A Cuckoo's nest is often barren

Many years before Shotaro's arrival in Olivedale—when Quazo the Obsessed still ruled with his iron will—Dronstar, son of Gronstar, the Magic Minister, wandered outside his chamber, his footsteps restless against the stone floor. He had been standing there for what felt like hours, pacing back and forth, as the agonized screams of his wife echoed from behind the closed doors.

"Agh—get it out! Get this demon out of me! I beg you!"

Her voice was raw with suffering, each word laced with despair. Dronstar flinched at her cries, his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to rush inside, to be by her side, to hold her hand and tell her everything would be fine—but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. This was not their first attempt at bringing life into the world. For decades, they had tried. Six pregnancies, six times fate had cruelly snatched the child away—either dead in the womb or within a week of birth. And now, as his beloved wife screamed in agony, cursing the unborn child within her, Dronstar could not bring himself to enter.

He understood her pain, even if it wrenched his soul to hear her call their child a demon. He did not blame her. How could he? She had suffered more than anyone, and he had watched each failure steal pieces of her—mind, body, and soul. It had worn her down, turning her into a husk of the vibrant woman he once knew. No one spoke it aloud, but they all expected him to loathe her, to cast her aside, and to take another wife, one who could give him a true heir.

But he knew the truth.

She was a runaway from the cursed island—Shavoc Cormac, named after the ancient general who had doomed it. She was a beastman, bearing the blood of the cuckoo, and by abandoning her homeland, she had awakened the curse that bound her ancestors. A curse that rotted her sacral chakra, poisoning her womb and denying her the right to create life. And still, she had chosen him. She had chosen Aetheria. She had chosen hope.

Dronstar clenched his fists and continued to walk. He walked and walked, unwilling to stop until the cries faded.

Then, silence.

Not the joyous silence of relief, nor the exhausted murmurs of a mother holding her newborn for the first time. This was a dreadful, suffocating void that pressed against his ribs like a lead weight. Dronstar turned slowly, his breath shallow. He already knew. The thunder of misfortune had struck once more.

He stepped inside.

His wife was on the bed, hunched over, clutching a thing wrapped in bloodied linens. A grotesque parody of a child. Just like before, it had no skin, no eyes, no tongue, no limbs—only a malformed, fleshy mass, neither male nor female, a cruel mockery of life. A thing that should never have been born.

His wife's mind had finally crumbled.

She did not sob. She did not scream. She only clung to it, whispering something under her breath, as if she could somehow will it into existence, as if she could somehow rewrite fate itself.

Dronstar could not look at her. He could not say, It's alright; we can try again. He had said it too many times before, and now they both knew it would be a lie. There were no words left.

So he left.

He walked and walked, out of the castle, out of the town, past the forests, until the skin of his feet blackened and tore, until his legs swelled, until exhaustion finally took him and he collapsed beneath the cold, uncaring sky.

When he awoke, he was back in his chamber, the familiar ceiling above him blurred by the haze of fatigue. A shadow sat beside him, fingers interlocked in thought. The scent of incense and old parchment filled the air.

"What brings my old, dickless bastard here?" Dronstar rasped. His throat was raw, his voice hoarse.

Retep, the Pope of the Drakastradorn Church, snorted in amusement, though his expression was lined with unspoken sorrow. "The king is one obsessed motherfucker. I can't get through to him, so I came to see my heirless friend."

Dronstar lunged at him, only for his legs to buckle. He collapsed onto the floor, groaning in pain.

Retep burst into laughter before offering a hand to pull him back up. "Easy now. I know you're desperate, but throwing yourself at me won't help."

Dronstar glared. "What do you know about heirs, eunuch?"

Retep smirked, leaning back. "Why are you so obsessed with what's between my legs? If you want me to sire an heir for you, why don't you start by donating to the church?"

Dronstar let out a breath of frustration. "Damn it, stop joking."

Retep's grin lingered, but his gaze softened. "You started it first, Magic Minister. You do know I could have you burned at the stake for that, right?"

Dronstar raised his hands in mock surrender. "You won't, though. Will you?"

The Pope chuckled. "No, I suppose not. But who knows? Maybe I will have myself a roasted Magic Minister someday."

