#covers of hellfire work too. work in tandem even

[mushroom-winners-proof]

Imagine getting your heart back just for your hot ex boss to take it again and make you work for him AGAIN

Oddly enough making this I started feeling miraculous better??? 10/10 would recommend drawing saix suffering while listening to a cover of Hellfire while sick again <3

unfortunate fate to befall, really

[simpingforthisonedeer]

Chapter 7: Silver

Summary: tw: non-graphic suicide attempt but other than that, the chapter is completely sfw. The final battle with the diamond kingdom.

Notes:

- Today's chapter is shorter than usual bc im working on making the other chapters sfw so rewriting scenes, deleting them, making some stuff into innuendo etc so more people could read.

- I like to write bit more for the side characters because everyone's the main character of their story but they are relevant to the plot trust me ;)

- Be sure to check the notes at the end <3

Aika danced between spells aimed at visible enemies as she strolled towards Julius’ general direction. She took mental notes of his general attitude on the battlefield as she fiddled with her amulet, the same one she used in the Headquarters to move around unnoticed. The Amulet of Ignorance, the single most expensive magic relic Aika possessed, didn’t make her invisible, but it rather made everyone ignore her presence. If anyone were to look in her general direction, their eyes would glaze over and their gaze would move elsewhere.

Her own gaze landed on Julius’ figure, whipping around too quickly for ordinary eyes to track, but her eyes and brain processed images faster than any other man, except perhaps the only other Time Mage. She focused on observing his technique as she ignored the pangs in her heart. It’s been a week but he was still fresh on her mind.

Aika wondered if he would end up being one of her regrets.

She sighed heavily and put her feelings aside for the moment.

Julius may seem like all sunshine and smiles, but on the battlefield, he was vicious as he made split-second decisions and cut down enemies with efficiency. Clouds of enemies-turned-dust flew around him like an Augury, warning any and all of their fate if they foolishly chose to fight him. She noticed how he used the Chronostasis over a large area and immobilized enemies, but the spell only expanded so far if it touched someone first.

“He could improve that technique with mana method,” Aika thought as she moved her attention over to Evan and Jayce who insisted on fighting. Evan with his Hellfire Magic was raining literal hellfire on the enemy troops while Jayce with his peculiar Shape Magic deftly changed the terrain to his advantage as he tested out his newfound swordsmanship. Aika’s lips quirked up in pride.

He insisted she teach him herself but she was reluctant at first because as much as he was a genius, he was incredibly lazy. But Aika caved into his puppy-dog eyes and taught him the basics but he quickly developed his own style with the foundational knowledge and wielded his strangely-shaped sword quite well. He was no match for Aika due to her decades of experience but most mages these days don’t know how to counter swords well so he was pretty deadly on the battlefield.

Aika sidestepped a falling body as she winced at the mage in pity. It was an enemy mage, but she muttered a little prayer nonetheless to ensure his soul would rest in peace. Perhaps she should start praying after battle again. She used to sing a hymn in her fighting days to ensure the battlefield wouldn’t be tainted by restless souls and she could deign to do it again.

Right as she came to a decision about which prayer to use, an arrow struck her chest, more specifically her precious amulet. She stared in shock at the archer who had even detected her in the sea of mana. The masked archer lowered their bow and looked at Aika almost tauntingly before disappearing behind a hoard of mages charging at each other.

She wanted to go after them, but her first priority was to dodge the mages who turned on her because a mysterious woman just materialized out of thin air. She didn’t even have any identifiers such as a crest or a uniform, so as far as everyone is concerned, she was their enemy. She was glad that her scarf at least covered the bottom half of her face.

Aika cursed when she noticed from the corner of her eye that Evan had begun his ultimate spell. 

Another reason why she was observing today’s battle was to contain the range of Evan’s spell, “Hell on Earth,” but this was not the time. She tucked the broken amulet and arrow into her cloak pocket and shot up into the sky with a sigh. She loved her amulet, but she could afford to mourn later.

