#Learn Visions Of Mana

[fogaminghub]

✨ Ready to dive into Visions of Mana? 🎮 Our latest guide walks you through the steps to find Aesh, the head curator, in Chapter 5: We’re Alm in This Together! Discover the secrets, solve puzzles, and strengthen your team to stop Daelophos! 

[misseviehyde]

THE RILEY EXPERIMENT

(Based on ip that Mana Omega kindly has allowed me to use.)

Riley Green wished his Dad had never remarried. It wasn't that he disliked his step-mom Rachel Grey, it was her bitchy daughter Riley that made his life feel like hell. Thanks to the marriage, they were now two teens exactly the same age, in the same class at school and now even living together in the same house.

But despite those superficial similarities, they couldn't be two more different people.

Firstly; it was incredibly annoying having the same name as your step-sister. Packages were constantly arriving at the house for the female Riley and if male Riley forgot to check the label properly, he'd often find himself holding a bra or a sexy tight fitting bodystocking from Shein or Pretty Little Thing.

Much to his embarrassment, Riley had found himself keeping one of the bras. It was a 34D leopard skin print bra. He would sometimes jerk off whilst wearing it; not really sure why he found the thought of having Riley's big tits on his chest such a fucking turn on; but doing it anyway. He was definitely NOT gay, but there was something going on there that made him hard. He knew it was wrong to steal underwear, but somehow it just felt so good. Riley never commented on the bra going missing, maybe she thought it had gotten lost in the post.

After all, she wasn't very careful with money. Riley seemed to have a unlimited spend amount on her credit-card and was constantly buying new clothes to keep up with the popular girl fashions. She was basically a spoiled brat. If Mommy wouldn't buy it for her, she'd usually find some guy to give her what she wanted.

Riley was into social media and seemed to spend more time building up followers on Insta or Tiktok then doing anything useful with her life. Riley didn't think his step-sister was shallow, he knew she was. She seemed to date a new guy every week and as far as Riley could tell she was definitely sexually active. Sometimes he'd hear... noises from her room. Noises that made him really horny.

One night he'd heard a sexy low buzzing from her room. He'd lain propped up against the wall, his stolen bra stuffed with socks as he listened to his step-sister groan and moan and he jerked his cock to the sounds of her pleasure. She was obviously using a vibrator or magic wand and he wondered if one of the packages that had passed through his hands had actually been a sex-toy. It made him wish he had accidentally opened THAT package.

"Ohhhh fuck yeahhhh I'm soooo fucking wet, mmmmmmhhhh..."

He had cum so hard that night.

The thought of what he might do with a dildo or butt-plug made him blush. No... he was definitely straight, these were just some weird ideas he was sometimes having. It was all the fault of having such a slutty step-sister.

Indeed, the main problem with living with her was that Riley was so fucking hot. She had a big round bubble-butt, large firm breasts and a gorgeous face. She looked good in everything and she had the spoiled, knowing, mean girl bimbo look that made boys weak. She always wore the sexiest outfits, had long sexy nails and was the purist vision of toxic femininity possible. She loved to tease Riley, manipulate and use him. She seemed to get off on the power she had over him.

In fact - in order to differentiate between them, Riley had popularised the use of his hated nickname Ry. Now nearly everyone called him Ry and it sucked.

The two of them couldn't be more unalike. Riley was popular, hot, pretty and sexually confident - Ry was dorky, nervous, unconfident and a virgin.

About the only advantage Ry had over Riley was that he was smart. A lot smarter. In fact he was a bit of a genius. Riley had used that to her advantage though, swiftly learning that now they shared a house it was pretty easy to copy Ry's homework and manipulate him into helping her grades improve.

"Ohhh you're such a good step-brother," she'd purr as she got another A- on a paper. "Hey, did I mention I have some new social media photos I'd like you to 'examine' for me. Let me air-drop them to your phone.'

Riley had learned that if she provided images of herself, her step-brother would do whatever she wanted. He was addicted to her beauty and femininity - whilst she found his intelligence useful.

Getting her brother to cheat for her had paid dividends. In fact Riley's grades had improved SO much as a result of her using her step-brother, her Mom had promised she could go to a music festival with her slutty friends, provided she passed the final test.

The final test.

There would be no way to cheat on that. Riley's frustrations were evident. Her Step-Bro couldn't exactly sit the test for her and she wasn't smart enough to pass without cheating.

"Listen babe, you need to find a way to help me pass that test. I need to go to that music festival with my girlies. Find a way to make me smarter or something. Just imagine how hot I'll look in all the pictures I can send you."

Ry scratched his head. What was he supposed to do? You couldn't exactly make another person... smarter in under a week, could you?

Hmmmm, that jogged a strange memory. About a year ago, Ry had been following an interesting online science blog from a girl in another town. Laura Sims was another science prodigy (who he'd actually had a bit of a crush on). One day she'd just stopped posting, but he remembered her putting up some interesting ideas for a hi tech Crispr solution. The idea was the solution would eradicate genetic weaknesses in whoever drank it by taking the strengths from someone else's DNA.

It took a bit of searching - strangely Laura Sims no longer seemed to have much of an online presence. He found some information for a Laura Richie - some bitch from the same town who appeared to be living a life of decadence - but eventually succeeded in using the internet archives to find the page instead.

Laura had luckily uploaded her formula, hoping to 'open source' test it. He wondered why she'd taken everything down?

It didn't take long to create the formula. The advice from Laura was to try it before bed to give it time to activate. The main changes would come the day after. Riley looked on doubtfully as Ry took one of his head hairs and put it into the liquid. He gave it to her to drink. "This will give you my intelligence and smarts."

"Okay - if you're sure. I'll try anything to get to that festival."

Riley drank. "Ughhh, it tastes sour. Okay, let's hope this works. I'll go and start revising - maybe I'll get some early gains."

She left the room. As she did so, Ry noticed one of her long sexy head hairs had come free and was just lying there on the table. A terrible temptation overcame him. What if? What if he used the solution too? It wouldn't make him smart, but maybe it would make him more attractive and confident.

Feeling a little guilty, he dissolved the hair and drank the solution. It tasted sweet and his skin tingled, but nothing else seemed to happen. Weird... Riley had said it was sour.

Inside their bodies, the Crispr solution went to work. Riley's female DNA rushed through Ry's body, overwriting his cells. There was no melding here - no balancing. Riley's bitchy DNA was taking control and spreading like a wild-fire through his body.

Meanwhile Riley was also having her female cells consumed slowly and methodically by Ry's. The virus was even spreading to her brain, dendrites and synapses rewiring and altering to make her think like he did.

Now it was just a matter of waiting. The changes would soon be on their way

***

DAY ONE:

Waking up groggily, Riley had to admit she didn't feel great. Her whole body felt sluggish and weak, like she had a really bad cold. Walking to the mirror she despaired to see that her usually flawless skin seemed a bit blotchy and riddled with acne, similar to her dorky step-bros. What the hell was his stupid formula doing to her?

Looking down she blushed. Her tits seemed obscenely large on her chest. She couldn't believe she usually allowed herself to walk around flaunting them like this. It didn't normally bother her, but now for some reason it did. She searched through her wardobe and finding a hoody, slid it on.

Her eyes seemed to be struggling. Maybe it was the light in here? Switching on the lights she tiredly walked to her makeup vanity and paused. Makeup? What was the point of makeup? She was only going to study for a test today.

Ignoring her usual cleansing routines and preparations, Riley took down the large Maths text-book she was supposed to be studying and opened it up. It was only twenty minutes later, that she realised she had become engrossed in the book without even realising it.

Her usually flippant mind that jumped from subject to subject seemed sharper and more focused. Sitting down at her desk, she began to study in earnest.

***

Ry opened his eyes and slid easily out of bed. He was usually a night person, so to find not only that he had slept well, but that he didn't feel tired of fatigued was a revelation to him.

He actually felt fucking great this morning. The Crispr solution seemed to be working. Walking to the mirror, Ry grinned in satisfaction. His usually bad skin was clearer and ever so slightly tanned. He had a healthy glow for the first time in years.

In fact his whole body seemed more toned with a healthier shape. He hadn't put any muscle on as far as he could see, but proportionally, everything seemed 'better'. The only downsides were a strange itching and puffiness on his chest and a few other weird changes.

His ass seemed fatter and slightly bigger. His hair seemed to have increased in length and volume. It gave him a rather... feminine... shape. He ignored the strange thrill of delight that brought him.

"It's early days for these changes yet. I just need to give it more time. I'll probably fill out and look more manly in the next stage. Probably to be expected I'd mirror a few of Riley's assets."

He wondered how Riley was getting on...

***

"Amazing," giggled Riley in satisfaction. Her mind was definitely getting faster. The hot sweats had started again earlier and she was having even more difficulty seeing, but it didn't matter to her anymore because the knowledge she was experiencing was so captivating.

She rubbed at her chest. Her boobs were really aching. For some reason her bra didn't seem to fit... it kept dropping down loose. She knew that cup sizes did change, she'd alternated between a 32 and 34 bust for years - but this felt different.

Her boobs seemed noticeably smaller. She'd always been proud of her big bust, her massive tits. Now she felt smaller and weaker without them. Strangely her clit seemed engorged today though. She'd had to stop doing her studying a few times to rub at the stiff little nub between her legs. If she'd had a more active imagination she'd say it seemed to be growing... almost like a tiny little cock.

But that would be crazy... right?

***

Ry rubbed at his chest. There was definitely something there and it was growing at a faster rate now. Sweat dripped from his body and he could almost hear his bones cracking and shifting within his body. It felt... pleasurable and strangely addictive. A desire for more transformation and a faster change rose within him. It felt like something good was happening to him. He wanted more of it.

Ry felt feverish and knew that the Crispr solution was spreading through his body like a virus. It had now reached critical mass and the changes were accelerating. Riley's DNA should be merging with his own, but it didn't feel like that. Something was wrong... or was it... right?

His skin felt softer, his hips seemed to have pushed out wider. The lumps on his chest definitely felt like breasts and his hair had doubled in length again.

"Ohhhhh fuckkkk," he groaned as another series of pops and cracks within his body sent him into spasms of pleasure. "Uggggh, what's happening to me?"

His pushed his chest out and grunted... the bumps on his chest got even bigger.

***

"I can't fucking see," groaned Riley as she reached up to her face. Her vision was totally blurry now. Her body felt wrecked and strangely weak. She looked down. Her chest was smaller now... her once large D cup tits now barely a B cup.

Staggering to her mirror, Riley saw her hair looked shorter. Her skin was paler and her soft feminine features seemed a little more boyish. Her swollen clit had formed a little bulge in her leggings. She could almost imagine a pair of balls were growing underneath it and her pussy sealing up, but that would be crazy!

Riley massaged her throat. Her voice was croaky and there was a strange lump in her throat that she had never noticed before. She'd been told boys had them... Adam's apples they were called.

Sweat dripped down her body. She rubbed at her armpits. They needed shaving again, which was weird because she'd only waxed them a few days ago.

"What the fuck is this solution doing to me?" she groaned. "No increase in intelligence is worth this. I have to find Ry!"

She staggered to the hallway, then out into the living room. Her vision was swimming, she was nearly blind now. Everything ached and her breasts felt even smaller. Her head hurt... she just needed to...

With a groan Riley sank onto a sofa and passed out.

***

Ry groaned as his face burned and his back ached. His hands went to his chest, there were now two big rounded mounds there just like the ones he had always imagined owning when he wore his sisters bra. Sweat was pouring off him and his vision was all blurry. He reached up and tore off his glasses. Strange, but now he could see again.

His voice seemed croaky, his neck sore. His face felt different, the features more delicate. Long hair tickled his neck. "I fucked up somehow," he groaned. "The Crispr is making me INTO Riley. I have to find her and warn her."

Staggering out of the room, dizzy and sick - he staggered into the living room. A figure was passed out on one of the couches. He tried to approach, but instead his legs began to give way. With a groan, Ry staggered to the other couch and collapsed.

Darkness took him and then the strangest dreams he'd ever had.

Meanwhile Riley's DNA continued to consume his own and change his body... the physical changes were now nearly complete...

***

DAY TWO:

Ry awoke and for a second didn't know where he was.

The room smelled different. It smelt of sexy perfume. The sheets around him were pink and girly. Riley's clothes hung on racks around the room, plushies and cushions covered every surface.

He was naked in the bed.

A post it note lay on the table by the bed.

"Morning baby, me and your step-daddy found you and your brother passed out in the lounge. Were you partying last night? We put you both to bed in the right rooms and I undressed you. Were those your brothers clothes you were wearing? What were you doing? Lol Mom. XXX"

Pulling back the sheets, Ry saw his body had completely changed. He was no longer feverish, and the big wobbling tits on his chest were definitely real. His skin was healthy and lightly tanned, he had no body hair except for a tiny strip just above his... pussy?

Reaching down, Ry gasped at the sensation of his new vagina. He snatched his hand back in shock, although the urge to put it back there swiftly returned. Sliding out of the bed, he landed onto small perfect feet, then padding quietly across the room, he reached the mirror and stared in wonder.

Riley looked back at him. Well almost. He didn't have Riley's tattoos or her ear, nose or navel piercings. He didn't have any makeup on and his hair was a mess. His fingers and toes were unmanicured... but other than that... he looked just like her.

"Holy shit," he said in her voice.

The resemblance was so perfect, that last night her own Mother hadn't recognised that he was not really her girl. Riley's DNA had changed him into her. That probably meant in the other bedroom, Riley was now waking up as a physical copy of him.

And yet it wasn't just the physical changes. Something profound had happened to his mind, to his very soul.

The Crispr virus had infiltrated every cell of Ry's body, including his brain. He had been rewired and altered. He felt a new natural confidence, sexual assurance and a strong desire to monopolise on this situation. His personality was now more like Riley's than ever before. Even in his darkest dreams he could never have imagined being such a fucking bitch.

"Yesssss, I've always wanted to be Riley," he said in a slightly evil voice. "Mmmmh, I think I knew what that Crispr virus was going to do to us... but I did it anyway. I did it because I wanted to steal her life. I want to be Riley Grey... not Riley Green."

"And now that I used the Crispr," he purred allowing this delicious new persona to take control, "I am. Even Mommy thinks that I am. I am fucking Riley Grey and I want it ALL."

A wicked grin appeared on his face and he allowed his body language to relax. How did hot girls stand... ahhh yes, like this.

"These big tits are mine, mmmmh and this perfect ass. I've been remade in your image," he laughed. "A couple of trips to the hairdressers and the tattoo artists to get inked up and pierced... and no one would ever know the difference between us. This is my chance to assume your life and become the new you. I'm not going to waste it."

Riley smiled as she began looking for some clothes to wear. She just had to make 'Ry' understand that it was best to go along with what she wanted. The switch in pronouns was so easy to make... it suited her like a glove.

She was a woman now, she had all the equipment and soon no one would ever know she had ever been her dorky step-brother...

She just had to manipulate him the correct way.

***

Riley awoke feeling like death. Her vision was still blurry and she felt weak and wiped out.

"Here, put these on," said a familiar voice and her vision swam back into focus as a pair of glasses slid onto her face. "Don't panic. It's me, your step-brother. Honestly, I didn't plan for this to happen. The Crispr has gone wrong... I tried it too using one of your hairs. I'm afraid we've become copies of each other."

Riley gasped as she saw herself sitting on the end of the bed. Her hair was a fucking mess and she needed some makeup, but other than that it was definitely her.

Pulling back the sheets, she groaned in a very masculine sounding voice. Her body was now entirely masculine, a small cock and a pair of balls between her legs. Her boobs were gone and her flabby white body was that of a nerdy dork.

"Oh no, we have to fix this."

"I know," said her doppleganger, "but there's a big problem. We're changing mentally as well as physically. I'm not smart enough to make the Crispr anymore so I need you help to make a new batch, then we can try to reverse these changes. "

"But I don't know how to do it either," she complained.

