#Main Character/Shen Xinghui | Xavier

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (1/20)

(A/N: Many of my older works don't have proofreading and, well, I'm not a native speaker either. English is not my first language. Therefore, I ask for patience, but I believe you will find some grammatical errors here (and many more in older works).

That said, this text is interactive, giving the reader space to fit into the character, but she has a name and appearance, she is a transmigrant (yes, I know, but its my favorite trope and I almost never find any fics that fall under those terms :<)

There will be spoilers. There will be lore breaking. MC is female as the “real MC”.

I hope you like the fic. I hope it's as fun for everyone as it has been for me, marinating in this idea and finally having the willpower to write again. The tailcoat I was inspired by is this one here, from Alice in Wonderland )

Summary: You lived for them. You died for them. That was the only thing that made sense, the prophecy given to you said. You were sure of it. Live for them, die for them, make them happy. Let them live their lives with the ones they love the most and only so you'll be free to finally leave this looping of suffering.

You gave your heart, your soul, your life and your years. You gave your freedom so they could be free to love. Be free to live. And yet... Why is the story repeating itself?

Why are they coming back to you?!?

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Important tags for this whole series: Angst, Fluff, Smut, reader is in denial, Past Lives, Mild Gore, Blood, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, All love interests fall in love with reader, reader is not MC

Chapters: (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (19) (20) Read it on AO3

A tired sigh left your lips. As you hugged one of your swords and played with the small rabbit-shaped charm, time seemed to pass slowly, almost imperceptibly. The air felt still and heavy around the palace and as much as you truly wanted to make this story happen as fast as possible, it was basically impossible to rush things any further than they had already been rushed. 

The number of times you sat across from your MC and talked to her, tried to understand why she didn't accept either of Xavier's two marriage proposals, why she seemed to be so resistant to the prince when things should be so much simpler . 

Everything seemed so complex when, in fact, everything was supposed to be so easy and even so, the reason seemed to be invisible to the eyes of your creation. With another tired sigh, your eyes turned toward the tower clock. It was already more than 6 o'clock in the afternoon and the prince would soon leave the meeting he had been summoned to, so it was necessary to be prepared to assume the role of a watchdog once again.

Adjusting the black mask that covered from your nose to your chin, making half of your face unknown to absolutely anyone, you put away your sword  once again and stretched for a moment. Your muscles tensed and then relaxed. 

“Still guarding His Highness?” - A familiar male voice caught your attention. With a gentle smile on his lips, the boy who spoke directly to you was Jeremiah, one of Xavier's other royal guards and one of his best friends. He was adorable, even more so up close like that.

"Yes." - Despite your short answer and the robotic voice expelled by the mask, you held a look full of affection and sympathy for the boy. The process of being as cold and distant as possible was complex, especially in a world where you didn't belong and were desperately alone, but there was a reason for this behavior. 

Soon both Xavier and Jeremiah were preparing to take the long-awaited journey to the past and you would need to play an essential role when that happened. 

“Always monosyllabic. It's a shame you don't engage more than half a dozen words on a lovely day, Zero. I would really like to know a little more about you…” - And dramatically, Jeremiah threw his shoulders up, sighing deeply. - “Well, I'll leave before his highness thinks I'm interfering with your work.” 

And with a wave, the brunette walked in the opposite direction from which he had come, his steps as light as that of an experienced knight should be. 

That brought a thought to your mind. After so many years of training and scars that marred your whole body, you weren't sure how many times you had lived or how old you were in general. You stopped counting after the first two hundred, since in this life alone, you were almost sure you already had surpassed three hundred years old. The only thing you truly knew was why you were here and what your mission was. 

Ironically -or perhaps not-, after reading so many books and comics on this topic, something similar had happened. The weird part was that you didn't remember dying in your last life. Furthermore, some things still seemed to have survived in your memory. For example, here in the world of Love and Deepspace, they didn't speak your native language, no. They spoke what you called “common”, a language you learned as soon as you started speaking.

Another important point was: Your memory of this world began when you cried the first time, on your mother's lap. It had been many, many years. You have literally lived entire lives in completely different timelines. Lives where you were close to Rafayel, Zayne, Sylus and now, Xavier. It was strange to say that you didn't understand or know for sure which of these lives had been the first or whether what was happening at the moment was real or just a memory. But before your brain could get lost in any more wondering about questions you couldn't answer yourself, a noise caught your attention. 

With a click, the door opened, and from inside, some members of the imperial family began to come out. Xavier had been one of the last and, as usual, you started walking behind him without saying a single word. His gaze focused in search of any danger, despite his relaxed posture. 

“Zero…” - The prince called your name for what seemed like the first time in his entire existence. Now you were already away from any area where there were other passersby in the palace, even if you were still moving on your way to Xavier's room.

With a bit of shock, since the prince was usually indifferent and cold towards everyone he didn't consider close, you just nodded, still following behind the blonde, waiting for what he had to say. It seemed ridiculous that a wave was enough, especially when you weren't leading the way, but you knew the prince too well to know that he had seen your nod and, a few seconds later, as you arrived in front of his bedroom door, he invited you inside. 

Shaking your head in a negative manner, you remained outside, expression as neutral as possible, indicating that you would not enter. 

“I need to talk to you about… Well, you know about who. And I would like to do it in a way that I am comfortable with.” - his voice sounded tired, bordering on exhaustion and that was the only thing that convinced you to take a very hesitant step into the prince's room. 

"Thanks." - He said, closing the door and then going to sit on the sofa in the small leisure area that the immense royal bedroom offered. - “I don't know if I could say that you must be wondering a lot of things since… I don't think I even remember what your voice sounds like anymore. But... I'd like to ask you a favor. Certain things are going to happen and… I would like you to protect her. Never leave her side.”

Your gaze fell on the blonde's hands, fingers intertwined, muscles contracting with some anxiety. He was certainly talking about his farewell, his future journey and how he was putting his plans into action for your MC to become queen of Philos. This was one of the moments you were eagerly awaiting. You would finally accomplish something that had never been done before, that timeline would be broken and you would be responsible for it in no time. 

With a rare smile on your lips -even though they were hidden by the mask-, you knelt down in front of Xavier, one hand resting on your knee and the other on the floor. Lowering your head, you dared to speak a few words this time.

“I swear on my life that I will keep her safe as long as I live.” - The robotic voice sounded with a little emotion. Maybe it was the tiredness that had finally spread like cancer through your body and soul. Living so many lives and dying all of them, remembering the loved ones you had all this time, family and friends, as well as the people you loved so much in the 'real world'. All that weight finally felt like it had been dumped on your shoulders once and for all. 

“I…” - Xavier seemed shocked. His eyes widened slightly, but then he smiled gently. It was the first time he had smiled at you and he was as beautiful as every time he had smiled through a screen. - "Thanks." - and with a hand on your shoulder he seemed to have conveyed everything he always wanted to say during the entire time he was in the company of his beloved MC. You knew how important she was to him, but little did the prince himself know of your plans.

With a nod, again, you stood up and left the room, standing guard outside. Even during the early hours of the dawn, there was no tiredness in your system. It felt like your heart was pumping blood faster than ever, an expected state of adrenaline when you only had one chance to make things work. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Our old tale is found in the annals of Philo’s history. 

Wandering bards sing of it throughout the land. 

For hundreds of years, Philo’s throne sat empty. Now the crownless queen of legends foretold regains her scepter. 

Philos is to be ushered in a new spring. in darkness does one claim a glimmer. The new queen shall bring the dying Philos its real end. 

As she sat on her cold throne, at the bottom of the steps, her Grandis Knight, Xavier stared at her. A queen’s coronation ceremony should be a day of bliss, yet, he chose that day to bid her farewell. 

“Are you not afraid the Backtrackers suspect you betrayed them for a private audience?”  - Your mc asked, her voice shaky. 

“They are aware.” - Xavier sighed and averted his eyes for a second. - “As a knight, it’s my duty to attend to Your Majesty.”  

A moment of silence made the throne room colder than before, quieter than the normal. Your eyes never wandered away, staring directly at Xavier while he spoke to your mc. She was beautiful, so much that it pained you to see this scene repeating again and yet, you’ve spoken no words, in a guarding stance beside your new queen as you promised.

“... Are you truly leaving?” - Her eyes were glassy, full of non-shared tears. 

“The spaceship is ready.” 

“Your trip is one of danger and uncertainty!”

Shaking his head, Xavier didn’t reply right away. If only so that he could extend his own stay, even if just a little, if only to hear her breathe, so that he could just hear her heart beat for the last time.

“Our safety is assured so long as Your Majesty doesn’t call our steel into battle.” 

Your Majesty. He addressed her with a cool indifference. He hadn’t addressed her with her own name for years and now, seeing him stand, she realized it’s been some time since she got  a good look at her Grandis Knight. 

“You’ve already made up your mind. In that case…” - Your MC spoke, rising from her throne and walking down the steps, standing before Xavier. - “I’ll tell the citizens. The Grandis Knight perished in battle. I shall give him the highest honor.” 

He smiled at her. His voice was so ever soft and full of affection, one she couldn’t have noticed for how her heart was broken. 

“Your Majesty has my gratitude.” 

The wind sweeps into the room, the tassel with a star-shaped charm swaying on his sword. Nightfall obscures the tassel and without saying another word, Xavier takes his leave, his steps echoing through the room. 

When you heard the door close completely, you examined every part of that large hall with your eyes. Your MC knelt on the floor and started crying profusely. Sobs of a lost love for a journey that would have no return.

You took a few steps forward, walking down the steps of the throne and standing next to the queen. Placing one hand in front of your face and the other behind, touching a device on the back of your neck, you removed the mask. Something you had never done in front of any of the people who lived in that palace. In fact, the last people who had truly seen your face had long since perished. 

