#it was such a beautiful passing of the torch moment I literally had tears rolling down my face

[bemorekleinman]

yall I saw wicked last weekend and let me tell you. I cried three times

[supernatural---imagines]

Three’s A Crowd- Part 4 (Sam Imagine)

After a run in with Dean and a horrific date your night goes from bad to worse, until the morning after. 

MASTERLIST

“I’m fucking calling him” You spat to your friends as your body crashed down on to Cara’s couch, the three of you had stumbled back to her place after your run in with Dean. 

“Y/N.. is that a good idea? Maybe wait until you sober up?” Josh asked. 

“I don’t give a fuck” You grumbled. You got your phone out of your pocket and phoned his number, it hung up instantly. 

“He hung up on me..” You whispered in shock. Cara came by your side and pulled you into her as tears started to trickle down your cheeks. You knew Sam wasn’t your boyfriend any more, he hadn’t been for over half a year, but you still hoped he’d find his way back to you. You stayed loyal to him, you never got with anyone else. You went on a few shitty dates but no one even came close to being even half as amazing as Sam Winchester.

“I’m going to go to bed.” You got up from Cara’s embrace and started to walk towards her spare bedroom.

“Don’t text him!!” Josh shouted as you left the room

“I wont!” You called back.

“But I will give him a piece of my mind in a voice message” You snickered to yourself as you closed your bedroom door. 

You kicked off your shoes and lay down on the bed, rummaging through your clutch bag for your phone and then dropping the purse beside you. You phoned him again, this time he didn’t hang up but it just rang out until it reached voice mail. 

“I just ran into your asshole brother. Why are you allowed to go be with another girl now but when he came back I had to be gone? Was it just me? I’ve been loyal to you since the day you left and I know you didn’t ask me to but I couldn’t help it. I still believe you are my soul mate, Sam. Anyway.. just calling to say Dean is a dick, and I guess I wish you happiness with your new lady. That’s a lie, I don’t really, I’m just being polite. Okay don’t call me back in the morning I wont want to remember this when I’m sober. Goodbye.” 

You dropped your phone out of your hand and it landed on the floor with a thud, you didn’t realise how high the bed was. You rolled over and got under the covers and passed out pretty promptly. 

“You awake yet?” A gentle knock at your door started you, you sat up in the bed and the headache hit you straight away. Josh creeped into the room with two cups of coffee in his hands and sat down at the edge of the bed. You took it off him and thanked him, you were definitely going to need a lot of this today. 

“Oh shit Y/N, your phone is all cracked.” He said before reaching down to his feet and picking it up. He clicked the home button but nothing happened, You must have broken it last night when you dropped it. 

“How do you feel about everything from last night” Josh asked taking a sip from his cup. 

“God, not good.” You replied. “I feel like my heart was broken all over again. It’s my own fault, I shouldn’t have kept carrying the torch for him when I knew we’d never work.” 

“Feelings suck” Josh laughed

“I’ll drink to that” You raised your coffee cup and clinked it with his before sipping, the coffee beginning to wake you up.

An hour later Cara had offered to drop both you and Josh home. Josh only lived a few streets away and Cara didn’t mind driving. 

“Thank you guys for last night, I was a bit of a mess.” You laughed from the back seat.

“Hey what are friends for!” Cara answered as she turned on to your street.

You looked down at your phone annoyed at how broken it was. You kind of hoped Sam would call or text back after that voice mail, but now you wont know for days if he even got it until your phone was fixed. 

The man lived in your day dreams, even just with your head resting against the car window your mind was playing back the memories from your time together. When he handed you the beautiful charm bracelet and you knew you in that exact moment that you wanted to marry him, that moment is nirvana in your head. The feeling was bitter-sweet, the memory was as perfect as the man in it, but you would never have that feeling again with him and that pained your heart incredibly. 

You and your friends sang along to some cheesy classics in the car, all three of you incredibly hungover and horrific sounding, but that didn’t matter. These were the memories you’d eventually look back on fondly, this was simply happiness with no complications, which is exactly what you needed right now.

“Umm.. Y/N why is there a literal Prince Charming sitting on your door step?” Josh asked. Your attention snapped up to look out the window when your eyes met the sight of the beautiful man sat on the step, dressed in his plain black suit with a navy tie, holding a single rose in his hand. 

“That’s him” Cara spoke barley loud enough for anyone to hear, she was just as shocked as you. 

She pulled into your driveway and you jumped out of the car before it had stopped. Sam switched his gaze from the rose in his hand to the vehicle pulling up. When you jumped out of the car a smile lit up his face and he started to walk towards you. You couldn’t hold it in, you were unbelievably smitten with this man and despite how much you wanted to stop and ask him about everything, your heart took control of your body and you ran and launched yourself into his arms. His chuckle as he picked you up and spun you around vibrated trough your body and you wrapped your legs around his waist, wanting to sink into him entirely.

He set you down and shyly handed you the rose, you noticed the ring on his finger and you grabbed his right hand to look at it. It was the one you had bought him, the one you had planned to propose with.

“I’ve worn it every day since you gave me it.” He said. 

“But Dean said-” 

“Dean lied.” He cut you off. “He’s been doing that a lot lately. I’m tired of him trying to control my life.”

“So there’s no other woman?” You asked, you looked into his hazel eyes, that were almost shining gold with the sunlight hitting them. They were creased at the sides from his beaming smile. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours. 

“It will always only ever be you.” He whispered before finally pressing his lips to yours. The craving you had since the last day his lips touched yours was only growing deeper as Sam’s tongue entered your mouth. His hands were grasping you close to him as the two of you reconnected, your lips telling stories of how much you missed each other in greater detail than your words ever could. His fingers slid up your back and entangled themselves in your hair as your palm against his neck pressed the kiss deeper. 

Your smile beneath his lips broke the kiss and he laid a series of small pecks over your lips and cheeks. 

“I love you, Sam” You breathed, teeth baring in an undeniable grin. He held your hand in his and placed a small kiss on the back of it.

“I love you too, Baby.” 

You turned to look back at your friends who were standing leaning against the side of the car, with arms around each other watching you and Sam reunite in fondness.

“Now I understand why you couldn’t get over him.” Josh joked inducing laughter from all four of you, Sam of course blushing after. 

“Will you have me?” Sam asked motioning his hand to your house. 

“Of course.” you replied. You began waved back at your friends and squeezed yourself against Sam’s side, his strong arm keeping you as tight as possible as you walked up the steps to your house. As you put your key in the door he whispered in your ear. 

“Let’s go start the first day of the rest of our lives” 

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Chaos Magic Pt 2

Here’s part two to my short story of the Devil, the witch and the magic of chaos. 

Part 1 linked here. 

Hope you guys like it!

______________________________

As we stood outside the door to the building housing the Gathering Portal, I paused, looking back at the once again disguised devil.

“Just to warn you… the Witches’ Council doesn’t exactly like me all that much.”

Lucifer shrugged. “So?”

“So… as my ‘servant’… don’t expect a warm welcome. You’ll probably be looked down on. “ I studied him doubtfully. “Can you hold back from frying them with hellfire?”

He thought it over. “Probably?”

-Probably? Cal’s voice was skeptical.

“I mean, if you can hold off destroying them with your world ending chaos magic, I can’t see why I can’t hold off incinerating their worthless corpses. Even if they should be prostrating themselves before me and sobbing with fear.”

“…”

- He’ll last ten minutes before cracking.

“Don’t you have any confidence in me?!”

 I shook my head. “That’s a little overboard, Cal. He is the devil, after all.”

“At least the witch knows my true worth…”

“I’ll bet he cracks in five.”

“WHAT?” 

-Ten bucks.

“Deal!” 

Lucifer threw up his hands. “Why is no one listening to me?!” 

“We’re listening. Did you want in on the bet?”

-Yeah, join in! More money for me! Morgan never gives me enough spending cash.

“What do you mean I don’t give you enough money?! You’re a sword! What are you going to spend it on? Polish?”

-Cheapskate.

“Earn your own money then!”

“…” The devil stared at me with a tired expression as I argued with the invisible magic weapon. “Let’s just go in.”

We entered the building, only to be immediately confronted by a member of the Witches’ Guard. They were an elite force that protected the council, and the yearly Gathering, from all opposing forces. Soldiers who had trained in both weapons and magic, they were the best of the best…

Unfortunately, they were all too well aware of that fact.

“State your name and business.” A dark haired knight watched us suspiciously, his silver armor gleaming in the scattered torches around the room. His weapon, a spear glowing with a faint green light, was pointed in our direction.

“Morgan, here with my servant for the Gathering.” I held up my palm, a small intricately detailed tattoo on my palm lighting up briefly before fading back into invisibility.

The knight’s eyes widened. “A descendant of Morgan la Fay?”

“Apparently.”

The man’s gaze turned disdainful almost immediately. He turned, spitting at the ground. “Mothersbane! The cursed child dares to return?”

Lucifer shuffled uncomfortably beside me, but I didn’t flinch at his disgusted question. “Whether I dare or not is none of your business. I am a recognized witch here for the Gathering. My pass is in order. The question is, do you dare to stop me?”

The threat hung in the air between us. Finally, the knight opened his mouth, likely to spew more insults, when a more sinister, feminine voice spoke up.

“Cousin, I can’t believe you showed up!” A young woman my own age slipped by me, standing next to the knight with vicious grin. “I thought you had decided to hide away from these sort of meetings to spare yourself the embarrassment.” 

I looked at her quietly for a moment. She was a beautiful girl, but something always was slightly off about her appearance. Her features were delicate and soft, her sharp, angry blue eyes seeming out of place framed by such a pleasant appearance.  At my gaze she flipped her dark curls over her shoulder, laughing softly. 

“What’s wrong, cousin? Lost for words after all this time?”

“Your cousin?” Lucifer whispered incredulously.

“Her name is Araina. A much more distant relation then that.”  I reluctantly answered.

-Morgana’s line has always been very straightforward. There is only ever one descendant, and they always only have one daughter. There will only ever be one true heir to Morgan la Fay, and it’s my master! All these so called “relatives” are distant relations through marriage.

“Doesn’t that mean that you have to have a child to continue the line?” Lucifer glanced at me with a sympathetic expression.

“Only if I care to continue it.”

- I volunteer! You can have kids with me!

“… We don’t have time for a birds and bees talk, Cal. You’re a sword. It would never work.”

- Don’t worry, I’ll handle all those insignificant details.

Lucifer snorted. “Pretty sure you being an object is a pretty significant detail.”

- Stay out of childbearing negotiations!

“Nope, No more childbearing negotiations.” I shook my head. “Childbearing negotiations are indefinitely put on hold.”

