#i told them that other people are intimidated the way mortals are intimidated to angels as a hyperbole | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

obae-me · 3 years

Text

Upside Down- CH 3

Author’s Note: Let’s allow Demon!MC to kick some ass, yeah?

Tags: Cussing, fighting, violence, death, guns, attempted murder, shooting, broken bones. As Always, Read Safely!

Word Count: 5977

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Mammon Morningstar; The First

“You’ve got to do your best to blend in,” Simeon explained.

The angel agreed, the three of you making final preparations before setting off for the mortal realm. “It would be for the best if you refrained from using your magic, or at least keep yourself from using it in front of anyone.” Solomon laughed to himself, thinking of something amusing. “I would hate to see what would happen if word got out demons were real.”

“There already have been several close calls,” the prince admitted, not looking the least intimidated by the angel. “But it’s my duty to make sure my people are safe.” The color of his eyes glinted, and he hummed to himself. “Plus, humans are so sure they know everything that they’re willing to deny the existence of things they don’t understand.”

Fiddling with the weird outfit they’d put you in, you could hardly look at yourself in the mirror. Horns gone, tail galmored, fangs dulled. Humanized. “I thought your job was to convince me humans were good.”

Shaking his head, the prince came up behind you, looking at your reflection. “Our job is to make sure the DAR program goes well. You need to know what you’re dealing with. You’ll have to put up with both humans and demons that would do you and the Morningstars harm. Keeping your identity a secret is a layer of protection.” He smoothed out the fabric against your shoulders, giving them a little squeeze.

“Other demons? Why would they disobey a direct order from you, my lord?” It was a stunning proposition, to think there was someone the prince couldn’t control. Both of the other men were silent for a moment, giving each other a certain look. It told you all you needed to know. “You haven’t sent out an order, have you? No one knows about this project other than us.”

Pleased, Solomon adjusted a crystal necklace adorned around his neck. “They’re sharp.”

The Demon Lord came to the front of you, taking your hands. “This needs to be conducted as authentically as possible. If I told every demon that wanted to tempt the Morningstars to go away, how would I know for certain the human’s actions are real and not stemmed from convenience? You can tell the most from a person’s soul from what they choose when they’re faced with adversity.”

“So, if some lower demon finally decides it’s a good time to feast on a Morningstar, you’re saying I should just let them? For accuracy’s sake?”

The touch of his fingers trailed down to your wrists, till he held them both tightly. “No. I want them alive. If they prove to be useless to me in this project, they’ll hold other uses for me later.” Pain quickly rushed up your arms. Despite trying to move, the prince gripped you tighter. “You’ll protect them. To do that, you’ll need my help.” Power overwhelmed you as your body started to glow the hue of the prince’s soul. “Use it wisely.”

Was this using magic wisely?

If you went up and explained to the Prince how you used a simple spell to flip a die, would he find it foolish? Because in the moment, with grunts stacked behind you, and a mortal with demonic tendencies with his dull claws on the human you were supposed to protect, it seemed like the best approach. If the opportunity had been there, you would’ve disposed of these humans long ago. But there were so many...eyes watching. Including those of Mammon...who made sure to glance up at you every other second. He was...scared. Not the same type of scared you’d seen in him when Lucifer threatened to never give Goldie back, or even the type of scared when Levi threatened to sell Ruby. A raw sort of terror, mixed with guilt.

So, sure, you may have messed with the natural order of things and cheated your way into getting Mammon a grand prize. What else were you supposed to do? You would have assumed that at winning, the brother named Greed would’ve jumped on the table, shouting to everyone within earshot at how rich he was. Instead of that, he took a deep, relieved breath. The one who actually shouted was Cody. “Yes! Yes! That’s my Golden Boy! I knew you could do it!” With a hearty smack on Mammon’s back, Cody rubbed one finger on the end of his nose. The guards behind you backed off. They all started to leave, disappearing back into the mesh of mortals. Cash shook his friend. “Let’s go collect those winnings, man!” More pumped than the one who actually won, Cody headed away from the table.

Returning to Mammon’s side, you were...off-put at how…solemn he’d become. Once Cody was a bit further away, Mammon glanced at you from the corner of his eyes. “Leave.”

Not the word you’d been expecting. “What?”

Hissing low, Mammon tried pushing you away. “Didn’t you hear me? Leave, vamoose, get outta here.”

The seriousness and dread in his voice worried you...and you hadn’t worried about anyone in a very long time...part of why you preferred to be alone in the first place. His eyes were pleading for help, and yet he was spurning you. You continued to follow him. “Why should I?”

In that moment, you watched him make a decision. Apparently, he was having the same thoughts you were, you could hear them. I can’t worry about someone getting hurt again. His nose scrunched up in anger, and you allowed him to put his emotions into pushing you back. You staggered for his sake. “I said, leave! Don’t you get it?! I want you out of here!” The commotion turned some heads, including the problematic human that was causing Mammon’s distress. How quickly the tables had turned. It’s not like you wanted to come in the first place.

The stress was getting to him. You were another thing to weigh down his mind at this moment. So, you figured it would be best for you both if you followed along. “Fine.” So dramatic...But who knew the little human of greed would have such a hero complex? So as his head lowered in resignation, you returned to the crowd who already had turned their attention towards more interesting distractions. But you didn’t leave, no. With Simeon’s help, your natural powers were drastically enhanced. And with a name like isolation, well, you did what you did best. Disappear.

Circling around, you followed the path Cody was leading Mammon in. Trying to pick up on the scent of greed was harder than usual in this place, but you followed the intense aura of fear and anger until you found the both of them again. Collecting his winnings, Mammon tried to look easygoing, but you could hear his heart pounding from here. Maintaining a decent distance, you watched and waited until the exchange was done, and Cody congratulated Mammon once again before he started to lead him out one of the exits. A human came up behind you, bumping into you. He staggered for a moment, trying to look around at what he’d felt, but you were already gone, slipping out of the door before it had a chance to click shut.

Outside, you watched Mammon become much too hopeful that he’d just be able to head out into the parking lot and hop in his truck. Before that would happen, two more of Cody’s “friends” cut him off. “Come on, man, don’t you want to have a little talk? Chat, catch up?”

Rubbing the back of his head, trying to keep the container of his money closer to his body, Mammon shrugged. “Ah man, Cash, you know my older brother, if I’m not home before midnight I’m locked out.”

That excuse didn’t matter. “Stay out then! Come hang with me! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever! I mean,” Cody cut himself off with a laugh, looking around to make sure no one was really paying attention. As expected, his gaze passed right over you. “You haven’t been avoiding me right? It’s not like…you’d take my money and run, right...Mammon?” The human’s voice went very low, and the men that served as his lesser minions clamped each of their hands on his arms. That was when a huge black vehicle rolled up, windows dark enough to shield unwanted views. One of the doors opened, and Cody slid right in. Mammon wasn’t really given much of a choice, but instead of being thrown, he opted to sit in the car himself. You nearly had forgotten just how fast the human vehicles could be, but before it sped off, you managed to easily leap on top of it. The sound and sudden weight wobbled the car, making it stop. The driver opened the door and glanced up. Muffled, Cody shouted from inside. “It’s nothing! Get a move on!” Picking up speed, the car merged onto the busy road, heading in the opposite direction from where you came.

Plopped in seemingly the middle of nowhere, the black car approached a large...stone structure. If it was meant to be a house, there was a lot wrong with it. It was very...open. You had to flatten yourself against the roof as the vehicle entered the building, heading up a few ramps, past crudely painted walls, reaching the top floor. This looked kind of like a weird version of Mammon’s garage. Many vehicles were parked, some revving, most quiet. Cars and different bikes would speed away, squealing, heading down the long dark stretch of road that led away from here. It appeared as if they were racing. The van you were on suddenly stopped, causing you to dig your claws in the metal to keep from sliding off. More machines came up, forming a semi-circle around your location. Lights flashed on, shining and illuminating the humans as they exited.

Mammon, sweat forming near his temples, clutched the bag closer to him. “H-hey, guys, what’s u-”

Friendly manners were no longer needed now that the public eye was far gone. With a kick to the back of one of his knees, Cody sent Mammon staggering, kneeling on the ground. “Take it,” he commanded, and one of his lackeys went to claim the winnings. In a last ditch effort of greed, Mammon attempted to shove the man back. It didn’t go well for him. The scent of dragon’s breath filled the room again as Cody brandished a shiny metal...wand?

Whatever it was, Mammon quickly let the bag go, raising his hands obediently. “C-Come on, Cash. Y-you can have the money.”

“That’s not the point, Mammon. You stole from me. From ME.” In his anger, the cars surrounding you roared. “After everything I’ve done for you!”

Flinching, Mammon’s posture shrunk. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry! W-what do you want? Double?” An idea crossed his mind. “Wait! I--I know Lucifer’s gettin’ some exotic gift from some potential partner, I could always-”

Snatching Mammon by the front of his clothes, Cody pulled the human to his feet and pushed him against a pillar. “No. No more fake promises, Mammon. No more deals. I’m done with you.”

The situation was escalating quite rapidly. Your chest swelled with more anger. Humans… Hopping behind the car, you uncloaked. “You got what you wanted, now leave him alone,” you ordered. As you stepped into the headlights, Mammon’s eyes grew impossibly wide.

Cody just laughed. “Well, damn!” Turning towards you just a bit, he scoffed. “I don’t know if you’ve got a steel set or mental problems! Either way, you're way too deep over your head, kid. You came to the wrong place.” A few people approached you...each with different versions of the dark strong smelling sticks.

Kid? “You’ve got one more chance, Cody Burkham. Let Mammon go, take the money, and never bother him again. I won’t tell you a third time.”

Gritting his teeth, Cash pointed whatever was in his hand at you. “Just who do you think you are, huh?! How do you know me?!…You know what? It doesn’t matter. I guess I get to make two examples out of people today!” You remained unwavering.

Mammon spoke up before you could further express your irritation. “Cash, bud-buddy, they’ve done nothin’ to ya.” More frantic than before, the brother of greed started to squirm. “They’re confused, yeah? Just don’t hurt them, please? Not again. You know me Cash, I’m begging ya, please-”

Then four things happened in rapid succession. One, some human decided to land a hand on you from behind, trying to grab you. So, two, in return you gripped that man’s wrist and chucked him into one of the car's front windows. Three, as glass shattered, the breath of a dragon filled the room as a loud bang echoed off every surface of stone. Four, air seemed to leave your lungs as you crumpled to the ground, your body suddenly feeling the impact of something you had never felt before. A punch? A curse? It hurt to move, but you were already rapidly recovering. However, some of your magicks shut down as your consciousness shifted. Horns scraped and tore into the floor, your tail uncurling from your leg.

“W-what the hell is that?” Someone whispered.

“Yo, yo! It’s changing!”

“Cash! They ain’t bleedin!”

Someone else was chanting a prayer in another language.

As you slowly rose to your feet, you touched your head where the source of the pain was stemming from. You dug your claw under a small sheet of metal, prying it off your body till it clattered to the ground. Moving your neck, you listened to it crack and pop until your shoulders relaxed. You sighed to yourself. So much for blending in...Most of the people in the room took a few steps back. However, still thinking he was the bigger man in the room, Cash let go of Mammon, letting the brother slide to the floor. He approached you, the weapon in his hand smoking. “I don’t know what kind of cosplaying freak you-”

“Stop talking,” you demanded, using a whip-like lash of your tail to send the metal in his clutches flying. Cash shouted, clutching his hand as some of his fingers snapped.

Gasping between breaths, he cradled his broken limb to his chest. Nearly petrifying the human allowed you to feel a small sense of satisfaction seeing his ego crumple. But his stubbornness stuck through. “Shoot it! Kill it now!” He ducked, turning tail and booking it, but not before using his good hand to drag Mammon away. Metal started flying towards you, making your ears buzz. As you dashed behind the van for cover, you sighed. I’m already so tired of this, you thought to yourself as you lifted the car with both hands, throwing it towards the circle of humans. Most of the noise from the sticks stopped as people ran for cover. Some didn’t make it, some fled, entering their cars and running away. A few decided that their ranged weapons weren’t good enough, and so they rushed you. In a blink of an eye, they were quickly disposed of. Stepping over the mess of mortal, metal, and rubble, you looked down over the rail to observe Cody tugging Mammon into a different car. They were attempting to head out of the building. The last thing you wanted was to chase him down again. So, you hoisted yourself over the low wall, falling down to the bottom floor. The stone cracked as you landed. Straightening your posture, you watched the car Cody was driving head straight for you...as well as pick up speed. With a deranged look on his face, ‘Cash’ was all too happy to run you over. You steadied your feet. He can try.

In the short few seconds before impact, Mammon waved his arm madly, trying to get you to move out of the way. Then he swiveled, punching Cody square in the face and tugging on the wheel. Off center, missing you by a hair, the vehicle rushed past you, losing control as it left the building. Cody struggled to regain possession, the car swerving. It’s back wheels spun out, quickly turning in a few circles before the back side rear ended a tree. Silence. Both the human’s heads were tilted forward, seemingly lifeless. It was...strange...you didn’t remember rushing towards the car, or even tearing the passenger door clear off its hinges. You pulled Mammon out of his seat. Regaining consciousness, the human wobbled, then pried himself out of your grasp, even if it meant he would fall to the floor. This was it…The part you had been preparing yourself for ever since you felt your glamor unravel. Lifting his head, the human looked on in terror. He’s going to scream. Run. Just like they all do.

As expected, he scrambled back on steady legs, using the broken vehicle for support. You took a step back…and then he took a step forward, immediately losing his balance again, nearly face-planting into the dirt. “Shit. Dumb legs…” Looking up from his hands and knees, the expression in his eyes changed from fear to concern. “Hey, hey, are you okay?!”

Did…did you hear him correctly? “Am I…okay?” You repeated. Then it all hit you. It bubbled up in you for the first time in centuries. It started out as an awkward breath, and then came out as a light laugh. The humor curled up warm in your chest.

“H-hey, what was so funny, eh? I’m being all serious here! You got shot! You almost got run over! What did I tell you about jumping into fights, eh?”

He was barely able to walk or function, and yet he was worried about you despite him now knowing you weren’t quite human. Catching your breath, you outstretched your hand. “You are the stupidest human I’ve ever met.”

“A mutant!”

“No.”

“An alien?”

“A what?” Dragging Mammon back inside, you tucked him behind the shadow of one of the many idle cars. You made him sit down, which he didn’t seem to like.

“Oi, oi, where’re you goin’?” He latched onto your sleeve before wincing, wrapping one of his arms around his torso. He was a bit wounded. Frowning, you squatted before him, tucking your hand under the bottom fabric of his shirt. He quickly giggled, obviously a bit ticklish, but then covered his face. “H-hey, no-no getting handsy just cus I saved you!”

“I’m trying to heal you,” you informed him. “Stop moving.” Running your hand over his skin, you waited until he flinched. Having located the sore spot, you closed your eyes, focusing the flow of your magic into him, careful not to give him too much. He made a light gasp, and then his breathing started to slow. Allowing yourself to smile a bit, you went to open your eyes, but then felt your head jerk forward as someone yanked your horns.

“So these things are real?!” He gave them a few pulls to test if they’d come off your head. Every nerve in your body sparked as his touch trailed down the curve of the demonic feature.

“Quit!” Holding onto his wrists, you pulled them down and looked at him seriously. “Are you this touchy all the time?” Mammon just tilted his head at you. Sighing, you shook your head. “Never mind. Listen, stay here while I make sure the area is clear. Do that, and I’ll answer your questions, okay?” For once he complied, nodding, letting you stand up. But you felt a little nervous leaving him by himself. Taking a second to take in your surroundings, you noticed a little glint. You headed over to the object. Shining in the moonlight was Cody’s weapon you had knocked away from him. Coming back to the human, you held it out.

“Whoa, hey! Don’t point it at me!” Mammon used a gentle finger to point the end towards the side, and then he took it by the bottom end.

“Do you know how to use this...uh...explosive staff?” You let him take the item from you, and he found it in him to chuckle.

“You mean a gun? Yeah I know how to use it?” Glee quickly filled his body. “Wait, wait, wait! That’s right! You’ve been all weird with simple things this whole time! You don’t know what anything here is, do ya?”

His giddiness at that idea annoyed you. “Save the questions for later. I’ll be back.”

The last thing you heard him say was, “I knew they had to be an alien,” before you left him. You didn’t want to waste any more time in this place then you had to, so you sped along each floor, checking every car and dim corner for any more threats. It was empty save for the ones that had their souls sent back to your homeworld. Maybe the prince would save some mercy for them where you did not...but you doubted it. Back on the top floor, you crouched down, scooping up a familiar container. All this trouble...for this. You opened it, wrinkling your nose at the paper inside. Was it worth it? Shutting it and tucking it under your arm, you cleared the rest of the floor. Vacant. You were about to return to Mammon when the lights of a vehicle flashed before you. The same car you remembered leaving the human at. Rushing forward, landing on the front of the hood, you were ready to strike when the wheels squealed and a window lowered.

White hair stuck out, a hand waving. “Chill! Chill! It’s me!” He banged the outside of the door with his palm. “I hotwired this bad boy! It’s ready to go!” Slowly, he pulled up beside you. You were supposed to stay...What a handful. But you kept those thoughts to yourself. You moved over and placed his winnings in his lap. His eyes lit up.

“It’s Levi’s,” you told him, coming around to the other side, letting yourself in the car. Able to hear his thoughts again, you clarified. “All of it.” Catching your reflection in the side mirror, you stretched and ran a hand over your head, making your horns and tail glimmer out of view, the harsh glow to your eyes fading.

Tisking, Mammon huffed. “Fine.” The machine rumbled forward, swerving around the mess of metal. Would you have to tell the prince about this? Your cover had already been blown. How foolish of you. The weight of worry came crashing down on you, including the overexertion of all that power. You weren’t used to it. It had been a long time… “I can’t wait to tell my brothers about you! I’m sure they’d welcome the idea to a guest more if they knew you were an alien!”

Stifling the urge to roll your eyes, you adjusted in your seat. “Demon,” you told him. “I’m a demon. And you can forget about telling any of your brothers.” Your ride passed by the car wreck outside. Mammon never asked what you’d done to his “friend”. He just glanced at the empty front seat and drove away. Lingering would be a bad idea, and yet… “Stop the car and look at me.” Surprisingly, he did what you asked quickly. Eyes meeting yours. “Promise me that you’ll keep my identity a secret. It’s important for everyone that you do.”

“Yeah. I promise.” And yet his words sounded uncertain, but you dropped it, exhaustion too prevalent to ignore anymore. You leaned your head to the side, curling up slightly. You didn’t even realize you had fallen asleep till Mammon was shaking you. “Hey, hey, wake up.” You sat up, rubbing sleep from your eyes. As your body rose, a piece of fabric fell off of you, sliding off your shoulder. Trying to act smooth, Mammon swiped his jacket and folded it over his arm. He turned the car off, getting out of the seat and coming around to open your door. As you felt the fresh night air blow around you, you observed your location.

“Where are we? I thought we were at your house?”

Leading the way, Mammon looked around him, his head low. “You kidding me? I know you don’t quite know how things work, but I’m not bringing a stolen car home. We’re dumping it here.” Rounding the corner, you were pleased to see that you were back at the casino. Were you almost...happy to see Ob? Side by side in the truck, you finally decided to ask a few questions of your own.

“So...how does this work? What do these buttons do?” The human was all too happy to give you the rundown on how his car operated. The radio, the speaker system, the ac controls, the works. Listening to him be so pleased with himself after everything that had happened calmed you. You wouldn't know what to do if he had gone through a meltdown. Erasing memories wasn’t very easy...You paused. Simeon had been so pressed about authenticity...what would he do if he figured out Mammon knew? Was the project over? Had you already failed? Would he do something to the human? Anxious nausea settled in your stomach, and you drowned out the sound of Mammon’s teachings.

With the Morningstar home rising up in view, Mammon suddenly cursed. “No! It’s past midnight already. Lucifer changed the code.” He stopped Ob near the sidewalk. Even in the dark, while Mammon might not have noticed, shadows lurked everywhere. It was strange. You had noticed it before, but they always stopped at the gate. The human fortress should’ve been nothing to demons, even lesser ones. Yet when you entered, you felt nothing. Another question for another day perhaps. Now it was more important to get Mammon behind whatever barrier the Morningstars lived behind. The radio station that Mammon had picked turned to static. A street lamp in front of you burst, going out completely. They knew he was here. “Whoa, that was weird. I swear there’s always something wrong with this street. Anyway, did you hear me about staying at a hotel or something?”

“Come on, we’re going inside,” you told him, leaving him stuttering in a whisper when you opened the door and pulled him by his hand outside of the truck. Hush voices grew louder as the temptation of this human stood right out in the open. Seriously, how had they lived this long so far?

“Did you not hear me? Lucifer locked every--whoa! Hey!” He stiffened as you wrapped your tail around him, lifting him up slightly at the torso. Getting more adjusted to using your magic more, you shielded yourself from view. The concealing magic rippled off your scales, reaching from your head, down to your tail, and then across the human’s body. You jumped, easily scaling over the wall and into the courtyard of the home. Overwhelmed with fascination, he laughed. “That-!”

Not squeezing him too hard, but enough for him to notice, you shushed him. “Quiet.”

He covered his mouth with his hand and then parted his fingers. “That’s so awesome! What else can you do?”

You settled him on his feet, but kept a tight hold on him. Ignoring his question, you asked your own. “Which window is the guest room?” With pointed directions from the human, you both snuck to the outside of where your current room was. “Can you open it?”

Mammon shook his head. “It’s alarmed. I may be good, but I’m not that good. Not without my tools anyway. Oh, wait, I have an idea! Not to worry, the Great Mammon will get us inside!” He pulled out his phone, hitting the screen with his finger and then raising it to his ear. “Levi! My man!”

“What is it now?” You heard through the speaker. “You have two seconds before I hang up.”

“I have your money!” Mammon announced.

There was a sound of disbelief. “Don’t lie to me, Mammon!”

Coming in close, you spoke into the device. “It’s true, it’s not a lie.”

A second, even more contorted noise of disbelief. “Who’re YOU?! Oh...the-the guest, right? Wait! Why were you with Mammon?!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Mammon exclaimed as quietly as he could. “Listen, I can give you the money right now...only, the thing is...can you come down to the guest bedroom on the first floor and unlock the window?” There was a long period of thoughtful silence before his brother agreed. “Thanks!” Mammon ended the call, tucking the phone in his pocket. “Hey, uh, if we’re keeping this whole demon thing a secret, maybe put this away?” He stroked a hand over the scales of your tail, making your head spin. You released him, dropping most of the hidden magic other than to keep your tail invisible. Hands on his hips, Mammon beamed. “Who thought we would be such a team?”

Keeping your identity secret is a layer of protection, Simeon had told you. Your heart sank. “Right…”

It took a handful of minutes before rustling could be heard from beyond the window. Then the curtains pulled back. Levi observed the two of you with his eyebrows furled, his eyes judging. Mammon simply lifted the container, opened it, and put it on display. The other brother...was jaw-droppingly astounded. Quickly opening the door, he pushed back the glass and held his hands out. “I thought it was a lie, but you really did it!” Taking the money, Levi moved away from the wall in awe.

Mammon climbed in first. “Pssh, of course I did! What, you think you can’t depend on your older brother?”

Bluntly, Levi simply stated, “No.” He looked down at the cash and sighed a bit. “You couldn’t have deposited it and sent it to me or something? AH! Or is it stolen?” The envious sibling raised his hands, not wanting to touch the currency.

“Just so you know, I won that for you! Clean money, I promise!” Looking over his shoulder as you climbed in the room, he seemed to be glancing at you for clarification. You nodded, and his shoulders slumped. “And, you can have all of it...Don’t say I never do anything for ya though!”

Levi was shaken to his core, backing away from you both even. “E-eh? Who are you really?! You can’t be Mammon! You must be a-a-a clone or an alien or s-something!” Again with the alien thing…

Instead of scoffing or playing it off like he should’ve, Mammon tensed, linking his arm with yours. “A-alien? N-nah, why would you think that? Just two completely normal humans! Nothing odd about either of us!” Smooth...

Surprisingly, that poor acting did the job. “Ugh, normies,” Levi groaned. “Anyway, mission accomplished, Mammon. I won't tell Lucifer about this.” With one fast peek at you, Levi opened the door and left with no other qualms.

The remaining human shut the window behind and raised his hand in the air. “Yes! We did it!” He waited for you to do something, and then blinked. “It’s a high-five, look you take your hand and we-”

“Mammon,” you interrupted him. You sat on the bed. Time was limited. The phone buzzing in your pocket was surely from only one person. Simeon. It wasn’t that far-fetched at all to believe he’d already found out. Grabbing the device, you looked at the screen. These messages confirmed your assumptions.

Well, well, who knew things would get so interesting so soon?

I’m awaiting a report.

“What’s with you, MC?” The use of your name wounded you further. “You’ve been acting funky since we’ve gotten home.” You stayed quiet, letting the weakness of your heart harden again. Things like this had happened before. What was one more time? Silently, you grabbed him, making him take your place on the bed. Standing above him, you rested your fingers on his forehead. “Hey! What’re you doing? What’s that look for, huh?” A ping from another message lit up your phone on the mattress. You lowered your gaze.

“I can’t let you remember.”

Shifting from surprise to despair, he settled eventually into anger. He gripped your wrist. “Huh?! Whaddya mean?! I promised I wouldn’t say nothing!”

It was hard to look him in the eye. “It’s for your safety.”

He sucked in air between his teeth. “Like I believe that crap! You would really just have me forget, huh? Everything we went through today? I thought that meant something!”

It did. If it hadn’t been for Mammon, you might’ve not left this room. You would’ve declared this program a failure before it had even begun. And yet…”You don’t understand, I—“

“Then make me understand!”

“I have rules, Mammon!” How long had it been since you've raised your voice? Today was the day of quite a few new sensations. “And I broke them! And I don’t know what will happen to us if I don’t fix it! If I don’t do it, someone else might. I don’t…” Want you to forget either…”I’m sorry.”

The argument died down as the human sniffed, pretending like he wasn’t so worked up. “Yeah, alright, fine. I guess I owe ya. You’re right. It’s not like I really knew ya anyway.” He dropped his hands, letting you put your fingertips back across his head again. And then...you somehow lost your resolve. He was just a little inconsequential human being that you should’ve felt nothing for. This whole thing was stupid, so stupid. The prince really expected you to just follow along with his orders, like a little perfect subordinate. Since when had that been you? Following blindly?

You were a demon. It didn’t matter if people called you an outlier. You would be damned if you did what you didn’t want to do. So maybe it was a dumb impulsive idea, sure. For eons, you’d lived satisfied with the idea that you’d hardly ever talked to a human, much less made a pact with one. But now, something about the thought of making one with a Morningstar sparked a feeling in your veins. Excitement…? Spite? Every demon on the streets was bound to stir in rage and jealousy. Maybe even the prince, since he seemed so interested in them. That only enticed you further. You let your touch leave his temples as you held a hand out to him. Mammon opened his eyes and stared at you curiously. “As demons, we can form pacts with humans.” Would this signal the untimely end of the project? But did you care? We all have choices, MC, the demon lord had told you. “In exchange for a piece of your soul, I give you part of my power. You get to use me as you see fit. I imagine it would be hard to erase your memory of me if you’re part of me.” Slowly, he went to take your hand, but you moved your forearm up. “Forget me and there’s hope for redemption. Power or hope? It’s your choice.”

Greed thought, smirked, and stood up to grasp your hand. “Why do I have to choose? I want it all.”

You sighed, smiling again. “You really are a stupid human.” A circle of light formed under both your feet. “Mammon Morningstar. Do you wish to make a pact with me, MC, the demon known as Isolation?”

Seeing magic swirling around him, there was a small hint of hesitation. “Does it hurt?”

Tilting your head, you shrugged. “No idea. I’ve never made a pact with a human before.”

Eyes shining in the light, he beamed. “Then of course I do! Hell yeah!” He gripped your palm, his thumb tucked over yours. He leaned in close. “Do your worst, MC. Let me be your first!”

Tag List!

(Let me know if you would like to be added or removed from this tag list!)

@rayanicaraynbow

@inkyy

@designatedbreadbox

@qrowsofafeather

@crystal-freak24

173 notes · View notes

craomy · 4 years

Text

A Serendipitous Encounter Genshin Impact: Xiao x Reader (Fluff/Agnst)

Genshin Impact: Xiao x Reader (Fluff/Agnst)

AN: Xiao is one of my favorite characters and I’m really excited for him to appear in the 1.3 update. This is one of the ideas I’ve had in my head for a while, and after writing it all, I realized that this story is pretty lengthy, so please bear with me haha.

Please enjoy :)

Word count: 15,894

Trigger warning: There’s very descriptive writing of gore and mentions abuse.

-=+=-

Xiao wasn’t always known for being the Adeptus of Liyue. There was a time when the Yaksha wasn’t fulfilling orders from the oldest archon of Teyvat. A time where Morax had never appeared before him was when Xiao was suffering the hardships of endlessly slaughtering innocents, commanded by an evil archon. Although Xiao is around two thousand years old, he too had faced naivety and had blindly served as a puppet to perform cruel acts. With this, he had no solid foundation of what it truly takes to feel mortal emotion. Just what exactly did it mean to him? What could it all do to him?

✦

Red.

Xiao gazed upon the blood-soaked battlefield. The crimson colors of those he massacred was something he was very familiar with. Having felt no remorse nor any guilt of these deaths caused, everything felt nothing but natural to him.

“You are an evil being. With that being said, you must continue to slay all of them to demonstrate your power until you reach your full potential.” The archon would remind the young warrior constantly. Although Xiao had obediently listened to his archon, he couldn’t help but feel curious when brought to the question of what it meant to be... free.

Mindlessly killing another town, Xiao’s piercing gaze had shot daggers through a woman who had clung to the feet of the demon. With begging eyes, the elderly woman had desperately reached her hand to grab his robes, “Y-You poor soul.” as she then dropped to the floor. Xiao was continued to stare down the now lifeless corpse as he repeated the woman’s last words.

“Poor soul?” Xiao uttered slowly. Confused, he took a step back for himself and looked back up to the burning houses. Realizing that he was no longer in his demonic form, his gaze lowered from the destruction he had caused.

Did he really do all of this?

Since when has he been holding all of this adeptal power to himself?

“That’s right. You caused all of this.” A voice from behind stated.

Xiao turned around and had immediately knelt on one knee to bow to his puppeteer. The archon that stood before him had smirked, “Good. You’ve been so compliant with my requests, I just had to give you a lovely reward. More power.” he laughed as he awed at the marvelous sight in front of him. The disarray in the city along with the screams of innocents had brought nothing but music to the evil archon’s ears.

“Well done here. This is exactly what Teyvat needs. Soon, the other archons will have nothing against me. Having brought turmoil upon thousands really must be one of your specialties.” The archon turned his back on the young man. Xiao listened carefully to his archon’s next orders. “You know... I’ve been wondering about what your thoughts of these mortals are. With you killing them on my behalf, I ponder if you know what it means to understand their pain.” The archon went on, carefully eyeing how the demon would react to his words.

“They’re lowly beings of Teyvat. With no real intentions of their futures, they continue to slowly eat up everything they can get their hands on. They’re selfish humans that step on others to get what they want.” Xiao dutifully answered.

The archon was amused. He truly does learn well from what he had taught him.

“Well if that’s the case, there’s one last thing I’d like for you to do for me.” The evil archon turned back around to Xiao, grabbing Xiao’s chin to make direct eye contact with the demon’s amber orbs.

“I want you to learn what it means to love.” He ordered, making Xiao’s eyes widen slightly. “What? You mean the pathetic things those mortals do?” Xiao became befuddled. All this time, the evil archon he followed after instructed him to be wary of human emotions and to avoid them at all costs. Just exactly what made him think of such an absurd idea?

The crackles of the flames burned in the midst of the battlefield they stood in. The stench of blood was something Xiao was used to. Hearing the voices of humans pleading and begging for mercy was mundane. Looking at the mortals in the eye with his jade spear as they face death was what he was best at. To think that his last lesson is to... love?

“That’s right. I want you to find out what it’s like to love. There’s something great I must witness once you’ve achieved that, and it will all be a new experience for you to accomplish for me. Can you do that?” The evil archon let go of the young man’s face and stood tall before him.

Xiao must not question his archon’s intentions. With wincing eyes, he looked at the blood smeared grass with a pinch of doubt. This was nothing he wanted to take a part in, but if it means that this would be the last time to commit acts like this, then so be it.

“Your wish is my command.” He submissively answered.

✦

Some time had passed since the command of the evil archon. Xiao had been ruminating the words he’s been told and continued to think about what his true intentions might be. There was only one place where he can get his head out of the clouds and it was none other than the foundation of Plaustrite, the shrine that resided in the sky above Qingyun’s highest point.

Up there was the only place where he could feel...

What was the word?

The word “nothing” doesn’t quite fit what he was looking for.

Nevermind that. It won’t matter anyway.

As Xiao made his way up to his secret sanctuary, he made eye contact with dull (E/C) colored orbs. Liquid crept out of the young girl’s eyes as it dripped down her rosy cheeks. The way her (H/C) hair had been disheveled yet still perfectly framing her face was more than beautiful as it swayed in the gentle gusts of wind from above. The clothing she wore looked partially torn and shredded at the ends while remaining to compliment her beauty.

White.

She was wearing a pure white dress. A wedding dress, if Xiao could remember correctly. With the way she gazed back at the young adepti, Xiao recognized it as fear.

As expected. Many mortals would cower from his presence. But this time was different. His objective wasn’t to kill anymore.

“Worry not mortal. I’m not here to hurt you.” He stated with no ulterior motives behind his words.

The young girl that stood before him had felt tense but then sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness. You don’t look like one of the people he had sent.” The (H/C) haired girl had said out loud. Xiao had raised an eyebrow as he observed the mortal’s surprisingly calm features. What had she meant by that? Was she being chased?

The girl had taken another step back.

“I guess I can finally be free now.” She said with a solemn smile.

