#its fine. it's fine and I'm fine. I can turn to stone and tell myself I don't really care. because I don't.

[straydogged]

a lot of my high school "friends" are getting married to each other and other people I knew and it's... making me really fucking bitter ngl. like, I'm engaged, I have been for years. it's not that. I guess it's more like bitterness that they're all still friends. I know I didn't make much effort to keep up with them after dropping out, but the truth is I don't think I was ever part of that group the way I thought I was. I remember them planning a party I wasn't invited to in front of me, pretty vividly. I remember that they never seemed to really care about my presence one way or another... I was on the fringes. always on the fringes, tolerated at best. I was too autistic to pick up on that at the time, I think. sure, I had classes with them and we shared a lot of extracurriculars. and a lot of us had gone to the same middle school. thinking back, I think most of them had gone to the same elementary school, too.

I don't know where I'm going with this. I guess I just feel lonely. untethered. when I'm gone, who will remember me? not my classmates. not the people I thought I was friends with. it's like my life before 19 just never happened. there's only one tie left from my childhood.

[kuni-is-daddy]

Hear me out- fluffy comfort sex with scara bc y/n's severe daddy issues are acting up and it gets rougher... idk ive just been fantasizing about this 🤭

"For me~"

Tw: daddy issues, Signals of depression.

Scaramouche x GN reader PUREE comfort! :)

1.3K Words

scara masterlistt wanderer comfort

Fluff+smut

MINORS DNI---

Please make sure your taking care of yourself! I might not know you but your a beautiful person inside out who deserves the best and an amazing life no matter your age. Either young or old, things will get better. Have faith in yourself ❤️ I hope scara helps you feel better here💜

Art credit!

Even though scaramouche has a interesting personality. I feel like he truly can relate to MANY people regarding their problems and that's why he's one of my, if not favorite genshin character.

He's on break from his most recent mission in inazuma and treats you out and catch up as another date. He brings you a couple of gifts and some dango he kept cold just for you. "I thought you weren't a fan of dango scara?" "I'm not but.. figured I might as well bring something sweet for you besides myself" you giggled but that soon turned into a sad expression while you played with the box of dango he handed to you. "What's wrong y/n?"

Unfortunately, hearing about what's going on with your father was the last thing he wished to hear. Your his everything and you getting treated or viewed as nothing is something that makes his skin boil.

"tsk, how about I teach that old man a lesson? Humans are all the same. Taking it out on others because they can't handle the fucking truth or their own shit life. Where is he?" Scaramouche stood up from the table and looked at his surroundings.

"S-scara baby please it's fine its fine.." he sits back down. "Being with you already makes my day a blessing." You cup his cheek and he sinks into your warm touch. Looking at your beautiful eyes. He sighs, "you don't deserve this y/n. And..I'm not going to be here all the time for you. Fuck...this is already pissing me off"

"I don't even fucking have a father, but if I did I sure as hell wouldn't let myself get pushed around like this." You frowned. "Hey. Look at me. Your not a push over okay? I-im just saying this isn't right. Your beautiful and deserve the world y/n. I'd give you all of teyvat in a heartbeat" which you assumed he could after seeing the 'Shouki no kami' he and 'the doctor' have been working on. "Is he always home and like this?" "Yeah.. it's just like this when I'm around... So I'd just find something to do to try and take my mind off if it but..it still hurts." He held your hand. "Its going to hurt my love, it hurt when my mom abandoned me as well. Leaving me alone, but you have to find hope. Be it something small or anything. The fatui was.. a revenge thing you can say but. I found hope within you to be different..even if I am still in it. For now." You blushed "wow kuni~ I never knew you could be so nice." And there went his ego, "I just tell it like it is. And like I said, you are beautiful my love. And you certainly are worth it. Every hour, every second and every breath I take by your side."

It grew silent for a couple of minutes. Scara got up and paced back and forth thinking of a way to help you, to make you understand he loves you. He knew that deep in your thoughts we're tragedy and pain, that you we're alone. And he didn't want you to feel how he felt when his life crumbled due to the stoned face of a god.

He wanted to hurt that man, make him regret it. But he knew that wasn't the right way. Sometimes violence isn't always the answer and he learned that from you. You we're the yin to his yang, the beat in his heart. He loved you more than anything and you guided him into the 'happy' man he is today more then anyone could ever hope to become.

He didn't take you home, rather to his own home. It was dark, black painted walls and only 1 or 2 pictures he took with his 'buddy, Childe' and the rest we're all pictures of you. Even in his room he had taped up letters you'd write to him during his abroad trips. "Look. Come here." He was a little stern but you can tell it was because he was angry at how you we're being treated. "You see all of this here? I read these everyday. When I wake up, to be reminded that I'll always have you y/n." He held your hands and sat on the bed while taking his hat off. "I want you too feel the same way, even with that piece of shi- 'annoying parent' around. You don't have to read my letters my love, but please. Stay strong. For me. And for the future we will have together, side by side. Always."

SMUT🤪

Scaramouche laid you onto the bed and let out a groan "god look at this beautiful body of yours. How dare you look at yourself like this.. your fucking beautiful" he rubbed his hands along your body and took licks around your neck "I'm gonna treat you well t'night baby. And tomorrow I'm going to ask that brat Childe to take the rest of my missions for a bit(months) love." "B-but scara then your going to be so busy after-" he kissed you to keep you quiet. "Mmm mmm.. don't worry about that, trust me you'd be surprised to see the things he'd do after I put on a show for him(scara means killing a buncha people. Childe loves that shit😩)

Scara moved down to your private part, licking and kissing it "Scara~ stopp..your tongue~"

"Want me to stop baby? I know you like it." "N-no" you said while rubbing through his hair "you feel so good~" he smirked. "Good you like it. How about my fingers, you want that to?" "Y-yes daddy..wanna feel your fingers." Scara licked at his fingers and put two inside. "Mmm your so tight around my fingers baby..." He took his other hand and held your leg up while biting at your thighs. "Scara~ please~ ah...hah...." biting and sucking on your thighs until you got a hicky "Yes? What does love want." "I- I want you inside." He stopped biting at you and laughed. "Mmm and here I thought you wanted me to be gentle. And cherish your body." "I-i do but... I want more of you scara" "then take what you want of me, my love"

"Oh fuck baby..L-look at you, bouncing on daddys cock so well." Scara's praises made your body heat up. You two interlocked hands as you chased your orgasm "Yes y/n..Fuck yes. i love you. I love you so fucking much, Please cum for me. Let me hear those beautiful moans." "S-SCARA~ OH sHIT~" You cum oozed onto scara as he kept praising you, "Mm..fuck baby you did so well..So fucking well.. lay down f' me." Your body grew weak as your high started to fade and he guided you to the otherside of the bed. Scara licked off some of your cum while cleaning you up. "Shit.. and you taste good too baby." You threw a pillow at him "You pervet-"

You awoke to your boyfriend soundly asleep next to you. Already in his fatui attire. "S-scara...Your still here" He ruffly opened his eyes. "Of course id be here dumass.. But i do have to leave in a bit.. Otherwise how else am i gonna get that ginger idiot to take my work for a bit." You we're shocked that he still committed to what he said earlier, You thought he was just speaking to boost you up but scara was serious about it. You gave him a hug. "Im so glad to have you in my life Kuni. I love you."

"My god, my mother, humans. They've all abandoned me. Because I was 'weak. Not good enough.' But now I understand my love, I don't need them. Or what they say... All I need and want is you. I want to wake up to your beautiful smile. I want while I'm away for you to be happy. So please keep trying, not for those that dismiss you like they've done me. But for yourself and me. I believe in and love you. Just the way you are and the person you strive to be. I love your kindness, the way you smiled even when you we're sad on our dango date and wake up everyday even if it's the bare minimum. Dont hide those emotions anymore my love, When your hurt, Fall in my arms. Please stay, don't listen to that old bastard or the pain in your heart. I love you and I will stay with you until the bitter end to pick you up. Just like you always did for me"

Ps: I will be home Early, Tomorow evening most likely. Apparently, childe sees me as his 'best friend' and is willing to help regardless. What a looser. Anyway, I have to prep up for the fatui's grand dinner. I hope you ate today my love, Farewell until then.

-Kunikuzushi.

[nightmaree-eyess]

One night stand

Abby tlou fic

Summary: you meet abby at the bar and have a one night stand

Smut Mdni 18+, masc abby,first person pov, female reader, public sex, strapping, fingering, nipple play, teasing, stone top abby

Word count: 8436

Scroll down for smut starts at —--

“We gotta get you laid tonight” Dina said

“Yeah, when was the last time you even interacted with a woman that wasn’t platonic?”

Ellie and Dina love giving me shit about my love life. Just because they're in love doesnt mean I have to be! It was Ellie's idea to go to the bar tonight for operation “get me laid” (her words not mine). I'm totally fine with the life I live right now. I'm focused on college and don't have time for messy relationships. But they've been worried about me since my last relationship. It didn't end the best and I haven't been in the dating scene since. I didnt even entertain the idea of a hoe phase.

We walked up to the entrance of the club and the sound of muffled house music echoed through the streets. I stare at the door and take a deep breath preparing myself to enter.

“Are you ok? I'm not gonna force you to do something you don't want to.” Ellie said concerningly

Dina nods in agreeance

“Yeah im fine just hyping myself up”

“You'll be fine and whenever you wanna leave just tell us and we’ll go” Dina said

We enter the club and they're playing early 2000’s music. Maybe tonight won't be so bad after all. Even if I don't get laid, I'm still hanging out with my best friends and having drinks.

“We're gonna go find a table! Will you get our drinks please?” Ellie yells over the music

I walk over to the bar and from the corner of my eye I see a girl, her dirty blonde hair in a french braid, carabiner on her jeans, emitting the most confident, sexy aura that I can feel standing 10 ft away. I lock eyes for a second and she gives me a wink and then she walks away.

“M’ame your drinks”

“Oh shit sorry”

I didn't even realise I was staring. Even though I was staring I didn't even get a good look because she was gone as fast as I noticed her.

I grabbed our drinks and Dina texted me what table they're at. I make my way over and I scan the crowd for the mystery girl. I think I lost her and that wink was the only action I was getting tonight. Pathetic.

“Ah man wtf”

Fuck…

“Shit im so so sorry i wasn't paying attention to where i was going this is all my fault im so sorry let me venmo you for the shirt im-”

They turn around and I realise I just bumped into the girl that winked at me. I stand there dumbfounded and flustered.

“It's ok, honestly. It was getting kinda hot in here anyways so thanks for the refreshment.”

She takes off her button up to expose her sculpted muscles and her patchwork tats. Holy fuck this woman is my dream woman. Now all she's wearing is her wife pleaser and she wasn't wearing a bra because I noticed her nipples hardened.

“Please at least let me pay you back for the shirt i feel awful”

“I know another way you can pay me back,”

I give her a questioning look

“Dance with me.”

I was not expecting that response. But i accepted cause i would be lying if i said i wasn't looking forward to hanging out with this beautiful woman.

“ i don't even know your name”

“Its abby”

She reaches out her hand and I place my hand in hers. They’re calloused and I wonder what she does for work, what her hobbies are, but it's hard to get to know someone when the music will definitely give you hearing damage.

She's pulling me to the dance floor and “Hot in Herre by Nelly” was blasting over the speakers. The music fills me with nostalgia. I'm taking in this woman dancing in front of me. The colorful lights make her look ethereal and so gorgeous. It feels like it's just me and her on the dance floor and no one else is in the room.

She grabs my waist as the song “Crazy in love by beyonce” booms across the club. We barely talk because there's no point if we can barely hear eachother even when we're touching. She stops for a moment with her arm still around my wait. I give her a concerned look at first that melts into admiration. I cant believe out of everyone in the club she chose me. She could've been mad about the drink and stormed off but she didn't. She was kind about it.

We lock eyes. And before I know it she's pulling me in for a kiss. The sounds around me are muffled. I almost dropped my drink to give into pure submission. She holds my face and moves her thumb in circles on my jaw. She smells of pine and citrus and it's dizzying. Her lips are as soft as clouds and I'm already hypnotised.

—----------------------------------------

Our kisses get more frantic, sloppier. Kisses that will leave our lips bruised and swollen. She grabs my ass and I hitch my breath. I grab the back of her neck so my kisses land more deeply. I'm already getting wet and we were just kissing. Wow, maybe I do need to get laid. I break the kiss and a trail of spit keeps us connected.

“Meet me in the bathroom, big stall”

I walk off and make sure no one else follows me into the bathroom. After a minute i hear a knock on the stall

“Its me abby”

Her voice is raspy from yelling and it's so sexy.

I pull her into the stall and start unbuttoning her pants as we kiss when she stops my hand

“Are you ok? We can stop”

“Yeah it's just that…i'm a stone top. I prefer to give than receive.”

I let her take the wheel and we started kissing again. She pulls my hair enough to expose my neck and she plants kisses sloppily. She's definitely going to leave hickeys but I don't care.

She's hiking up my dress frantically. God, I'm already so wet. She cups her hand around my cunt.

“Going commando eh? Less work for me”

Im moaning into her neck while she palms my clit. My legs want to give out already but Abbys is holding me up with her muscular tatted arms.

“Oh fuck abby” i moan in her ear

That must've drove her crazy cause she takes 2 girthy fingers and teases my entrance. Then slowly she slips them in and I enter another dimension

“Oh my god you feel so good”

I grind my hips to match the movement of her fingers. My wetness dripped down her hand. Abby's grunting in my ear and it makes me feral.

“F-faster abby”

I could barely get the words out

“I want you to come on the count of 5. No sooner. No later. Can you do that for me princess?”

I almost came right then and there

“Mmhmm” is all i could get out

She starts counting

‘’1…” she whispers in my ear

“2…” i could cum right now

“3…” she's going faster and she added her thumb circling my clit. I almost lost it.

“4… you're doing great you're almost there”

I'm being loud at this point but I don't really care. This feels so fucking good.

“5.”

I grab a fist full of her hair and mess up her braid. I cum all over her hand and scream in ecstasy. I almost fall over but Abby catches me.

We kissed for a bit and I realised I don't want this to end.

“Wanna come over to my place? I live right down the block?” I whisper

“I would love to” she kisses me

I take her by the hand and let Dina and Ellie know I'm leaving. They give each other a confused look and then put the pieces together. They were probably wondering where I was all night. I'll have to apologise later for ditching them but they'll understand.

I walk up to my apartment door and Abby hugs me from the back taking in my scent, leaving more hickeys, which makes me drop my keys, flustered. I bend down exposing between my legs and Abby cups my ass in her hands.

“Damn cant even wait to get through the door” I say teasingly

I open the door and she spins me around and leads me into my own apartment by my waist. She closes the door and we kiss each other like the world is ending. She leads me into the kitchen on the left and lifts me up on the counter effortlessly.

“You smell so divine, I can smell you from up here” Abby said raspy and deep

That makes me horny all over again

She spread my legs with her hips, planting kisses down my body. She takes my dress off and throws it on the floor. I'm vulnerable and naked now. She presses kisses on the tops of my breasts, leading down to my nipples. She takes my right nipple and starts sucking on it. I tilt my head back in pure bliss and let out a little moan. She works her tongue around my nipple while sucking, giving little flicks with her tongue. It's driving me wild. You need her inside you. But in a different way. You stop her for a second.

“Are you ok?” she asks worryingly

“Yeah of course I just wanna ask you something.”

She looks at you with a blank look

“I-I have a strap that I want you to use on me, if that's ok with you. I bought it because i thought id get more action but-”

She quiets you with a kiss

“I'd love to angel”

Abby smacks my ass as I run into my bedroom to get the strap and dildo. When I return she's sitting in the living room on the couch across from the kitchen.

When she sees the strap her eyes go wide with eagerness. I hand over the strap and she unbuttons her straight legged levi’s and her carabiner thuds to the ground with the jeans. She's wearing grey boxers and god i wish i could kiss her happy trail down to her pussy and eat her out. She puts on the strap and sits on the couch. And pats her lap. I walk over and straddle her. She grabs my hips to ease me on and the dildo slips in. I didn't even need lube since I'm so wet. I slowly bounce up and down, grinding my hips to hit the spot.

Abby grabs your tits and circles my nipples with her thumbs.

“You're so sensitive”

I picked up the pace and grabbed Abby's shoulders for stability. She notices and moves one hand down my body and slowly inches her way over to my cunt.

“Youre so fucking wet for me baby” she says like butter

Abby takes two fingers and circles your clit as you move up and down.

“Oh fuck abby right there. Im gonna cum, im gonna cum. Im gonna-” you scream in bliss as you lower your head in the crook of Abby's neck for stability and she kisses and bites your ear which brings on a second wave. Abby takes her hand and licks it.

“You taste so fucking good baby.”

She kisses me to prove to me that I do.

We ended up cuddling on the couch and I don't know when but I slipped away in blissful sleep surrounded by abbys huge, inked arms.

—----------------------------------------

In the morning I woke up to the space next to me empty. The apartment is quiet and I wonder where everyone is. All that was left of Abby was her scent in the cushions and the memories plastered in the walls. She didn't even leave a note and I never got her number. I guess she’ll just be a memory now.

[mad3lyncline]

𝑩𝑼𝑺𝒀𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑺𝑬𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑬𝑹𝑺 – 𝑷𝑨𝑹𝑻 𝑻𝑾𝑶 . starters from the 2019 ep 'busyhead' by noah kahan . adjust pronouns as necessary !

𝒄𝒚𝒏𝒊𝒄

i'd change my name to find a space to get some rest .

i'd give my face to find a place to put my head .

this is who we are ; there's no glamour to it .

i cried at the rain but there's no way that i'm depressed .

if i think too hard i'm scared i might lose it .

the hollywood sign don't catch my eye much anymore .

leave it to time to make me feel i'm getting old .

give me the open mind that i had before .

i miss the days when one was better than the last .

i miss the taste of growing pains i knew would pass .

i miss those thoughts and that fear of losing .

i don't know why i see no light in anything .

leave it to life to turn my strengths back into weaknesses .

𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆

i shut you out just out of habit , i don't know .

i spent five months out here treading water .

now i wonder why you bothered .

why do you keep reaching for my hand ?

do you see something i can't ?

why do you try to save me ?

this fate is well deserved .

i only make things worse .

have i served my sentence ? learned my lesson ?

am i still so selfish ?

do you see my misdirections ?

𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒌

she hates to say goodbye , so she only says goodnight .

she sleeps with one eye closed so she can tell if she's alone .

she's the sunset in the west .

she is sleep when i need rest .

for you , i would never sink again .

i have grown to tell myself a lie and i'll sink .

time slows to let me jog along .

high hopes won't last me very long .

she's the path on which i tread .

she's the shiver up my neck .

she's the blood rush to my head .

𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒍

you knew me in my spiral .

sometimes i get this feeling i've been breathing someone else's air .

two thousand miles away from home under that sky , i tried to make my peace with fear .

so i guess i'll build a boat and live alone .

i'll teach myself to swim and live in my head .

if i never reach the land or live again , i'll be just fine .

i fell into a pattern where nothing would matter if i didn't care .

it wears me out , all the demons underneath the tide .

i sink like stone beneath the weight of all these dreams of mine .

you can't save someone too far to find .

it's stormy in the sea tonight .

𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒐'𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈

do you remember drinking in the parking lot by the trailhead ?

i see you for a moment , then the morning comes and it's wasted .

we listened to 'only the good die young' and we laughed about its statement .

we walked in the same direction but we both got lost .

we both got lost in your angst and my impatience .

did you find what you were looking for ? some escape from your skin ?

you know , that place you were dreaming of where all light comes in .

i keep burning my bridges down just to keep you alive .

do you remember looking from the fire tower at the sunset ?

i guess i just got busy ; only saw you every other weekend .

i just moved to the city . hope the noise drowns out the regret .

they tell me grief is just love letting go .

they say they don't know who i am anymore .

i just have never shown anger before .

still haven't found what i'm looking for .

i'll keep growing my hair out long just to cover my eyes .

i'll keep playing that goddamn song if it keeps you alive .

[cainluvr69]

Main Story 2 Chapter 18 - Nova's Testing Ground

1 - A Lonely Pit

Nero: Heath, are you okay…?!

Heathcliff: Yes! How about her?!

Nero: She only passed out. What the hell is this place…

Heathcliff: …Nero, did you notice? We're walking on top of…

Nero: Yeah. On a ton of mana stones. A huge number of wizards turned to stone here.

Nova: That's correct.

Heathcliff & Nero: …!!

Nova: This was my true testing ground, you see. For these.

Nero: Huh?! What's this feeling…?!

Heathcliff: …! What's that…?!

Nero: Heath, move…!

✦✧☾✧✦

Rutile: …It feels like we're seeing other people less and less.

Isaac: … Maybe.

Rutile: I don't think Dr. Figaro would've taken Mitile somewhere like this, but…

Isaac: …

Rutile: Well, I guess I'm a bit miffed. He asked you to walk around with me so that he had a lot of time to talk with Mitile, didn't he?

Isaac: He did. Something like that.

Rutile: Isaac, can I ask you a bit of a strange question?

Isaac: …Sure.

Rutile: Have you ever eaten a mana stone before?

Isaac: …

Rutile: I… I'm sorry. It really was too weird of a question. I didn't mean to make you look so startled…

Isaac: You noticed.

Rutile: Huh?

Isaac: You noticed, but you still came along quietly with me?

Rutile: Umm… I'm very sorry. I don't think I did notice. I'm not sure what it is you're talking about. Could I say a bit more about why I wanted to ask you something like that?

