#Leshy continues to be an agent of chaos

[spiderin-space]

Lil doodles and things from the past few weeks or so

Also maybe sliiiiiiightly suggestive beneath the cut? Jic-

[thewisaaaaad]

GOOD EVENING

i changed my mind im releasing this now >:)

i finally got to the cliffhanger

AND NOW Hypnos is offered a choice.

I told you it would be fine :)

...if Hypnos can bear to go on, after all that has happened.

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

Hypnos opened their eyes to darkness.

Their whole body ached, every part of them felt like it had been run over by a carriage. their face was sticky with blood and Ichor, and they couldn't remember why. Why do they hurt? Was Narinder playing with the kits again? Maybe they should find the fox, if he's here...

Then the events of the last few years started to flow back in. Shamura and their second betrayal, the torture, the rescue by Leshy's agents, the hasty escape into the sea, Kallamars ministrations, the training in curses, dodging and healing, the plan...

and how that plan went so horribly, horribly wrong.

fresh, warm blood, mortal blood, streamed down their face.

Narinder was probably playing with the twins. in the worst possible way. And it was all their fault.

Hypnos scrubbed their face with their forearm, no matter how it hurt, and took a look around themselves. It looked like the void, but it lacked the warmth they remembered it having when they were with the fox.

How long had it been since they last saw the fox? Were they worried?

Hypnos doubted it. Who would worry about an oath-breaker like them, anyway?

So this must be it. This is the fading of souls that happens to those who die in the after. the place beyond death.

Hypnos was surprised that they had died so soon. Shamura- no, the Purple Crown had been shure to You are not yet dead, child.

Hypnos opened their eyes, searching for the voice echoing in their head. Something was behind them, but the puppet struggled to turn around to get a look at it, feeling like they were floating with no anchors to steady themselves. The voice, to its credit, did not laugh at the lambs flailing, only letting the feeling of bemusement seep into the lambs mind.

Hypnos, for their part, felt no amusement at all. especially when they saw what the voice belonged to.

An eye. sitting in the darkness, floating just out of reach, at a massive scale. It seemed sideways, as if it was laying down, but as the false lamb slowly rotated in the void, the eye rotated with them, continuing to lay sideways to them. It was cream colored, with clouds of other bright colors danced at the edges, like a hidden aurora borealis.

But the lamb knew of eyes like this one. It belonged to a crown.

You merely dream. The voice sounded elderly, tired. A fine disguise for a horrible creature.

"What do you want!?" The lamb shouted, after staring at it with barely concealed hatred failed to elicit answers. Actually, it probably wasn't concealed at all.

The crown just blinked slowly at them, before finally responding.

Child, I have come to grant you a chance. a chance to save "I AM NOT BECOMING YOUR BEARER, PARASITE!" The lamb interrupted, swinging their arms down in impertinent rage.

The crown waited patiently for the lamb to catch their breath, seeming almost... sad.

the gall...

I know you have met the sins. I apologies that my compatriots were unable to protect their bearers.

This was... not what the lamb expected, but they kept their guard up-

I know you think us vile, child, and not without reason. but consider this: that we may not be the infection, but instead are infected ourselves by Sin.

All the wind had been taken out of out of Hypnos's sails at this point, as curiosity won out over caution. "what do you mean, 'possessed by sin'? I had been under the impression that the crowns controlled sin, using it to further their power. Or was that a lie too!?" Hypnos shouted, a bit of their righteous rage returning to them.

It was not a falsehood, child, but it was not the full truth either. We crowns were made to control Sins, yes, but as with all things, we are imperfect. Each of us has a Sin we are vulnerable to.

For War and Wisdom, it is Envy.

Chaos and Order, Their enemy is Wrath.

Plague and Cure's poison is Sloth.

Feast and Famine fell to Gluttony.

And of course, death must kneel to pride.

But even the Sins of Gods can be purified by another crown.

The lamb considers this. They were given an enemy. something that could be fought, something that could be solved.

there was only two questions left to ask.

"whats your sin? Your weakness?"

I cannot speak its name, lest I invite it to roost within me.

"...what do you get out of this?"

I get the chance to exist again, and serve a bearer once more.

A light began to shine from behind the crown, revealing its shape. It was pointed, resembling a mytre, the same kind of hats the followers used to command the refineries back at Kallamar's temple. The eye rested in the center, indeed set sideways.

they could save Kallamar. They could save the others.

they could save Narinder, and keep their promises.

the question was, did they trust it?

Promised liberator of The One Who Waits, will you take me, the crown of sleep and wake, as your crown, and command dreams and nightmares as you wish

to keep the promises you made?

ACCEPT ⟻⤛⦿ REFUSE