CH 32

Zel sat in front of Emilia's parents while his hand was holding Emilia's under the table. This was something both wanted but knew it was not something they could force to the couple. After all, raising a child is hard and asking them to raise two was not a thing you normally ask as a favor, but they were the only ones they trusted enough and was also available.

"So, if we sign these, the kids will stay with us and be legally our adopted children, yes?

James' stern expression made Tina nervous while she cheered them on in her heart. The fate of two precious kids were in the line after all.

"Yes, father."

"Tell me Emi, why did you two have to go this far for these kids. You were able to help the other orphans get a better place to stay but why did you take these two back with you?"

Emilia understood her parents the most. Enough to understand that they were asking for one good reason and they will accept. Good news was they already planned for this.

"If you want the truth, I can show you. I only hope that you promise me that if you see what I show you then you have to listen afterwards."

Lane and James looked at their daughter in worry, she had never done this before and it both scared and amazed them.

'Our little girl is all grown up now.'

She had been so shy before, only opening up to a few friends while outright pushing away other people. They looked towards the boy, no, the man that made them feel content knowing he'll be with her long after they are gone.

His dedication to their daughter made them aware of the fact that only in his side will she be able to bloom into the wonderful flower she is. They looked in each other's eyes, already having made their decision long ago but still accepted Emilia's proposal because they want to see. How much has our little girl grown?

"Alright."

"Try not to freak out, we'll explain later." Emilia stood up from the table and put her hands forward. A dazzling green light came out of the tips of her fingers and went on to cover her hand. She held on to the edge of the table but then was startled when she heard Zel call out to her.

"Don't use the table! Here."

An empty bottle suddenly appeared in Zel's hands and everyone's eyes, except for Emilia, opened wide. The magic trick was something they can't explain and while Emilia was thinking about what to do with it, a clapping sound came from her side.

"That was a nice trick! Though I don't get what that's got to do with the kids being adopted." James' amused look turned serious while he spoke.

"But this wasn't the thing we were going to show you, watch."

Emilia took the empty bottle and the glow in her hands transferred to the bottle, like a layer of light. The bottle then slowly floated from her hands and landed in between her parents' hands that have been placed on the table.

"A lot of things will happen in a few months, in a little less than eight months to be more accurate. The world has changed, is changing into something that none of us ever imagined. Those two will not only be a part of that new world, they will help build it. If we want to survive, we need them on our side."

Emilia's explanations caused the whole room to be silent. The proud parents didn't know what to think anymore as only confusion remained in their eyes. Tina, whose thoughts have long turned to a brilliant diamond have finally got no more patience to hold back as she tried to translate what Emilia said to her parents.

"Emilia's saying that she and Zel are having a baby and they want to have a family of their own but they wanted you guys not to be sad so she was hoping that adopting these kids would help you guys accept the fact that she's going to have another family now. But she's also saying that you guys will never have to worry as she will always be your daughter and to come see her when her baby is born. Isn't that right, Emilia?"

A satisfied face was looking over the people in the room while Zel's hand became glued to his face as the idiot had said something that will escalate the already hard to explain situation.

"Pregnant?" Lane's expression was one of gratified surprise. She held both of her hands over her mouth while looking at Emilia for confirmation.

"My daughter's going to be a mother!?" James' first move was to look at Zel with a gaze that came from hell. He was willing to accept the man into the family but to have the nerve to make his daughter carry his child without marrying her first? No fucking way!

The two parents were only able to interpret Emilia's cryptic words as a message that she was pregnant now. The idea of the world ending and being rebuilt was now taken metaphorically instead of literally.

Emilia, who was also taking in the words was speechless and frustrated as she was not telling them that at all. Her anxiety of what their reactions might be caused her to drop the bottle that was held by her mana. Fortunately, Zel had used his to get the bottle back into his hands with a swing of his arms like using a rope.

"Thwip. The hell!"

"What was that?"

"How did you do that?"

The trio were brought back to reality as Zel's demonstration of mana exceeded Emilia's by a long shot. They had felt the string of mana so strongly that they knew that something was there, but it moved so fast they only saw a blue blur.

"This is mana, something that's currently surrounding everything right now. It's in very small quantities right now but eventually the world will know about it. I was lucky enough to get it earlier than most but that's it. The reason I got it earlier was luck but the thing it entails is something we will all face equally."

"Wait, hold on. What exactly are you saying? You got powers now?"

"Umm, yeah. Emilia has them too. By the time Charles wakes up, he'll have one too. After something happens, there's no telling how many more will get them but we don't have to worry about those for a while."

"And the reason you wanted those kids was because of this mana thing?"

