Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 38: Reiko Settles Everything
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It had been two weeks since we had our Thanksgiving dinner as everyone was busy on Skald Island as everyone was busy bringing out their Christmas décor that was all over the square. I was mainly in the square on a walk—well in my wheelchair—as I was taking a break from the rampant testing and bedrest. What also caught my eye was that I noticed Revata and Rohidra walking down the street with Silas in tow as they were wheeling Rory in his baby stroller. All boys were in the square as they were on their way to the toy store next to Kwangya in Motion to look at the newest action figures that were put on display, for I had a feeling that something was wrong over at the citadel in the Inland District.
"You must've come here for a bit of fresh air," I said.
"Some lady came there and made us sleep in separate nurseries," said Revata.
"Do you know who she is?"
"She says that she's the one in charge of Skald Island while the Chieftain here wasn't too happy with what she's doing," said Rohidra. "She thinks that boys should be spending less time with books and more time playing sports and doing manly things, but we're not grown-ups yet."
"And your problem just arrived here to stir up trouble…"
I noticed a woman dressed in Norse clothing as she was designated to be from one of the mainlands in which I spotted a sea rose crest on her jacket. The woman herself was human as she was sporting brown hair and blue eyes in which she was also dignified in keepings simple and traditional, for it was her own way of doing so. It wasn't long until I heard Alma complaining to the woman as she was at the front of Kwangya in Motion, for she wasn't too happy with what was going on in the restaurant.
"You're supposed to be taking care of children, Alma, not run this pathetic diner!" she yelled.
"I take care of children, but they're also part of the working staff to provide while running this restaurant," she yelled back. "You have some nerve coming here to force your ideals on us in which they do more harm than good."
"I just got back from the citadel in the Inland District in which I did my best to separate the members of the Hunter Corps unit not too long ago. Boys and men are meant for fighting, protecting, and helping those in need without showing emotion. Girls and women aren't meant for fighting, for their roles are cleaning, cooking, and childrearing in which those traits are what to make them blossom to their potential as wives and mothers."
"I know how to blossom to my potential, Luka Halsdottir, and I've been running this restaurant even after my husband passed away from colon cancer four years prior. You don't know about how us women and girls have the gall to fight and protect just as much as the men and boys who live here on this island! I also know of the two fallen soldiers who sacrificed themselves to protect our island and the rest of the Skalvarg Archipelago from the wrath of the Blues. As for your so-called 'traditional roles' that you give to women and girls, we're a lot more with a plate of eomuk in which we do so much just like our male counterparts."
"Have it your way then… As for our future status as women, we all know our place to either clean our house, keep a man warm, or to have a child suckling at our breast in which it is vital for women to do so."
Luka left as Alma wasn't having it in which she was mainly there to make good food and provide for her family. As for me, however, I was disgusted at the display that I saw as I was mainly there to defend Alma from further criticism. When I wheeled myself towards Kwangya in Motion, I saw Alma hard at work cooking up a stew just in time for lunch in which it consisted of the usual sundubu-jjigae and samgyetang that were filling up the room with their aromas. I didn't mind the atmosphere as I was more than likely to be knowing more about what Luka does, for I didn't like her presence at all at the moment.
"You're in a mode," I said.
"Of all the people who come and go all the way to Glamdring and back, it had to be her," said Alma.
"Is it Luka Halsdottir?"
"Luka Halsdottir is a staunch supporter of traditionalism in which she believes that most women and girls should be better off in the home than on the battlefield. Her presence literally besmirches the memory of Aloysia and Te'Katri in which they gave their lives to stop the Blues from encroaching further in the Skalvarg Archipelago. Their Nephilim powers created a divine wind to sweep the enemies off Skald Island in which their memory still lives on today."
"Anyone can be a soldier; it's not just the men who do it."
"Try telling that to the local battle-axe who made her mark in keeping girls just to be wives and mothers. I was a wife and mother in which I loved and cared about Orza very much until his passing from stage four colon cancer four years ago. My children and grandchildren live here in which we help to make Kwangya in Motion as it is today. Women can be just as functional as a man in which we're the ones who birth children into the world. They can be wives, mothers, lovers, and courtesans, but their true power comes from what they believe in. Look at Dulcetta who runs both the inn across the street from my place and the one in the Tsubaki District. Her job isn't easy, but she has backup in the form of the Elf who is there for her. J.P. may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he sticks to his guns now that he's about to become a father due to Lyra's meddling."
