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saviorsbookcafe · 4 years

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The Savior’s Book Café in Another World: Chapter 3

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Chapter 3: An Encounter in a Different World

Translated by: sydney Proofread by: Necro

“Welcome.”

Relieved that my voice still works, I look at my first customer, book clutched to my chest.

A man, possibly a few years older than me, around the same decade.

With crisp features, he is good-looking in a way that could be called handsome.

He gives off a somewhat intimidating, but honest impression.

He is wearing the same Knights uniform that I saw in a book before, with a beautifully designed sword at his hip.

At the sound of my voice, he looks at me and his body stiffens for a moment.

His eyes seem wary.

After a moment, he speaks to me.

“I left my horse in the paddock outside but, is that alright?”

“Yes, there’s a barrier to prevent any theft, so please let it run around freely. Or if you don’t want to release it, you can tie it up in the stable at the edge of the paddock.”

“I’ll leave her as is then. The sign outside said this is a ‘book café’...?”

“Yes, you are free to read any of the books here. The books in this café are enchanted so that they won’t get dirty, so while it may not be very good manners, you can read while eating here,” I say, throwing a little joke in, and his stiff demeanor relaxes a little, a small smile breaking out onto his face.

His gaze moves to the bookshelves in the café, then to the book in my arms, his eyes widening.

As he opens his mouth again, his voice wavers a little.

“That book, wasn’t it already out of print...?”

“Yes, I desperately wanted to read it and I finally got it, so today’s the first day it’s in the café. Would you like to read it?”

“Yes, of course!”

As if that tense air had never existed, he smiles happily.

I react the same way upon finding a book I want to read, so I can understand how he feels.

“You can sit wherever you’d like, and because customers rarely come, feel free to read as much as you’d like,” I tell him, handing him the book in my hands.

Taking the book happily, he looked around the café, before moving to a seat in the corner.

The chair he chose was in front of the fire, so it was in one of the most relaxing areas.

There are seats divided by partitions as well, but those seats are a little farther from the bookshelves, so anyone who wants to devote their time to reading probably won’t choose those.

And I just realized, I forgot to put out a sign for the private room.

After I close up tonight, I’ll have to write up something so customers even know there’s a private room.

Making a mental note, I hand him a menu.

Since this is a café, I made certain to offer a variety of teas and coffees, and mainly added light meals to the menu.

There are also plenty of meals that are easy to eat while reading on there.

That said, since this café is open late into the night, I prepared a few types of heavier meals as well.

It’s evening already, so if he orders anything I wonder if he’ll just order something to drink before dinner, or if he’ll order a heavier meal as an early dinner.

Contrary to my thoughts, he hesitated over the menu before pointing to the page with lighter meals.

“I’ll have a sandwich with tea.”

“Of course, I’ll have it out shortly.”

Is this just a light dinner, or is he going to eat late but wants to eat something in the meantime?

Wait, this isn’t something I should be concerned with.

I’m curious about my first customer, but I quickly leave those thoughts behind and return to the kitchen space.

It’s rude to be nosy.

I readjust my ponytail from over my shoulder to behind my head and wash my hands.

I headed towards a pantry I made in a blind spot from the café interior, and summoned ingredients with my pendant.

This world has some foods that are the same as in the world I grew up in, along with some foods I’ve never heard of before, but I went through plenty of trial and error combining those ingredients to come up with a menu full of items I’m confident in.

It’d be perfectly fine for me to summon things directly from my pendant, but as someone who loves cooking, I want to make it myself.

I chose some ingredients from what the pendant had to offer, and summoned them with a smile.

What he had ordered was the lighter of two kinds of sandwiches.

If he had chosen the other one, it would have had meat and cooked vegetables and would definitely be more filling, but this one was significantly quicker to make.

Even so, I took my time making it.

Fresh tomatoes, a vegetable from this world similar to lettuce, and crunchy charred bacon.

It’s a sandwich made with vegetables I summoned the same way as the first ingredients.

Since it’s for a main course though, I added ham and cheese and grilled it.

It makes a light crunch as I cut it with my knife, and the cheese drips out of the edges of the sandwich.

Maybe I’ll have a sandwich for lunch tomorrow too, I think as I plate the completed sandwich.

I can even summon as many rare ingredients as I want, and I have plenty of time and love cooking.

Since I’m the only one who’s ever tasted any of them, everything here is made to my taste, but I think they’re all good dishes.

I hope my first customer likes the café and the food here.

Carrying the sandwich and a pot of tea, I made my way to him, where he seemed to be focusing intently on the book in front of him.

Remembering the times when I’m in the middle of reading, I hesitate to call out to him, but I have no choice.

“I’m sorry for the wait. You can have as much tea as you’d like, the teapot won’t run out of water.”

“O-oh, thanks.”

The pot is enchanted not to run out and is also enchanted to not cool off, no matter how long it sits.

I place the teapot and a small jar of tea leaves on the table along with a cup and the plated sandwich, and offer him a pocketwatch.

“This watch has an alarm on it. There’s no time limit so you can stay until closing if you’d like, but if you need to leave by a certain time, then please use this. That way it will only ring in your head.”

“I appreciate it. Thanks.”

“I’m running this café casually, so I’ll just be reading or working, but don’t mind me. You can read as many of the books in the café as you’d like.”

At first, I felt that it might not be good to be reading a book while other customers are here, but then I thought that if I were in their position, I’d be more uncomfortable if the staff were just standing around.

And since I don’t really have to profit off of this café, it wouldn’t really hurt if people stopped coming.

“I see, in that case I’ll read as much as I’d like.”

“Yes, if you need anything please ring the bell on your table. Oh, and for the series you’re reading, I just got the rest of them in today, so I have the next one as well.”

“Really?! I spent so long looking for them, but I’d given up. Thank you,” he says, looking truly happy, and I smile at him, telling him to take his time before stepping away.

I told him what I needed to, so I just didn’t want to disturb his reading time any longer than necessary.

I turn away as he picks up the sandwich and returns to the world of his book, and return to the counter myself.

Just as he took a bite of the sandwich, he made a surprised face, before smiling a bit and continuing to eat, so I hope he liked it.

I don’t really like working very hard, but having a customer come like this still makes me happy.

Listening to the sound of the pages of a book being turned, I returned my gaze to the book in my hand.

He ended up staying focused on his book until his alarm rang, but it looks like his alarm went off about halfway through the book.

He looks extraordinarily disappointed as he stands from his chair, not even trying to hide his reluctance to part with the book as he looks at it.

When he paid for his meal, he was very surprised at how cheap everything was, but because I can summon as many ingredients as I want for free, I only set the prices high enough to not be suspicious.

Of course, it would be strange if everything was free, so I just set the prices as low as I could.

Having paid, he looked at the book in his hands, before eventually noticing the stack of books next to the register, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.

He picks up the topmost book, his voice strained as he asks, “This one too, it was only supposed to have a limited number of copies.”

“Yeah, I happened to end up with it, so I thought I’d put it in the café.”

After staring at the book, he looks around the café, his gaze running over each of the bookcases, and his eyes brighten.

“I’m going to come back tomorrow. If I didn’t have to work tomorrow, I’d want to stay longer.”

He continues looking around the café eagerly, yet disappointedly.

There are several more books after the one he read today, and I’m sure if he had the time he would stay until closing.

Holding the partially-read book in hand, he opens his mouth apologetically.

“I’m in the middle of this one, but would it be possible for you to put it aside, so that no one else borrows it?”

“Yes, I can do that. This café is entirely a hobby for me, and I haven’t put any advertisements out, so even though it’s been some time since it opened, you’re my first and only customer. I think it’s unlikely that anyone else will come.”

“Is that so...? Well, it certainly is deep in the forest. Since I can leave my horse untethered, I’ll come again. And the book....”

“I’ll give you a bookmark for that. Please write your name on it and leave it in the book, and I’ll hold it at the counter until you come back.”

“Thank you. If that’s all, then I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting. Thank you very much.”

He leaves with a relaxed smile, and I don’t feel any of the tension from when he first arrived.

I wonder if it was stress, or if he was just tired.

Whenever I’m getting stressed, I want to read, so maybe he’s like me in that way.

The bookmark in his book has the name ‘Ill’ written on it.

“Ill-san, huh? I’m glad my first customer seems to be a good person.”

At first he seemed intimidating, but he turned out to be calm and charming.

He was polite too, so maybe he’s just the type of person who has an intimidating atmosphere.

Personally, he looked to be just my type.

I don’t know if he’ll actually come tomorrow, but for now I’ll start cleaning up and getting ready to close.

Maybe I’ll make a slightly nicer dinner as a celebration of my first customer.

Oh, before I forget, I need to put out a sign for that room.

Riding my beloved horse on the path back to the castle, my mind races with everything that’s happened today.

A smile broke out onto my face as I thought, I really found a nice place today.

As someone who’s been teased for being a bookworm, that book café was a gold mine.

The atmosphere was nice, and the food was delicious and just as I liked.

The owner of the café was calm and friendly, so I’m looking forward to returning after work tomorrow.

She said it’s been some time since that café opened, but I wish I’d found it sooner.

But as soon as I see the castle from a distance, that happy feeling withers away.

The castle where the king who rules this country lives, and the place I live as a member of the Knights.

The place where a young Savior girl who it is said will save the world arrived.

I let out a sigh, and am reminded of the sour morning I had because of her.

Early in the morning, just after sunup, I looked out the window from high in the tower of Osela Castle.

Below were the horse grounds.

Normally the Knights’ horses would be lazily running around there, but now there wasn’t a single horse in sight.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me. Just ‘cause the Savior got scared by a horse and fell, now we can’t even let them run around,” the man standing next to me spats.

The light reflected almost too brightly off of his short blond hair, which was the opposite color of mine.

“And after she was the one who came into the horse grounds unannounced. Is she trying to stress out the horses until the next monster subjugation?” I added.

I’m grateful that even if I would normally be reprimanded for complaining in my position, I don’t have to hold back in front of my trusted childhood friend.

Ever since the Savior came to this country several months ago, the castle has been uncomfortably tense.

Everyone watched how the Savior acted, and tried to go unnoticed so as to not get hurt.

But the incident with the horses was completely unprecedented.

“I’m working with the Princess to figure out the Savior’s whereabouts and find a time and place to let our horses out, so we’re managing for now, but are you okay? Are you sure it wouldn’t be better to leave your horse with me?”

“You wouldn’t be able to hide taking two horses out at once. Don’t worry, after I finish the work for the Knights, I’ll be going on a long ride.”

“But you’re always looking forward to spending some time reading once work’s over. It must be stressful for a bookworm like you.”

“I’m more concerned about my horse’s stress than mine. It’s not that bad.”

“You don’t have as much time to eat either, right? You’ll collapse before long.”

“I can manage that much. You too, don’t get so irritated that the Princess hates you. You finally got engaged, after all.”

“Yeah, I got it. It’d be nice if the Prince would pay attention to his surroundings like before. To think that despite being lectured by the King, Queen, and his older brother and younger sister, he’s still in a trance with the Savior. What a pain.”

The Savior who arrived at this castle was a beautiful young girl.

She is one of the Saviors said to sometimes descend upon this world from a different world.

It is said that any country who obtains a Savior who has learned the powerful magic called Great Magic would even be able to unite the world with that power.

I heard the several Saviors who descended upon this world are working to learn Great Magic.

Osela is a country with no interest in uniting the world, but everyone is still happy that there is a Savior in their country.

Not only will her existence alone suppress invasions by other countries, but the second Prince of this country has fallen in love for the first time, with the young Savior girl.

But it was only at first that everyone welcomed their relationship.

If she were to learn Great Magic, marry the Prince and rule the country with him, the peace in this country would be guaranteed.

However....

“The Savior, huh. If she would just learn one spell, even a basic one, it’d be different,” I noted.

“Apparently she hates studying. We may not have enough magic to use Great Magic, but now I know there really is no point in just having magic.”

No matter how much time passed, she never learned a single spell.

She’s refusing to learn even basic spells that young kids can manage so long as they have some knowledge of magic.

There’s no doubt that she has magic, an amount ours can’t even compare to.

Just as we sigh simultaneously, we hear bright laughter echoing from far away.

Looking towards the source of the sound, it’s the Savior clinging cheerfully onto the Prince.

Upon seeing her, my brows furrowed and I let out another heavy sigh.

My sigh comes at the same time as one next to me, and my friend’s gaze is locked on the Prince and the Savior as he opens his mouth irritatedly, “She’s so conceited, so what if she’s a Savior?”

“Don’t let anyone hear you saying that.”

“Everyone’s thinking it, they just won’t admit it. Since the Prince is head over heels for her, no one’s bringing it up, but even though it’s been near half a year since she got here, she’s just spending all her time hanging around the Prince and hasn’t learned a single spell. But on the other hand, it’d be bad if another country took her, so we can’t just throw her out either. And we can’t have her convincing the Prince to run away with her to another country either. Just thinking about it irritates me. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Ill. If I didn’t have anyone to complain to, I’d go insane.”

“I feel the same, Beork. I hope we can find a way to solve this all.... Ah, it’s about time to get back to work.”

“Today we start the real work. Not only are we unable to rely on the Savior, but we have to reinforce our patrols, too. I’ll leave that to you, right, Knight Captain Soeil?”

“Stop with that ridiculous formality, Beork. You’re the Vice Knight Captain after all.”

I pat Beork, who called me not by the usual nickname “Ill” but by my full name “Soeil,” on the back before heading towards the Knights’ main office.

Both in battle and in life, I’m always being saved by my friend.

“Yeah, yeah, the two brats from the countryside are now the Knight Captain and Vice Knight Captain. After everyone in the village was so happy, we’d be ostracized if we came back saying we quit the Knights because of a little girl. We can’t do anything about it, so we’ll just focus on what we can do.”

“Yeah. It’d be nice if this tense atmosphere would clear up soon.”

After another day of work ends, I get on my horse, suppressing my desire to read a book.

My horse cuts through the cold air, and I let out a sigh once we’re some distance away from the castle.

If happiness escaped with a sigh, I would have run out long ago.

“How did it come to this?”

The words I whispered from atop my horse are drowned out by the wind, not reaching a single person.

It used to be a peaceful country.

The royal family was overflowing with consideration for their people, and due to the efforts of the skilled Knights, there was very little harm done by monsters.

Just the other day, my childhood friend Beork was won over by the Princess, and they got engaged.

Beork, who had gone through girlfriend after girlfriend without interruption, is now completely captivated by the Princess.

I had told him with a laugh that I would have never expected that from the old him, and he told me now it’s my turn to find someone, and we’d joked around for a while.

It’s almost like those peaceful times never happened.

Even the Savior refusing to learn magic was tolerable at first.

Saviors are said to come from another world, so that means this young girl was suddenly taken away from her parents to live in a world completely unlike what she’s used to.

She must be missing her home, everyone thought, deciding at first to just watch over her.

More so, it was for the sake of the second Prince, who hasn’t had any romantic relationships despite his age.

But no matter how much time passed, she never learned any spells.

She would avoid it by saying she doesn’t like studying, crying like a child as she refused.

And then she started to use the fact that she’s a Savior to work towards her own selfishness, sneering at those of us who couldn’t leave.

She rejected the maids, and whined to the Prince that one of the maids had been mean to her.

The maid, who had worked here for many years and was overflowing with loyalty, had only given her a brief word of advice about her table manners.

