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peanutsandbitterstep · 5 years

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Summary: A GBF Soulmate AU. Everyone has arrows on their body that point them to their soulmates. Nehan has one on each arm.

The first moment of clarity in months and it comes from curing the sickness of a fellow slave. The precise measurements of ingredients, combined into medicine that would break a fever. The Magasin are more than pleased that they’ll be getting more value out of him than they paid for.

“This is the one you were talking about?” the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer asks, hand on one hip, surveying Nehan.

“You said you could use all the help you could get,” his master says. “He doesn’t look it, but he’s got a brain in there.”

“Hn. Well, some of the others are going out for supplies. Have him join them. He can’t get into too much trouble like that.”

With a wave of dismissal, the chief gets back to work.

Nehan is sent out with an overseer and some other members of the pharmaceutical team. He doesn’t resent the change in duties. Focusing on remembering plant shapes and habitats means that his mind doesn’t have space to dwell on images of blood and decaying bodies.

He practically becomes part of the medical division and formally does once the epidemic passes.

“You’re turning out more useful than we thought. Keep this up and maybe you’ll actually be something,” his master says.

The promotion would be beneficial, but it’s still the clarity that he chases, until he no longer needs to be actively focused on work to keep the memories at bay. And without the memories comes a lack of feeling that persists, even when he poisons someone and watches him die.

It’s not the death that’s notable or even the killing. He’s seen and done plenty of that already. But this was less of a professional hit and more of along the lines of experimentation of a new poison. The death is messy and drawn out over the course of a few hours, but he can’t muster up anything other than intellectual curiosity.

“Looks like we’ll need to get back to the drawing board,” the chief says, once it’s all over. “Good work everyone.”

A candy is passed to each of them as they file out of the room.

“For me?” Nehan questions, even though he knows he shouldn’t.

“Of course. You’re part of the family too,” the chief says casually, as a few associates trail in to deal with the body.

Family.

The word digs under his skin and sticks, like a splinter he’d once had to spend fifteen minutes locating and pulling out. He sneaks out that night and holds his arm up against the sky, studying how the arrow lines up with the constellations. It’s the first time he’s been able to look at it since the day he’d lost his home.

There are people with nowhere else to go, there in the Magasin. Fellow slaves who make the family their home, and even find their soulmate among the others.

Nehan’s home may be gone, but there’s still one family member he has left.

At the moment, the arrow on his right arm points northeast. Toward another island, maybe even another skydom.

Sudden rage bubbles up from his chest, to his throat, and he wants to shout, ‘Come on! You know how to find me. Come and try to finish me off like you did everyone else!’

He has no illusions about overpowering Xing. The prodigy, hope of the Karm Clan. But he’s gotten better at firing a gun and has enough knowledge about poisons that they could at least go down together.

But Xing doesn’t come. Instead, a guard comes to check on him and make sure he isn’t trying anything stupid.

Some of the others might not know where they came from, but not him. Nehan knows who his family is and why they’re no longer with him.

‘I’m going to see you again,’ he thinks. ‘And when I do, I’ll be ready.’

Years pass and he learns as much as he can. Medicine and drugs, how to coax a sickened organ back to health as well as shut it down. His memory does not fail and his emotions stay out of the way. The family places more and more trust in him and he becomes busier with all the extra responsibilities.

Responsibilities that include research for the drug they’re developing, titled Project Serenity. If they get this right, they’ll get enough power to retake their territories.

Which brings him to the island.

“Nehan!”

“Hello, Mugen. How have you been?”

The lone inhabitant of the island had not been much help when it came to research. As it turns out, someone who can’t be poisoned doesn’t need to consider anything except taste when it comes to ingesting plants. There are other reasons to let him tag along, though.

Mugen tells him about all the changes that have happened since he was away (it rained and he caught a frog), and Nehan tells a heavily edited version of his most recent trip to Auguste.

He’s struggling to convey the idea of a sea when he hears the growl of a timber wolf. Right hand reaching for his gun, he searches the direction it came from.

