I'm Dad's second-to-last daughter, and… I'm also half-demon.
It's funny when I think about it, because on the outside, I look like a normal girl: fiery red hair, crimson eyes, and a smile Mom says is "just like his."
But on the inside… there's something completely different.
Mom always told me to never get close to guys like Dad, and I never quite understood what she meant by that.
Sometimes she'd say it laughing, other times sighing — but always with that strange glimmer in her eyes, somewhere between love and exasperation.
According to her, having a harem is pretty common in the underworld.
When I was five years old, something happened that changed everything.
I awakened a power… something that came from Mom's blood.
The Power of Destruction.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday: the ground around me shattered into crimson ash, and the air turned thick and hot.
I didn't know what I was doing, but… I could feel that I had the power to erase anything with a simple touch.
It was terrifying — and at the same time, liberating.
But I inherited something from Dad too.
A gift he calls "both a curse and a blessing."
The ability to regenerate from any wound.
Fire, blades, energy — nothing could really keep me down for long.
Jean also trained me to use my psychic powers, so I'm really good at that as well.
And, like all my brothers and sisters — except for our eldest sister, who has full access — I have limited access to Dad's treasury.
It's worth mentioning that my eldest sister is the very definition of "Daddy's little girl."
She looks the most like him, acts the most like him, and is the most attached to him out of all of us — which is bizarre enough on its own.
Fortunately, Dad always helped me understand my powers.
He trained with me every day, patient and smiling proudly, even when I ended up cracking the floor of the training room.
At first, I thought he just wanted me to get stronger — but later, I realized… he only wanted to make sure I didn't hurt myself with my own power.
It was thanks to him that I learned how to control my strength.
And thanks to one of my older sisters, I also discovered my passion for technology.
She's… well, a genius.
She can create anything — from energy weapons to dimensional portals — and she always lets me watch her projects, as long as I promise not to blow anything up (again).
One day, inspired by her, I started working on something… different.
Something no one in our family had ever really tried: a temporal device.
It wasn't a huge time machine like in the movies, but a small watch, designed to bend space-time for a few seconds and let me slide through time.
I spent months hidden in the lab — programming, recalibrating, burning wires, and losing entire nights.
But in the end… I did it.
When I showed the device to my sister, she nearly tackled me with a hug — and of course, started screaming in excitement.
But when I brought it to Dad… it was different.
He stayed silent for a long time.
He looked at the watch in my hand, then at me — and I saw something change in his eyes.
It wasn't anger, nor fear.
It was as if he had just remembered something from long ago.
"You built this… on your own?" he asked.
I nodded, hesitating, thinking he was about to tell me to destroy it.
After all, messing with the timeline isn't a joke — and Dad always said a "certain annoying organization" loved to meddle whenever someone tried to tamper with time.
But to my surprise… he smiled.
"Wait a few days before you use it, Saeko," he said, placing a hand on my head. "There's something I want to prepare first."
I didn't really understand, but I agreed.
During the next few days, he locked himself in his lab with 9S and Cortana.
Then, on the day I finally decided to test the device, he called me into the lab.
He was alone, sitting at the table, holding something in his hands: a metal sphere about the size of a baseball.
"I want you to take this with you," he said, extending the object toward me. "Give it to Arthur from the past… Tell him it's from his future self."
I froze, holding the small sphere, not knowing what to think.
"You mean… you?" I asked, confused.
"Yes," he replied with that tired but gentle smile. "And give him this letter too — he'll understand."
I nodded. I didn't know what awaited me, but his eyes… they gave me courage.
"But wouldn't that create a time paradox?" I asked.
"Sweetie, this was kind of destined to happen anyway," Dad replied.
I caught the way his eyes shifted toward Cortana.
Somehow, I think I understood what he meant.
I said goodbye to Mom, my sisters, Grandma, and even Grandpa — who pretended not to be crying (but I saw him).
Then, I took a deep breath and activated the watch.
Golden energy expanded in a glowing circle behind me, flickering like a liquid mirror.
And before I could say anything, the portal pulled me in with irresistible force.
My body floated for a moment — and then everything turned into light.
The last thing I saw before being swallowed by the portal was Dad's smile.
A smile that said:
"Good luck, Saeko…"
---xXx---
"Okay, I've had enough surprises for one day."
Arthur sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead.
His tone was tired, but there was also a hint of disbelief — after all, it's not every day someone meets their own daughter… from the future.
In front of him, Saeko simply smiled, swinging her legs casually, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
Gwen, on the other hand, looked on the verge of a mental breakdown.
She kept looking from Saeko to Arthur, from Arthur to Jean, and from Jean back to Saeko, trying to make the pieces fit together.
Wait a second… did she say moms…? Gwen thought, her eyes unfocused for a moment.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, it hit her.
Her eyes widened, and a grin slowly spread across her face.
Moms… plural?
Then that means…
A mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes — the kind that always showed up when Gwen found something way too amusing.
Looks like I've reached my goal… she thought, hiding her smirk behind a very fake cough.
