Guardian of Light
(Female)
Author's Note: This is not related to the story or Dune.
I'm on Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy! I am obsessed! I'm honestly considering writing a fanfic for it before Season 4 comes out in August. Which means I might have to delay the release of the Dune Part 2 story. I have to write it anyway; I only have the beginning finished.
But I am considering writing a fanfic for The Umbrella Academy!
Story inspiration here
Hope you enjoy the chapter! ♥️
〰️
Chapter 4: Off to Arrakis
〰️
It was the next day, (Your Name) was dressed in her normal outfit that was similar to Paul's as she watched him bend down to observe the grass growing on the field they were at.
(Your Name) suspected something was on Paul's mind. He seemed more tense, downcast and more protective of her. He gets like this when something is bothering him. She tried to ask but Paul simply brushed it off, saying he was tired. Not wanting to push him, she always let him be after that.
Paul stood up, turned to the girl and reached his gloved hand for her to take. She takes it without question, smiling softly. The two watched a ship appear from under the water. It was something (Your Name) is still in awe about.
Both of them walked down towards the beach.
When they arrive at the water, Paul removes the glove on (Your Name)’s hand, freeing it of its leather confide. Then he brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss onto the back of it, before letting it go.
(Your Name) watched, with a blush on her cheeks, as Paul walked closer to the edge of the water and bent down, dipping his bare hand into the water, feeling it. She looked where he was looking and walked a bit closer to Paul until she was beside him. Sensing her, Paul stood up.
Paul smiled softly at her before his attention was brought to the sun, shining subtly, a cool expression on his face. She looked out towards the sun too, losing herself in thought.
〰️
Caladan was a beautiful place. Full of luscious plantation, beautiful skies, bodies of water to play in. Not to mention all the seasons it gets; rain, snow, the bright sun.
She would miss it dearly.
(Your Name) was outside, on the beach again. She stood where the sand was before it would go into the water, deep in thought.
Ever since the Bene Gesserit came to test her and Paul, her thoughts were running rapidly. Her dreams became more vivid, and seemed like it was a story playing visually to her with words sprinkled in. But it was still scattered and played seemingly out of order.
She remembered everything from her dreams. The people, the fighting of monsters, the villains they faced and defeated, the friends lost and gained, the sacrifices made for the people they loved most. The eventual happiness they all got once the war was over.
There wasn't much talking in the dreams, but she remembered all the words spoken. The ones that were spoken most were darkness, light, Nobody, Heartless, friends, heart, and… keyblade.
‘It must be the weapons they carry to fight.’ She thought to herself.
There were two names she remembered being said too. There were many names that were spoken in her dreams but two were said the most.
Sora and Riku.
‘They were the two that I see in my dreams the most.’
She looked out towards the horizon. Despite knowing all of this, she was still baffled. Everything seemed to make sense but it also felt so… scattered.
She sighed softly, citing words from her latest dream. When she did, she thought she would feel a presence next to her, and their voice saying it with her.
“A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory. A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…. I want to line the pieces up - Yours and mine.”
“(Your Name)!”
The call of her name broke her out of her thoughts and she turned to see who called for her.
It was Paul.
He was dressed similarly to her, his hair pushed back just a little.
“Time to go. Father is looking for you.”
(Your Name) took one more glance out to the horizon, saying a silent goodbye, before she turned around and walked towards Paul.
Once she got to him, he offered his hand out to her. She graciously took it as they walked to the ship that would take them to Arrakis.
〰️
(Your Name) and Paul were in a hanger of a ship, surrounded by soldiers supporting the Atreides clan. They stood in the middle of them all, getting ready to walk out and greet people. The pair felt the ship shift, meaning that they have landed at their destination.
“Shield.” a voice commanded. The soldiers followed, turning on the invisible shields.
Paul reached over to (Your Name) and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze, making the girl smile softly. A sudden metallic groan makes the pair break apart. The hanger door was opening, the bright light from Arrakis’ sun coming through, making the teens squint and blink their eyes in discomfort.
