The New Era (Zene)

Chapter 7- What Remains

Zane felt sore beyond possible, as well as.... wet?

Quickly opening his eyes, he thought for sure he was being licked or something along those lines by Gene, but instead he found himself in one of the numerous bathrooms located in the palace, being washed in the tub.

"He's awake..." One of his maidens, to which he knew, by voice, was Arunasura.

Looking up, he could see his maidens gathered around the tub, expressions of worry on their faces.

"My maidens, what troubles you all...?" Zane asked, wincing in slight pain, as if something had been shoved deep into his throat not long before.

"Lord Líkúorianō, we had to uh...." Arunasura paused, to take a quick glance at the other maidens, before looking back to him. "Clean you of Lord Gene's fluids..."

"What? Why?" He asked, but he wasn't entirely worried.

"You....." She began, only to give Okiku a look of concern, who took over for her.

"Lord Líkúorianō, us maidens are concerned." Okiku began, continuing to scrub the raspberry scented shampoo into Zane's hair.

"What troubles you all?" He asked, having his eyes closed so the hair cleaning contents didn't get into his eyeballs.

"We have reason to believe that you are, in fact, already pregnant." She explained, before grabbing the iron bucket next to her, dumpling the non soapy water onto Zane's head, in order to wash out the shampoo.

"..... Pardon?" He had to take a moment to realize what had been said, spitting out some water that had gotten into his mouth.

"Look at your belly, sir...." Mastema, another maiden, told him quietly, restocking the soft white towels into the shelves engraved into the wall.

Zane looked at his stomach, and was stunned by what he saw.

His belly was unusually swollen, with a bump where his bellybutton was meant to be. Patterns that would be considered odd to a human, or anyone unfamiliar with the Upside Down, were glowing a soft pastel blue all along his grown stomach.

"W.... What.....!?" Zane gasped, nearly standing up.

The maidens stayed silent, Okiku drizzling raspberry scented conditioner into his hair, before scrubbing it in.

"Who...? What....? When....?" He asked himself, before he spoke to the maiden that was preparing his wing brush. "Phenex... do you know who...?"

Phenex didn't know how to respond to him, the snake tied around her neck sleeping peacefully. She slowly turned to face him, but she looked as if she'd seen a ghost.... then again, she saw ghosts all the time, just as anyone else living in the Upside Down did.

"Maybe.... you should take a pregnancy test... just in case..." Phenex suggested, already turning to another maiden that was standing closer to the shelves. "Vepar?"

Vepar nodded, reaching to one of the shelves and grabbing a smaller white box, opening it and turning it over, allowing the pregnancy test to slide into her hand.

"I...." Zane began, but found himself unable to use words.

"Do not speak, Lord Líkúorianō...." Vepar told him, approaching the tub. "You.... forced yourself beyond your limitations last night..."

"Last night?" He repeated, smiling a bit. "I was unaware the sun came up..."

"You know what I mean." She huffed, giving him a simple smile as she shook her head.

"Yeah yeah..." He sighed, turning his gaze down to the blackwater filling the tub.

The maidens exchanged looks of concern to each other. They knew fairly well that Zane was unable to see his children, as Gene had placed a strict rule about that. He was only allowed to see his children the first few months they were born, and then after that, they were sent to the palace nursery, which Zane was not allowed to enter.