Aika threw her hood over her head until it covered her eyes and spread her biggest Mana Zone spell—Queen’s Domain—until it encompassed the whole battlefield. She peeled off her black leather gloves, which suppressed her mana, and unleashed her aura of forbidden magic and smirked at the poor bastard who fell out of the sky when he neared her on his broom. The three horns that sprouted from her forehead lifted the cloak and her vision zoomed in on the growing sphere of blue flames, swelling and stopping at the impossible size of 100 meters wide in the distance.

Everyone on the battlefield froze as they stared in dumbfounded awe at the second Sun in the sky. The silence was deafening, but it only served to make the ringing in Aika’s ears louder as she concentrated on immersing her mana into the sphere and ousting Evan’s out.

Mana existed on a different plane, another realm if you will, but it had the special ability to affect other realms while staying in its own. But the opposite isn’t allowed. Controlling mana that wasn’t your own or in a way that wasn’t permitted by your magic was forbidden by the Gods themselves. In fact, interfering with other realms outside the limitations of your own given magic is forbidden magic.

Aika didn’t believe in limitations. She knew her potential was endless, as characterized by her grimoire. She sacrificed parts of herself to break through the ceiling above her, so Gods be damned. They can’t stop her.

A feral grin spread across her face as the Blue Sun slowly began moving as per her command. She controlled her breathing as she controlled two large spells simultaneously. One spell moved the flames, the other was Queen’s Domain, which combined with a sliver of forbidden magic, froze enemies in place at the sheer amount of fear coursing through their veins. She moved closer to the Diamond troops that were about to be annihilated for better control.

This magic brought out the worst in her, and right now, it relished in the screams that filled the air as the army in front of her lit up in flames. Aika ignored the ugly feeling and concentrated on her breathing again as she prayed. They even sounded like the damned.

Aika thought the battle had ended at the horrific scene she had created, but the Spade Kingdom joined the fray, forcing Master Raymond, the Wizard King himself, to join as well. After she had made sure Evan was safely off the field to recuperate his mana, she stayed high in the sky, away from most of the spells as she continued to observe Julius while keeping an eye out for the assassin who broke her precious amulet. Her heart nearly stopped when giant tree roots whipped around her to strike at the ground. How in the world was she supposed to expect roots to sprout from the sky?

As she maneuvered around them, she watched as the eye-catching hair of the Captain of the Silver Eagles fluttered in the distance. To her absolute shock, the man stayed completely still right before spikes of hard rock impaled him. Aika shot towards him with a bone-rattling bang and caught him right before he collapsed. A young man, that was the mirror image of Captain Silva, raised his spears of fluid metal at her, ready to strike but she froze him where he stood with a stasis spell of hers.

“Miss Tolliver?” Lord Silva breathed as blood dribbled down his chin. Aika’s weg vanished as worry and empathy filled her. She quickly threw up shields around them as she rewound the time until the spikes disappeared back into the ground.

“Yes, It’s me. Everything’s going to be fine. I can heal you—”

“No!” he exclaimed, then let out a violent cough. She stared at him in horror at the implication of his words and actions. “I don’t want to be healed,” he whispered, confirming her suspicions.

Aika began closing his wounds at a slow pace, slow enough so he wouldn’t notice.

“Why?” she asked mutely.

To her absolute shock, his stoic face crumpled as tears streamed like molten silver down his cheeks.

“I just want to see her again,” he choked out. He just wanted to see Acier again. 

His tears and the sheer heartbreak in words made her heart clench. Aika steeled her resolve. She wasn’t going to let him do it no matter his reasons.

“No life is worth more than your own,” she spat, caught up in her own emotions. His attempt to take his own life brought back memories she would rather forget.

The Captain slackened in her hold, unable to retort. She instantly healed his wounds and watched as the blood receded. Aika picked him up with a sigh as he quickly lost consciousness at the abrupt changes to his body. Healing fatal wounds in this manner wasn’t recommended but it was necessary during battle.

“Is he alright?” Julius’ voice piped up out of nowhere. Her heart leapt to her throat. She turned around and there he was, a few meters away, brows furrowed, and eyes full of worry before they widened in surprise when he realized who he was talking to.

“Aika…” 

The roar of the battle and the clanging in her head deafened as she took in his appearance. Wild hair, stormy eyes, blood-smeared cheeks and singed robes that whipped around in tandem to spells being hurled behind him. 

