Chapter Text
It was dusk when the group finally entered Dahngrest, and Karol was vaguely aware of Yuri, Judith, and Raven engaging in conversation as they followed the cobblestone pathways home. Dahngrest was just starting to come alive with its usual nighttime activity and while in some ways that aspect was similar to Zaphias, it was in many ways different and the familiarity of it was something that Karol had found himself missing during their time away.
It had been a few weeks since Karol’s thirteenth birthday and subsequent adoption by Raven, with the bulk of that time having been spent in Zaphias meeting with Flynn and Estelle regarding a job that would span the next few months on and off. The job itself was intended to be mainly diplomatic in nature, with Brave Vesperia combining their efforts with those of Flynn’s, as well as Rita and Estelle’s, to assist the whole of Terca Lumireis in adjusting to life without blastia. But while they were there, Flynn and Yuri also took the time to confirm their new relationship. Good for them!
That said, not everyone understood why the blastia had to be made obsolete and a portion of those individuals were rather vocal about their displeasure at the shift the world had taken without their consent.
It had to be done, but so were such meetings to smooth things over, as best as they could… and now that they were done, they were more than glad to be back home.
The more they walked, the harder it became for Karol to focus on his own thoughts, something he had noticed earlier, when Ba’ul was landing. Perhaps the trip had taken more out of him than he had originally thought…? After all, it had been the first trip they had taken since the Weasand of Ca-
“Terca Lumireis to Boss.” Yuri’s voice startled Karol out of his reverie and the boy turned to see Yuri standing closer than anticipated. The young man looked the boy up and down, then raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t hear what I said, did you?”
Karol shook his head, still a little out of it as he mumbled a quick. “N-no, sorry.”
Yuri sighed and gently patted the kid on the shoulder. “I was asking if you were excited for tonight? It is your first night at your dad’s.”
It is...! Recognition flickered on the boy's face, followed by confusion. How could I have forgotten that...? Then excitement, "Yeah, of course I am!"
A heavy hand landed in Karol's hair.
"Well, that's good to hear." A moment later, Raven's face came into view as he looked down at him and grinned. "Have ya thought about what you want for dinner tonight? I was thinkin' we could cook together, maybe."
It took Karol a moment to think about that, perhaps a little too long, before he replied, “That’d be fun. Did you have the ingredients for something already? We haven’t had curry or meat sauce in a while, and those don’t take too long.”
"Hmm… curry sounds pretty good to me, and I have all the ingredients. And what wouldja like to do after that? Maybe something relaxing, since we just came back from Zaphias, yeah? Or…" Raven looked over Karol with a considering hum, the poor kid’s exhaustion absolutely wrought in the tiny boy’s frame. "...Maybe we just call it an early night today? I don't know how y'all kids have so much energy, but this old man's bones are positively creakin' here!”
“Didn’t you know? Perpetual exhaustion is the price of parenthood, old man.” teased Yuri in response.
Raven grunted. "Well, remind me to send Hanks my regards then. That said-" he started to kneel in front of Karol, "-I don't think I'm the only tired one here. How ya feelin', champ? You want a lift?"
“Huh?” Karol asked, clearly more than a little out of it. Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep last night…? he thought to himself before shaking his head and answering Raven’s question. “Nah, I can walk. I am a little tired, though.”
“You heard him, old man. Looks like you’ll get that relaxing night after all.”
"I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time together," said Judith, idly spinning her spear in her hand.
Raven gave a small smile before spotting a building in the distance, one recently obtained but quickly growing in familiarity. Brave Vesperia’s brand new spick-n-span Head Quarters.
"Maybe we can stop by the market to see if there's anything else ya wanna eat before we head to my place. But before that, is there anything ya wanna pick up from HQ?" he said, pointing out the small building where Brave Vesperia had made their home.
