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brisquad-unit-4402 · 1 year

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Can i request a part 2 of lost in time with luxiem where Reader do something to reunite with their s/o. I don't see reader not doing anything? You don't have to do this.

lost in time with luxiem, pt. 2

↢ part 1 here.

hello happy valentines everyone i hope you’ve shown your love to the people you care about including nonromantic ones. if you have a partner go get them flowers. even if they’re a man. especially if they’re a man. trust me on this one

it’s canon in this series now. while luxiem was off being all emo and whatever reader was actually pulling their weight. what a genderboss

tags: comfort no hurt, ok well there’s a little bit of hurt but it’s fluffy, angst with a happy ending, gender neutral reader

⚠️ drinking in luca’s entry

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

🖋 Ike Eveland

Ike lives in periods of forgetfulness and remembrance, pooled together like blended watercolors. He lives to forget where he lives. His memories of the past scramble with the present as he loses himself in his writing, and at the worst of times he has to tell himself the voice of Reader is mental. They aren’t here. They could never be here.

Time passed. Some of his short stories were being published in magazines. One of the magazine editors, he was told, loved Ike’s image. “A mysterious, moody dark horse that reflects his themes of solitude,” they called him. He had to give it to them; their pitch for the image of the novelist Ike Eveland was tantalizing, but just as unreachable as Tantalus himself.

After all, he blinks and for a moment he can see the flowering fields of his homeland, the streets in sepia, candy colors on his wall and the aurora borealis heralding his origin. The rolling sky, and from the corner of his eyesight the edge of your hand pointing out a cloud. A resting body bundled in blankets like snow. Sun rays on a face turned golden, they’re simply so radiant everything they touch becomes priceless.

Ike catches himself calling your name more than he’d like to admit.

But he carries on, unfortunate as he may be. He takes care of himself, because if he’s going to hear your voice no matter where he goes, the least he can do is pretend you’d be disappointed if he wasn’t getting enough sleep, food, water…

He returns to his desk the second he finishes a late-night snack, and freezes the second he sees an envelope square in the middle of his desk. In the center of the envelope he reads his name. Underneath it is yours.

His desperateness is seconded only by his caution. He takes his time opening the letter with as little damage as possible but can’t read fast enough.

To beloved Ike Eveland,

This is Reader. I wish I had the room to tell you everything in this letter, but I simply can’t. I’ll keep it as short as possible. I learned what caused you to blink out of existence. There’s a force of nature- really, a freak of nature that causes the force. I haven’t been able to identify it. What little I can see of it is searing.

This isn’t about me, though. I found a way to manipulate the freak-force, I think. Keep this letter, but make sure the envelope I sent you is in usable condition. Remove my letter from the envelope. It’s hexed. Now write me another letter. I should be able to receive it. Tell me everything you can fit about where you are. Address, country. What your home looks like. I need a location and visualization. Then when you’re done place your letter within the envelope. The seal should still work as if it had never been used before. Seal it tightly. Then fall asleep, as soon as you can. Don’t move the envelope anywhere other than where you found it. I suggest sending your letter right before you go to bed. Dreams are the freak-force’s transportation, and it’ll give us the best chance possible.

I don’t know how long I have nor how long this will take but it’s all I have. I don’t think I could bear it if you never came home.I’ll fill the rest of the page with this: I love you eternally. If this doesn’t work then I pray you know I will always think of you no matter our distance. Please be safe. I need you safe.

With diligence and love, your Reader.

Ike stops everything he planned on doing, grabs a sheet of blank paper, and writes. He has to get up a few times to check his location for sure (he’s a shut-in, and only now is he realizing it may bite him in the butt) but before long the paper is covered in all he knows about the gray world outside of his letter.

When he’s done, he holds the envelope in his hands and inspects it carefully. It’s normal at first glance, but now that he focuses on it, he notices small circular grooves in the paper, similar to the grain on a regular parchment. There is a slight color change from one corner to the other, cream to eggshell. And sure enough, the glue on the edge of the envelope is perfectly intact.

It’s a late hour already. Ike finishes getting ready for bed before he folds his letter, gingerly places it within the hexed envelope, and seals it. He sets it in the center of his desk, just as how he found it, and hurries off to bed. Whatever you’re planning, the last thing he wants to do is be the reason it fails.

Ike falls asleep before the anticipation threatens to keep him awake.

Ike wakes slowly, and his vision returns even slower. The world blurs together like he opened his eyes underwater.

Someone calls his name. “Ike!”

And just like that he surfaces. He fights to regain his vision, and when he meets your eyes it’s like a breath of air after drowning.

You call out his name again. “Ike, are you awake?”

Your voice is an oasis in a desert, and it attaches to a heavenly face when his eyesight clears. You lean over his body as he stirs, and the sun is covered by your head. An arc of light accompanies your visage.

“Reader,” he says, so slow and quiet he can barely believe it. “You’re beautiful.”

The kiss you share makes up for lost time. Your hands support his head, so gentle as not to hurt him but keep him steady against your lips as he lays. Even when it turns passionate, he’s still so tender with you. You treat him as a diamond: one of the strongest of his kind, yet you still hold him like a precious treasure even when you part.

“How did you find me?” Ike asks, and sits up. He’s laying in a field dotted with wildflowers and trees, and you sit next to him. The sun crosses against your skin.

You grant him a pained smile. “I’m not entirely sure. I don’t think I ever want to be sure. There’s a lot of things in this universe us humans don’t have the ability to process correctly.” You turn around and raise your shirt.

Underneath the fabric on your back are tiny markings that make up an entire illustration. When Ike focuses on the details he can identify wave patterns, astrological signs, and what looks like tentacles weaving through your skin in black ink that shimmers deep teal in the sunlight, completely unlike any tattoo he’s ever seen before.

Looking at the illustration as a whole is maddening. Ike trails a finger lightly against the patterns on your spine, a jumble of tendrils and tentacles reaching along the bone.

You continue as Ike takes in the illustration on your body. “That freak of nature I was talking about in my letter? It marked me. I think this means I’ll be one of its vessels when it awakens, but I doubt it will during my lifetime. It’s sentient, but unaware. Sleeping, I think. I don’t remember a lot about how I came into contact with it, but it connects different worlds and times together in its dreams.” You lower your shirt and look back into Ike’s eyes, and he notices that even your own eyes have a shimmery teal hue to them now. “I spent as much time as I could learning how it worked, and before I knew it one day I woke up with that tattoo seared into my back and so much knowledge about how it works, it makes my head spin if I think about it too long. When I started to get tired that night, I simply just knew I should write you a letter, and on my bed was an envelope I’d never seen before.”

“That was hexed, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. I think in the freak’s dreams, it manifested you out of our current time, the one we’re in right now. So the letter helped me manifest you right back.” You tapped your head. “You did what I asked. I never received your letter back, but something in my brain generated an address, and a time, and what it was like to be you in your new time. I focused in on it as hard as I could, and, well.” You looked out to the field. It was far away from the town, but Ike recognized it as his home. A gentle breeze swept through the air. “Here we are.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Ike’s hand brushed against your own, and you intertwined his fingers with yours. “You’re amazing, Reader.”

“I doubt it. A dive into some unknowable force will do that to you, no matter who you are, and I’m afraid I get nightmares now. Horrible ones I can’t even recall.”

“Then you’re amazing and courageous. It must’ve taken a lot of strength to even withstand whatever it was, and the fact that you’re here just proves it.” He squeezes your hand. “I’m honored to say I love you. I’m honored to have even met you.”

“I love you too,” you say. “Eternally, no matter what may become of me. Now, let’s get you home.”

“We can stay here.” The sun rests along Ike’s face, and the shadows of trees makes the light look like sprinkles along his cheeks. “I just want to appreciate that I’m here. With you.”

You rest your head on his shoulder. “With you, that’s all,” he repeats. His head rests upon yours, and for the first time in the months he’s been torn away from you Ike is at peace.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🦁 Luca Kaneshiro

The day after Luca saves that woman from the thugs, he goes to the club again.

Unfortunately she’s just as much of a regular as he is, and he sees the top of her head on the dance floor while he gets his drinks in. She waves him over. He averts his eyes.

The woman is headstrong, though, and when he ignores her she moves across the bodies and plops herself on the barstool next to him. She sits with her arms on the bar and looks out to the party like she owns the world.

“Some heroic behavior, ignoring a fair maiden like that,” she snarks. She calls to the bartender. “Two strawberry margaritas for my friend and I! On my tab.”

“I don’t drink margaritas,” Luca says.

“You do now.” The woman isn’t as plastered as she was that night, but seems intent on changing that, and when the bartender slides them their drinks she raises it. “To whatever you’re searching for.”

He obliges. The woman gulps down as much as she can in one breath while Luca takes a tentative sip. The lime and salt startle him. It’s fresher than his usual beers, and far tastier. He drinks more.

“So what are you searching for?” She asks.

“I don’t know what your deal is.”

“You know what I mean.” Everything about her gives Luca the impression he should just just dismiss her whole spiel as drunk ramblings but she’s too sober for that, and even though he tries to ignore it the answer is clear as day.

But she keeps talking, completely ignoring the vibe Luca keeps giving out. “You are sooo emo. Like, what’s the point of going to a club if you’re just going to sit and drink beer of all things. Tastes like piss! You’re young. Have fun with yourself. Go dance, get a marg.”

“I’m not all that into dancing.”

“Oh, so you like watching. Gotcha. Perv.”

Luca puffs up in protest. “I am not a perv!”

“Yaaaay, a reaction!” The woman throws up her hands in a cheer. “So you got broken up with, huh?”

“I did not.” He tries to state it like it’s nothing, but his voice patters out, and he’s sure the woman can’t hear over the music. He’s certain nothing was the matter in his relationship, but he’s taking the separation hard. He wonders if you got over him. He hopes not. Clearly he hasn’t gotten over you.

Luca goes in on the margarita. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get over you.

“You look out at the floor all longingly but whenever someone hits on you, you chicken out. That’s okay. You’ll find someone new soon enough. Plenty of fish in the sea. Any time now your balls will drop and you’ll order a drink for some sap on the floor,” the woman says. “You always miss ‘em until you remember the sex wasn’t all that.”

“It isn’t about that,” Luca growls. His temper rises to heat. “It’s about-”

He cuts himself off. The woman implores him to keep talking, but he shuts up before he can let the whole time-travel thing slip. Margaritas were made with tequila, weren’t they? He’s screwed.

In a moment of weakness Luca looks for anything to serve as a subject change. He realizes that in one hand the woman holds a piece of paper smaller than her hand. “What’s that?”

“A cute guy’s number,” she deadpans. When she doesn’t get a laugh, she relents. “Kidding. You remember the night you…”

She trails off. She has a glassy look in her eye, and the first time that night the woman actually seems uncomfortable.

