#divinity level as ven is

[lanternlightss]

looking back at posts and its so fun seeing exactly which two characters in genshin i was hyperfixated on and that even after like three years it has not changed Once 😭

venti and nameless bard have me wrapped around their fingers istg

[border-spam]

Leech Lord - Not her business

Seifa is monogamous and mostly straight. Sleeping with someone has always been a pretty simple equation for her.

If she’s 😏 , and he’s 😏 , and nothing is going to be affected by a few hours good time? Why not. She rarely sees the same person twice and even rarer gives a shit about the possibility of that being a problem, but things are harder now.

She’s not a migrant worker, she’s in one place, and that fucking title she was stupid enough to be convinced into taking by a lopsided grin and batted eyelashes… it’s like a noose. She can’t escape being a Saint. Everyone knows her. 

She’s got an overly flattering rendition of herself splayed across a great stained window in the Grand Cathedral, Bandits tack little clumsily welded metal skulls pinned with flower petals to their technical’s dashboards and genuinely believe Machina will bless their V-8’s on glory-raids. It’s ridiculous. 

There isn’t such thing as a one night stand here. She attracts worshipers, not people, and much as she doesn’t mind the idea of being worshiped for a night or two considering some of the absolute specimens prowling the lower city in chains and blood spattered leather… it’s not a good idea. She knows that.

Going off-world is an option yeah, and most of her recent escapades (erotic version) have been something that bloomed from a business trip - with normal people who aren’t roped into being holy figures within a death cult - the problem is that those don’t scratch the real itch.

What she needs, what she wants, is meaning… but Sei gave up on experiencing that connection again the same day she gave up on love.

She considers almost everyone else’s ass-capades the same way. 

If Ven is 😔👌 one morning while struggling to walk straight and makes a joke about not knowing he could bend that way? Good for him 😌

If JK is all red ears and deep chuckles as they rub at the sides of their mask in that adorable wiggle of embarrassment when she asks how their “trip” off planet went and how their lady is doin’? Good for them 😌

If Ty is breathy giggles and links to ridiculously named online stores and trying to give recommendations? Good for her 😌

…but she isn’t ok with what Troy does.

It’s not her business. It’s not, and she can’t raise it or even give her opinion on it really because.. who the fuck is she to comment? She’s not his mother, she’s not his.. well. She’s not. She’s just Seifa, and it’s not like he’s doing anything wrong.

She gets the same offers, she gets the same adoration even if it’s not remotely on the level he’s pleaded with, she just says no because she doesn’t want that. She knows how willing so many are, and she’s aware how many get exactly what they ask for when they pursue the God King.

Something about it irks at her grimy little morals though she can’t put a finger on it entirely. Something about it being a lie, maybe. Seifa wouldn’t accept what a worshiper offers because she’s not what they think she is. She’s just a woman. She’s flesh and blood and a few piercings, not divine. When Troy accepts he’s accepting as if he is what they are offering themselves to. But… he’s not.

Troy, the real Troy, the one she knows? She doesn’t even think he wants it. That’s part of what stabs her about it, really. It’s a betrayal of what they believe, and what he really feels. Troy DeLeon is the man who turned deep crimson in a mix of embarrassment and fury when he first saw hickeys on her neck in that second month on her ship, who had to be calmed down by Ty and her, laughing as they exchanged knowing glances.

Troy DeLeon is the man who doesn’t like to place his hand on people and shy’s away from contact, but will delicately stroke at a friend’s bruise or sink hungrily into an embrace when it’s offered to him.

What he’s appeasing with these people, these groups of people in sordid drug fueled orgies is not him, because he doesn’t.. he wouldn’t.. like that. She knows him. She knows he wouldn’t want it.

What he’s appeasing is the character he’s been playing for years now, that thing everyone who knows the real him can’t stand. He’s not breaking out of it like he used to, he’s not shrugging its claws out of his skin after sermons finish and confessions have ended.

He’s carrying its filth on his back all the time now, to the point where it’s what’s saying YES when they offer. It’s what’s grinning too wide and narrowing vicious eyes into gleaming slits as they gift their flesh to it.

She isn’t ok with what Troy does, but it’s none of her business.

Asks are open!

[kicktwine]

Go off speak your mind

my twitter account is a hundred percent always me going off in 20 directions king i have so many thoughts head full. i decided today that Vanitas would multiclass as a gloomstalker ranger + shadow magic sorcerer and Ventus would multiclass divine soul sorcerer + oath of the ancients paladin. i want to make khux ven wild magic sorcerer for fun and for profit but i have, very little justification.   also  all the wayfinders have at least some levels in paladin because of Eraqus but they all have different oaths. Terra serves a brief stint as an Oathbreaker, he’s an oath of vengence paladin now. Aqua is probably oath of the Guardian..? oath of the watchers?? she uh-DEFINITELY takes some kind of multiclass in wizard tho

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Twelve ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Madara, Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Raziya ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

“All right...remember, we need to try and catch them by surprise. Our top priority is finding Ryū and getting the hells out of here,” Kakashi murmurs as Kumiko finishes opening the crack into the cavern. Blade drawn, he pushes his meager senses to their limit.

“Easier said than done, I’d imagine,” she replies softly. “They’ve surely sealed her ven with a rite. Sensing her through that will be nigh on impossible, as it’s extremely suppressed. We could trip over her before we’d sense her.”

“She’s under a what, now?”

Kumiko shoots him a disbelieving glance. “...a blood rite. It’s the only way to disable an el’ven’s powers. Each element has their own sigil, but the process is the same. In short, you combine the sealed and the sealer’s blood, and draw the sealer’s patron Elemental’s sigil somewhere on the sealed’s body...and you’ve got yourself a sealed el’ven. They can’t manually manipulate their ven, inside or out. You can’t stop the flow of ven altogether or the sealed person would die. It’s an essential system, like...the flow of your blood. So you just take away their ability to connect it to their will. It was a big factor in the civil war between the el’ven and the el’tahl.”

The pair of them lingering in their makeshift entryway, Kakashi pauses. This...seems important to know before they try to get Ryū out. “Really…? How so? El’tahl can’t use ven.”

“No...but you technically don’t need to in order to create a sigil. Technically everyone has at least some ven in their body. But el’tahl can’t connect with it, and their amount is always very low compared to someone el’ven. But there’s enough in their blood to create the sigils. Once they discovered the practice, they used it against us in the war.”

“But...you said something about a patron Elemental. Do el’tahl have those…?”

“Technically no...but a workaround turned out to be using the sealed’s opposing Elemental. For example, I’m of ice: child of water and air. If an el’tahl wanted to seal me, they only needed to use Orenium’s sigil, the child of earth and fire. My ‘opposite’.”

Kakashi sighs. “...sounds like a major pain.”

“It’s highly frowned upon now, of course. But I’m certain they’ll have her sealed, or she’d have escaped through a portal of her own long ago.” Glancing around, Kumiko adds, “And I’m sure this place is a maze of tunnels and dead-ends. And we still don’t know how many others are here.”

“I saw at least one through the barrier.”

“Really?”

“Yeah...and I don’t think it was the one who took her. This one felt…” Kakashi shifts, clearly discomforted. “...dangerous, for lack of a better word.”

“So, at least two...I’d have guessed as much. I’d like to hope they’ve kept to small numbers to avoid a need for supplies and risk of exposure. But...we can’t afford to assume anything.”

“Then what’s the plan? I’m not sure splitting up is a good idea.”

“No...we need to stick together. No offense, but against a well-practiced el’ven, let alone one of a Tenebreon’s level, you’d be in trouble on your own. It will make us slower, but...better slow than dead.”

“Agreed,” he replies gravely. “...so once we find her, what do we do about this...seal?”

“There are only two ways to undo a blood rite. Have the one who placed it revert it...or kill them. Their blood in the seal then becomes inert, and it fails.”

“...so not only do we need to find out who sealed her...but also either kill them, or somehow ask them nicely to take it off?”

Drawing her sword with a whisper from its sheath, Kumiko replies, “I’m afraid so. It’s either that...or she remains unable to use her ven until they die some other way. And I’m sure you know el’ven are long-lived.”

“...yeah, I do. Would have been nice to know this beforehand.”

“Sorry...I thought you’d know about rites. They’re a pretty big deal.”

“Most of this trip has been ‘learning as I go’, so...can’t really blame you.”

“...I’ll focus on trying to sense ven. You focus on what you can hear, see...smell, if you have to. That should leave us as prepared as we can be. Hopefully they think we’re dead after that avalanche and won’t bother trying to hide. Are you good at repressing your ven?”

“Fairly. It’s not very strong to begin with,” Kakashi replies dryly, doing his best to dim his aura.

Kumiko just nods as she does the same, cautiously stepping out of the crack she’s carved. The cavern is surprisingly warm, lit with a plethora of slow-burning candles. Wordlessly, she signs that there’s nothing she can sense to their left, toward the barrier. But she does indeed feel two signatures of ven to their right, one further in than the other.

Acknowledging her info, Kakashi follows, keeping his ears perked and eyes scanning the environment. By now, he’s honestly lost track of how many weeks they’ve been gone. The thought of Ryū being stuck in this place for that long, let alone with the company she’s keeping and whatever plot they have in store for her...well, it upsets him at the very least.

But there will be time for temper later. For now, he needs to stay calm. While he hardly expects it to go so smoothly...he can’t help but hope they can find her, slip back out...and then deal with whoever dared leave their mark on her.

At least if there are only two...it shouldn’t take much guesswork to figure out which is which.

...it’s then just a matter of managing to kill them.

Kakashi is hardly adverse to slaying another human. He’s done it countless times before, be it on a contract during his years as a hunter, or to protect himself while on the road. But this is the first time he’s had any need to face someone of a Tenebreon mage’s level. True, he’s not alone...but he knows he’s the weak link here. Skilled in the sword as he may be, a duel of ven is one he’s sorely outmatched in with most opponents...let alone one as destructive and deadly as a Tenebreon.

So for now, he tries not to think about that part. Their first priority is Ryū. The rest...well, he’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.

The pair of them creep along silently on the soles of their boots, cautiously inspecting any branching path they encounter. Any left dark Kakashi illuminates with a small ball of flame above a palm. Most lead nowhere. And to mark their way, Kumiko leaves tiny, hopefully-unnoticeable icicles above any route they’ve taken that proved fruitless.

This place is maze-like enough without worrying about getting turned around.

At one point they freeze, Kumiko holding out an arm as an echoing voice reaches them. Unfortunately, with so many places for it to bounce and travel, it’s nearly impossible to tell where precisely it’s coming from. But Kumiko pantomimes a fair distance yet as the other mage replies.

That one, however, sounds much closer.

Grip tight on the hilt of his blade, Kakashi stares down the tunnel, heart hammering seemingly just below the flap of his throat. He hasn’t been this nervous in...well, a very long time.

“Why is it that you meddling types always forget to check behind you…?”

Wheeling around, the pair of them find an open portal to their rear. And standing just within it, arms crossed and expression almost bored, is one of the Tenebreon mages: one of a barrel chest and lion’s mane.

Unable to do much more than stare, Kakashi immediately notices the mismatched eyes not unlike his own. One of red, and one of violet.

...what?

He in turn eyes them openly. “Is this really all that’s come looking for the supposed last light mage? An untested glacial representative, and...a weakling half-breed.” The gaze turns scornful. “...and with what looks to be stolen el’ven flesh. Disgusting.”

“Is that judgment coming from someone with as much conflict in their appearance as me?” Kakashi counters. “I may not know much about the el’ven...but one thing I do know is that everyone gets one element. So where’d your second come from?”

“I’ve no reason or want to bother explaining it to you,” their foe rebukes, tone aloof. “It matters little, anyway. You won’t be leaving this cavern alive. Tobi!”

Behind them, a masked man - the one from the Summit ball - blocks the way forward, cutting off their only other route.

Trapped.

“Where is the Luxerian disciple?” Kumiko demands, posture unwavering.

“Ask whatever questions you like: you’ll receive no answers. She will remain here until her purpose is served.”

“Is it true…? You seek the thirteenth?”

At that, the man’s brows lift. “...oh? And where did you hear that…? Did that Nori fool let you loosen his tongue? I should have killed him when I had the chance...but it matters little. If all your precious Summit sees fit to send is the pair of you...then it’s clear I won’t have any further interruptions once I reduce the pair of you to dust.”

“You’d risk the undoing of everything just for a chance at a forced peace?!” Kumiko bares her teeth in a snarl. “You’re just another faithless coward who’d rather take the easy way out.”

“Is this really the time to be taunting me, glacial mage? You’ve still got your spots: I’m not about to take a threat from you seriously.”

“Appearances can be deceiving. I’m stronger than I look.”

Glancing to his companion, Kakashi catches her eye, and in a brief look, conveys a plan. They’ll likely only have one shot. But at least with Ryū missing, they can’t flee so easily. They’ll have to fetch her first.

Until then...it’s time to try fighting.

With a shift of his weight, Kakashi spins to face the man behind them as Kumiko makes to strike the one at their fore. Ice rises up from beneath the stone, cracking and forming deadly spikes that race toward the portal. It closes, her element passing harmlessly before she turns and blocks an attempted grab, her foe tearing open another hole in space.

Kakashi, on the other hand, relies fully on his blade. Twisting and slashing with all the speed and complexity he can muster, he funnels his drive into every strike. And all the while, his opponent dodges with seemingly incorporeal ease. At times he swears the steel passes right through him!

“Where is she?” he growls, wondering if this one might be a bit more vocal. But all he receives is tense silence. Something tells him that - in his own way - this one is just as driven as he is...yet it feels different than the obvious want of power his companion boasts. This feels...personal.

Which only serves to confuse Kakashi further.

Trying to keep one ear tuned in case Kumiko needs his help, Kakashi fights on, his blows becoming more desperate. “No matter where you take her...no matter where you run...I’ll follow. I won’t stop until she’s back where she belongs…! She’s not some tool for your end! I’ll kill you for treating her like a gods-damned broodmare for whatever the hells you think you’re going to achieve!”

As his temper reaches a tipping point, Kakashi feels a desperate burning in his left eye, wide and manic. Unable to fight fire’s fueling by his anger, he unleashes a torrent of flame from a palm as he lets his sword fall to the wayside. Hungry and eager, the tongues lick and reach for his foe.

But with a wave of his own hands, the enemy mage easily diverts them...something a Tenebreon disciple shouldn’t be so adept with. Remembering the other’s dual-colored eyes, Kakashi can’t help but wonder if this one, too, boasts two elements.

“Cursed words...cursed! To think a mor selfish enough to take a second blessing...what greed, what insolence! A vile mor...I’ll tear his head from his shoulders myself for such a blatant disregard for the balance!”

Suigin’s words, recalled in his mind, fit together more pieces. This must be what she and that Nori bastard spoke of: someone with two elements in one body. But how?!

“Impressive you can even use ven, given the small token of flesh you bear.” Speaking at last, the second mage stares him down, visage hidden by his mask. “Stolen from the still-warm corpse of your friend, was it…?”

At that, Kakashi feels his chest echo with a flash of cold. “...how do you know about that?”

“I know more than that, Kakashi. Enough to realize that you are nowhere near strong enough to take her back. You will fail...and she will remain here.”

That grits the hunter’s teeth. “You have no right -!”

“It is not a matter of rights. Think you can return her? Prove it. Prove to me that you’re strong enough. I took her from you once...I can do so again.”

He knows it’s a taunt. It’s plain as day. But Kakashi lets himself fall for it, hook line and sinker. A cry tears his throat as he makes to strike, easily dodged. Alternating between fire and steel, he flails in desperation for just one blow -!

“Kakashi!”

At the frantic tone, Kakashi feels his heart leap.

Ryū!

Just as drawn to the voice, the one called Tobi turns too.

And that’s when he finds his opening.

Barely managing to twist his last attempt, Kakashi - rather than a slash - slaps the flat side of his blade against the mask of his enemy. With a clatter, it shatters into countless pieces as he’s stunned and stumbles aside.

“Tobi -?!”

Heaving for breath, Kakashi nonetheless stills as Ryū calls again...this time for the man he was fighting. But -? He -?

A hand at his face as a cut from stray porcelain bleeds sluggishly, Tobi leans heavily against a wall. Further down the tunnel, Ryū stares with obvious shock...tinged with concern. Her gaze then flickers to Kakashi, just as desperate.

