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ladyofthecastleproject · 1 year ago

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The Mysterious Shapeshifter

[AO3 version]

Summary:

Daisuke and Iori head to a village in danger, but their enemy is... Lightnimon!? Unable to change, Daisuke has to face an enemy without revealing his secret identity... Who's this copycat and what is he planning to do?

[Note: It's 2008; Just a funny Daisuke-Iori combo action. I like this one too!! The comical tone was half inspired in the Kizuna Drama CD]

“I’m tired from that last battle, sigh” Daisuke lied on the grass, his arms behind his head. He was watched by Iori, Armadimon and V-mon who were collecting fruits for the camp.

“I know you’re tired but could you help us, Daisuke-san?”

“Yeah, please we can’t carry all of those alone, dagya”

“I’m… not sure what to do… Having a double identity this time is making me appreciate Spider-Man, Batman, Supergirl, and other superheroes…”

He got up from the ground and walked to the group, to help them get the fruits.

“Where have you been?” Iori asked out of curiosity “Don’t tell me you didn't sleep last night.”

“Yeah, you got me. I had no peace last night” and he sighed, “Ranamon and Frostmon are out, but there’s still troops and Lekismon around. Actually I didn’t sleep because I had to fight a horde of Tyrannomon all alone. I mean, V-mon helped but we couldn’t call for help.”

“I see…”

“Lightnimon works alone. V-mon can only help if hidden or covered by a cape.”

“But… won’t the cape burn, dagya?”

“...” Daisuke glanced at Armadimon for a few seconds. Then… “That’s a good question, but thankfully it never happened.”

Suddenly, some screams were heard in the distance, coming from a village. Its villagers started to run away, so some passed through the boys.

“What the…” Daisuke said, then dropped all fruits on the group to stop a panicked EbiBurgamon, “Oi, come here kiddo! What’s wrong?”

“A-ah…!! H-humans!! Um… You must be the Chosen Children… Please save our people and town! We’re under attack…!!”

“Those guys again!?” Armadimon gritted his teeth.

“N-No… It’s… Lightnimon! He’s against us now!!” and the child level digimon started to cry. Daisuke's eyes widened when he heard that name. He looked at Iori, Armadimon and V-mon with a grimace. Then, he patted the digimon’s head and smiled.

“Don’t worry, we will talk to him. Maybe he’s under a spell or being controlled by a gear or ring. We will save your home.”

The group ran to the village, but during their way…

“Daisuke-san, shouldn’t we call the others?”

“There’s no time for that,” he replied, “Someone’s pretending to be me.”

“Don’t you think this is exactly what he wants you to do? It’s a trap to lure you and unmask Lightnimon’s identity.”

“But… I promised that villager we would help them…!”

“... I think we can do something about this” Iori mused “We’re far away from the camp right now…”

“Alright, but I can’t change here… Whatever, I will have to face the imposter as myself then.”

“Do we have a plan?” V-mon asked.

“The plan is… Not screwing up. And you know I said it to myself too.”

Once they arrived in the village, the quartet saw a very bootleg black armor digimon walking around, commanding troops made of Fangmon. Daisuke and Iori evolved their partners to XV-mon and Ankylomon to fight such troops.

“Tail Hammer!”“X Larser!”

Iori was using the Submarimon-esque Sword to attack such enemies as well, while Daisuke couldn’t do anything this time except warn the other three about the enemies coming.

“Isn’t that a good hour for you to change?” Whispered Iori.

“The villagers will be scared” Daisuke replied, “and I can’t use that weapon without changing to him”

When the last Fangmon got beaten, they proceeded to search for the fake Lightnimon. Though, it was still risky for Daisuke to take part in battles yet, especially if their enemies didn’t know he’s still alive (or was what he assumed) which could turn things a little worse.

“There it is!” Daisuke muttered to the group, and they hid behind a house “Wait, that feels like a bootleg Lightnimon… I’m offended.”

“What, you take offense to that?” V-mon said (both him and Armadimon devolve to child form) eyes squinting at Daisuke.

“I… I mean! Ken felt insulted when I copied him…”

“That’s not the time for that” Iori whispered, “We need to find a way to unmask the copycat quickly.”

“Catch’em from their back!”

“That… is a good idea, I guess...” Iori blinked twice.

“Hmm, someone managed to beat my army” they heard the ‘bootleg’ Lightnimon monologuing, and his voice wasn’t like Daisuke’s at all, “You bet it was those annoying Chosen Children.”

He wasn’t looking, and the quartet approached carefully, until…

“I GOT YOU!” and the copycat turned back, releasing from his finger a shot of dark water and forced them to dodge.

“You knew we were around, heh...” Daisuke laughed nervously.

“Huh aren’t you… the dead Chosen Child?” the enemy gasped, “So, you’re alive!?”

“I didn’t die. I was just… Stuck in some dark cave waiting to be released from that prison” he shrugged. Armadimon didn’t catch that reference, but somehow Iori and V-mon did.

“Interesting… But you think you can beat me, the grand thief, Lightnimon?!”

“We know you’re not him, cut it off” Daisuke suddenly said with an annoyed tone.

“How are you so sure, human?”

“Hmm, as we saw… Lightnimon’s appearance resembles an armor based on Lighdramon” Iori started, “And judging by this fact, his attacks should be based on Lightning.”

“Yeah, and he uses a weapon with the same motif, dagya” Armadimon shrugged.

“Right!” V-mon nodded “And he doesn’t call himself by ‘Grand Lightnimon’ but more like ‘The Warrior of Night,The Silent Knight’ by what I heard from the digimon”

“Kh!! How do you all KNOW about him?! He’s a mysterious figure! Of course I am him!”

“Then, what’s your proof?” Daisuke rolled his eyes, “If the digimon in this village had time to take a look at you, they would totally see you’re not him.”

“You brats, I will--”

“Shoot us with lightning now!?” V-mon asked, “Because yeah Lightnimon’s name comes from ‘Lightning’ which means… You’re an imposter.”

The faker was making some noises of distress until he stopped and started laughing. Louder and louder, the laughter scared the digimon duo and made the boys uncomfortable.

“You’re sly foxes” the faker finally spoke again, “You manage to know more about a myth than me. Very well, I don’t have to keep this ugly form anymore.”

And his shape deformed from a small silhouette to a man’s size. A man with water-like hair and a white suit.

“This is my real form, and I’m Splashmon, the Water-tiger Shapeshifter.”

“What should we do now?” V-mon muttered to the group, “I assume he’s a higher level than us…!”

“It’s still ‘don’t mess this up’ !!” Daisuke replied in a murmur, “We might heat things up here”

“Ok! Heating things up is my middle name!”

“... V-mon, you don’t have a middle name.”

“Are you done?” Splashmon sighed.

“No, wait a little more” and both him and Iori took their digivices from their pockets “Courage Digimental Up!”

“Knowledge Digimental Up!”

V-mon and Armadimon amor-evolved to Fladramon and Digmon, stood in front of the kids and ready to attack. Iori summoned his Submari-Sword and got on guard, just to protect Daisuke this time.

“You can’t change yet, I believe” he muttered to Daisuke “I will be your bodyguard this time. Just once.”

“ ‘Just once’ you say… You had saved me countless times already, heh”

“I’ll not keep waiting for you to finish your chit chat!” Splashmon hissed, then ran in their direction.

“Here he comes!” Digmon alerted the group, “Gold Rush!!” and he shot his drills like missiles against Splashmon.

“This won’t scratch me!” the enemy laughed, the drills passed through his body like if they were passing through a waterfall, “I can turn my body solid and liquid as I please!”

“Uh oh…” Digmon gasped, the drills came back to him, “Now what should we do, dagya?”

“Fladramon might be useless too” Daisuke babbled, “I… We have to think quickly!”

Splashmon punched Fladramon and kicked Digmon quickly, making the hero digimon duo step back.

“Any plan??” Fladramon asked, and he dodged another kick, “hurry up!!”

“We… We are thinking!” Iori replied nervously, “Uh… Fladramon is fire, Digmon is earth… They’re not good for this battle…”

If… -- Daisuke thought -- If I could change to Lightnimon we could get some advantage since Lighdra-Glaive could stunt him, and water plus electricity is not a good match…

“Ugh…” Fladramon blocked a kick. “Argh!” But Digmon received a high pressure shot of dark water and fell on the ground.

“What? Are you that weak?? Or are you trying to buy time for the real Lightnimon to appear and save you all?”

“Darn it…!” Daisuke whispered, “I should’ve changed the moment I had a chance…!” “Hmm… What if…!! Daisuke-san, I got an idea!” “You got one!? Quick, say it!” “Right… Listen carefully”

“You’re too slow to attack, to block, to do anything!” Splashmon complained, but Fladramon shoved him away from them, “Oh…? That’s a different reaction…”

“Enough!” Fladramon growled, but Daisuke approached him, the same time Iori approached Digmon, whispering something in their ears “Oh, I got it…!!”

“What?” their enemy had no interest in what they were saying and conjured a chair made of dark water “Are you planning to entertain me this time?”

“Well you will see” Daisuke smirked.

“Big Crack!” Digmon impacted his drills on the floor and caused the ground to open under Splashmon’s feet. Once the enemy fell, Fladramon threw rocks to cover it quickly.

“Did you forget I can change from solid to liquid you silly-mons?”

“We know that” Iori said with a serious glare, “But you forgot that…”

Fladramon quickly changed its form to BurningFladramon and hit his paw on the top of the rocks burying Splashmon, “ Knuckle HEAT!!”

Splashmon’s screams were heard, and steam came from the opening. Yes, they had beaten Splashmon.

“... If you go to a liquid state, we will just need to boil you until you turn into steam.”

“As expected from Master Iori hehe~” Daisuke laughed, then, “Oh, wait a second. Point your digivice to the white mist before he disappears! And then press this button to devolve him to the Digiegg stage.”

“Huh…? O-Okay!!” And Iori pointed his D-3 to the steam, pressed the mentioned button and a flash of light shot from the screen, hitting the vapor and turning it into a Digiegg, who got caught in time by Daisuke.

“There, there you faker…” he gave it a little pat, “I think Frostmon can take care of you too…”

“Huh, Frostmon is alive?” Digmon and Iori exclaimed.

“Yeah, she is” BurningFladramon returned back to V-mon form, “Lightnimon didn’t kill her.”

“He didn’t, dagya…?” Digmon returned back to Armadimon form.

“... She devolved to a lesser form and is free from the bad guys” Daisuke said, then… “Ah, we need to bring everyone back… I need to do one more thing.”

“Huh?” The three tilted their heads.

The villagers came back, after Iori, Armadimon and V-mon gathered and brought them to the village. The absence of Daisuke made them confused, and once all the villagers were reunited…

A shadow appeared at the top of one of the houses.

“Fear not, dear villagers” Iori just recognized that voice and him plus Armadi-Vee squinted at Lightnimon, the one and only, jumping to the ground.

“Y-you!!” The villagers cried nervously.

“I don’t want to cause more trouble” Lightnimon tried to calm them all down, “To be honest, I’ve been under control of an evil digimon, but the Chosen Children here broke the curse and I’m back to my senses.”

Some noise from the crowd was heard, they were rumbling about what they had just heard.

“I’d like to give my sincere apologies for what I had done” and he bowed his head, “I’m so sorry, please accept my apology.”

“So… it was what I thought that happened!” The same EbiBurgamon from earlier said, and looked at the villagers “Lightnimon was out of himself, he’s fine now!”

The villagers cheered, “We forgive you, thank you for defending our village!”

“No, no…” Lightnimon said, “This time I was causing havoc. The ones you have to thank are the Chosen Children there.”

“Thank you, Chosen Children!”

“Uh… Thank you” Iori blushed, Armadimon and V-mon were waving their paws and hands.

“Now I need to go! See you! ” and Lightnimon ran away.

“You really had to do that?” Iori, Armadimon and V-mon had caught up with Lightnimon and now they were a few kilometers away from the village, in the forest.

“Couldn’t ya tell’em the truth, dagya?”

“I wish I could” he replied “But don’t you think it’s easier to let them believe the copycat was Lightnimon and then he was controlled by some spell or evil digimon?”

“Hmm, yeah I think so” V-mon said.

“All I could do was apologize for the damage. Even if it wasn’t me, I think I had a part in it…”

“I see,” Iori nodded sagely.

“Well, I have to bring this egg to his friend so he can hatch and have Frostmon and Ranamon’s company at least.”

“... Oh, so you will have to go there first?”

“Yeah, and quickly. If we’re seen together it might be suspicious.”

“Ok. Let’s go, Armadimon.”

“Come, V-mon.”

“We… meet at the camp right?”

“Yeah, I’m not running away anymore.”

And they went in different directions.

#arc 5: hinode [concept]#digimon adventure 02 #hida iori #armadimon #motomiya daisuke #veemon

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bluerosewritings · 4 years ago

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Every Rose Has Its Thorns | Overblot!Riddle x Reader

You charged through the rose maze, cursing how loud your footsteps were. You'd heard Heartslabyul students talk about how insanely hard it was to even get halfway through the maze, but you never thought it would be this bad. Why, out of everything you could have done, did you think it would be a good idea to run into here?

Everything had gone so wrong. All you'd wanted was to help Ace and Deuce get out of their punishment - and if solving that with a duel meant helping the other students, great! There's no way it could end up worse than what happened in the Dwarf Mines, right?

You envied your past self's innocence.

In a weird way, you blamed yourself. If you hadn't opened your mouth, Riddle wouldn't have retaliated, so Ace wouldn't have decked his dorm leader in the face, someone wouldn't have thrown that egg at Riddle, Riddle wouldn't have freaked out and started beheading everyone, and he wouldn't have turned into... that. With that... thing hovering behind him like some sort of cruel puppeteer, looking way too familiar to whatever had tried to hurt you and your friends in the Dwarf Mines. Had you always been this unlucky?

Crowley had barely been able to say a thing before Riddle had cast Off With Your Head on the headmaster, then on Trey, Cater, and whatever poor souls that hadn't yet escaped Heartslabyul, tying them up with rose bush roots. Once again, you'd been the only one without a collar - maybe it was because of your lack of magic, maybe it was because you were from another world, you didn't know. You didn't hang around to find out - once Grim's yells at you to hurry up and get out of there snapped you out of your horrified trance, you bolted. Unfortunately, Riddle had noticed your sudden departure and chased after you, screaming your name.

You'd ducked into the Rose Maze hoping to shake him off. You wished you hadn't - all that you'd accomplished was getting yourself lost. Riddle's voiced seemed to be getting closer and closer by the minute, too.

"(y/n)!" Speak of the devil. The sudden shock of his voice nearly made you trip. "Come out this instant! Do you want your punishment to be even more severe!?"

Shaking off his words (or were you literally shaking?), you turned the corner. There seemed to be more and more roses as you went on - maybe a sign you were nearing the exit? Hoping so, you followed the blood-red flowers.

"(y/n)! I'm saying this for your own benefit! Tell me where you are, now! (y/n)!"

The leaves seemed to be disappearing under the red petals. A war between the two pieces of nature, two things that should be living in harmony instead being tainted by greed and ruining their peace. You had to be nearly out.

"(y/n)!!"

There were barely any leaves left now.

One last turn. One last turn and you should be--

Stuck. The roses didn't lead to the end of the maze at all. They led to the center of it.

A statue of the Queen of Hearts, like the one in the school among the other Great Seven, seemed to mock you with her smug expression. Now that you got a good look at her, she looked eerily similar to the specter haunting Riddle. Of course she did.