If Raven remembered correctly, Karol had told him that they purchased it after realizing just how much money they had gotten from selling materials from the monsters they had felled over their year-long trek across the world, and what a good investment the building had turned out to be. Aside from it being a physical location where clients could meet Brave Vesperia for possible jobs, it was also a home of sorts to the group, with six bedrooms taking up almost all of the 2nd floor while the living commodities and areas to conduct guild business took up the first floor. "It wouldn't hurt to think about seeing if there is anything else ya need to bring, like clothes and whatnot."
It took Karol a moment to process what Raven had suggested, having lost his focus again, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. Do you mind waiting with Yuri and Judith while I do that, Dad? It shouldn't take long."
"...Nah, I don't mind." Is he ok? He looks really out of it...
"...There's no need to wait on me," Judith said suddenly, stepping closer to the boy. "I don't have any plans after this, so I can go in with you to help you gather your things."
"Yeah, sure. Thanks Judith." Karol said with a small smile. Then he turned to Raven, "Ok, we'll be back in a minute!" With that, he and Judith entered the place they'd been calling home for a few months now, leaving Yuri, Raven, and Repede waiting outside the door.
A few silent moments passed before Raven looked at Yuri from the side of his eye. "Ya think he's really feeling ok? Just gotta ask. I don't mind waiting for a different weekend."
"You getting cold feet on us, old man?" Yuri started to tease, but quickly recognized how serious Raven was. Yuri sobered up then, adding, "I think he's just tired. We have been traveling for almost three weeks. You know how easily kids tire out before adults on journeys like that."
"Yeah...that's true." After a few more considering seconds, he nodded to himself. "You make sure to get some rest too though, ok? And… I'm bringing him back two days from now, during the evening, right? This is pretty exciting."
"I think exciting is an understatement, old man," Yuri said with a knowing smirk. "It's all Boss has been talking about since you brought it up that first night in Zaphias." A beat of silence, then he added, "If it goes well, you know it's alright to keep him a few extra nights, right? I mean, you are his father."
Raven blinked then slowly put a hand to his forehead. "A-ah… ya know, I hope you don't think me stupid for this, but that genuinely didn't occur to me. But..." A soft smile spread across his face. "...Man, this is real. Heh, alright. Here's to hopin’ it'll go well, then."
"It will." Yuri told him confidently. "I know that when Karol's with you, he's in good hands. No matter what."
Raven smiled, but before he could respond, the doors to Brave Vesperia's Headquarters opened once more and out strolled Karol and Judith. Once Karol got close enough, he reached out a hand to comb his fingers through Karol's hair. "Heya, kid, are ya ready to see my abode?" he asked gently.
The boy relaxed into the touch and gave a quiet laugh, "You bet."
"Mind if I check it out, too, old man?" Yuri asked before they made the motions to leave. "Gotta check out the competition since you'll eventually have Boss full time."
"Nah, I don't mind," he said, walking alongside Yuri before pausing, then pasting on a huge smirk. "So, ya wanna see where I live, huh? I see that your ol' crush on ol' Raven still hasn't died down then, Mr. Yuri Lowell," he said, already preparing himself to evade Yuri in the case of smacking or chasing.
Yuri's expression quickly fell at that. "Oh, I'm so gonna kick your ass."
With that taunt, and a happy little chase down the streets of Dahngrest (Raven and Yuri oh, so loved to chase each other through the streets of major cities, it seemed) Karol was eventually scooped up on Raven’s back as they did a bit of grocery shopping to replace the food Raven realized belatedly was long rotten. Three weeks had been a long time away from home. But, at last, they were, in fact, there! Except… uh oh. Raven realized, as he turned into the doors of Union HQ, that Karol had nodded off on his shoulder.
Uh oh. Raven’s already fast steps further quickened as he made a turn, passed a few more doors, then stopped in front of one, similar to all the others, unlocked it, and walked through.
With a cursory look around the darkened room he confirmed that, yep, everything was still in place, and made a beeline for the couch to the side, careful to avoid the low table in front of the couch that still had a few nuts and bolts on it. He must’ve forgotten to clean up after tweaking his bowblade last time he was here.
