#/verse: second chance

[mithosofcruxis]

(continued from Here)

@andyouthoughtdirtwasold

Yuan had always been good at seeing through him. It didn't matter if his eyesight was gone or not. It just came with how long they'd known each other. How much they'd talked and interacted. And how much they hid from each other, often to little affect.

"If you come, I'll give you a whole day," He said with an audible chuckle. It was a little nervous and usually only came when he felt uncomfortable with something, "I'll even give you back all of the contraptions you're working on."

Mithos had been prepared to use them as leverage to make him go if he'd said no. But since Yuan was being so generous, he supposed he could be honest.

[blighted-lights]

quick warm-ups of some more shockwave and clone ravage (ft an unimpressed starscream)! which you can see more of here and here <3

[dayglow-company]

While Joseph, Miran and Moriko all talked, something... Weird happened. Weirder then usual. There was a glow that came from Joseph. A glow that was connected through a tether that had been connected to him by Qi and the many wonders that it brought by masters of its craft. It snagged him and the other two, and then, like a fishing rod, pulled them roughly to a reality they were not supposed to be in.

They landed roughly in front of great stone walls and a gate with fractal protections and inlaid with images of many kitsune bowing and scraping on the floor in either worship, or in deference.

They were certainly not in Kansas anymore.

The feeling was strange and before either of them could do anything they were yanked away. A normal day now turned upside down as the two barely had time to think before they arrived, and what they saw they couldn't believe.

Moriko and Miran recognized this from stories that they use to be told and read. This was a lot like what they thought ancient human sects might look like. The two were a bit in awe, and a bit ashamed that they were in simple clothing. Though the images did make them feel a little uncomfortable.

"Joseph, we should be careful here. Something powerful has brought us here, and this might be our ancestors afterlife." Miriko said hoping he'd take her caution seriously.

[luluy33art]

idea it like the CSC idea, but instead of waking up in her body, she wakes up in the body of R!Chloe.

Omg THE crossover fr

More AUs lore and info on Patreon | Kofi! ^^

[fayedartmouth]

Also for @glitterypantsflowersgiant, some suicidal mindset JJ on the trip over to Morocco. This is part of my fix-it, with an expanded boat scene that makes waaaay more sense. This is JJ before he finds the alcohol.

It would be easy, right?

To just be done.

Hell, it should have happened a dozen times already.  If they’d just left him there, let him bleed out or drown in the ocean.  Groff wouldn’t have told anyone; his body would have been lost at sea.  John B would have taken it hard – too much like his dad – but he would be at home with Sarah.  With Pope and Cleo and Kie.  He would have been okay – rebuilding his life right now.

Why not before that?  Why not back at the riot?  He could have turned himself in, right?  Or shit – make a run at the cops.  They would have shot him.  Maybe Kie would have sued them, gotten a payout to buy back Poguelandia.  He wasn’t worth much in life, but maybe in death.

Maybe in death.

The idea, now that he gave it hold, wouldn’t let go.  He felt it taking root.  

No, he felt the roots that had always been there.  The ones he’d tried to deny but could never pull free.  He’d thought this for years, but always found ways around it.

There were no more excuses.  There were no more justifications.

The sum total of his life was more bad than good.  He wasn’t worth the time or space.

He could have just let go.

He <i>should have</i>.

The dive.  He could have never surfaced.

The race.  He could have been run over on the bike path.

Falling over the edge of the boat, face first in the water.

And all the times before.  Why didn’t Luke just end it?  Why didn’t he just finish what he started?

Why didn’t Groff just kill him as a baby?  Let him die in his mother’s arms?

He could have been buried with her, safe and secure in the mausoleum.  It would have spared them all so much trouble, so much grief.

Even now, he stood on the bow and looked out at the water and wondered.  What would it be like to jump?  So far from land?  

It wouldn’t hurt.  The water would be cold.  It wouldn’t take long to lose feeling.  If he wanted, he could fall asleep first and just drift.  He wouldn’t know he was drowning.  He would just be gone.  It would just be done.

It wasn’t the first time he’d had that thought.  It wasn’t the first time he’d thought that having it be over would be the easier option.

It was just the first time he wasn’t sure if he could stop himself.

He found himself, fingers gripping the edge.  Breathing hard, ears ringing.  Vision blurring.

<i>Jump.  Just jump</i>.

He was shaking, his stomach fluttering at the possibility.

<i>Do it for them.  If you love them, do it for them</i>.

