The Extra's Rise
Chapter 688: Daughter (3)

Chapter 688: Daughter (3)

I stared at the crimson stains across the white porcelain sink, my mind racing to understand what was happening to my body. The pain in my chest had subsided to a dull ache, but the metallic taste in my mouth and the blood I’d just coughed up painted a clear picture.

’Arthur?’ Luna’s concerned voice echoed in my mind. ’What’s wrong? I can sense distress through our bond.’

’I’m not sure yet,’ I replied, carefully wiping my mouth with a towel. ’Let me think.’

I closed my eyes and turned my focus inward, examining my mana channels with the kind of detailed analysis I should have performed immediately after waking up. What I found made my blood run cold.

My magical pathways were a mess.

The smooth, gradual progression that should characterize advancement to high Ascendant-rank had been replaced by jagged, forced expansion. My mana channels showed signs of severe strain, like a river that had been artificially widened without proper preparation. The Grey power had pushed my magical development far beyond what my body was ready to handle.

’Oh,’ I thought with growing understanding. ’That’s what this is.’

I had achieved high Ascendant-rank, yes—but through brute force rather than natural progression. The temporary cosmic power had literally forced my magical capacity to expand, shoving me past barriers that should have taken months of careful cultivation to overcome.

And now my body was paying the price.

’Luna, I think I know what’s happening,’ I said into our mental connection. ’The Grey power forced my mana rank to advance too quickly. My body wasn’t ready for the transition.’

’That’s... not good,’ she replied with obvious concern. ’Forced advancement usually comes with severe consequences.’

I nodded grimly, continuing my internal examination. The damage was extensive but not immediately life-threatening. My mana channels would need time to stabilize at their new capacity, and until they did, any attempt to push my magical development further would be counterproductive at best, dangerous at worst.

’How long?’ Luna asked, reading my thoughts.

’At least half a year,’ I concluded. ’Maybe longer. Reaching peak Ascendant-rank will have to wait until my foundation solidifies.’

The irony wasn’t lost on me. In my desperate attempt to gain enough power to protect Luna, I had potentially set back my long-term magical development. Under normal circumstances, this would have been devastating news.

But as I looked back toward the bedroom where Luna slept peacefully, I found I didn’t particularly care.

’You know what?’ I thought with surprising lightness. ’This might actually be a blessing in disguise.’

I had been pushing myself relentlessly for months—training, fighting, growing stronger in preparation for threats that seemed to multiply daily. The forced break in my advancement meant I could finally do something I’d been neglecting.

I could be a father.

Cleaning up the blood and returning to bed, I settled carefully beside Luna, who immediately curled against my side without waking. Her peaceful breathing and the warm weight of her small body against mine filled me with a contentment I hadn’t experienced in longer than I could remember.

Tomorrow, I would explain my condition to the others and arrange for extended leave from active duty. For once in my life, the universe was forcing me to slow down and focus on what truly mattered.

I could live with that.

Especially since all my plans were in motion regardless.

_________________________________

Three days later, I was sprawled on the living room floor of my family’s penthouse, helping Luna work on a jigsaw puzzle that depicted a vast meadow filled with wildflowers. She had insisted we tackle the "really hard one" with a thousand pieces, and her determination to complete it was both admirable and exhausting.

"This piece goes here, Daddy," Luna announced confidently, trying to force a section of blue sky into what was clearly part of a red poppy.

"Are you sure about that, sweetheart?" I asked gently. "Look at the colors."

Luna examined the piece more carefully, then huffed in frustration. "Why are puzzles so difficult? In the laboratory, everything had a specific place and purpose. This is much more complicated."

"That’s what makes it fun," I said, searching for a piece that might fit the section she was working on. "In real life, things don’t always fit where we expect them to. Sometimes we have to try different approaches."

"Like how you found me?" Luna asked, looking up from the puzzle with those dark eyes that still held too much wisdom for her age.

"Exactly like that. I wasn’t looking for a daughter, but you fit perfectly into my life anyway."

Luna beamed at that, returning to her puzzle with renewed enthusiasm. "I’m glad I fit."

"So am I, sweetheart. So am I."

