NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: Meeting the Family
After Lucillia fell asleep, the maids took it as a signal to begin cleaning the nursery. Meanwhile, Mother and daughters moved to the family room where the girls could gush all they want over their new sister.
Once their mother took a seat, child in her arms, Silvania immediately rushed over and, well, stared. She did not want to wake her sister after all. Especially not after the spectacle that just happened.
So, the girls opted to hold a conversation via telepathy instead. While normally a difficult feat for humans and a graduation test for elves. any dragon could use telepathy in their sleep. How else could they communicate in their dragon forms without blowing everything away?
<Mother, will she really be alright?> [Silvania]
<She'll be fine, dear. She's just tired right now and needs her rest.> [Mother]
<Come on, Silvie. What happened to all that enthusiasm earlier? Just because she struggled a bit doesn't mean she'll croak over just like that...right?> [Solestia]
<Of course not. Her body just needs to grow a bit to catch up. As far as I can tell, she even has some protection from my mother.> [Mother]
<What do you mean by that, Mother? Do you know why she's like this?> [Caelenia]
<From what I was told, she was put in stasis for the last twelve years. Rather than developing all that time, Lucillia's body remained in the exact same state, hence why she is so much smaller and weaker than normal. Now, the reason for her being in stasis for so long is a bit...well, you're better off not knowing.> [Mother]
A normal dragon hatchling is around the size of a common-folk1This is what I will use to refer to humans, elves, dwarves, etc. because 'humanity' and 'demi-humans' sound like a human supremacist. toddler, but Lucillia is closer to the size of an infant. That and those last words put an extra layer of worry onto the girls' hearts, especially considering their mother's hesitation, but seeing as she wouldn't elaborate any further, they could only move on. Thus, Solestia decided to change the topic.
<Ahem! That's enough of that for now, ladies. We're forgetting about the main attraction following a childbirth: the celebration! To start things off, let's come up with her nickname. Any ideas?> [Solestia]
There was a small silence following Solestia's question as everyone else needed some more time to digest everything. But, seeing the need for a lighthearted mood, the others eventually followed.
<Hmm, going off the first part of her name, we could go with 'Lucy.'> [Caelenia]
<'Lucy' feels a bit...lacking, especially since it is a name used by the common-folk. She should have something more unique. How about 'Cia?'> [Lunestia]
Silvania, still in disbelief over her sisters' quick switch, somehow managed to shut away her feelings for the time being and gave her own suggestion.
Whatever. There's no point in thinking about this any further, I suppose.
<Have you forgotten the memo, Elder Sister Lunestia? All of our nicknames share the same first letter as our actual names. Going off of your suggestion, we should use 'Lia' rather than 'Cia.'> [Silvania]
"UWAAAAAAA!" [Lucillia]
"!!!" [Sisters]
The child awakens.
"Oh. She must be hungry." [Mother]
Lucillia
*Yaaawn* That was a good nap. I think that was the best sleep I've ever had. Not even one of those pre-war memory foam thingies was better than this. Though I guess it doesn't help that the one I found was buried under a bunch of concrete and full of little fragments. That or Mama's arms are just that comfortable. I'm more for the latter.
Surprisingly, I don't really feel the need to stretch my arms or anything. Sweet. I get to stay in bed longer. I thought I heard my name earlier, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look around.
Hopefully by now, my eyes have adjusted enough to see clearly. Let's take a looksee-
"BWAH?!" [Lucillia]
"Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you..." [Silvania]
I just wanted to look around a bit what I got instead was a giant face! Not cool, sis! Waaay too spooky for me, okay!? Don't look at me with that sad face; I won't give in that esay! You're lucky Mama's hug and pats are really calming right now, or else- wait. Why are you just sitting there, smiling, Mama!? I almost just had a heart attack, you know!
*Growwwwwl*
Great, now I'm hungry too. Haaah, what a rough beginning, man...
Hm? Something just started flowing into me, and it feels really warm. Also kinda...fulfilling? Like I just ate some really yummy food. It feels kinda familiar too, but I can't put my finger on it.
"Sorry, sweetie, but you won't be able to eat proper food for a bit. Not until you've grown a little. You'll have to make do with my aura for now, okay?" [Mother]
Aha, that's what it is! In my previous life, whenever food supplies ran low, I'd use some of my mana as a way to stave off the hunger. And from what I heard, a bunch of mages did the same thing. Really nifty for cutting down on food.