[kindahoping4forever]

Malum having A Moment in Milan

[advertisesouls]

[ @praeteritus-memories || plotted starter! ]

They say that soulmates can sense when their other half is no longer a part of this world.

Perhaps that's why, as she was preparing yet another delicious meal for them (with a special portion of their latest victim mixed in for good measure), all she could feel is a suffocating grip around her heart that causes the plate in her hand to drop and shatter to the floor beneath her and her knees to give out from underneath her. Dread shortly sets in as well, wrapping around her tightly like an unwelcome embrace from her worst enemy. This is something that she hasn't experienced at all, and for all of these emotions to be surging forth at once is completely overwhelming, almost to the point where she can barely even think.

No, this couldn't be it, could it—? Had their luck finally run out...?

What other explanation could there possibly be, though? Alastor hadn't returned home when he said he would, and while she assumed he'd be home soon, it's never been like this.

Hesitantly, and uncaring for the ceramic shards, she crawled over to the nearest window just to glimpse out of it. In the distance, she could see flashes of light peek out from the trees along with the sounds of dogs barking in the distance.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck—

Scrambling back up to her feet, she dashes over to Alastor's gun cabinet to retrieve a shotgun and—

The last thing she remembers is after telling Alastor that she loved him that she'd see his murderers in Hell, then she pulled the trigger, and...

And then there was nothing for a long time. Had she somehow entered the cycle of reincarnation, even with her list of horrific deeds behind her? (That was something she would laugh at, especially since she knew her soul was too far gone already.)

Maybe that's why her head feels like it's been filled with rocks and her body weighed with lead. A single crimson iris opens to a sky painted blood red and that's when both of her eyes shoot open and she sits up, though her weight feels... off somehow. Her back's aching, almost as if it's on fire until she reaches behind her, talons brushing against her feathers and it's then that all too familiar feeling of dread starts to set in again.

Hurriedly getting to her feet, even with stumbling a few times due to needing to get used to the fact that overall weight and physiology has changed considerably, she races over to the nearest reflective surface—a destroyed storefront's glass window to look herself over. What was once long raven hair, round hazel hues, and beige-colored skin has now changed into a deep scarlet overall along with oranges and yellows mixed within, akin to that of the legendary phoenix from the myths she'd hear as a child. Along with that is a set of haunting ruby irises, devoid of pupils.

Just... just what is she? Was this the Hell she knew she was destined for all along?

But then, as much as they teased the other about it, where is Alastor? Is he here, too? Or, if in a cruel twist of fate, was he the one sent to Heaven while she languished in Hell?

The Gods, if she even still believed in them at this point, would be that cruel to do that.

Though, it's not like she can ruminate any further on that as she can hear the sound of something behind her, which causes her to clumsily grab at a snapped pole, itself clattering to the ground beneath her as she's not used to her talons quite yet.

Well, shit. Maybe she can run—? (Oh, and make herself look like a fool in the process, too, what with needing to support herself against the wall right now.)

Either way, whatever kind of hell this was, she could still fight to live another day, and as she pushes off the wall, she nearly trips over her own feet before trying to run to whatever resembled safety.

...That is if there is any safety to be had in a place like this.

[beanswrites]

Who I Should've Been

ya'll the idea for this popped into my head as i was writting the first chapter of my Peter B. Parker fic (soon on ao3!!) and i just had to do it immediately

i know it's just like a drabble but lmk if you want a whole, one-shot version, i think this has some VERY GOOD angst, second-chance romance potential

also brace yourself this is ANGST angst, i know there's no like major death or anything but it still HURTS😭😭😭

pairings: Peter B. Parker (from Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse) x fem! reader

tags: angst, regret, hurt/no comfort, kind of a cliff-hanger??

summary: Peter is your ex-boyfriend, which you broke up with because he never put in much effort into your relationship. Seven months later, you find Spiderman on your rooftop after one of his patrols.

requests are open!! | masterlist | rules for requesting

It was a cold night in NYC, usual for November. You had just gotten off from work and were in a desparate need for some fresh air, so you made way to your building's rooftop.

It wasn't particularly nice - nothing that would get people to come regularly. Especially you. This place was your secret place with Peter, that jerk of you ex who didn't bother once to call and ask you how you've been in the last seven months. Seven fucking months since you got in a fight and broke up, and he never even asked you how you've been.

Yet, it seemed like the only option, so tonight, it wouldn't matter. He wouldn't matter.