"Your Majesty." - Your voice was low, almost like a whisper in the silent night. A melodic voice that went well with the long pastel pink hair you grew. Your eyes were almost hidden beneath a fringe that urgently asked for a cut, but even so, nothing was a mystery anymore, not for your queen and you had only done that because you knew she would never remember your face. 

“Z-Zero?” - Your MC's voice was still weak and longing, choked. Her eyes widened for a moment as she admired your face, her fingers reaching out and gently brushing against your skin, feeling the softness and plump, pink lips. 

A toothy smile showed your dear mc that she could continue her curious caress while you yourself moved your hand to caress your creation's cheek. It was a strange feeling, it wasn't the feeling of motherhood you get with a child, it was more like seeing something you were a part of, now forging its own path.

“I'm sorry about that. I've seen and rewatched this story so many times and... My return home depends on your happiness... So I'm going to break some rules. I hope you forgive me.” - With a soft kiss on your queen's forehead, you murmured a few words and the world around you seemed to enter a great state of… glitching. 

Your MC didn't even have time to say anything, she was paralyzed like everything else at that moment. The entire world had bent to your will. With a snap of your fingers, you were facing the spaceship that Xavier and Jeremiah would board in a few minutes for the mission back to the past. 

You opened the door and carried your queen inside, laying her gently on one of the beds in the dorm. With another snap of your fingers, her clothes were already organized in the correct compartments and the amount of supplies needed for the trip had been re-established. 

“I hope you live a peaceful and happy life. Give Jeremiah some love for me, I’m sure he’ll be a great gardener.” - You said with a smile on your face and walked out of the machine, letting the door close again. 

Time came to an end and you disappeared into the darkness, just waiting for things to happen according to your will. Xavier and Jeremiah boarded the ship, adjusted the coordinates and left Philos. Using a device that would be similar to a GPS, you followed their departure until their return could no longer be something tangible and only then, with a sigh, did you unpause the rest of the world around you. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Walking to the Starfall Forest, you entered the forest safely. That would be the last time you would need to do something. Or maybe it was the first. Maybe it was just a memory. It didn't matter the order of any of the timelines, just that you were certain that by completing this final task, you would finally have your freedom returned.

After all, the prophecy, before the countless times you were born -or had been born- was always the same: “Seek for the true happy ending. Allow the chance to love for those who never manage to consummate it.” and there was nothing that made more sense than simply changing the story of each of the characters you loved so much. Yes, these boys never seemed to have a happy ending, with their tragic pasts and broken hearts.

Wide steps made your path shorter and shorter, white pants that outlined your curves and highlighted your rear, black knee-high boots and a blue tailcoat with details in gold threads, made the air of royalty more intense than ever. It was especially sad to know that, despite all the flower details in your hair, your jewelry - however discreet, they were still there and were exuberant to the attentive eyes -, no one would see you that night. Literally dressed to kill. The mask was no longer part of your current uniform. 

Your hair, long enough to reach your waist, was gently swayed by Philos' gentle breeze, as if it were a relief that you had finally arrived on that planet to put a real end to such a monstrous situation. 

Pulling your two swords from their respective sheaths, your next movement was too quick for any creature or wanderer to follow. You were destroying the core of that damned land. Never again would those humans make sacrifices to keep their selfish lives extended.

Your consciousness slowly faded away as your sword destroyed every barrier on the planet’s protocore, trees and creatures being destroyed in a white flash, a merciful way to go, you thought. At least it would be painless, as all the pain on that planet now passed through your veins to the point where you expected to wake up back in your own bed. Back to your world. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

When you opened your eyes again, you were in an alley. Your mask was on the floor as blood fell from your nose and mouth. Several men were on the ground, huddled together and stacked on top of each other.

Blurred vision and a feeling of nausea, you realized you were in a fight. What had happened this time? The world seemed much less technological than on Philos, but your mask... Hearing some footsteps nearby, you tried to get up, supporting yourself with one of your swords as you pulled your mask and fitted it back onto your face. 

Your body was heavy and your arms were making a Herculean effort to maintain support for your swords. You knew you needed to walk faster and you forced your own body to follow as much as possible.

Not that you knew how to go. Or where to go to. But your feet were dragged towards what felt like a familiar place. Entering the automated building, the robot recognized your face, even if it was bruised and swollen behind the mask, granting you access to the elevator. 

You don't remember when your eyes closed, but you felt a warmth, as if something was holding you gently and not letting you fall to the ground. Your consciousness faded. 

At some point, in the midst of a delirious fever, your eyes opened and closed, but everything was spinning and your stomach no longer seemed to want to contain anything inside it. Turning your face to the side, you vomited everything you had previously ingested along with blood. 

You heard some noises of footsteps, more than one person was moving in that environment, someone seemed to curse almost silently while another person gently held your torso and hair. 

“She needs to go to the hospital right now. I can’t treat her here.” - A cold and harsh voice sounded above you. It matched the cold touch of the hands that held you.

“Her arms… Her arms are turning… black. Would this… be necrosis?” - Another voice, less rigid, spoke. Familiar like the first. 

"No. That’s her evol.” - Another male voice. How many men were there in this place? 3? 4? Your head was too dizzy to answer that question. - “Luke and Kieran are heading here, let's take her to the hospital, help me find other clothes to dress her.” 

“I don't think there's time to put other clothes on her right now. As much as I hate the idea of ​​leaving her in this state, let's prioritize getting her back to my car. Let me try to stabilize evol, after all, this heart is hers.”  - Maybe you have been answered. 4 men? But there were two more that were mentioned… were they already here?

When you felt a warm touch on your skin, your eyes opened wide, but you couldn't see anything. A scream left your lips as you writhed in pain and tried your best to get away from whatever they were doing to you. 

“Shit, hold her straight, just a little longer, I’m making her evol regress!!!” - The person who had touched you shouted, a few more pairs of hands came to hold you. Whether it was seconds, minutes, hours or an eternity, you didn't know, but before falling into oblivion once again, all you heard was the voice from the someone who had touched you previously and cried out to be in possession of your heart. - “Shhhh… It’s okay, cutie. You'll be fine…”

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[kaiaelsher]

Media literacy truly is dying bc why tf am I seeing bullshits like "mc is the problem all along" when i thought we all have talked it through and collectively agree on the fact that it was NO ONE'S (and i meant between the main characters) fault and MC is literally the BIGGEST victim compared to all of the LIs here??

[syneilesis]

[fic] Coffee Break

Coffee Break

Love and Deepspace | Xavier (Shen Xinghui) x Main-Character!Reader | G | 1.2k words ao3 link

You buy Xavier a new coffee machine.

A/N: I am so in love with this man. Day 2 of the closed beta test and here I am writing fic lmao. God, I love Shen Xinghui so much. This fic is inspired by his Shimmering Sunlight story. Some spoilers about the main storyline and character-exclusive stories, though nothing too significant. Though I frequently refer to his CN name in my other posts, in this fic I use his EN version -- Xavier.

The box is light in your hands, but the salesperson assured you that weight does not equate to quality. Price, too—because although the Hunters Association is generous with their pay, you don't want to raise flags by taking missions incessantly. Tara's nose for intrigue, of course, is well-known among your circles.

It would be all the worse if Xavier gets in on the gossip too. (You'd have to thank the stars for the man's indifference to workplace drama—and to most in general. Xavier may be airheaded at times but when he's focused on something he is monstrously focused on it. It's impressive, and—well—cute.)

The recommended beans are secured inside your messenger bag. You don't call Xavier this time to give him a heads up. He had, a few days ago, granted you the privilege to enter his home whenever you like, his hand tracing the book spines on the shelf, all the while saying it. He wasn't looking at you, but his tone remained light, playful even, that it prompted you to tease him by pointing out that if he merely wanted an efficient alarm clock, he could just buy one of those state-of-the-art ones sold in major stores. That's when Xavier whirled around to look at you, mirth in his eyes but with a secretive, scheming tilt on his lips.

“I'm coming in,” you announce, regardless, by the door, pushing it in with one hand, and Xavier's voice floats across the hall.

“You're really taking advantage of this, huh.”

“Well, a wise man once said that one must seize every opportunity given their way.”

Xavier emerges from a room in all his cardigan-and-sweatpantsed glory, hair mussed enough to indicate that he's just risen from his bed.

“Good morning!” you chirp.

He glances at the clock—two in the afternoon—and eyes the box in your hands. The caution—and curiosity—is obvious in the lilt of his question. “What's that?”

“For you.”

He takes the proffered item and inspects like it'll explode at any moment. You sigh and retrieve it again, and he follows you when you make your way to the kitchen.

“I already have a coffee machine,” he says, confused, as you begin to clean the gift.

“And it brews bitter coffee.” You spare a glance at him to find that he's watching you. You tap the lid of the machine. “This is a more recent and an undeniably better model.”

“I don't recall asking you to buy one for me.”

“That's because you didn't.” There's a pause where you deliberate telling him your next sentence and facing him directly as you say it. You go for it, in the end. “It's a gift. This is a gift from me to you.”

It doesn't register to him at first—it's as if he's waiting for an explanation that requires the mention of Captain Jenna's orders. But after a blink and a shuffle, it clicks, his eyes widening and he's fully awake all of a sudden.

And when he responds, it seems urgent: “What's the occasion?”

You shake your head. “Nothing—or rather, it's the occasion for drinking good coffee.” The coffee beans make their appearance. “Go sit on the sofa or something while I work this thing out.”

Xavier chuckles. “What—now you're ordering me in my own home?”

“And making you good coffee!”

“You're a guest—even I know that it's rude to have the guest make food or drinks for the owner of the house.”

“It's fine! And besides, I'd like to test this out as soon as possible. Refund and exchange policy only lasts for seven days from the date of purchase. I'd want to know if this works just fine.”

