#the backtrackers returning to philos

[lilyverse]

I want mc and Xavier to have a relationship fight sooooooooooooo bad. I wanna see relationship conflict

[daosies]

how they love you

xavier, rafayel ♡ gn!reader

warnings: major xavier and rafayel story spoilers, reader is the protagonist from the game (but gender neutral), rafayel is his own warning (hes a bit of a freak)

notes: im writing this like i understand xavier and rafayels lore (i dont. all i did was read up on reddit and the wiki before going straight off the dome.)

"xavier," jeremiah calls incredulously, "you're staring."

"no, i'm not," xavier lies straight through his teeth. his periwinkle eyes trail after you like they're bound to you, held together by a red string that knots at his irises.

(maybe they are.)

xavier blinks, resting for but a moment before his gaze returns. it'll always return—xavier thinks he does a lot of that. return.

"at least try to pretend," jeremiah remarks, tender expression betraying his incredulous tone. despite the fact that xavier is loitering in philo, posing a hazard to the nearby flora with his intense aura, jeremiah can't bring himself to say anything more.

xavier is in love—but that's not right, jeremiah thinks. xavier has always been in love. he loved you back in philos, in all your incarnations and the ones thereafter. xavier loved you when you sparred against him, when you rose to the throne, and even when you suffered and while everyone was against you, he loved you then, too.

jeremiah supposes that it's only right that xavier loves you now. because xavier loves with his whole being, it's not just his eyes that follow after you, but rather, his existence.

xavier follows you despite the era, traveling centuries back and staying just to catch a glimpse of you, to glimmer, ever so slightly, in your incomparable radiance.

we could go back, jeremiah thinks, conjuring up the possibility despite his nerves telling him not to. we could go back to philos. the core within your heart holds infinite possibilities.

if xavier wanted to, he could obtain your aether core, and that would be enough to return to the future—where you still exist, sure, but more importantly (to jeremiah, at least), where philos exists.

("we will not kill them," xavier muttered darkly, "do not bring this topic up again. i will find another solution.")

(and that was where jeremiah went wrong. because to xavier, philos is nothing. you have always been the whole, vast universe. you are the most important thing in this life, and the many more thereafter; and to xavier, no future matters except the one you exist in now.)

so, he did. he tried, at least. xavier scoured the ruined earth for protocores that could mimic the same capabilities of yours. he lived through centuries on earth, fighting for existence despite knowing that the answer lied, as it always has been, in you.

when your incarnation appeared, jeremiah never once doubted xavier's judgement. while the other backtrackers under xavier's command went mad, trying to harvest your aether core to return to philos, xavier fought—but more than that, actually. xavier loved.

xavier loved, no, loves, so fervently, so profoundly, that he killed the backtrackers who had tried to harm you. you are not the same incarnation that he loved back in philos, but the fact that it's you is enough for xavier to rid all doubts.

and jeremiah thinks that, despite xavier's desperate intent to return back to philos, he wouldn't mind living here on earth with you now. jeremiah has noticed that the fervent expression his captain once wore has dwindled into something more mellow, into something tender.

something like the looks he'd send to you from afar, chasing you across school rooftops and coexisting in between the clashing of blades—xavier loves.

and love has made him content. and love has made him present, when he never was before. when all he could do, prior to your incarnation's existence, was think of returning to philos.

(how could he return to philos when you're right here?)

"[name]," jeremiah calls, feigning ignorance to the way xavier glares at him, the captain's tender expression suddenly dissipating into nothingness. ouch, jeremiah thinks, mouthing to xavier, "you don't have to make it that obvious you don't like me."

"yeah?" you reply, glancing up from the foliage. xavier reaches over the many shelves of flora—much to jeremiah's dismay—before parting them to get a good look at your face. xavier smiles. jeremiah's jaw drops.

"did you find something you liked? you said you had to get a bouquet for a friend, right?" jeremiah asks, egging xavier on.

"a friend?" xavier echoes, not even bothering to look at the florista behind him.

"oh, yeah! i'm choosing a bouquet for this one guy—" jeremiah sees the way xavier's expression goes blank, lips thinning into a line whilst his periwinkle eyes, somehow, manage to retain their enamored look.

ah, jeremiah realizes, it's 'cause captain is still looking at them. of course it is—why did he expect any other reason?

although xavier remains silent, jeremiah knows that the only thing running through the captain's mind is: guy, guy, guy?!

"a guy?" jeremiah queries, deciding to put xavier out of his misery.

"yeah. he worked with my grandma when she was younger, but i have to deliver it through one of my friends because he lives in the arctic..."

"that means he's old," jeremiah whispers, loud enough for only xavier to hear. the captain glances away.

at least try to hide that look of relief, jeremiah thinks incredulously. still, it's fun to see xavier like this: with his tense brows easing up, his thinned lips turning slightly upwards. when xavier loves, he does it with his whole being.

it's in the way he slips in between the aisles of flora in order to be next to you. in the way he carries the vases of flowers for you despite knowing you're perfectly capable of doing so yourself.

when xavier loves, it's evident in the way his cold, indigo eyes melt into hues made of periwinkle. it's in the way his touch, hardened by years of training, melts into something as light as a feather. it grazes past your face, brushing a stray leaf away.

"how much will it be, jeremiah?" you ask, preparing your coin pouch. jeremiah feels xavier's glare piercing his skin.

i know, i know! is all jeremiah thinks. "for free. don't worry about it!"

"huh? that can't be right... these are a lot of flowers, jeremiah."

"it's okay, [name]," xavier interjects, resting a hand over yours to prevent you from getting your money. "he owes me a favor, and i never buy flowers. so it's best used for your bouquet."

again, xavier lies fluidly through his teeth.

"are you sure...? you could buy a couple flowers, xavier! you know, to decorate your room?"

xavier shakes his head. "i'd forget to water them, probably."

liar, jeremiah thinks. for his own safety, he opts to keep his mouth shut, observing the situation with a suppressed smile.

xavier can't even be bothered to hide his infatuation—when he does so much as look at you, his world comes to a halt, his attention fixated wholly on you when usually it drifts off into wonderland.

when he does so much as hear you, or perceive you, or exist with you, xavier shrinks into nothing, permeating wholly into your skin, melting into your bones and becoming a part of you.

forget his title as captain, or lumiere, or crown prince—xavier becomes yours. and that's all he needs to be.

somehow, jeremiah thinks that xavier is more than just a lover.

he's love itself.

rafayel taps his foot impatiently. with his arms crossed, his gaze darts back and forth between the clock and the door, brows furrowing once he realizes you're nowhere to be seen.

"ugh, that bodyguard!" he cries to no one. "always making me wait for this and that.... puh-lease, like i care!"

rafayel turns around and starts heading into the art museum, lips curled into a pout whilst he glances occasionally over his shoulder. eventually, he stops, still trying to discreetly scope out the premises.

they're still not here?! is all he thinks, reaching for his phone with newfound passion. rafayel tries calling you a couple times, somehow getting more and more offended when you don't pick up.

he then resorts to spamming your texts, his phone flailing around in his hands from the onslaught of his madness.

"you think this is just a game, huh?!" rafayel texts. "fine, it is! whatever! not like i care!!!!"

when you don't respond, he blinks owlishly in disbelief, staring at the screen with his mouth hanging agape.

no way they ignored me! rafayel thinks, somehow even more offended than before.

but the irritation nestled in his stomach morphs into worry, and the worry contorts into yearning. oh, rafayel thinks, staring at your contact name for far longer than he'd like to admit. what if something happened to them?

rafayel's imagination eggs his yearning further. what if you're waiting for him somewhere—with nothing but him on your mind, of course—tears spilling from your eyes while crying his name? what if you're injured, clutching your wound whilst thinking of him—and his killer looks—wishing you could see him right now?

oh. rafayel's imagination eggs his yearning further. oh, what if they're injured? he thinks, his fingers beginning to glide all across his phone's keyboard, spamming you like a madman whose lost all sense of reason.

"you don't have to show up," he starts texting, but quickly deletes that sentence. "text me when you see this," he manages to send, hand coming up to fiddle with some stray strands of his wisteria hair.

he feels his heart thrash against his chest like a fish out of water, his skin beginning to feel stuffy while he grasps at his shirt, crumpling the pearl fabric under his hands. what if you're hurt? what if something happened to you? what if you're leaving, and he isn't able to catch up?

rafayel hates waiting. he turns around, heading toward the exit of the museum, ignoring the looks of confusion from the people who just watched him enter and clutch his head manically.

again, rafayel's imagination runs wild, feeding him delusions and convincing him that he's your knight in shining armor, saving you from the clutches of despair. obviously, after he saves you—with his killer looks and killer moves—you're going to grovel at his feet and beg for forgiveness, hoping that he'll spare you so much as a glance for your impudence.

he tries to ignore the way his ribs begin to constrict, the way his chest begins to ignite with agonizing pain. not again, is all he thinks, rushing out of the museum. not again.

rafayel loves you. sometimes, he hates to admit it. sometimes, he knows it's fact. rafayel loves you—how could he not? you are bound to him, no, rather, he is bound to you.

rafayel is bound to you, yet even then, he struggles to keep up. he follows you hopelessly into every incarnation, trailing after your existence like a drowning man at sea, gasping for air and a wisp of your presence. he had you, once. and what a twisted thing love is, to give him so much hope and radiance, that he can't possibly fathom to live without it now.

rafayel is hooked on you, drinking you in greedily with his eyes, searching for you desperately amidst the tides. rafayel is hooked on you, he's left in a constant state of wanting more, more, more, even though you don't feel the same. even though you're perfectly okay with leaving him, oblivious to the effect you have.

you have carved rafayel's being, forcing his hands to be a perfect fit with yours, forcing his eyes to only ever hold you. you've dismembered rafayel's bones, taking apart the shafts and forcing yourself in, your existence running through his marrow, your existence running through his veins.

sometimes, rafayel hates what you've done to him. he hates how he's reduced to a spectator in your presence, the way he's destined to love you despite all you've done to him.

rafayel hates the way you go around, saving everyone, saving everything, even though he was the first. he was your first victim, your first lover, your first everything.

and you've forgotten. and you've forgotten. how could you? sometimes, rafayel envies you. he wishes he could be as blissfully ignorant as you, he wishes he could rendezvous around the world, unaware of what he's done before.

