I Am The Third Warlock Lady

A/N: The chapter ahead is raw, which means not been proofread yet nor edited.1***1"Who told you to speak?"

Emperor Maxism gulped and dared meet the Prince's intimidating gaze.

"Take my hand, Maximilien. I will handle them for you."

Prince Zodiac looked at his brother with a smile. He's waiting and Prince Maximilien was thinking.

"...They're my pet." He said.

"Abandon disobedient pets. Take my hand. We don't need them. You don't need them. I am your Kuya. I know what's best for you?"

"How?"

Prince Zodiac furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're just my brother. You're not Mom. Why are you here? For what? This matter is mine to handle, so don't meddle. Are you trying to take control over everything? Is that who you really are?"

Prince Zodiac closed his hand before dropping it.

He's calm.

"My words are Mommy's words. Why? Because I'm her favorite. Maximilien, it's clear to me now that I am better than you."

The wind stopped from blowing. The ground start to tremble.

"K-Kuya!"

Prince Valerian went between them while carrying Prince Vars, sucking a pacifier noisily. He pulled his pacifier and seemed to offer it to Prince Zodiac.

"Bababa?"

"Tsk."

Prince Zodiac smacked the Prince's hand away. The pacifier flew to the other side.

"Kuya Zodiac!" Prince Valerian shouted, threatening and powerful. It shocked not only Prince Vars and Prince Zodiac, but everyone, too.

He's angry.

Prince Valerian is angry.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you hating on Vars!?"

"Valy---" Prince Zodiac stuttered and tried reaching out for his brother.

"NO!"

Prince Zodiac was pushed back by something he did not see.

The terrified Prince Vars cowered in his brother's arms.

When the Mistress of Death, beyond their awareness, stepped in and flicked her fingers between their faces. Soon, the Princes felt drowsy and lost their consciousness.

"Where did these kids get their nasty attitude and behavior from?"

***

"Why are you still here?"

Emperor Ohms just got in the dining room when he was called for dinner. To his disapproval, their unwanted visitors kept themselves comfortable in the Palace. Prince Izaac still have flowers on his body, but his face is cleared.

"Don't ask the obvious," said the Mistress of Death and bit the meat she sliced for herself.

Emperor Ohms stopped beside her, "Are you provoking me?"

The Mistress of Death raised her stares to him with an unpleasant glare, "What about you is interesting to?"

Annoyed about her game, Emperor Ohms forcefully pulled the chair. The Mistress of Death almost fell to the ground but her Hands extended themselves to lift her up.

Prince Izaac didn't waste a second and tried to stab the Emperor for what he did to his mother, but Celia was quicker and severed his arm.

"You're merely a pest, but you dare occupy my wife's seat in this table?"

When King LIFE stand up, the friction of his chair created a sound that caught everyone's attention.

"Stop it."

He's still 'sulking', and the more he 'sulk' the darker his veil and the looming shadow all over him becomes.

They were about to exchange verbal abuse to each other when the Dining Hall's doors were blasted away as Prince Zodiac's entrance.

"Settle down, ants."

Watts Xirquit stand up to meet his son. Prince Zodiac instantly became excited and jumped to hug him.

"DADDY!"

Emperor Ohms straightened his back and fully faced them.

"Welcome, First Prince," he greeted him, "Where are your brothers?"

Prince Zodiac ignored him and kissed his father's face, "Waah! Daddy, feed me! I want mangoes!"

"You do? Is it your favorite?"

Watts brought the Prince to the table, sitting between his mother and father who were cautious and uneasy with the Prince around. Before, they were head over heels for him. But the Prince have changed. They don't know if it's the same child they met before or not.

"Hmm! It's Mommy's favorite! When she was pregnant with me, she always ask you for mangoes! Do you love mangoes too, Daddy?"

Chancellor Titania passed the bowl of fruits to them.

"Yes. I love mangoes. It's my favorite, too."

Franchetti Xerene grimaced. Her son lied.

"Daddy, don't lie! I will hate Daddy if Daddy lies to me!" The Prince pouted.

Watts let out a guilty laugh, "Sorry. Pineapples. I like sweet pineapples."

Prince Zodiac smiled brightly at his honest Daddy, "I know!"

