#embracing God's vision for your journey

[solitary-traveler]

Ascent to Oblivion part 1 - airborne embrace

The heart imposes how one should act. How they should feel. So how can a puppet constructed without a heart exhibit such distinct qualities?

Notes: This one is very self-indulgent. I swear I wish there was an option to catch him during this scene—

Warning: reader is not traveler btw, slight angst?

A heart is regarded as a mirror that reflects someone’s soul. A sovereign ruler that ordains decrees that the body is meant to follow. 

The heart imposes how one should act. How they should feel.

So how can a puppet constructed without a heart exhibit such distinct qualities?

He doesn't have a soul, nor a heart for that matter. Yet Scaramouche doesn’t fail to display the epitome of humanity. The emotions he claims are cursed act as a substitute; an artificial heart that ushers him in the direction of the deepest desires that he sought after. It spreads within his body like a burning infection, leaving a bitter taste of rage and fury that will never be quelled. Come hell or high water, his resolve never wavers. His ambition to prove to everyone that he is destined for more perseveres. He sprints to his goal like a marathon. To conclude his journey and prove to his mother that he has always been worthy of the gnosis.

That was your understanding of the 6th Harbinger, the Balladeer.

You stand beside the Traveler, along with the Archon of Wisdom you had liberated earlier. You encounter the rising "god" of Sumeru—the existence of who you know as Scaramouche—as he presents himself as the Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal, Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom. A long drawn-out battle that persisted 168 loops before you and the Traveler snatch victory from the harbinger.

You were tired and on the verge of collapsing. Bruises and scars are scattered across every nook and cranny of your skin. Yet despite everything—every word, every truth, every lie—you can't bring yourself to hate him. 

You wanted to hate him.

But why couldn't you?

Was it because you felt pity? Because the solicitude of his sorrows softened the fortification encircling your heart? 

Or was it because sympathized with him? Maybe you too knew how it felt when the cruel jaws of life gnaw on the strings that control destiny, only to give birth to nothing but misery and hatred toward the world?

As you looked up, you saw the electro gnosis in Nahida's possession. The puppet yells, an anguished wail of cries as every word laced with desperation begs to have the gnosis back.

"No! Anything but the gnosis!"

"That's mine!"

It was strange. Watching someone like Scaramouche throw away their pride and dignity, just for one measly gnosis. A gnosis that shaped his entire identity. An item he's been promised when he was fabricated, a promise the Raiden Shogun never kept. 

Your heart throbs. Was this the one you were supposed to hate? A misguided child who grew up hating himself and everyone around him because of accidents he interpreted as his fault?

Scaramouche's slender arms extend to seize the gnosis, to grasp the adhesive that was holding up his fragmented individuality. One by one, the tubes embedded in him fracture. Pink liquid sloshed out like waves, smearing pigments on the platform. But he couldn't care less. He wanted the gnosis. He needed it. With a hushed click, your eyes widened.

He fell.

And you jumped.

Despite the burning sensation of the wounds you had accumulated from the puppet, you rise without hesitation as the overwhelming urge to catch him coursed through your veins. You create a whirlwind that propels you in his direction, with the aid of your anemo vision. Time itself decelerates as you can only hope to reach him. You were praying to any go out there that you haven't miscalculated.

One.

Your arms wrap around Scaramouche, cradling him closely to you. You caught him. Thank the archons you caught him. 

Two.

You were to land swiftly on the ground—but having exerted the last of your energy—your touchdown wasn't as smooth or graceful as you had hoped. Your feet slipped, causing you and the harbinger in your arms to skid towards the rubble of rocks. Even then, you squeezed him tightly, not wanting to let go.

Three.

A deafening crash resounds in the domain as you smash into the massive debris. But your clutch doesn't waver. You held the puppet in your arms, a testament of your newfound will to protect him. To keep him safe. You could no longer watch him be cheated out of everything good. He deserves some peace, a tranquility you were willing to give. In spite of your best efforts to remain awake and asses how Scaramouche was faring, your brain started to deprive you of your consciousness.

Four.

A hand clutches your clothes firmly, as you feel the cold porcelain pressed against your skin. Before you collapse into an unconscious state, you overhear a broken sob. A sound only those with a shattered soul can let out.

Taglist for part 2 is open btw!

[theblackfemininesociety]

They'll laugh at you when you're hustling, but praise you when you become a millionaire.

Besties,

I hope this message finds you well and in high spirits. Today, I want to remind you of the importance of trusting the process, even when it seems challenging or others cannot see the vision you hold so dear. Remember, it is not your responsibility to convince others to see what you see; instead, your focus should be on bringing your vision to life.

In pursuit of your dreams and goals, there will inevitably be moments of doubt, discouragement, and frustration. However, I urge you not to give up. Embrace the obstacles as opportunities for growth and channel your energy into making your vision a reality. Believe in yourself, your abilities, and the unique talents you possess. Trust that you are capable of achieving great things.

Sometimes, it may be necessary to isolate yourself from negativity or distractions that hinder your progress. Surround yourself with positivity, inspiring individuals, and like-minded people who believe in your vision. Seek solitude if needed, as it can provide clarity and allow you to focus on what truly matters.

In addition to isolation, consider incorporating fasting into your journey. Fasting is not only a means of cleansing the body but also a powerful practice for strengthening your mind and spirit. It allows you to develop discipline, resilience, and a deeper connection with yourself. When you fast, you tap into a wellspring of inner strength that can guide you through any challenges you may face.

Lastly, but most importantly, never underestimate the power of prayer. Remember that you are a beloved daughter of God, and He is always there to guide and support you. Through prayer, you can find peace, inspiration, and the strength to overcome any obstacles that come your way.

Besties, trust the process and have faith. Keep pushing forward, and never lose sight of the amazing things you are capable of achieving. The world is waiting for you to make your mark, so go out there and shine!

With love and support,

— The Black Feminine Society 💋

It's Time To Expand Our Sisterhood!

Join Our NEW Discord Groupchat: HERE

We made this group so that we can find like-minded women who are on their own journey, We canconnect, inspire and support each other. It's a safe space where we can share our stories, challenges, and triumphs with one another. We believe that by coming together, we can empower and uplift each other to reach our fullest potential.

[eelnoise]

in my feels tonight so have some zoro fluff that i wrote to help 🤫

BTW i appreciate you guys so much. thanks for reading my silly fics 🫶🫶🫶

zoro x gn!reader (if I slip a pronoun in lmk!! I'm tired and it ain't proofread!!)

this fic has a sequel!!

Zoro wakes with a start. His right eye springing open and blinking several times to clear his vision. His chest is heaving and a light layer of sweat is damp against his skin as his groggy brain processes his surroundings. 

Another nightmare. 

Flashes of his past - times where he failed or disappointed had long haunted him, and recurring memories seemed to follow him even in sleep most nights. 

It eats at him deeply, even if he doesn't show it on his face or in his demeanor. Years of grief and loss in the face of danger and battle has hardened Zoro, a stoic mask carved into his expression that hides his feelings and serves as a filter for unwanted emotions. 

He has to stay strong, at least on a surface level. He has a crew to protect and a captain to aid - people who rely on and expect great things from him.

Zoro keeps his thoughts tightly wrapped, bottling them up in a way that only makes him spiral further into his own anguish. 

A quiet and frustrated sigh passes through his lips, the hand at his side twisting into a fist in anger when he feels a head-sized weight on his chest and a much smaller arm draped around his middle. 

It's you.

His heart leaps when he takes in your sleeping form. Your face is caught in the moonlight peering in through the window in his cabin, peaceful and relaxed in what Zoro hopes is a bliss filled slumber. 

He wraps his arm around you, one hand coming to rest on your head as he begins to stroke your hair. A soft, lazy smile twitches at the sides of his mouth.

You're a reminder that life can feel more vivid - a light in the dark recesses of his mind. A reminder that even someone as cold and as rough as he seems to be is worthy of love. 

Love - what a word to describe how he feels toward you. 

It's something he'd never thought about having; something that always seemed so foreign and strange to him. Loving someone with your whole being was something he couldn't understand, devoting himself to something other than his dream, and this life of piracy didn't seem possible. 

Zoro would die for his captain. He would and had taken on anyone who stood in Luffy's way on their journey. Left on death's door many times, Zoro could've gone out knowing that he'd done his part. It didn't matter if he lived or died as long as Luffy could live his dream. 

But for you, he'll come back every time. 

He has to live.

Just meeting you had ignited a flame he thought long dormant, the fire fanning into a greater blaze when you seemed to understand him, body and soul. And when you took his hand in yours that one fateful evening, your fingers entwining with his after a long conversation at midnight in the crow's nest - he had fallen head over heels. 

He cherishes you in a way he had thought impossible. You know just how he ticks, and you always seem to be right there with open arms when he really needs you. 

Words don't need to be exchanged to show the love between you - that isn't really his forte. You met this particular behavior with learned ones of your own, forgoing average public displays of affection and replacing them. A simple but gentle touch to his shoulder can anchor him. The quick brush of your hand next to his in passing always has a deeper and more unspoken meaning to it. 

You know him like no other, and he makes sure to show you just how much he cares in the only ways he knows how. 

Zoro presses his lips to the top of your head a few times, breathing in the scent of your hair with a warm smile. You hum even deep within your dreamy state and nuzzle your face closer to him, warm and safe in his tight embrace. 

God, he loves you. 

[spiritualitygeek]

Your Heart's True Calling

Disclaimer: This pac is for entertainment purpose only. I am not liable for any actions or decisions taken or made based on the information presented in the reading. The interpretations and insights are subjective and open to individual perception. Please use your own judgment and intuition when applying the messages to your life or situation. Thank you!

~ Pile 1 ~

AoC rx, Knight oW, 5oP rx

As I was shuffling, the message "Hakuna Matata" came up. It's telling you to embrace a carefree and blissful existence. This message actually makes sense if we look at the cards too.

The Ace of Cups here in reverse is hinting at emotional challenges you might have faced in embracing or even finding your heart's true calling. It could be in one way or another, and it varies for each individual. The way I'm seeing it, it seems like you know what you want and how you gonna have it, but your cup is empty. You don't have the right resources? Trust me bestie, once you ask, it'll be given. Please ask God! Or the universe. Whatever your beliefs are, ofcourse. It's not the time for you to be held back by these limitations. It's time to let go of those feelings that no longer serve you.

The Knight of Wands plays a significant role here as it's helping you find that energetic spark. It's encouraging you to embark on new adventures with enthusiasm. Knight of Wands is definitely the energy of "Hakuna Matata" here. Blissfully walking your own path. Following your passion, your bliss. Being care free and happy. I'm strongly feeling it's the key! Your heart's true calling! "Follow your bliss." Whatever it may mean to you. Take what resonates, ofcourse.

Lastly, with the Five of Pentacles reversed, financial worries are beginning to ease, allowing you to see the abundance around you. If lack of financial resources have held you back from following your bliss, it will no longer be the case. Here I'm seeing two possibilities so please take what resonates. You'll either find alternate ways to follow your passion and do what makes you happy, a way that doesn't involve spending 💰 at all. Some of ya'll are possibly manifesting this, be it consciously or subconsciously. For others, I see money pouring in. Which again, y'all are manifesting of course.

Combining these cards with the message of "Hakuna Matata," it's clear that your heart yearns for a life filled with joy, spontaneity, and a lighter outlook.

Hence, your heart's true calling is to embrace the present moment, release burdens, and trust that life will provide. Remember, the path of Hakuna Matata invites you to dance through life's challenges, just like the Knight of Wands charges forward fearlessly. Embrace your passions and interests, and don't let worries hold you back.

Overall, the way I'm seeing it, once you start following your bliss, things will start to fall into place. Specially your finances if that's what you're struggling with. Your heart's true calling revolves around the carefree spirit of "Hakuna Matata." Embrace joy, follow your passions, and live life to the fullest, knowing that the universe and your intuition are guiding you toward a more blissful and fulfilling journey.

Signs: Pisces, Sagittarius or Taurus (Sun, Moon, Rising)

~ Pile 2 ~

8oS, 2oC, King oC

While connecting with the cards, I got a vision of a warrior on a horseback, embodying the spirit of strength and courage. This image seems to suggest that your heart's true calling might involve embracing a "Warrior Spirit."

The 8 of Swords hints at past challenges that may have left you feeling restricted. The 2 of Cups signifies a potential for deep connections and partnerships, while the King of Cups reflects emotional mastery and compassion.

From these cards and my vision, I'm seeing that your heart's true calling is closely tied to connections and partnerships. It seems that you've faced hardships in the past, which may have led to trust issues and a reluctance to ask for or accept help. Yet, like a warrior who doesn't let the number of battles they've found define them as a person, you've preserved a soft heart capable of trust and love. Although, you may be unbeknownst to it.

Your true calling is indeed about rediscovering the very ability to love and trust which you think you've lost. The 2 of Cups and the King of Cup are saying that you're still a person with a big heart, despite the challenges you've faced.

You're stronger than you think, Pile 2. Regardless of what you've been told. Every battle you've fought, have transformed you into a beautiful person. You have a heart unlike any other. Your energy is so pure for a warrior. Like the knight of flowers? There's something about your energy. It's like, you protect people because you don't want them to fight the same battles as you. You want to protect them from the harsh world. You don't want them to lose their purity as you have? Although, you may think you've lost your purity but the truth is you haven't. It's rare to see someone like you. Who's been through so much yet chose not to be bitter.

Moreover, there's something significant you're meant to create with a partner, whether that's a close friend or a lover. This creation could be a legacy, a business, a work of art, or anything that resonates with you. This partnership may or may not be strictly professional, mind you.

Remember, Pile 2, you're meant to be with people. Your heart's true calling involves collaboration and partnership. Isolation doesn't serve you well. You have the capacity to make something beautiful together. So, reach out, open up, and embrace the connections that will lead you towards a more fulfilling and purposeful path.

Signs: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio (Sun, Moon, Rising)

~ Pile 3 ~

AoP, PoC, 7oW

As I closed my eyes while connecting with the cards, I saw an eagle in my vision. It is likely that eagle holds a significant symbolism for some of you. For others, it represents a higher perspective, courage, and a strong connection to the spiritual realm.

The Ace of Pentacles signifies new beginnings, particularly in the material realm. The Page of Cups brings forth emotions and creative potential, while the 7 of Wands represents a determination to stand your ground in the face of challenges.

Combining these cards with the eagle symbolism, it's apparent that you're called to soar to new heights and embrace opportunities for growth.

The Ace of Pentacles here indicates a fresh start in a practical aspect of your life, possibly in areas related to career, finances, or material stability.

The Page of Cups and the eagle's symbolism point toward your intuitive and creative abilities. It implies that your calling is closely connected to expressing your emotions and creativity in a unique way that resonates with your soul. I'm getting artists in this pile. You're meant to create, to express, Pile 3.

Just as the eagle has a keen perspective from high above, you're being guided to see things from a higher vantage point, tapping into your intuition to navigate your path.

The 7 of Wands adds an element of resilience and courage to the mix. It suggests that while pursuing your true calling, you might encounter obstacles and competition. Yet, like the eagle who faces challenges head-on, you're encouraged to stand tall and assert yourself. Trust your instincts, and don't be afraid to defend your passions and creative endeavors.

To sum up, Pile 3, your heart's true calling is about embracing new beginnings, creative expression, and a higher perspective, just like the eagle that graced my vision.

Navigate challenges with courage, tapping into your intuition and creativity. By doing so, you'll find yourself soaring to new heights, fulfilling your potential, and aligning with your true purpose.

Additionally:

Even if you're not an artist, but you chose pile 3, your true calling may be about tapping into your creative and intuitive side in a unique way. While the artistic aspect is one way to interpret the Page of Cups and its creative potential, it's important to remember that creativity comes in various forms.

The Ace of Pentacles suggests new opportunities and beginnings in the material realm. Your true calling might revolve around building a strong foundation in areas such as finance, career, or even personal development. It's about embracing new ventures that resonate with your passions and practical pursuits. The Page of Cups encourages you to explore your emotional and intuitive side, regardless of your profession.

