The Chronicles of Dwynveia – A Slimeling LitRPG

Lilyth

‘D-daughter?’ I squeaked.

‘Daughter,’ Ere confirmed.

I felt woozy, and my knees buckled under me, but Sav caught me.

‘Easy there,’ she said softly. ‘ Why don’t you sit down?’

She led me to one of the armchairs.

‘H-how?’ I asked.

‘I gather I don’t have to explain birds and bees to you,’ Ere chuckled. ‘If you are concerned about the speed… One, I’m a god, and two: thanks to my ability to fuck with time in my realm, I spend about sixty to seventy hours each day working, so while for you it had been about two months since you creampied me, over six months passed for me.’

‘Oh.’

‘Do you want to hold her?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know how…’

‘I’ll teach you. Don’t worry.’

‘And she’s really mine?’ I asked once Phoebe was resting in my arms, and I was looking at her in wonder.

‘Yes,’ Ere smiled.

‘My daughter,’ I whispered. ‘I have a daughter.’

‘You do,’ she caressed my shoulder. ‘We do.’

Caeileera

Lilyth's enraptured reaction to Phoebe opened an old wound for me.

I would never get to experience what she and Ereshkigal were going through right then.

‘What the Blood did to your species is inexcusable,’ I heard Akh’ret say. ‘And there is no consolation I can offer. But if you need to talk… I am here, my daughter.’

Thank you. And I guess I can still be the cool aunt.

Lilyth

‘Sorry for naming her without you,’ Ere said with regret in her voice. ‘I was afraid of your reaction, and… and the name… just felt right.’

‘And it is perfect,’ I smiled. ‘And so is she.’

‘That she is.’

I handed Phoebe back to her for now, and we moved to the couch and sat next to each other.

‘I’ll do whatever I can to help you with her,’ I said.

‘Thank you. I will need all the help I can get.’

‘Aren’t you an old hat at this?’

‘No,’ Ere shook her head. ‘Phoebe is my first. I never had much time for children, and after I discovered I was pregnant… I couldn't bring myself to… You know. After dealing with so much death…’

‘I know,’ I wrapped my arm around Ere and drew her closer to me.

With the corner of my eye, I saw my friends leave, likely to give the two of us space.

Thank you.

We just sat there in silence, looking at our surprise blessing.

Aki

‘You know, given Lilyth's indifference towards children, I never expected her to be so immediately taken with Phoebe,’ Ren remarked.

The four of us were sitting in Nyx’s kitchen and drinking coffee.

‘I guess it can be different if it is yours,’ Sav remarked. ‘I was like that before I met Zaiven. Now… I still don't like kids, but Zai? I love him to death. He’s my baby brother after all.’

‘I guess you really never know. Can't say I dislike either of them.’

‘See?’

Nyx burst into the kitchen.

‘Aretheyhere?’ she asked so fast I could barely understand her.

‘Yes,’ Sav said with a smile. ‘Lilyth’s with them. Also, breathe, honey.’

‘Notime. Ihaveaniece.’

‘We have a niece,’ Irmen laughed as she entered. ‘And listen to Savvie, Nyxie. Give Ere and Lilyth time.’

Irmen was followed by a middle-aged man dressed like a gardener, whom I took to be Akh’ret, a fiery-headed person in a black suit and a red shirt who was probably Gin’Ig and a collection of multi-coloured stones held together by some unknown force to form a rough shape of a man that must have been R’as-T'uar.

The Old Gods. All of them are here.

‘Not just them,’ there was a crackling of silence, as Lady Madness entered, accompanied by an ever-changing group of crystals and an olive-skinned blonde man with glowing yellow eyes. ‘We’ve all come to welcome little Phoebe into this world. It is not often that I get a new grandchild.’

The strangers introduced themselves as the King Who Commands The Ocean and the Crystal That Finds Existence Wanting.

‘Glad you could come, bro,’ Nyx smiled at the former.

‘Wouldn’t miss it for anything, baby sister,’ he smiled back.

‘You were created five minutes before me.’

‘Still makes me older than you.’

‘Aren’t you all siblings?’ I couldn't resist asking.

