#he learned his spells from a self help book ffs

[azurecanary]

So apparently Wiccan is about to make his MCU debut

What are the chances they'll fuck him up too?

[xeher-zolier]

Chapter 2 - Magic; Famous Professors (BOOK 2)

Students jolt awake as a human like scream is heard through out all of dorm one. Luilah throws the blanekt off and leaps from the bed, losing her balance as the floor isnt the flattest of floors and has many bumps and curvs.

She instantly relises that it her pet Barking Owl, screaming as loud as it can. She grabs her english oak wand ff the dresser as she races past it.

Once she is in the sitting room of the Ruby, Agate, Sapphire and Onyx houses she points her wand at a white cage with red bots all over it.

The dorms being in a tree and its roots can be a make anyone irritated due to the lack of elbow room and no privacy.

"Appear!"

Luilah says nothing happens, nothing appears in the cage, however the screaming does stop... That is until 5 seconds later where it starts screeching again. Luilah grabs the closet blanket and just throws it over the cage.

"Blocage!"

A tall girl, around 6 foot 1, dark brown eyes, which can easliy be mistaken as black, and strawberry bronze hair.

The owl appears, slowly stops screaming as the girl who casted the spell, looking it with a glare that can make any creature and person shiver and back down in fear.

"Thanks for the help.. I guess?"

Luilah says to the girl as zhe snaps to her, making her jump. Luilah sees that the taller girl has bags under her eyes.

"Learn to control that thing or he ... He will be my breakfast.."

The girl threatens, pointing her wand at Luilah. Luilah notices that the students want is made of a rare wood, Agar wood.

"And I will make sure, that you will never want to own another pet. Ever. Again... consider this a warning."

The students warns her, taking her self back to her bedroom which is shared with three others. She goes over to her owl, who is looking at the bottom of its cage.

"It's okay. I won't ever let anyone hurt you."

Luilah reassures the owl. The owl purrs hearing those words. She grabs the blanket and places it over the cage.

Four students, two male, two female. Each one of them us wearing a shirt that is coloured one of the four houses sharing this student area.

The back of the shirt is two black lines across the bottom under a gaint sewed on gem of the house name. The names of the students current year level is under it.

"Good morning everyine. We are aware that we all woke up a ... unqie way."

He says looking at Luilah and her owl. Luilah puts a hand on the bird cage. It's not her faukt that she can't control the owl.

The student is wearing a dark blue t-shirt with a picture of a embrowed sapphire on back, Pants a black jeans, socks are also black along eith his shoes which are black.

He has short, naturaly curly messy brown hair, indecating that he had just woke up and thrown on his cloths, hasn't brushed it yet, with brown eyes.

"I am the head student of Sapphire house, my name is Wilbur Long. I am in my second last year of schooling. I am aiming to be a future charms professor."

Wilbur explains to the group of students. Some of the students wave while others say hello and the rest dont say or do anything.

"Next!"

A student shouted, possibly someone from Onyx, maybe even a Ruby student. Wilbur looks around the group, hoping the student would step forward. However no one stood forward.

A girl in a grey t-shirt with shoulder blonde length hair, golden eyes and around the same height as Wilbur, maybe even a little shorter, she clears her throat. She has a Onyx on the back of her shirt. She looks like her parents are from asian decentands.

"I am Hyerim Kim. I am from Korea. I am in my final year working to be a herebologist. My family is from the gold ranks. If you haven't guessed I am the head student of Onyx house."

Some kids, mostly boys from Onyx house, shout out compliments, others was whistling. Hyerim glares at everyone, they all go silent.

“I am not somebody you can easily blow smoke or blow your whistle at first and foremost.”

She says in a sassy manner, holding the clipbored to her side, looking at the decrition the whistling came from.

“Second of all... I don’t care at all what house you hail from, what ranking your family comes from, what you are and whatever, if you want to blow your little whistle, whistle at anywhere but near my presence.”

She continues, looking around at all the students. One student, Scarlet De Costa, Luilsh's younger sister, raises her hand, clearly wanting to ask a question. Wilbur points at her, telling her to talk.

“Is there anything wrong with whistling?”

Scarlet asks Hyerim out of curiosity. Hyerim looks at her, noticing that Scarlet is quiet young. Hyerim takes in a deep breathe before explaining.

"Actions like that is named many things, some which are cat calling and wolf whistling. Something which is heavly wrong and offen looked down on."

Hyerim explains to Scarlet as she takes a look at her clipbored. Scarlet nods, understanding what was just said.

“Ah okay! I understand now!"

Scarlet exclaims, many of the younger female students nod, also understanding.

"Yup and anybody wants to break this rule with me, you’re a cat to me.”

Hyerim continues, she looks up from the papers and at a female whos skin colour is a bit darker of the three, eyes are from asian desendants as well. Her short is a dark mix of rainbow with a Agate on the back.

"Well said Hyerim. My name is Dalisey Demago, I am from Indoinsa. I am in my final year of schooling and I am working hard to become this school's possible Elemental Arts professor by next year. If you can't tell I am the head student of Agate house."

Dalisey smiles and waves at everyone, most of us smile as wave back. She seems to be a super friendly person, anyone can become friends with her regradless of year level, age, race and skin colour.

The last person, a male clears his throat. His hair goes down to his back, his skin tone is a deep cocoa colour. His eyes are brown. He is taller than the other three stdeunt heads and his weight is around fit with some mucles. His shirt is a dark red with a ruby gem sewed onto the back.

"My name is Johnny Cohan. I am the head student of Ruby house and one of the head students on the student body. Some day I wish to work for Magical Arts School Safety, MASS if you want a shorter way of saying it."

He explains with a visble aurora of confadince, a level of confadince Luilah wishes to have some day.

"Some year levels have already started their classes. Before you go you will get which group you are in which will either be group one or group two. Once you are in a group you will go down to the dinning hall to grab something for breakfast."

Hyerim explains looking at the clipbored. Very slowly and surely we are put into one of the groups and soon in the dinning hall.

Once I sit down next to my sister Headmaster Vandone races in with another professor. Both look worried and a little stressed out "He must seem hungry." Scarlet jokes

[ladylynse]

Hey, @lumanae​, I haven’t quite finished that chapter of Down the Rabbit Hole I promised you as a thank you, but that’s because a little birdie dropped by my ko-fi asked me to write a Merlin ficlet for you. I decided to continue this three sentence fic. (This wound up longer than I was expecting, but some of it’s a thank you from me, too, so....) Spells are taken from the Merlin wiki page.

-|-

Accused of sorcery, Merlin is imprisoned on Uther's orders. Of course, no one else (especially Arthur) seems to think he deserves that. [FF | AO3]

-|-

When Arthur walked up to him, flanked by guards Merlin barely recognized (which was a feat, considering how many of the castle folk he knew), Merlin looked between them and asked, “What did I do now—or, I’m sorry, is it something I didn’t do, your royal prattiness?”

Arthur’s expression tightened, and Merlin realized he was serious. “You’ve been accused of sorcery,” he answered flatly, causing Merlin’s head to spin as he tried to figure out who and why and where he’d been seen, “so until we can sort everything out, my father insists that you be imprisoned.”

Imprisoned. It sounded so final. He’d always known it was a possibility—this was Camelot, after all, and with some of Arthur’s reckless moves, Merlin couldn’t always afford to be as careful as he needed—but he just….

He’d thought training here, having Gaius’s guidance, was worth the risk. His mother had certainly thought so. And it had been. Sure, there wasn’t always time for much more than self-taught learning from Gaius’s books, but they were still his books. Really, Merlin had learned more from Gaius than he had from Kilgharrah, even if he hadn’t known of his destiny—or how it intertwined with Arthur’s—until his meeting with the Great Dragon.

But now that he knew, he couldn’t just run. He had to stay by Arthur’s side. He had to protect him. To see this through. To make sure Arthur became the great king he was destined to be.

How could he do that when he was trapped in the bowels of the castle? He wasn’t good enough to enchant a pile of rags to look like him while he ran around as Dragoon. Gaius could slip the guards something—might anyway, just to talk to Merlin once he found out about this—but all his friends—

“Better eat the rest of your bread,” Arthur said quietly. “You know the prisoners aren’t as well fed as the rest of us, and father insists you don’t get any special treatment.”

Merlin’s fingers found the heel of the loaf he’d swiped from the kitchens earlier and curled around it, but he couldn’t eat now. His mouth was too dry. He couldn’t believe this was happening. When had Uther issued the order? It hadn’t been very long since Merlin had delivered Arthur’s lunch, and it had only taken a few snide remarks before Arthur had dismissed him. Arthur hadn’t known of this then. He would have said something. At the very least, it would have shown on his face.

“He doesn’t like the idea that a sorcerer could get so close to me,” Arthur continued. “I tried to tell him he was ridiculous. You, of all people, could not be a sorcerer.” Perhaps he caught the expression on Merlin’s face, for his tone softened, and he added, “I’m sorry, Merlin. I don’t know how much farther I can push him before he insists that my defence of you is proof of your sorcery. He might think I’ve been enchanted.”

“Why…?” No. That wasn’t the right question, not right now. He couldn’t think straight. “I mean, who accused me?”