"There you are!"
I saw Dunya burst into the restaurant as she wheeled me out of there. She wasn't letting me off the hook as she wheeled me out of the square and directly back into the castle. My day to myself was interrupted as I also had to do as I was told, for I also had no choice but to remain in bed after this.
"You just had to fly the coop, didn't you?" she said.
"It was only to get some fresh air," I said.
"That's not the point, Sam. You're with child and you can't be out and about like this in which you can't go without bedrest right now."
"Okay…, but I can't just be stuck in bed forever."
"It's better than suffering from too much stress."
I was defeated by Dunya's words as I was returning to the castle without saying another word. As for the remainder of my bedrest, I had to obey the Medical Corps as I also had to stay put in bed, for it wasn't fun for me at all right now...
Reiko was busy taking care of Pippa and Raizo as they were getting cleaned up just in time for a nap. She also made sure that they were fed and changed as they were also ready to go back towards the nursery. By the time she got there, she set the newborns down in their bassinet as she later left the nursery and heard commotion coming from the hallway. What she didn't expect was that Kanna was being dragged by Luka as she was not having it, for she believed that girls must "keep sweet" and not act unladylike.
"Reiko is in charge, not you!" she yelled.
"You capricious little brat!" yelled Luka as she held her by the arm. "All women and girls must keep sweet or else they will end up in the gutter!"
"You're insane!"
"Starting now, all children will be separated and not interrupt in their proper roles, is that understood?!"
"Reiko will hear of this in which she also wants us to express ourselves freely, not act like a bunch soulless robots."
"Enough! You're being punished, for you're spending the night in the nursery. If you backtalk me further, you'll be spending your night in the storage room!"
Reiko never saw such misery coming towards Kanna as she had to do something. When she saw her being pushed into the nursery, she was starting to feel animosity towards Luka as it was also the last straw indeed, especially when it came to shoving outdated ideals down the throats of some of the Norsefolk who lived in the castle. After hearing complaints from the servants earlier, she couldn't sit by and let Luka get her way, for this was getting out of hand real quick…
I was back in my room in the infirmary wing as I was in the bathroom cleaning myself in the walk-in shower. After being dragged by Dunya earlier, I had to stay put as I also had no other choice but to resume bedrest in which later rinsed myself off and turned the water off. When I got out of the shower, I dried myself off as I put on my nightclothes and left the bathroom. By the time I went into my hospital bed, I crawled into the blankets as I was also clutching at my stomach in which I had no choice but to stay there, for it was nothing more than sheer boredom. To my surprise, I saw Sigurthur rush into the room as he was stuck with holding Ippei Jr. in his arms in which I noticed my youngest boys being rushed in here along with Gyatso. I noticed the boys in the room as I also noticed Luka bursting in here with Raizo in her arms, for she was there to keep us males in their place and the females in theirs.
"You can't do that," said Sigurthur as he saw Raizo crying.
"Don't you dare tell me how to hold a child!" yelled Luka as she set Raizo in one of the dresser drawers that was opened. "All boys must be separate from the girls! It is vital for them to become real men, not sissies!"
"Reiko needs to feed him from time to time," said Gyatso.
"Well, give him formula! He can go without his mother's milk for a bit, right?"
"We want our mommy!" yelled Aora.
"Don't even try to backtalk to your elders!"
I saw Luka getting ready to slap Aora until she was stopped by Sigurthur in which he didn't want her to hurt anyone right now. Still, her presence was intolerable as we all had to bear her insults for tonight due to the weather getting colder, for it was going to be one whopper of a snowstorm outside. Even the Christmas songs on the radio didn't give us comfort as we had no choice but to stay in our room by the time Luka left. The sound of Raizo's cries unnerved me to no end as I got up and dug into one of the cabinets and found a breastpump with a baby bottle in which I had to feed my young son. It wasn't long until Reiko burst into the room as she grabbed Raizo and began to let him nurse him I was glad that she saved the day as she didn't want to be badgered by Luka, for she wasn't having it.
"You came in just in time," I said.
"I couldn't deny Raizo any of my milk right now after I fed Pippa," said Reiko as she felt him unlatching while buttoning up the top part of her dress. "Luka even wanted him to be on formula in which it's not a good idea to do so for his age."
"How's Moro handling it?" asked Sigurthur.
"Moro wants to clobber Luka," said Gyatso.