‘It is complicated, young Aki,’ Gin’Ig answered.

‘Simple version: I created some of the gods in pairs, which tend to view themselves as “proper siblings”,’ Lady Madness explained. ‘So my children are all family, but some are more closely related than the others. I love them all equally, though.’

‘Pardon me for saying this, Lady Madness,’ Savri chimed in, ‘but the last time we met, you didn't exactly strike me as… a loving deity.’

‘Back then, you were just a bunch of upstart mortals to me, bound to get yourself killed sooner rather than later, especially given Lilyth's track record. I saw you as good for nothing else but entertainment, so why would I bother with niceties to you?’

‘A lot of us have this approach to mortals,’ the King came to his mother’s defence. ‘Maybe not as… indifferent as our mom, but you have to earn our respect. Lilyth got mine during your first incursion into Akh'ret's Mercy. Her willingness to die for Aki and Caeileera and refusal to give up despite everything… ‘

‘So… your group won us over one by one,’ the Crystal finished in a strange jingling voice.

Lady Madness started to say something, but was interrupted by Ren running over to her and punching her in the face and then kneeing her in the stomach, sending the deity sprawling.

Ohhh... Shit.

‘You took Leera away from me, you fucking bitch!’ she shouted and began to sob.

I looked at the other gods, but they didn't seem angry about their mother being attacked. Instead, there was just sorrow on their faces. Likewise, Lady Madness didn't seem upset by the… event.

‘I would say I owe you an apology, Ren, but no amount of words will make up for what I did to you.’

Ren fell to her knees.

‘Why… why… My Leera? Why not one of some other Ren?’

‘I chose at random and didn't particularly bother to look into things,’ Lady Madness began to gather herself from the floor. ‘After I realised the depth of my error, I began to look… try to see if there was a way I could have done things differently… There were universes in which the two of you never met, but no matter where I looked… There wasn't a world where you survived Kojiro's betrayal. You would either die alone or with her. You would then spend millennia in hell repenting for your actions, while Leera’s soul would be torn apart and reabsorbed by Blood.’

By the gods.

‘There really was no happy ending for us, eh?’

‘No.’

‘I see…’

‘I am not asking you for your forgiveness or for you to stop hating me. But at least… now you know.’

‘Wh-what happened to her after you removed her from here?’

‘I didn't remove her. What I did was copy your world and just not copy anybody whom I was replacing.’

‘That… that's a relief.’

Nyx sat next to Ren and hugged her.

‘It’s going to be okay, honey.’

‘It won’t…’ Ren cried. ‘But at least I feel better after punching you.’

‘Glad to be of service,’ Lady Madness laughed.

Lilyth

Our silence was interrupted by a commotion and Ren shouting something.

‘I gather she finally met Lady Madness,’ Ere said softly.

‘She’s here?’

‘Yes. Most of my family came to see Phoebe, yes. I know we have to join them, but I want to stay here a bit longer. With just you.’

‘Yes. That sounds fine.’

She put her head on my shoulder, and I leaned mine against it.

The meetings with the gods went pretty well. They were overjoyed to meet Phoebe and, now, really, welcome me to the family. Of course, I got the customary “if you ever dare to hurt either of them” warnings, but I assured every interested party that I had no intention to.

To my great surprise, Ere decided to move in with me. I was planning to move to her palace, but she shot the idea down.

‘That dreary building is no place to raise a child,’ she said. ‘ I want Phoebe to have a normal life. There… that won’t be possible.’

I couldn't disagree with that. I helped her move, and what I saw of the palace was really depressing. Not as depressing as the fucking desert, but that was a very low bar to climb. “All Quiet on the Western Fucking Front” was a much happier experience than it was.

Living with Ere and Phoebe was a fulfilling experience. I would look after our daughter while the goddess was at work; she couldn't leave the afterlife entirely unattended, even if it was working just for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening, no time fuckery involved. Luckily, we had Nyx’s help too, because, initially, neither of us had the fuckingest idea “how to take care of a newborn”.

“Auntie Nyx” would also fill in for me whenever I had court business to attend to, and my wives also visited and helped whenever they could.

