Chapter 153: Chapter 151
As time passed, more guests kept arriving. Carol's parents, Jen, and Fury, who came with his typical somber demeanor.
Carol's family sat at a table of their own, engrossed in conversation about the party.
On another table, Damian sat temporarily with Tony, Jen, and Fury.
The atmosphere was quite peculiar as Fury regarded Jen with a hint of suspicion. It was clear that Damian didn't associate with common people. Fury made sure to record his features well for future investigation.
Tony already knew Jen, and though he believed she definitely had powers, he didn't really care.
"How's everything at home, Jen? Have the rookies given you any trouble?" Damian asked, smiling at her.
"Good, after a few trainings, they've learned to behave," Jen replied with a chilling smile before briefly turning to glance at Fury.
"Kind but ruthless, huh?" Damian chuckled.
"What are you talking about?" Tony asked, puzzled. He wondered if this was how people felt when he talked about scientific matters.
"Jen is the leader of a cult," Damian said, laughing at the irritation in Jen's eyes.
Although Jen didn't care as much about Damian's words anymore, she had started to think that they were kind of like a cult.
"Wow, really?" Tony asked, surprised while looking at Jen.
"It's not like that. I just help people who have lost everything find a new purpose in life," Jen explained, somewhat exasperated.
Tony looked at Jen and then at Damian with uncertainty before shrugging, not paying too much attention to the matter.
New guests kept arriving, greeting each other before taking their seats and engaging in conversation.
"I suppose I'll go get my girls before heading to our table," Tony said, standing up and heading inside the house to find Pepper.
"I suppose I'll go to my seat too," Jen said, smiling slightly before standing up and heading to her spot.
"Who is she?" Fury asked as soon as Jen walked away.
"Well, it's someone you shouldn't mess with," Damian said, rolling his eyes at Fury's intrusiveness.
"How's your project with the Tesseract going?" Damian changed the subject before Fury could respond.
"It's going well," Fury replied briefly, feeling annoyed.
"Make sure you take good care of it. If it gets stolen and ends up in my hands, I won't give it back to you," Damian said, laughing.
Fury's brow immediately furrowed as he looked at Damian.
"Reclaim something you gave away?" Fury tried to provoke Damian.
"If you lose it, I'll get it back. It'll only prove that you're not capable of handling such power," Damian said.
Fury just huffed in annoyance.
"I really don't know what happened to you, Fury," Damian said, shaking his head.
"You've changed quite a bit since we first met so many years ago."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think a Skrull replaced you," Damian teased.
Fury just remained silent, having to admit that his personality had changed quite a bit.
Still, he didn't say anything. After all, the source of this personality change was right in front of him.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew deep down that he was afraid. He still remembered the day he saw Damian casually reverse time – that's not a power a person should have.
Fury had always been someone who liked to have a certain level of control over things. That's why he eventually became the leader of SHIELD, the world's largest intelligence agency.
From a certain point of view, he has control over almost everything that happens in the world.
But there's always a dark spot on his screen.
A small island that always haunts him.
Because he knows that there's a god living there who, if he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed one day, can cause havoc.
Due to his need for control, he's always been a bit paranoid. Living with Damian's pressure for years has turned him into what he is now – always looking for something to make him feel secure against Damian.
"Anyway, think about what I told you," Damian said, shrugging before standing up and going to see what his family was doing. It was time to start the party.
He clearly felt the great emotional turmoil in Fury. He figured Fury must have his own issues that he doesn't plan on getting involved in.
Damian entered the house and arrived just in time to see his daughters greet their three friends, who came accompanied by their mothers. Damian unconsciously smiled at the women who were of his kind.
He faintly felt their connection to him. There was Olivia, who was now leading Madripoor, replacing Ophelia. There was also another vampire he hadn't seen many times.
"My king," the five women greeted him, their bodies tensing up a bit.
The vast difference in their lineage made the women feel tense, even though Damian wasn't doing anything.
"Enjoy the party," Damian said, smiling faintly before patting his daughters' heads and walking towards the living room, then disappearing to find Monica.
Damian appeared again in Monica's cabin. She was already dressed in a vintage black dress.
