#like if there was a nation-wide man hunt for me

[postsetstoner]

I’m so serious I think Luigi is just a scapegoat so they can put Someone on trial and deter copycats. Like I don’t think I’m crazy to think that people in power want to string anyone they can find up and punish them publicly so the real killer doesn’t inspire anyone else

[ghosts-and-demons]

this is the smuttiest excerpt from the first chapter of a story i'm writing, so some details don't have context but also, let's not pretend we're not here for the porn lol

contains: male werewolf on female vampire smut, blood play, piss, knotting, dubcon, violence, dirty talk, size difference

Tash’s heart thudded in her chest. It was hours past the time the scent masking potion would have worn off, and if she could smell a werewolf, it could certainly smell her. She knew there was a pack outside the city limits, but she hadn’t known how close they’d apparently gotten. It was unlike werewolves to venture so close to cities—unlike witches, they were not motivated by power. In fact, most werewolf packs wanted one thing above all else: to be left alone. Cities, with the bustling nightlife, crowded streets, and loud everything, were not their usual stomping grounds. They preferred wide open, sparsely populated spaces. National parks, forests, the plains… so why was this one so close to the city?

It was only one, she was sure now. Close enough that she could distinguish his scent. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe calmly. She could outrun a werewolf, but he had her scent, just as she had his. No werewolf pack would allow a vampire to know where they denned. She would be hunted down and slaughtered, or else exposed to the Brakefield coven when the pack demanded her memory of him be erased. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. She would have to kill him, and she hated killing, even if it was to ensure her own survival. It was a waste, plain and simple.

“Who’s there?” came a masculine voice.

Tash frowned, for multiple reasons. One, the werewolf was the only other being around. So, two, why was he pretending like he didn’t know she was there? And three, she recognized that voice. She wracked her brain, trying to put a face to the voice. Who was that?

“If you’re thinking of mugging me, I wouldn’t,” he said.

“Holy shit,” she whispered. The voice belonged to a man she hadn’t seen in years. She was certain he hadn’t been a werewolf when they’d known each other. He’d broken a collarbone playing softball in a local league, and it had taken a human amount of time to heal. Had he been a werewolf, the injury would have taken care of itself in a matter of days. And besides, she’d been turned almost a year before they lost touch, and they’d spent time together in person once during that period. It had taken all of her willpower not to hypnotize, drain, and fuck him, but she’d managed it. That was how she’d known she was ready to truly enter the world as a fledgling vampire. “Gabriel?”

He heard her. “What—who is that?” He headed in the direction of her voice. She stepped out from her hiding spot behind a massive oak tree, and his gaze fell on her harshly. “Tash?” he asked, incredulous. It was a fair reaction. The last time they’d spoken was shortly after he married a woman who forbade him from seeing her—the woman had seen the way Gabriel looked at Tash, and rightfully objected.

“Yeah, hi,” she said awkwardly. “So.”

He blinked. “I thought you moved.”

“I—what? I mean, I did, but…” She shook her head, confused. There was a new scent wafting off of him, something that made her brain feel like its sharp edges were being worn down. “Is that really the most important question right now?”

He shifted on his feet. “You mean besides ‘what are you doing here?’”

“No. What? I mean, I’m…” She held her hands out in a ‘stop’ gesture. Her mind was clouded. She felt like she couldn’t take her eyes off of Gabriel’s body. Had he always been so… “Okay, hold on. We’re gonna start from the top.”

“What are you freaking out about?” he interrupted.

“No, shut up,” she said, glaring at him, trying desperately not to think about how good he looked. “Why are you being weird?”

“How am I being weird?” he asked, laughing at the ridiculousness of the suggestion.

“Acting like neither of us know what—wait.” Suddenly, she remembered the illness that had hospitalized him about a year before their falling out. He’d lost his sense of smell. “Oh my god,” she said. “You can’t smell me, can you?”

His nose wrinkled. “What?”

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Oh, this is bad. Oh, this is so bad.” It was still bad for her, of course, but now it was bad for him, too. His pack would be able to smell her on him, just like they’d be able to smell the lie if he tried to say he’d taken care of it. He’d be punished for letting her go, and they’d still hunt her down. “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. That was a mistake. She realized, as she inhaled a lungful, that the scent coming from Gabriel was pheromones—one of the many weapons in a werewolf’s arsenal. Too much more of this, and she’d be putty in his hands. Popular theory was that vampires would be immune to the chemical secretions, since werewolves were disgusted by vampires’ stench of death, and most vampires agreed werewolves smelled like dog in the worst way. Well, Tash would be happy to prove that theory wrong. His pheromones were definitely working, and only her willpower stopped her from falling to her knees and taking his cock into her mouth then and there.

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step forward.

She almost hissed at him. She was being an idiot; vampires didn’t even need to breathe. She stopped, and her head cleared slightly, but the damage was done. Her clit throbbed. She couldn’t remember a time in her life she’d ever been so wet. Thank god he can’t smell, she thought. “I’m fine,” she half-snarled. “Sorry. It’s… there’s a lot going on that you don’t know.”

“Such as?” he asked drolly.

She glared at him. “I’m a vampire. Have been since a couple years before we… before you got married.”

His eyes went wide and he took a staggering step backward. “You—?”

“Yeah. So you’re going to have to do some kind of deep clean on yourself before you can go back to your pack, unless you feel like murdering me.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she continued, “Which I wouldn’t recommend. I’m part of the Pollux clan. You don’t want that retribution coming down on you, I can assure you.”

He clenched his jaw. “Something tells me a tomato juice bath isn’t going to cut it.”

She laughed darkly. “I think you’re right. I know an alchemist I trust, though. I’m sure he has something up his sleeve.” She pulled out her phone and sent Clyde a quick text, hoping he got back to her quickly. “In the meantime, I have more bad news for you. You’re obviously new to lycanthropy—”

“Hey,” he objected.

“—because you don’t even know you’re pumping out pheromones faster than I can absorb them,” she continued dryly.

“I what?”

“Yeah,” she said. “You can’t control it because you can’t smell, I’d bet. You need to get somebody in your pack to teach you how to keep that under wraps.”

He was frowning. “I thought the pheromones were… strong,” he said, obviously not using the word he wanted to use.

She licked her lips. “They are.”

“You don’t seem very affected.”

“I am.”

He blinked. “Oh.”

“Yeah. It’s a goddamn miracle your cock isn’t in my mouth right now,” she said. Later she would say she couldn’t help herself, but the truth was, she could. She just didn’t want to.

He tensed, hunching his shoulders slightly and clenching his fists. “You shouldn’t say things like that,” he said, looking her up and down.

She smirked and sauntered closer. “Turnabout’s fair play,” she said. “I’m just evening the playing field.” She raked him with her gaze. “And it’s not like we don’t know where you stand on the subject.”

He took a step forward. “I’ll hurt you.”

This time, she laughed outright. “Sweetheart, I’m a vampire, and I fed an hour ago. You could run me over with an eighteen wheeler with blenders for tires and it wouldn’t put a dent in me.” She cocked her head as she realized the implications of his words. “You haven’t had sex since you turned, have you?”

“Not with a—only with other werewolves,” he admitted. He had to bend his head down to look at her now, they were so close.

“Not your wife?”

He growled low in his throat. “We’re not together anymore.”

Tash closed the short distance between them, reaching for the button of his jeans and undoing it swiftly. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, inhaling his scent once more. She enjoyed the lightheaded feeling it gave her, loved the throbbing need it sent racing through her veins like lightning. “Mm, you smell like a thunderstorm.” She reached into his pants, freeing his semi-hard cock and stroking it with her palm.

“Don’t go brainless on me,” he teased, and a fresh wave of pheromones spilled from him like rain.

Tash’s pupils went wide as she gulped them in, her mouth hanging open in pleasure. It was like a warm bath for all her senses, and his hands on her body kicked her libido into overdrive. She sank to her knees, the soft grass cushioning her as she licked Gabriel’s cock and took it into her mouth, sucking gently as he hardened on her tongue. His fingers combed through her hair, gripping it firmly at the back to give himself a proper handle. She leaned away from his cock for long enough to say, “Be as rough as you want. You won’t hurt me.” Immediately, she took him into her throat, gagging slightly.

Gabriel groaned and let his head fall back as he basked in the pleasure of a warm throat swallowing the entire length of his cock. “Jesus Christ,” he sighed, using his grip on her hair to bob her head down onto his cock faster. “Fuck, you’re such a good cocksucker.” She moaned at his feet, the vibration of it in her throat surrounding his cock and making him shiver. “Oh, you like that, baby?” he said, looking down at her. She met his eyes with his cock in her throat. “You like being a good little cocksucker for me?” With his cock still stuffing her throat, she did her best to let out an affirmative. He chuckled. “Let’s see how good you can be.” He started fucking her throat in earnest, thrusting for all he was worth.

She could feel bruises and tears forming in her throat before immediately healing. Even if she weren’t buzzed from his pheromones, the endorphin rush of a fast heal always made her a little bit giddy. The combination of Gabriel’s scent and her own endorphins was a powerful rush that went straight between her legs. Her pussy was gushing, and she reached down to pull her skirt up, rubbing her clit furiously as an orgasm overtook her.

Gabriel slowed his thrusts to look down at her in shock. “Did you just cum?”

She did her best to nod, blinking up at him.

“What a good fucking slut you are,” he cooed, petting her jaw and pulling her hair back again, into his fist. “Do it again.”