As Lucifer and I shared a whispered argument with the suddenly enthusiastic invisible magical weapon, Araina’s expression grew more and more annoyed. 

“Cousin, don’t you think you’re being very rude?” She finally spoke up again, forcing the words through gritted teeth.

I smiled gently. “Oh Miss Araina, please refrain from calling me cousin.” I shrugged helplessly. “After all, the family cut ties with me years ago.” Patting her shoulder helplessly, I continued. “I can understand though, it can be difficult to remember major family events with limited mental capacity.”

The Knight beside Araina widened his eyes with shock at my words. “YOU DARE…?!”

 She held up her hand. “It’s okay, Martin. She can’t help but strike out at others in her own weakness.” Staring at me with a smile, she slowly continued. “Speaking of weakness… I suppose you haven’t heard of the new rule passed by the Council last session?”

What is she up to? “Rule?”

Her smile widened. “All Grade D and below witches must wear their grade marking at all times to prevent confusion during clan negotiations.”

“So just me then.” The Gathering was limited to witches of the noble clans, it was extremely rare to have a witch from these families test lower than Grade C, and the few that did refused to go to the meetings. I would be the only one to have to bear the humiliation of having my Grade marking displayed. It was my family’s petty way to discourage me from coming.

Araina’s expression was innocent. “Of course it’s not a rule just targeting you! It’s purely for the good of the clans. Here, let me help you…” She reached out towards my forehead.

-She dares to humiliate my master? Let’s chop her arm off! Cal roared silently in our heads. 

“Agreed.” Lucifer snarled quietly, hellflame gathering around his fingers. I reached out, grabbing his arm, keeping my expression bland.

A burning pain appeared on my forehead, and I knew that a shimmering grey insignia had appeared on the skin there, the words in a language that only witch’s could understand. It declared my status as a Grade E, the lowest of the low. The shame of my family. 

I grinned, ignoring the pain. “Anything else?”

That caught her by surprise. She studied my expression for a few moments, as if looking for the pain and humiliation that should be there but wasn’t. “No. I’ll go on ahead, cousin. Just remember to leave the grade marking in place.” She muttered under her breath. “Not that you have enough power to remove it even if you wanted to.”

She turned away from me, pausing briefly at the sight of Lucifer. “You… you are my cousin’s servant?” 

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m Miss Morgan’s servant.”

“You should consider changing sides while you still can. If you think you can gain any benefits because she’s in the direct line of Morgan la Fay, then think again. She’s lost her inheritance due to her own incompetence.” She looked him up and down. “You’re not really up to my usual standard appearance-wise, but I’d be willing to make an exception and take you in as one of my servants instead.”

She smiled at him, leaning over to show off her low neckline to its fullest advantage. I wanted to groan with embarrassment for her.

Is she literally trying to tempt the original tempter? This is so sad.

-Hey little devil, why don’t you take up that annoying woman’s offer? You can still get into the Gathering, and my master and me can actually take care of business without your dead weight.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. “No thanks.”

Araina frowned at his words. “Choose carefully, servant. You won’t get this good of an offer again.”

“There’s no need for any further consideration.” He smiled grimly. “I’m not switching.”

“Fine!” The young woman snapped, turning towards the portal. “Enjoy the gathering, cousin.” 

I sighed with relief once she was gone.

“Why did you let her get away with that?” Lucifer asked, staring at me with a  confused expression. 

“The insults? Or the insignia?”

“Both! Don’t you have the power to obliterate her?”

-Exactly! I like the way you think, Devil. Even if you are dead weight.

I grinned. “This is nothing. These sorts of childish games… it’s never been worth my time.”

“… You don’t think I’m dead weight like the sword says, right?”

At Lucifer’s question I stared up at the ceiling, keeping my voice monotone. “…Of course not.” 

“You’re obviously lying.”

“…No.”

 “That time was even worse!” Lucifer sounded near tears. When in the eons of my existence has anyone ever considered me dead weight?” 

-That’s what you get for hanging out with your superiors!

“Don’t say that, Cal. “ At my words, Lucifer, who had been hanging his head down, looked up hopefully.

“It’s not his fault he’s weak. You shouldn’t tease him.” 

“Both of you shut up!” Ignoring our laughter, he stomped ahead of us, walking towards the portal. 

As I followed behind him, the knight guard looked at the glowing insignia on my forehead with a satisfied expression.

“Useless trash.” He muttered under his breath.

I ignored him, stepping into the portal. But just as I was transporting, I heard a scream of pain, and looked over just in time to catch sight of the knight, who was now leaping around trying to put out the green flames which had mysteriously sprung up from the seat of his pants. 

-How long was that?

I checked my watch. “Four minutes and twenty eight seconds.”

-So disappointing. Can I use an IOU?

“You still owe me twenty bucks for the last bet you lost.”

-It’s just a run of bad luck. I’m happy to pay you with an eternity of love and affection.

“Cash only.”

-Harsh. Hey devil boy, You just had to let the hellfire loose! Your weak self control got me into this mess, pay the lady!

“Pay your own bad bets.” Lucifer grinned. “Plus, he deserved it. “

______________________________

We headed into the main Gathering space. With a few days still left before the true meeting started, there were not too many witches who had arrived yet. However even the small groups stood together, staring at the glowing insignia on my forehead, whispering to each other.

“Mothersbane.”

“The cursed one.”

“She dared to show up here?”

“I thought she was dead.”

I put their voices behind me, looking at the various glowing signs that pointed out the different directions.

“The forbidden library is on the lowest level. If you want to research up on chaos magic, and who might have access to it, that’s your best bet.”

Lucifer glanced at me curiously. “What about you?”

“I’m sure my lovely family members won’t sit still for long now that they know I’m here. Once I’ve survived whatever fallout that brings, I’ll look for clues on where to go next tonight.”

- Can we at least kill them all this time?

“And have to handle all the administrative and diplomatic  work on my own? No, better to let them enjoy their temporary titles and authority. Of course… If they get too much in my way…” I trailed off with a grin.

I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye, and sighed quietly to myself. “They moved even faster than I expected. If you’re going to not be involved in this, I suggest you move now.”

“…” Lucifer studied at me with a thoughtful expression. “I’ll stay. With your chaos magic, you’re my best chance for getting to the bottom of this whole mess anyways.” 

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged. “Should be interesting either way.”

Four guards strode up to us, hands on their weapons. “Morgan ne Mothersbane. The matron has summoned you.”

-That old bat has gone too far!

Mothersbane. They had taken my clan name and given me a cursed one instead. 

“It’s okay, Cal. It’s just a name.” Muttering quietly to keep the magical weapon calm, I followed behind the guards, keeping my hands clenched at my sides,

One of them tried to stop Lucifer. “Just the witch has been summoned.”

“That’s my servant, he’s completely harmless.” I sent a silent prayer to no one as they scanned him with their power. 

“Fine. One more weakling won’t make a difference.” 

Lucifer caught up to me, his face stiff with rage. “Weakling? I’ll torture their souls in hell for eternity.”

I patted him on the shoulder. “Of course you will.”

-Don’t worry little devil, we’ll help you get revenge on whoever bullies you.

“I don’t need your help! I’m strong, damnit!”

______________________________

We were brought into the council room, an all too familiar sight. On elevated seats in a semicircle sat the Council members, all watching me with disdainful expression barely visible from the shadow of their black hoods. Only my Aunt Margaret, the acting Matron, stood with her head uncovered, her eyes narrowed as we drew closer.

“You’ve returned.” Her voice was flat, dislike lacing her every syllable.

“And you haven’t lost your touch with wasting time with the obvious. Anything else you want to talk about?”

Her jaw tightened at my retort, but as her eyes glanced over the Grade marking on my forehead her face relaxed into a triumphant smile. “I have family business to discuss with you.” 

I forced a smile. “I’m not part of the family. You kicked me out, remember?”

“Like it or not, you are Morgana’s sole direct heir. You have failed your primary duty of taking leadership in the council due to your disappointing weakness. But now we must consider your secondary duty.” Her eyes bore into me, almost seeming to dig into my flesh “I’m glad you decided to come on your own. Otherwise I would have sent someone to fetch you this year.”

“Get to the point, Margaret.” I felt my nails digging into the palm of my hands, and tried unsuccessfully to unclench my fists.

“You must carry on Morgan la Fay’s line. To accomplish this, we will arrange a man of suitable power for you to be given to with the hopes that your offspring will be better suited for the position of descendant than you are.” Her smile widened. “You should be grateful. With your… quality, you would never have a chance to even lay eyes on powerful men like this.” 

“And if I refuse?” My voice was cold. 

Hers was colder. “You will not be given a choice. Enslavement magic is distasteful, but has its purposes in light of the greater good.”

“And when is this to occur?” I felt a power gathering at my fingertips, a sense of destruction filling my soul. 

“After the Gathering. I have an important guest arriving, and my full attention must be given to him.”

At the words, “important guest” I noted the discomfort on many of the women’s faces, and a gut feeling had me pushing down the destructive force I had come so close to letting loose. It was difficult; the power resisted being placed back after coming so close to being able to consume everything in the room.

“Anything else?” I pushed the words through gritted teeth. It was difficult to focus on anything but the need to destroy everyone and everything. My muscles were shaking with the effort, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. 

“No. Enjoy the Gathering.” Her satisfied smirk made my struggle all the more difficult. “Do not try to leave, or I’ll have my men drag you back.”

“Sure.” Not that it mattered. Any men they sent after me would be destroyed.

As I turned to leave, I heard Margaret call my name one last time.  I glanced back, only to see her hold up a small silver ring.

“This was your mother’s. Why don’t you take it back, appreciate the weight of your new name. “

 She tossed it in my direction, and without thinking I reached out and grabbed it. As the cold metal touched my skin, I felt the memories my mother had left behind flood into me.

______________________________

“Face it, he didn’t give you a gift, he poisoned you! This child is stealing your life force, destroying you from the inside! Who knows what sort of monster you’re carrying.”

“No, I refuse to believe it! He loved me! I know he truly cares! And he’ll love our daughter too!”

“OPEN YOUR EYES! He killed you!”

“You’re lying!”

______________________________

 I shuddered, almost falling to the floor as I felt the walls close in. A pair of warm hands caught me, and the devil’s voice whispered in my ear.

“Should I kill them?”

I took a deep breath, trying to find a balance. With my emotions thrown out of order, my power which had been barely constrained was even closer to breaking free. “They still have one last use. Just get me to the resting rooms.”

He supported me with one arm, and we struggled out of the room under my aunt’s triumphant gaze. As we navigated the different twists and turns of the Gathering area, I slowly focused on my breathing, forcing my power down, feeling my willpower drain. Cal was uncharacteristically quiet, likely realizing I couldn’t afford the distraction.

