Not a Monster
Today was not an ordinary morning in the massive basalt castle of New Blackrock. No, it was not. Rythian paced back and forth trough the marble halls, his violet eyes not leaving the floor. Teep anxiously fiddled with his gun, eyeing his best friend with concern. He only stood back and watched as Rythian completely swapped the walls of the hallway, block by block. He needed a distraction, and that was good enough. The mage was restless. He had been awake for the past 7 hours, doing nothing but wandering the hallways aimlessly. Woken up in the dead of the night by the arrival of something he was both thrilled to get to see, but also terrified of what he would find.
He remembered when Zoey had mentioned Baby Jim for the first time, the panic that had gone through his mind. He should have known it wasn't an actual baby, knowing how Zoey was. So naturally, when she had told him they were going to have an other baby, he had assumed it was an other volcano. Maybe a mooshroom, or an other giant mushroom, maybe one of the machines Zoey built. No. This time, it was real. Not that he was unhappy, he had been thrilled. Until he saw himself in the mirror a few days later, suddently alarmed by the fact the child could share his rather...inhuman traits. His concerns were only found confirmed when he began to pick up on the unmistakeable trace of End magic, faint but growing by the day, coming from his beloved red-head.
And last night, after what felt like an eternity, Zoey had entered labor. However, it was obvious there was a problem. Magic couldn't help, and he certainly wouldn't leave Zoey to die. He knew quite a bit about science, but he was no doctor and he lacked the equipment needed. So there was only one option...he had had to leave the fate of his wife and child in the hands of his former enemy, Duncan. Even though the pact of non-aggression had been active for years, so far respected, both men clearly distrusted each other. Rythian had no doubt that Duncan would keep Zoey alive, the two of them were friends. The baby, though...it was half Rythian. Half Rythian, quarter enderman.
Finally, after what seemed like forever and a day to him, he heard the cry. The cry of the newborn. Teep stood up quickly and began to rush up the stairs to the room where Zoey was. Rythian, though, in his concern and instinct, simply teleported to the top floor. Duncan jumped, startled by the sudden appearence. He had known for a long time what the mage was, but that did not mean he was used to it.
The scientist turned to leave the room. He looked up to Rythian, giving a half-smile. "She's your kid, alright." He blinked. She. A Girl. Teep entered the room, standing besides the mage as they both got closer to the tiny life held in a purple blanket inside Zoey's arms. His first reaction was to cringe. Black scale-like skin was plastered across the left side of her chin, creeping a bit up to her right cheek. He touched his mask. Her marks were not as bad as his, but they were still plainly obvious. He let his fingers trail down the black pattern, down her chin and neck, over her heart. As he placed his fingers over her heart, the child opened bright purple eyes. Despite their color and unearthly glow, they were not the eyes of a monster.
They were beautiful. His lips curving into a sad smile, he subconciously let out a deep throaty sound that sounded something more than human. A soft glow, only visible due to the minimal lighting in the room, emanated from under the mage's finger tips. He knew the same glow was coming off of himself, however it was hidden by his dark shirt and cloak. So she's got enough of it in her..to actually have a pearl.
He sighed sadly and lifted his fingers from the child. His eyes finally met Zoey's. She was exhausted, tears and sweat covering her face, but she was all smiles. Motioning to the infant with his chin, he sighed. "She looks like me..." Zoey's smile grew. "And I think you look gorgeous." Teep still hadn't spoken. Of course, he couldn't. He was mute after all. His reptilian eyes locked with the tiny bundle's glowing orbs. The child's mouth curved into a toothless smile and she giggled. The noise brought the new parents to silence, looking at the baby trying to reach for her dinosaur uncle.
It was only then that Rythian noticed all the perfection about her. All the traits she had gotten from her mother. The shape of her face...her bright red hair...and her mouth. Thank Notch for that last one. Rythian didn't like to think about what his mouth looked like.
