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yukiwrites · 3 months

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Worry and Comfort

Thank you for the support and patience as usual, @breeachuuu! I got a bit carried away with this, but I hope you like it~

Summary: Wolfie had stepped out of the portal back home, but his condition was much worse than expected. He had to be nursed back to health and confront his family about the Hero's Relic he had brought back with him...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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Nausea.

That was basically the only word that could describe what Wolfram was feeling.

His entire body felt like it had been turned inside out while upside down, his mind drowning in wet cotton.

He could hear his own breathing yet he couldn't feel his own lungs; or throat. Or head, for that matter.

It was all a blur.

There were signs of voices shouting around him, but they felt much too far away to be discerned — it was as if he was separated from the entire world through a thick, thick glass.

He lifted his hand. Or tried to. Did he? Was he holding something? Were his lips moving? They felt bone dry and his tongue was too numb to wet them.

"...tri..." he mumbled incoherently, turning his head to the sides in a fever.

Something heavy pressed on his chest, though Wolfie couldn't feel anything.

"St-y w—h me- W—fie!" A voice pierced through the glass, desperately trying to hook him back into reality. "St-y —th Mother!!"

Wolfie recognized that voice... from a distant past. From a recent past.

From a past life.

From... from the present...?

"M…om..." he turned his head, struggling to open his eyes, though everything was so bright even with his eyes closed that nothing changed — nothing but one thing: the nausea got worse. "I— ugh...! I-it burns..." he choked, finally feeling his heart beating again.

It surged with immense power for a moment, washing him down with momentary relief, then draining him back up, leaving a blazing trail inside his veins.

He screamed in pain.

"Stay with me, stay with Mother, Wolfie. You can do this, child... Stay, stay... Focus on my voice!" Nidra pressed her dragonstone on his bare chest, infusing it with power so it could be transferred to him.

Wolfie had passed out the moment he stepped out of the portal, his mana and vital energy completely drained — it seemed as though the cost to open the portal earlier on that end had been his own life force.

Nidra could tell right away that something was wrong even before he came out due to how unstable the portal was on their side, and time stopped for a second once she saw Wolfie's pale countenance as he dropped to the ground.

She had moved on instinct, understanding on a fundamental level what had happened even before she herself could process it.

Tiki immediately took action to close the portal, hurriedly asking Nah for her dragonstone.

The half-manakete was confused, looking between Tiki and the spiral of power swirling around Nidra, but ultimately nodded, taking out her smaller-than-normal dragonstone out of her pocket.

Once, Wolfie's dragonstone had been even smaller than Nah's, since his body couldn't handle a bigger stone due to his lacking draconic power.

Now, however, it seemed as though the slumbering dragon inside of him had awoken — he felt like a full-fledged manakete the moment he stepped out of the portal, though constrained by a crumbling little dragonstone.

Nidra managed to transfer her power to his depleted body right away, but a proper stone was needed to keep the balance within his blood.

"What's going on?! Why is Rammy on the floor like this?!" Cyn roared, her eyes glowing red. The spiral of power around Nidra sucked in the water around Mila's Tree's roots, enveloping them in a watery blockade. "MOM!!"

"Don't get out, now." Henry said in a somber and serious voice, making Cyn flinch, her eyes reverting back to human-like. He had erected a barrier around them the moment Nidra jumped in to aid Wolfie, and now stuck his arm in front of Cyn so she wouldn't come out of it.

"B-but Daddy! Rammy is— he's—" she looked at the spiral of water.

Henry's countenance got darker, making the girl shut up. "Your mom's got this, 'kay? We just gotta be here and wait for a bit; it'll be over soon."

"Father..." Meli clutched on Henry's sleeve. "But what happened? It was so fast..."

"Hm..." Henry looked down for a second, lifting his face back up with a softer expression. "I dunno? You're the dragons here, not me. Just know that if Ni-Ni hadn't jumped in when she did, it would've been... bad."

"Bad..." Meli mumbled under his breath, his eyes shaking.

Behind them, Cynthia and Meliodas trembled as they saw the explosion of power. For a moment, the duo remembered the day their mother had died in the future.

She went out like a flame, burning the brightest before being snuffed out by the darkness.

Shaking, they took each other's hands, comforted by their father's barrier.

"I-it's gonna be alright, Meli, see? Dad got us this time." Cynthia stuttered, squeezing her big brother's hand.

Meliodas gulped, nodding. "... Yes..." he sighed shakily.

Time felt like an eternity for the family waiting behind the barrier, though it all happened in less than a minute.