But Kakashi doesn’t see it. He’s staring at his foe.

“...Obito…?”

Turning and panting, another pair of ruby and amethyst eyes meet Kakashi’s. He looks startled, almost...dazed. A gloved hand falls away, revealing the mottled skin: scarred over from obvious burns.

But there’s no mistaking it. That...that is Obito. But he’s...he’s dead. He watched the light leave his remaining eye after that sword buried through his back. Kakashi could see the cremating fires as he and Rin fled with Ryū from the city that night. The Uchiha always burn their dead. And Obito, without a doubt, was -

Too shocked to react further, Kakashi jumps as the other mage teleports beside his companion, teeth bared in a hiss. “Enough. We retreat. Now.”

A hand drags Ryū to his side, ignoring her cry of surprise and pain at his hold. Obito, still stunned, staggers forward as another portal opens. Beyond, Kakashi can see marshy swampland and the edge of a city.

“No!”

Behind him, limping, Kumiko tries to dash forward and give chase. But as the trio pass through and the door closes, she collapses to the floor of the cavern.

Silence.

With a slow dissolving of his joints, Kakashi falls to his knees, sword clattering against the stone. Too many things swirl within his mind, making his skull feel full to the point of bursting. Obito...Obito is -?

“Where did they go? Kakashi, did you see?!”

He doesn’t answer, staring at nothing.

“Kakashi!”

“...he’s alive, but...she’s gone. I…?”

Crossing the gap between them with furrowed brows, Kumiko searches his face. “What?”

“...it’s not possible��”

“Kakashi, snap out of -!”

“It had to be a trick. Something to unsettle me. I -?”

With a harsh report in the dead air of the cave, Kumiko’s hand slaps against the skin of Kakashi’s cheek. His head reels back, eyes widening and springing with tears at the sudden sting. “What -?!”

“Whatever the hells took over your mind, banish it!” she barks, her hand then moving to hold his shoulder as she stares at him unwaveringly. “You’re speaking nonsense, Kakashi! What in the twelve hells happened? One moment I was fighting the twice-blessed, and then -?”

“It was Obito.”

“...what?”

“The other mage. He had the same eyes. One red, one purple. But it...it was Obito.”

“...that’s not possible. The boy who died…? Gave you his eye?”

A slow nod. “...I’d know that face. Aged or not, it was him. I’ve no doubt.”

“...but...he died as a boy. Even a Tenebreon mage can’t bring back the dead on their own, Kakashi.”

A hand lifts to cradle his brow, trying to think. “...he had a Tenebreon eye. As did his partner. And he...he knew things. From before.”

“...could Ryū have told him?”

“It’s possible, but...Kumiko, I know what I saw. It’s why I...why I froze. The disbelief stole my mind. I...I’m sorry. I let this happen…”

“But why did they leave? The mage I was fighting, he had the upper hand - he’d wounded me! Why flee? Did you overpower the -? Er...Obito?”

“...I broke his mask. At first I thought that’s what stunned him, but...I spoke his name. And he looked at me strangely. Like it...woke something in him.”

Kumiko’s eyes widen. “...maybe he remembered you…?”

“...I don’t know.”

Sighing, Kumiko shifts to sit beside him. “...let’s put together what we know. Obito, your friend, is alive...and is one of two twice-blessed we now know of. Both of them have an eye of fire, and an eye of darkness. His companion is clearly far older. What if they...exchanged eyes?”

“...even if the other mage gave him the Tenebreon eye, Obito only had one left.” Kakashi points to his face. “...I have the other. The other igni eye would have to have come from someone else.”

“...then we can assume he either got the eye elsewhere...or already had it. But how can they both have two elements…? That’s impossible, I’ve never heard of that happening. Let alone with two elements that far apart. Fire is a child of light, darkness’ mirror!”

“...how does one get their element?”

“You’re born with it. Depending on your family tree, you can either have a parent’s element, or - if they’re the right tiers - a combination of the two. Wind and water could birth the same, or ice.”

“...but what about at the beginning?”

“...you mean the first blessed? It was a gift directly from the Elementals themselves. But Kakashi...the Elementals fled over a century ago, when war broke out after the coup. That’s not possible.”

“...is it?” he replies, tone dark. “...think about it. You were Embraced. No one has been since the coup, right? Or so we’re told? What if...Tenebreos blessed them? Could it be done remotely? Like your Embrace?”

At the suggestion, Kumiko’s jaw drops almost comically, if not for the circumstances. “...I...I don’t know. But...why would Tenebreos bless someone already blessed…? Maybe...maybe they stole the eyes from a Tenebreon mage.”

“You told me yourself: my ven is weak because I’m a vom berech: a halfling created rather than born. Surely if they took eyes from someone else, their Tenebreon ven would be weak. But they were both clearly using it with no limit or inhibition. Something’s fishy here, Kumiko...and it would explain why Suigin was so upset. Stealing or receiving ven from someone else wouldn’t make you twice-blessed. What if…” Kakashi’s posture shifts, more forward. “...what if Tenebreos blessed the other mage...and helped him revive Obito?”

“...why would they do that?”

“...I was hoping you’d have an idea. I’m a stranger to most of this, remember?”

Kumiko goes quiet, thinking. “...Tenebreos is the Elemental of darkness. Death, disease, matter...and some say, chaos to Luxeria’s order. Maybe this entire plot was their doing. Remember the coup...? It was born mostly out of spite by the Tenebreon mages. For ages they were targeted as “evil”, hunted for being harbingers of death despite their necessity. Maybe...Tenebreos wants revenge for their slaughtered mages. Maybe they’re looking for a rebirth of chaos, just as the world was righting itself.”

“By bringing about the thirteenth?”

“...I don’t know. I feel like there’s still something we’re missing. This is all just conjecture and guesswork at this point. But something tells me we’re on the right path.”

After a pause, Kakashi gives a humorless scoff. “...right. The path I just brought to a dead end. I let them escape...and Twelve know where they’ve gone.”

“...did you see anything through the portal? Anything that might help us find them?”

“...it looked like...marshland. Water, muck, bowing trees. And maybe a city of some kind. It was gone so quickly…”

“No, no - that’s a start.” Mulling that over, Kumiko then offers, “...we should return to Boralis. Regroup. Maybe someone there will have an inkling where that could be. Wherever they fell back to...it has to be somewhere they’d feel secure. They seemed confident they’d be able to take us, and keep their hideaway here. I doubt they have many backup plans, given how solidly they regarded this one.”

“...all right. Can you walk…?”

“Well enough. Besides, with the mages gone, that barrier will be too. They can’t hold it over much distance. Raziya can come in and take us straight from here back to the capital.” Struggling to her feet, Kumiko lets Kakashi bear her weight, the pair of them hobbling to the entrance as she calls her drach.

The beast wastes no time in fluttering into the cavern’s mouth, a moaning sound of concern echoing off the walls. “What happened?! Where is the lux mage?”

“We’ll recount it when we get back to Boralis. I need someone to patch me up, and...well, we need to plan our next move.”

Nodding curtly, Raziya gently helps her rider to her saddle, Kakashi climbing up behind as they streak out of the cave and back into the squall.

Yet another setback...and when they were so close…! As guilty as he feels, Kakashi does his best to shove the disappointment aside. It won’t do anything for him, now. Instead, he mulls over their conjecture, and the possible ways forward.

He wasn’t lying. This quest is one he will follow until the end. He made a promise to watch over her when he accepted Obito’s eye, and the burden Ryū’s mother gave him and Rin, both. Until he succeeds, or draws his last breath...he will follow.

...hold on, Ryū. I’m not out of this fight, yet. Don’t you dare give up…!

     Another day, another chapter! Technically finished last night buuut it was 2am, I was buggered, and I...waited until today to proofread! Then life got in the way, so here it is midafternoon :’D      BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT. We have PLOT DEVELOPMENT! The (very obvious) secret is out: Tobi is Obito! And he seems...off somehow. We also have some guesswork on Kumiko and Kakashi’s part about what EXACTLY is going on, and why. But there’s only one way to know for sure...they’re gonna have to do...MORE TRAVELING!      Because there isn’t enough of that in this fic, right? :’D      There’s...probably more to say but I’m hella scatterbrained today so that’s all the commentary for now. Hoping to start C13 sometime today, we’ll see how more Life goes. Cuz right now it’s kinda kicking my butt, but what else is new :’D      Anywhoozle, thankies for reading, and I’ll get the next part out soon!

[kemetic-dreams]

                                           HEAVEN & HELL

By Nora Amrani September, 1998

Most religions preach about heaven and hell, and how those who either do or do not believe in one thing or another will inevitably end up in one of these two places. What are hell and heaven? Are they real? Where are they? And who gets to go where?

Christianized Hell is portrayed as such a real and frightening place filled with monsters and Satan, where one is punished for their sins and suffers eternally. There is no way out. Oh, you know the pictures that have been painted by Dali and other artists depicting the burning pit where those not worthy of being recognized or loved by God are tossed, abandoned and tortured. Damned for eternity.

Heaven, on the other hand, is supposed to be eternal bliss. And only the very worthy end up in Heaven. With the stringent demands made on humans to be everything but human, (never mind seeing human as divine) while being constantly reminded that they are sinful and unworthy of heaven, heaven must be very under-populated. In fact, with all those rules to be met, I can't imagine one person being successfully led through those pearly gates! Can you? (No, not even Mother Theresa - she believed that she was less than divine, herself.)

FUN WITH ETYMOLOGY

Hell and heaven are very dramatically presented, aren't they? But do we even know what these words mean? Could it be we have all been fed non-sequiturs for centuries to the point where we no longer remember what these words really mean, therefore we live in constant confusion (like the Tower of Babel) because we don't properly use our language? Wow - just imagine what that does to our communcations on all levels with one another!

Hell: Prepare yourselves for a possible shock: The word 'hel' means 'light.' It also means 'earth.' Check your Germanic dictionaries if you don't believe me. In fact, check many languages and find the meaning of the word 'hell.' Some will say it means 'cover.' If hell is such a negative place, then why do we refer to the sun, who gives us life, warmth and nurtures us, as 'helios?" Perhaps the thought of diving into the sun would be hell, itself. Maybe that's how it all originated? But, realistically, you wouldn't even make it that close without first disintegrating. Ah, but then you'd become pure energy, pure light, just like the sun, itself! Your real essence, in other words. Why, we even used to worship* gods representing the sun's energy - Ra, ApolIo, for example. So, why would it be something to be feared and avoided, at all costs?

A 'demon in hell' can also be called a 'genius in the light.' Demon, or daemon, has conflicting meanings. It can mean our inner genius, divinity or genie. It is a word sharing the same root thing as 'diamond!' Some dictionaries say demons are inferior divinity or evil spirits. How can they be both? Both divine, genius and evil? Think about it. Do they not cancel one another out? Or, can we put all under one divine umbrella? What definitions have you been taught?

The horns on the devil are also used to depict great divine light emanating through the individual. Same thing was shown with Hathor, Moses, White Buffalo Woman. It is a positive symbol of higher consciousness and knowledge, not evil.

Devil comes from the Sanskrit world meaning 'deva,' which relates to the good angels of the Hindu pantheon. Were you taught that Satan means adversary or plotter? 'Adverse' meaning 'to turn towards?' After Zoroaster and the Persians conquered Hindu territory the conquerers miraculously transformed the Hindu gods into devils! So, the Hindu devas became the Persians devils.

If we look at the pattern of religious manipulation through language, the word "daemon" was changed into having a evil implication. "It was just more Christian propaganda used to brainwash the followers of the Greek and Roman religions into rejecting their old gods in favor of the newly created Christian character," as one scholar explains. This old ploy cunningly used good timing to coincide with the burning of millions of books; books which had they not been burned would have allowed people to see the truth of how they were being lied to. And the word 'evil' actually comes from the same root as the word 'apple,' which is 'upfel.' Who decided that apples were evil? The apple itself isn't evil.

Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky explains that Judaism talks of "Satan/devil," but it sees Satan as "...an agent of God, testing the sincerity of man's deeds, the strength of his convictions, and the stamina of his moral fiber. Although this so-called devil seems to entice man to do wrong, he is not inherently an evil being. Rather, he is conducting a "sting" operation; overtly enticing to bad, but in reality working for God. A cursory reading of the beginning of Job conveys that message: God sends out Satan to test Job's righteousness. Just as a dentist or doctor tests the firmness of a bone or flesh by probing it, just as the army tests the integrity and trustworthiness of its intelligence agents by tempting them, so too does God test man. A test reveals the inner worthiness of a person's deeds, demonstrating what they are really made of."

Heaven: Could this word come from 'heave' - meaning to toss, lift or raise? Those lofty ideas. No doubt it does. And what about 'heavy,' meaning 'weighty.' This can get to be lots of fun, eh? 'Ven' means 'air.' 'Ven' can also be 'van,' which means 'sail,' 'wing,' 'basket,' and it can be a shovel used in testing ore; and of course, it now means a type of large vehicle capable of transporting many people. The more accurate root of "heaven" comes from "haven." The word "heaven" also has its roots in Hebrew in "ha'shamayim," which means "the skies," " high places." Maybe you can come up with some other meanings for it. See the conflicts over and over in modern language?

Worship...another interesting word. "War" means literally "war," or "where," and "ship" meaning a "state" or "condition." The word religion is interesting, too. "Re" means "back," or "again," or even "in reference to." "Legion" is "a body of infantry in the ancient Roman army"; or "vast host." Re-legion. Armies of God in a war ship? Is religion about war? Or hosts of God?

Now that the brief etymology portion is over, let's get into the other areas of what these words have come to mean to a great many people in the religious and social sense. In fact, they have come to dictate and control much of our beliefs and lives.

AN ANCIENT STORY OF THE FALLEN ANGELS

The ideas of Satan and fallen angels are our own planetary collective consciousness' idea of viewing things negatively. One explanation is that it represents the fall of ourselves into this dimension of materiality and polarity, forgetting our divine selves and our spirituality. Satan is backwards for "natas" - which later became "nahash" the serpent. So, what everyone THOUGHT was evil, is actually the opposite. That term is related to the Sirian-Anunnaki being, Enki, in the following:

The archetypal, mythological concept of fallen angels originated approximately 450,000 years ago when the last of the extraterrestrial beings from a satellite planet named Nibiru, known on Earth as the Anunnaki, (a group of Lyran off-shoots who stemmed from one of their more infamous members, Anu, Enki, Enlil, Inanna, etc.), had their final expedition to Earth and, in a sense, left one group "stranded" here. Since the Anunnaki were known as "the gods," and these "gods" came from the heavens and were seen as being angels because of their amazing abilities and longevity. There were conficts between the Anunnaki themselves. Nefilim, or "those who came down," is another way of talking about this group of the Anunnaki. Some of the Anunnaki wanted humans to see them as God and did not honor free will. For this they were punished and expelled from certain galactic federations. This is where the idea of the fallen angels originally came from and various accounts of it are found in the Bahgavad Gita, the bibles and other cultural origin stories.

Enki was known as the serpent of wisdom, healing and life who had a great hand in creation, the waters of life (sperm, DNA, etc.) i.e., the Garden of Eden. Enki was frequently humanity's supporter. Biblical writers called the healing serpent Nehushtan. The Hebrew word for serpent is "nahash." The root of the word are the Hebrew letters Nun, Het and Shin, which means "to guess." This was translated into other languages as "satan," which some say mean "enemy," or "adversary."

Enki's identity, as Lord of Earth or In Earth (EN.KI), and EA (whose house is water) is reflected in other names, as well: Adonai, Aton, Aten, Adom, Adam, Amen. (Linguistic paleontology is a marvelous and vast area for proving these connections.) The name EARTH also comes from EA/Enki. Actually, the name "human" can be traced to Enki (a.k.a. EA) and his half-sister and wife, the chief geneticist Ninti (the mother goddess of all life). HU is a transliteration of the ancient Sumerian EA (Grimms' law of interchangeable letters and sounds). HU was also Horus, by the way. So a human is an EAman.

In India, the "nagas" were the serpent gods/goddesses. In the Americas there was Quetzlcoatl (Enki/Thoth). The entire world has worshipped the serpent for its wisdom, but ironically, it was not really about snakes at all - unless you feel you have to "guess" what a snake is up to! Why was the snake chosen? For its cleverness, ability to survive in the harshest of environments, and again, its shape resembling the flow of energy up the spine - to the crown chakra, and the third eye. And perhaps because it naturally instilled a bit of caution or awe in people. Was Enki really a snake? No, not literally.