"Gimme a second to put Karol down and I'll find the lights for ya," he said to Yuri behind him, bending over to gently lower the boy. Karol startled back from teetering on the edge of consciousness as he was lowered, instinctively gripping the fabric of Raven's jacket in an attempt to catch himself. Raven grunted in surprise. "Uh, er, sorry for wakin' ya, Karol, but ya gotta let go of me. Don't worry, I gotcha. Yuri, could’ja-" he craned his neck to look over his shoulder, "-the light switch is to the right. Look for the tall basket of bows, it's right next to it."
"On it." Light flooded the room within seconds and Yuri moved to set the groceries in the kitchen while Raven worked to gently pry Karol off of himself.
Karol struggled to recognize where he was, eyes searching the room in a slight panic before the combination of Raven's familiar voice and the realization that they had arrived at Raven's apartment calmed his nerves. An embarrassed flush heated his cheeks and he gave a quick, stammered, "S-sorry, Dad."
"You're ok, lil star," he said, quickly giving Karol a small peck on the forehead before straightening. "Just tell me if ya need anything, ok? I'm gonna go help Yuri unpack the groceries and start on dinner."
"...'kay." Karol mumbled in response a moment before shifting to lay down against the soft, black material of the couch.
A soft smile found its way onto Yuri’s face at how gently Raven soothed and looked after Karol. Whatever had exhausted the boy had done a thorough job of it, with Karol appearing to be ready to take that nap he had protested against on the way over. But now that they were here, Karol seemed to rest easy and Yuri could let himself take a look around the place.
In front of the couch that Karol was laying on was a well used table that sat low to the ground, with nuts and bolts scattered on its surface; it was likely where Raven would perform maintenance on his bow blades. The right wall was lined with bookshelves, something that Estelle would appreciate once she was able to see the place herself. There was likely more down the hall to the left but, for now, Yuri stayed in the kitchen. It was modest in size, but Yuri knew from experience that it would get the job done.
All in all, the place was surprisingly neat and organized and not at all how Yuri had envisioned it. In all honesty, he’d been expecting something closer to Rita’s living quarters than Estelle’s but once again, Raven was full of surprises.
Eventually Raven had approached him and Yuri broke the silence, “Nice place, old man. Gotta say that I’m impressed that you keep it this neat.”
"Huh?" Raven looked up from where he'd peeked into the grocery bags. "Oh, that's because I don't always have a lot of time and it helps ta have things organized when I'm lookin' for somethin, ya know?" he shrugged, moving the produce over to the sink and pulling out a cutting board and knife before grinning at Yuri, the low rumble of a flirt edging his words. "I take it ya like a man who's neat?" he teased.
"You could say that," Yuri replied with the exact same teasing smile, and the exact same tone of voice as he sorted to lean back against the counter, elbows resting on the edge before he vaguely gestured to the bows nearby, “A man who can fight is definitely appreciated.” Then he nodded in Karol's direction, "Though I gotta say that I am impressed with a man who's good with kids."
….
Raven's jaw dropped open and for several moments he could only stare.
Several, several moments.
Eventually, the gears in Raven’s brain creaked back into action and he let out a disbelieving huff of a laugh. What just happened? Did Yuri really, really just flirt back? Yeah, another review of the memory sure made it look like it. Yuri just flirted. Kind of. Sort of. It was as close as Yuri, of all people, could afford. Just… wow. If it were any other person in any other situation, preferably a stranger, he'd be quick on the draw to talk about what else he's ‘good with’ but this was… Yuri.
Who’d just gotten into a relationship with Flynn.
"U-um." Raven looked as far away from Yuri as he could and ran a hand through his hair as his scattered thoughts attempted to piece out this conundrum.
It took everything Yuri had to keep a straight face for a few moments longer, just to watch Raven try and grapple with the situation, before he burst into a fit of laughter. "Sorry, old man, you made that too easy."