She felt a sort of burning betrayal as she cursed her foolish heart because only one thought echoed in her mind:

He was breathtaking.

“Aika!” He exclaimed in alarm.

Julius was suddenly up in her space, forearm pressed against her collarbone as he pushed her aside. He stopped a flaming spear aimed at her back in its tracks as he barked,

“She’s an ally! Stand down!”

The Crimson Lion magic knight lowered his grimoire and looked helplessly at the frozen man next to him.

“Aika, please undo your spell on Vice Captain Nozel,” he commanded softly as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

Her spell fell as per his request and Nozel stumbled into an upright position, an indignant expression strewn across his face as he turned to Aika.

“Who are you? ” he asked shakely, and cleared his throat with an embarrassed flush.

“She is an ally, ” Julius asserted firmly. “We’ll take the Captain to the medical tent and you continue leading your men, understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” Nozel threw one last look at Aika before he ordered his men to focus on the enemy.

Julius turned to her with a grim face. “I will take us to the tent, if you are ready.” She nodded curtly. He laid an arm on her shoulder and she was whisked away, her vision adjusting to find that she was facing the heavy drapery of the medical tent.

A few healing mages around them jumped in alarm but quickly realized the injured man in Aika’s arms. She was quickly led to an empty bed with privacy curtains and she laid Captain Silva on it carefully as the healers took over and diagnosed him.

She explained his injuries and that she healed him but they wanted to be sure just in case.

Aika stepped back to let them do their thing and looked around to find Julius worryingly examining Silva’s prone form. He looked up and their eyes met.

Strangely enough, there wasn’t a shred of awkwardness in their gaze, but an intimacy of silent understanding, a mutual decision to set their yearning aside in the face of this war.

They both smiled in relief, almost in unison. He cocked his head at her.

“No hard feelings?” He mouthed. Aika nodded back, her heart lighter.

“No hard feelings.”

“I have to go,” he announced quietly as he bowed his head. She nodded again, her mood souring once more as she stared at the unconscious man next to her. She watched his back as he moved to leave the tent from the corner of her eye. She clenched her fist as indecision rocked within her, but she finally gave in to her first instinct.

“Be careful,” Aika called out. Julius whipped around in surprise and a grin lit up his face.

“Of course!” he replied eagerly, happy that she was actually speaking to him. “See you around!” And he vanished.

His enthusiasm brought a smile to her face but her mood was quickly interrupted by the sound of crashing waves as the ground shook. She braced herself against the metal railing of the bed’s headboard as she let out a heavy sigh.

That must be her Uncle Raymond with his grandiose water spells that could wipe out armies. She just hoped he wouldn’t use his mana zone spell that could choke people. That spell horrified even her of all people.

She shrugged off her backpack which stayed secure under her cloak and whipped out a chair. She plopped onto it wearily and glared at the silver-haired man next to her as if he was the reason for all her problems.

Aika slipped her gloves back on and rubbed her face with a groan as memories of friends and fellow comrades who have stood still and let themselves be ripped apart flashed in her mind’s eye.

She knew she shouldn’t care. He was not a friend of hers. In fact, he was quite rude to her, but this needless worry and giving into the empathy reminded that after all these years that she wasn’t corrupted, that she was still alive, that she was still human.

Aika watched with a proud grin as one last final move from Julius concluded the battle. Cheers erupted across the whole field when the Magic Knights realized their victory.

The Captains, with the exception of Silva, and the Wizard King gathered with the Diamond Kingdom’s Shining Generals to negotiate the terms of surrender. She desperately wanted to eavesdrop on their discussion but General Whomalt was still alive by the end of this battle and Aika promised him that the next time she saw him, he would be dead.

She made her way back to the medical tent and Silva was already up and about. He sat up on his bed and stared at his blanket-covered lap as emotions raced across his face. She silently strode over to her chair by his bed and he made no indication that he noticed her but Aika knew he did. He was most likely embarrassed by his moment of vulnerability in front of a near-stranger but she didn’t particularly mind it.

She sat down patiently and waited for him to speak but they just sat in silence.

“We won,” Aika informed in a subdued tone.

He grunted. His response irked her but she held her cool.

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” She assured him kindly.

