Summoned and Unwanted

The moment Kazumi finished cheerfully counting, Vincent immediately started feeling the time around him suddenly halting and the darkness approaching. However, this time was different because Ester and Lupa were beside him the next time he opened his eyes.

“Huh? Where am I?” Lupa looked around as this was a new place for her. It was her first time seeing the patch of emerald grass.

“Kazumi, did something happen?” Ester knew it was an ability only Kazumi was able to do. Vincent’s version only worked to recruit and not invite for a trivial chat.

[Welcome, everyone. I’ll keep it short since it seems you three are sucking my mana quite quickly. I thought this skill would use the same mana upkeep of Soul Visit, but I was wrong.]

[Let me explain why I brought you here. You see, Vincent conceived two soul eggs, and they are about to hatch at any moment now. I wonder what will hatch out of them, hehehe.]

[So papa Vincent, congratulation, you are about to become a father in a few more seconds.]

.....

“What the F...” Vincent was about to start swearing as Kazumi took the joke too far. However, the sound of a sturdy material loudly echoed, catching their attention fully.

*Crack, crack*

The two eggs Kazumi kept mentioning were camouflaged inside the emerald grass since they were both of the same colors. What was inside the eggs vigorously tried to get out, causing the eggs to roll out of the emerald grass and become visible.

“My mate... do male humans make eggs? But... wolves don’t come out of eggs. We are not like birds.” Lupa asked while staring at the rolling eggs. She didn’t know what to think other than having a mysterious cub with her mate.

“I want to know too. What is happening? Please explain to us, Kazumi. Vincent, did you know about this?” Ester started freaking out. She didn’t know where to look and who to ask for an answer.

Vincent vigorously shook his head while denying, “No, no, no, it can’t be possible! This is a shock to me as well!”

*Crack, plop*

One of the eggs broke in half, and a small living emerald wolf statue appeared. *Woooo* The jewel-like fur-covered wolf pup howled the moment it was born.

*Woof*

“I’m! I’m a mother!” Lupa swiftly lifted the newborn wolf and started smelling its fur. Strangely, the little wolf began smelling Lupa as well.

[Well, Lupa reached fifty percent Soul Synch before Ester. This might be the reason for it hatching first. To be honest, it wasn’t too long ago that I discovered the eggs hidden in the grass.]

“Yey! My cub is the first one, but...” Lupa looked closely and couldn’t find anything behind other than a tail. “M-my cub has nothing! There is nothing behind!” She urgently continued, stuttering from surprise.

*Crack... boom*

The second egg exploded, and a small cloud of green dust covered the area around the exploding egg. As the dust gradually became fainter and the view unobstructed, sixteen butterflies joyfully fluttered in the air, leaving a trail of green dust from their egg.

“Butterflies? Are they my children?” Ester questioned while the butterflies circled Vincent and Ester in joy.

Vincent looked closely and noticed four different patterns. However, all four groups of four butterflies were green. As if a master jewel sculptor carved sixteen butterflies out of emerald and made each butterfly so lifelike that they came to life.

Four butterflies had the design of the sun on each of their wings, and another four had the design of a snowflake on their wings.

The other group was slightly different as the design was similar to a gust of wind, yet it sometimes looked like waves. The design had the illusion of shifting wind when the butterflies stop for a split second to change elevation.

Similarly, the remaining four had a pattern quite unusual. On their wings was a pattern with a few tiny octagons. After observing the previous three element patterns, the octagon pattern seems to represent the hard earth or a smooth and robust ground.

Regardless of the four different and distinct patterns, the butterflies fluttered their wings unnaturally. Sometimes they flapped their wings like butterflies, sometimes like birds with a stronger flap, and other times so quick their wings became almost a blur. The sixteen emerald butterflies looked intelligent and free.

“Humph! Mine is stronger! ” Lupa didn’t look too happy that Ester beat her with numbers, so she wanted Ester to know that it is quality over quantity and that she is the winner.

“Ahem! They aren’t our children. I... a man can’t conceive children and... how can I lay eggs... and of that size?” Vincent didn’t like the idea that he was the one to create... conceive new life. He felt his pride crumble and the position of a man challenged by his two women.

