The former Geo Archon sighed as he carried a sleeping, partially-manifested version of his niece in his arms. 

"Aww, look who's being a good person," March teased with a smile as she watched the former archon gently hold the toddler in his arms as Pom-Pom handed him a cup of coffee. 

"Thank you, Pom-Pom," The former archon said with a smile as he took a sip of the unique blend of coffee he taught the conductor of the express. 

"Speaking of which, how can your Niece appear here?" Dan Heng asked, for the first time since Cerberus arrived was out of his archives. 

"A special ability that I managed to revise," Cerberus explained as he noticed how Reese's drool was even transported by the Adeptus Art. "Although, this gremlin is more attuned to it than I ever was," 

"I do remember how I found you stuck upside down on a tree while thinking of how to revise those," Welt said with a chuckle, causing the former Archon to turn red. Stelle giggled a bit at how the former Archon melted. "I do remember that time when you had to walk around shirtless after you destroyed your clothes," 

"Don't remind me," The young man said, remembering how Kiana, in a big brain move, have almost pimped him out so that she can get all that he owed her. Thankfully, he saw Mei and she helped him hide. "Although, I am proud that she can use the Adeptus Arts that I made and revised,"

"So, is Asta gonna be her new Auntie?" Himeko asked, enjoying the way how Cerberus twitched at the name of the girl he had just proposed to. After all, they were en route for some supplies at Herta Space Station. 

"You guys won't let me live it down, won't you?" The young man asked, only to blink when Reese disappeared. An effect of the disconnection of Reese's power with his. 

"Well, I admit that it is quite surprising," Dan Heng added as somehow, the two young men of the express forged a brotherhood. 

"Yeah! I mean, I had you for another Dan Heng!" March said, causing the duo to look at her blankly while Stelle pouted and gently poked the former Archon's cheek while giving him an annoyed yet blank look. 

"Well, I do get along with Dan Heng more than you, March," the former archon teased, enjoying how the girl that looked like his big sister, Elysia, pouted. The former archon ignored the way how Stelle poked his cheek as he leaned back. 

"Mark my words, Dan Heng!" March sporadically announced, poking the spearman's cheek. The spearmen looked at each other and sighed. 

---

The crew arrived at the Express and for some reason, Cerberus wore a different set of clothes. He had replaced his coat in favor of a copy of Welt's own with the button-up being replaced by a simple long-sleeved shirt. The former archon loosened the collar of his new turtleneck and smiled at the geo archery ring on his right hand, over a coat of earth-colored skin that acted like a glove. For some reason, he has some sort of earring of a finely shaped amber crystal the shape of a star. 

"Brother Cerberus!" A boy with tanned skin and white hair greeted the former Archon as he stepped out of the express. The former Archon looked at the boy and the people behind him and let out a sigh.

 "Someone has fans," Stelle said with a smile as she elbowed him with a smug smile.

For a split second, Cerberus looked at Arlan before an image overlapped with his. An image of a younger Cerberus before he found the Geo Gnosis and a picture of a boy, Alatus, if his inherited memory was correct.

"How Ironic," the former Archon said, gently appearing in front of Arlan in an amber flash. The boy was surprised, only to turn red when the older male took his hands and looked at them. "Protect your hands, you're a swordsman," An amber glow surrounded Arlan. "A swordsman with broken hands is worth nothing," 

Arlan watched in awe as he felt the pain in his body fade away. 

"Go to the training room later," The former archon said, gently rubbing the boy's hair as he walked ahead of the group. As the young man walked, he noticed someone, "Asta?" 

An embarrassed squeak erupted from the corner as the girl in question poked her head out and smiled at the former Archon, her face burning a shade of pink.

"H-hello, mister Cerberus." The lead researcher greeted him with a shy smile. 

"Stinky! Help!" Reese, in her ethereal form, shouted as she formed behind Asta, causing the poor girl to jump in fright and into his arms. 

"What is it, Reese?" Cerberus asked his niece as he gently held onto Asta, noting how light she is, "Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"No!" The geo gremlin formed an amber glow around her foot, manipulating the element and used it to kick his shin. "No flirting with pretty ladies! Help me first!"

"uhm, Mister Cerberus, please put me down," Asta whispered shyly as she felt her heart almost burst out of her chest. 

"Oh, you're here," Herta, the voice of the space station, said as she used her robot body to look at the two. 

"Hey, hey," Reese gently tugged his coat and when the young former archon looked at her with a raised brow, the successor of the geo element pointed at Herta. "what's with this sassy lost child?" 

Herta, for the first time that Cerberus, Asta, and Arlan had seen her, twitched as she focused on the child. 

"Quiet, brat," 

"I'm not a brat! You ugly hag!" Reese shouted, glaring at Herta. A white robe formed over her until the former archon gently and playfully whacked her head "Hey!" 

"Play nice," Cerberus said, ignoring how the young girl glared at him. "Sorry about her, she's a brat and a gremlin," 

"I am not a gremlin, stinky!" Reese yelled at her uncle, still not knowing who he is. 

"Your mother would be angry at you if you act like this," 

"No, she won't! I am a good girl!" Reese said, causing Herta to scoff. 

"That's a lie, short stack," Herta said and in that single moment, Reese hated her, 

An amber spear ominously formed on Reese's hand as her dark eyes glowed with an amber tint, and tick marks formed around the child's body as she tried to calm down. 