He’d always thought, if any of his friends did find out, that they wouldn’t betray him. Confront him, sure, but not betray him. Not do this.

But perhaps they wouldn’t. Arthur had come on the king’s orders, perhaps as much to appease his father and set his mind at ease as anything else, but the guards…. Merlin didn’t know them. Maybe, just maybe, that was because no one else who might have normally accompanied Arthur had agreed to be a part of this.

He hadn’t thought everyone else shared Arthur’s convictions that his apparent ineptitude made it impossible that he was a sorcerer, but if that turned out to be what saved him….

Assuming he could be saved, when he didn’t know who had seen him using magic. The king wouldn’t take any risks where his son’s safety might be involved. He might even think Merlin had orchestrated the first attack from which he had saved Arthur, just to get the position he’d initially hated.

“I don’t know,” Arthur said, “but I’m going to find out.”

XXXXX

The cells were as unpleasant as Merlin remembered. Not that he had ever spent much time here, even just visiting others, but the stench of blood and waste seemed to have soaked into the stone. It was as bad as mucking out the stables. Worse, really; the hay wasn’t changed nearly as often, and musty rot settled on the back of his tongue.

The cell door locked behind the guards. Merlin sank down to the rough floor and leaned against the wall, shivering slightly even as he closed his eyes and waited for Arthur’s footsteps to finally retreat. He needed to find a way out of this. Unlocking the cell wasn’t his problem. Getting out to escape via the tunnels was a bit more difficult, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d taken that route too often before, sometimes even at Arthur’s orders, for no one to guess that that would be his most logical way out of the citadel. But leaving? Now? When he’d hardly done anything, when Arthur hadn’t done anything? He couldn’t. He’d never be able to return to Camelot. He might as well admit his guilt now and help them ready the pyre if he tried.

“Merlin?”

That was Gwen’s voice.

“Come on, Merlin, I know how hard Arthur works you, but you can’t possibly be asleep.”

It was Gwen. Merlin opened his eyes and saw her crouching by his cell, stealing frequent glances over her shoulder even as she beckoned him forward. He obediently came to meet her at the bars. “You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered. “The guards—”

“I asked Gaius for a sleeping draught the moment I heard, and then I brought them some wine. I know we must still be quiet, but—”

“It’s dangerous for you either way. Anyone who tries will be able to figure out what you did, and I don’t want to see you or Gaius in here with me.”

Gwen pursed her lips. “You don’t deserve this. You aren’t a sorcerer.”

Merlin couldn’t think of anything he could say to that that wouldn’t incriminate him, and he didn’t want to lie to her right now, so he said nothing.

Luckily, Gwen was prone to rambling when she was nervous, and he didn’t think she noticed. “And even if you were a sorcerer, you wouldn’t…. You wouldn’t plot against the king, against Camelot. I know you, Merlin. Not like…. Not like I thought I knew Morgana. Please, Gwaine’s planning a distraction for the moment one of the others can get the keys, and Arthur won’t stop us if he finds out. We won’t see you burn for this. You just need to promise me, promise us, that you’ll run.”

“It would be a death sentence if I ran,” Merlin murmured. “Uther would see it as proof of my guilt.”

“He’ll find proof enough even if you stay,” she retorted. “You know he will. You know what happened with my father, how close…. It’s better that you run. You can come back once we find a way to clear your name.”

“And what if you can’t?”

“We will. Whoever has accused you must have seen someone else. Or perhaps it’s a terrible lie. Whichever the case, we’ll get to the bottom of it. You just need to give us the time to do that.”

It was possible that he had been mistakenly accused. It was possible that someone who did know of his power was trying to get him away from Arthur. And it was entirely possible that whoever had accused him of sorcery was entirely well-meaning, in their own way, and speaking true.

“Just be ready to run,” Gwen said, “the next time someone comes for you. Even if it isn’t one of us.”

XXXXXXX

Merlin never found out what Gwaine’s distraction was—only that it involved a lot of shouting, and quite possibly a lot of fire, judging by the smell. He never found out who had filched the key, either, but night had barely fallen before the guards stationed at the end of the corridor were running to help with something.

Hardly three breaths later, Leon was slipping down the stairwell and walking towards the cells.

“I’m sure you know the way through the tunnels well,” he said as he unlocked the door, “but I promised Arthur I’d escort you in case you suddenly found your memory lacking.”

“I can’t leave Camelot,” Merlin said immediately. He’d decided as much once Gwen left. There might never be enough time, not when he wasn’t innocent and couldn’t be proven as such. Even if he had good intentions, he still had magic.

Merlin only knew of a handful who still lived despite Uther knowing their abilities, Gaius among them, but he also knew he couldn’t expect similar treatment.

“Arthur thought you may say that, too,” Leon said, a smile teasing at the corners of his lips now. “In that case, I have orders to hide you within the castle where you’ll never be found.”

Merlin pulled a face. “Tell Arthur that just because he never goes into the stables, it doesn’t mean they’re abandoned except for the horses.”

Leon snorted and pulled Merlin forward when he didn’t move to leave the cell. Merlin’s half-hearted resistance wasn’t enough to match Leon’s strength. “I don’t believe even he would think to hide you anywhere as accessible as that.”

“The laundry isn’t any better, you know.”

“I do know. And, though you may be surprised to hear it, Arthur knows as well.” Leon didn’t bother to lock the cell again, maybe because he didn’t dare loosen his grip on Merlin’s arm, and instead tugged him forward. “Come, we must hurry. Gwen’s waiting by tapestry.”

Merlin frowned. He suspected he knew which tapestry Leon meant—there was one nearby with a servant’s passageway hidden behind it—but it was one of the main connections to the kitchens, and—

“Gwaine’s distraction won’t last long, no matter how much Elyan and Percival can do to add to the confusion. Stop trying to drag your feet.” Leon moved quickly but surprisingly silently. Merlin opened his mouth to protest when Leon pulled him into an alcove near the laundry, but then Leon said, “Elyan found a cloak for you.” He nodded to a brown bundle of cloth half-hidden behind a console table, adding, “We must still do our own laundry.”

“Thank you,” Merlin said as Leon helped him into the disguise. It wasn’t much, but Merlin was grateful for any time it might buy him. And going along with everything was easier than protesting. He didn’t seem to be getting anywhere by protesting.

Besides, the cloak hopefully meant Arthur’s brilliant plan wasn’t trying to stuff him into a garderobe.

Not that Merlin would put it past him. Arthur would find it hilarious. Probably say Merlin shouldn’t even notice the smell.

Merlin kept the hood of the cloak pulled low, even inside, and would have instinctively shrunk towards the walls when they met others had Leon not been there. The nudges weren’t terribly subtle, but they were reminder enough to walk with confidence, and everyone they passed was too preoccupied to worry about them, anyway. Or rather, if they thought anything of it, they surely believed Leon had it all in hand.

The pass off to Gwen went smoothly. Leon never broke his stride. As they passed the tapestry, he let go of Merlin, and Gwen latched her arm around Merlin’s instead. She was small, but she certainly wasn’t weak, and she was pulling him along the passageways nearly as quickly as he’d been moving with Leon. If Merlin hadn’t known the way so well, he’d have tripped over the occasional trick step that was a different height than the others.

“Why are we going up?” Merlin asked, but Gwen shushed him instead of answering. The guestrooms would be searched; there may be a lot of them, but none of them were suitable for hiding him.

But then Gwen pulled him out of the passage at a familiar spot, sliding open the hidden door with a familiarity few servants could claim, most not having duties that required them to use this particular exit to the main corridors.

Merlin stared, and Gwen rolled her eyes and tugged on Merlin’s arm to get him moving. His feet responded before his mind fully comprehended the fact that Arthur’s backup plan, should Merlin refuse to escape via the tunnels, was to hide him in his own bedchamber.

Two guards stood outside despite the chaos that reigned below. Merlin wasn’t entirely convinced it wasn’t for show—when was Arthur not in the middle things?—but Gwen muttered, “I told Arthur you’d be coming here. He didn’t want to listen. He still thinks this’ll be as easy as when we hid Mordred. Because he still thinks that was relatively easy.” She flashed him a smile as she said it, marching him up to the guards and announcing, “Arthur’s expecting him.”

Merlin rather suspected they knew very well who he was, since they didn’t even question Gwen or ask him to show his face.

“Good luck,” Gwen murmured as she pushed him inside.

XXXXXXX

Merlin still half-expected Arthur to be preoccupied with whatever distraction Gwaine and the others had set, but he sat at his writing table with parchment and a quill. Merlin couldn’t guess what he was bothering to write by candlelight, but the prince wasn’t even out of his day clothes yet. “Are you really as hopeless at undressing as you are at dressing?” he asked, tugging his hood down.

Arthur scowled at him. “You were supposed to leave Camelot.”

“Doesn’t sound like anyone really expected me to do that.” Merlin held out his arms. “I’ve got a cloak, but it wasn’t stashed where it would be if everyone thought I was leaving.”

“You’re in danger here.”

