soltheocracy

[soltheocracy]

An Eternity Together

“An invisible red thread connects all those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance. The red thread may stretch or tangle, but will never break.”

characters: diluc, wanderer

Diluc:

He noticed it during one of his nightshifts. The repetition of greeting guests, pouring wine into glasses and afterwards washing them boring him to the point he zones out, staring blankly at the bar counter Infront of him.

His eyes flick to you, head laid down on your arms, breathing lightly. After seeing how hard he works each day, whether it be in his tavern or his nightly activities he always seems so secretive about, you insisted on keeping him company throughout the evening, stretching far into the night.

Though, your resolve faltered and slowly, your speech deteriorated to soft, indecipherable mumbles as his deep voice lulled you further and further into sleep.

Once he realized he was having a mostly one-way conversation, he brought his focus back to his chores, silently wishing you a peaceful rest.

Truly, how did you ever think you could stay awake after a whole day full of errands? Nevertheless, he appreciated and enjoyed your company, as always, no matter what the two of you were doing. Thinking back, you were always by his side during times of importance, and never once did you complain about attending tedious social events as his plus one.

When he snapped out of his daydreams, he noticed a tiny, red string circling his pinky finger. At first, he thought it was a thread of the washcloth coming loose in his hands. He lifted his hand away from the cloth, only to discover your fingers entangled on the other end of the string.

Diluc snatches his hand back in surprise, the strain on the string tugs on your finger, pulling your hand out from under your head. He takes a moment to make sure you didn’t hit your head before scrutinizing the point where the strand connects to your finger. Taking your hand in both of his gloved ones, Diluc rotates your hand, taking extra care not to wake you in the process. His investigation was cut short when, in the blink of an eye, the thread disappeared.

He wasn’t sure what to make of this. Perhaps you decided to jest for your own amusement? Though, judging from your current, fast asleep state, that’s unlikely. Diluc doesn’t know exactly what it means, but in his mind, this is just another way the two of you are connected. He gently rests your hand back on the counter, caressing your knuckles before intertwining your fingers with his. Maybe one day he’ll get to put something else on your finger.

Wanderer:

’Relaxing’ in the Sumeru rainforest is essentially a death wish – or so you’ve been warned by the forest rangers countless times. The dangers of aggressive Fungi or territorial Rishboland Tigers are minimal when you lay in the arms of your beloved.

Seems like you weren’t the only one finding comfort and security from the threats of the rainforest; a dozen or so Aranara decided to third wheel in your date, much to your darling’s dismay.

He just wanted one peaceful date with you, without stressors from work or the Fatui, just one. He would never admit it, but he planned out everything – He searched for a patch of flowers with the softest grass and most fragrant flowers, making sure that the trees above give just enough shade to comfortably bask in the sun without worrying about sunburns. He even chased away all hostile entities in the area before taking your hand and leading you here.

In the matter of a few minutes, due to the lack of danger, the Aranara started creeping around you from the foliage, taking interest in the two of you. Wanderer put his arms around you possessively as the Aranara got more confident.

”I don’t want them touching you, especially not when I can see it.” He shoves a daring Aranara away from you. ”Get away before I tear those leaves straight off your head, you moronic weed!” The harsh tone of his voice putting you on edge, along with all of the Aranara, the latter opting to watch you from a few feet away instead. Wanderer always had a sort of jealous streak which only grew stronger when you came into the picture.

You reach your hand up to stroke his cheek soothingly, which directs his glare to you. ”They’re just Aranara, dear. No need to get so worked up.” He scoffs, subconsciously leaning into the comfort of your palm.

”If you’d rather spend your time with the glorified cast of Veggietales, just spit it out. Don’t waste my time.” He puts his hand on yours, encasing it between his hand and cheek.

You continue caressing him until he completely relaxes under your careful touch, even going as far as closing his eyes to relish in your warmth, only to open them seconds later when he feels an unfamiliar texture brush up against him.

"Look, darling!” Your voice drew his attention to the newly-formed, short string between your fingers. Of course, he knew what this meant, he was immortal after all.

”In case you haven’t heard of it before–” He leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead ”This means that we’re going to be together forever, whether you like it or not. No matter how much you grow to resent me or try to leave me, this little thing will bring us back together.”

”So, no more Aranara, okay? Back off, all of you!” And so, the Aranara gathered around you scatter once again.

[soltheocracy]

The road to perfection

In which Albedo is too attached to his darling to let them go, no matter what.

He’s done it. He’s finally done it.

With an undisclosed liquid dripping down his forearms and powdered chalk coating his gloved hands, he leans over his creation. His creation, concieved of fear and obsession.

His poor, pitiful darling, ever so generous, so kind, loyal, perfect, and still so terribly ill-fated. It is truly the fate of all mortal creatures by nature, he knows all too well. Afterall, there’s no stopping the hand of Celestia when it extends towards you, intended on taking you away.

He watched your body deteriorate by time, clutching your wrinkled hand tightly as your conscience peacefully drifts away from you. Laying in the arms of your beloved, you pass on, unaware of the lives your fleeting presence will influence and consequently bring to ruin.

