Roumazi

  She felt a faint ripple of mana in the distance. It was a natural occurrence, though a rare one. However, the previous one had occurred only seven months ago. Experiencing two in such a short span of time was even more rare.

  Regardless, she flew to the source, though she didn’t find anything out of place, except for the aftereffects of the ripple.

  With a mental push, the undulations returned to their normal, undisturbed flow. She was about to move to a large source of water nearby to realign the flow of mana there and make sure nothing was either building up or depleting, when a voice called out to her behind.

  “Roumazi! Hey! Why didn’t you tell us you had a kid?”

  She turned around to see her brother, Jorzem, an avian Awakened with iridescent copper feathers.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked confusedly. She was a foxkin woman with iridescent blue hair.

  He looked at her, dumbfounded. “Your kid? You know, those smaller versions of regular-sized people? Mortals make them all the time!”

  “I’m well aware of what a kid is, Jorzem.”

  “Yeah, and I’m asking when you had one.”

  “Could you explain why you suddenly think that?”

  “I was passing through Efrinteu when I happened to feel a familiar mana pattern, though much weaker and mixed with another. That was your mana pattern, and that could only mean you had a kid.”

  Seriously, what is he talking about?

  “…I’ll take a look.”

  “You really don’t know?”

  “I don’t.”

  “Huh. Anyway, tell us about it sometime. The last time one of us had a kid was millennia ago!”

  Her brother flew off to continue his work, leaving Roumazi by herself and a bit baffled. She created another incorporeal body and began flying it to Efrinteu, while the original resumed its own work. They were two bodies controlled by the same mind, and when in an incorporeal state, she could fly just by willing herself in a specific direction.

  The landscape blurred as she flew at a rapid pace, and upon arriving above the city, she was shocked to discover that Jorzem was correct.

  I can really feel my own mana down there!? What is this?!

  She descended into a discreet location and manifested a corporeal body. She also subdued her divine aura and give this body the [State] modifier.

  She followed the trail, and was led to a school. An elven woman with a stern expression was waiting outside with several other parents. Now that Roumazi was close, she could sense that this woman’s mana matched the one that was mixed with her own.

  Ah! I remember her now. Her cute daughter hugged me. She’s gained a significant increase in mana since then, which makes sense considering how much she must’ve used her Gift to get here.

  “Michael?” she asked, walking up to her. “No, it feels different now. Michelle?”

  “Wh-What? Who are you?!” the woman asked.

  “Sorry,” Roumazi apologized. She halted the water vapor in the air surrounding them to muffle their conversation. Infusing her voice with her divine aura, she stated, “I’m incognito right now, so please try not to panic. I’m the Goddess of Water.”

  “Godd-!?” the elf exclaimed, but interrupted herself. She took a breath, then somewhat calmly asked, “Goddess?”

  “Yes, it’s me. I, um, heard you had a second child somehow?”

  “Ah, yes. We wanted to ask you about that,” Michelle answered, looking a bit in disbelief and trying to not freak out.

  So she doesn’t know what happened, either…

  “Why don’t I recognize you from last time?”

  The goddess answered, “This avatar only has the [State] modifier, meaning my appearance isn’t so iridescent like back then. And you’d be surprised how easily people overlook me when I’m not radiating divinity.

  “Anyway, this isn’t a good place to do it, but I would like to privately discuss what happened to try to figure it out. Bring anyone you trust with you, of course.”

  “Uh, yeah. Okay. Ah, they’re coming out now.” She had been keeping an eye on the students leaving, and spotted her daughters exiting the front door.

  So that wolf is my child. My daughter… She looks like she’s doing well. She then noticed the young elf girl walking alongside her. Oh, I’m beginning to understand how this happened.

  Turning to the goddess, Michelle asked, “Uh, should I just say you’re a friend or something? How do I explain who you are?”

  She nodded. “That works. My name is Roumazi.”

  Michelle blinked. “Right… Okay.”

  The elf’s surprise was understandable, considering that the gods had stopped giving out their names a long time ago. People had misused them.