Her eyes rolled back in her head as he fucked her throat once more. She lifted her free hand to squeeze her tits—ever since becoming a vampire, she’d stopped wearing bras. Her nipples were hard as diamond through the soft fabric of her shirt, and she moaned again, pinching and rolling one between her fingers. She shuddered as another orgasm hit her in waves, her hips bucking against her hand. Fuck, she’d never felt so good in her entire life. No wonder vampires hated werewolves—if they didn’t, they’d be mindless fuckslaves, and they’d love every second of it. Vampiric superiority wouldn’t survive a single second against werewolf pheromones.

Gabriel growled and pulled her head off of his cock, then helped her stand. Her mouth hung open and he could hear her jaw snapping back into place��he’d dislocated it with his thrusts. The thought made his cock twitch. “You were so good, cumming for me with my cock in your mouth,” he told her, bending down to kiss her softly. “Good girls get a reward.” He trailed kisses down to her neck while his hands roamed over her body, squeezing her tits, ass, and thighs. When he wanted to feel her tits in his palms, he just barely resisted the urge to rip her shirt from her body. Instead, he lifted it from the hem, and she raised her arms, allowing him to pull it free from her. He squeezed one breast in one hand while the other groped her ass, spreading her cheeks and making her even wetter.

She whimpered pathetically at the touch, wanting his hands all over her, his cock inside her, his tongue on her skin. She wanted all of him, right now. “Fuck me,” she whispered.

“Or what,” he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice.

Instead of answering, she pushed her skirt down, over her voluptuous hips. She was now completely naked, and he had not taken off a single piece of clothing.

“You keep looking that good,” he said, staring at her body with a hunger in his eyes so profound she was shocked he didn’t open his mouth to swallow her whole, “and I might have to make you mine.”

“Do it,” she said, adding just a trickle of her mind control into her words. It only seemed fair. “Please.” Her hands went to his chest, reaching under his shirt to feel the heat of his skin against her palms. “I need it, please!” With each plea, she added more glamor to her words.

“Please what?” he demanded.

“Please, sir,” she whimpered.

Fuck, he thought. Fuck, how did she know exactly what I wanted? He growled and threw her to the ground, stripping with the speed of an accomplished shapeshifter. He stepped out of his shoes and pinned her to the ground, face down. “Good girl,” he growled in her ear as he lined his cock up against her dripping pussy. He slid himself inside her slowly, inch by inch, allowing her to adjust to his size out of habit, before remembering that she was a vampire who would heal immediately. Her words earlier returned to him—be as rough as you want—and he snarled, slamming his cock inside her even as his teeth extended and he sank them into her neck, tasting her blood. She cried out, whether in pain or ecstasy, he wasn’t sure, but the sound drove him wild. He fucked her harder than he’d fucked anything in his entire life. He lifted himself up, licking her blood from his lips, and gathered her hair in his fist again, yanking her head back even as he fucked into her. She cursed and came instantly, shuddering as her pussy clenched around his cock. “That’s my baby girl,” he whispered in her ear. “Cum for me, baby.”

“Fuck,” she whined. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She reached to rub her clit once more, and felt another orgasm rise to the surface. “I’m gonna cum, daddy!”

Gabriel growled and smacked her ass hard enough to bruise. The soft flesh turned red, purple, black, green, yellow, and then returned to its original ivory over the course of a few seconds. He did it again, and again, until she was screaming and shaking. He yanked her head back so he could see the look on her face as she came. Tears streamed from her eyes even as she cried out for him.

He leaned back and picked her up, turning them so that her back rested against the oak tree she’d hidden behind earlier. He continued fucking her like that, the bark digging into her skin painfully, until he realized a moment later that her blood running through his veins was doing something strange—he could feel what she felt. He could feel his hands on her ass as though he inhabited her body, his cock sliding into her. “Oh, fuck,” he said as he grew lightheaded, and his lust increased tenfold. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He lost control.

Rapidly, his body grew. While his human form was six feet tall, his werewolf body was nearly seven. Humanoid, but covered in long, thick hair, with inch-long claws, fangs, and a snout, he was monstrous as he transformed. His cock, thick and long while human, was enormous now, and it was still inside Tash. He looked down, expecting fear on her face, and saw only unbridled lust. He released a long howl, and thrust up into her again. They both felt the pleasure of it, the pleasant stretching of her walls as his cock filled her to capacity and beyond. When he went so deep it injured her, the fuzzy pleasure of vampiric healing sent a thrill down their spines, and from then on, he held nothing back. His thick cock spread her wide, and he unleashed himself as he fucked her. She came within seconds, her hips grinding and slamming down onto him. He felt her orgasm in his own body, and his jaw hung open. He panted, taking a moment to recover. If this was what orgasms felt like as a woman… he was suddenly incredibly envious of Tash’s ability to cum this hard this often.

“Don’t stop,” she breathed.

He wrapped one monstrous, clawed hand around her throat, began fucking her again, and squeezed until he felt something break. Her choked, mangled cries of pleasure only made him go harder. His other hand moved to her tits, squeezing them, mindless of his claws. They sliced the tender flesh like butter, blood dripping crimson over porcelain skin. The more he hurt her, the harder she came. The slices in her flesh knit closed immediately, only to be opened again moments later, until he could no longer resist the urge to rip out her throat.

His teeth sank into the white flesh of her neck and clamped down. Her blood gushed into his mouth and his cock swelled inside her, his knot ballooning at her entrance to prevent his cum from escaping.

“G—fuck,” she managed to say with no throat. His knot was pressing on her bladder, and the bigger it swelled, the harder it became to resist, until her fingers were rubbing her clit furiously again. She pissed as she came, the warm liquid streaming out of her and onto Gabriel’s fur, making his cock twitch even as he came inside her. Her orgasm lasted a full minute, and Gabriel felt every second of it. He held still, but his cock was exploding inside her, shooting rope after rope of hot cum into her pussy. He knew that as soon as his knot receded, a veritable ocean of cum would spill out of her.

Reluctantly, he unclenched his jaw, feeling the rush of excitement as her throat healed. “I got a little carried away,” he admitted as he shifted back into his human form. His cock fell out of her pussy, followed almost immediately by a stream of cum. He lowered them both to the ground, and they laid on their backs to look at the stars.

Tash laughed tiredly. “We both did.”

“Did you know your blood would do that?”

“No idea,” she said. “It’s never happened before. Maybe it’s unique to werewolves?”

“That would explain why nobody knows about it,” he said with a thoughtful nod. He turned his head to look at her. “How much does your alchemist friend charge for… whatever can erase your scent from me?”

She shrugged. “It’s never come up before. But he’s always reasonable.” She looked over at him. “It’s not like we need to split the bill.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s not why I’m asking. I think we should make this a regular thing.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You wanna be fuckbuddies? With a vampire?”

“Tash,” he said seriously. “That was THE best sex I’ve ever had. And I’ve had a lot of sex. You can’t tell me you don’t feel the same way.”

She sighed. “No. No I cannot. You’re right. God, that was good. Fuck. When you crushed my windpipe? I was never a masochist, but fuck.”

“You have no idea how good it feels to be able to use my claws,” he added. “Other werewolves can take a beating, but they don’t want blood to be shed. But with you, I don’t have to hold back at all. Every urge, every desire, I can just let it out.” He shook his head. “Next time, I want to slit your throat. I want to see your blood spill over your chest.”

“Okay.” She paused. “Sorry I peed on you. That wasn’t on purpose.”

“Oh, fuck, no, that was so hot,” he assured her. “Maybe it’s a werewolf thing, or maybe I always had a piss kink and just never realized it, but no. That was hot. Please do that every time.”

She laughed. “I think I can make that happen.”

[ficklecat]

Hatake Clan Lore

I cannot for the life of me remember if I ever posted my Hatake lore head canon but it's been bouncing around in my brain so fuck it here we go -

WARNING: long post ahead, all of this is head canon and none of it is based on anything other than conjecture and ✨vibes✨

also not that I anticipate this but people get touchy about this stuff so - if you disagree with me so strongly that you feel the need to yell at me about it, please save your energy; I literally cannot express to you how disinterested I am in engaging with that kind of thing it's just anime you'll be ok pookie

Clan History

Before the First Shinobi War, the Hatake clan was a largely pacifist group unaffiliated with nation or creed. They started out as nomadic but eventually settled into farming & hunter/gatherer communities across the Land of Fire. Though they had no kekkei genkai develop, they did have some persistent clan traits that were easy to spot. Particularly, ancestral traits of early people would remain dominant through generations instead of recessing, such as sensitivity to smells and seasons, characteristics like coarser hair, sharper teeth, longer nails or limbs, and instincts that aligned with the native fauna. This allowed them to live in harsher conditions than the newly settling villages and clans, gave them the ability to self-sustain and develop natural affinity for the wilds of the elements, and eventually, aided in the use and presentation of various chakra natures in some of their clan members.

The Hatakes were small in number and fiercely independent of other clans and families, despite being extremely tight-knit in their own communities; they were not necessarily unwelcoming, rather, they lived very differently from the newly forming clan powers, and were not interested in the quarrels of man. However, due to their reluctance to ally and the growing strains between larger war clans and families, they didn't stand much of a chance when major conflicts began to arise.

When the first war finally began, the already sparse farming and hunting communities of the Hatake clan became widely dispersed as lands were torn up in battle or claimed by other families; they were displaced or absorbed into warring clans over time - some Hatake had already been taken in by the Senju, while some sought refuge with the Uchiha, only to face each other on the battlefield and recognize their clan members in the heat of battle - the wild hair, the piercing eyes, the way they would fight with teeth and claw and kunai over complex justu or weaponry.