"So this is where you've been."

You turned so fast you fell over. Your mind couldn't even register the pain from your new cuts as you stared up in terror at the twisted form of Riddle. The boy himself seemed to be conflicted on whether to look at you with sympathy or smirk.

He settled on disappointment. "If you'd have just answered me earlier, you wouldn't be in such a sad state now, would you? Good grief."

Though he approached you at a normal pace, even that was enough to send a shiver down your spine. Desperately you tried to push yourself off the ground. Only it didn't work - you looked down to see yourself literally rooted to the floor. Following the root's path, you saw they were coming from the two rose bushes levitating by Riddle's side. No surprise there.

Out of options, you looked up at this new version of Riddle looming over you. Trying not to let your fear show, you glared at him. The look only caused Riddle's eyebrow to twitch before his emotions exploded forth.

"Don't look at your Queen that way! Change your expression immediately!"

"W-Why should I?"

"You...!" Blood rushed to Riddle's face. "Ever since I met you, everything you've done...! Causing a disturbance at the entrance ceremony, encouraging Ace and Deuce's idiotic behaviour, even managing to turn Cater and Trey against me...! I should despise every single part of you! So why...!?"

Before you could ask what he meant, the rose roots shot their way up your back, repositioning themselves so they pushed you upwards. You had no time to react - not that you could do much, your hands were still restricted, now bound together - as Riddle tangled his fingers in your hair and forced his lips on yours.

It took you a second to process what he was doing. Once you realised, you begun trying to wriggle your way out of his grip. Unfortunately, this only annoyed Riddle further - he tugged at your hair, causing you to yelp. Riddle took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Any cries of protest went ignored.

You weren't sure how long the kiss lasted, but when Riddle finally pulled away you wasted no time gasping for air. There was a metallic taste invading your mouth. Your first thought was that it was blood but you couldn't raise your hand to check.

Riddle kept your foreheads touching, his hand still in your hair to keep you from moving away. You thought you were the only one that was dealing with a lack of air, but it seemed that Riddle's power up couldn't keep him from panting.

"Why...?" Riddle looked you in the eyes. The dark intensity scared you. It was a mix of anger, regret, confusion... and something else that somehow scared you even more.

"Why did I have to fall for someone like you...?"

Love.

Somehow the ferocity of the first kiss hadn't made it click for you. Now, however, the rush of fear gave you the strength to fling your head back and crash it onto Riddle's.

Only your foreheads were connected but it was enough. Riddle yelled in pain and let go of you. You fell on to the floor but were quick to get up as the pain was distracting Riddle from his control spell.

"(y/n)...! HOW DARE YOU!?"

You make it to the other side of the Queen of Hearts statue before roots burst out of the ground and latch on to your ankles. Caught mid-run, the sudden stop causes your to fall face-forward onto the floor. More roots appear to take advantage of the opportunity, latching themselves around you, binding you to the ground.

You couldn't turn your head, but you could feel Riddle approaching, glaring at your back. You weren't sure what was worse; the foreboding sense of darkness from Riddle's stares or the crushing feeling from the roots.

By the time Riddle was standing in front of you, black dots were decorating your vision. Tears were dripping out your eyes as you were unable to stop them. The unknown anxiety from what Riddle would do made breathing even harder. Riddle gritted his teeth, still nursing his head.

"Why do you insist on being so disobedient!?" Riddle growled. "Is it just because it's me!? You have no problem listening to those first-year ruler breakers! Is it them? Did they influence you? It has to be! It's their fault!"

"No...!" You croaked out.

Every word Riddle spoke caused the roots to become tighter. The tears fell even harder as you gasped for air like a fish out of water.

"No? Look at yourself!" Riddle scoffed. "This wouldn't have happened if you'd just followed my rules! I should have approached you from the start... I should've seen what leaving you alone would do. Damn it!"

"Pl...ease...!" You could barely make out Riddle's words. A dull ringing was going off in your ears, making it hard for you to focus.

"You had so much potential, right from the beginning, even if the mirror said you were magic-less, I saw it!" Riddle continued to scold himself, unaware of your desperation. "I should've told Crowley to place you in Heartslabyul, where I could've kept you on the right track... instead you had to become a rule-breaker! Why!?"

"I'm... sorry...!" You cried out.

The words caught Riddle's ears. He finally turned to you, realising what he'd caused. Gears turned in his head before he finally spoke.

"You're sorry, what?" He tried.

"I... I'm sorry, my Queen...! Riddle...!"

Instantly, the pressure was released. The sudden rush of oxygen to your lungs made you choke. Even though the roots were off you, you stayed laying on the ground, not wanting to push Riddle into doing that again.

"(y/n)." You looked up. "Come here."

Riddle stiffly opened his arms, as if embarrassed by the act. You hesitated, unsure if it was a trap. Riddle frowned.

"(y/n). Come here, now."

Out of options, you slowly pushed yourself off the floor. You still hadn't completely recovered, so you more stumbled than walked into Riddle's arms. It didn't seem to matter - the second you hit his chest, his arms wrapped around you, holding you tight against him. The similarity to what had happened not long ago earlier caused you to tremble. Riddle didn't seem to notice.

"Thank goodness." Riddle sighed in relief, burying his face into the crook of your neck. "You're not too far gone... you just need to properly learn the rules... that's a relief..."

The smile you felt caused your skin to crawl. Riddle began tracing kisses up your neck, across your jawline then connecting your lips again.

The kiss was softer this time, a chaste one that would've made your heart race if the situation wasn't so, so wrong. Even so, the fear of angering whatever you were kissing made you lightly press back. The monster in Riddle's form pulled back slowly, a child-like smile on its face.

One hand came away from your waist and ghosted against your neck. It sighed before you felt a wisp of magic circling your neck. While you couldn't see it, you felt the new accessory adorning your neck - a black choker with a red heart outlined with gold at the front; with no clasp to take it off.

Riddle hummed in approval, happy at the sight. He wasn't as pleased when he saw the look in your eyes - a poorly concealed fear at what he'd done. He sighed, giving you a quick kiss before leaning you into his neck now instead. He raked his fingers through your hair in a soothing manner.

"I'm doing this for your benefit." He explained. "It's my fault for letting you hang around bad influences, but it's okay now. I'll make things right for you. You'll be following the rules perfectly in no time."

Riddle placed a kiss on your forehead and leaned next to your ear. He pressed a finger against the heart of your choker.

"You will, or it's off with your head."

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle rosehearts x you #overblot

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beautifulterriblequeen · 3 years ago

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B2:S - Chapter 5

Much of this series will be about the differences and additions in the novel version, and how they contribute to my understanding of story canon. But there will be character appreciation, the odd theory and headcanon, and suchlike as well.

Here be lots of Viren deets, Best Boy Soren deets, some writing/continuity stuff, worldbuilding appreciation and half of a theory, Detective Rayla, Moon Temple geeking, Claudium and dark magic, and more!

Spoilers for Book Two: Sky below.

(I know for darn sure that I wrote up a post for chapter 4, but I can't find it anywhere so I guess Tumblr ate it and I'll have to redo it at some point, but today is not that day)

Viren, my evil dude, my bad guy, coming in clutch with the worldbuilding and backstory again! If you want to know decades of information, you gotta talk to Viren. Or read his scenes, at least. Here, he seems to not sleep much when he has a big problem to analyze his way through. Solutions trump pretty much everything else in this guy's life, and he's had a really hard week with a lot of new and complicated problems. Of course he's getting sleep-deprived trying to find his way through them all.

Harrow put so much trust in Viren when he made him High Mage! He just threw himself extra hard at that Lady Justice blindfold, didn't he? Didn't really want to see what Viren was doing in his magic study, so he left Viren to his devices. And Viren has a lot of devices.

Also, this is fascinating: Viren made the secret passage to his "less official study" in Katolis Castle! And he was inspired to do so by the way his own mentor kept the Puzzle House. What else could a Puzzle House be, except a place with secret passages? Yay! secret headcanon that "the Puzzle House" is just "Katolis Castle" from Kid Viren's perspective tho

So either Viren built all of those passageways, or at least the ones to his dungeon. Which means he has to have, or know where to get, a stash of those glowing blue Moonshadow crystals. Hmmm.

I can't wait to learn more about Kpp'Ar and young Viren, btw. From this description of Viren and all his literal secret ways, it feels like another parallel between Viren and Runaan, with the whole "secretive paths, members only, insider knowledge" type stuff. Only the really cool members of this cult club get to know the secrets, and guess what, kid, you're cool now but you can never tell anyone, okay? Our secret.

Yeahhh, that'll never backfire in any way for either of them.

Kpp'Ar calling puzzles and secrets "man-made magic," though. Yes sir, knowledge is indeed power.

This chapter mentions Runaan by name, from Viren's perspective. Generally that would imply that Viren knows his name, even though assassins do not share their names, and Runaan didn't seem to give his to Viren in the first book. However, there was a scene in book one where the last paragraph switched perspective from Viren to Runaan - a technique that's very common in visual media like movies and shows and gives you that "ohoho they left the room and didn't notice this, but you do!" vibe. Using Runaan's name there in book one, where Viren couldn't see it but readers could, helps them keep track of the assassin's story arc while maintaining Viren's racism.

So in book two, in which Runaan has no onscreen scenes (alas), using his name in a scene that calls back to the events in book one helps us remember what happened in that dungeon cell. It would be a bit muddier to recall the specifics if Viren kept thinking about Runaan as "Elf." So I'm cool with the perspective nudge because it serves a narrative purpose: clarity. But I'm also enjoying the angst of considering that, somehow, Viren learned Runaan's name either during or after the coining spell. Mwa ha ha haaa. (Obligatory "Keep my pretty name outta your mouth" goes here)

Okay, back to Viren's scheming! He took the mirror because it was human-sized in a dragon lair. He knew it didn't really fit there, and that made it interesting, so he stole it. But he realized it was really powerful when Runaan wouldn't tell him squat about it - the assassin's instinct to protect Xadian secrets from human hands meant that Viren was holding a very powerful Xadian secret. And that just made him want it all the more. Ah, Runaan, if only your relationship with lying was, like, the exact opposite of what it is. Nyx could've spun Viren a believable tale in 2 minutes flat.

Also of interest: Viren considers his cursed coins to be a final fate. He expects Runaan to remain in his coin forever. With the Chekhov's coins still extant in the storyline, we can assume that they'll come up again eventually, but Viren has no current plans to do anything with his elf money except carry it around.

It's worth noting that Viren admits that he got impatient when he trapped Runaan in the coin. Runaan's first fate in Katolis was supposed to be death at Soren's hands, but Claudia "saved" him from that. His next fate was to become spell components, but Viren's frustration with his stubbornness "saved" him from that fate, too. So now he's in a coin, where no one can chop him up at all. Yay? No, boo!

We get one last line about Runaan before Viren shifts gears: he makes a point of noting for us that Runaan's shackles are still locked shut. However much of Runaan made it into that coin - body, soul, hair care products - he was magicked there, pulled right out of his restraints.

The creepy black liquid that Viren pours right into his eyes is the last of a powerful potion he got from Kpp'Ar, and its recipe is ancient! Humans used it back in the age of Elarion to see through the illusions of the world. And we get a delightfully creepy bit of description about the preparation of this serum, which makes it abundantly clear that it's a Moon magic-based concoction, harvested from eyeless vipers on a moonless night, with the threat of irrevocable madness ("madness" by whose definition, though) if it's done wrong-

Hang on. Hold up. This is a Plato's Cave reference. OH MY GOD.

No no I'm fine, this is brilliant. Sorry, sorry, I couldn't figure why there was so much description for a potion prep that Viren didn't even have to perform himself. But now I get it. I see the light. HA. I should make a separate post for this, it's amazing.

Anyway, for reference, the humans who used this serum were called the Oracles of Ophidia, and Ophidia is a taxonomy group that includes all modern snakes. Can you say "creepy ancient snake rites"? I can! Woo!

Viren activates the serum with a spell, but apparently he's never done it before. He's not sure if it's supposed to be hot and bubbly, and he worries that it's been tainted by moonlight.

Oh, I do hope so.

The magic potion hurts, a lot. Viren will do just about anything, to himself or anyone, to do what he believes is necessary. He just risked madness and blindness to find out what this mirror does! Viren. Can you just. Take a nap or something. Have a Snickers.

This chapter gives us a fun clue that I don't remember from the show: when Viren's vision clears and he can see, his reflection has white pupils and the room reflected in the mirror has inverted colors. You know where else has inverted colors?

You know who else got white pupils for a hot second?

Okay, now it makes sense! Viren and Lujanne were both seeing into the realm beyond life and death. Him with his moon magic potion, and her with her moon powers on a full moon night at the Moon Nexus. Which is Very Interesting! Is it a direct hint about Aaravos's location, or just a separate cool detail? Orrr, does it look like a direct hint because Aaravos is actually trapped in the world beyond life and death, but it's actually separate and we'll see something about white pupils again later on?

Viren really does have self-esteem issues, we all picked up on it with his rant at his reflection. He throws a fit when he catches himself wondering if he's actually worthless. In the book version of his tantrum, he shoves the mirror and hurls a candelabra instead of flipping a table. He didn't need to shove the mirror to set the fire, but it's in here. Foreshadowing that perhaps, if push comes to shove, Viren will choose himself over Aaravos? Giving Aaravos time to peek through and see that the coast is clear?

Soren, my boyyyyy. He has a rough night at the Moon Nexus because two sides of him are fighting with each other. He struggles to understand Callum's friendship with Rayla, and he also fantasizes about chopping off Rayla's head. One of these is a pretty ordinary thing to do. The other is Soren's internalization of what he needs to do to gain his father's approval. If he brought his dad a chopped off elf head every week, he'd probably feel a lot more confident because Viren would praise him a lot more.

Okay, okay, omg, is it just me, or does the "Moonshadow Madness" story, as it's told in the book, seem like Soren just doesn't know what a monsterfucker is? He thinks an elf bite puts humans under a spell. But vampires are sexy, and some people want them to do more to them than just bite them. A passionate kiss under the moonlight could look very bitey, especially if one of the participants has horns and you're already culturally trained to hate them. No yeah, I'm already headcanoning an actual human-elf kiss that got misunderstood by an observer long ago.

it's Lujanne isn't it, we all know, because what is a love spell but a sweet soft illusion, I mean how else does she get supplies for her Caldera, I ask you, and also Corvus was totally sent to investigate once and he told Soren at camp what he saw

And then back to magefam angst: Soren pretending that his sister's nose-tapping is stupid, even though he actually thinks it's cool, just because their dad thinks it's stupid. Viren, istg. Let your kids like harmless things. It's so cute that Soren taps his nose back at her, though! Like they have their own sibling code. I hope we get to see the nose tap again, especially now that they've chosen different sides. It could mean so much, that they're not too far apart yet.

Rayla knows what buttery pancakes smell like. I love this. Do Moonshadow elves have butter and pancakes, does Rayla eat a stack of eight giant pancakes in the morning? Orrrr it is just illusion food? I don't care, let Rayla have pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes. Pancakes will save the world. this message brought to you by the fact that I can't eat pancakes rn, send help

I love that Rayla is both sus of the pancakes and hungry, and that combines into a very motivated "I will get to the bottom of this" attitude. She kind of goes into Poirot Mode when she inserts herself into Soren and Ellis's conversation about Ava, explaining about the wolf's illusion leg and segueing into her claim that the pancakes taste sus. Claudia confirms she used dark magic, and Rayla is furious. It's different than the show's version in that it puts Rayla in detective mode, as the only Moonshadow elf in the scene, and boy does she take that role seriously. Also, she doesn't actually swallow the dark magic pancake bite. It ends up on the ground just like Lujanne's grubs from that earlier meal. These poor kids are so nutrient-starved. You guys gotta eat!!

