(This chapter was uploaded on Wednesday 13/December/2023 8:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)
('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the notes at the end of the chapter.
"..." small moment of silence
"Talking"
"He-" Someone was interrupted.
'Thinking'
[Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names]
(Flashback)
(PoV)
(Line Break)
(3rd person PoV)
"I always wanted to do this! And your current size made it possible!"
"But Clea, can you put me somewhere else? This is embarrassing" Nephelont's voice was small. He was embarrassed and wanted the staring eyes away from him.
"No~ You are too cute for that to happen~"
Eucleia rubbed his hair with the tip of her finger. She looked at the man she stuffed in-between her breasts. His head was visible from the only part of her shirt that was not sewn close, right under the neck. It was just big enough for his head to peek through. She took off her armor just to do this.
'I shouldn't be the person put in here! It'd have been fine if it was the original Nephelont! But not me!' Nephelont was feeling shame. He thought it was not his place to be touching her chest in any manner, bare or not.
He tried getting smaller and dragging himself out, but Eucleia stuffed him back in before he got away. The others mercilessly kept looking without interfering to help him, watched as he was drowning there, struggling to get out and breathe his embarrassment away.
'I wanna disappear!' His face was a ball of flame, with smoke coming out of his ears.
'Cute!' Eucleia kept her thoughts to herself.
"Are you sure I'm the same husband you think I am?" Nephelont blurted out without much thought. He wanted to bury himself in the darkest depths of the closest blanket.
"There is no blanket to hide under, Bun~ Bun~" Nephelont covered his face with his flowing hair. It felt like a blessing in disguise now.
"You are. Your soul is the same as before. I can feel it" Ais assured him.
"And you act almost the same way. But the little changes caused by your memory loss do not matter. You are still the person I knew" Eucleia said as she saw him sink deeper, trying to hide his face, then shooting right back up after remembering where he was.
"Unfair! I wanted to walk holding hands with my elder brother!" Raya was making a racket.
"Not allowed. He's spending some bonding time with his wife" Tiona gave a valid reason.
They were just now exiting the 37th. It was supposed to be a long journey ahead, but the strength levels of the people making the trip trivialized the distance they crossed.
It took them 4 short hours, as opposed to the long days it takes others.
By the time it took them to reach the surface, Nephelont got Eucleia to finally let him out. She, however, did not allow him to walk on his own. She sat him on her shoulder.
Subconsciously, she feared him being away from her when strangers were bound to pass by. It was one of the effects of their separation. Once he was back, she stuck to him like glue, trying to protect him. She was getting overprotective of him.
As for Nephelont, he was feeling guilty. He still did not wholly believe in the fact that he was the same person as the Nephelont they knew. He attributed it to some coincidence.
Once they arrived at the surface, Nephelont discovered an opinion he did not remember forming about the sun.
"Hey, Clea, can I kill that?" For a moment, he forgot his guilt and was convinced he could do something to 'kill' the sun.
"Some things never change" Welf smiled as his daughter giggled at the memories flooding back to her.
"What things?"
"You had a habit of challenging the sun every morning, as soon as you woke up. You never missed a single day since you could talk. It almost felt like some cult's ritual" Eucleia was anticipating the next morning.
"I feel you, dad. The sun's mighty annoying" Agni said from Eucleia's other shoulder.
"Thumper doesn't get bothered by the sun, though. He's immune to it" She added. She was jealous of her brother. Only if she could ignore the rising morning sun and continue snoring away.
"Bless him, then. It'd have been handy if I could sleep a few hours more after sunrise" Nephelont sighed. Although he did not have the memory, he felt annoyed at the thought of waking up to the glaring sun before getting enough shut eye.
"Bunbun, can you get any smaller?" Eucleia's thoughts were going miles ahead.
"I can get as small as half dad's height, if what I feel's true. Why, though?" He said with an index finger pointed at his chin.
"It is a girl's secret~" Eucleia winked at him, making his heart skip a beat. It made him feel uncomfortable, thinking that he was not her husband and that he should feel ashamed of his feeling.
"I have a question. How did I react to others' opinion of me when they thought I may be a woman?" Nephelont changed the subject, so his mind gets occupied by another thing, pushing his heart's problems out forcefully.
"Pfffttt!!" Welf held back a cackle, settling for a stifled laugh.
"What's so funny?" Nephelont looked at him with a bit of a grumpy face. Everyone thought it was cute.