Isaac: … Sure.

Rutile: You see, my younger brother and I don't agree on the subject of eating…or not eating mana stones. So I wanted to hear what you thought as well, Isaac.

Isaac: …Why.

Rutile: Because you're a wizard…

Isaac: … I've eaten mana stones before.

Rutile: I see… Could you tell me more about it? But if you don't want to, I'll of course accept that.

Isaac: It's fine.

Rutile: How… How does it feel?

Isaac: …

Rutile: I… I don't know how to put it into words, but it seems like such a frightening, terrible thing… But Mithra's opinion is the complete opposite. …And that would make me the cold and cruel one… …Ah, am I… Am I overstepping things by talking about this sort of thing? I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable.

Isaac: No… It's fine. You didn't ask something bad.

Rutile: Thank goodness… I'm so relieved to hear that.

Isaac: …Haha. Ask me anything you want. I'll tell you anything.

Rutile: Then, once again… How does it feel?

Isaac: Hmm… It's good. It's all mine… It's nice.

Rutile: By "nice", do you mean… "Oh, you're so kind!" kind of nice, or more…calm and relaxing?

Isaac: There are times when it makes me proud, too. But usually…it's calming.

Rutile: Can you tell me why?

Isaac: Because it feels like I've become what I wanted to…?

Rutile: I see…?

Isaac: But… Once I'm done feeling nice, I start getting frustrated again after a while. Like it's still not enough…

Rutile: …Not enough? What's…

Isaac: …I don't know. I haven't taken enough…?

Rutile: …Taken?

Isaac: Yeah.

Rutile: Why are you taking it?

Isaac: …… Because I don't have anything.

Rutile: …

Isaac: I don't have anything. If I want to feel good, I have to take good things from somewhere else. But, since I'm already empty… Anything that I take ends up turning into nothing. Good things disappear. So I get frustrated and start wanting more again. I'm a hole that can't be filled in. A lonely pit other things fall into. That's why… Tonight, I'm going to use you to fill myself in.

Rutile: …… Use me?

Isaac: That's right.

Rutile: By being together with me?

Isaac: …

Rutile: Like doing things to kill time together? I think that's an…interesting way of putting it. You're lonely, but… Still charming.

Isaac: …

Rutile: Thank you very much for teaching me in your own words what your loneliness means to you. A lonely pit that takes things for its own, only for them to disappear… I don't think I'll be able to forget that.

Isaac: I… I didn't teach you anything. I'm stupid, and…you're a teacher.

Rutile: Oh, don't say that! It's true that I'm a schoolteacher, but everything in this world has taught me something. The people who have experienced things I have not, those who have felt things I have not, animals, nature, everything… All of them have taught me many things. And you are another of them, Isaac. Please, let me talk with you more.

Isaac: …

Lennox: Rutile!

Rutile: Ah… It's Leno. Leno!

Lennox: I'm glad I found you. Mitile and Dr. Figaro are already back at the manor.

Rutile: Is that what happened? Thank goodness.

Lennox: We need to hurry back, too. Let's go as soon as we can.

Rutile: So that we can go to Eastern Country together?

Lennox: Yes. And this is…

Rutile: This is Isaac. I believe he's acquaintanced with Dr. Figaro and Mithra.

Lennox: With Dr. Figaro and Mithra… I'm Lennox. Good to meet you.

Isaac: I'm Isaac.

Rutile: Isaac, thank you so much for searching with me.

Isaac: Did something happen?

Rutile: Just something a little worrying. We need to return home now and start getting ready…

Isaac: I'll help you.

Rutile & Lennox: …

Isaac: I… I have stronger magic than you two. I can help Lord Figaro.

Lennox: But…

Rutile: Are you sure?

Isaac: Of course.

Rutile: Leno…

Lennox: …… (This man has the eyes of someone accustomed to killing other people.) (But he knelt in front of Lord Figaro. He'll probably be obedient to him.) (And if Lord Faust's group encountered Nova, then we'll need every bit of firepower we can get.) Alright. Please come with us, then.

Isaac: Yeah.

Rutile: It's good to be working with you, Isaac!

✦✧☾✧✦

The golden moon above us painted our surroundings with soft light. Saku-chan sat on my shoulders, its eyes seeming oddly fixed on the person in front of me. Rather than it seeming on guard, it was more like it was trying to ignore him, and its attention being grabbed anyways. The young man in front of me had the same face as Murr. But the look on that face couldn't have been more different from the Murr I knew. It was like looking into the eyes of a cat that knew everything there was to know about the galaxy, and he smiled a genuine but clever smile… He was a shard of Murr's soul, brought into human form by the <Great Calamity>… A materialization of a person.

Murr: Good evening, Master Sage.

I was startled the first time I encountered one, but by now I've encountered several shards of Murr's soul. Each shard was different, so it wasn't like I was meeting the same person again and again. I knew that, but it still felt like I was meeting, parting, and meeting again with the same person, over and over and over. I wonder if that's why I felt so calm when I saw him for the first time in a long time tonight. It was like seeing an old friend… Like I'd caught up with a traveler who'd left before me. Murr's soul had shattered to pieces because he got too close to the <Great Calamity>. Which meant that, in a way, he was the person who had come closest to the mystery at the center of this world.

Akira: …I thought I would see you tonight. You were the one who wrote in the research log, weren't you?

Murr nodded, and then he began a walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens. I followed after, a little more slowly. The trees' leaves and flowers danced in the breeze, as though welcoming us.

Murr: Yes, that's correct. I recorded very important variations in the subjects of observation here that the researchers themselves had missed. Discovery, or noticing, or however you'd like to call it, is a funny thing. From the moment a discovery is made, one's perception of the world completely changes. Even though the world itself is still the same, with just a single change of viewpoint, you've traveled to a completely new one. Just like you have, Master Sage.

Murr turned on his heel to face me before smoothly extending a hand towards me. I glanced down, startled, and saw a large tree root creeping over the ground. It was swollen in places, to such a degree that it could almost look like a staircase.

Murr: This way. Please, watch your feet.

I took Murr's hand. For a moment, I got scared that he was going to vanish, leaving only his gloves behind, but… He simply smiled at me, the perfect image of a considerate gentleman, and escorted me down the steps.

2 - His Studies' End

Nocturnal birds hooted softly in the Royal Botanical Gardens. I stepped over the large tree root. White, pink, and violet flowers perfumed the dark night with their lofty, phantasmagoric scents. I caught a whiff of cold steel and stone as well. It was as if I was breathing in the scent of that blue galaxy enshrouding the stars.

Akira: Um…

Murr: What is it?

Akira: Where is everyone?

Murr: Right by you. If they sense any major changes, they'll show up here in a heartbeat.

Akira: Major changes?

Murr: I cast a little hoodwinking charm. They've been deluded by my magic. They're on the hunt with your phantom right now. If they sense any disturbances in the world, they'll realize that the Royal Botanical Gardens they're investigating are a forgery.

Once he'd stepped over the tree root and onto level ground, Murr ever-so-courteously let go of my fingers.

Akira: Where's your physical form… the fragment of Murr's soul? It's a pretty purple-colored shard, right? I've seen them a few times before.

Murr smiled michievously and pointed to a tall tree behind me.

Murr: It's in that rounded tree hollow over there. It used to be elsewhere, but a squirrel moved it. I'd never been in a squirrel's cheek pouches before. I think I'll collect these experiences in a book and publish them someday.

I spontaneously laughed at Murr's jest. Seeing this, Murr narrowed his marble-like eyes and laughed in good cheer. It might've just been presumption on my part, but I sensed amiability from Murr in that moment. His smile was always dispassionate, but just for the briefest instant… A feeling of happiness at being able to make me laugh escaped into a relaxed smile. So I thought.

Murr: Heh heh…

Murr's smile immediately regained its air of pretense. Maybe I'd just mistaken it. I felt a bit awkward. I was filled with a strange, unsettled feeling. Much like the feeling I'd had when I couldn't hold Saku-chan, despite it taking the form of the cats I loved so much.

Akira: W-Why did you enchant everyone?

Murr: I wanted to be alone with you.

Akira: Is there something that would be inconvenient for anyone else to hear…?

Murr: Plenty, naturally. But that bears little relevance to why I'm monopolizing you. This garden is my favorite. Wonderful, isn't it? Approximately 5000 species of plants are grown and maintained here. Do you like plants, Master Sage?

Akira: …Well… I don't know much about them, but looking at them is calming.

Murr: I'm glad to hear it. I wanted to show off the plants here to you. Just like gems and ores, plants are the very world itself. Welcome to the world I loved, Master Sage.

As Murr offered a greeting, the trees swayed behind him. Wind and rain had nurtured these flowers which sprouted from the soil of ages. From that perspective, the plants gathered here were themselves much like wizards. Wizards beloved by the spirits of soil. Just what is a wizard? What is the <Great Calamity>?

Akira: Murr… I have a lot I want to ask you…

Murr: Go ahead, ask away.

This was the chance of a lifetime, I quickly realized. I frantically called up every question I had to mind. But then Murr shrugged his shoulders.

Murr: …Is what I'd like to say, but when my soul shattered, my knowledge seems to have scattered apart as well. My knowledge and what the past Murr knew don't fully overlap. After all, the present me doesn't even know where Murr's laboratories were.

Akira: Murr's laboratories?

Murr: Yes. Murr had hidden laboratories all over the world. Were you aware, Master Sage? Murr once angered a Northern Wizard and consequently had his laboratory destroyed.

Akira: His laboratory was destroyed…!? That's terrible…

I felt bad for Murr, but I didn't wonder the reasons. Murr's personality and speech were rather…pointed. Sharp. Even if he lacked any animosity for the person he was talking to, even if he loved the person he was talking to. Even his longtime friend Shylock met him with scathing sarcasm and almost reproachful questions sometimes. He must have pissed people off on a regular basis. Nevertheless, I still felt bad for him. Because he loved his research.

Murr: How kind of you, Master Sage. However, Murr was the one who started it. He brought it upon himself. Still, losing the research results which he had painstakingly accumulated for so long made Murr more cautious. After that, Murr set up his laboratories where nobody else knew about them, and cast sealing magic on them just to be extra safe. He also split them up by subject or date and scattered them across the map. That way, he wouldn't lose all his research data at once.

Akira: Split up so he wouldn't lose them all at once…

Murr: Yes.

Akira: Just like you.

Murr blinked in surprise. He glanced at me as if to ask what I meant by that. The elation of stumping the famed greatest philosopher of the era and the pressure of finding my next words to say made me strangely electrified, and I could hardly breathe.

Akira: Uh… Er, well… because your soul was broken apart and scattered too. All the fragments of Murr I've met so far have felt somewhat distinct from each other. So I thought this was a similar case.

Murr placed his finger to his lips and lowered his gaze as if lost in thought.

Murr: I see… An interesting thought.

Akira: (He complimented me. That makes me a little happy.)

I felt more positive. Murr continued to ruminate, staying completely still. The night breeze blew through the trees. I considered just waiting like this, but instead spoke cautiously.

Akira: Um…

Murr: My apologies. We were in the middle of a conversation, weren't we.

Akira: Same here, sorry. Can I speak to you?

Murr: Go ahead, Master Sage.

Akira: What kind of things were in Murr's laboratories? If we found them, would we learn the mystery behind why the <Great Calamity> got stronger or how to heal damage from the Calamity?

Murr: By "damage from the Calamity," you mean bizarre phenomena like the fragments of my soul taking physical form.

Akira: Yes. It's a lot of trouble for everyone, so I was wondering if there's a way to cure it…

Murr: "The mystery behind the <Great Calamity> is hidden within Murr's laboratories." There's a very high likelihood of that, but it's accompanied by three dangers at least.

Akira: Three dangers?

Murr: The first: I don't believe Murr would establish his laboratories in any place that was easy to approach. It would be dangerous traversing there. The second: It's likely that the seals on the laboratories are equipped with offensive or self-destruct spells. If you try to force it open, either the person who undoes the seal or the sealed contents themselves will be destroyed. The third: This is the most grievous. Not all that sleeps within Murr's laboratories is benign.

Akira: What do you mean by that?

Murr: Murr held curiosity for a great many things. When he was researching one matter, he'd occasionally come across a new matter of interest. One quest of knowledge led to another quest… …and sometimes resulted in exceptionally hazardous creations.

I felt a shiver of apprehension. The Magical Technology which Murr had invented had already turned the world on its head. Yet there were still other perils to beware of…

Murr: Then there were things that he created, then grew tired of, forgot about, and abandoned.

I felt like I was at my wit's end. Even if we did locate and unseal Murr's laboratories, there was no telling what would pop out of them. It was like a Pandora's Box.

Akira: So this hazardous research that Murr abandoned… do you have any idea as to what the really dangerous stuff was?

Murr: Yes.

Akira: So you do…

Murr: There was one project he stopped partway through because it was exceedingly ethically unsound and could've potentially upset the whole world balance. He didn't even tell Shylock about it. It was exactly the kind of research topic he'd find abhorrent.

This preface alone made me pale in fright. It was horrifying just to hear about.

Akira: …So what exactly was it…?

Inside the garden soaked in moonlight, he told me without the hint of a smile.

Murr: Artificial Wizards. Wizards synthesized by Murr Hart.

3 - Demon in the Underground Waterway

Shino: …What is that thing?!

It was uncanny like nothing I'd ever seen before. It wasn't a human nor wizard nor ghost, nor anything else that existed in this world.

Faust: (Is that a wizard?! A wizard's focus?! I've never felt this kind of presence before!)

It hung in there in the darkness like a spirit of the dead. It looked like a distorted version of a human skeleton in constant, twitching motion. What could have been ribs were warped out of shape. What Nero had said suddenly came to mind. Right now, he was unconscious and laid over the top of my broom, his shallow breaths the only proof that he hadn't already died yet. …The light comes when the ribs open. Right after that, at that thing's center… A blue light had shone out from inside the riblike parts of that thing.

Faust: Shino, run…!

Sparks of light, far colder and far more radiant than that of my mirror… Spilled out from inside of it. Within its twisted ribs, a glimmer of light pulsed like a heart, growing bigger and bigger, until… A thin bundle of light shot out, a line of pale blue lightning.

Faust: <Salliuqnart Mullcredo>

Shino: <Matzah Sadipus>!

We said our spells at almost the same moment, avoiding the pale lightning while protecting our unconscious companion. But the lightning was faster than we could've ever anticipated, and it was able to sustain itself for even longer. It sliced through the waterway's stone wall with all the effort it took to cut through paper, chasing after Shino and the girl he was protecting.

Faust: Shino…!

Shino: …!

The light tore through Shino's fluttering cape. At the same moment, a roar reverberated through the cave.

Faust: …!

The light that was trying to shred Shino to ribbons suddenly changed directions, tracing up into the ceiling before flickering out. I swallowed down my anxious breaths and whirled around. When I did, I saw something leap out towards the demon that had been hiding in this underground waterway.

It was an elegant black panther. Its striking blue eyes flashed as it dug into the demon's back.

Shino: Heath…!

That was what Shino called the panther. The waterway demon held up one twisted, clawed hand, and it made no noise to cue it slamming that same hand down. The panther hit the wall hard, but it was back on its feet in moments, kicking off the water towards the demon. It knew no fear.

Shino: Heath…!

Faust: Shino! Grab Heath with your magic! You need to get going ahead of me!

Shino: What about you?!

Faust: I'm going to buy you as much time as I can by blocking its path. Can I leave Nero to you, too?!

Shino: Got it. …Heath?!

Even during those few moments we were talking, the panther kept leaping at the demon no matter how many times it was knocked away. I didn't know why. But I was smiling despite myself.

Faust: You've got quite the brave master.

Shino: …gh…

Shino's breath was shaky, his lips pressed in a thin line. He nodded slightly, trying to hide his face. He gripped his scythe, and when he lifted his head, he was the same Shino he always was.

Shino: Heath, you're coming with me. <Matzah Sadipus>!

Shino recited his spell, and an unseen hand picked the panther up into the air. But the panther resisted violently. It tore through Shino's magic, jumping back down to the waterway floor. And then, the same as it had been, it ran through the waterway and leapt at the demon.

Shino: You're so stubborn…! Well, I knew that, but…!!

This time, Shino's magic bound Heath as tightly as he could. But the proud panther was furious--it needed to make sure its prey was brought down by its own hand. So I held up my mirror, cutting between the waterway demon and the panther.

Faust: I'm taking over for you.

The demon had started gathering light in its chest again.

Faust: Hurry, Shino! <Salliuqnart Mullcredo>!

Shino: Please, Heath…! …gh, Heath…!

I wondered if Shino's voice would reach him. But, suddenly, the panther stopped fighting against him. It wasn't like it had been forced into it by magic. Instead, it turned and ran to Shino's side, accepting that they were going to go together now.

Shino: Let's go!

I brought my mirror back where it belonged, listening to their retreating footsteps. If I took a direct hit from those glimmers of light, it would be fatal. I readied myself, holding the demon's reflection in my mirror.

Faust: (There's no way to beat this thing and protect Shino and the others at the same time.) (For now, I need to stop its movements, find the spacial distortion, and escape.) (I need to be able to focus to find the distortion. And if I don't have enough time…)

I closed my eyes and recited my spell.

Faust: <Salliuqnart Mullcredo>

✦✧☾✧✦

??? Someone help! Please…!

Bradley: In here. Let's go.

Mithra: On my way.

✦✧☾✧✦

Bradley: …Lessee… Is this where the screams were coming from…?

Painting Snow: So it would seem. If nothing else, we have certainly found a creepy atmosphere for ourselves…

Painting White: It's quite a mess in here… But it seems to be a rather large mansion…

Bradley: Instead of a mansion… Ain't this more of a theater?

Painting White: A theater… Yes, certainly.

Painting Snow: What's this, what's this? …something something playhouse… It's written right here that it's a playhouse.

Mithra: What is that? Ah… Someone's head is falling down.

Painting Snow & White: Huh?!

Mithra: …Oh, I was wrong. It was just a doll's head.

Painting Snow & White: You scared us…

Bradley: And this is the body. It's holdin' a welcome sign.

Mithra: It certainly welcomed us with its freshly severed head.

Painting Snow: My, how frightening…

Painting White: My, how ominous…

Bradley: Don't worry. There's nothin' scarier than you guys here.

Painting Snow: That's not true!

Painting White: We're adorable!

Bradley: …!

Painting Snow and White: Kyaa!

Mithra: The sound came from over there. Let's go.

Bradley: Yeah. …Hm? That's further into the first floor… I think someone's gettin' chased.

4 - Another Threat

Sylves: …kh, haah, haah…! What was that?! I followed Dorothy's tracks all the way to this rotten theater and this is what I get… Eek…! Wh… Who are you?! Are you a wizard? I--I'm a wizard too, so… No… Uwaaaah…!

Bradley: <Adnopotensum>

Painting Snow: Mithra! Take it down!

Mithra: I know that. You don't have to say anything.

Painting White: Bradley, attend to her!

Sylves: ….gh…sniffle…

Bradley: Hey, you okay?!

Sylves: …gh, yes… Sniff… Who are you…?

Bradley: The name's Bradley Bain. You?

Sylves: …ah…I'm Sylves…

Bradley: Tonight's a real disaster, ain't it, Sylves?

Sylves: But thanks to your bullet, I'm not dead… …If you hadn't hit it, I'd be stone by now. …sniff… …Thank you, Bradley…

Bradley: Don't be too quick on that gratitude, girl. That wound might not be fatal, but it's still pretty bad. Once we finish up with that guy, we'll take you somewhere you can get proper medical attention. Do you know what it is? Is it someone's focus?

Sylves: …I don't know… It's like automata… It's like some kind of doll.

Bradley: …A doll…

Sylves: …kh, sniffle… Y…you people should run too… That thing is too much…

Bradley: Haha. Don't you worry your pretty little head. No matter how beefy a doll it might be, if it's Mithra of the North's prey, then…

Mithra: …gh…

Painting Snow: Mithra!

Painting White: Mithra dear!

Bradley: ……

Mithra: …gh, cough…

Bradley: You're kidding me…

✦✧☾✧✦

I kept my impatience in check and fixed my posture, aiming my rifle again. Right before my eyes was the Northern wizard Mithra, grabbing one of his shoulders and clearly just as shocked as I was. Crimson blood oozed from between his long fingers. It wasn't a human or a wizard that had injured him. It was that thing floating in the air, that giant doll. Its head was twice the size of Mithra's, and its huge, clawed hands were easily big enough to catch him just by wrapping one of them around his chest. That said, how big it was didn't mean a damn thing to us. We've all already faced whole mountains of massive magical lifeforms. And yet Mithra, who had slaughtered those mountains of magical beasts so easily, had been injured. The reality of what I was seeing chilled me to the bone. The twin geezers were thinkin' the same thing as me. I could see them in their picture frame, eyes wide, breath caught in their throats.

Mithra: ……

As for the Mithra in question, he was staring at the blood on the palm of the hand he'd been holding over his injury. He blinked a couple times, as if trying to be sure he was actually bleedin'. And then he casually brushed off one of his shoulders, like it wasn't that big of a deal to him.

Mithra: Ah… It seems I got a bit dirty.

The bloodstain had vanished by the next time I blinked. Like he didn't want to acknowledge what it meant that he'd been injured. Normally I was the kind of guy who'd be willing to accept that kind of gesture, the Northern pride of it all, but I was so worked up right now I forgot to be nice about this kind of thing.

Bradley: No, you just got hit. Are you not taking this seriously? Are you spacin' out and not paying attention?

Mithra: Of course I am.

