MY AINA

The uproar in the Fawkes family didn't seem to have anything to do with Leonel at all. He had already gone back to his courtyard and was busy spending time with his wife.

She insisted on keeping her secrets, so his Dream World became a hub for housing both girl and boy names. The very same Dream World that was practically a nightmare for his enemies became a useful dream projection for his wife to cross off names she didn't like and add ones that she did.

Leonel didn't even get an input. Inside, he just sat smiling to the side as her beautiful face was scrunched up with seriousness.

"None of these feel unique enough."

"Oh god, no," Leonel said with a chuckle.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to name our baby something stupid like 'X Marks the Spot,' do you?"

Aina sputtered. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you think we can count as celebrities now?" Leonel suddenly asked, seemingly changing the topic.

"… I guess so?" Aina blinked, not quite understanding. They were certainly well-known enough. The only difference was that rather than being known for entertainment, they were known for other things like their talent and combat skill.

Well, actually, Leonel might be known a little bit for his entertainment. She had seen his taunts toward the world and their powerhouses go viral more than once even though he didn't seem to pay much attention to it.

And technically, if she was going to add him, she counted as well, considering she was on several rankings for her beauty alone.

When she looked at things that way, it was hard to say that they were anything other than celebrities… just in a different time.

Leonel grinned. "I've heard celebrities catch this unavoidable disease."

"Huh?"

"It's a disease where they name their kids ridiculously, scarring them for life."

"Leonel!" Aina's face blushed. Suddenly, she realized that she really was about to go down that route. Almost immediately, she waved a hand and crossed off names like 'Heaven' and 'Blue.'

Leonel laughed so hard he almost fell off the bed they shared.

He understood Aina, though. She wanted to put a lot of care and affection into this baby, and she wanted their name to reflect that. But it was extremely difficult to come up with names that could embody that sort of care and affection when there would almost certainly be someone else that fit that criteria.

Who knew, maybe celebrities only went so far for selfish reasons, wanting their babies to become an extension of their marketing. But Aina certainly didn't want such a thing, or to even be associated with such a thing.

"Stop laughing," Aina pouted, pinching Leonel. "How can you do that when I'm carrying your baby? You need to be nicer to me."

Leonel only laughed harder. Aina lugged around an ax that probably weighed heavier than a moon in her hand all the time. Their baby would be ten pounds even on its heaviest side. The logic was hilarious to him.

"Oh my, I'm sorry," Leonel held up his hands in mock surrender. "I apologize, you're doing something that only you can do… well, you and half the rest of the population."

"Leonel Morales!"

"Oop."

Leonel dodged and ran, flashing around the Abode Setting of the Segmented Cube. However, after a few seconds, he felt that something was wrong.

'Hm?'

Leonel flashed and returned to Aina's side. She was still running after him with a smile on her face, but…

She was too slow.

Aina was a bit startled when he suddenly appeared, but the concern in his eyes made a bit of her smile vanish.

"Are you okay?" Leonel asked.

Aina blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Your speed…"

"Oh, that." Aina's smile returned. "It's not a big deal. My body strength comes from using my Blood Force as a vessel for a lot of Life Force. I've directed most of that to the baby now."

Leonel stared at Aina seriously and then he nodded.

Aina had already told him that she would likely be weak for a while, but he didn't expect it to be this soon. He thought it would be much further down the line. owns all content.

It was only now that he realized that this wasn't a matter of the pregnancy at all, but rather Aina's personal choice. She could very well still tap into her greatest strength, but she didn't want to because of the baby in her belly. She was already giving everything to it.

Leonel stroked her hair gently, feeling somewhat bad for his earlier words.

"Are you going soft on me?" Aina asked with a giggle.

"You aren't any other woman, you're my Aina, my wife," Leonel replied. It was hard to see how this was a direct reply to her question, but in Leonel's mind, he couldn't have been more direct.

He wrapped his arms around her. Aina was a bit stunned, but the look in her eyes quickly softened as she nestled her head into his embrace.

"You don't need to worry so much," Aina said softly. "I know you have a lot on your plate. You're right, half the population can carry a baby, and I'm better equipped than 99% of them."

Leonel didn't respond, so Aina continued.

"That said, I am your wife, so I will be taking my privileges as such. I will complain, and you will wait on me hand and foot."

Leonel finally chuckled a bit. "Yes, ma'am."

The two wasted the day away, and then the following days after that as well. They took their time enjoying one another's company, and that of their friends.

They only had one life to live, and there was no need to waste it away stressing about the world's end every waking moment.

A few thousand years was short in the span of Existence itself… but wasn't it still incredibly long to them?

Soon, though, the day of Leonel's trial came.

---