Xavier attempts to protest a little more, but you hold firm. Once he trudges back to the living room, you concentrate on the coffee. The salesperson seemed trustworthy enough when pitching the product, and you really can't forget the time Xavier served you a cup of bitter coffee. Not even three sugar cubes could salvage that unholy concoction.

When it's done, the heavenly aroma wafting along your nose, you test a sip from your own mug. It's a success. Placing the mugs on a tray, you head to where Xavier is.

He's reading a book. Though 'reading' seems to be a stretch because his head bobs twice, his eyelids drooping, the edge of a nap threatening his posture.

“Xavier,” you call him, and his head snaps back to attention. You bite your lip to stave off a laugh. Sitting next to him on the sofa, you put the tray on the table and hand him his own cup. “Try this one.”

A sniff and a tentative sip. And then he hums in approval, now drinking it normally. You smile around the rim of your mug, your eyes falling on his book.

“This is good,” he comments, wearing a smile of his own when he turns to you. “Did you use another kind of coffee beans?”

“Yep. The salesman recommended me another one, and it was the right decision. By the way, why are you reading an instruction manual on building a claw machine?”

“It's nothing,” he says, swiping the item away. There's another book on the table—a collection of short stories—and he snatches that up instead. You recognize the title.

“Oh! I've read that before.”

“Is it good? I haven't read it yet.”

“Yes. I particularly loved the titular story. The suspense buildup was done skillfully and the payoff was perfect.”

“I see, then I look forward to starting it.”

Surprisingly, Xavier begins reading it then and there, occasionally sipping his coffee and turning the page. You, beside him, are minding your own cup, thoughts drifting here and there. Your next mission. New strategies in battle. Your next appointment with Dr. Zayne.

It's when a weight has plopped down your shoulder that you jolt out of your musings: Xavier falling asleep on your shoulder, mug empty, the coffee residues pooling at the bottom, book opened in the chapter of your favorite story.

“Xavier?” you murmur, careful not to startle him if he's truly asleep.

He doesn't stir—only burrows further into the crevice between your neck and shoulder, the puffs of his breath close and warm against your skin.

It would've been cruel to push him away, not when he looks comfortable. And besides, you're afforded an opportunity to study him—so you let him as he is.

From your angle, staring down at his sleeping face, you note of his eyelashes, long and thick and seemingly soft, slightly curved upwards, hovering over his smooth cheeks. They frame the blueness of his eyes very well. They make him even prettier under daylight. You're reminded of the time you and he strolled under the blooming peach blossoms, the pink backdrop highlighting the radiance of his presence, statuesque. He as sublime art itself, rivaling that of Rafayel's paintings—or better yet, surpassing them. And when he smiles—

Unbidden, heat crawls across your cheeks and settles there. Oh no. Oh, no no no.

Oh dear, this won't do.

You swallow, and turn away. Against your neck, Xavier sleeps on, unaware of your unfurling realizations. By the window, a familiar bird perches, twittering under the afternoon sun, a small but melodious background song.

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

Hi!! ヾ(˶•ᵕ•˶)੭o I hope all is well with you~

I have a question, but it's not related to MLQC. It's about the upcoming 3D Otome game!! Love and Deepspace really piqued my interest and curiosity these days, so if it's alright with you, may I ask about the personalities of the love interests there? Even just brief or what characters from MLQC kind-of resembles them?

I can already see a bit of Victor in Zayne/Li Shen (which is my type!!) and Gavin in Xavier/Shen XingHui though, but I'm not sure. ><

Thank you so much!! ⸜(˶ ˃ ᵕ ˂ ˶)⸝♡

hello ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و ♡ well... things are pretty hectic still, but i’m fighting through. hope everything is well with you too~

sorry for the late reply, but i wanted to compare the changes in writing in the ongoing (3rd) CBT before making assessments. and tbh, the writing is still very much under development.

they have already made several changes in the main story plot, the interactions between the heroine/ you and the love interests (majorly with Li Shen as there were severe complaints regarding unstable writing + medically wrong terms after the prev. beta). and after the feedbacks from this beta, i’m sure there will be further optimizations until the official release, so it’s still pretty early to comment on the love interests’ personalities. but if you want me to analogize the current impressions to the lovepro characters, yes, you’re right on the money haha.

Li Shen does share the same strict and stern on the outside but a big bowl of marshmallow on the inside personality as Victor + the extensive use of idioms in the sentences, the either firm or gentle hold on your hand he always has are sure to remind you of a certain someone haha. Li Shen and the heroine have a childhood connection too.

as for Shen XingHui, similar to Gavin, assumption is he’d be a knight character. he is very sweet and happy-go-lucky, but there’s a calmness to him too. might be a little too bland for some people at first, but there’s potential, plus his identity itself makes him super important to the plot, so, hold on haha.

Qi Yu is kind of like a mystery to me still. yes he gives off that enormous bratty energy, but there’s also a quiet side to him (kind of a given since he’s an artist by profession). he’s more like a blend of Kiro and Shaw?? tho it currently feels like the writers aren’t really sure about how to balance his character, whether to build him around the quiet side or to focus on the young energy. b/c while it’s not impossible for them to coexist, too much of one trait could totally strike out the other and seem delusional.

anyway, final words, my recommendation would be to keep an open mind. while these characters do share traits with the characters of their parent game, they are unique characters of their own, embracing their own characteristics and stories. and the writing approach is still subject to change, so~ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)_

—

[lunar-opal]

Relationship Tags: Main Character/Shen Xinghui | Xavier, Main Character/Xia Yizhou | Caleb (mentioned)

General Tags: POV Third Person Limited, Spoilers, Spoilers for Anecdotes, Prophetic Dreams, Second Kiss, Memories, Fluff and Angst, Grief/Mourning, Mental Health Issues, Unreliable Narrator, Friendship, Pregnancy, Future Polycule, MC/All The LIs (future)

Summary: Lissie Zhang is exhausted after the turmoil of discovering she's pregnant, and that night, the vague dreams she has been having escalate to something beyond lucid. Dreams don't mean anything, and Lissie loves Caleb more than life itself. Xavier's kiss tasted of oranges.

Part six of my series, Searching For Serenity <3

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (7/20)

(A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay for this chapter, I've been having a lot of IRL obstacles and a bit of writer's block. But today's chapter is a bit longer and I pretend to make the next chapters longer as well!

Hold my hand because I had one opportunity to make MC's tail similar to a model from finfolk  and my internal child is very happy.

Edit: I forgot to link the inspiration for the fins!)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (8)

Read it on AO3

You were laying down on the bed after dressing yourself for what felt like an eternity, until you heard your smartphone ring. You stretched your hand for the bedside table and got it, the number calling you was from Jenna. She was probably worried since you had not showed up and that reminded you that you still had a daily job. 

You got up, one of your hands was on top of your throat, the other one holding the phone to your ear. You walked to the balcony, getting the call and as soon as you started talking, your hand shone a turquoise blue, your voice sounding melodic as ever but as one of a baritone, deep and low. 

“Zero. What happened to you? I don’t think I have ever seen you skipping one day of work during all those years you’ve been working with us. Should I worry?” - Jenna was always straight to the point and that was good. At least you knew exactly what she wanted. 

“Captain.” - Your voice sounded serious as a soldier trained for killing and no emotion, yet still beautiful and warm. - “I beg your forgiveness for not showing up and sending any prior message about my absence. I’ve been tracked down by some hitmen and yesterday, unfortunately, I got injured.” 

Well, technically speaking, you weren’t exactly lying, EVER was now always after you, it was your objective since the beginning anyway, this time it was your body acting against your better judgment, but maybe the amount of stress you’ve been through had something related to how you’ve been feeling. Before you could continue speaking, though, you heard a gasp from the other side of the line. 

“Should we send someone over to you? Report immediately your status, Zero.” - She ordered. 

“No, ma’am. There is no need. I’ll be absent for three days maximum. I should be going back with full health back to work. I had taken care of the hitmen that came after me already.” 

“Ok.” - There was hesitancy in her voice - “Just let us know if you need anything. And please keep sending daily reports of your recovery.” 

“Yes ma’am.” - And with that, you disconnected and removed your hand from your neck, stretching right after. Being here made you forget that you actually was Zero, a male mysterious hunter that worked back at Unicorns for the internal special forces. Jenna was the captain from Alpha team, but she also commanded the secret unit forces φ (unit forces phi). You were basically the hunter that would come in if the alpha team couldn’t solve or whenever Onychinous or EVER started a ruckus. 

Behind you, a whistle could be heard. Turning around, you saw Rafayel and Zayne together, both with their arms crossed on their chests. 

“I’m not going to lie, I’m impressed, cutie. I didn’t expect you could sound like a man as well. Is that your evol?” - Raf asked, being the first one to come closer to you and help you sit on the handrail. 

“A-Ah, yeah. I can do that much…” - You spoke softly, looking at Zayne and immediately looking down, finding anything on the ground more interesting.

“So this is how you keep your identity of Zero, hm? And what about the whole size thing? I never knew your evol could manipulate your voice.” - His voice was icy and you could feel the chilling breeze when the doctor came closer to you, his eyes locked on your face. 

“I… My evol is manipulation. So I can manipulate many… things.” - You whispered softly - “Not only small objects as I’ve made you believe…” 

You felt guilt starting to consume your insides, you’ve lied many times before and probably would have to lie many more, not that you enjoyed the thrill of not being true to the people you’ve loved, but you needed to do it. After all, this was all a game, right?

“Let’s get you on the bed so I can examine you” - He said, changing the topic completely after a few seconds of silence. Offering his hand, he looked at you. 

 You held his hand and went back to the room, feeling like a child who was in trouble after misbehaving in front of her parents. Sitting on the bed again, you kept to yourself, sighing and hoping that Zayne wasn’t going to be too angry at you. 