The Duke turned his head towards the pair, giving them both a reassuring look, making them smile softly. Duke Leto then turned his head back around when the door fully opened.
“My lungs taste the air of Time, Blown past fallen sand…” Gurney quoted.
A man with bagpipes started playing a tune; one that (Your Name) immediately recognized as the Atreides theme; walking out of the ship.
Gurney walked out after, the rest of the soldiers following him. (Your Name) and Paul close behind, the girl looking around at the people of Arrakis, seeing how they had flags representing their group. Then, her attention was diverted when she saw a familiar figure, along with Paul.
“Thufir Hawat.” The duo exclaimed excitedly with matching smiles. They jog over to the man to greet the man, both of them hugging him by his side, the male returning their hug with a smile.
“Young Master, Lady (Your Name)! How does it feel to walk on the new world?” Thufir asked, smiling kindly.
“Exciting, to say the least.” The childhood friends replied with smiles.
The Duke walked up to the trio, smiling as Thufir bowed in respect, “My lord.”
Duke Leto patted his friend on the arm. “How are you, old friend?”
“My advance team has secured the city. We're still smoothing out a few rough spots.” He replied in a serious tone.
The Duke nodded his head, giving Thufir another friendly pat on his arm. The group started to walk away as Thufir greeted Lady Jessica, the others following behind the Atreides.
As (Your Name) walked beside Paul, she heard a group of people shouting something. She couldn't hear it at first but as she walked closer, she could hear it clearly.
“Lisan al-Gaib!” and “Haris Aldaw’!”
The childhood friends turned to each other confused, and the male took the girl's hand as he continued walking, making her follow behind him.
They arrive at an Ornithopter that was prepared for them. Paul and his mother get on while (Your Name) stays back watching the people shouting with curiosity.
That name again. Haris Aldaw’. What does it mean?
“(Your Name).”
Hearing her name being called, she snapped out of her state and turned to look at who spoke her name. It was Paul, a look of worry on his face.
“Are you alright?” He asked, placing his hands on the girl's shoulders, his thumbs rubbing the front of them, close to her collarbone.
She nodded, giving him a faint smile before walking up the ramp of the Ornithopter. She sat down in between Paul and Jessica.
“Let's get you out of the sun.” Thufir told them as he started to fly the Ornithopter, “The heat can kill in this place.”
As they got ready to fly, (Your Name) turned to Jessica, curiosity etched on her face. “They were pointing at us. What are they shouting?” She asked.
“Lisan al-Gaib, ‘The Voice from the Outer World’. It's their word for ‘messiah’. And “Haris Aldaw’ means the ‘Guardian of Light’. A legend that has been around for some time, and has gained recognition. It all means that the Bene Gesserit have been at work here.” Jessica explained to the confused girl.
“Planting superstitions.” Paul stated, joining in on the conversation.
“Preparing the way, Paul and (Your Name). These people have waited for centuries for the Lisan al-Gaib. And with recent sightings of shadow demons appearing on Arrakis, they call for the Haris Aldaw’ to come save them. They see you two, they see the signs.”
‘Shadow demons? Could those be the Heartless?’ (Your Name) thought to herself.
“They see what they've been told to see.” Paul's mutter broke her out of her thoughts. She looked at the boy, who was now looking down. She reached a hand out and placed it on top of his, giving him a sad smile. The action made Paul hum and maneuvered his hand so now they were holding hands.
“We're good to go.” Thufir said and the Ornithopter started hovering above the ground, before taking off and flying off to the city.
(Your Name) looked out the windshield, eyes wide in surprise at the massive walls around the city.
“Shield Wall. Protects the city from the weather and the worms.” Thufir explained, almost like he knew what she was thinking.
The girl sighed, leaning back as they got to the city.
〰️
Arrakis was so different from Caladan. (Your Name) was still getting used to it. Despite Arrakis not having any luscious green plantation or fluffy clouds to admire, the place had its own beauty.
Pale blue sky; it almost looked white. Tall, rocky mountains. The almost white sun shining down on them.
It'll take some time to get used to.