Although this one doesn't feel the exact same as mana. It feels a lot more...dense and...gritty? Rough? I'm not sure how to describe it, but it feels way more powerful than regular ol' mana.
Eh, oh well. I'll probably learn more about it later. All that matters is that it feels nice and fills my tummy.
*Yawwn*
Ah, speaking of tummies, mine feels pretty full now which means nap time! 'Kay g'night...Zzzz.
<So...sooo...CUUUUUUUUUUUUU-> [Silvania]
*Thwack* , *Thud*
<We'll be taking our leave now, Mother. Please let us know when Lia is able to stay awake longer.> [Lunestia]
<Of course, dear. Take care. girls.> [Mother]
Hweh? I feel like I just heard a shout, then a loud thud, and then something or someone get dragged away. Eh, whatever. Back to sleep. Zzzz.
Immediately after the girls left, a large burst of light suddenly filled the family room. Lucillia's eyes were naturally protected from the occurrence by her mother, who wrapped a wing around the child.
Soon enough, the light converged and took the form of a pretty lady dressed in white. Her notable features? Six golden horns, golden eyes, a pair of wings and a tail both covered in pristine, white scales.
The woman walked over to the mother-daughter duo and carefully took the child into her embrace. After a few caresses on the cheek and head, the two began their chat.
"Mother, are you sure you should be appearing like this? I can't imagine the effect your presence will have on the little one." [Mother]
"Oh Corinna, shouldn't you be happy to see your mother in the flesh for once? And for the record, this is just a simple clone I'm using. Shouldn't be any more harmful to Little Lia than a kitten." [Corinna's Mother]
"Sure, sure. Now, why exactly are you here? I thought we talked enough about her circumstances already." [Corinna]
"Hmph, do I need a reason to visit my only child and her newborn daughter? I just wanted to have a sneak peek at her since it won't be for a while until she can meet with us herself." [Corinna's Mother]
"Look, I have no qualms about you coming to visit, but you should at least- wait. Did you just say what I think you said?" [Corinna]
"Hmm? Oh, yes, I did. Your father is very much excited to meet her. I had quite the trouble keeping him contained when I broke the news to him." [Corinna's Mother]
"I-I...I see. But...how?" [Corinna]
"That much, I cannot tell you. Not right now. Just know that this child is very, very special. Little Lia needs and very much deserves extra care. She's a lot like you, actually. " [Corinna's Mother]
"I can take care of myself quite well, I'll have you know. And regardless of everything you just said, I would have given her that love and care no matter what." [Corinna]
"I'm sure you would have. Now then, I believe I am overstaying my visit. Anything else you want to talk about, face to face?" [Corinna's Mother]
"There is one thing, I suppose, though I can probably guess the answer. How did you know 'Lia' is what the girls settled on? They didn't seem to come to a conclusion earlier." [Corinna]
"Oh, that would be because they've been discussing it some time after Silvie regained consciousness." [Corinna's Mother]
"I see. That sounds about right." [Corinna]
"Mhm. Well now, take care of the girls AND yourself, okay?" [Corinna's Mother]
As she said that, the pretty lady walked over and gave her child a kiss on the forehead...the bigger child not the small one.
"...Aren't you supposed to do that to the smaller children? " [Corinna]
"Hehe~ You only say that because that was the first time I kissed you in how many millennia now? Besides, I don't even have to look at you to see that you were worried as well. Very, deeply, worried despite your act. Call this my little treat to help calm your nerves, alright darling? Just between you and me." [Corinna's Mother]
"Haah, alright, Mother, I get it, I get it. Just hurry up and get out of here now, will you?" [Corinna]
After Corinna took Lia back into her arms, her mother said her farewells and dissipated into light once more. Corinna then decided to move over to Lia's bedroom since it seemed more appropriate for her morning nap.
Silvania
Today has been the most chaotic day of my life.
Correction, these last few weeks have been the most chaotic moments of my life.
The day Mother told us Lia would be hatching was the most I've ever lost control of myself. Apparently, enough of my aura leaked out to turn half the mountain range into a jungle.
Needless to say, that very quickly became the most embarrassing moment of my life. At the very least, Mother agreed to convert it all into forest instead of jungle. But, since it was my fault, she made me redo all the plants and prune EVERY. SINGLE. TREE.
*Sniff*
On the bright side, Big Sister Caela was kind enough to help out after adjusting the climate. She even made a couple rainstorms to help everything germinate, creating a few rivers in the process. More importantly, this impromptu project of ours helped keep my mind off Lia for two weeks.
