“So, Mom, Dad, I noticed you were both dressed quite nice today. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” Jun said sweetly, his face a mask of filial piety.


    Although Mary and Juan were both deeply touched by Jun’s new way of address and what that meant for their relationships moving forward, they weren’t buying that shit at all.


    “Yeah mom you look gorgeous!” Lily exclaimed, and not faking any of it. Her mom was always pretty, even when she never did anything to accentuate her natural beauty, always dressing for either professional settings or for comfort. Today her mother was dolled in a classy short green dress that matched her eyes and showed off her mature curves and accented her auburn hair that wasn’t in her traditional pony tail or hair bun, but beautifully tumbled down her back to her waist in waves.


    “And you’re wearing makeup! You never wear makeup!” Lily shouted at her latest discovery.


    “You have a problem with your mom wearing makeup?” Mary asked in the tone of voice that Lily recognized as one of warning, but the deep blush on her face took away all its authority.


    “Dad, when did you start trimming your beard?” Lil Davie asked his father suspiciously. His father had been growing a massive beard for as long as he could remember and was accustomed to seeing only thirty percent of his face. It wasn’t to say he was unhygienic. Juan Guard was a very well put together man with a natural sense of fashion that always made him feel more sophisticated than the rest, no matter the company, even when silent. He was the role model to coolness that all the boys in the family secretly looked up to and tried to emulate.


    Except the beard.


    No one ever understood the beard. Not even his closest friends or family had any idea about Juan’s always clean but wild and untamed growth of facial hair in juxtaposition to his well groomed and oiled hair, well-manicured hands, and the clean suits and shiny shoes.


    It was a testament to Juan’s natural suave that made it work.


    Now that wilderness had been tamed.


    A well groomed, tight and trimmed mass of facial hair coolness that showed most of what was once hidden ,made it feel like letting go of a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. It was refreshing.


    So much of Juan’s identifiable identity came from how he held himself and his gaze, rather than his beard, which was why his children could instantly recognize him after the significant change and belatedly notice it.


    Now that so much of his face was revealed they could now see it.


    He was blushing, too.


    “What were you doing before you were called mom?” Lily asked. She was suspicious too now.


    Jun chuckled evilly as he watched the adults squirm in discomfort at the barrage of suspicions from the once youngests, clumsily dodging one question after another.


    It was about time these two were honest about their feelings.


    Jun knew the affection they had for each other, but for some reason, they never acted on them. Jun suspected that the attitude of the younger two had something to do with it.


    “Okay kids.” Jun finally intervened after laying the seeds. “So the adults went out and did adult things. Don’t make them uncomfortable for being adults alright?”


    No one was spared but Ella. She was sleepy but fighting it.


    Lil Davie and Lily hated being called children, but admitted to getting a little exited, while the adults were blushing even redder. What did adults doing adult things mean? Cheeky punk.


    Having confirmed everyone’s well being he decided to make another introduction.


    “Sophie. Wanna come say hi?” Jun called out to no one. Before anyone had a chance to be doubtful, a red glow flashed and turned into a small red bunny that sat a few inches above the table’s surface.


    The little red bunny hopped up and did a cute twirling salute to all the giant funny looking humans that sat around it.


    “Hello!” It squeaked a friendly squeak.


    “Sophie!” Ella was fully awake and frantically waving her little arms to get her favorite bunny’s attention.


    Four pairs of shocked eyes watched as a small red glow separated from the bunny turn into a smaller, cuter red bunny that hurriedly went to play with its friend. “Ella~ eLla ~elLAaA~.”


    “Omygodomygodomygod,” Lily was almost hyperventilating as the cutest talking teacup sized red baby bunny bounced and danced and sang around the three girls mountain with Ella’s infectious laughter as the accompaniment. Mary was absently rubbing the back of her over excited child, doing a better job of repressing her inner child from screaming out.


    “Sophie is my amazing one of a kind partner in crime. She graciously decided to lend me a helping hand since I don’t really know anything.” Jun theatrically introduced the bunny, who was looking cutely bashful.


    “Don’t be silly Jun. I am a small and insignificant gift to you from Elder Paskone. Just a simple AI pet to amuse you.” It said shyly.