The childhood best friends walked around the city once they arrived, hand in hand. They ended up outside seeing massive palms. (Your Name) swore she heard people still chanting their given names.
“Lisan al-Gaib!”
“Haris Aldaw’!”
(Your Name) wondered if Paul could hear it too. She looked at him and he seemed to tense a bit. He hears it too.
To comfort him, she gives his hand a squeeze. Paul responded by squeezing her hand back, smiling a bit at his friend's gesture.
The pair got closer to the giant palm trees and observed them quietly. That's when they saw a guy watering them.
“Hello.” (Your Name) greeted with a wave of her free hand, her usual smile on her face. Paul smiled softly. He liked that (Your Name) was so open with meeting new people. Always smiling at them.
The male looked up from his watering, “You two shouldn't be out here at this hour of the day.”
‘Must be a peak time.’ (Your Name) thought. “They are out here.” She pointed to a cell full of people.
The man hummed. “Fremen pilgrims. They don't care about heatstroke.”
“I didn't know date palms could even be found out here.” Paul spoke up, looking up and observing the palms.
“Oh, these aren't indigenous. They can't survive without me. Each one of these drinks every day the equivalent of five men. Twenty palm trees. A hundred lives.” The gardener explained.
“Should we remove them? Save the water?” Paul asked.
“No, no, no.” The man gestured to the trees, “These are sacred.” He placed a hand on the tree. “Old dream.” He turned to the pair when he said the last part.
〰️
“The largest and most dangerous organism on Arrakis is the sandworm. Capable of reaching four hundred meters in length.” The voice from the video recording playing spoke as (Your Name) and Paul sat on their new bed together, watching.
Paul was pressed against the wall of the bedroom he now shares with (Your Name). His legs were spread, allowing his best friend to slide between them and lay against his chest. With her body now in between his legs, he wrapped his arms around his best friend's waist. His head was resting on top of hers as they watched and listened, their bent legs caressing each other's, on occasion.
“To avoid making rhythmic noises which attract the sandworms, the Freman cross desert spaces using the sandwalk, a dance-like motion with irregular rhythm. Which emulates the natural sounds of the desert.” Paul switched the recording to a different section, “What scant pain life exists on Arrakis is thanks to the Fremen, who have cultivated deep-rooted terrain plants such as saguaro, burrobush, sand-verbena and incense bush. The shepherd’s tree has the deepest documented roots, stretching more than four hundred and fifty feet deep.”
(Your Name) smiled at a small, adorable creature shown in the video. “So cute.” She cooed in a whisper. “If we find one, can I keep it?” She asked Paul, a big smile on her face.
Paul chuckled affectionately at the girl. “If it'll let you take it.” He teased, giving her waist a squeeze, making her squirm a bit in his hold, but not fighting back. She turned her attention back to the video.
Paul, however, wasn't paying attention to the video. He was looking at (Your Name). He smiled tenderly at his childhood best friend.
‘If only she knew how much I adored her.’ He thought to himself. ‘Maybe I should tell her how I feel. Tell her that I love her.’
The video continued but suddenly, Paul heard a noise, causing him to freeze.
(Your Name), sensing his unease, turned to face him. “Paul? What's the matter?” She whispered.
The boy doesn't reply. Instead, he slowly moved (Your Name), gently ushering her off the bed. She allowed him, trusting Paul as he stood up slowly from the bed as well.
“What's going on?” (Your Name) whispered again. Paul made a ‘be quiet’ gesture with his finger and moved the both of them to the video.
They moved carefully, hiding themselves in the video as Paul crept up behind (Your Name), his eyes directed towards in front of her.
(Your Name) held her breath, trying not to make a sound. After a couple seconds, something suddenly came flying directly towards her eye. The girl tensed up, frightened. Everything seemed to slow down around her.
Before any harm could be done, the door swung open to reveal a servant and (Your Name), thinking fast, dodged-rolled away from the foreign object and Paul caught it and smashed it against the wall.
