Work Text:
It was a normal day in the Night Raven College like the same other day.. When suddenly Crowley, the headmaster felt his heartthump in unexpected beat.
He felt something ominous as he clean an old chalk board that he found at one of the abandoned places in the school.
He frown and was about to dismissed it when suddenly he froze as letters begin to appear.
.
.
.
.
.
" Children.."
.
.
.
Crowley quietly read the letter when suddenly it glow and it change again to much longer however reading it makes his hair stood up at alarm.
.
.
The Boy Who Followed the Rules.
.
.
The Boy Who is in the Shadow.
.
.
.
The Boy Who fear the sea.
.
.
.
.
The Boy Who Didn’t Want to be Alone.
.
.
.
The Boy Who loves Beauty
.
.
The Boy Who Feared the World
.
.
.
The Boy Who fear being abandoned.
.
.
.
______________________________________________________
Trey noticed something was off the moment Riddle stumbled out of the Heartslabyul garden, his usual sharp demeanor missing.
The afternoon sunlight flickered over the smaller figure, and when Riddle raised his head, Trey’s heart nearly stopped.
.
.
.
It can't be...!
.
.
The housewarden.....no, the boy standing before him....wasn’t the Riddle Rosehearts they knew. His uniform was far too big, sleeves hanging over his tiny hands.
His wide bluish eyes, usually filled with commanding authority, now brimmed with confusion and fear. He couldn’t be older than seven.
.
.
He just look like back then...
.
.
Riddle’s lips trembled, the same childlike fear Trey had seen many years ago when they first met in his family's bakery.
“Wh-where am I? Where’s Mother? I don’t want to get in trouble…” His voice was small, fragile clearly seeing that the child hold himself not to cry.
Trey’s heart dropped, a heavy weight settling into his chest as the surroundings people have been quiet.
This wasn’t just Riddle being turned into a child physically—he had reverted, completely, to his younger self.
The same scared boy, desperate for approval and bound by a suffocating set of rules by his own mother.
Ace and Deuce, who had been lounging nearby, immediately noticed the change.
Ace, usually quick with his sarcastic remarks, froze mid-laugh. "Uh, Trey… what's going on?"
Deuce stepped closer, eyes wide. "Is… is that Riddle?"
.
.
He looks so young...
.
.
.
The young Riddle took a cautious step back, eyeing the group like a cornered animal breaking everyone’s heart.
"Did I break the rules? I'm sorry! Please, don't tell Mother. I'll study harder… I promise…" His voice cracked, his face pale as if the very mention of breaking rules sent shivers down his spine as he fiddled the edge of his clothes.
Trey’s breath hitched. This was worse than anything he could have imagined. Riddle’s childhood, the pressure, the strictness of his mother..
He had seen first hand how Riddle’s Mother had been cruel and punished him..... At that time...He..Trey then shook his head as bad memories then came back.
He the look at the boy in front of him wasn’t the strict housewarden who barked orders and enforced the Queen of Hearts' laws.
This was the child who had been molded into that image, a child who was terrified of disappointing the one person who had controlled every aspect of his life...
.
.
And Yet....
.
.
I couldn't save him....
.
No...
"Riddle…" Trey knelt down slowly, trying not to frighten him further. "It's okay. You didn’t break any rules. You’re safe here."
Riddle flinched, clutching the fabric of his sleeves.
"No… no, if I made a mistake, Mother will be so disappointed. She’ll take away my books, … I have to follow the rules. I can’t fail." His voice broke, tears welling up in his eyes clearly not believing Trey.
Trey felt a pang deep in his chest. How long had Riddle been carrying this weight alone?
He had always known that Riddle’s mother was strict, but seeing him like this...so small, so terrified...made everything hit harder.
He had never truly seen the scars she had left, but now they were laid bare before him. He could see some bruises on his small hand...My God..
Ace, though clearly confused, stepped forward, trying to lighten the mood in his usual way as he look at now his tiny.....? Child...? Housewarden.
"C'mon, little Riddle. We won't tell your mom. I mean, she’s not even here, right?"
But instead of calming Riddle, Ace’s words seemed to have the opposite effect. Riddle’s eyes widened in panic, his breath quickening.
