Spirits 4/4

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A few weeks later...

You felt sick. Every waking moment was filled with nausea and unease. You knew it had something to do with Father and the spirit magic that surrounded you every day. Aspen and Micah would often perform little tricks for you when they weren't helping to oversee the bath house. 

However, it had gotten to the point where you barely left the room dubbed 'the nursery'. You spent every moment curled up under your sheets, miserable and pale. You could barely even eat and Father would sit at your bedside every second he was free. 

Despite how achey and fevered you felt, you knew that this place was the reason behind it. For that reason, you'd began stumbling down the halls of the bath house the second you were left alone. Even if you wanted to give up, you'd lost the nursery in the endless intersecting halls and pathways. 

You weren't sure how much time had passed, or if someone was looking for you yet. All you knew is that when you finally found your way outside, the sun was beginning to rise. A cool wind easily chilled you through the pajamas you were wearing which only increased your instability.

Eventually you stumbled off the path into a cool patch of grass. The same area where you'd met Aspen when you first arrived here. You feverishly leaned against a rock in the clearing, closing your eyes as you breathed heavily.

The sun was slowly becoming stronger and stronger as it rose in the sky. When your stomach stopped doing flips you opened your eyes to watch as the sky turned pink. Your eyes fell closed once again as the once cold breeze started to feel nice on your warm skin.

Maybe a short nap would help you feel better...

-------

"There you are!" You slowly opened your eyes, looking up at Father. He stood over you, two large wings protruding from his back. His hair was disheveled and he was panting as if he'd run a marathon. It was strange since he normally looked so composed. 

You closed your eyes again, just wanting to go back to sleep. You were still tired and feeling horrible. Father didn't seem to get the message as he huffed, placing his hands on your shoulders and shaking you awake. 

"Y/N, I am talking to you. Why did you leave the nursery? Or, more importantly, why did you leave the bath house?! It isn't safe for you! Not yet."

When you didn't respond again, Father sighed. He kneeled down next to you in the wet grass, looking you in the eyes.

"You are very lucky that you aren't in the right mind at the moment. I'll let this slide this time because you are ill and I doubt you knew what you were doing. Next time I won't be so lenient." He pulled you up with him, taking you into his arms. 

You couldn't have resisted if you wanted to. Instead you watched as the wings on his back flared, propelling the both of you into the air as he soared back to the bath house. His cold demeanor fully shattered when he noticed you staring at him.

"Ah, I don't suppose you've ever seen my wings before. Similar to Aspen and Micah, I too have an animal spirit form. Only, instead of a fox or wolf, my form is that of a dragon." You could barely comprehend the words he was saying as one of your hands weakly gripped at his shirt, willing him not to drop you. 

"I wonder what your form will be, now that your humanity has started to burn away." He mused to himself. You gripped his shirt tighter, your eyes immediately forced open as you registered his words. "Apologies, I don't think any of us mentioned the reason behind why you got suddenly ill. Poor dear, you must've been so scared and nauseous. No wonder you were trying to get some fresh air."

Father gently touched down on a balcony of the bath house, carrying you into a grand bedroom. From there he seemed to linger by a door before changing his mind. Instead, he lay you down on what you guessed was his bed. 

"I would bring you back to the nursery, but I feel it's best if you remain within my sight for a while. As for your illness... it's probably best if you went back to sleep for a little." With that, he leaned over and gave you a kiss on the forehead. Like every other time, his magic stole away the last of your strength as your eyes fell closed.

-------

"Y/N. It's time to wake up." Someone's hands were running through your hair. Slowly your eyes opened and you found yourself staring up at Father. He smiled down at you, helping you to sit up against the headboard.

A teapot and two cups appeared on the bedside table and Father poured the both of you a cup. After he was sure you wouldn't drop the cup he took a sip of the tea. A lazy smile adorned his face as he watched you carefully drink the tea.

"You remember when you first came here, yes? How we told you about the properties of spirit food?" You nodded, setting your half drunk tea cup back on the bedside table. "Well, there is one property that we did not mention. One that happens when willingly given spirit food is ingested by someone who is fully human."

"What? What did you do to me?" You whispered. Father just smiled, placing down his tea cup to pull up the blankets around you. 

"If willingly given spirit food is ingested by a full blooded human for long enough, the magic will start to burn away their humanity, leaving behind their spirit." Father looked at you with a gentle smile. "You, my dear, will make a lovely addition to my family- our family. Trust me, the boys will love finally having another sibling. You'll fit in perfectly."

There were many regrets you had. Some were small and others were large. Your biggest regret was not dragging your family as far away from this spirit town as you could. However, your regret couldn't change the past. All you could do was try and make the best of your future with your new family.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed!

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