Deveralna, Olivia, Dramia, and Drania stood up from their seats, leaving the couch available for Karteira and Amelia.


    Without wasting a single second, Karteira picked up her friend in her arms and walked to the couch.


    She gently dropped Amelia on the soft cushions and sat next to her. She placed her head on her thighs without even thinking about it.


    "She''s not looking that good..."


    Olivia frowned as she looked at her face.


    "She was unable to eat for the past three weeks. Amelia can barely keep her consciousness working at this point."


    With a frown, Henrietta walked behind the couch to keep an eye on her daughter.


    "..."


    Someone else wasn''t especially happy to see Amelia in this state. She stood up from her seat and walked toward her.


    Her dark hair wrapped around itself before straightening weirdly, as if it had a will of its own.


    Stella kneeled in front of Amelia and touched her hand.


    "!"


    The shock on her face came from the small reaction Amelia gave. Her skin was rough and white as snow. She was beyond malnourished...


    She was close to dying.


    But it seemed that no one else noticed it, or maybe they tried to avoid speaking about it.


    They probably thought that now that Amelia was conscious, she could eat and recover.


    The truth was that Amelia was too weak to sustain herself at this point. Her eyes could see it.


    "Amelia."


    Slowly, very slowly, her eyes opened. Her thinned face dropped as she looked at the one who called her name.


    "..."


    Her eyes appeared to tremble slightly at the sight of the person next to her, but no words actually escaped her mouth.


    Instead, she lifted her hand.


    "It''s me, Amelia. Stella."


    Stella caught the hand of her first mother figure and pressed her cheek against it.


    "C-Can I..."


    Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to Henrietta. She had no idea how to call her.


    Was Henrietta a stranger, or was she her grandmother? As she pondered, the words came out by themselves.


    Their eyes met, and Stella frowned.


    "Grandma. I want to heal Amelia. Can I?"


    "..."


    The room fell silent at this request.


    "Grandma... Grandma."


    Then, Henrietta smiled while repeating those words. It was the first time she acknowledged having a granddaughter, even if she wasn''t her actual blood.


    "Hm. If you can help Amelia, please do."


    Henrietta nodded gently at Stella with a relaxed expression.


    "Thank you. For trusting me."


    The young lady closed her eyes while still holding Amelia''s hand.


    *SHINE*


    A bright sphere of light erupted from her hands, covering Amelia in the blink of an eye.


    "Light magic."


    Karteira smiled. She was also able to use it, but she could only heal her own injuries and not those of her friends.


    The healing light helped Amelia recover slowly from her exhaustion. It wasn''t as powerful as Orion''s original healing light, but it was sufficient to bring color to the suffering woman''s skin.


    Her heart began to pump blood rapidly, bringing heat to Amelia, who had felt cold until now.


    Amelia''s breathing became more relaxed. Her entire body felt lighter, but she was still in a weakened state afterward.


    As the healing light returned to Stella, Amelia fell asleep on Karteira''s thighs.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "She... looks better."


    Deveralna, who was watching from the side, nodded.


    The face of their friend appeared to be less lethargic. Her breathing was less shallow and more stable.


    Without the malnourished state, Amelia looked more like her usual self than before.


    "All she needs is to rest and eat. She''ll probably be out for a few weeks."


    Senia looked at Henrietta before shyly lifting her arm.


    "I can lower that time to a few days."


    May and the twins glanced at her before pondering.


    "We can all help with that. The most we can do with our current schedule is less than a week."


    Dramia brought her hand to her chin and gave her opinion.


    "If we take care of her while alternating, she won''t feel alone!"


    With an overwhelming smile of joy, Drania agreed with everyone, especially her older twin sister.


    "Amelia was the one who accepted us. She''s our friend and a part of our family."


    Deveralna crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.


    "What else should we do? Cook her something healthy?"


    Olivia entered the conversation with a thinking frown.


    "What about a-"


    The entire family began to quietly discuss ways to help Amelia get better. The ones excluded were Karteira, Stella, Henrietta, and Orion''s parents.


    "Aren''t you going to support them?"


    Reon walked toward his wife and sat next to her.