The young adepti didn’t understand her words.

Free?

The (H/C) haired girl had taken a decorative hair ornament out of her well-done braids and tossed it on the stone floors of the floating shrine. Xiao’s attention was still stuck on the alluring human in front of him. With the sun setting right behind her, Xiao’s eyes had suddenly darkened. His amber eyes widened at the realization of what this human was trying to do.

The young girl had taken a final step backward, feeling no more room for her to step on. Her graceful figure was something Xiao really couldn’t take his eyes off of now.

She...

She fell.

Xiao’s body had a its mind of its own now. Without even thinking, he leaped off of the edges of the Foundation of Plaustrite. His mind was racing as he took his plunge into the sky.

What the hell was that girl thinking?

At this height, she’s going to end up killing herself!

The adepti was in a race against time itself. It’ll only take mere seconds until the girl will face her inevitable death. White flowers that were woven in the girl’s dress had been falling out of place, but she paid no attention to it. In the midst of seeking out for her answer of freedom, she couldn’t help but think how peaceful it was to fall. The breeze had begun to feel harsh against her skin. The force around her began to pick up as she saw her teardrops flying past her.

At least now she’ll be free.

She shut her eyes, thinking that she could finally accept death.

...Or so she thought.

As the girl plummeted through the clouds, her eyes had widened when she saw the young man diving after her. Time felt like it had slowed down for both of them.

Xiao’s head must be playing with him. He really is risking his life right now for a mere mortal. Yet, something in his chest felt like if he didn’t do this, he would regret it. Perhaps it was because he’s never seen something colored so brightly. The color of white, that is.

What was the word that could describe it?

The young adepti had made his transformation in mid-air, his mask giving him enough power to increase his descending speed to match with the falling angel. That dark aura of his had been able to surround him into what many people of Liyue would think of as a monster. An indescribable beast that’s comparable to a demon itself, at that. Xiao had tightly grasped the girl’s waist with one arm, pulling her close to his chest.

The girl had blinked in astonishment. She was completely stunned. She examined the man that wore the intimidating mask that concealed his true facial expressions behind it.

“Hold on tight!” He commanded, his voice slightly corrupted as he could feel his demonic form consuming him. The girl had nodded, holding on tighter to the young demon. In Xiao’s other hand, he swiftly summoned his jade spear and his eyes darted to his surroundings.

By the time he scoped the environment, he couldn’t find any other way to make a soft landing for the human. They were both about to meet the ground if he doesn’t come up with an idea to stop their fall.

Xiao clicked his tongue, finding the situation to be quite irritating.

All because of this foolish mortal.

With his jade spear, he quickly began to make a straight plunge into the earth. His grasp around the girl’s waist became tighter. He had a slight twinge of concern in his body. Seeing the way she reacted to him wasn’t what he had expected. Will he be strong enough to absorb the impact? Will this even contribute to his mission? Seeing that she’s wearing a wedding dress, perhaps she has an idea of what “love” is.

Yes. This mortal will do.

Xiao was focusing his energy when all of a sudden he directed his attention towards the girl and had became confused once more.

She’s... crying?

A loud crash could be heard from a far distance. The young demon’s weapon had cracked deeply in the crust of Liyue’s grounds. The collateral damage of the both of them with the field could easily be mistaken for an earthquake. The sounds of crumbling dirt had rumbled around Xiao as he tightly held onto the young girl, holding her bridal style in his arms. He huffed, feeling a little bit dizzy from using his demonic form. It was almost like his health was slowly deteriorating.

Xiao stared intently at the remains of their fall. He couldn’t shake the thought that he had gone through so much trouble to save this suicidal girl.

The girl, on the other hand, couldn’t stop staring at the man who saved her.

She’s never felt such gentle hands until now. She’s never seen such a mysterious being before either. Surely no one could have saved her from that height, so what was he exactly? Instead of fearing this new type of unknown, she couldn’t help but feel comforted by it. Xiao’s aura began to diminish on its own. As Xiao’s huffing slowed down, his mask had crumbled away into the air.

The girl couldn’t break eye contact with the handsome demon. She couldn’t help but notice the splatters of blood on his cheek. Was it his own blood?

Slowly, yet hesitantly, she brought her warm hand to Xiao’s cheek. With her thumb, she gently removed the small streak of blood on his face.

This confused Xiao once more. With the young adepti’s pride, he turned away from the pitiful human’s soft hands. “Why aren’t you scared of me?” He asked in a harsh yet bewildered tone.

The girl hadn’t shown fear around him at all, which was something new to Xiao. Usually, they would run away or cry for mercy, but this human was different than the others.

After all of the hardships that the girl had gone through, she was able to catch a glimpse of familiarity in his eyes.

“You looked like you were hurting.” She answered honestly.

The man was taken aback once more.

Xiao dropped the girl in his arms. She landed on the ground with a thud, no longer stuck in a trance. Xiao turned his back on the girl, trying to think of what she had said.

Hurting?

He doesn’t have any external injuries. Right?

The (H/C) haired girl turned her head and saw the jade spear pierced through the ground. Her eyes darkened, remembering why she had wanted to end her life again. “I can use this instead,” she muttered, grabbing ahold of Xiao’s weapon, trying to pull it out on her own with her own strength. The black haired man with teal undertones put his hand over the girl’s smaller ones, his gaze hovering over the suicidal girl.

“Just what are you planning to do with that?” He looked down on the girl with a serious atmosphere. She made eye contact with the man who had saved her without flinching. “You mortals are more than fragile. Why in the world would you jump off of the highest point in Qingyun Peak?” He scoffed, wanting to find out her reasoning behind all of this.

Ignoring his question, she glared at the man in the eyes, “I want you to kill me. Put me to rest.” in which he clicked his tongue again in annoyance.

“Why do you constantly wish death upon yourself?” He inquired, attempting to put up with this stubborn girl.

“Because I want to be free.” She said so confidently.

What did she just say?

Xiao was more than curious now with this human. A young girl who wants to kill herself for freedom? Impossible.

He let out a sigh, picking up his jade spear with little to no effort. “Fine. I’ll kill you myself.” Xiao flipped his weapon from the ground and around his arms to point it straight back at the girl he had just rescued. The girl had stared straight towards the man as he pointed the sharp weapon towards her neck. She had not feared him at all whatsoever, which irked the demon a little bit. If anything, she was more than delighted to have an opportunity to be liberated from this terrible world.

She was ready to face death head-on.

This bothered Xiao.

“But before I kill you, tell me what they call you.” He said, referring to her name.

She closed her eyes, “They call me (Y/N). At least, that’s what I want to be referred as.” she complied, awaiting her eternal slumber. Xiao shook his head, withdrawing his spear and casting it in the air to disperse. No longer in his possession, he had other plans with this human.

“Well then, lowly (Y/N). I order you to teach me what it means to be human. You don’t seem to be having much to do, so to make the most use out of you, you will explain your human ways. Only then, I will grant your wish.” Xiao finalized his train of thoughts with those words. Standing his ground, he continued to watch this human’s reactions towards his demanding request.

(Y/N) had no other choice but to comply with him. At least she’s in a better position now if she can somehow be protected by this powerful deity. Maybe she did want to do one final thing before she goes off into the other side.

“Since you stopped my death from occurring, I suppose I have no other options... but there’s one thing I would like to do first.” (Y/N) said with certainty. She wiped her tear stained cheeks as she wore a strong front. As she slowly rose on her own, she couldn’t help but notice the man in front of him wore a very elegant attire. The man wore a white sleeveless shirt with a black collar, dark purple pants, and dark purple boots. He wore black and dark turquoise gloves with gold decals and a necklace that looked ancient. Around his left arm, he bears a white and gold sleeve with red linings. The man had worn an Anemo vision on his left glove. As for his physical features, he was quite good looking. His tattoos had no longer glowed brightly as it did before, and all that was left was his amber eyes piercing through (Y/N)’s entirety.

The young adepti will find this girl to be beneficial to his mission.

(Y/N) turned around and was about to lead the way until she spoke.

“Also... Thank you... for catching me.” She said loud and clear for Xiao to hear. Without a sound, he nodded, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to see his gesture as he slowly followed her from behind.

✦

The two of them didn’t make much conversation along the way. It seems that the adepti preferred to keep his distance from the young girl. (Y/N) has seen that look on his face before. It was the look of someone who has been strong enough to endure such sufferings. She wasn’t quite sure if she should be getting to know him, but as of now, she was able to make peace with his presence.

“We’re here.” She noted out loud.

Xiao had glanced around his surroundings. It was nothing but burnt down houses and crumbled ruins. Completely deserted and sullen, it had somehow brought peace to (Y/N). Curious as to why they’ve arrived to this wasteland of a town, he continued to put up his guard.

(Y/N) took a deep breath, “Everyone! I’m back home!” she hollered, a shout that could be echoed far off in the distance. Xiao raised his eyebrows once more as he crossed his arms, “Are you even hearing yourself? There’s no one here.” the man bluntly commented based on his observations.

The girl shook her head, “I’m sure there’s someone here. I have faith in my family.” she said with a hopeful look. He slowly nodded, letting her believe in what she wanted to.

Suddenly, a tiny head had popped up out of nowhere. One of the kids climbed out of the debris of a fallen house and had gasped out loud. The young child had quickly jumped out of her hiding spot and had begun tearing up. (Y/N) quickly bent down as she opened her arms out for the child to run into.

“(Y/N)! You came back!” The little girl cried out in disbelief as she tightly hugged the older girl. (Y/N) had embraced the child, holding her close to her chest while stroking the child’s hair. Her strong demeanor seemed to twinge a little bit as she felt a wave of relief wash over her. After she pulled back from the hug, she smiled back at the little girl, “Oh come on. You think I would leave you that easily? I wouldn’t do that to you.” she cooed, a lump in her throat building up.

The little girl stopped sniffing and had beamed brightly, “Everyone! It’s safe to come out now!” she exclaimed, loud and clear for everyone in the ruins to listen to.

All of a sudden, many kids began to pop out of their hiding spots. From each angle and corner from the collapsed houses, children ranging from many ages had leaped out of their spots to come and tackle (Y/N) with loving hugs.

“(Y/N)! Where have you been this entire time?!”

“You’re finally here..! We thought we would never see you again...”

“What about those bad guys that took you away? Where are they?! I’ll roughen them up if I have to!”

“Who cares about them? I’m just glad that our (Y/N) is back home!”

Xiao examined them all carefully. If he could remember, his puppeteer told him of something like this before.

That’s right.

This is what a heartfelt reunion is supposed to look like.

Xiao had stood on the side quietly as he watched unfamiliar facial expressions on the children. There were around twenty kids that had surrounded the (H/C) haired girl, happily welcoming her back home. What did (Y/N) possibly go through to find herself here? The adepti wondered what would have happened to these children if he hadn’t caught the falling angel. What would their reaction be?

Feeling a little tug on his sleeve, Xiao peered down at a little girl, no older than four, to be looking up at him. Not knowing what to do, he just stood there, staring back at the child playing around with his robe.

“(Y/N), who is that man standing right next to you?” One of the kids asked while pointing at the young demon. (Y/N) stood up with a child in her arms, “That man is... erm... His name is Xiao! He’s the one who rescued me from those bad guys.” The girl had quickly made up as the rest of the kids had gasped in wonder.

“What? Foolish human, I bear no title such as that. I am only a weapon of destruction and-”

“H-His name is Xiao! He was only pretending because you all like to play as pirates.” (Y/N) had laughed nervously as she walked up to the young man, “Please play along, they’re very innocent with no knowledge of what you’re talking about.” she had whispered, which made Xiao groan in annoyance.

How irritable.

“Fine. If that’s the case, then so be it. It is I, Xiao, the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti.” the man played along with a serious tone. To his surprise, all of the kids had gasped in amazement from what he had said. All of the children began to jump around him and ask him questions.

At first, (Y/N) thought of him to be a very cold-hearted person, but after seeing him interacting with the kids, maybe he wasn’t so bad.

“Wow your dress is very elegant! You look like you’re about to get married!” A little girl pointed out, amazed by how splendid (Y/N) had looked. “Who are you marrying? If it’s that mean looking guy over there, I’ll beat him up!” A little boy screamed as he ran over to Xiao and softly punched his leg.

This disgusted Xiao. Oh how much he wanted to kill this child right here and right now for thinking he had the right to insult him with such an act. His dark aura began to surround him until he looked back at the (H/C) haired girl. The kids must be very important to (Y/N) if the last thing she wanted to do was to see them.

Putting his pride to the side, he took a deep breath and looked down on the young boy that punched his leg. Instead of brutally injuring the boy in front of him, he walked and stood next to the young bride that took care of all of the kids.

“That is correct. She’s marrying me.” He said with seriousness laced in his voice.

(Y/N) had blushed, becoming flustered. “W-What are you saying?? Xiao, I am not-”

“She is. I brought her back here safe and sound. You mere mortals should be thanking me for sparing her.” Xiao stated, wrapping one arm around the girl’s waist.

(Y/N) flushed red, shocked at what this man was saying. He has to be out of his mind.

The boy that initiated the punch towards Xiao had his mouth dropped wide. Xiao sent a smug look at the child, claiming victory in his head. If he couldn’t win against him by making him succumb to death, then he will win by claiming (Y/N) as his own.

All in all, the kids had a lot of fun messing around with the young adepti, and (Y/N) was glad to be back.

✦

After tucking all of the kids into their ragged sleeping bags, (Y/N) was able to loosen up from her stress bit by bit. Xiao continued to watch her as she went to tend to her things. The young girl would get up and hum the children to sleep, while some she had talked to them and reassured that she was fine. The boy that had punched Xiao earlier came up to (Y/N) and tugged on her dress a little bit to gain her attention.

“Yes, what is it, Caihong?” the (H/C) haired girl smiled ever so gently towards the young boy. “Could you fix up my arm for me? The wound started to open up again.” he quietly murmured. (Y/N)’s (E/C) eyes widened slightly as she saw the size of the cut on his arm. This looked like a cut of a sword.

“Who did this to you?” she asked in concern.

“One of the bad guys,” Caihong quietly said. “but I didn’t lose! I scared them off so that they wouldn’t come to our hideout.”

Xiao watched intently as he leaned against the stone wall. Without any comment, he continued to stare and observe what mortals do in their conversations.

(Y/N) sat the boy down on a chair and had plucked a translucent white flower from her ragged wedding dress. The scent it radiated was... pleasant to Xiao’s senses.

“What flower is that?” Xiao had inquired, aweing how it bloomed on its own. (Y/N) looked up at his direction and down to the lovely flower in her hands. “Ah, this is the Qingxin flower. It grows on only the highest peaks of Liyue and can serve as a remedy for some injuries.” the girl answered, giving Xiao one for himself to keep.

He took the offering and twiddled it by the stem. Curious, he brought it up to his nose to take a sniff of it. Its fragrance was nothing like the stench of blood. This scent was certainly heavenly.

After (Y/N) had finished taking care of Caihong, she tucked him in one of the only sleeping bags they had and sat down next to Xiao. The distance between them was enough for him to be comfortable. (Y/N) stretched her arms and had leaned her back against the stone wall with the adepti right by her side.

“Sorry for all of the commotion earlier. These kids aren’t in the best condition, but seeing them smile is enough for me to get by.” (Y/N) apologized with a peaceful smile.

“Where are their parents?” He inquired, wanting to know the bits and information to this mortal’s story.

(Y/N) turned away from Xiao, looking up to the sky above them. “They’ve fought and died bravely in the wars they partake in. Some of the children have been abandoned or found injured when I walk around the ruins. Kids of war need a happier childhood, so I decided to be the one to look after them. As the oldest orphan, I felt like I had a duty to fulfill.” She shifted her head to look back at the young adepti.

“I’m sure you must have a duty to fulfill, right?” She grinned warmly towards the young man. He stopped making eye contact with her and looked at his hands, reimagining if it was him on a battlefield. He thought about the mission his evil archon ordered him to go on about and thought about how he had always served as his god’s weapon.

Knowing that (Y/N) might be frightened if he told her what he did in the past, he answered her question with a nod. It felt a little bit conflicting for him to be around these abandoned kids when it’s most likely Xiao to be the one that annihilated those children’s parents. All of the orders he had received during war-- he had to fulfill them all. Even if it meant bloodshed among innocents.

(Y/N) could only admire how the night sky had glistened above them. “The sky looks better here when I’m at home,” she commented, resting her head against the wall.

Xiao looked around and could only see what meets the eye. “This place is a dump. This is not a proper place to call a home.” He bluntly stated. (Y/N) could see what he was getting at, but shook her head.

“Sure, this place looks terrible, but it’s those who reside in the place that can make it a home. Home could mean a peaceful and quiet place where you can happily live in. It’s somewhere that you know you can come back to, feeling cared for, respected, and loved.” She passionately spoke with fire in her eyes. That strong determination that shined in her (E/C) eyes was nothing like before. The time that he had rescued her from falling to her death, her eyes looked like they were filled with anguish.

Xiao tried to remember if there was ever a time if he felt what a “home” was.

“I’ve never had a home before. Someone like me doesn’t deserve a place like that.” Xiao had closed his eyes while folding his arms. (Y/N) looked back at the young adepti with serious eyes, “That’s nonsense! Of course, you deserve a place like that. Everyone deserves to be loved.” she retorted, unconsciously holding onto both of Xiao’s hands.

A part of him had made him defensive, a bit startled from the sudden contact. Nothing fails to surprise him, at this point. This (Y/N) girl was full of surprises.

“Exactly what is that word? What is ‘love’?” Xiao thought out loud for her to hear.

She looked a bit confused. Does this man really not know what love is?

“Well... love is when you cherish something so dearly. It’s when you have a special connection between you and another person. When you become so used to that, it’s like something you feel like you have to protect no matter the cost.” (Y/N) answered without a doubt.

That concept was nothing but foreign to the young demon.

“I don’t recognize it as a need.” He said straightforwardly.

She tightened her grip on his hands slightly, “One day,” she started. Xiao looked up to meet his eyes with the bold girl in front of him, “you’ll suddenly realize it. I’m sure of it. Everyone gets to feel it in some way. Once you do, I’m sure you’ll realize that it’s a very powerful feeling.” (Y/N) brought his hands to her head. It almost looks like she was trying to pray for him to find this peculiar light that he couldn’t see.

Xiao slowly nodded, still trying to get used to the human emotions that she constantly radiates. Maybe from now on, he’ll really try to understand her. Xiao looked back down, his hands enveloped in an unfamiliar warmth. He slowly pulled away from her hands and given her one of the blankets, putting it over her shoulders.

(Y/N) blinked in confusion, watching him walk away. “Where are you going?” she asked.

“I’m going to keep a lookout for you. Get some rest so you can continue looking after the children in the morning.” Xiao stated, summoning his spear out of thin air and piercing it in the floor. He stood his ground as he looked beyond the fields. (Y/N) smiled, wrapping the blanket around her even more.

How considerate...

“Thank you, Xiao.” she quietly whispered, finding herself to fall asleep in no time.

The young man’s ear twitched, hearing the name that she had given him. Not even the evil archon of his had given him a name. He looked back up at the night sky, holding onto the Qingxin flower that (Y/N) had given to him.

“Xiao, huh?” he repeated the name out loud.

That (Y/N) girl had been nothing but trouble to him and yet, a part of him wanted to thank her for giving him something that no one had ever done before.

✦

A couple of weeks went on as Xiao continued to stay by (Y/N)’s side. When he wasn’t around her, he would practice fighting with his spear outside. Some of the kids would watch him as he perfected his fighting stances and his attacks. In the beginning, Xiao could only feel stiff around the little kids running around him. He knew that he was a very powerful entity and a part of him didn’t really want to hurt this group of young mortals.

Sure, he was definitely cold towards the children in the beginning, but after hearing what (Y/N) had to say about them, he tried to understand them more. (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel grateful for him to be around her. Something about him made him much different than the other men who had tried to interact with the young beauty. Then at night times, Xiao would spend his time listening to the lonely girl and would ask her questions about what it meant to live as a human.

Xiao concentrated on his attacks while he continued to think about the past conversations he’s had with (Y/N).

“Happiness is vital to everyone. It’s something you can obtain in various ways, but in the end, it’s like a feeling you have when you sit back at the end of the day and remember those fond memories.”

“Sadness is when you feel a part of your heart missing something. Usually, it’s a reaction to something, for instance, a painful event. Eventually, that something fades away and becomes a memory. When that happens, you can’t help but miss that something that’s now unobtainable. It’s natural for everyone to go through it.”

“Loss? Well... Loss is when you realize that something you loved is no longer with you. It’s something irreplaceable and you’ll find yourself grieving over it for a long while.”

“Marriage? Well... I think it’s supposed to be something that brings you joy. You make a special connection with someone in a way that no one else can, and they can always be the one to be there for you. It’s where unconditional love begins to sprout and you realize you’d want to spend the rest of your life with that person.”

Xiao paused, stopping his spear in mid-air to remember something (Y/N) had said last night.

“It was horrible. A group of bandits were threatening my family. At first, I didn’t know what to do, but then I remembered something very important.” She spoke while walking alongside Xiao by the shore. Xiao stopped walking as he continued listening to the (H/C) haired girl.

“I remembered that I had a home. It wasn’t the best home that other people could think of, but I knew deep down that all of those kids needed me. They’re the ones that I love and I... I wanted to keep that. I wanted to protect them all from the dangerous world. So with that... I... I let the bandits kidnap me and sell me as a slave.” She smiled, but it was a different type of smile. It was a very somber smile.

Xiao was trying to register the emotions that he was feeling. He watched as she continued to keep up a brave front and as she continued to tell her story. “One of the noblemen in Liyue had passed by the slave carriage and had purchased me with his filthy mora. I was sold as a slave and this group of men began to... hurt me... in different ways. One day, one of the men had ridiculed my family and I became... very furious. There was no other way to escape but I continued to throw the rest of my words at him. It was all I had left to fight with. That’s when he decided to...” the girl had found it difficult to continue talking.

In the middle of her words, she couldn’t help but cry.

It was a very natural thing for humans to do.

Right there, she cried in front of Xiao, slowly losing the energy to stand up and just sat down with her knees to her chest.

“I can’t forget the pain they’ve caused me. I’ve gone through so much abuse that I’ve forgotten what all of the other emotions felt like. It’s been so long since I had seen daylight, and by the time I was able to see the sky, it was on my wedding day...” She wept softly, her voice cracking. Xiao bent down, not knowing what to do.

“I did what I had to do to escape. I had to poison him. Then in that very moment, I fled the ceremony. I ran as fast as I could to escape and I climbed further than I thought was humanly possible. In the end, I was able to reach the highest point of all of Liyue in the floating shrine above Qingyun Peak and right there... I found only peace. The world felt still at that moment. I couldn’t hear anything and couldn’t find the energy to think about the hardships I had overcome. If I had died then and there, it would have granted my selfish wish.” (Y/N) sniffed, burying her tears against her sleeves.

So this was the freedom she was talking about on the first day that they met.

Again, Xiao’s body begun to move on its own. He had slowly wrapped his arms around the shaking girl. She looked like she could shatter so easily. Someone so frail, yet someone so strong. A mortal that could continue fighting on, managing to survive after all of that. Xiao felt his heart beating a little bit faster once he made contact with the crying girl. If he could look in his reflection, what kind of face would he be making right now?

“Everything... will be alright. I’m right here for you.” He quietly murmured, digging his face into her neck as he embraced her completely. (Y/N) had been strong enough. She slowly brought her arms up to Xiao and hugged back.

Her (E/C) colored eyes shimmered as she tightened her hold. Her mouth quivered, then she felt her breath draw disoriented.

She bawled. Almost like a newborn baby. She shed many tears, it would be enough to fill a river. She clung to Xiao like it was the last thing she could ever hold. Xiao was enveloped in her warmth. This was different than him holding onto her when she was falling in the air. Now the time they’ve spent together had felt more special than before. He was a man of very few words, but his actions can tell a whole story. The young adepti comforted the (H/C) haired girl, not knowing what this emotion was in his chest.

“I’ll protect you, (Y/N). I won’t let those bastards lay a hand on you anymore.” Xiao promised, his heart tightening when hearing the girl weep. Hearing that some awful humans could do this to an angelic person had made him swear vengeance. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to wipe away her tears and hold her in his arms. He wanted to cherish her and make her smile.

He wanted to love her.

He wanted to be the one to make sure that she received all of the love she deserved. Xiao pulled away, missing the Qingxin fragrance she radiated. He looked at her with determined eyes, kneeling on one knee and one Qingxin flower on the other.

“(Y/N)... I swear that I’ll protect you. I’ll curse anyone who dares to stand in your way.” He spoke with conviction. Xiao has never knelt down to a mortal before. He knew exactly what the repercussions would be if he betrays his loyalty for his archon.

Xiao didn’t care anymore.

He wanted to be with (Y/N).

“(Y/N)... I--”

“Xiaooo? Are you there?” Caihong hollered, standing in front of Xiao. The young man had snapped his head out of the clouds. He looked down to see the little handful of a child looking at him ever so daringly. Out of all of the kids, he was the only one that was brave enough to mess with him.

“What is it, boy?” Xiao questioned as he stabbed his spear to the side, causing it to disappear in thin air. Caihong still awed in amazement from a very strange sight, but then shook his head. “(Y/N) wanted me to tell you that she needed some more Qingxin flowers to treat the injured kids she found. Since she has a lot of things to do, she was wondering if you could collect some for her.” Caihong told the young adepti his orders from (Y/N).

His eyes softened when he mentioned her name.

(Y/N)...

He looked into the distance where he could see (Y/N) taking care of the young ones. She grinned cheerfully towards the children, then making eye contact with Xiao. To think that she was the same girl that had broken down in his arms that very night...

(Y/N) is stronger than she looks.

Xiao smiled.

Caihong couldn’t believe his eyes. The stern and serious man was able to smile??

“Xiao! You’re smiling!” Caihong shouted in disbelief. Were his eyes deceiving him? The young demon had stopped staring at (Y/N) and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’m not smiling. Your eyes are deceiving you.” He spoke, denying that he was able to make such a facial expression.

“Oi! Don’t ignore me and pretend that I’m not here! Let go of my hair!” He cried out, shooing the adepti’s hands away from his head. The boy has never seen Xiao like this before. Perhaps a grumpy guy like Xiao really did need someone as bright as (Y/N). Caihong’s eyes lit up, remembering something important. “Oh yeah! (Y/N) said that she has something important to tell you tonight! I think she’s going to prepare her special almond tofu dish for you!” He happily exclaimed.

Xiao nodded, wondering what that would taste like. Well, if it’s anything that (Y/N) prepares, he’ll have no choice but to like it.

Maybe this is what happiness felt like.

In the past, Xiao wasn’t allowed to imagine things. The evil archon forbade it. Pondering and creating scenarios in his head wasn’t something he couldn’t do often, but he couldn’t help but think of her.

He thought about what the girl had said about marriage. Would she be happy if he said he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with her?

As he made his way to get prepared to collect Qingxin flowers, he couldn’t help smiling to himself the entire way.

✦

Qingxin flowers can be found at any high point in the lands of Liyue. Xiao had no trouble leaping towards high spots in the air. For once, he had enabled his demonic form for something that wouldn’t cause bloodshed. He allowed his demonic form to make him lighter as he continued to collect the translucent white flowers that blossomed at his touch. Although he had felt a little bit of pain from maintaining this form, he knew that (Y/N) would be back at home to take care of him again.

With (Y/N)’s contrasting approach to life, the world seemed to become a bit... brighter. Xiao no longer drowned out all of the sounds to his ears as he did on the battlefield. For once, he allowed himself to hear the chirps of the birds and watch cranes fly above peacefully.

Yes, yes! That was the word!

Peace.

He was able to find peace.

It was all because of (Y/N). He was able to allow more room for growth. She let him realize that maybe a part of him really was human. Xiao had held the Qingxin flowers tighter, thinking about the very significant mortal he looked after every day. Maybe he should get something special for her today.

He couldn’t get the thought of her out of her head. Especially after last night.

How could he tell her how he felt?

The way she makes him feel warm was different than any ordinary blaze.

The way she tells him with determined eyes that even he deserves a home.

The way that she somehow got the children to enjoy his company and make him feel like there are more things in life worth protecting.

The way she smiles so fearlessly in the face of danger.

He wanted to protect it all.

He wanted to protect her.

“Enjoying yourself?” a voice came from behind.

Xiao immediately dropped everything he was holding and withdrawn his jade spear in an instant. He pointed his weapon at the voice, only to realize that it was the evil archon himself. The young demon took a step back, “What are you doing here?” he spoke with a contentious tone.

This archon right here... Xiao never noticed this before, but he could feel the heinous aura that filled the atmosphere. Something about this random encounter with his puppeteer felt sinister.

“I’m just here to observe your journey. I’ve watched you from afar and seen you acting abnormally. Have you perhaps fallen in love yet?” The archon inquired, leaning in to detect if the young demon would react in any way. At the moment, Xiao was a bit hesitant to answer his question. If anything, he began to question why he continued to obey this archon’s evildoings. What if something he said would bring danger to (Y/N)?

If he says yes, the archon might be able to let him go and free him of his duties. No. That’s just him trying to be optimistic. There’s a high chance that the archon could use that as leverage against him as well.

“No. I have not.” Xiao answered, glaring with threatening eyes.

The evil archon chuckled, “Is that so?” as he began to burst out in laughter.

Xiao was a bit unnerved from hearing the evil archon laughing hysterically. Looking for a way out, he grabbed the flowers that he had been collecting when all of a sudden he felt a stinging pain in his abdomen. Xiao choked out blood, feeling his body being pushed against the grass. His jade spear was summoned without his permission and had been pierced through his body.

“Liar.”

The black haired man remembered this pain as he winced at the sharp object that’s causing his crimson blood to spill out of his stomach. He hissed at the discomfort the wound is giving him and he raised his head, daring to look at the archon in the eyes.

“Oh my. I knew this was a good idea from the start but I didn’t think it would turn out this good.” The archon brought his hand to pull up Xiao’s chin.

“You love that girl, don’t you?”

Xiao’s amber eyes widened in realization. He knew where this was going.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” He shouted with anger seething out of his attitude.

The evil archon smirked at his puppet. “Don’t worry. I won’t lay a hand on her,” he chuckled, looking down at the young demon that was beneath his feet. “but I know they will.”

Xiao writhed under the pressure of his spear that pierced him. He needed to escape. He needed to get out. He needed to go to her.

“My my! What has gotten into you, my puppet? Since when did you start to think about the lives of mortals that you’ve been slaying this entire time? What makes her different from the rest, hmm?”

“She shows no mortal arrogation! She’s not selfish nor filthy like the others!” He retorted with conviction in his voice.

“Who gave you the right to feel this way? Think about it. After all of the times you’ve slaughtered those innocent people, you’re nothing but a murderer.”

“You ordered me to do it! I had no other choice but to obey!”

“You had free will, did you not? At any time, you could have easily stopped your killings and put an end to everything yourself. It’s all your fault. You did this to yourself.”

“You’re wrong!”

“So are you saying that you’re right?”

Xiao paused, refusing to show his face to his archon.

“I’m saying that you’re quite adept at manipulating people. It doesn’t matter what you think of me. I know that (Y/N) will still be by my side.”

“How can you be so sure? Have you even told her what you’ve done to the parents of the children she’s taking care of? Do you think that she’ll just accept you because in the end, you found a way to hide your past instead of confronting her about it? Of course not. She’s a human, and you’re a demon. You two are nothing alike, and because of that, you’ll never find a way to truly be close to her. You’re an atrocious monstrosity.”

“Shut up.”

“You’re delusional, boy. There’s nowhere else for you to go where anyone can accept you. Once that girl, (Y/N), catches the wind of the truth, it’s over for you.”

The evil archon stepped off of the adepti, causing Xiao to gasp for air. He was slowly weakening. His fingertips touched the liquid that protruded out of his stomach.

Damn it. His weapon was laced with poison.

Xiao felt helpless as he laid on the grass on top of the mountain. All ounces of energy he had was now depleting at a fast rate. Out of frustration, he took a handful of Qingxin flowers and clenched it to his stomach.

“Ah, this is the Qingxin flower. It grows on only the highest peaks of Liyue and can serve as a remedy for some injuries.”

Xiao could remember her words as if it was yesterday.

(Y/N)...

Black dots danced around his vision as the last thing he saw in his sight was the smirk of the evil archon. After his final attempt to fight against the poison, his body had refused to keep up with him, causing him to lose consciousness.

✦

Bit by bit, Xiao’s eyes opened up. For once in his lifetime, he had dreamt a dream. He squinted, trying to see if he was seeing correctly. The gaping hole in his stomach was no longer there. Bloodstains remained in his clothing as proof of his encounter with the evil archon.

Xiao urgently got up from his fallen state and could see the sun fall setting in its place. His fists clenched the Qingxin flower that had once prospered greatly on its own. Its white color was tainted, no longer pure. Crimson smeared the edges of the petals as it slowly wilted.

Was he regenerating faster because he had more power?

Nevermind that. Xiao couldn’t afford to lose another second. Who knows what could have happened to (Y/N) during the time that the young demon had been passed out. He was quick with his feet, leaping off of the summit of the mountain with the thoughts of the (H/C) haired girl filling his thoughts.

He clenched his teeth.

He should have known that the evil archon was merely using him.

If it weren’t for (Y/N) to guide him to his morals, he definitely would not be where he was right now.

Xiao felt his stomach twisting. This time, he was able to distinguish it as an emotion. It wasn’t a physical pain caused on the outside, but the unsettling feeling that lets him know that something is wrong.

His instinct was more than correct.

In the distance, he could already see smoke releasing into the air. Combustions and explosions can be heard, along with very familiar cries that he has heard before.

“Kids of war need a happier childhood, so I decided to be the one to look after them. As the oldest orphan, I felt like I had a duty to fulfill.”

No.

