#bc the human mind is such a powerful and fragile thing

[carrionsflower]

i keep thinking of the path to the hidden folk and how insane the entire journey is. it plays on so many (personal) fears of mine; the dark, caves (we are not gonna talk abt the luray caverns vacation) and just what in the hell could be down there, feeling alone, isolated, disoriented ect ect.

everything about it was terrifying and intense and so beautifully done. every single one of your senses is instantly on high alert from start to finish and i love love love how “you are nothing without your sword” hits not only senua but the player as well. it brings me right back to the shard trails in the first game and how senua / you just had to push through to the other side.

not to mention the music, the flashes in the dark as you’re coming face to face with your own nightmares, and way those things move … every other enemy in the game really seems to have a set way of fighting but for some reason these little fuckers grapple and dodge and move in a way that reminds me how senua fights and THAT creeped me out. it was like … fighting yourself and in essence…i guess you really are.

[zorostitties]

Aurora; 10 (m)

⤕ Your existence had been an endless night, where shadows whispered long forgotten secrets. Trapped in a golden cage, your fragile mind and shattered memories were chains that kept you from dreaming of freedom. Then, he appeared with the first light of dawn, like a gentle sun warming your cold skin. In his gaze, the promise of a new beginning; in his presence, the sunrise your soul had longed for.

In which Alucard saves you from Erzsebet.

pairing: alucard (castlevania) x (f) reader

genre: angst, romance, slow burn, eventual smut

warnings: violence/blood, explicit language, mental health issues, grief, physical abuse.

rating: 18+

word count: 10k oof

A/N: HELLO EVERYONE!!! ANOTHER 10K BOMB HITTING YOUR HOUSE RIGHT NOWWW 💥💥💥 Many shifting POVs this chapter bc there's too many things happening at the same time!!! Just know I'm rubbing my hands like an evil fly as I post this chapter hehehheheheheh ENJOY!!! <3

⤕  Masterlist  ⤕ Also on AO3 ⤕ Playlist

Alucard would not fail.

The sky above him was painted in red. The sun, a symbol of hope and life, was hidden behind an eerie shadow that had nothing to do with the natural movement of celestial bodies. The air smelled of salt, iron, apprehension and fear. He was used to this smell – he knew it intimately. He was used to war. How many times had Alucard put his life on the front line before? Uncountable. Every time he faced an enemy, whether weak or strong, he knew there was the possibility of dying. Perhaps that kept him on edge. Perhaps that’s why he kept fighting, aside from his love for humanity.

The men behind him weren’t used to this feeling. The heaviness in the atmosphere, the strange weigh that preceded battle; some of them might’ve fought against humans, not against vampires or demons or deities. They had no idea what waited for them.

And that is why Alucard would not fail.

He stood in front of the defensive lines, his grip on the sword unwavering as he held it close to his chest as a sign to halt. The wind played with his hair and cape. His senses, sharpened beyond human capabilities; he could hear every breath, every step, every whisper, every heartbeat. His own emotions, controlled with the precision of a true master. Serenity. Severity. Confidence. These men needed it. They needed a strong image to look at; they needed an unyielding force to trust.

The moment Alucard entered the Revolutionary Commune holding the severed head of one of Erzsebet’s servants, he understood that he had taken the responsibility over that fight. He also felt that weight over his shoulders – the weight of hundreds of lives of courageous men offering to fight, and hundreds of thousands of other civilians. Elders, children, women… they had been evacuated to the outskirts of the city, but if everything went down, the Vampire Messiah’s army would not spare anyone.

And that is why Alucard would not fail.

That is why his impeccable posture and severe expression did not change when he saw a battalion of vampires approaching from the other side of the bridge. That is why he was firm when he lifted his sword, signaling the men behind him to get ready to shoot. That is why he did not flinch when she finally appeared from within the fog, being carried by two horses in a golden chariot.

Some men gasped at her horrendous figure. Taller than any human being or vampire, her giant red hair looked like a wild lion’s mane; her face was distorted into animalistic traits. While Annette, possessed by Sekhmet’s Akh, looked beautiful and dignified – the goddess of healing –, Erzsebet looked like a ferocious monster – the goddess of war.

She was extremely powerful now. Alucard could feel her pungent power from miles away; the horrid stench of profane magic. She brought fear with herself, as if gravity became heavier around her, luring weaker creatures into submission.

Erzsebet locked eyes with Alucard. Anyone else would’ve passed out with that simple feral gaze. She grinned, exposing her sharp teeth – a smile filled with vanity and anger.

“Alucard!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. “Where is my Ruby?!”

Alucard wanted to kill her.

Right then and right there.

But that was not part of the strategy. He had to keep his own emotions in place. Annette and Richter would take responsibility over fighting her; Alucard had to care for the men behind him.

He held himself back from attacking her. That would dismantle the plan. That would be irrational and Alucard had to be rational regardless of how he felt for her.

From afar, he heard a beautiful unknown male voice singing in a foreign language; Creole, he understood with a bit of surprise. Soldiers, attack. Those who die, so what?

A war cry.

Very appropriate.

Alucard pointed his sword towards her.

“Now!”

Cannons ignited. Multiple explosions. A hailstorm of shots; the front lines of her battalion were immediately obliterated, rows of vampires being reduced to pieces without having a chance to react. The smell of iron became stronger. Smoke clouded the bridge.

“Again!” He ordered. More shots. More explosions.

That wouldn’t be enough to stop Erzsebet and he knew it. Alucard got out of the way the moment she attacked – too fast for a creature so big. She was strong, but hasty, disorganized, too angry for her own good. She was no warrior and that would be their upper hand.

Fuck, Alucard wanted to fight her. He wanted to impale his sword through her chest, he wanted to cut her horrendous head off. He looked at her strength and her size and her ferocity and remembered Ruby’s size compared to her, Ruby’s fragility, Ruby’s inherent fear which was hammered into her – and that made him hate hate hate hate Erzsebet. But the battlefield was no place for hate; hate clouds your perception, your senses, your intelligence. He had to trust his plan and his allies.

So Alucard turned around and ran.

He lead his men to the backstreets, abandoning the bridge. Erzsebet’s followers saw it as weakness. Vampires were predators; if you act like prey, they would naturally be attracted… and their instinct was their doom.

The streets were barricaded with meters and meters of rubble.

Before the vampires realized they were cornered, another hailstorm of shots fell over them – coming from above.

Soldiers hidden inside the street’s buildings shot again, and again, and again. Alucard’s vision sharpened as he attacked before they could regroup. These vampires knew who he was. These vampires trembled, knowing they had no chance against him – and their expression of fear would remain forever when Alucard sliced their heads off; in their vision, he was but a red blur of death, moving too fast to be stopped.

He moved on to the next street, and the next, and the next in a frantic pace, not stopping for a second to breathe. He needed to eliminate as many opponents as possible to minimize the chances of melee battle between humans and vampires while keeping the battalions focused on that part of the city – away from the refugee citizens and away from the tailor shop where Ruby was hidden. Alucard was like the grim reaper himself: no one could stand on his way. It seemed no one was enough of an opponent for him. No one made him lose his balance, no one was enough of a threat for him to wield his sword with both hands, no one broke his sprint. To witness that was like the fire of courage the soldiers needed to keep fighting. They had a strong ally; they could win.

Alucard already knew she was coming before she even appeared in his field of view.

He felt her presence, the flap of her gigantic wings behind him. When she halted her flight on the building in front of him, holding a maniacal grin and with the gaze of a killer, Alucard was ready to face her.

He already knew at that point that Drolta was the real danger. Drolta was the mastermind, the strategist behind everything. In this great chess game, Erzsebet might’ve been the King – the most important piece in the board, but Drolta was the Queen – the most powerful piece, the one that could move freely.

The ruby necklace sat on Drolta’s collarbones.

He’d been planning to defeat her for the past five years. He had killed her once and lost to her resurrected form once, too. Now, it didn’t only feel like it was his duty; it felt like justice.

Ruby’s frightened expression upon seeing Drolta again resurfaced in his mind.

I promise I won’t fail you again. Erzsebet and Drolta won’t get anywhere near you.

It was time to end this.

Drolta launched herself at full speed towards him. He gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands.

Alucard would not fail.

Mizrak had never felt so small as in the moment he landed in Paris.

With the help of Maria’s and Juste’s magic, they managed to fly to the capital in just a few hours. Mizrak ignored the dizziness and nausea, immediately focusing on the situation at hand.

Paris was in chaos. He could hear the screams and shots even from the sky – the sounds of battle. Blood painted the streets, made the air smell of iron. Spots of smoke peppered around the city, flashes of light illuminated the red sky. He’d never witnessed a battle so big, so heated, so violent before.

And at the center of the square where Richter and Annette waited stood the most gruesome creature he’d ever seen.

Mizrak took a second to understand that that was Erzsebet. She had transfigured herself into an even uglier, unholier thing; she was worse than any night creature he’d seen. Mizrak hated her. He hated that Emmanuel had placed all his bets on her and died for it. He hated himself for helping her to some degree; he was well aware that he had his share of fault in this.

He almost didn’t notice that Annette looked different – there were too many things to take in at the same time – and Richter explained that she was also possessed by this… entity, and that somehow granted them an advantage. Maria, Juste and Richter immediately took fighting positions. Mizrak unsheathed his curved sword.

He knew there was no way for him to face that demon. Maria, young and short the way she was, already proved herself to be a powerful magician; he saw Erzsebet’s servants gasp when she opened a huge golden portal and summoned a gigantic blue dragon from it. A part of him felt proud of her for being able to control her powers after so much effort.

Juste was an old man, but just as powerful as the blonde girl. He evoked lightning and ice and fire as easily as he breathed. And Richter united his magic prowess to his brutal fighting style and muscular physique – all the while Annette (or Sekhmet, whatever) worked on weakening Erzsebet.

As soon as they started fighting, the square became literal hell.

Their attacks seemed to shake the world itself. The three of them fought like a single body, in pure synchronicity, not letting Erzsebet stop for a second to recover. Their magic made Mizrak feel goosebumps, made his stomach drop.

Mizrak was just a man with a sword. He did not compare to them in any way.

But King David was a small boy and even so, he killed Goliath, a giant; because he had faith within him. Because he had God with him, guiding his movements, clearing his path to victory. Light always beats darkness – and Mizrak believed that God, the only true God, was on their side in this battlefield.

For the Lord is righteous and loves justice; the upright will see His face.

Mizrak might be just a man in the middle of beasts, but no man is ordinary when God stands by them.

He attacked.

His sanctified sword was the harbinger of justice against his enemies. Vampire after vampire, he slashed heads and stomachs, severed members; at every fallen enemy, he felt that he was little by little avenging all these poor soldiers killed in Machecoul by Drolta. He still remembered the smell of blood and fear that filled the air that afternoon; he still remembered the tears he shed, the despair he felt, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop that carnage.

Every cloaked vampire in the square was killed either by him, his allies, or even indirectly by Erzsebet in their violent fight. There was nothing he could contribute there anymore. He ran towards a nearby street.

His heartbeat throbbed in his ears. The ground beneath his feet shook – the result of the magical fight behind him or cannon explosions. The cobblestones were painted in blood; fallen soldiers were everywhere. Some already dead, some on the verge of it. Screams and shots came from all directions. Mizrak kept running, looking for more enemies; a tall wall of rubble that barricaded the street forced him to turn left.

More cloaked servants. With a scream of effort, Mizrak slashed the nearest one and jumped to the next. Vampires might’ve been stronger and faster than human beings, but most of these vampires weren’t fighters; they were just overconfident aristocrats that lived most of their lives inside palaces, hunting clueless humans in the night to feed. Mizrak doubted many of them ever faced anyone in battle before.

Of course, even a regular vampire was much more dangerous than a regular human. The multiple bodies on the floor he saw on his way was proof of it. Mizrak knew he had to be careful; a vampire is never too weak.

He moved on to the next street. Screams attracted him; three human soldiers tried to keep the barricade of rubble standing while an unknown force on the other side tried to destroy it. His heart dropped a little when he realized the soldiers were boys – probably even younger than Richter.

Mizrak rushed, leaning his back against the ruble with the strength of his whole body, replacing the skinnier looking soldier; the three of them were surprised.

“One of you, climb the wall and shoot!” He ordered through gritted teeth. Whatever was on the other side was too strong even for him; he wouldn’t take it for much longer than a minute.

Luckily, they weren’t too shocked to move. Two of the boys, a ginger one and a black haired one, immediately climbed over the tall wall with their muskets. Each could only shoot once, so they had to hope it would be enough to stop whatever waited for them. They silently counted to three before emerging, pointing their weapons down to the other side and shooting.

The pressure stopped.

Mizrak sighed in relief and leaned away, already feeling his arms and shoulders heavy with fatigue. But he couldn’t stop, not when his allies and these young boys were giving their all. Before the two soldiers could even climb down the wall again, Mizrak already had sprinted to the next alley, looking for opponents.

Mizrak kept running and running and running. A puddle of blood on the floor almost made him trip and fall. God, there were so many corpses; the remains of humans, vampires and night creatures… Mizrak already knew these images would stay with him for a long time. His throat felt dry, it almost burned. Sweat covered his entire body. He ignored all of that. The pain, the fatigue, his feelings, all of that brushed aside to the farthest corner of his mind–

And his mind went actually blank when the glimpse of a moss green skirt passed by him.

Mizrak widened his eyes. A woman? A human woman?! What was she doing in the middle of the chaos?! Maybe she didn’t evacuate for some reason? That wasn’t a vampire – she wasn’t wearing a black and red cloak. Cold fear immediately crawled his skin for that woman. She wouldn’t stay alive for much longer there.

He turned on the same corner she did – hell, that woman was fast. She had already almost reached the end of the street. “Mademoiselle, wait!” he yelled. The woman stopped for a second and looked back–

Wait.

He knew that face.

Worry immediately turned to suspicion; his widened eyes narrowed, his expression hardened. The woman stopped running, but he didn’t. She held some sort of golden staff in her hands.

She widened her eyes in shock when Mizrak grabbed her by both arms and slammed her against the nearest wall.

“What are you doing here?!” He demanded.

The young woman looked up at him with round scared eyes that almost made him feel bad. She gripped the scepter close to her chest, sweat dripped down her forehead, her hair was disheveled. What was her name again? It had something to do with a jewel stone… was it Jade? Pearl?– It didn’t matter. What mattered is that Mizrak never trusted her for a second.

He even questioned if Alucard was right by bringing her along to Paris, but decided to not argue since he knew the vampire was strong and could deal with the situation if she offered any danger. Now, though? Her running around the streets, alone, unsupervised?

That could mean no good.

She blinked a few times. “M-Mizrak, isn’t it?!” She asked in a breathless voice. “Please, I need your help. I need to–“

“Why should I listen to a word you say?” Mizrak pressed on. She visibly shrunk. Once again, he felt a bit bad, but decided to brush it aside. “You said you were helping Erzsebet summon eclipses, and yet look up. They did it without you. Liar!”

