'What is this?' Draco thought upon inspecting the changes to his body.
He felt as though part of his reasoning was being partially suppressed.
He could feel power coursing through his body, seeming to feed off his rage.
He could now see why Dimitra was afraid of him.
'Is it a new ability?' he questioned, trying to calm himself down and revert.
It looked like an advanced version of his partial transformation skill.
'Bottle your rage, now is not the time,' Draco repeated, taking deep breaths until he felt his body reverting back to normal.
"Dimitra, don't be scared. It's just me," Draco said softly.
"Sniff, Nii," Dimitra cried out, running down the steps and hugging him.
'Sigh, look what you did to your little sister,' Draco scolded himself.
He hugged Dimitra tightly, gently rocking her until she calmed down and stopped crying.
'What do I do now? How do I break the news to them? How will we live from now on?' Draco couldn't help but ponder.
All the adults in their lives were now dead, and the rest of the town were likely dead too.
He didn't know anyone or where he even was in the world of Danmachi.
He had seven children to take care of, and he too was physically a child, so there was no hope of legitimate work.
Even if he found one, he knew that he would just be exploited.
There was also another major problem: him, Vasiliki, and Vasileios.
Their races were rare, meaning they were basically slave trader magnets.
The most likely choice left was to go to Orario and begin the life of an adventurer, gaining the protection of a familia.
This would be one of the most logical paths he could take after what just happened, but he knew what was currently happening in Orario.
Going there now would be suicide for him and his siblings.
The Zeus and Hera familia were going to lose to the one-eyed black dragon who just destroyed his home.
They would be almost wiped out, leaving a massive power sink in the city.
A terrible power struggle was going to take place soon after, and he didn't want to be in the mix of it.
He himself could probably survive somehow, but the same wasn't true for the children now in his care.
"Here, rest on my lap," Draco offered Dimitra, wiping the tears off her face.
"Hmm," Dimitra nodded, resting her head on his lap, gazing at the glowing lava in front of her.
She could subtly surmise that something bad had happened; she wasn't stupid.
She could feel pain and rage emanating from her older brother, but she couldn't do anything about it.
For now, she wanted to rest and dream of her happy times.
She could somewhat tell that the coming days weren't going to be easy.
Draco caressed her hair slowly as he watched her drift into sleep.
He couldn't do anything for now; the other children were still unconscious, and right now he didn't feel like moving.
...............…
Four hours later...
Everyone had woken up from their unconscious state.
Michalis, Nikolaos, Vasileios, Eleni, Dimitra, Vasiliki, and Clair were now seated on the dirt in front of Draco.
The sky had already begun to darken, but the glow of the boiling lava illuminated the area they were trapped within.
Draco had managed to complete his tunnel to the surface within that time.
He partially sealed the entrance to prevent any weird monsters from coming inside.
It was time to tell them that their parents, grandparents, and teacher were dead.
Draco took a deep breath while carefully composing his thoughts.
This was going to be one of the hardest things he'd ever have to do. Clenching his fist tightly, he began speaking.
"Children," he began softly, "I have something very difficult to tell all of you."
The seven young faces looked up at him expectantly, their eyes shining with a mixture of fear and hope.
Dimitra, still resting in his lap, gazed up at him with complete trust.
Draco's heart clenched at the realization of what he was about to shatter.
"Our parents... grandparents….and our teacher Rize... they're..." Draco paused, his voice catching in his throat.
"They're gone." The words hung heavy in the air, their meaning sinking in slowly.
Eleni's eyes widened in horror.
"What do you mean, 'gone'?" she asked shakily. "Where did they go?" she asked.
Draco swallowed hard. "They... they didn't make it. The attack..." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Vasileios' face crumpled as the realization dawned on him.
"Th-they're... dead?" he asked in a small, trembling voice.
Draco nodded solemnly, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"I'm so, so sorry." Draco said, not sure why he was apologizing. Fate had simply dealt them a horrible hand.
A deafening silence fell over the group as the children processed the devastating news.
Dimitra let out a gut-wrenching wail, burying her face in Draco's shirt.
Eleni began to sob uncontrollably, Michalis holding her tightly as tears streamed down his own face.
Vasiliki sat stunned, her expression one of pure anguish.
Clair and Nikolaos simply stared into the distance, their eyes hollow.
Draco felt utterly powerless as he watched his siblings' hearts shatter.
He longed to take their pain away, to somehow make this all better, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do to ease their suffering.
All he could do was be there for them, to grieve with them.
After what felt like an eternity, Vasileios spoke up, his voice quivering.
"Wh-what are we going to do now, Nii-san?" he asked.
"I... I don't know yet," Draco admitted.
"But I promise I will do everything in my power to take care of all of you. We'll figure this out, together." Draco added.
Vasileios nodded shakily, grasping Draco's hand.
The simple gesture conveyed his trust, and Draco squeezed it gently in return, silently vowing to protect his siblings no matter what.
As the children's cries gradually subsided into sniffles, Draco knew he had to broach the next subject.
"There's something else I need to tell you all," he said solemnly.
Seven pairs of eyes turned to him, their expressions a mixture of trepidation and resignation.
Draco took a deep breath.
"After the attack happened, something... changed. I'm not sure how to explain it, but I'm different now. Different in a way that might make things even more difficult for us." He explained.
Nikolaos looked up at him, his eyes red-rimmed from crying.
"What do you mean, Nii-san?" he asked in a small voice. Draco hesitated, not wanting to alarm them further.
"I... I'm not entirely sure myself. But I think it might be a new ability, or power, that I've developed." He paused, weighing his next words carefully.
"And it's... it's not something that's easy to control." He stated.
"What do you mean, Nii-san? What kind of power is it?" Vasileios asked, his brows furrowed.
Draco sighed heavily. "I'm not sure, but it's... it's something that could be dangerous. To you, and to anyone around me." He said to them all with a serious expression.
"I need you all to promise me that if it happens again, you'll stay away from me. For your own safety. At least until I can figure it out" he warned.
The children exchanged worried glances, but ultimately nodded in understanding.
Dimitra, however, refused to let go of Draco's shirt, her small fingers clinging to the fabric.
"I won't leave you, Nii-san," she said defiantly, her voice trembling.
"I don't care if it's dangerous. You're my family, and I'm not going anywhere." she stated firmly.
Draco's heart swelled with both pride and anguish at his sister's loyalty.
He gently stroked her hair, wishing he could shield her from the harsh realities of their new reality.
"I know, Dimitra," he murmured.
"And I love you for that. But I couldn't bear it if something happened to you because of me." He turned to the others, his expression somber.
"That goes for all of you. Your safety has to be my top priority now." he said.
The children nodded reluctantly, their eyes downcast.
Draco knew this was just the beginning of the difficult conversations and decisions they would have to face in the days and weeks to come.
As the darkness of night approached them, Draco gathered his siblings close, offering what little comfort and warmth he could.
They huddled together, clinging to one another as they grieved the unimaginable loss of their family.
Draco's mind raced as he tried to formulate a plan, to figure out their next move.
But for now, all he could do was hold his family and provide them with the safety and security they so desperately needed.
"We'll get through this, I promise," he murmured, more to himself than to the children.
"I'll do whatever it takes to keep us all safe. No matter what." he stated firmly.
His siblings seemed to take solace in his words, their bodies slowly relaxing.
Seeing as they were more calm and relaxed, Draco decided that he needed to go to the surface to scavenge for food before it got any darker than it currently was.
He was aware that everyone was both physically and mentally exhausted.