NOVEL NEXT Chapter 151: Reawaken
When the others awakened to find themselves in a barrier, Tiamutael immediately brought them out and jumped onto his siblings, leaving his parents free for each other which was the safer option considering Carl and Klaire were being crushed in Kyubi's arms and tails.
"Now we really will be together forever. Carl, I want you to change me, I thought about it and I need to do it."
"Kyubi, calm down. I get it, we're immortal now and you don't want to risk me and Klaire surviving with no one to love, but that was my choice and it's not like we don't trust you."
"Carl it's super sweet that you don't want her to rush into everything, but from the guy who suggested we propose after a week, kind of hypocritical. I want you to change me too, I want to be able to tell her I love her."
"Besides that, this last week has given me more joy than I ever had before, I'm not going to sit by and risk celestial fox nature ruining that. Trust me when I say this is a purely selfish decision, I want you two to have no reason to ever leave me."
As they spoke, the other immortals gathered and eavesdropped on the conversation they were having.
"Did I just hear a fox speak of devotion?" Tiamat asked incredulously.
"I think you did, but I'm not sure I heard correctly. Klaire also spoke about loving her as well." Faylorna stated flatly.
"Use your heads ladies, my grandson has the law of Change, it's possible they intend to utilise that to adjust their natures." Lillim mused aloud.
"Well, this will either go well, or horribly. Personally I wouldn't advise it, nature is the order of one's life, changing it can have unexpected effects." The others rolled their eyes at bahamut's unneeded lecture on order.
"Personally, I'm just annoyed..." Nergal's words, made them wonder if they were about to see him actually challenge them. "...Changing nature with a law is one thing, but I don't think they realise that the possibility of a banshee wanting to love another is change in itself, as is a fox wanting to be dispel the curse of fickleness that plagues them.
They have already evolved their species, driven by nothing more than wanting to, does that mean I didn't want to make amends with my sister? Does it mean she never wanted to make amends with me? Does it mean that everything we fought for can be boiled down to us being too scared to face our flaws and want to change?
I have never been more ashamed by the nature of immortals and gods."
Lillim looked across to him, where he stood partially isolated a short distance from any of the groups that had gathered. "Nergal, do you remember that meeting? The one where Margo brought that human experiment and announced his plan for the system?"
"Of course, that poor woman who died as accumulated divinity made her disintegrate, she should have been the first clue that miscalculations were happening."
"True, but what I meant was that Margo spoke of intermingling. Do you think he was as eager to see us intermingle and grow as he did the humans?"
Nergal stared at Lillim as he considered her words. "Possibly, him and my sister both were completely infatuated with the idea of a self-evolved species, apparently he called them the will of the laws."
"Well, in lieu of an apology, why don't you admit to yourself that they were right. Not only is Carl changing himself into the version of himself he needs to be to play the role, but he is inspiring change in those who had remained unchanged for centuries."
Nergal considered her words again, then approached the trio and bowed slightly. "Forgive my brazenness, but may I attend the wedding? I need to see it with my own eyes."
"I don't mind, the only one I outright refuse to let attend is God, that man's hubris where humans are involved is unfathomable."
"God? Oh right, on that note, in the past he said that gods created us or something..."
Nergal was so defeated by being reminded of that conversation that he half slumped. "That fool, well, he thinks that because we didn't intervene in the evolution of your species we are your creators by default."
"Which is exactly why he doesn't belong at our wedding. Carl, Klaire, I want several immortals you aren't acquainted with to attend, but it might become a bit of an interview. Do you mind?"
Klaire kissed her cheek. "Of course not, we kind of expected immortals we haven't met to be there."
"Yay! Anyway, Nergal wants to know if you want him to spread the word of your ascension."
Carl and Klaire looked at each other, nodded slightly, then replied. "Nope, Kyubi wants to keep us to herself for a while and we don't want to deal with the drama anyway. The word will spread after the wedding, so we may as well make the most of the time between now and then."