As he pulled me into a resting room, Lucifer set me down on a bed, his eyes concerned. “Are you okay?”

I wanted to answer, but felt it was getting more and more difficult to talk. Even if I could, what could I say?

Mothersbane… they forced the name on me, but it didn’t make it untrue.

Monster… What else could they call someone who struggled not to destroy everything and everyone?

I was so tired. Why had I agreed to come back again?

Oh yeah, for a chance to kill that bastard.

As I opened my mouth to try to explain, I heard a very familiar voice speak out loud rather than in my head, a cold palm covering my eyes.

“Just rest, Morgan.”

Feeling relieved, I felt myself slip quickly into unconsciousness.

I wasn’t under long before hearing two voices discussing me quietly.

“Does this happen often?”

“Only when she’s trying to hold back the chaos magic and not destroy everything, which seems to happen more often now that you’re here.” It was Cal’s voice, but speaking out loud instead of silently in my head. Confused, I wanted to open my eyes, but I felt like my eyelids each weighed a ton, well beyond my ability to lift. 

“I don’t think you can blame me for this one.” The devil whistled quietly. “That family of hers is something, huh? They make even demons seem friendly.” 

“This? This is nothing for them.” I felt a cool hand on my forehead, the grade marking fading at the touch. “The suffering they put her through… it’s a miracle that this world exists at all.”

He wasn’t wrong. How many times during my childhood did he pull me back from the edge? From releasing all the chaos within me to destroy myself and the world with me?

“Why are they like this?”

I didn’t want Cal to have to answer. I forced my eyes open. “You heard what they called me?” 

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a golden-haired figure disappear. I rubbed my eyes, thinking it might have been an illusion.

- Are you okay?

His voice was silent in my head once more. I sighed, putting the memories the ring had forced into my head aside.

“Don’t worry, my power is suppressed, Cal.”

-That’s not what I…

“You were the one who asked, Lucifer. Did you hear the name they gave me after taking my family name?

He nodded. “Mothersbane?”

“My conception was warped with chaos magic.” I smiled grimly. “My bastard of a father wanted to end Morgana’s line, and gain a massive reward at the same time. You see, chaos magic can be grown within a soul, but it always comes at a cost.”

Lucifer studied me carefully. “What cost?” 

“The souls of others, preferably the powerful.  My mother was a young naïve witch who refused to hate my father even as her child infected with chaos slowly sucked the life from her within her womb. Of course, I was always meant to die, destroyed by chaos, a sacrifice to increase my father’s power while ending Morgana’s line with my death. “ 

- But I took advantage of the weakness created in her father as he had used almost all of his chaos magic for the sacrifice and left him, forming a pact with Morgan instead.

I smiled. “Cal is an ultimate weapon of light, of order. The antithesis to the chaos magic which wants to consume me and the world around me. The power given to me by that pact balances me out, allows me to survive.” My grin became cruel. “With the added bonus that my father was greatly weakened by not being able to reclaim his chaos magic as well as losing Cal.”

-We would have killed him too, if he hadn’t hidden deeply to recover like the rat he is! 

Lucifer stared at us both. “Who is your father, Morgan?”

“The enemy who wanted to personally end Morgana’s line? The master of Excalibur? The man who lusted for such great power that he would sacrifice his own child?” I chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t know?”

“I thought Arthur was the master of Excalibur…”

 Cal interrupted the devil.

-He was a good man, if a little naïve. He trusted the wrong man, and ended up being the first soul to be sacrificed to the chaos magic.

“Wait, you couldn’t mean…?” Lucifer turned slightly pale, his red eyes widening with realization. 

I laughed softly, before standing up. “We’ve wasted enough time,. Let’s go to the library.”

He stood up with me, his eyes still worried. “But your condition?”

“It was just the tactile memories from my mother’s ring.” I stared down at the metal object still in my hand, before opening it slowly and letting it fall silently to the carpet beneath my feet.

Lucifer looked down at it. “If it’s your mother’s, don’t you want it?”

“No.” I turned away, and walked towards the door. “I’d rather honor her memory by sending her murderer over to apologize to her in pieces.”

We headed towards the library.

______________________________

 We snuck by the guards standing watch outside the forbidden library as well as bypassed all the magical wards with surprising ease.

“I’m glad we had you here. Lucifer. My standard magic is too weak to deal with this sort of stuff, and the chaos magic tends to be an all or nothing type deal. I’m glad we didn’t have to obliterate the guards and entranceway just to get in.”

-How surprising, devil. You can be useful for something!

Lucifer sighed. “You guys really have to stop acting surprised every single time I’m useful, like I’m some sort of child. I’m the king of hell!”

“Of course! Next time we need to open a door we’ll definitely call you!”

- You are definitely the King of opening doors!

“…  I hate you both so much.”

The forbidden library was enormous, the size of multiple sky scrapers melded together, kept hidden through ancient magics that bended space. Every spare surface was covered in shelves packed with books, scrolls and tablets. Some glowed strange colors, some flickering in and out of sight. Small magical platforms moved independently around the library, transporting items in and out as they were requested. I looked around, feeling mildly impressed as always, before taking one of the transports over and heading to the area dedicated to chaos magic.

“Will they even have something helpful?”

I shrugged at the devil’s question. “I would hope so.” I quickly found the documents pertaining to major events in the last few months. Within it was a map that detailed the disappearance of witches over the past year. The seemingly patternless dots scattered across the city map glowed in a dull green light.

Lucifer sucked in a breath. “So many? How has this gone unnoticed for so long?”

- It was perfectly calculated to how many each race was willing to overlook.

“Spread across the demons, angels and witches… who knows how many normal humans and supernatural creatures have been lost as well.” Turning to the devil who stood beside me with an irritated expression, I prompted him carefully. “Can you add the locations of the disappearances you know about as well?” 

“Fine.” With a wave of his hand, red and blue dots also appeared along the map.  “The red are mine. The blue are those I know about that Heaven has lost.”

With the additional data, it became increasingly clear that there was a pattern to the locations of those who disappeared. A center of the chaos.

“We should find him there.” I pointed at the location, frowning. “But that only narrows it down to a whole section of the city. He could be hiding anywhere within.”

“I could have the demons search all the houses?”

- He would just destroy any that entered his territory. We’ll just have to do it personally.

“But that could take forever!”

“Maybe not.” I grinned. “After all, I can’t help but wonder about my Aunt’s ‘special guest’…”

-You think…?”

“The sword should be this way.” A familiar voice spoke up, from around the corner. 

“Speak of the devil.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

“Not you, just an expression.”

“Why does this ‘important guest’ of yours want this sword anyways? If he’s so powerful, he could just take it himself!” A petulant, spoiled, voice asked, the sound of two sets of footsteps growing closer.

- Araina. What’s she doing here?

“Nevermind that, We need to hide!” I whispered back.

“Sure.” Lucifer shrugged, snapping his fingers and activating an invisibility spell. 

- The devil was useful again!

“Shut up!”

Aunt Margaret and Araina entered the room before Lucifer could argue further. “ I told you, foolish girl! It would be bad if the council were to realize we were working with him, given our… bad history. And besides, I’d rather he not see that cursed girl until he’s finished the ceremony at the full moon tonight.”

 Finish the ceremony? My fists tightened at my side, shaking with rage. 

“Why can’t we just kill her?” Araina rolled her eyes. “It’s not like she would be difficult to get rid of!”

“We need a backup plan, in case this new cooperation falls through.” My Aunt Margaret’s answer caused me to stiffen into place, clutching the new map in my arms.  “She may be weak and useless, but she’s the only one who can continue Morgana’s line.” 

“Worthless trash.” 

“Don’t be so upset, Darling. She’s not worth your time or energy. Let’s get the sword.”

As they passed out of the room, Lucifer and I flickered back into sight.

-Killing time?

Ignoring Cal, I turned towards the devil. “We need to steal the sword, and replace it with a fake. How good is your illusion magic?”

The devil grinned, his plain disguised features melting back into his original insultingly handsome look. “I could convince half of heaven to follow me. You think I can’t fool a couple of witches?”

- I’m impressed! If this keeps up, little devil, I might even consider accepting you as my apprentice!

“Who would want to be your apprentice, you stupid overgrown knife?!”

- Morgan, the devil is calling me names! Destroy him with your chaos magic please!

I chuckled. “Aren’t you supposed to be helping me restrain my chaos magic?”

- Desperate times. 

“...Let’s go steal that sword.”

It was surprisingly easy. The two women got into several useless arguments along the way to the weapons section, allowing Lucifer and I to sneak past while invisible and reach it first.  As we entered the room with countless weapons on display, Lucifer glanced around, seeming impressed. 

“Which one do you think  they were after?”

“The only one my father would need if he wanted to have a weapon against chaos magic.” I pointed to a sword tucked away in the back corner. “A sword of order, like Cal.”

-Oh please, that hack is nothing like my great and wonderful self! Just a generic magic sword. Not even a soul to guide it.

I raised a hand, chaos magic destroying the magical chain keeping it in place. Picking up the sword, I gave a light practice swing, nodding at the light weight. “It’s still a good sword. It’s considered legendary overseas, known as the ‘sword of light.’ It’s defeated multiple world-ending foes.”

-I’m still better.

“Here.” I tossed the sword to Lucifer before Cal could get too nervous. “To replace the ones the chaos monsters destroyed before. This one can actually fight them.”

He gripped the handle, looking the weapon over briefly before strapping it to his side. “I like how it doesn’t talk constantly.”

-Hey!

I grabbed a random sword and placed it where the sword of light had been stored. “Alright, you can cast illusion now.” 

With the trap in place, all that was left was to follow my aunt and cousin as they led us right towards the center of town.

______________________________

-We were right, they’re heading right towards the location we had marked on the map. They must know where he is!

I nodded. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still cannot believe that those of Morgana’s name would associate with him at all. “

Lucifer glanced at me. “But didn’t your mother…?”

“He was disguised.” I interrupted, frowning. “She didn’t realize who she was being tricked by even until the end.”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. The line of Morgana has been twisted for too long.” I sighed. “They rely on the name of  a witch that’s been dead for centuries, while forgetting that the enemy she fought never rested, never disappeared.”

-Morgan…

“The line should have ended with my mother, but instead it will end with me.”

Lucifer looked as if he were going to argue, but shook his head, falling silent instead. Fortunately at that time we reached a large abandoned warehouse, the sun setting behind us as the two witches knocked on the door, giving a password to the stone faced guard who opened it to be let inside. I glanced at the fading sunlight as we slipped in behind them, remembering their words.

He’ll finish the ceremony at the full moon tonight.

There wasn’t much time left. My heart pounding in my ears, I followed them deeper into the warehouse, pushing back the chaos magic that threatened to surface with my uncontrolled emotions.