"I'm sure you'll find a way," purred her twin. "I'll give you the notes I made and hopefully you can decode them. In the meantime we need to act like each other so no one gets suspicious. We'll have to dress like we normally would, you'll have to hide those tattoos and those piercings. I don't know how long we might be stuck like this. I guess it could be weeks!"

***

DAY THIRTY

It had been a month.

Riley and Riley were becoming more and more like each other by the day.

Ry, as he was now known, had still not figured out how to make the Crispr. Probably because before she had given him the notes - the new Riley had made sure to delete certain important elements from the research.

Genuinely she wasn't smart enough anymore to remember or understand what she had removed - just that it had been enough to stop him. Hopefully that would be enough.

Riley didn't want a way back. She wanted to go deeper and deeper into this rabbit hole of femininity. In the last month she had discovered that being a hot, popular, girl was pretty much as amazing as she had dreamed it would be.

First of all there was the makeup and the clothes. They all made her look and feel incredible. If that wasn't enough, there was the enjoyment of sex.

Remembering that buzzing she'd heard all that time ago, Riley had uncovered the sex-toy collection. The first time she'd pushed a magic wand against her clit and felt it throb and vibrate, she'd known she was now a female sex addict.

It hadn't taken long to move from toys to the real thing... boys. There were plenty of guys wanting to fuck a hot slut like her, and after a couple of introductory sessions with some of Riley's ex-lovers - the new Riley had really picked up the pace.

There was nothing quite like bouncing on some hard cock and cumming all over it as a girl. It was such a good feeling.

If that wasn't enough, there was the social life. Riley loved being the centre of attention now... going to parties, having fun, everyone wanting to be her friend. She found the company of other hot girls intoxicating. To be part of the squad was like a dream come true.

Riley understood now she'd always harboured these desires. She'd always wanted to be like her step-sister and the Crispr had provided a way.

Of course, that meant that the new Ry probably now harboured her old desires... to cross dress and be a girl. They had probably only been heightened by the loss of his actual femininity.

Riley wondered if she could use that against him...

She wondered just how far it was possible to gaslight her new step-brother...

***

DAY 60

"Babe. What the fuck are you actually talking about? What Crispr research, I didn't delete anything from your hard-drive."

Ry stared at his sister in astonishment. Over the last few months he'd come to think of himself as male - it was somehow easier that way. His memories of being Riley were a confusing mess, sometimes it didn't even feel real. That was why it was now so confusing when Riley actually suggested it wasn't.

Over the last few days she'd been acting increasingly difficult. She kept giving him blank looks when he mentioned getting their bodies back and she had been dropping hints in from of him that he might be losing his mind.

"Listen Ry, I know you have this weird fetish for dressing up in my clothes... I found one of my bras in your room."

"Wh? WHAT? Well, those ARE my clothes," he growled angrily. "Before we swapped, those were ALL my clothes."

"Swapped, what the hell are you taking about? You keep going on about this weird dream fantasy of yours. Are you really suggesting that two months ago we both drank a formula that altered our DNA and turned us into each other. Don't you think that sounds kinda crazy?"

"It's not crazy... and when I find the research, I'll prove it to you!"

Riley watched him go with an evil smile on her perfect lips.

***

DAY 260

Riley sighed as her annoying step-bro peeked through her door. He was such a fucking pervert and always hanging around. He was easy to convince though. Sometimes she had trouble remembering her own lies now - manipulating him was getting easier by the day.

"Hey loser, get out of here. I told you I'm about to stream and I don't want you watching me."

"But Riley, I think I found something. A blog about this girl called Laura Sims, the same thing happened to her... I think."

"What thing?"

"You know, the Crispr solution... the DNA exchange. The personality and memory changes."

"Listen Ry, I already told you I don't know what the fuck you are talking about. Worse than that, I think it's time you admitted the truth. Do you really think a pathetic little loser like you could ever have been a beautiful gorgeous woman like me? Does it seem possible? Of course not. You're a boy and you've always been a boy."

"I have? What about these weird scars I have. They could be from tattoo removal right? Maybe I once had the same tattoos as you?"

"You know you got those in a fire right? Are you really suggesting that once you were me. That you had these tattoos and these piercings? That you and me somehow swapped lives and then I gaslit you into believing you had always been a boy?"

"I know it sounds crazy but..."

"It does sound crazy. Would it even matter? Would anyone believe you? I think you'll be happier if you just accept things are this way now, whatever you believe."

Sliding her hand onto his crotch, Riley grinned as she saw her step-brothers expression go soft.

"Mmmmh, why don't we stroke this little cock of yours to make it feel all better. Hmmmm?"

Ry groaned as his step-sister expertly jerked him off till he groaned and came. He watched her hot manicured hands slowly pump him up and down, draining his cock and all resistance out of him.

"There now. Feel better?"

"Yessss," he groaned.

"Good boy. Now get out of here. Go and goon in your room or something."

***

Listening to her step-brother grunting next door as he jerked off wearing her bra, Riley Grey played with her pussy and looked at herself in the mirror. Damn she was perfect. She was beautiful and sexy and hot. She loved being a girl.

She didn't even miss her old boy smarts. Who needed brains when you looked this good? Then again, she'd been doing a little research lately. She and Laura Richie had made contact and she had been intrigued by what she had found out.

She'd found out from the other girl that there was a second serum... one designed to improve the effects of the first. One that would make her a Goddess.

Maybe it was time to begin another new experiment...

THE END?

[yoonia]

the bedroom hymns ● chapter xix

⟶ Chapter summary | A legacy kept secret. A nearly forgotten presence of a loved one. A broken link between you and your late mother. When you begin asking whether it’s worth all the risk for you to get stronger, would you dare to take a step back, when that risk opens up a way for you to find answers? 

⟶ Title | The Bedroom Hymns: a Bluebeard’s twist ⟶ Pairings | Min Yoongi x female reader  ⟶ Genre | Fairy Prince!Yoongi, Crown Princess!reader, Fantasy AU, Fairy Tale retelling ⟶ Word count | 11,358 words ⟶ Ratings | PG-13, +18 / M for Mature for future chapters; include magic terms, classism, mentions of (minor) character’s death, implied mind manipulation. ⟶ Story Masterlist: The Bedroom Hymns | ⤎ previous chapter | next chapter ⇢ ⟶ Main Masterlist | Mailbox | Taglist | Feedback | Music Playlist | Ko-fi

chapter xix. visions

Something is changing. 

No. Everything is changing. 

You can feel that change happening in your body the most. What once felt like a raw, completely foreign, indescribable energy running wild through your body since the moment you stepped foot in this realm and inadvertently awakened it, now feels like a steady current rushing through you. 

Now, the energy feels almost as natural as the warm blood flowing through your veins. Always growing stronger during your waking hours and settling down in your sleep. 

Only a few days have passed since you started going through these afternoon practices with Lord Gordan, yet the changes have been swift. The progress is evident in how much growth you feel with your awareness towards magic. 

Now, not only have you grown to be more in tune with the foreign energy you have within, but you seem to have also grown in tune with the magic that is present everywhere around you. You can sense it floating in the air you breathe, vibrating within the castle’s walls, and radiating from the people around you who obtain magic within. It pulses around you whenever a foreign mana is present, brushing against your skin whenever you walk by. Every so often, it seems to you as if the magic around you is trying to connect with your energy instead of feeding off of it just as everyone had initially thought to happen. 

Even the magic radiating from the silver doors feels different to you now. 

Every time you travel down the long hallways in Stargrave, passing by these silver doors, you can feel the magic from the portals trying to reach out to you even without you activating them. Before, you could only feel the magic by activating the portals, and they have always reacted by engulfing you like a protective shield as you stepped into them. Now, you can feel them emerging from those doors without having to touch them, responding to your presence like invisible fingers gently greeting you when you pass them by. 

The humming sound of magic coming out of those doors also seems to be growing clearer whenever you pay more attention to it. The obscure voices that you often hear from them are beginning to form into words—although spoken in an ancient language that you have yet to learn to decipher. 

They sound like whisperings of magic spells, playing with your mind and emotions to lure you in with their enchanting hums. 

Yet despite your curiosity and deep desire to travel through the portals behind the silver doors, to see new places and learn more about the realm, you have yet to start accessing them again. The magic keys are now hidden in the drawers of your dressing room. Out of sight, even if you still fail to keep them out of your mind. 

You have made the decision to put your adventure to a halt for a short while. Except for the times you get bored and decide to try on those doors to see what would happen if you try to open them with regular keys instead of the magic keys your father had gifted you. The enchanting hums are more muted when you approach them this way, yet they are always there, whispering to you, before revealing to you the rooms that are actually hidden behind these silver doors—nothing more but regular rooms, from guest bedrooms to lounges and retrieving rooms filled with wooden furnitures, ostentatious trinkets, and exquisite looking rugs that the maids tend to each day no matter how rare they are used. 

There is a valid reason why you choose to take a break from your excursions. For now. 

Your body may have recovered, yet your mind is still unsettled, filled with a damning curiosity about magic and what you can do with your powers. And you also refuse to risk losing the progress that you have been making by getting into the portals when you are not completely ready. When your mana is barely steady and your body is still too easily drained. 

The lessons that Lord Gordan has been giving you are physically draining, leaving you completely exhausted by the end of the day, with not much time left before the night comes to allow you to travel freely. And it doesn’t help that no matter how badly you wish to use the remaining free time you have left to rest properly and recuperate, fate doesn’t seem to be on your side. 

Because your sleep has been restless. Barely giving you the chance to have a proper break in your slumber and regain your energy before starting the next day. 

Because while you haven’t been able to travel through the portals during the day, at night, your mind travels on its own through your dreams. Dreams that are so peculiar they haunt you during your waking hours, always leaving you with many unanswered questions which remain at the back of your mind. 

The dreams always begin the same way. 

Always with the events from the day, replicated through your memories to let you relive it for a brief moment before the images you see shifts. Everything around you fades, leaving you on your own as you step out of your bedchamber, wearing nothing but the slip of a dress you often wear to sleep. 

In these dreams, you always see yourself walking through the long, winding hallway of Stargrave, completely barefoot, with your nightdress fluttering around your legs, lured by the shadows that act like your silent guide. 

Everything you see in your dreams during this part looks so familiar, yet at the same time, leaves you troubled. Because for some odd reason, they also feel so wrong. The dark walls and the cold stone floor feel different, although you have yet to figure out why you would feel this way when you are always more amazed at the fact that you can feel them, even in your dreams. 

In your daze, you keep walking, not stopping until you find yourself walking past the steep alcoves that you find on the outer halls on the side of the castle, heading towards one of the doors leading to the side courtyard. 

Stepping outside, a cold breeze suddenly flows around you. The sky is bright, not the usual pale grey that you often see on the daylight at Flagon. Yet there is no warmth falling on your skin. As if there is no sun in the sky shining from above you. 

The open veranda standing above the side courtyard seems desolated. Unlike what you see during the day, when you often see the palace maids walking past the flower beds with baskets of linen as they head towards the servants rooms in the back of the palace, or palace guards watching over the courtyard when they are not out there training. 

You continue walking from there, going down the long grand staircase made of stone which leads straight down the courtyard. The stone steps feel cold under your bare footsteps as you slowly make your way down. Flower petals in varying colours fall around you, carried through the breeze as they fall around your feet. You follow the petals as a guide, taking you across the courtyard that look nothing like what you recall in your memories. 

This side of the palace’s territory feels foreign to you. Never once have you ever explored this far away from the main castle. Always been too busy exploring the hidden parts within the castle walls instead. Even though you have been curious about the locked garden hidden behind the iron gate that you could see from the windows of your bedchamber. 

At the end of the courtyard, that is exactly what you see. The familiar wall of green hedges that are standing just a feet over your head. Except that this wall—just like the rest of the things you see—is different. 

They aren’t as neatly trimmed as how you remember them. Not as prettily as how you always admire them while you are sitting on the porch of Nanny Abigail’s private quarters during your late afternoon tea time.  

Yet the unkempt image of the garden isn’t the only thing that brings unease flickering in your chest. Everything about this green wall feels wrong. The pretty hedges have lost their shapes, with lumps of overgrown leaves at one side and withering and leafless branches on the other. Below, the grass have grown thickly, untrimmed with fallen dry leaves covering the ground around your feet. Ivy claims the iron gate, with relentless tendrils twisting around the iron bars, and rust growing from the corners of the gate to the floral embellishments you see at the top of the gate.

Setting aside the unease, you follow the thrum of your heartbeat and reaches out to touch the iron gate. It opens with one simple touch, and you carefully step across to the other side. As barefoot as you have been, your feet press down the dry leaves and thorny branches covering the ground with each step you take. 

On the other side, the garden that you wish to see is nowhere in sight. Once again, everything around you shifts. Instead of taking you to the royal garden, the gate brings you to an open ground that looks like the top of the rocky cliffs outside of Stargrave’s property. The grass quickly declines, replaced by gravel, damp soil, and patches covered in natural stones, with dry sand filling the crevices. 

Your mind seems barely present as you continue to walk across the opening, your bare feet are numb as you step over the uneven ground. It feels like your body is moving on its own, your legs working without your mind commanding them. Yet you are still sensible enough to notice it when the ground beneath you seems to ascend. 

At the end of your journey, you stop at the part of the ground covered in rocks, finding yourself standing atop of a cliff. 

Looking over the ledge, you are reminded of a different dream. The only difference is that instead of looking out at the wide open clear ocean, a different sight unfurls before you as you look across the horizon. 

From your new vantage point, you see a magnificent land of riches, a mirror image of the sight you have often marvelled back home in Smotia, but much larger and wider in size, and much more affluent that the place that had once been your home. 

To the west, you can see an endless stretch of the dense emerald forest, their canopies of leaves forming a sea of green swaying gently with the breeze. From the trees, you see rivers cutting through the land which sparkle under the bright sky, like ribbons of silver threads winding through the landscape. Tiny dots of villages and towns spread across the horizon, each one formed by either a cluster of thatched roofs or varying shapes of buildings made of white marble stones, all connected by winding paths that seem like bright coloured threads meandering through and between the vast green hills. 

Up here, the air feels crisp with scents of pine and wildflowers, far from the scent of see and dry wind of Stargrave. You see birds soaring gracefully in the sky, almost in tune with the rustling leaves and the distant murmur of waterfalls cascading down another part of the cliffs nearby. Between the rising green hills, you see patches of meadows and farmlands spreading across the landscape, all filled with an abundance of fresh crops, ready to harvest. 

Looking further to the north, you see the sight of mountain peaks looming in the distance. They remind you of Mount Orrum, except that they fill the horizon in a linear line with their snow-capped summits glowing under the bright unseen sun, towering the land like silent guardians. They look majestic, grand, and intimidatingly beautiful, unlike the lonely peaks of Mount Orrum that presented the long despair of the people of Nythelean Empire before your father claimed the throne. 

Looking at this sight brings you a sense of peace and belonging, but also a longing for a place that you have never seen before. This land reminds you of home. Not only for the home you found in Smotia, but the home that your heart has longed for under the lingering memory of your missing childhood. 

Far too soon, the bright sky changes as sunset arrives, and the sky is now painted in mixed shades of rosy colours and the golden hue of the descending sun. As the daylight fades beyond the horizon, a thick, white mist begins to rise from the ground, rapidly enveloping the territory.

It seeps through the trees, between the hills, rising higher and higher until you are beginning to lose sight of the green beauty of the land and the bustling life of the townspeople below. Above, white fog as thick as the clouds above also begins to build, covering the beautiful sight completely until everything disappears under the thick blanket of white.

And once again, your dream shifts. 

An icy thrill creeps through your spine when the fog is slowly lifted right before your eyes, and the sight you see changes. All of a sudden, you are no longer standing right above a magnificent land of riches and affluent life. 

Instead, you are now standing on the edge of a barren plateau. You gaze out to see a desolated land stretching out before your eyes. The lush fields and wide sea of emerald green that was the endless growing forest are long gone. In their place lay a wasteland, parched and lifeless, as if the very soul of the land that you marvelled at had been scorched away. 