"Hm? Just in time," Monica said, smiling before standing up and closing the notebook she was writing in.
"Let's go," Monica said, hugging Damian and resting her head on his chest.
Damian chuckled softly before making them reappear back home.
Monica gave Damian a peck on the cheek before immediately going to find her little sisters.
"I was just about to ask where my daughter was," Maria said, arriving behind Damian. She had arrived a while ago and had been looking for her daughter all over the house.
"You can't sense her magic? That way, you'd know if she's here or not. You should train," Damian said, shaking his head, and showing his disappointment.
"You're not my father," Maria said, complaining upon seeing his look.
Damian looked at Maria thoughtfully before making his eyes glow and using his progenitor power to press Maria.
Maria's eyes widened in surprise as she felt the world blur and a great terror washed over her.
All her senses were fuzzy, and for a moment, she remembered her first training in the military where she finished the race pale and dizzy. Her legs weakened, and she nearly fell to the ground when Damian stopped.
Maria took a deep breath as she slowly recovered and looked at Damian in astonishment.
"Listen, you're strong, but not strong enough. The universe is a dangerous place. At least try to develop your abilities a bit," Damian said, placing his hand on Maria's head, inwardly wondering if he had gone a bit too far.
"It's a really unpleasant sensation," Maria commented, sighing.
"Idiot," Maria said, leaving angrily.
Damian smiled ironically. He hoped that her anger would turn into motivation. When the world changes and a couple of years pass, it's not impossible for creatures to appear that could challenge her.
"Here you are. What are you doing? The party is about to start," Sophia said, looking at him as she took his arm and began to walk outside.
"You don't train either," Damian murmured, looking at his mother.
"Hm?" Sophia said, tilting her head a little, confused by Damian's mumbling, not knowing that she would soon receive a motivation lesson.
Damian arrived in the yard, and all the tables were already full. Most were people he didn't know too well, but they were individuals with relatively high positions in Madripoor. He did this so that his daughters would recognize their faces in case of future situations.
The small party quickly started, with several waiters bringing food and serving it at each table.
Everyone enjoyed the food while engaging in casual conversation.
When everyone had finished eating, Damian stood up and positioned himself on the small platform in front of all the tables.
Damian gave a brief speech thanking everyone for coming and wishing them all a good time.
Although there were only six children and Tony's baby, it was still a children's birthday party, so as soon as the kids finished eating, they ran off to play.
The adults, meanwhile, chatted among themselves. Tony, in particular, spoke with various people, including one of the governors of Madripoor whom he had briefly met at a previous birthday party for the girls.
Some time passed, and Tony approached Damian, who was talking with Carol.
''Wow, the old man is here,'' said Carol looking at Tony and scoffing.
"Oh, haha, very funny. If I recall correctly, you're older than me," Tony teased back.
"Don't compare us. I still look like a young girl," Carol said mockingly.
Tony decided to simply ignore her and turned to Damian. It was a discussion he definitely wasn't going to win.
"By the way, the construction of the Stark Tower is halfway done. It should be finished in about five months," Tony said cheerfully.
"I suppose you'll make it the tallest in the city?" Damian chuckled.
"Of course. I'll have a great view. It won't be the ocean like in Malibu, but it's not a bad change either," Tony shrugged.
"Oh, by the way, what are you going to give those little ones as a gift?" Tony asked, glancing at the girls who were playing with their friends.
"It seems to be a secret, even I don't know," Carol complained.
"You'll probably come up with something crazy like last year," Tony laughed.
"Maybe," Damian said, taking a sip from his glass.
Sophia approached at that moment, and he told her it was time, so Damian nodded before going to fetch the kids.
Damian walked away from the feast and from a distance, he watched his daughters playing with their friends, gesturing for them. The group of six quickly approached him.
"Children, it's time to open the presents," Damian told the six pairs of eyes looking up at him.
His three daughters seemed especially excited upon hearing this, as it was every child's favorite part.
The three friends of the girls returned to their mothers while Damian led his daughters to the small platform and seated them in three chairs specially reserved for them.