Rayla's determination and prejudices and the fact that she super knows Harrow is dead all dovetail to make her try repeatedly to persuade Callum that Soren and Claudia are Not To Be Trusted. It's nice that the book keeps taking the time to point out that Rayla is Well Intentioned But Flawed, just like Callum and pretty much every other character in the show. No one is Right All The Time, no one Knows More Than Everyone Else.

Callum loving the sound of Claudia's unique voice is so wholesome. When you like someone, it only makes sense that you like all the things about them that they can't change - like the sound of Claudia's voice. Her choices with dark magic, not so much!

Claudia seems to have the same concerns Soren does about Callum's relationship with Rayla, but she comes out and asks him. The inherent possession implied in "your elf" is interesting, though. Elves are not people to Claudia. They're enemies who can be disassembled for the magic inside them. So maybe more like robots than living beings, if she knew what a robot was. Maybe she heard Soren's "Moonshadow Madness" story and realized he totally missed the kissing implications - but she didn't, and now she's genuinely worried that Rayla could kiss Callum under a full moon and enchant him to do her will. Good thing it's only a half moon, then!

Okay, Callum nervously making a puppet hand and then not knowing what to do with his hands and freaking out about itching and moving and pointy elbows is such a ND mood. The sudden stress of knowing that someone else is noticing your existence and maybe you're Not Existing Right, amirite? Ugh, poor Callum.

The Moon Temple! Omg it's so pretty in the description! Made to be beautiful and useful, full of knowledge but also allowing light and life inside (butterflies and vines). Lujanne, when can I move in, please? Also, it's all the more angsty because Lujanne is the only one who gets to see this beautiful place, but it has lots of chairs and shelves and tables, and it was meant to be used by lots of people. :(((

Claudia knows some of the runes on the walls. She isn't in a hurry to copy the rest of them down or anything, either. Her spellwriting is very precise, and she's a skilled mage. Her father would have made sure she was aware of the dangers of drawing sloppy runes, as much as he made her aware of the dangers of doing dark magic wrong. And the whole point of dark magic is that it's easier to learn than primal magic. Claudia supports her dad and their shared knowledge and life path. She's not gonna go nuts over an elf library she can't translate.

Side note: Between Claudia knowing some Moon runes and Viren building a secret passageway and a dungeon and lighting it with the same blue crystals that Lujanne and Ethari use for light--and Claudia exclaiming that she loves ruins--I wonder once more if there are really Moonshadow ruins somewhere in Katolis, which Viren has found and looted. Father-daughter relic hunting trip, maybe while Soren is away at camp? Omgsh that would be so wild!

Callum out here having a Viren moment with his "I feel powerless unless I've got magic that lets me help" vibes. God. I love their complicated mirroring. One of the hard differences between them is that Callum is very sure dark magic is bad because you have to kill stuff and take its power to cast spells, and he doesn't want to be a person who kills and takes like that. The line he walks to be nice to Claudia on their tour of the Cursed Caldera because he likes her, while telling her that he doesn't want to do her magic, like, ever, is so fine that it might as well be a shifting shadow on the ground. It's a very fitting conversation to be having during the half moon, with its tricks and little white lies.

Callum being out of the castle and his comfort zone, having to deal with the fact that the Claudia he loves is not quite the Claudia who's chasing him down across the kingdom, but of the two of them, he's the only one with a problem with this.

They say that if you really want to get to know someone, you should spend time with them outside their comfort zone - in heavy traffic, with a small baby, taking care of a new pet, trying a new skill, following unfamiliar directions, etc. While the castle is familiar territory for them both, Callum's never really found his comfort zone yet, while Claudia is pretty comfortable with her growing skill set. The creepy part starts to kick in when Callum begins to realize that Claudia's comfort zone encompasses a whole bunch of stuff that seems like it should make her uncomfortable... but it doesn't. But that'll be for a future chapter!

#book two: sky spoilers #book two: sky #b2:s #tdp spoilers #viren #harrow #rayla #runaan #callum #claudia #soren #lujanne #moonshadow elves #aaravos

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animalarte · 3 years ago

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When Ellie and Mel first met (part 11)

Part 10 - Spanish version - Part 12

It'd never be easy. Mel knew that already. But it almost seemed as if Ludociel was trying to make this the hardest possible for him. He'd send Mel only in missions where the only solution would be to kill all the demons.

Maybe it was a good thing that low demons could only be heard with mental links through miasma, unable to speak out loud most of the times. It made it easier to ignore them and pretend they were golems, lifeless dummies under the Demon King's orders. No. He wasn't his king anymore. He wasn't even acting like one. He didn't have to call him that. He no longer deserved the title. His father, Demirkan (in demon tong) , wasn't his commander anymore.

But even ignoring their voices, Mel still recognized the fear in their body language because of all the time he'd lived along them. It was hard, but eventually got over it, hardly hesitating before slicing them. It was easy to convince himself, once he realized they'd try to kill Elizabeth whenever they got the chance. He'd still have trouble against his old comrades, though. They'd call him names, and sometimes even try to talk him back to their realm. But he resisted it, knowing he couldn't go back. If his Commandments wanted to be beside him again, they could start by hearing the reason why he left. But they wouldn't, so he didn't need to hold back.

He wasn't exactly happy in his new home. But he got to spend more time with his friends and Elizabeth, and to learn more about the other races.

Also, watching over the kids was nice. It didn't matter which race they were from. It never did. Kids make friends really fast, and when they realized Mel was protecting them, they actually grew quite close to him. Specially the human kids, who had no one else in the world. They treated each other as siblings, and respected Mel like a parent. For once, the kids he looked after didn't see him as the prince, but someone that just wanted the best for them. He loved it.

Though there was one kid that he didn't see often. After Merlín got back to Belialuin, he lost track of her for a while. Then there were news of a terrible attack from the Gods (the SD and DK) to the capital of the savants. Mel and Ellie went running to look for her, and found her unharmed. She also radiated new power.

As they took her away from the ruins into a safer place, Ellie tried to comfort her for the loss of her home (which wasn't really necessary, being Merlín the girl in question), and Mel couldn't help his curiosity.

-How did you manage to escape the wrath of both leaders of the strongest races?- He asked to the half asleep mage on his back as he flew. -Why did they get so mad at the Savants of the Forest?-

-They wanted my Infinite power. I told them that I'd fight for whoever gave me the best gift. Then didn't join neither of them- She said. Mel had to hand it to her, she was very clever, deluding the 'gods'. Then she started snoring on Mel's shoulder.

Once out of danger, before Mel and Ellie could leave, Merlín tried using a technique she'd seen Mel use.

When he saw it, Mel cancelled her Blaze of Hell before it blew up in her face.

-Wha... Why do you have that power?- He asked, keeping her hands apart, so she wouldn't invoke an other flame by accident.

-It's the gift the Demon King gave me. I can use every technique from the demons now, even the secret ones- She released from Mel's grip and tried again, this time the spell went wrong. She wasn't hurt, but her face was black with soot.

-Maybe you can, but that doesn't mean you know how to control them- He said with his arms crossed, though without a frown. He wasn't angry, just wanted to make Merlín know that she didn't know everything.

Mel didn't know how she could use the techniques without darkness of her own, but he tried explaining how it worked to her anyway. He wasn't very good with spells himself, but taught her what he knew so she'd be able to do it herself. First she learned how to compact miasma with magic and a protection spell to create the Perfect Cube. Then she started figuring it out on her own. But Mel would always tell her to only experiment when he or Ellie were around. She'd need someone to help if something went wrong.

But eventually, he hardly ever could go see her. The goddesses planned a strict schedule for the fighters, so they'd only have enough time for meals and rest between the missions. The few times he got away, it was thanks to Ellie. They'd go on flights and relax for a bit, visiting their usual lake sometimes, reusing it as their refuge. But still, they were really busy most of the time.

At some point, the presence of a strange magic had appeared in the center of the forest, right behind Light of Grace. He didn't know what it was, or what it meant, but it seemed like it was specifically making it hard from Meliodas to focus on it. If it was a trick or not, Mel didn't pay much attention to it. Even as it gradually got bigger every day.

At the same time, Mel was informed that in many battles, demons that weren't the regular Red, Gray and Albiones, conformed the enemy armies, but he wasn't sent to any of those. Again, trying not to act suspicious and getting the other races to trust him, he didn't give it much thought.

This went on for years, working for Stigma. At least it was better than the decades fighting for the Demon King, afraid of having to fight his love.

One day, he and Ellie were ordered to go fight in a remote village.

-Why do you think they sent us there?- Mel asked, as they flew to the meeting point where their friends would be waiting for them. -There is nothing valuable to Stigma there-

-I don't know. They say a member of the Commandments was sighted in the area. Ludociel probably want's you to face him- She said, with a deep frown.

-That sounds like Ludociel, all right- He said, crossing his arms. Ellie flew closer to him, careful not to crush into him with her wings, and put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. The rock formations already visible in the distance, where Gloxinia and Droll were waiting.

The battle itself was a bit disappointing. Karmadios of Pity did indeed appear, but he escaped seeing that Mel was with the Fairy and Giant kings. Ellie took care of all the minor demons. Mel had told her how the mental link worked, and with her goddess powers, she managed to speak right up to them, and convince them to flee.

There were still many deaths of minor demons, and those hardly bothered Mel. That wasn't a good sign. Or was it?

One good thing was that they found new allies. Adult humans that were willing to fight along Stigma. They went back to the Fairy Forest together.

Once back at Stigma's HQ, Ludociel made an "inspirational" speech, about how the end of the war was close. Ellie exclaimed that they'd finally make peace with the demons, hopeful. But Ludociel simply said they'd annihilate every single enemy.

'Destroy all demons?!' He wanted to yell, 'Are you nuts?!!!' This goddess was talking about extinguishing one of the five races. Did he not understand that balance was important for the world? If the demons went, the goddesses would have to go too for the sake of the world. The very presences of the Demon Race and Goddess Race made that balance. The Demon King and the Supreme Deity, with their immense power, raised the level a lot, but still complemented each other, keeping that order. They had created the idea that they needed to free the world from each other, and at this pace, they might make it. Then, they could say goodbye to the world they knew.

Mel and Ellie understood this. Gloxinia too. Droll had a hard time at first, but eventually accepted it. If the Demon King knew, he didn't care enough to stop fighting. And he had no hopes that the Supreme Deity would be enlightened enough to know either. Mel would have to stop them before they destroyed the world.

But some people just wouldn't listen. Ellie told him that she'd tried explaining it to Ludociel, but he'd never take her seriously. Nor he'd listen to whatever Mel had to say, and he thought of the fairies and giants as lesser beings, so he'd think they were clueless talking about things this important. But there wasn't much he could do.

That day, Mel ate his lunch alone. Ellie had been called to the Goddess Realm and his friends were busy with their races, so he sat lonely by the campfire. He was so used to the angry and distrustful tone everyone used with him, that he was surprised to be addressed fondly.

-Heck. This is like a big piece of steel- Said a voice behind him.

-Rou- Mel said, not expecting the human to walk up to him. He was about to warn him that everyone would exclude him for talking to him, but the human sat next to him before he had the chance.

-And still, it's just like a bed of needles- Rou said, still looking at the sword. Then his sight shifted to the fire, as if avoiding Mel's eyes. -You're a demon... aren't you?- He asked with a hard expression. -I saw the magnificent power you showed in the battlefield today. What kind of person can wield such a sword with only one hand?-

-Surprised?- Mel said with a grin. He was happy, because usually when people talked about his way of fighting, it wasn't as cheerly.

-Yeah. After all, the Demon Clan fighting along side the Goddess Clan... it's something never before seen- He said, then looked at Mel straight in the eyes. -But I can tell that you're a good person- He said honestly. Mel laughed a little.

-Well, most demons think I'm the worst asshole in the world- He said, hiding the pain that the statement gave him behind a "careless" smile.

-When do you think this Holy War is finally going to end?- Rou asked, with impatient tone. As if in his short human life, he'd already gotten tired of this endless war.

-Why is the war called "Holy"? There is nothing holy about a war. Is there even a concept of good and evil?- Mel said instead of an answer. This human seemed to like him. Maybe if he managed to get him to see that demons weren't the real enemies here...

-I guess you're right- The human said after giving it a little thought. -But there's something I know for sure, Meliodas. And that is that we're allies in this war- He said, giving him a fist bump, much to Mel's relief. Befriending other races wasn't impossible.

After they finished eating, Rou went back to his human friends. And Mel felt the presence of the Commandments getting closer, fast.

He wanted to go intercept them, but on one hand Glox and Droll held him back. Mel thought maybe they feared he'd turn on them and join the demons, maybe they were stopping him because they'd finally fallen under the spell of Breath of Bless. Good thing it wasn't the case. And on the other hand, there was already someone blocking the demon's path. A single silver-haired goddess that had no intention of fighting.

He was about to jump to the air and help her, but something caught his attention. From the center of the forest, that strange feeling that had been avoiding his perception got stronger. It was clearly magical power, at the level of Ludociel. Stronger, actually, as if someone had shared him some extra magic.

The spell was obvious now. A huge white ball emerged from behind Light of Grace, a bubble filled with light, and hundreds of demons. Most were medium demons, non the less, non fighting citizens of the Demon Realm. Before even wondering how the heck all these came to the Earth and got trapped, he raced in their direction. But not nearly fast enough.

He could only watch, horrified as he saw all those innocent demons disintegrate, shouting out their last cries before dying painfully. And obviously, Ludociel was the one responsible, having the nerve of saying that Ellie had bought them time to do it right before. Even more obviously, the demons blamed it on the girl before them.

Mel jumped back where he came from, racing to get to Ellie. He could feel the power of two Commandments exploding, turning back to their primitive form. Two Indura forming from the despair.

As the rest of the demons escaped, Sarmiel and Tramiel came to pointlessly fight the Indura. Eventually, Ludociel himself joined them.

Before jumping into the chaos, Mel found Ellie within a protective sphere. It wasn't her magic, it was hostile to him. Probably made by one of the Archangels. Despite this, and the fact that this light would indeed hurt him without his darkness on, he introduced his arms into the light, and reached out for his love.

-Elizabeth, it'll be all right- He whispered to her as she woke up.

-Mel... io.. das- She muttered, half conscious. Tears filling her eyes when she saw him. -I'm sorry... I didn't know anything... I didn't realize anything... I couldn't do anything- Typical of her to blame it all on herself.

-There is nothing to worry about- Mel said, -You didn't do anything bad. Now leave it all to me. I'll figure it out- He said, but she snapped at him, getting out of his grip. Then she flew right into the fight.

-I can't... I can't let anyone else get hurt because of this- She said, eyeing the hurt bodies of the Archangels on the forest floor.

-ELIZABETH!!- Mel called out, but she didn't turn back.

-STOP THE FIGHTING- She said, getting between Ludociel and the Indura.

-You've come just in time- Ludociel said behind her, -Let's finish these horrid beasts once and for all!- He said, but Ellie just ignored him.

-I'm going to save them- She said, determination flaring in her eyes. -ARK!-

Instead of attacking, her magic flew right into the Indura, trying to purify them. The wake of her magic spread, creating extra pairs of huge wings made of pure power behind her.