Scattered across the desolated plain that had been a vast woodland are the skeletal remains of trees, their branches reaching towards the sky like bony fingers of ghosts from ancient times. They all stand in stark contrast to the lifeless ground, their twisted forms becoming an eerie sight out of a nightmare that brings shivers to your skin. The once-fertile soil of the vast farmlands is now a barren wasteland. Its rich, dark loam have now been replaced by dry, cracked earth that seems to stretch on endlessly all the way to the fading horizon. The white peaks of the mountain are now scorched black, as if a massive flame had engulfed the wall of rocks protecting the entire land. 

The sky above that was painted in varying colours is now a bleak expanse of grey. Not a sight of the warmth coming from the unseen sun, nor the golden hue of sunset. Nothing but a desolate light cast over from the sky, with no warmth to offer. The once-thriving rivers have mostly dried out to mere trickles, their beds cracked and exposed, and the sound of the trickling waterfalls now silent. 

Your eyes sweep across the landscape, your gaze lingering on the remnants of what had once been vibrant villages and lively towns. The stone-made buildings are nothing more than ghostly ruins, with crumbling walls and charred skeletons of what was once homes to many. Others appear with burnt walls and collapsed roofs, with nothing left other than broken porches tainted in smoke and ashes. 

Looking closer, you notice the faint outlines of paths and roads. Now barely discernible beneath the encroaching dust and debris. The sky is now quiet and empty. The birds and their songs are no longer present, leaving behind the mournful whispers in the wind, carrying with it the faint scent of ashes and decay, everything that represents death and a sorrowful end. 

What you see in your dream right before everything fades the moment you wake up feels like a warning, a reminder of a forgotten past. And it lingers with you through your waking hour, as the heavy weight of the sorrow that you feel from these dreams clings to you so tightly, becoming a part of you, as if your soul is crying for the broken part of the realm that has been lost in time. 

Your back is tense. Your limbs are all trembling as sweat builds in your body. You are overwhelmed with the pressure in your body that you are beginning to sway, your focus shifting, yet you know that you cannot stop now. Not yet. 

Sighing heavily, you fail to fight against the need to speak and question, “Is this practice really—necessary?” 

“You’re supposed to be focusing, Your Highness,” Lord Gordan answers from somewhere across the room after making a sound that is quite similar to a scoff. ��Talking will only take your focus away.” 

With a deep breath, you swallow your annoyance and resume your position—standing in the middle of the room with your legs spread shoulders-wide, your arms stretched forward, and your gaze locked on the bare wall across the room. After having days of rigorous training—which merely included sword and weapon training and other physical exercises—Lord Gordan has finally decided that it was time for you to start your core training.

You have questioned why it was taking him this long to start teaching you this, choosing instead to focus on giving you physical training and fighting when you already have enough experiences on both from back when you still lived in the Citadel. Now, however, as you are starting to feel the strain in your muscles yet still able to keep yourself standing upright instead of shaking or falling, you are beginning to see the reason why he decided to stimulate your muscles and stamina first. The need to bring back your physical strength after taking a long break from any physical activities due to your move from the capital. 

You can understand the meaning behind it, but it doesn’t mean that you have to like it. 

“To answer your question. A heightened sense of awareness is required when you are in need of identifying mana.” Lord Gordan’s voice echoes from a different spot in the room, signifying that he has been moving around, circling the room as he keeps an eye on you.

But instead of fixating on his random movement, you fixate more on his words. A startling awareness rocks through you when you understand what he meant.  

“Identifying mana,” you whisper as you swallow thickly. Your heartbeat is racing. Never once have you ever shared about what you can do with the foreign mana inside you. No one other than Yoongi, that is. 

Surely, Lord Gordan is simply talking about the ability to sense magic, you silently convince yourself as you force yourself to remain calm. Because you have also learned that anyone with magic would be able to do this. To sense, not to identify. Because the latter is something that only a selective few can do. 

Unless Yoongi was wrong, and everyone with magic can do this. Making you not as special as he made you to be.

Keeping your voice steady, you try to confirm your thoughts by asking, “So that’s—normal?” 

The answer doesn’t come immediately. You can feel the weight of the silence that your tutor is giving you that you almost sway into the urge to rock on your feet, stepping side to side to calm your nerves. But before you can even move an inch, or speak, or take an inhale of breath, Lord Gordan finally speaks. 

“To identify its presence, yes. To recognise its form, where it comes from, whether or not they pose some danger to you, would be a special kind of skill which not many are gifted with.” 

You cannot see him as he stands behind you, one thing that you are grateful of because it means that he wouldn’t be able to see your reaction. Everything in your body grows tense, and you are sure that your shock is written all over your face. 

“How did you—”

Your words fade under the rapid thrum of your heartbeat. Warmth brushes against your back as Lord Gordan walks pass you. 

“Focus, Your Highness. Keep your questions for later. Don’t let your curiosity distract you from your practice”—he sighs—”again.” 

You can picture him walking away, brushing off his own statement, the fact that he knows what you are capable of, and your reaction to it. A part of you wants nothing more but to ignore everything. Anything to hide the fact that you have been practising your magic behind everyone else’s back and finding some hidden skills that have only been written in the books—behind your father’s back. And because revealing so would raise more questions. 

Namely questions on who might have been responsible in teaching you the basic techniques before Lady Laurel ever showed you how to, or what had actually triggered your mana to begin amplifying itself. 

But there is a bigger part of you, the one that has always been filled with curiosity, which gets stronger. That part of you needs answers.  

“I think the ship has sailed, don’t you agree? You’re the one causing that distraction by being vague.”

“Have I?” he chuckles, sounding a bit closer as he now stands right beside you. “You’re wondering how I know about what you can do, while I’m curious why you would be hiding it when Lady Laurel and Lady Abigail should be able to help you learn more about it.” 

Biting your bottom lip, you resist turning your head to look at him. You have no idea what he might see once you turn to face him. Will your secret and lies be written all over your face? Would he be able to read your mind just by looking into your eyes? 

Can he really tell how far you have actually been trying to control your mana and how the magic portals have been triggering it to get stronger? 

“Have you been practising in secret without your tutors’ knowledge?” Lord Gordan asks with a soft voice, and the breath that you had just taken ceases. “Why?” 

How your body can remain in its position is beyond you. Perhaps the fact that you are in too much shock has led to your body to become still. So still, that you barely tremble even when the breath that you take comes with a shudder. 

“Because I’ve been denied over and over again when I asked for a chance,” you murmur with a quivering sigh. It is the only reason you can think of. The only reason why you have been quite reckless about delving into magic without getting any proper training in the first place, and the same reason you had given to Lord Gordan before when you first confided in him and got him to agree to train you in secret. 

You can feel it rather than hear it when Lord Gordan turns and walks away. The tension in your body eases, but you still don’t dare to move. “You can take a break now, Your Highness,” Lord Gordan says, and you finally let go. Lowering your arms to your side, you wiggle them a little while shifting your legs before turning to look at your father’s aide. 

Lord Gordan has his back on you as he stands before a wooden credenza situated across the room. He is calm when he opens the lid of a glass decanter and places two empty glasses along with it. “Drink?”

You cannot exactly see how a liquor can help during this kind of talk. But you suddenly feel like your throat is dry and you can take anything just to ease your mind. “Yes, please.” 

Lord Gordan pours a golden-amber drink into both glasses and gestures you to take a seat on the settee near the window before handing you the glass. He sits on the chair across from you, silent as he watches you take dainty sips of the drink. It tastes sweet, a bit smoky, like the whiskey that your father keeps in his study room back in the Citadel. The same one that you had often drunk in secret whenever he was away.   

“You were denied access to your practice only because His Majesty instructed them not to get involved with your magic training. I don’t think that fact needed much explanation,” he says as he raises his glass, his eyes never wavering from you.  

“As I have already learned from the repeated rejection,” you bitterly mutter. “And I’m sure you recall that I don’t exactly have the patience to wait much longer.” 

“As I recall, from the repeated times you kept telling me and how both your tutor and your governess had informed me. Which was the reason why I’m helping you now even without His Majesty’s knowledge,” he reiterates calmly. “I’m sure you’ll be reasonable enough to keep this as our secret, as I am to keep your—private activities. I’ve always known that impatience runs strongly in your blood, after all,” he says with a chuckle. “Much like your magic.” 

Your brows rise in your confusion. “What do you mean?” 

Lowering his glass, Lord Gordan raises his free hand to start brushing his short beard. His gaze is sharp and intense when he answers, “Your ability to identify magic forms. It is an ability inherited through your bloodline.” 

Surprised to hear this, you perk up and straighten up in your seat, eager to learn more. “You mean, my father can do it too?” 

“No. Not His Majesty,” he says, shaking his head. “It was the Queen.”  

If your eyes have not grown wide before, they definitely are now. It has been quite a rare occurrence for you to hear anything regarding to your mother. It is almost as if people around you have been wary about bringing up the Queen, while your father would always avoid talking about your mother other than the times he reminisced the old days when you spent your childhood with your mother. 

Even then, he would always talk about his memories in a vague way, not entirely in a way that would help you remember everything from the past. 

That is why it becomes quite obvious that you are curious to hear more. Especially now, knowing that you might share something with your mother. That you have a piece of her in you which you have never known about before. 

“What did she do with it? How would she make use of it?” you cautiously ask him as you clutch the glass in your hands, hoping that the more you learn about your mother, the more you can learn about this ability and how to wield it. Until the day you can unlock your true magic. “I’m sorry, I just—I don’t understand why one would need to identify a magic form and its source.” 

Lord Gordan’s lips are lifted to a bitter smile. “For many reasons, in fact. You can identify someone or a party who might become a threat to your home and family, or to trace down a person or a magic source which may be of help to the kingdom.” He briefly stops, and you are almost sure that you can see a glimpse of longing in his eyes as he thinks back about the past—about your mother—but it fades too soon before you can read much of it. But the pride that he holds when he speaks of your mother remains when he adds, “But the Queen was capable of many things. She even did some questionable things when she was young with that ability of hers.” 

“Such as—?” 

Lord Gordan gives a half shrug as a smirk goes on his face. “Once she identified a new magic, she would not only learn of its source. She would dissect it, learn the system behind it to know how it worked and how to manifest it, so she would be able to learn how to wield it herself,” he explains with pride written all over his face.  

Resting both of his arms on his knees, Lord Gordan sightly leans forward to continue, “The Queen had the ability to mirror and duplicate others’s magic to her heart’s content and would oftentimes use it for her own gain. It was her ability that had gotten her in trouble far too many times in the past when she was younger, when she would often copy or mirror even the most dangerous kinds of magic she encountered way back then before she took the crown.”  

There is a buzz of energy following your footsteps as you walk down Stargrave’s dimly lit hallway. Flashes of your dream keeps following you, and you find yourself comparing every second, every detail that you see as you make your trip across the castle to the images that you saw in your dream.

Different. They are different.

Relief shouldn’t be the one emotion you have rushing in your chest as you look at the dark walls and stone floors, finding them positioned perfectly as you remember them and appearing differently compared to what your dreams have shown you. But relief is the only thing that you can feel now, finally proving to yourself that you weren’t crazy to believe that the images you have been seeing were mirror images to what actually exist in reality. 

What appeared to be on your left is now on your right. The side courtyard is placed on the west side instead of the east, and the door to your bedchamber hadn’t been flipped between left and right, causing the floral embellishment to face the wrong way as how you saw it in your dreams. 

But thoughts of your peculiar visions are not the only things that you have in mind. A few other things have also been nagging at you as you pace down the hall, nodding at the guards you come across without actually paying attention to their faces or remembering their names. 

The last conversation you had with Lord Gordan still haunts you. The story he shared about your mother and her ability keeps coming back to you each time your thoughts are quiet. 

For many years, you have tried—and failed—to learn more about your mother. You could never understand why everyone around you would never openly talk about her. You have heard almost nothing that could help you understand more about her; what was she like, what kind of person she was in the eyes of those who knew her and, more importantly, what happened to her. 

As if her life has always been a deep, dark secret that needed to be kept from you. 

If only you can understand why. Too bad you have no one to question or talk about this with, as even Lady Abigail—the only person you have known to have some kind of a relationship with your mother—has also avoided talking about your mother aside from the time she reminisced the old days before she became your governess and caretaker. She barely even talked about the days she spent taking the role as your mother’s lady-in-waiting when your mother was still alive. 

To you, any memory you have of her are hazy, as you were too young, too little to understand anything that was happening then. All you have now are jumbled pieces of memories that you still have trouble putting together, and there was no one around you who would be willing to fill in the gaps and help you get the full picture of what your childhood life with your mother was like.

No one until Lord Gordan finally came to the picture. 

Even now, you wonder why would Lord Gordan, someone who is supposed to be the King’s aide, the man who is most loyal to your father, would be willing to help you through everything. You know that you should be feeling grateful that there is at least one person in this castle who is kind enough to guide you through your new life when your father is unable to, not letting you feel lost in this new world you have been thrust into. Yet you cannot help but feel doubtful, unable to stop questioning the reason or purpose behind his willingness to help you and give you the answers you needed when you expressed them. 

Can you really trust him, when you had known nothing about this man before you moved to Stargrave? 

Does he have another purpose in helping you, and if he does, would it be wrong to believe that it may have something to do with your mother? 

The expression he made when he spoke about your mother remains in your memory. At first, you wondered if you had imagined it—the look of longing that flashed through his gaze at the thought of the Queen. But the more you think about it, the more you become sure of what you saw. Yet you have no idea what to make of it or what to do with this lingering doubt when you think about going back to his lecture the next day. 

Today’s lecture with your other tutors should have been enough to distract you from your thoughts. From Lady Laurel’s lecture about how a person can use a medium or a talisman to wield their magic, to Nanny Abigail’s lessons about royal alliances between empires and the technicalities behind them—from peace treaty signings to marriage arrangements. Yet your mind kept going back to that last interaction you had with Lord Gordan, to the part where you found out that you have a piece of her with you aside from the enchanted necklace that she passed down to you.

By the end of the day, all the things that kept troubling you began to overwhelm you so much that you decided to take a walk through the castle to clear your head before nightfall comes. 

You hadn’t exactly planned to do more than travel through the cold hallways. Nothing more but a little trip to wear yourself out so you can sleep tonight without having to enter your peculiar dream again. Yet with the magic keys in your pocket, it seems like you are being lured once again towards the hall at the other end of the castle where more rows of silver doors are located. 

This time, you find yourself being lured specifically to one familiar-looking door which had drawn your attention some long hours ago. 

It was early dawn when you walked down this same hallway for your morning stroll, unexpectedly encountering a maid who entered this room to do some cleaning. 

“Early morn’, Your Highness,” she awkwardly greeted you with an accent that you weren’t quite familiar with, carrying with her a basket filled with utensils and freshly washed linens. 

You watched her entering the room, revealing a small retrieving room with a whole set of high-back chairs covered in ivory coloured leather surrounding a tall round wooden table. You also saw twin credenzas set on each opposite walls, a twin floor-to-ceiling windows across the room where the rising sunrise was filtering through, and a long settee with the same leather cover set in front of them. 

This room wasn’t one that you had ever used before. But it was the embellishment carved on the door which caught your attention—the silver linings formed into twisting wild ivy with blooming wildflowers carved on the door and the symbolic markings on its center which mirrored the curves on the center of your ruby amulet. 

You trace those linings with your gaze as you are standing before the same door again many hours later, listening to the whispering hums that you failed to notice this morning when the maid unlocked the door with her master key. The sky outside is growing dark, as your activities during the day had turned out to be longer. Looking around, there are no guards in sight. No palace maids roaming the halls as the day nears dusk, most of them already retreating to their quarters to have their needed break and prepare for supper.  

After days of keeping it away, the silver key feels peculiar in your hand. But at the same time, it feels good to have it with you again. It gives you some sort of comfort to be holding it again, despite feeling the weight of its secret which you are obligated to protect in your father’s name. 