Then, he sighed and sat beside his old friend, his voice losing its teasing edge. "I know you've lost another child." His words were quiet, almost reverent. "I am truly sorry. I will beg the goddess Bhrahman to grant that soul a place on her lap, eternally."

Dronstar, touched by the sincerity in Retep's voice, wrapped his arms around him in a brotherly embrace. "The dead may never hear your prayers, but my wife—pray for her, too. She hates herself for a curse she never chose. And yet, I love her. Even if I am left heirless."

Retep placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "The sister has my prayers. Always."

After a few rounds of chess and quiet conversation, Retep's sharp eyes caught the grief still buried in Dronstar's gaze. He hesitated before speaking. "You know… maybe, just maybe, there is a way for you to sire an heir. Not a bastard, but a true heir."

Dronstar stiffened. "What? How? Is that even possible?"

Retep ran a hand through his hair, looking uncertain. "You may not like it."

Dronstar grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "We're far past caring about what I like—just tell me!"

Retep sighed, standing up. He reached into a basket and handed Dronstar an orange. "Stay here. I'll be back."

Thirty-six minutes later—yes, he counted—the Pope returned from the cathedral's library, carrying a tome so ancient its pages looked ready to crumble. He set it before Dronstar, flipping to page 300,879, Section III.

And there, written in faded ink, was the law of old:

If one of higher blood is unable to sire a child… he must seek one of the Fifteen Golden Witches…

Dronstar's breath caught as he read on.

Convince her to bear his heir… and the child shall be of true blood.

If he was allowed to desecrate religious text, Dronstar, son of Gronstar, would have already set the book on fire; he looked around, with a vial of wine in his hands, and looked around the chamber to find the priest so he could throw it at that eunuch's face, but the bastard was gone, away from the wrath of the magic minister, "FUCKKKK!!" he screamed as he ran out of the room. He looked here & there, & Retep was nowhere to be found."Where the fuck are you, dickless fucker?" he screamed, but only his sad wife answered, "Why are you screaming like a honk, my dear?" She said in an emotionally detached voice, flowing with the sea of melancholy. "you aren't exactly sounding calming," he said, noticing the sadness He went towards her, trying to make her happy; he held her in his arms.Are you ok, dear?"".
The lady freaked out as she wiggled & clawed, "No—no," she was mumbling with tears, Dronstar can only hold her, knowing the loss of their seventh child only messed her up, for always it seems; he didn't care that her claws were digging into his back, nor that he cared about her snot rubbing on his chest, he cared about her despair, as he kissed her on the forehead, saying, "It's not your fault, it's not anyone's, I don't care if I am left heirless, maybe this was fate", but Kuku looked at him, her dark hair being in a mess cause she pulled them until her scalp bled in the birth room, after burrying the dead infant, he held her, but he knew he can't tell her everything will be ok, cause he did it 6 times before already & nothing was ok, nothing will ever be ok.....what if he follows what the book said>, NO he can't, he can't betray his wife like this..can he?
But then Kuku said, "I just want a child—somehow I can never have one. Would my lap ever have weight on it? What's the point of me being a cuckoo if I can't even sing to my children—wait, is that the fate of a cuckoo??".
She fell to the ground weeping; Dronstar tried to help her to be on her feet again, but she passed out out of sadness. He took her to their room & laid her down on the bed, not knowing how to fulfill her wish of a child; he wept along her inside his tough exterior.
Kuku, being fed up with it all, just declared, "I will never sing again until I get a child.".
This was a huge shock for him, as their first meet was when he found her singing at the great forest; he could only sit there, but he felt a voice inside his head.
"GO FOR IT, Dronstar, Go to your master, go to who made you yourself, do it, keep moving forward, Dronstar".

"meet your teacher, meet them, and to your teacher, Dronstar, do it."

"Dronstar Dronstar Dronstar-----""SHUT UP!!!" he screamed, clenching his head; he didn't know what those voices were, but he screamed until his throat bled. Kuku, however, only mistook his breakdown for weeping, like she was, so she didn't stop him until he ran out of the room.
He ran & ran & ran to the main cathedral of the Elvish capital, Olivedale.
Retep was doing his regular prayers with the church flowers.