“More than I might be, if I weren’t in the prince’s private bedchambers. What if I were an assassin?”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “This is serious. You aren’t in Ealdor. Sorcery isn’t simply shunned. My father—”

“I know the punishment for sorcery. And sorcery isn’t just shunned in Ealdor, either. I…. Will was a good friend of mine. That’s the only reason I knew. It’s not exactly something people shout about, and not just because of how near we were to Camelot’s borders.”

Arthur frowned. “You’re a shoddy servant, Merlin, but try to use some sense. You must have some in that empty head of yours. I don’t want to lose you over some false accusation. You don’t deserve that.”

Merlin grinned at him. “You mean you don’t think much of whomever was sent to replace me tonight? Really, sire, I didn’t know you cared.”

Arthur threw the quill at him, and Merlin ducked. “I already said,” Arthur repeated, “my father won’t listen to anything I say on your behalf. All you need to do is hide until we can prove your innocence. Really, it’s not that hard. Even you should be able to that out. This will work. It has to.”

Merlin bent to pick up the quill, placing it on the dining table beside him rather than returning it to the writing desk. He didn’t need to hand Arthur another weapon. “What if it doesn’t?”

“What do you mean, what if it doesn’t? It will. You’re not a sorcerer. The entire notion is ridiculous. Anyone can see that.”

Merlin took a breath and chose his words carefully. “I don’t really need to have magic, you know. All that matters to your father is if he believes I do.”

“And we can prove you don’t. I’ve asked Gaius to look into it. There must be some sort of test. Some way to prove that you’re just you and not some sorcerer.”

If there were some sort of test that unerringly determined someone’s potential to use magic, whether or not they were born with it, Uther would have found it despite Gaius’s efforts to keep such a thing hidden.

But Arthur didn’t always think things through when he was convinced he was right.

Even if Gaius pretended to find such a test, even if Merlin used magic to mimic whatever effect it was supposed to have to prove his innocence, it wouldn’t work. Not when the test couldn’t be repeated when Merlin wasn’t there to watch it and make sure it always proved someone’s innocence. Even if Uther didn’t jump to the conclusion that innocent people had magic when they didn’t, he’d eventually realize that the previous results meant someone close to him did have magic, and that that someone wasn’t just Gaius.

And Merlin wasn’t about to condemn someone truly innocent to the pyre by using his magic to make it appear that someone else was a sorcerer.

“There isn’t any method like that,” Merlin murmured. “Everyone would know if there were.” Arthur snorted, so Merlin added, “Do you know who brought the charges forward?” If he could just figure that out—

“Apparently,” Arthur said dryly, “it’s a rumour.”

“A rumour?”

“The entire lower town has heard it, near as I can tell, and more than one of my father’s spies repeated it.” Arthur paused, then said, “Sit down, Merlin.”

Merlin usually had a habit of ignoring Arthur, but he listened this time. He pulled out Arthur’s chair at the table and sank into it. Arthur gave an approving nod, as if he’d expected protest and was pleased not to get it. Merlin didn’t have the heart to tell him he didn’t want to get into an argument right now.

He hated lying to Arthur. He did it all the time, of course. He had to. But that didn’t mean he liked it. And in these circumstances….

A show of submission, with some very real fear of winding up on the pyre, was the most he could do right now. Even once Arthur told him whatever he knew, Merlin couldn’t very well do anything about it while Arthur was around. And the clotpole clearly wasn’t about to go to sleep any time soon.

“They’re saying that there’s a sorcerer within our walls. Someone else like Morgana. They’re saying that whoever it is is simply biding their time, waiting to strike us when we least suspect it.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Well, it did, because the rumour wasn’t entirely wrong, but Merlin was fairly sure whoever had started it didn’t actually know that. If anyone, it was probably about Dragoon—or Emrys, for those who had heard tell of Emrys. Which still had to do with him, technically, but Arthur didn’t need to know that.

“The ones willing to name names don’t agree with you.”

That didn’t make sense. If someone had actually seen him use magic, it shouldn’t have come about like this. There was no shame in uncovering a sorcerer, not in Camelot. It was far more dangerous to try to protect one. There wasn’t anything to be gained by telling those not in power that you suspected a sorcerer unless—

“Don’t look at me like that, Merlin. You know I don’t believe those rumours. We’ll find a way to clear your name and—”

There was a thud from the opposite wall, in the hidden corner farthest from the door. The secret entrance slid open, and Merlin watched himself tumble out. “Sire,” the other Merlin gasped, “we have to go.” His eyes found Merlin’s, and he let out a squeak. “Get away from him!”

Merlin had never had cause to use that particular passageway. It wasn’t meant for servants. He wasn’t even sure he was supposed to know about it. It was meant for a time when the citadel was under siege, when even the servants couldn’t be trusted, and the royals had to flee.

Arthur was on his feet, but he wasn’t wearing his sword. Until he moved, he could only defend himself with a candle and a bottle of ink. “What’s the meaning of this?” he roared. He must have intended it to be loud enough to hear from the hall, to call in the guards, but—

But the guards didn’t come.

In fact, Merlin couldn’t hear anything from outside of Arthur’s chambers.

And the prickle of magic he could feel meant they couldn’t hear what was going on inside, either. It was a subtle spell, not one he’d have noticed if he hadn’t been practicing magic detection. He couldn’t tell much more than that without a good deal of time and a spell book, but he didn’t need either of those to figure out what was going on now.

“It has to be a trick,” the other Merlin spluttered. “He can’t— That must be magic!”

Magic indeed. A glamour, and a good one. The reflection in the window matched what he saw with his own eyes. Perhaps the enchantment was enhanced with a potion, maybe even one of Morgause’s own creation. He had no idea what she’d taught her sister before the end, but Morgana was playing her part well. No one else would know of that tunnel and know him well enough to fool Arthur for even a moment.

Merlin’s eyes flicked back to the intruder’s face. Morgana’s eyes were narrowed, watching him, waiting to see what else he’d do. No doubt she was expecting him to tell Arthur what he’d seen. To protest that he was innocent. That he was the real Merlin, that she was the imposter.

But she’d seen him check her reflection.

Which meant that she knew that he knew what to look for.

She might draw her own conclusions. She might know that Gaius had once practiced magic. She might believe that Gaius had taught him what sorts of signs to look for, to better protect Arthur. She might assume he’d looked for some obvious sign of magic to point out to Arthur because he knew perfectly well that this was a ruse, that he was the real Merlin.

But she might also have realized that the Emrys the druids spoke of was Merlin himself.

Except…. Surely she wouldn’t have targeted him if that were the case. No, if she knew that Emrys was protecting Arthur, she must assume it was someone else. Maybe she suspected Dragoon, never realizing that he was Merlin, too.

“How did you get out?” Arthur demanded, and Merlin realized with a start that he was addressing them both.

“Leon,” he answered, but he heard Morgana say the same. She must have watched them, must have—

“Gwen took me into the passageways,” added Morgana, and she managed to say Gwen’s name without the slightest trace of a sneer on her face. Or rather, his face. “But then we heard something, and Gwen told me to come here alone while she made sure I wasn’t found.”

Arthur turned to him and raised his eyebrows. Merlin scowled at him. “We came out at the end of the hall,” he said, “and you saw me come in through the door.” He waved a hand towards it. “You’ve got your guards outside.”

“Did you leave them alive?” Morgana snapped. Arthur’s glower became more pronounced, and Merlin realized that he wondered that, too. He knew perfectly well that they were making enough noise, doing enough to arouse the guards’ suspicions, that they should have burst into the room to defend the prince.

Had she done something to them? Was she trying to frame him, make it seem like he did have magic? That he was a sorcerer in disguise?

“Of course they’re alive,” Merlin said, but Arthur was already marching towards the door. He really could be an absolute clotpole at times. Granted, he didn’t know he was turning his back on two people who had been born with magic, but he must surely know one of them could use magic, and—

Arthur had barely opened the door before slamming it closed again and spinning on his heel.

Merlin swallowed.

The guards weren’t alive any longer.

He didn’t need Arthur to say it, and Arthur clearly knew that.

“It wasn’t me,” Merlin said. “I didn’t do that. You know I wouldn’t do that.”

“I know Merlin couldn’t do that,” Arthur growled, “but you’re not Merlin, are you?”

He was edging towards the chest at the foot of his bed. It held one of his swords—not the sharpest, but certainly not the most dull—and a number of knives hidden in layers of clothing. Arthur could have a weapon in his hand in a matter of seconds.

Morgana could wrench it from him in a matter of seconds, too, but not without blowing her cover.

“Do you remember what I said to you when we first met?” Merlin asked. “When you were being your usual arrogant self?”

Arthur frowned. “Everyone knows Merlin doesn’t address me with the respect I deserve.”

“You didn’t deserve any respect then. Anyway, it turned out not to be much of a mistake.”

“He’s playing with you!” Morgana hissed. Merlin couldn’t tell if Arthur had caught the meaning of his words—or if Arthur even remembered their exchange well enough to do that. Still, he couldn’t afford to be clearer with Morgana around. He had to hope that Arthur didn’t listen to her, had to— “Stop being such a clotpole,” continued Morgana. “You can’t fight him when he has magic!”