Looking from up close, you can finally confirm that the curves on the door truly are similar to what you have on your necklace. Lines that at one glance will only look like petals of flowers curling on each other. Yet when you take a look even closer, they appear more like cursive letters for words that are foreign to you. 

Just as foreign as the spells that are humming from the door as you step closer. 

Taking a deep breath, you slowly enter the key, opening the door with a resounding click. The blue void unfurls in the doorway instead of the view of the retrieving room that you previously saw, and you carefully step into it. Your senses immediately grow alert, opening to embrace the sparks of magic that is welcoming you back.  

A sharp gasp escapes you as you walk through the portal. 

You had expected that it would feel different this time around to come in direct contact with the magic, yet you never expected it to be this intense. Not that the sparks of energy feel painful on your skin. It’s just that the magic feels more aggressive, coming at you with a rush as it engulfs you  completely until you emerge on the other side. 

With the magic and the whispering spell still ringing in your head, it takes a bit longer for you to regain control of your senses once you step out of it. Keeping your eyes closed, you try to catch your breath, instantly breathing in humid air filled with mildew and dust. 

It nearly chokes you instead of helping you calm down. With brows furrowed, you carefully open your eyes to see where you are. 

The room where you have emerged into seems to be a closed storage, with open cabinets filling the walls around you, all stocked with boxes, canned rations, and empty glass jars that are mostly covered with dust. Judging from the state you are seeing, you are quite certain that this place hasn’t been visited for a long while. 

Coughing up all the dust, you turn to follow the humming sound of the portal, seeing it appearing behind you in the mirror standing against the wall. Its blue light sparkling brightly across your face, appearing slightly lighter and brighter than how it used to. 

“Charming,” you muse with a chuckle, realising how much you have missed seeing this magnificent sight that is still amazing to marvel at. 

Turning back to face the room, you find two different doors. Each one placed on the opposite side of the storage room. The one on your left seems to be locked, with more dust and cobwebs attached on it, and you find no desire to touch it at all. 

Lights seem to be penetrating through the seams and cracks on the door to your right, which seems more promising. The wood is also cleaner, smoother, and new, with not a sight of rust on its metallic handle and hinges that would have made you hesitant upon touching it. You can also hear muffled noises coming from the other side—people’s voices, a hum of music coming from the distance, and the sound of hoofs and carriage wheels passing across stone-covered ground. 

Dusting your coat, you walk over to the door on your right and carefully reach for the handle. It opens easily with a click, as if your touch alone is enough to unlock it. All the noises you heard earlier filter into the dark room in an instant. The golden hue of sunset that welcomes you as you step out of the door feels blinding, hitting you right at the same time warm breeze comes brushing against your skin. 

The change of atmosphere is so sudden that it becomes overwhelming and too distracting. 

So distracting that you nearly jump when the door abruptly closes behind you with a hard slam before you can stop it. Turning in shock, you inadvertently bump against someone who is trying to walk past. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” 

“Excuse me!” 

You turn to look at the person you just bumped into, seeing a young girl who is carrying a pile of boxes in her arms. The pile has grown so high that they almost reach the top of her head, making it hard for her to see clearly what is in front of her.  

“I’m sorry, Miss. I couldn’t see you,” the young girl apologises in a small voice after making sure she isn’t going to drop her boxes. You see two blotches of pink smearing her cheeks as she looks at you that you feel guilty for getting in her way. 

“That’s okay, it was my mistake for not paying attention,” you say to her, nodding, and the girl smiles before she continues on her way. 

Watching her go, you finally realise that you are standing in the middle of some sort of a back alley. Aside from the door that you had just come out of, there are lines of doors on either side of the alley. All closed and possibly locked. All leading to the bigger spaces hidden behind the wall. Curious to know where you have ended up in, you silently follow the young girl down the alley until you reach the end. 

Stepping out of the dark back alley, you emerge into a place bustling with vibrant energy. 

With cobblestone streets, lines of fancy stores and buildings made up of stone and brick walls with large display windows at the front, this place reminds you of the high street of Narlès. Amazed, you walk out into the street, joining the crowd of people who are too busy window-shopping to notice you. 

At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about the stores that you are seeing. 

A scent of freshly baked bread and pastries comes wafting from a quaint bakery nearby, where the display windows showcase golden croissants, crusty baguettes, and an array of sweet treats that are making your stomach rumble. But there is also a hint of herbs, spice, and other rich aroma that you aren’t quite familiar with, seemingly richer and more diverse compared to the bakery shops you have seen in the human realm. 

Right next door is a small bookshop. From the window at the front, you can see wooden shelves packed with various books. Their spines display a rainbow of colours and textures. You don’t have to step in to imagine breathing in the comforting aroma of aged paper and ink. Similar to what you always find back at the old library of Stargrave. 

Yet from here, you can also see scrolls and scriptures stacked up between those shelves, ancient runes written on the spines of the books that appear to be glowing from the furthest shelves inside the store, and tarot cards being laid across the display table by the windows. Together with candles and burning incense laid around an open spell book. 

Just like Narlès, there are small boutiques lining up the street. Their windows display mannequins wearing the latest trends, ornate fashion pieces made up of coats and cloaks, high leather boots and sparkling heels, and some other exquisite pieces that you have never seen being sold in fashion boutiques before; such as chest armours made of glimmering gold and leather straps in varying sizes and shapes which appear to be made for swords and other weapons. 

The sight of excited shoppers carrying their bags in their arms remind you of the nobbles you met at Narlès. The people of high-society who came to the market town to keep up with the trend, their faces filled with joy as they carried the goods and gifts that they were bringing home.  

But the more you look, the more you can find stark differences between both places. Unlike Narlès, the streets here are larger in width, allowing carriages to drive by and more varying shoppers strolling from one store to the next. Magic items are being displayed even in the regular shops, pixies jumping around and flying in front of some shops, happily inviting shoppers to come visit. 

Instead of seeing only nobbles roaming the streets, you see children playing around the fountain at the market square, street musicians performing for passerby with music and magic tricks within a block of each other, and varying vendors selling their goods—from various wares, flowers, even snacks and candies—at colourful stalls built between the larger stores. 

Yet the major difference you are seeing the most is within the people. Looking past the fancy linings on their outfits and the variety of colours and fabric of their coats, you catch some other characteristics that are evident between the people around you. The humans or mortals are easy to recognise, with their tilted chin and neatly combed hairs and formal demeanour, they don’t stand out as much compared to the ones with pointy ears and jewelled-like eyes, or the ones with hairs in the colour of moonlight that actually glow and sparkle under the golden hue of the sunset, or the ones who stand almost as tall as the stores they are walking past by. 

Just like Narlès, where humans from a myriad of places come to visit and find what they need, this place seems to be the destination for visitors from every part of the fairy tale realm who are not regulars to the market town for the humans. 

Elves, faeries, trolls, and shapeshifters. Most of them are either dressed as sorcerers and wizards or warriors and rich merchants, and they blend together with travelling humans such as you are as they roam the streets and the alleys lined up between the smaller stores. 

In your astonishment, you suddenly come to a halt. Barely avoiding a collision with two young elves who are pushing carts filled with goods across the market square. You continue to watch them go until they disappear into the store across the street where they seem to be working at. 

You still have your eyes locked on the busy street until you hear a mixed sounds of squeaking and rattling coming from above your head, followed by the sound of a ringing bell echoing somewhere nearby. The sounds draw your attention to the sky, allowing you to see the sight that you would have missed out on should you keep your attention to the ground.

Looking up above, you find that the skyline is graced by sleek, silvery lines of elevated tracks that you have seen pictures of from your books about the magical realm. Weaving their way beyond the top of the stores made up of stone and brick walls and between the towering buildings covered with glass walls, they cast intricate shadows on the cobblestone streets below which you have failed to notice earlier while taking in the sight of the stores and the people around you. 

Trains made up of long carriages move gracefully along the tracks, suspended in the air with cables connecting them to the silver tracks. The humming sound of the machinery mobilising their leisure strolling across the city echoes all the way down to the bustling streets below, a constant reminder of the vibrant energy pulsing through the market place. 

The monorails. That is what they are called in one of the books that you read during your lectures. 

In the pictures you saw on those pages, they looked like frail horse carriages hanging in the sky. You had imagined them moving stiffly, rocking with each curve and twist of their tracks as they move through the city. Yet as you watch them drive by above your head, they look more like a metallic serpents floating in the sky, glowing as its body reflects the golden hue of sunlight for traveling up close. You can see from the distance that each car seems to be carrying with them more shoppers and visitors from various places in and out of the city that might be way more spacious than how you had initially thought it to be. 

Seeing this makes you feel as if you have been sent years ahead into the future instead of somewhere across the realm. A modern city that many could only dream of. Except that magic exists in this place together with the technology that you have yet to see in your home realm. 

You can feel the presence of magic. Sense it. Be it pulsing from everywhere around you or to feel it as you almost come brushing against other passerby strolling down the streets. 

One of the monorails slows down to a halt in front of what seems to be an elevated post standing against the upper floor of a nearby store. The ringing bell you heard earlier becomes the sign of its arrival before a voice calls out from within the carriage, 

“Aeris! Welcome to Aeris, the Mage city!”

Eyes widening, you feel intrigued. You can hear the sound of your heartbeat growing slightly faster as your excitement grows. 

Mage city. How interesting, you wonder with a smile. Let’s see if this place can teach something more about magic. 

The chime of the bell echoes from above your head as you walk through the store’s front door.

Inside, the air is thick with the scent of old books, exotic spices, and a hint of incense. A stark change from the humid air outside. It feels comforting, in a way that you are made to feel as if you are walking into a place that feels dreamy. As if this space is enchanting and inviting you to find shelter here among the rows of racks filled with crafted artefacts and magic items. 

Looking around, you notice that the store that you had just entered isn’t too crowded, yet still lively. The muted sounds of conversations shared between shoppers and workers become a lull as you walk deeper into the shop. You can see more wizards and witches walking around, browsing through the racks and display tables. Workers that you identify as a mixed group of humans and elves are diligently tending to the customers, yet none of them seems to have noticed you enter.  

The shop is dimly lit by chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, each one adorned with crystals which refract lights in a myriad of colours spread across the room. The walls around you are lined up with wooden shelves, all reaching up to the high, vaulted ceiling, with not a sight of an empty rack visible from where you stand. 

On one side of the store, an alcove bathed in a soft glow of light appears a bit more lively than the main area of the shop. In there, elves, young and old, and some young humans dressed in intricate cloaks gather around a large wooden table. The elder elves are holding different types of scrolls in their hands as they converse with each other in gentle voices. 

Judging by the looks of it, they seem to be holding a small workshop there, teaching the younger customers the art of potion-making, seen from the way the elder elves are guiding the young wizards through the process of mixing and testing different types of colourful liquids into small cauldrons and glass bottles. 

It is quite an interesting sight to see real wizards and other beings doing magical practices so openly in such a welcoming space. To watch with your own two eyes everything that you have only learned and seen through your books and scriptures. You are also amazed to see the mystical creatures blending in, as you see mischievous pixies flitting about to help the workers and large owls with wide, golden eyes perched on wooden posts set on different corners of the store as they watch over the shoppers like silent guardians. 

And you certainly cannot miss the vibrant pulse of magic spreading all around you. 

Unlike the parts of the city which you had come across, where magic simply lingered in space, you can easily tell that the magic you are feeling is coming from different sources that are stored all over the shop. 

At the center of the room, a large, intricately carved oak table stands as a centerpoint, displaying a variety of enchanted items; wands crafted from rare woods and embedded with precious gems, enchanted rings that glimmer under the glow of the chandelier above, and talismans inscribed with runes of ancient spells. The faint hum of mana coming out of these artefacts permeates the air, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.

Instead of coming closer to learn more about them, you turn away from the table, as they were not the reason why you came here in the first place. 

Your gaze moves towards the display counter at the front, to the sparkling items that you saw earlier when you were walking pass by the store. Jewelries and amulets adorned with gemstones and crystals in varying colours, all glowing under the sunset hue penetrating through the front window. 

Their alluring sparkles had been the reason why you had chosen to step into this store—after visiting multiple different stores which had drawn your attention yet hadn’t been enough to keep you interested. But it is the pulsing mana they are emitting which draws you in as you slowly take a few steps closer. 

Lowering the hood of your cloak, you keep your eyes on these amulets as you reach up to your neck, gently grazing the embellishments on your necklace with the tips of your fingers. From the moment you stepped out of the magic portal, the necklace has been humming with mana. And now, once you have it revealed from the neckline of your cloak, it appears to be glimmering. You have no idea whether this is happening as a late response to the magic from the portal or if it is calling out to the vibrating energy you feel coming from all around you. 

The only thing that you notice is the fact that these amulets are answering its call. 

Whispers of enchanting spells begin filling your head, muffling all the other sounds coming from all around you. Without you realising it, your legs begin to move forward, and there is something guiding your hand to reach out to touch the alluring pulse of mana. To feel it on the tips of your fingers. To sense the real form of this flowing energy and understand its origin. 

“Welcome to l'Équinoxe,” a soft voice greets you, shutting down the humming magic that is beginning to overcome your senses. 

Snapping out of it, you lower your hand and turn, facing the main counter on the other side of the room. A shopkeeper stands behind the counter, her green eyes sparkling brightly as she greets you with a smile on her face. The tips of her pointy ears are peeking out of the strands of her caramel-coloured hair as she slightly tilts her head. “Hello, is there anything that I can help you with?” she asks. Her voice is gentle and she speaks in a rhythm which makes it seem as if she is singing a tune as she invites you to come closer. 

“We have potions and elixirs for all purposes—healing, therapy, youth, and we also have some that can enhance your mana and strength. In the back, we have wands, crystals, and staffs for your magic practices. We also have various types of medium, talismans that are handcrafted by artisans from across the realm and—” she stops briefly, and while your gaze traces across the array of colourful bottles filled with potions and elixirs lined up within the racks behind the shopkeeper, her gaze moves down to the glimmering necklace hanging from your neck, “—amulets, just like the one that you are wearing now.” 

Your gaze snaps back to her face. “Oh,” you whisper. Something about this interaction you are suddenly having makes you uneasy. Yet you are incapable of pinpointing what it is that makes you feel so unsure about this. If only her soft gaze isn’t so comforting and inviting, perhaps you would have been able to think clearly. Clear enough to question if it would be a good idea to engage on her sudden interest with your necklace. 

Clearing your throat, you muster a smile to your face. “Yes, I was looking at those necklaces at the front. I’m not really looking for anything, I was window-shopping and got a bit curious.” Which isn’t a complete lie, since that had been the reason why you stumbled into this store. 

“Take your time. You can look around however you like,” the shopkeeper reassures you. “Although, I can’t say that we have anything that would be able to match your lovely amulet.” 

An unsettling flutter sparks in your chest. “Why would you think that?” 

The shopkeeper, the female elf with eyes like a pair of jewels says nothing at first, only keeping her gaze on your necklace for a moment too long before asking, “May I have a look?” 

Tilting your head, you barely have any thought of debating on it. Once again, your curiosity easily wins. “Of course,” you answer her as you walk closer to the counter, allowing her to get a better look at your necklace. 

As you lean over the counter, the shopkeeper herself leans forward and gently pulls the ruby amulet towards her. She hums a little as she peruses the necklace, her gaze traces across the ruby stone and the golden embellishments before her lips are lifted to an amused grin. “This is a magnificent type of amulet that I haven’t seen for a long time. Seems like your necklace was crafted many years ago, and the ruby is a specific kind of gemstone that is rarely found nowadays in modern cities like ours,” she murmurs, once again sounding as if she is speaking in tune. She brushes her thumb across the ruby stone and you can almost be sure that it vibrates against her touch. You can barely conceal a flinch, yet she doesn’t seem to notice it as she carefully releases the necklace. 

The pulse of mana remains for a moment as the necklace settles against your skin. It feels warm—not in an unsettling way which would have made you worry. But it does take a while before the rapid pulse of mana within the necklace starts to calm down. 