Maybe that’s not the word, Luca thinks. ‘Pensive’ might be a better fit.

“...When we met,” she decides on. “And I took a taxi. I barely remember anything but when the taxi arrived to my place, there was this freaky driver. They gave me this card and told me to give it to one Luca Kaneshiro.”

She produces the business card on the surface of the bar, and when he reads the name emblazoned his blood goes cold.

In a blink of an eye, Luca grabs the woman’s head and drags her ear to to his mouth. He whispers under the howling music. “You’re going to answer my questions honestly or else.”

“That’s hot,” the woman whispers back.

“What did the driver look like?”

“Total weirdo. When I entered the car it was just a normal guy. Can’t remember the face, it blurs together. I took a nap and when I got to my place they had this lion mask on.”

“The name on this card. What does it mean to you?”

“Nothing? I just thought it was a lawyer. Or a cult.”

Luca turns her head to look straight at him. Her cheeks are cupped between his hands. “Their name is Reader.”

He searches for a reaction, but unfortunately she keeps the same expression even when he says the name aloud. “I know I said I wasn’t interested, but if you keep this up I’m going to get excited.”

Luca lets go and fishes out a bill from his wallet. He figures it’s enough for the margarita. A tiny part of him wishes he had the time to take in more of the drink, but that business card snapped enough sense into him to shake off some of the buzz. “You’re useless.”

He snatches the card from the bar. She sputters. “Hey! That’s not for you!”

“It is, actually.” He taps the Kaneshiro name emblazoned on the card. “These are my boys.”

“You’re Luca?” The woman watches him as he stands up. “Cool name! For an asshole! You’re an asshole, Luca!”

“Thank you for the information. I wish you well.”

“And you’re righteous, too? God, I know how to pick ‘em. Some fucking hero!” She turns around in her stool. “Fine, okay, just brush me off. Some fucking hero.”

She knows how to get under Luca’s skin, but he stares at the card as he leaves the club, transfixed. In neat gold font is Reader Kaneshiro, front and center.

He starts off the route home, already planning out what to do with this, when a taxi pulls up and parks next to him. The window lowers. Luca doesn’t make eye contact, because how you do you see through someone wearing a lion mask?

It’s simple: you don’t. Luca designed these masks for his mafia to use expressly for that purpose.

“Get in, Boss.” The car lock clicks open. “The underboss wants to see you.”

Like a well-oiled machine Luca opens the door.

“How are you here?” Luca asks.

“Science mumbo-jumbo,” the grunt says. As soon as Luca straps himself in he floors it. The grunt curves down the road into some back streets. “But for what it’s worth, it’s good to see you in the flesh again, Boss.”

The taxi stops in front of an arcade. The grunt opens the door for Luca, and he guides the Boss through the halls. As they walk, Luca realizes the entire building is clear of machines and utterly abandoned, save for more goons in lion masks. They stand before him in reverence, even more so than when he was in control of his past. He overhears one whisper to another, “Oh, snap.”

His driver leads him to the back of the building and to a door labeled Employees Only.

“The underboss is waiting for you in there,” he said. “Go in by yourself. And be nice to them, will you, Boss? They’ve waited long enough already.”

Luca nods, and the grunt departs as Luca pushes open the door.

On the other side, a figure in silvery vintage clothes awaits. You sit on a counter, looking as uninterested as ever, until you catch a look of the face that enters and time stops.

You pounce off the counter and into Luca’s arms the second you see him. “Boss! Luca!”

You feel you feet lift off the ground as Luca returns the hug, so tight you can barely breathe, but the pressure is a gift. You laugh as he practically spins in a circle and swings you along with him. “Luca, I can barely believe it! I mean, all the signs pointed to yes, but it’s you!”

“I missed you!” He places you down so he can land a kiss against your smile. “I missed you so, so much!” He punctuates his words with even more kisses across every inch of your face. One on your forehead, one on your nose, one on your cheek, and so many more you lose count until another on your lips. “Reader, how is this possible? You’re sixty years in the past!”

“Sit down. There’s a lot to explain, but I’ll try to keep it simple.” When he does, you place yourself in his lap and wrap your arms around his body. You’ve spent so much time trying to find him, the skinship acts as a constant reminder of your success. “When you disappeared, I became the defacto leader as the underboss, and prevented inheriting your title of leader as much as I could while our boys investigated. Then when rumors started flying around that you jumped through time, we just couldn’t buy it. So we captured one of the leading voices in quantum physics. He’s a revolutionary.”

“You captured a revolutionary scientist?”

“Yeah. We went to Deezneyworld.” You produced a photo out of your pocket. You, a chunk of macho subordinates, and one very out-of-place scientist all posed at the gates of the Kaneshiro family’s money laundering front, an amusement park. Everyone wore happy smiles and lion-ear headbands from the gift shops, including the scientist. “He’s a brother to us now. But anyways, his research was paramount to learning where you went, and how to recreate the phenomenon. It’s really nerdy. Gets confusing. But once he confirmed his theories, I deployed myself and a small squad of scouts into the future, and turned the city upside down looking for you.

“We figured you might’ve run off to the red-light district or some club scenes, where pretty much any mafia gets their start. Figured you’d start schmoozing with a bunch of drunks. Not so sure about that, but then we saw on the news last night about some brutal mugging gone wrong on the side of the muggers, and one of the cubs heard something from a drunkard about a hero in an vintage pinstripe suit and fur coat that saved her. The cub sent her off on her way to find Luca Kaneshiro, and some others started staking out the club she came from.” You smirk in satisfaction, and press a kiss to his jawline. “Totally unconventional mission statement, but I did pretty good for an underboss, huh?”

“I love you so much,” Luca says. “You’re the best partner in crime I could ask for.”

“It’s a privilege working with you, Luca. I’d do it again and again if it means we run the world together, never separate.” You bury your face into the crook of his neck. His fur coat and blond hair tickles your face. Oh, you missed this feeling. Luca is so warm, and now that you’re in his arms once again it’s like a long winter returning to spring after months of no sun. “I love you too.”

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

🦊 Mysta Rias

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, yet Mysta works himself into circles. How else could he manage? He knows he will never have all the answers in the world. It’s a foolish pursuit to make knowledge a trade and all you have. It makes you jaded and sour, without any wonder for the world itself. Even as a detective on the case for the truth, he keeps things out of his reach and likes it that way. Leave yourself unanswered questions, after all, and you’ll always have something indefinite to inspire you.

He believed this wholeheartedly, and when he’s not on the clock at his private investigation office he tried to practice what he spent years preaching. His efforts have failed. Even during business hours, if he just so happens to blink a certain way it reminds Mysta of how the ground melted into a spiral before him and swallowed him whole, only to spit him out in the future without a single thread connecting back to his home.

It just doesn’t make any sense. On days when he’s itching for a distraction he even reads and watches fantasy and sci-fi stories, just to see how the characters manage the time they find themselves in. Then he converts their logic to his predicament, and expects it all to change back as it once was- but it never does, and Mysta can never let go of his reason in an unreasonable situation.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, yet Mysta always picks his cold case back up. I missed something, he assures himself, without a shred of evidence to affirm the suspicion. He retraces the steps and sniffs out the clues once again, with a different perspective than the one he had last.

None of them work out. A man can have any perspective at all, but in the end, Detective Mysta Rias was thrown out of his world and into a new one sixty years in the future. Reason alone cannot explain it, nor clarify, nor aid. The absurd is absurd. You cannot think outside the box when the box is within a cube. His head hurts just thinking of that analogy.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, yet when Mysta tries to remember the events of that day nothing grants him peace of mind. All his thoughts fall into a lump of tangled spaghetti, and he’s starting to understand Einstein’s words.

It was normal in the way that he defined normal. He woke up Friday morning with his partner, Reader, right beside him in bed like normal. Went to work at his detective agency in the late morning while Reader stayed behind on their day off and planned to do some errands like normal. No major field work, only papers to be filed and officers to call, like normal, and he clocked out at night, just like normal.

The next part is where it starts to get weird. While walking home from the agency, he saw a man in a gaudy fur coat steal a purse, and gave chase. This is one of those things that others would call “exciting,” but considering his line of work it’s just another day- and he dreads to say this- like normal. By the time he cornered the thief, Mysta’s blue eyes furrowed under his brow right before widening as his feet lifted off the ground and sent him into a rip in the air like a galaxy.

Then he was in 2022, which is decidedly not normal. He’s revisited this moment thousands of times. The thief went unidentified with the future’s resources, and the alleyway he thinks he visited right before his time travel stint provided no clues. He’s no astronomer, and even if he was, he didn’t get a good enough look at the galaxy unfolding before he fell into the future. Mysta detests this. There just has to be something he’s missing from that day, but without the tools to recreate it nor investigate professionally, he’s a sitting duck.

Except for the fact that for the first time in his life, he has a question that needs to be answered at all costs, and he hates being a sitting duck when he’s itching to figure it out. It’s a cycle that snowballs.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, yet Mysta always expects a face he’ll never see in this time whenever someone knocks at the door. It’s usually a mailman or a deliveryperson, but the want is still there.

It would be so much easier if it was Reader on the other side, and they admitted that they forgot their keys and locked themselves out. That was uncommon, but not unheard of ever since you moved in together. Or Reader at the door ready to pick him up for a date, as you did before then. Or even earlier than that, Reader at the door with a bouquet and a determined blush, like that evening when workplace crushes turned into a relationship.

Mysta is so lost in what could be that he forgets what is, until the person on the other side of the door knocks again. The dream is on pause, and grumpily, he opens the door.

Huh. Reader is on the other side. That’s a surprise.

Mysta blinks, stone-faced. Then again, and once more to set it it that, no, this isn’t a cruel delusion. That’s his partner, in the flesh, right before his very eyes, after so much time pursuing this moment.

Mysta throws himself at you in a tight embrace. You nearly lose your balance when his arms clutch around you. He doesn’t say a word, and you can’t see his face while you’re pressed up against his chest, but he holds you with such force that his desperation spreads to you. It’s been a long investigation, trying to locate his whereabouts across your home sixty years ago to a future you never should’ve entered, and all the relief pours out of you as you return his embrace. Mysta’s arms are your resting place.

You curl around and whisper in his ear. “Let’s get inside. I want to tell you everything.”

It’s almost like nothing has changed. You don’t waste time on pleasantries, because the stretch of time you spent separated from your partner was like living through a wreck. You and Mysta do things in your own language, in your own way, and it’s always been a source of pride that you’ve always been on the same page as him without having to overcomplicate things.

Mysta doesn’t remove himself from you as you sit on the couch. Instead, he shifts himself to one side and holds your arm while you get situated, then places himself behind you on the couch. His lap is your pillow. “I’m afraid that if I stop touching you then we’ll be separated again,” he admits. “I don’t want to let go.”

