Mylo's Pov

Veruca stared at me with a smile and tears. I found myself doing the same as she threw herself at me. I held her closely like I used to.

"You changed your mind."

I whispered within the chaotic celebration that was unfolding. The children slammed their glasses and plates down, stomped, jumped and shouted in joy.

"I can't bear to leave them anymore. I guess I just can't be as selfish as you."

"Hunh. Even if that's true, I'm glad to have you back. More than you can imagine."

"Is that right? Then you can deal with what comes from me doing this?"

"Now that's selfish, but I'll handle it all. So don't worry. I promised I'd take care of you since we got married didn't I?"

"You did."

Ve pulled herself in closer and pressed her lips against mine.

Right before dinner, I went to check on the rest of my kids after completing my last lesson of the day.

Zeus let me know they were outside playing in the field.

I simply bent my finger to my palm as if pulling on a string. The usual feeling of weightlessness took over and relieved whatever stress I felt in my body.

Flying far above the ramparts I could see the entire field and cliffside. Even the ocean was within my sights.

Daphne was heading inside with the rest of the children. It seemed Ve had already headed inside before.

Most likely she just finished feeding Ibis.

Instantly descending back to the courtyard, I rushed to Ibis's room.

Every step I took was worth at least twenty paces.

I didn't want to miss a chance to speak with Ve privately.

"You have little patience."

Ve spoke softly and shushed me as I entered through the open door. She sat in a chair next to Ibis's bed rubbing her head as she slept. I couldn't help but admire my wife's elegant image that I hadn't seen in so long.

"Sorry, I couldn't wait."

"I expected as much. I almost wondered what was keeping you, normally you'd be here in a heartbeat."

"Am I getting rusty?"

"I'm just messing with you."

Ve got up from her seat to tap my shoulder with her fist.

"Heh. It's good to see the two of you getting along."

I stared at my sleeping daughter while I spoke. Ibis cried for days when Ve left.

"We almost didn't. Ibis didn't recognize me when I went to go see her. With Fred and Cassie's help Ibis finally let me hold her."

"Huh, Fred's been more considerate as of late hasn't he?"

"Is that what you came to talk about?"

"No, I can compromise, but only if we can figure something out."

I pulled Ve close to me.

"We? What do you mean?"

"You're staying right? You finally let Ben know about leaving the council."

"No, I haven't."

Ve pulled away and turned her eyes away from me.

"What do you mean? Did you even ask?"

I found myself speaking louder than I should've. Ibis only shifted a little bit before continuing to sleep peacefully.

Ve gestured me to leave the room, she closed the door once we stepped outside.

"I didn't ask because I haven't made up my mind about returning to the Academy's Board."

"Why? Why would you want to spend more time away from the rest of us?"

It stung my heart to hear Ve's indecisiveness about returning to her life with me.

"Why?! Because it's not always about what you want, or what everyone else wants! I have my own choices to make, my own duties, my own wishes! Don't sit here and act like you don't get your way even when it hurts me, Mylo!"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ve snapped, I had never seen her so furious. Except for the time I told her about Daphne.

"I-"

"NO! Let me finish. I told you we should hire a tutor for Kraimer, you said no. I told you we should live in the capital for a couple of years at least so we don't have to be far apart, you said no. I asked you not to go see your dead friend's daughter because you'd only feel guiltier, you fucked her and ended up humiliating me. I was a Lanceden."

Veruca was in tears throughout her monologue. I had no words to say. She was right to be angry. All her suggestions, all her words, all her pleas, I had ignored them.

I stood there in silence as she continued to tear at me.

"Your ego and pride has always been your problem, Mylo. It's something you'll never change, your wants will always be more important than anyone else's. I had dreams too. I wanted to at least do something that made Laszeus proud. I still have a chance to do that, yet here you are trying to guilt me into staying by using our own children. Do you have a single drop of shame in your body?"

"I do. I understand, whatever you decide I won't question it anymore. I'm sorry for hurting you, Veruca. I'm sorry I couldn't be a better man for you and our kids. I'll make sure the children understand if you decide to go back, I won't let them hate you over my mistakes."

My whole body quivered.

I wanted to be a better man than my father but I'm not far behind him nowadays.

"Damn it, Mylo. Even with everything you've done that hurts. I can't hate you. We chose each other after all."

Veruca didn't seem to have the strength to keep venting. If I was more understanding I would've noticed the pent up thoughts she'd been holding onto for so long.

"This is my fault either way."

Veruca placed her hand on my cheek. I held onto it. She gave me a somber look.

"No, I'm not perfect either. I know you've been trying your best and it's hard for you too. You don't let it affect the children, you are a better man than your father. I can't let you think otherwise. Let's go have dinner as a family. I'll let them know what I've decided."

"You've made up your mind then?"

She turned away again with a forlorn expression.

"I have."

