#THE ALL CONSUMING FURY TOWARDS EVEN THE CONCEPT OF HER WITH SOMEONE ELSE IS WORTH IT FOR THIS<3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theredsuzuran · 3 years

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Yandere Muzan x Reader

I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, also for my crappy writing I hope It does not bore you lol. Slight mention of gore

It was the time of summer

A multitude of people hovering over one another in the vast space of the lively Asakusa city occupying the streets like tiny ants. Unfortunately it was same monotonous sight for kibutsuji Muzan progenitor of the morbid demon race, who seems to be roaming around uninterestingly looking for a suitable prey to hunt. The fleeting lives of mortals, their compassion, happiness, sorrow, pain held no value to him. They are pests who belong in the dirt or beneath his feet, inferior compare to a perfect being like himself. Nothing more than a tool that he won't hesitate to discard after his desires are fulfilled. All of a sudden his gaze felt upon a petite figure near a tailor shop, a large number of people gathering around her.

What's the matter, mister? Muzan inquired to a man next to him.

"if you are new definitely try her kimonos, now make way" the man said quickly as he rushed to the shop pushing all the people away. He was interested to know what the deal was about so he decided to stay for a while hoping it's worth the wait.

After a long delay muzan finally got the chance to view the women. As their eyes locked the dazzling city lights broader than the day itself felt dull in comparison for a moment, the once monochromatic world seems to change vibrantly with her luminous presence, As if goddess Amaterasu, the diety of sun herself have ascended from the heaven into the mortal realm. The demon lord stood there mesmerized by her breathtaking beauty, how can someone so close to perfection exist alongside those barbarians.

"How can I help you mister?" She questioned politely with her soft vocal. His endless thoughts were interrupted breaking the silence.

"Show me your kimonos"

And so his obsession started..

Days passed since his last encounter with the woman. He have come across numerous marvelous humans in everlasting lengthy life but never have his ruby eyes caught a glimpse of someone as alluring as her. The girl possesses an unique aura that differentiated her from the rest of the crowd, able to draw attention from the cold hearted creator of cannibalistic demons. At first muzan was just curious to know about that woman, possibly persuade her to become one of his underling because of the potentials she may carry. He frequently begun to visit her shop to but or sew different fabrics. Gaining basic information, like her name, likes and dislikes, etc. Her grandfather owned the tailor shop which sold finest quality garments from the beginning and were highly respected for their excellent tailoring. Continued by (y/n) at her family's will, who runs the shop with equal undying devotion.

She treated him with such kindness even though he was a ruthless demon not that she knew about it or let alone the existence of demons. The deepest corner of his dark heart illuminated with pure light whenever she was around and he came to the conclusion that she was the ray of sunshine he desires to perceive. Eversince he was cured from his fatal illness the only goal in his life was to conquer the sun which prevents him to achieve absolute perfection, in order to live an eternal and indestructible life or so he thought until that very day his eyes laid upon you. It would be stupid to think that demons are capable of experiencing love, concepts of feelings are completely foreign in their conciousness, it was more like obsession. His megalomania makes him believe he needs you no he wants you.

Alas, if only it was a fairytale. The king does not always gets what he desires and same goes for the demon lord when he finds out that his beloved darling already has a lover. As he witnessed the sight of you hugging your partner with passion. The way her eyes flutter infront of him when he caresses her cheeks making her turn away bashfully and how she hold his hand with her delicate ones while exchanging vows of love and loyalty towards each other made his blood boiled with fury. If anyone who can hold her fragile frame is none other but the demon lord himself yet there she was sharing intimacy with some filthy creature. His narcissistic self was put down with a lowlife, he cannot accept that his (y/n) was claimed someone else's. It was something he would never allow to happen.

"Kibutsuji san would you like to buy something today as well?" The women who now acknowledge his presence asked him cheerfully.

"Should I visit you later" a force smile graced on his pale features.

"Oh no, it's fine, let me introduce you to my fiancee" she said excitedly.

"Nice to meet you kibutsuji san" your fiancee said

"Pleasure to meet you as well" The demon scoffed under his breath but Kibutsuji was quite adamant he knew it was not hard to turn the tables anytime sooner as with a blink of an eye he can get rid of him by simply ordering his underlings without even hesitating to dirty his hands exclusive for his precious darling. But that was not what muzan was planning to do at all as his mind was engulfed with much sinister thoughts.