Your true calling might involve connecting with others on a deep level, offering empathy and compassion, or finding innovative solutions to challenges. As you're spiritually blessed, whether you know it or not. This doesn't have to be limited to artistry—it could be applied to any field where human connections matter. The 7 of Wands implies that challenges and competition might be part of your path.

Even if you're not an artist, you could be called to stand your ground in your chosen field, asserting yourself and your ideas. This could be about leadership, advocacy, or being a voice for positive change.

The eagle's symbolism is still relevant. Just as the eagle represents a higher perspective and courage, your true calling might involve stepping back to gain insights and viewing situations from a broader angle. This can be applied in any domain, helping you make informed decisions and navigate challenges.

Overall, Pile 3, your Heart's True Calling, even for non-artists, is about embracing new opportunities, connecting deeply with others, and approaching challenges with resilience and courage. Remember, creativity and passion can be expressed in countless ways, and your unique path might involve harnessing these qualities in a field that resonates with you.

Signs: Capricorn, Virgo, Taurus, Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio, Leo, Sagittarius, Aries (Sun, Moon, Rising)

Thank you all for taking the time to read my pac. I hope the insights resonated with you and provided some guidance. If you found this helpful, I'd be grateful if you consider following me for more spiritual content and future tarot readings. Wishing you all love, light, and positivity on your journey! ✨

- with love, Snow ❄️

Enjoyed the reading? Tip me here~

[obsidian-pages777]

Pick a Card: Messages for Heart Break from God Anteros. Pick a Billie Eilish Image

Left to Right First Row- 1->2 Left to Right Bottom Row- 3->4

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Tarot Reading 1: The Journey of Self-Discovery

Cards Drawn: The Fool, The Hermit, The Star

Anteros urges you to begin a new journey of self-discovery. The Fool represents a fresh start, a leap of faith into the unknown. Heartbreak can be a catalyst for profound personal growth. The Hermit advises you to take time for introspection, to retreat into solitude where you can reflect on your past relationships and your own needs. The Star signifies hope and healing. It reminds you that there is light after darkness, and this period of heartbreak is temporary. Focus on your personal dreams and aspirations. Healing comes from understanding yourself better and rediscovering your own worth.

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Tarot Reading 2: Rebuilding with Patience

Cards Drawn: The Tower, Temperance, The Empress

The Tower indicates that your heartbreak may have come from a sudden and shocking change. Anteros suggests that while the destruction feels overwhelming, it is also an opportunity to rebuild stronger foundations. Temperance advises patience and balance in this process. Take your time to heal; there’s no need to rush. Balance your emotions and find a middle path in your recovery. The Empress encourages you to nurture yourself. Engage in self-care, surround yourself with beauty, and reconnect with nature. Healing will come from taking care of your physical and emotional needs and fostering a sense of inner peace.

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Tarot Reading 3: Empowerment Through Forgiveness

Cards Drawn: The Devil, Justice, The Strength

The Devil suggests that you may be holding onto toxic attachments or negative patterns from your past relationship. Anteros advises you to confront these shadows head-on. Justice calls for you to seek fairness and balance, not just in external circumstances but within yourself. This might involve forgiving yourself and others for past mistakes. The Strength card emphasizes inner strength and compassion. Healing from heartbreak requires you to be courageous and to tame your inner demons with kindness. Empower yourself by letting go of resentment and embracing forgiveness. This path will lead to a more balanced and harmonious state of being.

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Tarot Reading 4: Embracing New Beginnings

Cards Drawn: Death, The Chariot, The Lovers

Death signifies the end of a significant phase and the beginning of something new. Anteros tells you that this ending, though painful, is necessary for your transformation. Embrace this change as a gateway to new opportunities. The Chariot represents willpower and determination. Take control of your life’s direction with confidence and focus. The Lovers card is a powerful reminder that love will come again, but it must begin with self-love and harmony within yourself. Healing from heartbreak involves letting go of the past and moving forward with a clear vision and open heart. New, healthier relationships await when you are ready to embrace them.

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[perseabeth]

The Promise of the Wild Sea

< this is not an official fic yet, i had this AU in my mind for a while, and now i got the time to write few parts of it. if the story was to your liking, i might get encouraged to make it an official fic. i’d like to remind you that i do not own any of the characters, as they all belong to the original myths and Rick Riordan. except for the oc Callista. however, i made some alternation in the myths that could benefit my story. i hope you like these changes. also this is a fem!percy version. enjoy reading >

- 1184 BCE, The fallen city of Troy -

Apollo stood in front of Callista’s pyre, the flames not yet lit, his gaze fixed on her lifeless face. Her once radiant beauty now drained, her cheeks no longer flushed with the color of life. Her hair, dark as the starless night, framed a visage that seemed at peace, a peace she had found only in death. Yet, she had stolen his peace with her departure, leaving him hollow and bereft.

With painstaking care, he had smoothed away every bruise, every mark of the cruelty she had endured, wishing to present her to the underworld in the full splendor of her glory. His Callista, his heart. He clutched the two drachmas in his hand, the coins a symbol of her final journey, but to him, they were a cruel reminder of his eternal separation from her. How could he consign her to the underworld, knowing he would be condemned to an eternity without her by his side?

His soul ached with a grief that seemed too vast to contain. With a trembling breath, he placed the drachmas on her closed eyes, sealing her fate, preparing her for her voyage to the underworld. She deserved a realm free from the sorrows of war and the sting of death, a place of peace and light. He swore on his immortal soul that she would find solace in Elysium.

Apollo leaned down, his tears falling like rain upon her serene face, pressing a final kiss to her cold, unresponsive forehead.

“Farewell, my Callista... until we meet again, my angel.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sun god cradled her cheeks in his trembling hands, his soy blue eyes filled with the agony of days spent pleading with his uncle, the merciless lord of death, for this moment. She was there in his embrace, radiant as the true princess she was, her beauty untouched by the shadows of the underworld. Her black hair cascaded down her back like the soft night sky, a dark tapestry embroidered with stars in silken threads. Her eyes, those mesmerizing sea-green eyes, gazed up at him—the very eyes he had yearned to kiss open one last time before cruel fate tore her away.

But nothing unfolded as he had hoped.

"My lord," Callista whispered, her eyes shining with boundless love for the man before her. She wore a white, elegant chiton that clung to her form with an ethereal grace, adorned with a delicate laurel crown—a vision of Trojan royalty. Apollo shook his head, refusing to accept the words forming on her lips. "No, you are coming with me," he implored, tears welling up in his sky-blue eyes, each drop a testament to his anguish. He was begging, pleading for her to return with him to the world of the living.

The princess before him shook her head gently, her gaze unwavering. "No, my lord, I am dead. I am happy here," she said softly. She took his palm, still cradling her cheek, and pressed a tender kiss upon it, as if sealing their fates with that simple, heartbreaking act. "You must respect the rules of death, my love. You must go on and find happiness in the lands of the living."

Her words stabbed his heart, despite the delicateness of her voice, despite the sweetness of her words, and despite the loveliness of her eyes. She was pushing him away, each word like a dagger twisting deeper.

Callista looked at him again, her gaze filled with a sorrowful resolve. "I'm with my family, and you should be with yours. Lord Zeus will not be tolerable when he hears that you brought me back from death."

Apollo tried to reason with her, desperation lacing his voice. "But Uncle Hades has already accepted," he argued, only to be met with another tender kiss on his palm from Callista.

"I'm not letting you get into an argument with your father," she replied softly. She lifted her hand and gently caressed the strand of his hair falling on his forehead. Her melodic voice continued, soothing yet heartbreaking. "You will live on. You will find happiness again, I'm sure."

"My happiness is with you only," he insisted, his voice breaking.

But Callista only shook her head with a sad smile. "That's what you're saying now, because the pain is so new. But trust me, my love... time will go on, life will go on." She looked into his eyes, her determination unyielding. He knew there was no way to change her heart. She gave him a beautiful smile that could have brightened his days if not for their situation. "You did all you could. You made sure I found my final rest in a beautiful place. Now it's your turn to let go... to move on."

Apollo's tears threatened to fall, threatening to drown his eyes. He did the only thing he could do in that moment; he planted a soft, small kiss on her lips, a goodbye kiss filled with all the sorrow of a love that could never be. It was a kiss that spoke of unending longing and the crushing weight of farewell.

He would never force her to do anything. If she was happy, he would be happy, even if it meant an immortal lifetime of his heart shattering every day he remembered that she wasn't waking up next to him.

His time in the underworld was ticking away, leaving him with precious few moments to spare in the arms of his beloved. How cruel fate is, he thought, that even time refuses to grant him a longer respite to find peace in her embrace one last time.

He kissed her forehead once more, a goodbye kiss—the same kiss he had planted on her brow the day of her pyre, the day they consigned her body to the flames in a solemn ritual of farewell. He looked into those beautiful eyes one last time. "I swear to you, I’ll always find you in the stars, in the calm oceans, in the beautiful sunlight, in the warm flames, and in the serene mountains. You will always haunt me, forever haunt my life, Callista."

This earned him a sad smile from her beloved face, and he realized he loved all her smiles except this one. "Who knows, maybe someday you will find me again, amidst the moors or maybe in the wild sea."

He nodded, a silent nod, as a single tear traced a path down his cheek. He kissed her hands one last time and turned his back, leaving his beloved, leaving his heart, leaving the bane of his soul in Elysium, where she belonged. Before he stepped away, he turned to her one last time. "Someday, I’ll find you in the wild sea."

With that, Apollo left the underworld, each step a testament to the immortal lifetime of sorrow that awaited him, a sorrow he would bear for the love he could never truly hold again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- December, 2007. New York City-

"And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll.

"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to us. "Some of Chiron's campers."

"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"

"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."

"Oh, right." Then his gaze landed on me, and his eyes widened with a mixture of shock and recognition, as if he had glimpsed a long-lost memory. The once vibrant blue of his eyes now bore golden freckles, a haunting reminder of his divine nature. "Callista?"

I met his gaze, my heart pounding with confusion and uncertainty. Was he mistaking me for someone else, someone from his past? “No. I mean... no, sir."

Calling a teenager "sir" felt awkward, but I knew better than to offend an immortal. They were known to have volatile tempers, and tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up. and now Apollo seems to be on verge of blowing things up, or me perhaps.

His silence stretched on, his eyes still fixed on me, probing and searching. It was as if he was peering into my soul, unraveling the layers of my being with each passing moment.

Eventually, his gaze shifted to his sister, Artemis, who offered him a subtle shake of her head. Their silent exchange felt like a wordless, deep conversation, conveying a depth of understanding that transcended spoken words. Apollo cleared his throat, breaking the tension that hung in the air, before turning his attention back to me.

His gaze shifted abruptly from sheer confusion to a myriad of emotions I couldn't quite pinpoint. It reminded me of the way my mom once described my reaction to blue cookies or a serene beach—a mix of wonder and longing. Yet, as he looked at me, I saw something more. His eyes, now a crystal-clear sky blue, brimmed with an affection that seemed to encompass the entire world. It was a strange sensation, one that left me feeling oddly nervous, knowing that he was a god who could unleash his power at any moment. If it were anyone else, I might have blushed under their gaze. But facing a god for the first time, unsure if he was friend or foe, left me feeling unsettled rather than flustered.

"Percy Jackson," Apollo's voice cut through the tense silence like a blade. For a moment, it felt as though time itself had frozen, as if I were caught in a web of his penetrating gaze. I nodded silently. Then, without a word, he turned away, his attention shifting back to the group. The weight of his gaze that seemed to convey the burden of centuries, left me unsettled.

"Well!" he exclaimed in a cheerful voice again, as if the past few moments were nothing, breaking the silence. "We'd better load up, huh? The ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."

—

i’d love to hear your opinion about this.

[lunarlianna]

Asteroid Morpheus through the houses

Asteroid Morpheus comes from the Greek God of sleep and dreams. As a Daemone, Morpheus can enter and shape the dreams of mortals, delivering messages from the gods or offering prophetic visions. He is associated with poppies, symbolizing sleep and dreams, and wings, representing his ability to move freely between worlds. His role includes guiding the souls of the dead and inspiring poets and artists with visions for their works. Despite operating from the shadows, Morpheus is a crucial figure in Greek mythology, influencing both the mortal and divine realms.

In astrology, asteroid Morpheus (code 4197) symbolizes a deep connection to dreams, including vivid and prophetic ones, and messages from the dream state. It represents exploration of the subconscious, revealing hidden desires, fears, and the shadow self, and signifies major internal and external transformations. Morpheus inspires creativity from dreams and subconscious insights while highlighting tendencies toward escapism and illusion. It underscores the need for rest and rejuvenation and reflects an aura of mystery and intrigue, often keeping certain aspects of oneself hidden. This asteroid can also indicate the type of sleeper you are, the nature of your dreams, and whether you tend to remember them or not. To find it on astro.com, go to Extended Chart Selection, Additional Objects, and enter the code 4197 in Manual Entry.

When Morpheus forms a sextile, conjunction, or trine with Jupiter, Neptune, the Moon, Uranus, or the Sun in a birth chart, it enriches the dream experience significantly:

Jupiter: Dreams become expansive, optimistic, and may reveal future opportunities or spiritual insights.

Neptune: Dreams take on a mystical and visionary quality, often vivid, surreal, and connected to spiritual or artistic realms.

Moon: These dreams are deeply emotional, reflecting subconscious feelings and offering intuitive insights into personal relationships.

Uranus: Dreams are innovative, unconventional, and may bring sudden insights or hints of future changes or breakthroughs.

Sun: Dream themes revolve around identity, vitality, and personal growth, offering illumination on leadership or creative endeavors.

With Morpheus in the 1st house, your identity is closely intertwined with dreams and the subconscious. You possess a mysterious and ethereal presence, often delving deep into your inner self. Dreams play a crucial role in shaping your personality and self-perception, uncovering hidden aspects of your psyche and guiding personal growth. You exude an aura of mystery and intrigue, embracing change effortlessly. However, you may grapple with occasional self-doubt or feelings of inauthenticity, sometimes losing yourself in illusions or adjusting your image to fit in. Overall, your journey involves navigating these complexities while striving for genuine self-expression and acceptance.

With Morpheus in the 2nd house, your dreams and subconscious strongly influence your values and relationship with material possessions. You sleep deeply and are not easily awakened, often dreaming of beautiful things like jewelry and artwork, envisioning a perfect world. These dreams also highlight fears and triggers related to money and possessions. You place great importance on inner wealth and uncovering hidden potential, finding fulfillment through creativity and personal growth. While you may face challenges with financial stability due to impulsive spending or unrealistic aspirations, you're also inspired to build wealth through artistic and imaginative pursuits.

With Morpheus in the 3rd house, your communication has a dreamy and intuitive quality. You tend to be a light sleeper, often experiencing vivid and occasionally chaotic dreams. Talking in your sleep is not uncommon. Your dreams frequently involve other people, including large groups, and paying attention to dreams about siblings can offer valuable insights. You have a knack for storytelling, skillfully conveying mystical or abstract ideas. However, there may be times when you struggle with deception or miscommunication, as you navigate between fantasy and reality, occasionally overlooking factual details.

With Morpheus in the 4th house, your dreams are gentle and comforting, often revolving around themes of home and family. You find solace in hugs and a sense of security during sleep. Nostalgic insights often come as your dreams revisit your childhood home, offering opportunities for healing and understanding your feminine aspects. Family dynamics are deeply influenced by shared subconscious themes and dream experiences, fostering strong emotional bonds. Your dreams may also reveal important clues about childhood traumas that are not easily remembered when awake.

With Morpheus in the 5th house, your sleep is balanced and your creative ideas often blossom from dreams. You're skilled at lucid dreaming, where you're aware within your dreams. You enjoy creating fantastical and surreal works, finding joy in exploring your inner world's depths. Romantic connections may feel transformative, resembling dream-like experiences. However, you might struggle with staying committed or focused in your creative pursuits, sometimes getting lost in daydreams or finding it challenging to materialize your visions.