    "This is a matter they have to deal with. I''m not pretentious enough to bother them."


    Orianne leaned on Reon''s shoulder and looked down.


    "Our son isn''t here... Can you blame me for not feeling a hundred percent myself?"


    "That''s true. Still..."


    Poking her cheek, Reon pointed toward the entrance of the room. When Orianne looked in that direction, she noticed the others staring at her.


    "I think they want to know you better. They''re your daughters-in-law. Have you not been waiting for a chance to talk to them?"


    "..."


    Orianne quietly watched them for a second before smiling.


    "You''re right. I shouldn''t worry about Orion. He''ll be back soon."


    She stood up from the couch and joined with the others, but not before kissing Reon on the cheek.


    With a satisfied smile, Reon saw strands of crimson-colored hair flutter in front of his eyes. Then, Orianne disappeared with everyone in the next room, happily chatting about recipes and food Amelia would like.


    "Sir."


    "Call me Reon. You''re also one of my daughters."


    Karteira, who was respectful in any circumstances, began talking to Reon for the first time.


    "In that case..."


    As he gave his approval, Karteira nodded.


    "Father, can I ask how Amelia''s state was?"


    "Hm."


    He was surprised by her calling him ''father'', but not that much. He accepted it and immediately answered her question.


    "If I have to be honest, it is a miracle her mind was still intact when I''d entered her core."


    "..."


    A deep frown formed on Karteira''s face as she dropped her face to look at her best friend.


    "Orion''s disappearance was... the second most painful moment of my life. For the others, I can''t speak, but for me, it was."


    Reon leaned forward to listen to her words. At the same time, Henrietta sat next to Reon without an ounce of distrust toward him.


    "It brought up an unsavory topic, which almost caused our entire family to disband."


    "Really?!"


    Stella looked at Karteira with shock, still kneeling on the ground in front of her.


    "Things kept piling on us one after the other."


    "Tetra''s death, Orion''s last stand, Amelia''s trauma, your disappearance, and uncertainty about the future."


    "We somehow managed to go through our fears after realizing that Orion was still alive, somewhere."


    Her smile was one of intense relief. None of the women in this house would be able to live without Orion around, but even being aware of his potential survival brought peace to their hearts.


    "Stella."


    Lifting her head, Karteira asked the girl a question.


    "The magic you used earlier, is it from Orion''s elements?"


    "..."


    The two stared at each other for a few seconds, until Stella nodded.


    "That''s what I''ve been made aware of by the elementals. They also told me that Orion was alive."


    "..."


    Karteira smiled dryly.


    "You won''t call him ''papa'' again, right?"


    "It''s... embarrassing."


    Letting out a sigh conveying her conflicted feelings, Karteira nodded.


    "Stella, you certainly grew up fine. Is it because of your time in the elemental realm?"


    She nodded.


    "I''ve learned quite a lot. About my lineage, the power I was entrusted with, and what I wished to do in the future."


    "I would rather not ask..."


    With a worried face, Karteira looked down.


    "But would you assist us in defending this place until Orion comes back?"


    "In all honesty, I would rather you keep being the sweet little girl who ran around unbothered by the outside world. All of us wished for you to grow out of danger, especially Orion."


    Stella nodded with a warm smile.


    "I want to be of use to you. It''s weird for me to say that, but it''s been many years since I''ve left this home."


    "The memories I have of all of you were always warm and welcoming. I worked hard to perfect myself, so I would repay the kindness you''ve given me."


    Karteira and Stella looked into each other''s eyes.


    "I can recall the painful days before meeting Orion, but his fatherly love helped me replace every bad feeling."


    "Amelia''s warm food brought back the smile I thought was lost forever."


    "I remember the hugs each one of you gave me when I had nightmares. I remember when each of you held my hands when we went out."


    "These memories are so precious, I wouldn''t want to forget them even if I could."


    "If you require my help to protect this house and everything around it, then I will support you."


    She stood up with a determined look on her face.


    "You''ve grown splendidly. I wonder what Orion will think after seeing you."


    "..."


    "Why the long face?"


    Stella frowned.


    "I remember... Orion''s dark face from that day."