Xiao used his lemniscatic wind cycling to lunge forward in mid-air, then proceeding to dive down and make an impact with the ground. He shifted his eyes hastily, many bodies of children to be mercilessly killed. The kids that he had surrounded himself with during his time with (Y/N) were all slaughtered. She cared for them. She put her time and energy spending it all on the young ones rather than looking after her health. Xiao’s grip tightened around his polearm.

“Loss? Well... Loss is when you realize that something you loved is no longer with you.”

He clenched onto the hem of his robe.

“It’s something irreplaceable and you’ll find yourself grieving over it for a long while.”

Xiao had quickly sifted through the debris of the broken down house. The blazes had raged, mocking the young demon in a taunting way. Bits of ash had already flaked through the air. The pyre had devoured his line of sight.

“Well... love is when you cherish something so dearly. It’s when you have a special connection between you and another person.”

His breathing had stopped. This can’t be.

“When you become so used to that, it’s like something you feel like you have to protect it no matter the cost.”

His blood ran cold. He felt asphyxiated.

(Y/N) was dead.

(Y/N) WAS DEAD.

A nobleman had walked into view, smirking as he saw a leftover orphan who he assumed was the last one they were looking for. “Hey, boys! We missed one right here.” The man with blood splattered across his rich attire spoke with arrogance. “That bitch should’ve realized who she was messing with when she poisoned me during the ceremony. I guess that’s just what happens when you buy a cheap slut in the market. Let’s finish this last one up and then drinks are on me.” The man had blurted with cockiness. The nobleman pulled his sword out of a lifeless boy’s body, kicking it towards Xiao like a ragdoll. It was... Caihong.

The young man’s breathing had hitched.

He felt his ears ringing.

His hair covered his glowing amber eyes as he stared at (Y/N)’s lifeless body.

Xiao went numb.

His heartbeat was the only thing he could hear and it was hammering against his ribcage like it was about to burst.

“What’s death? Well... death is what makes life worth living. It tells us that we have a certain timeframe to do everything we ever wanted to accomplish. It’s inevitable, and in some cases, different forms of life end sooner than expected. Most often, we lose someone we love so much during the process, making us feel all sorts of emotions. That’s just what makes us human.” (Y/N) had beamed, looking at the vast sky. She turned to lean her head on Xiao’s shoulder.

“Especially you, Xiao. You might not know yourself very well, but I can just tell.” She hummed in delight.

Xiao cocked his eyebrow, “What does that mean?” he asked with a puzzled look.

(Y/N) smiled into his shoulder, catching him off guard once more.

“You’re human. Just like me.”

A monstrous gust of wind had discharged where the adepti once stood. Xiao’s demonic form had materialized in a blink of an eye. The men that had terrorized his home had been knocked off their feet, meeting an intense force that propelled their bodies against the dirt of Teyvat. With their confusion, they tried to see where the assault came from and had realized that the young man that stood before him was a force that should not be reckoned with.

Xiao had flashed past the group of men, rapidly puncturing his spear between all of their hamstring muscles behind their knees, ensuring that none of them could ever walk again. Many of them writhed in agony from the jade spear that had still been laced with poison.

“What the hell was that?!”

“My legs! I can’t get up!”

The young demon had swiftly teleported behind the largest guy in the group and had grabbed a hold of his entire face with his gloved hands. Xiao then proceeded to bring his spear to pierce the center of his neck. Crimson liquid had spewed and sprayed from the bandit’s neck as he gargled on his own blood. Still seeing that he was alive and conscious, Xiao demonstrated his inhuman strength by lifting the man’s body and tossing it up in the sky. Violence plagued his mind as he lacerated the man with thousands of cuts in a single second, the demon maneuvering perfectly in the air before dismembering the man entirely. As the body parts separated, the large clots of blood had sprinkled the atmosphere like rain.

Finally, Xiao teleports right above the mutilated masterpiece as he spiraled down towards the ground, erupting a treacherous impact that would inflict true agony. Not only was the man pierced by Xiao’s jaded spear, but he was also spiked by the shadow fragments of all of the times he’s ruthlessly murdered other polearm users.

This was no force to be going up against.

This is true fear.

With this mask, Xiao remembered just why he had detested mortals so much.

“No! Stop! It hurts!” One of the men begged for mercy as Xiao had just begun. He dashed towards the bandit and coiled into a form of wind, opening up his stomach with a clean cut. The black haired man with teal undertones teleported behind the man, bending his arm in an unnatural way until it snapped. The audible crunch could be heard by everyone there, allowing them to freely imagine what their doom would be like. The man coughed in his own blood, but that didn’t stop Xiao from holding his arms from behind his back and kicking the back of the bandit’s torso. Choking in blood, the bandit couldn’t scream for help as his organs helplessly collapsed out of his body. Dumping the body to the side, he heavily breathed in and out.

This was a different type of hatred that resided within his entirety.

The animosity that radiated through the adepti’s mask was evident as it glowed darkly. One by one, Xiao had performed cruel acts towards the sinners that wreaked havoc on his home. Whether it was plucking their eyes out or bashing all of their bones, Xiao couldn’t find a resolution to his resentment.

All that was left was the nobleman that had forced (Y/N) into an arranged marriage. The thought of such filth laying even a finger on his (Y/N) was more than enough to greet the tip of his spear. Xiao looked down at the mortal that cowered beneath him. Emotions are fickle in the face of danger.

“Stop don’t do this! I can pay you ten times the price I paid for that slave! I can give all of the mora you ever want! Please just spare me!” The prideless man begged as he couldn’t feel his legs at all. Xiao stepped on the man’s torso, his piercing amber gaze had been strong enough alone to silence the sinner. The demon’s dark aura increased as Xiao collected his distributed rage into his jade spear.

“Your mora can’t even compare to (Y/N). Not even in the slightest.” Xiao’s spear was enchanting as it collected stacks of power from the built up anger. The adepti stomped on one of the nobleman’s kneecaps, an audible crunch filling the air. He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling the excruciating pain throughout his entire body. Xiao wanted to make his death as long as possible. Even if the man were to pass out, the demon could slip some of his corrupted aura into his bloodstream to ensure he stays awake.

The young man grabbed a hold of the nobleman’s wrist, shattering the bones in his arm completely. Another defenseless howl erupted from the shameless man. Xiao remembered (Y/N) saying that they had hurt her in various ways, even those that she couldn’t bring herself to say. The thought of the group of bandits exploiting the pure girl had driven him to the brink of no return.

“You won’t be needing these anymore.” The man wailed in agony as Xiao dislocated the joints in the nobleman’s fingers. With his spear, he had begun cutting off each and every finger of his at an antagonizing pace. His screams weren’t enough to satisfy him.

Xiao ripped off the man’s arm in one effortless pull.

Another scream.

The demon looked down at the human in disgust. Why were so many mortals so repulsive? The jade spear he had was stabbed in the man’s chest, but not all the way. He made an incision that was thin enough for Xiao to open up the skin of the man’s torso. Without any hesitation, the adepti bent open the nobleman’s ribcage in the most unnatural way.

“Please... s..stop.” The bandit pleaded.

“You didn’t stop when she told you to. Hypocrites like you must rot.”

The polearm user gutted out the rest of the organs that were left in the man’s body.

“You deserve this.”

He punctured one of the man’s eyes with one of his thumbs.

“You don’t have the right to live.”

Xiao clenched his teeth, going back to think about (Y/N).

Seeing her lifeless body near one of the burning houses. It... It evoked true calamity from the young adepti.

“You took her away from me.”

Xiao summoned his charged spear from thin air. The nobleman was disfigured already. His body was beyond recognition after what Xiao had done to him. Yet, it still wasn’t enough.

The young adepti clenched onto his jade spear, “N̶̻̽ő̸̘̠w̸̗̖͗ ̴̲̓I̴̝̓’̸̗̭̾̽m̵̩̤͠ ̸̺͒͜g̷̛̳͍̈́o̵̮͒i̴͉̕͘n̶͎͗g̸̦̺̀̂ ̶͔̫͛t̷̯̓͊o̵̻̽̓ ̷̹͖͌̕t̴͍̚a̸͙͝k̵̯͝ẹ̶̒ ̷͕̈̏ė̸̜͜͝v̸͕̲̆ế̶͚̪ŕ̸̢͕ỳ̷̺t̸̥̆h̴̹̠͌̇ḯ̵̫̙n̶̜̉g̵͙̮̋̏ ̴̧͈́̂ȧ̸̬̗w̵̤͇̄á̵̺̣ŷ̵̢͘ ̴̞̂͌ͅf̷͎͐r̶͉͕̈́o̸͙͠m̷̖͚̿ ̴̯͓̈̉ỳ̶͖̂o̴̬̾u̴̖̔͝,̸̢̐͘ ̶̹̏s̷̜̑̀ţ̷̌a̸̯̽̂r̸̗̄͝ṭ̷̈́͠ḭ̴͆n̸̘̈́g̶̭͂ ̵̦̱͋̚w̷̺̉į̷̻̾̅t̴̜̿̇h̶̞͖̍ ̴̜͇͐̚ỵ̶̓o̴̥̗̿͐ụ̴́r̶̖͂͂ ̸̬͊̊d̶̙̬͌̕r̴̮̒̕e̸͜͝ͅa̷̲̓m̴̻͆s̶̲̐” he growled with bitterness. The polearm user slowly hunched over the mangled human, preparing to remove his mask to begin devouring the man’s dreams when all of a sudden he heard something in the distance.

All movement stopped.

Xiao heard someone calling out his name.

Snapped out of his bloodthirsty trance, he pulled his head up.

“(Y/N)?”

He paused, stalling the death of (Y/N)’s capturer. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating or not.

“Xiao!”

The young man dropped everything he was doing. That filth is going to die anyway. The most important thing right now is trying to look for (Y/N). He stood up from the bloodied body and had staggered towards the direction the (H/C) haired girl was.

He felt his rage settling down as he began to search for that gentle voice. The soothing hums of (Y/N) could be heard from behind one of the stone pillars that had collapsed next to the body of the young girl.

Xiao rushed towards (Y/N)’s body. He pulled her into his embrace, trying to see if he could get any reaction. Something. Anything that could tell him that she was alive. A part of him wished that he could feel her arms rise up and hug him back.

He pulled away and slowly checked her heart by lowering his ear against her chest. The anticipation for the young adepti was torture. Time moved slowly as he sharpened his hearing.

One second passed.

Xiao’s grip on the girl grew tighter.

Two seconds passed.

He felt the world crumbling beneath his feet.

Three seconds passed.

“Please...”

Four seconds passed.

Xiao lifted his head from her chest and stared at her soft features. She still looked gorgeous. It was like he was seeing the girl again for the first time. On the day that he fell for her, he didn’t realize he would fall this hard.

He froze in place.

There was a subtle movement in her fingertips. Xiao’s amber eyes had shone light in itself once more. The (H/C) haired girl let out a cough, slowly shifting out of place. “X...Xi..ao..?” she weakly whispered with wincing eyes. The gash on her head was a very dangerous cut. The adepti felt alleviated. Relief washed over him as he held the girl tightly while burying his face into her soft (H/C) hair. The girl couldn’t see very well, but she could never mistake Xiao for anyone else. Slowly her frail arms wrapped themselves around Xiao’s body.

“Welcome home.” She whispered shakily with little strength behind her voice.

Xiao didn’t know how to express how grateful he was to see her still alive. He had thought that he had lost all hope. “I’m home, (Y/N). I’m back at home...” He sniffed, not realizing that he had been tearing up this entire time. (Y/N)’s eyes couldn’t properly see it, but she could feel that his heart was aching.

She brought her thumb to his cheek, wiping the tear that threatened to spill on his face. Something in his chest had felt like it was suffocating him as he saw (Y/N) in this current state.

Xiao’s heart... hurt. She did the same exact motion on his cheek when they first met.

Hurt?

How many times has he finally discovered the words behind the meaningful things he couldn’t describe today?

So this is what she meant by he was hurting. All of a sudden, Xiao was able to understand everything now. He was able to feel his emotions. Him of all people. The demon slayer that slaughtered innocents. All of the burdens he didn’t realize he had on his back had suddenly begun to tumble onto him.

This was very painful to watch.

(Y/N) was dying in front of him.

He knew exactly what was going to happen. On the battlefield, it was all the same thing. Death by killing, death by injuries, and to those who are caught up in the middle of it all. Xiao knew this all too well and he was holding onto his significant mortal. He scoped around the burnt down place they had called home and had hissed at himself for failing to save the little ones. Their lifeless facial expressions were frozen in fear and anguish. Xiao protected (Y/N) from witnessing the horrible sight behind him by draping his long robe to block her vision.

He needed to find another way to protect her.

She was going to end up like one of them too if he didn’t.

She was going to wind up in the same inevitable fate that all humans face when they meet their end.

“Remember when I said I... I was going to tell you something, Xiao?” The fragile girl voiced out, hands trying to navigate where the young adepti’s hands were. “I have a surprise for you... but we have to go to the Foundation of Plaustrite” she muttered, closing her eyes, a bit exhausted than she thought she would be.

The blood that dripped down the side of her head had most likely resulted from a severe concussion. Not only that, but the large cut in her abdomen was alarmingly frightening to the young adepti.

The demon was trembling, “But you’re extremely injured. You need treatment.” he twinged at the thought of (Y/N) leaving him again. A part of him felt like if he didn’t do anything now, (Y/N) would die easily to her injuries. Of course, the young demon would see it like that. He had forgotten that he had stronger regenerative abilities than the average human.

“Please. It’s my final wish.” (Y/N) prayed quietly. She attempted to open her eyes but stopped when Xiao covered her eyes with his own hands. “Don’t open your eyes.” He advised.

Xiao hesitated, afraid that he might accidentally hurt her if he picked her up wrong. There’s no way that he could reject her request. Haltingly, he bent down to carry the girl in his arms in one full sweep. He no longer felt tired. He felt as if he was granted all of the strength he needed in all of the lands of Teyvat.

“Is this comfortable?”

“...In your arms? Always.”

The black haired man with teal undertones carried the girl with ease. Before parting ways with their home, he looked back at those who had wronged (Y/N). Their bodies are now beyond recognition. As a man who’ll do anything to protect what was his, he had decided to leave the dead men behind like it was nothing.

Seeing (Y/N) breathing again was enough for him to calm down.

“...What happened to the children?” The (H/C) haired girl asked. A gruesome image flashed into Xiao’s head when mentioned. “They’re in a better place. I made sure that they’re comfortable in their new home.” He lied through his teeth. He wanted to spare her feelings.

“...What about the... bandits?” (Y/N) showed a hint of worry. The only thing he could think of was the way he had eliminated every last one of them. “They were also taken care of. I decided to go easy on them.” Xiao lied once more.

(Y/N) appreciated the thought of the young man attempting to keep her hopes protected from what just happened. The smell of iron was already enough to tell her what happened at their home.

Slowly, he began to walk towards their destination. Along the way, he couldn’t help but notice the girl continuing to hum as she was on death’s door. Xiao’s eyes never left the sight of (Y/N). If he didn’t, then it would feel like she could vanish without a trace.

“Xiao?”

“Yes, (Y/N)?”

“...Have I ever told you how much color you’ve brought into my world?” She wistfully breathed.

The man ascended a trail that made its way up. Paying attention to (Y/N) at the same time, he wore a composed face.

“No, you haven’t,” he replied with a gentle voice. He had to stay strong. Strong for (Y/N).

“Really? I thought I told you before... but maybe it was all a dream.” (Y/N) shut her eyes. The moment between both of them had felt so serene. “I remember telling you all about the new recipe I had prepared. There was also a time where I gave you a Qingxin flower crown... Did you like it?” She asked as her thoughts were jumping everywhere. She was barely conscious, but she still managed to voice out all of her silly concerns.

Xiao didn’t have a clue about what she was talking about. When imagining those random scenarios in his head, he could only pretend like he had experienced that all with her.

“Yes. I liked it a lot.” He went along with what she was saying.

“I see. That makes me very happy.”

Xiao hoisted her in his arms bridal style again, making sure that he doesn’t harm her. Even now, (Y/N) looked so angelic in his arms. The blood that dried up around her body smelled like iron.

“You know... sometimes I feel like meeting you was too good to be true. A dream, even.” (Y/N) rambled freely, pushing her head against Xiao’s chest.

His grip on the girl grew tighter, “I could say the same thing for you too. You don’t understand how much you’ve taught me how colorful the world was.” he pressed her head as close as he could to his neck as he made his way up the mountain.

“Hey... Do you know what the difference between ‘I like you’ and ‘I love you’?” (Y/N) weakly inquired.

Xiao didn’t know how to reply.

“It’s like flowers... When you like a flower, you just pluck it. But when you love a flower, you water it daily.” The girl told the adepti. He grabbed one of (Y/N)’s hands to hold, keeping his warmth closer to him.

“...If you were a Qingxin flower... I would gladly water you every day.” (Y/N) confessed as she began to lose her train of thought.

Xiao’s heart skipped a beat. No one has ever expressed their concern to him before.

She was able to genuinely say that to Xiao with confidence. Her devotion stayed true to him until the end. Her tender touch was enough to tell him that everything was going to be okay, even when he knew damn well that it wasn’t going to be. Xiao wanted to surpass this new and unknown obstacle. He wanted to continue watching over (Y/N) and make sure that she gets all of the love that she deserved.

Xiao leaped onto the floating platforms that lead up to the floating shrine.

This was where he had first met (Y/N).

The setting stayed the same, along with the way the sky was painted similarly as before. This time, it was all different.

Xiao was able to comprehend his mortal emotions.

(Y/N) wanted to live.

Their pasts would contrast with their present now.

“We’re here...” Xiao whispered to his beloved.

The adepti carefully set the frail girl to lean against the stone seat. The warm hues reached her eyelids as she could feel the rays of light shine on her. Xiao had sat down beside her, no longer keeping a distance from her like back then. He couldn’t find the heart to act coldly towards her. Steadily, he stared off into the sunset. It was the same as before.

“It’s so warm here.” (Y/N) noted out loud, resting her head against Xiao’s shoulder. A part of him wanted time to freeze at this moment so he could spend the rest of his life with (Y/N). He felt his heart finding the moment to find momentary peace. If there was a god out there that could stop the entire universe, Xiao would trade anything he had to spend all of the time he could with the girl he held dear to.

“Do you want to know where your surprise is?” (Y/N) softly spoke, her strength dissipating.

The young demon grabbed a hold of one of (Y/N)’s hands. “Where is it?” He asked with a lump in his throat. He could tell in her tone of voice that she was already departing to the other side.

“My little surprise is in that book on the stone slab of this place. There’s a Qingxin flower as a bookmarker so it won’t be that difficult to find. You can go read it now if you want.”

“No.” Xiao clutched her hand.

“I wish to spend the rest of your time with you.” He declared quietly, not wanting to think of anything else. The intrusion of dark thoughts could no longer reach him up here. There was only peace.

(Y/N) hummed, “I see.” as she twiddled with Xiao’s bigger hand. Without thinking, the girl had slid her fingers between his palm, entwining fingers.

“Xiao... I think meeting you was...a serendipitous encounter... We both weren’t anticipating to end up like this. When we both met, we were both looking for something. There’s never been a time where I regretted being with you.” (Y/N) smiled with tranquility as her truth.

The adepti’s heart stung by her sweet yet bitter words.

“You don’t regret being with a demon like me?” He slipped out, throwing out a side of him that he never showed to (Y/N). He was afraid of rejection. What if she really despised him because of what he’s done?

(Y/N) let out a gracious laugh, “You’re not a demon, silly... You’re just as human like me. That’s all there is to it. You’re just like me, Xiao.” she indulged him by embracing him with one last hug.

“I don’t know who told you that but I know for a fact that you’re not a demon. If anything, you’ve acted like a guardian towards me. I value you very much and I wouldn’t want to hear you say otherwise.”

Xiao was amazed at what lengths (Y/N) would go for him. He was never used to her close contact, but for these last moments, he couldn’t help but wanting to savor it all. No one has ever told him that he was someone worth being cared for. They all only looked at him like a weapon of war. With the hands of his, (Y/N) saw it as inviting rather than dangerous.

(Y/N) was definitely different from the rest.

Xiao’s amber eyes had already started to tear up. This was an unfamiliar mental state that he was in. Never had he ever thought that he would make it this far to understand human emotions. Xiao was always a well guarded person who would always distance himself from anyone getting near him and yet...

(Y/N) was always there.

The sentimental words have reached the young adepti. He no longer felt ashamed for expressing how he felt. A slip of a tear fell from his cheek, “(Y/N)..?” he called out again to make sure she was still there.

“...Yes... Xiao?” She replied slowly.

Xiao tugged her closer to him. No one in the world could make him resort to these human senses of him. He only wanted to stay by her side and her side only.

“I love you.”

(Y/N) pulled away from his hug and saw his somber yet grateful facial expressions. Now that she could see his entire face, she realized she couldn’t put up her strong front anymore.

She began to cry, realizing the weight of their situation.

“I... love you too.”

Xiao felt something that he had forgotten he had in his pocket. Curious as to what it was, he pulled it out and realized it was the flower crown that (Y/N) was talking about.

Had he always have this in his pocket? Where did this come from?

He went back in his thoughts to try to remember where he got this from. All he could remember was that he had felt this object in his pocket after his dream earlier that day.

The black haired young man with teal undertones had carefully knelt down in front of her. With one hand, he grabbed (Y/N)’s other ones as he placed a soft kiss on top. It almost felt like he was a knight preparing to give his vows.

“(Y/N). There’s been a question I’ve always pondered to ask of you. I’m not very sure if we can make do with what little time we have remaining, but I’d appreciated it if you allowed me to have the opportunity.” Xiao started, feeling the girl’s tender gaze upon him. “From the day we’ve met, I had only thought about how foolish mortals were. There was a part of me that refused to take a part in opening up to a newer side of the world. I was more than afraid if you were going to shut me out entirely. I’m just a shell of a sinner... It almost feels morally wrong to even stand near you. But that all had shifted once you sat down next to me under the starry night sky. You were the only one who could change my perspective, and I am eternally grateful for how you’ve healed me.”

He swallowed. What was he saying? He was a bit doubtful if he worded his sentences correctly but he had no choice but to continue.

“...I can’t imagine growing old with anyone else, nor do I want to. When I think about you, I know that no one will hold my heart the same way you do. With you by my side, I feel at peace, and when you’re gone, I’m constantly looking for a way to get closer to you. I’m sure that you’ve had bad memories of this, but I’d like to overwrite those memories with something genuine... (Y/N)... Will you marry me?” Xiao confessed with sincere, heartfelt words. His heartbeat seemed to synchronize at the same time as (Y/N)’s. The atmosphere never felt so enchanting than now. Time was running out for both of them.

The weakened girl in front of him had no words to say other than yes. Instead of accepting the flower crown that he had held in his grasp, she had caressed the adepti with both of her hands on each side of Xiao’s face. They both met each other’s eyes. His amber ones looking into her (E/C) orbs, perhaps asking for permission before he could continue. (Y/N) slowly nodded, blushing when Xiao had finally leaned forward and had pressed a gentle kiss against the girl’s soft lips.

It was all but peaceful.

Finally.

Xiao was able to get these feelings off of his chest. He gazed at the sunset once more before he picked up (Y/N) again and sat her against the stone bench where he held her by the waist.

“I’m... feeling... tired...” The girl had said with complete honesty.

Xiao couldn’t help but feel pity when he saw his lover. She was deteriorating faster than he would’ve imagined. It was like he was watching another Qingxin flower lose its petals. She slowly hummed again, a harmonious tune that would ingrain into Xiao’s memories.

“Are you... afraid of death?” The adepti watched with attentive eyes. As someone who inflicted death among others, it would certainly be a different experience if he had asked someone who was about to go through it.

(Y/N) shook her head. “...When I’m with you...? Never. I’m not... afraid.” She wheezed a little bit, leaning her head on Xiao’s shoulder once more. Although time was running out, she kept wearing her brave smile as she fell drowsier.

“...Smile... for... me?” (Y/N)’s voice ran out as she was clinging onto life for as long as she could. Her final wish.

Xiao’s most difficult task to do. During this time as he watched everything he had developed with this girl slowly bloom throughout his heart. From all the times they’ve stayed up watching after the kids and talked until the dead of the night. Through the harsh rains and cold days, Xiao would continue to stand by her side. It was something worth protecting. He was given a reason to continue on with a more fulfilling purpose. She had given it all to him with open arms.

He trembled, but continued to wipe his tears. Taking a deep breath, he blocked out all of the worst thoughts that could flow into his head. He had to do it for her now. He has to answer her prayers.

There he was. The man that had worn his composed and calm features had been able to send (Y/N) one last smile. His lips quivered as he attempted to hold a brave front. He has to commend (Y/N) for having that special ability. The (H/C) haired girl shut her eyes. Yes... This was all she ever wanted.

She never felt so free until now. The freedom that she had always wanted was now granted to her.

The adepti had endured the last bits of time he could spend with her. With the way that (Y/N) grinned with no regrets, he felt the seconds going by like hours. This was all he could do for her now.

...So this was love.

What a strong emotion. No wonder why mortals fight for what they believe in. Before he met her, he was just an empty husk with no concept of what it takes to be human. Now that (Y/N) showed him the ways of how life could be spent, it would be the end of her journey.

It was just two companions that were dreaming alongside each other. Two contrasting people that come from two different backgrounds. No matter how far he came with her, he couldn’t help but notice what solitude truly was when something he cherished was now gone.

Xiao just wanted to remain with her until her final moments.

Before Xiao could completely doze off, he planted the well-crafted Qingxin crown on (Y/N)’s head, gently planting a kiss on her forehead, bidding his reluctant farewell.

“Goodnight, (Y/N).” He whispered to her for the last time, fulfilling her first request he hadn’t answered in the beginning. The lump in his throat was building up his regret, remembering how he promised to kill her so she would be put to rest and be free. He didn’t know how badly he wanted to go back in time and convince her to fight and live on.

He shut his eyes, not recognizing how hard it is to let go. He couldn’t envision the idea of her leaving him behind until now. After she had held onto his hand for so long, it seems that the last chapters of (Y/N)’s life has come to an end. The adepti pressed his forehead against (Y/N)’s, hoping that his words could somehow reach her. It was thanks to her, he was able to live like he was alive. He shut his eyes tightly, praying that somehow he could reach out to her again.

“...I’ll miss you dearly, my love.”

✦

-=+=-

Epilogue | Adeptus’ Retirement

(Y/N) had always known.

She knew that Xiao was a weapon of war.

When searching around remnants of fallen towns to take care of more children, some wandering travelers would tell rumors of the demon that would ruthlessly kill thousands. (Y/N) never paid any attention to it until she heard a tale of an evil archon utilizing him for his own selfish needs.

She thought to herself, “I will find a way to save him.” as she continued to roam and travel by on her own to find a way to free him. The week before (Y/N) had broken down in front of Xiao, she had already climbed up to the Foundation of Plaustrite once more, hearing that an archon of contracts would appear one fateful night.

When she did encounter that archon, she had first spoken to him like she was talking to an ordinary human. The archon, Morax, had listened in on her story as she explained how Xiao was forced to commit these heinous acts of violence.

“He had helped me realize that I wanted to continue living. I came up here in hopes that I could find this God of Contracts and tell him my wish.” She said with a brave heart.

Rex Lapis listened intently in his human form. This would benefit all of Liyue if he could save the young demon from the evil archon.

“I wish that he could be as free as a crane. I wish for him to find something worthy to protect. I wish for him to be proud of a name that he can tell others.” (Y/N) prayed while looking at the moon with the archon next to her.

“What name did you give him?” The god inquired.

She smiled, “Xiao.” while looking down at her feet. She knew that it had a few different meanings like “demon”, but she could only see the name to be fitting for someone heavenly.

The archon crossed his arms, knowing that this human girl was going to be the one to change history.

“It’s a deal.”

✦

She was sent into a dream realm. Her body seemed to feel lighter than ever, and she could only see a field of pure white flowers that blossomed on its own. In the distance, she could see the young adepti, laying peacefully in the field. (Y/N) had laid down on the grass right next to the dreaming demon.

Her time was about to come.

In order for her contract to be fulfilled, she must give up her life.

(Y/N) held Xiao’s hand tightly.

It was a wish she knew was worth protecting.

“I want you to be free. I want you to feel human. I want you to feel loved.”

The girl didn’t know death could be so alleviating. The other side was now beyond her reach, and she could slowly feel herself falling asleep. Even so, she continued to talk to Xiao like he was awake. A part of her hoped that she was somehow connected to Xiao in her dream.

She talked about the special almond tofu that she was supposed to be preparing and she had crafted a Qingxin crown while she rambled on. To her surprise, she felt a hand grab her arm. Turning around, she made eye contact with the young man who she thought was resting.

“Please...” He muttered in his sleep, turning over to come closer to the girl.

(Y/N) was taken aback, but then had smiled wistfully. Maybe she did have one more thing to do before she left this world to meet death. Without thinking, she had carefully tucked her Qingxin crown into the side of Xiao’s pocket.

“As proof that I was here... I’ll give this to you.”

She hovered over the resting man and had laid on top of him with a gentle hug.

If she could go back in time and relive every moment with him, she would.

...

She woke up.

That’s when she saw Xiao in front of her at the raid of her home. Well, what was left of their home. She knew that there was an attack launched when she was unconscious in the dream realm. Morax had informed her that the evil archon would order the bandits to come to kill the rest of her family at the ruins they lived in. It was also a consequence that the contract came with.

But it doesn’t matter anymore.

(Y/N) wanted to be selfish again.

“Welcome home.”

✦

When Xiao woke up, he no longer felt a presence next to him. Wondering what could have happened, he knew that he shouldn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he opened up the notebook that (Y/N) had left behind for him. With the Qingxin bookmarker, he had flipped open the book to read what (Y/N) left behind for him.

At that moment, he could no longer hold back the flow of tears.

After reading the truth.

After reading the contract.

After reading her sacrifice.

Xiao let out a blood-curdling scream.

Never in his life had he ever heard his voice come out of his throat like that. Never had he ever thought that (Y/N) would be so important to him. He couldn’t help kneeling down on the floor of the shrine and curling up while holding the notebook to his chest.

After everything she’s done for him, he couldn’t let it all go in vain.

“I’ll fight. I’ll fight again. I’ll fight and make sure I grant your wish, (Y/N). I’ll do anything if it means that you can see me from wherever you are!”

Xiao missed her.

He missed her so much.

He missed (Y/N).

✦

Xiao fought. He no longer served under the evil archon and had pledged his allegiance to Rex Lapis. There was a long period of time, peace for Liyue, the type of peace that (Y/N) had wished for.

The guardian yaksha had sat on the Foundation of Plaustrite once again as he looked off and into the sunset. A thousand years had passed since (Y/N)’s passing. War never ended fast like how he hoped it would, but he continued to hold onto the feelings he had for (Y/N) until the very end.

The yaksha was now around two thousand years old. Although he distanced himself from the mortals he swore to protect, his memories were far from faded from the day he had serendipitously encountered the ethereal angel, (Y/N).

Between adepti and humans, he knew that relations between them were very possible. He couldn’t forget (Y/N)’s scent. As he sat on the stone slab, he could almost feel (Y/N)’s soul. It was almost like she was leaning her head on his shoulder again.

He placed the Qingxin flowers he had collected from the highest points of Liyue and rested them beside him. The atmosphere felt a little bit nostalgic as he watched the sun go down.

Xiao had peered at the little desk of books that were piled on each other over the years that had passed. With careful eyes, he picked up the worn out notebook that (Y/N) had left behind for him. Every time he felt like he was losing himself, he would flee to this floating sanctuary that he once met (Y/N) at.

He felt the cover of the book, not realizing how much time had passed as he continued to live on as a proud yaksha.

Slowly, he turned the book cover open and began reading the pages again.

“Dear Xiao...

Did you like the gift I gave you? I wasn’t sure what to do when I first heard that you were being enslaved by a cruel archon. I did everything in my power to make sure that I could somehow make my wish for you a reality.

Rex Lapis was a compassionate archon I never thought I would meet. He listened to my tale and had decided to make a contract with me so you could be set free. At that moment, I knew that it was going to cost the lives of our entire family and I.

I’m sorry.

I knew that if I had told you my plans, you would do everything within your power to stop it.

It’s funny how I wanted to die so badly.

The day that we both met was a very fortunate day.

I believe that everything happens for a reason.

You were my reason.

So with that, I hope that you’ll feel as free as a crane. I hope that you’re living to protect something important again. I hope that you’re opening up to humans more and face them with no hostility. Even when you’re around children, I find it adorable that you had somehow kept a soft spot for them. I hope that you’re doing well and living the rest of your days with peace.

Maybe one day we can meet again.

And if we do meet again...

I hope you’ll fall for me one more time.

Love, (Y/N).”

The man had sighed to himself, closing the book and resting it in his lap. A part of him wanted to thank the evil archon for telling him to love. He knew that the archon wanted to use Xiao’s resentment to multiply his power during the war, but it didn’t turn out how he thought it would.

The moon began to rise in the night sky. Out far in the distance, he could see all of the floating lanterns from where he rested. Xiao knew that the beginning of the lantern festival had begun. The guardian yaksha was grateful to be the only one to know why the festival was hosted on this very day.

It was in memory of (Y/N).

The floating lanterns glowed from afar, making Xiao slowly smile to himself. If what (Y/N) said in her writings were true, then he would gladly await the day he would meet her again.

With a new age of Liyue and with no calamity threatening Teyvat, Xiao was able to sit back and relax as he watched the lanterns float in the sky.

This was the beginning of an Adeptus’ retirement.

-=+=-

AN: My god. This took about three full days for me to write. I hope that you’ve enjoyed reading this. I spent so much time thinking, writing, and crying over this idea for Xiao for the longest time. I’m so glad that I was able to tell myself to post this, ignoring the fear that no one would like it at all. With the new year that’s about to come, I can’t wait to see experience and see the next chapter of my life could be. Thank you for reading this. I wish you to stay safe and hope that you’ve enjoyed this piece of writing I have left to give. You don’t have to like or reblog the post, but if you really feel like this had resonated in you, I would deeply appreciate it if you could like or reblog it. I want other people who love Xiao to read this if they could. It would mean a lot to me. Again, thank you for reading up to this point, and I wish you a happy new year.

