The World's most Overpowered Side-Character

"You look beautiful, Ikaris," Sol stood behind her while she was staring at herself in the mirror of their personal bathroom; even though she possessed otherworldly beauty and seemed to place her physical appearance above that of all other beings, the goddess seldom spent any time admiring herself.

"Thank you," She blushed taking his hands from her hips and holding him onto herself in a hug from behind after locking his hands across her tummy. "Is it strange that I miss having a big belly?" Ikaris asked, staring at her husband from their reflection, and he chuckled loudly and looked down her blouse at her flat stomach.

"Women usually say the opposite, Ikaris," Sol smiled, holding her tightly as she laughed at herself for saying it.

"Honestly, I miss those days of just being normal now, the little things we have chased in the past are tied to some of my happiest memories, I never imagined that sitting and watching Dina and Arla try to catch Sara in a game of tag would be something I missed this badly, or just the few of us enjoying a lively dinner with the neighbours.

"I miss being ignorant of the Grand Collective, I would give all those memories away if I could, and trade them for more walks in the park," Ikaris replied with a smile riddled in nostalgia. Yet here we are, preparing our friends and loved ones for another war after we swore never to fight in one again, Dear, it makes me sad to see them fight."

"I know, but we don't have a choice this time, we truly don't; Umbra and his new ally are a breath away at any given moment, the Emporium is going to be breathing down our necks, I wouldn't be shocked if some fourth party joined opposing us," Sol sighed and squeezed her one more time before releasing her and stepping away, sticking his hands in his pockets and standing at the door.

"It isn't fair to you, rejoining a bloody war..."

"They need me though," She hummed when he returned and gathered her hair in his fist pulling her onto himself as he began skillfully braiding the sides. "The same way the Grand needs you."

They would have continued speaking in hushed tones while Talia slept quietly, but someone came and stood at their door with a hand hovering before it in hesitance.

"Jenifer?" Sol looked at the door with a raised brow. "What is it?" He asked, staring still.

"I have a request, Sir," She answered respectfully after several silent seconds pondering how to respond to him, and Ikaris looked at him with a bemused smile, since although they were considered allies she was not totally agreed to their presence given where they were and the cause which they served, this also made things complicated given Cecelia's involvement in the Emporium, and the knowledge that there were other Vatui and Godslayer beings working for the emporium to save themself from the cruel fate of being harvested, though they hid well there was always a chance one could find and expose them.

"Does it have something to do with being trained in how to use magic?" Sol asked, and Jenifer on the other side of the door stood at attention with her eyes wide and her arms slightly shaking as her body exuded small amounts of the entity known as mana.

"You know?" She asked surprised and Ikaris scoffed and walked to the door, pushing it open and staring at her. "M-Milady-"

"Do you think you suddenly acquired mana by chance, have you not been paying attention?" Ikaris asked with her brow raised, glancing behind herself at Sol who smiled and waved, leaning over Talia with a gesture of endearment as she quietly closed the door and gestured that the woman follow her.

***A few minutes earlier***

[Congratulations on successfully meeting the requirements for mana usage, your stamina has been duplicated and the secondary pool converted into the magical property, seek a tutor to begin training immediately]

Jenifer saw the message as soon as she woke up, it just sat there in the air before her floating like a regular notification and giving off a faint humming sound, the window glowed, but the light didn't seem to touch and physical object in the room and only interacted with her, and when she tried touching it the window disappeared, leaving her sitting there with her hair messily spread and her thoughts in utter disarray.

"Seek a tutor to start training how to use mana...?" She mused, still in disbelief since she felt no different than she did before falling asleep, she hadn't even taken any of the things alpha had left out for her since unlike the others; she was tired for real and needed to sleep to recover even a little. "Should I take that seriously?" She asked herself.

"Seek a tutor..." Jenifer mused once more as she prepared herself to leave the room and even after she had left she still repeated the message unconsciously while she walked without aim or purpose, coming to her senses only after she had stopped at the door and heard Sol call her name and ask her what she wanted, it was like she was in a trance.

At present, upon descending the staircase Jenifer was surprised when she found Keele and Cecelia already sitting in the lounge waiting quietly while they stared at what was supposedly empty air before them.

"You two as well?" She asked and they both nodded with Cecelia standing and bowing before Ikaris as soon as she laid eyes on her.

"Alpha, well done," Ikaris spoke and the little maid appeared at her side with a dainty courtesy crossing her legs and bowing gracefully as she extended her arms to her sides with the hems of her uniform pinched between her index and thumb fingers.

"What about the others?" She asked and alpha cleared her throat and conjured a window before Ikaris showing a full chart of all the Vatui refugees from Cecelia's clan having been gifted mana.

"Wonderful, let us go there first, it is time we made some real progress, if possible I want to be available when master is fighting that monster, although I have no I[idea if i will be able to help I want to show my support in whatever way I can," Ikaris declared and waved her hand using the system paired with her mana to create a portal door directly linked to Keele's homeworld in the middle of their temporary encampment.

"Princess," Cecelia spoke up when Ikaris stood stationary rather than entre as she had expected she would.

"I understand why I call him master, I am subservient to his will as he is the one who saved me, and I know that the others refer to him as master out of reverence and respect, but you are his equal; his wife and other half and yet I have observed you calling him master on multiple occasions; why is that?" She asked and a smile graced Ikaris's face as she thought of how they would react upon knowing the truth.

"I am his wife, yes, and as his wife I do hold that title as his other half; sure," Ikaris hummed with that same amused smile.

"However, to call him my equal is something I would never be presumptuous enough to confidently do; he owns my life and my soul, he is my master in every regard and meaning which you could think of the word, I am his goddess, I am his property," Ikaris lowered her collar showing them the crest and then stuck her tongue out as the crest there slightly glowed, he is my Godslayer, my saviour, my benefactor, my god, my everything, I am his slave, tethered to him and bound by contract to always remain his most loyal," She finished, proudly resting her hands akimbo and huffing a little puff of golden mana from her nostrils.

"It feels wrong to not call him the title he is due ...no?"

"...Huh?" Cecelia stared at her princess shocked beyond any intelligible response.

"Indeed," Arla interrupted Cecelia's brain-melt as her and Dina descended the staircase, both of them showing their crests proudly as well.

"Each has a different story, each has something he has saved us from; for me it is a life of fear, isolation and self loathe, giving me the opportunity to believe in the good of man and the beauty of love for the first time in my life, Master saved me from myself," She stood next to Ikaris.

"Master saved me from my fear of isolation, he broadened my horizons and gave me the opportunity I could never take by myself, and Ikaris saved me from my doubts when she accepted me with open arms, she is my first true friend; my best friend, and he is my first and only love," Dina added.

"This, Cecelia is the reason why no matter the strength you possess, you can never stand at my side, these girls are as much his as they are mime," Ikaris gestured to the door and began walking.

" I am his support, and they are mine, Arla my left, and Dina my right, never mind the power you think they possess, a year ago they were not even capable of a quarter of what they are now, as I grow, and as master grows, so do they, it is only a matter of time before they surpass you all and stand at the top."

"Even now when we have the same advantage of mana that they do?" Keele asked, remembering well Dina's monstrous growth whenever she engaged in any fight.

"Especially now."