-Lady Elizabeth, are you crazy?!- Yelled Ludociel, -This stupid creatures don't deserve your saving! If we don't kill them now, they'll be a threat to the goddesses. Not only that, the whole world! They'll destroy all the races. We must kill them to step closer to the end of this war. Don't you see?!! OPEN YOUR EYES- He said, as he took the moment to heal himself, just like the other Archangels below.

They're open, Ellie thought, that's why I'm not listening to you. Ellie remembered something that Mel had said once, about returning Indura to their demon state. Either it was needed the Power of the King for that, or... extracting all the exceeding darkness, assuming that the huge loss of magic wouldn't kill them. She did trust the Commandments' potential, and it wasn't like she had a choice (Mel wouldn't use the Power of the DK in broad day light, much less in front of the Archangels).

She concentrated her magic into penetrating their bodies, taking all the darkness she would with her. But in response, the Indura's reaction was to strengthen their defenses, getting closer to the appearance of real beasts. Ellie's skin was dripping sweat.

-I... won't give up!- She welled. She could feel Mel underneath, so tense and trapped she could almost picture him with his boots fastened to the floor. He wasn't moving. If he tried helping her, he'd contrast the effect of her magic. Also, no matter how much he tried to hide it, she knew he had a lot of affection for his old comrades. Seeing them in this state close to madness, it must be vary painful for him. She had to finish this fast.

-I will not tolerate this charade- Said Ludociel, his voice filled arrogance, -Sarmiel! Tramiel! This is our chance! We will finish the Commandments!- He called for his fellow Archangels, still laying on the ground.

-NO!! Ludociel, you can't!- Ellie said, trying not to break her concentration. He couldn't kill them! She had to save them! What would she do?

Meliodas came to solve her little dilemma. Having unfrozen, and before you could even see him, he stood behind her, his sword blocking the goddess' way.

-Leave them to me, Elizabeth- He said with a grin, for once able to enjoy the frustrated and angry look on Ludociel's face.

-Meliodas, thank you!- She said. But even if he bought her some time, these Indura were gaining on her.

She started talking to them, since she thought... she knew that the demons were still in there. She had to reach out to them.

-I know that no matter how much I apologize, it will never be enough. After all, it is my fault that your friends were killed- She had held the Commandments back. If she hadn't, they probably would have stopped the bloodshed from happening. Or if she hadn't been so blind before, she would have realized that hundreds of demons were being kept captive. As the princess, she should be able to stop it. But she couldn't. She didn't. -But still...-

-Lady Elizabeth! What are you saying?!- Exclaimed Sarmiel from below. -The Demon Clan is our enemy! There is no need to feel pity for them!-

-He's right! It is not worth it to save them!- Added Tramiel.

-And who decided what's worth it or not?- She claimed back. -Who has the right to decide such a thing? The light of the sunrise and the blanket of night come over everyone equally. Fairies, Giants, Humans, Demons and Goddesses-

-I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR IMPERTINENCE- Yelled Ludociel, clearly not all graceful and perfect anymore. -OUR QUEEN WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS!!-

-I do not intend to beg for my mother's forgiveness- She said. Her mother was a dick and she had enough with acting she was some kind of god.

-Sarmiel! Tramiel!- Ludociel called once again. -Come with me! All at the same time! We three will destroy de Commandments, AND MELIODAS- This time, the Archangels did rise from the floor. Mel got ready for impact, but the attack wasn't directed at him.

Two powerful beams of light were directed into Ellie, feeding her of their power.

-WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!- Ludociel yelled, desperate.

-You're actually asking us? It's obvious- Said Sarmiel, not even looking at him, -We're helping her-

-We're making our own decisions- Added Tramiel. Mel couldn't help but smile. Ellie had encouraged them to ignore their leader's orders. They had listened to her. Maybe there was hope that they could break the mind controlling spell on everyone.

-Elizabeth, NOW!!- Mel said. With the extra strength, Ellie finally managed to pierce through the Indura's defenses, taking massive amounts of miasma with them. Both demons fell from the sky.

-Are... they...?- Ellie half muttered, gasping for air.

-They returned to their original form. Thanks to you- Mel said, turning to look at her.

-What a... relief- She said, before collapsing in Mel's arms. Behind them, Ludociel charged.

-I WON'T LET THEM LIVE- He yelled, his sword ready.

-WAIT- Mel said, not being able to stop his with Ellie in his arms.

But something did block the goddess' way. He almost nosedived into the object, and went flying backwards with the crush. Once on his feet, he realized who it had been.

-Sir Gloxinia... Sir Droll... Why are you on the way?!! I'm taking the lives of the Commandments in the name of justice- He said, looking up at the huge rock covering the demons' bodies.

-That's not justice. It is not fair to kill an opponent that can't move- Said the Giant King.

-Ludociel- Gloxinia called, approaching the goddess. -Your argument is perfectly logical. In war, when people are fighting to the death, there is no such thing as cheats or justice...- Said the fairy.

-As expected of the King of Fairies! He's rational, and understands what I say!- Ludociel said, even though the fairy was now blocking his way to the Commandments.

-... But still- Glox continued, -We can't step of Lady Elizabeth's effort to save them- He said. He may not know the details, but those two had never fought to win the war, but to stop it and bring peace. And he'd support them.

-Droll, Gloxinia, THANK YOU- Mel said, coming down to the ground. -Thank you too, Sariel and Tramiel- He said to the goddesses still flying.

-We didn't do it for you nor your gratitude, and we're not interested in receiving it either- Said Sariel.

-We just are on Lady Elizabeth's side, that's all- Added Tarmiel.

And that is a lot, thought Mel, since you ignored Ludociel's orders and your queen's will by saving these demons, for being on Ellie's side. You respected and accepted her opinion better than the Supreme Deity's. That is a lot.

Mel wouldn't show it, but he was extremely grateful for their help. He hated seeing his people die, and these two were his old comrades. And now, they were saved from the madness.

-But are you okay with this Meliodas?- Asked Gloxinia with a worried look. -Even though we saved them, the Commandments won't consider you an ally anymore. They will probably try to kill you someday-

-Well, well, well...- He said with a grin. -Guess when that day comes, I'll take care of it- He said, as the demons began to wake. The two kings just laughed at his comment.

-You'll never change, will you?- Glox said, with the chuckle still on his throat. He really liked this guy. No one noticed that Ludociel was awfully quiet, as if talking to someone from a distance.

Suddenly, a strong sense of danger flooded the group.

-What is that?!- Droll exclaimed. He almost seemed... nervous.

-I've got a bad feeling about this- Said Glox, raising to the giant's eye level, looking straight into the forest.

-Something is happening in Light of Grace! We must go back to HQ immediately!- Said Droll, deciding for everyone else.

-Demons have infested the door..., and the humans have turned on us... it can't be...- Ludociel muttered, lost in thought rather than actually telling the others. At the statement, the fairy and the giant started running back.

-Wait!- Called Mel. -In that case, I'll come with you!- He said.

-No- Glox shut him. -You must stay here, and protect these three- He said, pointing at the demons and the still unconscious Elizabeth. He knew Mel would blame it on himself if anything happened to them. Then they raced back to Light of Grace.

In the second he had a moment, Mel laid Ellie on the ground beside the Commandments. He noticed that without most of their darkness, the sunlight was starting to burn Derieri and Monspiett, so he covered them with his darkness (also they were both naked, and as part of their pack, he cared for their privacy). The Underworld-like air would help them heal.

He turned his sight back to Ellie, and made sure her wings weren't under the weight of her body (the extra pair having disappeared). He searched for wounds, but thankfully didn't find any.

-Do you really think I'll just stand here and not to do anything?!- Ludociel said. Mel had almost forgotten he was still there. -If Mael isn't coming, I'll deal with you myself- He said, swinging his sword at Mel. But he was way ahead.

-Careful- He said, not even turning to look at the attacker, stopping his sword with one hand behind his head. -You might hit her- He calmly rose to his feet, snapping the weapon easily out of his hands. -And if you hurt her...- His eyes finished the sentence for him. If Ludociel had been any other person, they'd have backed away in fear.

An other strange feeling spread from Light of Grace.

-Zeldris...- Mel said, recognizing his brother's magic, his hearts skipping a beat. After all this time, when he felt him again... Also, somehow he could feel the air of the dungeons of the Demon Realm. But how?

-A demon has come through the door. This attack was a diversion. And you were part of it!- Ludociel said, grabbing a naginata and charging back at Mel. -You planned this, brainwashing Elizabeth and turning everyone against me!-

Are you NUTS?!! Mel wanted to say. This wasn't a plan! Everyone went against you because you fight in the name of bullshit. Instead of fighting me, you should be out there protecting the forest! But the goddess wouldn't listen. When he decided to hate someone, he was as stubborn and hard headed as a bull.

Ludociel was usually very agile and precise, but apparently the rage affected his way of fighting. He stumbled on his feet as Mel dodged, but his attacks were also stronger. Mel was determined to treat him like an ally, which meant no fighting back. Fortunately, Sariel and Tramiel stayed over Elizabeth, intending or not, also protecting the Commandments. They didn't join the fight, but also wouldn't move a muscle to stop their leader.

The darkness from the demon realm was getting stronger. Mel tried to think why the Commandments would want to open the gate to the dungeons, and suddenly an idea came to his mind.

-Stupid goat dad- He muttered. "Stupid" wasn't an adjective usually used to refer to this specific demon. The smartest sorcerer and engineer of the Demon Realm, who would spend a lot of time in the castle before the war, and was never free after it started. Gowther had finally gotten tired of being selfless after 500 years. Of course Zel had come. The Demon King didn't take kindly his prisoners to escape, and he'd have them executed no matter how important the demon was. He had to hurry before it was too late.

When Monspiett woke up, he first realized the amber colored hair and green grass against his face. They were back home... no. They were inside a dome filled with miasma. What had just happened? They were fighting the Archangels, and summoned their... DERIERI.

He almost panicked before realizing she was right beside him. Her wounds were healing, though her own darkness wasn't working. He realized the same was happening to him. Somehow, the miasma in this dome was healing them automatically, also recharging their lost energy. Slowly, realization dawned on him. This was Meliodas' doing.

He tried to move, but there was no use. He stayed there for a while.

Eventually, Derieri woke up too. She looked at him, then put her hand on her left arm. Monspiett didn't waist a second and covered it with the little darkness he managed to gather. Her arm wouldn't return, but he was trying to help her get over the shock.

Slowly, as they consumed more darkness, the dome started to disappear, as it's miasma ran out. Finally it was translucent enough to see through. They saw the cheater goddess Elizabeth, being attended by two of the Archangels. Also Meliodas, fighting Ludociel alone. The goddess was so angry he might as well be an Indura himself. Mel seemed to be protecting them from the goddess, though when a few lucky attacks went past him, the other goddesses blocked them.

When they were strengthen enough and the dome completely disappeared, Monspiett silently rose to leave, but Derieri hesitated. In a decisive moment, she gave a single strong hit at the goddess, who flew back to Meliodas and found a hit at the back of his head, falling unconscious. For a moment, she locked eyes with her old leader, before jumping in the air and flying away, Monspiett at her heels.

With a moment to breath and something less to worry about, Mel raced into the forest, willing to help his friends with whatever they were dealing. But he just got late everywhere.

Halfway to Light of Grace, he felt his naughty little brother with Droll. He knew the giant had no chance against Zeldris, so he went in. He found the two actually talking. Zeldris had Droll against the floor, apparently offering him something. After a long silence, Droll accepted whatever Zel had said, and rose. Mel entered, willing to defend his friend, but Droll just turned around, and started walking away.

-Where is he going? What did you say to him?- Mel asked Zel, confused.

-He just finally understood which side is best. The goddesses and Stigma hate weirdos. He'll be much happier in the Demon Realm, where he'd be accepted- Zel said, before remembering his hatred for his brother. He would have charged, but received a direct order from the Demon King. He flew towards Droll, willing to take him to his new home.

Mel wanted to follow and stop them, but if Zel had actually offered acceptance to Droll, and stepped on his pride (literally), there was nothing he could do. Also, seeing his brother, his muscles seemed to have forgotten how to fight. He kept going.

He got to HQ just in time to see Rou, covered in blood and next to a dying (or maybe dead) Gerheade, Gloxinia shooting his sacred spear towards him. Rou didn't dodge. Then the fairy flew away, following the presence of his giant friend.

Instead of following him, Mel walked towards Gerheade. From his spot, Gloxinia probably saw her and thought she must be dead. But Mel could feel her heart beating, and her soul holding on to life. Mel let her know he was here, and patched up her wounds with his darkness to stop the bleeding. She was in terrible condition, both legs chopped off, her wings torn apart, and half her face destroyed.

After making sure she was resting, he finally looked at the remaining half of the human that used to be his friend.

-Rou- He addressed him. -Were you protecting her?- He said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. -What happened here- Not only this human was his friend, someone that had accepted him after very little time knowing him. But also most of the fairies and giants had been killed. No goddesses remained. Both clans would have to rise back from the few giants and fairies that hadn't answered the distress call in Light of Grace, and were still rounding the forest.

He realized Rou's soul wasn't leaving to the afterlife. He'd be reborn, probably to stay beside Gerheade.

At that time, the cold miasma eased the pain from the little fairy's wounds, allowing her to wake.

-Me..li..o- She tried to speak, but Mel stopped her.

-Easy. It's just me- He said, taking her and carrying her back to the last goddesses in the forest. He was careful not to cause her any more pain, but water started falling from her eyes.

-Rou... bro.. ther- Mel couldn't imagine how sad she must feel. Probably just as bad as Zeldris, when he left. A jab of guilt made him almost double over. After all this time in Stigma, he still hated himself for making his brother suffer. But he couldn't think about that right now.

Suddenly, a wave of magic filled the forest, and probably beyond it. An intense pain, as if he'd been stabbed, appeared at the base of his skull. He almost dropped Gerheade, taking his hands to his head. He felt something, a spell?, pushing his will. It was strong, penetrating the thick barrier that kept anyone from reading his mind. It was trying to change his memories, to convince him of something.

Estarossa... Who was that...? Wasn't it Elizabeth's dog?... No. His younger brother... But he only had one... the one in the middle. Estarossa... he was a weirdo. He had no darkness. Everyone rejected him... But in the demon realm no one got rejected!... But the Demon King had mercy on him... Gave him a commandment... The commandment of love? But Mel had that one!... He defeated Mael...

Defeated Mael? Without darkness?... Even Mel had trouble with him... They had the same level... how could he have died?... But Estarossa... He made it. As a reward, his father gave him a Commandment... But Mel had never returned that!... But Estarossa had it.

His younger brother... He always admired Mel. Wanted to be like him. But now he'd betrayed them... and he wanted to kill him more than anyone.

He hated the goddesses. He'd been taught to do so. He used to fear them. Now he'd destroy them all. And have his revenge.

Finally, the pain stopped, and Mel couldn't recall why Gerheade was on the floor, and why he wasn't running back to Elizabeth. He kept going, but he felt something, as if something was awfully out of place, and he never would stop feeling it, like a ring in his ears.

When he got back to her, she was looking much better. She was standing, and the fatigue had mostly passed. The one looking bad was Ludociel. He'd rolled on the floor, getting dirt all over his white robes. He was grabbing his head tight, groaning. Mel had the strange feeling of empathy, as if he'd been through the same just a moment ago. He didn't pay much attention to that though.