To insanity?

"You have been restless for a long time, what's wrong my child?" A man asked with a look of concern written all over his face looking straight at the figure of an anxious woman roaming around impatiently within the house.

"Its been a week father since he last wrote a letter to him" she mumbled softly disappointment painted across her features. The father could not help but laugh a little by her daughter's remark.

"Father please it is serious"

"I am sorry sweetheart but it might be that your fiancee is busy with wedding preparation" which made sense because the wedding would be taking place after three day and it was obvious that he was caught up with the arrangement. However there was a strange feeling inside her stomach which made her believe otherwise.

As the days passed the wedding day came close, with (y/n) still not receiving any message from her lover. Worried her to the core at this point all she wanted was to make sure of his safety as something constantly felt off. The guests came in one by one for the wedding ceremony but there was no sign of the groom.

It was getting unbearable for her to remain confined. Ignoring her father's request to stay inside she went outside in hope to check whether or not her lover was approaching but once again she was greeted with emptiness. Her eyes swell up with tears forming on both corners allowing her body to slowly hit the surface as she convinced herself that her lover will never come. The worst was yet to happen and before she could make any movement the ground beneath her feet started shaking and a shoji door opened consuming her into the darkness.

It was just the start of her miserable life under the demon's control.

"So you are finally awake", a sudden voice came echoing into her eyes as she slowly opened her eyes after regaining her consciousness. She moved her hands upwards in order to ease the headache only to find her hands tied up with shackles, a chilling sensation of overwhelming fear filled her entire senses as she remembered what happened prior.

"Where am I? Why am I chained?" Who are you?" she demanded furiously at the mysterious figure infront her which was now advancing at her direction from the dark corner of the dimly litted room.

"You are quite an impatient one?" The man gripped her chin roughly as her eyes protruded out with bewilderment.

"Can't even remember your daily customer?" A wicked smile curved across his countenance.

"K..Kibutsuji san" she parted her lips. Tears forming in her eyes once again. This made muzan even more irritated as he tightened his grip on her chin. (Y/n) whimpered with pain crying out loud.

"Your shouting won't help dear nobody apart from me can hear you scream" he said bluntly with his cold apathetic voice.

"Why?" (Y/n) lowered her head down holding his hand with her delicate ones trying her best to get a hold of him.

"Pardon?" Muzan inquired as he stared at your quivering form with his souless eyes there was no empathy in them or whatsoever although he felt pity. He cannot deny the fact that he was indeed attracted to her that's the reason why he put her into so much hassles.

"Where is my lover?" She asked sternly with her voice shaking a bit.

"Oh" muzan responded his hand still holding her chin tightly. This made her even more anxious she was unaware of the power he might possess and definitely she didn't had any intentions to risk her life.

"Why can't you humans move on and accept circumstances given before you?" it startled her as she cannot process what he meant.

"I don't.. u..understand" she said.

"Then you have to learn to accept me as your partner" muzan replied coldly (y/n) sat there looking at him with disbelief her heart and soul belonged to someone else and for a long time they have been together it's absolutely impossible to change the reality she was accustomed with just because some maniac wants to make her his partner.

"I can never" she murmured with disgust hinted in her voice. "I love him" throwing daggers in his direction not ready to submit her futile attempts of protest should pissed the demon lord even more but to her surprise she saw him smiling menacingly and in the corner of her eyes she saw the figure of her debilitate lover.

"Start from his fingers" muzan ordered one of his subordinate as they began chopping one of his finger making him scream in pain.

"No! please don't hurt him" trying to break free from the shackles she was tied with realizing it was fruitless she fell on the demon's knee begging with all the strength left within her in a last desperate attempt.

"You left me with no other choice, dear" he explained playing his sick games of manipulation on her. This was exactly what he needed to break her mind and she cannot help but rely on him pleading for his forgiveness feeding on his massive ego providing him ultimate satisfaction to witness the quivering frame of his darling clinging onto his knee in pure submission.

"Please I will do anything you say" she requested shaking like crazy.

"Anything?" Muzan questioned raising his eyebrow

"Yes" she replied without any hesitation.

