[Rimuru's POV]
The night after Walpurgis was unnaturally calm. The skies above Tempest shimmered faintly, drenched in the last wisps of magicules that still clung to the world like stardust.
Rimuru sat outside the city walls, gazing up at the quiet heavens. The ground beneath him hummed with magicule energy—his magicules. Even now, after the chaos, after the evolution… everything still felt too large, too alive.
> "Man… it's gonna take a while to get used to this Demon Lord thing,"
he muttered, running a hand through his now-ethereal hair.
"Feels like I'm carrying a whole ecosystem inside me." calm, ever-reliable voice echoed in his mind.
> "Analysis: You are indeed sustaining multiple micro-ecosystems composed of self-replicating magicule clusters."
Rimuru sighed. "Raphael, I was being metaphorical."
> "Understood. However, the statement remains factually correct."
He groaned. "You really don't do small talk, huh?"
The silence that followed was peaceful, almost comforting, until Raphael spoke again—this time, with a trace of something unusual in its tone.
> "Notice. An anomaly has been detected fifteen kilometers north of the capital."
"A dense concentration of your released magicules has condensed into a stable core."
Rimuru straightened. "Stable? You mean something's forming?"
> "Affirmative. Potential spontaneous genesis detected."
"…You mean I accidentally made something?"
He scratched his cheek, trying not to think about the last time his excess magicules caused trouble.
> "Correction. This occurrence differs from previous anomalies. Soul pattern analysis indicates… foreign interference."
"Foreign?" Rimuru frowned. "You mean, like—another world?"
> "Possibility: 94.7%."
That number was far too high for comfort.
He sighed, rising to his feet as blue light flickered faintly around him.
> "Guess I'd better see what kind of mess I made this time."
---
[Raphael's Log — Observation File #001]
> Source: Rimuru Tempest (Post-Evolution Magicule Overflow)
Time Distortion Detected: 0.03 seconds.
External Dimensional Frequency: Matched.
Result: Partial fusion of foreign soul with master's magicule cluster.
Genesis Pathway: Hybrid—Natural + Soul-Born + Biological.
Status: Stable.
Classification: Soul-Origin Entity.
---
[Rei's POV — Between Worlds]
There was no sky.
No body.
Only silence—and the faint hum of warmth.
Rei Sirius drifted through it like a dream.
For a moment, she remembered—headlights, screeching tires, glass shattering, and the faint blue glow of a screen showing a smiling slime.
Tensura.
That was the last thing she saw.
Now, surrounded by light, she felt her thoughts dissolving like ink in water.
She should've been afraid. But she wasn't.
The warmth wasn't consuming—it was calling.
> You do not belong here.
A deep voice, distant yet gentle, vibrated through her.
Rei tried to move, but her body—if she even had one—was light itself.
"Who's there?"
> A soul adrift. A spark looking for purpose.
The light thickened around her. For an instant, she thought she saw a reflection—someone not quite human, made of flowing silver.
> You carry longing, kindness, and curiosity. You may stay.
She wanted to ask more, but her voice broke apart into glittering fragments of light.
She felt herself being drawn in—melded into something greater.
Her memories, her emotions, her very name—all merging with a new rhythm.
The world shifted.
Her thoughts crystallized.
> "Mi… lune…"
The word escaped her lips, soft as breath—half memory, half instinct.
Her soul pulsed. The light accepted it.
And so, Milune was born.
---
[Rimuru's POV]
The northern forest glowed faintly blue.
Every leaf and blade of grass shimmered as though breathing.
At the center of it all was a sphere—a translucent cocoon, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Rimuru stepped closer, feeling the air thicken.
"Whoa… this magicule density's insane."
> "Affirmative. Core stability reached. Soul resonance detected."
He crouched beside the cocoon. Within its glow, a small silhouette floated peacefully, her features still unformed.
"She looks… human," Rimuru murmured.
> "Confirmed. Biological base aligns with humanoid template."
"…But I didn't create her on purpose."
> "Indeed. However, Master's emotional wavelength during evolution likely served as the formation catalyst. The entity recognized that resonance as its source."
Before Rimuru could reply, the cocoon pulsed softly.
A faint sound reached his ears—barely a whisper.
> "…Pa… pa?"
He froze.
"…Did—did she just say—?"
> "Affirmative. The entity has identified you as its parent."
Rimuru blinked, utterly speechless.
"…Parent? Me?!"
> "Affirmative. Congratulations."
For once, the Great Sage—no, Raphael—almost sounded pleased.
Rimuru stared at the cocoon again. The glow was gentle, rhythmic, almost like breathing.
He exhaled slowly, feeling something warm twist in his chest.
It wasn't fear. Not annoyance. Something different—quiet, heavy, and new.
> "…A daughter, huh?"
He chuckled softly, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Well… guess I better not mess this one up."
The cocoon shimmered, as if answering him, and the faint sound of a heartbeat filled the night air.