"He is a son of the Emperor and..." Marie tilted her head as she tried to put together all the pieces. But one thing was obvious thanks to his crystal body: That boy was a Dungeon Core. "All of the Empresses?"

"Not exactly..." Annika whispered to her daughter but she, herself, wasn't convinced. The crystalline body of the timid boy had features with a striking resemblance to at least half of the Empresses. "I think..."

Only a select few people were invited to the introduction ceremony in the Palace of Avalon. Some could argue that, at this moment, the most powerful people in Aderon were gathered in a single place. The Army and Navy commanders, Lords and Ladies of Arcadia, Kings and Queens of the conquered lands, all of the Dungeon Cores in the service to the Emperor, Princess Rose Avalon with her husband Leonard, and the Gods of the Arcadian Pantheon were gathered in front of the throne of Arcadia. A small boy was sitting on a huge throne between Emperor Theon and Empress Amber. He nervously put his hands together and looked at everyone with shock and awe, but Marie would swear that he wanted to lower his gaze. On their left and right side were the thrones of the remaining Empresses of Arcadia. When the Emperor stood up, everyone straightened in their seats but, in accordance with protocol, they remained seated.

"I'm glad to see you all today for this joyous occasion. During a mission in the far north, our forces destroyed a nest of Voidlings and killed all the associated monsters we managed to find. Some may have survived but the threat they created was significantly reduced, perhaps, even removed for the time being. However, to our surprise and delight, our forces found a young and uncorrupted Dungeon." Theon Avalon smiled as he pointed at the boy behind him, who shyly stood up, encouraged quietly by Empress Amber, who stood up as well. With them, the remaining Empresses rose as well, they looked at the boy with proud looks and soft smiles. "For the time being, I would like to keep his existence a secret but I also want you all to meet the Abyss Dungeon, Thomas Avalon, the Imperial Prince of Arcadia!"

•••

At his first arrival in Avalon, Tommy was equally terrified and excited. Despite being surrounded by beings and monsters that could easily hurt him, he never once felt the horrifying fear that he had carried constantly from the day he was born. The presence of his newfound Parents and the incomprehensible power at their disposal was incredible and surprising. Especially his Mothers, among whom only Mom Freya was like him. However, they were all powerful even if most of them were Mortals. Then he was surrounded by his Father's Scions, whose power was so overwhelming that it was suffocating and yet, he felt only their curiosity, happiness, and eagerness to always protect him. The last two weeks had been the most incredible experience of his life. He had never before considered what the words Father or Mother meant or who such beings were. However, somehow, he instinctively understood it after just a few days with them and was happy that he became their child. Father Theon and all of his Mothers gave him something he had never experienced before. The unconditional love and affection.

For the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid that he would mess up something. Before, every mistake was a painful and expensive lesson. A few times, he was on the verge of death when he overspent his mana. Many times earlier, he had been afraid that he wouldn't be able to pay his upkeep and learnt, early on, how not to risk growth during his development. Fear of running out of mana and fear of being attacked by the monsters left a huge mark on his soul. But he wasn't terrified anymore. While his Father restricted him in various ways, Tommy never felt it was unfair. In exchange for not touching what his Dad built, he could experiment and do whatever he liked in the zones where he was allowed to play. More importantly, he obtained enough mana to actually build, rebuild, and learn. Thomas felt the pride of his Father through their link when he achieved something and he craved his affection. But he wasn't greedy in his desires. He instinctively knew that if he spent too much mana or did something stupid, his Father and Mothers would be disappointed.

That was something he never wanted to experience.

The young Dungeon was hungry for knowledge. He asked questions about everything around him and learnt at a tremendous rate. His Mothers were wise and his Father seemed infinitely knowledgeable about how to get rid of all monsters. He quickly learnt how to read and write. He read a lot of books from the library and, when he wasn't, he explored the magnificent castle and asked more questions. Many things were still hard for him but he already felt the difference. Not only did his body more resemble his parents than previously but he also noticed how his perception changed. Just two short weeks were enough for him to learn infinitely more than during all the time he spent underwater. Thomas learnt about other Dungeons, Mortals, and Gods... He learnt about emotions and feelings. He also learnt the full extent of what he suspected; how incredibly huge and powerful Arcadia was. His new home.

And now...

Now he was standing in the breathtaking throne room of Avalon, the Sanctum Imperials of Arcadia, where he was introduced as the Imperial Prince before the most important people of the Empire. To say that he was nervous would be an understatement. He barely remembered anything due to stress and, if not for Mom Amber, he would have certainly fled. However, the introduction wasn't long and his Father wasn't expecting him to do anything more than just stand up in front of everyone for a little bit, so he endured. After that, everyone attended a banquet which made Thomas additionally miserable because he still couldn't enjoy the supposedly tasty food. He was surprised when his Father led him to a table occupied by small Mortals - no bigger than he was. The girls and boys, who were wearing incredible clothes, quickly stood up and bowed with cheerful expressions.

