“He was always loyal to the two of us. I mean back when it was Serafina and myself. He never once strayed from our relationship and he only made a move with me once Serafina gave him permission. I think it’s the wolf in him,” Celeste chuckled a bit towards him.

There was a shrug from Celeste. “It would be against Angela if he killed them though but scare them? Yeah, I think he would do that. Angela is has a thing about not killing in front of her unless necessary. However, I think if someone were to pose as a threat and harm her that he would do it anyways. His restraint is very good now. Living in Kurayo we have a certain set of rules and we can’t just kill whoever gets in our way, at least not outright. Everything has to be done with checks and balances.” It was easy enough to explain since she had been thriving in Kurayo for some time now.

Celeste reached up and pet his hair noticing how much longer it was than her husband’s. “I appreciate that I do. I don’t want him to harm you either because Angela is my very best friend and I do adore those kids of yours.”

Once she was back in her little form she put her hands on her hips and looked at him. “Yes, tiny. This form is fragile and no one can be rough with me. Yes, that extends to things of that nature as well.” She was rather upfront about it. “Even in my larger form, I am fragile to an extent more so than other vaewolves. I also have a moon allergy when one is full and it is worse when the other is also full. I can’t go outside or my skin starts to burn. It’s the entire reason why Nemesis turned me, to begin with, to stop the curse of the moons.”

She shook her head as she lowered her arms and looked up at the sky above. “No, not really. I don’t think anything I can say can actually change your mind. When I said you were a part of Nemesis… I wasn’t talking about the Nemesis in that room with Angela. He too is a part of Nemesis. You broke apart like a mirror hitting the floor. Things got left behind and some of them probably too small to form. What was left were the two of you, for better or for worse. I don’t believe an individual can clean split into two different forms. I believe something got lost in the transition but as to what… Who knows.”

Celeste smiled more at him as he spoke and nodded. “Aye, I think that part was left with Nemesis as well. The love for Angela that is. I had wondered if you existed why it wasn’t you instead of him. The way Angela spoke she couldn’t understand it either not that Nemesis knows we talked like that.” She seemed rather pleased with herself. “Melina will have a lot to digest but it is good that both her and Reaver have each other now. A sense of belonging is something we all long for and blood relatives are more filling than a makeshift family.”

Getting back up with a hop she stared at Raeguel. “For what it’s worth, I am not entirely sure about the future with Nemesis and Angela. I merely wanted to give them something I believe could have happened had I not interfered as a wife. I wholly believe that if it had been him and not you that they would have married and romanced. To be honest, I’m not really the lovable huggable type that wants Nemesis shoved up my ass. He tends to do that when I worry him. Having Angela around will take a little bit of that off of me so I can do my work. I do love my husband and I would never betray him but I am not the type who needs a spouse. I want him on my own terms, unlike Angela.”

Going behind a bush she let the magic take her back as she got taller. “That, I will never get used to.” She came back to him and offered him her hand. “Let’s go back and check on them. Melina looked like she was going to pass out the last time I saw her. She is only human after all.”

Once they made their way back Celeste stopped short as she opened the door. She saw Nemesis hugging Angela from behind and comforting her. The kisses to the top of her head that made the goddess snuggle close. “See what I mean?” She whispered to Raeguel before coming back. “We’re back now.”

Angela looked back to Celeste with a smile. “I’m glad everything went alright. We were waiting… and well trying to keep Melina from falling over.”

Melina was standing straight like a board as her hazel eyes met Raeguel’s. She attempted to go right to him as a means of comfort but her poor legs had gotten numb from how long she had been standing that way. She started to fall and Celeste gave Raeguel a good push to go get to her in time. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t realize that I was standing so straight-legged.” Melina looked up at Raeguel and then looked at Reaver. “I don’t know what to do.”

Angela tilted her head as she too looked at Reaver and then to Melina. “Maybe start by introducing yourself… and work from there. You have all the time in the world to get used to it, Melina. I gave you longevity so that the passage of time wouldn’t age you nor hurt you. You don’t have to rush it anymore.”

Melina looked around the room and nodded as she was helped up. She went over to Reaver and had her hands clasped together in front of her. Her hazel eyes were big and innocent as she looked him over. He sure did look a lot like her and definitely a lot like the older paintings of her grandmother. “Um,” her face flushed as she tried to make eye contact with him and she found herself shying away and looking at the ground. “I’m Melina like Lady Angela said. My grandmother was Andrea…” Her voice wavered as she fell into a whisper. “I have three sisters, they are all at the temple too. I’m the youngest.” She finally brought her eyes back up to him and offered a smile but a shy smile. Certainly not something common in Angela’s realm. “They are Cordelia, Ana, and Edith. Our mother died in childbirth and our father died during a church siege from a random group of bandits that was threatening to kill Lady Angela’s clergy. My grandmother Andrea lived to the ripe old age of eighty-five and eventually passed due to illness when Lady Angela was away.”