By the time the first war ended, there were very few Hatake left to remain in tact as a clan. Many had died in battle, some had renounced their clan to assimilate into the powerful Senju or Uchiha, and the scarce few that remained had to make a choice - let their clan die out with them, or integrate into another.

Thus began the efforts of the Hatake to affiliate with the growing Inuzuka clan - an ally of the Senju but still independent of them, this clan had roots in the Land of Fire's villages already, and their affinity for canines and comparable clan traits and practices made for an easier approach than some of the more "domesticated" families. Even still, the reluctance of the Hatake to fully submit to the 'new world' and lose their precious way of life was enough to keep them at arm's length from the Inuzuka, their need for freedom clashing with the Inuzuka's desire to serve the new developing nations and hidden villages. As such, the remaining Hatake began to dwindle into disappearance, until there were only a handful left.

Kakashi's Family

This bit is also fully personal head canon and an idea I'd always wanted to turn into fic but could never get right; works better as a hc anyway -

By the time Sakumo and his partner, Hoeru Inuzuka, had Kakashi, the Hatake clan was gone, either fully absorbed into the Inuzuka by way of marriage or willing induction, or killed in action during the Second Shinobi War. Sakumo, along with Sakumo's elderly uncle, Kama Hatake, remained alive around the time of Kakashi's birth. Kama had sustained significant injuries during his service in the war, and had been in decline ever since, unable to recover. He never married and had no surviving family apart from Sakumo, but was extremely close to his nephew and Hoeru, particularly during her pregnancy. Hoeru herself was a fierce matriarchal member of the Inuzuka, but had deep respect for Kama and the Hatake clan's heritage - after all, despite their small size and initial reluctance to integrate, the Hatake had become a major part of the Inuzuka clan over generations, and had helped their clan to grow into a foothold in the Hidden Leaf Village.

Kama himself did his best to impart the importance of keeping their clan's memory alive in Sakumo - he would share stories and techniques passed down from his own uncles and parents, grandparents, elder clan members who had long since passed. He shared the importance of their preserved weaponry like the tanto or the kunai - highly usable, compact, and versatile for farming and hunting as well as in battle. When Hoeru was pregnant, she and Kama would spend a lot of time together, in the garden or inside reading when Kama's health began to worsen. Hoeru insisted he promise to live at least long enough to see the birth of their child, and Kama made good on this promise.

He died three days after Kakashi was born, and in his honor and out of a deep love for Sakumo, Hoeru made the choice to allow her son to keep his Hatake clan name. She and Sakumo planned to teach him the important history of their clan, and how both the Hatake and the Inuzuka had come together to help keep their wild spirit alive.

Unfortunately, Hoeru's death when Kakashi was still an infant left Sakumo heartbroken and hopeless. With his dear uncle and the love of his life both gone, being the last remaining member of his clan aside from his son brought him immense and crushing grief alongside his already significant battle with depression. Still, as the years went on, Sakumo did his best to teach his boy about their clan, and about the importance of belonging while keeping the memory of precious people alive. But the excommunication following that one fateful mission brought the final blow to his despair - and with everyone turning his back on him, with no clan, no lover, and no family, he lost the battle to his grief, leaving the only remaining Hatake clan member to be his son, Kakashi Hatake.

[floralcyanide]

⊱ 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑 ― 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑠 𝑆𝑛𝑜𝑤 ⊰

[ ᴀ ʜᴜɴɢᴇʀ ɢᴀᴍᴇs ᴀʟᴛᴇʀɴᴀᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ғᴀɴғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ]

1960s ᴜs ᴘʀᴇsɪᴅᴇɴᴛᴀʟ ᴄᴀɴᴅɪᴅᴀᴛᴇ!ᴄᴏʀɪᴏʟᴀɴᴜs sɴᴏᴡ x ғᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

― ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟ sᴏᴜɴᴅᴛʀᴀᴄᴋ !

∿ sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴛᴀɢʟɪsᴛ !

∿ sᴇʀɪᴇs ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ !

∿ ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ HERE ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴏᴛɪғʏ ᴘʟᴀʏʟɪsᴛ !

― 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘸 ⬎

Fool’s Paradise - XYLØ 

❝Turn off the TV, your suit and tie and hair all wrong. I had a bad dream, your face was on a dollar bill.❞

Million Dollar Man - Lana Del Rey

❝I don't know how you convince them and get them, babe. ; You're screwed up and brilliant, look like a million dollar man.❞

All Shook Up - Avila 

❝Please don't ask me what's on my mind, I'm a little mixed up but I'm feelin' fine.❞

Touch - Daughter

❝Love, hunt me down. I can't stand to be so dead behind the eyes.❞

Everybody Wants to Rule the World - Lorde

❝There's a room where the light won't find you, holding hands while the walls come tumbling down. When they do, I'll be right behind you.❞

American - Lana Del Rey

❝You make me crazy, you make me wild.❞

Us Against the World - Coldplay

❝The Devil as he's talking with those angel's eyes. ; Through chaos as it swirls. It's us against the world.❞

America - XYLØ

❝Real life is make-believe, all that glitters isn't gold to me. ❞

Something - Elvis Presley

❝Somewhere in her smile, she knows. All I gotta do is think about her.❞

Candy Girl - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

❝I've been a-searchin' all this wide world, now finally I've found my candy girl.❞

National Anthem - Lana Del Rey

❝I'm your national anthem, God, you're so handsome. ; Red, white, blue is in the sky. Summer's in the air and baby, heaven's in your eyes.❞

Evergreen - BROODS

❝Since we found out that we're invincible, we've been living in a dream world. ; Only lost to be found, you're my hero now.❞

Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex

❝Nothing's gonna hurt you baby, as long as you're with me you'll be just fine. ❞

December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night!) - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

❝Oh, what a night! Late December, back in '63. What a very special time for me. As I remember, what a night.❞

Chemtrails Over the Country Club - Lana Del Rey

❝You're in the wind, I'm in the water. Nobody's son, nobody's daughter, watching the chemtrails over the country club.❞

Gold - Echos

❝I've got intentions of gold with my plans.❞

Young God - Halsey

❝He says, "Ooh, baby girl, you know we're gonna be legends. I'm the king and you're the queen and we will stumble through heaven. ; But do you feel like a young god? You know the two of us are just young gods.❞

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli

❝Oh, pretty baby, now that I found you, stay. And let me love you, baby, let me love you.❞

Neptune - Sleeping At Last

❝I'm only honest when it rains. If I time it right, the thunder breaks when I open my mouth.❞

Meltdown - Stromae, Lorde, Pusha T, Q-Tip, HAIM

❝Who to trust? Who to love? Who to run from? Who to hug? Respect only comes from the money or your blood.❞

you should see me in a crown - Billie Eilish

❝Bite my tongue, bide my time. Wearing a warning sign. Wait 'til the world is mine.❞

Dead End Love - XYLØ

❝I'm still lost in the maze of your mind, I'm never getting out again.❞

Before the Fever - Grimes

❝This is the sound of the end of the world. Dance me to the end of the night, be my girl. ; They will kill us, oh, have no doubt. There are many ways in, but there's only one way out.❞

Golden - Harry Styles

❝You're so golden. I'm out of my head, and I know that you're scared because hearts get broken.❞

My Eyes Adored You - John Lloyd Young

❝Headed for city lights, climbed the ladder up to fortune and fame. I worked my fingers to the bone, made myself a name.❞

hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it - Lana Del Rey

❝There's a new revolution, a loud evolution that I saw. ; Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have, but I have it.❞

Eyes Open - Taylor Swift

❝Everybody's waiting for you to break down, everybody's watching to see the fallout. Even when you're sleeping, sleeping, keep your eyes open.❞

We Remain - Christina Aguilera

❝So, burn me with fire, drown me with rain. I’m gonna wake up screaming your name. ; Whatever happens here, we remain.❞

[tobiasdrake]

Episode 6 of Agatha All Along makes me seriously wonder why the hell Doctor Strange and Wong didn't bother to get involved with the Westview incident in any way. Like...how does the soul of a child who doesn't exist possess a dead teenager's body and NOT set off all the magical radar alarms?

"How has the Sorcerer Supreme not noticed this?" was a big question about the Hex during WandaVision's airing too.

I'm generally of the opinion that "Where was X superhero during Y event?" can be answered with the word, "Busy." Superheroes live complicated lives. Where was the Hulk during the Insight Helicarrier incident? Oh, he was in a heated punch-up trying to stop Zzzax from eating the entire power grid for the United States and causing a nation-wide blackout.

Well, where was Iron Man? He was in Tennessee trying to stop Ultimo from destroying Nashville after the people didn't like his attempt to make giant robot country music a thing.

The answer to "Where was X superhero" can typically be assumed to be "off doing superhero things" as a default answer.

But when Wong has an entire organization under him whose explicit job is to monitor for things like the Hex, it gets a bit weirder.

Personally, I'm of the opinion that "Where was Mordo?" is an even bigger question than "Where was Strange?" Like. Mordo's M.O. right now is hunting down irresponsible magic-users who wield sorcery in ways he, with his rigid mindset, considers inappropriate.

Maybe that's what happened to Mordo. Maybe he tried to start some shit and Wanda turned him into Senor Scratchy.

[1stpoliticalcartoons]

“South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s bid for Donald Trump’s VP slot on the Republican ticket blew up in recent days, unless the Trump team grossly underestimates how much Americans love their dogs and other animals.