“Ok, so to break the ice” - Rafayel winked at you, a playful smile on his lips - “Check her to see how she’s fairing, because she’ll probably need to go to the sea for a bit so, I want to make sure she’s ok.”

“Go to the sea? Whatever you mean by that?” - Zayne questioned, his eyes never leaving your face, the sudden rush of heat flooding over your cheeks due to his unwavering attention. 

“She’s also lemurian and she’s been far away from the sea for too long. I imagine her body condition is related to the amount of time she hasn’t just… Succumbed to her instincts.” - The God shrugged - “It does sound far more rude than what it truly is, but without a better way to put it in words… She’ll need to go to the sea and I’ll keep an eye on her.” 

Zayne averted their gaze from you to glare at Rafayel. He seemed angry, perhaps even sad. 

“Yet another thing I had to find out about you, by others.” - His voice was laced with disappointment. 

“Z-Zayne, I’m sorry!” - You spilled, both of your hands going to his face. You never saw him angry, no matter what you or mc had done. - “I didn’t mean to keep it from you, I’m so sorry, I just wanted you all to be happy, I didn’t think whatever I am had any importance to the picture!” 

Your voice was heavy with panic, not wanting to disappoint the doctor, but that sentence stunned the two of them. Both exchanged a quick glance and then looked back at you, worried and sad. 

“How come you say this? You know how much you are to all of us…” - There was hurt in his voice

“Look, I… I need to say something to all of you…” - You lowered your head, feeling as if you’re the worst person in the whole world. - “Can you please call the other two and ask if they can come by?” 

Zayne exchanged another glance with Rafayel and sighed nodding.

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

“So, kitten… Explain again why you called us to the Fishie’s house and why you are here without proper clothing.” - Although Sylus was sporting a serious face, you could hear the amusement in his voice. His eyes unwavering from your form, drinking every aspect from your marked skin to the long shirt Rafayel lent to you. He looked positively hungry and that made you flush red, you shouldn’t mind his attention, but for some reason your body craved it, same could be said about the way Xavier glared at you. 

“Ok. So, I have something to explain to you all so you might understand why I’ve been keeping my distance.” - You started feeling your hand clammy. - “I’m not… from this world; I know it might sound odd but… I’m no alien as… As Xavier” 

“I’m from another world… And this is a game. I know you all from a game and I'm responsible for creating my-” - A sharp pain cuts you through your sentence. Something sounded odd, you felt a headache coming, but the real strange part was that you couldn’t remember your MC’s given name. You’ve been thinking of her as the Main Character for so long that you couldn’t spell her name anymore?

“So… You say we are from a game but… What is the name of the game?” - Xavier cautiously asked, seeing the distress displayed in your face, your eyes widening in shock as if something was missing. 

“It’s called… I-It’s-” - You’ve tried. You really did. Your body started to react with panic, not being able to recall something that should be on your tongue all the time. You looked at their face, terror marked on your eyes while you tried to search for a memory of this game. 

As you closed your eyes, something was beating and warm on your chest, yet it didn’t matter anymore, you had given up everything. Maybe you should think of it as just a game.

It's just a game. 

It still hurts your poor heart. You saw him from far away, tears falling down on your cheeks, he was pitiful, chained, a sword across his heart while he waited in solitude, breathing, sleeping, not being fed.

Your head throbbed, your mind hazy, you felt sick, possibly very close to passing out or throwing up. From far away you could hear the boys, their voices loud and alert, yet your mind dwelled into another daydream

“Who are you?” - A deep voice came from his bruised lips

“I’m sorry… I am so sorry” - You whispered back, your hand gently touched his face, he nuzzled it with what little strength his body had left. - “She’ll come to you and when it’s time, I’ll give you what you need. I promise”

There was an intense pain in your head and you couldn’t hear anything else, your body convulsed, you felt like your ears would explode, your legs were being stretched to the point of being ripped, your lungs couldn’t pull air anymore. You tried to pull air with your mouth, but you felt like suffocating, what a cruel death… 

And then, the darkness.

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Sylus and Xavier have been called to Rafayel’s home under the pretense that you wanted to say something important. Of course that for Sylus, he would drop everything to simply be in your presence, you weren’t usually the one that came willingly first and since you’ve made that effort, he was happy to abide. 

He drove his bike fast like the wind, making it just 2 hours after his call with Zayne. He parked and then got inside the luxurious -and way too bright- house, going directly to the second floor where he imagined you would be tucked inside a room. Greedy, naughty fish. 

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw your form using just a white shirt. Long enough to cover your body as a minidress, making Sylus salivate. You looked delectable, even more full of hickeys on your neck, claims that the dragon himself wished to mark you with, though he wouldn’t press it for now since you have already been agreeable enough accepting them in your life. 

But then you started speaking, saying about their reality being a game. Everything was a bit confusing and alarming at first, his mind running at all scenarios that this could possibly be, somehow, reality. He didn’t doubt you, there was no reason for it, he wanted to make sure that no one could be behind this, not even Astra, but then you started to whimper. 

He came to your side, holding your arm while hearing your noises of distress. He looked at the doctor, conflicted about what was happening.

“What is going on, Zayne?? What’s happening to her??” - The white haired man asked, his orbs shining an intense crimson color. 

“I don’t know, her vitals were just fine two hours ago! I don’t know what is happening as well. Help me put her on the bed.” - Keeping your face secure and putting his hand inside your mouth so you wouldn’t bite your own tongue. 

Sylus held you and with the doctor’s help, he positioned you on bed, Xavier bringing Zayne’s medical equipment. Rafayel, for some reason, was a bit strange, his hand on top of his chest as if he was in pain as well.

“Wait. Wait a second” - Rafayel almost shouted, running to you, his chest heaving. - “She needs to go to the sea. Now.” 

“Are you insane? She’s not able to breathe!” - Xavier growled, pointing towards you while you tried to pull any bit of air in. 

“Yeah you idiot, look at her neck. Come on, she needs to go to the water right now.” - Once more the God reasoned. 

Sylus looked to your neck, seeing the gills and the amount of fish scales starting to show up. Your ears were changing form as well, your canines starting to become more pointy, you were, indeed, transforming from human to something more marine and he wouldn’t risk you stop breathing to be 100% sure. 

Holding your body tight, he jumped the balcony; that was the second floor, but for a dragon, he didn’t even break a sweat. The white haired man ran towards the water of the beach, reaching it swiftly and walking inside with you on his lap. Sylus walked as if he was aiming at the bottom of the sea, but when the water reached his waist, he finally allowed your body -still being held by him- to dive a bit. 

The trio came after him, Rafayel making sure to get naked before diving and coming to stand beside you. The moment he was there, he touched your belly and a shining light could be seen from the two of you. Suddenly, Rafayel’s eyes were no longer heterochromatic, but a glowing and threatening blue, his skin now was flaked with blueish scales, his ears had a fin like quality to them and the tattoos. His body was full of marks, long lost personal marks from another time, from another civilization. 

“Oh… She’s…” - The God spoke softly. Sylus’s gaze was fixed on the merman but then, he looked at what Rafayel was looking at as well, and it landed on you. 

You were devastatingly beautiful—a living masterpiece, a goddess incarnate. Your legs had transformed into a magnificent tail, adorned with iridescent scales that shimmered in hues of pink, mirroring the soft blush of your hair. Fins graced your ears, reminiscent of Rafayel's, and delicate webbing stretched between your fingers. Your tail was embellished with intricate patterns and tiny, luminous spots that seemed to glow as if under UV light. The design was unlike any other, utterly mesmerizing. For a moment, the dragon was so captivated that it forgot to breathe.

“Oh… So she is Lemurian…” - Xavier said, right behind Sylus, his hand coming to gently caress your face. 

You stirred in your sleep, finally able to breathe, your gills working and the panic not there anymore, you fluttered open your eyes. There were too many eyes on you and something that was uncomfortable on your skin. 

“Morning, cutie. Your dazzling locks are long, your skin is peppered with the most stunning marks I’ve ever seen and your lips are very kissable at the moment.” - Rafayel said in a playful manner.

“Let her breathe, Rafayel.” - Zayne sighed, coming closer to you as well. - “You are, indeed, beautiful, the human and lemurian form… How do you feel?” 

Mumbling wasn’t exactly the style the doctor used to speak, but he sounded shy even, you glanced at him and tilted your head, as if trying to make sense of this new Zayne in front of you. 

What you noticed, though, is that he was averting his eyes from you. Looking down, you noticed why. The white shirt Rafayel lent to you was completely transparent, your bare chest, your Lemurian form for all of them to see.

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (4/20)

(A/N: I sucked very hard at finding out the name "handrail". You guys have no idea how hard, tho.

I wish all the luck for whomever its going to roll for Xavier, but infold played us è_é I still need more 30 rolls to get him and I'm considering if I'll do it so. <- I rolled 100 times for Xavier's symphony memory for it to come :') FML. But it came. Now I also have Caleb and I'm trying to go for the second part of his Mythos.)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (5)

Read on AO3

You were back at your apartment, looking at an old book, full of pictures of you, your MC, Caleb and Zayne. Just looking at it made your heart ache, you felt a bit miserable just because you might have fucked up the whole story of this game with your intrusion. But that was what you were supposed to do, right? You were, after all, brought here to fix things for these men, right? 

That could be the only reason why you were in this place. Why else would you be here? In this world, a world that you were not part of and you knew it. 

You laid on your sofa again, trying to close your eyes for a few seconds. The last few days have been chaotic, never being completely alone since the men were always swarming over you. Sylus was impossibly difficult to deal with, he decided you deserve a house renovation and so he gave you one of his black cards to buy new furniture and electronics. Your house was just fine, you didn’t want to renovate anything, but then he said that was either that or you would have to come with him to the N109 zone and thanks to that, now you were laying on a lavish sofa, with luxurious furniture all around the place; welp, at least you could donate your ‘old stuff’ for people that needed it.

