A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means not been proofread yet nor edited.
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"Oh, no! Why is my Wattsycakes sick!"
Elektra Xirquit runs to her brother with her arms extended, reaching him out. Spike Xirquit followed her inside his brother's room. Wattroid is already inside, standing by the door with a smile on his face. He's with them. If not, then they won't be able to get in his dimension office.
Franchetti Xerene helped her son get up, only to fall back to bed when his sister jumped on him and gave him aggressive snuggles.
"Elektra!" Franchetti Xerene yelled and separated her from her brother.
"Aww, Mom! I just missed my Wattsycakes! No~ My baby!"
Watts Xirquit smiled at his sister.
"It's okay, Mom. My fever has gone down. I'm fine."
"No."
Ohms Xirquit sat beside him and feel his temperature using the back of his hand. It's true that his fever has gone down.
"Rest more. Everything's under our control. As of now, Wattroid gave the order to demolish what's standing on your properties in Warlock Empire. The transportations were kept in one place. We still don't know where to take them."
Watts Xirquit gave Wattroid a glance.
"Great to hear that. I don't mind being perceived as that petty. I want them to realize what they did, what they lost, and regret everything they've done."
It put a smirk on his eldest brother's lips. Spike made himself comfortable on the foot of his brother's bed.
"I saw the Deity in the Diamond Palace. Celia's attending to her. Are we not going to take them? Especially Celia, she's bottling her emotions up. That's not good," Spike Xirquit spoke and rested his head on his mother's leg.
Lady Elektra laid beside Watts Xirquit who's sitting upright. She hugged his waist and giggled.
Spike Xirquit took the job of keeping an eye on the Warlocks, mainly on Sun and her knight.
"I can't predict her. I don't understand what she's staying there for. Maybe because of the Deity? Also, before I forgot to tell you, they're still trying to lift Zoddy's curse or magic on Sun. That kind of suffering is diabolical. I don't want to go through that."
There was a brief moment of silence between them, until Elektra Xirquit snorted.
"Good for her! She deserves it. Hmmp. I suddenly miss my grandson. When will we meet again? My Zoddy~" she buried her face on her brother's chest and inhaled his scent, while the rest are trying to read him. They're observing him who's keeping a straight face.
"How is it possible for a being from another and past timeline to be in the new and present one? Has this happened before?" He wondered innocently and threw questioning stares at his parents.
His father instantly answered, "No, this has never happened before," he breathe in, "Astaroth once said that the laws of time and space can be bent in many ways, but there will always be a price to pay. Natural laws and sciences wouldn't matter once it's done because it's all happening according to the user's will. Astaroth changed the timeline thrice. The first timeline is the natural timeline, but things didn't go according to what must happen, so he made a second one. The second was an almost, but it took a different turn. And on the third one, he got the results he wanted."
"What did it cost him?" Spike Xirquit.
"Casualties. Many casualties," his mother took over, "In the first timeline, he said it was the most complicated. Much more ruthless, he said. It's like we were just playing with life and death because Daro, or the Godfather as he was previously known, was bored. According to Astaroth, our story did not have a definite ending. No good or bad ending. Just a continuous cycle of chasing, killing, hurting, hiding, and seeking. Since it's the natural timeline, it cost him nothing. But the creation of the second one came with a price."
"Though the casualties aren't that great, we still suffered. Your Auntie Luisa lost her legs during the war against Sinister Phantom, Daro's evil organization. Some lost their senses and limbs. We almost lost Dearil. In the first and second timeline, the corruption distorted Daro's reality and humanity. He told us that there were voices telling him to make this and that, for that will help them go back to their world, here, the now Cosmo-Vale. He chased Dearil because he only wanted them to go back, but the corruption wanted him to kill her and everyone protecting her. That's why I served as the Dragunovvs' guardian. I made them change their names into 'Hexlock' and only the Head of the family will know their secret."
"Is it true that King Liorei forced himself to you? That he's always wanted you? That you loved King LIFE and chose him over Dad?" Ohms Xirquit probed, gazing straighting her eyes.
Franchetti Xerene became stiff. They didn't expect that coming.
Their children are already adults. It won't matter if she were to tell them another truth. It's not like it's the worst thing they have ever told them. They've told much worse to enlighten their children, so why is she hesitating?
"...Yes. Yes, Liorei, in every timeline we had, has been obsessed with me. In the first timeline, Astaroth told me that I loved Yohanne first. In the second, it was Van. In the third, my first love was Raghkeid, Yohanne's father, then Volt. One thing that didn't change in those timeline were the birth of your sisters, Lorreign and Selene. They were fated to be born together, I was fated to birth them."
"He raped you."
They saw how Ohms Xirquit's eyes shrinked, hinting them his anger.
Franchetti Xerene smiled and extended her hands to reach his face.
"In the first timeline, yes. The second and third, no. I surrendered. He was a good man. He loved me. I just don't like him because he was an enemy. But you see, when we got married, I got to know him. He is a gentleman, a good father, a good brother, and a good son. He was a good husband to me. I loved him for that. Maybe if I had given him a chance, we could've prevented all of that. But if I do, we wouldn't be here. Astaroth will and will always make timelines until he got the results he wanted. I'm happy to be a Xirquit and not a Dragunovv. Your Dad is the best. He gave me you, my babies."