Jean crossed her arms, glancing at Arthur with a mix of confusion and mild embarrassment.
"Well, looks like someone had a… productive future," she muttered, raising an eyebrow.
Arthur exhaled heavily, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"Please, don't start."
"Now, can you tell me what happened, Saeko?" Arthur finally asked, brow furrowed. "Because, honestly, your voice just cut out of nowhere when you started talking about your future family."
Half of what she'd said didn't make sense to him at all.
And judging by Gwen and Jean's faces, he wasn't the only one lost.
"Dad always says I talk too much," she replied, scratching the back of her neck. "So… I added a security system to my watch to stop me from revealing too much about the future."
Arthur blinked, trying to process that.
"A security system… in her watch… that prevents her from revealing the future."
His brain spun. Every answer Saeko gave him just created three new questions.
Before he could reply, Gwen chuckled softly, crossing her arms and leaning slightly to the side.
"Even if she doesn't say it, I can already imagine what really happened…" she said with a teasing smile that always made Arthur uneasy.
Arthur gave her a sidelong glance — the kind that said don't even start — then turned toward Jean, silently seeking backup.
Jean, however, just raised an eyebrow, fighting back a laugh.
She clearly understood exactly what was running through Gwen's mind — and from the glint in her own eyes, Arthur understood too.
You were right… Jean's voice echoed in his head, calm but laced with amusement. I don't think you even want to know what she's imagining right now…
Arthur sighed inwardly, rubbing his forehead and replying mentally, tired:
Definitely not.
He then turned back to Saeko, who was still smiling sweetly, as if she were enjoying every second of the chaos.
"So, Saeko… what exactly did your father from the future — I mean, my future self — ask you to give me?"
"Oh! Right!"
The girl clapped her hands as if suddenly remembering.
A small golden portal shimmered open beside her, humming softly, and from it fell a metallic sphere with an envelope attached.
She picked up the object carefully and handed it to Arthur.
"He told me to give you this — and that you'd know what to do."
Arthur frowned, taking the sphere and turning it over in his hands.
"Hm…"
He examined it closely, rotating it between his fingers.
"This… isn't standard tech, at least not from this era," he murmured, intrigued. "But it's definitely something I'd build…"
Jean stepped closer, peering over his shoulder.
"And what's that button?" she pointed out, noticing the small silver circle on the side.
Arthur tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Probably… the activation switch."
Gwen crossed her arms. "Or the self-destruct button — you know, like in the movies?"
Arthur shot her a weary look.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gwen."
Still, curiosity got the better of him.
He took a deep breath, glanced once more at Saeko — who only smiled innocently — and pressed the button.
Instantly, the sphere vibrated and unfolded into several rotating layers, like metallic petals moving in perfect sync.
A sharp, ethereal sound rang out, and a wave of golden energy expanded, flooding the room with light.
"What—?!" Jean stepped back, shielding her eyes.
Within seconds, a golden portal formed behind Arthur, spinning with the sound of distant thunder. The air warped, pulling everything toward its center.
"Arthur!?" Gwen shouted, reaching for him.
But before she could take another step, the portal sucked him in completely, as if an invisible current had dragged him into a spiral of light.
And then — silence.
Jean and Gwen stood frozen, staring at the spot where he'd just been, completely stunned.
"He… just got swallowed by a weird portal?" Jean muttered, trying to process.
"Oh no, you've got to be kidding me!" Gwen yelled, running her hands through her hair.
While both women panicked, a calm, sweet voice spoke behind them:
"Don't worry."
Saeko walked closer, hands clasped behind her back, smiling serenely.
"I've seen Dad do this before. He always comes back… sometimes even before he leaves."
Gwen blinked, confused. "What do you mean, before he leaves?"
"It's complicated," Saeko giggled. "But Dad always says time is just a line full of knots — and he likes untying a few now and then."
Jean sighed, still trying to make sense of it.
"Right… so let me get this straight. Future Arthur sends his daughter to the past to deliver a sphere that sends past Arthur to… who knows where…"
"And the crazy part is that somehow it all makes sense," Gwen added, laughing awkwardly.
How on earth does this make sense? Jean thought, bewildered.
"Anyway," Saeko said suddenly, glancing out the window and changing the subject completely. "Since we've got some time before he comes back… I'd love to see what New York was like before I was born!"
The two women exchanged a look — a silent moment — and then identical smiles spread across their faces.
Gwen grabbed Saeko's left hand, Jean took the right.
"Well then, Miss Future Girl," Gwen said playfully, "welcome to present-day Queens. And you know what that means?"
Saeko blinked. "What?"
Jean laughed, a mischievous spark in her eyes.
"It means it's time to go shopping."
"Shopping?" Saeko repeated, confused — but before she could react, both women were already dragging her toward the door with the excitement of two women on a mission.
"Hey! Wait! I've never been to a past-era mall before!"
"Then today's the perfect day to start!" Gwen shouted, already running down the steps with a mischievous grin.
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."