasn’t sure he was the only one who could hear. But maybe he was, since her Doll quickly moved to get the nun up.
The nun yelled, “THE PROTEGE IS HERE, THE PROTEGE IS HERE!!! CHAOS BLOOD FUNGI LIMINAL HALLS LIMINAL HALLS, HE’S LOOKING HE’S LOOKING ALWAYS WATCHING ALWAYS WATCHING…”
She stopped, suddenly still.
Eye-Deku felt the soul slip away, into its Claimed Realm. Eye-Deku babbled in concern. What was that about? He hadn’t had someone react like that in millennia. And definitely not when he was not in immediate vicinity.
Roscoe whispered, “Father…?”
The Priest walked up. The Doll said, “She-is-dead. Cause-unknown.”
Interesting… this one was more robotic.
The Priest said, “Get her to the Revival Chamber. See if the Goddess will return her to us.”
Revival chamber? So there is a Respawn System of sorts?
The Dolls picked up the nun and walked her out. The Priest looked at Eye-Deku. He now had his suspicions.
So Eye-Deku only sucked his thumb, not willing to reveal his cards yet. Not in a world where he did not know the rules or how to combat things. Or if he needed to—would be nice to get isaeki’d into a world and not have to be its savior.
Unlikely, but you never knew.
The Priest sighed. He said, “I am sorry. Let me deal with this, and then we can finish your son’s registration.”
Roscoe smiled softly. “It’s all right, Father… go ahead.”
The Priest nodded and quickly ran off. Art and Roscoe walked off. Roscoe whispered, “What was that about?”
The hate and bitterness was in his voice. Art said, “Probably the Commander making sure we don’t come back.”
Roscoe growled. He hissed, “Like we would consider it!”
“We have to. The Capital has the best school. And as Knights, we are allowed to enroll Eye-Deku in it.”
Eye-Deku perked to hear it. Best school?
And what did this Commander do to his dads?!?
They walked outside. Roscoe said, “I know… but the rest of the Knights will give us hell.”
He huffed and slammed his fist against the fence. “They will even arrange it so that Eye-Deku has a bad time at school! And why?!? Because we saved their asses and they refuse to believe that!”
Art rubbed his back. “…mistakes were made, Roscoe. Now we know that the Goddess is a liar.”
WHAT DID THE GODDESS DO TO HIS PARENTS?!?
FINE SHE HAD AN ENEMY NOW!!!
But first…
Eye-Deku said, “Dada?”
Roscoe broke out of his rage. He smiled at Eye-Deku and took him. He said, “Sorry, baby boy. We’ll figure it out. But I promise, we’ll find a way to give you the best life we can.”
Eye-Deku hugged him. “Dada!”
Art smiled softly. “Let’s go home for now. We will check on things tomorrow.”
