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It was early morning. The first rays of the sun penetrated through the window, illuminating the room. Julian and Eliza were sleeping peacefully in bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
It's been seven years since they got married. This happened almost immediately after Eliza broke the chains binding Julian and reminding him of his deal with the Devil. Julian didn't waste any time and proposed to her. He didn't want to part with his beloved for a second anymore. He looked nervous when he proposed, as if he doubted the answer. Eliza did not torment him and said yes, a smile shone on her face, and there were tears in her eyes. Julian's face was a reflection of her own.
They got married in the summer (if it was summer, of course. It was much harder to say what time of year it was, when the world had changed beyond recognition), and a year later they had a daughter, whom they named Nastya.
They were terribly afraid to have a child, knowing that the Devil is still somewhere nearby, but does not attack. His non-interference scared them the most. And sometimes it was scary to plan their future life, but they managed to overcome this feeling and not only look into the future with hope and joy, but also live for today, enjoy every moment they lived together. When Eliza found out about the pregnancy, they were over the moon with happiness. Julian never stopped kissing his beloved and whispering how much he loved her and how glad he was that they were going to have a baby.
The door to the room opened when a ringing voice rang out.
"Mama! Papa! It's time to get up! You promised to take me to the main square. Well, more precisely, on what's left of it" - Nastya jumped on their bed, trying to wake them up.
"Sweetheart, it's still very early" - Eliza said sleepily, unable to open her eyes. She was not one of those who likes to get up at the crack of dawn.
"Darling, it seems our child is impatient to go to the square as soon as possible" - Julian slightly opened his eyes and saw the face of his daughter hanging over them, who looked at them with bright green eyes. Her auburn hair was sticking out in different directions.
"Until 10 am, she is your child" - Eliza pulled the blanket higher. After all, their daughter had the same sleep pattern as her father.
Julian laughed a little, rubbing his eyes.
"Come on! How can you sleep at such a time?" - Nastya rolled her eyes, again slowing down her parents.
"Okay, okay, we're getting up now" - Julian laughed, getting up from the bed. - "But before we go, you need to clean up and have breakfast" - he kissed her on the forehead and heard his daughter's cheerful laughter. The best sound in the world for his ears.
"Okay" - Nastya slid to the floor and rushed to her room.
"I suppose we have no chance of going back to sleep" - Eliza was now sitting, leaning on the wooden wall of the bed, and rubbing her eyes. There was a smile on her lips.
"Absolutely none" - Julian leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
The square was not crowded, considering what had happened in the world over the past few years. Someone died, someone went missing, someone ran away or moved. Julian and Eliza were lucky that they managed to find all their friends unharmed, which brought them great relief.
It was hard for them to look at what the Devil had done to their world. Especially Julian. At such moments, he always remembered his deal with the Devil, which brought no benefit to anyone. It weighed heavily on him. But Eliza was able to quickly catch his changed mood and drive it away with a light kiss on the cheek and encouraging words. And Julian was so grateful to her for that.
Nastya skipped all the way to the square, holding the hands of her parents, who did not want to let her go for a second. They knew how dangerous it could be on the streets of Vesuvia for an adult, not to mention a small child. They didn't want anything to happen to their girl.
Julian stood frowning, which did not escape Eliza's eyes.
"Is everything all right, dear?" - she gently put her hand on his shoulder. - "You look tense".
The wrinkles on Julian's forehead smoothed out slightly as he looked at his wife.
"What do you think he's up to? He hasn't been seen for seven years. It doesn't bode well".
Eliza didn't even have to ask who he was talking about.
"I wish I knew... It bothers me too" - she sighed heavily.
They both looked towards Nastya, who was examining one of the fruit carts with extreme curiosity.
"I don't want anything to happen to her" - Julian said softly, almost in a whisper.
Eliza put her palm on his cheek and made him look at her, gently stroking his cheek.
"She's going to be fine, she's safe. We can protect her. You can protect her, you're her dad".
Tears flashed in his eyes, which he quickly wiped away, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. Julian gently kissed Eliza's palm. How he loved her. Both of them.
None of them had any idea what changes were waiting for them in the near future.
It happened during a game of hide and seek. Nastya giggled merrily, hiding from her dad under the table in the kitchen. Julian could hear his daughter's laughter perfectly, but decided to pretend that he had no idea where she was hiding.
