#imtura was such a challenge to make

[zhoras-bitch]

Tyril and Imtura in our world.

[the-unconquered-queen]

The thing about Aerin and MC in this book, even if you’re not pursuing him…

Tyril, Nia, Imtura, and Mal have had a hell of a year. If you don’t have the inspiration skill to give a good speech, Mal makes it clear that he doesn’t think MC could understand what they all went through, implying that MC had it easy because they were just asleep.

But that doesn’t mean that MC isn’t facing their own challenges in the fallout. Shadow Realm capture aside, they’ve just come back to the Light Realm to find that they missed out on an entire year of their life. Meanwhile, everyone else moved on, doing their own thing. They’ve all changed, blatantly so, but MC still feels the same. MC has to feel like life just went on without them, and quite frankly, the LIs aren’t helping.

Now, take Aerin, who’s spent that same year locked up in a cell, with (seemingly) no visitors and no information… you can see how he’d be the one who could understand MC’s situation best, since his life was basically put on pause while everyone else’s continued, too. They’re both playing catch up.

And if you add in the fact that no one cared enough to regularly make time for Aerin and the fact that MC’s friends gave up on them after, what? A month? Less? Well, there’s clearly some kinship there, whether they like it or not.

[camillemontespan]

a deal with shadows [mal volari]

Mal Volari had always been a man who burned brighter than a star. But this past year, he felt like he had burnt out. Every day was spent simply placing one foot in front of the other, trying to appear normal, trying to appear happy, trying to appear more Mal, but deep inside, something was wrong.

His zest for life had diminished. His love for adventure had faded. The shadow realm may have been defeated by Luna but to Mal, he felt like it had all been for nothing. The shadow realm may as well have taken him. 

Losing Luna had been the tipping point. Without her, his life felt meaningless. She had shown him what the world was like with a partner, someone who fought your corner, someone who loved you.

He had been given the world and in one swift motion, she had been taken away from him.

And now, after one long year, she was alive. She had escaped the shadow realm. She had found him.

But it was too late.

**********

'Come on, land rat, there's ale to be drunk!' Imtura crowed, jostling Luna as the group made their way along the canal towards the inn. 

'I was hoping we could find a quiet corner to process what just happened..' Tyril muttered. 

'That troll nearly broke my nose, the bastard!' Mal announced. 

'It would have been an improvement!' Imtura hollered back over her shoulder. 

As Mal raised a middle finger at Imtura in response, Luna couldn't help but feel her stomach twist. 

Mal had been acting normal with everyone else except Luna. He argued with Imtura, teased Mal, engaged in deep conversations with Nia but with Luna… nothing.

He still spoke to her of course. And he would still call her 'kit', his nickname for her. But any closeness they had before Luna had been trapped in the shadow realm seemed to have vanished. 

Not to sound like a lovesick teenager, but he was supposed to be her boyfriend. Well, at least Luna thought so. They hadn't exactly defined their relationship even though they had shared many nights together. Mal had wanted to take her on adventures. To Luna, that seemed like boyfriend behaviour.

They hadn't so much as kissed when they were reunited. Everyone else had been delighted to see Luna again, happy that she was alive, and while Mal had told her he had missed her, he hadn't reacted in a way Luna expected.

Maybe that was her fault. She couldn't control his emotions or his actions. But she at least expected him to spend a night with her so they could reunite properly.

Testing the waters, Luna reached out to brush her hand against Mal's. He jumped at the sudden contact before glancing at her.

'Hey kit,' he said, giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. 'You okay?'

Luna's hand fell back against her side.

No, I'm not okay.

**************

Imtura and Mal sank several tankards of ale while Tyril and Nia played a game of dice.

Luna sat in the corner watching their game, her eyes occasionally looking up to glance at Mal.

The more Mal drank, the louder he became. He joked with Imtura and exchanged stories about adventures. 

As time wore on, Luna became increasingly frustrated with him. Why wasn't he having a drink with her? Why wasn't he talking to her? Why was he absolutely fine with everyone else but acted like she was some sort of creature from a different land?

Luna slammed her tankard down on the table, making everyone jump in surprise.

'Luna, are you alright?' Nia asked, her eyebrows knitted together with concern. 

Tyril reached out to take Luna's arm to try comfort her but she was already standing up, her hands shaking. 

'I need air,' she said. Her eyes landed on Mal's, challenging him to react. To do something. Anything.

He stared at her as if she'd grown two heads.

'I'll come with you-' Nia began to say.

But Luna had already left the table.

****************

She sat down by the side of the canal and stared down at the water. Hot tears filled her eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks. She furiously rubbed her eyes with her hands, hating herself for getting upset.

'Stop it Luna..' she croaked. 'Stop it, stop it, stop it.'

'Hey kit.'

She saw Mal's reflection in the water. He settled down beside her, his knee brushing hers.

She sniffled. 'Go away, Mal.'

His body stiffened beside hers. 

She didn't want to turn to look into his brown eyes and see nothing reflected back at her. 

'We need to talk..' Mal muttered.

Luna scoffed. 'Oh trust me, I'm aware of that.'

Mal's hands clenched into fists. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

'I know I've been acting different,' he said quietly. 'With you, I mean.'

Luna kept her eyes on the water, watching Mal's reflection. His hair was so short now. That was what Luna fixated on. If she thought of anything deeper, she would end up throwing herself into the canal.

'Luna..' he whispered. His hand reached out to take hers. His calloused fingers wrapped around hers, his thumb rubbing her palm. It was almost reassuring.

'I don't understand,' Luna finally spoke. 'I'm back from the shadow realm and you've been acting weird. You don't treat me like you used to. You're fine with everyone else. But with me, it's like you don't know how to act around me. I feel so alone when I'm with you.'

Her voice cracked as she said this. Because she did feel alone when she was with him. The chasm between them felt like it couldn't be healed.

'I'm sorry,' Mal said. 'I'm a dick-'

'I just want an explanation,' Luna cut in. 'If you don't love me anymore, I'd rather you told me.' 

Mal's head whipped around so he could stare at her. Luna swallowed and willed herself to look at him.

His eyes were filled with pain.

An emotion. 

'Of course I still love you!' He protested. 'Gods, I'm so happy you're back! I never stopped loving you!'

'THEN WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON WITH ME?' Luna shouted. 

A pin could drop in the thick silence between them. Mal stared at her,  his eyes searching her face as he tried to find the words to explain himself. Luna's lower lip trembled as she stared back at him, willing him to say something.

Mal wrenched his eyes away from hers. He focused on looking into the water.

'It's because I am a different person..' he muttered, his voice so low that Luna had to lean in to hear him.

'What does that even mean?' she asked. 'Mal, for God's sake, can you just tell me the truth without being ominous?-'

'I let myself be corrupted by shadow,' Mal interrupted, his voice filled with anxiety. 'Alright? That's why I've been different with you. I'm not.. I'm not me.'

****************

Luna's heart pounded in her chest. She stared at him as she tried to make sense of what he had just said. 

'Mal..' she croaked. 'What did you do?'

Mal covered his face with his hands and leaned down. His broad shoulders heaved as he started to weep.

Alarm filled Luna. Mal never cried. She couldn't help herself, she had to comfort him. She gently wrapped her arms around him and held him as he cried. 

'I was lost without you,' he said, his voice muffled as he spoke against her neck. 'I was desperate to find you. I never stopped searching for a way to rescue you. I tried everything with no results. I couldn't allow myself to think you were dead because that would have ended me, Luna. I couldn't have carried on.'

Luna softly rubbed her hands on his back, trying her best to comfort him. 

He slowly sat up and faced her, taking her hands as he did so.

'I made a deal,' he told her. 'A deal to get you back.'

Luna blinked. 'What? How? Mal, I escaped myself -'

'I know that now,' Mal interrupted. His voice was flat now, empty. 'The creature I made a deal with.. they said that they had been in the shadow realm and had seen you. They said they would help me to rescue you. But they weren't going to do this out of the goodness of their heart.'

Luna swallowed, dreading hearing more of his story. His hands clenched hers tighter as he went on. 

'Most people allow themselves to be corrupted to gain more power, more influence,' he explained. 'As you know. But I didn't do it for those reasons. I did it to get you back. I did it for love.'

Luna closed her eyes, willing herself not to burst into tears. She could feel Mal's hands gripping hers.

'They said if I embraced the shadow, they would go into the realm and get you out. They warned me that once I allowed myself to become corrupt, I wouldn't be the same. But I didn't care. I just wanted you.'

Luna squeezed his hands. 'Mal..'

'Every day since I've been corrupted, I've been different,' he continued. 'I don't like adventuring anymore. I don't even like being a thief. The stuff that made me me.. it's gone. I feel like a shell of myself.' 

Luna bit her lip. 'You've been acting like your usual self with the others..'

'Exactly,' Mal said, 'acting. It's not genuine.'

Luna's eyes met his. 'So why haven't you been acting the same with me?'

Mal swallowed. It took a moment for him to speak. 'Because you're going to hate me once I tell you everything. So I figured may as well speed that process along.'

There was a silence until Luna broke it. 'Mal, what the fuck are you talking about? I could never hate you. I promise. I love you.' 

Mal's jaw set.

'The creature didn't tell me the fine print,' he carried on, his voice dull. 'They kept something from me when I agreed to corruption. I only found this out once it had been done. I..'

He broke off and tears filled his eyes again. Luna had to do something. She had to show him that she still loved him. That she was in his corner.

She kissed him. It wasn't a soft kiss. It was fierce, filled with fire, filled with all of the feelings that she felt deep inside.

Luna heard Mal groan against her lips. She felt his tears slide down his cheeks. 

She moved to kiss the tears away. 'It's okay..' she whispered. 'I've got you.' 

Mal's fingers twisted in her hair, bunching the tendrils into his fists. His body was shaking as he held onto her. He leant his forehead against hers.

'I could have you back,' he croaked, 'but anything I felt for you would fade.' 

************

Luna blinked. She could feel her skin bloom with goosebumps. Her eyes began to water,  threatening to spill hot tears down her cheeks. Her heart began to pound, quicker and quicker as she processed what he had just said.

'M-Mal, what?' She struggled to speak. 'Why- why did you do that?'

Her entire body was shaking. She could feel Mal's hands grip her shoulders, trying to ground her. 'I'm so sorry, Luna-'

She pushed at his chest, making him topple. 'How could you do that?!' She screamed. 'You gave up your love for me-

'So I could have you back in my life!' Mal interrupted, his voice desperately trying to make her see reason. 'I would rather have you back in my life, alive and safe from the shadow realm, than not at all!'