Watts peeled the mangoes for him and using the spoon, he fed him.

"Daddy, did you know that my face is cursed?" The Prince said out of nowhere, freezing his father in horror.

"Oh, not the 'bad' curse! It's because I'm very beautiful!"

The Prince chuckled.

Then he looked up to his father to show his face, "Grandmommy had to cast a powerful spell on my face to make it look less attractive to others. A very creepy Deity took a liking on me, that's why. Eww!"

Watts wiped his son's face with a napkin. He eats the mangoes so messily.

"You met a Deity? By Grandmommy, do you mean her?"

They all turned to Mistress DEATH whose hands were fighting Emperor Ohms. He's effortlessly deflecting them with a table knife while watching the Prince and his brother, Watts.

The Prince, acting like he realized what he just said, drifted the topic.

"Oh, no! No more mangoes, Daddy! I want more!"

"Baby, don't change the topic. Tell Daddy the truth,"

"I want mangoes!"

"We will get lots of that. Tell Daddy. Who are you referring to?"

Prince Zodiac rolled on his chest, throwing tantrums.

"Mangoes! Mangoes! Mangoes!"

The servants moved to look for and serve more mangoes to the Prince. He pouted while crossing his arms at his father, even stuck his tongue out.

Instead of feeling disrespected, Watts found it adorable that his son is being a kid than acting maturely. He snuggled him, breaking the Prince's fragile walls and laughed with him.

"Staph, Daddy! Wahahaha! Daddy! Mangoes!"

Voltage Xirquit smiled at the sight of them bonding together. His youngest as a father? It had never occur to his mind before. Even when he knew about Prince Zodiac, he just can't imagine what kind of a father his youngest would make and be. But seeing it now, he worried for nothing. He knew now. His youngest will be a better father than him.

"Tell Daddy now."

"Nope---Wahahaha!"

The Prince's melodious laughters spread throughout the Palace. It liven the dark mood looming over the entirety of the Empire. Everyone who's been walking on eggshells since the 'visitors' arrived could finally walk freely like they used to when it's just them, the Vernignians with the Vernignacs. Thanks to the First Prince's presence, it felt like things reverted back to normal.

Watts only stopped tickling the Prince when he started coughing and hiccuping.

"Sorry. Drink water, baby."

"I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy!"

"You're a baby."

After drinking, he used his father's shirt as a napkin and grinned.

"A naughty baby."

When the servants returned with more mangoes, the Earthlings could finally eat properly without restrictions now that the Prince is eating, too.

"But who is the Grandmommy you are referring to?"

Prince Zodiac pouted, "Hmmph, Daddy, you're so curious! I'm not telling!"

So, Watts gave up and kissed his head.

They fed each other with mangoes. When the Prince had enough, he asked for his grandfather to bring his brothers to have their fill. While waiting, he used the time to feed his father. And while feeding him, he emptied his hands and cupped his father's face.

He's examining his face emotionally. He tried to mask his feelings, but couldn't. His father is his weakness.

"Daddy, how much do you love me?" he asked out of the blue.

Watts hold his hands on his face and closed his eyes. The Prince's hands were cold, but the longer they touch him, the warmer it gets.

"Why is my sweet boy asking me this?"

"I want to know, Daddy. We never had the chance to love each other before."

Watts's heart twitched.

"As infinite as the universe, expanding continuously without a doubt. As warm as a blue star, as destructive as a supernova. I don't even know my first self, but I know I am as regretful as him. I regret not staying by her side. I regret not having faith in her when she promised me that she will find a way to turn me back to normal. I should've stayed even as a monster. Zodiac, my son, the harmony of our heartbeats, I am sorry. This time, I will stay. I will be here. I will be a father to you and a husband to your Mommy."

Prince Zodiac pulled his face until their foreheads touch.

"It was the Matriarch," the Prince finally told the truth, "I did not go to heaven. We did not, Daddy. I reached Vanrahim and your soul was gone. Vanrahim is like a city of gold; though it's the realm of the afterlife, it was not the same 'heaven' of Earth's God. When they found me, the beings gifted me to the Deities. They brought me to their highest kingdom and the Deities and their children liked my beauty. They fought over me, like I was a prize. I don't know what to do. I was scared, I was lost, I was alone."