- Are you going to be okay? Cal’s voice whispered in my ear, for only me to hear.

I nodded silently.

-I’ll be there with you. I promise. We’ll kill him for everything he’s done.

I kept moving.

It was time to see my father again.

______________________________

We entered the main area of the warehouse, the space much larger than what it seemed from the outside. The walls extended into darkness, making it impossible to see what was hidden in the shadows beyond. Ahead of us glowed two candles  to either side of a golden throne.

“Welcome, Margaret.” A strong, low voice spoke up from the figure slouched on that throne, as he lazily turned a hand around, making the flames from the candles dance with the movement. The moving lights occasionally lit up his features, giving me the first good look at my greatest enemy, the murderer of my mother, the one who inflicted the magic that could destroy the world on me. 

My father.

His face still was young, without wrinkles or lines, the features smooth and regular. His hair was and ordinary brown, looking slightly unkempt, falling over his face and forcing him to brush it back. He would be considered handsome by many, if not a little forgettable… except for his eyes.

The centuries he had lived showed in his eyes. Bright green, glowing with power, his eyes seemed to stare right through every person, judging them of their worth, making you feel unprotected, weak.

Margaret and her daughter curtsied deeply in front of him, cold sweat breaking out on both their faces. It seemed they felt his power even more strongly, facing the full force of his gaze.

“Milord, we brought the sword you requested.” Margaret held up the sword that Lucifer had enchanted to look like the sword of light in front of her, her hands trembling.

“…” He didn’t reach out to take it.

My nails bit into my palms, as I forced myself not to throw myself forward, putting my thpoughts into order.

I would need my magic, but it had to be controlled. Otherwise it would destroy everything.

“Are you really sincere about allying yourself with me, witch?” His voice was a whisper, but seemed like a shout despite the large space.

“Milord?” Margaret seemed confused. 

“Did you change your mind, given your family’s history with me?” He smiled, the expression threatening. “Did you decide to betray me to earn points with the rest of Morgana the bitch’s pitiful line?”

She panicked at his words. “I would never betray you! I swear! I brought the sword just like you asked!”

He snapped his fingers, and a purple smoke enveloped the sword in her hands, destroying it.

Chaos magic.

-It’s powerful, but still not pure like your magic. Cal’s voice reassured me.

Margaret screamed in pain, clutching her hands to her chest. Through her fingers blood seeped, staining her dress and dripping to the floor. His magic had corroded her hands as well.

“This is a fake, a regular weapon under an illusion, not the true sword of light.” The man stood up, glancing around the room. My hackles rose as his gaze fixed on us standing behind them, despite the invisibility spell. “And it seems you brought friends?” 

“…”

When no one spoke up he sighed. “Now, now, uninvited guests, isn’t it better if you just show yourself?” 

Lucifer sighed, waving his hand as he became visible, leaving me still out of sight. “Your insight is as keen as ever, you old bastard.”

The man’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Lucifer the king of Hell? What brings you to my humble home?”

“You really are going to act innocent after sacrificing my minions to feed your chaos magic?” Lucifer chuckled. “You always did love the dramatic, Merlin.”

My father smiled as the devil spoke his name.

Merlin. 

The great magician. The ancient power that ushered in an age of light and justice. A Grade A Magician. A man of legends.

A murdering madman.

“Can’t you be reasonable?” Merlin smiled widely. “It’s just a few demons here and there! I’ll gladly compensate you however you like?”

“And if I ask for you life?” Lucifer’s eyes seemed to freeze the room with their coldness.

Merlin didn’t flinch. “Then you’ll be destroyed. It’s a much better deal to bargain with me, I assure you.” 

“…” There was a silence as the devil looked him up and down, seemingly seriously considering his offer.

-If he betrays you… Cal sounded slightly worried.

 I shook my head, smiling.

“No thanks.” Lucifer grinned. “I already got a better offer.”

“A better offer? From who?”

I canceled the invisibility magic that was still on me, and stepped forward, the sound of my footsteps echoing loudly in the empty space. Margaret and Araina stared at me in shock as I walked past them, Araina managing to lift a hand to point, stuttering. “Y-you!”

Merlin studied me carefully, frowning. “Who are you?”

I laughed out loud, placing a hand on my heart. “What, you don’t recognize me?” I pretended to wipe a tear away. “I’m hurt.”

“…” He stared silently at me, refusing to answer.

“Well then, I guess it’s up to me to make the introductions.” I bowed slightly, keeping my hand on my heart. “My name is Morgan, last daughter of Morganna’s line.” 

Merlin’s eyes widened as I straightened up, still smiling.

“Nice to meet you, Father.”

“…”

I shrugged. “Although technically I have come to kill you to avenge my mother and satisfy my own personal hatred… So ‘nice’ probably isn’t the right word.” 

“…The child?” He whispered. “I heard you were weak, useless? Any chaos magic that you absorbed should have drained your magic and life source by now… “ Looking me up and down, he shook his head. “You don’t seem weak.”

“That’s the problem with rumors, father dearest.” I tapped my face with a finger. “You end up with inaccurate information.”

Merlin’s gaze snapped to the two women kneeling off to the side. “You betrayed me.”

“No Milord, she is useless! She’s just a Grade E!” Margaret was panicking, waving her hands wildly as she spoke. “We’ve tested her multiple times!”

“Perhaps a bluff then?” With his quiet murmur, he waved a hand, and multiple large men wearing armor, their eyes glowing a bright purple. Stepped out of the shadows, swords drawn and pointed towards me. 

“Enchanted soldiers?” I sighed. “Looks like we’re being tested Cal.”

-His mistake.

“Want help?” Lucifer called out, his hand on his sword.

“No need for just this much.” I raised a hand, and slowly released my magic.

 The floor tried to warp away from me, as reality and fate were bent and broken in the space around me. Merlin’s eyes narrowed, shocked and he lifted his hand to call his magical soldiers back.

“Too late.” With a grim smile, I pushed my magic forward, and silently each knight faded out of existence, leaving not even the slightest trace behind. It also latched on to the golden throne, forcing him to his feet as the seat disappeared out from under him.  

“Chaos magic?” Merlin covered his eyes with his hand. “I should have guessed when it never returned to me. The backlash at that time was too great, though, I had no choice but to go into hiding for my own safety.” 

“Great, glad you have that figured out. Any last words before you die?” 

“Don’t be arrogant, girl.” He snapped. “ You may have stolen some of my chaos magic, but I’ve regained plenty since!” He spread his arms, and a purple smoke surrounded him, tearing apart the space in between us. “I’ve been sacrificing plenty of souls to grow my powers, and what little you should have retained is no match!”

The smoke enveloped Aunt Margaret and Araina as they tried to scream in terror.

“Milord what are you doing?”

His gaze was merciless. “You were always meant to feed my power. As if I would let anyone who claimed kinship with that bitch Morgana survive.”

The two faded into the smoke, which seemed to grow stronger and thicker as it absorbed their fate.

My father grinned at me. “And now, with you here, I can take back some power, complete the ceremony and perfect my magic once more!”

“Strong words for a dead man.” 

“You may have chaos magic, child, but so do I! You can’t kill me with it, and you don’t have any magical powers other than that, if you are a Grade E witch.” 

He waved his hand once more, and countless monsters of chaos appeared, their glowing purple eyes fixed on me. 

“I’m one of the greatest wizards in the world, with the highest caliber of magic and you are the last pathetic girl in a worthless line. All alone with no way out.” 

I smiled, and he stepped back, startled at my reaction. “Who said I was alone?”

“Now can I help?”

- Finally!

My hand slapped to my chest, my palm connected with the golden tattoo beneath my shirt, the mark of Excalibur. From within my soul I pulled out the golden sword, and rushed into the nearest group of monsters.

Lucifer pulled out the real sword of light, and with a happy laugh launched himself into the air to land beside me, fighting back to back.

The creatures screamed with terror and the two swords of light and order swept through them, forcing them out of existence.

“Finally I get a chance to show off!” Lucifer muttered beside me, swinging his sword in broad sweeping strokes, taking out multiple creatures with each attack.

-You realize that my master is killing twice as many as you, right?

Cal let out a beams of light as I fought, taking down lines of the chaos monsters with each passing second. 

Merlin watched the fight with an increasingly pale face, backing away slowly. “No, it can’t be. Excalibur… you chose her?”

The number of monsters was dwindling, and soon, Lucifer was enough to face off the remnant as I approached my father, Cal’s blade resting lightly on my shoulder. 

“Why so shocked?” I grinned. “Just because you aren’t worthy doesn’t mean others can’t be.”

“Y-you…” His eyes darted between myself and the glowing golden blade. “You didn’t just keep a remnant of my old power, did you? You have ALL of it?” He backed away further. “That’s… that’s…”

“Enough to destroy the universe and everything in it?” I shrugged, swinging the sword behind me, cutting through a monster that had tried to sneak up on me while my attention was focused on my father. “Yes. Your point?”

Merlin was backed against a wall, trapped, and I pressed the tip of the golden blade in my hand against his chest, right over his heart.

“To think a child I made as a simple means to destroy Morgana’s line would be this powerful…” He muttered looking at me with different eyes than before, a calculating gaze.  “No… maybe it was meant to be. Both of our blood, chaos magic… and Excalibur… you’re beyond what I could have ever dreamed.”

“…” I put more pressure on the sword, and the tip slowly sank into his chest. He didn’t react, still staring at me with an avid look.

“We’ll work together… we can rule everything. Heaven, Hell, Magic, Order… all would have to bow before us.” His smile was fanatical, a hand reaching out to touch my face gently, as if I were truly precious to him. “My daughter…”

His magic reached out, pulling at my emotions, making me want to drop my weapon, follow him to the ends of the earth.

You’ll be safe with him. The magic whispered in my ear. You’ll finally have a family, a home.

-Morgan… Cal whispered my name urgently, but the magic drowned his voice out.

A part of me screamed to give in. The girl who had grown up hated, looked down on. A worthless child who had killed her mother at birth. A powerless witch in a family of powerful magic. With only myself and a magic sword to depend on.

I wanted to say yes.

I smiled, my hand wrapped tightly around the golden handle of the sword. “Sounds like a great offer.”

Merlin’s face lit up.

“Just one problem…” 

Thud. Cal’s blade pierced through the wizard’s chest, striking the wall behind him.

“I don’t want to rule Heaven, Hell or anything else.” 

Blood dripped around the blade, pooling on the floor at our feet before disappearing into purple smoke. I poured my chaos magic into the wound, trying to destroy everything that Cal’s magic wouldn’t touch.

“I’m not seeking to be a legend, or to save the world.”

