#Tre Rossher

[the-evil-authoress]

GX Month Week 2, Prompt: Soulmates

THIS TOOK ME FVE DAYS BUT IT EXITS. I didn't even bother with full lines, I just colored the sketch. I'll clean it up and add shading later.

Soulmate prompt really grabbed me like "YOU WILL ART NOW YOU WILL MORE ART THAN YOU HAVE EVER ARTED IT WILL BE A MASTERPIECE". Not sure I'm entirely happy with it but oh well.

From the top:

Hersha and Tre, the first life, the prince and his knight.

Jahl and Yoshua, the battle between the first Supreme King and the King of Light.

Njal and Rune, the one left waiting for the one who never came back.

And of course our loveable idiots obliviously playing cards.

[the-evil-authoress]

GX Month Day 18:  “In Another Life”

More about my beautiful boys, as promised!

HERSHA DANKER SHATTEN

name derived from German words herrscher “ruler”, dunkel “dark”, and schatten “shadow”

first incarnation of the Gentle Darkness

prince and heir to the throne of a kingdom I still need to name asdfghjkl

only child

mother died when he was young and Yubel, the son of a servant, was appointed to look after him

lonely boy who just wants to be viewed as person instead of put on pedestal like a god

immature and reckless AF

TRE ROSSHER

name derived from German words treu “loyal” and rössel “knight”

Light of Hope ;p

farming boy from a tiny, backwater village at the edge of the kingdom that somehow ended up training as a soldier in the capital, befriending the prince and becoming his knight (it’s Ruby’s fault, we blame Ruby)

eldest of 5 siblings

terrified of snakes and spiders

first person to treat Hersha as an equal

“big brothers“ Hersha a lot

often the voice of reason

Played around in Google Translate for waaay too long creating names. But It was fun am I’m quite happy with the results. German cuz Yubel’s original card names.

Short drabble on Ao3!

Still behind but Ima check out for the night, because self care apparently goes out the window when I sit down to art. Time to hydrate and eat.

[the-evil-authoress]

GX Month Day 16: “Creation and Destruction”

The Gentle Darkness and the Light of Destruction. The eternal struggle. And also the Darkness that tried to drown the world. Huh. Feels a little unbalanced.

Still trying to catch up.

Hersha = Judai/Jaden’s past incarnation

Tre = Johan/Jesse’s past incarnation

More on them can be found here, and I’ll be doing something for them for Day 18 too.

Just to clarify: Hersha IS Darkness (no ‘son of’ business going on here), but a single mortal can’t hope to contain that vastness of a consciousness. The rest of Darkness sulked off to parts unknown cuz he be a petty jerk like that.

They say before the beginning, there was only Nuu, vast and deep and empty. A nothing. Becoming conscious of itself, Nuu sought to create something, a spark that lit the void and cast a shadow. And so Daen, the Primal Light, and Nahn, the Primal Darkness, were simultaneously born. Together they filled the void with shining stars and the vast night sky, but as the void was filled, Nuu, the nothing, could no longer exist. Dying, Nuu shed tears of regret that it would not be able to see the final fruits of its labor. Those tears scattered among the blooming stars and became the source of life.

In the beginning, Daen and Nahn existed peacefully, watching curiously as life flourished. But then chaos grew within the hearts of mortals; greed, jealousy, anger, and pride swelled into conflict and soon petty fights became war.

Daen saw this and could not understand. Mortals lived such short lives already - why waste it fighting? Why kill each other? They tried to stop the fighting themselves, but soon became overcome by the dept of mortal emotion. Consumed by chaos, Dawn turned upon the Creation they and Nahn created, believing it to be an ugly, rotten thing. Tear it down and start over, they cried. There was nothing worth saving.

Nahn rose up to oppose the twisted Daen and fight for Creation’s right to continue existing. They fought bitterly, Darkness against Light, day against night. Stars fell from the heavens, shadows blocked the sun and brightness lit up the night as Daen and Nahn warred across the cosmos. Daen lost their mind to the chaos.

