First Demonic Dragon

Abaddon wasn't sure why, but Izanami currently seemed uniquely emotional in a way that he had only rarely seen from her. Immediately sparking his concern.

He slowly put Odessa down on the floor and took some very careful steps toward Izanami.

"My dear… I don't even know what you are talking about. That child is Caelum." He reminded.

"I-I know, but..." Izanami stammered. "Asherah said that..."

"What did Asherah say?" Abaddon raised a brow.

The Shinto goddess paced around the room while frantically moving her hands.

Abaddon was still trying to speak calmly to her to hopefully bring her back down to where he was.

"Izanami... I don't know what Asherah has told you, but I haven't done anything to Caelum. Even if I wanted to... I can't bring back Aghee-"

"T-This isn't about Agheel!" Izanami insisted.

"Then what??" Abaddon responded back.

Izanami took several deep breaths as she tried to get her emotions under control before speaking further.

When gathered, she slowly pointed down at K'ael again, who was still lying on his back completely unaware of what was going on.

"Izanami said... that this is Kagutsuchi."

Abaddon, for the first time in a long time, was totally and completely blindsided by a revelation.

-

Everyone in the divine realm knows how Izanami died.

Near the end of her marriage to Izanagi, Izanami was ready to give birth to a child that was the product of their love for each other.

However, on the day Izanami was to give birth, something unexpected happened.

Their union resulted in the birth of a fiery demon who was so powerful that even his mother could survive his flames.

Izanami died in a scorching agony almost instantly. Izanagi, in his rage and grief, slew their child not five minutes after he was born.

But even in death, the child remained so powerful that he had to be separated.

His body was split into eight peices, which were later scattered to become eight volcanoes sprinkled around Japan.

None of the gods know exactly what happened to Kagutsuchi.

His soul didn't ascend or descend. He didn't reincarnate or come back to life like other deities do.

Though he is still a highly revered deity in Japan among mortals, Kagutsuchi has no other presence among the divine.

Abaddon had never even met him before. Let alone laid eyes on him.

The fact that Izanami claimed that K'ael was in fact Kagutsuchi reincarnated was one of the most stupefying things that Abaddon had ever heard in his long life.

He had never met Kagutsuchi. Nor even laid eyes on him.

He hadn't the faintest inkling of just how something like this could have been possible.

So he took the two of them and went right to the source to hear more.

A column of fire rose up from out of nowhere and at the Tree of Life.

Asherah seemed neither surprised nor excited to see Abaddon arrive holding K'ael in one arm and holding Izanmi's hand with the other.

"Hello, you three." Asherah said calmly.

She paused from tending to her garden, and looked up at Abaddon, and the complex look on his face.

"...Have I done something to offend you?"

Abaddon bit his lip. "I... no. But I do have questions. Several in fact."

Izanami stood up as she wandered over. "I will answer what I can, but I'm afraid that will be little."

She reached out to touch little K'ael on the cheek, and a visible aura rippled out from him. A near-complete fusion of red and magenta coloring.

K'ael's eyes widened slightly, almost as if his own aura was one of the most mentally stimulating things he had seen in his few days of life.

Asherah held her hand out and gathered up a bit of his aura, almost as if he were touching a cloud.

"I've yet to forget anything that has been birthed in creation. I recognize Caelum is here, yes. But Kagutsuchi is present here as well. The two are one."

"H-How is that possible?" Izanami asked in a shaken voice.

Asherah just turned her head towards Abaddon. Then, so did Izanami.

"I-I didn't do anything!" He shrugged.

""Are you sure??""

"N-No..." He admitted.

Asherah smirked underneath her veil as she touched him over the heart. "Quell yourself, Abaddon. This is not a bad thing.

However it has happened, you have given an opportunity for life to an individual who has never had it before.

And he has been merged with a soul who was direly in need of a new, fresh start. What could be better? What is more rewarding?"

Abaddon nodded slowly.

Was he upset by any of this? Not really. It wasn't as if his son had been taken over by a malicious spirit.

