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#wra my beloved <3
lixettzunderscore · 8 months
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empires season 1 superhero au doodles :D
here's some doodles i made for some of the character designs i made for a superhero au i've been drafting in my brain over the past while! well superhero is probably the wrong word; fwhip and jimmy are more so vigilantes but uh i originally pitched it as a superhero au so i'm rolling with it--
(codfather's design is very heavily inspired by @doodle-list's design of the codfather head and is thus subject to change. also he looks too green so i might change that too, idk)
! general ramblings and link to au masterpost under the cut !
basic gist of the au, for those interested, is that empires is a big ol city that starts getting terrorized by a weird group called "exor industries" (think like a mix of team rocket in the mainline pokemon games and team cypher from pokemon colosseum in terms of vibes) and fwhip, seeing that the authorities are doing nothing to help, decides to take matters into his own hands and puts on all his weird nerd gadgets and tries to stop them.
largely due to the element of surprise, he succeeds, and footage of him goes viral among the public as citizens begin hyping up a dragon-inspired superhero called basilisk. the evil plots didn't stop and the people seemed quite hopeful of the new hero, so fwhip just kinda rolls with it.
jimmy becomes a vigilante at one point after attacks start getting more hectic and he and fwhip immediately declare each other as rivals despite working towards the same goal (gem, scott and pix, who are part of fwhip's impromptu little hero squad, are very much annoyed by how counterproductive their rivarly is)
sausage does end up becoming part of exor industries at some point in time and he does have a silly little supervillain persona in this au (to go along with the pokemon comparison, think of him and joey as like admins in evil teams but more extra) but i only have a very vague idea of his design so i didn't doodle it :(
i do have plans on both writing and drawing lots of stuff for this au tho so uh look out for that!! :D (it is all i think about, wra my beloved <3)
(AU Masterpost!!)
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A Grim Destiny Part 8
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Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9
GN!Reader is a witch with a birth defect: They were born without a bile sac, rendering them helpless when it came to magic. Because of this, certain people tend to bully and ridicule them. They are currently trying to find their place in life and it’s not going well.
From here on, I'm going to tag this series as NSFW for various reasons. (And so I don't forget).
While Philip is trying to find a way to tell his beloved about his affliction, he falls ill at the worst possible time.
This is a slow-burn Yandere fic and it will get darker as time goes on. Fair warning.
Read it on Ao3
It has been weeks since I proposed and I am finding it quite difficult to hide my affliction from Angel. I have suddenly been exhibiting strange side effects.  Just days ago, while I was researching our next goal, I found my right arm essentially rotting away without any warning while I was at my desk! My entire arm detached itself from my body in some sort of greenish sludge! I was lucky to have been able to reattach it before Angel had seen it. 
I am sure Angel and I are safe for now. I am positive that imbecile Blight believes that we are nowhere near civilization given the direction we took before circling back to Bonesborough. We shall stay here for another week before continuing our journey. However, I am afraid that I am feeling a bit under the weather. I’m sure it’s nothing and I don’t want to alarm Angel. For now, I must somehow tell them what I am. I just hope that benevolent creature shows me mercy after everything we’ve been through…
“Angel, my treasure, I have a confession to make…” Philip inhaled, bringing his hands together as he paced the floor of the cave. “It’s been a long time coming… There’s… I have… Well… I have to consume Palismen to keep myself from turning into a monster, the same monster you ran into the night near the fishing hamlet… that scared you so badly you… refused to leave my side…and… Damn it all…”
Philip dropped into the chair near his workstation with his head in his hands. Each time, he had started strong but it fell apart quickly. He wrote it out several times but each time he would be unsatisfied with it and tossed it. A small mound of discarded paper balls had piled up around his desk and it made him switch tactics. He decided to try to wing it instead, which fell flat entirely.  Damn him for waiting too long. He should have told you that night. If he had, this wouldn’t feel so impossible. Confessing and proposing to you was easier than this. 
With a heavy sigh, Philip lifted his head slightly to look over his fingers in thought. 
“What am I to do? They’ll leave me for sure…”
A moment passed when he suddenly felt something caress his shoulders and he jumped to his feet with a yelp. Spinning around like a deer caught in headlights with his hand clutching his chest, he found you staring at him in surprise.
“O-Oh!” he breathed. “Angel-!”
He leaned back on his workstation with a relieved sigh. You furrowed your brow at his reaction while setting a basket of voidberries down beside the desk.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” you murmured, stepping up to him and placing your hands on his chest. This prompted an automatic response where Philip curled an arm around your waist to keep you close.
“Scare me? No, no, you didn’t- I mean, no, I was just…” he chuckled nervously, waving his free hand dismissively but he wouldn’t make eye contact with you which made you frown. Philip flinched as you touched his forehead.
“Are… you okay? You feel warm and your color is a bit off...”
Philip scoffed and took your hand.
“I’m fine, my love. I have a lot on my mind,” he shook his head and then paused. He gave you a soft gaze as he kissed your palm. “We are engaged now, after all… I have a lot to live up to…”
Your face warmed at the gesture and you couldn’t help but smile. It had been weeks so far and you were still trying to wrap your head around the concept that the man holding your hand was to be your husband.
“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself. I don’t want you stressing yourself out.”
“Of course.”
With a quick nuzzle, you pulled away and picked up the basket of voidberries to head further into the cave to put them away. Philip’s smile faded and he pressed a palm against his temple with a wince.
“If you’d like, I can make you some tea to calm your nerves,” you called back but the sound of something sliding across the desk and then hitting the cave floor startled you. Glancing back, your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach upon seeing Philip now laying on his side with his back to you, unmoving. Items from his desk littered the floor around him. “Philip!”
Rushing over, you kneeled and rolled him to his back which made his head lull. He was out cold. Touching the skin on his face, you felt the heat again, this time at a roaring temperature. It had to be the beginning of something bad.
Composing yourself, you began to think back to what had been done when you had been sick. While your parents had other things to tend to while you were growing up, it was the servants who actually took care of you. You just never had the chance to take care of someone sick before.
“Okay…” you huffed. “To the bed…”
It took all of your strength to move him but after some time, you were able to lay Philip onto his bed roll. You just didn’t realize how much of a mess of limbs he had become during the move with the arm he was laying on pulled behind him, the opposite arm bent at his waist and dangling against his lower back, and his legs tangled with one another. His face was pressed into the pillow which you had to turn to let him breathe.
“... … … Close enough… Now… What else…?”
The thought of how the servants removed any extra layers when you were sick to cool you down made your face redden. Kneeling, you carefully rolled him to his back and began to push off his jacket and vest. His head lulled from one side of the pillow to the other and his chest rose and fell with labored breaths as his brow furrowed. Sweat began to form on his face which made you open his shirt.
“... Ohhh… My head…”
“Shhhh, it’s okay…” you whispered, your hand rubbing his exposed chest tenderly without a second thought as you watched his face. “I’m going to take care of you the best I can. Seems like you may have picked something up somewhere. Just rest, my love.”
He let out a groan as his head lulled away from you and you took that opportunity to remove the extra layers from his form, as well as his shoes. He was left laying with his shirt opened and his pants and stockings. Glancing down at him once more, you noticed what looked to be a tiny brightly colored mushroom slowly blooming on his head, parting his hair on the side of his head. In the dim light, you could swear it was glowing blue, the same color as his eyes.
It was the Common Mold. I remembered that Philip kept a book on Boiling Isle diseases and went looking for it only to find the page for the Common Mold bookmarked, which makes me believe he’s had this before. To think he had gone through this once before with no one to take care of him…  I also am unsure how this will affect him but the glowing mushroom makes me wonder. What does the Common Mold do to humans?
