> Ellie PoV <

{She’s pregnant.}

…

I look down at Kira.

Her breathing is getting even more unsteady.

“Nano… you’re sure?” (Ellie)

{Absolutely sure.}

“Kira…” (Ellie)

Tears are now streaming down her cheeks.

“Ellie… I… We finally… *Sob* Finally… *Huck*” (Kira)

“I know.” (Ellie)

I lean in and give her a hug so she can cry all she wants into my shoulder.

This is probably indescribable for her.

She hides it well, but I knew she always regretted not being able to have a child with me.

Nano knew of a way, but we didn’t have the medical equipment on hand.

But even if we did, my gene therapy had progressed too much for that to even help.

I had a 4% DNA divergence when I came to this world.

That’s already at a level where it’s questionable if I was even human anymore.

After Nano advanced my mutation, it spiked to a 9% divergence.

There was no more room for doubt - even with that equipment, I couldn’t have a child with a human.

Half-breeds are scientifically impossible, you see.

So nothing from our world would ever help us.

Even in this world full of magic, such a spell didn’t exist.

“Hwaa, huuuu.” (Kira)

She’s weeping quietly, too weak to even let her emotions flow properly. 

“Nano, when did she…” (Ellie)

{Best guess, during the first day of the year.}

“What makes you say that?” (Ellie)

{She definitely wasn’t pregnant when the 13th month began, and you used the spell on that day only. It’s been two weeks since then so the timing fits.}

“You seem awfully calm about this.” (Ellie)

{Well, I assumed there was a chance considering all the other strange happenings during those two weeks. Also, this was the whole point of that spell in the first place.}

That’s right.

If a spell to help us conceive didn’t exist, we would make one.

A spell which had the ultimate purpose of creating a reality where Kira could bear my child.

That was [Unity].

If we could link our bodies, link our minds, surely something would happen!

Magic is always about vague feelings and force of will, so there was a chance, right?

Such vague hopes were crushed though, it was a failure.

We made love many times under the effect of that spell, but to no avail.

Even if the act itself was more pleasurable, the desired effect was not there.

Eventually we gave up on that idea.

“But… why did it work this time?” (Ellie)

{Titans?}

“Titans.” (Ellie)

“*Sniffle* Titans…” (Kira) 

We both nod in understanding.

Those guys are pretty much top-tier in incomprehensibility.

People call us absurd, and while we’re clearly abnormal, we can’t hold a candle to those guys.

“Kelly.” (Ellie)

{“Ellie? Is Red going to be okay?”} (Kelly)

“For now. Go get a ride from Puff and tell the King we’re taking an unspecified leave of absence due to health reasons.” (Ellie)

We’re technically government workers now, so a little common courtesy is all they’re getting.

{“... That bad, huh? Okay, but I expect you tell all of us what’s going on later.”} (Kelly)

“We will, as soon as we know for sure.” (Ellie)

There are too many questions here, questions that demand answers.

And luckily, we just happen to know a few weirdos that can give us those answers!

“Ariel, you know how to fly this tower, right?” (Ellie)

{“Yes, Mistress!”} (Ariel)

“Go stock up on supplies for a two week trip. We’ll be departing for Ecebis as soon as possible.” (Ellie)

{“Understood, Mistress!”} (Ariel)

We’re going to get to the bottom of this, but we must be prudent.

Winter is upon us, foraging for food on the way is risky.

* * *

“So. Why are you all here?” (Ellie)

When Kelly and Ariel returned, they brought some people with them.

I really should be at Kira’s side in our room, not down here in the living room!

So let’s wrap this up ASAP!

“Personal commission from the king himself, Mrs Quasse.” (Roel)

The cat-folk adventurer bows grandly while he explains.

“His Majesty is deeply concerned about a member of the royal court. My task to assist in any way I can with her recovery.” (Roel)

It’s reassuring to have some back up, but let’s make sure there are no conflicting interests.

“What about the Tournament?” (Ellie)

“It has been postponed for the foreseeable future.” (Roel)

“You’re not mad I ran out like that?” (Ellie)

“Not in the slightest. I am a man of honor. How can I accept a win by default brought on by your loved one falling ill? That referee needs to get his head checked!” (Roel)

Hmm… I see.

He made a huge deal of my disqualification and resigned from the tournament in protest.