Together, they all went to look for survivors through the forest, and gathered back at HQ. Mel didn't even realize when he went past the body of an old demon in a smashed wheel chair, and a lifelike pupped not far from it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NEW CHAPTER

These will come out more frequently now, I promise (I actually don't. I don't know how long the inspiration wave will last).

Anyway, getting closer to the time for the curse and the 3000 year voyage of pain. This should be fun!

All right, back to writing chapter 12! That one doesn't have a spanish version, so I'll have to start improvising again (though in this last two chapters I did add a lot of extra scenes, so I'm not exactly following the spanish version anymore).

Thanks for reading! You know you can aske me anything in the comments, I always read those.

Bye!

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liron-ao3 · 3 years ago

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Brilliant

A Doctor Who–Destiel–Malec Oneshot

"This is brilliant!" the Doctor exclaims. She pushes some buttons on the console of the TARDIS. "Brilliant!"

"How is this 'brilliant'?" Alec asks. "We're trapped in a TV show."

"No, we are trapped in a TV series, Shadowhunter," Yaz hisses.

Castiel huffs in frustration. "It's probably just one of Gabriel's stupid jokes."

"Gabriel?" the Doctor asks. "Oh, the Archangel. Amy loved him, but not as much as she loved you, Cass."

"Where do you know his name from?" Dean demands to know.

The Doctor rolls her eyes. "I watched the show, Dean. Crappy ending, sorry."

"You... what!?" Dean asks.

"Nevermind. That's more brain-wracking than the usual time travel paradoxes. But I'm thrilled to meet you all. Umm—what are you doing, Magnus?" She raises an eyebrow at the warlock who lets his magic run over the console.

"This is worse than the technology in the Institute," he mutters.

Alec pulls him away cautiously. "Maybe you shouldn't mess with it then, love?" he suggests, smiling strained, holding tight on his husband's hand.

"Aww, you're the reboot version. I was so happy when Netflix saw sense. And your boys are the cutest," the Doctor chirps.

"Boys?" Magnus asks.

"Doctor, they might be from episode one of season four. Look at their clothes," Yaz whispers, but it's loud enough for Dean to hear it.

"There are only three seasons of Shadowhunters," he states. "It ends when they marry and Clary loses her memories, but gets them back in the last few seconds. It wasn't the best ending, but at least the gays were happy." Dean's grin reaches from ear to ear before it falters at Castiel's stern look.

"Dean, did you watch 3b without me?"

Dean shrugs. "If you wouldn't always run out on me or die then we coulda watched it. It was on my playlist for aeons. And I needed something to distract me from… You know." He waves his hand up and down the angel.

"Jesus! That's like that time when Sam and I were in this weird Hollywood dimension, with that Russian guy that looked like Cass!"

"Wait!" Magnus says. "I watched Doctor Who for six decades and Supernatural for fifteen years—I agree, Doctor, the 'finale' was crap. But if you all know us from a show called Shadowhunters, then we must be in some kind of dimension that morphs everything into a TV series that everyone else has watched."

The Doctor claps her hands together. "The French mistake—one of my favourites!"

"No, Russian." Dean shakes his head and rolls his eyes. He always loved the Doctor and was excited for a woman to take over the role, but he thinks he might have been able to live without her enthusiasm about their little get together. They have a world to save, after all.

"Chuck has a strange sense of humour, but that doesn't sound like one of his interventions," Alec states. "Why would he put us all in the TARDIS?"

"What do we all have in common?" Dean asks.

"We're kinda humans," Alec says.

"Time Lady."

"Angel."

"Warlock. And you're not fully human either, Alexander."

The shadowhunter chews his lips.

"But you three have some kind of mojo," Dean supplies.

The Doctor furrows her brow. "You're right. Cass has grace, Magnus magic, and timelord technology is so highly evolved, it could be seen as magical. If there is a—" she trails off and points her sonic screwdriver first at the warlock then at the angel. Then she listens to her ship. "You're right," she says and putters about the console.

"Care to fill us in?" Alec asks.

The Doctor pushes a button and a high-pitched sound makes them all cover their ears. "Gotcha!"

"What?" Castiel asks.

"I know what we have in common. We all have a fam. You've got the SPN family, and you," she turns to Alec and Magnus, "your fans call themselves shadowfam. And I?" She smiles brightly. "I have Yaz, Graham, and Ryan."

"You agreed on team TARDIS, Doctor," Magnus reminds her.

"Still, feels like fam to me." She shrugs. "So…" She quirks her lips in thought. "Some blood magic, maybe?"

"But family doesn't end in blood," Dean argues.

"Right, Bobby taught you that. Wish the showrunners remembered that in season 15," Alec murmurs. Dean gives him a strange side look.

"Is something wrong, Dean?"

"Nah, Cass," he says and pulls his gaze from the intertwined hands of the Lightwood-Banes. "So, maybe some rune thingy?"

Alec pulls a face. "Could turn Yaz and you into forsakens. Maybe even the Doctor. Better not."

"Can't you just put the coordinates in and throw us out in the bunker. Or in front of it? No idea if the warding would keep the TARDIS out or not." Dean frowns.

"Wouldn't work," Magnus says. "If this dimension, or whatever it is, thinks that we are all fictional, then the coordinates can't bring us into our worlds. We might end up in your dimension. I like our vampires better."

"Awesome!" Dean groans.

Magnus curls his fingers around his chin in deep thought. "I could summon a dimension demon, but they usually demand things one would rather die than do."

"Like what?" Castiel asks.

"The last time I had to pay one, he wanted me to drink seelie wine."

"Doesn't sound too bad," Dean says.

"You've never had seelie wine. That stuff is worse than the touch of a Djinn." Dean whistles in acknowledgement.

"Could still be worth it. I mean we need to get back to our friends, and yours are surely waiting, too," Yaz supplies.

"The TARDIS is stuck in this dimension, Doc?" Alec asks.

"Yes. Positive."

"Then we should begin," Magnus says, conjuring chalks. "We all will be home soon."

***

They stand in a circle around the pentagram drawn on the floor of the TARDIS.

"We must initiate a bond. Once this bond is sealed,..." Magnus starts.

"...it cannot be broken until the demon retreats," Castiel ends his sentence and smiles softly at Alec, who blushes fiercely.

"Well, this time, I won't be the one who'll break it in a gay panic," he huffs. Yaz snickers.

Dean furrows his brow, ignoring Castiel eyeing him. He recites the summoning spell together with Magnus and the Doctor. Green flames rise in their midst. They aren't hot, but their sight hurts the eyes. A deep growl speaks to them, and Castiel turns pale.

"I haven't heard this demonic dialect in a while," he calls over the noises. "Did he say what I think he said?"

Magnus worries his lip between his teeth. "I think he did."

"I can't."

"What, Cass. What does he ask for? Give it to him. It can't be that bad," Dean shouts.

"It isn't. At least not for me." Castiel looks at the Doctor. "Any Supernatural sequels you've seen by any chance?"

"No, sorry. I got stuck at the Destiel YouTube vids. Didn't get around to checking future releases. But you two always reminded me of Rose and me, you know?" She looks sad at the memory of her lost love.

"No. A human doppelgänger won't do," Castiel says firmly. He says something in the demon's tongue and gets a rumble in reply.

Magnus nods at him. "My magic can hold the circle. But hurry."

The others stare at them. "Why doesn't the TARDIS translate his words?" Yaz asks.

"This demon is too old," the Doctor says. "Even older than evil itself. No one speaks this language anymore but angels and demon-blooded ones, as it seems."

"Lucky me, huh?" Castiel presses out. He lets go of Magnus' hand and turns to Dean. The warlock holds the gap with his magic. "I know how you see yourself, Dean…"

"We don't have time for the whole death speech. Fast forward," Magnus hisses, clearly struggling to hold the bond.

Castiel frowns at him but nods. He turns his face back to Dean. "I'm sorry. I know you never wanted that to happen. It's simply what the demon demands. It doesn't have to mean anything, okay?"

"What are you talking about, man?"

Castiel smiles at him. "I love you." And then he leans in and kisses him. It's chaste but after a moment of shock, Dean returns the kiss, and his hand cards through Castiel's hair. Thunder booms around them and dense fog separates the different duos. The demon disappears with a screeching noise and when the fog thins out, the places where the two couples were standing are empty.

"It worked!" the Doctor rejoices. Yaz grins at her. "Let's get to the boys."

"No, Mulder, this isn't a UFO. It's surely just a high-quality film set," a redhead in pantsuit and coat says as she strolls into the room.

"Scully!" the Doctor cheers. "Brilliant!"

#fandom fusion #doctor who #shadowhunters #supernatural #destiel #malec #deancas #metafiction #crack taken seriously

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emachinescat · 4 years ago

Text

The Day that Camelot Forgot

A Merlin Fan-Fiction

by @emachinescat

@febuwhump day 24 - memory loss

Summary: A vengeful Morgana casts a powerful curse on Camelot on the day Merlin is named Court Sorcerer, making everyone in the citadel forget that Merlin – and his impact on their lives – exists. She can only maintain the spell for one day, but twenty-four hours is more than enough time for the warlock to get himself into some serious trouble.

Characters: Merlin, Arthur, the knights, Gaius, Morgana is mentioned

Words: 6,444

TW: anxiety attacks, burning at the stake, main character near-death

Note: This story is a bit late, as it was meant to be published on day 24 of Febuwhump, but I got sick, and missed a few days. I did post the first half of it on Tumblr on the 24th, but this is the finished product. I am seriously considering writing a sequel, because there are definitely a lot of ramifications that I gloss over here, a lot of angsty, whumpy stuff that I could (and most likely will) expand upon in another story. But I'll let you read the story for yourself, and see if you're interested in a sequel!

Keep reading here, or on AO3!

If you enjoy, please consider liking, commenting, and re-blogging, and you can follow me for more content like this! :)

Merlin woke up to a broom head hitting him in the face, which was not how he expected his first day as Court Sorcerer to start.

An indignant squawk escaped him as he rolled off of his bed in an effort to escape the assault. He already had an insult for Arthur on his lips when his bleary eyes cleared and he realized that it had not been the king at all who had woken him in such a manner. It was Gaius, and he was poised to strike again.

"Gaius!" Merlin stammered, scrambling to his feet and dodging another blow from the broom. "What the hell are you doing that for?"

Gaius didn't answer. Instead, looking as mean and ornery as Merlin had ever seen him, the old physician demanded, "How did you get in here?"

Merlin cocked his head to one side, completely nonplussed. "I… live here? I remember turning Arthur's offer for new chambers down so I could stay and care for you – OW!"

Gaius had hit him again. "Who are you?" he all but growled.

Merlin blinked. "Gaius, you know me," he insisted, his heart hammering out his uncertainty at the pulse point in his neck. Something was wrong; Gaius might be cantankerous for his old age, and he might have enjoyed the odd joke at Merlin's expense, but never something like this.

Merlin tried again. "Gaius, it's me… Merlin." When Gaius only glared at him distrustfully from beneath two gnarled eyebrows, he added hopefully, "You know… Hunith's son?"

To his relief, recognition lit in his mentor's eyes at the mention of Merlin's mother, but distrust immediately replaced it. "I have known Hunith all of her life," Gaius said, voice low and measured, broom still held at the ready. "But she has no son."

Real fear exploded in Merlin's chest – fear for Gaius, not for himself. There was only so much Gaius could do with a broom, but if he was forgetting Merlin so suddenly and so completely…

"Ah, I'm sorry," Merlin said as calmly as possible, raising his hands in front of him to show he meant no harm. "My mistake. I'll … get out of your hair."

He darted out of his room, across the physician's main chamber, and out the door, leaving a confused and agitated Gaius in his wake. Merlin prayed that the old physician wouldn't get himself into too much trouble while he was gone, and then darted for Arthur's chambers.

***

He ran into Gwaine on the way – literally, he ran headfirst into the knight, so distracted by Gaius's sudden and dramatic loss of memory. At first he wasn't sure whose ridiculously muscular torso he'd bumped into, and despite his worry, he couldn't help but grin when he saw the bearded face glaring down at him in surprise.

Wait…

Glaring?

Merlin stumbled back.

"Watch where you're going, friend," Gwaine said in response. The way he spoke sent a wave of wrongness down Merlin's spine. He had called Merlin friend, but it was a vague, generalized term. When Gwaine normally called Merlin his friend, the word was saturated with warmth and shone with the light of a dozen charming grins. Now, it meant nothing. And when Merlin looked up into his friend's dark eyes, there was no recognition there. No smile that Merlin had come to understand as reserved especially for the knight's closest friends. Gwaine's eyes landed on him, flashed in brief annoyance, and then skirted off of him almost nearly as quickly.

"Gwaine?" Merlin asked, irritated at the uncertainty in his own voice.

Gwaine, who had already started sauntering away, turned back with a puzzled expression. For just a moment, Merlin was sure that kind, mischievous face was going to open up in an eyes-to-mouth smile like it always did upon seeing him, but then the brow furrowed, and Gwaine asked, "Do I know you?"

Merlin opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He stood there, gaping like a fool, his whole body coiled as if ready to spring into action, limbs numb, fingers trembling, fear wrapping its constricting tendrils around his chest.

Gwaine gave Merlin an odd look, then shrugged. "Maybe we drank together once."

Merlin nodded weakly, remembering not just once, but many times he and the man before him had gone to the tavern together, often with the rest of the knights, sometimes even the king, in tow. He thought of laughter, and promises of friendship and loyalty, and tavern songs and Gwaine standing on top of a table doing a clumsy jig. He thought of the first time they'd gone to the tavern after learning of Merlin's magic, how Gwaine had asked him a million questions that had gotten more idiotic with every drink. ("No, Gwaine, I have never tried to transplant my nose into the center of a rose to see if flowers can smell themselves.")

By the time he had resurfaced from the barrage of memories that Gwaine had forgotten and that Merlin now clung to with a new ferocity, the knight had gone.

Feeling distinctly sick, Merlin resumed his trek to Arthur's chambers, noticing with fresh terror that every person he passed either didn't acknowledge him at all, or gave him a second, bewildered glance like they'd never seen him before, like he had no right being where he was – being in his home.

***

Arthur didn't remember him, either.

Merlin was so near panic when he got to the king and queen's chambers that he almost forgot to knock. Knocking was never something Merlin had been particularly adept at remembering to do, especially when it came to his duties to Arthur, but since the king had married Gwen, Merlin had made sure to amend his habits. There were some things that Merlin absolutely did not want to walk in on, and besides, he respected Gwen too much to risk barging in on her unannounced.

It was Arthur who answered the door, and Merlin was so flustered that he didn't wait for an invitation to enter (when did he ever, though?), and he squeezed his way into the room past the king. Gwen was nowhere to be seen.

"Thank the gods you're here, Arthur," Merlin huffed as he bustled in. "Something very weird is going on. Gaius and Gwaine are acting like they don't know me, like they've never seen me in their lives!"

He turned around to face his friend. To his surprise, Arthur's hand was on the hilt of his sword at his hip, and suspicion rolled off of him in waves. "Who the hell are you?" he asked flatly, blue eyes flashing with an intensity reserved for those who wished to do him, his kingdom, or his loved ones harm.

Merlin had been expecting a joke like this. Arthur was never one to pass up an opportunity to tease his former servant, soon-to-be Court Sorcerer. The dry retort, "Very funny, Sire," died before it could escape his mouth, though, because when he looked at his king, his best friend, he saw no glimmer of recognition. No familiarity. No kindness or warmth or irritated indulgence. Arthur's face was that of a man who had just had a complete stranger barge into his room and started talking to him like they were old acquaintances – which, Merlin was beginning to realize, was exactly what had happened from the king's point of view.