(Your Name) was panting softly in a crouching position, having nailed the dodge roll. Paul opened his hand. “It's a hunter-seeker. The operator must be nearby.”
〰️
Thufir Hawat walked nervously with some soldiers behind him, dabbing a handkerchief on his temple to collect the sweat build up there.
He arrived at the designated spot where a bunch of other soldiers stood. It was an opening in the wall, pieces of it broken and on the floor. Inside the rectangular hole was a Harkonnen agent, presumably the one that sent the hunter-seeker to Paul and (Your Name).
“The Harkonnen agent was cemented into that hole six weeks ago. Ran the hunter-seeker through a water pipe inside the wall.” Thufir explained.
After everything was cleared up, Thufir stood before Duke Leto and Lady Jessica.
“Sire, I failed you today. There's no excuse. You have my resignation.” Thufir told Duke Leto and Lady Jessica, ashamed.
“You'd deprive us of your talents?” The Duke asked, appalled.
“Sir, my honor demands-”
“They tried to take the life of my son and (Your Name)! The Duke yelled in anger, “I don't give a damn about your honor. You want absolution? Go catch some spies.” He ordered.
“Your Grace.” Thufir bowed his head and went off.
〰️
Meanwhile, on Giedi Prime, Hoke of House Harkonnen, The Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam and Baron Valdimir Harkonnen discuss their plans to rid the Atreides.
“It must never be known.” The Reverend Mother said.
“There's no satellites over Arrakis.” The Baron's gravelly voice said. “The Atreides will die in the dark.”
Mohiam spoke up. “On that matter, Duke Leto Atreides means nothing to our order. But his wife I'd understand our protection and by extension, her son. Allow them the dignity of exile.”
“What of… the other one?” The Baron asked.
“If you can, spare her as well. Even if the Emperor wants her dead.” Mohiam replied.
The Baron sighed. “House Harkonnen would never dream of violating the sanctity of your order. I give you my word. We will not harm them.”
With those words, The Reverend Mother leaves.
A loyal ally of the Baron speaks up. “If the Duke's son lives, along with his friend…”
“No Atreides will live. Neither will that other child.” The Baron told him.
“My lord, you gave your word to the witch. She sees too much.”
“I said I would not harm them. And I shall not. But Arrakis is Arrakis. And the desert takes the weak.” The Baron sat up and slowly started to rise ominously, thanks to his machine lengthening his body.
“My desert. My Arrakis. My Dune.”
〰️
After the incident with the hunter-seeker, Paul kept (Your Name) close, becoming extra protective of the girl.
Paul had explained to (Your Name) what a Hunter-Seeker was, making the girl tremble in fear. She heard of the deadly technology but seeing it in action and how it could've taken one of their lives, scared her.
The pair walked into the meeting The Duke was having.
“Your first strategy meeting. (Your Name), who can dodged hunter-seekers coming at full speed and Paul Atreides, who catches hunter-seekers in his bare hands. Like heroes of old.” Gurney told everyone with slight pride, making the members laugh and applauding the pair when they came in.
(Your Name) rolled her eyes and playfully hit Gurney on the back as she passed by him. Paul paused before copying (Your Name)’s action, “Thanks for the humiliation, old man.” He whispered, teasing the older mentor.
“Gotta keep an eye on you two.” Gurney teased back, patting Paul's arm before the boy went to stand on (Your Name)’s left side.
“Attention!” Someone called, and everyone stood up when the Duke arrived, walking to the table.
The Duke touched (Your Name)’s back and did the same to Paul, patting it before he sat down on the right side of (Your Name). “Let's get started.”
Everyone sat down, “Thufir. Operations.” The Duke started.
“I've secured a copy of the Harkonnens’ account books.” Thufir started, making the people at the table start muttering. “The Harkonnens were taking 10 billion solaris out of here every year.”
“They shall suck at the abundance of the seas, and the treasures hid in the sand.” Gurney quoted, his hands folded on the table.
“We won't see profits like that for a while. Not with the equipment they left us.” Thufir said.
“How bad was it?” The Duke asked.
