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WARNING:   This story contains male/male, soft, oral vore.  Additionally, it contains digestion—which is both partially painful and semi-fatal (like, he doesn't come back during the story, but it ends with the promise of him being okay). If any of these are not to your tastes, I strongly suggest that you click away now.  If you don't know what vore is, take a look at my journal for more information:  shadowedlightning.deviantart.c… you are curious, I urge you to keep an open mind and respect those of us who do like it, as we are not hurting you with our personal enjoyment of such works.

DISCLAIMER: This is FANTASY, do not attempt to swallow things whole.

A/N:  Wow.  Um, yeah.  This is…  A major break from my usual.  Really, heed the warning about digestion—this is not a happy one.  Not even like Hunger—at least that had zero pain or death.  But considering the nature of the scene I'm voreifying…  >_>

Once again, if you do not know what VORE is, I strongly advise you to check my journal (link provided above) for more information.

xXxXxXxXx

Emil slumps to the floor, exhausted.  Ratatosk looms over him, watching him silently for a moment before speaking.
"Hey, come on!  You can't lose to me that easily.  You were gonna beat me and prove that there's kindness somewhere inside of me, right?"

Emil's voice is tired when he responds, "Yes, you're right.  I…  I'm sorry."

Ratatosk simply says, "Don't worry.  It's alright.  I guess this is just like you.  Or…  I should say…  Just like me."  He watches Emil for a few more moments before continuing, "All right.  Fine.  I will accept you as part of me, as a show of respect for that tiny bit of courage you have inside."

Emil glances up, relieved, as the Summon Spirit kneels down in front of him.  He wonders what will happen now.

Ratatosk watches Emil silently for a few minutes, for the first time feeling a little uncertain about the younger blond.  "Are you really certain that you want this?"

Emil is unnerved by the hesitation in Ratatosk's eyes and voice.  There's something that the Summon Spirit isn't telling him, and it worries him.  He just nods silently, though, knowing that this is the best course of action.

Ratatosk responds, "This…  Will not be a pleasant process for you to undergo, Emil.  It will either be painful, or lengthy—I cannot make it both painless and quick.  So I'll ask one last time: are you truly certain that you want to go through with this?"

Emil is very uneasy now, but he knows that this is for the best.  He nods again, unable to speak.

Ratatosk nods, murmuring softly, "Then I was wrong.  You have more than a small amount of courage inside of you, to agree knowing that you will suffer.  I…  Am sorry that it must be this way."  After another pause he asks quietly, "Would you like me to make it quick or painless?"

Emil is silent for a while, uncertain, and he stares at his hands folded in his lap.  Even if it's painless, drawing this out could be just as unpleasant in other ways.  On the other hand, just because it's quick doesn't mean it won't be horrifically agonizing…  Finally he whispers, "P-please…  M-make it quick…"

The red-eyed blond nods.  He waves a hand and finds himself looking into the green eyes of Emil as the boy looks up abruptly at the disappearance of his clothing, and answers the silent question he finds in their depths.  "This will be easier on us both without them.  Now close your eyes, I'll do my best to be gentle."

Ratatosk's words scare Emil, but he agreed to this.  He takes a few deep breaths and shuts his eyes tightly.

Ratatosk gently pulls Emil to him, not particularly looking forwards to what's to come.  Still, Emil wants to rejoin with him.  He murmurs quietly, feeling the need to explain what he's about to do to Emil, "Had we rejoined much sooner, this would not be necessary.  But you have become your own person, Emil.  You could exist without me, if we were able to have separate bodies.  Because of that, this is the only way to return to being one."

Emil cannot help but be worried by Ratatosk's behavior.  He never shows this kind of concern for anybody but Marta.  He lets out a muffled yelp and squirms with surprise as, very abruptly, his head is encased in something warm and wet.  He feels Ratatosk's hands clamp tightly around his arms, and hears a low growl from nearby, and he forces himself it stay still.  He's confused and frightened, and has to forcibly remind himself that this is something he agreed to.

Ratatosk grips Emil more tightly as the blond starts to squirm again once Emil's head slips into his throat.  He waits for Emil to go still again before he takes another swallow.  It's not easy, since with each gulp Emil squirms again.  Ratatosk, starting to feel a good deal of annoyance,  bites down on the blond's torso—not hard enough to draw blood but hard enough to make Emil stop moving.

