Vera restlessly paced in the meadow, as the three's pained screams and grunts consumed the meadow. The previously peaceful sanctuary was abandoned by all of the animals. No animal dared to get close to the sanctuary, as the wails of pain and torture scared even the mightiest of the lions. Even plants poised to run away from the gut wrenching pleas of the tortured. The only creatures willing to get close to the meadow were the butterflies, which kept her company for the past two nights.

'Only a few minutes more, then they'll be fine,' thought Vera. 'I sure hope that I haven't had made a mistake in brewing the potion, nor trusting Crispin. I swear to the River Styx that if I fail here, I'll make sure to turn your life hell, Crispin.'

Harrison's scream tore shattered the deafening silence that consumed the meadow. Panic devoured her heart. 'What happened? Is he alright?'

Her eyes darted over his twitching body. Despite worry overtaking her mind, she couldn't help but be surprised as his features greatly changed over the past few days. 'Of course, that's one part of the potion, you dummy,' reminded the rational part of her, but she couldn't care less. Another section of his skin lost its dark color, turning as white as Lumi's skin. Everything, from the shape of his face, the curve of his nose, to every fiber of his hair morphed and changed, turning him to a perfect combination of Rhys and Lumi. 'It's still not completely done, though,' thought Vera as a section of Harrison's hair turned white and lost their blue hue.

The couple had no visible changes, unlike Harrison's. However, they were in greater pain than Harrison. Their anguished scream still haunted her for the past days. The sorrow and pain from those screams made you think that they have died, or lost their world. 'Maybe they really lost their worlds. It was said in the potions they will hallucinate, right?'

She did not want to know the answer to her question.

Her disheveled hair swayed as she gazed upwards towards the sky. Her heart throbbed in anxiety as she only saw dark clouds obscuring the sun.

'I know they'll be fine, but why do I still feel nervous?'

---

Exactly an hour later, Rhys gasped, like he was a drowning man taking a gulp of air. "Lumi! Harrison!" His eyes opened wide, his neck craning in search for his wife and child. Vera was immediately by his side.

"Rhys! Calm down!" Vera pinned him down.

"No! No! Where's Lumi and Harrison!?" He tried to struggle and thrash against her weight, yet he failed to break free. Vera pressed something on his lips.

"Drink this, please." Rhys felt a gooey liquid enter his mouth. He tried spitting it out, but Vera just pressed the opening of the bottle on his mouth, offering no escape for the liquid aside from his throat. As he ingested it, the frenzied haze in his mind disappeared.

"Sarah?" he said weakly. Tears started pooling under his eyes.

"Yes, it's just me. It's fine. Shh..."

"B-but... Lumi... Harrison..."

"They're fine, they're alright." Vera pointed her fingers at the bodies beside them. "Take a look, they're almost out of it, too."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the heavens... I thought I lost them..."

"You definitely did not." Vera sent him a warm smile. "You did great."

"Thanks, but..." Rhys trailed off. Vera tilted her head in confusion. He continued. "Will you get off of me? I can't breathe?"

Vera recoiled and jumped away from him as if she touched something hot. Rhys laughed weakly at her expense.

---

Not even ten minutes later, Lumi woke up, with the same pained gasp as her husband. Her motions expressed panic, but they managed to calm her down after a dose of the calming potion, and her husband's face.

("You're alive,' gasped Lumi. She reached out to touch her husband's cheek. "I thought I---"

"I'm alive," assured Rhys. "I won't ever leave you and our child, Lumi."

Lumi's tears fell down one by one as relief hit her like a truck. "I-I-I'm so g-glad..."

Rhys held her within his arms. "Shh... It's fine... We're still here."

They spent several moments feeling and reassuring each other that yes, they are still alive and fine.)

Now, they were just waiting for Harrison to wake up. Only patches of his skin and hair were left unchanged. Everything else transformed, leaving him like a legitimate child of Rhys and Lumi.

"Is that really him, Sarah?"

"Yes, I'm sure that's him, Rhys. I've watched over you without leaving the meadow, so I'm certain that it his him."

"It's just that... it's mind-boggling. I can't believe that he changed that much in two days."

"Me neither," assured Lumi. "Yet, I can feel that he still is the same child we loved that day."

They just sat there in peace as they waited for Harrison to wake up. However, that peace was broken as Harrison let out another pained whimper.

Lumi jumped in concern. "Harris---"

Rhys stopped her. "Lumi. Stay calm, it's a part of the potion."

"But---"

"Trust him. He'll make it. He's a fighter, isn't he?" assured Rhys. "And look!" Lumi followed Rhys' fingers, which pointed towards Harrison. "There are no patches now!"

"That means..."

"Yes," answered Vera. "He'll wake up at any moment now."

Three seconds later, Harrison woke up. Rhys and Lumi descended upon him, fretting.

"Are you fine?"

"Do you need anything?"

"Water, food?"

"Sarah! He's already awake!"