(how could he? how could he ever forget you? how could rafayel ever be anything more than what you've made him?)

he laughs bitterly to himself, running a hand through his hair when your caller id shows up on his phone. rafayel half-considers letting you go to his voicemail, but oh, the way his heart constricts, the way his hands instinctively move to answer.

rafayel isn't like you—he has a heart, first of all—he's made of memories, made of century-old pacts and vows that have haunted him across lifetimes.

rafayel isn't like you, because, first and foremost, he loves. he loves you. he loves you! and oh, how could he not? how could he ever forget what you've done for him? how could he ever forget what you've done to him?

(and yet, he loves you anyway. rafayel loves you, despite the way you betrayed him, despite the way you forgot. rafayel loves you, not only because he was made to love you, but because it's you. does he need any other reason?)

just before your call gets forwarded to voicemail, rafayel picks up. he swallows thickly, letting his yearning drip down his throat, permeating into his organs whilst he says, dreading the way his voice cracks, ever so slightly, "ahem. what took you so long, huh?!"

your voice glitches on the other end. rafayel feels heat rush to the tips of his ears, feeling the way you sound so close to him. he presses the phone closer to his head.

"sorry, rafayel! i was busy,"—rafayel scoffs at this, so is he, you're not special—"but i'm coming right now! just wait for me, okay?"

"ugh! no, i don't wanna! i'm leaving! did you hear that? i'm," rafayel trails off, pausing for extra emphasis (hoping that you'd care enough to interrupt him), "i'm leaaavvii—"

you hang up. rafayel gasps, staring at the end screen with a flabbergasted look.

"no way! ugh! nobody respects me around here! making me wait... who do they think i am? a waiter? the waiter?" rafayel mutters incredulously to himself, sending glares towards anyone who eyes him weirdly.

still, he remains put, crossing his arms with a pronounced frown whilst sunset eyes scan the area, looking for your familiar motorbike.

rafayel waits. begrudgingly.

then again, he supposes he does a lot of that when it comes to you.

he opens your contact one more time. "some bodyguard you are!!!" he texts. "i could be dying right now and you still wouldn't pull up, huh?!?!"

"i'm dying! i'm dying! heeeelllooo?! i'm dying!" he spams. the familiar whirring of a motorbike appears, and rafayel glances up from his phone, horizon eyes growing wide.

rafayel hates the effect you have on him, the way your sudden appearance can bring tsunamis to a lull, the way your sudden appearance makes an utter fool of him.

still, rafayel lets you get away with it.

(you've gotten away with a lot of things.)

"raf!" you call. "quit spamming me!"

when you take your helmet off, rafayel's breath hitches. you steal the oxygen from his lungs, a mere wisp of your existence making the world tumble.

"hmph!" he crosses his arms, hoping you don't see the way his ears bloom a violent red. "don't tell me what to do! do you know how long it's been?!"

"ten minutes?" you reply, unamused. rafayel glares at you.

too long, he thinks, eyes tracing over the bridge of your nose and the curl of your lips. the artist instinct with him begins to flare—he wants to paint, he wants to devote himself to you all over again, drawing tirelessly into the night.

"no. eight-hundred years, you idiot!"

you roll your eyes. "what an exaggeration."

rafayel huffs. "puh-lease! i just say it as it is!"

you start heading towards the museum, and rafayel scrambles to catch up, his throat beginning to close. his heart—whatever's left of it, at least—lurching forward.

it chases you. it chases you! it always, always chases you.

into every life, into every eon. rafayel chases you, desperate and made of memories, hanging onto the depths of your soul, forfeiting the ocean and the tide and all that ever mattered.

then again, rafayel supposes that none of it matters now. you're here.

and even if you don't remember, rafayel will love you anyway.

(how could he not?)

[janumun]

Nomos (Xavier - NSFW/18+)

Pairing: Xavier/Queen Reader (based on Xavier’s first myth) Word Count: 3.7k Tags: religious imagery/desecration sex, angst, evol bondage, oral sex, orgasm denial, Knight Xavier on his knees repenting to his Queen MC, spoilers for Xavier’s first myth, female dominating, canon divergence, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Summary: The Queen of Philos had sacrificed her heart ultimately and along with it, part of her humanity, in the wake of Xavier’s failed Backtrack mission; binding it to Philos’ core for eternity. Now, returned to her, centuries after, Xavier seeks his Goddess’ audience, and her forgiveness, within the stone-cold chambers of her castle. 

But centuries suffered alone, and with her heart now gone, she is a former frigid cast of the woman he used to love. Xavier is adamant on repenting, even if it costs him his life this time round. 

[A fic where Prince Xavier manages to return to Philos but he is too late; his Queen has long thrown her powerful core, her heart, into Philos’ centre and now, she has nothing to offer Xavier but her bitter resentment.]

O celestial body of mine, Slumbering adrift in darkness, Which never heeds the whispers of life, Till it fades into oblivion, nothingness. 

The rolling echo of thunder — knelling an approaching storm — was the only sound that rippled across the heavy, cold silence that had settled itself across the throne room. Wan shadows clung to the wide, dismal stone pillars of the great hall. Barely quelled by the flickering protocore lamps interspersed on either sides of the room. 

A looming, stone figure of the Goddess adorned the space right behind her great throne, staging Her chosen Sovereign to rule and obey, for all of Philos to see, placed by Her will upon the throne. The Goddess; doused in cool shadow, her sculpted eyes stared down glacial and unforgiving, set into regal stone. Her great Sword aimed at length towards the altar Xavier knelt at. 

The flagstone beneath his knee was a harsh and frigid reminder; Xavier considered, not for the first time how it too had frozen in on desolate isolation, just like his Queen’s majestic figure in front. She stood tall and silent — the paradigm of dignity she’d forced herself to be, for the sake of Philos... and for the sake of a lover who’d refused to accept the wretched Crown of a King.  

Solitary and unattended — he’d allowed her to experience the empty desolation that came with a Sovereign’s crown of lonely leadership. And yet, even confined to the yawning silence of her frigid throne room, she’d ushered Philos into an era of prosperity. While he— 

Xavier had failed her; her hopes, her dreams... her yearnings he’d turned blind to each time she’d granted him the soft brunt of her affections sifting like stone against his heart. So in love with her �� she would never know — and yet, the distance he’d maintained stretched flimsy in between them; closer than friends, stranger than lovers.  

The burden of her past life, their first life, lived in futility, through a heart that brought her no end of pain until it had burned her life out of existence — and in turn, ended his, in spirit — with her untimely demise.  

And he had — in misguided intentions, she viewed them as — refused to let the cycle of tragedy repeat once more, in the sacrifice of her sole being. As Xavier, prince of Philos. And a mere man in love with a woman. The one heart he could never bear to let go. In the name of a ‘greater good’, his father, the previous King had called it such. For Philos.  

To hell with a nation his father and his wretched co-conspirators had painted from the ground up, drenched in the blood of numerous sacrifices before her. Xavier had wanted no part in the perpetuation of that horrifying ritual.  

Desperation had eventually led him to adopt far perilous measures, to prevent her oblation in this lifetime — two centuries spent in between their tentative meetings, and then several countless more spent traversing the stars and through worlds in search of a solution. To prevent Philos’ downfall without the need to hold on to age old rustic customs. 

And he had promised her, his beautiful lonely Queen, a victory he had failed to bring to her feet. Swore to her in centuries past, when she’d still looked upon him with love naked in her gaze and worry taut in her features, that he’d search for a better path for Philos from among his travel in the stars, while she’d resolved to stay behind as their planet’s sole Sovereign; their Goddess incarnate.  

The tender warmth of her skin as he’d traced her features into memory on their last meeting all those centuries back, within the plaza rife with life; a reminder of what they were fighting for. The way she’d layered her own hand against his, letting her eyes drift shut as if she too wished to forget their fast-looming separation. 

And on the day of her coronation, he’d left her, branded as a traitor. Chancing one last, proud look upon her majestic form as she’d leveled the blade of her sword against his shoulders apiece, in their private ceremony of two, knighting him as her Grandis Knight. 

A fleeting, tentative touch of her palm she’d pressed against his shoulder in farewell, determined eyes staring into his from beneath the weight of her crown as she’d wished him well. 

“The fate of our nation rests within your hands now, Xavier. And should you fail, the entirety of Philos shall have to pay the price for the Prince’s failings.”  

Her delicate hand had tightened against the pressed shoulder of his regalia, not caring for the badges of honor there, digging into her skin. “May the Goddess be with you. Goodbye, Xavier.” 

 Xavier’s eyes flitter shut in resigned recollection; the very last touch of her warmth still fresh in his mind. In the flex of gloved digits against the badge attached to the hilt of his sword, one she’d gifted to him, in lieu of her star tassel.  

Now, as he kneels at her feet, she hasn’t even moved to touch him. Hasn’t deigned him worthy enough to afford even the mercy of her hands on his body, even if just to strike him. In ire or curses; Goddess, his heart and body have missed her so dearly. And yet, this is not the time for personal weakness. But repentance. And Xavier has always been one devoted to his cause, his one sole duty; to live and serve, to die or be tortured by her will alone.  

His Demiurge regent, his sole Queen.  

She observes great clemency as is expected of a Sovereign of her stature, when her steps shift closer; the dignified brush of her mantle pooling about her feet. Soft fur fabric brushing against the polished heel of pale shoes, the slip of bare skin through the part of her flowing robes at her legs, filling his line of sight as it remains firm, fixated upon the ground. For she has not allowed him leave to freely gaze upon her form. And Xavier is her Grandis Knight, committed to propriety of duty, if it is for her alone.  

He, however, dares: gloved digits reaching for the sweep of her queenly cape brushing the stone-cold flagstone. The pads of them skimming the soft of fur that lines its edges. And when she does not move to refute his brazen touch, he curves his fingers into the fabric and guides it up to his lips, lashes descending shut as he lays a kiss against the cloth, in show of the proper reverence she deserves. “I have returned, my Queen.” 

Xavier feels her shift above his genuflecting form, a response she utters in the voice he has missed. “Why?”  

