First Demonic Dragon-Chapter 1241: No Mood for Celebration

Outside was loud. He knew that for certain.

Abaddon tried to ignore the urge to run to the front door and join in the festivities and instead focused on present matters.

"The fortresses outside are the bases for your armies. Spatial magic has been applied inside, so they can easily accommodate your numbers, and everyone should be quite comfortable.

We’ll be stationing the islands around the state. Each of you will need to go and set up some smaller bases so that we can have defensive procedures in place in the event of an enemy incursion.

Please instruct your men about the use of off-duty facilities on the ground. We cannot bring the people of home here just yet, so Straga has employed golems to fill in the roles voided by them.

Now, as for how we’ll march, Zheng and his units will break out at first light to scout. Once they get back to us with a bit more information on our surroundings, we’ll start thinking about which direction to move in."

Ayaana finally looks up from her notepad.

Her generals were all strewn across the room, horribly unfocused and fidgety.

Their faces were covered in paint. They held streamers and firecrackers in their hands along with unopened beer bottles.

She looked toward her husband and found him leaning against the wall, rolling a cigar between two fingers impatiently.

"...Just go party." Ayaana sighs.

An outpour of cheering came from the sofa as the dragons rushed past Ayaana and out the front door.

Ayaana can only sigh as she turns to her husband, finding him just as eager, but trying his best to control himself.

"...I am surrounded by easily excitable children with tremendous power."

"A thing that I have never heard you complain about before tonight." Abaddon moved closer to her.

Ayaana instinctively wraps her arms around her husband’s neck.

"Yes, but... I do worry our people are not taking this as seriously as they should be. The addition of Worldjoiner to this contest... worries me." Ayaana admits.

Abaddon rests his forehead against his wife’s. "Do not question that... they may be excited fools, but they are fine warriors. They know what this means. They would simply like to enjoy themselves one last time before an avalanche of work hits them."

Ayaana smiles at her husband sweetly. "Always the defender of the people, aren’t you..?"

"I like to try. I’m often not sure if I excel at it."

"Spare me the humility just this once. You’re much sexier when you’re confident in yourself and your decisions."

Ayaana stands on the tips of her toes to kiss her husband on the cheek.

"Now...shall we go and have some fun with the rest of the house?"

Abaddon nods, already dressed and suppressing a smile.

"I guess it’s been a while since we got to really have fun and not worry about decency." Ayaana subtly shifts the features of her face to make herself unrecognizable, and changes the color of her hair to black. "Our lovely Z will be quite the handful."

A sickly gut feeling suddenly strikes Abaddon in the stomach.

Instantly, he remembers where his second wife is, and he runs up the stairs to meet her.

-

Abaddon opens the door to his son’s room after hearing no answer to his knocking.

When he steps inside, he is surprised to find that the room has returned to it’s previous state.

A seemingly endless black void where no light could touch, and no life could blossom.

Far out into the distant expanse, a black figure sat in thin air with his back turned to the door.

Beside them was his wife. Her cloak removed and wrapped around both of their shoulders.

Abaddon said nothing as he approached them.

He sat down beside his son without making a sound or looking at them.

Ayaana follows behind them, wrapping her arms around Bashenga from behind

For a time, the only noise shared between the four was that of little Agheel’s subtle cooing.

"...Why are all of you here?"

Abaddon is surprised to hear Bashenga speak.

His voice is hollow, like a ghost’s. It has neither strength nor it’s usual elegance.

"...We’re here because you’re our son."

"And we love you."

"And we know you’re hurting."

Bashenga listens to both of his parents’ answers without a change in his expression.

"Do you not have something else you could be doing...? Something that... preferably makes me feel less pathetic."

"My son... we just want to be here for you."

"A sentiment I am most appreciative of... But if your goal is to do me a kindness, then fawning over me like a wounded animal is counterintuitive to your goal."

"Son, we just-"

"I know, father, I just... I wish to be left alone. Please."