At the end, Nahn struck the final blow and Daen’s light shattered.

Night fell upon Creation.

The Never Ending Night when Creation feared Light was dead. When the sun finally shone once more, the people cheered, but not all was well. Broken but not dead, a piece of Daen crawled its way back into Creation, still mad with chaos and bent on obliterating life. It sought out the power hungry and built an army to carve a path of destruction.

Horrified, Nahn once again rose to put a stop to the madness, easily thwarting the broken piece of their former partner. But now Nahn knew the battle wasn’t over, the battle would never be over, for Darkness cannot exist without Light. Daen was a twisted shell of their former self and would keep coming back as long as Nahn and Creation existed.

So Nahn made a choice.

They descended to the mortal world and told the people he would send them a piece of himself - a mortal with his power to live amongst them and fend off the twisted light when it inevitably returned.

Then Nahn fell silent, and the people waited for their Gentle Darkness to be born.

*

Hersha jerks up in his seat with a strangled noise like he’s choking on his own spit, and startles Tre enough that the paper crumples and nearly rips beneath his fingers. “The what?” Harsha sputters.

“Uh...” Shifting uneasily in his seat, Tre smooths the creases in the scroll and quickly backtracks over the words. How badly had he butchered the pronunciation for that kind of reaction? “‘They descended to the mortal world and’-”

“No no.” Hersha cuts in, hand jerking awkwardly for a scroll before falling short. He’s shaking? A glance up reveals a complicated expression on the boy’s face. Tre wouldn’t call it fear exactly, but he doesn’t have another word for it in his - admittedly small - vocabulary. “Gentle Darkness.” Hersha sounds like he’s fighting to speak at this point and his next words are barely a whisper, “That’s me.”

“...What?”

“I am the Gentle Darkness,” Hersha says, pushing a hand through his hair and, yes, he is shaking. On any other day, Tre would be concerned. “That’s something I’ve just...known ever since I could remember.”

Tre stares at Hersha, stares at the text, stares at Hersha again, and feels his brain break just a tiny bit. “What?” he repeats, because what else is he supposed to say after being slammed with a boulder like that?!

Hersha doesn’t look like he’s listening. Hersha isn’t even looking at Tre because his eyes snap to the window with a harsh expletive. “Is that why...”

Tre yelps as Hersha darts out the door without finishing his sentence. What in the actual-

“‘Is that why’ what?!”

*

Hersha taps his finger on the table as he stares at the open scroll. The candle is burning low but the words on the page are just as clear as if the room were still lit by sunlight. The “Battle for Creation” is detailed in depth; how Light went insane and Darkness stopped them. But...

“That’s not how it happened.”

“Do you remember something?” Yubel tilts his head curiously from his vigil in the corner of the room.

“No.” Hersha tries to keep the bitterness out of his voice, renewed anger that he wasn’t consulted, that neither Yubel or his father thought he might want a say in a decision that concerned him, that they both kept in the dark. Ha! The irony of that isn’t even funny. “I just know. That isn’t what happened.”

Yubel doesn’t respond.

Pushing the scroll away, Hersha slumps in his seat. His mind is a tangled mess of things he only half understands. If he is Darkness incarnate, he doesn’t remember anything. But he knows himself well enough.

Light didn’t give up on Creation.

Darkness did.

Light shattered protecting it.

But then how did the Light of Destruction come into being? Why does he exist at all as he does now if he was once the one who tried to end everything?

Honestly, the answers to those questions scare him.

[the-evil-authoress]

*crashes in very late to the party* Here I am!!

Infinite Month kinda? Not gonna write anything real shippy so up to reader opinion I guess. Skipping day 1 and gonna post these in chunks since I am ridiculously late.

@itsashowtime I hope it’s okay that I’m using my own headcanons! =3

Day 2: Firsts

Yubel watches. Yubel always watches. They watch the way Hersha's face lights up as he spars with this new recruit. They watch as the young man reprimands Hersha for a careless mistake, speaking with little regard for the prince's title. They watch as the man stumbles over his words in a hasty attempt to correct himself. They watch as Hersha laughs and assures that he doesn't care. They watch as the man huffs and glares at the prince from the corner of his eye.