"I-I just-" He broke off as a hot flush began to make its way up his neck and he looked around for some rescue from the situation and found none. "Just- Goddess above, Yuri, don't say stuff like that. You're gonna give this ol' man a heart attack," he said, finally meeting Yuri's eyes and trying very hard to regain his slippery grasp on what casual looks like, despite his blush-darkened face.
A quick bark of disbelieving laughter and Yuri shook his head. "You're telling me that you, you , Terca Lumireis' biggest flirt, can't handle someone flirting back?"
"C-can too!" he said, crossing his arms with a decisive pout even as his cheeks burned hotter. "I'll have ya know, I've received thousands upon thousands of people try ta flirt with me, and every single one of 'em has been treated with grace and poise worthy of a- of a-" Raven visibly struggled for a metaphor for a few seconds more before fixing Yuri with a defensive glare. "Point bein', ya caught me off guard. So… take that."
Yuri took it quite well, indeed and in fact, with the man’s lack of composure only making him all the more smug. "Whatever you say, old man."
“Y-yeah… whatever I say,” Raven mumbled to himself.
Yuri rolled his eyes, and a quick glance at Karol proved that the child was still awake. Though his heavily lidded and unfocused gaze indicated that likely wouldn't be the case for much longer. A quick gesture in the boy's direction, and Yuri changed the subject. "Looks like Boss is still fighting that nap you wanted him to take."
"H-huh?" Raven blinked and slowly re-acclimated himself to a blessedly different topic before peering over the countertop bar at Karol. "Hm… gonna have to make dinner fast then. Uhhh, you get started on cutting, you're faster than I am at that, and I'll get started on sauteing the meat." With a plan set and instructions given, his cheeks slowly cooled as he grabbed a pair of pots to begin making curry and rice alike.
Without delay, Yuri took up the task of chopping the vegetables into the appropriate sized pieces for curry.
Movement caught Karol's attention and he shifted his gaze to follow Raven and Yuri's movements in the kitchen, their words little more than muffled nonsense. A dull ache had risen in his head, emanating behind his right ear. An odd spot for a headache... but.... nothing about how he was feeling felt normal at the moment.
He was tired, unable to focus and his hearing all weird, and yet he couldn't fall asleep. As if that wasn't enough, he had to be carried most of the way here, wasn't able to help with dinner, now this strange headache had blossomed, entirely unwanted and out of nowhere. Great. Just great.
Slowly but surely, however, the air filled with the smell of curry, the tell-tale sign that dinner would soon be finished, which meant that he could soon rest. A few more blurry moments passed before he caught the motion of someone, Raven it looked like, approaching him.
"Heya, kid, whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked gently, settling himself on the squishy soft couch next to Karol. Yuri was still in the kitchen and the pot was set to simmer so he didn't have any worry of it overflowing.
Karol craned his neck and shifted to better look at Raven while he attempted to contemplate the answer to that question, as fuzzy as his mind was at the moment. He finally settled on the truthful response of, “Nothing really,” before relaxing against the couch once more. “… Do you need any help?”
"Nah, I think we're good," Raven said, slinging an arm around Karol's shoulders to pull the boy in closer for a hug. "Dinner is almost done so ya just gotta wait a little bit longer."
Karol snuggled in closer, allowing the bulk of his weight to rest against Raven in the hug. “Ok. Thanks, Dad. Sorry I wasn’t much help tonight.”
"You're ok, I promise," he said with a small squeeze. "I'm just happy havin' ya over. We can always try again next time. Maybe one of your other favorites, when you're feeling up to it."
“That’d be nice…” Karol agreed quietly. Hopefully that would be soon. He already felt a little better sitting up—err, leaning—against Raven as opposed to lying down, the pain that had been radiating behind his ear having started to subside when he had changed positions. I haven’t had a headache like this before…
“Alright,” Yuri’s voice broke this train of thought and snagged Karol’s attention long enough for him to hear his next words. “Dinner’s ready for you two. I’m going to head back and have dinner with Judy and Repede, ok?”
