The feminine man smiled and hugged Alex for a few seconds before letting go and saying, "Alex, I haven't seen you for a month! How are you and Catherina? Everything going well?"

The feminine man was Alex's biological father, Gaspard Dutoit. In this world ruled by a majority of women, family names usually come from the mother and not the father.

Alex replied with a smile, "Everything's fine dad, Mom, and I are having a blast!" She then turned to the male dwarf, "And how are you, Uncle Tom?"

Tom laughed, wrapped his hand around Gaspard's waist, who blushed a bit, And said, "Yeah, as you can see, Your father and I are doing quite well. And it is also nice to meet you again! Every time I see you, you seem to grow more mature and beautiful! Do say hi to Catherina for me, ok deary?"

Alex replied with a smile, "Sure, Uncle Tom! Dad, Uncle Tom, I'm with my friends right now, we should meet up at a later time and have a chat!"

Gaspard waved at her and said with a smile, "Ok sweetheart, Have fun!" And he then left with Tom.

Alex then returned to the girls. The girls did not comment or anything, they knew about Alex's family situation. About 19 years ago, Catherina, who just became an elder at the age of 100, decided that she wanted a child. She wanted a child of high potential and beauty, and she just so happened to stumble on a young and talented Gaspard, 25 at the time. After discussing it with Gaspard, it turned out that he was... Gay. After some discussions, Catherina and Gaspard decided to use artificial insemination. While Catherina and Gaspard would be married on paper, and the child they share will belong to both of them, It would be a loveless marriage. Catherina and Gaspard could sleep with anyone they wanted, and raise the child born together, not as husband and wife, but more like friends without benefits. For the last three years, however, Alex went to the academy, and both parents saw that they did not need to be married on paper anymore, so they just divorced. The relationship Gaspard had with Tom while he was married became public and that's how it is.

Such a story... Was actually not all that uncommon. Since women were a majority, there was a lack of men, and even if polygamy existed, most men actually preferred monogamy. That led to many women needing seed, So practice such as seed donation or loveless and open marriages was accepted.

Alex's parents were loving and wonderful, regardless.

As they were walking back towards the academy, suddenly, Ninia stopped and said, "Hey girls, wait up a bit, I need to go to the bathroom real quick! It's an emergency!" And with that, she bolted.

The girls, helpless, could only stay nearby and look around.

In a dark alley somewhere in the city...

"Hic* Hic* Please! Don't kill me! I will tell you anything you want!"

A young girl about 14 years old was crying and begging for mercy.

An angry, inhuman voice sounded, "Tell me! Where! Is! The! BOOK! Your tasty parents told us it was with you! Where is it!"

A tall human man was grabbing the girl by the scruff of her neck. He was muscular like a bodybuilder and had strange black tattoos on his body, like some sort of writings in gibberish, and an eye tattoo on his forehead. Instead of whites and irises in his eyes, they were pitch black and his pupils were crimson red. His teeth were also shark-like, his nails pitch black, and he wore an occultic black robe.

A soothing and enticing voice sounded, "Now now, don't be so harsh on the girl, it would be faster if she is calmer. Tell me, child, where is the book that your grandmother had?"

A seductive looking elf, with the same tattoos just like the man's, the whites and irises of her eye tainted black, and the pupil was crimson red. Shark-like teeth and black nails and lips. She wore a tight-fitting black cloth, accentuating her figure, a black whip strapped to her hip.

The girl seemed to calm down a bit, and asked, still frightened, "W-W-What b-b-book are you l-looking f-for?"

The soothing voice continued, "We are looking for an old-looking book. The writing in it should look like gibberish to you since your flabby little mortal mind cannot comprehend the profound language of the old ones. Even if you somehow understood it, your very small mortal mind would break... Now tell me..." The woman's eyes shined brighter, "Where is it?"

The girl's eyes lost focus, and she answered mechanically, "A beautiful 18 years old witch bought it in my stall, I advised her not to, but she still bought it."

The woman squinted, and asked, "Can you describe her looks?"

"Yes... She looked like..." As the girl was about to describe her client, the man who held her suddenly dropped her down and jumped away! A giant rainbow-colored flower swallowed the girl whole and re-entered the underground in a flash.

A youthful voice, with a tinge of mockery, sounded, "Well well well... What are the little tainted worshipers of a great tainted one doing here? Hmm? And the both of you are even above lvl 200, what business do you have here, killing innocents and threatening a young, defenseless girl?"

Ninia walked in through one of the dark alleyways, with her childish smile. She sported a gaze at the 2 people as if eyeing corpses.

The man's expression turned ugly, "This is an internal business of the true eye cult, don't interfere!"

The elf woman added, "We are here just to pick a book and we will be gone! No need for a fight! You don't want to antagonize our cult for a mere book, do you? O witch of slaughter?"

Ninia then smiled brightly, "Good! You actually know my name, and still dare to threaten me! In my own city!" She then pointed at the two of them while saying in a chilling voice,  "Iberis, Food."

Before the two even got a chance to resist and struggle, both of them were ripped apart by countless rainbow flowers and eaten. The flowers then returned promptly back underground, not leaving even a drop of blood. She then cheerfully walked away, as If nothing happened.

In a faraway place, inside a secluded cave...

An elderly woman who had the same features as the man and woman suddenly opened her eyes, and muttered, "That little bitch... Killed my pawns... I'll get you for that..." And she then closed her eyes.

bignt

Happy new year! Short chapter this time since I am tired. Chapter 21 is expected to have R-18 content, and chapter 22 a time skip. At the very least that is what I am planning.

Also, my pet project already reached 12 chapters! Do come and read it. It is less focused on R-18, and no R-18 chapter up yet, but it is still good! this is the link:

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/211873/apocalypse--time-stipend-the-legend-about-the-guy-who-just-didnt-care/