Elias stood at the dimensional boundary between the Infinity Realm and the multiverse, Sarah beside him looking slightly nervous despite her Sovereign-level cultivation.

"You're certain about this?" she asked for the third time in an hour.

"The probability calculations were favorable. Kaelen agreed to meet you. The situation is manageable."

"You say that like you've optimized an emotional reunion."

"I've prepared optimal parameters," Elias corrected. "The actual execution will depend on human factors I can't fully predict."

Sarah laughed, some of her tension easing. "There's the Elias I remember. Trying to apply mathematics to feelings."

"It worked reasonably well so far."

"Did it? Because I recall you completely failing to tell me you had feelings for me until after you'd died."

"That was a suboptimal outcome," Elias admitted. "I've improved since then."

"Have you?" Sarah raised an eyebrow. "Because from where I'm standing, you're about to introduce your old crush to your current wife in the most awkward family meeting in multiversal history."

"It will be fine."

"You don't know that."

"Statistical analysis suggests—"

"Elias," Sarah interrupted gently. "Stop trying to calculate this. Some things you just have to experience."

He paused, then nodded. "You're right. Ready?"

"No. But let's do it anyway."

Elias activated his Quantum Law, establishing a stable connection between the Infinity Realm and the multiverse. The dimensional barriers were normally insurmountable—ascension was a one-way journey—but his unique quantum bridge allowed passage.

"This will feel unusual," he warned. "Quantum teleportation across dimensional boundaries involves existing in superposition between realms temporarily."

"I've experienced worse. Remember, I was reborn as a baby with full adult consciousness."

"Valid point."

He took her hand—partly to stabilize the quantum connection, partly because some instinct suggested she might need the reassurance—and activated the technique.

Reality fractured. They existed simultaneously in the Infinity Realm and the multiverse, in neither place and both places, until the waveform collapsed and they materialized in the void between universes.

Sarah gasped. "That was... intense."

"The sensation becomes familiar with practice. We're now in the multiversal void. My home is ahead."

He gestured, and she followed his gaze to what appeared to be a pocket dimension floating in the void—a self-contained universe, smaller than standard universes but perfectly stable.

"You built an entire pocket universe as your home?" Sarah asked, impressed despite herself.

"It was more efficient than purchasing property. Come."

He teleported them directly to the entrance, and the pocket universe's barriers recognized him, parting smoothly. They stepped through into a beautiful garden that shouldn't exist in void space—trees bearing fruit that glowed with cultivation energy, flowers that existed in multiple dimensional states, a small pond where fish made of pure Law energy swam in lazy circles.

And there, sitting at a table under one of the trees, were Kaelen and Aria.

Kaelen stood as they approached. She was exactly as Sarah had imagined from Elias's descriptions—tall, elegant, with eyes that held both intelligence and warmth. Her cultivation base radiated peak Multiversal level, and her aura suggested someone comfortable with power but not defined by it.

Aria stayed seated but watched with intense curiosity. She was clearly her father's daughter—the same analytical gaze, the same slight tilt of her head when examining something new.

"Kaelen," Elias said formally. "This is Dr. Sarah Whitmore, now known as Celestial Epicure Amadeus. Sarah, this is my wife Kaelen and our daughter Aria."

There was a moment of silence that felt like it lasted an eternity.

Then Kaelen smiled. "The research assistant who used to cook for him when he forgot to eat. I've heard stories."

Sarah blinked. "Stories?"

"Elias talks about his Earth life sometimes. You featured prominently." Kaelen walked forward, extending her hand in greeting. "It's nice to finally meet the woman who kept him alive long enough to upload his consciousness."

Sarah shook her hand automatically, completely thrown by the casual warmth. "I... yes. That was... I mean, I tried to—"

"You succeeded. He's here, alive, because of you." Kaelen's grip was firm. "Thank you for that."

"Mother says you can cook things that make people cry with nostalgia," Aria added, still seated but clearly interested. "Is that true?"

Sarah looked at Elias, confused by how smoothly this was going. He looked equally confused.

"I... yes?" Sarah managed. "My Dao of Cooking allows me to recreate not just taste but the emotional memory of meals. It's a specialized application of—"

"That's amazing!" Aria jumped up, suddenly enthusiastic. "Can you teach me? Father's cooking is technically perfect but emotionally sterile. Mother's cooking is good but she gets impatient with complicated recipes. I want to learn from an actual master!"

"Aria," Kaelen said gently. "Give her time to breathe. She just arrived."

"Right. Sorry." Aria didn't look particularly sorry. "But seriously, will you teach me?"

Sarah found herself smiling despite her nervousness. "I... suppose I could? If you're interested in the culinary arts?"

"I'm interested in everything. Father says a comprehensive education requires studying all forms of Law application, and cooking is just applied chemistry and energy manipulation, right?"

"That's... actually a very accurate description."

"See, Mother? I told you cooking was a legitimate field of study!"

Kaelen laughed. "I never said it wasn't. I said you couldn't spend all day in the kitchen when you have cultivation to focus on."

"But if I'm learning from a Sovereign-level chef, that IS cultivation!"

"She has you there," Sarah said, then looked surprised that she'd spoken. The family dynamic was so natural, so welcoming, that she'd forgotten to be nervous.

"Please don't encourage her," Kaelen said, but she was smiling. "Come, sit. I made tea—nowhere near your level, I'm sure, but drinkable."

They sat around the table, and Sarah found herself between Kaelen and Aria, with Elias across from them looking vaguely concerned about how easily this was proceeding.

"So," Kaelen poured tea for everyone. "Elias told me about your history. Working together on the space station. The quantum upload. Finding him dead and following him across reincarnation." She set the teapot down and met Sarah's eyes. "That took incredible courage."