"Alright."

It took everything in me not to breakdown. I had never felt this way before not even when I saw that prideful smile on my brother's corpse.

Dinner ended with smiles and a swarm of hugs.

All that morbid thinking from earlier took the rest of my energy for the day, but I decided to carry Ve to bed. She was tired too, both from the journey here and the discussion before dinner.

"You're not trying anything are you?"

Her eyelids were practically closed as she spoke.

"No, Ve. I'm just giving you a break from all that exhausting walking."

"Haha. About Fred. What are you thinking of doing?"

"I'm probably going to start teaching him alone earlier in the morning. I should go tell him to head straight to bed since we're starting tomorrow."

"Maybe he doesn't need to go to bed so soon. I'm staying after all. I could watch Kray, Darvy and Barrett while the two of you practice outside."

She yawned with a cute moan.

"Alright we'll see about it tomorrow."

I placed Ve onto her bed. I took off her coat and adjusted the cover over her.

"Well if you're going to tuck Fred into bed. Tell him I appreciate him for reminding me you're not the only one who loves me, Mylo. Tell him I love him too."

"Heh, alright."

"And you're sleeping here tonight, got it? But we're definitely not doing anything."

"I understand Ve."

***

I wished my mother and stepmother goodnight and headed to my room to prepare for bed. I had quite a few things to tell Teresa now about my stepmother and family.

It came to mind that I don't know if it's normal to have multiple mothers, maybe only nobility in this world did something like that. Personally, I couldn't think of doing something like that to my wife.

Ironically, my legs felt heavier than after practicing the Fear style at the dojo. Today felt like an especially long day for me, possibly because of how memorable it feels.

Even just now at dinner, I remembered how Cassie very nearly threw her entire plate of food at Luca. He noticed. For once, Luca seemed like a reasonable older brother and convinced her to put the plate down in exchange for a piggyback ride.

I giggled at the thought of him shouting and clapping before being slammed with bits of meat, pasta and sauce.

As soon as I was in front of my room, Father seemed to have arrived from the shadows. He had just gone to take Stepmother to bed.

"Fred?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Be sure not to stay up into the night. Tomorrow we'll be training before dawn, ok?"

"Yes, Father."

"Oh, and thanks for taking care of your mom while I was busy. She wanted me to tell you, she loves you too."

I smiled at Father as he ruffled my hair and disappeared in a blink.

The sheets flew off my bed and then back over me as I climbed and settled in for the night.

For the first time in a long time I had forgotten of the nightmare that awaited me in the dream world.

Disembodied, I stared at a projection of myself. The image gradually became bubbly.

Then my view became far more disturbing. It felt like having my eyes placed directly onto skinned flesh. I could still see my projected self.

Floating around in the transparent flesh sac I was staring through, my body began to expand. Or was it getting closer to my eyes. I couldn't tell.

Abruptly after a blink, I was looking through my own eyes again. Still floating through the meaty liquid I looked down at my hands.

They really were expanding and it was painful.

I realized then that I wasn't expanding through growth, my body was tearing itself apart in the liquid.

Screaming internally because the liquid blocked all sound, I saw in horror as holes developed around the parts of my skin that were detached.

To make matters worse, my skin didn't just look stretched and torn. The edges of holes looked like more miniature holes and tears existed in between.

The color was nauseating. My arms went from my paler tone to red to sickly yellow that appeared like puss.

It went on like that around my entire body until the holes began to buzz. It sounded like flies had infested my skin, and maggots crawled inside every thin vessel of skin that was still attached.

Black miasma began to exit the holes covering my body.

Then the worst came to pass. My eyes began to pull away from my skull in the most agonizing form imaginable. I could still see but the view I began to acquire was tortuous.

The process of tearing and stretching occurred faster in my eyes than the rest of my body. There was a purposeful motive to it, I could tell in my mind.

Suddenly my eyes were driven into one of the holes on my body.

The microscopic view was many times past what I could voluntarily withstand to see. My skin turned into horns that tore and splintered away from the stem.

The horn would then twist and spiral around thinly which produced further smaller holes and pits.

Eternity seemed to pass by as I continued to bear witness to the disfigurement and mutilation of my body. I felt the temptation to move.

However, I dared not to twitch a single fiber of my body. I didn't want to know what came next after all the pain I'd already endured.

Like an itch the temptation grew and grew until I could not bear to remain still either.

Nothing held me back but the pit in my chest that wound itself tighter.

I finally moved.

As if it had all been a false reality, I sat on the couch in the living room of my old apartment.

What's going on? I thought.

I could not recall what I had been dreaming about merely a second before my eyelids had opened.

I slid my fingers around my body feeling if there was anything wrong. Nothing felt off. No hint came to mind of why I wanted to know if my body was fine.

Shaking my legs before slapping my knees, I got up from the couch to go see who was home.