A muscle in Mithra's forehead twitched, annoyed. The crystal skull that was his magical focus floated in the air just above his palm.

Mithra: Please do not interfere. It will be over in five counts.

The twins and I all nodded. We were takin' this real seriously. Mithra faced that stupid big doll, and the three of us were gonna be watchin' his back.

Mithra: <Arthim>

As he chanted his spell, Mithra made a gallant flourish with one hand. Mithra's crystal skull moved in perfect time with him. It stopped over Mithra's head, not quite centered, and then opened its big ol' jaw. Pale sparks gathered inside its mouth, flaring up into cold, cold flames. The stupid big doll's ribs opened wide, and blue flickers of light started to gather in its chest just the same way. Mithra was faster than it, though. Overpoweringly cold flames rolled out of the skull's mouth. Rather than callin' them flames, maybe I should be saying it was more like a terrible blizzard. If you took this point blank, you wouldn't even leave ashes behind. But before those pale flames could connect, the doll leapt away with all the grace of a trained dancer. The blue light had filled up its ribcage, pressing against its bones as if it were about to burst, and it still was able to jump over Mithra's head like it was nothing. It had taken Mithra's back in a single, perfect movement. My body reacted before my head could--my finger was already on my rifle's trigger.

Mithra: I believe I told you not to interfere.

Mithra yelled that at me and I was gonna ask where the hell he was looking, but then he turned and kicked with one of his long legs. From the spot where he kicked all the way to that stupid huge asshole of a doll got frozen. The doll's attention was pulled away from what was going on in its chest. The sparks of light that were overflowing from its ribs pierced through the theater roof instead of any of us. It carved a huge crevice out of the ceiling, and rubble rained down on us.

Painting Snow & White: Cough! Cough!

Mithra thrust his hand into the doll's hood, where its head should have been, and he seemed puzzled by the fact that there wasn't actually anything in there.

Mithra: What's wrong with this thing? There's no inner body. …!

The doll's massive claws grabbed Mithra by the face. His green eyes, usually passive and calm, narrowed in shock. It's been a damn long time since the last time I saw Mithra's face twist in pain. This time I aimed my gun, carefully lining up the sights, and put my finger to the trigger.

Mithra: …tsk, Bradley!

Bradley: Sorry, brother. You hit five ages ago. I'm stepping in as backup!

But the next moment, I felt something dangerous behind me. The stage beneath my feet started to rumble. Half a second later, a pale streak of light cut through the place where I'd been standing. But I was down on the ground, my rifle at the ready--still, my eyes widened when I saw what was there. There was another one of those stupid huge dolls. I grinned despite myself. I was feelin' downright festive with all the murderous intent floatin' through the air--not least from myself. I stood up, not taking my eyes off them.

Bradley: Things are really gettin' fun now, ain't they…

I felt Mithra's presence at my back. He must've gotten away from the claws while I was distracted. We faced our respective dolls, back to back.

Mithra: I wasn't able to kill it in five counts, but… I'll still kill it faster than you.

Bradley: Oh, sure. Wanna bet on it?

It'd been a long time since either of us had prey that could put up a fight. My whole body felt electrified--I was tense, sure, but I was feelin' absolutely exhilarated, too. I didn't know what was goin' on, but I could feel my blood heatin' up as I stared down this unknown threat. We kicked off from the stage at the same time.

✦✧☾✧✦

Mitile: It's Rutile! They're back!

Figaro: …I'm feeling more than just Rutile and Leno. Is that…

Rutile: We're home! I'm so sorry, Mitile. We must've passed you.

Mitile: Welcome home, Rutile! I, um…

Rutile: I know. Don't worry about it. Let's talk things through another time, alright? Have you started preparing for our departure?

Mitile: Yes! But please check things over just in case.

Rutile: Alright. To our rooms we go!

Figaro: …Looks like everything's been all patched up between them, Leno.

Lennox: Looks like.

Figaro: And you brought a guest, didn't you.

Lennox: He said he knows you. He also said he wanted to lend a hand.

Isaac: Lord Figaro…

Figaro: ……

Isaac: Dr. Figaro. Figaro.

Figaro: Welcome, Isaac. Could you sit here for a moment?

Isaac: Here?

Figaro: Yes. Just like that. I'll go make some tea. Leno, could you help me out?

Lennox: …Okay.

5 - A Sincere Heart

Figaro: Why did you bring him to the manor? You should know how strong Isaac's magic is.

Lennox: I wasn't sure if I should at first, but he's an acquaintance of yours.

Figaro: Shouldn't you know better than to think that any of my acquaintances aren't going to be dangerous? I would've thought a former soldier would be more wary.

Lennox: …

Figaro: You're letting the situation in the East cloud your judgment. That's not like you. Pull yourself together. Isaac is a very dangerous wizard.

Lennox: If he's so dangerous, then why are you treating him like a friend?

Figaro: Because he's dangerous. I do the same thing with Oz.

Lennox: Lord Oz is the same as Isaac? Is that really what you think of them?

Figaro: Leno.

Lennox: That's not true. That's why you're confused right now. You're getting confused by your own words…

Figaro: What are you talking about? In any case, we need to get rid of Isaac…

Lennox: He said he wanted to be of use to you. He wants to be with you. Please, let him. If you don't have any intention of listening to him, then there's not a shred of compassion still in your heart!

Figaro: Le…

Lennox: You're always like this! You acted like you were his teacher, and then you abandoned him! You always decide that you're all alone, and decide to cut people off without caring about how they feel about it. And that doesn't do anything other than hurt them and yourself…

Figaro: I want to save Isaac! And I felt the same way about Faust, too! But…

Isaac: Lord Figaro.

Figaro & Lennox: ……

Isaac: Are you mad at each other because of me?

Figaro: No, this is just…

Lennox: It started that way, but it was more of a long-standing difference of opinion blowing up…

Figaro: Lennox.

Lennox: Yes. I will be quiet.

Isaac: I'm sorry. I stepped in without permission.

Figaro: It's fine… Don't worry about it.

Isaac: I can help you. It would make me happy to help you.

Figaro: Thank you… But why? Why would you want to help someone like me?

Isaac: Because you praised me. You've always been the only person who ever smiled and told me I did good when I did something. I wanted to always stay with you, but eventually, even I could tell you thought I wasn't someone you wanted to be with. And then I started thinking I didn't want to be with you either, so I got angry and lost my patience with you… But the truth is that I want to help you. I want to make you happy.

Figaro: …I see… Thank you, Isaac. I've never thought I didn't want to be with you. I know that probably sounds like a lie, but it's true. But I just couldn't handle what was going on… And I became so disappointed in myself that I became a cruel creature, didn't I. Lennox. I need to apologize to you, too. I said too much.

Lennox: I should apologize, too.

Figaro: … I thought that we should wait until dawn before heading to Eastern Country, but… If we're going to be waiting around in this kind of mood, I'd rather head out now and let you yell at me later.

Lennox: I agree.

Isaac: What should I do?

Figaro: …… Come with us.

Isaac: Understood.

✦✧☾✧✦

To be honest, I was still a bit unsure. Any wizard from any country would want to go home and rest before going out to do their duty. I was pretty sure he was only going to get mad at us for rushing over the instant we got a message from his familiar. He'd just feel sorry for troubling us and get all down on himself about it. He'd just resent me for treating him like he can't handle himself. Still, Isaac's words had resonated somewhere in my heart. "Because you praised me." How blunt. Not a trace of ulterior motive or dishonesty. But I think it's fine that he said what was in his heart the way it existed in his heart. Lennox is worried. And Mitile gets along well with the Eastern wizards… No, I need to say it properly. I'm worried. I want to have any excuses prepared for when he says "You're lying" or "I don't believe you" or "Why are you only saying that now?" and condemns me for it all. Maybe I should just be upfront about it and prepare myself for when he lashes out. I don't have much time left, after all. I don't want to make any more unpleasant memories. I don't want to be clinging to my regrets when my time's finally up. But saying I don't want to make any more unpleasant memories is, well… I think he'll just avoid me even if I try to make happier ones. Even though my hands are still warm.

Figaro: Well then… Mitile, Rutile, you're sure about coming with us?

Rutile: Yes! I'm sure there's something we can do to help.

Lennox: It's already midnight. Are you doing okay?

Mitile: I'm just fine!

Isaac: I'm also fine.

Mitile: It's, um, good to work with you, Isaac.

Isaac: Same to you.

Figaro: Got it. Now then, let's be off.

✦✧☾✧✦

And thus, we Southern wizards went to Eastern Country, accompanied by Isaac. Mitile wasn't used to staying up this late, much less going out and doing things, but he was obviously doing his best. For the most part, we stayed silent as we ascended the tower to the elevator, but sometimes Isaac and Rutile would talk to each other. Isaac had a thing for Rutile, just like I thought he would. Vague worries twisted and curled in my chest. Worry. What is worry, anyway? Faust, Isaac, even Mitile embraced their worries. Maybe, if I'd been able to believe in them, I'd be able to live without all of these worries of mine. Like the man who wandered for four hundred years, believing that they'd meet again one day.

✦✧☾✧✦

Today, I talked with Mitile about how cleverness is its own kind of strength. I've wanted to take it back ever since. After all, wouldn't that mean that foolishness is its own kind of strength as well? Maybe if I'd kept foolishly, optimistically believing in a radiant future, I wouldn't have all these worries of mine. The day I took Faust as my disciple was the day a beautiful salvation began. But as soon as that salvation had begun, all I could think about was how Oz had treated me. It was a worthless sort of curse. He got tired of me and threw me away. As soon as he changed his mind, he gave up. He hadn't cared as much about me as I cared about him.

Figaro: (Well, since I'm thinking about it, maybe I should've gotten drunk on being an idiot, without worrying about these kinds of things…)

Lennox: Dr. Figaro.

Lennox started talking to me out of nowhere in a low voice.

Figaro: Hm?

Lennox: Please don't look so upset. The children will worry.

Figaro: Ahh, sorry. Was I really looking that upset?

Lennox: Yes. Was it my fault?

"Was it my fault," he asks. I looked up at him, impressed. Really, this man is nothing but blessed.

Figaro: What are you thinking about?

Lennox: Huh…? Are you really asking that right now…?

Lennox was obviously confused. On closer inspection, his movements also failed to belie a bit of impatience. He was so worried about Faust he couldn't keep himself as calm as he usually was. So the question hit him pretty well.

Lennox: More importantly, we should review our plans before we arrive at the City of Rain. It has strict rules, doesn't it? Even if we're coming in the middle of the night, we should make sure we don't have any contraband…

Figaro: If that's what you've got in your head right now, it'll be fine. If it comes to it, we'll just say we have a permit.

Mitile: Dr. Figaro…

Figaro: What's up, Mitile?

Mitile: If we run into any strong enemies like the wizard Nova, I should play the flute Mithra gave me, right? Since he'll be able to handle any enemy no matter how strong they are.

This was trust. Mitile trusts Mithra. Relies on him. I embraced Mitile's shoulders and smiled.

Figaro: Yeah, that's right.

Mitile smiled at me, looking relieved. Rutile, on the other hand, was deep in thought. Isaac was staring at me.

Rutile: Ah… We've arrived in Eastern Country.

✦✧☾✧✦

We flew through the starry sky to the City of Rain on our brooms. Given that it was the middle of the night, there were hardly any lights on the surface, so all we had to rely on were the stars above. I wondered if Faust and the other Eastern wizards were safe.

6 - An Unwilling Last Resort

Faust: <Salliuqnart Mullcredo>

The atmosphere around my mirror focus trembled. The air tensed up, sending ripples through the underground sewer. Centered around the mirror, a faintly glowing magic circle arose. A moment later, the magic circle beamed as bright as the sun. The intense, relentless white light illuminated the demons in the waterway. Where light shines strong, deeper and darker are the shadows cast. The shadows clung to the water's surface as if spellbound. The shadows were stitched in place and became fetters. This was a high-level magic Figaro once taught me. The waterway demons' own shadows became their restraints. Their enormous bodies made a rasping noise.

Faust: (The constraints won't last long.) (The spell calls for longer exposure to the mirror focus's light. It's weakened if the mirror's position is changed.) (But since I don't know what's up ahead, I can't afford to step away from my mirror.)

I drew the mirror focus out of the center of the glowing magic circle back into my hands. Then I ran through the waterway. The magic circle, stripped of the mirror focus, gradually waned, and the shadows which bound the demons slowly faded. The waterway system was complex, with multiple corners and winding paths intersecting. As I ran, I shut my eyelids. Tuning out my breathing and the sound of water, I fervently probed for other presences. To find wonders that the eye cannot see, you have to let go of your senses of sight, hearing, and touch and become like a wandering soul yourself. At some point, I left the narrow waterway behind.

Faust: (This area's been sequestered. There must be a distortion somewhere. I have to find it and get out…)

Were the enemies behind me moving yet? Was Shino's group okay? Brushing aside the many concerns that came into my mind unbidden, I focused on this space. Just then, I felt a slight response.

Faust: …There it is!

I opened my eyes abruptly. As soon as I did, my shut-off senses suddenly returned. There was a clamorous sound echoing through the sewers. Not the sound of water or air.

Faust: (What is this sound?) (Human voices… multiple human voices.)

There were multiple humans… no, wizards, in this sewer. The presences were close to those of Shino's group. Were they enemies or allies? Were Shino and the others all right? My heart pounded fast. As the presences came closer, I could make out the voices.

Curly-haired woman: …help…

Slender youth: Please, help her at least…

Shino: I know. Where's the exit!?

Short gentleman: There is none! We can't get out! He's been chasing us this whole time…

Skinny old man: It's a hunt… He's hunting us. It's not human or wizard! It's hunting us down for mana stones!

Faust: Shino!

Shino: Faust!

After turning a good many corners, I met back up with Shino's group. They weren't the only ones there. There was a group of four wizards, male and female. All of them had injuries.

Faust: They're…

Shino: …Western Wizards. They say they were kidnapped and brought here.

…said Shino, using both arms to clamp shut the mouth of a black beast trying to bite something. A black beast… Heath hadn't calmed down. Fear and anxiety had turned him aggressive. There were wounds all along Heath's body as well. There were traces of Shino having applied first aid as best he could, but the medicinal herbs had peeled off. All the color had drained from Nero's face. The girl on Shino's broom was faintly regaining consciousness. Of the Western Wizards, the red-haired woman was the worst-off. Her breathing was ragged.

Curly-haired woman: …Help… I'll do anything… I don't want to die here…

The woman's voice was frail.

Faust: It's okay. I'm going to examine your injury.

Deep gashes which looked like they were made by claws ran across the woman's shoulder. She was bleeding from her thighs as well. The wounds were severe, but they'd been treated as best as the situation allowed.

Shino: This old man treated her. He can't use curative magic, but he does have medical knowledge.

Skinny old man: She came here three days ago. I've been here for ten days. No amount of first aid can save her life… This is an infernal maze… there's no exit.

Faust: But there is.

Skinny old man: There is!?

Shino: You found one!?

Faust: Up ahead, to the north. It could be a deception, but I found a distortion in space. Let's escape through there. If we don't hurry, he'll… …!

Short gentleman: It's him…!

Curly-haired woman: …Please no…

Slender youth: Shh… Quiet. He'll kill us if he spots us…!

Expressions stiff from fear, the wizards huddled together in the dark. Both Nero and the woman had no time to lose. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and exhaled.

Faust: Shino.

Shino: …

Faust: Take them and go ahead. I'll hold him off.

Shino: …No.

Faust: Don't rebel. Take my mirror. It should lead you to the distortion in space. When you find it…

Shino: No! You must be suicidal!

Faust: I won't die. My name is Faust Lavinia. And like you said, I'm a veteran at "leave-me-and-go".

Shino: …Faust…

Shino's eyes, red like a wistful sunset, quivered.

Skinny old man: …My word… Is he some famed general…?

Faust: That was a long time ago. …No, I'm lying. I never got promoted that high.

I took my curse tools off my neck and hung it over Shino's. I hugged his shoulder and gave a smile.

Faust: This one's different. He'll be a general one day.

Skinny old man: Ohh…

Curly-haired woman: …Thank heavens…

Shino's eyes as he looked up at me were moist with tears. Shino stifled his voice and sucked in a shaky breath. Gently, he shook his head from side to side.

Shino: …No, I can't do it…

Faust: You're the only one who can. Do you remember? You're a man who will become a hero. I told you that.

Shino: …nr…

Shino covered his mouth with the back of his hand. Suppressing his sobs, he clung to Heath's neck as he growled.

Faust: Keep your head up. Listen, Shino. Everyone's anxious. If you're overly scared, it'll just invite excess chaos. "Don't lose me." "Stick by me." Shout out and lead them.

Shino: …O-Okay…

Faust: There's a good kid. You'll give them courage and presence of mind. They're in your hands.

Shino nodded without saying another word. I stroked Heath's back and set my cheek against his.

Faust: Take care of Shino and Nero, Heath.

His savage blue eyes seemed to turn tranquil for a moment. I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve. I glimpsed at Nero's face, his eyelids still shut.

Faust: (You have to stay alive.) (Take care of these kids, Nero.) Shino. Take my magical focus.

Shino: …Your mirror…? No, I can't take that.

Faust: When you find the distortion, use my mirror focus as an intermediary to escape this space.

Shino: Absolutely not! How are you going to fight!?

Faust: I have a secret weapon.

Shino: A secret weapon!? Really?

Curly-haired woman: …'s here…!

Faust: Hurry. There's no time.

Shino scowled at me with moist eyes. Biting his lip in frustration, he took the mirror.

Shino: …Please, be safe. Don't die…

I lowered my eyebrows and smiled. I'd never thought Shino so dear before. I should've given him so many more kind words. The substitution magic I put on him was still in effect. It was far removed, but in the worst-case scenario, it would protect Shino with me as the replacement.

Faust: Of course.

Shino wiped his tears and fixed his gaze straight down the sewer system. As if forging a path for the future.

Shino: …Let's go! Everybody, stick by me! Don't lose me now! Let's move…!

Short gentleman: Ooh…!

Skinny old man: All right, let's go! Everyone together…!

Curly-haired woman: …Yes…

The footfalls of Shino's group grew distant. Conversely, the presences of the sewer ghosts grew closer. Having handed over my mirror focus, my hands were empty. I lowered the brim of my hat.

Faust: (Sorry, Shino. If I were clever enough to have a secret weapon, I wouldn't have been burned at the stake.) (I'll keep them occupied here somehow with whatever options I've got.) Have at me.

7 - Before Reaching Him

Isaac: …Where is this?

Figaro: The City of Rain.

Isaac: Rain…? But it's not raining.

Figaro: There's a legend about it having called rain clouds to it during a drought. We shouldn't talk any more than this now.

Isaac: Wh… ……

Figaro: If you have to talk, do it quietly. Noise travels better at night. Leno, where's the ex-guild hall?

Lennox: This way.

✦✧☾✧✦

There was nothing in the City of Rain this time of night save the sound of the wind. Lennox led us through town until we arrived at the inn that still held remnants of the old guild. I could feel the bad vibes even from here. Faust's presence was completely gone.

Figaro: …

Lennox: Lord Figaro…

Mitile: Is something wrong? We need to go inside and try to find the Eastern wizards…

Figaro: No…

I glanced back so we could talk about what was going on, and saw the worry on everyone's faces. I needed to give them a bit of a warning before we went any further.

Figaro: Don't make any loud noises even if you get startled. Understood?

Rutile and Mitile nodded, like I expected them to. With as gentle an expression as I could possibly make, I started to explain the terrible state of things.

Figaro: I can't feel the presence of any of the Eastern wizards. That said, I can feel that something has gone wrong in there. It's a good thing we didn't wait until morning. If too much time had passed, I wouldn't have been able to notice the spacial distortion.

I was surprised to hear my voice shaking a bit. It seemed I was a bit shaken by this discovery. I glanced at Isaac and for some reason, gently grabbed my wrist. If so much as my fingers started shaking, he would look down on me. And if he were to look down on me, he would attack me.

Figaro: That there's a spacial distortion means that there's an incredibly high likelihood that there was a wizard capable of spacial magic here. Magic that can mess with space is very advanced. I'm pretty sure no one but Oz and Mithra can use it back at the manor. Nova was almost certainly in this building.

Lennox: Nova…?! The wizard that even Mithra couldn't stand up to…

Rutile: Did he abduct Heath and the others and take them somewhere else?!

Figaro: I'm not sure. It's possible…

It's possible Faust and the others were already dead. My mind was already processing it that way, as if there was nothing to be done about it. At the same time, I felt my fingers starting to chill. My field of vision started to dim, and it had nothing to do with the dark of night. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and then crafted a smile for myself to wear so that the little ones wouldn't be frightened.

Figaro: We still have options. If we can find traces of the distortion, we should be able to follow them. Mitile, that flute Mithra gave you… Can you call him with that? It's made specifically to call to him, isn't it?

Mitile: …If we call Mithra here and have him open up a door in space, he can follow them!

Figaro: That's right.

Mitile: Understood! I'm on it!

Mitile glanced at Rutile, and then pulled out something that looked like a taxidermied bird from his bag. Where the bird's tail should've been was a rod that made up the flute's mouthpiece, and he nervously brought it to his lips.

Rutile: Should I do it?

Mitile: …I--I'm fine. I'm going to play it now!

Lennox: Yes, thank you.

Mitile puffed up his cheeks and blew into the magical Mithra-calling flute as hard as he could. The bird had looked dead to me, but now it was wrapped in a faint light, seemingly returned to life. It spread its wings, lifted its beak to the night sky, as if to sing its song as loudly as it could. And then… Isaac grabbed the flute and crushed it in his hand.