“I can feel the strong magic it contains. Did you wield the mana yourself?” 

At the mention of the magic hidden within the amulet, you finally realise the reason why you have been so bothered about this interaction. About everything that has happened since the moment you stepped foot into this city. From the moment you bumped into the young elven in the back alley who didn’t seem so surprised to see you, the way some shopkeepers kept offering you their goods while you were walking down the streets, and how this elven shopkeeper had greeted you first.

Your father’s voice and his insistent in making sure that you would never forget to wear your mother’s necklace echo through your head, along with the fading voice of the mysterious man you met in your dreams who sounded much like Yoongi as he talked about the necklace. 

The protective spell. 

The magic inside the amulet which had been protecting you, shielding you from other people’s eyes and making you almost invisible to avoid coming to harm, has been annulled. Whatever magic exists in this mage city is much stronger than the magic that had been implanted in your ruby amulet. Just like how it never works whenever you are back home in Stargrave, where the source of its magic is present.  

With a light scoff, you let out an amused chuckle and shake your head. “I wish I was skilled enough to do so, but no. This necklace was handed down to me from my mother.” 

The shopkeeper gives you a thoughtful look. “I see. It’s good to be able to see such a powerful amulet again after so long. We used to sell similar amulets such as yours, a long, long time ago, back when I was a novice barely capable of conjuring spells.” 

“Really?” The pitter-patter of your heartbeat sounds like a charm, a drumming song, a melodic tune that sounds almost as clear as the bell chiming from above the front door of the magic store. Hope blooms inside your chest as you realise that you may have stumbled upon a place that may have some traces of your mother’s legacy. That you might be able to find traces of her existence in this realm and finally piece together the story about her life. 

“I wish I know more about this necklace,” you find yourself murmuring as you look at your necklace with wonder. And then your gaze returns to the shopkeeper, wondering if she would be able to help answer some of your curiosity. “Do you perhaps recognise the curving on the embellishment as well? I have been trying to understand what these forms could mean, whether they are symbols or cursive letters, but I cannot seem to find anything that may explain what they are.” 

The shopkeeper lifts her brows and leans forward once more. With a slight nod, she takes a moment to asses what she is looking at before sharing her thoughts with you, “They seem to be a mixture of symbols and spells written in cursive letters. Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve seen anything like this.” 

Leaning back, she tilts her head as she thinks deeper. “They look similar to a part of an Ancient language. The old language of the Ancient Faeries,” she calmly says, sounding firm and confident with her assessment while you are caught by surprise to hear this revelation. “You know, I might have some old spell books in the back which may help you translate them, if you are interested.” 

You don’t even waste anymore time to consider it. “I would love to buy the book if you have it in your inventory.” 

The shopkeeper’s smile widens, as if she shares your joy for coming close to solving the mystery behind this necklace. “Let me see what I can find.” 

You barely finish muttering words of gratitude when she quickly turns away from the counter. You watch her as she slips away, following her movement with your eyes as she weaves her way through the store, slipping between the display racks and shoppers until she reaches the back of the shop. 

From there, she climbs up a spiral staircase which leads to a mezzanine floor filled with scrolls and parchments, where only a small group of visitors are seen diligently browsing through them as if doing their personal research. Then she disappears behind the massive wooden shelves you can see in the far back of the mezzanine floor, one that is filled with a clutter of spell books. 

Not so keen to appear like a lost child, you turn back to focus on the display racks filled with bottled potions. You hadn’t been able to pay close attention to them earlier as you were chatting with the shopkeeper. Looking closely beyond the myriad of vials of elixirs, you see various sizes of glass jars filled with bizarre ingredients floating in thick golden liquids; dry branches and roots, preserved parts of dead animals, and other unidentifiable items. 

It intrigues you to wonder what these items would be useful of. At the same time, the sight of these unidentified ingredients makes you wary about trying out the potions, even if you had been interested to see if they could truly work in helping you during your magic training.

While you are silently marvelling these displayed components, you catch a flutter of motion at the corner of your eyes, coming from the front of the store. Turning to face the front window, you see movements of window-shoppers passing by at the front, a horse carriage driving through towards the opposite side, and weaving between the crowd is a dark, familiar figure walking in quick pace. 

Tall and slim, wearing a black cloak that flutters behind him with every firm step he takes and a large hood that covers his head, the sight of this figure causes your heartbeat to pick up. 

“I found it! I knew we had it somewhere. I’m sorry it took me so long—” the shopkeeper cheerfully announces her return, almost running out of breath in her haste. While you are glad to hear that she has managed to find the book that you may need for your research, the desire to chase the dark figure who is slowly disappearing between the crowd of people outside becomes too irresistible for you to ignore. 

“Could you excuse me for one second? I’ll be right back, I promise,” you hastily apologises to the shopkeeper who is staring at you with wide eyes. Guilt pierces through your chest as you look at her, but you have no time to explain yourself as the figure suddenly slips out of sight.  

The melodic chime of the bell at the front door sounds muted when you have your focus on the movements happening in the streets. It seems like your legs are moving faster than they have always been when you try to catch up with him, yet you still struggle to keep up when the crowd seems to grow thicker the closer you are getting to the square, and he isn’t going any slower.

The sun has gone down while you were at the magic store. The lights from the stores around you and the streetlights have been light up to compensate the rising darkness, yet they are still not enough to help you see better. 

Thankfully, the dark figure appears once again, still moving fast between the crowd of shoppers and workers without noticing you following him. The back of his cloak are billowing like a small wave as he continues to stroll away, and you can almost hear the clicking sound of his boots as he walks further away. The cloak parts at the front with the speed that he is walking on, revealing the short sword that is strapped against his left hip, the sheathed side of it bumping against his thigh as he continues walking further away from you. 

Yoongi. It must be him, you wonder. Yet why hasn’t he said a thing? Why is he leaving without saying hello? 

You cannot understand why he would choose to leave just when you noticed him. It couldn’t have been because he didn’t see you, when you are quite sure that you had seen him standing in front of the store, watching you through the front window before he suddenly turned and walked away.

But why?

Questions continue to fill your head as you keep chasing him. But the crowd keeps getting thicker, as the night quickly arrives and the evening shops and cafes are open. 

You are nearly breathless as you reach the market square. The voices in your head quickly becomes silent as your hope is depleted, and you stop with a sudden halt. Because just as you turn the corner, the dark figure that you have been following suddenly vanishes, as if he has been swallowed by the shadows of the night, taking away any hope you have had of being able to see your mysterious mercenary again.   

Author's Note | It's been a long wait, but we're finally here. This part took a long time to finish because it kept growing as more details were added in, and I had to figure out how to split the scenes to make it readable. Thank you for your patience. I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

— © 2024 Yoonia, all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any kind is not allowed. unsolicited translations are not allowed.

[illusionsofdreaming]

Bound to You - Choi Han

Notes: If anyone still remembers Cale's version, here's Choi Han's version - though it's a bit more nostalgic haha. Pt.3 Alberu coming up soon. Ft: Choi Han

Choi Han

As always, a perfectly normal day gets sidetracked by a surprise attack.

An enemy mage leapt out from the shadows, spouting vengeance and the usual villainous spiel everyone’s sick and tired of, magic shooting out their hands. Everything happened at once as everyone acted upon the unspoken but unanimous decision to protect the weakest in your group: Cale. 

As the others rushed the mage, you and Choi Han leapt to push the aghast young master away, just in time to bodily receive the blast yourselves. 

The world spun sickeningly as you were flung away, breath knocked out your lungs as your back collided with a tree.

You groaned as you fought to keep your breakfast down. There was an annoying ringing in your ears, and your limbs prickled with the sensation of pins and needles.

“________?” You looked up at Choi Han’s soft query, surprised to find his expression pinched with discomfort. “Are you alright?”

“Yes…” You answered slowly, mentally assessing your own body’s state. It would take more than being thrown across the clearing to take you down but the tingling on your skin made you hesitate. As you made to stand, an overwhelming wave of dizziness swept over you, and pain lanced through your consciousness, sending black dots swimming in your vision.  

You would’ve fallen again had Choi Han not stepped in to steady you. Two realisations hit you in quick succession: one, you were definitely not injured enough to feel so terrible, and two, the moment Choi Han made contact with you, the nigh unbearable pain you felt was relieved almost instantly. 

What…? You glanced up and finally noticed your companion’s sickly pallor, the beads of sweat against his forehead and the tremors in his hands as he steadied you. As you met his gaze, Choi Han’s grim expression seemed to confirm your worst suspicions.

Something was really, really off.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── 

A curse of distortion targets one’s mana and twists it against itself. Rampaging mana would eventually tear its hosts apart. Fortunately, in a strange twist of fate, when both of you were hit, the magic split between two sources of mana seemed to have reached an uneasy balance - though just barely. Although neither of you were at immediate risk of imploding, the moment either of you moves too far away from each other, the fragile balance of your unstable manas would collapse, causing unimaginable pain.

After some trial and error, maintaining some sort of physical contact seemed to neutralise the worst of the side effects. It was decided you’d hold hands until your manas naturally settle with time.

You glanced down at your linked hands, you flexed your fingers in his grip. 

You quickly learned that constantly maintaining a firm grasp on another’s hands presented its own set of challenges. Unused to your suddenly narrowed range of movement, you’d often pull each other off-balance as you headed in different directions or moved before the other was ready. Even performing simple tasks became a hassle as you struggled with only one usable hand and your non-dominant hand to boot. Menial chores took twice as long to complete and anything that required any degree of dexterity was off the table. 

To make matters worse, Choi Han seemed uncomfortable with physical touch. He couldn’t seem to meet your eyes directly and twitched every time you moved your fingers. You didn’t blame him, being stuck alone in the Forest of Darkness for tens of years does things to people. You’d give him some distance if you could but the curse seemed to affect you more than him as you’d discovered when you separated briefly to tend to nature’s calling only for Choi Han to rush to your side when you nearly blacked out from the pain that overwhelmed you. Swordmasters must be built differently since the distance only caused Choi Han a massive migraine and nothing more. 

You sighed forlornly, stretching your fingers and closing them, gracefully pretending that you didn’t notice Choi Han shiver beside you. How was it possible that two unparalleled warriors, each an expert in their own field, when put together, would result in less than one fully functional person? You could only imagine what havoc it’d cause if you’re suddenly forced into combat.

“Maybe we’re not so compatible after all.” You mused aloud, thinking perhaps this was a good time to reflect on changing your training techniques. It’s true most close ranged fighters would usually pair up with mid to long ranged partners to cover each other’s weaknesses. Maybe you could give spear handling a try? You hadn’t noticed how Choi Han stiffened beside you.

“I just need some time… to get used to it.” You glanced at him, wondering how getting used to being attached by the hands would help cover each other’s openings but you managed a nod in response to his sudden determination. Swordmasters probably knew what they’re doing, right?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Swordmasters do know what they’re doing after all.

Though it started off rough, after a few more collisions, stumbles and painful falls, you’ve started to piece together the patterns of your partner. You began to recognise the minute shift in his movements that indicate direction and have a better grasp on how much ‘space’ he actually takes. You were moving more efficiently, able to gauge where he would step and shift accordingly to avoid impeding his movements or yanking him. Choi Han, too, began to relax. His grip used to be light and weak, as if wary of his strength, now his grasp is firm and comfortable in yours as you walk side by side. 

One thing about being stuck next to another person in close proximity for an indefinite amount of time meant conversations you wouldn't typically have time for soon filled the air between you. You traded insights on favourite colours (such as the flash of light as dawn breaks and the iridescent blue shine of lakes), preferred fruits (he liked strawberries, while you’d prefer citruses), and even contemplated on potential career changes once everything settles. The conversations delved into seemingly insignificant details, which, when combined, shaped the people you’ve become.

You fed another stick into the fire and glanced at the starry skies, leaning into Choi Han’s side. The camp was quiet, everyone else had retired to their sleeping bags as you and Choi Han volunteered to keep watch.

“Do you miss home?”

The fire popped and crackled as he prodded the coals. “It would be a lie to say that I don’t.” he answered eventually.

You resisted the urge to turn around and see his expression. “Would you go back if you could?”

It was a question that was on everyone’s minds that no one dared ask and perhaps even in the silence of the campsite, and even with your close relationship with him, you still weren’t worthy of asking such a personal question. You wouldn’t push and Choi Han knew he wasn’t obliged to answer either.

It meant the world to you, when he did, regardless.

“It’s a place that has probably moved on without me.” he said. “Even if I could, I don’t think it’s my place to return and disrupt the peace anymore.”

“Besides,” you turned to see him watching you with a wistful smile, “I have found a new home. I don’t mind leaving relics where they belong.”

A bittersweet feeling became lodged in your throat as you turned to watch the fire, hoping it would hide the sudden wetness in your eyes. “As if we’ll let you leave.” you scoffed, “Even if a portal suddenly opens and sucks you in, I’m going to drag you back here kicking and screaming.“

Choi Han’s laugh was warm and comforting and his grip tightened on yours. 

“Yeah,” he smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

[the-one-and-only-taffie]

I have a random little dungeon meshi theory.

small spoiler warning

What if the Touden family has some gnome ancestry?

Reasons being:

1) Falin's inexplicable magic prowess from a young age (and by extension Laios also quickly learning magic and being able to use healing magic while facing off against all those dragons at the same time without even a hint of mana sickness or exhaustion)

2) Falin's way of using magic involves being in tandem with the natural environment and having a deep love and understanding of it. From what I know, gnomish magic has them working together with magical beings rather than willing them to do their bidding like elves. Falin wasn't taught to handle magic so respectfully and naturally. It just happened on instinct

3) Falin's nearsightedness. Apparently, gnomes have higher rates of nearsightedness and vision issues. It's just a neat little connection I remembered. Also, the fact that no other named character of any other race were explicitly said to have issues with their vision except for her (unless I'm forgetting someone). So— yeah

[evolutionsvoid]

Harpies are known for their smarts, though this can be a good or bad thing depending on who you are talking to. They are capable of memorizing patterns, using tools, recognizing faces and performing multi-step problem solving. On top of that, they are incredible vocal mimics, able to perfectly copy those they hear and repeat it even weeks afterwards. While this creates a clever bird that some admire for their craftiness, others despise them when they use these powers for mischief. Depending on their environment and how they are treated, harpies can either be reliable allies to kind friends or ceaseless terrors to those who hurt them. Tales of wild harpies leading villagers to the site of an accident, so they can help those who couldn't call for help. Stories of folk being lured away by cries and sounds of distress, only to find nothing and return to a looted home or market stall. Regardless in how one views them, harpies are incredible creatures with a vast potential dwelling within them. And that is what one warlock realized on a fateful day...

Some time ago, a warlock who hid himself and his evil schemes away from the world decided that he needed some company. Long days and night working away without anyone to talk to was growing tiresome, so he sought to fix this by getting a pet. There were plenty of options, but he decided upon taking a wild harpy as his own. Their ability to mimic voices and learn patterns seemed like a good set up for a fake conversation partner. They could play the role and give him someone to talk to, even though he knew well that what was squawked back was simple mimicry. Regardless, it seemed like a good idea. He caught a young one out in the wild and spent weeks getting her used to living in this hidden lair and adapting to this new secretive life. Though there were some rough patches here and there, enough treats, pettings and enrichment got her to get comfortable. He gave her the name Celaeno, and set up her space right in his personal workshop. And so now the warlock had a companion as he toiled over his books, cauldron and runes, talking to her as if she was a minion scheming alongside him. In time, her responses back to him grew more life-like, as if she was truly holding a conversation with him. And there would be moments when he heard his own words thrown back at him in such perfect mimicry that it startled him. It seemed she was absorbing far more then he expected. All the rites, spells and plots he spoke aloud, she took in and memorized. One day, while working with some scrolls, his companion grew irritated with an empty food bowl and barked out a spell. The magical blast only singed his robes, but the weight of what he witnessed blew his mind.