Merlin swallowed heavily and entreated, "Arthur … King Arthur. Please tell me that you know me." Desperation clawed at his throat and infected his next plea. "Please."

Arthur didn't speak, didn't relax his grip on his sword hilt, but he didn't draw the weapon either, which Merlin thought had to be a good sign. Finally, after several long, tense moments, Arthur responded in a slow, cautious tone, "I'm sorry. I have never seen you before in my life. What business do you have with me?"

Merlin's world, everything he knew and understood and loved, crumbled around him in that moment. He staggered back, managed to stay upright by pure strength of will alone. What the hell was going on? The familiar sting of tears pressed against the back of his eyes, and he only managed to keep himself from crying by sheer stubbornness. He took a deep, steadying breath, made a conscious effort to look as non-threatening as possible, and tried very hard not to panic.

"Okay," he said, and his voice shook, so he tried again. "Okay." This time, his voice was steadier. Arthur's glare pounded into him from across the room, and knew that the king's already thin patience was running out. "Something very wrong is happening in Camelot," the sorcerer began.

Arthur interrupted him. "I agree," he said pedantically. "There's a strange man in my chambers."

"I'm not – I am, or I was, your servant."

"My servant's name is George."

Merlin couldn't help it. He groaned. "George? The one who makes jokes about brass? He's your servant in this hellish version of Camelot?"

Arthur sent Merlin a look that was almost pitying. "You are obviously very confused," he said in a surprisingly gentle tone. "But I am king of Camelot, and you have no right to be in my personal chambers. Go now, and I will think nothing more of this intrusion. If you do not, then I will have to treat you as a threat, and call the guards."

Merlin shook his head, unwilling to let this go. In the span of a single morning, his entire reality, the world he and Arthur had worked so hard to build and the future that they were about to step into, his new position as Court Sorcerer, his friendship with Arthur, everything, had been ripped away from him. He had to figure out what could have caused this to happen. He didn't have to think long – who was out there with enough power to make what seemed like the entire citadel forget he existed? Who was angry and envious and vindictive enough to take away everyone he loved on the very day that the culmination of his and Arthur's dreams were finally taking shape?

Even as Arthur stepped forward, hand tightening on the hilt of his sword, preparing to draw it, Merlin blurted, "It has to be Morgana!"

All the color drained out of Arthur's face in an instant. He stood there, frozen, a horrible expression of pain manifesting in his eyes. "How dare you speak of my sister," the king growled, and Merlin actually backed up a few steps, bumping into the end table that he'd polished more times than he could count.

"I know she's a difficult subject to talk about," Merlin managed, striving to keep his voice steady as the grief in Arthur's eyes turned to fury. "But it's the only explanation. Morgana must have cast a curse on the citadel – you have to let me go find her, please, and I can stop this, and the world can go back to normal."

Arthur drew his sword now, and Merlin had no more room to retreat. He stood before his king, his closest friend, his muscles aching from the tension gripping his body, his heart pumping so fast and hard he could feel the flutter in his chest. "Arthur, please–"

"I am your king!" the man who had Arthur's face but spoke like his father spat. "You will address me as such! And how dare you insinuate that the Lady Morgana was a sorceress! What vile game are you playing?"

Merlin's head spun; he had no idea what was going on, how Arthur was currently seeing the world, but he did know for certain now that Morgana was behind it. The reverence and love with which the king said his half-sister's name could only come from a delusion the sorceress in question had placed there. Then something Arthur had said hit home. "What do you mean 'was'?"

The expression on the king's face was faintly nauseated, as if he were being forced to remember something that he had hidden away deep inside, or as if he were actively fighting the urge to cut Merlin down on the spot. Either scenario felt entirely wrong and filled Merlin with a sense of dread. "My sister is dead," Arthur said flatly. "She who would have been queen – should have been queen." Oh, yes, Morgana was definitely behind this, Merlin thought wryly. It was bad enough she had these sick delusions in the first place, but to force everyone in Camelot to play a part in them was equally terrifying and sad. "Struck down by a sorcerer in cold blood."

Merlin flinched at the way Arthur spat the word sorcerer. It had been years since he had heard the title said with such hatred and derision, and never had he heard this level of malevolence for magic-users come from Arthur's mouth. After everything they had been through together, after the joy of watching their prophesied destiny unfold before his very eyes, after hearing Arthur accept his magic and plan to officially declare him Court Sorcerer, hearing the title that Arthur had so often spoken of with pride slide out of that same mouth slicked with hatred hurt. But Merlin reminded himself of the truth – this wasn't Arthur, not really; somehow he was being fed false memories – and he squared his shoulders and looked his king right in the eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said solemnly. Arthur's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Merlin hoped it was a good sign. "But Arthur – your highness – I need you to listen to me, please. I can explain everything. I can try, at least. But your memories aren't what you think they are. Morgana is alive and… very well, considering the power of this enchantment."

"My sister was murdered by magic, and yet you still insist that she is the evil enchantress!" Arthur fumed, and Merlin felt like he was talking to a stone wall, or even more deaf and unyielding, Uther Pendragon. He very seriously considered knocking Arthur out with magic and tucking him away safely in a wardrobe somewhere while he himself went to deal with the sorceress who had caused all this trouble. But Merlin could sense Arthur, the real Arthur, somewhere beneath the surface of those familiar-but-foreign eyes, and he was sure he could break the spell without having to go to the source. Merlin was Arthur's dearest friend, the king had said this himself (and yes, it still counted even if Arthur had been incredibly drunk after a night in the tavern with Gwaine when he said it). And Merlin knew Arthur better than anyone else, save the queen.

I can reach him, he reassured himself. Arthur is still in there, somewhere. I just have to find him. And once he's back to himself, I can deal with Morgana.

"Please, sire," Merlin said, putting every bit of sincerity he could muster into his words. "Just… let me tell you my side of the story. Let me remind you of who I am, and who you truly are. I am your friend, Arthur, and you have said yourself that I am the most stupidly loyal man you have ever had the displeasure to meet." A desperate chuckle lilted his last few words.

"You have two minutes."

"Um, there's a lot to cover, actually," Merlin responded. "Can I have a bit longer, because I don't think–"

"One and half minutes."

"Okay, okay, I'll stick to the basics!" And so Merlin gave Arthur the quickest and most condensed version of their friendship and history he could cobble together in less time than it usually took to exchange greetings with his king in the morning.

He ended with, "And so you see, it makes sense that Morgana would want to sabotage this occasion, because it marks the beginning of a new era that she desperately wants to be a part of but is too bitter and proud to humble herself and change for. She wants to tear us apart, wants you to do something that you'll later regret. But I know you're stronger than this, Arthur. I know that you remember me, deep down. The life you're living isn't yours. Your memories aren't yours. They belong to Morgana, but your mind does not." A strange, almost trance-like mask had descended over Arthur's face while Merlin spoke, and hope started budding in the warlock's chest – he was so close to breaking through, he could feel it.

"So," Merlin prompted, when Arthur did not immediately respond. "Do you remember? Have you realized the truth, sire?"

Slowly, Arthur nodded, and the dazed quality to his eyes cleared up in an instant. "Yes," he murmured. Merlin allowed his eyes to close momentarily in relief; his body sagged against the table at his back. Thank the gods, the nightmare was over. Now all that was left was to find Morgana and make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

But Arthur wasn't finished speaking, and the hardness had steeled his gaze once more, his lips set in a straight line and his jaw clenched and held high. "I have realized that I was a fool to think that you were a harmless vagrant with delusions of grandeur who wandered into the wrong part of the castle. I should never have opened the door for you."

"Arthur–"

"I am your KING!" Merlin snapped his mouth shut, tears once again prickling at the corner of his eyes. The injustice of the situation weighed as heavily on him as his destiny once had. "You are a sorcerer, an enemy of Camelot, here in an attempt to take down Camelot from the inside. But your spells and tricks and poisoned words will not work on me."

"But–"

"Guards!"

"You don't understand, I–"

"Guards!"

***

Elyan and Percival were the knights who dragged Merlin to the dungeons and threw him roughly into a cell. Then Percival clasped his wrists in shackles, which were chained to the floor. The door slammed shut with a metallic clang.

"Percival – Elyan!" Merlin called out as the knights that had only a week ago pledged their acceptance and loyalty to him as the soon-to-be Court Sorcerer and chief advisor to the king. "Please, you know me!"

"You'll die for your treachery, sorcerer," Elyan spat.

The left, and Merlin sank to the cold, damp stone floor, chains clinking. He drew his knees up to his chest, rested his aching head on them, and did his best to remember how to breathe.

***

Merlin wasn't sure how long he had been in the dungeon, but it had to have been a couple of hours at least. He hadn't eaten breakfast because the old man who usually prepared it for him had instead attacked him with a broom. Now, he was certain he had missed lunch too. His stomach growled at him in protest, but the hunger pangs meant nothing to Merlin. Even if the guards dropped off a meal fit for a king, he wouldn't be able to eat a bite. Everything had gone so wrong.

And now Merlin was at a loss of what to do. He could escape the dungeons easily, he knew, and go searching for Morgana. But there were so many uncertainties, a litany of what ifs that railed against him whenever he thought about breaking out of his chains and sending the cell door crashing into the guards holding a silent but hostile vigil on the other side. If indeed he could find Morgana and discover a way to reverse the curse, then it would, of course, be an easy fix. Merlin's failure to connect with Arthur and break the spell himself had planted a seed of self-doubt deeply within the soil of his mind, however, and now what he had been so sure of before he'd tried to fix things himself – that he would be able to hunt down Morgana and stop this madness with magic – seemed like a distant, unrealistic goal.

And if he did fail? If he could not find Morgana, or if she had managed to employ a magic far more powerful or strange than he currently knew how to counter? If he was unable to break the curse? Then Arthur would go on believing Merlin was the enemy, and Merlin would have forfeited any chance of reaching his friend by flouting the king's edict, attacking the guards, and breaking out of the castle.

Merlin had only been able to get through to Arthur in his other life, his real life, by showing the king over a period of years that magic was not something to be inherently feared, not something evil in and of itself. He had had to show the king through his own life and actions the truth about magic, so that when Arthur had at last learned of his secret, it was from Merlin's own lips and with nearly a decade of loyalty and friendship to back up Merlin's assurances that he had only ever used his gifts to protect Arthur and Camelot. Sure, Arthur had been angry at first, and hurt that Merlin hadn't trusted him, but he had come to an acceptance of Merlin's magic much more quickly than the warlock had imagined. King and servant had grown even closer in the wake of the truth, and soon after, Arthur had started drafting plans for making magic legal and had proposed the idea of Melin's being officially named Court Sorcerer.

But if Merlin was forced to start from scratch, to rebuild his relationship with the king – a possibility that pained him deeply but that he was more than willing to do, if it was the only way to get Arthur back and get their destiny on track – then it would not be wise to start that relationship off with a jailbreak. Then again, he argued against himself, neither was blurting out his secret to an Arthur who had already shown great disdain for magic and who held no memory of or loyalty toward Merlin at all. At this rate, maybe it was better to just take the risk and escape, because how in the name of the Triple Goddess was he supposed to convince Arthur of his loyalty if the king most likely planned to execute him for treason?

He almost made his escape then, but something stopped him. At first, he couldn't identity exactly what it was, just a feeling, an uncomfortable squirming in his gut that could have been the voice of destiny, or instinct, or, quite possibly, hunger. But either way, it bothered him enough that he held off on his plans to break out and examined the feeling more closely. Eventually, he realized – if he left Arthur now, especially in the state he was in, alone and unprotected and with Morgana out there somewhere with her eyes feasting hungrily on the citadel she so earnestly believed should be hers, he could be putting the king in more danger. If Merlin wasn't able to find Morgana in time, and she used his absence to ease her way into the citadel and onto the throne, which Arthur would readily give up to her in his current state.. With him under her influence, she could do whatever she wanted to him – kill him, imprison him, break his mind forever… and Merlin wouldn't be there to stop her.

With this thought, he decided to wait it out, and to see how events would unfold. He would not use his magic to defy Arthur or make his escape unless absolutely necessary. After all, he tried to assure himself, there was the very real possibility that Morgana would not be able to hold this powerful of a spell for long. She might be a priestess of the Old Religion, but even she had her limits. Perhaps her plan was to lure Merlin out to find her and then to use his absence to take Camelot for herself, but it was entirely possible that she only had a limited window of time to achieve her goal and that she was counting on Merlin to act on his emotions and search her out immediately.

Or maybe her plan was just to simply wreak havoc in Merlin's life for as long as she could. Either way, Merlin reasoned, her hold over the entirety of Camelot could not last forever. Sooner or later, her grip would weaken and Arthur and the rest of the citadel would wrest their way out of her control.

Merlin just had to survive until then.

***

He was unsure of how much time had passed when they came for him again. No one had brought him food, or water, and no one had come to visit him during his imprisonment, either. Merlin thought it was highly likely that Arthur had ordered any curious parties to stay away; the king had made it abundantly clear that he considered Merlin a dangerous threat. The fact that he had not been given even a hunk of stale bread or a flagon of water sent warning bells off in Merlin's mind – if this strange Arthur was anything like Uther had been, then he knew that he would be executed swiftly and without trial, and there was no need to feed a dead man.

Gwaine and Leon came to collect him. Leon unlocked the shackles and shoved him at Gwaine, who spat at his feet. "And to think I was kind to you this morning," he growled, and Merlin fought the urge to remind him that he hadn't exactly been kind, more indifferent. Gwaine roughly spun Merlin around, wrenched his hands behind his back so hard that pain sliced through his shoulder blades. Merlin felt his hands being bound tightly, expertly behind his back with course, thick rope. He reached into himself and felt his magic, alive, pulsing, ready to rise to his defense, and he took solace in it, but kept it at bay.

Not yet, he told himself.

But he was getting scared, and he was running out of options.

***

They shoved him to his knees before Arthur, who sat unyielding and terrible on his throne, a mirror image of his father. Merlin realized with a start that there was only one throne.

"Where's Gwen?" he asked. Now that he thought about it, the servant-turned-queen hadn't come up when Merlin had told his story to Arthur earlier, and the king had made no mention of his wife. In fact, he recalled with a start, none of Gwen's more domestic touches had been in Arthur's chamber.

Arthur stood, striding forward and looming over his prisoner. "You should have gagged him," he groused. "He doesn't know how to shut up." For a split second, Merlin thought that maybe the real Arthur was beginning to resurface – that was exactly something that he would say! Then he crossed his arms over his chest and asked irritably, "Who is Gwen? Your accomplice?"

"No, no," Merlin quickly assured him, not wanting to cause any trouble for Gwen, wherever she was. It was odd, he thought: Most elements of Camelot had stayed the same in Morgana's living nightmare, like the knights – even the non-noble ones, even Elyan, Gwen's brother, had remained as they were. But Arthur, in this version of reality, had never married Gwen. It made sense if he thought about it, though. Gwen had occupied the role that Morgana had believed was hers, had, in the witch's eyes, betrayed her trust and left her for the man that represented everything Morgana hated. Of course, Gwen wouldn't have her happy ending, her marriage to Arthur, with Morgana in charge. She was being punished as well. Merlin wondered if Gwen had been left with her memories of the real world like he had been, or if she was somewhere in Camelot, living and thinking as a maid when she really was a queen.