  The goddess dispelled her barrier. Michelle had been too distracted to even notice that the surrounding sounds had been cut off.

  The girls came running up to the, and Michelle hugged them both, though a bit stiffly. “Hey, girls. How was your day?”

  Diamond, noticing her mom’s somewhat off-kilter behavior, asked, “Mom, are you okay?”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  She smiled. “I’m fine. Roumazi here is a friend I made recently, and she showed up out of nowhere just now, really surprising me.”

  Roumazi smiled and waved at them. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  As they walked to where Michelle and the girls live, the elf talked about what she and the others she’s with have been up to since arriving in the city a couple months ago. Roumazi listened attentively, as Michelle is Diamond’s other mother, after all. The goddess couldn’t help but frequently glance at Diamond, getting a confused look from her in return.

  Roumazi looked around the apartment to get a feel for how they were living.

  Seems decent. This is pretty good for not having been in the city for very long.

  Sarah had just gotten home only a few minutes ago, and had been in her bedroom. She came out upon hearing others arrive home.

  “Sarah, this is Roumazi. There’s something I need to talk with her privately about. Would you mind taking the girls out for a while? I’ll fill you in on everything when you get back.”

  “Uh, sure,” the tigerkin replied, bewildered. “Come on, girls. Let’s go walk around the market for a bit.”

  “Bye, Mom!” the girls both called out as they left.

  Michelle absentmindedly made tea while they waited for Amber. She was relieved when her girlfriend stepped through the door not too long later.

  “Hey, hon. Who’s this?” Amber asked, joining them at the table.

  In her goddess voice, Roumazi introduced herself, “Hello again, Amber. I am Roumazi, the Goddess of Water.”

  Her mouth dropped open and stayed there until Michelle placed her hand on her shoulder.

  “What is this about?” Amber stiffly asked.

  “Well, it’s about Diamond.” Looking between both of them, she asks, “Could you explain your side of things of how she came to be?”

  Michelle explained how Luna had been using her Gift, how Diamond had been hurt badly by a monster one day, and how Michelle supplemented her own ice to restore her, as Luna’s mana was lacking at the time. Diamond gradually became more intelligent over time from then on, and during the happy moment of receiving her armor, she became fully sapient.

  Ah… Yep. This is my fault.

  Roumazi said, “Yes… I understand how this happened now. I’m not displeased in the slightest that she was born, but I must apologize. Due to my oversight… Michelle… I am Diamond’s other parent. I am so sorry this happened. I had no idea this was even a possibility.”

  Michelle blinked. “What…? What do you mean? How is that possible?”

  “I didn’t realize it at the time, but when Luna hugged me that day, the tiniest little shred of my mana attached itself to the Gift I had just given her, as that connection between us hadn’t entirely closed yet.

  “Because of all the gods being in one place, it overpowered any other mana patterns, so I didn’t notice it was there. It’s not something that would’ve even been possible in the first place were I not a god.

  “Months later, when Diamond was injured, Luna’s spell acted as a receptacle for both your mana and my own, which had remained with her. In addition to all the mana involved, Luna was also willing Diamond to live, which was another important part of how it happened. That desire for life is a vital aspect of how magical births happen.

  “And with the base level of intelligence her Gift has and Luna’s focus on integrating your ice, it all combined into what I would describe as a spark. The ritual that gave you knowledge of several languages, Michelle, was also passed onto her. And I think the reason she is better than Luna with them is simply because she has a knack for languages.

  “Time passed, and that spark grew brighter and hotter until the right powerful emotion came along to fully ignite it into a flame, her soul.

  “Luna’s Gift basically acted the same as the kind of receptacle people use to have children without someone getting pregnant. And now that my bit of mana that had been attached to her Gift has been used up, it’s impossible for it to happen a second time.”

  The two elves were silent for a long time before Amber finally muttered, “So Diamond came to be because one of her parents is a goddess…”

  "I apologize for not being aware of her existence until today. But I wish to be here for her now that I know."