Emil, by now, has understood what's happening—Ratatosk is eating  him.  Alive.  He's terrified, realizing now that the pain Ratatosk spoke of means being digested alive, and he can't help but instinctively resist every time more of his body is drawn inside of the Summon Spirit's.  He yelps as he feels Ratatosk's teeth dig into his skin—not enough to pierce it, but painful all the same.  He forces himself to stay still, but he can't stop a frightened whimper from escaping him as he starts to enter Ratatosk's stomach.

Ratatosk is glad that Emil is holding more still, but the younger blond still twitches every time he swallows.  It's to be expected, of course, but it slows things down and Ratatosk has promised to try and make this as quick as possible--but hearing the frightened whimpers coming from his slowly expanding stomach makes it harder and harder to keep going.  He does his best to block them out, relieved when he feels Emil's hips slide into his throat.  It's much easier from there, the younger blond's legs easily sliding down into his stomach.  Finally he leans back, panting slightly from the effort.

Emil squirms, seriously regretting agreeing to this by now.  But it's too late to back out, and he knows it.  He shudders violently as he feels Ratatosk place a hand on him.

The Summon Spirit rests a hand on his distended stomach, not particularly happy with Emil's jerky movements, but he supposes that Emil holding completely still is just too much to ask for.  He lets out a heavy sigh, not looking forwards to what happens next any more than Emil is.  He hesitantly rubs his stomach, trying to give the blond inside him some measure of comfort and a chance to settle down.

Emil can't stop shaking; he's terrified beyond words so he just curls up as tightly as he can and whimpers.  Ratatosk's attempts to calm him have little effect, and he's barely even aware when the Summon Spirit stops trying.  He is, however, painfully aware of when acid begins to fill the stomach around him.

xXxXxXxXx

"Emil!  Hey, c'mon, wake up!"  Marta shakes the blond in her arms, more and more worried as he doesn't respond.  "Raine!  Can't you do something!?"

"I'm afraid not, Marta.  My healing artes aren't helping him, and we have no idea why he collapsed.  It must have something to do with attempting to reconcile with Ratatosk.  We can only wait, and hope for the best."

Marta whimpers, holding Emil more tightly.  "Please wake up soon, Emil…"

xXxXxXxXx

Emil squirms, instinctively trying to escape the itching sensation on his skin that's quickly becoming a burning feeling.  He whimpers, twisting himself around even though he knows that he can't escape it.  Hearing the occasional grunt from Ratatosk as he moves just makes it worse.  It isn't long before he's crying, violently thrashing in response to the pain.  Every inch of skin feels like its on fire, his eyes are burning and his mouth, too, along with a vile taste he can't escape.  He cries out as the stomach muscles tighten around him, restricting his movement.

Ratatosk has his eyes squeezed shut, hating the cries of pain and fear coming from his overstuffed gut, hating the writhing movements of the younger blond trapped inside of him.  As the minutes drag on, and Emil's cries become more and more agonized, he feels sick and tightens his stomach around the struggling mass inside of it, shuddering at the feeling of his meal twitching inside him.  He keeps reminding himself that Emil asked for this, wanted it to be quick even knowing it would be painful…  But, eventually, he can't take it anymore.

Emil gasps at the very abrupt absence of pain.  He's still crying, and he chokes as he tries to catch his breath after having forgotten what it was like to be without pain.  He shudders violently, coughing, and it takes him many minutes before his heart has slowed to a normal pace.  He realizes that his body still tingles, but it feels nice instead of agonizing, and the stomach walls are no longer crushing him but squeezing him much more gently, almost massaging him.  He can tell that the acid is still working away at him, hearing the hiss of his body dissolving and the sloshing of the liquid contents of the stomach around him with each movement, but he relaxes.  It doesn't hurt anymore, and that's all that matters to him.

Ratatosk shudders again, feeling Emil finally settle down inside of him, and he hesitantly rubs his stomach.  "I'm…  I'm sorry, Emil.  I know you asked that I make it quick, but…  I should have told you what I needed to do…"

Emil just murmurs, "D-don't apologize, R-Ratatosk.  Th-thanks.  I-I'm glad it d-doesn't hurt a-anymore.."

Ratatosk just pets his belly gently, saying, "This will take a few hours, Emil.  But at least it won't hurt you anymore."

Emil just nuzzles gently against the lining of the Summon Spirit's stomach, thanking him again.

xXxXxXxXx

The blond stirs in Marta's arms, his eyes opening slowly.  He groans softly, sitting up and putting a hand to his head.

Marta watches him, hesitantly asking, "Are you alright, Emil?  No, Ratatosk?"