Mitile: Ahh…!

Rutile: Isaac?!

Isaac: ……

✦✧☾✧✦

Mithra: <Arthim> …tsk, it vanished again. It keeps moving… …!

Bradley: Damn, that was close! Don't just stand up out of nowhere, idiot! I almost shot you!

Mithra: Bradley. Do you know if the Southern wizards went anywhere today?

Bradley: The Southern wizards?! I think they went to some marketplace in Central to check out a house or something!

Mithra: So not somewhere dangerous. I wonder if he sat on it and broke it. How shockingly careless. Just like his mother…

Bradley: Save the talk for later, Mithra!

Mithra: Understood. Have you killed yours yet?!

Bradley: Shut up, I will in a sec!

Mithra: I'll have mine done in a second as well!

Sylves: Kyaa… It's over here…!

Mithra: …tsk, how stubborn.

Bradley: You're making things so damn difficult!

8 - A Question Asked Beneath the Moon

The magic flute was limp in Isaac's hand, a wilted flower he'd plucked from Mitile's hands. The magic flames that had embraced it faded away without a trace. I was at a loss for words. All I could do was stare at Isaac. Lennox stood motionless. All we could hear was the night breeze as the stars glittered in the sky. Isaac looked back at me, his eyes a perfect clear blue, like water.

Isaac: …You don't need to call Mithra. I'm enough to help.

And then he turned to Rutile, too.

Isaac: You don't need to call Mithra. I will protect you.

Rutile: Ah… Um… Th…thank you…?

Mitile: Why are you thanking him?! Now Mithra isn't going to be coming!

I felt an icy cold anger welling up in my gut. And yet, I could see no animosity towards myself in his gaze. On the contrary, it was more like he was silently trying to appeal to me, pleading with me like a frightened child. He just didn't want to lose a place he felt comfortable in.

Isaac: It's fine if it's just me, isn't it, Lord Figaro?

I frowned a bit, and hoped it wasn't visible. I was the one who had brought Isaac along, after all. I showed him compassion even though I knew he was dangerous, even though I couldn't give him the love he wanted.

Lennox: I will search for Mithra.

Figaro: Even though you don't know where he is?

Lennox: I believe they might've gone to Western Country, like Ow…

Figaro: You can't get there and back before dawn.

Lennox: …I can bring him back along with the dawn…

Rutile: I'll also look for Mithra! It's possible he's already back at the manor!

Figaro: I'll do it.

Rutile: Dr. Figaro…?

Mitile: But isn't spacial magic really difficult magic…?

Figaro: It is. I won't be able to connect two places, not with my magic. But I can probably open up a rift that's already been opened before. If it works right, we should be able to follow the path that they've already taken.

And if I screw up, we'll be stuck in between dimensions forever. I didn't say that out loud, of course.

Figaro: Lennox. I'm leaving Rutile and Mitile to you. Isaac, you're with me.

Isaac: Yes!

Lennox: Wait a moment! I will also…

Figaro: I don't know if I'll actually succeed. Someone needs to get that--just in case, like you said. If dawn breaks, follow the spacial distortion's tracks. I know he can do it.

I pulled a button off my shirt sleeve and handed it to Lennox. He looked at it with an intimidatingly grim expression.

Lennox: What are you trying to do? This isn't meant to be a dying memento, is it…?!

Figaro: Woah, that's a scary look on your face. If I was going to be giving you something to remember me by, I'd give you something better than this, at least.

Lennox: …then…

Figaro: Give that to Oz if I don't come back. He'll be able to locate me.

It was more like he could probably locate me, but I opted for the more confident version instead. Lennox squeezed the button in his hand desperately, almost reverently. He can be very obedient.

Lennox: …I will take care of it.

Rutile: Are you okay, Dr. Figaro…?

Figaro: Everything's fine. And I'll have Isaac with me, too.

Isaac: Leave it to me.

Figaro: See you soon, Mitile.

Mitile was looking up at me, worry plain on his face. I smiled at him and patted his cheek, still soft with youth. I knew what the prophecy said about him. One day, he'll become a wizard that will kill all other Southern wizards. But that foreboding future was still far from now. Wasn't there anything I could do for this child? My hand fell from Mitile's cheek, and I turned away from them. I started walking towards the hotel, Isaac at my side.

Mitile: …Why can you use spacial magic?

Mitile's question made me turn back around. My white coat fluttered in the night breeze. In the pale light of the moon, the sleeves looked like whitecaps on the sea. And across those waves stood a boy.

Mitile: If it's such a difficult to use magic that only Lord Oz and Mithra can use it, then why…

Figaro: …

I didn't answer. I couldn't think of any words that wouldn't end up hurting him. Instead, I felt laughter welling up inside of me.

Figaro: (It'd be so stupid if Faust and his group turned up perfectly safe somewhere and I was the only one who died in vain about it.) (But I shouldn't abandon another one.) (I'm not going to abandon anyone ever again.)

✦✧☾✧✦

Lennox: …

Rutile: Do you think they'll be okay? Dr. Figaro was acting a bit odd…

Lennox: …Yeah.

Mitile: …

Rutile: Leno. We're more than enough to go pick up Lord Oz. If you'd like to, you can go with Dr. Figaro…

Lennox: Alright. I'll go with him. Rutile, please hold onto this button.

Rutile: Understood.

Lennox: Here's a mana stone for the elevator. It's the middle of the night, so keep an eye out for bandits.

Rutile: You take care too, Leno.

Lennox: Thank you. Mitile, are you alright?

Mitile: …Yes. Leno, I want you and Dr. Figaro to come home safe, okay? Don't push yourselves or do anything dangerous, okay? Please.

Lennox: We'll do our best.

Mitile: Um, Leno… Why do you sometimes call Dr. Figaro "Lord Figaro"?

Lennox: ……

Mitile: Isaac says it too, and so does Lord Arthur… Lord Arthur said it's because he's close with Lord Oz, but… Dr. Figaro is… The person Figaro Garcia is… Who is he, really?

Lennox: … He's Southern country's doctor, and your magic teacher.

Mitile: …

Lennox: I have to go now.

Rutile: Take care!

Mitile: …gh, be sure you come home safe! Both you and Dr. Figaro!

Lennox: Yeah.

Rutile: Mitile. We should get going, too.

Mitile: …Right!

9 - A Final Farewell For You

Gilles: Milady Liliana, what is the matter? It's so late at night…

Liliana: I'm returning to the palace.

Gilles: …I cannot permit a noble lady such as yourself to depart in the middle of the night. Are you going to go see that person? I can escort you to the Royal Botanical Gardens…

Liliana: No. I shall meet that person again at the palace. When I am crowned.

Gregory: Liliana!

Liliana: ……

Gregory: Liliana! It's me, Gregory! I'm here to help you!

Gilles: A talking bird is quite unusual. Shall I strike it down?

Liliana: No need. …To help me?

Gregory: Right. You were so scared of going to the palace, weren't you!? But I didn't have enough confidence in myself and let you go. I thought that you would be happier living there…

Liliana: ……

Gregory: The truth is, I didn't want to give you up! This time, I'll prove my sincere love and courage. I won't let you go anywhere! I love you, Liliana.

Liliana: …… Heh heh…

Gregory: You can ask the General too! Liliana, a white-haired wizard cast some kind of spell on you.

Gilles: Oho. A white-haired wizard…

Gregory: Yes! He must've been the one who turned me into a bird too…!

Gilles: Did this wizard look like… that?

Gregory: Huh…?

Nova: ……

Gregory: You're…! …!? …Liliana…!

Liliana: ……

Gregory: …L… Let go of me…! I can't breathe… You're crushing me…!

Liliana: I'm sorry to disappoint, but I do not love you.

Gregory: …n… ghh… Lili… ana…

Liliana: Goodbye, Gregory.

Gregory: …rr…! …

Liliana: ……

Gilles: He's not moving anymore…

Nova: How hideous.

Liliana: It's your fault for turning him into a bird.

Nova: I simply capitalized on your tragedy. Or perhaps it's a comedy. Lovers torn apart after one is turned into a bird.

Liliana: Silence.

Nova: Heh heh…

Liliana: He's gone… What a ghastly man. Gilles, I'm leaving. Do away with the carcass.

Gilles: As you wish… …… Sigh. Poor thing… I am fond of animals, so I had no wish to see such an unfortunate scene. Do away with it, eh? I'll burn it so it turns to ash… …… A natural burial should be sufficient. Bird-man, your declaration of love had a stirring effect on me. I found myself listening transfixed, as if it were an act out of a play. May you find happiness in your next life. That should do. Well then, off I go.

✦✧☾✧✦

Gregory: …pwuh…! Pweh… Pweh…! …I thought I was done for…! What's the matter with them!? Just what happened to Liliana!? She's going to be crowned in the palace… but His Majesty the King is still alive! …For now, I hate to say it, but I have no choice but to rely on the Master Sage. To the Royal Botanical Gardens…!

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: Hah… Hah…! How's Nero!?

Skinny old man: He's still breathing!

Shino: …rgh, where is it… Where's that spacial distortion… …! Faust's curse tools are reacting! What is it, Heath!? Is there something up with that wall!? …! That wall… it's ever-so-slightly see-through…! Good job, Heath! Color me impressed…!

Curly-haired woman: …W-We can get out through here…?

Shino: Yeah!

Curly-haired woman: …Thank goodness…!

Slender youth: We can go home alive…!

Shino: Stand back. I'm going to form a magic circle with Faust's mirror as an intermediary. <Matzah Sudipas>!

Skinny old man: Ooh…! The crack which was hardly a finger's width…! …is widening into a fissure in space!

Shino: …rgh, that's not enough… I need to get it big enough for a person to pass through… <Matzah Sudipas> …!? Where are you going, Heath…!?

Curly-haired woman: Eeyah…!

Shino: …!

Short gentleman: It's that thing…! It chased after us!

Shino: I don't believe it…! What about Faust…!? …No… This is a second one…! The fissure's widened! Heath, come back…! All of you, get out through here!

Short gentleman: Where does it connect to!?

Shino: I don't know! Anywhere's better than here! Hurry!

Slender youth: All right! Now, give me your hand…

Curly-haired woman: T-Thank you…

Shino: …Hurry it up! I can't hold on much longer…!

Short gentleman: Come along with us…!

Shino: Take Nero and Heath out first!

Skinny old man: …! Look out…!

Shino: …! (If I dodge now, the fissure will disappear just as it's opening!) (I can't! I can't evade it!) …W…!? I'm not hurt…? I thought that flash of light got me…

Short gentleman: It's no good! We can't get near that beast…! It'll bite us…

Shino: Heath, go through that fissure! Please! Please go, Heath! He's going to attack again…! Heath…!

Nero: …n… Ah… <Adnodis Omnis>

Shino: Heath's asleep… …Nero…!

Nero: …I'll stay behind… you go first…

Shino: Shut up, stupid! I need you to take care of Heath. Take him and go!

Nero: This broom is Faust's…

Shino: Enough, just go…!

Nero: …ngh, all right…

Shino: …Hah… <Matzah Sudipas> …rgh… again… I felt as if I took the hit, but…

Short gentleman: I'm the last one! You should get out too!

Shino: All right! …Hey! Faust's mirror! Go to Faust. Don't tell me you can't do it! I've seen plenty of sentient objects on all the missions I've been on! Now put some spunk into it! I'm counting on you… return to Faust! <Matzah Sudipas> The mirror started moving…! Now if I can just get through this fissure… …rgh!

✦✧☾✧✦

Shino: … …uurr… …It's freezing… …Where am I…? …It's white as far as the eye can see…I sense the presence of belligerent spirits… …Is this Northern Country…?

10 - Loneliness Like No Other

Figaro: Well then, let's get going.

Isaac: Yes.

Figaro: <Possideo>

Lennox: …!

Figaro: Leno?!

Lennox: I'm coming with you, too.

The spacial distortion had lost its stability, and I saw scene after different scene pass around me.

Trees with dense foliage deep in an overgrown forest.

A small room, covered in dust.

And…

Somewhere that looked like an underground waterway. I saw what looked like a face down corpse in the water. Its back was torn up horribly, bleeding into the water. It looked like huge claws had raked over it, time and time again. I was pretty sure I saw a familiar crest on that bloody, torn-up back. Blood was suddenly rushing in my ears. Was that Faust? I need to hurry. I need to help him. He's going to turn to stone. He's going to turn to stone before me. I lifted my hand, and then the scene changed again. The next thing I saw was…

A place that looked so very similar to my long-lost hometown.

✦✧☾✧✦

Figaro: …gh…hah…

The first thing I felt was the cold, relentlessly leaching my body heat. And then, like needles piercing my skin, the presence of a haughty, individualistic land. This was Northern Country. Now that I'd realized that, I needed to use my magic to make sure my body temperature didn't get any lower. This was a bitterly cold country where humans without magic couldn't survive.

Figaro: …

For some reason, my magic didn't spark. My fingertips felt frozen, and so did my lungs. The blizzard had blinded me. I couldn't see anything. Everything was white.

Figaro: Hahh…hah… <Possideo>

I recited my spell, my longtime companion. But the spirits did not respond.

Figaro: …hah…

Prepared for how much more it was going to freeze me, I drew my magic circle in the snow around me.

Figaro: <Possideo>

Nothing. The spirits felt so far away. I was struck by an unbelievable sense of loneliness. As I stood there in that field of pure white nothingness, long-forgotten memories decided to grace my mind. Then I saw a person's silhouette through the snow. It was so big it had to be Lennox. I sighed in relief.

Isaac: Lord Figaro.

It was Isaac. He wasn't getting frozen over by the cold despite how lightly he was dressed. Of course he wasn't--he was a Northern wizard. But in my eyes, as I was slowly getting more and more numb from the cold, Isaac seemed bizarre to me.

Isaac: What's wrong? Why aren't you using your magic to protect yourself?

Figaro: …gh…hah…haahh…

I opened my mouth to say something and couldn't. I couldn't stop shivering, my teeth clacking against one another. I grabbed Isaac's arm. We needed to get back to the space we'd just been in somehow. Faust was badly wounded. If we didn't hurry, he was going to die. I couldn't see Lennox, either. If I couldn't use my magic, who was going to protect him from the harsh Northern winds? Isaac touched my face. I tried to push his hand away, but I couldn't muster up the strength to do it. He smiled at me. He so gently, kindly murmured--

Isaac: Ah…. …You can't use your magic, can you… …I understand… It's happened to me a few times, too… …So now… I can turn you to stone.

My eyes widened. Vicious anger swirled inside of me at Isaac's insincere insolence. But I couldn't even summon my magical focus to my upturned hand. There was no derision towards me in Isaac's eyes. Just gratitude, from the very bottom of his heart, for his god. His broad shoulders were trembling with emotion.

Isaac: …ahh, Rutile. I understand now. We couldn't make a promise to one another… If you want to be with someone, you have to take them for your own.

Isaac's large fingers wrapped around my neck. It took only seconds for me to come up with any number of ways to fight back. But I knew it was all pointless. No matter what I tried to do, it was impossible for a powerless, pitiful human to win against a Northern wizard. No matter what I could say to try and convince him to do something else, Isaac's magic would force me to submit. I wonder if Oz was this frightening to the humans that he stood before? They must have despaired at their own powerlessness and cursed the world. And yet… I couldn't give in. Faust's life. Lennox's life. Mitile's future, carried so delicately in my palm. I'm sure Oz was worried about this too. That I'd turn to stone someplace like this. So I clawed desperately at the ground, thinking as hard as I could.

Figaro: Ah… Isaac… Hold on. Listen to me.

Isaac: Please don't worry, Lord Figaro. I will put you into my body, and you'll be safe there.

Figaro: …If I turn to stone, I won't be able to praise you anymore. You're a good kid, Isaac.

Isaac: That's just fine… If you turn to stone, we can be together forever, and I won't have to worry anymore.

Figaro: But we won't actually be together, will we?

I was starting to despair a bit myself at what I was saying. That's correct. Of course I knew that. Even if I ate the rock of someone dear to me, it didn't mean we were together now. Tiletta was nowhere. The other wizards I'd eaten were the same.

Isaac: We will. You and I will become one. I'll turn you to stone, the way I did that Northern witch.

Suddenly, a cold, dignified voice cut through the storm.

Eva: …What did you just say?

I could see a witch perched on her broom over Isaac's shoulder, further into the raging blizzard. I knew her, of course. A proud Northern witch who had lived for as long as Tiletta had… Her name is Eva. She glared at Isaac, her beautiful eyes and face twisted into an expression of vicious, demonic hatred.

Eva: Those blue gems are something I gave to Sophie. Did you do something to her?

Isaac grinned, and it was a twisted expression. He released my throat and stood, facing Eva in the sky. Right now, Isaac was a perfect portrait of an ideal Northern wizard.

Isaac: I turned her to stone and ate her! Why not come down and see if you can find her in my stomach?

Eva: You wretch…!

A harsh light flared in the pure-white darkness of the blizzard. A duel to the death between Northern wizards had just begun.

Next Chapter

[elibabayblog]

Movie nights

You waited for Loki to finish getting the rest of the snacks in the kitchen as you finished setting up the little area for your weekly movie nights. Loki walked back into the living room with an armful of snacks. 

"Darling a little help please?" He asked.

"This weeks set-up turned out better than last weeks," you cheered. You calmed your nerves and you folded your arms in satisfaction.

He sat down and he grabbed your hand to help you sit down, but as you went to sit down he pulled you aboard his lap. You started laughing as you sat yourself up. You sat back on his lap, back to his chest, legs tangled with his, and your head resting on his shoulder. He is eager to wrap his arms around your waist, as he does it you lock your fingers with his and you kiss his hands.

"So Loki, what do you want to watch?" You ask him waiting on him to answer your question to hear his soothing voice again.

"I don't know, its your turn to pick to the movie we watch, my love," he speaks softly.

"Can we just sit here for a moment hun?" you asked him.

"We can for as long as you want my love," he responds.

You sit there taking in your surroundings. You and the man you loved. The night-time sky. The pure happiness in your heart. You were finally happy. Before you realized what you were doing, you straddled Loki and you wrapped your arms around his neck and you kissed him. He kissed you back as long as he could, eventually he pulled away.

"My love, are you okay?" He questioned you.

"Yes Loki I am fine, I just realized you make me so happy and I don't know where I would be without you. You weren't the kindest person when we first met but some way, some how you allowed me into your heart and you never looked back. You have made me more happy than I had been being apart of my family for those 18 years. You treat me like a queen and you always make sure I'm okay even when you aren't 100%. You protect me, you cherish me, you care for me. Not many people have some that and im glad that I have you in my life. Both of us have had tragic experiences but they didn't stop us. They made us stronger. I guess I'm telling you all this because I love you Loki. I love you so damn much, my heart aches for you. I hate being apart from you because it physically hurts me. I'm now realizing that I love you and I never want to lose you Loki. It doesn't matter what happens I'm always going to love you Loki," you expressed to him. You were glad you were able to get that off your chest.

"Wow, I've never had anyone feel that way about me. I won't ever leave you for any reason. I'm really glad that you love me because I love you too. Tonight made me realize some things also, things like I can't live without you either. Also I'm sorry for not being the nicest guy when we first met. Apparently everyone knew that I was going through something, but being surrounded by people who were helpfulish helped me a lot. Don't even get me started on when I met you. You were different from anyone I had met before, you tried to get to know me and not long after I met you I found myself falling in love with you. I'm glad that i was able to somehow open my heart to you. Was it worth it? Yes it was. I love you so much and I'll never let you go," he tells you.

You smile from ear to ear after hearing that. He leans forward and he presses his lips to yours again and again and again. He pulls away from you, "now do you want to watch that movie?" He asks you.

"I would love to," you expressed as you grabbed the remote from Loki.

You and Loki finally settled on a movie. Romance of course. Romancing the stone. Loki = hopeless romantic.

[amoreeny]

I wont leave

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Pregnant F!Reader Synopsis: Steve gets called for a mission, but isnt sure if he wants to go and leave his pregnant wife alone after the attack from Thano's team the other day. (Even though reader is capable of kicking ass, but its cute Steve cares so much and is so loving to reader) warnings: Fluff, kissing, mentions of sex and impregnate. Characters: Avengers and mentions of the Children of Thanos *also, English is not my first language so sorry if they're any grammar or spelling mistakes!* (I fell like nomad Steve was a prefect choice for this prompt and should be on the Infinity War timeline)

Steve gets off the phone which seemed to be a pretty heated conversation. You sit on the couch looking at him while the tv is running in the back ground quietly.

"Everything okay?" You ask him. "That conversation seemed pretty heated."

"Yeah, its just Nat just called and told me they might have a plan on how to take down Thanos, and she wanted me to go with them to his garden to collect the stones." He exhales softly as he puts his phone on the table and sits down. "I just don't think its a good idea that I leave you here by yourself like this."

He was referring to the child in your belly that you found out about a couple days ago

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, even like this." You look at him while he's in deep thinking. You walk over to him and sit next to him.

"Thinking about it now, you are the reason im in this situation" You laugh as you turn your head to look at him.

He laughs along with you as he bring you closer, wrapping his huge arms around your small shoulders.

"Well it takes two people, but ill take all the blame" He says kissing the top of your head gently.

"What if I do go. You know, with you, and i can build a suit that can protect baby." You put you hand on his and move back slightly so you are able to look at him.

"I don't think thats a good idea doll. What if something happens to you, to the baby. Ill rather stay here. With you." He looks at you with soft eyes.

