Another Try

"There, there, little egg."

Rey caressed the small object in his hand, whispering to it as he watched Ater approach him.

"You better grow to be big and strong so you can prove your big bro Ater wrong, okay?"

Ater chuckled as he heard Rey say this. He had an air of ease around him, nearly shrugging aside all the events that had transpired.

The Magic Circle was long gone, and since the task was complete, it was time to return home.

"Shall we leave now, Master?" Ater asked with a sparkling smile on his face.

"No."

"E-eh…?"

Ater's surprise at his Master's words caused his handsome and calm face to display hints of nervousness.

Somehow, he already knew what was on Rey's mind.

"I'm going to try again!" Rey declared, snorting out steam from his nose.

"B-but Master… you said you'd try one at a time."

Ater's complaints fell on deaf ears. Rey's determined face made it clear that he wanted to have another Absolute Familiar.

"How have I been inadequate, Master? I'll try to be better, so let us just stop for today…" He pleaded even more.

However, Rey shook his head as he maintained his stone-cold face.

"I can only pray for something special to come out of that egg. But, I also need something I can use now."

Since his [Absolute Dominion] allowed him to make as many Familiars as he wanted, as long as he could handle them, he wanted to give it another try.

"But Master, excessive summoning causes space to experience an imbalance. It might not be safe to use a Summon Skill of such a scale again"

Rey shook his head again and raised it in determination.

"My [Absolute Spatial Domain] tells me that this space can handle at least one more Summoning. If I manipulate the space around me, I can make it handle two or even three more!"

Rey's stern demeanor shattered apart as a wide smile crept on his face. He seemed to be the very personification of evil as he grinned with bloodshot eyes.

His desperation was palpable.

"But Master—!"

"You just sit back and watch…" Rey stepped forward and prepared himself for what was to happen next.

He placed his egg within his [Grand Inventory], and inhaled deeply.

"I'll summon something good this time."

********

[Moments Later]

"Another egg?!"

Rey nearly shed tears as he held a similarly shaped egg in his hands.

This time, the egg was blue, matching the bursts of energy that flowed from within the Circle when the Summoning took place.

"Why…?" Rey muttered.

Why was he so unlucky today?

Of course, he knew that whatever was inside the eggs would be competent and strong, but they would take quite a long time before they hatched.

Just one look at the System Panel in front of Rey told him that fact.

[3 Weeks, 5 Days, and 11 Hours from now]

'The same amount of time as the red one. What's going on here? Are they siblings or something…?'

Rey sighed and hung his head in shame, until a hand fell on his shoulder.

He looked up and saw Ater smiling at him while raising a thumb in encouragement.

"Why not try again, Master? Who knows… you could get something a lot better this time!"

Rey beamed the moment Ater said this.

He didn't expect the guy who was so against all of this to encourage him this way.

"Alright…" Rey wiped away his nonexistent tears and placed the second egg in his [Grand Inventory].

It was time to try his luck a third time.

'I'll use [Absolute Spatial Domain] to stabilize the space around me so it doesn't cause a problem to summon something else.'

Ater stepped aside and smiled at Rey. The two of them exchanged nods and waited in anticipation for what would come next.

'Give me something good this time!'

*********

[Moments Later]

"It's purple this time…" Ater commented as he looked at the egg clasped in Rey's hands.

Just like the previous times, Rey managed to summon another egg.

"This is impressive in of itself. I've never seen anyone consistently summon the same thing three times." Ater smiled as he rubbed his chin.

"You're pretty amazing, Master."

Rey thought the praise sounded sarcastic, but that wasn't what his bond with Ater told him.

"I'm tired of this…" Rey sighed, placing the third egg in his Inventory. "This purple egg will take three months to hatch, unlike the previous ones. That's even worse."

As he slumped to the ground, sitting on the dirt, Ater's voice came to him.

"Why don't you try agai—?"

"Shut up! You've made your point already!" Rey cried out, resting his back on the floor as he held his head with both hands.

"I get it! I'll just rely on you more."

Ater's smile widened as he heard that, and Rey felt his joy resonating within him.

'This guy…'

Rey couldn't blame him for the whole thing, though. Just like him, Ater was also a spectator to the whole event.

No one could have guessed what came out.

"Don't look so sad, Master. You only need to be patient for a short while to see the fruits of today's labor." Ater smiled intently.

"Yeah, yeah…"

As Rey's voice trailed and his sigh echoed in the derserted Floor, a sudden thought manifested in his mind.

"Hey, Ater… do you know what's inside those eggs?"

In response to his, Ater narrowed his gaze and his smile deepened.

"I can't be sure, but I can make a guess. Want me to tell you?" He asked with a calm demeanor.

"No, don't spoil it for me." Rey responded with a relaxed smile. "I want it to be a surprise."

The excitement he had when he used [Divine Beast Summon] and didn't know what he was going to get… Rey didn't want to lose it when the eggs hatched.

"Just tell me one thing." Rey turned to look at Ater.

"Are they strong?"

Ater took a few seconds to process the question. He placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes while inhaling deeply.

"Well, if I had to say, then…" A genuine smile formed as he stared back at Rey.

"... Yes, they are strong."