We lied to her that the maid was fired, and instead switched the maid to exclusive work deep in the castle where the girl couldn’t enter.

She complained to the Prince that his retainer had bullied her.

All she had done was refuse to hand over her precious necklace that the girl said she wanted.

We gave the girl an identical copy, and had the Prince’s retainer switch to a different job.

She came into the horse grounds unannounced, scared the horses, and got hurt.

She had the horse grounds closed because she was scared, and ordered that no horse ever be brought in front of her.

The Prince stayed head over heels for her.

Something seems strange, the Prince wasn’t like this before, and the King used to be stricter in dealing with these sorts of things too.

At the very least, they weren’t the type of people to spoil her this much.

The King and the Queen are both objecting to the Prince, but there hasn’t been any apparent effect.

I want to complain to her, or better yet have her removed from the castle, but I won’t be forgiven if I say something like that.

I can’t relax in the castle with the tense atmosphere around me and all of this to think about.

If the Savior just learned Great Magic, it’d be peaceful again.

But is there any worth in a Savior who doesn’t have any intention of learning magic?

I’ve been wondering that to myself recently.

Ahh, I want to read.

The time I used to have set aside for reading has now been dedicated to taking my horse out for a long ride since the horse grounds have been closed.

She’s my beloved horse, my hobbies can’t compare to her wellbeing.

But even so, being surrounded by this tension and unable to even pick up a book is undeniably wearing on me.

My horse can probably tell, the way she looks up at me somewhat apologetically, making me feel even more cornered.

I gently pet her neck.

“Sorry, let’s take a bit of a different route today.”

I decided to go in a slightly different direction to get my mind off of things, and directed her into the forest where the snow was piling up.

And in the middle of the forest, I saw that café.

“...a café? This deep in the forest?”

I dismount from my horse and look up at the two-story building.

This place was deep in the forest, still within Osela’s territory but a distance from the town.

Not only was this place unsuitable for opening a café, it was unlikely that there would be any customers at all out here.

Even as someone who should be familiar with what’s in the country I work in, I’ve never heard of this place before.

A sign that said ‘Open’ hung on the front door, and the building had a subdued appearance.

A small sign in front of the building said ‘Book Café.’

“Book café? Is that a café that has books?”

I’ve never heard of this café, I wonder if the owner likes books.

If there are books inside, then maybe I can read for the first time in awhile.

As the thought crossed my mind, my horse tugged at her reins, pulling me towards something.

“What is it?”

Following her gaze, I see a space surrounded by a fence.

She seemed to be pulling me towards it, so I let her lead me and take a look, seeing a paddock big enough to leave her untethered, along with a small stable.

At the edge of the paddock grew plenty of grass that horses like, and there seemed to be a magic barrier to prevent the cold from getting in.

Next to the gate, there was a sign written in the same handwriting as the ‘Book Café’ sign out front, saying, ‘Please let the horses run around, and you can use the stable as well.’

My horse looked at the grass, her eyes sparkling, and I realize it’s about time for dinner for myself as well. I don’t have much of an appetite, but it’d still be best to eat something.

Deciding I’ll go into the café, I open the gate to the paddock.

The warm air soaks into my body, cold from the snowy road.

“This place has heating too? The café owner must have a lot of magic and magic control.”

It seems like there aren’t any other customers, and worst comes to worst I can come back and tether her later.

As soon as I let go of the reins, she immediately runs over to the grass and begins to eat it happily.

Once she eats, she’ll probably run around as much as she wants.

This would be quite a big paddock for personal use.

Because of the Savior, we haven’t been able to let the horses run around as they’d like recently, so I’m very grateful for this.

Leaving the paddock, I’m exposed to the cold air again as I walk to the entrance to the café.

As I gently push the door to the café open, warm air surrounds my body, and I hear the sound of a crackling fire and quiet music.

What surprises me is the number of bookcases.

I’d hoped there would be as many books as anyone with a hobby of reading would have, but this café is filled with impressive wooden bookcases lined up, packed with books.

“Welcome.”

I look in the direction of the composed voice to see a woman, probably a little younger than me, with a calm air about her, a book in her arms as she looks back at me.

Because I’ve had so many unpleasant encounters with the young Savior girl, just seeing a woman younger than me reminds me of her, putting me off a little.

But this woman’s calm demeanor makes that vanish in an instant.

To be honest, I had actually imagined the owner of this café would be a man, so that feeling was unexpected.

There’s no sign that anyone else is in the café, so this woman must be the owner.

I tell her that I’d left my horse in the paddock outside, and she says there’s a magic barrier on it to prevent any theft.

I’m very grateful, but that’s supposed to be considerably advanced magic.

The castle’s stable has a similar barrier, but when it was put up, everyone who had helped had drained their magic and was completely exhausted.

If that’s what happens when multiple people are involved, did this woman really do it all by herself?

Such a trivial problem is immediately forgotten when she tells me I can read any of the books in the café.

On the bookshelves are numerous books I’ve wanted to read but have never been able to get, and my depressed feelings instantly brighten up.

That one too, I’ve never read it before.

Next to that one is another book I’ve seen before and been curious about.

What’s more, the book she’s holding is the one I want to read most right now, a book I’d done everything I could to find.

The book I’d given up on, after it went out of print and there was no sign I’d be able to get it, is right in front of my eyes.

She hands me the book with a bright smile, and I thank her, looking around the café to see that there seems to be no one here except me.

She had told me I could sit anywhere, so I choose the most comfortable-looking chair.

The chair is comfortable, and good for reading.

I have to eat dinner, but I also want to read.

Honestly there’s been so much going on lately that I haven’t been feeling like eating much at all, so I decide eating something light will be enough.

I asked for a sandwich that I’ll be able to eat with one hand while reading, and a cup of tea, and immediately opened my book.

After reading for a short while, I hear her telling me my food is ready in an apologetic voice.

It’s obvious that she’d need to interrupt me since she’s bringing me what I ordered, but she seems apologetic about disturbing me.

It felt...very kind, and made me feel a bit better.

She hands me an enchanted pocketwatch, and I quickly calculate what time I need to return to the castle by.

Realizing there’s no doubt that I won’t finish this book tonight gives me a bit of a shock, but I decide to focus on reading as much as I can while I’m here.

She tells me to take my time, and I thank her, watching for a moment as she turns away.

She picks up a book on the counter and sits down to read.

I notice that the book she’s reading is another one that I like, and my mood rises again.

Having the clerk here reading as well makes me feel better about not paying much attention to what’s around me, and I’m grateful.

Not worrying about my surroundings, I’d be able to stay here for quite a long time.

Dropping my gaze back to my book, I take a bite of my sandwich, and it tastes so good that I can’t believe there isn’t anyone else here.

Unconsciously, the hand on my book stops moving as I taste the sandwich.

The vegetables and bread are delicious, I’ve never had a sandwich this good before.

Maybe it tastes even better because I haven’t had much appetite recently and have therefore just been making do in regards to meals.

The sandwich has a gentle flavor, one that seems to make all of my worries disappear.

I forgot how good food could taste, I think with a wry smile.

As soon as I take the first bite, my hand doesn’t stop moving, and despite thinking I didn’t have any appetite, the next thing I knew my plate was empty.

I’m left feeling somewhat unsatisfied, but now is my chance to do some reading for the first time in awhile.

Not only that, but I have a book I’ve always wanted in front of me, and now all I want to do is read.

Next time I come, I’ll try ordering something different, I decide, looking back down at the book in my hands.

She said that I could have as much tea as I wanted too, so the service here is very good.

Sitting in a comfortable chair near a warm fire and listening to quiet music while reading a book I like.

It’s an incredibly calm and luxurious time.

And as I read, the time passed in the blink of an eye.

It took me a moment to realize the gentle music echoing in my head was the alarm, and I became incredibly disappointed upon realizing time was already up.

But I ask for her to put my book aside at the counter, and leave the café in high spirits.

Outside, I see my beloved horse looking very refreshed.

I’m glad I changed routes today.

Mounting my horse, I turn away from the café.

Apparently I’m the first and, as of right now, only customer.

Sorry to the café, but it’s nice being the only one there, I think.

The food was delicious, and the prices were extremely cheap.

It seems she really is running this café as a side hobby like she said, since she probably won’t make any profit like that.

The atmosphere was just as I prefer, and there are still many more books I want to read there.

My horse glances over at the grass in the paddock longingly, and I stroke her back with a smile.

It seems she also really likes this café, and I’ve finally got an appetite for the first time in awhile.

“Let’s come back tomorrow. With those prices, it’s cheaper than cooking for myself. If I could, I’d come every day.”

She neighs happily, and I lead her back towards the castle.

I hope nothing’s happened with the Savior, I think, feeling my heart drop.

I let out a sigh, suddenly missing the café I’ve only just left.

If only the Savior was like that gently smiling café owner.

Deciding that I’m absolutely coming back tomorrow, I headed back towards the castle with a heavy heart.

Translation Notes:

Ill’s horse: in the Japanese (throughout both the manga and light novel) the gender of Ill’s horse isn’t specified, but because I didn’t want to use “it,” I decided to pick a gender and use “she.” If there comes a day where the gender is specified, I’ll make a note of that, but for now that is very much not the case (and I honestly don’t think that day will ever come)

#savior's book cafe #savior's book cafe translation #bookcafenovel #chapter 3 #an encounter in a different world #translation notes

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cozcat · 5 years

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His Dark Materials at the National Theatre: a full summary

This is a full summary of the play, as it is written in the script. For a shorter version, which focuses mostly on differences, click here. (Also linked there are some photos, a timelapse clip, and the National Theatre archive information.) This version is somewhat longer. Apologies for any errors or typoes or weird phrasings, as I’ve written this in a blur, and I really don’t fancy proofreading, as it is - as I said - rather long. If you have any questions about it, please let me know!

Part One, Act One

Oxford Botanic Gardens. Lyra and Will, both aged about twenty, sit on a bench. Lyra talks about how happy she was to remember it was Midsummer Day; Will talks about how he dressed up smartly to come, and how his housemates want to meet his date – but it will be difficult for them to do so. They both say they miss each other, even though the other can’t hear. Lyra talks about Jordan – and Mrs Lonsdale appears to change Lyra’s clothes. Lyra reminisces, and Will and his world disappear, Lyra is twelve again, and kids are yelling at each other.

The kids are fighting, and Lyra gets Billy in a headlock. Roger gets there too late – Pantalaimon and Salcilia introduce themselves to each other, and then Lyra and Roger do the same. Lyra shows Roger around Jordan College, specifically pointing out Fra Pavel, who comes to talk to Lyra about her future. She wants to go exploring with Lord Asriel, and the Master denies that it will happen. Fra Pavel and Master discuss Lord Asriel’s impending visit.

Two weeks later. Lord Asriel arrives in Oxford. He greets scholars and either does not see or ignores Lyra. Lyra and Roger sneak into the Retiring Room, and hide when they hear the Master coming – and Lyra sees him poison the wine. She stops him from drinking it – he tells Roger to keep hiding, and then says that he’s trying to convince the college to pay for his expedition to the Arctic. He asks how Lyra is doing, gives her money, and tells her to hide again. Rather than the wine being broken, he just says it’s the wrong vintage, before beginning the slideshow. He explains that dæmons settle as adults but in different shapes, as well as that they can’t touch each other’s dæmons, and that the separation of human and dæmon is lethal, before bringing up Dust. He says that he went to the Arctic to find Jopari, who knows more about Dust than anyone else alive, and shows a photogram of him bathed in Dust, before the Aurora with a city visible. (Jopari is implied to still be alive.) The scholars vote to give Lord Asriel money, though there is a lot of arguing among the scholars about it.

Six weeks later, at Jordan College, Lyra is outside sulking, while Roger keeps her company. Lord Asriel hasn’t written. Lyra swears that when she goes to the Arctic, she’ll take Roger with her. Mrs Lonsdale appears, and they have a conversation about the children being taken in broad daylight. Mrs Lonsdale reveals that Billy has disappeared. They go to the Master’s study, as he wants to see Lyra.

The Master reveals that Mrs Coulter – “a friend of the college, a wealthy widow” – has appeared to take Lyra away. Upon seeing her, Mrs Coulter says, “I haven’t seen you since… well, ever.” She speaks kindly to Lyra, and says that she was exactly like her at her age. She tells Lyra that she’ll be her personal assistant, and the Master reveals that Mrs Coulter is the Chief Executive Officer of the General Oblation Board. He starts to say that oblates refer to sacrifices, but Mrs Coulter silences him with a look, and tells Lyra that it’s a charitable research foundation that studies Dust, which the Church has given them permission to do. Lyra is reluctant, until Mrs Coulter says that she travels a great deal, and tells her about the sights she sees, and the creatures she meets. She also asks if Lyra wants to see Lord Asriel, as he’s in the Arctic, and says “I know him very well”. After Mrs Coulter leaves, the Master stops Lyra, and asks if she was in the Retiring Room that day – he knows she has reason to mistrust him, but he then gives her the alethiometer, and tells her that the college received it from Lord Asriel when he was young. Lyra leaves, and meets Mrs Lonsdale, who hasn’t seen Roger – he was waiting for Lyra, and disappeared.

A bleak collection point. Billy and Roger are among a group of children, who have finished writing letters. Billy’s dæmon is revealed to be Ratter. The children are somewhat curious about where the Gobblers are taking them – they’ve all been given suitcases with pyjamas and toothbrushes. Mrs Coulter tells them they’ll be given chocolatl on board the boat. Roger asks Mrs Coulter to tell his mother to feed his budgie, and that he loves her. The children board the boat, and she burns the letters.

Mrs Coulter’s living room. Lyra is dressed prettily, and talking to Pan about how she’s never been dressed up like this. He insists that Mrs Coulter is turning her into a pet, but Lyra is sure that she loves her – she sits on the end of her bed when she thinks she’s asleep. “And she looks at me, so sad, with those big dark eyes.” She describes the contrast of Mrs Coulter and her dæmon “like she’s evil and good all at the same time”. She then pulls out the alethiometer, and tries to figure it out – she makes the needle move. Mrs Coulter comes in, and Lyra hides the alethiometer. Mrs Coulter tells Lyra to be polite at the cocktail party, and that she especially wants her to talk to Lord Boreal, and tell him how happy she is in London, as the Church is “just the tiniest bit cross” about Mrs Coulter taking Lyra away. She then tells Lyra that after the party, she’ll be told about the work she wants her to do for the General Oblation Board – “You’ll be meeting other children, less well-off than you, and you’ll be giving them the chance to travel.” She inspects Lyra, and tells her to take off the shoulder-bag with the alethiometer in it – Lyra refuses, and the golden monkey attacks Pan.

At the party, Lord Boreal approaches Lyra. He asks her about her life in London, and what she knows about the General Oblation Board. Lyra then realises that the Board is the Gobblers, and decides to run; Mrs Coulter sees her running, but doesn’t catch her.

Oxford. The Master has a pile of suitcases, and sees Fra Pavel, who he thought was in Geneva. The Master is running away – he tried to kill Lord Asriel, then let his expedition be funded, and then let Lyra into the hands of Mrs Coulter. Fra Pavel then reveals that Lyra is important – because she is the subject of the witches’ prophecy, and will either redeem the Church or destroy it. The Master reveals that Lyra has the college’s alethiometer, and Fra Pavel tells him that he will “shortly receive a visit.”