There was another figure out there - one of your neighbors, you assumed, sitting on the edge of the rooftop with his head in his hands, looking over at the city lights.

Wait, was the figure... Wearing a mask?

"Oh, Mr. Spiderman, hello! What.. are you doing here? Any villains? Oh, god- Should I leave?"

Spiderman seemed equally as surprised and starstruck to see you as you did him.

"No, uh, no! Just, on patrol.."

You didn't believe a word he said. You knew very well how to spot a man in despair - and he looked like one.

"Could I.. sit here?"

"Sure."

You sat next to him, wallowing in the beauty of the many lights. The silence between you two was uncomfortable, since it was obvious he had something weighing heavy on his mind.

"Are.. Are you okay?" You ask, unsure whether you should try and pride in.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm.. I'm gonna be okay."

"You don't look fine to me..."

Spiderman bit the inside of his cheek, like he was struggling to say whathever was wrong.

"I, just... Going through a break up"

"Yikes. Bad one?"

"Yeah. Pretty bad."

"Me too. I know it sucks, but it'll get better over time"

He chuckles sarcastically, shaking his head. If only you knew...

"No, not really. Not for me, at least"

"Aww, come on! It will get better, it always does-"

He cut you off sharply, a stern look in him.

"No, it never does. Not when you fucked up as bad as I did. Not when... Shit, not when you lose as much as I did."

An uncomfortable silence reigned. You felt bad for him, but in the end, you could relate. You, too, were trying to heal from a break up that broke you.

"You love her?"

He looks at you. His eyes are covered by the mask and yet, you feel how he's looking at you: full of regret and sadness.

"More than anything... But I fucked up. She won't take me back."

You nodded, your gaze returning to the city skyline.

"What about you..? You miss him?"

Please say yes. Please say you've been a wreck without me like I've been without you.

"Well, it's... Complicated. He was the greatest love I've ever known but.. He just wasn't there for me. Ever. And it eventually got too much for me. His abscense, his lack of attention, everything. It's been a long time, and I think I moved on pretty good. But.. But I still miss him sometimes."

Spiderman smirks.

"He must be an idiot"

You chuckle sweetly, enjoying your time with the superhero.

"Yeah, I guess he kinda was. It's one of the things I loved most about him"

He smiles sadly, suddenly getting up.

"I should go now, got some bad guys to catch. You take care of yourself, alright?"

All you could do was nod before he swung from your building onto another, and then another, and then another....

Maybe it was just your imagination, but the sound of Spiderman's voice sounded awfully comforting. Awfully familiar.

that's all for this one (or is it???)!! thank you sm for reading, follow for more! and lmk if this should be a one shot!! <33

[mithosofcruxis]

Mithos knew his choice of words would have some sort of effect, but didn't realize that it would cause such a funny reaction. He was so shocked it reminded Mithos of the days with the real Martel still walked around and he'd poke at his brother-in-law. Martel would scold him and Kratos would give him a look.

Those were the days. Days that were behind them and long gone. But now they had new days. Days where maybe they could allow themselves some sunlight to make up for the shadows they cast on themselves.

Mithos picked up the device as Yuan nudged it with his foot. "Look, doing anything resembling bonding with you is like having to take a laser shot to the intestines. But we need this." Mithos left it unsaid that he wanted to go closer to the Tree. He didn't know how Yuan would react otherwise.

[ @mithosofcruxis​ continued from here ]

“Sight-sightseeing?” Yuan spluttered.

He dropped the tool in his hand. It clattered onto the table and rolled away. A moment later, there was a louder clatter as it hit the floor and rolled further away. 

“Sightseeing, Mithos?” He shook his head, releasing a little breathless laugh as he felt around the floor with his foot in the hopes of feeling the fallen item and retrieving it now before he’d stand on it unwittingly later.

“I’ve got all the sights I can see right here, thanks.”

His toe touched something solid, nudging it further away and he resisted the urge to curse.

“If you want to let the light in, open a curtain if they’re not already open.”

[reyofluke-ocs]

OCs DESERVE BETTER -> Jackson & Daniel "Danny" Prescott (The Walking Dead) Danny FC: Walker Scobell Jackson FC: Daniel Sharman

"My little brother is the ONLY good thing in my life." * "He basically raised me."

