Even though Lilith's intel about the supposed gathering forces around Antarctica was pretty much confird, Vicky and the others didn't rush to the other continent. They had other obligations beforehand.
Most importantly, Henry went to talk with Inari, the Antarctican envoy. Fabiano, South Arica's envoy, also attended the eting.
Lilith went along, since she could literally show the information she gathered. In only a few minutes, she brought both envoys up to speed.
Then ca another problem, since Elizabeth and Antal also needed to be inford about both Castleburg and the approaching assault. That job fell on Adam's and Cass's shoulders.
Kim, Astrid, Yvonne and Yannick all led their own forces to Antarctica, where they t up with David and his lieutenants.
Hours after waking up, Vicky already had motion sickness… Or maybe that was overexertion…
Bea seed worried about her essence balance, since the soul damage. She could barely hold open portals!
Because of her sustained damage, Vicky abstained from teleporting everyone further than New Athens.
Kim and the others travelled to Antarctica on hippogryphs, which was an extrely grueling journey. They tried moving carefully, fearing retaliation, but alas, they arrived safely hours later.
While everyone worked hard, Vicky and Bea went to et a two new family mbers.
They both arrived at Sera's mansion, where the warm air was filled with the laughter of children. So sounded older, early teens, while one other… One sounded barely a year old!
Bea felt confused as she arrived at the garden with her daughter. A few dozen ters away, a large golden furred spider-dog chased after so small flying creature.
The creature giggled while beating her overly large, pristine white wings with a few black feathers.
A maid also ran after them, panic evident on her face. She shouted angrily while pointing at the creature…
"Nick! Nick, co down here this very mont! Miss Victoria won't be happy if you roll around in the dirt with Brian again!"
The creature... No. The child, hearing his sister's na, looked down at the maid with confusion. He then began looking around, trying to find Vicky.
Suddenly, a wide smile spread across the one-year-old's face, as his golden-hazel eyes landed on Vicky's smiling face.
"Sister!" He scread, while rocketing towards Vicky.
He basically teleported to her, with arms hugging the Princess's neck. The maid, seeing the Princess, seed to breathe a sigh of relief, which didn't last long as a Brian's tongue suddenly t her face.
Bea just stood by the sibling duo, long between them in shock. From further away, she couldn't recognize the child's features, but from up close, there was no denying it… This was Sera's son!
"What?… When?… How?… Whose is he?"
She continued bombarding her daughter with questions, while Nick's arms slowly suffocated her with brotherly love.
After a minute, she managed to pry her small arms off of her neck, regaining the ability to breathe.
Vicky turned towards her mother, about to introduce her to Nick. However, the small child suddenly seized her hand with narrowed, angry eyes.
"What is it Nick?" Asked Vicky, clearly worried about the sudden change in her brother's emotions.
"Sister hurt! I heal sister Victohia!" Said the young child proudly, while failing to pronounce his sister's na.
The Princess smiled gently at her brother. She leaned in, prepared to comfort his anger and turmoil, when she fell to her knees screaming.
A burning pain assaulted her chest. It barely lasted for a mont, but it still sent nearly knocked her out.
Bea imdiately separated the siblings, concerned for her daughter's wellbeing.
Little Nick went pale, his face full of terror and worry. His small hands trembled as tears welled in his eyes.
"I thorry, Sister!… I thorry…" He apologized, while sobbing.
Vicky took a few seconds to recollect her thoughts, then she took a sharp intake of breath as a smaller pain assaulted her chest.
Her eyes suddenly widened with surprise. Curiously, she jumped to her feet, ignoring her mother's concerned shout.
She reached out and opened a large portal without trouble… Whatever Nick had done; it stabilized her essence flow and healed her soul!
With a wide smile, she rushed towards her brother and scooped up the sobbing child. She laughed happily, confusing everyone who heard her scream.
"Thank you, little Nick! You healed my soul!… Don't worry, that wasn't pain I felt, it was just surprising, and I accidentally scread!"
Vicky lied without batting an eye, but it caused her brother to smile widely, which was all that mattered.
After gently placing the one-year-old down, she looked into his golden-hazel eyes with a serious expression.
"While I appreciate you healing , we already talked about using your powers. Only in ergencies! You can't control them perfectly, and we don't even know what you're capable of… Anyway, thank you once again!"
Nick seed a bit ashad, but he shily nodded at his big sister's words. Vicky just leaned down and wiped away the remnant of tears. She then gave a tender kiss on the boy's head.
Afterward, when Nick cald down, Vicky finally introduced him to Bea.
"Little Nick, this is my mother, Bea! Bea, this is Nick Bran, the daughter of Sera and Bran!"
Bea already guessed as much, but having it confird brought the wind out of her sails. She just stared at the divine boy in shock.