London. Night and fog. There’s a late-night coffee stall. Lyra and Pan buy a cup of coffee and a ham sandwich, and a man in a top hat tries to give her brandy, until she tells him that she’s meeting her father, a murderer, which scares him off. Two Tartars with wolf dæmons appear, and nearly catch Lyra and Pan, before Tony Costa and another gyptian, Ben, kill them with bows and arrows. They take Lyra to their boat, which is en route to the Arctic, to rescue the stolen children.

The interior of a rusty old hulk. John Faa and Farder Coram are there, among other gyptians. It’s pointed out that foreign and homeless kids suffered even more than the gyptians. They discuss what they know of the North and the experiments – they know about the children being cut up, but not specifics. They’re preparing to travel to Trollesund, and to leave Lyra in a place of safety, but she insists on coming, because “they tried to turn me into one of ‘em.” Farder Coram agrees that she should come, and tells her how to read the alethiometer. The spy-fly appears while Lyra is still reading the alethiometer.

Trollesund. Farder Coram heads into the town to send a message to a “notable witch from around these parts”. Lyra sees Iorek Byrnison in the distance, working with iron and then drinking spirits. She approaches him and offers him the job of fighting to save stolen children, and he tells her about his stolen armour, and how he has everything he needs in Trollesund – meat and spirits.

Lyra: You’ve got empty bottles all round you. You even smell of drink. Haven’t you got any self respect?

Iorek: None.

She tells him that it’s in the house of the priest, and he goes to take it back. Farder Coram tells the gyptians – who are reluctant to stay in Trollesund – that he is waiting on a creature sent to guide them by Serafina Pekkala, and that creature is revealed to be Kaisa.

Kaisa: Farder Coram! It’s lucky you called. I wouldn’t have recognised you in a month of Sundays.

Serafina and Kaisa both remember Farder Coram as young and handsome. Kaisa tells the gyptians about Bolvangar, and about the other worlds:

Lyra: Like to the city in the Northern Lights?

Kaisa: That world is one, but there are many… many… others. They are not in our universe, but they’re here, right next to us, close as a heartbeat, linked with the world we know. I spread my wings… and brush ten million other worlds, and they know nothing of it.

The townspeople are angry that they’re losing Iorek, and Lee Scoresby and Hester appear to defend Iorek. They embrace. Lee asks to join the rescue expedition.

Lyra and the gyptians set off through the Northern snows. Kaisa leaves to stave off another spy-fly. Iorek gives Lyra the tin containing the first spy-fly – she says that Mrs Coulter sent it after her, and Iorek reveals that she is the woman who destroyed him, and who manipulated Iofur Raknison, all to get gaolers to keep Lord Asriel imprisoned. Lyra insists on restoring Iorek to his throne after they rescue the children in Bolvangar. They reach a Tartar camp, and Lyra and Pan creep in – they find Billy Costa, who has been intercised. Billy collapses, and the Tartar guards appear and take Lyra away.

Bolvangar. Lyra introduces herself as Lizzie Brooks, and is taken to the recreation area, where she finds out that they run a lot of tests about dæmons and Dust, and also that Mrs Coulter is coming that day. Lyra sees Roger, who tells her that they “Read Your Name Out” before taking children such as Billy away, and they don’t see those children again. The fire alarm goes off for the drill, and Lyra and Roger go to a door outside. Kaisa appears, and tells them that the gyptians have been delayed, but that Serafina Pekkala and her witches are coming to join the battle. Lyra goes through the door alone, and sees the severed dæmons. Kaisa says that “there is no saving to be done”, but two doctors appear and grab Lyra before she can do anything, and take her through the laboratory.

Dr West: There’s only one thing we can do, it seems to me.

Dr Cade: What, now?

Dr West: Why not?

Dr Cade: But Mrs Coulter hasn’t arrived. I thought she had to be there for each experiment.

Dr West: That’s what she says… but there’s no scientific justification for it. She simply enjoys watching.

They enter a laboratory… There’s a machine with an operating-chair and a small cage, and a guillotine-blade between the two. Lyra is thrown onto the chair, and Dr West picks up Pan with plastic gloves on. A dæmon-bond is revealed between Lyra and Pan. Just before the blade falls, Mrs Coulter appears, and tells them to let Lyra out, tells them off for conducting experiments without her present, and tells the Doctors to leave. She embraces Lyra, who is crying. She then blames the gyptians for losing Lyra, and tries to justify the intercision to her, as it keeps children safe from Dust. She insists that Lyra is different from Billy and Roger, and asks if she knows where she came from – and then reveals that Lord Asriel is her father, which Lyra thinks is “incredible”. Lyra then yells at her for imprisoning her father.

Mrs Coulter: The airship accident never happened. It was just a story that Lord Asriel invented to deny the facts of the matter. He loved your mother and she loved him. It was a wonderful love. But she was married already. And when you were born, her husband guessed the truth, and Lord Asriel fought him and killed him. No one ever denied that the fight was a fair one, not even at the trial.

Lyra: The trial?

Mrs Coulter: There was a trial for murder. And the end of it was that Lord Asriel had to give up his estates, his palaces, his enormous wealth… though your mother, of course, knew nothing about this. She was so distressed by all that had happened that… that she wasn’t even able to look after you. And that’s when Lord Asriel did something very wrong and cruel. He put you into the care of Jordan College, and he told the Master that your mother should never be allowed to have anything to do with you. She was banned and shunned from being with her very own daughter. And that’s how things stayed until she came to Jordan College and spoke to the Master…

Lyra: You mean that…?

Mrs Coulter: Yes.

Lyra: You can’t be.

Mrs Coulter: I am. I’m your mother. Do you understand now why I put your father in prison? It was my only chance to be with you, to hug you and love you, to talk to you frankly as woman to woman…

Mrs Coulter then asks about the alethiometer, and Lyra hands her the tin with the spy-fly in it. Mrs Coulter opens it, and the spy-fly attacks the golden monkey. Roger rushes in, as crashes and explosions are heard, and Lyra sets off the fire alarm, before they rush outside. Serafina Pekkala appears, and flies away with Lyra and Roger. Mrs Coulter appears with her golden monkey, and both are wounded in the same place. Mrs Coulter extends her arms upwards, reaching, and calls, “Lyra!”

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Part One, Act Two

Oxford Botanic Gardens. Lyra and Will are in the same places as at the start of act one. Will talks about how while Lyra was ballooning over icebergs, he was at a bus shelter in Oxford, having just killed a man, and how he needed to run away. Lyra talks about how they didn’t realise how many forces were moving them on

Lee Scoresby’s balloon. The children and Iorek are asleep. Serafina talks about how she can make herself invisible in the sense that witches do – but it won’t work on cliff-ghasts. She then tells Lee about the prophecy.

Serafina: It’s in our poems, our spells, the bedtime songs that we sing to our children. It tells of a child of destiny. A child who has it in her power to bring about the annihilation of death and the triumph of Dust.

She then pulls out an amber spyglass, given to her by Jopari, through which she shows Lee Dust, and explains to him Dust and the fates. Lyra and Pan wake up – though they have been listening. The basket lurches, cliff-ghasts appear, and Lyra and Pan are thrown from the basket. From above, those still in the balloon call to Lyra – Serafina says she will come back and find her, and Iorek says to wait for him.

A group of bears find Lyra – in the script, they are listed as Chief Bear, Stupid Bear, and Disgruntled Bear. The bears complain about the palace being Mrs Coulter’s doing, to make them “more civilised-like”.

Stupid Bear: Mrs Coulter’s gonna make it so that we all get dæmons, isn’t she, Sarge?

Chief Bear: That’s what she tells us, so we gotta believe it.

Disgruntled Bear: Oh, it’ll happen all right. Along with all the rest of her fancy notions. Reading and writing and making us cook our food. What I wouldn’t give for a mouthful of raw walrus.

The bears slaver with desire at the thought of raw walrus.

Lyra sees Lord Asriel’s prison in the distance, and gets the idea to pretend to be Iorek’s dæmon. While she is telling Iofur how she could become his dæmon, Iorek arrives in his armour, and gives Lyra the name of Silvertongue. The bears proceed to fight, and Iorek eats Iofur’s heart.

Inside the palace. Roger tells Lyra how the balloon crashed, and Serafina went to rescue a witch who was taken prisoner at Bolvangar. Thorold appears, and tells Lyra and Roger to go to Lord Asriel’s study – Lyra expected him to be in chains, but as Thorold explains it, “He was both prisoner and prince”.

Lord Asriel’s study. Asriel is horrified that Lyra has arrived, but smiles after seeing Roger, and tells Thorold to run them a bath. Lyra doesn’t leave – she confronts Asriel.

Lyra: I’m not some bloody kid that you can have put in the bath when you feel like it. You’re my father, en’t you?

Lord Asriel: Yes. So what?

Lyra: So what? You should have told me before, that’s what. You could’ve asked me to keep it secret, and I would’ve. I’d have been so proud that nothing would have torn it out of me. But you never.

Lord Asriel: How did you find out?

Lyra: My mother told me.

Lord Asriel: Your mother…? Then there’s nothing left to talk about. I don’t intend to apologise, and I refuse to be preached at by a sanctimonious ten-year-old.

Lyra: I’m twelve! I’m twelve!

Lord Asriel: Well, you would know. If you want to stay, you’d better make yourself interesting to me. Tell me about your journey here. What have you seen? What have you done?

Lyra: I set you free, that’s what I done. You can go.

Lord Asriel: I’ll go when I’m ready. What else?

Lyra: I brought you this. The Master gave it me.

She shows him the alethiometer, and is horrified that he looked at her as though she was the last thing in the world he wanted to see, to which he responds, “But Lyra… you were.” He tells her that she brought him “the key to a door that had never been opened” but doesn’t elaborate, leaving her confused. He explains to her original sin, and how Dust ties into innocence becoming experience. He then says that “cutting in itself is merely random cruelty” and that the dæmon-bond releases a burst of energy when severed. He tells her about the coin toss – in one world, it comes down heads, but in another, it comes down tails. He then tells her that she can ask anything she likes in the morning, because “You’re my daughter”, and tells her to go.

Bolvangar, partly destroyed. Serafina makes herself invisible, and watches Mrs Couter greeting Lord Boreal, who is there to see the interrogation of the witch captured by Mrs Coulter. Mrs Coulter tells the others to let go of the witch, as she is the private property of the General Oblation Board – which Fra Pavel tells her has now been closed down, and its records expunged. In addition, Mrs Coulter’s spy-flies have been decommissioned, and her bank account in Geneva terminated. She’s confused – he tells her about the witches’ prophecy, which states “that Lyra is either the Church’s greatest friend or its darkest foe”. Fra Pavel’s interrogation isn’t working, so Mrs Coulter takes her hand, and tells her to answer the questions – the witch refuses, so Mrs Coulter breaks one of her fingers, and another. She reveals that Lyra has a secret name, but doesn’t say the name, instead calling, “Serafina Pekkala, let me die!” Serafina makes herself visible, stabs the witch, and escapes in the pandemonium that ensues.

The Palace at Svalbard by night. The bears are celebrating. Thorold appears to Lyra, to tell her that Lord Asriel has taken Roger away. Lyra and Pan join the bears as they all march to the mountains, and Lyra crosses the snow-bridge alone. On the mountain-top, Salcilia is in a cage, and Roger is tied up, being guarded by Stelmaria. Lyra releases Roger, and Pan attacks Stelmaria, while Salcilia is freed. The fight continues, until Stelmaria catches Salcilia again, and Lord Asriel severs the bond. Roger is unsteady on his feet, and Stelmaria holds Salcilia up in triumph – to which Lyra says, “He’s killed him!” Mrs Coulter is heard approaching and calling for Lyra – Lyra and Pan hide. Mrs Coulter sees Lord Asriel, and approaches him, asking if he cut Lyra. They stand in the light of the city in the Aurora, and they kiss, as their dæmons move closer together. He asks her to come with him, to destroy the Authority; she says that she has to stay in their world to protect Lyra. He laughs at her, and says that he doesn’t blame Lyra for running away from her. Mrs Coulter leaves, and Lord Asriel yells after her, “I don’t need you!” and walks into the Aurora. Lyra and Pan decide that they need to follow him – taking “heads in one world, tails in another” to mean that there could be another world where Roger is still alive. They walk into the Aurora.

Lapland, an assembly of witches. Serafina addresses the gathered witches and Lee Scoresby, telling them that the Church is after Lyra. The witches refuse to say her name in front of Lee.

Serafina: Have you children of your own, Mr Scoresby?

Lee Scoresby: No. I never married. I’m childless and… well, it seems to me that this little kid had a lousy deal from her true parents, and somebody ought to make it up to her.

They discuss the prophecy, and their hatred of the Church, but do not give Lyra’s prophesied name. Ruta Skadi protests them protecting Lyra, as destiny will protect her, and suggests that they join the war, as Lord Asriel has already gone to kill the Authority. Serafina passes her amber spyglass around, so that the witches can look at the Dust flowing away through doors and windows that were never there before. Lee says that he can help the witches find Jopari, as he can take them to Lyra. Ruta says that she cannot follow, as Jopari once rejected her, and if she sees him, she will kill him.

Cittàgazze. Lyra and Pan walk in, having been walking for days.

Lyra: There’s one good thing. We’re probably safe from my mother and father.

Pantalaimon: The two most treacherous, lyingest people on all the earth.

Lyra: Wasn’t it awful when they kissed like that?

Pantalaimon: We made some friends though, didn’t we?

Lyra: Yeah… Iorek… Serafina…

Pantalaimon: … Kaisa…

Lyra: … Mr Scoresby…

Pantalaimon: …Hester…

They hear a noise, and see Will, who charges them – a fight ensues, and then they introduce themselves to each other. Lyra wonders why Will doesn’t have a dæmon, and Will is shocked that Pan is talking. They keep arguing, and Will says that he’s going to cook an omelette.

Lyra: Boys can’t cook.

Will: Well, this boy’s had to.

Lyra: In my world, servants do the cooking.

Will: In my world, the Coke is brown.

He produces a couple of bottles of green Coke. Gives her one.

Angelica and Paolo appear, and tell Lyra and Will about Cittàgazze, and how the adults have to run away from the Spectres. Angelica and Paolo leave, and Lyra and Will talk about what they’ve run away from – Lyra from her mother, and Will from “some people”. They keep talking, and realise that they come from two different Oxfords in two different worlds. Lyra says that she’s going to go with Will back to his Oxford, they argue about the dishes, and he leaves. Lyra reads the alethiometer and discovers that Will is a murderer – it also says that she should help Will, and stop looking for Roger.

Geneva: the Consistorial Court of Discipline. Mrs Coulter, Lord Boreal, and Fra Pavel are there with the President, while Brother Jasper takes notes. The President thanks Mrs Coulter for persuading the witch to tell them about the prophecy. Fra Pavel says that “To harden one’s heart is the first step to holiness,” but the President does not agree.

President: … But I have never once hardened my heart. I feel the lash on the heretic’s back as keenly as he does. I do it to save his soul. I do it for love.

