EP.202|Welcome to Tregoron

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇

By the time the train stopped, Briar, Winter, and Geyu were gone. "Healer, that was amazing!" Mal cheered. "Darling, that was nothing, wasn't even using all my strength." Healer boasted slightly.

"That wasn't full strength?" CJ sweatdropped, carrying Carlos on her back. "Maybe like 1/15 of my full strength." Healer shrugged, "but besides that, we need to get to Tregoron and quick."

With that, the VKs left the train station entering the road that would hopefully lead them to Tregoron.

"Do you think the boys can handle the walk?" Freddie asked. "They should be okay since I stopped the poison from spreading but it won't hold for long, plus they're still sluggish from the flowers." Healer said, moving stands of Ben's hair back.

"Why does my body hurt?" Jasper groaned, resting his head on Evie's shoulder. "Morning sleepy head." Evie giggled. "Are we still...in Pulshawl?" Carlos asked, feeling much more relaxed.

"No, we got off the train 30 minutes ago, it's best if you guys don't move because of the bullets," CJ advised. "Is that why my arm hurts?" Hunter could barely move his left arm.

"You, Jasper, and Carlos all got shot by the bullets." Operetta informed him. "Why not Ben?" Jasper asked. "I don't know, Geyu was about to shoot him but something inside him looked conflicted." Zeref pondered.

"Do you think for a split second, Lucifer or Araden got control?" Mal guessed. "I think he did, Lucifer must have gotten control, cause Geyu was aiming that bullet for Ben's heart," Evie replied.

"Lucifer...? Is he here?" Ben asked groggily, not fully conscious. Mall shook her head, "no baby, he isn't."

Ben sulked and closed his eyes, "he really misses him guys, like in the middle of the night he'll stand outside talking to him. It's like he knows he listening."

Operetta felt her heart hurt, she used to do that when she was little when her mom was gone.

"We really need to find a way to get Araden and Geyu out," Jasper stated the obvious. "No shit dragon boy and we need to get Geyu 2.5 out of my head." Hunter groaned.

"Why don't you just-" before Mal could continue, Mal felt the cold steel of a dagger on her neck.

"Drop the prince." the attacker whispered coldly in her ear. She wore a black cloak and a white cat kabuki mask.

"Who-"

"I said drop the Prince!"

Mal slowly lowered Ben, "who the hell are you?"

Ben's eyes fluttered open, widening in shock when he saw the mask, "Dixi-Dixie-sensei?!"

She ripped off the cloak and mask, revealing Dixie, "Benji!!"

Dixie crushed him in a large huge, smushing him between her chest, "oh Benji I missed you kid! Oh, I can't believe your still alive! How'd your parents treating you?"

"I don't know, I haven't seen you in years." Ben chuckled. Dixie looked down at him, tears willing her eyes, "Heinie told you?" Dixie laughed slightly. "Yeah, after we found the grail. Which was with me the entire time." Ben sweatdropped.

"SO what was the point of going to all those islands.?" Carlos asked. "To see if you ten were ready." Healer replied with a knowing smile.

"Ready? Ready for what?" CJ grew suspicious. "You'll see~" Healer cooed. "Okay..." Evie muttered.

"Healer! Is that you?!" Dixie let go of Ben, crushing Healer in a tackle hug. "You know Healer?" Jasper was semi shocked. "Yeah! She's Ben and Lucifer's Godmother." Dixie replied, hugging Healer more.

"Dixie, darling, I missed you too but I'm pop if you keep hugging me!" Healer groaned. "Oh, sorry, Healer." Dixie chuckled nervously.

"I suppose you want an explanation as to what happened," Dixie held Ben's hands, "I owe you at least that."

"Thank you," Ben nodded slightly. The VKs followed Dixie deeper down the road till the reached a beautiful field of multi-colored flowers. A sudden feeling of happiness and power rushed over the VKs.

Mal grabbed Ben's hand, pulling him into the flower field "did you feel that? That rush!" Mal spun around happily.

"Yeah! It's like all my anxiety just vanished!" Carlos cheered, transforming into a wolf as he ran through the field with CJ on his back.

"Looks like your happier." CJ noticed. "These are the opposite of Pulwhite flowers, they enhance not only Magic Races powers but all magi powers as well," Dixie informed them.