“Understood. As… acting leader of [Black Flame], I will be counting on you.” (Ellie)

It wasn’t completely for our sake though.

His goal was to hone his skills in combat and find a disciple who can inherit his techniques, not make a quick profit.

Seems he had his eye on Flatface, but was disappointed at his shameless attitude.

It’s not just Roel though, two other competitors also quit the tournament.

One of them was Brand, who was worried more for Kira’s safety rather than anything else.

He chewed out the referee before making a dramatic exit on Shull’s back while shouting he wasn’t coming back.

The king, who was obviously present at the event, then spouted a bunch of excuses and forced them to postpone it indefinitely.

Half of the contestants dropped out or refused to fight, so he probably thought it would be too boring like that anyway.

When Kelly told him we were leaving later in the day, he appeared to show genuine concern.

So that’s why Brand is coming with us and why Roel is here.

The third, and unquestionably loudest, competitor to leave immediately is the one I’m most curious about.

Let’s make sure of his motives.

“I’m warning you - if your yelling disturbs Kira then I will personally make sure you never talk again.” (Ellie)

Zublos nods at my words.

“So, what are you doing here?” (Ellie)

“*Cough* The boss and me were deeply worried about Kiressara’s health, so we dropped by to check up on her.” (Lara A)

Oh right, the waitress was there as an interpreter.

Her presence is really small considering the other two visitors in the room.

“Wait, dropped by?” (Ellie)

We’re flying some 60 meters up in the air, people don’t just ‘drop by!’ 

“The boss jumped up here! With me in his arms!” (Lara A)

Right, I keep forgetting this idiot has way too much muscle.

“Your avian companion said you were preparing for a journey to get help, so we’re here to ask if we can offer our support in any way.” (Lara A)

“...” (Ellie)

“Don’t misunderstand this, okay? The boss is desperate to make amends for his mistake. That’s all there is to it!” (Lara A)

No, none of us are going to be making the sort of mistake you’re thinking about.

Only you’re weird enough to fall for a guy like that.

{Ellie, we should take them along. He’s one of them Ancient Evil types, right? Even if his words are weird he might have information regarding Kira’s condition.}

Good point.

“Very well. I will be counting on all of you.” (Ellie)

I will be sure to work all of them hard!

It is my duty.

Since I’m the (temporary) leader.

Since I’m the wife.

Since I’m the mother.

Since I’m the father.

At least, I hope I’m the father.

Even if my jealousy flares up, that’s mostly to satisfy my own ego.

I trust Kira unconditionally, there’s no way she’d cheat on me.

But those shady titans are a different matter altogether.

If one of them tried to hijack Kira’s womb, I don’t know how much stabbing I’ll need to do before I will calm myself down.

Well, they won’t die from something like that so I’ll be sure not to hold back should that time come.

* * *

I stare at the unconscious Kira from a nearby chair.

It’s been two days, but she’s still unable to walk or stay awake for very long.

For now we’ve only told the rest of them that she’s very weak and we’re going to get help.

I’m not sure if I want to say anything else for the moment.

Whatever’s inside her clearly isn’t human.

Nano says it’s growing at a rate nearly three times faster than a human being.

If it was just that, then we’d still love it no matter what.

But the real problem is it’s sucking up all her mana.

I don’t know how it relates to her physical condition, but there’s no doubt they’re linked.

I can only supplement her with enough of my own mana so that she doesn’t get any worse.

But that’s just a stopgap measure.

She’s not getting better either.

Spending months like this is out of the question, but we still have no idea what to do about it.

Zublos didn’t have any knowledge about what’s going on with Kira, either.

This sort of situation is completely new to him too.

However, it seems he may be able to alleviate her suffering.

He gave us a list of special ingredients, saying he can make food that aids in mana recovery.

Kira claimed that sort of thing was just an urban legend to hike up the price of hippogryph eggs.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

I’ve noticed it too - this world doesn’t have any methods to aid in mana recovery other than rest.

But if it’s that guy’s cooking, then anything can happen.

He may not be the best adventurer, but his skills as a chef are without question.

We’ll drop by a few towns on the way there and see if we can get any of those.

* * *

I return to Kira’s bedside where I belong.

She notices me approach and turns her head to greet me.

“Hey beautiful…” (Kira)

“Hey Kira.” (Ellie)

She’s smiling with some actual vigor now.