“I wasn’t lying!” She gripped the scepter with even more strength; for the first time, a glimpse of anger crossed her features. “Erzsebet reunited with the second half of Sekhmet’s soul, that is why she didn’t need me this time!”

“And you said you weren’t a witch, yet what is it that you’re holding?!” Mizrak ignored what she said and his eyes dropped to the golden scepter she held. It had a strange symbol of the sun on its tip and multiple scriptures in a language he didn’t know. Clearly paganism. “You were just waiting for an opportunity to act, isn’t it? Erzsebet’s witch!”

She looked actually angry for a second; but her eyes suddenly locked with something behind him and they widened.

“Watch out!”

She moved faster than him.

The jewel stone girl used her scepter to push Mizrak out of the way, pressing it on the side of his body; it wasn’t enough to send him flying away – Mizrak was way too heavy for that – but he lost his balance regardless. This saved his life. If he had stayed on that same spot a second longer, he would’ve had his head ripped off by a cloaked vampire.

Mizrak turned around and unsheathed his sword again in a quick motion, slicing the head of the vampire off with a scream of effort.

They watched the body on the ground, both breathless and in silence, for some seconds.

Mizrak turned back to her slowly.

She�� had saved his life. But that wasn’t enough to convince him.

The young woman gulped and hardened her expression.

“Sir, I need you to trust me. Please, I just want to help them. Y-You’ve seen how many losses they’ve had. Erzsebet’s army is stronger and you know it.” She stepped closer to him.

Mizrak gripped the hilt of his sword harder. “All the odds are against you.”

She groaned.

Jewel stone girl looked fragile and scared the entire time he’d been around her at the ruins of Machecoul – and it didn’t quite convince him. At that moment, however, the heat of the battle seemed to get the best of her.

She was also on her limit.

“Fine!” And then her voice wasn’t quiet and controlled anymore. Finally, she’s letting her mask fall, a part of Mizrak thought–

But then she grabbed the blade of Mizrak’s sword and brought it close to her own neck.

Her hand immediately bled. The tip of the blade made a tiny cut on the base of her neck, yet she didn’t flinch; she stared at Mizrak with pure anger and determination. More than that – she was challenging him.

“Cut my head off, then!” She growled in a way that took Mizrak by surprise. He… he didn’t expect her to talk like that at all, not with the way he saw her behave before. “Go on, do it if you’re so suspicious of me! I won’t die anyway, I don’t care. But many more people will die and they can’t heal the way I do, unless we do something about it! Or will you keep wasting time questioning me?!”

Mizrak didn’t move.

Neither did she.

Blood dripped from her palm to her forearm, staining the white sleeve of her blouse. The way she didn’t flinch away from pain was impressive, he had to admit. The way her gaze didn’t waver was also a bit impressive… Mizrak was as muscular as a bull. He was the one holding the sword… and she didn’t look that scared of him – at least, not anymore.

And yet… Mizrak didn’t want to trust her.

Because trusting her meant trusting Olrox and he didn’t want to trust Olrox.

Hell, he didn’t want to think about Olrox – but he was the reason she was there anyway. It was Olrox who told Mizrak about jewel stone girl’s existence in the first place. Yes, he delivered the news to Alucard, but back then, he thought she would be a hostage; he never expected that Alucard and the others would simply let her walk freely.

Mizrak didn’t want to admit that his problem wasn’t with her directly; his anger was towards the damned green eyed vampire. The coward green eyed vampire that could be fighting with them at that moment but that chose to run away to the New World instead. The coward that had the audacity to invite him; as if Mizrak would ever run away from his duties and his beliefs.

Mizrak didn’t want to think about Olrox because if he did, he’d have to admit that a tiny hidden part of him was also relieved that he was away from this chaos, away from the maniacal vampire that would hunt him down eventually.

So he focused on the girl in front of him instead, the anger and determination in her eyes, the way she told him to cut her head off as if it was nothing, the way her palm bled and she didn’t move away regardless – and Mizrak decided that she wasn’t Olrox after all, which meant he could give her a chance.

Mizrak pulled his sword away from her grip and let his arm fall to the side of his body. He looked down at her with a high chin and a tightened jaw. She seemed uneasy for a moment.

“...I will cut your head off if I notice you’re acting suspicious for a second,” he declared with severity. “What is your plan?”

She was visibly relieved.

The young woman held the scepter with both hands again. “This scepter can storage sunlight somehow. I… I can awaken it. But I’ll need a high place to make it more effective.”

Mizrak frowned. “You can enter any of these empty buildings and go upstairs–“

“A higher place. The highest point in the area.”

The black haired monk thought for some seconds. The highest point in the city…

He heard steps behind him, which immediately made him turn around and lift his sword defensively – but it was not necessary.

The three young soldiers from earlier came running around the corner. They were all visibly tired, holding swords now that their muskets were probably out of gunpowder. Were they running after Mizrak since that moment?

But they didn’t seem to care for Mizrak, actually.

“Mademoiselle!” The ginger one widened his eyes. The three of them were shocked to see her here.

“What are you doing here, Miss Ruby?!” The black haired one said. The third blond boy frowned.

“Who said you could address her by her name?!”

Oh. So Ruby is her name.

The three boys reached them, immediately offering to get Ruby to safety at the same time. She tried to calm them down – Henri, Charles and Jules were their names – while Mizrak looked around the street.

The highest point in the city…

Then, it hit him.

It was obvious. It was in the eye of the hurricane. Most vampires and night creatures were focused there. Erzsebet was also close by. Mizrak wasn’t sure if bringing Ruby there, so close to that crazy vampire, would be a good idea… but there was no better place.

He turned around.

“Soldiers,” he called with authority; the three boys immediately turned to him. Mizrak wasn’t wearing a Revolutionary uniform like them, but you’d have to be a fool to argue with him. “We will escort this lady to the Notre Dame. No questions asked, we don’t have time.”

They wanted to ask questions, but they turned to Ruby – and the look she gave them made them became puddles over her feet.

“Please. I need your help,” she asked with impatient sweetness.

They immediately straightened their backs and nodded.

“Yes, Mademoiselle!”

“Anything for you!”

Mizrak refrained from rolling his eyes and gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands again. His body was aching, his throat was burning, his heart was confused – but he still had a fight ahead of him, so he brushed all that aside.

“Let’s go.”

They ran.

Mizrak took the lead; Ruby was right behind him, while the three boys protected her from her sides and rear. Just around the corner, they faced the first group of enemies; the monk, once again, took the lead and attacked first. He managed to take down two vampires while the third one tried to approach from the sides. The blond boy, Jules, blocked his attack with the sword, while the black haired one, Charles, sliced his head off.

Although they were successful, both looked extremely distressed with what they had just done; their faces went pale, eyes widened. They probably had been facing their enemies from afar, not on melee combat. Mizrak was about to yell at them – not because he didn’t feel empathy for them, but because the battlefield was no place to freeze.

But Ruby surprised him once again.

“We have to keep going!” She rushed them in an impatient tone, breaking them out of their trance. She wasn’t shocked at all. She didn’t seem to have a lot of empathy for them, actually, as if death was too casual for her to care...

But regardless of her methods, it worked. Mizrak went back to running, not waiting for them to recover, and they followed shortly.

Another corner turned, another explosion; they met a group of soldiers running on the opposite direction. They gesticulated vehemently for them to go back.

“Retreat! There are monsters fighting back there! You’ll be trampled like ants!” They yelled.

Mizrak knew they were right and knew to ignore them. No man is ordinary with God, he repeated it in his head over and over again to convince himself, to push him forward. The group kept running tirelessly. Another cloaked vampire. They attacked.

No man is ordinary with God. His knees were heavy. His wrists ached. The muscles of his arms burned. Mizrak brushed all that aside.A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but no evil will come near you. The next enemy came. He raised his sword and attacked. The next enemy came, and the next. They turned on another corner. The boys behind him protected and attacked from the sides. Mizrak didn’t stop to look back, putting blind faith in them.

No man is ordinary with God.

Mizrak knew this entire battle was already burned into his soul. He would never forget the horrendous faces, the bloodshed, the pain in his body. They would haunt him forever. Yet, he didn’t stop to think about anything; how these vampires were stronger than him, that if he let his guard down for a second, he’d be killed. But he reminded himself: The Lord is my light and my salvation; of whom shall I be afraid?

So he just moved forward.

Finally, they reached the square in front of the gigantic cathedral. Without the protection of buildings on both sides, they would have no way to hide – and the square was infested of night creatures and vampires. For the first time, Mizrak stopped running and signaled for the ones behind him to halt, crossing his eyes through the open area.

The cathedral’s front doors were closed. Mizrak realized with confusion that the night creatures were fighting among themselves, but he decided there was no time to question that; if the beasts were too focused in killing each other, they hopefully wouldn’t notice them passing by, which could be an advantage. Mizrak gulped, his burning throat begged for water. His entire body ached. But no, there was no time to focus on any of that. The task ahead of them was difficult; they had to try anyway. No man is ordinary with God. No man is ordinary with God. No man is ordinary with God–

A lightning slashed the sky.

The thunder that followed was stronger than any cannon; it made everything shake. Even the vampires and night creatures at the square looked up in confusion. There were no storm clouds in the sky, what could’ve caused that? One of Juste’s powers, maybe? But it felt different for some reason–

Another lightning. Mizrak was looking up this time.

It had a purplish color.

His heartbeat immediately increased, his eyes widened. He thought he saw a strange big shadow in between the tall buildings, it looked to be flying over the ceilings… was he going insane? He– He knew the color of that magic. His chest filled with unstoppable expectation and hope; was it… Was it who he thought it was–?!

Mizrak tightened his eyes and shook his head violently. No. No, you don’t have time for that. It’s not him. Don’t think of him. You have to cross that square.

The black haired monk looked back. Ruby also had a focused expression, analyzing what was in front of them, holding the scepter strongly. Although she was sweating, she didn’t look nearly as tired as the three boys or Mizrak himself. Did her healing ability also heal tiredness?

“Let’s take advantage of the distraction,” Mizrak said. She nodded. He looked ahead again and gripped the sword with both hands once more; his wrists and fingers hurt so much that Mizrak didn’t think he’d be able to stretch them for a while.

Mizrak took a deep breath.

No man is ordinary with God.

“Come on!”

They leaped into the square.

His heart throbbed faster than ever. His vision was focused on their destination. Growls, screams, flesh being pierced, shots, rumbles from the magical battle happening not far from there, more purple lightnings; chaos was what echoed from all directions, making his head ache. They avoided the spots of night creature fights without slowing their pace, moving as a single body. They were halfway there. No man is ordinary with God. No man is ordinary with God. No man is ordinary with God. No man is ordinary with God…

“It’s her!”

Mizrak whipped his head to the side.

A cloaked vampire pointed towards them – towards Ruby – with a ferocious expression.

“It’s the woman the Vampire Messiah talked about!” He continued, drawing the attention of the vampires around him. “Whoever takes her will be rewarded!”

Fuck!

“Keep running!” Mizrak yelled looking over his shoulder. As if it was needed. For the first time, he saw fear plastered over Ruby’s face again.

The vampires chased them now.

We’re almost there we’re almost there we’re almost there keep running keep running keep running–

Finally finally finally– the group reached the central doors of the cathedral.

And they were locked.

Henri and Jules tried to push them open with the strength of their bodies, yet they didn’t move. Meanwhile, the vampires gathered around them. They were cornered.

Rage filled Mizrak’s heart.

These vampires – they would not enter the house of God. His wrists hurt his fingers hurt his arms hurt his breathing was difficult. It didn’t matter. As if he felt empowered by colossal building behind him, the earthly materialization of the Lord’s fearing size, Mizrak stood tall, taking a defensive position. They would not stain the cathedral with their presence or their filthy blood. Mizrak would be its defender despite his aching body.

For no man is ordinary with God.

Jules and Charles took their places by his sides while Ruby and Henri kept trying to push the doors open. Nine vampires against three tired humans.

Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.

The vampires attacked.

The three defended.

Everything became a blur of blood and pain and screams and grunts and growls. Mizrak slashed, blocked, crouched down, jumped; one enemy fell. He pushed Charles out of the way before he could be stabbed. The second enemy fell. Mizrak pierced a chest with his sword. The third fell. Jules and Charles worked together to kill one of them; Mizrak slashed one more neck. The fifth and the sixth. The seventh was taken down from behind – someone shot him from across the square, though he could not see who exactly was helping them.

A loud scratching noise behind them.

“It’s opened!” Ruby screamed; he turned briefly to see that they had burst the locks. Henri and her pushed the heavy doors open with their backs. “Quick, let’s get in!”

The three retreated with their backs still facing the cathedral, blades still held up; a slight breeze of relief hit Mizrak. The vampires wouldn’t follow them inside. They couldn’t step in, he was confident of that. No man is ordinary with God. The Lord had helped him achieve this, had held his hands, guided his blade towards victory.

An eighth enemy still stood. Mizrak stepped forward to face it.

“Come in, Mizrak!” Charles rushed him; Henri had entered, Jules too, and they were trying to pull Ruby in, but she seemed to refuse to until Mizrak joined them.

He looked ahead again. Blocked an attack, slashed another neck. There were vampires approaching from afar. He had to walk in to safety. Another purple lightning crossed the sky; Mizrak looked up for a moment, once more under the impression that he saw a strange huge shadow–

“MIZRAK!”

It was too late.

Mizrak didn’t have time to look back at Ruby.

Lacerating pain.

His body shook. His vision blurred. Strength left his legs.

Slowly, Mizrak looked down.

A dagger pierced through his stomach. A stain of blood grew larger over the cross on his uniform.

The ninth vampire.

Rage painted Mizrak’s vision in red; a scream erupted from within him while he raised his sword one last time, still carried by adrenaline, slashing the vampire’s torso and neck.

His enemy fell.

Mizrak couldn’t breathe properly anymore; a single tear slid down his cheek. He pressed his tightened fist over the wound, feeling his own warm blood drip down his clothes; the world twirled. The pain was nauseating. It was maddening.

It’s like he could hear Notre Dame’s bells ringing in his ears.

Mizrak… Mizrak was a step away from entering the cathedral.

Yet, he couldn’t walk anymore.

Freezing cold crept over his body. He fought and fought and fought in the name of the Lord; he prayed and prayed and prayed, tried to repent, tried to convince Emmanuel to repent before his death. He had cut ties with Olrox. He… he did everything.

No.

“Mizrak!” He heard Ruby’s voice again, but she sounded distant; he felt the soft touch of her hand on his shoulder, but he pushed her away with the little strength he still had.

“Get in, woman,” he groaned, feeling the taste of iron in his tongue. “You… you said you had a plan. I will… protect the entrance.”

He knew he couldn’t. She knew it, too, and still hesitated.

Mizrak refused to look at her.

“Get in, now!” He screamed.