"Well thats what the suit is for babe. Nothing will happen to us."

"They are completely capable of beating Thanos themselves. They dont need me. He got rid of all the stones and he isnt any harm." He assures you but you still are trying to push to be able to go.

"Steve, I love you. If i didnt i would have married you, or even gotten pregnant. And i love that care about me so much, but you know that i am capable of taking care of myself." You tell him with a pretty harsh tone.

"Yeah I know, but im just trying to protect you love." He says.

⭐

You're laying in bed with a book in your hand sighing softly. Steve walks in and leans on the doorframe and looks at you while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Hey. You okay?" He looks at you.

"Yeah im fine." You know he's there but still have your eyes on the book.

"Im sorry about earlier, it's just i know if we either go together or if i leave you here, that something will happen." He says and walks closer to you.

You place the book down on your lap and look at him. "Yeah i understand. Its just i felt like you couldnt think i could do it because im now pregnant and i wasnt able to do the things i could before i got pregnant."

He sits infront of you and takes your legs on his lap and rubs them softly while listening you.

"But now i understand why you dont want me to go, and honestly im not trying to look at those creepy looking things Thanos sent to attack us at the station." He nods slowly letting you speak.

"So, if you feel like you don't have to, then dont go." You finish talking and look at him.

"Yeah, i'm not leaving you here alone Mrs. Rogers." He looks at you laughing softly. You laugh along with him and place a soft kiss on his lips. He kisses back and smile in between the kiss.

"I love you Steven Grant Rogers" You say in between the kiss.

"I love you you too Y/N Y/M/N Rogers" He replies.

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

Hi Guys!

Im sorry this fic was so short, but i feel like i should make this into a series that follow the events of Infinity War and Engame. But please if you like that idea or would like to give me some ideas, let me know i would love to hear them.

Tag List

@bitchy-bi-trash

If you would like to be apart of the tag list just let me know and ill add you.

[livums]

Find the Word {😱❌🙂😰}

Hello! I was tagged by @vollzz! See her post here!

I sometimes forget how much of The Marking Blood I've written... so I'm always like 😱 whenever I can find all the words lol. Anyways! The other good news is... I think these snippets are actually kinda good!! Maybe a little sexy!!!! Just a little maybe.

Well enjoy!

there are a bunch of these tags I'm sitting on.... the way i'm slowly and erratically chipping away at my ask box.... el em ay oh

scarce

[Sonea] felt his hand cup her cheek, cold and strong and gentle. “You are scared,” he observed. “I’m not.” She did not pull away. “You are, and you are right to be.” His thumb brushed over her speckled cheek before his hand retreated entirely. “You know I wish that I could keep you safe.” He spoke hesitantly, as if against his better judgment. With stuttering step, Sonea closed the scarce distance between them. One hand reached for his arm—beneath the sleeve, he felt like stone. “Then help me talk to her, Nic. I can’t do it by myself.” She heard the shameless pleading in her voice, and it disgusted her. He shook his head. “I came with her to your mountain in the hope that I might find you first. To warn you of her presence. That is all I can do.”

This one was funny bc at first I misread the word as 'scare' and then was disappointed bc i thought I would have to get rid of this snippet. but holy shit the word scarce is actually in the very same one! easy.

fail

[Sylah] is barely fourteen years old. It is their fourth—or maybe their fifth—hunt as a trio, without Father’s help, and they have failed again. They are in some city (she could no longer recall which), and their vampire (she could no longer recall what it looked like) flees right out from under their noses and into the night. The following morning, Father takes them all in a wagon down some cramped stretch of cobblestone. And they hear the wailing. A lady bent and howling with sorrow over a bloodless body. The sound stabs into her heart and turned her blood to ice. Father keeps them moving. They must pass by at least five more scenes just like it before he finally gives them reprieve. “It’s as if you’ve gone out and slaughtered them yourself,” he says. This is the meaning of failure. She will not shake the soul-chilling sound of the woman’s weeping for many nights thereafter. Their next hunt is an unmitigated success.

gentle

When [Sylah] opened her eyes and lifted her head, Nieve was watching her. Dappled eyes wandered the contours of her face. She could feel it as if it were fingertips, not eyes, that touched her. The trail Nieve’s gaze left behind felt as cool on Sylah’s skin as water droplets. In the quiet, there was nowhere for the wickedness of her intentions to hide. She pressed a kiss into the palm of Nieve’s gentle hand. When she spoke, the tatters of her conscience came out. “Tell me to leave, and I will leave.” Her voice was low. “If you do not, I will take you into the chapter room, and you will break your vows.”

anxious

Sonea leaned her elbows on the chilly metal railing and bade her shoulders relax. Sylah wouldn’t be happy with her. Water was wet. Attending the funeral itself had never been an option for her. Commiserating with her sisters after the fact had always been her plan. Assuming they would have her—she wasn’t entirely sure. So, she had been stalling. The fine establishment known as The Mount served the town and its gutters in the same manner that lungs served a living body. Though patronage was always slower while the sun was up, this day had been particularly sluggish. But come nightfall, it would be plenty abuzz. The far travelers would be wanting company after paying their sacred respects to their dead protector. If the girls’ gossip was true—and if water remained wet—the people were anxious. And anxiety needed soothing.

Very gently tagging @flowerprose @writinglittlebeasts @ink-flavored @lorenfinch @jasperygrace! Your words are hum, don't, star, and strong!

[captainlunaxmen]

The Lady and the Lord

Chapter 7

Eddie munsom x fem!reader

This is a repost since the old blog doesn't work anymore. 🥰

Chapter summary: pur young adults are stuck in the Upside Down and they do need to get back. But this experience might not be all bad.

Chapter warnings: spoiler season 4, blood, injuries.

If someone told me this morning I'd find myself fighting demonic creatures in the UpsideDown... again... I would've scoffed... loudly.

But yet... that's exactly what I'm doing now: fighting demonic bats in the Upside Down with... oars.

We got rid of some bats that were biting on Steve's sides, but they keep coming and coming.

"Nancy!" I scream as she's attacked by a bat on her back "Stay still"

I strike with all the force I got, the bat whimpers and flies away.

Eddie and Robin got here too, luckily I might add because there are way too many bats for only three people, one of them being held down too.

As they fight off some of those creature I turn to check on Steve who managed to free himself from the bat's hold around his neck and grabs its tail.

"Come here"

"Shit shit shit"

We're all busy using everything possible to hit and kill these things. As I'm about to hit another bat away, another one attached itself to my left arm, biting down.

"Fuck!" I instinctively yell, shaking my arm to get rid of it, but no use.

"I got it, I got it" Eddie runs towards me hitting the bat to the ground and I immediately impale the thing.

"Thanks" I breathlessly say and he nods.

We turn around hearing Steve grunting, seeing him smashing the same bat, that held him down, on the ground and at the end ripping the creature in two.

Quite the hot scene.. if you ask me.. but anyway, the most important thing is that he's.. alive, not sure if he's okay, but he's alive.

I run to him, along with Nancy.

"Steve.."

"Jesus H. Christ!" I hear Eddie yell out of frustration.

"Oh shit... how you feel?" I say looking at Steve's wounds.

"Well, they took about a pound of flesh" he tells us "but other than that, yeah, never better"

"Uh, do you guys think these bats have, like, rabies?" Robin asks suddenly, as she looks at one of the dead bat on the ground.

"What?" Steve asks, very confused.

"It's just that rabies are, like, my number one greatest fear. And I think we should probably get you to a doctor, like, really soon, because once symptoms set in, it's too late. You're already, like, dead." She rambles.

"Robin, I'm sure-" I start, wanting to reassure her, but I get cut off by the sound of creature chittering.

We look towards the noise and see those bats again, flying towards us, but not quite... they gather around the gate.

"All right. There's not that many" Steve tries "we can take 'em. Right?"

More chittering... and more bats coming.

"You were saying?" Robin says.

"Shit"

"The woods. Come on" Nancy starts to run towards the woods and we all follow her carefully not stepping on the vines.

We ran until we arrive to the Upside Down version of Skull Rock and hide under the stone waiting for the bats to fly beyond that place. All ears to see when the right time to come out arrives.

"Oh.. okay. That was close" Robin comments as we get up.

"Yeah, too close" Eddie replies in a small voice.

"Oh sh.. shit" Steve whispers as he lean on the rock for support.

"Steve.. jesus" Nancy's immediately by his side.

"I'm fine. I'm fine" he replies.

"You're clearly not, Stevie. You're losing too much blood" I tell him getting closer too.

"Yeah exactly" Nancy agrees as together we look closely at those bites.

"C'mon, c'mon sit" she tells him.

Steve with a painful grunt sits.

"Oh" Robin comes closer too.

"That's... a big bite" I comment "does anyone have something to use as.. a bandage or something?" I ask.

Nancy immediately rips her shirt.

"Okay" Robin kneels down with us "so the good news is I'm pretry sure wooziness is not a symptom of rabies. But if you start having hallucinations or muscles spasms, or you start feeling aggressive, like you wanna punch me, let me know."

"Robin" Steve stops her.

"Yeah?"

"I kinda wanna punch you" he says, making me giggle with some relief.

"Sense of humor's still intact. That's a good sign" she laughs nervously and turn to look at me, I nod to help her calm down.

Nancy is ready with the "bandage".

"Here" I help Steve standing straight off the rock, just enough to let Nancy cover his wounds.

While Nancy finishes knotting the ripped shirt on Steve I get up and walk close to Robin as Eddie climb up a big stone to get a better look at the surrounding, I think.

"So, uh, this place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and nasty shit?" He asks turning to us.

"Basically, yeah" I answer.

He just nods and goes to climb back down, but Nancy warns him.

"Watch out for the vines. It's all a hive mind."

"It's all a what?" Eddie says confused.

"All the creepy crawling around here, dude. They're, like, one or something" Steve tell him "step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on Vecna"

"But everything from our world is still here, right? Except people, obviously?" Robin asks.

"As far as I understand it, yeah" Nancy replies.

"So, theoretically, we could go to the police station and steal guns and grenades and whatever we need to blow up those bat things that are guarding the gate" Robin suggests, in her ramble.

"I highly doubt the Hawkins PD has grenades, Robin. But guns, yeah, sure" Steve tell her.

"We don't have to go all the way downtown for guns" Nancy starts "I have guns in my bedroom."

"You, Nancy Wheeler, have guns, plural, in your bedroom?" Eddie asks, completely surprised.

"Full of surprises, isn't she?" Robin chimes in.

"A Russian Makarov and a Revolver" she specifies.

"Yeah, you almost shot me with that one" Steve remembers.

"You almost deserved that" Nancy replies with a smirk.

Nancy and Steve shares a long stare, luckily, interrupted by Eddie throwing his denim vest.

"For your modesty, dude" he tells him.

"Wait... Nancy" I say, turning to look at her "does that mean you still have my shotgun?"

"I think.. the one Hopper gave you at Starcourt?" She asks and I nod "yeah.. I think I still got it"

"And you have a shotgun.. I shouldn't be surprised anymore.. but shit" Eddie comments.

Before I could answer him another earthquake interrupts us, and makes us fall to the ground.

Nancy against Steve, who holds her as best as he can, me against Eddie next to Robin.

I instinctively grab his hand, more to hold onto something than anything else at this moment, and I feel his other hand holding me close.

Once the earthquake stops Eddie speaks up.

"So guns seem like a pretty good idea to me"

"Definitely" I agree and I get up, helping Robin too.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Steve says, walking in the direction of Nancy's house, torch in hand. "Let's go"

"Yes, mommy" I mutter.

"I heard you" he says back.

I flip him off and, with the others, I follow him.

I walk along side Eddie noticing his nervous demeanour.

"Hey" I softly calls.

"H-hi" he replies.

"All good here?" I ask.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" he quickly says.

"You know" I start, wanting to make him feel a little bit better "the first time we faced these kind of things, uh, I was scared shitless.. I didn't know what those things were, I didn't know where they were coming from, I didn't know why they were here."

"Must've been terrifying" he comments.

"Yeah, a lot, but now, if I think about our first experience... well, that looks like an easy D&D campaign. The easiest you could think of" I say with a small chuckle, noticing his small smile I continue "You're dealing with the worst of them all and you're behaving so so much better than me back then"

"Now you're just saying that" he says, sending me a sceptical look.

"You don't believe me, my lord?" I ask faking offence, putting my hand on my heart.

"I think, m'lady, that you're being simply too kind" he replies.

"I'm just being honest" I tell him "if it wasn't for those kids I would be dead by now. Not because of those creature, but because of fear" I let out a small laugh.

"You're saying we shouldn't worry then?" He asks.

"I'm afraid we should be worried... this thing is.. far worse than anything we've faced before. I'm not one to sugar-coat something. But.. the thing is that each time seems worse than the previous one, yet we managed to survive each time, so... I'm hopeful" I turn to smile at him.

"Shit.. we do need you at Hellfire. Smart, pretty, great sense of humor and... very cool rings too... perfect" he smiles, and I could simply melt in this exact moment. I look away quickly, trying to hiding my embarrassment.

"Not as cool as yours" I say looking everywhere but him.

"Oh these?" He ask, waving his hands in my face playfully and I laugh, trying not to stare at his hands too much... his hands are just.. too distracting.

We stay silent for a while before I remember something.

"Oh, uh.. I made you something" I tell him, checking my pockets, hoping I didn't lose it somewhere.

"You.. you made me something?" He seems surprised.

"Yeah" I still checking until I find it. "Here... helps with the fidgeting"

I hand him a small black beads ring.

"Wow" he simply says.

"Hope it doesn't ruin your metalhead look" I joke.

"You kidding? This would only make it better" he says. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you, m'lady"

He winks.

"Shut up" I smile again, feeling my cheeks warming more and more as he just looks at me with that sweet smile.

"Why do you know how to use a shotgun?" He suddenly asks.

"Hopper taught me" I answer with a sad smile.

"Oh... cool of him." He comments.

"Yeah. He had so much patience" I chuckle at the memory, looking down with a sad smile.

"Hey.. I'm sorry" Eddie sweetly whispers.

"Don't be. You didn't do anything." I smile at him.

I see him reaching out to my hand but Steve's voice stops him.

"Hey" Steve slows down to catch up with us, and I see Eddie rolling his eyes.

"How's your arm, honey?" Steve asks me.

"What? Oh" I look down to my left arm "Oh, uh.. not that bad, I think"

"I think it needs a bandage or something" Steve says, ready to run up to Nancy and Robin and ask them.

"I got it" Eddie chimes in, he seems almost annoyed though.

Eddie grabs his bandana from his back pocket and goes to wrap my arm in it.

"I'm gonna ruin it" I protest moving away.

"As if I care more about a bandana than you" he instantly says. Surprising not only me and Steve, but also himself I think, considering he widened his eyes slightly.

"Stop complaining, honey" Steve says.

Eddie glare at him just for a second before wrapping the bandana around my injured arm and I hiss at the pain.

"Sorry" he softly says.

"Nah, it's fine" I groan.

He finishes rather quickly. "Here, m'lady"

"Thank you" I say rubbing my arm, just slightly.

"Hey hey don't rub it" Steve stops my movement.

I scoff. "I'm gonna see if Robin and Nancy too will treat me like a child"

I walk faster towards Nancy and Robin.

"Hey, oh! Oh shit, uh, your arm! Are you okay? Do you feel any-"

"I'm fine, Robin. Don't worry. I actually didn't even notice until Steve pointed it out" I chuckle.

"Good.. Good.. but, uh, tell me if you don't feel good okay?" She asks and I nod.

"Promise?" Nancy asks.

"Promise" I say.

I walk a little slower to stay a bit with my thoughts.

I can hear Steve and Eddie talking, but I don't pay too much attention to them at the moment. Focusing instead on the shotgun and when Hopper taught me how to use it.

"Why do I have to learn how to use this?" I asked Hopper, annoyed, as he hand me a shotgun.

"Because, since you refuse to accept any sort of help from me, I'm gonna at least teach how to defend yourself" he answered, exasperated.

"I just refused to live with you" I clarified.

"Exactly" he said "you live alone, it's dangerous. Now again."

I aimed at the empty bottles in front of me.

I shot.

Missed.

"Fuck" I muttered.

"Language." He warned "you're getting closer though. Practice makes perfect. That's how I became... me" he adds proudly.

" Oh. So you're saying you're perfect now?" I challenged with a scoff.

"How come you're so quiet with everyone, but with me you're this noisy?" He spat.

"I..." I stuttered. It was true, he was one of the few people I was comfortable enough to be... a bit louder.

I looked down, ashamed, and heard him sighing.

"Come here" he said patting a spot beside him on the fence.

"I'm sorry" I quietly said with a sigh.

"Nah.. don't apologise. Actually.. it's good you're noisy with me" he assured me.

"Why?" I asked, not understanding what he meant.

"Because it means you trust me enough to speak your mind" he explained. "I see you with those kids, that Wheeler girl, and Joyce's son and that... one with the cool hair"

"Steve" I reminded him.

"Yeah yeah that guy. I see the difference between you talking with them and you talking with anyone else."

"Really?" I asked, once again.

"Yeah! You see, when you talk to your friends you're visibly calm, open and you actually talk, joke and get angry too. But when it's someone you don't know talking to you, you wrap your arms around you, shielding yourself, you talk very little or not at all, you play with your rings to have some sort of excuse not to look at the people you're with." He explained.

I never thought he actually cared this much about me.

"And you noticed all that?" I asked, more to not show that I was happy about it.

"Of course." He nodded "That's why, even though you're getting on my nerves with your comebacks.. I'm also very proud."

I laughed and he did too.

I miss him. Fuck... I really do.

When I hear Nancy's name I snap out of my mind.

"... what happened between you two" I hear Eddie saying. "But if I were you, I would get her back. 'Cause that was as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen."

Obviously, Steve still has a thing for Nancy.

I hope they sort this out... I don't want him to suffer again.

"What about you, uh?" Steve asks back.

"What about me, Harrington?" Eddie teases.

"Oh I think you know" Steve laughs.

"What? Want me to admit my feelings for Y/n? Saying that she's the only thing I've been thinking about since they paired us up for that stupid project? Or that she's so beautiful that all I want to do is just look at her.. maybe that's why I've been failing O'Donnels' class this whole time."He lets out a small laugh "everytime Henderson or Wheeler mentions her, for whatever reason, I can't help but feel jealous they get to spend so much time with her while I was too much of a coward to talk to her...Fuck.. I'm screwed, man" Eddie rambles, I'm speechless, I never thought he feel this way about... me.

I need all my strength not to turn around and ask him to tell me more.

"Why would you be screwed?" Steve's confused.

"Because... she deserves so much more. I can't do that to her" Eddie replies defeated.

"Let her decide that, uh?" Steve pats him on the shoulder.

Good answer, Steve.

I hear silence for a moment before Eddie's answer.. or more, question.

"There's nothing between you and Y/n, right?" He sounds insecure, almost.

"Man, you just made a whole speech about why I should get Nancy back, not even a few minutes ago, and now you ask if there's something between me and Y/n?" Steve asks in disbelief.

"Uh.. yeah" Eddie simply answers. "You call her 'honey' a lot"

"No, man, there's nothing. She's my best friend since..." He puffs, thinking "ever."

"And, uh, there has never been anything? Like at all?" Eddie checks.

"Well... I did have a crush on her.. for a while, but then we grew apart and... yeah it changed. Then Nancy happened..." Steve explains and I hear Eddie letting out a sigh of relief, but then Steve adds casually "We were each other's first though"

"Uh? What-"

Another earthquake interrupts him.

"Oh shit"

"Okay, second on my list of lists favourite things, earthquakes. Seriously, I'm unsteady enough as it is" Robin says.

I'm holding onto a tree and I see Nancy running and Robin calling for her.

I turn around to check on the boys and nid my head towards the direction Nancy went to and we quickly follow her.

When we spot her, thankfully, the earthquake ceases.

"C'mon" she tells us, walking towards her house.. or this alternate version of it.

"Thank god we were close" Robin breathes out.

"Yeah" I say out of breath.

The house... matches with the rest of the Upside Down, obviously.

Here the cute, clean rooms are dirty and there is this dark dust all over, and the vines are crawling over the walls and the furniture.

"Might be time to get a maid, Wheeler" Robin says, trying to enlighten the mood I think.

"C'mon. I don't want to stay here longer than we have to." Nancy walks upstairs.

"Agree. Definitely don't wanna add 'creepy dimension' to the weird places I had a panic attack in" I blurt out following her.

The others close behind us.

Once we get to her room, Nancy immediately goes to her wardrobe and takes a shoes box.

When she opens it, though, there are no guns... only a pair of shoes.

"Those aren't guns" Eddie sarcastically points out.

"These heels are pointy, but I was hoping for something on the line of a deadly projectile" Robin adds.

"I don't understand" Nancy comments, looking at me.

"You sure you left them here?" I ask.

"Yeah, maybe you left them somewhere else" Eddie tries, getting agitated.

"There's a six-year-old in the house. I know where I keep my guns" Nancy almost snaps at him "and also, I threw these away years ago"

I look down on her desk, thinking, but I notice some notes. Chemistry notes, I helped her writing them so we could practice at home... three years ago.

"Nance.." I say, handing her the notes.

"I get that grades are important to you two, but perhaps studying can wait till we get out of here?" Robin suggests.

"These are from sophomore chemistry." I explain, Nancy looks at me, catching up on what might be happening here.