"Wow," Evie was astounded. Dixie clapped her hands, a larger wind surrounding the group, transporting them to the beautiful lively town of Tregoron.

"VKs, welcome to Tregoron."

"Woah!" Ben's eyes beamed. "I used to live here?! Me, Lucifer, and you?!"

Dixie nodded, "wanna see our home?"

Ben nodded quickly, "yes!" Dixie grabbed his hand, leading him to a small blue beach house.

"Guzman! Come here!" Dixie called out. "Guzman?" Ben whispered. "Your dad," Dixie smiled

The door opened wide to reveal a middle-aged made in his late 30's. He is a tan-skinned man with short spiky light-blonde hair and dark-gray eyes

He wears two red wrist bracers over black fingerless gloves and an open loose-collared white jacket with no shirt underneath, displaying his muscular physique.

He also wears blue cargo pants tied up with a white belt. He wears white bandages on his legs and has a chain hanging from the belt loop on the right side of his pants.

"Benji?!" The man picked up Ben, giving him a strong hug, Ben smiled. The only time his father, Adam the Beast, hugged him was when he was buttering him up for something.

Ben knew the difference between the fake hugs Adam would give him and this strong, warm, loving hug Guzman gave him.

It was strangely accepting as if all his worries and doubts went away when he got hugs from Dixie and Guzman.

"So this is what the love of a parent feels like? It's...nice," Ben smiled softly as he hugged back. He noticed the leopard tail around from Guzman's real end.

"Guzman -- uh I mean dad, why do you have a tail?" Ben questioned. "What? Oh! That's just my Animalia, you didn't really think you got it from the Beast Man, did ya?" Guzman ruffled his hair.

"Yeah, actually..." Ben whispered. "Nope, you got your animalistic gene from me, and everything else from your mother." Guzman smiled brightly, leading Ben inside with the rest of the VKs.

Operetta noticed the baby pictures of Ben and Lucifer, "is this Ben and Lucifer?"

"Yep, only 5 months old at the time." Dixie sighed in delight. "Lucifer was the quiet one but Ben seemed to bring him out of his shell with his constant happiness. He has a way of touching people's hearts."

"Zeref, look at the picture of Ben in the bathtub." Hunter laughed, showing Zeref the picture of 2-year-old ben playing with bubbles in the bathtub.

"Thank you," Ben snatched the photo. "There are so many pictures..." Evie picked up one labeled, "Ben and Lucifer's first day?"

"That was their first day of Preschool, Dixie didn't want to let them go so I had to convince her they'd be okay for 5 hours." Guzman chuckled, kissed Dixie's forehead.

"So, where's Lucifer?" Guzman asked the room went dead silent. "He's still in Geyu..." Ben replied, clutching the photo of him and his brother play soccer.

They were so carefree back then, not knowing the troubles they would face when they got older.

Ben sighed, putting down the picture "that's why we're doing this, to get Lucifer out."

"And Araden," Hunter added. Ben nodded "and Araden."

"But Araden tortured you for a month!" Dixie stated. "How do you know that?" Zeref asked. "I've been watching Ben and the VKs..." Dixie muttered, playing with her fingers.

Ben chuckled, "awe! Mom! I knew you were always watching over me."

"I told Hunter not to help Araden but Hunter's consistent on helping him." Ben rolled his eyes. "Why?" Guzman raised his eyebrow. Hunter sighed, "I know how he feels...when demons lose their mates we go into these really dark places and it's hard to get out...it's kinda like a piece of your soul getting ripped out."

Hunter held Operetta's hand, "I know what it's like to lose a mate, it's devastating, to us demons losing a mate is like...ugh how do I explain this...it's like your letting yourself down, demons take a vow to protect their mate and when you can't do that, it's like asking yourself 'why am I even doing this anymore?'."

Operetta squeezed his hand slightly, trying to assure him she wasn't leaving anymore. "That's why we need to get Nadia a body."

"Healer told me, do you have the souls?" Dixie asked as Mal passed her Jessie's soul while Hunter passed her Nadia's soul. "Oooh goodie! Two souls!"

Dixie skipped down to the basement, to see a laboratory with empathy mannequin bodies. "Guzman, get me a T-12 body and a," she raised Nadia's jar to the light, examining it, "an E-04 body."