I did my best to accommodate Philip for now but as I went through the book, I realized that I did not have any of the ingredients necessary to help him fight this. Gathering them meant I would have to make a quick trip to Bonesborough, something I know he would disapprove of given everything that has happened up until now. If Philip is right, then Alder should not be anywhere near here. I swore to him I wouldn’t leave the cave without him or go out of earshot.
Ugh, I can’t just sit here and watch him be delirious. As cute as he’s being, telling me how much he loves me, that I’m the best thing he’s ever had, that he’s been in love with me for much longer than I realized, and such, he needs medication. There’s also a soup recipe I found in the book that may be a great asset for his recovery. I will have to wait until he goes to sleep and he’s just going to get over me leaving the cave without him this time when he’s better-
Growling perked your ears as your pen paused on the page. Philip was no longer in a good mood and seemed more agitated than anything. You were going to ignore it, believing it was just the delirium talking but you froze at what he was saying.
“Those ears… Those damn ears… If it weren’t for those damn ears…” Philip grumbled feverishly. “I detest them… so much…”
“Ears?”
“If it weren’t for those blasted things… you’d be human… Completely human… You’d be absolutely perfect… Why can’t you be human…?”
You stared down at him as your hand reached up to touch the tip of your ear.
“My ears…? Completely human?”
His weak rant went on, whining about how they get in the way, which reminded you of the situation that had happened the night he had proposed to you. The two of you had entered the cave near your hometown for the night after the rain had passed and upon entering, Philip had done something he hadn’t done before. As you went to put the Galderstones in a safe place, his hand settled on your hip from behind to stop you. The strap of the satchel was pushed off your shoulder and the bag hit the floor beside your feet. As you turned your head to look back at Philip in surprise, his free hand settled on your waist and the hand on your hip began to caress it as he leaned over your shoulder with a nuzzle.
“Philip-?”
“Our supplies are back at the tavern,” he murmured, watching you with a warm, sultry gaze, one that you only caught from him a handful of times but only had resulted in cuddling. You felt him step up behind you, his chest pressing against your back. “We may as well forgo any work tonight…”
Staring up at him, allowing the suggestion to process coupled with how he was acting, you finally smiled sheepishly and brought your hand to his cheek.  Your heart leaped into your throat. This seemed different. Was it due to the proposal?
“A-All right…”
You followed his lead when he leaned in to kiss you, his hands running up and down your sides before moving you forward toward the bedrolls. His fingers began to tug at your clothes as the two of you lowered yourselves to the soft surface. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle when he went for your throat which earned you a warm chuckle but somewhere between that and getting undressed, Philip yelped and sat up, covering his eye.
“AH! SON OF A-” he snarled. You jumped at his reaction and sat up.
“Are you okay? What happened?!”
Philip sat there, his exposed eye twitching as he seethed, his glare on the floor beside you and his hand curling into a fist before he pushed himself up and headed for the mouth of the cave.
“W-Wait, where are you-?! Philip-!”
“I’m going for a walk,” he growled as he tucked his shirt in and fixed his pants. The heat of the moment slipped away, leaving you confused. You had tried to wait for him to come back but had fallen asleep in that time, only to be awakened by him laying down behind you and wrapping his arms around you without a word, looking disgruntled. The next morning, he apologized for his reaction and swore to make it up to you. You couldn’t understand what got him angry enough to leave like that and he refused to tell you then, but it was clear that you now had your answer. It wasn’t just the fact your ear had poked him in the eye, but it was the one thing he didn’t like about you. 
This left you feeling hollow inside. You couldn’t help your ears. 
Shaking your head clear, you stood upon seeing that he had fallen asleep. You couldn’t dwell on that. You had a task to do before either he woke again or it got too late. You gathered your cloak and satchel before making sure Philip was sound asleep and headed toward the mouth of the cave. You paused at Philip’s voice in the back of your mind making you swear you would never leave the cave without him, at least, not go far enough that you couldn’t hear him if he called for you. With a deep inhale, you glanced back at the sick human.
“I know you wouldn’t want this but… I have to get that medication…” you murmured. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”
With that, you pulled your hood up and stepped out of the cave.
“Angel? Angel, I feel horrible… Everything’s spinning…” Philip groaned weakly, his eyes cracking open. “Angel?”
When silence answered him, Philip pushed himself up the best he could, nearly overshooting his goal of getting to his feet. Upon looking around, he realized you were nowhere to be seen.
“A-Angel? Where are you?”
The man stumbled for the mouth of the cave and squinted out into the woods around him, shielding his eyes while continuing to call out for you. Without thinking, he started to wander out to look for you, ignoring how he felt.
“Where have you gone…? Angel… Gotta find…”
Ugh, damn Bonesborough for being so interesting… There are so many stalls here with more knick-knacks and baubles that could keep one’s attention for weeks. I could spend the entire day wandering the town if I had the time. Thankfully, I haven’t run into anyone associated with Alder and the wanted posters seemed to have disappeared.
Well… The good news is that I got the ingredients and medication. I was able to focus long enough to do that. The not-so-good news is my eyes began to wander as I was leaving and… ah… I may have gone a bit overboard…
Before you knew it, you had several items in your satchel that you may or may not have needed, including several books on the Isles and wild magic, a set of Hexas Hold Em cards, and a fully charged training wand that you thought about keeping on you in case of emergency. Oddly enough, it made you feel a bit better about being out on your own without Philip since it would give you enough time to get away from any situation that may arise. It also didn’t help that you left the cave in such a rush that you didn’t have any prepared glyphs and you only had the fire one down to memory. If Philip had known, you were sure he’d have a heart attack.
As you headed for the gates of Bonesborough, your eyes fell on a sign that was tucked away near a closed stall which made you slow to a halt. It was dark blue with imagery of eyes, noses, ears, horns, teeth, and such. In large gold letters, “body modifications” was written out in the center.
“Body modifications…?” you whispered, your hand wandering up to touch your ear under your hood as you spoke. What Philip had said about your ears echoed in your mind. At the bottom of the sign, you found the times the stall was opened which made you realize it was a Night Market stall. Shaking your head, you tore yourself away from the sign and strode for the gates. “No! Philip would kill me if he found out I went to the Night Market!”
As you came up to the start of the path, you paused and glanced back toward the sign in thought. Then again… 
A bell of a nearby church made you jump and bolt down the path toward the cave.
“Dammit! I’ve been away too long! He has to be awake by now!”
Upon reaching the cave, you quickly dug through the sachel for the medication.
“Philip! I’m back!” you panted, heading straight for his bedroll but halted when you found it empty. “What…? Philip?”
You turned the cave upside down looking for the human but had no luck. 
“Damn! Where has he gone!?” you scoffed, bounding out of the cave to look around. “PHILIP!”
No matter where you looked, you did not see him. A quiet, serene forest by the lake greeted you. Your mind tumbled with the thought of what had happened to him. There was no sign of a struggle or drag marks leading outside of the cave when you examined the ground but you did notice that one set seemed to have irregular markings to them as if they were stumbling and shoeless. Seeing as you had nothing else to go off of, you followed the abnormal tracks.
“I hope he’s okay…” you groaned, quickening your pace. Soon, the tracks began to be accompanied by something strange. A familiar dark green substance lined the footsteps and the scrapes they made in the dirt. Chills raced up your spine. One thing came to mind, only because you were covered in it once before, but you quickly shook it clear. You couldn’t think back to that night. Philip needed you now. The tracks led you deeper into the woods and started to turn into dragging marks. You narrowed your eyes in confusion as it looked as if Philip had passed out and someone started to drag him along.
