Slowly, the last traces of white light faded away, leaving behind a quiet stillness that felt different from before, as if the entire Soul Vault itself was waiting for something to happen next.
For a brief moment, Snow remained motionless, her massive form steady as if she was adjusting to the changes within her body, her wings making a slight, natural movement, as though she was becoming aware of their presence one by one.
Then, her crimson eyes moved in a calm and deliberate manner, taking in the space around her before finally settling on the figure standing in front of her.
Ash.
There was a brief pause, a moment where her gaze lingered on him, as if trying to match what she saw with what she remembered, because the person standing before her had changed far too much to be recognized through appearance alone.
But recognition did not rely on sight.
It came from something deeper.
{Papa..?}
Her voice echoed softly within the Soul Space, carrying a slight hesitation at the start, but beneath it there was a familiar warmth that had not changed at all, as if that single word carried everything she needed to confirm.
Ash’s expression shifted subtly, the coldness that had settled within him earlier fading without him even realizing it.
"Snow..."
He spoke her name in a low voice, filled with emotions.
That was all Snow needed, and the hesitation in her presence disappeared completely as she moved forward, her large body closing the distance with controlled, careful movement.
Ash did not move away.
He simply stood there and raised his hand, placing it gently against her head as she lowered it toward him, the contact happening naturally, as if it had always been that way.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Snow remained still, leaning slightly into his touch, her massive form relaxed in a way that it had not been before, as if that single point of contact grounded her completely.
{It is you...}
This time, her voice carried no doubt, only a quiet certainty that settled everything without the need for further confirmation.
Ash let out a slow breath, one that he had not been aware of holding, his hand remaining where it was as his fingers moved slightly across her scales, feeling the change in her form.
"Of course it is me... you took your time waking up."
His tone remained calm, almost casual, but there was a faint warmth beneath it that made the words feel lighter than they should have been.
Snow’s wings shifted slightly behind her, folding in a more relaxed manner as she stayed close.
A quiet silence followed, but it was not empty or awkward, it carried a sense of familiarity that settled naturally between them.
To the side, Eva watched everything without interrupting.
A small smile formed on her face without her noticing it, and her eyes softened slightly.
Maybe now sensing her gaze, Snow looked towards Eva and then looked back towards Ash, as if confirming that the unfamiliar presence was someone she should pay attention to.
{Who’s she..?}
Ash smiled slightly and replied, "She is your sister, so treat her like your elder sister."
{Are you her father then..?}
Snow asked while tilting her big head, her crimson eyes fixed on him with simple curiosity, as if she was trying to understand how that made sense.
Ash’s lips twitched as he replied, "No, I am not her father, but even without that, she is your elder sister, alright??"
{Alright!!}
Little Snow nodded her head enthusiastically, accepting it without any doubt, as if his words alone were enough for her.
Meanwhile, seeing this interaction, Eva just giggled softly like a little girl, clearly enjoying the exchange, her amusement showing without her trying to hide it.
Ash was about to nag her, but before he could say anything, Snow’s form suddenly shifted, and her massive body began to shrink at a frightening pace, reducing rapidly until, within a blink of an eye, a small little girl around three to four years old stood before them.
Her skin was flawlessly smooth and clear, with soft white hair just like Ash, and with her slightly large head, crimson red eyes and chubby cheeks, she looked like cuteness incarnate.
Seeing her like this, both Eva and Ash felt their hearts melt at the sight, the change was too sudden and too adorable to ignore.
Suddenly, she jumped forward and hugged Ash tightly, her small arms wrapping around his neck without hesitation.
"I missssssed you, Papaaaaa... you were gone for so long. Did you know...."
It was only after sometime that Ash realized this cute little thing was quite a chatterbox, because once she opened her mouth, she did not even pause and simply kept talking without stopping, as if she had been holding everything in.
Ash smiled warmly as he listened to everything little Snow said, letting her continue without interrupting, his hand naturally resting on her head as she spoke.
But seeing her current form, the face of Elysia came to his mind once again.
The current Snow and Elysia had a striking resemblance between them, she almost looked like a smaller version of Elysia.
How can there be such a coincidence....?
But he had no proof to make it seem intentional.