After a few seconds, he heard steps behind him retreating – then, the sound of the heavy doors being closed again.

Another tear fell down Mizrak’s cheek.

His legs had no strength anymore. He fell to his knees.

He felt so, so cold. Not only the wound hurt, his entire body ached. He panted, the grip around the sword finally loosened.

A quiet sob escaped past his lips. Mizrak looked up. The statues of Kings of Judah seemed to be looking directly at him. Another purple lightning illuminated the sky, casting eerie shadows over their faces.

Angry faces. Judging faces.

Mizrak stood in front of the Portal of the Last Judgment – and he had just been judged.

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?

The tears were now unstoppable. Mizrak gripped the fabric of his uniform, his entire body trembled. How foolish, how presumptuous of him to think he’d keep these vampires away from the house of God when he was not allowed to get in; not anymore. That was the clear confirmation of all his worst suspicions, his most horrendous nightmares. What awaited him on the other side wasn’t Saint Peter’s welcoming words, wasn’t Virgin Mary’s motherly hug; what waited for him were the fires that would burn him eternally. What waited for him was the Devil that came to reap Emmanuel’s soul.

No immoral, impure or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Finally, his body gave up. Mizrak laid on the cold floor, feeling all of his strength vanish and every centimeter of him shake in cold fear. It was so, so cold. It was so, so painful. It was so lonely and frightening.

God was not beside him anymore – and so, Mizrak became an ordinary man.

Another purple lightning. A shrilling bestial growl crossed the air. Mizrak was ordinary. Mizrak was impure. Mizrak was a sinner.

Mizrak wished, as death approached him like the freezing winds of North, that he could see Olrox again one last time.

And then – he didn’t wish for anything anymore.

Darkness.

The sound of the doors closing echoed within the gigantic cathedral like thunders.

Your fingers were shaking, the grip around the scepter wasn’t as determined as before. Mizrak… that wound would kill him, and there was nothing you could do. You begged for his help and you wouldn’t be able to help him in the end…

This has to work. It has to, no matter what, so his sacrifice won’t be in vain.

“Mademoiselle, we’re here. W-What do we do now?” Jules asked while he and Charles kept their backs leaning against the doors. The three of them were panting and sweating, you didn’t know how long it’d take for them to be completely exhausted.

“I need to climb the tower!” You said, looking around the great entrance hall of the cathedral, pushing your worry and guilt for Mizrak to the back of your mind. The noises of the outside battle were muffled, every small sound you produced echoed. The cathedral was, in a way, even more magnificent than the Louvre; it wasn’t as opulent, and that perhaps was what brought this chilling sense of greatness. The high vaulted ceiling made you feel small; the reflex of the stained glass on the floor being illuminated by the strange purple lightnings out there was somehow eerie. The place was dimly lit by candles.

You were surprised to notice that, at the very back of the cathedral, after rows and rows of wooden benches, there were people; knelt down in front of the great altar where hundreds of candles burned slowly. They were too far for you to even recognize any face, but they seemed surprised by your presence. They wore monk tunics. Oh… you understood. They refused to leave their temple even in the middle of a war. You could respect their courage and nobility.

One more group of people that would be dead soon if you didn’t succeed.

“I’ll stay here and hold the doors,” Jules spoke up. “You two, help her get up there!”

Charles and Henri nodded. “This way, Mademoiselle!” The redhead exclaimed, pointing toward the stairs that led to the north bell tower. You nodded.

The monks were fast approaching. Before turning around and following the two boys, you looked at them; “Please, help him barricade the doors!”

Luckily, no one wanted to argue – they understood the gravity of the situation. Before finally disappearing inside a corridor, you had time to see the group of monks dragging wooden benches toward the doors in order to lock it again.

And then, you were faced with hundreds of hundreds of steps to climb.

The spiral staircase was made of stone, just like the walls around you; it was a small passage, almost claustrophobic. You held some of your skirt and started your way up; Charles took the lead while Henri covered you from behind. The tower was humid and dark; there were small windows in regular gaps, but as the sun was hidden behind that maleficent shadow, it didn’t provide much light.

“We- We should’ve taken some candles…” You heard Henri complain through ragged breath behind you.

That’s when a new source of light appeared.

They hadn’t noticed it before because you weren’t in such a dark environment, but the inscriptions of the scepter had been glowing faintly for a while now, probably fueled by your fear and apprehension; its glow got a bit stronger after you saw Mizrak being stabbed. The object was slowly becoming warmer, too.

Charles looked behind his shoulder with a shocked expression.

“How–?”

“I don’t know. Let’s keep moving,” you rushed them.

They didn’t argue.

The three of you were panting, and the sound echoed within the tower. You didn’t dare to look out the small windows, trying to not get more desperate. There were so many corpses out there… how many of the men you helped yesterday, distributing uniforms or water or food, had already been killed? How many wives wouldn’t have their husbands back, or how many children would never see their fathers again?

Of course, all the volunteers were well aware of the possibility of dying. You can’t weave into war and expect no casualties. But that didn’t change the fact that there was a great imbalance in the scales; Erzsebet’s side had much more men, and a single vampire is worth ten regular humans, not to mention the night creatures – although, surprisingly, most of them seemed to be too busy trying to kill each other down there.

Finally, the stairs opened to another great hall. The large stained glass windows indicated that you had only arrived at the second level of the cathedral.

“That way!” Charles indicated another set of stairs that led to a mezzanine; from there, there was a door that seemed to lead up the tower.

Inside that door – more spiral stairs.

Your knees were starting to feel heavier and heavier; you felt sweat dripping down your entire body, gluing your blouse to your back. Your muscles seemed to burn and a sharp irritating pain tugged on the right side of your stomach. Yet, you didn’t stop for a moment, leaping two steps at time. Your discomfort was nothing compared to what Mizrak endured down there, these boys that had cuts and bruises on their bodies, or all the other soldiers that got hurt in battle.

May Annette and Richter be safe, you wished for the hundredth time. May that goddess leave Annette’s body soon.

You looked down briefly to the red string tied around your right wrist.

If anything happens, anything at all, untie this string. It’s what Alucard asked of you.

He’d probably be so angry and disappointed that you disobeyed him. But you refused to untie that; Alucard had his duty to comply, the same way Annette and Richter had theirs. It wouldn’t be fair to simply call him at that moment. Not only did you not want to interrupt them, there was a part of you – a proud part, perhaps? Since when were you proud of anything? – that wanted to accomplish this without them. You didn’t want to feel useless anymore.

If you didn’t succeed, it’d all be for nothing. You’d have put these three young men in danger, gotten Mizrak hurt – probably killed – and would bring even more trouble over Alucard’s shoulders.

It’s going to work. I know it will. Something inside me is sure of it.

Five minutes of unstoppable climbing and you saw the outside light again.

The balcony extended around the entire structure of the cathedral, crossing it over the main hall and going around the south tower as well; the north bell tower stood tall behind you. However, it was so narrow that more than two people wouldn’t be able to walk side by side comfortably. A refreshing gust of wind hit your body; you felt hot and drenched of sweat after so much running and climbing. You leaned on the stone guard rail, giving yourself a second to recover your breathing.

Maybe you shouldn’t have.

It was tall. Unnervingly tall. You had a good view of most of the city from there – and it only made you feel more desperate.

Fire outbreaks peppered here and there; it was a complete and terrible chaos. From this distance, everyone looked like ants. The strange purple lightnings had stopped. You wondered what was causing these things; Richter’s magic was blue, and as far as you knew, he didn’t know how to fly to be the source of it. So what was that? And why did it make your stomach drop?

Was it part of Sekhmet’s power? She had told you to keep away; maybe, for some reason, her powers would make you feel ill like that?

Charles was also leaning over the guard rail, catching his breath, while Henri leaned his hands over his knees. They were probably already exhausted, much more than you after all that running and fighting. Your throat burned, desperately begging for water. You adjusted your grip on the scepter.

“Is… Is this… enough?” Henri asked, panting.

You looked around.

This height was decent – but not enough.

How you knew that? You couldn’t tell, and you didn’t have time to question it. You decided to just follow your instincts.

You looked up to the top of the bell tower. It was imposing, scary. The stone gargoyles up there seemed to be gazing at you; it was like they didn’t like your presence. Well, they’d have to bear it.

You pointed up. “I need to get to the top.”

The two eyed each other. You couldn’t even be mad at them. Henri was ready to point the direction–

A hiss slashed the air.

You turned back to see that a vampire had climbed the tower, too, from outside; he jumped over the railing onto the balcony, right behind Henri.

You moved before your mouth could speak.

Repeating the movement you made with Mizrak, you pushed him out of the way with the scepter – but this time, you weren’t fast enough; the cloaked vampire’s sharp claws gnawed his right shoulder. Henri yelled in pain; blood splashed on your skirt.

The thought process behind your next action was fast.

You remembered how that vampire burned just by touching the scepter at the alley; you looked at how it was glowing – not as bright as it was at that time, and not as hot as well, but it was awakened anyway. Anger crossed your vision. You couldn’t do anything to help Mizrak; this time, you wouldn’t just stand and watch Henri get hurt.

You held the scepter with both hands. Putting all of your strength, you swung it towards the vampire.

The rays of the sun symbol were actually very sharp.

They slashed the vampire’s eyes; he screamed in agony, the spot where the scepter touched burned. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but he was certainly blind. His blood on the sun symbol boiled and evaporated in seconds.

While the man was completely disoriented, screaming in pain, Charles run towards him and pushed him over the stone railing.

You didn’t wait to see him hitting the ground.

“Henri!” You rushed towards him; the redhead boy gripped his shoulder, blood spilled from the wound.

Henri groaned. Charles put his good arm over his own shoulders. “Let’s get inside! There are more coming!”

You ran ahead this time and entered through a door that led to – sigh – more spiral stairs. They were even narrower this time, more claustrophobic. The two boys walked in and slammed the door shut; Charles took Henri’s sword and used it to lock it between the hinges. Someone tried to push it open and the two leaned their backs against it.

“Go, Mademoiselle!” Charles said. “We’ll hold them back!”

You hesitated for a second. Henri was hurt, both of them were tired. But would you have another chance if you stayed to help them?

So you turned and ran up.

You ignored how heavy your legs felt, how breathless you were, how your knees already wanted to fail you. The scepter was slowly but surely getting hotter as your desperation increased. You jumped two, three steps at once, trying to get there faster faster faster. You tripped and hit both knees on the edge of a step, immediately scratching both of them, but ignored it and kept climbing. Would they be able to fight down there? Would they survive? What if you left them behind to get killed? Would you be able to live with this guilt?

I have to make it. I have to make it. I have to make it.

Finally – a door appeared. You ran past it.

The very top of the bell tower.

The balcony was wider than on the level below you. The view was nauseating – you were so, so high up; you could see the Seine surrounding the cathedral on both ways, hundreds of ceilings as far as the eye could see. There were no taller buildings. Nothing that could hinder the power of the scepter.

You were shaking. You were panting. Your legs hurt. Strong wind played with your skirt and hair, it even felt that if you stood too close to the stone railing, it’d push you over the edge. Strange colorful explosions popped down there, but you couldn’t see what or who was causing it.

None of that mattered, not at that moment.

You walked to the middle point of the balcony and held the scepter with both hands once again. The inscriptions still glowed faintly, it was starting to feel uncomfortably hot.

A deep breath.

This is going to work. It will. It will.

You held it in front of you with the sun symbol pointed up at a close distance from your body. The chaos in the city extended up until where your eye could see. The sky still had that horrible red color, as if it was painted with blood.

Ruby. The same color of your delicious blood.

A shiver ran down your spine.

You didn’t know why you remembered this at that moment. Just the thought of that horrendous vampire made your stomach twirl. She, who treated you worse than an animal for longer than your brain could register; she who fed on your blood constantly as if you were but a meal. She who broke your very spirit to pieces until you became nothing but the compliant shell of a woman; empty, having no more strength to fight anymore. Because you fought her. You tried to push her away, to claw her face, to pull her hair; you tried so many times and failed so many times that you were too tired to keep trying.

She who made you lost who you truly were. Would you ever be able to retrieve it? Would you be able to find within yourself, in your memories, the person you really were before she called you Ruby that night?

Who was I before Ruby?

The inscriptions glowed a little brighter.

Your breath hitched when you realized that you could see her from up there.

Blocks and blocks away at some square – the source of the strange colorful lights you saw earlier; you couldn’t understand exactly what was happening, but recognized that blue fire… Richter’s fire. And then yellow lightning and red fire, too… A blue dragon flying over the buildings. All of that directed at her.

Erzsebet was but a dot in the distance, but you recognized that red hair.

A part of you – the part that was trained to fear – immediately shook, had the instinct to run inside the tower again and hide. What if she saw you there? She’d grab you and never let you go. She’d hurt you again and again and again until you forgot about everything; all the people you’ve met, all the things you discovered and experienced in these few days, and then you’d be just an empty shell again.

The other part of you felt angry.

Erzsebet was fighting against the people that took care of you, the first people that were ever kind to you, the people that treated you like an equal. She was hurting them the same way she hurt you so many times before.

You hated her.

You hated her with every fiber of your being.

It ignited your soul, set it on fire. That woman had to die. She had to die.

You used this hatred when you started to read the inscriptions on the scepter.

Alucard had advised you against it – but you knew at that moment it was the right thing to do. Once again, you could not understand what these words meant; but, while reading the moon book you felt disgusted and weak, now you felt stronger. Exhaustion completely vanished from your body, your scratched knees didn’t hurt anymore.

The scepter glowed brighter; brighter, brighter, brighter. The sun symbol started to shine. Not as bright as it did at the alley – so you kept reading.

It felt like you fell on a trance.

All the times Erzsebet drank your blood. All the times Drolta punished you. All the pain. All the humiliation. Being dragged from place to place, not having the right to even walk out of a room; all the humans you had to watch getting killed. That woman has to die. She has to die.

The golden glow of the scepter enveloped your body. The artifact was hot. It burned your palms. You were hot – that same devastating heat that cloistered around your heart came back. It burned as if you were thrown into the pit of a volcano.

The sun symbol was shining… but not nearly as bright as it did at the alley.

No.

This isn’t supposed to happen. What’s wrong?!

You kept reading, feeling despair mix with your hatred; the shine wasn’t enough to brighten the city, but it was enough to draw attention to you. Weren’t these the feelings that made the scepter awaken at that moment? Why was it acting different now?

The sun wasn’t shining that bright, but the burn in your heart didn’t ease. No, it was increasing. Not just your heart – soon, it felt that someone had thrown boiling oil over your skin. It burned burned burned burned burned; you wanted to drop that thing away, you wanted to scream in pain. Every muscle burned, every vein, every centimeter of your skin; it was unbearable, it was maddening, you couldn’t even hear your own thoughts anymore, you couldn’t keep your eyes open, your face distorted in a scowl of pain. Drop it! Throw it away! It hurts! IT HURTS!

