#isekai fic

[novelcain]

When Worlds Collide

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FANDOM: Jujutsu Kaisen

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PAIRING: Gojo x reader

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PLATFORM: AO3

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SYNOPSIS:

After attempting to commit suicide, you inexplicably find yourself in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen with none other than Gojo Satoru himself. Will you be able to change the future, or are you destined to be nothing more than a spectator to the pain that lies ahead?

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Masterlist

Chapter 1: Fallen Angel

Chapter 2

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[nagito-kissmaeda]

if it isn't real, why does the sun still burn?

CHAPTER ONE: Rise and Shine CHAPTER TWO: i guess its all up to me now CHAPTER THREE: Predictably, everything gets worse CHAPTER FOUR: good morning CHAPTER FIVE: Something to eat CHAPTER SIX: a start CHAPTER SEVEN: the party don’t start ‘til CHAPTER EIGHT: your full hospitality CHAPTER NINE: visitation rights CHAPTER TEN: gamer girl moments CHAPTER ELEVEN: prank patrol

Summary : Like most people visiting this tag. You have always dreamed of meeting Nagito Komaeda for real, what you would do, what you would say? Things don’t go as planned.

AKA: Reader from our universe ends up in danganronpa and is just trying her best to keep everyone alive. and maybe to make komaeda kiss her.

Contains: she/her pronouns, negative body image ment, cringe national treasure jokes

Read on Ao3

After Komaeda leaves, it suddenly becomes incredibly clear just how uncomfortable it is to sit in the gravel. Your sundress is long enough that you are saved from a potential ‘rocks in the panties’ situation, but it’s still digging into your thighs pretty badly.

You sigh, appreciative of the cool metal of the arcade machine at your back in the otherwise very sweaty weather. It’s weird being alone out here, you’ve been stuck inside Komaeda’s cottage for what feels like an age and you are instinctively nervous about what is to come next.

“Wait.” You whisper, quickly fishing the strange envelope out from the pocket of your dress, “What even is this?”

Only the manilla envelope containing the motive photos was present in the game, or at the very least, that was the only piece of evidence found in the game. It’s highly possible that Kuzuryu found something else that never came to light during the trial. Either way, the unknown is scary and you hate that.

The quickest way to make the unknown less scary is to make it known instead. So you quickly tear open the envelope.

“Huh.” You whisper, squinting at the notecard inside. Whatever is printed on it is completely illegible, a smattering of bright red and blue ink in the shape of what might be words. The longer you look at it the more it makes your eyes hurt.

“It’s colour code.”

You yelp aloud when someone else speaks, thwacking your head backwards into the arcade machine with a clang that rattles right through to your teeth. The notecard falls from your hands as you instinctively clutch at the back of your head, “fuuuuuuck……oww…..”

The other person drops to a crouch beside you and rests a warm hand on your shoulder, “You should be more careful.” they chide.

You dismiss them with a wave of your hand, “M’fine, it just-” You blink up at him. Him being Togami, “Oh. It’s uh…it’s you .”

His brows pull together, “Were you expecting someone else?” Yes. You had been expecting Kuzuryu. Though thinking on it, it does make sense that (with him not, ya know dead ) Togami would be the first person to come and investigate the motive. Especially knowing how quickly he arranged that party after getting the anonymous letter from Komaeda. If you weren’t so blockheaded you probably would have foreseen this outcome a lot sooner.

You swallow, “Um, no. Not really.” Togami raises an eyebrow, “You weren’t expecting Komaeda-san ?” he asks, probably noticing how instantly red that accusation makes you, “I noticed that the two of you were the only ones who didn’t show up to the urgent meeting I called.”  

Damn. He’s so organised. You are not organised.

“I was um, already here?”

Togami rests his forearms on his knees. He’s surprisingly dexterous, you wouldn't be able to hold a squat for that long without falling over, “After all the effort the others went through to prove your innocence, it would be very inconvenient for you to do something suspicious now.” he gives you a long stare, “So please, a sensible excuse would be appreciated.”

The real Togami wouldn’t say please , but he still manages to make it sound like a threat, “Yes, sorry.” You start, hands fidgeting in your lap, “I came here to check on the motive, same as you. I thought maybe if I got here first I could make sure it wasn’t dangerous.” “And Komaeda-san?” Even the mention of him makes you turn pink again, “Y-yes, he followed me, but he’s gone now.” You gulp a breath and try to meet Togami’s eyes, “I was just trying to help, Togami-san. Please believe me. I can tell that you aren’t the sort of person I want to make an enemy of, and I just want to make sure no one gets hurt.”

Togami stares at you appraisingly for a moment, and you feel your heart kick into high gear. After what feels like an age, he sighs and hangs his head, “I suppose there is little reason for me not to believe you, especially after so many of my classmates came to your defence.” he looks back up at you, he seems tired, “I will be keeping an eye on you, as I will with everyone else, but I’ll trust you for now .”

You nod desperately, “Yes, th-thank you. You won’t regret it.”

Togami joins you on the ground, sitting crosslegged in the gravel, it doesn’t seem to bother him, “So. This machine that you hit your head on is key to the motive, I take it?” You wince at the reminder of your recent injury, but manage a nod anyway, “Yes. The game it uh, well in short it recounts events that occurred during everyone’s missing high school years. The events aren’t pleasant.”

Togami nods and rests his chin on his palm, “That is troubling. I won’t ask who it involves, the safest thing would be for as few of us to view the motive as possible.” He glances at you from the corner of his eye, “The notecard you were holding when I arrived. Is that part of it?” “Oh, maybe? I’m not sure, I can’t actually read it. There was something else too, but I gave it to Komaeda-san already.” You shrug, “With his whole deal no one is going to find it unless he wants them to.”

“So the two of you are working together? That explains why Komaeda-san defended you so staunchly this morning.” “O-Oh?” You ask, trying to sound coy and not at all desperate for more information, “What um…kind of…things…did he say?”

Togami eyes you suspiciously, “He spoke to your tenacity for the most part, that and his unwavering trust in you.” Unwavering. Unwavering unwavering . The word circles around and around in your head until it becomes the only sound you can hear. You know that Komaeda was likely just posturing, but even still the warmth of the word settles low in your chest and you have to bite hard on your lip to stop yourself from smiling too widely, “That’s uh…that’s good.” “More importantly. That note of yours.” Togami says, pointing to where it is nestled in amongst the gravel, “It’s colour code. You need to view it through a coloured lens.” You pick the card up again, eyes widening, “Oh! Like in National Treasure!” Togami stares at you. “You know like, when he has the glasses that change lens colour and he-” You wither under Togami’s continued stare, losing confidence instantly, “Nevermind. It’s a dumb movie.”

Togami scoffs and pulls himself from the ground, dusting any dirt from the back of his slacks with his hands, “As defacto leader, I’ve been focussing on figuring out who is behind this whole ‘killing game’ as Monokuma has been calling it.” He looks down at you, “For now I don’t believe you had anything to do with it, and since delegation is a key part of good leadership-” he gestures to the card in your hands, “-I’ll leave solving that up to you.” “Yes of course! Thank you!”

“I’ll also guard this machine for the time being, to make sure no one else uses it.” He holds his hand out to you, “And you should go back to your cottage.” You gingerly take his hand and are surprised at how easily he pulls you up from the ground. Once you are standing you duck your head in a bow, “Thank you for trusting me, Togami-san.”

He chuckles quietly, “Don’t thank me. Though maybe when we get out of this you can show me that National Treasure movie of yours.” You say, “Maybe I will.” even though you know full well that you will not be getting out of this. ***

You don’t take Togami’s advice, making a beeline for the supermarket instead of going straight back to your cottage. Much like with everything, you hadn’t really thought about what effects Togami still being alive would have on the narrative.

Narrative? Is it weird to call life a narrative?

You dismiss the existentialism with a shake of your head and keep walking, you’ve become quite good at ignoring it.

Either way, Togami being alive is a net good for multiple reasons. Mostly because he’s a swell guy and you hated seeing him go so soon in the game, but also because he is smart and good at keeping a handle on things. You had just been planning to sit in the dirt in front of the arcade machine all day, and hope that Kuzuryu didn’t try to throw hands with you when you had to stop him from playing the game.

This is just like the situation with the party all over again, and that time you managed to get yourself framed for attempted murder. You need to be more thoughtful about all this, which is hard because you aren’t smart, but in the meantime, knowing that Togami is still around takes a weight off your shoulders.

For now, you need to figure out what the mystery note says. Lacking a set of the cool glasses from the hit film National Treasure, you are going to need another way to replicate the same effect. You had for a moment considered that the movie theatre might have a supply of 3D glasses, but the second island still isn't open so that's a moot point. So the supermarket was going to be your best bet.

Your legs are already aching from that serious sprinting you did earlier in the day, so it’s hard to keep up the brisk pace, but days are only so long and the last thing you want to do is waste any time. So you are almost out of breath when you finally half stumble through the sliding doors of the supermarket.

The cool air is utter bliss after the hours you have already spent in the hot island sun, and it’s hard to resist the urge to lay face-first on the cold tiles, but somehow you manage. As in the game, the Rocketpunch Market is full of every terrible diet choice that a person between the ages of 15 - 21 is liable to make and as tempted as you are by a packet of chips nearly the size of your torso, you force yourself to be a little more productive than that.

As you browse, you stop for a moment in front of the display that holds all of the tactical gear, chewing nervously on your lower lip when you notice that the knife Komaeda took several days ago has been quietly restocked. While it makes sense for Monokuma to want the stock of knives to never run dry, the fact that someone could take one and then it would be immediately replaced is not good. There could be so many loose knives about and there’s no real way of knowing.

Before you can get even more stressed, you finally manage to spot something potentially useful on a shelf closer to the back of the supermarket. Abandoning the knife selection, you break into a grin at a small supply of powdered drink mixes. They come in a variety of tooth-rotting flavours, but you are particularly interested in blueberry and raspberry. As you grab one of each, you also pick up two clear water bottles from another nearby shelf and pack them into a plastic shopping bag.

Feeling newly invigorated, you get ready to head back into the heat, when you are suddenly frozen in place at the sound of the doors sliding open behind you.

“Yo!”

Turning on your heel, you are met with Owari’s very wide grin, “Oh. Hi.” She comes walking over to you before crossing one leg over the other and leaning one shoulder against the shelving unit. You can hear a few chocolate bars go clattering to the ground on the other side from the impact. Owari doesn’t seem to notice, “You looking for a new swimsuit too, or what?” Your brain fails to process the question, “Huh?”

Owari grabs a random packet of chips from the shelf and starts munching, “Did the shrimp not invite you? He said he did.” Your brain finally catches up, “Oh! Souda-san! The beach! Yes, sorry, I totally forgot.” Owari shrugs, “Nah I’m not mad, don’t apologise.” she shoves another handful of chips into her mouth, “Anyways, if you forgot, I guess you’re not here for a swimsuit, huh?”

“Um, no. I was just uh, grabbing some drinks.” You raise your bag up to show her.

“Tha’s cool.” She tilts her head back and pours the last crumbs of chips into her mouth, “Since you’re here though, wanna look together?”

The last thing you could ever want to do is go swimsuit shopping, even in normal circumstances, “Oh, um, I dunno, maybe I should just-”

Owari wraps a huge arm around your shoulders and tugs you up against her side, “C’mon! It’ll be fun, we’re going to look fucking hot, dude!”