"It's true," said Reiko. "Still, she wanted to, but Dunya forbade it because of her pregnancy."
"And Luka was jumping for joy when Moro and I are expecting twin boys," said Sigurthur as he was worried about her safety. "And the real kicker was that Luka was glowing that Moro would soon give birth to my heirs in which she prizes them a lot more than girls."
I was beyond disgusted at what I heard as I wasn't having it in which I was eager to put my foot down after that. For the record, I was taught that all boys and girls were to be treated equally as they were made for so many roles other than what were hardwired into them. Boys were the fighters, helpers and protectors. As for the girls? They were the caretakers, cooks, and maids in which they have done that since time immemorial. Still, there were the usual sexist stereotypes that some have clung to as they were mainly outdated by today's standards, but there are those who stuck to it like flies being attracted to horse manure. By the time I saw Reiko finish burping Raizo, I saw her leave the infirmary wing as she was vigilant into helping us while we were in our own cramped "jail cell," for this was getting too far even for what we deal with today…
Kanna was pacing all over the nursery as she was put in there by Luka for backtalking earlier. Still, she wasn't the only one as she saw Carly, Jill, Sona, Authlin, Frithrun, and Sura in there as they were surrounded by the youngest girls in which being in here was getting to be unbearable. All they had at their disposal were the toys that consisted of blocks and stuffed animals in the toybox as the youngest children were digging into it. The girls were trapped in their prison for tonight as they had to face the wrath of Luka the moment she entered into the nursery, for she wanted them to be something that they weren't wanting to begin with.
"You know why you're being punished, aren't you?" she said.
"It's because you have no authority here," said Jill. "You cannot just encroach here against the wishes of the people who praise Sam and Reiko as gods of the Ashizoka System."
"And you're just as bad as your cohort. The real reason why you're here is that for far too long, girls have been abandoning their purpose to stick to tradition and that is when you come of age, you will find yourselves a decent husband and you must give him every single need you can get."
"But we're too little!" yelled Carly.
"Be quiet! You will obey me because you're being punished, so I suggest that you be grateful in the eyes of the Lord!"
Luka left the nursery as Kanna was left feeling more angry at her in which she wanted Reiko to stand up to her. The other girls were also stuck in the nursery as there was nothing better to do other than play with the toys that were there, for the building blocks ended up passing the time for them when it came to what prevented boredom.
"Are there any other toys to play with?" asked Sona.
"There are mainly blocks and stuffed animals right now," said Jill.
"There's always blocks and stuffed animals… I don't even have my favorite dolls with me because they're in my room…"
"You shouldn't be discouraged by not having the right toys; that's what Mommy says," said Sura as she got out some plush toys. "These stuffed animals will be the hunters in which they will do what they do best and that is by saving people, hunting things, and upholding the family business. That's what Uncle Dean says in which he sticks to what we can't play with."
Sura was determined to keep the girls' spirits up as she was not about to give up on succumbing to Luka's rules. She had her reasons not to be overwhelmed by boredom as she inherited Moro's sense of adventure, for she also wanted the girls to do more with their imagination than just be trapped in the nursery. Even Reiko noticed them to be having fun as she was glad that they were not bogged down by Luka's rule to subjugating them to obey her. She was happy that the girls were having their own fun as she was about to leave the nursery, for she had to check up on other things. When she went into the hallway, she saw Luka arguing with one of the Norsefolk servants as she was mainly issuing out her own set of rules on how a woman behaves. From what she noticed was that the servant slapped Luka in the face as she was left seething in anger, for she wasn't about to give up on forcing women and girls to "keep sweet" in the castle.
"I have never been so offended in my life!" she yelled.
"Some of us women and girls are not weak-minded as we seem," said Reiko.
"And yet you still don't know your place, do you, Lady Reiko?"
"Is it about your sexist attitudes on how us women and girls are forced to behave?"
"As I recall, you hardly ever spend your time with your husband when his needs are supposed to be met. I know that you recently had a miscarriage and a surprise after that, but keeping a man warm is your top priority! No wonder so many women get divorced and no wonder their husbands end up cheating on them with their mistresses!"
"The Order of Letters forbids infidelity. As for my husband's needs being met, he's in the infirmary wing and has to stay there on bedrest. I know this because I won't abandon him right now after he did his best to save lives and destroy the Sol Project."
"And yet, you're another graceless lady who's too big for her skirt."