Rafayel would stop by whenever he could, just to be a pain in the ass, asking you to feed him, to cook seawater dishes and he was clingy. At the same time, he also was very gentle whenever he found you asleep. He would come to lay down with you, cuddling and caressing your face while you slept -or he so thought, you always were awake when you felt him coming closer-.

Zayne would come during the weekends, or whenever he was discharged early from the hospital. He would also drop by if you didn’t answer his very insistent messages asking if you were sleeping/eating well. Using his extra key -one that you were kind of threatened to give all of them a spare copy- to get in and start cooking and tidying everything up. It wouldn’t matter if you were fast asleep or not. If you didn’t answer your phone because you were showering, a minute without giving him the answers was enough to make the doctor drop by your home. It was quite scary to leave the bathroom and see him there just fixing your laundry. 

Xavier on the other hand lived beside you. Which was incredible per se, since you made sure to avoid the same apt complex from your MC. That way you wouldn’t be living anywhere close to him, right? Or so you thought, it made no sense for you how he was just there… Living literally in the apartment next to yours. 

That usually would make him the one that was spending more time with you if it wasn’t for the hunter missions he would get every now and then. Aside from being sleepy most of the time, Xavier was a good buddy to play video games with since he would quickly catch how to play something. 

Thinking about all of them made your head hurt and you decided that dwelling into old pictures was enough to clear your foggy mind for the day. Maybe that would help you reevaluate where you made a mistake and if it was possible to fix it. Sighing deeply, you got up, sent Zayne a message informing him you had had your dinner and were going to sleep so he shouldn’t come by tonight. 

Of course, your life was becoming more and more chaotic with all the men invading your space, but you could not lie to yourself when you were all alone, hugging tightly your legs inside your bathtub. 

You kinda enjoyed it.

You felt loved. Taken care of. Of course on the outside you had to appear like you didn’t enjoy their company, they needed to change their attention to the real MC, but you felt so precious and happy with them around. It was like having friends for the first time.

The thought terrified you for a second. What do you mean by having friends for the first time? You tried to remember your old life, your family and friends, your pet… You couldn’t focus or remember anything and your head started to throb to the point you felt like you were about to pass out. 

Your phone was ringing, maybe it was Zayne calling you and that would be very opportune, since you clearly needed medical help. You retrieve your phone from the top of the toilet where it was placed. 

“I… P-Please, my head… I-I need h-help…” - It was all you could muster to say before letting your phone fall on the ground. Clutching your head with both hands, you cried distressed, the pain was so intense you felt like your skull was going to crack. 

You don’t remember for how long you whimpered and cried in your bathtub, but eventually someone came rushing to you. The few things you remember was being held closer while this man tried to soothe your pained state. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

Rafayel glanced at you quickly while he drove back to his home. You were finally asleep, sounding peaceful now. He was so glad he decided to give you a call, if it wasn't for that, he didn’t want to even think about what could have happened. 

As soon as he got you in his arms, you slowly stopped whimpering and crying, until you relaxed and closed your eyes. He tried to call Zayne, but the doctor wouldn’t pick up, so he decided that taking you back to his home was the best solution possible. At least there he knew he could keep an eye on you without being all stiff and uncomfortable on your sofa. 

He parked his car and got you up in his arms, carrying you inside. Closing the car door with his feet, he did the same with the main front door. Without you being awake he didn’t have to fake being more fragile or his usually playful dramatic behavior. He could carry you on one hand while using the other for opening the front door and so on. 

With a heavy sigh, he reached his room and laid you on his bed. You made a small noise of approval or comfort. The Lemurian smiled gently at you, his hand finding your cheek and caressing it. 

“I’m going to shower, please stay well…” - Was all he could mumble, kissing your forehead and moving to the bathroom. He left the door open in case anything happened and he needed to hear you. 

When he came back, using only slacks from his pajamas, he found you nowhere to be seen, the door of his balcony open. With widened eyes, he ran there, your heart beating loudly on his chest and then he found you there. Sitting on the handrail, legs swinging as if nothing was wrong and you could just enjoy the gentle breeze. 

“What are you doing outside? Is everything alright? Does your head hurt??” - He came closer, his eyes full of worry looking for any pain you might be feeling.  

“hmm?” - You looked at him for a second and then showed a big smile. One he never saw on your face before. You looked so young, so full of life, it made him surprised. - “Oh, please, don’t make too much noise. Look, his Radiance is down there and it would be better if we could stay quiet. I want to see them falling in love.” 

You said gently while turning your eyes once more to the beach, as if you were watching a movie, enjoying the scenes unfolding right in front of you

Stunned, Rafayel could not ask you what exactly you were doing or why you were referring to him that way. Who were they and why were you prying into someone’s personal life? It almost made him laugh,but then the way you spoke to him sounded so-

Did that mean you were in some type of trance? You looked quite alert and awakened, but to speak to him that way could only mean that. His brain started to think quickly what he should do or at least how he should speak to you, but once more, his dear hunter was faster.

“Oooooh… They surely sound in love.” - You said with your hand on top of your heart, a melancholic smile on your soft lips. - “You know… I wish I had a bit of that. Not of their love, I know I’m just a background character… if a character at all… But it must be amazing to have someone look at you the way His Radiance looks at her… Don’t you think so?” 

Rafayel was once more stunned by your words, feeling his chest tight with emotions. You were probably reliving one of your memories from a past life. He knew how this could be painful and the fact that you gave all of yourself without expecting anything back, just merely dreaming of having someone give you the look you deserved… It made him a bit sad for not having noticed this before. 

“Don’t you think you deserve his love? Why would you think you won’t receive the same look of his radiance himself?” 

“Oh please. Don’t you dare say some blasphemy like that again!” - You looked angry at him. Cute. You were the cutest, even if Rafayel was the end of your ire. - “Of course I do not deserve his love… He wasn’t made for me. No one was…” 

You sighed, as your eyes went back to the water. You kept quiet for a while, as if noticing the couple were long gone. Another sigh, long and sad, left your lips.

“Why… Would you say that?” - He asked, not really wanting to hear you talk poorly about yourself, but even so, he kept quiet waiting for the answer. 

“Well… You know… I’m here with only one purpose… I’m here to make their life good. To let them finally be able to love. I’m not exactly from here anyway” - You said softly, the night breeze cold on your skin. 

Rafayel had enough of that scene. Closing his eyes for a moment, as if trying to swallow all the things he wanted to say, he offered you a hand. 

“It’s becoming very cold out here. Let's head back inside, shall we?” 

“mmmhm” - you took his hand and jumped back from the handrail, going back to his bed, where the Lemurian put you warmly and safely under the duvet. 

He kissed your forehead again and hummed a lullaby that made you sleep soundly.

“I’m sorry for not noticing you before…” - he whispered against your cheek, brushing his nose on your skin. - “My heart might have been given to someone else, but it’ll always be yours. It’ll always beat for you, my love. Please forgive me…” 

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (3/20)

(A/N: Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! I've been having quite the difficulty of publishing my chapters since I've became way too critic of how I write. I promise that in my native language I'm not that stupid ｡ﾟ( ﾟஇ⍜இﾟ )ﾟ｡

I pretend to also make a special chapter for Caleb because I truly do love him very much! <- I said it before even imagining that this man was coming to us XD He'll definitely appear in this fic. I love my dark romance baby <3)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (4)

Read it on AO3

The doctor approached you, touching your cheeks affectionately, his eyes looked longing. Scared by what that possibility meant, you took two steps back, turning to run, but before that could happen, you heard a snap of fingers and Sylus' deep voice.

“Kitten, I'm afraid that this time, you won't be able to escape. No more illusions.”

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

“Loving you is like participating in a game whose outcome is already known. It's playing a game where I'm always going to lose, no matter how many times I try to play.” - Those words hurt more than any physical pain you had ever endured in all of your own lives. 

You parted your lips, your breath turning into smoke due to how cold it was around you. Little by little, your eyes managed to open, a layer of ice seemed to have glued the eyelids together. 

Moving was painful, your arms were impaled by several ice spikes, your palms were equally pierced. There were so many ice spikes throughout your whole body that you felt as if you were a vile creature that had met its fate after attacking a village and killing its inhabitants for pleasure.

Your eyes slowly closed again, your body tired from the abuse it was suffering, no matter how still it remained. Again, you floated through the void, until your consciousness seemed to return and, this time, opening your eyes was no longer so painful.

Your chest rose and fell calmly, like the steady noise of a machine. Regaining consciousness you started to ask yourself, where were you? 

“Ah, I think she woke up… Can you hear me? Can you see me?” - A familiar voice called you, your eyes roamed the end of the sterile white room, stopping where the familiar sound came from. 

Xavier. There he was, brushing a strand of hair out of your face, touching your face like you were made of glass. Shortly after feeling the prince's hand through your hair, you felt other hands. Someone was lightly holding your right hand, another one was playing with your hair and the last person was kissing the top of your head.

Your lips felt dry and cracked, there was a genuine tiredness in your eyes, all you wanted to do was go back to sleep, but you needed answers. Why were you in a hospital? Who were those people? 

Your gaze slowly searched for the owners of those gentle touches. Sylus was stroking and kissing the top of your head, Zayne was the one playing with your locks and Rafayel was sitting next to the bed, holding your hand and kissing the knuckles. 

“What… are you guys doing… here?” - Your voice was hoarse and your throat felt bruised, scratchy. It was as if you had done a great job of trying to destroy your vocal chords. 

“Don’t you remember what happened?” - Xavier asked again.