After several minutes of silence, he realized that this was the most confused he had been in his life. The girl was beautiful. He loved her. He swore, not out loud though, that he would be willing to give his own life to defend her. But she looked like him. She looked like them. The queen had been slain so long ago, the querrel her people had with him long forgotten, but it still hurt him to see this little girl cursed to forever bear the physical traits of such a feared and strange creature. Even if he knew he had done nothing wrong, he blamed himself.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Zoey's voice. "Do you...do you want to hold her?" He didn't speak, just nodded. Instinctively, he supported her head, cradling her against him. Teep bent over, observing the newest family member with curiosity. The mage was so confused. The child's most apparent feature in the semi-obscurity of the room were those glowing eyes. The same eyes as them. The same eyes as himself. Eyes he had loathed all his life. So why did he find them so beautiful now? The subject of his observations vanished when she shut her lids, falling asleep against her father's chest. The room dimmed considerably without the additional light. Teep made it his mission to go to the window and pull back the curtains, letting a flow of light in.
Carefully, Rythian deposited the child back in her mother's arms. Finally, the realization of it all hit him. He was...a father. He had a daughter. A daughter that was beautiful, despite her imperfections. A daughter who was...not a monster. He knew it. He had felt it in her. He turned when Zoey chuckled. "..What's so funny?" The tired technomage's eyes drooped slightly. "I don't remember having ever seen you cry before." He brought a hand to his face, only now aware of the uncomfortable feeling of the salty water on his cheeks.
Carefully, he climbed into bed, cuddling up against Zoey. She pulled his mask down, placing a kiss on his odd lips. Wrapping an arm around the woman, he looked back to the sleeping child. "What should we call her?" Without hesitation, Zoey spoke up. "Emily." Emily. It was a pretty name. He would make sure the name would become an image of greatness, as he knew the child would become something great. Even if the thing she chose to be great at was science. The ender side of her, though, convinced him she would be more into magic.
"What did you do earlier? With the glowing and stuff." His lips twitched into a smile. "Just checking something...and I'll warn you, she's going to be trouble when she figures out how to use it." Zoey looked at him, confused. Rythian chuckled, half with remorse, half with pride. "She has an enderpearl inside her. She's going to be able to teleport." The technomage's eyes widened slightly, concern flashing over her face, but quickly replaced with her usual smile. "Yeah...I wouldn't want her to end up in Ringo's cage or something." The couple chuckled slightly, the mood slowly becoming bright, cheerful even.
The cheerfulness was broken. "What if...what if others think she's a monster?" Zoey understood the real question behind it all. The uncertainty he still held after all these years of loving each other. "Rythian, neither you nor your daughter are monsters." Looking to her, he gave her a toothy grin, revealing his impressive pointed fangs. "Really?" Zoey giggled, tapping his shoulder jokingly. "You look different. I personally don't think it's a bad thing."
Soon, mother and child were sound asleep. Rythian wormed his arm from under his wife, readjusting his mask. Going up to the window, he kicked off the ground, flying towards a giant telescope in the distance.
Duncan jumped back, startled for the second time that day when the mage dropped down silently behind him. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Rythian's eyes crinkled up, showing his smile. "Thank you...for everything." The scientist smiled as well, extending a hand for the mage to shake. "It was no problem."
There was an other moment of silence. Rythian knew there was something on the man's mind. His inquisitive stare was met by a simple answer. "I...wasn't aware you actually had an enderpearl." Upon seeing the mage's surprise, the man clarified on how he found out about it. "The x-ray I performed to see if she was placed at an odd angle...It picked up on it."
Rythian nodded, looking to his feet awkwardly. "Anyway...yeah...thank you. I'll be going now." He quickly flew off, back towards home, back towards his family. Duncan returned to his research, taking notes on the new details he found-out about the Enderborn that day. It was somewhat rude, but he was a scientist after all.
Rythian crept back into bed, feeling Zoey snuggle against his chest. Emily was tucked in a blanket cocoon of safety, between her two parents. He slowly drifted off to sleep as well, after such an exhausting morning. The last thoughts that passed through his mind were simple. Thoughts he should have realized long ago.
We're not monsters.