Ahead of upcoming release of Noem’s new book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” The Guardian news outlet obtained a copy, and the biggest revelation appears not to be what’s wrong with politics, but what’s wrong with Noem.

Noem, who served in the South Dakota House of Representatives and the U.S. House of Representatives prior to becoming governor, is also a hunter. Guardian writer Martin Pengelly reports that Noem writes in the book about her 14-month-old (still a puppy) wirehair pointer named Cricket.

These dogs require vigorous exercise and can be rowdy and highly exuberant when not exercised sufficiently, particularly when young. They need a confident owner.

Cricket was a female with an “aggressive personality” who needed training to hunt pheasant, wrote Noem. So Noem took Cricket out on pheasant run with other older dogs for training. But, young girls just want to have fun. Cricket was “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.”

After the outing, which Noem considered ruined by Cricket, she stopped to talk with a local family, and Cricket, apparently not secured in Noem’s truck, escaped and headed for the family’s chickens. Chaos and chicken death ensued. Cricket was just having fun, with no idea of what was about to befall her.

“I hated that dog,” Noem recounts in the book, finding young Cricket “untrainable,” “dangerous to anyone she came in contact with” and “less than worthless … as a hunting dog.” Noem appears to place the blame for that on the dog, not herself.

Summary execution from Noem was near.

After her day of frolicking and joy, Cricket was then led by Noem to a gravel pit where she was executed.

By then, perhaps all fired up to dispatch any creature that didn’t fit Noem’s view of acceptable behavior, Noem shot a male goat she viewed as “nasty and mean,�� because it wasn’t castrated (again, whose fault was that?), and who chased the kids and smelled “disgusting, musky, rancid.”

The goat also met his unnecessary fate in the gravel pit, in a story that sounds like the South Dakota version of Tony Soprano.

Since the Guardian story and wide pick-up of the animal executions, Noem has not backed down on her position that the story was an illustration of making “tough, challenging decisions.” Defining the dog as a “working dog,” seems to justify for her the act of putting it down. But the more Noem responds to what the majority of people see as indefensible, the bigger the hole she digs for herself in her own gravel pit.

Death for these animals was the only option in her mind? What about rehoming, sending the dog to training with someone else? How about letting the goat have its own enclosed space and keeping the kids away? Could the goat still be neutered? Would a hose down have helped with its smell?

As a potential VP pick, the concern is that her judgment is this poor. We’ve already endured nearly four years of a president and VP with poor judgment – this country can’t endure more.

Noem’s story reminded me of a friend who said when he was an older teen, he took Halloween candy from the younger children. Even as a grown man, he didn’t seem to recognize that what he had done as a teenager was wrong. He still thought taking candy from kids was funny. And like Noem, he didn’t have any awareness that it was a story you don’t tell other people because it reflects very poorly on him.

Mahatma Gandhi, who used nonviolent resistance in the campaign he led to obtain independence for India from British rule, said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Noem doesn’t pass the sniff test.”

[wandabear]

WISH YOU WERE HERE - WANDA MAXIMOFF X FEMALE READER

ㅤㅤ Summary: 17 years ago, a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team travels to Seattle for a national tournament. While flying over Canada, their plane crashes deep in the wilderness, and the surviving team members are left stranded for nineteen months.

Jules is portrayed by Adelaide Kane. Here.

chapter warnings: smut, angst, mentions of drug abuse and death.

CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN FINALE ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤCHAPTER FIVE

ㅤㅤBEFORE

ㅤㅤ

Two weeks passed since the accident and since they found the cabin with the dead man inside, and nothing changed. No plane or rescue team had arrived for them, which meant that hope was dying and supplies were scarce.

ㅤㅤ

“So, do you think the guy shot himself?” One of the girls whispered. “He left some kind of note?”

ㅤㅤ

“Just that weird symbol.” Carol frowned at her somewhat disturbed. Ever since they found this man, they all had questions to ask that no one answered.

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe he couldn't stand loneliness and shot himself.” Pietro shrugged and looked at the rifle that was standing against the wall of the cabin. “We should take the rifle and try to get something to eat.”

ㅤㅤ

“Maybe it didn't want him to leave.” Jules murmured thoughtfully, looking at a fixed point among the trees. Since they arrived, she Jules had not stopped feeling a little uncomfortable there.

ㅤㅤ

“Shut the fuck up you and your ominous crap. You're going to scare everyone just because you're a little hysterical.” Grant groaned, completely sick of listing to that girl muttering weird stuff.

The man was barely holding on to a wooden crutch made from branches, but it wasn't enough to stay upright for long.

ㅤㅤ

Far from answering that with any sarcastic comment, Jules just looked away and crossed her arms a bit embarrassed.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, don't talk to her like that again.” Natasha defended her, getting ahead of Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, HEY! I think we should talk about the huge problem instead.” Wanda cleared her throat, trying to change the subject. “We're out of food. We're all feeling it.”

ㅤㅤ

Everyone was silent, the hunger they felt was beginning to make everything worse. Any small fight ended in shouting or bad mood.

ㅤㅤ

“Now, the good news is my father used to take me deer hunting every year as a kid.” Grant grunted and slowly, awkwardly reached for the rifle and held it up. “The bad news... yeah, I am down to one fucking leg.”

ㅤㅤ

The man clenched his jaw, trying to stay strong and keep feel that superiority, but it was more difficult when they looked at him with pity. “Which means that if we want to eat, one of you is gonna have to learn how to use this thing.”

ㅤㅤ

They all nodded, Natasha raised her hand saying that her father taught her to shoot and she was willing to teach Y/N or Pietro to do it. Maybe it took a while, but they managed to group up to go out and hunt. ㅤㅤ

That morning, Y/N, Pietro and Natasha left the cabin ready to find something to hunt. Even though neither of them seemed happy with hurting an animal, eating nothing but mushroom soup for days was starting to weigh on them.

ㅤㅤ

Many hours later, the sun was going down and Wanda began to feel anxious. She tried to convince herself that it was just because of Pietro, but deep down she knew that she also cared about Y/N. She came back with some 'clean' blankets in her arms, they had left several clothes drying outside.

ㅤㅤ

The cabin was a bit more cleaner, enough for them to stop breathing dust. As long as they all helped keep it that way. Some cheering made Wanda come out of the cabin, she finally smiled widely.

ㅤㅤ

“They did it!” Kate exclaimed happily seeing how Pietro, Y/N and Nat were carrying a deer. It didn't seem very big but enough to have food for a few days.

ㅤㅤ

Everyone came closer to see it, they seemed a little tired but definitely happy for what they had achieved.

ㅤㅤ

“Nice work, you guys.” Wanda put her hands on her hips, looking at the deer. She felt a bit sorry but she also understood that they were about to starve.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah.” Pietro smiled broadly and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.  “It was all Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

“She did great.” Nat smiled too, they all started screaming excited to understand that it was the first sign that they could survive in that place, without knowing what awaited them next.

ㅤㅤ

Night came and they were grateful that the beginning of autumn treated them well for now. They were all surrounding the campfire, Kate and Jennifer were in charge of roast it and distributing the pieces of meat to the girls who looked starving.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you okay?”

ㅤㅤ

Pietro's voice took Wanda from her thoughts, while she slowly ate.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, better now.”

ㅤㅤ

“I was so hungry.” Pietro sighed then finished his first piece of meat, reaching out for another.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, me too.”  Wanda said as she wiped her lips. She noticed how the boy devoured the meat, so hungry, Wanda felt so guilty.

ㅤㅤ

“I'm sorry I brought you here.” She lowered her gaze.  “I know you came just for me.”

ㅤㅤ

Quickly, Pietro looked up and frowned, genuinely concerned. “No, sestra. Don’t be sorry.” He put his hand on Wanda's shoulder, who kept looking at the ground. “I would never leave you alone, you know that. This is not your fault, this was an accident.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay?” Pietro held his gaze until Wanda nodded.

ㅤㅤ

“This is good, not as good as mom’s Chicken Paprikash but good.” He pointed at the food, making her sister smile. It was all he wanted, to take a great weight off the girl's heart.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up and noticed that Y/N was chatting and smiling with Jennifer. She wondered what she was talking about, what was it that made her so excited?

ㅤㅤ

“You’re close to Y/N lately.” Pietro teased, trying not to smile.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, is it bad?” Wanda turned to see him, she sounded a bit worried.

ㅤㅤ

“No, not at all.” The boy took a bite. “She’s nice, all these crazy women, Y/n is who I like best.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing, just smiled tenderly and then fell silent.

The connection between the two had always been so strong, both twins were so close and although sometimes it was the object of mocks, they considered that connection something incredible.

ㅤㅤ

“Do you think they will rescue us?” Wanda asked a little more seriously this time, she needed her brother's sincerity now.

ㅤㅤ

“I don't know, Wanda. What Y/N is right about is… if they wanted to, they would already be here.” Pietro sighed, didn't want to talk about what he felt cause he didn't want to make her feel worse, but that was the truth, more than a week and they hadn’t received any kind of signal that people were looking for them.

ㅤㅤ

Not planes. No rescue helicopters. Nothing.

ㅤㅤ

“Did you apologize to Jules?” Wanda raised an eyebrow.

ㅤㅤ

“I did it.” Pietro smiled and nodded. “I think I saved her from stepping in a bear trap two days ago, and apparently, we're even.”

ㅤㅤ

“That’s good.” She smiled at the boy and squeezed his cheek, noticing how grown his beard was.  “Look at you, your beard has already grown.”

