Chapter 92 - Let's dance

They were all gathered at the table as Caelum fed the children who were salivating from the aroma and was about to dig in but Simon stopped them since it's rude when Caelum hadn't joined them. He smiled at the young boy telling him that he doesn't mind and just enjoys their food. Milianna was the one who always seemed carefree and ate without a shame while the kids shared their experience in trying to grasp magic.

"How did it go with you, Nee-san?"

Yukino curiously asked her sister.

"I don't know. I just felt like what Caelum-Nii, told me."

She replied explaining further telling her that they're was a warm and strange feeling around her that began to sense but unable to completely get hold of them.

"You're on the right path. It's like the first time I train to control my magic."

Mirajane, who had been trained by Caelum and showed the correct way in harnessing the Take over magic. He understood that type magic can be useful when taking over a powerful soul in the future. It would give a massive boost by gaining their soul and adding them to his collections. Though, he is unsure if it won't become another soul but just a trait of his soul. That kind of magic also helped him develop a way to train his soul without the Soul forging cultivation method.

He is still careful not to accidentally corrupt his soul. On the other hand, it is highly likely for his soul to be damaged when he has the [ Soul Warming Lotus ] that protects his soul from harm.

"It will take time. Training magic needs a lot of things but patience and determination is key."

Erza said taking a bite of large meat grabbed it by the bone. Caelum felt proud hearing his daughter take his lesson to heart since getting stronger not always the physical but the mental as well. Anyone can be extraordinary if they push their mind to act because without thought calling for action then nothing would happen.

Caelum could clearly see that most of these children felt guilty and determined to get stronger in order to not lose what remains. He would need to fix it to avoid someone taking revenge that likely results in vain.

"None of you would gain magic right off the bat. It will take time but as long as all of you follow my father's training then none of you would lose or remain. Take those feelings and make it a motivation to get stronger but never be blinded by it."

None of them understood Ajest since she is the most mature among his children and frankly often appears aloof and distant. It fortunately she has sibling to company her since Ajest unable to form decent friendship because of personality.

"All of you eventually get there. Just take one step at a time."

They nodded and continued to eat until Caelum offered a dessert making their eye's sparkle, especially Erza. He took some leche flan that he made since it's Selene's and Ajest favorite and a strawberry cheesecake for Erza as Special treat.

"Go on, no need to hold back."

Everyone intently stared at the golden jiggly desert since this is the first time they had seen something like this as most grew up in the countryside. Once they took a bite their eyes lit up. He smiled seeing their reaction enjoying the desert that he had prepared and soon everyone went to bed as the sun began to settle. Mirajane went home with his sibling while Caelum did the same.

The next day, Caelum decided to spend his time with his lover to see how they were doing. The first agenda was the library where he found Secre reading a book to their son, Nero, the name supposed to be hers. She was reading him a storybook while sharing her own world. He joined them sitting down taking the two into his lap since he was a lot larger than the two.

"Mama, I want to visit your world one day."

"Ask your father."

She looked at him asking for an answer since Secre wish to at least visit her old friends kingdom to see how it was doing. Caelum had told her that the place is frozen in time and will return in the future once he grows stronger. He patted his son's head promising that they'll bring them in the future.

Caelum ensured that it won't be long and might even go once he returns to earth because of his stronger power. He spent an hour with them before continuing his time looking around until he found Vanica who was on the grass near a tree shaking her butt and seemed troubled.

He went to ask what's wrong only to find that she was trying to heal a little chick that had been wounded which Caelum promptly healed and returned to its nest before sitting down under the shed of the tree.

"You seem troubled?"

"I…I just thought about my brothers and how things had been. Don't get me wrong I'm happy being here but I feel like I'll return back to the old Sadistic Vanica."

Vanica still feels guilty even after many years. She had been doing her best trying to redeem herself from what she did. Though, Vanica had a tendency to act crazy.

"Relax, I won't let it happen."

Caelum reassured her before staying for half hour with her before continuing his day finding Mereoleona training their army. Even though they likely won any war in this world, it was still better to prepare for one. The soldier greeted their Emperor, raising his hand and telling them to be at ease as he watched them with Mereoleona inspecting any talent.

Once he finished went to find Lily who was in the Vatican that had been worshipping Caelum as their god. It was a statue of him made out of the finest marble showcasing the time where he unified the dragons and humans alike. He finds Lily giving a preach where the people immediately showed their reverence to him which he just told them to be at relax as he didn't want to make them feel obliged knowing how hard it is going to be explaining things to his mother and the rest of his family.