"Fine. Pick up your sword. We're done with warm ups. Let's get serious," Tre states, shifting back into stance.

Brown eyes glitter as Hersha retrieves his sword. "You mean you weren't serious before? Careful, newbie, you're not the one with an automatic shield."

"Overconfidence is a danger." Green eyes sharpen.

Yubel smiles.

Tre is the first to look at Hersha and see a person rather than a prince. Perhaps he will also be the first to break through the wall that Hersha has carefully constructed. Yubel watches Hersha, cheeks reddened with exertion, eyes glimmering with life.

That wall has already begun to crack.

Day 3: Touch/Blush

The first time Hersha drapes himself across Tre, Tre isn’t entirely sure how to react. The Prince had shown up to their usual sparring session in something of a fowl mood, and they’d quickly descended from actual combat to arguing the merits of defensive maneuvers when Hersha possesses the nearly automatic ability to block any attack with his magical shadows. Hersha had then gone into a rant about his tutors at the end of which he flopped across Tre’s shoulders with a loud groan.

“You’re surprisingly comfy,” Hersha mutters before falling silent.

Tre has younger siblings; he’s no stranger to being used as a human mattress. But Hersha is the prince and Tre is a recruit from the backwater countryside of the kingdom, no matter how often his brain likes to conveniently forget these facts. They’ve only known each other a month or two, and this is a level of familiarity Tre has only experienced between family members. So Tre sits there, silent and unmoving, waiting for Hersha to do or say something more, until he finally realizes the boy has fallen asleep.

Well

What now?

“Well, well, well... look at this,” a voice slides from above as Yubel descends next to them. Tre stiffens. He hasn’t interacted with the creature much; it - she? Tre’s eyes roam the confusing shape of Yubel’s body but the voice is fairly feminine and like hell he’s going ask something like ‘what are you?’ so sure let’s go with that - tends to watch from afar most days. “To think you’ve gained such trust from the prince in such a sort time. What will you do with it?”

“What?” Tre asks, shifting.

“Very few can claim to have earned Hersha’s trust to such a degree that he’s willing to sleep on them,” Yubel elaborates, leaning over the pair, eyes gleaming.

Tre shifts again but there’s not really much he can do with Hersha’s weight pinning him down unless he wants to unceremoniously dump the teen off himself. “It’s not like I want to take advantage of him or anything, I just enjoy his company.”

“Is that so?” Yubel leans back, arms crossed, and the way those dual colored eyes seem to stare into his soul is unnerving. The hair on back of his neck and arms prickle. Tre feels a bit like a prey animal.

“Yes?”

The corner of Yubel’s lips twitch, then the creature descends into giggles, landing in the grass as she folds into herself. Tre stares dumbfounded. He’s missed the joke.

Hersha stirs sluggishly. “Yubel?”

“Getting quite close with your new friend,” the creature stops giggling long enough to answer, and this time Tre can’t miss the teasing slant of her smile. No longer looming over him from above, he can see the gleam in her eyes for what it is, mischievous rather than menacing.

Hersha makes a vaguely confused sound, shifting to look up at Tre. He blinks a couple times, then pokes Tre’s cheek. “You’re blushing.”

Yubel is still giggling.

“You two are the worst!” Tre snaps, rising quickly to his feet which sends Hersha tumbling with a yelp.

“Wait, Tre! What’d I do?”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be back,” he hears Yubel say smugly behind him, and curse her she’s right. Tre will definitely be back. This is hardly what he expected from his stay in the capital, but he can’t say that he isn’t enjoying it.

Day 4: Gift

The streets are packed with people, lined up and down with colorful market stalls and lanterns, signs proudly proclaiming delicious delicacies, fine arts, and exclusive merchandise. Hersha had watched festivals like these from the palace walls. He’d been enchanted by them then; he was twice as enthralled to be in the mist of one now.