"No! Mother will know! She always knows! If I mess up, she’ll… she’ll…"
His small frame shook with the force of his fear, and Trey quickly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder..... He is so thin...
"No one is going to hurt you, Riddle. You don’t have to worry about your mother. You’re not at home anymore."
But Riddle didn’t hear him. His mind was far away, lost in memories of endless lessons, tests, and the crushing weight of his mother’s expectations....
He had never been allowed to be a child, not really. Every moment of his life had been dictated by a set of rules, a narrow path he had to follow, with no room for error. And if he failed… the consequences had always been swift and severe.
.
.
.
She never cares....
"I didn’t follow the rule about not eating sweets once… and she locked me in my room for a week,"
Riddle whispered, almost to himself, his eyes unfocused as if he were reliving the moment not noticing the shock look of everyone including Trey.
"I couldn’t go outside. I wasn’t allowed to read or study. She said I had to learn my lesson. She said I was a failure…"
Trey’s hand trembled slightly, anger bubbling beneath the surface. How could anyone do that to a child? How could his mother not see what she was doing to him?
He had always known that Riddle’s childhood had been rough, but hearing it from the boy himself, seeing the tears forming in his eyes....
.
.
It's real....
.
.
.
It's real that he regretted not ......
.
.
.
No.....
.
.
Riddle will be sad .. . Trey thought as he let out a deep breath and look at Riddle again.
Riddle’s small hands clutched the hem of his oversized jacket, knuckles white.
"I have to follow the rules. If I don’t, I’m worthless. I’m nothing."
Trey couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled the small boy into a gentle embrace as he carry him.
Feeling Riddle stiffen in his arms before slowly, hesitantly, relaxing.
"You’re not nothing, Riddle," Trey whispered, his voice thick with emotion.
"You’re not worthless. You never were."
For a moment, Riddle didn’t respond. He was so used to holding everything inside, keeping up his rigid façade, that it took time for Trey’s words to sink in.
Slowly, his small body shook with quiet sobs, and Trey held him tighter, humming old song that he used to calm his younger siblings.
Ace and Deuce stood back, unsure of what to do or say. Even they, who had clashed with Riddle so many times, could see the deep pain that lay beneath his harsh exterior.
They knew his troubled past before and after his overblot. Yet seeing it infront of them.. .It was painful.
As Riddle’s tears soaked into Trey’s shirt, he mumbled broken words between sobs. "I just wanted to be good enough. I wanted her to love me…"
" That bitch........" A Heartslabyul muttered as his friend tried to calm himself feeling anger surging.
Trey’s heart shattered. "She should have loved you for who you were, not for how perfectly you followed the rules."
.
.
If only your Uncle had live....
.
.
Then maybe......
.
.
.
Just maybe.....
.
.
You will have a happy childhood Riddle....
It took a while, but eventually, Riddle’s sobs quieted, though his small form still trembled.
Trey pulled back slightly, brushing the tears from Riddle’s cheeks. "You’re allowed to make mistakes, Riddle. You’re allowed to be a child."
But Riddle shook his head, eyes downcast. "Not me. I have to be perfect. That’s what Mother said."
Trey bit back the bitterness that rose in his throat.
"Your mother was wrong."
Trey could see Cater coming closer as he comforted the child along with the other Heartslabyul contrary the fourth years making him grateful.
The fourth years students of the Heartslabyul was always been the understanding and pretty much chill with Riddle.
He even saw one time Riddle had fever and he was not available as he was in tour to the Briar Valley along with the third years while Cater was also away having offered a job.
It was the fourth years who had taken care of him while he was sick. It was endearing to think that Riddle would be closer to the fourth years rather than to his same grade.
.
.
At least he knows... it.
.
.
.
For a long time, they sat there, the sun setting outside the Heartslabyul dorm, casting long shadows across the room.
Trey kept his arm around the small boy who had now fallen asleep in his arms.
The students now had quietly clean up the place which is strange and very unusual even the adeuce duo had been quiet.
I guess it was good....Trey then looked at Riddle in his arms as the boy's eyes are still stuffy from crying the whole day..
It was heartbreaking.... To see the Riddle who was stern and Feared Red Rose Queen Tryant of the Heartslabyul now vulnerable......