So that’s the game she was going to play after all? Make it seem like he had magic? She had to be thinking on her feet. Even if she had come here with a means to disguise herself as him as a way to get to Arthur, she couldn’t have known of the plan to free him much ahead of time. She may not even have known until she saw it in action. If she’d disguised herself as someone else before him….

He and Leon had passed others in the hallway, and he wasn’t sure it had been entirely empty when he’d gone into the passageways with Gwen. She knew Arthur well enough to predict most of his movements. She might have been on the lookout for such a plan to be carried out.

But she didn’t believe he had magic, either.

And as much as he wanted to keep that from her, he’d rather she know—that she and Arthur both know—than have her win now.

Arthur was looking at him when Morgana used her first spell, and he didn’t see her eyes burn gold. Wind swept through the room, and Morgana shrieked as every light went out, not so much as a glowing ember left in the fireplace. “Arthur!”

Morgana thought this would benefit her. That Merlin and Arthur would both be fumbling while their eyes adjusted, that it would be too long before they’d be able to see enough in the dim light from the half-hidden moon outside. She thought she could make her way to Arthur’s side and latch onto him while Merlin blundered about, disoriented.

No doubt, all she wanted was to get her hands on Arthur and teleport him away so she didn’t need to keep up this charade any longer.

With the prince’s absence and the added bonus of Merlin missing from the dungeons, she had no reason to think he wouldn’t be blamed.

But Merlin wasn’t about to let her do that. “Hierste þæt íecen sóna,” he murmured, closing his eyes and concentrating. He needed to break her glamour if Arthur was going to listen to him and not be distracted by her lies. This spell hadn’t worked as well as he’d liked last time, and he was dealing with Morgana, but he had to try. He could hear her soft, careful footfalls moving steadily across the floor, and he opened his eyes even as he repeated the spell. “Hierste þæt íecen sóna.”

His words this time were loud enough to draw her attention—and Arthur’s, of course. He scrambled away from Merlin, accidentally kicking the chair Merlin had pulled out earlier. Arthur cursed and stumbled away, back towards the door. Morgana’s shadow froze, just barely outlined as she crossed in front of Arthur’s bed. He didn’t know if either of them had seen his eyes flash, but Morgana would have been close enough to recognize the words of the spell for what they were.

And she would feel his magic warring with hers if she tried.

Merlin was perfectly aware that she would not only know that he had magic but also that his magic was strong enough to do far more than light the odd candle. He was also perfectly aware that she couldn’t fight back without breaking her cover. She could try to turn this on him, of course, trying to use his magic as proof to Arthur that he wasn’t the real Merlin, but she didn’t know what he could do in the meantime.

And she knew she couldn’t afford mistakes.

“Bærne,” she murmured, keeping her eyes downcast, and when the swath of cloth hanging down the bedpost behind her caught fire, she leapt away with a scream.

Specifically, she leapt towards Arthur.

“Hierste þæt íecen sóna!” Merlin shouted it this time, flinging out a hand to better direct his magic. She flinched away, but he could see the glamour starting to break. Same dark hair, but it was slightly longer than before; the colours of her clothes weren’t quite right; she didn’t stand as tall as him, even at her full height, and that was becoming noticeable even in the flickering firelight.

He couldn’t afford to waste time putting that out now, so he flicked his eyes to Arthur long enough to make sure he was staying away from Morgana and then focused on her. “Hierste—”

Something pushed him back, and he fell. It wasn’t violent enough to be obvious—Arthur might not immediately assume it had been a spell of Morgana’s—but he still hadn’t been prepared for it, and he cursed himself under his breath. He knew better than to underestimate her, and all he was doing was proving to her that she should no longer underestimate him.

“Forþ fleoge.” He cast the spell before he was even on his feet again, hoping to catch Morgana off her guard, but she must have expected it and shielded herself. Before he could try again, she pushed him off balance.

That was fine. He didn’t need to be on his feet to cause the tapestry behind her to fly off the wall and over her head. She wasn’t expecting that, and by the time she’d freed herself, he’d moved to cover Arthur. He tossed another spell at her to make her sleep, but she’d thrown another shield up. In the meantime, he doused the flames licking at the bed—he’d deal with that mess later—and relit the torches.

Arthur, for his part, kept trying to move so that he wasn’t behind Merlin, but he stilled the moment Morgana fought free of the heavy cloth and he saw her for who she truly was.

The glamour had finally broken.

“Ástríce,” she snarled.

“Scildan!” If he had to protect both himself and Arthur, he didn’t dare rely entirely on non-verbal spells. But—

“Hleap on bæc!”

—he couldn’t afford not to use them, either. Even as Arthur lost his footing behind him, not entirely protected by Merlin’s shielding spell, Merlin focused on Morgana and pushed. This time, he broke though her shield and sent her crashing back into the wall. She crumpled when her head collided with the stone, but he cast another sleep spell on her just in case.

Arthur was so quiet behind him that Merlin thought he was knocked out, but when he turned back to check on him, Arthur’s eyes were locked on him.

And he was gripping a knife—the one from the cubbyhole by the fireplace, from the looks of it.

“You have magic,” he said bluntly.

Merlin swallowed, suddenly wondering if he should have let this play out differently. But his secret wasn’t worth Morgana successfully kidnapping Arthur—especially when kidnapping him would mean killing him—and he’d always hoped the truth would go over well.

He’d always hoped it would go over better than it was so far, at least.

“I did sort of tell you,” Merlin mumbled, “shortly after we met. When you said you could take me apart with a single blow, I said I could do it with less than that.”

“I can’t believe you have magic.” It was a complaint, and Merlin had never been happier to hear one. He let out his breath in a rush. “You— All this time, and you’re powerful enough to do…that.” Arthur waved the knife in Morgana’s direction. “You knew it was her. You fought her, protected me, and….” He shook his head. “I can’t…. How?”

“I’ve been practicing, you know.”

Arthur stared at him. “Then the rumours are true? Someone actually saw you doing magic? Merlin, this is Camelot!”

“I know. And that’s one of the reasons I never told you before. I know the laws, and I…. I didn’t want to put you in a position where you’d have to act against your father.”

Arthur snorted. “You say that like I’ve never done it before.”

“Mordred was just a child.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “That wasn’t the only time, and you know it. Honestly, Merlin, if you had wanted to attack me or my father or do anything against Camelot, you’ve had ample opportunity. And Gaius is a good judge of character. I just…. This entire time. You’ve had magic. How have I not noticed when you’re apparently careless enough to let complete strangers catch you at it? You must have used it around me.”

“Well, considering how many times I’ve had to save your sorry a—”

“Have you been using magic to do all your chores?”

“That’s your biggest concern?”

“How am I to know if you’ve given me leaves to eat that you just magicked into food?”

Merlin bit back a laugh. Arthur had a lot to learn about magic, and maybe this was a sign that he’d be willing to do that. Willing to listen, despite everything his father had ever taught him. “I’ve never done that,” he said, not wanting to get into everything he had done. “I’ve spent most of my time trying to protect you.” He looked back at Morgana, bit his lip, and added, “I don’t know how long my spell will keep her asleep. We need to do something. What, ah, are you going to tell your father?”

“Not that you have magic.” Arthur moved to stand beside Merlin and looked over at Morgana. “I won’t be able to convince him to see you as an ally. We must find another sorcerer to blame for Morgana’s predicament. I…. Have you ever met the old sorcerer known as Dragoon? If we can contact him— Why are you laughing?”

“Sorry,” Merlin said, though his grin made it clear he didn’t mean that in the slightest. “I just…. Yes. You could say I know him. Very well.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “How well?”

“Well enough to do whatever you’re planning.”

“Merlin!”

“I’ll explain when we have more time,” he promised, and Arthur huffed.

“Very well. If you can convince him to show up and pretend he stopped Morgana, maybe even that he spread the rumours about you to try to draw her out, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure he gets away unharmed and remains unprosecuted.”

Merlin smiled. Sometimes, he was fortunate enough to get a glimpse of the king Arthur would become. “Leave it to me.”

(see more fics)

[themadchemist]

So I finally got the courage to post about her. I tried to stay away from the actual game story since I don't remember much about ARR and Heavensward despite playing them and I only watched Stormblood and Shadowbringers. I might play the free trial soon so I can refresh my knowledge of the first 2 expansions but I don't think I can play the others so if I get anything wrong main story and lore wise just let me know.

These are just general stuff and headcanons but it might contain SPOILERS FOR 5.x

Name: Arciela Ausbasch

Age: 27

Nameday: 22nd sun of the second umbral moon

Height: 170cm

Profession: Apothecary and healer

Canon class: WHM/BLM (it's the classic FF sage but there's no sage in FFXIV)

Sub classes: SCH/Alchemist/Botanist/Culinarian

Headcanons: again they're just general stuff and they contain SPOILERS FOR 5.x (I'm on my phone so idk how to put the under a cut)

Arciela/WoL:

She sat out on her adventure because she wanted to explore the world and learn more; to expand her horizontals horizons as a healer and apothecary and if becoming the Warrior of Light and saving the world was the way to do it then she would embrace her new role and duties in order to achieve her goals (she's also reckless and would never say no to an adventure even if there was a chance that she might die in the process)

Self proclaimed culinarian. After everything is over, she dreams of opening her own restaurant and bakery.

