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Nineteen years have passed since the meeting between worlds.

Only a couple of months remained before the Administrators descended—the very ones Maria had glimpsed through the Hourglass of Time.

So much had changed. Every member of every world had grown tremendously strong, shattering their limits again and again.

Through the powers Maria had shared, they had become entirely different from who they once were.

Over all those years, they had also exchanged countless strategies, techniques, formations, and more.

In one month, Maria and the Alliance would launch an all-out assault on the Tower’s Upper Floors, aiming straight for the summit!

But today, Maria was taking it easy.

Earth.

"How was your day, you two? Was school too rough?"

Maria waited outside the grand Academy of the Awakened, a school she had personally sponsored and helped build on Earth.

She had hand-picked the teachers herself—educators who taught every awakened child how to harness their gifts.

The academy did far more than strengthen the Awakened; it instilled core ideals: use power to protect the weak, never act with arrogance, and always strive to do the best for the world and its people.

Now two of her own children emerged from the gates. Maria had come to pick them up.

A handsome young man with pink hair and vivid red eyes walked calmly, surrounded by a soft pink cloud-like aura. He wore the academy’s blue uniform perfectly. This was Liam, the son of Alma and Maria.

At his side clung an adorable child no older than five, holding big brother’s hand and beaming at Mama with pure joy. Half their skin was pale white, the other half dark gray; long hair split evenly between white and black; one eye red, the other golden. This was Zephriel, the child of Hel and Maria.

"Hello! Come to Mama!"

Maria opened her arms wide. Zephriel sprouted angel-like wings from their flowing hair—wings they could freely shape and control—and flew straight into her embrace.

"Mama!"

Zephriel planted a giggling kiss on her nose. The little one wore the uniform too, though sometimes they chose girl clothes, sometimes boy clothes. Zephriel had not yet decided whether to be a girl or a boy; they seemed perfectly happy being both.

"It was good. I leveled up a few skills today, Mom," Liam said. "But the teacher said Zephriel fell asleep in class."

"You did?!" Maria gasped, gently patting the baby. "You shouldn’t do that, Zephriel! You have to pay attention in class, alright?"

"But Mama, I was so sleepy..." Zephriel yawned dramatically. "And it was boring..."

"It’s supposed to be a little boring sometimes," Liam said, ruffling their hair. "But you’ll learn how to use your abilities better, little sis."

"Big bro always says that...!" Zephriel pouted, crossing tiny arms. "Studying is boring! I wanna go back to Mama in Helheim! And play with Uncle Fenrir and Uncle Jormungandr and Grandpa Loki!"

"Fine, fine," Maria giggled. "Let’s go home then."

She opened a portal while cradling her baby and prepared to step through with Liam.

But a group of girls suddenly called out.

"Liaaam!"

"Huh?"

Maria glanced back. Her handsome son was instantly surrounded by four girls, all chattering and trying to keep him from leaving.

"Liam! How about karaoke today?"

"Wait, maybe the park instead?"

"Liam, do you like punk rock? I got concert tickets... wanna come?"

"Liam! Let’s grab food at WcDonald’s. My treat!"

"A-Ahahah... Girls, calm down... I, uh, gotta go. My mom’s waiting," Liam muttered, cheeks flushing with nerves.

"Wow, he’s such a protagonist!" Maria whispered in delight. "Look at your big brother, Zephriel! Surrounded by cute girls!"

"Yeeaah, that’s big brother," Zephriel nodded, expression utterly bored. "But I don’t know if he even likes girls..."

"Eh?" Maria blinked.

"He always wants to hang out with his guy friends. There’s someone he really likes, I think... his friend Henry."

"Oho?" Maria’s eyes sparkled. "I see... fufu."

Liam gently extricated himself from the group and hurried back to his mother and sibling.

"S-Sorry, Mom... They just appeared out of nowhere... ugh."

"Hahaha, don’t worry! You’re just popular with the girls!"

"Yeah... ugh. I wish I wasn’t."

"Aw, come on. You don’t like girls or something?"

"..."

Liam went quiet for a moment and said nothing, walking straight toward the portal.

"Anyway, we should go."

"Y-yeah! I was joking, you know? It’s totally fine if you don’t..."

"It’s complicated... I... I’m still dealing with it..."

"Okay, sorry. I’ll leave you to it then, dear."