THE REALITY

Both heaven and hell are places created with those of like mind and emotions - thoughts and feelings so intense that it creates a vortex of bioelectomagnetic energy so concentrated that it densifies and materializes. This material form can be ectoplasmic or physical. It takes on the form of the creator's beliefs. This form resonates with like energies, drawing them to one another. (Like attracts like.) This, then, creates a larger vortex of the same energy. And it keeps growing and building and desiring it's life to be continually fed. This, then, becomes a real gathering place.

Yes, heaven does exist. But it is a very complex dimension with many options. Many people experience it with the smell of flowers, with music, and always with lots of love. There is a gathering place for souls getting ready to make their transition from their physical form into spirit, and for those who have just crossed over. There are healing rooms. There are educational rooms. It offers freedom of choice to wherever your soul wants to learn and you plan your next move there.

Hell actually is a dimension of energy that is created by self-judgement and condemnation, ergo punishment. Its essence is fear and forgetfulness of love and light. It's energy contains fear, anger, powerlessness, (including guilt, martyrdom, pain, sadness), and it is a very difficult place from which to escape because it builds on itself. It is a very sad and dark place and even though there are many souls there, it feels so lonely. Ironically, the fear of being in what people believe to be hell may actually create that kind of hell, itself.

In the case of "hell," the only way these energies can be nourished is by having more of the same energy filling it up, adding more fuel to the fire. In order to stay alive it seeks out its food in many ways. Finding a weakness, such as addiction, within a person to attach itself to is one way. Attaching to the little bit of belief in that individual it can use for its own survival. And it can also be utilized by people performing certain rituals to get a life force that can be manipulated and directed. You see, the life force, the energy, never dies. It changes form, and its form can be intentionally changed. These energies will seek out others and build on itself unless we become conscious of them and choose to release them through other avenues. There are ways out of hell, but it often requires help from the other dimensions helping a soul remember love and personal empowerment, choice, freedom.

Be it heaven or hell, we create our reality through our experiences, our thoughts, beliefs, imagination, words, and our desire, and will. One way we can become conscious of how and what we create is through meditation, or going within and contacting the God within ourselves. We always have the choice whether to create our own heaven or hell wherever we are. And that creation begins nowhere else except from within ourselves.

[nadziejastar]

Why Lea and Isa Needed to Heal Each Other’s Pain With the Power of Waking

“The mind forgets, but the heart will always remember. And what is the heart's memory but love itself?” — Twan Eng Tan

Aqua: “It's the power of true love that defeated you.”

Maleficent: “I will not be defeated by something as insignificant as love.”

Aqua: “You don't even know the first thing about it. You're too clouded by darkness to see that there's something greater.”

Besides Lea and Isa, I also really love Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Terra and Aqua’s relationship also felt romantic to me. Along with Axel, she sounds like she’s speaking from experience when she mentions love — romantic love. But that’s just how I personally interpreted it. Since Aqua is one of the wisest and most mature characters in the series, I didn’t have trouble believing her when she talked about the power of love.

“All that’s left in my heart is misery and despair, and I want you to feel it!”

Her love for Terra is so great that it leads her to sacrifice herself. She doesn’t just retrieve him from the abyss; she stays in his place. Unlike Terra, Aqua didn’t have a problem controlling her darkness. She was filled with light. Yet, purely out of love for Terra, she chose to take on the burden of his darkness and despair, instead of letting him suffer alone. She didn’t have to. She wouldn’t have fallen into darkness on her own. She chose to.

Ven: “Whatever it takes. Anything to save Terra and Aqua.”

Vanitas: “Hmph, it's always about your friends, isn't it?”

Ven: “At least I have some! I've become a part of their heart, just as they've become a part of mine. My friends are my power...and I'm theirs!”

It was Terra and Aqua who helped Ventus heal after Xehanort failed at turning him into a vessel. Ventus’ heart collapsed the first time. He didn’t fight back and he became a lifeless doll. The second time around, he had the strength to willingly accept the total annihilation of his existence, all to save his two friends. Although Xehanort said he was too frail and benign to be a good vessel, I think he was wrong. His heart just needed someone to fight for.

“Aqua, Ven... One day I will set this right.”

Terra starts off thinking he just wants to be stronger, but as soon as he lets his heart do the talking, his thoughts always turn to his loved ones. The only way Xehanort can make someone his vessel is to fracture their soul, but not break their heart. Most of the subjects he tried this on during his experiments suffered the total collapse of their heart. Only very rare individuals have a heart strong enough to endure that level of darkness. Of course, the heart’s strength is totally dependent on one’s relationships with others. In order for the heart to not break, you need to have a bond that is so strong, it can withstand even the shattering of your soul.

“I’m not afraid of what the darkness holds now. Even if you do wrest control of my heart from me, even if you cast me in the deepest, darkest abyss, you’ll never sway me from the one cause that pushes me to keep on fighting. Whatever the cost, I’m ready to pay it.” 

You need to love another so much that you can stare down the deepest, darkest abyss for their sake. You need self-sacrificing love. That’s what Terra, Aqua, and Ven had. Terra had a purpose, a vow he made to his friends to set things right. The strength of his heart is initially what caused him to be used as a vessel, but it was also the strength of his heart that allowed him to wrest control from Xehanort and finally set things right.

Joshua: “By ourselves, we're no one. It's when other people look at us and see someone — that's the moment we each start to exist. All they needed was for someone to see them, connect with them.”

And while I thought the Wayfinder Trio had a mostly (but not completely) satisfying story, I cannot say the same about Lea and Isa’s story arc. The main theme of Kingdom Hearts 3 was supposed to be "ending hurt". But the story never addressed either of them healing their pain. I think Lea and Isa were supposed to have a relationship just as meaningful as Terra, Aqua, and Ven's. 

This isn’t even about personal shipping preferences (as much as I do ship them). I believe that the writers had something very beautiful planned for Lea and Isa’s relationship, but it turned out quite differently than how it was originally envisioned. Their relationship seemed to be heavily inspired by the concept of Twin Flames or Twin Souls. Same-sex ones at that, which is refreshingly unique in fiction. Twin Flames are the key to healing each other's pain.

Axel: “Love is what happens when there’s something really special between people.”

Roxas: “More special than friends? Like…if they’re best friends? Inseparable?”

Axel: “Well, you can care about your friends, but that’s not exactly it…”

The concept of having a “Twin Flame” originated in Plato’s mythic dialogue entitled “The Symposium” which wrote that human beings originally had two faces, four arms, and four legs. Under the threat of being overpowered, the gods split them in half, creating the humans we see today. Hence, it is thought that we all have one “twin” soul out there in the world. Twin Flames are a divine expression of Balance, Harmony, and Unconditional Love. 

A Twin Flame, or Twin Soul, is a person who you feel connected to not just on a physical and emotional level, but also on a spiritual level. Twin Flames are our friends, our lovers, and our teachers. They are the yins to our yangs, the suns to our moons, and the light to our darkness. Twin Flames are also our mirrors in that they reflect back to us all of our hidden fears and shadows, but also our true inner beauty and strength. In this way, Twin Flames open the door to tremendous emotional, psychological, and spiritual growth. 

Put simply, the purpose of the Twin Flame relationship is to help shed away the snakeskin of the ego, face and heal both of their wounded hearts, and transform each other into awakened beings. The love experienced between Twin Flames is said to be like Holy Fire: it burns you to ashes, but it also forges you into a new creature, like a Phoenix emerging out of the dust. Twin Flames have a reputation for coming in and out of your life. Or often some outside force stands in the way of you being together. But it seems like you’re always pulled back to them in one way or another.

“Go on, you just keep running. No matter how many times you leave, I’ll bring you back. Every time.”

Twin Flame relationships are notorious for what is called the “runner and chaser dynamic”. The chaser waits for the return of the runner, having the patience of a saint while working on their own issues as each day goes by. During this period, the chaser is hoping that the runner wakes up to their spiritual call, while at the same time healing their own past wounds. Twin Souls may share only a brief moment in time, but the chaser keeps the faith that one day their counterpart will reach out again. Months or years go by…and then… one day...they call. 

Rhyme: Aw, it's no big deal. You know what they always say — "Sometimes memories just need a little help getting out."

The runner does not understand what’s happening to them on a spiritual level. They feel like they’re losing control over their own emotions. They don’t know what to do, so their natural reaction is to run away, and chasing after them only makes them run even more. Inner healing is crucial for this type of journey to even have a chance of working out. Reuniting with your Twin Soul requires patience, and lot of inner work is necessary to be ready for them.

“And if the darkness gets ya, I promise I'll bail you out. "Dark Rescue" is my middle name.”

Well, Lea is definitely the chaser. And what could possibly be considered more “running away” than going to the Realm of Sleep? Soul fragmentation is the ultimate form of running away. You literally leave material reality because you cannot handle the pain of conscious awareness anymore. Someone else has to enter the darkest parts of your subconscious and chase down all the broken pieces of your soul just to bring you back. The main theme of Lea and Isa’s relationship is “memory”. I think Lea was going to be the one to heal Isa by using the power of waking on him and in doing so, he would be healed as well. Bringing back a person’s fragmented soul is all about healing and unconditional love.

Naminé: “Some people think pain is something you can just wipe away — and sometimes, maybe, you can. But not all pain can be erased. The only way to deal with it is to accept it head-on. And if the hurt is too great for you to bear it alone — well, then you turn to a friend close to your heart.” 

Saix has two weapons of the same shape called Light Year (a reference to Axel’s famous quote about red light) and Luminary, which is how the ancients referred to the Sun and Moon. Luminary is one of only two weapons he can upgrade to ++ status. And it is shaped like common depictions of Reiki, one which looks like an angel. Reiki is a Japanese healing technique based on the principle that someone can channel their energy into the afflicted person by means of touch, activate the natural healing processes of their body and restore their physical and emotional well-being. In Reiki, the color of a person’s aura has a specific meaning and so do colored healing gemstones.

The aura is gold, which is the strongest color to help cure all ailments. It nourishes the whole being — body, heart, and soul. It is useful for healing and mental clarity. It is simple and gentle. Gold also represents awakened spiritual power and energy. When an abundance of gold is found in the aura, the person radiates and glows, becoming like the Sun. Spiritual masters who achieve this level of enlightenment see their auras fully restored and they are able to radiate energy to heal others as well. Just like Kairi did for Sora. The weapon has a red tip. Red jasper stones are about protection, stability and security. I have no doubt that this weapon represents what Lea is to Isa.

Xaldin: “To hold something dear is to let it hold you. His heart is in thrall to it, don't you see? And that, Roxas, is ample weakness.”

In 358/2 Days, the Mystery Gear’s description is: “A weapon that draws forth its wielder's personality.” Saix’s version of this weapon is called Moon Rabbit. The story referenced by Saix’s weapon is called The Hare on the Moon.  

Morals from The Jataka: The Hare on the Moon

Long ago, the Buddha was reborn as a hare. The hare had three friends–a monkey, a jackal, and an otter. The Lord of Heaven was watching the four friends from his great palace on the peak of Mount Meru, and one day, he decided to test their virtue. The Lord of Heaven took the form of a priest, and he went to the otter and said "Friend, I am hungry. I need food before I can perform my priestly duties. Can you help me?”  And the otter offered the priest the seven fish he had gathered for his own meal.

Then the priest went to the jackal and said "Friend, I am hungry. I need food before I can perform my priestly duties. Can you help me?” And the jackal offered the priest the lizard and curdled milk he had planned to have for his own meal. Then the priest went to the monkey, and said “Friend, I am hungry. I need food before I can perform my priestly duties. Can you help me?” And the monkey offered the priest the juicy mangoes he had looked forward to eating himself.

Then the priest went to the hare and asked for food, but the hare had no food but the lush grass growing in the forest. So the hare told the priest to build a fire, and when the fire was burning, he said “I have nothing to give you to eat but myself!” Then, the hare threw himself into the fire.

The Lord of Heaven, still disguised as a priest, was astonished and deeply moved. He caused the fire to go instantly cold so that the hare was not burned, and then revealed his true form to the selfless little hare. “Dear hare,” he said, “By your great virtue you have been spared! The earth will forever remember you and this act of sacrifice you have committed.” And then The Lord of Heaven painted the wise hare’s likeness on the pale face of the Moon for all to see. 

The Lord of Heaven returned to his home on Mount Meru, and the four friends lived long and happily in their beautiful forest. And to this day, those who look up at the Moon can see the image of the selfless hare.

Xemnas: “The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though...we will have gained power over it! Never again will it...have power over us.”

Since this weapon in particular is said to represent the wielder’s personality, let’s examine it. The rocket and the rabbit are emanating an indigo aura, conveying integrity, devotion, deep sincerity, and wisdom. But the rocket’s occupant has a black aura. A black aura is one of the few auras that is predominantly negative. Typically, having a black aura means your natural aura is being stifled. The black aura consumes your natural aura and suppresses it, making it easier to feel hopeless and trapped. It is not the "real" you.

But the path to the moon is white. And so is the space inside the crescent moon where the star (representing the sun) would go. White represents purity and is the color most resistant to corruption. The aura on the moon is pale yellow, meaning renewed hope for the future. The rocket is taking off straight from a heart gemstone that is pink, implying that the rocket was launched by an act of love. Even the bottom of the rocket is a turquoise stone, offering protection from corruption. So much meaning in one design. And the design matches the story perfectly.

Why would the writers choose that as the weapon representing Saix’s personality unless they had a vastly different story in mind for him originally? It sounds like it would have nothing to do with him in canon. It would make sense if Isa had been “Subject X”, though. The sole test subject who didn’t have his heart collapse, causing him to become Xehanort’s unwilling vessel. I think the last thing on Isa’s mind before his soul fractured was his friend. And he was willing to sacrifice himself for Lea, out of love. And I think this is the reason that, unlike everyone else who was experimented on, his heart didn’t break. The moral of The Hare on the Moon is that unselfish love will be rewarded with a joyful rebirth. And that’s an important theme in KH3 as well. It’s how Rapunzel brings Eugene back and how Elsa brings Anna back.

A promise… We’ll meet again…in the next life. We did say that. I remember. I remember our promise.

Which is the exact same message that Lea’s Keyblade has. The Flame Liberator is based on the Phoenix. It builds its nest, which at the same time is its funeral pyre, and then it cremates itself. But it arises anew from the ashes transformed. In alchemy, the solar bird represents the idea that the end is only the beginning and is a symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone. 

“As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

According to ancient lore, the process of death and rebirth happens in four stages, called Magnum Opus. The process of creating a Philosopher’s Stone involved taking a White Stone (the Moon) and turning it red. The stages are called Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo. Both Axel and Saix have weapons that are based on these stages, going along with their respective character arcs.

“I don’t want to disappear…But still, it wouldn’t be so bad if I did. Not here.”

In alchemy, Nigredo, or blackness, means putrefaction or decomposition. Axel’s weapon is called Blaze of Glory. It represents the Phoenix’s self-immolation and also the idea of leaving behind a lasting impression before your departure.

Axel: We just exist. We are Nobodies. But your memories and existence end here. Aren’t you happy?

Vexen: S-Stop! I don’t want to-

Axel: Well, see you.

It represents the moment of maximum despair a person experiences; the dark night of the soul when everything seems hopeless. That darkness is a prerequisite to personal development. His words to Vexen are, in a way, referring to himself. Lea has lost everything he ever cared about. The past is gone forever. Like Aqua, he was trying to share that misery and despair with others.

“That's absurd. He won nothing, and IS nothing. He couldn't stand the emptiness of being without a heart. And THAT led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.”

Saix’s weapons are emanating a purple aura, the most sensitive and wisest of colors. This is the intuitive color in the aura, and reveals psychic power and attunement with the self. But, like the bunny’s rocket, these weapons also have a black aura. Black draws energy to it and in so doing, transforms it. It captures light and consumes it. A black aura can indicate possession by a negative entity as well as unreleased grief. The stone on the tip is black tourmaline, which is used to release negativity and blockages and gives powerful shielding and grounding.

