“…In the faith of the 4 auspicious beasts, there are 4 gods. Black Tortoise of North, Vermillion Bird of the South, White Tiger of the West, and Azure Dragon of the East. Incarnations of these gods come into the world one after the other and stay for around the time of a normal human lifespan, maybe more, maybe less.”  Elena went on.

 

“They are born from humans but they actually aren’t humans at all. They have special characteristics that make them completely different from humans. Like claws like a bird or ears like a tiger. But they’re still ‘people’. They still have feelings. They still love, they hate. And they aren’t all-knowing, nor are they really all-powerful either.” 

 

“They don’t know your pain so they can’t fix it. And sometimes even if they know they still can’t fix it. Fate is a completely separate issue.” Elena smiled as she looked at Andrei and his mother.

 

Somehow Andrei seemed to look at her like she could end the world and he wouldn’t care. She chuckled a little at this.

 

“And how can you be so sure?”

 

“How can I be a Saintess and not be a devout believer? Would that make any sense?” Elena laughed.

 

Alexander sat down, he had been caught up in his questions of how in the world Elena knew about his words from when she was barely even a fetus but he was brought back to reality after that last sentence. He often forgot his daughter wasn’t just a quirky human.

 

“You’re free to interpret my words as you choose but what I’m trying to say is that no matter what juicy secret your family can cook up, this pure and generous Saintess will accept it all.” As sarcastic as her words might’ve sounded, they were genuine.

 

Andrei’s mother stared at her, unmoving for a while. Somehow this girl who spoke on riddles seemed reliable the more you spoke to her. Not at all in what she said but mostly in her aura. Like someone who genuinely knows what she is talking about.

 

—

 

“Will you be staying with us for a while?” Irina asked as she led Andrei's mother to the guest wing of the house. Andrei had been sent to a guest room already.

 

“Only for a few days.” Andrei’s mother murmured.

 

“Do not worry about your identity. I have no plans of contacting your families and telling them your whereabouts or anything of the sort.” She added.

 

“Thank you….” Irina murmured, “…will you really have your son marry my daughter…?”

 

Andrei’s mother sighed, “For now just courting. If Andreika still wants to marry her after a year…I will not stop him.”

 

“…very well… I just hope my daughter is happy.” 

 

—

 

Andrei woke up that ‘night’ and immediately reached for his sword. There had been a knock at his window. During the summer Norilsk didn’t really have a night. It was more like dusk. 

 

Andrei stopped expecting the knocking to be from an assailant when he noticed how bright it still was, no one would do that in this bright time of day. He looked out of the window and suddenly he saw a pair of golden eyes staring right at him. 

 

He stumbled backward a little but didn’t fall. 

 

Elena was upside down like a bat, hanging from the outside. She knocked again and giggled. Andrei went up and opened the windows and Elena immediately slipped in, flipping herself so she could sit on the window sill properly.

 

“Uh…it is improper for you to be here…as a woman…and a Saintess…” Andrei murmured, his cheeks turning red.

 

“Is that so?” Elena chuckled, reaching out to touch Andrei’s face, mostly just his cheek.

 

“Hey, do you want to learn something interesting?”

 

Something about that made Andrei’s cheeks flare up even more, he didn’t say no though.

 

Elena room Andrei’s hand and placed it on her chest, not in some perverted way per se, but to have his hand over her heart. Andrei almost immediately wanted to pull his hand away in embarrassment and shame but Elena didn’t let him move.

 

“Send your mana to your palm. Not to my chest, just to your palm.” Elena said and smiled.

 

Andrei hesitated but did as she said, it was generally pretty hard to control your mana that much but he did it easily.

 

“Now close your eyes,” Elena said and used her hand to cover Andrei’s eyes.

 

“Huh…? W-What is that?” 

 

A floating sphere changing from purple to gold and back. Also known as a Mythic core.

 

“It’s my core. All of my magic comes from there. You have one too. Everyone does. I haven’t seen it but I know it’s strong like mine.” Elena chuckled and placed her hand on Andrei’s chest so she could do the same.