"I may be too big for my skirt, but I'm not a graceless lady. And do you want to know why I don't lash out too much? It's because I've been sheltered all my life after my mother died giving birth to me. I was mainly the most powerful, but the most gentle in which I was mainly raised by Aya when she came to our home on Alecrast. She also taught me how to cook and stay firm as a lady in which I waited so many years later to see Sammy again. I speak for everyone and how they would express themselves freely. All you do is cling to old outdated stereotypes that give all women and girls a bad name."
Luka was left fuming as she was wanting to attack Reiko. Just as she was about to do so, she saw me coming into the hall as I was in my wheelchair in which I had break up the fight. I couldn't let Reiko get accosted by Luka's rhetoric as I had to put my foot down, for I wasn't about to be a pushover for such outdated junk right now.
"Finally, here's a man to keep you warm," said Luka.
"Let me remind you that you have no right to attack the lady of the house," I said.
"She should know her place like any other woman who shows fealty to her husband. She should also have your needs met in which she should also keep you warm at night. That is her marital duty after all, but why hasn't she done it yet?"
"Does this answer your question?" I slowly got up from my wheelchair as I was revealing the small bulge in my body due to the fact that I was becoming heavy with child. "Before you force your ideals on how women and girls are meant to behave, you should also be aware of what men can also do. We men and boys do more than just protect, help out, and fight in which we also have to focus on our mental health as well. As for my own predicament, I'm carrying the load of the ones whose mothers gave their lives to protect the Skalvarg Archipelago from the further wrath of Bertram Blackthorne's forces. Not all of us follow such outdated stereotypes in which we're better than this. It's the most we can do, for we have our own burdens to bear."
Luka was shocked to see me like that as I didn't want her to harass or accost Reiko even further. I had to put my foot down as I later saw her leave the hallway the moment I sat down in my wheelchair. Still, I had to return to the infirmary wing as I was more than likely to be returning to bedrest until Reiko decided to bring me back to the room I was in. What we didn't notice that Sigurthur and the other boys were not in the hospital room as we later saw Moro sitting in a rocking chair next to the window. Like me, she was also with child as she was barred from doing further duties due to her pregnancy she has, for she didn't want to allow Luka to rain on everyone's parade anytime soon.
"If you're wondering about Sigurthur and the boys, I put them back into the the nursery and kitchen," she said. "As for my predicament, I can't do squat."
"It's because you're carrying twins," I said as I got up and crawled into my bed.
"I wanted to kick Luka's ass, but Sigurthur didn't want me to."
"It's because he cares about you," said Reiko. "That is what a real man does for the one he loves."
"I know… As for Luka, she has the gall to come here from Glamdring just to separate everyone in which she thinks what's best for us. Yes, most women and girls help to clean and cook while taking care of the kids, but the men and boys also have to do their part. We're a lot of things, but sometimes, we have to get out of our soapbox and do what is right for our family. It's what we do, right?"
It wasn't long until we saw Sigurthur burst into the room again in which he was there to collect Moro. He noticed her to be exhausted as the twins in her body were giving her trouble. Feeling at her stomach, he felt the two small pulsations still functioning as he was glad that they were away from the stress, for he didn't want her to be overwhelmed by so much housework. I didn't blame him for being worried about Moro as he was doing his best to keep her from doing too much, which was better than going through the ringer.
"Thank Elder Yavanna that our little ones are still alive," he said.
"You keep doing that," said Moro.
"You're expecting my sons. I can't just let you get badgered by Luka and her ways to force women to 'keep sweet' all the time."
"I would've up and kicked her ass anyway!"
"You can't do anything else in your condition anyway," I said.
"Neither can you," said Reiko.
"I know about what you're going through, Sam," said Sigurthur. "It's because Alonzo was harping about how his sister's legacy ended up fertilized by your own seed and injected in your body along with her wife's. He's up and arms in protecting them in which he's also about to become an uncle. I've heard stories about how some men who don't pay attention to their wives too much end up being punished by the gods in which they force them to walk in their shoes while carrying children. There are some men who were born with crafted wombs in which they've been destined to be Incubators, but their fate is a sad one and that is by carrying the seed and ovum of the various gene banks of the Fallen."
"I know that feeling very well…" I said.
