Yin has been surprisingly quiet since I gave him that cake. Helena and I went on a honeymoon to one of the planets, in mortal forms of course. We went to a beautiful planet called Luminous and we met their king by accident. He's a kind and gentle fellow and an excellent and wise ruler. His hospitality was astounding. He was incognito but before he became a king he ran a tavern and inn with his parents. We could tell right away that he was the king and Helena and I were very impressed. He recommended many areas for us to explore during our honeymoon. He quickly caught on to the fact that we knew he was the king.

  Before the two of us continued exploring, we went to the local temple where we found the priest. When he found out we were the gods he worshiped we went to the sacred part of the temple and shed our mortal disguises temporarily.

  “What brings you here, Great Ones?”

  “We were just enjoying our honeymoon together,” Helena said dreamily. “We ran into your king disguised as an innkeeper.”

  “Our king is a fair and wise ruler. The people love him. He freed us from tyranny and became our king less than a year ago.”

  “We have a blessing for him. Because of his generous and kind heart, his descendant will one day come to greatness and will be revered by all. The descendant in question will be able to wield the holy power of light.”

  The priest bowed.

  “I will inform him as soon as he returns to the castle.”

  “Please do. Now we must return to our honeymoon,” I said with a big smile.

  “I must congratulate you on your marriage, my lord and lady.”

  “Oh you're too kind. Thank you very much,” she beamed. “I also bless his entire family line to be talented in the arts.”

  “Isn't that a bit much Helena?” I asked.

  “Pff no. You blessed him, it's only fair that I do the same thing.”

  “This is why I love you so much.” I blurted out. She giggled.

  “Ah I can feel the love between you two. It's so pure,” the priest said.

  “Well we must be off.” I said. Both of us went back into our human disguises, wished the priest a good day, and went on our city and countryside tour.

  We had a blast, visiting heritage sites, natural wonders, going in and out of shops. Just exploring the country. We ran around like kids in the field and made flower crowns with any wild flowers we found. It was a wonderful week of just fun and relaxation. Helena drew our memories in photo-like details but replaced our human forms with our true forms. We ate at various restaurants and tried various desserts. All in all we had a fun time.

  It was too soon when we had to go home. Helena and I were indeed behind on our duties but that break we took was amazing. When we arrived home we shed our mortal disguises and went back to our work. I did not anticipate how behind we were. Prayers needed answering, planets needed saving, new life needed to be created everywhere, light needed balancing just to name a few things. Combatting Yin’s forces was also an issue. His four new lackeys were more difficult to deal with than his previous three. They're more powerful and clever.

  Pisces fought Thunder frequently and were evenly matched. Phoenix was constantly on Virgo’s nerves. Shinda baffled me as to why he joined Yin but he targets Hana and for some reason doesn't really seem to care so their fights were more on wits than actual fighting. I was certain that it got on Yin’s nerves. Meanwhile the only female lackey, named Kowaina, seemed to have a deep rooted hatred for Celena. Nisshoku targeted Helena and I was Yin’s main target.

  But things have been relatively peaceful since that last battle. No major battles broke out. It's mostly just one vs one and they got messy at times. I was quite positive that Yin treated his new lackeys the same way he treated his old ones, awfully. Though something seemed off. They never came with any new bruises or scars, just the battle scars we give them.

  I began wondering if Yin wasn't as bad as I thought. However I rolled my eyes at the idea. Just because they were physically fine, doesn't mean he didn't torment them emotionally and mentally.

  During the last few thousand years, there were few noteworthy battles with various injuries on both sides.

  Our biggest one so far was when we fought all the lackeys plus Yin in an asteroid belt. Their combinations were incredible and we were evenly matched. I noticed that Yin actually did care for them, which surprised me. The idea that he actually had the capability of caring weirded me out. But I pushed that thought aside and continued fighting him.

  All of us fought for weeks, not letting up or stopping. It was a long and grueling battle before we managed to drive them away.

  We went home with relatively few injuries that time.