Before you have a chance to squirm out of her grip, Owari drags you over to the small clothing section on the far left side of the market, “Are-Are you sure you want to do this with me? I’m sure that any of the other girls would look a lot nicer in a bikini than-” Owari mercifully releases you, standing with her hands on her hips in front of the women's swimsuit display, “S’that what this is about? Did someone say somethin’ mean about you?” she punches a fist into her open palm, “Who was it? I’ll fuckin’ deck ‘em” “Huh? Oh no! God no!” You flounder, gesturing far too wildly with your hands, “I just have self-esteem issues, no one said anything, everyone is nice, please don’t deck anyone!” “Hm.” Owari says, her shoulders softening, “Well, then I guess you gotta be nicer to yourself, but it isn't any of my business unless you want it to be. So I’ll leave it at that.” “Oh, uh, thanks?”

Her smile returns in full force, “Your welcome!” she jabs a thumb in the direction of the swimsuits, “You happy to jus’ hang out while I pick out a swimsuit, then? We can chat.” You should go, but Owari’s enthusiasm is infectious. You give her a half smile, “I mean, maybe I can…pick out something too. Anything will be more flattering than those uniform swimsuits Monomi gave everyone.”

“Right on!” Owari exclaims, quickly moving to the racks to start rifling through the options, “You do gotta get out more, you know?”

You join her, trying your best to find anything in your size, “Um, I guess so. Though I’ve kinda been on house arrest, so it’s not completely my fault.” “Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that whole thing. I told four-eyes that you seem cool though.” She grabs a bright red one-piece and holds it up against herself before shaking her head and returning it to the rack. “Wait.” You say, “You defended me? I-I don’t think we’ve even talked before.” Owari shrugs, “Don’t have to. M’not good with names and stuff, but I’ve got a nose for this sort of thing. I can smell out a good person a mile away.” She pulls out a pale pink bikini with high-waisted ruffled bottoms, “And you’re a good person, I know it.” That gets a real smile from you, “Thanks Owari-san.” She grins, “Don’t mention it. Also-” she tosses you the swimsuit she’s holding, “I’ll bet this is your size.” You catch it from the air, ready to correct her but find that she is absolutely right, “Huh. You got it in one.” “Yeah, you seem like you’re into pink stuff.” She smirks at you, “Now you gotta help me find my swimsuit.” ***

You have to stop by Komaeda’s cottage before heading back to your own so you can grab all of your stuff. He isn't there when you open the door, which is the best scenario given your nervous disposition. It doesn't take you long to grab all of your clothes, and your Switch is still sitting on the couch from earlier in the day, so you are in and out within a couple of minutes.

It’s kind of weird unlocking your own cottage for the first time in days, it still looks exactly the same as you remembered it, but it feels empty and lonely.

You shake your head and toss all of your clothes onto the bed to be dealt with later, quickly sitting on the couch and pulling out the bottles of water you grabbed from the supermarket. Uncapping both of them, you grab a packet of strawberry flavouring and tear it open with your teeth before carefully pouring it through the opening in the bottle. As the water slowly starts changing colour, you do the same with the blueberry flavouring and watch with bated breath. It only takes a few minutes before you have one bottle filled with bright blue liquid and another with red.

You heave a shaky sigh and pull the illegible notecard from your pocket, “I really hope this works.”

Grabbing the red bottle, you hold it in front of the note and almost squeal with delight when the red shapes disappear, leaving clean, legible blue letters behind.   Temporary Monobeast Deactivation

Your heart nearly skips a beat at those words. The deactivation of a Monobeast would mean access to a new island, and if that happens to be the second island this whole thing is done and dusted. Your stomach is in knots, and you try to calm your breathing. While you had expected any updates from Naegi and Co to come directly from Monomi, there must be a reason that they decided to send the message this way instead.

Holding your breath, you switch over to the blue bottle and do the same thing as before.

Five Thirty in the Evening

You half scramble, half tumble off the couch as you try to find any sort of clock in your stupid bedroom before coming to your senses and whipping your handbook out of your pocket. Fuck. It’s already quarter to.

Despite the heavy aching pain in your legs from what feels like a full day’s worth of sprinting around the island, you work up enough adrenaline to make the run to the central island for the second time. Luckily the sun isn’t as hot at this time of day, only just starting to descend down towards the horizon. Your breath heaves and chokes in your throat with each pump of your legs and every muscle in your body is burning.

But you’re going to do it, you’re going to save everything, and you are going to be worth something for once in your goddamn life.

This is what powers you forward as you finish crossing the bridge and cover the final stretch to the gate for island two, still firmly closed, but as promised, with no Monobeast in sight.

“Yes! YES!” You cry out, running towards the gate and grabbing onto the hard metal, “Now I just need to figure out how to--GUH!”

Something whips hard into your gut, sending you flying backwards onto the unforgiving gravel and skidding a few metres back on your ass. Unfortunately not avoiding a ‘rocks in the panties situation’ this time. It takes you a second to get your breath back after having it knocked clean out of you, and when you look back up, you see the Monobeast is back. “Huh, what…but it-” You are cut off by a cacophony of irritating laughter and see that Monokuma himself has mounted the beast. “You- oh my god-” he breaks down in laughter, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes, “You actually fell for it, oh my god .” Dread rises like bile in your stomach, “...what?” “Fucking hell. If you’re the only help these kids have got you might as well bury them right now to save them the trouble.” He clutches his stomach, doubling over with another bout of laughter, “There ain’t even a ceiling out here, but I bet if I told you I’d written gullible on it you’d look right up, wouldn’t’cha? Upuhpuhpuhpuh~”

You manage to drag yourself to your shaking feet, feeling hot tears of anger rolling down your cheeks, “So was this just a joke?” You yell, “A fucking prank? ” Monokuma’s laughter stops instantly, and he jumps down from the Monobeast, “Sure was! I got you great didn’t I?” “Why would you do that?” You ask desperately, whole body aching and sore, trying everything not to burst into sobs, “I mean, what do you even have to gain?” “Oh?” Monokuma tilts his head to the side, “Did you forget my whole MO, did the nasty tiger hit’cha too hard?” You sniffle, “Huh?” “Despair, obviously! Watching you run across this whole island on your sore little legs just thinking-” your own voice starts coming out of his mouth, like he had just ripped the sound files from the code, “Oh! If only I could get to the second island! Everyone would be saved, and Nagito Komaeda would finally stick his-”

“JUST SHUT UP! STOP DOING THIS TO ME!” You cry out, hands balled into fists at your sides, unable to fight back the stream of tears escaping your watery eyes.

“Aw shucks, I could never stop. It’s just so funny!”

You cover your face with your hands, openly crying now and too embarrassed to let Monokuma see how thoroughly he has hurt you. It makes sense, in retrospect, leaving that card in the arcade machine was such a convoluted method of contacting you, and Monokuma was the one who arranged the whole motive, he was the only one with access inside the machine. You might have realised if only you weren’t so stupid .

“There there.” Monokuma says, patting one of your legs with a stubby paw, “Just let it all out.” You jerk away from him, “Don’t touch me!”

“Yeah yeah, Alright. All this crying is starting to make me sad, so I’m gonna head off.” You lower your hands to glower at him. Monokuma winks.

“I’ve got one last thing for you though, just a little present for being such a good sport.”

He leaps up off the ground and thwacks you in the chest. When you look down, you realise that he has stuck the dreaded ‘I'm sorry I was born stupid’ sticker on the front of your dress. You’re so far gone that it makes you start laughing a little bit. You suppose it is pretty apt.

“Real funny.” You say

“The actual funny thing is that if you take it off I get to kill ya.”

You freeze, “What.”

“Check your handbook, I’m not kidding.” You wipe your dripping nose on the back of your hand and pull out the handbook, quickly swiping through the rules section. There’s no point checking, you know that Monokuma doesn’t lie about this sort of thing, but even still, you feel cruel irony dripping down your spine like ice water as you see the new rule: Idiots must not remove their identification stickers for at least one day after assignment

When you look back up from your handbook. Monokuma is already gone.

Great.

[space-blue]

Isekai Tav: Looks Poll

Yes! Another poll!

Good job team. I have harassed you, but you've come out in droves and finally broke the stalemate. Although human beat Tiefling by 1 single vote... I'm shocked that a whole 20 of you chose 1st person POV!!

We'll be going for present tense, 1st person POV human Tav.

NOW, you get to chose Tav's looks. None of them are overly realistic as I'm not interested in depicting the sort of human our main character was, but rather the consequences of suddenly embodying what they thought looked "cool".

I've picked the fem models because there's no androgynous option with the boys, they're all damned chiselled.

Choice 1 : "Metal Red Kiss"

Choice 2 : "Vampire Tones" (literal name of the skin colour)

Choice 3 : "Touched by the Grace of Gold" aka. played too much Elden Ring

Choice 4 : "Swirling Darkness"

Yeah yeah these last two have the same haircut. I'm sorry I like an undercut. Can be altered if it's a bother for the Grace one.

No snooping option because you should vote even if you're just curious and have no intention on reading the fic.

[ruiniel]

Fandom: Castlevania series (2017-2021)

Pairing: Alucard x Reader

Characters: Alucard, Reader, Original Characters

Rating: Mature / 18+ only

Also on ao3

Tags/CW: Accident context, Depressive character, Portal Fantasy, Isekai, There is a plot, And language nerdery, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Explicit Language, References to Depression, First Meetings, Character-meets-world, Near Death Experience, References to Loss, Grief/Mourning, POV Second Person, Language Barrier, Violence, Slow burn, References to Canon, Rewriting show canon, Because why not, More tags coming

Summary:

Entertained an idea as I was doing writing warm-ups for CV: what if someone in the 21st century stumbled upon this stranger during a turbulent storm, narrowly avoiding running them over, and what's more they can't understand a word coming out of their mouth.

I.

You start at the sudden garble of voices on the radio and turn the volume down, eyes then back on the gray road. It's the start of the weekend and you cannot wait to get to your old, decrepit — but still reliable — family cabin set beyond the familiar wooded hills, a few hours' drive out of town. Once you manage better, you'll refurbish and mend it, keep it functional for as long as you can; too many things had time destroyed recently. 

The erosion in your ears is joined by a deafening crack of thunder, and you sigh as you watch the clouds hanging from the skies like a mass of lead.

“We needed this, didn't we?” you mumble at the car, as the trees slip by you on either side, their crowns and limbs bending under rising winds.

It should be getting better by now; you've been this way for months, but finally, things should be looking up again. 

It's not happening; why isn't it happening? 

It's not as though you didn't try getting back on track, struggling to do the things you used to do but no longer find joy in, still banging your metaphorical fists against the walls of your stubborn mind. There's a gnawing bite in the pit of your stomach which comes and goes — that you’re missing something, that something’s not quite right at certain moments, like the wrongly placed piece in a jigsaw puzzle preventing the completion of a greater picture.

The radio's still out and you forgot your phone in the back, which means you'll take the rumble of thunder for entertainment. The skies are even darker, now crested by lightning like holy wounds, cold and white-grey, phantom-like. Now here, now there, so fast they make you blink twice, and your foot eases on that gas pedal. “Never like this before…” you wonder, trying to remember the last time you saw nature so vicious.