'At the expense of our relationship!' Luna wailed. She was crying hard now. She couldn't stop. 'Mal, I love you-'

'And I love you, I know I do -'

'But you're going to stop loving me at some point?!' Luna demanded. 'Is that the twist?'

Mal looked down at the ground, ashamed. 'Please understand..' he whispered. 'Please.'

Luna rubbed her eyes furiously before fixing her stare on him. 'We're going to fix it,' she told him. 'Me and you. We're going to set this right.'

'Luna..' Mal croaked. 'I don't think we can-'

'Yes we can,' Luna cut in. 'I love you, Mal. If I can stay in this realm and have you, then I will do anything. I know you are willing to not be together so I can be alive but I refuse to do that. I won't do it.'

Mal swallowed but nodded, knowing he couldn't argue. 'Maybe there's a loop hole,' he said softly. 

'If there isn't,' Luna said, 'we will make one.'

Their hands clasped and their foreheads leaned together. They sat like this for a long time, silent.

Finally back together, but apart. 

[skepticalfrogcat]

Hi! Question about Finch , when and why did he start cartography 👀 and what is his favorite type of scenery? Wait one more, what has been his favorite trivial moment on his adventures thus far??

Ok Ty!! 💖

I think map making has been something he always sort of casually did (he was absolutely the kind of kid to make little fake treasure maps for himself and Kade when they were younger), but he only REALLY started doing it when he actually started adventuring. And he only becomes more interested in it once Imtura teaches him wayfinding, because then his maps can become a lot more accurate. I think his favorite type of scenery would be mountains! Not only just because they're beautiful, especially the view from the top of one, but also because they'd be really interesting to mark on a map. Forests would be a close second, though.

As for trivial adventuring moments, it really depends on if you're looking for one that was challenging but overall enjoyable, or one that did mild psychological damage. If it's the first one, then I'd say he probably had a lot of fun in Undermount, because that place is FULL of puzzles for him to solve, which is something he loves doing. Give him a little mind game to figure out and he'll be occupied for HOURS. If it's the second one, he would've been VERY conflicted when Aerin betrayed them, because he still loves him, and wants to believe he isn't too far gone, but it's just sort of hard to see either of those things being possible anymore.

[suoirallesalta]

A Masterlist of all @suoirallesalta edits!

Every edit is tagged under #suoiredits. edits are sorted acc to their books! enjoy

click here for my art masterlist!

Making Sabina in the Character without using Character’s assets style (edit challenge

Kepler, in only the harness. 

f!Adam

Jen in her dress including the lingerie

Simon Montjoy in Ava’s dress

younger Mitzi Montjoy

AVSP MC as on the cover

💫 Nia Ellarious

the perfect pair? (Nia x MC in an AME crossover)

Goddess of the Sea (Nia x Sunkissed edit)

Nia and Imtura with... moustaches

Nia with TE Alma’s hair and MTFL Ava’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

Nia as Neisha (new avatar)

Starry Nia (#BladesAW)

Empress of The Shadow (#BladesAW)

Nia as BloodBound women: Kamilah (#BladesAW)

Nia as BloodBound women: Rheya (#BladesAW) 

the pretty young girl next door (#BladesAW)

Quartermaster Nia Ellarious (#BladesAW)

Nia Ellarious as TE MC (#BladesAW)

Nia Ellarious as Shreya (#BladesAW) 

Nia Ellarious in her dress including her lingerie

nia ellarious hot goth girlfriend

The Priestess (GIF edit) (Nia in RC outfit)

Tyril Starfury

cold and broody™ vampire elf (#BladesAW)

cold and broody™ bodyguard (#BladesAW)

cold and broody™ elementalist (#BladesAW)

cold and broody™ orc (#BladesAW)

cold and broody™ designer; feat. f!Tyril (#BladesAW)

f!Tyril (#BladesAW)

Tyril with f!Blaine’s hair (#BladesAW)

rogue-ish Tyril Starfury (with a beard)

The Mage (GIF edit) (in RC outfit)

Scream(o)s from the inside (Kade album cover edit)

Bald-ur (#BladesAW)

Damn those elves and their magicks (Mal - Aerin hairswap)

Modern Rogue-ish Mal Volari (with a beard)

StarCorp

Blades of Lust and Sensuality

Jax Tora and Robin Matsuo (face swap)

Duke Richards in the banana mascot outfit from Platinum.

Charlie Smith

A relaxing day at the waterfall! (edit inspired by Charlie Premium Scene!)

Quartermaster of the Dreadlord (DSAW)

Quartermaster of the Flotillan Pirates (DSAW)

Siren of The Light (DSAW)

Charlie as Atlas, Eli and Shreya from TE (DSAW)

Maggie

Maggie! M-Maggie? (MM and DS Maggie Crossover)

Maggie with HC Hazel’s hair and QB Poppy’s outfit. (#suoirandom request)

Oliver Cochrane

Oliver Cochrane as Luke Hemmings

oliver cock rain (DSAW)

f!Oliver (DSAW)

Distant Sores (Charlie x Edward face swap)

DS MC using BaBu2 sprite (DSAW)

Distant Couture // Hot Shores (DS x HC crossover, DSAW)

Ayna Seth

student!Ayna and professor!Ayna

Ayna as Imogen from ILB

buff ayna

Ayna as Jackie in the Open Heart 3 CG

vampire!Ayna

Ayna Seth

Ayna Seth as a Lovelink Match

Ayna Seth as Robin Tora

aynia ellarious

TA meets TA (Ayna - Aiyana Midthunder crossover)

Blaine Hayes

m!Blaine in f!Blaine’s dress

f!Blaine as m!Blaine

Blaine with PT Raleigh’s Hair and MOTY MC’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

Blaine Hayes edit inspired by @aestheteasteria’s icon

Tatum Mendoza

John Somerset x Tatum Mendoza crossover

Tatum in Ayna’s dress / Tatum as Ayna

MC

politics reporter and student (FA mc x WT mc)

MC with ATV Pax’s hair and TNA Robin’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

Ayna x MC

girlfriends

partners

Bodyguard Murphy (lmao)

Murphy Icons <3

I think I got the address to the wrong Murphy

Skye Crandall x Gerard Way

Dark Mage Ajay (choicedits challenge)

Power Duo (Luz x MC)

Bridgette Gardner with TRH Cedric Vescovi’s hair and PM Hayden’s Outfit (#suoirandom edit)

Luz Estrada in her dress including the lingerie

Noah Marshall in the banana outfit (edit request)

Sadie McGraw

Sadie McGraw (in the TNA MC’s Golden Dress)

A bit younger Sadie McGraw

Sadie McGraw (in casual(?) outfit)

Aislinn Tanaka

Aislinn Tanaka in QB Poppy’s outfit and diff black hair

aislinn tanaka hot goth girlfriend

aislinn tanaka hot goth girlfriend 2

aislinn tanaka girlfriend

aislinn tanaka’s v short hair

Gabe and MC as Mal and Nia

Babe Ricci with long hair

The Boys

Ava as Britney from ILITW

IGHT (NB face swap)

MC with TE MC’s hair and BB MC’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

bryce.. lahela .. and,, uh.. bryce sterling..

Rookie Ramsey

Rookie Varma

Raleigh Carrera

Raleigh Carrera with AME Mackenzie’s hair and VOS Naomi’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

An exclusive sneak-peek at Raleigh Carrera’s fuck-the-stereotype Vinyls look that has got the fandom in meltdown!

Raleigh Carrera with BOLAS MC’s hair and THM Eris’s outfit. (#suoirandom edit)

A Very Wilshere Christmas! (Album Cover)

The Hottest Couple of the Industry (Avery x MC)

Poppy is just angry Avery

Zoey Wade

“Besties!” (mc and Zoey as Mc and Ava from MTFL)

priestess zoey wade

zoey in floral

zoey in floral (beach-wear edition)

TA Zoey Wade

Zoey Wade as Atlas Ernhardt

Zoey Wade in TE MC’s gala outfit

zoey in the dress she gave to mc in the first chapter

Ina/Ian Kingsley

Ina Kingsley with TF Becca's hair and BB Kamilah's outfit. (edit request)

Ina Kingsley with TNA Sam’s hair and WT MC’s outfit. (#suoirandom edit)

Veronica with TNA Sofia’s hair and ACOR Sabina’s outfit. (#suoirandom edit)

MC with BP Courtney’s hair and QB Poppy’s outfit.

how (ridiculous) mc would look if she actually wore that ligerie under that dress

📰 Robin Tora

Asian Robin as Ava Lawrence from MTFL

Asian Robin as Ava Lawrence from MTFL (#2)

Asian Robin as Ava Lawrence from MTFL (#3)

Robin as Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan

Jax Tora and Robin Matsuo (face swap)

Robin in an oversized baggy shirt

wait, wrong Robin- shit (Sofia TNA edit)

Robin Tora as Robin Tora and Robin Tora as Robin Tora

Robin as Cassian in Witness

Robins at the beach

robin hood

asian f!robin tora as blaine hayes

Flame the Crow & Me : One Boob (TC&TF face swap)

Annia Adairious (TCTF AW)

orc!Val (TCTF AW)

Kenna Rys with NB Katherine’s hair and HSS Principal Rivera’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

🌙 Atlas Ernhardt

Atlas Ellarious

Atlas, the adventurous elf

Queen of Vampires, Atlas, of Clan Ernhardt

Vampire Queen Atlas (edit #2)

Atlas, the Snow Princess

Atlas, the Moon Princess

Atlas in genderfluid flag colors!

m!Atlas in f!Atlas’s Gala dress

f and m!Atlas swapped

☀️ Eli Solaris Russell (my mc)

Eli’s first (accidental) spell cast!

Eli’s momentous first day at Penderghast

⚙️ Beckett Harrington

“Small dapper Beckett… confirmed.”

Beckett as Connor from Detroit: Become Human

Shreya Mistry

Shreya “Wonder Woman” Mistry

❣️ Pend Pals

“All dressed in black.”

Pend Gals on a night out in matching black outfits (#1)

Pend Gals on a night out in matching black outfits (#2)

Magick Docs (OH crossover)

Pend Pals in Belvoire attire

Pend Gals on a night out after the Amorelia Day Gala (faceapp faceswap edit)

The Elementalists - Across the Dimension (2D art crossover)

💞 Shreya x Atlas

“your eyes, they shine so bright”

“Hey Shreya.. Marry Me”

“Wedding Day!”