As you were trying to make sense of the change in the tracks, the smell of fire nearby and men’s voices wafting closer made your head perk. Bushes along the path up ahead rustled, making your heart jump into your throat and you dove behind a nearby tree.
“Hell if I know. Never seen anything like that before,” a gruff voice grumbled as two figures in dark robes appeared and headed in the direction you had just come from. Judging by their attire, you assumed they were Demon Hunters. “We’ll see if it’s logged into any of the archives after we get supplies. Might be some sort of were-beast that got into something it wasn’t supposed to. Should still fetch us a nice price to the right buyer.”
“You sure Horak can hold down the fort with that… thing? He’s still a kid.”
“Psh, he’ll be fine. The beast looked out of it when it was trying to thrash about as we were capturing it.”
“He looked downright terrified that the thing was changing-”
“Look, he begged us to bring him with us out here to experience what we do. If he can’t handle this, maybe he should stay back until he can. Now, let’s get going. The sun’s going to set soon and I want to get to the Night Market before all the good stuff’s sold.”
You watched the two figures wander down the path and once they were out of view, you stepped out, staring after them.
“Were-beast?” you whispered. What did that mean? Turning your attention back to where they had emerged made you bite your lip. 
First, the appearance of that goop, now talk of a were-beast? If you weren’t looking for Philip, you wouldn’t have had a second thought about it but memories of Philip trying to tell you something since the proposal began to emerge. Dread rose in the back of your mind. The night you saw that monster was beginning to make sense. 
Regardless, you forced this to the back of your mind. As much as you wanted to deny all of it, you had to make sure that what these people had was Philip or everything up until that point was just a coincidence and Philip was just lying out cold in a bush somewhere. 
Stepping through the bushes, you found the Demon Hunter’s camp where a roaring fire had been lit with tents surrounding it. No one was in the immediate area, thankfully, so you crept in. 
It was a moment or two before something strange stuck out to you. Dozens of crates were scattered about the camp but instead of being filled with provisions, you found things that were supposed to be rare: galderstones, pelts and parts of nearly extinct animals, and trinkets that could only be found while graverobbing, among other things. From everything you’ve ever read, you couldn’t recall Demon Hunters needing any of these items. They didn’t deal in rare or stolen items. Moving through the camp, something caught your eye that made your blood run cold. In one of the stacked crates, you found yourself looking at a massive collection of already carved Palismen, some adorned with what looked to be jewels. A note on the side of the crate gave instructions on where to sell each Palisman to keep them from being found out by the original owners.
In mounting horror, you began to realize that this was not the camp of Demon Hunters. Only Trophy Hunters dealt with stolen palismen. It explained all of the other items as well.
A soft roar made you jump and snap your attention away from the paper and a voice of a young man stuttered out.
“S-Shut up, you-you monster! D-Don’t make m-me u-use this!”
Your hand delved into your satchel and clutched around the handle of the training wand you bought back in Bonesborough. Moving quickly, you ducked behind a crate leading out of the camp where heavy groaning could be heard followed by another roar and a scared yelp. Carefully, you crept around the crate and saw a familiar massive form tied up on the ground with a humanoid figure standing over it in a dark robe. In the figure’s hand, you could clearly make out an electric weapon. It was obvious that the monster couldn’t move or was too weak to do so.
“I-I said shut up!”
The figure brought the tip of the weapon down and prodded the monster which roared louder, this time in pain. Something inside you snapped upon seeing that the monster couldn’t move due to how tight the binds were or that it was too weak to do much at all. The idea that this could be Philip made rage soar through your veins. Without thinking, you pushed yourself to your feet and rushed forward. Before the figure could turn, you shoved the tip of the wand into his neck. 
“W-What-?!”
“Drop it!” you snarled. “Do it! You’re too far away from any healer talented enough to deal with fourth-degree burns!”
With a surprised whine, the robed figure did as you said and dropped the weapon on the ground while putting his hands high above his head.
“O-Okay! Okay! L-Let’s not be hasty!”
“Shut up! Back away from him! Now!”
The figure started to do what you said but when the monster let out a noise, you turned your attention to it. You couldn’t help but stare. Its face was turned away from you but the white hair and thin green body that rose and fell from labored panting were unmistakable. This was the monster you woke up to that night. What caught your eye was the small brilliant blue mushroom parting its hair near its temple. Your heart sank.
“It is you…”
With your attention elsewhere, the man suddenly shoved you to the floor beside the monster and pointed a finger at you with a gold circle at the end of it. The training wand you had scuttled across the ground in the opposite direction.
“I-I don’t know what made you think y-you could just come here and t-try to do… whatever you’re t-trying to do, but-!”
You only stared up at the circle as your hand felt around on the ground under you for something to defend yourself with. Your mind blanked entirely on the glyphs you were taught. All you could see in your head was Philip showing you blank circles as if the centers had been erased but when you wrote them, something was certainly there. As panic rose in your chest at how unhinged the man was becoming as he spoke about what the “others” may do with you when they got back, your hand fell on the prod he had dropped which was now pressing into the side of the monster behind you. When you tried to grab it to defend yourself, it went off. A roar of pain made you jump as the hot end severed one of the binds holding the creature down. This caused the monster to rear back, breaking several other ties, and it turned to the hooded man who stumbled back out of fear.
“O-OH NO!” he gasped then bolted toward the camp as you scrambled to your feet.  Seeing him face to face, those blue eyes glowing menacingly in an unhinged gaze as he turned his head in your direction, caused you to freeze. At that moment, you were unsure if he remembered you due to the feeling that he was looking through you instead. When he moved, you clenched your eyes shut, bracing yourself for an attack. The large form brushed past you and you heard the man start screaming in fear as the slamming into the crates echoed over the woods with the clear intent to do harm or worse. Your relief of not being the target was short-lived and you turned on your heel to see the tents and crates in the sleeping area start to be torn apart. The man’s yelps at least told you he was still alive.
“Wait! WAIT!” you cried out, chasing after the monster. “PHILIP!”
He had the man cornered near a stack of crates when his head shot up and snapped in your direction. The dread of being attacked returned and you froze, slowly putting your hands up.
“E-Easy… I-It’s me…!” you lowered your voice to a soothing tone. The monster you were sure was Philip panted hard as he slowly stalked toward you, almost feverishly. The man he had cornered near the stacked crates took this opportunity to sneak away not before catching a glare from you which made him suppress a yelp and scramble into the woods. 
“An… gel…” A deeper voice croaked out, one you were not used to. It still held the soft accent, but was almost the voice of an entirely different person.
“Yes,” you nodded. Swallowing down your fear, you reached out to touch him. “It’s me… W-What happened to you…?”
“An… gel… I found...”
Philip leaned his head into your hand, his glowing eyes boring into you. A shiver rushed down your spine as you felt how clammy his “skin” was, even if you could call it that.
“Y-Yeah, y-you did…”
Ignoring the feeling, you hesitantly reached out to touch the other side of his face. This earned you a trill which made you smile some. 
“How did you even get out here…?” you whispered. Philip watched you only for a moment before his massive body collapsed onto the ground without any warning and the blue of his eyes disappeared. The fall not only forced you to your knees to try to catch his head but had caused some of the nearby stacked crates to topple. You couldn’t move. Your legs were pinned under his massive form. With no other course of action, you quickly shielded Philip’s head the best you could while bracing for the impact yourself. More smashing followed and you were lucky enough not to have anything fall on you. Instead, you heard one of the heavier crates smash into the one right next to you and the sickening crush that followed made you realize it was the crate holding the stolen palismen. Your heart sank and your eyes widened in horror upon seeing the green magic oozing out of the broken wood near your leg.
