After that harrowing night, Safari never left Angeleva's sideânot even for a moment. Wherever she went, he was thereâher constant shadow, her unwavering protector.
He watched her belly grow month after month, his pride growing with it.
Even during quiet strolls through the meadows or the market areas of the planet, Safari carried the Devil Hammer slung across his backânot as a threat, but as a reminder. A reminder that no one would ever lay a hand on her again. Not while he still drew breath.
At times, when things were calm, Safari even tried to surprise her. He'd return with rare fruits he found hidden deep in the forests, or clumsily carve small wooden animal figures for the babies. Angeleva always gasped dramatically, feigning surprise like it was the most shocking gift she'd ever receivedâjust to see his expression soften and his pride swell.
"Wow," she'd say, holding up a crooked carving of what was probably supposed to be a bunny. "It's... beautiful."
Safari would smirk. "It's a wolf."
"Oh," she'd say with a giggle. "Then it's terrifyingly beautiful."
The people who had supported them continued to do so with kindnessâoffering warm meals, clean water, herbs to ease the pregnancy, and even little knitted clothes for the twins. Some even helped Safari build a small shelter near the forest's edgeâsafe, quiet, and surrounded by blooming flowers.
And the ungrateful ones?
They didn't dare try again.
They had seen Safari's fury that nightâseen the blaze in his eyes when he discovered what they'd done. They had mocked his love before. Tried to erase it. But now, they were silent. Fear had swallowed their hatred whole.
Because they knew: if they tried anything again...
He wouldn't just protect her.
He would destroy them.
But Safari didn't care about them anymore. His world was Angeleva and the two heartbeats she carried.
And every night, before sleep, he would kneel beside her, press his ear gently against her belly, and whisper storiesâabout Sappy, about battles he'd fought, and about how one day their children would see the stars together, free of cruelty.
And Angeleva, brushing her fingers through his wild hair, would smile and whisper back, "As long as you're with us... we'll never fear the dark."
Together, they waited. Not just for their childrenâbut for a future they would fight to protect. One filled not with revenge or pain... but with hope.
Days passed like petals falling from a treeâsoft, slow, and full of quiet tension.
Until the day finally came.
The skies were clear, yet the air felt heavy. The wind still, as if even nature was holding its breath.
The doctor stepped out of their small home, wiping his hands on a towel, his face solemn but calm. "It's time," he said.
Safari felt something twist inside his chest. His grip on the Devil Hammer tightened, even though he had no use for it now. He looked back toward the room where Angeleva lay, bathed in soft sunlight and the scent of herbs. His heart was thundering. He had fought demon generals, Raven and death itselfâyet this, this moment, terrified him more than all of it combined.
The doctor noticed his stiffness and walked up, placing a hand on Safari's shoulder. "Nervous?" he asked gently.
Safari nodded without a word.
"She'll need you," the doctor said. "More than ever."
Safari's eyes flickered with desperation. "Will she survive?"
The doctor took a breath. "For a normal fairy... no. If a fairy tried to bear the child of a devil as strong as you, she wouldn't make it. Her body would break under the pressure."
Safari's heart dropped, and his knees nearly buckled.
But then the doctor continued, "But Angeleva is no normal fairy. She's strong. Her power matches yours. She's endured more than most beings ever could. And the two of youâyour souls, your energiesâthey're compatible. That alone has kept her and the babies safe this long."
He looked into Safari's eyes. "There's a real chance she will survive this. But she needs you by her side. She draws strength from you, and you from her. Just like you're not the average devil... she's not the average fairy."
Safari swallowed hard and nodded. His jaw clenched. "Then I'll be there. I'll never leave her."
The doctor smiled slightly, turning back toward the house. "That's all she needs."
Safari entered the room, where Angeleva lay breathing heavily, her face glowing with sweat and painâbut also with light. The moment she saw him, her hand reached out without hesitation. He rushed forward and took it, dropping to his knees beside her.