The weapon called Orbit has a sun symbol ☉ in the middle with a Recusant’s Sigil over the sun. The Moon and Earth orbit the Sun. Like the Phoenix, the lunar phase symbolizes the constant alternation of birth and death, creation and destruction. This weapon represents the death stage.  

"Do you know what happens to those who lose their true purpose? Inevitably, they destroy themselves."

The other weapon is named Balsamic Moon. This is the symbol that Isa wears on his jacket. It is the final stage of the moon, symbolizing the death of Isa himself. Something is subconsciously gnawing away at Saix. Deep down he is utterly miserable. He thinks it's because he has no heart. I think it’s because Isa’s captured heart is wounded and in a lot of pain. It can’t stand the emptiness of losing its purpose. There’s a yellow stone on the weapon, called citrine. It carries the energies of sun as well as radiates warmth and comforting energies.

Axel and I talked for a while about the things we can't bear to lose. Axel thinks that for Nobodies, it's our pasts, because that's all we have to remember the pain of losing something.

The second stage is Albedo, meaning "whiteness". The goal of this portion of the process is to regain the original purity and receptivity of the soul. Burnout is the name of Axel’s weapon. 

Xemnas: “About Axel. The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.”

Burnout is a state of chronic stress that leads to physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, detachment, feelings of ineffectiveness, and a lack of accomplishment. I think this fits Axel pretty well after he becomes a complete person again. So often, it seems like things will never work out for him. But he never gives up.

Xigbar: Xemnas and Xehanort formed the Organization for a specific reason--round up a bunch of empty husks, hook them up to Kingdom Hearts, then fill them all with the exact same heart and mind. Translation — they were gonna turn all the members into Xehanort.

Saix’s weapons are Crescent and Gibbous. Both are shaped like the Phoenix’s wings. The crescent phases are about letting go of the past and turning one’s thoughts and attention to the future. Crescent is shaped like ⚸, the symbol for Black Moon Lilith. Technically speaking, the Black Moon Lilith is a mathematical point that's exactly in between the earth and the moon. Essentially, it's empty space. Isa has been turned into an empty vessel for Xehanort.

Xehanort: "X"... A most ancient letter. Some say "kye," but the meaning is the same. Death... A letter that spells endings.

The gibbous moon is the final stop before the full moon. It’s the homestretch. It symbolizes a time when you are so close to achieving your goal. This phase is about refinement and gratitude. The stones on the weapon are gray agate. Agate raises self-awareness, stabilizes the aura, transforms negative energy, and is a powerful conduit of spirit. This stone heals anger and lack of self worth, and enhances emotional stability.

“So you don’t need a heart to have something that you can’t bear to lose then. If that’s true, then I guess the closest thing that we Nobodies have would be memories of our past. It’s the memories that create the things that we don’t want to lose.You know, memories of the stuff we couldn't bear to lose, back when we couldn't bear to lose it.”

Citrinitas, is the third stage, meaning "yellowness." In alchemy it stands for the "transmutation of silver into gold" or the "yellowing of the lunar consciousness." The dawning of the "solar light" inherent in one's being. The weapon is named Outbreak — the sudden or violent start of something unwelcome. The final battle. I think the real reason Lea kept wearing his Organization cloak is because he could never be truly free of Organization XIII until Isa was free, too. They joined together, and Lea would only leave if it was together.

Roxas: I found out about love on today's mission — that it's something powerful.

Axel: That's true. It is. But I'll never get to experience it.

Just like with Aqua, I got the feeling that he has been in love before. Axel was optimistic when he spoke about cherishing memories of the past. But when Roxas brought up love, his attitude darkened. It depressed him to think he’d never experience that special kind of love again. 

“Inside people's memories, I can live forever.” 

The two weapons of Saix are Crocea Mors and Werewolf. Crocea Mors means “Yellow Death” in Latin. It was the sword of Julius Caesar, which was said to kill anyone it struck. Citrinitas is the “dawning of the solar consciousness”. The weapons have a yellow aura, the color of awakening. That’s why I think this is the scene where Saix would have remembered his true purpose. The irony of Xemnas calling Axel a fool shows itself here. The gemstone on Crocea Mors is azurite, which promotes insight, justice, and concentration. The one on Werewolf is red jasper again.

Sora: “...No. The hurt is what reminds me I've forgotten. It's proof there's something there, something...important. I won't run from it. It'll stay in my heart until the day I remember again.”

Axel spent all of 358/2 Days thinking Isa forgot him, but the only reason his heart never collapsed is because he didn’t forget him. Saix may remember Lea with his mind, but he doesn’t with his heart. With Berserk Saix, it’s the opposite. His heart had a purpose; a reason to keep existing. That was the very reason he was used as a vessel in the first place. But just like the selfless hare, that act of selflessness is also what saved his heart from breaking.

“Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.” 

Rubedo or "redness", is the final stage of magnum opus. Both gold and the Philosopher's Stone were associated with the color red. It’s the point when a person discovers their true nature. The Phoenix symbolizes the Rubedo stage and it represents the freeing of the spirit from the bounds of the physical.

Saix’s red (er, pink — close enough) weapons are Moonset and Horoscope. Moonset is the weapon that is shaped like ⚶, the astrological symbol of Vesta. She was a Roman Goddess known as “The Keeper of the Sacred Flame”. The ⚶ is a symbol of the creative flame encompassing sacred sexuality, chastity, devotion & vigilance. The eternal flame that she protected never diminished, for she was guardian of hearth and home, family and community. 

Roxas: What is it that you're so afraid of? 

Riku: Huh? Hmm... Losing something that's important.

Horoscope combines the astrological symbol for Cancer ♋ with the astrological symbol for Venus ♀. Cancer is “The Sheltered Crab” of the zodiac represented by the Moon. Those born under this sign are very modest, shy, and extremely emotional individuals. Venus was the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. 

The silver gemstone represents protection. Both of these weapons radiate a pink aura. In Reiki, pink light represents the energy of love and has a very high vibration. It is tender, sensitive, sensual, affectionate, pure, and compassionate; it is associated with a new or newly revived romantic relationship. Pink light is soft and brings about gentle yet powerful healing. Red is the color of light that travels the farthest. This color heals Isa’s pain. But pink is the color of light that can heal Lea’s pain. The pain of losing something that’s important. 

Ventus: “What is the one thing you care about more than anything else?"

Riku: “Hmm... My close friends.”

The Red King and White Queen are another symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone, along with the Phoenix. Their union is called the alchemical marriage. In alchemy, 🜍 sulfur represents Sol, the fiery male element. The counterpart is ☿ mercury representing Luna, the female element. Their marriage represents the spiritual goal of alchemy. Saix has a weapon named King of the Night shaped like a combination of 🜍 and ☿. The weapon has a silver base, the color of mercury. It has an indigo aura, indicating sensitivity to others’ energy, clarity and communication. The tip is aquamarine, meaning determination, courage, enlightenment, spiritual awareness and success. Perfect for using the power of waking on someone he cares about, like a close friend.

Xion: “Riku. What do you wish?”

Riku: “More questions... All right... I wish...to recover something important that I lost.”

Saix also has another weapon called Queen of the Night. The weapon has a yellow aura; the color of sulfur. It is aquamarine, also representing courage, determination, strength, communication, and success. The gemstone is aragonite for peace and calm. The name refers to a white flower that is part of the cactus family. It is one of the rarest and most expensive flowers in the world. It only blooms for one night a year, then it closes again when the sun rises. 

This flower tends to bloom on days of a full moon, and thus is sometimes called the Flower from the Moon or Flower from the Heavens. It has a rich history in Japan, where it is known as the “Gekka Bijin” or “Beautiful Woman Under the Moonlight”. It is said that any wish prayed for while the flower is blooming will be fulfilled. Well, all Lea really wished for was to go back to the past. To once again experience the happiness that only existed in his memories. To recover something important that he lost.

Ansem the Wise: “Then, you came here, and you were questioned by three young people. That was the final key to awaken him. Sora is awake. You can go home now.”

The three questions were a test. Love is the key to use the power of waking. In the Realm of Sleep, time does not flow. The individual’s consciousness is forever frozen in time, until they are healed by someone who loves them. After their “birth by sleep”, a person is restored to exactly the same state as when they fell asleep. Like the hare on the moon, Isa’s selflessness would never be forgotten and he'd be reborn, just as he was before. And this is exactly how Isa would heal Lea’s pain. Simply by being the same person Lea remembered him to be. Or at least, that’s what I think should have happened.

Ansem the Wise: “So many are still waiting for their new beginning. Their Birth by Sleep.”

Isa’s entire character arc was meant to be about being brought back to life by Lea. When he was a kid, the symbol on his jacket was a waning crescent, the final phase of the moon symbolizing death and endings. In the ending, the new symbol on his jacket is a waxing crescent which is the first phase of the moon symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings. The star and crescent is a symbol signifying the union of the sun and moon, complementary opposites.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day One Hundred Seventy-Six: Show No Fear ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina, blood, gore ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ AO3 Link ]

Though not one of the land’s monster hunters, Sasuke’s come face to face with a beast or two in his time. While nothing’s ever been a true terror - a gryphon, or an ogre, for example - he’s whetted his blade with beastly blood more than once.

He’d considered doing so on contract before setting out with his current band of companions. A way to make some coin to help his family, perhaps find a decent herbalist or medic for his brother. He’s been skilled with a blade since young, and a bow too when the time calls for it. Add in his igni bloodline, and he’s a formidable foe for many a creature: even those with ven like his own.

But instead, he’s been traveling with a group of other ven wielders: his brother, a lux mage to heal him, and an aqua mage. All in order to get back to the abandoned capital of the lands once claimed by the disciples of Luxeria.

And their travels haven’t been all a cake walk. Not by any means. Bandits plague the roads, cities are hosts of dangers, and even beasts have taken the odd shot at them. Mostly common creatures like wolves or bears, but regardless, each is a threat in its own right. Itachi attempts to aid him, but his lingering illness stunts his stamina and strength. The light elf has mighty defenses, but...no real way to attack. Nor does she want to, given her deity’s call for nonviolence. 

That leaves the water mage. He’s been slowly teaching her about their elemental energies and how to harness them, but her actual experience is still lacking. Much to her chagrin.

“What about a blade?”

“What?”

“Can you teach me to wield a blade?”

Sasuke perks a dark brow at her. “...do you really want to?”

“Well I need some way to defend myself in the meantime, until I can better call upon water!”

That earns a snort. “It will take just as long to learn swordplay. There’s no easy path, Hinata. No shortcuts.”

“Then I just need more training!”

“I’ve been teaching you as much as I can. But travel makes us all weary, and we can’t get overly tired. If a threat shows up -”

“You need to be ready, I know, I know…” She huffs a curt breath. “...I still managed to slay that ogre.”

“That was a stroke of luck.”

“No it wasn’t!”

“Yes, it was. Are you telling me you feel like you could do that again and again without fail? No mistakes? No hesitation?”

Her pause is telling enough.

“...you need more training before you can take more of a mantle in the group’s defense.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

“I can’t give you more time than I already am, Hinata. It’s all limited. Time, energy, safety to sit and frolic with magic. I appreciate the want to help, but I can handle it.”

That earns him a cold shoulder that night, everyone too tired to spare time for training, saved instead for taking watches.

The next time they do manage to set aside some time to practice, she’s steely-faced and determined, listening with rapt attention. At first, he can’t help but be a little amused. Seeing Hinata so...serious is a far cry from her typical character. Sure, she can be stubborn...but this is a whole new level.

...she really does want to master her element.

Half an hour into their lesson, taking a break for water, Sasuke holds up a hand to beg for silence. Keen eyes of red flicker to the nearby treeline, pointed ears perking with attention.

Something is out there.

The pair hold completely still, listening. At first...nothing. But then a twig snaps, and their eyes both flicker to the sound. Two orbs glow in the shadows of the boughs, watching them.

“...don’t panic,” he murmurs, moving slowly to set aside his canteen. Instead, he grips the hilt of his blade. “Show no fear. If we hesitate...it will attack.” He still can’t yet see whatever’s lurking in the wood, but his gut tells him it’s nothing friendly.

“...what should I do?”

“Be prepared to run. I’ll distract it.”

“But- ?”

“But...nothing. Do as I say, Hinata.”

For a moment she swells in indignation, but pauses as a low hiss echoes from between the trunks. Then there’s a rustle. That’s got to be scales...a few different beasts flicker through his mind, but what emerges isn’t among them.

Twelve above...it’s a naga.

Serpentine body slithering across the grass, she gives another hiss, jaw hanging open to an unsettling degree: unhinged and waiting to sink fangs into their flesh. Claw-tipped fingers spread, reaching eagerly. It’s clear enough: she’s risking a confrontation in the hopes of a meal.

Sasuke’s grip tightens on the hilt of his blade, drawn to his front and glinting in the fading afternoon sun. “...get back to camp. Warn the others. I’ll try to stop it here.”

“I can help -!”

“Yeah, you can. By going back.”

Body winding, the naga tenses before using the tightened muscles to spring across the remaining distance. The mages leap apart, forcing her attention to split...but not for long. Loosing a volley of fire, Sasuke draws her gaze to him with a taunt.

“This way! Your business is with me, monster…!” Even now he doesn’t succumb to any fear, staring into the beast’s eyes with a glower of his own.

Giving another hiss, she makes to loom toward him, only to screech, back tensing. Behind her, wielding water like a whip, Hinata drives the element against her back. As the monster turns, Sasuke gets a view of the nasty welt along the skin of her human torso.

Does this woman never listen to him?! Ever?!

Spewing oaths under his breath, he trades his blade for his bow, setting the string and nocking an arrow. One zings through the air, skimming his enemy’s arm and earning a cry.

The next bolt, drawn quickly, whizzes past her head as she lowers to the ground, sliding along both bellies toward him with alarming speed. Sasuke throws his bow over his shoulder, drawing a dagger at his hip. He counters several slashes of her deadly claws, swiping at her face in an attempt to drive her back.

“Hey!”

Hinata’s cry goes ignored...until a tug yanks the naga backward. Water encases the lower third of her tail, guided by Hinata’s ven. Teeth grit in a snarl, she gives a mighty roar, every ounce of her strength whipping the creature back over. Hands attempt to slow her movement, but the naga is hurtled against a tree, spine concussed around the trunk and knocking the wind from her.

Taking his chance, Sasuke draws his bow once more, firing a bolt. It lands dead center in her gut, an ear-splitting shriek cutting through the air. Ignoring it, he follows up several more until she goes limp.

The mortal pair pant, Hinata making to cautiously approach.

“Don’t.”

Looking back, she watches him draw his sword.

“...kill a snake, and it can still bite.” Aiming his blade, he decapitates the creature with one swift strike.

The jaw gives several searching bites, uttering a last hiss before going still.

Hinata stares in horror.

Clearing the gore from his weapon, Sasuke then retrieves his arrows and does the same with their heads before tucking everything back into place. “...what part of ‘run’ do you not understand?”

“I saved you. Again. When are you going to stop doubting me?” Hinata counters, exasperated. “I might be a novice, but it’s clear I’m doing s-something right!”

Sheathing his sword, Sasuke scowls. “...you still lack experience. Which means you lack the knowledge to predict a fight well enough to last in one for long. One wrong move, and you could be dead.”

“And how else can I garner experience than by fighting?”

“A naga is not a beginner’s foe!”

“Well we handled it, didn’t we?”

He breathes a curt sigh through his nose, ears pinning. “...you don’t need to throw yourself into every lick of danger. There’s a difference between showing no fear, and disregarding it completely. Fear isn’t something to ignore - it’s something to temper. Being wary will keep you alive. Acting as though you have nothing to lose? Nothing to fear? Is a surefire way to end up dead.”

“...but I wasn’t afraid.”

“And why not?”

She stares at him. “...because you were with me.”

That...leaves him without a retort.

Seeing as much, Hinata moves to collect her gear. “...we better head back. We’ll need rest after...all of that. And we need to make sure the others are okay. There might be something else skulking around wanting to k-kill us.”

Watching her incredulously, Sasuke just shakes his head...and follows.

                                                          .oOo.

     Looong day, so I'll be brief.      More of my original fantasy verse! A random, middle-of-the-story one. That verse hasn't really been in any particular order like some of the others...whoops. Just some random training between mages, no big deal. It's just a naga. No biggie. Nobody got hurt, so...win-win, right?      C'mon, Sasuke: stop being such a stick in the mud lol      Anywho...that's all I've got, aha~ Thanks for reading!

