Reversal of Fortune [malexmale]

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

I dreamt of Petros.

I dreamt of the closest thing I had to family since I'd been forced to leave my actual family.

I dreamt of the day Rasi, Petros's daughter, had turned four. She was running around, wearing a beautiful gown Petros had bought for her in the village, handmade and tailored to suit her and only her. And in her arms was the doll I had bought her. She swung around with her doll, dancing and laughing as Petros lit the fire and Theora came out with baskets of food.

"Rasi, sweetheart, be careful of the fire," Theora told her as she brought the baskets to the table. Rasi giggled and started to run by me, but I caught her around the waist and hoisted her up into my lap. She squealed and thrashed in my arms as I wrestled her still.

"How dare you not listen to your mama," I said teasingly, making Rasi giggle and writhe, "Who do you think you are?"

"Rasi, Rasi," she shouted, bursting into laughter as I tickled her. I smirked, managing to settle her into my lap as she snuggled her doll against her. Petros smiled warmly, walking over to kiss Rasi on the cheek before going to Theora. He tripped over one of the seats, earning a gentle playful jab from Theora. I hadn't even noticed it.

"Roro," Rasi said, tilting her head back against my chest and making me look down at her big brown eyes, "When I get big, I wanna have a husband like you."

"Why like me?" I asked, confused. She grinned, snuggling her doll.

"So he can buys me lots more dollies! And pick me up like you do!"

I laughed at her logic, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her on the cheek as she giggled and went on in her childish blabber about getting married and having a husband who did everything she said. Her misunderstanding of the concept of marriage was amusing. I glanced over at where Theora and Petros were preparing the food to be eaten. I smiled faintly, despite the pain that ached in my chest. Petros leaned over, kissed Theora, who gave him a hip check, only for it to be returned a bit stronger. Theora laughed when she stumbled and shoved a piece of bread in Petros's mouth, making him choke playfully. He munched on the bread, wrapped an arm around her waist, and leaned down to connect their lips.

Rasi hopped out of my lap and ran over to them, tugging at her mother's gowns, wrapping an arm around Petros's leg as she went on in excited chatter about the adventures her and her doll would go on in the future.

They were such a perfect family. There was such love between them all. So much happiness. Petros's bitterness had been chased away from his heart. And Theora's love had been restored. Together, the fruit of their love was Rasi, a sweet precious girl, who adored going on adventures in the woods with her toys. No tea parties for her. She wanted to be an adventurer, and someday, she would come into the powers bestowed upon her by her father's genetics. She would be a powerful demigod.

Or at least, she was supposed to.

My heart began to ache more and more. It felt like something was ripping me apart from the inside out. The pain spread through my limbs and coiled in my gut. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain. Heat began to spread around me, like flames licking at my face, and I risked opening my eyes.

Sure enough, the peaceful scene was gone. And the home that once housed that perfect beautiful family was nothing more than ashes. Theora was torn apart, Rasi was nothing more than torn meat, and cradling her in hysterical screams was Petros. His agony lashed out, his wails tore through the night, and behind him the remains of the home smoldered and burned.

And not soon after, Petros stood tied to a pyre, his eyes squeezed shut and his head tilted back as flames licked at his flesh, seeped into his clothing, set him on fire until he was screaming once more. And beneath his screams, I could hear the inhuman roars of agony from his Beast.