ⒸⒽⒶⓅⓉⒺⓇ ⓍⓁⓋ
ⓇⒶⓎ'Ⓢ ⓅⓄⓋ
Birds squawk and a faint sound of an ocean is next to me.
Where are we now?
"Everyone!!! Wake up!!!" yells Phil.
I grumble awake, pushing the sand from under me to get up, my daughter suddenly groaning out in pain.
I fully wake up, she stands up and holds her head.
"Maeve, what's wrong?"
I ask her.
"My head hurts a lot..."
She says while clutching Cuddles.
I look up at her head and only now realize that her horns are gone.
Slowly, the others start to wake up.
I touch Maeve's head to maybe still feel for her horns.
And they aren't there.
It's like they completely disappeared.
I bring this to everyone's attention, but it's short lived when we all see what's around us now.
Everyone around us gawks at their surroundings, there's a giant green lady statue holding a ceramic torch of similar colour.
"It's the human world!!!"
They all cry in happiness with wide smiles plastered on their faces.
"Look! There are buildings!"
"And living people!"
"There are no demons here!!!"
"Y/n! We did it!" I told her, looking back and attempting to squeeze her hand.
My happy expression changes into dead surprise when I whip my head around and realize I was gripping air.
Where did she go?
Phil also notices that Emma is gone, and soon enough, as fast as everyone's excitement came, it quickly died.
"Emma! Y/n! Call back if you're nearby!!" Nigel yells.
So there was a reward, they just didn't tell us!
I believed my girlfriend's words too...
Y/n said it with such confidence... She even gave me her necklace to prove it!
God damnit!
Idiots!
I felt Y/n's necklace I had put on, feeling a sort of paper material wrapped around it tightly.
I gasp lightly and look down, taking off the rolled paper with care.
"What's that??"
Everyone asks crowding around me.
Y/n left me a note on the necklace.
𝓜𝔂 𝓭𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽,
𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝐸𝑚𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑. 𝑁𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑.
𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒. 𝑈𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑝.
𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢. 𝐸𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑏𝑦 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑢𝑠, 𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑚𝑚𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼.
𝑂𝑢𝑟 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠.
𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑦𝑜𝑢.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑘. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑔𝑢𝑖𝑑𝑒. 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑢𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑦 "𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠."
𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦? 𝐺𝑜.
𝑆𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛.
-𝑌/𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑚𝑚𝑎.
Everyone, especially me had a hard time soaking this in.
A hide and seek game???
What kind of shit is this??
A large platform floats down from the sky, men in suits on top of it.
"Hello. My name is Mike Ratri. Peter's uncle and head of the proxy Ratri clan."
I prepare to say the code when he continues.
"'Code solid.' I already know. I'm not your enemy. Our clan will no longer harm your children." he waves us forward.
"Climb abroad before things get complicated."
A news beacon pops up, reporting on all the other farm children who have suddenly popped up all over the world.
"That's-!"
"Don't worry. We're securing the children as we speak." he continues.
"This is the North American branch of the Ratri clan. We were found in the former United States of America, the east side of the region is now named Area 01."
He went on to explain what had happened in our years of being in the demon world. I never thought it could be as worse as it was.
Food shortages.
Abnormal weather.
Natural disasters.
Hate crimes.
Epidemics.
A civil war that lasted ten years.
By this time, we were all put in a room while Mike was figuring out where to put all of us.
"We're lucky..."
Norman mutters as he looks down.
Cislo grumbles.
"What? We aren't lucky at all!"
I punch the wall.
"Damnit!"
I yelled, covering my face. Maeve, now realizing Y/n is gone again had silently been crying again. She hugged my free arm while her face hid in her teddy bear's head.
"So, what does this mean?? A hide and seek game?? How would they not know where they are?? Wouldnt キング tell them???"
Asks Dominic.
"There's no way Emma would take care of it by sacrificing herself! She said so herself! So did Y/n!"
My mother puts her hands to her face as she speaks.
"Y/n already attempted sacrificing herself for us all once-"
"Twice..."
I remark in a low mutter, remembering when she got herself stabbed by Leuvis.
Or rather, her other uncle as I found out...
"What makes you all think Y/n wouldn't do it again?"
My mom mutters, everyone scowls, not wanting to believe it.
"NO WAY!"
Maeve yells.