💞 Beckett x Eli/MC

Beckett and Eli in a western setting

Eli x Beckett face swap

Eli x Beckett in Robin x Sofia art (lmao)

🌟 Double Trouble (Eli/MC + Atlas)

Hydrobreath (Eli + Atlas)

“my younger twin sister” (double trouble x mtfl edit)

Misc

Blood of the Sun (a spinoff movie poster)

Coolness of metal and water-atts (meme)

Alma with FA Dionne’s hair and D&D MC’s outfit (#suoirandom edit)

Sam Dalton

Sam Dalton as Sam Dalton and Sam Dalton as Sam Dalton

Sam Dalton with BB Serafine’s hair and TCTF Val’s outfit. (#suoirandom edit)

Sofia as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil

the cake on sofia’s skirt works as floral print

John Somerset x Tatum Mendoza crossover

Vampire Harlenay

Flynn o’Malley in fem VOS characters’ hair 

Flynn o’Malley in fem outfits

Anna Koishi

Anna Koishi, at the club, with short pink hair

Anna Koishi with TE Atlas’s hair and PT Avery’s outfit. (#suoirandom edit)

Anna Koishi as Atlas Ernhardt

politics reporter and student (FA mc x WT mc)

Asian f!Dakota with Hispanic f!Dakota’s hair

Daenerys, the mother of dragons (using TRR mc)

TRR mc as Daenerys (edit #2)

the greatest witch of our time (BB mc as Hermione Granger)

me before you (poster edit with TRR Mc and AME Adam)

Aquaman (ft Cassian and Ava)

Wolf Bride wolf in Poppy’s outfit

Imogen Dragons

rip fallen books

The Crew (DSAW)

Wizards of Waverley Place (THOBM edit)

omg a hit tweet (pb meme)

Choicedits Challenges

ACOR Sabina without using her assets

OpH Jackie without using her assets

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger using Choices assets

Priestesses of the Light

Coldplay’s Higher Power album cover using only Choices assets

Asian Wolf Bride MC as TE MC

Lovelink Edits

Nicholas Adley in Pirate Outfit

Jamie Grant in multiple outfits from HERO

[bladesappreciationweek]

Resources for Day Five: The Realm of Light

From Prince Aerin to Farin Starfury, the Realm of Light is full of inspiration! Looking for something off the beaten path? You could illustrate some of the old Myths, make an edit of a mythical beastie, or tell of a story about that overly-attractive side-character we were blessed with for a single scene. The possibilities are endless! 

Assembled Transparents | Lore 

Quotes: 

”There’s so much wonder and beautiful in the realms, [MC]. It’d be a shame if you didn’t experience it all.” Mal

Characters: 

Kade | Threep | The Royal Family | The Starfurys | Kaya | Ellara and Xiaus | Skull Crusher & Ventra Tal Kaelen | Mermaid | Voxper

signal boosts appreciated

Prince Aerin:

“It’s not just that he’s the oldest. He’s also the favorite. Handsome, bold, outgoing...a great hunter and warrior...nothing like me. 

“At least i have my books. I love reading of all the realms, even if I rarely get a chance to visit them.”

“Is it really so hard to believe? My reflexes are well-honed after a life with him as my brother.”

“I’ve learned how to defend myself...I just wish I’d started defending others sooner.”

“I’ve already accepted my place. And it’s in my brothers shadow.”

“The scholars of White Tower say that once something is lost, it cannot be restored. Once something’s corrupted, it’s impossible to bring it back to the Light.”

“You know, this is all extremely un-princely of me.”

“it’s silly but I used to believe there must be some kind of magic that could make my brother like me, or my parents notice me.”

“I fear there are more trials to come. For all of us...”

“Dearest brother, may I suggest paying the terrifying orc mercenary what she’s owed?”

“Until the stars align for us again...”

“As far as princes go, you’re not half bad.” Mal

Threep

“Every day my wisdom is valued less and less around here.”

“It’s true, we’re pampered little things.”

“I am quite a gift, aren’t I?”

“May I remind you that I am a nesper, imbued with nearly two millenia of wisdom, from a far more glorious age than you can even imagine?”

“Offerings of food are always acceptable. Elven cream cakes and honey-wine, perhaps?

“I’m not a prude. I simply don’t understand why you people must burden the mating process with all that messy...kissing and such.”

“I somehow imagined nespers would be more...majestic.” Tyril

“Fine, but when you wake up in the middle of the night and find the adorable cat-bat gnawing on your face, don’t come crying to me.” Mal

“Wait, ‘Exalted One’? The cat?” Imtura

Adrina Starfury:

“I’m this one’s little sister. Though he likes to pretend he’s an old child.”

[To Duchess Xenia] “We are nothing like you!” 

“It was Adrina who attacked Duchess Xenia when she had us all under her spell. It was Adrina who saved us all. She is the future of House Starfury.” Tyril

“I swear, if you’re more excited about the nesper than me...” Tyril

Lord Valir Starfury

“My son. I thought you were dead. We all did. That you’d been overcome with the same and...and...”

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen both my children smiling at the meal table.”

“Adrina, you are a worthy heir to my house.” 

Farin Starfury:

“You cannot trust anyone outside our house, son of my blood. Did you not learn that at your father’s knee?”

“You cannot trust in friendship, nor love, nor vows of loyalty, only to the strength of our house and our blood.”

“The Lords of Starfury do not flee. You cannot show cowardice before the other houses.”

“[MC] is right, honored ancestor. It is my friendships, my love for my friends that will let me restore our house. Not posturing and competition.” Tyril

Kaya Duskraven: 

“She was humble, funny, compassionate. She cared deeply for those in need, and always kept my ego in check. She helped me see how to be a better person. She opened my eyes to the world.” Tyril

“We shared great Kilvali, emotional connection. Our souls sang together.” Tyril “I think what kit’s asking is if you two...you know...did the thing.” Mal

“Kaya Duskraven was a kind, caring, and compassionate friend! And you’re not worth the earth she stood on!” Tyril

“Kaya Duskraven was the bravest, cleverest, noblest elf I have ever met. She abhorred injustice and fought for knowledge and understanding. She taught me so much. To honor our past as elves but to also challenge it. To right the wrongs of our forebears. She gave her life trying to under the harm done by the Shadow Court.” Tyril

“We miss you greatly, Kaya. May you walk among the stars.” Tyril

King Arland:

Prince Baldur:

“I’m something of a collector of exotic beasts, you see...”

“And I yearn for the swooning damsels who will flock to my palace to hear my heroic tale of slaying the drakna queen.”

“All his life, Baldur’s been told he’s destined for the crown. He acts as though he’s invincible...because he is.” Aerin

“I just wish he would change. Open his eyes to the world. Set aside some of his pride...be a good brother.” Aerin

“In case you haven’t noticed, he isn’t the brightest.” Aerin

Ellara:

“Looked like you could use a hand, my love.”

“The shadow forces are many, but they are weak.”

King Xiaus: 

[Ellara asks what to do] “We fight. We die. And we pray that one day, a hero will rise to avenge us.”

Mermaid:

“You’re not...going to lure me to my watery death or anything are you?” asks MC.

Scholar Vash:

“Save your energy, Priestess. These are no mortal wounds. The rot of darkness has infected me.”

Skullcrusher:

“[When you stare] Lookin’s free kid, but everything else will cost ya.” 

“I said no re-matches.”

Ventra Tal Kaelen:

“I have an entire army at my command. I say the word, and they bring me the sun itself. What I need is an heir. Someone reliable. Someone i can trust to carry on my legacy.”

“She’s too busy focusing on whether I’m a suitable princess to see what my true talents are.” Imtura

‘To be honest, I’ve always hoped that if I run long enough, or far enough away, she might give up on me...” Imtura

Voxper: 

“By the laws of the old pact, forged between man and beast, you have played with me. I now owe you a boom.”

[blightarts]

Blades of Order & Chaos

Chapter Title: 1 - Awakening

Previous Chapter: Prologue

Word Count: 4375

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.

MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia

Taglist: @princessstellaris @mechaspirit @brightningstar @cal-north @mahariel-theirin @lxdy-starfury @tyrils-star @imturaxamara @kelseaaa

Everyone in the throne room stare in awe as the last surviving member of the Shadow Court, Sir Laundsellyn, reveals his true identity.

Sir Laundsellyn: Well, if you must know… My real name… is Lucius Nightbloom.

Kite grits his teeth, equipping the Bow of Gal’dariel in hand and drawing an arrow towards his supposed relative.

Kite: As if I’d believe such a superstition!

He lets the arrow loose as it rides the wind, making its way towards Laundsellyn’s head, but the shadow knight quickly parries it with the Blade of Light.

Sir Laundsellyn: You’re quick on your hands, I’ll give you that…

He smirks maniacally.

Sir Laundesllyn: …But not quick enough…

Laundsellyn brandishes the Blade and coats it with darkness, transforming it back into the Blade of Shadow, again leaving everyone appalled.

Mal: After all of Nia’s efforts of purify that thing…

Tyril: …Gone, in an instant…

Kite and his friends seethe in rage.

Imtura: Okay, that’s it!

Imtura charges forward, followed by Mal and Tyril. King Arlan’s guards do the same, but Laundsellyn remains unfazed. He sighs and snaps his fingers, letting his hovering swords loose. While Laundsellyn clash with Kite’s friends, his swords fly across the room and towards the guards. The swords easily pierce through their armor and their hearts, killing them instantly. As the dead soldiers collapse on the floor, the swords make their way towards King Arlan next.

Kite: Not on my watch!

Kite quickly stands in the way between the swords and the King while equipping the Blade of Sol and the Shield of Castiel. One by one, the elf parries and shatters the hovering blades, but unsuspectingly, one bolts past his face, leaving a wound on his cheek, and pierces through King Arlan’s heart.

King Arlan: Ack!!

Meanwhile, in the prisons of Whitetower, Aerin clutches his chest and crouches down, as it starts paining.

Aerin: What… is… this…?!

He turns to the barred window in his cell, showing the castle under attack, and wonders anxiously.

Aerin: Father…

Back in the throne room, as King Arlan collapses, Kite quickly runs to his aid.

Kite: NOOO!!!

Mal, Tyril and Imtura turn for a moment to witness what Laundsellyn had just done. They then face him with deadly glares.

Mal: You bastard!

Tyril: You’ll pay for that!

Imtura: AAAAAAAARRRRRGGHHH!!!

As the three recklessly attempt to land a strike on the shadow knight, who just yawns at them, Kite gets on his knees and tries his best to help the King.