I was reminded of the very fate that I ended up into as I was also worried about Minara and what he was going through. Still, we had to bear what was put into us against our wishes as this was also a typical boon than a burden, for this was something that we had to carry till the end…
Akio was in the Order's main headquarters on Valinor as he was walking towards the holding cells to see Neville, who was in one of them. The disgraced member of the Vallon-Schacter Family was about to be shipped to prison as he was still loafing in there. Even though he was now cut off from his family, he was still angry at the fact that he was at fault in which he also had to deal with the consequences for his actions, for this didn't settle with him very well.
"You're looking sulky," said Akio.
"I'm in jail now; happy?!" yelled Neville as he was still moping after the guilty verdict.
"You got what was coming to you. Your accomplice just got shipped to the Kettle, which is a prison that is over a volcano and boiling water in the middle of an island in Valinor's southern hemisphere. As for you, you had some nerve to collect all the rent boys with crafted wombs in their bodies in which one of your victims gave birth. Now, I've got the Intergalactic Space Police breathing down my neck in which they found such juicy evidence of your 'private collection' stemming from medical equipment to sex toys."
"The lives of those Incubators are deemed sacred just to house the genetics that the Fallen left behind. As for the possible successes in bringing an Ancient's ovum into prominence and those of the fallen soldiers here, there is a fighting chance to give them life."
"You mean by committing medical rape? After the cops raided your homestead on Atreides, one of your rent boys had to be placed into protective custody in which his father was concerned about his safety after a report that he ran away from home."
"Are you talking about Fyodor Stapleton? He was brought here because of the fact that his crafted womb would do good to house the extinct bloodlines that have been wiped out over the years. As for what Sam tried to say when it came to 'his body, his choice?' It backfired on him in which it now stems to 'his body…, the Terran God's choice!' It had to be done, Akio! Sam and Minara now have sacred children in their bodies in which if any of our enemies like the Zenith Vectors or any other monster try to kill them, then they will face a long lingering wrath!"
Akio left the holding cells as he went upstairs to his office. After getting an earful from Neville earlier, he was sitting at his desk as he was reading the reports that the Intergalactic Space Police sent to him. The raid at Neville's homestead on Atreides was the last straw as the newspaper clippings of it were huge breaking news indeed. When he put away the reports in a file, he noticed Aleph arriving as he was dressed in his usual janitorial clothing, for he was there to "earn his keep" like everyone else in the Order.
"There's no need for you to be working your ass to the bone here," he said.
"And miss a day of work? Not a chance," said Aleph as he was busy sweeping the floor.
"You look like Sam, but with white hair. Your twin brother, Epsilon, also looks like Sam, but he's still bedridden in the residential quarters you live in."
"Epsilon had it worst when those freaks tortured him to the point of sleep deprivation. Thankfully, that Half-Elf treated his insomnia in time or else he would've been toast."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"From what I heard on the news, that Elf from Atreides, Neville Schacter, must've got his ass handed to him in which he got put in the clink."
"Neville and his accomplice, Abraham Sloane, were accused of medical rape in which they had the gall to kidnap, drug, and milk the seed from their two victims, only to fertilize a couple of foreign ovum and have them injected into their bodies."
"Well, I hope to the Matriarch that they get compensation for what they went through."
"The two victims are none other than members of the Order: Sam Winchester and Minara Mitani. Both of them are with child, but under strict safety measures after the usual suspects were busted, tried, found guilty, and put away in the slammer. They're men, but they're also carrying what was meant for the women in which they got roped into what got put into them."
Aleph was concerned about what I was going through as he never expected me to be with child before until now. When he saw the latest edition of the newspaper on the couch, he picked it up as he looked at the front page with Neville's face plastered on it. The words, "Rent Boy King Falls," in bold letters adorned the newspaper as Aleph never expected to see what came after it. He read the newspaper in his hand as he later saw the pictures of several of the young men who also happen to be Incubators as the words, "Rent Boys Speak Out!," appeared in bold letters. The damning report was more than enough to have Neville fall out of favor with the public and other forms of high society as he was now rotting in a jail cell, for justice was already served.
When Aleph put down the newspaper, he left Akio's office as he took his cart of janitorial stuff with him and returned to his residential quarters for the night. When he stepped inside, he put away his cart as he was going towards his room to check up on Epsilon, who was still bedridden after suffering from the sleep deprivation that plagued him. In the long haul Aleph was determined to protect his twin brother as he also vowed that no one would ever take him away again, for he cared about him the most.