ㅤㅤ

“Oh, fuck off!” He pushed her hand away and they both laughed.

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, Piet.”

ㅤㅤ

“I love you, sestra.”

ㅤㅤ

Nodding, Pietro got up so he could go check that everything was alright with the Coach Ward, who seemed to be a bit distant from the girls. Recently, Pietro was the only one Ward let near or talk to.

ㅤㅤ

Seeing that now Wanda was alone, Y/N approached, sitting next to her on that log.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda smiled trying to hide that strange 'joy' inside. Why was her heart beating so fast?

ㅤㅤ

“How are you doing?” Y/N asked looking at her, noticing how beautiful she looked when the fire lit those green eyes. Maybe it was because almost two weeks ago they were in that place and everything seemed to get more intense but, wow, Wanda was so beautiful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m good, how about you? I didn't see you today.”

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah. Killed a deer today so…” Y/N sighed and lowered her gaze somewhat embarrassed. More sad than embarrassed though.  

ㅤㅤ

Wanda hesitated for a moment but ended up gently squeezing the girl's hand. “I’m sorry.”

ㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, at least we have to eat. We needed this.”

ㅤㅤ The relationship with Wanda improved so much after the accident. After the fight at the party, both of them made up and improved their friendship. And Y/N was very grateful for this, although her best friends were there, the connection with Wanda was completely different.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey, you two.” Carol walked ahead of them making smooch noises, winking at Y/N.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N shook her head and noticed how Wanda quickly removed her hand, not out of embarrassment but out of fear that Y/N would be mocked because of her.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey. Do you want to go walk near the lake?” Y/N got up and stretched out her hand towards her, waiting for her to take it. “I can take the rifle if it makes you feel safer.”

ㅤㅤ

“Won't we get lost?” Wanda asked a bit worried but also an excited shine could be seen in her eyes. As if it was something forbidden and interesting, what more could they lose?

ㅤㅤ

“I know the way, Natasha owes me one so maybe she'll let us go. I found a nice place that nobody else knows about.” She turned to see how some girls kept laughing and chatting about boys now. “If you want to get away from all this mess, sure.”

ㅤㅤ

Biting her bottom lip, Wanda didn't have to think too hard. She took her hand and ended getting up.  “Yeah, I would like to.”

ㅤㅤ

They managed to escape from the place without anyone seeing them, but not before telling Natasha because otherwise she would start lecturing them and that was not the idea.

ㅤㅤ Y/N took the rifle and one of the gas lamps, both walked through the trees, following a path that only Y/N seemed to know.

ㅤㅤ

“Are you sure about this” Wanda asked worriedly as they walked down the path towards the lake.

ㅤㅤ

“Every day I walk through the same place. Nat asked me to start drawing some things to make a map.” Y/N reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it over.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda opened it but couldn't see much, just some lines and the cabin drawn in the middle. Y/N moved the lamp closer so she could see better.

ㅤㅤ

“I found this place when I was drawing the path to the lake and the place where the edible mushrooms grew.” Y/N kept walking and took a path to the left, behind some huge boulders. She helped Wanda so that she could climb them carefully, and after a few minutes, they both found themselves with a beautiful view of the lake and the huge starry sky above them. The moonlight made the lake look beautiful.

The trees and the boulders covered them, making it a perfect private place.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N, this is good.” Wanda smiled widely, looking around.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N just smiled happy, both lay back on the grass watching the sky, enjoying the sound of the forest. After so many days, far from seeming creepy, they began to find some comfort in those sounds that they now recognized.

The hooting, the sound of crickets, the fluttering of birds.

ㅤㅤ

“Look at all those stars.” Wanda whispered completely gawking. “I never thought there were so many above us.”

ㅤㅤ

“Without light pollution it looks so beautiful.” Y/N sighed heavily, arms crossed behind her head. She didn't know how long it had been since they left the cabin, maybe a few minutes or an hour, she didn't know. Didn't care either.

ㅤㅤ

“Pretty.” The sokovian whispered.

ㅤㅤ

Pretty. 'That's what you are' Y/N thought when she turned to see the girl beside her.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda was so damn beautiful. Just look at those eyes, so pretty and big, curious to know everything life had to offer her. That adorable nose, she loved when Wanda scrunched it. Those lips, surely they were soft and sweet.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I'd like to talk to you.” Y/N finally took courage, betting her whole heart on a single play.

ㅤㅤ

“You know you can tell me anything. What's going on?” Wanda turned to see her, worried. Y/N seemed a bit nervous, without a doubt it must be quite important.

ㅤㅤ

“I like you.” The girl released without waiting another second, leaving her heart open. But far from seeming like a confession of love, it seemed more like a release. Y/N sighed and sat up. “I'm sorry. I know you have a boyfriend, but even though it's obvious... and everyone knows it.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda said nothing. She was surprised and not at the same time, she always knew it and she knew it right now. Every kind smile when others teased her, every laugh they shared, every word of support.

ㅤㅤ

She knew that Y/N had a crush on her, why fake it? What she didn't understand is why.

ㅤㅤ

“I thought it would be nice to tell you myself.” Y/N smiled shily, playing with her fingers. “We're lost in the woods waiting to be rescued, and I don't have the time or the strength to hide my feelings. It's so fucking tiring… so that’s it. If that makes you uncomfortable, we'll have to deal with it."

ㅤㅤ

“I'm in love with you.” Y/N breathed out deeply and closed her eyes, the secret finally out and it felt so much better.

ㅤㅤ

Silence reigned for a moment until Wanda reached out her hand, taking hers.

ㅤㅤ

“Y/N? Please, open your pretty eyes.” Wanda asked with a soft voice and a loving look. And when she finally did, the brunette asked: “Y/N, what’s my favorite song?”

ㅤㅤ

Y/N frowned, not understanding what she meant by knowing that, but the sokovian insisted.

ㅤㅤ “Umh... I've noticed that you like 'Fade Into You', I've seen you rewind your cassette twice until you get to that song.” Y/N said sincerely but then she realized that maybe it sounded like she was keeping an eye on her or something, maybe Wanda would think it's weird. She quickly added, “It's not like I see you too much.”

ㅤㅤ

But Wanda nodded slowly. “What are my favorite candies?”

ㅤㅤ

“Twizzlers. You always eat them when you get all anxious in our matches.” Y/N answered again, feeling how her heart kept beating fast but the tension faded slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Wanda finally smiled, her eyes showing the tenderness and excitement she felt.  

ㅤㅤ

The times she had asked Vision that, well, the boy didn't know what to say. First he answered any popular song, and then he said 'had no idea what kind of sweets you ate because who looks at those things? I can buy you anything you want, just tell me.'

ㅤㅤ

“You really know me.” Wanda felt her eyes fill with tears, but she didn't shed any.

ㅤㅤ

“Well, yeah, that's why I like you. I do and… I wanna know more, if you let me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I like you too.” The sokovian blurted out, not caring about anything other than that moment. What else did it matter? They were in the middle of the forest, lost, trying to survive.

ㅤㅤ

And her heart just asked to be close to her, it always did, from the moment Y/N defended her from Sharon Carter.

Well, that was something Y/N didn't expect at all. With a dumbfounded face, unable to believe it, all she could say was:  “R-Really?”

ㅤㅤ

“I do.” Wanda bit her lower lip, as a signal which Y/N caught perfectly. She kissed Wanda's lips in a soft first kiss, enjoying that exquisite sensation. Hearts intertwining, two teenagers completely in love.

ㅤㅤ

“Is it wrong?” The sokovian whispered against her lips, barely breaking away. She felt completely enraptured in that feeling, so different from her when she kissed Vision.

ㅤㅤ

The truth is that Vision and Wanda had never gone far, just a few little kisses and caresses. The boy tried a few times to go further but Wanda always said that she wanted to wait. Now, she felt that self-control with y/n didn't exist.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N quickly shook her head, touching softly the brunette's cheek. “I don't think liking or loving someone is wrong.” She sighed, still sharing that closeness. “So, can I keep kissing you?”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda smirked, shortening the distance to kiss again. “Good, because your kisses are so damn good.”

ㅤㅤ

Both giggled before kissing again, only the stars being the witnesses of that youthful love that was born.

ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤNOW

ㅤㅤ

The days passed and there was no news of the blackmailer. Maybe because money cooled things down, but not the concern of all of them knowing that they were outsmarted.

ㅤㅤ

Y/N was at the hotel, visited Jules some times, especially when Natasha was working. The doctor told them that the baby was in no danger yet, that no bleeding was positive, even when Jules told that she suffered a pretty bad blow.

ㅤㅤ

Doctor Cho said that they should be more careful and that so far everything seemed fine, but later they would know better with the ultrasound at the next week.

And the secrets cooled the relationship with Nat so much that, the redhead began to suspect that perhaps her beloved wasn’t happy. The silence at night became unbearable, and sadness weighed on their hearts.

ㅤㅤ

“Jules…” Nat said as she saw the brown-eyed woman come out of the bathroom with her huge T-shirt. She no longer slept in her panties, trying to provoke her. Sex had always been a big deal to them, the passion was increased by the unconditional love they felt.  “Are you going to talk to me?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules just curled up on the bed, trying to hide her face.  “Everything is fine, I'm a little tired.”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just tell me, what the hell is going on?” Nat sat up in bed, so done with this game. She was sick of all this strange tension that had been around them for a while. “I know you're hiding something, I know you since we were eleven. You've been so stealthy with Y/N, as if you were hiding a secret... and I am not worthy of  your trust.”