400 notes · View notes

latte-fairytaekwoon · 4 years

Text

𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒸𝓮 𝒪𝒻 𝒯𝒽𝓮 𝒟𝒶𝓂𝓃𝓮𝒹 (𝓓𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷!𝒮𝒶𝓃) 𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓭

𝑃𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: 𝐷𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛! 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑖 𝑆𝑎𝑛 (𝐴𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑧)/ 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 (𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒)

𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: 𝑆𝑚𝑢𝑡, 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑠𝑡, 𝐹𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑦/𝐷𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝐴𝑈

"𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒆...

𝑫𝒆𝒇𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒚, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔

𝑫𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍’𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔.."

-𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆: 𝑷𝒐𝒆𝒎𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒐𝒓𝒆

𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇

The young raven haired man strolled through the crowds of other guests, taking a glance or two whenever something seemed to catch his eyes. But those glances were only fleeting. There seemed to be nothing particularly interesting in any of them.

He took in the scene before him: long, glittering ball gowns spun around, either in tune to the orchestra playing or in a presumptuous effort to be shown off to others. The male specimen differed no greater than their female counterparts, often standing up straighter or running a hand down their expensive and delicately tailored suits, except they were willing to take it a step further and actually discuss how much they paid for it.

Foolish mortals

He scoffed as he studied each one of them. It was truly sickening to him how much humanity had reached its lowest point. More frequently than not, he noticed how humans more than ever were vain, prideful, arrogant, egotistic and disdainful of anything or anyone who wasn't them.

It wasn't entertaining anymore. He recalls a time many centuries ago when he would get a thrill out of corrupting the innocent, driving the wisest of beings into insanity, destroying picture perfect marriages and making the purest of souls fall into an abyss of sin and darkness.

What was the point of trying to do all that now when some of them are destined for destruction since the moment of their birth? It truly irritated him.

Sighing he picked up a glass of wine from one of the trays carried around by the many butlers, poor useless souls as he liked to refer to them. He sipped on the crimson liquid, it's alcoholic venom doing nothing to him even though it was probably his 13th one already.

13? Was it?

He lost count. He shrugged it off though. He could drink it as if it were pure water, his kind were immune to this substance unlike humanity.

He snorted when he'd look at certain people's masks. While most went all fancy and elegant, others decided to have fun and make sure their attire stood out, in the form of red or black masks, adorned with either fangs, horns and overall rather gruesome or grotesque visages. Clearly they were meant to represent none other than his fellow kindred. He scoffed at their personification of him.

"Damnable bastards. If only you knew we are some of the most beautiful creatures to walk next to you....."

Perhaps that's the main reason why they all, man or woman, no matter their age, education or social status, end up ensnared by them. They were irresistible.

He was about to walk out of the hall, bored out of his non-existent soul, when a small titter caught his ears. Turning his face towards the sound, his breath was caught at the sight of an ethereal looking woman. His eyes scanned her from head to toe. She was absolutely perfect: from her luscious (enter color) hair, to her satin smooth skin, all the way down the her tempting figure. Her scarlet colored dress was impeccably on her, the deep plunge in the chest decorated with sequins and rhinestones daring men to not gaze at her cleavage. The waistline was fitted and then fanned out to accentuate her captivating body. Anyone would think this lady was sin itself, she certainly looked the part.

But San knew better. He could see and feel the aura around her. She was wholly pure, absolutely nothing to signify that she'd been stained or deemed unclean. She was simply an overly sheltered girl who no doubt wanted to fit in, be regarded as a mundane person like the rest of them.

Absolutely perfect if you asked him.

He sauntered in her direction, his devilish smirk plastered on his face. Sensing a pair of eyes, she tilted her head and made contact with the demon, now unable to look away from his alluring gaze. Even through the mask covering half of his face, she knew he was the most handsome man she'd ever see, albeit she'd never seen a lot of men in her life anyway.

Inexperienced and naive as she was, she let him stand next to her and take her hand. Lifting it up to his lips, he introduced himself:

"Choi San. Pleased to make your acquaintance my fair lady."

Delicately, he placed a kiss to her fingers, before releasing them from his hold. His touch was cold, but it sent a burning sensation up her entire arm and she found herself longing for his touch again almost instantly.

"L/N Y/N..." She replied in a voice that was merely above a whisper.

"A truly befitting name for such an angelic lady."

He chuckled to himself at his use of the word. If he was successful, which he always was, by the end of the night, there'd be nothing angelic left about her.

He extended his arm out towards her.

"May I have the pleasure of requesting the next dance?"

He made it a point to flash his dimples, knowing they only added to his charm and rendered women unable to refuse him. She stood up and linked her arm in his. He felt a shiver when she touched him, a feeling he only felt when his kind were in the proximity of a pure soul. It was precisely what he'd been craving for who knows how long. Definitely more than a hundred years since the last time he felt such a presence.

He guided her to the dance floor, the other couples already in position. If there was anything San prided himself on, it was his dancing. He's had years of experience to learn almost every dance that had been created, not only because it added to his attractiveness, but because it truly was one of the few mundane things he thoroughly enjoyed.

He especially loved the waltz they were currently playing. Waltzes were so elegant, refined, polished and were perfect when seducing someone. Intense eye contact, hands intertwined and his arm pulling her close to him, he could see a glimpse of the light blush peeking out underneath her ebony mask. She was flustered, exactly how he wanted her. They were practically gliding across the dance floor, perfectly in tune with the music playing.

"Did you come alone?" San decided it was time to strike up a conversation before going for the kill.

Y/N simply nodded, looking down somewhat ashamed. Instantly he knew she was probably not supposed to be here in the first place.

Interesting detail.

"Tired of sitting at home all bored?" He raised an eyebrow at her, but already knowing the answer.

"Can you tell?" She asked, wondering if he could read her mind.

"Well..... I can tell a lot of things about you..."

Releasing his hold on her waist, he lifted his hand to spin her around before bringing her back into his embrace, now closer than before.

"Things like what?" She wanted him to elaborate.

He hummed along to the music, making her impatient for his answer.

"Like..... how you want something exciting to happen tonight. Your eyes are practically for something, anything, that contrasts the dull life you've lived so far..."

She widened her eyes when he spoke those words. Was she that easy to read? That a mere stranger could notice that about her?

"And your countenance only serves to confirm my theory." He finished.

She sighed softly and loosened her grip on him, wanting to walk away, but he only tightened his hold on her. He smirked at her and leaned in, whispering dangerously close to her lips:

"Why don't you let me open up a new world for you?"

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇

The girl fluttered her eyes open, soft blissful pants escaping her lips. It had been a while since they left the mansion, where San took her to what she assumed was his place. Ruby red walls with matching velvet carpet, umber brown furniture, candles in every corner being the only illuminating feature in the dark room. The only exception was the bed. It was a pitch black color with white sheets and blanket.

Her dress had long been discarded in one of the chairs in the room, the only article clothing her at the moment being her cream colored garter belt with matching thigh high stockings. San thought they looked absolutely adorable on her. The visual only heightened his need to claim her, to corrupt her, to stain her forever with his unholy mark.

He was currently in between her legs, his mouth attached to her heat. Purple blotches were already decorating her inner thighs, courtesy of his teeth. He swirled his tongue around her clit before sucking down on it. He moaned and that action alone made her thighs tremble and close around his head. But he was having none of that. His hands pushed her thighs apart again, nails digging into her petal soft skin as he continued to ravish and feast on her succulent taste.

"S-San...wait...feels f-funny...." She stuttered out after a few minutes.

He knew exactly what she was referring to: she had about to have an orgasm. As much as he'd love to see her come undone on his tongue alone, he made an effort to pull himself back before the feeling got too intense. She let out a whine of frustration and looked at him with a puzzled look, unsure of what was happening.

San ran his thumb across her lip.

"Don't worry darling. I told you I'll open up a new world for you..

And I always keep my promises."

Unzipping his pants, he pushed them down his legs and threw them onto the floor. He smirked as he took in Y/N's astonishment as she gaped at his nude form, or more specifically, at his thick and long length. She seemed to hesitate for a minute, no doubt intimidated by his size, wondering how was that supposed to fit in her.

Climbing on top of her, he placed a reassuring kiss to her temple.

"I'll take good care of you darling...trust me."

His lips captured hers in a hungry kiss. His tongue slipped inside and danced around her mouth, almost like the waltz from hours before. His hands went to the back of her thighs, lifting them up and wrapping them around his waist. He lifted his hips up slowly, the tip of his cock pressing against her folds. He began slipping inside her, going inch by inch so she could get adjusted to the feeling, not wanting to scare her.

Although it took a lot in him to not just pound into her as he wished to.

She wrapped her thighs tighter around his waist, the foreign and stinging feeling of his intrusion causing her to hiss and cry out a little. San peppered kisses across her jaw and neck in an effort to soothe the pain, while his hands drew circles around her thighs. He stayed still until he felt her relax under him. She looked back at him, her face asking what to do now.

"I'm going to start moving now ok? Just relax and let yourself go."

He pulled out of her in a speed that was torturous to him. Then he slowly pushed himself back in, watching as she took deep breaths and looked down at where their bodies connected. The more she looked at him pushing in and out, the more it helped to relax and put her at ease. San knew it too. Her at first raspy breathing turned to soft, melodious moaning.

His hips snapped up and began rolling at a faster pace, causing his cock to hit the perfect angle in her. Her breath hitched and she gasped when the overwhelming feeling in her stomach started to return, building up inside her, threatening to be released any second now.

The demon could feel it too. He's had years of experience to know what her body was doing. He watched as her face contorted, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Sa-San..." She called out, trying to warn him.

He smirked at her.

"I know, I can feel you clenching around me. You feel so good. I can't wait to feel you cum on my immense cock."

His dirty talking only served to have her whine underneath him. His hand reached down and began toying with her nipple.

"So come on babygirl, let me feel you burst. I know you can do it.....

Give it to me."

He commanded those last words to her and just like he knew would happen, she shuddered under his body, her first orgasm in her entire life taking over her, a soft pathetic whimper being the only noise she could muster. It wasn't anything too loud or over the top, as San pretty much expected. It was her first time.

Besides.....there was plenty of time to have her scream his name.

He kissed her nose and smiled.

"You did so well darling. I'm so proud of you."

She blushed at his compliments. San pulled out of her, a proud evil grin plastered on his face as he noticed the sticky trail that dripped out of her onto the sheets: a few droplets of blood signifying he had deflowered her.

Now to corrupt her even more.

He picked her body up and spun her around, making her get down on all fours as he gripped her hips once again.

"Now it's my turn to have a little fun."

She let out a loud moan when he entered her for the second time, her body still sensitive from her first orgasm. San didn't bother to go slow anymore, he knew she could take it. He thrusted in and out of her at an inhuman speed, low moans and hisses coming out of his mouth.

"Fuck! I can feel you getting close again beautiful, your pussy is so fucking tight, it's practically swallowing my cock."

He chuckled when he felt her clench even tighter around him.

"Oh you like that don't you? You like being told you're nothing but a cockslut?"

She hid her face in the pillow in front of her, trying to hide the groan that just past through her throat. San however grabbed her by the hair and pulled her face back up.

"Answer me you little whore."

She yelped when his hand landed a harsh smack to her ass.

"Y-yes San!"

He smacked her once again before pulling her even more roughly and pressing her back to his chest.

"Right now it's Master. Got it you filthy slut?" He growled into her ear.

"Yes Master!" She cried out.

"Good little whore." He praised her.

He continued his merciless pounding, one of his hands trailing down her abdomen to rub her now swollen and pink clit. Y/N now had a few tears rolling down her cheeks from the overstimulation and she hung her head low.

"Uh uh little slut. None of that."

His free hand wrapped around her neck, forcing her to look up. He tilted her slightly to the right so she could see their sinful reflection in the mirror by the wall.

"Look at you. You look so fucking desperate, wanting to cum again on my cock. Is that what you want? To cum on master's cock? Then beg for it."

Y/N let out a series of whimpers, collecting all the strength she could to cry out:

"Please master! I want to cum, let me cum on your cock!"

San was loving this. It had been so long since he had such an innocent thing begging for him.

"How bad do you want it darling? Does Master's cock make you feel that good?" He teased her.

"Please Master I want it so bad! It feels so good, please don't stop!" Her words were barely incoherent now from how overwhelmed with pleasure she was.

Having being satisfied by her answer, he squeezed her throat, causing her to gasp and writhe her body as her second orgasm took over, far more intense than the first. He never slowed down his pace therefore making her convulse even more violently and shriek out a chant of his name, further heightening his pride and ego.

Very soon after, he cursed loudly as he reached his own climax, his cock spurting out his cum inside her, filling her up with his sinful load. She collapsed on the bed, worn out by the physical intimacy that just took place. San chucked darkly when not even a minute later she was completely passed out. That always happened. Humans couldn't handle having intercourse with a demon, they were practically insatiable and always passed out after a night with them.

Pulling the blanket to cover her, San ran his fingers through her hair. He admired her features for a few minutes. She was really beautiful, an ethereal beauty that only came once every century. Even in her now corrupted and tainted state, she was still the most alluring person he'd ever seen, and he's seen even angels themselves.

Now he knew he wanted her all to himself, completely for him and for no one else to own. He wasn't going to allow anyone to take her from him. He didn't have to worry about celestial beings claiming her, they wouldn't want her now. But other demons might want her.....

Getting up he opened a drawer and took out something he'd never imagine using in any lifetime. But there was always a first time for everything. He held up the gold contraption in his hand before letting it set over one of the flames from the various candles in the room. Once he made sure it was hot enough, he approached Y/N quietly.

It's a good thing she wouldn't wake up for a couple hours....

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇

Y/N squinted, trying to let her eyes adjust to the lighting. She felt a dull aching in her lower abdomen and legs, reminding her of the events that took place last night. She looked around, seeing that she was still at San's place, but he was nowhere to be found. She sat up and rubbed her shoulder, feeling some sort of burning and stinging pain.

She paused when she looked at the mirror and noticed something on the back of her shoulder. Getting up and trying her hardest to walk with her limp, she went to the mirror and turned slightly to the left. She froze when there was a bright red mark on her upper back in the shape of a pentagram with the letter 'S' in the middle of it.

She started freaking out. Was this some kind of joke? Where was San?

"Well good morning my dear."

Speaking of the devil, he appeared right behind her, making her whip around and face him.

"Did you do this?" She asked, pointing to the mark.

"I did. I think it really suits you." He smiled proudly.

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"Why you ask? It's simple."

He took a few steps forward. Leaning in, he gripped her chin.

"Because you're mine now and I own you."

She scoffed at his words, repulsed that he could do this.

"You're insane." She spat out.

"I've been called worse." He sat up straight again.

Y/N marched over to the chair on the other side and began grabbing her clothes.

"And just where do you think you're doing?" San crossed his arms in front of him.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm leaving."

He let out a hearty laugh at that.

"Leaving? Oh no sweetheart. You're not leaving. You can't leave me." He told her.

"Yeah? Watch me."

She pushed him out of her way and headed for the door, but before she could reach for the handle, San appeared right in front of her out of thin air, causing her to step back in fear.

"What the-" She exclaimed.

"Let me repeat myself darling..."

San began to take steps towards her as she began to slowly retreat from him.

"I own you. You can't leave because you're mine now. I marked you so no one else takes you from me, in other words..."

He slammed his hand against the wall behind her when they reached it. She watched in horror as his dark orbs shifted into a fiery red color that burned deep in her soul.

"You're bound to me for all eternity...... and now you're a part of my world....and there's no turning back..."

࿇ ══━━━━✥◈✥━━━━══ ࿇

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #ateez fantasy au #ateez imagines #ateez smut #ateez san #choi san #demon!ateez #demon!au #ateez angst #ateez san smut #ateez san scenarios #ateez san fanfic #ateez san angst #ateez san au #demon!san

398 notes · View notes

tigerkirby215 · 3 years

Text

5e Kayle, the Righteous build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Jessica “OwleyCat” Oyhenart and Victor “3rdColossus” Maury. Made for Riot Games.)

You know I find it funny that I haven’t made a build for Kayle yet, given that I made Morgana awhile ago sort of as a spur of the moment thing. Despite the fact that I main support I really don’t play Morgana (can’t hit skill shots omegalul), but meanwhile I really like Kayle. She was one of the first champions I played along with Sona since I was told she was very similar to Terrorblade who was one of my favorite carries in DOTA 2. I dropped her for a bit after her rework but I picked her up again and she’s still super fun! I mean, shame she’s kinda trash in the meta.

Anyways it’s about time I make a build for her since Morgana was alone for so long, especially since she’s coming back along with Pentakill! Kayle’s probably the perfect character to play if you want to go Lawful Stupid, but out of respect for everyone else please don’t play her Lawful Stupid.

GOALS

On wings of fire, hope ascends - It’s the quest of all champions to eventually transcend mortals. Hopefully we’ll at least be able to fly after this.

Fire reveals truth - Kayle is also well-known for her Zealous attack speed, so we’ll need to be able to get out as much DPS as possible.

The worthy survive! - A little bit of Divine Judgement goes a long way. An explosion of flaming swords helps too.

RACE

This may come as a surprise to you but Kayle is an Aasimar. More specifically a Protector Aasimar, which is rather fitting seeing as she’s seen as The Protector in Demacia. As an Aasimar your Charisma increases by 2, but I’m going to increase your Constitution instead of the typical Wisdom increase from Protector Aasimar, for a bit more lane sustain.

You have Celestial Resistance to both your own Radiant damage and your sister’s Necrotic damage, have the Light Bearer feature for the Light cantrip, and can give yourself or an ally a Celestial Blessing thanks to Healing Hands. It only heals up to your level but it certainly helps!

You also get Darkvision and the Celestial language, and Radiant Soul at level 3 thanks to your Protector subrace, We’ll discuss that when we get to level 3.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - League of Legends body types, am I right? Sure you have a bit of an “evil must be purged” personality, but D&D Paladins like that a lot.

14; DEXTERITY - Something something medium armor. I would call what you wear Half Plate, which means that for once the choice of Medium Armor is accurate!

13; STRENGTH - This feels strangely familiar...

12; CONSTITUTION - Kayle is very squishy in League but I like not dying so...

10; INTELLIGENCE - You may have lived through history but most of that time was spent up in the stars. Basically we need everything else more.

8; WISDOM - Yeah I didn’t increase Wisdom with your racial increase because I was planning to dump it. Kayle’s fatal flaw is that she’s blinded by her sense of justice, which is a sign of poor Wisdom and critical decision making.

BACKGROUND

There isn’t a great background for “Half of the Aspect of Justice” but Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion works fairly well. You get proficiency with Perception as well as Performance (you were in Pentakill, after all!), a Disguise Kit (but I’d maybe replace that with something else or ditch it entirely), and two languages of your choice. (Pick your poison.)

Your background feature Name Dropping lets you tell people that your mom was actually a god. You might be able to find people who knew your mom (or more realistically worshiped her before... you know... you became half of her?) and folk might recognize that you’re... half a god, and give you free stuff.

(Artwork by Alvin Lee and Kan Liu. Made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1

Starting off as a Sorcerer because Kayle is about as useless as a level 1 Sorcerer at level 1. (Also because CON saves are nice.) But you can also grab proficiency with Religion (you are a god, after all) and Intimidation. (Because you aren’t exactly nice.)

Sorcerers get to choose their Sorcerous Origin at level 1 and Divine Soul is like being a Cleric but you get to dump your Wisdom because you’re blind to morality. You get one free spell from your Divine Magic and I guess Bless makes sense since its attached to Law? Honestly there are other spells I’d recommend (Protection from Evil and Good would be helpful, and you can’t go wrong with either Healing Word or Guiding Bolt) but it’s honestly easier to just take Bless and call it there.

But of course since you get Divine Magic that means you get Spellcasting! You learn 4 cantrips from the Sorcerer list at level 1 such as Firebolt to smite the wicked, Sacred Flame for enemies with a lot of armor (but hopefully bad Dexterity), Thaumaturgy to make sure your words are heard, and Guidance because it’s good to provide aid to those who need it.

You also learn two spells from the Sorcerer list: we’ll be taking Mage Armor for the same reason you buy Doran’s Shield as a top laner (because laning phase sucks and you’re weak as hell at level 1), and we’ll also grab Healing Word for your Celestial Blessing. As a treat.

You are also Favored by the Gods, so if you miss an attack roll or fail a saving throw you can add 2d4 to the roll to potentially turn it into a success. Given that you’ll likely be making a lot of attack rolls later in this build it’s very useful to be able to give yourself some insurance.

LEVEL 2 - SORCERER 2

Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points equal to your Sorcerer level. For now all you can really do with them is get one of your spell slots back, but they’ll be more useful later on.

For something that’s useful right now take Ice Knife for the AoE burst of your Starfire Spellblade. Yes it does Cold damage, but you also shouldn’t have an AoE E by level 2. Hell you technically shouldn’t even be a ranged champion yet. We have to make compromises here.

If you want a single target Starfire Spellblade Guiding Bolt is a decent choice I suppose.

LEVEL 3 - SORCERER 3

Third level Sorcerers gain the power of the Aspects thanks to Metamagic. You learn two Metamagic options to change your spells in various ways: Quickened Spell will let you increase your attack speed to slay the unjust with Zealous fervor, and while it’s perhaps not the most practical choice Transmuted Spell will let you wield holy fire, instead of holy ice or whatever other damage type you pick up.

If you don’t care about doing specifically fire damage than Empowered Spell is a good choice to more effectively maximize damage.

As a Protector Aasimar your Radiant Soul lets you sprout wings as an action. For 1 minute you have a 30 foot flying speed and can add your Charisma modifier as Radiant damage to one target whenever you deal damage. It might not be much at level 3 but the extra damage from Starfire Spellblade adds up when you get more AP! Oh and to top it off you can also learn another spell like Misty Step, for Flash.

LEVEL 4 - SORCERER 4

4th level Sorcerers get the first of many Ability Score Improvements. Increase your uneven Charisma score as well as your Constitution score for nice, even, Lawful stats.

You can also learn another cantrip like Message to keep in team chat, as well as a leveled spell like Spiritual Weapon. Kayle summons hundreds of swords for her ultimate so I think it’s fine if you summon one sword for some more DPS.

LEVEL 5 - SORCERER 5

Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way to get 5th level spells but we kinda need Fly more than once per Long Rest. Sprout those wings or grant the gift of angelic ascension to an ally!

The bad witch Tasha also gave Sorcerers Magical Guidance, letting you spend a Sorcerery Point to reroll a failed ability check.

(Artwork by Zeen Chin. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 6 - PALADIN 1

I swear it wasn’t my intention to make two casters with Paladin levels one after another, but we’re doing it anyways because it’s not like Kayle wouldn’t be a Paladin. First level Paladins get Divine Sense to know of any villains who need justice, and Lay on Hands to save the righteous.

LEVEL 7 - PALADIN 2

Second level Paladins get to choose their Fighting Style. Normally I’d take Blessed Warrior for a character who’s more-or-less a pure caster but you kinda get too many Cleric cantrips as is, so we’ll settle for good ol’ Defense because you can’t go wrong with +1 AC.

Protection and Interception are also fine to help your friends if you’re willing to hold onto a shield (no reason not to), and if you want to do a funny joke you can take Blind Fighting because Justice is Blind.

But of course what we’re mostly here for is Spellcasting: sure you got the entire Cleric list at your disposal but Sorcerer spells known is very limited, so take the following from the Paladin list:

Command to force evildoers to grovel at your feet.

Detect Evil and Good to... detect evil and good.

Protection from Evil and Good to... yeah this is fairly obvious too.

Heroism to empower heroes.

Shield of Faith to protect the righteous.

You also get Divine Smite, which sure would be nice if you used your sword as a melee weapon. I mean if you want to hit someone in melee you can turn a spell slot into damage but I kinda have to wonder why would you.

LEVEL 8 - PALADIN 3

Third level Paladins get to choose their Sacred Oath. Honestly just about any Paladin Oath would work for Kayle, but an Oath of Redemption would probably be best after you failed to upkeep justice the first time. Along with adding Sanctuary and Sleep to your spell list you also get two Channel Divinity options: if you go for Emissary of Peace you can add a flat +5 to all your Persuasion checks for 10 minutes. But Rebuke the Violent works great as a recreation of Divine Judgment’s damaging effect! When a creature within 30 feet of you damages someone other than you they must make a Wisdom saving throw after you use this reaction. If they fail they will take the same amount of damage they dealt as Radiant damage, and if they succeed they will take half. This has no maximum limit so you can use it when an enemy nukes your allies to have them experience retribution! "Drown in holy fire!"

The vial witch Tasha also lets you Harness Divine Power with your Channel Divinity to regain a spell slot equal to half your proficiency bonus once per Long Rest. And finally you get Divine Health, because justice doesn’t take sick days.

(Artwork by John Yucedag. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 9 - PALADIN 4

4th level Paladins get another Ability Score Improvement so cap off that Charisma modifier, because we’re building AP in this build. Maxed out Charisma also means more prepared spells, but we’re going to wait for...

LEVEL 10 - PALADIN 5

5th level Paladins get an Extra Attack which sure would matter if you were actually swinging that sword instead of shooting Fire Bolts and Sacred Flames.

But what does matter is that you get second level Paladin spells! Along with Hold Person and Calm Emotions from the Redemption spell list (you should perhaps cast Calm Emotions on yourself at some point?) you can prepare spells like Aid to boost yourself and your allies, and Warding Bond (Tasha’s work once again) to take some damage for an ally. (Which is almost like making them immune to damage?)

LEVEL 11 - PALADIN 6

The only reason to multiclass into Paladin as a caster would be for Aura of Protection. Seeing as your Charisma modifier is maxed out already that means that you (and your allies within 10 feet) can add +5 to all their saving throws! I really don’t think I need to explain why that’s useful: your Constitution saves are now a +11 (meaning that if you take 22 damage or less you automatically succeed the Concentration check) and even your lowest save is still a +4!

You can also prepare one last spell but I’m actually going to take this time to remind you that Paladins are prepared spellcasters. Even though you have a relatively limited amount of Paladin spells be sure to swap them around to whatever’s the most useful for your task at hand. But if you must pick up a spell Detect Magic is never bad to have?

(Artwork by Alex “alexplank” Flores. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 12 - SORCERER 6

Now that the obligatory Paladin levels are done it’s time to go back to Sorcerer. Hope your party didn’t expect you to be the support because you’re only now getting Empowered Healing to spend a Sorcery point and reroll any healing that you or an ally within 5 feet performs. I mean by total level 12 healing numbers will actually get pretty big, so this becomes a lot more useful!

But speaking of healing we’ll be getting not that but Haste instead. While you can’t use it too well (can only use it to make a weapon Attack, Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object) you can turn your allies into an avenging angel! As long as you can keep your Concentration which I mean... you have a +11 to your CON save.

LEVEL 13 - SORCERER 7

Unfortunately there’s no spell to make someone completely immune to damage for one round (while also still letting them move as normal except the 9th level spell Invulnerability that you can only cast on yourself) so we’ll just have to settle for Death Ward keeping the target you cast this on alive after reaching 0 HP. No rain of holy swords either unfortunately.

LEVEL 14 - SORCERER 8

8th level Sorcerers get an Ability Score Improvement and I think it’s about time for us to grab Metamagic Adept for 2 more Sorcery points to use on your Metamagic options like Twinned Spell to spread your wrath amongst all, and Careful Spell to avoid hurting those allied to your cause.

Speaking of AoE damage Vitriolic Sphere may do Acid damage but it’s a great recreation of the AoE damage of a high level Starfire Spellblade.

LEVEL 15 - SORCERER 9

Behold the might of 5th level spells! Remember how I was a little disappointed that you didn’t have the ability to make flaming swords rain down from the sky? Here you go: Flame Strike! Sure it basically does the damage of Fireball (and hey feel free to grab Fireball if you’re so inclined) but it has the holy flair that’s to be expected of Kayle.

If you want something more interesting than “Radiant damage Fireball” Dawn is also a good spell choice.

LEVEL 16 - SORCERER 10

10th level Sorcerers get another Metamagic option! Seeing as weve already got plenty thanks to Metamagic Adept one of the few options left is Heightened Spell to make sure your foes tremble beneath your might! You can also grab another cantrip like Prestidigitation for more generalized divine power.

And finally there’s also plenty of great spells you can take but Dispel Evil and Good probably fits Kayle the best. Now is a great time to remind everyone that you’re more than welcome to make your own Kayle, and while what I take may be “accurate” it’s not even necessarily what I’d build if I was making the character.

(Artwork by West Studio. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 11

11th level Sorcerers can finally ascend! I hope you kept your Paladin weapons because it’s time for Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise! Calling upon the power of the Upper Planes (or lower planes too I guess if you’re awful) you get:

Resistance to Radiant and Necrotic damage (which you already have. Oops.) (I mean Lower Planes would make you immune to Fire and Poison damage...)

Immunity to the Charmed condition.

A 40 foot flying speed.

+2 AC

The ability to use your Charisma to attack, meaning that you can finally swing a sword well!

And the ability to attack twice, which you already have.

And the cool part is that unlike Tenser’s Transformation you can cast spells and don’t Exhaust yourself after using this spell! If you want to finally use your Paladin levels to bright the fight to your opponents you finally have the power to do so!

LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 12

12th level Sorcerers get another Ability Score or Feat and I’m simply going to suggest the Tough feat. Even if Kayle doesn’t usually build health in League you can, and d6 hit die suck when it comes to actually surviving.

What? Did you expect another spell known? Nah fuck you lmao WoTC says no to Sorcerers having spells.

LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 13

13th level Sorcerers can learn 7th level spells and while this may seem like a copout I have none that I really want for Kayle. Pick whatever you think would be the coolest since you can make your own choices by level 19. (My personal vote for Kayle would be Fire Storm but you are kinda loading up on AoE spells.)

LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 14

Our final level is the 14th level of Divine Soul Sorcerer to finally ascend. You have Otherworldly Wings for a permanent 30 foot flying speed! You did it! You reached max level as Kayle! You’re now unstoppable!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Kneel before the light! - Your spells known go up to 7th level, and your spell slots go up to 9th. I really don’t think I have to explain that a full leveled caster is extremely powerful.

What is dark in me, I will illuminate - Even your non-spellcasting has great utility. Both your Channel Divinity options are extremely useful, and a little bit of Lay on Hands healing never hurt anyone. Not to mention your Aasimar transformation providing a flat +20 to damage every turn while it’s active!

I am your salvation! - Even if you aren’t running up in melee range Paladin levels do help a ton for staying alive. +5 to all saves is no joke, especially when it means that your Concentration save sits at a whopping +13! (You have to take more than 26 damage to even have a chance at failing your Concentration check!)

CONS

Why have we wings, sister, if not to fly? - You’d think a high Charisma would at least make you good at socializing but... no you’re not even that. Proficiency in the “mean” Charisma skills and mediocre ability scores in everything other than Charisma means you’ll contribute very little other than divine wrath.

Wings of Immortal Flame, lift me from mortal temptation! - How much flight is too much flight? Between your Radiant Soul, Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise, and you know... the Fly spell you have quite a lot of ways to take to the skies which all become near-completely redundant by level 20.

Celestial justice, guide my blade - Ironically enough one of the biggest issues with this build is how long it takes to get online. The Paladin dip may keep you safe but it’s not making you stronger, and I doubt you’ll be sitting beside your friends like a support. If you don’t mind praying to darker powers Genie Warlock is actually a great choice to get considerably more damage (and “attack speed!”) with Eldritch Blast and easily accessible flight by level 6 in Warlock. (Celestial Warlock also exists if you want more healing utility and want to stay in flavor.)

Of course weakness is something to shed as you come closer to divinity, but remember that even if mortality makes you weak mortals are not. Your allies will fight by your side and its your duty to protect them, as they shall no doubt protect you. Treat them with respect and vanquish evil together! Because no one likes a lawful stupid top laner.

(Artwork by Atey Ghailan. Made for Riot Games.)

#dnd #dnd 5e #dnd build #dnd guide #League of Legends #League of Legends Kayle #angel #avenging #avenging angel #light #wrath #dnd sorcerer #dnd paladin #Pentakill

14 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Midnight Mass: It’s Time to Talk About That Monstrous Twist

https://ift.tt/39I2zkp

This article contains huge spoilers for Midnight Mass. So help me God if you read this without watching the series first…

The version of Midnight Mass that Netflix advertised still would have made for a compelling horror series.

An isolated, insular island community? Great. A young, charismatic preacher suddenly coming to town to shake things up? Perfect. That preacher proving capable of performing minor miracles? Love it, no notes!

Of course, as viewers who have watched at least four episodes of the seven-episode series now know, Midnight Mass has one extra supernatural twist in mind that elevates an already interesting story to true mind-blowing status. Critics were understandably asked to keep this aspect of the show a secret before it premiered. So please indulge me as I finally slay these embargo demons and get it off my chest.

Vampires. Vampires! V-A-M-P-I-R-E-S. VAMPIRES! VAMPIRES VAMPIRES VAMPIRES! Literally like Dracula. And Nosferatu. Anne Rice’s Lestat. Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot. Vampires. VAMPIRES, BRO, VAMPIRES.

For creator Mike Flanagan, a filmmaker influenced by all manner of classic horror, bringing the fanged bloodsuckers to life was a long time coming.

“My favorite vampire movie is (Werner) Herzog’s Nosferatu,” Flanagan told Den of Geek and other outlets prior to the premiere of Midnight Mass. “That film is the vampire story as high art. I also adore From Dusk Till Dawn. I read Dracula young enough for it to really burrow in for me. And I read ‘Salem’s Lot early enough to color an enormous amount of work that I’ll do for the rest of my life.”

Midnight Mass’s depiction of the mythological undead beast and how it can neatly fit into Christian dogma is one of the most satisfying horror twists in years. Now that the truth is out, let’s discuss Midnight Mass and how it conflates vampires and biblical angels.