I sit next to the bed and gently put my hand in hers.

Kira’s condition got better ever since we started feeding her Zublos’s recipes.

That Mana Meringue Pie is particularly effective.

It seems there’s a secret to preparing the hippogryph eggs so that their effects will show.

She’s no longer drifting in and out of consciousness and her skin doesn’t feel as cold anymore.

But all this amounts to is nursing.

She’s still too weak to walk and even talking seems to wear her out.

“We’ll… make it there… right?” (Kira)

We were prepared to abandon the tower halfway to our destination and proceed on foot.

The Magic Stone that kept it afloat would run out of fuel eventually.

Kelly and Ariel tried to fill it, but with me and Kira unable to spare any mana, it was a losing battle.

“Of course. You just focus on yourself, I’ll take care of everything.” (Ellie)

Thankfully since we bought up a lot of those ingredients, we all got to eat some of Zublos’s mana-boosting dishes.

That guy is proving to be useful in the wrong way entirely, but I’m not going to complain.

We should arrive in Ecebis tomorrow

* * *

“-and since you’re the only reasonable titan we know, we came to you.” (Nano/Butler)

Kira’s in a wheelchair, and I’m attending to her every need, so Nano volunteered to do the explanations.

“I see… You two really went and did something outrageous again.” (Draglael)

Draglael looks at me and Kira.

At least I don’t need to stare up at her to make eye contact anymore.

Seems she had the dwarves make her a new statue that’s basically their own size.

Being 50-meters tall in a society full of shorties is probably inconvenient.

That particular statue was left in a proud pose outside the hall.

We demanded to meet in private, so we’re currently borrowing part of the senate building.

“Okay, so to answer the first question you lot have - no, it’s not a titan’s child.” (Draglael)

“How can you be so sure?” (Nano/Butler)

“Creating life is not something any single titan can do, you know? To begin with, the lesser ones like me and Umph are completely powerless by ourselves.” (Draglael)

“Lesser ones?” (Nano/Butler)

“Aye, out of the nine of us, there’s three Greater ones and six Lesser ones. You met one of the greats yourself - that old recluse Khamis.” (Draglael)

Come to think of it, he was on a level completely different from Umph or Draglael.

He appeared as an intangible mass of smoke and darkness, not a walking statue.

“And you’d need all three of the big guys to cooperate to create life from nothing. You’d notice those three if they ever gathered, trust me on that.” (Draglael)

I can’t say I really trust her, I’ll have to confirm this with Kelly later just to be sure.

“See, it takes three of them, because there are three major parts to every living being - the vessel, the soul and the mana that binds them together.” (Draglael)

I blink a few times at this revelation.

“But… mana is used in magic… and it runs out…” (Ellie)

“Aye, but that’s the surplus. The overflow. The vessel will not allow the soul to overstep its bounds no matter what, so just flinging fire around won’t get you killed.” (Draglael)

That… explains a lot actually.

Kira’s body is in perfect health, yet she is still too weak to stand on her own feet.

“So if Kira’s mana keeps getting drained away…” (Ellie)

“She might die. Even if she lives through it, I can’t say if she’ll fully recover.” (Draglael)

“...” (Ellie)

“But why is any of this happening in the first place?” (Nano/Butler)

“The reason for that is… that child is incomplete.” (Draglael)

“Please… our child…” (Kira)

No good, she’s getting agitated.

“Shh… Easy Kira. Don’t push yourself.” (Ellie)

I stroke her cheek and whisper to her softly.

“Ellie...” (Kira)

“I got this.” (Ellie)

She visibly calms down.

Let’s see where this titan was headed with that thought first.

“You two accomplished a feat of creation that rivals a titan. Right now, inside that red-haired lady is a vessel made by borrowing the sun’s power during the unstable 13th month. That’s Enuri’s job usually, you know!” (Draglael)

So… the sun can be used as a way of creating living things?

It makes sense, in a way.

Priests are said to borrow the power of the sun to mend flesh after all.

Nano claimed several dozen times it’s not a regular star to begin with.

I guess it’s more accurate to think of it like a gigantic magic tool rather than a mass of burning gasses, huh?