[jujuoh]

I never actually posted the little story behind the demon/priest flareshipping thing did I? I was just gonna type out something short and quick but the details got away from me. tl;dr seto becomes a priest to look for mokuba, summons atem for help and accidentally summons yugi too. the nun garbs are easier to hide the horns, tails, and wings under while they help him.

It’s like, not quite modern day, just far enough ago that travelling from Japan to Europe would generally be done by boat and land bc there were no planes. 

circa 1875 CE, Japan, Meiji Restoration

Seto and Mokuba still get sent to an orphanage, and Mokuba gets adopted by a visiting Englishman without Seto, who tells him to go with and that he promises to find him, because it would be a better life than staying in the orphanage. 

Seto almost ages out of the system when some travelling missionaries happen to come through town, but secretly they’re actually demon hunters/exorcists on a mission (though of course every country has their own ways of dealing with demons, sometimes if the demons are foreign, they need foreign magic to help stop them. In this instance, a coastal city in Japan was having issues with Scottish kelpies of all things. Wherever they went, they teamed up with the local demon hunters as well). The group stopped by the orphanage both to keep up appearances but also scout for talent, and catch wind of a really smart, stubborn kid named Seto who sounds like a perfect apprentice. 

Seto agrees to go with them because they can promise to take him to Europe where he can search for his little brother. He finds out later about the demon hunter thing but doesn’t believe them, until he watches them do their job - unless a demon wants to be seen, it can’t be, unless you force-reveal or see it with magic of some sort. The power (both magical and influential), the control, and the ability to help people (though he won’t admit it) attracts him and he eagerly begins learning. Though he tends to feel like if the person is a douchebag they deserve their demon problem (his guardians try to teach it out of him to varying degrees of success)

It takes ages to get to Europe, and they do missions (from angels, messages from the vatican, towns they pass where there are problems they can solve, a few memorable times from other demons), and teach him along the way - surprisingly about many different religions, not just catholicism, as well as many different languages which he picks up quickly. The lessons about different demons and magic and curses were the most interesting: different places in the world have different supernatural beings, matching up with the different religious stories and mythology, and so of course they needed different magicks and tactics to defeat, release, or otherwise overcome. They attempted regular schooling too but Seto was already at or above their levels, so instead they taught him everything they knew. They taught him how to sew and weave, how to shoe a horse, fix a boat, cook, clean, among various other things.

circa 1880 CE, Europe, second industrial revolution

Thus, the whole trip takes quite a while. Seto is twenty by the time they actually make it to Europe, and while the time taken frustrates him, he knows it was safer and cheaper to do it this way, rather than try to get the money by himself and travel alone. That, and all the magic he would’ve never known.

Once he’s there, he travels along with them for a bit, trying to find leads to the family that has his little brother, but once they need to be sent out to different countries and continents again, he begins to travel alone. Sometimes he spends up to nearly a few months in one place, taking care of a big problem.

On his own, Seto learns that demons themselves are much more complex than he was originally taught - in terms of individuality, motivations, social hierarchy, and ven morality. He meets demons better than most people, and people worse than most demons. Some spirits are just mischievous, and people lie about how much damage they’ve done. He ends up capturing demons sometimes in order to study or interview them before banishing them or letting them go. He rarely actually destroys any unless they’re particularly bad. He also gets closer to some of the angelic messengers, and decides all angels are mildly to viciously annoying, especially the one named Joseph and his friend Tristan. 

Eventually he gets frustrated with his total lack of progress and commits a taboo - he summons a demon himself. The book of spells he borrows from a local boy - Japanese like himself but raised here in England. He has white hair and claims to be a psychic, the ghost of his little sister following him around the occultish store, stocked by things his father brings back from travels that can’t go into the museum. Seto knows better by now than to doubt him.

He accidentally summons two. He refuses to place the blame on himself for not calculating things perfectly, and calls it a fluke of magic.

circa 1300 BCE, Egypt, middle New Kingdom

Atem had been a prince in Egypt, destined to be a greater pharaoh (and a greater man) than his father, but his traitorous uncle killed him on the eve of his coronation, just after the mourning period for his father was over. The magic interacted with his own, and with the artifact he wore, and with whatever divine influence the gods deemed to throw his way, and instead of going through the trails of the afterlife to enter the duat and be reborn again, he became a being of shadows and magic itself. Little did the uncle know that he would fall and be torn down by another boy wanting revenge just the next day.

It took Atem a long time to come to terms with what happened, and even longer to learn how to use and control his powers. By the time he could return to his home, too much time had gone by. Everywhere he went people spoke as the sea people spoke, foreign rulers by the name of Ptolemy sat on the throne, temples and statues were decimated or else reclaimed by these others in place of their original deities. Everyone and everything he’d known and loved were long gone. Upset, he travelled the worlds above and below. As is his nature, when he found something unjust, he did his best to set things right. As is his new nature, he judged by luring the accused into games to test their hearts.

He stays mostly solitary for nearly 3000 years - not entirely by his own choice, but by circumstance. He’s old and powerful and appeared out of nowhere, and other beings of all kinds are wary of him. Until he comes upon a sweet, hurting boy named Yugi who asks to be his friend.

circa 1820 CE, Japan, near the end of the Edo period

Yugi is very smart, and very small, and very nice. His niceness often gets taken advantage of, and his size makes it easy to pick on him. If he fought back, maybe they’d leave him alone, but he hates hurting anyone. His grandfather, a merchant, always tries to convince Yugi to stand up for himself. Yugi doesn’t listen. He gets sadder and more reclusive by the year, until he barely looks anyone in the eyes anymore, even his own mother as she helps bandage him up from the latest “game” that horrible group of older kids “played” with him.

In an effort to cheer up his grandson, Sugoroku gives him a golden puzzle from a far away land. He’d been hoping to make big money off it, but they were well-enough off as is, and his grandson’s happiness mattered more than some extra coins in his pocket. He’d known the puzzle was difficult, but it takes even Yugi years to complete it. Years of suffering, and growing, and learning. His grandfather worries. Yugi is of course interested in taking over Sugoroku’s business, and already assists him greatly, but without being able to stand up for himself the boy will have trouble in the world. He worries as well about revealing the truth to Yugi - the truth that Sugoroku is himself a demon, and so his son, and so is Yugi, though to a much lesser extent since Yugi’s mother is human.

When Yugi completes the puzzle, it immediately summons a disoriented and shocked Atem to his side. Cue screaming and yelling from both of them, a rather hilarious scene of Yugi chucking the puzzle at Atem’s head reflexively before hiding behind an upturned table. Atem, freaked out by what just happened, also takes cover behind a screen. He’d never been summoned like THAT before, it felt completely different to a summoning circle or a prayer or anything else, and certainly never by someone who immediately started screaming at him. 

Tentatively, after the dust settles, Yugi peeks out from behind the table. Atem hears him shifting and peaks out as well. More silence. Yugi tries to come to terms that he’s summoned what appears to be a demon. Atem tries to come to terms with how cute the screaming young man is. Yugi clears his throat and offers a shaky greeting. Atem falls in love.

Eventually they end up in the middle of the cleaned up room, sitting on the floor, having a somewhat stilted conversation. Atem fiddles with the puzzle - what was once his magical artifact - sitting on his lap. There had been no contract, no promise, no injustice to either force or encourage Atem to stay, but he couldn’t find it in himself to leave. By the time it was dark outside, the two of them were laughing together, munching on the snacks Yugi had made while preparing dinner for his grandfather and mother, who were on their way back home from a day trip to the big markets. The knife Yugi’s using to chop the vegetables slips and slices open the base of his thumb, and while it’s not deep the pain surprises him. Atem automatically reaches out to gasp the injured appendage. This is the first time they’ve touched.

The sheer power released by Atem touching Yugi’s hand awakened Yugi’s latent demonic side, and it takes Atem a while to calm him down. The new little horns, and long ears, and wings, and tail... it was a lot to take in. Sugoroku and Ayame come home to find a delicious dinner and two demons waiting for them. It doesn’t bother them nearly as much as Yugi thought, and he finally learns the truth from his sheepish grandfather. Ayame is annoyed he’d stopped from from trying to tell him sooner, because now look what happened, you silly old man.

Atem, regardless of his feelings, didn’t want to tie the young demon down to such an old and feared one like himself, and intended to leave as soon as he knew Yugi was in good hands. But, he can’t just let Sugoroku teach him - even for a demon, he was quite old in body while Atem remained young (another thing people found terrifying, for just how much power did Atem have to appear naturally young after 3000 years?), so he stayed and helped train Yugi. Yugi did everything he could to impress Atem, not even realising his own feelings for a good while; once he did, he redoubled his efforts and became even more mischievous and flirty. Eventually, Atem couldn’t take it any longer and confessed, and they were bonded.

Seto was only trying to summon an ancient demon by the name of Atem, a solver of puzzles and bringer of justice, both to help him look for Mokuba using demonic magic and to possibly learn from him. Seto also gets Atem’s equally tiny boyfriend, Yugi, who is not even nearly ancient but quite older than Seto, a fact that irks him greatly as they’re both shorter than he was at age 12.

But, they’re both so, so clever. And so, so... hard to resist. He wants to hate it, wants to believe they’re magically influencing him somehow, but he’s too confident in his abilities to believe it.

Seto enters a joint contract with them (though Yugi was willing to help even without one, but it has it’s benefits). Together, they hunt down particularly nasty pests and find major leads to Mokuba. And fall in love, of course. 

[chalabrun]

between the dirt & desperation, ch. 3

Word count: 2,191 Pairings: Symbrock Rating: T Warnings: Mentions of character death Summary:  Sequel to “Angry & Half in Love with You”, it’s been well over a month since Eddie moved away from San Francisco to start over in his hometown of Manhattan. Yet, it’s difficult to return to a normal life when what you were once addicted to becomes addicted to you. A/N: This is a crossover between Venom (2018) and Sam Raimi’s Spiderman trilogy (2002-07). This is also the last chapter!

( READ ON AO3 ) 

When he was kid, there was a morbid game Eddie would play with the other school kids. When it was too cold to go out and play, they’d be remanded indoors since the gym wasn’t large enough to play host to them and whatever PE class was going on at the time. There was a large, old globe in one of the corners. It was a game he started, and he didn’t entirely remember why; maybe something to do with the silent blame his father hung over his head for his mother’s death.

He and what few friends he had would take turns spinning the globe with their eyes closed, a digit suspended over the revolving world until a few seconds passed and they’d bring their finger down like the arm and head-shell of a record player down on the actual record. Then, wherever it’d landed, they’d invent some outrageous story on the spot. Of how they’d died.

Eddie remembered one in particular out of the innumerable times they’d played it, where his had landed smack dab on NYC itself. He didn’t remember entirely what story he’d invented, but it had to do with aliens and an explosion—some War of the Worlds crap.

Funny how those things turn out.

Eddie coughed roughly upon awaking, feeling as though he’d been dragged through cement and then an ocean, all tactile sensation rough and dirty, starched and coarse. Too much heat. Too much smoke when his lungs craved air. As though he’d been incubated in a volcano, Eddie craned up at his vision that was still black and interrupted by jettisons of water. Too familiar. Too fucking familiar. His breath misted and tasted like plastic, robotic.

Eddie…

“He’s awake! Man, you really got caught up in the wrong place. Can you hear me? That was quite an explosion.” He blinked blearily at the white-masked EMT who had propped him up enough to sit from the temporarily gurney inside an ambulance. How…? “We thought we’d have to take you to the hospital, but aside from some superficial scrapes, and the dirtiness, you seem fine. Unless you’d rather be taken in…?”

“Nah…’s okay. Thanks, though,” Eddie mumbled after unhooking himself from the respirator and picking his way through the cramped ambulance and to the edge of the site where the warehouse had been, looking like Galactus had punched a crater in the earth where it’d stood. Its gaping maw somehow barely strafed any nearby residences, just far enough, though debris and cinders scattered everywhere.

He needed air. Needed something blue or gray and without the acrid stench of smoke rotting dark and his lungs, to get away from this hellish ruin.

The blond’s clothes were intact, Eddie slipping behind a gathering bevy of news vans hastily setting up shop that he didn’t intend on sticking around for. Better for Spiderman to think he was dead than have his face plastered over the news. Thankfully, with the gathering throng of people, his restitution had been in a place off from the center of chaos where no one really paid him any mind. No one knew that there had been a single man, or that he’d survived

Eddie didn’t know how long they walked down bleak streets and slanting buildings that leaned into each other, this clearly a dilapidated part of town. Trees hung heavily, already beginning to turn their leaves, a phenomena that didn’t really occur in the sunny latitudes of San Fran. His walk was shaded, hood pulled over his head and feeling miserably cold. But quiet. Still. Something pulsed in him that wasn’t his.

Venom emerged and he could practically sense that it was weak, burrowing like a kitten into his neck, craving warmth. “Hey,” Eddie greeted throatily as they paused briefly, pressing his cheek against its squishy morass that began purring weakly. It was exhausted. It had been the only thing that had kept him alive. Just like last time. Kittenish licks could be felt against his jaw, meaning that the symbiote at least heard him.

This neighborhood became more familiar the more he walked. It was like a high pressure, nostalgia. Creeping like a tide to lap at his feet. Overgrown sidewalks gave way to a clearing that revealed a modest church, red brick and chipping white paint. Its belfry pierced the sky alone amid a ring of trees that encompassed it. If he looked close enough, he could see the playground he used to play at while his dad conversed with the priests. They’d be drinking buddies if vices didn’t go against their vocation.

Without really thinking of it, he walked towards the stoop and opened the double doors, the interior inside dusky and quaint. You’d think it was a church from some backwater, landlocked Midwest town and not Long Island, but here it was. Rays of pale sunlight filtered weakly through narrow windows, motes of dust swimming in it. Pews crowded close together, the interior firm and Spartan. Exactly as he remembered it. His father and he had always sat in the middle.

This was all before they’d moved to San Francisco when he was still a little kid, maybe in elementary school or so. Never mind that it had made things strained between him and his older sister, Mary. Aside from the bullying and trying to excel in school so he’d have some scrap of validation his father never gave him.

“This…is where your parents wed.” Its voice was still weak, but it was better than silence.

“Yeah,” Eddie confirmed, pocketing his hands in his hoodie pocket. “Looks’a lot smaller than when I last remembered it, Ven. Though, I was kinda a tiny tot way back when.”

Venom emerged cautiously as a beginning thaw, marveling at it as though it were the most amazing thing it’d ever seen. He could feel its swell of affection, something that made him freeze, but not with rejection. It felt heavy and he wasn’t ready to be crushed. While his expression seemed to darken, a note of hope was in Venom’s voice. “Here is where humans bond. Like we did. And we’re here now.” It sounded excited, and nervous.

Eddie leaned against the prayer rest of the front pew, one of his hands curled around its shape, against the lacquered grain. “So, what—you sayin’ we ought’a get hitched, is that what you mean, Ven?” The dry dubiousness in his voice cause Venom to shrink away. “We get ourselves all dolled up, then what? Get a fuckin’ priest to marry us? Invite my family that doesn’t acknowledge I exist and the rest a’ those buddies a’yours on Klyntar sure as hell wouldn’t come, since the betrayal an’ all? Anne’d… Nah. God!” He laughed bitterly.

Raking his fingers through his hair in frustration, his hood came off in the process. He was still filthy. But, maybe it was just karma. This was like a reflection of the outside, right? Everything ruined and decayed in him. The effigy of Jesus affixed to the crucifix gazed down at him with an old Bloodhound’s gaze. Eyes turned down like they were too heavy to smile with again. They were accusing, reminding him of what he was jabbing almost too intentionally.

“’m sorry, Ven. It’s just…a lot at once,” he sighed tiredly, feeling the symbiote emerge again. He felt like Lucifer from Cinderella, only a lot less humorous. Getting dust and grime everywhere he touched. Let alone on Venom, of all things.

