C224: Years Gone By
Alt Title teaser: Blythe's Son.
Date published: 5/30/2025.
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From the great flame that snuffed out over a hundred lives, came a strange peace. Years have passed since the fated 4th Holy Grail War. The city had rebuilt and new lives took over from the old ones yet some things remained the same while others changed.
Amongst these many changes is to Axel's family. Firstly, the Clock Tower had made a notice that Axel had to return Sakura to the Matou's and a proper magus assigned by the tower would become Rin's magic guardian.
To both notices, he promptly responded with "Fuck that bullshit" and had even sent them the blackmail video of Kirei arranging Tokiomi's corpse in the church. "The clock tower had allowed the church to act as an impartial mediator for the holy war but they have failed in their duty of being impartial by killing an influential magus and then nearly being elected by that magus' successor's guardian."
"Sincerely, get your head out of your ass. I at least have a righteous business reason to maintain my relationship with the Tohsaka while you greedy pigs would be no better than the church pig who betrayed his own teacher."
Naturally, they were stumped on the proper response as Axel's mention of greed and betrayal from one's own student had made some of the magus not trust each other nor their students for a while. Thus Axel and Murasaki Shikibu were named official magus guardians of Rin Tohsaka. When breaking the news to the Tohsaka's themselves, both ladies sighed in relief that nothing would change.
Sakura remained in his custody to destroy the Matou's legitimacy while Rin became Axel's student. Both happily studied magic under him and he even sometimes invited a guest speaker, one of them being Alaba (Axels dragon god who naturally gained a humanoid form over the many years of humble solitude and laziness) who explained beast type magics of the old era to the two promising magus, most of what he said was bullshit as it had to be dumbed down for the modern magus who is far more reliant on magic circuits than naturally wielding the elements.
Kaoruko also had taught them simple protection techniques against illusions but as both girls finished elementary school and entered middle school, they had even begun studying circuitless magic, a grand gesture for any modern magus but it drains them horribly due to the purity of their mana/prana.
Sakura was naturally much more talented in this entire aspect as she made great progress in being able to use her origin of imaginary numbers far better, While she never had the chance to study under the Matou properly, Axel was able to far surpass her canon mastery due to the sheer versatility of Axel whose body originally had 11 origins due to all the soul fragments. Yet those 11 had fused into one during his first usage of his divine domain: Reverse Cycle of Reincarnation.
Technically he had lost those origins as he returned the actual souls to their original souls but due to the mark they had already made on his [Rhongomyniad], he had retained their possible natures which he had chosen to fuse all into one which became the true core of [Imaginary Numbers].
This is typically made up of 2 factors: Hollow and nothingness. Hollow allows Access to the imaginary numbers space which is essentially the reverse side of the world while Nothingness allows creation of that which is impossible. Due to his already original usage of 'true Ether', a type of energy from the age of gods that allowed humans and gods to cast spells without circuits.
Axel chose to refer to his own origin factor as 'Null'. The endpoint of both imagination and nothingness. Due to the similarities of their origins, Axel was able to relate with Sakura much better than Rin but the young brunette persevered in her studies with unrelenting passion to surpass any magus of history.
Of course these 2 girls weren't the only ones to change. Axels own blood related children began to change as well. Axel fully blames Kiara for corrupting Aika (haruhimes daughter) as after 3 years, she had chosen to fully settle into Sumeru of Genshin impact. Axel himself had a staredown with the principality but nothing happened as Aika embraced her new title of other-worlder to integrate into the medieval Japanese society. As for how she was 'corrupted' that is a story for later.
With Aika gone, the first generation of Axels children had all chosen their own paths but even if minor, their legacies remained to influence the rest of the children that would come after.
The start of the second generation begins with the remaining amazoness, Tiona and Tione who gave birth to Lara and dara respectively. The two both went to Magi to find their own suitable soul mates. Of course strength is a necessary feature for them as natural born Amazoness weapon, not 'weird' like Meredith (Aisha's 'child').
Lara inherited her mothers natural enhanced, technically near divine strength, this makes her a bit brutish but she thankfully inherited Axel's mind so she doesnt actually brute force everything. Axel offered a silent prayer to the multiversal gods for this leniency.