If only that lasted. I mean don't get me wrong, I have no complaints about that little cutie dominating my thoughts. Especially now that I've seen her, my affection only grows by the minute.
It's just that, looking back on it now, even I admit that I maaay have gone overboard at times. I even ended up scaring her at our first meeting, for crying out loud!
I really hope she doesn't hate me after that. *Sniff*
Haah, I know it's my fault, but can you blame me? Literally every novel I've read and every story I've heard from people with a younger sister (yes, that includes stories about me from my own sisters) basically say the same thing:
LITTLE SISTERS ARE CUTIES THAT MUST BE PROTECTED AND LOVED!
O-of course, that may just be my own fantasies slipping in, but that doesn't matter! The point is that I'm really really REALLY excited about her and I completely blew it.
*Poke poke*
Haah, what do I do? I know Elder Sister Solis was mostly teasing me earlier about all the things I wanted to do with Lia, but she wasn't really wrong either. And earlier was a great demonstration of what I could have done to her.
*Poke poke poke*
...What do I do?
*Pooooooooooke*
"ARRRGH, can you stop that?! I'm trying to figure something out here and the poking isn't helping!" [Silvania]
"Oh, I was just making sure you were still alive. Luna hit you pretty hard with her tail earlier and you've been barely twitching the last few minutes." [Solestia]
"Haah, as you can see, I am alive and well...though I almost wish I wasn't right now." [Silvania]
With that, Silviania plopped her head back onto the table, almost taking out the tea pot with her horns.
In response, Solestia went over and gave her a few headpats.
"There, there, no need to feel so bad about that. Our little sister wouldn't hate you just for that. I mean, I pretty much did the same thing to Caela back then, and look at us, we still love each other, right Caela?" [Solestia]
"Yeaaah, suuure. I definitely don't remember all those times you almost crushed me to death with your hugs, or all those times you nearly drowned me while washing my hair, or-Mmphphff!" [Caelenia]
"See? Plenty of love to go around~" [Solestia]
Naturally, the hand covering Caelenia's mouth proved difficult in convincing the dragon-in-distress. So, Silviania turned to Lunestia who normally served as the sole voice of reason.
"As Solis meantioned, there is no need to overthink this. All you need to do is just love her." [Lunestia]
"Bu-but me loving her is what-" [Silvania]
"Allow me to explain further before you finish that sentence. When I said to love her, I meant to say that what you and your...fantasies as well as Solis' antics from the past are not quite the same. They are better categorized as 'obsession,' and obsession often leads to horrible outcomes, as you learned earlier. " [Lunestia]
Pausing for dramatic effect, the cool dragon took a sip of tea before continuing.
"When I say 'love her,' all I really mean is to show your affection for her in a way that wouldn't harm her. Caela's encounters with death very nearly happened if I had not saved her. In other words, try to actually learn from your sister's mistakes rather than emulate them. Or just try not to do anything where I would have to step in, I suppose." [Lunestia]
"I...see. Would you mind telling me more about her antics later? I feel like I need to spend some time to study." [Silvania]
"Of course. Come by my room tonight and we'll talk all night long. " [Lunestia]
At some point, Caelenia began to actually suffocate, and upon seeing that, Solestia quickly retracted her hand, leaving a half-fainted dragon as usual.
"Alright girls, I have a couple complaints about what you just discussed, but I'll leave them be for now. We still need to decide on the nickname!" [Solestia]
"'Lia' sounds fine." [Lunestia]
"I like Lia." [Silvania]
"...'Lia'...is...good." [Caelenia]
"Eh? Did you girls discuss this behind my back or something?" [Solestia]
"Compared to the other options, 'Lia" is the only one that matches the pattern with our nicknames. Do you have a better idea?" [Lunestia]
"Well, no. It's just that I realized we probably shouldn't decide on one if she doesn't even end up liking in the end." [Solestia]
"Gah! I didn't even think about that. And I was the one who suggested 'Lia' too. Now that's twice I've almost made her hate me..." [Silvania]
The dragon-in-distress somehow managed to become one with the table at that point.
"No need to feel too bad about it. We just need to see which name our little sister likes. Who knows? Maybe she'll choose your suggestion, Silvie. Wouldn't that make her like you a bit?" [Lunestia]
"Haah, I sure hope so. That'd be the first thing I did right today. I might even redeem myself for earlier." [Silvania]
Right as she said that, the girls were interrupted by a knock on the door. Lunestia gave the visitor permission to enter, and the door opened. Coincidently, it was the same maid from earlier, only now her clothes were prim and proper and her hair nicely brushed.