〰️
Thufir led everyone outside to where big containers of something on the ground.
“These are spice silos. We're meant to fill every crate.” Thufir explained to the group, umbrella in hand to protect himself from Arrakis’ blazing sun.
“All of them?” (Your Name) asked, from beside Paul, who was holding the girl's hand.
Thufir turned to look at her, “Every 25 standard days. Harkonnen sabotage slows us down.”
“But who's meant to arbitrate?” Paul asked, “Isn't there a Judge of Change to oversee the transition?”
“Who did the Emperor appoint?” Gurney asked joining in on the questions.
“Dr. Liet Kynes, Imperial Ecologist.” Thufir answered, “Been here 20 years. Eccentric from what I'm told.”
“I want to see these harvesting fields myself.” The Duke stated.
“I wouldn't recommend it, my lord.” Thufir warned.
The Duke gestured with his chin. “Have this Judge of Change accompany us. A meeting’s long overdue. And we'll get a bit of Imperial protection.”
“A hostage? I love it.” Gurney commented with a smile.
Paul and (Your Name) gave him a look to which Gurney slowly shrugged at the two.
Thufir pressed the chip behind his ear. He looked up with a soft smile. “He's here, my lord.”
Everyone heard an ornithopter flying above them and looked up. (Your Name) smiled, knowing who was coming.
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𝖇𝖊𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖞𝖆𝖑
Dark Descent: Nagi Rokuya X fem/afab!Reader
Twisted Truths: incest, mentally ill reader, violence, blood, gore, murder, obsession
Synopsis: He knew that he was the only one in her life. He knew that he was her entire world. So, of course, when he suddenly decided to leave her one day, she'd come retrieving what was rightfully hers.
Shadows Lengthen: 1.4k words
You stared at the bloody knife in your hand. Its shiny yet stained blade made a reflection of your dull, lifeless blue irises. A stoic expression plastered on your face as you slowly raised the knife to your face, examining its sharp edge dripping with red liquid. You never felt so betrayed before and it made you frustrated by it. However one person, in particular, is to blame for your sudden change of persona—your older brother, Nagi. He betrayed you, lied to you, broke your heart, and left you. You were so furious that he didn't keep his promise to you; the promise that he made ever since the two of you were still young.
"Nagi-niichan, promise me that we'll always be together forever."
"Uh-huh! I promise, [Name]-chan. I promise that we'll always be together forever...just the two of us."
"'Just the two of us'?" you scoffed. "You're so pathetic, niisan. You can't even keep your promise."
Why was it a big deal to you though? Nagi knows that you have a mental illness, and it should be his responsibility as your brother to keep you in check; one extreme emotion that fills you could affect your thinking and the way you act as well. Though because of one, unfortunate turn of events, he became an idol and thus eventually have no time for you due to his job. You wouldn't mind, though, for him to pursue that kind of job. In fact, you were proud of your brother for being an idol.
However, your mental illness was very much linked to your emotions. As the time passed, you became more lonely, sadder...more depressed. You kept reminiscing about the days when it was only just the two of you; no one else standing in the way of your relationship with your brother. That is, until the bond that the two of you had broke. You knew about his new friends. You knew how much he enjoyed being with them. You noticed how he seems to completely forget about you. And that's the reason why you're filled with so much jealousy and anger building up inside of you.
You wanted your brother back. You wanted to retrieve what was stolen from you. You wanted him to be yours, and only yours. You plan on getting him back...and also eliminating the ones that threaten to take your brother away again. You felt nothing else but hatred riling up your emotions and mentality.
Smiling a wide, twisted smile, you hid the knife on your back as you made your way towards the hallway where the rest of Idolish7 resides. How did you get in the agency in the first place? Let's just say you shed some blood before forcing your way into the building during the resting hours of the night. Though you had to be careful as to not be seen by any guards around the place; you only killed two people on your way there anyway.
"Don't worry, niisan. I'm going to get back the precious person what was stolen away from me," you mumbled to yourself, making your way towards the first room.