With Morpheus in the 6th house, your sleep can be complex, often sensitive to changes like sleeping in new environments, which can disturb your rest. Establishing a consistent bedtime routine is crucial for improving sleep quality. This placement infuses a dreamy and introspective quality into your daily routines and work environment, making it ideal for creative or healing professions involving the subconscious mind. While you excel in these areas, there's a tendency to daydream and sometimes neglect physical needs in favor of emotional or spiritual growth, which can lead to exhaustion.

With Morpheus in the 7th house, your sleep is gentle and sensitive. Your dreams reflect the true dynamics of your relationships, revealing deeper truths rather than idealized versions. You often dream of being abandoned or betrayed, and tears may accompany these dreams more often than for others. Partnerships are significantly influenced by your dreams and subconscious, attracting relationships with a mystical quality where you explore hidden aspects together. However, you may face challenges with trust and vulnerability, occasionally dealing with issues of manipulation or getting lost in romantic fantasies.

With Morpheus in the 8th house, you experience deep, memorable sleep and often have prophetic dreams. These dreams explore your inner shadows and may involve encounters with spirits, so caution is advised. Your life is deeply shaped by themes of transformation, death, and rebirth through introspection and insights from your subconscious. Your powerful subconscious guides you toward inner healing, navigating profound changes through intimate relationships and shared resources, with a deep interest in mystical subjects. However, letting go of the past can be challenging, hindering your journey towards personal growth and transformation.

Morpheus in the 9th house, you are a moderate sleeper who frequently dreams about travel and distant places, often involving cars, trains, or airplanes. These dreams reflect your subconscious longing for exploration and adventure. You are drawn to spiritual and mystical studies, seeking to uncover the deeper meaning of life through travel and exploration. However, you may occasionally become cynical or skeptical, which can hinder genuine learning and personal growth. Balancing open-minded exploration with grounded wisdom is key to evolving your understanding of the world and yourself. You have a good memory for your dreams.

With Morpheus in the 10th house, your career and public image are infused with mystery and creativity. You may gravitate towards professions involving dreams, the subconscious, or artistic expression. Your public persona is perceived as enigmatic and inspiring, drawing recognition for your ability to tap into deep, subconscious insights. You are a deep sleeper who can nod off anywhere when tired. While you often don't recall your dreams, when you do, they typically carry profound messages suggesting career or goal changes. However, you might face challenges with authority or resort to manipulation to achieve your goals, potentially harming your reputation and impeding progress.

With Morpheus in the 11th house, your friendships and social circles are shaped by shared dreams and subconscious themes. You're drawn to groups focused on spirituality, mysticism, or creativity, aligning your aspirations with inner visions and collective consciousness. Yet, you may wrestle with commitment in community, sometimes prioritizing personal goals over collaborative bonds. You're a light sleeper sensitive to noise and light, often having abstract dreams rooted in unexpressed ideas. Though you don't always remember them, these dreams can reveal emotions needing release.

Morpheus in the 12th house connects you deeply to the collective unconscious and spiritual realms. Your vivid dreams offer profound insights into your psyche and spiritual path, often involving past lives and astral travel. You're a light sleeper prone to waking at night, with intense and sometimes prophetic dreams. While you excel in guiding others through their subconscious, solitude is essential for your inner exploration. However, you may struggle to balance this with facing your shadow self, hindering your full integration and engagement with the external world.

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[mako-neexu]

AUGHHHHHHh!!!!!!!!! crazy again!!! it really comes back to prison tower/knk collab in the end oh my godfhkjdf

the way dantes' eyes in his first Avenger spirit origin carries a design similar to the demon pillars which also applied as well to his clothes especially his cloak which symbolize the fact that he really is meant to be a tool to goetia and was even prepared as a vessel for a demon god pillar but the context CHANGES once he met HIS ACCOMPLICE HIS DESTINY HIS STAR ON THAT DAY. the meaning CHANGES when he meets and gets to know guda!!! that which made him summonable and molded him into a shadow and flame of hatred manifest carrying the sole objective to harm that innocent soul, a man who is not "edmond dantes" overcame the shackles imposed upon him by the king of demon gods and accepted another fate, that shining star so brilliant and incredible, that dazzled him on that day.

goetia failed as he didnt understand humans even as that desire to protect is there- that which the vengeful demon once was a simple man with wishes of his own and so chose to become a tiny light of hope to this soul that proved its determination to him. he is not a man who gives into fate yet he is a fellow soul that has tasted hell and so knows the despair of being in a similar circumstance, this demon who carries a flame of hatred as strong as his compassion for others who wished to achieve that which they desire. because how could you carry such malice for humanity if you couldn't also love it. it's already a well-established fact that the opposite of love is not hate but indifference itself and vice versa...

cross shaped eyes symbolizing the existence as nothing more than a pawn and yet something shone at the edge of his vision, and so witnessed that little star that has yet to reach its destination, remaining bright even in the face of sins, in the face of so much darkness, he answers their steel of resolve with his own. and so breaks away from whom he was forced to serve and instead willingly embraces another kind of fate.

he doesnt and cant change into any class other than Avenger. for it is in this class that he met you on that day, it is in this class he would be able to remember you clearly and forevermore, as he can also stay by your side even should the world move on without you in it, even should the world itself shuns you entirely. it is in this class that he can also solely materialize in as the world famously remembers the count of monte cristo from the revenge story beloved by all not the man who let his flames be extinguished by love at the end of his journey. it is in this class that he's able to burn himself out as bright as the star that took his breath away. as dazzling and radiant as the moment that changed him in this 'second' life of his.

also notice how the angling of his face and body posture is changed like the glower from dantes part 1 greatly contrasts that of himself in part 2 3rd ascension where he stands as if empowered by that star in which he met... we meet the white haired demon of the prison tower, stuck once more in a hell which he loathed, here, he stands as if like an angel, like a demon, like a knight, like a priest...before his enemies, before his Master... it gives off the feeling of being empowered by love and hope and vengeance all the same after going through so much alongside that person he accompanied with all this time.... the resolve and attachment to which he cares about allowing him to be stronger than he ever was....allowing him to wield his flames for your sake.............

[projectnewmoon]

Sonic - Project: New Moon

Chapter 9 - Ending Cycles

Summary: Sonic faces the end of the world.

Warnings: Blood and violence, minor body horror, minor character death.

Word Count: 2,163 words.

-

Dark Gaia has risen once more. It slowly approaches, treading through a pit of thick magma that painted the scales of its lower half in shifting orange hues. From its back, pure dark energy spewed out in the form of purple smoke. Its giant maw opens and it lets out a roar that shakes the entire planet and the heavens beyond.

Sonic had no time to waste. He turned to his brother. “Tails! Give me the Emeralds and get out of here!” he yells.

“Wait! But Rue is–”

Rue had walked back towards Nox, who pathetically dragged himself out of the now destroyed Egg Dragoon. They approached him with purpose, and with a swift kick to the gut, they knocked him towards the edge of the cliff overlooking the fiery abyss below.

“Rue! We need to leave!” Specter cried, but they ignored her.

The spider coughed, spitting out thick, red blood, staining his once immaculate suit. “Ah… is this it? Are you finally getting the so-called ‘righteous vengeance’ you've been seeking for so long? Are you finally going to kill me with your own two hands and satiate that monstrous desire–”

Rue interrupted him with a scoff. “After all you’ve done, a swift death at my hands would be mercy. You doomed yourself when you decided to play with the powers of gods. You've dug your own grave, now lie in it and rot,” she spat, venom dripping from her voice.

Nox's eyes widened, staring up at Rue. He was left speechless.

With those words, she turns her back on him as the ground starts to shake more and more. The edge of the cliff begins to crumble, and before anyone knew it, the man was falling down with the rocks and debris into a slow, fiery death.

“Sonic! Here!” Tails hurriedly handed the five Chaos Emeralds they’d collected on their journey to Sonic, which began to float and spin around Sonic along with the two he was holding, reacting to his subconscious calls for their aid.

The earthquakes grow stronger. Dark Gaia roars once more. It is getting closer now, green, reptilian eyes fixed not on the group, but on Sonic.

“Rue,” Sonic growled, struggling to speak through the pain, the burning of Chaos and Dark Gaia Energies swirling and buzzing within him, “Get them out of here… please…”

Rue nods, and the group hurries out of the collapsing cavern

Sonic turns to look at Dark Gaia. The dark god stands tall before Sonic. It stares him down, eyes filled with an ancient rage. Yet Sonic felt something else in its gaze. Fear, perhaps. Recognition.

He continues to call on the Emeralds' power, asking, begging, pleading for them to answer. To become a shooting star of hope. To turn into Super Sonic, like he’d done so many times before at the climax of his past adventures. Though, this time, it was as if they rejected his call, refusing to give him power.

Not in this state.

The Emeralds finally do something. They answer, shining brightly, light and energy stabbing into him over and over as his body, his entire being, is…

Unwound.

His vision goes white. He is in agony, an unimaginable pain spreading throughout his body, his skin, muscles, bones, every nerve and cell, down to his very soul. He feels himself scream, his heart pounding and his head throbbing, yet he can hear nothing but a droning noise in his ears. A moment stretches into eternity of nothing but the burning.

Then, suddenly, there is a voice.

“Sonic?! Sonic, listen to me! Focus!”

Chip…? Is that you? he thinks. Where…?

“I need you to focus, Sonic! Focus your energy! You can’t let it all end now, not like this! You have to put Dark Gaia to rest!”

There’s a familiar emerald green light glowing in the edge of his vision. The burning slowly fades, replaced with a gentle warmth, an embrace. He focused on that warmth, letting his thoughts slow and the static clear. He took a deep breath.

Sonic opens his eyes. He feels smaller, lighter. His mind is clear, now, thoughts no longer clouded with pain.

He looked down at himself. His body was back to his regular hedgehog self, though now shrouded in bright light. Golden quills sway with the waves of energy radiating from his heart. An aura surrounds him, the specter of his beastly form, still with him, giving him strength. He’d found balance, both energies coexisting and granting him a new power.

Right next to him floated a translucent figure- a small canine, with maroon and off-white fur, pure, golden eyes, and green, fluttering wings. The gem on his bracelet glows along with the gem on the figure’s chest.

Sonic smiles at Chip. Chip smiles back.

Together, the two fly off towards Dark Gaia, shining bright like a comet. Dark Gaia roars as it tries to swat them out of the air with its claws.

Tendrils of pure dark energy shoot out of its back, maws forming at the ends and biting down as they try and fail to reach Sonic. But Dark Gaia is too slow, as Sonic flies circles around the god. It hisses in frustration, rocks and debris crumbling and falling into the abyss below as the cavern caves in further.

Sonic dodges out of the way of its claws, using his own to bat away one of the tendrils. “Dark Gaia’s not at a hundred percent, is it? Seems like it’s not putting up as much of a fight as last time.”

“Neither of us are,” Chip explained, “But we weren’t back then, either. We haven’t had any time to recover from our premature awakening. But Dark Gaia could still cause a lot of damage in this state. And…”

“And?” Sonic flew out of the way of a tendril shooting for him.

“... It's in pain. I can feel it. It wants this to end.”

Sonic gave Chip a determined look, brows furrowed. “Then let's end it right now.”

Sonic slapped a tendril way with ease, then flew around it, tearing down the other tendrils as it growled and tried to claw at him. He spin-dashed its claw away, and he flew closer to its face, looking it in the eye. A green, slit eye reflecting the glow of the planet’s core stared right at him. Dark Gaia roars and attempts to slash at him again, trying to keep him away.

But while he was distracted, one of the dreadful dragon phantoms bites him, pulls him down. He exclaims in surprise and struggles against it.

Energy bubbles inside, and it bursts, an explosion of light burning the tendril away. Dark Gaia lets out a pained screech, and Sonic flies off to take down the other appendages, on spin-dash at a time.

Sonic then flies up, and his eyes once again meet those of the god. He reaches out a hand, placing it on its scaly head. The dark god’s giant body quivered at the touch, frozen, and he could suddenly feel the great weight of emotions that swirled within it.

Rage. Fear. Sorrow. Confusion. Guilt. Loneliness. Pain.

An ancient weight Sonic couldn’t even begin to imagine carrying for even a minute, let alone the billions of years it’s existed.

Sonic took a deep breath, steeling himself against the immense weight that now rested on his heart. “Hey. That’s enough of that.”

Sonic slowly descended onto the god’s scales, resting on its snout. “It’s alright. You must be real tired of this now, aren’t you?”

There was a rumble from the god. An agreement, perhaps.

“The seal that kept us trapped in the core was weak, but now it’s been completely broken.” Chip descended with Sonic, placing his little paws on Dark Gaia’s scales. “I don’t have the means to fix it. Not right now, at least. Our cycle can’t continue without destroying ourselves along with everything else.”

“Do you even remember why this cycle even started? Why you fight as hard as you do?” Sonic asked the god, “I know what I fight for. What all my friends fight for. Do you remember why you fight at all?”

Dark Gaia was completely silent for the first time since its release. It was listening.

Chip leaned in closer. “We fought over the balance of this world. To maintain it. But things are changing now. Too many people have interfered with the cycle, and we’re both exhausted from countless millennia of fighting. I can’t even remember when this all began, or why things had to be this way.”

Sonic gently rubbed its scales. It closed its eyes at the gesture, the emotions that once weighed on it slowly beginning to fade away.

“Looks like this cycle needs to be broken, then,” Sonic said with a slight, lopsided smile, “Let all that anger, and fear, and sorrow, and all those other horrible feelings go. Find a new balance. I know you two can do it.”

Dark Gaia huffs. It is calm, for the first time in who knows how long. Yet… its body begins to fall apart into purple smoke. Pure energy seeps out into the planet’s surface.

Sonic looks at Chip. His tiny body begins to deteriorate into a light, white mist.

“Chip…?”

“I think… it’s time for both of us to go.” Chip embraces Sonic in a hug. He’s warm, yet it feels like there’s nothing in Sonic’s arms at all. The mist mixes with the purple smoke, escaping out into the world along with it. “I’m sorry. I truly wish we could’ve met again without all of this happening.”

“It’s okay, bud. Not like you had much control over the situation,” Sonic reassured with a smile, “And who knows? Maybe we’ll get to meet again some day. Without the world being under threat of destruction next time, hopefully.”

That’s a nice thought, isn’t it?

Chip smiled back. A bittersweet smile.  “Goodbye, Sonic… Thank you for everything,” he said, his voice fading as his body fizzled out into mist. Dark Gaia’s body dissipated as well, the gigantic beast reduced to smoke.

Sonic was left floating within the crumbling cave, the ground still rumbling as the landmass, and the abandoned amusement park above it, continued to fall apart.

“Sonic!” Someone yells his name from below. He quickly turns to look at where the voice came from. Panic settles in.

Rue stood at the cliff, looking up at him.

What are they still doing here?!

Sonic rushes down, reaching both arms out to them as the entire ceiling begins to fully collapse. He needed to get both of them out, now.

“Chaos… CONTROL!”

And in a flash of light, the two were gone, and the pit, along with what remained of Eggmanland, was buried under rubble, never to see the light of day again.

-

A flash of light disturbs the quiet darkness of Spirit’s Grove. Sonic and Rue crash onto the forest floor, skidding to a stop right under a tree and leaving a trail of upturned soil in their wake.

Sonic immediately shoots up, standing above Rue, who still lay on the ground. His golden glow shines on their fur. “ARE YOU OKAY?! WHY’D YOU GO BACK FOR ME?! YOU COULD’VE DIED!”

“I… felt something change… I thought you were in danger…” she explained between labored breaths.

“I told you all to leave! It was way too dangerous for you all to stay there while the whole place was caving in! If I didn’t get you outta there with Chaos Control, you… you would’ve…”

The golden light from his body completely faded, and his quills returned to their usual cobalt hue. He fell, his body giving away completely, energy drained as the Emeralds rip themselves out of him and scatter out into the world. Rue catches him and gently pulls him close.