Ohms Xirquit's gaze sharpened more, but they softened when her gentle tears began to fall. He looked away and turned his back on her.
"I know he's a good man. I like that he's willing to become yet a villain again just to protect what he loves. But I hate that he forced himself to you. He's a good man, but he's still a rapist. He's in the right mind when he did that to you. I accept no excuse."
"But he won't do it anymore," it was Watts, staring at his foot covered by his blanket, "I love King Liorei. I know he got history. Bad and dirty history. But I love him very much. He's a father to me already. Maybe he's just desperate to be loved. He just want someone who will understand him, at the same time, someone who is strong enough to stand beside him. He found those qualities in Mom. But since he's an enemy, nobody would even try to get to know him. He's a villain. Very evil and bad. He's just a good, obedient son. He's just a brother who wanted to protect his little brother. Everybody gets to be saved, but nobody...tried to save King Liorei. Nobody was there to pull him up when the darkness was swallowing him. He must be very scared. Just like Moon. They have someone to call, but that someone wasn't there. You weren't there for him, Mom. I wasn't there for Moon. We weren't there for them when they were sinking into the void."
Their eyes slowly widened. Wattroid lost his smile. His tears stream down his face once again, at the same time King Liorei's, who didn't mean to eavesdrop, fell. The boy understands him.
"You shouldn't have done that. If only I was there, I might have done something to prevent it. But she's the one who asked it... She asked for it... I failed to save her the Princess from the dragons."
His grip on the blanket tightened as he bit his lower lip tighter until it bleed. Franchetti Xerene gave him yet another comforting embrace.
"What was it like in our first timeline? I want to know about us. Did I love her as much as I love her now? What happened to us? Did she lose me that she have to marry Maxigaufeas? Or did she replaced me because I was lacking? Because I am wearing Wattroid? Why did I kill our first baby? Why did we lost Zoddy? Why did Maxigaufeas did that to Maximilien? So many why's. It's excruciating. If only I was better. I feel so...dumb. I'm a dummy. I couldn't save her. I'm so lame!" He hit hit head with his knuckles, shocking his family. His mother hold his hands to stop him from hurting himself, but he only cried harder. Nothing would be enough to comfort his hurting heart.
Ohms Xirquit ruffled his brother's hair. He placed his hand on the back of his head an pulled him close to him until their foreheads touched.
"I told you, she's alive. Your son... He's somehow implying she is. Listen to me, son. Have I ever hurt you? Have I ever lied to you? I have never. I know this is just an assumption, but my instincts tells me so. She's alive and I'm sure of that. Otherwise, our story would've ended if she truly died. But your son showed up to tell us about her revenge. She's not dead. She's alive."
"B-But how are you g-going to e-explain her r-return to the h-heavens? I lost her. I-In my h-hands-! I killed... I killed Moon! I-I will soon be a doctor but... But I...!"
Elektra Xirquit get up and hugged her brother. Then, she nibbled his cheek with tearful eyes.
"Don't cry, Wattsy. You're so pessimistic! Think positive and get ready! The next time we her, she won't be Moon! She will be somebody else!"
Spike Xirquit sighed as he watch everything in front of him. He's grateful that his obsession over his brother isn't exaggerated. He's truly the only neutral child of his parents.
"Once you calm down, let's have a serious and in-depth discussion about this," the patriarch of their family decided, and they have no choice but to follow. Elektra Xirquit bit her brother's cheek first before licking her saliva on it.
"Elektra, that's so disgusting. Stop that and get off Watts!" Ohms Xirquit pulled her hair away, taking her away.
"Aww! Mom, look at that! He's gay! That must be why he hasn't fathered any child yet! OHMS IS GAY!"
They heard a soft chuckle from their youngest brother who's feeling a little bit better thanks to them.
"At least I did not slept with some peasant just because he's a good-looking farmer! The boy isn't even smart! A disgrace to our family!"
"HEY!" The lady yelled, but tuned down when she tried to remember who he's talking about.
They couldn't believe her, "No. No, you didn't. Don't tell us that you've forgotten about the boy you slept with? You stupid brat! You recklessly shared our blood and flesh with some peasant and you can't even remember his name and your sons!"
Ohms Xirquit pulled her hair more until she folded like a paper. Franchetti Xerene smacked her eldest son's hand to let his sister's hair go.
"You should be grateful! Our lineage lasted because of my sons!"
"And yet you can't even remember them!"
"I don't like them! I like Wattsy more!"
Pissed by his sister's idiotic reasoning, he locked her neck in his arm and drill his middle finger's knuckle on her temple.
"AAAHHH! MOM! I'm a Princess! He's hurting me!"
Voltage Xirquit helplessly massaged the bridge of his nose, while his wife is cheering for their children. Spike is already asleep with a satisfied smile on his lips knowing that his sister is being bullied. Watts is only laughing at them, until he noticed King Liorei smiling wryly as he watch their simple happiness. Their eyes met, and the King smiled at him kindly before going away.
It would've been his life with her if only he treated her better and right. He should've been the one taking the role of her husband and not Voltage Xirquit. It should've been him.