Abaddon and his wives glance at each other all at once.

The concern in their eyes is immense, but what could they do?

Slowly, they stand after taking turns kissing their son on top of the head.

They turn from him, leaving despite every inclination in their body telling them not to.

"...Wait."

Bashenga glances back. His eyelids have already become baggy.

"...You may leave the youngest with me. His presence is no bother."

Zahara looks down at the bundle of joy in her arms.

Without a moment’s consideration, she walks back to her son and kneels beside him to present his brother.

Bashenga takes Agheel gently. The child seems to find no discomfort in going from his mother’s arms into those of his brother.

"...Call us if you need anything." Zahara says gently.

She kisses both boys once again before returning to the side of her husband and wife.

Together, all three exit their son’s room, leaving him alone with his infant brother.

Bashenga stares down at Agheel.

Just the same, Agheel stares cloyingly at Bashenga.

They both seem to be taking each other in as if this is their first time meeting.

Agheel writhes about within his blanket and breaks one of his hands free from the swaddle.

He reaches out for his brother.

Bashenga puts forth a single finger and allows his brother to wrap his hand around it.

"...May you never know a discomfort as great as this, brother. Let my misfortune be great enough for the both of us."

Agheel coos in response, not understanding his older brother’s words, but perhaps feeling the sentiment inside of them.

With only the infant for company, Bashenga sits in silence, staring at the darkness. In the back of his mind, he wonders if he will ever have the heart to make this place full again.

-

Abaddon and his wives are slow to walk down the stairs.

It is almost as if they believe in some small part that, at any moment, Bashenga will call out to them from his doorway and ask them to come back.

It was a long shot to begin with, but they were optimistic.

"Is it really fine to just leave the two of them alone like that...?" Ayaana looks back over her shoulder nervously.

Abaddon takes her hand and continues leading her down the stairs. "Bashenga is very good with children despite how he acts to everyone else... It will take more than grief to change that."

"So we... just leave them?"

"It is his wish." Abaddon sighs. "At a time like this... the best thing we can do for him is listen as he tells us what he wants."

Abaddon’s wives continue to look unsure, but he does not.

For all intents and purposes, Bashenga was actually handling things much better than Abaddon had anticipated. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

If all he wanted was to be left alone with his brother, that was a more than worthwhile trade so that he wouldn’t plunge the entire world into a second apocalypse.

As the trio walked, they passed by a window, and Zahaara’s eyes caught sight of the spectacle raging outside.

Ayaana notices her wife’s gaze. "Are you interested, my love..?"

"I... No." Zahara shakes her head. "It wouldn’t be proper of us to go out at a time like this. Not when our son is hurting and not when a member of our family is missing."

"...Three are missing." Abaddon replied in a somber voice.

The dragons grew quiet as they thought about their absent family members.

Karliah. Gaia. Even Nyx. For years, they had been constants in the lives of the family. They’d laughed, cried, eaten, and fought with each other. All under the same roof.

Now that they suddenly weren’t there, the hole in their hearts was enormous.

They all fell silent as they remembered the day they’d had.

"...Sofa date?" Zahara suggested with a halfhearted smile.

Her partners smiled and nodded as they walked towards the living room.

"I think this is the first time in a while that we’ll be able to say we had the house mostly to oursel-"

When the trio steps into the living room, they are greeted by the sight of their grandchildren, Askari and Reken, playing on a tablet.

Young Yggdrasil crawls around on the ground at their feet, seemingly amusing herself with the shapes on the rug.

"...Kids, where are your parents?" Ayaana asked.

"They said they were going out to have grown-up fun."

"Can we make cookies with you??"

The grandparents can only look at each other and sigh.

As Abaddon goes to pick up his granddaughter, and his wives lead the boys to the kitchen, he prepares to follow them when suddenly he hears the voice of his daughter inside his head.

’Hey, Dad, I’m almost back and I brought the humans... What do you want me to do with them?"