Your abscence left an abysmal void in him. How could a human come and nestle themselves so deep into his heart, only to leave without his explicit permission? Wallowing in despair at the loss of his beloved, he wandered the streets of Khaenri’ah as if the never-ending stroll would exhaust his being and he’d eventually join you in the afterlife.

But then he saw you again. Sure, you looked different in a few ways; your hair wasn’t as shiny as before. Oh, Archons it wasn’t even the same color, but it had to be you.

Approaching the person in a feverish manner only to be met by denial and rejection, Albedo was stunned into silence, looking at the extension of you he had falsely put together in his mind with a cold glare. Surely you’re just confused, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You love him.

Even after his relentless efforts, ‘you’ still continued to deny him. ‘You’ shut down his advances each time he tried as much as touch you; but that’s all he craves, beloved. And if you won’t let him do whatever his heart wishes, then he might resort to taking unsavory actions.

————————

But he couldn’t. No matter how much you resisted him, he could never hurt you. So, with a heavy heart and shaking hands, he let you slip away from him once again. And so, the cycle continued over centuries.

It continued until it didn’t. He had enough of going so far into your relationships, only for you to selfishly leave him to suffer in his ever-consuming loneliness.

But no longer would he stand for this. If his beloved thought they could escape him using natural causes as an excuse, he would prove them wrong. He would go above and beyond for his beloved, no matter what it took.

No matter what kinds of crimes against humanity and even Celestia itself he had to commit, he couldn’t even care for the divine punishment he was bound to receive once word of his experimentation got out.

He would make his darling permanent. He only needed to figure out how to make them perfect.

————————

He always did like Starsilver. The colour of it- when extracted- could make an elegant hue of blue for his portraits. The leftover grains from the mineral gives texture, personality; something that his creation lacked so far, but he was determined to change that.

You didn’t even have the consciousness to form a single thought. Perhaps he should keep you this way. So pliant and motionless, without a single urge to resist his desires, but then again, he does miss having meaningful conversations with you.

This way, you’ll be just like him! The perfect couple, isn’t it so romantic?

Caressing down your cold, artificial leg, he nuzzles his cheek into your still limb lovingly. Albedo marvels at the way your skin reflects the gleam of the frigid moonlight, the way your hair - which he religiously combs day after day- cascades around the stone table you were laid on.

He can barely wait until you wake up.

————————

Although you gained your conscience only a moment ago, your eyelids felt so heavy you couldn’t open your eyes. As sound slowly fades in, you hear quiet humming accompanied by glasses clicking against eachother. The freezing temperatures that would otherwise bite your skin now feel merely comfortably cool, the air filling your aching lungs stung as if you haven’t taken a breath in a million years.

Unbeknownst to you, during your painful inhale, you let out a strained gasp. You only realized your mistake when the humming stopped and pure silence set in.

Your breathing -however excruciating it feels- accelerates in panic, the rise and fall of your chest giving you away clearly. You dare not open your eyes in fear of what you might see once you do.

But you couldn’t hear anything other than your own hushed breathing. No humming, no glasses, footsteps… No sort of sound whatsoever. Perhaps whatever put you on edge has been finally driven away by your presence. Waiting for a few more moments in anticipation of something, anything happening, but still nothing.

Opening your eyes, you’re met with a face only inches away from you. Albedo’s hair frames his face and drapes down, tickling your skin. His dazed, icy eyes gaze into yours, as if searching for a soul.

“You’re finally awake, my beloved.”

“I missed you.”

“Welcome back~”

[soltheocracy]

Happy Lantern Rite

Although the night has long fallen, his duty of protecting Liyue does not cease. It’s been like this for so long, too long without giving him any relief. The sound of weapons clashing, the last breaths and pleas of the ones he’d savagely crushed, the sheer cold biting at his skin, the darkness of the sky above him, threatening to swallow him whole; it all proved to be too much for him.

He sought you out that very night, keeping his distance at first. You are his lover, scaring you away is the last thing he’d do. After fruitless attempts at starting a conversation with him, you instead opt to giving him space, watching the fireworks color the skies in hues of reds, yellows and blues. In truth, he knows exactly what he wants, no, needs.

He needs you. Only your voice could calm his nerves, only your touch could warm his shivering body. He shuffles closer to the edge of the balcony, sitting down next to you and taking your hand in his without a word. You lift your arm and put it around him, cradling him by his shoulders. He leans into your touch, laying his head on your chest.

In your arms, he isn’t the Conqueror of Demons. Not the Vigilant Yaksha. He is Xiao, your protector, your beloved. He promised to protect you when he met you, he promised himself to you when you got together. He wasn’t one to reminisce, memories of the past scorching him from the inside every time he closed his eyes.

…But now, all he sees is you. Whenever he closes his eyes, he’d see you. Your hopeful smile when you confessed your love to him, your worried expression as you fussed over a minor injury he got, even your form sleeping next to him brings forth a sense of nostalgia from him. As much as he wishes to be there with you in the present moment, he can’t help but let his eyelids drop in the safety of your presence.

And as the last firework flickers out in the clear sky, leaving the stars in its wake, he finally succumbs to the exhaustion he’s been plagued with for eons. He hears your voice calling out to him before he drifts off in your warm embrace.

“Happy Lantern Rite, Xiao.”