"Sounds good. Thanks for sticking around to help with dinner, Yuri. Stay safe on the walk back, yeah?"
“Sure,” Yuri said with a dismissive wave before adding, “I’ll see the two of you after the weekend, then.” The three exchanged goodbyes and Yuri exited into the hallway, closing the door gently behind him, finally leaving the father-son duo alone as originally planned.
A beat or two of silence passed before Karol broke it, “Ready, Dad?
"Mhm. Stay here, I'm gonna bring the food to you and we can just eat on the couch for today so you can take it easy," he said, shifting away to stand and do just that. A few minutes and a few clinks of metal on porcelain later, he returned, steaming bowls of food in hand. "Here ya go, kid. And, uh, if you want a blanket, just tell me, ok? I can grab it for you."
Karol reached out and took the proffered bowl of food with a murmured “thanks”, immediately noting both the warmth and slight heft of the bowl before adjusting his position into a proper sit. The curry itself both smelled and looked good, with the combined culinary efforts of Raven and Yuri shining through in that first bite; a thick and flavorful sauce coated perfectly seasoned and tender meat, the vegetables chopped into the right sized pieces so they were neither too mushy nor undercooked, and the rice was warm and fluffy. It was perfect in every way and he should be hungry considering they hadn’t eaten since a little before noon… but… he wasn’t.
Still, he knew he needed to eat. Maybe he could force it down little by little during conversation?
“What did you want to do tomorrow, Dad?” He asked suddenly, looking up from his food to meet Raven’s gaze.
"Hmm, well..." Raven shifted his bowl in his hands while he thought before a wide grin bloomed across his face.
" Well , I can think of a couple of things I'm pretty excited for. There's this friend I have, Clementine, who I've known for years, and she's one of the few people outside of yall and the Don that I'm actually close to. And- hey, and maybe we visit her we can practice a bit with the bow-blade? Maybe? How's that sound to you?" he said, eagerly leaning over to look at Karol's face.
The boy’s face brightened considerably, both at those suggestions and Raven’s palpable excitement at the idea. “Yeah, I’d really like that.” I wonder if I’ve seen Clementine around Dahngrest before? “Do you think she’ll like me….?”
"Of that, I've got no doubt," Raven smirked. "I've actually already told her a lot about yall, you included, and she's been dyin' ta meet ya, Karol. Y'all'll get along smashingly."
A soft laugh. “That’s good…” Karol poked idly at his food again until he finally took another spoonful into his mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing it down. Even taking bites at odd intervals like this wasn’t enough to bring back his appetite. Karol stilled suddenly when the ache in his head started to grow and a ringing took over his hearing. An involuntary noise escaped him as he pressed a hand to the right side of his head, fingers threading through his hair as he pressed in an attempt to combat the headache.
"K-Karol?" Raven gently moved to steady the bowl in Karol's hands, ignoring the hitch in his calm as he attempted to keep himself smooth and weave gentleness into his voice. "Karol, what is it?"
What…? Past the ringing, everything became muffled and hard to decipher, but even though he hadn’t heard exactly what Raven had asked, he had a good guess. “Headache.”
Headache… a headache… what's a good cure for a headache... After bouncing a fist on his leg for a few seconds more, Raven had an idea. "Wait here, ok? I got something for that."
With a few strides towards the kitchen and rustling through the medicine cabinet, he found them. His pain pills. The small bottle rattled when he picked it up, filled with small pills that did… something at least for the days where he ached a bit more than usual. They were easy to obtain from an apothecary, and often given alongside gels in the healers room for minor injuries, so it should be safe to give.
"Here, try this," he said, placing one in Karol's small palm alongside a glass of water.