  For hundreds of thousands of years it was just doing our work and battling. It was getting exhausting. He's not letting up, we refuse to give up. Nisshoku conquered Arragothia at one point and had total control over it for ages.

  However everything changed when Helena gave me some big news.

  “Yang, I've got some exciting news!”

  I was with some of my generals at the time, discussing what to do next.

  “What is it?” I asked, not looking up.

  I heard her giggling and just being very happy in general.

  “You know how I wasn't feeling well for the past few days?”

  “Yeah. Did you get it checked out? I'm worried about you,” I said, looking up and going to her. I hugged her.

  “Well... I'm more than fine!” She was bouncing a little bit. I looked at her confused.

  “Take a guess!”

  “Uh... Hana healed you?” I guessed. “Helena, that's not new knowledge. She does it all the time.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “No silly. I have a bun in the oven!”

  “You're cooking again? What kind of bun is it?”

  She frowned at me. The wheels in my head started turning and then it finally clicked.

  “Are you pregnant?!” I was in total shock. She nodded eagerly. My shock was replaced by excitement. I was going to be a dad! The generals in the room were elated by the news, talking about if there was going to be a prince or a princess. I didn't care if my soon to be child was a boy or girl, I just wanted them to be happy and healthy.

  I picked her up and spun her around. I kissed her.

  “For the sake of our unborn child, please don't go into battle. I don't want you to lose the baby.”

  “Hana advised the same thing,” she said. “It irritates me that I can't defend our home.”

  “I’ll fight extra hard for you.” I kissed her head. “For now just focus on the baby.”

  She looked down sadly. I knew how much she wanted to fight, but I couldn't let her, not with our child on the way.

  “I could use an enchantment to keep the baby protected from our battles,” she suggested.

  “No. I'm not letting you battle at all.”

  “Yang, we’ve talked about this multiple times.”

  “I know I know. You're not a helpless damsel.”

  She looked at me with fierce eyes. I was a total sucker for her fierceness and her kindness.

  “Fine. You can fight. But please be careful.”

  She smiled.

  News of her pregnancy spread across the universe like wildfire. Everyone was excited. Virgo got extra protective of Helena, much to the latter’s annoyance. Celena is already talking about what clothes she should make for the baby once we find out if it's a boy or girl. Hana was giving me lessons on how to be a dad.

  ?????????????????

  When news of my brother becoming a father reached me, I got annoyed. I got very very annoyed. I was going to have to deal with a little brat running around while I was trying to destroy Yang. But it did mean the time to rip his friends away from him was near. The maximum amount of suffering for all of them and their future children.

  I knew who to start with. Nisshoku had Arragothia under his rule for about 99,000 years. And during that time he disobeyed me and found himself a wife. I was infuriated but didn't show it. I was mostly angry that I wasn't invited to his wedding, even though he wasn't supposed to get married in the first place. It was some conflicting feelings. I decided not to say anything but he knows that I know.

  “Nisshoku.”

  “Y-yes your majesty?”

  “Do me a favor. Tell me when you're having a child.”

  He really wanted to ask why but dared not to. He told me that his wife recently miscarried and that she's very upset over it. The fact he's treating his wife properly surprised me. He was so cruel to Kowaina, and now he's treating his wife with love and respect? I decided to not question it. I ordered him to tell me when he was having another child. I already knew he wasn't but I still ordered it nonetheless.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  ?????????????????

  Helena’s baby bump was starting to show, and Yin gave us a ceasefire until the baby was born. Nisshoku was hell bent on trying to destroy us before Yin ordered him to stop. Things have been quiet and we were finally able to focus on our work and our lives, even if for a few months. Then I read the rest of the ceasefire, “until all the gods had their children.”

  “He knows we’re about to have kids,” I said awkwardly.

  “All of us?” Celena asked. I nodded.

  “Pisces. You. Me. Bed. Now,” Virgo practically demanded.

  “But I don't want a kid yet. I'm not ready for fatherhood!”

  Virgo gave a big sigh.

  “Fine.”

  Helena rubbed her baby bump.

  “I can't wait for you to enter the world, little one,” she said kindly. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and kissed her.