.
.
.
.
But for now, all he could do was be there for him.
________________________________________________________
Leona stood still, his smaller form radiating a quiet intensity. Ruggie approached him cautiously, trying to figure out what had happened.
Ruggie sigh as he did not know what happened he was looking for Leona and now poof one thing you know here he is staring at the child version of him.
He look at him as their eyes met..Hmm. at least Leona is cute when he is a child now..
“Where’s Falena?” Leona asked.
Snapping Ruggie from his thought as He looked weirdly at Leona infront of him as he crouched down.
Falena....Leona’s older brother. The golden prince of the Sunset Savanna, beloved by everyone, while Leona… Ruggie had heard enough over the years to know that Leona had always lived in his brother’s shadow and also on how he act but seeing him like this, a child again, made it all too real.
His wide green eyes scanned the room as if he was looking for something....or someone...far away..
Ruggie blinked, realizing that Leona didn’t recognize him. Of course....Leona is still a child..they never met until first year.
“Uh... Falena’s not here, Leona.”
Leona’s small hands balled into fists at his sides.
“Of course he’s not here. He’s never here....He always break his promise....” His voice cracked on the last word, and Ruggie’s chest tightened.
Right......Cheka did slip out some information when he visited that his Unca and Papa was close once as his papa said and even show him a photo.
It was a child Leona happily smiling as he was sitting on Falena shoulders. It was that time Ruggie could see Leona genuinely smile and so pure even if it was just from a picture.
“Don’t tell me…” Leona muttered, his voice growing bitter causing Ruggie to snap out.
“he’s out doing something important again. Something I’m not allowed to do.”Ruggie opened his mouth to respond, but Leona didn’t give him the chance.
The boy’s fists unclenched, his arms dropping to his sides his small frame looking even smaller in the vastness of the room.
“It’s always the same,” Leona continued, his voice quieter now, almost resigned. Ruggie could see some of the Savanaclaw subconsciously clenched their hands as they listen.
“Falena goes off and does whatever he wants. Everyone praises him. Everyone loves him. And what about me?” His green eyes, usually so confident and cold, were filled with hurt.
“I’m just the spare. The one no one cares about.....no...no one even like me.."
.
.
.
" It's was always this way....."
.
.
He muttered bitterly, turning away and hugging his knees....Ruggie could see his ears dropping low even his tail was curled up to himself.
.
.
Thump...
.
.
Ruggie didn't know what came over him as his body suddenly moved on his own to comfort the small...yet child version of Leona.
.
.
He could even felt him flinch at his touch
..
.
.
.
It's bad...
.
.
.
Really bad....
.
.
The older students particularly Jack watched as Ruggie sat beside him as the latter hugged him., unsure of how to handle the child prince.
They want to comfort the child yet they are afraid. It was their housewarden .... but seeing him in this state...
Their hearts are telling them to comfort the cub yet their mind and instinct are telling them to run away..
.
Yet.... Looking at the child infront of them and compare it to the housewarden they know...
.
.
.
They can't see it....
.
.
.
Yet...
.
.
They can't unsee it.
.
.
.
.
.
So small..
.
.
.
And vulnerable....
.
.
" You know your strange..." Leona suddenly said snapping them out from their thoughts as ominous feeling crept in.
" Why? " Ruggie playfully said as Jack noticed as the younger Leona looked at him as he was strange entity.
.
.
.
.
" Nobody always stayed by my side.... They always left....even Mother.. Father and now maybe Falena..."
_______________________________________________
Jade felt having De Ja vu seeing a small, round boy with pale skin and wide, fearful eyes. That light gray messy hair and with that chubby expression.
Azul had been reverted to his childhood self. The same Azul who was bullied and that same Azul who had many insecurities. Jade felt his heart pang as the usual lively Floyd was even quiet processing his thought...
Azul sat quietly in a corner of the Mostro Lounge, his chubby fingers fidgeting with his octopus-like limbs, avoiding eye contact with Floyd and him.
.
.
He was the same back then when he first found Azul....
.
.
He....hiding behind the corals, listening to the taunts and jeers, had never truly left him....
.
.
Back then....
.
.