She rubbed her wrists a bit and thought about what she could tell him about herself. “I’m the high priestess of Life and I’m courting Raeguel. We were set up by Nerezza who wouldn’t leave him alone about it. I offered him my blood when he first woke up here so that he could get strong enough to see the twins when they were still sleeping from the transition of worlds. Lady Angela made me timeless because I can’t be turned into a vampire anymore and eventually I would get old and die. It was a gift to both of us. It is very awkward to have…” She stopped herself and blushed as her hands gripped at her dress. “Stepchildren who are my age… I’m two years older than they are.” She couldn’t look him in the eyes again as she looked away with a blush. “And now I have Emry too.” Once more her voice was almost a whisper as she thought about how young she was to be a grandmother now too.

Nerezza popped up out of her seat as she waved her arms. “MELINA IS THE BEST. She helped plan my wedding and she doesn’t treat us any different! She doesn’t even care that we are almost the same age as her! IT’S JUST A LITTLE AWKWARD THAT’S ALL! She’s a good stepmom and Lucian and I love her!”

Melina jumped a bit and looked at Nerezza who surprised her. “I… love you too.” Her eyes went back up to Reaver’s now. “I’m not really good at this but I wouldn’t mind talking more to you. My family tends to die out quickly once we age because of the curse but it is refreshing to have someone I know can stay with me even after my sisters pass.”

He didn’t want to believe Celeste, not at all. It was fairly easier to depict her husband as the ultimate evil of this world. While he hadn’t been a saint himself, Raeguel couldn’t fathom Nemesis as a family man, as a “faithful” husband and father and as a person in general. The more the vaewolf spoke though, the harder it was to paint that sinister image on him and it was a frustrating thing for him to accept. Raeguel barely registered that she had been petting his hair for some time- her reasoning went unquestioned, but then again, to see an alternate form of someone you’ve known and loved for countless centuries could raise questions, he supposed. That bastard was lucky to have a supportive mate like her, not that he probably deserved one.

He was bitter up until confusion overrode it the moment she reappeared and he saw the real Celeste. “…Forgive me, I meant no disrespect…”, he managed to choke out and rubbed the back of his neck. This was plenty awkward for him to have to address her while her clothes were practically falling off her. Heavens helped them if Nemesis witnessed this. “I guess even he could have a heart, I guess.” Raeguel was trying to be mindful and maintain eye contact. All of this seemed like a bad dream, but he knew it to be reality. His reality.

While he believed that he was the good side of what was once Nathaniel, he grew concerned when she prodded the concept of their split into his mind. Who was the real Nathaniel between them? He carried upon his face a frown as he continued to ask him over and over. “Who knows. By the time I came into the picture, Angela was married at the time and I was working to redeem myself. I barely even know how Melina and myself became a thing aside from my daughter stirring the pot.” Not that he regretted it, as much as it was a tad strange given what he had just learned of her heritage.

He did agree that they should head back to check on the others, mainly Melina. He followed her lead after she changed back and once there, he ignored Nemesis’ presence and moved to help Melina, with some assistance from Celeste. He caught her in the nick of time and helped her stand before she took to Reaver.

The man was still coming to terms with this- he had no blood relatives for eons and now all of a sudden he had what would be considered his great-niece from an Andrea he never knew. He stood there patiently, regardless, as she went on to introduce herself and explain damn near everything about her life. It actually made him start to chuckle inwardly which by the end, he was having a good laugh. “It’s alright. I never thought I’d have a single niece, let alone a herd of them ever in my life. At least the blood is strong when it comes to worshipping and spreading the word. I’m Reaver Volkov, formerly Matthew, and I’m Lord Nemesis’ head priest. What else? Well, I fell from the skies one day and came to this land. After that, I’ve just been wandering about aimlessly until I met both of these men, two sides of the different coin. One of them turned me into something completely new, and at first, I wanted to put Nemesis through a wall, but now I’m alive again.”

Raeguel rolled his eyes before glancing at Nemesis. The god felt it and shrugged before he headed off. “Message received. I won’t get in your way, and you won’t get in mine.” He figured much out of Raeguel, having been a part of him and knew how his mind worked. He was sure that Celeste convinced him of some things, not that he worried over any consequences even if he still hated him. Them being able to tolerate one another’s existence would have to be enough for everyone to work with as far as the saint and sinner went. “You are the spitting image of her”, Reaver returned as he looked at her, seeing his sister as if she was standing right there in front of him. “In another life, your grandmother was a proud and youthful woman, until her final breath. I’m sure that she would want you all to be happy and live lives that you wanted.” He could see that Melina was also a proud person as she took to the twins and Emry as if they were her own. He too was proud of her, despite the short amount of time he knew of her.

Celeste chuckled a bit and shook her head. “Think nothing of it. It’s not as bad as people who think I’m Nemesis’s daughter. Now those people he did maim. He doesn’t like it when people insult me. Considering how fragile I am compared to others in our caliber you could say… he’s protective. Make no mistake that I can take care of myself but if I get hit it’s going to do a lot more damage than say if it hit you.”