“Then don’t.” While one of his hands traces patterns along your shoulder, you take the other and kiss the back of his palm. Mysta’s heart flutters alive, and the feeling is so foreign to him over these last few months, he wonders if he’s experiencing his last moments.

“Your missing persons case was a weird one. Law enforcement was at a loss, and so was I,” you say. You fall into the same cadence you use in the detective agency on debriefing cases. “Reports stated you left the office safely, but never came home. I tracked our usual route and the side trips you usually take, to no avail, and when Occam’s razor failed- the simplest explanation is the correct explanation- it was then I started thinking outside of the box.

“I made tons of theories, and canceled out just as many. One night, I was so at a loss of ideas that I just started solving other missing persons cases, just to see if anything could apply to yours. That’s how I found out about the disappearance of Luca Kaneshiro.”

“The mob boss?”

“The very one. When he went missing, he was last seen on a street you were also recorded at. He was reported missing days after you, you see, and when I reinvestigated the area was crawling with his goons. After staking out the area I made an alliance with them, minimal resistance.”

“Makes sense. The Kaneshiro mafia is well-known for being docile even to law enforcement until you poke the sleeping bear,” Mysta recounts. “I’m not surprised you managed to talk to them, much less ally with them.”

“They made the connection before I told them. A mafia boss and a detective disappear into an alleyway, never to be seen again? Anyone would think that’s suspicious. We compared notes. While Mysta Rias was presumed missing, the mafia figured Luca Kaneshiro was abducted. Get this. In a matter of days when I reached out to my Kaneshiro contact again, they had a breakthrough. Time-fuckin’-travel. They recruited a quantum physicist into their ranks and everything to prove it.”

“I can’t imagine.” Mysta attempted to be sarcastic, but he was still too in awe that his partner was right where they belonged in his lap to get a full deadpan out.

“So now that I was investigating both the Rias and Kaneshiro cases, the underboss started putting together a squad to search for their big boss. I provided them insight on where their boss might’ve gone across time. In return, they gave me a lift to all this-” you gestured to Mysta’s little apartment and the city outside of it, a world too big to summarize in a word- “-And the assurance that you and I would return to our original timeline with the underboss’s squad once they found Luca Kaneshiro.”

“You trust them?”

“Better than I trust half the unchecked cops we work with. You said it yourself, baby, they’re docile. Luca Kaneshiro believed in protecting the weak with kindness, and it seems he’s trained his family well. I’ve given them nothing but faith, and they’ve given me theirs. They wouldn’t have pinpointed their boss without my deduction, after all.” While you rested your head in Mysta’s lap, he glanced down at you as you spoke. Even as he responded to your debriefing, amazement was still struck on his face, though it toned down since the moment you reunited.

You’re reminded that even now, you both moved so naturally into your daily discussions of detective work that you haven’t processed properly that you and Mysta are finally in the same room again.

With fondness, you reach out and tap the tip of his nose. His eyes follow your finger like a puppy, and when you crack a smile at his reaction, his face falls into blushing bashfulness. “Happy to report that finding you and getting you back was all my doing, though,” you say. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“You’re so hot for that,” Mysta says. Then he covers a hand over his mouth and looks away, as if that’d erase his shyness. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I mean, I’m in love with you, it’s just been so long since I’ve seen you, that’s all. I’m not sure how to handle this.”

“We’ll figure out where to go from here together. We have a way out, after all. Let’s just take the time to stay where we are comfortably.” You roll your head back and shift in Mysta’s lap. His attention returns to you. “Hey, Mysta. I love you too. You know you can kiss me.”

“You’d let me? Even though it’s been so long?”

“Especially because it’s been so long.”

The last thing you see is the comfort in his smile before he bends over and presses his lips upside-down against yours. Maybe not normalcy… but it’s the beginnings of the return, in a language only you and Mysta understand.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

👟 Shu Yamino

“Shu. Don’t wake up. But be lucid, now, I need you to listen to me.”

“Reader…”

“It’s me. Come on, Shu. You’re dreaming.”

“My dreams aren’t usually this meta.”

“Stay grounded. I’m astral projecting to you right now.”

“That was always the one thing I taught you that you could perform…”

“It took a lot of effort but it’s coming in handy now. Oh, that doesn’t matter. You look awful. Don’t give me that look. Well, you look okay enough here but once you wake up, figure it out. You’re doing this all wrong and hurting yourself because of it.”

“My rituals…?”

“Yes! It pains me to see you overexert yourself when you don’t have to!”

“It’s what I need to do to summon you.”

“No, it’s not- oh, Shu, sweet thing, don’t tell me. You’ve been intentionally reaching across space?”

“I have to. It’s for you.”

“Yes, yes, I’m very flattered, but there’s an easier way to do this. One that doesn’t involve ripping a space vacuum in our apartment. It’s time only that separates us, Shu. I’m… somewhere. I’m not sure. I don’t know metaphysics like you do. But I know the difference is our timelines, not locations. I’m able to do some astral projection, after all, that should account for something.”

“And you’re a novice. How long have you been trying to contact me?”

“Ever since I warped away.”

“That would be months, then. There’s no way you would be able to transmit a projection across universes like that so quickly.”

“It makes sense. Listen to me- good, I can touch you. Let me hold you. Get yourself some rest. Real rest, none of these short barely-functioning naps, I mean an entire night. Can you do that for me?”

“But I need to keep working.”

“And your work will get you nowhere if you’re not in top condition. I need you in top condition. Okay? And you figured it out. You’re putting in too much effort to find the right answer, and it’s going to suffocate you one day, literally. It doesn’t have to be that way. When you wake up, write every single thing down. Don’t give yourself a chance to forget.”

“I need to reach across time alone. I don’t need to consider space.”

“Good boy.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“Maybe. But the time thing was real. I wouldn’t joke about that when I can see you exhausting yourself. It breaks my heart.”

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this.”

“But you’ve got to be one of the strongest people in the world to endure it. It’s just that you don’t have to endure it. Come on, rest with me.”

“You’re soft. Can we stay like this?”

“Of course. Just get comfortable, I’m hoping it’ll force you to sleep longer. Oh, you sweet thing, oh. My sweet Shu.”

“Can you sing to me?”

“My singing isn’t all that.”

“It’s calming. I’ve heard you hum before.”

“If that’s really what’ll help you rest.”

“I want to hear it.”

“Shhh, I know you do. You can barely keep your eyes open even now. Keep them closed, sweet thing, I’ve got you.

“Fly me to the moon, and let me play among the stars…”

Shu wakes up the next day with music coursing through his head, the ghost of a dream. At the thought of your face he finds the nearest pen he sees and writes your advice on his arm. Don’t rip apart space. Just time is fine.

He wonders if you can see him as he grabs a scrapbook off a shelf. Its contents are treasured, but a chunk of the photos inside are missing. The book itself chronicles his relationship with you. The big moments are safe, but the little memories that color the story in daily photos were removed from their pages, and he thumbs through the pages where there isn’t a single photo that stares back at him.

His pace slows when he realized he can’t remember any of the photos that use to rest on one page. Every day for the past few months, he would draft a new ritual to summon you, and in return for you summoning he’d sacrifice a photo, representing a moment in time he could never truly get back. Miracles aren’t cheap, after all.

The pages flip upon themselves, and when he finds a photo still in pace he slips it out from the protector with as little thought as possible. But as little as he tries, his mind still connects the dots. This one doesn’t have faces, but he can recognize his arm in the background. You took a candid picture one wintry evening when you and Shu decided on making cookies. The photo focused on one sugar cookie covered in royal icing that was so ugly you couldn’t help but laugh, and tried to take a serious, artsy picture with the ugly blob of frosting as the focal point. It just so happened that you could also see Shu in the corner, struggling to frost one of his own cookies.

The moment comes to Shu on instinct the second he sees it, no matter how hard he tries to resist. The sound of your laughter is attached to the photo, and he hates the idea that soon he’d forget exactly how your giggles rose and fell, the way you fought to compose yourself.

Miracles aren’t cheap, and he hopes it’s enough this time. After all, you came to him in his dreams, and he’s sure it’s not his consciousness deluding itself.

Time manipulation is one of the most difficult subjects of magic, and viewing other timelines is simpler but still not an easy task. Retrieving objects- or people, in your case- in between those two subjects, and his initial rituals always connected retrieval across time along with the distortion of space. The subject of space was a lot simpler to grasp- after all, there have been spellcasters that can teleport themselves with ease- but still nothing to sneeze at. When spatial retrieval combined with temporal, it was simply too much.

These past few months, Shu tried to brute-force it by honing his abilities with practice, but today he takes a glance at the words on his arm. Your advice.

Shu repeats the steps he’s come to memorize. Jasmine and palo santo incense fills the room as he draws a new magic circle. He drafted the circles of his other attempts with a combination of temporal and spacial elements. This one is minimal in comparison, and already his shoulders feel lighter knowing he doesn’t have to mess around with the oxygen in the witch hut getting sucked out by a rift in space.

By the time the incense cleanses his hut, he places the three components- one of your favorite accessories, a strand of your hair, and the photo- within their spirals.

As he sets the photo down he does so knowing it’s the last he’ll ever see of it. “Please work,” he whispers, and that’s the last regulated thought he has.

Shu stands in the center of the circle, and when he speaks the incantation his intention is set.

The chalk circle bursts aflame in magenta, and he knows tendrils of fire spurt out from his back as he continues. He doesn’t allow his mind to wander as sorcery flows through his bloodstream and through the fire. The circle becomes a wall that cuts him off from the material, and the heat is intense, blurring through the air and making mosaics of his environment. He doesn’t feel a thing.

Really, it’s like second nature.

The incantation goes forth. Burning ashes flicker off of the flames that take up all his vision. Magenta curls around his arms now and wraps around his body. Shu stands his ground. He continues to stand his ground, adamant in the flame, even when the last utterance of the incantation is spoken and the magenta world goes white.

He’s not quite sure if he faints.

But when he does regain his consciousness, he stares up at the apartment ceiling, not the witch’s hut he’s spent his lonesome in. Smoldering smoke and ash assails his nostrils. His ears are ringing, and even as he blinks he can see the white light flooding in from the corners of his vision. He lays on the ground. His body feels heavy.

“Shu.” The weight shifts, and his head rises so gentle. The light clears.

Shu’s chest rises and falls as he tries to catch his breath. He’s too entranced to speak out loud, so he does so under his lost breath. “You’re back.”

When you fell back into place it was right where Shu stood, and after the ritual, where he lay on the floor. You sat upon his lap, one leg on either side, and your hand held his head so it wouldn’t drop to the hard ground.

Shu holds his arms out to reach for you, and you help him sit up properly. He places himself around you and his lips take in yours.