"Where is my girl?" - Julian tried to approach the table as quietly as possible and squatted down. - "She's hidden so well that it's impossible to find her. Hmm... maybe it's worth looking under the table?" - he abruptly threw back the tablecloth and saw Nastya smiling broadly. - "There you are!" - he wrapped her in his arms and began to tickle. Nastya was laughing loudly, trying her best to prevent her dad from tickling her.
Julian heard his daughter's painful cry and felt her shudder. He quickly stopped tickling her and turned her to face him, anxiously peering into her face.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. I think I just hurt myself" - Nastya showed a slight cut on her arm. There were tears in her eyes, but she wasn't crying.
Julian took her small hand in his and examined the cut, which was not there just a second ago. He could have sworn it was. Julian wrinkled his nose. So he was the cause of her scratch. But how could he hurt her like that? This has never happened before. Julian glanced at his right hand lying on the girl's back. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw that one of his nails was slightly elongated, longer than usual, and blackened at the very tip. Julian's breathing quickened. He was afraid to even think about it. He clenched his jaw and tried to regain his breath. He'll figure it out later. In the first place was his daughter.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to hurt you" - Julian said in a hoarse voice and kissed his daughter on the forehead.
"It's okay, Papa. It was an accident. Besides, it doesn't hurt much" - Nastya smiled and kissed her dad on the cheek.
Julian picked up the girl in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Let's treat your cut before the dirt gets there. Okay?"
"Okay" - Nastya nodded.
Julian hugged her tighter and left the kitchen.
Julian sat on the bed in his and Eliza's bedroom and looked at his hands. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear Eliza come into the room and crouch down behind him. He noticed her presence only after she wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head on his shoulder.
"What are you thinking about so much?" - she looked at him carefully. - "Is it because of the Nastya’s scratch?"
Julian closed his eyes and turned away. Eliza wouldn't let him shut her out.
"Ilya, talk to me, please. You know you can tell me everything" - she gently took his face in her hands and turned it to her.
"It's not... I..." - Julian clearly didn't know where to start, and he lowered his gaze back to his hands. Eliza looked in the same direction. Then she noticed what her husband was looking at. Some of his nails turned black and elongated, more like claws. Eliza gasped, which she immediately regretted. Julian immediately tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn't let him do it. She hugged him tightly, not letting him push her away.
"Honey, I'm sure there's an explanation for this. Everything will be fine" - Eliza stroked him through his tangled auburn hair. She felt Julian begin to tremble and her shirt begin to get wet from his tears. Her heart ached.
"I'm afraid we both know what this could mean" - Julian held Eliza by the waist with trembling hands and tried not to hurt her with his claws. It was enough for him that he hurt his baby. - "I can't, darling… I don't want it again... no… I'm so scared".
"Ilya, Ilya, shhh, darling, listen to me" - she lifted his face so she could meet his eyes. Tears were streaming down his face and his eyes were full of pain. It broke Eliza's heart to pieces. She tried not to cry. - "It's okay. Everything will be fine. We'll get through this, we'll get through this together" - she tried to wipe the tears from his face and stroked his cheek. - "And when I say together, I mean Nastya too" - Eliza thought it would be right.
Julian's eyes widened in fear. No, even terrified. He shook his head vigorously and grabbed Eliza by the shoulders. But he immediately pulled his hands away.
"No!" - Julian said in a broken voice. - "No" - he repeated more quietly. - "Please, no. She should not know, she should not see. She is a child, she is only six years old. I... I don't want to scare her" - tears started streaming down his face again. - "Please".
"But what do you propose to say to her when...?" - Eliza tried to find the right words. - "She'll have questions".
Julian squeezed his eyes shut.
"Tell her I'm sick or something" - he passed his hand over his face. - "It's not going to happen tomorrow anyway, so we'll have time to come up with something more plausible".
Julian turned away so as not to meet his wife's disapproving gaze.
"Ilya, she needs a father..."
"Yes, but her father is a man, not a monster" - he said bitterly.
*SLAP* Julian clutched his cheek, which was left with the red imprint of Eliza's hand, and stared at her in shock.
"Don't you dare say that, Julian Devorak" - she looked at him sternly, but then her gaze softened. - "I know you're scared, but you'll always be her father no matter what. No matter how you look, she will always love you".
Julian let out a sob and pressed his forehead against Eliza's.
"And you're not a monster. You've never been one. So don't you dare say that, otherwise you'll get a big slap from me again" - Eliza tried to joke. Julian let out a light laugh mixed with another sob.