"Be mine"

She already knew that he wanted this and she readily obliged in order to save her beloved, sacrificing her own life. Her only purpose was now to satisfy the demon lord, he was successful until the very end and it won't take long to make her completely his.

#kimetsu no yaiba #kny muzan #muzan kibutsuji #demon lord #demon slayer #demon #muzan kibutsuji x reader #kimetsu no yaiba muzan #muzan x reader #anime

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goldenkamuyhunting · 5 years

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Golden Kamuy re-reading: Vol 3 cover + extra image + CHAP 18: ‘Rescue operation’

Trasposed in: Episode 5 ‘Race’

Currently the story is at: Chap 195: ‘Ariko’s backyard’ (scanlated)

VOL 3 Cover

After Sugimoto and Asirpa, the cover for Vol. 3 presents us with Hijitaka pointing his rifle not quite toward the reader but… well close while trying to pull out his sword at the same time.

The colours that rule the image are fundamentally three, black, white and green, not a vibrant green but the greyish green of Hijikata’s clothes. There’s to wonder if he was given green clothes to symbolize how Hijikata moves and act as if he were still young (green usually symbolize youth).

While Asirpa and Sugimoto had animals along with them in the cover, Hijikata has in the background a city, Otaru, I assume. Another difference is that the scene takes place in the darkness of the night, and, while Sugimoto and Asirpa’s covers were filled with light and brightness, here the only shining are the snow, the rifle and the sword.

Hijikata’s pose well underline he’s an action man, even more than Sugimoto’s, which transmitted strength and passion but was more… static. Hijikata’s cover is more cold in colors but filled with movement, from the dynamic pose to the hair and coat fluttering in the wind. Hijikata is clearly an old man but yes, we might forget it when seeing him in such a dynamic scene.

His posture oozes with confidence, Hijikata is smiling and completely at ease while he’s handling two weapons at the same time, clearly hinting at how this man is lethal.

At the same time though… he’s alone, they didn’t even add Nagakura watching him from the background and I can’t help but think at how Nagakura said Hijikata was searching for a way to die fighting. The scene makes me think of a western duel, only instead that taking place at midday this time the duel is taking place at midnight… though the night itself might be a reference to how Hijikata’s life itself is on its finishing line.

He’s an old man, a man from the past but he’s still alive and kicking and about to be involved in a fabulous fight. At least that’s how I see him.

Something else that’s worth to point out is that this picture wasn’t created to be a volume cover but a chapter cover, specifically chapter 34 cover. Noda Sensei later decided to expand it and turn it into a volume cover.

Colour image

At the beginning of this volume there’s a colour image and for many volumes in the future there will be a colour image at the beginning. It’s not an extra image created for the volume only, this picture was created to be a chapter cover, specifically chapter 25 cover. Noda Sensei later decided to remove all the writing that were on it and place it here. In a way it’s not bad, as like this we can see it in colour, even if a side of me would prefer for it to be where it originally was. But well, it’ might be just me.

This particular colour image shows Sugimoto basically entirely painted in red. As I said when discussing the Sugimoto’s cover, red (and gold) seem to be Sugimoto’s colours. Sugimoto is aggressively moving forward,, teeth clenched and rifle with bayonet mounted in his hand.

His eyes have a yellowish colour and are tracing yellowish lines as Sugimoto moves.

Eyes tracing lines in Golden Kamuy is usually considered representative of fury. Overall Sugimoto comes out as angry and aggressive… but we can notice he’s also holding Asirpa’s hand with his left hand.

The hold would be uncomfortable as it would end up hampering his movements. I wonder if that’s it’s purpose or it’s just a random coincidence as the image is meant to cut Asirpa’s image and show only her hand but, at the same time, to let us see Asirpa’s reflection on Sugimoto’s bayonet.

The colouring is interesting. The hand Sugimoto is holding is also red, as if Sugimoto’s fury basically was transmitted to Asirpa’s herself… but the image reflected on the bayonet is in blue (and white) colours (Asirpa’s colours in her cover image were blue and white). It’s interesting how Asirpa’s reflection causes the blade of the bayonet, that starts as red, to end up being tinged in Asirpa’s colours.