"Atta boy, you can do this, Wolfie. Just stay with Mother..." Nidra sniffled, pressing her stone even further, allowing his body to slightly absorb it. "Mother's power will help you..." she whispered, as if in a lullaby.

Wolfram withered in pain as the surge of power burned his body from the inside, voicing soundless screams.

With one hand, Nidra pulled the locket out of Wolfie's neck, throwing it to the side — the imbalance of power from his broken dragonstone was influencing how he received Nidra's energy.

His entire being starting from the very cells that composed his body needed to be restructured. It was clear that he had acquired much power and enlightenment during his journey, but it was all pumped back and forth through the small and brittle stone -- his draconic heart, so to speak --, slowly poisoning and corrupting his core.

Both of his hearts — the physical one and the dragonstone — needed to be cleansed from the very beginning. Nidra would need to merge her energy with his — which wasn't hard to do per se, especially because they were mother and son — and push out the impurities into her own stone.

It would break, of course, but that was of little importance. They could always acquire another one — helping Wolfie now was of the essence.

She kept talking to him to keep his mind on the present — on her. If he wandered off into the unknown of their draconic existence, he could lose his sense of self.

There was a sea of memories that could flood between them — he could see his own memories, or Nidra's. Or even the Divine Tree's itself.

The air in this world was packed with draconic energy, and it was all eager to envelop him like a blanket, as if to welcome a long-lost friend. If he so much gave into the wet cotton enveloping him, there was no turning back.

"Focus on Mother, Wolfie. It's almost over now!" Nidra's voice shook as she pressed her forehead on his, pressing her stone deeper into his body.

His chest consumed the stone as if it was made of clay, welcoming it right on top of his physical heart as it pumped the Blood throughout his veins, absorbing the corrupted energy as it rapidly turned black and brittle.

Truthfully, if he had attained the power to fully transform in this world, his stone wouldn't have broken so easily. It only did so in Fódlan due to the drought of the Blood in the air — the entropy kept increasing with nowhere to be exhausted to.

Huffing and burning inside, Wolfie's hand shook as he reached out for his chest. "It hurts, Mom—" he scratched his skin, though Nidra held his hand to stop him.

"Shh, it's almost over, you're doing great, child..." she kissed his forehead and cheek, gripping his hand as he clawed her trying to get away. "Look how strong you became, oh, what a proud mother you have made me, my baby..." she cried, her warm tears dropping on his face.

Somehow, somehow... Even though it burned, even though it was so cold, even though his body felt like it was being resized to fit into the world, the warmth of Nidra's tears brought unfathomable relief.

He closed his eyes again, even though he couldn't tell he had opened them from the blinding brightness; starting to finally feel his flesh again.

He was holding something with the other hand. Something he did not let go of even after collapsing.

Something he used as a walking stick, but now held on to it like a lifeline.

It was Areadbhar.

"Oh..." Wolfie's body relaxed, his forehead drenched with water and sweat finally softening its brow. "Dimitri..." he mumbled, squeezing the weapon into his grip as his consciousness slipped into darkness.

"Good, you have done well, son." Nidra whispered, kissing his forehead one last time as the spiral of power subdued around them. She pulled out the stone out of his chest, not sparing it a glance as it eroded into dust between her fingers, her eyes focused on her baby.

Something appeared in her field of vision, making her lift her gaze as Tiki approached, handing her Nah's stone in a timely manner.

Nidra bowed her head in thanks, receiving the stone and placing it into the spot her own stone had been in Wolfie's chest. The wound would take a while to recover and his body would spit it out in due time — he needed to get used to the wavelengths of this new stone for the time being, so she requested bandages as well.

She needed to get another stone for herself, but that could wait. Tiki could not share her own due to the difference in power between them, but Nidra was used to changing stones throughout her long existence, so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle.

For now, however, she sat beside her son and turned her face to the worried family watching from behind Henry's barrier.

"It is over," she said with a weak smile.

Cynthia lent her dragonstone to Nidra for the flight back home, though not before Nidra and Tiki made arrangements to procure a new one as soon as possible. Nah would also need one, but since she was staying with Tiki to learn the Way of the Voice, hers was easier to attain.

Regardless, the flight back home was silent and tense as Aquilo flew with Cyn and Wolfie on his back. Not only were they all worried about Wolfie's conditions, but they also felt an inherent repulsion towards the weapon he had brought back with him.

Tiki and Nidra had had a long talk about it before they departed, so the matriarch would tell them about it once it was appropriate, but it still exuded such terrible vibes no one but Henry felt comfortable being near it.

What terrible, terrible world had they sent their youngest to?