You closed your eyes again, eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember the latest events so far. Few things made sense in your mind, there were many stray memories confused and stored away, Lemuria, a promise while you heard sad music in the background, someone asking to be forgotten, a spaceship leaving and a flowery field.

“I... I can't remember anything about this life, I'm sorry” - That's what you managed to say, a tired sigh leaving your lips. 

“Well… I think it would be better to explain, at least, what we saw…” - Xavier said, looking around as if seeking approval from others and when everyone nodded, he opened a slight smile and continued.  - “We had a Unicorn's holiday party and you work there. Your name is Zero… Well, at least, this is how we know you and you wore a mask…”

“One that works in a somewhat intriguing way. A mask with enough technology to change the color and size of your hair.” - Sylus concluded for Xavier, showing the mask in his hand. - “And it also looks like it was made just for you.” 

“mmhmm…” - Closing your eyes, you smiled. - “I had a friend who helped me make the final adjustments. And the mask was used for nothing aside from covering my face.”

“Well, there are some more features in it, apparently. But beyond that, you were also using a male identity in the company. The ‘Zero’ story, as it seems. I believe that when leaving the party you came across some people who were after you-”

Before Xavier could finish his sentence, you sat up quickly, your eyes opening as if everything made sense. Yes, you remembered exactly what had happened at that moment, the memories were coming back quickly. 

A quiet life, few friendships, you met your MC as a child, as you did Zayne -and how cute he was as a child! Something that the game could never describe with just words - and Caleb.

For a long time the four of you were together, but with Zayne moving away, the life you started to lead became more private. You and Caleb worked on the mask for many years, which even ended sparking a romance. Idiot. You were so stupid... How could you fall in love with a character who died in the first chapters of a story? 

Despite not wanting to remember, the fragments of memory came in full force, causing you to recall it all whether you wanted it or not. Shattered parts where you begged Caleb not to visit his grandmother, cried desperately until when he promised he wouldn't go, only then were you able to calm down. That night, you slept soundly in his arms and woke up to a note informing you that he had been called to resolve a quick issue at work and would be back as soon as possible. Liar.

The explosion at your MC's house, the news and everything that unfolded from there solidified your heart, imprisoning it inside a barrier of ice. If Caleb had known how much you cried for months, maybe he would have sympathized and stayed home, safe and with you. But the truth is that that story wasn't yours to be happy, was it?

What you needed to do was act like an agent, solving problems and fixing the past and the future, so you could go home. It didn't matter about anyone else's happiness other than your MC and the other boys, the rules of that game were clear.

That particular night, you had gone to a Unicorn’s party, your heart heavy, thinking about how much you wished you were there with Caleb. Your head started to hurt after a few hours of standing around, just watching people. That’s when you decided to go home. 

A few months ago you had spread across some networks that instead of a heart, you had an aether core. This story was just to throw people out of your MC’s life and deal with the problem directly. It seemed like it ended up working, because that night, when you were already exhausted and walking home, basically dizzy and suspecting that something had been put in your drink. That’s when you were attacked. 

“I remember.” - You raised the hand that Rafayel was holding before. - “I remembered everything.” 

“Well, I have thousands of questions for you. Since when is working as a unicorn hunter under the name Zero the same thing as working at a cat cafe?” - Zayne asked, now holding a tablet while writing some information on the screen and turning off the device. You had lied to all your friends, but it was for a good cause. 

“I work there too. Part time. On weekends. It wasn’t a complete lie.” - You sighed, adjusting yourself in bed again. - “You didn’t understand. I don't even know, actually, why all of you are here. There is a path you need to follow and it is not with me nearby.”

“Kitten, we already talked about this... But I think you didn't quite understand what Rafayel said since... well... There's something missing inside that head of his.” - Sylus rolled his eyes and laughed through his nose when he heard the Lemurian say 'hey!' in the background. - “But what he meant is that we are tired of seeing you dying all this time and sacrificing all your happiness to give us the opportunity to live.”

“Basically, yes. Besides, I think you should have realized that by now but your happiness is our priority.” - Rafayel shrugged, a relaxed smile on his lips. 

“What do you mean by that? We don’t even know each other.” - You spoke, a bit scared, sitting less comfortably on the bed, your frantic eyes searching for a way out. 

“No, please. Enough. Don't run away. Let me take care of you first.” - It was the last thing you heard come out of Zayne's mouth as he approached and touched his forehead against yours. 

Your heart was racing, history had to be changed, but never like this. You couldn't stop thinking, was there a way out of this game, now?

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (6/20)

(A/N: Ayy! NSFW chapter, please keep that in mind while consuming it; MDNI;

Rafayel gets to play a bit with reader before I attack y'all with more angst XD)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (7)

Read it on AO3

“Goodbye my beloved groom… Protect Lemuria, for I will always be with you.” 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

You opened your eyes, your head still feeling fuzzy from last night. You couldn’t very well picture what happened and when you sat on your bed, it felt way softer and bigger than the normal. 

“Where…?” - You’ve asked yourself, looking around and coming across a completely different room than yours. 

The bed was gigantic, there was a glass roof, a bust of Aphrodite in the background, a folding screen and floor to ceiling windows. You could see a beautiful beach on your right side, no one was around there to say a word, but you knew this room very well, it was Rafayel’s. 

Gasping and looking down at yourself, at least he had the decency to dress you up before bringing you to his house. You jumped down his bed and ran towards the entrance of the room, your heart beating quickly and you could only pray that he didn’t see the small blue fish you had on your chest. 

“Morning cutie. Where do you think you’re going?” - Rafayel asked while opening the door to his room, a smile on his lips and a wooden tray in his hand. 

“A-Ah.. I.. Looking.. I was…” - You tried to formulate an answer, but looking at the lemurian was proving to be nerve wrecking. 

“You were going back to the bed to sit there and wait for me to bring you breakfast right, cutie?” - He asked and didn’t wait for your answer, pushing the door closed with his feet.

“R-Right… ahn.. Yeah, thanks for yesterday. I don’t know what happened.” - Coming back beside him, looking down and a bit nervous, you sat back in the bed, getting the tray he set just for you. - “Thanks…”

“You’re welcome. I’ve called Zaynie just to make sure you’re ok.” - He sat beside you, playing with a lock of your hair. - “Now can we talk about something? I really wanted to ask you some questions…” 

You were looking down at your food, it was the first time you’ve seen a seafood breakfast. He made egg crab muffin, scallops benedict with brown butter hollandaise and smoked salmon nova lox benedict. Not that you knew the name of any of the plates, he pointed out and explained it to you since you looked genuinely curious. Giving a very honest signal, your stomach growl was heard and your cheeks flashed a red color.

“Thanks, that’s very kind. I’ll eat then.” - You mumbled, starting to eat and you could not contain your face about how delicious this food was. That won you a chuckle from Rafayel before he started speaking again.

“Ok, so here’s the first question: You’ve been avoiding us all, yet, you do have a bond with me. Excuse-me.” - Without really waiting for his answer, he gently pulled your tank top a bit down, enough for a small blue fish rounding the area where your nipple should be, to show. - “I know exactly what that means. It also explains a lot of things about you… But I cannot remember you. When have you given me your heart? When did you promise me your love?”

You were holding an egg with your fork and you almost dropped it, your eyes went wide, your throat raw. How did he know that mark? You never used any type of cleavage just to make sure this couldn’t be seen.

Seeing you hesitate, Rafayel sighed profusely, his hand caressing your cheek while his face came closer enough for your foreheads to touch. 

“Please. I really need to know. Wouldn’t you answer me?” - His voice was almost a sad song, he truly was the God of Tides, hypnotizing you just with his melodic timbre alone. 

“I… Don’t know… I lost my memories.” - You felt compelled to answer him, it was like a pull directly to your heart, his wishes were your command, you couldn’t deny him anything. His touch was scorching hot, yet you still ended up nuzzling your face in his hand. 

“You don’t remember? But I thought you'd…” - He seemed confused for a second, and yet he kept on still caressing you.

“I don’t remember anything. I’m sorry. I remember vague moments, there was a desert, a scroll or a stone, I-I can’t picture correctly, but something similar to it… And the last thing that I remember was me erasing your memories and mine as well” - You kept out of the figure that you did that while resignanting yourself to watch him leave those lands with your MC. 

You closed your eyes shut, your face flushed, body temperature running high. It was very distressing trying to remember something that wasn’t supposed to be remembered. You knew you forced yourself to forget since your first life there was something very sad. Everything you’ve been through until now has been, the first one probably was the start of this emotional rollercoaster.

“I see. We’ll find a way to recover those memories…” - He whispered, lips closing on top of your nose. - “But for now, I think I know the cause of so many of your collapses.” 

That got your attention. You opened your eyes and looked straight up at him, face still nuzzling his hand. Rafayel had -unfortunately for you- a delicious scent, he smelled like sea water, algae and something sweet you couldn’t really picture. 

“What… Why is it then?” 

“Well, it seems like you’ve been dealing with all of us for a while and since you’re clearly a lemurian, I’ll risk saying that you’ve never been to the sea in any of these lives of yours. Am I correct?” 

You nodded, you really haven’t been in the sea since you could remember even though that special place called you so many times. Even now you felt the pull to it, so close and yet so far away, you wished you could just touch the water with your feet, just a bit. 

“Well, then there’s your answer. You can’t be too far away from water this way, and when I say water I’m not talking about bathing yourself in a bathtub or a quick shower. You need the sea.” 

“Right… I’ll… I’ll go to it a bit later today” - You offered quietly, his hand never leaving your face, the comforting heat there and his scent filling your lungs and making you think of home. 

Rafayel came a bit closer, his nose touching yours now, he was almost kissing you when he heard the doorbell being rang. For a second he looked over his shoulders, but then his eyes were on yours again, a hint of mischief in his lips before he dove for a kiss. 