"Or incredible stupidity," Sarah replied. "The success rate was only 71%."

"Love makes us do inadvisable things." Kaelen's tone was matter-of-fact. "I once dove into a collapsing dimension to save Elias when he was experimenting with unstable spatial techniques. The survival probability was 23%." (This may or may not have happened. Who knows, there are parallel worlds where it could have happened)

"Mother tells that story a lot," Aria added. "Usually when Father suggests risky experiments."

"It's an effective deterrent," Kaelen agreed.

Sarah sipped her tea—which was actually quite good—and found herself relaxing. "This isn't what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Kaelen asked.

"Awkwardness. Tension. Possibly hostility." Sarah set down her cup. "Not... casual tea and family bonding."

"Would you prefer hostility?" Kaelen's eyes twinkled. "I can arrange that if it would make you more comfortable."

"No! I just..." Sarah glanced at Elias, who still looked confused. "I expected this to be harder."

"Why?" Aria asked bluntly. "You loved Father. He loved you but didn't tell you because he thought he was dying. Then you both died and reincarnated in different realms and spent thousands of years apart. Now you found each other again. That's romantic, not threatening."

"Aria!" Elias said, his composure finally breaking. "That's an oversimplification."

"Is it though?" Aria looked at her mother. "Mother, you told me you'd be open to Father having additional wives as long as they were intelligent, kind, and could appreciate his quirks. Does Sarah meet those criteria?"

Kaelen pretended to consider. "Well, she did keep him alive for three years despite his tendency to forget basic human needs. That suggests both intelligence and patience. She followed him across death itself, which suggests dedication. And she just smiled at your description of his cooking as 'technically perfect but emotionally sterile,' which suggests she understands his limitations. So yes, she meets the criteria."

Sarah choked on her tea. "Wait, what?"

"I'm a pragmatist," Kaelen said simply. "Elias is brilliant but socially awkward. He needs people who understand that. I understand it because we're similar. You understand it because you worked with him. That makes you compatible."

"But... but you're his wife! Don't you mind?"

"Mind what? That my husband has feelings for someone who helped shape who he is? That someone from his past life managed to find him across infinite space?" Kaelen shrugged. "If anything, I'm impressed by the dedication. And honestly, having another person who understands his quirks would make my life easier."

"See?" Aria said triumphantly. "I told you Mother would be reasonable about it."

Elias was staring at his wife and daughter like they'd suddenly started speaking an alien language. "You... told Aria about this?"

"Of course I did. She's not a child, Elias. She's eight years old and approaching Multiversal level cultivation. Did you think I'd hide something this significant from her?"

"I... had not fully considered the information distribution strategy."

"That's because you were too busy trying to optimize the emotional aspects," Kaelen said fondly. "Which is endearing but unnecessary. We're a family. We talk about things. Aria and I discussed the situation, agreed that meeting Sarah made sense, and decided we'd be welcoming unless she gave us reason not to be." She looked at Sarah. "You haven't given us any reason not to be."

"I... thank you?" Sarah was completely out of her depth. "This is the strangest family meeting I've ever experienced."

"Wait until we have debates about cultivation theory over dinner," Aria said. "Father and Mother once argued about dimensional topology for six hours straight. I fell asleep and they didn't notice."

"We noticed," Elias protested.

"You noticed after six hours when I started snoring."

"That's still noticing."

Sarah found herself laughing. The absurdity of the situation—sitting with Elias's wife and daughter, being welcomed into a family dynamic she'd never imagined being part of—was overwhelming in the best way.

"So," Kaelen said, refilling everyone's tea. "Tell us about your cultivation journey. Eighty-five thousand years is a significant span. You must have fascinating stories."

And just like that, Sarah found herself talking. About her early years as an infant with adult consciousness. Her Sovereign adoptive parents. The development of her Dao of Cooking. The restaurants she'd opened. The legendary dishes that had made her famous.

Aria listened with rapt attention, asking questions about technique and Law application. Kaelen offered insights about her own cultivation experiences. And Elias watched, still looking vaguely confused but also relieved.

After an hour, Kaelen stood. "Aria, why don't you show Sarah the garden? I cultivated some rare herbs that might interest her."

"Oh! Yes! Come on, Sarah!" Aria grabbed Sarah's hand with enthusiasm that suggested she'd already decided they were friends. "Father helped design the garden with mathematical precision, but Mother added the aesthetic elements. It's a perfect blend of logic and beauty!"

She dragged Sarah away, leaving Elias and Kaelen alone at the table.

Elias immediately turned to his wife. "That went... unexpectedly smoothly."

"Did you think I'd be difficult about it?"

"I thought there would be more... processing. Emotional complexity. Adjustment periods."

Kaelen reached across the table and took his hand. "Elias, I've been married to you for over a century. I know how your mind works. You process feelings through analysis and optimization. You were probably running probability calculations for days trying to predict every possible negative outcome."

"Weeks, actually."

"Of course you were." She squeezed his hand. "But here's what your calculations couldn't account for: I love you, and part of loving you is understanding that you have a past. That past shaped you into the person I fell in love with. Sarah was part of that past." She paused. "And honestly? I like her. She's brilliant, dedicated, and she clearly understands you in ways that only come from working closely with someone. Having her around could be good for all of us."

"You're not... concerned? About the emotional implications?"

"Of course I have concerns. But I'm also rational enough to see the benefits. Another brilliant mind to bounce ideas off. Someone who can help wrangle you when you get too focused on research. A potential sister-wife who actually understands cultivation at Sovereign level and can provide insights." Kaelen smiled. "Plus, Aria already loves her, and my daughter's judgment is usually sound."

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