It was then he realized the potential he had in his hand. He honestly cursed himself for not seeing it sooner. Magic, when you boiled it down to its basics, was nothing but simple patterns and repeated phrases. Concepts easily mastered by a harpy. Celaeno had witnessed and heard so much, that she could regurgitate complex commands perfectly. After all, as long as he said it correctly in front of her enough times, she could just mimic him and get the same result. What happened in the workshop that one day was a simple pulse of magic, created by a mimicked spell with not enough juice. Harpies didn't have mana to draw from to fuel such magics, but if he could fix that...

In a flash, all his previous projects were pushed aside, as he now had a new vision to follow. If he could provide Celaeno with enough magical trinkets and mana-infused items, she could draw from them. And with careful training and cues, he could make her spit out specific spells and commands. If all this could be made to work, he would have a magical companion that would rival any familiar. Imagine! A pet bird that could fire magic bolts with their voice, or even summon the dead! She would hardly be a pet anymore, more like a pupil! And what if he were to train other harpies? The vision was too great to pass up. Flocks of magic wielding harpies, raining spells upon his foes and allowing him to pull off schemes in impossible ways. He would be unstoppable, a pioneer in a whole new realm of magic! So he got straight to work on this vision, teaching Celaeno more and more phrases and finding ways to add mana-filled baubles to her body. Magic alteration came into play, and she appeared to grow larger and smarter with each passing week. When she raised a rat skeleton that she puked up with necrotic energy, the warlock nearly burst with excitement. It wouldn't be long now.

But as his experiments continued and Celaeno became more and more infused with the dark arts, a crucial fact vanished from the warlock's mind. When he first got her, he knew this quite well and worked with it in his training. However, his excitement over his progress and the developing powers of Celaeno caused him to grow blind to it. The simple fact was: no matter how much she sounded like one or acted like one, Celaeno wasn't a human. She was a harpy, an animal. Though it certainly felt like it at times, she did not think like a human. The way she perceived the world, handled her emotions and understood the words spoken to her was through the lens of a harpy. There were great differences between the two species, but the eager warlock allowed himself to be overtaken by the fantasy that she was his equal. And with that came the failure to understand the dangers inherent to this plan, and what would happen if things went wrong. Sure, she could summon a horde of rodent skeletons to serve as her own minions, but was she truly understanding this action? They were tied to her emotions and thus reacted as she would to a situation, but did she know that? The warlock would love to believe the answer was "yes," but that was his fatal mistake...

Though training and magical experimentation, Celaeno has become a potent wielder of the dark arts, specifically necromancer. With mana-filled jewelry and talismans added to her body, she has an incredible supply of fuel for her spells, specially designed to slowly refill over time by drawing from her environment. She has memorized a great number of magic rites and spells, which she can regurgitate on command or when she feels like it. A particular favorite of hers is reanimating the skeletons of the rats eats, gaining new minions each time she pukes up a pellet. She can even use her magic to raise human undead and other piles of flesh. However, commanding them is not something she can really do. She doesn't understand the idea of ordering around these shambling creatures. Instead, all her creations are tied to her emotions and current state of mind. Thus, if she feels threatened by an individual, her minions will see them as an enemy too and swarm. The same goes for any other complex spells in her arsenal. She just knows how to say them and the basics of what happens after. She does not understand the gravity behind them or what really goes down with these spells. One phrase creates "loud light" to her mind, when it is actually a magic explosion of necrotic energy that can easily blow a man to pieces.

And though Celaeno is able to wield the dark arts, there is not a trace of evil to be found. Words that summon the dead and commands that unleash eldritch energy are said with the same tone and purpose as when she squawks for a treat. She doesn't know that raising the dead is a cardinal sin in many kingdoms, she doesn't grasp the vile reputation of the powers she has. Celaeno has no moral compass, she is a bird. All she knows is that repeating certain words makes funny things happen, and if she can make her puke pellets move than she earns a treat! All that complicated stuff is beyond her, she just follows her cues and says what she remembers. And some times, she'll say those things when she gets angry, as that gets her master to move. If she is hungry, or he is stressing her out with all that noise and orders, she will yell the words that she knows. That always garners a reaction, and soon food will follow! Or at least, that is what usually happens...

When shambling undead began to emerge across the countryside, the Knights of the Wrong Table took notice. Used to tangling with Ver'Rahl the Necromancer, the knights were quick to suspect him as the one responsible. So they wasted no time in heading out to face this undead threat, but soon found this situation a bit odd. The zombies certainly didn't look like Ver'Rahl's usual monstrosities, and they seemed to lurch about aimlessly. The only time they reacted was when food or flesh was very close by, and then they attacked. But once shoved away, they resumed their idle wandering til they were triggered again. Their investigation would eventually lead them to a secret lair, one that reeked of the dark arts. No doubt a horrible necromancer or warlock awaited them deep within, and thus they prepared for battle. Little did they know what they would find locked away down there...

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

"Celaeno"

This was originally going to be a harpy deviant, but I wound up liking her too much for her to be a simple one-off beast. Enough time and thought passed, that I felt she would make a fun character.

[imonthemoonitsmadeofcheese]

Destinytober24: Day 4 - Reunion

Always wondered wtf Shin Malphur was doing during Beyond Light. This was as good an excuse as any.

Link to Ao3 if you prefer to read it there

"Looks like Stranger's got company," the Drifter said over his shoulder to Eris Morn, riding behind him on the same sparrow.

It had been dark when they had left with Eris driving, but now the light glinting off the snow was blinding. Days and nights on Europa lasted 85 hours. Due to Eris's excellent night vision and the Drifter's keen eyes during the day, it made the most sense for them to drive a single sparrow together when they were out on patrol through sundown or sunset.

"A guardian, perhaps?" Eris asked.

The Drifter licked his lips and smiled, glad his rebreather was hiding the lower half of his face. The sound of her voice right by his ear was such a turn-on, even with the wind whipping the warmth and steam from her lips away from them.

The Drifter brought their sparrow to a perfect sliding stop sideways next to the other vehicle near Elsie's yurt. His stomach lurched as he looked it over.

"What is it?" Eris asked, feeling him tense.

"I know that sparrow."

"Clearly."

They both disembarked and he put his hand on her arm. "Do me a favour, Moondust?"

"That depends upon what the favour is."

"Let me do the talking and let me stay between you and him."

"Why?"

"Long story. Tell ya later. Please?"

Eris tilted her head. It was the first time he had ever asked her something ending with the word "please." His voice was gentle. Gentler than he ever spoke to her. His eyes were cold. His body had become eerily relaxed, in a way that felt… dangerous. Like a snake, loosely coiled, ready to strike.

Whatever this was, the Drifter was afraid. But… Eris observed… not for himself.

Even now, their friendship only recently and loosely established, their time on Europa only recently begun, Eris could tell when the Drifter was readying himself for… something. She was learning his moods, his body language. His behaviour now was almost… protective.

"Hmmm…" Eris frowned. She loathed being protected. And yet… it was unlike him to behave in such a manner. He had never done so before. This was different.

"Very well."

As they entered the shelter Eris saw Elsie nervously fidgeting with a coffee cup at the small table where they took their meals. A hunter sat across from her. He was dressed in black leather with a wide-brimmed hat tilted low over his face, obscuring it. A cup of coffee sat in front of him on the table, steaming. It looked untouched.

Elsie looked up sharply as the two entered. The glow from her eyes settled first on the Drifter pulling his rebreather off, and then immediately looked behind him to fixate on Eris.

The elder Bray sister was never nervous and yet she clearly was exhibiting symptoms of nervousness now. Her Exo frame was tense with agitation, but Eris only noted this in passing.

Eris' three eyes zeroed in on the man across the table from Elsie, or rather, the tendrils of Darkness she could see wafting around him with her Hive-augmented sight, tendrils in a distinctive shape she'd only ever witnessed coiled around one other person.

"Hey," the Drifter said, his voice friendly as he tossed his rebreather onto a heap of equipment near the door.

Eris watched the Drifter shift his stance as the man at the table turned to look at them. She wondered if the movement to place even more of his body between herself and their new guest was even conscious at this point. She could feel him reverting to instinct. A dangerous wild animal facing off against another of its own kind.

"Hey," the man at the table responded. A gruff practised friendliness. And then his head tilted up slightly and she saw his eyes.

She knew them instantly. "Eyes like mana in the desert," the Drifter had once described them to her. It was an apt metaphor. Eyes that could see through anything. Eyes that could lead a cult. Eyes that could summon the Light with enough power to form a gun that would leave its victim nothing but a shadow on a wall. Captivating. Beautiful. Very old and very young at the same time.

Those eyes bored into her. Eris' mouth formed a thin line. Her three Hive eyes met his gaze through her bandage without flinching and bored right back. Analysing. Observing. Feeling the Darkness within him shifting and writhing.

The two Hunters stared each other down and sized each other up over the rogue Lightbearer's shoulder.

"What'cha up to out here, friend?" the Drifter asked, his voice extremely casual as it broke the tense silence.

"Might ask you the same thing," the man responded.

"Doin' my job. Just like we agreed." Eris noted how the Drifter was careful to keep his empty hands where everyone could see them while simultaneously hiding what her own hands were doing.

"That's funny. I seem to remember your job is runnin' Gambit."

"Gambit's doin' just fine, thanks for askin'. But you didn't come out here just cuz I cancelled a few matches now, did ya? Seems like an awful lot of fuss."

"Nah." The man didn't even look at the Drifter. His eyes never left Eris'. "Just wanted to check in on my friend's new… friends."

Elsie looked back at Eris sharply, concern on her face.

"We're doin' just fine." Eris could feel the Drifter's disarming smile in his tone as he spoke.

"Are you sure about that, friend?" The man at the table leaned forward slowly. The Drifter moved in a way that was barely perceptible. The coffee cup trembled between Elsie's hands.

The tone was gentle but Eris felt the threat behind it. A threat directed not at the Drifter or at Elsie, but squarely at her.

"Yeah… friend," the Drifter replied.

"Wouldn't want you to be getting too attached to anyone out here in the cold," the man at the table continued. "Might compromise your judgement." He continued to start at Eris.

"Why? You gettin' jealous?"

Eris and Elsie both looked at the Drifter in surprise. True to form, it was the last thing Eris had expected to come out of his mouth in this situation.

The man at the table laughed with his mouth but not his eyes, but he did look away from Eris to the Drifter when he did so. "Not of you."

"Always a bridesmaid, never a bride," the Drifter said with a fake wistful tone.

"Yeah, well," the man at the table looked back at Eris. "You ain't the till death do us part type."

"Damn straight. You know how much I like breathin', brother."

"Oh…" The man at the table stood up, or rather, he flowed to his feet. Elsie spilled a small amount of coffee onto her hand. The Drifter took a half-step back, lightly bumping against Eris. Eris rocked onto the balls of her feet and willed her Ahamkara bone to frost over behind the Drifter's back.

The man in black stepped toward the Drifter and Eris.

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

Elsie's hand dropped down to rest her fingertips on her No Time to Explain pulse rifle slung over her shoulder.

The Drifter turned slightly, nudging Eris back and to the side with one shoulder, away from the door.

"I'm countin' on it," the man said as he stepped in close to the Drifter, finally staring into his eyes.

The Drifter raised one arm slightly in a shielding motion to the side as he stepped back again. Eris growled quietly but followed the Drifter's lead, stepping away from the door and, as he had requested, keeping him between her and his 'friend.'

"Last thing I want is to have to come clean up your mess," the man said quietly.

"Aww… come on… you know how much I love gettin' dirty." The Drifter punctuated his response with a lascivious smile and a wink.

They stood, their faces inches apart, the Drifter smirking, the other man not reacting at all. Waiting.

"Seriously though, we're fine here," the Drifter broke the silence. "You do not need to be here now, and you don't need to come back. Ever."

The man looked from Drifter's eyes over his shoulder to Eris and then back again.

"See that it stays that way."

The Drifter's lips made an exaggerated kissing motion twice as the gunslinger stepped past him through the door, out into the snow.

The door slid shut and all three of them heard the sound of a sparrow leaving. The Drifter closed his eyes and let out a long slow breath, still leaning slightly into Eris as he relaxed.

"Was that… who I think it was?" Elsie asked.

"Uh… yup," the Drifter answered, blinking slowly. "The one and only." He turned to Eris. "Thanks. I know you probably wanted to stab him in the face."

Eris' three eyes narrowed. "The three of us could have taken him."

"Maybe" The Drifter sighed with a smile and stepped away from her. "Maybe. Still not very good odds. And I am very glad we didn't have to find out."

"Is this normal?" Elsie asked. "Does he just periodically show up and… threaten you?"

"Eh… one man's threat is another man's foreplay. He's… very dramatic. Probably comes with the territory when you're a myth walking around on two legs."

"Hmmm…" Eris intoned as the frost left her Ahamkara bone and the room began to warm up to its regular internal temperature.

"Anyway. That's over. I'm still alive and so are both of you." He pointed his index finger on his left hand at Elsie and the index finger on his right at Eris. "I'm calling that a win." He took another deep breath and let it out slowly. "Fuck I need a drink. Surely we got something in here that's stronger than coffee…"

Link to the entire month's worth of prompts on Ao3, posted daily.

[zzh3]

I keep thinking how fucked up it is that Great saved Manae after his first vision thingy and then she was the one who hired the hitman that might kill him.

Is there some kind of life lesson we should learn there or what

[chacusha]

Visions of Mana review

Non-spoilery thoughts:

I really like this game! I was a bit worried about combat from the demo, but I really like the combat in this game, actually. The different weapons all have their own combos and situationally helpful moves (dishing out a lot of damage, attacking in a wide area, launching enemies, staggering them, etc.), so there is quite a bit of satisfaction in learning different fighting styles for each weapon. It almost feels like a fighting game rather than an action/adventure game, which I like.

I feel like this game successfully captures a lot of recurring elements of the Mana series (multiple weapon systems, finding elemental spirits, familiar monsters and bosses, world in decline, simple environmental puzzle-solving) while also being a fresh story and world with its own rules, which is pretty ideal for me. I also think this game does a better job of merging Legend of Mana worldbuilding elements with non-Legend of Mana elements than any other Mana game, and I find that pretty impressive because the aesthetics kind of clash, in my opinion. But they did a good job of merging them here.

The characters are really fun and I like the party dialogues that happen as you go around the world. I think the game could probably use some sidequests or subplots (rather than fairly simple fetch/hunt quests) to flesh out the world a bit and give the story a bit of nonlinearity (it is *quite* linear, although this is pretty normal for the Mana series (LOM aside)...), but I am not complaining. Even though they were fairly simple, I enjoyed the quests here, and they got pretty elaborate in the end.

The progression and gradual unlock of skills that make your characters stronger is also really satisfying. I'm also a big fan of the way that they incorporated a game mechanic (random corestone drops) into the story, and I felt the corestone ability trading added a bit of depth to the gameplay.

Overall, I rate this game like 9/10. It could be better, but there is a lot here to love and the gameplay is pretty polished (game crashes a lot, though -- be sure to save frequently!).

Spoilery thoughts:

My partner keeps joking that Careena is somehow this world's only Texan. (How come her parents have no accent?!)

Magical girl transformation sequences was SUCH a good idea. I approve. (Is there a way to toggle these back on...?)

The tragedy/tragic backstories in this game are exquisite.

At the same time, I really like the humor and cuteness in this game. It's important to have both in a Mana game, I feel.

I wasn't expecting anti-capitalist propaganda in this game, haha.

I like that there's a bit of a nudge in this game about which elemental vessels to assign to which character. Like, Careena's Wind class has pretty nice passives compared to the others and same with Morley's Moon class -- kind of nudges you to start them off with those classes.

It's interesting having Niccolo in this game be such a nice guy. In most games, he's pretty sketchy and self-interested (although he is a pretty great guy in Trials of Mana too). I like that he's Morley's adoptive dad and Palamena's confidante too.

Val is the himbo we all need.

Hinna 😭 They were so ready to be happy together too. I guess Hinna dying this early means she has a reasonable chance of coming back by the end.