‘Oh, yes!’ Ereshkigal moaned in pleasure. ‘A bit stronger. Lower. There! Don’t stop! Ahhhhh! You give the best back massages, Lilyth.’

‘My pleasure,’ I gave her a satisfied smile.

Phoebe was sleeping in her crib in our bedroom, so the two of us decided to get some rest on the couch in the living room part of our chambers.

We repositioned so that I was lying on the couch and Ere reclined on my body, her head on my boobs and my arms wrapped around her upper stomach.

‘I never expected being in a relationship to be this nice,’ she yawned.

‘We are in a relationship now?’ I asked, butterflies in my stomach.

‘If you want,’ Ere smiled.

‘I do,’ I answered quickly. ‘Do bear in mind I am a part of a “package deal”.’

‘I know. And I actually cleared it with your wives before I even suggested it.’

‘Same,’ I smiled. ‘To quote Aki: “Wait… You two haven’t been fucking?”’

‘I don’t think she realises how tiring taking care of a newborn is.’

‘Nope.’

‘Still… cuddling is nice.’

‘It is,’ I agreed and kissed the top of her head. ‘I’ve been thinking, actually. Why won’t the two of us take an afternoon off tomorrow, have Aunt Aki, under Nyx’s supervision, take care of Phoebe, and have a picnic date by the lake in Mer-Cas?’

I knew Ere got some special bracelets from Lady Madness that would let her manifest in the mortal world for a few hours every now and then without causing a disaster.

‘I’d like that, yes.’

‘You were right,’ Ere smiled, a warm wind blowing through her white hair. ‘This is nice. You know that this is my first actual visit to Dwynveia?’

We were walking by the lakeside, holding hands, looking for a perfect spot to lay out the blanket.

‘Let’s make it memorable then,’ I smiled back and got on one knee.

‘What are you doing, you fucking idiot?’ Ere asked.

I took out a small box from my pocket and opened it, showcasing a bronze ring with a heart-shaped Storm Crystal.

‘Ereshkigal, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?’

‘You are a fucking idiot, Lilyth of Terra, ‘she laughed and took the ring. ‘But you will be my fucking idiot. I can’t imagine a better woman to raise Phoebe with, and I am so happy you are part of my life.’

I saw that there were tears of happiness glistening in her eyes.

‘Now get up so that I can kiss you,’ she commanded.

Before you ask, I did have additional rings for Aki, Ren and Caei. It just felt right to offer the first one to the mother of my child.

When we returned to our apartment a few hours later, we found Aki lying on our couch with Phoebe sleeping in her arms.

‘Thank the gods you are here!’ She whispered.

‘Can’t move, I gather?’ I asked.

‘I am too afraid to. What if I wake her up again?’

‘Let me rescue you,’ Ere chortled and took Phoebe from my blue-haired lioness.

‘Wasn’t Nyx supposed to be here with you?’ I asked.

‘She left to pick up some “special guests” a while ago.’

That caused Ere to smile mysteriously.

‘Go grab the rest of the band,’ she said. ‘I have a surprise for all of you. I’ll just put Phoebe to bed.’

While our entire group was waiting for Nyxie to show up, I presented my other wives with their engagement rings.

‘Back on Earth, we have a tradition of a man giving a ring to a woman when proposing. I couldn’t give you ones before, so I am rectifying that error. You girls are the three lights in my life; may those rings provide light in yours.’

‘Thank you!’ Aki shouted and threw her hands around my neck, showering me with kisses.

Caei and Ren soon followed.

‘I am shocked you didn’t give one to Ere,’ Sav said.

‘Who says she didn’t?’ Ere laughed and showcased the engagement ring I have given her, now residing on the well… ring finger of her left hand, as per the Terran custom.

Aki responded with a squeak of joy.

‘You actually proposed!’ she exclaimed.

‘I did,’ I responded with a smile.

While my loved ones were congratulating us on the engagement, Nyxie finally arrived with two people in tow.

‘Deirdee?’ I asked in surprise. ‘Persephone? Is that really you?’

‘Yep,’ Ere confirmed. ‘I will return them to you… assuming you are willing to make a deal.’

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