Chapter 2: In Family

As he looked at the big-breasted individual smiling at him right now and then at his mother, Alaric couldn't help but have confused thoughts.

(What?!) He was surprised by the reveal.

"Hi little Alaric, I'm sorry I'm late, a lot happened today, but I'm very happy to have you! Just look at him! He has your hair type and my nose! Oh and look his cute little chubby checks! He's the most adorable baby ever! Truly could only be my son!" She burst with excitement as she began playing with my checks.

"Your son? How bold of you to say that after coming here late. It seems someone is a bit too brave for their own good.

"What do you think little Alaric? Should we kick her out? We could give your dad a week outside to help her clear her thoughts." Mom said with a very forced smile to the point I think I could see a few veins popping out.

(So, is my dad?… How dastardly of the Supreme goddess to do this... So now I have a second father in this new reality?… I mean, I was fine being an orphan in the old reality… This feels like too much.) He was a bit surprised by the development, but it wasn't something that uncommon in the Absolute Fantasy: Endless Possibilities' world. I just didn't expect it to happen...

"I think we're being a bit hasty here. Our son will surely be sad if his father has to wander the streets for a whole week... I mean, who knows what could happen? It's not safe out there." Dad began snuggling onto mother while caressing her hair with a weak smile on her face.

"Hmph! Of course, I'm not going to let you wander out in the streets for a whole week, you're too much of a lost case to trust with that.

"But you're going to have to reschedule whatever plans you had for the rest of the week, we're spending that time with little Alaric." Despite how she sounded, Mom had a small smile on while she was being caressed, she seemed to appreciate the attention.

"Amora, my love... I understand how you feel, but isn't that a bit too drastic? I have a few important meetings scheduled for this week and probably won't have that much free time until next year...

"But I promise that by then we'll be able to spend all time we want together as a family with everyone back at home." Dad increased her movements as she talked and began slowly kissing mom on her checks and slowly to her neck while her hands were being used to smooth mom's milkers.

"I... I mean... Uhm... It's not that hah... Not that bad to wait a bit of... No! What am I saying?! No! Not this time!

"You're smoothing me into letting you get away with this one! It's already decided and you have to choose, work or m- I mean family!" Mother was slowly being lulled into letting it go before she pushed dad away and began scolding her again. It was an odd situation to be in the middle of as a baby of all things.

"How cruel... You don't really leave me with much of a choice, but you're right, I've had you waiting for long enough. One week with the family won't exactly destroy the business anyway." Unable to retort, father conceded as she got pulled into a hug by mom.

From then on the two of them started talking more casually and Alaric learned that he was now part of a pretty full house. Back at home, there are his grandparents and two sisters.

That aside two of his siblings, a brother, and a sister were currently studying at a prestigious magic academy. Honestly, he didn't know what was more concerning, the number of family members from a single house or how many cliches got booted into his background.

His parents even talked about dad's business as she's a merchant and a few other people, it seemed like he has two aunts and an uncle just from mom's side of the family... Just how big is this family?! That's all he could question.

Father seemed to avoid talking about her side of the family throughout their conversation up until he fell asleep due to his infant body.

Later on, he woke up in a crater and a different room. Obviously, he had been taken home and put to bed.

Having nothing more pressing to worry about, he began meditating to expand his consciousness to the world around him, but this time something unexpected happened.

The moment he did so, he could immediately feel the stream of mana in the atmosphere surrounding him, and just like that, the first step to creating a mana link was completed. Something that ended up happening much more easily than he imagined.

Now, it was time to move to the second step, Core Rebirth, which consists of filling up one's mana cores... Well with mana to the point of re-emergence.

Doing so only requires one to use what they've learned through meditation in the first step, and let themselves open for the mana to come in. It takes time and one's skill in meditation affects efficiency, but patience is the key in these initial stages.

Normally this process happens naturally on a much smaller scale for every sentient being, though it usually takes about 14 to 16 years to fill up that way, that also being the reason most apprentices in magic schools or towers are in the age range of 12-16 when they get recruited. How?

Simple, similar to the first step it's also possible to ease this one a bit by receiving help from a proficient mage, as it can cut the time needed in half to do so.

The body of every living being has at least one mana core but in the case of humans and humanoids of a similar structure, there are 2 mana cores.

One in the heart and the other in the solar plexus, which both should be filled with mana during the process of the second step to create a mana link.

Unfortunately filling both is a hard task and tends to take double the normal time to do, so people avoid doing it or just ignore it and move on. Why not just do the second one later? Many asked themselves when they first learned of this and the answer is pretty simple, they can't.

Once they activate one of their mana cores, the body begins functioning with that taken into account. Two processes begin occurring naturally, one is the circulation of mana into their body as it now constantly intakes mana for their core and the rejection or readjustment of variables contradicting that in the body.

That variable is their inactive core since it would still be trying to intake mana for itself, interfering with the now active mana core, so the body rejects it and gets rid of it as it is serving no purpose other than wasting mana, after all, the individual already rejected the inactive core when they activated the other one on its own. The process is called core shedding and is said to be very painful.

Being rather short-lived in comparison to the other humanoid races, humans can't really afford to casually spend from 28 to 32 years trying to activate both their cores.

Even when receiving help which was the norm for young mages in learning who could afford to do so, it would take them at least 14 to 16 years to activate both cores at a minimum.

This led to it being common for humans to only have one core, and being known to be less proficient in magic than the other humanoid races.

