CHAPTER 607: AFTERMATH

The bedroom became a mess after the birth, with people scurrying about for baby goods, a crib for the twins and several other items. Thanks to magic, Asmodeus didn’t need to worry about their health... priests could cleanse their bodies with a simple spell and remove any dangers to their life.

He sat on a cheap wooden bench beside Serena, who panted in her sleep, exhaustion and the sudden return of her divine power enough to put the goddess into a slumber.

"I’m so lucky to have you all..."

Asmodeus whispered. Behind him, Velvet, Alice, and Asmodea all wore simple outfits, their hair a mess and dark bags under their eyes, but none of them looked or seemed to be in a bad mood; they all looked into the cribs with warm faces.

"This will be me in a few months..."

"I cannot wait to have my little squishy lumps."

He looked back at them with a smile, his broken wrist healing slowly, as he focused on the young boy and wondered what to call him.

"Ravena..."

"Do you like the name she chose?" Velvet asked with a smile, taking out an old book and flicking to a page that showed an interesting myth. "Ravena was the first goddess to rule of darkness and evil."

The story told of a girl born with incredible talent, a human born with a divine core who eventually won the respect of the gods and became the master of darkness and evil, however, at the mid part of the story, she became lonely... seeking a companion for herself, she left this universe and spent thousands of years searching.

"Does she ever meet her fated partner?" He asked.

Asmodeus was not usually interested in those things, but because Serena chose this name, he wanted to learn more.

"She did, and eventually they created their own world together.... a world where humans, demons, beasts and elves lived on a single continent." Velvet pointed at the sub-title of the novel she handed him. "The origin of the world. This is the story about how this world came to exist... Ravena is the origin goddess, the mother of all other gods."

He paused and looked at his wife with a bitter smile, although she was once an upper goddess, which is why she named her daughter after one of the original gods.

He loved this cheeky and confident side of his wife.

But now the excellent task fell on his shoulders, a name... something important that carries the parents’ wishes for their child.

However, Asmodeus didn’t have grand thoughts for his son.

I just want him to be happy, healthy and enjoy a good life...

"What’s the matter, honey?" Asmodea hugged his arm, crushing it between her breasts; her soothing floral scent filled his nose as his shoulders dropped and muscles relaxed.

"I am just thinking what kind of name would make this child happy."

"Oh? What a cute sentence, darling!"

Velvet joined in as she pulled Alice over the trio, hugging him tight.

"Shut up, don’t tease me!"

"Hehehe~ this side of you really tickles me. I can’t help but tease you." Velvet’s eyes shone with a brilliant purple glow as she leaned on his shoulder, a deep smile on her face. "To think you would be so earnest with this... I am glad you are the father of my future children, Ryuji."

"Ack?! No fair, Velvet.. Me too!" Asmodea’s flowers bloomed around her body as she nuzzled his shoulder with her face.

"Husband, if you’re struggling then what if you use your names... and give him part of that?" Alice sat on his lap, looking up at him with her intelligent eyes.

"My name?"

Asmodeus blinked, looking at Alice. Velvet and Asmodea tilted their heads, waiting curiously.

Alice nodded softly, stroking his chest. "Yes. Ryuji. Asmodeus. Both are names filled with strength, but they’re also heavy. If you give him even a fragment of it... it will carry meaning. A wish."

He fell silent, his gaze drifting to the boy. Thin blond hair caught the candlelight, his eyes closed comfortably, while breathing gently after drinking his mother’s milk. So small, so fragile... and yet there was a deep bond that Asmodeus could feel.

Ba Dum

Ba Dum

His child’s little heart beat powerfully within its chest. It was alive, and right here. True family, something Asmodeus sought ever since losing his mother.

"...Ryu...sei." The name slipped out, unplanned, but it felt right. He repeated it, firmer this time. "Ryusei. A shooting star that carves his own path across the sky. Not weighed down by me, or my sins... but free."

Ryusei Vincenzo...

My first son.

Asmodeus found his thoughts changing after becoming a father; the emotions building up made him determined to protect them to keep them safe... He wanted to give them the best future, no matter how much he suffered.

If these little ones can smile and live without suffering... I will endure.

Velvet’s lips curled into a bright smile. "Ryusei. That’s beautiful, Husband."

Asmodea giggled and leaned closer to the crib. "Little star, you’ll shine so brightly, just like your father... I hope you like all your extra mothers."

Alice watched Asmodeus, her mouth opening wide when she saw his expression and how gently he stroked Ryusei’s cheek.

She reached down to her abdomen, gently massaging the tiny bump, months and months away, and yet watching her husband made her womb tighten—a strong desire to kiss and hug him building inside.

Serena remained in a deep sleep, oblivious to the once-in-a-lifetime event.

Asmodeus exhaled slowly, his shoulders loosening as he felt for the first time in a while that his heart and emotions became balanced.

"Welcome, Ryusei... my son."

Velvet and Asmodea leaned close, whispering soft jokes to each other as they watched the twins. Even the ever-stoic Alice lowered her guard, her head resting against Asmodeus’s shoulder as if she, too, wanted to steal some of his warmth.

The room was messy, loud with the shuffle of maids, yet around the cribs, there was only quiet—two children, asleep side by side. One wrapped in shadows that seemed almost alive, the other glowed faintly with a light no candle could match.

Yin and yang.

Demon and goddess.

A perfect mix of him and Serena... what made him chuckle most was the cute little tail that grew from Ravena’s bottom, like a tiny fox.

"Look at them..." Asmodea whispered, brushing a lock of hair from Ravena’s tiny forehead. "They don’t even know how special they are."

Velvet laughed softly. "Special? They’re terrifying already. Imagine when they are walking or talking... with a dad like you. Well, things won’t ever become boring, in our big little family, haha."

Asmodeus listened without interrupting, his hand never leaving Ryusei’s crib. The faint warmth of the boy’s skin lingered on his fingertips, grounding him in a way no throne or battlefield ever had.

Is this how you felt, Dad, when you held my hand for the first time?

A small blob of meat gripped his fingers... barely able to wrap around the tip of his little finger, and yet the child refused to let go.

His heart became calm, pulsing slowly. The aura inside his children was almost identical to his, with a hint of Serena, his beloved.

He thought of all the lives lost, the blood he spilt, the monsters he faced. None of it felt real compared to this—watching his child’s breathing, their small bodies barely the size of his massive palms.

"I was ready to fight and kill our enemies for the world," he murmured, voice low enough that only Alice caught it. "But right now... I only want to protect this room, you my beloved women and the children you give to me. Our Treasures."

Alice looked at him, lips parting, but no words came.

Instead, she touched his hand gently, as if to tell him she understood.

Most of the women would have given birth without wanting to eventually due to their royal or noble heritage, so to be with the man they loved made this more important. Asmodeus himself never planned to have children; they seemed like something too foreign, but now... he finally woke up.

"I should visit Yukihana... Velmina and Aurelia more often."

On the bed, Serena shifted faintly, lips trembling as if in a dream. Her hand moved instinctively to the space beside her, then to her stomach, where the twins had rested just hours ago.

Then she turned to the side and noticed Asmodeus, her eyes filling with tears at the gentle expression on his face... as her lips curled into a deep, blissful smile.

In this blissful moment, Asmodeus felt something sharp... as if being stabbed in the chest... he froze for a second, the finger stroking Ryusei halting.

"W-What..."

He could feel something.

A faint, but dirty presence, the sliver of divinity that he failed to capture.

A pulse.

Not from the twins. Not from his wives. But from beyond the walls of Baltimore.

Mephisto was in the north....

"!!!!"