"Pardon my intrusion, Your Highnesses. Her Majesty just informed us that the young princess is awake from her morning nap. They have currently retired to the princess' bedroom." [Maid]
"Well, here's your chance to redeem yourself, Silvie." [Solestia]
With that, the girls got up and made their way to the bedrooms, one of them bumping into the walls. The table-dragon fell a bit behind and sluggishly separated herself from the table before joining the others.
Lucillia
*Yaaaaawn* Rise and shine sleepyhead~
Oh wait, that's me.
'Good morning, Mama!' is what I would say if I could speak, but I can't, so it'll just be 'Good morning' to me.
"Waah!" [Lucillia]
"Good morning, sweetie. Are you hungry or are you just feeling awake?" [Corinna]
"Waah!" [Lucillia]
"Hehe~ I figured as much." [Corinna]
Mmmm! Moooom, Mama's teasing me cuz I can't talk!
Hmph. I'm just going to ignore you now and look around the room instead. Speaking of which, it looks like we moved rooms at some pont.
There's a large window and a cozy little chandelier that I think is mana-powered, a couple doors, a really comfy looking bed, a chest at the foot of the bed, a desk at the side, some side tables, and an empty bookshelf.
Hmm, that bookshelf probably won't be enough. In my previous life, I read A LOT of books, to the point where I could make my furniture entirely out of them. Just one of the perks of living in the basement of an old library, I guess.
Anyhow, there isn't much else for the room. Just some tile floors, probably some plaster for the ceiling, and the walls...yeah I can't tell. Some weird material that's a mix between wood and metal.
Oh and while I was inspecting the goods, Mama rang a bell and told a maid that I was awake and to get the others.
"Hold on just a moment, dear. We'll should hopefully have a proper meeting with your sisters this time." [Corinna]
Eh? Oh, right. I still haven't met them yet. There was just that one moment earlier with the jump scare, and that was it. I mean, I feel pretty awake now, so I should be fine...right?
To be honest, I don't really know how to feel about having a family. I never had one in my last life, and I was on my own for most of it. I still don't even know how to interact with people at all. The only knowledge I really have is whatever was in those books I read.
Hmmm.
Yeah, I got nothing. I'll just do my best to act cute like they do in the books and figure everything out later.
*Knock knock*
"Come in, girls." [Corinna]
Wait! I'm not ready yet! I need to continue preparing my heart first!
"Greetings, Mother. Good morning, Lucillia." [Lunestia]
"Hi-hi, Lucillia! Hello, Mother." [Solestia]
"...Mo-ORnin-ningg...g-good...Mom. H-hi...Lu-u...*Thud*" [Caelenia]
Uhhh, she's not dead, is she? Also, the last one is just standing in the doorway.
Oh, she's the spooky one from earlier. I guess she's kinda scared to interact with me after earlier, huh? Probably thinks I hate her or something. I would feel the same way if I was her, at least.
Hmmm, how do I tell her I don't hate her and I want to meet her without actually talking?
"Silvie? Are you going to come in or not? Look, even your sister's getting worried." [Corinna]
"Ah! Ah, right, o-of course." [Silvania]
"Alright then. Lucillia, these are your sisters. They are full of personality and may have their ups and downs, but you can rely on them most of the time. Go ahead, girls, introduce yourselves." [Corinna]
And so my sisters went in order from oldest to youngest introducing themselves.
Ahem, starting them off and tied for oldest isssss Big Sis Solestia! Or Solis for short. She's really tall and has six golden, slightly curved, pointy horns with little forks, or maybe branches, on the sides. Her hair is a cool looking, flame-like gradient that goes from a reddish-orange at the roots to yellow at the tips, and it goes down to her waist. Uhh what else, she's tall, maybe like 190 cm according to my eyecrometer, looks like Mama but younger, has golden eyes and light skin. Hmm, from my amazing (lack of) knowledge of human adults, assuming the ones from my world are the same as here, she looks around her mid-twenties, I'd say.
Next up isssss Big Sis Lunestia! Otherwise known as Luna! Just like their presences, she and Big Sis Solis are identical copies of each other, sans the color scheme. Apparently they're twins born at the exact same time, which is why they're tied for oldest. Like Big Sis Solis, she's tall, golden eyes, light skin, waist-length hair, looks around her mid-twenties, but here's where the differences come in! Big Sis Luna's hair is a deep, dark shade of black with a little haze of blue and purple and has little sparkles that remind me of the stars at night. And her horns don't have the same forks as her twin, but they're a little thicker and slightly more curvy. Oh, and they're obsidian black, too.
