Nemesis had been many things- destroyer, creator, knight, champion, head of families, lover, husband, and father. Yet even with all those accolades, the latter seemed to be the most difficult for him at times than any other. Perhaps it was because his older children were raised in the easiest situations for him. His pair of twins, for example, was raised mostly underneath Angela’s household and he’d frequent there when possible for them. His son under the Volkov banner wasn’t as much a handful and he did it with Celeste. But now the little trio of darlings they had was more lively and rowdy than any of them were. Particularly Lehya. Tamara was usually good unless she got into it with her brothers and Roman was on the fence of being good and being quite the stirrer. On this eve, the eldest proved to be the factor as the child made his way into his father’s study, pushing the door open with all the might a four-year-old could muster.

At the time, Nemesis was resting up by the fireplace, a glass of bourbon in hand as he left his mind to wander into its own devices right before he heard the door crept open. Sighing a little, he could smell right away that it was one of the children and he turned his head far enough to spot the little redhead boy walking his way over to his position.

“Come now, Roman. What are you doing up this late into the morning?” He had just put the trio down an hour before. Roman wasted little time in strolling over to the bookshelf and pointed to a large, black leather book. “No. I already read it to you earlier. You need to go back to bed.” His tone was stern but he could plainly see that Roman wouldn’t let it go. The god placed a hand on his head, mentally begging why his children were stubborn. Perhaps it was from their mother, or more so in the boy’s case, it was possible that he’d been hanging around his other mother or, god forbid, Ivan. Settling his glass down, Nemesis got up and took hold of the book his son coveted before picking him up with his free arm. “One verse and then back to bed, agreed?”

His son smiled and gave a silent nod and they retreated back into his chair with him in his lap. The book was opened and Roman leaned back against his father to get comfort as he began to read from where they left off.

“From what seemed like an eternity, the boy had escaped the clutches of the dragon. Years of appeasing the beast had made the boy stronger, but not without his own weaknesses. He trusted few and loved even less. The boy was closer to the shadows that greet him during the night now, and he wrapped himself into their touch like a blanket. He feared that eventually his blanket would be taken, and when that happened, then he’d be no more. He’d use his strength to make sure that never happened.

Over the course of time, he slowly gained the trust and love of a maiden. She was a light to his world but one that would be snuffed out in a single night. Grief-stricken, the boy remembered the words of the dragon and he decided that he’d become one in his fury. He was a dragon now, and he used his strength to cover the world in his shadow, as far as he could. To this day, some claim that the boy who became a dragon takes refuge in the shadow, but rests. He rests until the day he is to return to the world when needed.”

“Another?”, the boy inquired, to which Nemesis gave him a strong look of ‘no’, yet the boy looked up at him and then back at the pages. “Papa, what happens next?”

The vaewolf, master of his domain and the apex predator sighed once more before taking a swing of his drink and caved, starting at the next verse.