The forest was still.

  Kairyuuha’s heterochromatic eyes, one crimson and one azure, narrowed as a sharp cracking noise echoed through the clearing. His breath slowed, the air itself holding still with anticipation. The egg — which had pulsed faintly for days with an inner warmth — now trembled violently in his lap.

  A jagged crack split across the shell.

  His heart skipped. Without hesitation, Kairyuuha rose and vanished in a silent flicker, his teleportation now honed and nearly flawless. The world bent around him, space folding in a flash of red and blue light.

  Near the Guild Outskirts

  Team Emberlight had just finished their training for the day, sweat dripping down their faces as they collapsed under a tree.

  “Rest a bit?” Thora huffed, throwing himself into the grass.

  “Don’t collapse there, you'll turn into a mossy rock,” Kael joked, barely catching his breath.

  Suddenly, a blinding shimmer cracked the air. Kairyuuha emerged from the distortion, his expression unreadable but urgent.

  "It's hatching."

  That was all he had to say.

  No further questions. No hesitation. Everyone jumped up at once and followed.

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  Back in the Forest

  The egg pulsed with blinding white light now, splitting apart as the mana around it surged like a storm. Kairyuuha knelt again, his cloak rustling in the wind. The party stood behind him, their eyes wide.

  The cracks widened, pieces flaking off, then—

  A blinding burst. The egg exploded into light.

  For a moment, no one could see. But when the brilliance faded, a silhouette hovered in the lingering glow.

  A small child, perhaps five or six in appearance, floated gently down, her limbs curled as if still asleep. She had soft scales along her shoulders and cheeks, glimmering faintly gold, and two small horns twisted back from her temples. Her hair was moonlight-silver, her eyes a radiant glow of molten gold.

  She blinked slowly.

  Kairyuuha stepped forward, arms outstretched. The child’s eyes locked onto him as if instinctively drawn.

  "...Papa?" she said, voice soft and innocent.

  Everyone froze.

  Thora choked. “Papa?!”

  “Wait, wait, wait—” Kael pointed at Kairyuuha, looking horrified. “You—you have a kid?!”

  “I KNEW you were hiding something,” Reiya gasped.

  “I—I think she just... imprinted on him,” Mei whispered.

  Yuno just burst into laughter, trying to speak between fits: “You—you—Dad Kairyuuha?!”

  Even Kairyuuha blinked, genuinely taken aback. “...That’s not what I—”

  “Papa!!” the child squealed again, lunging into his arms with unnatural grace, curling against his chest with a content sigh. “Warm…”

  Kairyuuha stiffened awkwardly as everyone stared.

  Thora smirked. “So what’s the lucky mother’s name?”

  “There is no mother,” he muttered flatly.

  “Sure,” Kael snorted. “Tell it to the dragon egg!”

  The laughter continued until Lumina looked up, tilting her head.

  “You’re all loud.” Her tone was odd—sweet, but mature beyond her apparent age.

  “She... she can talk?” Mei asked in disbelief.

  Kairyuuha stood, holding the child gently. “Yes. Because she isn’t just a dragon. Deyrith modified the egg, using mana manipulation to alter her growth even before hatching. She’s still a child, but her mind is... advanced.”

  Yuno looked stunned. “That sounds unethical as hell.”

  “Of course it is,” Kairyuuha replied. “He intended to create an assistant—one who could reason like a human, obey like a construct, and protect like a guardian beast.”

  “But instead,” Lumina beamed, curling tighter into his arms, “I got Papa.”

  Thora doubled over, howling.

  Kael clapped Kairyuuha on the back. “Congratulations, old man. Guess you're retired from evil overlord to full-time dad now.”

  “I will dismember you.”

  Mei leaned closer, her expression soft. “...She’s kind of adorable, though.”

  Kairyuuha looked down at her. Her warmth pulsed softly against his chest, and for a moment, he didn’t feel alone. Not entirely.

  He placed a hand gently over her small head.

  “…Her name is Lumina,” he said.

  The laughter quieted. The forest wind carried her name into the trees.

  “Lumina…” Reiya repeated, almost reverently. “A light born from darkness.”

  Kael looked around. “I guess this means we have a new party mascot.”

  “No,” Kairyuuha said.

  “Yes,” everyone else replied in perfect unison.