"I'm here," he whispered, gripping her hand tightly.
She looked at him with glassy eyes, her lips trembling. "You promised."
He leaned in close and kissed her forehead. "And I'll keep it. Always."
Outside, the wind began to move again.
And inside, a miracle was about to be born.
The room felt smaller with every breath Angeleva took.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, her wings trembling as her energy flared uncontrollably around her. Her fingers gripped Safari's hand so tightly it could've broken bone, but he didn't flinchâhe just held on tighter, refusing to let her go.
"Angeleva," he whispered, brushing her soaked pink hair back from her face. "You're doing amazing. You're stronger than anyone I've ever known."
Her eyes fluttered open, pain clouding her vision. "It hurts... it burns inside..." she panted. "Safari... if something happensâ"
"No," he cut in immediately, his voice breaking. "Don't say that. You'll live. You hear me? You'll survive. You have to."
The doctor worked quickly, his assistants moving around in silence except for the rustle of cloth and the occasional sharp instruction. Tension filled the air like thundercloudsâthick, suffocating, and ready to burst.
A surge of power rippled through the roomâpink fairy light and green devil aura mixing in the air above Angeleva's stomach. It shimmered in rhythm with the twin heartbeats inside her.
Her scream echoed through the walls.
Safari nearly tore the table in half trying to keep himself grounded. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to hers. "Breathe, Angeleva. I'm right here. Feel me. Focus on me. You're not alone."
"I'm scared," she whimpered. "I want to see them... I want to see their faces..."
"You will," he promised, voice cracking. "You will. And you'll hold them in your arms, and they'll know how strong their mother is."
The doctor's voice called out, sharp and urgent. "Now!"
Angeleva screamed again, her energy flaring wildly, cracking the walls, shaking the ground.
Safari's arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her steady. "You can do this. Just a little more. For them. For us."
One final scream tore from her lungsâraw and full of pain and hopeâand then...
Silence.
And thenâ
A cry.
Then another, smaller one.
Two voices. Two lives.
Angeleva collapsed into Safari's arms, her breathing shallow but steady, her body trembling from exhaustion. Safari looked up, eyes wide with disbelief as the doctor carefully held two tiny newborns, wrapped in soft cloth glowing faintly with horns and wings.
The doctor stepped closer, his eyes wide with awe as he carefully handed the two glowing bundles to their parents.
"See for yourselves," he whispered. "You've brought something into this universe that was said to be impossible."
Angeleva, still trembling but conscious, reached out with weak arms. The baby girl was placed into them gently. Her tiny form squirmed, letting out soft cries, and as the cloth shifted slightly, Safari and Angeleva both caught sight of what made their hearts stop.
On her delicate headâsmall, curved devil horns.
On her backâtranslucent, shimmering fairy wings.
A mixture of dark and light. A child born of two worlds.
Angeleva's lip quivered. "She... has both. Just like we do. She's proof..."
Safari stepped closer with the baby boy now in his arms. The same: proud little horns just peeking through his head, glowing fairy wings fluttering gently behind him like morning mist.
"He's the same," Safari whispered in awe. "He's... us."
The baby boy opened his eyesâdeep crimson, just like Safari's, but with a faint violet shimmer in the pupils, like Angeleva's fairy glow. The little girl opened hers tooâsoft violet with a touch of crimson in the corners. They blinked slowly, still adjusting to the world.
And thenâboth of them cried again, as if calling to one another.
Safari and Angeleva leaned closer together, their foreheads touching, their children between them.
"They're... perfect," Angeleva whispered, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "We did it, Safari. They're real."
Safari gently kissed her forehead, then looked at the babies with overwhelming emotion surging in his chest. "They're not abominations. They're miracles."
The doctor, silent this whole time, stepped back with a smile.
"They're stronger than anyone I've ever seen. Both of them... are glowing with perfectly balanced power. Devil... and fairy. Just like their parents."