Mrs Coulter says that the Church has made a mess of trying to find Lyra, and why should they not trust her to find her own daughter? Fra Pavel is in opposition, but Lord Boreal sides with Mrs Coulter. Lord Boreal then brings up a knife that is powerful enough to kill the Authority, but it is in a city infested with Spectres, and there is a boy called Will Parry who can get it. The President asks if Brother Jasper can read the alethiometer – he can, and claims to have a gift for it – so Fra Pavel is ordered to give Brother Jasper his alethiometer.

Cittàgazze window. Lyra and Will watch through, and can hear traffic. Lyra jumps through, and is surprised by how busy it is. They argue about how best to hide from attention – Lyra hides behind making herself stand out in an unexpected way; Will hides altogether.

The Botanic Gardens, on the bench. Lyra shows Will the alethiometer. Will tells her about his missing father, and shows her the green leather writing-case, and the letters. He then tells her about the man he killed, and the contents of the letters. They swap the alethiometer and the letters – Lyra taking the letters, and Will taking the alethiometer, as a show of trust, before promising to meet back at the bench.

Will’s Oxford, in a cuttings library. Will is reading something and taking notes, and clutching at the alethiometer bag. Lord Boreal asks about cuttings he requested – which are currently being read by Will. Lord Boreal asks if Will would mind sharing his table, and Lord Boreal asks him about the cuttings, before revealing that he knows who Will is, and that he killed a man. He then tells him that he needs him to do something – Will refuses, but takes Lord Boreal’s card. Lord Boreal then produces a cutting from his wallet: “Legends of the Arctic by Major John Parry”. Will reads the cutting with single-minded interest, and Lord Boreal takes the alethiometer bag while he’s distracted.

Cittàgazze, in the mountains. Jopari creates a circle in the ground, which is safe for the witches to descend into. He reveals that he is dying, and tells the witches to go, as they won’t be safe from the Spectres for very long. Jopari tells Lee that he was summoned, and that there is a man called Giacomo Paradisi, who he needs to give an order to, via Lee’s balloon. As it will be good for Lyra, Lee agrees.

Will’s Oxford. Lyra is angry that Will let the alethiometer be stolen. Will realises that he has Lord Boreal’s address – Lyra suggests that they rob him, but Will says they should go visit first. At his front door, Lyra and Lord Boreal recognise each other instantly, and Will says that Lord Boreal stole the alethiometer. Lord Boreal reveals that he thought that what he stole was the letters – but he is fascinated by the alethiometer, and wants to keep it as a bargaining chip, to force Will to get the knife.

The Torre degli Angeli in Cittagazze. Giacomo Paradisi is at the top, fighting with Tullio. Tullio and Will fight – Will gets the knife, and Tullio is consumed by Spectres. Paradisi says that he is the Bearer, and Lyra notices that Will’s fingers have been cut off. Paradisi points out that ownership of the knife has passed onto him, and tells him not to pass the knife onto Lord Boreal. He teaches Will how to use the knife, and warns him that, “If for a single moment your thoughts should waver, the knife will break”. And after that: “Then I shall wait on this rooftop, out of the Spectres’ range, until I die.” He teaches Will to close the window, and says that he is the bearer.

In the sky. Serafina and the witches appear, and see Angels.

Lord Asriel appears in his fortress.

Lord Asriel: Into this wild abyss the wary fiend / Stood on the brink of Hell and looked a while / Pondering his voyage.

Mrs Coulter appears with the golden monkey.

Mrs Coulter: Lyra, where are you?

On the tower.

Will: Father! I’m coming to find you!

The President and Brother Jasper meet. Brother Jasper says that he has discovered Lyra Belacqua’s secret name, and hands the President a sheet of paper.

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Part Two, Act One

Opening montage. Lyra and Pan running. Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter looking into the Aurora – she says she can’t be a part of his plan. Roger dying in Lyra’s arms. Serafina addressing the witches about the prophecy. Lyra meeting Will. Mrs Coulter asking the President for permission to find Lyra. Will telling Lyra about his father – “John, John Parry”. Jopari and Lee Scoresby talking about the knife. Will and Tullio fighting, and Will losing his fingers. Ruta Skadi confronts Serafina Pekkala – she says she will fly to the battlefield, to fight for Lord Asriel, and that she will kill Jopari if she sees him. Brother Jasper tells the President he has discovered Lyra’s secret name, and the President summons the council.

Consistorial Court of Discipline. Brother Jasper reveals to the President and the gathered Church dignitaries that Lyra’s secret name is Eve: “The fount of original sin and the cause of Dust’s invasion of the world.” Clerics discuss Lord Asriel’s plans, and the need for the knife – the Authority is noted to not have talked to anyone since someone called Saint Teresa. The clerics leave, and the President tells Brother Jasper to find out where Lyra is hiding, and to gather a band of warriors who are ready to kill and to die for the sacred cause.

The air over Cittàgazze. The witches fly, looking for Lyra.

Will’s Oxford, at night, outside Lord Boreal’s house. They cut through the gate, and try to figure out how to rob his house – Will decides to cut a window into Cittàgazze, and then back into Oxford in Lord Boreal’s study. They hear Mrs Coulter approaching, and Lyra follows Will back into Cittàgazze.

Mrs Coulter: So this is your secret world? It’s charming, Charles.

Lord Boreal: I hardly believe its charm is what made you insist that I brought you here.

Mrs Coulter: Of course it isn’t. I want my daughter. Will I be sharing a room with her?

Lord Boreal: No, certainly not. I’ve asked my manservant to make up the guest room for you.

Mrs Coulter: The guest room? Well, we mustn’t upset him. I must remember to rumple the sheets in the morning. You really are the most delightfully old-fashioned host.

Will makes a window through the ceiling of Lord Boreal’s study – Lyra joins him, and they see that Lord Boreal still has the alethiometer. Lord Boreal insults Will’s mother, and Mrs Coulter insults Roger, so both children are livid. Lord Boreal says that Will is unique, because of his father – John Parry discovered the window into Cittàgazze, and is still alive and in hiding. They’re interrupted by Lyra throwing stones at the window. Lord Boreal runs outside with a gun, that he insists he will only use on Will, before calling to Will that “I’m not going to harm you”. Mrs Coulter tries to find Lyra, and Will finds the alethiometer. The children escape, and Mrs Coulter insists that they will follow them into Cittàgazze via another window – Lord Boreal is scared, but Mrs Coulter is insistent, as she knows of Lord Boreal’s orders.

Cittàgazze. Will is shocked that his father is alive, and exhausted – he quickly falls asleep. Lyra insists that they don’t snoop on Will, and they talk about what would have happened had they never snooped. Serafina appears, able to land safely as Will has the knife. She tells Lyra about how witches, with their long lives, find it hard to understand how short-lived girls like Lyra might feel for a boy, as their own experience is so different. Will wakes up to listen, unseesn, as Lyra asks if Farder Coram was in love with Serafina.

Serafina: He was, and I loved him. I’d fallen to earth in the Fenland marshes, where Coram was fishing, and he hauled me into his boat, or I’d have drowned. He was twenty and I was pushing two hundred… Well, I lay a week in his cabin, with the light blocked out, while I was mending from my fall. But it was summer outside, and the light was calling. One afternoon we strolled across the fields. We picked fruits from the hedgerows… we sat, we talked, we watched the river… and I lifted a blackberry and pressed it against his lips. It was only then, that I knew I loved him. Nine months later, I bore his child…

Serafina tells Lyra about their dead son, and that she hoped Coram would have moved on – though he never did. She says that their destinies were bound – like Lyra’s and Will’s may be. The rest of the witches appear, intent on guarding and guiding the children. Lyra checks the alethiometer, and finds out their path, as well as that Mrs Coulter is after them.

Lord Asriel’s fortress. Lord Asriel addresses his troops, telling them about all the worlds, and how they will use Æsahættr to kill the Authority. Lord Roke arrives, and suggests “the Chevalier Tialys and his spouse, the Lady Salmakia” to spy on the Consistorial Court of Discipline. He wants every detail of their plans, and Stelmaria suggests that Lyra also be reported on, though Lord Asriel considers her of less importance.

The Torre degli Angeli in Cittàgazze. Mrs Coulter addresses the Spectres, and a terrified Lord Boreal drags an equally terrified Giacomo Paradisi out. The Spectres consume Paradisi, and the children of Cittàgazze watch with an unhealthy interest – once he is consumed, they pick his pockets. Mrs Coulter says that she and the Spectres have reached an understanding. Lord Boreal asks the children if they have seen Lyra and Will, and the children tell them where to go. Angelica and Paolo ask Mrs Coulter to kill Lyra and Will – Mrs Coulter tells them to carry their bags until they’re out of the city, and then they might consider it.

Cittàgazze, in the mountains. The witches, Lyra and Pan, and Will are walking. They stop to rest, and Lyra and Will curl up under a blanket – Will lifts a corner for Pan, who pointedly goes the long way around to Lyra’s side. The children talk about dæmons in Will’s world, and Will talks about how he thinks Spectres manifest in his world. He then says that he always wanted to find his dad, and that his mother “used to say I was gonna wear his mantle”. Ruta Skadi arrives, having seen Lord Asriel’s fortress and his army – and having been asked by him to join him. The witches note that they can’t fix Will’s wound, and Ruta sees his eyes.

Ruta Skadi: I’ve seen those eyes before.

Serafina: If you have, it’s best for us all that you forget them.

They see Jopari and Lee Scoresby arriving, and Ruta is angry that Serafina brought Jopari into that world – Serafina says that all she cares about is the prophecy coming true.

Mrs Coulter’s camp in Cittàgazze. Lord Boreal is preoccupied by the Spectres lurking close by, but Mrs Coulter and the golden monkey are quietly realising that they don’t need him any more.

Mrs Coulter: What will you do, when we find the children?

Lord Boreal: I’ll get the knife, and hurry back to Geneva as fast as my legs will take me. What about you?

Mrs Coulter: I’ll keep my daughter quiet and safe. That’s all I want. When she lived with me in London, I used to sit at the end of her bed and watch her, and my heart would burst with love. Then she’d wake up and… oh… the racketing round and the noise and nuisance. I’d have to remind myself of what she was like before, and then I’d love her again. What’s odd is that I still don’t know what the most important thing about her is.

Lord Boreal: What might that be?

Mrs Coulter: Remember the witch I tortured? ‘It is the name of one who came before…’ What is that name?

Mrs Coulter is insistent that Lord Boreal must know what the name is, that the Church must have told him, but Lord Boreal insists that he doesn’t know. She says that unless he tells her, he will die “a revolting death” – and then she calls the Spectres closer. She says she believes him, and that makes him useless to her, so she calls for the Spectres to devour him.

The witches’ camp, by night. Lyra and Will are lying on the ground. Serafina leaves, as Ruta Skadi has left in a rage, and she is worried as to what she will do. Will isn’t sleeping, as his hand is now septic and gangrenous – Pan licks his hand, to comfort him, and they talk about how brave Lyra thinks he is. Will gets up to go for a walk – Lyra wakes up, just in time to see him go, and then the golden monkey and Mrs Coulter appears. Mrs Coulter tries to get Lyra to go with her, but the witches awaken and prepare to attack – and the Spectres attack the witches, while Mrs Coulter carries Lyra away.

On the mountain in Cittàgazze, by a rock in the shape of an eagle. Will appears, in pain, and Jopari appears out of the darkness, instantly recognising Will as the bearer of the knife. He anoints the wound, and it stops hurting as well as bleeding. Will shows Jopari the knife, and Jopari tells Will about its history, and what it means to be the bearer, and that being the bearer makes Will a warrior. Jopari tells Will to take Æsahættr to Lord Asriel, and then that he is dying. He then lights a match, recognises Will as his son – and is struck with an arrow, and falls down, dead. Ruta Skadi appears, blames Jopari’s rejection of her on Will and his mother, and stabs herself. Will goes to his father’s body.

Will: Father… Dad, Daddy… Father. You loved us. I’m sorry I doubted you. I’ll do what you want, I swear it. I’ll be the man that you want me to be. I’ll fight. I’ll be a warrior. I’ll take this knife to Lord Asriel, wherever he is.

In the distance, Lyra can be heard calling for Will. Will runs back to the camp, and sees the witches standing dead, and Serafina and Kaisa, who have returned to see the rest of the witches dead. Serafina tells Will that Mrs Coulter has taken Lyra; Will tells her that he found his father, who is now dead.

Serafina: So the choice is yours. Either save the world, or save your friend. I know which I would do… Kaisa stops her continuing. But I can’t help you to decide. Ruta Skadi was right. I meddled in human lives, and brought destruction on my sisters. If all goes well for you and Lyra, we’ll meet on the battlefield. Farewell.

She leaves, and Will picks up Lyra’s rucksack, and looks at the alethiometer. Balthamos and Baruch appear, having been following Jopari until he found Will, and ready to lead Will to Lord Asriel. Will tells them that he is going to find Lyra first, and Balthamos and Baruch have no choice but to follow him.

A cave. Roger’s ghost appears while Lyra sleeps, and she half wakes up. Roger begs for help, but Mrs Coulter forces the sleeping medication on Lyra.

Mrs Coulter’s camp in Cittàgazze. Will is putting things in a bag, as Lord Boreal stands, still dead. Balthamos watches Will, and tell him about their determination to see the Authority killed. He then tells Will about the world of the dead. Baruch appears, with a map to show where Lyra is being kept. Balthamos and Baruch embrace and say goodbye, and Baruch flies away.

Oxford Botanic Gardens, on the bench. Lyra and Will are adults again. Lyra talks about her fear that she would never wake up, and would be stuck in the world of the dead – but how she swore she would find Roger. Will talks about how he wanted to say so much to his father – “It was my task… it was my mantle.”

A message is heard from Lord Roke, contacting his agents in Geneva.

A corridor in the Consistorial Court of Discipline. The Chevalier Tialys and the Lady Salmakia are seen eavesdropping on Brother Jasper, who is telling the President that Lyra is being kept captive in a cave. The President gives Brother Jasper the medallion of Saint Martin Luther, which absolves its wearer from every crime, and tells him to wear it when he kills Lyra, to save her soul.

Lord Asriel’s fortress – the war room. A message is relayed from Tialys and Salmakia about what they have just seen.

Salmakia, in a message: … Lyra is in a cave in the Northern mountains… her mother is keeping her in a trance…

Lord Asriel: Her mother? Stuck in a cave? I don’t believe it. This is a woman who has her hair done twice a week at six in the morning.

Tialys: … the Church will send a band of assassins to the cave by zeppelin. Their orders will be to eliminate Lyra without delay. Transmission over.

Lord Asriel: Eliminate Lyra? Why? She’s not important. She’s just a foul-mouthed brat with grubby fingernails. Why are they trying to kill her?

Stelmaria: You’d have killed her yourself, at Svalbard.

Lord Asriel: No, I would not! I thought I’d have to kill her, for the sake of my experiment. When the boy walked in, I was vastly relieved and I let her go. But I can’t help wondering now if that was a fatal error. Should I have kept her with me? Should I have brought her here?

Baruch arrives, to join Asriel’s army, but he is wounded. He says that Jopari’s son is bringing Æsahættr, but he has gone to find Lyra. Baruch cries, “Oh, Balthamos!” and dies. Lord Asriel decides to fly to the cave, to capture the knife and rescue his daughter.

Stelmaria: So you do care about her?

Lord Asriel: Yes I do! It’s like a chess game, when you suddenly realise that your opponent is concentrating all his energies on capturing some insignificant little piece to which you never attached the remotest value. You don’t know why he wants it. But if it matters to him, then it matters to you. You have to defend it.