The wound in his chest was turning purple, as the chaos magic within him rejected the presence of ultimate weapon of fate and order. I let go of my normal restrictions I placed on my magic, pouring everything I had into him, focused on destruction.

“I’m just a Grade E witch, a mortal, trying to live a normal life and pay rent.”

He shook his head slightly, as if confused, his green eyes fixed on my own.

“Oh, and of course avenge my mother’s death.” 

I twisted the blade and he let out a grunt, purple smoke pouring from his lips.

“You’ll… regret… this.”

“Promise?”

My father closed his eyes, and his body faded into nothingness, the purple smoke dissipating into thin air. I looked around, frowning, my chaos magic pulsing in my blood, roaring in my ears.

“Cal, is he gone?”

-I- I think so? I don’t sense him... 

“Good.” I sighed with relief, taking a deep breath. The chaos magic pushed outwards against my control, wanting to consume everything. I had let out too much, relaxed my control too far in my desire to destroy him. I closed my eyes, fighting it with all my strength, knowing that if I lost control I could unleash everything, destroy everything.

-Morgan?! What’s wrong?

I shook my head slightly, unable to answer, slipping down to the ground as all of my strength focused inward.

“Cal, what’s going on?” Lucifer’s tired voice spoke up, concerned.

-She’s losing her chaos magic!

“That’s bad, isn’t it? Like, world ending bad?”

-Yeah, it’s world ending bad! Quick, stab me into her chest! I need to help her control it! 

“S-stab her? Are you sure? Won’t that kill her?”

-DO IT! 

Despite the internal battle going on, I felt the tip of Cal’s blade push into my chest over his mark, Cal’s power merging with my own. 

Cal? I felt tired, overwhelmed, the chaos within me eroding at my thoughts, my fate disappearing into nothingness.

 The voice that had been with me since my earliest memory spoke up inside my head.

-It’s okay, Morgan. We’ll seal it, together.

He joined me in the fight, his strength bolstering my own. Slowly, painfully, together, we pushed back the power of chaos and locked it within my soul once more. 

-See? That wasn’t so bad!

Easy for you to say. I smiled silently, letting go of my consciousness in my relief.

______________________________

Lucifer stared down at the smiling unconscious girl, feeling unnerved.

I’ve been at the top for too long. He admitted quietly to himself with a grin. I forgot what it was like to face something stronger.

And Morgan was stronger than him. Having seen her wield Excalibur along with her magic, equal parts order and chaos, a force that could destroy the whole universe, he couldn’t help but feel weak in front of her. He watched her sleep, considering his options. Part of him wanted to take her out, destroy the threat while she was helpless. But the rest…

It’s not bad to have something this fun around. He grinned. Besides, I never was one for playing it safe.

“Hey, little devil, why are you smiling? Don’t even think about touching my master while she’s asleep!” Cal appeared in his human form beside Morgan, his golden eyes glaring fiercely. 

Lucifer shrugged. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of harming her. At least not anytime soon.“ Thinking for a moment, he looked at the sword, confused. “Why do you only take on a human appearance when she’s unconscious?”

To his surprise the sword blushed. “None of your business!” Looking down at the girl, he muttered. “What if she doesn’t like how I look?”

Lucifer laughed. “Well, she called me hideous, so you may be right to worry about her aesthetic taste.” With a groan he stretched, frowning as his multiple small injuries ached. “Those chaos monsters were pretty powerful. No wonder my minions never stood a chance.” 

“Or you’re just weak.”

Rolling his eyes, Lucifer turned away, looking around the empty warehouse and shrugging. “I guess we’re done here.”

Cal stood up, holding Morgan carefully in his arms. “I’ll tell her your goodbyes once she wakes up. Have fun back in hell.”

“Goodbyes?” The devil laughed. “No need to bother. See you later.”

And with that he was gone, leaving an increasingly nervous magical sword staring after him while clutching his master to his chest. “Later? What does he mean later? What a terrible thought.”

______________________________

 I was having déjà vu. 

Clutching a jar of pickles, I stared at what should have been my empty bed with a forlorn expression. “What are you doing here?”

The devil grinned as he flipped through my book, once again losing my place in the story to my dismay. “I had a favor to ask you.”

-See, I told you! Cal spoke up with an irritated voice. This is what happens when you make friends with weak creatures like him! They always want favors!

“Shut up, you stupid knife.” Lucifer grinned, setting down the book and spreading his hands. “You see, one of my old buddies in the Heavenly army contacted me…”

“So you came to brag that you still have friends?”

-Good for you. With your terrible personality it must be hard!

Cal and I clapped proudly. Groaning with frustration, Lucifer pushed back his hair and continued, ignoring us. “He saw something weird, an unexplainable magic. Something that seemed to destroy things without rhyme or reason.” 

I stared at him with confusion. “So?”

“So, it might be chaos magic! Let’s go check it out!”

“…”

-…

“Why?”

“Why?” The devil frowned. “What do you mean why?”

“It sounds difficult.”

- I’d rather nap.

“I have to work, or I can’t pay my rent.”

“But… it will be fun!” Lucifer sat up, pouting. “It’s been so boring since the last adventure! Let’s go!”

“…” I looked at the devil who was trying to tempt me out of the house, and then down to the jar in my hands.

“Sorry pickles, we’re just never fated to be.” 

CRASH! The jar struck Lucifer in the face and smashed into pieces. 

 I sighed as I ran in the opposite direction as fast as I could.

“MORGAN!” 

[intelligentdumbass]

No I Cannot Get a Break(Part2)

(The first part’s over here)

“Athena? Have you seen Apollo?”

The grey-eyed goddess raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t he with you?”                                                                              

“Yes, but that was an hour ago.” Calliope frowned. “Hermes ran off to look for him but he hasn’t come back yet-”

Just then, two immortals came running out of the trees; it was the two gods that the muse was looking for. She immediately rushed towards them and inquired as to what had happened; Athena was about to do the same when her father’s voice thundered across the garden.

“AH-” “What’s this??” On his hand, he held out a fruit made out of pure gold. It had stuck him right on the face while he was chatting with his siblings, just like the messenger before him.

“Father.” Apollo suddenly spoke up and stared; one of his eyes twitching. “Father please, for the love of Troy, throw that into Tartarus!”

Before Zeus could respond, the apple was already gone; snatched out of his hands by the god of love. His wings instantly threw him up into air as he curiously stared at the fruit of gold.

“Pft, what’s wrong sunshine? Why so stressed?” Eros grinned mockingly at the sun deity. “Tis’ just a yellow apple with a few words craved onto it.” He cleared his throat in preparation to read the inscription. “To the fairest goddess of them all!”

Athena could’ve sworn Apollo’s fingers were twitching like he wanted to break Eros’ neck. Calliope and Hermes seemed to be holding him back; trying to calm him down. She gazed back at her father, who was just a tiny bit drunk, and he looked both confused and slightly concerned. This surprising turn of events had gotten a lot of the other immortals’ attention; even Artemis had took notice and quickly sped towards her twin.

Meanwhile Eros had flown over to his mother and exclaimed, “Well, well, well… I guess we all know who this trophy belongs to then now, don’t we?”

Aphrodite smiled, flattered by her son’s compliment. Just before she was handed the prize, however, a spear came hurling out of nowhere; piercing the fruit and pinning it against one of the trees.

“Wait.” Athena’s voice was commanding; briefly glancing back at her distraught younger brother. “This all feels a little off. Where did that apple even come from?”

Eros rolled his eyes. “Don’t know; don’t care Misses killjoy.” He flew over to retrieve the fruit; tossing the spear aside.

“I can assure you that I sense nothing of the like, no malicious auras or weird obscure magic, at least, not on the apple itself. If anything, this is probably just some secret admirer trying to praise their idol.” He smiled, but it was the kind of smile that proves he had a suspicion that wasn’t the case at all. “Besides, why do you care? Don’t tell me that this trophy was meant for you instead?”

“What-” “No!” The goddess seemed appalled that he would even consider that to be a possibility.

Then there was a loud sigh. It was from Hera.

“If that truly is why the apple exists,” She said. “Then for all you know it might’ve been intended for me instead. It landed very close to me after all; specifically onto my husband’s face. Maybe they just had bad aim?” It was hard to tell whether or not she was joking (‘She’s most likely joking’ Athena thought), but even Poseidon muttered against his breath that she did have a point.

Aphrodite just smiled. “Then why don’t we let the king of the gods decide?” She nodded at her son, who gave the fruit back to the lightning-bearer. “Tell us my lord, who do you think deserves to be awarded with the title of the fairest goddess of them all?”

Zeus blinked. “I…” “You want me to choose between you, Athena and Hera? With all of my possible biases I think I would be the least fitting judge for that matter.” He was still uneasy about his eldest son’s reaction; even quickly glancing back to make sure he wasn’t having a panic attack amidst all of this.

‘If only he hadn’t blocked my voice from his head.’ He thought. ‘Then I would know what’s bothering him so much.’

On the other hand, now that he was holding it again, Eros seemed to be right. It looked and felt like a normal and harmless shiny apple; a very pretty one at that.

“Let a mortal who is not part of any of your cults decide, and swear not to endanger their life over some trivial matter such as this.”

Aphrodite peered off the edge; her gaze landing on a young prince of Troy. “I think I already know who.”

Eros took the golden apple and flew down onto the earth. She motioned to the two goddesses to follow as well before morphing into a dove; flying just behind her son.

---------------------------------

Paris stared at the three deities standing before him. At this rate, it looked like he was too shocked to be able to choose anyone at all. Athena internally sighed, wondering how she got herself involved into this mess.

“Okay well, how about this.” Aphrodite pondered for a moment. “If you choose me, I’ll give you the most beautiful mortal princess the world has ever laid their eyes on.”

Eros gave his mom a look, but she whispered to assure him that she was in fact not finding a way to get rid of Psyche.

Athena raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s just cheating-”

“Zeus never said anything against bribery~”

“In that case,” Hera said. “Choose me and you’ll get to rule the whole of Asia Minor.”

The war goddess thought that was an extremely irresponsible opportunity to give to someone as young as Paris, but then again maybe that was the point. She suddenly felt a little bad for the young prince.

“If you choose me, I can give you unlimited wisdom and glory in war.”

She could’ve sworn she heard Aphrodite curse. However, defying most of their expectations, Paris uttered the words, “I choose Aphrodite” and awarded the golden apple to the goddess of love.

‘Oh. Well, I tried to give him the least risky option.’

When she got back to the main event, it was almost like nothing had ever happened. Despite the incident that had killed the mood a few minutes ago, the party seemed to be back in full swing. She noticed one key difference though. Athena walked over to some of the muses; giving Clio a gentle tap on the shoulder.