"You entered the men's bath without a towel! Many fainted from high stimulation that day!" *Smack* There was a resounding smack that silenced Welf.
"Bad uncle" A certain redhead dragged Welf far and away from Nephelont by the ear.
"OW! OW! HEPH! MY EAR!" Welf worriedly said as he was getting dragged.
"Mother, father's ear might be torn off like that"
"Fret not, dear. Your father's ear's more durable than some people's armor" Hephaestus dismissed her daughter's concern. It was true within certain conditions. Namely, it is considered when pulling.
"Whyyy!!? PAST ME!! WHYYYY!!?" Nephelont whined. He tied his hair around his face to hide it.
"It's good to have you back, son" Hephaestus saw a bundle of very long golden threads. She initially did not know it was Nephelont, as he always kept his short in denial of any resemblance to women. She stopped for a moment to turn her one visible eye towards him when she recognized his voice.
"..." Nephelont was forgiven for his silence. She saw him with his hair tied around his face, making her believe he was too embarrassed.
'Cute' "But why is his hair this long?" Hephaestus asked as she locked arms with Welf.
'Phew! My ear almost came off!' Welf stopped thinking after Hephaestus glared at him. She knew what he was thinking.
"He came back like this. And when he tried to cut it, his claws could not do the job"
"I may need to make a special pair of scissors now" Hephaestus dragged Welf to their shared forge by the arm. She was bubbling with excitement when thinking of making something new with Welf.
"Before I forget, Hestia has gathered all the necessary ingredients. Tell me his reaction if we miss it" She waved her hand at them as Welf was 'forced' to go with her. He was not complaining as he had wanted to make a new thing together with her for some time now. He just was not inspired to make something new and catchy. He did not want to make her feel bored of making the same things over and over with him.
"AaaAAaaAAA! Forget that! Who's Hestia? I remember swearing randomly, only for me to swear using her name. Who is she?"
"Hestia is our goddess. You see the lady that dragged Welf? That is lady Hephaestus, your mother-in-law, and a goddess. Gods and goddesses give us their blessing, in the form of falna, and we support them. Lady goddess is our familia's mother-figure. She might quickly catch on to the fact you forgot her, so do not try hiding it from her" Bell explained to him who Hestia is.
"So, the odd feeling of revere I got only from the 5 of them was ..." Nephelont was getting the chills. He was now both anxious and mortified because he was acting the way he does to a demi-goddess and her children. He became troubled, thinking of ways to apologize to them before it was too late.
"It is okay, Bunbun. The moment we got married is the moment we became equals. There is nothing to feel anxious over" Eucleia started ruffling his hair the way she knew calmed him. Whenever Nephelont got any negative feeling, Eucleia knew that this was a great way of dealing with it.
True to that, Nephelont found himself calming down. He did not know how to feel about a demi-goddess being affectionate with him and treating him as her equal, or how he should treat the children who are likely the same as their mother, demi-gods, but he calmed down for now.
"How would I deal with my hair? It's too long for my height"
"Do not worry, Bunbun. It will be fine" Eucleia had ideas. Something about her smile gave Nephelont some goosebumps.
(Line Break)
They reached the familia's home, the new one they made after a lady got an unexpected growth spurt.
"That's a very big place. How do shorter people live here?" Nephelont asked as he saw some more normal size people getting in.
"You will see" Eucleia was waiting for his surprised reaction.
She put him down, to his surprise. He did not think she was going to willingly put him down so soon. He quickly scooped all the extra hair in his arms.
Eucleia and the kids went through the larger door while everyone else went through a smaller one.
"F-... Father, you are meant to go through this door with us" Augustus was hesitant to call Nephelont as his father. It was a combination of Nephelont's excused absence from his role as the father and him looking less like a father and more like a second mother. He still called him 'father' regardless.
"Thanks. I didn't know" Nephelont smiled at him. He made a beeline to the door, which a certain person found profoundly cute.
As they passed through a swirling vortex, Nephelont felt himself be thrown in all the wrong directions. He felt nauseous and was almost about to throw up.
"That was... horrible..." Nephelont flopped on his front.
"Man up!" Agni casually told him to man up and slapped him on the back without constrains.
"Ouch! That hurts!" He was now standing on his knees.
"Feeling any better?" Agni had a cheeky smile.
"Why are you smaller?" Nephelont forgot about his nausea and the tiny itching palm printed on his back. His mind was now occupied by the fact that the four children were now of normal height.