His hands are an exploration, and he goes in hungrily but tentative. With each fistful of fabric and brush of skin, it’s another affirmation that you’re real, and in his arms no less, and all his efforts were recognized. When his hands rest against your thighs you hold him tighter, a confirmation. Where he holds back, you go all in; it’s been so long since you’ve been able to feel anyone else, and when the first thing you come back to is Shu, keeping him close is second nature.

Even when he parts to regain his breath he still supports you. Shu stands, and before you know it he sweeps you up in his arms as well. He’s muscular, and his voice is still so quiet, like he’s in a place of worship.

“Let me hold you,” he says, and you cling to his neck. He smells like jasmine and palo santo. He carries you to your bedroom, and sets you down carefully, like a delicate keepsake.

“I’m glad I talked to you.”

“I don’t think I would’ve figured out the answer without you.”

“Even though it was so simple?”

“I never would’ve made the connection.” Shu pecks your lips, and somehow it’s even more emotional than the first for the moment it lingers. “I never would’ve rested.”

“You need to.” You hold Shu’s face between your hands. His cheeks squish against your fingers and it feels like heaven, but the dark circles under his eyes are not lost on you. “You’re better than when I saw you in your dreams, but I’m still concerned.”

He laughs. “Only you could be literally lost in time and still find time to worry over me.”

“Of course I would. I care about you. I love you.”

“I love you too. I love you.” Shu lays back on the mattress, and the only thing connecting you both is his pinky finger, crossed between yours. “Are you tired?”

“A little.”

“I’m making up for lost time. I haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep since you disappeared.”

“I know.”

You tuck Shu in while his fingers rest intertwined with yours, and he squeezes before closing his eyes. He’s serene, and it stuns you just how composed he is for a sorcerer that just retrieved his lover from across time itself. If it weren’t for how exhausted he looked through pale skin and heavy bags, then you would think him untouchable, an invulnerable man.

You caress his colorful hair and the side of his face. He must be one of the most beautiful men alive, and his dedication is no different. Vulnerability is his strength.

You muster the love Shu inspires and sing.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

Vox Akuma

Vox finds out he landed in the United Kingdom, across the world from where his castle once stood. It’s been months since he reincarnated, but he hasn’t even started rebuilding an empire yet. It’s natural for a demon to vie for control, and he thirsts for it, but whenever he starts to seriously consider it, the memories of Akuma Castle return all over again, salt in the wound. Then he thinks of how he watched you bleed right in front of him, and how he wasted your intervention, and he has to sit while his heart screams in phantom pain.

He walks the allies at night and abuses his voice for ease. The strangers that pass by dressed in expensive clothes give him their wristwatches like he’s an old friend, and when they regain their senses he’s already gone. The ones that get too nosy are on the receiving end of his nastiest voice, and if he had any more of a bleeding heart he’d feel bad about how they would never forget the way his tone simply shatters even the strongest resolve.

It’s a pitiful existence. He should be living a life of glamour surrounded by humans that follow his every command and all the wealth the world can offer, but here he is, simply getting by like a street rat.

But the pain is too fresh. His heart aches. Phantom pains.

Vox revisits the subway he landed in on occasional nights. It’s a compulsion. Sometimes Akuma Castle’s final moments flood back, but more often he sits at the bench with a blank look on his face, waiting for something to happen.

Tonight is one of the latter. Vox leans back against the wall and stares at the tiled ground. It’s late enough that this train shouldn’t be running until dawn, but the time is uncertain. After all, he’s underground, and the closest thing to the moon down here is a flickering fluorescent light.

He exhales. He can never forget the moment you passed on. A wise advisor, a formidable warrior, and beautiful lover all gone in such a moment, simply because he didn’t strike true into the bleeding man that was his undoing, the reason you had to save him, the price of your life, phantom pains…

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears footsteps echo through the empty station and enter the corner of his vision.

“What do you want?” Vox grumbles, not willing to give the stranger the satisfaction of looking at his face.

The stranger gets down on a knee in reverence, and Vox’s curiosity gets the better of him. He watches them lower their head, and when he recognizes them his eyes widen.

Reader, gorgeous as the day they met, untouched by war nor blood, speaks clearer than water. “Milord. I see now that “the Voice Demon” is no mere nickname.”

Vox is struck into silence and doesn’t dare move, like a deer in the headlights.

You raise yourself. You cock your head. “Milord Vox? Is everything alright?”

“I- I must be dreaming,” Vox says. He sweeps his hand over his open mouth. “You died.”

“I did. In the heat of battle, beside the one I love and the family I swore myself to protect.”

“Then how are you here? You should’ve passed on into your afterlife- no, don’t tell me. You’re not at peace, are you? You’re not at peace, and it’s all my fault.”

“Don’t wound yourself, Milord. Every moment I spend on the battlefield it’s with conviction that I may die for my own beliefs, not by command of careless officer. You would know that best, darling Lord.” You sit next to him and stretch out your hand. “Touch me if you think I am but an apparition, and look into my eyes for the answer.”

Vox doesn’t have the strength nor understanding to move, but he meets your eyes. The pupils are thin, nearly catlike, and things fall into place when a flicker of orange breaks through the color. They’re virtually human, but lava seeps through the color and tints them infernal.

“You’re a demon,” he blurted out.

You nod. “When I died, I was selected out of purgatory and sent to Hell for my wisdom and strength in life. The demons that greeted me- your people- presented me with a choice: enter my proper afterlife as I imagined it would be when I lived, or continue immortally with infernal blood coursing through me. The choice to carry on the demonic legacy of balance in this world with the skills I fostered through my human life.

“I have to speak in truth, Milord. I was too surprised my presence in Hell was requested to understand the choice entirely. The demons granted me the time to make my decision, and to that I am grateful for their hospitality. I spent time meditating on each outcome. Peace and rest, or an unending adventure so I may die time and time again, each with the same conviction as I held when my mortal life ended.”

Vox reaches out and feels the palm of your hand. His fingers are slight, and you allow him to press down on the hand, take in the warmth of your skin, and brush against your calluses before he fully clasps his around yours. You notice the tremble in his lip, and how he tries to bite the inside of it. He’s about to cry.

“Oh, Milord Vox, my darling.” You press your lips to the back of his palm, then squeeze his hand. “It’s a lot of information, but understand this. I did not become a demon as debt or mindless loyalty. I did so of my own volition, for my own identity, under my own name. Even then, I am exceedingly honored to continue alongside you in our infernal lives. I see I truly was blessed to walk this Earth following you, and that blessing follows me as I have followed you.”

Vox’s voice is as wet as his eyes. Rarely does he express his vulnerability, but when he does, it’s with utmost trust. “How could I ever be your blessing when you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me?”

“Milord, come here.” You outstretch your arms, and Vox collapses into you. He buries his head into your chest, and sniffles as you stroke his hair. “My darling Lord. We found where we need to be, and each other once more. I couldn’t ask for more.”

“None of this ‘Milord’ title anymore,” Vox says. His words are muffled against the fabric of your shirt and the tears in his eyes. He struggles to catch his breath, so you rub circles along his back in your embrace. Vox swallows down a hiccup as you whisper and shush comforts. He continues speaking as he clutches you. “Call me Vox. I love you too much to pretend we’re not equals.”

You brush aside a lock of hair and kiss his forehead. “My darling Vox, then. It would be my pleasure to be yours in immortality. Now and forever, and with every bone in my body, I pledge myself to you. I love you.”

“No pledges, either, Reader.” Vox rubs at his eyes. His voice still wavers, but it’s more controlled now. “I mean it. We’re more than master and servant could ever be.”

“That… is new.” Your eyes cast downward, even as Vox is still in your arms. “But not unwelcome. I’m just surprised you think of me so highly.”

“The best thing that’s happened to me,” he repeats. “Truly, the best thing. We’re demons. I’ll have you know you have my utmost loyalty just as much as you pledged yours to me in our lives before this current time.”

“I see. Is there a ritual, then? Or a ceremony, as the time before my death?”

“No rituals, no ceremonies.” Vox loosens from the hug. He presses a gentle fist against your chest, where your heart beats. “We don’t use titles. We just act on it. We show what we feel.”

“I fear I have a lot to learn about ‘acting on it,’” you admit.

“We have all the time in the world for you to learn.” He dives back into your embrace, but now his lips are flush to your ear, and he whispers a secret only you can hear. “Think about it this way: in the past you were mine to control. You still are.” Vox’s voice grows deeper. The rumble sends shivers down your spine. “But now, I’m yours.”

“Y-you must not toy with me like that, Vox…”

“It’s the truth. I’m a wreck without you.”

“Then I’m flattered to be the one to keep you together, my darling.”

Vox lays a kiss right below your ear, and when he parts away you take a chance. Your hands clutch around his jawline and shoulder as you aim for his lips. Hellfire awaits you. You’ve always detected the heat that courses through Vox every time you touch him, but it all falls into place with the infernal life behind your kiss as well.

No secrets are left uncovered. Vox leans into you, a testament to his dedication. His tears dried long ago, and as you kiss him, you swear to no one but yourself; as many times as he cries, you always want to be the one to help him smile again. He would do the same for you, no doubt. He always has.

Equals, you think. Vox’s hands clutch around your neck as the kiss continues. You’re someone he can depend on. I would go anywhere beside him.

There’s no other world you’d rather be.

.　 . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆

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rumalumasuns · 1 year

Text

"I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be" (unknown) - With Alban Knox

Based (very loosely) on Robin Hood

Part of my Living in a Fairy Tale series

!- Reader is Gender neutral (if I made a mistake somewhere I apologize and I'll fix it as soon as possible!)

!- Mentions of slavery, abuse, stealing, shooting, blood, killing, super light cursing

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, Alban Speaking

Original work by rumalumasuns, 5,766 words (it's long sorry haha), unedited but I will do so when I have time later :)

Once upon a time...,

In the far corners of Inasinin was a small kingdom under the temporary control of the tyrannical Prince Moony de Xytcon, as King Legatus de Xytcon has been away for travel and diplomatic business for ten years.

Prince Moony was not always a tyrant. He was a decent leader for a year, until his most trusted advisor, Aide Viper, began to inform him of traitors and disrespectful rumors floating around. When Prince Moony confirmed these to be true, he started to doubt himself. Unknowingly, Prince Moony became more forceful and less tolerant when talking to others, and found that if he exerted more control, the traitors were easily dealt with and the rumors went away. Enjoying this newfound way to be powerful, Prince Moony became a stricter ruler, a harsher ruler, and, eventually, a tyrant.

Except for a select few, the people of the kingdom were impoverished or barely scraping by. Every couple of weeks, the soldiers of Prince Moony, known as the Lunar Battalion, were sent out to collect the scraps of money that the people had, despite their protests and attempts to fight back. Always, the soldiers overpowered the rebellious citizens, beating them up, almost to the point of death for the overly rebellious.