If nothing else, it’s a great show.

You’re fairly sure the forest ahead and the faraway places beyond it are currently being drenched, and you hope the patched roof is sturdy enough to withstand nature at its angriest. “So much for weather forecasts,” you say to the water splotches crashing angrily against the windshield, until the dull pattern becomes a thrum against the rigid body of the vehicle, taking you with it in all senses. If only—

“Fuck!”

Your foot slams the brake but not fast enough, and your horror at the humanoid lump you’re trying to avoid running over freezes you but somehow both your hands still grasp the wheel, and next you're skidding to a precarious halt, to what it feels like narrowly avoiding flipping over with the whole damn thing.

Your hands are clammy on the steering wheel as you open your eyes, shivering, and your gaze flies to the rear view mirror; someone, is there. Someone is there, possibly hurt. 

“Oh, oh shit. Shit, shit-shit!” With adrenaline still pumping in your veins you jump out of the car and throw the back door open to search for your phone and call an ambulance, but it must have been flung who-knows-where while you were avoiding death — it's nowhere to be found.

A weak, strangled groan behind you has you whirling around, feet moving and hurrying towards the person now trying to rise to their knees and failing. 

You reach them, staring at a young face that goes with the earlier sound you heard, then at long, tattered hair, and a… ragged cape, dark and sleek with rain. What hits you most, what freezes you more than the pouring water, though, are the eyes. 

Staring at you wildly through the curtain of rain, too confused to not deepen your worry. So light, amber, golden. 

“Hey, hey a-are you hurt?!”

The absolute eeriness about them — him? — leaves you as stunned as the shock you just went through, all relief included.

He doesn't answer you, instead brings a long, heavily cuffed hand to his temple, mumbling something in a language you can't grasp but sounds faintly like 'cali'.

“C-what's that?” you ask. “Is that you? Or where you're from? Are you hurt?” you ask again though he looks left and right, rises, turns a few times, gazes at this hands, then at you, taking in your face and clothes, and the absolute insanity of this situation is beside you when that unusual face twists into utter horror and he plunges his —gloved?— fingers through his hair, raking them over his scalp.

You look him over, and apart from being soaked to the bone and dressed very, very strangely, he seems unharmed. “Listen, I can't find my—”

You gasp as he grabs your arm, staring at you wide eyed and asking you question after question in that language you just don't get and as you struggle you quickly and easily free yourself, only to see him slowly fall against you and is he ever heavy; barely you lead him down to the ground.

It's freezing cold in this downpour. There's a barren field on either side, the nearest town well half a day's drive away. Farther than your cabin, and of course the wiser thing to do would be not to take a complete stranger whom you cannot even understand there, alone with you. Besides, what if it's someone who would do you harm? Worse things have happened for less.

Even with these thoughts you rush back to the car, grab a lantern from the glove compartment and search earnestly for the only device you had on you — the phone. You find it, under one seat, screen cracked. You grab it and try anyway, but it won't charge up no matter what you do.

“Can't believe I'm doing this…” you sigh, throwing the device onto the front seat before you go to retrieve the first aid kit, only to realize there seems to be nothing needing splinting or bandaging. You'd seen no wounds on him, no outward sign of trauma. That might not be the whole story, you know, but what else to do?

You head back, see him rising to his feet again. Your steps become cautious. He's taller than you expected, but hunched and so confused as he repeats that word again, over and over, hugging his arms at his chest. Your sensible worries don't strike as hard anymore, and you come closer. “I… can try to keep you dry until you come to,” you say, but it's like he can't quite look at you, those peculiar eyes wild and head turning left and right, as though seeking something far above or deep below, and when your gazes finally collide, your thought flicks back to the jigsaw puzzle.

You nearly trip over in your haste to help when his knees buckle and he goes limp, falling to the ground again. His face is pale, deathly pale, long wet hair stuck to the skin.

The storm no longer rages, its cry is more wind than rain. The branches of trees still creak above as you pant here, between somewhere and nowhere, on the side of an empty country road with a stranger in your arms.

Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V - Part VI - Part VII - Part VIII - Part IX - Part X - Part XI

Banner illustration: Fifth Avenue at Twilight, ca. 1910 by Birge Harrison

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MASTERLIST: CASTLEVANIA SERIES x READER

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BLOG MASTERPOST (all you need to know)

Likes/comments/reblogs always and forever appreciated

[mareenavee]

WIP Whatever ~

Hi, all. Sorry I'm late. I finished a piece yesterday so I was scramblin' a bit and didn't have my braincells in one place for enough WIP to share (that I haven't already or that which does not contain spoilers lol)

Tagged by the fantastic @thequeenofthewinter, @kookaburra1701, @throughtrialbyfire, and @ladytanithia!

Tagging the amazing: @paraparadigm, @changelingsandothernonsense, @polypolymorph, @elfinismsarts, @gilgamish, @snippetsrus, @archangelsunited, @thana-topsy, @dirty-bosmer, @wildhexe, @oblivions-dawn, @saltymaplesyrup and of course YOU, yes you. You who haven't posted a WIP in a while. You're tagged! Yeet one on here and tag me, too!

This is part of a challenge I'm doing this month. The prompt is 'Summoning' and @snippetsrus has encouraged and inspired me to try the isekai genre. (: I'm also severely, severely inspired in all things, but not least about how to handle Isekai, by @paraparadigm's OC, Vera. <3 Ya'll and your uncanny ability to have me reaching way off my path here for stories. I love it. I appreciate it. A prompt challenge is a perfect time to try this. This is inspired by a PVRIS song called Separate, and in fact the title is a whole line from that song. Super, super fresh from the braincells but SO MUCH FUN. Under the cut!

WIP: As Long as It Won’t Separate You From Me, I’ll Be Fine A hedge witch from (a version of) Earth conducts a ritual to recover a spirit from beyond the veil. In her reaching, Aubrey is taken by something other, pulled through the veil, and finds herself freezing to death in a different world entirely. This story begins when she feels her theory and research will finally send her home.

The Hall of Attainment had been Aubrey’s home now for almost a year. It was where she was found, and, she supposed, where she would leave—if there was anything left to return to. She leaned into the wind as she ascended to the rooftop, summoning circle laid out before her and dotted with melted stubs of candles. Everything felt raw from the bite of the weather off the Sea of Ghosts, from the salt, and from the gravity of what she was about to do. But she’d long since run out of tears. Or so she thought.

“Durant, wait!”

A familiar voice, and one that ached to hear. She’d told him she had to go. The entire goal of all this research and all this time was to find a way back home. He knew this. News of her and her research was why he traveled all the way to this snowbank of a town to begin with, and…well. She knew why he stayed. 

Aubrey tilted her head back as if the motion would prevent the tears from falling. Her braids, unbound and held by strength of will and third-day grime alone came unraveled in the wind, dark curls flying every which way. She pulled the hood of her mage robes up and tried to ignore his voice and the sound of his footsteps echoing as he ran up cold stone steps. Ignoring him as best as she could, Aubrey stood in the center of the circle and wiped away the stray tears that had managed to escape.

Professor Gestor had found her here, curled in on herself, protecting her head, freezing to death in the scrap of white cotton dress that had survived her crossing. They thought she’d been imprisoned in Oblivion, narrowly escaping some horrible death by the hand of some nightmare or another. How very close to the truth that had been. That was the story the College proliferated on her behalf while feelers were put out for any resources that could help at all. That was the story that attracted the attention of Neloth. That was why Talvas was still here, calling her name and weakening her resolve. Gods, but he wouldn’t leave, would he?

She pushed her sleeve back and ran her hand down the black rose-and-bramble tattoos on her left arm, fingers pausing at each white ink starburst interspersed within illustrated flora. She had sixteen now—had earned the last one on her wrist bone before the summoning. Maybe she hadn’t earned it at all, considering the result.

The memory was like a slash from a razor, still too raw, still open to infection.

[asirensrage]

Ridea's Latest Plot Bunny: Hanagaki Takara

Takemichi's an only child. He always has been. So why is there some girl walking into his house and telling him she's his sister?

She’s been a pawn in this game long enough to know how each of them works. Draken will always sacrifice himself for Mikey. Hanma will always covet what was someone else’s. Kisaki will always be ten steps ahead. And Takara? She’s been along for the ride since she woke up here. 

No one seems to realize she doesn't belong until she finally runs into her "new" brother, Hanagaki Takemichi. Now, hearing his story, Takara makes the choice to help him and hopefully find her way home, but faking it til you make it only lasts so long when you start losing the memories of the life you had before. As Takemichi becomes the only family she's ever known, how far will she go to protect him?

taglist: @raith-way @arrthurpendragon @veetlegeuse @chickensarentcheap @residentdormouse @endless-oc-creations  @stanshollaand @wordspin-shares @chrissymunson

[mylifeisfruk4ever]

Everyone will be curious to know how much truth there was in the depiction of Lord Wayne. They will want to dig into the past, do research and learn things they shouldn't have meddled with. His entire private life will be pilloried.

Selina won't say anything. Why should she? Bruce had ruined their marriage, and he certainly wasn't going to defend her ex-husband.

All hell will break loose.

Even though he knew it, that wasn't his main concern.

“Jace, am I a bad father?”

“Not the worst out there, sir.”

“But not the best either.”

“You did your best, I guess,” he said with a hesitant note in his voice.

 

-🦇-

 

After discovering that his daughter was inspired by him to the creation of the villain of her story, Bruce is killed, and awakens in the world of Uncrowned Emperor, in the body of Lord Bruce Wayne, the scum villain. But don't worry. He got this (maybe).

[silver-ace-of-spades]

Silly Miitopia Fanfic

Chapter 3: There's a Weird Cat Outside!

The trio of travelers meets a Cleric who seems familiar to Silver, and she joins their quest.

Welcome to Angst City.

😈♠️🌟🐾

There was something so rewarding about taking care of these kids. Kumatora was like a little sister and Lancer was like a little brother. Silver smiled as they continued onward to save Greenhorne.

As the trio slashed and scorched monsters and saved people's faces, they came across a fat, gray and white, anthro cat woman about Lancer's height in a holy looking outfit. She looked scared. Silver thought they recognized her.

"Jimi?" They asked.

"H-how did you know my name?" She hissed in a high-pitched voice. "Wait. Silver? Is that you? I woke up in this weird world and it's so scary and..."

"It's okay, Jimmers... I'm here for you." Silver smiled as they hugged Jimi.

Jimi cried into Silver's arms, and Silver smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Wait, is that weird now?" They asked. "Anyway, I'm glad you're okay, Jim."

Kumatora and Lancer introduced themselves, and Jimi got nervous, but Silver told her they were friendly. She hesitated, then shook their hands and purred.

"Back in the world we came from, Silver and I lived with a big human: their mother. I bet she's so worried about us..."

Mom... She was so sweet and caring. But now she was all alone. Silver started to cry, and the other three comforted them.

"Don't cry, Silver." Jimi spoke softly as she headbutted them.

"I... must be rough." Kumatora sighed.

"I miss her..." Silver sniffled and wiped their face with their arm. "I... I... I want my mom..."

Lancer gasped. Grown-ups could cry and be sensitive and miss their friends, too. He put an arm around the chef's shoulders and gave them a friendly smile.

"We'll find your mom, okay?"