Guzman put the empty bodies on the tables, Dixie's hand glowed purple, grabbing Nadia's soul gently and placing it into the E-04 body.

She then grabbed Jessie's soul and put it into the T-12 body. Both bodies glowed, morphing back into the state they were before they died.

Nadia's peach-colored eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the light "Ugh...where am I?" she sat up slowly looking around.

Nadia has voluminous peach-colored hair that descends into gradients of tea rose which she wears in a shaggy, waist-length ponytail using midnight, sakura flower-shaped head-ornament.

Lengthy strands of hair flow from her temples which flank her tinged-rose eyes, of which her left eye is usually covered with thick bangs. Finally, a beauty mark dots her lower left lip.

Nadia dresses conservatively. Her outfit is an aristocrat in style, consisting of a clean and fluffed, white dress-shirt with rose-colored bands, a midnight blue lace with a pink sakura-shaped brooch, and a midnight vest.

Completing her outfit are a pair of dark-brown dress pants and black thigh-high boots accented with hot pink arrows and zippers and a white lab coat.

"Where Araden?" Nadia questioned, frantically looking around for the demon. "He's not here, Nadia." Operetta replied, Nadia, reached into her boot, pulling out a lengthy sword, "what did you do to my demon?!"

Operetta gulped, "No-noth-nothing Miss Nadia!"

"Stop your lies! I know you have him somewhere! Now reveal your secrets mortal!" Nadia pinned her to the wall, the sword on the bink of her neck.

"Nadia! She doesn't have Araden! None of them do!" Healer scolded, hitting Nadia upside the head. "Healer?! Healer-sama!" Nadia cheered, latching onto Healer.

Healer giggled, "I missed you too Nadia, but I'm sure Araden misses you more."

"I miss him so much, Healer-sama!" Nadia cried into her chest. "I know, I know...and don't worry, In a little while, he'll be all yours again."

"Who's crying?" Jessie muttered, waking up. Mal smiled and ran over to her aunt, "Auntie Jessie!" she cheered.

Jessie is an individual a little taller than the average female. Her physique was developed overtime to withstand extreme speed navigation and combat, as well as close-range melee battles, hence why her attire is very minimal. Her muscles are relatively slender but sturdy enough to endure direct hits from blunt objects.

Her chocolate brown hair is long and fades out at the ends into cyan streaks, reaching down to her lower waist where it ends in a blunt cut; it's usually pinned straight, and if not she will iron the heck out of it.

She wears a periwinkle top and blue shorts, accented with a short-sleeved black jacket with her emblem on the left sleeve, and a gunner apron hanging off her left hip.

In place of her scale patterned stocking is a pair of thigh-high leather boots that attach to her shorts with diamond clasps.

She wears a new black metal armlet over her left forearm that forms a simple coil pattern, and on her right arm is a scale pattern sleeve similar to her previous one, though its colors are now inverted.

"Malley! Oh, my gods! You've grown up so much! And is that a wedding ring?! You of all people got married?! Is it a villain? Rebel? Oh my gods, is it a hero?!"

Mal nodded, "Benny come here." she waved Ben over. Ben walked over and shook Jessie's hand, "It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Jessie." Ben politely greeted.

"Stop with the formalities! Your family!" Jessie pulled him in for a big hug. Jessie smiled, she could feel the love between Ben and Mal, she knew they'd be together for a long time.

Ben looked back at Dixie and Guzman, Ben nodded, knowing it was time to learn more about who he was.

"Why don't you stay here and catch up with Jessie, I have to talk with my mom and dad." Ben was about to walk away but Mal caught his wrist. "Do you want me to go with you? You shouldn't do this alone. It might be a lot to handle alone..." Mal warned.

Ben kissed her lips, "don't worry, I'll be okay, I'll tell you and the VKs everything afterward."

Mal let go of his wrist and whispered, "no matter what they say, you're still Ben, you're still the man I married."

Ben smiled and nodded, walking with his parents upstairs into the kitchen. "You ready?" Dixie asked him cautiously. "Yeah, I mean, gotta learn the truth at some time." Ben shrugged.

"Alright, I should probably start with how we got to Tregoron." Dixie thought back to that fateful day.