“I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary for my failure, your Majesty. If it is my life you seek—”  

“Why have you returned now?”  

“Forgive me, your Majesty.” 

“You are far, far too late.” The first hints of displeasure seep into her intonation, accusing strains of heat Xavier prefers to the thick monotone she’d employed previously.

“Forgive me, your Majesty.”  

An explicable tremor breaks across her still form; minute, missable, were it not for how finely attuned he is to her mannerisms, her emotions, her simmering ire.  

“Why have you returned now, after all this time? You made no promises.” She asks once more, cool resignation in her voice.  

He stares fixedly at the sight of her feet, a response she seeks from him, he has no answer to.  

Silence stretches long and taut, infinite, in between them. 

“After the first five hundred years spent waiting in futility...” she deliberates. “I finally concluded that you’d died. Perished among the unknown.” 

His fist, sunk into the unyielding cold floor at his knee, crushes tighter at her words. “...Please allow me to look upon your Majesty’s face.”  

Her footsteps glide forwards, another step closer. Ignoring his entreaty, she resumes, “I continued to make excuses for your failure to return.” She pauses. 

“It brought me some modicum of comfort to know you had not just abandoned me but that you were simply no more.” The terrifying frigid inflection of her voice numbs Xavier’s heart — cool tendrils of dread coiling vines within his chest, like their first life, he’d held her within his arms. Watched the life pool out of her eyes, leaving her dull and lifeless within his embrace.  

She has lost her heart once more, and the mere thought has Xavier’s nerves driven to near devastation.  

But he is here, he knew of the consequences. And he is here, to bear through them, to accept his Sovereign — and beloved’s — ire; no matter if she remains full or half. She is all he draws breath for, all he fights for, the pinnacle of his existence and his desires. His guiding star, his monarch, his God. 

“Forgive me, your Majesty.” He speaks, once more. 

The first signs of emotion other than cool resentment thread through her low voice: furied indignance. “Utter insolence.” 

The heel of her shoe rises before his very gaze — Xavier’s eyes falling shut to accept the brunt of her oncoming strike. One that does not come. He feels her press the harsh tip of it, instead, underneath his jaw, knocking his face upwards so that his eyes meet hers, glacial turbulence within her gaze. “How does it feel to be demeaned as if you were a mere traitor, at my feet? Do you feel as violated and desolate as I too did all those years ago?” 

She is kind, she remains so gentle; her punishment, she considers it humiliation for him to be put at her feet when it is anything but. As if it could ever be. She offers him her worship instead, and so he follows her regal command. 

Pitching his face to dig deeper against the tip of her shoe, his eyes remain devoted upon hers. Gloved fingers he brings to curl, slow beneath the sole of her boot to support, mouth skimming a kiss of reverence to the polished surface.  

Ire and heat fulgurate within her gaze at his brazen actions, she continues to watch as his mouth parts, pink tongue darting forth to slick a slow, deferential path against the cool leather of her shoe. “This is not punishment enough, your Majesty, when your Grandis Knight has been ever prepared to end his life at your feet, were it your will.” 

The spark of heat within her gaze retreats and shutters itself behind its glacial curtain. “Do you remember what it is I told you when you embarked on your journey, my Knight?” 

“I do.” He murmurs, just as she digs the edge of her heel deeper against his cheek.  

She rips herself away from his worship, sweeping right up close against his kneeling figure, until he can catch the drifts of her perfumed scent emanating from her bone-ivory robes. Can feel the brush of the silken cloth adorning her thighs, against the tip of his nose. 

Wretched, blasphemous desire churns vicious within his belly at having the woman he loves this close, after centuries spent without her — a woman that is not his, never will be. Immoral desires of a sinner for Philos’ Mother. A woman — and their nation — he brought to ruin by his own hand; Philos’ branded traitor. 

“I told you,” she speaks, in the neutrality of a Sovereign, “that were you to fail, all of Philos would have to pay the price for the Prince’s failure.” She stills. “And I am Philos, I am centered to Her core. I am Her life-force as she is mine. Our people paid a hefty price for our peace, oh Grandis Knight.” 

Xavier’s face sinks forward, brushing the edges of her silken robes against his cheek. “Forgive me, your Majesty.” In the harsh clench of his jaw; and when she does not move to spurn him, he devotes a kiss of resigned reverence to the cloth above her thigh. Her body loses part of its stillness at the action.  

“Even after all this time...” she murmurs under her breath. “You refuse to address me by my proper name, like a foolish coward.” A slipping fracture of something akin to torment in her voice.  

Xavier lets his mouth glide further up across the lustrous cloth in begging of her pardon, for the ache he has caused, has continued to cause to her. To Philos. For his protection that he has always known held a double cutting edge to itself.  

He drifts towards her other thigh, mouthing proper worship onto it and his Queen — benevolent, tender in heart still — lets the Sinner at her feet do as he pleases. Canting his gaze heavenwards to watch as she allows; her own eyes that burn into his kneeling form, observing him from her place on high.  

Her legs shift, allowing Xavier the fleeting sight of unblemished skin in between the loose flow of her fabric and like a devotee starved, he’s drawn to the catch of her inner thighs revealed with the slight disarray of her robes beneath his questing mouth. Finding her undeniably warm when his lips brush near the junction of her thighs at bare skin.  

“My Knight—” 

“You may call me by my name, your Majesty.” His hungering tongue slips past his lips to lave gentle at her. “After all, I am no more than servant to your Majesty and her great throne.”  

“Grandis Knight, you are—” 

“I am your Xavier, your sinner.” His hot gaze rolls up towards hers and beseeches. “So, please call me by name so you may curse at me.” 

He feels the fire of her indignant resentment sputter within her gaze, receding the glacial indifference of it. Her cold fingers slink into his hair and wrench harsh at the argent strands, ripping a groan free of Xavier’s throat. The very first gift she makes of pain, to him, one he receives with the reverent ardour it deserves.  

Xavier heaves forward once more to settle in between her legs, nosing at the fabric of her mound, breathing in her scent. Teeth catching at the cloth that keeps her concealed from view before he loosens it apart with a violent jerk of his head.  

Moisture glistens tempting in between her folds — the firm press of her digits against the back of his head is the sole permission Xavier requires to engulf her entirely against an open, hungering mouth, a low moan of desire breaking past his throat at the intoxicating taste of her on his tongue.  

He laps up at her; a man starved — one he is, after the emptiness of her endured in his soul, the burdens of his failures and desires commingled in the wet lave of his tongue from base to hood. Slicking the edge of his tongue against the pearl at her apex. Her low sigh follows the incessant push of his face deep into her mound, his nose brushing at the curls of it, accepting the gift of her benevolence.  

“Did you know, my dear Knight—” her voice skitters mildly in pleasure with the press of the tip of his tongue, cleaving gentle into her slit. “It did get easier.”  

Her wetness seeps past her opening and onto his fervent tongue as he dutifully swallows. He feels incredibly parched, open mouth pressing deeper against her as he works her pleasure, tongue slinking into her depths. She clenches around him at the intrusion, knocking a muffled groan free of his throat.  

“When time finally ran out for your chance to return and Philos neared the end of its life, with our people on the brink of desolate death,” her breath jolts. “I marched out there.” 

His brows knit into a severe frown, stroking his need for her ire to sheath itself deeper into his body. He requires it; his Queen’s rightful anger so that he may take all of it and her, let her bruise her emotions into it, until the moment she’s used him up to her heart’s desires and she finally weeps and hurts no more.  

And so, his lashes descend with the tight spasm of her fingers carded through his hair, steering his mouth however she pleases. 

“And I willingly bound my life force to Philos’ core so that it could continue to live. Cut out the part of me that loved and felt until I turned myself into something entirely non-human for the sake of our people. A true God.” A slow, desolate string of weak sound tapers out of her body before it augments itself into mirthless laughter that rings hollow through the great, empty space of her throne room. “It was all too easy to do so, in a world I knew my Star no longer existed. For my heart had beat for him alone.” 

A heavy bludgeon of agony rips through his chest, tries and clambers its way out of his body before Xavier tamps it mercilessly in the gentle scrape of his teeth against her tight bundle of nerves. Her violent shudders, he feels buffets her limbs before he’s reaching out for her on instinctual, fervid desire in the clasp of gloved palms against the sides of her legs, trekking his touch up her thighs. A low moan parts her lips at the touch. 

Xavier’s audacious attempt at desecrating his God further underneath his obsidian worship is foiled in the twin blades of light that cleave around his wrists, whipping them swift and away from her body to shackle them together at the base of his spine. 

His body jolts through the glaze of his desires, part sense rending through the thick of pain knocking at the back of his breastbone to realize she’s forced his submission in the resonation of her Evol against his. Emulated his Light seamlessly in the binds of radiance — befitting of Philos’ Sovereign — wound tight at his wrists. Even centuries past now, she remembers the precise shape of his Light. 

He tests a flex against his restraints, finding they do not give an inch. “You’ve grown far too bold in your time away,” her voice is a cold dagger that scotches itself right beneath his ribs. She heaves him away from her body, reluctant mouth drenched in the strings of slick and spit that trail from his mouth to the soaked space of her legs. “Grandis Knight, what makes you think you’ve earned even an ounce of me to embrace as you would, a lover?” 

“I have not, your Majesty, forgive—”  

Severing through the rest of his apology in the quiet catch of Xavier’s breath when the sole of her heel comes to rise, knocking a firm, uniformed thigh apart to reveal the indecency of his arousal to her gaze, straining painful against the placket of too tight trousers.  

The edge of her heel trailing the inside of his thigh, she switches towards the heavy length of him. Brushing the underside of his arousal, Xavier’s shoulders tense in heavy need at the barely present stimulation. Before her heel sinks firmer against the length of him, jolting a groan free of him. “Does that feel good then?” 

“Yes, your Majesty.” He breathes heavily.  

“Look at you, coming apart under the mere, filthy touch of my foot.” Her brow bunches in an irked frown.  

“No part of you—” His voice breaks apart into quiet, ragged breaths at the stimulation of her heel against the increasingly sensitive strength of his arousal. “—is filthy to me, your Majesty.”  