Kite: Your Highness, it’s okay. You’ll live.

King Arlan coughs up blood and gives Kite a reassuring smile.

King Arlan: It’s… too late for me now, Kite…

He reaches for the elf’s hand and grips it tight while both men are in tears.

King Arlan: Save the Realm… Save every… one…

The light fades from the King’s eyes as Kite grits his teeth in pure rage. He closes Arlan’s eyes and gently lays him on the floor, before turning to Laundsellyn with a glare.

Kite: I’ve had enough…

Channeling an Orb of Light in his hand, the elf stands up and walks towards the shadow knight, who knocks back Mal, Tyril and Imtura with a blast of Shadow magic from the Blade of Shadow.

Kite: Laundsellyn!

Laundsellyn notices Kite approaching him and smirks.

Sir Laundsellyn: Oh, are you approaching me? Instead of running away, you are approaching me. Even though with your allies incapacitated and your strongest weapon now in my possession, you still muster the courage to face me, the most powerful Shadow being?

The Orb of Light in Kite’s hand glows brighter as he gets closer.

Kite: I cannot slay you without getting closer.

Laundsellyn chuckles.

Sir Laundsellyn: Oho! Such foolish bravery. Then come at me as close as you like.

He approaches Kite at the same pace. When the two are only a meter apart, Kite drives one of his open hands, surging with Light energy, towards Laundsellyn. However, the shadow knight dodges in time, gets behind Kite and hits him on the back with the hilt of the Blade of Shadow. The elf gets knocked down on the ground.

Sir Laundsellyn: Too slow! Even with the power of the Light on your side, if your speed cannot match mine, you have no chance against me. You would’ve been dead by now.

Kite persistently stands up and faces Laundsellyn once more.

Kite: Are you sure you want to give pointers to an opponent?

Laundsellyn shrugs.

Sir Laundsellyn: Weaklings bore me. I’d like to have a challenge, and seeing how you’re the strongest among your friends, I figured you’d at least entertain me. But you’re just as disappointing as them.

Having enough of the shadow knight’s insults, Kite channels another Orb of Light in his right hand and Cleansing Fire in his left hand.

Kite: You have no need the right to talk anymore.

He clasps his hands together, fusing the both magical spells together into a more powerful one, which surprises and almost blinds everyone else in the room.

Tyril: Amazing! Kite is performing Coalescence Magic.

Mal: What is that?

Threep: A rare concept of magical where two spells are fused together to create a stronger spell.

Imtura: That’s awesome!

Loola: What makes it rare is that it requires two or more mages with incredibly high magical affinity to perform such magic, but since Kite is able to perform it on his own makes him a very powerful magic caster.

Kade grins and raises his fist up high.

Kade: Go get ‘em, brother!

While Kite’s friends cheer him on, Laundsellyn smirks and claps.

Sir Laundsellyn: Yes, that’s it! You’re growing so quickly. Now…

Laundsellyn puts his left hand forward, channeling Shadow Magic on his palm.

Sir Laundsellyn: Let’s see how strong you really are.

Kite turns to his friends while continuing to channel his spell.

Kite: Get everyone else behind me!

Mal, Tyril and Imtura nod in agreement before splitting up. Mal helps Kade carry Nia, Tyril and Loola use their magic to transport the guards’ corpses, and Imtura lifts King Arlan’s corpse and taking him behind Kite. Cleared of casualties in front of him, Kite is ready to fire his spell.

Kite: It’s time!

Laundsellyn grins.

Sir Laundsellyn: Nothing holding you back now, eh? Well, if you are giving it your all, perhaps I should too.

The shadow knight opens his hand wider, channeling Light Magic along with his already channeling Shadow Magic, astonishing everyone.

Loola: How can that be?!

Tyril: Light and Shadow Magic should not be able to coalesce with each other, since they erase each other when channeled together!

Laundsellyn laughs at the comments made.

Sir Laundsellyn: Did you fools forget that I am the descendant of the one who can channel both Magics together?!

The Light and Shadow energies merge into a far stronger type of magic while Laundsellyn continues his explanation.

Sir Laundsellyn: When the Light and Shadows become one, they create the most powerful type of magic that has ever existed; Chaos Magic.

White and black sparks begins to surge across Laundsellyn’s arm as he is ready to release his spell.

Kite: Brace yourselves!

Both Kite and Laundsellyn unleash their magic.

Kite: Coalescence Magic: Blinding Brilliance – Radiant Inferno!

Sir Laundsellyn: Chaos Magic: Rejection Pulse!

Kite thrusts his hands forward, releasing a wave of bright, yellow flames towards Laundsellyn, who in turn, quickly clenches his fist, unleashing a shockwave, infused with both Light and Shadow Magic. Both spells clash furiously, while both casters maintain their stance to keep their spells intact. However, Kite is struggling to keep himself standing.

Kite: I can’t… hold it… much longer…!

Mal, Tyril and Imtura immediately rush into his aid by placing their hands on his shoulders and back.

Mal: We got you, kit!

Tyril: Keep fighting!

Imtura: Show that coward not to mess with us!

Kite turns to his friends.

Kite: Everyone…

The elf nods with a grin before turning back to Laundsellyn. Together, the four scream with determination while the shadow knight smiles.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, yes. The power of friendship… how admirable. However…!

Laundsellyn thrusts his spell-casting arm forward, adding more force into the push of his Chaotic Pulse, causing Kite’s flames to be driven back.

Sir Laundsellyn: It’s all for naught!

In a panic, Kite and his friends push further and yell their hearts out louder, but it is all a waste as Laundsellyn’s spell eventually reaches them, throwing everyone back. Kite lands and skids across the floor while Imtura crashes against the wall, before landing on the ground, unconscious. While Mal is thrown back, Tyril collides with him, rendering both unconscious as they collapse on the ground.

Kade: Guys!

Kite struggles to stand up but is unsuccessful. Laundsellyn shrugs and shakes his head.

Sir Laundsellyn: My goodness, that was really tiring. As much as I love a good challenge, I really don’t want to stay in a fight for too long, or else it would get very dull.

He then turns to Kade, holding an unsconscious Nia in his arms.

Sir Laundsellyn: Now, hand over that elegant priestess, if you please? She’s worth more than what the Dreadlord believes.

Kade grits his teeth and glares at Laundsellyn while Threep and Loola gets in between them.

Kade: You won’t get near Nia. Not again, you Shadow Court scum!

Threep: She has been through a lot. Leave her alone!

Loola: We won’t allow you to harm our dear Priestess anymore!

Laundsellyn sighs and swings the Blade of Shadow, letting out a strong force to ward off Threep and Loola. They land next to Mal, Tyril and Imtura.

Sir Laundsellyn: This is boring me. Will you just hand me the priestess? It will be easy for everyone.

Kade looks around and spots one of the guards’ swords. He grabs it and points it towards Laundsellyn.

Kade: S-Stay back…!

With a flick of a finger, Laundsellyn easily disarms Kade before kicking him on the face, causing a nosebleed and letting the bard’s grip on Nia go as he is thrown back by the sheer force of the kick. Kite despairs at the sight of his brother’s pain.

Kite: KAAAAAAADE!!!

Laundsellyn marvels in his victory before crouching down beside Nia. He starts to reach for her but not before being struck by a fireball at his back. He turns to Kite, annoyed. The elf has his hand out, just finished casting Cleansing Fire at the shadow knight.

Sir Laundsellyn: You’re starting to get in my nerves, boy!

Laundsellyn hurls the Blade of Shadow and it pierces the ground, just right in front of Kite. The floor starts to crack then collapses, causing Kite to fall bellow.

Sir Laundsellyn: Tch! Good riddance.

With no further interruptions, Laundsellyn reaches for Nia once more, however…

GLEAM!!

…Nia’s eyes burst open, glowing brightly, as overwhelming amounts of Light energy surges through her, taking Laundsellyn by surprise as he steps back.

Sir Laundsellyn: This is…!

Nia raises herself from the ground, beginning to hover, before turning to Laundsellyn with rage in her Light-filled eyes. The shadow knight grins.

Sir Laundsellyn: Well, well, well… It’s been two thousand years… Priestess of the Light.

Laundsellyn takes a stance, ready to face Nia while she starts speaking and behaving like someone else entirely.

Nia: Lucius Nightbloom, you have done enough. Prepare to repent for your sins.

Laundsellyn pulls his swordarm back, preparing to stab Nia.

Sir Laundsellyn: Not planning too, milady. I’d rather slay you a second time.

More knights of Whitetower enter the throne room.

Knight 1: Halt!

They spot King Arlan, dead on the carpet.

Knight 2: The King is dead!

Knight 3: Slay the shadow dweller!

The knights begin to charge towards Laundsellyn but he was more focused on Nia as he dashes towards her, thrusting the Blade of Shadow forward, but the priestess evades the attack in the nick of time. Laundsellyn cannot stop his momentum as he continues to advance forward.

Nia: History shall not repeat itself this time, foolish deserter.

Nia blasts Laundsellyn with a large Orb of Light, propelling him outside the castle and into the sky. She then turns to the knights.

Nia: Tend to the wounded. I shall handle Laundsellyn myself.

The knights nod in confusion and do as they are told while Nia follows Laundsellyn outside.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah! That hurt a lot!

Unfazed by the painful attack, Laundsellyn stops his trajectory by conjuring wings made with Shadow Magic and hovers in the air. Nia follows him and floats in front of him, putting her hand forward, ready to blast him once more.

Nia: Surrender and face punishment, Lucius. You have nothing else to do.

Laundsellyn chuckles and pretends to lay down, like he’s on a hammock.

Sir Laundsellyn: I would rather not. Besides, you are not my only goal here. What’s more important to me is reclaiming this.

He brandishes the Blade of Shadow as it hovers in front of him. Nia, realizing what the Blade can do, fires another Orb of Light towards Laundsellyn, who easily evades it this time.

Sir Laundsellyn: You cannot stop fate, Priestess, especially when it’s the return of the “Fateseeker”!

Laundsellyn channels Shadow energy in his hand.

Sir Laundsellyn: Shadow Magic: Relinquish!

He then snaps his fingers, fueled with Shadow magic, creating four duplicates of the Blade of Shadow.

Nia: I won’t let you!

Nia advances forward, trying to reach out to Laundsellyn with an Orb of Light being conjured in her hand.

Sir Laundsellyn: Too slow!

Laundsellyn uses the original Blade to block Nia’s attack while he hurls its duplicates in different directions.

Nia: NOO!!

