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With a wave of his hand, Oceanus bestowed a special gift upon Celes.
"Woah! A crown?!"
The crown appeared to be crafted from pale blue tal, adorned with red, green, and blue jewels. It floated majestically above the boy's green-blue hair.
"What is this?" Nia asked, still a bit wary.
"Don't be afraid, it's nothing harmful," Thalassa said with a gentle smile. "We've simply granted Celes his rightful Divine Authority, the power Naiad left behind with us."
"It should help him grow much stronger," Oceanus added. "Naiad lost most of her powers when she used them to seal that evil man. But upon her reincarnation, her soul (or rather, your son's soul) has been gradually regaining strength and even developing unique abilities."
"With this, he should be able to grow further and reclaim the Divine Power Naiad once abandoned," Brontys agreed with a nod.
"Wait, won't he lose it once he leaves this world?" Nyx asked.
"No, this is a Divine Authority, not a Divine Throne," Oceanus explained. "It's the Divine Crown of Atlantis, inherited by all my children. Naiad couldn't receive it before because she wasn't of age. I was selfish and foolish. But now, with her reincarnated as this kind and promising boy, I won't hesitate."
"T-Thank you..." Celes said, visibly moved. "Mom, isn't this aweso?!"
"Well... if you're happy, then I'm happy," Nia replied, gently caressing his head. "It's a beautiful crown, but what does it actually do? I didn't feel any power."
"Just tap the crown, Celes, and its power will awaken," Oceanus instructed. "With it, you'll be welcod into our family. I'll gladly adopt you as my son, and I'm sure Brontys and Coraleia won't mind having a little brother. But is that alright with you and your family?"
"I don't mind," Maria said. "Though it's not really my decision—it's up to the boy and his mother."
"..." Nia remained silent for a mont. "If that's what you want..."
"Sure!" Celes nodded. "But only if my mama becos part of the family too. And Nyx! And my stepmother!"
"Eh?!" Nia gasped. "Wait, what? I have nothing to do with this... Is that okay?"
"?!" Nyx exclaid. "How? What?"
"Oh?" Maria chuckled softly at Celes's enthusiasm.
"That's fine with us, right?" Oceanus asked.
"I don't mind. We were already considering it, but didn't want to sound presumptuous," Thalassa said. "However, the crown itself—we can't extend it to them."
"That's alright," Nia said. "Please don't take his requests too seriously. He tends to ask for a lot and is a bit spoiled."
"Still, we appreciate how easily you accepted it," Maria said. "I suppose you might be trustworthy after all."
"I don't mind! I already liked you guys, well, when you're not being rude," Nyx added.
"We're really sorry about that..." Brontys sighed.
"We didn't know what we were doing. It was our fault," Coraleia admitted.
Celes nodded and tapped the crown.
TRUUUM!
A surge of divine spiritual energy flooded his body.
"Woah!"
It resembled a massive vortex of azure and golden ethereal energy, flowing upward like seawater into the skies above.
The power condensed in his chest, then spread throughout his body and soul, reinforcing him to an extraordinary degree.
His green-blue hair grew longer, reaching his shoulders, and deepened in color, with vibrant blue tips giving it a dual-toned appearance. His blue eyes sparkled, now tinged with gold.
More changes followed—he grew a long, fish-like tail from his hips, gills appeared on his neck, and fins sprouted from his back. Blue fish scales ford around his arms and legs.
Finally, his clear brown skin shifted in tone. So areas transford into tattoo-like patterns resembling ocean waves, rendered in blue.
He had beco sothing divine, part human and part spirit rfolk, like Naiad and her kin.
"Wow! Woah! I changed so much?! I can't believe it!" he exclaid joyfully.
"C-Celes?!" Nia gasped. "He changed too much! Is this permanent?!"
"It is," Oceanus confird with a smile. "We did say he'd beco part of the family."
"Don't worry," Thalassa reassured her. "Although the changes are permanent, he can shift between his original form and this divine form whenever he wishes."
"Phew... That's a relief," Nia said, visibly comforted. "But... my son! You truly feel so much stronger now."
"Do I?" Celes wondered. "Well, I sure am sparkly now, hehe! Wait—my Trident!"
He summoned his Dream Weapon, the Trident, startling the Four Rulers with its radiant azure and golden glow.
"He already has a Spiritual Relic?" Thalassa asked.
"Is it? It feels different..." Oceanus observed.
"It's cute!" Coraleia giggled.
"Nice weapon, Celes!" Brontys said.
"Thanks! It's my Dream Weapon. I think it evolved with into a Divine Weapon or sothing... Stepmom, can you tell what it is?" Celes asked Maria.
"Hmm, let take a look," Maria said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "I see! Your Dream Heart and new powers have fully rged. That's incredible! You've reached a unique stage. I'd call it a Divine Spiritual Dream Weapon. Yes, that fits!"
"That's amazing, Celes! Congrats!" Nyx cheered, raising her arms. "You look so cool now! You're going to make fall for you at this rate, hehe!"
"E-Eh?" Celes blushed. "D-Don't joke like that..."
"Hahaha! Incredible—you're far more talented than we imagined!" Oceanus said. "With the powers you've cultivated and the gift from the crown, you're nearly at our level. A true mber of our family!"
"Thanks!" Celes giggled. "I'm happy to have found another family here. I hope we can always get along! I'll call you uncle, auntie, big sister, and big brother."
"I suppose we don't deserve to be called mother and father..." Oceanus murmured, fidgeting with his beard like a sad child, despite his towering, muscular fra.
"It's alright, dear. He already had a father and mother," Thalassa said, hugging his arm and gently comforting him. "Being his uncle and aunt is just fine."
"Well, all's well that ends well!" Maria said. "Now that we're here, I wanted to discuss sothing important. I'd like to propose an alliance between worlds."
"An alliance between worlds?" Oceanus echoed.
"Yes. There's a grand plan in motion, and..." Maria began explaining her proposal to the four rulers.
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