Relationship with her allies:

Thancred and Estinien are her closest friends and drinking buddies

Papalymo was like a big brother to her (he reminded her of her own brother) and helped her learn new black magic spells and perfect the ones she already knew.

Urianger and Y'shtola are her "nerd friends" as Thancred dubbed them. She still has trouble understanding certain things that Urianger says.

Ryne and the twins are like little siblings to her and she enjoys spending time with them and teaching them things. She taught Ryne how to make Thancred's favorite foods and desserts and she goes swimming with Alisaie (I can't think of anything she might do with Alphinaud except for being nerds together).

She's very close with Aymeric, especially after the dinner (and a certain culinary adventure that prompted Arciela to work on creating the best honey cake the lord commander will ever taste.)

She became good friends with Cirina after spending an entire day trying new recipehs recipes and making the mol taste test them for her (iirc Cirina liked food, right?)

X'rhun Tia is like a father/cool uncle to her and they're super close. He's also her favorite job/class teacher. She appreciats his patience when he was teaching her red magic. While she didn't struggle in the casting part, she did struggle with the fencing part, especially since it was completely different from the dark knight style that she learned from her father (I'm working on her father and I have this idea that he was once an Ishgardian dark knight but I'll wait until I either play or watch Heavensward to decide if I want to go with it or not)

Other good friends of hers are: Kan-E-Senna (who helped her with her white magic), Haurchefant (who was like a brother to her. His death still haunts her) and the Fortemps in general, G'raha Tia (he's adorable and she has a very hard time containing the urge to touch his ears and tail. She's doing a good job so far), Moren (she spent most of her time in the Crystarium in the library with him), Cid, Hilda and Unukalhai.

Triggers for remembering her past life in Amaurot:

The deaths of Lahabrea, Emet Selch and Elidibus and meeting Hythlodaeus.

Lahabrea's death caused her to vaguely remember her time in Akadaemia Anyder and her work as an alchemist but she dismissed the memories as dreams and didn't think much of it since it was similar to her work as an apothecary. She didn't remember him but she felt that they were connected somehow.

Meeting Hythlodaeus for first time triggered memories of Amaurot in general but she also dismissed them as an effect of being there and talking to him.

The death of Emet Selch caused the first bang of memories for she remembered her time and true relationship with him. The memories and the new knowledge brought about hesitation and uncertainty, doubts and immense guilt.

Meeting Hythlodaeus the second time in 5.3 and collecting "stars" triggered memories of her time as Azem and the final days. His presence somehow made it easier to handle the new memories.

She didn't remember Elidibus prior to fighting him in the Seat of Sacrifice, but she remembered enough to know that they were once connected and thus she found the resolve to kill him and end his suffering, for both his sake and the sake of the world.

It was only when he regained his memories that hers started to come back more clearly to her.

The hope that her friends are now resting in peace, free of Zodiark's tempering was the only thing that kept her from crumbling under the weight of her memories and guilt.

Amaurotian Arciela/Anais/Azem/The Alchemist:

Just general stuff to explain certain things from above:

Before becoming Azem she was a professor in Akadaemia Anyder and an accomplished scholar in the field of pharmacy (potions and herbal medicine; or this is what I think is their equivalent of pharmacy at least).

A friend of Emet Selch, Lahabrea, Hythlodaeus and Elidibus. (I ship her with both Lahabrea and Emet Selch so nothing's official until I decide on one of them or create multiple time lines).

Childhood friends with Lahabrea. They've known each other for so long, attended the academy and became professors together. They're probably the only ones who actually listen to and show interest in each other's rambles (just let them be nerds together)

She's also a self proclaimed culinarian, which made her delve into the field of botany and create certain herbs and trees including cocoa trees which lead to her creating chocolate.

During their days as students, Anais would wake Lahabrea up in the middle of the night or drag him away from whatever he was doing to accompany her to the kitchen so she would try to make the new recipe she came up with. He'd complain the entire time she's cooking but at least she could count on him to give her his honest opinion. After tasting the new recipe, he'd either complain some more, insult her ability to cook and just leave if he doesn't like it or he'd ask for seconds... And thirds...

Her favorite pass time is annoying and pranking Lahabrea and Emet Selch. Sometimes, she would team up with Hythlodaeus and they're an absolute menace together.

Lahabrea's reactions are the best because he never sees anything coming since he's always too engrossed in some book to pay attention to anything else and thus, he's always startled, surprised and falls for all of her pranks. And he's ALWAYS extremely pissed off afterwards and they'll be subjected to one of his famous rants and lectures. Hythlodaeus suffers. Anais has known him long enough to get used to them and thus they have no effect on her (and one would think that he's known her long enough to learn to not let his guard down around her when she's bored). It's always worth it though.

Emet Selch's reactions are the second best, because whether the prank works or not, he'll complain about it because he's dramatic. He gets his revenge by pranking them later.

Much like Arciela, Anais took the chance of becoming Azem and traveling the world to gain more knowledge on her field of studies.

Class: SCH

[an-upset-librarian]

Stardust & Fire -- Chapter Thirteen

I bring you, after a short hiatus, the next chapter in this series! I had some writer’s block issues, but now everything is back on track! I know updating at 2am is not the best plan but whatever. 

Please enjoy this brief preview of this chapter (a 6300 word monster)  the full one is on one of the links below. Thanks for reading!

FFN   AO3

Lucy wiped her brow and breathed in deep, filling her lungs with fresh air. Another bead of sweat rolled down her temple and a shudder pulsed down her spine.

             “Good Lucy, concentrate.” Capricorn’s voice said. She gritted her teeth and tried to focus on her task.

Capricorn, her most recent spirit acquisition, had been very agreeable in joining her and helping her train and learning how to contain her Stardust. She had to pay a hefty sum for his key at the shop in Basta, but it was more than worth it. Capricorn had told her some old stories of her mother, and was more knowledgeable in Starchildren than anyone else, or any book she’d found.

“Your magic is a part of you, but it is also born from a fallen star. A part of that star wants to return to the heavens, but you are the one in control, remember that,” Capricorn said. Wincing, Lucy nodded. Her first training lesson was all about keeping her magic under control, so there would be no more glowstick explosions. To do this, she was keeping her aura exposed and making herself glow at a steady rate for as long as she could.

Oh, just keep glowing, it’ll be easy. Don’t worry. Lucy bit her lip. Bullshit. She was drenched in sweat, and every single muscle in her body was quivering from exertion. She must have been keeping her aura ‘on’ for hours. She was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, with the curtains drawn in the hopes that no humans would see her shining through the window from the street.

             “Concentrate, you’re losing control,” Capricorn said in his calm and monotonous voice. She bit her lower lip and tried to reign her thoughts back under control. Another droplet of sweat rolled down her back, bringing goosebumps rising along with it. Her skin felt like it was burning, and her magic was aching to run free and shine brighter. She reminded herself to think calm thoughts, and not about a nice warm bath to soothe her aching muscles. Or food.  Or water for her aching throat.

             “Lucy, focus,” Capricorn repeated. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was focused. Sort of. He told her that she could last a few more minutes, and she tried her hardest to keep up with his demands. Her magic bubbled beneath her skin in protest, the Starlight trying to tempt her into bursting free to dance across the sky.

             With a wild curse, she lost the hold on her magic and there was a blaze of golden light before the room went dark. Ears ringing, Lucy hesitantly opened her eyes, one at a time, to assess the damage. Luckily there were no more burns on the carpet, or the drapes, but the light in her ceiling was blown out. Sunlight drifted through the taupe curtains, casting a warm glow over the quiet room.

             “Well done for your first try.” Capricorn rose to his feet and straightened his sunglasses, despite the low lighting. Lucy rolled onto her back and splayed her limbs out like a starfish with a tired groan.

             “My entire body hurts. My brain hurts. How long did I last?” She asked. Capricorn cleared his throat and answered, “Three minutes and forty-two seconds.”

             She leapt to her feet with a cry of surprise. “No way it was only three measly minutes!”

             He just shrugged. Cursing, she pulled at her hair and groaned again. And here she thought she was doing well, all things considered. Exhaustion pulled at her eyes and the all too familiar chill of magic depletion near her heart grew.

             “Considering you kept me summoned during that time, I’d say you did quite well. But yes, there is a rapid need for improvement,” Her spirit commented. Sighing, Lucy thanked Capricorn for his help and promised to summon him again tomorrow for another session, then sent him back to the Celestial Spirit realm.

             “I think I deserve a nice, warm, calming bath,” she mumbled to empty air. Maybe she should get a house plant to keep her company. She hoped Capricorn’s teachings would help her catch up to the skill levels of her team mates, having felt left out and weak during their last couple of jobs. Erza could always finish off any enemy in one or two strikes, Gray was always thinking ahead with his spells, and Natsu had enough raw destructive power and enthusiasm for the three of them. Even Happy had a bigger role than she did, able to scout ahead and swoop down to scoop up Natsu and carry him off into danger.