Red eyes turn to meet blue, and he offers her a gentle smile.  "Yes.  I am Ratatosk.  And I'm alright, thank you for your concern.  I'm sorry to have worried you."  He allows her to help him to his feet, and glances at the others.  "I take back what I said about annihilating mankind."

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief at his announcement.

"However, I can't guard the door myself anymore."

Lloyd asks, "What do you mean?"

"The original seal has been broken by another."

Richter grunts, and says, "That would be my fault. I suppose I'll have to go ahead with my original plan, then..."  He leans on his sword, heaving himself to his feet and steps forward.

Ratatosk watches him for a moment before saying, "If that's what you want, then I'd be willing to make things easier on you."

"What?"  The half-elf looks at Ratatosk in surprise, doubting his ears.

Ratatosk nods, confirming that Richter heard him right.  "I'll re-write the natural laws of this world while you're acting as a seal.  This will lessen your suffering."

Marta steps forwards now, her voice hesitant and a bit uncertain at the Summon Spirit's words.  "What exactly do you mean by 'rewrite?'"

Ratatosk thinks for a few moments, gathering his thoughts and carefully choosing his words to explain the workings of the world to the assembled group.  "Mana isn't originally from this world.  It was brought here with the arrival of the Elves, and my tree.  I will rewrite this world so that I can extract the mana from all living beings, and use it to create a new seal on the door."

Genis calls out, "But if you do that, everything will die!"

Ratatosk shakes his head, saying, "No, it won't.  I'll change this world so that everything can go on living without need of mana to sustain them.  Even with the mana removed, the world, the plants, the animals, and the peoples of this world can keep going about their lives."

A pause greets his words, broken a few minutes later by Sheena, a frown creasing her lips.  "Even Summon Spirits will be able to live without mana?"

Ratatosk shakes his head again, murmuring, "No, we Summon Spirits need mana to live.  We're not native to this world, after all."

Worried about her friend, Marta asks, "But what'll happen to the Summon Spirits when mana disappears?"

Offering her a reassuring smile, Ratatosk says, "It won't vanish completely.  As long as the new World Tree produces mana, it will continue to exist.  I just won't be needed for those beings that are not tied to mana as we Summon Spirits are.  The mana that exists will flow here, and I will use it to create a new seal on the door.  After that, I'll control the flow of mana as is one of my duties, and make sure that it is evenly distributed and remains in balance from now on."

Zelos asks, "So, what exactly can we expect to change in our world, then?"

"Well, eventually…  The world will decline and die.  This is natural.  The removal of mana will return the planet to the state it was meant to be in originally.  All planets, like the creatures and plants that live on them, have finite lifespans.  This could take billions, or even trillions of years.  It's impossible to know for sure.  The world will return to what it was always meant to be."

"And…  Did Emil return to what he was meant to be?"  When Ratatosk turns to meet her gaze, Marta feels a bit uneasy about the shadow that flits across his eyes at her words.  She wonders if it has to do with why it took so long for them to work things out.

Ratatosk remains silent for a few moments, then finally says, quietly, "Yes, he did.  I have returned to what we were meant to be—I am both Emil and Ratatosk."

Marta nods, but still uncertain quickly asks, "But you remember us all, right?  Everything we went through?"

Ratatosk offers her a reassuring smile.  "Yes, of course.  How could I forget any of our journey?  You taught me so much—including how mankind is not as bad as I feared."

"Ratatosk…"  She smiles at him as a soft red light emits from her forehead, the core upon is fading from existence.

Ratatosk looks to the group and says, "You should leave.  I'll need to seal this place so that none may enter here again."

xXxXxXxXx

Richter stands before the door, sword in one hand and the Sacred Stone in his other, readying himself to sacrifice himself as a seal.  He hesitates, though, and slowly lowers both arms.  He slowly turns to Ratatosk and says, "Ratatosk, you are able to become both core and human.  Could you not allow Emil to live his human life?  He doesn't deserve to have that chance taken from him, he who was an innocent in all of this."

Ratatosk remains silent for several long minutes, several of Emil's memories, hopes, and desires flicking through his mind.  All of the younger blond's fondest memories involve the redhead, and his strongest desire…  He offers Richter a faint smile as his fingertips brush against his heart, sensing the small piece of Emil he had preserved within himself, with Verius' help.

"I'm not sure if we can separate again, Richter.  But when 1000 years have passed, I will have finished my work.  I will release you from this place at that time.  And, if I can, I will release Emil as well.  He would have wanted to remain by your side."

Richter just stares at the Summon Spirit in silence for several minutes.  Finally he manages to murmur, "Then I promise to take care of him in your stead."

"He'd like that."