Mistaking a Vampire for an Angel

The interesting thing about Midnight Mass is that it clearly takes place in a universe where the average person has no knowledge of what a vampire is. Even Sarah Gunning (Annabeth Gish), arguably the most well-read person on Crockett Island, has to do some research into “porphyria cutanea tarda” (a.k.a. the real life “vampire disease”). This is similar to The Walking Dead’s approach to zombies, in which the “z” word and George A. Romero’s name are never spoken. This strategy in Midnight Mass allows for a truly fascinating case of mistaken identity.

While viewers immediately know that the creature Monsignor John Pruitt (Hamish Linklater) encounters is a vampire, he believes it to be an angel. Given how studied Pruitt is in the Bible and Cathloic theology, it’s entirely understandable why he would think a tall, muscular, bald-headed beast with fangs and leathery wings is an angel. As it turns out, the angels of the Old Testament can be truly terrifying.

Not all angels are soft-featured human-like creatures with fluffy white bird wings. Some, like Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones are designed to intimidate God’s enemies. In the New Testament’s Book of Luke, an angel visits Zechariah and immediately asks him to “be not afraid” because the angel can see the poor guy absolutely shaking in his boots upon his arrival. Angels being terrifying is even something of an Internet meme, with users contrasting the phrase “be not afraid” with images of truly monstrous beasts.

Not only does Pruitt’s vampire have the vague appearance of an angel, it also apparently holds the secrets to eternal life as promised in the Bible. By merely drinking some of the “angel’s” blood, a good Christian can live forever just like God says. Does that blood-drinking sacrament sound familiar? It did to Mike Flanagan.

“In Bible school I used to say ‘if the wine turns into Jesus’s blood literally and we’re drinking it so that we can live forever … that seems like a short leap to vampiric myth.’”

Of course, drinking the angel’s fluids in the case of Midnight Mass also leads to some unwanted side effects like a thirst for blood and extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Thankfully, good ol’ Bev Keane always has a Bible quote ready to go for that. When read through the proper perspective, the Holy Bible may as well be the original vampire story.

The Rules of Vampirism

“The thing that I love about the vampire as a cinematic tool is how malleable it is,” Flanagan says. “We all agree that there is no canon. There are no rules. In fact, part of the joy is seeing what rules people cherry pick as they approach a vampire story.”

All depictions of vampires are indeed quite different. Vampires can range from the classic Stoker-ian monster to Twilight’s nigh-invulnerable sparkle bois. Midnight Mass’s version of the vampire leans towards the classic, albeit with some tweaks. In terms of appearance, The Angel (as we will be calling Midnight Mass’s O.G. vampire for simplicity’s sake) has a more bestial look like Nosferatu rather than an aristocratic one like Count Dracula or Anne Rice’s creations.

“We winked at (Nosferatu the Vampyr actor) Klaus Kinski a few times when we designed our guy,” Flanagan says.

Though the Angel resembles Nosferatu in appearance, its vulnerabilities owe more to Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles. Religious iconography does not appear to hurt the Angel nor its thralls. Traditional human weapons like bullets or blades also do no harm (at least not mortally). These vampires are, however, tremendously susceptible to both fire and sunlight. Exposure to the latter for even a few seconds is enough to kill the Angel and his many acolytes.

Why Midnight Mass is Mike Flanagan’s Most Personal Work

By Alec Bojalad

Midnight Mass Cast: Previous Credits From Hill House to Bly Manor, Legion & Sherlock

By Louisa Mellor

Like in Rice’s works as well, the path to creating a new vampire is quite simple. Step 1: Drink its blood. Step 2: Die. In Dracula and ‘Salem’s Lot, the method of vampire creation is merely being bit by one, zombie-style. Rice and Flanagan’s approach is quite a bit more intentional and interesting. It also opens the door for perhaps Midnight Mass’s most ingenious storytelling quirk: communion. John Pruitt is able to get nearly the entirety of Crockett Island to become a vampire by spiking the communion wine with his buddy’s blood. Then, all that remains is for them to poison themselves to death, Jonestown-style.

The mass “resurrection” scene in which the congregation awakes as their new vampire selves also provides some insight to just how hard it is to contain the vampire’s overwhelming hunger. Riley Flynn was able to resist it when he turned because John Pruitt babysat him like a psychedelic mushroom guide. The plan for the rest of the congregation was to have their babysitters as well but that didn’t quite work out. Still, Riley’s dad Ed makes it clear to his wife Annie, that even if it’s hard to resist the call for blood, it’s not impossible.

“When I saw them at the church, I thought it was something they really couldn’t help. Like something impossible not to do. But it isn’t, Annie,” he says.

Maybe if more vampires were like Ed Flynn, a whole island full of vampires wouldn’t be too bad of a thing in the first place.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

How to Defeat a Vampire

While every vampire story presents its own unique take on the creature, the answer on how to defeat a vampire is usually the same: by doing it together.

“We poor humans only have so much that we can give,” Flanagan says. “We’re ill-equipped as individuals to make any kind of meaningful stand. The only way evil in the world can be brought down is through collective effort. That’s something Stoker understands inherently. It’s clearly something King understands.”

Alongside the aforementioned Bram Stoker and Stephen King, Flanagan presents a small team of humans at story’s end who will do what it takes to defeat evil, even if it means dying in the process. Erin Greene (Kate Siegel), Dr. Sarah Gunning, Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli), Annie Flynn (Kristin Lehman), Warren Flynn (Igby Rigney), and Leeza Scarborough (Annarah Cymone) are the six residents of Crockett Island brave enough to try to take down the Angel. All but two (Warren and Leeza) die. They do succeed in eliminating the immediate threat on Crockett Island but it’s possible the Angel made it away to suck blood another day, damaged wings and all.

What’s interesting about Midnight Mass’s “final crew” is that six appears to be the magic number when it comes to taking down a vampire. Stoker’s Dracula has six heroes: Jonathan Harker, Mina Harker nèe Murray, Arthur Holmwood (Lord Godalming), John Seward, Quincey Morris, and Abraham Van Helsing (of which, only poor American cowboy Quincey Morris dies). King’s ‘Salem’s Lot also has six: Ben Mears, Matt Burke, Susan Norton, Mark Petrie, Jimmy Cody, and Father Callahan (of which, decidedly more than one of them die). This strange bit of arithmancy is something we asked Flanagan about.

“The number was certainly not intentional,” he says. “Once it was clear that Riley was not going to be carrying the torch to the end it really was about asking ‘who are the characters who seem in the very beginning to be at a disadvantage and how do we empower them in the end?’ This was gonna be played out by Sarah Gunning, Sheriff Hassan, and everyone else who would get to just give a little piece.”

Considering that Erin and company were outnumbered about 117 to six, it was a pretty good showing for Crockett Island’s last humans standing.

All seven episodes of Midnight Mass are available to stream on Netflix now.

The post Midnight Mass: It’s Time to Talk About That Monstrous Twist appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3CPaitL

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

7 notes · View notes

pettyprocrastination · 4 years

Note

hello my lovely tj, i would like to request some headcanons for incubus!ezra please!

YES YOU CAN MY BABEY!!! It’s spooky night so Honestly if yall wanna talk about incubus!Ezra or ANY of the spook prompts (which YES im still going to write them i KNOW it wont be october but who cares) Lets get INTO IT ALSO HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY BABY ILY AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOURSELF.

For those who are wondering, these headcanons surround an au of mine, in which ezra is an incubus who finds himself entangled with a nun who calls onto him and foolishly falls in love. It is called The Devil Beckons (And I Must Heed His Call) and the first chapter is here

Before ezra died, he lived during the 1600’s, more specifically during the Salem witch trials. Even before his death and becoming a demon, he was a man of charm and poetry. Spouting sweet words during a secret romance that eventually cost him his life.

His white streak of hair is a mark he didn’t have when he was alive. It’s sort of a Devil’s mark. One he got after his death and being reborn as an incubus.

Ezra can shapeshift. Something many and if not all demons do, to make themselves appear more intimidating or inviting, depending on what the situation calls for. During the day if he doesn’t want to go out in his human form, he’ll usually take the form of a black cat, a stray with a white streak in it’s fur that walks as if it were a purebred. And if a cat matching that same description often find itself lounging at the window of his favorite little nun to listen to her speak about the “wickedly beautiful” man in her life while she rubs the cat’s fur and he purrs for her? Well that’s simply a coincidence.

Ezra has both arms in this au. Though originally he did lose his right arm in a very traumatic experience shortly before his death. Being reborn as a demon gave him powers, one of which comes with a new limb. His right arm is now a collection of solidified shadow, pitch black and clawed with wisps moving along it as if it were made of the wind. But if you were to touch it, you would find that it was solid and extremely soft against your skin.

Ezra feeds off of sexual encounters through one’s dreams. Though physical sex can also work. He finds it easier to simply enter your dream and let your secret desires take over before he vanishes in the morning so he may rest, before the night comes again and he seeks out another lover who’s desires he can expose.

Halloween makes Ezra (like many demons) different. He’s unhinged, less in control and could be described as downright feral. While one person a night is more than enough to satiate him, on the night of All Hallows Eve he jumps from person to person, filling their desires in the most filthy and carnal way possible. He doesn’t stop until the sun begins to rise the next day to which he then sleeps for two days straight after.

He always feels drained after Halloween, often empty and solemn.

Halloween always reminds him of the ghost stories his father used to tell him after tending to the crops, the way he’d paint such vivid images for his children before sending them off to bed with a comforting smile.

“I would never let anything bad happen to the two of you.”

His father stopped telling ghost stories when the church became more overbearing and would whisper of them being people of the devil.

After he lost his father and sister to influenza, he left in search of another settlement.

When he found one, he ignored the whispers of the men and judgmental stares of the women. He told his ghost stories at length, and would read the palms of anybody who allowed him.

Which is how he met Elizabeth.

She was a married woman, who unlike the others that stared and whispered harsh words pointed at his lack of a wife and his “Godless games.” She was one who offered out her palm for him to tell her of her fortune.

Ezra found himself entranced as he trailed his fingers along the lines of her palm, he wanted to see more of her, feel more of her.

And he did. Anytime her husband wasn’t looking, he was there. Reciting poetry that hadn’t yet been written about her smile, her skin, her voice.

He would sing praises as they made love, of how he wasn’t sure whether she was an angel sent to save him, or a demon leading him to damnation.

“Either way, I will happily be the sheep for you to Sheppard.”

But he soon learned. She wasn’t an angel nor a demon. She was a human. A selfish woman who would throw an accusation, a black card of death into the lap of an innocent man if it meant keeping her “virtue” in tact.

Selfish. Deceitful. Vain. Just like all humans.

Ezra was fine jumping from host to host each night, he found solace in giving them a pleasure they’d never be able to obtain with anybody esle before he left to find a new one.

In all of the centuries since he’d been reborn, he had never visited another person again. Never again to show them that mind-numbing pleasure a second time for them to enjoy.

Until he met you. A curious little lamb who’s hunger for knowledge of the world she lived in and the one Ezra came from, the world of fire and brimstone was only a touch stronger than that of her faith in the Holy Father whose believers killed him four hundred years ago.

So he would entertain that curiosity. Showing you things about the world and things about yourself that you never knew, before his interest in you dissipates and he leaves you for the rest of your short miserable little mortal life.

At least, that was his intention at first.

If you guys want to send in spooky requests for any fics or headcanons PLEASE DO!!!! I’m gonna be awake for a while and i’d love to get into the halloween spirit with you all!!!!!

#ask #asks #TDBAIMHHC #tdbaimhhc inspo #Ezra #ezra prospect #ezra x reader #incubus!ezra #incubus ezra #i love love love this au its v special to me KDKSKSK

131 notes · View notes

shadowgeist-stars · 3 years

Text

Vitam et Mortem: Divine Pride

A small gift for Pride Month before June ends. I probably should've come up with this earlier, but hey, I hope you enjoy it regardless.

Bridget had wanted to show Emily her new favorite part of June for years since they first began. After all the time they spent together for the last five or six centuries, she found it quite fun to introduce the otherwise reclusive Mother Nature to all the things she otherwise ignored among the mortals.

But this particular celebration wasn't just a joyous occasion for herself. Many lost spirits and even deities from all over the world rejoiced at the celebration of their own way of love and life.

From the gods of ancient Mesopotamia, to the far-flung rainbow serpents of Australia, to the hidden deities in China and Japan, to Bridget's own neighboring Loas and other divine friends in the Americas. The jubilee expressed by the immortals could only be matched, let alone surpassed, by that of the humans. Finally, all of the unfortunate people who lost themselves for the sake of their own hearts wouldn't have died in vain. All of the poor children close to that edge had something to look forward to.

"Come on, Emily, it's this way!" she called, leading her companion by the hand. "I promise you'll love it!"

Mother Nature chuckled, following the winged girl as quickly as she could. "This is the most excited I've seen you in the past few centuries. Have you met another holiday spirit?"

Bridget shrugged. "Not exactly. But I think you'll especially love it. It can't be much further now."

They stopped when they reached a crowd of people down the road.

Marching through the street was a parade of celebration. Flags of many bright color combinations littered the area. Some were blue, purple and pink. Some were pastel pink and blue and white. But a great many of the flags and all-encompassing banners -- and there were so, so many of them -- were all the colors of the rainbow.

"Bridget, my dear… what on Earth is this?"

Before her eyes, the rainbow painted itself over Bridget's otherwise black cloak. Strips of each color encircled her long cloak in luminous, vibrant hues. Shades of deep bright pink and fiery red orange sought out her shoulder cape, imitating one of the proudly-waving flags in the parade with black between each stripe. Emily soon learned exactly what it meant, as many couples in the parade embraced one another without fear or shame.

"It's a celebration of people like us," the redhead explained, no less than sheer jubilee on her face. "You once showed me how many animals are able to love in the same way we do. And according to the older gods, mortals who were the same way never had such a chance to be themselves since before the Dark Ages. Now that they have that chance again… isn't it beautiful?"

Emily did remember showing her all that. From birds of all kinds to various cats and other mammals to even insects and fish, and a whole lot more. The colors around her and the light in Bridget's eyes and all over her cloak… it truly was a sight to behold.

"It's wonderful," she replied simply. "Absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen anything like it."

They joined the parade like it was the most natural thing in the world. Following families and children greeted the two, as did many more immortals who began to appear. The children were laughing and dancing together with the other immortals, sporting their own flags.

"Lovely day for a parade, ladies," greeted a man in a multicolored tribal outfit framed with various flowers. "I'm certain I saw someone handing out Sapphic flags. Just watch for the usual, ahem… intruders."

"Thanks so much, Xochipilli," Bridget thanked the stranger. "I'm sure Emily would love that."

He smiled. "Never thought I'd see the day that the infamous Mother Nature would appear here. I'll tell the others; all of your Loa friends are bound to be nearby, and they'll love hearing about this."

Emily was confused by the names. "Who was he talking about?"

"My Voodoo-related associates," Bridget explained. "Many of them like both men and women, so they'll almost definitely be sporting pink-purple-and-blue flags like those over there. Though it takes a trained eye to know who’s who with the outfits they wear.

“Xochipilli is Aztec, and one of the few gods in that group with a decent amount of common sense. Back in his hayday, he was the god of games, the arts, and flowers, as well as the patron of people like a lot of the mortals here. Really nice guy, but I wish I could say the same about some of his friends.”

Emily chuckled. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Are there others like the ones you mentioned?”

The redhead nodded. “Lots of others, all over the world. They’re all probably having a blast at parades on their home turf just like this one. Oh look, there’s the flag Xochi was talking about!”

The flag in question was actually quite darling. It had two pastel pink stripes around one that was white, with a pretty little violet directly in the center. The person beside the girl handing such flags out was handing out flowers of all kinds.

Bridget went for the flower person, taking a violet before flying up to plant it above Emily’s ear, adding on a kiss on the cheek.

The swell of warmth in her chest from the gesture caused the violet to spread into a crown on her head.

The Grim Reaper giggled. “Now it looks even prettier. It suits you!”

Emily sighed at her reaction, but eventually couldn’t help a smile. At least until she noticed the white-robed and white-winged people hovering above a different crowd. They glared at the celebration as they stood guard over the yelling people holding some… rather rude signs.

Her beloved noticed her expression. “What’s wrong?” Bridget followed her gaze, lifting off the ground a little for a better view.

Angels. And a whole lot of their own downline.

“Oh, for the love of vultures…” she muttered under her breath as she pulled her scythe out of her shadow. “Ignore them, Em. They should know by now that they can’t do much of anything without getting people upset.”

“Is that… normal of them?” asked the dark-haired woman.

“Very,” the redhead replied with a sigh, leading Emily away from the protestors. “Their minions love to say that living the way we do isn’t natural and that it’s corrupting their children. All because they like to listen to the one who commands those angels. We just call them the usual intruders. I think I’ve already told you how troublesome they are to my fellow death spirits.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.” She noticed how the blade of Bridget’s scythe shined with iridescent colors. “Hm, even your weapon appears to have gotten into the spirit of the celebration.”

“There’s a reason for that, actually.” With a snap of her fingers, Bridget unveiled a slew of visiting wandering souls in the broad daylight. So many of them floated around in groups, like the other immortals in the parade had called them here. Many bore dark scars that only occurred among souls who sought their own destruction in life. “These are all of the people in just this area who lived the same way as all of these mortals, in worlds that didn’t allow them, or hearts that no longer wanted to beat.”

Emily gazed upon each spirit, seeing the joy and peace on each and every spectral face in the procession. “This is far more than the joy of the living... it’s also a comfort for the dead.”

Bridget could see the angels daringly lean towards the ghosts from above their followers, and firmly tapped her scythe against the ground. All of the ghosts turned their attention to the Reaper, and to those she glared at. The protesters faltered, as if perhaps they had seen her standing there. Either way, they knew better than to test an emissary of death with her albeit passive army, so she’d count that much as a win. So did the ghosts, who peacefully returned to their own mingling.

Fingers found their way into soft, owlish feathers. “Where did you learn that trick?”

Bridget’s smile returned with a chuckle. “The Valkyries have shown me how they command their soldiers a few times. Angels are a pretty popular overarching reason as to why the ghosts around here have perished. It's just a matter of setting off the alarm. They know better than to trust what killed them."

A couple of the children seemed more than a bit intimidated by the parade's protesters, regardless of their dropping momentum. "Come with me, Em. Forget the angels and their little friends. This is a time for celebration."

Mother Nature was quite willing to comply, her leaf-bearing winds gently guiding the children away from the scary people like large, caring hands. As they went on with the parade, the two eventually grew more cheerful again. More immortals dropped by to meet them, such as Nibo, one of the Loas Bridget mentioned earlier; Oua Oua, a higher-ranking Loa who led the children, also said hello. Several "Voodoo" figures made appearances, really, and all of them offered nothing but coos and congratulations.

It certainly made it a far more lively experience than Burning Man, where they usually wandered about largely unseen. But oddly enough, it wasn't quite unpleasant. Emily enjoyed meeting so many wonderful divine friends. Seeing Bridget's multicolored stripes grow brighter, and her hair shining in the sun like fire, against eyes so pale silver in the daylight they almost looked pure white, was a simply mesmerizing experience.

Near the end of the parade, Emily had discovered a work of art made entirely from flowers; an entire wall of words shaped with roses of every color. Red, orange, yellow, green, even blue and purple. She used her power to grow out a bouquet of separate lavender roses, with a little help from Xochipilli. After which she gently wove each flower into Bridget's lovely wings and hair, pale and beautiful against her bright red locks and dark gold feathers. Bridget was delighted at the gift; something she knew Emily would most certainly do.

"Now you look even prettier,” she said warmly, parroting the reaper's words. “It suits you.”

The look she got in response was so full of affection… Emily could feel it taking something else from her chest aside from her breath. Bridget floated to her eye level, cupping the taller spirit's face between her hands.

"I think you deserve a thank-you for it."

With that, she leaned in for a kiss.

Emily’s heart filled with a familiar, welcoming fire at the soft and warm touch of Bridget’s lips, yet entirely new and exciting. A wild and joyful tune, yet sung in the tone of a lullaby. Miniature earthquakes rattled through her body, and she felt like she was floating. Her hands started flexing and lifting up on instinct, until they dug into the soft down between the reaper’s shoulders, pulling her closer. The flower-decorated wings swung low, the ends of the joints resting on her sides.

A moment meant to last forever.

“Ah, young love. Truly a beautiful thing.”

“It’s like something straight out of those romantic fairy tales.”

The two voices startled the two from their reverie. Bridget sank to the ground with a face as red as her hair; given the fiery heat that went from her heart to her face, Emily probably wasn’t much better.

“Lundy! Limba! You ruined the moment!” scolded Èrzulie Dantòr, batting the two men away with dark-skinned hands. “Out, out, and away, boys, before you ruin their mood any more! Shoo!”

Bridget giggled at the sight of the Loas. “I take it you enjoyed that, Emily?”

Mother Nature cleared her throat, smiling down at her sheepishly. “I suppose I did. Though I… can’t say I expected to… Will there be other parades like this in the future?”

“Of course!” She took her hand as they prepared to return to the realm they shared. “It’s an entire month out of every year that celebrations just like this will occur. Why? Do you want to go to another one?”

Emily chuckled, mustering the courage to kiss the top of her head. “Perhaps…”

To see such colors like those still lingering on the Grim Reaper’s cloak… To feel such childlike glee she hadn’t experienced in millennia… Mother Nature could hardly wait for the next adventure outside of her fog.

#pride 2021 #pride month #rise of the guardians #emily jane pitchiner #grim reaper #mother nature #rotg oc #lgbt history #wlw #sapphic

3 notes · View notes

bytheangell · 4 years

Text

If Yesterday’s Too Heavy, Put It Down (5/5)

(Read Chapter 5 on AO3) (Read from the beginning on AO3)

Andrew knows he can’t keep this secret any longer. Alec warned him that he and Magnus needed to make things public about his own future now that he’s starting to get offers from the Council for positions in Alicante, and there’s no way to talk about how it happened without them finding out Alec isn’t the only one affected. Which is fine - Andrew doesn’t blame him, and honestly, Alec kept this quiet for him much longer than he reasonably could’ve hoped for. It’s just… time.

Andrew hasn’t managed it quite yet, however, and he wonders if he lost his chance when he gets a call from Lorenzo asking him to come by his house because there’s something he wants to discuss with him.

This is it, Andrew thinks. The ‘we need to talk’ talk. His heart sinks as he says he’s free later that night to swing by, trying not to let the surge of panic he feels show in his voice.

“Should I be worried?” Andrew asks, greeting Lorenzo with a quick kiss when he arrives at the warlock’s home after his shift at the Institute.

“No,” Lorenzo says quickly. Too quickly, Andrew thinks. “I just have something I need to tell you, and before I do, I want you to know that I have no expectations for your reaction. However you feel, whatever you want to do, I completely understand.”

“Now I’m definitely worried,” Andrew says, and though he gives a short laugh there’s a nervous edge to the sound.

“These past few months have been… well, they’ve been wonderful. The best I’ve had in decades, if I’m being honest, and that’s in no small part because of you, Andrew.” Lorenzo’s tone is fond, his smile soft.

“Me too,” Andrew agrees, though his own smile is too tense. “Well, not the ‘decades’ part, but… you know what I mean.”

Lorenzo laughs a little at that. “I do,” he says. “Which is why I need to be honest with you. This, us, is new for me. Before now I’ve spent a lot of time leaving when things get too serious and keeping people at arm’s length. It isn’t that I didn’t care, but that I was too afraid of losing them later, and somewhere along the line I decided it was easier to not keep anyone around to lose.”

“Lorenzo…” Andrew starts slowly. “Are you breaking up with me?”

Lorenzo’s eyes widen in a mixture of surprise and horror. “No! Though I can see why you’d think that, I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I?” he shakes his head. “But no. Quite the opposite, actually.”

Andrew waits, not daring to hope that means what Andrew thinks it means until the words leave Lorenzo’s mouth.

“I love you, Andrew,” Lorenzo speaks the words and then smiles - no, he practically beams with the admission. “And I know there are things we haven’t talked about that we probably should - things like my immortality, and what a future for us might look like if you want one - but they’re discussions I want to have because I want to give us a fighting chance. I.. I want to let you in.”

There’s a relief in Lorenzo’s words as he finishes that’s nearly palpable, and Andrew can see the look of vulnerability behind his usually stoic and confident dark brown eyes.

Andrew is also positive that the guilt on his own expression has to be obvious with how strongly he feels it. Here’s Lorenzo, bearing his soul to him about being honest and unguarded and letting him in, and Andrew’s been keeping a life-altering secret from him for months now.

There’s no denying that this is it - this is his moment.

Andrew knows that by keeping this a secret for so long runs the risk of Lorenzo getting angry at him for not telling him sooner. He knows that the secret itself is more than Andrew would ever expect anyone to have to deal with, let alone someone he met less than a year ago. The number of things that can go wrong with this conversation far outweighs the number of things that might go well, and Andrew mentally prepares himself for the worst.

But Lorenzo loves him. Lorenzo loves him, and he wants to be with him, and that’s all Andrew ever wanted to be certain of in all of this. Knowing that Lorenzo wants to choose him, that he loves him, gives him hope that this might be okay.

“I love you too,” Andrew says, because it’s true and because he wants to make sure he gets to say it at least once if this all goes south. “And I want a future with you, too. By the angel, I’m not sure there’s anything I want more,” he says, the words spilling out of him in a breathy laugh. “But there’s something I have to tell you, first.”

At the start of Andrew’s reply, Lorenzo’s face is nothing but joy, but now his smile falters before dropping entirely.

“What is it?” Lorenzo asks, suddenly guarded.

“Do you remember a few months ago, when you needed help banishing the demon those young warlocks summoned?” Andrew starts.

Lorenzo nods, and Andrew continues quickly, knowing that if he stops now he’s never going to follow through with the decision to just say it and get it over with.

“Do you remember at the end, when it said something and knocked Alec and me out of the circle?”

Lorenzo nods again.

“It cursed us. Alec and I. It-” Andrew swallows thickly, the words catching in a lump in his throat. “It made us immortal.”

There’s a long silence then, one where neither of them says a word while Lorenzo searches his expression for any sign that this isn’t exactly what Andrew’s saying it is.

“It made you…” Lorenzo starts, but his words trail off as he shakes his head. “No, that can’t be possible.”

Andrew can’t help the laugh that escapes his lips. “That’s what I said when we first found out,” he admits. “I wouldn’t accept it for a long time. I had them look for cures, a way to counter it, but it’s looking pretty permanent.”

A look of dawning realization crosses Lorenzo’s face as Andrew’s words process.

“Who looked for a counter? Who already knows?” Lorenzo asks. He looks like he doesn’t want to, like he might want to take the question back, except he doesn’t and it hangs heavy between them.

“Isabelle figured it out when she ran some tests. Alec told Magnus right away, and he had Catarina check on us to make sure nothing was, you know, wrong, besides the lack of aging,” Andrew says and bites down on his lip when Lorenzo visibly tenses.

“I see,” Lorenzo says. There’s anger there but Andrew isn’t sure if it’s aimed more at him or at the others. Probably both.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Ren. Don’t be too upset with the others, they wanted me to tell you from the start, and I made them promise not to.”

Now the anger is absolutely aimed at him.

“Why?” Andrew is surprised at how calm and even Lorenzo’s voice is when he asks.

“Because our relationship was still so new, and I was afraid if you found out that you’d, I dunno, feel obligated to stay with me out of guilt.” It sounds a little silly to admit now, knowing that Lorenzo truly loves him. “I wanted to give it more time… and then I gave it too much time, and it never felt like the right moment to bring it up. Now I’m realizing there’s a bigger problem I didn’t think of before now.” Andrew stills and pales slightly.

“And what might that be?” Lorenzo looks as if he’s fighting the urge to reach out and comfort Andrew in his sudden distress.

“What if part of why we work so well is because it’s temporary? You said it yourself - you like to move away and move on. You wanted to stay thinking it’d be the length of a normal mortal life, a drop in the bucket for you. But if I’m not going to age…”

“You think I won’t want more time with the man I love?” Lorenzo scoffs. “That I wouldn’t be thrilled at the prospect of more years than I dared to hope for?”

Andrew’s breath catches in his chest. “...are you?”

All the tension bleeds out of Lorenzo at once. “I am. Of course I am, Andrew. I can’t say it’s anything I expected to face in our relationship, but I’d much rather face the idea of too much time with you than not nearly enough.”

Andrew winces instinctively at ‘too much time’, which is something he was afraid of but tries to control his reaction before Lorenzo notices. He isn’t fast enough.

“That isn’t- I didn’t mean-” Lorenzo stumbles over his words but this time he does reach out and take Andrew’s hands in his own, giving them a comforting squeeze. “I just mean that as much as I was willing to work through the idea of you growing old and dying, I’m just as willing to work through the idea of you living forever.”

“But what if we… what if you get tired of me? Or I get tired of you, and-” the words come spilling out, as if now that he’s started talking about everything he kept in his head the past few months he can’t stop.

“Andrew,” Lorenzo says softly, cutting off his rambling. “Not all love between immortals lasts forever. I’m not saying it can’t be, but it’s very rare. People drift apart over time, it’s only natural. But just because something might not last forever doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it while you have it, or that it’s diminished by what might come to pass later.”

Something settles in Andrew at those words. Before now everything felt very all-or-nothing. All of his fears over Lorenzo’s reaction were built around this assumption that if they stayed together after he found out it would be with the very intimidating and looming idea of forever that now makes up Andrew’s life.

Andrew’s immortality changes things, but not in the immediately permanent sense he had built up in his mind before now. It doesn’t have to be forever or nothing, and for Andrew’s fears that makes all the difference.

“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Andrew admits, his previous panic faded as he considers this new point of view. A point of view he could’ve considered weeks ago had he come to Lorenzo from the start.

“I know this isn’t something you wanted,” Lorenzo continues, all the while his hands never leaving Andrew’s. “Immortality is far more of a burden than a blessing, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s your life now. And as long as we’re together, then we tackle those issues together.”

Lorenzo pauses again. “At least, we should be tackling those issues together. But I can’t do that if I don’t know about them. You shouldn’t have shouldered this alone for so long, Andrew. You should’ve let me help you.”

Andrew looks down at his feet, unable to meet Lorenzo’s gaze. He’s right. How long has Andrew seemed distant or distracted, weighed down and evasive? How can he ask forgiveness for doing the very thing Lorenzo just admitted he wanted to avoid: being afraid, closing himself off, and keeping others at arm’s length?

“But I understand why you did it,” Lorenzo adds, almost reluctantly. “I don’t like it, or agree with it, but I understand it.”

It’s enough to pull Andrew’s attention back up to Lorenzo’s face, to see how hard he’s trying to be the rock he knows Andrew needs in this moment, and Andrew’s never felt more adoration for anyone in his entire life than he does for Lorenzo right now, watching him put away all of his personal reservations to simply be here for Andrew.

“I’m sorry,” Andrew repeats. He doesn’t think he can say it enough times, but he’s going to try.

“You should be,” Lorenzo says, and Andrew tenses before he sees the corners of Lorenzo’s lips twitch. “You could’ve spared me a rather embarrassing conversation with Magnus about my feelings.”

Andrew’s eyes widen in surprise at that, picking up the hint of humor behind the annoyance, and then he laughs. He knows he shouldn’t but he can’t help it. Lorenzo looks caught off guard by the sudden sound for just a moment before he’s laughing, too.

“We’re going to be okay, aren’t we?” Andrew asks when they both settle once more. He wonders if Lorenzo can hear the questions hidden behind that one: I didn’t wait too long, did I? I didn’t lose your trust forever, did I? I haven’t lost the love I only just gained, have I?

“I believe we’re going to be just fine,” Lorenzo reassures him. “We have a lot to discuss, but I think we’ve covered more than enough for one night, don’t you? What do you say to leftovers and turning in early?”

It’s like Lorenzo can read his mind - or perhaps he can simply read the way Andrew’s entire body seems to slump with relief, the tension he held before his admission finally gone. They’re still standing in the foyer and Andrew is suddenly aware of just how weary he feels after everything - he couldn’t eat all day before this, and the admissions themselves were so emotionally taxing that all he wants to do is collapse into bed with Lorenzo curled around him.

Andrew nods in agreement and just like that the topic is put on pause as Lorenzo sets about taking care of what Andrew needs right now.

They stick to their agreement to save any more discussion until tomorrow, and the night passes by so easily that Andrew almost forgets the confessions that brought them here, to a quiet dinner and a warm bath and under silk sheets all before 9:00.

For the first time since it happened, laying with Lorenzo’s arm draped over him and warm, steady breathing against the back of his neck, Andrew finds his mind peaceful enough to fall into the first of many easy sleeps.

The days won’t all end this painlessly, he knows, and there are bound to be fights and disagreements and heated debates. It isn’t going to be easy, but all it takes is the soft press of Lorenzo’s lips against his shoulder for Andrew to remember that he isn’t in this alone, at least not for now.

And for now, that’s all he needs.

#lorenzo rey #andrew underhill #reyhill #shadowhunters #it's finally complete! <3 #i really enjoyed this one and I hope everyone else did too #elle writes a few deadbeat lines #long post #elle talks too much

17 notes · View notes

chaoticneutralwriter · 5 years

Text

Twice Fallen

I implore thy loving kindness,

that even as thou didst stand beside thy dear Son as He hung upon the Cross,

so wilt thou also stand by me,

a poor sinner?

guardian demon! Jimin x reader

word count: 6.2k (the longest 6.2k of my life)

genre: angst, romance, comedy, supernatural, drama, slow-burn

Related Works: See Masterlist under Guardian Demon!Jimin

A/N: There’s a lot of Catholicism and religious things going on because well... Angels and demons LOL This is all a work of fiction inspired from real places so that’s my disclaimer here. Also it’s like...half edited xD Other than that....NAE PI TTAM NUNMUL

As the days went on, you become more riddled with an anxiousness that had overtaken every nerve in your body as a multitude of thoughts swirl around your head like an endless whirlpool. First and foremost of course, was the fact that you had exactly five days before you and your friend were due to fly out to attend the BTS concert. That alone was enough to put you in a loop, it had made you so restless that you had gone out of your way to ask co-workers if they could cover your shift — a needless attempt; you knew you were only trying to trick yourself into thinking those were your only first world problems. You shouldn’t have been as surprised when Emily had told you she had already agreed to take your shift once you came around to asking her.

