I felt like someone hit me in the stomach.

  A few months ago the idea of children was something that hadn’t even crossed my mind. Sure, I’d always thought that once I became somewhat known as an Adventurer, I’d get married and have a kid or two, but that was something I wasn’t planning on thinking about until I was in my forties.

  I was still eighteen and now I was about to sign away my unborn child from a woman I hadn’t even slept with yet to a Goddess. It felt like something out of a fairy tale.

  “Since you’re not the prime, it’s not unheard of.” Trent cleared his throat. “Especially if it’s two heirs who don’t wish to fully merge their houses.”

  “Harror doesn’t want the Alards to leave her city, but she wants them tied to a powerful ally.” Ether nodded. “And it’s smart, because it ensures that you won’t just take her biggest supporters with you to the city you make.”

  “Smart for us?” I blinked.

  “Not really, but it’s smart for her.” Ether looked at Gesai. “It also ensures that there won’t be any infighting between our children since they won’t be vying for a singular position.”

  “But it would force me to relocate here eventually.” Gesai lowered her arm.

  “Which isn’t that far from where Atlas will set up his city.” Trent tilted his head. “And it wouldn’t be until your father either dies or gets too old to lead, which gives you an easy fifty years.”

  “It sounds like you think it’s a good deal.” I looked at my father.

  “There are definitely worse ones.” Trent smirked. “I’m sure there are a few loopholes you’ll be able to think of along the way.”

  “It sounds like you’ve already thought of a few.” I chuckled.

  “Maybe.” Trent’s grin grew. “But the point is, if you don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to, but that means you’re going to have to wait until I can get another God to make me one of those modifiers and they’re going to want to bargain for something as well.” He looked between us. “And what they ask for might not be so easy.”

  Trent held up his hands. “So use it, or don’t; the choice is yours.” He opened the door. “But if you do use it, don’t stay up too late.” We’re heading out in the morning and only stopping at the Cathedral long enough for me to have a face-to-face with Mavery, then we’re heading right back out.”

  Without another word, he slipped through the door and left the three of us standing awkwardly on the roof.

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  “Well…” I took a deep breath. “What do you think?”

  “It’s a lot.” Gesai looked over at me. “And it’s a lot to ask you.”

  “I’m already connected to your family through you and Justia.” I shrugged. “So if that’s what you’re worried about, then you don’t have to.”

  Ether smacked the back of my head.

  “OW!” I rubbed my head and turned to look at her. “What’d you do that for?”

  “She’s talking about how eventually she’d have to come back here to run the hospital.” Ether sighed. “You can be really dense sometimes.”

  “Oh.” I looked at the silver woman. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t thinking that far out.” I took her hands. “So what do you want to do?”

  “Want to do?” Gesai rolled the marble between her fingers.

  I took a deep breath. “Trent seems to think that we can figure it out if we go down that path.” I glanced over at Ether. “And it’s not like Harror is wanting us to give her our child.”

  “She is, sort of.” Ether countered. “Just once they’re an adult, not as a teen.”

  “True.” I opened my mouth, then shut it. Any child we had would be a Nephilim since I was a God class and Gesai was an Adventurer. Which would mean that travelling back and forth between Gar and Harror would be very dangerous for them to do on a routine basis. Also, once I became a God with my own city, travelling to the other God’s cities would be on an ‘emergency only’ basis, which meant that as soon as my child came here, I would barely get to see them.

  “Maybe we can do something with the Dungeon Seeds to connect the two places.” I shook my head as I realized that I was talking about Gar like it was already my city. I couldn’t imagine having to fight the mother that I’d never known like we’d had to fight Wurn. Though after fighting the Demons in Mive’s Mantle, I felt a little better about my chances if I had to redo the fight with the dead God.

  “Didn’t Trent say that we shouldn’t be thinking about those?” Ether shook her head.

  “Just because they’re above our Tier right now doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t think about them.” I looked at Gesai. “I think the point here is that this is now. Lots of things could happen in the future.” I waved my hand at the large tree in the distance. “This might all be gone next year. Who knows what’s going to happen in the future? All we have is right now, so if my father thinks we can figure something out in the future, I say to let the future worry about itself. What do you want right now?”

  Gesai lifted the white marble and stared at it, then placed it on her CB. The marble melted into the crystal around her wrist. She turned her arm around, then looked at me. “I don’t feel any different.”

  “Try looking in your menus.” Ether prompted. “See if there’s a new option or something.”

  “I don’t… Oh! Here it is.” Gesai bit her lip. “Let’s see, you’re level five, so— blurg!”

  She ran to the edge of the roof and emptied her stomach over the side.

  “That was… fast.” Ether walked over to the other woman and rubbed her back. “Are you okay?”

  Sweat beaded on Gesai’s forehead as she turned around. Her eyes weren’t as bright, but they were focused on me with an insatiable hunger. A smile crossed her face as she wobbled towards me. “Nothing a shower won’t fix.”

  “Then I think I’ll leave you to it.” Ether backed away and then headed towards the door. She paused as she opened it. “Remember what Trent said. Don’t stay up too late.”

  The look on Gesai’s face told me that we definitely were about to stay up too late.

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