“No!” you gasped. Without warning, the ooze morphed into a green cloud and descended on the creature in front of you. “W-What…?”
You watched in confusion as Philip’s monstrous form rose with a deep inhale as his nose and mouth took the cloud in. Before your eyes, his form became smaller and more human-like. The white hair slowly took on a dark brown hue and the clothes you had left Philip in began to take shape, his white opened shirt, brown pants, and white stockings, now dirtied with the dark green substance. When the transformation had finished, Philip let out a labored pant. His hair was now sporting more mushrooms due to his affliction.
With a furrowed brow, you glanced between the smashed crate and your fiance.
“So this…”
It took all I had to get Philip back to the cave before those hunters came back. I was unsure how I pulled it off but I did and now my love is resting on his bed. Several more mushrooms had sprouted during our walk- er, hobble home. Once I got him settled, I immediately made the soup and gave him that and the medication but I noticed something on his bare chest that made my blood boil. You could see where that monster had been torturing him. Those horrible witches! Barbarians! He was already tied up, how could they do something so cruel!?
… … … Be that as it may… I may not exactly be the best one to judge cruelty as I have done something dreadful myself. Seeing the result of palismen magic on Philip, I gathered as many of the creatures as I could that were still intact. Thankfully, they wouldn’t come to life for me as I am not their owner or anyone they trust so that made this a tad easier. I can’t say it is the best feeling in the world, quite the opposite, but… it’s for Philip and this… curse of his… My love, who did this to you? No matter, he’ll only use them until I can figure out a cure for it. It has to be linked to some sort of forbidden magic, right? I will have to do my own research into this. Maybe a demon hunter would know or there could be a book in one of the many libraries we pass on our journeys. 
I also came to the realization that Philip’s strange behavior may have stemmed from wanting to tell me about this. As well as despising my ears, I guess… but more importantly this. Thinking back to that night, he must have been more scared of me leaving than I was of him harming me. He did keep his promise of not leaving my side at any point.
I will have to keep that stall in mind-
You stared down at the page for a moment before carefully and quietly tearing those pages out. In the event that Philip got ahold of your journal, you couldn’t let him know you knew about how he hated your ears or that you had been wandering around Bonesborough while he was sick. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to know since you had already ditched the items you bought in favor of filling your satchel to the brim with stolen palismen which you side-eyed as you crumpled the paper with a heavy heart. You had abandoned it by Philip’s workstation when you brought him in.
A groan made you tense up and glance back toward Philip’s bedroll where he was now laying back, fed, medicated, and clean with his shirt removed and his hair fanned out over his pillow. The sight of him made your gaze soften. He looked so peaceful as several more mushrooms began to slowly grow and part his hair. When Philip settled back down instead of waking, you turned your attention back to your satchel. The transformation back into human form from the monstrous one after the Palismen were killed played over and over in your head as you picked it up. 
“I’m sorry…” you murmured as you moved to your station, removed the scrolls from their place in the basket beside the desk, and placed the satchel inside, the flap slipping away to show the gleam of one of the jewel-encrusted Palismen sitting atop several which you immediately fixed. “I swear if there was any other way, I’d take it…”
Hearing a groan, this time a more conscious one, you quickly replaced the scrolls, hiding the satchel entirely.
“What was that?” Philip groaned. Turning, you found Philip sitting up and stretching, his head now full of shrooms as he looked your way with a sleepy gaze. “Angel?”
“Hm?! O-Oh, I-I was just-!” you tried to smile but stopped yourself and shook your head while clearing your throat. You quickly went to his side to keep his attention away from the basket. “Nevermind. How are you feeling, my love?”
“Horrible, if I’m honest,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair and disrupting the growth. Upon seeing the dislodged fungus that fell into his lap, Philip only rolled his eyes and muttered something about “not again” before he froze, his eyes wide. “... … …”
“What?” you frowned with your head tilted. 
“Did you… Have you been…?”
“Taking care of you? Of course,” you smiled when you pieced together his thought process. “I couldn’t just leave you sick like that…”
Philip looked away, his face reddening.
“You didn’t have to…”
This made you stare before giving him a playful smile.
“Of course I did. You are going to be my husband, aren’t you? Maybe this is practice for what may come later…” you nuzzled him while placing a hand on his chest. “For all I know, the next time it could be the fire flu.”
Philip didn’t answer but leaned into your affection as his own hand found its way around yours and his free arm wrapped around you, pulling you close then back onto the bedroll.
“... Fine…”
You couldn’t help but grin like an idiot as you laid your head on his chest and settled in.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” you sighed upon feeling a kiss on the top of your head.
A comfortable silence fell over the cave and you suddenly found yourself mulling over everything that had happened.
“I had the most terrible dream while I was ill.”
Your head perked at the sudden break in the silence to find Philip staring at the cave ceiling with his brow furrowed. 
“Hm?”
“It felt so real but I dreamt that you had disappeared and I had to go out and find you…”
You listened as he recounted the whole ordeal but when he didn’t bring up the monster form part, you frowned. The way he spoke and refused to make eye contact with you made you think he was hiding something.
“That’s all you remember?” you whispered. “O-Of your dream, I mean…”
Philip was still for a moment then nodded.
“Yes.”
“I see… Well, you were quite feverish,” you sat up with a slightly nervous smile which made his eyes narrow. Seeing this, you cleared your throat, your face reddening in return. “You were also telling me a lot of things that I did not really think were true…”
Philip cocked a brow.
“Like?”
“Like… you being in love with me since the moment you laid eyes on me…”
Philip’s look of shock coupled with the brilliant red that exploded on his face made you realize it was true. Your heart leapt in your chest. Him immediately grabbing his pillow and laying back with a hard flop while holding it over his face as he groaned amused you to no end. 
“So… that’s true?” you poked his side. “Let’s see, what else did you say…?”
“We’re not talking about this!”
“I take that as a yes?”
“I’m going back to sleep! I'm still too sick for this!”
“Aww, but you were so cute when you were telling me all of this-”
“Y/N, no!”
“Y/N, yes! Now, what else…” you teased which earned you a muffled grumble. As much as you liked the turn in the conversation, you frowned slightly. He still didn’t come clean. Now you had a new conundrum on your hands. Do you tell him you know or wait until he is ready to tell you? How would he react if you told him you knew about a secret he had been guarding this entire time? With a sigh, you settled back down against him and stared toward the wall. Maybe it was best to wait.
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kisekiii25 · 2 years
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they didn't know pearl was THAT strong
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just a small doodle for now because man that animatic just took me out o(-(
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October/November Picks
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Long time no see! So...it’s been a little bit since I’ve posted a wrap up. I had all intentions of posting one after October, but then you know life gets ahead of you and before you know it it’s Thanksgiving. Not much has changed in my viewing habits for these past two months, so I thought I’d group them together for a mega wrap up. Hope you enjoy :)
Without further ado here come some spoilers.....
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SECRET SOCIETY OF SECOND BORN ROYALS
This Disney + original movie was one of my highly anticipated watches for the fall. I am disappointed to share that it was a let down. The concept was such a cool and creative one. Having the second born in a royal family not simply be the “spare” but be the protector...with superpowers! (In a very YA way, getting their powers at a specific age.) They just should have gone about the story in a better way. I wanted more time with them learning about the powers and to make the villain stronger. Overall the acting wasn’t bad (which is good for a Disney + original), but it was just lacking. The movie was LONG and yet much did not feel like it happened. It was cool seeing Casa Loma (the castle they filmed at) as I was just there two summers ago. Sadly, I will not be watching this movie again.  