Silver wiped their tears away and smiled. "Okay."

[eriquin]

Silver Ogre for the WIP Wednesday game!

Snippet from Silver Ogre for you:

Lanea shook her head. “No, his horns are too skinny,” she said. “Tieflings have something like ram’s horns, sturdy enough for headbutting each other as a greeting. Ogres are more akin to unbranching antlers, or spurs of bone. I don’t think they shed them, but if they break they can heal them with magic. Though, I’ve heard breaking an ogre’s horn causes them a lot of pain.” 

Soliata blanched and put her hands over her mouth. “You don’t think... I mean, does your brother know that?”

“No,” Lanea said. “I mean, I don’t think so? But he wouldn’t...” She stopped and thought about it. “You know, I think we should go check on the ogre.” 

[fizziefizzco]

Would it be more interesting for a male-led isekai romance, or an isekai romance where the female lead is not the transmigratior but is being pursued by the transmigrator ?

[ladysilence]

So... I'm sitting here with like 112,823 words of at least 3 unfinished Stranger Things fics (where Eddie is the focus out of the ST cast), and I've been kind of combining them into one crossover/Isekai fic since each one would have me stuck somewhere and my attention would then be all "Ooh, a butterfly made of tin foil shaking a ring of keys!" so naturally merging them and seeing where the chaos takes me was the obvious tactic to take. I just wonder if there would be any interest in it or if I should just keep them to myself. I mean, I'm still going to play in the playground, it's just a matter of if I share my toys or not, heh.

[thatdeadaquarius]

sagau with the language barrier issue except... the creator is sick and tired of trying to ask for things so they do everything themself.

and it gives their followers mass anxiety bc they can't even ask what you're doing... bc they know they won't understand anything...

SUCH A GENIUS NARVI 10/10 GOOD WORK SORRY IM SUPER LATE BUT THIS IS *chefs kiss*

Like, that's literally how I feel like I first played Genshin LMAO

Also this has a cont. Part 2 at the bottom bc tumblr fucking hates me UPDATE I FIXED IT THANK FUCK

Paimon was like "and then we go to Mondstadt- ! NO, not Wolvendom, to Mondstadt! NOT THE THOUSAND WIND TEMPLE WITH ENEMIES OUT OF UR LEAGUE, ENTER MONDSTADT FOR THE FIRST TIME BEFORE U EXPLORE THE REST OF THE MAP!! >:("

SO MANY IDEAS YET SO LITTLE WRITING SKILL GUYS HELP-

Also warning this is ROUGH in terms of spelling and editing and im so sorry abt that! I have my art show today so you're welcome to come back if you want to see it a little more readable tomorrow lmao

Edit Update 4/6/23:

Revised and fixed all the bad spelling and grammar (hopefully) so make sure to give another read if you havent read the cleaned up version lol

I dont have a beta reader so its just me trying my best ok-

Everything was like kinda chaos tbh at first

WOW- MY FIRST 1,000+ NOTES POST??!?! U GUYS, WHAT ARE R YOU DOIN??!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! IM GLAD U GUYS ENJOYED IT SM!! Also look out for more encoded stuff in the future since i mentioned wanting to continue stuff like this + ARG stuff :) <3

Edit 9/7/23: 2,000+ NOTES?? THANK YOU???

Like u wake up under the Irminsul, and u think ur hallucinating a goddamn gacha game for like a solid 5 minutes, or ur lucid dreaming, 

but once u actually took what felt like hours to process that u might actually be in fucking Genshin Impact-

Nahida came running from, somewhere?? Its kinda just very floaty dreamy in here so, unclear, she’s beaming with a giddy little smile (💘)

It’s… so much more than what her game model could manage.

I mean, you knew that, of course you did, but- to see the tiny goddess smiling in person, her cute chubby arms waving in the air, her cheeks all plump with baby fat from her excited smile, pretty green eyes that sparkle only in the way excited toddlers do-

It was just…wow. 🥺

You can’t help it, her sheer carefree excitement, exactly like a child but you know that she must be really overwhelmed with joy if shes letting herself act like that so blatantly, you feel ur muscles tug gently into a smile, you try to muffle it but ur happiness leaks out anyway

She's panting as she stumbles on short chubby legs to reach you.

After just staring at you with those big green clover eyes for a few seconds, she physically shakes her head to knock herself out of it,

Nahida places her hand over her heart, and bows elegantly, going back to looking at you with a small but bright smile, her voice is kind of quiet, muffled in a soft way, much like her game depiction,

“Hzozn! R'ev yvvm dzrgrmt gl nvvg blf! R wrwm'g gsrmp blf dlfow wvhxvmw fmgro R dzh zg ovzhg z uvd gslfhzmw bvzih low!” *

…Nahida begins to look a little concerned… her eyes get impossibly bigger.

…Oh no.

♧

Nahida had apparently quickly spread the news that you can’t understand them, but luckily it seems like all the characters still know you!

Alhaitham is pretty much a constant by your side, you knew he was vaguely studying linguistics in the akademiya… but that knowledge still didn’t prepare you to be intensely stared at with his diamond pupils for hours. 💀

Then he’d tap your shoulder or something, and you quickly picked up that he wanted you to just try and say something.

Then he would scribble for hours.

Turns out they can understand you about as much as you understand Teyvat language (s? You can’t even tell if there are multiple languages, that’s how unrecognizable this language is, damn)

The more extroverted or friendly people, like Venti, Yoimiya, Kazuha, Jean, Noelle, Amber, Xingqiu, Hu Tao, Zhongli, Ganyu, Barbara, Beidou, Collei, Ayaka, Gorou, Nilou

At least attempt to talk to you, and try very hard to watch what you gesture with your hands or body language

They're pretty much ready to play charades at all times for you lol

Interestingly enough, they only ever understood you when you typed in the chat (with other ppl)

But even then not immediately, 

Sumeru scholars basically had to make a whole new department (regardless of how much you play with others) to decipher your ancient language (to them) like those old clay tablets with cuneiform we’re still translating?

Like that, your words appear in elemental magic heavy places (so like that abyss lang. It’ll appear on walls or structures, so like Andrius’ stone colosseum? in Wolvendom gained some of your chat replies inscribed and glowing a rainbow of colors on the top edges of the walls)

Much like the abyss language you see throughout genshin, most Teyvat scholars (across nations/internationally) agreed your language is the oldest form of language known!

It’s like modern languages having roots in older ones, like English with Latin, greek, or German roots, or Sanskrit and the Prakrit for Hindi language today

…so of course no one really speaks the root languages anymore, because they’re so old, so those ancestors who spoke those languages would have little to no understanding of their modern counterparts…

◇

Occasionally if you turned your mic on for whatever reason there would be a gentle whisper on the winds in Mondstadt of your voice,

or your laugh in the waves washing ashore in Inazuma and Fontaine,

your startled noises or screams from battling bosses mixed with the landslides in the mountains of Liyue

So they know what you sound like, but that doesn’t mean they understood your language :/

Nahida had been hoping that you’re actual physical form being here would help improve the language barrier

But unfortunately, those things remained the same, but at least you were physically here to talk to now and give more content for the scholars to study rather than them having to make do with your snippets of language from chats

…so needless to say, it took you a long time to realize they viewed you as a god of sorts.

You kind of knew something was up when at least two allogenes were by your sides at all times, or eremites would replace them if they really couldn’t stick around

You figured they knew you weren’t nearly as combatant-ready as they were at all times, hell you obviously didn’t have a vision hanging off you somewhere, and you only really had a knife strapped to a belt, courtesy of the Thirty Corps

You are still kind of convinced that the people of Teyvat, or Sumeru at least, are just pretty polite (and in the allogenes case, very kind or friendly, even people like Alhaitham or Cyno, resting bitch faces they have, seem to soften a little when they’re walking around with you… maybe you’re just imagining it…)

And as much as you would love to wait until they understand you to do something more fun, as you can see the frustration on Tighnari’s face (and his ears try to flatten back hehe) as he looked like he was debating heatedly with some of the Sumeru sages who insist you stay in the city

…so why not go?

It’s not like they’re going to get it anytime soon, and it’s still too frustrating for yourself to charade things or draw things for them because you can’t even hear their guesses 💀

You can totally handle being like the traveler too, 

You still have access to your inventory afterall! Plus, lucky for you, you still find a pass for the Serenitea Pot in your little pocket dimension!

So now you have somewhere to sleep at night, and while most of your stuff went to the traveler’s pack, the things like Primogems

(which.. Okay now you really want primogems bc theyre so pretty and shiny irl)✨️

And other high-level things, or just objects of no use for the traveler (so basically all your hoarded level up stuff and infinite amount of weapons lol) came along with you

So you did have to wander the first week or so around the city and even commission the Adventurer’s Guild to grab you food supplies to cook with

Filling up, along with a few big waterskins, you’re off!

...and everyone collectively has a heart attack!

◇

When you show up in Ghandaraville essentially all “✨️💖☺️✨️” on Tighnari’s doorstep-

He chokes on the tea he’d been sipping on before he opened the door lol

He looks a little frazzled so you try to just gesture with “calm yourself small animal” energy with your hands

“Tivzgvhg Oliw! R'n- R- sld wrw blf-?! Mvevinrmw, xlnv rm, xlnv rm, ivhg! ...R mvvw gl hvmw z nroorlm ovggvih mld gl ylgs gsv vmgriv xrgb lu Hfnvif, gsv Zxgrmt Tizmw Hztv, zmw gsv Nzgiz nlhg orpvob…” he began out looking at you and talking and gesturing to his small dining table (the game sucks, his house looks great and has lots of cool rooms filled with interesting plants… oooo…so pretty...) 

But then he kinda just devolved into rambling, no need to understand, you can read the vibes and just know that's what he's doing lol

Collei eventually ducks in, and she looks a little panicked?

She’s quickly followed by Cyno, pushing past her to call out into the house,

His voice seems hard and stressed, looking at Tighnari, “Grtsmzir, szev blf hvvm gsv Tivzgvhg Oliw zmbdsviv, gsvb dviv hvvm xlnrmt gl Tszmwziezeroov ozhg-” 

Cyno stops and blinks.

Collei’s mouth is slightly dropped open, she also just, blinks.

You blink. 

Tighnari blinks tiredly, he looks like he’d rather be done for the day, you think.

The doctor sighs, and moves his head to nod towards the other dining seats.

◇

Sumeru foods are so much better looking in real life, and they’re so good too, your practically bloated by the end of dinner, 

As a thank you, bc u cant say it obv, you just gesture for Tighnari to stay sitting, and he gives you a raised eyebrow and a suspicious ear twitch

But stays still, and you reach out to finally hit the eight-pointed star hovering over his, and all playable characters chests at all times.

Like you suspected, it brings up a holographic character menu, but rather than his full model, it kind of hovers in front of Tighnari’s face, replacing his old 3D model self with framing the real thing for a portrait just in front of his face

The poor Denro user nearly jumps a foot out of his chair as he looks in shock at your screen, you do the same “chillll boy” gesture with your hands and press his shoulders for a second to remind him to not run off or panic

Cyno and Collei had done the dishes and put up leftovers, and are now standing behind Tighnari, watching with equally wide eyes,

“...Dszg ziv gsvb wlrmt gl blf?