  We later confirmed that the baby was a boy. So we were having a little boy on the way.

  “I like the name Dusk,” she said while we were discussing names for him.

  “Dusk?”

  “Yeah. For me it means a hope for a new tomorrow.”

  “I see. Dusk.” I smiled.

  A few months later Helena was in the infirmary, crying out in pain as she was giving birth to our son. I was next to her and she was squeezing my hand as our son was being born.

  About three hours later, Dusk was born with a loud cry. Our beautiful son arrived safely and healthily. Once he was all clean and safely wrapped in a cozy little blanket, Helena got to hold our precious son. He was beautiful with his gold eyes and white hair. He had his mother’s skin tone and white wings. Helena was crying tears of joy, I admit I was crying out of joy as well.

  It seemed almost instantaneous when people found out we had a son. We kept it hidden from the public until he was born.

  A huge celebration was prepared in honor of his birth. The amount of gifts he got was quite large. Lots of baby toys, clothes, diapers, wipes, and bibs. More than we could handle honestly.

  A few months after that huge celebration, around the time Dusk was learning how to crawl, Virgo announced that she was having her own child. Her pregnancy was... well... she was VERY hormonal and emotional. Poor Pisces had to deal with her but once her baby was born, she calmed down significantly. She, too, gave birth to a healthy baby boy that looked a lot like Pisces but with bluish purple hair.

  Hana and Celena gave birth to daughters around the same time, about two and a half years after Virgo and I had our sons. Hana’s daughter looked almost identical to her but with a slightly darker skin tone. Celena’s baby had black and silver hair and the same skin tone. The black hair came from her husband, the captain of her knights. The girls are named Hanako and Artemis.

  “Isn't Artemis a Greek goddess?” I asked, holding a three year old Dusk, who was asleep.

  “I liked the name,” she simply stated, stroking her baby’s back.

  Another five years passed, Dusk is eight and is training on how to fight and rule, since Helena and I decided to retire once he was ready and old enough, though my work as the light half of Xero never ends so retiring is never an option for me as foundations across the multiverse needed constant supervision.

  Virgo got pregnant with another child and gave birth to another boy, who looks a lot like Virgo but with dark brown hair. They named him Kaito.

  We had a blissful three years, during which my daughter Dawn was born. She has black hair fading to blonde and blue eyes like her mother. She was my beautiful baby girl.

  I was in the middle of playing with my then six month old daughter, watching her learn to crawl. One of my soldiers began hollering about Yin attacking a planet. We immediately got the nursemaids to watch our children as we headed to battle. My heart ached hearing my little daughter cry, but I had to go and fight.

  I didn't know that this would be the worst fight of our lives.

  ?????????????????

  All the gods had their respective children, and the time for me to strike was upon them.

  I called my five friends to my throne.

  “It's time.”

  They gave eager grins.

  “Wait, I'm not ready for the occasion!” Kowaina stated. She teleported to her castle in Votria to change into what she called her “battle clothes.” She came back within ten minutes. “Now I'm ready.”

  They headed out before I did. I had anger welling up inside me and I couldn't figure out why. I eventually joined them and we launched our attack. As predicted they all came running to the planet’s rescue despite it being a dead planet. They left their kids at home thankfully. I'm not that heartless as to battle a child. It's stupid and unnecessary.

  Regardless, just as we had planned I kept Yang distracted and Phoenix was fighting Virgo, Helena was assisting Celena in fighting Kowaina as I knew she would. Nisshoku was in the shadows waiting for his chance. Eventually his chance came and he knocked Virgo unconscious.

  “VIRGO!” I heard that fish brain shout. He stabbed Thunder with his trident and rushed over to Nisshoku, who only teleported away. He was stunned for a moment before letting out the most anguished cry I've ever heard in my entire existence as he began crying uncontrollably. His pain and despair amused me. It was probably more amusing than Beelzebub’s pain and despair before Nisshoku killed him for me.

  The others were just as upset and furious and viciously attacked my commanders in a seemingly blind rage. Yang was especially pissed he was about to attack me but Pisces beat him to it.