“You will burn from inside out, ???.”

What?

Who said that?

You felt a hand touch your shoulder softly, but couldn’t open your eyes to see who it was.

Who– Who is it?

Who is it?

The sounds of the battle down there– all gone.

It is tranquil. A soft breeze caresses your face. The scepter burns your palms.

She doesn’t back away.

“You’re always too angry, ???.” She continues in a soothing voice. Her touch on your shoulder is featherlight. “This won’t get you anywhere. Breathe slowly.”

You inhale. You exhale.

“This ritual isn’t meant to kill; it does not go well with hatred. This ritual exists to protect the ones you love. If you let anger take the lead, it will consume you; it will burn you. Love does not burn. Love warms up.”

Your frown softened.

Your tense members too.

It exists to protect.

You brushed the memories of Erzsebet and Drolta aside. It was hard – they were mostly all you knew. But you decided to focus on something else.

Annette’s encouraging words. Her strength and her kindness.

The moments Richter fought to protect you, the way you felt some sort of odd affection towards him.

The three boys that gave you the lily that was still safely stored in the pocket of your vest. Henri, Jules and Charles, who bravely helped you get to the cathedral. All the men you helped yesterday, all of them getting ready to fight to protect their families, to help defeat a force much stronger than them.

And…

Him.

His serene smiles. His soft touches. The way he respected and cared for you from the moment you first met; the way he never looked down on you, always talked to you as an equal. The way he was always willing to make you feel better. The way he showed kindness through small gestures. The warmth of his hug.

And there was something else, too. At that moment, other faces flashed in your mind – faces your mind didn’t remember, but your heart did. One of these faces was of the little boy you saw on your dream and many more.

All of these moments, all of these faces – though they weren’t much, though the bad experiences were far more, were enough to overwhelm them. Were enough to comfort you in the midst of so much pain.

And then – you weren’t burning anymore.

You just felt... warm.

This warmth consumed you. It eased your mind, your spirit, your soul. It strengthened you. There was no pain anymore, no hatred; the warmth in your heart extended to every corner of your body, expanded to your entire consciousness.

All that existed was light.

All that existed was sun.

All that existed was… love.

No one saw it coming.

Erzsebet’s servants didn’t see it coming. The night creatures didn’t see it coming. The soldiers didn’t see it coming. Alucard didn’t see it coming.

Out of nowhere, the sky started to get clear.

The white-haired vampire looked up; the eclipse was still very much intact. So what the hell was happening?

Then – it hit him.

His eyes widened. Alucard flew to the top of the nearest ceiling and looked around–

He had time to see a small dot shining atop of Notre Dame, probably two kilometers away from where he was.

The small dot grew larger. Larger. That light got brighter – so bright that he had to protect his eyes; so bright that for a moment, the sky wasn’t crimson red anymore. Goosebumps roamed his skin. That… that was pure power.

And then, he heard the screams.

Yells of agony all around the city. The vampires tried to run, tried to hide – but most of them didn’t have time to react; as soon as light hit their bodies, they burned. They fell to their knees, hollering in excruciating pain, until there was nothing left of them but a pile of ashes. The human soldiers looked around, confused at why that light didn’t harm them, only their enemies.

A strange feeling tugged at Alucard’s heart.

But he heard another scream – a scream of pure hatred this time that slashed the air of Paris.

It was Drolta.

She was flying like a cannonball towards the cathedral.

Alucard wouldn’t let her.

He gripped his sword with both hands; red glow enveloped his body. He sprinted over the ceilings of Paris on a beeline, so fast that glass windows shattered after his passage.

He got to the top of Notre Dame faster than her, standing on top of the stone railing – putting himself between Ruby and Drolta.

The night creature had a completely insane expression, maddened by rage; Alucard, on the other hand, stared at her with controlled anger.

When she was just meters away, Alucard slashed the air with his sword in a wide swing.

It produced a red energy shockwave that hit Drolta in the stomach with the force of a thousand tons.

She was sent flying back all the way she came from; she hit one, two, three, four buildings, destroying everything on her way.

That would keep her quiet for a while.

Alucard released his sword for a second, keeping it floating near his body, and turned around.

His eyes widened in shock and… admiration.

Ruby was levitating in the air, holding the scepter in front of her body with both hands; she had her eyes closed in a serene expression, almost as if she was asleep. Her hair was loose, it swayed behind her figure. A golden aura enveloped her body, but it still looked different than what happened to Annette in a way.

She looked beautiful.

The shine of the scepter was diminishing. So was the aura around her. Slowly, she started to get closer to the ground again. Alucard jumped from the railing onto the balcony; he extended his arms and took her before she could hit the floor.

Alucard knelt down with her cradled in his arms.

He put the scepter aside; it slid from her grip easily. Her eyes were still closed. The white-haired vampire pressed his hand on her forehead and neck; she felt warm, but not nearly as hot as she was that moment at the alley. In fact… there was a strange healthy aspect to her face. Her right sleeve was stained with blood, though he couldn’t see any injury.

She ran all the way from the tailor shop to the cathedral? Did she remember something? How did she know she’d be able to do this?

Alucard had so many questions – but all of that was brushed aside when Ruby frowned slightly and groaned; immediate relief washed over his body. She is awake.

She opened her eyes.

At first, Ruby looked at the sky with half lidded eyes. Then, she looked at him – and didn’t have much of a reaction. It was as if a part of her wasn’t really there. It made Alucard wonder if she was still under some sort of trance…

For a moment, Alucard thought that she wasn’t recognizing him.

And it surprisingly made him feel scared.

But she left a soft groan again.

“Did it… work…?” Ruby asked groggily.

Alucard almost sighed in relief.

“Yes.”

She looked down for a moment and saw the red string tied around his right wrist. That seemed to bring back more memories; Ruby immediately got more agitated.

“I’m sor–“

“Don’t you dare.” He interrupted her softly, shaking his head. “Don’t you dare…”

Alucard wasn’t planning on it, the same way he didn’t plan to hug her back then. But he couldn’t help it. Sometimes, he had to let his annoying mortal heart speak louder than reason. And at that moment, when adrenaline still pumped through his system, he let himself be carried again; he brought her closer to him again, he rested his chin on the top of her head. He let himself feel relief and content that she was safe, she was warm, she was in his arms. She had somehow managed to overcome her fear. She had somehow managed to destroy more than half of Erzsebet’s army on her own.

And Alucard felt proud of this human he barely even knew that well.

The heart works in mysterious ways, after all.

He leaned away again and looked down at her. Perhaps… perhaps if she wasn’t clearly dazed, affected by whatever powerful magic she just had unleashed… if she was in her right mind… perhaps Alucard would’ve let himself be carried by his stupid mortal heart again. Perhaps he wouldn’t have fought against his will to press his lips on hers.

But the battlefield was no place for it.

That would be irrational and Alucard had to be rational regardless of how he felt for her.

Alucard heard steps fast approaching. From the door beside him, two young soldiers emerged. They were clearly exhausted, one of them bled from the shoulder. Their eyes widened.

“Sir!” The black-haired one – the one that wasn’t bleeding – saluted him. “We’ll take care of her!”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to her!” The ginger one said, even though a frown of pain was plastered over his face.

Alucard narrowed his eyes… oh. He recognized these two from yesterday. They were some of the soldiers that flocked around her like pigeons after bread crumbs. They didn’t seem ill-intended, at least, so Alucard would have to trust them.

The vampire helped Ruby to sit, keeping his arm behind her back while the soldiers also approached. Yes, she was definitely groggy; she almost looked a bit drunk. He’d worry about that later.

A terrible feeling settled in his gut.

Alucard got up and looked ahead. There was a massive beam of red energy concentrated in the opposite part of the city; it made shivers run down his spine. It was Sekhmet’s power, and it immediately made him worry for Annette and Richter.

He stepped over the railing again and took the sword in his hand. He’d sort everything else out later. Right now, there was still a battle to be won.

And Alucard would not fail.

[dior-luxury]

HI

💐 here to confess my love because your twst ficlets are SO FREAKIN GOOD I AM LITERALLY FCKING DYING RN (out of love!)

My humble self has come to beg for yandere lilia bc i am a hopeless lilia simp 🙂‍↕️

If the inspo hits and you are so inclined, please feed the poor starving peon crouched outside your doorstep. They are probably not feral, but they havent eaten in days, and may faint for several hours after consuming a single morsel of food.

But also no pressure! I honestly just also want to pick your brain for this cuz you’re SO GOOD at writing him in character

Lilia Vanrouge As A Yandere

( ✧ ) ────── yandere stories . yandere/angst - f!reader .

- [𝐜𝐡.] lilia vanrouge

- [𝐩:𝐬] Yandere Behavior . Gaslighting and Isolation . Mind Control/Memory Alteration . Romanticized Toxic Behavior . Power Imbalance . Implied Imprisonment . Dark Fantasy Themes . Ambiguous Consent . Potential Identity Loss

Note: Tried to keep it creepy but still true to Lilia’s charm- y’know, “haha I might’ve kidnapped you but I’m still adorable” energy. Hope it gives you chills and also maybe a little “wait why is this kinda hot tho” moment LMAO 💕 Let me know if you want versions with other characters!! ♡(｡•́‿•̀｡)

Lilia Vanrouge

Lilia Vanrouge is ancient, powerful, and deceptively playful — a fae who has watched centuries pass like falling cherry blossoms. But even immortals are not immune to obsession, especially when their hearts — long dormant — are unexpectedly stirred. And when an immortal falls in love, they fall forever.

You were just a human — mortal, fleeting, fragile. But Lilia found you fascinating.

At first, it was innocent. You made him laugh. You were kind in a way that reminded him of simpler, long-forgotten eras. He would appear unexpectedly around you, draped in upside-down smiles and playful banter, his glowing eyes always glinting with something unreadable. You thought it was harmless attention.

You were wrong.

He was watching.

Lilia didn’t need to sleep like you did. So during the deep, quiet hours of the night, he’d wander — to your dorm, your classroom, even your dreams, using faint, ancient magic to peek into the worlds behind your eyes. Every expression you made, every person you smiled at, every fleeting interaction — he catalogued it.

You never noticed the bats near your window at night. You should have.

Things escalated slowly.

Lilia began appearing wherever you were — always just in time to “protect” you. A spilled potion in alchemy? Lilia was there. An overzealous duel from an NRC student? Lilia stepped between, laughing while he disarmed them. He said he was just helping, but there was something sharp in his gaze when others got too close to you.

At first, you thought it was your imagination. Then your phone began behaving oddly. Messages unsent. Calls dropped. Friends pulling away after odd, brief conversations.

“Are you lonely, little bat?” he’d ask with mock pity, holding a tray of snacks or a handmade charm. “Don’t worry. I’ll always be here.”

He didn’t look like he was joking anymore.

Lilia’s obsession is sweet — like a poisoned wine.

He still jokes, flutters around, and teases. But now there’s an edge to it. He refers to you as his. He leaves you gifts that seem impossible to procure: relics from the Briar Valley, enchanted music boxes that sing only your name, or petals from flowers that bloom once every thousand years.

When you try to talk to someone about it, strange things happen. People don’t remember your conversations. Even Crowley avoids eye contact when you mention Lilia’s name in a fearful tone.

You begin to suspect he’s altering memories. His magic is old — deep-rooted, almost forgotten by modern mages. You're not sure how much of your life is still your own.

And then you wake up one morning to find an old lullaby playing softly in your room — one you never learned, but find yourself humming anyway.

He’s been whispering it into your mind at night.

Eventually, he tells you.

Not in a romantic flourish, but in the still quiet after a storm, when he’s rescued you (again) from a danger you suspect he may have orchestrated.

“I’ve lived long enough to see empires fall and rise. But nothing has captivated me as much as you,” he says, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, fingers cold and gentle. “You don’t understand what that means to someone like me. I’ve chosen you. That doesn’t happen more than once in a few millennia.”

You try to pull away. He only smiles.

“You’ll understand. In time. Humans always break so easily… but love can make you last.”

He kisses your forehead. And you swear you feel a mark burn there, invisible, but real — an ancient fae seal claiming you.

Lilia wouldn’t keep you in chains — not literal ones.

No, he’s too refined for that. Instead, he builds you a world where you don’t want to leave.

A hidden part of NRC’s grounds, warped by old fae magic. Days feel like dreams. You stop remembering time — memories blend, feelings shift. Lilia is always there: doting, smiling, grooming you into someone perfect for eternity.

Your dreams start to end in his voice. Your fears vanish — because you can no longer recall what they were.

Even if you tried to escape, you’re not sure where to go.

Because by now, you aren’t even certain who you were before he loved you.

You age. He does not.

But when your body grows frail, Lilia offers you a choice — sealed with a kiss, bound in blood and starlight.

“Become mine. Truly. Let me preserve you… as I have always longed to.”

You hesitate. Just for a moment.

He smiles.

You no longer dream of the outside world.

You no longer remember why you ever wanted to.

[another-random-paradise]

Hii!! If you’d wanna, can you make short headcanons about the house wardens except Kalim and Idia with a reckless reader, like (for example); is chasing after grim for doing something stupid and sees a shorter but dangerous short cut and takes it, almost breaking a leg but they don’t bc their crush (not bf yet) catches them with their magic, (I believe he only said five people, but if not five, I would like if it had Malleus, Leona riddle, and Azul)

(btw I really like your writing! Keep it up, but don’t forget to take care of yourself <33)

A Rewarding Chase

Tysm for the request and the kind words!! It was very fun to write! I took the chasing grim idea and ran with it- made sure to try and not make it to repetitive!! I do have a four character limit, if you want the others too feel free to send a second request (I wouldn't mind, i had so much fun writing this-)! And take care of yourself too <3

---------------------------------------------------------

Reckless Reader being saved by him while chasing grim

Characters: Malleus, Leona, Riddle, Azul

Format: Headcanons

Warnings: Mentions of possible Injuries(Nobody actually gets Hurt)

Malleus

-It's already rather late, Malleus is on another one of his evening walks.. when he suddenly hears someone running, and you shouting

-He decides to check it out, because chances are, you're being reckless again. Also because he would get to see you again :) Nevermind that he saw you earlier during classes

-When he does, he, just as expected, saw you chasing after Grim once again, who knew what the little guy had done this time? He decided to just watch at first- at least until you once again decided to do something awfully reckless

-Grim decided to go down a steep staircase, and instead of running after him, you decide to jump down the stairs, in oder to catch up faster. And if there is one thing Malleus knew, it was the fact that humans are rather fragile, and that you would break your legs doing this Jump

-While very much shocked, he acted almost on impulse, the young fae Prince pulls out his Pen and stops you mid air. Being the powerful mage that he is, you can't wriggle yourself out of his magics grip. Once he sat you down at the top of the staircase, he was kind enough to also get Grim back

-A soft smile settles on his face as he questions your antiques, wondering if you weren't aware of your own fragility. You are, you just decide to ignore it!

