January 26, 2015.
Beijing, Dongcheng District.
Tempest Café.
8:00 a.m.
Wang Li arrived at the café early.
She didn't know why.
Maybe it was the bag.
Maybe it was the strange feeling that something had shifted in the world.
Maybe it was just that her apartment was empty now—everything she owned was stored in a small black bag that violated the laws of physics—and she didn't want to sit alone in an empty room.
Whatever the reason, she pushed open the café door at exactly 8:00 a.m.
And walked into chaos.
THE BREAKFAST
Lucia was in the kitchen.
She was wearing Rimuru's apron—the one he had specifically told the princess not to touch—and was flipping pancakes with the casual grace of someone who had been cooking for millennia.
The princess was sitting at the counter, staring at the scene with an expression of profound confusion.
Rimuru was standing in the corner, his arms crossed, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else.
"Good morning!" Lucia called out when she saw Wang Li. "You must be the doctor. Rimuru's told me so much about you."
Wang Li blinked.
"He has?"
"Not really, but I like to pretend people talk about each other behind their backs. It makes the world feel warmer."
She flipped another pancake.
"Come, sit. Breakfast is almost ready."
THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE
Wang Li sat at the counter.
Rimuru moved to stand next to her, his golden eyes fixed on Lucia with an expression of deep suspicion.
"You're still here," he said.
Lucia smiled.
"I told you I wanted to explore this world. And your couch is very comfortable."
"It's a café couch. It's not meant for sleeping."
"Then why is it so comfortable?"
Rimuru opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"That's not the point."
Lucia walked over to him.
She was tall.
Not abnormally so, but noticeably.
Wang Li estimated she was around 5'7"—which wouldn't have been remarkable except for the fact that she was now standing directly in front of Rimuru.
Rimuru, who was 4'9".
The difference was... significant.
Especially since Rimuru was trying very hard to look intimidating.
He had his arms crossed.
His golden eyes were narrowed.
His posture was aggressive.
And he barely reached Lucia's shoulder.
"You're doing the scary face again," Lucia said pleasantly.
Rimuru's expression didn't change.
"I'm not doing a face."
"You are. Your eyebrows are doing that thing."
"My eyebrows aren't doing anything."
"They're very expressive eyebrows."
Rimuru's eye twitched.
"Stop talking about my eyebrows."
THE PRINCESS'S OBSERVATION
The princess leaned over to Wang Li.
"Lord Rimuru is very short," she whispered.
Wang Li nodded slowly.
"I've noticed."
"It's hard to take him seriously when he's glaring up at someone like a grumpy child."
"I've noticed that too."
The princess paused.
"Is the pink-haired lady going to adopt us?"
Wang Li stared at her.
"What?"
"I don't know. She has that energy. Like she wants to feed everyone and make sure they're wearing warm clothes."
THE PANCAKES
The pancakes were delicious.
Wang Li didn't know how Lucia had made them—the café didn't have a proper kitchen, just a small prep area for pastries—but somehow they were perfect.
Fluffy. Golden. Topped with fresh berries and real maple syrup.
"This is incredible," Wang Li said.
Lucia beamed.
"Thank you! It's an old recipe. From before the separation."
The princess looked up from her plate.
"The separation?"
"Of the realms. When the Cardinal World split into different dimensions. Very dramatic. Lots of explosions."
She paused.
"Or maybe not. I wasn't there. I was dead."
The princess choked on her pancake.
THE CASUALNESS
Wang Li had noticed something about Lucia.
She talked about world-shattering events the way other people talked about the weather.
Oh, the separation of the realms? Yes, very dramatic. More syrup?
My death? Complete soul fragmentation. Pass the butter, please.
The Creator God trying to destroy the multiverse? He was going through a phase. More tea?
It was deeply unsettling.
And also strangely refreshing.
THE ADOPTION
After breakfast, Lucia asked Wang Li to stay.
"I want to talk to you," she said.
Wang Li tensed.
"About what?"
Lucia smiled.
"About you. About your future. About the ring I'm going to give you."
Wang Li blinked.
"The what?"
THE RING
Lucia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box.
She opened it.
Inside was a ring.
It was silver, simple, with a small blue stone that seemed to glow faintly in the morning light.
"This is for you," Lucia said.
Wang Li stared at the ring.
"I don't... why?"
Lucia's smile softened.
"Because you're going to need it. The path ahead of you is dangerous. And you're still just a mortal."
She paused.
"Also, I've decided to adopt you as my grand-granddaughter."
Wang Li's brain short-circuited.
"Your what?"
"Grand-granddaughter. It's like a granddaughter, but with more generations in between."
"I know what it means. I just don't understand why."
Lucia shrugged.
"Because I like you. Because you're interesting. Because you remind me of myself when I was younger—determined, stubborn, willing to fight for what you believe in."
She held out the ring.
"And because you're going to need all the help you can get."
THE RING'S POWER
Wang Li took the ring hesitantly.
She slid it onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
"What does it do?" she asked.
Lucia's blue eyes sparkled.
"Three main functions. First, it allows you to see through the human body. Like an MRI, but better. You can see muscles, bones, organs, blood flow—everything. It should help with your surgical work."
Wang Li's eyes widened.
"That's... that's incredible."
"Second, it steadies your hands. No more shaking. No more tremors. Your precision will be perfect, even under extreme stress."
Wang Li looked down at her hands.
They had always been steady.
But now?
Now they felt unshakeable.
"And third..."
Lucia paused.
"Third, it can regenerate your body. From nothing. As long as your soul exists, the ring can rebuild you. Flesh, bone, blood—all of it."
Wang Li stared at her.
"That's impossible."
Lucia smiled.
"So is storing your entire apartment in a bag that fits in your pocket. And yet, here we are."
THE GRAND-GRANDDAUGHTER
Rimuru had been watching the exchange in silence.
Now he spoke:
"You can't just adopt people without their consent."
Lucia looked at him.
"She consented."
"She didn't say anything!"
"She put on the ring. That's consent."
"That's not how consent works!"
Lucia waved a hand.
"You're just upset because you wanted to be my only child."
Rimuru's face went red.
"I am not your child!"
"Son, daughter, whatever. You know what I mean."
"I don't!"
THE HEIGHT AGAIN
Rimuru stood up.
He walked over to Lucia and glared up at her.
"You can't just show up in my café, throw tea on me, sleep on my couch, make breakfast in my kitchen, and then start adopting people!"
Lucia looked down at him.
She was nearly a foot taller.
"You're very cute when you're angry," she said.
Rimuru's eye twitched.
"I am not cute!"
"Your ears are turning red."
"They are not!"
"They are. It's adorable."
THE TRUTH
[Ciel's voice appeared in Rimuru's mind.]
"She's doing it on purpose."
'I know she's doing it on purpose!'
"She's trying to provoke you."
'I know!'
"It's working."
'I KNOW!'
THE PRINCESS'S EXCITEMENT
The princess was bouncing in her seat.
"Does this mean the doctor is part of our family now?" she asked.
Lucia smiled.
"Something like that."
The princess turned to Wang Li.
"We're family now! I've never had a grand-grand-sister before!"
Wang Li stared at her.
"I don't think that's how it works."
"Who cares how it works? We're connected by destiny!"
The princess grabbed Wang Li's hand.
"This is going to be amazing!"
THE REALIZATION
Wang Li sat there, surrounded by chaos—a demon princess holding her hand, a pink-haired goddess smiling at her, and a tiny ancient being trying very hard not to have a breakdown—and realized something.
She had a family again.
A strange, impossible, supernatural family.
But a family nonetheless.
It was terrifying.
It was overwhelming.
It was... actually kind of nice.