ㅤㅤ

“We have never been like this, Julia.” Those green eyes express the sadness and restlessness she felt.  “Don't you love me anymore?”

ㅤㅤ

Jules kept her back to her, trying not to cry when she heard the pain in Natasha's raspy voice.

ㅤㅤ

“Because if that's it, we can… we can try to go to those… You know? Couples therapy or whatever to get your love back. Or- or we can... I don't know, I don't want to let you go but, if you're not happy with me...” Natasha swallowed, the angst in her throat not letting her continue.

ㅤ

That was all Jules could bear. She turned quickly so she could see her, and that image completely destroyed her.

ㅤㅤ

“No, no, no.” Jules took her hand and hastened to erase any kind of doubt, she couldn't allow Natasha to doubt herself when she had always been wonderful. “Nat, that's not it, honey.”

ㅤ

“So what is it?” they entwined their fingers.

ㅤ

Jules hesitated for a moment, didn't know how to start. Just felt her eyes fill with tears.

ㅤ

“I don't want you to hate me.” The dark-haired girl sniffled. That worried Natasha even more, what was it that bothered her so much? So sad, that she couldn't even tell her.

ㅤ

“Moya lyubov, I would never hate you.” The redhead cooed softly, genuinely concerned about her, the love of her life.

ㅤ

“I’m pregnant.” Finally she let go, exhaling slowly.

ㅤㅤ

Couldn't take it anymore, soon her belly would start to show, what was the point of lying or keeping it as a secret? Lying to the person she loved the most in the world.

Natasha wasn't the type of woman to leave her just because she was pregnant, was she? No, she had always been an incredible, faithful, kind, loving, passionate woman. Maybe she was a little afraid of commitment at first but, once Natasha got over that fear, she was always there for Jules.

ㅤ “You… what?” The redhead blinked fast, it took her a few seconds to understand. Oh.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“I’m pregnant, the IUI worked but we didn't notice.” Jules swallowed hard and wiped away the tears falling down her cheeks.  Was so pale that those lovely cheeks turned red, as did her nose and lips from crying. “I found out  about a week ago... or more.”

ㅤㅤ

A huge smile, a hug, endless kisses. That was all Jules hoped for, but what she got was Natasha getting out of bed, completely shocked and a bit pissed off.

ㅤㅤ

“What the fuck, Julia?!” The russian exclaimed in disbelief. Quickly, Jules covered her face out of embarrassment.  “Really?”

ㅤㅤ

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn't want you to be mad at me and hate me!” She whimpered, completely devastated.

ㅤㅤ

“Of course I’m mad at you!” Natasha exclaimed. How could her wife hide something like that from her? “You went to the meeting with the blackmailer and you are pregnant!”

ㅤㅤ

But far from seeming bothered by the idea that they were having a baby, or terrified by it, Natasha was completely mad because her wife put her and their child's lives at risk by going with them.

ㅤㅤ

“You were punched in the stomach, for God's sake!” Nat hurried over to put a hand on Jules belly, extremely concerned. “Don’t fucking do that again!”

ㅤㅤ

Surprised by that, noticing the concern on her lover's face, Jules just sighed. Her eyes swollen from crying. “I’m fine. We’re fine.”

ㅤㅤ

“How are you so sure?” Natasha insisted, looking at her and then at her belly. She caressed it gently, those green eyes brimming with tears of emotion.

ㅤㅤ

Of course, she would never be upset by the idea of bringing a child into the world, perhaps a little scared because all this would bring consequences and she was afraid that exactly what happened, would happen. That they were in danger.

ㅤㅤ

“Dr. Cho said she didn't think there was any danger because there was no bleeding, but we would find out better on the ultrasound next week.”

ㅤㅤ

Natasha sighed with relief upon hearing those words, all she wanted is for the baby and her wife to be okay. Jules nodded slowly, carefully watching all the gestures and looks of Nat. She felt so dumb, so stupid, how could she have thought that Natasha would be mad at her? Although her words had made it seem like she was glad the IUI wasn't working, Nat would never turn her back on her kid.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re pregnant.” Nat whispered, then allowed herself to smile. She was finally beginning to realize what that meant.  “Oh my god, we're having a baby!”

ㅤㅤ

“We are!” Jules smiled wiping away her tears.

ㅤㅤ

“We’re going to be moms!” Natasha exclaimed excitedly, taking her wife's hands and then hugging her tightly. “We must take good care of the baby, okay? We have to. Promise me.”

ㅤㅤ

“I promise… Are you really happy about this?” Jules giggled through her tears, completely happy to see her redhead so excited about the pregnancy.

ㅤㅤ

“You’re kidding? I’m ecstatic!” Nat leaned down to kiss her lips over and over again until she crouched down, facing Jules belly. “Hello there, Зайчик… I’m your mama Natasha. Your other mom in fact, because you have two, and that means you're going to be very, very loved!” Nat kissed her belly and leaned her forehead against it, smiling widely. Oh, it felt so good. “We love you.”

ㅤㅤ

The redhead spent a while 'chatting' with her baby and Jules watched everything with a look of pure love, until they both decided to jump on the bed with happiness, celebrating that beautiful news.

ㅤㅤ

Since the meeting with the blackmailer that night, Wanda was more nervous than ever. She was grateful that her little ones were visiting their grandparents that weekend, allowing her to have a bit of peace for at least two days.

ㅤㅤ

The brunette walked around the house, taking some things that the twins left lying around and putting them in its place. She didn't mind having to do it anyway, it was just throwing the clothes in the washing machine and at least it kept her busy with something.

ㅤㅤ

“Fuck.” The brunette muttered under her breath when she saw a sock under the furniture, those kids left their stuff all over the place. Wanda end up sighing and bent down to take it but something shiny caught her eye. As if from the dark depths of that piece of furniture, something shamelessly winked at her.

A black t-shirt, but the most important thing was that when she took it, her hands were stained with glitter.

ㅤㅤ

Hands that began to tremble just by seeing the shirt; the blackmailer's son of a bitch was none other than her husband.

ㅤㅤ

"VISION!” She exclaimed aloud, rushing out of the room to head to the garage, where he had his office. She entered without further ado, breaking in that 'sanctuary'.

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, what's going on?" the blond growled, clearly annoyed by the sudden invasion.

ㅤㅤ

“What is this?" She held up that black shirt, completely covered in glitter. It didn't take an answer, Vision's surprised and terrified look said it all.

ㅤㅤ

“Wanda, I-” He exhales. “Okay. I can explain this.”

ㅤㅤ

Of course he doesn't know how to do it, especially when Wanda's eyes widened. Oh, she was mad. “Oh, my God, Vision. What did you do?”

ㅤㅤ

“Okay, just-just…” He got up from his seat and tried to get closer but the brunette moved away, looking at him with a truly terrifying fury and disappointment.

ㅤㅤ

“What did you do?” Wanda hissed.

ㅤㅤ

“Just listen to me.” Vision closed the door. “You were never supposed to get involved in this.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda remained still, waiting for a convincing answer.

ㅤㅤ

“It just... It got out of control.” The english man sighed and placed a hand across his face. “Listen, that damn store...”

ㅤㅤ

“Our store?” Wanda frowned and crossed her arms. Everything seemed to get worse and worse.

ㅤㅤ

“Yeah, but this new one... Bloody ElectronicsFam.com” He growled angrily. “They are running me out of business. They got virtually no overhead. They mass-produce all their own inventory. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

ㅤㅤ

The expression on the man's face only made Wanda want to slap him more and more. They had bought that store with the money the insurance gave her for the plane accident. She understood that Vision felt guilty but this was too much. “So you… you blackmailed us?”

ㅤㅤ

“Not you. I thought I had to...” Vision sighs, so defeated. “I thought... Jennifer, she's a lawyer and you know… maybe Y/N had the cash.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda closed her eyes, trying not to explode. She obviously murmured some sokovian insults that the man couldn't even understand. He wasn't a bad man, but he was a complete jerk sometimes.

ㅤㅤ

“I mean, I was going to lose the store, Wanda. First, I took out a loan. I just... I-I got a loan from these people, all right?” As Vision spoke and explained the whole situation, Wanda began to think that the decision that was on her mind lokg time ago was the right one. “And it turns out that they were... they were bad.”

ㅤㅤ

Wanda inhales deeply. “Like... like loan sharks?”

ㅤㅤ

Vision just shook his head.

ㅤㅤ

“Like fucking mobsters, Vision?” The sokovian yelled furiously but Vision shooed her away. “Are they gonna kill us? Our kids? you didn't think of them! My god, Vision!”

ㅤㅤ

Of course she was terrified for her children.

ㅤㅤ

"Be quiet, Wanda!"

ㅤㅤ

"Don't tell me to shup up!" She snapped wildly, pointing at him. "Are they gonna do something to us?"

ㅤㅤ

“No, no! No! I paid 'em back. It's all good. No one is gonna die.”

ㅤㅤ

"My God, Vision." Wanda shook her head. “You have to pay Y/N.”

ㅤㅤ

"Wanda, you can't tell them it was me-" Horror flashed across the man's face. What if he went to jail?

ㅤㅤ

"You have to take responsibility for your actions, Vision. For fuck's sake, you just- they almost shoot you!"

ㅤㅤ

“What if they send me to jail? Natasha could do it.”

ㅤㅤ

“No one will do that. Just… get the damn money and you're going to pay it back, you hear me?” the brunette told him seriously, there was no way he could refuse that face of hers. She was adorable but a lot of times, she could scare you. "You're going to pay to Y/N, I'll apologize to them."