"Uhm, miss Reese," Asta, bless her kind heart, said as she got in front of Reese. "If you want, mister Cerberus and I can help you buy a gift," A moment of silence passed by as Reese looked at Asta before turning to Cerberus. Peeking over at Asta to glare at Herta, the child nodded and jumped on Cerberus' shoulder, defying the laws of Physics. 

"Hmm, the pretty lady has a point!" Reese said as she sat on the former archon's shoulder. "Is she your girlfriend? I approve," the girl whispered in his ear.  Cerberus sighed as he looked at his niece.

"Aren't you five?" 

"According to Uncle Rex's journal and Auntie Kiana, I am big-brained," Reese proudly stated. 

"How do you even know those words?" Cerberus asked as he picked Reese by her torso and looked at her. 

"Easy! I am smart like miss pretty! Oh, what's your name?" Reese said, actively ignoring Herta while discreetly manipulating the geo element to form a stone monument above Herta only for Cerberus to cancel it out. 

"Oh? I'm Asta, nice to meet you, little one." Asta said with a smile before gasping as the girl hopped off the young man's arm and landed on the air via faint amber constructs. 

"Careful, Asta, Reese is dangerous," Cerberus said, teasing the girl as he rubbed Reese's head, 

"Before that, I have a proposition for you," Herta said with a smile. "You said that you wanted to lead a Starnaught fleet? I have a simulation for you," 

"Kick her butt, Stinky!" Reese shouted, knowing in her heart that her friend would beat the sassy lost child. 

"Oh, dear," Welt said while knowing what exactly will happen. 

====

Herta froze in horror and fear as she watched her simulations, her tactics. 

She wanted to put the child's guardian in his place and hopefully recruit him for studies but now. 

"O... oh, dear," March said, looking at the real-time simulations. 

"Well, Cerberus never makes promises he can't keep and while it was in the heat of the moment," Welt explained as he watched how apathetic the young man looked as he sat on the commander's seat opposite of Herta, looking every bit as he was expected to be as the former Archon of Geo. 

An entire fleet under his leadership was all it took for him to conquer Herta's empire, razing to the ground countless planets that had no value or meaning to him. Commencing scorched planet tactics, employing biological warfare, and so on, the former archon conquered the empire with five ships, eradicating and choking that resisted with an iron fist while being lenient to those that surrendered. 

"This is war, Herta," Cerberus said as he sipped his cup of tea, gracefully downing the liquid as he looked at her. "You might be a genius but I am a master of war. You had the resources but you never had the skill in regards to warfare. Good job, Reese," The former archon rubbed his niece's head.

"Bleh!" Reese said, sticking her tongue out at Herta as she was the one that lead the opening maneuvers. 

======

Omake: Reese's gift

Reese smiled as she woke up, she was back in her room! Stinky and pretty Miss Asta helped her give her daddy a gift. Following Stinky's advice, Reese focused and an amber crystal copy formed in her hand. Smiling, the gremlin went towards the living room and saw her aunt Elysia. 

"Hey! Auntie! Have you seen Daddy?" Elysia merely smiled at her niece/daughter. 

"Your father is with Uncle Reve, sweetie!" Reese smiled, jumping into several amber platforms, she kissed Elysia's cheek and disappeared in an amber flash just as she has seen Stinky do so. 

"Dad! Happy birthday!" Reese shouted, appearing in front of Reinhart, and hugged him. "Look, I have a gift for you!" Reese smiled as she handed him a crudely made, in the eyes of an expert, an amber carving of a star. "Stinky-Cerby help me make it with his pretty girlfriend, miss Asta!" 

A crack echoed in the training room as both Kiana and Mei shattered their training weapons after an exchange, making Adam, Timido, and Carole huddle in fear in a corner at the ominous aura around the two. 

=======

Omake: A dream-like Reunion

"Okay! It's ready, Auntie Mei." Reese shouted as she lit the incense while preparing the things needed for the ritual.

"Thank you, Reese," Mei said with a smile as she felt the ritual take effect. Soon, the former Herrscher found herself in a void. Walking through it, the young woman smiled as she saw him, her dear friend. 

"Did you wait long?" Mei asked, shyly brushing a strand away from her face.

"Mei?" Cerberus/Rex asked, looking at his face. The young man gawked as he looked at her. She changed a lot! "I... you look good," 

A giggle escaped from the empress of thunder as she took a seat beside him. 

"Honestly, I thought it would be Kiana," the former archon said. "Not that I mind," 

"Well, Kiana is busy," Mei said, enjoying the ambient silence between the two. "It's been nine years," 

"Yeah, hard to believe that," Cerberus said as he looked at her. "You used to let Kiana perv on you and spoil the three of us with your meals," 

"And you found ways to stop Kiana most of the time, only to end in her place," Mei teased, causing the two to laugh. "I like your new hairstyle," 

"Yours too," Cerberus said and before he knew it, he was wrapped in the arms of his dear friend as she held onto him tightly, refusing to let go. Soft sobs escaped her form as she held onto him while the former Archon rubbed her back. 

"You idiot!" Mei cried out as she cried in his arms and chest. "We were so worried!"  

"I know, Uncle Welt told me," Cerberus said as he held her close. The two basked in their beloved silence, enjoying each other's presence.