He waved his finger as if to signal them to stop the choirs. Looking at his old friend, he was about to greet him before Dronstar interrupted him "About that ritual," he said in a hateful voice, "Thank your damn goddess that you were castrated respectfully before I read those, because I would have ripped your dick out myself if you weren't."
Hearing this, one flower came out behind him, with a knife on his nape, "You dare talk to the pope like that? Heretic!" But the pope only laughed it off, "Oh, don't be like that, young flower; he is a friend." He said, turning to Dronstar, "So you are ready for it, huh, old friend?".
Dronstar's finger dug into his palm as he spat on the church's floor & said, "fuck you."
"Hohoho," Retep said, "I take that as a yes."
Dronstar looked another way before sighing & looking the father, "kuku vowed to never sing until I, by the grace of whoever the fuck you all think you're worshipping, bring her a child", Retep got a bit serious, "that's a hell for all of us, right? Her singing is what gives this part of Olivedale its life," he said. "But you would need a golden witch for that ritual, you know; these 15 aren't known for telling where they have their domain, & Drakastradorn is such a big land---" He was cut off by Dronstar, "I know one of them she---" he was then cut off by the pope, "No, no, my friend, that's, that's a taboo.".
"I know you're talking about your teacher. You're talking about Lattrem of the golden witches."
"You know me well, old friend," Dronstar said with a doubtful expression, "A relationship between any master-student is one of the great taboos, written in Brahma's scrolls.".
"I don't care about sins." Dronstar declared, in a firm determination, he said, "I only care about Kuku; I will hear her sing.".
"Even if I have to commit a sin of bearing a child with my teacher," he declared to the whole cathedral, not caring about the fact that the flowers can dice him up like a meat slab.
"& what if she refuses?, not everyone is crazed about procreating with their student, even me; I would rather get eaten by maggots than do that. That's not only a taboo in my books, but in my heart too," Father Retep asked, knowing what the answer was, but still.
Dronstar hesitated, not knowing whether he should answer, but he had already said that much heresy; a little more could be tolerated, so he made up his courage & said, "For Kuku, I will rape her; I know she can wipe me out as easily as her eyeball moves from one direction to the other. I will cry; I will roll all over her legs, like I used to in my student days, but if she denies, I will rape her; I don't care what happens; I won't blame you for sending your flowers behind me; I will give Kuku what she wants.".
Hearing this, Retep, the always jolly & kind-natured priest, cried; he cried for the loss of his dear friend, the one he loved like a brother, to go in such a deep degeneracy; it wasn't just heretical, it was...just wrong "You have fallen so far into that abyss, brother," he said, wiping snot off his face as he turned around, not wanting to talk with him.