“You asked me that like last week.” She had laughed good-naturedly, patting you on the shoulder in a sympathetic way. “Now I really think you need those days off if you’re starting to lose your memory like this.”

You really don’t have any memory of this though.

But it wasn’t hard to recall Jimin’s words of him promising you that he would make this trip work, no matter what. Not that you had doubted his abilities, but it’s never like you to leave everything up to one person (supernatural or not); you blame the many botched group projects in college you’ve been through for that. More so, you have come to realize, is that a small part of you had done it in hopes of being able to do something for Jimin that would repay even a fraction of what he’s doing for you. This was probably a small, insignificant thing in comparison but it was something you had some semblance of control over that didn’t necessarily require any otherworldly intervention. You should’ve known it was a losing battle from the start.

With that being said, any thoughts of the aforementioned guardian demon these days automatically leads you back to the conversation you had with Jungkook. It hasn’t faded since those three days ago, merely sitting on the back of your mind and only growing in size. You catch yourself spacing out a few times just thinking about all sorts of things that involve him.

Like maybe — actually — giving up your soul to him.

….Yeah that was quite the conclusion you came to but you can almost pin point the exact moment when you did. It came to you when you had spilled your guts about Jimin to Jungkook on that rooftop garden; never having been able to put into words your honest thoughts about him until the other demon had practically cornered you into doing it. Despite the embarrassment threatening to consume you whole, it was eye opening for you in which you’ve accepted that the only way you can come close to repaying Jimin was to give up your life to him or at least promise it in due time and… you’re okay with that idea.

Weird and concerning, rightfully so but it’s like the half of you that thinks this is utterly mad and the other, more nihilistic side of you had come into terms with one another in the form of one sole agreement that if it had to be any demon, better it be him right?

As they say, you’re only here for a good time, not a long time.

You exhale through your nose in a quiet huff of laughter, subtle enough that the lady passing by behind you doesn’t pay you any notice as you’re restocking the jewellery racks. Today is one of those rare moments that you’re given a task out on the floor away from cash for once and though you’re elated at being able to do something else for a change, your thoughts don’t revolve around whether or not you can fit just one more pair of earrings on this already overstuffed looking hook.

Even if you had settled on the idea of giving your soul to Jimin, the most important question is how? Theoretically, it seems simple enough, at least what you’re picturing in your head — you tell him you want to do it, he says yes and then gets you to sign it away in agreement in whatever form the contract is (maybe something similar to your contract with him now but altered? Who knows). Or maybe in your complete lack of knowledge in demonology, it’s way more complex than that. You could technically ask Jungkook…

Would that even be a good idea? You’re not sure, especially not after the talk you had with him — keeping that ‘good’ head of yours in tact and whatnot. But then again, you’re not entirely sure what he meant by it anyways. You pause your train of thought until a heaving sigh escapes past your lips, your shoulder deflating as your lips purse into a thin line when you realize; you don’t even have any means to contact Jungkook. He’s more of an entity who comes and goes with nothing to tether him to this world, so he’s expressed he’s never had the need for things like a mobile device.

Which means your other option for getting any type of information on this would be from the main demon himself; Jimin.

Except for two things.

One: how does one broach the topic of forfeiting their own soul over to their guardian demon? You suppose it’s not exactly an ‘over dinner’ sort of conversation. The closest thing to a timing you had in mind would be after the concert; fitting in a way where you get your wish fulfilled and now you must pay the price owed.

However, that leads you to two; you don’t have a single clue where the guardian demon in question had gone off to. The last you saw of him was when he had walked you home those nights ago and from then, you haven’t heard from him since. You’ve tried shooting another text and hell, even pushed aside your anxiety and pride to call him for the first time ever, only to receive no response for either occasion; just radio silence. And it’s not even on the matter of telling him you’re willing to give your soul up for him — he still hasn’t told you what your flight, where your tickets or your hotel is!

You force yourself to breathe in deeply before exhaling slowly. Relax, you still technically have time, you try to reassure yourself. Not as much as you want for not knowing some important travel details, but enough that you’d still be able to set off without a hitch.

You trust Jimin.

He hasn’t let you down yet, nor do you think he will any time soon.

You’re confident.

Rome, Vatican City

A sigh involuntarily escapes the demon’s lips as he takes in the view in front of him, having not imagined that he would be here, of all places after so many years. The city is alive even if it is late into the night, the piazza lit up to cast a romantic glow on the cobble streets as crowds of people continue to stroll around in leisure. It should be no surprise though; the mild spring weather is well under way here, so much that Jimin thinks it might even be above seasonal. That doesn’t stop him from wearing the long, black overcoat over his airy chiffon button down shirt and the way it billows out behind him as he strides down this Italian street has people turning heads thinking he should be in Milan rather than here, much less how warm he must be feeling underneath it.

It pulls a small smile from him, a small distraction from his purpose here and a last ditch effort to put himself in a better mood before he has to put on a cloaking spell, hiding him from any mortal eyes. Before long, Jimin is upon the entrance to the grand circular plaza. In the centre of it, he spots the unmistakable shape of the Egyptian obelisk, the tall monument sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the Roman-Catholic structures surrounding it. Strangely enough, the more he stared at it, the more Jimin begins to feel in-like with the structure — a nameless fixture in history that eventually had its roots erased, “christianized” and erected by some old fart named Pope Sixtus V to celebrate the triumph of the Church over paganism.

Ugh.

At least it was a witness to St. Peter’s crucification (or so it was apparently said).

Jimin rolls his neck, a twitch in the muscle that had it stiffen uncomfortably before he exhales loudly through his nose.

Right.

He reminds himself to be mindful of where he is, of what he’s about to do. He may have a get out of jail free card but it won’t be nearly enough credentials to win any favours here. So Jimin steels himself, squaring his shoulders and with much more effort than he wants to admit, he begins to make his way across the plaza into a demon’s lion den. He takes care in keeping pace, steps unfaltering and gaze hardened in resolution. Jimin maneuvers inconspicuously through the lingering crowds of tourist and locals alike with the grace of a seasoned dancer but no matter how much he ducks and weaves, he cannot escape the burning sensation of being watched like an ant under a magnifying glass by the figures that seem to close in on him with every step he takes to the basilica.

All 140 of them.

And they all seem to whisper in their harrowing voices, the same obtrusive word in his ear.

Demon.

Jimin is clenching his jaw and fists by the time he reaches the grandiose staircase, his nails digging into his clammy palms until they leave deep crescent indents. A ragged exhales passes his lips, a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding until now and it makes him chastise himself. He passed the Apostolic Palace just fine, not even a single sign of getting smote. If he’s breaking out into a cold sweat from a little bit of verbal intimidation here, then what good is he by the time he has to go inside?

Jimin’s eyes slide up to take in the building that has become one of the most symbolic landmark in the religious world and the reason for his odd visit to a place he should be avoiding at all cost.

The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, or otherwise simply known as St. Peter’s Basilica.

Its dome shape roof looms above him, an imposing shadow even if it is lit by a multitude of beams of spotlights along its base and all around the facade — the lights only adding to its size. Doesn’t help that at either ends of the steps are the statues of St. Paul with his golden sword and St. Peter, the man himself, as if they’re there to personally greet all those who enter this holy space; whether with open arms or a strike of sword in His name, Jimin is not sure.

The basilica is closed to the public, the hours of which it is open has long since passed but despite that, Jimin waits, fixed in his spot as he simply stares unseeingly, a myriad of events all leading up to this very moment passing before his eyes.

“I’m only going to say this once, so you better listen.” Jungkook states sternly after he knocks back his drink. He places his glass down on the sleek black marble bar top a little too roughly. For once, Jimin refrains from commenting, not wanting to anger the young demon who no doubt, has zero tolerance for banter right now. As they say, let sleeping tigers lie. So Jimin straightens more in his seat, giving Jungkook his full attention.

“First, you must seek the one who has been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven by His Holiness — the gatekeeper, St. Peter, at the place where he is buried. He will be your witness and judge.”

With a deep inhale, Jimin lets the cloaking spell encase him like a thin, dark veil and after releasing his breath, he finally takes his first steps upwards towards the basilica. The closer he gets, the heavier his feet seems to feel as if a weight is pushing down on him but he persists until he reaches the tall iron gate of the entrance. If he cranes his neck, he can just make out the relief of St. Peter being handed the keys by Jesus carved into the stone, below the central window where no doubt the pope had made his appearance to the masses. For the first time in his life, Jimin feels immensely smaller as he stands in-between the columns, their height seemingly never-ending as if they are reaching heaven itself.

He vehemently tears his gaze away, teeth chewing at his bottom lip as he works to loosen his muscles that have gone tense. It’s like his own body has developed a mind of its own and is screaming at him to leave, get away. But he pushes those warnings aside and within a few strides, he finds himself passing the threshold and into the atrium. Even though it’s only the entrance hall, he can already feel the grandeur of the basilica from its high dome ceilings and archways. Within this singular space, it embodies the old and new in its walls as ancient inscriptions and plaques commemorating popes who had seen the construction of this holy building and in the fine marble floor as coat of arms. To the right at the end of the portico, is the statue of Emperor Constantine and to the left is Charlemagne, both on noble steeds carved out of white marble that seem like they’ll come to life at any moment.

Jimin’s jaw clench and unclenches, a nervous tick as he surveys his surroundings and with a sweep of his dark eyes, they land on a pair of bronze double doors.

“When you enter the atrium, you will find five bronze doors; The Door of Death, The Door of Good and Evil, The Door of the Sacraments, The Central Door, and The Holy Door. You must past through ‘The Holy Door’ to evoke the passage from sin to grace — to show your willingness to make peace with God, restore what has been damaged in yourself and reshape your heart.”

It’s not hard to figure out which door Jungkook was referring to. As he stops just before them, Jimin can see the pictures in each panel along the length of it, depicting various scenes of man’s sin and his redemption through God’s mercy. His eyes trail from the infamous disobedience of Adam and Eve to Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan. They linger on The Need for Forgiveness for a while longer than he intended.

Just how forgiving can God be? Jimin wonders.

For all the times he’s heard angels preach about His benevolence, can God extend that mercy to even a demon?

Well, Jimin huffs a quiet laugh under his breath, God had forgiven man after all and he thinks that’s a bit of a stretch.

The door is normally bricked up, opened once every twenty-five years to celebrate the Holy Year but it will prove to be no issue for Jimin. It’s not a matter of how he’s going to pass through the doorway, more so it’s what will happen when he does.

Jimin sees Jungkook’s lips quirk up in the slightest and he gets the feeling that the grimace he’s trying to hold back still showed on his face.

“I’m telling you now brother, this is the easiest part of the process and even then, I can’t tell you what will happen when you pass through those doors.”

“So am I supposed to feel enlightened then?”

“More like I actually don’t know. When you’re a blank slate being indoctrinated into this, you don’t feel anything other than the feeling of having your soul bared. But you,” Jungkook pauses to point an almost accusing finger in Jimin’s direction, “you’re a demon, so it’s either going to tickle or you’ll have your soul ripped to shreds.”

All he knows is that he’s willing, and that has to count for something. At least, that’s what he hopes. His thoughts unconsciously drift to you briefly, finding himself holding onto the image like a beacon of light in the darkness and with a swallow, he steps forward. Jimin doesn’t get a face full of metal, in fact, not even so much as a shockwave of resistance like he expected that for a split second, he’s bemused at how easily he passes through.

But then he feels it.

Something spears right through him, an invisible force so strong that it leaves him winded, knees nearly buckling and he all but finds himself stumbling through to the other side, right into the central nave. He forgets where he is for a moment, trying to gather his wits as he takes in deep breaths, trying to calm his thundering heart but it seems almost futile. True to Jungkook’s words, the moment he passed through those doors, something had torn away not just the cloaking spell he had placed on himself, but almost everything about his being — the glamour that he wore, the face that he stole, his magic, everything. He’s never felt so exposed but as he raises a trembling hand to his eyes, it seems nothing about him has changed.

Jimin balls his hand into a fist, hoping to lessen the tremors but when they don’t stop, he kisses his teeth, slightly perturbed. He shouldn’t complain, rather he should be thankful that he’s still in one piece. After all, he only just crossed the first hurdle. Without wanting to dawdle or waste time, he boldly begins to make his way.

The nave is a sight to behold, the space so high and open with its coloured marbles, gold trimmings and ornate detailing of heavenly imagery. No doubt in the day, the place would be filled with people from all around the world wanting to be able to bask in the awe of the architecture, built by the hands of arguably some of the greatest artists the world has ever known, that embodies all of the majesty, strength and beauty of God.

But now, devoid of any life, it is enveloped in an eerie silence that the soft footsteps of his loafers on the marble floors seem magnified, his only source of light was the moon streaming through pockets in the high domes, casting a cool blue haze on everything, making it seem all the more like Jimin had entered into a spiritual realm.

He passes by pillars with their niches filled with statues of saints who had founded religious orders and along the perimeter of the transept and above the arches, are the twenty eight figures of the Christian and human virtues, staring down at him, watching as he makes his way further into the the nave towards the place he must go. Jimin keeps to averting his gaze downward, determined to push away the incessant itch that has begun to crawl along his skin, heart still pounding like he’s ran a marathon rather than walk at a brisk pace like he is now and he fears that it will give him away in this quiet atmosphere, the sound so much more defeaning to his ears.

Sweat begins to form along his hairline and soon he finds himself short of breath. It makes him slow to almost a stop, light-headedness washing over him and he has to blink away the dark spots that appear in his vision, feeling sick to his stomach. When he looks next, it seems like the long hallway ahead of him had elongated but when he looks up, he’s actually only a few metres away from being directly under the impressive Baroque Canopy. No wonder his skin felt like it was burning from the inside while he’s getting chills at the same time.

Running a hand through his hair, he hastens once again.

“If, by some miracle, you find yourself inside, make your way to the end of the nave, pass the Canopy and St. Peter’s tomb, until you reach the top of the cruciform. There you will find ‘The Chapel of the Cathedra’ where you will kneel before his throne.”

“Why not his tomb?” Jimin couldn’t help but to ask. It made more sense to go see the man directly where he was supposedly buried.

“It’s symbolic because it’s a place where St. Peter had always sat, teaching and instructing the faithful of Rome. It’s only appropriate that is where you will ‘learn’ about those teachings with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

The altar, for lack of better words, is grandiose — it’s structure solely created to enclose the wooden throne of St. Peter, displaying it in a manner to show the significance and worship of the holy relic. The chair is a combination of the original acacia wood and gilded bronze done by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. It’s richly ornate with bas-relief, the base which it sat upon is made of black and white marble with four gigantic bronze statues, making the chair look as if it was suspended in golden clouds. On either sides, there are statues of saints from the Latin and Greek Church. At the crown are the gilt and stucco of Gloria with a host of angels among the rays of light and billowing clouds.

And right at the centre is a window of Bohemian glass, divided into twelve sections, representing the Twelve Apostles with a single dove against it — the symbol of the Holy Spirit, the soul of the Church.

Jimin stood, stuck at the very borders where the pews begin, overwhelmed with apprehension but shockingly, entranced as well. He would imagine the two windows situated on either side of the apse would let in brilliant streams of warm, golden light from the afternoon sun, giving the place an even more mystical look that would easily ensnare anyone into becoming a believer. Now though, with the light of the moon, it appears just as ghostly as the rest of the basilica — sombre yet still hauntingly beautiful. Jimin swallows once, running his tongue along his dry lips before he summons the strength to force his legs into motion.

They were by far the hardest steps he’d ever taken, his feet feeling like lead as he drags them one excruciating step at a time until he all but collapses onto his knees once he reaches the dark wooden prayer bench. His skin feels like it’s breaking out into hives, the itch becoming so unbearable at this point that he thinks he’ll go mad and resort to ripping away his skin himself. Every muscle in him is tense, any small movements causing them to twitch and spasm painfully and when he finally cranes his neck to look up at the altar, he hears his bones crack.

The fog in his head threatens to overwhelm him, stun him into a stupor until he can do nothing but slowly wither away into ashes. He fights to stay alert and with much effort, tries to remember Jungkook’s next words.

“From here, it’s pretty simple… If you can call it that.” Jungkook says a little too off-handedly, as if he was discussing how to change the battery to a remote. “You take Him into your heart and say His prayer.”

“….There are a lot of ‘prayers’.” Jimin deadpans. He may be a demon, but all demons are aware of the ridiculous amounts of prayers said in His name or in any of the other holiness, whether from being hissed out in angry fury by crossing paths with angels or in more unlucky cases, through exorcising.

Jimin’s only familiar with the sign of the cross, uttered to him by a man who couldn’t have picked a worser day to piss him off (he almost felt bad for the police who had to find him the following morning).

Jungkook flips his pretty raven locks out of his face, lazily reaching to pour himself another glass as he reclines back into his seat.

“You’ll know the one.”

The younger demon said he would know the prayer once he’s here but his mind is drawing blanks, unable to even begin searching for any hints. Through his hazy vision, the dove appears to have a halo of light surrounding it, pulsating as if it had life. He stares, fixated on that one point, waiting for who knows what. Just when the silence became too stifling, he hears a sound. It’s so soft that he can’t decipher it, much less if it was real or something he hallucinated in his delirious mind. It sounded like a whisper but he can’t make out any words, at least, not ones he recognizes.

It comes and goes, flowing like it’s being carried by an invisible breeze and before him, the dove seems to glow even brighter. It compels him to close his eyes and past a dry throat, he takes in a breath and from his lips, the first lines spills forth.

“Deus meus

ex toto corde poenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum…”

The words burn like a hot poker being pricked along his skin, a poison pouring from his own mouth as every line was another stabbing pain. Jimin speaks until his knuckles turn white from gripping the bench so tightly, nails digging into the wood and causing small cracks to form in the grain but still through gritted teeth, he continues the prayer faithfully.

“…. Ideo firmiter propono, adiuvante gratia Tua,

de cetero me non peccaturum peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum.”

As he reaches the final verse, his once porcelain face is drained of any colour, marred by fissures and cracks, the flesh burnt at the edges like paper caught on fire with spidery veins snaking along the surface, revealing him for what he truly is underneath. His body shakes uncontrollably and with one last sharp inhale, he utters.

“Amen.”

“So I say the ‘prayer,’” Jimin reaffirms, resisting the urge to use air quotations. “And then that’s it? Done?”

Jungkook throws his head back with a laugh, his bunny teeth flashing as he tries to reel himself back in. He shakes his head, almost out of pity. Jimin doesn’t miss that, nor does he like it and his narrowing eyes prompts the younger demon to elaborate.

“You can very well be ‘done’ right on the spot, granted if you even make it that far — I’d honestly be very impressed if you do.” Jungkook pauses to take a sip of his drink, smacking his lips a little when he swallows the dark liquid. “What’s more important is what comes after you say the prayer; if your will has yet to be broken, it will appear.”

“What will?”

“The Chalice.”

Jimin’s eyes, which had been shut tightly, snaps open with trepidation as they wildly scan before him. He tries to collect himself but only just as a gold shape catches his eyes. A hoarse chuckle escapes him unintentionally, the sound a mixture between disbelief and immense relief.

The chalice sits unassumingly on the ornate communion table a few steps in front of him, as if it had been there the entire time. It doesn’t shine with lustre nor is it bejewelled with any precious gems, Jimin was surprised that he had noticed it at all. But nevertheless, he’s relieved to see it there; the fruit of his labour thus far. He takes a moment to just breathe, inhaling and exhaling deeply, damp forehead pressing into the wooden prayer bench. His legs feel like stone, as if anchored down on the spot but he knows he has to eventually get up.

He’s so close.

Jimin grunts, hauling himself up on shaky arms by using the bench as leverage. He leans back heavily on it, limbs protesting as his eyes lock on the gold cup that was still there, beckoning him. He takes another minute to steady himself, running his tongue over his dry, cracked lips and once he’s sure he’s stable enough, he begins to make his way. He nearly falls over from that one step alone, arms flying back to catch himself on the prayer bench just in time. Shutting his eyes, it takes everything in him not to curse aloud, given where he is right now so Jimin settles in letting out a frustrated growl instead. Once the feeling passes, he clenches his teeth and tries again.

This time, Jimin manages, keeping his steps to a minimal with one arm clutching around his midsection as if to hold himself upright. It’s a slow process, feeling like he’s travelling at a snail’s pace but eventually, he limps his way there. When the table is within reach, his hands slams down onto the surface to brace himself, a loud bang reverberating throughout the basilica. The force of it disturbs the chalice slightly, causing it to slosh the liquid inside and spill over on the white tablecloth. Jimin recoils on instinct at the sight.

Up close, he can see the finer details of the cup; how dull and worn it actually looks as if it had been used for over centuries but despite the scratches and scuffs, it had withstood time.

But that’s not where the focus of his attention is.

Jungkook’s taken on a more morose demeanour, now only fiddling his half empty glass lost in his own thoughts — or perhaps reminiscing, Jimin’s not sure. Suddenly, he breaks out into a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as his gaze flits to meet Jimin’s.

“The Chalice will appear to only those who are deemed worthy. It is the final act you must do in order to prove your faith and commitment, to cleanse your soul and begin anew.”

A beat passes, wherein Jimin sits in turmoil with his own emotions. This entire ordeal was a lot to take in, the things Jungkook had told him sounding crazier than the last. Everything could go wrong so easily and so quickly that at some point, he questioned the validity of Jungkook’s method but shoot those doubts down when he reminds himself that not just anyone would know the particulars of this in such great detail.

“So do I baptize myself in the holy water? Get a new name and everything?” Jimin asks jokingly in an attempt to break the tension but even he hears the uncertainty straining his voice.

“You’re not going to anoint yourself with it.” Jungkook sighs, taking his glass in his hand if only to scrutinize it against the light. Then, he gestures it towards Jimin.

 “You’re going to drink it.”

He stares unblinkingly into the pool of water inside the chalice, watching it as if at any second, he’ll see a vision within its depths. But all he sees is the faint glow of his irises reflected back at him — two crimson drops that threaten to transform the pure water into blood.

Jungkook’s words continue to echo around in Jimin’s head, the audacity of it all never leaving.

Drink it, he says.

Of all the crazy things Jungkook had told him that night, that one takes the cake. It’s no myth that holy water to a demon is like arsenic to a human; a drop of it would greatly weaken even the strongest of demons, burning skin and bone like acid, anything more and you’ll be nothing but ashes.

So to go as far as to consume it.

A bead of sweat rolls down Jimin’s clenched jaw, a million thoughts running through his mind. A part of him admits he’s terrified of what will become of him should he choose to drink the holy water, this being the closest he’s ever been to staring death in the face. He’s lived without fear of anything for so long because he was the to be feared and even death didn’t scare him because he had nothing to lose.

Now, that’s all changed. Now, he has everything to lose.

The memories, the sounds, the scent, the warmth….

He doesn’t want to lose you.

Jimin draws in a shuddering breath, eyes slipping shut if only to escape to those feelings for a moment of reprieve. It brings a strange sense of comfort to him, a balm to his aching muscles and a moment of clarity to his hazy mind. He longs to go back to your little home, to catch just even a glimpse of your face but he’s here, a million miles away, battered, vulnerable and probably looking like every bit of vermin angels think demons are.

Yet by some miracle, he’s alive.

He’s alive when he should’ve been dead from the moment he walked through those doors.

Which means he has a chance.

Slowly, Jimin opens his eyes again, takes in his final moments and tentatively, he reaches for the cup.

“It’s supposed to be a painless process, which is why it’s foolproof — angels being ‘ethical’ and all that. But you’re a demon so if you die, you can’t blame me.” Jungkook disclaims, shooting back his drink and immediately begins to fill it up again. The younger had long opted to just have the bottle beside him rather than needing to wave the bartender down to ask for a refill every time. Jimin doesn’t complain as he too needed to refill constantly; he’s lost track of how many glasses he’s downed in order to swallow this hard pill the younger demon had just given him. They’re about halfway done with their second one.

“But now that you know, do you still want to go through with it?”

Jungkook’s pinned him with a hard stare, more serious than Jimin’s ever seen him but it’s with very good reasons.

He’d basically been told he has a fifty-fifty chance of killing himself in the process on three different occasions, willingly.

A humourless laugh passes through his full lips, wondering briefly if he should’ve taken his chances on the fellow he cancelled on. Then again, Jungkook’s someone he knows and trusts, so he thinks the odds are better, if only slightly. Jimin leans over and takes the bottle, pouring more liquor into his glass until it was about half full before placing it down on the bar counter.

Lifting his glass, he swirls it once and then holds it out towards Jungkook to toast.

“Then can I get an ‘amen’?”

Jungkook’s eyes widen, mouth dropping a little, completely appalled and Jimin is prepared to catch the other’s glass should it slip from his loosen grip. Thankfully, the younger demon snaps out of his shock before that happens, resting the crystal glass on the tops of his muscular thigh. Then, as Jimin’s words finally sink into him, Jungkook cocks his head, looks him dead in the eyes and says.

“You’re a crazy son of a bitch.”

Jimin can only laugh in response because he can’t disagree there before he brings the glass to his lips.

There’s a strong metallic taste that reaches his tongue first, one he can probably attribute to the old cup, but then comes the first sip.

The effect is immediate.

Jimin begins to choke violently, gasping and retching so hard that he doesn’t realize he’s dropped the chalice until he hears a resounding clang of metal hitting marble. The rest of its contents spews out, soaking the floor and table but he doesn’t have the mind to think if he was meant to drink everything because all he feels is the burning.

A white hot pain racks through every nerve in his body as if he’s being incinerated from the inside out. It makes him keel over, clawing at his throat until they leave deep red marks in their wake and a guttural, agonizing scream finally tears past his clenched teeth. Jimin writhes and convulses, eyes screwing shut and trying desperately to drown out this torture but his limbs feel like they’re being torn apart and his head is about to split open. He’s so out of his mind that above his own sounds of torment, the ringing in his ears begin to sound more like the notes of an organ being played.

He doesn't know how long he lays there, slowly suffocating to death but he can’t stand this any longer. With wild abandon, Jimin’s eyes shoot open, searching for something, anything, anyone, only to meet the serene gazes of the numerous saints and heavenly hosts painted into the stucco ceiling.

Please. He cries, pleads, begs.

Make it stop.

He feels his body seize before all strength leaves him, his hands falling limp to his side and his vision blurs until they can no longer see past the inky black tears that begin to stream from his eyes.

Everything falls silent.

And then he feels nothing.

262 notes · View notes

bluepenguinstories · 4 years

Text

Happiness Overload Chapter Sixty-One

Like before, I was how it began. I was also how it would end.

I knew it was coming up, and things were coming together, although with a few gaps. That was fine, of course. I would be happy either way. Whether it made sense or didn’t. But I knew that things couldn’t be perfect. I never counted on that in the first place.

I smiled as I took a bite out of my cotton candy. What a delight the fluffy sugar concoction was. Although it was a great source of joy, I also felt that if I were to part with it, I would be happy either way. Because of course I would be. That was how it worked.

“Say, cotton candy, do you believe in guardian angels?” I grinned as I took a bite into my cotton candy. Of course the food made no reply, but I was happy to have its company all the same, and I would be all the more happier if my pink sugar friend could talk to me.

“YES! GUARDIAN ANGELS ARE BEST!”

I couldn’t agree more.

“And do you believe in succubi? Demons?”

“IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY, THEN YES!”

“What about eldritch beings beyond mortal comprehension?”

“YES! HAPPINESS IS BEYOND COMPREHENSION!”

Again, couldn’t agree more. Comprehension itself was a funny word which made little sense to me. Things didn’t have to make sense to be happy, although a little awareness never hurt the experience.

Soon Velvet and Coriander would make it to the front of the headquarters, and so too would I. While it took me a while to get used to the new name, I had to admit that Coriander fit her well. Although I’ve not known her long, I figured it was fine enough to add her to the roster of friends that I’ve made along the way.

I let out a sigh. The kind one would make after sipping a really fizzy soda. Or maybe it was less of a sigh and more of a burp.

I really couldn’t be happier for them, and I could be very happy. If nothing else could be said, at least I could say that I got to see my friends. Just like I wanted.

Was it true that I did things because doing something always felt better than doing nothing? I mean, gee, I faked my way into the CIA, I stole a UFO from Area 51, I lived underneath a university and took orders from a conspiracy nut, I saved a clone’s life, I lived underneath a pyramid among stoner aliens for over three years, and I had one hell of a time going to Area 51 all over again.

...What a mess my life has been. But it wasn’t that I did such over the top things without purpose. There was always a reason behind what I did, even if at times it was because I tried to run away from a smaller problem.

But was it true that I was still that way?

Partially. Yes.

I mean, at the moment, I was running toward the front of an evil organization’s headquarters along with my girlfriend (no applause necessary) and we were about to bust in on whatever evil geniuses awaited us. The reason behind it all was in an effort to save our version of Earth, or at least save something.

But it was a little different, too.

Throughout our struggle in The Flashbulb HQ, I’ve declared that Coriander was more important to me than the world itself. That it didn’t matter what happened to the world as long as she was safe, and I meant it. I fucking meant that.

Even if we failed, at least we’d fail together. It was amazing to think that someone like me could have even been in a relationship with someone. I never saw it coming, that was for sure. It was never planned that way, but a welcome addition.

“Hey, how are we going to intimidate them without a weapon?” I turned to my partner (both in crime, and in life).

“Damn it! We should have thought about that before we ran out!” She cursed.

“Well, we’ll figure out something. We’ve made it this far,” I reassured the both of us. I didn’t know how much reassurance she needed, or if it was all me. Like the furthest we got to the front, the more the feeling of powerlessness sank in.

“Hey,” I gulped. “I’m sorry about back there. Us going along with Popsigirl.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who said to go along with it,” she replied through growled words.

“I know, but I feel like I should have done more to protect you from her and –”

“Enough!” She snapped. “I...I don’t even want to think about her right now!” I saw her shake in place and my worry only grew from there. It seemed like she even scared herself, as she looked my way, but not at me.

“I’m sorry. I get that you’re worried about me,” her voice but a murmur. “But I’m trying to put my feelings aside because I don’t want to spend the rest of my days here. Whether I’m even able to live on Earth again or not, if I’m going to have any chance at that, these guys need to be defeated, and if there’s a chance, any at all, I’ll take it.”

“I understand that,” I should have been on the same page. Because of course defeating The Flashbulb was our goal.

“Am I selfish for this?” She asked, which surprised me even more.

I shook my head. “I want the same thing.” Of course I could say that. But I wanted more. Or I wanted less.

No. Never mind that. Not when we were so close. If I had to choose between the world and her, I’d choose her. But that didn’t mean I would stop fighting for the world, either. Just as she said, as long as there’s a chance…

“Let’s keep going,” I told her. She nodded.

It was somewhere during the race against time, something which didn’t even feel real, when I realized what it was: it wasn’t that we weren’t in sync. Rather, I had rubbed off on her.

“Hey,” she turned to me and it looked to me like she was trying to force out a smile. “What do you say? ‘Til death do us part?”

Yet again, I was shocked. One hit KO damage. Minus 9999 HP.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “Whatever that means.”

It wasn’t so much that I fancied the idea of living in such a place among people who probably ruined countless lives, but maybe you could say that I grew acclimated? Or I accepted that my life as a head nurse’s assistant, as it seemed I needed to have a place somehow. All in all, it wasn’t too bad.

I mean, Dr. Nightingale could be quite domineering. It wasn’t just that it seemed like she hovered over everyone’s heads, either, but maybe it had to do with her whip and fishnet stockings. But it wasn’t like she was a bad person. Sure, she took care of all those other Flashbulb members who got injured on the job, but I could tell that it came from a place of care. Then again, it could have all been wishful thinking. She provided care, I provided aftercare.

Mostly it was stuff like, “go get ‘em, tiger!” and “even a broken leg walks twice a day!” No, I didn’t see how that helped, but I did my best.

Even so, I was restless. Maybe that was how I would live out the rest of my life. Restless in a placed, surrounded by potential enemies. Unable to ever see my brother again.

Jeez. That thought out of all the others was the worst one. Sure, it could have been said that I was too dependent on him and that I could never really function well on my own. When I did live on my own, I had trouble paying the rent every month, and instead would spend my money on little trinkets in crafts, hobby, and hardware stores. Then there was me with jobs, always too distracted. When I faced an eviction notice and he took me in, well...It was like he was more of a caretaker and less of a sibling. He never asked for any rent and made sure I ate and all because he fancied the idea of helping others. Maybe that’s who I should have been, instead of making little crafts and gadgets.

Maybe that’s how it would have been for all of my friendships, and any potential relationship. It was too hard to see myself as anyone else other than the dependent one. That was why it was so important for us to separate from the others, because otherwise I would have been too reliant on others, and that would have really gotten to me.

It was the same for Trent, too. Or maybe I had pushed that on him. No, I couldn’t let myself think that way. He wanted to stay on Earth.

Is he dead?

My heart dropped at the notion of such a thought, but it was the likely scenario. At least he got to choose something that made him happy before we parted ways.

I shook my head. What would the others think, if they saw me? Smiley ol’ me, sulking. They had their own purpose, and if things all went well, they would soon leave as well. I couldn’t force Blanc, Velvet, or Coriander to stay even if I wanted to. I wanted them to live the best life they could, and I already knew that meant going their own path.

If the organization dissolved, where would that leave me? I had to believe that things would fall into place when the time came, but things didn’t always work that way.

“I’ll just roll with the punches,” I smiled as I shook my head. Some kind of pep talk was necessary. “I need to find my own path as well.”

Memories could be bittersweet, and they could fade with time. Even worse, you could forget the whole thing. But in such a short time, I made four new friends (although it was awkward once I figured out the twist with Verse, hoo boy. But what can I say? I was awkward Queen Juniper of Awkwardland. A few bruh moments here and there were to be expected) and I was really grateful for that. Each one of them brought something different with them and gave me a new experience.