Karol stared at the small tablet that rested in his hand for a moment, briefly wondering if this would work as well as gels did for injuries. Dad wouldn’t give me this if he didn’t think it would work. With that thought, his uncertainty dissolved and he popped the pill into his mouth before washing it down with a drink of water. “Thanks, Dad.”
Raven stared a few more moments before he nodded, his worrying still far from abated but satisfied for now. "I hope it helps. We probably should get you to bed pretty soon after we finish dinner, though. Looks like this trip has really done a number on ya. Have you thought about where you want to sleep?"
Disappointment took over at the idea of having to go to bed so early, but Karol knew that Raven had the right idea. And, hopefully, tomorrow would be better and they could carry on with their plans. But for now, Raven had asked him a question. “Umm…” A quick look around the apartment didn’t help with his decision making, “… I don’t know? I guess wherever you think is best.”
"Hm...well, you can take the bed," he said, jabbing a thumb over to the door not far from them that led to his bedroom. "That way it's more comfortable for ya. But for now, keep eating, ok?" he urged before breaking into a grin. "Tomorrow's a big day, after all. You're gonna need all the energy you can get. Man, Clem is gonna be so excited to meet ya."
Karol smiled at the reminder. “I’m excited to meet her, too.” Now, he just needed to finish his dinner, an otherwise simple task made difficult by the lack of appetite at the moment, but he’d try his best. At the very least, try and eat most of it so he didn’t worry Raven much more.
As he poked at his food again, Karol asked, “When did you meet her?”
Raven waited until Karol took a couple more bites before he started.
"Hmm, lemme think… probably not too long after I joined Altosk, so it's been a good while. If memory serves, heh, we actually met each other while I was out trudging along the streets of Altosk after gettin' my ass handed to me from the Don for pissin' him off in some shape or form,” he said, fondly reminiscent. Ahh, those were the days...
"Anyway, I was just walkin' around when this pretty young thing waved me over, told me that walkin' around Dahngrest lookin' like the world's most unfortunate soul was a sure way for me to get jumped so why don't I visit her tavern and try to drink some of my woes away? That was, heh, one hell of a sales pitch for sure, but it was enough and eventually we got to talking and from there it just sorta… happened. Ya know, they say that a good bartender is a good listener but she actually...listens, helps give advice, and really helped me adjust to living in Dahngrest. 'Course, she doesn't know what yall know-" Schwann, the Great War, Alexei, "-but if there would be anybody outside of yall to tell, it would be her."
Karol had managed to force a few more spoonfuls of curry down while Raven answered his question. She sounded like she’d been a good person in Raven’s life, someone who was there for him in some way before he’d met them and for that, Karol was grateful. He’d have to thank her for looking after Raven when they met tomorrow.
“I bet she had a lot to say about living in Dahngrest if she owns one of the taverns,” Karol replied with a laugh. “She sounds awesome.”
"... That she is," Raven gently smiled. "And sweeter than her namesake. When we visit her and her family tomorrow, though, make sure to bring your appetite 'cuz that girl does not know how to portion control. Needless to say, she's kept me well fed over the years, whether I asked for it or not, and usually not but I think she just enjoys having someone like her cooking. Maybe she can even teach you a few recipes down the line."
Karol’s focus started to drift away while Raven talked, with the boy idly picking at his food with his spoon rather than eating it. The urge to eat just wasn’t there, which, admittedly, was surprising to Karol as lately he’d been asking for seconds, especially at dinner time. Pills didn’t quite work like the gels, it seemed, as the effects were taking longer than Karol anticipated, with pain still radiating on the right side of his head.
When Karol didn't respond or speak after several moments, Raven peeked down at his face, concerned. "Hm… you wanna just forgo dinner for tonight and head to bed?"
A heavy sigh. I don’t want to. But he needed to, he knew that. If he went to bed now, he’d have more energy tomorrow to do the things they had planned together. “…Yeah.”