“See that you don’t,” he snapped at her. She held her tongue but couldn’t help but sneer at his tone. This was exactly why she didn’t work with the Magic Knights as closely. Most of them she had observed were quite rude and had a superiority complex. His attitude was only making her miss her amulet even more.

“Arian!” A familiar voice exclaimed as the tent flaps flew open. It was her Uncle. Mages and injured Magic Knights around her suddenly scrambled to attention as the Wizard King homed in on the silver-haired Captain.

“Sir,” the embarrassed Captain gritted out. He pulled out a folded piece of parchment paper as Aika and Raymond nodded at each other in acknowledgement. She would need to tell her uncle at the very least so she can make sure that he talked to someone.

“Are you alright, Arian?” The Praying Mantis Captain boomed as he walked right in after the Wizard King. He pointedly ignored him and the other Captains as they voiced their concerns as well. He tossed his blanket aside and stood up as he handed the paper to her uncle.

“My resignation, Raymond.”

“What?!” His eyes darted between Silva’s cool face and the crumpled paper. “But the war just ended! You have still got loose ends to tie up before the resignation.”

He adjusted his uniform gruffly as he said, “I’ll let the Vice Captain take care of it.” He pushed past the captains, eager to leave. “He is more than capable.” He turned and looked back one last time. “But now, I must say my goodbyes to the men that served me.”

“What's the hurry, Arian?!”

Raymond’s question was followed by silence as Silva left. Everyone watched tensely at the bizarre exchange that raised more questions than anything.

“Well,” the Blue Rose Captain began as she cleared her throat. “We did say that we were going to resign right after the battle.” Her sharp eyes turned to the Wizard King. “I will hand mine in, tonight.”

All Captains except one echoed her sentiments and Raymond’s shoulders fell as his age seemed to catch up to him.

“And I would be the last to resign,” he sighed. He looked up at Julius and everyone’s attention turned to the Wizard King to-be. “I hope you are ready, Julius.”

The young Captain stood up straighter, his eyes eager and attentive for the responsibility that will soon be thrust upon him. 

“Though, I hope you do like paperwork,” Raymond laughed, knowing very well he doesn’t. “Because there’s going to be three times more work.”

All formality melted away as Julius groaned at the thought and the Captains laughed.

Aika released the breath she didn’t she realized she was holding. She just witnessed history firsthand, yet again, but it all felt so new to her. She touched her chest. 

Oh.

It wasn’t newness, no. She had witnessed far too much to feel as if anything was new. It was actually the gratitude that set her heart racing.

Notes:

- In the future, Julius will get character development, because as lovely as he is as a person, he can't be a centrist as a leader if he wants to create real change. - In this fic, you'll see him be more proactive with the kingdom's problems and actually use his power outside the Magic Knights. - I'm not only planning development for his character but also his powers. As I have heavily implied throughout my fic, Julius is not human here and we will see that more in the future as the secrets unravel. - I'd personally recommend reading the wiki page on the tree of sephiroth and even better, catch up with the manga. But you don't have to, bc by the time i get to the manga spoilers part of my fic, the anime will prolly be there(fingers crossed).

[ironbiohazard03]

The Power of Veronica

So I have been anonymously asked to write smut, as comfortable as I felt, with a dominating Alexia and sub Claire from Resident Evil Code Veronica. The plot of my choice, which I kinda chuckle at because I have NOT played Code Veronica (CV). I’ve watched a lot of videos about CV and played Darkside Chronicles, but this was a fun challenge presented to me.

This story is PG-13, 16+. Pretty much a lime!

To anyone who’s a fan of the RE series, like how much I TRULY love it, I hope you find this piece interesting!!

          The Ashford Mansion was more than just a symbolic relic left behind by Umbrella; it held more than just that. Behind its dirty and dingy walls laid something far more sinister and evil. The residents in this household were more than hellbent to bring something to the world it would never see before. The name Veronica would be etched.

                                                             //

           Guns went ablaze as Claire tried everything she could against the demented Alfred. He laughed like a royal maniac as he shot right at her, but suddenly it came to a halt and Claire could hear Alfred lowering his rifle down.

           Great, now’s my opportunity to get one shot on him and get the hell out of here.