Sometimes, I too needed to take action.

“Hey Dr. Nightingale,” I greeted after getting up. “Can I make a suggestion?”

“Oh, how bold,” Dr. Nightingale spoke in a mocking tone. For such a nightingale, she seemed more like a mockingbird. Then again, I knew it came from a place of love. “One of my subs wants to suggest something to me.”

“I mean, if that’s okay with you,” I started to get nervous. No! I scolded myself. Now is not the time to be meek!

“Yeah, of course. Just put your suggestion in the suggestion box.”

“Oh!” I didn’t realize it was that simple. “Where is the suggestion box? On your desk?”

“Nope! It’s a couple kilomiles down the hall.”

“Kilomiles?”

“Yeah, don’t they teach you anything in nursing school? It’s like kilometers and miles. Simple, really. Not that it matters, since you can’t really tell the distance just by walking.”

“Right, that makes sense! So is it okay if I go over there now?”

“Go for it, missy. No one’s sick or injured right now and it’s really bumming me out.”

“Yeah, that’s...uh...too bad? Anyway, best of luck, break a leg, but maybe not too hard?” With that out of the way, I hurried off to the fabled suggestion box.

Indeed, it took a lot of walking, and if I had to take a gander at the distance from the Medical Department, indeed, I would have said that it was a couple of kilomiles. To my disappointment, the suggestion box was just a little box situated on the wall with what seemed to be thousands upon thousands crumpled up pieces of paper, all covered in dust.

“Huh. I didn’t even know dust was a thing here,” I remarked, thinking that no one else could hear me.

“You’d think that, but for some strange reason, the air purifier that filters the whole headquarters doesn’t seem to function in this one particular area. I’ve put in a suggestion to fix it, but as you can see, there’s a great deal of queries to go through before my suggestion gets taken into consideration,” someone beside me replied and I jumped where I stood. Whether the voice was of a horrific mad scientist or a blessing in disguise was anyone’s guess. I turned around.

Right before my eyes was some brunette lady in a lab coat and clipboard (already sus). I did my best to give her the benefit of the doubt, though maybe it was because she looked pretty. Especially because of how tall she was and her glasses...shit. Just like Verse. I near fainted at the idea that it could be her.

“Jeez, you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Which I’ve also placed a suggestion for a Paranormal Department, though now that I think of it, sounds a little redundant given all the paranormal antics our departments have had to deal with.”

“You are…?” I asked, scared shitless to find out the answer, but curious nonetheless.

“I’m Dr. Hepburn of the HR Department. That’s Hepburn with a capital ‘K’. Though most people already know that. Why don’t you?” Those last few words. It wasn’t her that was suspicious, it was me.

“I’m new here and mostly stick to my department, sorry,” I explained in a rather haphazard fashion. “I’m one of the head nurse’s assistants.”

“Ah,” she let out a long and exaggerated sigh, which looked like a yawn, and on second thought, it wasn’t a sigh at all, but just an ‘ahhhh’, y’know? She went on: “One of Nightingale’s subs. Not sure why she calls them that, I certainly didn’t suggest it.”

“Yeah, me either,” I let out a nervous laugh. “I would have been just fine being called an assistant.”

“So is that why you’re here? To suggest that?”

Damn. That was a good suggestion. If only I had thought of that.

I shook my head. “Actually, I wanted to suggest a couple of things. First off, I think there should be some therapists around. Like, maybe a therapy department?”

Dr. Hepburn took out a pencil and started to chew on it. “Nn...nope, sorry. That’s one thing the suggestion box can’t do. Well, the suggestion box can’t do anything, really. It just sits there. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if it had a life of its own. Would it go around suggesting things to people? I imagine that would get annoying after a while.”

“Aw, man,” I hunched over, defeated. “Well how do new departments get made, then?”

She nibbled on her pencil some more. “You know, once you get past the pulpy taste and into the graphite, it’s really something.”

I waited for her to answer my question, and not long into waiting, she took the pencil out of her mouth and put it back into one of her pockets.

“Yeah, so it’s kind of a lengthy process,” she explained. “First a group of people at the front of the ship take a look at all the different versions of Earth across various times and see what aspects of human life can be approved upon. Then they write a report and send it in to Grandmaster Flash. After that, a new department is decided and a group of scientists are assembled. Although I will say, a therapy department isn’t a bad idea. The closest thing we’ve had to one of those was the Morale Department and it turns out that forcing people to be happy in order to preserve subservience doesn’t really help. Who would have thought?”

“Riiiiight,” I rolled my eyes. I didn’t mean to be so rude, but...that kind of thing was exactly why I had to leave home. “I would put my other suggestion in, but considering the long line, it might be better to come back later. Sorry to take up your time,” I began to walk away when she called me back to her. Well, it didn’t quite play out like that.

“Don’t bother,” she called to me. “No one ever reads these things! This box only exists to make people think we’re going to make any sort of improvements!”

I turned around and headed back toward her, as if I was lured on a string. Though that didn’t make much sense. Her quirks surpassed even mine.

“How is that an effective system?” I asked, and immediately regretted it. There was only so much bold I could be.

She shrugged. “It’s not, but what can I do? It’s not my department. Besides, isn’t it nice to make people think that you listen to them, even if you don’t?”

“Aren’t you tired of being nice, Dr. Hepburn? Don’t you ever just wanna go apeshit?”

“Yeah!” She pumped her fists. “Sometimes when I pop popcorn, I cancel the timer on the microwave two seconds before it’s set to go off because I’m just not vibing with those beeps!”

Wow. What a mad lass.

“Really living on the edge there, I see.”

“What about you, Nightingale’s little helper?”

“I...er...well, I wouldn’t really call myself a ‘nice’ person, per se...like, friendly, maybe? But really, I’m just passive. So yeah. Real hypocritical of me to tell you not to be.”

“Nah, I can tell, you got a fire in you,” she encouraged with just a right amount of vigor and then some. “What’s your doctor name, anyway?”

“I’m not actually a doctor, but my name’s Juniper.”

As soon as I said that, I felt a stinging sensation in my foot. Like I had just shot myself. Point blank range.

“Mm...mm...I see. I think I had a pencil with you in it before. Or maybe it was sycamore. Say, have you ever tried acacia?”

“Can’t say that I have, no.” Seriously, who eats wood? I mean, cereal, I get, but wood?

“Gotta try it sometime.”

“I’ll think about it,” I told her, just to, y’know, be nice.

“Oh, and by the way, I heard from someone earlier that there’s a few people looking to overthrow our organization. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Shitfuckpisscrunklimabeansblackeyedpeas.

“Aren’t people trying to do that all the time?” I shot back, nervous laughter.

“Yeah, I guess. I was just curious, really. Not like it’s my job to report such activity, and I really couldn’t care less. Just as long as those folks are having fun, that’s my motto.”

Bless this weirdo.

“Actually! Yes! I know something! Those people –”

She ran up to me and covered my mouth with her hand, then she leaned in real close and spoke in a harsh whisper. “Careful. There are cameras everywhere. They can record your voice. Do you understand?”

I nodded my head. I really did almost get myself into trouble.

“Good,” she backed away. “Anyway, what was it you said? ‘Go apeshit’?”

I nodded once more, even though it was probably safe to speak.

“Hope there’s some apeshit going!” She grinned and turned away. Before we parted ways, she turned and spoke once more:

“Who knows? It gets old not seeing any real improvements sometimes,” she winked. “Maybe I can do my part for the team and work on myself a bit!”

It took me a second to realize what she was getting at, and even then, I was confused as to why she would try to help, even if the most she did was not report Coriander and Velvet. Whatever Dr. Hepburn had up her sleeve, curiosity got the better of me.

“Wait!” I called to her. On impulse, I found myself running toward her.

“Hmm?” She turned around. “Don’t you have some assistants to nurse? Or...erm...how does it go? Nurses...to...nurse?”

“Nurses to assist,” I corrected.

“Right! That’s the one!”

“Wanna know what my other suggestion was going to be?” I asked.

“I’m not a box, but sometimes I feel like a rectangle, so close enough. Go ahead.”

What’s with you and boxes?

“I want to invent stuff too!” I declared.

“Are you a doctor or a scientist?”

“No. Well, my brother is, but he’s more the medical kind?” I should have sounded more confident. I knew for sure that he was the medical kind already.

“Then I’m afraid they won’t let you invent anything,” she brought down the bad news. But then I caught the glimpse of a smile and she handed me her pencil. Full of bite marks.

“Why?” I stood baffled.

“It’s a cool pencil. You should see some of the finer details,” she nudged. Not wanting to feel rude, I looked down and noticed a long set of words:

“But that won’t matter if there’s no organization.”

I looked back at her and she winked.

“Come now, we’ve much work to do.”

“We do?”

“If you’re going to follow me, you’re going to be my assistant. But instead of a sub, I’m thinking...auntie.”

“Auntie?”

“Yeah, like an auntie HR.”

I repeated those two words, and then it clicked.

“Ohhh...smart!”

“We’ve got many departments to visit,” she informed me while tapping on her clipboard.

I beamed. Maybe I still felt like I was leaning on someone else, but at the same time, I felt like things were taking a proactive turn. If nothing else, things sure did take some kind of turn.

We burst onto the scene after knocking out a couple of guards that guarded (just like guards do, I guess?) the door to the front of the headquarters and stole their guns from them. Now we could really go in guns blazin’.

“Prepare for trouble!” I announced as I pointed the heavy weapon at a couple of men in dark attire and bowler caps. None of them looked quite so threatening. Coriander also pointed the heavy weapon, which impressed me that she could carry such a thing, but she really did come far in such a short amount of time. However, she said nothing.

“Come on!” I turned to Coriander and begged. “Say the thing!”

“I’m not gonna,” she followed up her statement with a drop of spit shot down on the floor. Then she turned her attention to the skittish men next to a large console with a wide array of buttons. Above the console I could see what seemed like a near-infinite amount of monitors. “This is a hostile takeover. You’re all going down.”

The two men turned to each other.

“Already? I thought we weren’t scheduled to be attacked yet. Aren’t you guys a little early?” One of them, the shorter of the two, with freckles on his chin asked.

“No!” I sent them a devilish grin. “Because we aren’t whoever was scheduled to attack you! Unlike those guys, we don’t make plans!”

“We don’t?” Coriander replied. “Then how did we even know to come here?”

“Okay, so does your group have a name?” Questioned the taller one. Resembled asparagus.

“Yeah! We’re Lights Out! A rogue group dedicated to taking down The Flashbulb!” I declared, proud as all hell.

“Really? That’s the name you’re going to go with?” Coriander’s criticism overrode my cool factor.

“What? You got a better name?” I argued.

“In fact, I do. We’re now Flash in a Pan!”

Eh. Not the best. I hated to break it to her, too, since she seemed so proud of the name.

“I’ve got one better, love,” I shook my head in disapproval.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mm-hmm! We’ll call ourselves the No Flash!”

“Um…” Both of them looked at us in utter confusion, like, what? Which aspect confused them?

“We’ll discuss this later,” Coriander wasn’t going to let the name thing go.

“Indeed!” I grinned once more. “As for you two, it’s time to call it quits! We’ve already killed Grandmaster Flash!”

“That’s right, fuckos!” Coriander added. “God is dead and we’ve killed them!”

The two looked at each other. Then, the taller one declared:

“That’s impossible!” In such a dramatic gasp that I figured I could have said it better, and I was never even a theater kid.

“Impossible for most, but not for us!” I boasted. “When a redhead gay and a blue haired gay get together, anything can happen!”

“No, it’s impossible because there is no Grandmaster Flash. That’s just a rumor we made up,” the shorter one explained.

“Yeah, just a prank,” agreed the asparagus.

Then, a new voice showed up through the speakers:

“You hear that, everyone? Your boss ain’t shit!”

I recognized that voice right away. I glanced over at Coriander and her face looked flushed.

Then, more voices. Murmurs from several others.

“H...How?” Asparagus shook in fear. I think the shorter one peed his pants. Then asparagus did as well. “You let her out?”

I gulped. I felt like I was about to commit a betrayal, but with any luck, she’d only see it as part of the kayfabe.

“That’s right! We’re such a force to be reckoned with that we freed your artist and got her to work for us! Now, surrender and we won’t have to turn the room into a bloodbath!”

Once I said that, the taller one no longer seemed so frightened.

“Sure, we weren’t expecting visitors, but we can still make quick work of you. We’ve cut down thousands of resistances, what makes you think things will be different?”

“Because I’m gay!” I shouted.

Solid argument, Velvet. A+.

“Guards, come get rid of these pests,” commanded the asparagus. After a few tense seconds (but who was counting? Not me. No way. Really, the only way to know that seconds passed was by counting, so let’s just dis-count all that) nothing happened.

“What? Come in! Guards!”

No answer.

“If they won’t answer to that, we’ll just set off the security alarm! It should have gone off already, anyway!”

He pressed a button, but again, nothing happened. Once more, art hoe’s voice crackled in:

“I disabled all communications and any security measures! Who know I could be a hacker, too? I really can make an art out of everything!” She cackled, just as the speakers stopped crackling.

“How? Our systems should be too elaborate!” He looked much more panicked now. His knees grew weaker and weaker by the sec...oh, forget it.

“Fear not, Dr. Modest,” the short one spoke. “We may not have access to our countless armies and our armed guards, nor to our lasers and turrets, but we still have one trick up our sleeve.

“What is that, Dr. Humble?” Dr. Modest (aw, I was really having fun with calling him asparagus) asked.

“Let’s call upon a janitor or two! No price is too high!”

Dr. Humble pressed a button and spoke:

“Hey, can we get someone here to clean up a mess of ours?”

When he once again didn’t get an answer, he slammed his fist against the console.

“How? There was no way Dr. Katsushika could have cut off access to the janitors!” He seethed with rage.

Dr. Katsushika? Dr. Who (no reference intended)?

“Nope! Not me! Can’t take credit! If there’s some other reason, the credit should go to the proper artist! I’m many things, but an art thief I am not!” Dr. Art declared. Even with her not physically there, it was creepy how she kept cutting in.

“All right,” Dr. Modest groaned. “Just tell us what you want.”

“Simple!” Coriander barked. “To get on your knees and die!”

While I wasn’t against such a thing, there sure was more to it than that.

“In broader terms, we’re calling for the end of The Flashbulb, and not only that, but for the damages done to our version of Earth to be undone!”

“Sure. Which Earth is yours?”

I had to think about it. But it looked to me like Coriander already had that part rehearsed, as she picked up where I left off:

“Does the name Dr. Etna ring a bell? What about angels? Manic attacks?”

Dr. Modest’s eyes widened.

“The Morale Department…” He muttered.

“That’s right!”

“We’ve implemented the department once before in another timeline and it seemed to work just fine, but then we had to dissolve it because it got out of control in the next timeline.”

“Yeah. That’s the one we’re from. Now fix it, and don’t just turn back time and act like everything’s cool!”

“Hey Dr. Humble, why haven’t we turned back time for that timeline yet? I thought we were going to do that.”

“I think we announced it to Dr. Etna and then she begged for a little more time and said she’d figure something out. After that, we kind of forgot about the whole thing.”

“Shame on us, huh?”

It was my turn to speak. I remembered a conversation once spoken from an elder Beige.

“It wouldn’t matter,” my voice turned solemn. “When you guys turn back time, what you’re really doing is just creating a new timeline,” then, I found myself losing my cool altogether. “The timeline you think you’ve reversed lives on! You can’t just ignore what you’ve done and claim to do better the next time around! People’s lives have been damaged thanks to you, and going back won’t undo the damages! The only real fix is to make things better in the now!”

Dr. Modest sighed. He really did sound defeated, even if he believed the organization couldn’t possibly be defeated.

“Even if what you say is true, there’s really nothing we can do,” he turned his attention to Coriander. “You’re aware of the force that’s destroyed your world, aren’t you?”

Coriander, too, looked defeated. It was like she already knew what he would say next. I couldn’t be the only one left triumphant.

“Yes, we unleashed something we couldn’t control, but we can’t just un-unleash it.”

“That explains it! That’s why we didn’t do anything with that timeline yet! I forgot all about that!” Dr. Humble realized. “It’s because even if we did, there would have still been a chance for the celestial to cross over. We then decided the safest way we could reverse time was to wait until the world got destroyed, that way we could ensure that the celestial ceases to be.”

“Celestial?” I asked.

“Cosmic entity, angel, Flonne, Euphoria, Succubi, et cetera. We can never really decide on a name to call the thing, other than a big bundle of joy.”

“Well your big bundle of joy cost us billions of lives,” I growled.

“But yeah, there’s no way to get rid of it. I’m sure you two would have preferred a near-destroyed planet to a destroyed one, but the celestial would still exist.” Dr. Humble opined.

“So what?! What are we supposed to do?!” I choked up. I gripped tighter to the gun but it brought me no joy. “We should have won! You guys are scientists! You should be able to figure something out! You fucked the world and gave it a big ol’ STD and try to offer sympathy?!”

It really was true, then. There was no perfect outcome. Or, if there was, it was never figured out. Even by the masters of time, themselves, they had no solution. Our best possible outcome eluded us, and the weight of the current one fell down on me. All I could think to do was allow my anger to take hold and beat the shit out of those two, but before I could even do that, a new voice came in through a panel on the console:

“Except, you’re going to be waiting a while!” Came a low, deep, but also high and maniacal voice. Just a total contradiction of clashing inflections. “I’ve managed to continue to delay the inevitable, and not only that, but I’ve been able to access your communications for quite some time now.”

“Who is this?” Dr. Modest demanded.

“We’re not close enough to be exchanging names, sorry doc. As for why I’ve decided to serenade you all, it’s because I want to help you out. Let bygones be bygones, even if I hate you all.”

“What are you talking about? Just tell us what you want!” Dr. Humble insisted.

“Earth is on the brink of total collapse and I’m keeping it on its hinges, but only because it would be foolish to let it be destroyed when you don’t even have all of your precious angel down here with me,” with those last few words, I swore I could hear the creases of his lips. “So give me the last bits of beauty, and I’ll let go of all worldly possessions.”

I turned to Coriander. If that ghastly voice meant her, then there was no way I could allow the fiend such a request. She was frozen in fear, and had dropped her weapon, which created a loud thud and blasted a hole through part of the console.

Looks like it was my cue!

I set a couple of pillows down and moved the guards’ heads onto the pillows.

“Good night, sweet prince,” I cooed, then walked through the door.

The stage was already set, and I wished that I could have played spectator a little longer. Shame, really. I bit into my cotton candy once more and saw everyone’s attention turned toward me. Velvet was the first one to say anything.

“Blanc? What are you doing here?” She looked so broken up. Much like her actual world was. Hmm...not good. Not, as the cool kids would have said, gucci. I knew what would cheer Velvet up.

I walked over to Coriander. Ah, such an underrated spice. Many people opt for the nutmeg, instead. Not sure why that was.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t mean you,” I told her.

“I…” Coriander couldn’t seem to get any word out. Maybe I needed to be more direct.

“YOU AIN’T IT, CHIEF!” I shouted with glee.

“Indeed,” the suave voice reverberated once again. “I want Blanc in particular.”

I ran over to the panel where the voice came from.

“BUY ME DINNER FIRST, ASSHOLE!” I yelled into the panel.

“Oh, I’ll certainly be making you a meal, all right,” he crooned. “So won’t you come down and see me?”

Look, this wasn’t very becoming of an all-powerful being, but someone had to say what I was about to say.

“What gives? I don’t even know you! I’ve got no personal stake in this and now, at the last minute, you’re gonna declare you’re the final boss?” Yeah, that’s right. Smackdown.

“Rather disappointing, wouldn’t you say?” He sure did like to tease, and I bet there was little more to him than that.

“Yeah, yeah. So what’s the deal, then? I come down there and let the world be destroyed, along with you in it, for what purpose?”

“So I can taste bappiness,” he belched. I knew that if I didn’t intervene, he’d have said the other thing, which I love! Don’t get me wrong! But I didn’t want to do any more harm to Velvet’s love interest.

I shrugged. “Sounds good to me.”

Then I faced the shorter of the two Flashbulb guys.

“Hey Tweedledee, can you beam me down?”

“Yes, and after that, you will die. Are you sure you wish to go through with this?”

“What, like some ultimate sacrifice? Sure, why not?”

“Very well,” he nodded. “I’ll prepare the portal down. Say your goodbyes now.”

Oh goodie! The best part! Well, the most bitterest of the sweet parts, but also the sweetest of the bitter parts! All in all, I think the sweet was the best part!

I went over to Velvet and hugged her, then soon let go. Velvet then put her hands on my shoulders.

“Are you sure about this?”

Gee, same thing the beanbag said.

“Of course I’m sure, Velvet. I’ve already died a few times, what’s one more?” I couldn’t help but smile, even if to others, that might have seemed more grim than intended.

“It’s just…I barely got to see you again and already you’re leaving. It doesn’t feel right.”

“Does it feel rushed?” I wondered. “Or just a general bad feeling?”

She turned her head from each side in a slow fashion. “I’m just going to miss you.”

“Weren’t you the one who said, ‘no matter what form I take, I’m still me’? Well, if that’s the case, then we might see each other again! It won’t be the me standing next to you, or the you standing next to me. They’ll be completely different forms of us, with lives different, but parallel. But it will still be you, and it will still be me!”

She chuckled, intermixed with a few tears shed and fallen into her mouth. She smiled and said, “yeah. Take care.”

“You too!” I beamed, then walked over to Coriander.

“Hey, sorry I’ve made things so difficult for you,” it felt like the first earnest thing I’ve said in a while.

“You’re a little irritating at best. Mildly untrustworthy. Not like you’ve been all that difficult,” she dismissed my statement. Or, rather, misunderstood it.

Oh, right! She thinks I’m talking as Blanc!

“All the same, I think I just wanted to say that if I learned any lesson, it’s that it’s still possible to find joy without the name of the expression.”

She snickered. “You’re really bad at this.”

“Want me to start over? I could try to phrase it a different way.”

“No, no. I got the gist of it.”

“You sure? I’m really bad at improv, but I could try to think of something real quick.”

“That’s really not necessary!”

“All right, then,” I gave in. “What about a hug?”

“I’d prefer a handshake.”

I beamed. That worked, too. I extended my hand and she shook it.

“You weren’t all that bad,” she told me. That also worked for me.

“Neither were you! Or Velvet!”

Oh shoot! I forgot there was one more thing to tell them!

“Hey, Velvet and Cute Spice?” I addressed them. “One more thing before I go: I won’t be able to help you guys from here on out. If my help has really been much help at all. But for what it’s worth, I think you two will do a great job!” I gave them two thumbs up and without much further ado, the portal opened up. Before I went in, I took one last look at them and smiled.

I really was happy to see them.

#happiness overload #writing #scifi #stories #fiction #the flashbulb #grandmaster flash #blanc #cotton candy #happiness #just a few more chapters to go #then its all over

3 notes · View notes

bang-and-a-blintz · 4 years

Text

Through the Darkness

CHAPTER SIX - ROSEMARY GRITS

Fandom: Dracula (2020)

Relationship: Dracula/Roxana(OFC)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: None

Word Count: 4,475

Cafe Rose Nicaud had a moderate crowd for the afternoon rush. This allowed Dracula and Roxana to squeeze into a small booth in the far corner without having to wait. It was a cozy spot; the dark walls were lined with brightly painted caricatures of revered local musicians and the glass in the windows was covered with a colored film that reflected purple, green, and gold across the tables. Kermit Ruffin's trumpet cooed and floated casually out from the speakers in the ceiling.

A waitress shuffled over to drop off some menus and waters, when she smiled her cheeks were dotted and rosy and half her teeth were missing. Roxana thanked the woman and took a swig from the ice-cold glass. The midday sun heated the city quite nicely, making her light jacket feel a little too warm, so she shrugged it off and folded it up next to her. Dracula, on the other hand, and despite his all-black three-piece-suit, looked as cool as a cucumber as he lazily put his sunglasses into his breast pocket and picked up the menu.

The image struck her as strangely normal, too normal, to see Dracula sitting across from her at a small cafe tapping his claws against the tabletop and glancing over the menu with an almost bored look. Roxana used the opportunity to properly inspect him in the daylight. She couldn't deny that the man was attractive. His thick black mane was only slightly mussed from the walk, but otherwise impeccably maintained. He had such a distinguished facial structure that she couldn't help but to be in slight awe; from the serious, Slavic brow to the prominently defined cheekbones; he was every bit a good-looking villainous trope. She took particular notice of his full lips; what a soft and pillowy barrier between his vicious teeth and any poor soul that got too close.

By the way his brows knitted together as he read the menu, she gathered he was unfamiliar with the world of modern cuisine. It made it her wonder if he knew anything about human food at all.

"Do you even eat food?" Roxana asked curiously.

Dracula shook his head, "No, but I do find it intriguing how much stock you all put into food here. It's as if you really care about what you consume. I like that."

"Because food is lives. A single plate can tell the stories of the past or create visions for the future; it can soothe your soul, shed your tears, and inspire your senses. It allows us to survive but can just as well be a cause of death." She took another sip of water before continuing. "I believe that flavor is the essence of life and it is blasphemy to claim otherwise."

He stared at her for a moment with what almost looked like fondness. "I completely agree."

"It's a shame though."

"What's that?"

"Well, that you missed out on such a wonderful dish last night," Roxana's lips curved as he cocked his head, "I had really put in the effort and for that chateaubriand to be wasted on you is just tragic."

"To be perfectly honest, I had been thinking about a different kind of meal you could've offered." Dracula grinned, leaning closer across the table, "You know, it's bad for business, not providing for your client's needs and wants. That is something we shall have to work on."

She swallowed thickly, he was a bit too close and she could see nothing but the black hole of his gaze. His eyes were truly mesmerizing and she was afraid of getting lost inside that intimidating stare. Luckily for her, at that moment the waitress came back to take the order, Roxana was grateful for the distraction and spoke up first, "I'll take the rose benedict with some gator sausage and a house bloody, please cher."

"Not a problem, babe, and what about you, handsome?"

"I'm just here for the lady." He smiled boyishly. "But I wouldn't mind trying a tall glass of yourself."

She gave a shriek of laughter and pointed a crooked finger at him before collecting the menus back up, "Oh you're nothing but trouble. Alright, baby, that'll be right up, just holla if you need anything." She walked back towards the kitchen shaking her head. "Ohh, he's bad!"

"If she only knew," Roxana muttered.

He turned to smile at her, "That word you said, 'cher', what does that mean? You called me it earlier as well."

His question was innocent but it turned her cheeks a cherry red that Dracula found very enjoyable.

"Oh it's just a, um, a term of endearment." She spoke quickly as if the more words she managed to squeeze in would save her from embarrassment. "But don't think on it, honestly, it's just habit. Memaw used to say it, along with her cribbage friends, and my old cooking instructor…It comes from 'cherie', the french word for 'dearest' or whatever."

She didn't appreciate how pleased he looked and he most definitely was. It was the little things, he mused silently, that made her squirm and fluster. Another piece to the puzzle he was starting to put together.

"You seem to be warming up to me quite quickly."

"Ever heard of 'Southern Hospitality'? Calling people babe or cher or honey is habitual because we have a friendly culture, nothing more, so don't get your hopes up, sweetie."

"I understand the social pleasantries, but that is beside the point." Dracula looked pointedly at their proximity in the booth. He was right, and she knew it, because who else in their right mind would willingly sit down and have brunch with an undead vampire warlord from the fourteenth century? Maybe she was crazy.

"Look, I don't know how to…be about everything. Seeing as this situation is a little bit out of my realm, I'm just going to be cautious and courteous lest I become a snack."

"I told you," The vampire huffed, "I'm not going to kill you yet. And besides, I wouldn't have you as a snack, no, my dear, you would be a full-on, fine-dining, four-course meal and I intend to make you last."

Her face deadpanned.

"Here you go, baby." The waitress chose the most opportune moment to arrive with the bloody mary. A godsend, truly. "I gave you an extra piece of bacon, sugar, in case y'all wanted to share."

With a not-very-subtle wink towards Dracula, she hobbled away again. Roxana rolled her eyes and immediately started gulping down half the beverage before munching the first sweetened slice of pig. "She's really laying it on thick, huh?"

"I can't help it that I'm irresistible."

"Oh I'm not so sure of that," She popped a pepper into her mouth. "I've been in your company for less than twenty-four hours and I can already tell you are insufferable."

"Roxana!" Dracula mocked gasped and placed his hand over his non-beating heart, garnering some attention from the nearby patrons, "You wound me."

"You'll survive, I'm sure." She polished off the rest of the drink and smiled widely at the noisy tourists. They immediately looked back down at their plates; the key was to always kill them with kindness. "Anyway, if you're finished with being a drama queen, please tell me more about this council and dinner and all that. We've been getting slightly off track."

The Count sighed and raked a hand through his hair, completely oblivious to the exchange, "Basically there is a peace treaty being put into place because apparently things are getting out of hand for the city. The mortals want accountability and the council is trying to solidify an agreement. And as far the dinner goes, I imagine there are going to be a few more people from Mr. Kendell's committee as well as the heads of Keres' council. We will all wine and dine, figuratively for the supernaturals, of course, we'll sign some papers and all the political nonsense, all while you graciously host us."

"And then it'll be over? I won't have to deal with any of this after that?"

"Are you already tiring of my company?" Dracula's brow crinkled upwards and made him akin to a large puppy dog, but she was not fooled. Without letting her answer, he heaved a sigh and continued. "Well, I'd imagine that afterward, at a later date, there will be a ball. Seeing as it should be around the time Mardi Gras starts to pick up, I believe it will be a grand affair. You will be invited, no doubt, Keres is nothing if not socially polite."

"Yeah, sure, that sounds safe." She was being sarcastic, but her interest piqued considerably. A gala for a supernatural and mortal peace treaty during Mardi Gras? Roxana would be lying if she said that wasn't the coolest thing she had ever heard of. Call it some sort of morbid fascination that seemed to be interred in her bones because she always did have an affinity towards dark and strange things.

"I'll admit, Keres can be a bit uptight and a tad pretentious, but let me tell you, that woman really knows how to throw a party!"

"What's the deal with you two anyway, y'all an item or something?"

"Why, are you jealous?" He smirked as she went to protest but cut her off with a lazy wave of his hand, "No, no, no, she is definitely not one of my brides."

That stopped Roxana in her tracks and she stared at him incredulously, "I'm sorry, did you say brides? Plural?"

"Yes." Dracula's brows rose innocently. "I never have more than three at a time."

"What the fu-?" She was cut off by a steaming plate placed in front of her face. The smell wafted up to her nose and she deeply inhaled the tantalizing scent, momentarily distracted from the beast across from her.

"Anything else, hun?" Where the waitress stood, Roxana could only see an angel sent down from the heavens.

"Another bloody and make it a double, please."

The woman nodded knowingly and was off again.

Roxana took a moment to stare at the beautiful dish and appreciate its display. The rose benedict was one of her favorite brunch items; the succulently poached egg perched on top of a fluffy and flaky biscuit baked to perfection, layered with fresh arugula, sliced tomatoes and avocados, a juicy alligator sausage link, and the homemade hollandaise sauce that was magnificent. It was all placed neatly over a bed of the cafe's famous rosemary grits.

Simply divine.

Dracula watched with intent as Roxana delicately used her knife to break open one of the eggs and the yolk oozed out over the side of the dish. With precise hands, she cut a piece that contained a little bit of everything and brought the fork to her mouth. As she bit down and closed her eyes, she let out a little moan that should not have affected him the way it did. He began to salivate as his eyes focused on how her tongue dipped out to lick the little bit left on the corner of her lip and they slowly drew downward towards her neck, where he could hear her heartbeat thump solidly beneath her flesh.

The cheery waitress came back with Roxana's drink; she thanked the older woman and took a large swig, her eyes closed briefly in happiness at how strongly poured the beverage was. Thank the gods for vodka, she thought gratefully and then brought her focus back to Dracula. "So are you saying you have three brides right now? That sounds exhausting. Honestly how could you have time to follow me around all day?"

"No, no, I'm currently in the market." He leaned close and spoke conspiratorially, "It's really not all that difficult, you see, they're fairly easy to control once put in their boxes."

"You're horrible."

"I'm joking," Dracula reclined back in his seat and laughed, "Haven't done that in a few hundred years. No, nowadays it's a bit more complex, isn't it?"

"Relationships?"

"If you want to call them that, sure." He said, watching her for a moment as she cut into the second egg with the same precision as the first. "I've had some difficulties acquiring the right bride."

"Maybe if you practiced a little respect and some monogamy, you might have more success." Roxana took a sip of water and then made a facial shrug, "Or if they're into polygamy, then that's fine. It's not my bag but to each their own. Though I will say, the whole box thing is really fucked up and you've definitely got to cut that shit out."

He found her candor endearing. "It is an attempt I'm making."

"Is that why you wasted the day stalking me?"

"I have an eternity. One day is insignificant and therefore cannot be wasted." As he spoke, one of his large hands waved about and emphasized his speech. "Besides I wasn't stalking, you passed by my window near the square and I had nothing better to do."

"You followed me all the way from there?!" The Count just shrugged and folded his hands together in his lap. She rolled her eyes, "You need to find yourself a hobby."

Roxana ate the last bite of her meal before polishing off the rest of her drink and set the empty glass down with a satisfied sigh. Her stomach was full and her head was beginning to enter the realm of that familiar warmth that only accompanied good liquor.

Again with impeccable service, the waitress swung by again to pick up the dirty dishes and asked if anything else was needed. Roxana ordered another double bloody to-go and the check. She then excused herself to go to the bathroom and Dracula sat back to observe his surroundings. Idle chatter and clinking utensils on plates filled filling the cafe, but the vampire could hear nothing more than a symphony of heartbeats all thumping in a wild orchestrated sonata. He was getting very hungry.

The Count took a deep breath and reminded himself to be patient. All good things come with time. His companion returned at the same time as the waitress and when Roxana grabbed the check, she noticed that Dracula had latched his claws onto the other side. "I'll take care of that."

"Oh no, you won't!"

