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Description
She bent over the side of the bed miserably, resting her head on the edge of it, weeping. The room was in shambles, fresh from a violent rage that this grieving mother tore through it only moments before.

Only once did she close her eyes, hungry for a moment of rest. Her twin sons had cried and cried, almost constantly it seemed, and their father was gone. He had to balance the life he had started, and the one he left behind.

If this balance was broken, they wouldn't last.
And she knew it.

She had accepted it.
But it was so hard.
And now she was paying for it.

They had quieted down, and so she took the chance for reprieve and rested. Resting her eyes became a nap...a nap gave way to sleep, and after so long, she couldn't remember how long, that sleep was violently disrupted.

A loud crash, followed by the cries of a baby. More cries followed, but these were not tender wails from an infant. It was an infant doing the crying, but these were screams of bloody terror.

Something was wrong.

She ran and found him; an attacker, standing over one twin, ready to strike the other. She exploded with rage, her fury dumped onto this filthy heathen. Attack after attack was thrown until he cowered and fled.

She looked to her babies. The elder cries miserably, reaching for his twin beside him. His twin, the one that suffered the attack, was covered in blood.

He did not cry. Instead, a miserable pititful whimper was all that escaped, laced with a staggered and heavy breath, one that was nothing but a struggle for him to draw now.

...

That image wouldn't leave her head. Kraid had scolded her for letting it happened and dismissed little Akaious.

"He's weak. Don't expect him to live. You should put him out of his misery, suck it up, and be grateful you didn't lose both of them."

She opened her eyes, wincing as they stung at her painfully. Othadious was bundled up resting on the other side of the bed. Akaious lay trembling. She could hear each and every breath he inhaled. He gasped for the precious air, whimpering softly.

His heart would never recover. She couldn't expect him to live much longer. Kraid scoffed. His own father probably wouldn't make it back before he died.

"Don't start something if you can't see it through. That baby is worthless now."

Ophelia growled, wanting so much to scream, but finding that she couldn't. She pounded the side of the bed, moaning as much as she could into the comforter so the sound would be muffled. It was bad enough that little Akaious, barely five months old, was dying. Did Kraid have to be an asshole and say such awful things?

She would never forgive them; Satan for attacking Akaious, and Kraid for the things he said.

She heard a gasp, more painful now, and Akaious started to cry. Ophelia felt panic grip her. She couldn't remember feeling terror any deeper.

So small...tiny little Akaious. Nobody deserved what he was going through, just a baby. Her baby.

And she could do nothing.

"Ophelia?!"

She looked up. UnDark rushed in the room. He too looked panicked. Perhaps Blue was able to tell him enough of the story. That was just as well; Ophelia couldn't bear to repeat it.

"UnDark...," she whimpered; she had rarely been this vulnerable in front of him. He was never the best at handling feelings.

He knelt down, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's...alright Ophelia. I know. I am...so sorry. I should have been here to protect all of you."

She trembled. Ever since the twins were born, UnDark had learned to open himself up to her, and yet just as she fell to pieces before him, his own strength began to fail him. He couldn't put up a front to hide his feelings. As his fingers pressed into her flesh, she could feel him shaking.

"UnDark...he...he's suffering so much. Why doesn't he...let go?"

She heard him gasp, albeit faintly. Looking into his eyes, she saw tears in them. She saw this not so long ago, ironically enough when he was holding Akaious for the first time. She didn't suspect that she'd see tears in his eyes again.

She didn't want to. Not for this reason; and yet, they were there. This meant this was real. UnDark wouldn't cry if it wasn't really happening.

But he didn't weep. Instead, he got angry.

He shook her.
"Listen to yourself Ophelia!! You're going to listen to what that bastard Kraid says? When has he EVER been worth listening to! Akaious is my son! He's your son! He's strong enough to fight this! He hasn't died because he DOESN'T want to give up! We can't let him think we've given up on him!"

Normally she wouldn't let him be rough with her, but she had melted into almost nothing by now. Instead, she began to cry harder. "Or...or maybe it's because...he was waiting, so he could see you, one more time."

UnDark gasped again, growling as the tears streamed down his face. He hated emotion, but not because he felt them. He hated them because he was being FORCED to feel them. He was having to confront something that he never wanted to deal with, and the only solution he had for it all was the rage and the tears.