The first duplicate Blade flies to the north, beyond Morella and towards the snowy mountains. The Blade lands on one of the peaks, breaking a seal, causing it to crumble and summoning a blue beam of light which pierces the sky. From the debris, a figure walks out, with the body of a human, the head of a hawk, and large feathered wings on his back. The figure takes a deep breath and spreads his wings, as if he’s waking from a very long nap.

Winged Figure: Millenia had passed… How are you faring after all this time, my love…?

The second Blade ventures to the  distant west, past Flotilla and toward the uninhabited volcanic island of Kel’Dhana, the former home of the orcs. The Blade plunges itself in the core of the volcano, breaking its seal, causing an eruption and summoning an orange beam of light which cleaves the sky. From the mouth of the volcano, an abnormally large orc clad in obsidian climbs out. Steam escapes his nose as he attempts to speak.

Obsidian Orc: It has been… too long… I crave for some destruction!

The third Blade glides to the far east, past the poison fields then towards the ruined and cursed city of Necropolis, home of the vhampyrs which is surrounded by a magical barrier. The Blade pierces through the barrier, shattering it, and opening the world to the city and its inhabitants. Each coffin inside the city bursts open, letting out the imprisoned monsters, and their leader, the Beast of Blood.

Beast of Blood: Hungrrryyyyyyy….

The fourth and final Blade flies to the south, in the barren wastelands of Zaradun. The Blade buries itself in the sand, searching for something underneath. Soon, it reaches the treasure room of an ancient dungeon and plunges itself in front of a decrepit machine. A seal breaks and a yellow beam of light drills through the ceiling and the sand before finally reaching the sky. The machine begins to move but then collapses, leaving some sort of golden cocoon in its debris. The cocoon then cracks open and from inside, unveiling a short woman inside with a sadistic smile.

Woman: My, my… after thousands of years… I’m finally free.

She fiendishly licks her index finger before spreading her arms wide. Golden webs begin to shoot out from the tips of her fingers, latching onto the walls of the dungeon.

Woman: I wonder what marvelous treasures the future has brought for me!

The women pulls the webs and the dungeon begins to collapse in on itself.

Back in Whitetower, Nia notices the four beams of light in all directions before turning to Laundsellyn.

Nia: What have you done?!

Laundsellyn pulls out a devilish grin before quickly floating upwards, avoiding Nia’s attack. The priestess glares at the shadow knight.

Sir Laundsellyn: Unleashed the Lieutenants of the Empire upon this realm!

Laundsellyn aims the Blade of Shadow towards Nia and hurls it at her, but she quickly evades it.

Nia: You cannot kill me again, Lucius!

Sir Laundsellyn: Who says I was aiming for you?

Realizing that the missed attack was intended, Nia turns to the Blade which is currently opening a portal to the Shadow Realm. Before she could act, Laundsellyn swiftly zooms past her, entering the portal and closing it immediately.

Nia: This cannot be…

Nia looks back at the beams of light in despair as they vanish.

Nia: The Empire… has returned…

The glowing light in her eyes start to flicker while the aura surrounding her begins to fade slowly.

Nia: This vessel’s companions… They are the key…

As Nia hovers towards the castle’s throne room, she speaks to herself through telepathy.

Nia: Nia Ellarious, your friends. Protect them. They are essential to the Empire’s defeat.

Once she reaches the room, she uses her Light magic to heal everyone who is still alive while lifting an unconscious Kite from the hole that Laundsellyn made. The knights, on the other hand, mourn the death of King Arlan and their fellow soldiers while they kneel by their corpses.

Nia: Protect Kite Nightbloom most of all. He carries the blood of the one who once defeated the ‘Fateseeker’.

Once Nia completely heals her friends, she gently lands on the ground and returns to her former self.

Nia: Huh? Where am I?

She turns to her friends groaning and coming back to their senses.

Nia: Everyone!

The priestess tends to each of her friends, making sure they are okay, especially Kite, but sees that the wounds they sustained during the battle against Laundsellyn were all gone.

Kade: Urgh… what happened…?

Mal: Did we win…?

Loola: I’m afraid not.

Tyril: My head hurts…

Imtura: My back hurts…

Threep: My stomach hurts… I’m famished…

Kite sits up and looks around for Laundsellyn.

Kite: Where’s that bastard?!

Nia gently and worriedly grabs Kite’s arms while she thinks back to what was said to her when she was not herself earlier.

Nia: Kite, it’s okay. He’s gone.

Kade: Like “dead” gone?

The priestess shakes her head in disagreement, disappointing the others and Kite most of all.

Kite: He stole the Blade of Light, and turned it back into that blasted Blade of Shadow.

Tyril: We have to reclaim it.

Nia: That is not our main concern now.

The group turns to Nia.

Mal: What do you mean, priestess?

Nia: I don’t know what happened but… when I was facing Laundsellyn…

The whole group was surprised that Nia had to face off against the shadow knight alone.

Imtura: Wait, you fought him while we were out cold?!

Mal: And you even sent him packing. Nice work, Nia!

Nia’s friends praise her for fending off Laundsellyn, however, she looks down, more concerned with what he has done.

Nia: That’s not important right now…

Kite notices uneasiness in his beloved’s eyes to which he responds by wrapping his arms around her.

Kite: What did he do, Nia?

Nia gulps and looks into Kite’s eyes.

Nia: He has unleashed the Lieutenants of the Empire…

Silence fills the room as Threep and Loola’s furs stand and shivers run down their spines.

Kade: Who are the Lieutenants?

Loola hovers on top of Kade and sits on his head.

Loola: The Lieutenants are considered to be the strongest soldiers of the Empire of Ash and the most trusted associates of the “Fateseeker”. After the Empire’s fall, they were sealed away, frozen in suspended animation.

Threep sits on Nia’s shoulder and helps Kite in comforting her while explaining who the Lieutenants are.

Threep: They are a total of four Lieutenants, but with Laundsellyn serving the Empire, you could say that he is now the fifth Lieutenant.

Everyone tries to process everything that just happened to them ever since the night before.

Tyril: This is just…

Imtura: …a lot to bear…?

Tyril nods at what Imtura said. Everyone turns to Kite.

Mal: What do you think we should do, kit?

Kite gulps, struggling to think of a plan, before looking at Threep.

Kite: Where were the Lieutenants sealed away?

The nesper shakes his head.

Threep: I am not certain, but they were imprisoned outside the borders of Morella; one in the north, somewhere in the mountains; another is in the east, in the cursed city of Necropolis…

Tyril is surprised at the mention of Necropolis.

Tyril: The home of the vhampyrs?

Threep: Yes.

The elf thinks back to his dream about his ancestor, Farin Starfury, facing off against her supposed brother and leader of the vhampyrs, the Beast of Blood. Threep continues to tell the group where the other Lieutenants were sealed away.

Threep: As I was saying, the third is located south of Morella, somewhere in the Zaradun Wastelands. This Lieutenant was sealed by the dwarves in an ancient dungeon but it costed them their lives, which ended with the dungeon being buried in the sands.

Mal freezes at the mention of an ancient dungeon underneath the Zaradun Wastelands. He speculates and worries if that was the same dungeon he explored prior to his retirement a few years ago. Threep goes on.

Threep: And lastly, the fourth is sealed deep within the volcanic island of K’ell Dhana, the former home of the orcs. Whoever was sealed there was believed to be the cause of the island’s destruction, prompting the orcs to relocate to where Flotilla is now.

Imtura recalls her nightmarish vision, regarding Flotilla’s destruction, and starts to wonder whether its linked to whoever was sealed in K’ell Dhana. Kite notices the disturbed expressions of some of his friends.

Kite: You guys okay? You’ve been having the same anxious faces since this morning.

Mal, Tyril and Imtura look at each other, understanding that each of them had seen something horrifying the previous night. They all turn to Kite and the rest of their friends.

Mal: Well, you see, kit…

Imtura: You weren’t the only one who had a weird dream about something related to the Empire of Ash.

Tyril: I believe that what Mal and Imtura are saying… The three of us must’ve dreamt or seen something related to each of the Lieutenants.

Kite is about to ask them about what happened but the acting leader of the knights approach the group.

Knight Leader: Brave heroes, the King is gone and the citizens are panicking because of the appearance of the shadow dweller and the beams of light that occurred in the horizons. We must act quickly. What do you suppose we should do?

The group turns to Kite.

Kite: What?

Kade: We trust your intuition, Kite. What should we do?

Kite shakes his head.

Kite: No, no, no. I may be the best among us, but I’m not a leader.

Nia: Well, we trust you in these situations because you’re the bravest among us as well.

Mal: Yeah, you were still the only one to keep pissing off Laundry Boy when he was about to abduct Nia and the one to receive the “drop you down the floor” treatment.

Tyril nudges Mal for ruining the moment.

Kade: Point is that we’ll follow you to the bitter end.

Imtura: Aye!

Kite looks at his friends and nods at them with determination.

Kite: Alright, I’ll think of something.

He turns to Threep and Loola.

Kite: Which do you guys think is the closest Lieutenant to Morella?

Loola: We believe it is the one sealed in K’ell Dhana.

Kite then turns to Imtura.

Kite: Imtura, get a ship ready. We sail as soon as possible.

Imtura: Spoken like a true captain, landrat!

Kite grins as Imtura points to one of the knights.

Imtura: You!

Knight 3: Eek! Y-Yes, ma’am?

Imtura: Take me to your harbor!

Knight 3: U-U-Understood!

The knight frantically runs and leads the orc towards the Whitetower Harbor. Meanwhile, Kite turns to the knight leader.

Kite: Keep the citizens safe in one location. If we do not return in a day, evacuate the whole city. As of now, we are dealing with a threat far worse than the Shadow Court.

The knight salutes in understanding.

Knight Leader: Understood.

He signals his underlings to move out as they carry King Arlan and their comrades’ corpses. Kite and his friends hurry to the port. Nia smiles at him.

Nia: That was amazing, Kite.

Kite: Thank you, Nia.

The group reaches the harbor with Imtura and the knight readying one of the ships. She spots her friends.

Imtura: Ah, just in time!

The knight gets off the boat while the group gets on it.

Knight 3: Fortune favor you, brave heroes. May the Light be with you.

Kite nods at the knight as he and his friends set sail towards Flotilla.

Imtura: Next stop, Flotilla!

The group stares into the vast ocean, bracing themselves for what’s about to come.

Meanwhile in the prisons of Whitetower, Aerin sits clumsily in his cell, still clutching his heart while screams of panicking citizens flood his ears.