Asirpa is serious, calm. We can see she’s watching Sugimoto without fear, her hair fluttering. We can see the scene as them moving together but also as Asirpa restraining Sugimoto, while Sugimoto tries to pull her forward in a bizarre exchange of fury and calmness. Other image will present Asirpa as holding, possibly restraining Sugimoto.

CHAP 18: ‘Rescue operation’

The chapter starts with the men of the 7th division hearing some noise, the noise being made by Sugimoto, who’s using a piece of the chair to beat Yōhei (and Kōhei) up, while Kōhei, who’s being still strangled, catches his chance to stab Sugimoto’s leg with his bayonet (while Yōhei has stabbed Sugimoto’s arm). The determination of the three fighters is rather impressive, really.

We then get the cover, which shows Asirpa, Retar and Shiraishi and behind them Sugimoto and Yōhei (you can now recognize him by the broken tooth) having their faceoff.

We continue with Asirpa and Shiraishi, Shiraishi showing Asirpa the 7th division barracks in which, he says, there are about 30 soldiers stationed. The building is an ex-store, hence all the windows are barred and the entrance is guarded by the soldiers all night long.

Shiraishi points out how the 7th division is a dangerous bunch to go against and even if Asirpa were to manage to get in Sugimoto might have been already dead.

It’s worth to point out Shiraishi’s future character growth. Here he tells Asirpa to assume Sugimoto was killed… but even though Sugimoto in Abashiri was shoot in the head, he’ll tell Asirpa he believes Sugimoto might still be alive. Shiraishi will learn to trust in Sugimoto’s strength by spending time with him… and also to care for Asirpa and support her. In short he’ll become rather different from the guy he’s now, someone who wanted to wash his hands clean from them and helps only first because he’s threatened and then because he wants the gold.

Asirpa insists Sugimoto is still alive because he’s the sort that never let his fear of death control him, which makes him strong.

It’s a very samurai like concept.

Samurai were supposed to be always aware of how they could die and prepared to do so, so they wouldn’t fear death.

Asirpa gives examples of how Sugimoto does this but, long story short the concept is that Sugimoto, despite being afraid to die, doesn’t panic, he doesn’t get paralyzed with fear or tries to escape danger but goes through an extremely risky path in order to survive.

Asirpa says Sugimoto walks in the shadow of death but never lets it consume him, which makes him Sugimoto the immortal and sees this trait of him as a positive thing. In a way it is, as it allows him to survive… but later on we’ll learn things aren’t so smooth.

Sugimoto is actually paying a heavy price for this.

Walking in the shadow of death isn’t healthy for him, in the long run it’ll tax him too much, it’ll ask him too much effort, it forces him to ignore too often his fear of death, to find ways to cope with it that actually damage him.

For now we’re lulled in the idea of how Sugimoto is cool, a role model, but soon we’ll see that there’s nothing enviable in Sugimoto’s life, that not only he doesn’t perceive himself as cool but that slowly he ends up on losing sight of himself, of his moral beliefs and of his own self control.

Also, in the future, Asirpa will realize it’s not just this what pushes Sugimoto to go on. He isn’t merely guy who doesn’t get paralyzed with fear, he’s a guy with a mission. No matter how worn out he gets, he can’t stop until he has fulfilled it and this is a strong motivator for him and what pushes him to overcome fear.

Now… episode four of the anime, ‘Race’, actually decided to place all this bit at the beginning, and move the fight between Sugimoto and the Nikaidō brothers after the opening theme so that it wouldn’t get interrupted. It’s not a bad idea for an anime as the flow is much smoother and tension rises appropriately. The anime also gives more space to the fight, making it look more in favour of Sugimoto.

In the anime thoug,h this concept is a bit less clear as it seems Asirpa thinks Sugimoto isn’t afraid to die, when actually Sugimoto is very afraid to die but doesn’t let this stop him.

The manga goes back to Sugimoto.

The other soldiers from the 7th division joins him and stop the fight between him and the Nikaidō brothers since Tsurumi ordered to make sure Sugimoto doesn’t die.

Kōhei yells death threats at him as the other soldiers drag them away while Sugimoto (also being held back) yells back that if the other soldiers hadn’t showed up he would have killed them.

Yes, Sugimoto likes to brag because when the Nikaidō brothers won’t be there he’ll admit he did a lot of noise so that the other men of the 7th would come running otherwise the two siblings would have chopped out his fingers.

