Born From a Forbidden Union, Humanity hates me.

*Bling*

A glass of water fell and splashed its contents all over the table.

"Oooh~!"

A crimson-haired woman walked inside the house and looked left and right through the two rooms near the entrance.

Inside the living room, Karteira, Senia, and May were resting. The first was lying on the couch, while the other two were discussing with a book in front of them.

In the dining room, Olivia, Deveralna, and the twins, Dramia and Drania, were looking toward the entrance of the room at the sudden voice.

The one who spilled her drink was Olivia, who stood up from her chair abruptly.

Behind Orianne, who walked inside the living room and caught everyone off guard, Stella peaked timidly past the door frame.

"S-Stella?!"

Immediately, the one who failed to bring the little girl a few weeks ago was the first to recognize her.

"H-Hello."

Dramia and Drania noticed Reon walk past her, joining his wife in the living room.

'That man...'

The cold fairy frowned before standing up from her chair.

But the more pressing matter was Stella. The four watched as the now-young adult Stella came inside the room with an anxious frown.

"WHAT?!"

They heard a commotion on the other side of the house, but they ignored it.

"Stella!"

Olivia rushed away from the table and hugged Stella.

"What happened to you?"

The young, black-haired lady looked down at the tinier Olivia with mixed feelings. Ultimately, Stella hugged her back.

"O-Olivia. I'm sorry for disappearing."

"That's unimportant!"

Drania appeared next to her with her hands in fists in front of her chest.

The emotionally unstable fairy stared inside Stella's eyes, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

Her sister followed slightly behind, walking on the opposite side.

"I was going to say that who you are now is unrecognizable, but it's not true at all. You're still the same, aren't you?"

Seeing the tears form at the corner of Stella's eyes, they recognized the kind-hearted little girl deep inside her.

Deveralna was the last to approach her, since it took her longer than the others to acknowledge the reality of Stella's return.

"You've grown..."

With a faint smile, the lamia, who was taller than others when she wanted to, touched the top of her head.

"You're taller than we are."

With a smile full of amusement, Drania tried to reach Stella's height with her hands.

"Stop that."

As usual, Dramia tried to calm her sister, but she was unable to remove the relief from visually appearing on her face.

The four women took turns hugging Stella before someone came from the other room.

"Hey! What are you doing? Come-"

Karteira, who entered the room hastily, stopped rushing and froze on the spot.

Her eyes fell on a tall woman, whom she instantly recognized.

"Senia! May! Come here!"

She turned around and called out to the others in the living room.

"What do you want?! I thought you were going to gather everyo-"

May also froze on the spot, while Senia followed behind her, floating in the air thanks to her magic.

"Yes? What is it?"

Oblivious to the reason for May's reaction, she went around her and stopped next to Karteira.

"..."

Senia looked forward, and finally, the last member of the family noticed the missing daughter of their large family.

"Stella!"

Like a comet, Senia jumped at Stella and hugged her.

"Wah- You're wet!"

With a giggling tone, Stella noticed the wetness of the siren, who needed to be covered in water to survive outside the sea.

Perplexed, May walked next to Karteira.

"This is Stella, right? The same little girl that couldn't leave Orion's side?"

With a firm nod, Karteira confirmed her inquiry.

"What happened? She's been missing for three weeks. It's impossible for someone to grow older in such a short time."

"Like always, nothing's for certain. Isn't that what we've been told repeatedly recently?"

Snorting with a smile, May shrugged.

"You're right. This world is quite strange."

"Don't bring that up. You're part of it."

"I can't retort."

The two women joined the others in celebrating the return of the missing member of the family.

"Do you mind if I join?"

Orianne appeared at the entrance of the dining room with a bright smile.

"Who?"

Deveralna grimaced at the sudden appearance of a woman she wasn't familiar with.

Karteira nodded before introducing the character.

"This will sound weird, but..."

"She's Orion's mother. Orianne."

"..."

...

"WHAT?!"

The same outcry echoed through the house.

"This sure is a lively day."

"It's a good thing, once in a while."

Henrietta nodded at Reon's comment.

After Karteira called out to the others, Henrietta, Titania, Heto, and Reon walked upstairs.

