First Demonic Dragon - Chapter 1225: The Day It All Ended

Chapter 1225: The Day It All Ended

When the day came, it was like any other. Nothing in the world felt out of place or incorrect.

Malenia was sitting on the sofa in the living room. It was dangerously quiet.

Her eyes were closed as she gently ran her hands over her stomach.

Malenia often felt she saw better with her eyes closed than open. At times, she did not even feel she needed them.

She saw far beyond the boundaries of the house. Into the city, the forest, the pond, even most of the state. She could have stretched her vision even farther if she felt like it.

Everything seemed so normal. So peaceful.

She couldn’t believe that today was supposed to be the day.

Nor could she believe… her condition. Or the effect that it was having on her family.

“…I can feel you both staring at me. I’ll have you know that I do not find it comforting or endearing.”

Abaddon and Asmodeus slowly turned visible once again. Though they continued to hide behind a far wall, staring at their angel-winged family member.

“W-We were just-”

“We wanted to know if you needed-”

Malenia held up her hand, then patted both sides of the sofa.

Abaddon and Asmodeus wandered from behind their hiding places and sat on either side of her.

It was a while before Malenia even bothered to speak.

“…I have been alive for so many years now, and I have never known what it was like to be fretted and fawned over until after I had this thing growing inside my stomach.

My husband is constantly chasing behind me, not allowing me to pick up anything heavier than a matchbook. My wife has offered to massage my shoulders so often that I am actually sore, and my mothers, my well-meaning but famously overbearing mothers, have offered to make me so much food that they could have fed every foodbank in America for the next five weeks.”

Malenia took the hands of the men at her side.

“All that I want now is for my father and my brother to act with some modicum of normalcy. Because if you don’t, I am going to burn this entire house down with all of you still inside it.”

“…”

“…”

Abaddon and Asmodeus kissed Malenia on each of her cheeks.

“That’s better.”

For a while, the trio sat on the sofa staring out the window into the sunrisen world.

A grey, overcast sky blanketed the state for miles upon miles. And yet, with the existence of the sun just beyond the clouds, the world was still a very beautiful shade.

Malenia found it fitting. There were dark times ahead. But they would not be without hope. Not without light.

She looked down at her stomach again. She saw past her flesh and stared at the small mass growing inside of her.

She could expedite the process with magic if she felt like it, but… why rush?

Nurturing her little light was an experience she may never get to enjoy again.

“…Gaia is so beautiful, isn’t she? Pure and innocent… I wonder if, after everything changes, will she still be the loving goddess that we know? Or will Armageddon… take that from her as it will undoubtedly take from so many others.”

“We will not allow that to happen.” Abaddon said firmly. “My daughter-in-law will be protected no matter what.”

Malenia chuckled. It was a soft sound, not of amusement, but of irony.

“Is something funny?”

“No, no… my apologies.” Malenia shook her head. “It’s just… long before you were an absolute, you tended to only see things as them. I am unsure of whether or not I should be glad that doesn’t seem to have changed.”

“I don’t understan-”

“Abaddon… mighty Black Dragon. The First of our Race. Breaker of Worlds, Shaper of Monsters, The Fire That Burns the Sun… The Dark at the End of Everything… It’s no surprise to me, brother, that you have yet to learn, even after all of this time, that some things are just outside of your control. And I fear that… our beloved Gaia may be one of them.”

Abaddon could say nothing to that. How could he?

He knew better than anyone that he had problems letting go. That there were things that, if he were invested in, he would do whatever he could to see a favorable outcome.

What was the use of all of his power if he couldn’t help those he loved?

Abaddon felt Malenia squeeze his hand.

“I’m not scolding you, brother. Be of a light heart. I’m just saying…”

“I know. But at the same time… I cannot say that I won’t try to help her. She is my daughter-in-law. And even if she wasn’t… she is my friend.”

“We aren’t even sure that it might come to that.” Asmodeus finally said. “Hush now, children. There will be enough talk of doom and gloom in our future. For now… everyone in our lives is safe. That may be a blessing we have long taken for granted, so for the moment… I believe we should appreciate the positives.”

Abaddon and Malenia fell silent at their father’s instructions.

They continued to stare out the window, watching as the world turned into slightly brighter shades of grey.

They sat there for so long that the house began to come alive.

Abaddon heard a familiar pair of feet rushing down the stairs and stood up.

Begging his family to excuse him, he exited the viewing room and entered the hall, where he intercepted Odessa.

“Hey… what are you doing?”

Odie smiled wryly.

’Same as any other Friday… I’m going to school. T-Though I’m not sure who’s going to take me, since I was going to ask Courtney, but I think she and Fiona were having a… umm… a-anyway, I don’t wanna interrupt. Can I ride with you?’

“Odie…” Abaddon began. “You know that today is…”

’Y-Yeah, I know, dad…’ Odessa nodded. ’But.. I still wanna go. Just to see my friends and… m-maybe warn peop-’

“Odie.” Abaddon shook his head. “You can’t warn people. I don’t even know that they would believe you.”

’B-But what if people get hurt..?’

“It’s the same as what I told you all those years ago when you were young. Sometimes we can’t…” Abaddon lowered his head and let out a deep sigh. “…Can’t interfere.”

Odie clutched the straps of her backpack until her knuckles turned white.

Abaddon could see her fighting, clawing to hang on to her last bit of normalcy. One could almost believe that she was about to lose the only thing in the entire world that made her happy.

It was the first time that Abaddon thought to himself… maybe his daughter connected more with humanity than her actual heritage.

Had he failed as her father in some way…? Or was this just a natural result of her being born human..?

Odie didn’t know what her father was thinking about, but she saw the way his eyes changed. The hurt that was reflected in them.

’Dad, I..’

“I’ll take her.”

Adeline stood at the top of the staircase with young Yggdrasil still asleep in her arms.

Her steps lightly tapped against the wooden stairs as she descended towards them.

“Want me to borrow one of the cars, or do you want to fly?” She asked with a smile.

Odie smiled nervously.

’Flying makes me nauseous, so… car it is.’

Adeline ruffled her hair with a smile. “Go pick out a car, I’ll meet you in the garage.”

Odie nodded slowly as she began to walk away.

She looked back at her father once out of instinct, expecting him to be staring back at her.

But he wasn’t. And she couldn’t explain why that made her so sad.

Once she left, Adeline passed Abaddon his grandchild.

“Do you mind…?”

“N-No, of course not…” His voice was empty and hollow.

He took his grandchild into his arms and held her gently.

“…You may be overthinking things again, you know? I don’t think things are as deep as you fear.”

Abaddon did not immediately respond.

Instead, he hugged Adeline with one arm and kissed her on top of the head before he gently pushed her away. “…Go. She gets anxious about being late.”

Adeline nodded as she followed in Odie’s tracks.

Meanwhile, Abaddon decided to head to the kitchen to obtain milk for the baby when she woke.

Which, judging by all of the restless movements she was making, would come sometime very soon.

Inside of the kitchen, he opened the door and pulled out one of the many pre-filled bottles Nubia had prepared.

He heated it up in the palm of his hand as Yggdrasil began to open her black eyes to the world.

But the first thing she saw was her grandfather making a stunned expression.

He turned his head in a particular direction and let a name slip past his lips that the baby would not have known.

“Asherah..?”

Before the child could even open her mouth to cry for her milk, she and her grandfather vanished from the kitchen and reappeared somewhere else entirely.