Lyra’s world, in snowy foothills. Balthamos realises that Baruch is dead, and flies away. Will is left alone, and turns to see bears. Iorek appears, as ready as his comrades to kill Will, but Will challenges him to single combat. Iorek gives Will his helmet, and Will destroys it with the knife. Will says that he will only show the knife to Iorek Byrnison. Iorek studies the knife, and tells Will that the bears are trying to find a new place to live. Balthamos returns.

The Consistorial Court of Discibpline in Geneva. Brother Jasper addresses an assembly, telling them how the world is suffering environmental consequences because of the hole in the Aurora. He tells the audience about Lyra’s path – following Lord Asriel through Cittàgazze and into the other Oxford, and then to the cave with Mrs Coulter. Lord Asriel is leading a force towards the cave, Will and Iorek are arriving from another direction, so his newly-named Brotherhood of the Holy Purpose are arriving from another direction, expecting a battle. They plan on killing both Lyra and Will.

Near the cave. Will, Iorek, and Balthamos arrive, alongside other bears. Brother Jasper’s zeppelins are approaching from the south, and Lord Asriel’s gyropters from the north. Will is certain that he will not be enchanted by Mrs Coulter, unlike so many others. Mrs Coulter is determined that Will will help them all escape, and he refuses to show her the knife, despite her interest. Mrs Coulter is well aware that Lyra hates her, but is determined to protect her in any way she can – she asks will, “Wouldn’t your mother do the same for you?” Will tries to take Lyra away, and Mrs Coulter pulls a revolver on him. The Chevalier Tialys and Lady Salmakia appear beside Mrs Coulter, and sting her. Lyra starts to wake, and Will tries to find a snag for the knife, but the cave is invaded – first by the Brothers of the Holy Purpose, and then Lord Asriel and his soldiers. Mrs Coulter is shocked to see Lord Asriel, and begs Lyra to stay, not to leave her to die. Lord Asriel then tells Will to think of what his father told him – and Will, thinking of his father, shatters the knife. In the ensuing fight, he picks up the pieces of the knife and pulls Lyra from the cave.

Lord Asriel: Lyra! Lyra!

---

Part Two, Act Two

Lord Asriel’s fortress. Lord Asriel is alone, and talks of a dream in which he met the angel who challenged the Authority.

Lord Asriel: …I was falling with him down an endless abyss, into a blackness so intense it seemed to invade my brain.

The war room in Lord Asriel’s fortress. Tialys and Salmakia report that heavy losses were suffered on both sides, but Lyra and Will escaped, and Will has the pieces of the knife.

Lyra’s world, near the cave. Will tells Lyra that Jopari was his father. They meet Tialys and Salmakia, who tell them that they have been searching for Lyra at her father’s command, and that they are there to take her to his fortress. Will tells them that Iorek is there, but Lyra interrupts to say that the knife is useless, and that they just want to say goodbye to Iorek. Once the Gallivespians leave, she tells him off for being useless at lying. Lyra then says that she has to rescue Roger – she knows he’s somewhere, even though he’s dead. Will says that he’s in the Land of the Dead. Iorek comes, and the Gallivespians follow – they’re angry at Lyra and Will for lying, and Lyra and Will are angry at them for interrupting and for concealing themselves. The Gallivespians withdraw to tell Lord Asriel that the knife will be repaired; Lyra asks the alethiometer if it should be repaired. Iorek builds a fire.

Lord Asriel’s fortress. The Gallivespians tell Lord Asriel that Lyra and Will are planning on repairing the knife and going somewhere unspecified. Lord Roke points out that once the knife is in working order, they will all be in a deadlock. An officer appears saying that the prisoner insists on seeing Lord Asriel – he asks for her to be sent away, but Mrs Coulter comes in anyway, her hands tied. The room is emptied, and they proceed to argue about Lyra. She asks why he abandoned them in the middle of the battle, and he insists that they fled. He says that he knows Lyra is in danger, and she says that she tried to convince him of it at Svalbard – he wasn’t convinced, as it was a single zeppelin, rather than an obsession of the Church. They talk about the prophecy, though neither of them knows the name given to Lyra. Lord Asriel insists that all he can think about is to protect Lyra; Mrs Coulter says that she doesn’t know why she believes him, but she knows that something has changed in her, too. They talk about Brother Jasper, and Mrs Coulter asks if the Gallivespians could spy on him – but they’re still in the cave, not in Geneva. She says that she has grown to hate the Church, but she is willing to fly to them to spy on them. The monkey makes stabbing gestures to indicate that she needs to ask about the knife after it broke – and then she snaps at Lord Asriel for only being interested in the knife, not in Lyra. They get back to arguing about Lyra.

Mrs Coulter: How would you know what’s worthy or not? You tried to exploit my motherly love for your own selfish purposes! [Lord Asriel laughs] Don’t laugh!

Lord Asriel: I can’t help it! [He laughs] Your motherly love! You hated Lyra! You abandoned her!

Mrs Coulter: I did not! You stole her from me…!

Lord Asriel: I had to! You were raving mad! You’d have throttled her in her cradle!

Mrs Coulter: Then you ignored her, you neglected her, year after year, she had no decent company, no education…

Lord Asriel: You only loved her in that cave because she was fast asleep.

Mrs Coulter: What if I did? It’s still love.

Lord Asriel: No it’s not. It’s fantasising. So that you won’t have to pretend to love the tedious little creature that she really is.

Mrs Coulter: You know nothing about her! She’s unique!

Lord Asriel: Oh, she’s unique all right. To win you round… you of all people… the steely-eyed fanatic, the persecutor of children, the inventor of hideous machines to slice them apart… to turn you into a fussy red hen, clucking and settling your feathers over her… that’s quite an achievement.

Mrs Coulter: It is.

Lord Asriel: And you’ll go to Geneva?

Mrs Coulter: I will. For her. [She turns to go.] Who won that? You or me?

Lord Asriel: We both got what we wanted.

Mrs Coulter: So we did. But I’ll be back. And let the battle commence.

She leaves, and Lord Asriel tells Lord Roke to hide in the aircraft with her.

In the cave. Iorek, Will, Lyra, and Pan are mending the knife. Iorek asks what Will is planning on doing with the knife – he eventually says that they want to go down to the Land of the Dead, but he’s scared. Lyra joins them, and she is still determined to go into the Land of the Dead. She says goodbye to Iorek, and he leaves. Will prepares to cut a window to the Land of the Dead, but they stop, to figure out which part of them has to go through. The Chevalier Tialys and Lady Salmakia appear, and insist that they have to wait for the gyropter. Will cuts a window anyway, and they stare in amazement.

A lodestone resonator signal. Tialys relays that the children have escaped to the Land of the Dead, and Lord Roke relays that Mrs Coulter was placed in a cell in Geneva, where the President intends on interrogating her.

The Consistorial Court of Discipline. Mrs Coulter is about to undress when she sees Lord Roke. He tells her that those on the grounds are preparing for war, and the priests are taking it in relays to warn the Authority. The President and Brother Jasper arrive, and she tells them that she escaped from Lord Asriel by stealing a gyropter, and that Lord Boreal was killed by Spectres, as that’s what happens in Cittàgazze – she attributes her survival to “the power of prayer”. They ask if she knows where Lyra is, and she asks why they haven’t asked the alethiometer – they have, but the answer is too obscure to read. The President is angry that she disobeyed the Church, hiding Lyra in a cave; Mrs Coulter loses control, and tells them that she was protecting her daughter from the Church – “From a body of men with a feverish obsession with sex… Men whose furtive imaginations would crawl over my daughter like cockroaches. Men reeking of ancient sweat!” She then says that it doesn’t matter if Lord Asriel plans on killing the Authority, as he is useless – unseen, unheard. “Wouldn’t it be the kindest gesture to seek him out and give him the gift of death?” The President says that she has condemned herself in saying this. They leave, saying that it is imperative that they find Lyra, and that Mrs Coulter will die tomorrow. The President orders that Brother Jasper returns to her cell after the Council of War, to hear her final words.

Outskirts of the Land of the Dead. Lyra, Will, and pan arrive, and an official gives them papers, as they are still alive. They continue through, until they meet a man called Jeptha Jones, who asks them where their deaths are. They join Jeptha and his family, who give them soup, and point out their own deaths, gathered far away – except for their gran’s death, who is with them. Deaths are explained, and they are told that they need their deaths to guide them to the boat. The family ask them about where they came from, and Lyra lies about her parents, a king and queen. Partway through her story, the actor playing Pantalaimon appears as Lyra’s death, and tells her that he can guide them to the Land of the Dead, but not back out.

Lyra and Will reach the shores of a lake, with Pan having returned. Lyra’s death disappears, and a rowing boat appears. The Boatman indicates that Pan has to stay, and that the same thing always happens – everybody struggles and fights, but everybody goes in the end. Lyra and Pan embrace, before being parted.

A message from Lord Roke, reporting that the children and the knife are completely unknown, war preparations continue, and Mrs Coulter is under the sentence of death.

Mrs Coulter’s cell in Geneva. Lord Roke appears in the window to warn a pacing Mrs Coulter that Brother Jasper is on his way to see her. She feigns being newly awake when Brother Jasper comes in, offering her the medallion to absolve her of all crimes past and present, if she can help him find Lyra. He wants to know where she is – he knows she is in a world of endless grey and misery, with Roger, but Mrs Coulter tells him that Roger is dead. He is appalled, and falls to his knees, as it means that nothing he believes is true. The golden monkey moves seductively towards his dæmon, and Mrs Coulter tells him that she always knew he was different – he can’t bring himself to put the medallion around her neck, and she stays uncomfortably close to him, with him unable to move away. He tells her that Will is with Lyra, and that Lyra’s prophesied name is Eve – they want to kill her, because Dust will triumph if she falls. Noises are heard, and Lord Roke appears: “The rescue party’s arrived!” Mrs Coulter and the golden monkey instantly switch from seduction to throwing Brother Jasper to the ground and fixing his dæmon in a paralysing grip. Soldiers hustle Mrs Coulter to the door, and Lord Roke is wounded, but insists on staying at his post.

The Land of the Dead. No-Name the harpy appears, and taunts Lyra and Will, who are still working through the pain of having their dæmons torn from them. Lyra tells a lie-filled story to No-Name, who taunts her as “Lyra the liar!” Will slices through a door, and they run into a vast grey plain, filled with ghosts. Lyra realises that she was sent to annihilate death. Will tries to find a place where they won’t be stared at, and the ghost children approach Lyra, talking about their dæmons. Roger appears, and runs to Lyra, but they can’t touch. Lyra tells Roger about how Will is her best friend, who she can still touch, or hug, or get into fights with, or share an apple with, or race up a hill, or sit in the sun. The ghost children cluster nearer, listening to stories of a world they’ve nearly forgotten, with Roger joining in.

In another part of the Land of the Dead, Will is trying to find a place to cut, but the knife keeps snagging. Jopari appears, and tells him that if he does it again, the knife will break. They return to Lyra, who is finishing her story, with ghost adults having joined the children, and No-Name and two other harpies listening. No-Name and the other harpies are nourished by the stories, but attack Lyra for planning an escape from the Land of the Dead. Will and Lyra then bargain – the harpies will show the ghosts how to escape, if every one of those ghosts tells them stories about “the things they saw and heard and loved in the life that they left behind”. Some ghosts are anxious about what waits for them – Jopari tells them that they will dissolve, like their dæmons did, but that they will all drift apart, and be a part of everything that’s alive. No-Name leads the way.

Mrs Coulter’s cell in Geneva. The President and Brother Jasper are there, being watched by Lord Roke, who creeps out to listen to the clerics who come in. The clerics tell of the Authority’s arrival, and they start to go, although Brother Jasper stays.

Brother Jasper: Father President, let me speak. I have sinned. I had evil thoughts.

President: You are not the first young man to have been corrupted by Mrs Coulter. Make up for it on the battlefield.

Brother Jasper offers to follow Lyra using the alethiometer. The President gives him a rifle to kill her.

Lord Roke sends a message: Lyra and Will are expected to leave the Land of the Dead, but Brother Jasper will find them once they have returned to the living world. The Clouded Mountain will soon be visible. And Lord Roke is dying.

The Land of the Dead. No-Name leads the way, and the abyss appears, with Dust streaming into it. Lyra walks along the edge, and slips in, before No-Name rescues her. Rogers calls out – he can see daylight.

Lord Asriel’s fortress. Officers are watching the Clouded Mountain get closer, and Lord Asriel appears to check that the troops are in place. Mrs Coulter appears, and tells him that Lyra’s name is Eve. They look at the Clouded Mountain, and he tells her that even though they don’t have the knife, they have flesh, and can brush away the angels like smoke. He tells his troops that this will be the last rebellion and the best, and that they’ll be free citizens of the Republic of Heaven.

The mouth of the Land of the Dead. Lyra gives No-Name the name of Gracious Wings, in thanks. They say goodbye. Roger is the first to walk back into the world, and other ghosts follow. Jopari stops, to tell Will that they can only survive in the world they were born in. “We must build the Republic of Heaven where we are. Because for us, there’s no elsewhere.” His final line in the play:

John Parry: Well done, my son. I’m proud of you. No one on earth could have done better than this. Now go. Cut your window.

He disappears. It’s the first time he’s referred to in the script itself as John Parry, rather than Jopari.

Will cuts a window into the battlefield, where Brother Jasper is stalking through the melee, but is attacked by Iorek, who is then wounded by him. Iorek swears that he will do what he can to hold back Brother Jasper. Lyra and Will find the crystal casket, lying where it fell on the battlefield. Inside is an angel, older than anyone they’ve ever seen. He’s scrabbling his fingers and crying, and Will cuts the casket open. Air rushes in, and he starts to fade – as he fades into nothing, he smiles. Lyra and Will are still set on getting the knife to Lord Asriel, so that he can kill the Authority, and they run. Lord Asriel appears, and sees the empty casket. Serafina appears, and tells him that the children freed him. Mrs Coulter appears, and Serafina leaves, as she knows that she will kill Mrs Coulter, if she sees her. Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter agree that they need to save Lyra – at the cost of everything, even their own lives. The abyss appears. Lyra and Will come running, but don’t see her parents. Will cuts a window, and Brother Jasper is about to fire, but Mrs Coulter steps forward and distracts him, giving the children enough time to escape. But he laughs.

Brother Jasper: They won’t get away! There are windows everywhere. I know them all.

Mrs Coulter: Jasper, look at me. What do you see?

Brother Jasper: Sin. Corruption.

Mrs Coulter: Touch it. You wanted to, from the moment you saw me.

She kisses him. Unseen by Brother Jasper, Lord Asriel moves towards them.

Mrs Coulter: Come with me, and you can touch it until you die. We’ll fall forever, like the brightest and best of angels.

He pulls away from her.

Brother Jasper: No.

Lord Asriel seizes his hand. Mrs Coulter seizes the other.

Brother Jasper: No! No!

Lord Asriel and Mrs Coulter leap into the abyss, taking Brother Jasper with them.

An unknown world. Lyra and Will reminisce, about knowing at once when you like somebody. She crushes a blackberry against his mouth, says that she loves him, and they kiss.

An unknown world. Serafina looks through the amber spyglass, and sees that Dust is moving differently, because of Lyra and Will.