"Are you fine with me accompanying you?"

"Yes. In fact, I would also like to hear your opinion."

Stopping in front of the door leading to Amelia's room, Henrietta steeled herself.

"Amelia. I'm coming in."

Respecting her daughter's privacy, even in her current state, she knocked before entering.

"Please, excuse us."

Titania and Heto followed behind Henrietta, while Reon gently closed the door behind him.

"..."

The air in the room was pure, and a gentle breeze wafted around the place before going through the opened window.

In the back of the room, Amelia was lying in her bed, motionless.

"She's exactly like Tetra. Her breathing is shallow, but she won't respond."

"The only difference is that she appeared to have nightmares occasionally."

Reon walked next to her, and both exchanged a nod. He continued forward and began to carefully watch Amelia.

He gently took the unconscious woman's hand and placed two fingers on her wrist.

"Her cardiac rhythm is stable."

Carefully and meticulously, Reon activated a sliver of his magic. He sent a spark of electricity inside her body that traveled all over her body.

"..."

He nodded after receiving a clear answer.

"Amelia's body is in a pristine condition. Her organs, heart, and brain are perfectly fine."

"As you thought, this is a matter concerning the mind."

Reon frowned and looked at his daughter-in-law's cramped face.

"Losing Orion was such a trauma to you that you chose to seal your mind away..."

There was no other explanation for him. Now that he was here, breathing and thinking, alive, he couldn't keep thinking like a mere observer.

"Heto."

Looking over his shoulder, Reon looked toward the Remnant. Answering with a nod, the broad man walked past the other two and stood next to the angel.

"This will be a job for two. Would you like to cooperate?"

Stretching his hand in front of him, Heto grabbed it without a moment of hesitation.

"I have no reason to refuse. Henrietta alleviated the damage my presence will cause to the world, so the least I can do is alleviate her burden."

Reon nodded.

"It is a pleasure to work alongside a Remnant."

"The pleasure's all mine."

The two men looked at each other with manly smiles before parting ways.

Walking around the bed, Reon leaned on the opposite side of the bed.

"I'll explain to you what we're about to do. Even if you trust me, it is fair that you understand what this will be about."

Looking at Henrietta, he said to her so that she wouldn't be taken by fear.

Then, he turned to Titania.

"Tiohr-nam... no, Titania."

"Call me whatever feels easier for you."

He nodded.

"Titania. How much do you believe I understand about 'souls'?"

The green-haired Remnant pondered before giving her answer.

"I have honestly no ideas."

"Let me ask you this, then."

His face darkened.

"How much do you think I should know, as someone who sealed his own soul and more away?"

"!"

Her face darkened too. The implication was that Reon's knowledge of souls was slightly inferior or equal to hers.

"How many did you seal to learn that much?"

Depending on his answer, she would react differently.

"None. The bracelet was, and still is, the only prototype I was able to create. I am not one to play with the lives of others."

Titania relaxed and closed her eyes, accepting his answer.

Henrietta, who was listening quietly, began to understand where this was going.

"The magical lab..."

Nodding, Reon straightened his back.

"Orianne and I destroyed that wretched place. Still, we've preserved their research to avoid anyone else recreating those horrifying experiments."

He looked away with a frown, showing that he wasn't proud of what he was about to say.

"I have used their research to create the bracelet and experiment on souls."

"Now, a quick question."

Walking toward the window, he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Do you know where the soul is, precisely?"

Titania and Henrietta placed their hands on their chests, not knowing exactly how to answer.

"Here."

Reon placed his index finger on his temple.

"After many tries at releasing those poor souls from their minds' prison, I've finally understood what was missing in my research."

"The source of our personalities, which continues to persevere even after our flesh has perished, is in there."

He turned around with a smile similar to that of his son when he talked about training.

"The countless amounts of electrical information in our brain, and the engraving of that innumerable information."

"Preserving the data is what I came to learn. The soul..."

"It is a sea of information."

The Remnants opened their mouths in awe, but for Titania, who was the one to control that aspect, something awakened in her.

"I see."

A light appeared in her eyes as the sigil of light flashed in her eyes.