Cyno’s voice is even deeper and quieter than usual, you feel goosebumps run up your spine

“Ziv blf tvggrmt yovhhvw, Nzhgvi Grtsmzir?!” Collei’s sweet voice is also hushed like she’s witnessing something sacred, Tighnari gently shakes his head negatively in response, his shoulders shrugging,

“Nzbyv? R uvvo... z orggov hgilmtvi, zmw nb Erhrlm rh zxgrmt fk zh dvoo…”

Though he’s replying, Tighnari’s eyes haven’t once left your ancient magic? technology device? hovering in front of him,

and as he crosses his arms and squints to try and look closer at everything floating in front of him, you can see the childlike gleam of awe in his green eyes, (so cute) in fact, now that you glance up and look, both Collei and Cyno have the same quietly excited and fascinated sparkle in their eyes too

With a displeased sneer, you chuck his old level one bow into the material grinding spots, hope he wasn’t attached to that…

Oh well, he’ll like the new one better, afterall, with no characters, all your best weapons and artifacts are ready to use!

With a small smile of reassurance, you finally finish gearing Tighnari up, tap a miniature version of that 8-point star in the corner like an “X” button, and it retreats like a classic TV set📺 turning off into his chest, he startles but then carefully stands

You decide to just start making decisions bc its worked out so far ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And grab his hand and haul him out into the forest, Collei letting out a surprised squeak, her and Cyno hurrying after

You reach the nearest clearing, and gesture at Tighnari like a bow and arrow firing, he gets it, and your glad he already trusts you, because he doesn’t take long to summon his bow

He takes aim at a smaller tree about two cars length away

You can feel them all holding their breathe, as Tighnari charges it with Dendro, the arrowhead glowing, (it looks so cool and badass irl god you feel envious even tho ur already here-)

The ranger lets it fly, it streaks neon green, whistling through the air, it hits the tree-

and it fucking explodes.

Vines and leaves and the trees roots all rapidly swell like theyre filled with water, like it literally got hit by a superhero with plant powers, which, not that far off actually.

The green floating Dendro seeds make a ring around the tree its so full of elemental energy-

You give a wild grin, you still got it, hell yeah. >:)

Your grin widens as you look over at Tighnari, Collei, and Cyno

Cyno has a smirk lighting up his face, eyes eager, Collei’s jaw has dropped and she’s just frozen staring as the tree finally settles from the burst of the dendro powered arrow

…Tighnari has lowered his bow, and his mouth is only slightly open, his ears perked straight up into the air, shaking with excitement? Happiness? Interest? You don’t know how peopl-animal-hybrid ears work,

and you STILL cant talk to any of them to ask what they thought, so looks will have to do >:/

Tighnari is the first to move, his head snapping over to look at you, the brightest, kinda feral tbh, smile taking over his face-

“Blf pmld, dv xzm'g fmwvihgzmw blf, zmw blf fh, bvg R xzm'g dzrg gl hvv dszg rm gsv dliow blf'iv tlrmt gl wl mvcg. Blf'iv znzarmt."

… and you just 🙂? Cool!

And give a thumbs up👍LMAO

☆

Bonus:

Alhaitham was literally running around Sumeru City trying to find you when you left, tho you did try and leave a translatable-in-3-to-5-business days-note, he didn’t have time to translate that because you were gone.

Or worse, lost in the city, and he would never forgive himself if he lost you, esp as Acting Grand Sage-

Kaveh got a letter a day and a half later from Tighnari letting them know you were having a sleepover in Ghandarvaville lol

Kaveh also had to hunt down Alhaitham to give him said news, then force his roommate to go sit or lay down for the rest of the day to recover lmao

(Haitham honestly kinda freaked Kaveh out bc he’s never seen him that... desperate, it was like seeing a statue emote lol)

♡

ARE YOU KIDDING WE ALMOST HIT LIMIT AGAIN?!

Bro has anyone else had this problem???

I literally had to switch from PC to mobile and copy and paste it there to get all my shit in and tumblr not throw a hissy fit???!!!

FUCKING TUMBLR- SUCK MY BIG FAT- 👹👹 UGH

ANYWAYYYY SO I FINALLY CAVED 

And started doing ciphers for when you dont get teyvat’s language! I meant to do something fun like this for awhile but I wasn’t sure if that would be kind of annoying, but if you’re interested in learning what they actually say (which the whole point of this is that dw it doesnt rlly matter lol) here’s a hint:

*hint = Atbash

:> good luck!

Wish me luck on my art exhibition today!! Then I’ll be homefreeeee 😭

Safe Travels,

💀♒

♡ the beloveds ♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[nightingalescall]

Weight of the World

Kingdom of Ebreau:

prologue|part 1(you are here)|part 2

"You really do look like God."

Zephyr caressed your cheek with his thumb as he smiled lovingly at you. He leaned in, pressing his forehead against yours before raising his other hand to cup your face.

He stared into your eyes, awestruck before signing blissfully, "You look just like him....". You remained silent at his blatant display of affection. Zephyr continued, nuzzling his nose against yours as he closed his eyes and let out a content chuckle. In an effort to ease the awkwardness you felt from having the saint be so close to you, you adverted your gaze to the side, landing on your and Zephyr's reflection in the standing mirror situated in a corner of your room.

Zephyr was dressed in his usual white robe but today, he had put extra care into his hair and tied it in a low ponytail using a black ribbon. As for you, you had long since changed out of your old blouse and shorts. In fact, the temple gave you a makeover and threw out your old clothes the moment you stepped foot inside the building, saying your current attire was "unsuited for their beloved Messiah". It had been a few days since your "fall from heaven" as the devotees liked to call it but you still clearly remember the absolute bewilderment you felt when the nuns handed you your new clothes. Holding a golden dress with black beads as embellishments around the collar, skirt and hem of the long sleeves, the nuns grinned brightly at you, expectantly waiting for you to try it on. It looked more expensive than your total salary as the guards' errand girl(which wasn't a lot but you still could never imagined spending all that money on one piece of clothing). You declined at first, unable to accept such a gift but the dejected expressions and teary eyes that immediately came onto the faces of the nuns made you reconsider. Reluctantly, you took the dress from their hands. You stepped inside an empty room nearby and changed into the dress. Oddly enough, the dress fitted perfectly. Not too big, not too small. It was a wonder how they matched your measurements so well.

You slowly creaked opened the door, feeling bashful and self-conscious for wearing something so....Different from your usual attire. Your body felt foreign to you as you struggled to walk normally, thinking you should change the way you carry yourself in order to better match the sophisticated aura the dress brings. Feelings of doubt crept into your mind as you began to regret being so gullible to the nuns.

But what's done has been done. The door opened and dozens of eyes snapped towards you as you reappeared from within the room. The staring made you feel even more awkward.

"Does it look weird?" You asked, hoping to divert their attention and save yourself from the uncomfortable silence. Zephyr was the first to move. He immediately came forward and grasped your hands in his. His smile was wide as he answered. "You look wonderful, Messiah." He seemed a bit breathless.

Thud!

You heard something heavy hit the ground and some frantic voices come from behind Zephyr. You peered over his shoulder and saw that a few devotees had fainted.

"Messiah? Are you alright?" Zephyr's voice rang in your ear, cutting your flashback short. As you came back to reality, you saw Zephyr's reflection in the mirror staring back at you, a concerned frown clear on his face.

"Yes. Sorry, I was, um...." You tried to come up with an excuse as you turned your gaze back at him. Your eyes flickered towards his ponytail and a lightbulb lit up in your mind. "I was admiring your new hairstyle."

A bashful smile spread across Zephyr's face the moment you finished your sentence. "Do you like it? I'll tie it up more often if you like." He blushed slightly. Before you could reply, a knock came from the door.

You saw Zephyr's smile drop before he turned away and excused himself to go answer the door. Now with the saint out of your personal space, you could finally breathe again. Even if Zephyr wasn't cruel or strict in any way, his position as saint was still quite daunting. You felt like you needed to be on your best behaviour whenever he's around.

Sighing in relief, you took a seat on the edge of your bed, the soft mattress sinking lightly with the addition of your weight. You stretched and heard your joints pop softly before you reached for the cup of water placed on the bedside table. Bringing the beautifully decorated porcelain cup to your lips, you took a sip.

You held the almost empty cup in the palm of your hands as you stared down at your reflection in the water after you had your fill. Your face came into view and you were once again reminded of how familiar and yet foreign your face was now.

In the water, a pair of golden eyes looked back at you. This was the mark of Calerus. This was what the temple used to determine you were their Messiah. Calerus had given you the same golden eyes he had when he declared you his lamb that day. You are the one and only human in Ebreauan history to ever possess golden eyes. You're the first person to ever resemble their God. Such was the infatuation the devotees held towards your gaze, fawning whenever you even looked in their direction. So far, Zephyr is the only one who could somewhat keep his composure around you.

You stayed seated on your bed, waiting for Zephyr to finished attending to the person who came knocking. It was taking longer than anticipated.

"...me help the Messiah put them on, Saint Zephyr." Your ears perked up at the mention of your name(or your title to be exact) from the doorway. You glanced over at Zephyr and saw he was conversing with a young monk. You leaned back a on your bed, trying to get a better look at him from your position.

The monk seemed to notice movement within his vision and moved his gaze from Zephyr to the inside of your room. You both make eye contact and you finally notice the brown box he was holding in his hand.

A package?

The young monk's voice suddenly echoed through your room, drawing your attention from the box back to him. "M-miss Messiah. H-hello!", he waved enthusiastically at you, a toothy grin plastered on his flushed face. "Please allow me the honor of-" "Thank you, Brother Esten. I'll take it from here." Zephyr suddenly cut him off, snatching the box from the young monk's hand before slamming the door in his face. You jumped, startled as the door closed with a loud bang.

Zephyr walked over to you, holding the box the young monk had delivered, his usual kind smile back on his face. "Sorry that took so long, Messiah. Brother Esten can be a bit stubborn but he is a good soul." He smiled and handed you the box. You took it from his hands as you nodded. "Did he want something?" You asked, shaking the box gently as you tried to guess what was inside based on its weight.

Zephyr shook his head before reaching for the lid of the box. He lifted the lid and revealed the contents inside. A pair of black ballet flats. You raised an eyebrow in confusion.

You didn't order any shoes.

Zephyr simply chuckled at your expression before taking the flats out of the box. "These are a gift from the temple, Miss Messiah. We thought they would go well with your dress." He said as he went down on one knee in front of you. Placing the flats on the floor beside him, he gestured towards your feet.

"May I?"

You hiked up your dress, revealing the old brown boots you've worn even before becoming the guards' errand girl. They've been with you through thick and thin, through stormy and sunny weather so it pained you a bit having to say goodbye to them. Zephyr slowly undid your shoelaces and slipped the boots off your feet. “Brother Esten had asked to help you put on your new shoes but I informed him that I could do it. He was persistent though, insisting that he should be the one to do it.” He began to recall, taking one of the black flats and slipping it onto your foot.

“In his words and I quote, “A lowly task like this shouldn’t be handled by the saint. Let this humble servant of god do it instead.” I, of course, refused.” Zephyr relayed what transpired at the door just now as he slipped on the other shoe and checked if they fitted you.

