Chapter Text
Chapter 1
~A long time ago in Briar Valley~
General Lilia was the front lines still. His rotation had had delayed again. The war was at a fever pitch and either side seemed to be giving any time soon.
As twilight fell Lilia decided to go check on his soldiers on far flung outposts. He was trekking along the forest’s edge when he saw a figure walking on the other side of the field. He was downwind and could smell that the figure was a human women.
Lilia was struck with an evil but fun idea. ‘It’s been awhile since I’ve had some fun scaring a human and Baul isn’t here to stop me.’ He thought as he disappeared.
Lilia reappeared in front of the human he expected the human to shriek and run away but she just stood there unfazed. He felt his mood sour.
“Are you draft?!” He shouted at her, baring his fangs.
The old woman looked up at him from under her gray robe’s hood. “Due to my old age, I do not scare easily.” She chuckled as she shifted her basket of roses from one side to the other.
Lilia just scoffed. “Is that so, then let me show you something you human are so scared of, death.”
Suddenly the woman began to glow and turned young.
“Do not scoff at those afraid of things you don’t understand, you’ll not always be this way. Let me show you.” The woman stated as she held her hand out and gave it a swish.
Suddenly her glowing light engulfed Lilia and he disappeared.
“Now which way was that castle again?” She muttered as she continued on her way down the road.
~Current day~
It was the first day of the winter break and Odette, Grim and her friends from Diasomnia where in the side yard of the Ramshackle dorm playing in the snow.
“I can’t believe you’ve talked us into this.” Sebek grumbled as he build a snow wall for the upcoming snow ball fight they were planning.
“You don’t have to do this.” Odette reminded him as she made a snowball.
“Waka-sama and Lilia-sama just seemed so thrilled with the idea.” Sebek muttered.
“I think they’re just excited us this is our first snow.” Grim chimed in as he floated over to them.
“You really never seen snow before?” Silver asked rolling more snow towards them.
“Nope.” Grim shrugged.
“I lived in a warm tropical area, if it did snow it was barely half an inch and caused panic.” Odette answered as she added to the pile they were accumulating.
“Humans panic over such silly things.” Sebek huffed.
“We’re not the only ones, let’s focus on the task at hand, taking down Lilia and Tsunataro.” Odette said as she glanced over to Lilia and Malleus who were also building a wall and making snowballs. “Remember no magic!” She shouted at them.
“Of course!” Lilia called back with a grin. Their wall was already finished and a pile of snowballs beside them.
“Let’s take them down.” Grim said.
Suddenly there was a flash from further back in the field and a loud crashing sound. They all turned towards the small crater in the yard.
They all stared in shock then Odette finally gasped. “What was that?!” She ran towards the impact.
She came up to the small crater and found a person in the crater. He was dressed in what she guessed was an old green army uniform.
‘Why does he look like that?’ She thought slowly approached the person.
As she knelt beside the person their ruby eyes flew open and their head snapped towards her.
She gasped as the realization dawned on her.
Next thing General Lilia knew he was laying on the snowing ground. ‘An early snow? How long was I out?’ General Lilia thought as his eyes began to focus and he saw a human woman with swan white hair and teal colored eyes kneeling beside him. He growled at her.
“Ar-are you hurt?” She choked out.
He heard a few people calling out her name as they ran towards them. “Odette!”
“Ducky! You should run off like that, what if it’s dangerous?” A voice from behind her said as someone appeared beside.
General Lilia propped himself up on his elbows and took in the person who appeared beside the young human woman, himself.
The two Lilias took each other in quietly as Malleus appeared beside modern day Lilia as the other came running up to them.
Everyone stopped and looked between the two Lilias.
“Who are you?” Lilia asked narrowing his ruby eyes at the man in the snow before him.
“I am General Lilia Vanrouge, who are you?” The General snarled at them.
“General Lilia Vanrouge, tell me what year do you think it is?” Lilia asked.
“Year 1750 of the Maleficia Era.” The General answered.
“Ugh?” Odette asked raising and eyebrow as she looked over to Malleus and Lilia.
“That was 500 years ago.” Lilia informed his past self.
“Maybe he hit his head and he’s injured, either way we should probably get him inside.” Odette said as she stood up.
“I’m not going anywhere with you human!” The General snapped as he fully sat up. He felt himself get dizzy and fall back into the snow. ‘What the hell is going on? What did that damn sorceress do to me?’ He thought as he passed out again.
Lilia just sighed and shook his head. “It seems my past has come back to haunt me literal.” He knelt down and picked his past self up. “You’re right we need to get him inside.”
“I take it the snow ball fight isn’t happening now.” Grim grumbled.
“Just postponed.” Odette reassured him as the group headed inside.
As Lilia settled his former self in one of Odette’s guest room as Odette took everyone else into the kitchen to make hot chocolate.
“He’s different.” Odette muttered as she put a pan of milk on the stove. ‘His hair was longer and red, he looked hostile and talked that way too.’ She thought.
“Everyone has a past.” Malleus reminded her gently from beside her.
“I know Tsunataro.” She muttered as she stared down at the pot unable to meet Malleus’s stare.
“Father hasn’t talked much about his past with me, you’ve know him the longest, Malleus-sama.” Silver spoke up from his spot at the counter.
“I have but he hasn’t talk much about before I knew him either.” Malleus confessed.
“It’s hard it talk about what you saw in war is what Grandfather told me before when I use to ask him too many questions.” Sebek said.
“He’s right.” Odette muttered.
“Child of man?” Malleus asked raising an eyebrow at her.
“That’s not a discuss for now, we need to focus on what’s going on with Lilia.” Odette said as she took the nearly boiling pot off the stove top and poured into 7 glasses. She handed one to everyone in the kitchen then put the other three on a platter and headed upstairs. “I’m going to go check on them.” She said as she left the kitchen.
“She seems to be handing it well.” Grim remarked as he blew on his hot chocolate.
“Considering she’s from a different world, she’s probably not a good gauge on how odd this situation is.” Sebek said.
Silver and Malleus just nodded in agreement and looked up towards the ceiling.
Odette peaked her head inside the guest room modern day Lilia had chosen. Modern day Lilia was sitting in wooden chair beside the twin bed his past self was asleep in. “He’s still out?” She whispered as she placed the platter on the side table.
Modern day Lilia just nodded as he looked over towards her. He reached his hand towards her and took she took his hand in his intertwining their fingers. “Odette, about him, about me.” He began.
“He is who you were not who you are.” She cut him off as she squeezed his hand.
“My past isn’t pretty.” He muttered as he squeezed back.
“Mine isn’t it either.” She whispered as she leaned her head against his chest.
“But yours isn’t right in front of us.” He reminded her as he wrapped his other arm around her. “I’m not use to worrying about what others thing of me but I am worried now.”
She gave him a squeeze as she said. “I think you’re overthinking it.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Well, if you’re saying that than I really am.”
“Hey!” She laughed as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“How long do you think until he wakes up?” She asked as they sipped their hot chocolate.
“Couldn’t say but I think it’s best if we stay with you.” Lilia answered.
“We?” She asked raising an eyebrow.
“All of us course. Sleep over.” He smirked.
“Alright.” She sighed.