Jackson and Danny grew up with parents who could have cared less about their two children, especially after their father up and left when Danny was barely two years old. Jackson primarily raised his younger brother, sometimes being driven to do extreme things to get money - things that eventually catch up and land him in juvie, where he is assigned King County Sheriff Department Officer Peyton Myers as his parole officer. Having had bad experiences with law enforcement, he is expecting her to be like everyone else - only for her to surprise him by caring. Enough that he opens up about why he seems to be in and out of juvie - it's all for the sake of his younger brother. When an ex-boyfriend of their mother's shows up and gets violent, Jackson grabs Danny and runs to Peyton's, knowing with his record he'll be the first suspect if things take a turn of the worst and not trusting the justice system, he goes to the one person he thinks he can trust.

Instead of Peyton, however, the brothers end up at her neighbor Nico Sanchez's house, who is visibly confused and concerned but still invites them in and calls Peyton, who immediately calls dispatch to the Prescott trailer. And Jackson's worst fears are confirmed: the boyfriend got too violent and police immediately think Jackson did it. But with Peyton and - to his surprise - another King County Deputy on his side, the investigation turns to the ex-boyfriend. Knowing that even though he's 18 and the only blood family Danny has left that the court will never give him custody, he begins to put a plan into place where Peyton or even Nico could adopt Danny while he gets his life together.

Knowing he did what he could and that Danny was under temperary guardianship of Peyton, Jackson takes a job in Atlanta that will also pay for room and board... just in time for the dead to rise up. Frantic, he tries to get back to Danny, but finds both the Myers and Sanchez home are empty. Jackson just survives, hoping to one day reunite the Danny... until he gets found and later recruited by a group calling themselves 'the Saviors' and their leader, Negan.

As for Danny, since Peyton wasn't home, he ran to Nico's house, where the man grabbed him and ran, the two protecting and looking out for each other until they found sanctuary in a small community called 'Woodbury' that seems to be a utopia to the hellhole the world has become. Still, he knows Nico doesn't trust the place, though he also knows the man only stays for Danny... and that the man is ready to once again grab Danny and run.

tagging: @endless-oc-creations@stanshollaand, @foxesandmagic , @hiddenqveendom , @arrthurpendragon ,@cas-verse, @eddiemunscns , @far-shores, @oneirataxia-girl, if anyone wants to be added/removed or I accidentally forgot, please let me know!

[blighted-lights]

all i have today is a humble offering of baby ravage 🤲 enjoy

[j-cloud-in-seventh-heaven]

you're telling me this kombat is mortal?

[akkivee]

so on the vein of get busy being mostly a song by kuukou, i remember when ichiro’s perfume dropped, people were saying it smelled surprisingly sweet

and then that second verse, as promiscuous as it’s reading lmao, is telling a story of having fun pushing the very best out of each other as they walk side by side thinking this is their future but it suddenly ends in pain and in this essay i will be explaining that this is song containing a lot of kuukou’s feelings towards ichiro—

[fayedartmouth]

Okay so I was skimming what I had written and found another bit I really wanted to share, lol. This is from the actual stabbing sequence in Morocco and technically it's just a novelization of the scene as it is played -- but it sets up some of the dynamics and headspaces -- and it's about to springboard into an action sequence that takes things in a different direction without actually contradicting anything we see on screen.

His head rolled a little as his eyelids fluttered.  She could feel the hitch in his chest as blood pressed through her fingers.

“It’s okay,” she said.  “It’s going to be okay.  Let me see it.”

He grunted as he shifted, hands faltering where they were grappling with the growing blood stain on his shirt.  She swallowed hard as she pulled his hands away, catching sight of the wound underneath.

It was in the same spot as before, and she could still see the inflamed skin from the first wound.

But now the cut was long and jagged.

And deep.

For the first time, her resolve didn’t just falter.

It nearly shattered.

This went deeper than she’d realized.  Deeper than she’d been prepared to deal with.

Too deep–

Not too deep.  She locked her jaw and pressed her fingers down.  He jolted at the contact, his whole body trembling as he cried out.  The pain was clearly reaching a crescendo for him – too much.  For JJ, it had always been too much.  And the universe kept demanding more, like a penance he could never pay.

“Don’t move,” she said, willing him to hold on.  For her.  For their friends.  For the future they were going to build together.  “Don’t move, don’t move.”

She begged it now, voice breaking despite her best efforts.  All of JJ’s near-misses.  All the times he’d been reckless.  And now he was gutted for playing it safe?  Why would the universe penalize him for finally learning his lesson and doing the right thing?