Sure thing is both parties were very into the fight and didn’t want to stop until they managed to kill their enemy… but this is probably not a good thing for either of them.

Informed, Tsurumi orders not to let the Nikaidō twins near Sugimoto as they apparently can’t control themselves.

In the meantime Shiraishi has found Sugimoto. The men of the 7th are retying him and they’re appropriately impressed of how Sugimoto managed to do all that with his hands and feet tied.

In the anime they merely comment Sugimoto is crazy, which doesn’t exactly deliver well they were left speechless by the stunt Sugimoto managed to pull despite being tied.

Shiraishi reports to Asirpa Sugimoto is still alive and she smiles but her expression also well gives out her relief at the news. She was afraid Sugimoto might have died, she just kept it inside herself.

Meanwhile Shiraishi figures that if Sugimoto didn’t got killed it means he hid the skins but he has no idea for how long Sugimoto will manage to stay silent about them. He then considers he could get in through the bars. He claims to love gambling so he’ll bet on Sugimoto and Asirpa but, in exchange, he wants part of the gold when they find it.

Asirpa agrees as she remarks she doesn’t care about the gold and that Shiraishi can split it with Sugimoto once its found.

And again I want to point out at Shiraishi’s character growth as, later, he’ll realize it would be much more advantageous to bet on Tsurumi… yet not only he decides to stick with Asirpa but even reaches her despite knowing it would be dangerous. For Shiraishi it won’t be any longer about money, he’ll just care about Asirpa and Sugimoto.

Anyway Asirpa and Shiraishi shake hands and plan to use a horse to yank away the bars on Sugimoto’s window.

Back to Sugimoto he’s now tied again and lying to the floor as he makes the point of his situation. He explains that although the twins stabbed his chest, the bayonet got blocked by his ribs so the cut isn’t deep but the twins will be back and if he doesn’t come up with a plan they’ll kill him. In short again we’re told that Sugimoto actually didn’t have an advantage on them as he pretended to have.

The anime cut on explaining why the stab didn’t kill Sugimoto… which is not a great idea as it’s sort of relevant…

We see that now there’s a guard at Sugimoto’s door and then Sugimoto hears a noise, turns and see Shiraishi slipping inside though, as he dislocated his joints to get in he looks not really nice and Sugimoto asks him if he’s a monster.

Shiraishi reminds him of his identity and tells him an Ainu girl threatened to shoot him with a poison arrow if he weren’t to help Sugimoto. It’s not the full truth as Shiraishi in the end decided willingly to help Sugimoto to escape but still Sugimoto seems to be touched by what Asirpa did for him.

She didn’t give up on him nor left him alone. I think it was important for him to have Asirpa come save him despite everything.

One of the main themes of Golden Kamuy is the loneliness. Those men (and Asirpa as well) are alone and not only don’t want to be but desperately need help and companionship. It does them great when they get it.

Meanwhile the horses are making a lot of noise attracting attention. Asirpa was meant to go retrieve one of them but, as the horses had caught Retar’s scent they got scared.

Sadly the guard at Sugimoto’s door decides to go check on the horses which is… silly really. I mean there should be 30 people there. Why does he feel obliged to go check and stop guarding the door when someone else among the 30 could have done the job?

As Shiraishi and Sugimoto realize there could be a problem Sugimoto hurries him to untie him.

Predictably the Nikaidō twins show up.

Yōhei tells Kōhei to wait outside and make sure nobody will get in. We see Sugimoto on the ground, pretending to be tied and Shiraishi hiding himself. Yōhei tells Kōhei he’ll kill Sugimoto and the undo his restrains so he’ll claim the other was trying to escape, forcing him to kill him.

Though Kōhei always wanted to kill Sugimoto it seems it’s Yōhei who’s the most aggressive prone as he’s always the first to attack.

Anyway Kōhei makes a mistake. He tells Yōhei to give him his gun (a type 26 by the way, which I guess, it’s part of the weapons Tsurumi took away without permission from Asahikawa as 1st class privates weren’t supposed to have guns... but we’ll discover about it later) as he shouldn’t use it but his bayonet because, if he were to shoot everyone would come before Yōhei could undo his restrains… and here I wonder.

