-----
"I'm so happy to see you two again!"
Maria hugged them both tightly. Takeshi and Laura relaxed at last, certain it was truly her.
They had missed her deeply for so long. Despite trying to stay strong and brave, tears broke through anyway.
"Have you been well?" Maria asked with a gentle, motherly smile. "Have you two grown more, or is that just my imagination?"
"We hit a growth spurt…!" Takeshi said.
"It's because we evolved again," Laura explained. "We've been hunting monsters nonstop and polishing our skills to the limit."
"I see…" Maria smiled warmly.
Although they had not yet obtained or manifested anything like a Divine Ember.
There was indeed something present, born from their endless effort and combined talents.
Their Unique Skills, the Magic derived from them, and their cultivated powers as Homunculi.
It all converged into one point, even if they had not yet realized it.
A tiny light—not even comparable to an ember.
A Spark.
A Pseudo Divine Spark.