    “Nonsense. Don’t listen to her guys. She is a fully sentient being with feelings and emotions and infinitely more powerful than any AI we’ve ever dreamed of. I mean her code exists in a separate dimension. Isn''t that insane? What we see here is merely one of her projections into this dimension. She can be anything and many things all at once, but a ‘pet’ is not one of them.” Jun said with mock sternness.


    It was really cute watching a shy red bunny blush even redder from all the praise.


    Lily and Mary swooned from the cuteness of their mini bunny happily squirming in Ella’s embrace.


    Jun sat back in contentment as he watched his family getting to know his new friend, each member with their own mini bunny, while the main bunny had her eyes half lidded as Jun scratched behind her ear just right from her favorite lap.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Of all the wonders to have been gifted by the most powerful existences of all the universes, Sophie was the one Jun was most in awe of. A true sentient being created from nothing but code. One that could form a soul.


    The enigmatic Elder Paskone was an ancient being that rose to his position in a manner not unlike Jun’s own. Being a scientific researcher, personal strength was never a high priority for him. They say that he had already given up all hopes for a Glimpse for thousands of years when he made a breakthrough in his research. He had created the first true sentient AI and the World Tree rewarded him with a Glimpse of the Origin laws of Language.


    “Hey, Jun,” Juan called out, still snuggling his giggling mini bunny with his bushy face, “Something happened with the sculptures you gifted us. Do you know what that was about?”


    “Why? What’s wrong with them?” He’d been very careful with each piece and checked each over before delayed delivery. Had there been an issue with his?


    “They burst into flames!” Davie cried out, remembering the shock of his gift’s entry surprise.


    “And the runes changed too! They’re like the runes from the Garden!” Lily had been so intrigued about the mysteries around her brother, the transformative flames and the new runes being of particular interest.


    Her gift had been the newest in a series of crystal dancers that Jun had been making for her for years. When she opened her Nexus delivery, she had been in her room, surrounded by her collection of crystal dancers. Sitting on her bed, the newest of her treasured collection, wasn’t the only thing that burst into white fire. Her entire collection did too.


    For a brief moment, Lily sat in a small sea of white flames that tickled her skin. She peed just a little bit, she won’t lie.


    It was over so fast, she wondered if it had all been the hallucination of a tired and emotionally unstable mind, then realized that if it was, it wasn’t over.


    Her familiar delicate artworks sat as they always had, unmoving on their carefully planned perches, but she could swear that they were dancing. Crystal limbs twirled and swayed to songs she swore she could hear. Some danced to lively beats with exotic tempos, while others swayed gracefully to melodies that soothed away the weariness, and at times they all danced to the same magnificent crescendo. Lily didn’t know how long she had sat there in her room, utterly entranced.


    Jun’s brows furrowed in confusion. What were they talking about?


    The answer came from a source that shouldn’t have surprised him.


    “Master, please allow me to clarify any doubts about this matter.” Sophie the Historian Red Bunny, wearing a bunny sized scholar’s cap and coat, hopped out from Sophie the Red Bunny That Doesn’t Want To Leave Her Master’s Awesome Comfy Lap, landed in the center of the group and with the airs of a learned bunny, and explained to her audience of humans and mini bunnies.


    “When powerful beings of the Eight Rank ascend to the Ninth Demigod Rank, there is an elevation of the soul that affects all soul traces that being has left behind though out their lives. Ordinary handwritten letters become powerful family protecting heirlooms and weapons crafted in youth become divine armaments. It is one sign of a being’s ascension for traces of their life to ascend with them and are commonly referred to as Ascended Treasures.” Sophie explained some context before she continued. Scholar Bunny hoped around and a few simple runes that everyone recognized as the base runes of the four elements were visually represented in the air.


    “Runes, being the physical representation of one’s understanding of reality, will grow to reflect that being’s understanding as a demigod.” The runes in the air didn’t change, but looked more robust and mighty. “While all rune traces of an ascended will experience similar divine strengthening, the runes aligned with the ascended’s path is special.”


    A small silhouette of a person made of fire emerged above the base rune of fire. The silhouette grew in size and intensity to represent ascension. While the other element runes grew in strength, the base rune of fire changed into something else entirely.