           As she pulled out her Magnum gun to take the bastard out of his misery, a soft feminine voice came through. “Please dear brother, let me deal with the guest. I don’t think it would be wise to shoot them, it would ruin the dinner conversation.”

           A woman dressed in the loveliest, ornate purple gowns waltzed on through. She looked like she was ready to attend an opera, but as she started to sing flurries of insects surrounded Claire.

           “WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE?! GET AWAY FROM ME!”

           Oversized flies that looked like ants and spiders that had wings managed to pick up Claire and she dropped her gun in the process. “Alright, what do you two want with me? I don’t have any money or political power; all I want is for you to let go of Steve. OK?” She tried to wriggle her way out from the disgusting bugs, but a rather large sized black widow slinked its way down from the ceiling. It slightly flexed its legs in anticipation of catching its prey. An almost hissing-like sound escaped the monster’s mouth, an acidic fluid dripped down its mouth and left small holes on the concrete below.

           Alexia almost giggled at the sight of the distressed woman. “Oh, Steve you say? You mean the brat who should keep his mouth shut?” An evil smirk almost appeared on her doll-like face, but she wanted Claire to feel pure terror.

           “Look, LET HIM GO! You’re the one I’m after!” Claire screamed out, tears nearly welling in her eyes. She felt useless, for once in her life. No matter what she could do, her physical abilities were limited by the Queen-to-be in front of her.

          Alfred turned around and headed back towards his quarters. “Alexia, do whatever you want with this woman. She is of no concern to me; I doubt anyone like her can make an impact on the Ashford family. It's about time that the Ashfords reclaim what is rightfully theirs.” He almost let out another cackle, as if his grasp on a human reality was slipping farther in his mind.

          A few more of the bugs managed to carefully grab Claire’s weapons and made sure that they were put out of commission.

          With a snap of Alexia’s fingers, the insects released their grip and rudely dropped Claire like a hunk of meat.

          There Alexia stood, proud as ever. The Veronica virus melded so well with her, every action she made worked in tandem with it. Nothing could stop her now; in fact, she was more than willing to share that power with a select few. “I do say, you’re Claire Redfield right? I did some research on my end, because I was the result of what my father created and my lust for knowledge is what drives me. You managed to survive the horrific, or rather wonderful, results of Raccoon City. Hundreds of zombies running around, with no will of their own. Except, not me, I have my own will and I will make sure that everyone else around me begs on their knees for forgiveness.”

          A small ember nearly formed on the palm of her hand, not incinerating the delicate and beauty of her white gloves. Claire wanted to find something to combat with the crazy woman. How could Alexia talk about people like that? As if they’re puppets willing to be controlled. “Why are you keeping me alive? Wouldn’t you want just to kill me, right here, right now?” anger could be felt behind Claire’s voice, as if having to be reminded of the events of Raccoon City was enough. “Umbrella is nothing but scum and anyone who wants to bring harm to others deserve to burn in hell!”

          She still felt useless, normally any Redfield would find a way to get out of a situation. However, Claire felt completely out of her element.

          Just as Claire wanted to try to come up with some plan, Alexia breezed her way down the baroque staircase, one of the few remaining relics of Umbrella. The Ashford family prided themselves on elegance. If a mansion could look as elegant as ever, would it matter if there were bodies rotting in its core?

          “Claire, I want you to realize what Veronica can do for you as well. For as strong and resilient as you are, a woman like you should deserve some sort of benefit. Normally, anyone who dared to cross me would meet an untimely death. However, you are different, I see something within you that needs to be brought out.”

          Claire didn’t know what to do, she was completely terrified. A woman who would look like any other normal human, could manage to strike fear right into her. “I REFUSE!” she screamed in rebellion, she stood her ground and tried to find any sort of weapon. One of the staircase railways was on the verge of rusting off, so she managed to rip it off and swing it like a bat.

          With such grace and elegance, Alexia raised her hand and ignited the beam into a ball of flames.

          Quickly, Claire dropped it to the ground and went right into for a jab.

          However, whatever strength or ferocity Claire had, it was quickly drained as Alexia managed to inject her neck with something.

          Rage filled Claire’s delicate blue eyes, an almost tinge of red showed through, but darkness filled them. Shit, I can’t beat her. She’s just too strong.