             She drew her bath while she mused, eager to spend the next hour or so encased in warmth and relaxation. She poured in a special bath salt Wendy cooked up for her, letting the herbal scent fill the air. The salts were imbued with Wendy’s healing magic, and meant to help replenish one’s magic aura, and help soothe aches and pains. Despite only having a small jar of the miracle stuff, Lucy decided she deserved to use them after her brutal three minutes of agony.

-ooooo-

             “Luckily this job is in Magnolia, so Natsu, you won’t have to deal with any transportation,” Erza said, casting the gleeful fire drakon a smile, “however, we will need to be careful of exposure to humans.”

             Lucy nodded and straightened her ponytail. Their job today was simple, but dangerous. The Magic Council shared confidential information with Makarov of a deadly dark guild alliance, known as the Balam Alliance. The combined forces of numerous powerful dark guilds were causing chaos and raising the possibility of the exposure of magic to the human world.

             Makarov instructed their team to go out and find a lower level dark guild involved in this alliance and capture them for questioning.

             “Remember, it is vital that none of our targets escape and warn other guilds of our attack, understood?” Erza said sternly, fixing every member of their team with a deadly glare.

             “Are we sure that Happy has to stay here?” Natsu asked. Erza responded with a stiff nod, then started to march towards the portal. Gray followed their fierce Valkyrie, and Lucy pulled Natsu along by his arm.

             “Don’t worry about Happy, he’ll be fine with Wendy and Charle,” she said with a smile. Natsu huffed but followed her through the portal and into Magnolia. She smiled as the warm sun lit her skin, complimented by a nice cool breeze. It was already October and the seasons were beginning to change, cool air replacing the sweltering heat of summer and the leaves beginning to change color. She was looking forward to the famous Fall Festival in a couple weeks, during the last days of October. Magnolia was well known for three things: Rainbow Sakura trees, the Cardia cathedral, and the Fall Festival. The entire city would celebrate the days of the last harvest with a parade and parties that lasted days and nights. Feasts would be shared as the last sun festival came to a close and the city began it’s winter preparations.

             Erza quickly reequipped out of her armor and into a simple white blouse and blue skirt to blend in with the human population. Lucy was dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of white shorts, with a baseball cap on her head to try and hide her pointed ears. Natsu and Gray had their usual clothes on, each sticking out like a sore thumb no matter what.

             The group marched through the bustling streets of Magnolia and she had to try very hard not to get distracted as they passed through the market district, full of pretty shops and delicious food. Natsu, unsurprisingly, was distracted by the sweet scents filling the air and the tempting calls of food vendors lining the streets. Luckily, Erza kept them on track as they trudged through the crowds, at least until they passed a cake shop and they stopped inside so the fierce Valkyrie could purchase a slice of sweet strawberry cake.

             Lucy had to admit, she was no longer used to being around so many humans. She was incredibly self-aware, always adjusting her cap and her hair and trying her best to keep her aura disguised. She even had to focus on not moving too fast, especially after she accidentally bumped into a tall, wide set man with no regards for those in his path and sent him sprawling on the ground on accident. From a near brush against her shoulder.

While in the guild, surrounded by her friends and colleagues, she could let a little bit of her light shine through, leaving her skin and hair with a faint glow. It was strange to keep her power so subdued and bottled up inside. How she survived nearly twenty years without it astounded her.

             “Weird, isn’t it?” Natsu commented, bumping her out of her thoughts with his shoulder. She tilted her head in confusion. “Being around normal humans again and havin to keep your magic all bottled up.”

             Nodding, she let loose a deep sigh. He slung his arm over her shoulder and said, “No worries, Luce, cheer up! We all suck at fitting in with the humans.”

             Smiling, Lucy had to agree. Erza stuck out with her fierce personality and tendency towards violence, Gray was always losing his clothes, and Natsu had his pink hair and draconic attributes to draw attention.

             “You’re right. I think I fit in the most out of all of you,” she teased, looping her arm around his waist. Natsu just rolled his eyes and dragged her along beside him. They soon left the busy market behind and the further they walked, the less people they saw. The buildings became more rundown, each looking more abandoned than the next. After the last experience she had in a similar neighborhood, Lucy was glad to be surrounded by her friends and to have Natsu next to her, sharing another one of his ridiculous stories.

             “Oi, lovebirds,” Gray called, “we’re getting close.” Lucy nodded, choosing to ignore the flush creeping up her neck at his comment, and stepped out of Natsu’s arm to reach down and grab Virgo’s key. Out of most of her spirits, Virgo and Leo were the only ones that could pass for human, but Virgo’s talents were less flashy. She separated from Natsu’s side and jogged down into a deserted alley and away from any prying eyes to summon her spirit.

             “Would you like to punish me, princess?” Virgo asked the moment she appeared. Lucy rolled her eyes.

             “I need you to scout out towards that dark guild’s hiding place and make sure nobody leaves. Use your pitfalls to contain them until we can get there,” she explained. Virgo bowed, then tunneled into the ground and disappeared.

             She returned to her companions and relayed what she told Virgo. Erza complimented her on her strategy, and quietly reequipped a pair of daggers into her hands. Gray tossed his shirt aside and cracked his knuckles, sending a wave of frost through the air.    

             “I’m all fired up!” Natsu said, smoke curling out from behind his sharp canines. Lucy glanced around, making sure the few people lingering on the street had gone, and quickly summoned her short sword made of Stardust. The blade hummed, and flecks of light fell around the sword, burning the air and the concrete. She prepared for the drain of having a golden gate open and her sword summoned, but it didn’t come. Maybe those few minutes of training over the past week were working after all.

             The dark guild had taken over a small cluster of crumbling warehouses in the abandoned corner of Magnolia. They could hear the ambiance of laughing and talking, and as the sun began to set, strung lacrima crystals lit the walls leading closer to the heart of the dark guild’s camp, each bobbing softly in the air, casting a soft glow along the stone and concrete as the sunlight faded away. Her sword sung as the stars began to appear in the darkening blue sky, each light twinkling as though to answer her sword’s calling. She saw Erza take a curious glance towards her weapon, the Valkyrie no doubt able to sense the power her sword summoned through her gifts.

             Lucy bit her lip to hide the smile threatening to creep along her features. Excitement for the fight ahead bubbled within her, bringing her magic to the surface of her skin, the Starlight desperate to break free and remind the world of where it came from. She breathed in the smoky scent of Natsu’s fire and reminded her Starlight that they had other more important matters at hand, and no one would be returning to the heavens anytime soon.

             Natsu’s grin was unhidden, his canines bared. Erza motioned for Gray to join her in going around the main warehouse to attack from the left flank and gestured for she and Natsu to attack from the right. The Valkyrie’s fierce warning about letting any of the mages escape echoed in her bright stare. Grinning like a fox with its prey caught in its trap, Natsu lunged ahead, leaving Lucy to leap after him while Gray and Erza disappeared into the darkness.

             She understood why Erza left Natsu to attack the main corridor and draw the attention of the force within. The drakon was anything but subtle. The moment his feet passed into the lighted path cast by the floating lacrima’s, all hope for a secret attack was lost. He sent a bursting spiral of flame cascading through the hall, spiking down into the side rooms and alerting the dark guild to their presence.          

             Howling, he burst through the remnants of his fiery attack, smoke curling from his snarl and fire burning in his eyes. Lucy was happy to let her partner draw the majority of their enemy’s attention. She crept into the side rooms along the main corridor leading into the main hangar of the warehouse- which likely held the main gathering hall for the guild- and dispatched any lingering foes hiding away.

             She dodged a blast of dark energy from a fierce looking mage with swirling black tattoos covering their entire body, parried the next blow with her sword, somehow knowing the magic within the blade was enough to counter the attack. The bolt of dark magic rebounded off her blade and struck the ceiling above the caster, cracking the old concrete and sending it crashing down upon the unsuspecting mage below. She quickly used one of the rope charms gifted to her by Levy to tie the assailant up, then continued her path down towards the bursting arcs of flame and the laughter.

             Lucy ran into chaos. One half of the hangar was covered in ice and the other swarming with flame. Erza soared above the crowd in her Heaven’s Wheel armor, sending volleys of swords down upon the guild. A few brave souls dared to join the redhead in her domain above, but quickly learned why that was the worst possible idea they could have come up with.

             Before she had another moment to observe, a man with glowing daggers came roaring towards her at unbelievable speed. She noted his pointed ears beneath the russet curls that identified him as demi-fae and swung her sword up to deflect his first blow. His first blade bounced off the Starlight with a piercing ring, but the second swung from below towards her gut. With a growl, she twisted her hand and blocked that attack, but before she could even think about taking the offensive, his second blade slid past her defenses and sliced her upper arm.

             She bit back the scream in her throat as the magic within the blade burned her. It was not a hot burn, but rather the burn of something that was too cold. Her left arm went numb as the freezing magic swam down her blood and she reached for her Stardust to keep the poison from reaching the rest of her body.