Once you reached the door, you slowly turned the knob. The door creaked open and you quietly made your way inside the dark room, carefully closing the door behind you as you entered. There you saw sleeping in the bed was the center of the group—the redhead idol, Nanase Riku. Your sadistic grin only widened as your feet trudged over the said male, your right hand that was holding the weapon was raised in the air, ready to strike down its first victim.
Riku shifted on his bed, his front facing the ceiling. He grunted in his sleep, feeling somewhat uncomfortable because of the deadly atmosphere lingering in his room, engulfing his sleeping form. Tolerating it no longer, the male slowly opened his eyes, only for him to widen it after seeing glowing, blue orbs that contain bloodlust staring down at him in the dark. The knife glistening in the distance didn't escape his unsteady gaze. He could feel his heart stop and breath hitch due to the fear he's experiencing.
"Oh, hello there little red~ Good night and sweet dreams~" you let out a quiet, sadistic chuckle as you brought the knife down without any hesitations.
Riku let out a scream once the weapon pierced through his chest, though you made sure to cover his mouth before anyone could hear him, muffling his futile cries. You pulled out the knife from his body while staring at the dead idol. Your determination of killing the rest made you smile in delight; a twisted, sadistic smile.
"One down, five to go~" licking the blood from the knife, you made your way to the door.
You left the room silently, locking the door as you exited. No one would know the murder you caused if you made sure to kill every single idol in privacy and locking the doors of their room where their corpse was located. You giggled, feeling accomplished because of the devious plan you have. Tomorrow morning, Idolish7 would be no more. And you'll finally have your brother back.
"Just wait, niisan. I'll make sure to have you back," you mumbled once again, proceeding to the next room and finishing off your second victim.
After a few moments of finishing off the rest of Idolish7, you then made your way towards the last room where your brother presumably is. Your cold hand gripped the equally cold, metal knob and twisted it open. The door opened and you finally entered the room, locking the door behind you. Walking slowly towards the sleeping blonde, a smile made its way to your bloody face; not a sadistic smile but a gentle smile instead.
"Niisan..." you muttered, making your way to his bed.
Feeling a presence in the room, Nagi opened his eyelids and revealed blue eyes staring back at your own ones. His eyes dilated in shock, mouth agape as he stared at your figure in the dark room. The blonde was able to recognize your smaller form despite the darkness, though that made him scared. He wasn't sure whether it was just an illusion or not. Nagi sat up on his bed and opened the light of the lamp on the side table, hoping that it was just his imagination. However, you proved him wrong...oh, how naive your brother can be.
"[Name]-chan?! What are doing here?" he asked, disbelief lacing his tone.
"I came here to have you back, niisan," you simply replied, a soft expression on your face as you sent him a close-eyed smile.
Nagi gulped, sweat appearing on his face after examing his sister's bloody appearance. Blood splattered on her face, hair, and clothes, staining her whole being with a crimson hue. Seeing her like this made his heart race in fear and body to tremble, shivers kept running down his spine. He regretted not keeping watch on you, and now you've eventually become a living killing machine. Nagi noticed the knife that you're holding in your right hand, and that only frightened him even more.
"W-why are you covered in blood, [Name]-chan? A-a-and why are you holding a bloody knife as well?" he asked, voice quivering due to fear.
"Oh, this?" you glanced at yourself then at the weapon in your grasp. "I just got rid of the nuisance that's keeping me from having you back, niisan."
"W-why? W-what h-happened to you, [N-Name]-chan...?" he choked on his incoming sobs. "Why do you have to do this?"
"Why?" you tilted your head to the side, watching your poor brother cry bitterly over the loss of his friends.
Seeing him cry made your heart being pierced by a sharp pain. You felt sad seeing him cry, but it only made you even more furious realizing that he's still thinking about them and not you. It made you hiss in disgust and anger as you slowly crawled towards him in the bed, the knife still in your tight hold.
"I only did it to have you back, niisan," you cooed in his ears whilst wiping his tears away. "After all, even after you betrayed me, I still love you. Forever."
📜— Return to the Shadowed Archive
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