Becca is the best.

Gone is the perpetual teenager to make way for adulthood. She talks to me. She listens to me. She even has her own opinions that she tells me.

No scowls, eye rolls or irritated huffs and no storming off to smash the drums. However, The Oncoming Storm can still belt out a banging beat as she showed me. Listening to her play and watching her excitement as I did so was heartwarming.

Watching my Dragons grow, as I do with everything I summon, makes me feel motherly and proud. Or at least these are the feelings I'm attributing to that occurrence. I didn't have children of my own when I was still human as I was in the prime of my life and what I have now are the closest examples to it I'll ever have, so why not? Everyone I've summoned - the people I call family are exactly that, my family.

Daughters and sons in the thousands. No, in the tens of thousands. Damn, I've been busy.

Damn. I should have told that one to Me. Never mind, I'll tell him later.

Speaking of Me, he and his sister, as well as their annoyingly childish, third cousin removed Sis, are more like extended family members. Sub-siblings if you will.

I didn't exactly create them per sé and you can be damned if you think I'm calling Sis, Mom!

Fuck that.

I don't need a bat-shit crazy person like that as my parental point of authority. Hell to the no, not happening.

Bringing my focus back to Becca as she finishes her solo, I applaud loudly before looking to my left. Sis is clapping away too, but in a less-than-gracious fashion. Yeah, no. She's definitely the third cousin removed. Maybe even the fifth.

"I can't believe how good you are on those drums. I'll have to make a special set for you if you're good."

"I'm not a child anymore, Mother."

Oh my Core. Did she really just say that? Don't cry. Don't cry, Abi.

"O-Of course not. I don't know what I was thinking. I just... Missed your early moments because you hated me."

"I didn't hate you. It was difficult for me to control my emotions. I wanted your love. I just... Couldn't stand it at the same time." Yeah. Hate sort of fits the bill, there, Becca.

"We're past that now anyway, so don't worry." After the others have passed that phase, there will never be another Rebellion Dragon again so there won't be any more worries on that front.

"Anyway. I was thinking that once I've reached the elven capital, we can have a holiday of sorts. Me, you and the triplets. What do you think?" I pose the question in slight anticipation but am relieved at her response. And slightly shook.

"That sounds wonderful, Mother. Just the five of us?"

"And Bear. Violet doesn't go anywhere without her mount and the elves have already permitted her to bring him. Amber is looking forward to eating them out of their reserves and Blondie can't wait to find out everything there is to know about elves. To be honest, those three will probably end up doing their own thing leaving me and you to bond," I pause as words get trapped in my throat.

"M-mother and d-daughter, time." I flush. Is it hot in here? Must be all the Dragons in the Daycare.

"That sounds amazing. I can't wait." Becca takes me in her arms and holds me tight. Not tight enough that I can't move and I reciprocate the gesture and what it stands for. The Oncoming Storm is almost as happy as I am now that we can finally talk without the awkwardness.

That said, I have other things to get on with and can't spend the rest of my day with her.

Or can I?

"Come on, Becca," I say before grabbing her hand and porting away. The contact is unneeded, but it made it seem like we were escaping from Sis' evil clutches so it was cool as hell.

I saved the maiden from the malevolent system of childishness and begrudgery. Although the maiden might not have wanted to come to the semi-finished wall that was next on my to-do list.

Erm?

"Mom? Why are we here?" Oh my Core, her words keep giving me goosebumps.

"I just thought I'd bring you with me today, but I'm now realising that my jobs aren't the most glamorous." I let her know what I was thinking, silly as it is.

"I know what work you do. Sis told me. All of it is important. That's why everyone tries their best to follow your example." Becca throws me off with her statement. I honestly thought it was the other way around. I was putting in more effort recently so that it didn't seem like I was slacking off compared to the rest of my family. Yet Becca says they're working that hard to follow my example?

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How did they manage to come to that conclusion? Surely they don't all think that? If they do, maybe I'm giving them a little bit too much credit.

"Sure?" I answer with as much confidence as I can muster. "We can do something else today if you want. It's not like the wall will be finished anytime soon and what points I don't spend now will just go on more land later so it's no biggie."

"I don't mind watching you improve the wall," just hearing those words suck the life out of me. Why can't I upgrade these damn bricks any faster?

My mind drifts to Aura. The Elf that had once played prisoner to another of her kind. How does a princess end up in that situation? Also, from what I've heard, the power-crazed elf wasn't her first owner either.

Still, that's an Aura problem and potentially a problem for future Abi. Although it might not be. It would be great if Edwan just managed to forget he'd seen her. A quick check of my overview shows that that's not the case and before I can stop myself, The Oncoming Storm and the world's only momma Dungeon Core arrive to help one of her adopted children.