Aerin: What… What is happening? Why is my chest still paining?!

He jumps in surprise when a portal to the Shadow Realm opens on front of him. Laundsellyn steps out of it.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, there you are.

Aerin recognizes the shadow knight and glares at him.

Aerin: You!

Sir Laundsellyn: …Was it something I did?

Laundsellyn shakes his head.

Sir Laundsellyn: Doesn’t matter.

Aerin clenches his fist and attempts to land a punch.

Aerin: Stay back, heathen!

But Laundsellyn catches his fist and knocks him unconscious with the hilt of the Blade of Shadow.

Sir Laundsellyn: We have much to discuss, Prince Aerin. I hope you are willing to listen.

The shadow knight drags the prince towards the portal, entering the Shadow Realm, before it closes.

––––– END OF CHAPTER –––––

[somewillwin]

Imtura with abssss ugh pb wasted Opportunity 😩

RIGHT?! If theee was ever a chance to give abs to a female in choices it was Imtura.....

Pb make an effort challenge

[yourlatitude]

aftermath (i): tales.

437 days and nights with her, Mal still can't get enough of her. Her smiles. Her laughs. Her kindness. Her ability to flirt in any situation. Her playfulness. Her wit. And how she loves his tales yet always ended up getting riled up by his countesses stories. 

(18+. Explicit. Smut.)

So, with Blades of Light and Shadow Book 1 just ended, I need to make a confession. I’m having trouble with choosing LI for this book and God knows I want all of them on my bed. So I decided I’ll just make 4 smutty drabbles to each of them. My MC in this series is human. So here’s one for Mal Volari. Enjoy!

(Mal Volari) (Imtura Tal Kaleen) (Nia Ellarious) (Tyril Starfury)

(Blade of Light and Shadow: Mal Volari x Lilith of Riverbend (MC))

i.

Mal swears he never saw something as majestic as her, sweating and blushing, riding on top of him. And it’s natural of him, as a former-Lilith makes sure he is not thieving as much as he used to-thief, wanted to claim any majestic things to his own so he let his hands roam around her glowing skin, teasing and taking.

437 days and nights with her, Mal still can't get enough of her. Her smiles. Her laughs. Her kindness. Her ability to flirt in any situation, still unbeatable. Her playfulness. Her wit. And how she loves his tales yet always ended up getting riled up by his countesses stories.

She always takes those stories as a challenge and Mal honestly doesn't have any idea why. Not that he complained though because it usually ended up with them, bare and raw against each other. Like now.

“Mal-” she cries, begging on top of him. 

He can feel her slickness around him, clenching him eagerly as her hand clutching around the little amount of hair on his chest. Fuck, she is his.

“Fuck, Mal- don’t you dare-“ Her voice trembling, her eyes are starting to tear up when he slowed down, her breasts bouncing up and down along her desperation. “Mal Volari- I swear to God-“

Mal slaps her ass. Hard. She yelps.

“Oh no, Kit. When my cock is deep inside you, God cannot be in between us. Such a disrespect.”

She drops on top of him, crying and mewling as her hips moving in desperate circles. Her rhythmic is weakening. Her breasts and her hard mounds rubbing against his as her moans start to sounds clumsy between her begs. She is desperate. She is under his control.

“Please Mal, please-“ She sobs on his neck. Fuck. What were the story about him and countesses again? Thousands of countesses won’t make himself as hard as Lilith now, begging him on top of him, mewling desperately like her life is depending on his cock.

“Please what, Kit? You should tell me clearly,” He grips her hips and start to move his hips upwards. “I’m not as clever as the others, you know.” 

And she cries, her cunt is clenching so hard around him. No control. He loves it when she lost her control to him.

Mal flips their bodies, lifting her legs to his shoulder. “Oh- Go- Mal, Fuck, Mal!” She is a mess under him. She is close. So fucking close. It’s like the treasure is just a foot away from her. And with her, Mal feels like he's the treasure that she’s been desperate for.

“What, Kit? Say it. Loud.” He smirks, fastening his pace, slightly hoping that Lilith will reply his teasing like usual but she is just crying, clawing his back, eyes rolling to her head. Well, he is not complaining.

“Make me come, please.” She mewls.

And, that’s the final straw of Mal Volari’s patience.

He grips the sheets between her head, pounding into her harder, letting her understand his own desperation before he let go. Spilling into her with his own groan along her cries. She is trembling under him, around him, desperately clutching him, begging him to let her prolong her release.

Fuck countesses. Mal only wants one Lilith. Only her. He will fucking trade every glorious tales of him for her.

Mal’s lip twitches into a smirk as he watches her under him, still connected to him, trying to catch her breath with her teary eyes. “Fuck you, Mal. Don’t look so smug-“ She pouts with red cheeks.

“Well, all yours, Kit. All you have to do is ask me nicely and you’ll get this cock again.” He laughs as he kisses her lips gently. Lilith smiles as she kisses him back. Best part. The best fucking part.

“I think I should pay those countesses some respect and thank you.” Lilith whispers between their kisses. Mal raises his brow, “Hm? I thought you don’t like those specific tales about me.”

“Well, you are so good at this. Those practices must be the reasons.” She smirks, gripping his ass. Oh, tease.

Mal Volari smirks and pulls himself out of her, earning a protesting whine from her. “Turn around, Kit. Hands and knees. Let’s pay your respects to the countesses.”

Lilith smirks yet does what he says, “Don’t get too loud. Everyone is downstairs, Mal. Don't make this reunion a chance for them to roast you.”

Oh, what a perfect timing? Too loud my ass. He’ll make sure everyone will hear them clearly.

[melodyofgraves]

Kiss Me (Imtura x Rosalie (F!HumanMC))

A/N: I wrote this for @starfurys challenge for the prompt “Spider-Man Kiss”.

It’s also my first Imtura x MC fic and I haven’t played romancing Imtura yet, so I apologize if she’s a little ooc.

It’s just pure fluff, after all the angst we’ve been getting from Blades lately (and I love it), I wanted to do something more lighthearted. Hope you enjoy!

Words: around 550-600

Tagging: @scalpeljockeybrycelahela @nextheirofslytherin @brightpinkpeppercorn @noesapphic @iaraiumi @choicesficwriterscreations

The plan didn’t work.

In all honesty, she wasn’t even sure what was the plan but it sure didn’t involve getting caught in one of the traps.

The blood rushing to her head and the constant swinging caused by her failed attempts to untie the intricate knot around her ankle were already making her dizzy. She considered calling for help, the rest of the party couldn’t have been that far away but decided against it. You never know who else could be nearby and she wasn’t exactly in the best fighting position.

So she just waited, trying her best to minimize the swinging and prevent the breakfast she had earlier from escaping her too soon.

She rested her eyes for a second, testing if it would make it easier to endure, and soon was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Can’t get you out of my sight for a second, can I?”

Rosalie came face to face with her favourite orc and a wide grin appeared on her face.

“Hi. You look gorgeous today, you know? Even upside down.”

Imtura rolled her eyes but still smiled a little. “Don’t change the damn subject. How did you get yourself into this mess?”

“I was pretty sure I took care of all the traps.” she pointed at the rope around her leg and shrugged. “Turns out I didn’t.”

“Need any help? Or are you enjoying yourself?”

“I don’t know. I think I’m kinda getting used to this new perspective.” she joked. The orc raised an eyebrow at her and she winked. “But maybe a kiss would make it better.”

“Ever get tired of all these flirting?” Imtura chuckled, taking a step towards the woman. Their lips were, very conveniently, at the same height.

“With you?” Rosalie smirked, lowering her tone to a whisper. “Never.”

The orc closed the distance between them, cupping the human’s face with her hands both to steady her and to bring her even closer. Both smiled against each other’s lips, even though the position they were in was a little bit uncomfortable.

The kiss was slow, passionate and made them both forget about their mission and the rest of the world for just a few moments.

Finally, Imtura pulled away, reaching for one of the axes attached to her belt. She cut the rope effortlessly, earning a tiny squeal from Rosalie before catching her so she didn’t hit the ground. Immy sneaked an arm under the woman's knees and feeling her warm touch at the back of the neck, she brought their lips together for another, quicker kiss. "You're damn lucky I have a soft spot for you, landrat." "I am." “Do you want to go find the others?”

“Not yet.” their lips met for once again. This time, the kiss was more gentle. Imtura sighed contently as Rosalie played with her hair, holding the human in her arms before suddenly setting her back on the ground. The voices in the distance were getting closer. Two men, arguing a little too loudly for the kind of mission they were supposed to be on.

“Pretty sure that’s our cue to find the rest of the crew.” the orc ran the finger through her hair. Her cheeks were still a little warm but she sure hoped the blush wasn’t too visible. “Better hurry before these two draw attention to themselves.” Rosalie laughed and grabbed her hand, pulling her in the party’s direction.

Imtura smiled, looking the back of the woman’s head. Hopefully, they’ll get some more alone time later.

[nazario-sayeed]

Vulnerable (Mal x F!Elf)

Summary: I used two prompts I found here on tumblr to write this fic: "I turned out liking you a lot more than I originally planned.” and “Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” “Yes, we can.” I think that's pretty self explanatory isn't it 

Author’s note: This is my first Mal x MC fic but I already have a few others planned, hopefully I'll work on them soon. I named it after Vulnerable by Selena Gomez, so that's my recommendation for today. English is not my first language. 

Word count: the last time i checked it had 2.1k words but I added some things.

Warnings: it’s not exactly smut but it’s close. Some swearing too, a bit of angst. 

Masterlist

Tagging: @moonlightfreya @soft-for-drake @dailydoseofchoices @nyastarlight @magdagamaleldin @otomegamesaremydrug @brightpinkpeppercorn @laragazzaconunsogno​ @magdagamaleldin @virtuallytakenby​ 

permanent tag list: @lahelalove @donutsgirl36 @queenkaneko @msjpuddleduck​ @flyawayboo @jlpplays1 @desireepow-1986 @embarrassingsmartphonegame @mfackenthal @cerisesayeed-ramsey​ @malsvolari​

Trying to get the shards meant spending a lot of their time moving around Morella, following the leads from one place to another and camping in unusual and unfamiliar places. They were used to it; Myriani went hunting, Nia and Tyril set up camp, Mal collected fruits and plants they could eat, Imtura chopped down wood to make a fire, Threep kept sleeping unbothered. They had a routine, and they were good at it.

