118 A Grandfather

"Your mother would be proud, you know?"

"Compared to you, I have barely achieved anything." Magnus sighed.

"The situation back then was different, Magnus. You either had to stand at the top or be at the bottom. And being in the middle was never an option for me." I gave him a smile. "But now times are different, you can relax and enjoy your life."

We stood in front of the gravestones of mother and Peggy— offering our prayers.

"Then why don't you stop now?" He asked. "You are already at the top and yet you don't stop working towards growing strong."

I looked at the sky, it was growing dark as the clouds covered it.

"Once you gain power… You either decide to stop or you grow addicted to it." I looked at him. "And I grew addicted to it."

I had many opportunities to stop and enjoy my life. I had taken care of most troubles very early and I could have lived happily for over seventy years, but because I am immortal now… I need to keep making sure that no one can harm me. It is now that I need to be at the top more than ever.

"Dad?" 

"Yeah?" 

Magnus frowned. "Did you truly love mom?" 

His question surprised me and also made me put on a frown.

"Of course, I did. Besides your grandmother mother… she was the only woman I cared about."

"Then why did you hide all those things from her?" 

I see… That's what made him question my love.

Fair.

"There are many things about me that no one should know, Magnus." I sighed. "Many things…."

"Like?"

I shook my head at his question. "Like I said. No one should know about them, not even family."

I didn't know the consequences I would face if I revealed any of that. Even after all these years, I have no clue how I ended up here… 

I am here now and this is now my life. I have spent way longer here than in my previous world. So, there was no logical reason to talk about such information with others.

"But you are going to be a father soon. And I know for a fact that your mother and grandmother couldn't any happier." 

Betsy is carrying his child and soon I will be a grandfather. It feels weird to think about it… but equally satisfying. 

"I… hope so." 

He seemed nervous but so was I when Peggy was pregnant. 

The two of us reminisced the past memories with our family. It has become a tradition to do this every year. 

"So, dad… Once Betsy gives birth, I was planning to take her and my child to live in Eutopia. It will be the best place for us to live." He took a deep breath. "So, when are you going to reveal its location to the others?"

"It will take a while… like two years. However, you and Betsy can move there whenever you want."

After dealing with Kang, Eutopia was going to be my biggest project… Alongside dealing with Blackheart.

"Then I will talk with Betsy about it."

…

…

[Nova Roma]

[[Selene Gallio]]

The night was chilly but the man sat at the window frame without a care of the world. 

It gets unnaturally cold in Nova Roma at this time of the year yet he seemed unfazed by the cold. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked but all I received as an answer was a smile.

"You will catch a cold, you know… Nova Roma is one of the coldest places during this time."

I regret using my magic to make artificial climates around the country. And it was going to take a lot to remove that magic.

"I don't catch things like infections or diseases, Selene." He said with his charming smile. "I am immune to such things."

Immune…

I have forgotten how much he has changed over the past couple of years. Just a few years ago he was a youngster with a dream and some limited powers.

And now he is a man with powers that can rival gods. 

He looked at the city as he sat with his glass of wine. 

"Sometimes my powers suck. I don't get drunk, I don't feel hungry, I don't feel sleepy…" He complained. "But I guess that's the life I chose."

I took a seat near him. "It's rare for you to act like this… like a tired person."

"Really?" He asked. "Well, maybe I have never shown you much of myself." He chuckled. "But how have things been with Amara?"

Amara finally agreed to join the order and I am quite proud of her. She has grown a lot and now acts like a proper adult… as a future queen. 

"It's better than before. She has been willing to listen to me and I believe that's a great improvement."

He nodded. "It is."

Saying that he went back to staring at the city. 

I knew exactly why he was downcast and as much as I would love to help him, it's better for him to have some time for himself. 

Sometimes you need space to settle your feelings. 

"I forgot to ask… How's life been, Selene?" 

"Pardon?"

The question came off as a surprise.

"Well, I mean… You got what you asked for." He said. "Immortality." 

"And your powers have grown as well… not to mention Amara started to listen to you. The externals are taken care of and I… took care of Kulan Gath for you." He continued.

"What!" 

Did I mishear him?

"Yep… Kulan Gath, gone." Markus laughed at my outburst.

"What did you do?! How!?" I was beyond shocked by the sudden bombshell that Markus dropped. 

"A week ago." Markus answered. "He escaped from his seal and while I was searching for sorcerers, I found him trying to recover his powers. The guy was insane and I had no intention of letting a mad dark sorcerer roam free." He smiled. "So… I erased him."

Kulan Gath was my arch-nemesis, one that I had been fighting with since the Hyborian age. And Markus just ended that person's existence without even trying.

"I… you… Nevermind." 

Markus chuckled at my surprised face. 

"You haven't answered my question, Selene." 

It took me a while to calm myself. But what he asked was something to think about. All that I have ever wished for— I have achieved. I had gotten everything that I wanted… except one.

There was one more thing that I wanted but I knew it was very unlikely that I would ever find it.

"I… don't know." I confessed. "For now, I want to teach Amara all I can about being a ruler. And then I will figure something out." I gave him a smirk. "I don't like staying without a goal."

Markus started to play with the glass in his hand. "Well, that's exactly why I chose you to be a member of the Order's twelve families." He placed the glass on the ground and looked at me. "Because you are ambitious and I like ambitious women." 

I gave him a nod. I knew that he prefered to involve me in his plans because our wavelengths matched… because both of us were ambitious. 

"I still want to grow stronger." I confessed. "The world is advancing rapidly and I feel like I have been left behind… and that's unacceptable."

"So, grow strong huh? Well, that's a good ambition." He said. 

"Well, that's one of my wishes… but yeah. That's what I want the most for now."

"One of them…" He stared at me for a while and froze for some unknown reason. "I see." He gave me a strained smile. "Good Luck."

I was confused by his sudden change in demeanour but I stayed quiet. He had been going through a lot today.

"Well, the moon is beautiful." He sighed. "Want to take a stroll, Priestess of the Moon?" 

A stroll…

"Sure!"

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[[A/N: Yes, he froze because he read her mind.

•Advancted Chapters on Pat reon: Pat reon.com/ToothlessS (Adding 3 more chapters in 2 hrs)

{Update: Posted as promised.}

There will be multiple enemies arriving one after another in a few chapters.]]