“It’s gonna take awhile. Hell, I dunno how long. To get used’t—this. Whatever we think we are. Whatever we’re trying t’be.” Jesus’ eyes bore down at him, as if demanding he continue. So did thirteen more from the painted Stations of the Cross that encompassed the church. He had to drop his gaze back to the plain tile ground. “People don’t work that way. They don’t live inside’a each other’s heads, knowing what they’re seein’, smellin’, hearin’, thinkin’—it just ain’t like that. Hell, I’d say it makes us pretty damn stir crazy, Ven. We’re so used to livin’ like fuckin’ goldfish in a bowl and sometimes, the bowl is clear enough for people t’look in. But, the fish don’t get inside’a each other’s heads. Hell, if they’re together for too long, sometimes they downright start maulin’ each other. Two people in the same small space. Nevermind in each other’s bodies—”

“Know you’re not like us, Eddie. Never thought you would be, but—we’re trying to understand. Understand you, and the world. Can’t stop how we feel about you,” the symbiote reasoned adamantly, pearl-bright gaze holding his when he couldn’t meet that of the divine. “And…it’s strong. Very strong.”

Eddie’s brow wrinkled together in disbelief. “D’you really mean that, or ya just standin’ too close to the speakers and it’s all you can hear?” he asked defensively, feeling himself clam up again even while Venom was trying to get in.

It manifested as a large humanoid blot that swallowed the lights of the many candles, those for the prayers people lit as alms. A good head taller than him, all symbiote sinews and impenetrable density, Venom pushed him back against the pew he’d been leaning on—enough that his back curved from how it loomed over him. The burn of frustration and indignation welling passionately in its throat.

“Said it yourself. You know everything we think, feel—and you think we aren’t sincere? That we’re faking it?” Venom scoffed disdainfully, lips curling in a snarl, bringing its gaze level and powerfully over Eddie’s, strands of matters clinging to the hem of his jeans from their proximity. Even if he wouldn’t yield. “We know you’re bullshitting yourself if you really think that, Eddie.”

That didn’t mean he’d falter. Eddie pushed back, craning up to sink his teeth into Venom’s neck like that first night. That night he still couldn’t tell was a mistake or not. Venom’s chest rumbled audibly and it was enough to loosen its hold, insinuating more but instead taking Venom by its chin and forcing it to look in his eyes. “Not here,” he commanded firmly, but not cruelly, gaze boring with insolvent stone into Venom’s. By its chin did he guide it away, stepping from their intimate closure.

“That’s not what we’re here for,” he murmured after a long moment, Eddie’s gaze growing distant with grief as he fished for a wad of cash he tossed indiscriminately in the donation basket nearest the candles. He procured a relatively long but intact match and suspended it over an already lit candle, jerking his head for Venom to join him at his side while he knelt. “Help me with this. We met because’a Maria, y’know. We owe her one.”

Reverently did Venom’s tenebrous hand envelop Eddie’s and it was warm. He smiled low but approvingly, lowering together to light an untouched candle. “I dunno if you had any gods back where you were from, on Klyntar—I mean. But just…focus on Maria. I wanna feel everything.”

Though Venom seemed reluctant to open those floodgates, it sank on the kneeler, emulating Eddie’s pose. “…Knull. He created us,” the symbiote said, not expounding further. And Eddie didn’t push for it.

Pain. So much pain. Maria hadn’t been healthy before she’d died, and his palms twitched spasmodically and he grimaced, feeling her death throes. Everything before she perished. The panic, the voices, the fear and remembering him— Eddie exhaled stiffly and deep, head tucked down and back bowed before he could straighten. Venom’s hand steadied on his back, expression discernibly concerned.

“She had happy moments, Eddie. She showed us you. Untouched mornings. Brilliant sunlight. Kind people who made sure she was safe. Like you.” He didn’t know whether it was supposed to make him or Venom feel better, but he felt…a little less guilty. She hadn’t been alone, and her death hadn’t been their fault. Venom hadn’t known any better. Maybe for a moment. He still felt at fault, even if— …No. Venom felt guilt. He knew what Maria had been to him. “…She didn’t die hating you. You saved her…and us.”

“…Maybe,” Eddie said, unclasping his hands and staring deep at that flickering flame. He folded his arms on the prayer rest, conflict broiling in his eyes. His lips quirked a little when he felt Venom rest its head on his shoulder, arm circling his shoulders. Funny how an alien acted more human than most.

“It won’t be an easy road, Ven. We make nice now, maybe we’ll know more than before. We’ve gotta lotta shit in shore for us. You sure you wanna put up with all’a that?” He felt Venom’s smile span wolfishly.

“Always did like a good challenge. You’ll trust us, we’ll prove ourselves.”

Eddie nodded, still feeling muddy and heavy. Sometimes, he tried pretending like Maria wasn’t really gone. That he’d wake up on a sunny morning with Anne’s petite form next to him, warm and gold swimming in her hair. That everything would be back to normal, even the cracked and broken parts of it.

“I jus’ hope you’re right, Ven. I really do.”

[quiescentgale]

「    •   Lights ❤  forging *ﾟ N є w *ﾟ beginning @smolkeybladechild   •」

▹ ☆  Ro-chan ☆ ◃

                ✣ 「 ヴェン」 ❦❧ ─  Despite having become a Master --again-- there were still things that Ventus have yet to work out. Like with Aqua back, she was assigned to train Kairi once more, and naming the Princess her successor, just as Riku revealed to them, Terra have passed on the Keyblade inheritance ceremony to him. It only left Ven... who have yet to have one successor. How could he? When Sora seemingly already tapped into his many skills and made multiple variants for himself from them. Granted, Roxas, Xion and Sora were all from his side, he couldn’t really guide much for them right? That was Why Ventus decided to call over Roxas and waiting for him in their meeting spot.

                        At the twilight town Plaza, somewhere familiar.

                                         “How in Kingdom Hearts am I going to ask this?”

                Mumbling to himself with a slight back and forth pace. Roxas wasn’t exactly one to be easy to get along with, or he was cool level headed like Sora in certain places, he was temperamental and honestly far too aggressive, but on the brighter side, he was far more keener and sharper than Sora. Ven just hope to all the Divine above, Roxas doesn’t go into a fit of rage and yells at him. Sora had easily accepted Ven’s guidance, and probably Xion too, but now he would just have to wait for the younger blond to show out and fire away the question and prepare to get chewed out. 

                           “Maybe he probably stood me up... I hope that’s the case...”

[rosemarymilkwitch]

Solar Eclipse 🌞🌚

On Monday, August 21, 2017, a total solar eclipse will be visible. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun. Nearing the solar eclipse our darkness will be brought to the surface on many levels. We will be proposed by our life path here to face our shadows head on. We will either be consumed by them, or we will allow their transformation into something new… Something lighter. Don’t treat your darkness as something to be ashamed of. Treat it as something to teach you how to respond differently, how to change your thought patterns, how to face your emotions with diligence and integrity. “Lady Spin your circle bright, Weave your webs of Dark and Light. Earth, Air, Fire and Water, Bind us as one.” Also, Mercury enters retrograde on the 12th for 3 weeks, there’s a meteor shower the 9th -13th, and we have the full moon on the 7th making the 21st, the day of the eclipse, a new moon. The eclipse will be the first in America since Sept 10th 1923. You can look up the history of that date, major events, and make a comparison to now. It’s all sort of inter-con(nect)ed in a way… 

Love to you all and safe journey my friends wherever this may lead you 

Key Words: transformation, rebirth, change, renewal, reflection, shadow work, spirit work, weaving the web, binding.

*After years of doing ritual and ceremonial work, I have come to develop my own eclectic way of how to celebrate the Solar Eclipse. If you are interested in a Customized Solar Eclipse Ritual Guide (PDF) that comes with a M4A of sacred songs and meditation practices (Voice Recording) Please message me before the 21st, so that you’ll have the material before the eclipse. I can’t wait to share this sweet yummy goodness with you divine earthly beings. 

Customized Solar Eclipe Ritual Guide (PDF) - $17 

M4A of Sacred Songs and Meditation practices - $11 (El-ven) 

Solar Eclipse Package - $33

- Rosemary Milk 

[disneydreamlights]

... About the Union Leaders. You see, Lauriam's true colors would eventually be exposed, but unfortunately he's been using the Power Bangles to accumulate enough Guilt to build an army of Nightmares in Preparation for this moment. After the player defeats Nightmare Chirithy, and we get the "Let's meet again in another dream" spiel, the REAL Nightmare Chirithy shows up, all like "Told ya so". And then Ven's Chirithy show up, stating that Lauriam's captured the Union Leaders.

After you defeat his second form, both his own Chirithy (who's been his comedic lackey who'd get an F in all forms of Evil) and the player's Nightmare Chirithy (who's been helping Lauriam this entire time due to Lauriam resurrecting it) both show up, the former trying to convince Lauriam to let the Dandelions erase his memory like they did to the Player, and the Nightmare Chirithy trying to use the emotional trauma of the Keyblade War to grow stronger. Lauriam, however, has his own plans...So anyway, Nightmare Chirithy would welcome you to go to the Foretellers' Study (you'd be able to just fast-travel there in Gameplay using the Gateways) and learn the truth. You'd actually enter the Study outside of the Story Battle (which you'd probably be able to sweep at this level in all honesty). In there, you'd see Lauriam's bound the other Union Leaders with vines, at which point the lie you've been living starts to fall apart right in front of the Union Leaders.

Rather than fight you yourself (though he'd recognize you as being from his Union), Lauriam would summon a plant-themed Nightmare to fight you. After you defeat it, Lauriam would flee through a portal to the Keyblade Graveyard. Ephemer would tell you to stay away, but we've already established that Lauriam can kick all four of their collective butts and besides that Ephemer's got some splaining to do. So, in gameplay naturally, you walk through the portal to a dreadful place.

The Keyblade Graveyard's relationship with Daybreak Town would be the same of that of the Underworld with Olympus Coliseum, it would be considered a part of Daybreak Town despite having it's own music and enemies. In this case, you'd battle Nightmare Versions of the pets, and all the Raid Bosses that spawn would be Nightmares themselves, with "Untamable" as the battle theme. Anyway, in order to keep the subconscious trauma from crushing you, you'd be given story quests to fight the Nightmares.

Once you've beaten enough of those Story Quests, you'd get access to the "Seat of War" (the last room before the final bosses of Terra's, Aqua's, and Ven's stories in BBS) where a Story Battle portal would stand, waiting for you to challenge Lauriam. Lauriam's first form would be a simple one-on-one duel, with him being a Speed-Type enemy. Well, about as one on one as you can get since this is an MMO and he'd summon Nightmare versions of the players' pets to help him.

Anyway, after you defeat his first form, Ventus would arrive and attack him from behind, at which point Lauriam summons a second Keyblade. Remember, Strelitzia is currently the Ventus to Lauriam's Sora, meaning he can, in fact, duel wield. At this point Lauriam becomes a Magic-Type Enemy, and the players have Ventus providing support. Lauriam's gimmick is that he now gets two attacks per turn, as well as access to Strelitzia's illusion powers to compliment his flower power.

After you defeat his second form, both his own Chirithy (who's been his comedic lackey who'd get an F in all forms of Evil) and the player's Nightmare Chirithy (who's been helping Lauriam this entire time due to Lauriam resurrecting it) both show up, the former trying to convince Lauriam to let the Dandelions erase his memory like they did to the Player, and the Nightmare Chirithy trying to use the emotional trauma of the Keyblade War to grow stronger. Lauriam, however, has his own plans...

So yeah, Lauriam, who is not about to go down like this, grabs both of the present Chirithies, and sucks the darkness out of both of them. Both Dream Eaters vanish, and Lauriam morphs into a Nightmare himself. His third form would have Nightmare Chirithy's massive arms and claws sticking out of his shoulders, the Graceful Dahlia scythe would be in his human arms, his eyes would be red, Starlight and Divine rose float around him, and the Nightmare emblem would be on his face like a brand.

Nightmare Lauriam would be a Power-type enemy, and Ven would be wrapped in vines. Lauriam's first attack would be casting Doom. Every time he attacks you with his scythe (not his claws or his Keyblades) he'll deplete the Doom counter by one. It also wouldn't help that he'd have a number over his head that would count down with every hit he takes. When it reaches 0, he'd counter with his scythe attack, which can mercifully only hit one person at a time. He'd still have two attacks per turn.

When Nightmare Lauriam is defeated, Ventus would use the powers of Darkness to break out of the vines, then strike Lauriam hard enough to destroy his Nightmare form, with the remnants of Nightmare Chirithy's mind seeping into the Player. Ephemer would then arrive to banish Lauriam, who'd grab onto Ven and try to take him down with him. Ven would try to reason with Ephemer, who, sadly, would have seen Ven's dark side, and simply force him out as well in an attempt to purge the darkness.

The Final Boss of the expansion would be the Foreteller boss rush. Each Foreteller would have less health than the last, but the same max HP. For example, you'd deplete 1/5 of the first Foreteller's HP, and the next Foreteller would then start with 4/5 of their HP, the 3rd 3/5 and the last 2/5. While you're reliving the absolute lowest point of your life, Ventus and Lauriam would wake up in the real world, Lauriam fleeing, and Xehanort taking Ven under his wing.

The next expansion would open after a Timeskip, with Ephemer having become a light-obsessed dictator, who's basically bullied and guilt-tripped Skuld and Brain into remaining loyal. Meanwhile, there's also the issue of the Real Maleficent breaking into the Unchained State to find the Book of Prophecies. Either way, I don't think Ven would be very fond of the Union Leaders after they caused the worst years of his life, Vanitas being particularly hostile towards them even IF they reform.

Whoa, hell of a lot of stuff here MMO Anon, you got creative while I was out for the day. XD

Damn, I know he’s an ass but the poor Union Leaders must’ve been blindsided by Lauriam and his betrayal. And the idea of the Keyblade Graveyard being the Nightmare to the dream of Daybreak Town is honestly a really cool contrast and I’d kill to see something like that in KHUx itself just because it sounds really cool. owo

I actually personally think the battle against Lauriam would be one of the rare times MMO universe would lock you into a true one on one battle, especially if he’s basically the final boss of the Unchained X storyline, and especially if Ven joins in the battle.

The fact that his own Chirithy tries to heal him hurts me. Chirithy deserved better than to be absorbed by Lauriam for trying to protect him.

So that’s basically how Ven and Lauriam end up outside of the Unchained world. Ephemera has to get rid of Lauriam and he drags Ven because the two of them probably got along. Poor Ven. ;w;

The final boss rush actually sounds pretty intense too.

I’m actually most interested in where the post time lapse ideas could’ve gone. Perhaps Ephemera goes to leave to see if he saved Ven since they need the full five and he ends up earlier in time than Ven, resulting in him being the master that indoctrinated Eraqus into his overzealous beliefs for light in this AU. Granted I like my Ephemera being a cool guy and alive, something like this could also explain the origins of Eraqus’s behavior that led to the conflict between him and Terra, as well as the overzealous light beliefs no doubt having at least some effect on Xehanort as well that results in the split between the two of them.

[border-spam]

Dvwjfiwie uhhh if these are still open, what’s ur take on a modern au for LL? If u thought about it that is

Hell YES. 

The twins are raised in total isolation by extremely woo / technologically paranoid Leda and Typhon, who've abandoned modern living and shunned "corrupt government control" etc. Beliefs are steeped in cult mentality and isolationism. Twins were home birthed, a terrible job splitting them left both with severe scarring and Troy with many health complications. 

Leda dies early to some ridiculously preventable disease cause neither will swallow their pride and seek "big pharma" help in a city. Typhon woefully under prepared to raise children alone especially when one is so ill and the other is beginning to display concerning behavior.

Twins can't stand living like this and have wanted to leave since they were kids, they share none of the bullshit mentality Typhon does re:civilisation, but are basically bunker babies with 0 life experience or understanding of what living in actual society is like. 

Troy has some fucked up form of anemia like sickle cell disease and has been getting monthly transfusions from Ty since they were infants to keep his hemoglobin functional. No magic powers here.

Eventually manage to leave home after Typhon realising he literally has no way to stop two adults, take a week to get from the redwood forest they've been forced to hermit in their entire lives to a small town, then immediately fuck up and nearly die. 

Like, immediately. 

Get jumped outside a diner while attempting to sweet talk ( using hilariously out of date lingo ) some rough locals they insult without realising.

Sei would have the same deal as Leech Lord, helps em out 6 months, scrap dealer/ junk yard manager with some dodgy shit on the side who's store Ty sobs into, scuffed up and begging for help. Sticks by them, unintentionally becomes a kind of role model for how to swindle and control.