"I'm home…," he said as he touched Epsilon's hand.
It wasn't long until Aleph saw Epsilon wake up from a nightmare as he was shaking with fear. He was helpless in the bed as his twin brother tried everything to console him until he hugged him back, for they were all they had for now…
Reiko entered into the dining hall as she saw Luka sitting there giving orders to some of the servants who were not having it. She saw the unwanted guest not budging as she was more than likely to give her a piece of her mind. Even though she rarely gets angry, Reiko wasn't about to let Luka get her way as she would soon have her kicked out, for enough was enough already.
"Look at this!" yelled Luka. "You all come in here with weapons instead of children suckling on your breasts!"
"We have every right to do so much like our husbands and sons," said one of the servants.
"Oh, really? The men have more duties than you do and yet you take from them as if you've been yanking their testicles from between their legs!"
"I think it's time for you to leave," said Reiko.
"You again! You don't know when to quit after your husband's carrying what you should be doing!"
"Enough! You overstayed your welcome and yet you continue to spout your outdated rhetoric among everyone here. It's time for you to leave before you end up getting the short end of the stick."
"Leave her be, Reiko," said Lyra as she entered into the dining hall. "I'll deal with her personally in which her husband has arrived to take her back to Glamdring!"
Reiko spotted a rugged man with white hair coming into the dining hall as he rushed in and grabbed Luka and fled the castle. She never knew who he was, but she also noticed instant karma coming in which the worst was over. When she followed them outside, she saw the rugged man place Luka into a longboat by the harbor as he wasn't having it the moment he would soon scold her, for he didn't like what was being pushed on all of us.
"How could you do this to me?!" she yelled.
"You always push your rhetoric on everyone else and that irks some people," said the rugged man.
"Take a look at the women and girls who live here, Jagomir! They keep running their men ragged as if they castrated them in broad daylight!"
"Aren't you a woman?! We have daughters who are willing to protect our town from any type of threat, whether it's from the Blues sympathizers to the usual monsters who come and go. Therefore, you can't keep preaching outdated stereotypes to any other woman or girl because they and you can do a lot more just like us men and boys. Now, if you don't mind, we leave for Glamdring as planned."
And so, Luka was whisked away by her husband as they left in the longboat. Still, Reiko watched in the distance as she also found it witty to see Luka getting a taste of her own medicine in which she also grew a little bolder. She was more than just a wife and mother as she also wanted our children to express themselves to the fullest, regardless of what path they take. When she was about to return to the castle, she saw Lyra standing there with a smile on her face, for the work of getting Luka out of here paid off in spades after all.
"It's a good thing that we don't have traditionalists gumming up the works right now," she said.
"You know of her, don't you?" said Reiko.
"Luka Halsdottir is the most insufferable woman in all of Valinor. She believes that women and girls shouldn't be hunting or fighting in which she reserves that field for men and boys. Luckily, I ran into her husband, Jagomir Halsson, in which he wasn't too happy with her instilling outdated measures for us women and girls."
"Earlier, she forced Kanna and the other girls to be in the nursery."
"For the record, Luka still isn't satisfied with how womanhood turned out in her eyes. The sight of us being soldiers, hunters, chefs, business workers, and medical workers don't agree with her in which she wants the rest of us women to be housewives until we wither away."
"I'm more than glad that Luka went home. As for what she did by separating the children to outdated roles, she is hindering the growth of any child in which it's vital to express oneself instead of being expressionless. As for my own role to have Sammy's needs met, I'm giving them to him in which he must stay in bed until the little ones are born."
"You've gotten braver since you helped Sam destroy the Sol-4 and put a damper on Project Helios. As for the Executive Division, they've all gone to pasture in which they won't dampen another doorway again."
"It's mainly that I'm a wife and mother, but I hardly ever go hunting for dangerous spirits and monsters. As for caring for the children, I've got my hands full in which our oldest ward is now a part of the Hunter Corps as a cadet."
"You had your fair share of taking down monsters in which I heard Ingmar changing his tune after he nearly lost his life at the hands of a shtriga. You have a gentle but stern quality to you because a real mother protects her children from harm. You have a lot of courage in which you would also stop at nothing to protect the vulnerable. You even have the gall to take out a religious tyrant who held Baratheon prisoner in which the Castellano Family returned to power. As for what you possess, you display a quiet courage that can put everything else to shame. Those are the qualities that will never be taken away from you, for they are what makes you more unique than you think."