She mulled over his sentence and shrugged a bit. “I was going to elbow him to going and talking to Angela after she killed Dalanesca. When I made my way up the stairs of the Bastion he had already left for her. Despite how much he said he couldn’t stand her he did run to her side when she needed the help. We all have masks and sometimes we wear those masks so much we forget who we are. Humility does a person well once in a while to remember they're true selves. I know Nemesis well enough I can read him at all times, I’m aware of him at all times, and I can almost read his thoughts. We are in sync him and I. No matter how much he tries to lie through his teeth, not that he does to me, I can always tell when he does it. I observe people, that’s what my talent is. In all the decades that Nemesis has known Angela, he never understood her but I managed to in days. Breaking people down to their true self is one of my talents and not something people like.” She offered a smile before the conversation moved to their split.

Her eyes were ever watching. “I believe you both are the real thing.” She didn’t skip a beat. “You are also both your own people and you shouldn’t measure each other to see who the real one is or the fake one. You are you and He is he. Fate is fickle and the people that we once were we might not be anymore. One moment you could be a scholar who is living happily alone in a shack with just books and the next you could be slaughtering your entire clan because they sold you. It can happen quickly or it can happen slowly. The journey is what makes the person. You are no longer him. Nemesis is no longer him. This is what I believe.”

They made their way back in and Melina was warming up to Reaver. “Sometimes I’m not very good with people,” Melina said softly as she blushed more.

Angela perked up a bit and chuckled. “You preach just fine, its anything other than preaching where you struggle.” Melina nodded a bit and smiled towards Reaver. Angela kissed Nemesis’s forehead as he left the group. Angela was on stand by watched the family reunion as Reaver returned to her.

“I got that a lot from my colleagues.” Melina rubbed the back of her neck. Suddenly she had an idea. “I need you to wait here.” She held out her hands and did the stay right there motion before she ran off. It took her a few moments but after a while, she returned with three others in tow.

Compared to Melina these women who quite a bit older. They obviously aged but they still had that youthful feel to them as they corralled around Reaver. They were all whispering to each other as they checked him and Melina was leaning in to listen before doing a sideways glance at Reaver.

“He looks just like Great Great Grandfather,” one of the oldest said in a hushed tone. “He certainly has grandma’s looks too.” Melina looked the most like Andrea as her siblings had more of sandy blonde hair. They held the same hazel eyes but Edith who had honey. They were gossiping and Melina was trying to get in on it to break it up before Angela coughed a bit.

“He’s a person, not an exhibit,” the goddess reminded them.

The women stopped and looked at the goddess before finally bowing their heads to Reaver. They each said their hellos to him. Each introducing themselves one by one. They were a lot more outgoing than Melina who looked exhausted just being around them. Full of energy for people who were much older than she was. The introductions were cut short as they realized they had things to do and scattered with their byes as they ran off. Melina looked like she had been whip-lashed as she looked up at Reaver. “Sorry, they aren’t used to outsiders all that much. But… I actually went to fetch this for you.” She pulled his hand over and shoved a locket in it. “This was my great grandfather’s gift to Gram. It has a painting of Gram Andrea when she was my age. I have lots of paintings of our family who were in service to Lady Angela so I figure I can part with it if it's in safe hands.” She offered a smile up at Reaver. “On the other side, he put her favorite flower dried up. Something to pass down to us once they became human again.”

Melina stopped herself for a moment and thought about her next words. “I know that you probably lost everything in the fire so… take it. You deserve to have something of hers too. As silly as it is too say I have Raeguel and lots of other little trinkets that got left for me when I took over her position as High Priestess.”

While the storm between the two halves settled down, Reaver was starting to get to know his niece, who then proceeded to bring the rest of the brood to him. This was all so much to take in at once, especially when they circled him like hyenas and he was a piece of meat. Not that they were malicious about it, oh no. They were rather good about it since they were only curious and he could see from Melina’s reaction, that this was typical of them. When they started talking about their descendants, that made him come to think of how he couldn’t even remember what his looked like. The passing of time had been too great and it did pain him slightly that he didn’t quite remember what his family was like, aside from Andrea, his wife, and child.

He could see the difference between Melina and the rest of their family as clear as day. Then again, she was the baby of the family as he remembered earlier. When they settled down, he greeted them and offered his name and rank as well. Fortunately, they weren’t about to stay too long before they had to return to their own responsibilities. Taking a deep breath, Reaver looked towards her and patted her shoulder. “It’s alright. They are a handful, but they are family.” He was about to continue but then found a trinket in his hand the next second. He listened as he opened it the locket and saw Andrea. It was like looking at a long lost memory as flashbacks played in his head of the times he spent with her. He was honestly a bit choked up as he nodded and smiled. “You don’t really have to…” His precious sister…he was glad that she had escaped a life of misery and lived for herself.

“You really didn’t have to, but I thank you greatly.” He took a moment to look at her gratefully, “I really did lose the rest of what I treasured before the fire started. Once Andrea was gone, I had nothing left. Nothing could replace her, or the rest of my family. Thank you, Melina.”