“Are they going to laugh at me?” young Azul whispered, glancing nervously at the doors as if expecting a group of bullies to storm in at any moment.
Snapping Jade out of his thoughts as he signal Floyd to close the lounge. He is thankful that the lounge was not opened till an hour later or else it would be disaster.
Jade crouched then down beside Azul.....him, with serious tone as he said “No one’s going to laugh at you here, Azul.”
But child Azul didn’t believe him. “They always laugh at me,” he mumbled, pulling his knees to his chest. “I’m just... I’m not like them.”
Azul’s small hands trembled as listened lowering his gaze to the floor. “I… I thought if I was smart enough… if I worked hard enough… maybe then they’d respect me. But it never mattered.” His voice cracked, and for the first time, Jade saw tears welling up in Azul’s eye.
.
.
.
“They’ll never see me as anything but a joke.”
.
.
Jade became silent as he look at the familiar figure cry as it silently moved away from him not wanting comfort.
He felt a pang.... Back then when it was just him and Floyd they thought that Azul is interesting and entertainment as he was an octomer and decided to befriend the boy.
To days what seem should be an entertainment become something more. They become more close and close to the boy until they didn’t know when they started to see him as family.
Jade could still remembered when some merman tried to bully Floyd when Azul fight that merman toe and toe. It was the first time they see him stand up not for himself but for them.
At that time they saw Azul as their Knight in shining armor but also their light in this deep ocean where they are Feared and detested to the other kinds much less their own kin.
And that’s why he is so afraid seeing Azul overblot. Fearing they would not see him again as they knew overblot.... if the person overblotted was not save could lead to death...
That's why they are so grateful to Yuu and his friends saving Azul even if they had not shown it. He and Floyd had still nightmares of Azul blotted and what if he died and they did not save him in time.
They were so afraid back... He had seen signs that Azul was struggling but never thought about it as Azul was strong and can take care of it much less the latter was also prideful and not ask for help.
.
.
.
Yet in the end....
.
.
.
He regretted it...
.
.
No......
.
.
They regretted it..
.
.
.
Maybe if they had just helped Azul stubbornly then maybe..
.
..
.
Just maybe..
.
.
.
He wouldn't overblot...
.
_______________________________________________________
Young Kalim bounded around Scarabia, his laughter filling the air, but there was something different about it.....something more innocent, more naïve.
Jamil watched as the younger version of his Housewarden.....and maybe friend...danced around the room, but when Kalim suddenly stopped and looked around in confusion, Jamil knew the change was more than physical.
“Jamil? Where’s Father? Where’s everyone else?” child Kalim asked, his expression wide-eyed and uncertain. So he noticed it..
Jamil hesitated. Kalim had no memories of their friendship or the life they’d built together or the betrayal. “They’re not here, Kalim. It’s just us for now.”
Kalim’s smile faltered slightly. “I don’t like being alone. It’s... it’s too quiet.” His voice shook as he glanced around nervously, as if he couldn’t stand the idea of silence.
It was unnerving to see him so quiet...
" Could it be that I am in trouble? That's why they left me?”Jamil blinked, trying to process what was happening....
' Strange....Kalim would never said that...'
“Kalim… no, you’re not in trouble. You’re safe.”But Kalim didn’t look reassured. He looked confused, lost, and… anxious. It was such a foreign expression on his face that Jamil didn’t know what to make of it. Kalim was always so sunny, so trusting and forgiving...
To see him like this, so vulnerable and afraid, felt wrong.“I… I was supposed to do something important,” Kalim muttered, his small hands wringing the edge of his too-large robe.
“I always mess it up. They always say I’m not good enough....the servants..... and even my parents..."
Jamil sighed as he was shock yet not surprised at this revelation. Kalim might be the beloved however closed door he is the laughing stock of the country.
A useless dandy spoiled brat.....
This was a side of Kalim he had never seen before....the Kalim who was weighed down by expectations, by the pressure of being the eldest son of one of the wealthiest families in the world.
Sometimes it was easy to forget that Kalim had those responsibilities because he usually hid behind his smiles and carefree nature just like that ginger brat..
Kalim’s small frame trembled as he lowered his head, his voice barely above a whisper.
.
.
.
“I’m supposed to be the next head of the family, but… what if I can’t? What if I let everyone down?”
