Ryker: Two chapters in one day? Yeah this one was rushed but it does explain what happened to Wolfram. This also talks about the whole Vinny situation because he is going to have more psychological problems rather than everyone else who seems too good to be true. It needed to have a break in fantasy, thus Vinny happens! Yeah, Vinny will be important and his issues are important to the story. His powers aren't at full bloom basically and this is the 'puberty' of the elemental powers.
ALSO Vinny does NOT cut himself in any way, he just is a rough person. He likes to play rough and he gets many cuts.
Wolfram held his composure as every adult met for a meeting at the round table. The letter sat in the center of the table. Concern laced over everyone's faces after Yuuri read the letter's contents aloud.
"What should we do?" Aleksei asked as he crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair.
"You will do nothing!" Gwendal snapped.
Aleksei huffed, "Why not? I'm just as skilled of a swordsman as the next person."
"Need I remind you?" the silver haired man's blood boiled at his husband's little attitude, "You're pregnant, Aleksei!"
"I can still fight!" the redhead growled as he slammed his hands down on the table.
Wolfram snapped, "Aleksei, I order you to not fight! Think of your baby-"
"I am thinking of her!" Aleksei fired back, "I don't want her to live in a world where everything is destroyed."
"But she might not make it that far if you decide to throw caution in the wind and kill her in the process!" Wolfram felt his face drench red and his voice shrill. He was already on his feet and leaned over the table to yell at Aleksei.
He didn't mean to be so brash at the redhead. He saw himself in Aleksei and only imagined the backlash of losing a child in such a dramatic manner. Wolfram shuttered as he fought the memories that tried to poke him again.
Yuuri put a hand on Wolfram's back to tell the blonde to sit down. After two huffs of air, Wolfram took his seat and proceeded to count from 10 down to 0. Gisela told him that it's a way to cope with his anger ever since his children began to speak in coherent sentences.
"I'm sorry," Wolf muttered, "It's just-"
"No, we understand," Aleksei interjected, "I-I won't fight."
"That still leaves the big picture," Gunter said, "These Order Of Bones people sent out these letter seventy-six (10) years ago and remember what happened?" How could Wolfram forget? "Well, what should we do?"
"They said blatantly that they want Bellamy," Yuuri shook his head, "I refuse to hand over my son so willingly."
"That would mean we declare war," Wolfram said.
"No, I refuse war as well," the King rubbed his temples.
"Either way, they will bring the war to us, they aren't afraid of spilling blood," Wolf absent mindedly rubbed his stomach.
"For now, keep the defenses high, have Bell watched at all times," Yuuri ordered, "Why is this happening?" he mumbled to himself.
"Maybe Earth would be a safer place for the children," Conrad suggested, "As Wolfram said, they aren't afraid to spill innocent blood, which means that all of our children are at risk here."
Wolf shook his head, "But why put Earth in danger as well?" The Order had made their own portal to Earth for just this occasion.
"The letter says that the Order is coming for Bellamy and we must hand him over or the Kingdom must suffer the consequences. They are coming no matter what," Anissina sighed.
"We can't hand Bell over…" Wolf's vision went blurry from tears that prickled in the corners of his eyes, "I-I can't lose another child."
"But lose the entire Kingdom?" Aleksei sighed, "Both aren't options. We are sitting ducks now."
Murata sat in silence. The Great Sage was at a loss for words in this moment, he couldn't predict what would happen. His mind was blank.
Outside of the door, the children heard the entire dilemma. Andrew held back the smallest of the bunch while Bell, Yu, and Vinny had their ears pressed against the door. Bell's heart sank as he heard this argument about him.
Anger… Confusion… Sorrow… Fear…
Those emotions swirled around inside of him. His breaths became labored as he remembered his mother's tragedy from the last time this happened. Everything was his fault, or so he thought.
The dark haired Prince threw open the doors which made Yu and Vinny fall to the floor comedically. Wolfram shot to his feet to try and sooth Bell, but the boy already marched up to his Aunt Anissina and snatched the letter. He skimmed it before he threw it to the ground.
"You all dare risk thousands of innocent lives just to keep one Mazoku safe?" he growled.
"Honey," Yuuri rose to his feet and walked over to his son. He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You aren't just any life, they want-" he looked back at Wolfram, who nodded, as a confirmation, "-they want your powers which will eventually take over the world plus kill you in the process. We refuse to hand you over because you are my son and I'd rather die than willingly give you to the enemy."
"Papa don't say that."
"Bellamy, you must listen to me," Yuuri urged, "Please. We all love you here. So please."
Bell looked away with a gentle nod. He hated to put so many people in danger. Was his life really worth it?
Vinny laid on the ground nearly lifeless. His mind raced towards ideas on how to fix this. Maybe offer himself? No, nobody wanted pathetic him. His past scars were never self inflicted, no, Vinny couldn't do that. Those scars were from his adventures and his play, which he didn't really mind. It helped Vinny stay in reality. Maybe he wasn't the best person to help solve this issue, but if he must, he knew how the ground curves and twists.