"And why are you so much taller than me!?" Nephelont felt indignant. He did not accept that he was shorter than Eucleia by so much.
"Cute" She patted his head as he tried tiptoeing to appear taller. It did not help him at all. In fact, it made him look like an upset bunny.
(AN: Eucleia is around 12 cm taller than him. That is a lot from the perspective of the person looking up)
"To answer the question about us becoming smaller, uncle Henryk had one of his children enchant the door. Whoever passes it becomes the size they would normally have; had they been born human. It was meant for us, whose size is too much to stay inside and not risk stomping others" Augustus answered him, leaving no room for others. Agni saw it and started snickering when she caught up to what he wanted.
"I will need to get used to this then. Now, would you take me on a house tour, Augustus?"
"Gladly"
Nephelont went with him as Tiona gave Eucleia a suggestive look she understood.
Eucleia reluctantly left Nephelont, going to her room alone. She got prepared for when Nephelont would be led there later.
"I will brush your tail instead of him today"
"But I wanted him to do it like back then..." Haruhime wanted to be the one to guide him, to spend some time with him after not seeing him for so long. Mikoto had to support her once more.
(Later with Nephelont) (3rd person PoV)
"So, you led me around with the intent of leaving the room I sleep in last"
"... yes"
"Why though?" Nephelont was curious.
"I know grandmother Tiona. She would give mother a look and mother would prepare for your arrival in the bedroom" Augustus was getting some mixed feelings, but he relented.
He wanted to spend some more time with his father, but his mother was waiting.
"We are going back to the kitchen. I will get her breakfast before coming back" Nephelont walked away.
"..." Eucleia was standing right behind the door. She felt a warmth in her heart when Nephelont took notice of the fact she had not eaten since last night.
"Come and help me"
"Yes, father"
(At the kitchen)
"What are you preparing, father?"
"A salad. I don't know why, but a salad came to mind. Maybe make it more like soup? But that would need to wait until I learn how to cook properly" Nephelont cut the vegetables with his claws. They were clean cuts with equal sizes.
'Is this also some lingering thing, Allen?'
'Positive'
"Let me prepare the meat, then. Since mother changed races, she needed at least some meat in her every meal, or so I was told. The ingredients we used for the five of us are ones that have been shrunk down like we were. I heard that while mother was still pregnant, it caused her problems when the nutrients she consumed were not enlarged with her body, since they were not shrunk down originally. Ours are kept in this part of the kitchen" Augustus rolled up his sleeves and started.
"Thanks, Augustus"
"..." Augustus was having another round of conflicting feelings.
He wanted to be called using the word 'son' by Nephelont, but Nephelont just arrived, and Augustus did not know if he was going to accept it.
"Can I start calling you 'son' when I feel like I earned it?" Nephelont asked. He did not know about Augustus's feelings, but kids need their father to be close to them if he exists in their lives.
"... You can... try now" Augustus was biting his lips nervously. He was waiting for the unknown emotions to reveal themselves.
"Thanks for staying strong by Clea's side, son"
Augustus shed a tear when he heard him. Those few words were words he wanted to hear from Nephelont. It moved him a bit when Nephelont said them, being genuinely appreciative of Augustus's efforts.
"How long will the meat take?" Nephelont asked as he finished preparing the plate of veggies. It was not an artistic marvel, but it was somewhat prettily arranged.
"A few more minutes. We eat it half cooked, as we feel we want raw meet sometimes"
It was one of the side-effects of changing races when they already had a race assigned to them.
They crave raw meat without seasoning at times. If they do not eat raw meat for a prolonged period, they go crazy until they get it. It was the case when a pregnant Eucleia went on a rampage that destroyed the mansion when she abstained from eating raw meat.
Nephelont just stood beside Augustus in silence, not knowing what to say. But thinking back about it, he thought it was for the best. Neither had any thoughts to share that time.
"I think it is ready" Augustus said as he took it out of the oven. It looked well-cooked from the outside, but the inside had a good amount of blue rare.
"You certainly got some skill, son" Nephelont praised him.
'Praising children for their achievements can help lift up their spirits, especially coming from those they see as parents. And to be honest, he really got some skill' Nephelont wondered why he knows that.
'Some of the knowledge from your previous life lingered even when your memories were erased' Allen told him.
"Let me take it to her alone this time"
Augustus hesitated for a moment. He had something to say, but he decided not to say it. He left the meal there and went to take his morning nap.