He let go of her, rising to his feet. He stared at his tiny son, bigger than he was five months ago, but still terribly small. UnDark grasped his chest. He felt as though his heart was being strangled. He closed his eyes and thought of the damage that was done to Akaious' tiny heart. The more he thought about it, the more pain he felt shooting through his body, rattling every nerve. It forced more and more tears into his eyes until they were overwhelmed. His throat began to burn; his nose began to run, and his body ached.

He held his head, moaning softly. "Why. How did this happen?"

Only hours before, he was laughing, feeling such pleasure. UnLight was being tortured in Mukot's prisons, and UnDark thrived off of the suffering of others. He looked forward to seeing Ophelia and their sons again.

Then Blue came to him frantically, telling him of the beginning of this nightmare.

For the first time, somebody was suffering, and instead of laughing, UnDark was crying as hard as his body could manage.

For the first time, he began to understand the suffering of others.

But he couldn't, and he wouldn't. He simply couldn't let go of Akaious...his little boy...his son, who, along with Othadious and Ophelia, were the first and only people UnDark loved besides himself, and valued above all things.

Trying to control his tears, UnDark sat down. He was cautious, taking his time picking up tiny Akaious. Even after five months he was always afraid he'd do something wrong. He cradled him gently, resting Akaious' head on his shoulder. Once he was secure, UnDark got up, walking around the room slowly.

He didn't speak. He listened. He listened to Akaious gasp for breath, sometimes harder, sometimes easier, but always labored. The wails were soft and pitiful now. UnDark understood that babies cried when they needed something. His heart sank when he envisioned what Akaious must have been trying to tell him.

"Help me Daddy. Help me. That crazy guy hurt me. My chest hurts. It's hard to breathe. I can't breathe. Please help me Daddy. Can't you help me? Please."

UnDark opened his eyes, only crying harder. For all of his power and strength, he could do nothing.

There couldn't be a worse feeling in the world.

Swallowing hard, struggling to find his voice, he whispered, "Akaious...it's tearing me apart, to see this happening to you. I...I'd give you my healthy heart and all of the air in my lungs and blood in my body if it could help you. I would have gladly taken your place. But...there's nothing I can do. Nothing."

Ophelia looked up, trying to dry her eyes, in vain.

Akaious whimpered again, but somehow, his breathing relaxed a little.

UnDark panicked.
"Akaious...I...it's...okay, if you want to...find a place where you won't hurt anymore," he said at last. "Hell's waiting for me, but, you won't go there...you'll go some place where you'll be alright. Please...don't feel you have to hold on, if you don't want to."

He didn't want to say it. He wanted to continue to be defiant and beg Akaious to stay. He didn't want to lose one of his sons.

But in the end, he had to do what was best for Akaious, even if it meant letting him go.

UnDark closed his eyes. "Akaious I...before now, I'd have thought feeling like this was weak and pathetic...but...it's not. Just because we can become broken, doesn't mean we're not strong. I...I love you, son." His voice faded. He couldn't sustain it anymore.

Akaious didn't whimper, his breathing relaxed. UnDark felt himself shaking, but, as his eyes squinted shut, he noticed something. He didn't feel Akaious soul slip away. It stayed with him.

Opening his eyes, UnDark looked to Akaious. His eyes were clenched shut tightly, as though he were still in pain, and tears still trickled down his tiny cheeks; however, despite all of this, Akaious wasn't dying; instead, he cuddled closely to UnDark's body, responding to his father's touch and voice, and somehow found a way to relax.

"A-Akaious..." UnDark whispered softly.

Ophelia got up, walking over to them. She stroked Akaious' cheek gently, sniffing once or twice. "UnDark...is he...falling asleep?"

UnDark felt paralyzed. "I-I guess so. His spirit hasn't left him, but, he's calming down. Perhaps...he's not as eager to quit as Kraid thought he was. I mean, you heard me; I told him it was okay. ...I meant it."

The two gazed at their baby boy for several moments. The tears slowly dried up; his expression relaxed. His breathing was deep, but wasn't labored. He no longer whimpered, but instead slumbered silently, clutching the fur on his father's arm as tightly as he could in his tiny fists.

A slow smile curled Ophelia's lips, even as tears leaked from her eyes. "UnDark...you calmed him down. He must...know everything will be alright."

UnDark looked at her, flushing red. "But I...I don't know how." He looked to Akaious and added, "I'm not a nurturing person. I kill, and hurt people, every day of my life. I don't understand how I can be like that, and turn around and be gentle and nurturing."