With an apologetic smile, Raven lifted Karol's bowl from his hands and set it on the table alongside his before leaning over to pick Karol up and securely hold him against his chest. After a few steps, he made his way down the left hallway and opened his bedroom door, carefully navigating the room in its darkness, before leaning over to place Karol under the covers. "There we go… I hope you can get some good rest in, Karol. Anything else you think I can get for ya before you go to sleep?"
The darkness of the room helped to alleviate his headache and Karol breathed a sigh of relief. Karol shifted in an attempt to make himself comfortable, eventually managing to do so. “I don’t think so. Sorry I couldn’t stay up late like we planned, Dad.”
"It's ok, kiddo," he said, smoothing back Karol's bangs to place a kiss on his forehead. "We have all the time in the world now, remember? You and me, officially a Father-Son duo."
Karol smiled at the reminder. While that aspect of their lives was still new, only having been in effect for about three weeks or so, he had no doubt that it would become any less exciting to him. “Yeah, you’re right.” Then, suddenly, his brows knitted together in concern. “Where are you gonna sleep tonight? I can try and sleep closer to the edge so there’s room for both of us later.”
Raven idly combed his fingers through Karol's hair while he thought."Hmm...where would ya like me? Wherever you want me to be, I'll be happy there."
Karol thought it over for a moment. This was his first night at Raven’s place and while he normally would have been comfortable sleeping on his own, he didn’t feel very well at all and having Raven close by would be comforting. “Well,” his eyes focused on the blankets for a moment before tilting his head back against the pillow to look at Raven again, “would it be ok if you slept here tonight, too? In case I do need something later?”
"Of course, anything you need. I gotta take care of a couple of things before I join you, but I'll make it quick. You get a head start in the meantime, ok lil star?"
That made sense. It wasn’t all that late and Raven had mentioned needing to talk with Harry when they returned to Dahngrest. “Ok.” Then he smiled, “Night, Dad.”
"G'night, Karol," he said, a smile likewise filling his voice until silence once more fell upon the room. He'd wait, just a few minutes, just until he knew that Karol could rest well before he left. Harry's report was already written, after all, and while he'd likely have a lot of questions to answer, he could do so with expediency. No rush...
Tick tock tick tock...
The small clock he kept on his desk nearby counted the seconds that passed before throwing them to the side into the darkness surrounding them as time blurred into something both too slow and too fast, but eventually Karol's breaths turned deep and heavy, and he trusted that he could leave without waking Karol. With that, he finally shifted off the bedside and closed the bedroom door behind him. He'll just be a moment.
It didn’t take Karol long to recognize that he was wandering the familiar cobblestone pathways of Dahngrest; he’d recognize that telltale clacking of his shoes on that type of stone anywhere. He was close to Brave Vesperia’s Headquarters, too, which threw him for a bit of a loop since he remembered falling asleep at Raven’s. Maybe he’d dreamed that part on the way back from Zaphias? But as he approached the building that he’d been calling home for the last few months, something gripped his sleeve and tugged him to a halt.
“Karol, what are you doing?” Nan.
“Uhh… going home?”
Nan raised a concerned eyebrow in response. “What? No, you aren’t.” A pointed gesture to the building in question, “That place has been abandoned for years; you know that.” Another close look proved that the girl was right , the exterior was weathered and had seen better days while the windows were hazy and hard to see through due to the thick coating of dust. Just like it had been before Brave Vesperia had taken ownership of the place.
At Karol’s bewildered expression, the girl shook her head but released his sleeve in favor of hooking her arm through his and pulling him along further into the city. Nan’s footsteps quickened and she took a turn down an all too familiar alleyway. They were heading towards…
No!
A sudden pang in his chest was followed by ice cold terror as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He stopped dead in his tracks and tried to wrench his arm free of Nan’s hold. “W-wait a minute—!”
“We can’t wait, you know how Master gets when we’re late.” Nan reminded him as she pulled him closer with a quick movement of her arm. “C’mon, Karol, we don’t have time for this.” With that said, she resumed dragging him behind her. “You remember what happened last time.”