 

Andrei’s core wasn’t the same color it was definitely very strong though, stronger than anyone else she’d ever seen. Other than herself.

 

“That’s why I say that you’ll be one of the strongest mages in the world.” Elena chuckled.

 

“Oh…I didn’t know about things like this.” Andrei muttered.

 

“I know a lot about magic. Even more than my parents.” Elena chuckled.

 

“Really? Your father is a curse specialist who was renowned throughout the country…does he not know about this?” Andrei asked.

 

“Nope, The concept itself came from a friend of mine. She’ll spread it throughout the world soon but for now, very few people know about it.” Elena chuckled.

 

“Oh…Of course, your friends are as remarkable as you.” Andrei chuckled.

 

Elena stared at him for a while, “Why was it hard to believe that you’d be strong?”

 

“Uh…I’m not the first son…” Andrei murmured.

 

“Hmm? But you’re the heir?” Elena asked.

 

“Yes…even though I’m not as talented as my brother I’m the heir… because of my mana constitution,” Andrei murmured.

 

Elena seemed confused.

 

“Every generation one person with the mana constitution is born and they have to become the heir and they have to pass on the mana constitution. That’s just how my family works. When someone with the mana quality is born the mana quality disappears in the previous person.” Andrei explained. He worried that Elena would be turned off by this but he felt like he should be honest with her.

 

“Why is it so important?” Elena asked.

 

“Because that mana constitution is the most important reminder we have of our family’s past…Mana like Vikentiy Ivanov’s. Man, that swallows up everything in its path. It’s called Avarice Quality Mana.” Andrei explained.

 

“…Do you really need a reminder though?” Elena asked.

 

“There are other reasons too but…Y’know it’s that secret…” Andrei murmured.

 

Elena hummed in response, “interesting…”

 

—

 

“My father will kill me if he finds out I came here, so it’s our little secret, okay?” Elena chuckled and motioned for Andrei to keep his lips sealed. Andrei nodded quickly.

 

They had spent the night talking about all sorts of things, mostly magic, partially hunting, etc. 

 

Andrei and his mother would be leaving the next day so they wanted to talk a bit more before then and it’s not like Alexander wouldn’t try to Interfere if he knew they were together.

 

“Oh and meet me in the temple, before you leave, just you,” Elena said and waved with a smile.

 

—

 

“Woah…this place is beautiful,” Andrei murmured and followed Elena through the temple.

 

“Where are we going though?” Andrei asked, they seemed to be going deeper into the temple.

 

“To Black Tortoise’s room.”

 

Andrei seemed shocked, “Is it okay for me to go there? I’m not even a part of the temple.”

 

“Yes, it’s fine.” Elena chuckled and reached over to the large black doors deep in the temple.

 

The room was very castle-like, just like the temple. It looked like a Royal bedroom and at the center of it all, there was a pitch-black sword Stuck in the stone of the floor.

 

“…wow…do the people of the temple clean it even though no one uses it?” Andrei asked.

 

“Someone does use it.” Elena chuckled.

 

Andrei froze in his spot after hearing that, he didn’t want to touch anything and now he really wanted to not offend Elena in any way as well. Elena didn’t seem to care much though, she sat on the bed with a smile.

 

“A-are they away? Is that why I haven’t met them?” Andrei asked.

 

“Nope!” Elena giggled.

 

‘Then are they just a recluse?’

 

Elena took off her shoes and laid on the bed without any care.

 

“Is it really okay to sit there as you wish?” Andrei asked.

 

“Yep! It’s my bed after all.” 

 

“…oh alright—-wait what?”

 

—-

Over 100 years later-

 

“Aren’t ya a little young to be having kittens?” Elena asked and looked at the baby in Aylin’s arms.

 

“Not at all… though I guess compared to you... yes.”  Aylin chuckled, she was tired but she still wanted to laugh with her.

 

She nuzzled her baby with a smile, she had to wear gloves to hold him because of her claws but she was happy regardless. So happy she actually turned to her Tiger form when she fell asleep.

 

Elena was left staring at the tiny baby sprawled out on the stomach of the White Tiger for a while. She lifted the baby into her arms after a bit of just staring and stared some more.