Reiko was glad that Lyra gave her the words of wisdom in which she was also the graceful lady who was more courageous than we all thought. Still, she was mainly a wife and mother, but she wasn't about to lose herself nor let herself go, either. She was someone who refused to back down in which she would stop at nothing to protect everyone, for she was also the goddess of the Ashizoka System after all…
I was in my room in the infirmary wing as I stayed there during my bedrest. I was mainly there because of the fact that I had to stay put for the next few months. Sitting up, I felt at my stomach as I was feeling at the four parcels sleeping. Looking out the window, I saw the fresh snow falling onto the ground as I sensed the winter still here and not stopping. When I heard the door open, I thought that Reiko would come in here, but I was wrong. All I saw was Dunya entering as she was busy checking my vitals in which she was on it for a lot of reasons, for she wasn't about to let me out of her sight yet.
"There's no way to get out of it," I said.
"Everything is running smoothly, but no complications," said Dunya.
"Look, I know that you're doing your job, but there are other patients who need your attention."
"For the record, I can't leave your side because Reiko also doesn't want you to get out of bed."
"How's Moro doing?"
"She's fine, Sam. From what I heard, she's carrying two Half-Elven twins in which Sigurthur doesn't want to leave her side right now. As for you, there's gonna be some security protecting you in which your quadruplets are the catalyst due to the mothers of your children being Nephilim, but suffering from the ravages of Tabata Syndrome."
"And their sacrifice to protect the Skalvarg Archipelago wasn't in vain. Still, what I carry will honor their memory in which they did their duty."
"It's not about honor or doing the right thing, Sam. The presence of Aloysia and Te'Katri's children in that crafted womb of yours has also attracted the attention of the many rogue angels who see them as a threat. If you end up giving birth to them in the later months, then the angels that I'm talking about will take them away. I know of this because the grandfather of one of the fallen soldiers happens to be a Knight of Heaven. As for Te'Katri's parentage, she is the product of a Va'Kihri man and a female angel in which their future was set in stone to begin with."
"Taraniel… It's been a while since I last saw him…"
I noticed Dunya fish out a letter as she handed it to me. When I opened it up, I saw the handwriting in Enochian as I had a gut feeling that something terrible had happened. Even though I studied in books and deciphering handwriting in any language, I read the letter clearly as I had a troubling sense of worry, for it was mainly a warning about what I was carrying within me.
Sam (It read),
I know that it's hard to accept what you bear, but you must protect my future great-grandchildren from the ones who view them as a threat. Their future is a catalyst of what is yet to come in which they will also go up against the Zenith Vectors and others who perceive them as a threat. I have gone into hiding after the war ended, but I can't give away my whereabouts because of the fact that Abaddon has gotten word about what you bear. Lyra and her family will protect you in which her son-in-law happens to be my grandson. I never told you about how he and his twin sister, Aloysia, were born because of the fact that I also got with an Elf named Marian Webber at the time. When she died in childbirth, our daughter, Alice, was placed in an orphanage, but I also feared the worst when she ended up in her mother's line of work as a courtesan. Sadly, she also became with child after shacking up with a Draaza soldier and brought Alonzo and Aloysia into the world, but with a terrible price. You know what Tabata Syndrome is, right? It's a ravaging disorder that plagues women to no end in which both Marian and Alice had the gene, but Alonzo remained unscathed because Tabata Syndrome only affects the women. From what I gathered, Nelliel had a resistance to Tabata Syndrome in which his grandchildren were left unscathed until Minara procured a vaccine to prevent the ravaging illness from taking more lives in the process. As for the future you carry, you must safeguard it at all costs, for it is vital that you do so.
Sincerely, Taraniel, a Knight of Heaven.
I clutched at the letter as I had a duty to fulfill. I had a purpose with the foreign ovum that were fertilized by my seed as I couldn't abandon them now. It wasn't long until Reiko entered into the room as she was adamant into protecting the future that I had in me, for she was also there to make sure that I was safe from harm. When I saw her touch at my stomach, she noticed the four parcels slightly moving as she was thankful that they were safe, for they were the future that was put in front of me against my wishes.
"Don't worry, my little darlings," she said. "I will protect you and your father from harm."
...And she meant it. She was more than just a wife and goddess of the Ashizoka System in which she was also a mother, for she displayed a gentleness that no one has ever saw before until now...
To be continued...