“You said it yourself… Us beasts should stick together, right?” she said as she adjusted herself to rest against the tree, having caught her breath.

“I… did say that…” He couldn’t argue with that. Not like he had the energy to argue. He could barely speak. Or move. Or think, even. “Is… everyone else…?”

“They all got out. Should be here in a few hours, I think. The flight from there to here is a long one.” She rested a paw on his head. It was warm, and soft. Comforting. “They’re safe. I made sure of that before I went back for you.”

“Ah…” He can barely keep his eyes open anymore.

“... Should get you somewhere so you can rest. You look like you need it…” Rue’s voice grows into a distant whisper as unconsciousness calls. Sonic can barely hear her anymore, can barely feel her pick him up and start walking off into the forest. His body is numb, heavy, cold.

All he could think about at that moment was how glad he felt to know his friends were alright.

His vision blurs, and everything fades to silent, comfortable nothingness.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jacob’s Journey to Egypt

So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said.

“Here I am,” replied Jacob.

“I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”

Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives. They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.

Jacob took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.

The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.

The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

The son of Dan: Hushim.

The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons. And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.

Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen, Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”

Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me. The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’

When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.” — Genesis 46 | The Reader’s Bible (BRB) The Reader’s Bible © 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean Readers Bible. All rights Reserved. Cross References: Genesis 4:2; Genesis 12:2; Genesis 13:7-8; Genesis 15:1; Genesis 21:14; Genesis 25:20; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 29:29; Genesis 34:40; Genesis 35:23; Genesis 41:45; Genesis 43:30; Genesis 44:27; Genesis 45:10; Genesis 47:1; Genesis 47:2-3; Exodus 1:5; Exodus 6:14-15; Exodus 8:26; Numbers 1:38; Numbers 26:12; Numbers 26:15; Numbers 26:23; Numbers 26:26; Numbers 26:44; Numbers 26:48; Numbers 26:57; Joshua 24:4; 2 Samuel 20:1; Matthew 1:3; Luke 15:20; Acts 7:14-15

Genesis 46 Chapter Summary - Jacob's Journey to Egypt

[jinxhallows]

Uninvited [ The Finale Part 2 ]

Uninvited. a short-ish series ft. Felix, Chan and Hyunjin (& a sprinkle of Jisung for a little razzle dazzle)

cw: 100% AU, afab reader, blood and gore descriptions, ritual self-bloodletting, supernatural creature themes/tropes, vampire theme/tropes, hybrid theme/tropes.

word count: 6.0k (woo dis a big boi!)

-

Part I - click here

Part II - click here

Part III (explicit content) - click here

Part IV - click here

Part V (explicit content) -click here

Part VI -click here

Part VII - click here

Part VIII - click here

Part IX - click here

Part X - click here

The Finale Pt. 1 - click here

-- SO IT HAS COME TO THIS. THE END OF THIS JOURNEY. I love each and everyone of you that took the time to read my story. This was so much fun! I really enjoy AU writing and supernatural tropes. Please be kind to yourselves ! <3

**taglist <3 (If I missed anyone let me know! it wasnt on purpose i tried to comb all my posts and make sure )

@planetdemon ; @a-person-with-void ; @haleyms ; @wonhottcakes ; @hydroyaksha ; @just-randomm-stuff ; @sooinvu ; @ninjaleeknow ; @thegoddessharmony ; @kittycatkrissa ; @ominous-crow ; @sikebishes ; @strawberriesandknives ; @violetpenguinkris ; @koovvie ;

-----

The Final Chapter (Part Deux) 

“Don’t peek!” 

“I’m not peeking, I promise.” 

“I don’t believe you.” 

You press your fingers together firmly resting them against Chan’s eyes as you guide him past the large cardboard boxes that were stacked alongside the walls, a few sit on the floor in the middle of the bedroom.  You’re penguin waddling behind him and end up almost tripping. 

“Hey! You’re supposed to have hybrid coordination here!” You chide as he laughs. 

“I’m a hybrid, I’m not Superman!” 

You make a face, even though he can’t see it. 

“What’s Superman got to do with your garbage coordination when your eyes are covered?”  

Although Chan’s placement is perfect for the surprise, right in front of the bathroom sink and facing the mirror; he can’t help the dismay at your question and he grasps your wrist, slowly removing your hands as he turns to face you. 

“You don’t know Superman has x-ray vision?” He almost looks hilariously disgusted with you. 

“Syu-puh-man yourself into the mirror and look at all my hard work!” You mock as you spin him by his shoulders to the sink. 

“Are you making fun of my acc--” Chan finally faces the mirror, but pauses instantaneously, barely recognizing the beast reflected in front of him.  He hadn’t had such dark hair in ages. 

“Do you love it?” You say with a wide grin. 

“Little witch I--” he runs his fingers through the deep brown, black hair. It was textured in its naturally wavy state after being freshly washed and towel dried.  

“It's been so long... I love it.” He shakes his shaggy hair out, his bangs falling perfectly on his forehead.  He looks so innocent and unsuspecting like this, especially with his new color.  “Do you know how difficult it was to keep that blue? God...” he scoffs, and you giggle as he wraps his arms around you.  He’s wearing dark pajama pants, and you’re comfortable in an oversized gray tee and an extra pair of his sweatpants. 

“Well, you’re welcome.” You smile as his embrace tightens and he kisses your lips once, twice, before nuzzling his nose into the fine hairs that had escaped the front of your scarf, right by your ear.  His breath tickles your jaw and neck. 

“God I’m so glad you’re back.” he murmurs into your skin.   

You can hear the pain in his voice.  The whole lot of you were traumatized from the entire ordeal.  Others carried this weight near-seamlessly; Hyunjin being at the top of that list if it were to be listed from best to worst at displaying a false mask of composure and balance. 

It had been a little over a week since you and Jisung made it back from purgatory.  Other than the gaps in knowledge that Hyunjin had about modern living, he appeared to be coping alright.  He remained to himself, or in Felix’s study. 

The next best person at hiding their trauma was, you guessed it, Felix.   

He isolated himself, so he only truly had to keep his cool for brief moments in the company of others.  You two had a few private conversations over the last few days.  Sometimes, you’d notice his eyes glass over as he would disassociate.  When asked about it, he would firmly insist he was alright and just dealing with the emotional aftermath of the incident, in such a self-aware way, that it would easily ward off any further intrusive questions. 

Chan was where the scale began to tilt.  Not only was he coping with the situation in his own, unique manner---he was also coping with the fact that he was going to be a father, in the most impossible of ways, and he was feeling all sorts of emotions he hadn’t felt in an extremely long time; and quite a few he had never felt at all prior to now. 

It was Chan who pioneered the decision for them to move out of the estate they had been on for hundreds and hundreds of years.  Through an old mutual supernatural friend of he and Jisung, they had secured a home on several acres about 4 hours away. Chan agreed to it right away, without even viewing it.  He simply wanted to uproot the household and mask their whereabouts as swiftly as he could. 

As far as he was concerned, you all could collectively figure out a forever home after the child arrived.  The safety of all was his top priority.   

He kept his ability to bring the spirits of others up, but he barely honored his daytime deaths, instead opting to stay up and vigilant.  The events were trying on his psyche, and sometimes he would break, at night.  You’d hear him crying, softly; sometimes you would feel what felt like a kick in your stomach (though according to mortal fetal development cycles, you were far too early to be experiencing such phenomena). It would wake you from your slumber and you’d sluggishly crawl across the bed to where he sat on the edge.  You would wrap your arms around him, and hug him tightly, kissing the back of his head as he cried.  Oftentimes you would cry too, but you would bite back your sobs, your nose pressed against his silken hair as you’d grip him tighter still. 

Not only was Jisung’s ability to conjure severely affected by crossing the lines between the dead and the living an added time—he was experiencing a strange bout of dizzy and fainting spells that Felix was still trying to get to the bottom of.  Until he was back to his full health, Chan didn’t feel comfortable allowing him to be alone at his home.  Without the level of conjure he held prior, Felix also noted that the protection around the perimeter of his home might have new vulnerabilities. 

Jisung refused to leave the guest room unless it was necessary.  He felt extremely vulnerable the way he currently was and busied himself sick trying to find a solution alongside Felix. 

You hadn’t escaped psychologically Scot free yourself.  You suffered from nightmares of an unknown origin that you were trying to keep under wraps from the others.  When Chan would ask why some days you would wake up in fear, nearly springing from the sheets, you simply blamed it on PTSD; which was half true. 

The other half of the truth was that in the nightmares, you couldn’t see much, it was as if you had been blindfolded.  You always heard the same two muffled voices, but it never became clear enough to decipher.  What was ingrained deep within you from the visions was the fear and hopelessness that you felt.  It was as if everyone had abandoned you, all at once.  The darkness was overwhelming and began to make you feel so trapped you’d grow sick to your stomach, oftentimes, the nausea carrying over into your waking life. 

Today was no exception.  At the break of Dawn, you feel yourself growing groggy.  You had been more tired than usual, but of course, this was how things went for pregnant women, right? It didn’t feel misaligned, the symptoms you carried.  You fall asleep, feeling the peace of your body being put to rest.  Yet what feels like only mere moments later, you blink your eyes open and see darkness. 

You feel the rough fabric that’s tied tightly over your eyes.  Your heart rate quickens, and you strain to hear the exchange of voices happening right in front of you. 

‘...onl...ay’ 

‘br...a...store....power’ 

You capture a full word for the first time since your nightmares began. 

Power 

--- 

You end up getting a bit more rest than you had expected, which was a welcome recharge to your system.  You don’t mention the context of your nightmares, or the full word you managed to catch last night.  It would only make Chan more protective, Felix more curious, Hyunjin more stressed, and Jisung more terrified.  You could tell everyone, hell even yourself included, were waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Chan had told you in the entirety of his life, he’s never felt safe, things have never been normal. Ever. 

So, for now, you keep your mouth shut and enjoy the cool, night breeze on your face as you have your passenger side window rolled down.  You smell the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean shores, only yards away, the moonlight reflecting off the moving water.  As Chan drives further, the tree line gives you brief glimpses of the ocean, but it’s clear, you’re heading far in the opposite direction of it.  The forestry thickens and you soon smell damp moss and rotting wood more than the coastal sealine. 

Hyunjin is sitting in the backseat, also staring out the window, his facial expression blank.  He couldn’t shake off the feeling of being trapped in a world he didn’t understand. 

“So, this is it? This is where we’re going to live?” Hyunjin asks, with a hint of sarcasm. 

Felix, who’s sitting alongside Hyunjin in the roomy SUV, speaks up.  “It’s a roof over our heads.  It’s a start.” He replies coolly. 

“We’ll make it work, Hyunjin.” Chan says, glancing in the rearview mirror at his fire-haired brother.  “We always do.” 

“We’re a family.  We’ll figure it out, together.” You add softly. 

Hyunjin doesn’t reply, but the tension in his shoulders relaxes slightly.  You all drive in silence for a while, each lost in your own thoughts. 

Finally, Chan breaks the silence as the car slows down on the dirt road.  “We’ve been through a lot, but we’re all here now.  We’re going to make a new life for ourselves.  We don’t really have a choice but to move forward now. “ 

“Anyway then, here we are.” Chan twists the keys in the ignition and the low rumbling of the engine stops.  It’s so silent, you could hear a pin drop at least a mile away.  You lean forward, glimpsing the large, Victorian style dwellings.  Your eyes are immediately drawn to the thick vines that seem to be growing out of every crevice.  The moonlight casts an eerie glow on the overgrown plants, making the house seem almost...alive. 

You can feel the discomfort in the car as Chan, who was driving, and Jisung, who’s in the backseat, exchange a look of concern.  You can see the dust on the windows and the cobwebs in the corners of the house. 

As you step out the car with everyone else, you can’t shake off the feeling of unease.  The house seems ancient, and it’s clear that it hasn’t been lived in for a long time; but Chan and Jisung’s friend had assured them that it’s a safe location, and you trust them.   

You try to put your feelings aside and focus on the task at hand, but as you walk up the creaky front steps, you can’t help but wonder what kind of secrets this old house holds. Chan wriggles the knob, expecting it to open, but to no avail. 

“Hold on.” Jisung emerges, wrapping his slender fingers around the rusted knob.   Without turning, you can hear the locks inside of the door turn slowly, as if there was someone on the other side.  The way it opens, dust falling from the frame, you begin to second guess this decision to yourself once more. 

“There’s no way you sprung me to live like this...” Hyunjin says, walking inside and glancing at the peeling paint on the walls.  The rooms are large and empty, with no furniture anywhere.  The floors are wooden, and a dark, cocoa color. 

“Brother, we’ve lived in worse.” Chan says, his hands in his pockets as he walks forward, looking up and surveying the large chandelier that hovers in the foyer.  He looks down at the rug underneath his feet and taps the spot with his toe. 

“This is a recipe for a D-List horror movie accident just waiting to happen.” He notes as you join him underneath, slipping your arms around his waist, squeezing the fabric of his fleece jacket between your fingers as you also look up at the chandelier. 

“It's almost a full moon.” You say with a grin, kissing him and moving on to explore the rest of the house yourself. 

“Yeah?” Chan follows behind you, now that you’ve piqued his interest. 

“Yeah, you get really paranoid about things the closer it gets, I’ve noticed....” Your voice trails off as you run your hand over an old hallway display cabinet.  Dust clings effortlessly to your fingers, and you brush them against one another to scatter it away.  

“You don’t think there’s any way Edith could like...come back, for me...or the baby, or anything, right?” You blurt. 

Chan’s brow furrows.  “No. We sealed her soul in purgatory, little witch why—does this have to do with your nightmares?” Chan’s gears begin to shift as he puts two and two together. 

“No! I--” You look around before lowering your voice, “No, I’m just still afraid.  Can you blame me? I barely got out alive, and now I have to keep myself and this...thing alive--” 

“This thing? That’s my child that’s...our child.” Chan’s voice softens.  He realizes his fuse is shorter around the Full Moon and tries to maintain control. He normally doesn’t let it slip, but he was feeling out of sorts the last few days.  “You let me worry about keeping you, and our child, alive.” 

You’re a little taken aback at his tone, but you blame it on the oncoming Full Moon.  The last one didn’t go as well as it should have, and after everything, his body and emotions were tense.  He seems to notice the shift in your demeanor and runs his fingers through his dark hair, now styled back slick and straight.  He sighs as he places both hands firmly on your upper arms. 

“All of this, its gonna take some getting used to for me, for you, for everyone here.  She could be a vampire, a witch, a wolf, or all three.  My father was a hybrid, and I came out as a wolf.  There’s no rhyme or reason to this it's just...a wildcard, really.  It’s a wildcard.  I feel like I’ve been given a second chance to get it right this time.” 

You can feel the neediness in his voice, you see his eyes, begging, pleading for you to understand him, to validate his reasoning, experience and existence.   

Your big, bad wolf. 

“Did you say...she?” You tease. 

He’s caught off guard as you laugh at his expression. 

“Did I? I said she? Did I really?” He asks in disbelief.  “I didn’t even notice.” 

“Do you want a little girl? Do you think you can handle that?” You say with a cheeky grin. 

“No, absolutely not! That’s why I can’t believe I said it!” He touches his lips and looks at his fingers, as if the answer would be splayed on the tips. 

“Hey lovebirds, it’d be nice to have some hybrid strength for some of these boxes, yeah?” Jisung slaps the doorframe that he’s looking out from behind as he hoists his box higher against his body to get a better grip.  He takes it into the living room and sets it among the other boxes that Felix and Hyunjin had managed to use their unnatural speed to build up. 

They didn’t bring everything from the old house, only enough to be able to live comfortably for a little while.  The family estate was in their name and would always stand where it was built; but that area couldn’t be considered secure.  People over the centuries had been guests, although there had been no disturbances, folks in certain circles close enough knew where they laid themselves to rest. 

You were barely pregnant, and certainly felt strong enough to help.  Your speed wasn’t up to par like theirs, nor was your coordination, but you had little boosts every now and again.  You glance into the trailer attached to Chan’s truck.  Figuring out that you could carry a box or two, you grasp one and make your way back up the creaky stairs and into your new home. 