'I guess this is fine too. I shouldn't rush it with the kids. If they feel awkward, I will leave them some space until they loosen up' Nephelont thought as he picked up the plates and took them to the bedroom.
"My Clea, I've brought you your breakfast, prepared with all of Augustus's love and care" He was surprised to not see her inside.
*click*
"I'm trapped now, huh?" Nephelont felt scared looking at Eucleia's hands. She was holding a brush that made it needless to think more. Her intent to brush his long hair was evident in her eyes. Eucleia's eyes gravitated to the golden locks.
"Let's eat first, yeah? You didn't have anything from yesterday, right? And I want to tell you something before you snare me, My Clea"
They sat at a table with Eucleia feeling a sense of loss. She came back to the room to clean and reorganize things for him to feel comfortable. But he came in with an unintentional counterattack.
"Go ahead. I don't feel any hunger right now" Nephelont started feeding her with his hand. He did not let her eat on her own and that made her feel nostalgic.
After they were finished, with Eucleia insisting that he eats something, Nephelont took the plates back to the kitchen.
When he came back, he saw Eucleia lying on the bed. She opened her arms for him to join her there. He sat on the bed rather than laying on it.
"Clea, I wanted to tell you something"
She put her hand over his and he clasped it.
"What is on your mind?"
"I know what you tried to do wearing these clothes"
'Tiona Hiryute, I regret listening to your silent advice' Eucleia was internally screaming in silent frustration.
'I should have just brought him here and brushed his hair post-haste' She was planning on carrying on brushing her bunny's hair later.
"But... you need to know the truth first. I'd come to see myself as worthless scum for sleeping in the same bed with another man's wife, taking advantage of the poor wife who thinks I'm her husband. I have memories of being another human, Clea. It makes me feel like I'm not your Nephelont"
"Having memories of your previous life does not change anything. Your paternal grandfather remembers a life before the one he is leading now.
And look at him, not doubting his identity at all.
You just remembered yours late. All you need to do is accept that you are both people you remember yourself to be.
And I will say it again. Everything about you says you are the one. The form you have as a dragon, the soul that has a connection with mother Ais, your form as a human, the way you look at me, the way you treated me and many other things like your embarrassed reactions, all of them are the same as before. Losing your memories changed some things, but nothing major changed" Eucleia said to him, conveying thoughtfulness.
"Then, as I forgot my memories as Nephelont Cranel, I ask you to wait for me. I will fall for you again. I will do my best for you and the kids. I want them to grow healthy, to see all of you becoming happier" Eucleia discarded the thing she was planning and pulled him to her embrace.
"AHH!" Nephelont was not expecting this. His face was, once again, stuffed where he wanted it not to.
"Calm down, Bunbun. You should get used to this"
They laid there for a while, with Nephelont debating if he should get his face out of there or not. His mind went back and forth between being ashamed and embarrassed to fearing he might hurt her feelings if he took his face away. She said all that, giving him every reason he may have needed and more to believe he was the same person.
'It would be inconsiderate of me to do that, even if it's making me feel mortified. I mean, WHY!?' Nephelont thought while he was getting cuddled with.
"Can I at least take a nap while hugging you, Bunbun? I am feeling tired" Eucleia was finally feeling tranquil, her body and mind were loosened up and the floodgates holding the exhaustion she bottled up from being apart from him opened up. She wanted to rest now that they lay in the same bed again.
"Um" Nephelont did not speak, having no words to say. He simply hummed in agreement.
As they laid there, Nephelont felt one of Eucleia's arms leave him. He was curious as to where she would take it. He was about look when he felt that hand drape one of his arms around her waist. That same arm returned to wrap around him, locking him in that position.
Nephelont was getting overwhelmed by the stimulation he was getting. He raged an internal verbal war against one of his instincts, all so he does not disturb Eucleia's rest.
He was stuck like that until the morning of the next day. He himself slept later in the day, after hours of suppressing his desire to get up. He wanted to do something in the time he spent laying there just so he bothers his mind by anything else aside from Eucleia body, which he was feeling against his will. It felt pleasant, but he still felt awkward even after she convinced him that he was the man who she is married to.
(End of Chapter)
And now that I uploaded the 13th chapter, I will go back to writing the other story for some time. Maybe until Bell gets to have a magic? Yeah, a chapter or two after that would be good.
I will be writing and editing my stock of chapters for this fic on a smaller scale, not completely stopping. So, expect a burst of chapters once I come back here.
Have a nice time, ladies and gentlemen.