She was shaking, too, now, as JJ trembled, and she forced herself to breath as she reached her other hand up and placed it on his shoulder.  She looked up, trying to keep her tears in check, because she couldn’t afford to be scared.

Not when he was so close to slipping.

Not when he <i>was</i> slipping.

His blue eyes were hooded as he looked up, looking at her through the mess of his bangs.  His face was pinched, and she could see him giving up even before he spoke.

“JJ, please,” she said.  “It has to be.”

Because he didn’t know, did he?  He didn’t know she couldn’t live without him?  He had no idea that all she’d ever wanted was him – no money, no riches.  Even Poguelandia came second.  He hadn’t known he was her treasure and had been from the start.  Just him.

“Hey,” he stuttered, gasping for air as the blood pulsed against her hand.  “Hey.”

She met his gaze and wished she hadn’t.  Something had settled in his expression.  Something had solidified.

He smiled.

“I never told you my wish,” he said.

Her heart thundered in her chest at the impossibility of it all.  She kept her hand pressed on the wound, but he was slipping away from her more every second.  She was losing him because Groff didn’t know how to love a son.

She was losing him because JJ didn’t know how to love himself.

“No,” she said, her own control starting to slip.  “JJ, it’s okay.”

He seemed to find it, some last reserve as he settled back.  He blinked at her, still smiling.  “I already got it.”

It was his closure.  It was his ending.

All the times he’d fought to survive.

This time, JJ was giving up.

This one.  Last.  Time.

“No,” she sobbed, unable to keep it in check now as her head fell and the emotions overwhelmed her.

But he was steady.  He was sure.  “I already got my wish,” he said, voice thin on the Morocco air, but as certain as anything.  “Everything I wanted.”

She looked up, tears on her cheeks and throat constricting closed.  “No,” she said, willing him to fight.  “Please.  Stay with me.”

The pain took him again, stealing his breath as his head dipped back.  His face contorted.  “Okay, okay–”

“Stay with me,” she said, because he’d never denied her, not once since they started dating.  He’d given her everything he had with nothing held back.

Except, the horrible truth came to her, this time he had nothing left to give.

He’d lost it in the Enduro.  He’d left it at the bottom of the ocean.  Luke Maybank had swooped in to take it, and Chandler Groff had cut it out of him.

JJ had been giving all he had for his whole life, getting nothing in return.

And he was spent.

He was done.

“Stay with me,” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.  For more, for one last time.  “Stay with me, please.”

Because what was life without him?  What did it mean if he wasn’t there?  How did she hold on when he let go?  If his story was over – then she didn’t want to know where hers went.

He rallied, for a moment, bringing his gaze back to her.  

For a second, she thought he could do it.  She thought he could pull himself together.  For her.

But his words broke her entirely in two.

“Take care of the others,” he said, like it was that simple.

Denial swelled up, too hard and too deep.  “No.  <i>No.</i>  That’s not what this is.”

Something went dull in his gaze, and she felt the tension as it started to leave his body.  He kept his eyes open, but only just, as he said, “I love you, Kie.”

He’d said it before, of course.  

But he’d never said it first.

He’d never told it to her without hearing it first.

Because he was scared of the future that built for them.

And now he said it because he knew there was none.

She wanted to scream.  She wanted to rage.  She wanted to shake and tell him no, he couldn’t do this.  He couldn’t just <i>quit</i>.  The wound wasn’t that deep.  There wasn’t that much blood.  They could fix this.  They <i>could</i>.

But he’d given so much.  He’d lost too much.

And Kiara realized as her heart deafened her, she couldn’t ask for more.

She loved him too much.

“I love you, too,” she said, because it was the thing he wanted to hear.  The thing he deserved to hear, the thing she wished he’d believed all along.  “I love you.”

His eyes fluttered, and his breath exhaled.  His head lolled.

And, after a lifetime of holding on, JJ Maybank let go.

Kiara was still holding onto him, still holding tight.

It was unfair; it was so damn unfair.  To give this boy everything he wanted – just to take it.  To give him a family – just to have him lose it.  He’d been abandoned and abused his whole life – and now his own father had tried to murder him.

It wasn’t <i>fair</i>.

She shook him, she held to him – because she wasn’t about to let go.

And she did the only thing left to do – and screamed for help.