"I want you to meet with some kids your age, Tommy." His Father said with a smile. "I hope you all become good friends."

And just like that, the person Thomas trusted the most had betrayed him and left him alone. What now? Four girls immediately swarmed around him.

"Good afternoon, Lord Thomas." A black haired girl, not older than him but slightly shorter, curtsied in front of him with grace and practise. Her eyes were sparkling mischievously, making him slightly worried. "My name is Marie Ban of Avalon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Nicole Garner, my Lord." The tallest and oldest of the girls introduced herself. Tommy had heard that name somewhere before… She must be the daughter of Lady Wendy Garner.

"M-my name is Fiona Southcross, your Highness." A cute girl stuttered slightly as she curtsied with dignity and grace that surprised Thomas.

"My name is Diana Drake, I'm the adopted daughter of Lord Nathaniel Drake, your Grace!" She said nervously and everyone looked at the young Wolfkin with scorn.

At first, Thomas was worried and didn't understand what she did wrong. Was she unliked? But he was quickly corrected.

"We have told you so many times that it doesn't matter that you are a step-daughter of the General, Diana..." Marie covered her face with her hand and shook her head in disapproval.

"My name is Clovis Snowfang, my Lord." The white hair and furred Wolfkin saluted him and lowered his head with respect.

Thomas looked at the boy with curiosity. He looked similar to the woman whom he met in the ruins his Father told him to never touch. He smiled and nodded, uncertain how he should behave.

"My name is Edward Nova, I'm the oldest son of Marquis Bernard Nova of Everlight, Your Grace." The other kid bowed with respect only to receive a tap from Nicole, who used the side of her hand that gently rested on the back of his head.

"No ranks around the table, Ed!" The girl scolded the Human boy with a giggle.

"Sorry..." He smiled with a blush.

"Don't listen to my brother, Your Highness! My name is Will Nova, and I'm Edward's older brother." A Rabbitkin boy bowed to Thomas. His face was an exact copy of the widely smiling Human next to him.

Tommy had questions. So many questions...

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"I'm Garhys Moonshadow, my Lord." The oldest-looking boy and the second of the Wolfkins knightly saluted him and bowed.

"I'm Thomas Avalon..." He said and immediately felt stupid. They already knew that. "I... I'm happy to meet you!"

•••

I observed, from a safe distance, the meeting between Tom and the rest of the kids his age. Well... It was a wide shot ranging from just over five or six up to eleven years old in the case of Rhys's son. I must have been doing a poor job only observing since Cahrona grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the crowd.

"He will be fine, Theon. Don't worry." She said with her soft voice and gently pressed the back of my head with the tip of her relaxedly folded wings.

"I suppose so..." I forced a smile on my face, making her laugh.

"Oh stop it." She chuckled and pointed toward Amber and Freya, who were doing the same thing I was doing a moment ago. "Let him do things on his own. He needs to meet up with the kids his age."

"I know..." I said, sighed, and tried to look his way but Cahrona's soft wing was in the way. "But..."

"For Gods' sake, Theon..." She grabbed me tighter under my arm, her magnificent dress trailing behind her in waves of red and gold silks crowned with black lace. "When found four weeks ago, he was like a three-year-old kid. His articulation was poor and he was, essentially, a slightly grown toddler. Now, he is growing so rapidly that he has reached the development level of a perfectly healthy, albeit incredibly shy, seven-year-old boy. He needs contact with kids his age. Don't take it from him."

"I know... I know, my Angel." I finally gave up and straightened myself so she could lean on my side. "I finished everything I wanted to do in his Dungeon. I want him to enjoy his childhood..."

"Thank you. I wanted to change the subject." She tilted her head. "Orina's team is finally ready. She has been training the girls for the past six days. The lectures given by Orina were incredibly easy to understand for the girls I handpicked for the project and, honestly, we didn't know why we hadn't figured out something similar on our own. It appeared as if we would be able to treat PTSD after all. Orina was slightly overwhelmed at first but I guess she wasn't expecting to lead a team of a hundred Succubi."

"You mean Succubuses." I playfully winked at her. "You know that I refuse to call you that. You aren't demons."

"That's debatable... But..." She sighed. "You are partially right... There is something more I must tell you."

"Hmm?"

"The Horned Demons..." She looked both flabbergasted and confused as her absurdly cute face wrinkled slightly as she gathered her thoughts. "As it turned out, once we fully purged the influence of the Enemies, most of them changed. They are not identified as Tieflings anymore but as Arietes. They were corrupted Ram Beastkins, Theon! Some, who had been classified as Greater Demons, are now called Tieflings... It's some kind of nightmare."

I slightly nodded and felt how she was trembling. I gently patted her hand.

"I expected something so twisted from the Enemies, to be honest." I stopped to hug her. "But don't worry. Everything will be fine. What about imps?"