Jamil frown.... He can easily see faces much less some people pretending or actors in this world yet....
The boy standing before him wasn’t the same..... Kalim who threw parties without a second thought or invited everyone to eat until they were full and so generous.
This was the Kalim who had been raised under the weight of expectations he never asked for.
The boy who, despite all his joy and generosity, had always known that someday, the responsibility of his entire family would fall on his shoulders.
“You don’t have to worry about that right now,” Jamil said softly, kneeling down to meet Kalim’s eye level. He can't believe he is doing this..
“You’re just a kid.”Kalim’s lip trembled as he looked up at Jamil, his wide, innocent eyes filled with unshed tears..
“But… but what if I’m not good enough? I’m not like Jamil. I’m not smart. I’m not… responsible unlike Jaseem..... I’m just…” His voice broke, and he clutched his robes tighter trying to not cry.
Yes.... Jaseem...Kalim’s cousin who now studied at RSA. He detested that boy as he was easily read by him and was protected of Kalim loving the boy as his own siblings..
“I don’t want to disappoint everyone.”
Jamil’s heart twisted painfully which he doest now....
He had always envied Kalim for his carefree nature and his status as a wealthy heir and him being his servant much less live like a nanny and babysitter.
.
.
.
But now....
.
.
.
.
.
Sigh....
.
_________________________________________________
Rook had seen many versions of Vil Schoenheit over the years....the radiant actor, the strict housewarden, the perfectionist always striving to be flawless.
But the Vil standing before him now was something entirely different. Small, no older than six or seven, with golden hair tied up in a loose ponytail and with eyes that held not an ounce of the steely confidence Rook was so used to.
.
.
Oh dear...
.
.
Ro....no...Vil had reverted to his childhood self.
The boy’s voice was quiet, fragile, as he looked up at the vice-housewarden.
“Where is Papa? Why… why am I here?”
Rook knelt down, his usual poetic smile nowhere to be seen.
“Do not fret, Roi du Poison. You are safe.” But even as he said the words, he could see the confusion and uncertainty in the boy’s eyes....Vil’s childhood self.
" Roi du Poison? " Vil muttered confused the words as Rook just smile at the boy who looked warily at him.
The young Vil looked around the Pomefiore dorm, his small hands clutching at his simple yet elegant clothes...an outfit far removed from the fashionable ensembles he usually wore.
.
.
Strange...
.
.
There was no trace of the Vil Schoenheit who dominated the fashion world, no trace of the actor who dazzled audiences with his elegance and poise.
Or the Vil Schoenheit who rivaled Neige LeBlanche in the stage...
.
.
.
Rook always prided himself as the best hunter to hunt beautiful things yet seeing his housewarden looking at him with that face.
.
.
Distrust.....
.
.
.
Rook felt a pang in his heart it was like being back after the VDC again.
Where Roi...Vil wouldn't look at him at the eye and avoided him like plague. He can even remember Epel...watch him like hawk and keep him away from his beautiful queen.
Even after Roi du...Vil had forgiven him but it there is already a layer or boundary that he had Vil had enacted between them.
He is a hunter, as he is observant. He noticed that small gesture of his queen. They were never close as once before but now there is always that distance..
Rook had nights were he regretted it betraying his Queen as he on voted for Neige yet but his heart was called on his performance... Yes..Roi..Vil performance breathtaking but it was Neige performance that caught his heart.
.
.
.
He can't lie to his heart..
..
.
.
.
Yet now...
.
.
.
He regretted it..
_________________________________________________________
Ignihyde was unusually quiet, the silence almost oppressive. Ortho had been hovering around anxiously, trying to figure out what was happening to his brother. The spell....whatever had caused this....had done something far worse than just turn Nii-san back into a child.
Seven-year-old Idia sat huddled in the corner of the room, knees pulled up to his chest, his wild blue hair flickering nervously with soft flames.
He didn’t look at the monitors, didn’t glance at the games or technology that had surrounded him for years as a source of comfort. Instead, his wide, watery eyes darted around the unfamiliar environment of Ignihyde.
Idia curled up in a corner of his room, his small body trembling as he clutched a game controller to his chest.