ㅤㅤ

Vision nodded quickly. "I'll do it, I swear for our children."

ㅤㅤ

Wanda sighed and walked towards the door, but not before giving a final stab. "And Vision? I want the divorce."

ㅤㅤ

"What?" He frowned, surprised and maybe a bit hurt.

ㅤㅤ

"Oh, come on Vis. Don't you think that's enough?" Wanda sighed deeply tired. "You don't love me, I don't love you. We are here for our kids and they know very well what is happening between us.”

ㅤㅤ

"I know you have a lover." She smiled sadly, because even though he was doing it behind her back, she was glad to know that he found someone. Besides, didn't feel so guilty that she didn't love him.

ㅤㅤ

"I'm sorry, Wanda." the blonde whispered, he took off his glasses so that he could clean them and avoid showing how ashamed he felt.

ㅤㅤ

"We've been friends for all these years, but we can't pretend we love each other. Let's just not make it difficult for the kids. They will understand."

ㅤㅤ

"They are lucky that we made that decision now."

ㅤㅤ

They both smiled kindly, like two old friends saying goodbye, a necessary goodbye in order to move on.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I will spend the weekend in a hotel, I'll go pack my things.”

About five minutes, that's how long it took Y/N to get to that woman's house, after Wanda sent her that message.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

‘Come to my house, we need to talk.’

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply and took courage, if Wanda needed to talk, perhaps it would be to yell at her some more things that she kept for a long time.

ㅤㅤ

“Hi.” Wanda waved when she opened the door, letting her into the house.

ㅤㅤ

“Hey.” Y/N came into the place, looking around with curiosity. She had never been there, but it looked like a rather… ordinary home? Normal? Pretty good, very cozy.

ㅤ

Noticed some family photos, mostly of two adorable little ones. Billy and Tommy.

ㅤ

She followed Wanda to the kitchen without saying anything, expecting to know what she had to say, but the brunette just kept silent.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Will the girls be coming soon?” Y/N asked in a low voice, as if she was about to break the moment and detonate the bomb. Kept her hands in the  pockets, watching Wanda's every move.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s just us.” Wanda whispered as she took out some bread, jelly, and peanut butter.

Just them? That made Y/N frown.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So... why did you call me?” Y/N leaned on the doorway, watching as Wanda cut small sandwiches. “You're supposed to hate me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don’t hate you.” Wanda grunted under her breath. “I'm just mad at you.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know its because of what I did-” Y/N tried, a tired sigh, but Wanda turned to finally attack.

So done.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You broke my heart, TWICE.”  She snapped. Wanda spat out those words like poison that she had kept for a long, long time . “Not only when we came back from the forest and you abandoned me, but then you came back years later. You filled me with false hope and illusions saying that you loved me, that I should leave Vision and we should go together.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N swallowed; it was time to take care of all the things she did.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I did it! For you, because I loved you so much, I was madly in love with you! And when I came back to the hotel where we made love all night and you were waiting for me to do this together, YOU WERE HAVING SEIZURES.” She said with a shaky voice, those green eyes showing not only anger but also fear and sadness at that horrible memory. The scariest moment of her life.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

I’m sorry-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“When I got back to the hotel, smiling, ready to face the world with you… you were choking on your own blood because you overdosed. AGAIN.” The brunette wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek.  “You died, I saw you die that day.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was silent, couldn't say anything because she knew perfectly well that Wanda was right. How much she had hurt that woman was unforgivable, but love was always there.

Maybe love wasn't enough.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And the paramedics brought you back to life.” Wanda turned her gaze to the sandwiches, taking a deep breath to calm down and put the tiny sandwiches in the fridge.  “You stole those drugs from the hospital, and you could have gotten Jules fired or jailed.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know.” Y/N swallowed, looking down. “I did terrible things.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yes, you did and everyone thinks I'm the bad guy, and i’m cruel or- or impatient, but I'm not! Don't tell me I hate you, because I don't.” The sokovian whispered so hurt. “I'm not the bad guy here. You broke me first, twice.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

But even though Y/N could have turned and left and not take all those words anymore, she came closer and put a hand on Wanda’s shoulder. And despite the fact that the sokovian refused at first,  slowly she allowed herself to be hugged tightly for a while.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanna tell me what’s going on?” Y/N sighed, knowing something else was wrong. “I know you're mad at me, but I also know there's more.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda looked up, Y/N knew her too well. The brunette moved away from the embrace, leaning against the kitchen counter next to Y/N. Like two old friends.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me.” Wanda started. “I've known for a while now.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N just nodded and then exhaled furiously, like a rampaging, raging bull. How could he do that to Wanda? Just like that?  To that woman? “’Kay… I’m gonna kick his ass. He is in the store right now?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, that’s not-” Wanda interceded, getting in the way.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm not going to let him treat you like this.” Y/N growled.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Stop.” She put her hands on Y/N and slowly pushed her back onto the counter, returning to where they were.  “That's not what got me like this!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So what is it?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is cheating on me, yeah… but I don’t even care.” The brunette shrugged lightly.  “It is as if we both know that we don’t love each other, but… the kids. You know? Anyway, that's not the worst or the most important thing.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept silent, hoping that Wanda would dare to say it, especially when the sokovian seemed to start walking in circles, trying to get up the courage to tell her the truth.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Vision is the one who's been blackmailing us.” Finally, Wanda released it as if it were nothing.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And Y/N's reaction was exactly what she expected. The dark-haired woman just opened her eyes wide, her jaw tensed, making her look perhaps quite attractive, or at least that's what Wanda thought for a moment.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What?” Y/N exploded angrily.  “The fuck?! I’m gonna kill him.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, you won’t.” Wanda pointed at her, trying to calm her down but Y/N frowned even more annoyed. Was she going to defend him now?

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“H-he needed the money, apparently the store was not paying off.” Wanda pinched the bridge of her nose, even more frustrated than before.  “Because of this… online store or something.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ Y/N noticed that she didn't seem too happy with that news either. Surely Wanda was also upset when she found out.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“The business began to fall apart, he was asking for loans but it was dirty money.” Wanda sighed. 

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N nodded slowly, at least this meant something good and that was that no one else knew what they did in the forest. That was good.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So you both owe me 50 grand.” Y/N teased, trying to make her feel better or smile.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“HE does.” Wanda clarified, finally smiling. A genuine smile. Y/N won and her heart knew it.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I'm going to break his fucking legs, man.” Y/N exhaled deeply and shook her head. “At least we don't have to worry about our past getting out of here. Right?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Does he know EVERYTHING that happened there? Did he read all your diaries?” she narrowed her eyes.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he just saw the drawing and thought it was important. He doesn't know what truly happened.” Wanda began to play with her rings, so embarrassed, everything that happened was her fault. “I promise I'll pay you back.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“No, he will.” Y/N smirked. “We'd better tell the others. They'll be glad to know there's no danger.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't know, I don't want them to be mad at me.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N kept watching her, she was seventeen years later and she still looked so beautiful. Now she looked more mature, those green eyes showed how much she had matured but that made her more beautiful and sensual. And that body? Wow, she really was a mommy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“You have to tell them the truth, that's what it's all about.”  Noticing how worried Wanda looked, Y/N placed a hand on her shoulder. “They love you, believe me they won't care as long as you're fine. Besides that you had nothing to do with this.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Do you think they won't hate me?”  Wanda's voice melted Y/N's heart, who only quickly denied.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“They have hearts too big, look why I'm here.” The taller one shrugged. “Plus, I think they have bigger fish to fry between them.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“What do you mean?” The brunette asked worriedly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Jules is pregnant.” Y/N smiled happily, but after a few seconds she realized the huge mistake she made.  “I mean, fuck, I wasn't supposed to say anything! You can't say anything! I promised not to say it!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N panicked, opening her eyes wide, but Wanda only opened her big eyes in surprise and couldn't help but smile widely. That was much more important than all this, her best friends were going to be moms. That joy cast out any fear she might have.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh my god, Y/N!” Wanda squealed.  “That’s good news, right? We must celebrate!”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“So good, right?! But remember, don't say anything.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

They both looked like two excited kids, laughing over that beautiful news as if it were themselves.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“But wait, Nat doesn’t now that and Jules doesn't know how she's going to take it.” y/n pursed her lips watching as Wanda took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and two glasses.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Damn.” Wanda said worriedly. “Oh, god, she was hit the other day! Is she okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“She is. I went with her to the doc, she's fine for now.” she nodded and took the glass, somewhat doubtful.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Oh, thank god. Thank you for telling me this.” She was going to take the bottle to open it but Y/N touched her arm gently, getting her attention. “I was so worried that-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wait, Wanda?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Yeah?” she frowned.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I don't drink anymore. I'm still recovering.” Y/N wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you but…" She swallowed and shrugged a bit shy.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“…OH! I’m so sorry!” The sokovian exclaimed in embarrassment, quickly setting the bottle aside. She didn't know what to say, feeling so ashamed that she was so inconsiderate. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“It’s okay, I’m trying my best. It's not like I'm desperate to drink anyway.” Y/N smiled kindly.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

And for a moment, Wanda felt that she was seeing that eighteen-year-old girl again, so kind, attentive and considerate. That Y/N that completely stolen her heart years ago.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, don’t look at me like that.” Wanda shook her head and turned to leave the kitchen and arrange some things in the living room, some thrown cushions and joysticks.  