  “So what now?” Michelle asked. “What happens next? If you want to be a part of her life, how do you do that and god stuff at the same time? And what does this mean for Diamond? Will she have divine powers or anything like that?”

  “I can be in multiple places at once without any problems. As for what to do now, I want to be a part of her life. I’m aware of how uncomfortable and awkward this must be for you, but I hope I can prove to you that my being involved won’t be an issue for anyone.

  “And no, she does not have any kind of divine powers. She is just as mortal as yourself.”

  Michelle pinched the bridge of her nose. “If you were literally anyone else, it would be worse, but I already know that all the gods of this world have good reputations, and not just in a ‘blind faith’ kind of way. And you helped us out so much when we first arrived in this world.

  “Does your… avatar… need to eat, sleep, or do anything mortals need to do? And where do you keep it when you’re not using it?”

  “This body is functionally mortal. It requires rest, regular meals, cleaning, everything. I can just make and unmake it at will. I still exist with or without the body, and it’s just something we gods can make whenever we need to do so.”

  Amber asked, “So do you plan to ‘make and unmake’ your body whenever you want to spend time with Diamond?”

  Roumazi shook her head. “No, I plan to have this body here full-time.”

  Michelle asked, “Then where are you currently living? And what are you doing, uh, for a living, I guess?”

  “Nowhere and nothing, as of yet. I arrived in Efrinteu only five or so minutes before running into you.”

  Amber chimed in, “We’ll still want to talk about all this with Sarah when she gets back.”

  She nodded. “Of course. I’ll leave now, but please discuss it with her.” She formed two small cubes of ice and set them on the table. “These cubes won’t melt. After your discussion, break one, and I’ll know to come back then. Leave the other so I can easily find my way back.”

  “Wouldn’t you just be able to find Diamond, like before?”

  “When you cast a spell, you can feel where it is because of your connection with your own mana. The same is true for gods. I can sense Diamond’s presence, but this way is much more precise.”

  Roumazi could also maintain the spell indefinitely, and distance from it wasn’t a problem for her, either.

  The couple gave the goddess awkward goodbyes, and she then left to explore the city her daughter lived. While she did know where it was on the map, she didn’t know what it was like in detail.

  She wandered for several hours, taking in all the homes and businesses nearby, and also taking a look at the school. She also considered what she should do for money and a place to live.

  I can see why they traveled so far to settle down here. It’s a nice city.

  Finally, her connection to one of the cubes vanished, and she made her way back to the building from earlier. She received awkward greetings as she reentered the apartment. Diamond and Luna both greeted her as well. They were both sitting at the table with drawing supplies.

  She was then led into one of the bedrooms, where a soundproofing device was activated. There was no furniture to sit on, however, so they settled on the floor.

  Michelle spoke, "This situation is bizarre, but we already have an understanding of you to an extent from looking into who you are as a person, not as a goddess. Not to mention how you and your siblings gave all several thousand of us from Earth a chance to live in the first place.

  "We've talked about it a lot, and have come to a decision. This situation is bizarre, but for Diamond's sake, we've decided to invite you to live here with us. She has so many questions that only you can answer, and I know she'll really appreciate your presence in her life, even if you choose to live elsewhere."

  Her eyes opened wide. “R-Really? Just like that?”

  She chuckled exasperatedly. “If you were some random person, this would not have even been considered. You’ve even refrained from revealing your identity to Diamond just yet and gave us time to figure things out on our own, so we can tell how considerate you are."

  Sarah added, “You would be sharing a room with me, by the way. Space is a bit limited here.”

  Amber joined in, “Conveniently, we have a spare mattress, since the girls just share one instead of sleeping separately.”

  Michelle said finally, “It isn’t much, as we’re still only just getting our lives sorted out, but there’s room for you here if you want it.”

  Roumazi exclaimed, “This is so much more than I ever could’ve hoped for! Is it alright if I hug you?”

  The goddess and three mortals shared a hug. It started out a bit stiff, but Roumazi’s sheer exaltation quickly shattered that.

  I’ll make sure everyone is happy!