If money was unable to be collected, the Battalion took the people and enslaved them, making them work in the ore mines that were filled with iron and gems (although finding both was now a hard task due to the excess mining that was being done) until the people fainted, or died.

No one was safe from this fate unless they were the type of person to kiss the boots of Prince Moony (AKA they were a part of Prince Moony's nobility, or they served him). The people couldn't even leave the kingdom, as the gates of the kingdom were shut and guarded by the Battalion.

There was another, much more risky way, to survive the fate of enslavement: thievery. And one thief became the most renowned of all:

"FIND THEM!" bellowed Prince Moony, clutching the document that reported the shenanigans of a particular thief, who stole from all the nobility of his land.

"...But, my lord, we need to tend to our troops who got injured by the thief first do we not-"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! FIND THIS PHANTOM THIEF AND HIS ENTOURAGE, AND BRING THEM TO ME!"

"...Yes, Your Highness." With a sigh, the butler left the throne room.

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

Alban didn't always want to be a thief: he just wanted a way for him and his sister, Alice, to survive in this harsh, cold world. He had to be able to provide for them since they were six, as at that time, their parents had both died to nobles harshly beating them up for no entertainment.

He learned how to pickpocket from nobles by using his nimble hands to swipe what would be in their pocket. If he was lucky, Alban would succeed in swiping small things from a noble's hand, such as rings or a few bits of cash.

Alban also began to swipe food from the stalls in the market. Although he felt bad for doing so, as most of the stalls were also struggling to make a living, he continued to take for himself and his sister to have something to eat that night, even if it was a small piece of jerky. Alban promised himself he would never take too much from the stalls and noted who to pay back if he ever had the opportunity.

Normally, Alban went to the market in the morning, when it was most crowded and the easiest to swipe something. However, after staying up late to take care of his sister who had a fever, he woke up late.

By the time he had gotten to the market, Alban found that it was too late: there were few people at the moment, meaning that he could get easily caught if he tried to steal something. He wasn't a professional at the age of eight, after all. Alban was about to head back to his makeshift tent, where Alice was, until he heard trudging footsteps. He looked around and saw the stalls closing, and people scattering off the street. Deciding to hide as well, Alban went into one of the nearby alleyways and hid behind a pile of garbage.

He waited silently as the trudging steps came closer and closer until finally, he saw it: the Trek of Slaves. Alban knew that if people weren't able to pay up the high taxes, they would either be forced into slavery or offer other people - children, in particular.

What was in front of Alban was a long line of children, guarded by fierce-looking soldiers of the battalion, with chains on their arms, and a ring on their necks that linked to all the other children in the line. Their faces were gaunt, hollow from starvation, with dull eyes. Their clothes hardly covered their bodies.

One of the children in line was a little girl. Alban unconsciously imagined Alice's face on that child. His eyes darkened.

After the slaves left, Alban came out of the alley and scampered back to his home. He felt something awaken in him. Something had to change. He figured that if his abilities could help him and his sister, his abilities could help others too.

So he did.

Instead of stealing from the food stalls that were also struggling to make a living, Alban began to plan heists against the wealthy and lead escapades against the enslavements.

He planned to steal from the rich and give to the poor, as well as save as many people as he could from their fate in the mines.

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

Over multiple years, fewer and fewer slaves were taken, as Alban released them always before they ever could get in the line for the Trek of Slaves. He succeeded in pulling off multiple heists as he grew older. By the time Alban was in his early teens, he knew the basic layouts of noble homes, he had learned the best ways to conduct carriage and cart robbery, and he swindled multiple nobles, taking first their hearts and then their valuables. Some valuables he distributed to the poor, and others he kept in order to help his future heists. For instance, from a noble who loved theater, Alban gained a black mask that covered the entirety of his face while still allowing him to see, breathe, and talk normally. From another noble who was a mage, Alban managed to snag the mage's magic bag, with huge storage space, as well as her master key, which can unlock any type of lock. With these, thieving was much easier, and Alban felt empowered.

However, being empowered didn't mean that Alban was invincible.

One day, Alban was making his rounds for giving out valuables, which he does twice a month at irregular intervals to keep the Battalion off of his back. While passing through a narrow, shady alleyway, he overheard cries of distress. He headed over immediately and peeked in through one of the windows. Inside, he saw an old woman, who had her arms wrapped around who he assumed to be her grandchildren. A large soldier stood in front of them, flipping a copper coin with his thumb. One of the boys in the grandmother's arms was crying and reaching out to what was in the wolfish soldier's hand.

"You- you heartless being! How could you take all of our savings just like that. We've saved up for that birthday gif-"

"Yes, yes, yes, well, that's quite unfortunate isn't it," said the soldier, dismissing the old woman's protests before turning his attention to the boy. "Little boy, Prince Moony says happy birthday to you as well. Maybe next time I come in, I can take you to him," said the soldier with a wolfish grin.

Alban felt his blood boil at the soldier's implied threat of enslavement. The boy looked no older than five! He tugged his mask closer to his face, put on his hood, and took out a cane and a cup with two copper coins in it. He swung out and clattered the cane in front of him, acting like a blind man. He entered the small abode.

"'Ello there. Any spare change for this poor blind man?" asked Alban, imitating a croaky voice with an English accent as he shook his cup to jingle the coins in it.

The large soldier turned to him and scrunched his face in disgust before he saw that the cloaked figure had a cup with money in it.

"No, but I do believe you have some for me," said the large soldier as he laughed and snatched the cup out of Alban's hand, pushing away Alban toward the old woman in the process. While the soldier occupied himself with taking the money, the old woman helped Alban up. While doing so, Alban discreetly placed something in the pocket of her dress. The old woman looked up at Alban in surprise, before shutting her mouth and acting concerned for him, dusting him off.

"Hey, blind man. Got anything else in there?" asked the soldier in a rough voice, pointing at Alban's cloak. Alban didn't respond. The soldier smirked. "Or... do you have something else to hide? Perhaps... you're someone who's not supposed to be here?"

A moment of silence passed as the soldier slowly reached for Alban's hood before Alban spoke.

"Ah~, guess I got caught," he said in his normal, taunting voice, before bolting out of the home. His hood whipped off, revealing his mask. The soldier's eyes widened in recognition, and he snarled.

"OI! GET BACK HERE, YOU PHANTOM THIEF!" bellowed he, as he rushed clumsily out of the place.

When they left, the old woman checked her pocket and took out what seemed to be a small brown rucksack. She opened it, only for tears to suddenly pool in her eyes and soft sobs to come out of her mouth. She was staring at 5 gold coins, which would help her and her grandchildren get adequate food and live comfortably for a year or so. The grandmother held the bag tightly to her chest as she embraced her grandchildren who surrounded her in concern for her tears.

"Thank you...," she whispered.

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

Alban whisked through the alleys as the large soldier, now joined by several others, tailed after him. To get them off his trail, Alban headed to the place where they prepared slaves for delivery to Prince Moony. While weaving through the confused slaves, Alban pulled out the master key he stole from the mage and waved them near the chains on the slaves. The chains unlocked, and the slaves were free. They exclaimed in joy before bolting out of the preparation area.

The soldiers behind Alban cried out in rage as some split off from the group to try and get the escaped slaves back. Meanwhile, the wolfish soldier almost caught Alban, his fingers centimeters away from grabbing Alban's cloak. He was about to get it, until he was interrupted by a stone to his head. The soldier stopped in his tracks, his hand going up to the side of his face, only for it to come away with blood. He growled and looked in the direction of the attack. His eyes met with those of freed slaves around Alban's age, holding heavy rocks and other heavy objects they could find. They cried out and pelted him and the approaching soldiers, knocking their swords out of their hands and making them bloody.

Not wanting to deal with the fierce barrage, especially when they didn't get paid enough to deal with them, the soldiers just groaned in frustration before running off. Although the wolfish soldier didn't want to, he knew he had to retreat. He looked at the boys, heatedly vowing to finish them off later before he ran in the same direction as his comrades.

After making sure the other soldiers were gone by not sensing other presences, Alban hunched over in relief, hands on his knees, panting, heart hammering. He stayed in that position until he saw a hand show up in front of him. He looked up to make eye contact with a boy around his age, with neon yellow hair and dark periwinkle eyes.

"Oi, I'm Sonny. This is my family," said the boy as he gestured to the other three boys behind him. One had steel grey hair with matching eyes, the other had dark blue shaggy hair with light blue eyes and heterochromia in one eye, and the last one had dark magenta hair with purple eyes that both had heterochromia.

Alban eyed them, then Sonny's outstretched hand, before taking it and giving it a shake.

"...I'm the Phantom Thief."

"I'm Yugo. I'm a huge fan! You-You're really the Phantom Thief, right?" asked the bluenette with sparkling eyes.

Alban hesitated slightly, but for some reason, he felt like he could trust these people, and then nodded.

The grey-haired older boy smirked before coming beside Alban and clapping him on the back.

"Hey, I'm Fulgur, thanks for freeing us back there."

"Yeah, of c-course, it's what I do...," said Alban, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. "Th-Thanks for helping me too..."

The purple-haired boy came up to Alban's other side, smiled, and patted him on the head.

This was the first encounter of the group Noctyx, a band of vigilantes led by the infamous Phantom Thief. The five boys wore matching masks with the forehead part painted with their Noctyx insignia, symbolizing hope to the poor and a nuisance to the rich. They plundered carts of snobbish nobles, provided safe hiding places for slaves, defended the weak, and some of them even provided underground soup kitchens for the hungry. Alice, Alban's sister, also wore a mask as she worked in the soup kitchens. After Fulgur taught her how to read, Alice also took up learning about medicinal plants from a book she found. She wanted to help with her brother's efforts as much as she could.

As Noctyx became more and more famous throughout the kingdom, Prince Moony grew frustrated because he was losing control over the citizens. So, he plotted with his loyal dog, Duke L/N, and commanded him to send in a spy to the land to break Noctyx from the inside.

Duke L/N decided to send his most intelligent child, Y/N Sol L/N.

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

One day, Alban planned a heist on an incoming carriage that was said to be coming in. The carriage belongs to the L/N dukedom, one of the richest nobles because of how often Duke L/N assisted Prince Moony in conquests of land, expanding the kingdom, and attaining more resources.

In the trees above the road where the carriage was supposed to come down, Alban and his friends waited.

"Another day, another petty noble to rob," said Alban to his friends. All except Yugo nodded along.

"But, like, what if this person wasn't petty?" asked Yugo, as he tilted his head. Sonny patted Yugo's head before sighing and shaking his head.

"Yugo, we've been over this! Most nobles are, and Duke L/N is THE WORST type! He kisses the shoes of the tyrant and abuses his servants like there is no tomorrow. He is a terrible man!" exclaimed Fulgur.