"You know where she is, then why are you here?" He said, walking away, as Dronstar knew what he had to do; he loaded up his...courage, as he held Kuku's hands in his, while she sulked on the bed, "Don't forget to eat, walk, and sleep; I promise you, I will—I will have you sing again, to our child," to which Kuku replied, "Be fast; my voice boxes are waiting.".
After a week of travel on foot, Dronstar arrived at the hut, where his father, Gronstar, left him under the guidance of the best. All those ages ago, he looked at the training dummies, on who he practiced magic, and said, "does they still heal up?" Desiring to blow them up and see it, a woman with a rather—mature body emerged from the hut's door; she was tall—for a woman, that is—and wore bold, pink-framed glasses; her hair was shorter than he remembered, but it was still purplish; her lips were full of life as always, so moist, so perfect; she had fair skin, as one might expect from an elf; however, her clothing was modest, showing no interest in showcasing her curves, as most would expect from a woman of her size; she wore a simple long skirt, all black; it reached her ankles, but her hips, those were still as tempting as when he was a kid.
before he can say anything, Dronstar was met with a surprised hug, "Aww Drony, it's you, It have been a while. Sorry I didn't come to your wedding, my little boy," she said, rubbing her face all over his chest; she still sees him as a child she never had, not knowing about the child she is about to have.
Dronstar hugged her back, holding her body close, feeling her breast against his; his hand sneaked down to grab her rack, but Kuku's face came into his mind.
his hand found their way back to her shoulders as she sat him down in her hut with tea, reminiscing about his teaching, the bond they shared, "I remember you crying to sleep when you can't fly," Dronstar adds, "& I remember you singing to me so I stop crying.".
"I tickled you too," she said laughing, "But I know what you're here for," she added, with a smile of melancholy suddenly appearing on her face. Dronstar knew that the moment he saw her, he knew that the first thing his master would do after seeing him after so many years was try to find out why he was here; he knew his mind was read while he was busy looking at her body; no need to hide. "Master, bear me a child; that's what I am going to ask."
"Son," she said, in an understanding yet doubtful voice, "you know it's a sin.".
"I don't care," Dronstar said, his voice rising, "I will do anything to hear My Kuku's singing," he said as he grabbed her, while she was not very affected, some would even say nonchalant. "Don't make me rape you, Master," Dronstar said before he gets flung into a wall by eyelids, "I taught you everything you are, not I was, son." She said in a stern voice, but her dear Drony just choose to stand up.
"Master," he said before bowing in front of her, "Please fulfill this heresy of mine," he said with a powerful yet dedicated voice.
Seeing this, Lattrem sat for a while. "Kid, you're just as stubborn as you were," she said, making up her mind, she stood up "It's wrong, but it's you, so maybe a little taboo won't hurt, but you know that you would be killed for this-right?" she asked, in a serious tone.
"I don't care," Dronstar replied.
Lattrem, one of the 15 golden witches, let go of her robe, revealing it all to him. Dronstar freaked out as his master came near him, her breast dangling from her chest; she said, "Dig in," she whispered with her breedable lips.
After some months, she gave birth to a boy, alone, with her student at her side, She held it towards him, looking at the boy she taught, standing infront of her, she managed to sat on the hut's bed, tired, as the baby greedily drank from her breast, she said, "It's healthy, the first healthy one for you is it?" she said looking at him, who just took the child in his arms, feeling..an escatic joy, he just looked at his master & asked her to name it, "Nyrebo" She answered, "He will be named Nyrebo".
& so it was, the child was brang home, Kuku was overjoyed, as she fed the child from her breast, sang it, life was back to decent again, the church however was'nt, Dronstar however lost his position for the heresy he commited, & ultimately, he was assasinated by the church's flowers, Pope Retep's involvement in it or not is very discussed, Kuku died of a heart break, when the news were brought to her, after she sang her last song to the child
However Nyrebo was able to find companionship with Retep, who acted as a great father, & in the academy, he became friends with the prince who will later grow up to be King Lutthor the worthy, years went by, Quoazo the obessesed died, some thing related to some phropechy, years went by again, King Luthor Ellarion sacrificed his life for the little princess, to his will, Nyrebo was given a letter, one of the king's last writing, about some hero of phropecy everyone is so obsessed about, his life was misery with some spots of escatcy, one of them being, his wife, from whom he had a son, Bam, but he was just..retarded, the child was deformed, almost like a unholy creation, his wife died giving birth, but the last thing she saw was the deform little...monster that will be her cause of death, so she cursed the child with her dying breath to be.....simpleminded, He was already the magic minister but some curses can't be broken, but he loved his little flesh blob of a son anyways, Bam was retarded & can only say 'friend', that one word he can pronounce due to his messed up deformed voice box, some years later he heard about some hero who defeated Garm entering the kingdom, but the queen was drubk af to give a fuck when he ranted about it in the court, suddenly they were captured by Dark elves intruders, & tied up, where he befriended a lil dark elf girl, Ni Gah with his sweet talk, she seemed so...familiar to him, plus her singing was...almost like his mother's, not Lattrem, but his true mother, Kuku's, after a while he met Shotaro Mugyiwara & he looked exactly as Luthor's letter described him, he know he found the her Luthor bet everything on & mentally promised himself to help him do the phropecy, then Paliv came in her room, she was one of Bam's only playmate, but the girl was far from herself, she ordered him to kill the intruders, she called them dark skinned freaks & that she hate them for what they did to her ancestor's, the girl was so young, yet so ignorant & hatefull, but then Paliv threatened to frame Bam, his only living relathion, other than his biological mother, but her wherabouts died with his father's assasination, he wondered if that girl is really the daughter of a king he saw as a righteous older brother, but he also decided to save Ni Gah, cause she reminds him of kuku & her singing is familiar to his true mother, with despair yet acceptance into his eyes, he looked at the little girl & said.

"I will do it"