Ophelia turned around and picked up Othadious, before returning to stand with UnDark. With a small smile, she replied, "You can do those things and still be their father. All that matters is that you love them, and do what's best for them. It doesn't matter what the whole world things of you; only them, and me, and I think we all agree, you're doing the best you can to take care of us."

UnDark's cheeks burned a deeper red shade. He turned away, sniffing. "Really Ophelia...that's not fair. Don't attack me while my guard is down."

She giggled and kissed his cheek gently. He grumbled a bit, but found he smiled as well. He was glad he could continue to be evil, especially since they both vowed revenge against Satan for what had happened to their son, for the rest of the world, even his own father, deserved his hatred.

But these two tiny babies, and his sweet Ophelia; they alone deserved his love. No matter how cruel he was to everyone else, they were the only ones that mattered. As long as he did what was best for them, and the best he could, what everyone else thought of him, right or wrong, didn't mean a thing.

-----

Happy Father's Day!

Yeah the lines on the picture were inspired by a movie called "Lies My Mother Told Me" The mom in it is basically a criminal and ends up killing her husband and stealing from people, but all throughout the movie, told from her daughter's perspective, you could tell she always loved her little girl, and did whatever was best for her.

That reminded me of UnDark. I don't know if I'll include this story in WoLaD, but, it would still fit him very well. He is so cruel and evil to all of these people, and then when he has children he begins to change, and for the first time his heart begins to open to love. He realizes he can love his family and be tender with them, and still be hateful and hurtful to others. The only thing that matters is what his family thinks of him.

He's no longer afraid to show feelings, even though he still weeps only rarely, because as he's seen in his son, being broken doesn't mean you're not strong.

It can actually mean quite the opposite, especially shown in how you pick up the pieces and move on.

Anyway, that's him and tiny Akaious. The picture is great IMO but the HANDS and the ARMS X_X I failed so hard on them. I just need to start using references all the time. When I use references things come out better.

But yeah; a note about the dates. I dated this the 16th, when I finished the line art. I put the 19th on there since that's the date of Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day everyone ^^

Akaious and Othadious belong to me and Gem.
Ophelia, Satan, and Kraid belong to Gem.
UnDark belongs to me.

And Gem is the awesome

~ Halo

Description
She bent over the side of the bed miserably, resting her head on the edge of it, weeping. The room was in shambles, fresh from a violent rage that this grieving mother tore through it only moments before.

Only once did she close her eyes, hungry for a moment of rest. Her twin sons had cried and cried, almost constantly it seemed, and their father was gone. He had to balance the life he had started, and the one he left behind.

If this balance was broken, they wouldn't last.
And she knew it.

She had accepted it.
But it was so hard.
And now she was paying for it.

They had quieted down, and so she took the chance for reprieve and rested. Resting her eyes became a nap...a nap gave way to sleep, and after so long, she couldn't remember how long, that sleep was violently disrupted.

A loud crash, followed by the cries of a baby. More cries followed, but these were not tender wails from an infant. It was an infant doing the crying, but these were screams of bloody terror.

Something was wrong.

She ran and found him; an attacker, standing over one twin, ready to strike the other. She exploded with rage, her fury dumped onto this filthy heathen. Attack after attack was thrown until he cowered and fled.

She looked to her babies. The elder cries miserably, reaching for his twin beside him. His twin, the one that suffered the attack, was covered in blood.

He did not cry. Instead, a miserable pititful whimper was all that escaped, laced with a staggered and heavy breath, one that was nothing but a struggle for him to draw now.

...

That image wouldn't leave her head. Kraid had scolded her for letting it happened and dismissed little Akaious.

"He's weak. Don't expect him to live. You should put him out of his misery, suck it up, and be grateful you didn't lose both of them."

She opened her eyes, wincing as they stung at her painfully. Othadious was bundled up resting on the other side of the bed. Akaious lay trembling. She could hear each and every breath he inhaled. He gasped for the precious air, whimpering softly.

His heart would never recover. She couldn't expect him to live much longer. Kraid scoffed. His own father probably wouldn't make it back before he died.

"Don't start something if you can't see it through. That baby is worthless now."

Ophelia growled, wanting so much to scream, but finding that she couldn't. She pounded the side of the bed, moaning as much as she could into the comforter so the sound would be muffled. It was bad enough that little Akaious, barely five months old, was dying. Did Kraid have to be an asshole and say such awful things?

She would never forgive them; Satan for attacking Akaious, and Kraid for the things he said.