"Yeah! We're going to go in, and be like hello you piece of sh-"

"Okay, Uki! Hush, now, we have to focus, please. How far away are they?" asked Alban.

Uki rolled his eyes in disapproval at Alban interrupting him before sighing and closing his eyes. He held his palms upwards in front of his hands, and a bright purple orb of energy showed up. When Uki opened his eyes, he peered into the ball with equally glowy eyes.

"...They're about two miles away, approaching fast," said Uki after the image in the orb focused for him.

"Alright, let's go to our positions," said Fulgur, as he patted Uki on the shoulder to bring him out of his glowing state. Noctyx then pulled on their masks and set out in the trees.

Once they were all in their positions in the tree branches, the slow rumble of a carriage and the clopping of hooves could be heard approaching them.

The moment the carriage was within their range, Sonny pulled out a shotgun he had stolen from a soldier a couple months ago and shot two of the front guards right off their horses.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" shouted one of the soldiers who was trying to reel in her panicking horse.

"PROTECT THE CARRIAGE!" shouted another, as he jumped off his horse and was trying to load his gun, before getting hit by Yugo's blue lightning.

Some soldiers started floating as they were surrounded by purple energy before they were thrown somewhere in the woods, and others were punched by Fulgur's fists, which were now glowing red.

Alban pulled out a bow and arrow, both embedded with mana stones. He shot the arrow, causing the mana stone on it to activate and set the tip on fire, burning the soldier it shot. When he ran out of arrows, he took out two knives with poison on their blades and went to the ground to fight alongside Fulgur.

After a couple moments of fighting, all the guards, except one that ran away on a black stallion, were killed. Cackling, Alban headed over to the vulnerable carriage, the others following him just as merrily.

"Now then, Duke... no, you don't deserve that title. Now, you trash, how do you like leaving your fate up to the very peasants that you hate so much?" said Alban viciously, as he grabbed the carriage's door handle gilded with gold, and whipped the door right open.

Expecting to find a terrified old man, he only made eye contact with a woman (a maid?) with light pink hair and purple eyes who looked at them unimpressed, and a man (probably a guard) with white hair and blue highlights, dark skin, and silver eyes who was trying to stifle his laugh.

“...Huh? The carriage- who're these people?? Where’s Duke L/N?”

“𝐇𝐚𝐡! 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐚𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?” said a voice from behind them.

Shocked because no presence was detected until then, the boys whipped their heads around. Alban’s eyes widened as he made eye contact with quite possibly one of the most beautiful people he’d ever seen in his life. They were dressed in a guard uniform, holding a L/N guard helmet as they sat atop the black stallion from before. The person descended the horse gracefully, secured their belongings on the horse, turned around, and smirked at the shocked Noctyx members.

“𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨, 𝐍𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐲𝐱. 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐘/𝐍 𝐒𝐨𝐥 𝐋/𝐍. 𝐈’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟. 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐦,” said the beautiful person, holding out five gold coins for each boy.

As soon as he heard the person’s name, all nice fantasies of them shattered and Alban scowled at the person from under his mask. His grip on the knives in his hand tightened.

“…What do you want?” he asked, growling as he prepared to ignore the person and just stab them.

“𝐈’𝐦 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

‘…What?’

Sensing his hesitation, and seeing as they weren’t stabbed by him yet, Y/N relaxed as they opened their mouth again.

“𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬,” said Y/N as they opened the carriage’s trunk. Inside were all sorts of precious gems and coins. Noctyx stared in awe. Even on a good heist, they have never gotten that much.

“𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦’𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐲.”

“Your dukedom? Aren’t you just the child of Duke L/N?” asked Fulgur, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"Yeah, and why would you help us? How do we know you're not pulling us into a trap?" asked Uki, coming up behind Fulgur as he glared at Y/N.

Y/N put their hands up in surrender.

"𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐮𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐋/𝐍. 𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈'𝐦 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐣𝐞𝐫𝐤."

The boys looked at Y/N with doubt. Sensing it, they shuffled through the bag that was hung on their horse and pulled out two pieces of paper. Alarmed by Y/N's sudden movement, the boys prepared to attack just in case. Y/N held up the papers in their hands.

"𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐋/𝐍'𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡. 𝐀𝐧𝐝, 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞. 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭."

Alban stepped forward to take them.

"No funny business," he warned, as he quickly grabbed the papers and examined them. He indeed saw the legitimate schematics of the L/N estate and Xytcon castle. He looked once again at Y/N, who was staring at him with expectation before he rolled up the papers and gave them to Fulgur.

"Fine, we'll work with you. But don't even think about betraying us."

Y/N nodded seriously.

"...Can we come out now?" said the maid in the carriage, who was glaring at them. The guard burst out laughing, still remembering the way Noctyx was so confused by their scheme. Y/N looked to Alban, who nodded. "Ugh, finally!" said the maid, and she jumped out of the carriage with a huff.

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

Over a couple of months, Noctyx and Y/N worked together. Y/N's maid, Lady Alouette, and their guard, Knight Tenshi, aided in the discreet distribution of Y/N's wealth that they brought from the dukedom across the small kingdom, as no one really knew of their faces. The peasant people of the kingdom were advised to hide their valuables in a safe place, whether it was under their house or a secure place on their person.

Y/N had participated in some of Noctyx's heists, scamming a local gambling duke into giving all of his valuables, robbing a snobby duchess of the jewels she's so fond of because of the way she treated the sickly street children, and helping the stealing of some things from the kingdom's noble bank. They also got along well with Alice and helped her whenever she needed help with the underground soup kitchens.

Meanwhile, Noctyx and Y/N slowly plotted a way to get rid of Prince Moony and Duke L/N. Y/N sent regular correspondence to the dukedom (all fake information, of course. Uki would check over the letters Y/N sent all the time) so that the duke and prince wouldn't suspect anything. They believed they had Y/N, a "helpless" illegitimate child, in the palm of their hand, and their only replies back were to keep collecting information. Y/N scoffed whenever they got the reply letter and burned it in the fireplace in front of Alban.

Alban and Y/N had gotten quite close during these months. They chuckled together as they would plot heists that would topple the power of the nobility, and therefore weaken Prince Moony's support. They sparred together, Alban with his knives and Y/N with their sword. Eventually, they were comfortable enough to make jokes with one another as they were cooking their group's dinner, or to discuss the more personal parts of their lives. Behind them, Uki and Fulgur would smile at each other knowingly, while Sonny and Yugo made disgusted faces at the scene in front of them.

It was a peaceful, slow revolt against Prince Moony's reign, but this peace soon shattered.

The group was in the main square of the town they were temporarily staying in when a fanfare was heard. They turned their heads up, and Alban frowned when he saw the wolfish soldier from before leading a large army. His hand went to the knife on his hip, and he noticed the others next to him tense up and prepare for scuffle.

"We have received information that Noctyx, and more importantly, the Phantom Thief, has been residing here. Turn them in, or you will be terminated," said the wolfish soldier, who grinned with malice as he looked around.

Sonny shot a look at Y/N, who shook their head.

"It wasn't them. I can confirm it," said Uki. Sonny sighed in relief - he wanted to trust Y/N.

"But then who...?" asked Alice, as she scanned the crowd. She soon spotted an old uncle in the crowd, grinning maliciously while having his hand in his bulging side pocket. Sonny noticed Alice's gaze, and looked in the same direction before he scoffed.

"Is that the same person who demanded extras? That drunkard, he seriously did this, huh...," said Sonny, glaring at the man before turning his attention back to the wolfish soldier.

"Damn, that trash-," growled Yugo, who wanted to fight the old man before getting stopped by Fulgur.

"Don't make a scene. We need to be discrete if we don't want to get caught," said Fulgur, who glared at the army before them.

"𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐥𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞," said Y/N, who started to back away from the vast crowd that had gathered. But before they could get fully out of the street, the wolfish soldier cackled.

"VERY WELL! We'll find them ourselves...," he said, before raising his sword. "BATTALION! Take anyone who matches the description of the fugitives, and bring them to the castle!"

"YES SIR!" shouted the Battalion, as they set out on foot and on their horses and grabbed anyone - they weren't even trying to find those who matched the description of Noctyx. They grabbed old men, young children, tall women - practically anyone.

"They're trying to rat us out of the crowd by taking anyone - be careful not to get caught!-"

But just as Alban said that...

"Ah-," said Lady Alouette unenthusiastically when she was grabbed by the arm by one of the Battalion.

"𝐄𝐧𝐧𝐚!" exclaimed Y/N as they reached out for Lady Alouette, before she was taken farther away by the soldier who grabbed her. Knight Tenshi went after her, but he never came back.

"AL!" screamed Alice when she was grabbed by two soldiers, who snickered at her helplessness.

"ALLI! NO!" cried Alban, as he tried to fight against the soldiers who held Alice.

"Hello, girlie, you're coming with us," said one soldier, laughing heartily as he forced Alban off of him with the help of two other soldiers.

"Should we take him too?" asked another solider who was holding onto Alban.

"Nah, he seems annoying. Let's just leave him. He'll die soon anyways in these slums."

With that, the Battalion took multiple townspeople, as well as a crying Alice, leaving a half-empty town with multiple weeping people helplessly reaching out for the loved ones they lost.

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

After taking care of the greedy drunkard (AKA knocking him out and leaving him in a less forgiving town), Noctyx and Y/N regrouped at their temporary base deep within the nearby woods. They opened their strategy-meeting tent and headed inside to discuss what happened and what they should do next.

Alban was in despair. He had just lost his reason to live to the Battalion, but rather than feeling anger, he was in shock, and was scared of what they would do to her. Although he zoned out, he finally was aware of the conversation the rest of the members were having when Y/N started talking.

"𝐖𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭- 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨. 𝐋𝐞𝐭'𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢, 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞! 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲'𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐬, 𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐧. 𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐮𝐫, 𝐘𝐮𝐠𝐨, 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐤𝐢 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 - 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐨𝐰."

"But... Y/N... I'm just, I'm just some guy who gets lucky a couple of times with his heists, and that was going against a manageable group. I couldn't even protect just my sister. How are we, six people, going to be able to go against an entire castle??"

"𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬, 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐥𝐲," said Y/N, looking at Alban with a gaze of expectation, which he shrank under.

"...Alright...," sighed Alban, who had a lot of doubt about the operation working. Ever since his sister was taken from him, he felt listless, doubtful, and incapable. He lost her. Sonny, noticing Alban's downcast face, patted him on the shoulder encouragingly while Uki began to stroke his hair soothingly.

Y/N witnessed it all, slightly amused but also touched by how close they were. They thought back to their own family, who easily threw Y/N into the dangerous situation of becoming a "spy", despite the fact that they could be killed in the process. They stepped forward and kneeled to Alban's eye level before they took hold of Alban's hand.