Xavier tugs against the leash she’s made of her fist at the back of his head and she allows him, in that moment, to arch forwards and nudge the part of her dress aside. Sink into the wet heat of her; a man imprisoned to her tender mercies and the flood of her taste in his mouth. 

He works her open against his tongue, laving at her desires. Back and forth, he doesn’t let a single drop spill past his hungering mouth until he feels the tell-tale evidence of her orgasm in the insistent clench of her walls.  

Her hips gyrate forward in tandem to the suck of his mouth against her tightened bead and Xavier lets his shoulders fall slack to allow her free reign of her release as she grinds herself against his tongue to a precipitous finish. The gush of her desires Xavier drinks down, humming in dazed arousal, to have let her find her relief; used as her personal seat of pleasure, to be tossed at her will alone.  

Her hands flitter about his head, curling on either side of his jaw to pull away from the heaven of her body, and up as she descends, her mouth settling against his in a violent kiss he receives with vehement pleasure.  

Releasing herself, slow, from him only when her desire to breath turns overbearing. The edge of her thumb slips just past his damp bottom lip, urging his mouth open further. Before she spits against his revering tongue and instructs him to, “Swallow.” 

Xavier’s mouth clamps shut on instinct, working the taste of her against himself. Gaze flittering in darkening, vicious desire at the heat of his Goddess’ gift.  

A low hush of withering laughter leaves her mouth. “I’ve tethered a rabid beast to my side.” 

Her thumb and index cup about his jaw, coaxing his gaze to remain on hers, bright, burning. “Swear to me,” she speaks. “Swear that your loyalty shall never lie with another.”  

He feels his Queen curl a tremulous fist into the robes at his shoulders, crumpling the fabric hard in between her fingers. “Swear that you shall remain mine, my Grandis Knight, for all time. That you shall never abandon me again, Xavier.”  

His gaze quivers in fleeting emotions for a moment’s weakness, steel gray resolve returning once more to utter his vow renewed. 

“I have always been yours to have or reject, your Majesty. This Knight — his Body and Soul is yours alone to wield.” 

Making of himself, a promise, he commits to her in the life she shall have; to end at the sweep of her sword, should he ever dare renege on it.  

Declaring himself, at long last, in his clear devotion; to his one Queen and God.  

Tagging: @samanthagnicole , @catboi-anon , @beebumbo , @hellinistical , @dangerousluv1 , @webmvie , @aria-tempest , @raendarkfaerie , @lamentinee , @unhingedsillygod , @tiredas

(Skipping folks who do not have tagging permissions on, so they cannot be mentioned, unfortunately)

I had the angsty pleasure of reading Xavier’s first myth for the first time a few weeks back and with the help of a Xavier main friend and inspiration drawn from Xavier’s prayer pose in photobooth, this fic was born. I hope you enjoyed your read! 

Likes, comments and reblogs are always appreciated, if you are so inclined, lovelies!

If you’d like to be tagged in my future stories, you can fill this short form here. If you’d like to be removed, shoot me a DM! You can also find me on Ao3 and twitter, if you’d like to chat or just squeal with me about hot characters, in general.

[fromlinkon]

in every lifetime • xavier [沈星回]

pairing: xavier x queen of philos!mc

genre: angst

tags: canon xavier (based on his myth), queen of philos!mc vs. linkon!mc, the one that got away, miscommunication, might have some inaccuracies in the story line (i’m a raf main pls)

word count: 3718

synopsis: after 200 years, xavier has finally returned to philos—although, you don’t seem particularly happy to see him. not to mention, something seems different about him …

author’s note: hey y’all! doing this for one of my besties who loves some angst and loves some xavier. consider it a continuation of xavier’s myth with some adjustments. grab the tissues and enjoy!

“your majesty.”

the guard stops at the base of the throne, urgency laced in his voice as he bows before me. the boy is young, barely old enough to be a lightseeker. i spare him a passing glance and set the novel in my hand on the side table with a sigh. the light in the throne room is near blinding from the morning sun as i meet his eyes.

“yes?”

“the lightseekers asked me to deliver a report on their behalf.” he swallows nervously. “t-the backtrackers—they’ve returned.”

a devilish mix of emotions churn in my stomach—surprise, excitement, and the betrayal of relief to hear that they’ve made it home safely.

that he’s made it home safely.

“consult with the palace staff to arrange their welcome dinner this evening. i will address them formally then. i’d like a full report of their findings and their status—each of them.”

“yes, your majesty.”

the young boy runs off into the palace halls, and i release the breath i hadn’t realized i’d been holding. the thought of him in philos once more, standing before me as if he’d not been gone for two centuries releases a mix of emotions i hadn’t felt in years. as if we were novice lightseekers in training still, sparring in the school courtyard for everyone to see.

as much as i yearned to feel his hand in mine again for the first time in forever, there were so many unanswered questions that sat at the pit of my stomach. why was he gone for so long? how difficult was his quest to find an alternative energy source for philos? what had he been doing? was he alright? the questions battled with one another as i rose from the throne, a dizzying sensation in my mind as i strode mindlessly to my chambers to prepare for the evening.

* *

the maids lead me to the main banquet room at the center of the castle halls, fidgeting with my hair and gown and all else as the guards prepare to announce my arrival. i hear the chatter in the dining room settle as the sound of my heartbeat thrums against my eardrums.

the gilded doors swing open as i enter, a dozen pairs of eyes fixated on my every move as i glide across the marble floors with my head held high. they raise from their chairs to bow obediently, a gesture i quickly shut down with a wave of my hand as i approach the tallest chair at the head of the table. each of them dons their lightseeker uniform, adorned with medals of honor and strength in intricate patterns along their lapels.

he sits among them, three down on the left near the center of the table. he’s the only one whose gaze does not meet mine, intently focused on the bottle of wine before him. the urge in me to send the rest of his team off into the night and drag him to my quarters to demand answers gnaws at my insides, a feeling that grows incredibly hard to ignore as i settle into my seat before them.

“i am pleased to welcome each and every one of you home to philos,” i enunciate, fixating on the iridescent sapphire eyes that drown in mine. “your mission is critical to the health of our planet and our people. i recognize that you all have much lost time to make up for.” another pitiful gaze in my direction. “and i urge you to prioritize rest, restoration, and regeneration. i look forward to your findings and hope to collaborate with you on returning prosperity to our home in the coming days. but until then—” i raise my glass. “please drink and eat to your heart’s content.”

time passes quickly, the room filled with lighthearted conversation and a barrage of questions on what the team had missed in philos over the last two centuries. i share an abridged version of the past events, changes among nobility and the health of our people and our economy. i don’t lie to them—philos is struggling, even with the support i can provide in sustaining the planet’s core while they hunted for an alternative energy source.

my body had grown weaker in recent years, beaten and battered by running energy trials with our guards to stimulate the planet’s core. energy was critical for our planet’s ecosystem, no matter how it was obtained. i’d learned that lesson long ago, when i was at the edge of a blade where my life was considered an even exchange for an immortal energy supply.

he was the only one that sought to protect me from that fate, placing this crown on my head and his power in my hands so that no one could take me away from him. yet somehow, he was the same one that disappeared without a trace for two hundred years. the fact that he sat just several seats away from me, unscathed and in seemingly perfect health, filled me with an irrational sense of rage.

he had no right to be perfectly fine when he was gone for two hundred years. no right to sit there before me, enjoying his dinner and laughing with his teammates while i had been trapped in this sterile castle for two hundred years. bound to this throne—no, shackled. regardless, i mind my tongue and finish dinner peacefully.

the evening passes without a hitch, team members retiring to their base as conversation slows to a lull. the gentle clink of dinnerware onto rolling carts signals the end of our meal, coaxing me out into the palace halls where i bid goodbye to the remaining lightseekers. he stays behind, as expected of their captain.

“should we go somewhere and talk?” he asks, and i raise an eyebrow.

“about?” i reply in question, as though there weren’t two centuries of conversations to have.

“don’t be like that,” he mutters, shame flickering across his face for a brief moment as he looks out into the courtyard gardens. the same gardens where we’d run off to and hide from our training sessions. “you know we have plenty to talk about.”

“you know where to go, then,” i reply, gesturing down the hall towards the den where we’d study during our school days. he leads the way, not a beat skipped as the former crown prince of philos. he strides the halls like a natural, nothing like the way i subconsciously counted each step i’d take in these halls.

with a swift order to the nearest guard to ensure that we were not to be disturbed, i lock the door behind us and watch as he taps his hands nervously against the surface of the oak desk at the center of the room. i watch his movements like a hawk, arms crossed over my chest as he glances out the windows into the night.

“�� i thought about you every day.” xavier finally meets my gaze, though it’s nothing like the look he’d given me during dinner. this was the same as the boy i’d fallen in love with, many moons ago. “you have to know that.”

“i don’t think i do,” i answer bitterly, approaching him with slow, deliberate strides. he looks pathetic, eyebrows furrowed as he pines for my sympathy. “does the deepspace tunnel no longer allow for correspondence on mission updates? were the backtrackers an exception?”

“no, but it wasn’t as easy as you’d think,” he replies softly, reaching for me as i crane away from his touch. “jeremiah and i worked day in and day out on finding a way to regenerate the backtrackers fleet so we could be up and running again.”

“and what were you doing in the meantime?” i ask, eyes scanning his face for any signs of injury—something that i couldn’t avoid doing even when i wanted to hate him.

he explains cautiously, the tale of jeremiah finding a side job running a shop to make passive income while he hunted for protocores that would mimic the heart of philos. he joined something called a ‘hunter’s association’ in an attempt to extract energy sources and preserve them for future study here on philos. it sounded as though much of them had lost touch with one another, growing comfortable with their lives in the past version of our planet and the opportunity to start over.

“why did you come back, then?” i ask abruptly, causing xavier to widen his eyes in surprise. leaning against the desk, i clasp my hands in my lap. “what stopped you from staying there and starting over like everyone else that chose to do so?”

xavier chews on his bottom lip, deep in thought for a moment as he struggles to find the right words to say. he finally presses his hand over mine, warm to the touch and unmoving as he holds my gaze.

“i will always find my way back to you. in this lifetime and every other.”