"I love you. I love you so much" - Julian took Eliza in his arms again and left soft kisses on the top of her head.
"We also love you very, very much. Never forget about it" - Eliza whispered, pressing her lips to his.
"Papa! Papa! Tell a story! Pleeease!" - Nastya hung on the neck of Julian, who came to put her to bed.
"How is your hand, princess?" - he gently took her hand and looked sadly at the bandage wrapped around her wrist. Julian decided to wear gloves to hide his overgrown claws as much as possible.
"It's fine. It almost doesn't hurt anymore" - Nastya smiled broadly at her dad. - "It's all thanks to you".
"So you're not mad at me?" - Julian asked quietly.
His daughter's eyes widened in surprise.
"Of course not! Why should I be mad at you?" - she looked at her dad in a puzzled way.
Julian tried to hold back his tears. She was so much like her mother: she was just as kind and brave. He kissed the place where her scratch was.
"Don't pay attention to me" - he smiled at her gently. - "I'm just really tired today. I don't know what I'm saying. But! It doesn't cancel the story for the night" - he tried to make his voice sound more cheerful. He didn't want Nastya to worry about him.
She looked at him with a frown, as if she understood that he was hiding something from her. But after a second, she shook her head and smiled again. Julian breathed a sigh of relief, glad she hadn't asked anything.
"Now get under the covers. That's it" - Julian wrapped her up and ran his hand through her hair. - "Ready to listen?"
Nastya nodded in anticipation. Julian laughed.
Nastya fell asleep almost instantly, which happened quite rarely. Julian decided to stay with her for a while after she fell asleep. He watched her carefully, trying not to disturb her sleep. It hurt him to think that soon he wouldn't be able to tell her stories like that, wouldn't be able to spend time with her. A tear rolled down his face, which he quickly wiped away. But he won't let his little girl see what happened to him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him.
Julian bent down and kissed her forehead, lingering a little. A small smile appeared on Nastya's lips.
"I love you" - Julian whispered, trying not to wake her up, and left the room.
The changes were slow. They were slower than the first time. But Julian knew that soon they would begin to manifest faster and faster. At first they were not particularly noticeable: a pair of feathers on the neck, a pair of feathers on the chest. All this could be hidden. So Julian could spend time with his daughter. He, Nastya and Eliza walked around the city, played together, read books. Then the feathers began to appear in place of the hair, which was already harder to hide, but he still tried to find a way to do it. Sometimes in the evenings Julian and Eliza danced, and Nastya watched them and laughed, clapping her hands. Eliza didn't miss a single moment to kiss her husband and remind him how much they loved him. Julian smiled at them tenderly and lovingly, but Eliza could still see the deep sadness in his eyes. On one of these evenings, Julian felt a sharp pain in his legs, which appeared so suddenly that he even cried out in surprise. Eliza grabbed his arm and looked at him with concern. Nastya also ran up to him, taking his palm in her small hands.
"Daddy, are you okay?"
There was so much anxiety in the innocent look that Julian thought his heart might burst.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. I just accidentally twisted my ankle" - he smiled gently, despite the pain, and winked. - "Nothing that I couldn't fix" - it was an outright lie. What was happening to him, he could not fix and stop. How he hated the Devil who was doing this to him again. Only this time there was no deal. Eliza suggested that the broken deal could return a person to its former appearance only for a while, but not forever. And the Devil knew it, so he didn't interfere. He knew that Julian's normal life was temporary.
"Perhaps I should lie down" - he patted his daughter on the head and, with the help of Eliza, went to his bedroom.
This night was worse than the others. His legs felt like they were on fire. He tried his best not to scream, so as not to wake Nastya, whom Eliza had put to bed with such difficulty. His legs were deformed. He could feel his bones shifting under his skin, and it was unbearably painful. Eliza never left his side for a second, although Julian tried to persuade her to sleep for at least a few hours, but she flatly refused, saying that she would never leave him alone in such a state.
Julian did not notice at what moment tears gushed down his face, so much pain dulled his other senses. He clenched the sheets on the bed into a fist, piercing them with his sharp claws, and heard the crackle of the fabric of his pants, the seams of which began to diverge due to the change in the lower part of his body. But at the same moment, his shirt also began to tear, beginning to tighten on his chest, unable to restrain Julian's growing body. At some point, it became difficult for him to breathe because of the constricting fabric. Julian rolled off the bed onto the floor, clutching at his chest, which grew and grew. Julian was moaning in pain. He grabbed the front of his shirt with his hand, and his other hand reached out to his back, where he began to feel another discomfort.