    Before, the lines were sharp and jagged, like blades before flowing into a single smooth flourish that lacked the previous complexity replaced with a depth that entranced the eye with the feeling of warmth.


    “Those runes will change into Origin Runes of Creation.” It was actually Jun who gasped while everyone was still looking on blankly.


    “Master has technically only reached the fourth rank, but your soul has already been baptized in ascension, gaining the prerequisite qualifications of a Ninth Rank being. So like them, all traces of your soul will have undergone a similar transformation as a sign of your ascension.”


    “All of them?” Jun gaped, leaning back in disbelief, mentally calculating the distribution and potential risks.


    “What are Origin Runes?” Lily asked on behalf of the group.


    “Every world is governed by their own universal laws represented as Runes unique to that world called World Runes. Origin Runes are one level above, representing the laws that govern all creation.” The graphics had changed to small colorful balls connected together by a branch.


    “Most Ninth Ranked beings only have insight into a single path of Origin, while the more experienced have a handful more at most, but Master is different!” Sophie was getting a bit too worked up now, Jun thought as he watched the little bunnies start to all poof out their furry chests.


    “Sophie theorizes that Master tempted the World Tree with his magnificent Creation to invite him as an Honored Guest and now he has seen ALL Paths in Creation, making him the most powerful Elder in the history of history!” When Scholar Sophie was on the verge of transforming into Passionate Berserker Sophie, Jun reached out and scooped her into his embrace to calm down with his Won’t Get Off His Lap Sophie. Seriously, she looked like she was about to throw down.


    “Basically, all my artwork and rune creations have had a transformation. That includes all the stuff I sent out and the pieces at your guys’ place, I think. Do you know if they took anything with them?” Jun asked without saying names.


    Everyone gave it some thought and shook their heads.


    “She only took some clothes and some other belongings. She left everything else.” Mary answered for her daughter, recalling the small pile of things Jun had given her pushed off to one corner.


    Juan and Davie both hesitated before Juan finally replied. “He left most everything behind as well. He… broke the pieces you gave him.” Juan said with shame. His eldest hadn’t just broken the pieces of art that his brother had carefully created for him, he had demolished them. There was anger and rage in those actions that were plain to see. It had been a real shock to discover too late.


    Jun sighed in relief. Thanks to Jonathan’s thoroughness in the oddest things, besides the gifts he handed out, and the ones owned by his family, the only issue would be the mirrored reflection of the Garden that existed at the University. Thinking about the wealth of Origin Runes sitting at the University, he thought of Professor Kindley and remembered the piece that he’d sent to him. Jun could only wonder how crazed he’d be with all his questions.


    Ella and Sophie were having a blast. Jun spent some time chatting about how helpful and knowledgeable his blushing Sophie was while Lily was busy asking her bunny more questions about the multiverse.


    “Sophie, can you show lil Davie and Lily down to the hangar and the library? I think they’ll find quite a few interesting things there. Maybe like a gift or something. I don’t know, or wherever.” Jun said breezily, when he felt like it was time.


    “Hanger?” “Library?” Two voices exclaimed and once more in unison, ““Gifts?!””


    Davie was on his feet in a flash, but Lily had a bit more trouble with Mary, reluctant to let go without more affection. A hug and a kiss later, the two teens and a small Ella backpack with a Sophie hat and a second Sophie bouncing to lead the way were ready to go off and explore.


    “What about you guys?” Lily asked.


    “We have some adult things to discuss, so run along, children.” Jun dismissed them in mock haughtiness.


    “Ha!” Davie smirked. It was interesting that although both Danny and Jun liked to joke about him being younger, when Danny did it, he wanted violence, but when Jun did it, it felt annoying but endearing. It was a good thing that he had at least one good brother. He couldn’t help worry, though. What problems were there that they didn’t know about and being shielded from?


    “Don’t worry, lil bro. Go check out the Hanger and you’ll understand a small part of why I’m fearless!” Jun smirked.


    Curiosity blazing, the kids ran into the tropical forest after Sophie.


    Clear of all innocents, Jun looked at his unprepared adoptive parents and confessed. “I’m terrified.”