  Next thing I remember is waking up in my castle infirmary with a lot of broken bones and puncture wounds. My eyes were stinging as if they'd been submerged in briny water. My lungs felt like they were filled with water, causing me to hack and cough. Each cough shot pain through my body, but I couldn't stop. I was exhausted, I couldn't even use my powers to cover my head.

  I groaned. I could hardly move and talk. I could tell that I was asleep for nearly four days.

  One of the nurses came rushing in.

  “Master, you're awake!”

  Her voice was loud and shrill; it hurt my ears.

  “Too loud.” I croaked.

  “Many apologies,” she said lowering her volume. “Are you feeling okay?”

  Oh no it wasn't like I was in excruciating pain or anything. I wasn't covered in bandages and stitches and had casts and I most certainly wasn't exhausted. Everything was perfectly fine and dandy thank you. Everything was frikin broken you imbecile. Of course I wasn't okay!

  I didn't say that out loud however.

  “No,” I simply said, annoyance clear in my voice. “What do you want?”

  She bowed her head.

  “I'm just checking up on you to make sure everything is healing properly. This will hurt however.”

  She gently placed her hands around all of my wounds and applied minimal pressure, using her magic to see if it was healing properly, which indeed hurt like hell.

  “Everything seems okay. Healing up nice and cleanly.”

  “Hmm...”

  “If you need anything just call for me.”

  “I will. Go attend to others.”

  “Yes master.”

  She left. I turned my head to see an equally beat up Thunder next to me. Pisces must've been out for blood when we took his beloved wife from him. I caused everyone suffering and the outcome amused me greatly. Her precious children grew up without a mom. The other gods were in despair, but Pisces was in the deepest of despair. Yang was angry at himself, while trying to comfort Pisces, who was royally pissed at him.

  I loved it. I loved it so much. They have an emptiness inside of them, a hole. Something that Virgo filled and she's now my prisoner. I never intended to free her. Ever.

  Part of me also felt guilty for some reason, however I pushed it aside and fell back asleep.

  I woke up another six months later. Some of my energy was back, Thunder was awake and staring at me as if he saw something weird.

  “What?”

  “That's what you look like?”

  I had forgotten my powers weren't covering my face. I was too exhausted to care, but I used my powers to cover myself again.

  “Yeah. Don't tell the others.”

  “They already know.”

  “Ughhh.”

  “Pisces certainly did a number on us.”

  “And I thought Yang’s wrath was bad. Pisces was an entirely different level. How long were you out?”

  “About as long as you were you.”

  “I see...”

  An awkward silence descended between us.

  “You know Yin, you really shouldn't be keeping secrets from us. Were your friends. You can trust us.”

  “There are things I don't want to admit.”

  “I see.”

  I ordered some nearby servant to get one of my other friends. I didn't care who.

  Phoenix came in.

  “Ya needed me?”

  “How's the prisoner?”

  “Drunk as shit.”

  “What the hell happened while I was unconscious?”

  Phoenix told me everything. Nisshoku taunted Virgo for a few days before she got sick of him doing so and used her earth powers to jut out a small pillar of earth directly into his crotch area. Nisshoku gave a loud high pitched yelp in pain and the others went to check it out only to see Nisshoku crying on the floor, curled up in a ball, protecting his injured manhood with Virgo having one very smug grin on her face.

  “I started dying from laughter. And she snapped her neck towards me and gave me the most terrifying angry face I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure your angry face no longer scares me anymore after seeing that.”

  Then he further explained that she easily broke free from her chains and cell, bending the bars. She then honed in on Phoenix, easily broke a cell bar free with no effort and chased him around with it before throwing it and hitting him directly on his head.

  “Then she proceeded to break half the bones in my body as if they were twigs but I was unconscious at the time so I didn't know that. I woke up with tons of casts, pain, and bruises. I recovered quickly though. About a month.”

  “I've always known you were a fast healer but damn only a month?” Thunder said.

