The sleeping baby Lola nestled her face against Zalroth's tail, which he had wrapped around Chronia and Lola. Her parents watched her as she peacefully slumbered and unconsciously wagged her single kitsune tail while Ela (still sitting on Zalroth's shoulders) watched the tip of Lola's tail gleam from the ambient lights.

"Do you think she's asleep enough she won't try to eat the egg?" Chronia whispered to Zalroth as he carried the dragon egg in his hands.

"Does she normally eat things in her sleep?" Zalroth asked.

"You'd be surprised, and her appetite is somehow worse than Minia's.". The duo sat in silence as they watched Lola for a little longer to make sure Lola was fully asleep. Chronia rested her head against Zalroth and smugly sighed.

"But neither of them are as bad as you," Chronia remarked, causing Zalroth to meekly exhale through his nose in a few short bursts.

"I don't think those two things can be compared," Zalroth said as a faint blush formed on his face. Chronia smugly grinned and giggled as she saw Zalroth's minor change in complexion.

"I know, but it was worth saying it to see you make that face," Chronia uttered happily. Zalroth half-heartedly put on a wobbly smile before he slowly moved the dragon egg over to Lola and held it over her. Zalroth gradually lowered the dragon egg to Lola's side, and Chronia reached out and lifted Lola's right hand to the dragon egg.

Chronia placed a finger of her free hand against the back of Lola's hand before she slowly brushed her tip against Lola's hand. The slow movement mixed with how lightly Chronia's finger was pressed against her hand, caused Lola to giggle in her sleep and her hand to emit Shiny Silver qi. Zalroth released one of his lands from the dragon egg before he placed a finger on the back of Lola's hand. Lola's qi began to gather onto the back of Lola's hand and formed into a glowing circle.

The dragon egg was enveloped by a glow matching that of Lola's qi. The light generated from the qi scattered revealing the dragon egg to be gone before a second tail formed next to Lola's original kitsune tail. Zalroth and Chronia exhaled in relief and rested their hands over the back of Lola's hand.

"I don't know what made that more nerve-racking; the possibility of the egg hatching sooner than I foresaw or Lola waking up and then trying to eat the egg?" Chronia remarked before one of Zalroth's kitsune tails booped her on the head, not that she minded as she giggled similarly to a drunk person.

"Odd... I don't remember having a tail next to...," Zalroth thought before he up, causing Chronia to tightly cling to Zalroth's kitsune tail wrapped around her.

"Could you do me a favour and count my tails for me?". Chronia nodded and counted all nine of Zalroth straightened out tails.

"Yep, nine as usual," Chronia stated while she had her hands resting on Zalroth's curled-up tail.

"Did you count the one around you?" Zalroth asked with an unsurprised tone.

"Oh... forgot about that one, so ten then.". The duo remained silent before Zalroth glanced back at Chronia.

"I thought you would've freaked out like when I got my ninth tail," Zalroth remarked. Chronia tiredly sighed as sunk a little into Zalroth's kitsune tail wrapped around her.

"I was about to, but then my body reminded me how tired I was, so I'll wait until I'm physically capable of being excited again," Chronia said as her eyelids slowly descended until they fully covered her eyes as the dark rings around them grew slightly darker. Zalroth lifted Chronia and Lola from the medical bed and placed them together on his kitsune tails behind him. Zalroth gazed upon the pair as they peacefully slept, and he contently smiled.

"Would you like a few more days before I give you the assignment?" Ela asked as they clung to Zalroth's head like a strapped helmet.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Is the situation dire?" Zalroth asked.

"World ending dire, then no; planet ending dire, yes," Ela stated.

"I see, so would you like to give me a run down?" Zalroth asked. Ela nodded.

Ela explained to Zalroth there was going to be a boat heading to an island which, until recently, was incapable of being accessed due to extreme weather around the island; however, due to having the correct phase of the moon, year, and time of day the island will be accessible.

"And let me guess either: the people going to the island are going to find something which could destroy the planet, or something on the island is going to use the boats the visitors use to finally escape the island?" Zalroth asked with a smug tone. Ela was silent, but they lightly squeezed Zalroth's face, which told Zalroth all he needed to know.

"Woah, to think I'd get two strikes... um... rogue god-like beings?" Zalroth asked without a hint of faith in his third answer; however, after a few seconds of not having his face squeeze, Zalroth glanced into the reflection of himself in the window, which didn't show Ela apart from her ball of light.

"So, where's the island?" Zalroth asked with a stoic tone.

"In another world," Ela stated boldly, causing Zalroth to flinch and his stoic demeanour to melt away.

"Should've figured as much," Zalroth remarked as he rubbed the back of his head. Ela remained silent and lightly hugged Zalroth's head as she felt slightly guilty for asking this of Zalroth, given Lola was only born a year ago.

"Don't worry about it, Ela, it is my job at this point... but I do have a request," Zalroth stated. Ela tightened her grip on Zalroth's head.

"Ok... I'll... fulfil your request," Ela stated, catching Zalroth off guard.

"But I didn't even... oh, right, you got omnipotence like the god incarnates of Truth and Knowledge," Zalroth remarked playfully as he placed his hands on his hips.

"You don't mind if I inform the others about us disappearing for however long this assignment will last?" Zalroth asked. Ela shook her head.

"No need. Ester is informing your twin as we speak," Ela explained.

"Oh, then there's no time to waste!" Zalroth proclaimed. Ela nodded before the ball of light in her chest glistened and filled the medical ward in a blinding white light. The light faded revealing Zalroth and co had disappeared. At the medical beds at the end of the medical ward, two sick servants of the mansion stared at where Zalroth previously stood.

"I didn't know Master Zalroth could teleport," one of the servants said.

"Maybe it was the person he was talking to who teleported him," the other servant replied.

"Yeah, that makes more sense.".

Meanwhile, Zalkutaro (sitting on Jeslyina's head in his small adult kitsune form) nodded to Ester (the concept of Stability) before Ester disappeared. Abigail glanced up at her parents before she scratched her head. (Ester's a football-sized ball of light which physical space around it bends and contorts into the shape of an adult male with large tree root-like wings made of aether that constantly grows leaves with crumble away before growing back again)

"Papa, who are you talking to? There's no one there," Abigail asked.

"Oh, just your uncle's invisible alien friend," Zalkutaro replied nonchalantly. Abigail remained silent and motionless for a brief second before her brain exploded.

"Uncle knows aliens!" Abigail exclaimed, causing Jeslyina to giggle cheerfully.

"Although I wish I could have the opportunity to explore another world as a holiday," Jeslyina said with a disappointed tone. Zalkutaro hopped off Jeslyina's shoulder and transformed into his humanoid form (without kitsune ears and ten tails).

"Well, Ester did say if you can find someone to act as an acting Demon Lord, then they would send you and Abigail to where Zalroth was sent," Zalkutaro stated.

"Oh," Jeslyina uttered before she placed a hand on Zalkutaro's shoulder.

"Then you're in charge while we're gone," Jeslyina stated, followed by her giving Zalkutaro a cheeky wink. Before Zalkutaro could respond, Abigail and Jeslyina were swiftly encased by a blinding white light, and, in a flash, the duo was gone. Zalkutaro stood in the hallway by himself and scratched the back of his head.

"... didn't think she'd be so quick to decide...; she must've been severely overworked," Zalkutaro remarked before he placed his hands in his trousers pockets and walked off.