Chan’s about to approach you, to chastise you for doing too much, when Felix stops his brother, arm across his chest. 

“Let her do something for herself, you can’t control everything, brother.” The white-haired vampire murmurs in an intimate tone.  “You’ll drive yourself mad trying and drive her away in the process.” 

Chan takes a few steps back, watching as you set the box down in the middle of the room and stand up, feeling more winded than you usually were.  You shake it off and head back outside to join the others. 

“I can’t escape the notion that something isn’t right, brother.”  

Chan crosses his arms across his chest, the sleeves of his deep navy fleece jacket rolled up to his elbows as he stands beside Felix, near the staircase in the foyer.  Hyunjin zips back and forth so fast, only the sound of his rustling clothing and dropping boxes can be heard.  Jisung is struggling to carry heavier boxes, to get you to not worry about them.  You find yourself stumbling along Jisung, trying to capture the other end of the boxes that were too heavy for him alone to conquer. 

Felix watches everyone too, his arm resting against the wooden, curled start of the banister. 

He wants desperately to disagree; but the brothers knew how their undead lives worked. Now they had a pregnant witch descendant of one of the most powerful clans in the world in their midst. 

Felix chews the inside of his lower lip as his brain begins spinning the webs it always spun when it came to strategizing. He answers his brother, barely above a whisper. 

“It’s not.”  

Chan glances over his shoulder at his younger, pureblooded vampire brother.  “Has something been ailing you?” 

“The bloodlust.” Felix never takes his eyes off you all milling about, despite Chan boring holes into the side of his skull.  “Normally I keep myself well fed, the blood of a witch, the blood of your little witch, it’s tempting but...” Felix’s gaze breaks as he glances down at the floor.  His index and thumb rub against one another anxiously. 

“The reason Hyunjin and I have stayed out of the way isn’t because of what happened.  Well maybe, possibly for him but the bloodlust, it just feels almost out of my--” 

“Shit!” 

You wince, ripping back your hand from the edge of the box where you had just accidentally sliced the side of your palm with the box cutter.  The box cutter clatters to the ground as you grip your wrist, sucking in air through your teeth.  You’re pinned suddenly to the ground and look up to see Hyunjin’s eyes, an emblazoned amber, his sclera an ugly shade of blood red as he breathes heavily.   

There’s no time to embody enough strength to let out a terrifying scream, as Hyunjin's body is violently propelled across the room and Chan is kneeling beside you, breaking the skin on his wrist and lifting your head enough to feed you his blood.  You drink, chest still heaving with adrenaline as you observe Felix, holding Hyunjin up by his fingers tightly enclosed around his throat as the youngest brother thrashes against the wall.  The wound on the side of your palm closes itself up as you close your eyes from the sights of it all and continue drinking. 

Jisung’s hand lay against Hyunjin’s forehead like a priest performing an exorcism.  With nothing but pure, ancient magick, Jisung sends a voltage-like stream of energy through Hyunjin that immobilizes and renders him unconscious; and afterwards, he crumples to the ground, powerless.  Felix flits away in the blink of an eye, Hyunjin over his shoulder.   

As Chan is overseeing everything and allowing you to heal, he suddenly feels a sharp stab from your mouth. 

“Hey, hold on a sec...” He coaxes you from the blood spilling from his wrist, and he looks closer at your teeth, covered in blood and saliva, as you breathe heavily from the consumption of power. The tips of your canines were thinner, with a sharper tip.  You had felt overwhelmingly in need of his blood for a while now, and you didn’t know what cravings you were dealing with until you had tasted it like this once more.  You were dizzy with how good it felt. It soothed a need inside of you. 

“Your teeth, little witch--” Chan says in disbelief and concern as he glances over to Jisung, still unconscious on the floor.  In a split-second decision, Chan crawls quickly over to Jisung, placing his head into his lap and re-opening his wrist wound to feed Jisung and hopefully bring him back.  You’re busy licking the blood from off your lips and fingers as you quietly watch them.  You feel feral, but not in a good way.  You feel impulsive, and your emotions are now rising to an uncomfortable place. 

Jisung stirs awake groggily, coughing and spitting the excess blood on the floor as he pushes himself up to sit and look around, regaining his breath once more. 

“Shit how long was I out for?” he asks Chan as he’s helped back up to his feet. 

“A minute, maybe two at most.” 

“What the hell was that?  That wasn’t normal bloodlust, veins were popping out of his skull, he was being consumed by something else entirely.” 

It's just like Jisung getting back to normal immediately after falling unconscious. 

“It could be because of the baby, or how long he’s been in purgatory Jisung, I don’t know.” Chan drops his hands to his side in confused exasperation as he kneels next to you, helping you to your feet.  Your carnal desires had weakened just a bit now that the aftershocks were settling in. You feel the fuzziness in your brain returning to clarity once more.   

Felix is coming back down the stairs, and the four of you gather in the living room.  He wipes blood from his fingers with his handkerchief as if it were a kitchen condiment. 

“Little Witch, I need you to be honest with me, yeah?” Felix asks, looking directly into your eyes.  “Have you experienced anything strange, or off since you’ve been back? Any foreboding feeling, visions, nightmares, hallucinations, cravings?” 

You instinctively want to start out by lying, but with Felix’s ability to sense the shifts in your circulatory system; and Chan’s capability to literally smell your fear, you answer honestly. 

“I’ve been having trouble controlling my powers and experiencing intense mood swings,” you admit, wringing your hands nervously. “I keep dreaming about being held hostage and hearing voices, last night they said ‘Power’. And to top it off, I’ve been having these cravings, like...I need to consume something that I know I shouldn’t.” 

Chan doesn’t add that he witnessed fang like projections from your canines earlier. He decides to leave the others in the dark about it. You’re grateful, unaware of what it could mean for you.

Felix and the others exchange a look of concern, knowing the implications of what you just revealed. They were all well-aware of the dangers that came with pregnancy for a witch, especially when the witch in question was carrying a child of an unknown species. 

“We need to keep a close eye on you, Little Witch,” Chan says firmly, his arm coming behind your waist from the side to pull you in. “We need to make sure that you and the baby are safe.” 

“I don’t feel safe in an unprotected house, no matter what Minho told us.” Jisung says as he walks around the perimeter of the living room, observing the cracks in the walls, little scratches here and there. 

Minho... 

That was the first time you’ve ever heard that name before. 

“He’s all the way in Russia, I don’t even know why you involved him in our mess.” Felix retorts. He’s now extremely cautious about what family friends they decide to include so closely into their lives. Anyone who joined them were at risk of death in any number of gruesome ways with the danger they attracted. 

“You know the Lee family has safeguard housing up and down the East Coast, who else could deliver us enchanted real estate in a week’s time? Besides,”  

Chan looks around, “Now nobody in America knows where we live.” 

----- 

The night before the Full Moon, the night of the Waxing Gibbous moon, progresses, and Jisung is busy using as much of his power reserve as possible to help with protection incantations and conjure to at the very least, make you all undetectable for a solid 3 weeks. With some rest, he could add catch-em's throughout the woods, to signal if anyone was encroaching upon them, and trap them until someone could investigate. 

Three weeks would allow the brothers the time to procure a witch of substantial power to drain for the purposes of Felix and Hyunjin helping Jisung to finish the task. You didn’t allow yourself to use unnecessary magick until you could figure out what was going on with your body.  

The energy of tomorrow’s Full Moon hangs heavily in the air, which was causing your powers to become increasingly volatile. 

It turns out that you weren’t the only one becoming volatile. 

The next night, you experienced not one nightmare. 

Nothing. 

In fact, you sleep quite well, the best you have had in ages. The large, four post bed in the room you and Chan chose is old, with its elaborate gold metal headframe but didn’t have a foul smell and had been covered with plastic. When you further examined the 6, close to 7-bedroom house, you discovered some rooms were furnished, and others left bare. 

The loud bangs and clattering were what startled you awoke, followed by muffled voices yelling argumentatively. This house isn't as modernized as the former. The thick, heavy curtains that blocked out sunlight did the same for the moon and stars, unless you physically drew them back. The old place had fancy electronic drapes that rose and fell at the precise moment of sunrise and sunset.  

You reach out and turn the bedside lamp on, rubbing your eyes as you stumble over to the curtains and draw them. The moon hangs high in the sky, big and full. You ran to the top of the stairs, clenching your robe closed, as you had little time to get yourself together. 

Underneath the central chandelier in the foyer was the large wolf with fur blacker than souls that stir in the dead of night. Scraps of fabric were strewn on the floor, along with quite a fair amount of blood spattered along the walls and carpet. The wolf crouches down, readying for a predatory launch. 

“Chan!” You shriek impulsively, covering your mouth when his yellow eyes snap at you, standing atop the staircase. He growls, a snarl from deep inside of his chest, and then he blows air from his nose, almost like a sneeze, backing up two paces with a whine before he’s off, out the broken front door at a speed far faster than an average wolf could manage, and into the night. 

You run down the stairs and out onto the porch, but to no avail, he’s already out of your sight. The sounds of coughing and boards falling and creaking are what alert you to Hyunjin as he climbs out of the hole in the front porch, shaking the crumbled dirt and dust from his crimson locks and brushing his plum-colored button up, tucked into his black slacks.  

“Well, that was a very rude way to say ‘no’.” he tilts his head to the right ever so slightly, and you wince from the crack that results from the realignment of his spine. “I guess I forgot how strong he was.” he murmurs to himself as he adjusts the cuffs of his sleeve around his wrist.  

“Hyunjin, what the fuck happened to you last night? You nearly killed me, and the baby!” Your anger explodes in that moment, but didn’t you have every reason to? If bringing Hyunjin back means you were in more danger than before then maybe you were the only one capable of doing something about it... 

You stop in your tracks from approaching him and physically shake your head to get rid of those awful thoughts. 

You didn’t mean that. 

Why did that even come up intrusively into your mind? 

“You’re feeling it too, aren’t you, pretty witch?” Hyunjin hasn’t flinched from his spot, simply placing his hand into his pocket. He looks amused. “I’ve never seen you so fired up like this before. I kind of like it on you--” 

You take in your breath and hold it to stop yourself from saying something impulsive. 

“Hyunjin, think about what Chan can do to you, and magnify it by 300, I will wear your fucking insides as mardi gras beads if you don’t tell me what the fuck is going on—right—now.” 

“You don’t have to sweet talk me that like to get information out of me, besides, I don’t know what the fuck is going on, alright? Christophe seemed to have transformed against his will and now he’s God knows where in this area none of us know anything about.” Hyunjin says crossly with his unique sarcasm.  

“And I didn’t attack you on purpose, alright?” his demeanor shifts as he glances away, and you sense a little...worry? Sadness?  

“I keep having these fucking...flashbacks of being sealed away. Those first few hundred years...I fought every, single moment I breathed. I – I bled out so many times, and would black out, only to come back impossibly weaker—forced to fight again, and again--” 

“Hyunjin, I--”  

You wordlessly bring him into a hug and his body stiffens at first, he doesn’t reciprocate. 

“Pretty witch I can’t--” 

His hands come up to embrace you in return. 

“Pretty w-witch--” 

His hands are quivering on your back, and you feel wetness seeping into your shoulder that makes you pull back and see the saliva dripping down his jaw, his fangs full and bright, needle sharp, just like Felix’s as he fixes his stare blankly ahead at nothing, his body beginning to slowly rock. He looks like he’s fighting a possession. 

“Run.” 

You take off down the porch stairs and into the woods.  

You glance back as you run, the robe catching on the tree and ripping from your body. You manage not to stumble, but as you’re not paying attention, the remains of a hollow dead tree strike a gash in your shin that makes you cry out, hunched over, trying to keep some distance between you and whatever these wild creatures that you knew as close friends, family even, had become. This wasn’t them. You had to be hallucinating. You were in some nightmare.  You stand to your feet again and come face to face with Felix’s hungry eyes. 

“Are we playing a game, little witch?” he asks in a lively manner, with a disarming show of his teeth in an innocent grin. 

“I win.”  

Felix’s lips close, then turning into a smile that reaches his eyes, before he grips you up, his lips pressing against your neck, your pulse racing as you squirm against him, trying to manifest your strengths, your capabilities, your power. 

“You smell like pure moonlight.” He says after taking a big whiff of your skin before you feel needlepoint fangs puncture your artery while you feel an icy heat emerge from your fingertips and onto his thigh that you were gripping behind your body. Felix yelps in pain, mutters mumbled profanity, and you hear the breeze through the branches as he disappears into the night. 

You’re gripping your neck as its spurting blood all over the ground beneath you and you fall to your knees. You want to be strong; you want to cry out for help, but you blackout from the blood loss and pain from the venom, your body hitting the forest floor. 

------- 

“--manifesting differently in all of us--” 

“-- dead!” 

“--sealed her soul, you didn’t--” 

You groan as you groggily open your eyes to see yourself back in the four-post bed of your room. 

“She’s awake.” Chan exclaims at your bedside. You tilt your head to look at him and then sit up a little more.  

He’s all human. All there. He’s cleaned up and well-dressed, which was a stark contrast to the beast you laid eyes on before you passed out. 

You passed out. 

You touch the side of your neck, but feel the skin totally healed. You move your head back and forth and feel no pain before you spot Felix sitting at the foot of your bed. Jisung is seated at an old desk to the right. Hyunjin is leaning against the window, staring up at the moon that continued its cycle regardless of what happened down here. It's a waning gibbous; at least the energy of the full moon had passed. You feel calmer, and the energy between the boys is subdued. 

“Good, you’re awake.” Felix says as he lifts his head to look at you. 

“First of all, about last night—I lost control of myself in ways I haven’t felt in hundreds of years. I can only remember what even happened through Jisung bringing my memories back. The last thing I remembered was Jisung and I in the woods, figuring out the lay of the land, and then, I smelled blood...I didn’t just, smell blood, I heard voices in my head. Collective voices like a swarm of bees, all telling me to follow it. The entire time I was fighting impulse and I couldn’t stop myself. I remember feeling a stabbing pain in my leg, and I tasted your blood on my lips and ran as far as I could with what little control I had.” 

You listen to him, remembering what you could of the chilling events that occurred last night. The way he smiled at you, so friendly, so unassumingly, he could’ve taken candy from a baby with no consequence. This was only moments before he ripped a hole in your carotid artery. 

“I’m sorry.” He murmurs. 

“At least I gave her a warning.” Hyunjin shrugs as he continues to watch the trees blow in the wind. 

“You call telling her to run headfirst into her death a warning?!” Chan snaps as he stands up, the chair he’s in scraping back against the floor with the haste of his aggressive movement. 

You remember the conversation you had with Hyunjin last night before he told you to run, and you tug at Chan’s hand, shaking your head, signaling for him to stand down. He sighs as he reaches between his legs to pull the chair back and sits back down. 

“How are you feeling? Is anything different?” Chan asks. 

He wants to know about the baby. 

“I’ve never been pregnant before but, I feel okay—a little tired but, nothing too crazy.” You grunt as you push yourself all the way up. “I guess this is what you meant by us never being safe, huh?” 

Chan exchanges a glance with Felix, who stands to his feet. 

“I don’t think there was a way to prevent this from happening, I don’t even know how it all works yet....” 

You cling to each word as Felix speaks. 

“I have a theory that Edith had a counterspell on her earthly remains. If they were ever to be destroyed, a curse is set loose to reign hellfire on those responsible, bringing out the worst in all of us. I don’t feel it at all today, neither do any of the rest of us. It must somehow work with the Full Moon.” 

“Meaning its wolf-based?” 

“There are other important things that happen during the Full Moon that don’t involve us.”  

“I knew it! I knew she wasn’t gone!” You shove the blankets off of you as you stand up in anger, interrupting their discussion.  You look at Chan. “You told me she was gone, you told me there was no way she could come back--” 

“She is gone, and she won’t come back.” Hyunjin’s voice cuts between the room’s tension. 