Eliza was standing in the corner, covering her mouth with her hand from fear and excitement for Julian. She was crying, it was unbearable for her to watch the agony of her husband, who was writhing on the floor in pain. At some point, he raised his gaze to her, which was filled with such horror and pain, seeing her so scared. He quickly turned away, unable to look at her, so scared. He scared her. She's afraid of him.
Julian started crying again. He didn't hear what Eliza was saying to him. He stopped growing. His feet, now the feet of a bird, rested on the wooden floor. His shirt was torn in the front, and now he was able to breathe more or less freely. He already knew what would happen next, feeling his back begin to hurt more and more, until he felt bones begin to break out of his back, which formed a new part of his body. Julian's jaw tightened. "Don't scream" - he reminded himself every time. When the bones took their proper shape, they began to be covered with jet-black feathers, forming wings that Julian hoped he would say goodbye to forever. Only black feathers remained from his hair on his head. The final part of the transformation: he felt his teeth lengthen, sharpen and turn into fangs, like in animals.
When it was over, Julian collapsed on the floor exhausted. Eliza quickly ran up to him and put her hand on his back, between his wings.
"Stay away" - Julian whispered and tried to pull away.
"No, you won't dare to drive me" - she helped him to get up on the bed, on which Julian took up almost all the space because of the grown figure.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" - he muttered in a half-delirium. - "I didn't mean to scare you, I swear. I'm sorry" - he sobbed.
"Shhh, my love, it's okay. You didn't scare me. You need to rest" - Julian looked at her with an incredulous look when she called him "my love". She ran her hand over his feathers on his head. - "I love you, remember that".
Julian brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles.
"I love you more than anything in the world".
"Nastya?" - Julian looked at the door of their bedroom with concern. Eliza sobbed. Despite all the pain he had just gone through, he still thought of his daughter first. Eliza loved him so much.
"She's fast asleep" - Eliza pulled the blanket over Julian. - "You didn't wake her up".
He closed his eyes, exhaling with relief. After a few moments, he fell asleep. Eliza didn’t left his side.
The following days, which turned into weeks, Julian did not leave their bedroom. It was only at night that he could afford to go out for a while to stretch. They said to Nastya that he was a little sick, but they both understood that it wouldn't work forever. Julian sometimes watched his wife and daughter through the window, pulling back the curtain. He wanted so much to be there with them.
Sometimes Nastya would come to their bedroom door to ask her dad how he was feeling. Julian struggled not to cry as he talked to his daughter through the door separating them. He wanted to hug her so much, to hold her close and never let her go again. Eliza still insisted on telling her, but Julian was adamant. He was afraid of what might happen. Therefore, he was content only to talk through the door, trying to talk as cheerfully as possible.
"Mommy, will Papa get better?" - Nastya once asked, looking at her mom. She was on the verge of tears.
Eliza hugged her tightly, stroking her head. Small arms wrapped around her waist.
"Of course, he will recover. He just needs time. He's strong" - Eliza rocked her daughter from side to side, trying to calm her down.
"Yes, he’s strong" - Nastya nodded briefly, sobbing. - "But I'm worried about him".
"I'm sure you'll see him soon," Eliza looked at her and smiled gently, kissing Nastya on the nose and wiping tears from her face.
"Really?" - she asked in a tiny voice.
"Really" - and Eliza will try very hard to make it so.
Eliza and Julian still slept together, although Julian insisted that he should not lie in the same bed with her. But Eliza immediately dismissed this concept.
The morning was overcast. Eliza clung to her husband, who was watching his sleeping wife tenderly and lovingly. He was no longer so ashamed in front of her, and at some moments he thought that he might be able to get used to his new appearance, but every time he looked at himself in the mirror, all his confidence immediately evaporated. But Eliza did not allow him to withdraw into himself. She told him every evening about what she and Nastya had been doing all day. Julian always listened very carefully, trying not to miss a single detail. Sometimes he plucked up the courage and invited Eliza to dance, although it was much harder for him to dance now, but looking at his wife's glowing face, he was ready to do anything for her.
It was comforting to look at Eliza, and a few moments later he fell asleep again, hugging her with his arm and covering them both with his wing.