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VIOLETTA SEASON 3
We all already know how pumped I was when season 3 of Violetta was released on Disney Plus in September. I couldn’t believe it after waiting so long for the second season. I really enjoyed the beginning of this season and knew we would be headed down a road where I would grow tired of the storylines. 
We have hit that point. 
Quick Violetta rant. Things I am done with:
Roxy and Fausta plot
Fran and Diego being a secret
Herman and Priscilla
Pablo not at the studio
Milton being evil
Ludmilla lying
Recently, my sister is catching up to where I am in the season, so this has pushed me to watch more. I am on episode 43 and some of the above venting has been solved, so that is super exciting. I am finding myself wanting to watch it more now, so fingers crossed it continues to get better. 
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JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS
Kenny Ortega has done it again! When I first heard the premise for this show and watched the trailer on Netflix I wasn’t too sure. Then both of my sisters watched it and they wouldn’t stop talking about it, so that was a sign that I needed to watch it. Since then, I have watched the show twice and can’t stop listening to the music. THIS. SHOW. :) I get the hype. It’s just so wholesome and feel good. The characters are well crafted and the episodes go way too fast. They are the kind of characters (and cast) that make you wish you were a part of the show. I can’t wait for the next season (because there better be one). Definitely add this one to your list if it’s not on their already. 
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THE OUTPOST
The Summer CW shows were pushed to the fall line up due to delays in filming of the originally planned shows. I hope this means that they’re getting a little more love this year. The Outpost deserves it, as it is currently in its third season. (I think it might have gotten a little more now that the 100 is over and the commercial aired during the 100′s last season. Maybe people heard Black-blood and decided to give it a go.) This season has seen a new threat and during the first eight episodes there’s been MANY twists and turns, making it hard for me to remember how this season started. There’s been a lot of unrest in the Outpost and changes in who is in charge. While there are some unnecessary plot-lines (like that Tobin had to be married), I’m really enjoying others. Like how important Janzo is, his relationship with Ren, more Munt and that TALON AND GARRETT FINALLY GOT TOGETHER!!! It makes me so happy and is what we deserve after these three seasons. I love how strong both of their characters are and how they are both Warriors. I hope the season ends strong. 
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PANDORA
Just like The Outpost, Pandora was originally a Summer CW show that is now airing its second season. I really enjoyed the first season (like more than I was expecting), so I went in with higher hopes for this new season. Unfortunately, I have been let down so far. With the first season, there were parts that left me confused and my biggest review of this show has always been how there were gaps or moments where I didn’t know how much time had gone by. Those kind of things I could overlook, but this season the overall plot just seems weaker. I think this in part because of so many new characters. I know a lot of the season 1 cast ended their characters’ plots away from the Academy, but I wasn’t expecting them not to be a part of this season’s story. That has been a difficult adjustment. I also feel like I only understand Jax’s story and not so much about the other government/rebellion points. It’s getting a little better, but I hope it gets to be more enjoyable. 
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THE SPANISH PRINCESS--SEASON 2
When I originally was creating this list I had just started this season, and felt completely different than I do right now. I just finished this season last week. Much like my above review on Pandora, The Spanish Princess wasn’t sucking me in. I had a few episodes gather on the DVR. Then once we hit episode 3 or 4 and more drama was starting/Henry was starting to show glimpses of the Henry VIII we all know, I was growing more interested. In season 2 of the Spanish Princess, we do not see a loving Catherine and Henry for long. Problems Catherine have in conceiving a boy (male heir) are one of the main focal points, as is Woolsey’s growing influence on the king. With several sub-plots this season, I specifically enjoyed learning more about Meg in Scotland (as a big Mary Queen of Scots/Reign fan, I liked seeing a portrayal of her grandmother) as well as Princess Mary Tudor (who I was unfamiliar with. I loved her and Charlie Brandon’s relationship and wish we could have gotten more.) Each week I watched this show, I found myself Googling a lot. That is always one of my favorite parts of watching a historical drama based on true events. I know right now it looks like the producers aren’t continuing with the Tudor line and might have a different part of history as their next show, but I wish they would. I’m feeling the call to watch the Tudors as it’s on Netflix and I haven’t seen it before. I want to learn more about his wives. 
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BLOWN AWAY
In a complete shift from a period piece, here is another Netflix show I thoroughly enjoyed watching last month. Do you find the act of glass blowing to be extremely interesting, but you would never dream of trying yourself? Or do you like competition game shows that are not like anything else you’ve watched before? Then Blown Away might be for you! It’s a very fast watch with only a handful of episodes that are about a half hour a piece. (I honestly wished they were a bit longer because it was SO GOOD!) Each contestant is a glass blower and they get to show off their skills by competing in a specific challenge. Each episode you see someone get eliminated until the final where the winner gets a residency at Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. This show came out in 2019 and I am hoping a second season comes out.   
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LIFE IN PIECES
This CBS comedy was one that I remember loving when it first came out. But I only remember watching the first season because then I couldn’t remember which day it was on. (It’s going to sound weird, but because I don’t watch a lot on this network I often forget it exists. We also only had a one room DVR at the time, so we couldn’t tape more than 2 things. Oh, the joys of multi-room DVR). After I finished my re-watch of Derry Girls in September, I was looking for another sitcom to re-watch. This was when I stumbled on the full series of Life in Pieces on Amazon video. (It’s free to watch with Prime.) I was so surprised to see there were 4 seasons! Since then I have been watching a good amount of episodes when I sit down to watch it. Now I’m about mid way in the second season. I highly recommend this show if you haven’t seen it before. It gives vibes of Modern Family. Very short episodes that include four storylines. The format is one that I haven’t seen done before in a sitcom.
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SUPERMARKET SWEEP
The revival of the beloved game show from the early 90s is now hosted by Leslie Johns and is the best thing you should be watching on Sunday nights. If you know your grocery shopping list like the back of your hand then you are all set for this show. Leslie Johns is hilarious as are the cast of characters that are regulars in her supermarket. I think it would be a great TV show to be on and I’m not just saying that because I want one of the sweatshirts (although that would be great). If you want (another) feel-good watch, look no further! You catch up on demand. 
RE-WATCHING
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ANNE WITH AN E
It’s hard to believe that we only got the third season of Anne with an E at the beginning of this year (as this year feels like its been going on forever and when I watched the third season I was in a much less stressed place). Currently, I am teaching a class involving Little Women and Anne of Green Gables. The main focus is on how these stories get adapted in recent times and include such modern plots (and sub-plots). Naturally Anne with an E is perfect for this topic (and after watching season 3 at the start of the year) was one of my major reasons for choosing this topic. (The other being Greta Gerwig’s latest Little Women.) As I’ve been planning my schedule, I’ve re-watched this show. There is something so great about watching it from season 1 all the way through to season 3. You get to watch them grow up and it’s crazy to see how young they first were. Comparing it more to the novel has been a fun time, but also analyzing it more has been great and made me appreciate it even more. With all the stress of our current situation watching this show has made me escape and feel good. (Yes, I know I’ve used that word a lot in this wrap up, but it’s true.)
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Hopefully my next wrap up isn’t as delayed. Wishing everyone a happy holiday season! 
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blightarts · 3 years
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Blades of Order & Chaos
Chapter Title: Prologue
Word Count: 4362
Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.
MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia
Taglist: @princessstellaris @mechaspirit @brightningstar @cal-north @mahariel-theirin @lxdy-starfury @tyrils-star @imturaxamara @kelseaaa
It’s a silent night in the capital city of Whitetower. Each member of the group is settled in their bedrooms. Some are asleep while the others are restless. Kite just woke up with a gasp, panting and sweating after witnessing visions in his sleep. Nia shoots awake next to him with an immediate concern.
Nia: Kite? What’s wrong?
Kite looks around, catching his breath. He looks at his beloved, worried.
Kite: Nothing… just a bad dream…
Nia caresses his cheek and gives him a reassuring peck on the lips.
Nia: That’s right, just a bad dream. Now, come on. Let’s get some rest.
She smiles at him and Kite smiles back with a subtle uncertainty in his eyes. The two lie back down on bed, with Kite spooning Nia, before drifting back to sleep. Kite can’t help but recall the visions he saw; that strange hooded figure, the ruined burning city… and of course, the creature above him, huge and terrible…
Meanwhile, something similar happens to the rest of the group.
In Kade’s room, he’s laid down on his bed, unable to sleep. He begins recollecting a memory from when he was still an infant. He recalls being in a forest with the sound of people panting and another child crying being heard nearby. He then heard people talking frantically around him.
Voice 1: How did we not notice his presence for two thousand years?!
Voice 2: I do not know, but what confuses me is why he had to keep himself preserved instead of slaying his own nephew.
Voice 3: Well, it matters no longer. We must find a safe place and remain there long enough for Estel’s son to grow and become the hero this Realm needs.
Voice 1: Riverbend should be nearby. Let us seek refuge there.
The two voices continue to pant whilst running to their destination. This is all that Kade can remember, but the fact that the two voices mentioned Riverbend, mean that two of them could be his own parents and the other being Kite’s. He ruffles his hair, trying to know more.
Kade: Ugh… what does this all mean?!
In Mal’s room, he is sitting by the balcony, playing with a coin and gazing at the stars. He looks at his coin, giving him vivid flashbacks of the day before his retirement from the Thieves Guild. He recalls being inside an ancient dungeon buried in the Zaradun Wastelands. He then remembers his fellow thieves yelling in despair whilst trying to escape the dungeon as it was crumbling.
Thief 1: That… thing is alive!
Thief 2: How is that even possible?! This dungeon has to be at least… thousands of years old!
As the group approached the exit, the stone floor below them started shaking before it broke apart, causing most of the members to fall to their deaths. Mal, however, managed to leap out of danger in time, but as he was about to head out, a voice called for his help.
Fledgling Thief: Mister Volari!
Mal turned to see the fledgling hanging by the edge of the collapsed floor. He ran back to grab the young boy.
Mal: Hang on, kit! I got yo—
But before Mal could reach the fledgling, the floor crumbled once more, causing the young thief to fall to his death, much to Mal’s horror. As the ground in front of him started to crack, the former thief immediately ran out of the dungeon as it buries itself deeper beneath the sand. After returning to the Guild in Whitetower, Mal retired, overwhelmed by his Survivor’s Guilt, and began his life as an adventurer instead.
In the present day, he grits his teeth and clenches his fist, gripping the coin given to him by the fledgling he failed to save.
In Tyril’s room, the elf is asleep on his bed, dreaming peacefully, but that peace won’t last long. He begins experiencing a vision of the past, not his own past, but the history of House Starfury. Tyril finds himself in the middle of a battlefield.
Tyril: This place…
He attempts to familiarize his surroundings, seeing corpses of elves around him, with almost half of them having pale skin and blood on their lips. Tyril then recognized them as the cursed elven race, the Vhampyrs, prompting him to realize where he is.
Tyril: This is the Battle of Cragheart, where Lady Farin defeated the Beast of Blood…
He sprints across the battlefield, looking for his ancestor, Farin Starfury. Eventually, he does so and finds her, with the Blade of Sol in hand, standing face-to-face with the Beast itself, a large gargoyle-like creature with long black hair and crimson eyes. But what happened next shocked both Tyril and Farin as the Beast just spoke.
Beast of Blood: F-Fa-Fariiiiin…
Farin is caught off-guard for a second but quickly regains focus.
Farin: Do not distract me, you monster!
A fiery aura surrounds the elf as immense magical power surges through her, ready to strike. But the Beast continues to communicate with her.
Beast of Blood: V-Vla… dussss….
Once again, Farin lowers her guard as she sees the Beast’s eyes switching colors, from red to blue and vice versa. Soon, she begins to notice the features present in the Beast’s face as she recognizes its true identity.
Farin: B… Brother…?
Tyril widens his eyes at this revelation. He tries to reach out to Farin but was pulled back by an invisible force, causing him to jolt from his sleep with a gasp. He pants, processing what he just saw, before staring out the window in confusion.
Tyril: Lady Farin had a… brother…?
The elf attempts to shake off this thought out of his head before returning to his slumber.
In Imtura’s room, she is fast asleep but her troubled expressions mean that she might not having such a pleasant dream. Like Tyril, she’s having a vision, but instead of the past, it shows an event in the future. The orc finds herself back home, in Flotilla, but she doesn’t have full control over her own body. It’s almost as if she’s seeing the perspective of her future self. She then notices, in horror, Flotilla falling apart in flames, with other of her kind panicking.
Orc Guard 1: Get the children to safety! I’ll join you once we secure the royal family.
Orc Guard 2: Wait, is that…? The princess!
Orc Guard 1: Princess Imtura! Retreat to the Wra–
Imtura’s future self grits her teeth and turns to the guards.
Imtura (Future): Prioritize the citizens! Let me secure my own mother!
The orc guards reluctantly nod and follow the princess’s orders. As Imtura’s future self gets closer to the throne room, the present time Imtura’s vision start to get blurry, as if the dream is about to end.
Imtura (Present): Wait… no… bring me back… I need to know if my mother is alive! BRING ME BACK!!
But her cries do not matter as she wakes up in shock followed by deep breaths escaping her mouth. Imtura looks at her trembling hands, wondering if what she saw was real or if her mother was even safe should the events become true. She then repeatedly and gently smacks her hands against her cheeks.
Imtura: Come on, Imtura! It’s just a dream. Everyone is alright back home.
With a calming sigh, the orc lies back down and falls asleep a few minutes later.
And lastly, in the prisons of Whitetower, Aerin is seated at the corner of his cell, contemplating instead of sleeping. However, instead of thoughts about regret for his actions or vengeance upon those who imprisoned him, memories fill his mind, memories that date back to his childhood.
When Aerin was around six years old, he was seated on a bench in the castle’s flower garden. Beside him was his older brother, Baldur, who was nine years old at the time. Baldur was holding a stick and raised it up high, pretending to be a hero, before turning to Aerin.
Baldur (Past): One day, Aerin, we shall trek beyond the borders of Morella, and make peace with the surrounding kingdoms. With your wits and my strength, we will become kings that will lead our people to the right path!
Aerin smiled shyly but looked down.
Aerin (Past): I am uncertain, brother. You are the eldest, the heir to the throne. Technically, only you can become king while I just stand beside you as your advisor.
Baldur grinned as he ruffled Aerin’s hair.
Baldur (Past): Nonsense! I shall make it so that we both become kings.
Aerin looked up at his brother with wonder.
Aerin (Past): Really?
Baldur nodded.
Baldur (Past): I cannot do this alone. We’re brothers. We have to stick together.
As the memory fades, Aerin places a palm on his head, riddled.
