the ones I hold dear

As I slowly opened my eyes, I felt my arms were numb. Glancing around, I saw Luna on my left and Fren on my right, both using my arms as pillows as they slept peacefully. Carefully, I freed my arms from the young girls. Turning my gaze to the end of my bed, I noticed Seraphina with her head on the bed, though she was drooling unlike the other two. Beside me, on a chair, Aurora was also asleep. Glancing at the window, I saw it was nighttime, explaining why they were all asleep.

I placed my hand on my chest and noticed the hole was gone. Good, that's... good.

"How are you feeling, Boss?" A creepy voice echoed. I looked to the corner and saw two red glowing eyes.

"Hey, Sylphina," I said as she started walking toward me. Her skin was pale, her hair silver, and she had demon eyes. I looked down to see her eight spider legs.

"Damn, Boss, you took a hell of a hit!" she exclaimed loudly.

"How long was I asleep?"

"About nine days." Nine days... damn that woman, Eva. What the hell?

"How are they?" I asked, worried since I hadn't visited them.

"Even right now, you're still thinking about them. What about you?" Sylphina replied. I didn't care what happened to me; I just cared about them!

"They are in a cabin nearby," she continued. "Let's go."

"Thank you," I said, feeling relieved.

***

As we stopped at the cabin, there were four hooded figures. "Your Majesty," they all said, kneeling before me, which made me feel awkward.

"You have done well. Continue watching over this area," I said in a commanding tone.

We passed by them and entered the cabin. "They are in this room," Sylphina said, opening the door.

Inside, there were two children, both seven years old. The boy, who was the oldest, had brown hair and blue eyes, while the girl had dark green hair and blue eyes. The girl played with a doll, and the boy read a book far beyond his age range.

When the girl looked up, her eyes lit up, and she ran to me. "Papa!" she exclaimed. I kneeled down, and she hugged me, wrapping her little arms around my neck and burying her face in my shoulder.

"How have you been, Katharina?" I asked, holding my little angel tightly.

"I've been good, but Felix won't play with me!" she pouted.

I looked over to see Felix staring at me, still holding his book. His stare was rather cold for a seven-year-old, but I still loved my boy. I pulled Felix and Katharina into a tight hug.

"Father, you're hugging too tight," he grumbled, trying to get out of my grasp.

"No, Papa, hug me tighter! You were gone for so long, I missed you," Katharina pouted, clinging onto me.

Felix was a stubborn young boy, while his sister was an energetic little angel with a talent for magic. Both were prodigies, and I was sure that when they grew older, they would become great mages.

I heard heavy footsteps behind me, and when I turned around, I saw a younger man, probably in his twenties, with silver hair and golden eyes.

"We meet again, Artorian," he said, and as the words left his mouth, my blood ran cold, realizing who he was... that angel. "I'm no angel, so stop thinking that," he said, sounding irritated. Wait, did he just listen to my thoughts?

I was frozen in fear. "Now, shall we talk?" he asked. I slowly nodded. I gave my children a tight hug, kissed Katharina on the cheek, and ruffled Felix's hair. "I'll be right back," I said calmly.

Katharina nodded happily while Felix had a suspicious look on his face. The man and I went to another room, with Sylphina following.

"I should introduce myself. I'm Solomon, a divine king," he said. A divine king? I had heard stories about them. Each god has a divine king and queen, chosen thousands of years ago. They are essentially the right hand of each god. So he's the divine king for the goddess of all.

An older woman, perhaps in her sixties, walked into the room, giving us a warm smile. "I'm Celestia, the divine queen of the goddess of all. I'd like to apologize for what my husband has done to you," she said, giving a polite bow and pushing Solomon's head down so he'd bow as well.

Both were immortals, likely chosen when he was young and she was old.

"Might I ask... what is it you wanted to talk about?" I was wondering on what he wants from me. And does it have to do with Eva. I kept wondering.