-After sending Grim home, he asks you to join him on his nightly walk, he would love to know more about your impulsive decisions! He really just wants to know more about you in general. And in typical Malleus fashion, he doesn't even notice the faint blush on your cheeks!

-He tells you to call him, should Grim cause trouble again, he knows he wouldn't be able to change your reckless nature. And he doesn't want to- it is another part of you, and he loves all of you. He just doesn't want you to get hurt <3

Leona

-He has never been awake this fast.

-Leona was just once again napping in the botanical garden- When the sound of shouting woke him up, yours and Grim's shouting to be precise. He didn't think much of it, this happend pretty often after all, but nonetheless he decided to lazily open up one eye

-And thank the seven he did, because now he was very much awake and staring at you, as you climbed one of the tallest trees in the entirety of the garden.

-Turns out, Grim has decided to climb up a tree, and you being you, went after him. Well, people tend to be heavier than cats, so eventually a branch broke underneath you.

- The tree you were on wasn't at all small, the fall would very much end in multiple broken bones, if not worse!

-He quickly pulled out his pen, catching you. Grim got away in the end, while Leona scolded you told you off. He complained about your antics interrupting his nap, and that he won't catch you next time. He absolutely will, and the actual reason he's upset about your antics is that it worry's him

-He might just force you to stay with him, so that you, and i quote; "Won't cause any more trouble", but really he just wants to be close to you. But then again, could it really be considered forcing, if you willingly agree? who'd say no to napping with their crush, after all ;)

-He might occasionally glance at you, while trying to go back to napping. He isn't entirely sure how he fell for someone as reckless as you, but you know what they say: Opposites attract :)   

Riddle

-It was just supposed to be a normal unbirthday party.

-Riddle, of course, invited you, like he always does! Pretty much the entire dorm except maybe Deuce know about his crush on you by now And you in Grim were pretty much a package, you invite one, the other comes along.

-Riddle doesn't mind, of course! He does Who was he to demand time alone with you, it's not like your dating! He really wishes you were... were it not for Grim being such a trouble maker

-Grim had decided to throw a tantrum after not getting "fed enough", as in, he got the same amount of tarts as everybody else, before running off. You run after him, and in turn Riddle goes after you, as he already knows how reckless you can be

-And thank the seven that he did, as just as he finally catches up, he sees you trying to jump over a Rose bush to get to Grim- Sure it would break no bones, but the amount of thorns could severely cut you, and leave scars, or worse get infected!- The small Redhead is panicking to say the least

-He quickly takes his pen and uses magic to pull you back, almost making you bump into him in his panic!

-He scolds you almost immediately, if you were a part of his dorm he would have collared you! He wouldn't have, this man plays favorites Though you can't help but notice how not even once he brought up how you could have ruined the Roses or your Uniform.. All he cared bout was your health! And that made you happy, I mean, your crush actually cares about you!

-After helping you catch Grim, the party was already over, so he bids you farewel, sending you back to ramshackle, before both of you return to your respective rooms to comprehend the situation and blush :)

Azul

-How someone as organized as him could fall for someone as reckless as you? He doesn't know, but he did.

-This is proven as, just like always, he personally came to attend to you when you came to eat dinner at the Mostro lounge. He says it's because it's a busy night, but really it's an excuse to see you! And you don't question it because you get to spend more time with him because of it! 

-But alas, Grim didn't wanna behave, so after being told that they were out of his favorite food, he took of and somehow climbed onto one of the lamps. 

-You weren't having it, not today. You usually try to hold your reckless nature back in front of Azul, not wanting to terrify your crush, but Grim's tantrum just ruined the great conversation you were having with Azul ,ordering desert!

-So, you climb onto your seat and leap at the lamb! Considering you aren't focused on landing properly, but on catching grim, chances are very high you'll Hurt yourself, most likely straining your ankle

-So, Azul being a Gentleman, as well as not wanting to taint his reputation by letting a guest get hurt He'll hate himself if he just let's you get hurt, uses his magic to catch you, as he isn't the strongest physically 

-He sends the eels after Grim while taking you to the VIP lounge. You think he's about to ban you for live, but actually he checks up on you, making sure you weren't injured in the process of the jump, as well as that his magic had no side effects 

-You do have to stop him from banning grim for live

-He may just draft up a contract about being more careful with your antics, or to at least think twice before acting, you don't even realize how much you worry him! You most likely refuse, knowing that you can't just stop yourself from, well, being yourself. But he does make you sign a contract to not speak about what happened.

-You leave, smiling to yourself, now knowing that your crush cares about you, as he sits in his office blushing about the whole situation, just hoping the twins don't walk in 

First Riddle request!! Very exited because I love the mini Tyrant <3 Also, for Azul's part, for one line, I wanted to originally write 'Your crush' but decided to change it to Azul, and almost published this with it saying 'your Azul' I-

Feedback is welcomed, just be nice!

Remember to drink water! Have a nice day/night <3

[synthetickitsune]

(this is original version of this drabble bcs... yeah, it's no good, so i rewrote it but if anyone wants to see the mess, here it is)

Lord, I worry that love is violence… Who said that? 

Despite his long millenia alive, Soonyoung never cared much to remember the humans. They come and go, their existence lasts barely the blink of an eye. They’re fragile too. What good is a toy that can’t handle rough treatment? That doesn’t entertain to your standard? Perhaps for thinking that way, he is now getting punished. Even though his existence should no longer be of any concern to heaven. 

There’s no other explanation though. Why would he start to feel for a human if not because of intervention of powers stronger than himself?

You just feel different, though. So sweet and alluring that he can’t help it even though he tries. Your scent has him following you like a hungry dog would follow a butcher. Not in his usual way. You’re no plaything, no prey to feast on. He has to stick by your side or he’ll lose his mind. You’re his. Every cell of his being screams to stay by your side, to watch over you. Like some have their guardian angels, he’ll be yours. Only he’s long since fallen.

The shift of fortune in your life is so quick and so sudden that you feel like someone cursed you. Soonyoung knows that’s what it feels like to you, has heard you admit it more times than he’s comfortable with. It’s only the sign of his infatuation with you, though. You shouldn’t blame him for his nature and the misfortune that taints everything he touches.

Demons feed on pain, on anguish, on misery. You’d want him to grow stronger - if he approached you pretending to be a human, you’d surely love him. And humans want only the best for the ones they love. 

Nonetheless, he does wince when the car passing by splashes you with puddle water. He laughs uneasily when you stub your toe for the third time that day. He wants to hold you when you cry yourself to sleep. But the more freely he embraces his feelings, the more inconvenience it seems to cause for you. 

Slowly he realizes there’s nothing he can do. Only watch. It’s been a while, a memory he thought he erased, since he felt helpless. Since all he could do was pray, but it’s not like that would be of any help now. He hasn’t experienced hoping in millenia and he remembered finally how awful it feels to only be able to hope, not a single sign to show if things are about to change.

However, he can’t let go - won’t let go. He already decided you’re his. No other demon, or angel, can touch you. Chasing away the curious demons is no problem. They’re mostly entertained by how miserable you’re doing with Soonyoung by your side, confused by the sudden nosedive your life has taken. The angels are harder. They’re relentless. And he knows. He knows. You’re not meant to suffer like this. You deserve salvation, but you were damned the moment he set his eyes on you.

He sits by and watches while you patch yourself up after an unfortunate accident in the kitchen. Even your blood smells alluring. He wants to show himself to you so badly, but he knows how humans react. Especially ones he hurt. It would be unfair, of course. He didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just nature. Fate. But oh how he wishes he could kneel before you, take your hand in his and clean the cut on your palm. He’d wipe the blood off gently, make sure to disinfect the wound before wrapping your hand in bandage. 

He’ll make sure the cut scars, at least. You won’t know why, but you’ll be marked and his ego will be fed.

Watching you struggle to finish the dinner preparations tugs at his heartstrings. Even so, his desire is stronger. Each little misfortune is a proof of his claim. Every tear you spill, well, it’s a crack to his heart but demons aren’t meant to receive smiles. Maybe that’s why so many of them turn to play-pretend of being human. Soonyoung won’t. To you, and you alone, he won’t lie.

Late at night you cry into your pillow and he holds you. Demons aren’t made to soothe, but he tries. He feels his powers surging. Soon it will get worse for you. Soon, perhaps, you won’t be able to sleep at all and he won’t see you calm and peaceful again. It hurts him too, it really does. Perhaps he doesn’t let go because it’s such a novel feeling after his millenia of decadence. Or maybe he’s just a demon - selfish and cruel.

Soonyoung’s seen empires rise and fall without his heart being moved. Yet a single fragile human shakes the foundation of his world. The pain spreads. You’re getting worse. But by now it’s too late, you’re too far gone. And he’s too addicted. It’s new, it’s refreshing. And it feels like hell.

The hell humans keep talking about. The hell he once experienced. Funny that you can forget something so torturous. 

The silver lining is he’ll get to hold you soon and guide you through your new reality.

He’s hoping again. Because if you figure he’s the one behind this, he doubts there would be any point to your torment.

[skrunksthatwunk]

every time i remember hiei and yusuke's little ritual of sparring whenever they see each other for the first time in a while (usually as they're about to face a big threat) and how hiei just wordlessly attacks him and yusuke takes it with good humor (for the most part) i lose my fucking mind and i need someone else to understand so so bad

hiei opening with unexplained violence, acting like the murderous demon everyone takes him to be, and yusuke seeing through it as just how hiei is, and meeting him where he is in this non-malicious but combative intricate ritual bs. they met through violence and communicate through it but it's out of an admiration for skill, for what can't be said with words, for their reliance on each other as equals, as teammates. they share a past of ostracization, resentment, and a desire to burn the world down for its treatment of them the others don't. hiei feels seen in and understood by yusuke. i don't think it needs to be said that hiei doesn't have many people he considers equals, or peers, or teammates. and yusuke was the first to trust him. to see him as more than a monster. to have blind, unearned faith that he could do good, and that he could be better. yusuke changed him. his trust and friendship changed him. and so for that ritual to rely on that trust—the thought that hiei wouldn't actually turn on him, wasn't trying to betray him or hurt him or get his revenge like he used to claim—makes those scenes so poignant (read: makes me want to howl into the night air). it's about the dance. it's about what they know they have in common beneath the posturing and machismo, the ways they are alike deep, deep down, and the way they both know that and never speak of it.

i also think it's because hiei's afraid of losing him. it's especially obvious in chapter black, but even in DT he's got to make sure yusuke—a dumbass who only got his powers recently—is up to scratch. no matter how he feels about humanity, he doesn't particularly want to see yusuke lose everything he loves either. but mostly he couldn't stand to watch yusuke fall. and because he knows yusuke's in over his head, he's testing whether he has to distance himself and prepare for yusuke to abandon him (via death) like everyone else. he doesn't do this with kuwabara because (at least in the DT's case) he'd been training him. he knows, for the most part, what kuwabara can do. (he also doesn't have that same closeness, both because kuwabara doesn't trust him and, perhaps, because he's doing the distance thing pre-emptively bc he thinks he's weak, unlike yusuke). and he doesn't do this with kurama because he believes wholeheartedly in his skill, centuries of experience, and demonhood. humans are fragile, and hiei needs to reassure himself that yusuke isn't.

hiei claims he wants revenge and postures like a rival, but he never goes all out and he never tries this seriously. he fools around with yusuke because if yusuke lost and hiei proved his superiority, hiei would have to leave him behind. and as much as he wants to prove his strength, as hungry as he is for validation (centering fighting prowess because violent is all he's ever been allowed to be), he can't stand the thought of that. he feels that he is yusuke's equal and peer (and friend), whether they're equally strong or not, but because a part of him still thinks fighting's all that matters (and because he wants to protect him and thus himself), hiei must make himself believe that yusuke is as strong as him. so he checks in on him for reassurance via sparring, but never actually tries to hurt him. in conclusion, i am so normal

[fatuismooches]

Hi!!! This is my first time saying anything here, so yayyy! But I say that one ask from another anon talking about how Dottore had never recorded fragile!reader's voice before and then forgot what it sounds like, and my brain made some jumps and--

I like to think that sometimes, whether when Dottore is just working in the room while reader sleeps (I like to think that he's modified himself enough that he doesn't need as much sleep as regular humans) or if he's also in the bed with you, that sometimes, reader's sleeping form reminds him a little too much of when reader was in a coma. Or perhaps, even worse, and that reader's time had come while he was sleeping/working. Immediately, he has to reassure himself that you're not, in fact, dead, by either going to check their pulse and keeping his hand there longer than it needs to be (what if they die the second he takes it off??) or, if he was closer to them or sleeping with them (in the literal sense), by even just listening to it. And he tries to rationalize it with himself (bc he's so i denial, I already know it) by being like "noooo, i'm not worried!! I'm a great doctor, and I have nothing to worry about!! I'm just... checking for abnormalities!!" as if he isn't just doing it to make sure they're still alive.

Idk, the thought just popped into my head. He's lost them before without a chance of saying goodbye, and he never wants it to happen again, especially if this time they'll be gone for good.

I'd like to think that reader wasn't really aware of it until one night when he was making a little more noise than usual, and they woke up groggily to find him with their ear on their chest, desperately holding onto you as if you were going to die any second. And then the second he realized you were awake, moved off was like "Hello, I'm not doing anything sus whattt"

So now reader knows he does it, but allows it because they think it's kind of cute, but also because they know that he would never admit his fears.

Anyway, I'm kinda tired, so I don't know if this actually makes any sense. But slay!!

Thank you for feeding us Dottore content, and I hope you have a good day or night!!

You've known Zandik for a long time. So you are very aware that he has weaknesses. Yes, even though the scholar tried to hide it, his walls would slowly chip away during those late nights spent in the dorm or on expeditions. But Dottore? After you woke up, you wondered if Dottore had any weaknesses. Dottore seemed to be a man of no fear, but perhaps you should have expected that because what would someone as God-like as him have to fear now? He has much power in his grasp, surely there is nothing that could bother him. He's no longer the same Zandik you once knew, and that's okay really, but you just wonder to yourself sometimes. Little did you know Dottore's one and only fear was about you.

Il Dottore considers himself a rational man in every possible subject area. Yes, he does not allow himself to be swayed by anything as irrational as emotion and instead focuses on logic. Whether his final decision is cruel or unethical is not something he cares about. But you... you are the exception. You are the variable he cannot control. And so irrationality is one of the things he despises, swore to himself he'd never be a victim of, but here he was anyway. Succumbing to an irrational mindset is the last thing he thought he'd do.

Often times when Dottore sleeps with you, he doesn't actually sleep. He gets into the bed to appease you, because it brings you comfort, (your words) lays there for a bit until you fall asleep, and resumes his work. He is just far, far too busy to stay. But, nowadays, he finds it even harder than usual to say. Why? Because of his irrational mind, once again. He needs to know that you are alive. Which is a dumb fear really, you're not going to die, you're not going to leave, your body is stable (for now) so there's no need to worry. But he needs to know. He needs confirmation. You know. He really hates that you've done this to him. He hates it. But he can't blame you, only himself, because if he cured you already he would never have to deal with irrationality again.