As for dara, she is more of an oddball. Likely due to her own brain being made of actual metal..along with the rest of her body. She was born as a humanoid form weapon but both parents quickly realized that she was still fine as she was due to her innate ability to control metal. It's a similar power to Seiko's magnetism but more innate as Dara was empowered by Axel's law of metal which combined with Tione's weapon divinity. She is essentially the female version of TetsuTetsu from My hero Academia.
Both girls have gone off to Magi but for different purposes. One is normal and seeks a proper mate which does hold a few amazoness values, while the other hopes to claim a mate through pure dominance. Be it her targets or …her own. Yea Dara is a real troublemaker and Axel is happier the sooner she was sent off as he expended less brain power fixing all the destruction she unleashed across his realm.
Next in line is Reshir Douji-Gram, the son of Shuten who developed in a strange manner. The boy has a similar ability to his mothers noble phantasm as he can make everyone near him madly intoxicated but won't melt them. It can be directed towards himself or he can enhance food and drink to be more addicting. Axel believed that the half oni child would be trouble in the future but was proven wrong when he used his powers to calm down Dara and others whenever they would get riled up by Dara.
His chosen 'soulmate' was also proclaimed to be Canna from Fairy Tail. His logic was that only someone already under heavy constant intoxication can be a proper match for him as she could resist him if he chose to go down the wrong path or had accidentally used his power on her. Axel believes that the child's logic might be treated as fact by him due to his own mothers alcoholism and being resistant to his hugs and accidental releases, while 'auntie ibaraki' was only partially resistant.
Axel sadly saw the handsome boy off when he was 8 years old and already so responsible. Next on the list was his cousin Mirai Douji-Gram. In a similar but different situation as Dara, she inherited her mothers fire power and even was granted the Mount Ooe volcanic sword to help channel her supernova inducing fire power. Yet even when she was able to cast such massive nuke level flames, she grew passionate for a single man.
A single man who has ever only shown a single technique through his entire showing. Yet his determination and persistence had emblazoned the fire within Mirai's own heart. The name of Said man is Colonel Roy Mustang.
Mirai had chosen to join the Amestrian state Army in hopes of being alongside her 'beloved', she understands that there would be a rough 10 year difference between their ages but she fell in love with the pure original form and thus does not wish to tamper with him too much before they properly meet. She plans to spend a few years understanding that world's alchemy so she could use it to explain her powers. She honestly doesnt care about the Elrich boys nor the fake gods' actions. Her only goal is to pursue and assist Roy Mustang.
With her departure there were only two children of the second generation left. The first being Grace who is Serenity's daughter and the other is Nix who is Gorgon's son.
Grace is the personification of a poisonous but beautiful flower as she inherited her mothers original poison body but it's the strengthened version after Serenity became the goddess of poison. Unlike her siblings, she was undecided on her 'fated partner' and thus requested extra tokens so she could travel to a few different worlds and understand herself as well as the gravity of her own power better. Axel respects her choice and gives her extra emergency return tokens which she can more willfully snap to come back home and then rest for a bit before departing.
In one of the worlds she had traveled to, a random person had bumped into her and this bump had caused skin to skin contact which caused this person to immediately collapse and die due to poison overdose. She had been arrested under belief of stabbing him with something to cause so much poison but when she had explained that it was simply her own body, the police had naturally not believed her and physically examined her but even when she attempted to suppress her own poison, she caused a second death, this time of the police officer who searched her. As a result, she was sent to jail fairly quickly before causing a mass death in a prison and then being given to a morally corrupt group of scientists where she finally snapped the first token.
Axel killed the scientists in a brutal fashion before bringing her home in a princess carry. The whole situation was recorded in Camera but the ones who researched what had happened would constantly be blocked or harassed by the UN as their technology had allowed them to see the real video of Axel introducing himself and his world. They closed the whole investigation down and made it a top secret case.
Back home Axel had reassured Grace that she didn't do anything wrong as others only caused her trouble even when she explained how her powers worked. Serenity joined in coddling the little nubian assassin that her next try would be better. She regained her groove but realizes that if she wants a future partner then it's one who is at least resistant to her poisonous body. She spends time studying under her mother on how to help normal people on how to develop their poison resistance to meet her level, of course she also develops a secondary target who may be able to outright negate her powers and thus keep himself healthy but she would still 'feed' him properly so that even if that method fails, their relationship wouldn't collapse.
