Floating Islands: SSS Gacha Lord

Someone was sitting on Atlas’s stomach as the comfortable couch beneath him gently swayed. A baby with blond hair, already able to sit properly, laughed brightly, his joy filling the room.

Another small child, no longer truly a baby, though by age she technically still should be one, was right beside them. Vienne shouted and laughed as she teased her brother, dancing around them with endless energy.

Atlas spent most of these two days moving between Morganna’s room, often followed closely by Vienne, then heading to Elyndra’s place with the two little ones. Now, he was in Lyrassa’s room. The woman sat not far from him, laughing softly as she watched the two children playing between them.

"Brother, brother," Vienne said cheerfully, leaning closer to Cael. "Why are you laughing like that? Is my face that funny? You still cannot talk, so unfair. Later I will take you to the forest, okay? We can go fishing. There is a really big fish there. You can even play inside its belly."

"Vienne!" Atlas turned toward her in shock. "Play inside a fish’s belly?"

"Yes, Papa. It is very fun," Vienne replied seriously. "Aunty Mira went with me. She tied my legs with a rope and I went inside. It was funny, wet, and very squishy."

Atlas slowly turned his head toward Lyrassa, who was laughing at their conversation. "Does Morganna know about this?"

Lyrassa nodded repeatedly, still chuckling. "Morganna never really forbids Vienne from doing anything, even when she is playing with Mira."

Atlas pulled Cael closer and hugged the small child gently. "Do not give Cael to Mira yet," he said firmly. "At least not until he is as big as Vienne."

"Then it will not take long, my lord," Lyrassa replied with a smile. "Cael will grow very fast."

"Yeah, that sounds fun!" Vienne shouted excitedly when she heard that.

Atlas reached out with his right hand, pulled Vienne closer, and hugged both children at once. "Can you not stay this size a little longer?" he said dramatically.

"Two years, no, ten years. Forever. Just stay this small forever. Is there really no way for you to grow normally?" Atlas cried out, clearly pretending, while Vienne only laughed harder at his reaction.

Lyrassa laughed as well. "They are growing normally, my lord. They are not human."

"Why are they not human..." Atlas said, still holding both children close. He wanted them to stay this small for just a bit longer.

"Do not grow up too fast," he said. "I need more time to hold you like this, while you are still so small."

Why did these two children have to be born as something other than human? While Atlas still carried the feelings and logic of a human, it was honestly difficult for him to watch them grow this fast.

He looked at Vienne’s face, so beautiful, like a little angel, her laughter soothing his heart every time he heard it. "I want to see this face for a little longer," he said quietly.

"Vienne will always be Vienne, my lord," Lyrassa said, still laughing softly.

"Yes, Papa. I will always be Vienne. My face will not change," Vienne replied confidently.

"Yes, but it will not be this cute anymore."

"What do you mean, Papa? I will always be cute, even when my size is like Mama’s."

"Like Mama?" Atlas swallowed hard when he heard that.

"You are not seriously going to grow that fast and become as big as your mother, are you, Vienne?"

Vienne burst into loud laughter that filled the room. Lyrassa laughed as well, amused by Atlas’s reaction.

"You have no idea how unprepared my heart is for them growing this fast," Atlas said to Lyrassa.

"I may not fully understand that feeling, my lord," Lyrassa replied gently, "but no, I can assure you that Vienne will not grow that quickly. She will remain at a child’s size for a long time. In fact, for decades, she will still appear like a human in their teenage years."

"Oh, seriously?" Atlas stared in disbelief, then pulled Vienne into a tight hug.

"That is much better. At least you will not grow into an adult too quickly, Vienne. I really do not want to see that happen yet. I am not ready."

Lyrassa spoke again, her tone amused. "You may face a different kind of problem when she stays in the same body form much longer than humans, my lord."

"Whatever that is, I will think about it later," Atlas said, then joined their laughter, filling the room with warmth.

Atlas stood up, still carrying Cael in his left arm, while holding Vienne’s hand with the other. He then sat back down on the same couch beside Lyrassa. After that, Atlas leaned back and rested his head on the woman’s lap, closing his eyes.

At the same time, he could feel the gentle touch of her fingers on his face, brushing lightly through his hair.

Atlas held both of Cael’s small hands as the child tried to push himself up, already attempting to stand.

"Cael, you are not ready to stand yet," Atlas said softly.

Vienne, however, had a very different response. "Come on, Cael. You can do it. Tomorrow we will run together and jump from the top of the hill. It is very fun."

Atlas felt a pressure building in his head. "Can we build a children’s playground in Gacha Haven?" he muttered.

"What about Selvara’s son?"

Lyrassa answered calmly. "He is growing well. We have places that meet all the needs of the island’s residents. Healthy food, safe environments."

Atlas nodded slowly. "That is good. Then Selvara does not need to send her son down to the lower lands."

"There are six children in Gacha Haven now, my lord," Lyrassa added.

"Oh? I did not know that."

"From the two battles we won in the current event, three children were added. Two of them are six years old, and one is a seven-year-old boy."

Atlas fell silent for a moment as he took that in. Cael continued to grip his fingers tightly, unaware of the thoughts slowly forming in Atlas’s mind.

"Are they with their parents?" Atlas asked quietly.

He saw a slight shake of Lyrassa’s head in response.

"They lost their parents in the battle against us."

Atlas fell silent once more after hearing that answer.

If those three children learned that their parents had died in a war fought against them, would they still choose to stay in this place?

"Did Edrik say anything about their situation?" Atlas asked.

"Yes," Lyrassa replied. "Edrik requested that the three children stay in Gacha Haven. He said it was most likely the same decision you would make."

Atlas was not surprised that Edrik chose that path. He clearly had a soft spot for children.

And honestly, Atlas himself had no real reason to drive them away. Even so, one question remained. When they eventually learned the truth about what had happened to their parents, would they grow to resent this place?

"Let me talk to Edrik about this later," Atlas said at last.

At the same moment, a mental link message reached him.

[Edrik: "My lord, Krythalis has successfully found the person we were looking for. The Dwarf Blacksmith."]

As he read the message, Atlas immediately straightened up, his gaze sharpening in an instant.

**

[Volume 5 ends here!]

Thank you for staying with Atlas on this journey.

The next volume begins immediately in the next Chapter.