“What about the other two parts?” (Nano/Butler)

“And that, my dear buckethead, is the crux of the issue. What you got there is a third of a person. The lonely vessel is desperately trying to fill the void in its existence.” (Draglael)

“How what do we do? How can I save them both!?” (Ellie)

“You need to find a soul and stuff it in there! Simple, right?” (Draglael)

“Oh yeah! Simple! Let me just go grab some glue and- DO YOU THINK THIS IS A FUCKING JOKE!?” (Ellie)

“Woah! Calm down there missy!” (Draglael)

Ah, my old self showed for a brief moment there.

I should be calm right now, outbursts like that aren’t helping anyone.

But infuriating things are infuriating.

“Sheesh, just wanted to brighten this gloomy mood a little.” (Draglael)

I’ll just stab the titan lady later.

It looks like steel, but it’s closer to flesh, so I’m expecting good results.

“Seriously though, that’s what needs to happen. That gopnik Khamis is still lurking around, so he’s available to do the mana binding. However, we need Skittles for the soul.” (Draglael)

Okay, maybe I should just stab her now.

“... Skittles?” (Nano/Butler)

“Aye, Skittles the Soulforger. The last of the big three. If we’re lucky, she’ll be her friendly self. If we’re unlucky, she’ll be her violent self.” (Draglael)

I see, it’s another titan.

It was my mistake, stabbing will be postponed as planned.

“Violent? I thought titans were pacifists.” (Nano/Butler)

“Most of us, although it’s more of a choice than a law. The thing about Skittles is she refuses to abandon her flesh-and-blood shell. She’s completely bat-poop crazy like that.” (Draglael)

“Then how do we get her help?” (Nano/Butler)

“Like I said, depends on which of her selves is in control right now. If it’s the friendly one, we’re all set. If not, we’d better be prepared for a fight.” (Draglael)

“You’ve been saying ‘we’ for a while now.” (Nano/Butler)

“Course! I’m coming with! You need another titan to guide you if you want to find her, and I’m sure you’d much rather have me do it rather than either of the other two, right?” (Draglael)

“Yes.” (Kira)

“Definitely.” (Ellie)

“Without a doubt.” (Nano/Butler)

“Right, well. With that flying thing of yours, it should take about 3-4 more days to get to Skittles’s place from here.” (Draglael)

“And where would that place be?” (Nano/Butler)

“The frozen part of the continent further north, beyond the Ecebis Mountain range.” (Draglael)

“Understood. Let’s leave immediately.” (Ellie)

“You girls go back to the tower, I want to stock up on warmer clothes. That cold is bound to be much worse than the Winter we experienced so far.” (Nano/Butler)

“Thanks, Nano. Come on Kira. Let’s go save our child!” (Ellie)

She smiles faintly.

“Aye, aye, sir.” (Kira)

> Narrator PoV <

As Ellie wheeled Kira out of the audience chamber, Draglael and Nano quietly watched them leave. Once they were out of earshot, Draglael spoke to the android avatar next to her.

“You didn’t suggest cutting it out of her.” (Draglael)

It was the straightforward, obvious and quick solution.

“Neither did you.” (Nano/Butler)

“As if any self-respecting parent would suggest something like that!” (Draglael)

Indeed, the Steelmother thought of all dwarves as her family. Although every titan was technically a parent, it was only her that took this much direct involvement in the lives of her kin.

“I can relate.” (Nano/Butler)

Draglael’s steel eyelids fluttered several times in surprise.

“You… have kin?” (Draglael)

“Does a blue-haired surrogate daughter count as kin?” (Nano/Butler)

“No. It doesn’t.” (Draglael)

“Too bad. It should.” (Nano/Butler)

Draglael thought about those words. The android’s voice module delivered them in a perfectly calm monotone, but they seemed to resonate deep within her. Four simple words tugged at something within Draglael. 

Too bad. It should.

She had to acknowledge this existence before her. Their interactions were short, but she had gleaned much about its true nature.

A mind that could accept and question something in the same breath. A being that could rival magic without using magic. A living paradox that was not alive.

“Before you go, I wonder if you’ll listen to an old soul’s prattle for a while.” (Draglael)

“I can spare some time.” (Nano/Butler)

It was a simple matter for Nano. It just needed to send another butler-type android to do the shopping. That level of multitasking was child’s play for an AI.

“Then let’s start with a question. Where do you think titans come from?” (Draglael)