“But aren’t you part mutant?” Ester asked without a hint of blush, unlike her usual behavior. However, her words didn’t appear to be a joke. She might be serious about the question after knowing quite well how mysterious Vincent is. Even after being with him for almost two months.

[That’s an interesting theory. I wonder if Vincent can? Hehehe.]

Kazumi teased. Then she looked at Ester and continued.

[The butterflies look mesmerizing and free. They feel very similar to what I watched you do many times. It feels like watching you dance and move your body freely. Move your body with complete control of every muscle.]

[Ester, they look like you.]

After Kazumi mentioned this, all the emerald butterflies flew around Kazumi and fluttered their wings in joy, dancing in a precise pattern as if they possessed a hive mind.

The butterflies liked the compliment. Furthermore, it appeared the butterflies could hear and understand Kazumi’s telepathic voice.

“Sister Kazumi. Talk to my cub too!” Lupa insisted. She didn’t want to lose her position as the right-hand girl. The top woman position must be hers, she believed.

[Fine. Let’s see how good our cute little wolf is.]

Kazumi approached the cute small emerald wolf and then decided to say an order.

[Roll. Come on, cute little wolf. Roll on your back and give a heart-throbbing cute pose.]

The small emerald wolf tilted its head and looked at Kazumi with a puzzled stare. The wolf heard her telepathic voice as well. However, the wolf doesn’t know what the order is, so it excitedly wagged its tail and stared. *Woof*

[Hmm... I know! The wolf and butterflies are like when Vincent communicated with Lupa and Plow the first time they met! They must be able to hear our words and understand us by hearing the feelings in our soul. Like a soul synch.]

“Yes! Yes! They are Soul Pets and not our children! We adopted them and not I... ahem, didn’t give birth to them.” Vincent took the beneficial development made by the truth seeker Kazumi to change their thinking.

Lupa looked at Vincent with an unhappy frown. “But we mated. That means children will follow, right? Ester taught me. My sister doesn’t lie to me.” She asked, placing Ester’s reputation at stake.

[Hmm... my mana can’t keep up, and I’m sharing some of the upkeep with Ester. We don’t have much time, though.]

Kazumi notified. Then she decided to change the course of the subject to the next phase.

[It would be best if you named your children because it is something more important than your lover’s quarrel.]

“They are Soul Pet born from the bonds of our souls. But Kazumi is right. Let’s give them a name.” Vincent insisted on keeping his stance on the matter and prepare for the naming process.

“Okay. Please name my cub my mate.” Lupa liked the idea, so she asked for a name first.

“Vincent, I don’t know many good names, so could you name our children?” Ester continued with a slight blush. Ester decided to describe the butterflies as her children. Similar to how people call their pets their children.

“Fine... so be it. I will name the Soul Pets.” Vincent sighed, surrendering in defeat, “And Lupa, I will teach you how the world works later.”

“So... hmm... Lupa means female wolf, and Lupo is mainly for a male wolf. Because the little emerald wolf is without gender, the emerald wolf shall be named Wolfie since it’s small, cute, and cuddly like its soul owners.” Vincent named the small living crystallized emerald wolf born out of their soul bond Wolfie.

Lupa held the small emerald wolf between her arms and cuddled while saying cheerfully, “My cub is called Wolfie. Are you happy, Wolfie?”

*Woof, woof*

“I can see your smile, but... I don’t understand you.” Lupa revealed a strange discovery. She couldn’t understand Wolfie’s words.

[Lupa, I don’t think you need to worry that much. Everything in the Soul Domain is communicated via soul wavelengths. So, it might take time to start understanding each other completely. Maybe after getting used to each other’s wavelength, could you begin to understand Wolfie.]

[Wolfie is a newborn, after all.]

“Okay, sister, but invite me when you can. Can you?” Lupa asked to meet with Wolfie from time to time.

[Now I can. Da-da da, the new skill that brought everyone here is called Soul Invite. It invites People connected with anyone linked to my soul here. It means since I’m connected with Vincent like you and Ester, I can invite the two of you here to meet with Wolfie and...]

[Vincent, what’s the name of the butterflies? Don’t leave Ester and me hanging here.]