More than anything, he was just concerned about one very small detail.

"I don't want you to think I was trying to manipulate you." He said to Izanami.

The death goddess smiled softly. "What would be the point? You think you could somehow make me like you any more than I already do?"

"Possibly."

"Oh, please. You're not that creative."

"Agreed." Asherah nodded.

Abaddon was having some very complex emotions right now.

Izanami played with her fingers anxiously while trying to get her next words out of her mouth. Luckily, Abaddon seemed to already know what she wanted to say.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Izanami continually stole glances between Abaddon and the baby. "...Could I?"

"Sure. You're his mother, too, right?"

"..." Izanami bit her lip as she stared at the child with a melancholic look.

Contrary to popular belief, Izanami had never resented Kagutsuchi for even a moment.

Even when she had hated and cursed the entire world above, he alone had escaped her wrath.

If anything, she had resented the fact that she didn't have a body strong enough to carry him.

She was almost scared that something dreadful might happen all over again.

But Abaddon wouldn't allow her to be afraid.

"Catch."

"H-Hey!"

Izanami scrambled to catch K'ael after Abaddon tossed him a short distance.

"W-What are you doing!? You can't just throw a baby like that!" Izanami yelled as she cradled him.

Abaddon was wondering if he should remind her that K'ael wasn't exactly a normal human baby. Or even a normal godly one at that.

He was Nevi'im, and they don't exactly break from getting tossed or shaken around a bit.

But he figured that if he said that, then he would sound like a potential child abuser.

"Oh..."

Izanami felt a small, baby-ish hand touch her cheek.

When she looked down, K'ael was staring up at her with a look of mild interest. Izanami's eyes became watery for a short moment.

"I'm going to... step inside for a bit." Abaddon said suddenly. "I'll leave you two to get a little bit better acquainted."

Izanami didn't even hear him when she spoke.

But Abaddon wasn't really bothered by that in the slightest.

-

Abaddon had wandered inside of the shack that was Asherah's home.

As always, the space was neat and tidy. The small amount of furnishings inside likely helped to give the space a much less cramped, but still comfy feel.

Abaddon was by far the largest thing in the room.

Sitting here, hunkering down next to Yesh's bed, he almost looked like an out of place statue.

Abaddon stared at the old man for quite a long time. Clearly not sure of exactly what he was doing here.

If he were completely honest, it may have just been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

But then again, so many of his conversations with Yesh had started out that way.

"...I'm a grandparent now." He began. "I still don't even know how to feel about that. It isn't exactly the kind of thing one gets used to."

Abaddon waited and waited, but Yesh gave him no response.

Though it wasn't as if that necessarily stopped him from from talking.

"The twins are strong. Healthy. It's still a new thing, but I think Jazzie and Thea will be great parents. The others too.... Honestly, I'm glad that they were the first to set this trend. I don't know if any of my other kids are ready for it yet... Hell, Lisa still does half of their laundry. And they know magic for God's sake."

Abaddon paused and stared at Yesh.

"...Or rather, your sake."

Despite his joke, Yesh didn't really seem like he was going to wake up to laugh at it. Bummer.

"Your sons are alive by the way..." Abaddon paused, then corrected himself. "Well, sort of. They're not in the best of conditions right now, but I'll break them free as soon as I'm able. Just give me some time, old man."

Yesh still didn't say anything. But Abaddon knew that he would have graciously given him the time if he needed it.

"I've been... getting blindsided a lot lately." Abaddon grumbled. "The girls have been... helping me to see things in different lights. I've realized that maybe I haven't properly been living up to exactly what you would have envisioned for me.

Valerie has reminded me of the perils of my indifference. Tatiana has helped me recognize the mistakes in my character.

I have... some very delicate work awaiting me in the future, but I believe that I am up for the task. I won't let all of the faith you've placed in me be in vain."

Abaddon stood up suddenly and began walking towards the doorway.

Just before he left, he paused and looked back at the body still sleeping on the bed.

"Please keep watching over me from here on out. I hope you'll approve of everything that I am about to do next."