“If we can break the curse.” 

End. 

[toomanyplotbunnies-sendhelp]

Hello and welcome to Day 22 of "Let's Explore My Plot Bunnies"

Today, I am going to fry my brain trying to explain this mess of a plot bunny that, over time, turned into a full-blown series in my brain.

So I present to you:

"A Thousand Miles Journey begins with one step" - a Lout of the Count's Family and Genshin Impact crossover

Buckle up cause the synopsis is gonna be long:

(I will put a line break here because holy crap I was right - It IS LOOOOONG)

Cale Henituse (the original one here) is the oldest child of the Henituse family, a noble family from Mondstadt. His reputation, however, is not exactly stellar... which is exactly what Cale intended anyway.

After his mother suddenly died when he was 8 years old, his father remarried. As if that wasn't enough to cause a lot of rumors to appear from the other Noble families in Mondstadt, his new stepmother, Violan, already had a child. Wanting to protect the two (and his future new sibling), Cale diverted everyone’s attention to himself by destroying the picture of the perfect and well-mannered child he was. He acted out, slacked off, refused to continue his studies, and even started drinking alcohol early in his life. All to protect the new additions to his family who had no clue how damaging the words of the other noble families can be.

And Cale would have continued it if not for the illness that plagued him and the promise he made to his birth mother, Jour Thames.

"When you turn 16, you must leave Mondstadt, Cale. Promise me you will. You need to live."

Those words from his mother are still engraved in his mind, to the point where he can vividly remember even the tone of her voice when she said them.

Living with an illness that makes him cough up blood and that spikes whenever he is in emotional turmoil is not ideal. But Cale can, at least, be thankful that he is still alive. Something that was only possible because of the Anemo God's assistance in the first place. Barbatos - or as he so insist to be called, Venti - has helped him survive this strange illness ever since he was 10 years old. But even a god like him can't fully get rid of his pain for good.

Six years later, on the night of his 16th birthday, Cale makes good of his promise to his mother. With a simple message to the only friends he knows will not say anything and with a quick goodbye to Venti, Cale sets on his journey to Liyue, where he hopes to have an audience with Morax - the Geo Archon - during the upcoming Rite of Descension.

In order to avoid the Knights of Favonious who are patrolling the only safe way to Liyue, Cale chooses to go through Dragonspine, a mountain where the snow never melts and where living conditions for humans are nearly non-existent. It is a gamble, but Cale always believed in the gambles he took.

Unfortunately, during his traverse through the ice caves in the mountain, Cale encountered Abyss Mages, who seem to be searching for something in this icy cave. Everyone knows that the Abyss are deathly foes who wish to kill the people of Teyvat - the ones Cale meets are no exception.

The Abyss Mages' attacks make Cale fall through the ice into a pool of ice-cold water. Thinking that he is dead, the Abyss Mages leave, as empty-handed as they came to Dragonspine. What they don't know is that Cale found a little cavern below in the icy waters. Said cavern led to a chamber that has the symbol of the Thames Family on it - an oval object around which a snake is coiled, as if to embrace it.

Knowing that this has to do with his mother's family, Cale enters the chamber and is greeted by the sight of a Vision sitting in a pool of what can only be described as raw energy - the kind that hurts you if you try to touch it.

An inscribed stone tablet nearby states:

"Those of you whose blood is of this family

try your best to prevent calamity.

Your blood shall spill in rivers here,

but heed my words for they are sincere:

For you to claim what is yours by birth,

you must prove to me your worth."

Cale approaches the pool of raw energy where the Vision lies. The Vision is unlike any other in this world: a round gem, around which the long body of a dragon is coiled (not unlike the crest of the Thames family), and around the gem are tiny claw-like structures keeping the small gem within the golden casing. It really looks like none of Teyvat's Visions.

Taking the small knife he had on him, Cale slices his palm, letting his blood fall into the pool of raw energy. The pool emits some light before becoming somewhat close to a pool of water - not capable of injuring anyone that approaches anymore.

When Cale takes the Vision in his hands, it lights up with the power of Anemo, confirming that Cale is its master now. Cale is pleased by this, since his mother always said that "Thames children always get a Vision, one way or another and you will surely get one too." It seems another one of his mother's predictions has come true.

Finding his way out of the chamber is a lot easier, and once outside, Cale realizes he is very close to the region of Liyue.

Soon, he meets two hungry cats - or maybe they are foxes - on his way. One silver, the other a reddish color that resembles his own hair color. Cale gives them some food, thinking this would be the end of it, but the two creatures follow him around after that. Which is not that surprising, but Cale had hoped they would just take the food and leave him alone. (Hearing them talk is not that surprising either - they live in a world where a God can just enter a tavern and drink twice his own weight in alcohol, rare it is for Cale to be surprised by anything nowadays)

Due to a wrong turn, Cale and the creatures (Ohn and Hong, as they introduced themselves) end up going north towards Qingce Village instead of going south towards Liyue Harbor. And yet, this detour might be auspicious for a little black lizard(?) that Cale finds after somehow getting involved in a potential creature trafficking ring - trust me, if Cale knew this would be his life once he left Mondstadt, he would have prostated in front of his mother's grave and accepted a painful death from his illness.

(At the begging of Ohn and Hong) Cale takes the little black lizard (which apparently has wings so... Cale is at a loss about what this thing is) out of the traffickers hands and set it free... or it should have been that way had the little thing not decided to follow him as well. Ohn and Hong's smug little faces didn't make him feel better.

Finally, after a few more weeks of traveling , Cale and his three little followers (more like kids at this point, not that Cale would admit that) arrive in Liyue Harbor, right in time for the Rite of Descension - which turns out to be a disaster but Cale can deal with this, whether it is a Fatui Harbringer or an old angry God traying to stirr up troubles.

Once the problems die down (and after Cale wakes up from his illness-induced coma he fell into after the fight with Osial, Overlord of the Vortex) Cale is proposed by the Adepti - mainly Cloud Retainer - to train with them for a year in an attempt to learn how to fully control both the power of Anemo and his newly acquired Geo powers. Cale and the kids accept and spend 1 year with Cloud Retainer at her abode in Mt. Aocang - being visited by the other adepti, Xiao, and even Zhongli, who helped him with his training.

After his year of training, Cloud Retainer presents Cale with a hand-made Polearm as his reward for finishing his training. That will become the weapon Cale uses for the rest of his journey.

Cale noticed that the illness seemed to be affecting him less since he learned how to use the power of Geo. Going on a hunch, he decides that having a meeting and (hopefully) learning how to use the elements from the Archons of each region, and his next stop is Inazuma.

Inazuma becomes quite a dangerous place, what with the presence of the Fatui Harbingers, a civil war and also the Electro Archon seemingly vying for his head. (Cale isn't pleased that Raon - the little winged lizard, that Zhongli said is a dragon -, Ohn and Hong are put in danger because of his journey, but it's not like the kids listen to him when he tells them to stay back)

Once again, things take a turn for the worst for Cale, who, even though the civil war is pretty much over and the Fatui are out of Inazuma, nearly dies from a combination of his illness and the injuries sustained during his fights with the 8th Fatui Harbinger, La Seniora, and with the Electron Archon herself.

On the bright side, Cale acquires the power of Electro, and, as far as the Priestess Yae Miko can tell, his body has been cleansed of the miasma that was seemingly the cause of his illness. Still, Cale has many questions left unanswered after he goes into what people call Enkanomiya to help Sangonomiya Kokomi with a ritual. Most questions are about the Thames Family and, it appears that only Archons may be capable of answering his questions.

On the not so bright side, what he learns in Enkanomiya about Celestia, the place where Gods reside above humans, does not paint them in a good light to him. With each new day and each new book read, Cale feels like he understands more and more Kaeya's hesitance to believe and worship Gods.

Regardless of his personal thoughts, when Cale gets word that Mondstadt is in danger, he and the kids jump back to traveling and reach Mondstadt. On that same day, Cale discovers the reason his home is in danger - Dvalin, one of the Four Winds who fell prey to the Abyss's lies and was deceived.

Now, Cale must team up with old acquaintances and friends to put a stop to all this, while also trying to pay his debts to Venti for helping him in the past (if only Venti would let him help). Add to that seeing his family after 4 long years of being gone and, shortly after, meeting the mysterious Dainslief who seems to know way too much about everything that he did in the last regions he was in (which is not good and Cale is very weary, regardless if his gut tells him Dainslief can be trusted) and you get the headache of Cale's life.

Cale knew he should have just run away when he saw Amber again.

Details that I couldn't fit in the synopsis:

Cale is 16 when he leaves Mondstadt, and this happens like half a year before Crepus's death. So Kaeya is like one year older than Cale (so he is 17 when he leaves), and Diluc is around 1 year and a half older.

Cale's best friends are Kaeya and Albedo. Albedo came to Mondstadt when Cale was 15. Kaeya and Cale were in the same class as Knights-in-trainning, and Kaeya got curious about this "Oh so horrible child" and basically never left after.

Cale knows that Kaeya is from Khaenri'ah. Kaeya never said anything, Cale is just too observant and noticed some few little slips from Kaeya. Cale admitted he knew at one point to Kaeya and assured him he won't say anything since "it's not his secret to tell."

Kaeya, in turn, is the only one to (unknowingly) guess that Cale's bad behavior is both to protect his family and to distance himself from people because he is dying. Kaeya made a joke, really. He said: "Oh, come on, you can be a bit less mean sometimes can't you? It's not like you are dying from some illness, are you?" and upon seeing Cale's unimpressed face (which in reality was Cale panicking), Kaeya said: "Fine, fine. I won't make a joke like that again, so don't look at me like that." before going back to teasing Cale. So yeah, Kaeya hit the nail on the head with that one.

This is Og!Cale Henituse centric. So no Kim Rook Soo, as much as I love him. But we still have (some of) the other characters like: the Henituse Family, Raon, Ohn, Hong, Choi Han, Ron and Beacrox Molan, Rosalyn, Alberu and the Ancient Powers given human bodies. And I guess the White Star (read: Raddish) is there too. (I haven't decided on others that will appear)

Which brings me to where are the others in this world? Well, Choi Han is still the unlucky guy who was dragged into another world here. He appeared in Mondstadt during the years Cale was away and was taken in by the Henituse family. He became kinda like a bodyguard for them as thanks for helping him. When Cale comes back to Mondstadt, Deruth wants to have Choi Han with Cale cause he is worried. Unfortunately, rather than Choi Han protecting Cale, it is Cale that protects Choi Han. (They go through Razor's Story Quest together and it was literally Cale doing the fighting there)

I can't really explain Alberu and the Ancient Powers without giving a ton of spoilers for something, so all I can say is that: Alberu was born in Fontaine, is once again 5 years older than Cale (who is 20 when he returns to Mondstadt); the Ancient Powers met Cale through various means and will fight the Gods themselves for Cale's sake; Alberu appears during the Fontaine Archon Quest so we get some interesting things about his past and Cale's involvement there.

Cale basically takes the role of the Traveler but with no Paimon and without him being a star that crash-landed on Teyvat. Instead, he was born in Teyvat, but the Thames Family is very much intertwined with the lore of Teyvat. That goes for his "illness" too. Also, no, Ron and Beacrox didn't know about Cale being ill. Cale hid that from everyone. Kaeya just guessed it without even knowing/feeling anything is amiss.

Rosalyn will probably appear either during the Sumeru Archon Quest or during Natlan. Depends where I can put her so it makes more sense, probably Sumeru tho.

The White Raddish is, once again, creating problems, this time as the "Abyss Prince." And he still looks like Cale, which is really a red flag for our unlucky bastard. Also, he is kinda in his "Make Khaenri'ah Great Again" Era, which is heavily disapproved by Kaeya and Dainslief, btw.

The Abyss Mage that made Cale fall into the ice cold water in Dragonspine was reporting to Enjou and WS. Needless to say, Cale's meeting with Enjou in Enkanomiya ends badly for Enjou after this tidbit of information comes out.

"Adepti trained Cale, who uses a Spear as his main weapon despite being from Mondstadt," is probably my favorite Cale from all my fics that include him. Like holy shit, he is a noble from Mondstadt that just said "Fuck you nobility" and picked up a Polearm to fight with.

On that note, Genshin lore is IMPORTANT here. Any lore kinda fits in this story, be it because Cale learns about it, because I rewrite some of it to fit my narrative or because it's way too important to skip over. This means if I ever actually write this I am going over all Story Quests/World Quests/Events that have important lore in them. (This also includes Artifact Lore and some Weapon Lore too)

The Thames family is really important here, too. They have powers beyond what is normal, but all of them die young through mysterious means. Also, they have a motto: "A Thames should never fear the past or the future." This basically makes an allusion to the fact that they can see past and future events under special conditions. Because WS tried to get that power too (by killing most of the Thames left in the world) and only managed to damage the powers of the Thames family, Cale is not able to see the future, but he can see the past if he touches an object that is full of energy.

On the note of Cale's abilities, this Cale also has a perfect memory (similar to KRS's Record). So he has a lot of information and trauma stored in that head of his. It will be even more trauma after he gets to Sumeru and Fontaine's Archon Quests because omg, I fucking cried at them both and I was in shambles for days. Can't imagine LIVING through those.

The Thames family has also a bit of a thing that they do before they die. They infuse some object/place with their last remaining energy and leave a message for whoever (from their family) may find it: They introduce themselves, say where is their home and give some heads up about events they foresaw coming and want to prevent.

Because of this, Cale meets some of his ancestors from before Khaenri'ah fell actually. And in chronological order of meeting them, they are:

Wei Thames - his ancestor from Liyue. The message from him was found by Cale during the Quest "The Chi of Yore" after defeating that (accursed) timed trial.

Kannon Thames - his ancestor from Inazuma. Cale finds her remains and message during the Quest "Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual"; she was a good friend of Kitsune Saiguu and died during the Cataclysm 500 years ago.

Acacius Thames - ancestor from Enkanomiya. He lived in the time before Enkanomiya sank into the depths and Cale found his journal during his exploration of Enkanomiya. He had visions of the future catastrophe that will end with Enkanomiya in the depths. When he told the people that he was branded as a heretic and thrown into a prison cell where he met his death as Enkanomiya sank.

Elijah Thames - a wanderer that settled in Mondstadt during the reign of Decarabian and ended up helping with the revolution. Did not get along with Diluc's ancestor - which seems to be a theme between the 2 families. Also he was a dear friend to Venti who vouched for Venti to be the Anemo Archon since he will not abuse his power like Decarabian did. Cale meets him during the Mondstadt Archon Quest.

Isaiah Thames - ancestor from Sumeru. Cale meets him the first time when he connects with Irminsul and then again during the Subzerus Festival Samsara. Isaiah was Rukkhadevata's trusted helper who, feeling his death near, bound his remaining energy to the Irminsul so that he could attempt to help Rukkhadevata even after his death. He is very much disgusted and disappointed in the Academiya Sages and their treatment of Nahida - even states that he would "gladly bathe in their blood from head to the soles of his feet if he had a physical body".

Noah Thames - ancestor from Fonatine. Helped create the Fortress of Meropiede and left behind the papers that will be the foundation of "The Wingalet", Wriothesley's flying ship. Cale meets him first during "Cataclysm's Quickening" (aka Act IV of the Archon Quest) when he is staying in the Foretress of Meropiede and tries to find Childe. He feels his energy again while exploring the ruins that Arlechino pointed out to him and Navia during Act V and, once again and for the last time, after Cale battles the All-Devouring Narwal (basically Cale faints after the battle and speaks with Noah in a space made by his mind). Noah has his energy bound to the Primordial Sea and has been trying to keep it away from Fonatine for nearly 1000 years now.

Adam Thames - an orphan that wondered the Sumeru Desert for a long time. He stumbled upon Khaenri'ah and made a home for himself there. When the Cataclysm hit, he took Dainslief (his best friend) out of the way of destruction and returned to the Door (you know the door deep in the Tunigi Hollow) where, in order to contain the Abyss monsters, he sealed the door shut and left a message behind knowing he will not return. He perished in battle against the Abyss creatures. Cale finds the message and learns about Dainslief being his best friend when he finds the Door in "Khavarena of Good and Evil" Quest.