Coming in third isssss Big Sis Caelenia! Or just Caela. She's a bit shorter than the other two, maybe 5-ish cm shorter, golden eyes, light skin, has slightly longer than shoulder length, sky blue hair, and six kinda metallic looking, golden horns. The middle two are larger and very spirally while the other four are shorter and straight. Of course, all of them are nice and pointy at the ends. Also, I swear there's like a couple electrical arcs zapping around them. Oh, and she looks around her early twenties by the human scale.
And finally we haaaave Big Sis Silvania! Or Silvie as everyone's been calling her. She is also a bit shorter than the others, only like 3 cm shorter than Big Sis Caela, golden eyes, light skin, shoulder length, dark green hair, and six golden horns that basically look like tree branches without leaves. I noticed earlier than when her hair moves around, it kinda sounds like leaves rustling, too. And unlike the others, I'd say she looks more around her late teens rather then her twenties, for a human of course.
Now that I think about it, it seems like everyone has golden eyes and light skin, including Mama...runs in the family I guess.
Oh, I suppose I should describe how Mama looks too. I mean, there isn't much to it. She pretty much looks exactly like the pretty lady but with obsidian black horns and scales instead. Oh, her hair is also the same shade of black. Maybe she gets it from Grandpa? I'd say she looks around her, I don't know, early or mid thirties? Hard to tell at that point, really.
"Alrighty! Now that you know us, we need to decide on your nickname." [Solestia]
Huh, nickname? Wazzat?
Eh? I tilted my head in confusion and everyone in the room literally froze. The next moment, I swear I could hear everyone's hearts beating faster and blood pressure spike. W-we don't have a chronic heart condition, do we?
"A-ahem! How does 'Lucy' sound to you?" [Solestia]
Ew.
"I think she hated that one. What do you think about 'Cia' for your nickname?" [Lunestia]
Ehhh.
"I don't think she liked that one either. What about 'Lia', then?" [Caelenia]
Ooh, that one sounds pretty nice. Rolls off the tongue and is short and sweet, just like me~ Well, most of the time anyway.
"Waah!" [Lucillia]
"Oh! I think we have a winner! Hey Silvie! Did you hear that? Stop looking so down and get over here." [Solestia]
Ah, I guess Big Sis Silvie was the one who came up with 'Lia'? Seee, I knew you had it in ya, sis! Now how can I patch our somehow already patchy relationship...that may prove difficult if she still stands there avoiding me, though.
It looks like Big Sis Solis feels the same way because she just wrapped her tail around Big Sis Silvie's waist and dragged her over here.
"Look, Lia! This one's the one who came up with your new nickname. Isn't she such a great sister?" [Solestia]
Hmm, what can I do with my limited range of movement and lack of communication skills. Hmmmmm...aha! I'll just raise my arms toward her and get her to carry me! Surely that'll help, right?
Eh? Why dat happen? As soon as I raised my arms, everyone's hearts just skipped a beat and starting beating even faster. S-seriously girls, there's no heart condition running in the family, is there?!
"Hehe, I think she likes you now, Silvie. Go ahead, you can hold her if you like. Lia seems to want it as well." [Corinna]
"A-are you sure? I-I might mess up again..." [Silvania]
"Come on, Silvie! Stop beating around the ent and do what your heart desires!" [Solestia]
After that, she didn't respond but slooooowly made her over to me and Mama. Eventually, she made it to us and picked me up from Mama's arms.
Hmm, it's still warm...ish, but the shaking puts me off. She's also holding me kind of awkwardly, and my back kiiiinda doesn't bend that way, sis! I need to do a little shimmy in order to get in a comfortable spot.
"WAAH!" [Lucillia]
"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry. U-uhm, m-maybe someone else should hold her now?" [Silvania]
"Calm down, dear. You're doing great. Just move your elbow a little more..." [Corinna]
Ahem, let's just ignore the fact that I almost fell and that part of it was probably my fault for wiggling around so much. With the help of Mama and the others' guidance, Big Sis Silvie eventually found a good form. Now I'm nice and comfy once more.
And after that, my sisters took turns holding me, playing with me, and attempting to chat with me, all while Mama watched over us with a smile on her face.
I...might be able to get used to this life. Eventually. Hopefully...