“so you’ve finally forgotten about the girl that gave you that star tassel when we were younger?” i joke, albeit terrible timing. xavier scoffs, tightening his grip on my hands as if i were about to slip out from under his palm.

“two hundred years and you still know how to hold a grudge, i see,” he chuckles, pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead. such a small gesture, but one that ignited a fire within me that i thought had died the second the backtrackers had entered the deepspace tunnel.

“it’s been so hard for so long,” i finally choke out, ashamed by the way i was crumbling under his touch. “philos—i-it’s dying. people are looking for answers, and i don’t know how long we have—”

xavier’s face pales, realization setting in from the desolate planet he’d left behind. he nods, a dry swallow following as he pulls me into an embrace. he still smells like nectarine blossom, the scent enveloping me as i bury my face into his chest. it’s almost as if i need to in an attempt to remind myself that he’s real, that he’s actually standing in front of me in this moment.

“we’re going to fix everything. i promise.”

several weeks pass, the remaining lightseekers working tirelessly to analyze the protocores they’d retrieved during their expedition and record their abilities to produce enough energy to sustain philos. so far, it seemed as though they had been unsuccessful. xavier would visit me at the throne room daily, offering updates on their findings and staying with me for dinner. it was admittedly awkward at first, a strange sort of distance between us as we navigated being in each other’s company after so long. 

randomly, xavier would reference something that happened during his time in the past—something happening at jeremiah’s flower shop, lunar new year celebrations in linkon city, a cat café he visited often with his partner from work. i’d smile and nod encouragingly, asking to hear more despite the pang of jealousy that clipped at my chest. whether or not he regretted returning to philos falling apart, i didn’t know.

and i was too afraid to ask.

with how often xavier had been frequenting the castle, i offered to arrange for him to return to his old chambers. ever since he’d left, i’d made sure no one used the crown prince’s room for anything—everything was to remain exactly as it was. and, it did. despite protest, i urged xavier to return home so that he could be more comfortable—under the impression that he would be able to coordinate philos’ regeneration with me more efficiently, of course.

the maids hurried after me in a panic as i helped the guards carry more of xavier’s belongings into his chambers, calling after me to take care of myself and leave it to the castle staff. i shrugged them off, hair tossed into a familiar ponytail as i wiped the sweat off of my forehead with a huff. xavier and i had turned it into a bit of a competition, who could carry the most trunks in the shortest amount of time.

“i still think you lost,” xavier huffs, hands on his knees as he hunched over to catch his breath.

“and i think you’re still a sore loser,” i quip, falling back onto his bed with a deep sigh. his sheets were the same—quilted with gold and navy stitching. he glances over at me and i laugh with an attempt to sit up. “i hate to admit it, but having you around will bring some life back into this castle—if not to the rest of philos.”

his faces flushes again, a strained expression torn between wanting to keep teasing and remembering the gravity of our situation now that they were back. i clear my throat, moving to the boxes that sat atop his dresser. he follows me, sifting through the smaller packages that had been stacked together.

“why don’t we start putting these away?” i ask, reaching for a box at the top. xavier suddenly reaches for my hands, rubbing at his eyes dramatically.

“but we’ve done so much already. i think we deserve a nap,” he mumbles, trying to tug me towards the bed once more. i ignore him, shuffling out of his grip with another laugh.

“don’t be lazy!” i scold, about to grab the box again. “the faster we finish, the faster we can rest.”

“let me do that one,” he urges, trying to stretch past me. i snake beneath his reach, clutching the box to my chest in one swift motion and tumbling around him. his expression falters as he fails to grab it from me in time, watching as i climb onto his bed and tear it open excitedly.

“what’s with the evasiveness?” i tease, prodding at the contents and laying them out on the bed one by one. a bunny plush, a rewards card for a restaurant, a pack of playing cards covered in cats. most of the items seemed to be silly mementos of his time in the past, something i’d wholly expect from xavier. “these are quite cute.”

“had enough?” he asks, a strange twinge of relief in his voice as he’s about to reach for the box again.

“wait—i think something else is at the bottom,” i note, setting aside everything else as i pull out a lilac envelope housing a letter in xavier’s handwriting. “what’s this…?”

… everything about you becomes clear. your sorrow, your joys, your body and even your soul. from the moment we first met, i treasure these moments in the depths of my heart. they always shine brilliantly.

in the envelope, nestled next to the letter, was a thin silver ring adorned with the symbol on xavier’s sword.

“what is this?” i turn to xavier in genuine curiosity, unable to decipher what i had just read. xavier is pale, averting my gaze as he silently begins to pack away all of the things i’d removed from the box. a sickening feeling settles in my stomach, my mouth dry and my ears ringing.

“i told you to let me do this one,” he mumbles under his breath, still avoidant as he tears the letter from my hands and tosses the box aside. “it’s nothing.”

“nothing?” i scoff, sliding off of the bed and cornering him against the wall near the dresser. “what kind of nothing warrants this kind of response?”

“it doesn’t matter,” xavier scowls, fingers tightly clutching to the envelope in hand. the lilac envelope with the love letter. the lilac envelope with the silver band.

“doesn’t matter?” reaching for his wrist, i yank it so that the letter sits between us. “tear it apart then.”

“w-what?”

“tear it apart,” i growl, eyes shooting daggers into his. “tear it to shreds, if it’s really nothing.”

xavier swallows, prying my fingers off of his wrist as he sets the letter onto the dresser with a huff. we stare at one another in an uncomfortable silence, one that hangs heavy in the room as neither of us know what to say in the moment.

“did you want to find your way back to me?” i finally ask, referencing his line from when we’d first reunited with a strain in my voice. “or, did you just have to?”

“it’s not like that and you know it,” xavier scolds, an obvious hurt in his voice.

“do i?”

everything comes crashing down on us in that single moment. years of unspoken attraction, years of worrying for one another before it all fell silent the moment he set foot into that deepspace tunnel. two hundred years of sitting on that cold, hard throne—waiting for the moment he returned. knowing that the only reason i sat on that throne was not because i was deserving, but because xavier so badly wanted to prove to me that he could save this planet all on his own and protect me in the same breath.

somewhere in those two hundred years, his priorities were clearly misaligned.

“it’s not like that,” he repeats, his voice steady and controlled as he holds onto my wrists and gestures for me to sit back on the bed. my body moves on its own, lifeless and robotic as i follow his motions in silence. time moves slowly, nothing feeling real as the room closes in around us.

someone else was holding his hand all this time. someone else whose heart he wanted so badly to protect. someone else that heard his voice in the morning. someone else that he was able to have so many firsts with. someone else that kept him from coming home for so many years.

xavier begins to pace back and forth, evidently torn as i recognize the pain in his eyes. his voice crack with the weight of everything he’d been holding back, taking a deep breath to meet my gaze.

“i—i don’t even know where to start. i don’t want to hurt you, but i can’t lie to you.” i raise an eyebrow and he takes it as a sign to continue. he rubs his face with a sigh, visibly struggling to find the words. i almost feel sorry for him. “when i went through the deepspace tunnel … i had one goal in mind. finding an alternative to preserve philos. to protect you. but i—i didn’t expect it. finding her.” he looks over at me pitifully. “finding you.”

my heart pounds violently against my ribcage, confusion etched across my face as i tried to make sense of his explanation. my mind sifts through my limited understanding of deepspace voyages, beyond the lightseeker expeditions i had hoped to join in this lifetime. xavier had explained it in passing many times when we were still in school, the idea that travel across time throughout the deepspace would cause us to encounter multiple versions of ourselves in alternate realities. 

even in another lifetime, he had found me.

“when i found this alternate version of you, it was like … seeing you again for the first time. without the burden of everything that was happening.” he swallows, leaning back against the dresser and slumping onto the ground in defeat. his voice wavers as he tries to hold back the emotions flooding through him. “you didn’t know all the pain, the things that were coming. and i hated myself for craving that, but it felt so real. knowing that there was a possibility out there where the world wasn’t falling apart, even for a little while.”

the room is deadly silent after his confession. he stares up at me with wide, pleading eyes, as if he’s begging me to say something—anything—to break the tension. my body feels unreal as i struggle to process everything, eyes still fixated on the lilac envelope sat atop the dresser. i finally force myself to look at xavier, feeling my heart shatter at the expression on his face.

“you think falling in love with another version of me is something i’m supposed to just … understand? accept?” i mentally curse at the way my voice trembles in response, partly from the betrayal clawing at my stomach and the disappointing urge to console him.

“i never meant for this to happen, to hurt you,” xavier begs, desperation painted across his features as he continues in that soft, gentle voice of his. “i’m just … telling you the truth. i don’t even know what to do in a situation like this.”

“stop.”

a deep breath steadies me, filling my lungs and easing the pain in my chest as i collect my thoughts. the initial shock wavers, replaced with a desperate attempt of my own to piece together his explanation so that i could respond.

“i would never sit here and tell you that this doesn’t hurt me. that would be a disservice to myself. it hurts more than i can put into words, xavier.” my gaze darkens as it meets his, my voice steadier than before. “you found a part of me that was lucky enough to not be weighed down by everything that’s happened to us. and in some ways, i understand. but loving an idea of who i am and loving who i am in front of you, right now, are two very different things.” i swallow dryly, thinking through my next words carefully. “i can’t imagine how i go about forgiving a thing like this, but i do know that … i don’t want to lose you. not again.”

xavier moves to stand up, some semblance of relief washing over him as he collapses onto his knees with his head in his hands. as much as i want to pull him into my arms, i know that the hurt relentlessly running through my body would not allow me to.

“i meant it when i said i will always come back to you,” he answers in a hushed voice. i glance down at him, the defenses i fought to keep up crumbling by the second. “no matter what happens, i am yours.”

“then prove it,” i order, lowering myself to meet his gaze as i take his face in my hands.

“in this lifetime and in every other.”

[edgarbright]

tl;dr Caleb is innocent until proven guilty + the game already told us who is responsible for the house explosion and it's not him

There's been a surge of popularity over the theory that Caleb himself staged the house explosion and it reminds me of how, for months and months, people kept accusing Rafayel of leaving MC to drown in chapter 7--despite MC immediately stating afterwards that it was Rafayel who was in danger, not her. And she also explicitly thanked him for saving her so that she didn't drown! But people still kept accusing him.