SOMEONE high-up in the development team definitely has a foot fetish. But I like seeing Palamena's stylish footwear so I don't mind.

I'm a big fan of Pikuls for land transport and Vuscav for sea transport. Love that we got Vuscav's theme back for this game.

Oh snap I'm in The Lion King right now. XD In general, I was a bit meh about the areas featured in the demo (Rime Falls, Fallow Steppe, and Rhata Harbor), but I've been pretty impressed by the other areas. I liked the Charred Passage, Ledgas Bay, Pritta Ridge, Illystana, Dura Gorge (love the music of this one), Deade Cliffs, and quite a lot of the dungeons.

Von Boyage / Professor Bomb is here! Great cameo.

I like how this game strikes a balance between SOM/TOM-style "there is one of each elemental spirit" and LOM/World of Mana-style "there are many spirits for each element" by having one main elemental spirit but a bunch of mini/lesser elemental spirits with a slightly different design (and they're very cute!).

I like how Khoda looks exactly halfway between Sumo/FFA protagonist and Randi. Well done.

Lol, I thought Aesh was going to be evil. I do like how he occasionally goes into "mad scientist" mode, though. The parts of the game where he has bonding time with the party were some of the best. (His initial introduction was sooo good. When you introduce your friend to your other friends and he's the worrrrst, lol. I like how Morley went from jealous of Aesh to Worried Mother Hen lol.)

Overall, I like the boss battles in this game. I like some of them have a gimmick or puzzle-solving aspect to them, and I like that none of them dragged on too long, which is the main thing I hate about modern action RPGs. The Earth Benevodon battle in particular was a favorite -- epic! Some of the other benevodons sadly went down a bit too quickly (I kind of felt sorry for them having to fight my overleveled party XD).

Okay I guess Hinna isn't coming back. I do like the theme here of it being important to accept the death of loved ones. Ephemeral beauty i.e. things are valuable because they don't last forever. (Ever since my partner pointed out this is an extremely common theme in Japanese art, I am unable to unsee it...)

Some of these late game areas are also really beautiful. *o* I really love the floating island, the Entwine Pass boss battle with all the flowers in the background, and the lighting in the corrupted Mana Sanctuary areas.

Being able to see the previous alm contingents (including Lyza's group!) made me emotional. ;_;

Oh snap, I can't believe Passar was the big bad.

I haven't finished all the postgame content, and I'm not sure if I'll have time. I do eventually want to farm all the abilities and play around with different party setups, and I also want to try playing on Expert difficulty and also with Japanese voices, but we'll see.

Overall, I liked the story! You didn't get Hinna back, but you did manage to fix the world, so there is still that bittersweetness that is important for a Mana game.

[hereforthefunnyguys]

Break down Anzu please 🥺🙏

O 1. How do I feel about this character?

Will not lie to you at first I didn't see all that special about her but still thought she was a fun addition to the friend group. Then I got on the Internet (bad idea wouldn't recommend it) and saw how much hate she got and was like Oh I See. It's my job to defend her forever since apparently nobody else will. Send my ass off to war for her.

I do really appreciate her and I wish people would take a minute to examine her character more (which, to be fair, they removed a lot of for the manga). Like. I especially relate to the way that she both obviously has so much ambition for the future and looks forward to her career as a dancer, but is still scared and sad about having to let go of the friends she's made over the years.

Also people make fun of her for being too wishy washy and "vulnerable" but the fact of the matter is that she's not prone to discussing her emotions with anyone else in the series at all. Like. The only reason people see her as emotional is because we're given a viewpoint into her thoughts. Jonouchi is more openly emotional than her. Honda is more emotional. People should try and learn how to actually read into her character instead of just assigning her the Generic Shonen Girl Personality and calling it a day.

2. All the people I ship romantically with this character:

There is a horrid dearth of proper yuri in yugioh, but! I like pairing her up with Mana (unrealistic and they are separated by 3000 years but! She will Fuck That Mummy (i just got a really really good idea for an au guys trust me)) just because I think they make an interesting hypothetical dynamic - honestly, I'd go the full mile of calling them kind of narrative foils, what with Anzu's responsibility vs. Mana's silliness, Mana being tutored by a mentor vs. Anzu being mostly self-taught and self-propelled, Mana not having much ambition for most of the Millennium World arc despite her position of power and privilege vs. Anzu scraping up from the bottom specifically because she has such an intense vision of what she wants her life to be. Really good potential there. Anyways continuing on

I think her and Miho seem cute but i gonna be real with you i have. Not seen a ton of season zero so I have no real frame of reference for what they'd be like. And manga miho seems a little quiet for anzus personality tbh she needs someone she can argue with lmao

On the het side I like her with Atem but not honestly much of anyone else. I thought her and him had a very sweet dynamic in the manga and I would have liked to see more of his thoughts about her since he seemed to enjoy her company, he just. Is not good at talking to people in general. Don't hit me with that "ackshually atem hates Anzu 🤓" Shit. They are friends. They like each other.

Also I hc that she was crushing on mai kujaku but i don't think she would've been happy if it was a serious relationship. It's just like. One of those crushes teenagers get on attractive adults that show them genuine respect for the first time ever you know?

3. My non-romantic OTP for this character is:

Her and Jonouchi are so funnyyyyyyy lmao. "JOSEPH WHEELER WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU" alright they seem like the perfect mix of stupid and stubborn that im sure can lead to them getting into all kind of dumb shit. Where's my au where they both get lost in the woods because Anzu said she knew where she was going and Jonouchi was too proud to check the map. Silly

4. My unpopular opinion about this character:

SHE! IS! NOT! BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!! (rips shirt off and screams in rage) AND NO BEING YUGIS LOVE INTEREST IS NOT HER ONLY JOB IN THE STORY!!! SHE HAS A PERSONALITY BEYOND ANOTHER BOY'S CRUSH ON HER THAT SHE MAY OR MAY NOT RECIPROCATE!!!!

Really though she has such a strong personality if you set out to try and figure it out!! And she does play multiple roles beyond love interest and damsel in distress! She did a ton of stuff in the early manga and i still cannot believe people make fun of her for friendship speeches when they are obsessed with everyone else from hit series Yu-Gi-Oh, Friendship is Magic. She didn't even make that many speeches!!!!!

5. One thing I wished happened to this character in canon?

I wish we got to see more of her home life and her background since it feels like it has something going on back there, since she seems to be hustling for money in a way that tells me she mostly relies on herself for funds and support. Also I wish at least at some point she had gotten to tell Atem how she felt about him :( or at least resolved the plot point beyond "well I guess he's going so i have to cope"

anyways I LOVE HER A MILLION KISSES FOR ANZU MAZAKI

[justkillingthyme]

13? I like that number.

MY MAGIC AU THAT IVE SAID NOTHING ABOUT!,,

I’m still working out general rules and systems in place but people are sorted into two categories. Either you have magic at birth, or you don’t. Some people have magic but it doesn’t present itself unless something traumatic happens (the trigger, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be traumatic). This means in some cases, people go their whole lives without ever knowing they have magic. Even with trauma, it’s sort of fickle. Some people also just present all on their own at a young age. There’s whole professions trying to narrow it to a science, but it’s mostly just A Thing That Happens. It’s about 50/50 for magic users and non magic users.

Magic can also be learned, if the person has enough energy. It’s sort of thought that magic presentation is tied to how much ‘energy’ your soul contains. Kind of a mana system, where if you expend too much energy, you could seriously hurt yourself. It’s easier with an item used to channel energy (see staffs, wands, etc, but they’re considered old fashioned and also expensive.) working on controlling energy makes it easier to practice magic, etc. There are magic schools.

In the case of one Hershel Layton, his gift is a branch of intuition sort of. He can see possibilities and outcomes, and has a kind of spidey sense that makes him good at Not Getting Killed. Luke’s natural gift (triggered pre-LS) is premonition. Hershel is training him to hone in exactly what he sees, and to find what he’s looking for. (Luke’s prediction that the world would end was a brief flash of the ceiling crashing). More often than not, Luke gets random visions of the future that he can’t make sense of. And even with it being involuntary, it expends a lot of energy. Luke is. Tired a lot

Some other vague ideas for magical abilities! DP and Des are shapeshifters, Randall has wings (triggered during his fall in akbadain). Grosky is a speedster, and I’m planning on Emmy having a vaguely strength and or protection related power. Clive has a time related power (I’m thinking something like a minor restart ability and/or glitching.)

[eyooosh]

academy's undercover professor AU! VAMPIRE

(Major Spoilers!)

13 years ago... He, Heathcliff Van Bretus is in the brink of death after falling off a huge pit. A follower of lumensis planned on killing the him because some people from the royal family felt threatened by his presence..

The young Heathcliff did not die from the fall but his head is injured and is bleeding excessively...

Heathcliff continued to cling to life despite knowing that no one will help him... maybe by the time there was someone out there, he might have been dead from bloodloss.. Or maybe one of the gods will bless him again, prolonging his life and suffering.

Even if the he healed from his injuries, he'll still be stuck in the deep pit, there is also no food nor water to consume..

His head throbs in pain and his vision is swirling around... The young boy's body is drenched in his own blood, pooling all around him.

Heathcliff stared up above, weakly clenching on a strange piece he found nearby.. His blurry vison saw the moon illuminating its serene appearance just above the deep pit..

It is only for a moment before his sight darkened.. "HoHo. I didn’t think there would be anyone here." But perhaps fate would not allow him to die.

Rudiger Cherish is a quarter vampire.. 13 years ago.. When he was just infront of death's doorstep, Grander found him..

Because of excessive bleeding, Grander then decided to feed him a very small amount of her precious blood from her small, pale wrist...

He healed instantly but it didn't come for free..They made a deal, she will feed him, shelter him and teach him while he will eventually grant her death.The blood he received turned out to have a side-effect on him..

As he eventually inherited her blood after a few nights..

He's an unusual case actually..

His skin became quite sensitive to the sun and consumes blood like his master.. Though he only consumes blood as an alternative method for treating his mana deficiency and fortunately, he doesn't go crazy for blood when he's thirsty...

He is no way near his master, a pure-blooded vampire.

He doesn't have immortality nor the ability to use her blood magic. She stated that he only inherited a few of a vampire's characteristics and is did not became an actual vampire like her.

His fangs are also quite small and less sharp than his master's fangs. They can't penetrate deep enough to tear a nerve, hence his masters frequent teasing of "baby teeth" everytime he brings the topic of drinking blood.

The seal helps him conceal some his vampire traits too.. His vampire traits, fortunately, didn't hindered his abilities.. His vampire blood didn't clash with the divine power and slightly enhanced his dark attribute.

Making him slightly more powerful at night, though only for a miniscule amount, compared to Grander.

===

Ludger received a cup of coffee from Sedina as usual in his office.

"Thank you."

Sedina peeked at Ludger, who is sipping coffee while looking through papers with his rimless glasses.

'Vampire..'

After what happened with the world tree, Sedina became quite closer to Ludger and other U. N. Owens who risked their lives to save her.

She  learned how to control the world tree and met her deceased mother once again.

She brought Ludger to her mother and conversed with each other. It got rough first but they talked in the end and her mother even teased her.

'Sir. Ludger has the Bretus royal bloodline and even vampire blood..'

She didn't mean to eavesdrop in their conversation but she heard it because they fought right in front of her.

It is quite contradicting when Bretus is the homeland of Lumensis church and vampires are the devil's children.

Sedina is really curious but it is Ludger's secret, she can't just prod.

"What is it?"

Ludger noticed Sedina's gaze and asked but still not looking up from the papers.

"We-well! Its just... Uh!"

Sedina jumped and stuttered.. She contemplated whether to ask him or not.

"Just ask.."

"Okay.."

Sedina looked at Ludger and decided to just ask.

"About when mother said that sir. Ludger is a.. vampire? Well, you don't have to answer if you don't want to! "

"Ah, about that."

Ludger took another sip in his coffee and immediately casted a sound-proofing spell in the office. He had expected Sedina to ask him about his origins after the World tree incident.

"She is right, i am a part-vampire."

"Oh! Then sir. Ludger, do you often drink blood?"

"Not that much.. I only drink blood as an another method of recovering mana."

"Then do you get burns when standing in the sunlight? Wait, you go out sometimes though.."

"It's not like that..."

Ludger shook his head at the ridiculousness but gave a response.

"My skin is just a little sensitive."

"Oh... Is that why you always wear coats?"

"Yes."

"Then, do you-"

"-I don't like drinking someone's blood."

'Ah, i was about to ask him that...'

Ludger immediately spoke and Sedina awkwardly nodded at what he said.

"Then sir, what kind of blood do you drink? how often do you drink blood? Should i continue giving you vegetables? Ah, sorry that was too much!"

Sedina got too excited and asked more questions, though Ludger didn't mind.

"I drink animal blood once a month or sometimes, a week. Also, the vegetables you give me is fine too."

"Ah-"

Sedina let out a gasp as she absorbed new information about Ludger.Sedina felt like she got a little closer with Ludger for him to answer her question..

Sedina felt another urge to ask another question but the bell rang. The spell he had diminished just a few second before the bell.

"Well, maybe later Sedina.. It's time for class."

Ludger sat up from his chair and went to his class.

Sedina first picked up the class documents before following Ludger.

She felt a little sullen, there's so many things she wants to aks, but there's always a next time.===

[enneadau]

False Light segment: Don't read unless you want spoilers for False Light

"Now step aside, before I have to make you.”

“Never.” Atem waved a hand and his personal Ka beast appeared, a Feral Imp that snapped and snarled at the men who tried to approach it.

“Atem…” Yugi breathed, knowing her brother was taking a huge risk. When she had first started learning to summon, Mahad and Mana, the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, had made it clear that the death of a personal Ka beast could result in the death of its summoner.

“Oh Atem, Atem, Atem.” Akhenaden snickered, “That won’t win. Not against an Item Holder.”

Yugi couldn’t get a good look at the monsters that were summoned from her place behind the desk, but she did see the blue skin and gold armour of the pair that assaulted the Feral Imp, who did its best but couldn’t stand against the assault.

Atem’s cry as his Ka beast was destroyed and he collapsed, drove Yugi to fling the shawl over him, able to see him breathing, barely, and force herself to her feet, using the desk to hold her up.

The moment she rose to glare at her uncle, the false Akhenaden was in her head. He wasn’t as good as the real one though and Yugi distracted him by throwing image after image of the modern world in front of his probe, even as she reached for her own magic, not wanting to lose here and now.

She gritted her teeth as she reached for the deck that normally rested at her waist, noting the two monsters, a pair of Slate Warriors, that had assaulted Atem’s Ka beast were approaching her, blades drawn, only to find it wasn’t there.

She couldn’t summon from her deck. She would have to summon her Ka beast.

And she’d never done that. Even before the warning from the magicians, she and Anesan had been wary, because the one time they had reached for her Ka beast with their powers, something dark and destructive had called back.

Anesan didn’t think it was her Ka beast. The Pharaoh had been certain that a soul as balanced towards light as Yugi’s was, couldn’t possibly host a dark monster, and that the echo they had felt was Zorc responding instead.

So, they had practiced with her deck until she could summon without even touching it.

But Yugi didn’t have a choice now. She was barely able to stand, her head was swimming somewhere six foot above her and her brother was down, possibly dead.

If she didn’t want to lose here, she needed her Ka beast.

“If this goes bad, forgive me, Anesan.” Yugi breathed as she reached within her own soul and called for the beast within.

“What are you…?”

The creature that answered her was dragonic in nature, its scales a black so dark that it absorbed the light from the area around it, orbs of ruby shimmering in lines down its face and neck, all the way down its sides and right out to the end of its tail.

Yugi’s breath stuttered, even as she felt the bellow it unleashed as if it was coming from her own throat and her own vision doubled again, allowing her to see through her dragon’s eyes as one of the guard dove out of the door.

That wasn’t Zorc…

As the Slate Warriors lunged forward, swords drawn, light erupted from the rubies, destroying everyone around it. Yugi dove to protect Atem from the devastation, shielding him with her body as the creature wiped out everyone else in the room and brought down part of the roof, before shimmering away.