Yu felt equally helpless at the news. Her brother is sentenced to such pain, she must fix this. She is the future Queen of Shin Makoku, so she could try and settle such a dispute. Yuuri began to talk to her about retiring his crown only last month. He thought that it was time for him and Wolfram to relax for a while, so he was ready. But, was Yuri ready for such change.
"No!" Vinny finally gasped as he pried himself off the floor, "Bell, you aren't in this alone!"
"Yeah," Yu joined the redhead, "You have us and we refuse to let the Order touch you!"
'Way to make a guy feel helpless,' Bell thought as he looked at his shoes.
Bell growled, "Don't forget what happened last time…"
"Bell please," Wolfram urged his son to stop talking, "We don't have to go over this."
"Mama, has it ever occurred to you that witnessing my own mother being gutted could've affected me?" Bell asked.
Andrew loathed the tension in the room. He wanted to find a way to make it all disappear, but he could only hold back the younger children.
Alexander joined his two siblings with a curious look. He had never heard the true story of what happened to his little sister. He often times wanted to ask, but was too afraid of the outburst that would occur.
Wolf was at a loss for words. His mouth gaped open like a fish as he stared at his son.
"Yeah, exactly!" Bell yelled.
Alexander mustered up enough courage to blurt, "What happened?!" All eyes were on him and he shrank. "I-I never heard the story of what exactly happened then… Not many of us here actually know the full story s-so why not tell it?"
Bell groaned as Wolfram took his seat again. He ran his fingers through his coarse hair. "Well, I guess you're right Alexander," Wolf sighed, "You all deserve to know what happened."
Wolfram only told Yuuri, Conrad, Gisela, and Gwendal. The story was only told in an abridged version to everyone else to respect Wolfram's privacy. He realized that he should tell just so they know what they are dealing with.
"It was the first time the Order attacked…
(flashback)
Wolfram's heart pounded so hard against his rib cage that he swore Earth could hear it. Yuuri was out with Conrad and Aleksei to deal with the hooded people. He was contained to his room since he was seven months pregnant with his fourth child. The little girl inside of him kicked harshly against his womb. Even she could sense the tension.
Bellamy was safe in his room. His sister and the other kids were locked away with Celi in a far away tower. He was trying to be brave for his family, but his little body could only handle so much fear.
The guards outside of his room yelped in pain and Bell heard bodies fall to the ground. The boy gasped and backed up to the corner in his room. A hooded figure with a crimson stained blade walked into the room. They held out their hand and stroked Bell's cheek.
"Don't cry child," the hood said, "Death isn't the end."
Bell whimpered in fear. He screamed out, "Mama!" for his mother to save him.
"Naughty boy, why must you scream?" the hood held the blade up high and waited to strike the child.
Wolfram heard his son's scream. He grabbed his sword and ran as fast as he could into Bell's room. A hooded figure held a sword above Wolfram's precious child. He yelled as he blocked the swing with his sword.
The figure growled at the sight of Wolfram. "My, my," the figure sounded intrigued, "How far along are you?"
"Leave my family alone," Wolf spat.
The hooded figure flicked their wrist and knocked Wolfram's sword out of his hands. They pushed Wolf aside to get his son again. In a flash, Wolfram shielded Bell with his own body. In the process, Wolf took the blow.
Wolfram held the gash on his chest which was made by the sword. He kneeled in front of his son.
"Well, what a pest," the hood growled, "Pests must be punished!"
Wolf let out a bloody scream as he felt the sword stab his stomach. He could almost hear his baby scream out 'why Mama? Why did you let me die?' as a thick blood seeped between his legs. His eyes widened but he still held his ground. Bell urged his mother to run away.
The sword stabbed Wolfram's womb. The blade twisted inside to slice up any chance of Wolfram having another baby. Tears spilled down his cheeks as the sword scrambled his baby. He fell on his side and curled his body around Bellamy. The child snuggled himself close to his bloody mother and cried.
The figure ran away when he heard a stampede of people approach the room. "I'll be back for you, little Prince." they ran away.
"Mama!" Bell cried, "Mama please open your eyes! Please don't leave me! You're hurt! You're so scared Mama! I'm scared too and I need you!" He pulled away and gently shook Wolfram with wet tears blurring his vision.
Yuuri was the first to see and he ordered Gisela immediately. He fell to his knees at the sight. Aleksei and Conrad joined him in the room. The thick stench of blood filled the room. Gwendal couldn't even go in the room and see his mangled brother.
Gisela pushed Aleksei and Conrad out of the way to get to Wolfram. She gasped as she saw the wound. "H-he-" she couldn't finish her sentence.
Yuuri took Bellamy out from the corner and tried to wipe away the blood on his child. "It's my fault," Bell cried, "Papa, it's all my fault that Mama is hurt."