"𝐇𝐞𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲?"

Alban stared at Y/N, before taking a deep breath and nodding.

"Okay."

They smiled at each other, while the others around them shared a knowing look, and Yugo made a disgusted face.

"Well, we'll head out for a bit, you guys make our plan and just tell us tomorrow morning," said Fulgur as he opened the tent they were in.

Alban and Y/N nodded and engaged in a serious discussion while looking at the schematics of the castle map that Y/N gave.

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

After some time, the two finally finished planning and started to clean up the discussion table. Alban was feeling much happier after Y/N's constant attempts of making him feel better throughout their discussion.

Moments of silence passed before Y/N decided to open their mouth.

"…𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐧."

"Yeah, Y/N? What happened?"

"𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡-"

"DON'T SAY THAT! Why would you say something that brings such bad karma!? We're going to get through this operation well because we have a plan made by you and we'll make it out together!" exclaimed Alban, gripping Y/N's hand that was on his sleeve. He had just lost his sister, he didn't think he could lose anyone else. Y/N sighed.

"𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭… 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧, 𝐨𝐤𝐚𝐲?"

Alban was silent for a moment, before begrudgingly nodding.

Y/N hesitated before taking their hand off of Alban's sleeve and moving both hands to his cradle cheeks. Alban's cheeks warmed by the sudden closeness and contact.

"Uh-"

"𝐒𝐡𝐡.. 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐱, 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟, 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤… 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞."

Alban's jaw dropped.

"What?-"

"𝐘-𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡! 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄, 𝐈 𝐒𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐈𝐓. 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖, 𝐎𝐑 𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔. 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔, 𝐁𝐘𝐄!"

After the sudden confession, Y/N placed a quick peck on Alban's cheek and quickly left the tent, leaving Alban speechless as he absentmindedly touched the cheek that was kissed.

"W-W-WHAT????"

Meanwhile, outside the tent on the side opposite the entrance, Yugo overheard the entire conversation, and almost dropped the firewood he was holding out of disgust.

"Ugh, lovebirds... when is it my turn too..."

:,^)

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

It was dawn when everyone woke up and Y/N and Alban debriefed them all of the plan. They would raid Prince Moony's castle at night, taking down both Prince Moony and Duke L/N.

In preparation, Y/N sent a letter to Duke L/N to go to the castle so they could debrief him and the prince about what they found out from Noctyx. In reality, it would be a trap that would get Duke L/N and Prince Moony in the same place. They could be taken down together, and that would be the end of the duke and the prince.

“Uki, Fulgur, you two will be in charge of freeing the townspeople. Remember to stealthily do it - we want to cause as least noise as possible in the beginning.”

“𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨, 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐊𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.”

Uki and Fulgur nodded before squeezing each other’s hands in encouragement.

“Sonny, Yugo, you’re coming with me and Y/N to the throne room. You’re going to help us take down the Duke and the Prince.”

Yugo pumped his fist in the air, excited for an opportunity to take down the tyrant, while Sonny just loaded his gun with a blood-hungry smirk.

"𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞, 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐭? 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐈'𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐨𝐨."

Everyone nodded grimly. It was a given that they'll probably get injured during this fight, but there was also a possibility that they might not come back.

Noticing the grim atmosphere, Sonny tried to laugh it off and clapped Y/N on the back.

"We'll be fine, everyone."

"Sonny's right, we pulled off infiltrations loads of times. We'll just treat it the same way," said Fulgur, also trying to laugh.

"Alright then!" said Uki as he clapped. "Let's get ready."

Throughout the day, they prepared by gathering supplies, like extra weapons and first aid, and making their own mana bombs to use for attacking the castle.

As soon as the last mana bomb was created by clicking the mana stone into place, Noctyx and Y/N were ready to head out. On the road out from the woods, the two teams (Alban, Y/N, Sonny, Yugo and Uki, Fulgur) split off to do their respective parts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(With Uki and Fulgur)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Uki used his psychic powers to knock out the guards standing at the outside entrance of the castle's dungeon while staying under the cover of darkness.

"They should really learn how to be more secure," stated Uki with disapproval, as he kicked one of the guard's faces lightly. Fulgur laughed as he took the keys off of one of the other guards and used it to unlock the door.

"Yeah, but then our job wouldn't be as easy. You sure you have enough mana stored for this?"

"Yeah, don't worry Fu-fu-chan, I have the most mana out of all of us. Are you going to be okay, though?"

"Of course, I'll beat up anyone for you."

The two exchanged smiles before they pulled their masks on and continued to go deeper into the dungeon, with Fulgur knocking out some guards with his glowing fists, while Uki focused on seeking the right jail cells that had the townspeople.

Eventually, near the bottom of the dungeon, Uki stopped walking.

"Found them," he said, as his eyes started glowing to put all the guards surrounding the townspeople's cells to sleep. He then sent out a telepathic message to the townspeople.

'Hello, this is Noctyx's psychic. We need you to stay silent for this incoming message.'

As they were told, the townspeople remained silent, although Uki heard in their minds their cries of joy and the resurfacing of hope within the people.

'I need you all to stay silent while we are freeing you. Our combat warrior and I will help guide you out. We can only do this with your cooperation. If you agree with our condition, please say in your mind yes.'

After hearing an overwhelming chorus of 'Yes's in his head, Uki looked at Fulgur and nodded. Fulgur steadied Uki, as telepathy used quite a large portion of mana before he took out the magic key that Alban had given him and waved it near the locks of the townspeople. They opened the cell door as silently as possible and gathered to where Uki was. Once everyone was out, Uki told them telepathically that they were to follow him, while Fulgur remained in the back in case anything happened. Before they could start moving, however, a familiar female voice mind-shouted at Uki from behind.

'Uki!'

Uki turned around, only to meet eyes with Alice, Alban's younger sister. Next to her were Knight Tenshi and Lady Alouette.

'Where's my brother?' asked Alice, who was looking around.

'Your brother's in the throne room with the others. They'll be fighting the prince,' replied Uki. Alice's eyes widened.

'I- I need to help them! Please, do you have first aid materials?? I can help tend to the injured.'

'No, Alice. Alban would kill me.'

'Please, Uki! I'll take Knight Tenshi with me!'

Uki pondered for a bit. Alban did say to send Knight Tenshi to the throne room.

'... Fine, but you HAVE to stay with Knight Tenshi all the time, okay?'

'Yes! I promise!'

After Uki told Fulgur telepathically to give some first aid materials to Alice and told Knight Tenshi and Lady Alouette the situation, they did as told. Knight Tenshi escorted Alice to the throne room, as he had been there before, while Lady Alouette stayed with Uki and Fulgur, helping to light the way out.

The silent procession went up through the dungeon without much trouble. Uki, Fulgur, and Lady Alouette planted mana bombs in the areas of the dungeon where a lot of guards collapsed. They were set to detonate on Uki's command.

There was an area in the dungeon that branched off to the inner parts of the castle, probably because the royalty had to visit the prisoners at some point for interrogation or for deciding the fate of the criminals. Uki used his powers to make sure no one was around, and when there was the all-clear, Fulgur planted bombs in discreet areas of the castle where Y/N told them there would be weapons reserves for the Battalion. Lady Alouette contributed by showing Fulgur some more spots that she knew of and discovered while hanging around with the palace servants. Now, even if the guards in the throne room did need help, they wouldn't be able to get any.

Afterward, Uki, Fulgur, Lady Alouette, and the townspeople were able to leave the castle through the secret entrance for royal emergencies. All the townspeople were freed without a ruckus. No one from the castle suspected a thing.

It was a successful mission.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(With Alban, Y/N, Sonny, Yugo)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the other side, Y/N was in their carriage that was waiting in front of the palace gate, adorned in their ducal wear.

"Who goes there?" called out the guard in front of the gate.

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞? 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋/𝐍 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐚."

The guard, who took a closer look at the carriage, realized who he was addressing, and almost yelped.

"𝐈'𝐦 𝐘/𝐍 𝐒𝐨𝐥 𝐋/𝐍 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞," said Y/N in a snooty and cold manner.

"M-My apologies, my lord/lady. I will let you in right away!" exclaimed the guard as he hastily rushed to open the front gate.

Y/N's carriage almost went past him before stopping right next to him as they glared at him. The guard was still bowing, sweat going down his neck as he gulped. He heard that the L/N family's illegitimate child was the most intelligent person in the family and a genius of their time. What fearsome things could they come up with to do to him?

Y/N just scoffed. "𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜," they said cruelly, before continuing on past him.

As soon as they were out of hearing range from the soldier, Y/N sighed in relief, while the others in the carriage (Yugo and Sonny) laughed at them.

"That was some fine acting," said Sonny, who was still laughing.

"Wow, you are very good!" said Yugo in amazement and amusement. Y/N could even hear the slight chuckles coming from Alban, who was the carriage's horseman outside. Y/N flushed.

"𝐉𝐞𝐞𝐳, 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬," they said as they put their hands on their cheeks.

"Just keep it up for inside the throne room. We'll get there as soon as we can," said Sonny, who pulled on his mask.

"Yeah, we'll be there soon, Y/N. Ganbare, it means good luck from my homeland," said Yugo, who also pulled on his mask.

Y/N nodded in thanks as the carriage pulled up to the entrance of the castle building. Standing outside was Duke L/N, who faked a smile at Y/N as they came down from the carriage.

"My dear child! Welcome back!" said Duke L/N, moving to hug Y/N when they put up a hand.

"𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐈 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲."

Duke L/N almost scoffed but remembered that he still needed information from his child, so he just grit his teeth in a tight smile and went back into a standing position.

"... Alright then, let's go inside. Quickly, now."

When Y/N got to the throne room, they were met with Prince Moony beaming at them excitedly from the throne.

"Welcome back, Y/N," said Prince Moony with a pleasant smile. He stood up and walked over to them, took their hand, and brought it up to his lips to kiss it in greeting. From above him, in the ceiling supports of the throne room, Alban scowled at the prince. Y/N told Alban that the prince particularly favored them, but Alban didn't believe it until he was looking at it directly. Prince Moony's smile was genuine as he looked upon Y/N. Y/N, on the other hand, just politely bowed to the prince and released their hand from his.

A look of disappointment flashed in Prince Moony's eyes, but Y/N didn't care as they opened their mouth.

"𝐌𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬," they said, as they subtly glanced upwards at where Sonny, Yugo, and Alban were.

"Yes, yes," said Prince Moony as he sauntered back to the throne and sat down. "Report."

"𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩, 𝐍𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐲𝐱, 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬? 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚-"

"NEVER!" snarled Prince Moony, who jumped up from the throne in rage. After realizing his conduct, he cleared his throat and sat back down. "I apologize. My dear, we cannot back down. That would mean we are weak. I, for one, dislike that notion very much."