The plan was for each guest to pass by and congratulate them on their birthday and give them a gift. Damian's idea was for them to see the faces of the people and recognize them later when they go to school.
The three girls sat down, and one by one, people came to congratulate them on their birthday and give them a gift.
Once everyone had passed and given their gift, it was Damian's turn.
He approached his daughters with a smile before conjuring a small table in front of them, on which sat a small cylinder divided into three colors, with a button on each side.
His daughters laughed and looked at him, noticing that the colors were their favorites.
Everyone looked at the cylinder with curiosity, waiting for the gift to be revealed.
The girls gathered around the cylinder and pressed the button under their father's watchful eye.
The cylinder released a bit of visual steam before opening up to reveal three eggs.
The three girls looked in awe at the three eggs before turning to their father in surprise, wondering what was inside.
The others who were watching also felt a lot of curiosity upon seeing the amazed expressions of the girls.
"They're eggs that will hatch soon. Make sure to take good care of them," Damian said, smiling as he placed his hand on Emma's head, the closest one.
They were dinosaur eggs that he had personally modified before handing them over to the scientists for incubation. They were strong eggs, and as long as they stayed in the machine, they would eventually hatch.
The girls smiled happily as they hugged Damian. They would have a new companion to take care of and play with.
The rest of the birthday party passed quickly, with the six children having fun until it was time to leave.
Damian just smiled slightly and shook his head. Another year had gone by, and his daughters were still growing up.
"Couldn't you have just given them three puppies?" Tony teased from behind, eliciting several laughs.
Damian just looked at him annoyed before ignoring him.
...
The next day.
Damian appeared in Madripoor, as he had two things to do.
But unlike the other times, he appeared directly on the street without attracting anyone's attention.
He began to walk and explore the streets of his country. Everything had changed a lot; it really was a much more advanced place than the rest of the world. The buildings, vehicles, and streets gave a sense of futurism.
Damian spent over an hour walking through the city, simply observing the people and how they lived their lives.
Continuing to walk, he arrived at a park and sat down while silently looking around.
Looking at the city and the people, he couldn't help but feel a little proud. The country he had taken on a whim had become a pleasant place for people to live in peace.
Giving one last look around, Damian teleported to the scientist's location.
"My lord, I thought you wouldn't come anymore," the scientist said, smiling at Damian.
"I took your advice and took a stroll through the city," Damian said.
"And how was it?" the scientist asked, smiling.
"It's a good place. If I were a normal person, I would probably like to live here," Damian said, nodding.
"In fact, we've worked hard to create all this; it's really satisfying to see it," the scientist said.
"Hm," Damian nodded, not being modest and knowing perfectly well that most of this was achieved thanks to him. His power is what keeps this place advancing. If he were to leave with his family, this place would gradually begin to decline.
Without his absolute power controlling everything, it's hard for greed and envy not to start blossoming, and with this comes corruption and ultimately the destruction of a good place.
"Show me the map of all Madripoor," Damian said to the lab's artificial intelligence.
A 3D hologram of the entire island was soon formed.
The whole city made up about 1/6 of the entire island.
"I want to create an educational center," Damian told the scientist as he looked at places where he could build.
Although, much to Damian's annoyance, there wasn't a suitable place. The whole city was a perfect circle with the palace in the center.
And it would give him a bit of OCD to break the symmetrical shape of his city.
"A school of magic?" the scientist asked after thinking for a moment. Indeed, it was about time, as soon the world would be filled with magic, and the princesses were already approaching the age to go to school.
"That's right, but I don't think it's a good idea to do it in the city," Damian said, looking at the map before focusing on an area of the island where there was a large mountain and a cliff overlooking the sea.
"We'll do it here," Damian said, pointing at the cliff.
"Speaking of creating a school, when are you going to have a child?" Damian laughed as he looked at the scientist.
"My lord, I don't even have a wife," the scientist said, shaking his head with an ironic smile.
"Is it just because you spend all your time working? Relax and go meet some girls," Damian said, shaking his head.
"Cough... I'll start creating the plans for the school. It should be ready before you can gather all the gems," the scientist coughed to change the subject.
''As you wish,'' Damian said with a smile before heading home.
Soon half a year passed.
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