Everyone was listening to the Prince's story. He was looking down and his eyes were... There was trauma in his eyes.

"They wanted me. All of them. They touched my face, caressed me like I'm a saint, smelled me and everything---it was scary. A God helped me. He took me away from them. We stayed in his house, then sent a messenger bird through a portal. Soon, the beings found out where I was and raided us. Before they could take me away again, the Matriarch showed up. The Matriarch saved us and took us to her constellation---"

The Prince's genuine tears burst.

"Where did you go, Daddy? Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me there?"

Watts couldn't move at all. Emotions are surging in him. The worst of it all is his searing anger and self-loathing. His guilt is pressing him down and suffocating him.

When the Princes arrived, they were still upon seeing their eldest brother crying his heart out. They don't know why; it hurts them. They may not know the reason behind his tears, but they know that his tears were true.

"I will tell Mommy. Hnngh! I will tell Mommy! Daddy, why did you leave me!"

Watts pulled his shaking breath before burying the First Prince's face on his shoulder. The Prince, after crying so much, fell asleep. He stand up while carrying his son, caressing his back and rocking him.

"Watts," Emperor Ohms called lowly.

Watts turned his back from them and embraced his son tightly. His shoulders were shuddering and they could hear his muffled sobs.

His parents tried to console him but he walked away from them. Then, he went to his Office with the First Prince.

"Grandpa, what happened?" Asked the Prinsiaze to Emperor Maxism, but all the Emperor could do was smile. He couldn't bring himself to tell the child what his brother went through.

"Can you see how grave your sins are? It affected even her children," Emperor Ohms to King LIFE and kicked him out of his seat.

"Stop." Prince Izaac.

Emperor Ohms stood beside him and slapped him, "Why should I? You have no right to tell me to stop humiliating you. I want you to suffer more than she did. How does it feel to be slapped?"

Emperor Ohms pulled the Prince up and slapped him again. The Prince isn't fighting back and just accepting it with a heavy heart---a heavy heart for everything that happened before that he's yet to know.

"This is for being a Mommy's boy,"

He slapped the Prince again and every time he will speak of his sin, "This is for tolerating their bullying. For being an idiot. For not taking responsibility. For not exercising your power and abilities. For not taking over. For not taking control. For being one of the reasons why she became what she had become---"

The Mistress of Death sent her hands through his body and turned him to face her.

Her crying luminous blue eyes furiously glared at him.

"Do it again, I dare you. Say another word. Humiliate us, blame us. You think I don't know anything about you? I know the truth. It's coming back to me now---ALL OF IT! You carry the same guilt and shame. You were a bystander. You watched her suffer. You betrayed your brother, remember!? You fooled your poor father who loved you with all his soul and heart!"

One of her hand picked up Voltage Xirquit and made the son and father face each other.

"After Watts was born, he finally showed up in flesh. Out of the blue, after you realized that Watts is not his reincarnation! We know he's back again but he didn't want you to know! Isn't that right, Ohms!? You watched your father despair for you! You caused your family's downfall"

"Don't put this on me now---"

"I WILL BECAUSE I CAN!" The Mistress of Death shouted at the top of her lungs. She staggered maintaining her balance. Her heart is breaking and she's drawing expressions on her face they've never seen before.

"Don't---you dare blame my son for what happened. It was not... It's not his fault if he loved me so much, if it also killed him when he lost me. Don't blame him if he didn't know how to handle the situation. Don't blame him if he didn't know how to grieve. It's not Izaac's fault! MINE! None of this would've had happened if I chose to stay in that rotten world than be here! At least Earth is bearable! We were happier in that world! I knew what she went through! I knew what she went through..."

The Mistress of Death collapsed to the ground. Her diamond tears, blue; her cries, echoing.

"I-I did everything I could. I wanted us to be happy this time. My precious daughter... My Azarese... I---I couldn't give her a better fate at all!"

"So, it's your work," said the cold Prince Valerian, "It's you. You divided the world and adjusted everything to accommodate the realistic illusion of this Side. Tell me the truth. If you want me, us, to acknowledge you as our grandmother,

.

.

.

How did you do it when you're supposed to be dead?"