We walked along the lakeshore toward the rising village. It didn’t take long for Aluram to be noticed, but whenever the Seliums sensed his presence, they looked away, turned their backs, or hid.

  He lowered his head.

  “They don’t want a Selium of the opposite sex to see them like this,” he said softly, sadness in his voice. “Please, convey my feelings to all of them.”

  “You don’t intend to speak to them?”

  “It would only bring their suffering back to the surface. It’s better to give them time to heal.”

  “I understand.”

  I changed direction, heading toward Jazzia.

  “Look,” I said, pointing. “Tariel, Anastácia, Ana… and the Sekvens.”

  “Do I need to behave in any special way?”

  “When you’re close, control yourself. Don’t approach them.”

  “Could they see me as an enemy? AX barely talked to me about that.”

  “That wasn’t necessary,” AX replied, suddenly appearing and making Aluram jump.

  “Stay visible, AX. You’ll give someone a heart attack,” I joked.

  I smiled.

  “If they saw you as an enemy, the Xerantos would never have brought them here. Look… Tariel and Anastácia are unconscious. They were kissed by them. If the kiss had lasted a little longer, they might never have woken up.”

  “Then why did they do it?”

  “They asked for it. Receiving a kiss from a Sekvens is indescribable. Eternal. Irreversible.”

  I watched his incredulous expression.

  “But before we go there, I want to show you Jazzia.”

  “Jazzia?”

  “My home. And my friend. Come in.”

  “Welcome,” she said. “The Reborn have just left the capsules.”

  “I talked too much,” I murmured, hurrying toward the main room. “Come, Aluram!”

  As soon as I stepped inside, the sweet scent of Selium bodies filled my lungs, drawing an involuntary smile from me.

  They were naked, holding each other in front of the mirror, crying intensely.

  Their long, shining hair flowed down their backs, brushing their hips. Mila and Mala were blonde. Liria’s strands were even lighter. Kell wore a reddish tone. Idril’s were almost black.

  I wiped away a stubborn tear and smiled awkwardly at Aluram, whose eyes were also wet.

  When they noticed our presence, they turned toward us, revealing delicate bodies and an almost unreal beauty.

  They showed no embarrassment about their nudity. They were far too happy to worry about something so small.

  Then it happened.

  In silence, almost at the same time, they came to me and embraced me together—all of them, except Mila, who was held back by her own mother.

  I held those warm, fragile bodies carefully, feeling them tremble against my chest. They cried softly. It wasn’t sadness. It sounded like gratitude.

  My chest burned with the intensity of the affection flowing through me.

  I kissed each of their heads and kept holding them.

  “I’m astonished,” Aluram murmured.

  “I adopted them,” I explained.

  “As daughters… or as women?”

  “They’re children,” I replied, puzzled.

  “But they’ll grow. What do you feel for them?”

  I opened my mouth to answer… and couldn’t.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The words wouldn’t come.

  I took a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts.

  What if they didn’t want to be my daughters?

  What if they stopped finding partners because they were bound to me?

  Would the Sekvens truly turn us into something different?

  What if love chose another path?

  I laughed nervously.

  “I can’t answer something I don’t control,” I said at last. “We’re united by the love of the Sekvens. And all I understand of it is this passion that lives inside me.”

  I placed my hand on my chest.

  “They won’t see you as a father,” Aluram said. “Kiss their navels.”

  My jaw dropped.

  The thought came instantly: too intimate.

  He noticed my expression.

  “In our mothers’ wombs, it’s through the navel that we receive everything—food, care, love,” he explained. “By kissing it, you seal a promise. That you’ll do everything to ensure their happiness. As a father… or as a partner.”

  I breathed in relief.

  Faced with what I felt, I had no doubts.

  I knelt—an act of humility and surrender—and gently kissed each young woman’s navel, one by one.

  They knelt as well, wrapped me in embraces, and cried even more.

  This time, from happiness.

  When they calmed down, I stood and went to Mila, who was watching everything, deeply moved.

  I took her hand and Mala’s.

  I knelt again.

  I kissed their navels.

  They knelt. Mila hugged me tightly. Mala, however, touched my lips with hers.

  Her smile said everything.

  “Why me?” she whispered.

  “Mila belongs to me. And you belong to Mila. So you belong to me as well.”

  “He’s saying he won’t separate mother and daughter,” Aluram explained. “Since Mila will have to stay here.”

  “There’s feeling in that!” I protested, smiling. “It will be an honor to care for such a beautiful woman.”

  “You promised,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “Fantastic!” AX celebrated. “Now go explain that to Tariel.”

  “AX!”

  “I’m serious. She might misunderstand.”