"Yes and no, if I was being honest then we came there expressly for this reason but the fact that we want them to have a good family is not a lie. If you guys didn't want them then we would do it ourselves. I mean, we will start a family someday so starting earlier won't be a huge problem."

The information Zel was giving out was making things more complicated than even before. Tina who had understood wrong was now hiding her flushed face between her hands while Emilia was just waiting for Zel to finish. If he allowed her to finish her part, then she will wait for him to finish. After all, that's something they decided to do for everything.

Lane first gave her attention to Zel, alternating her look between him and Emilia. She took a deep breathe while holding on to James' trembling hand to calm him down. She knew that there was more but if she had to take in more information then she won't be able to respond to the things that were said now.

"Then was Tina telling the truth?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you pregnant Emilia?"

Zel was now looking at his lover's parents woefully as he thought they still didn't understand. Seeing this, James was finally going to speak his mind.

"We get the part about mana and all that, but what I want to know is if you got my daughter pregnant without proposing to my little girl and without asking us first!"

"No, she's not pregnant. I didn't ask her to marry me yet as well. I'm still preparing something special for her."

"..." A mixture of relief and disappointment was lingering in all their hearts but Emilia's heart was now bursting with something else. She had always had this feeling but now it was growing stronger.

'So he's planning on marrying me!' She had always been someone who let go of relationships first. Friends that were not contacted never called back.

Family that was not close by never visited. Eventually you stop caring except for the few who stayed. Zel was the first one to approach her and she felt compelled to stay with him. If he was someone who who leave then she wouldn't have tried her best to stay, but she knew he wasn't like that. How could she not?

"I've already chosen to give her the best life a woman can have by being the best husband a man can be. But if the plans I have don't become a reality before the change happens, then we all die!" Zel has brought out the big guns, hoping to steer the situation back to a normal conversation. About the apocalypse. Hoping to steer the conversation back to the more important topic. That's not his marriage with Emilia? Hoping to steer the conversation back to get all of them to survive. Yeah.

"The power I have is only enough for us not to die instantly when the first wave arrives. If we want to have any chance of living happily after that, then we need to go forward with a few of my plans."

"Wait! I understand that things will get dangerous as you say but, how do you know all this?"

'Finally, a good question!' Zel had done this before but only after the first abdicates arrived so that the people in this room are all in the same page as he was.

Having to explain this over and over would be tiring though so he wanted the children to also hear him talk. He gazed towards the stairs where a pair of little eyes were peeking towards the table where the rest had been gathering.

"Hmmm?" Seeing that Zel didn't answer and instead looked towards a direction, everyone else also moved their sight towards the same direction. But all they were able to find were two startled children.

"Run!"

"Hehe!"

The two wanted to go up the stairs and hide in Charles' room after getting caught. But when they felt their bodies float while still moving their feet to try and get towards the second floor, they looked down only to see that they were falling to the first floor.

"Oh no!"

"Ahhh!"

Tina thought she was falling while Charles knew that this was big brother using his mana to carry them. When he remembered that he could also use mana now, he tried to feel it by copying Zel's look. Though this only brought out a chuckle from Zel who was now standing in front of them while their feet were a few centimeters off the ground.

"Are you copying me?"

"No!" The boy tried to deny it, but everyone saw him trying to smile like Zel.

That gentle face that seemed to make everyone annoyed due to how it looks like he was teasing and praising you at the same time. Though it was something not everyone can do, it seems to them that Charles had a talent like Zel as it looked quite a little like Zel's.

"Ahhh! Help me! I'm falling!" Little Tina who was waving her arms around didn't realize she was not falling after all. It was only when a pair of hands held her that she stopped crying out. She looked back only to see Lane smiling at her while poking her little nose.

"Ay, don't do that again little Charlie! Zel's smile is not for kids!"

"Yeah, you will get a girlfriend too early if you do that!"

Charles was hiding his face as he thought that he was busted. He wanted to refute them by saying that he was only trying to use mana but felt that he shouldn't. If he did, he won't be able to copy big brother's smile anymore.

'I'll get a girlfriend if I smile like that?'

"Are you ok?" Lane was preoccupied with holding the little girl to watch the scene on the other side of the room. She thought the little girl was not feeling well as her eyes seemed to redden.

"..." Tina's blue eyes were glazing over as she hugged Lane tightly, having felt the care in her hands and hearing the concern on her voice made her feel like she wasn't unwanted anymore.

"Oh, don't cry now baby girl. I'm sorry, ok?" This prompted a response from Lane who then tried to coax her by gently rubbing her back while rocking her body from side to side.

"Waaah." Unable to understand how the little girl suddenly burst to tears, Tina went towards the now smiling Zel and lightly tapped on his shoulder while asking softly.

"What's going on in this house?"