"Ishtar, what needs to be done to make Atolie stronger?" Blake did not need to Atolie to become stronger, but he was curious as to how one would make her stronger.
"It's too late now since it needs to be done during the creation process, but if you were to inscribe the runes of the ancient gods into the original magic circle, it would amplify the apostle's strength by a hundred times," Ishtar replied. She was very surprised to know that Destiny had created Atolie on her own without any help or knowledge of how to create one in the first place.
"I see. Well, at any rate, Atolie is now part of our family as Destiny's daughter. So guess that makes her my granddaughter? But this does not explain her attachment to me…" At some point, Atolie was already hugging his waist once more. Blake looked down at the two round eyes staring back up at him and sighed.
"I think you just have a natural affinity to have all the young ones imprint themselves on to you. I mean, look at Angelica. She has been asleep this entire time, cradled in your arms. You have a calming sensation that gives off the feeling of security." Ishtar reached out her hand and patted the top of Atolie's head. "And this one was created by your daughter, so she would also have that same sense of feeling. You can say you were not wrong in saying that she is your granddaughter."
"Your meaning is?" Blake was still confused.
Ishtar giggled as she explained further. To even create an apostle, you need a single drop of blood." She turned and looked at Destiny with a smile and asked: "You used your blood, right?"
Destiny nodded her head. "Yes, I figured if I wanted to give it more strength, II could infuse it with a drop of blood in the main control magic circle to allow my own power to spread throughout its…. Wait, is this why she became real!?"
"Yes, with all the magic circles you used, along with the three types of powers, plus a drop of your own blood infused with your DNA, you created an offspring of sorts. She is basically your daughter." Ishtar replied.
Destiny pursed her lips. She was fine when she thought of Atolie as a golem, but now that it seemed she had created a living life form with a will of its own, and on top of that, it was basically her daughter. She felt conflicted. She was too young to have kids! She looked up at Atolie, who was hugging her Papa, and sighed. She now understood why Atolie did not listen to her. If she was her, she would not listen either! Papa came before anything else!
"Ishtar, is there a reason why Atolie can't speak?" Blake asked. When he checked her earlier, she seemed to have the ability to, but she only smiled and hugged and nothing more.
"She is still young. Think of it as if she had just been born. While babies can cry out loud, Atolie is a bit different. Unlike a baby who has the unconscious knowledge to cry, Atolie has no such knowledge. She will slowly learn things over time. Just like how she learned to walk. But it also seems her love for her Grandpapa is on her priority list." Ishtar tossed a teasing look toward Blake, causing him to chuckle.
"Alright. Since we have a new family member, we need to introduce her to everyone." Blake gently pushed Atolie back, thought for a moment before saying: "Go with your mother for now and get washed up. Then we will have a big party, okay?"
Atolie was hesitant before nodding and walking to Destiny's side. Destiny, on the other hand, had a strange look on her face. She really did not know how she felt about this! She had a daughter the same age as her!
After Blake left, Destiny looked at Atolie, who was just standing there, and sighed. "Come on, Atolie, let's get you into the bath. Ma-Mama will help you wash up and get you dressed, okay?"
Atolie looked at Destiny, and a bright smile formed on her lips as she nodded and jumped over to Destiny and hugged her. "Mama…."
The first words out of her mouth since being born. Destiny's maternal instincts immediately took over as she gently patted Atolie's back. She had a warm smile on her face as she said: "Yes, good girl. Let's take a bath together."
- - -
In another area of the palace a few minutes later….
"What!? Destiny has a child!?" Lillia yelled out. She looked at Blake, glaring at him. "You didn't!?"
Blake's expression turned sour. "Why the hell is that the first thing that comes to mind!? I would never touch my own daughters!"
"I don't know! You have a thing for princesses!" Lillia yelled back in a huff.
"Sister Lillia, please let him explain before coming to such conclusions." Ishtar chuckled she actually found the little spat quite funny.
"Fine! Explain. How did OUR daughter suddenly give birth to a child." Lillia asked with her arms crossed across her chest.
"She didn't give birth in that sense. She created a life form on her own using magic. Think of it like Slimia but much more powerful and flesh and blood." Blake continued to explain what had happened.
The more Lillia heard, the more her eyes widened. Her disgruntled expression turned to that of shock as she listened to Blake explain things in fine detail. When he finished his explanation, Lillia rubbed her nose as she looked at Blake and said: "Sorry. I should have let you explain. But to think my baby girl was this smart. She makes me, her mother, feel ashamed as it took both Noa and I to create Slimia, but she goes and creates a human version that is flesh and blood. I guess I should work harder on improving myself or else I might be left behind! I can't let my baby always protect me."