[silenthilllz]

Silent’s Details

its kinda long

Character Chart 

Character’s full name:  Silent Armont Reason or meaning of name: Character’s nickname: Z Reason for nickname: Because she accidently one day spelled her own name wrong “Zilent” Birth date: 10/23/???? Physical appearance:

Age: 20,000 years old  How old does he/she appear: 20 years old Weight: 90 lbs Height: 5′5′‘ Body build: Lean Eye color: Hazel, yellow when she’s in berserk mode Glasses or contacts: None Skin tone:  Pale Hair color: brown Type of hair: Short down to her shoulders wavy hair, but she usually has it straight Voice: very small and quiet, but loud Favorite outfit: light purple hoodie and blue jeans.  Jewelry or accessories: She has a black cat choker on her neck with a chain and locket Personality Good personality traits: She’s kind and caring, and loyal Bad personality traits: Short tempered, and sometimes selfish Mood character is most often in: Happy Sense of humor: Kinda got a small dark sense of humor? She kinda laughs when people do stupid things and end up getting hurt, also makes fun of herself. She laughs more when she watches youtube videos rather than movies. Character’s greatest joy in life: Her friends and family Character’s greatest fear: Killing people she loves, being alone.

Why?: Because she’s a demon with an unstable amount on dark energy. She cannot control her own feelings sometimes, and so she attacks and lashes out at whoever is near. That being her friends and family, and maybe even someone she loves.

What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil? When she killed a small child. And found out she destroyed a whole city.

  Character is most at ease when: She’s left alone to do her own things.  Most ill at ease when: Too many people want to touch her tail and ears. It makes her uncomfortable.

Enraged when: Someone hurts people she cares for, and over small things sometimes. Depressed or sad when: When she’s reminded of the things she’s done to innocent people. If granted one wish, it would be: To have not been born Why?:

She’s killed so many people. If she wasn’t born, no one would have had to die when she was around. There are other people who are more suited for her job. She’s not the only one who can take down the monsters she faces. If she was gone, no one would to suffer if she makes a blunder.

Character’s soft spot: she likes animals and sweets Is this soft spot obvious to others? Hell yeah Greatest strength: Lame as it sounds, her friends and family Greatest vulnerability or weakness: Being reminded she is a monster, and if you bring up that one lover who died in her arms or the child she killed, she shuts down. Biggest regret: Not apologizing to the person she was in love with before she killed them. Minor regret: She regrets alot of things. Biggest accomplishment: Defeating Devin. Minor accomplishment: getting up every morning Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about: Like forgetting her own damn name? Why? She forgot how to spell her name one day, and is embarrassed af about it. To be fair, she did pull a 2 week nighter when hunting a very large powerful hertz. 

Character’s darkest secret: She failed to save a world once, and she watched as the planet was consumed in darkness and everyone was killed.  Does anyone else know? Looker knows. Goals Drives and motivations: Seeing the worlds in happiness Immediate goals: To control her powers Long term goals: To get rid of the Hertz once and for all, and to maybe settle down with someone that she loves and wont die. How the character plans to accomplish these goals: Work hard and erase the Hertz. Fall in love with a long living demon, but she tends to fall in love with humans. How other characters will be affected: Gotta prepare for seeing Silent in heartbreak and injuries. Past Hometown: Rapture Type of childhood: She doesn’t remember it, she wasn’t born normally Pets: Echo, and some of the monsters on the island. First memory: Waking up in a clear tube with a mass of swirling darkness around her. Most important childhood memory: Meeting Looker. Looker saved her ass so many times when she was a child. Why: Well, he had to take care of her because her powers were not controlled and so she often broke alot of stuff. Childhood hero: N/A Dream job: Jobs don’t matter on an island,  Education: Learned everything from her teachers in the castle Religion: N/A, she has gods and demons on her island ffs Finances: Royalty Present Current location: (when shes not in another universe or on a different planet) She usually has her own room in the castle that she lives in. Currently living with: Echo Pets: Echo, and maybe her lurkers, and some of her drawings? Religion: Not very religious? She likes alot of other cultures.  Occupation: A hunter, looking for Hertz and destroying them before they fuck up universes and worlds. Finances: She’s a princess, loads of money Family Mother: N/A Relationship with her: N/A Father: N/A Relationship with him: N/A Siblings: Code and Data Relationship with them: Very good Spouse: N/A Relationship with him/her: N/A Children: N/A  Relationship with them: N/A Other important family members: Looker and Soul

Favorites 

Color: Purple  Least favorite color: Neon Pink Music: classical music Food: seafood Literature: She doesn’t read alot really. She does like fantasy books though. Form of entertainment: video games, exploring universes Expressions: Cat face~ Mode of transportation: Portals Most prized possession: her cat choker Habits Hobbies: Video games, drawing, singing Plays a musical instrument? Used to be able to play the piano Plays a sport? No, but she does fight every day. How he/she would spend a rainy day: Watching the rain or actually playing in the rain Spending habits: She has  fuck ton of money because she is a princess, but she doesn’t actually go on spending sprees. Smokes: N/A Drinks: She hates alcohol Other drugs: She takes a pill to help her when she’s in heat. What does he/she do too much of? Apologize What does he/she do too little of? Look before she leaps Extremely skilled at: Fighting, drawing Extremely unskilled at: Cooking Nervous tics: Usual body posture: slouched over Mannerisms: She kinda has good manners since she was brought up in a royal household, but she kinda forgets sometimes and just acts like a normal person. Peculiarities: Traits Optimist or pessimist? She’s kinda both sometimes? Maybe pessimist? Introvert or extrovert? Introvert Daredevil or cautious?  Both, depending on what it is Logical or emotional? Emotional, and that tends to cause her to go berserk. Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat? She is neat. Her room is organized. Prefers working or relaxing? She likes to work since she can see different worlds and meet different people on her missions, but she likes to relax sometimes because getting her ass handed to her by giant monsters kinda gets tiring. Confident or unsure of himself/herself? UNSURE Animal lover? Yes, she is part cat after all. Self-perception :

How he/she feels about himself/herself:  She hates herself. She has killed millions of people when she goes berserk and ends up hurting those she cares about to try and get away from them.  One word the character would use to describe self: Monster One paragraph description of how the character would describe self:

“I’m a monster because, well. Literally a monster because I’m a demon, and it fits because I kill people. I hurt people I care about. No one needs to be near me because I’ve hurt them. I lie, I cheat, I hide... Other than turning into a mindless monster who destroys everything around her, there’s nothing good about me.”

What does the character consider his/her best personality trait? Kindness? She is kind to people. Even if she is shy. Also she is very loyal to her friends. She will die for her friends and family. What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait? Short tempered, she has a short fuse and not very patient. Snaps at people who get on her nerves very quickly. What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic? Her freckles. She has no idea, she likes her freckles.  What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic? How small she is. Being 5′5′‘ might not be small to most people, but she lives on an island full of monsters who are fucking huge and tall. How does the character think others perceive him/her: They think Silent is a quiet girl, very shy, and a little awkward. But when they get to know her, she is very friendly and a bit... clingy? Might be due to her liking to be pet. What would the character most like to change about himself/herself: She wants to be normal. Like a normal monster who has their powers under control. She used to want to be human at one point, but then she realized who would save her friends when there wasn’t a demon around? Relationships with others Opinion of other people in general: She is ok with other people as long as they don’t poke fun at her for being a demon. Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others? Totally, she hates showing herself because she kinda has insecurities about herself. Person character most hates: She fucking hates some dude named Devin Thorne who used her as a toy and a weapon on her home island when she was 17,000 years old. She trusted him, and he used her. Best friend(s): Soul, Data, Code, and Looker :D Oh and Echo! Love interest(s): She doesn’t fall in love with anyone anymore because 1) she’s a demon and she tends to outlive humans 2) last person she cared about died in her arms because she accidently killed them. Person character goes to for advice: Soul, he is like. The best person. Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: The residents of her island because she is, after all, a princess. She has to learn how to settle quarrels. Person character feels shy or awkward around: Anyone she doesn’t know. And she might be crushing on. Person character openly admires: As a friend, its Looker. He’s fucking amazing! Demon cat overlord!!! Person character secretly admires: About every boy/girl/whatever she happens to crush on when she meets them Most important person in character’s life before story starts: no one, she was created in a tube in a lab. After story starts: Soul

[mir-katnip]