"Yeah.. and this... this wallpaper, this is old wallpaper" Nancy informes moving around her room to look at the rest "and this mirror, this went to a yard sale. And you" she grabs a stuffed animal "You're not supposed to be here. No, I gave you to cousin Joanna two years ago"

Nancy then moves to grab a diary.

"What is it?" Eddie asks.

"Nancy? You're freaking me out" Robin urges her.

"This doesn't look good" I comment shaking my head waiting for Nancy to confirm my suspicions.

"I think the reason that my guns aren't here is because they don't exist yet" she answers.

"They don't... exist?" Eddie repeats, tensing up more and more each second.

"This diary should be filled of entries. It's not. The last entry is November 6, 1983. The day-"

"Will went missing" I cut her off, earning a nod from her. "The day the gate opened and everything started... we're in the past.. how?"

"I don't know" Nancy shakes her head, defeated.

Suddenly we hear Steve's voice yelling "Dustin! Dustin!" And we immediately hurry downstairs.

Steve's moving awkwardly in the dining room, looking at the ceiling calling Dustin's name.

"Maybe he really does have rabies" Robin suggests.

"Steve!" I call "What the hell are you doing?"

Steve points his torch to us, blinding us for a second.

"He's here. Henderson. That little shit, he's here. He's like...he's in the walls or something. Just listen" he explains breathlessly, pointing his finger up to make us pay attention to... whatever he heard.

As we listen closely, Steve keeps calling for Dustin, but we do manage to hear...his voice!

Oh shit.

"That brings us to the question you first raised" he seems to be saying.

"Oh shit! That's him" I exclaim.

Everyone starts to call for him, yelling his name, hoping he'll hear us.

"Guys! I don't think he can hear us." I grab their attention.

"Yeah, either he can't or he's being a total douchebag." Steve replies.

"Will found a way" I say.

"What?" Steve's turns to me.

"Will. He found a way to speak to Joyce through the lights" Nancy goes to turn some lights on, with no use, nothing turns on.

Steve points his torch to the chandelier. "Guys? You seeing this?"

It's like there is some almost tangible energy surrounding the chandelier and we all gather beneath it.

I reach out to touch it.

"Shit.." I breath.

It's a weird feeling, warm and ticklish.

As we touch the energy around it, it enlightens.

"It.. tickles" Steve comments.

"It's weird, but... pleasant" I agree.

"Yeah" Eddie turns to look at me with a breathed chuckle.

"Does anyone know Morse code?" Nancy suddenly asks.

We all shake our head no.

"Wait, does SOS count?" Eddie asks, earning a light scoff from Robin "is that.. is that good?"

"Yeah, definitely" I tell him.

Immediately Eddie starts to touch the energy in Morse code.

"Yeah, that's working"

We managed to hear Dustin telling us to go to Nancy's room, where they're bringing Nancy's sister's toy. It's supposed to help us communicate more.. effectively.

Hopefully.

We wait kneeling at Nancy's bed, the tension devouring us.

"C'mon, c'mon" Steve keeps mumbling.

I keep fidgeting with my hands and rings, my breath getting heavier and heavier, but suddenly I feel a hand holding mine. I look up seeing Eddie, sending me a reassuring look even if he was just as tense, but it helps my breathing getting even again. He doesn't let go of my hand, though, not that I complain about it.

Dustin's faintly voice snaps us out of our moment.

"You.. seeing this?"

A small mass of energy appears in front of us, just like the one around the chandelier.

When we hear Dustin's laugh we know it's working.

I look at Steve who's already looking towards me, with his "We're okay" look. The one he always gives me when he sees me nervous.

"We're not moving it, but we're gonna unplug it. Stand by" Dustin says.

The energy seems to disappear, but Dustin urges to try again.

"Try it now"

Nancy, unsure, start to "draw" something on the line of "Hi" in the air, basically.

Eddie holds my hand a bit tighter.

They all answer.

"Hi"

"Hey! Hi. That worked!" Dustin exclaims.

"Yes!"

We all let out a sigh of relief and cheer. Robin lets out some relieved giggles.

"Okay. Um.." Nancy starts to draw again.

S T U C K.

"St... stuck!"

"That's what we are" Robin mutters.

"Mhm Mhm" Eddie vigorously nods.

"You can't get back through Watergate?" He asks.

"What the hell's water gate?" Steve asks.

" 'Cause it's in the water and it's a gate" Robin simply explains.

"Oh"

"That's cute" Eddie comments.

"Yeah" I agree.

"Righ, uh... no it's..."

G U A R D E D.

"Guarded. Uh the watergate is guarded" Dustin catches on.

Oh smart boy.

"Perfect, yes yes yes" Steve exclaims.

"We think we have a theory that can help with that" Dustin tells us.

"Genius child." Robin comments, feeling more relaxed now.

"We think watergate isn't the only gate. That there's a gate at every murder site."

"Does anybody understand what he's talking about?" Nancy asks us.

"Nope."

"No"

"No idea"

So she draw a question mark.

"Seriously? How many times do I have to be right on the money before you guys just trust me?" Dustin's voice sound pretty worked up.

"Jesus christ. This kid's gotta get his ego in check" Steve comments, slightly exasperated.

"It's his tone, right?" Eddie chimes in.

"I know" Steve agrees.

"Hey, it's your kid" I tease them.

"Okay so.. how far is your trailer?" Nancy asks Eddie.

"Seven miles?" He replies.

"Nancy?" Robin speaks "uh, I know your house here is, like, weirdly, creepily frozen in time and shit, but haven't you always had bikes?"

"She's right"

"Yeah.. yeah we have" Nancy answers.

We then tell the others to go meet us at Eddie's trailer and we go find the bikes, quickly riding them to Forest Hills Trailer Park.

Hopefully, Dustin's theory is correct once again. Being permanently stuck in the Upside Down is not in my plan, definitely.

Eddie leads the way and we all follow him on our bikes. We don't take much to get there, luckily.

"That's gotta be a Guinness World Record. Most miles travled interdimensionally." Robin jokes as we get off the bikes and head to the trailer.

"And the prize is getting out of here in one piece" I reply.

"Just inhaled a bunch of that crap. It's stuck in my throat." Steve complains couching.

Entering the trailer our attention is immediately on the ceiling. The gate.

"This is where Chrissy died" Eddie explains. "Like, right where she died"

"I think there something in there" Robin warns.

Something from the other side, probably, is trying to pierce through the thin veil of the gate.

"What the hell is that?" Eddie asks as we slowly get closer to inspect it better.

Suddenly the veil is broken and we step back, watching as some mysterious slimy material fall from the crack.

Steve get closer, carefully and we follow close behind.

As soon as we can see on the other side of the gate we all let out a sigh of relief.

There they stand, upside down, Dustin, Max, Lucas and Erica.

"No way" Steve half exclaims.

Dustin laughs as soon as he sees us.

God.. never thought I'd miss that laugh.

"Hi!" He greets.

We a say hi back, shocked... shockingly relieved though.

"Holy shit, this is trippy" Robin comments.

"Yeah.. that's the word" I say with a chuckle.

"Bada-bada boom!" Dustin exclaims ecstatic.

"Okay what's the plan?" Steve asks "how do we.. get back there?"

We all look at each other, uncertain on what to do.

"We got an idea" Dustin tells us.

"We're gonna use, uh, a rope or something and, like, drag you back here" Max explains.

"Yeah, we gonna need something you can fall onto" Dustin says "can we use your mattress?" He asks Eddie.

"Uh, sure, man. Sure" he replies, still out of breath.

"Oh, and the sheets for the rope" he adds.

"Whatever you need."

"Hurry please" Robin asks.

The kids get to work, Dustin and Erica making the rope and Max and Lucas bringing in the mattress. They put it right under the gate, or.. from our perspective, over the gate.

"Those stains are, uh..." Eddie starts explaining, noticing the particularly visible stains on his mattress. "I dunno what those stains are." He finally say, visibly embarrassed.

I try to hold back an amused smile, never thought he'd be the type to get embarrassed over something like this.

The rope is ready and Dustin is about to throw it to us.

"Not quite sure how these physic's gonna work. But, uh...here goes nothing" he finally launch the rope that extends itself like normal gravity permits.

"There we go, and if my theory is correct" Dustin is holding the other end and then lets it go.

The rope stays put... unbelievable.

"That's crazy" I let out a surprised chuckle.

"All right, pull on it! See of it holds" he instructs.

Robin immediately goes to pull on it. It does hold.

"Holy shit"

"Guess I'm the guinea pig" Robin says ready to climb up.

She climbs the rope, grunting and as soon as she get to the top, through the gate, she falls.. she actually falls on the mattress.

"Oh thank god" she exhales "that was fun"

I smile, relieved.

I look at the others seeing if anyone wants to go after her.

"My turn, I guess" I say, not seeing anyone else stepping up.

I pull, experimentally, at the rope and jump holding me up.

I slowly climb up, shit.. never been the athletic type.

Once on the edge of the gate, I feel like being sucked and instantly fall on the mattress, back in our world.

"Shit!" I say as I land, with a grunt. "Fun, yes, but to never do again" I say with a laugh.

Dustin helps me get up so the others can come back too. Max immediately come to hug me and I do too.

"You're okay?" I ask her.

"Yeah, you? What happened to your arm?" Dustin asks worried.

"Nothing unusual" I joke and they smiles.

I see Eddie climbing and then falling.

"That was fun. Shit" He then grabs Dustin hand and get up, getting beside to me and nudging my shoulder playfully.

"All good here?" He whisper to me.

"Yeah" I smile at him.

Now It's supposed to be Nancy's or Steve's turn, but something's wrong.

Steve's screaming Nancy's name, she just stands still.

"Wake up! Wake up! Nancy!" He keeps screaming.

"Oh no no no" I mutter.

"Vecna" Max speaks.

Shit.

[phoenixcatch7]

Okay this WILL BE SPOILERS. For totk.

THE GREAT PLATEAU IS CURSED I DONT LIKE IT ToT.

Made it here fine! Easy cruising altitude got the map landed no problem. Minimal enemies. There's a YIGA camped in MY MFING SHRINE OF RESURRECTION. It's all overgrown, that's fine ig, but the YIGA?? Get tf. Out.

Go see the temple, a new message from hylia! Very ominous, but yes ma'am! Off we go to free her from the water under the stone gate. Which gate? Well my first thought was the main blocked off entrance that's now a pond. But let's get a shrine first.

Shrine?? Hello???!

So not only is each original shiekah shrine now a pit to tartarus, there's only one new shrine tucked in the back end of the plateau where a goblin camp used to be. Fine! I'll just run everywhere on foot with my +1 stamina, shall I??

No! It's time for a wtf to hunt you down! The air will turn red with racing clouds, the sky is dark, music is playing backwards, I'm launching myself up the nearest tree and it still isn't fast enough. This is literally the fifth or sixth time I've encountered these, at least two directly ending in my death. They don't even get a question mark from the camera unlike any other miasma monster (for example the depth enemies). I've filled them with bomb arrows and it's made a fraction of a dent in one of them. Hateful hydra eye arm things. They're FAST and TALL. It's like the spindly flesh monster from oot but a hundred times worse. They nearly managed to reach me in the tallest tree!

They eventually leave - whatever triggers their disappearance I truly cannot tell - and grab the dark shards they leave. Okay! Cool! Unappreciated! I go into the pit by the lake, it is VERY SCARY, I get some light roots and reveal a whole civilisation! Giant zelda statues point to an enormous building in the shadows, I pluck up my courage and go over. ???? It's a poe eater statue. Enormous. Full bodied. Stretching down below the bridge I'm on. It's got six sunken eyes and they're all looking at me. I'm absolutely begging this thing not to move, I'm literally inching closer. This isn't a zonai carving at all, this isn't even a zonai room. They've dug into the rock, they DISCOVERED it.

It says the same thing.

I'm terrified. I'm beginning to think that whatever talked to me through the hylia statue, in the temple of time, with her voice and her light, isn't hylia.

Still, I've come too far to back out. I don't think denying this thing is wise.

Up I go! Run all the way from the shrine, off the edge, detour to find a new type of cave goblin or two, blow up the blocked entrance to the plateau. Through the carvings I can make out sort of a face? Hope it's hylia!

It. It isn't. It's the six eyed triangle face that eats souls :). Tells me to go back to the temple. I run onto the plateau (!!! Botw me would be so excited), get ambushed by four black armoured Bokoblins in a row, see 'hylia'. It tells me to bring its body in the depths stones from the four ex shrine pits 'for a reward'.

Nintendo.

What did you do?

[thenightcallsme]

The Arcana: Julian's Route | Chapter 4

!! THIS STORY IS A DETAILED RETELLING OF THE ARCANA, INCLUDING PAID SCENES IN BOTH PROLOGUE AND JULIAN ROUTE. ALL CHARACTERS EXCEPT THE MC ARE PROPERTY OF THE ARCANA FRANCHISE !!

A/N: This is a reupload from my AO3 cause I want to branch out. Enjoy!!

Summary: In a small shop in Vesuvia lives Vivian Caelum, a student of the magical arts who works as a shopkeeper for her tutor, Asra Alnazar. Her name is not known in the streets as her master's is, nor does she have full control over her magic yet. But one night, there's a knock at her door; Vivian is needed at the palace to help Countess Nadia upon her personal wishes. Soon, what she thinks is a small task is something she would never have expected her magic to be used for: Vivian must find Count Lucio's murderer. Will she be able to track down the infamous murderer and finally put the Countess's years of restlessness to ease? Or will the killer captivate her in ways she can't explain? Is she even running after the right man? Something deeper than she thought is happening within her beloved city, and she's about to understand the vastness of the magical realms.

Pairing: Julian Devorak x Fem!Magician Reader

This Chapter Contains: N/A

Word Count: 6,415

find the rest of the chapters in my masterlist here :)

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The path of black stones is back, cold and soft beneath my bare feet. My hair, still in a braid, is whipped around by wind that upsets the rust-coloured sand. The wind is chilly against my skin; all I wear is a silk slip. The thick, dark clouds made of shifting blue and purple hues are heavier than before, pregnant with unreleased rain. If I'm dreaming about this place again, where is Asra?

Unforgiving wind burns my eyes as I search the desolate landscape for him. Sure enough, I find him. Asra is still with the lumbering beast heading towards the horizon. He is too far to reach.

I watch as Asra reaches the fork in the paths and dismounts the beast. He pats the white beast firmly on its hide, sending it down the east path. But Asra doesn't follow. Instead, he walks west, and I know at once he's going the wrong way.

"Not that way!" I suddenly blurt out. "Not again!"

Again?

Despite the words coming from my own mouth, I don't know what I mean. Even though I remember him warning me about the wrong path, I almost wonder if he's chosen it deliberately. He turns, hearing the faint sound of my voice, even from the uncrossable distance. Though I can't see the fine details of his face, I feel our eyes meet.

"Viv?"

His voice is nothing but a whisper carried by the wind, unsure as to how I can hear him. I don't bother to question the rules of this little world I've found myself dreaming about. He drops his gaze and continues west, his silhouette quickly fading.

"Asra!" I cry, "You told me not to take the wrong path, so I'm telling you the same!"

I go to take a step forward, but my feet are heavy and suddenly hot. The sand begins to flood over the stone path, trapping my feet. Then my knees. Soon enough, it has reached my hips.

I grow angry, calling out his name again. "Asra! Please, listen to my warning!"

The sand has swallowed my torso, my chest. I know I'm still calling my friend's name, even as the sand fills my nose and mouth, filling my lungs. And I know he can still hear me.

⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Comfortably warm sunlight strokes my cheeks in a motherly caress. Rise, it tells me. With a groan, I head her words. The course, exfoliant sand no longer rakes at my skin. It’s instead replaces my the soft feel of luxurious linens. Silk pillowcases cushion my face. Through an open window is the early song of birds residing in the palace gardens. Accompanying it is an enticing smell of freshly cut fruits coming from inside the room.

“Morning, Vivian.”

At the edge of my bed stands the cheery, red-headed maid Portia. Her neat appearance at such an early hour is envious. Balanced on her forearm is a platter of breakfast pastries, each topped with strawberries and plums. Nestled in the middle is a steaming tea pot and an empty cup. Gently, she sets the tray at my side. I smile lazily in thanks.

“Morning.”

She claps her hands together as I sit up. "Beautiful sunrise, isn't it? Did you sleep well?"

I nod despite the extra few hours of rest I wish for and take a bite of the plum pastry. Rich flavours fill my mouth. "This bed is so much nicer than my own."

"The countess wants to meet you in the library once you've eaten and dressed." Cradled in her other arm is a pile of fabrics. "And she also wanted to gift you a few things."

My eyes pause on the pile of clothes. "Gift me? As in to…keep?"

"Of course, silly. She suggested them herself. She has a great eye for someone's preferences."

"I...thank you."

"Don't thank me. You can thank m'lady when you see her." She approaches the door. "I'll be waiting in the hall. Come out whenever you're ready."

With a soft click of the door, she's gone, leaving me to marvel at the pile of clothes and the extraordinary breakfast. Cramming the last pastry into my mouth and pouring a cup of tea, I stand and spread out the array of clothes. Generously, the countess has offered multiple options. Atop the pile is a small wooden box I have yet to open. Neatly placed beside the nightstand are a few pairs of shoes.

My heart flutters in bewilderment. I lay each piece out to carefully examine them, more blown away than the last. Drawing me in is a pair of light grey pants that, when I slip on, appear to be tailored to my size by some miracle. With it I pair a dark blue top that I wrap around my waist to tie in a small bow. The sleeves are long and draping with a slit down the middle. Around my waist I fasten a thick leather. The silver clasp is so intricately designed and complicated that it takes me a minute to figure out. Lastly, I pull on some leather boots.

After neatly stacking the remaining clothes, all that’s left is the small wooden box. What’s inside nearly sends me into cardiac arrest. It’s pack full of silver jewellery so perfectly pale it must be white gold. Tucked between folds of silk are enough rings to wear two per finger. Some are dainty and unassuming, while the others are chunky, gorgeous gems nestling in the metal. In another section are multiple pairs of earrings, enough to replace all nine piercings per ear. In the third section are bracelets and necklaces, some plain silver, some hosting huge jewels. My God.

I blindly pull out one of the necklaces. It’s a silver choker, the centrepiece a thin piece of metal shaped into a moth in flight. I don’t hesitate to put it on. Then another. And then another. Quickly, I’m covered in blinding amounts of jewellery.

For the first time ever, I look expensive. There’s a noticeable theme of silvers, blues and greens within the clothes and accessories. I smile. The countess sure has an eye for the smallest things. I’ve even been gifted another satchel to replace my sorry excuse for one. 

Portia looks over as she hears the sound of the door and her eyes widen as she takes me in. She whistles in approval.

"Beautiful!"

I blush. "I—thanks. I'm not used to nice things."

"I suggest getting used to them because, from now on, those are yours." She begins leading me down the hall. I follow, enjoying the comfortable feel of the new heels. "The countess will definitely be pleased.”

Through the weaving palace halls we go. I’m led through hidden shortcuts beyond the stone walls, turned this way and that. It would be hopeless to find my way out alone. Eventually Portia stops us before an art piece about five times the size of me. Carved into smooth wood in all the colours of rippling honey is a dizzyingly intricate tree at the height of its maturity. It stands tall and proud, depicted to be swaying in a soft breeze. The detail is so carefully thought of that I can almost hear life buzzing around it. The tree's leaves and fruit are inlaid with jewels, precious stones, and shimmering pearls.

Portia notes my amazed gaze. "It's m'lady's own work. Beautiful, isn't it?"

“She carved this?” I stare back at the tree in awe. “Does she dabble in art?"

"Only when she can find a moment to herself," she answers. "This is one of her proudest works."

Portia retrieves a ring of keys from her pocket. There are about a dozen on the silver ring, each carved of the same wood as the panel, and each bearing a unique jewel. One by one, she finds the locks in the panel. As each key turns, the roots of the tree start to unwind from each other, pulling free from the floor. When all the locks have been turned, the panel folds upon itself, retracting from either side like a fan.

I watch in further amazement. The tree isn’t just a magnificent art piece, but the door to the palace library.

The first thing I see are the books—the towering shelves of books. They wind up the walls, reaching the ceiling, which is impossibly high. The room is naturally lit by an arching, stained glass window depicting a peacock strolling through a garden of white roses and lavender. Rainbow light paints the wooden floors. Growing around the window and up the bookshelves are lush vines of ivy. Surrounding the bottom of the window, where a fireplace sits, is an arrangement of red armchairs.

"Ah, Vivian!" sings the countess. “Come here, let me look at you!”

Nadia emerges from an aisle of shelves, looking radiant herself. She's wearing a simple, white dress that ends above her knees, showing her long, sleek legs. A green shawl covered in yellow flowers falls off her straight shoulders and is tied at her waist. It falls to the floor, dragging behind her. Today she doesn't wear heavy jewellery. I don't know why I think to look, but...she wears no wedding band. If my husband died, would I still wear mine in memory? Or would I have gotten rid of it?

Curious, the countess circles me once, her gaze thoughtful. Not in scrutiny, but in wonder. She stops before me with a proud smile. “Gosh, I’m a genius. You look amazing.”

“All thanks to you,” I gush, looking down at myself. “This is all so beautiful. It almost feels wrong to accept this.”

She gives me a dismissive wave in faked offence. “Nonsense. You will accept it if it means I must order you to.”

“The jewels…”

“From my own collection,” she adds.

I shake my head. “I can’t—they must be worth a fortune.”

“Even if I were to accept the return, what would I do with them?” She questions. “Silver is not for me. All have been gifts from thoughtless, simple men who think they now the desires of women. What better than to go to someone who will find use in them?”