MC: "You're the idiot. The whirlpool was obviously a death trap, but you just swam right into it..."

MC, a few lines later: "Anyway, thanks... You were the one who pulled me out of the water, right? Thought I heard your voice before I blacked out..."

I'm excited to learn Caleb's POV of the house explosion incident, because it was his idea to return home and not to keep Grandma waiting! And it was MC who stated he should go inside, alone. They literally parted ways in the worst way: after an argument. Like what was going on in his head at that moment when he first felt the heat on his skin and knew MC was, blessedly, still outside?

Plus what would Caleb have to gain by killing Grandma except MC's hatred? Grandma was already dying!

And I point all of this out because the game already showed us who was responsible for the house explosion in the World Underneath, chapter 6 part 6 of Sealed in Dust: it was the rogue agents from Xavier's Backtrackers working for Ever Group!

Raincoat: "You silenced Josephine and retrieved the research material from back then. Good work."

The "You" here is to the Backtracker, the "hat-wearing man." And we know it is a Backtracker because Raincoat further says: "Your Prince Xavier has been glued to her side watching over her, right?"

And the Backtracker confirms his own association by saying: "Hmph, Xavier can only guard her for so long. He's too busy dealing with his own issues. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's not just Ever who wants her."

Plus the item exchange in this transaction is the research information taken from Grandma's house before the explosion and a drug to help the Backtracker survive longer on Earth. Ever Group, as we know, has a strong hand in the medical science.

Remember the Backtrackers are turning into Wanderers--Xavier already killed one of his men, Isaiah, and later straight-up murders another Backtracker who is in the process of turning (see below). Remember that MC on Philos was used as the fuel in the planetary machine that kept everyone and everything alive. Many of the Backtrackers want to sacrifice her again to save their lives! And Xavier tells them to back off. He's using his sword to make sure they back off. He knows his own people are a danger to her. (How tragic that he brought a danger with him on his expedition to save her...)

So in conclusion, Caleb is innocent until proven guilty, the game already told us the main people responsible for the explosion are Ever Group and the Backtracker rogue agents, and with all the trailers reminding us again and again, we really shouldn't be questioning that Caleb has only ever wanted to look after MC. Caleb wants to be with her! So you honestly can't have your LIs doing unforgivable things like murdering beloved Grandmas, like let's be real here.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk! We're less than 3 days until Caleb's homecoming!

[thisgirlwhomustnotbenamed]

MC on Philos and MC on Earth being one person in Xavier's storyline

This is my theory about MC on Philos and MC on Earth being one person in Xavier's storyline.

First, let's briefly talk about the timeline in Xavier's myth.

According to what everyone knows and the information I gathered, MC and Xavier first met at the academy on the planet Philos. The year was 214. Two hundred and fourteen years had passed since Philos was born. That also means 214 years have passed since the Earth collapsed.

Humans have replaced Earth's exhausting core with a powerful artificial core. This core holds the fragmented lands together, preventing them from dispersing into the starry sea. So, aside from more dust, cloudier days, and cumbersome travel between tectonic plates, planet Philos isn't much different from the Earth in the past.

Yes, so Philos could be Earth in the future. It is divided into continental plates and needs an artificial core to prevent the planet from breaking into many different plates.

They met, got acquainted and developed feelings for each other. Unfortunately, in her first life, MC had a heart disease and had to stay in the hospital to di***e slowly.

In the last moments of her life, MC got out of the hospital to go stargazing, wanting to fulfill her final promise to Xavier. At this time he also returned, covered in injuries, holding an energy core in his hand that he wanted to give to MC. If nothing changes, then the Aether core is currently in her heart.

MC is so weak now that she can't hold on anymore. She asked Xavier to return the core to its original place and then passed away in his arms. I don't know if Xavier later attached the Aether core to her, but MC was reincarnated with it.

In her second life, MC studied at the same academy as Xavier. He is now the crown prince. MC is trained to become a royal knight, become the king's sword and is loyal to him until de***ath.

This time, Xavier discovered Philos' terrifying secret. The artificial core has long been exhausted. So the royal family sent Lightseeker knights to the Starfall forest to feed the planet. On the surface, it was to destroy Wanderer, but in reality it was to replenish Philos's lacking energy source.

Because of this event that Xavier decided to give up the throne. He can’t sit on a throne made from his people’s fle***sh and blo***od. Especially when the royal family decided to sacrifice MC to become an endless source of energy for the planet because she has the ability to reborn over and over again. Probably due to the Aether core in her heart.

Xavier's ideal is to save everyone, not most people. He founded the Backtracker, finding a way back to the past to find an energy core for Philos. At the same time, let MC become queen so she can manage the situation in Philos and protect herself.

There are many theories that MC on Earth and MC on Philos are two different people. And MC on Philos is still waiting for Xavier to return. But I don't think so.

First, we have to mention the Backtracker. Xavier's first purpose for founding the team seems very noble. So he must find friends and teammates who also share the same ideals, justice, kindness, or at least are trustworthy enough to carry out the mission. If MC's secret is exposed, it will be very dangerous for her to be on her own.

Then why in chapter 2 of Anecdotes and chapter 8 of the main story, did he ki***ll his friends and teammates? It could only be because they have fallen, no longer want to follow Xavier's ideals, and turned into enemies wanting to ha****rm MC.

Maybe when they were initially stuck on Earth in the past, they still had the rationality to find a peaceful solution. But over time, sensing that this universe would wipe out outsiders and Philos's slow de****ath in the distance, many Backtracker teammates became desperate.

After all, it is easier to sacrifice a single person than to risk the lives of many people into an unknown future. So they chose to confront Xavier, regardless to the point that they didn't even care about their lives. They couldn’t stand a chance against Xavier, yet they tried to fight him anyway.

If people who were far away from Philos are that desperate, what will happen with MC who chooses to stay in Philos and witness with her own eyes that it is about to fall into destruction?

I feel there are two possibilities.

One is the MC, as the queen of Philos, could no longer sit still and wait to di***e, so she carried out a mission herself. She wants to travel to Earth in the past to get the energy core for Philos. Xavier mentioned Traceback 2, right? If there is 2, which means there must be 1. Maybe MC drove Traceback 1 and then got sucked into a black hole and got stuck on Earth in the past

Second, MC returned to the past with Xavier on the Traceback 2. But something went wrong midway and the two were separated.

MC's return to the past through the Deepspace tunnel was mentioned through Noah's words. Noah once said that there was a problem with space travel called slipspace during the Backtrack. The spaceship couldn’t handle the fluctuations of the Deepspace tunnel.

Noah then continued to say that MC and the Aether core had vanished, most likely dissolved into cosmic dust. Only Noah would say that after she went through the Deepspace tunnel and having an accident. He wouldn’t just mention it out of nowhere:)

Also, do you know what will happen if you fall into a black hole? According to the most reasonable theories, it would be a painful “spaghettification" de***ath. In spaghettification, the intense gravity of the black hole would pull you apart, separating your bones, muscles, sinews, molecules, and even smaller, an atoms.

In Xavier's Shinning traces card, he said this: "Humans will eventually turn to dust, each person will become an insignificant atom in the universe. But atoms can never be destroyed. One day we will meet again under the stars."

Makes me wonder if he's hinting at a reunion between them? He never believed that she is gone. Her soul, her atom won’t be destroyed. Xavier just need to find her.

MC was pulled apart and di***ed in the Deepspace tunnel. But due to the distortion of space and time, instead of being reincarnated to Philos like before, she was reincarnated to Earth in the past. Explaining how she was once a child, lost her memories and grew up as a normal person.

The second thing is Jeremiah's attitude when he saw MC. If she was just a substitute, would he accidentally say: "Long time no see..."?

Apparently Jeremiah also considered Earth MC to be Philos MC. When he could help her, he said: “I just never thought I’d actually able to help you.” In this statement I feel intimacy, respect and a little guilt. Perhaps Jeremiah was always worried about the fact that he couldn't help MC much while in Philos.

[my-soul-sings]

let's go to uluru

Fandom: Love and Deepspace Characters: Xavier x MC

Summary: They meet again in a sea of flowers, one that looks just like their little planet.

Contains spoilers for Xavier's 'Shooting Stars' myth story.

A/N: I needed a fix-it fic after reading his myth story, and this is how I wish it would end for Xavier and MC in their timeline. :")

Also posted to AO3 - see the link in the replies to this post!

+++++

It’s been a long time, to say the least. But, coming back to Philos isn’t an event to be celebrated. After all, he’s a backtracker; a traitor who is no longer welcome here.  

The spaceship lands in the middle of Starfall Forest, with only the rustling of leaves and the gentle afternoon breeze extending a soft greeting. The forest, once deemed to be a frightful, dangerous area crawling with wanderers, is now a tranquil haven under the cover of the towering trees. 

Xavier leaves the spaceship and feels the gravel crunching beneath his boots. His hair tousles as the wind blows against his lifted cheeks, and he inhales a deep breath of fresh air. 

When he closes his eyes, all he can see is her. 

And in his mind, the same question that has been haunting him for days remains: 

Is she still waiting for him? 

++++++

Behind the palace is now a blooming field of flowers — one that never existed in his time. 

Xavier climbs up the slopey hill, mindful not to trample on the little wildflowers as he goes by. As he ascends, so does the pace of his heart. It trembles in his chest, his mind anxious as he wonders what he should say when he sees her again. Centuries have passed, and people change. What if she no longer remembers him? Or what if she has fallen in love with someone else? 

Xavier’s questions promptly vanish, dissipating into stardust when he finds a familiar figure standing in the middle of the sea of flowers, her regal cloak floating in the air. A stronger breeze blows then, nudging the hood of her cloak off her head, and then he sees ribbons of her hair, flowing and dancing in the breeze. 

Her head turns at the sound of his footsteps, and their eyes meet. 

For a moment, he’s not sure what to say. But his legs continue to move, closer and closer and closer, until his toes meet hers. 

She doesn’t utter a word, not even when her name slips past his lips. She only stares at him, eyes wide and glassy with unshed tears. The unspoken question that she has is written all over her face: 

Is this a dream? Are you real? Have you truly returned to me? 