They were both awakened by a loud scream coming from the side of the door. Julian and Eliza jumped up abruptly, trying to figure out what had happened.
Nastya stood near the open door and looked in horror at Julian, who was also looking at his daughter.
Nastya didn't stop screaming.
"Monster! Monster!" - Nastya pointed to Julian, who covered himself with his wings and retreated from the bed in fear, closing his eyes. Eliza jumped out of bed and ran to her daughter, picking her up in her arms and hugging her tightly. Maybe she was wrong. How to explain to a small child that her father has undergone some changes and now he looks different? No, she knew Nastya would understand.
Eliza turned to Julian, but he was nowhere to be found. Apparently, he slipped out of the room while she was busy with Nastya.
"Nastya, darling, listen to me" - Eliza gently stroked her daughter on the head.
"There was a monster" - Nastya raised a frightened look at her mother.
"No, sweetie, no, it's not a monster, this is Papa" - Eliza tried to explain. - "He just... changed".
Nastya looked at her blankly. She was trembling slightly.
"But Papa... he..." - Nastya blinked her eyes, trying to figure out what was going on.
"It was Papa. Yes, he looks different now, but he still loves you very much. Do you understand?" - Eliza continued stroking Nastya.
"Probably" - she nodded uncertainly.
Well, that was at least a start. Nastya stopped crying.
"Let's find your dad. Do you want to see him?" - Eliza asked cautiously.
"I want to!" - the girl immediately exclaimed, and Eliza calmed down a little.
They were able to find Julian in the garden near a tree, where he sat hunched over and covered himself with wings.
"Darling?" - Eliza came closer, holding Nastya's hand, who was standing uncertainly next to her, and then hid behind her mother.
Julian's wings opened slightly, but when he saw Nastya standing next to Eliza, he closed again and slightly moved away, not wanting to scare his girl again.
"Ilya, everything is fine" - Eliza said softly.
"Is that so?" - he said softly.
Nastya looked out from behind the figure of her mother and slowly approached the huge black figure. She reached out a hand and gently touched his wings, but then pulled her hand away, afraid that she had done something wrong.
"Papa?" - she said in a trembling voice.
Julian looked uncertainly at his daughter with his gray eyes full of boundless love and care, and fear. Nastya immediately recognized this look. It was her dad's look. She threw her arms around his neck, he almost fell backwards from surprise, but managed to keep his balance.
"I'm sorry, princess. I'm so sorry I scared you. I didn't mean to" - Julian whispered, hugging his daughter, but not tightly. He gently stroked her hair and left kisses on the top of her head.
"I'm sorry, I don't think you're a monster, Daddy" - Nastya cried quietly. Julian hugged her a little tighter, trying not to cry.
"I know, sweetheart. I know" - he whispered. - "Please don't cry. Everything will be fine. I love you so much, baby. So much".
"I love you too, Daddy. No matter what" - Julian squeezed his eyes shut, no longer able to hold back the tears that were now flowing freely down his cheeks.
Eliza sat down next to them, patted her daughter on the back and kissed them both on the cheeks.
"Your dad is right. Everything will be fine" - she smiled softly.
Nastya pulled away from her father, looking at him with her green eyes.
"I missed you. You're not going anywhere else, are you? Will you play with me like before and tell stories?" - tears shone in her eyes again.
Julian held her close again.
"Of course I will. I'm sorry. I've missed you so much too. I'm never going anywhere else. I promise. Don't cry anymore, please. I can't watch you cry" - Julian's voice cracked.
Eliza hugged them both, and Julian was glad that she was here, that they were both here, next to him. He couldn't put into words how much he loved and treasured them, so he just sat there and hugged them tightly, trying not to cause harm.
"Ah!" - Nastya gasped at some point.
Julian was worried that he had hurt her again, but when he looked into her face, he saw her admiring smile.
"You have wings!" - she exclaimed and began to examine them carefully. - "May I touch them?"
Julian smiled gently and nodded.
"This reminds me of someone?" - he turned to Eliza with a laugh.
She grinned back. And with her lips she said: "I told you".
Julian nodded slowly and kissed her.
Nastya was gently stroking his wings at this time.
"They are so beautiful!" - she said it several times. Tears glistened in Julian's eyes, and he hugged his family again.
He knew that no matter what, they would always be there for him and would always love him as he loved them. They were a family and always will be.