“Where’s Phoebus?"

---------------------------------

Apparently Apollo disappeared when they weren’t looking, so Hermes, Artemis and Dionysus had gone off to go look for him in the depths of the garden.

“I tried to approach him, but he wouldn’t even look at me.” Zeus sighed. “And I am still not able to hear his thoughts.”

“Don’t worry, if I see him I’ll try to talk to him.”

“…please do.”

---------------------------------

There were already three gods searching for him among the trees, so she figured she might as well try looking inside the palace itself. Besides, if he really wanted to be left alone, he might’ve tried hiding somewhere else, far from where Hermes last found him. Plus, she had a few spots in mind that she could try checking out.

The silence was eerie, but also oddly comforting. There was nothing but the soft hollow thumps of her steps as she walked through the empty halls. As luck would have it, it didn’t take long for her to finally spot the god sitting on the railing of a certain balcony, the one that even their father himself often stood on.  

The blonde was tense, but when he turned around and saw Athena, he started to relax.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your steps scared kind of scared me. I thought I was having another vision for a second there… I mean, you are the real Athena right?” He laughed, but his breath was more than a little shaky.

“Of course I am the real Pallas Athena. Who else would I be?”

She allowed a full minute to pass by to let him fully process her statement to be true before moving to stand right next to him.

“What’re you doing here?” Apollo asked.

“I wanted a break from the party.”

“Oh, that makes sense.” He paused. “You sure it’s not because you’re salty about the golden apple?”

Athena scoffed. “Don’t even think about trying to tease me. Why on earth would I care that much about some accursed fruit?”

“Aw, don't worry Athe. If I were him, I would've definitely chosen your deal instead."

"Well, of course, no surprise there. You choose what you don’t have after all."

“Wha-” “I was trying to cheer you up and this is what you do to me?!"

"So, you admit that what I just said is true?"

He had his hand over his chest as if he were offended; that forced smile on his face feeling just a little bit more genuine, until it slowly dropped entirely.

“Paris fucked up, Athena. Paris really fucked up.” He sighs. “Do you still remember their oaths?”

“Helen’s suitors?” She thought for a moment. “Apollo, I doubt Paris would still want to keep her after seeing the army that comes after-”

“But he will.” His voice suddenly hardened. “And he’ll keep her for over 10 fucking years and will become the torch that burns his city down to a crisp.”

Her tone softened. “How much did you see?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that Thetis is about to give birth to one of the greatest warriors in recorded history and-” “and-” He suddenly stopped, stuttering.

Athena placed a steady hand on his shoulder, as if he might fall.

Apollo’s grip on the railing tightened. “I-” “I don’t want to lose another one, Athena. Not now, it’s too fucking soon I literally just watched Asclepius-” The tears started trailing down his cheeks until they dissipated into thin air as a whiff of steam. “I just want a fucking break!”

There was a long pause before he continued.

“Why do I care so much?”

“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t. After all, I’m barely any better.”

------------------

“Athena?”

“Yes Phoebus?”

“What do you think dad’s going to do about this?”

“…I don’t know.” ------------------

“Apollo?”

“Hm?”

“Do you hate him?”

“…sometimes I wish I did”

“…”

“I-” “I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t be. I occasionally wished I did too, but it’ll never be that simple, no? Who would even replace him?”

“You?”

Athena laughed. “Weren’t you the one always asking to be his heir?”

“I was a very stupid toddler back then, hell, probably still am now. I mean, don’t tell me you actually trust me to run this thing?”

“True. I don’t blame you for not believing in yourself. Honestly, I don’t either.”

“I-” “Wow, you couldn’t have at least sugar-coated it a little?”

------------------

“Hey Pal, maybe we could share the throne?”

Athena immediately made a face of disgust. “But then if we kept our titles as King and Queen, someone might assume we married each other.”

“Wow!” Apollo tried his best not to laugh. “I mean, I don’t want to marry you either but still, you make it look like being with me is a bad thing!”

------------------

“I-” “I don’t want to get rid of him Apollo...”

“…I know.”

------------------

For a few minutes, all they did was stare and enjoy the view; looking down at the earth like they owned everything that the light could touch. Then with a flick of her hand the goddess summoned her spear and slung her shield over her back.

“Apollo, get your bow.”

“Wait-” “What? Why?” It took a few moments for him to realize what she was suggesting. "Athe, no matter how much I try, you know I’ll never stand a chance against you in close combat-"

“I did say get your bow, not your sword, didn’t I? I mean, you’re welcome to try if you want.” Her eyes were taunting him. “Father invited almost every single deity to Thetis and Peleus' wedding in Olympus. Excluding the mortals, the rest of Greece should be fairly empty right now."

"...I guess a duel does sound fun.”

"It certainly does. Besides, you really look like you could use one right now."

"Did-” “Did you just insult me by calling me out of shape or am I just over thinking this and you're genuinely trying to cheer me up?"

"Maybe both."

“…Fine. Only a few conditions: no one uses the aegis or the masterbolt, and that you better be a hundred percent sure father isn’t watching us right now.”

“Of course, wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of him now, would we? I’m not that mean.”

After a few moments of consideration, Apollo summoned his signature bow and wore his golden quiver. Taking one last glance behind them to assure themselves that they were, in fact, alone; they went over the railing. It was faint and easy to miss, but when Athena saw the eager and determined look on his face, she couldn’t help but smile.

‘Now there's the arrogant bastard that I know.’

"Mt. Othrys?" She asked.

"Sure, the closer the more convenient.” He grinned. “Mt. Othrys it is.”

And so, they jumped off, straight into the abandoned ruins of a golden age long forgotten; landing in the middle of all of those towering columns and mighty slabs of black, the remains of their father’s decade long war.

[main-to-card-games-and-pain]

phosphorescence

I originally started to write this in July, and was going to gift it to @blondsak for her 250, but then I was awful and never finished it. BUT my queen has just (ish) celebrated her 500. So, this is for @blondsak as a gift, and for @frostysunflowers because we torment her with so much angst and she’s also a queen. 

... 

“I like Canada,” Peter declared, watching the trees roll by through the windshield. “Imagine how this drive would look in the fall.” 

“I’ll take you in October,” Tony grinned. “You’re right, it’s... something else.”

“Canada’s like, really cool.”

“It’s like the United States bud.”

“But it’s not, it just feels different Mr.Stark. Oh! What’s that?” 

Tony smiled to himself as Peter stuck his nose against the window to get a look at the passing group of mountain goats. “Mountain goats, Pete.”

“So cool...” 

Peter was a kid who’d only ever seen New York, Washington, and the drive in between, so Tony was understanding of his excitement. 

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and see a bear,” he said, feigning casualness, “they’re out of hibernation now.” 

Tony pretended not to see Peter’s eyes light up at the mere suggestion of more wildlife. “Really?! They get that close to the highway?” 

“Sometimes,” the inventor replied. 

“That’s awesome.” The boy shifted himself in his seat, fidgeting with the air conditioning. “Thanks for bringing me, Mr.Stark. I really appreciate it.” 

Tony glanced at the kid from the corner of his eye and found a rather inconvenient lump had lodged in his throat. “Yeah well,” he choked out, “I missed my kid - catching up on lost time and all.” 

The teen’s mouth quirked in a mixture of sadness and warmth as he wordlessly nodded. There’d been a time of dust and debris and death and devastation, but Tony got him back, and they were okay now. 

“How long before we actually have to do the work we’re here for?” 

Tony laughed, Peter almost sounded like Pepper when he said things like that. “Three days kiddo, and then I have to make a stop at BCIT and UBC for their engineering programs’ clean energy sector kick off.” 

“You funded two universities?” Peter held nothing less than awe in his voice, not for the billionaire’s wealth but for his generosity. 

“Not just me,” Tony replied, “there’s a few other donors too.” 

“Yeah but not like Tony Stark.” 

“Not like Tony Stark,” the mechanic agreed. “As for you, my young padawan, you aren’t working this weekend, you’re just here for the ride.” 

“Would you care if I jumped ship and decided to study at one of these universities?”

“Already that attached to Canada, Pete?” Tony laughed. “No, I wouldn’t care. Wherever you want to go is lucky to have you, and your university fees are on me, so it makes no difference.” 

“Cause I like Vancouver.” 

“We’re on Vancouver Island right now, not the city Vancouver.”

The teenager groaned, “what’s the point of that? Making them two different things.”

“Ask the white dudes who named it, I don’t know.” Peter snorted, resuming his position of pressing against the window. “You can go to sleep if you want, we’re about an hour from the cabin.” 

He said this mostly for show, recognizing how Peter was already relaxing into the sweet embrace of Morpheus. 

...

Peter’s eyes sluggishly blinked open just as the car rumbled to a stop. “We’re h’re?” He mumbled sleepily, pulling himself up from his place against the seatbelt. 

“We’re here,” Tony confirmed, opening his door and stepping into the afternoon sun. 

Peter followed, sighing and pushing the car door open. He had just pulled himself out of the car when he stopped dead in his tracks and closed his eyes. 

“What’s wrong?” Tony asked, worry tinging his voice. 

“Nothing,” Peter whispered, a smile beginning to pull his mouth up, “it’s quiet.” 

Tony smiled back at him and started unloading their duffel bags. “It’s nice?”

Peter had yet to open his eyes. “So nice,” he murmured. The teen opened his eyes, taking in the surroundings properly. “This place is... it’s stunning, Mr.Stark.”

Tony smiled. “I thought you’d like it.” 

Peter could see the lake from where they stood, but it was through the sprinkling of trees that grew high enough that Peter thought he could see them brush the blue of the sky. The water sparkled like crystal, stark and clear against the browning forest floor that shifted and crinkled as he shifted. Everything smelt of cedar and moss. The cabin was up the drive, wooden and big enough to be comfortable and small enough to be cozy. 

It was perfect. 

Sun filtered through the branches and lit the space in patches, and a breeze took the heat with it, leaving only cool contentedness; it such a surreal and idyllic scene that Peter almost wanted to blink to clear the dream away. 

“I...” But there were no words for what Peter was feeling at that moment; peace, maybe, peace and quiet. “I really like it, Mr.Stark,” the boy finally whispered, tears prickling at his eyes. 

“Oh- oh no, Peter... don’t cry. Why are you crying?” Tony dropped the bag and gathered the boy into his arms. “Hey, you’re okay… what’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Peter sobbed, “I’m fine.” 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the response. “You don’t sound fine, Underoos." 

“I’m just really happy,” Peter continued to cry. 

“Alright,” Tony grinned, pulling the teenager’s head closer to his heart. “As long as you’re happy.”

…

“Mr.Stark, why couldn’t we swim until literally midnight?” 

“You’ll see kid; don’t doubt me!” 