Some of us look at her, her features were no longer behind her bear, she now held him by the paw. Tears are still running down her cheeks. But her face shows she's furious.
"MY MOM PROMISED SHE WOULDN'T LEAVE US! AND I KNOW SHE LIVES UP TO HER PROMISES!" she yells.
None of us have ever seen her this angry and sad before, so it takes a lot of people by surprise when she starts screaming through her tears.
"WHEN WE THOUGHT SHE DIED SHE HAD CAME BACK! WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT TO GET PERMANENTLY DISABLED FROM GETTING STABBED, SHE STILL WOKE UP AND HEALED!!!" my daughter waved her arms around erratically. I had to back up a little in a little worry she was going to accidentally smack me in my face.
Who the hell told her about when Y/n got stabbed by Leuvis though?
"MY MOM IS A FIGHTER! SHE CAN POWER THROUGH ANYTHING! SO THERE IS NO WAY SHE'S LYING ABOUT WHAT SHE WROTE IN HER LETTER! THIS IS HER TELLING US TO FIND HER!"
She growls under her breath with her hands clenched as she raises her voice even more. She looks up.
"SO GOD DAMNIT WE'RE GOING TO FIND MY MOM AND EMMA!!!"
Everyone gasped at hearing Maeve swear.
I wasn't going to scold her, even though she was so young. She had a right to be this mad.
Maeve huffs after the way she yelled, tired, she yawns, then collapses down on the floor and falls asleep, hugging her stuffed animal.
Wow, that was quite a change of emotion.
I pick up my daughter and rest her head in my lap as Jemima pumps her fist in the air.
"Maeve is right! Y/n and Emma have no reason to lie! They have to be somewhere in the human world! So now we have to go look for them!"
Jemima backing up what Maeve said got everyone else up and on the plan to find them.
"We'll all look for Y/n and Emma!" I shout.
"YEAH!!!"
Everyone else shouts.
⇠⫷❖◈❖⫸⇢
We were all arranged into apartments in the city, my mother wasn't with me, she had her own place not far from me. Maeve was with me, however. Since I guess Mike figured that I would need the room to raise my daughter.
It was a nice sized apartment. three bedrooms, nice kitchen. A place for a small office. Everything we needed with stocked furniture and appliances.
My mind was still cluttered with today's events, I kept rereading Y/n's note over and over again throughout the day, I was getting dressed into something else and had already taken a shower. Now getting ready to prepare dinner.
I still prayed that it was some sort of fever dream. That she would walk up from behind me and put her arms around me with her head on my shoulder. Or that she would surprise kiss me and tell me that she made soup that she thought could rival mine, even though it never did.
I swear I'll go to the ends of the earth and hell just to find you, sweetheart.
I heard a slight clatter from the kitchen and Maeve crying out in what sounded like pain. I set the note down and sped to the kitchen.
The cutting board was out and there was a half chopped carrot on there. Maeve was in the middle of the kitchen, squeezing her eyes shut with her teeth clenched. A small knife spotted with blood and carrot shavings was on the ground.
And my daughter has a big cut on her hand.
"Maeve, what happened??" I asked frantically, getting antibiotics and gauze.
"I was trying to cut a carrot and I accidentally hurt myself! Now I'm trying to see if I can still heal myself!"
She cries, still straining herself. To no avail.
I dab her cut and put antibiotics on it.
"No! I can do it! I can heal myself!"
She tells me, attempting to pull away from me.
"No, honey. You can't." I tell her, quickly wrapping it.
"I think when we got to the human world, you were turned into a human. You can't regenerate anymore, and you don't have horns." I take her face so she looks at me.
"Don't try to heal yourself again. If it didn't work the first time, it won't work again. Considering how well you were with healing yourself before." I sigh as I threw away the carrot.
"You aren't allowed near the knives, let alone try to cut a vegetable! how did you get one?!" I ask.
"I saw there was one on the counter and I got a stool from one of the tiny closets to reach it." she answers.
I look down to where the cutting board is, and indeed there it is. A stepping stool.
God damnit. I was just about to start cooking after getting dressed so I was laying out the ingredients.
I need to do better than this.
I can't do stupid shit like this as a dad.
I sigh.
"Don't do it again, alright? I don't want you to hurt yourself again, okay? Next time wait for daddy to start cooking, okay?"