Dottore is used to the quietness of a human heart, from his experiments of course, clicking his tongue in annoyance from how easily they died and feeling no emotion. But your heart, if your heart stopped... well, his madness would not be transcribed to paper very well, because it would be too hard to describe. But he denies that. And he especially denies it to you. He denies it, so that's why he finds himself counting your heart's beats per minute anyway. But now you know that even the great Il Dottore has a fear and weakness. After all, when it's only the two of you, he is only Zandik, the same man who fell hard for you all those centuries ago. But that's okay. You promised to always be there, even if he doesn't want you to be.

[gr3i]

Twin Au

I have this au of Venti and Deca being the same age its just that Venti basically developed an 'ego' later than Deca wich is why deca was running around like that and Venti basically knew also what the outisde of the borders looked like

Deca (like in my other au) is also more of 'a bunch of humans gathered together in my garden and now i have to take care of them except they are so small and fragile + all the gods outside there are tryng to kill each other.' And kinda became an unvoluntary God?? King??

whispi saw this aswell, whispi was there since the beginning. Seeing his brother walk among humans, masquarading as one even not trully because he wanted to keep in mind but because he was convinced 'this is the more fair version. The humans dont have to know the truth'.

(He didnt tell anything to Nb bcs thats basically crushing all the humans spirits if he were to tell them how bad the outside actually is basically and thats just as bad as what deca is doing wich is ironic bcs both of them are witholding information from the humans.)

Another thing just after the whole revolution Venti basically had this internal fear of becoming just like Deca bcs. Venti was there since the beginning, Venti saw the good the bad and the worst.

When Deca got 'taken down' he just. Let it happen? Because he saw his wife essentially betray him and this random kid also get wrapped up in all of this and just as if any of that wasn't enough his sibling basically betrayed him aswell.

And in this au i like to think that Venti and Deca are parallels of each other.

Decarabrian became controlling and obsessive over his humans, taking away the burden of choice and freeing them in a more... material sense.

Meanwhile Venti after he became an Archon tried to be the least involved bcs thats what deca did wrong right? Humans don't like that! So he didnt get involved. He tried to keep away as much as possible, burdening them with material stuff yet... a freedom of choice? But is it even a choice if demanded by their archon?

I like to couple this Au with a different idea i have aswell. Where if you dont know in the game if a god dies they take everything down with them (aka mass destruction and its worse the more power the god have) and yet. Mondstadt is for the most part is fine?

Well, remember how i mentioned that Deca essentially gave into the idea of just. The humans winning? What if he locked himself beneath the tower, causing himself in an enternal loop of sleeping beneath the tower, unable to wake up as long as he still has elemental power yet he is an elemental being and aslong as that stays a fact neither the seals nor the spell can be broken and he is fated to slumber for an eternity (unless Venti breaks it or something)

Also i think that later on in the au when barbatos was 'taking care' of the humans he often times came into just. Troubles where for split seconds (like during the time he went napping and woke up literal years later from his nap and the aristocrats had take over) that just. 'Maybe, maybe deca had a point...maybe they shouldent be let to their own devices' only to realize in horror of what he just thought and try to forget and push it as far away as possible

[techiekittie]

English Literature speedrun notes

Tissue

“Tissue” - thin paper and human skin (fragility of humans)

“Paper that lets the light shine through, this is what could alter things” - reference to religious texts paper, light as Jesus and Allah (power of religion) - or coexistence with nature

Enjambment- freedom, lack of control of humans

Free verse- same thing

“Let the daylight break through capitals and monoliths” - power of nature, criticism of authority, weakness of humans (any idea what techniques are here??) (personification I guess)

“The sun shines through their borderlines” - nature overcomes human segregation (identity, criticism of war, power of nature) sibilance shows power

“fly our lives like paper kites” - childish metaphor, mocking control of money over life (criticism of authority)

“the back of the Koran” - non English spelling shows her holding onto her own identity,

“Transparent” - repetition, criticism of dishonesty of authority

Exposure

“Merciless iced east winds that knive us” - personification of wind shanking people (first line not about war but nature- more significant) (power of nature)

ABBAC rhyme, structure is built only to be taken down (tension of soldiers expecting fight but let down)

Pararhyme- unsatisfying for reader, reflects how the soldiers are always nervous but never get to chill

“For love of God seems dying” fukcking Lord ok

The soldier’s love of God is dying

God’s love for the soldiers is dying

To show love of God, you should die

Epistrophe “but nothing happens” cyclical structure, stuck in suffering

“a dull rumour of some other war” reference to the Bible and Armageddon, metaphorical end of the world for the soldiers bc suffering

“sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence” - sibilance represents sound of bullets, jolting reader out of relative lack of noises, feel like soldiers

“forgotten dreams” - juxtaposition, loss of hope, forgotten dreams on purpose to be less sad? war made them forget?

History Boysssss (homosexuals)

“Enemy of education” war metaphor and alliteration, opposition between true understanding of literature and grades only used shallowly

“a fact of life” indisputable and unchangable, in opposition with Irwin’s views on history (truth does not matter to him until now?)

Drummer Hodge: Intertextuality, Tom Hardy (the poet) represents Hector, sympathising with the ordeal of the youth, Drummer Hodge represents the Boys, thrown into the chaos of life

“She’s my western front” war metaphor objectifies Fiona, [my] personal pronoun further expresses how women were seen as objects to be owned

“… all the other shrunken violets you people line up” [you people] segregates gay people, [shrunken violets] derogatory language

“Some of the literature says it will pass” looking to literature for solace and comfort during a sexuality crisis, sad gay energy

“All literature is consolation” Dakin changes his mind on literature symbolising him changing to Irwin’s side. No need to look for solace in literature when he is a successful bisexual

Parallels with “all knowledge is precious” from Hector

[aniseandspearmint]

to clarify some questions/concerns i've spotted in the tags on this;

cutting so this doesn't get too long

Oh no, the Bunny and the Terrier would be fragile! I don't want to break it!

IT'S FINE. Familiars are MAGIC, they're strong, no matter what their base material is/was! Nothing short of an epic battle is gonna crack either of them, and if that happens, they're magic, they'll heal!

Wait, does this mean the squirrel steals stuff?

of COURSE it sometimes steals stuff, it's a SQUIRREL.

lol the rat with cloud fur is just a chinchilla

clouds are fluffy, but cool and light too, chinchilla fur is dense and warm. Also, floating is not a standard chinchilla ability, thank goodness.

The tabby cat is just a normal cat :/

Nope, it's not. Regardless of how mundane any of these SEEM, they are NOT in fact made from normal creature bits, they're fully magical constructs, capable of amplifying magic, and providing life time companionship to their Person (they DO live as long as their person). How 'realistic' they are seems to be based entirely on the Familiar Spirit's personal preferences, as far as anyone can tell.

Wait so, they can talk and stuff, right?

Varies. Some can speak with human speech, some can speak through images, emotions, etc. Regardless, their Person can always understand them.

Why are both the bird options clockwork???

They're not! I forgot the word 'living' from the songbird option. It was supposed to be 'living metal', like the bunny is living glass.

Is the swan based on the-

the antique automoton swan that eats lil silver fishies? YES. Yes, it is. This swan is, however, full size.

Why do the swan and the squirrel get extra powers?

*hands* because that's how it shakes out sometimes. The other ones probably have extra stuff too, they just didn't tell me!

Wait, the patchwork and ceramic terrier just says 'terrier' does that mean-

Yep! Left that one deliberately vague! It is any kind of terrier your heard desires from a yorkie to a pitbull! (the patchwork and ceramic is giving you kisses, it's tongue isn't wet but it's very smooth and cold, but warms from your skin quickly)

why make the other doggo a specific breed then?

I WAS just going to say 'sight hound' then an image flashed in my mind of a fully black saluki all long legs and banner ears shimmering in sunlight like rainbow obsidian and it just HAD to do that. Couldn't not. (this was MY pick btw, bc every saluki i have ever met was a delightful goof and completely gorgeous)

Does this mean the bunny has lasers?

Mmmmaaaybe?

Is the tiger OKAY being tiny?

The tiger picked it's body, remember. It's fine. It lives to stalk your desk and ambush any tiny evil things that slip past your wards.

why no wolves or foxes or anything fully magical like dragons?

eh, just didn't think of it right then. next time! and no dragons bc i kinda wanted to keep it to sliiiightly mundane seeming animals. I think I'll do a different version of this eventually! I came up with like ten more ideas as soon as i hit post, bc of course i did rite?

just having some fun with interesting fantasy imagery! Give it a reblog, if you play, please? And tell me WHY you picked what you picked if you want?

[jiminrings]

jay em rings it has been too long!!!!! i read failsafe and … Let me tell u …. well maybe not cuz i have no words that shit is so crazy i was doing backflips running in circles chewing on the leg of a chair oh my god it was so crazy!!! before i start let me say that the quotes i’m able to pull from ur fics… oh it’s crazy … how do i cite fail-safe by jiminrings mla format… i thought “Someone else’s luck doesn’t mean it’s already your misfortune.” was so beautiful and i wonder if that’s gonna come back to bite yoongi in the ass… along with the 27492840582010656386565849102910199202 other things 😊 half thru the first part i also remembered that this is not just brothers best friend but ALSO single dad… just cuz me jumping off cliffs eating glass doing cartwheels apparently wasn’t enough suffering u now pull this 😣 biker longhair (at least that’s what i imagine) yoongi who’s favorite past time is fucking it up with the important people in his life and groveling 😻😻😻❤️❤️❤️🤭🤭🤭 and he’s a single dad ohhhhhhh u did it again 🙏🙏🙏 anyway here’s a list of all the times i remember thinking something was fucked up it will be long i’m sorry!!!!!!!

- “Sorry, sorry. She’s my best friend’s sister. She’s so annoying,” okay what the fuck i think you need to put a toothpick under ur toenail and kick a wall but maybe that’s just me idk 🤣🤣🤣🤣

- “you’re not exactly a catch, Y/N.” i wonder what exactly made him think this like what led him to this path bc him and oc r like friends! there was never anything bad! suddenly he’s the biggest asshole on the planet was it to look cool in front of hyewon????? did i miss something?????

pt 2!!!

- “you’re too hesitant to ask what his age is because if it’s anything higher, then that meant Yoongi had moved on earlier than you did” ok okay. Okay jiminrings okay OKAY WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME MY MONEY MY HOUSE WHAT THE FUCKKKKK oc is hurting so bad SHE DOES NAWTTTTTT DESERVE THIS 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- yoongi feeling the guiltiest of guilts ohhhhh it’s so deserved he’s so horrible and pathetic ITS TOO GOOD…. classic jay em rings man being sad and pathetic and guilty trying to piece back what he broke… it’ll never get old i fear…

- namjoon football player i want him i’ll be his gf in the stands and the camera pans to me and it says my name and (namjoon girlfriend) under it and we are in love and i love him and we’re together forever and i love him so much and forever

- “When did you have to knock on my door, o-or when did you ever have to treat me like I’m some guest and not a huge part of your life?” STUTTERINGGGGG WHAT A STUPID QUESTION FROM A STUPID MAN… STUPID STUPID MAN!!!!! STUPID STUPID STUPIDFDDD DUMB I IDIOT STUPID WHAT DO U MEAN 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

- “Don’t do this to me, kid. Don’t do this to us.” begging ✅

- “I would have told you that Yoongi kept trying to come back to you.” IM OVER IT!!! GIVE ME SECOND LEAD _____!!!!!!!! I WONT YEW!!!!

- jimin football player oh the image that popped into my mind when i read that the power of the slap from covering my mouth with my hand in shock i need u it’s okay i can be ur gf too jimin also on the jumbotron don’t worry i’ll just switch hats that way the screen can say jimins gf with my blue hat and namjoons gf with my green hat

- “Love is terribly human and fragile, and it’s Yoongi, Hyewon, and their son sleeping on your bed.” U know who isn’t human. Me. I am growing horns and extra arms out of my back and crawling on the walls my face is an combination of every single sleep paralysis monster you have ever had and i’m in your walls. i’m under ur bed. i am only there when ur eyes are closed especially when ur washing ur face and u HAVE to close ur eyes. im only there when ur looking the other way. i am screeching i am howling and jumping from roof to roof of each house in ur neighborhood wreaking havoc and it is all ur fault i fear … This is on u it is simply all ur fault 100% of it!!!! notes app apology now!

anyway u know how much this fic drove me crazy it had me up til like 6 am foaming at the mouth or whatever i’ve been doing these days. ur writing is such a gift to tumblr and u r the one and only author that will never let me down! i cannot name a single piece of work that i haven’t liked! A SINGLE ONE!! depending on the finally … fail-safe may or may not take the cake for most fucked up thing you’ve ever done but also… oc passed out in hb 😭😭😭😭 unless fs oc goes into a coma over how fucked up yoongi is being i fear hb will Always take the cake for most fucked up! thank u for writing and thank u for sharing ur work with us it means the entire universe to me!!!!! i love you jay em rings take care stay safe drink water!!!!!!!!

- 🌟

MY STAR EMOJI ANON I MISSED YEWWWWWW !!! thank u i’m so happy i turned you Crazy . if u are abt to cite fail-safe in mla format i suggest going for the jwtfdydtt edition (jiminrings What The Fuck did you do this time) 😊😊😊 i can assure u that That, along with a million others, will come n bite yoongi in the ass!!! STOPPPPPPP I’M LITERALLY SO GIDDY THANK U FOR THE PLAY-BY-PLAY REACTION PLZ OPEN A TIKTOK ATP !!!! i will do better n add more faces to ur sleep paralysis monster <3 i have to say though that i have been scrubbing my face with panoxyl for twenty minutes and u are still NAWT here so i’ll dock a few points off you for that 😑😑😑😑😑 fs and hb r truly up there in the most fucked up things i’ve ever written <3 I LOVE U STAR ANON (with the universe) MWAH PLS START CHUGGING WATER ALWAYS N USING UMBRELLAS WHEN IT’S HOT OR RAINING!!!!

[hopevampire]

inktober day nine: witch

daria petrov, the local seer, brought her demise upon herself when she sought out an unspeakable power. if only she’d listened to the cards…

[monosanimegenericzone]

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

damn yall yapped while i was asleep what da hell-

BUT YES TO ALL OF THIS

there is some beautiful tragedy about the significance of the ultimate poverty and the troupe acting as its sword. like i fucking love the in depth set up we get to this fragile ecosystem that is the city

but the fact remains: it was all chrollo's fault.

the city was unprotected when he was 10-11 years old with only the elders and the strong few could defend the weak. they had child care facilities (hamlets) and caretakers (wet nurses) but yeah anyone could take anything they wanted with little consequence.

and somewhere down that timeline chrollo has had enough (sarasas death) and makes a plan that HE SOMEHOW ACTUALLY PULLS OFF- to make meteor city into a cesspit of the worst criminals in the world.