Thus, a clueless virgin father and his little daughter continued talking without pause, while Snow appeared a little shy around Eva at first, occasionally glancing at her, though it did not take her long to grow familiar with her as well.
Meanwhile, back in the shop,
Eric and Saskia were walking down the stairs while talking with each other, their footsteps slow and steady as their conversation continued without pause.
"I heard there’s a special guest that will be coming soon to the City of Light, I don’t know who that person is, but I was thinking of going there to see if I will get some opportunities there. How about you come with me too..?? You might also find something interesting."
Saskia asked with a blush on her face, not even looking in the direction of Eric as she spoke, her gaze slightly lowered as if she was trying to keep her tone casual.
Eric did not notice it, as he was ahead of her, and after stepping down a few more stairs, he replied, "Sure, why not."
But inwardly he was thinking, A special guest? That means that person must be quite an important huh...and thus he might have more insider information which can be quite useful to us.
Saskia’s face brightened like the sun after hearing his reply, she almost wanted to jump in joy, but she controlled herself and moved a little faster as she caught up to Eric, her steps quickening without her realizing it.
She looked at his face before speaking, her expression filled with expectations.
"Then how about this? I don’t know the exact date when that person will arrive, but it will be too crowded if we arrive there late, what if we just go to the place of their gathering daily?? I heard there’s a cafe nearby too and even some entertainment spots, we can spend our time having fun while waiting, instead of just standing around."
Saskia saw a visible hesitation on Eric’s face hearing her words, and her heart started to beat faster, even though she showed no signs of nervousness from the outside, her fingers curling slightly as she waited for his response.
No, no, what did I do? Was I too direct? Should I have waited a little? He will not think that I am a creep right? Right?
Inwardly she was cursing herself, but outwardly she appeared calm as she tried to correct her words as not to appear pushy in eyes of Eric.
She hurriedly changed her words seeing his hesitation, "Or maybe I can just try to find the exact date of their arrival, this way your time won’t be wasted."
Eric opened his mouth to reply, but before he could do it, a voice replied in his stead.
"There’s no need to find the exact date. Take Eric with you, I will give him holiday for a few days."
Saskia and Eric both looked towards the source of the voice. Eric was bewildered and taken aback seeing Ash come out of the back room, his steps slowing slightly as his thoughts paused for a moment.
Why is he outside? I thought he would never leave that room..?
Of course, he thought that with a hint of sarcasm, but most of his shock was directed towards the little girl in his hands.
Suddenly, a warm feeling arose in the cold heart of Eric seeing that girl, and he uncontrollably felt the urge to pinch her cute little cheeks and make her laugh, her mere presence softened something within him without giving him a choice.
But even more shocked than him was none other than Saskia.
She stood there with her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide open, the cloth bag in her hands almost slipping to the ground before she quickly tightened her grip on it, her fingers curling around it as she steadied herself.
Ash, ignoring their unusual gazes, calmly closed the distance between them, his steps unhurried as if nothing about the situation felt strange to him.
With Snow in one hand, he brought his other hand forward in front of Saskia for a handshake and introduced himself with a dazzling smile that could easily catch anyone off guard, "I am Ash, elder brother of Eric. I hope he did not give you a hard time."
But Saskia just stood there stuttering, her mind going blank as she struggled to form words, completely unprepared for this sudden introduction, her thoughts tangling over each other.
It was only after Eric held her shoulder that she came back to her senses, the slight touch grounding her, and she hurriedly shook Ash’s hand as she introduced herself.
"Hello, I am Saskia, I am... his friend, no a customer, I-I-I...."
Ash gave her a helpless smile, and in truth, he really wanted to curb his charm, but that was not possible even with the Rune of Concealment.
"Don’t worry about it, my little brother here is quite clueless, but I will allow him to go on a date with you, so don’t worry. If he says no, I will beat the hell out of him."
Both Eric and Saskia’s faces turned red hearing his blunt words, and they started stuttering as if wanting to rebuke him, Eric even pointed his finger towards Ash, their reactions overlapping as neither of them found the right words in time, but at that exact moment, Snow spoke up.
"Papa, is that brother Eric you told me about..?"
Her cute voice echoed throughout the place, light and clear, instantly breaking the embarrassment-filled atmosphere, and everyone’s attention shifted toward Snow.
***