The same world, the next morning. Pantalaimon and the as-yet-unnamed Kirjava appear, both as cats. Lyra wakes and sees them, and embraces Pan. Serafina appears, and has already named Kirjava. Both of them have settled. Serafina says that they went through the same thing that witches have always done – they can be apart, but still be one being. She then tells them that all the windows need to be closed, and they can’t open any more. One window is allowed – for the dead to escape by. Lyra argues that she could stay in Will’s world, but he doesn’t want to see her dying as he grows up. Lyra tries to ask the alethiometer, but she can’t – Serafina tells her that she has lost the “childlike grace” that allowed her to read it, but that she will be able to study it and learn to read it again. She tells them that they will have to go to their own worlds, and that Will must break the knife.

The Botanic Gardens in Will’s world. Lyra and Will profess their love for each other: “Every atom of you, every atom of me.” They promise to come to the garden again, every year, on Midsummer Night at midnight, until the following dawn, for as long as they live. He cuts a window. Balthamos appears, and tells Will to close it. Lyra tells him the same. Balthamos tells Will, in order to break the knife, “Think of whatever is most important to you”. He thinks of Lyra. The knife shatters.

Dawn breaks. We’re in the present day.

Will: I wanted to go through after you.

Lyra: I wanted to stay.

Will: But then I remembered what my dad said. There’s no elsewhere…

Lyra: You must be where you are…

Will: …and where you are is the place that matters most of all…

Lyra: …‘cause it’s the only place where you can make…

Will: …where you can build…

Lyra: …where you can share…

Will: …what you’ve been looking for all along…

Lyra: The Republic of Heaven.

Two clocks are heard striking. Lyra picks up Pantalaimon. She and Will pass each other and walk out of sight.

#his dark materials #hdm #national theatre #just so you know this is over 10000 words #so don't click for a quick read #but it's honestly super interesting looking at what they've changed #myhdm

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inuyashasnook · 5 years

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Feral - Chapter One

https://inuyashasnook.tumblr.com/post/184932707221/feral-chapter-twoSo, I wrote something based on this head cannon I have where Inuyasha is actually very smart, but no one in his life has ever given him a chance to prove himself because he’s a half demon. This story idea is also heavily based on the psychological phenomenon of feral children.

This is only the second piece I do in a long time, but I hope it meets expectations! I will try to update this series once weekly and will post its updates on a scheduled time. I’m currently in the process of moving back home for the summer and starting my new summer job at a vet clinic, so once that’s settled I’ll post more info.

I’ve been editing this for the past 6 hours so I apologize for any grammar mistakes. (My s/o who was supposed to proofread it for me decided that 4000+ was too many words, so I really sincerely apologize for any mistakes!) »»———————————————- ♡ ———————————————-«« 

Feral: Chapter 1 // FF.net Rating: T

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Kagome let out a groan as she stretched and leaned back in her chair. She’d spent the entire day looking at her computer screen answering emails and working on her current research project. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going anywhere, and she was afraid she’d have to flunk the project altogether—thus was the life of a psychology professor at a highly competitive university. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if she couldn’t find another research thesis soon or she’d run out of funding and get in trouble with the department advisor.

The raven-haired woman glanced outside the window next to her desk and realized that it had gotten dark outside since the last time she checked.

Crap, I’ve stayed here way too late again she thought to herself.

Unhurriedly, she saved her work and turned off her monitor. As she was packing her bags to head out, she realized that she’d have to walk home since her usual ride had already left hours ago. Kouga, another of the psychology professors usually drove her home after work since the beginning of the semester. She thought he was a lovely fellow, but was a little pushy at times. Needless to say, she was grateful for everything he did for her so she didn’t press her luck and tell him to tone it down for fear she would hurt him.

As she stepped out of the building where her workplace stood, the fresh crisp air of the night filled her lungs and she breathed a sigh of relief. The young professor had been spending too much time cooped up inside her office, she felt like she would lose it one of these days.

The complete silence of the area was making her skin crawl. The street lamps gave off their weak rays of light and made her feel as if she was being watched as in a horror movie. There was no one in sight, the campus grounds deserted compared to during the day, bustling with busy students rushing to their classes.

The worst part was that her path home was only dimly lit, being a little woodsy off-road on the side of campus. The tree-filled gravel road made it hard to see where to put her footing, which often led her to trip a few times before making it to her final destination. As she made her way there, the words of her coworkers rang into her head.

“Hey, did you hear? Apparently, the campus police tried to arrest a student last night. He was acting off. I’m thinking he was probably on drugs or something because apparently, he was barking at the officers and growled at them when they tried to approach him. You know what’s the worst part? He got away! Supposedly, he jumped up on a dumpster and then onto the roof of the science building! I’d avoid walking at night alone if I were you, especially until that weirdo gets caught!” she had overheard from a professor working in the sociology department tell her friend.

But, she was almost off of school grounds now, so she was safe, right? If only life was that easy...

It wasn’t even a few minutes later when she heard some rustling sounds coming from the bushes ahead of her. She mentally kicked herself at her own childish fears and turned around quickly to face the source of the sound. Kagome was a grown woman and she wouldn’t let some childish gossip make her run home with her tail between her legs.

That didn’t stop the cold sweat from rolling down her back or the sides of her rounded face. Her heart accelerated as if it followed the rhythm of a melody played in affrettando.

The pounding in her ears stopped as did her breathing when a strange shadow emerged and walked—no, crawled towards her. It was almost dog-like in appearance and the figure was on all fours. All that was missing was a wagging tail and a long snout. She was no longer certain if what was coming towards her was a figment of her imagination, or that she was truly seeing it. The ground rustled around its footing and a low rumble permeated from the figure. Maybe all those days stuck at work were really starting to take a toll on her.

The figure, now only a few meters in front of her sat still. It had long white hair, a man-like appearance, but there was something odd about it. Tiny twitching triangular appendages adorned his crown and focused on her every movement. He was dressed in very few clothes, wearing a simple tattered cloth hung loosely around his hips. Sure, it was a strange choice of style, but nothing compared to what the man was doing–audibly sniffing the air in her direction as if he really was a dog.

Kagome’s regained the movement of her muscles as her heart still raced as she took a few steps back, praying she wouldn’t trip on anything as she blindly backed up. She was trying her best to stabilize her breathing and not hyperventilate. The raven-haired woman’s ragged breaths had the creature’s attention and its golden orbs fixed on her brown ones. His ears perked, ready to captivate any sound the frightened teacher was emitting.

The professor had read somewhere that animals could smell fear and was certain that this thing could probably sense her terror. The dribbling beads of sweat rolling off her face and shoulders down her back would make sure of that.

The man never broke eye-contact with her while he crouched lower as if to give himself leverage. The muscles in his face, shoulders, and back tense as he dropped his back-end lower than it was. Not even a split second later, he pounced right on her, white hair flowing in the wind behind him, snatching the purse she had slung over her shoulders. The young professor gasped and instinctively clutched her bag while swinging her arm towards his head with her free arm.

A loud thwack resonated in the quiet woodsy path as her limb made contact with the dog ears. A whine proceeded by a growling noise were emitted from the white-haired man as he took a few steps back away from her. White, pearlescent canines were visible as the beast curled back its lips, threatening the trembling feminine figure.

Kagome gasped as she realized that hot, crimson blood dribble down her arms. The stupid creature had drawn blood with its dagger-sharp claws.

“What do you want, you freak?” she shrieked out while rummaging inside of her bag for something to defend herself with.

The man stared directly at her with almost pitiful eyes. He said nothing, peering at her as if a wild animal was seizing up their pray. He sniffed the air a few more times in her direction.

“Is this what you want?” she blurted out as she waved a plastic container with the ham and cheese sandwich she had forgotten to eat for dinner.

The dog man’s ears perked up and he readied himself to lunge towards her again. Panicking and not knowing how to react to the situation, she thrust her free arm out with an open palm to show he shouldn’t come closer. Kagome gently threw the piece of food and it flew in a low arc just to drop at the feet of the stranger.

The creature did not waste a second more before taking hold of the plastic container as he tried to break it free of its contents. Grunts and growls could be heard from his vicinity. After a few minutes of fiddling with the container, he had resorted to claw his way through it as he tore into the sandwich.

The raven-haired woman took this chance to back away slowly from the man by a few centimeters would she have to defend herself again. She simply couldn’t understand her brain’s reasoning as to why she hadn’t taken off running the moment the opportunity arose; he mesmerized her. The beast’s white hair flowed behind him majestically and looked almost like a fantastical beast her mother would read to her about during her bedtime stories. His features carved onto his face with perfection, a feudal Japanese painting having come to life.

It had not taken long before the dog-eared figure finished his dinner and glanced back into her direction.

“Look, I’m not sure what you want, but I’m going home. I’m certain I’m hallucinating all of this, so you’re more than welcome to follow me back to my place,” the petite woman said mostly to herself.

At this point, she was certain that she had just eaten something bad back at the office and simply needed to sleep this strange event off. There was no way she’d spent her evening feeding what looked like a man with animal-like features.

Kagome walked away without looking back over her shoulder, but the figure behind her tailed her all the way back home.

»»———————————————- ♡ ———————————————-««

Kagome dropped her bag in the entrance and sloppily removed her shoes. She proceeded to flick on the light switch to the kitchen. Tomorrow was Saturday, so she didn’t have to come into work if she didn’t want to. She made her way towards the sink in the illuminated room and grabbed herself a glass of water.

Golden eyes met milk chocolate ones as she glanced in the doorway's direction, where her new imaginary friend stood, seemingly lost.

“Look, I’m not sure why you’re not answering, but you can sleep on the couch. I have more leftovers in the fridge if you want some. Make yourself at home.”

By this point, she was certain she’d officially hit insanity, so she was just making a game of whatever her sleep-deprived brain was making her hallucinate.

Without even looking back, she waved at him and left the kitchen to make her way towards her bedroom. She locked the door for extra precaution and changed out of her work attire. Kagome slipped on a pair of kitten printed pajamas and crawled under the soft duvet cover of her bed.

If she did the math correctly, she’d only slept 20 hours combined throughout her work week which was enough to make her lose her marbles she decided. It was about time she went to bed.

»»———————————————- ♡ ———————————————-««

Light rays peeked into the cracks of the closed curtains, enough to stir the woman of her slumber. Her body wasn’t accustomed to sleeping more than a few sporadic hours at a time, explaining why she was up so early on a Saturday.

The woman rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and slowly removed the covers, inviting the cold air to wrap itself around her cold limbs. As she peered to the side, she noticed the white strands of hair splayed all over the bed, its owner slowly grunting as the source of the heat was being peeled away from his body.

She shrieked and jumped out of bed. The figure slowly came to and gave her the most dumbfounded look she had ever seen.

A million thoughts a second were going through her still sleep laden brain. First, the man had not been a figment of her imagination. He was truly there. Second, the man was nearly naked and had crawled with her into bed. She was so out of it, never hearing the soft padding of his barren feet make his way into her bedroom over the course of the night. Wait a second-

“How did you get in here? I locked the door,” she barked at him while pointing her index finger in his direction hastily.

The dog ears folded back as the woman yelled at him. The creature backed away a few centimeters from her accusatory tone but stopped there and stood his ground. He let out a few guttural growls and barred his sharp canines towards her, not scaring her in the slightest. It seemed he didn’t like to get woken up from his sleep.

“Look, you can’t just come into my bedroom,” she retorted and stomped towards the hallway to get some fresh air and process what had just occurred. Kagome slammed the door behind her as she exited her own bedroom.

This was just all too much for her to deal with at the moment.

She ambled down the hall and descended the flight of stairs towards the dining area. What waited for her in the kitchen was a sight she would never have envisioned if it were not directly in front of her. Packaging, leftover garbage, and various pieces of food decorated her grey kitchen titles everywhere she glanced—nearly every piece of food in her kitchen was devoured and their remnants, littering the floor.

She couldn’t take it anymore. The sight had exasperated her. Kagome beelined towards the nearest chair at the dining room table and sank into it. Every muscle and fiber in her petite body seemed to weigh a ton at that exact moment. She rested her forehead directly onto the cold wooden surface and folded her arms in front of her. Her breathing hitched and slowly, tears rolled down her plump cheeks. After a few seconds of quiet tears, they crescendoed into sobs that racked her tiny frame. Between her work, her failing research project and now this, she wasn’t sure just how much more she could take of this crap. It was all too much; her world was crashing around her.

Little did she know; the smell of the salty tears had attracted a certain half-demon to the kitchen. The man took a few tentative steps towards the crying figure, crouched down on all fours in a strange makeshift sitting position and whined softly. This was enough to get the woman’s attention and to get her to open her dark brown eyes. She turned to face in his direction while still resting one cheek on the table and looked at his disheveled face. She unfolded her arms and extended her right one towards the top of his head, seeking comfort from the small triangular appendages. They reminded her so much of her childhood cat Buyo’s.

The stranger seemed taken aback at the sign of affection and backed away a few steps. What could this woman be up to, anyway? Weren’t humans supposed to be chasing him with pitchforks and constantly yelling at him? What was this raven-haired woman trying to do to him?

She approached her hand slowly in his direction, letting him give her a sniff before resting her open palm atop his soft mane. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, letting out what seemed nearly like a purr. This was the closest the two had gotten since their encounter and the only time she didn’t find herself yelling at him.

“Who are you? What are you even?” she muttered to herself, stroking the soft fur that adorned his ears.

It was enough self-pitying and sulking. She had to make the best out of her situation since she was stronger than that. Kagome’s mother had always told her to carry out what she had started, so she knew that she couldn’t simply give up. She’d have to make do with what she was served and that was that.

The woman took her hand away from his soft head and pointed towards herself, “My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me.”

That left the dog-boy cocking his head sideways and blinking a few times at her strange gestures. He whined at the loss of contact. He thought it actually felt kind of nice. Bizarre, of course, since he’d experienced nothing like it before, but nice.

“C’ mon, I’m sure you can speak. Say it. Ka-go-me,” she insisted once more, pointing towards her face.

After a few more silent seconds passed by, the man attempted to make a rumbling noise at the back of his mouth. A gruff “Kah,” was muttered from his mouth, fangs seemingly in the way of his poor attempt at human speech.

“Yes, that’s right! Very good! You’re getting there,” she cooed, treating him like a child. What in the world was she doing? What in the world had she gotten herself into?

The higher-pitched feminine voice had the white-haired man more at ease. It was better than getting yelled at. Maybe he could get used to this.

“Look, I have work to do and I have to clean the disaster you’ve made in the kitchen. If you could stay out of trouble while I accomplish all of this, that would be wonderful. I’ll put the TV on for you or something, okay?” Kagome explained as she pushed herself up from the kitchen chair.

»»———————————————- ♡ ———————————————-««

She stared at her laptop cradled in her lap while she was wrapped up by a fuzzy blanket on the couch, working alongside her new companion. He hadn’t attempted to say anything since this morning and was glued to the TV since she had turned it on. He was still wearing the torn piece of cloth around his waist, so she figured she should probably do something about it sooner than later.

As countless thoughts muddled her brain, Kagome was certain she had heard of similar phenomena of children who had grown alongside animals while not being exposed to humans from her colleagues. She was wondering if this was the case for this strange man she picked up. He had nearly no human tendencies or mannerisms and he didn’t speak. Above everything else though, she wondered why this man looked part animals. To her knowledge, there had never been a documented case about anything similar before. It shouldn’t even be something that was biologically possible.

