BXBX NOVEL Chapter 85: Daddy Sol.
[Though, I am rather curious myself; I know I would have, but you were the one who suggested such a consequence in the first place, so why would you give up when he was obviously going to forfeit?] She asked, extending her hand over the goddess of the sun and smiling as her hair caught aflame again and her skin began glowing.
[He is remarkable, not only does he have unrivalled willpower, but he is also wonderfully true, as you know, I am able to discern the goodness and sincerity of those who stand before me-]
[Ha ha, are you saying you believe that Sol Vestic is a good person?] Dr'ul laughed.
[Heavens no, he sits very heavily on the grey line and has a very neutral outlook on everything, what I am getting at is his intentions, he is honest to his feelings, and his decisions are always made based on the subject rather than the object, he holds no bias and has a very strong sense of personal justice, if someone like him can comb through the heavens, we will become a better pantheon at the end of it, for he will weed out all that is corrupt within our ranks]
[I see,] Dr'ul nodded and scooped up Sorath like a small child.
[Come and take rest in my chambers, I wish to hear firsthand what fighting him is like, Psiko died, and Diablos was turned into a worm, while the other two who faced him with you ran away with their tails between their legs, only you have truly survived Sol Vestic, I will help you recover while you inform me!] She laughed with Sorath who had a look of shock.
[I will happily tell you everything, your holiness!]
...
"What the..." Han stared at Sol who unlike the previous times when he just appeared and disappeared at random, he was seen from a distance away walking toward them, and Ikaris had even taken the initiative to ride his horse out to him. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked, watching Sol dismount the horse slowly and with a groan.
"Have you not healed yet?" Ikaris held on to his hand and he smiled and shook his head.
"This time it was a close one, the entire time I kept wondering if I would be able to pull it off, that attack was beyond anything I had ever done before, in terms of destructive force if something like that had hit her without the dimension absorbing the shock it could have caused the world to end in an instant." Sol scratched his cheek when he saw Ikaris's eyes slightly widen after his analysis.
"And yet she still stood and kept fighting," She commented. "She was a worthy opponent for you, Dear."
"Absolutely." Sol nodded, watching Ikaris's hand slightly glow as she held on to the arm he had torn off and began mending his shoddy work with precision healing. "Say, Ikaris..." Sol went serious, and everyone present seemed to pause and look around at him.
"Something's different about you." He stared at her, and she blushed and looked away with a teasing chuckle while Dina who was close by held her mouth in surprise at the fact that he was so perceptive.
"First, a bath and then food," Ikaris pinched her nose, as did Dina, leaving him speechless as he checked himself and found nothing after spending the entire day losing his sense of smell to burning flesh.
They did not leave as usual, after his bath, Sol returned right back to Ikaris and sat with the heroes' party, having a normal dinner for once while she observed him with a loving smile.
"Darling," She called to him in a shy voice, resting her cheek in her palm while he ate; having spent the entire day in an intense fight he was famished, but upon hearing such an endearing title Sol stopped and stared at her with his full attention. "Slow down there are no enemies awaiting you," She chuckled at him.
"Ah," Sol sat up straight and relaxed a bit. "Bad habit, y'know." He chuckled and then began eating much slower.
The atmosphere was light, after the success of the first barrier restoration, and witnessing the fight between gods, though they did not understand the details- the entire army was in high spirits, songs filled the air, and laughter brought a sense of security Sol had never felt on Atla, it was beautiful seeing this many smiling faces on soldiers; these people who had been hammered from every side by the demon hordes were smiling and enjoying their life.
After eating, Sol sat with his guard down and closed his eyes, relaxing in the ambient atmosphere while his ever-loving Ikaris rested her head on his shoulder, also humming to the tune of the bards and musicians that had accompanied the chefs.
"This is nice, isn't it?" He asked her, and she hummed in agreement. "It's almost perfect." He added, and Ikaris opened her eyes and looked up at his smiling face.
"Then, Sol, what do you think would make this a perfect night?" Ikaris asked, and Dina who had been listening from his opposite side turned to her, and upon seeing Dina pay attention, the other women who had been aware of the news from the other side of the fire started paying attention as well.
"Is something happening?" Idria asked, looking at Arla next to her but the mage raised her hands to her lips and hushed her.
"Shush, it is about to happen." Arla's eyes glistened and her cheeks reddened as she saw Ikaris's face get flushed once more.
"Well," Sol scratched his cheek. "Okay, imagine for a second, if these people wore no armour, and there were no demons," he looked across at Dina and then back to Ikaris.
"Imagine if this peace was not temporary, that the happiness and cheerfulness would last, spending time with you like this has become my most cherished moments, it makes me wish for the simple life even more, I would give it all up for a quiet little life where we could sit around a fire and I could tell all these amazing stories to a bright-eyed child...
Y'know..." He blushed when he found Dina staring at him with her hands over her mouth and her eyes watery.
"Give it some time, next year when we name ours you can start fantasizing about such things~" Ikaris smiled and stared at him.
"Haha, wouldn't that be amazing...?" Sol chuckled and looked at her, but her smile never faltered, it only widened, along with her blush brightening. "Wait... Next... Year...?"
"Gosh..." Dina whispered behind him, and Eris and the others over on the other side held looks of anticipation as Sol paused for a second, stared at the skies, and then stood and looked down at Ikaris.
"What the hell is with all of you right now?" Han was the most curious, and next to him Bruce was staring at the dumbfounded look on Sol's face as he and Ikaris spoke since everyone else was doing the same.
Sol fell to his knees and scurried between Ikaris's legs, his breath hitched as he stared up at her radiant smile, and he tried to reach for her but his hand started shaking. "Ikaris... You...?" Sol asked.
"You?" He fought to speak but his lips continued to shake as a stupid smile came across his face that caused the goddess to start laughing as she took his misguided hand and slowly pressed it on her abdomen above her womb.
"Officially, as of the last twelve hours after yesterday-night's events, yes." Ikaris smiled and reached for his cheek with her other hand, sliding off her seat into his lap and staring directly into his eyes. "Sol, I'm pregnant."
[An incredible revelation is shaking the heavens' foundation, the gods are all speechless]
[Mana: 5%-]
[-Mana 100%]
"I-I'm gonna be a dad?" His eyes were widened and his pupils shrunken as the news made trips around his head. "For real?"
"For real, you will be a daddy, Sol." Ikaris nodded as she felt the happiness within him swell, break, and overflow into all his negative emotions, the sadness of his losses on Atla, the rage he had always held under tight lock, everything was washed away and replaced by this bright happiness that caused Sol to fall into tears as he rested his forehead in her breasts and started weeping against her.
"I'm gonna be a father."
"She's pregnant...?" Han's jaw dropped, as did Bruce's, even Arla was a bit taken aback by Sol's reaction to the news, she could feel a strange power radiating off his presence.
Suddenly Sol stood up with Ikaris, raising her off the ground and dancing to the tunes that the bards were playing in the background and laughing haughtily.
"I swear, sometimes he just seems like a far more mature man than his age suggests," Usami stared at Sol as he danced with Ikaris while the two of them laughed.
"I've been getting that feeling too." Eris admitted, but then sighed and shook her head as Sol's dance turned into him kissing the goddess whilst everyone else danced around them. "They are beautiful together." She smiled, but then watched speechless again as Ikaris held her mouth in shock and Sol took a knee before her raiasing his hand and revealing a star-like object in his grasp.