I open and close my mouth in search of a rebuttal, but nothing comes. I’m astounded to even be in search of one—not any commoner can playfully argue with the Countess of Vesuvia. I would expect myself to, either, but her aura is so familiar that it practically coaxes the words out of me.

“Thank you, my lady,” I finally say. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You can thank me by finding that doctor." She smiles and gestures to the books. “Now, do you read?"

I nod. "My life would not be worth living if I couldn't read, countess."

"A woman after my own heart it seems." Her smile broadens, and I hope she can't see the thrill her flattery causes. Portia was right: talking to the countess isn't so frightful. "It's a great gift, to read. Where I come from, the love for it is shared amongst all citizens, but woefully uncommon here. Now this way, if you please."

She leads me deeper into the shelves, where the sunlight can't reach. Here, lanterns light the way. I hear Portia follow along by the soft jingle of keys. My fingers itch to drift across the spines of old books as we pass.

After a moment, the countess says, "Vivian, you are my guest. If you wish to ever return here, you need only ask. But for the moment…” She stops before an alcove, nestled between the shelves. “…I would have your undivided attention here."

A roomy desk stands beneath the rays escaping a small window. Books, journals, papers, and scrolls cover every inch of the table. Despite the clutter, everything is neatly organised. Someone's place of study, preserved in time, it seems. Swirling handwriting is scribbled on the papers. It is so small and rushed that I can't make out any words.

"This was Doctor Devorak's desk. He was employed at the palace, as was your Master Asra for a short while.” Asra? I don't recall him saying he worked here… “We called upon them to concoct a cure for the plague.”

Of course. Three years ago, the Red Plague swept through the city like wildfire. Untamed, cruel, relentless. It claimed young and old, frail and strong. There was no way to tell who would succumb. Cases are rare, now. I can't even recall the last time I saw the telltale red in the whites of someone's eye. The carnage was immense, and even now the city still recovers.

"Physicians, scientists, alchemists, fortune tellers, magicians..." Her eyes flash with the memory. It's quick but leaves a spark of sadness. "All were invited, in hopes that our resources may aid in the research. Perhaps he was plotting even then...but the doctor accepted the invitation. As did your master, Asra.”

Now there's anger in her ruby-like eyes. Her gaze shifts to the small window above the desk. It overlooks a large willow tree, which hangs above a fountain in the garden below. A gentle breeze tussles the full branches.

She continues. "I've had everything found on and within the desk examined laboriously. Nothing of consequence has been found. But perhaps you can make better use of it. Do as you wish—read through the papers, try to understand Doctor Devorak if you must. Anything. It is the best lead I can offer you."

"Thank you, my lady. I will use this information as best as possible."

"As I expect you would." The countess draws away. The air in her wake is stirred with the scent of jasmine. “The search for Doctor Devorak is now in your hands. You may proceed as you see fit. And please," her expression turns grave, "bring Vesuvia peace. Bring that criminal justice."

I nod again. "Yes, my lady. May I ask if I have to be anywhere else to meet you today?"

"I ask only that you meet with me for dinner this evening.” With a serene smile she sweeps out of the room. Portia follows closely in her wake, and I am left alone with the doctor's desk

There is a stack of leather-bound books with silk page markers hanging from between the pages. Folios, scrolls, and stray pieces of paper etched with illustrations and writings nestle in the little row of draws and scatter the table surface.

Browned with age and crinkled, the folio papers catch my attention first. There's a meticulous drawing at the top of the first page. Its neat lines contrast sharply with the doctors small, messy writing. Somehow, the patterns and shapes look strangely familiar. But nothing solid comes to mind.

The hairs on my arms stand on end as I gently trace one. My eyes drift shut as I do so. I should feel something… somewhere…

There; an echo of desperation and single-minded purpose is worn into his sketches. It's a faint trace, but it still gives me a tangible sense of what the doctor was feeling when he made those drawings. Carefully, I tuck the page into my bag. This fragile piece of paper was something important to him. Why, I’m not sure, but the connection still persists, tying the two together. A surge of excitement and apprehension rushes through me.

I can use this. With the scroll and my magic to assist me...I may be able to find him. If I'm quick, I can still meet back with the countess for dinner.

Tracking spells are not too reliable, still needing a professional hand in strengthening their mechanics. But with the feel of the doctor so strong on that piece of paper, I'm sure to find him. So, making my way out of the library, I begin.

Hazy golden light paints the rooftops of crumbling, stacked buildings that line the streets like towering walls. The sun continues its slow ascent as I step foot outside the Palace walls. Light fades from the streets and alleyways as it reaches for the horizon, disappearing behind the tall, depleted buildings of Southend.

Magic weaves the doctor’s lingering feelings of desperation into an endless string—one end tied around my index finger, the other halfway across the city, attached to the doctor. That invisible string tugs and pushes me around corners and across canals. It leads me through allies and down busy streets and down secret passages that I know all too well. After every block of stacked houses and bustling shops I pass, the tug grows stronger.

Asra taught me this spell well, but I know it off by heart only in theory. When I first learnt it, Asra would give me a belonging of his and then hide somewhere in the house, leaving me to locate him with the spell. Start with your breath, follow with your heart, and be present. The rest will be as easy as blinking if you connect with the spell. I remember his words as if they were his parting goodbye from yesterday. 

Close contact is easy enough. It requires little focus and little effort. Asra told me that it takes trained magicians years to control tracking spells, being able to hold that string like the reins of a horse. However, tracking the Doctor now feels exactly the same as finding Asra around the house. I can't tell if his words were just tall tales to warn me about the hardship of magic but motivate me all the same...or if there's something off with my magic. It feels too easy, as if I've done this tenfold—when in reality, this is probably my fifth time.

I've ended up in a narrow, slippery cobble Southend street, its shabby stones layered like scales. The street is separated by a rushing river sourced by a waterfall ahead. The water gushes from one of the gigantic aqueducts around town. While it towers over the buildings, it's nothing in comparison to the primary aqueducts running from Vesuvia's walls that feed the deep, stretching moat surrounding the city. The light mist it sprays tickles my face as I walk by. Most of this street is inns, bars, and cheap shops. The Southend is an interesting place, to put it politely.

Few people wander the street. They aim straight for the inns and bars, not bothering to wander around. Some are already stumbling, laughing and singing slurred tunes. The talk shared by patrons is drowned out by the rushing waterfall. I strain my ears, nervous that I may not hear something I need to.

Suddenly, the door to a tavern I'm about to walk past swings open. Light, commotion and the heavy smell of alcohol and smoke flood into the street as someone walks out. I jump to a stop and back away as a tall man with unkempt auburn hair and a wide grin walks out.

"Oh, I'll be right back. Just stepping out for some air."

I freeze mid-step, staring with wide eyes as I recognise the man.

My spell worked.

But I find a flaw in my plan; I didn't think of what I'd do when I found Julian Devorak. If anything, I had just hoped to observe him, to learn him.

Beside me is a narrow alleyway cutting between the tavern and a liquor shop. It's my only chance at staying unseen and coming up with an idea. I go to back away, but my heel catches between two jagged stones in the street. I let out an inelegant yelp as I tumble into a pile of empty barrels and cardboard boxes. The next thing I know, I'm staring up at the sky, limbs failing me.

Approaching footsteps catch my attention and my heartbeat quickens. He undoubtedly heard, drawn to the commotion. His deep voice sends my mind into a frantic frenzy as I see a gloved hand extend towards me.

"Hello, that was quite a tumble. Are you all right?" The doctor leans over the barrels, hand out in an offer, only to rear away when he sees my face. "The shopkeep? What are you doing here?"

I scowl. "Wouldn't you like to know."

He raises a brow. "I certainly would. Now come on. Upsy-daisy."

"Hey—"

Ignoring my resistance, he grabs my wrists in a firm grip and hauls me up from the barrels and boxes. I stagger to my feet and towards the doctor's broad chest, thrown off balance by how fast he pulls. For a moment, his eye meets mine, surprised and aware of our sudden closeness. Flustered, I tear my hands from his grip and push away.

The two of us stand behind a tavern, well hidden from the street and citizens. But we're also in a dead-end. The alley stops abruptly at a crumbling brick wall a few feet away, too tall to climb. I have nowhere to run; the doctor has me trapped. From here, I can barely see the painted sign of a cackling blackbird lying back on a crescent moon. The Rowdy Raven, it reads.

"Now tell me, shopkeep, what are you doing here? Southend is no place for a pretty face like yours," he purrs. While his words are teasing, I don’t miss the genuine question.

"The same as you, it seems. I came to get away for a bit, have fun," I reply, letting the lie flow freely. "I just wasn't expecting to see you here, is all. And now here I am."

He nods slowly, smirking. "Of course. Now...there are quite a few rumours that you have been working for the palace. I'm sure—well, by now or any time, really—that you've heard some interesting stories about me."

"Interesting is an understatement," I say slowly. "You don't belong here."

He rolls his good eye. "Yes, yes. I've heard it plenty. But has anybody asked for my side of the story? Now that is something I've never heard."

I go quiet, a little confused. He wants to talk? What else could there be other than the fact that he murdered the count, his employer, and fled from the sentence? At first, I doubt there's more, and yet my curiosity betrays me. No one has heard his side. Everything Vesuvia knows has come from the Palace, the posters, and the muddled rumours—some of which I know have been blown ridiculously out of proportion. Who’s to say something has been ignored?

"Humour me, Doctor Devorak," I say slowly. “What is your side of the story? What else was there that could possibly be riveting enough to put a new light on what you did."

He smiles. "Brilliant. Now if you could follow me, I'll tell you everything you want to know."

My stomach twists as I replay the short exchange in my head. I'm talking to a murderer. The infamous murderer of Count Lucio.

The doctor beckons me up the steps to the tavern and eases the door open for me. Warmth rushes over my skin and pours out the door as soon as I cross the threshold. Sundown has barely begun its approach, and yet the tavern is in full swing. I brush past bodies and tables as the doctor leads me through the tavern. The barkeep—a wide, scarred, unkind looking man—gives him a small salute. The acknowledgement is returned.

Humming to himself, the doctor finds a cozy booth in the back. "You make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."

He breezes past me and to the bar, leaving me to myself. I slide into the set, placing my bag by my side as I attempt to sit still, but I can't help look around uncertainly. Nearby, a pair of old crones are hunched over a table playing card game that attracts a squabbling crowd. A few people occupy a far corner playing a heated game of darts.

Up at the bar, the doctor chats with the barkeep. They both erupt into laughter at a joke I can’t quite hear. For a second, Doctor Devorak doesn't look like a cold-hearted killer. In fact, he doesn't look the part at all. He looks sly and cunning and a bit of a cheat...but not a murderer. He looks so perfectly at ease, so different from when I met him at my shop.

He turns, and I avert my eyes as he approaches the booth with our drinks. He places mine before me, occupying the opposite side of the booth as he takes a generous swig of his drink. I peer into the golden liquid in my cup. It smells faintly of fruit. Slowly, I take a sip. The drink is refreshing, barely sweet, and burns on the way down. While I’d never deny a free drink, the doctor better not hope to get me drunk.

"You know, I never got your name." He interlocks his hands on the table, giving me an expectant look.

"...Vivian. Vivian Caelum."

"Vivian. What a lovely name. And how lovely it is to see you again."

I hate that the simple remark makes my cheeks flush.

He extends his hand across the table to me, and though I hesitate, I still place mine in his leather grip. My hand is rather small in his. His smile broadens to a lopsided grin that, I have to admit, is quite attractive. I never thought about it before, but now that I'm sitting across from him, I can't deny that he is attractive. The sharp angles of his jaw, his hooked nose, his high cheekbones, his tall, lean frame and wild auburn hair. Everything about him is quite handsome. Even when he looks like he needs a weeks worth of sleep. What a shame such pretty looks are wasted on a criminal.

"Remember that I am here only to talk, Doctor Devorak," I warn him. "I am not here to get drunk with you. I have places to be."

He nods. "Of course. And please, just call me Julian. 'Doctor Devorak’ sounds…ridiculous.”

"Right. So, Julian, you hinted that there was something about your side of the story I should know.”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I? How carelessly.” A joke. He chuckles at my irritated expression.

The doctor, Julian, leans forward, folding his arms on the table. My heart races as I consider what I could learn. Maybe he isn't bluffing—maybe he really has something of importance he's kept to himself. How it could affect what he did, I don't know. But...I'm willing to listen. There's no use convicting a man on an incomplete story. 

Sooner or later I will still have to take him in, I remind myself. Do not forget. I have to remind myself how to stand my ground a lot of the time. I tend to be too empathetic for my own good.

"All right, darling. Ask what you want and I will answer."

The ridiculous nickname agitates me, but I choose to ignore him. Get the information and leave. Though I'm a little stuck on what I should ask. Instead of wasting my time in thought, I pull out the paper from my bag and place it wordlessly on the table between us. Julian hesitates before taking and unfolding it. A flicker of recognition crosses his steely blue-grey eye, but it's not warmth or affection for his work. As he reads, his expression slowly hardens. The map-like, winding patterns draw me in again. I find myself leaning in closer, taking another look at his work. I only sit back when I feel his gaze on me.

"Where did you get these?" he breathes.

"It was on your desk, in the palace's library. The Countess said she didn't mind if I looked at it, and so…I took one."

He looks away, but not before I catch a flinch of pain on his face. "Oh. Well, this is a slice of a human brain. The patterns are unique to each individual."

"Individual?" I echo. I meet his gaze, and he stiffens with trepidation. "You mean you've seen many?"

Julian sets the piece down. "What did you expect? We started off with nothing when trying to find a cure, so of course, we had theories on where the disease thrived."

"What's it like, having to look at them?"

He shrugs. “Dissection gets easier over time, but it’s not a pretty sight at first. You've just got to remind yourself that they didn't die in vain if their body helps cure thousands."

The clear emotions in his face is troubling for all the wrong reasons. Julian, like everyone else, is human. He feels sadness and remorse and happiness just like the next person. Suddenly it feels so wrong to think about bringing him in to be hanged. Even though he broke into my shop like a madman...he seems like a decent person. And I hate myself for thinking so.

This is exactly the opposite of what I should be doing. Creating any connection, whether truely personal or just through sheer empathy, makes my job harder.

"There are other drawings, aren't there? At the palace?" he asks.

"All of them remain." 

Julian purses his lips at that, drumming his fingers along his jaw in clear distress. Looking back to me, he says, "You should return it. The palace will notice that it has disappeared soon enough. Now if you could excuse me for a moment..."

As if unable to look at the papers anymore, he folds it up and slides it over to me. I take it, gently slipping it back into my bag. Julian whisks our steins away as I do so.

Shrill bickering erupts from the crone's table, interrupting conversations held around the tavern. Julian whispers to one of the women as he passes by, tapping a single card in her hand. The card is played, throwing the crowd into cheers. I cannot see, but guessing by the sly grin on the woman's face, she has won.

Julian is grinning when he returns. I watch him, lowering my brows in confusion as he passes through the crowd with friendly greetings and smiles. He wears no mask here, as he did in the market. Both are busy places, and here, everyone seems to know him. There has been no guards, no whisper of authority passing by. Does it not set him on edge?

"Are you not worried about being seen?" I ask, genuinely curious.

"Here?" Julian laughs as if the answer is simple. "No, I'm not worried. Folks around here aren't known to oblige to the wants and needs of the Palace. Even the raven spends his time scouring for guards. Obsessively."

"The raven? What raven?"

Julian scans the smokey rafts as I process what he's said. Where Asra and I live, the guards are treated with reverence. And fear, in no small measure. Even though I know I pose no threat to them, I fall into an anxious silence whenever they pass by. The Palace guards are known to be violent. Unnecessarily so.

Personally, I've never experienced the unmerciful wrath of the iron-clad guards. But I've seen the bloody horrors from afar, making sure to turn a blind eye. Nobody dares stop them in fear of becoming next in line. Interrupting them is like swinging fresh meat in front of starving hounds.

Since Count Lucio's rein has fallen into the Countess's hands, she's been known to try stopping the guard's violence. Count Lucio couldn't have cared less. She's done a good job combing through Vesuvia's guards, but at the end of the day, it's not enough. There are those in their ranks that just...snap. And when they snap, they become almost inhumane. The horrors I've seen, especially in the slums—

Suddenly, a huge black raven bursts in through a dusty window overhead, flying in loops with bloody shrieks. The bird swoops down and along a string of bells stretching from one rafter to another, erupting the tavern into chaos. I watch it in awe and unease as the crowd responds to the raven's warning. ...The same raven from the marketplace.

"Guards! Palace guards!" The barkeep warns.

Patrons push and claw their way through every door and window, playing cards flying in the wind. Few stay, obviously those who have nothing held against them by the law. But even they back into the shadows, distancing themselves from each other and becoming anonymous.

Julian grabs me by the arm and pulls me from the booth and into him as people rush around us. “That. That is the raven."

"Wha— where are we going?"

"Anywhere the guards aren't. You wouldn't want to be caught with a convicted murderer, would you?"

But that's the whole point, I almost say aloud.

This is the moment. This is where I keep him behind for the guards to find and possibly turn this whole tavern against me. This is where I easily complete the task that Countess Nadia set for me and claim my reward. But I look to the main door, suddenly torn between staying and the option I shouldn't have. That reward I pictured so clearly in my head suddenly comes with another unwanted gift. Guilt.

I look to Julian. "I suggest you hurry."

Julian keeps his grip on my arm tight as he weaves us through the patrons and out a side door into an alley behind the tavern. When I step outside, the cold air is harsh and chilly against my skin, arising gooseflesh over my arms. The sun has begun to set, painting the rooftops in oranges and pinks and yellows that cast the streets below in oncoming shadows. Julian casts a frantic glance along the alleyway we stand in before ushering me into the shadows.

He grabs my shoulders, forcing my attention on him. "You can find your way, yes?"

I nod. "I've spent years living in these streets. I know every which way."

I'm surprised I can get the words out so firmly, taken aback and slightly flustered by how close his face is to mine. I can smell the faintest scent of sickly sweet alcohol in his breath. Julian, as tall as he is, has to lean down to level his face with mine. This close I can see terribly dark circles beneath his eyes that I barely noticed before. They're deep, almost appearing like bruises. A look of real concern on his face draws lines across his forehead and between his brows.

"Good. The guards aren't after you, so you should be able to get by easily." Before letting me go, he sort of smiles. "Thank you, Vivian, for, uh…not taking that chance to turn me in. I could tell you were close to deciding so."

I open my mouth to defend myself, to almost say I didn't think about it, but he doesn't seem angry. I give him an apologetic half-smile in return. With a nod and a wink, he lets me go and vanishes into the shadows. Turning the opposite way to Julian, I leave the alleyway and continue down the street. A cold evening breeze sweeps between the towering buildings. I let out a shuddering breath that isn't in response to the cold.

Now what do I do? I thought Julian would have told me something, given answers to questions I didn't consider until now. But all I'm left with is an endless well of questions. Even worse, I’m starting to wonder if accepting the Countess's job was wise. This should be a bounty hunter's job. I'm no bounty hunter—I'm not even a real magician. I'm just a nobody apprentice who still has years of practice ahead before I can consider myself so. Someone with less of a heart than me should have been the one.

"Hey! You there!"

Shit. Two guards approach, swords sheathed in silver scabbards hanging from their hips. They only stop once they're close enough to see my face, standing side by side in practised precision. Please tell me you didn't see, I plead silently. Please tell me I'm not about to pay for what I just did—who I just let go of.

Instead of what I expect, one says, "Oh. The Countess's magician."

I barely suppress my sigh of relief. It takes even more effort to keep my jaw from dropping as they both give me a short, sharp bow. I'm no royalty, belong to no noble name, but they still regard me as if I am greater than them. All because I've been working for the Countess. Once I turn in Julian and return home with my reward, will they still treat me the same? Or will I fall back into the lower class that they look down on?

"I'm Ludovico," the other says. "We met briefly yesterday at the gates."

Straightening my back and composing my face into a placid, calm expression, I smile, hoping they don't see the fear and relief within. They have no idea what I've done, who I just spoke with; nervousness would only cause suspicion. The last thing I need is for this to go downhill on day one.

"Ah, yes. I remember you. I'm supposed to be dining with the Countess this evening, but it is getting late." I speak with an unwavering voice. "Quite convenient that you're here, really. Do you think you could..."

Ludovico briskly waves off my unfinished question. "Of course, Miss Caelum. We'll hail you a carriage back to the palace. Wouldn't want to keep Her Majesty waiting, would we?"

I continue to smile. "Never."

Ludovico keeps his word as he escorts me to a broader street. I stay quiet as he hails me a gilded carriage, only muttering a 'good evening' as he closes the door behind me. Dark blue velvet clings to every surface, save the creaking wooden floor. Slumping down on the plush seat, I draw the sheer white curtains closed, wishing to block out any view of Southend. The silence is calming and comforting but not enough to wash away the worry.

The chance to end the search in only hours was right in my grasp. I could practically feel the hand of opportunity brush over my fingers, calling for me to take hold. But I didn’t. I froze. I thought better of it and considered Julian's safety as if I knew him. Cared for him. I let him disappear without a trace.

What am I doing?

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

[friendrat]

The Immortal Consultant

Year 5186

All I want is a peaceful existence where I am left alone. I'm the last immortal, and I'm fine with that. I've been around so long, and people never change. The toys do, so that's interesting.