Aerin: …Have I always had memory…?
The night goes on and our heroes are lost in thought after what they had just experienced.
A new day begins, brighter than the last, and the group gathers at the main hall of the castle, preparing to say their goodbyes and go back to their normal lives, but after what they’ve experienced the previous night, it’s too soon to depart just yet. On the way to the main hall, Kite and Nia are walking down the stairs, hand in hand. Kite tries his best to hide his worried expression from Nia, but the priestess is too occupied with a slight headache. She gently places a hand on her head as her vision starts to blur. Kite notices this.
Kite: You okay, Nia? You look like you’re starting to get lightheaded.
Nia meets Kite’s concerned eyes but a vision flashes before hers. In this vision, she is seeing through the perspective of someone from long ago. Nia finds herself in some sort of tunnel and in front of her is a dark figure with swords hovering around them as they approach her. The priestess sees herself raising her hands against this mysterious figure ready to blast them with the power of the Light. However, the figure was too elusive as they quickly evaded the blast before plunging one of their swords onto Nia, prompting the vision to cease and the priestess to gasp and fall onto Kite’s arms. The elf’s expression turned from concern to fear.
Kite: Woah, woah… what happened…? Are you okay?
Nia takes a moment to breathe while Kite helps her stand.
Nia: I don’t know… I… think I just saw… a glimpse of the past…
Kite: What do you mean? From when?
Nia shakes her head and shrugs in uncertainty. Kite just nods and kisses her forehead, not wanting to put much pressure into her after what she just went through. After regaining composure, the priestess sighs and looks at her beloved with a reassuring smile.
Nia: I’ll be okay. The bad things are all over now.
Kite hesitantly smiles back at her, thoughts of last night’s dream not being able to escape his mind.
Kite: …Yeah, they are.
Suddenly, they hear someone at the bottom of the stairs.
Mal: Hey, are you two just gonna get married and spend the rest of your lives on that step? We ain’t got all day.
Kite and Nia turn to see their friends waving at them. Kade and Imtura are snickering because of Mal’s joke while Tyril shakes his head in disappointment. Threep and Loola flutter towards Kite and Nia with grins on their faces.
Threep: Come. There’s much to do.
The couple nods at the two nespers before descending the stairs to meet up with the rest of the group. As all of them head towards the main hall, Kite notices troubled faces on his friends, realizing that they must’ve seen something similar to what he saw last night. Knowing that they might be hesitant in sharing, he decides to share his experience.
Kite: Guys, I have something to say…
Kite halts behind his friends as they all turn towards him.
Tyril: Is something the matter, Kite?
Kite grits his teeth but reluctantly speaks up.
Kite: I don’t think we’re done yet… There’s still more about the Shadow Realm we do not know.
Everyone tilts their head on confusion.
Kade: What do you mean?
Imtura: Yeah, we kicked the Dreadlord and his goons’ asses while we were there.
Kite shakes his head.
Kite: It’s not just them… There’s something else in that damned place…
He clutches himself, shivering while the thought of Whitetower in ruins fills his mind. Nia steps up to hold and comfort him.
Nia: Kite, is this about that bad dream you had last night?
Kite looks at her and nods in terror.
Mal: What exactly did you see?
Kite gulps, trying not to hurl.
Kite: I was warned about a great danger coming from the Shadow Realm… After wielding the Blade of Light in there, I seemed to have attracted the attention of a far more threatening foe… the Empire of Ash, if I recall.
Threep and Loola’s eyes start to widen in dread.
Loola: D-Did you just say…?
Threep: The Empire of Ash…?
The group notices the nespers shivering in fear, as if they know more than what the others think.
Kade: Wait, what is the Empire of Ash?
Threep gulps and tries to speak but is too horrified. Loola steps up and speaks up instead.
Loola: The Empire of Ash is an ancient enemy that preceded the Shadow Court. Some stories say that they had fought against the first generation of the Elven Empire, but others say that they are the Elven Empire itself before being usurped by their foes who fought for righteousness. Whichever you look at it, they are far worse and more dangerous than the Shadow Court, nay, even the Dreadlord himself.
Threep coughs and finally talks.
Threep: And if Kite is saying that they are coming once again, then this Realm is in great danger.
Tyril: How come I’ve just heard of them now? Their history should’ve been written in the elven archives.
Loola shakes her head.
Loola: All records about the Empire had been erased during the war against the Shadow Court. All of them, gone.
Mal: And since you and Threep are the only ones from that era, only you two knew about it?
The two nespers nod.
Imtura: What else do you know about the Empire?
Threep: I heard that the Empire was led by the one called “Fateseeker”, an individual with unimaginable power, able to lay waste on a civilization within minutes.
Shivers travel down on the group’s spines upon hearing what Threep said.
Kade: How did the Empire fall?
Loola: Rumors say that a single elf who wielded the power of both Light and Shadows was able to push back their forces and eventually, banish them in the Shadow Realm.
Threep: The elves of our time believed that the Dreadlord and the Shadow Court were merely just pawns of the Empire.
After this huge revelation, everyone in the group is taken aback and tries to process what they’ve just heard. Gritting his teeth, Kite stands up straight and walks past the group.
Nia: Kite? Where are you going?
Kite: The prisons. I’m paying him a visit.
The group realizes who Kite is referring to and goes after him.
Mal: You sure, kit? We still don’t know if you’re dream is just… well, a dream.
Kite: I’m certain. He’s spent twenty years of his life in the Shadows, so he must know something about the Empire.
Soon, the group arrives in Whitetower’s lockup, standing in front of Aerin’s cell. He scoffs at them.
Aerin: Have you come here to mock me before you all return to your normal lives? That’s petty, even for me.
Kite: We’ve come here to ask you a few things.
Aerin raises his head with a smirk.
Aerin: Oh? What more can you ask from me? The Dreadlord and the Shadow Court are gone. You have nothing else to interrogate out of me.
Kite: What do you know about the Empire of Ash?
The prince raises an eyebrow.
Aerin: Ah, I see. I thought the Dreadlord was just exaggerating when he said that he serves a far greater power than his own.
He stands up and walks up to the bars of his cell.
Aerin: Alright then, Kite. I shall entertain you.
He then smirks before continuing.
Aerin: While planning for the Shadow Court’s return, the Dreadlord has mentioned about the Empire a couple times. He said how he needed a vessel who is prominent in Light Magic in order to act as the beacon, signaling the Empire.
The prince turns to Nia, who backs away while Kite steps between them. Aerin chuckles and continues.
Aerin: Even with the Dreadlord’s demise, he still was able to fulfill his goal… all because of your foolishness.
Insulted, Kite attempts to charge at Aerin but his friends hold him back. The former prince just laughs before sitting at the corner of his cell.
Aerin: That is all I can offer you, Kite. If you want to know more, you could pay the dwarves of Zaradun a visit, that is if you can find one at all, since they’ve been missing prior to the rise of the Shadow Court.
Kite grits his teeth before breaking out of his friends’ hold and taking his leave. The rest of the group follow him.
Kade: Kite, where are you going?
Kite: The Zaradun Wastelands.
Nia grabs Kite’s arm and stops him in his tracks.
Nia: Kite, why are you so intent on stopping the Empire?
Kite breaks into tears.
Kite: Because it’s my fault why we have to deal with them in the first place!
The group falls silent as the elf continues.
Kite: I brought the Light upon the Shadow Realm. The Empire is returning because of me. I have to make up for my mistake.
Kite clenches his fists as they tremble.
Imtura: Why is it that there’s something else you’re not telling us?