  “That’s true,” I laughed. “Anastácia might get jealous too.”

  “Do you accept having more than one woman?” Mala asked, curious.

  “I don’t mind… I just don’t know if I can handle it.”

  Aluram burst into laughter. Then he grew serious.

  “You made a promise that cannot be broken. You’ll have to handle it. Or die trying.”

  “Don’t worry, my friend. I’m not alone. I have billions with me.”

  At that moment, Julis entered carrying a suitcase.

  “Where are your wives? They’re going to love these clothes.”

  She began handing out the outfits.

  “And the clothes I was wearing?” Mila asked. “They were so cute…”

  “The capsule discarded them. But there are plenty of models here. There must be something similar.”

  “That’s our cue, Aluram,” I said.

  “William… bring the next ones,” Julis requested.

  Aluram approached Mala and slowly let his gaze travel over her naked body, from head to toe, without haste. There was sincere admiration in his expression.

  He smiled.

  “I don’t remember ever seeing a woman so beautiful,” he said softly. “Please, don’t deprive us of your presence now that you belong to another. Visit us whenever you can. It will make me very happy. Congratulations.”

  Mala stepped forward and hugged him warmly.

  Then he turned to the others.

  “Congratulations, girls. You are enchanting. May you be happy… and remain beautiful.”

  They thanked him, deeply moved.

  Shortly after, we left Jazzia and headed toward the Sekvens.

  “I still can’t believe what happened,” Aluram murmured. “I’m astonished, intrigued, confused… unsatisfied. And, at the same time, happy.”

  “What made you feel that way?” I asked, stopping suddenly. He stopped as well.

  “The girls… at no moment did they see you as human. To them, you are one of us. There was no doubt, no fear. Only surrender. That is… shocking.”

  “I have no doubts about the love I feel for them either. But I’ve already told you where it comes from.”

  I discreetly pointed toward the Sekvens.

  “They’re responsible.”

  “Those feelings you never stop talking about?”

  “To them, it’s a powerful energy. Capable of uniting, sustaining, nourishing. And they know how to control it precisely.”

  We walked in silence until we drew near.

  “You took your time, William,” Melissa said with a gentle smile. “My loves haven’t woken up yet.” She turned to him. “Welcome, Aluram.”

  “Hello…” he replied awkwardly.

  “Sit down,” I asked, noticing he had frozen.

  “I… I can’t,” he murmured, seeking help with his eyes.

  “Sit down and calm yourself,” Melissa ordered firmly.

  He obeyed at once.

  “Did they kiss Ana too?” I asked, seeing her asleep between Tariel and Anastácia.

  “She wouldn’t endure it,” Sacha explained. “But she held Anastácia’s hand and… by extension, fell asleep.”

  Melissa then spoke:

  “Aluram, we are pleased that you accepted building your village nearby. If you had refused, we would have brought humans from Earth to form another village.”

  “Is there any special reason?” he asked, almost stammering.

  “Love is an exchange,” she replied. “A village alone has no other to love. And without that, it withers.”

  “A village?” He frowned.

  “A person is an entity that needs another to be complete. A group forms another entity… which also needs an equal one.”

  “I understand.”

  Melissa grew serious.

  “Aluram… do you seek the protection of the Known Universe?”

  A chill ran down my spine.

  It was too soon.

  There was still much to explain to the Seliums before such a decision.

  “I need to consult my people,” he said.

  “They chose you as leader. You decide,” she replied, her voice unsoftened.

  The firmness made Aluram tremble.

  In that moment, he had to choose.

  “If I choose you…”

  “You will belong to us,” Sacha stated.

  “Otherwise,” Kane added, “you will live as you always have. You will be our neighbors, our trading partners. We will not interfere in your choices.”

  Aluram looked back toward Jazzia.

  “I saw something extraordinary today,” he murmured.

  “The girls’ rebirth,” Melissa said. “But I know that’s not what you mean.”

  “No…” He shook his head. “I’m talking about the love they showed for William.”

  “They belong to him. He belongs to them.” Melissa paused. “And he belongs to us.”

  Aluram lifted his gaze.

  Then, slowly, he knelt.

  “Please… accept us.”

  “Welcome to the Known Universe,” Melissa said, approaching. “Don’t kneel. Sit.”

  I smiled silently.

  The Seliums were more than just similar to humans.

  They were emotionally more evolved.

  “When we touched Tariel,” Sacha said, “it was like turning on a light in a dark room. In that instant, I knew we would have all of you. That we would soon see everyone.”

  “William, wake them,” Kane said, looking at my family. “Julis is waiting…”

  He turned to me and smiled.

  “Five more.”