AND ACCORDING TO HIM 3 YEARS LATER. HE FUCKINF SUCCEEDED.

all to draw out sarasas killers and create connections with the mafia and grow meteor city as a point of influence.

and "the mafia" is a large term that could be referring to the yorknew auction mafia families or so many other things we would never be able to keep track. bcs now we're being told that theres a Kakin mafia and i am losing track so fast-

but it is chrollo's doing that got them those connections. and if i had to bet he was planning on burning those bridges one by one as the troupe solidified power but those years and years of enduring the most perverted and cruel side of humanity had turned him from an optimist to a cold minded nihilist.

and we know the city wasnt defenseless for a time. an elder had created sun and moon so they could handle situations too small for the troupe. they would send suicide bombers to kidnappers or people arrested unfairly (see bum incident ch 92?) so they had like. multiple walls of defense.

but then that elder dies. and as far as we know its all on chrollo again

like i am so interested in this dynamic. it is this empty need to try and achieve a goal that is nearly impossible.

the part up above about gon's question is also just so important- they ONLY care about their own because their own were completely abandoned by the world and they are almost a new type of being. they exist outside of society and for that they were punished. until the city stepped up and started actually pulling its punches

thinner than water, thicker than blood

it is so. fucking. BEAUTIFUL

from yorknew i believe there was a shift in troupe agenda (well mostly bcs chrollo got he ass beat) because what the hell is this man doing going after kakin.

like he is no longer playing defense and defending his city he is going on the attack for reasons we dont know yet.

which is like. *u g h* /pos

I WANNA KNOW

yap over im vibrating reading all this im aaaa

Phantom Troupe - failed robinhoods?

As the new chapters told us,the Spiders started out as a revenge based organisation. That’s also what made them the way they are now.

But no one talks about the huge responsibility they have to carry to help their whole town.

Kurapika’s task for instance is to avenge the dead rather than changing the world to better treat the living. He doesn’t have a community whose situation he is concerned with. It’s tragic,but in a way that limits his responsibility. Leorio wants to treat people for free and actually addresses a bigger societal problem that was born out of a personal one.

The phantom troupe are very much concerned with avenging specific people,but they work on utilitarian principles. They’re ready to sacrifice themselves for the whole of Meteor City,so that no kids will be kidnapped again

For that they’re ready to throw away their own morals. Because kid Chrollo isn’t yet evil. He can’t think the same way adult Chrollo does,he’s not hat capable of committing a massacre but he already knows he will kill many people,without really understanding what that means. If you were to say something like this,would you know what it means? I wouldn’t. So in short,they’d chose to pull the lever and sacrifice one person for the five.(Unless it’s up to Paku and Chrollo is the one person)

If this wasn’t a revenge mission,what would it be?

Meteor City needs two things, protection and material goods.

Before the Troupe gained sufficient strength to have a say, the elders made a deal that exchanged people for the mafias “protection”. It seems heavily implied that the very same mafia who agreed to protect them was the one behind the kidnappings to begin with,they just exchanged children for adults.

In chapter 105 Leorio says the following:

Many years after the original deal,there was a second one, but this time the mafia offered goods. Why couldn’t they kept the “protection” deal?

Because the City no longer needed protection. Something must’ve happened for the mafia to take a step back and actually pay Meteor City rather than just not stealing their kids.

See how it’s a forced decision?

And the Troupe abolished even that.

Not only did the Spider scare off the criminals terrorising their two win,they also put a stop to the mafia buying Meteor City’s loyalty.

Maybe it’s already pointed out by someone,but we need to talk about that more!

Suddenly their quest to steal makes much more sense. They’re not only scary guard dogs,but providers. It simply can’t be argued that the Troupe’s existence has no positive effects,when it changes everything for Meteor City!

Why then are they “failed” robinhoods? Because while they’re effective,they can’t change the world. They can only scare off the Mafia while they exist,should the Spider die it could all revert back. And also because they can’t help everybody. The cost of their constructive ends is destruction.

While I believe the Kurta clan massacre had other reasons,would it not be the perfect way to show the elders the Troupe is both capable of cruelty for the sake of their community and fit to provide money? “Oh you think you need the Mafia? Watch this.”

In that way they wouldn’t even need to hate the clan,it would merely be killing outsider children for the sake of Meteorian children.

It perfectly shows how trying to achieve radical change in an unfair world can drive one to insanity. “Robinhoods” seem noble. The work that the Troupe does can’t be noble. Just like Kurapika’s quest isn’t righteous,as much as he wishes it was.

Wanting safety for the kids of Meteor City is natural,but it seems unattainable.

Is the thesis here that you can’t help Meteor City without killing someone? Yes. It doesn’t mean killing the kurtas,but it means killing the Mafia. And killing the Mafia often= normalisation of killing. The more often you do it the easier it is,and the lesser justification is required. Eventually,that means killing the Kurtas.

The idea is that they couldn’t keep doing what they did without eroding their morals to the point they’re at now.

They can’t remain pure. But they have to do something.

Meteor City seems like an unsolvable tragedy. It’s sucks up all the misery and filth of the world, and while it’s supposed to represent hope and be a safe place for all the lost,that’s an unattainable ideal.

There will always be people in need is such a place. It’s like the shadow of the World, which is the actual problem. Meteor City is everything that is right and wrong with humanity.

And the saddest part? Any state of peace is fragile. ALL of the Troupe’s achievements might be lost once it’s gone.

So it really was all for nothing? And how is Chrollo supposed to keep caring about human lives back at home when he has ended countless lives himself? How can he feel any attachment to humanity when he uses bodies as bombs and sees himself as a worthless hostage?

If he doesn’t feel it tho..what’s even the point? No wonder bro is lost

[singularsoldier]

Been re-reading the comics and one thing that’s been lingering in my mind is when Medic says the team won bc everyone else doesn’t have a soul

Probably a throw away line, but its got me thinking. We don’t know exactly what Medic’s contract w the devil was. All we know is that Medic sold his soul and upon his death he would go straight to hell. One might think “oh he sold it for his medical abilities” which is good in theory, but then we have the Two Cities update. There, it describes Medic’s hometown of Rottenburg.

Most important line here is “chasing the next in resident lineage of mad doctors out of town…whenever they swapped out too many super-charged baboon hearts”. Medic comes from a family of doctors/medical personnel. Its likely that he grew up with dissections, scalpels, and everything else that makes him the man he is.

So! What could possibly be the deal with the devil? My theory is that rather gaining medical abilities, he enhanced his own. I can very easily see a frazzled Ludwig on the brink of a miracle only to fall short due to costs/capability/fragility of the human body. Medic is definitely a smart man, but it wasn’t enough.

See how the Devil says “you would have ended up here anyways”? Medic has always been a mad man. He just got the chance of a lifetime to make his wildest dreams a reality.

Now, why the extra souls? Again, Medic is a smart man, and he knows that under normal circumstances, the rest of the team would die from his experiments. Think of the Meet the Medic video. Heavy is fully conscious with his entire torso open. You can chalk it up to being silly game logic, but for the sake of my post, lets pretend he’d be dead any other way.

By removing his soul (and everyone else’s) Medic likely preformed a similar deal. He’s not the type of scientist to denounce the supernatural. The mercs can clearly use magic as seen in the Halloween gameplay, so how different can magic be from a devil’s powers? (Dont answer that). By taking their souls, Medic was able to enhance everyone else in a similar fashion. Whether it be durability, intelligence, or just a vague “they’re all stronger now lol” the mercs outlasted their predecessors. Despite being called jokes/loser mercenaries, they beat the tfc crew into the dust (with the help of Pauling and Zhanna ofc).

All in all, this is just a half baked thought i put together. Probably lots of holes in it if I take a deep dive, but its fun to think about!

[wunderlustwriter]

Truest Form

Loki isn’t the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve, especially when his alleged soulmate has some pretty intricate powers.

cw: afab reader, they/them pronouns, promiscuous & flirty but SFW, normal MCU warnings, Loki being Loki and Y/N being Y/N

this takes place in an imaginary track of time where everyone is happy and healthy and alive and whatever i say goes bc this is my au and i’m a fragile human

You see, the funny thing about life is all of its little twists and turns. Your “what ifs” could’ve lead you down the exact same path you’re on right now, or it most definitely could not. You never know.

Except for Y/N.

They knew.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

“Hey Clint” You shout over the loud 70s music playing throughout the kitchen to the man who just walked in not even a second ago. “I’m making breakfast for the team. Tony wants everyone at the compound for some big meeting,,, which is probably why you’re here so never mind….. do you want waffles or pancakes?”

“How did you- oh wait, right, you have that whole sixth sense thing. So don’t you know the answer to that question?”

Sighing you nod “Waffles… I just hate freaking everyone out. I heard some of the SHIELD agents conspiring that I’m invading peoples minds and I don’t want them to get creeped out and-“

Cutting you off, Wanda and Vision walk into the room as Clint just shakes his head at you and walks towards the table to join the other members of the team.

“Ooooooh I almost forgot today was family brunch day!” Wanda says, unlatching her arm from Visions’s to give you a hug.

“Yes everything seems delightful Y/N. Did you need any help?” Vision asks, making his way over to the two of you.

“Oh just turn off the smoke alarm for me real quick.“

Not even two seconds later alarms start blaring throughout the great room and smoke makes its way out of the oven.

“Yeah, I knew I should’ve cleaned that last week and, wait, Wand, will you get that for me, I-“

Gasping, you jump around and look towards the elevator right as it softly chimes, letting its audience know that someone is making their way up the floors “THORS COMING TODAY!!! I DIDNT EVEN REGISTER THAT HE GOT BACK ONTO MIDGUARD. MUCH LESS IN THE BUILDING! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN- Wait.”

Turning again, you look at Wanda who is smirking and reloading the waffle maker.

“You bitch! Is that why you were so pushy about the spa day yesterday, especially the sensory deprivation tank!?!”

Laughing at you Wanda shrugs and goes back to finishing up your cooking while you wait by the elevator.

Almost a year ago, due to whatever sciencey stuff Banner tried explaining, you realized that you are able to communicate with different versions of yourself throughout the multiverse. Basically making you really sensitive to energy and vibrations, even allowing you to manipulate them with some training. That’s what made you and Wanda become so close. With similar abilities, the two of you just understood each other. So, when the Avengers found you as a prisoner in one of HYDRA's bases, the two of you became besties. Well, you and-

“Thor!!!!” You ran towards the tall Asgardian as soon as the elevator doors opened and launched yourself into his arms. Half expecting this, Thor lifts you up off the ground and spins the two of you around in a bear hug while his pot-bellied laugh fills the room.

“Ah! My little Forcefield! I have missed you too! But I can see that the surprise did not work. Who told?”

Wanda scoffs and hands a tray full of scrambled eggs to Vision who sets it down on the table “I did no such thing. They found out when you go up the elevator. I told you that when you have powers like ours, surprises do not come easy. I didn’t even believe that you’d make it this far.”

Laughing Thor sets you on the ground and calls mjolnir to his side before glancing back in the elevator and remembering his true purpose for being here. “Oh, uh. Hmm, right.”

“Oh goody Dear Brother, I was beginning to believe that you had forgotten about me.” the man says as he emerges from the elevator.

For the first time in who knows how long you are genuinely surprised to see another person stand behind you, causing you to actually jump back.

Confused and concerned, you push Thor out of the way and meet his brother right outside the elevator. Getting strangely close, you stick a hand out and reach towards him “Uh. Excuse me. Mortal. What are you doing? Br... Brother! Come get your pet!”

But before Thor can even listen you push your thumb against the strange man’s forehead and he starts to wince while his body flickers.

Shivering and breathing raggedly Loki blinks at you with his eye brows furrow and eyes wide while you bring your hand down. “Hey big guy, is your brother a hologram? Is that a thing on asguard?”

Thor let’s out an angry puff, steam practically pouring from his ears while he shouts at the top of his lungs. “LOKI!!”

The man in front of you vanishes into smoke and a loud pop sounds a couple of feet to your side.

“Right, well thanks for that snitch. I was almost free and that wasn’t a ho- Oh no. Hey come on. Do we really have to?” clink.

“You swore that you wouldn’t pull any tricks. Now you lied to me so yes. We really have to.” Both brothers look equally annoyed and right as Thor moves to turn on the power dampening collar you place a hand on top of his and shake your head.

“Something’s not right. Take it off. Now.” Looking really confused but doing as you say, Thor hands the collar to you.

Wanda makes her way over as you snap the collar together and press the button on the side and the entire thing bursts into flames. Before you cringe and toss it towards Wanda who guides the collar towards the sink and turns on the water with her powers

“Oooh. Yikes. Friday, remind Bruce to disassemble the collar and figure out what happened.” you say as Thor pats you on the shoulder “Okay then. Let’s eat!”

Everyone in the room just shrugs and nods, moving to the table to make their plate while Loki just stands still, mouth agape and in disbelief.

“So we’re just going to ignore the fact that the thing your leaders were going to force me to wear probably would’ve blown up in the my face and killed me?” Loki shouted at the room full of people who began to gather their plates.

“Yeah, pretty much” Clint says after reaching over the table and stealing a few more pieces of bacon.

“Awe, don’t worry, if someone really wanted to kill you they would be here to do the job and not leave it up to chance. Come on, let’s eat” You make eye contact with Loki as you pat him on the shoulder. When you do, a jolt of electricity runs through your veins and you instinctively flinch your arm back.

You’re about to make a joke saying that Thor is supposed to be the god of lightning when you look up and see scenes of your life literally flashing before your eyes.

There’s what almost feels like memories of you and, seemingly, Loki, Running through the forest, swimming in an enchanted lake, jumping from a cliff into the ocean, holding each other next to a fire. Then there are scenes that definitely did not come from this lifetime. Scenes of you and Loki running over hills as wolves, touring the galaxies as some alien race, colliding together as two planets. It’s almost as if the two of you were always meant to bump into each other.

Then, as if being yanked from a bungee cord, the memories play in reverse and you find yourself back in the present. The only person who seemed to notice being Wanda.

As if no time passed at all Loki says “Ouch! No need to shock me, I’m going.”

When Thor sits down, he beams and looks across the table. “Banner, good friend, could you make a new collar for my brother over there. He really shouldn’t be running away on this mission. Especially since father sent him down with me as punishment for his latest crime.”

As Bruce is about to speak, you interrupt “Oh don’t worry. Loki’s not going anywhere.”

“I’m not?” “He’s not?” the two brothers chime in.

“Of course not. How could he fall in love with me if his mind and spirit are elsewhere?” Some people look at you curiously after that statement, maybe even slightly amused, but others don’t bat an eye as prophetic talk like this isn’t out of the norm for you.

“Uh, Thor, your pet is being weird again.”