Kōhei didn’t need to ask Yōhei to give him his gun… unless he feared Yōhei, left unsupervised, would try to use it anyway. Still for Kōhei it should have been terrible when he found out Yōhei died because, I bet, he wondered if, had had Yōhei the gun, would he have managed to survive?

Kōhei will be obsessed with the idea of killing Sugimoto to the point of madness. He harboured it before Yōhei died but, I think, it got so bad not only due to Yōhei’s death but because, probably Kōhei feels he’s responsible for it and therefore, in order to distance himself from his sense of guilt, pushes even more the blame on Sugimoto.

The door gets closed, Yōhei tries to take his bayonet but… it’s not in its place anymore. Sugimoto has it. He grabs Yōhei’s neck so as to silence him and… the scene switches.

In the anime the timing is a little off as it seems the twins opened the door when Shiraishi was untying Sugimoto… and therefore they should have seen him and Sugimoto should still be tied… yet Shiraishi is nowhere to be seen and Sugimoto is untied.

Also in the anime the scene wasn’t as dark as in the manga to hide how Sugimoto was untied… even if, due to Sugimoto’s position, they can still pull it off. Even the timing of the disappearance of the bayonet is a little off as it was just too fast. Kōhei should have seen Sugimoto retrieving it before the door was closed.

The manga presents us with some images without comments.

One is Asirpa hiding with Retar, the other is the members of the 7th trying to persuade Kōhei to let them check Sugimoto. We’ve the Shiraishi’s eyes and, lastly a pool of blood.

In the end Tsurumi joins the men of the 7th while Kōhei is being restrained and crying madly and the men of the 7th comments that, by the time they got inside it was all over.

Tsurumi opens the door and sees Yōhei lying on the floor, clearly dead as his neck is broken and Sugimoto seated on the ground with, apparently, his guts spilling out.

The soldiers comment there’s no way Sugimoto can survive which such a wound… and yes, at the time, if your guts were spilling around you wouldn’t survive. It would be a long and painful death but you’ll die.

Tsurumi comments Sugimoto’s candle is about to be blown out and Sugimoto begs Tsurumi to help him, promising him the skins in exchange. Tsurumi grins.

We also get to see Asirpa’s worried expression before the chapter ends.

In the anime Kōhei’s mad desperation is depicted very well (in the manga I wasn’t really sure if he was desperate or angry)… though they don’t exactly depicts the guts pulling out of Sugimoto’s stomach but a lot of blood around that area. Still it works.

The manga chapter ends here.

#Golden Kamuy #Sugimoto Saichi #Asirpa #Shiraishi Yoshitake #Tsurumi Tokushirou #Nikaidou Kouhei #Nikaidou Youhei #Retar #Golden Kamuy ReReading #Hijikata Toshizou

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vinegar-doppio · 4 years

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Disgraced

Summary: A demi-god finds themselves in hot water one too many times, and Zeus has had enough. They are faced with their inevitable unmaking.

A concept as taken from a work-in-progress novel.

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Fairly or unfairly, here he was pinned. The jagged end of the blade cut against his neck, and it seemed as though with the slightest of movement his throat would be slit - even the slightest bob of his neck threatened to bring bloodshed. So, as still as he could keep himself, the demi-god fought not to cower beneath the towering might of Zeus. Not that he thought to cower, though: the whirlpool of emotions roiling within him was proof enough. With each moment this rage threatened to bubble to the surface, to spill out, to consume the almighty god standing above him.

“Enough, Palírr.” Zeus’ voice was as you’d expect: loud, booming, carrying with it all the authority of a revered god. The scowl on his face, plain as his penchant for lightning and power, is evidence of his current mood. In other words, Zeus is not happy. Not at all.

“You petulant child,” the god of gods seethes, beard bobbing with every movement on his mouth. “Still you take advantage of what we gods have given you! Still, you wreak havoc, bringing upon us bad graces!” Zeus’ arm whips back and slams down with pure, unadulterated fury, and the blade he’d been holding lands a hair's breadth away from Palírr’s exposed neck. The demi-god’s lip ripples upwards in a soundless snarl, and it takes every inch of his being to prevent him from leaping upon Zeus and throttling him.