They were so close. Just one more turn and they’d be there…
Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump His heartbeat thudded loudly in his ears, quickly drowning out the sounds of the bustling city around him as panic took over. “B-but! I’m not—I was—I have my own guild now, remember?”
Now it was Nan’s turn to stop. “Seriously, Karol, what are you talking about?”
“Brave Vesperia? We saved the world from the Adephagos a few months ago?”
“The Ade—what now?”
“C’mon, Nan, you know!” Nan’s expression twisted up in confusion, showing her complete lack of understanding. “We don’t have barriers and blastia anymore!” Nan was looking at him as if he had turned into a squirrigle. “Umm…?” a quick gesture above them at the familiar sight of… the barrier.
The barrier .
Above them and functioning perfectly.
Karol’s heart sank but he found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bright white circles overhead. The sight had previously been comforting but now… “Wh-what?”
While the boy stared, Nan sighed and shook her head before once again looping her arm through Karol’s and pulling him along. “Let’s go, Karol.” She carefully led the boy down the alleyway toward the place they’d both been calling home. Another turn and then a few more stumbled steps, eventually reaching the threshold to the Hunting Blades guild; the sight of which was enough to snap Karol out of his shock.
I can’t.
Brown eyes widened as Nan pushed the door open with her free hand. Panic flared and surged through the boy and his legs buckled beneath his weight.
I can’t go back…!
Another step and Nan pulled Karol through the threshold and into the darkened lobby of the guild. Karol’s chest tightened and his breath caught in his throat.
I won’t!
He dug his heels into the ground and wrenched his arm from Nan’s grasp in one swift motion. “N-no!” The look of surprise on Nan’s face went entirely unnoticed as Karol backed away from her, toward the exit, hand stretched out behind him searchingly. “I don’t want to be here! I have a family now!” Just as his fingertips grazed the handle of the door, it swung out from underneath his touch.
A loud slamming sound made him jump in surprise just as complete and utter darkness blanketed the room.
“N-Nan?”
Silence.
And then a footstep toward him sent chills running up his spine.
“C… come on, Nan, s-stop it.”
The scraping of long, sharpened nails on wood alerted him to who was behind him before the man’s voice reached his ears.
“Oh, Karol.” Tison. “What’s this about a family?”
A menacing glow blossomed from beneath them, casting just enough light to let Karol see the man’s hand splayed against the wooden door, alerting Karol to the fact that he had been cornered and trapped by Tison yet again.
“I-I was adopted.”
A sharp bark of laughter preceded even sharper nails digging into his skin as the man placed his hands on the boy’s small shoulders. “Now who would want a little runt like you?”
Karol swallowed past the quickly growing lump in his throat before he found his voice again. “Raven.”
“Raven of Altosk?” Another round of biting laughter as the man shifted so that he could get a better look at Karol’s face, looming over the boy’s shoulder. “ That Raven?” Upon seeing that Karol was serious, Tison laughed in disbelief. “Why would he want you? ”
“H-he said that I was brave and—”
Another round of laughter, darker… menacing…
“Brave?” A hand shifted from his shoulder to instead grip his chin and forcefully tilt the boy’s head back so that he met piercing yellow eyes. The hand released his chin and instead moved to rest against the boy’s throat, with Karol feeling the sharpness of Tison’s nails pressed to his neck as he swallowed unsteadily.
Tison suddenly stepped out from behind him and turned to face the boy properly and Karol felt his heart skip a beat as already razor-sharp nails grew longer and the man’s features shuddered, altering to appear more beast-like than human.
“Trust me, my boy, you’re far from that.” A step in the boy’s direction was met with Karol taking a step back to maintain the distance between them. The room became hotter as flames encircled them, eliminating Karol’s chances of escaping. “Let’s fix that.”
A heartbeat later the man had lunged at the boy and pinned him to the ground. and Karol screamed just as the clawed hand moved to strike—