Maeve nods at me and goes to the couch, figuring out the physics of something we learned recently was a TV. She fiddled around until she found something she liked. Cartoons.
I was making vegetable soup, and that was our dinner for the night.
I have no idea how long this will take to find Y/n and Emma. I have a kid to take care of. I need to get her enrolled in school and I need to make sure she has enough clothes so that it isn't concerning that she's wearing the same dirty dress every day. I need to get a job to support us.
God, this would be easier if Y/n wasn't somewhere else in the world.
Maeve fell asleep on the couch watching cartoons with a yellow sponge like creature on the TV. I cleaned up after us and picked her up to bring her back to her room.
I tucked her in her bed and kissed her forehead.
She was a peaceful sleeper like Y/n, snored a bit too. I grit my teeth a little thinking about her.
You better not somehow disappear on me like your mom did.
I quietly closed the door to her room and went to mine, brushed my teeth, and got ready for bed.
I can hear my lover's voice echo through my head as I fall face first into the bed.
It's so quiet without her.
Y/n's loud sometimes, she fills the room with her laughter and her captivating smile.
I get under the covers, the lights already flickered off with the shades open to reveal the gorgeous city lights.
I'm so used to cuddling her, that when I bring my arm to the side to wrap her waist in and pull her closer, only to scoop air this time gives me a subtle stab to the heart as a reminder that she wasn't here anymore.
I pat my hand around with my eyes closed.
She's still not there.
I grumble and take the next best thing. A crisp white body pillow.
It's cold.
Nothing like my girlfriend.
I shiver. It felt like hugging an ice block, but it was the best I was going to get until we found her and Emma.
It took much longer than usual, but I had eventually fallen asleep.
⇠⫷❖◈❖⫸⇢
Darkness.
Only the darkness.
I was standing in barely ankle deep black water, though it only looked like water. It felt like mere air.
"My love!" I hear Y/n's voice call out excitedly. I feel a thump behind me and feel arms wrap around me as her face snuggled into my back.
"I missed you!" her voice is muffled, but just hearing her voice again makes me all stupidly flustered and smiley.
I suddenly no longer feel her presence as I hear a sizzling sound.
She faded away.
Y/n bubbles in again from seemingly nothing, bouncing like a little kid to me, she jumps in my arms and gives me a tight hug as I gladfully embrace her.
"I love you so much!" she says, placing a tender kiss on my cheek as her breath tickles my neck.
She fizzles away again.
Y/n then sizzles in front of me and puts both her hands to my neck, bringing me in for a passionate kiss like our very first one was. I quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and another went to the back of her head to get her closer as I kissed back.
The warmth and utter joy from kissing her again quickly disappeared as Y/n did as well mid-kiss.
"Ray. Open your eyes." I hear Y/n's voice echo like a ghostly whisper.
But my eyes are open?
I blink and the dark void suddenly changes scenery.
I felt a cool summer breeze blow past me, making my bang fly away from my face.
I was in an empty flower field that stretched for as far as the eye can see.
Clear skies adorn the field of bright colours. The pinks, reds, whites, and oranges alike.
"Ray!" I hear my lovely girlfriend's voice call out for me.
I look ahead and see Y/n in summer attire. A f/c summer dress with bows on top of the straps and a sun hat. I look to the side a bit to see Maeve in denim shorts and a pastel coloured striped shirt with a few flowers in hand, holding Cuddles by the paw in another as she smiles gleefully.
Both of them looked so adorable.
What mostly catches my attention though, is Y/n's stomach. I widen my eyes, in happiness, though I know, at least vaguely, that this is a dream.
Y/n is pregnant.
She waved at me from the distance with a wide smile, a camera in her other hand.
"Ray! Hurry up! Let's take a picture together with the family!"
She calls to me.
I stride forward, eager to say the least until the scenery change stops me dead in my tracks.
Y/n lowers her hand and her smile disappears from her face with the drop of her camera. Horror starts to lace and coat her features until she looks at me in the distance, completely horrified.
Maeve drops the flowers and clutches her bear to her face, now next to Y/n. Looking scared as well.
The flowers around us quickly start to wilt and turn brown and grey. The sky follows, turning a dark grey with clouds rolling in.
I couldn't move.