    She turned to Henrietta, who shuddered as she recalled Orion''s ferocious expression the day Tetra died.


    "I still don''t know what happened."


    "Sit down."


    Karteira pointed her chin toward the third couch in the room.


    "You want to know how Orion fought his last battle? In that case..."


    Henrietta and Karteira both took turns explaining the events of that day to both Stella and Reon. In the other room, Orianne also listened secretly, even through the discussion she had with her daughters.


    ...


    "I see."


    From the beginning to the end, Reon kept his fingers on his chin.


    Stella looked heartbroken but swallowed the pain of hearing her father''s last stand against Miasma.


    "This entire situation is strange."


    Henrietta turned to Reon.


    "Why? Has something caught your attention?"


    He nodded.


    "This battle wasn''t normal by any standards. I think everyone knows it. What strikes me the most is the splitting of Tetra''s source as a Remnant."


    "Not only was it unexpected, but it was also quite impossible to begin with."


    "Hearing about the moments Orianne and I weren''t able to see through the device, I have a better idea and even a guess as to why it happened."


    Abruptly, Henrietta stood up, her eyes shaking.


    "R-Really?"


    "Your reaction confirms it. The entirety of the event wasn''t written in your book, wasn''t it?"


    Slowly, she nodded.


    "I don''t understand."


    Karteira tilted her head, confused.


    "It''s quite simple, really."


    Reon leaned forward, his hands clasped against one another in front of his mouth.


    "Even before Orion began his fight against Miasma..."


    "The anomaly began."


    Stella was the one to ponder next.


    "The anomaly? Are you saying that Orion battled Miasma out of ''Fate''s'' expectations?"


    He nodded.


    "There is one- No."


    Shaking his head from left to right, he explained further.


    "Two variables in this current timeline happened. Those two broke the flow of both ''Fate'' and ''Destiny''. I''ve learned enough about your power to make large guesses."


    He smiled at Henrietta, but the tension was still unmistakably apparent even through that gesture.


    "For the first variable, you''ve spoken about it yourself."


    Henrietta nodded.


    "Void magic. This was entirely new."


    He agreed.


    "There is no way around it. This is the most important factor that caused other elements to change according to its existence."


    "But most of those changes were minor, not even worth considering. Until something absurd happened."


    Reon''s eyes closed.


    His next words shook Henrietta to her core.


    "The death of a Remnant. A person who complemented the power of the void magic died."


    In complete shock, Henrietta took a step back, but turned around and sat on the couch next to Reon.


    "Wa- Wait a minute!"


    "How?! How could I have missed this information?!"


    Calmly, Reon tapped her back a few times.


    "Despair and anxiety. These emotions tend to blind the mind and lessen our focus."


    Karteira was completely lost, but Stella appeared to somehow get the idea, as the frown on her face was serious.


    "The greatest anomaly was the reaction between Tetra''s soul and Orion''s desire to recover her."


    With a faint smile, Reon looked at Karteira and explained clearly so that she would understand.


    "Then her power broke into shards. One was absorbed by Miasma, while the other was recovered by Orion."


    "Now, the question is:"


    He looked at Henrietta.


    "What did Orion recover if Tetra''s power broke into two?"


    The Remnant hid her face in her hands.


    "Tetra''s soul."


    "That''s what brought about this entire anomaly. The ''Fate'' that was supposed to happen never came to be because something impossible happened."


    Reon''s words were powerful, even if they were merely suggestions.


    "Tetra... she protected Orion."


    Karteira looked at the ceiling with a crooked smile. She might have had a difficult time dealing with the woman, but she never hated her.


    "Knowing Orion..."


    Henrietta nodded and finished her sentence.


    "Haha~ Tetra is probably pestering him constantly."


    The brightest smile ever seen from Henrietta illuminated her face.


    She knew that it wasn''t a certainty, but her heart accepted it as a fact.


    With her daughter out of danger and the idea that her friend was still alive within Orion, all of her remaining anguish vanished.


    Warm tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she laughed.


    At the same time, Amelia slightly opened her eyes and saw her mother. She went back to rest with a lighter chest right after and a smile on her face.