To Merlin's relief, Arthur didn't pursue the line of questioning any further. "I have talked this matter over with my council and advisors," he said in a measured voice. A burst of bitterness howled inside of Merlin – he had been named Arthur's chief advisor! He had been a part of the original council, the Knights of the Round Table, when Arthur had first brought them together! And now this illusion of Morgana's had stolen that away from him, too.

Not yet, he reminded his magic, as it raged and boiled and frothed inside of him. Be patient.

He might have been able to control his magic, but he could not keep his sarcasm completely in check: "And I am sure that in your discussion with the council, you all came to a completely fair and totally unbiased decision based on facts and not the unfounded prejudices of your father's rule."

He didn't know what he had been expecting, but it certainly was not Arthur's face flushing an angry red, nor the back of his hand smashing full-force into Merlin's cheek, snapping his head to the side violently. He felt one of the king's rings split the skin on his cheekbone, and thought for a breathless moment that the entire left side of his face had caved in.

He couldn't keep back the lone tear that crawled from the corner of his eye. It didn't come from pain or even shock – but a sense of gut-wrenching betrayal that he could not reason his way out of, even knowing that Arthur was not himself. Even in the state that Arthur was in, even knowing that the king would make plans to execute him, Merlin never anticipated Arthur himself becoming physically violent with him. Somehow, Arthur's hitting him was so much more of a betrayal than a death sentence.

Just. Wait. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep his magic from rising to his defense.

"You will learn your place, sorcerer," Arthur hissed. "When you burn. Take him; we light the pyre at first dawn."

***

Fear screamed through Merlin's body like a whirlwind, and coherent thought fled in the wake of his worst nightmares manifesting before him. He had been sure that Arthur would have chosen hanging or even the chopping block, but a pyre –

Merlin had grown up terrified of fires, horrified at the possibility of dying a brutal, torturous death, swallowed and ravaged by flames, all because he was born with magic. Because of who he was.

No one had been burnt at the stake in years in Camelot. Certainly not after Arthur became king. It was a barbaric practice, and even the worst war criminals and traitors were given a swift, merciful death. He had assumed that Arthur would continue that tradition.

But no, when he was dragged out into the courtyard – the sky was dark, but the air chilly and damp, heralding the approaching dawn – a great pyre had been constructed, and the rest of the knights – his friends – had gathered around, their faces lit eerily by the flickering flames of the torches they held at the ready. At least Gaius wasn't there.

You're not actually going to die, Merlin tried to remind himself, dragging desperately for air through his nose, his mouth blocked by his neckerchief that they'd dragged over his mouth in a bid to keep him from talking, or screaming, or just out of pure spite, Merlin didn't know. You can escape. You will escape, and find Morgana, and stop this. You can't delay any longer.

He drew himself up as tall as he could between Leon and Gwaine, calling his magic to his aid and –

He wasn't sure what happened, or how his friends-turned-enemies had guessed that he was about to try something – maybe he had given himself away somehow, maybe they had noticed the change in his stance or a shift in his energy, or maybe Morgana was interfering even now, ensuring that he would not escape his fate so easily. Whatever the reason, just as Merlin drew upon his magic, something blunt – a sword hilt? – crashed into the back of his skull, and everything was pain.

Agony ripped through his head, his neck, and crackled down his spine. Any grip Merlin had on his magic slipped through his fingers, and he fell forward, held semi-upright only by the knights escorting him to his death. He didn't lose consciousness, but he did lose all sense of control over his body and his magic, and the only thing that existed was pain. His stomach churned in time with the throbbing of his head, and his eyes were driven shut instinctively by the light of the torches before him.

The next few minutes passed in a state of distanced terror and pain. Merlin was acutely aware of the heaviness and agony of his head and the nausea in his gut. He also felt every spike of fear, every bit of helplessness, every scream that wanted to rise up from the most primal part of his being. And yet, at the same time, it was as if it was happening to someone else, and he could do nothing about it. Everything hurt and he was going to die and Arthur was going to burn him alive, his friends were going to light the pyre, and he would die in agony, and not even his magic could stop it, because he couldn't feel it, couldn't find it – he was magic itself, and yet it eluded his grasp, all that existed was pain and confusion and his head swam –

He felt, as if from a great distance, himself be hoisted onto the pyre. He felt the rough wood of the stake rub blisters into his tied hands as he was shoved against it, head lolling uselessly as if it belonged to someone else. He felt rope wrap around his torso, his legs, securing him to the pyre, and he tried to lift his head, which rested on his chest, tried to find his magic, but all he uncovered was fear and despair and pain.

He vaguely heard Arthur speaking from somewhere close by – or maybe it was from miles away. He did not understand the words but knew them to be a list of the supposed crimes Merlin had committed – being born with magic the chief of those. And then, far too soon, Arthur stopped talking, and Merlin sensed through his partially closed eyes the knights approaching with their torches, and he felt the warmth of the fire as those torches were lowered to the wood.

Merlin forced his eyes open, thrust his head up and looked at his friends, then beyond them, at Arthur. He maintained eye contact with his king, his brother, his best friend, even as the knights lit the pyre and he felt the heat begin to spread. Merlin didn't know if Arthur could hear him from this distance, if his words would be loud enough, strong enough, or if they would be caught up and consumed in the rising flames. It took every ounce of strength and concentration to push past the pain and call out, as loudly as he could, "I forgive you, Arthur."

And then, as the flames began licking at his feet, his boots, his clothes, something popped. I was as if the world itself had been out of joint, like a dislocated shoulder, and in that moment, the painful but satisfying second of release, it had snapped back into place. The air shifted, the world stopped spinning for the briefest of moments, and then, it clicked back into its rightful place.

The spell had been broken; Merlin could feel it in every fiber of his being – his magic cried out in relief, and it was only then that he realized that it hadn't been his head injury that had prevented him from fighting back, from escaping – it had been a last, desperate attempt by Morgana to get her revenge, to hide his magic away from him just long enough for him to die.

But she had failed. Her power, her hold and control, had finally given out on her, and Merlin felt his magic bubble back to the surface, and despite the pain and the fear, he summoned rain from a cloudless sky as the sun continued its golden ascent and put out the flames.

Around him, he heard yells, and cries, and his name was shouted from all directions, from the mouths of those he loved and trusted and who had very nearly killed him. But his head pounded, and he was so weak, and the fire was out. He slumped in his bonds, eyes fluttering shut, head dropping to his chest.

He didn't even feel the hands untie him. He didn't feel the knights gently lift his too-warm body from the pyre, didn't feel himself being carried into the castle and placed on a bed, didn't feel Arthur's tears of mingled guilt and relief splash onto his face.

He did, however, somehow, amidst the quiet and dark of unconsciousness, hear Arthur's voice cut through the silence, strong and familiar and real. "Gods, I – I'm so sorry, Merlin. My dearest friend, I–"

When he woke, Merlin would embrace his king, reassure him that no lasting harm had been done. He would smile at his friends, clasp hands with the knights and hug Gaius, find Gwen and make sure she hadn't suffered the same disorienting day that he had. He would answer all questions asked of him, and he would assure Arthur and the knights as many times as it took that he did not blame them, would explain Morgana's dark role in everything. He would find Morgana, and make sure that nothing like this would happen again.

When he woke, the world would be right. It wouldn't be normal – after everything that had been done to him, after all the betrayals, even though he didn't blame his friends, it would take a while for normal to come back around. But Merlin would persist, and he would have his friends – his real friends, with their real memories – to help him through it. As he would help them through the ramifications of their own pain, guilt, and regret.

And when he woke, he would be named the official Court Sorcerer of Camelot. He would be given a robe fine enough for a king, but he wouldn't care about that. All that would matter would be him, at Arthur's side, protecting him and fulfilling their destiny. That was how it had always been, and Merlin, when he woke, would look forward to a bright future of peace and hope.

But for now, he gratefully, peacefully slept, knowing that when he next opened his eyes, Camelot would remember.

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kikyoinuyashashipper · 4 years ago

Text

Anime, is anime. Nothing is gonna be or look as it should. Whether it's a specific anime or anything else, but also this is facts 😂 I wonder what I'd look like if I was a anime character 🤔?

One of The awesome,funny and honestly interesting thing about it.

Things are not always as they seem, they could look one way but be absolutely the opposite and visaversa, not only is this kinda realistic in a wayis, let me exonerate, people are all different whether it be skin color sizes,hair color, personalities and whatnot, there are also those in real life that look older than they actually are, and the same can be said for the opposite, there are people that look younger than they actually are, and as of recently I've noticed the Loli controversy is starting up again, I personally don't really care for loli's that much like I have a crush on one like honey senpai is shouta(male older than he looks because he has child like features opposite of Loli ) I'll just turn myself into a Loli to be with him no big deal, don't get me wrong the Loli and shouta are adorable and really cool at times, but for me when I simp over a character I'm kinda into those like ban 7deadly sins(got them abs😆) but if you show me a image of them "aged up" or more defined and with more mature looking features (abs) that's what I'm into you show me an adorable anime guy like mitsukuni Haninozuka imma be pinching cheeks and snuggles, and eating cake, and stealing a kiss or 2 that's, now I've seen mitsukuni with more mature features/having puberty/growth spurt hitting him hard and I simp, and this is me with preference I guess you can say, I like anime abs, I don't mind a guy that's cute and chubby tho because I can just imagine them with abs and I simp, and without abs I'm also a person who admires a great personality not just the body, like Viktor from Yuri on ice I haven't seen it yet but I at least know his name but he's adorable chubby and smoking when he loses the weight 🤤🔥❤️.

And no matter what age they originally are, I'm not going to be thinking about that, I'll be thinking of me and that character I like regardless, if the character is younger ,then I'm younger and we will hold hands, and get ice cream, puppy love, if we are older still holding hands, and getting ice cream and throw in the romantic aspect, such as dates marriage, having intercourse, having kids,a future, growing old together,then dying and going to heaven together yeah I can imagine that as well, I can change them older or younger or myself older or younger because it is fiction and a fantasy and there is no reality, it can be whatever I want in the fantasy if I imagine a age difference since imma girl and their the boy if I'm older I automatically think of omgoodness he's in love with his senpai, or his best friends mom, or his babysitter, or with the older single lady who helped him once when he was little who he spent time with over time having fun, like going to the park talking about videogames,or other normal everyday stuff, who he grew a crush on over time and feels it turned into something more when he got older, her thinking of him as a child until he matured/legal age out of school already and he made moves on her showing he wanted to be anything but a child with her,her not accepting his feelings,yet over time he grows on her and her feelings change and decides to give him a chance, then they get married and live happily ever after, same thing if it's the opposite way. How a character looks despite age depends on the creator as in most cases age isn't important for the moral or for the telling of the story. Now for definitions, Loli has 2 definitions and both go for this word. Loli is a female child, that's one definition now here's the 2nd definition as well Loli also means a adult or person of legal age who has the attributes, features, or characteristics of a child while being anything but that.

Shouta is the opposite of Loli its a male child/ a adult who has the attributes/features/characteristics of a child but is anything but that.

In real life I have been mistaken as a child/minor I've been told I looked 12 or 16 very rarely ever got an answer above those ages highest I got was 20 something. When I got called 12 I was a 17 (turning 18 after graduation) senior in highschool, even the freshman thought I was one of them. Now I'm 19 gonna be 20 soon and am out of school and was called a 16 yr old by a 17 year old girl still in highschool.

I guess I could be defined as a Loli when I'm anything but a child.

Yet I'm also well endowed on my upper half of my body and have back pain because of it, in other words I got a pair of tits, and was called a hentai girl, by other people who liked manga and anime as well, even though I was called a child by others. So I have in body mature features (defined by a person or two as a hentai body),by my face I'm a Loli and look like a child(also defined by a person or two as younger than I am) when I'm a adult. So I'mma Loli hentai girl in the real world? No idea, but wait I can't define myself by fictional standards? correct. so imma human being who looks younger than they are.

Imma tag everyone I can.

This can actually go for all aspects of animation not just anime, Princess's are from 14+ snow white was 14 fun fact there, wouldn't really be able to tell. Age difference is in everything, and I still enjoy snow white it's actually one of my favorite Disney films before and after I even knew this information, and I honestly have no problem with it, mostly because for that time it's considered normal, and I was a kid and just saw a princess movie, I didn't think that their ages were relevant to the story/stories. Besides sleeping beauties 16 got spindle pricked on a spinning wheel and fell into a deep sleep, Wich was going to be death but was changed. In the original sleeping beauty, she was put to sleep for 100years as was her kingdom, the kingdom was covered in brambles/thorns (rose thorns to be specific but they didn't bloom because they were enchanted and used for defense to make sure the spell couldn't be broken), and each time someone thought to go near, or try to save the kingdom to free it's people the ground would break open underneath them swallowing them up, right where the brambles/thorns started at the end of the kingdom, so even if they managed to get past the area where the earth broke the enchanted thorns (rose thorns) would rip them to shreds, with their blood and bodies fertilizing the ground and the thorns would grow. This happened for many years until everyone forgot about it, then finally 100 years had passed and the roses finally bloomed, a prince was coming through and had heard of the kingdom and of the many who lost their lives trying to enter and was going to explore and see if he can find a way in, to see the beauty that was rumoured to live there. When he arrives the Thorn's were in bloom and the ground didn't break but allowed him to pass, the thorns actually even made way for him to go through. When he got into the kingdom he saw everything and everyone fast asleep noone had aged a day, then he explored and discovered the princess and this is where it gets kinda dark compared to Disney's version. So rape trigger warning don't read unless you want and can handle it.

..................................................................................

The prince saw the beauty and instead of doing true loves kiss to break the spell, he raped her multiple times and then he left and never returned. Beauty then became pregnant while still asleep, she had twins, and as they wriggled around searching to breastfeed one of them caught onto her finger with the spindle splinter in her finger, it sucked on her finger and managed to get the splinter out, Wich then awoke the princess and the rest of the kingdom, who was a very confused princess, and now a new mother with no idea who "prince charming" was. And that's actually the original telling of sleeping beauty, there are other versions that are less dark,but this is the original as far as I know and the oldest I could find that was in English.

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ainchase · 5 years ago

Conversation

Velder Academy Commercial

Elsword: Next up, it's the commercial we made. Can you believe we were cast to be models for academy commercials? Amazing, right?

Aisha: But there's a slight hitch. The first generation El Stars - Masters Team was supposed to plan the commercials for us, but the leader of that team - Denif senpai was unavailable, so the concept for the commercial couldn't be decided in time.

Rena: And by Masters Team, you mean Denif senpai, Ventus senpai, Rosso senpai, and Solace senpai? Whoa, does that mean the commercials we filmed that day was all planned by our senpai?

Raven: It is a rather awkward situation we're in. How about we ask our fans here to vote on it?

Elsword: Oh, that's a good idea! Watch them carefully and cast your vote for us!

Aisha: The first one's Ventus senpai was idea apparently. Ready, action!

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A time that everyone dreams of - school days of passion and love

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Aisha: Aw darn it, I'm going to be late again. What do I do?

Elsword: What's with you? Look where you're going!

Aisha: Wh-what's with YOU?

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A time when the pieces of fate come together

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Rose: I'm Rose, I transferred here today. I'll do my best to get used to the new environment!

Rose: But... Have I seen you somewhere before?

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You're the main character of this place!

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Ain: I've thoroughly read the letter you wrote.

Ain: Unfortunately, I'm a sponge.