What makes it worse is his father, Poseidon. Despite presiding over the world’s storms, none of the god’s typical turmoil makes itself known. Instead, he stands silent, eyes unfocused and unwilling to meet his son’s gaze. Palírr had already tried to reason with him, to try and find some solution that would rid him of the situation at hand - but no, his father had been unwilling to help. That unwillingness had still not changed, and so the god of the sea stood and watched as his son took the brunt of Zeus’ temper.

Zeus himself had begun to pace, fingers clenching and unclenching at his sides, mighty fists seeking to strike. How he wished to smite the foolish boy right then and there, regardless of Palírr being both demi-god and nephew. Blood ties were damned at this point. “We have given you everything a being could wish for, boy,” Zeus is still left seething, eyes reflecting the righteous lightning that sparks at his fingertips. “Power, status in Olympus, access to things only us gods know of. Your father and I raised you here, with hopes that you would become great. And yet you squandered it all.”

After pushing himself into a sitting position, Palírr finally finds his voice. His voice isn’t nearly as powerful as Zeus, but the unbridled rage woven within his words has the potential to rival it. “You think that I have taken advantage of it? Perhaps you have me confused with another half-witted god.” Momentarily his gaze flits over to his father. “Never in a millennium would I ever think of doing so,” Bright eyes alight, Palírr finally lets loose the snarl that had been lurking low within his gut. “Uncle.”

This was the breaking point for Zeus. No longer could he stand being spat at, treated as if he wasn’t the highest power in existence. The lightning explodes from his fingertips, lighting up their surroundings, and several of his accompanying gods raise their limbs to shade them from his outburst. Roaring, all the might he held echoing in his voice, Zeus rounds on Palírr.

“You are no longer considered my nephew, Palírr.” Contrary to his previous eruption, Zeus’ tone has taken on a quiet, commanding edge. He would hear no more, and neither would any of the other gods: the demi-god has long overstayed his welcome. Deaf to the arguments that bubble to Palírr’s lips, Zeus’ voice rises to address the onlookers. “From this moment forward, you are no longer considered a member of Olympus. I strike you down of all your titles, including your presiding over the earth’s tides, and henceforth you shall be known merely as Seonaid.”

Unable to think of anything else, Palírr cries out, “That is a woman’s name!”

Each step thundering as he makes his way to the demi-god’s prone figure, Zeus bends so that their noses are nearly brushing. “You should be grateful that you have been given a woman’s name, and that I am not to strip you of your powers.” There is a moment of absolute silence, where not even Palírr dares to speak. He supposes that a new moniker is the least of his problems, and despite his uncle’s leniency, it does nothing to calm his anger.

Satisfied with his decision and the sudden lack of intervention on Palírr’s part, Zeus stands to his full height, taking but a few steps backward. It is then that the lightning sparking in his grasp takes form, solidifying in a definitive bolt. The bolt flashes a variety of shades before the eyes of all parties, bathing the surroundings in a pale glow of gold, white, and silver. Slowly does the god raise his arm, the sharp edge of his weapon pointing downwards and towards Palírr’s chest.

It is then that the demi-god realizes what his fate is to be. He has seen it once before, and from then he has wished to never witness such an atrocity. And yet here he is, about to suffer the same fate.

Suddenly it occurs to Palírr that he may be able to run. If he makes it to the edge of Olympus in time, he may fall but that would be a far better end than what he is facing. Scrambling to his feet, to the surprised gasps of gods and goddesses all around it, Palírr tenses, ready to launch him from where he stands. He only makes it three and a half strides before a blinding pain strikes his back.

Falling to his knees, Palírr’s head tips back and he screams. He screams with all the air that his lungs can muster, a high, piercing sound that makes several of the observers flinch. It is a cry of pain; the shriek of a dying animal. Over the ringing in his ears and his own distant screaming, the being can hear someone calling out for mercy, for Zeus to end things quickly. Hera? Artemis? Past his own tears, Palírr could not make out who sought his salvation.

He was pitiful. Truly pitiful. Palírr had never imagined kneeling before those he thought were his peers, figure wrenched in agony and snot dribbling down from his nose. The blinding pain slowly transitioned into a crackling, burning energy that seemed to be frying him from the inside out. Cracks worked their way up his body, skin flaking off and disintegrating into ash. It was as if his very being was being burned away, but Palírr knew better. His soul would not be damaged, instead, it was his physical vessel that was being peeled from him. The process in itself was incredibly painful, as evident by his current suffering, and though it did not damage the soul he was sure it would leave an emotional mark for the rest of his existence.