(However, I who have so much time will make the most of it all.) He smiled to himself as he thought.

Having organized his thoughts on the second step, Alaric moved on to once again meditate and advance his training. That eventually led to the baby body taking over and making him sleep.

Just as he was there sleeping in his crib, a few members of his family came in.

"Just look at him! He's absolutely adorable! Hahaha! I knew I would produce a lady-killer! My son that gives me the most pride!" Dad said with a proud smile on her face.

"Calm down! You're going to wake him up with all that noise, my precious 5th child deserves some sleep. Also, stop speaking like you made him alone." Mom rebutted as she rolled her eyes at his words.

"Yeah, dad! How can you say that with me right here? I don't like you anymore!" Said a little girl with short blue wavy hair, as she hides behind the Mom and puts her tongue out at Dad.

She was wearing a short-sleeved white blouse, a red skirt, and brown boots.

"Oh yes, I'll try to keep it down honey, and I could never have made this little angel without you...

"And you my little princess, daddy is just happy to have another son after so long, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I love you more than anything in the world." Dad tried to save the situation and opened her arms for her daughter to come hug her.

Mother once again rolled her eyes, while the little girl instead said. "Really?!"

"Really! Of course, I do!" Dad replied still waiting to receive the forgiveness hug.

"Hum... You'll have to take me to eat honey sluns!" The little girl responded with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed as she pouted, fully assured of her stance.

"Deal! Dad will take you everywhere you want to go!" Dad folded and gave into the demands immediately, doing so rather loudly.

"Loralaine! You're disturbing Alaric's sleep." Mom called out, frustrated and slightly contributing to the problem.

This made Dad swallow her saliva as she slowly moved her head to look at Mom, then immediately began speaking. "Haha, Amora, my Love, you know I'm very happy with our newborn baby, I'm sorry for not being able to contain the happiness that the product of our love brings me."

At that time, the little girl went to hug Dad, and then.

A sigh left Mom's mouth as replied. "Why do you have to overdramatize everything? Just keep it down." Though she looked mad, the small smile she had gave her real emotions away.

This caused Dad to smile internally seeing that she was able to escape trouble with what she believes to be 'smooth talk'.

Just as they were talking and having a family moment, the baby that was sleeping before was now looking at all the people surrounding him, with a very curious expression on his face.

"Look he's awake! Hi little bro!" The little girl pointed out as she was being carried by Dad.

"He's awake?! Let me see my champ!" Dad exclaimed with a wide smile.

While the little girl and Dad were busy overreacting, Mom got closer to the baby with the biggest and warmest smile before saying. "Once again, welcome to Mirth my little gem, you are now part of our Lofn family, and we will love you to the end of the world. Thank you for being alive, my dear."

Tears began to fall down her face as she spoke, but those were tears of happiness.

On the side, Dad simply watched with a smile on his face.

"Dad! Why is mom crying? Is little bro not okay?" The little girl asked unsure of what was going on.

"She's just so happy she's crying. People cry when they are happy too." Dad explained in a simple way.

"Why?" The little girl added a question.

"Because crying sometimes is good for you." Dad responded as she kissed the little girl's cheek.

"Ohhh! I wanna cry then! Make me cry, Dad!" The little girl requested.

Before her father could answer though, her mother said something.

"Lilian, Go call your elder sister, she was complaining about missing his birth, so she'll be upset if she misses this." Mom ordered her.

"Yes, Mom!" Lilian who was put down by her father, replied.

"Be careful little princess, don't get lost, she is in the backyard. So don't go out, and don't to anyone strange you see." Dad added.

"Ok, Dad!" Lilian said as she ran out to cap her sister.

"What are you even talking about? She's not even leaving the area around our house, you're too excessive with her." Mom said to her as she shook her head before she picked Alaric up.

"All the caution in the world is not enough to protect my princess!" Dad rebutted fully proud of this notion.

Mom shook her head at her partner, and then looked at her baby. "My little Alaric, I hope you don't grow to be like a stubborn idiot like your father... Oh, must be hungry, right?"

(So this noisy bunch is supposed to be my new family, well… my old one had already passed away anyway, and the other one is in a different universe…

(So I guess it's not too bad to get a new one. Also, you don't have to worry, I'll never grow to be like this woman… But I do like her passion, it's pretty to see.) Alaric thought to himself.

As he saw all the noise and heard the words of his new mother, Alaric couldn't help but feel that this warm welcome was not bad at all.

After that, Mom insisted on breastfeeding Alaric again, and he was still reluctant to accept until he could no longer refuse and had to accept, a victim to his body, it seems Amora refused to accept her child refusing her milk.

After a while, Lilian came back with another girl, who seemed to be a bit older than her. Wearing a pink dress with purple hair and eyes. She ran to her mother and said.

"Let me hold him! Let me hold him!" She asked frantically with a big smile on.

"Calm down, Crystal, you'll have to be careful if you want to hold him." Mom expressed in response.

"I will! I will!" She replies jumping up and down.

"Fine, I'll show you." Mom got down while holding Alaric, and then she helped Crystal hold him.

"Hi! I'm your big sis from now on." Crystal smiled as she was allowed to hold him on her own.

(Yeah… Not bad at all…) Alaric smiled back.

That was the beginning of a new life for Alaric, who was starting to think that maybe this new life wouldn't be exactly what he expected.

Chapter end