What if she could use him for her next research project? She could have just made a very important discovery in the cognitive behavioral development field. He wouldn’t mind being her guinea pig, right?

Kagome pondered this idea while doing more research on the subject. After a few clicks and searches on papers found from her university’s library website, she discovered that when children were isolated from humans for so long, they end up with a delay in their development. This also meant that the longer it was until someone discovered them, the less likely the effects were reversible to rehabilitate the cognitive ability of the children. She didn’t know how long it had been since this strange man splayed across on her living room floor had been without human contact.

The professor spent a few more hours looking up as much information as she could to aid in her documentation of the potential feral man that seemed to have made her home into his. Feral children tended to be apprehensive of humans at first, but with enough coaxing, could become comfortable with a select few. Once again, she noted that this fearful behaviour was amplified if the separation with humankind was over a greater period of time. There might be little she was able to do to get him to become comfortable with her, but she’d try her best.

This development had the professor ecstatic. Although she now had a strange man living alongside her, she’d found herself a new research project which might save her line of work at the university. She didn’t want to tell her coworkers yet for fear they would judge her, or worse, try to cash in on her discovery. She’d be the one to get the credit for this discovery. Too many times had the others taken credit for her own work, trying to appear better in the eyes of the psychology field and the university. Kagome also knew that this field of research was considered somewhat taboo, so she’d have to tread carefully on the manner in which she presented her findings and who she’d let into her close circle to help.

She had a lot of work on her plate and Kagome realised she would have to record her newfound test subject’s and hers’ interactions together. Kagome also knew that language acquisition was something she’d struggle to help her companion develop, perhaps never even reaching his language skills to that of a normal level for an adult. She wouldn’t let this get her down though; she’d see this project though.

The woman’s reverie was broken when a very gruff voice coming from the man crouched onto the ground now staring at her emitted the word, “Kagome.”

She stared at him in incredulously. He had just spoken. He shouldn’t have been able to. Not this early on, anyway, according to the piles of studies she had spent her afternoon reading.

Excitedly, she replied while pointing to herself, “Yes, yes that’s me!”

He answered her enthusiasm with a toothy grin and turned back to watch the dancing pictures appearing on the screen in front of him.

The young woman hastily created a new folder on her laptop screen and named it “Inu”, dog, with just a few clicks.

She was in for a wild ride.

»»———————————————- ♡ ———————————————-««

Their first day together had passed by in a flash. That meant that she still had tomorrow to work with him before having to return to work. Or, she could find a way to sneak him into the university. He looked young enough to pass for a student. But, she wasn’t convinced she’d be able to as there was still something off about him.

It was when dinner time rolled around that she realized she’d have her work cut out for her. She’d reprimanded the man several times as he tried to snatch the steak and peppers frying over the stove while she was preparing the rice.

“Stop, or you won’t get any dinner. Sit down at the table and wait until it’s ready,” the woman scolded as she smacked his arm away with the rice ladle.

His ears drooped slightly, but he looked at her confusingly. As the woman attempted to drag him to the chair and get him to sit, he growled every time she tried to lay a hand on his arm. His claws extended out, signifying his displeasure at the touch she was offering him.

He’s just not ready yet, Kagome told herself as she made her way to the table. She sat down in a chair at the dinner table and pointed to the one adjacent of her, “Sit.”

To her surprise, he made his way over to her location and sat quietly in the designated seat. As she returned towards her kitchenette, he had his eyes tracking her every movement as she fumbled around the stove to prepare the enticing dinner. There was no way he’d let that woman eat all the deliciously smelling food all to herself he told himself indignantly.

When she returned along with a dish full to the brim with steaming hot rice topped with beef and peppers, her companion’s ears perked up. He greedily reached out his arm to grab the bowl of food. She tried to hand him some chopsticks, but it was just too late. The man had already proceeded to dunk his entire face within the food and was nearly inhaling it.

She tried several times to get his attention away from his meal but to no avail. Sighing and knowing that there was nothing that could be done, she hoped that he could at least learn a thing or two from this interaction and watch her in action. Kagome pulled out her laptop and jotted a few notes before putting it away to eat her portion of the meal. The professor proceeded to eat her own dinner, picking up the food at a normal pace along with the proper tool, visibly chewing between bites, setting off a proper example to the odd man sitting across from her.

It was only after the half-demon had licked his plate clean when he noticed the woman sitting across from him eating food in a manner he’d never seen before. He could swear she wasn’t hungry by the speed she was eating it. Wasn’t she afraid that someone would come along and steal it from her? He gazed at her intently.

“Are you still hungry? I’ve got more prepared still, so I’ll go make you another plate. Just sit tight,” she answered the curious man as she grabbed his plate. The white-haired man growled at her as she removed his plate, but she made nothing of it. He hadn’t tried to attack her once since she had fed him the previous night.

When she returned with the dish towering with food once more, the white-haired man stared at her impatiently. Kagome handed him the chopsticks beforehand this time and then followed it by handing him the bowl. She observed him under severe scrutiny as he was holding the pair in one hand while balancing the bowl in the other.

He laid down the eating utensils on the table and brought the bowl to his face to repeat the animalistic eating process all over again. The professor noted this behaviour as well while hoping that she could eventually break through to him and teach him to eat like a normal human being.

After they finished dinner, the dishes cleaned and dried, the young woman decided it was time to take on her next challenge: getting the feral boy to take a bath. She was certain he hadn’t taken one in a while as he didn’t particularly smell good while being covered in soot and dirt from head to toe. She also had to do something about his attire. Perhaps tomorrow was a good day to go shopping for him, or at the very least, dress him in something appropriate so he could leave the house alongside her.

The professor made her way to the bathroom upstairs next to her bedroom. She had no idea how this whole ordeal would go down as she wasn’t aware if the boy even remotely had attempted to bathe before. Kagome blushed madly as she realised that she might even have to wash him herself as he probably didn’t know how. She never expected that the first man she’d bring home and see naked would be an experience remotely close to this.

A pair of curious golden eyes watched her silently in the bathroom's doorway as she bent over the tub and turned the warm water on, sticking her hand under the flowing water to verify the temperature. The last thing she wanted to do was to burn the dog-man half to death and have him run away from her home forever.

When she turned back around to call over the curious figure that had been standing behind her just a few seconds ago, she noticed he was nowhere in sight.

Oh boy, this would not be an enjoyable evening.

#feral #feral:chapter 1 #inuyasha #inukag #feral children #fanfiction #iki's fanfiction #inukag fanfiction #fanfic

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seven--eyes · 5 years

Text

I didn’t proofread this. Seosipian crack ship part 2

I returned back to the docks with only the Messiah’s safety report. The date, name, crew and other details filled out to the every space and checked every box. All except for the complete lack of anything to repair or improve on the great Messiah. And she was fine; yet something brave enough or stupid enough decided to plant itself on the bottom of the vessel. As it were, it didn’t want to come out either.

I brought my equipment with me this time. My rapier, my hand crossbow, some ropes and the miscellaneous. By the time I had myself together it was late evening; so I took even longer to get food and ales. It would be a long night.

I set all my things directly upon the edge of the dock. The alcohol I set a but further back because I’ll be damned if this thing were to snatch up hard earned alcohol. “Alright, big guy,” I greeted it with a huff upon sitting down on the docks and folded my legs underneath me. “What’re you doin’ so far from home? What are you?”

It make no kind of answer to me. The creature’s limbs continued to wave aimlessly beneath the surface. They reached upward for it, but never ever did they breach it. I watched them for some time, deliberating what to do. The thing moved so effortlessly and with great flow, there wasn’t the slightest ripple in the water.

“Are you tryin’a… blend in?” I asked it once more. I reached my legs over the docks and dangled my legs over the water. My heart dropped into my stomach in a sudden moment; the limbs moved directly underneath me. I readied for a fight with a reach of my rapier and bend of the knees, but it didn’t do anything. The limbs just continued to undulate where they were. But where they wagged just so happened to be below my shadow. Finding out I wasn’t in danger just made it fun, because swinging my legs made the tentacles follow my shadow like wagging a treat in front of a dog.

I took my rapier and prodded it. “So you’re obviously not trying to blend in. Are you hungry? Or just curious? Come on give me something to work with. Come out.” Each prod of the rapier it flinched away, but eventually it became numb to the poke, and starting wrapping around the end of the weapon. Dipping the whole weapon in, even more tried to grab it. Strangely gentle as they did. “Ok big guy, curious, then.”

Trying to pull the limbs out of the water with my rapier didn’t work. It avoided the surface and the sun like the plague. I even tried some mops from the Messiah, because the rapier might be too slick. And to no avail. Deciding to rip into dinner, I worked into the wrapper between me and the ham sandwich of my dreams. I grumbled, throwing the paper wrapper into the water. “How the fuck am I supposed to figure out what you are if you stay so far in the dark?”

One of the limbs reached for and pulled under the wrapper so quick, it actually made a ripple on the surface.

I froze. I looked to the sandwich. Wagging it over the side of the dock, I teased it, “Want some food?” I tore it in half, because I wasn’t so invested as to go without food today. Lowering the bread closer to the surface of the water, it mirrored my movements completely. But I never touched the threshold of the water, and so neither did it. I cursed at it. So I peeled off one side of the bread and tossed it in.

Like clockwork, one of the limbs snatched the piece and pulled it under. So far deep under I couldn’t see where it was yanked under, nor what kind of fucking beast ate it.

“I don’t like that. I don’t trust like that.”

And so I tossed in the lettuce. Same thing. I threw ham about 10 feet out from the dock. Same thing with frightening precision. Absolutely no splash or noise was made either; it was as silent as though nothing even happened. “Yep. I don’t trust that.” So I ate the other half of my sandwich. I dangled my legs over the water just to watch the creature squirm. Dinner and a show.

“Sipian?” I heard a voice ring out. My shoulders jumped, and I pivoted to see if the voice matched the character. It did, and that’s what I was scared of.

Seosul stood, her feet shoulder width apart and her posture straight and tall. She didn’t have her dress blues on, not even the coat that she would pin her Admiral stars onto. The woman had joggers and sandals on, practically unrecognizable to me. I wish I could say that’s what caught me most off guard. She called out again, “Sergeant. Sergeant Sipian?”

Oh gods. I could feel my face going red again. I swallowed the ravenous bite of food down and coughed. In between my struggles to breath, I said, “I.. that’s me, ma’am. Good evening.”

“I… Good evening. I didn’t see you at work yesterday; what are you doing?”

“That’s ‘cause I didn’t go to work yesterday. But I uhh, I’m… I’m doing Donna a favor, that’s all. It’s nothing.”

She paused. Glanced over the surroundings. Like a moth to a flame, she caught sight of the octopus beneath the water near immediately. As though she was drawn to it. “Looks like a whole lot of something.”

“I’ve got it under control,” I said, as I shoved my face full of food.

Seosul chuckled. Pausing, and rubbing her arm. “Can I join you?” I glanced to the open planks beside me in response, and she sat there beside me. She swung her legs over the side in sync with mine, watching the limbs mirror her. The silence fell, and damn was it uncomfortable, but neither of us tried to break it. I noticed her trying to glance in my direction and read my expression, but her eyes never lingered on mine for more than a moment.

“Is… is there anything-”

Seosul accidentally interrupted me. “I was worried when I didn’t see you around yesterday.”

“Why?” I asked plainly.

She found the resolve to truly face me fully. “Well, I think we ended the night before last on a sour note. And when I didn’t see you and I couldn’t talk to you, I thought something was wrong.”

“More like a, uh, sweet’n’sour note.” I snorted. She wasn’t amused. Apparently it wasn’t the moment to be funny. “But um.. Yeah. Yeah it did. But it’s fine, you know. I get it.” She didn’t move or respond, so I continued. “You know, um, this work is important to you, and… I can’t follow you where you’re going. You deserve that and that was…” The pressure in my chest snuffed out my breath. I paused, catching my breath and thoughts. “That was selfish of me. To make you feel like you had to choose between.”

“Um.. Feels like you’ve got it sorted out then.”

“Yeah. I do.”

Seosul leaned back and gestured her hands out, like she was trying to figure out her words, and somehow I would understand the more she motioned. “I just.. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I am and we are.” I lied.

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you lying?” Oh fuck. I just shoved the entire last fourth of the sandwich in my mouth to avoid replying after being caught so off guard. “You get red when you lie. What are you not saying?” She added, like sprinkling salt in the wound.

A stone weighed down in my throat. I cleared it. “I- maybe-- Sure, I’m lying,” I said, giving into the sting. “I understand why, you know. I know why we can’t. But at the same time… I- I never got your answer. I know why you can’t tell me the truth but I still want it. When I asked you what you really wanted, you gave me a half-answer. You gave me the textbook answer. Then you kissed me; telling me absolutely everything yet nothing at all. Leaving me with everything to think about.”

Bracing myself, I expected a larger response. In a split second, I imagined the dozen possible ways she could assume command presence in a heartbeat. How she’d tell me about respect and insubordination. About fraternization and “muddying the waters.” I imagined what I probably deserved to hear, trying to coax the truth out of her in such a confrontational way. But the moment of intensity in the air passed as though the wind swept it away. All that was left was this woman, calm and compassionate as ever. Her attention was far out into the sea, in thought. Serene, like the water itself.

“I don’t know.” She said.

My jaw locked up for a moment. “You… ‘I don’t know?’ you came all this way for an ‘I don’t know?’”

“I came here to know if you’re okay, Sipian. Not to know if I am.”

“Well, I lied then. I’ve it sorted, in a way, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with how the pieces fell.” I wrung my fingers through each other. Threading out the locks in my knuckles. The tentacles ever swimming, carefree. Oblivious. It must be nice.

Her heavy heart and tiredness bled through her in the way she leaned forward over the water. “I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you. I just...” she held her hands out in a gesture. Grasping out to the air like she was threading through the words in her head. She couldn’t find them.

Looking into her face, I sighed. “By Lechnka,” I muttered to myself, but fully intending for her to hear. “This was stupid. It was stupid of me to even ask.”

“Sameal-”

I flinched in reaction to hearing my first name. It sounded as unusual as the first time it passed her lips, but cut deeper when I wanted nothing more in the moment for her to keep me at an arm’s length. To know me how everyone knows me. So I interrupted her before her breath caught, “I said this was fucking stupid. Go ahead and take all the time you need, so you can go leave me the fuck alone!”

I swung my leg outward in the fit, splashing my heel against into the water. Breaking it’s surface.

Not one, but three limbs erupted from the water and clamped around my calf, pulling me down with ferocious force before I could resist it. My back slamming into the docks knocked the breath out of me. It shocked enough pain through me, my reaction was more focused on forgetting the bruises in my bones. I rolled onto my stomach. I tried hooking my self to the wood, digging my nails into the dock. I clawed them into the rolls of the wood until my fingertips burned deep with splinters tearing into me. Before I could even fully roll, my legs were in the water and half my body was off the dock. “Fuck fuck fuck- Seosul!”

Admiral Anchor dove and reached for me. She knocked off everything into the water doing so, the rope tangling in the water and the rest sinking fast before I could try to grab anything. She clutched the back of my coat with enough strength for to keep me above water for another split moment.

“F-- I’ve got you!” She cried out as I felt myself slip further. “I’ve got you, Samael!”