Perfect way to celebrate, he agrees with a glance to his companions engaged in a debate over festival cakes, Ruby chirping from Tre’s shoulder. He smiles.

Something catches the light from the stall next to him and Hersha’s attention diverts, carefully picking up the chain of a moderately sized pendant. He turns it over in his hands, running his thumb along the small stones.

“Unusual taste for you,” Yubel comments over his shoulder.

“It’s not for me,” Hersha grins and buys it on a whim.

“Tre!” Tre looks up as Hersha jogs over, hand waving excitedly. “I got you something!” he beams and holds out his gift. A clear prism like chunk of crystal hangs at the end of a delicate silver chain, seven tiny stones inlaid in silver against one face of the larger stone, creating a rainbow.

Tre’s eyes widen, holding his hands out to accept the gift. “This is...”

“Perfect, isn’t it?” Hersha beams, thinking of the glittering white dragon waiting for them outside of town and the gemstones adorning her scales.

Zere whistles, appearing from an adjacent stall and leaning over to peer at the piece. “Didn’t think you boys were into jewelry.”

Tre flushes, fingers curling around the pendant.

Hersha laughs. “Please, have you seen the amount of gold I have to wear at formal events? It’s gaudy as hell! But crystals,” he pauses and meets Tre’s eyes with a grin. “Crystals are cool.”

Tre murmurs an affirmative as the slips the chain over his head. He won’t be taking it off anytime soon.

Day 5: Wish/Hope

“You will meet again.”

Hersha looks out over the waves, sparkling blue in the sun. A worn blue travel cloak rests across his shoulders. It fits better than it use to, still a little too broad in the shoulders. He wonders if he always would have been the slighter and shorter of the two of them. Well, no way to know now.

He walks along the coast, far from the reach of the tides. It’s still there, the pile of rocks protruding from the sand. It’s been ages since he managed to come here.

Kneeling, Hersha places his hand upon the rocks. “It’s good to see you, old friend.”

He sits, watches the waves, and he talks. About all the things he’s done and the places he’s been and the people he’s met. It was always this person he was able to speak most freely to.

Gradually the Crystal Beasts join him; Ruby curls atop the stone, Amethyst lies beside it. Topaz flanks him and Hersha’s hand finds its way into his fur. Sapphire stoops to press his snout against the stones. Cobalt takes perch next to Ruby, and Emerald settles on Hersha’s other side. Amber looms above them, trunk pressed to the stone. Yubel slides in between Amethyst and Sapphire, briefly laying a clawed hand against the stone.

Hersha pauses, the first break in his words since he sat down, and glances up as someone else approaches.

Zere’s lips perk into a tiny smile. “I had a feeling you’d be here.”

The Crystal Beasts part to make room for the redheaded woman. “Hello, Tre,” she speaks softly, placing the flowers she holds atop the grave, snowdrops and a blue iris.

Hersha’s eyes linger on the petals.

“You will meet again.”

“It’s been ten years,” he says quietly, watching the waves.

He can feel Zere’s eyes on him. “It doesn’t get easier with time,” she says at length, “we simply learn how to cope with it better.”

“Indeed,” Yubel agrees, wiping tears from his eyes.

Hersha doesn’t respond.

“Would you like to join me in for a while? Or do you have pressing matters to get back to?"

Hersha pauses, holding his breath. It’s not an uncommon request. The mage asks him the same question every time they meet. Hersha has never once said yes. “Sure,” he agrees, meeting her blue eyes. It’s time he stop avoiding this.

Zere smiles. “It’s good to see you again, Hersha.”

Hersha nods and Zere stands, and that calls an end to their remembrance as their quiet circle disperses. The Crystal Beasts wander off in their own directions; Ruby hops atop Hersha’s shoulder as he and Yubel follow Zere away.

Pausing, Hersha looks once more at Tre’s grave.

“You will meet again.”

He just has to keep believing that.