The Extra's Rise
Chapter 674: Heavenly Demon (11)

Chapter 674: Heavenly Demon (11)

The word hit me like a physical blow, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. Luna—my daughter—had just called me Daddy for the first time, and the sound of it completely unmade every emotional barrier I’d spent years building.

‘Daddy.’

‘She actually said it,’ Luna observed in my mind, her voice warm with approval. ‘Look at you, Arthur. You’re a father now.’

‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’ I replied, still holding Luna against my chest as she whispered how much she loved me. ‘I’m nineteen years old. I have no idea how to be anyone’s father.’

‘Love her. Protect her. Put her needs before your own. That’s all any parent needs to know.’

Looking down at Luna’s small face, seeing the absolute trust and adoration in her dark eyes, I felt something fundamental shift inside me. This wasn’t just mission evolution anymore—this was complete identity transformation. I wasn’t Arthur the strategist or Arthur the operative. I was Arthur the father, and that role took precedence over everything else.

“Daddy?” Luna’s voice was small and uncertain. “Are you okay? You got really quiet.”

I blinked, realizing I’d been staring at her for long moments without speaking. “I’m perfect, sweetheart. Just… happy. So incredibly happy.”

Her smile could have powered the entire facility. “Me too. I’ve been wanting to call you Daddy for days, but I was scared you might not want me to.”

‘Not want her to?’ The idea was absurd. I’d been dreaming about hearing that word from her lips since the moment I realized I loved her.

“Luna,” I said seriously, “there is nothing in this world I want more than to be your daddy. Nothing.”

For the next hour, we talked through the escape plan in terms an eight-year-old could understand. I explained that tomorrow evening, during the shift change, we would leave together. That there might be alarms or scary noises, but she should stay close to me and Cordelia and trust that we would keep her safe.

“Will I get to bring my butterfly?” she asked, clutching the purple toy protectively.

“Of course. And your drawings, and anything else that’s important to you.”

Luna nodded seriously, then climbed down from my lap to retrieve something from under her pillow. When she returned, she was holding a folded piece of paper.

“I made this for you,” she said shyly. “For when we leave. I wanted you to have it.”

I unfolded the paper to reveal another of Luna’s drawings, but this one was different from all the others. Three stick figures held hands under a rainbow, with careful labels in Luna’s best handwriting: “Daddy Arthur,” “Mama Cordelia,” and “Luna.”

The drawing wasn’t just artwork—it was a declaration. A statement of who we were and who we wanted to be.

“This is beautiful,” I managed, my voice thick with emotion. “The most beautiful picture I’ve ever seen.”

“Do you really think Cordelia wants to be like a mama to me?” Luna asked, unconsciously echoing the question that had been nagging at me.

‘Reika loves that child as much as you do,’ Luna assured me mentally. ‘I’ve seen how she looks at her—like she’d fight the world to keep her safe.’

“I know she does,” I told Luna honestly. “Cordelia loves you very much. We both do.”

After I left Luna’s chamber, I found Reika waiting in our quarters with expressions of barely contained anxiety and determination. The final preparations were complete—I’d successfully compromised every system in the facility, the magical disruption spell was ready, and our extraction route was planned down to the minute.

“How is she?” Reika asked immediately.

“She called me Daddy,” I said, and watched Reika’s face transform.

“She did?” Reika’s hand flew to her mouth, eyes instantly shining with tears. “Oh, Arthur. How do you feel?”

‘Terrified. Elated. Completely out of my depth. Like my heart might explode from happiness.’

“Like a father,” I said simply.

For a moment, we just looked at each other, both processing the magnitude of what was happening. Tomorrow night, we would no longer be Arthur and Reika on a mission. We would be parents, taking our daughter home to join our family.

‘Our family.’ The thought encompassed more than just the three of us. Rose, Cecilia, Seraphina, and Rachel would all be part of Luna’s life too. She’d have not just parents, but a whole extended family of people who loved Arthur and would love her by extension.

“She drew us a family picture,” I added, showing Reika Luna’s latest artwork. “She labeled you ‘Mama Cordelia.'”

Reika took the drawing with shaking hands, studying the three stick figures with wonder. “She wants me to be her mama?”

“More than anything. Though we’ll need to figure out how to explain to her about the others,” I said gently. “About our family situation.”

Reika’s expression grew thoughtful. “She’s going to have so many people who love her. Rachel will spoil her rotten, and Cecilia will probably want to teach her strategy games. Rose will sing her lullabies, and Seraphina…” She smiled. “Seraphina will teach her how to be strong.”

‘The idea of Luna being surrounded by so much love, so many maternal figures who would protect and nurture her, made my chest warm with contentment.’

I watched Reika trace the crayon lines with her finger, her expression cycling through joy, fear, and fierce protectiveness. “Arthur, what if we mess this up? What if we’re not good enough parents for her?”

‘The same doubt I’ve been having.’

“Then we’ll learn,” I said firmly. “We’ll make mistakes and apologize for them and do better next time. That’s what real parents do.”

‘You’re both overthinking this,’ Luna interjected in my mind. ‘That little girl doesn’t need perfect parents. She needs people who love her unconditionally. You’ve already proven you can do that.’

Reika set the drawing down carefully, treating it like the precious artifact it was. “When she calls me Mama for the first time, I’m going to cry. Fair warning.”

“I nearly cried when she called me Daddy,” I admitted. “Actually, I think I did cry a little.”

We spent the rest of the day going over contingency plans and backup protocols, but my mind kept drifting to Luna’s drawing. Three stick figures under a rainbow, holding hands and smiling. Such a simple image, but it represented everything I’d never known I wanted.