He smirked as her eyes narrowed, "Oh yes, I will."

"You didn't even eat."

"And?"

"I pay my own way."

"I insist."

They both had leaned closer and closer, not willing to break eye-contact nor their vice grips on the bill. Dracula was incredibly amused. Roxana was not. The waitress's head bounced back and forth along with their verbal tennis match.

"I will make a scene." She all but growled, eyes narrowing.

"Please," He matched her tone, "I would love to see that."

A pause.

"Damn girl, just take the free meal!" The waitress decided to take the opportunity to cut in, "Give him a little lagniappe later, ya heard me? If you don't, well, sign me up, baby."

Needless to say, Roxana was not happy when she walked out of the cafe and stormed down the street. Dracula followed, looking as smug as ever with his hands in his pockets and a little grin on his face.

After a few blocks and a few more swigs from her cup, she finally let go of her pride and slowed to walk alongside him once more. The sun had begun to set, sending its red and orange hues across the city to cut in between streets and through windows. She loved this time of day. The refraction of the sun created a heady glow that felt like a soothing hug to one's soul.

"Where are we off to next?" Dracula looked down at her, noticing her shoulders weren't as rigid as they were when they left the restaurant.

"A nice lady in the bathroom told me about some little show down by the river, thought that sounded lovely."

He made a face, "Modern toilet etiquette is baffling."

"We were just washing our hands," Roxana laughed at the count's confused expression. "Though you're not wrong. A lot more goes on in bathrooms than just 'using the loo.'"

She mimicked his acquired accent and he was thrilled to see her back to her cheerful self. Until her eyes lit up with a curiosity that he was beginning to recognize and he could already tell where her mind was heading.

"Wait, do you -?"

"No."

"But I didn't-"

"No."

"Could you let me-?"

"No." He said, chuckling as she huffed in frustration. "I know what you're going to ask and the answer is no. I have no use for a toilet. Good thing too, apparently, because according to you, there are plenty of strange things that happen in those receptacles that I have no wish of engaging in."

"Eh, it's mostly people doing drugs. You're not missing much." They turned the corner, she brushed away some hair that blew in her face and took another sip. "Unless you're into drugs?"

Dracula grimaced, "Not particularly. It depends on the drug."

"How about alcohol?" She looked up at him and he shook his head no. "So why did you choose New Orleans? You do realize this is a party city, right?"

"Because I see that there is more to this city than what meets the eye." He spread his hands out wide, "Look around! New Orleans is a delicious cocktail of artists and scholars, fighters and doctors, saints and sinners - it is a plentiful orchard of every imaginable fruit and I would be remiss not to pluck the ripened morsels. The culture here promotes hedonism and I am simply embracing it."

He watched as she paused and looked thoughtfully a bush of jasmine flowers. There were hundreds of them lining the block and wafting around their fragrant aroma. She bent down to pluck a group of three and then turned towards him, walking up close, and tucking them gently in his breast pocket.

"What's this for?"

"Something sweet-smelling," She continued forward, "You're starting to stink up the neighborhood with your evil."

"It was a compliment of the highest form - I've actually become quite fond of this city!"

"Yeah? So stop eating its people!" Roxana called over her shoulder. Dracula laughed in disbelief; she definitely would be an interesting flavor and he was very eager to try.

Catching up to her quickly, they made their way across the quarter and over to the river. By the time they arrived, the night sky had crept in, chasing away the rest of daylight. A small crowd had gathered over by the steps along the riverbank and in the center were a couple of musicians with their small amplifiers; the band was jamming and the crowd was dancing away. The music was a bit too uptempo for Roxana's taste but she could appreciate that everyone was having a good time.

"Is this your style of music?" He asked as they sat down next to each other on a bench overlooking the impromptu show. She noticed how close he sat and how he positioned his body angled towards her with his arm draped behind her. Knowing he was going towards being incredibly invasive and unnerving, she was not about to admit defeat and refused to scoot back.

"No, I'm more of a blues or tragic rock 'n roll kind of gal. The sadder the better, I say."

"But you seem so…happy."

"Yeah, well, you seem like a gentleman, but we both know what you're really after here." She gave him a pointed look. "All of us wear masks, Mr. Balaur."

"Fair enough."

They sat for a while and watched the impromptu set until the sky grew darker and the city lights flickered awake. The heat of the sun disappeared along with it and brought in the chilly air once more. A swift reminder to Roxana that she only brought a thin coat. She chugged down the remainder of her drink, in hopes of creating some sort of liquor blanket, and pulled her jacket closer.

"As surprisingly nice this evening turned out to be, I need to get home. So I'm going to head out." She stood up and turned towards him.

"Would you like a ride?"

"No!" She said a little too loudly and then cleared her throat, blushing. "I mean, no that's fine, I'm just going take the streetcar."

"Nonsense, I can drive you, my car is close by."

"Seriously, I'm fine. Thank you, though."

"I'll accompany you to the streetcar then - and I won't take no for answer."

Roxana knew better than to even try and just spun on her heel, walking away and knowing that he would shortly keep up. They weaved back through the maze of the quarter towards the hub on Canal Street and maintained their amiable silence. Dracula kept a few steps distance from her and easily clung to the shadows. She thought it was strange, but made no comment. Must be his nature.

A few blocks from the bright and bustling main street, they were the only people walking around as they passed by a dimly lit parking garage. Where an attendant usually sat was only an empty booth and a single flickering light.

There was a flash of steel and suddenly a man appeared out from around the other side of the booth. He was wielding a knife. The guy pointed it at Roxana, not seeing Dracula in the darkness, and he gave her a grin that sent chills down her spine.

"Hey there, doll. Why don't we make this nice and easy?" His voice sounded like a kazoo made out of sandpaper; wheezy and scratchy and a tad too high-pitched.

Normally, this would be the moment she would grab her mace, spray, and run; but then she remembered the five-hundred-year-old genocidal bloodsucker creeping unseen behind this lunatic. Better the devil you know and all that.

"Hello."

The man jumped and pointed his weapon as Dracula materialized out of the shadows. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

"Wallachia."

"Bless you." Roxana couldn't stop the words from leaving her mouth and when he gave her an incredulous look, she just put a hand up in apology.

"Shut up, both of you, and give me what you've got." He waved the blade back and forth between the pair them. "Or I'll slice y'all right up!"

Dracula and Roxana exchanged looks. He took a deep breath and stepped towards the man. "Let's make a deal, hm? I'll give you what you want, if you give me what I want?"

"What? You crazy, old man?"

"No, no, not crazy, just a businessman." He smirked, "What do they say? Quid pro quo?"

"Well whatchu want then?"

"It's very simple, actually, I just need you to say 'yes'."

The man looked bewildered and faltered his grip a bit on the knife, "Why the fuck-?"

"Have you been drinking? On any drugs?"

"What're you a cop?

"No. I just don't like the taste." The count gave him a look and the man slowly shook his head. Compelled almost. "Good, now, back to business."

Dracula took another step closer and pulled out a rolled-up wad of money, raising his eyebrows and wagging it in the air. The guy gulped audibly, not able to take his eyes off of the prize cash.

"What…what did you want again?"

The vampire lowered his voice, "Just say 'yes'."

"…Yes?"

The tension was thick. Dracula smirked as he glanced over to see Roxana staring at them, her wide eyes with rapt attention. Oh he hoped she would enjoy the show. "That's good enough for me."

Frozen in horror, she watched as his eyes filled with a dark red, and his teeth extended to frightening lengths. He launched at the man with the knife and slapped the blade away, gripping the mortal effortlessly and latching his jaw around the tender neck. Sounds of hissing and slurping and growling battled the poor guy's cries of terror which bounced and echoed across the buildings.

She wasn't sure she could move even if she tried. Roxana just stood there and dumbly stared as Dracula drank his fill. After a few moments, she didn't know because time appeared to stand still, he looked to be finally sated. The count detached himself by brutally ripping out part of the muscle in the man's neck, making a show of spitting it across the sidewalk, and then tossed the body to the side like a useless rag doll. Even in the dark of the night, she could still see the smear of blood across his mouth and the pointy white teeth from his devilish grin.

He put the wad of money back in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to dab at his cheek, acting as if nothing ever happened. Noting her shock, he just rose a single brow, "What?"

"What?" She mumbled and then shook her head roughly, snapping herself out of the daze. "What?! What do you mean? The fuck was that?!"

"He said yes. Verbal consent."

"You have no concept of what consent actually is."

"Oh come on, he was going to stab you, I saved your life." He stepped towards her and she could clearly see the blood now, it even tainted his teeth. She could smell it.

"You're a monster."

Dracula took another step into her personal space. "That's a terrible way to show gratitude."

The image began to repeat in her mind of his teeth tearing so viciously into the flesh and the blood dripping from the count's chin as he rolled his eyes back in ecstasy. Over and over and over again.

He noticed she had paled significantly and got a glazed look in her eyes, "Are you alright? You're not looking so well."

She felt it churn in her stomach and claw up her throat, and without any attempt to stop the inevitable, Roxana promptly vomited all over Count Dracula's fancy suit.

Taglist:

@festering-queen @vissidarte213 @moony691 @torntaltos @allis143 @apocalypsenowish

#through the darkness #dracula x oc #dracula x ofc #dracula bbc #dracula 2020 #whoooo another one!

11 notes · View notes

jd-loves-everyone · 5 years

Text

Who are these 9 boys?

Kim Woojin: The 3rd year, chicken enthusiast with an angelic voice and an adorable smile.We met when we got paired up for a school trip. I was so nervous about being next to a 3rd year (that I didn’t know) that I barely looked at him for at least the first 30 minutes of the trip. His age plus his broad shoulders and tall stature, only served to intimidate me more. Oh, how wrong I was to think he’d be any bit intimidating.

In truth, his body type only added to his personality in a way that made him resemble a giant, cuddly, teddy bear.

He was gentle and polite as he tried to get me to come out of my tightly sealed shell, with lame jokes and the cutest laugh.

We even shared my earphones, which was how I found out about his utterly divine voice. After complimenting him, he blushed a pretty pink, and asked about my own hobbies and talents. After much prying, he was able to figure out that I also loved singing, but had little to no confidence at all in my own voice (especially after hearing his).

So by the end of the trip, he promised to help me show my voice to the world. And he’s unknowingly succeeded, considering that when we’re alone, he’s my whole world.

Bang Chan: The 3rd year, Student Council President and an aspiring artist, who was too afraid to take a step in the direction of his dreams, so he is now stuck in a path that he doesn’t want to follow.

He is also my neighbor, who gives me a ride to and from school everyday, I’ve learned a lot about him during these rides (and I can only guess, that so has he), like the fact he has a puppy (from the dog hair in his backseat) and that he writes music (really good music). He’s seen all of me: he’s heard me sing more than once (sorry Woojin) and I’ve even broken down in his car (and he held me through it).

I’ve already followed his advice many times, so I hope he follows mine, just once, and goes after his dreams.

Lee Minho: My first crush and the one who made me fall in love with dancing (and him too, in the process). No wonder he’s the captain of the school’s dance club. He’s just mesmerizing to watch.

Despite his very flirty nature, he’s not a player, just very friendly (maybe too friendly). And in spite of this, he still likes to fiercely declare that cats are better than people (especially his 3 cats: Dori, Soon-ie and Doong-ie). The reason why his contact name on my phone is “Crazy Cat Minho”.

Considering that when we first met (at 12 years old) we only spoke briefly, I didn’t expect him to remember me (or for him to have such a… colorful personality, considering his cold demeanor upon first meeting me), let alone want to get as close to me as he has become recently. He even invited me to his house a few times (his little brother is adorable, but he always seems to be staring oddly at me. Is there something on my face?)

I hope my longtime-brewing feelings for ‘The school’s dancing gem’ don’t change how close we’ve gotten, because I’ve really come to value him as a friend, more than just a crush.

Seo Changbin: The 2nd year “bad boy”, who’s really just a softie. Despite him being known as such for being part of the boxing club (and doing pretty good on it) and owning a motorcycle, he also works part-time at the cafe (there, I discovered that he has the cutest smile).

Even the way we met goes against the way he’s been stereotyped. He showed me (on my first, nerve-filled, day) the way to my class (which I later found out was nowhere near his own class).

I refuse to admit that my increased number of trips to the small, cozy cafe is for me to catch a glimpse of that beautiful smile, the fondness in his eyes as he talks to his little sister when she visits him at work, but it is most definitely not because of how much I’ve come to enjoy the giggle-filled conversations we have during his breaks and slower days. I instead like to blame it on my borderline addiction on coffee and hot chocolate.

I hope that, as time goes by, we can talk more. I’d love to see that wonderful smile directed at me more often. I just wish that he never invites me to one of his fights, because I don’t think I’d be able to handle seeing the wounds beneath all those band-aids he always wears.

Hwang Hyunjin: The school’s certified pretty boy (and the most popular one). He sits next to me in most classes, so I got to know him for not just his looks, but his intelligence as well, and during dance club, I got to know his humorous side and the passion he holds for dance. I also found that he is a lot shier than most would expect him to be.

There are just a few problems with my growing interest for him: 1- his crazy fangirls (who drive me crazy for only appreciating his visuals), 2- my childhood friend, Jisung, hates him (and it seems to be mutual) which makes for some interesting classes, considering I sit between them and 3- my, infinitely more talented, best friend, Maia, has a crush on him (at least she did last time we talked about it, which we don’t do often, for obvious reasons, so maybe it’s passed?)

Despite all of this, I can’t help but feel attracted to the boy with the purest giggle and an eye-smile brighter than the sun itself.

Han Jisung: My childhood friend, we’ve basically been joined at the hip since we met. Despite this, even he doesn’t know some of my deepest secrets. I didn’t tell him about most boys in this ‘list’, but every time I spoke about any of them, he acted like an overprotective brother, talking about how they didn’t deserve me and things like that. I don't even want to imagine what he would have said or done if I told him about my interest in Hyunjin, considering they're basically mortal enemies.

He’s the one Maia keeps pushing me to reveal my feelings to (because apparently, he'd be the most likely to return them. Something I don't agree with). Although she'd also like our boyfriends to be able to at least look at each other without rolling their eyes.

And I can see why she does this, I mean, he's handsome, adorable, thoughtful, reliable and knows me like very few people do. But, as cliché as it sounds, I don't want to ruin our friendship because it really means a lot to me.I sometimes wonder if simply by being his friend, I'm only hurting myself more.

Both his sisters treat me like family and I see them as the sisters I never had, during broadcast club (which we have together) I not only get to listen to his soft voice for long periods of time, I also get to experience how truly thoughtful and attentive he is everyone around him as he solves all the problems sent in by students with a gentleness I sometimes wished was directed at me more often.

Lee Felix: The 2nd year, australian transfer student, with the cutest freckles. I never thought I had a thing for accents, but Felix proved that, in fact, I do, and don't get me started on his voice, deep enough to make basically anyone swoon, it has nothing to do with his cute face (and even cuter personality). Before meeting Felix, I had no doubts that Hyunjin was the most handsome boy in school, but now I'm questioning that fact. There’s just something about him, everything fits so perfectly.

I still remember how lost he looked on his first day. With barely any decent English speakers other than myself and a few others, I inevitably became his korean tutor and quite close to him. With his talent for dancing I doubt he'll have problems getting a job, but I hope I can help him become fluent in time for the exams.

Kim Seungmin: My mother’s best friend's son (confusing, I know). The 1st year from the photography club, who asked me to go with him when he went abroad to continue his studies in college (at the time I said I’d think about it but I know it wouldn't be possible).

We met at his mom's birthday party, where we kept each other company throughout the (screeching-filled) event, as the other kids were much younger than the both of us.

In that one afternoon (that dragged on to night), I found out a lot about him, like the fact that his dream is to become a world-known photographer, or the fact that he is incredibly shy (I had to start the conversation even after about 5 minutes of sitting in awkward silence) and because of this, he doesn't smile much, only giving me small, polite and tight smiles in the beginning of our conversation. I was only able to get a real smile out of him when I glanced at one of the pictures on the wall, complimenting him on it. He immediately got this light in his eyes, even if he (at first) tried to act bashful. After I praised his vision, his smile turned wide, broad and genuine as he went on and on about his passion.

On that night, I also found out something about myself, the fact that I'd do anything to keep that beautiful smile on his face, even if it took him away from me.

Yang Jeongin: My new, 1st year, neighbor and Seungmin’s best friend.We actually met once Seungmin told me how desperately in need of help he was in English. So, despite my already busy schedule, I offered to help him. And, after discovering that he had recently moved into the house across from mine, we walked home together (after cancelling my plans with Chan).

The boy was friendly from the start, lively, energetic, and all around an actual ball of sunshine.

With so much love to give and so little confidence in things like his wonderful voice, I suspect he hasn't received a lot of love back. I wish I could be the one to give it to him. I guess I should take Woojin’s advice and get him to come out of his shell too.But with how often he seems to blush around me, I doubt he has enough experience with girls to know what a crush even feels like and I'd hate to confuse him with my own feelings.

14 notes · View notes

skylanders-after-the-end · 5 years

Text

Witch Hunt

„That doesn’t make any sense!” Spyro was marching from left to right, shaking his head. “Why would Hex work with Malefor and attack innocent people?”

“We saw her transform those molekin into the same monsters as the mabu you found, it was her all along.” Knight Light wasn’t sure why, but he had no doubts about Hex being behind all this.

“Why would she do that?” Spyro stopped and considered all the odds. “What if Malefor is controlling her as well?”

“She didn’t have black eyes.” Smash Hit, sitting on a chair with his arms crossed, was looking straight forward and talked. “She looked at us and then disappeared.”

“Malefor must have convinced her to join him after all.” Stealth Elf argued. “She spent months with him, who knows what he told her.”

“Guys, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. It has to be a misunderstanding.” Cynder was probably the most shocked to hear the news. Hex was one of her closest friends, she was always like a sister to her. For her to join the side of their mortal enemy, unimaginable. “If we could just talk to her-”

“Talk to Hex? Good luck with that.” Stealth Elf hissed. “She’s always been distant from us. I’m honestly not surprised that she would turn out to be evil.”

“You don’t know what she’s been through!” Cynder couldn’t stand by and listen to all those accusations. Someone had to defend the Undead Skylander. “We’re to blame as well! We left her with Malefor all this time and just ignored the problem instead of facing it!”

“We had more important things to do!” Stealth Elf turned around and looked the furious dragon in the eyes. “She went with him willingly. She’s the only one with the power to keep Malefor at bay, what were we supposed to do?”

“Calm down!” Smolderdash stepped between the rage engulfed Skylanders. “Fighting over this will not solve anything. We have to do something.”

“This outcome is logical.” Gearshift spoke and directed all attention to her. “Hex has spent centuries in solitude, rejected by society. Her lack of companionship among the Skylanders and cold nature increased the likeliness of her eventually turning against everyone.”

“You know, I never understood why people are so scared of her.” Roller Brawl was sitting on top of a golden fence at the side of a small bridge in the Academy. “I’m a vampire with actual roller blades, yet no one seems to mind me.”

“Everyone has a reputation RB.” Cynder has been thinking about that issue a lot, and she had her own theory on it. “Everyone used to be afraid to death of any undead, but seeing more and more undead Skylanders and other harmless undead creatures, things changed. Even I got accepted at some point.” Cynder could feel her mouth forming a smile after talking about the positive changes that came from such a dark place. Yet that smile soon faded away. “But Hex… there were always rumors surrounding her, about Malefor and making deals to gain more power. And besides that, she just has this eerie presence. Even I felt unsettled at first.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Stealth Elf used the opportunity to convince the others of her mindset. “We have to get to the bottom of this, isn’t that right Spyro?”

Spyro didn’t even listen to the elf, he could only think about Hex. He made it his duty to make every Skylander feel comfortable and part of the team when he became the leader. Even though she always avoided contact, he did get to talk to the witch a few times. She was aloof, never showing a smile or being considerably kind, but sometimes he could see something in her eyes. A looming sadness, as if she had lost something a long time ago.

“Spyro?” Stealth Elf pulled the dragon out of his trip down memory lane.

“Of course.” He looked through the group of patient eyes waiting for an order. “We will find Hex and talk to her. We won’t attack her until we know what’s going on, she’s still one of us.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, even Stealth Elf found that to be the most sensible option, though she was always ready to fight.

“I’ll come with you, maybe seeing a fellow undead will make her realize that she isn’t alone.” Roller Brawl got off the fence and sharpened her skates on the rock floor underneath.

“I’m coming too.” Smolderdash grabbed her whip which she had put to the side and was ready for a new mission.

“Knight Light?” Spyro looked over to the angelic human, expecting him to tag along as usual.

“You know it.” The Trap Master pulled out his scimitar and spread his glorious wings.

“Then let’s go Skylanders!” Spyro headed out, followed by the group of heroes. Gearshift and Smash Hit stayed behind. The warsupial has been awfully quiet since their fight with Malefor and sported wounds all over his body.

“You should visit the hospital to have your wounds looked at.” Gearshift advised the Supercharger.

“I’ll sit it out, I don’t need some potions and rainbow magic.” Smash Hit refused.

Gearshift noticed his drastic change in behavior, nothing she hasn’t seen before with other Skylanders. “Suit yourself.” The robot left without another word, leaving the grumpy Earth Skylander alone.

The Skylanders began their journey on an airship. They decided to go straight to the underworld, since Hex and Malefor were only seen outside of it for their brief ambushes. Only a few of the heroes have been to the land of the undead. Of course, Cynder knew the place like the back of her claw and helped navigating the ship. They visited the most prominent places down there but had no luck with finding the undeads. While the others tried to figure out the way, Spyro noticed Cynder retreating to the edge of the ship. It has become a habit of hers to sink into deep and thoughtful moments during such rides.

“Mind if I join?” Cynder turned her head around and smiled after seeing Spyro before the dragon sat down next to her. “You look unhappy.”

“How couldn’t I?” Cynder looked at the dark cave like structures surrounding them. “Something’s wrong with Hex. We don’t know what, but we have to help her. I won’t believe that she’s turned evil until I see it.” The dragoness kept staring at the dark rocks they were passing. The place she used to consider her home seemed so foreign now, like she’s only visited it during her nightmares. “You’ve known her as long as I have, she’s always been trustworthy.”

“She has.” Spyro had to give the witch that. Yet he wasn’t innocent when it came to judging her. “But she’s been down here for months and we…”

“We didn’t help her. She has every right to be mad.” Cynder understood what the witch went through, since she also spent such a long time with Malefor in the underworld. “The Skylanders never leave anyone behind, that’s one of the first rules and we broke it.”

“There was nothing we could do. Malefor is invincible and Hex was the only one who could restrain him.” Spyro repeated the things Stealth Elf said earlier that day. And even though he didn’t want to admit it, he also wanted to forget about the dragon king. “Not to mention that we had the Golden Queen to worry about.”

“And what good did that do? She didn’t do anything while Hex was down here suffering and Malefor plotted his next steps.” The purple dragoness sighed. “I know what that’s like.”

Spyro put his paw on Cynder’s shoulder to show her that he’s there for her and that he will do everything he can to fix this.

“We’re here!” Smolderdash exclaimed upon reaching the next destination – Malefor’s throne.

The Skylanders all gathered at the front of the ship to take a look at the ancient monument. It was a giant chair, large enough for a dragon like Malefor to sit on, made of dangerously sharp rocks at the top to intimidate anyone who dares to come here. A single opening above let a dim pillar of light fall onto the throne, making it appear even more glorious and threatening.

The ship landed and the six Skylanders set foot on the cold dark ground in front of the cliff the throne was positioned on. They carefully observed the area, looking for any sign of life, which wasn’t an easy task in the underworld. Suddenly a purple cloud of smoke appeared right in front of the throne. All eyes were fixed on it before it vanished, and a familiar figure emerged.

“Hex!” Cynder cried out to her friend, who floated in place without a hint of emotions. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

Hex looked at the Skylander who came running towards her. “It’s good to see you again, Cynder.” The dragon’s smile eventually faded when the sorceress continued. “Again, after letting me rot here for months.”

Cynder didn’t know what to say. Hex was rightfully angry, and there was no justification for the Skylanders’ dismissiveness. The rest of the team joined Cynder’s side and stared at the witch, who was clearly displeased to see them.

“Hex, what happened? What’s with all those possessed people and Malefor?” Spyro was hoping that Hex would have a reasonable explanation, but after everything he’s heard, his hopes were low.

“What happened is that I finally realized who I truly am.” Hex had a sinister tone in her voice, one the Skylanders have never heard before. “You must be confused and scared, but that was the point.”

“So you are evil after all!” Stealth Elf had already grabbed her daggers and was ready to strike the witch.

“After all?” Hex repeated that last part. Proof that the Skylanders were just like her old friends and all those ungrateful people she used to protect. “After all the things I’ve done for you? After always putting others first and sacrificing myself for you, I’m evil after all that?”

Spyro gave Stealth Elf a stern look after her reckless accusation. “Hex, let’s talk about this. You’re not evil, you never were.” The dragon desperately tried to calm the witch down after realizing his mistakes and wanted to prevent anyone else from getting hurt. “I know we neglected you and I am truly sorry that things ended up like this, but please think about what you’re doing. It’s not too late.”

“No, it is too late.” Hex made a dramatic pause, leaving the others to wonder what she was about to say next. “It’s been too late a long time ago.” The sorceress began to lift herself further up into the air, looking like she was on Malefor’s throne. “After hundreds of years of me always trying to prove that I am the person I used to be, nothing has changed.” She clenched her fists remembering all the times she was judged and harassed only because of her appearance. “You mortal creatures are so quick to jump to conclusions you don’t even think about what you say or do. After joining the Skylanders I thought the world would finally see that I’m not the villain, but I was wrong. Even you Skylanders didn’t trust me, or simply didn’t care.” Hex then turned her head to direct her sight towards Cynder. “Yet you’ve accepted the Black Dragon.” Receiving angered and somewhat scared looks, Hex continued. “But I kept on trying. It’s true I was never the most eager Skylander, but I always did what was right. And what did I get? Ungrateful looks and hostile mumbles.” Hex descended from the heights she’s reached and floated closer to the ground in front of the throne again. “Those days are over.”

Roller Brawl skated in front of the line of Skylanders and spoke up. She did join Hex on a fair amount of missions and considered her a friend, regardless of her cold behavior. “Going nuts on the Skylands will only make things worse. Please, if you just-”

“Do you think I want to make things better?” Hex sounded almost insulted. “You don’t deserve that. No matter what I did it was always wrong, you would always see me as someone with wicked intentions.” After taking a moment to cool off, Hex decided to get to the point. “No, I will give you exactly what you want, what everyone wanted for centuries. I will be the villain that everyone wants me to be.”

“I’ve heard enough!” Stealth Elf clenched her daggers and sprinted towards the witch.

“Elf, wait!” Spyro shouted after her, but the assassin didn’t listen.

Stealth Elf was running across the dark ground as she approached the cliff. Meanwhile Hex summoned a couple of orbs and aimed them at her, which the Skylander was able to dodge. Before reaching the cliff, Stealth Elf launched herself into the air and was about to strike Hex down with her blades. The witch remained calm and lifted her hand to engulf the elf with her dark magic before tossing her back on the ground.

The team watched in shock as Stealth Elf was trying to push herself up through her painful coughs, but once she did, she was ready to strike again. Knight Light decided to help his ally and ascended into the air before speeding towards Hex as well. The sorceress created a circle of skulls around her waist and launched them one after the other at the knight. He was able to destroy two of them with his scimitar and wings, but the other ones were able to hit and bring him down as well.

“You give us no choice Hex, this has to stop!” Spyro declared before he and the rest of the group joined the fight as well.

Cynder was the only one who stayed behind. She watched in horror as one of her closest friends was shooting down one Skylander after the other. It was hard to see her give in to the darkness, especially since she’s been there as well. “Guys, Hex, stop it! This won’t fix anything!”

“There is no fixing this!” Stealth Elf was thrown backwards and landed right next to the dragoness. She stopped for a second to look into Cynder’s eyes. “Now even you have to see who she truly is.”

Cynder couldn’t argue against that, but neither did she want to hurt Hex. Stealth Elf groaned before jumping back into action.

Smolderdash managed to float at eye height with Hex. The fiery humanoid created a ball of fire before whipping it towards Hex, who stopped it by catching it with her undead magic and transforming it into spectral fire. She threw it back at the Skylander, who was unable to react and got hit by it. After shaking the attack off, Smolderdash dashed through the air while turning her upper body to go after Hex with her whip. The witch was able to move back in time, allowing the whip to create a trail of fire in front of her instead. Hex kept her eyes on the flames. A grim reminder of the day where she was nearly burned alive by those she once trusted. That only fueled Hex’ hatred further and the sorceress aimed at one of the stalactites above Smolderdash, causing it to crumble down onto the heroes.

The Skylanders were able to move aside before it crushed them, but chunks of rocks which broke off managed to hit them nevertheless. Roller Brawl, being the fastest member of the group, was passing all obstacles, attempting to reach Hex. Even though the witch used to be her friend, after what she just heard and saw, the roller jammer didn’t feel the urge to hold back. With her sharp skate blades, she was able to go up the cliff and reach Hex, who gave her another cold look as if she never truly cared about her. Roller Brawl skated as fast as she could and tried to slice the witch with her roller claws to subdue her, but Hex didn’t make it easy. She was floating around Roller Brawl’s movements all while shooting her projectiles. Each orb got closer to hitting the vampire, until one finally did. The Undead Skylander was catapulted down the cliff. Before she hit the ground, Knight Light swooped in to catch the skater and gently put her down.

Spyro used his wings to keep himself in the air. Hex summoned countless orbs and skulls to launch at her former allies. Even though they outnumbered her, the witch’s magic was superior to all their combat skills. She blocked and evaded all attacks and countered with blows that always ended up hitting them. “Stop this Hex!” The leader has had enough of the sorceress’ fury.

While casting her spells, the witch paused to look up at the angered dragon. Once all Skylanders landed on the ground, she proceeded to raise both of her arms and make spiky bones shoot out of the ground everywhere. She was able to catch all the Skylanders besides Spyro and Cynder in between them, interrupting the fight and piercing some of them in the process. Cynder gasped in the background and prayed for the witch to come back to her senses. Hex lowered her arms and glared at Spyro menacingly. “Or what?”

“Or I will make you.” With his deepest and most serious voice, Spyro attempted to stop Hex through intimidation, but she remained unbothered.

“You think you can stop me?” Hex wasn’t the type to gloat, but since she was turning on the Skylanders, she wanted to let them know what they were up against. “Five of you Skylanders were no match for me, yet you hope to defeat me on your own?”

“You leave me no choice!” Spyro inhaled with all his might to charge up the powerful daybringer flame.

When the dragon unleashed the great ball of fire at the witch, she used her powers to color it purple and redirect it behind herself, destroying Malefor’s throne. Hex floated in front of the flickering mix of orange and purple flames, summoning a skull to aim at Spyro. Surprised that she was able to avoid his attack, the dragon was unable to dodge hers and fell to the ground.

The witch looked at the collection of fallen heroes beneath her. Even though she has beaten them all to the ground multiple times, they were still fighting to break free from the bones, and Spyro didn’t give up just yet. Hex soon noticed that Stealth Elf behaved awfully calm and remained inside the bony fortress, even though she could have easily escaped thanks to her agility. When the sorceress saw that there was hay coming out of one of the cuts on the elf’s body, she knew what was going on. Instantly, the witch turned around just in time as Stealth Elf exited her invisible state and pounced towards the witch, her blades gripped tightly. Right before she could strike, Hex reached out to grab the elf by her throat, cancelling the attack and choking her.

“No!” Spyro yelled upon seeing the scene. “Don’t you dare hurt her!”

Stealth Elf was like paralyzed, she was unable to move and couldn’t break free from Hex’ grasp. The witch tightened her grip and colored the Life Skylander’s veins along her neck black. “You will leave the underworld and not repeat another attempt to stop me.” She pressed even harder against Stealth Elf’s throat, who could only release a pained moan. “Or the elf will pay the price.”

“Spyro.” Cynder called after her friend with worried eyes. It seemed as if she suggested that he does as Hex says.

Spyro was angry, but also afraid. He couldn’t let Stealth Elf die, but he had to stop Hex. Time was running out as the black veins spread further across the elf’s body and her skin became paler with each passing second. “We’ll leave! Let her go!”

Just what Hex wanted to hear. She dropped Stealth Elf on the ground, who coughed and breathed hastily as the dark veins faded and her skin gained its color back. Spyro flew up to his friend and picked her up while making deadly eye contact with Hex. The witch moved her hands in a downwards motion to lower the bones around the Skylanders. Wounded and devastated, the team gathered to give their former ally one last disappointed look before turning around and leaving. Cynder stayed a little longer to look at Hex. Unlike the others, she showed only sadness after seeing the transformation of her friend. Finally, Hex turned around and left as well.

Cynder remained standing there until she could hear Spyro calling for her and hurried to catch up with the others. When the Skylanders returned to their airship and were about to head back, Cynder stopped in front of it.

“Cynder, are you coming?” Spyro asked on top of the ship, looking down on his fellow dragon.

“No.” Cynder responded. “I have something to do here.”

Spyro’s eyes widened and he was overrun by a feeling of fear again. “Cynder, please-”

“I have to, Spyro! I know that there’s still good in her!” Even though her actions spoke volumes, the dragoness who once walked the same path as Hex was certain that she could get through to her. “You would do the same thing for me.”

Spyro had dozens of reasons to keep Cynder from staying in the underworld, but looking into her eyes, he knew that he could trust her. And after all, Hex didn’t attack her. With a long sigh, he finally gave in. “Please be careful.”

“I will.” Cynder gave her friend a reassuring smile before the ship set off and the Skylanders left.

Cynder turned back around and stared at the enormous entrance of the place that used to be her home. Malefor used her once and he’s using Hex now, but the Skylander would not give up on her friend that easily.

#skylanders #skylanders after the end #skylanders ate #after the end #ate #fanfiction #original story #hex #cynder #spyro #stealth elf #roller brawl #smolderdash #knight light

5 notes · View notes