I'm thinking the COV would be some kind of... hyper predatory megachurch deal that started as a way of scamming cash out of gullible wealthy idiots, and warped over time into something horrible when it began to target the desperate as well.

Ty's an untreated sociopath who manipulates like she was born for it and Troy is a savant for memory/data intake -  but neither of them have a clue they are anything other than just them. The main thing that skyrockets it out of the normal reach of bullshit woo/megachurch levels is they focus on online media rather than in person.

Build a following through Youtube and Patreon pushing self care, spiritual healing, aura power, all the usual bullshit. “Shove this crystal egg up ur butthole and that negative energy will clear right up. LIMITED run available : $69,999.”

Troy's viral SEO is horrifying and Ty is a fucking natural at selling this shit. Pair of them emerged from nowhere, no history, nothing for fans to dig up on, and when your targeting the poor, sick, and under-educated, it's not hard to appear divine.

Figure it would go like.. goop? That fucking bullshit Gwyneth Paltrow lifestyle company that's ENTIRELY made-up shit but sells for millions to desperate people who'll believe sitting next to the aura of a piece of rock carved into the shape of a coochie will cure cancer. The COV is that kinda thing but even more predatory -  everything's funded by subscription tiers, they'll bleed people for every dollar they have all in promise of salvation and cures.

Troy would shift from supporting Ty over time to seeing the cracks in the façade - realising that any empathy she'd shown in the past wasn't as real as he'd always believed while he watches her treat their supporters like throwaway shells rather than people desperate for hope.

He can't leave though, if the public found out about his condition it would destroy what they'd built, if he wasn’t divine than neither was his twin. The lies that the COV was built on would crumble, and the only security he'd ever had would be pulled out from under him. 

He's terrified to lose Ty even when he's starting to not be able to ignore that she doesn't feel what he does, and the idea of going it alone and facing the consequences of what he's helped do to so many people is too terrifying for someone as innately cowardly as him.

Something like that.  Love the idea of them being hyper abusive woo peddlers who end up targeting the most needy and desperate, even though their original goal was to fleece rich idiots out of their cash.

Re da boys:

@godkingsanointed said for Jak-Knife:

JK lost their squad on a robbery that went bad and stumbled onto them looking for something to help with the burns they got during, they don't believe in any of it, but they know a pay day when they see one.

And @hieroglyphix for Ven and Eli:

Ven knows a scam when he sees one, but he can't argue with the numbers theyre raking in, and he'd resort to the lowest of the low to pay for eli's healthcare

Asks are open!

[popmusicu]

Why do Camila Gallardo's songs impact so much?

The great Camila Gallardo better known as Cami has managed to become one of the most successful and talented young talents at the international level with only 23 years, each part of her songs turned into a dark and inspiring background, I love that Each title can be its own and others where they are introduced with a series of reflections on life, love, divinity, dreams, the sense of music as an artistic expression, and the human condition in general. As well as several of the pieces move to tears in my opinion, and many others are declared true favorites.

One of the qualities that I love in her face is generally how she leans musically for folk rhythms in a well rounded pop environment that not only refers to our territory as "Los momentos", "Gracias a la vida", "Volver a los 17"; but also seeks unique international styles of some songs known as "Yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón", "Todo cambia", among others.

To understand how it is expressed in each song I will take a top #3 of his most melancholic songs, passionate or directed to all kinds of audiences, and mainly to a dear partner so you can delight in the voice of this beautiful and intense woman.

1. "Ven"

It is a theme that the singer defines as "a game of peace that we sometimes need and that we fail to find", that is, that sometimes we can perceive that when we feel lonely and abandoned in the dark we want with anger and will go Somebody come to rescue us and take out everything bad that one has inside.

2. "Abrázame"

This song talks about the lack of affection and empathy that exists today, as Cami said "I feel that I am growing up in a society with a pole opposite to what matters to me, there is no closeness between two people, there is every again, fear of loving, wanting, manifesting love

3. "Aquí estoy"

It begins with the story of his life, which contains rhythms of cumbia, tango, reggaeton and even Andean folklore; exporting a purely Latin sound and with a bold lyric that speaks of the prejudices, achievements and defeats he has experienced during his short career.

                                                                                        _Alondra Oyarzún

[kusunogatari]

[ In Love and War ] [ @yukaikokoro​ ] [ Hatake Kakashi, Kottakawa Kumiko, Nohara Rin, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Divine Light ]

Had anyone who’d known Kakashi before the new Elemental Summit met him again after the events that followed that fateful meeting...they’d hardly recognize the man.

Sure, there were his share of physical changes, depending on how long it had been since they’d last laid eyes on him. Some more...significant than others.

But what would likely startle them far more - and have them question just what happened to the boy from the Igni capital all those years ago, or the monster slayer that once roamed the roads - would be his shift in attitude.

While he still has his overall grizzled look and typical deadpan expression, that tends to change around a select handful of people. One of which is a more...recent addition.

It took just about everyone by surprise. Rin hadn’t witnessed the trials Kakashi and Kumiko had faced together, and umber eyes had widened at the look she saw him give the glacial mage upon their return. If anyone could spot a difference - no matter how minute - in the Hatake...it would be his best friend.

Ryū, reunited with her longtime companion (and having seen Kumiko’s temporary demise) had understood, at least in part...but the depth of Kakashi’s attachment to the mage he’d been introduced to at the Summit had still surprised her. Curiosity had burned of what precisely had happened during their weeks trekking to find her...but there’d been more pressing matters. Namely getting them all back to the Luxerian capital safely, and making sure both Kumiko and herself would make full recoveries after their experiences.

The days immediately after, while Kumiko was kept isolated for her safety, Kakashi had rarely been so agitated. Rin had watched as he’d paced the corridor, jumping every time Suigin (still taking her mor guise) came through the door. Ryū herself had been forbidden to tend to Kumiko, the strain of her captivity and the battle making the dragon put her foot down.

“I have told you once, and I will tell you no further: she will live. But the less stress - the fewer interruptions - the swifter her recovery. Consult Thera and learn some patience, vom berech. Your fretting grates my nerves. Her life is out of danger. You need only wait.”

That...hadn’t gone well, but he’d finally left the hallway until Kumiko was allowed visitors.

As soon as her door was open? He was through it.

The days and weeks left over as she regained her strength were filled with talk, and the pair eventually came to their own understanding. Kakashi wasn’t much of a man of the heart - not in the way many expected him to be. It’d hardened after the loss of his parents, his friend, and other companions during his time on the road. Nothing ever seemed to last...and each loss left its mark. But Kumiko...Kumiko was different. Which left many scratching their heads...and yet happy to see the reclusive warrior find his own brand of companionship.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Rin had teasingly needled a while after, when she was sure he was no longer agitated over Kumiko’s health.

“I didn’t think you were the presumptuous type,” Kakashi deadpanned in return.

“Don’t need to presume when it’s plain as day, Kakashi. How long have I known you, hm?”

“Too long, apparently.”

Rin scoffed. “Not long enough, if you’re still doubting my insight. In all our years, this is a first. I know you - this means something, as much you might try to downplay, old friend.”

He gave her a sidelong glance. “...doesn’t mean I’ve lost my mind and am going to jump into things willy-nilly. I’m too cautious for that.”

“...mhm. Too cautious, or too -?”

Another look cut her off, and Rin pouted, arms folding. “...fine, fine. I’ll stop badgering you. But this isn’t over, Hatake.”

“It’s never over, Nohara.”

He knew she couldn’t help but be curious. Obito aside, she’d known him the longest, and the most consecutively...even if they’d parted ways for a time. His life taking a turn like this was sure to spark interest.

But he’d always been a private person. Cordial enough when he had to be, but reserved in branching out. People knowing his business was...irking. That’s all.

But Kumiko couldn’t stay in the Luxerian capital forever. She was needed back in Boralis, and Solustia was still scrambling to get back on track with its dignitary returned.

“Don’t worry,” Kumiko assured him when the day arrived for her to return. “You heard Ryū: Obito’s going to travel to all of the capitals to set up a portal network. Then I’ll only be a few steps away, hm?”

“It’s not so much the distance as it is knowing you’re safe.”

“Trust me, things will be calm at home. The worst I’ll have to fear is an angry father, and he hardly frightens me,” Kumiko countered with a wry smile. “I’ve faced far worse, now.”

“Don’t remind me…”

Once Obito was cleared and his journey began, Kakashi had to play the waiting game. There were ten other capitals besides Solustia and Boralis, after all. And each one had to be enacted manually.

Rin had been the one to build the portal hall within the castle, and he had to admit...it was beautiful. The same white stone as the rest of the structure, with eleven frames distributed to hold the Tenebreon portals to each of the other cities. Each other capital would be outfitted with a similar room to allow quick travel for the dignitaries for meetings and discussions.

As soon as Obito finishes Boralis’ portal, Kakashi is on his way out.

Ryū, expecting as much, has already given him the week to just stay in the icy north and make up for lost time. She’ll get along just fine without him. Besides, Obito has to rest after setting up each portal, so...she has her own company to look forward to.

The Glacirian dignitary is just beyond the doorway, having been present for its opening...and possibly expecting someone else to come through. Smiling widely, she opens arms to embrace Kakashi as he crosses the room.

“See? Just a few steps,” she teases. “Come on - I have the afternoon to myself. We’re going to enjoy it.”

A few corridors later, they arrive at her chambers, and Kumiko flops rather gracelessly atop her bed. “Ugh...what a day…”

“Did something go wrong?” Kakashi asks, taking the other side and letting her wriggle her way beside him.

“Nearly,” she sighs. “Obito arrived this morning, and my father had the gall to challenge the portal mandate just as we were getting started.”

“Stubborn old goat, isn’t he?”

“You have no idea,” Kumiko mutters, an arm flung over her eyes. “So that took several more useless hours of deliberation. During which I threatened to ask Glaciris what they thought. That shut him up, even if he keeps claiming he doesn’t believe I was Embraced. Let alone twice.”

Kakashi just gives a soft snort.

“So...as you can see, we have our portals. Poor Obito looked ragged…”

“It’s good for him.”

“Maybe. But with each new portal, he has to go back to all the other established capitals and connect them. It’s got to be taxing.”

“Believe me, he’s resting as we speak. Every new capital he gets the rest of the day to stay in Solustia. Then he comes back to the latest portal, and travels on to the next.”

“Ah…” Kumiko’s lips quirk. “I take it a certain lux mage gets to ensure he’s fit as a fiddle before he leaves again?”

“We’d never hear the end of it, otherwise.”

That earns a snicker. “So...were you given leave to come see me, then?”

“Of course. It didn’t take much arm-twisting.”

“I’d assumed not. After all, if something does arise, all it takes is a messenger through the portal and you’ll be back. Gods, the time this will save...weeks of travel reduced to a trek across a hallway. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s handy, certainly. As...questionable as Obito’s powers were in their origins, I can’t say I regret how things are now.”

“I certainly don’t.” Turning to lay on her side, Kumiko glances to him. “...and how are you faring?”

“Fine. There really haven’t been any downsides...I pretty much just have more ven, and don’t get as many funny looks now.”

She snorts and sits up. “After all that’s happened to you - something that, besides Madara and Obito, hasn’t happened in centuries - it’s just a mild improvement?”

“What do you want me to say?”

Flattening, Kumiko snatches a pillow from her bed and smacks him with it. “Does anything impress or amaze you?”

“Hm...I can think of one thing.”

“Oh?”

Grey brows lift, staring at her wordlessly until she goes pink. Then the pillow smashes into his face again.

“N-not what I meant!”

Grasping the decorative throw, Kakashi lobs it back at her. “You didn’t specify.”

“You’re ridiculous!”

“Shouldn’t you know that by now?”

Arming herself with another pillow, Kumiko throws it, rolling from the bed expertly and dodging as Kakashi returns fire. “Given that you’re taking the bait for a pillow fight...perhaps I should!”

Taking the other side of the room, Kakashi can’t help a hint of a smirk. “Isn’t this a bit below your level of sophistication?”

“I am an expert pillow tosser.”

“I think your maids will have something to say about this.”

“Oh, we’ll tidy our own mess. But until a victor is crowned...this is war, Hatake.”

Like Theran mages loosing boulders at one another, Kakashi and Kumiko both make use of the small mountain of pillows atop her bed, chucking and dodging (and doing their best not to break anything of importance). Laughter begins to ring out, and after nearly twenty minutes, there’s no sign of a winner...or an end.

“Had enough, yet?” Kakashi calls, hiding behind a chair.

“Death before dishonor!” is Kumiko’s retort, a pillow poofing harmlessly against his hiding spot.

Another ten minutes pass before there’s a knock at the door, and the pair of them freeze. One pillow has suffered a recent casualty, and there’s a litter of downy feathers dusting the room. “Lady Kumiko…?”

“Um...one moment!” Tossing Kakashi a sheepish look, she makes for the door, opening it just wide enough to address the messenger outside.

Silently behind her, Kakashi begins gathering up all of the remaining pillows.

“Yes, I understand. Thank you, Megumi. And yes, we will have another for dinner, if you’d pass that along. All right.” Shutting the door, Kumiko rests her hands against it for a moment, heaving a small sigh. “...I don’t think she -” Turning, there’s a gasp as she sees Kakashi right behind her, arms full to the brim before tossing every single pillow at her at once. Squealing and batting a few away, the rest topple over her like a bucket of water.

“Do you surrender, dignitary of Glaciris?” Kakashi then demands, planting hands along the door.

In spite of herself, Kumiko blinks wide eyes with a blush. “...surrender…?”

“I believe I have you completely surrounded.”

“...perhaps you do. But I have a secret weapon.”

“...secret -?”

With a flash of a cheeky grin, Kumiko leans forward and captures his lips with her own. It’s his turn, then, to go a faint shade of red.

“...do you have no counter attack?”

Expression slack with shock, Kakashi simply replies, “...I suppose I don’t.”

That gets her to laugh out loud, leaning back against the door. “Well...if the war is over, I have some news. Obito won’t be back to leave from here to head toward Orenium’s capital until the morning, so I have the rest of the day off. And I confirmed that you are remaining for the night. You have guest quarters already arranged.” Her head cocks. “...should I just make those permanent?”

“Hm...wouldn’t hurt.”

“Consider it done, then. In the meantime...maybe we best take a little break…? After...we try to clear up these feathers.” Slipping out from between his arms, Kumiko claps her hands. After a moment to focus, she calls on her lesser-used parental element. Air carefully begins to swirl, picking up the lofty feathers and corralling them into a small cyclone, which then shrinks to a sphere.

Opening up a spare case, Kakashi lets her stuff the wayward downs into the fabric, and it’s almost like there was no war at all.

“Tadaa!”

“You’re just full of little tricks, aren’t you?”

“But of course. I’m a woman, a politician, and a warrior. I have to be ready for anything, hm?”

“I suppose you do.”

     A bit later than I wanted it to be but irl stuff popped up and I got delayed, as usual :’D      I guess this is a...pseudo-partial-followup to Divine Light...? Which isn’t...finished yet because I’m horrible??? OTL It’s...something that takes place after, so technically it’s got spoilers and stuff, but uh...I guess Star pretty much knows how it goes anyway cuz she helped me plot most of the fic anyway, BUT! That’s not the most important part:      HAPPY BIRTHDAY STARRR <333      Hopefully this is what you wanted ;w; It’s been A While since I’ve written in this verse so I feel a lil rusty, but I gave it my best. And I hope you had a WONDERFUL birthday, m’dear! I will...try to finish the fic soon. I have pretty much all of it plotted, just...haven’t had the time or energy or verse mojo OTL BUT SOON. I PROMISE. Life permitting x’D      *gallavants off into the sunset*

[kusunogatari]

[ Frozen Flames and Shadowed Lights || Chapter Seven ] [ @yukaikokoro @abyssaldespair ] [ Suigin Ryū, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Madara ] [ Verse: Divine Light ] [ Previous || Next ]

Beyond the snow line, little has changed for Ryū. Doing as her captor suggested, she’s remained in her little hideaway almost constantly, clinging to her books and reading slowly, trying to make them last. Occasionally she’ll break to think, try to imagine some sort of way out of here, but...to no avail. Without her ven, her options are virtually nonexistent. And even if she had it, it’s two against one...and she isn’t exactly versed in combat. Defense, yes - healing, yes. But she’s had little opportunity to learn how to use her powers offensively.

...and even then, she fears she’d be greatly outmatched.