You nodded, unfazed by his confession. Zephyr had been constantly at your beck and call ever since you became Messiah, lending his aid even when unnecessary. He goes out of his way to serve you and make your new life as comfortable as possible. In addition, you've also noticed that he had taken over the other nuns and monks' jobs of serving you, such as delivering meals, giving you fresh clothes and other menial tasks after a few days of observation. Sometimes it truly feels like he's your servant rather than your colleague.

You take a look at your new flats too, admiring its design. They fitted perfectly just like every other clothing the temple has given to you. "They're very comfortable. Thank you." You thanked Zephyr for helping you put on the shoes despite not needing the assistance. He smiled tenderly at you before reaching out to hold your right foot in his hand. "You're welcome, my Messiah." He pressed a kiss on your foot.

!

Your eyes widen in surprise at his action. You blushed and adverted your eyes to the side, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. No matter how much time you spend with him, you don't think you could ever get used to his odd affection towards you.

"Miss Messiah..."

You heard Zephyr's voice call for you before feeling some weight on you lap. You looked down and saw he had placed his hands on your lap before resting his chin there. He gazed up at you, a look of concern plastered on his face. "You seem distracted today." He frowned. "I noticed you staring at your cup in a daze just now when I was talking to Brother Esten." Zephyr said as he moved one of his hand from your lap and reached for your hand. He gently rubbed the back of it with his thumb as he continued, "Is something bothering you?".

"Oh..." You let out, not expecting him to point out your habit of daydreaming. They've become more frequent after you came to the temple as Messiah. You just had a lot to think about. Your duties, your future, your new role and now the future of Ebreau as well as the well-being of its citizens. The role of Messiah required you to stand with the people and lead them towards a better life. The sudden drop of weight on your shoulders of being Messiah was a heavy one indeed.

"I'm fine. Just a lot to think about especially with how Ebreau is right now." You confessed and sighed, sharing your concerns about the country's current state. Zephyr reached up and cupped your face, making you look at him. "You have a heart of gold, my dear Messiah. I understand that with the way things are presently, you have much to worry about but please remember to not overwork yourself. Too much stress will do no one any good." He stated firmly, his eyes clear and free of doubt, wholeheartedly believing in what he said just now.

You were shaken by his conviction as you fell silent, processing his words. You nodded after a while. "You're right. I'll try my best to manage my anxiety. Thank you, Saint Zephyr." You thanked him, grateful he helped you snap out of it.

Zephyr smiled before leaning in to kiss your cheek. "You're welcome, Messiah. Also, please just call me Zephyr." He pulled back as he looked into your eyes, his gaze soft and warm. "Thank you, Zephyr. You may call me (y/n) too." You smiled back.

For a brief moment, you saw the corner of Zephyr's lips twitched. He suddenly looked down at your lap, avoiding your eyes before taking a deep breath. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion at his behavior.

Did you say something wrong?

"One would suggest thee to not push the saint's self control too much."

A familiar voice rang inside your head. It was Calerus. You perked up at his sudden presence. "Oh, hello." You thought in your mind. The God of prosperity had a tendency to randomly pop up and speak to you directly through your mind ever since you became his lamb. Sometimes it was advice on what to do as Messiah and sometimes it was just to give one-off comments about the situation at hand. It was the latter this time.

Zephyr suddenly sprang onto his feet, pulling you off the bed by your hands as he did so. Not expecting the sudden pull, you stumbled and fell into his chest. You heard him chuckled as he wrapped his arms around your waist and hugged you tightly against him. You looked up from his chest and stared at him, perplexed. Zephyr simply laughed, "Let's take a walk in the garden, Lady (y/n)."

~✟~

The temple's garden was big and well kept. The flowers here bloomed splendidly, attracting little bees and butterflies to come play on their petals. The soft breeze of the afternoon blew gently, weaving through the yellow leaves of the aurum trees lining the walkway through the garden and shaking them lightly. The soft rustling of leaves paired with the running of water from the nearby fountain was a pleasant change in atmosphere that you desperately needed at the moment.

Zephyr walked beside you quietly as he let you bask in the warm afternoon sun and relax yourself. You sauntered through the garden, going off the pathway and inched closer to the various flower beds. You admired the flowers and couldn't help but smile at the sight of them.

It was a welcomed change of pace. You never found yourself to be a flower lover but here you were. Perhaps it was just a lack of exposure to them in the past.

"This is nice." You mumbled, crouching down and observing a butterfly on a purple flower. "What's this flower called?" You pointed at the flower as you turned your gaze up at Zephyr.

Zephyr smiled and joined you, crouching down beside you. "These are meripurlets."He started as he tucked a loose hair of yours behind your ear. "Their flower language is devotion." He smiled.

You raised your eyebrows at his words. "You know flower language?" You tilted your head. Zephyr chuckled, "Just the few that are commonly used around the temple."

You nodded with a brief "I see." and went back to the flowers before you. Their colours were vibrant and its leaves were evergreen, signifying that they are well taken care of. The shade of purple was nearly identical to that of Zephyr' eyes. You stared as you wondered who's in charge of taking care of the garden, awed by their dedication to these flora.

...

"...siah!"

?

A voice too soft and distant suddenly caught your attention. You couldn't make it what the voice said but it sounded frantic. You looked around the garden as you searched for the source of the voice, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Beside you, Zephyr did the same except instaed of being confused, he seemed more cautious and alert.

"Messiah!"

The voice got louder and closer as you heard it call for you. You turned and looked towards the entrance of the garden. A man waved at you as he ran over, tripping on his feet as he did so. Behind him, you see two guards tailing him closely, screaming at him to stop.

"Sir, stop this at once!"

"This is an act of trespassing and will have you arrested!"

The man ignored their demands as he continued to sprint towards you. As he inched closer, you noticed he looked familiar.

Mr. Citris?

Before you could confirm your suspicion, someone blocked your view, shielding you behind them. It was Zephyr. He kept you behind him, his hand holding onto yours in a tight grip as he watched the man approach.

You heard a thud come from in front of him. You tried to peer over his shoulders to see what was going on but unfortunately, he was too tall even when you went onto your toes.

A familiar voice rang and you confirmed who the man was.

"Saint Zephyr! Please let me see the Messiah!"

Mr. Citris pleaded but Zephyr didn't budge.

"My brother, while the temple is open to all followers of his Lord, Calerus, the garden, however can only be accessed by the devotees of this temple." His voice was deadly cold, unbefitting of his usual warm manner.

"I know, my saint, I know! But please! I'm at my wit's end. Please just let me talk to the Messiah!" Mr. Cirtris begged. He really did sound panicked. What got him so worked up? In your mind, nothing could ever shake Mr. Citris.

Mr. Citris is a farmer who sold fresh produce at the central market. You remembered passing by his stall when you were shopping there a few times. He scared you at first. His tough appearance paired with the ever present scowl on his face, it wasn't just you who felt reluctant to approach him. It was only until after you heard more about him from the guards that you changed your opinion on him.

Mr. Citris lives near the northeast outskirts of Ebreau. There, he has a plot of land where he use to plant his vegetables and fruits. His wife passed from complications of childbirth many years ago so it's just him and his daughter at his home.

However, life seemed to be particularly unfair to him as his one and only daughter suffers from a degenerative muscle disease that causes her to have difficulty moving. She still tries her best to help out her dad in his field but she can only work for so long before the pain kicks in. She's been prescribed some medicine to help slow down the degeneration and ease the pain but from what you heard, the medicine is quite expensive and is an extra burden on them when they can only make enough money to put food on the table each day. However, Mr. Citris somehow made it work by selling his products at the market and doing odd job around the city. Tiring as it is, he was able to make enough to afford the medicine and food for his daughter.

From then on, you invested in his small business when you could and even spread the word of his predicament around so people would consider buying from him more. You're not sure if it helped but at least you've seen an increase in customers at his stall ever since then.

In short, Mr. Citris was a big guy with an even bigger heart. Family was everything to him and you admired the lengths he went to for his daughter.

"My brother, the garden is a private resting place for the devotees and workers of the temple. You're intruding on the Messiah's personal time." From your angle, you could see the frown on Zephyr's face as he looked at the man.

Mr. Citris sounded like he was on the verge of crying as he called for you, hoping you would listen to him from behind Zephyr's back. "Messiah, please give me some of your time! It's about my sick daugther!" That immediately caught your attention. Zephyr continued to shield you behind him.

"Brother, you need to leave."

This time, Mr. Citris was silent and you felt a chill run down your spine at Zephyr's demand.

Zephyr stared him down and once he made sure Mr. Citris had nothing more to say, he ordered. "Guards, please escort this man out." Footsteps sounded as the guards approached Mr. Citris.

"On your feet, sir." One of the guards demanded when Mr. Citris remained unmoving on the ground. "I..." Mr. Citris breathed shakily. The guard who had previously ordered Mr. Citrus to move leaned down and grabbed onto his arm, ready to pull him up. Just as his hand touched Mr. Citris, another appeared, its touch soft but firm in stopping any further action.

You stepped forward, coming out from behind Zephyr's back. Pressing your hand onto the guard's, you stopped him from taking Mr. Citris away.

"Lady (y/n)?" "Messiah?" Zephyr and the guards let out in astonishment.

You kneeled down onto the ground as the guard withdrew his hand from Mr. Citris. Mr. Citris kept his head down, his eyes fixated on the ground. Now on the same eye level as him, you could see the redness at the corner of his eyes.

He was holding back tears.

"..."

Something big must have happened for Mr. Citris to be this desperate.

"Mr. Citris, what happened to your daughter?" You finally asked. Mr. Citris' head suddenly snapped up and stared into your eyes, his own wide in shock, seemingly only noticing your presence after you called for him.

"My Lord..?" Mr. Citris whispered in disbelief, his body trembling. "Sorry?" You asked back, caught of guard by his question.

"C-calerus." A invisible question mark appeared above your head.

"I'm (y/n), Mr. Citris. The Messiah. You asked to see me, no?" You attempted to correct.

"Mes...Messiah?" He repeated as if he was unsure of your dentity even after you told him

"Yes." You nodded and smiled at him, wanting him to believe you. Mr. Citris' mouth stayed shut as he blinked, staring at you as he seemed to ponder something profound.

You lightly coughed and asked again, ignoring his stare. "So, tell me, Mr. Citris, what happened to your daughter?" You wanted to get to the bottom of Mr. Citris sudden visit.

At your question, he snapped out of it, shaking his head as he took a breath. "Y-yes, Messiah....Of course..." He mumbled under his breath before meeting your gaze once more.

"I...It's..." Mr. Citris stuttered, his voice shaking and you saw tears well up again in his eyes. "Take a breath. Slowly now." You patted his shoulder reassuringly.

Mr. Citris breathed in deeply and calmed himself. "My daughter....She has a degenerative muscle disease ever since birth but she has been prescribed some medicine to help with the sickness. They are expensive but I am able to pull together enough money each month to buy them by selling vegetables I've planted on my land at the outskirts of the kingdom." He began to tell and you nodded. Nothing you didn't know of.

He suddenly paused, swallowing as he seemed contemplate something. You raised an eyebrow and ushered for him to continue.

"No need to be hesitant, Mr. Citris. Let me hear it."

Mr. Citris nodded and continued. What you heard next stunned you.

"Recently, my house got attacked. By...by the Casvians." Your eyes went wide at his words. Behind you, you felt Zephyr stiffen.

"Casvians?" You repeated, not believing your ears.