Wolfram would only wake three days later at dusk, his throat parched and his mind foggy but comfortable for the first time in a lifetime. Being in a place filled with the Presence of the Blood was so soothing he went right back to sleep after absent-mindedly drinking what had been given to him. Henry was the one sitting by him at the time, so he silently watched over the boy as he drifted back to sleep, not wanting to alarm anyone of his awakening.

The next day, the rays of sunlight filtered through the transparent curtains, blinding Wolfie's thin eyelids into finally waking up for real.

He groggily opened his eyes, being greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Where..." his voice was scratchy from lack of use, but a familiar voice caught his attention by his side.

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Henry flicked Wolfram's forehead, making him flinch and look up, widening his eyes to the point they were visible.

"F-Father..." he choked up a sob.

"Yep," Henry caressed Wolfie's long bangs, the one that were white as his own before he left, but now sported a more draconic green on them.

"Father!" he sobbed, jumping into Henry's embrace. "Is this real? Did I cross over? I'm—" he felt queasy from moving so quickly, his head spinning.

"Easy there, short stuff," Henry deposited him back to the bed. "Why don't you stay put here for a bit while I go grab something to eat?" he meant to get up, but Wolfie caught on his sleeve, his cheeks red and his tears ready to fall.

"W-wait, Dad, I..."

"Don't worry, kid," Henry placed both of Wolfie's hands on top of his own chest and tapped his forehead so he could close his eyes. "I'll only be gone a moment, 'kay? Everyone's dying to meetcha, but you gotta be ready to handle them all, right?"

"Every- everyone—" he sniffled. "Everyone..."

"Yep. I'll be back soon," Henry said, getting up from his seat and leaving the room.

It was such a big and majestic-looking room, too. Were they in Ylisse Castle? But the feeling around the walls were different. It looked newer but more classic in a way... Where were they?

As Wolfie's body was still overwhelmed due to the transition, he couldn't feel everyone's Presences on the corridor just outside, nor could he hear what was being said due to the soundproof barrier Henry placed in the room.

Cynthia and Cyn both fidgeted as their father walked out of the room, both of them wanting to run and embrace Rammy right away, but conscious enough of his condition not to. Meli and Meliodas already had the meal prepared and were lying in wait for the opportunity to come inside, but Henry walked out with his enigmatic smile and patted them both on their heads.

"Not yet." It was all he said, making the children lower their heads in disappointment. "Can I have that?" he pointed to the tray with soup and some water.

"Of course, Father..." Meli pouted as he handed the tray.

"Nyaha, we'll let you in soon enough, 'kay?" He winked, though it went unnoticed, as he turned to the one that hadn't said a word until now. "Shall we, Ni-Ni?"

"... Indeed." Nidra was oddly introspective even though her little baby had awoken, which was rather jarring for the children, but Henry understood it, as a parent himself.

There was much to discuss.

"Knock-knooock!" Henry allowed his voice to go through the barrier, which made everyone hear Wolfie's voice for the first time since he returned.

"C-come in!" his muffled response sounded awkward and crispy, setting Cynthia off as she sniffled a bit, hiding her face behind Meliodas' shoulder.

Once the parents went inside, the children remained in the corridor for a few minutes before dispersing themselves. Cyn went to the room they had sealed that weird lance in to have a staring contest with it; Cynthia went to her room to finish making hand crafted dolls for Wolfie and Meli and Meliodas went to fly around to think for a bit.

Wolfie had sat down on the bed and his jaw dropped once he saw Nidra walk into the room.

"M-Mom..." he choked, tears streaming down his cheeks instantly. "Mom!" He tried to get up, but Nidra was faster as she ran to him and held him in her chest.

"Oh, my baby... My little baby... It's so good to see you again, to hear your voice, to—" she sobbed, squeezing him so much he almost suffocated in her breast.

"You're gonna kill him, Ni-Ni." Henry tapped on her shoulder with a chuckle, making her flinch and let go for a moment.

"F-forgive me, child, I—"

"Motherr, wahh!" Wolfie cried like a little boy again, diving into the comfort of his mother's arms.

Nidra gulped down a few sobs as she caressed his long, green hair, never ever willing to part from him a second time.

After Henry managed to part the crying duo and making Wolfie eat, they could finally sit on either side of the boy and hold both of his hands to talk.

He still needed a few more weeks of convalescing for his body to expel the stone out of his chest, but his overall condition was good, so that was as good a time as any for their conversation.

Henry's smile felt especially cold after Wolfie's return, even though he still kept joking around like usual. However, the shadow under his eyes was an indication of his bad mood.