Each thread in the cloth ripping sounded like a clock counting down. She was losing leverage. The pain in my hands singed, begging for me to let go. My right hand skid across a large wedge of wood, cutting open my skin right down the palm. I felt the warm blood at my fingertips and seep into the cracks of the wood. My nerves screamed and cried to let go, LET GO. I just glanced into her eyes as the clock counted down. They were so intense. Scared, because that’s what fear looked like one someone like Seosul. Then the clock hand hit it’s last toll, and I was hurled into the water.

I filled my lungs with every lick of air I could swallow. The thing pulled me down and down further until I felt sand dusting like clouds in the water. Through a tangle of tentacles, the bottom of the Messiah bobbed afloat the surface. Seeming a hopeless distance away.

This creature planted itself like a feral beast, palms into the sand. At first, it looked like nothing. Calm and uninteresting like the dark expand of the sea. Expressionless. Curious, almost. It watched my fruitless efforts to pull the tentacles off my thigh the same way a cat follows the movement of a piece of string. Playful. Amused. I angled my grip and tried to wedge the limbs off from the underneath, feeling the familiar sensation of pain throbbing in my hand to let go, let go, LET GO! And so I did. I yanked my hand back from the bulk of the constricting grip. Relief sighed through me as my nerves slowly calmed. However- blood shadowed my fingertips and center palm. Bright and twirling in the water waves like a ribbon in the wind.

Pearly white spots started to form all over the thing. Eyes and mouths breathed in life. Baring teeth and tongue. It’s pupils sharpened. Wooed by the fancy dancing ribbon just beyond the open wound in my flesh. In the second between my realization and this creature’s jaw snapping open, it slithered around me from the fingertip down to the shoulder blade. It tightened. It pushed my body outward, and pulled my wrist inward.

Fuck.

My opposite hand flew to my arm to brace it. My claws dug into the tentacle in a corkscrew around me. I felt the bones in my wrist pull. Then my elbow snapped. The muscles and tendons- every single one stretched taut like a million lines of string about to snap. I dug my claws in further and further. I bit my teeth down, forcing myself to swallow the pain and keep it down. Keep it down with the last breath of air I’ll ever have. The blood rushing out of the tears in my arm pleading, crying for it to let go, let go, please let go. But it didn’t.

The creature shoved me down into the sand and recoiled into a twist of tentacles with my arm from the bicep down. The dust thrown up fogging my vision, but offered me a slight cover. I reeled from the pain flooding into me as blood poured out. My heart felt like it’s next beat wouldn’t be enough. I rolled to my right. Sand shifted through my fingers. But something else lay in it…

My rapier. Like a sword in it’s sheath, the handle was jutting out of the sand, poised and shining silver.

I kicked myself forward those few inches as I reached for it. As luck would have it, I’m not fucking left handed. It’ll have to do. My touch grazed the edge of the handle but was swiftly robbed of it’s grip. The creature found me again through the sandy fog, and dragged me towards itself. Adrenaline flooded through me like a fire. The burst of terrible fear and energy shaking in me shot through me faster and harder than any lick of pain this thing just suffered me through. I wasn’t about to be torn limb from limb just yet. I felt around the sea floor for something- anything. And just as the creature pulled me from the sand, my fingertips grazed something else. The cork of a bottle.

I guess it’ll have to do.

I snagged the bottle. A line down the creature’s chest opened, teeth flaring out in large jaws, revealing the… Gross, deep, fleshy but vulnerable inside of it’s throat. Eugh. Tangling around my knee, one sudden yank pulled my right leg down it’s throat. With the momentum, I clobbered the bottle into the side of it’s ugly face, shattering the glass. It’s jaw shot open in a cry of pain, tongue flipping angrily. It eyes winced to the alcohol burn, limbs letting go of my legs.

Fuck yeah!

But the monster’s jaws clamped around my ankle. Oh fuck.

I planted my free shoe onto it’s shoulder, trying to pull my ankle free. Like barbs, any resistance just worsened the biting pain. The muscles started to tear again. Through gritted teeth, I glanced to the unshattered half of the bottle in my hand. I clutched it. Looking to the wild, watery eye in the side of it’s head, I turned the blades to the eye and pushed the shattered glass deep into it’s skull. The moment I heard a fatal crunch from the inside of it’s head, the same crunch quaked up my bones from the ankle up.

Blood spewed from it’s wound, and out of the mouth on it’s screaming maw. I twisted the bottle in the socket. Shoved it in a further inch for good measure. Before I could rip it back out, the beast pushed me away with a sudden, strong hit in my ribcage. The force squeezed the air from my lungs and forced it out my throat. I instinctively tried to breathe in and flooded my lungs with salt water.

Watching the bubbles rise, I saw how little of a distance they ran for the top of the water. I rolled my back around, facing myself to the surface. The moon faded in and out of brights and lows. I clawed for it, bringing myself closer to the surface moonlight, but the closer to the sky I swam the darker the world around faded. Trying to cough, anticipating the night air, I only swallowed more sea water. I felt my fingertips dry, a grip close around my palm. A yank and a gasp later, I hit the wood dock hard enough to jolt out a crack in my spine.

The vagueness in the feeling of muscles starved of blood made interpreting the sensations around me impossible. All I knew is that I was facing up. And… in the arms of someone. Against the navy night sky, the moon framed the face of Captain Anchor in silver. “Samael? Samael? Samael, please answer me, please, are you awake?”

Oh, how I wanted to answer her. I wanted so badly to reach up to her face and brush off the blood I’d flung onto it. Somehow, blood loss makes one very emotional. I wanted to apologize. But I didn’t, and I couldn’t. My muscles didn’t move when I commanded them to, my tongue didn’t articulate such, and my mind was slipping slowly from her. Into and out of black and red. My lungs couldn’t even lurch out the seawater. And so my jaw lodged open, anticipating a cough, a word, a breath- anything- and nothing came.

“I’m sorry I don’t have an answer for you,” I began, “I just...” I just feel scared. That’s what I wanted to say. I feel everything I know and want to be threatened by letting myself love you. I am used to being in control, and if I loved you, that would put me out of it. How do I explain that?

“By Lechkna… This was stupid. It was stupid of me to even ask,” The sergeant barked before I could answer.

Stupid, stupid. That word cut through me in such a vulnerable place and twisted the knife. “Sameal-”

Suddenly his eyes shot open and his entire posture shifted. He bristled in anger so quickly I didn’t even get my word out to stop it. “I said this was fucking stupid!” My gut churned as the knife twisted another way. “Go ahead and take all the time you need, so you can go leave me the fuck alone!” He roared, lashing out his heel in a kick into the water. The shadows of those limbs reacted in a split moment.

The dark tentacles spun around and tangled around his calf. They squelched and slithered in a gross sticky slim, immediately pulling him off the dock. His body crashed against the dock and his legs slid into the water. “Fuck fuck fuck- Seosul!” He panicked. I closed the distance between us as quickly as I could and latched onto whatever I could get my hands on; the back of his coat. But the position was awkward; the fullbody strength I summoned to keep him above sea level for even a moment drained too fast for me to realize it.

I saw blood gather around his hands. As he was clutching the splinters to anchor himself in place. He was desperate. “F-- I’ve got you!” My voice shuddered out. “I’ve got you, Samael!” I comforted, when I really, really didn’t have him. I tried to adjust my fading grip. As soon as I did, my other hand shot open as his jacket ran through it.

A great splash threw up onto me. I blinked, squinting through the mist, to the outline of Sipian’s red jacket fading in the deep sea. Then silence. Then nothing. Nothing at all, and everything. My heart was thundering in my ears, pulse hammering the inside of my ribs like I was about to burst. My entire body shook with adrenaline. I couldn’t think straight. Everything happened so fast. I just… looked into the water. Could I have held on for a moment longer? A moment went by. No red jacket floated to the surface. Another moment, nothing. What the fuck was I waiting for?!

Stumbling to my feet like a newborn fawn, I clumsily walked myself through the options. My attention went to my surroundings and my person. All his belongings sank with him. I patted down my pockets and belt. I decided not to take my weapons today. Perhaps there was a tool, harpoon, or something a cadet failed to put back where it belonged. But no, I’m thorough. The docks were empty. Then a lock of my hair tickled my eyelashes. Fixing it, the realization of it, my heart quickened even more so. I had myself.

I stepped closer to the dock edge, overlooking it. Breathing hard, panting hard, my gasps escaping my lungs regardless of how much I yearned to hold a breath in. Thoughts and plans swimming in my head so quickly I practically felt drunken. My weight shifted. Jump, I willed myself. But what if he’s already dead? Jump, admiral. But this is suicide, admiral. Jump, Seosul. Even if he was dead, you owe it to him to try after those horrible excuses. My weight focused to the front of my toe and I robotically lifted my arms, readying them for breaching the water. They were shaking. Beyond my fingertips, the navy sea color transformed into a more heavily saturated color. Blood, oh Lechkna that’s so much blood. I gasped; there was something else. I reached my hand out to meet Sipian’s.

Clutching him with more force I previously thought I had, I pulled him from the water like a sailor overboard in a storm. I fell backward, catching his body against me. His entire body was limp, cold, and pale. As I reached for his right arm to pull him closer into my lap, there was no leverage to hook onto. His entire… his….“Si-Sipian-” I started, willing my voice to steady, looking away from his missing limbs. “Samael? Samael? Samael, please answer me, please, are you awake?”

His eyelashes were fluttering, but his chest wasn’t moving. Mouth agape in a silent cry. With his free arm, he moved it to my face. Before his fingertips came to my cheek, his arm dropped suddenly with a thud.

“Samael.” I called out to him more firm. No flinch, no flutter, nothing. He was unconscious. “By the fuckin’ sea gods,” I cursed to myself. I shuffled, ripping my belt from the loops of my pants and fastening it around whatever was left of the wound torn open. Fiddling with the buckle, my breathing steadied. I knew what came next, and I wouldn’t let any sense of muddying the waters to beat me into submission again tonight. I didn’t have the luxury to hesitate.

So I pinched his jaw between my fingers, tilting it back, and breathed life back into him. I laid one hand over the other, forcing a beat back into his chest. I cursed and cried for him to wake up. I took a breath in, but before I could try again, the sound of water hitting the top of the dock froze me in place. “You’ve got’tuh be kidding.”

One of those horrible, infected, beastly creatures was clawing itself onto the dock. It’s tentacles slithering across the top of the surfaces as though searching for a foothold. A single tongue from it’s mouth had blood pouring down it in waterfalls. An eye in it’s head was stabbed out, the cap of a bottle still sticking out from it. The okakapi reached out one tentacle for Sipian’s leg, but I crawled away with him in my arms. It roared at me. Saliva and blood splattering my all over. The sound piercing my ears and complaining, ‘I wasn’t finished yet,’ as it went again for my sailor. Swinging it’s limbs wildly, each hit against the dock grew increasingly in strength. By the time the creature pulled itself onto the wood, splinters were flying.

I balanced myself, staggering with Samael’s lifeless body. I crept backward. Attention facing the creature. Anger flooded my senses and veins, overtaking the panic. My emotion simmered at the surface, entirely prepared to somehow make that thing suffer for this. To make it hurt for this, even if my only tools were my bare hands. It was struggling to move across the dock, finding it’s feet and adjusting to perception without an angled eye. It’s teeth started to snarl and show, intimidating me in a standoff. Damn, did I want to make it hurt. Hand soaked in blood, staining my skin and sleeves, I clutched Sipian’s shoulder and brought him closer to my chest. I turned on my heel. I broke into a sprint in the other direction.

The fuzzy world slowly came into view. The first breath I took felt like pins digging into the inside of my ribs the more air I took in. Then those pins ripped back out upon exhale. I brought my hand to the widest point of my chest and pressed down, as though that would help. My consciousness was fighting tooth and nail to keep it’s foothold, but the pounding on the inside of my skull wished nothing more than to take another swallow of bloody ocean water and submit to the sea.

I heard gasps and questions. Some unimportant (probably) banter around me. Whoever the voices belonged to, I couldn’t figure out. The figures around me were cloudy and indecipherable. Every rising tone was another blow to my skull. But then one, the closest leaning into me… her rosy cheeks and bright smile shined through the clouds in my peripherals. “D...don...Donnf..” I choked out, and she nodded as I tried to acknowledge her.

“Mister- Mister Si- Don’t move, please! Don’t move, please. Just lay back down.” The cleric with the pretty pale yellow eyes gently pressed her palm to my shoulder, convincing me to go down and stay there. “You’re safe, just please stay still. How in the heavens is he awake, I gave him enough anesthetics and opiates to knock out an ox,” they remarked.

I squinted. “Fuck the opiates, can I have some whiskey?”

The pretty cleric’s demeanor dulled. “No mister, err, Sipian. I can’t give you whiskey. Please rest.”

“Damn it.”

I accepted my fate, and leaned my head far back into the pillow. The softness of my surroundings easing my aches and pains. The daggers stabbing at the inside of me had their edges smoothed by cozy company and soft sheets. Good thing; the strength to ask for alcohol was all I had. Strength in my muscles well spent. From the corner of my vision, Dollface was nudging me and making a gesture. She made a fist and held it to her chest, then made a circle over it again and again and again. Her breathing was horrifically shaky and in short bursts. But she kept doing it. I was confused, but then I understood; she was apologizing.

“Dollface,” I said as slowly as I could. “Don’t be sorry. It’s okay.” She shook her head side to side, and kept apologizing, with her fist pressed harder to her chest. “Dollface, please stop.”

The halfling signed ‘Sorry’ one more time. Then she just reached for her clipboard- the one I borrowed and ruined all the paperwork on it in the water- and wrote something. She turned it to face me, and it read ‘This is all my fault. I should have done the safety check myself. This never would have happened.’ This woman positioned it in front of me just long enough, then collapsed into my shoulder, grasping tightly onto me. She heaved like she was sobbing, but didn’t have the vocals to create the sound. So she just shuddered.

“Donna,” I whispered, “Please don’t cry, please, I can’t see you like that.”

She pushed herself off of me. Her hand shuffled underneath the sheets for a moment, and she intertwined her fingers with mine. Wait- mine? I opened my eyes and focused them. My cold, bloodless fingers intertwined with her warmness. For a moment, I figured she was folding her hands together. My eyes followed the line from this cold, metallic hand. Down the wrist, forearm, elbow, and-- this was mine. She gave me her arm.

“Donna,” I said again, more firm this time. “You didn’t have t-”

And she pushed her finger to my lips. Hmm… Another cleric stepped beside my bed, opposite of Dollface. “Mister Sipian,” they started. “You lost a lot of blood. And there’s still severe, unhealed damage done to your arm. We are to monitor you while you recover, and we can find more permanent limb replacements from the Arcane Forge.”

I mumbled, not really wanting to hear anything right now. Which is why Donna was always welcome. The slightly less handsome cleric said some other things about not moving too much and getting some rest, the things I always get told. Somewhere in the haze of thoughts, I smacked my lips together and tasted the salt. I straightened up and reeled from the pain shooting into my right side. “I-- Hang on, where’s the Admiral? Where is she, how is she?”

The clerics looked at each other. “She’s quite alright, nothing happened to her,” said the pale yellow cleric. “In fact, I believe she’s gone to work.”

“Work… doing?”

“Finding out where the beasts came from, of course.”

#a writing dabble #Tne

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