It’s Mugen who reacts first, punching the first wolf that leaps at him. Nehan picks off two more. Out of the corner of his eye, there’s a blur and he moves just enough that the wolf’s teeth close on his jacket sleeve instead of his right forearm.

He’s aware of Mugen shouting his name, but he’s too busy gutting the monster to respond. It’s silent when he looks up again. Mugen must have taken care of the rest of the pack.

A shadow looms over him and he flinches, raising his gun. It’s only Mugen though, concern on his face as he reaches out.

“I’m all right,” Nehan says, showing Mugen his torn sleeve and unmarked skin. “See? No blood.”

Mugen studies Nehan’s arm, carefully holding back his strength as he turns it over. “Nehan have too.”

“What?” Following his gaze, Nehan sees what he’s referring to. “Oh, the soulmate arrow.”

“Soul...mate?”

“A soulmate is…a person whose life is intertwined with yours.” Scrambling to explain the concept more simply, Nehan says, “It’s two people who are very important to each other. The arrow shows where the other person is.”

“Like Nehan?” Mugen holds out his left arm and, sure enough, the arrow is pointing directly at Nehan.

Swallowing, Nehan says, “No, not like me. Look, my arrow doesn’t point to you.”

What he leaves out is that it would be the arrow on his left arm that would determine whether he and Mugen are soulmates. He hasn’t checked that arrow in a long time and he isn’t going to check now.

He doesn’t want Mugen to get tangled up in his problems.

Pulling his arm out of Mugen’s hold and stepping back, he says, “I’m sure whoever your soulmate is will be a wonderful person.”

“Nehan wonderful,” Mugen insists and Nehan laughs before he can stop himself.

“Thank you for saying so. We should keep going.”

This idiot. If the Magasin or any of the other families were to find out about him, this child with an adult body and inborn power lurking right under his skin was just going to be used. Like Xing.

Time hasn’t tempered his rage or desire for vengeance, but it has given him perspective. The Karm Clan had reaped what they sowed. Their fate had been to die at the hands of their own weapon, to pay for their crimes with their lives in the most ironic way.

And maybe that’s why Nehan is still alive. There are more than enough people who hold a grudge against him, more than enough who would deserve to take revenge.

Perhaps they will. But not before Nehan makes Xing answer for his crimes.

Another two years and Serenity Heaven is created and distributed, repositioning the Magasin in the crime world. With Nehan’s work and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s death, Nehan’s position as the successor is cemented.

The most authority he will ever have. And he needs to act now because the Magasin is falling.

Alliances between the other families and poorly thought out strategies, including but not limited to his former master killing his soulmate in a feat of remarkable cunning and absolute stupidity.

Amazing how soulmates in rival families tended to bring out both the best and worst in each other. He’d seen soulmates provoke each other to anger with a meaningful look or well-placed word, as well as inspire the acquirement of new skills.

“That bastard knew what he was doing when he bought the restaurant!” his former master had ranted. “He did it just to spite me!”

And he was probably right. Because they were equally petty and had a tendency to modify their business dealings so the other person’s job would be more difficult. But with him dead, his family had made taking down the Magasin their biggest priority, and Nehan wasn’t going to wait for everything to collapse.

He supposes he shouldn’t be so critical. After all, his plans are going to upend the entire skydom.

Because Xing, as it turns out, is an Eternal. Seox, as he calls himself now. Surrounded by the most powerful skyfarers, armed with talents that he has honed to perfection.

He could have found Nehan anytime he wanted, but he hadn’t. Does he think he can run from fate?

Some people think fate is something that can be defied, but look. Here Nehan is, without his clan or home, but there’s still a mask still on his face, he has poison in one pocket, and Trancensia is in the other. It was always going to turn out like this.

The moon is just beginning to rise as he walks toward the port. He has a promise to keep to Mugen and then he’s headed to the Enforcers. He’s done waiting for someone who clearly isn’t coming. The stars will show him where he is and his arrows will guide him to where he needs to be. And then all of this will be over.

A/N: Thanks to my friend who proofread this and my other friends who listened to me complain! I hope you enjoyed reading this.

#rambling #granblue fantasy #gbf

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