“Nonsense. It’s Y/N. That’s just how they are.”

“What’s nonsense? Because our case isn’t nonsense and that’s the reason I called you all together. So maybe we should be talking about that, yeah?” Tony says, strolling into the dining room with boxes of papers in his hands

“Come on Tony, can’t you let us eat before grueling us with work” Sam chimes in when he finally sits down after making his plate.

“Ah yes. The Avengers. So mighty and noble, but not without snack breaks of course. Whatever will- wait. Did Y/N cook today?”

“Yeah Tones, fresh off the stove, eat while it’s hot.” You reply with a smile.

“Okay. Meeting is paused while we take a quick recess and eat Y/N’s ‘big family brunch’. I almost forgot what day it is” Tony says, clapping his hands together and going to make a plate

Chuckling, you glance at the god next to you and nod your head towards the table. “Loki, right? Why don’t you go sit down next to Thor, I’ll make you a plate.” as he starts to bicker you hold a hand up and roll your eyes “I don’t care if you don’t trust midguardians OR their food OR if you say you aren’t hungry right now. Be a good boy and sit and eat with the rest of the team please.” you grin and walk towards the kitchen before he has the chance to speak.

As Loki reluctantly sits next to Thor, Wanda makes her way over to you. “Y/N, you blimped again. What was it about?” she asks you, placing a hand on your back for comfort

“Oh nothing bad this time. I can fill you in, just not right now.”

She nods at your words and stays behind to add toppings to her pancakes.

When you walk back to the table you drop Loki’s plate in front of him and sit right next to him. “Would ya scoot over a little bit for me love?” you softly ask and Loki finds himself following your words before he can even question it.

By the time his brain processes what just happens, you’re leaning over his lap to give thor an extra hair tie and asking Bucky to pass you the syrup and butter, throwing Loki a quick wink when your eyes meet again.

Uncharacteristically flustered, Loki just stares at you with bewilderment. Unable to find any words to create a snarky comment, he eventually gives up and starts to eat his food.

Although he would never say it in front of everyone, all of the food on his plate tastes practically as good as the ones back home. Sure, it wasn’t the elegant dishes served at his infamous parties, but it reminded him of Mother’s home cooked meals on warm summer evenings.

Out of habit, he begins to look around the table for something to put on the unfamiliar round, pastry-looking thing on his plate. Even though you’re in the middle of laughing while reliving a mission with Sam, you instinctively hold the container of butter right in front of Loki’s face, without even a glance in his direction.

“Oh my gods don’t remind me! I felt like Eleven from that one tv show with the way blood dripped down my nose.” you replied with a laugh as Loki hesitantly took the dish from your hands.

You laughed and talked with the team for nearly an hour more until Tony reeled everyone back in.

“Alright, alright. Thank you Y/N, your Sunday brunches are always appreciated. Now, time to address the god-sized elephant in the room. Our Asgardian… pals, have come down to monitor hotspots of some random god/mutant/power mumbo-jumbo. More details will come on a need to know basis, the basics are in these folders Peter is passing out, but right now it seems like we’re in the scouting phase, trying to take preemptive measures. Y/N, I do want you to continue your training with Wanda and Sam, energy and hotspots seem just up your alley and you still have a lot to work on before stepping back into the field. Bruce, I’ll meet you in your lab after this. Thor, Steve, and Nat, you will be our main recon team. Everyone else, continue with your normal training. Just make sure you read your folders and, remember, you are all on call for the next few weeks. Meeting adjourned, go do your shit, avenge some souls, I don’t care just get out of my face and- what Clint?”

“I’m sorry but I don’t get it. Didn’t mysteriouso over there try to take over New York? Why is he back here?”

“Yes, why am I back here dear brother?”

“Ah, of course. Well, when father sent me down to check on Midguard, he ordered Loki to come along as part of his sentence. If something with these hotspots goes wrong, he can help us and will then repay his debt to New York.” Thor says matter-of-factly before standing up and bringing his plates into the kitchen.

“Of course. Makes perfect sense” Clint says, rolling his eyes and starting to clean up too.

While everyone begins cleaning you start making your way out of the room with someone’s eyes following you. Briefly stopping, you turn your head slightly without looking over your shoulders and say “Aren’t you coming”

When you turn left down an empty corridor you hear Loki huff and finally catch up to you. “What games are you playing mortal? Do you know who you are toying with? I am a god. What makes you think you can read my mind and-“

You turn around and gently cup Loki’s cheeks with both of your hands. Completely thrown off by the gesture, he immediately goes silent. “Okay, I can tell you’re flustered.”

In protest, Loki raises his voice and begins “I’m not-“

Cutting him off again, you gently rub one of his cheeks with your thumb and look into his eyes “It’s okay. Why don’t you take a deep breath with me, yeah? In…. Hold… And out…. Thank you”

Loki looks at you with a bewildered rage as he finds himself complying to your words yet again.

Once he calms down you gently remove your hands and continue speaking “Okay, let’s walk and I’ll answer all of your questions, yeah?”

You begin to walk while Loki stays behind, still bewildered at everything that just played out, causing you to have to link arms with him so he’ll keep up. You continue to talk “Okay, come on. I’m not playing any games. I know you don’t trust people easily but I have no reason to lie to you about anything. And I don’t think I’m toying with you, but frankly I don’t know what you mean by that. I’m not trying to use you because you’re a powerful god, if that’s what you mean. I have all the power I need. I just know what I see and what I feel and what I perceive and-“ with a sigh you stop walking and look the god right in his eyes “Loki, sweetheart, would you please stop trying to read my mind? I never read yours and you’re starting to give me a headache.”

“Sorceress! You’re doing it again. Why do you keep touching me and calming me down? Is it some ploy to steal my powers? What’s your angle? Oh. I bet you’re being nice to me so we can be allys, so you can have protection in case the big bad Loki ever tries to rule Earth again. Or maybe you’re being coy, trying to seduce me so you can get close and attack me when you think I’m weakest.”

Throughout his entire rant (?) Loki kept moving towards you, trying to intimidate you into cowering backwards. You don’t budge or react to any of his outbursts until the very end when you let out a slight giggle.

Noticing this, Loki moves even closer to you, bending his head down slightly so he’s at your level with a shit eating grin plastered across his face. “Ah, so I see I’m coming close. What, were you hoping your little stolen glances and flirty behavior would have me fawning over you, allowing you to manipulate and gain control over me? Oh, I bet you think you’re so smart. And- dear Odin! Why do you keep laughing?”

Covering your face, you take a deep breath and try to stifle your laughs. Once you regain your composure you move even closer to the god in front of you and place your hands on your hips.

“Loki, my love” Glancing down to his lips then back up to his eyes, you continue, “while I’m loving all this ‘will they / when will they’ tension between us right now, if I wanted to seduce someone into a quick fuck I would just go see your brother again. And as for my behavior, I was just being kind. Sure, maybe a little flirty, I didn’t realize you were such a prude. But don’t get mad at me because you blush like a schoolgirl every time I look at you. Or because there are butterflies flying in your stomach whenever I brush against you. And please, don’t try to read my mind again, I’m getting all of this from your aura, for lack of a better term.”

Loki just blinks at you for a few seconds before standing up straight and looking out the window behind your head, mumbling “I cant believe you fucked my brother.”

“Jealous much? And please, I find it hard to believe that you’ve never fucked your best friend before. Now come on, I have something I want to show you. Like I already said, I promise I’ll answer all of your questions if you just stick it out a little bit longer.”

Not even waiting for a response, you grab Loki’s hand and continue walking down the corridor, past different halls and doorways until you reach an old fashioned, forest-green, wooden door with special knots on the outside.

With your free hand you open the door and drag Loki inside with you until it shuts behind. Once the two of you step inside, torches along the side walls light up to revel a two story library. There are shelves upon shelves filled with books, each one telling a different story with dates ranging back to pre-colonialism. On the right side of the room, there is an enchanted fireplace paired with emerald green chaise lounges right in front of it.

Against the back wall is an oval shaped cascading pool that leads to a large bay window. The view overlooks an endlessly starry night that definitely resembles no place on earth.

Littered between aisles and bookshelves are dozens of arm chairs and sofas for leisure reading. In the middle of the room is a large, dark oak table, fit for writing, working, or dining.

Finally, against the right wall is a wet bar fully equipped with drinks and snacks that never replenish.

Once he has the chance to take everything in, Loki’s energy changes to that of a kid on Christmas morning. Cautiously, he proceeds to the bookshelf on the right of the fireplace, touching each different spine while he unconsciously pulls you with him, not letting go of your hand. It isn’t until he stumbles upon an old Asgardian novel that Loki speaks.

“What is this place? Where did you get this?” Looking down at The Book of Yggdrasill in his hands you smile and shrug “It was gifted to me from… an old friend. Well, maybe closer to an heirloom? The room, that is. Whoever posses the key is able to draw the door to this room wherever they want and an enchanted library is said to pop up. As it’s been past down throughout the generations people have added new features and new collections. I haven’t seen many Asgardian books, but my guess is that was put here by one of the previous owners. Please, look around. I’ll make us a drink.”

Absentmindedly, Loki just nods along while skimming over book titles and touching the spines of nearly half the books. “Uh, Loki, God of Mischief and everything, I can’t go until you let go of my hand sweetheart.”

“Oh- oh. Right.” he says while shaking himself out of the trance and letting go of your hand.

You make your way over to the bar while Loki continues to just ogle at the place you’ve brought him to. It isn’t until you’ve just finished making drinks that Loki saunters his way back over to you.

“Here, try this” you say while sliding the glass across the bar. Loki gives you a look and you roll your eyes. “It’s not bad and it’s not poisoned. Even if it was, what earth poisons would even affect an Asgardian? Would you like me to take the first sip?”

“Oh I’m sure someone will figure out one soon enough, so just in case.” Nudging the glass back to you you roll your eyes again and swipe your tongue across the flavored rim before taking a swig and swallowing, opening your mouth to show proof.

Hesitantly, Loki takes the drink from the bar and tries a sip while you explain the contents. “A shot of bourbon and chartreuse watered down over ice with roasted peppercorn and rosemary garnish topped with a rim of rosemary infused honey. I highly doubt it’ll even get you even buzzed but the flavor seems like you.”

Loki cocks his head to the side before taking another sip and saying “Not bad.”

“Awe, you love it, how cute. Now bring that with you while we sit on one of the couches. I said I’d answer your questions and I don’t back out on my word.”

When the two of you sit down, facing eachother on different arm chairs, he’s the first one to say anything. “Why bring me here when we just met?”

“Do you want the vague & mysterious answer or the transparent one that might drive you away?”

“Dealer’s choice.”

“Okay, in part i brought you here because I knew, or at least I had a feeling, that you would need a quiet and isolated space away from the team to chill out. Also in part because I love this place and we are going to fall in love so it only seems fitting.”

“Are you being facetious? Why do you keep saying that?”

“No, I’m being genuine. We are, or at least we have the potential to be, soulmates. Mmm, wait, that sounds cringey. Twin flames? True loves? Starseeds? Different cultures have different names for it, so I suppose that doesn’t matter, but you get the picture?”

“What makes you say these things, how do you know?”

“Mmmmmm basically I get visions sometimes, and while they don’t always make sense and they aren’t always from this life, they almost always provide useful.”

“So you’re a prophet?”

“Ha! No, most definitely not. Basically I’m really sensitive to energy so sometimes I get messages from other versions of myself, and other times I know when the smoke alarm is about to go off. That’s how I knew you were trying to read my mind earlier, and how I knew you weren’t really there when you first walked in with Thor.”

“Okay so mind powers?”

“Sure, mind powers”

“Then why me? If you really believe in soulmates or whatever you said, then why don’t you have someone with similar lineage? Someone who is at least from the same planet.”

“Because it’s always been you. Loki, you’re not destined to be alone. You deserve to be loved as much as anyone else... I can show you what I saw if you’d like.”

He has no visible reaction at your words however it almost seems like his eyes glossed over for just a second before he speaks again “How do you mean?”

Standing up you walk over to Loki and kneel on the floor right in between the gods legs. “Don’t get any ideas, I can literally feel the promiscuity oozing off of you.”

“I have yet to say anything darling.”

Rolling your eyes you take Loki’s hands and place them on either side of your head with his thumbs sitting on your forehead. “Read my mind and you’ll see.”

Glancing down at you suspiciously, Loki stares into your eyes while he slowly drifts off into your subconsciousness. Meanwhile, you focus and hone in on the vision you saw earlier when the two of you first met. Eventually, one by one, the scenes begin to fly by.

No matter what time, what world, what universe the visions were in, it was always you and Loki in your truest form.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Next

A/N: okay so this is quite possibly my favorite series I've ever started, I was thinking about making it a slow burn but I'm too impatient for that, and I'm already halfway through part 2, but I'm also mentally ill so I have no idea when it'll actually get published. lmk if you want me to create a taglist & add you!

[a-mere-dream]

martial god YQY: he was the one who cast down the first heavenly demon (abyss created) but his soul split in 2. 1/2 = xuan su, sealed away for reasons like madness, 2/2 reincarnated eventually as the boy yue qi.

martial god YQY vol. 2: when xuan su shatters instead of vanishing, he remembers himself and/or shen qiu is the reincarnated human verson of that first heavenly demon missing his powers b/c those are now = the abyss

bonus dark yqy shizun where the previous generation ascended bc they used yqy deviation to sort of steal his remaining divinity and speedrun their ascention. so it was indeed his foolishness but also the previous peak lords being as bad as OPM and he just doesn't remember bc qi deviation

Ohhh there are so many ways you can play this and each one is wonderful

The only thing I'm sure about is that I want Shen Jiu to be a random human, with no connection to Yue Qi's past what-so-ever. So Yue Qi reincarnates, and remembers... probably not much? At least not enough to know why he is so emotionally impacted by this freely given devotion, with no expectation for anything but a friend in return. Xiao Jiu is wonderful and his — this Yue Qi knows with all the possessiveness of the gods.

I wonder how Xiao Jiu would deal with it, when they meet again, how Qi-ge has become more. Half of him is totally alien to him — barely even human after living as a sword for so long, not having adjusted to a human body yet — and the other half might as well be, with all the changes he's undergone while they were seperated.

I don't think he'd mind... eventually. When he's been reassured that a fragile, dirt-stained mortal can still be loved by something like that. It'll certainly help with his inferiority complex to know that measuring up to Yue Qingyuan had been impossible from the start, that it is not something within himself that is lacking.

(Don't play with your food, Shen Jiu chides as Yue Qingyuan bats Tianlang-jun around like he's nothing. You never know what tricks they have up their sleeves.)

(Yue Qingyuan laughs, but listens. He'd always been a little too reckless, and it's a delight to have someone care about any repercussions.)

(In another world, it would be him trying to reign Xiao Jiu in. But he's a god, here. Even the most cautious of them still take far greater risks than the most fearless of humans.)