Hope you enjoy this chapter! :-D Please Vote o the poll I left at chapter 23! Tomorrow is a POV Chapter of Genbalt and a certain other person.

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Chapter 29 – Watching Over

It has been two years since Lina’s birth… so far this is the events that had happened… first is that we had been teaching Altan, this world’s language as the only word he knows is the word papa… the mystery is how did he learn that word… I’m guessing that when Leo was trapped in the void. That is the only word he taught him… the question is… then why did he call me that instead of Leo? When we saw the child, Leo had a slightly frantic look… I had a bad premonition… well, it can’t be helped… I’ll just use a mind reading artifact…

I returned to my realm to get the artifact, I can’t seem to find it. Suddenly Genbalt entered and greeted me. I asked where is that artifact and it seems that he has it… he apologized for borrowing it without notice and returned it to me. I asked also for what did he use the artifact for and his reaction was… huge amount of cold sweat appeared on his face with a silly grin. He said, it was nothing and it didn’t seem like he was hiding something bad but something embarrassing, judging from his expression. I didn’t ask further and waved goodbye. He just left quickly as fast as possible when he was at his portal he suddenly stopped and spoke without turning around.

Genbalt: Hey Nebulus… what have you been doing recently?

Nebulus: Not much of the sort.

Genbalt: I see… are you having fun recently?

Nebulus: Having fun?

Genbalt: I mean, enjoying yourself.

Nebulus: Yes.

Genbalt: That’s good.

He had a large grin on his face with a relieved expression. I didn’t see it as his back was still facing towards me. Suddenly, his face became serious.

Genbalt: Say Nebulus… are you hiding something from me?

Nebulus: Nothing of the sort.

Genbalt smiled wryly as if expecting my answer.

Genbalt: If so then I’m relieved. Promise me if you ever have yourself in a bad situation, you can always rely on this guy. I am you friend after all.

Nebulus: …I promise…

As he got closer to his portal and waved goodbye but something was peculiar… his expression show that he was happy but there is also something else… it was worry… I sighed as I notice that Genbalt had also noticed something… he was always good when it comes to things like this… he was quite the genius God after all… you can never underestimate his knowledge, as he was taught directly by that father of his after all. He must have noticed that recently, I had spent more time outside my realm. Only he can notice such a thing as he was always the one that visits me. Yet, he didn’t asked the council to locate me at all… he must have known that if he became reckless right now there might have greater consequences if he had chosen to do so.

Well he can be quite reckless at times… I then used my own portal to return to Alxia. I then used the artifact that reads minds, Thought Crystal. What I saw was… an endless abyss. eternal darkness, everything was stagnant… after tons of years had passed by, there was a man… it was Leo. It seems as they were floating inside Atir’s void, they had quite an unexpected encounter.

Altan: Uuuu? U-u-u-uuu!!!

Leo: Eh?

Leo had a silly expression due to his shock and looked at the being in front of him with great curiosity.

Leo: And who might you be?

Altan: Aaa-uuu-uu…

Leo: You can’t talk yet?

Altan: Aaa…

Leo: That Atir!! Even using this cruel magic towards an innocent child! I can’t forgive him!!

Leo exploded in rage at the thought that Atir would even be cruel towards such a child. As he was thinking of such… he noticed something… a child in the void should be impossible… even if his sense of time was not the same anymore, even he can tell that time runs extremely fast here compared to Alxia. He gave company to the child as years passed but the child never grew.

Leo: Hmm… it seems that you cannot grow or is it maybe that there should be a certain condition before you do so…

Altan: Aaawwaaaa-uuuwwuu…

Leo: How cute… you reminded me of Reila, when she was little… Reila…

Leo became teary eyed to the thought that he would never see his family or anyone else again… what he needed was a companion… so he decided…

Leo: Say… why don’t you call me papa?

Altan: ?

Nelus: …

Leo: Come on! Say Pa-pa.

Atltan: Uwaawuu…

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It was as I suspected… it was Leo that taught him the word. Also, again the reason why Altan never grew was their races’ condition is to grow up as their level increases. As they reach level 100 they will reach adolescence and time can now affect them until they reach adulthood, then their aging will stop. Years and years Leo taught Altan that word and I noticed that he was starting to go crazy.

One day… the void shook violently… thus separating those two. My theory is that every time Atir uses his void a reaction will occur in the void which is the tremor. Years passes by and Altan was starting to forget Leo’s image while drifting into the darkness… the only thing he remembered was “papa” that word that was taught to him. For the first time, he had felt loneliness. He cried and cried as sadness took over him. He kept shouting the word over and over again. Until… a light shone above him. Due to the sudden force that pulled him towards the light he loses consciousness. As he opens his eyes, what he saw was… me.

Afterwards I looked at the child in front of me with a slight pity. I caressed his head while he was sleeping. Suddenly he grabs one of my fingers while saying the word “papa” he was still asleep and on his face was an innocent smile.

Nelus: Don’t worry Altan… you’re not alone anymore…

Weirdly, when I said that, I remembered that I was once in a situation like his and then chuckled slightly as like him… I too was not alone anymore. On the next day, I decided to teach Altan… but just like Leo no luck… so I tried something else… I defeated a monster partially while Altan dealt the final hit. His level increased to 14 after months and it seems that he can now understand a part of our language… but only “eat”, ”drink” and such. For now the only thing he can say clearly was “papa” without stuttering or pausing like before. Another set of months had gotten by and now he can crawl. I was proud to see him grow like this. I then asked the king for a request.

It was… once Reila is old enough to learn and attend classes at the school in this city that Altan will also join it. Ciall took a moment to think about it but in the end he agreed. He then told me only if one day that the angel race is in trouble I will help them. I nodded in agreement.

Returning to the present where two years had passed. I then visited Lina. During the past few months, I also took the time to visit her. It seems that whenever I was near her she would smile. When she was crying and I approach her, she would stop. Because of these coincidences. The queen wanted me to stay in the palace but Jisa heavily denied when I told her.

I then decided that I would take some of my time to take care of her and the queen was content with that. Some things also won’t change. Whenever Zala had time, she would challenge me and try to defeat me as she never did acknowledge me winning and will never do so... She is quite stubborn... So far she had been losing but it seems because of the constant challenges she got stronger at an astonishing rate and the others praised her. She just ignored them but when I told her that… she paused and looked down seemingly holding in something as she runs away.

I tilted my head in confusion if there was something that I did wrong. I asked Runice but she just laughed. During nights I tell a story for Lina before she sleeps. Stories about great warriors saving the princess, and such common stories that I read in books before. Her eyes slowly close and she yawned, once I noticed it I pulled out the sheet to cover her as I head out. As the king and the queen noticed me they thanked me.

Ciall: Nelus, thank you for always having the time to look after Lina.

Nelus: It is no problem at all.

Yeuhl: She really is quite close to you I wonder why?

Nelus: …

Ciall: Hmm… say Nelus… 3 years from now, there will be a ball in our palace inviting the other beings of divinity. Why don’t you join us?

Yeuhl: Great idea!

Nelus: I can’t, I’m quite busy these days.

Ciall: Nonsense! Can’t you at least leave a day for the event? (I seem to have the same feeling as before… that something will not go right… I might need someone that I can trust…)

As I noticed the king’s slight change of expression. I sighed and accepted the invitation.

At my sudden agreement,Ciall was startled. He then smiled widely and cheered.

Ciall: Wonderful! I hope that you can dance; my daughters might want to have a dance with you.

Ciall smiled mischievously and walks away.

Nelus: …

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :-D