"No it's not baby," Yuuri kept a strong smile for his son.
After Wolfram was patched up and resting in his room, Gisela walked outside with a mournful expression. By now, everyone was back and Yuuri had to calm down three screaming children.
"Wolfram will be fine," the healer said, "B-but he lost his baby."
Yuuri grimaced.
"Not just that, the person wanted to hurt Wolfram. S-so they attacked Wolfram's womb," Gisela gulped, "I'm sorry, he can never have children again. His womb is destroyed. I did the best I could but they had some potion to make those wounds permanent on the inside. Your Majesty, I'm so sorry."
(flashback over)
Wolf let out a shaky sigh as he and Bell finished their story.
Murata nodded, "It's odd," he commented, "You said that the hood attacked you, Wolfram, but with that power they could've easily hurt Bell."
"That's because they didn't want to hurt him," Conrad finished the thought, "They want Bellamy alive."
"These people are smarter than we think," Murata said, "If you all haven't noticed, since then Bellamy and Wolfram haven't been very close. That's what they want. They wanted Bell to cut off the one person that thwarted their plans. Then by doing so, when the time comes, Bell will be vulnerable. They will use anyone special to Bell."
"But why him?" Vinny asked, "Not to be rude or anything."
Aleksei sighed at how rude his son's question actually was.
"Bell has an unnatural amount of telepathic energy. If his power is put in the wrong hands, it could be apocalyptic," Murata answered, "So tell me, Vinny, your scars, where did you get those?"
Vinny blushed a bit, "Oh, well I used to play around when I was younger. I don't really care about getting hurt and it doesn't hurt a lot either. I have a high pain tolerance." Vinny looked away.
"Your scars are a part of you?"
Vinny nodded.
"And your element, does that have anything to do with it?"
"I refuse to play therapist with you right now," Vinny huffed, "This is about Bell."
"Well, with Bell's powers, he could tell all of this without you having to speak. Imagine a world with no secrets, no freedom."
"They would have complete control," Vinny gasped, "That can't happen…"
Gwendal and Aleksei had the same thought, they needed to speak to Vinny about the truth behind his pain.
Bell backed up into his father. "What can we do?" Bell asked.
"Well, they already severed that relationship between you and your mother. They will also use mind tricks and manipulate Wolfram into giving up, so it would be best if he were to guard Aleksei and the children along with Celi and Anissina." Murata said.
Yuuri stopped his friend, "Murata, I am an adult, I think I can handle this."
Bell shook his head violently and sprinted out of the room. He thought that maybe if he gave himself up then everyone would be spared. No, he just needed to think. So he ran into the garden and sat for a while. He watched the puffy marshmallow clouds roll by in the deep blue sky as he wondered what life would've been like if he didn't possess such powers.
Aleksei sat with Vinny and Gwendal. The three were determined to get to the bottom of what really hurt Vinny. Aleksei knew he screwed up by keeping Vinny away from his father, but he didn't think that it could hurt the boy so badly.
"Vincent," Gwendal spoke in his deep throaty voice, "You need to tell us if something is wrong."
Vinny looked away. 'Not everything is perfect in this world,' he thought, 'Sometimes people are mentally hurting and no one can see.'
"Vin," Aleksei tried, "Love, it's alright to tell us."
"Gods," Vinny swore, "Why can't you guys just leave things alone! It's like everyone in this damn castle is painted in gold! My pain comes from a lack of adventure and excitement! You both are busy with my little sisters and it seems like everyone here has something special! Bell has these awesome powers, Yu is going to be Queen, Andrew is the most noble of swordsmen, Greta is touring the world, Beatrix has her literal earth shattering powers, then the other two are just perfect! Where does that leave me?"
Aleksei and Gwendal were taken back by their son's rage.
"Mom, I understand you wanted to help me, but you kept me away from Dad for five years," Vinny said, "You need to understand what that did to me. I thought that Dad didn't want me. Aunt Cassandra told me that it wasn't the case, but then why didn't Dad come looking for me? I feel like I'm lost in a sea of perfection and these scars remind me that I'm still here."
Gwendal yanked his son down into a tight hug. He never wanted to hear that from his child ever again. Vinny sat down on Gwendal's lap and let his father brush down his hair. Aleksei joined in and kissed Vinny's cheek.
"You are special," he smiled, "You're the sweetest most adventurous child I have ever met." Aleksei told the boy.
Vinny wondered if it was all in his head. But that didn't change the fact that he kept himself numb to the pain of life.
Wolfram went to sleep early that night. He needed to calm down and start the day with a level head. Yuri didn't look for her brother, she knew that Bell would come back when he was ready.
Bell was still in the flower bed. His mind raced. How could he protect everyone close to him… He knew that they were all safe here… Wait.
"Jay!" Bell screamed as he shot up from his seated position.