He started it gently, pecking your lips as if you were made of a precious crystal, though his advances started to get a bit more intense, his tongue asking for your lips to part so he could invite himself in. And that, you did. 

He devoured you, that was when the sweet gentle passed kiss became carnal, lustful. He nibbled your lips, pushed the tray to the side and released his weight on top of you, forcing you to lay down. The kiss was consuming, enticing, you could no longer hear the doorbell ringing in the background, you could only feel Rafayel’s presence and he was making it hard for you to breathe. 

His hand grabbed your breast, squeezing it as gently as he could, while he earned small moans from you. The pleasure was a bit too much, almost blinding, you turned your face to the side, trying to keep the little and cute noises you’ve made muffled. 

Rafayel wouldn’t have any of that. While one of his hands went further down to touch your soaked folds, the other one got both of your wrists and pinned them above your head. He had a devious smile playing on his lips. 

“I want to hear all the noises you’re making for me. Give me those little and cute moans, aren’t I your God? Offer yourself to me so I can quench your thirst, my love.” - He whispered in your ear, licking a straight stripe on your neck and then abusing the skin, sucking and nibbling at it. 

It was unfair how the lemurian seemed to know your body, how skillful he could touch you, pinching your bundle of nerves and making you sing oh so deliciously for him. After all, a lemurian had talent for all arts and Rafayel was indeed a skillful musician, strumming so dedicatedly his most beloved instrument. 

He hadn’t even taken your panties off, only teasing your needy entry and your small pearl, coating your undergarment with your juices. You opened your eyes, lips calling his name like a prayer, your hips followed after his fingers, as if in a motion set to receive his blessings, the knot on your lower belly was almost coming undone when he heard his smartphone ringing. 

“Oh no princess, what should we do? I need to get this call” - He pouted, mirth coating his voice. He kept you pinned down while licking the tip of his fingers and getting his phone. - “Rafayel.” 

You wanted to complain, to whimper, your hips moving towards him in a silent plea for him to finish what he started to eagerly while he made a signal of shushing you if only to be a bit more of a meanie. 

“Rafayel. I’ve been down here waiting for you for more than 10 minutes. What is going on?” - You could hear Zayne’s voice on the other side. He sounded irritated. 

“Oooh… I was feeding my favorite fishie. I’ll get down there in a sec, ok?” - He said and hung up, without letting the doctor answer. - “So where were we again? Oh yes, feeding the fishie. Gotta make sure she’ll eat well, right?”

You nodded, your eyes brimming with tears when you felt him pushing your panties to the side and finally, finally introducing two fingers inside of you. Your velvety walls hugged his fingers and you moved your hips together. 

“Tsk… Such a mess my sweet clownfish is making… Look at how soaked you’re, all the mess in this bed…” - Although teasing you, his voice was heavy with desire, full of lust. He kept teasing your clit until you finally found your release, moving your hips on his fingers, clamping them as if you could milk it.

“Beautiful and tasty.” - he said while licking his fingers, chuckling and kissing your head. - “I’ll get doctor Zayne here before he tries to kill me, be good and stay there, ok ?” 

You could only agree, your eyes closing a bit, your breath uneven. There was nothing you could deny him, this is why you wanted to move away, to not be seen, because you knew the moment he got you, you were lost to his charms and with the other men, soon you would follow too. 

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (5/20)

(A/N: THIS chapter might feel a bit.... Confusing. I'm sorry for it btw >> I promise it'll eventually make all the sense in the world.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I felt very personal when I was writing it. Clothes that inspired what reader was using for the ceremony)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (6)

Read on AO3

Your hair was long enough that when you walked, it was dragged on the ground. Long pale pink locks, your skin was always gleaming with gold glitter, tattoos similar to the ones that Rafayel had on his body, yet yours were all pastel pink. Your face was gentle and young, your lips plump and soft, your body had the perfect curves of a goddess, the dress you wore made that a statement for all the lemurians out there. Like the waves crashing against the sand, you had pearls on your locks and gold jewelry all over your body. 

You were laying in a bed full of cushions and comfortably making pink heart bubbles on what seemed like a cigarette-holder. Rafayel was sitting beside you sighing, his eyes lost in the horizon of your window. A shoal of colorful fishes danced in his eyes before they left and you heard the God beside you sighing once more.

“What is it, Rafayel?” - You asked, closing your eyes and concentrating to make a particular big heart bubble this time. 

“I just do not understand why you ask me to wait for our wedding to proceed. You’re my most dedicated follower, I’m sure of it.” - He complained back, making sure to pop your bubble. 

Annoyed, you rolled your eyes, laying on your back closer to the headboard of your bed, playing with the delicate ornaments it had. 

“A Goddess cannot be the most dedicated follower of another God.” 

“There is only one God in Lemuria.”

“The one for the flames, indeed. But there are other Gods, amongst them, here I am, the Goddess of love. Haven’t I proved that through the way I was born?” - You spoke softly and yet, with mischief. - “Just like you, I was in the prophecy.” 

Rafayel grunted, annoyed by your arguments, pouting right after. He used to behave like a spoiled child in front of you, when you did not answer him the way he expected you to. 

“Who said a devoted follower could not be a Goddess? Where have you seen this information?” - He complained - “There is nothing in the prophecy that would suggest so.” 

“Rafayel, my dear, please. I do know you’re fated to fall in love with someone else, why would you try to fight fate?” 

“I do not believe in this madness you’re speaking of. There is no such thing in my future.” - Rafayel started to sound a bit more cold, irritated even. 

You sighed, looking at the man sitting on the edge of your bed. He was the personification of masculine beauty, truly a God that should be worshiped with all your heart. Even though you were also a Goddess, you knew better than to reject the feeling that brewed in your heart and yet you remembered the dream you had countless times before. Another woman should appear and take his heart away, the real reason why he would be the last God that Lemuria would see. 

And before that, you’ve tried. You tried many times to tell him what would happen, to explain the very own future that was waiting for him, to give the full explanation of what the whole process of devotion and the ceremony would entail, yet, every time you tried to speak, no voice would come out, or even something would happen that distracted everyone around you. 

But you knew. You knew what Rafayel would choose at that moment. With that feeling inside of you, you sighed profusely, looking at him and giving a small smile, sitting closer to him and caressing his face gently. 

Your touch was made of sea foam. Rafayel closed his eyes, relaxing and nuzzling to your hand, enjoying the feeling of your warm touch. He could not understand why would be so insistent on not finishing the preparations to finally marry, the two of you already had an entire life together, since young. 

“The devoted follower you need, needs to be human. Specifically.” - You whispered against his cheek. 

The God of Tides grunted, complaining about your statement. Yet another argument that was right and he had nothing else to rebuke you with. He sighed and pulled your waist closer to him, his face finding comfort on top of your breasts. 

“Promise me that after the ceremony, we’ll marry. We’ll become husband and wife finally. Please, please promise it.” - his voice was muffled on your skin, but even so you could understand what he said. A small chuckle left your lips while you played with his hair. 

“Well, if you still want me after the ceremony, then, I shall be forever yours, my love.” - You said and kissed him one more time. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

You watched everything unfold itself right in front of you. The way Rafayel found that human sacrifice and helped her to breath underwater, how he asked her to be his most devoted follower and how he asked her to give herself whole to him, body and soul.

He never said any of that in a lover’s way, you knew it. He would always come back to your room whining about his daily chores and how he wanted to be done with the ceremony so the two of you could marry already, and yet, your heart still aches seeing them together. 

That day in particular, he took his little human to the surface, since it seemed to be a commemoration related to him and the girl wished to see the surface once more. Algie went to talk to you that day, she spent most of her day glaring at you, suspiciously. 

“Why is that every day I see more and more pearls in your hair?” - she finally managed to ask, while you picked up a nice dress for the ceremony. 

You looked over the hangers and finally chose something that complimented your style. Pink waves that would eventually turn to purple right before to where the sea foam was forming, your shoulders were bare highlighting the tattoos on your body. 

“Mmhmm? I’m a very capricious woman. I like my hair decorated with pearls and conchs.” - You said nonchalant, choosing now a beautiful choker, rings and earrings. 

“Y-Yes, but you know that’s not what I’m asking!”

“What is that you’re asking then?” 

“Why does the AMOUNT of pearls seem to grow more than ever??”  

“Mmmhmmm.. I’m not the type of woman that will throw away good tears. And those are quite big as well, which makes my hair prettier than ever.” - You spoke full of pride, showing her some locks. 

“..... Why have you been crying?” - Algie seemed more worried now, her voice barely audible. 

“Oh, when it happens you’ll know. You’ll see.” - You smiled reassuringly at her. For a moment, Algie imagined that it meant something related to your wedding with his Quintessence, but for some reason, she still had a bad feeling about this. - “Up, up. Up you go. I have much to do today and since Rafayel chose to escape for the night and dawn, I shall take care of some matters for him.” 

That was the last time Algie saw you. 

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

The ceremony consisted of one key thing. The devoted follower must be willing to offer to the Sea God their heart, their soul and their body. Which she was willing to offer. She did fall in love with Rafayel, it wasn’t difficult considering how he was in terms of appearance and personality. 

But it wasn’t only their devotion that was needed for the coming of age from the Sea God. No. He needed to carve thy heart out and with it, offer to keep the flame forever alive. A whole city that survived under the pretense of sacrifices of innocent human lives. 

“I’ll not carve her heart out.” - Rafayel stated, his face was devastated. He looked at the crowd trying to find you. - “Tis’ not fair!!” 

The priest screamed to seize the human girl, to bring her to the table, offering Rafayel a dagger. He pressed it against the God's chest. 

“Do what you must. We need her heart to be alive, to keep Lemuria in its glory!!”  - Said the old man, despair and anger in his eyes. 

