As Rew lay on the floor in a state of deliriousness from his injuries, a figure appeared in his unfocused vision.
"Oh my, you actually killed the nightwolf as a mortal?"
Squinting his eyes he tried to focus on the figure, only to realise he couldn't make out anything except that it was the figure of a woman.
"Hey, join my family."
Rew scrunched his face as he tried to focus. "Family? Wha-?".
"The Dolmire Family." she said proudly. "Even those jokes called the 9 divine families are nothing compared to us. We'll even transmute you our bloodline."
Rew stayed silent for a moment comprehending what she just said. Nine divine families? What? 'But, should I even trust her? They probably want something from me. After all, I don't matter enough for someone to go out of their way to help me.'
As if the woman could read his mind, she let out a chuckle before crouching beside him, dropping her voice to a teasing whisper as her cheeks bloomed a rosy tinge.
"Of course though there's a condition".
Rew barely had any energy to respond but she continued anyways.
"Marry me".
Rew's mind went blank for a second. 'Huh?'
She laughed. "Well, we wouldn't just give our bloodline to ANYONE. But I like you a lot. If you become one of us, then it's yours. Simple isn't it?"
Rew could barely think. 'Love? Marriage? Didn't he already find out the hard way that he didn't deserve that? 'Do you want to make another joke of yourself? You're unloveable.'
He hesitated, but he could feel it. Deep down, he yearned to belong somewhere again.
But up to now, opening his heart had only ever ended in pain and failure. 'The only thing you'll get from this is more pain, someone like you will be abandoned in no-time.'
The voice resounded in his head. Louder this time.
That pissed him off.
'You know what?'
'Fuck you. I'm doing it'.
Rew opened his mouth, only hesistating for a second before speaking.
"Okay."
Letting out a smile, the lady shoved a small ball into his mouth. Opening his eyes wide in shock he almost spat it out on instinct.
"Don't spit it out, it's a pill of rejuvenation. Though, it'll knock you out for a bit since you're a mortal. Plus this makes it easier for you since it'll be easier for father to read your memories, and peform the blood transfusion since they're both pretty gnarly."
With a look of helplessness Rew could only watch his world get darker and darker before he lost consciousness.
...
...
...
...
...
Rew awoke, seemingly floating in an empty void. It was peaceful and blissful. The voice in his head didn't seem to be able to reach him here.
Then, he sensed something. Looking down, he spotted them. Pale arms that seemed to reached towards him from the abyss underneath him. He tried to move, but he was helpless. He could only watch as the arms drew closer and closer.
The cold clammy arms wrapped around him. Hands reached outstretched across his face and grabbed at the edges of his mouth as he was yanked down by them. He thrashed and squirmed but it was no use, there were too many.
Then, a whisper resounded in his head.
'Unworthy.'
The word continued to bounce around in his head, as he lay in the embrace of the arms. Figures started to take shape in front of him. Figures of people he once knew. Figures of people he once trusted. Their faces looked at him with a mixture of pity and disappointment.
"You should've died back there. You'll never amount to anything".
Clenching his teeth, he shook his head. "Shut up."
The figures pressed closer to his face. "Don't you understand? Don't you see? You're a disappointment. You're a waste. Nobody cares that you're gone. Nobody will care when you're gone in this world either. You're a nobody. You're nothing. You're just a waste of space."
'They're probably right'. The thought lingered in his head.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm a disappointment. I am nothing. I-"
A distant but familiar voice called out to him, pulling him out of the void.
"Wake up."
Rew's body jerked as he awoke. Immediately, he felt a pain that ripped through his entire body. It felt as though he was on fire. As if there was lava coursing in his veins.
Breathing sharply, he felt something else. He could feel it more vividly than he ever had. The weight on his chest felt like a planet was crushing him, yet it also felt so empty, as if someone had ripped a hole in his chest.
Struggling, he raised his body up so that he could sit up on the bed.
"Husband! You're awake!"