Maria sometimes struggled with being a good mother. She could be overly nosy, prying too much and giving her children little privacy—something she was actively trying to change.

"You know your mothers will always love you no matter what," she said gently. "And we’ll support you no matter what too." She nodded firmly. "Alma should be home by now. She already prepared lunch."

"Hm. Mom’s lunch is great," Liam said, steering away from the topic.

"Zephriel... did I do something wrong?" Maria asked, eyes glistening slightly.

"Mama, you’re too nosy!" Zephriel declared.

"Heheh... sorry," Maria laughed awkwardly.

Even after nearly twenty years, becoming a truly good mom remained hard with so many children.

Still, Maria kept doing her best.

Back home they went, to the grand manor Maria owned in Yggdrasil, nestled within her vast village that had long since grown into a sprawling city.

Internet and Earth/Azure Star technology have spread everywhere. Codeveil’s advancements had connected everyone more deeply than ever.

Magic cars rolled alongside Dwarven machinery fused with every other style. Large houses stood beside a handful of skyscrapers.

Companies and organizations from across the Tower had settled here, turning the city into the greatest cross-world, multicultural hub in existence, home to hundreds of cultures from fifty different worlds.

Maria’s Undead kept order: skeletons and ghosts patrolled the streets, making this the safest place in the entire Tower.

In that lavish manor, Maria and her family lived in comfort.

"I’m back with the kids! Hel, it’s your turn with Zephriel! The baby really wants to see their uncles and grandpa again," Maria called.

From her shadows, Hel emerged with a gentle smile, taking the child into her arms.

"Thank you for picking Zephriel up. How are you today, dear?" Hel asked, setting the little one down.

"I’m fine!" Zephriel beamed. "Mama, can I go play with Grandpa and my uncles? Pretty please? Pretty pleaseeee!"

"Well... they’ve been training and cultivating all morning, so I suppose they deserve a break," Hel said with a nod. "Dad, Zephriel’s coming!" She opened a gate to Helheim.

Inside, Loki sat alone sipping tea—until Zephriel barreled in and launched onto his face.

"Grandpaaaa! Let’s play! Let’s play mountain destroyer!"

"Zephriel?! AAACK!"

Loki yelped as the child clung tight and refused to let go.

"I-I’ve told you several times to—Ouch! Don’t pull my hair! Zephriel, please be gentler with your grandfather!"

"Geez... I’ll go watch over them," Hel sighed, stepping through the gate and closing it behind her.

Liam watched the chaos with wide eyes.

"Is it okay for Zephriel to skip lunch?" he asked, genuinely worried.

"It’s fine. If they were hungry, they’d tell us," Maria said, rolling her eyes fondly as she sank into a chair at the empty table with a relieved sigh. "They’re a powerful god—they could go years without eating if they wanted."

"Ah yeah," Liam nodded. "I sometimes forget that because they’re so bratty."

"Hahaha! Don’t say that about your little sibling," Maria laughed, perhaps a touch too loudly.

"Ahhh! You’re back!" Alma appeared from the kitchen, still aging like fine wine—beautiful, mature, radiating motherly warmth with long pink hair braided elegantly. "Hello, dear. How was school today? Mooch, mooch!" She peppered Liam’s face with kisses.

"It was alright," Liam said. "I’m starving... is lunch ready?"

"Yes! It’s ready!" Alma replied. She walked over, kissed Maria on the lips, then asked, "You joining us today, honey?"

"Of course. I’m starving too!" Maria grinned, returning the kiss.

Alma hurried back with food, serving them a rich meat stew made from her late grandmother’s cherished recipe. Grandma had passed two years earlier, but the taste still carried her love.

Liam smiled warmly as he took the first bite, memories flooding back.

"It’s as delicious as ever... Grandma’s stew. You really mastered it, Mom," he said, devouring the plate in minutes. "Can I have seconds?"

"Heheh, of course. You’re turning ten soon, right? Gotta keep eating to get big!" Alma giggled, fetching another helping.

Maria watched her dear son with the gentlest smile.

Yes, he was turning ten—but thanks to growth spurts, he already looked fifteen.

More than that, because he had spent so much time inside her Soul Realm between years, mentally he was closer to seventeen.

All kinds of races grew at different rates. Liam was pure human, yet even he had developed strangely because of everything that had happened.

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