Mr. Citris nodded. "They attacked my house, burned my land and my crops with it. I managed to save my daughter and myself before they got to us." He said mournfully. You listened attentively, nodding each time he looked at you for conformation to carry on.

"We've been living at an inn in the capital for the past 2 weeks but with my land gone, I've lost my main source of income from selling vegetables and fruits on the market. I...I can barely afford food for us both now, let alone...." He trailed off but even with no words spoken, you knew what he was going to say.

He can't buy medicine for his daughter.

You bit the inside of your cheeks. This was a tight spot for Mr. Citris. Food, medicine and now accommodation? Even if he did still have his land, you doubt that'd be enough to afford all three of them.

He said Casvians attacked him but how? You knew Mr. Citris' house was near the boarders between Ebreau and its neighbouring country, Casviren but it couldn't be that close to where he would get caught in the crossfire.

Then, assuming he isn't lying, for the Casvians to attack Mr. Citris' house would only mean either the Casvians are getting bolder or...

Ebreau's defenses are falling.

You clenched your fists as your expression hardened.

The situation may be more dire than you thought.

This kingdom is falling apart. Fast.

You took a deep breath and steadied yourself. The state of the kingdom needed to wait for now. First, you need to help Mr. Citris.

You turned back and looked up at Zephyr. "Does the temple have spare money to buy the medicine for his daughter?" You asked, standing back up and facing him. Zephyr was silent as he stared at you, his face unreadable. You felt uneasy at his silence. You glanced downward briefly and saw his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Was he angry?

The thought crossed your mind for a second but you quickly brushed it off. Why would he be? You're helping someone. There was nothing wrong in that.

Right?

Zephyr noticed that you have spotted his curled up fists and quickly release them. He cleared his throat before answering. "While the temple does not lack in terms of money, the Royal family specified that the funds given to us should be spent on strictly temple related matters and nothing more." Zephyr said, his lips turning down into a small frown and his eyes softening in concern.

"Them, is there anyone in the temple with medical training that can help Mr. Citris' daughter?" You refused to give up, searching for another way to help the man.

To your dismay, Zephyr shook his head, a look of sorrow on his soft features. "There are some nuns and monks that have basic medical knowledge but I am not aware of any that are experienced enough to able to take care of someone with this sort of disease."

You bit your lip, your eyebrows knitted together in worry. This was bad. How were you going to solve this...

Just as you were going to begin panicking, Zephyr gave you something that lessened your anxiety. "However, if Mr. Citris likes, he may collect meals from the temple." You tilted your head at his suggestion. Zephyr smiled at you and elaborated. "The temple prepares food for all devotees everyday and most of the time, there will be leftovers. If Mr. Citris doesn't mind, him and his daugther may have the leftovers." Zephyr looked at Mr. Citris behind you. "I know it's not what you wanted but hopefully, it will at least decrease your financial burden." Zephyr added, bowing his head apologetically at Mr. Citris.

You turned and looked back at Mr. Citris. He was staring at you and Zephyr, unmoving and silent.

"I...Thank you, saint. I am grateful. Any help is appreciated." Mr. Citris lowered his head. He sounded... Disappointed.

Everyone fell silent. The light breeze that tickled your face had stopped blowing and the sun that shone brightly had dipped behind the horizon, leaving behind only streaks of its rays as the afternoon turned into evening and soon night. You sighed silently and hung your head like Mr. Citris. You felt so ashamed at your incompetence. As Messiah, the people expected you to lead, to guide, to help but today's encounter showed you that you were still far from fulfilling any of those requirements.

You were Messiah in name.

Power and will?

You can only pray Calerus will give them to you in the future.

Mr. Citris sniffled and the boulder weighing on your heart became heavier. You felt a hand on your shoulder. "You're trying your best, Lady (y/n). Don't blame yourself." Zephyr whispered into your ear. At that, you loosened your fists which you didn't know you were gripping.

Yes, calm down, (y/n). Nothing can be accomplished by moping around.

You inhaled deeply before kneeling back down. Mr. Citris kept his head low, unwilling to meet your gaze. On the ground beneath him, you saw small splotches.

He was crying.

And he didn't want you to see his tears.

Your heart ached at his predicament but what else could you do?

Carefully, you reached for his hands. You clasped them in yours as you pulled them close to you and shut your eyes.

There was nothing left to do but pray.

You mumbled your prayer, loud enough only for you and Mr. Citris to hear.

"Calerus, our lord high above."

Your grip on Mr. Citris' hands tightened.

"A problem arises that cannot be solved by our mortal hands."

I'm sorry, Mr. Citris.

"Please grace us with your mercy and benevolence in this time of need."

I wish I could do more for you.

"Spare the daughter of this follower of yours. Let her pain be subsided. Let her agony be gone."

But, alas, I am a fraud.

"Give the daughter the strength to overcome that which plagues her body. Give the father the strength to overcome that which plagues his mind."

I am only a pawn in Calerus' hands.

"Let your power be seen through this pair of parent and child."

I am at Calerus' mercy.

"Earnestly, we pray."

Clink!

Your eyes snapped opened at the sudden sound.

Clink! Clink!

?

You looked around, confused at what's making that noise. It sounds like....Coins dropping?

Clink! Clink! Clink!

You gazed down. On the ground between you and Mr. Citris, a few gold coins laid there, some still spinning in place.

Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!

More appeared, seemingly falling from thin air. They fell rapidly, like they were overflowing from their source. You were perplexed at where they were coming from until you looked at your hands.

Gold coins seeped out from within your sleeves and onto the ground. They flowed like water, their speed and frequency of appearance increasing rampantly.

"What in the..." You gasped as you looked in disbelief. Gold coins were basically pouring out of your sleeves right now.

"Messiah...!" Mr. Critris gasped as he finally lifted his head and saw the scene before him. "I, um," you struggled to find words to say in this situation.

Mr. Citris suddenly bowed down to you, his forehead pressing on the ground. " Thank you, Messiah! Thank you! Thank you! This will be more than enough!" He thanked you before raising his head, a wide smile plastered on his tears stained face. He wiped away his tears, drying his eyes as he continued to thank you. "Messiah! Truly, my Messiah!" He cried, tears of joy (you assume them to be at least) continued to roll down his cheeks despite just wiping them.

The pour of coins slowly calmed down into a drizzle before finally stopping. In front of you, a small pile of gold coins sat on the ground, reflecting the last bits of sunlight and shimmering softly.

You stared in shock at what just happened with a still emotional Mr. Citris kneeling before you, muttering incoherent thank-you's while scooping up the gold coins. Your brain was melting from having to process the weird occurrence. Was that Calerus' answer to your prayers? Or was that your power all along and it was just a matter of you not knowing? Your head was spinning.

A hand suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you onto your feet. You looked back and Zephyr glared at Mr. Citris over your shoulder, a frown tugging on his lips. He pulled you back behind him, pressing you to him so you couldn't do something he didn't expect again.

"Mr. Citris, it seems our gracious Lord has answered your prayers." His tone was cold despite the miraculous event that called for a joyous celebration. "Now that your problems have been solved, I think it's time for you to go back to your daughter, yes?" He questioned, his voice holding a certain persuasiveness and firmness in it, like he wasn't asking but ordering.

"Yes, thank you. Thank you, my Messiah...My saviour...m-my God!" Mr. Citris smiled, looking up at you. His smile grew into a grin as he began to mumble to himself. You grew concerned at his mumbling.

Mr. Citris isn't usually like this...

Before you could ask if he was alright,. Zephyr tugged at your arm and pulled you away from the scene. "Help Mr. Citris collect his money and escort him out of the temple." He ordered the two guards before quickening his place and pulling you away with him.

You were still in a daze, astonished by what just transpired. You barely even noticed Zephyr had dragged you towards one of the entrance to the temple that connected with the garden. Only when you both stepped back inside the temple did he let go.

You finally snapped back to reality as the familiar white marble walls and well lit halls came into your view. You raised your hands and stared at them. They seemed fine. Nothing looked different from before....Then, what on earth happened back there?

Another pair of hands came into your peripheral before intertwining your hands in theirs. You looked up and saw Zephyr staring at your hands in his.

"Zephyr?" You raised an eyebrow. He's been acting weird since Mr. Citris came.

You felt him tighten his hold as he breathed shakily. "Lady (y/n)..." He whispered, eyes still glued to your hands.

"Are you alright?" You made no move to pull away from his grasp.

Zephyr was quiet.

"..."

"Zephyr? You're worrying me." You voiced your concerns. Zephyr was really out of it today.

At your words, he raised his head and met your eyes. His signature smile still absent from his face.

"Did you know, Lady (y/n)?" He began.

"Know what?" Zephyr was beginning to confuse you. You thought you had a decent understanding of him now after living together for the past few weeks but...

Maybe there was still more to him than what meets the eye.

"Meripurlets and aurum trees have a symbiotic relationship." He rubbed your hands.

"Meripurlets have short roots which causes them to have a hard time finding water especially during dry seasons. To battle this, they grow near aurum trees which have long roots and can easily absorb water deep within the soil. A meripurlet will penetrate its roots into an aurum tree's to take its water. As such, meripurlets are categorized as a parasitic plant." Zephyr glanced outside towards an aurum tree.

"However, if you look in books, they will say that the relationship between meripurlets and aurum trees is mutualism. Fascinating, no?" A small smile finally crawled onto his face. You couldn't help but feel relieved when you saw it. At least he looked like he was back to normal. Wish the same would apply to his voice though.

"That is because meripurlets only take a small amount of water from aurum trees. Just enough to sustain itself. In return, they give nitrogen they absorbed from the soil to aurum trees to let them grow taller and stronger. Research also found that each meripurlet plant only ever get water from one aurum tree. It doesn't matter if another one is planted beside it, once it chooses one, it will depend on that aurum tree for the rest of its life. A very...devoted flower, don't you agree?" This was interesting and all but you couldn't wrap your head around why Zephyr was telling you all this. He continued on with his rambling.

"Despite all the good they do for each other, did you notice that the meripurlets and aurum trees in the garden are not planted together, Lady (y/n)?" This time, Zephyr tilted his head.

You recalled back to your walk. Indeed, the flowers and trees were separated from each other. You nodded, unsure where this was going to lead.

Zephyr smiled wider. "Well, another fascinating thing about meripurlets is they don't like to share."

"What?" You blurted out.

"When another parasitic plant comes and lives off the aurum tree they had chosen, the meripurlets will suck all the water from the aurum tree and will stop giving the tree its nitrogen supply. Slowly, the aurum tree will wilt and die just like any other host plants in parasitic relationships." Zephyr explained as he stepped closer, brushing his lips against the back of your fingers.

"As for the meripurlet, the excessive water will cause it to rot from within until it eventually dies." His gaze darkened and you unconsciously swallowed nervously.

"The meripurlet would rather kill the aurum tree it tethered itself to than share it with another plant. It would rather die than choose another aurum tree to depend on." Zephyr looked back down, his bangs tickling your hands.

"To this, botanists like to say..."

He leaned in and whispered into your ear.

"Devotion can kill."

~✟~

Done! Another chapter in the bag. Thank you all for the immense support you've shown for the prologue. I didn't expect it to blow up like that especially since it's the first thing I've ever posted here. Thank you again for the support and for waiting for the next chapter!(I'm a slow writer so please bear with me!(´-﹏-`；))

Same thing applies, if you find any problems, please tell me so I can make corrections in order to give everyone the best reading experience!