“I have to doubt you, or else Ms.Potts would be mad at us - you - way more often than she is.” 

Peter stuck his tongue out cheekily at the billionaire’s own snarky expression, mimicking him as he slipped the beach towel into the bag. 

“I’m just saying,” the teenager continued, “we can’t even see anything without the light and it’s going to be cold as fuck out there.” 

“First off, I’d say language but I don’t want to sound too much like Cap. Secondly, it was sunny and hot all day, it won’t be that bad, and trust me it will be worth it.” 

“Fine,” Peter huffed, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he hauled the beach bag over his shoulder. “You should at least have to hold a bag,” he grumbled, “this is your idea.” 

Tony pointed at himself. “Heart condition.” And then at Peter. “Enhanced. You do the math, genius.” 

“‘You do the math genius’” the boy mocked, ducking a swat to the head. 

“God,” Tony huffed without any real malice, “teenagers…”

With an exaggerated flourish he was out of the cabin and into the crisp night air, Peter rolling his eyes and following behind obediently. The pair walked the short trail to the lake, Peter’s flashlight lighting the way when Mr.Stark’s “dinosaur” torch flickered away and died halfway through. 

They stopped a few metres away from the shore of the lake, where the water was gently dipping onto the sand and away again. Peter wasn’t exactly certain but he was fairly sure that finding a sandy lake was a rarity this far west in Canada. 

“Okay,” he said expectantly, “now’s the time where you give me the explanation for why we’re here this late.” 

“Do you know what a phosphorescent organism is?” Tony casually asked him instead. Peter blinked once at the sudden diversion and/or subject change.

“Yeah? The things that make light on their own? Right?” 

“Yuppers, Underoos.” Peter watched, still confused, as Tony shed his shirt and began to make his way to the probably freezing lake water. 

“And that has to do with this how?” 

“Come here.” Tony held out his hand, already submerged up to his calf in the water. “It’s not cold, I promise; we’ll roast marshmallows in the cabin afterwards.” 

Reluctantly, Peter did as he was told, wading into the not-unpleasantly cold lake till he was as far out as Tony was. 

“Well, in this lake, there’s phosphorescent organisms,” Tony finally explained, a grin creeping up his face as Peter suddenly had a renewed excitement for their little voyage. “You can’t see them except in the dark, and you don’t feel them, but they only light up with movement.” 

To demonstrate he shook his foot in the water, delighting in the way Peter’s face lit up as the little lights appeared. 

“That’s… that’s so cool,” Peter breathed, glancing away from the water and back at his mentor, “and it’s safe?” 

“I wouldn’t bring you if it wasn’t. Want to swim?” Peter nodded his head almost immediately, breaking out of his amazed stupor to smile mischievously and suddenly launch himself into the water, with an arm around Mr.Stark. “Brat!” Tony spat, laughing, when they resurfaced. “That’s one way to get used to the water I guess.” 

But Peter was already paddling out into deeper waters, avidly watching his limbs as he did so. 

With every twitch or kick the sparks would jump into existence, that’s what they looked like, the sparks that fly off of sparklers at New Years’ and birthday parties. They’d last just a second, and then they’d be gone. As Peter tread the water they flashed into existence moving with the motion of his kick. 

The unbridled awe in his eyes made the entire trip worth it.

“It’s like galaxies crawling up my leg,” he exclaimed, looking at Tony with all this childlike wonder that was stored in everyone’s soul for exactly times like this. “This is- I mean- wow.” 

“I know what you mean, kiddo.” Tony flipped onto his back and began to float, looking at the real stars instead of the ones flickering below them. “When I was a little younger than you my caretaker, Jarvis, took me on a road trip out here; the cabin is in his name. It kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it?” 

“Yeah,” Pete whispered, floating beside him suddenly. “It really does. Small things, ya know? There’s still small little pockets of beauty out here.” 

Tony glanced at him out of his peripherals, ruffling his hair as best he could while still floating. “I don’t need the lake to remind me of that, Pete, but yeah - you’re right.” 

…

They stayed in the water for about an hour, Tony content to float as Peter dove and spun and flipped in the water, experimenting with the little lights. 

By one Tony called the both of them in, concerned about Peter’s body temperature. 

The teenager, of course, insisted he was fine, but his violent shivering when he wrapped himself in his towel said otherwise. 

Tony fussed over him like a dad until he was bundled in about three blankets and sat next to the fire. Out of his little cocoon of fleece a marshmallow poker was roasting a marshmallow in the fire. 

“Move over, Underoos,” Tony grunted, sitting next to the kid with a plop. His hair was still wet and the chill had clung to his skin, but Peter couldn’t thermoregulate the way he could; he’d gladly get sick before taking a blanket from him. 

“You’re cold too though, Mr.Stark,” Peter grumbled, like he could read his mind. 

“I���ll manage; keep your blankets on bud. The fire’s warm.” But Peter continued to grumble, sleepier now, Tony realized. The boy shifted closer and closer to his mentor, till he was leaning his head against his shoulder. “Hi, Pete,” Tony whispered, wiping away a stray curl. 

“Hi,” he mumbled, grinning languidly. 

“Comfy?” Peter shook his head. “No? What do we have to do to change that?” 

Peter shrugged off one shoulder of his many blankets and slipped it around Tony, pushing his head into the crook of his neck. Tony’s instinctively wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“Tha’s better,” the sleepy teen mumbled, burrowing further into the embrace. 

“That’s good,” Tony hummed, pulling him in closer and resting his chin against his curls. “Take your marshmallow out now, that’s it. Look, perfectly golden.” 

...

quality? we don’t know her. I recently started uni though so like, this is a mixture of procrastination and random bouts of inspiration. I don’t think this warrants a tag list, it’s not all that impressive. XD 

[ideadumpingground]

What You Left Behind

This is a small idea I had both for an OC and a fanfic in the universe of TFEW! TFEW is an amazing DnD podcast that does not only have a phenomenal DnD story, but a meta story that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. Thus, we have this little idea taking place in their meta universe <3

There it was again. The sound of something large moving through the air; the rushing wind; the beating propellers. Around and around it goes with its heavy weight only supported by those endlessly spinning blades. One mistake, and you are dead. One mistake and its lifeless eye glows red, pulsating, its weapons whirring as they power up. Within just a few seconds, all that you had ever been, all that anyone could ever be, was turned into gore, into a red smear on the dark, cracked ground below. All that was left was the silence, the echoing emptiness of a life lost and meanwhile that horrible drone just kept going as if nothing at all had happened. As if nothing was missing. 

Once upon a time, he had seen it happen. Hell, the noise, the strawking noise so piercing, so painful in its suddenness. Worst of it all had been the silence following it. Worst of all had been the silence, and the implications of it. That day he had lost his best friend, his one companion, his light in the dark, cruel world that he now found himself in. After that, he was alone again. Only, loneliness had never been that heavy.

At first, he had simply tried to just go on, remember the words his brother had told him so many times before; the promises they had given each other; the words of love and deep, tender care. How many times had he not promised him that if either of them passed, if an accident happened, the other would continue on? How many times had he not asked him to promise the same and the relief when he did? Never had he thought that his brother would be the one to go first. Never had he realised how much his presence meant to him.

Perhaps, it was the fact that the two of them had gotten out of True Reality together. They were side by side when they unplugged, side by side when they realised what hid beneath the sleek, beautiful world that True Reality tried to be was a horror beyond comprehension. If he was honest with himself, when his brother first brought up the idea of a darkness hidden beneath it all, he had not believed it. Before the horror that the lies he had been fed was, all he had been able to do was dismiss it. After all, with so many hours of endless entertainment; how could he ever think that it was a bad thing? There was no way. Now in hindsight, however, he knew that when his companion first brought forth the idea, there had never been a doubt in his mind. He had just been scared, that was all. Terrified.

And here he was again, terrified once more.

Above him, the sound of the drone slowly drifted away, leaving behind only the creaking of the metal, the sound of sand drifting in from the crack in the door. Luckily enough for him, those drones had not found him yet. After the accident, there was no way he could bring himself to go back to the home he once shared with his brother, to the bunker that they had first found together after they fled from the horrifying lie that True Reality was. Together they had made a home, but a home now lost to the silence that always followed death. Instead, he had found a new place in a strange building that reminded him a bit of the 4D cinemas in True Reality. It was nothing in comparison to what code could do to the human brain, but the big hall; the empty chairs; the high ceiling; it was all beautiful in a way that he had never seen before.

There is beauty in everything, even in this destroyed world

Those words still filled his heart to this day. After hearing it repeated over and over again like some sort of a mantra by his brother, it was stuck. Some nights when the sound of distant bombs, when the screaming became too much, he had heard his brother whisper it over, and over again into the dark, cramped space. Now, he found himself thinking about them more than he ever thought he would. After all, his brother had been right, had he not? For months after his brother's death, he lost himself more and more to the sound of the drone, to the creaking of the metal that surrounded him, to the endless supply-runs and the memory of blood that they all brought back to him. No longer did he feel like himself, feel human at all. He felt more akin to the drone outside, to its mechanical, endless cycle, than the humanity that once made him unplugged. Now, he knew that he had been losing himself. He knew that he had stood before a drop so terrifying in its implications, and at the time he had almost been blind to it.

Until, he one day stumbled upon something he never thought he would feel again - humanity. At first, as he changed the channels of his radio just to listen to static rather than the ever creaking metal, he had thought nothing of it when the static was replaced with voices. Unaware of it all, he had merely stopped endlessly changing, and stopped to listen. Eventually, he never changed the channel again. Instead, all he could do was wait. All he could do was wait for those voices to return. It was about that time that he realised what it all was. Those voices on the radio, on the broadcast, they were human. They were so painfully, beautifully human. All those months, he had always avoided Robyn, and now he had found something else. Someone else.

There is beauty in everything

Yes. No matter how dark things were, how lonely he became, the fact was undeniable. There was a beauty in everything. There was always something beautiful to find, if one just opened themselves up to listening. In the end, they were what saved him, he knew that all too well. For so long, he had felt as if there was nothing left, nothing at all left in this cruel world, but then he found it again. Hope entered his heart once more as he listened to the confirmation that there were indeed people outside of True Reality that still lived, that still laughed, that still loved, that joked, that played. And he listened. Week after week after week, he listened. Together with those strangers, he laughed quietly for the first time since the loss of his brother. He cried, but they were no longer tears of desperate hopelessness, but of emotions he had been void of for so long. In their voices, in their stories, he found hope, he found strength, he found determination. As their voices filled his heart with hope, his conviction grew.