By the time the sun went down, they were gathered around the fire, passing the flask with ale between each other and listening to the same stories they had heard Mal tell at least 10 times- something about contessas and alcohol. None of them bothered listening anymore. Somewhere along the bumpy road, their party became quite close. Two elves, two humans, an orc and a nesper sounded like the beginning of a joke, but somehow they worked well together. They protected each other, fought for each other and enjoyed each other's company- even Tyril was caught smiling every now and then.

They were all exhausted that night, so they went to their tents right after they ate whatever animal it was that Mariani had hunted for them. That night was colder than they were used to; winter was showing its first signs. Their tents were set up close to the fire that they hoped would last all night. 

Myriani couldn’t sleep; she kept tossing and turning in her tent until she gave up sleep altogether with a sigh. She couldn't stop thinking about her brother- everyday they got closer to finding the next shards, but they still had so much ahead of them. With each passing day, the possibility of finding him felt more and more thin. 

She closed her eyes and let her elf senses feel the atmosphere around her, trying to sense some peace within the woods around her and fall asleep. Instead, she felt that the person in the tent next to hers wasn’t sleeping either. Mal.

I could go join him in his tent, she thought to herself. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve slept together, in the literal meaning of the word. Kissing and sleeping together. That's all they had done so far- sneaking in each other's tents or rooms to make out until both of them passed out, usually too exhausted to do more. But she wanted more. Sometimes she wanted him so badly it hurt. She knew he wanted her too; whenever they were kissing and she straddled him, she could clearly feel just how badly he wanted her.

When they were alone together, sometimes she caught glances of the real Mal, the man underneath the character he had built for himself. He seemed vulnerable and real for a few seconds- but before she could truly appreciate it he went back to his act. She liked his flirty and carefree personality, but behind his crooked smirk and teasing comments there was a real man who she liked even more. In the mornings after they had spent the night together, when they were with the group again, he always pretended nothing had happened. He came back to telling his many tales as an adventurer, his sex escapades and whatever else he thought would fit his reputation best. She didn't know if she ever expected anything different, but she couldn't deny it stung a little.

She debated on her head if she should really go to his tent, even if she already knew she would eventually give in- so she did. She silently got out of her tent and crawled to his, carefully opening it. When she poked her head through the tent, she saw Mal instinctively reaching for the dagger he kept by his side, relaxing when he realized it was her.

“You should be more careful next time. I was close to throwing a dagger at you” he said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes, climbing in the tent and closing it behind her.

“I’d like to see you try, Mal the Magnificent” she said back and he let out an amused chuckle, leaning back and resting his head on his crossed arms.

“Did you come into my tent to challenge me for a duel or do you have something else in mind?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She rolled her eyes again and threw the pillow she had brought with her at him, feeling glad that the poor lighting wouldn’t let him see the blush on her cheeks.

“Get your mind out of the gutter” she said, laying down next to him, blaming their proximity on the small space of the tent. She could barely make out his face in the dark, the only light coming from the fire burning weakly outside their tent.

“I just couldn’t sleep, and I knew you were still up so…” she trailed off, and he turned to face her, searching for her eyes.

“What’s keeping you awake, kit?” he asked and she could tell it was an honest question, like he actually cared about the answer. About her, even. 

“It’s just… this journey has been the most exhausting thing I’ve ever been a part of, but it’s also the most fun I ever had. It’s a bittersweet feeling because I’m having the time of my life finally living the adventure I always dreamed of, but Kade isn’t here to share it with me. It was his dream too and I….” her voice broke. “I don’t know. I wish he was here too.”

Mal reached between them to give her hand a small squeeze.

“I don’t know if we’ll be able to bring your brother back, Myriani. But if there’s one team that can do it, it’s ours” he said, sounding more optimistic than she could ever remember him being. She could feel the honesty on his voice.

“Mal, was that you being supportive and optimistic? What’s happening to you?” she asked him with fake concerned, and he laughed.

“Your lot has been a bad influence on me. Mostly you and the priestess” she couldn’t see the smile on his face but she could hear it.

“You probably can’t wait to get rid of us huh” she tried to tease him, hoping it had sounded casual enough. The truth was that deep down, she was scared he would agree. She knew Mal was lonely wolf, that he went where he could find the best opportunity for him. But after all of these weeks they had spent together- kissing, talking, getting to know each other- some part of her hoped he wouldn’t leave as soon as their mission was over. She didn’t know exactly what she expected, but she wished she had time with him after all of this to figure it out.

“I…” he started, hesitating for one second too long to make Myriani instantly regret what she had said. Before she could say anything to take it back, he went on, his confident tone back “Nah, you’re not all bad. I turned out liking you a lot more than I originally planned”

"Are you going soft on me now?" she asked, her voice too shaky to be casual. He smiled and instead of answering he tentatively moved his hand that was on top of hers to her hips, her skin on fire where he was touching her over her clothes.

“Mal…” she whispered, closing her eyes as his hands move up her sides to the back of her neck, his calloused hand caressing her skin.

“I don’t think I wanna talk anymore. Do you?" he said, his voice just the right amount of teasing and seriousness. She knew he was dodging her question, but at that moment, she didn't give a fuck. 

Instead of answering him, Myriani pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. He let out a soft gasp and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

She threw her legs over his hips before he could react, straddling him. He barely had time to groan his approval before she leaned down and kissed him more passionately.

Mal moaned softly into her mouth as she grabbed his long hair and pulled it  hard. His hands explored her sides, her hips, her backside- anywhere he could find. With each second, their kiss grew more heated and their movements were more intense.

One of her hands slid under his shirt, feeling his firm muscles reacting to her touch. She traced every line of his stomach with her hand, tracing the hair there with her fingers to where it disappeared under his pants. Just as her hand brushed the waistband of his pants, she pulled back from him, making him groan his disapproval.

“Take off your shirt, please” he could tell by her tone it wasn't a request- it was an order. 

"So polite..." He teased, making a show of removing the shirt. 

As soon as his shirt was off, she leaned down to kiss him again. More heated, more passionate, rougher. She traced kisses down his jaw and neck, biting him with just enough strength to leave a mark.

His own hands didn’t stop exploring her body, pushing her skirt over her long legs, until his hands were above her knees, sliding closer and closer to where she was now aching for him. She rolled her hips on top of him, moving in a way that could only be described as griding on the very obvious bulge on his pants. It felt so good, it felt too good- they couldn't help the cry that left both of their mouths.

They kept kissing and touching each other, his hands already undoing the laces on her clothes when she heard something outside the tent. She froze and pulled back, attentitve to every movement and sound around them.

It was dark, but she could only imagine what they looked like at that moment. Him with his shirt off, his hair a mess from all the pulls she gave it, his lips swollen and his neck and chest already showing some of the marks she left there. Her with the laces on her outfit half undone, her skirt hiked to her waist barely covering her hips. Both of them panting, trying to catch a breath.

“Did you hear that?” She whispered. He stopped, trying to listen to whatever she had heard. But his senses weren't as heightened as hers.

“Hear… what?” He said back, don’t minding the interruption and sliding his hands up her bare legs “The only sound I heard was you moaning and-“

"Shh!" She put a finger to his lips to shut him up and there was the sound again, like someone shuffling around but trying to keep quiet. 

Only then she seemed to remember they were in a tent in the middle of the woods with four of their companions sleeping a few feet away. Very exposed, not at all alone. She thought they were all asleep when she sneaked out but… Myriani and Mal hadn’t been exactly quiet, someone could've easily woken up. She heard a quiet cough and Mal seemed to have heard it this time too, because she could feel his body tensing up under her.

“Do you think they can hear us through the tent?” She asked in a low voice that she hoped only Mal could hear.

“Yes, we can” all of their companions- Tyril, Nia, Imtura and even Threep- said in unison. Tyril sounded exhausted, Nia sounded embarrassed and Imtura sounded amused. Threep sounded like a mix of all three. Well, if they heard that, they definitely heard everything else, she thought to herself. 

Mal’s and Myriani’s eyes met in the dark and although some part of them felt embarrassed to have been overheard by their group while they heavily made out in the middle of the night, they burst out laughing together. She was laughing so hard she fell on top of him, trying to muffle the sound by burying her face onto his chest while he rubbed her back trying to calm her down- but he was laughing just as hard.

Outside the tent they head a long sigh.

“Can you please, please stop? Some of us want to get some sleep before we have to spend all day tomorrow traveling through the woods” Tyril was done with their bullshit. They heard a small chuckle in the tent next to theirs- Imtura.

“Sorry, guys. We’ll tone it down” Myriani said, still feeling low-key amused.

“I much appreciate it. Goodnight” Tyril said, annoyed; this time Mal and Myriani managed to hold back their laugh. 

“We’ll pick up from here another day?” She said to Mal with a smirk, his hands on her back.

“You better be fucking sure we will” he pulled her face down for one last kiss before she climbed out of him and let him wrap his arm around her, his bare chest to her back. She was at least 10 inches taller than him but somehow they made it work. She felt comfortable sleeping with his arms around her.

He kissed the back of her neck and she let out a content sigh, snuggling against him.

“Goodnight, Mal”

“Night, kit”

She felt his breath on the back of her neck and his heart beating against her back- it felt so right to be like that. She ignored the part of her brain that kept telling her this would end with a goodbye and a broken heart. At that moment, it was enough to feel his arms holding her close. She could let herself be vulnerable and hoped he would too. 

[juliaromantique]

mission impossible (blades gang au)

drabbles request (by @cosigottahavefaith):

“you know humming james bond theme tune defeats the point pf sneaking” 

699 words, blades gang au (it was definitely a challenge for me but i hope it turned out ok; i saw modern blades au and thought it fits here well)

∞

Night slowly fell on the city when five silhouettes slowly crept along the alley. Only occasionally they met passers-by but they did not pay attention to them. These guys were too skillful troublemakers. 

"Can you imagine the look on his face when he finds out?" Imtura's voice chuckled after her own reference and Nia couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh my God, I still can't believe we even doing it!" she said shaking her head and grasping Lyra's hand tighter. 

"Well, there's no way back now, my friends," Lyra smiled as the five of them were getting closer to their destination.

"May I ask why all of us should come along? It's definitely not the best idea," Tyril walked after them with a troubling look at his face. All this shenanigan was actually his idea but when they all got so excited and headed straight to their target, he started to regret even suggesting it.

"Oh, are you afraid we'll screw up your grand idea?" Imtura pricked at his side and he just sighed with irritation.

"You better not tell all that if we'll get caught," he asked, glancing on his friends with a threatening finger.

"That it was your idea or that you knew we gonna screw up?" Lyra smiled while others barely hold back their laugh.