He takes her hand in his, marvelling at how warm she is to the touch, and places it on his chest. His heart beats stronger and faster now, as his eyes trace over the curves and lines of her face. 

She looks the same as the day they parted, except now, there’s a trace of a hesitant smile on her lips. 

“It’s me. I’m home.” 

Her palm presses into his chest, taking a moment to feel his heartbeat, and her eyes search his. Whether it’s to search for a trace of a lie or truth in his eyes, he’s not sure. 

But the moment she’s done studying him, no more assurance is needed. She throws her arms around his neck in that instant, leaping into his embrace. 

Taken aback by the sudden weight, Xavier catches her, but fails to steady himself. They go tumbling down the hill, rolling down the slope of flowers. Petals and grass are thrown into the air as they go, until they eventually roll to a stop at the foot of the hill. 

They continue to hold each other tightly, as if afraid that letting go will mean the other will disappear once more. 

Then Xavier hears a quiet sob, and he hurriedly releases her, holding her by the shoulders and checking her for injuries. All he finds are flowers and grassblades in her hair, and despite the tears streaming down her face, she can’t help but giggle as she picks out a stray petal from his cheek. 

“Are you hurt?” he asks, wiping them away with his thumb. 

She shakes her head. “I was, but I’m okay now.” 

Another choked sob escapes her, and she buries her face in his chest, her tears dampening his clothes. 

Xavier lets her cry, cradling her in his embrace and holding her like that for as long as she needs. 

++++++

The sun is setting by the time she’s composed herself. They sit together largely in silence, her head resting against his chest as she leans back against him, and his back rests against the flowery slope. Their fingers are still tightly intertwined, and he can feel the ticklish sensation of her fingertips brushing against the back of his hand, as if to examine him thoroughly for injuries like she used to.

“You made me wait for so long,” she murmurs absently, and his heart aches at the sound of her slightly hoarse voice. “I thought you’d never return.”

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to either,” he replies truthfully, thumb brushing over hers in a soothing motion. “And I thought you wouldn’t be waiting for me after so much time has passed.”

“Hmph. As if I’d let you get away so lightly. You owe me a huge debt for taking over your royal responsibilities all this time, and more importantly, you ought to be punished for lying to me.”

“I… lied?”

She turns her head, shooting him a glare from the corner of her eye, before returning her gaze to the sky above them. “Yeah. You’re a biiiiig stinking liar.”

He chuckles at the sight of her cheeks puffing up slightly. It’s been a while since he saw her throw a tantrum.

“I apologise… But, what did I lie to you about?” 

She scoffs lightly. “Some apology. Shouldn’t you reflect on your own before apologising?” 

Xavier smiles, resting his chin on her head and wrapping his arms around her waist. She doesn’t put up a fight, which means she isn’t truly mad at him. 

Still, he considers her words for a moment, before his eyes are distracted by a nearby bee hovering over a cluster of white flowers. 

“Did you create this flower garden?” he asks, changing the subject. 

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Because… someone said he’d take me to a place where there are no people and no wanderers, only flowers. I waited and waited for him to take me there, but he never did.” She turns around so that she’s now sitting cross-legged, facing him. 

“I wanted to see how it might look like for myself, in case he never kept his promise.”

Xavier’s gaze softens, sweeping over her eyes that hold more sorrow than actual anger at him. With his thumb, he presses the center of her forehead to ease the frown etched on her brows.

“You… remember Uluru?” 

The name is like magic; she fails to maintain her indignant facade and drops her shoulders, eyes lowering and her expression turning wistful. 

“Our little planet,” she murmurs, quoting what he had said that night when he carried her on his back through the forest. “I wonder if it’s already turned into a shooting star now.”

Gently, he tips her chin up, so that she’s looking at him once more. “It’s still a fairly young planet, and the flowers should still be blooming. Shall we… go together?” 

He watches as her eyes brighten like stars awakening in a pitch dark galaxy. Her lips spread into a playful grin. 

“Are you asking me to elope with you again?” 

He chuckles. “Yes. Would you come with me?” 

Instead of saying ‘yes’ like he expected her to, she purses her lips and crosses her arms over her chest, pretending to be deep in thought. 

“So you intend to have me, the Queen, abandon Philos? How irresponsible.” 

“Hmm… It wouldn’t be abandonment if I kidnap you there myself.” 

“Xavier!” 

He only shrugs nonchalantly. “I’m already considered a traitor, I don’t think another count of treason would make a difference.” 

She laughs then, a sweet melody in his ears. “You’re incorrigible.” 

“And you’re beautiful,” he says, fingers brushing against her cheek and holding her gaze, a rush of emotions filling his chest. Her cheeks redden and she doesn’t seem to know how to react to the sudden tenderness in his voice, other than to clumsily change the subject. 

“B-By the way, I never got to ask.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you call the planet Uluru?”  

“Do you not like it?” 

“It’s cute, but it sounds kind of silly. Is there some other meaning to it?” 

“Well… Try saying it out loud.” 

“Uluru.” Her lips form a little ‘o’, and her eyes narrow at him with scepticism. “I don’t get it.” 

Try saying it slower.” 

“U… lu… ru..?” 

In the next moment, he seals the gap between them, lips finding hers in a gentle, sweet kiss. 

[ridox]

Questions about Xavier & Theories Following Chapter 8 —

I need anyone’s input/theory/thoughts regarding this matter because I haven’t gone through much of Xavier’s Secret Times and Tender Moments yet, and I’ve only unlocked 3/9 of Shooting Stars

Discussion under the cut for potential spoilers

Anyway, I just finished going through Chapter 8 of the Main Story and based from this conversation with Jeremiah. Does this mean Xavier has direct/or indirect influence over what happened to Josephine and Caleb on Chapter 4?

I’m assuming the Nonintervention Principle is for the Lightseekers who venture through space, calling for them to basically NOT ALTER anything in the timeline they’re hopping onto as a preventative measure to creating a butterfly effect (?)

I remember some people saying that Xavier caused the explosion but now that I think about it I don’t think he inherently has anything to do with it. Rather, I think his presence, Jeremiah’s, alongside all the other backtrackers or whatever you call them, is what caused Josephine and Caleb’s death (?)

I have to gather my thoughts for a more concrete theory about this but in essence, the fact that some of the residents of Philos never returned to their own home and their correct timeline… caused a major butterfly effect that essentially kickstarted the catastrophic events that’s happening in MC’s life as of the moment

I feel like Xavier knew what was going to happen to MC’s grandmother and PERHAPS he even knows if Caleb really died or not but he’s bound by this rule to not intervene and to just let it pan out the way it’s supposed to be

Which kinda creates a loophole because his existence itself in this timeline is what caused it to happen in the first place (?) if that specific theory is right

ANYWAY MOVING ON TO MY ACTUAL QUESTIONS —

I remember reading a theory or perhaps an actual explanation that - in an attempt to try and save Queen MC - Xavier created a Möbius Strip that essentially catapults him back in time creating this unending loophole in the Philos timeline

MY QUESTION IS… IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THE MÖBIUS STRIP IN QUESTION IS WHAT RESULTED IN THE DEEPSPACE TUNNEL? OR THE DEEPSPACE TUNNEL ITSELF IS THE MÖBIUS STRIP?

I haven’t done enough research to support this theory because it’s 12 AM and I just finished the chapter and want to document these thoughts but I’m theorizing that Xavier’s effort to save his MC in his own timeline resulted in a time rift in the form of the Deepspace Tunnel.

The same tunnel that was the main reason why MC’s heart got implanted with the Aether Core in the first place. What if the Wanderers that ravaged Linkon City those many years ago were actually Philos citizens (backtrackers, lightseekers) that died during the creation of the tunnel and emerged on the other side as just that… Wanderers?

What if the Wanderer that stabbed current MC through the heart is an alternate timeline/Philos timeline MC who recognized herself and essentially transplanted her heart to hers?

LIKE MY MIND IS GOING MILES AN HOUR THINKING ABOUT THIS BUT I KNOW EVERYTHING’S MESSY AND UNORGANIZED SO LIKE MAYBE I’LL WRITE THIS UP MORE IN THE FUTURE WITH SUPPORTING FACTS AND STUFF

But yeah! To summarize it all —

- Xavier and the rest of the backtrackers/lightseekers in Linkon City are Space and Time anomalies

- Their existence in itself is wrong and is what resulted in the catastrophic event many years ago

- Possibly the Wanderer that pierced current MC’s heart is her from a Philos timeline

- Also Xavier may have been indirectly involve to the death of MC’s grandmother and Caleb

- BUT ALSO I think Xavier knows whether Caleb is truly dead or alive

- Bonus: I feel like Caleb found out that an alternate timeline exists and he had to fake his own death for the sake of MC’s safety

- Just by the end of Chapter 8, everyone was talking about the recent discovery of Philos and imo I feel like this happened prior to Caleb coming home in the first place

- I feel like since Ever pretty much runs everything in Linkon, they tried to sway Caleb into turning MC in for the sake of “research” or something after they found out she’s probably the only living person who fused well with an Aether Core

ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE RAMBLE I WOULD LIKE TO HERE ANYBODY’S THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PLS I’M SO NECK DEEP INSIDE L&DS LORE

[hexow0]

Trying to understand Xavier's Shooting Star myth–SPOILERS AHEAD if you haven't finished it!

At the end of the Shooting Stars myth, MC tells us how Xavier has been dishonest time and time again. The very last line is: "My star has left me. And this time... he will not return home."

It's a curious line because I'm not sure why she suddenly thinks he's gone forever. At that point, the Backtrackers had already completed a few test trips successfully, and had confidence in their mission.

She seems to imply that she discovered the true purpose of Xavier's mission, and whatever it was led her to believe that he would never return from it. So I'm guessing his real intentions were to go back in time and prevent Philos from being created in the first place, thereby ensuring no one is ever sacrificed to the planet's core. However, this will result in a paradox, which I think is why the Backtrackers are slowly turning into Wanderers.

It seems he also lied to the Backtrackers about their purpose, as well, since they are now accusing him of being a traitor? At least, that's what I'm figuring since if the Backtrackers knew they wouldn't ever come back from their mission, they wouldn't still be trying to complete the objective of finding a new core for Philos.