Leaving Grace with a collection of anime to find her potential future husband that would very likely sully her unless he tore him apart. Yet it is not yet time for such a situation yet, He must deal with the latest of his sons, Nix.
Son to Gorgon, he is a mountain even at the ripe young age of 8. It first has to be noted that his birth was delayed due to Gorgon's unique physiology. As a newborn baby he was already comparable to the a peak human 9 year old in terms of height and muscular and that had only grown massively in the years to come as even both lara and Dara didn't try to fight him as his strength was truly beastly.
If he had to compare his appearance then it would be akin to the beast god in human form from Solo Leveling. The tall muscular combined with beast like savagery was compressed into a maroon hair colored child. The only proper difference is that Nix was actually a gentle giant. He had studied cooking from the moment he could. He loves seeing his mothers joyous expression whenever he makes a sizable dish that she can enjoy without straining herself by becoming smaller.
Axel had been of the belief that the gentle giant would have chosen someone like Erina from Shokugeki-no-Soma to fulfill his cooking passion to develop as a food god path should he choose to settle down in his hometown. Yet his choice was both unexpected but reasonable. He chose Stocking Anarchy. Yes the wayward Goth lolita angel that was banished from Heaven with an extreme sweet tooth and skilled with the sword.
Axel positively grades the child's female interests but the exact choice is a bit tentative due to her specific nature and how she had even fallen for a deadbeat ghost who treated her badly. Someone like Nix who is so kind to even his most annoying siblings would not be a very good match unless he can manifest his more beastly nature but perhaps he could allow a new nature to manifest in the wayward angel but it will have to be seen.
Axel eventually gives his support and the boy makes one final feast for his family before gathering his cooking tools and passing through the portal. This thus marked the end of the 2nd generation yet they were not the last of the children who chose to depart during this time period.
The final child was not one of Axel's own but Blythes'. He, the major god of healing, had a child with the goddess of medicine, Nightingale. Together, the child named Dorn Adarius Nightingale of 15 years old is now ready to head out.
As the child of 2 healing gods, he has a supernatural affinity for healing magic and this even includes a bit of nature magic, yet he is not helpless in combat as he can reverse the effects of healing to act akin to vampirism. Due to Blythe being a near perfect copy of Axel's own body yet still puppet based, the child looks alot more like his mother with reddish tinted platinum blonde hair and yellow-topaz colored eyes due to Blythes green eyes which separate him from Axel's own dark blue which had mixed with Florence's red eyes.
Also unlike Axel's own children, Dorn had told his parents that it would be unlikely for him to return from where he wants to go as he wants to settle there. That is not to say he won't get tokens to return for holidays or gradual visits and inform them of his progress. He still loves his family but seeing so many of his 'cousins' depart over the years, he has developed his own desire for adventure and even has a possible endpoint in place to settle down but unlike his half siblings, he knows that persistence and patience will be his greatest ally.
To honor the 3rd eldest child's desires, Axel, Blythe and Florence Nightingale, all move to see the child off in the world of Teyvat. There certainly was some tension due to the appearance of the 'sustainer of heavenly Principles' yet as Dorn chose to speak up for himself and his desire to settle down here, the unknown god chose to allow Dorn alone to remain in this world as a 'Descender', an traveler from another world who now roams Teyvat.
Blythe and Florence give their final goodbyes as it could be years before they meet again. Axel instead maintains the portal and stares down fake 'Kiana' until the two walk back through the portal. Axel offers the regular protective token and then message token which now hangs on Dorn's neck. The 'sustainer' eyes these tokens but makes no move and simply departs as Axel also departs.
Dorn sweeps his mothers handmade scarf around his neck as he gets moving to see this world with his own eyes. Perhaps he would even spot the beautiful woman who had ensnared his heart, the ever beautiful secretariat, Ganyu.
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Alt Title: One by One The Children Depart, Dorn Adarius Nightingale.
Word count: 2786
Drop a comment if you wanna judge my writing or the story. I'll try to respond, especially if you're confused or anything.