His bright blue hair, normally unruly, now covered his face as he tried to hide.
Ortho hovered nearby, his usual cheery demeanor replaced with concern.
“Nii-san…” Ortho whispered, his voice quiet, but filled with concern. He then scanned the boy if to see he had injuries and luckily he found none.
“It’s me. Ortho. Do you… remember me?”The child glanced up at Ortho cautiously, his small body trembling as though afraid that even breathing too loudly would bring some unseen terror crashing down on him.
His face was a mix of confusion and fear, but worst of all, Ortho saw the familiar flicker of self-loathing in his brother’s eyes.
“Where am I? Who are you?”.
Ortho knelt down slowly, trying to make himself appear less intimidating. He know his Nii-san probably can't remember him.
“You’re safe, Nii-san. This is your dorm, and I’m your little brother. It’s okay. No one is going to hurt you.”
But young Idia didn’t seem to believe him. He pressed his back further into the wall, small hands clutching his hoodie, his entire body trembling like a cornered animal.
“No one? No one… is ever nice to me. They always… make fun of me. Call me a freak. I… I don’t want to be here. I want to go home. I want to hide…” Clearly not believing Ortho words.
Young Idia didn’t look up. “I... I don’t want to go outside. I don’t want anyone to see me,” he whispered, his voice shaking.
“It’s too scary out there.”
His brother had completely reverted to his childhood self....a boy who had been terrified of the outside world, who had hidden away in his room, using games to escape.
“I’ll stay with you, Nii-san,” Ortho said softly, come closer.
.
.
.
“You don’t have to be afraid.”
But young Idia didn’t seem reassured. “They’ll laugh at me. They always do. I’m weird... different.”
His voice cracked, and Ortho realized just how deep Idia’s fears had been, even as a child.
.
.
.
He ..... Idia buried his face in his arms, his body shaking with sobs. “I don’t want to be here… I don’t want anyone to see me… I just want to disappear.”
Ortho’s heart broke. He wished more than anything that he could take his brother’s pain away, that he could show him just how much he mattered, how much he was loved.
His Nii-san had always been protective of him and go out of his comfort zone to fight if someone dares to talk bad about him.. even if he is just a machine.
.
.
.
He had seen memories of the original Ortho and knew that they were always being bullied and mocked at for being different.
.
.
A Freak,..
.
.
.
It was also one of the reason why Ortho died.
.
.
Scaring Idia permanently...
.
.
As they tried to care for him, Ortho and the Ignihyde dorm members saw how much Idia had been shaped by fear....fear of rejection, fear of being different, fear of the world outside his room.
You’re not alone, Nii-san,” Ortho then whispered
“You’ll never be alone. I’ll make sure of that.”
Idia’s hand trembled in his, but he didn’t pull away. His tears still flowed, but for the first time, they weren’t the tears of a child who had given up on the world.
There was a flicker of hope, fragile and faint, but there as he look at Ortho...
.
.
.
.
As Ortho held on, refusing to let go.
.
.
________________________________________________________
The halls of Diasomnia were quiet, a thick, suffocating silence that had fallen over the dorm like a dark cloud.
Sebek paced frantically, his expression a mix of panic and helplessness, while Silver remained close by, eyes filled with concern.
Inside the grand room that once held the majestic heir of the Briar Valley sat a small boy....no older than five...huddled in the middle of a vast bed that seemed to swallow him whole.
His dark hair, normally sleek and intimidating, was unruly, falling into his tear-streaked face.
His green eyes, once gleaming with the knowledge and confidence of a prince, now shone with fear and confusion.
.Lilia stood at the doorway, watching the child’s small frame tremble with each breath. Lilia face remained composed, but inside, he was crumbling at the sight infront of him.
Malleus, one of his beloved children's had been struck by some kind of magic....he had no memory of his life, his title, his friends or his life in this school
All that was left was the scared boy Lilia had first raised centuries ago.Lilia approached quietly, each step weighed down by a mix of grief and resolve looking at the child version of Malleus again.
Malleus lifted his head slowly, eyes widening as they settled on Lilia. His lower lip quivered as he shifted back slightly, as though unsure whether to trust the man before him.
“L-Lilia…?” Malleus’s voice was small, uncertain.