That's what I'm rolling with for contracted monsters. Although Aura is anything but a monster and, technically, she might be older than I am if you include the time skip. However, that elf's got game and I'm surprised she doesn't have suitors lining the street professing their love for her. Then again, a princess's standards must be quite high.

Outside Ali's, as Aura and the elven procession don't get far, every elf other than the redheaded soothsayer is on their knees. Aura looks more embarrassed than we do as myself and Becca stand witness to yet another of Varona's strange spectacles.

Realistically, I shouldn't even be surprised. It's probably about that time that princesses make their way into my life, right? Wrong! That's the last thing I want. Peace and tranquillity are what I damn well need, but where are they?

I shouldn't have disappeared earlier after overhearing the elves and to be honest I don't know what I was thinking. I was just pumped to spend some quality time with Becca but look where that got me. Elves revering other elves in a predominantly human city. Not that it irks me and if anything I'm happy with how well our equality and diversity plan is going as other people stop to watch. Not with scornful glares or racist attitudes, but out of curiosity.

In any other city - well, any other human city I should say, this act would at least be frowned upon. Humans and elves, for reasons that are lost on me, have been at each other's throats for centuries. Only in Varona can you find both species mingling with each other merrily. Not to forget the street-strolling human-turned-goblins or the Dragons peacefully occupying the sky above.

As I make my way to Aura, she utilises the dungeon connection and asks me to stop. Wanting to handle her own business will get no complaints from me. Hell, I'm all about that. Unless the person handling them is me that is. Crack on, girl.

In elvish, Aura speaks a single line out loud to the whole procession. Immediately after, Edwan and his men stand up and immediately take their leave. Not fully understanding their language, I didn't catch every word she said but the gist was, "Get lost or else I'll see you demoted so low you'll wish you never saw me."

Or something like that. Either way, it was enough that they decided to head home faster than planned and that was the end of that. We didn't even need to show up really. Still, it was quite a spectacle watching Edwan bolt off like that, poor guy.

Aura smiles at Becca and me before going about her day. Edwan and his troops do nothing to knock the free spirits' confidence, even after outing her as a royal. Then again, it's not like humans can speak elvish so she probably thinks she's in the clear. I'll ignore the fact that I can partially understand the language of the elves. I could do without Aura being all huffy about me knowing her secret. It's not like I'm going to tell anyone.

Yeah, I'll certainly keep that one to myself.

"So, Becca. What shall we do then? I'm not really feeling wall upgrades now. Is there anything you want to do?" Watching Aura disappear around the corner, more than likely off to another one of her meetings, I ask my doting daughter to think up an activity for us.

She thinks it over before replying," Well, I haven't been flying in a while and I haven't even transformed since my evolution. Maybe we could try that?"

"That's not a bad idea," I reply while moving the two of us outside Varona's wall. I'm rather curious to see if there are any differences after her last upgrade. So far all the dragons are black when they transform into their larger form, probably because they all originate from the Black Dragon that I absorbed. Still, it would be nice to get some aerial diversity going on.

"Alright. Let's see what you've got, Becca." On my go, The Oncoming Storm grows larger. Her skin pales before turning completely white and streaks of purple lightning run down her limbs. On top of her head, horns protrude from her skin in the shape of a crown.

Now that's royalty I get behind.

Once she's finished growing, Becca is taller than the wall surrounding my city. Monstrously tall and I almost can't believe my eyes. As she unfurls her gigantic wings my jaw drops in awe. Running down the thin membrane are hundreds of neon thunderbolts. Not still patterns, but magical symbols moving through her anatomy.

I'm lost for words as I stare at the largest of my daughters. She's so big that I could have parked her in front of the demon's portal and that would have been the end of that. Either that or she could have opened her mouth by the entrance and had an all-you-can-eat buffet.

"Climb on, Mother," she says through our link, her voice is the same soft tone as her human self, belaying what one would expect from her much larger appearance.

Not that I even notice. I'm floating on air right now. Me! Ride a Dragon? Fuck yeah, I will.

I don't waste time climbing however and I port to the centre of Becca's head in a flash. The crown of horns is like my own personal enclosure from where I can view the world. As soon as I'm on, Becca pushes off with her mighty wings and in seconds we're barrelling through the sky at insane speeds.

I wasn't prepared for that. Nor was I prepared for what happened right after, but then again, when am I ever? Becca was moving so fast that before I could shout about the incoming barrier, the invisible walls that dictate where I can and can't go, she flew straight through it.

I'm not averse to trying new things, but being knocked out of my own body as it continues on a joy ride through the sky with my daughter was not a pleasant feeling. The body I created for myself, as with every other I summon, can leave the dungeon-owned land a piece of cake. I, however, can not and it puts a little downer on my day.

Not enough to make me inform Becca of the awkward happenstance. The Oncoming Storm is enjoying herself too much, flying in and out of the areas I own and enjoying the childhood she missed out on.

What a cutie.