Why wasn't I moving?
What looks like a large branch punctures through my girlfriend and daughter's stomach and forehead, where their middle eye was. They both go weak in her legs and starts to fall.
A flash of lightning in the distance echos as I was already by their side with both girls in my arms.
Y/n doesn't bleed as much from her middle eye as she did before, but her stomachs pooling blood, same with my daughter.
"Y/n! Maeve!" I yell, trying to cover their wounds.
Y/n and Maeve cry hard, gripping my shirt.
"Ray! I don't wanna die!" Y/n sobs. "It hurts! It hurts!"
"Daddy! Help us! It's so painful!" Maeve cries with a wobbly voice as she coughs.
"Our baby! He's gonna die!" Y/n cries, a hand on her stomach.
I can't stop the bleeding from coming out of both of their stomachs, Y/n starts to choke and grazes my cheek with her bloody fingers, leaving a small line of blood on my cheek as I cry with her. Desperately trying to keep my family alive.
"Y/n! Maeve! Hang on! Don't let go! Not yet! I haven't found you yet Y/-" my thoughts are cut off by looking into my girlfriend's grey looking eyes.
I look to see the same thing with Maeve, her teddy bear was dropped out of her hold and lay rested beside us with blood coating his fur.
They were unresponsive, and only now did I realize their grips on my shirt had loosened.
I cradle my love and sweet daughter in my arms and hug them close. I sob into their shoulders. Upset I couldn't save Y/n for the second time in a row, and more than devastated I couldn't protect my daughter from the selfish clutches of death.
"Please don't do this to me..." I choke. "Please don't..." I caress both their faces.
"You better be alive and well in the human world, Y/n. I swear I'll bring you home safe... Maeve misses you too." I choke back more sobs, seeing Maeve's open eyes gazing into space and her slightly agape mouth.
I kiss their foreheads, and more of my tears fall on Y/n's face.
I can't help but keep sobbing loudly, holding my dearest family members in my arms as I wept, now also mourning my dead son that still laid punctured in my girlfriend's stomach.
⇠⫷❖◈❖⫸⇢
I feel a small hand shake me awake.
My cheeks are moist, I can feel that I had probably been crying.
"Papa," I hear Maeve call out softly.
My eyes shot open to see the ceiling, I look to the side of my bed and see my daughter holding Cuddles with one arm while another is on my chest. Her eyes show concern.
Oh thank god, she's alright and well.
I rub my eyes, "I'm so sorry honey, did I wake you up? I didn't realize I was making any noise..."
Maeve shakes her head. "It's okay," she yawns a little. "Were you dreaming about mama?"
I sniff with my eyes closed.
"It's okay if you were. I had a dream about her too..." my daughter admits in a whisper.
I nod without looking at her.
"I can sleep in here if you can't sleep. You and mama used to let me when I couldn't. So it's only fair." she offers.
I smile sadly, thinking about Y/n and that horrific dream of her and Maeve made more tears fall down my face.
"No, it's okay hun. You can go back to bed, and I'll try to not make so much noise..." I keep a hand over my eyes with a sickly smile and a sniff.
A very soft and lightweight is put onto my chest. I remove my hand from my eyes and look down to see that Maeve had placed Cuddles onto my chest.
"Sleep with Mr. Cuddles tonight," Maeve offers. "He usually helps me with my nightmares. And he used to be mama's."
"Oh, honey it's fine. Take your stuffed animal back-" I try to give Maeve her bear back, but she puts it back on my chest.
"Please." she asks in a soft and sad voice.
Well, alright.
I put Cuddles to my side and my daughter hugs me in the best way she can.
"Don't worry daddy, we'll find mommy. I promise." she reassures me.
Another small tear falls off the corner of my eye and I accept her hug.
Maeve trots out of my room and closes the door, going back to her room.
I hug Cuddles close to me, I felt like a little kid. But it didn't matter much to me.
Maeve's right, you know Y/n?
We'll find you.
Whether you fucking want us to or not.
I just hope my nightmare just now was just a horrific dream and not any kind of premonition for the future of our family.
I feel my consciousness slipping away, my tears trickling down my cheeks as I fall more and more into a dreamless sleep.
✿
✿
✿
✿
✿
fun fact: 1964 was when the official Canadian flag was chosen