Me; A History

Feel free to ignore this, unless you want to gain insight into my madness. It is very long - but I need some catharsis. I think, over the years, I have honed what I like to refer to as "Diplomatic Indifference" My mother likes to call it sociopathy, I imagine she'd know. I was (allegedly) a wretched child with too many emotions, and my mother, after divorcing my brother's father, and dealing with mine almost dying, found childhood behaviors reprehensible. It did not help, that I was immensely charming with strangers, (A trait which I inhereted from both my parents) and a bit too clever for my own good... My dad read to me every single night, I could recognize words on sight at 16 months of age. I remember being so thrilled with myself, at that age, spelling "THE" with those stupid alphabet magnets. It thrilled my father too. I was reading children's books by age three, "chapter books" by four, by eight I had devoured The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Hitch Hiker's Guide. I was fully aware of proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I had thorough hatred for repetition in writing. At 9, I began my first novel. I remember almost everything about it even today. You see, because I was cleverer than most my age, it was expected, that I behave the part - without being a smart-ass. I look at it now an realize that I was never allowed to actually be a child. It was unacceptable, and every action that was in way child-like was looked at as a slight against nature. Yes I "got into things" as she put it, and yes, I would lie. But all kids do this... The family therapist did all the tests imaginable, and it was determined that I was intelligent, and maybe a little weird. "Weird" was my official diagnosis. I was bullied relentlessly by my peers... I had few friends, but I never cared until they started taking away my books because an 8 year old should not be reading anything more advance than Judy Bloom. My homeroom teacher for third grade was... well, lets just say we had direct access to an unused chem-lab, and he had a fucked up way of "punishing" the girls. I was easily bored with his class, and would frequently fail to turn in my homework... This was cause for "punishment" at least twice, that I fully recall. (FFS I was 8, it was horrid, and I didn't know it was unapproved methodology) That was the year the anxiety problems began oddly enough. I refused from then on to participate in any classroom activity that required me to be actively social with my teachers... The bullying sinched my dislike for my peers. I withdrew and found other ways of being mischivous at home. This led to my mother's tried and true discipline of restriction and copying the bible. Word for word... Needless to say, this only helped to spur my desire to write. I would steal pages out of the back of the notebook and use the tiny sliver of light that came into my bedroom from the street lamp, to write in the dead of night. Thus began the severe insomnia. I was over-protected. If I had friends, I was never to give them our phone number. I could never attend birthday parties, or other events. I was socially alienated from the world at an age when I should have been acquiring social skills. Until college, it is safe to say my only friend was my dad. High school, proved to be further traumatic. I was terrified of it before I even started. My older brother had taken up alcohol, weed, and self-harm in high school. But nobody bothered to notice until things went too far. Oddly enough, instead of screaming like a banshee at him, she sat on his bed and cried with him. Being asthmatic, I had simple triggers that would land me in the hospital, allergy, exercise, stress... High school was endlessly stressful. I had a math teacher (also the football coach) who thought that cussing in class made him cool, made the students like him. I found it to be stupid and distracting. But I mentioned it to the school councelor once, and he decided to single me out by name, as if I wasn't a social paraiah already. Then there was the history teacher, with whom I bantered in class. He seemed to appreciate my intellect, and a well formed debate. One day he kept me after class and I missed my bus home... he offered to drive me home. I was of course apprehensive, thankfully he asked me to take the roll sheet to the office, where I attempted to contact my mother. She didn't answer. So I tried my brother, but his room-mate and best friend (Who is now my only brother - the real one joined a cult and disowned us.) Answered, he offered to come get me. I went back to the classroom to retrieve my belongings. I told the teacher I had procured a ride home, to which he responded "Well then, I hope we don't find you chopped up in little bits in a ditch somewhere." This effectively drove me to making myself ill, I wound up in hospital for three weeks, being unable to breathe. I eventually wound up being on Independant Study for the remainder of my high school career. Which suited me well enough, I learned better on my own, and what I couldn't do alone, my father taught me. But this further secluded me from social norms. I was with my mother 24/7 which was never good, as neither of us could manage being in the other's company longer than 10 minutes without some sort of verbal sparring. I did graduate several months early, which wasof course lovely for me if not for anyone else. Now my psychiatric history, is far less telling about myself... I started therapy at age 11, and again the official diagnosis was simply that I was clever, creative, and weird. "Of course I hear voices in my head... They are the characters I put to paper." When my mother decided that my child-like behavior was psychosis, she took my to a psychiatrist... Clearly I needed to be drugged out of my skull. I was put on almost everything at one time or another, but nothing did anything except the anti-anxiety medications, which finally cornered my anxiety disorder. It was the antipsychotics which I should never have been on that really messed me up. I had been a wretchedly skinny child. Tall, but underweight. I was 5 foot 4 and only 86 pounds at point... But I was put on Welbutrin at 13 - in a matter of 9 months, I went from a size zero, to a size 12. In the next year between the drug, and puberty, I topped at a size 18. My own mother began to mock my weight, she attributed it all to my horrible eating habits alone. Eventually I began to refuse the medication, knowing full well that that was the cause of the weight gain. After several months of being off the drugs, I slimmed down to a size 9, for several years, and I was happy there. Unfortunatey, other things began to hit. I had begun to notice more that my mother mocked me at every turn, she freqently informed me that She might love me, but she doesn't like me. I was lonely, friendless, and sleep deprived. I became depressed, and more anxious than ever, but I still refused to be medicated. I followed in my brother's footsteps only as far as self-harm... when it was discovered my mother insisted I was doing it to get attention. She insisted, demanded and strong-armed me into being medicated again. (I never outgrew the self-harm "phase" I just got better at hiding it.) Eventually the norm became my masks and lies. There was nothing I hated more than being medicated. I attempted to be a social person, much to my own detriment. The only thing I managed to keep in check was my writing. My only solace. I joined a twitter RPG, and met a small circle of women, who became my chosen sisters. I was one of the youngest, but our youngest was only 18. Her name was Beth. Being as mine is Josephine, she and I formed an instant bond over the fact that we shared the names of the protagonist and her most beloved sister in Little Women. And truly that was our relationship. She was shy, and brilliant and perfect, and I would have done absolutely anything for her, as she kept my head on my shoulders. Beth's father died of cancer when she was only 5. Her mother physically and psychologically abused her until she finally left for University. I day I was only too happy to witness. We were as close as to people living on opposite sides of the world could be. She was my baby sister, and that was all there was too it. Unfortunately, just as in Little Women, I lost my Bess. IT hat been a bad year for her. First with her disappearance during the 2012 London Games. She had tickets and attended the opening ceremony, and suddenly dropped off the face of the planet for two weeks. We were naturally frantic. She eventually got back in touch once she "came too" she was somewhere well out of the UK, with no knowledge of how she got there, what had happened, or where she'd been. This episode managed to land her in a psychiatric hospital for three months. She hadn't been eating, thus diagnosed with an eating disorder, she told me, and I fully believed her, that she just forgot to eat most of the time because she was never hungry. She'd been drinking vodka like it was water, diagnosis - alcoholism. Eventually she went to a private psychiatrist who finally correctly diagnosed her with PTSD. Everything she'd gone through with her mother... even I had that diagnosis pegged, an that was before I adopted abnormal psychology and nursing as my major/minor. Her "boyfriend" at the time refused to research PTSD, and after the hospitalization, she was worse for wear. He had begun to treat her like a doormat, and eventually broke up with her because she wasn't feeling well enough to fuck him whenever he wanted it. The breakup was hard. She always wore her heart on her sleeve, and shared it openly with anyone who was kind to her. After that prick left, she became angry for a good while. Even she and I had a short falling out, because someone told her some lie about me. It eventually cleared up, when she started thinking straight again. Not long after, she met a nice young Scot named Thomas... he was good to her, he understood her illness, and he worshipped the ground she walked on. She was quite suddenly back to her sweet self. They weren't together long before he proposed, and she said yes. I was so pleased for her, just perfectly happy to see her FINALLY being loved the way she deserved. She went to his family's home in Scotland for Christmas, she said they were strange, but she loved them - and they her. On yule, she sent out her traditional Christmas emails. Regaling us with her adventures with her fiance. She sounded so joyous. On boxing day I recieved a message on facebook... Thomas told me she had passed away. I felt certain it was some sick joke, and ignored it for three days. I emailed, messaged, texted, called. To no avail... Finally I messaged Thomas back, asking if it was a joke, or if he had been hacked. He didn't respond. I rallied the forces, and we called around to her house-mates and got our answer. On the 23rd Tom and his parents went out, leaving Bess to relax a little. When they came home they found her on the floor, wrists slit. In February we managed to get all the details. Beth had decided to fogive her ex for treating her like shit while they were together, so she sent him a christmas email, like she did with all of us. He had written back to tell her that he never liked her, the only thing she had been good for was a quick shag, and a free meal. He told her he never wanted to speak to her again, and to stay out of his life. This pushed her over the edge... He killed her. Gods help me that BOY never wants to meet me in a dark alley, or a brightly lit police station. Because my reaction will be the same in either place. If his head remains on his shoulders, his own prick will be jammed down his throat... In one swift motion I lost my baby sister, my best friend, my editor, and my co-author. I was in hysterics. I could not be consoled. I was screaming and sobbing for days. They nearly had me committed (sectioned) I stopped writing, nothing that came out was any good. And I didn't have my sounding board anymore. It's taken me five years, to even get back to fan fiction - forget original work - I doubt I'll ever get back to that, heartbreaking though it is. Lately I've been more anxiety-ridden than I have been since I was a teenager. I've fallen to a desperate need for anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, my sleep is more erratic than I can ever remember it being, when I do sleep I'm generally plagued by nightmares. My body is failing me, I'm in constant pain, I can't seem to find any job locally, my medical licenses have lapsed, because I can't afford my CEU's and the renewal fees. I'm living with my parents, which makes the anxiety and depression worse. I have no friends - and gods help me I think I'm embracing my mother's diagnoses of me, because the only way to stay sane is to try not to care. I am a wreck. I'm miserable - and I have no one. Yet I keep on, because there are people who have it worse... there is always someone worse off. Despite the mask, I always care about everyone else. Whether they care about me or not.