The morning passed in comfortable domesticity. After finishing a section of the puzzle, we moved to the kitchen where Luna helped me prepare lunch—or rather, where she stood on a step stool and provided enthusiastic commentary while I actually did the cooking.

"The eggs are getting fluffy!" she observed with delight as I scrambled them in the pan.

"That’s the secret," I told her seriously. "Low heat and patience. Good things take time."

"Is that why your magic training is taking longer now?" Luna asked with the kind of direct perception that never failed to surprise me.

I had explained my condition to her in terms she could understand—that using the Grey power had been like growing too fast, and now my body needed time to catch up. She had accepted this with the same matter-of-fact pragmatism she brought to everything else.

"Exactly," I confirmed. "Sometimes the best way to get stronger is to slow down and make sure your foundation is solid."

After lunch, we settled on the balcony where Luna had set up her art supplies. The afternoon sun was perfect for drawing, and she had become fascinated with trying to capture the view of the city from our high vantage point.

"The buildings look like blocks from up here," she observed, carefully shading a skyscraper with her pencil.

"That’s perspective," I explained, settling into the chair beside her. "Things look different depending on where you’re standing."

"Like how the Red Chalice people thought I was a weapon, but you see me as your daughter?"

I paused in reading my book, struck once again by her insight. "That’s... actually a perfect example, Luna. Yes, exactly like that."

Luna continued drawing in comfortable silence, occasionally asking for help with proportions or shading techniques. Watching her artistic process was fascinating—she approached each element methodically, with the same careful attention to detail that had probably helped her survive eight years of captivity.

"Daddy?" she said eventually, not looking up from her drawing.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you sad that your magic isn’t getting stronger right now?"

I considered the question seriously. A month ago, the answer would have been an immediate yes. Power meant safety, and safety meant being able to protect the people I cared about. But sitting here in the afternoon sun, watching my daughter discover the simple joy of artistic expression...

"No," I said honestly. "I’m not sad at all."

"Good," Luna said with satisfaction, adding a small bird to her cityscape. "Because I like having you home."

That evening, after my parents and Aria had returned from the guild office, we gathered for dinner as a family. Luna regaled them with detailed accounts of our day—the puzzle progress, the cooking lesson, her artwork—while my mother made appropriately impressed sounds and my father asked thoughtful questions about her artistic techniques.

"And tomorrow," Luna announced as dessert was served, "Daddy is going to teach me how to play chess!"

"Chess?" Douglas raised an eyebrow. "That’s quite an ambitious game for someone your age."

"I’m very smart," Luna said with eight-year-old confidence. "Daddy says I have good strategic thinking from all the pattern recognition training I had before."

"She does," I confirmed. "Luna sees connections and possibilities that most adults miss."

"Well then," Alice said with a smile, "I suppose we’ll have another chess player in the family. Though I should warn you, Luna—your grandfather is quite competitive."

"I can be competitive too," Luna replied seriously. "But Daddy says games are supposed to be fun, not scary."

The conversation continued in that warm, easy way that had become natural over the past few days. Luna was settling into family life with remarkable ease, her natural intelligence and curiosity making her a joy to be around. Watching her laugh at Aria’s terrible jokes and listen intently to Douglas’s stories about guild management, I felt a profound sense of rightness.

Later, as I tucked Luna into bed, she looked up at me with sleepy contentment.

"Daddy? Today was perfect."

"Was it?" I asked, smoothing her dark hair.

"Mm-hmm. We didn’t have to fight anyone or worry about bad people or think about magic ranks. We just... got to be a family."

I leaned down to kiss her forehead. "We get to be a family every day now, sweetheart. That’s what families do."

"Even when you get stronger again?"

"Especially then. Being strong means I can protect our family, but being together is what makes us a family in the first place."

Luna smiled sleepily, clutching her butterfly toy. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Luna. Sweet dreams."

As I turned off the lights and headed to my own room, I reflected on how much my priorities had shifted. A year ago, if someone had told me I’d be content to put my magical advancement on hold to play house with an eight-year-old, I would have thought they were insane.

But contentment, I was learning, was a different kind of strength entirely.

And sometimes, the most important battles were fought not with magic or swords, but with patience, love, and the simple act of being present for the people who mattered most.