Another thing about the Thames is that names are very important to them. Their names spell their futures. You can see it in the naming scheme above: Wei means "to protect" which is what he did during his fight against the Chi; Kannon is the Japanese name for Guanyin, a Bodhisattva associated with compassion and is considered "The Goddess of Mercy" having saved a lot of people from extreme sufferings the same way Kannon does before she too falls during the Cataclysm; Acacius is another spelling for the word "Akakios" which translates from Greek to "innocent, not evil" which is want Acacius was really and this name was the name of some early saints who were martyred, which again is similar to Acacius from this story; Elijah is a Hebrew name and was a prophet in the Old Testament, who confronted the king and queen in the 9th Century BC over their idolatry of the Ba'al and other wicked deeds, which is pretty on point imo with the Revolution against Decarabian scenario; Isaiah is another Hebrew name and he was one of the 4 Major Prophets of the Old Testament and also (supposedly) the author of the Book of Isaiah, which has some paragraphs depicting trees on fire - aka just like the one Dottore looks at in the Winter Night's Lazzo; Noah is another Hebrew Name and I am pretty sure that everyone knows about Noah's Ark... only now, the boat was constructed 1000 years after he died; and, last but not least, Adam - another Hebrew name - the 1st human created by God, who, alongside Eve, ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil... here, this can translate to Adam (maybe) being too supportive of Khaenri'ah plans up until it blew up in everyone's face, and he had to run away to avoid death (aka he was casted out of the Garden of Eden) but returned later to stop the spreading of the Abyss monsters out of the Door to Khaenri'ah.

And because we (the travelers) give Scaramouche a new name, Cale here basically adopts Scara by giving him not only a new given name but also a family name (if he ever wishes to use it) alongside it. His name would be Cain Themes, again another Hebrew name but that makes sense since the story of Cain ends with him becoming a wanderer and becoming the founder of a city later, and Cale gives him this name while knowing the story of "Cain" from his mother and hoping that Scaramouche will avoid having another bad ending to his own story.

Cale's own name has a story, but, generally, children only hear the story of their name's from their Thames parents when they turn 10. Since Cale's mom died when he was 8 years old, he never found out the story of his own name - which is pretty common with most Thames children since they can live at maximum till 30 years old in the case of very lucky members of the family (mostly due to the illness they have).

The Thames family is also strongly tied to Dragons, something that was confirmed by Apep in Nahida's Second Story Quest, where Apep seems surprised that "the children of Nibelung still roam this land." Turns out, there were tribes of humans living with the Dragons before the First Who Came (Phanes?) appeared. The Thames family is the last remaining line of the so-called "Dragon Slayers" of old. They were mainly called Dragon Slayers because they could keep up or even slay other Dragons. As a result, Dragon King Nibelung was impressed and bestowed upon the Thames family, specifically, gifts of power (aka the old versions of Visions that looks similar to Cale's own Vision) and considered them his children. Most of those warriors perished in the fight against Phanes(?).

Because of his origins as a Dragon Slayer, it is not that unbelievable that Cale ends up taking care of a Dragon himself (Raon) since raising a small Dragon is like a Rite of Passage for the Dragon Slayers in this fic.

White Star, as stated before, killed most of the present time Thames in an attempt to get the power to see the future - an attempt that failed. He knows that Thames children don't live all that long, so he thinks that Cale's existence is insignificant and not a problem since he will die young too. (And he was not wrong technically - Cale was supposed to die before turning 20 if he never left on his journey and got better) This is mainly the reason why he let's Cale live after seeing him with Dainslief.

Since White Star is still in the body of a Thames, Cale can get some information from the things WS touches (kinda like how the Traveler has that flashback in the Chasm Quest with Dainslief).

And then there is the Caribert Quest where Cale basically takes the place of White Star in a memory from around 400 years ago when White Star was traveling with Dainslief and met Clothar and the whole Dark Crystal thing that calls itself a "Sinner".

Why was Dainslief traveling with White Star you ask? Because he was hurting from failing to protect Adam and wanted to, at least, try and protect his legacy - another member of his family Dainslief met by chance. Too bad he wasted his efforts on White Star. But he still got to know Cale and want to protect him so there is that.

Also, before I forget to mention, here Archons may be called "Gods" by humans but in reality they are more like "Protectors of a Land" who were gifted power by Gods after they won the Archon War - whether they were willing to accept the power or not. As such, when Khaenri'ah happened, most were given an ultimatum by the Gods in Celestia: "Either Khaenri'ah falls today or your regions fall." So, even if they were unwilling to help, they had to so they can avoid more human lives being lost. Pretty traumatic, don't you think? (Pretty sure that is what happened in the Genshin Impact canon too but we don't have explicit confirmation because all of them signed an NDA and Venti is still a little shit that has no part two to his Story Quest)

The Aranara call Cale "Crimson Nara", Raon "Blackie", Ohn and Hong "Kitties". Also, the Melusines see Cale in a very similar way to Neuvillette. In their eyes, both of them are large balls of energy (Cale's red; Neuvillette is blue) that have ribbons made of some other type of energy around them(both have gold colored ribbons). Because of these similarities, the Melusine are all "Monsieur Neuvillette will have a new friend" and "The two of them will get along well." Neuvillette likes Cale's (and his children's) company but he wishes he did not have to know the amount of problems they get into everyday.

Raon's first Growth Phase takes place during the Sumeru Archon Quest. It starts when Cale and Nahida run from the people ordered by Il Dottore to capture them (aka the scene where Khaterine is impaled) and it ends just before the battle with Mecha Scaramouche is over.

After Raon's 1st Growth Phase is over, he gets a new ability. As long as Raon remembers where said place is, he can teleport himself and others there. So basically, Raon = Automatic Teleport Point. Till then, they travel around like normal people would - which takes a while.

I can also say that Alberu has a Hydro Vision that he got in quite the hilarious way. Alberu had an argument with Cale over the fact that Cale constantly says he is not a good person (whether it is the original or KRS, they are both bad at admitting they can do good thing for people) and Alberu said: "If I have to make it my life's mission to make you see that you are a good person, then so be it." and a Hydro Vision appeared in front of him. Cale's response was: "Congratulations on your new Vision. My deepest condolences for the fact that you made an impossibility your life's mission." Alberu wanted to throw him out the window for that.

And for the last thing, I have a little project going on where I write voicelines for Cale (like characters have in Genshin). Currently, I am done with the Mondstadt ones (for the most part) and moving onto Liyue. Let me know if you are interested in seeing them.

And we are done. Holy hell this was longer than yesterday's post.

Well, it is very late for me (don't stay up late kids) so I have to end it here.

Hope you have a great day/night and take care!

See you tomorrow,

-TooManyPlotBunnies-Send Help

[ancientcraftnoccultism]

Beginner Class - Introduction to Meditation

Ancient Craft & Occultism

Introduction to Meditation

___

By KB

Introduction

Hello again, everyone! Welcome back to the next lesson for the Beginner Class. Last lesson, we talked about finding your personal center as well as a bit more in depth on grounding. Well, today, we'll be taking a closer look at the many forms and practices of meditation.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation is an essential aspect of witchcraft and magic practice as it allows you to interact with the universe (or your higher power) through conscious thought and focused desire. Ritual, spellwork, and your regular thoughts and speech are examples of other techniques. Meditation is a discipline in which one trains the mind and creates a state of consciousness in order to gain some advantage. Meditation encompasses a wide range of different activities and practices. We will go into more detail in the following sections.

Nearly every culture in the world has some connection to meditation. Whatever the design, they are typically intended to encourage connecting with spiritual guidance, feeling at ease, developing inner strength, having psychic visions, becoming closer to God, remembering former lives, going on astral journeys, and more. Meditation is a well-known, age-old technique that has been used for millennia to promote calmness, concentration, and connection with our inner selves. The benefits of meditation on the mind, body, and soul are reciprocal.

A Brief History

In actuality, nobody is certain of the exact beginning and location of meditation. But our theories are supported by facts. This ancient rite is mentioned in many civilizations and religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. All of these faiths have something to offer to the modern understanding of meditation as it is practiced today. Although the history of meditation is controversial, many people think it began there more than 5000 years ago.

India Origins

It is generally accepted that the Vedas, a collection of Hindu writings, include the oldest written account of meditation. The Vedic books were written around 1500 BCE. The Vedas include mention of a practice known as "Dhyana," which is considered to be the first example of meditation that we are aware of. In Sanskrit, the word "dhyana" implies "contemplation" or "meditation." It is intended to calm the mind and attain "thoughtless awareness." However, Vedantism is frequently rejected by Buddhist beliefs in favor of the Buddha's teachings.

The various Buddhist levels of meditation can also be found in other ancient Indian scriptures dating back to the first century BCE. These texts are known as the Pli Canon Sutras. The Pli Canon is a body of Theravada Buddhist literature. And then there's Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince, was the inspiration for Buddha. He was looking for a means to end human pain. Gautama attempted numerous strategies, but none of them seemed to work. He sat down under a tree one day and determined not to move until he discovered the solution he sought. He attained enlightenment after 49 days of meditating and started the Buddhist faith. The practice of meditation is claimed to have spread throughout India from there. Buddhist monks embraced meditation as a means of achieving inner peace, frequently sitting for hours in silence, meditating on their master's teachings.

Asia Origins

Around the sixth century BCE, the practice of meditation spread to China, where it was influenced by Taoism and Buddhism. At the end of the Han dynasty, Buddhist monks from India introduced meditation to China. Over the next century, the practice began to blend into Chinese culture. The Taoists also believed in the efficacy of meditation and devised their own techniques for mind-stilling. One famous Taoist meditation practice is known as "Qigong." Qigong is a type of moving meditation that entails slow, gentle motions as well as deep breathing. Meditation extended from China to Japan, Korea, and other parts of Asia. Zen Buddhists perform "Zazen," a type of meditation practiced in Japan.

The technique was introduced to Japan by the Japanese monk Dosho, who journeyed to China to study Buddhism under the famous master Hsuan Tsang. Zazen, which translates as "seated meditation," is sitting in quiet with one's eyes closed. Korea has its own type of meditation known as "Won," which is based on Buddhist and Taoist concepts. It is a sort of moving meditation in which gentle, rhythmic motions are used to calm the body and mind.

Western Origins

Meditation became popular in the Western world in the twentieth century. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was among the first Westerners to popularize meditation. Maharishi is most known for popularizing the technique of "transcendental meditation" in the 1960s. The Yogis are a Hindu group that believes in the power of meditation to help one achieve enlightenment. The term "yoga" truly means "union" or "connection." Yoga seeks to unite the mind, body, and soul.

Other Yogis, such as Paramahansa Yogananda, who penned the classic book "Autobiography of a Yogi," also contributed to the introduction of meditation to the West. Maharishi's method of meditation is closing our eyes and reciting a mantra. A mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated repeatedly. The idea is to concentrate on the chant while clearing our brains.

Meditation & Spirituality

Spirituality is a broad topic with numerous interpretations. In general, it encourages a sense of connection to something larger than ourselves, as well as a connection with your higher self or higher awareness. It promotes the search for meaning in life and living with a broader perspective. It has a highly global appeal--something that all humans can relate to. A spiritual experience may be described as sacred, ethereal, mystical, or transcendent, or simply as a deep sense of positive emotions such as calm, amazement, wonder, connectivity, contentment, appreciation, acceptance, compassion, and unconditional love. All of these are true characteristics of our spirit.

Spiritual meditation, as the term implies, is that which connects you to your spirit. It pushes you past your limiting identities and labels to the core of who you truly are. You as your authentic self - joy, love, and tranquility. You may feel a rain of grace and happiness, as well as a deep sense of closeness and oneness, if you practice spiritual meditation. The desire to practice spiritual meditation stems from an underlying desire to perceive and think beyond the apparent world. Spiritual meditation can assist you in discovering the everlasting truth and meaning of existence. It keeps you anchored in the present moment, where you want to be and find peace.

Any genuine meditation practice, when practiced over time, can aid in your spiritual growth and will begin to provide the following spiritual benefits:

A balanced and grounded sense of being

Experience of deep inner stillness and peace

Radiating serenity, calmness, and love

A sense of awakening and freedom

Less emotional reactions

More awareness and mindfulness

Sense of inner bliss regardless of situation

The feeling of always being home

Belonging and connecting to all

Great abundance and security

Increased creativity and free thinking

More resilient to anger and stress

Meditation & General Health

Although meditation has been practiced for many years and is known to have many positive effects on the mind, it is only recently that science has established a strong connection between meditation and physical health. It's simple to feel overpowered by ideas and emotions in the fast-paced world of today. We all know the damage stress and anxiety can do to our health. Stress and anxiety are frequently caused by emotional overload. Nowadays, professionals from all over the world agree that practicing mindfulness for a little period of time each day can make a huge difference. The advantages of meditation for both the body and the mind are well-documented and very compelling. Here's just a few ways frequent meditation can improve our overall health.

daily meditation practice can improve blood circulation, lower the heart rate and help maintain a healthy heart

frequent mindfulness sessions seemed to improve meditators’ immune system functions

produces positive, lasting changes within the brain

meditation not only supports memory and attention, it also enhances mental agility and alertness

women, in general, who practice mindfulness are more aware and accepting of their bodies (also helps with PMS pain)

meditation develops mental awareness and can help you manage triggers for unwanted impulses

meditation can diminish the perception of pain in the brain

blood pressure decreases not only during meditation but also over time in individuals who meditate regularly

Meditation & Witchcraft

As magical practitioners and witches, one of the most important things we can master is the art of meditation. It allows us to still the soul and quiet the mind, which, in turn, allows us to listen to our intuition and focus on our personal energy. Meditation can also be used as a gateway for higher awareness or entering the astral realm.

Now, meditating may not come easy for a lot of you. This is perfectly normal. When I first started practicing, I had a feeling inside that made me feel extremely goofy, and stupid. The more I ignored it, the louder and stronger it grew. I eventually sat with the voice and came to the conclusion that it was my ego, driven by fear and insecurity. The more I sat with the voice, the less I felt stupid about things. I believe this was my initiative into shadow work. Anyways, back to class -

Utilizing meditation within your craft will prove to be absolutely essential the more you do ritual and spell work. Don't give up hope if "conventional" methods don't work for you. We're going to get into several different techniques of achieving the same meditative state.

Types of Meditation

There are so many different types of meditation, if I went into them all, this lesson would turn into an entire chapter. I'm just going to keep it sweet and simple here, but I absolutely encourage you to look into different methods, especially if none of the ones I have listed work for you. Let's get to it.

Active Meditation

Sitting in silence for even 2 minutes may sound like absolute torture for a lot of you. Good news is, that's not the only way to meditate. Have you ever done a yoga class, a workout session, or even taken a nice, fresh shower & felt a sense of bliss? Well, you experienced a meditative state of mind. You can do this by getting out in nature, cleaning the house, performing an art form, anything that involves movement can be a form of active meditation! Woo-hoo for us neurodivergents!

Body Scan

This method allows you to reconnect the mind to the body in a way that notices any physical sensations or tension. While relaxation naturally happens here, the goal is to pay attention to sensory experiences you typically don't notice. This allows you to be more present in your day to day life and is also a wonderful grounding and centering technique.

Mindful Breathing

The body is wiser than the mind, and this technique proves it. It is a very simple, mindless method, but has very profound effects on the body and mind. There are several breathing techniques out there, which I encourage you all to research on your own. All have different effects on the mind and body, so please be sure to choose one that is suitable for you.

Visual Meditation

This is when you focus your mind's eye, or your imagination, into an image to center the mind and the body. The main focus is to imagine and hone in on a memory or something creative and nice that opens the mind's eye. This is a wonderful exercise for those who want to enhance their visualizing abilities.

Sound Meditation

Again, this is exactly as it sounds. This meditation uses sound to provoke a meditative state of mind and align the bodily energies.