Y/N nodded solemnly.

"𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐌𝐲 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞."

Prince Moony took a while to process Y/N's words: it had been a while since they called him a friend, until he realized too late what they really meant.

"What-"

"YAH!" shouted Yugo as he descended down from the ceiling, his black mask tightly tied to his face and blue lightning shooting at the guards in the throne room below.

Sonny started sniping from his place in the supports and shot the guards that were farther away from Yugo's range, preventing them from trying to shoot at Yugo discreetly.

Alban shot a couple of mana arrows before he jumped down as well, knives ready. These knives were different: they were mana stone knives, which made them hardier than normal and had the ability to burn anything it comes in contact with.

"GAH!" shouted Duke L/N, who shot a look of fury at Y/N. "YOU, YOU LITTLE TRAITOR! YOU DIRTY-"

But before he could say anything else, Alban sliced the duke's neck and stabbed his heart, while Y/N looked at the scene without even flinching. To them, the duke wasn't a father, but a tool. They focused instead on Prince Moony, who now could comprehend everything and looked at Y/N with emotions of sadness, anger, and feeling betrayed.

"Y/N... Why..."

"𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥."

"..."

"𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲?"

"...That damned rat, the Phantom Thief, he threatened you to do this, didn't he?" said Prince Moony, clutching the hilt of the sword resting on his hip. "He- HE MADE YOU DO THIS, RIGHT? YOU WOULD NEVER BETRAY ME, WOULD YOU Y/N?! YOU- You... you would never betray me... no, not you," said Prince Moony as he drew out his sword, eyes full of madness and malice as he looked at the Phantom Thief, who looked back at him.

"𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲!? 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐲, 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭, 𝐧𝐨. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢-"

"DIE YOU PEASANT!" shouted Prince Moony as he launched himself quickly to Alban's location and brought the sword down onto Alban.

"𝐍𝐎!" exclaimed Y/N, who ran just as fast towards Alban, and before Alban or Prince Moony could react, they went in front of Alban and put their arm up to block Prince Moony's sword.

Prince Moony regained his wits just enough to stall his sword so that he wouldn’t slice through Y/N’s arm, leaving only a long gash from their wrist to their elbow. Y/N cried out in pain before they gripped their elbow. Before any more harm could be done to them, Yugo was luckily close enough and pulled Y/N out of the way before Prince Moony could reach for them.

“No… I… Y/N, I didn’t mean to-”

“YOU DON’T GET TO SAY THEIR NAME!” yelled Alban with fury, as he took his knives in his hands and pounced onto Prince Moony. From behind the prince, Sonny used his shotgun and pierced a bullet through Prince Moony’s right calf. Crying out in rage and pain, Prince Moony used mana to knock Sonny down, and Sonny lost consciousness, flying toward the ground.

“Sonny!” cried out Alban. During his moment of distraction, Prince Moony clutched his sword harder and did blow after blow on Alban. Eventually, Prince Moony’s sword and Alban’s knives met in a lock. Prince Moony grit his teeth as he continued to put pressure on Alban’s knives, which started to crack because of the great amount of force.

While Alban kept Prince Moony occupied, Yugo brought Y/N to a safe place at the corner of the wall.

"𝐘𝐮𝐠𝐨! 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐲?!"

"My lady," said a deep voice from above Y/N. They looked up, and their eyes filled with relieved tears as they met with the silver orbs of Knight Tenshi. Next to him was Alice, who was carrying a first aid kit.

Sonny was treated first, as he had a large gash across his stomach from the prince's mana blast. Alice immediately began first aid, having Y/N apply pressure to the wound with their good arm as she brought together medicinal leaves to use for a covering of the wound, as well as wraps to use to secure the leaves. As she was doing so, Knight Tenshi went to Yugo and fended off the Battalion members coming their way.

While this was going on, Alban was still in the lock with Prince Moony. He was starting to lose strength in his arms. While holding his knives, he started to think about the current situation. Alban knew that the townspeople were safe because of Uki, Fulgur, and Lady Alouette’s escort. But the pressure on his knives was so great, Alban was starting to think they'd crack soon. If Prince Moony broke his knives, what then? Would the rest of them end up dying in here, while Prince Moony got to live on after killing off some of the strongest rebels he ever had to deal with?

They were totally outnumbered in this fight. How long would they have until Yugo ran out of mana and Knight Tenshi out of stamina? How long would it take for Uki, Fulgur, and Lady Alouette to come back and help them?

Though all hope seemed lost, hope called out to them in the last minute before Alban’s knives broke.

"MOONY! WHAT IS THIS RUCKUS!" shouted a booming voice from behind Alban. Alban looked into Prince Moony's eyes, which were wide from shock and fear. His grip on his sword lowered, allowing Alban to use his knife and flick it off to the side and point his other knife at the prince's neck. Alban then turned around, only to make eye contact with someone he had only learned about from tales.

King Legatus.

After his initial shock passed, Prince Moony cursed under his breath.

"Oi, I thought I killed you, old man. Aren't you persistent?" asked the prince with malice, and he almost moved to pounce on the king before he felt the pressure of Alban's knife on his neck increase. Prince Moony's eyes shifted to Alban, before he cursed again.

King Legatus laughed, as he nodded in thanks to Alban before descending the steps. A knight bearing the Legatus insignia came up from behind him and shackled Prince Moony's hands, restraining him in the process. Prince Moony glared at King Legatus, who only looked at him in disappointment.

As Prince Moony was taken to the dungeons silently, King Legatus turned to Alban.

"So... you are the infamous Phantom Thief," stated the king. Alban just nodded, still stunned by the fact that King Legatus was still alive.

The king gave a grunt of approval before bringing out his hand. Alban flinched but realized it was a handshake, so he tentatively took it and shook it.

"You helped save my kingdom. What can I do to repay you?" asked the king, who looked at Alban in curiosity. Alban pondered, before lowering himself to bow before the king. The rest of Noctyx saw him and followed his actions.

"My king, I only ask that you help us to reform this kingdom. We have traveled around the kingdom multiple times since we were young. The people are hungry, in need of jobs, and suffering. Please, feed them, provide new jobs, and shelter, and allow them to travel outside of the kingdom as they please. Additionally, the Duke L/N is now dead. Please allow his child, Y/N Sol L/N, to claim the ducal title. They were the only one to not have participated in the illegal acts of embezzlement of the royal treasury and the enslavement of commoners. "

The king looked at Alban, then at Y/N, and pondered, before nodding. It was his son's fault that the kingdom had become like this.

"I will issue my royal decree."

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

"...Hey."

"𝐇𝐢."

"How's your arm?"

"𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞. 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐭'𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭. 𝐒𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞."

"What face?"

"𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞," said Y/N, as they pointed to Alban's worried and sulky expression. "𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐀 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞."

"Yeah, I know."

The two fell into silence.

After moments passed looking at the night sky, Y/N found their hand being covered by Alban's warm, scarred hands.

"Y/N...," said Alban, still looking at the stars.

"𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐡?"

"Did you really mean what you said back there? The night before we entered the castle?"

"… 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧, 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞? 𝐈 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰," joked Y/N, chuckling to themself.

Alban didn't laugh along, but instead turned his head to face Y/N, and take their other hand with his.

Y/N quieted down, before smiling and grinning widely before they took their hands out of Alban's and embraced him.

"𝐌𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐛𝐚𝐧. 𝐎𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬~."

Alban's face bloomed into a pink flush.

"W-Well, I just wanted to make sure! Jeez, I can't go against you at all, can I?"

"𝐍𝐨𝐩𝐞!" replied Y/N with a cheeky grin.

The two smiled at each other until they felt the air around them become hot as Alban's eyes flickered to Y/N's lips.

No one will ever know who made the first move, but the two leaned in together and shared a warm, gentle kiss.

They pulled apart, and giggled as they looked into each other's eyes, before leaning in again.

It's very safe to say that the two lived happily ever after~

The End.

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

Epilogue:

Alban and the rest of Noctyx were getting merry at the new pub that was opened up by Y/N, who inherited the title of Duke/Duchess L/N after King Legatus expelled the rest of the corrupt L/N family members.

It was just him and his merry men in the pub, as it was reserved for them for the rest of the afternoon. Knight Tenshi was off doing official business in a different county, while Lady Alouette was sent somewhere on an errand for Y/N.

Alban looked out of the pub's window in satisfaction as he saw children in the streets not trying to steal food or from passersby, but running around while laughing and playing.

"Excyuse me, sur. Are yuu pewhaps the famous Fantom Thief fwom the legen?" ("Excuse me, sir. Are you perhaps the famous Phantom Thief from the legend?") asked a small kid, who rushed up to Alban, her little friends rushing up behind her.

Alban chuckled before rubbing the child's head.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Now, run along. I'm sure your parents are worrying for you."

"...I don't have pehwents anymo- can I stay wid yuu, sur?" ("...I don't have parents anymore- can I stay with you, sir?")

Alban widened his eyes slightly, before gently patting the child's head again.

"Little girl, you shouldn't go after someone and stay with them just because you've heard of them once. You may end up in a dangerous situation. I can bring you to a nice home, though it won't be with me."

"...Will da nyuu home let me bwing my fweinds tuu?" ("...Will the new home let me bring my friends too?")

Alban looked up to look at her friends: they were 5 children in total. They reminded him of himself and his merry men.

"Yeah, I can guarantee it. No shady business, I promise," said Alban, as he held out his pinky to the girl.

Hesitantly, the girl brought her pinky to link it with Alban's, before she smiled in delight and her eyes brightened.

A giggle was heard from over Alban's shoulder. Quickly, Alban's head swiveled to the side, only for his cheek to make contact with lips. Y/N's lips. (don't ask how Alban knew lol-)

He felt Y/N smile on his cheek before they pulled back and turned their head towards the group of children, who gaped at them.

"Awe yuu a fairy, miss/mistah/mix?" ("Are you a fairy, miss/mister/mix?")

Y/N chuckled.

"𝐘𝐞𝐬~! 𝐍𝐨𝐰, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲? 𝐈𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭."

The girl Alban made a promise with thought long and hard before speaking for the rest of her group.

"Somting wam to eet befow we goin to da nice hom the mistah pwomised us, pwease!" ("Something warm to eat before we go to the nice home the mister promised us, please!") exclaimed the girl while pointing at Alban.

"𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨. 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧!" 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐘/𝐍 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛.

Alban sighed as he watched them work with the children in the kitchen to make the food.

...What would it be like if they could have a little group of their own?

#mydraftgotdeletedomg #sorryforthedelayagainahhhhh #nijisanji en #nijisanji en x reader #nijisanji en boys #nijisanji en boys x reader #alban knox #alban knox x reader #alban x reader #noctyx #noctyx x reader #noctyx x gender neutral reader

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