~

Taglist

@ursinaw @ceeesxy-blog @deepinballs @vash-yuu @fairy-lenaa @fleurescentlight @surprisemodafakas @cerisearan (you wrote master list but I'm gonna assume you meant tag list. Sorry if I'm wrong(T_T)) @avyannasstuff

[alicehattera03]

Cale being genuinely kind and wanting what is best for himself and for the people he cherishes as friends, family and loved ones, but I want him to unleash hell on those that are his enemies. Let him hunt them down callously, sending hounds after them for they are not worthy of being a dragon's prey- and let them witness their last moments alive by promising to hand deliver their remains to their families.

In the end, he doesn't even keep that promise of his. They shouldn't have dared to trust him.

Leaning his cheek on the palm of his hand, he watches them breathe their last and whispers low and sweet in their ears, "I changed my mind. What better gift to give your family, than the bright hope that you may still be alive somewhere? Let them wait... until they forget."

He keeps watch over them as they claw desperately in the dirt, tears spilling over, cursing him as blood-filled spittle runs down their chin before failing to move again. "You shouldn't have crossed paths with me. I don't enjoy doing this, but people like you never learn, so I always have to do this the hard way."

[mayullla]

Title: An invitation to a chase

Character(s): Childe / Tartaglia (Genshin Impact)

Summary: Isekai au; It wasn't by choice that you dropped into this game. It was slow, but you slowly manage to make a living for yourself in Liyue. This was not a game anymore. Yet at the same time, you could not shake the feeling that this world had its faith already decided so you decided to become someone from the background not knowing you have gained the interest of a certain harbinger.

Warnings/tags: F!reader, yandere themes, mentions of other characters (liyue)

When you woke up you didn't know where you were...

Confused by the tall mountains and the beastly monsters that carried axes, wooden bats and shields, the small circle monsters that looked afraid when they saw you and ran away, you thought that they were familiar but at the same time in a daze unable to properly understand anything.

It was almost like a dream that you waited to wake up but... you never did.

It was with the help of travelers and adventurers passing by that you finally understood where you were. Their clothes hinted at where you were, and the names of places were another one. It was slow, but soon everything clicked together. You were sucked into a game called Genshin Impact, and you don't know how to get back.

Distraught you were after you realize that other than your clothes, you had nothing, nothing that reminded you of home or a way back. It was with the help of kind-hearted adventurers that you were able to get back up.

You knew that you were in Liyue and with the adventurers who found you here heading to Liyue Harbor. It was soon that you parted ways with them after they were sure that you knew your way around and had a place to stay.

You passed by Xinyan and Yunjin in their repetitive stages till you found Yanfei, who helped you get on your feet and make a living for yourself here.

It has been a few months since then, and oftentimes, you wondered if you should have even become friends with the characters that you once knew from behind a screen. If you were allowed to be their friend when you didn't belong here. No matter how kind Xinagling and Gouba were, they would always be a reminder to you that this was a game that you played once.

The NPCs that you helped as a traveler, even playable characters... it was somewhat nerving to see them... detailed, their struggles beside their quests that they gave to the traveler. You used to see only part of their problem before being forced away from them, unable to talk to them anymore besides a few repeating texts.

You wanted to help them, but part of you also thought that you shouldn't. That later on the traveler would come and help them which you thought would be far more appropriate than... you.

It wasn't like you didn't want to help, but in the end, you realized that they didn't ask for it and that you weren't the traveler anymore, and that you were another person altogether at this point. You didn't have the power to make everything okay again.

Instead, you just choose to be in the background, maybe a friend to Yanfei and a few others or just acquaintances for others if you ever bump into them yet faceless in the whole storyline you suspected to start soon.

So when you were out in the mountains gathering herbs, you didn't think you would see a certain person with ginger hair and blue eyes who came all the way from Snezhnaya.

He was the one who noticed you first as you froze like a deer in headlights unable to move when you meet his eyes. It wasn't like he was gonna kill you, you knew that even if he could he would not. But that never changed the fact that to you he was still dangerous.

Meeting him here all of a sudden without any notice made you unable to casually wave at the man who did so instead look away as you took off leaving him alone to wonder if he had done something wrong to a stranger. Did his wave offend you?

You thought you would never see that man again.

Again, you mentally thought it wasn't like you disliked him or anything, as much as you would fawn over or like this character in the past... it has been months since you last played the game, and the characters became all the more real to you even if you didn't want them to be... yet at the same time still just characters.

Yanfei would occasionally visit your home when you realize that she had her own problems other than what the game shows. That her words weren't on repeat, but actual genuine interest.

It made you think about the future choices that have yet to happen when Zhongli would choose to "die" in the ceremony... how much panic and worry would strike the citizens but also you. It also made you think about a certain toy seller who would cause even greater trouble and turbulence. The same man who waved at you.

It wasn't like you could stop him. You didn't have a vision, nor were you strong enough to fight him.

Choosing to stay quiet till everything passed was what you chose to do when everything would finally happen. You already knew that everything would end well one way or another with the help of the traveler.

You didn't expect to see him again in the mountains. This time, he was sitting on the grass as if he had finished training just a few moments ago. With how messy the whole place around him was? No doubt.

Hidden behind the trees, you stared at the man who you thought didn't notice you, carefully taking a step back you plan to leave.

"You know, it was quite rude of you to just go when someone greets you."

You flinched as you glanced back at him, a cheerful smile on his face.

You were caught.

"I am sorry... I was in a hurry back then." You tried to make an excuse, not making a move to go towards the man nor stepping away to make a run for it. It would be too suspicious. Tho... he probably already was suspicious of you.

"Hmmm, I am not so sure about that."

You watched as he sat up still watching you, "While I don't exactly think that you are a spy seeing how concentrated you were in collecting those herbs, you looked like you almost like a rabbit frozen in place as if I have come to bite you." The smile never once went down, but it also never reached his eyes.

"Tell me, have we met before? Your eyes recognized me when you saw me, but I don't remember ever seeing you."

You bite your lip as you look away. Were you really that obvious? You wondered, but you shook your head. "I don't recall ever meeting you in my life. It was because I experienced an… unfortunate event with the fatui that I now choose to just avoid them." You told him... somewhat honestly…

Well, half truth and half lie really… You did experience events from the game that almost made you dislike the fatui when you watch them cause so much trouble. But you also meet a few here, and while most ignore you, some could be rather...

So, really, you aren't wrong. You just hoped that Childe actually buys into the story enough to leave you from now on.

"Hmmm… Is that so. Well, maybe you can tell me who it was, and I will go check?" ...Childe was definitely trying to do something here. "That won't be needed." You said almost harshly. You were nervous.

"Now, now. If they made a mistake and hurt the passerby for no reason, then they are definitely at fault for it and would need punishment." Childe raised his hand, the other on his waist. "That isn't needed." You told him raising your hand as if to stop him, "It was long ago now, and I do not remember the person's face, nor do I care to get some sort of revenge."

Rather than a random fatui, you prefer if someone could knock some sense into the man in front of you. Not that you would say that.

You already packed your bags and were planning to head out as soon as you heard that Monstade was saved by the traveler and head there for a vacation away from the chaos here. You saved some mora just for this reason, too.

"Ahh, alright. Then how about this. How about I hang out with you whenever you go to the mountains? Think of it as an apology from the fatui." Childe said, taking a step closer still with a friendly smile. You lightly bite your tongue, wondering why he was so insistent. There was absolutely nothing special about you to warrant such interest like this. "That would not be needed."

"Well, but had I not come here a moment or two later, you would have already been hurt by the hilichurl camp here," Childe told you, his smile widening almost like a Cheshire cat. Quickly, you looked to his side, and your eyes widened in surprise. Of course, the mess was from a hilichurl camp.

"Don't worry too much about it they are all down. While you gathered herbs, I can clear out the place for you, and if there is a particularly hard place to get to something, I can also help you out." Childe made the deal sweet in his own opinion, yet when he raised his hand for a handshake you looked into his eyes and noticed that he still was suspicious of you, and you knew that if you declined here he would try other means to watch over you. 

You frowned at him again, "I already told you that I do not wish assistance from the fatui."

"Hmmm, okay there. I will just be right beside you, not as a protector or anything like that, but more on an accidental meeting." You have been left speechless at how shameless this man was. All the while, he continued to smile as if he didn't say anything wrong.

And as much as you hated it, he kept his promise or whatever you would call it. Whenever you would go to the mountains, he was always there acting as if he was just going to head up too and that the two of you should hang out. Or that time you met him on the way, and he decided to follow you up again when you clearly saw that he was actually going down it. When you change the time you usually go up the mountains thinking you could outmaneuver him... he was there waiting for you.

It was unnerving really how often he followed you, as you would now see him in the market and the streets of Liyue Harbor. "Ah! I didn't expect to meet you here, comrade." Childe would openly greet you while you want nothing more than to look away. You didn't doubt that he had eyes everywhere... he probably placed a spy or two on you if he was actually suspicious of you.

Yet somehow you thought that this was different, that the eyes on you weren't cause you were a spy but something else. Not when you realize that Childe's eyes were always on you, no matter what you do, he was always there...

What did he notice...

It was always amusing watching you search for that moment to scurry away like a mouse whenever the two of you meet. It was something that Childe always took pleasure teasing you with.

You have always been like this except to a way to various degrees even with others but more so with him. There was always a distance between you and the world that he craved to figure out. When he first came to Liyue a few months ago, Childe had seen you a few times walking around the streets. You weren't special well, not at first, while vision holders tend to have their own distinct style. You choose something that blended with the crowd and their fashion.

He didn't really care much, just a moment thought and then to the next topic he had to deal with. But he couldn't help himself but look at you again after he noticed you on the side of the street with some vision holders. You guys were talking for a bit, but Childe noticed that stare you had almost knowing, yet no words of it came out of your mouth.

A few times later, he saw you by chance. You sometimes had this distant look in your eyes as you watched the ships come and leave the docks. Sometimes, it was a cautious look or maybe sometimes impatient, but you were always watchful... waiting. You were always looking for so clues, what he wasn't sure but had as time passed gotten curious.

The first time you saw him, he thought that you would maybe wave back as he raised his hand, yet much to his surprise there was recognition in yoru eyes, and then the next thing you did was run away.

You knew him, even tho he had no remembrance of ever meeting you before he noticed you. There was a certain thrill that beat in his heart when he realized that you knew more than you let on.

And to him, it was an invitation to a chase.

He followed you almost ever you went ever since then, mildly disappointed when his duties call for him as he had to for a short put a cause to the chase. But the more he spent time with you, watching you, he knew that you were definitely hiding something. The knowing look you sometimes give to others when you thought that they were looking, as you withheld information that was just about to reach the tip of your tongue. The look that you gave him, when he talked about certain topics, his trill towards fighting, your eyes told him that you knew something that he never told anyone else other than his close associates.

And to him, it was nothing but trilling. You have become something likened to a prey that he had become found over. Someday, there is this itch of wanting nothing more than to rip you apart to know everything about you, but he cherishes you just enough not to.

It would be sad to destroy you like that, but to be fair, even if he had patience... he could only wait for so long.

Note: It is his special day so loll