One year had passed since the event.
The world has changed completely since then.
Superhuman feats had become part of everyday life, and magic-based technology had started to develop.
This had caused many problems in the world, and Damian had simply sat back and observed while living his life.
With magic taking the lead, fossil fuels, which were already in a difficult situation due to more advanced energies, suddenly took a fatal blow.
Tony, who had seized the opportunity, had developed and patented a lot of magical technology.
His main invention was magical batteries, devices that varied in size but had the particularity that they could be charged with magic very easily.
The applications were numerous, from phones to motorcycles, and cars; as long as you had magic, you could charge your own devices.
Countless companies around the world went bankrupt, and new ones rose, adapting to the new markets.
Many things had happened in that year, but none of them mattered to Damian at that moment.
At that moment, the Madripoor palace was much more guarded than usual, and visitors were not allowed.
The whole family was gathered for the imminent birth of the new family member.
Natasha was reclining on a comfortable sofa with a large belly, her eyes filled with excitement and curiosity wondering what their baby would be like.
For everyone, including Damian, the baby's gender was a mystery since they hadn't tried to find out; they wanted it to be a surprise.
"Well, the little one really wants to make us wait," Sophia said, smiling faintly.
"Maybe it's a bit shy," Monica added.
"Can you stop filming me?" Natasha said, looking annoyed at Monica.
"No, we need to document my new little brother or sister's birth properly," Monica replied, continuing to point the camera at her.
"This reminds me of when I had my little Alice," Carol said, smiling faintly.
"Wasn't it a bit cruel to send them to school even though their sibling was about to be born?" Monica turned the camera to Carol.
"You weren't even there when your sisters were born, and I don't think it would have been a pleasant experience for three little girls to witness," Carol shrugged.
"Come on, hurry up and come out," Ana said, poking Natasha's stomach, which seemed like it was about to burst.
"Don't rush it; it'll come out when it's ready," Natasha said, patting Ana's hand.
"The master said it would surely come out today, isn't that why we're here? You should hurry it along," Cortana said, resting her hand on her chin and looking at Natasha's large abdomen.
"Stop harassing my baby; if you don't want to be here, you can all leave," Natasha said, annoyed.
"Hey! I haven't even said anything," Ophelia said, looking up from her phone.
Several minutes passed as the family chatted or joked about the situation when Natasha's face suddenly changed, and a stream of water flowed between her legs.
"Damn, what is this?" Natasha said, suddenly feeling pain as her hands inevitably went to her belly.
"Oh, it looks like it's time," Carol said excitedly, approaching Natasha.
"Damn! This really hurts," Natasha said, gritting her teeth. Why did it have to hurt? She was a vampire.
Damian approached Natasha and gently kissed her hair before taking her in his arms and carrying her to a birthing bed.
"Come on, honey, spread your legs," Carol whispered in Natasha's ear.
"Don't bother," Natasha said, pushing Carol's face away in exasperation.
"This isn't a show; let me give birth in peace," Natasha said, seeing everyone staring at her intently.
"Come on, girls, give her some space; remember when you were in the same situation," Sophia said, ushering them aside as she put on gloves.
Sophia had studied about it, so she decided to handle the baby's birth, better her than for some doctors.
She quickly took care of all the necessary things and checked Natasha's condition.
The next few minutes were of Natasha pushing as the baby's head started to come out.
As soon as the head emerged, everyone immediately looked curiously at the baby's hair color, and upon seeing it, they all turned to look at Damian.
"What!? Don't just stare," Natasha said through gritted teeth while pushing.
Sophia quickly supported the baby's head before helping it out.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
The baby came out relatively quickly when Sophia took him in her arms, looking at him with a big smile.
She quickly cleaned him up and wrapped him in a soft blanket.
The whole group of women surrounded Sophia as they looked at the new family member; their gazes immediately went downward, and they chuckled softly upon seeing his uncovered parts, finally discovering the gender.
"It would also be interesting to see a girl with your hair; it's a shame," Ana said, smiling faintly.
"Cough, sorry, can I see my baby?" Natasha said, sitting up in bed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Sophia said, smiling faintly before approaching Natasha and handing her the baby.
Natasha extended her arms eagerly and finally took a look at her baby's face.
Her hand reached out and gently stroked his silver-blue hair, very similar to his father's.
A big smile couldn't help but spread across her face when suddenly a tear fell on the baby's cheek.
Natasha quickly extended her hand and wiped his eyes, looking up, she saw Damian beside her, looking at her with a loving smile.
Damian leaned in and wrapped an arm around Natasha before pulling her gently towards him.
Feeling Damian's warm embrace, the tears she had been holding back immediately started to flow down her eyes, before joining this family, she never thought she would have her own children.
Seeing the tender moment, the other women immediately approached and also hugged Natasha, more than one secretly wiped their tears so no one would see them.
"So, what name are we going to give the little one?" Carol asked, looking at the little baby who was almost a small copy of Damian.
"Nathaniel," Natasha said seriously.
Everyone fell silent and looked at her speechless.
"Sweetie..." Damian said with a hesitant expression before being interrupted.
"We'll call him Nate for short," Natasha said, smiling as she looked at her baby.
"You're the boss," Damian said, smiling slightly as he shook his head.
"He's really adorable," Ana said, looking at the baby affectionately.