Does anyone have a different interpretation/theory for why MC says Xavier won't return home? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around it and might have missed something so would appreciate other people's perspectives :)

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/travel/36-hours-36-hours-in-mendocino-county/

36 Hours: 36 Hours in Mendocino County

Ninety miles north of San Francisco, Mendocino County is just far enough away to have narrowly escaped the Bay Area’s radical transformation during the tech boom years. In contrast to other formerly quiet Northern California backwaters, Mendocino maintains its rural identity and eccentricities, including its longstanding status as one of the country’s major marijuana-producing regions. Where there is big news, it’s largely culinary. The 30-year-old chef at Elk’s Harbor House Inn was recently named a James Beard award semifinalist for Best Chef in the West. Besides the Harbor House’s eight- to 12-course, $150 per person prix fixe dinners, there are cheesemakers, upstart breweries, exceptional farm stands — notably Fort Bragg’s Nye Ranch and Caspar’s Fortunate Farm — and farm-inspired restaurants, like the long-awaited, soon-to-open Fog Eater Cafe, which began as a farm pop-up, and will serve “California cuisine with a Southern twang.” After years of population stagnation, young people are moving in, or coming home, and committing themselves to Mendocino’s fertile soil and sea. It’s a second wave back-to-the-land movement and a welcome reprieve from the Bay Area’s buzz.

Friday

1) 3:30 p.m. Tall trees

Take Highway 128 through the Anderson Valley, to Hendy Woods State Park, where you can stretch your legs beneath the awe-inspiring giant redwoods or take a dip in the Navarro River. Then, backtrack to Boonville’s Pennyroyal Farm, the sister farmstead to one of Mendocino’s most beloved wineries, Navarro Vineyards. Sample rich goat and sheep milk cheeses, fresh and aged, exceptional pinot noir, and farm-made pickles and preserves. Sit out back, beside a gurgling fountain, and watch sheep meander beneath the vines. In the spring, a farm tour (11 a.m. daily) offers the overwhelming cuteness of nursing lambs and kids.

2) 6 p.m. Supper stop

For dinner, reserve a table at the Boonville Hotel, a former roadhouse that’s now a beautiful, family-owned inn with a wide porch, flickering fireplaces when the weather’s cool, and a seductive patio garden for outdoor dining during the warm months. The restaurant’s new chef, Perry Hoffman, is from Sonoma’s James Beard award-winning SHED and, before that, Napa’s Michelin-starred Étoile. Here, his prix-fixe menus (starting at $58) include lively dishes and unexpected flavor combinations. Imagine mussels with charred cabbage, grapefruit, fennel and seaweed or a whole stuffed quail with artichokes, shiitake mushrooms, bolting kale and brown rice vinegar.

3) 9 p.m. Change is brewing

After winding through the redwoods and along the coast, head for the former logging town of Fort Bragg, for some small town night life. The 135-year-old Golden West is a dive bar that was bought in 2015 by a couple who grew up locally and returned after living in Los Angeles. The bar has maintained its vintage character (neon signs, shuffleboard and pool tables, faded black-and-white photos of logging scenes) while upgrading its extensive liquor cabinet and serving excellent cocktails, and has occasional but unexpectedly good live music, as well as a Sunday Bloody Mary bar. Or, for a family-friendly pub in a tucked-away location, seek out Mendocino’s newest brewery, Overtime Brewery, which teams with Nye Ranch in making its exotic seasonal beers, like the “Thistle Dew” artichoke ale or Nye Ranch Cucumber Batch. Take a couple of crowlers — a 32-ounce can filled from the tap and sealed on site — of your favorite beer to go.

Saturday

4) 8 a.m. Super bloom

Tucked into a strip mall, Cafe Jaavy — the younger sister of the longtime local favorite, Los Gallitos — has colorful oilcloth tablecloths, a salsa bar and a breakfast menu that includes savory Mexican breakfasts like chilaquiles (tortilla chips simmered in a flavorful, mildly spicy sauce, served with beans and eggs, $9.50) and standout huevos rancheros with chorizo ($9.50), plus sweeter offerings like banana and berry crepes ($8.99) and generous smoothies ($4.50) made with fresh fruit. The Tropical, with mango, apple, pineapple, melon, chili and lime is particularly tasty. Then, head for the 47-acre Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, where 124 species of rhododendrons put on a spectacular show in April and May.

5) 11 a.m. Sweet soak

Drive south to Mendocino village to walk its photogenic streets and gawk at the immaculately preserved Victorians. Pop into Frankie’s for a scoop of locally made Cowlick’s ice cream. Among the cafe’s 16 rotating flavors are chai, Campari grapefruit sorbet, yellow cake batter and mushroom. Then, take a restorative soak in Sweetwater Spa’s communal — and clothing optional — eight-person redwood tub, sweat in the cedarwood sauna, or indulge in a massage (starting at $110 for 50 minutes). There are also private tubs ($25 per hour), which are enclosed but open to the sky; if a starry soak is your thing, Sweetwater is open until 9 p.m.

6) 12:30 p.m. Pizza pit stop

Next door, Cafe Beaujolais’s weekend-only takeout window, the Brickery, serves pizza ($13) with big, perfectly charred air pockets and daring toppings, like Moroccan-spiced rabbit and garlicky New Haven-style white clam pizza. On sunny days, the backyard garden is idyllic for sharing a pie and savoring a glass of rosé or a craft cider.

7) 2 p.m. Glass for the masses

Fort Bragg’s signature attraction, a former town dump that was transformed by time into a beach of gleaming sea glass, has been badly picked over and is no longer the dazzling sight it once was. For a glimpse of its former glory, head to the odd little International Sea Glass Museum south of town, where Captain Cass sells bags of so-called Seed Glass ($4.95) to replenish the beach’s supply. Across Highway 1, the Glass Fire Gallery displays fantastic blown-glass creations in the form of jellyfish chandeliers and mushroom-shaped table lamps. While in the area, go for a stroll along the newly opened Noyo Headlands Coastal Trail. After more than a century of the headlands being occupied by a sprawling mill site, the town now has access to its coastal bluffs, where California poppies blaze orange in the spring, when it’s also possible to spot migrating whales spouting offshore.

8) 3:30 p.m. Local treasure

For a dose of Mendocino’s wonderful eccentricity, visit The Larry Spring Museum of Common Sense Physics, a tiny two-room storefront museum that celebrates the life and work of the local inventor, lay scientist and World War II transport pilot, Larry Spring. In the same small building, Lost Coast Found has a charming selection of vintage home goods: midcentury stereos, cheery 1970s-era coffee cups, along with used books, postcards and miscellanea.

9) 5:30 p.m. Fresh caught

Have an early, California-style dinner by the water in Noyo Harbor, where you have a difficult choice of dining options. For fresh, crispy fish and chips, bundle up and sit on the riverside deck at Sea Pal Cove, where dinner guests include sea gulls, there are $5 pints of high-end craft beer, and views of passing fishing — and, in season, whale-watching — boats. A few doors down, Princess Seafood Market & Deli is a woman-owned and -run fishing operation with its own boat and seafood restaurant. Princess serves reasonably priced, locally caught seafood, including whole Dungeness crab ($27.95), barbecued Royal Miyagi oysters ($12.95 for a half dozen, and a grilled prawn po boy ($15.95). During chilly coastal evenings, the deli’s tented seating area provides heat lamps and freshly laundered blankets. Then, pick up a Coast Packet and take a gamble on a local performance. One of the joys of small town cultural life is the unexpectedness of what’s available from week to week, whether it’s the wonderful independent Flynn Creek Circus or a riotous political play at the Mendocino Theatre Company.

Sunday

10) 9 a.m. The Greenwood Good Life

On your way through Mendocino, grab a takeout breakfast — an organic housemade bagel with lox and “all the veggies” ($12.50) or “market-inspired” quiche ($8) — at Mendocino’s Good Life Cafe. Sip your coffee to-go as you drive a breathtaking stretch of Highway 1 to the village of Elk, population 200. Tote your breakfast down to Greenwood State Beach to sit on a piece of driftwood, look out over the volatile Pacific and take a long breath of sea air. Then, visit Elk Greenwood Museum and Visitor Center — originally the town’s post office — to learn some Greenwood lore from the center’s knowledgeable docents.

11) 11 a.m. Wine Down

Take Philo-Greenwood Road back to Anderson Valley and taste your way out of town. The options can be overwhelming, but the redwood tasting room at Toulouse Vineyards and Winery is especially beautiful and its wines are excellent renditions of classic local varietals: Alsatian whites and pinot noirs. For three wineries in one Spanish-style plaza, stop at The Madrones complex, where Drew Family Cellars, Smith-Story Winery and the newly opened Long Meadow Ranch, which has estate-grown Burgundian varietals, share a plaza.

12) 12:30 p.m. History lesson

Cut east over Route 253 — a spectacular 16-mile drive across hilltops of moss-draped California live oaks — to Ukiah, Mendocino’s 16,000-person county seat. Dedicated to an extraordinary, but largely forgotten painter, the Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House displays Hudson’s striking and distinctly empathetic portraits of native peoples and immigrants, exhibits the work of local artists, and offers tours of Hudson’s Arts and Crafts home, which she called Sun House.

13) 2 p.m. Buddhist brunch

Head south to the City of 10,000 Buddhas, a former California State Mental Hospital that is now a Buddhist community and monastery. The campus’s distinctive arched entrance is undergoing renovation, but its roaming peacocks, evocative institutional architecture and Jyun Kang Vegetarian Restaurant, which serves tasty vegetarian dishes to a mostly local crowd, remain. Or hop down the 101 to Hopland, where Rock Seas serves an ever-changing menu that riffs on brunch classics — like coconut French Toast with star anise, coconut, brown sugar and mango ($12).

Lodging

In the last two years, two long-awaited new hotels have opened on the Mendocino coast. The Harbor House Inn, in Elk, is a 1916 redwood home which was originally built by the local logging company and designed to showcase the beauty of the region’s lumber. After an eight-year renovation, the inn reopened in May of 2018 with 10 rooms (starting at $355, breakfast included) and a destination restaurant.