With the last vestiges of his consciousness, the demi-god turned towards Zeus, mouth agape in uncontained bewilderment. How he wished to swear and to cuss, to blame the god for every bad thing that had led to his banishment. But he had not the strength to say anything, so his expression would have to do. Damn the old bastard for resigning his own nephew to this fate, and damn his father for allowing such.

The scene before Palírr fades away, and with that descended the darkness. The blackness. The void. Whatever one wished to call it.

He was now unmade.

Palírr’s soul, bare for any who dared to peek within this realm, trembled. How it yearned for its vessel, the protection from outside forces. Where would it go from here? Would Zeus leave him here for all of eternity, floating about in aimlessness? Or would he be remade into a different image, a being that would constantly be at war with himself? Perhaps they’d bring him back, only to disfigure him like his cousin, Hephaestus. Of all things, Palírr - now Seonaid, he supposed - knew it would not be a favourable outcome.

Seonaid drifted for what seemed like months, years, or any point in between. Slowly thoughts left them, but the rage and aggravation remained until it was all that they were.

It was the melodious voice of a woman that broke Seonaid from the monotony of their isolation. Soft and low, the woman’s tone was soothing, easing the ache that constantly bombarded the soul. Her words took a moment or two to register, and once Seonaid had grabbed ahold of her implications, a great joy overtook them.

“Another chance I am willing to provide you, despite the wishes of our dear Zeus. The conditions which you have been thrust into are grievous, and every thought of you being stuck here pain me. This chance I am offering may seem akin to a curse to some, but I am sure that you will make a blessing out of it.

“It is that curse of reincarnation, of being destined to die and come back as another. However, your memories will follow you through each lifetime, and I truly hope that you will live a life worth living.” There is a pause, and Seonaid tries to reach out, to keep hold of the voice that has graced them so. “Go, my dear. Leave this place and enter the mortal plane.”

The black around Seonaid shatters into countless pieces, and they can feel themselves spiralling down, down, down. Distantly they see the telltale flash of Olympus, but it vanishes before their very eyes, replaced by the bright blue of mortal skies above. Still, they fall, weightless, searching for something - anything. They are free, freer than they have ever been, and the desire to explore their surroundings is preceded only by their need to find protection. To find a vessel.

As their frantic search continues, stone houses flash by, and so do the inhabitants of the town that they have fallen into. A few times they catch glimpse of towering statues, dedicated to the gods that have since forsaken them. But when they slow to listen from the words falling from the lips of the mortals, the language is different, but not incomprehensible. As all languages have, the meaning of the words comes to them like second nature.

Jupiter. Neptune. Pluto.

The gods had evidently made new names for themselves to accompany this new civilization. Disgust for their innate authority bubbles up within Seonaid’s core, and the soul swiftly resumes their search.

It’s not until Seonaid hears soft weeping that their interest is piqued. Upon drifting through a nearby wall and into a small home, the bare soul finds a mother, babe swaddled tightly in her arms. Another woman lingers towards the door to the bedroom, but her eyes are lowered in silent respect. Misery had permeated the room, and as Seonaid watches, the mother cries - louder, this time. Floating closer to where the new mother is reclined upon her bed, it is with great sadness that Seonaid finds the infant still. Before the mother could even behold his cries, the babe does not draw breath.

With startling clarity, the weightless soul realizes that this is their purpose. Not only will they be obtaining a physical vessel and forging a new path themselves, but they will spare the woman of having to grieve for the lost life of her child. To the keen eye, the wisp of blue that was Palírr and now is Seonaid settles above the baby, glowing brightly - as if in joy - and plunges into his chest.

Throughout the onslaught of sorrow, a tear rolls down the mother’s cheek. As it gathers on her chin and drops, the squalling of a newborn shatters the silence of the room. With astonishment, she looks down and to her son, whose mouth opened in a scream only an infant could muster.

The gods had answered her prayers.

#original work #mythology #greek #greek myth aesthetic #writing #angst #violence #writeblr #fantasy #oc

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