"I hate you guys. I really do," Tyril rolled his eyes but a soft smile was playing on his lips when he watched how his buddies tried to stifle their laughs. They continued to sneak closer to the other campus building as they noticed what they were looking for. Or someone's window they were looking for. Imtura and Lyra walked closer while others stayed behind them. Nia held out the marker to Lyra and she took it with a coy grin. 

"Well, here's goes," enthusiastically she took a deep breath but then they all suddenly startled and froze in the place...

"dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun dundedun dun dun dun deDON do do do", Mal's quiet voice brought the attention of the four others and they looked at him with wild eyes. He continued to mumble the sound but as soon as he saw their amused faces, his cheeks blushed furiously. 

"You know, humming James Bond theme tune defeats the point of sneaking, right?" Imtura said with an annoyed voice as she gave him a menacing look. 

"What? I just wanted to light up the mood!" he raised his hands in surrender but as he did, the lamp in the room lighted up and they all instinctively sank to the ground. Imtura had to drug Mal down since he was too bewildered after his performance.

"I take my words back. I hate you, Mal," Tyril whispered as they all squatted under the window and waited for the opening. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, light in the room disappeared and they all slowly straightened with Imtura looking at Mal with an intense gaze. Lyra finished her work on the window without further complications and they looked at her work. 

"Brilliant," Tyril grinned in satisfaction.

"You've done a good job, Lyra!" Nia whispered into Lyra's ear while she blushed in response. The sentence 'drakhna was here' appeared on the glass of the window and they slowly rushed back to the alley leaving their work of art. 

"You didn’t mean this back there, right Tyril?" Mal asked his friend with pleading eyes as they were jogging next to each other, but Starfury just smiled softly at him.

“I’m so happy that we did it! This idiot would know better before killing my drakhna queen in computer club,” Lyra said when they were running back to their building. "And you know what... "

She stopped making them all follow her lead. Somehow, the four of them understood what she wanted to do.

"badap ba daa ba da daa ba daa da deda daa Badap ba daa ba da daa ba daa da deda daa," Nia started to hum again, and this time they all laughed so carefree, singing along with her and smiling to each other in the middle of this adventurous night.

[lovelahela]

❛ midnight strolls ❜ ─ mal volari.

⇢ requested by @choicesloversstuff​ + entry for the march challenge !

⇢ book: blades of light and shadow

⇢ pairing: mal vaolari x human!mc (lia)

⇢ genre: fluff

⇢ prompt: midnight strolls

⇢ word count: 1032

⇢ synopsis: in which lia and mal take a midnight stroll through port parnassus, and it seems lia had a little too much to drink.

⇢ note: i really hope you like it after the long wait aksjfas i’m sorry again!!

❛ ...i pour out my heart to you and all you have to say is word?  ❜

❛  you’re a sappy drunk, kit, it’s hilarious. ❜

        It was quite funny, really.

        They had only been in Port Paranassus for under 24 hours, and Lia managed to get rather... tipsy, after a few drinks in the tavern they barreled into. Nia, bless her soul, decided to remain responsible and reasonable by giving up the alcoholic beverages after getting the color of her cheeks began to complement that of her hair, but Lia, oh, she was a different story. Wild, that one. Her little cohort — which, weirdly enough, consisted of an elf, a Priestess, a fellow human, and... an orc? — watched her with amusement as she sang drunkenly with her arm around a stranger's shoulder. The orc she clung to was twice her size and had the appearance of a menacing pirate but, to their joy, broke into song with her as well. Mal doubled over in laughter at the ridiculous sight, slapping his thigh continuously with one hand and bracing himself on the counter he sat next to with the other to maintain balance. Nia giggled sheepishly, Imtura's barks of joy echoed in the crowded room, and Tyril merely observed with the smallest of smiles on his face — which, alone, said much.

        After patting the orc affectionately on the cheek a few times, Lia — with clear effort — stood up and hobbled over to the party she grew to love over a short but rather exhilarating time. Nia attempted to stiffle her giggles in order not to upset her, whereas Imtura and Mal shamelessly resumed their mockery. A lazy grin stretched across her lips as she swayed faintly on her feet to the music playing boisterously in the background.

        "What in the Three Hells are you laughing at?" She had demanded playfully, placing her arm on the counter and supporting the weight of her body against it. Mal wiped away a joyous tear from the corner of his eye.

        "You, I'd say." If his ears hadn't deceived him, he could have sworn he heard Tyril snort.

        "Oh, shut it, will you?" Lia, too, snorted unattractively. She linked her arm with Mal's and turned her face to look at him with a wide grin and a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's take a walk, shall we? The weather's perfect outside."

        "Are you sure that's safe with your — um — condition?" asked Nia, voice laced with concern for her newfound friend. Imtura chuckled and said, "Let the landrat have her fun, Priestess. Besides, it wouldn't be too unfortunate if she were to trip and fall into the ocean."

        Nia gasped, and the corners of Tyril's lips twitched upwards. "Imtura!"

        The orc laughed jokingly. "I tease, I tease! Maybe."

        Mal, meanwhile, smirked at his fellow human. "I don't see the problem with that."

        "Lovely!" And with that, Lia yanked him out of his seat with an unprecedented strength, shocking him into gasping. He almost tripped and fell face-first onto the tavern's floor, swearing profusely at the sudden movement. She dragged him enthusiastically through its doors, her grin widening when her skin met the crisp bites of the cool midnight breeze. Due to the location being close to an ocean, the weather was a pleasant kind of cool when the moon took its turn of shining brightly among the twinkling stars in the black sky. 

        Her steps were uneven and staggering. Mal tsked and wrapped his arm around her smaller form tightly to steady her while she walked aimlessly along the path, smiling in an almost dazed space at the beautiful sight above her. It was a sudden change from her previously rambunctious behaviour, but it was a pleasant change indeed.

        "I like you, Volari." He laughed softly at how proud she seemed to have said that. He patted the top of her head with his free hand affectionately. "No, really. You pretend to be this big, tough, cool guy and hide your troubled past or whatever behind your confidence, but I see through you." As she said the last phrase, she narrowed her eyes at him and made the "I see you" motion with her fingers, making him quirk his eyebrows in growing amusement. "You're a big ol' softie on the inside. So, I like you."

        "I'm sure you do, kit," sighed Mal.

        "No, really!" exclaimed Lia for he second time. "You have a great sense of humour, you're skilled fighter — and thief, but we won't talk about that right now — and no matter how much you deny it, you care about us too." She had been gesturing wildly while explaining her point as if she were back recounting the most adventurous tale with Kade in Riverbend. "I know we haven't known each other long, but you're a good person, Mal, and we're going to be really good friends. I can feel it. I know it."

        His facial muscles slackened at all the meaningful sentences she spouted at him in a hurry. A fuzzy feeling warmed his stomach, but he also felt it twist guiltily. An uncharacteristically warm, kind smile graced his face as he gazed down at her. When she finally caught his eyes, he coughed awkwardly and looked away, cursing the tingling feeling of blood rushing to his cheeks. Oh, hell, he cursed mentally. He could see her raising her eyebrows expectantly at her out of the corners of his eyes, and — after a long moment of silence — resorted to replying with the first thing that came to his mind. "Word."

        Lia gaped at him like a fish, seeming as though he had said the single most offensive word to her. After processing his ridiculous reply, she poked him harshly in the ribs, squeezing a surprised cry of pain out of his lips. "I pour my heart out to you, and all you have to say is word?"

        His body convulsed with laughter for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. Soon after, they dissolved into silence yet again, and Mal pressed the softest of kisses to her forehead, hoping to God she would forget it the following morning. She let out a surprised squeak, and her face impossibly reddened further. "You're sappy drunk, kit. It's hilarious, really." 

[choicesenthusiast]

Blades of Light and Shadow, Ch. 12 AKA Paper Faces on Parade

What happened this week:

PB delivers with gorgeous masquerade outfits for all the LIs. Though the MC outfits are...hmm, questionable. Still awesome, just not as much as the LIs’ outfits.

The gang gets up to all sorts of shenanigans on the way to the ballroom, including Mal and Imtura tripping each other, and a weapons check that (though not canon) definitely had one of those “characters remove endless amounts of weapons from everywhere on their person” tropes.

A lot of snooping around the ballroom and mansion to find out more information on the whole Kaya situation. There’s a wall of stuffed Nespers in one of the halls, and Threep is not happy about it.

Share a dance with an LI, or two, or three, or all of them. Man, if I were not so weak-willed, I’d still have plenty of bank.

Fake -aya enters, magic glass-making scepter in hand, and Tyril, out of nowhere, immediately loses his wit and challenges her to a duel. Sure, it’s a distraction, but a foolish one at that. To add to the chaos, you can create even more of a distraction by, say, setting the curtains on fire.

The Shard isn’t in the scepter at all, but in Fake-Kaya’s crown. She reveals herself as Xenia, the ancient duchess from the Shadow Court.

Apparently Xenia’s old and has lost her touch, because it only takes 5 ragamuffins and the occasional shout of support from an elf for her to give up and teleport away.

Yep, she’s definitely lost her touch, only teleporting barely out of the city. You and Tyril can go finish the job, or not, if you want to make things more interesting in the inevitable final battle.

Adrina is crowned Lady Starfury and everyone supports this. Go Adrina!

After saying our goodbyes to the real Kaya back in those catacombs, it’s finally time to head to Humanland!

Thoughts:

I’m sorry but after watching Phantom of the Opera last week I could only hear Masquerade/Why So Silent throughout this entire chapter. Especially when Xenia revealed herself. Major Why So Silent vibes.

[the-everlasting-dream]

Art Masterlist

Yes I thought it was finally time to make up one of these...

Multi- Book 

Six Fanarts #1

Six Fanarts #2

Six Fanarts #3 

Across The Void 

Zekei

Blades of Light and Shadow

Vantissa quick

MC Aleyrl

Imtura 

Mermaid Kiss 

Tyril Kiss 

Imutura Dance 

Masquerade Challenge 

Bloodbound

Dark MC

Distant Shores 

Maggie 

The Elementalists

Celestial Twins

Shreya Mistry - WIP

Open Heart 

Superhero

MC Dr. Jaya Da Silva

Ethan x MC Commission 

Red Carpet Diaries

Hunt x MC Commission 

Ride or Die 

Mona x MC - ROD Appreciation week

The Royal Romance

Drake x MC Elizabeth Honeymoon

Birthday gift for saivilo

MC and TRH Baby 

TRR parents - WIP

Drake x Elizabeth Kiss - WIP