To feel the emotion harder watch this while you read. I hope you enjoy. I cried writing this
Diaglo watched his children play. Vendak and Venus’ laughter a bittersweet melody in the air.
“I will not let you take away my people’s choice,” he declared, his voice firm yet tinged with sorrow. Vendak held a small doll, his innocent eyes filled with a fiery determination.
Venus, her voice dripping with malice, laughed evilly. “Then I shall make you obey!”
Diaglo frowned as his wife, Elarian, approached from behind, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. A single tear escaped his eye, tracing a path down his cheek. “I am not strong enough to do this, Elarian. I don’t have it in me,” he confessed, turning to embrace her. He buried his face in her shoulder, his body shaking with quiet sobs. She held him tightly, offering silent support.
“You must,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the turmoil within. “But I promise, I will come and remove your curse personally. We just have to wait for the right time. I know what you must do.” Elarian smiled, a brave facade masking her own fears.
“Will you love me after all the horrors that the monster inside will commit?” Diaglo’s silver eyes shimmered with fear and uncertainty.
“You will be doing what is necessary,” she reassured him, her voice soft but resolute.
He sighed deeply, turning his gaze back to their children. He watched them play, their carefree joy a stark contrast to the burden he carried. “I do this for you and for them. Not for everything else. Does that make me selfish?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Elarian sighed, her heart aching. “I do not think so,” she replied softly. “Children, come say goodbye to your father. It will be the last time he will see you as anything more than pawns in a greater game.” The two young gods stood and rushed to him, their small arms wrapping around his legs. “We love you, Daddy!” they cried in unison.
The young boy, Vendak, looked up at his father, tears streaming down his face. “I am going to miss you, Daddy! I understand, though. You must make this sacrifice. We all must make this sacrifice so that the dimension can be free of Lumina’s tyranny. I vow to make her pay!” he declared, his voice filled with determination.
Venus chimed in, her voice strong despite her tears. “We both will, Father! We will make sure no one forgets your sacrifice!”
Diaglo smiled, his heart breaking and swelling with pride simultaneously. He knelt down, taking Vendak in his arms. “I will always love you, even if I cannot express it. Here, take this. I made it for you.” He handed each child a small pendant, a golden dragon wrapped around a glowing orb. “Children, keep these always. I have left instructions on how to make more in my journal for you. Give them to people you trust. Once they are put on, they cannot be removed. They are a way to speak to me.”
Vendak scowled, his young face contorted with anger and sadness. “I hate this, Father.”
“I do too,” Diaglo admitted, his voice heavy with regret. “But you can help me by bringing the fury of Nexus upon Lumina.”
Tears flowed down Vendak’s cheeks as he nodded. “That I can promise you, Father.”
“It is time. Children, you must go now,” Elarian’s voice trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks, glistening in the dim light.
Venus and Vendak frowned, their young faces etched with determination. “We are staying. Daddy needs to know that he has our support,” Venus declared, her voice steady despite the tears welling in her eyes.
Elarian sighed deeply, her heart aching. “Alright. I will allow it,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Turning to Diaglo, she took a deep breath, her tears falling freely. “Diaglo, you have my promise that I will come back for you and save your soul when the time is right, so that you can enjoy a proper life with your family where you belong. I know it will be hard, but you must try to restrain the monster inside,” she pleaded, her voice breaking with emotion.
Diaglo laughed bitterly, his eyes filled with sorrow. “To do the things Renaldo has asked me to, the things I know I need to do, I am going to have to embrace the monster inside. Just, please don’t take my connection with my children. Let me maintain some version of love for them. They will be the sanity in the insanity, giving me the strength to do what I don’t want to do but need to do,” he implored, his voice raw with emotion.
Elarian smiled through her tears, a sad, resigned smile. She waved her hand, and a necklace appeared, shimmering with a faint blue light. She handed it to Venus. “Would you like to put this around your father’s neck? Before you do, I want you to let your tears fall upon the amulet,” she instructed gently.