[duplexity]

jin's survival/war/and post-canon verse. which doubles as a rehabbed verse. when hawks offers the chance for jin to go with him and start over, she takes it. they help keigo escape the villa with tokoyami, and eventually turns herself in when police arrive on scene.

she's not thrown into a prison, however, given her mental state. instead, she's put in a mental hospital meant for criminals. there she stays for a little while, but with the state of the world, jin's power is so incredibly needed by the heroes. in talking with best jeanist, hawks, all might, and endeavor, she's offered a partial pardon (with the condition that she still seeks mental help after this is over) for her assistance in drawing out afo/tomura and helping the heroes in the fight. she bargains for a place to live after the war, and then for proper training to become a hero should she want it. they settle on terms, and jin fakes "breaking out" of the mental hospital, so to the plf, it would appear that she's on the run and laying low.

she's under the watch of the four top heroes, and wears a quirk inhibitor. only the four heroes have access to green light the inhibitor to allow her to use her quirk. after meeting midoriya, she's able to make doubles of him to help draw the league's attention away from the real thing, should the kid need some rest - since ofa can't be stolen from a double. she's also great for scouting during this time.

during the war, she's spread out across the battlefield, mainly to counter toga's version of sad man's parade - assuming dabi was able to get some of jin's blood spilled at the villa. before toga's death, jin pleads with her to let her help the kid save ochako, and then vows to save her, too.

after the war, she does as she was conditioned to do, and seeks mental treatment. she stays at a mental institution for criminals for about five months until she's deemed free to walk among the public again. the heroes live up to their word and provide her an apartment, a job, and all might himself pays for her hero training.

it feels good to help others, and that's ultimately what she wants to do/what she's always wanted to do from the start. however, she is not blind to the way the society around them treats people like her (and her friends). especially in getting close to hawks and his betrayal, she understands how incredibly flawed hero society is. she wants to change it for the better.

and so, she creates "second chance". it's a non-profit to help rehabbing villains. the foundation offers substance abuse rehab, mental health counseling, gender affirming procedures, job/resume help, living help, legal help, and so on - all to villains just trying to be better. second chance works with hero agencies, sending out advocates to crime scenes to talk to captured villains, and becomes well-known in jails and mental health facilities for rehabilitation processes.

jin, herself, is so much more mentally stable and happy, though the wounds of the past take time to heal. she and hawks work on their relationship. she visits toga, who is a part of her rehabbing process, and visits the other members of the league. she visits as their friend, and as their advocate in the trials and sentences.

[advertisesouls]

😨 - Alastor >:3c

Send 😨 to find my muse badly wounded // accepting!!

Another year, another extermination.

These were already pretty commonplace for the both of them, yet were they really necessary? Xifeng doesn't think so, especially with how greedy her fellow demons could be when it came to killing their own to add to their own power through collecting their souls. Alastor and her are certainly guilty as charged for doing just that, but could anyone really blame them for seizing an opportunity that's just right there?

Besides, it's not like this time, they'd have any issues with this extermination this year considering just how strong the both of them have gotten since arriving to Hell thanks to devouring the souls from the former Overlords who once reigned over this damned place.

As Alastor is slinging spell after spell as well as his tentacles crushing the Exorcist's attempts to injure him, Xifeng's taken to the skies in her true form and is effortlessly weaving through his tentacles along with launching superheated fireballs from her mouth directly so as to incinerate the Exorcist's wings to make it easier for her beloved partner to hit them.

Everything is going just like it normally does during these inane population control measures — so much so that Xifeng believes that they'll get away with this scot-free and be able to celebrate for surviving another extermination — until the phoenix demon notices while flying around that a group of Exorcists are gunning for Alastor's blind spot with their angelic spears all aimed for him.

"No... No, not again...!"

This was supposed to be their second chance, their second life to get it right and live——! They were going to live—!

Kicking off an already destroyed building to gain speed, she soon becomes naught but a streak of crimson and obsidian in the sky as she's silently hoping that she's going to make it there to protect him in time. She isn't going to lose him again. She couldn't lose him again, not when things are finally going their way down here!

The Exorcists give the command to launch the spears and—

"ALASTOR!"

And, well, nothing.

At least for Alastor, that is.

For Xifeng? She's caught several of the spears in her wings along with suffering quite the nasty slash across her torso that went down the span of her breast and her entire abdomen until it finally ended at her hip, causing quite a large portion of blood to pour out of her chest as she's sent flying into the rubble from the sheer impact of the blow she took to protect the one that meant the world to her. There's absolutely nothing that comes from her except unsettling silence as her clothes are torn as well as her own blood spurting out of her wounds seemingly everywhere.

Surely, this isn't it, is it...?