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T/N: Insert joke about Ain's VA singing that one spongebob squarepants song that one time here

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Ain: Due to personal circumstances, I stayed here until now, but I have to return to the ocean soon.

Add: Why do you always sleep in a place like this?

Add: You sure are high-maintenance...

Add: I-I'm not here because I was worried about you or anything, so don't get the wrong idea...!

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Come to Velder Academy, where romance blooms!

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Aisha: It was soooo romantic!

Ain: It was soooo... beyond words.

Add: Don't you think they added too many filters?!

Rose: Do we really need those flowery texts for every scene?

Elsword: Uh... Let's take a look at the next one, shall we? Who's next?

Rose: It's Rosso senpai's idea. Ready, action!

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Only the strongest may survive here

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Lu: So this is it, eh? The ultimate school where the strongest gather.

Raven: Hmph, a new challenger, is it?

Raven: Looks like things are finally going to get interesting... for once.

Lu: Interesting. Are you the one who took over the school? I'll be sure to take that position from you.

Raven: Ha, the Black Flame Dragon is about to go rampant.

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T/N: See MAZE fan meeting video for reference...

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Raven: I'll gladly accept your challenge.

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Powerful minds can only be found in powerful bodies!

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Laby: I'm bored...

Laby: You! Become my ally!

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Who will be the one to claim

the title of being the strongest?

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Ciel: Ranked no. 1 in the country? It's been a while since I last heard of that title.

Ciel: Are you ready?

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This is the Ultimate Velder Academy!

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Raven: So does... anyone know what this Black Flame Dragon is...? Can someone explain to m--

Lu: It was fun! It reminded me of my old days!

Laby: I look sorta cool back there! It was so fun!

Ciel: Next is... Gaia senpai's idea. Ready, action!

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T/N: So Gaia's idea is full of puns using hanja (chinese characters, same as kanji for japanese) and make up weird pseudo Four Character Chinese Proverb bullshit and they spell out some-what similar keywords pertaining to each character.

This is absolutely terrible to translate and I'll be adding a ton of translator's notes for each character. This is also reason why I didn't want to translate this video HAHA okay back to business

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Velder Academy is a distinguished school where diligent students gather

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Ara: I'm Ara, training to achieve an enlightenment. Come train together with me here in Velder Academy.

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T/N: Ara's is "奧義阿羅" which spells out "Oi Ara"?? 奧義 is the different arts that Ara classes use (you know the 2 different versions each class has), and 阿羅 is just a gibberish trying to phonetically spell out Ara's name. 奧義 is "Ougi" in Japanese, usually written out before some cool sounding skill name [like Samurai Shodown Haohmaru's skill Ougi Senpuu Retsu Zan (Secret Skill Whirlwind Rending Slash)] and they're usually translated as Secret Technique/Skill or Ultimate Technique/Skill. The character (hanja/kanji) themselves mean "deep understanding" - so these martial artists lingo use it as a way to describe a skill/technique that you only get to learn when you've fully mastered the arts.

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Rena: I'm Rena. I guide people to the right way by being generous. Siege mode is my specialty. As Student President, I will help out to make sure you become a diligent student of Velder Academy.

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T/N: the four characters spell out "shizumodo" = siege mode

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Chung: I'm Seiker Chung, named so because I [...]. Would you care to join me in doing good deeds?

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T/N: I'm not translating that crap - the four characters vaguely spell out "seiger" = seiker

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Eve: I'm Nasod Queen Eve, who is a necessary leader, shining brightly regardless... so, basically a queen. As a queen, I'm training to bring about a bright future.

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T/N: The four characters spell out - "nasodugin" = nasod queen... fuck you gaia I hate you

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Elesis: I'm Elesis, who tries to guide you to the right path with love. If you would join us in the Velder Academy, I'll guide you to the right path, strictly yet kindly!

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T/N: "eresisu" = elesis

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This is prestigious and historical Velder Academy!

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Ara: I saw so many hanja I've never seen before... It was a good learning experience!

Rena: Uh, yeah... Apparently Gaia senpai himself had some trouble searching through the hanja dictionary...

Elesis: Thanks to that, I got to learn the meaning behind my name!

Eve: Next is Solace senpai's idea. Hmm? It has a note on it.

Chung: "Cuteness warning? Your heart may stop?" He recommends that you watch it in a wide and open space, in case your ceiling or wall may be destroyed.

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*Cuteness Warning

There is a lethal dosage of cuteness int he following video. Nearby wall may collapse or street lamps might be dismantled without reason or warning during viewing of the video. Please try not to watch it near a wall.

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Happy Velder Academy is full of hope, love and softness!

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What do you need when you're tired of school work?

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Extreme cuteness!

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Even when you are having difficulty with your friends?

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Extreme cuteness!

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Come to Velder Academy, a place full of cuteness!

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Elsword: What WAS that? Why did they hire us for that...?

Aisha: Besides, the suit was really hot inside...

Rena: But it's the only one that has all of us in it.

Raven: Yeah, although it's hard to tell who's who...

Aisha: By the way, I had no idea Solace senpai was into cute things like this.

Elsword: You're right. It's different from his usual image.

Raven: From what I heard, it seems he has wholeheartedly taken a certain someone's suggestions.

Rena: I see, that's how it is.

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The voting will now begin

Shout out to let us know your favorite commercial!

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Ain: If you think the video where I showed up with a sponge is the best, everyone shout out please!

Lu: If you think the video where I take over the entire school is the best, shout out now!

Ara: If you think the video where you saw in-depth explanation of each of our names, then please shout out!

Elesis: Lastly, if you like the video where we all came out in a hedgehog suit, shout out!

Elesis: Wow! They're all close! The voting is also on the El Stars website, so remember to vote after the concert!

#fuck you gaia #i hate you #also that hedgehog idea was probably harnier #elsword translation #elstar #elstars #el star #elsword youtube #velder academy #velder academy commercial

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shadowknight465 · 5 years ago

Text

The sleep did not get him any better. Even after he stretch he still has a huge back pain. He then push his spine thinking he got scoliosis, One of the most scariest bone disorder known to skeletons, however can be cured easily. Nothing.

"NIGHTMARE HOW DID I GET HERE?!" Nightmare heard Dream yelled.

"I'VE CARRIED YOU HERE!" Nightmare yelled back.

"Oh. Thank you."

Nightmare rolled his eye sockets. The one thing that Nightmare is envious of Dream that is not part society or what they had to protect is his innocence. "Hey, Dream. Can you do me a favor?" Nightmare asked. "Sure, what is it?" Dream answer confused. Nightmare rarely ask for any favors. It was mostly him.

"Can you watch over my side of the tree, while I go to the Chiurgeon? I had this irritating spine pain."

"Sure."

Nightmare put down his crown on the nearest table and grabbed his dirty traveling cape and walk to town without being seen to get to the doctor, while praying he won't get part of his spine amputated.

~~~~~

After waiting and bargaining for help for almost 2 hours, The Chiurgeon finally agree on giving him a check up. He took Nightmare to a small room with a large table and told him to lay on his face down. To which he did. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I need you to stay still and relax." The Chiurgeon order. Nightmare nodded and took a deep breath.

"Count backwards from 10." The Chiurgeon ordered. Nightmare took another deep breath close his eyes and count backwards from 10. However he should've known that the Chiurgeon was going to perform a middle spine surgery on him. He could feel the cold blade running deep into a spine and going up to where the pain is, he gripped on the side of the table so hard he could easily filled the wooden splinters going through his joints.

"Strange..Sir how did you got this jewel your back?" The Chiurgeon asked trying to pull where the pain is out. "J-Jewel?" Nightmare grunts. "Yes and it's shaped like the rising crescent moon."

As much as he was confused he was intrigued on what condition he was in.

"So you can fix it? Right?" He asked. "Back in my home country, a jewel on your back is a mark by death."

Nightmare slowly got up. "I'm so sorry Monsieur..."

"Crescent. Crescent X." Nightmare came up with a random name in order to not get hurt again. The Chiurgeon then grab a paper and feather and drew the mark he has seen on Nightmare. "I'm afraid I can't remove it, but I can hide your scars with a tattoo." He said as he console the demon he heard about without knowing. Nightmare nodded in deep thinking. "But I have a family and what should I tell him-THEM?!" Nightmare corrected himself. "I'm afraid that a problem you have to face alone." Nightmare look down. He had wanted death a while, but it's mostly because of the bullying he's been through; but now he's actually dying? What's going to happen to his brother? After all Dream is still a kid mentally. "In order to ease your pain how about I give you a tattoo of your choosing?" The Chiurgeon asked with the fatherly tone his voice. Nightmare nodded. He chose the tattoo with the moons on it.

~~~~~

"Nightmare had to go to the Chiurgeon, until then I had to-Oh! Hey brother." Dream interrupted himself. Dream what towards his brother, but Nightmare raise a hand to stop him. "Sorry little sun, but I had back surgery." He said. "Oh." Dream stop. His brother taught him about recovery from any kind of surgery, so he respects his twin personal boundaries now. Luckily skeletons can recover bone surgery pretty quickly. So it won't be long until he can give a nightmare a bear hug again.

"So what did the Chiurgeon say?" Dream asked changing the subject. Nightmare never thought he had to tell him. Should he? He's scared about how his brother would react to this badly. He took a deep breath and said. "It's alright, I just had a scoliosis, but the Chiurgeon fix it up." Nightmare lied. "Phew, I thought it was something serious for a second." Dream sigh relief. Pretty soon they saw a family of merfolk admiring dreams golden apples, while the father spread curses and untrue rumors about Nightmare. Which reminded Nightmare of something.

"Dream? When is the last time you took a bath?"

Dream's face went a pale yellow. He took a step, then start running screaming.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Nightmare started chasing after him yelling.

"GET YOUR HIP-BONE RIGHT BACK HERE YOUNG MAN!"

~~~~~~

Dream sat miserably at the shallow waters in the lake as herbs mix with honey and water was poured on his head. "Look, I get it you don't want to take a bath at all, but by the time we leave each other, and you go find a nice wife; you have to take a bath just show her that you are responsible." Nightmare explains to his brother. Dream suddenly cringe which causes Nightmare some suspicion.

"Are you OK little bro?" Nightmare asked.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Dream asked. "You can tell me anything." Nightmare responded. "It weird I keep thinking every species or gender is attractive? I don't want to be shame, but I don't want to fall for the wrong person either." Dream asked putting his head down in shame. Nightmare pauses for a moment. So he's not the only one with a similar problem. " I don't think it's fair at all, besides I have a similar problem."

"R-Really?" Dream look up. "Really, I don't find anyone attractive, unless I have a very close bond with them."

Dream smile. Then without warning he's splash some cold water into his brother face. Nightmare wiped it off and took his shirt off, then ran towards Dream.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-"

The laughing that the twins had made was so loud everyone thought they were performing incest, when they were actually playing. So much so that the priest had to come and check to see what's going on only to find Nightmare pinning his brother down and tickling him.

"NIGHTMARE! DREAM! WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" He yelled. The brothers stopped then turn to each other.

"I was just giving him a bath until he decides that he wants to play." Nightmare told the truth while getting up, revealing that he still wearing pants, but also revealing of his mark.

"Nightmare you've been marked by the devil." He said shocked.

"It's just a scar." Dream said. "Dream you have to get away from your brother." He responded while pulling his brother back, while not caring that in a Dream is naked.

"No. It's just a tattoo." Dream backs up his brother.

"Then explain the jewel on his back." The Priest said.

Dream looked at his brother's back. " It could mean something else." He said. Admiring the jewel.

"Dream, marks like those means evil. So Lucifer put that mark there on Nightmare to be his young prince of darkness."

Dream put his hands on his hips. " I may be naïve, but I'm not stupid. So pardon me, but can you please be my brother alone?"

Nightmare was just as shocked as the other guy. All this time he thought his brother was too innocent for this world. Dream walked away to put his clothes back on and made a gesture for Nightmare to live with him.

"D-Dream? Why did you-?" Nightmare scamper he was barely shown kindness before.

"You're my brother and you're the first want to understand me." Nightmare I was confused for a bit, but he went along.

"You know the guy who gave you the tattoo should've gave you more for your other scars." Dream commented. "If he did that then I would be accuse of practicing black magic." Nightmare explains.

"I see your point."

~~~~~~

After giving some thought and when Dream finally fell sleep. He decided to read the book.

Most of the stuff was a bit odd such as, how death will come to you gently telling you about your fate or when you are jealous by your actions and your thoughts. Or how much they scale your sins with a star that supposed to represent you. The pure version of you. And on how that life of the afterlife is like. No more pain or suffering, you'll meet all your friends who also had passed, and are you are able to be at peace. That is if you can go to Heaven. The bad side to death is if you go to Hell there's more than pain in there then life. And there's more than one hell out there. 7 and one more if a Prince decided to take vengeance on the descendants of who betrayed him. Which to Nightmare doesn't seem fair at all. They have not spell blood, but there ancestors have so they shouldn't be punished. Then there's The Nerco Empire, where are the people who committed suicide for selfless reasons can go. And the emperor can go between the world of living in the world at the dead so no one can suffer like he had. It's been said that he's dress and its been said that he's dress an a Priest, but grim reaper like robes. Carries a scythe shape like the moon that can end all suffering, also been said his powers didn't come from his energy, but his wisdom. Nightmare smile at the mythology. It's been so long since he read a mythology that doesn't protrude the moon as the evil one. Then he read that there's a prophecy. Where the moon had end his life so the sun can shine brighter than before, but it was all in vain. For the sun took his rage onto the people he was supposed to protect and only the moon can free them. After the world ends the moon will rise an army to take down the sun where they became whole once again.

When Nightmare put the book down he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turns and saw Dream with sleepy eyes. "Nighty, can you sing me that lullaby again?" He yawn.

"Is something wrong?" Nightmare asked putting his hand on his brothers shoulders.

"I had a bad dream where you suddenly disappeared without telling me why."

Nightmare was shock to hear this. He took a deep breath and try to console his brother. "Sunshine, why are you so worried about it you got friends who will be there for you."

"Because..." Tears fell from Dream's eyesockets. "I don't know how can I live without you. And I know you're my brother, but you more than that. You're like a part of me that I can't lose. And you're the only one I can talk to when I'm feeling down."

Dream then gave his brother a unexpected hug and balled his eyes out. Nightmare can only shush and rub his brother back as he tries to remember the lullaby their mother use to sing to them.

"Peaceful dreams

Sleeping nectar

As the darkness fades away

When I find you once more

I'll make sure that you're safe

Never fear for I am still here

Holding you in my arms for eternity

And remember who you are

My little star"

Dream fell sleep on Nightmare arms again. Nightmare thought about why his brother loves to fall asleep on his arms and he quickly had a memory. Where his brother told him that he loves the sound of his soul beat. That it was like a gentle drum. Nightmare put Dream back to his bed again and went to his desk and wrote the documentary of the day.

June 18, 1517

The pain I had on my back from last night turned out to be a jewel. From the dream I had last night wasn't a dream at all at least that's what I believe. I was given a tattoo to hide my scars when I try to remove it but the help of a Chiurgeon. He told me in his religion that my Jewel is a mark for death, yet the priest said it is the mark of the devil. I didn't my brother about the mark for death idea because I'm afraid of his reaction. But if it is true, then am I really going to die?

He put the feather down and went his bed. And thought about the last thing he wrote. If he is going to die at least his Journals will tell the truth of all future generations about their ancestors, and how they were abusive to him and his brother.

#daybreak #moon king #Uncorrupted Nightmare #dream!tale

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