Venus, her vision blurred by tears, rubbed the snot off her nose with her arm. Diaglo’s heart broke at the sound of his children’s sobs, a symphony of sorrow that echoed through the room. He watched as his daughter took the amulet from her mother, her hands trembling. Fresh tears fell from his eyes as he saw her tears fall upon the amulet, which flashed with power. She handed it to Vendak, who let his own tears fill the vial inside the crystal.
Venus walked over to her father, holding the amulet up as if in a sacrificial offering. Diaglo knelt before her, bowing his head to hide the tears in his eyes. He took the amulet, letting his own tears fill the last of the vial. “I love you, Venus,” he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. He raised his eyes to hers, the depth of his sadness reflected in her tear-filled gaze.
“I love you too, Daddy. I vow to be your warlock. Vendak and I have already decided, so we will never lose you, not really,” she vowed, her voice filled with determination. “I will make sure your sacrifice is worth it, Father. I will dedicate my life to fighting the lies and the deception that the light casts upon the dark.” She reached around her father’s neck and clasped the necklace, which glowed with a blue light. She kissed his cheek and wiped away his tears. “We will never leave you, Daddy.”
Venus stepped back, and Vendak rushed forward, throwing his arms around his father’s neck. “I will be your strongest warrior, Father!” he cried, his voice filled with fierce determination.
Diaglo clutched his son tightly, as if holding on to his last breath. “I know you will be, my son. Just stay true to what our motto is. Tell it to me again?” he asked, his voice breaking.
Vendak held on tighter, his sobs barely audible. “Families are forever,” he whispered, his voice filled with unwavering conviction.
Elarian gritted her teeth, her heart heavy with the weight of what was to come. She wrapped her arms around her husband, holding him tightly. “I love you. I don’t want to do this, but I will because I love you and our kids,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Diaglo hugged her back just as tightly, his own tears mingling with hers. “I know. I love you too, but it is time. I need to go see Xanther,” he said, his voice filled with a mix of determination and sorrow.
She sighed deeply, the sound filled with resignation and resolve. “Alright,” she replied, a wicked smirk crossing her face as she steeled herself for what was to come. “Let the Chaos Rise!”
Turning to their children, she called out, “Children, come stand behind me.”
Venus and Vendak, their faces a mixture of fear and determination, quickly moved to stand behind their mother. They looked up at her, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and apprehension.
Elarian took a deep breath, her heart aching for the innocence they were about to lose. She placed a comforting hand on each of their shoulders, drawing strength from their presence. “Stay strong, my loves. We do this for our family, for our people,” she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil within.
Diaglo watched them, his heart breaking at the sight of his family standing together, ready to face the darkness. He knew that this was the only way to protect them, to give them a chance at a future free from tyranny.
He turned back to his wife. “I am ready my love.”
Pain surged through Diaglo’s body as Elarian’s spell took hold. His muscles contorted, bones cracked, and his skin stretched painfully. Horns sprouted from his forehead, curling menacingly. His eyes, once filled with warmth and love, drained of all emotion, replaced by a cold, steely determination. The tears that had flowed so freely were gone, replaced by an unyielding resolve.
As the magic settled and the searing pain subsided, Diaglo knelt once more before his children. His monstrous form loomed over them, but his voice, though deeper and more guttural, held a familiar tenderness. “I will always love you and show you mercy when I can,” he vowed, his words a promise that transcended his new form.
Vendak, ever the brave one, snickered despite the tears still glistening in his eyes. “You must admit, Father, you look cool as fuck. Bring Lumina the fear that she brings us,” he said, his voice a mix of admiration and defiance.
Diaglo managed a small, sad smile, his heart swelling with pride at his son’s courage. “I will, my son. I will make sure she knows the fear she has inflicted upon us,” he replied, his voice filled with a dark promise.
Elarian watched the exchange, her heart breaking and mending all at once. She knew the path ahead would be fraught with pain and sacrifice, but in this moment, she saw the strength and unity of her family. It was this bond that would carry them through the darkness.