          Thoughts of Raccoon City and people dying by the dozens flooded Claire’s mind; somehow Chris would be overrun by numerous zombies and would meet a grizzly demise.

          Minutes passed on by, hours passed on by, till Claire finally managed to gain consciousness. Chains and bindings held her down; there would be no way for her to escape.

          Suddenly, the same pain returned to her. She wanted to grab at it to dull the pain down, but nothing would quell that combustion. As if she felt every limb in her body was going through a hellfire. Suddenly, the insects that Alexia had summoned before started to gather and stood in awe in what they were witnessing. As if, somehow a sense of humanity was injected into them. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!” Claire screamed in confusion and anger. More and more, her hair started to change as some kind of vines or fauna started to sprout where her hair normally was.

          “You see, it’s the Veronica virus running its course. You will possess the same power as me. In fact, you could be even stronger than me if I showed you how it works.” A slight cooing tone escaped the female Ashford’s voice, she relished to see others suffer from what she proclaims as the next step of human evolution.

          Delicate fingers caressed Claire’s face, not a single blemish would ruin what Alexia visioned in her mind. As her fingers danced around, she found an opportunity with her other hand and ever so carefully let her fingers twirl the vine-covered hair. A few strands of red hair slipped through the madwoman’s fingers, but it brought an odd sense to the woman. As if, Alexia was wanting to do more than just twirl it.

          Lips met one another, but Claire had no will to fight, but to accept the truth around her. As if her body was almost craving more of the power Veronica would be able to deliver. Slowly but surely, more vines wrapped tightly around Claire’s delicate throat.

          She wanted to take a breath, but the ecstasy-filled rush took her body over. Hands tried to grab where they could, as if she was deserving to feel that way.

          Alexia pressed her body up against Claire’s; somehow Claire managed to feel the organza, the silkiness of that lovely purple dress.

          A small ember glowed on Alexia’s white gloves, yet the flame managed to not damage them. She quickly cut Claire’s red vest into tatters, exposing how much the Veronica virus could do to the human body. Alexia was far from any human, she was a scientific experiment ready to be brought out into the public. She would no longer keep herself in isolation or rely on experiments to do her bidding.

          The fauna on Claire’s body managed to hide her breasts ever so carefully, but to Alexia nothing would be hidden in her gaze.

          Fingers gradually cusped around Claire’s breast, fingernails ever so slightly dug into them. They didn’t bleed, but the pressure was too much for Claire. As she wanted to cry again, her lips were silenced once again by Alexia.

          For once in Alexia’s life, she found those sorts of romantic affairs odd, but entirely fascinating. How much satisfaction would she get from it all?

          However, Claire’s body was looking it wanted to reject the virus. Fear ran through her mind. Is this how Sherry felt all those years ago?

          Once again, she didn’t allow herself to cry while Alexia was around. Every so carefully, the female Ashford managed to pierce her hand right into Claire’s breast. Green blood slowly trickled down, but somehow the coldness brought a sense of pleasure to Claire. “PLEASE!”

          Panting breaths escaped from both women, they were completely drawn into the moment. Alexia could’ve easily just killed Claire right there, allow the virus that made Alexia who she was into Claire’s coffin. However, this moment would not be wasted.

          However, not soon after, a few male voices echoed in the chamber.

          “CLAIRE?!” both Chris and Steve yelled.

          Faith was slowly restored into Claire’s blue eyes. However, Alexia was disappointed with how short the affair was, but she was able to fulfill her purpose. See what the Veronica virus could do.

          “It’s such a shame that this game is over, but I don’t think we’re far over from it. Just remember, while I’m willing to give you a cure, Veronica will always call you back. It always does.”

          As Claire’s rescuers came by her side, Alexia dropped a purplish vial on the ground. “DO AS YOU WISH WITH HER! She can die where she is or you manage to save her, but I doubt it’ll last long.” She slinked her way back, an army of bugs created a getaway for her.

          “THE ASHFORDS ARE FAR FROM DONE, I HOPE YOU DO REMEMBER THAT!” Alexia screamed, but it was far from a scream; it was a declaration of war, Umbrella would be sure to come back to the public.