Damian looked at the baby, who curiously looked back at him. He wondered what it would be like now that he had a son.
"Come on, don't just stare at him; hold him," Natasha said, laughing slightly and handing the baby to Damian.
Damian and the baby just looked at each other silently, much to the amusement of the other women in the room.
Looking at the familiar hair color, Damian wondered if only the men in his family would inherit it.
The baby seemed quite energetic as his legs and hands moved curiously, grabbing Damian's clothes.
Damian chuckled softly as he looked at him; he admitted he was quite adorable.
"Let me hold him," Carol said impatiently, carefully taking him from Damian's arms.
Natasha got up from the bed with a slight sigh; her body had regenerated incredibly quickly, so it didn't really look like she had just had a baby.
"Let's go outside; I'm sure Yelena and Melina are anxious to see him," Natasha said, smiling at her little baby before taking him back from Carol.
Looking at the little baby, she gently stroked his head, having waited so long for his birth.
Walking towards the door of the room, it opened by itself, immediately drawing the attention of everyone outside who stood up.
Yelena, Melina, and Alexei were the first to approach and surround Natasha.
"Whoa, he's like a mini Damian," Yelena said, stretching her fingers and pinching the baby's cheeks.
"What an adorable baby," Melina said, smiling slightly.
"His hands grip tightly; he'll surely be strong when he grows up," Alexei said, pulling the finger the baby was holding onto.
Suddenly Natasha found herself surrounded by several young girls who were also curious about the baby.
Natasha smiled at the girls; they had fully adapted to life in Madripoor and had become a family.
They were practically her sisters, although her relationship with them wasn't as good as with Yelena.
Everyone stayed there for several hours as the poor baby changed from one pair of arms to another before Natasha finally went to her room to feed him.
When Natasha left, Yelena, Melina, Alexei, and the girls also said goodbye and went back home.
With a bit more peace, the whole family except Natasha and the baby remained in the living room.
Mónica had her phone while reviewing the recording with Cortana.
"Darling, I feel like having one," Carol said, looking at Damian.
"Then it's time for you to make an effort," Damian said, smiling at her.
"Right here?" Carol asked playfully.
Damian was immediately defeated and had nothing to reply.
"At last, a son of yours actually looks like you," Ana teased Damian.
"I recall you saying you preferred girls; how about now that you have a son?" Ophelia asked Damian.
"We'll see as he grows," Damian said, not wanting to comment further, although, in his heart, his daughters were the most adorable.
Damian gave a quick kiss to Carol, Ana, and Ophelia before getting up and going to Natasha.
He appeared by her side in an instant; she was breastfeeding the baby while gently rocking him.
"How are you feeling?" Damian asked, sitting next to her.
"Fine, thank you," Natasha said, leaning against Damian and whispering softly in his ear.
"You know you don't have to say thank you between us," Damian said, giving her a soft smile before kissing her forehead.
Damian spent the rest of the day with Natasha, both enjoying the moment.
...
The next day, Damian appeared directly in the depths of the underground laboratory, right at the core of the system.
The place had changed quite a bit, with many personal things belonging to Cortana.
Damian's gaze was inevitably drawn to the hologram of the Milky Way that hovered above him.
Sensing Damian's presence in the room, Cortana also immediately appeared there.
"How are things going?" Damian asked, taking a seat and looking at Cortana.
"Stable, no Celestials have come snooping, although many different races have," Cortana said.
"The usual; they seek ways to increase their power," Cortana shrugged.
"Hm, and the Celestials aren't the most accessible beings either," Damian nodded.
"It's really satisfying to see it," Damian lifted his head and looked at the hologram.
The hologram showed Earth and a circle around it, which was the system's area of influence.
This area had almost covered a quarter of the galaxy.
"Yes, I estimate it will take around 12 months to cover the entire galaxy," Cortana said, of course, this was as long as the speed didn't increase.
"With your current power, how do you think you would fare against Arishem?" Damian asked her.
"It's hard to say; I could block space to prevent him from teleporting away, but without the Power Stone, there's little I could do to harm him. Still, I could easily prevent him from reaching Earth," Cortana said, her capabilities increase the closer she is to the system's core.
"It's enough; at least we have a secure base now," Damian nodded, feeling relieved.
It was also possible that the Celestials already knew about the matter but didn't pay it much attention. Even if that were the case, he was content. They'd be like frogs in boiling water; by the time they realized, it would be too late.
"In fact, we already know where the Power Stone is; why don't I set a price for the orb? Surely, someone would bring it to us," Cortana smiled at Damian.
"Sure, I'll also send Monica for the Power Stone," Damian said; she had been bored on Earth for some time and wanted to go out.
"That sounds good," Cortana nodded.
"How about 2 billion credits?" Cortana looked at Damian; money was literally just a number for them.
The amount of money they made with Knowhere was absurd.
"With that amount of money, few will resist," Damian nodded slightly; it could also entertain Monica.
"It seems it's time for breakfast," Damian said, lifting his head as he felt the magical pulse.
"Let's go then," Cortana nodded, clinging to Damian's arm.
Both appeared in the dining room where the whole family was already gathered.
His three daughters were around Natasha, looking at their new little brother.
The night before, they were so excited to see their little brother that Natasha had to sleep with them next to the baby.