About 50 years ago some government researchers found me. They were super excited because they could ask me all the stuff they couldn't figure out themselves. Having perfect recall certainly comes in handy sometimes. Yes, I know how the political systems of this or that ancient culture worked. Yes, I can tell them exactly how many deities some other ancient culture worshiped. No, they aren't reading that stone tablet correctly.

We have an agreement. I do not offer anything without being asked, and they only come to me with things they absolutely can't figure out on their own. And they pay me. It's a pretty sweet deal, actually. Better than some things I've had to do over the years. They don't bother me too frequently, and the money keeps me from having to get a day job.

Usually the researchers come to me with pretty boring stuff, but today… Today I hit the jackpot. Earlier this morning an archeotechnologist came to me with a printout. It was everything they had on this ancient movie from around the turn of the 21st century that had apparently had great cultural influence and had shaped a generation. The problem is they can't find a copy no matter how much they search the old tech, and what they have on it is incredibly limited, so they wanted me to fill in the gaps.

I admit I was a bit curious about what movie it could be. It couldn't have been Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, or even Titanic since those are well documented, and through splicing the good parts of old partially corrupt files together we even have whole copies of the films that are used to teach entertainment history.

The archeotechologist handed me the printout, and I have never felt such elation in my very long life. I felt my eyes widen, and my heart falter for a half second before beating faster. I couldn't stop myself from grinning like a mad man as I stared at the very official document that held all the known information on the film Goncharov.

I must have talked for hours about the film, its plot, characters, themes, soundtrack… everything. Back in the day some would have called me a nerd for the amount of passion I poured into telling this government employee about every single detail I could remember of this movie. Every detail that is, except the most important one.

As I watch the man leave now, I still can't wipe the grin from my face knowing that Goncharov will soon be featured in history journals, and taught in higher education courses. No one but me will know that it never really existed.

[madamescarlette]

oh wise friend and mutual, how do you find inspiration again when you feel discouraged? despite having lovely friends and the distraction of a silly little crush, last semester of college is leaving me feeling beat up so I figured I'd ask for some advice <3

My dear, I've been turning this question over and over in my head this weekend because I want to be able to answer this as precisely as I'm able to.

First of all, I want to tell you that you are very much not alone in this feeling- my second-to-last semester was actually my hardest, in terms of work AND material, and I felt so pulled in all directions and told that I had to try my best in each class and work harder in each individual one than any of my others, all of them clamoring for my attention at once. I'm thankful for it in its own way, because I think I got the intended effect- my soul grew in leaps and bounds more in those five months than maybe any other semester of my life, but the growth was at the cost of a terrible aching and scathing of my soul, and that was very very hard to deal with.

I think primarily whenever I'm trying to deal with overexposure to being busy, I have to go back to the basics and ask myself- why do I want to do this? What is it that is so important to me that I have to accomplish this, even if it is at great cost to myself?

For a degree, that might be a really simple answer- you might want to finish it because you want to get employed, which is perfectly fine! It's a stepping stone for you. It might be to make someone proud of you, which is also completely worthy! For me, it was always important that I finish my degree as kind of a proof of life, for me in my teens who couldn't imagine it, but it was also just because I loved what I studied, and I was good at it, when I am so rarely good at most things. I wanted to be able to prove something tangible of the faith of the people who've believed in me so far, myself finally included in the end.

It might sound silly and simplistic, but just being able to put your finger on what your motivator is to cross the finish line has been extremely helpful to me in my own life, as just an initial way to get yourself off the ground floor and able to start feeling your way back to hope again. This is also less of a clean-cut opinion; usually when I've tried to approach this before, I'll make a list of my reasons out on paper, sleep on it, and read it again in the morning to see if I still feel the way that I did when I wrote it, and if not I revise it. But for me, usually I have a hidden realm of energy that I can tap back into once I understand my motivations and reasons for sticking to something with loyalty, and when I make them concrete and real, I can attack my work with renewed focus.

Another part of this, one that I found very rarely discussed in my realm of academics at least, was what I like to call the enrichment zone of our brains. Often when I go through a time that's beating me up, I end up more like a workaholic than anything else; something weird happens in my brain, and I figure that if I keep working and never stop, there's no possible way I can ever fail. This, while being the result of some silly fear-goblin in my brain, is usually what leads me to my shrimp pose crouched over my desk, blinking awake after five hours to my brother asking me if I want to eat something, or in a more concise way is what I call when my brain wins over my soul.

For whatever reason, there's something to do with my specific hyperfocus problem that makes it very easy for me to go haaard in one direction and try to prevent failure by ignoring everything about myself and diving into my work. While this can work for a very short amount of time, burning the candle at both ends shows a decline in quality of your health very quickly (trust me) and thus your work, and so one thing I have to adhere to is- I have to do things that tether me to the world, to tangible things.

This might look very different according to your tastes; but the bottom line is, you have to do things that tie you to something real and existent in your world, else you start scratching the sides of your enclosure and nobody's happy! Especially in our schooling nowadays that is almost entirely conducted via projectors and computer screens, you need things that are far away from mortal ambition and are just little things to scratch the itch of your brain.

For me, the things that tie me down are a huge grab-bag of different things because I have a million interests that I cycle through throughout the eras of my life. That thing for me right now is keeping a journal that I write in every day, even if it's a single sentence. Another thing is reading physical books, which when I really, really need to read I tend to put my phone on the other side of the room and listen to one of those library ambience videos so my brain has a bottom line of action going on to keep me engaged. But probably the thing that fulfills this part of my brain most when I'm busiest is cooking. I got very, very into cooking about four years ago as a way to bond with my brother, so for me it's filled with many good memories, but it's also a very tangible way for me to care for myself, to be able to go through the motions of something I know that will result in something good. Feeding just yourself is also sometimes hard to justify when you are busiest and most empty-feeling, so I would counsel you that even the act of going to get food with someone is something that always makes me feel more alive, more here, so I hope you can act on that whenever you need it too.

(It would be remiss of me to not also mention textile crafts, which are my mother's main way of dealing with her brain goblins, but as I kind of lost my textile abilities big time during the busiest years of my education, I'm not sure how applicable they are! But they are an excellent way to ground yourself also.)

But! Since you specifically asked about inspiration, I want to tackle that. I wouldn't say that there's any one good way to be able to inspire yourself to keep going forwards, and I myself am always failing at this (I am Very Cowardly at heart, let me tell you!) but since I am a writer foremost in my heart, let me go back to that. There's a post that goes around a lot that talks about how each poet has one emotion that they draw on for their body of work, and I think about that a great deal, because I think actually that often changes for a person across their life. For me in this particular iteration of myself in the past few years, I know that the emotion that drives what I create is wonder, and in response to that wonder, gratitude. I mention this because I believe that wonder is what is often missing from our lives once we get used to a place, and we've made a place for ourselves in them.

After getting over the threshold of something being new, we like to settle in, and then the things that used to scare and frighten become normal, and then they become plain and part of the scenery of the life you're living. But from what I can tell, wonder is able to transform the everyday things in our lives from what they are to what they mean, and when we do that we say thank you to those things for existing, for allowing us to be near them and to witness them.

The thing that makes me wonder, more than anything else, is always going to be music, and it's why I will always be counting the seasons of my life by what I listen to. To be able to claw my way through the hard parts of life, I have to decorate that time with something that helps me put some lyrics in my pocket to process all of it, and help it find its way to be enfolded into my life, my memory. More than anything, I think what helps me keep creating is learning to wonder, to be in awe of things as much as I possibly can, to try and create space for that in myself and try to treat it well when I do experience it. There's a trick to it, but once you try to pay attention to the things that make you wonder, they become very clear- walks around my campus while skipping to my music often made me wonder, as does listening to a symphony in person, or when I made my friends laugh all at the same time, or moments when I walked into a room and smiled at somebody, and they smiled in return.

More than anything, when you are going through something harsh, it's my belief that to make something unbearable bearable, you have to find a way to make something in that time that you'll miss. I have a perennial, sometimes unbearable habit of looking for moments of beauty in times that make me miserable, making it so that I miss them even when I was living it I was praying for it to be over, and while I think that goes too far in the wrong direction I still would say that if you try to record the good things about life as you're going through it, even if it's as simple as taking a picture of something you eat that you love, or the sun in the evening, that's what makes life bearable.

Hold onto your friends, they're what makes life survivable, and they make it survivable because they make it meaningful- other people are the biggest source of wonder in the world, plus I absolutely would not have finished my degree had I not had my friends to work with, the powers of parallel play are never to be underestimated. Even if you are only being near someone else who is as confused as you are as to what to do, in my experience that is a huge relief to know that they're at the same level as you. Friends are what make the little stupid pinprick pains of school bearable!

I also had a rule during my year of online school, which while it was an incredibly lonely time was very rarely full of solitude because eeeeveryone was constantly talking to one another, that I would have one hour every night to turn off my computer and my brain and do whatever I wanted. I used to have dance parties at 11PM before I went to bed, twirling and jumping around my room because that was what I needed to do to stay present! And I think that in itself is an incredibly useful tool is surviving something that seems to sap all your strength- make sure you are not ignoring yourself, but give yourself the time as often as you can to let your mind wander, let it dream. Like that one post says, you're your oldest childhood friend, so make sure you're phoning in to say hello!

Beyond all of that, keep your eyes peeled for the evidence that people believe in you, because it's everywhere- even if it's just your friends waving at you, or the cashiers that wish you good day, or the chit chat of people before and after test taking, I do believe we're all cheering for you to do this (and if they're not, I'll fist fight them). I believe in you! And I hope that you can find the force in your heart to be able to believe, too.

Sleep as much as you're able, eat well, make sure the tiger in your brain is kept happy, listen to some tunes and look at streetlights, eat dinner with a pal, and I know you'll get through this, my darling.

Best of luck, and much love <3

[loserchildhotpants]

October grows closer.

It is at once my favorite and least favorite time of year.

Every day, regardless of the month, of the year, I am in motion - my friends tell me I'm too hard on myself, some of them even tell me I work too hard, but I am in motion because I am constantly trying to outrun the obsessive belief that harasses me all day and night; I need to justify the space I take up.

I don't feel this way about anyone else. I don't think anyone else needs to justify their own existence.

I'm constantly looking for forgiveness, for someone to say, 'you've finally done enough good to have outweighed the harm you've done (intentionally and/or unintentionally), good work! Now you can rest!'

October comes and reminds me of everything, makes the inside of me so loud, I can't focus.

I was a miracle baby, born at 11:59pm, October 23rd.

I'm a Jewish witch - I love the serious holidays that fall in October, pagan and Jewish, and I love seeing people in silly costumes at the end of it.

The night I turned sixteen, I finally confessed to my parents that I'd been abused most of my childhood. It was around midnight then too.

I had done something unintentionally cruel to a friend (unprocessed trauma makes for some weird fuckin' behaviors), and we weren't exactly on speaking terms. I knew it was my fault, I knew I'd been the fuck-up, but she was my best friend, and I needed her there that night. I called her up, and she showed up.

She wasn't pleased with me. She didn't get why she was there, and I told her first - before my parents.

I told her who had done it - someone she knew. Someone everyone I knew also knew.

"Do you believe me?" I asked.

"Yeah, [person] tried the same thing with me, when I was younger."

I was flabbergasted.

"What happened?"

"I called for my mom," she told me, "why didn't you call for help?"

I don't remember if I said it out loud or not, but the answer was; it hadn't occurred to me as an option, to call for help.

She spent the night, slept as I went downstairs to tell my parents the worst of it, as much as I could assemble the words.

("I think it started when I was around 7 but it could've been earlier than that," "when I went to their house, someone else might've been involved, but my memories are all messed up, I don't remember," "there was a knife - I don't know if everything is okay, down there but I'm too scared to look," "yes, that's why I'm always covered up," "yes, that's why I-" "yes, that's why -" "yes, that's why-")

I hadn't really said the words, I was vague and it was still like clawing up heavy stones from out of my chest.

I'd wanted to die with those secrets. It's a longer story as to why I couldn't - why it fell on my birthday, why I had to come forward or someone else would.

My friend was gone in the morning and distanced herself more permanently.

My parents turned it into a weapon - against each other, and against me. No one knew what to do with me, no one knew how to help, and no one felt particularly inspired to learn how to.

I remember going up the stairs to bed that night, and it felt like I was shedding weights as I climbed the stairs. I'd never felt lighter, I'd never slept better - I thought, 'oh, good, finally, all the Bad Feelings will stop, and I'll be normal.'

My mother co-opts it where she can, is sometimes disbelieving of it, sometimes reduces its severity, but it depends on her audience. My father doesn't speak of it at all, which is fine, because we don't speak and never really have.

The friends I had then - they didn't rally around me. Maybe a month later, I moved 1500 miles away from everyone and everything I'd ever known, and started again. Right in the middle of my Junior year of high school.

My birthday used to be a happy sort of day, and then it became so somber, and regardless of the mood, I was alone in it.

No one understood October 23rd like I did; every year past the year of my first suicide attempt (I was 11) was an incredible mile marker. I didn't think I'd make it that far, I didn't think I'd have it in me - it was a day I had been raised to allot for praising my mother for having given birth to me. It used to be for someone else. I didn't know how to make it about myself, and making it about myself always felt like some sort of trap.

But it was also the day I freed myself of terrible secrets, it's the day that I showed some of my scars and said, 'if I don't live honestly from here on out, I think the memories and secrets will kill me.'

As October nears, I know it will be a countdown to my birthday, because it always is in my own head - it's not just my birthday, it's a day that marks many things, unlikely things, improbable, miraculous, horrible, ugly things.

As it comes closer, the mantra in my head gets louder.

I need to find forgiveness. I need to justify the space I take up. I need to be more helpful, I need to be more active, I need to be smarter, I need to be more cultured, more accomplished, more well-rounded, I need to be more than I am, I need it to serve everyone, endlessly, and I need to smile while I do it, I need to be convenient, I need to try to do better all the time.

That feeling of not being enough encroaches upon me, and I want so badly to enjoy October, but I don't know if I can.

An ex-boyfriend I had dated at the time I came forward accused me of lying about never having had an orgasm in my life (I hadn't), because, "you've been having sex since you were like, five, you probably had it and just didn't know what it was - here, I'll show you."

(He couldn't show me, he didn't, but I faked it because I needed to be convenient.)

There are 4 occasions I can remember that he ignored my 'no,' or pushed past clear barriers, or took advantage of me when I wasn't in my right mind - 3 of them took place AFTER he knew.

With life-long friends dropping like flies, a 21 year old 'boyfriend' my parents LET date me at 15-16 pestering me for my body, the aforementioned situationship with someone who would tell me regularly how hard I was to love, my family retreating into themselves in the face of my trauma - I was falling with no net at the bottom to catch me.

I crashed at the bottom of it all, I picked myself up, and have spent all the years since apologizing for walking with a figurative limp.

The 21 year-old was convinced I'd cheated on him or something. I don't remember, and don't care to. I broke up with him over the phone. The situationship became my boyfriend for the 100th time since we'd known each other, and he was horrible to me, and I took it, and I was grateful for it, because all I knew was that I was hard to love.

So, here comes October.

I came forward 14 years ago. I'm turning 30. And it all still hurts. And I still don't know how to get through October.

The tattoo in my mind, the one that bang-bang-bangs all day and night, telling me I'm not doing enough to justify being alive, that I'm a burden, that I need to do more and be more all the time - it has an edge of fear to it as we inch closer to October. As if I'm running out of time. As if I need to find forgiveness from someone, somehow, and fast, or I might die before I find it, and I'll pay some terrible cosmic price for lacking so much.

I hope that someday, someone throws a birthday party for me. It doesn't have to be a surprise, just - I can't do it myself. I can't. Maybe more to the point - I won't.

And I hope that when they do, if they ever do, in this daydream where anyone gives half a shit about my birthday - I wish they'd tell me they're proud of me. I wish they'd announce that it's not just my birthday, but the anniversary of the night I unveiled the truth and clawed my way to some happiness.

Maybe someday, there will be a celebration of me - and it won't be about telling my mother how brave and heroic she was for the terrifying birth she gave, and it won't be about me entertaining friends that would drop me as soon as I became inconvenient, and it won't be legions of people, but just a small group, just a handful of people that really respect me, that know me, that see me and understand me, and tell me I'm worth something still, even after they know it all.

Maybe someday, October won't be so full of loneliness, fear, or utter surety that I'm fundamentally a bad person destined to be abandoned.

Not this year, but maybe some year. Maybe some October.

[jessica-writes22]

Find the Words tag

Thanks for the tag @briannaswords and @the-void-writes!!!

Words (1): see, miss, trust, friendship and colour

Words (2): Crowd, Green, Sunlight, Bread, and Believe.

---

See:

Kian brushed past me, and I looked up to see the sideways glance of his honey eyes, and that prideful smile. I felt that instant pull, yet at the same time, a force pushed me back. It was electrifying but terrifying. There was something about him that I couldn't place, a part of me wanted to understand and get close to him, but then again I couldn't. I wouldn't be broken again

Miss:

"So Tiger, anyone you gonna miss back on Earth?" Kian asked. "Nope." I kicked a stone in the stream and watched it sink to the bottom. "Come on there must be someone. A boyfriend, grandparent, family, friends," he listed putting a finger up for each one. "Dead, never existed, mostly dead, and I never had any." I replied, glancing over at him. "Damn," he muttered.

Trust:

"Oh yes because my fire is so reliable."I snapped glaring at him, "With that much wood around us, and flammable materials, we could all end up dead, especially if-" I stopped myself mid sentence. "Forget about it." I mumbled turning back to the waves. "No, go on, say it." Kian taunted. "Fine. We could all end up dead if I lost control. Trust me I should know. It's happened twice." I looked back at land that was coming closer. "What do you mean it's happened twice?" Avarus asked curiously. "I have lost control two times and both resulted in a death." My voice was shallow as I spoke. "One when I was eight, and one when I was eighteen. This fire isn’t a blessing, it’s a curse." I could feel their stares as I finished.

Friendship:

N/A

Colour:

The walls were made of a type of metal and people walked around each minding their own business. There were people from every Kingdom. The ones dressed in red and black were Ireaian, then the ones in purple were Superbian and so on. Every kingdom had a national colour that when on diplomatic missions they wore. I could also tell which were warriors vs healers vs scholars. Each had their own style of robe they wore to fit their job. Elda led us down a warmly lit hallway. People passed us without a second glance.

Crowd:

N/A

Green:

"Ah, welcome to Prásinos," A tall lean man with pale skin and light red hair dressed in a forest green suit stood up and bowed, "I am Crowin Lafitte, and this is my lovely wife Dareleen Lafitte," he gestured to the lady with curly dark burgundy hair, and tan skin, dressed in a forest green gown that flowed at her feet.

Sunlight:

Norla stood in her golden robes that looked like golden sunlight swirling around her. I'm honestly not that surprised that she’s here, but why didn't she take us here herself instead of sending us to Airileen?

Bread:

I shook my head and slipped on my shoes before leaving and walking towards Marie's inn. The village was pretty much cleaned up from last night's attack but black ash still blanketed a few things. I stepped into the inn and the fresh smell of fresh bread filled the room.

Believe:

"Trust me your Majesty, you won't. I never knew your mother but my mother did. She said she was the fiercest, most loyal Queen to rule a kingdom in Avaidia, and I believe that you will live up to her image. I can already tell you have a kind heart, even though it’s damaged. Just believe." Elda smiled back at me reassuringly. 

Tagging: @bardic-tales, @writerfae, @briannaswords, @ashen-crest, @hey-its-quill and anyone else who wants to

Your words: Lover, Death, Time, Sea, Flower

[the-green-dot]

Lyds did you know that We gather here, we line up Weepin' in a sunlit room, and If I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes too Even on my worst day, did I deserve, babe All the hell you gave me? 'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you 'Til my dying day I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And you're the hero flying around, saving face And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet We gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean Some to throw, some to make a diamond ring You know I didn't want to have to haunt you But what a ghostly scene You wear the same jewels that I gave you As you bury me I didn't have it in myself to go with grace 'Cause when I'd fight, you used to tell me I was brave And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet And I can go anywhere I want Anywhere I want, just not home And you can aim for my heart, go for blood But you would still miss me in your bones And I still talk to you (when I'm screaming at the sky) And when you can't sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies) I didn't have it in myself to go with grace And so the battleships will sink beneath the waves You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same Cursing my name, wishing I stayed You turned into your worst fears And you're tossing out blame, drunk on this pain Crossing out the good years And you're cursing my name, wishing I stayed Look at how my tears ricochet

i did, but did you happen to know that i sit and watch you reading with your head low, i wake and watch you breathing with your eyes closed, i sit and watch you, i notice everything you do or dont do, youre so much older and wiser and i, i wait by the door like im just a kid, use my best colors for your portrait, lay the table with the fancy shit, and watch you tolerate it, if its all in my head tell me now, tell me ive got it wrong somehow, i know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it, i greet you with a battle heros welcome, i take your indiscretions all in good fun, i sit and listen, i polish plates until they gleem and glisten, youre so much older and wiser and i, i wait by the door like im just a kid, use my best colors for your portrait, lay the table with the fancy shit, and watch you tolerate it, if its all in my head tell me now, tell me ive got it wrong somehow, i know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it, when you were out building other worlds where was i? wheres that man who threw blankets over my barbed wires? i made you my temple, my mural, my sky, now im begging for footnotes in the story of your life, drawing hearts in the byline, always taking up too much space or time, you assume im fine but what would you do if i, i break free and leave us in ruins? took this dagger in me and removed it? gain the weight of you then lose it? believe me i could do it, if its all in my head tell me now, tell me ive got it wrong somehow, i know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it, i sit and watch you