So far, she knows only that the man she’s seen is a disciple of Tenebreos. His powers mirror her own: an exact reflection, total opposites. But the other...she has yet to see. Knows nothing of what they look like, what ven they may have...but she assumes either igni, or something close: someone has to be vicariously feeding the candles to lengthen their lives. So...a tenebris mage, and an igni mage...she’d be on a decently-level playing field if it was just the former, but adding in the latter tips the scales too much...doubly so concerning her current handicap.

So, instead, she takes a leaf from Thera’s virtue...and tries to be patient as the earth and stones. If she cannot act now...she will wait until something changes. There may yet be an opportunity down the road...and she wants to be prepared.

Otherwise, she’s shown only to two other rooms. One to relieve herself, and the other far deeper, and kept a bit darker.

“...where are we going?” she’d asked their first time journeying downward. A mineral, wet smell was drifting toward them, but otherwise...she was clueless.

“There is a thermal spring further down the cavern,” Tobi had told her. “You may bathe there.”

Surprised, she’d lost herself for a moment in the joy a simple bath brought her...and then she realized something.

Tobi had sparked fire along a hand, holding it in his palm to light their way.

...but…?

“...you are trained in igni?”

He gave a questioning glance.

“You are...you are a Tenebreon mage, are you not? Fire is across the balance from you: a child of light. Surely it must have been difficult to learn…?”

“...I have always been able to use fire,” he replied, tone suggesting it was completely ordinary.

And yet, it was anything but.

A dark mage using fire ven isn’t impossible, of course...but their opposing sides of the web of elements means difficulty mastering it. But according to Tobi, he’d always retained the ability.

...that made no sense.

Deciding to think on it later, she pushed the thoughts aside as they reached the belly of the cavern. Water dribbled through a crack high in the wall, pouring into a pool that fed into another, then another...layering down through several meters of cave before disappearing down a narrow, dark tunnel.

Peering around him curiously, Ryū jumped a bit as Tobi announced, “I will leave you here to bathe. Please be quick...I’ll return to fetch you soon.”

“...thank you,” she offered softly as he lit a spare cylinder of wax to illuminate a pool before turning to give her her privacy.

The water was a deep blue-green, steam rising lazily in swirls. A bit hotter than any bath she’d had, but not dangerously so. Stripped and sinking in slowly, she’d admittedly allowed a few minutes to just...take in the heat and relax before scrubbing at her skin and combing fingers through her hair.

During another pause, she watched the water flow...and then considered the tunnel. It was only a few feet high, and frighteningly dark. And yet...she had to wonder where it led. Water flows with gravity...was it possible it led somewhere out of the mountains? Maybe…?

...no. A fool’s plan. Even if it did lead out...it would dump her right into snowy mountains, without supplies, a mount, or any idea where she is, or where to go. Let alone the fact her rite would still be in place, and would remain so until undone, or its caster dead. As desperate as she may find herself...it would be a near-certain death sentence.

So when footsteps started echoing toward her, she’d scrambled to dress, cloth sticking to wet skin.

“...are you finished?”

“One moment.” Tugging the last stubborn piece into place, she went to meet him, following back to her nook.

She’s yet to return to the springs.

That leaves her only to her books...and her occasional companion. Tobi brings her meals every so often, checking to ensure she needs nothing else. Asking if her bed is still suitable, if her clothes need replacing, or if she’s yet to run out of books.

“You’ve gone through so many already,” he notes. She can’t know what day it is now, but at least a few have passed.

Glancing to her two piles - one read, one not - she hums thoughtfully. “Well...I’ve little else to do...but I try to make them last.”

“Are they...suitable?”

She offers a soft smile. “Perhaps not my usual taste, but...it’s never bad to try something new.” Nothing to dislike, per se...but not what she’d look for on her own.

“Ah…”

He then lingers, almost awkwardly, and Ryū considers his questions. Maybe he’s…?

“...do you have anything else to tend to?”

“Now?” he asks. At her nod, he adds, “...no. I do not.”

“...would you like me to read to you?”

The weight of the silence betrays his surprise. “...to me?”

“Yes. Aloud. If you’ve nothing else to do, and we need a way to pass the time…” At times he just sort of...stands about, and she can’t help but assume it’s boring. At least this way, he’d have something to break the monotony. “Would you like that?”

Another pregnant pause. “...I...I would.”

With that, he simply folds up on the floor, mask turned to her expectantly.

Fighting against a smile of amusement, she turns back to the first page. This particular book isn’t exactly riveting, but...well, it’s better than nothing. Scanning the first few lines, she clears her throat...and begins to read.

All the while, Tobi sits perfectly still, perfectly silent. No questions, no fidgeting...just a rapt attention to her words. Every so often she spares him a glance, only to find him unwavering.

But sadly, before too long...the echoing shouts of his companion signal he’s a task to attend to.

Stumbling to a stop at the sudden interruption, Ryū glances to the mouth of the tunnel. “...I’ll mark the page, and we’ll continue again later.”

“You...don’t mind waiting?”

“I’ve others I can read in the interim.” She gives a flicker of a somber smile. “...best not to keep him waiting, right…?”

“...you are right.” Standing (a bit stiffly), he seems to consider the room a moment before moving to the corridor.

When he pauses, she tilts her head.

“...thank you.”

As Ryū brightens, he takes a few long strides and disappears.

Left in a bit of a lurch, she thinks to herself for a time before taking a page corner, carefully bending it to mark her place...and then setting the book aside for another.

Thus begins their newest tradition. Whenever left without a task and freed from his companion’s bidding, Tobi returns to the nook, usually with some of Ryū’s food, and immediately takes an expectant seat, awaiting the next leg of the story. Even as she pauses every so often to take a bite, he doesn’t waver, clinging to words and silences alike.

...it’s almost like he’s never heard a tale before.

...or maybe...he just doesn’t remember.

And though she can’t confirm it, given her rather...limited view, he seems a bit...quicker in his pace. As though endeavoring to complete his other tasks in order to return. Which...she supposes she can understand. This may very well be his only break in monotony...as it is hers.

...and after a day or two, she notices that his posture creeps a bit closer every time, daring to close the distance between himself and his object of attention.

Soon, she can’t help but look forward to it, too.

It feels like a traitorous thought. To, in any way, enjoy any aspect of being here. She should be endeavoring to escape, or at least waylay whatever plans these people have for her. But though this is the man that took her from all she knew...her instincts tell her he’s not a threat. Surely he has the power to kill her at any moment he decides to, but...he doesn’t. Nor does she feel he has any intention to.

If anything, he seems to grow more and more attached to her.

...and she wonders if that might just turn the tables.

Surely he’s not about to stop his plans just because of a little kindness. But if she can warm up one of these men to her presence, even just a bit...it may keep her a sliver safer. Maybe not enough in the long run, but...she can’t ignore any possibility here.

And maybe, just maybe...she finds herself, in the basest meaning of the word...fond of him. He treats her well, attends to her needs, and has yet to even speak harshly to her. In this separate environment, a world of just three people...for now, he’s the closest thing she has to an ally.

...or a friend.

Reclined in her eclectic nest of blankets and pillows, posture lax and aura calm, she reads through a rather slow section of their tale. A lull in the action, which Tobi doesn’t seem to mind. As always, he’s front and center, sitting - this time - just at the edge of her makeshift bed. Not quite touching any of the fabric, but an uncurling of her leg could see her touch him.

Not that she dares.

Turning a page with a soft whisper of paper, there’s a tensing as she senses an approaching aura. Tobi, too, goes stiff.

Rather than shout, it seems his companion has decided this time to fetch Tobi personally.

The Tenebreon mage struggles to his feet, upright just as another figure rounds the corner of the short tunnel that leads to Ryū’s alcove.

It’s then she gets her first glimpse of her other host.

Almost immediately, an oppressive energy seems to fill the room like fog. Fairly tall and barrel-chested, a man of dark hair and stern expression glares haughtily into the room. Ryū has scarcely seen someone of such locks, wild and long to the end of his spine. He wears similar robes to his companion: long, dark, and high-collared. 

But what strikes her most is his face.

Anger currently shapes it, brows drawn and a scowl curling his lips. Seems he’s noticed Tobi’s absence stretching a bit too long. Dark circles rest under his eyes...and that’s where she finds herself surprised.

One is a bright, fiery red, like the one Kakashi bears from his childhood friend, Obito. The other...is a deep, noxious purple.

The eyes typical of a Tenebreon mage.

Breath deepening with panic, her gaze flickers between Tobi and his cohort.

“...what in the twelve hells are you doing?” the deep tone of the second man demands.

Clearly struggling for an excuse, Tobi flounders. “I...I was just…?”

“Have you nothing better to do than laze about with the lux mage? Need I remind you there’s still work to be done?”

“I...finished what you had asked -?”

“If you’ve time to sit on your rump and fill your head with nonsense, you’ve time to come to me, and find another task.” Full-on sneering, he crosses the distance, taking Tobi by the front and hauling him downward. Dark ven sparks and slithers along his free hand menacingly. “Need I remind you what your purpose is…?”

“To...to serve.”

“And what are you doing now…?”

“...I…?”

Tossing him back, the dual-mage only watches as Tobi impacts against the cavern wall. “You are nothing. A vessel to be bent to my will. A tool with which to bring about the success of my plans. If you aren’t being useful, you’re wasting your very existence!”

Breath muffled behind his mask, Tobi seems to take a moment to adjust. “...I apologize. What would you have me do?”

“We’re running low on supplies. Meet with our supplier and bring back what you can carry. No more wasting my time.”

All the while, Ryū remains curled in her corner, confusion and fear making her heart race. Did...did this man receive another el’ven’s eye…? How...how can he…? She’s never heard of two elements manifesting at once within a single body. Either one overcomes the other, or a lower tiered element is born. And fire and darkness...they can’t...but then…?

Flinching when Tobi hits the wall...something else blooms within her. A kind of indignation. One Rin has always chastised her for failing to suppress.

“...s-stop!”

The room goes eerily still...and then the second mage turns to her. “...what?”

Struggling to think of words and calm her trembling, Ryū rebukes, “It...it was my suggestion. For him to stay. I...I invited his company. If you’re to blame anyone...blame me.”

Ruby and amethyst stare at her incredulously. “...a grown man should know better than to sit and waste time when there is work to be done. And I’ll thank you not to interfere with my underling’s duties. You are to sit, wait, and be quiet.”

All the while, Tobi remains motionless, mask staring straight ahead.

Seeming to decide something, his companion takes a step toward Ryū, ignoring her flinch and scrambling to burrow deeper into the corner. Disregarding her space, he takes a knee, leaning until his face is inches from her own.

“...you’ll do well to realize that you are in no position to speak to me that way, girl,” he murmurs, voice deep and laced with an edge. “You are here for one reason, and one reason only. Your fate is tied to your new purpose. There’s no use in you trying to fight it.”

A hand reaches, takes her chin, wrenches her toward him and ignores her whimper. Mismatched eyes study her openly, unaffected by her terror. “...you, too, are a vessel. One that I will fill, and which will bring the true key to peace. You will sit, and wait, and be obedient. And once it is over...you will find your reward. Until then, I have no use for your words, your reading, your nonsense. Accept your fate, lux’el’ven. And rejoice...for you will birth the dawning of a new age.”

Slowly, Ryū’s face changes from fear to a sickened understanding.

As it does, his lips curl into a cruel grin of victory. “So...best be patient. You will be here as long as it takes, my dear...if not this cycle, then the next. Until you give me what I want...you will remain. It would do you well to swallow that fate now, and accept it.”

Shaking and fighting the urge to be sick, Ryū recoils as he releases his grip, turning from him with a gasp of panic.

Passing Tobi, who has yet to move, the other mage pauses. “...get back to work.”

“...yes, Madara…” Watching him go, Tobi lingers a long moment before turning to the lux mage.

Still she convulses with a combined disgust and horror, despair finding form in soft sobs she tries her best to muffle.

“...why...did you interfere?”

His question is soft, tone still grating. And for a long moment it goes unanswered, as though she didn’t hear.

But slowly, Ryū struggles to calm her breath, arms hugged tightly to her form, turning ever so slightly to glance to him. “...why...w-why wouldn’t I…? Does he - does he always treat you this way…?”

“...I have known no different.”

Face tearstained and still quivering, Ryū nonetheless dashes at her cheeks. “...no one should be treated thusly,” she murmurs, voice cracking. “He was cruel to you, and for no adequate reason. I couldn’t just...I couldn’t let him do that to you. It is the way of my people to treat all fairly, and kindly. Luxeria is the harbinger of light, of life, of healing...we were chosen to undo the chaos and pain and strife of Tenebreos. I might not have my ven...but I still have my words, a-and my will, and my actions. And through them, if nothing else...I will do Luxeria’s work.”

Silence falls as Tobi seems to consider that.

“...but I am your enemy.”

“...you took me,” she admits. “...but never have you raised your voice, or your hand. You feed me, tend to me...keep me company.” Finally, she brings silvers up to behold his mask. “...you are not my foe. But that man, that…” Her face flinches with disgust. “...he intends to harm me. He...is my enemy.”

...Tobi has no reply for that.

Curled in her corner, arms clinging to her front, Ryū murmurs, “...you should go. I don’t want him getting angry at you again.”

“I can survive his anger. It is my constant companion.” Slowly, carefully, Tobi approaches the edge of her nest, taking a knee. A hand reaches, pausing as she flinches...then grasps the guise over his face.

In spite of herself, Ryū stills, watching as he lifts the mask and bares the skin beneath it for the first time.

Like Madara, one eye of red, and one eye of violet stare at her almost...sadly. But what draws her gaze is the mottled skin along the right side. Ridges and puckers mar the surface. Almost as though...he was burned…?

Without pause, sympathy fills her chest to bursting, tears - these for him, not herself - bead along her lids.

His eyes flicker between hers, reading her expression. “...but...it is not my only companion now,” Tobi murmurs. “...now...I have your kindness. And that...I may not survive without.”

Drawing a breath, Ryū startles at a strange feeling, glancing up as Tobi stands, replacing his mask. As though fleeing, he turns on his heel and retreats from the room.

All over again, her heart jumps in her chest...but this time, not out of fear. Something in her face warms, and confusion overtakes her.

What…?

And beyond his words, confusion still swirls. So...he does wield both darkness and fire. So does this Madara bastard. But...how? Have they stolen eyes? They bear no scars like Kakashi, and yet...that’s the only explanation she can conceive. One cannot bear two elements. It’s never been recorded, not in all of her reading, and she’s lived in the Luxerian library since their coming to the capital. Even tales of those like Kakashi have been rare. 

But then how…? How?!

And yet, she can only puzzle it for so long before she buries her head in her drawn knees. There’s no mistaking their plans now. So...she’s to be a vessel. One for the illest of intentions. Just considering it makes her nauseous. If she had her ven, she could delay her cycle, even render herself infertile if she had to. But...without it, she has little hope. And surely there are no herbs she could use for the same - not here in snow-capped mountains. She could never reach them, anyway.

It all seems so...hopeless…

Kakashi...Rin...anyone...p-please…! Shoulders shaking, Ryū doesn’t bother to censor frightened tears, soaking into her breeches as she curls into herself, wishing she could simply...disappear.

...and yet...and yet...she retains one small sliver of a hope:

Tobi.

Sniffling, Ryū peers out over the caps of her knees.

"You are nothing. A vessel to be bent to my will. A tool with which to bring about the success of my plans. If you aren’t being useful, you’re wasting your very existence!”

...is Madara...using him? Controlling him somehow? If that is the case...if she can drive a wedge between servant and master, then...maybe…!

“...but...it is not my only companion now...now...I have your kindness. And that...I may not survive without.”

Recalling his words brings back the heightened pace to her chest. At the very least...he recognizes her better treatment of him. And as loathe as she is to consider using him - she’s far and away from that sort of person - he may very well be the only chance she has to avoid not only a horrid fate of her own...but possibly for the rest of their world as they know it.

...no...I’m not going to treat him as a tool. I’ll not do him that abuse. I simply must...take what has started, and help it grow. Maybe...we can save each other.

     Aaand our first completely new chapter! And one not covered in the plotting xD Ryū is finally starting to get a few answers...most of which aren’t exactly reassuring. But she still has a LOT to figure out! Now back to Kakashi and Kumiko for a lil drama llama :3c