There was just something so inherently infuriating about being unable to do anything to help one's own child and powerlessly seeing him suffer that just didn't sit well with him.

Not to mention that cursed-like spear. Oh, Henry loved curses, alright. Deadly ones? Even better!

But that spear... only that spear was something he couldn't stand, especially after he ingested the life-extending concoction from Nidra's dragonstone.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, it was a weapon forged from living creatures. Usually Henry wouldn't bat an eye at that, especially if they were human remains, but the creatures used were not only non-humans, but also dragons.

The animal-loving dragon-marrying curse-slinger had to draw a line somewhere, and that was it.

He impatiently tapped on the armrest while the two were calming down their nerves, his own nerves flaring up the more he thought about.

"So! Wolfie," he said cheerfully, though the shadow under his brow made Wolfram flinch instead of smile to his father's voice. "Ready to tell us aaaall about your travels? Specifically that thing you brought with you?"

"Henry—" Nidra frowned, hugging Wolfie more deeply.

"It's okay, Ni-Ni, I'm just a tiny smidge bit curious, is all," he smiled, the dark energy swirling behind his back, however, saying otherwise.

Confused, Wolfie tilted his head to the side. "Huh? What thing—" he looked down to his clearly empty hands, then lifted his gaze in surprise. "Ah! Areadbhar! D-did I bring it properly? It didn't break, right? Where is it? I—" he panicked, flustered, but Nidra's embrace prevented him from moving too much.

"No worries, Wolfie. It's safe! Cyn's keeping an eye on it." Henry tilted his head to the door, crossing his arms and leaning on the backrest. "So?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Henry, stop with that attitude." Nidra scolded him. Of course, she was also worried — even more so than Henry — about that abominable thing, but she had heard the name Wolfie called as he gripped the weapon.

Dimitri.

It was after uttering that name that Wolfie managed to calm down and focus on his sense of self, allowing Nidra to finish healing him more quickly.

The power that a single word had to stop a storm of uncontrollable power was nothing short of a miracle, and Nidra couldn't help but acknowledge it, despite not really wanting to.

It made her think of a future where... a future where they...

She bit her lower lip, hugging Wolfie more into her grip.

"M-Mom..." Wolfie suffocated, patting her back so he could take a breather, but she did not let go until Henry placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hahh... Alright, alright, I'm calling off the bloodlust." Henry said in defeat, the darkness around him dissipating like smoke, lifting the mood in the room back up. He knew Nidra was also worried about it, and just adding to her already full plate wasn't becoming of the good spouse he wanted to be for her.

So, he dropped the subject.

"You can tell us in your own time, 'kay, Wolfie?" He ruffled the boy's hair, a bit bittersweet about the white ends and meant to get up. "I'll call over the calvary now."

But Wolfie held him back by the sleeve once again. "W-wait. Dad." He looked into his Father's eyes as he turned around, their similar faces mirroring the concern in their expressions. "... I wanna tell you. I will tell you."

"Alrighty," Henry sat back down, slapping his own knee. "Make sure to leave some for the others, though, 'kay? We wanna hear everything with the entire family."

"Mhm," Wolfie sniffled, nodding.

He told Nidra and Henry the gist of what he had gone through, though the meat of it and the fun parts he would say to his siblings once everyone had gathered. He talked about the mission, the lack of the Blood in the air, the way he had to infiltrate a school and stay with Byleth, how his lessons went...

Henry interrupted him for a moment to talk about how his mana circles indeed looked different than in the past.

Before, and the same as every mage in Arcanea, Wolfie's magical energy clutched itself around his body like a tight piece of clothing or a second skin. The mage needed, then, to channel their magic through books, curses or hexes to give it shape, which was considered normal.

In Fódlan, however, they wore their mana loosely like a cloak -- it was versatile and could flap in the atmosphere to be given any shape the bearer wanted, if they had the affinity for it. Henry would want to hear more about it at a later time, but how Wolfram grew in unexpected ways brought the parents immense joy.

Nidra held Wolfie's hand as he talked about the battles he had to go through and the five years of solitude, but her heart also swelled with pride as he spoke about his devotion to Naga and how he acquired a new power due to his diligence.

She then told him about what had happened once he crossed over, pointing to the bandages on his chest, which he hadn't even noticed.

"I also apologize for breaking the chain, but it is already repaired," she pointed to the locket resting preciously on top of the bedside table, which Wolfie took with careful hands and placed around his neck with a comfortable huff.

It was where the friendship jewel he had crafted for Dimitri was. He had given Dimitri his jewel during the time they were dating, but because the feelings poured into it had changed since he first made it, Wolfie had promised to make him another one.