Author Note: Canon dictates that the more someone's been through and the more they've had to fight to survive, the stronger their Ka Beast gets and Yugi's been through a LOT over the years...

[vaalthus]

Convergence Part 1 (spoilers)

*Deep inhale*

*Long exhale*

THE TIME IS NIGH!!!

So to start,

I have to say I was utterly shocked that Jaania chose not sacrifice any more of her forces to buy her more time weave her spell but after giving it some thought it's an action that makes sense for her. As I mentioned in commenting on the Final Steps release, Jaania is finally able to see that our motivations we're always intended to strive for everyone's sake in the best of ways we knew how. As a result, she's hoping we can see and have faith in the good she's trying to bring about through her ascension.

As such, it makes no sense in her eyes to waste the lives of those who have been so loyal to her in helping her reach this moment when there's a chance their lives can be spared by us and they in turn be able to experience the world she seeks to achieve. Though those same troops would have been more than happy to lay down their lives for her so that world is brought to fruition. It's just a pity Jaania didn't give the order to retreat sooner otherwise the last of the Pelekoans might have survived.

What troubles me is the comments like these:

It's no secret to anyone that the last of Jaania's forces were those who were most loyal to her and her vision but what I find troubling here is the inevitable aftermath of these people once this conflict reaches its conclusion. As Hansa, pointed out to us in the Awakened Depths, Jaania became a beacon for those who had a simple wish to be achieved: to be free of any and all magical threats that Lore offers. However, it's not just these soldiers that want that, it's the nobles, the farmers, the little guys that have been supporting the Rose all these years across Greenguard and likely still do, sure that number has definitely taken a dive since the start of Book 3 but I doubt it's still insignificant. All of those people will soon find their dreams and the person who was meant to bring back a sense of uninterrupted peace in their lives is about to be dashed. We can only hope their response to this reality is constructive as opposed to the opposite.

What I've been saying all along folks :3

Miss me with that "we're not so different you and I" speech.

I like to think this is the Hero taking all they've learned about the ability to make choices in the Maleurous saga and is just throwing that much needed wisdom back at Jaania who feels the need to instill order in the world.

This comment is interesting to me because we have seen the Hero effectively try and be everywhere all at once for eveyone's sake, quite almost obsessively I might add, and I feel if Jaania hadn't recently just had a change of heart on her perspective on them, and taken the time to analyze the Hero's deal, she might have been able to more strongly appeal to their need, their desperation, in protecting everyone they can. Not that it would work either way, the Hero's distrust and deep-rooted fear of her, as seen in Fear, showed that getting us on her side was simply not possible.

If she was more predatory, of course, she would have used that aspect against us as every other villain that attacks our psyche has done before. A neat contrast here is what I'm pointing out.

*sigh* Every single new questionable scene with this woman continues to force me to find comfort in the fact that her and the other Magesters too dependent on the Mana Core Fragment will be dead eventually thanks to Roirr's actions. I truly want to believe there's a positive future for the Shapeless Empire that doesn't involve exploiting its citizens through this agreed upon cycle without violence but the rotting hands of the past never want to let go of control easily.

YOU GAVE THEM TRAUMA AND WEREN'T EVEN SORRY!!!

Okay technically this right here is the more sensible reasoning, but I stand by what I said! What I like most in this scene is that we simply reaffirm what we've been trying to tell her since this whole mess started with her organization. Everything we bring up about the harm the Rose has done thus far has been consistent and aren't negated by the fact that Jaania, at heart, wants to do what she believes is best for everyone's sake.

What I love even more however is how she averts her eyes the moment we bring up Akanthus because she knows she can't even reasonably, or delusionally for that matter, deny she has made a grave error in judgement in allowing Akanthus' abuses on, well, basically everyone, and soon everything, in his wake. It's that "Yeah, ya got me there look" that just sends warm feelings down my spine.

Now if you told me at the start of this saga Jaania was going to offer us a bargain to effectively play as the puppeteer god of fate alongside her, I definitely would have called you insane. It's moment I'm sure comes as a complete shock to everyone, it certainly did to me anyway. And honestly why wouldn't it? It's one thing to ask us to stand down and simply allow her to achieve apotheosis but it's a completely different matter to propose to come and play god. But it's one that sadly makes all too much sense.

Jaania has admitted that she has made terrible mistakes and has been too much of an imperfect being in her quest to achieve peace and prosperity for Lore. So better way to accommodate for her ham-fisted actions and judgement so far then to have someone like the Hero to hopefully keep her worse tendencies in check. As opposed to someone like Akanthus or Zadd who would, in all likelihood, make things worse had they been afforded the opportunity. There's another reason I believe she makes this offer but I'll get to that later.

Nothing else to say here beyond epic callback!

Out of all the Hero's moments in this quest, I believe this is where their experiences throughout the Maleurous saga shines through the brightest.

In a way, you could argue that, in spite of the obvious chaos that will come with it, Jaania's plan is to instill an eternal order, a Destiny, upon Lore itself, one in which she will insists never ends as she dictates. Yet the Hero knows the importance of others being able to decide the paths they choose to walk, I'd argue they've known that since Calamity, without some transcendental hand to yank them in another direction against their own will. So they certainly would not agree to be the one to dictate the fate of all those that live on Lore let alone allow someone as misguided as Jaania to do it.

Okay, I think we all knew that the void pearl was too easy a solution to deal with Akanthus and was likely not going to work but there's something absolutely amusing about Hesperrhodos being used a shield to be sent to the Void and then teleport immediately back to Lore without issue since, ya know, Elemental Spirits can just do that at any time. Hell I at least would have thought that thing would have let a monster through or something. The downside to seeing Zvezdana looking completely slack-jawed after these events unfolded is the fact that we still don't have a damned plan to take Akanthus out of commission...so yeah.

I have to say I love this final appeal Jaania gives to the trio of combatants because it shows a few things. First, that she still fails to understand that her organization was really only giving the illusion of peace to all those the dwelt within range of the Rose's reach and even then only really through the lens of normal humans. Second, it displays that she never truly had a proper grasp on the relationship she fostered with those she worked alongside. Lastly, she places too much hope that wanting the same things is not the same as agreeing ideologically how get those things.

Which inevitably leads to one option: Violence

I have waited 12. long. years. for this very moment. 12 years spent waiting since we broke free from that ice cap. 8 years I waited since from the first time we saw her again in Timelines. 7 years since the original Gala and our spat. 4 years since dealing with the second rift and I had a deeper appreciation for her mental state which motivates her.

And now I am finally here to fight Jaania one on one. So, you best believe I fought alone to prove which of us was could beat the other!

The following boss fight that ensues is perhaps one of the best thematic story fights in the entire game at this point, as it should be for the antagonist that is the face for this entire saga. I'm quite pleased that devs designed her to be difficult, hell I'm even glad that couldn't easily soul gambit my way out of this one.

In terms of mechanics, it's everything you could expect, Jaania does everything she can to debuff us and each time she fails and has her health cut down in bulk she commands even more strength to take us down, even attempting to go for the old freeze'em solid trick and when that doesn't draw any purchase thanks to Aegis she relies on her new found soul weaving arts to dispatch us. All the while we deal with the tragic music in the background tugging at the heart strings for a conflict that should have been avoided.

How far we've come since the Doom Amulet was our first real challenge in-game for year, eh?

And can I say how amusing it is that Jaania trapping us in ice is something that could only work once? Aegis apparently always had the means of unfreezing, he simply couldn't due to Draco keeping everyone away from where we were placed. So, with him already being close by to protect our soul from going poof, there's no way he's going to let us get trapped again. Even more amusing is to think about how Jaania is basically using the old ice soul weaver meta to take us on.

But after all of that we prove in the end, with or without aid, to be stronger than Jaania, at least in this exact moment.

It's a pity though that the moment does not last as expected Jaania will not let it end without fighting at her full potential.

This right here is the reason I believe Jaania made her initial proposal to us and why I bring up the Maleurous saga. For me at least, it's easy to see the similarities between Jaania and Notha. Both are exceptionally powerful accomplished mages that desperately sought out to change a world that gave them deep rooted traumas that they wished to change that world so that the suffering they experienced could not continue. However, where Notha wanted to bring about chaos to change the order of the world; Jaania is hellbent on imposing order on the chaos the world of Lore and its magic offers its inhabitants. Furthermore, I suspect, unlike Notha, that Jaania cannot bring herself to reconcile with the trauma magic has placed on her life and the people she cared about. Most defining of all though, which will likely be her downfall, is her need to be in control of everything so that she or anyone else might never hurt again.

Antagonists like Jaania are always left in a hard spot. They seek to rid the world of suffering and conflict forever and while that is a noble desire they fail to realize how unfortunately intrinsic those things are to existence. Thusly they bang their heads on a wall until they're bloodied and broken only for that dream they longed for to dissipate before their very eyes.

And so, her last option is to go full synchronization. I can't guess what happens next here with Jaania. Judging by the increased streaks of white in her hair, her soul is continuing to unravel though I think she's in no worse of a state than Tomix was when he was at the end. I was originally going to say synchronizing with a corrupt spirit created through forbidden magic would spell instant catastrophe for Jaania but then I remembered Aspar was created through the same means, although he was just a fragment, so she might pull off the effect with little issue.

I suppose we must simply wait and see what becomes of our troublesome Arch Magus and where the winds will turn for her ambitions.

And of course, there's still this asshole and the doom device.

[inventors-fair]

New Faces In Familiar Places Runners Up!!

Conrad, Errant Wolfir by @bergdg

This design is certainly quite pushed, it’s at minimum a 2 mana 3/3 trample that makes your other stuff bigger, and then has even more upside to make itself bigger so it’s never not relevant. If this had been a base 0/0 instead of a base 1/1, I’d be all over it, as is it might be just a biiiit much though, I think. But I still really like it, it’s a very solid design, and I’m not even wholly confident in the claim that it’s too much if I’m being honest though it’s certainly pushed

Hypiros, Battlement Bearer by @misterstingyjack

This is Hypiros, an Akroan giant from Theros in Zendikar. Here, he is acting as a roaming fortress for the Akroans to contend with the shifting landscape of Zendikar after the Akroans were displaced by the Phyrexian invasion. This card synergizes with the ROE level up mechanic as an allusion to the Akroans training up their forces in this roving fortress, with the copy ability keeping your level up engine going.

This certainly seems like a fun level up commander. It’s a lot of value, but only with niche cards. I like how the token creation lets you do more of the level up thing when the first ability makes it easier. I don’t think “mode” would be the word used here though, it’d probably just say level.

Özgür, Oriq Anoik by @nine-effing-hells

Özgür is an ainok once of the Dromoka who joined a clandestine rebellion against the dragonlord. Accidentally, he found himself on Arcavios, learning about Strixhaven and its leadership from his first friend on the plane—and when he expressed his dismay, his friend just so happened to have some other friends he thought Özgür should meet…

Yeah a tarkir native would react pretty badly to strixhaven, huh? I like the vision. I also like the simple use of mechanics, magecraft- bolster is a great expression of what’s going on here flavorfully. Good stuff, though it probably wants reminder text.

[silentwillowwhisperer]

Day 15- Monsters and Mana

I could take this seriously. I could be serious about this but....

PRINCESS KEITH!

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS QUEEN SHIRO. AHHHHHHH

(Also mom-queen Adam.)

I’m just using the characters, I know nothing about dnd so I’m not gonna attempt to write a game play through.

Was this my excuse to write royal Keith? Possibly…

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

”Presenting, His Royal Highness, Princess Keith.”

Keith has gotten used to that line, he’s heard it almost daily for the past three months.

As a kid, he was lucky enough to be trained with a knife and taught anything he wanted to learn. But he should have seen this coming.

He’s sitting upon a throne high above the head of their visitors. The Queen Shiro sits in the middle of the three seats, with Queen Consort Adam at his right.

Keith knows if Shiro had any say in this matter, he would stop it immediately. Thaur doesn’t stop Keith from being mad, though.

The minute he turned 18, the royal court insisted that Keith must be married as soon as possible. Having an unmarried princess of that age is frowned upon, of course.

So Keith is being forced to watch fluffed up princes with fluffier words try to ‘woo’ him.

Spoiler alert: it’s not working.

He’s gone through a whopping 43 princes, including this one, because he can already tell this guy is more obnoxious than the chickens in the farm down the road.

You would think they’d run out at some point, huh?

The visiting prince is going on about his disarmingly attractive features and Keith tries his very best to look as unattractive as possible. If he makes a weird face, maybe he can scare this guy off.

He pushes his tongue into the space between his top teeth and lip and rolls his eyes as far back in his head as they’ll go.

The prince makes a choking sound.

Adam snickers.

Shiro pinches him.

The prince keeps on hung with his Narcissistic speech after a moment, which means Keith won’t be getting out of this one that easily.

-

Keith just wants to sleep. He’s stuck at the ball thrown in the visiting prince’s honor, and it’s about dead o clock in the morning.

His gown poofs out around him, deep ruby red and covered in sparkling gems. There’s a silky scarf wrapped around his shoulders that does nothing to sheiks his otherwise bare arms from the cold night (morning?) air. He has a knife strapped to his thigh as well. (Adam helped him hide it there.)

He’s in the middle of plotting his escape hen a dark blur flashes in the corner of his vision.

When he looks in that direction, there’s nothing but the tall white pillars that line the edge of the ballroom.

Nothing except…

He walks forward slowly (mostly because he’s wearing heels and would rather not faceplant) until he’s close enough to identify the brown smudge peeking out from behind a pillar as a tail.

And as any sensible person would, he decides to poke it.

As soon as he does, a tanned hand shoots out to grab his own. Another slaps over Keith’s mouth.

He’s tugged face to face with a man a few inches taller than him with tall animal looking ears and stripes down his cheeks.

The guy next to them is much taller with pointed ears and heavily built. He has soft brown eyes and eyebrows creased with worry. His eyes widen as he takes in Keith’s indignation.

“Pike! This is bad, really bad. That’s the princess.”

‘Pike’ looks at him closely and his jaw drops too. He quickly unhands Keith.

“Are you a princess? Because I’ll treat you like royalty.”

What?

Pike is pointing finger hind at Keith and looks absolutely notified. He places his hands on Keith’s shoulders and says, “I am so sorry I just said that, I panicked. But are you the princess? And the name’s Pike, and that’s my buddy Hunk.”

Keith stares at him blankly. “Like the fish?”

Pike scowls. “What? No! Like the cool weapon!”

That’s kind of dumb, but Keith has decided to go with it. This is the most entertaining thing that’s happened in forever.

“Why are you here? You’re clearly not here for the party. And yes, I am the princess.”

Both of them gasp. Hunk looks a bit faint. They both squeal and flounder around a bit.

Keith’s wolf chooses that moment to teleport in, his aim off just enough so that he lands heavily on Pike. He immediately starts licking the strange man, which takes as a good sign.

Pike pushes the canine off of him and stares at Keith. “This is gonna sound bad, but hear me out. We may have broken into the castle to steal some things to pay this guy in a tavern a few miles from here who might also be a witch. I already made friends with your wolf when we first got in here.”

That was too much information at once.

Honestly, Keith can’t even be mad, because that all sounds absolutely wonderful. Instead, he starts laughing, loud and bright.

He fixes the 2 thieves with his intense purple stare. “I’ll lead you straight to the treasury if you take me with you.”

Pike grins at him. He has sharper teeth in the front of his mouth that make his smile look sharkish. “Can do, princess. Lead the way.”

That, Shiro will find a note on his bed that reads, “Later, sucker -Keith,” with a middle finger drawn on it. He’ll laugh wryly at his little brother’s free spirit and tell the council the next morning that Keith is long gone.

And he is. He’s already ridden off into the sunset, sitting behind Pike on a horse stolen from the royal stables, and bag of riches and a wolf by their sides.

———————————-

That was fun. Princess Keith is the best.