“He will not.” - Your voice sounded from behind them, while you walked to the altar. 

“You’ll not interfere. This is the whole reason why Lemuria is still here, we need her heart! It needs to be a devoted follower!! She offered herself!!” 

“I will not take her heart” - Rafayel said once more, pushing the dagger back at the old priest. Looking behind his back, he snapped his finger and the human girl disappeared. He sighed as he felt the ground starting to crumble. 

So this was the destiny Rafayel was supposed to bring to all of them. For him to be the last God of Lemuria meant he was the one to betray his people, that left a sour taste on his tongue, but it was not fair to be like humans, sacrificing others for their own purposes. 

Suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his arm, opening his eyes. Rafayel looked at you, searching for words of reassurance, since you clearly had picked his side.

The temple stopped to crumble, the whole place seemed once more stable to his decision, so he probably had another chance to work things out. The God looked at you, a big smile on his lips until he noticed what you had holding out for him. Your heart. 

“I’ve lied, my love. There is no need to be a human. I’m your most devoted follower, after all, aren’t I?” - You spoke gently, your eyes closing while your body lost its strength to hold you on your feet. - “Goodbye my beloved groom… Protect Lemuria, for I will always be with you.” 

Before you completely lost your consciousness, you’ve seen him screaming something and pressing something else to your chest, as if trying to stop the bleeding, while the temple started to crumble once more. 

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating

[morningstarfirstsin]

Shooting Stars (8/20)

(A/N: Rafayel's birthday is around the corner, I got his current memory and decided to give lil fishie a present beforehand.

I've been extremely disappointed with my works, thus the reason why I took so long to publish this one here I tried to take more time in this chapter, I wish I had the fluidity to write better and longer.

Anyway, i think this is miserably a bit better than the other chapters. Rafayel is making us promises and he intends to fulfil them. Next chapter there'll be more lore dumping as well, with some new POVs)

Pairing: Sylus | Zayne | Xavier | Rafayel | Caleb x female!reader

Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (9) (10)

Read it on AO3

∴━━━.✰.━━━∴

It took you a half second to realize what the men were looking at, but when you did, you also acted like any scared —or pissed— fish would. You splashed their face and swam away, covering your chest. You felt a wave of heat surging up your neck, spreading across your cheeks like wildfire; It was not like your body had never been seen bare before by another person or that you felt ashamed about anything related to it, but to be seen by them was completely different.

You tried to deny their gaze, tried to convince yourself they were just looking as normal men would, but there was a longing in their eyes. There were so many feelings pouring out as you tried to shield yourself, that your face flushed a deep, rosy pink, the color unmistakable against your skin. You quickly averted your eyes, the beach, Rafayel’s house, your lashes fluttering as you stared at the sand, anything but their eyes around you. The warmth in your face seemed to intensify and you could feel your ears burning now, too.

Worrying your lower lip, for another spot to hide behind, after all, the water was crystal clear, your lower body entirely displayed for them to see as much as they wanted. While your mind worked on what would be the best route to escape, you were distracted enough to almost jump out of water when you felt two hands on your hips, behind you. 

“Nothing that I haven’t seen already, cutie. Why are you covering yourself so eagerly?” - The merman hummed close to your ear, a smile on his lips as you turned slightly to take him whole. 

He was a vision of ethereal beauty, his presence commanding, demanding your full attention with an otherworldly grace. His torso was sculpted and lean, ––as a God enchanting every creature that dared to breathe too close to him, as a siren with fair skin, his tail mesmerizing. Nature has outdid itself —a masterpiece to look at, long and powerful, tapering elegantly to a broad, fanlike fin. The scales shimmered in shades of cerulean and sapphire, each one catching the light like a tiny prism, shifting from deep ocean blue to the pale turquoise of the shallow waters. The God’s tail’s had a pattern of scales that seemed to tipple like waves, creating an illusion of movement even when he was still. 

“If you’re going to look at me this way, cutie, I might as well drag you to the depths of the sea to enjoy you all alone.” - His voice was gentle, yet it held a darkness to it, hidden truth to what should be just a playful statement. And you have been hypnotized and dragged down –or to where he wanted to bring you, really– if it wasn’t for a pinkish image of a fish on top of his chest. Your eyes widened, your mouth agape at the sight. 

“Well, sweetie, are you going to ignore us to keep looking at the fishman?” - The low and deep voice resonated in front of you, catching once again your attention. They were so much closer this time that you couldn’t escape even if you wanted to. – “Still giving me the cold shoulder?” 

Sylus’s voice was a velvety sound that carried weight and richness. It was almost as if you heard a distant thunder, low and steady, a timbre that feels both grounding and electrifying, the way he spoke to you, each word drawn out with smooth, unhurried cadence, the low vibration of his chest lingering in the air like the echo of a long lost song you once had the opportunity to hear. 

“O-Oh… No, it’s not that…” – You said, your eyes hovering over his broad chest now moving up to his eyes. There was a smug smirk there, as you averted your gaze once more. – “I was just not expecting you all to see me this way… I’m… Sorry for causing you all trouble.”

“Mhmm… It’s not a problem, but I’m worried about the redness of your body. You are looking much more than just flushed.” – Zayne pointed out, coming closer to you as well, the water now on his chest. Gently, he guided his hand to your forehead, his brows frowning. – “You’re burning. Rafayel, how should we treat her? Is this normal due to the fact that she was away from the water for so long?” 

“Mmhmm…” – You felt Rafayel nibbling, nuzzling and making a trail of small kisses on your neck. – “No, she’s just in heat. I’ll take good care of her though”

Yet once again you were left speechless when it came to how bold and straight forward Rafayel could be. Not only did he disclose your current state, but he also was making clear to all the men in front of you that he would be the one claiming your entire week. You felt dizzy, a new wave of heat crawling up your neck while you tried to hide your face, slowly sinking your body under the water.

“Why would you be the one taking care of her when she’s in heat?” – Xavier complained, coming closer as well, his hand now grabbing the God's shoulder. – “All of us are more than capable of taking care of her, even more if being in heat means what I imagine it does.” 

“Yeah, alien, it does mean what you think, but how will you take care of her underwater huh? She’s far too weak to be in her human form, do you breathe underwater?” – Rafayel asked in a low growl. 

“Perhaps, fish, you won this time. But be assured that when her heat is over, she’ll be ours.” – Saying it as if it was a threat, Sylus finished the conversation. Turning back to you again, his red glowing orbs softened, a small smile playing on his lips that made your heart skip a beat. – “Sweetie, I hope you’ll come back to us soon.”

Love is like a disease, an affliction. Just like a mortal might contract a virus, love is also contracted. Just a touch of hands, a brush of lips or even a simple look of affection is enough to set your whole body in a fevered and fighting state. A greed to possess someone, even if you consciously know they’re not an object that you might play around as you see fit. 

All of these men were a poem in motion; they made her heart beat in a rhythm only true love could compose —a symphony of hope, longing and quiet joy. It was impossible to deny any longer how they made you see the world through a prism of wonder, where even the mundane is painted in hues of gold. Even if this —what they were offering you— were fleeting, temporary, stolen, you couldn’t hold the crystal clear tears forming in the corner of your eyes and the thought that you would give yourself freely to them, in any way they desired. 

Although there was some sadness in the back of your head —due to the depressing thoughts you so constantly fed—, you held your arms open and wrapped around Sylus, like the softest blanket. Nuzzling your face on his body, marking your scent on his skin as he was indirectly doing the same to you. A conversation spoken in the gentle press of your souls, pulling you into a sanctuary of warmth and safety, where the chaos and pain of the outside world could not reach. 

“I will love you to ruination.” – You spoke softly while small pears rolled down your cheeks. The tears transformed as soon as it left your eyes. 

“Yours or mine?” — His dark chuckle echoed inside of you, a thunderstorm in a sea where no would be brave enough to navigate through. 

You wanted to say it was to your own ruination, but before you could spare another word, you felt Rafayel’s hands on your hips, urging you to move. 

“We need to go, your smell is getting stronger and it’s becoming very hard to hold back. I’ll keep them updated. We should be back in one to two weeks maximum.” — Without sparing them another moment, his hand moved to yours, pulling you towards the horizon. 

With a gentle nod, you waved quickly at the other men, seeing a bit of disappointment in their faces, but eventually you had to look at where you were going. Rafayel was making no effort to get your attention now, you were fully engaged to him as the two of you dove into the deep. 

The ocean was a realm of enchantment, the small rays of sunlight were left behind, yet the scenery looked as if it had been plucked directly from a fairy tale. Beneath the shimmering surface, lies a hidden cave, its entrance framed by towering coral arches adorned with bioluminescent tendrils. The inside of the cave was even more marvelous, walls encrusted with pearls large as starfish, sapphires scattered around its grounds, strands of gold that twisted like vines, as if nature had conspired to create this trove. 

You saw schools of fish with colorful scales dart playfully close to the entrance, yet, none of them got inside, they acted as if they were a pure distraction for those who dared to come too close to the trove. 

At the heart of this sanctuary lies a nest of soft, woven kelp and shimmering sea silk, cradled by a bed of colorful stones that were smothered by the centuries of gentle tides, a perfect place for courting another lemurian, you imagined. In the absence of a proper bed, that did the trick quite well, in fact, you felt compelled enough to get closer to it, something inside of you urging you to be closer, to lay on the kelp and sea silk and so you did.

“I see you quite enjoy my hiding cave…” —Rafayel pointed out, coming closer to you and giggling as he saw you practically roll around the most gentle bed you have ever laid on. — “I’ll have to go hunting for something that we could eat, but not now. For the moment I think I’ll claim you until your tail isn’t able to swim anymore.” 

© morningstarfirstsin original work | no copying, plagiarizing or translating