Yet, now, there was no way to.

Wolfie fell silent as he gripped the locket, making the parents exchange a worried glance between themselves.

"You can tell us at your own pace, Wolfram." Nidra took his hand warmly, saying words she didn't actually mean. She wanted to know now and she wanted to keep him under her wings for a few more thousand years, but she also feared what he could end up saying.

"... But better sooner than later, nyaha!" Henry doused the tension with a truth-filled joke, making the other two giggle in response. "Buuut, I think our time's cutting close. The others can't wait anymore, can they?" He looked at Nidra, who nodded.

Their Presences were back in the corridor outside, though the silence spell was still active in the room.

"So!" Henry flicked his fingers, dispelling the barrier. "Why don't we all hear the rest together?" He clapped and the door immediately banged open.

"Everyone!" Wolfie smiled widely.

"R-Rammy!" Cynthia ran to the bed, but Cyn tackled him so fast the bed cracked under them.

"RAMMYY!" She yelled, crying on his chest. "You big, stupid, dummy! Dummy, dummy!" She cried. "Waaah!"

"B-big sis—" he sniffled, but had no time to cry as Cynthia also tackled him, and Meliodas and Meli each pulled his cheeks as punishment for worrying them. "O-ouuuch, ouch, ouch!" his nose stung, but his heart was full.

He was home.

Finally, finally he was home.

The bitterness of the sudden goodbye still lingered on top of him like a dense cloak, but the warmth of his family’s reception helped him a great deal through it.

For hours, they talked and listened to Wolfie’s stories, all clutched around the big bed, forgetting to even show Wolfie around their new castle.

It was only on the next day that they finally remembered to tell him that the castle that had begun its construction over 30 years ago had finally been finished — their family had now a permanent spot in the woods behind Ylisse Castle. It was so they could look over Robin and Chrom’s children throughout the ages to come as Nidra had promised her precious friend during the war.

Wolfie still couldn’t move too much, so the family took turns carrying him to show him around the castle, but once they stopped in front of the sealed room they had left Areadbhar in, tension filled the air again.

The boy couldn’t understand why, especially because he had not heard Rhea’s explanation of the truth regarding Byleth’s birth and the past of their species, so he never really found out the origin of the Hero’s Relics back in Fódlan. The only thing that mattered to him was that the spear was Dimitri’s and he had to return it — he had to return to him.

But broaching the subject was awkward at the moment.

Yet, the one who pointed it out was none other than Cyn. She had spent the last several days around that thing and even kicked it once out of frustration.

“Rammy, where did you get that… that thing?” She pointed to the sealed door. “You didn’t use it in battle, did you? It’s— it’s…”

“It is… unnerving,” Meli blurted out, almost actually saying ‘disgusting’, but managing to correct himself.

“Wha—no! And no one can use it either, okay?! It has some really scary powers and only some people can actually use it.” He wriggled on Meliodas’ back, finally standing up with his two feet in front of the door.

“It has some scary powers, alright,” Henry said darkly. “It’s made out of dragon bones, didja know? They were alive, too. You can feel their resentment… It’s a real piece of work. If I’d been a dark blacksmith, I would’ve had a field day studying it!” He opened his arms cheerfully. “You’ve been hanging out with some bad crowd there, haven’t you, Wolfie? This bad boy there can’t have come from a nice place…”

“Dragon bones…” Wolfie paled with the news, then looked to the door, almost able to see through it. “Some… some things make more sense now,” he said, remembering the times he saw people turn into demonic beasts after using Hero’s Relic without possessing a Crest. “Though, not everything…” he mumbled to himself. “But the ones using the weapons are good people! This one— This one specifically, he… I told you all about him, he… the prince…” Wolfie stuttered. “Dimitri…”

Nidra perked up at the name, dreading what would be the next sentence to come out of Wolfram’s lips.

“He lent it to me… Said I had to— to give it back.” Wolfie blurted out, squeezing his eyes as he looked down to his feet.

“Absolutely not,” every single person replied in unison.

“Eh?!” Wolfie lifted his head with flushed cheeks. “B-but—”

“NO!” Cyn stomped her foot on the floor. “NononononoNO!” She threw a tantrum like a little girl. “No way!”

Wolfram gulped, looking at the upset eyes of the ones he loved more than anything, weighing them against the one he now loved even more…

He… he had to convince them first, before anything else. Time was of the essence, but he also wanted to take his time with his family, so he was more conflicted than anything else. Dimitri… wait just a little longer, okay? I promise I’ll come back to you, but for now… He pressed his lips into a thin line, hanging his head down. For now he had to convince them.

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