She heard a gasp, more painful now, and Akaious started to cry. Ophelia felt panic grip her. She couldn't remember feeling terror any deeper.

So small...tiny little Akaious. Nobody deserved what he was going through, just a baby. Her baby.

And she could do nothing.

"Ophelia?!"

She looked up. UnDark rushed in the room. He too looked panicked. Perhaps Blue was able to tell him enough of the story. That was just as well; Ophelia couldn't bear to repeat it.

"UnDark...," she whimpered; she had rarely been this vulnerable in front of him. He was never the best at handling feelings.

He knelt down, placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's...alright Ophelia. I know. I am...so sorry. I should have been here to protect all of you."

She trembled. Ever since the twins were born, UnDark had learned to open himself up to her, and yet just as she fell to pieces before him, his own strength began to fail him. He couldn't put up a front to hide his feelings. As his fingers pressed into her flesh, she could feel him shaking.

"UnDark...he...he's suffering so much. Why doesn't he...let go?"

She heard him gasp, albeit faintly. Looking into his eyes, she saw tears in them. She saw this not so long ago, ironically enough when he was holding Akaious for the first time. She didn't suspect that she'd see tears in his eyes again.

She didn't want to. Not for this reason; and yet, they were there. This meant this was real. UnDark wouldn't cry if it wasn't really happening.

But he didn't weep. Instead, he got angry.

He shook her.
"Listen to yourself Ophelia!! You're going to listen to what that bastard Kraid says? When has he EVER been worth listening to! Akaious is my son! He's your son! He's strong enough to fight this! He hasn't died because he DOESN'T want to give up! We can't let him think we've given up on him!"

Normally she wouldn't let him be rough with her, but she had melted into almost nothing by now. Instead, she began to cry harder. "Or...or maybe it's because...he was waiting, so he could see you, one more time."

UnDark gasped again, growling as the tears streamed down his face. He hated emotion, but not because he felt them. He hated them because he was being FORCED to feel them. He was having to confront something that he never wanted to deal with, and the only solution he had for it all was the rage and the tears.

He let go of her, rising to his feet. He stared at his tiny son, bigger than he was five months ago, but still terribly small. UnDark grasped his chest. He felt as though his heart was being strangled. He closed his eyes and thought of the damage that was done to Akaious' tiny heart. The more he thought about it, the more pain he felt shooting through his body, rattling every nerve. It forced more and more tears into his eyes until they were overwhelmed. His throat began to burn; his nose began to run, and his body ached.

He held his head, moaning softly. "Why. How did this happen?"

Only hours before, he was laughing, feeling such pleasure. UnLight was being tortured in Mukot's prisons, and UnDark thrived off of the suffering of others. He looked forward to seeing Ophelia and their sons again.

Then Blue came to him frantically, telling him of the beginning of this nightmare.

For the first time, somebody was suffering, and instead of laughing, UnDark was crying as hard as his body could manage.

For the first time, he began to understand the suffering of others.

But he couldn't, and he wouldn't. He simply couldn't let go of Akaious...his little boy...his son, who, along with Othadious and Ophelia, were the first and only people UnDark loved besides himself, and valued above all things.

Trying to control his tears, UnDark sat down. He was cautious, taking his time picking up tiny Akaious. Even after five months he was always afraid he'd do something wrong. He cradled him gently, resting Akaious' head on his shoulder. Once he was secure, UnDark got up, walking around the room slowly.

He didn't speak. He listened. He listened to Akaious gasp for breath, sometimes harder, sometimes easier, but always labored. The wails were soft and pitiful now. UnDark understood that babies cried when they needed something. His heart sank when he envisioned what Akaious must have been trying to tell him.

"Help me Daddy. Help me. That crazy guy hurt me. My chest hurts. It's hard to breathe. I can't breathe. Please help me Daddy. Can't you help me? Please."

UnDark opened his eyes, only crying harder. For all of his power and strength, he could do nothing.

There couldn't be a worse feeling in the world.

Swallowing hard, struggling to find his voice, he whispered, "Akaious...it's tearing me apart, to see this happening to you. I...I'd give you my healthy heart and all of the air in my lungs and blood in my body if it could help you. I would have gladly taken your place. But...there's nothing I can do. Nothing."

Ophelia looked up, trying to dry her eyes, in vain.

Akaious whimpered again, but somehow, his breathing relaxed a little.