  “Bitch didn't apologize, not that I blame her we did just rip her away from everything she knows and loves. And because of that fact she's been drinking nonstop while crying. No one can get near her without her blowing up at us. Even the slaves are scared of her. She claimed a room and stays in there for most of the day.”

  I felt awful for some reason. Why did I feel so bad?

  “Oh by the way, I've got a little present for you.” He tossed me the familiar grassy green potion. I never knew how he obtained it and I didn't bother asking. I immediately uncorked and chugged it. My remaining wounds healed and I was no longer sore. I used my powers to put my clothes on and walked out of the infirmary. I heard Phoenix and Thunder bickering again as soon as I left and rolled my eyes. I went to find which room Virgo was in and eventually found it. She looked like a mess, tissues and tissue boxes all over the place, various alcohol bottles, both broken and not broken, scattered around the room. Her hair was a mess and she was sobbing uncontrollably. It was the only time I overlooked such a messy room, and I HATE messes.

  She looked up and her despair was quickly replaced with rage and in that moment I saw my life flash before my eyes. Phoenix's anger was awful as it is, but her anger levels... No wonder Phoenix was afraid of her.

  “You...” she started before lunging toward me. “YOU BASTARD!!!” She nearly punched me but I avoided her and caught her before she fell face first into broken glass. “Let me go!!!”

  “Calm down.”

  “Calm down?!” She shouted. “You expect me to ‘calm down’ after everything you did?!”

  I just looked at her. She looked at me and we locked eyes for a moment. I averted her gaze quickly. Her anger was intense.

  “I'll get some of my slaves to clean the mess to make it less of a hazard for you to walk around in.”

  She snarled at me and escaped my grasp and regained her balance.

  “You ripped me away from my loved ones! How heartless are you?!”

  I didn't reply.

  “ANSWER ME!!!”

  “I don't need to.”

  She slapped me hard. I was about to return the slap but I didn't. I stopped myself. She looked at me in bewilderment.

  “Aren't you going to slap me back? You looked like you were about to.”

  I didn't say anything and just left the room, ordering one of my slaves to clean it.

  ?????????????????

  Virgo:

  I hated being separated from my family and friends. I wanted to go back to them. I spent weeks crying and drinking. My interaction with Yin was... interesting. He didn't slap me back despite raising his hand to do so. Then he just left. His eyes seemed hollow, depressing really. It got me thinking. There's something more going on. So I politely questioned the others.

  “What's happening with Yin?!” I demanded Phoenix, grabbing his shoulders and shaking them.

  “Wha-?”

  “I said WHATS HAPPENING WITH HIM?! There's clearly something deeper going on with him, and I'm going to find out what.”

  Phoenix shrugged.

  “He seems fine to me. Stoic and introverted, but fine.”

  That answer didn't satisfy me. So I went into super stealth mode, snooping through all of Yin’s files and paperwork. Most of it is what I expected, godly duties. Nothing of interest was there but my efforts were stopped short by Yin slamming his file cabinet closed right in front of me. I barely moved my hands away in time. I turned to face him and good gods his angry glare.

  “What are you doing here?!” He demanded.

  “Oh I'm just trying to find some flowers to pick, what the hell do you think I'm doing?!”

  “Invading my privacy,” he said in a scolding tone. “Why are you here?!”

  “I know something is wrong with you and I'm trying to find out what.”

  “And you care why?”

  “Sixth sense.”

  He frowned.

  “Just get out.”

  “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing is wrong with me!”

  “Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. You may be able to hide things from others, but not me. I can read you like an open book.”

  He leaned into my face and said in a low voice. “Prove it.”

  “You tend to isolate yourself, I saw the look in your eyes. You're hiding deep pain and you're determined to share it through any means necessary.”

  His rigid and cold expression turned sour. He knows I'm right.

  “Just get out.”

  “Nope.”

  “Leave!”

  “Nuh uh. Tell me everything.”

  He pushed me out and slammed the door. I heard him cursing on the other side of the door. I leaned into the door to get a better sense of what he was saying. He pounded the door, startling me. I walked away. I still haven't given up.