[boundinparchment]

Soul on Fire

“The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death.” —Oscar Wilde The Doctor finds himself in the company of Death; inevitably, he, too will succumb to Death's embrace. Abstract, Reader is Death Personified. Inspired by this prompt and then it spiraled into what's in this fic. CW/TW: Major character death.On AO3 here (unlocked for now, subject to change).

He came to you cloaked in furs too fine, eyes aglow and a smile on his face, wide and eager.  This one smelled not unlike the machines of old, of iron and coal and blood.  So few dared to walk the path of the forgotten lands beneath the desert but you would never forget the scent of Irmin's kingdom.

For Death never forgot.

"Speak, trespasser.  One does not come to my humble abode simply for tea," you prompted, stretching out a hand, fingers thin and bony, ashen skin taunt across the joints.

"To be transparent, I am no friend of the Divine.  I see no reason nor benefit to bowing one's head to the firmament and pretending the stars cannot be realigned, if not entirely shattered.  In due time, I will see to humanity's perfection, pushing aside a need for Gods, for Archons, and for Celestia's interference."

This stranger spoke with his hands as much as he did his words and reminded you of a showman attempting to engage the audience.  He was brash and bold as much as he was respectful; few were so forthcoming with their goals without a single sliver of fear. 

For a moment, you remembered the Dragons of old and a familiar shudder of raw power jolted through you.  Majestic creatures, pure in energy, once ruled these lands.  Although the Primordial One saw to it that they, too, succumbed to you, the fact that you remembered at all was not a gift but a warning.

The Tsaritsa, too, remembered.  She was different now, of course; your presence tended to yield that result.

But when your eyeless gaze looked upon the young man, teal hair wild and eyes red as the coals in your fire, you found his words to be true.

He carried the sigil of Her Majesty upon his cloak and you sensed the bitter crispness of a Cryo Vision.  Although he spoke with the recklessness of those cursed for their transgressions, he was more akin to a what you imagined humans considered to a breath of fresh air.

"And yet you have brought yourself to my doorstep," you replied.

"An unfortunate turn of events.  I was woefully unprepared for the wasteland when I began my exploratory journey through the tundra.  One such as yourself is used to that though, I imagine."

"You are only my second guest of the day.  There will be more."

He was not yet done, this one, and he clung to life the way spiders held onto their webs and the way dogs retained their loyalty.  Not desperation but certainty in every motion, every understanding of the woven fabrics of the world.

He was not finished with his work and he was not afraid.

"I'll surpass you, too," the stranger said.  "Even if this body dies, I have another.  And another beyond that one.  You will never know me."

You smiled, teeth sharp and glistening as you gave a low, breathy chuckle.  Slowly, you closed the distance and pressed a chilled hand to his cheek.  His skin began to turn brittle but you pulled away before your power could truly take hold and color returned to his face.  Crimson eyes watched you with the same caution as a wounded animal, never trusting, always alert.

"I know you, Zandik of Sumeru.  I knew you when you were a child, beaten within an inch of my grasp.  You spit in my face then just as you do now," you crooned.  "Your will is unsurpassed.  Defying even Death Itself."

A beat.

"It is power you seek, this close to the edge.  None ever let themselves willingly reach this point unless they want something.  You have never been foolish enough to accidentally find yourself in my presence."

The one known as Zandik clicked his tongue and glared in return.

"If I am to surpass all limitations in this world, and pave the way for humanity to follow suit, I must first overcome you," he said. "And I've all but confirmed my theory with practical experiments.  In exchange for my longevity, allow me to suggest an offer.  You will always accompany my work—every experiment carries some risk, after all, so inevitably we will meet again—why not take the lives of my patients as compensation?"

Similar bargains existed in the past.  Others tried to stay your hand.  Keep you sated as to not be overwhelmed by the hunger for life that dominated.  The longer the life, the more ravenous you grew as you ushered them along onto the next steps beyond the firmament. 

Today continued to grow more interesting by the second.

"You would be my patron saint?  You, a heretic in name and action?  Why should I let you act in my name if you only intend to usurp even your beloved Tsaritsa?"

"If I succeed in the end, the world will have no need of you.  I can afford a long game, dear Death.  Can you?"

"We shall see which of us succumbs to the other first, Doctor."

He laughed, hearty and full for one so close to your embrace, and briefly, you recalled the sensation of warmth of sunlight.

Centuries came and went under your watchful gaze.  The Doctor did, in truth, come up with an almost foolproof way to avoid you and sustain himself far longer than anyone ever had.  He long since gave up his soul in favor of knowledge and therefore he only needed his mind, his consciousness, and he perfected the means by which to splice and transfer and graft himself.

You would be lying if you said you did not grow curious over the time spent in his company.  Extending his existence meant furthering his work, and while he intended for humanity to surpass the divine and prove the gods to be obsolete, you wondered just how many he might throw at your feet in pursuit of his goals.

Never once in almost five centuries did you grow hungry, feel your hold on the world wane.  He kept you satisfied in fair compensation and you went about your existence as the God of Death; Wangsheng kept you busy when the Doctor did not.

Until one day, he sought more.

He long since hid his eyes from all, for it was impossible to look upon him and not recognize that he knew too much.  Other Harbingers took to this habit, a marking of their status and the burden they carried about the truth of the world.  The Tsaritsa only explained it as a kindness, that they must look upon all with a heavy gaze as it was; they need not pass along that burden to those who could not shoulder it.

A fair point, you conceded, and a sentiment you respected.

Zandik looked at you, sallow skin and bloodshot eyes, anger hot and smoldering.  His earring was shattered and you had felt a tremble of energy loss through the leylines.

The one known as Omega had pulled the plug on his master plan.

And now here you were, hollow gaze drilling into him, centuries of energy rolling off in waves.

"I cannot stop now," he said. "The world has too much to lose.  I will not be beaten by my own creation."

Your saint, your Harbinger (although you dared never to consider him to truly be your Harbinger, for the Tsaritsa never liked to share), buried his fingers in his hair and pulled until his knuckles turned white and tears stung his eyes.  This was closer to the Zandik you recalled, the one bloody and beaten and scared of all he was leaving behind.

Regret did not suit him.

You reached and pulled at the distant spaces of the void that encompassed and enrobed you, that presented itself as cloth and covered whatever form you took in his presence; from the depths, you pulled a golden fruit, as ripe and pure as the day you plucked and preserved it from the reaches of the lost kingdom. 

Within it, you could sense the abyssal corruption that even you could not keep at bay, eating at the fruit from the inside out.

"However many seeds you consume," you offered, "is the number of months I can provide you with power beyond Teyvat."

Zandik, too, was hardly a fool.  He cut the fruit in half, eyed the corruption, where the flesh and seeds of the fruit began to sour and rot.  Lifting a half to his face, the jeweled seeds glistening, he asked, "And when my time is up?"

You grinned, fangs piercing your own lips in your eagerness.

"When your time is finished, I will come for you, darling Zandik.  And my kiss will be the sweetest of all."

Even now, he was beautiful.  It was not the corruption that did him in, but a Star from Another World.  Golden, glowing, gorgeous.  The likes of which you had not seen since the Cataclysm. 

His breathing was ragged, wheezing.  The angle at which his chest was crushed indicated several punctures in his lungs.  Never an easy to way to go.  Bruises and contusions and sharp angles and slices did little to masquerade the elemental energy that lingered. 

Parts of his flesh darkened, consumed by the Abyss' hold.  It spread outward from his chest and crawled up his neck, down his arms.  Black veins stretched across once unmarred cheeks and you were certain that his dominant hand was no longer a hand at all, if the darkness could retain its shape.

Beaten with his own element, in the end.

"Pestered by a god," he gasps.  "Even in the end."

"As if I would ever let you go," you replied.

You lowered yourself to your knees and cupped Zandik's face as you pressed icy lips to his still-warm ones.  He tasted of blood, of iron and rot, and for a moment, you swore you felt a hand brush what would have been your cheek.  When you pulled away, his flesh was already dried out and brittle.  All that talk of machines and he never once thought to exchange his origin point for a mechanical home after all.

He left you in a sweeping gust of ashes, as all life did, with only a story to tell.

And Death never forgot.

[linguinerosaline]

Nightmares and Lavender Tea

Warnings: Light angst (but there is comfort!)

Summary.

After a nightmare which keeps Juliette up at night, she sneaks down to the kitchen to have a late night snack, not knowing that Aaron would wake up soon after looking for her

Juliette's POV.

I have a complicated relationship with sleep.

Most of the time I enjoy sleep. I love the sense of rest. I love the quiet. I love the stillness. I love that my dreams become real in a matter of seconds.

But I also hate all of these aspects.

The idea of being so raw and vulnerable. The quiet leaves you and your thoughts to create some reality. The awareness and overthinking stillness does to one. The things I may have experienced I would need to relive, even if it's just a couple of seconds.

I love sleep, yet I hate to admit I'm scared of it.

But Aaron makes it different. His arms wrapped around me in comfort, our usual position of me either nuzzling into his neck or chest and him whispering sweet I love you's to me as he played with my hair. But sometimes, it's just not enough to keep the nightmares away.

I wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air, my chest heaving rapidly as I grasp it. I curse myself internally. This is the third time this week.

A thin layer of sweat glistens my body, my vision is still blurry with unshed tears, and I'm overwhelmed with my surroundings and emotions.

My vision clears after a couple of aggressive rubs and I look to my side to find Aaron still sleeping soundly. His breathing in contrast to mine is calm, as if those gentle waves you'd find early in a beach.

Aaron isn't typically a heavy sleeper for a matter of reasons, such as needing to always be up for me. While he may find this a benefit, I wouldn't say it's a particularly great trait on his behalf. These nightmares aren't that common for me, but I still feel guilty every time it affects him as well.

I need to get out of this room and escape the thought of sleeping once again.

Quietly, I sneak down to our kitchen. It's a different type of quiet down here. It's not necessarily an uncomfortable type of quiet but one that makes you feel so small. So much empty space while I take up such little of it.

I brew the kettle and wait patiently for it to heat up.

Aaron recently bought me a collection of teas that supposedly help with sleep and relaxation. I obviously paid him back with kisses, cuddles and lots of explicit activities. Aaron always says that I don't owe him anything but I always feel I do, as if I'm just a burden he has to look after. I know that's not true but I can't help the feeling.

I stand there, quiet, as I think about various things. What if I woke up Aaron? What if he's annoyed I'm up again for the third time in a row? What if he really starts to believe I'm just a burden? What if-

It's then when I feel something grab ahold of my waist.

I yelp at the contact and spin around hastily, meeting a pair of emerald-green eyes. Emerald green eyes I know and get lost in so easily. Aaron.

A breath of relief escapes my mouth as he chuckles to himself. "Good morning to you too, love." Aaron rasps.

The sudden deepness and rasp of his sleep-filled voice have me flustered all over again. Aaron grows a smile at my obvious reaction and that hollow pocket I love so much reveals to me. Dimples. I sigh internally.

His embrace tightens on me and I lean into the feeling of him. God, how long has it been since I felt so vulnerable yet safe? Only Aaron can cause this effect on me.

He nuzzles into my neck causing a shiver to sneak its way up my spine. "How come you're awake?" Aaron whispers against my neck. I still remembering why I made this journey to the kitchen in the first place. Remembering why I was pinned against the counter instead of the bed with him. He finds my lack of conversation as a sign and slowly peels himself from my neck.

Aaron looks at me softly, concern yet knowing hidden behind those jade eyes. He speaks his next words carefully as if he knows I may break at the reminder. 

"Was it... Was it another nightmare, Juliette?" He says gently. I nod hesitantly in response, being quick to bury my face into his chest.

Aaron does it so well to comfort me, I wonder if this could be his secret profession. He makes sure to let me continue the conversation only if I'm comfortable, he'll stroke my hair as he whispers words of encouragement and appreciation, and Aaron knows if he's to cross my boundaries. 

He kisses the top of my head as he rubs my lower back comfortably. "Would it help to talk about it, sweetheart?" Aaron says, obviously intending not to provoke any of the thoughts to enter back into my mind, yet it still does.

I shudder at the memory, fear flooding my face, body and mind. Aaron fills himself with concern yet obvious softness and consideration. My throat feels hoarse and I'm sure hoping tears aren't welling up in my eyes. My mind may not want to break, but my face sure feels it.

"I'm sor-" My sentence was disrupted with a purposeful kiss. Aaron's hands reach to grab my face carefully as I cling to his shoulders. We pull apart after a couple of seconds panting slightly. A small smile pulls across my face as we stare deeply into each other's eyes, clearly lost in their beauty. "Beautiful." I hear him whisper to himself.

Aaron strokes my cheek lovingly. "Never," he starts "never apologise for something like that. Not to anyone and especially not me."

I bite my lip in response. "Sor- I mean yes." 

He pouts and meets my lips quickly once again, a kiss of comfort and promises. I moan carelessly into his mouth. Aaron slyly wraps himself closer to my waist and lifts me onto the cold, marble counter. I gasp at the feeling and shift closer to his body, already providing me with that warmth I missed.

A dimpled smile spreads across that face I love so much. Aaron rubs his thumb against my lip carefully. "Now stop biting that lip, or else I'll do it for you." He hints suggestively. A small blush plays onto my cheeks but I'm quick to hide it. Not quick enough for him to already notice though.

Aaron then caresses my thighs and tells me to stay seated while he finishes making my tea.

A small smile spreads across my face as just then I notice his dishevelled appearance. His hair is completely ruffled instead of his usual composed self, his plaid bottoms revealing his delicious tattoo, and I widen not noticing his lack of shirt. There in all its beauty is Aaron's slightly-toned abs still littered with faint purple marks. I smirk. I wonder where they came from.

Aaron walks over to me with a steaming cup of tea and a tender look. I can already smell the fresh, floral aroma of lavender. 

"Would you like to drink this in our room, love? Is that okay? Or would you like to spend some more time here?" Aaron asks reassuringly. Despite my fearful night, I haven't thought much about it since Aaron came down and distracted me with his hypnotising dimples and thoughtful words.

"I'm sure I'll be fine in our room. Thank you, darling." I tell him. Aaron helps me down the counter and I raise on my toes to give him a peck on the lips. I don't miss the slight clench in his jaw when I don't offer any more.

Aaron places the lavender tea on the side table closest to my half of the bed. He then turns to me with worry plastered on his face.

I find it funny how to most, Aaron is expressionless and labelled as bored most of the time. But with me, he has endless expressions displaying emotions like love, awe, worry, joy, and concern. 

"Are you sure you're alright, love? I could get you a snack if you'd like?" He suggests to me. I shake my head and glance up to see his eyes trained on my lips. They curve into a smile, and I lift my head to once again meet his addictive, peppermint tasting mouth.

His hands find my hips and slowly, I'm pulled down onto the depths of our bed. Our bed not filled with memories of nightmares, but memories of peace and comfort. I sigh against his mouth as he hovers over me, his lips moving towards the pulse in my neck.

If Aaron were a taste he'd be peppermint. If he were a scent he’d be gardenias.

I exhale out his name and he moves next to me on the bed, taking me into his arms as I rest into the nook of his neck. His chin rests on my head and we both take comfort in the position.

"Thank you. For everything. I love you, Aaron." I murmur into his neck, kissing him there afterwards. I already feel sleep taking me away into the world of harmony I've missed these past couple of days.

Even though my view is blocked, I can feel a smile tug on his lips as he cloaks me closer to him. He then kisses the top of my head. "I love you too, Juliette. I suppose I really was the friend you hopelessly fell in love with."

After a couple of minutes, the loving couple both fell into a comfortable slumber. Limbs entangled and hearts forever aligned. No longer nightmares would be visiting Juliette Ferrars in a while, the doing of Aaron Warner protecting her from the miserable dreams.

A steaming lavender tea soon became a cold, untouched beverage. Lavender was believed to aid sleep and relaxation. An anxiety reliever. While this may have been true, it seems that just the taste of peppermint and the smell of gardenias would be Juliette's cure.