Nick wasn't shy at all. His golden-hazel eyes looked between Bea and Vicky, while his brain tried making sense of the situation.
"Hmm… Sister… Victohia mommy… Hmm…"
After a few seconds, little Nick's eyes went wide, as he seemingly made so grand discovery. He pointed at Bea with one hand, his face beaming with excitent.
"Victohia mommy!… Victohia brother!… My mommy!"
The small child declared, then without waiting for anyone's answer, he jumped up, hugging an extrely surprised and confused Bea.
Vicky stared at her brother with a similar expression as Bea, then suddenly she burst into laughter.
Her mother, taken out of her reverie, stared down at Vicky's amused form. With an annoyed whisper, she nearly scread at her daughter.
"What do you an, mom? Does he think I'm his mother? I didn't give him birth! Sera is his mom!"
Her words only made Vicky laugh harder, which further brought out Bea's annoyance. The greenish skin on Bea's face began turning red, while the plants around the garden began rapidly growing.
Vicky quickly stopped enjoying the mont, after noticing her mother's anger. She walked up to her mom with a small, satisfied smile.
"Like it matters whether you gave him birth or not! Neither you nor Sera gave birth, and I consider both of you my mother!… Also, a child can never have enough amazing mothers!"
Her daughter's words moved Bea greatly. She felt tears welling in her eyes, and unconsciously, her hands moved around the young boy's body, enveloping him in a tight hug.
Nick smiled widely at her newfound mother, then soon he flew out of her arms and went back to play with Brian, like nothing happened.
Vicky and Bea both watched the angelic boy fly around the spider-dog with gentle smiles on their faces.
After watching the boy for a few minutes, they went inside. Vicky had one more surprise for Bea!
They went through the mansion, reaching an unremarkable door. However, from inside the room, a baby's cries echoed.
Bea glanced down at her daughter with a questioning look. Vicky just smiled with clear mischief and knocked loudly on the door.
A few curses later ca a grumpy shout from inside the room… "Enter!"
Vicky opened the door with a giggle, revealing a tired-looking Damien and a joyous Agnes still in bed. The older man stood over a cradle where the wailing originated from.
"Ah, Vicky! It's good you arrived! How do you make her stop… You know… Screaming her lungs out—"
Damien stumbled over his words as his eyes landed on the woman entering behind Vicky. Even Agnes looked shocked as she slowly climbed out of bed.
For a few long monts, they just stared at each other, neither prepared to break the sudden silence… Wait, silence?
The new father's head snapped around, full of worry. He spent the past hour trying to make his daughter stop crying, so he feared why she suddenly stopped screaming.
However, the answer was obvious. Vicky gently cradled the few days old baby in her arms, while humming so unfamiliar tune.
She already possessed a lot of experience with babies, since she took care of her brother for the first few months of his life.
Damien breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to Bea with a kind, exhausted smile. He reached out and hugged her, while holding back tears.
Agnes just went to Vicky's side. The young Princess was already a tiny bit taller than the new mother. They watched as Bea tearfully hugged Damien.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I wanted to be there for the rescue, but soone forgot to tell !" Said Damien, while glancing at Vicky angrily.
The young girl just shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I didn't want your wife to give birth to this beautiful girl alone!"
While Damien continued looking annoyed, he didn't seem the least bit angry. Agnes's eyes glanced at Vicky, mouthing, "Thank you!"
They continued hugging for a while until eventually Bea's curiosity couldn't be contained. She walked up to the newborn baby, full of excitent.
Bea reached out with one finger, touching the baby's tiny hand. She continued sleeping peacefully, while her hand grasped Bea's finger.
"What's her na?" She asked, her eyes purely focused on the baby.
"Her na is Jo, short for Josephine!" Answered Agnes, while looking at Damien, her eyes full of love and care.
Bea's eyes slowly widened as she glanced up at the new mother. She then looked towards Damien, whose freezing blue eyes reflected both sadness and joy.
"Josephine… Wasn't that the na of your late wife?"
Damien opened his mouth, but he choked on the words as his eyes turned red. Agnes walked up to her husband and placed one supporting hand on his waist, while leaning into his side.
"I nad her Josephine, to commorate her sacrifice… And so her mory would live on!"
Vicky just continued humming, unconcerned by the adults' conversation. While staring at Jo's face, she couldn't help but rember Nick and his birth… Her mother's screams as he arrived into this world!
While she humd, her other mother walked up to Damien and gave a small kiss on his cheek. She smiled gently at the older man…
"What a beautiful na, perfect for your child."
Her words finally broke Damien's stoic deanor, and he soon burst into tears. His hands wrapped around Bea's shoulders once more as he spoke in a trembling voice…
"It's so good to have you back, Bea… We missed you so much!"
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