She was no bigger than the palm of his hand.

A Fairy, delicate and radiant—her wings shimmered like crystal, catching the light and scattering it into a soft rainbow glow. She hovered with a gentle flutter, her gaze clear as springwater, bright with wonder.

The moment her eyes met Ethan's, her face lit up with a tender smile.

"Just now… was it you who poured your power into me?"

Her voice chimed like a silver bell, light and musical.

"Thank you for saving me. Thank you for being so kind. You… you must be my father, right?"

Ethan froze.

For a heartbeat, the roaring volcano fell silent. He could hear his own pulse echoing in the stillness.

He stared at the tiny, newborn life before him, and something stirred in his chest—something strange and impossible to name. It felt absurd. And yet, undeniably real.

Then, without warning, her stats surfaced in his mind, as if summoned by instinct.

[Fairy God Bloodline: Pure.

Energy Level: Tier 21 – Peak.]

Ethan blinked, stunned.

Then he let out a long breath.

"Whew… thank god. At least the little one we hatched isn't an enemy."

He looked at the Fairy again, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Idra drifted closer, arms crossed, clearly not thrilled.

"If she's gonna be your daughter," she said, arching a brow, "then she needs my approval first. Her power's close to mine, so… fine, she qualifies. But—" she jabbed a finger at the tiny Fairy, "—she has to call me big sis."

Ethan blinked. He hadn't expected jealousy from Idra of all people.

But she wasn't wrong. During the ritual, the Fairy's essence had fused with his bloodline. The bond was sealed—etched into her very being. There was no undoing it.

So Idra did what she could: claimed seniority.

The little Fairy didn't argue. She fluttered closer, wings trembling slightly, and whispered, "Big sister…"

Idra melted on the spot.

Especially when the Fairy brushed her cheek with a soft, affectionate nuzzle.

"Aww, my sweet little sis!" Idra laughed, scooping her into a hug.

Ethan watched them, warmth blooming in his chest.

"Auri," he said gently. "That's your name now."

"Thank you, Dad! I have a name!" Auri spun in midair, her whole body glowing brighter, her aura thickening like morning mist catching sunlight.

Ethan smiled, pride flickering in his eyes. He reached out and touched her forehead with a light, steady hand.

The volcano still burned around them, its glow pulsing like a living thing.

Reflected in the molten light, Ethan's palm shimmered with power—and in it, Auri's tiny silhouette gleamed back at him, like a droplet of golden dew, trembling with life.

His voice was low and calm.

"Come on, Auri—let's give it a try."

As the words left his lips, he released his power.

Gold and silver light spiraled into the air, weaving and curling like twin ribbons.

Auri's energy responded, drawn outward, rising to meet his.

Their auras met in midair, threads of spirit intertwining—slowly, delicately, like silk being spun.

The light grew brighter. Then brighter still.

Until it burned pure white.

"Vmmm—"

A soft, resonant hum rippled through the volcanic crater.

Auri's body began to glow, her form turning translucent—then liquid—until she was nothing but a stream of radiant spirit light, flowing gently into Ethan's chest.

BOOM—!

The earth shuddered.

The lava sea below surged like a beast awakened, roaring as it hurled waves thirty feet high.

Ethan's figure vanished into a burst of golden light.

The volcano's thunder became a heartbeat.

He opened his eyes.

Power surged through him—wild, relentless, like it might tear him apart from the inside.

It felt like breathing in sync with the world itself.

He looked down at his hands, trembling slightly. The veins beneath his skin pulsed with molten gold and crimson light.

He could feel it—Auri was now a part of him.

"This… is only the beginning," he murmured.

He raised a hand and touched Idra's forehead with a single fingertip.

In the next instant, the Dragon God's form dissolved into a torrent of blazing light, like fire melting into gold, and poured into him.

BOOM—!

The sky cracked open.

A pillar of golden light shot into the heavens.

The volcano's walls split with a thunderous groan. The world trembled.

Inside him, power surged—rising fast, like a mountain erupting from the earth.

Tier 22, mid-stage.

The air thinned.

The energy was so vast, the world itself seemed to give way before it.

Ethan gasped for breath, caught between awe and the threat of being consumed.

The fusion was agony and ecstasy tangled together, so intense he could barely tell if he was still human—or something more.

At last, he lifted his head.

A faint smile curved his lips.

"Now," he said quietly, "there's not a single high lord in the Sky Citadel I need to fear."

He steadied his breath.

Then, with practiced focus, he split his consciousness into three.

Slowly, he released Auri and Idra from within.

Two streams of light emerged from his chest, coalescing into the forms of two small girls, floating quietly in the air.

Their eyes were still soft, still pure.

Ethan reached out.

Golden runes bloomed in his palm, unfolding like petals.

He sealed their soul marks into his system space.

"You two," he said, voice low but smiling, "are my trump cards."

"No one on the battlefield will ever see you coming."

Light shimmered.

Auri and Idra vanished.

The volcano stilled at last, as if the miracle that had just shaken heaven and earth had never happened.

Ethan turned and walked away.

But the moment he stepped beyond the crater's edge, a strange resonance stirred inside him—like distant bells, tolling one after another.

The system's voice followed.

"Notice: World 'The Feywild' successfully bound. Designated as host's private realm."

"Notice: Realm may now be stored, relocated, or integrated into 'Emerald Castle.'"

Ethan just chuckled.

He was used to miracles by now.

"All right," he said. "Let's go home."

He snapped his fingers.

The sky rippled.

The entire Feywild began to fold in on itself, collapsing into light—shrinking, unraveling—until it became a single stream of brilliance, which he caught in his palm.

Moments later, he reappeared at the border of Emerald Castle, leading a vast army of Fairies.

The castle's barrier trembled violently overhead.

Countless soldiers looked up—and froze.

Across the sky, gold and crimson light twisted together as a mighty legion descended from the heavens.

Someone shouted in alarm:

"That's… that's Bloodfiend energy! We're under attack—!"

Ethan hovered in the air, smiling faintly.

"Relax," he said softly.

"They're with us."

...