Caelum helped Lily give enlightening words for them containing a bit of his profound understanding of Life and Death that came from the [ Sacred Scripture ]. Though it was simple and only a wisp of its power allowed them to feel a certain way.

"Death is inevitable, however, so is Life. Death is an unavoidable part of the cycle of life, yet many of us do everything we can to avoid accepting our mortality. But coming to terms with the inevitability of death can help teach us to live more fully in the here and now."

These words only applied to people who have a short lifespan and certain to die eventually but knowing there is an end gives a strange comfort for them. It invokes a call for action and an appreciation of what life gave them. Caelum is ageless and hard to kill but is not truly immortal. He believes True Immortality is the one where they are eternal in two aspects: possessing no end as well as no beginning.

They were never created by anything and will never be concluded existing in all points of time. No matter how deep one goes into the past or future, they will never find a point where the user starts or ends as these beings are truly eternal.

Being truly timeless, the user is immune to death, destruction and erasure, and time, ultimately being free from reality and concepts. Because of this, only eternal embodiments, undetermined, conceptually transcendent and/or omnipotent beings can exist in this way. Hence going off their paradoxical nature, Omnipotence is the only way to affect the user's existence.

This is the True Immortality, Caelum would need to transcend everything in order to achieve it since he can still be erased via acasuality effect by going back in time. He would have a lot of things that needed to be done in order to grow that close.

Technically, he can't be erased since his worshipper can just bring him back as long as they share his nature because their beliefs also affect him.

After a while, Caelum went to find Charlotte who was with Cereza, Vanessa, Noelle and Mimosa shopping around town with a disguise and quickly joined them walking around town having a group date with them. Their shopping took ages trying to find new clothes letting Caelum judge their outfit before heading back home.

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Walking down the road, Caelum was heading towards his destination of the Heartfilia family deciding to walk instead of just flying or even teleporting. He found a quest in regards to Layla which allowed him to have reason for visiting since he can't just barge in saying he's there to heal her unless he showed his mage for the job.

"HELP!"

A woman's voice was heard with Caelum´s near perfect senses. He immediately sprinted towards where the voice came from. After a lot of running, he then found himself looking at a carriage, which was surrounded by over thirty bandits. Its leader had white spiky hair, a black jacket with a red skull on the back, blue pants and a pair of sandals. His weapon of choice was a sword.

Two of the men were currently holding a woman, who had short green hair with her hair tied to a bun and had cross shaped accessories, a blouse with long sleeves, a collar and white cuffs at the end. Her daughter had matching green hair, as well as cross shaped accessories in her hair, yellow dress with green stripes and red shoes, was held hostage by one of the men, with a knife at her throat.

"Please, don't harm my Brandish!"

The woman begged for her daughter to be spared.

"Hahaha as if I let you off that easily!"

The leader said as he took his sword and pointed it at Brandish's neck.

"...Now scream for me!."

The leader said evilly, much to the woman's horror.

"BRANDISH!"

The woman screamed at the top of her lungs, desperately hoping that no harm would come to her daughter.

"MOM!"

Brandish also screamed at the top of her lungs, with the leader then made sure to stab her, then felt a presence in the bushes and out came a large man with large muscular body and long black-bluish hair.

"Who are you!?"

The leader demanded pointing his weapon towards him, feeling a different vibe telling him to run away but his fate was already sealed because his vision faded to black instantly trapped in an illusion made by [ Tsukoyomi ] that he found himself chained and bound. He soon caught a hideous monster that was made of flesh and blood that had only the word 'Nightmare' to describe the monster before him.

Caelum didn't want bloodshed when they're children around but he was also infuriated to find someone trying to harm the innocent. Within the illusion, the leader tried to escape his chains but only pain was brought by every time he struggled.

"...Now, scream for me!"

"Gaaah!!!!!"

Everyone was shocked to find the leader let go of Brandish screamed in agony where Caelum use his [ Penance curse ] with [ Tsukoyomi ] to induced more pain than ever before struggling for countless years inside the illusion dying endlessly with each death was worse the last. This is base from Darkseid Omega Sanction torturing him to endless. He did by applying Life and Death energy to cycle it. Caelum can't do it in reality but an illusion is enough.

The bandits were shaken seeing their leader in a state of insanity after the arrival of Caelum who stood where his strange golden eyes shine through the shadow of his face every last of the bandits felt fear for the first time.

"Do you all want to dance as well?"