"Fine, then I shall stay quiet."
"I understand your decision Carl, but there is one awaiting an invitation, inviting him to dinner on such a special day would be a good apology for our intrusion the other day."
"Oh right... You never told us his name, but I'd rather we simply introduced ourselves in person. Kyubi do you mind?"
"No, if it's an elven god, they won't care about the hierarchy at all. They only care about what others do with their power, how much they have is inconsequential."
"Well then, feel free to let him know Bahamut, we'll start preparing dinner."
Bahamut opened a portal and stepped through, then Nergal opened one and was about to but stopped. "Oh right, I was going to ask, what plans do you have for Lugaria? The fact that it remains impossible to portal there is interesting, but it does also mean that you are essentially its owner already."
"Oh right, I guess I haven't thought about it... I think I'll claim it and sign it over to the Lugarians. I never apologised for that whole thing."
"That will certainly earn you some points with the elven gods as well, they respect people who know when to apologise. Anyway, I have things to consider, I will take my leave and await my invitation to the wedding." With that, he stepped through and his portal crackled shut behind him.
"Okay, I know this might be childish, but I think we shouldn't send an invitation and just get Tiamutael to drag him over when it's time." Kyubi said with a hint of mischief that came as she began to regain her youth a bit.
"We may be immortals Kyubi but you're still the oldest..." Kyubi suddenly started to age a bit. "...Sorry, I just didn't think that version of you would be good for entertaining a god we don't know."
"No, thank you, I was actually a bit worried. Elven gods may not care about power, but they have plenty of it and no time for fox nonsense. That means you too Ki-" As Kyubi trailed off, she turned her head towards Kitsunoko, before realising that they were all playing with the death lion that Tiamutael kidnapped.
"You can't keep it." Carl said flatly, before the children had a chance to ask.
"But-" They all replied.
"You can't keep it." Klaire repeated.
"But-" They all repeated.
"You, can't, keep, it." Kyubi said with more authority than the other two could muster, making the children's shoulders slump.
Nergal reappeared at that point. "Honestly, I can't believe they tried to kidnap one of my precious pets. Can you not make them their own Carl?"
"Hey, don't look at me, If I make it they will probably end up seeing it as a sibling rather than a pet."
"Tch, fine. I'll make them one of their own, but smaller to fit in your home."
"Kids say "thank you", Nergal's going to make you a smaller cuddle size one." Carl instructed, as the kids seemed more focus on his reclamation of the one they had been playing with.
"Thank you... Can we have a bit of fur though?" They all said thank you together, but it was Kitsunoko alone that made the request.
Nergal gave her a skeptical look, then withdrew a small hand scythe and removed some of the fur from its mane. "I don't know what you're planning little fox, but remember touching that fur will kill mortals."
"It's fine, no mortals live with us."
Nergal peered into her soul trying to figure out her end game. "Okay then, see you later everybody."
As the portal crackled shut behind him once more, Kitsunoko skipped back to her dad. "Dad, can you use this fur with some white serpent venom and a flower please."
Carl nodded and did as instructed, the result was a small plant, that had a relaxing aroma. "Never underestimate the imagination of a child..."
Kitsunoko took the flower from Carl then walked back to her mums. "Happy engagement from all your children!"
"Aww, Sweetie, that's so nice." Klaire said as Kitsunoko relinquished the flower to her.
"Thank you so much all of you." Kyubi cooed as she gestured for them all to fall in for a hug.
"You're welcome, we'll have to do something else for Dad, it sucks he can just make anything." Kitsunoko grumbled as she and the others all got squeezed half to death.
"Don't be silly Ki-ko, even I can't make a gift from my kids on my own."
As Carl joined the hug, Kyubi broke it apart not long after as she pinched the little fox. "One minute little miss, you better not be trying to distract me because I was about to tell you to be good."
"Damn..."