UnDark panicked.
"Akaious...I...it's...okay, if you want to...find a place where you won't hurt anymore," he said at last. "Hell's waiting for me, but, you won't go there...you'll go some place where you'll be alright. Please...don't feel you have to hold on, if you don't want to."

He didn't want to say it. He wanted to continue to be defiant and beg Akaious to stay. He didn't want to lose one of his sons.

But in the end, he had to do what was best for Akaious, even if it meant letting him go.

UnDark closed his eyes. "Akaious I...before now, I'd have thought feeling like this was weak and pathetic...but...it's not. Just because we can become broken, doesn't mean we're not strong. I...I love you, son." His voice faded. He couldn't sustain it anymore.

Akaious didn't whimper, his breathing relaxed. UnDark felt himself shaking, but, as his eyes squinted shut, he noticed something. He didn't feel Akaious soul slip away. It stayed with him.

Opening his eyes, UnDark looked to Akaious. His eyes were clenched shut tightly, as though he were still in pain, and tears still trickled down his tiny cheeks; however, despite all of this, Akaious wasn't dying; instead, he cuddled closely to UnDark's body, responding to his father's touch and voice, and somehow found a way to relax.

"A-Akaious..." UnDark whispered softly.

Ophelia got up, walking over to them. She stroked Akaious' cheek gently, sniffing once or twice. "UnDark...is he...falling asleep?"

UnDark felt paralyzed. "I-I guess so. His spirit hasn't left him, but, he's calming down. Perhaps...he's not as eager to quit as Kraid thought he was. I mean, you heard me; I told him it was okay. ...I meant it."

The two gazed at their baby boy for several moments. The tears slowly dried up; his expression relaxed. His breathing was deep, but wasn't labored. He no longer whimpered, but instead slumbered silently, clutching the fur on his father's arm as tightly as he could in his tiny fists.

A slow smile curled Ophelia's lips, even as tears leaked from her eyes. "UnDark...you calmed him down. He must...know everything will be alright."

UnDark looked at her, flushing red. "But I...I don't know how." He looked to Akaious and added, "I'm not a nurturing person. I kill, and hurt people, every day of my life. I don't understand how I can be like that, and turn around and be gentle and nurturing."

Ophelia turned around and picked up Othadious, before returning to stand with UnDark. With a small smile, she replied, "You can do those things and still be their father. All that matters is that you love them, and do what's best for them. It doesn't matter what the whole world things of you; only them, and me, and I think we all agree, you're doing the best you can to take care of us."

UnDark's cheeks burned a deeper red shade. He turned away, sniffing. "Really Ophelia...that's not fair. Don't attack me while my guard is down."

She giggled and kissed his cheek gently. He grumbled a bit, but found he smiled as well. He was glad he could continue to be evil, especially since they both vowed revenge against Satan for what had happened to their son, for the rest of the world, even his own father, deserved his hatred.

But these two tiny babies, and his sweet Ophelia; they alone deserved his love. No matter how cruel he was to everyone else, they were the only ones that mattered. As long as he did what was best for them, and the best he could, what everyone else thought of him, right or wrong, didn't mean a thing.

-----

Happy Father's Day!

Yeah the lines on the picture were inspired by a movie called "Lies My Mother Told Me" The mom in it is basically a criminal and ends up killing her husband and stealing from people, but all throughout the movie, told from her daughter's perspective, you could tell she always loved her little girl, and did whatever was best for her.

That reminded me of UnDark. I don't know if I'll include this story in WoLaD, but, it would still fit him very well. He is so cruel and evil to all of these people, and then when he has children he begins to change, and for the first time his heart begins to open to love. He realizes he can love his family and be tender with them, and still be hateful and hurtful to others. The only thing that matters is what his family thinks of him.

He's no longer afraid to show feelings, even though he still weeps only rarely, because as he's seen in his son, being broken doesn't mean you're not strong.

It can actually mean quite the opposite, especially shown in how you pick up the pieces and move on.

Anyway, that's him and tiny Akaious. The picture is great IMO but the HANDS and the ARMS X_X I failed so hard on them. I just need to start using references all the time. When I use references things come out better.

But yeah; a note about the dates. I dated this the 16th, when I finished the line art. I put the 19th on there since that's the date of Father's Day.

Happy Father's Day everyone ^^

Akaious and Othadious belong to me and Gem.
Ophelia, Satan, and Kraid belong to Gem.
UnDark belongs to me.

And Gem is the awesome

~ Halo