"Calm down, you baboons!" chastised Vera. "You're only stressing him out! Give him some space, will you?"

Rhys and Lumi reluctantly moved away to give her access towards Harrison. She gave him a dose of the calming potion, which made him less tense.

"Thank you," croaked Harrison as he looked up at her. Her jaw dropped as jade green eyes stared at her own amber ones.

'Those eyes are magnificent.' The child stared at her in confusion.

---

After minutes of checking and fretting over the safety and well-being of each other, they settled down. The couple finally managed to let out an honest, carefree smile.

"Finally, we're out of that hell," said Lumi. A gust blew across the meadow, which made Harrison snuggle to her even closer.

"And we are finally a family, too!" said Rhys.

"Aren't we a family before?"

"We are!" defended Rhys. "But it feels official now! The throne can't even refute the fact thanks to Sarah's potion."

"I agree. Just look at Harry!" Lumi held him out at arms' length. "He looks so much like us!"

Harry flushed as the couple's intense yet loving and caring stares observed his changed features.

"He got your nose though."

"What about your hair? He got that from you! I'm so envious!"

"Well, he certainly got those jade eyes of yours. Just look at it, it looks so magnificent!"

"Mom, dad! Stop it!" The couple stopped bickering and slowly turned their heads towards Harry.

"Did you just..."

"Call us mom and dad?"

Harry turned even redder. He wanted to be anywhere but there. He wanted to---

Lumi hugged him tightly. "Awww! You called me mom!"

Rhys had stars in his eyes. "He called me dad... Sarah! You heard that? He called me dad!"

Sarah just shook her head in amusement. 'Those guys are really...'

She let out a scream as she felt her blood burn, as if lava coursed through her veins. Her heart pounded so hard that it was the only thing she could hear. Rhys, Lumi, and Harry went towards her as they saw her keel in pain.

"What is happening, Sarah?!"

"I-I-I don't know!"

Her claws sharpened with all of her senses. As she noticed this, she realized what was the problem. She set her gaze at the sky, and saw the full moon shining as the dark clouds parted. She remembered she was a werewolf, and---

Hunt. Blood.

She clutched her head in pain. "D-don't come near me!" The wolf in her was becoming stronger.

Lumi was panicking. "Sarah, what's happening!?"

"Get away from me! Run away!"

"Why? Tell us!"

"T-the wolf..." Rhys realized what was happening.

"Y-y-you're a w-werewolf...?" Rhys turned around to Lumi and Harrison, who was hiding behind Lumi, but concern still shone from his eyes.

"What's happening, mom, dad?"

"There's no time to explain, just run!"

The wolf inside her was taking control at a very fast rate. There was no time. She tried to rein it it, to no avail.

"T-th-there's no time, Rhys." A growl tore from her throat. "I c-can ho-hold it fo-for a f-few minutes, b-but i-it won't b-be en-enough to e-escape... so p-please... get th-the knife o-over t-there and k-kill me... before I-I lose control."

Silence consumed the meadow as the three struggled to process her words.

"What are you saying, Sarah?! That is not funny!"

"I-I'm not joking! H-hurry!" Another growl escaped from her lips. Her eyes were flickering between desperation and insanity.

"B-but Sarah---"

"Just do it!"

"I can't! You've helped us!"

The wolf completely took over her mind. The wolf's eyes set its predatory gaze upon the trembling frames of Lumi and Harry. It bared its fangs towards them, as it slowly trotted towards them.

"S-sarah... It's us..." pleaded Lumi, but Vera couldn't control herself anymore. The wolf readied itself to pounce on them, but just as it was about to pounce, it realized that it cannot move anymore. It felt its body lose its strength and its hold on Vera's mind.

"Rhys..."

"I'm sorry..." said Rhys as he pulled out the bloody silver knife that embedded itself at Vera's spine, which caused her to fall down on his back. Tears fell down from his green eyes as he crouched beside her, head lowered in shame and regret. "I'm sorry..."

"D-don't be s-sorry." Her words came out as wheezes now, as her breaths became shallower. "It's n-not your f-fault."

Lumi and Harry followed him. Tears were slowly falling down from their eyes, too.

"Sarah, please! This couldn't end like this! We haven't thanked you properly yet!"

"Y-you c-can do it n-now..." Vera tried to laugh, but they only came out as coughs.

"Don't push yourself, Sarah."

"Aunt Sarah..." Harry sobbed as he clutched her body. "Thank you for everything."

"Shhh... It's not a problem... If-if I were given a ch-choice to d-do this again, I-I wouldn't c-change anything."

'And that's true. I don't regret anything.'

The three remained silent as they cried their hearts out.

"D-don't be sad. B-Be h-happy for me,, o-okay?" 'I've granted your wishes, after all.'

Rhys opened his mouth to reply, but she couldn't hear anything anymore. Her breaths slowed down until it eventually came to a stop. Chills and coldness enveloped her body as if she was surrounded by ice-cold water. Darkness only consumed her vision, until she lost consciousness.