"The Imps..." Her voice started breaking as she slowed down and lowered her head. "Most of them are dying but I think I figured out the reason. They aren't exactly a race but more like real deamons, hellish spawn that need to serve higher deamons. The few who survived have changed as well. They started to grow considerably and now some of them are as large as the tallest Dwarves. They are more muscular and far less grotesque."

"Hmm..." I slowly nodded. "What about the Succubuses?"

"We are one of the demonic races but, for whatever reason we don't have to serve evil, similarly to the changed Imps." She sighed. "So, after all, I am the Demon Princess, Theon. Hestia is right; once we were the normal part of this world but we were enslaved and twisted by the corruption of the Enemies..."

"Wait..." I looked at her in shock and I identified her with my skill. "Huh... So I really have to call your race Succubi?"

"I would much more appreciate it than being called Succubuses. That sounds so stupid..."

"It was always meant to sound stupid!" I defended myself.

"However, as you probably saw, my alignment changed from Neutral to Righteous Good." She giggled and kissed me after she covered us under her magnificent white wings.

It lasted for just a moment and I was surprised that no one had paid attention to us.

"All right... You won, my Angel." I said as we resumed our walk. She slid her gentle hand under my arm. "Do you have anything more to report about Orina and her team?"

"Hmmm..." She tilted her head. "A few things actually. First, Irene said that, logically speaking, Psychological care should be considered to be part of the Healthcare Department. The problem is, she doesn't know how to classify most cases. I have a slight overlap in competency with Hestia and, honestly, since we merged the orphanages, I'm currently without a job. However, the Departments of Hestia and Irene are so bloated that they asked me to help them by creating something. It's... Already a complicated mess."

"That's surprising considering that it was Irene who improved government administration." I hummed softly as we made our way towards Irene, who had pulled Amber and Freya away from their hiding place where they were watching Tommy manage to talk with the other children.

"I think it's more about how inseparable their departments became. Honestly, I believe that separating them would create far more issues and increase the amount of bureaucracy. I'm aware that their systems can only work in Arcadia. However, I think that I can create a separate Department within their structures and make myself useful."

"Don't say that..." I scoffed. "You are always incredibly helpful to me."

"And now I have decided to be also helpful to Arcadia." She giggled and covered her wonderful lips. "Anyway... The last thing I want to discuss is Orina's name. It's a slave name, Theon! We can't address her as that any longer, it's offensive."

"Are you serious?!" I stopped in my tracks.

"Yes! Whatever she was called, her name wasn't Orina. It's terrible what the Elves did with her... They were cruel enough to make her believe that her name was something that translates to urine in one of the languages of the Summoned Heroes."

"You know the languages used by the Summoned Heroes?" I asked in shock.

"Not really... I recognise a few words, maybe a few sentences at best. In that particular case, a Hero left behind a very lengthy list of otherworldly insults. She was very... Expressive in her seemingly permanent anger." Cahrona blushed slightly. "Anyway! That girl cannot use that name anymore!"

"Right! Right..." I shook my head to focus on the subject. "While I didn't really want to raise the subject of the Flower Girls after... After... Iris and Lilly... God..."

I closed my eyes before I felt the warmth and my anger subsided. Cahrona was holding her hand on my heart and looked at me with amethyst eyes that were full of sadness.

"Thank you..." I whispered and drew a sharp breath. "If they gave her a name from one of the Earth's languages, I can do the same. Fleur. She will be known as Fleur which simply means flower."

"Yes. That's a far better name for such a kind person as her." Cahrona nodded and grinned. "Once I decide what name I want, you will give me a True Name."

"What about Angelica, my cute Angel?" I grinned at her.

"Hmmm... Tempting. I still like Cate though..." Cahrona giggled and while I wasn't sure how serious she was, I was glad that she steered away from more sensitive subjects.

We were laughing as we reached sulking Amber and Freya. Irene, on the other hand, was simply looking at them expectedly.

"I'm glad you pulled him away, Cahrona." Irene looked at me with a little scorn that quickly changed to a pleasant surprise. "See girls? Even Theon was capable of trusting our little boy."

"He seems to be having fun. If we want him to be able to develop, he needs a certain degree of freedom and the risk of failure." I sighed heavily.

"While I know why you aren't convinced, I would appreciate it if you could just pretend to be..." Irene shook her head and picked up a tall glass filled with champagne. She raised it to eye level and observed the bubbles climbing toward the surface.

We all smiled softly and picked up our glasses. Behind us, Tommy was listening to Marie and Fiona tell him a story. His soft face was twisting in shock and terror only for him to suddenly start laughing. In the reflection of my glass, I noticed Rose approaching her younger brother, exchanging a few words with him. He almost jumped in when the Half-Elf said something I couldn't hear and then he hugged her. After that, Rose left, waving them goodbye and the kids returned to their stories.

"Cheers for our Son," Amber said proudly as we raised the toast just between ourselves.

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