Kite gulps.
Tyril: Kite, tell us. Please.
Kite sighs and gives in to his friends’ pleas.
Kite: I… saw something else after being warned of the Empire…
Threep: What was it?
Kite looks around Whitetower then at his friends.
Kite: Whitetower… in ruins… burning… while a dragon looms over it…
There was a long silence as the group stares at Kite in horror.
Mal: What did you just say…?
Mal, knowing that his sister lives in the capital, grabs Kite’s collar.
Nia: Mal, what are you doing?!
Mal: What about my sister, Kite? Is she still alive in this dream of yours?
Kite doesn’t answer, uncertain of the fate of Whitetower’s inhabitants, further angering Mal.
Mal: ANSWER ME, KIT!
Tyril grabs Mal’s arm and gives him a concerned look. The rogue comes back to his senses before letting go of Kite.
Mal: I’m sorry, Kite. I don’t know what came over me… it’s just… I’ve already lost enough… I don’t wanna lose anyone else.
Kite shakes his head.
Kite: It’s okay. I understand your frustration. I think… we just need to clear our heads and plan out what we should do next.
As the rest of the group nods at what Kite said, Imtura is at the back, trying to connect the destruction of Whitetower in Kite’s dream and the destruction of Flotilla in her dream.
Nia: Imtura?
The orc is snapped back into reality as she looks at the group staring at her.
Imtura: I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m concerned for my family as well.
The group nods at what she said before Kade steps up with a suggestion.
Kade: Okay, come on. Group hug. We need to keep our spirits up in the fight ahead.
Kite smiles at his brother before placing his arm over his shoulder. The elf looks at the rest of the group.
Kite: Kade’s right. We’re all in this together.
Nia joins and places her arm around Kite. Tyril joins right after.
Nia: No matter the threat, we can handle it.
Tyril: We have done it once; we can do it again.
The four of them smile at Mal and Imtura, waiting for them to join. The rogue and orc roll their eyes before reluctantly joining the hug.
Mal: You all are hopeless optimists.
Imtura: But the same can be said for the both of us.
As the group laughs at the comment, Threep and Loola land on Kite and Nia’s shoulders, respectively.
Threep: We are all still millennia away from defeating the Empire…
Loola: But that shouldn’t stop us from saving the realm.
Kite looks at the determination present in his friends’ faces.
Kite: Let’s get this done!
Everyone: YEAH!
Suddenly, the moment was cut short by an explosion heard from a distance.
Mal: What was that?
The group turns around the corner to see smoke coming from the castle. They rush back towards it, curious and worried as to who or what caused the explosion. Upon reaching the throne room, the group spots King Arlan, surrounded by his guards, standing face-to-face against a dark figure. Nia’s heart sinks as the mysterious figure looks exactly the same as the one she saw in her vision. She begins to collapse but Kite catches her in his arms.
Kite: Nia, are you okay?
While the group helps Nia on her feet, King Arlan speaks with the dark figure.
King Arlan: Who are you?! And what business do you have against my kingdom?!
The figure unsheathes their sword and conjures five copies of it before having the swords hover around them. Tyril immediately recognizes the unique magic used by the figure.
Tyril: Impossible. How is he alive after all these years?
Mal: You know him, elf boy?
Tyril grits his teeth and unsheathes his own sword.
Tyril: He is a former member of the Shadow Court… Sir Laundsellyn, the Deserter!
The figure turns towards Tyril and grins.
Sir Laundsellyn: “Deserter”, eh? I am grateful that elven history gave me quite a title.
While Imtura and Mal join Tyril and unsheathe their weapons, Kite hands Nia to Kade.
Kite: Take care of her.
Kade: Don’t worry. Kick Laundsellyn’s ass.
The elf grins at his brother before joining the others.
Imtura: What’s this guy’s deal?
Tyril: Prior to the purification ritual two thousand years ago, all of the members of the Shadow Court were cornered and eventually banished to the Shadow Realm… All, but one.
Mal: Sir Laundry boy?
Tyril nods.
Tyril: He was tasked with hunting down the Priestess of Light and succeeded but was never heard from again when he was supposed to join the other members of the Court during the final battle of the war.
Imtura: Oh, so he’s not a “deserter”. He’s a coward!
Sir Laundsellyn scoffs.
Sir Laundsellyn: Spare me your insults. I’d known from the beginning that the Court will fail. So, I fled, avoiding my banishment. I was thinking far ahead than any of them, even the Dreadlord himself.
He starts walking towards the King.
Sir Laundsellyn: My purpose now is to serve a far greater power… the Empire of Ash…
Anger rises among the group upon hearing the mention of the Empire.
Imtura: Anything we should know about this guy, Tyril?
Tyrils shakes his head.
Tyril: No, the elven archives did not mention a lot about Laundsellyn, except only for being part of the Court and his betrayal.
Kite: I guess we’re on our own here.
Tyril: We need a distraction.
Kite smirks as he puts a hand on his waist, but Mal grips the elf’s shoulder.
Mal: Don’t. You. Dare.
(Author’s Note: Kite’s not much of a Seductive Skill combatant . 😅)
Kite chuckles.
Kite: Don’t worry. I’m not that type of fighter.
He then holds out his hand, materializing the Blade of Light in his grasp.
Kite: I’ll take him on easily.
Mal, Tyril and Imtura grin.
Mal: Oh, right. I forgot we have that now.
Tyril: An agent of the Shadows like him won’t stand a chance against your Blade.
Imtura: Go get ‘em!
Kite nods as he dashes towards Laundsellyn who turns to him.
Sir Laundsellyn: Oho? What do we have here?
Kite channels the power of the Light present within the Blade before swinging it at the former member of the Shadow Court.
Kite: This is your end!
However…
CLANG!
…Sir Laundsellyn stops the Blade with only his finger, leaving everyone in utter shock and silence.
Tyril: …T-That’s… not possible…
Kade: How?! He’s a soldier of the Shadow Court!
Laundellyn smirks and pinches the tip of the Blade.
Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, I’ve been wondering where my Blade has been all this time.
He then kicks Kite on his gut, causing him to loose grip on the Blade as he is propelled across the throne room.
Imtura: Kite!
Mal rushes to Kite’s aid while Tyril and Imtura ready themselves.
Mal: Kit, are you okay?
Kite coughs and glares at Laundsellyn.
Kite: Your Blade? What are you talking about?
Laundsellyn chuckles as he holds the Blade properly with its hilt.
Sir Laundsellyn: The Blade of Light has always been an heirloom to my House. Being a descendant of the one who wielded the power of the Light and Shadows, I cannot be harmed by the Blade.
Suddenly, something comes to Threep’s mind, as if he’s starting to remember a lost memory.
Threep: I remember now… You’re the prodigal son… of the House I once served!
Laundsellyn spots Threep behind Kite and squints his eyes.
Sir Laundsellyn: Tch! I thought I made sure you’d forgotten everything about my House, Pompedorfin.
Threep hisses at him.
Threep: Mind your tongue, traitor! You were the reason why House Nightbloom became extinct!
Upon hearing the mention of his own House, Kite’s eyes widen.
Kite: Threep, what do you mean?
Loola: Threep once told me about an heir to House Nightbloom, who is slothful, despite being skilled in almost everything. He stole their heirloom and left without a trace in pursuit of his own selfish goals.
Laundellyn sighs.
Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, yes, the nostalgia of those days...
He scoffs as the power of the Shadows surge through him.
Sir Laundsellyn: Well, if you must know… My real name… is Lucius Nightbloom.
----- END OF CHAPTER -----
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