There was no way he would let himself sit there forever, no way he could let his brother's memory die with him. If there were people out there fighting, out there living, he wanted to find them, he wanted to join them, needed to. Thus, he had packed the backpack that now stood leaning against his leg where he was seated in front of his radio. Everything he could possibly need was therein; food and water to last weeks, a torch, a knife, clothes, a portable radio with headphones that he had somehow managed to find after weeks of searching, and the drawing he had made of his brother. All was ready for departure and his heart was hammering in his chest, its beats sending shivers of anticipation through his body, filling him with a nervous energy that made him almost tremble. Yet, he remained calm, remained strong, remained sure. Soon, he knew they would come on once more. They were his signal. They were his hope. The drone was long gone, and now was a better chance than ever.

The radio filled with a stronger static, its white noise a melody he was long used to, but he could hear the familiar tones, the familiar ways that always came before a broadcast. His grip of his backpack grew tighter as he took a deep breath.

"My name is Saga" he began whispering to himself, his voice hoarse from months without speaking, from his isolation, yet strong with a conviction that finally stilled that hammering heart of his even as it broke. For a moment, he merely breathed, before he cleared his voice and continued speaking in a hushed, quiet voice. "My name is Saga and my brother's name was Anders. This is the day I’ll finally try to find people again” the more he spoke, the more he felt the strength course through him, could hear his voice grow stronger, steadier. “I will join their cause against Portablyat. I’ll fight for a better future, for Anders, for everyone that have died at the hands of those monsters.”

“I-I know none of you can hear me, but I'm coming to join you” his voice grew into a whisper once more, though a small smile played on his lips, a weak one cracked by months of pain. “I don't know where you are, or how even to find you, but Strawk! I will find you! Kevin, Mitch, Jemarc, Manny. Thank you for showing me that there is still love in this broken world. Thank you for reminding me that I can’t give up"

Tears were welling up in his eyes, his heart heavy with the loss of his brother, but light with a hope that made him smile even as his eyes stung, even as the cold, salty tears were rolling down his cheeks. In front of him, the radio made a scratching sound once more before he heard their voices, their familiar voices that had told him stories of three characters that found companionship in each other despite their circumstances, that found hope even as they were in literal Hell. Again, he could hear their laughing voices, and his heart filled with a calm, with a steadiness he had not felt for a long, long time. Yes. Somehow, he was going to find them, he was going to join them, and they were all going to survive.

There was always beauty, even in this broken world, and Saga had found beauty in a tale told by friends. On the radio, Mitch finally spoke the words that Saga loved to hear, and with them, he hoisted up his backpack on his shoulders. With another steadying breath, he dried the remnants of tears on his cheeks, and looked at the radio one final time.

"So, are you guys ready to play?" Mitch asked his friends as Saga left his bunker to join the fight for freedom.

[epiphanyksj]

TELL ME ABT JK DURING UR CONCERT IN LA !!!!!! HE LOVES LA N U DIDNT TELL ME ABT IT IN DETAIL !!!!!!💞💕💖💓

oh god :(((( HHH!!!!!! ok im literally gonna go through this event by event. so I WALKED INTO THE ARENA with my friend to go find my seat and there’s a moment of silence before the beginning of danger’s mv begins playing. and up on the screen is jungkook playing outro: propose, that really pretty dramatic piano part. and let me tell you i literally burst into tears AT THAT MOMENT because it was just so overwhelming to realize that i was actually there and going to see them. and then there was the vcr and they all looked. So Good! i literally said “oh my god” so many times during the concert it was unreal i mean ive told you about this but yeah on to actual performances (read more)

so all this fire starts torching into the air and the stage lights are flashing everywhere with this dramatic music with heavy drums (think mama 2016 fire-esque). ok so im rewatching the vid i took as i write this and im laughing because everyone else is like “TRAADE OFF” and from me you just hear this hysterical “CHOO CHOO” OK thats not the point. i could barely focus in the first performance because i could not believe they were real but like he’s GORGEOUS they were all so gorgeous n i wanna gush about the others too but this is a jk ask. he is So Stable and powerful i dont know how he even does it. so after they finish performing they begin their ments…. when it goes to jk he kinda looks up like “:o its my turn” but then he goes “WASSUP” and he’s so sos ofuckginfg pretty he glows and his eyes and just his face at that point i screamed “I LOVE YOU… (weakly) jungoo….” and then he also said LONG TIME NO SEE he has the cutest voice :(.

when he starts singing in save me… his voice is so beautiful. and i already said it but his dancing is so powerful. n the way he looks at the camera… you feel it in your soul. and his voice is so good in im fine!!!!!! i was not, in fact, fine. the part where he falls to the floor then suddenly looks up is so intense.

but incredibly he looks absolutely ethereal when he stands and sings. this might sound weird but like…. the way his eyes are half closed is so pretty and he looks at peace. even more so when he closes his eyes all the way. ive said it so many times but his eyes literally are so captivating. all of bts look unbelievably good in person. also there’s supposed to be a fanchant In Magic Shop During The Instrumental Break But Nobody Did It but i faithfully went through all the way anyway.

n then. THE GOLDEN DUO VCR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! theyre so cuuuteekjsdhdskjfh :((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( like it was just such a happy pure colorful lighthearted vcr!!!!!

ok not to be cheesy but i literally got goosebumps and started tearing up when i heard his voice say “euphoria” in the silence. the pretty guitars start coming in and he’s revealed on the stage. he looks so at home when he sings it and there’s golden light all around him and he’s smiling. but when it’s not the chorus the lights are a blue color and it reminds me of the ocean in the music video. he really puts so much into his singing and just his overall performance. and when he does the high note in euphoria and the golden confetti explodes into the air and shimmers in the lights.

he puts his hand to chest often when he sings like he’s feeling it in his soul. but he also jams out really cutely! he jumped around during run a lot (and yet is ridiculously stable still) and his hair is bouncy! he headbanged a little too :( at the end of run during hoseok’s part he took out his earpiece to listen to us. his part in dna with tae is so iconic!!! rapper jk!!!!!!!!! literally even just the way he sings “DNA”!!!!

he asked us if we were having fun!!!! babie :( (side note tae is SOO cute when he talks in english). also the army bomb ocean was so pretty it was a range of colors from yellow green to purple and it was this amazing gradient.

then. Then. 21st century girls. Came On. but i need to save this gushing about the song itself for the next ask. all of them gather together to jam out in the center of the stage! afterwards jk wanders around! YOU SAY YES OR NO YES OR NO WOOAAAHOHHH

this goes for everyone else too but when he sings in gogo its like the words are just rolling out of his mouth if that makes sense.

but the transition to bst. unreal but im also saving that for the next ask. god and i keep talking about jk’s dancing but seriously him and the entirety of dance line are a serious force to be reckoned with. his voice when he sings his parts is so light and fluttery.

you shouldve heard me during his rap part of boy in luv. i was like “APPAAAAAAA” “EOMMAAAAAA” “PYEONJIIII” “MWONJIII” like i think those technically aren’t his lines but that whole section. and they cut straight to the bridge instead of doing the second verse and jk’s voice there especially combined with jimin and jin. and he holds the high note!!!!!!!

but his rap part in danger. hard fucking core. he’s so talented it’s unbelievable. this man does not hesitate when it comes to bangers or when it comes to headbanging.

airplane pt2. he saunters onto the stage like nobody’s business and sits and kicks back on that damn chair with his sultry ass voice. his falsetto is gorgeous when they do that part before hoseok’s airplane rap and at the end of the song. and i know it’s only part of the studio recording but when he does the “ah ah” part i lose my mind. the way he sits with the other members surrounding him just emanates this air of power and regality but almost in a casual way like “yeah we’re royalty, what about it?”

his outfit during fake love is perfect. all of the outfits are so good i could gush about them all day but alas this is a jk ask. his sleeves are see-through and he has shiny chains going across his chest harness and i’m sure you could find pictures of it but i hadn’t looked at concert pics beforehand so i was in shock at how good the outfits were. it’s like some performing beast is unleashed from jungkook during fake love. he’s absolutely in the zone and i couldn’t take my eyes off him because his presence is so strong especially when he’s in the center. it’s like he moves his body and projects his voice perfectly to the flow and energy of the song. fake love as a whole is so captivatingly intense it’s like you’re under a spell when you watch them perform it.

ok im burning out i can only write so much DSKJHSDF but the truth untold. it’s like he transforms into full angel form at this point. his voice is incredible and his harmonies and pitch and the emotion he puts into it. also everybody say thank you stylists!

he also has such an aura during mic drop. everybody does but it seriously is honestly such a great track live because the energy is dominating and in that moment you really know that they absolutely do own the whole arena and set the stage on fire. ugh! and the strength that he has during the dance break at the end of mic drop!! unreal!

also i can’t imagine genuinely truly hating so what. like i see so many people saying they hate it but you know that when you hear it irl that shit makes you JUMP and they have so much fun on stage especially jk! we like to make fun of him for his shoot dance but seeing him go across the stage enjoying himself so much makes you feel just as much joy as him :( at this point would it really be a performance of so what if he didn’t do it?

at this point i knew that so what was one of the final performances n i was like. What. because it really passed by like a blur it didn’t feel nearly as long as it supposedly took and before i knew it they were performing anpanman so i HAD to cheer up because that song is so cute. and jk is all smiley when they perform it! nose scrunches and all! he actually gets up in a normal way during namjoon’s part. his eyes are all big and sparkly and playful and it feels very boyish!!!

N THEN DURING THE ENDING MENT JOON CALLED JUNGKOOK “MISTER COOL GUY JK” AND JK WAS LIKE “cool guy!” n then like “make some nooooiiiise!!!” n he was smiling doing his cute scrunch and rewatching this like. ive said it 50 times already but he’s seriously so pretty. his eyes are lit up and his expression is bright and there’s a blue light shining on him but his EYESSSSS :((((( he has a slight accent which is rly cute but his pronunciation is also really good and it feels like you just want to hug him really tight even though he’s sweaty but like Would I Complain.

his voice in answer: love myself is so smooth it’s like sitting in a warm patch of sun with a cool breeze looking up at the sky. ok i know i said i was burning out but am i really. rewatching the videos makes me so happy. and his harmonies were so nice. and he was moving side to side really cutely! like one of those figurines you put on the dashboard of your car and they dance side to side! n he’s so full of love. they were all moving their arms side to side and the army bombs were moving along with them i want to cry watching it again it’s so weird thinking that i was actually there it felt like everyone in the audience became one with all the members on stage jk was acting cute and he and all the members were waving to everyone in the audience in the pit and the further away and upper levels of the arena.

for a really long time i’ve never been able to pinpoint the happiest moment or memory of my life everytime ive been asked about it. for lack of a better answer i always left it vague but ever since the concert i can easily say it was the happiest i’d been in a long time and possibly ever and i wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything else in the world