Chapter 31: A New Life

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: A New Life

The taxi stopped hard outside the airport, and Felix was out before the driver had finished parking. Cassian had already sent the details through:

*City: Elaris*

*Hospital: Saint Aurelia Medical Center*

*Wing: Awakened Maternity Wing*

*Floor: 7*

*Room: 704*

He memorized it before he was even through the doors. A few hours and the fastest flight he could get later, he landed in Elaris, barely registering the city around him, the only thing on his mind was getting to his brother.

---

The moment Felix stepped into the hospital corridor, he found exactly what he’d expected.

His mother, Lucia. His father, Cassius. Liana. And Cassian, pacing back and forth.

Two people he didn’t recognize in person but knew immediately from photos, Elara’s parents stood off to one side, caught up in the same nervous orbit as everyone else outside the delivery room.

Felix hurried over. "Everyone, relax."

Nobody listened.

"You’re finally here," Lucia said.

"I’m here."

"Do you know how long we’ve been waiting?"

"Mom, you need to calm down."

"I am calm."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "You’ve been tapping your fingers since you walked in."

Felix looked down, his fingers were, in fact, drumming against his leg. He stopped. "That’s irrelevant."

"You’re just as nervous as he is," Liana said, nodding toward Cassian.

"I’m a healer. Nervous comes with the job."

He ignored her and turned to his brother instead. "Hey."

Cassian stopped mid-pace. "Felix."

"She’s going to be fine."

"I know."

"Then sit down."

Cassian stared at him for a second, then sat. Felix nodded, satisfied, and turned to the rest of the family. "Now everyone else, sit."

Surprisingly, they did. For about thirty seconds the corridor was actually peaceful, until Felix stood back up and started pacing himself, and the whole family watched him do it.

Liana leaned toward her father. "Isn’t he doing exactly what Cassian was doing two minutes ago?"

"Exactly," Cassius said.

Lucia covered her mouth to hide a laugh, and even Elara’s parents exchanged an amused glance. Whatever tension had been sitting in that corridor started to loosen, just slightly, from there.

---

Almost an hour later, the delivery room doors opened, and everyone shot to their feet at once. A doctor stepped out, smiling.

"Congratulations. Elara’s delivered a healthy baby girl."

Dead silence for exactly one second.

"We have a daughter!" Cassian’s voice nearly bounced off the walls, and the whole family erupted at once. Felix grabbed his brother and pulled him into a crushing hug.

"Congratulations!"

Cassian laughed, and Felix could feel him shaking. "Thanks, brother."

Cassius walked over to Elara’s father, and the two men looked at each other for a beat before bumping fists. "This calls for a celebration."

"Absolutely."

Lucia was already there. "Don’t think for a second we’re not celebrating properly."

Felix sighed. "Knew that was coming." The whole group laughed.

---

The doctor explained that Elara was recovering well, awakened bodies handled childbirth far better than ordinary ones, especially with a core as high-ranked as hers and that she’d likely be cleared to go home the next morning. That was enough to settle the last of everyone’s nerves.

A nurse appeared soon after, carrying a small bundle, and Liana’s eyes went enormous. "Oh my god." She crossed the corridor fast enough that the nurse barely had time to react before the baby was safely in her arms.

"She’s so cute!"

Lucia and Elara’s mother closed in immediately. "Let me see." "Look at her hands!" "She’s beautiful."

Felix hovered behind them, trying to get a look in. Liana grinned at him. "You’re not getting her."

"Give me my niece."

"No."

"Liana."

"No."

He reached over anyway and lifted the baby carefully out of her arms before she could stop him. "Hey, cutie." Liana protested loudly, and he ignored her completely. "Your very superior uncle is here." He glanced sideways at his sister. "Stay away from that gremlin."

The whole family cracked up. Liana looked personally offended. "She’s my niece too!"

"Don’t listen to her," Felix murmured to the baby, smiling and then noticed Cassian standing a little apart from everyone, not laughing anymore, just watching, a huge smile on his face and tears standing in his eyes.

Felix’s expression softened, and he walked over. "Here." He passed the baby carefully into his brother’s arms, and Cassian adjusted his hold on instinct.

"You’re lucky, brother," Felix said.

Cassian looked down at his daughter and gently ran a hand over her head. "I am."

For a moment nobody said anything at all. They just watched the new father hold his daughter.

---

**Sunday Morning**

By Sunday the anxiety from the hospital had given way entirely to celebration. Felix somehow ended up in charge of decorating Cassian and Elara’s house, with a crew of assistants that turned out, unfortunately, to be entirely nonhuman, one of Elara’s larger beasts hauling decorations across the room, another carefully hanging them along the walls, a smaller one trailing Felix around carrying whatever he pointed at.

"This is surprisingly efficient," he told them, and the largest one made a pleased sound in response. He laughed. Apparently his passive mana effect worked on magical beasts too, they seemed unusually at ease around him. "Don’t get attached," he warned, and the same beast nudged his shoulder anyway.

"Fine," he sighed.

---

By afternoon guests were arriving steadily: friends, extended family, heroes from Cassian and Elara’s various circles.

Felix stayed near the entrance greeting people until the Frost family showed up: Aria, flanked by her parents.

"Welcome," he said, straightening up.

Before he could get another word out, Lucia appeared at his shoulder, eyes already locked on Aria’s mother. "Well, look who decided to show up."

"Lucia," Aria’s mother said, with a warmth that was noticeably absent from her tone.

Lucia crossed her arms. "Still trying to poach my clients?"

"I could ask you the same."

Felix closed his eyes. *Here we go.* The two families had been business rivals for years, apparently long enough that the arguments had become hereditary. He turned quickly to Aria.

"Come on, I’ll show you where everyone is."

"Running away?" Aria asked, amused.

"Strategic retreat."

"Smart."

He steered her toward the main hall before their mothers could escalate a business rivalry into a full-blown incident, then went back to the entrance.

---

Not long after, Liana arrived, not alone. A young man walked in beside her, and she beamed.

"Felix, meet my boyfriend."

He offered a hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Felix said, shaking it.

"He’s an A-rank awakened," Liana added proudly, then grinned. "And this is my single, unbothered virgin brother."

Felix’s smile froze in place. The boyfriend looked deeply uncomfortable. Felix turned slowly toward his sister. "Liana."

"What?"

"Nothing." His smile went painfully polite.

"Welcome."

She laughed. Felix silently filed away a promise of retaliation for later.

---

By evening the celebration was in full swing.

Cassian and Elara finally came downstairs, Elara tired but glowing, Cassian carrying their daughter with exaggerated care and the whole room broke into cheers.

Food covered every table, music filled the house, conversation spilled from room to room, and eventually the drinks came out.

Felix had one. Then another. Then Cassian made the mistake of challenging him to a third, and that was that.

Hours later the party had gotten considerably louder. Even Cassius had joined the drinking.

Lucia was laughing at something across the room. Liana was mid-argument with her boyfriend about something Felix didn’t bother following. Kael hadn’t made the trip, but Felix was fairly confident he’d have found a way to make the whole thing worse anyway.

Eventually Felix stumbled into a guest room and collapsed onto the bed, the mattress swallowing him whole, eyes barely staying open.

His mind drifted: his family, his brother, the baby, the whole loud, warm celebration downstairs.

Then, unprompted, another thought surfaced.

Silver hair. A quiet cell. A pair of eyes that always seemed to track him the moment he walked through a door.

*I wonder how Seraphina’s doing without me.*

He didn’t stop to ask himself why she was the last thing on his mind before he went under.

His eyes closed, and Felix fell asleep.