 

“They’re so small.” She murmured, “Hmm and cute I guess…looks like her husband.” 

 

Her parents had specifically told her not to worry about having children since people in Irina’s side generally had trouble with having kids. But there was definitely a bit of worry from the Ivanovs about her and Andrei not having kids. Andrei didn’t seem to care though. Any time it was brought up, he just responded that everything was still going fine without an heir and that there’d be time in the future.

 

The Ivanov family always needed to continue passing on their abilities but it seemed like the Avarice Mana quality was stuck on him at the moment and it wasn’t quite done yet. He was still perfectly healthy and the issues with Vikentiy were surprisingly still dormant despite Andrei being the longest living head of the family.

 

“A baby that looks like Andryusha would be cute,” Elena murmured.

 

—

 

“My lady?” Anya asked as she looked at Elena. Andrei had just left the room to start his day of work while Elena just sat there for a while, Anya thought she was just sleepy but she seemed a bit different in a way. She giggled a little after a while.

 

“Let's go hunting today, Anya.” She suddenly said and stood up from the bed.

 

“Ah…alright,” Anya murmured.

 

-

 

Andrei was also confused by Elena’s behavior, she suddenly brought back a furry monster and told the servants to make the fur into a blanket or two and children’s clothes.

 

“It’ll be too hot for White Tiger’s child to wear that,” Andrei murmured and raised an eyebrow as Elena happily went to his side.

 

“It’s not for White Tiger’s child.” Elena giggled.

 

“Then for who?” Andrei asked, still very confused. Anya had already caught on and just watched them, forcing down a slight smile.

 

“I will send a letter to your parents, My lady.” She said and disappeared.

 

Andrei still didn’t seem to get it and this made Elena laugh more and more.

 

“Is it for someone in Norilsk?”

 

–

 

“Whose is it? Why do you keep laughing at me?” Andrei asked, he seemed a little offended at this point.

 

“Andryusha. Aren’t you a little too old to be so oblivious?” Elena asked with a smile as she ran her hand through Andrei’s hair. She was sitting on his lap as they had tea in their bedroom.

 

“You always say that,” Andrei murmured.

 

Elena chuckled a little as she looked at him. They had reached immortality at different ages so their looks were quite different from one another now. Elena looked to be in her 20s while Andrei looked to be in his 30s, with his stubble making him look even older. Both of them were still very attractive though and personality-wise they really hadn’t changed. Elena just learned how to choose her words more wisely and Andrei was influenced to act as he pleased because of her.

 

“It’s for the Ivanov baby,” Elena explained.

“Dorofey is having a child? But he’s so young!” 

 

Andrei’s reaction made Elena burst into laughter once again.

 

“I meant our baby, Andrei.”

 

“Huh?”

 

—

 

“I kind of expected an egg.” Aylin laughed.

 

“We all did,” Andrei murmured as he looked at the baby in Elena’s arms.

 

“It's probably because the father is human. A human baby is too big for a tortoise egg.” Vermillion bird murmured as he looked at the white-haired baby as well.

 

“Are you tired?” Aylin asked and looked at Elena. 

 

Elena shook her head. Her scutes were showing and she was partially transformed but she had come to realize it wasn’t exactly because of exhaustion, It was just the instinct to protect her own body and her baby.

 

The clock struck midnight and Anya chuckled, “What a fitting name you chose.” She said to Andrei.

 

“Hmm? What’s her name?” Aylin asked.

 

“Natasha.” ¹ Natasha means 'The Lord's birthday'

 

Aylin laughed a little, “Because she’s Lena’s birthday present?” She asked and Andrei just nodded.

 

“A touch early.” Elena chuckled and passed Natasha over to Andrei. 

 

She talked with her guests for a while as she watched Andrei clumsily hold the baby. Anya was watching over him just in case but Andrei continued to insist that he was fine.

 

‘I wonder what kind of father he’ll be.’ Aylin said to Elena through telepathy.

 

‘A good one I think.’ Elena replied and watched Andrei smile at Natasha.