“Is… Is it really you?”Lilia’s heart ached at how young Malleus sounded, the same fragile voice he’d had as a child when he’d first understood that he was different.
His heart ache remembering the first time the child cried in his arms.
“Yes, Malleus,” Lilia replied softly, kneeling beside the bed.
“I’m here.”The boy’s tears came faster now, slipping down his cheeks as he clutched the edges of the blanket tightly.
“I thought… I thought you left me…” His voice cracked, filled with an old, raw pain that Malleus had carried.
“I woke up, and… no one was here. I was all alone.”The words hit Lilia like a dagger to the heart.
Malleus had been still had nightmares when the day he was chase out of the valley. Lilia could not do anything as he left the valley even if he detested it so much.
Then it became Malleus’s deepest fear..
the fear that had haunted him even as he grew older was
.
.
.
.
Abandonment.
Even now, as a child with no memories of his future, that fear remained.
Maybe it had always been there, hidden beneath his stoic exterior, but as a child, it consumed him.
“I’m not leaving you,” Lilia said, his voice gentle but firm. He reached out, brushing Malleus’s wild hair back from his tear....streaked face.
.
.
' Ohh....How he miss this...'
.
.
" But you just leave. ." Malleus softly said as he look down at his hands not wanting to look at the older man.
Lilia was silent as he knew it was the truth. He still regretted that day where he left Malleus alone but he need to do it. He can't stay even if he wanted to...
“ but now will always be here, no matter what.”Malleus sniffled, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand clearly not believing the latter.
“But… what if you go like everyone else?” His words tumbled out in a desperate rush.
“No one wants to stay with me. The others… they all leave, they don’t like me. They’re scared of me.”Lilia’s breath caught, his memories flashing back to the many times Malleus had been left behind, ostracized by the other fae, and even by the humans he was meant to rule.
He remembered the child look at that time. His sad expression as he asked with tears in his eyes to him.
.
.
" Why are they afraid of me?....
.
.
.
Did I do something wrong?
.
.
.
I promise I will fix it..."
The boy looked up at Lilia with those same pleading eyes he had when he was younger, seeking reassurance and answer in a world that had always treated him as something dangerous, something to fear.
“Am I really… that scary?”Lilia’s throat tightened.
How could he explain to this child...this sweet, misunderstood boy....that the world had never seen him for who he truly was? They only saw the horns, the dragon’s heritage, the immense power that hung in the air like a threat as they avoided him like a plague.
.
.
They couldn't see it...
.
.
.
“You’re not scary, Malleus,” Lilia said, his voice thick with mixed emotions while Sebek and Silver was silent at the side looking at them with mixed emotions.
“You are kind. You are loved. The world is simply afraid of what it doesn’t understand.”Malleus looked away, doubt shadowing his young face.
.
.
Yes....
.
.
It had...... been always like this...
.
.
They are afraid to something they didn't know....
.
.
Or yet...
.
.
.
Something different...
“But they leave… Even the ones who say they will stay?. What if… what if you leave too? What if one day, I wake up and you’re not here?”
Lilia reached out, pulling the small boy into a gentle embrace, his hand resting protectively on Malleus’s head just like they..... no...like he always do..
.
.
.
Oh...how he miss this...
.
.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Lilia whispered to the boy, cradling the child in his heart.
“Not today. Not tomorrow. I will stay by your side, for as long as you need me.”For a long moment, Malleus didn’t move. Then, slowly, he clutched the front of Lilia’s cloak, his small body trembling with the weight of years of abandonment and fear.
He buried his face against Lilia’s chest, his tears soaking through the fabric.
“I don’t want to be alone,” Malleus whispered, his voice breaking.
Lilia tightened his embrace, his own heart breaking for the child who had always feared being left behind.
“You won’t be, Malleus,” he promised.
“Not as long as I’m here.”But even as he said the words, Lilia couldn’t shake the heaviness in his chest. He knew that someday, Malleus would have to face this fear again.
He would have to learn to live in a world that feared him, a world that might never fully accept him.
And when that day came, Lilia wouldn’t be able to shield him from the pain.
For now, though, Lilia held him close, trying to ease the weight of the child’s fear, even if only for a little while.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Just for a little while....