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like that?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Like a fucking sad but loving puppy.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Why?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Because I can't deal with your ‘unrequited love victim’ look right now.” Wanda shook her head. Y/N followed Wanda around the place, helping her to pick up some cushions. “Stop that.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

"But I love you.” Y/N smirked, wasn't going to stop, not anymore.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Please, stop.” Wanda pointed her finger at her and ended up taking the cushion out of her hands.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I can’t.” She was willing to do everything to make it better, to have Wanda by her side, in any way. “It kills me not being able to have you, not being able to be with you. I love to see you happy, I love to see you smile, but don't think that it doesn't hurt me not to have you.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Well, you seemed fine when-”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I know!” Y/N stepped forward. She perfectly knew everything she did, and despite the fact that she has changed, Y/N knew that she would have to endure those comments forever. “I know, and it wasn't right or fair. I was sick and I was sunk deep into the abyss and I started to sink you too.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

She sighed heavily, taking over all her actions. As many times as necessary.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“And I’m sorry, but i'm done apologizing.” At Wanda's surprised look, Y/N stepped forward to take her hand. “I can't keep sinking anymore, that's why I'm here. Because I love you, because I love my friends, and because I want to love myself a little more. No one deserves what I did to you all, and I want to make it right. I have to do it, okay?”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N sighed deeply. Would fight whatever it took to keep the people she loved close. Time to mourn was over, now she just had to build and take care of the future.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“I am taking responsibility for it. We all screwed up in one way or another.  I’m sober, I’m better and I’m trying my fucking best.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Wanda just nodded, completely fascinated by that image. With a different Y/N, mature and much more responsible. She looked so attractive… It was too much, so tired of fighting the tension between the two; Wanda ended the distance and kissed her lips with a passion that surprised them both.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Y/N was quick to kiss her back, pushing the brunette against the wall. The warmth of her body and her lips wrapped around her in such an exquisite way, she felt like coming home.

Her heart beat again after so long, the reason why she was still alive was right there.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

It wasn't a cute and tender kiss, it was a kiss full of passion and need. From two people who missed each other too much and had been away for a long, long time.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“Wanda, we're at your house.” Y/N cursed herself for being the voice of reason, but even so, she didn't stop and kept devouring the sokovian's neck.  “Vision or the kids could come.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

When was the last time Wanda felt wanted? Needed and desired. A long time ago, she hadn't had sex with Vision in a long time and right now, her legs were shaking like she was that same needy young self again.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

“He’s not coming... the kids won't be around for the whole weekend.” Wanda could barely whisper, feeling how her legs were so weak. “Oh god.”

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ

Between kisses and caresses, both ended up in Wanda's room, tangled between the sheets. Their naked bodies complemented each other once more; Wanda's hands ran over Y/N's bare back over and over again.

ㅤㅤㅤ

“Fuck me.” She whispered against Y/N’s lips between kisses and bites. “Now. Please.”

ㅤㅤㅤ

Feeling that paradise existed in the hands of Y/N, she got carried away. Legs that trembled, lips that ran over the skin over and over again. Wanda bit her skin as if she wanted to mark that woman as hers once more.

Because she was always hers.

The moans, the screams of pleasure, the biting.

The way in which Wanda sought to take Y/N's hands for her to cling to before reaching orgasm, or how her tongue ran through that wet sex with a unique devotion.

The way their breasts swayed with each movement, how their muscles contracted and then released at the peak of pleasure. How Y/N's hands gently squeezed the brunette's neck, how she licked her thumb, teasing her. Needing more.

It was an incredible night for both of them, who ended up sweaty, sore and happy hugging in that bed.

So... 👀🐝 Now do you understand Wanda's anger better? And you haven't read it yet.

Hope you enjoyed, this is turning interesting and good. I'm already working on the finale and... it might make you smile, cry, or both. Some intense stuff is coming so, I just want to let you know that. Clearly many didn't survive the forest.

the cutest and lovely people tags ✨ @kaiidth-wandika @yourfavunsub @pawiie @fanboy7794 @sunsol-22 @scarlettbitchx @arcturusseer @imnotasuperhero @chtte @lesbians-in-outer-space @starry-night17 @cristin-rjd @kenlymar @chtte @marvelogic @druggedduck @aliherreraaa @widowwaddles @gingiesworld

ㅤ

[vodika-vibes]

The War Chest

A Magic and Knights AU

Summary: It’s been fifty years since the war between Mandalore and Serrano ended. A war that ended with an uneasy peace between the two nations…an uneasy peace that has since grown into something stronger. You are a daughter of one of the Noble Houses of Serrano, though only through marriage. You stand to inherit nothing from your step-family, unlike your mother. So, in an attempt to get your feet under you, you turn to treasure hunting.

Pairing: Pre Kix x F!Reader

Word Count: 5400

Warnings: None

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly @the-bad-batch-baroness

A/N: So, I know Kix already has a story in this AU, but I'm giving him another one that is unconnected from the last one. This one, I think, fits a little better with the rest of the stories. Also, there's a fun little twist at the end that I'm not sure about, honestly. Anyway, I started writing this at 8 am and it's now 2 pm, and I managed to write it without any breaks. Go me~

“Rumor has it,” You arch a single brow as the man you’re talking to, a pirate who you’ve had more than one run in with, “That Count Dooku’s War Chest has been discovered.”

You wave your hand as if brushing the rumor aside, “Everyone knows that Dooku’s War Chest was propaganda from Mandalore.” You counter with a roll of your eyes.

“That was the accepted fact. 50 years ago.” He leans into your space and you lean back to try and keep him from breathing in your face, “Come on, girlie. You’re not even remotely curious.”

“I’m far more interested in facts, Shen. Not fairy tales.”

“Bah! You’re no fun.”

“If you want someone willing to chase fairy tales, you should be talking to Lyna, not me.” You eye your drink, and then push it to the side.

“Lyna is an archeologist,” Shen counters bitterly, “She’s all, ‘this belongs in a museum’ and ‘we should return this to its rightful owner’. She’s even less fun than you!”

“Come on, you tell her about Dooku’s war chest, and she’ll be all over it,” You say as you lean back in your chair, “Can you give me anything more than fairy tales?”

“No.” He folds his arms, “You were more fun when you were running with the crew.”

“Yeah, yeah. So you’ve mentioned. If you’re not going to try and help, you can take off. Find some other patsy to do the research for you.”

Shen scowls at you, and then pushes to his feet and storms away. He hasn’t changed since you were kids, tragic but understandable. 

In any event, you’re not going to get any intel on your next score here. So you suppose that the archives is your next destination. Which is a shame, the archivists are always so annoying when you decide to visit. 

They’re all, “Oh, Lady Nalcin has come for a visit!” Which is annoying since, A, you’re not Lady Nalcin, that position belongs to your mother. And B, you don’t even carry that Nalcin last name, seeing as your father is still alive.

Mother just had to marry Serrano nobility, didn’t she.

You push away from the table and shove your hands into your pockets as you meander through the bar. You step through the open door, into the cool air of the autumn evening and you inhale deeply.

You love this time of year. Not too hot, not too cold, and none of the plants you’re allergic to are spewing pollen. If you could live someplace where it’s autumn year round, you’d be a happy woman.

Tragically, such places don’t exist.

You turn to the left, starting towards the inn you’re staying at for the time being, when you hear heavy footsteps behind you. You tense and half turn, your baton falling into your hand from where it’s stored in your sleeve. 

And then you turn properly.

The person running up to you looks like a college students, slightly younger than you, with wide eyes hidden behind thick glasses. She’s gasping for breath, and is barely able to say your name

But, garbled as it is, she does say your name. 

You slide your baton back up your sleeve, and take a good look at her. She’s well dressed, and she’s wearing a brooch that marks her as a daughter of one of the High Houses. She’s also nearly bent in two trying to catch her breath.

“...are you okay?” You ask, after watching her gasp for air for a moment.

��I-” She gasps out, “Not fit-” 

“...I can tell.”

The younger woman takes a deep breath and then straightens, “My name is Evie Wilsi, I’m the oldest daughter of House Wilsi. You are the daughter of Lord Nalcin, right?”

“Step-daughter.” You correct flatly.

“Yes. That.” She takes a step towards you, “You’re…something of an archeologist, right?”

“In a manner of speaking, sure.”

“I want to hire you!”

“...what?”

The girl flushes, “I…um…sorry. I would like to hire you, please.”

You stare at her and arch a single brow, waiting for her to continue.

“I want to hire you to find Dooku’s war-” You roll your eyes and turn your back on her to walk away, “W-wait!” She grabs your wrist and then scrambles so she’s standing in front of you, “I know that this sounds…insane-”

“Dooku’s War Chest doesn’t exist.” You say flatly, “It was a rumor. No more.”

“I have reason to believe that it does exist.”

You sigh and shake your head, “Look, Miss Wilsi, I don’t chase fairy tales. Period.” You tug your hand out of her loose grip and step around her to continue to the inn.

“2 million.”

You stop mid-step, and turn your head to stare at her, “I beg your pardon.”

Her hands are clenched into fists near her chin, “Two million credits. You’ll get two million credits just for taking the contract, and another two million when you find the war chest.”

You turn to face her fully, “And if the war chest doesn’t exist?”

“Then…then you’ll still get the second half of your payment. But only after you exhaust all avenues.”

“And you can afford this?” 

“Yes.”

Your eyes narrow at her, “Prove it.”

She nods and pulls out her comm, pulling up her banking information, before she turns the device towards you. You glance at the number on the screen and your brows raise, “Four million credits is almost your entire bank account, is this worth that much to you?”

“Yes.” She stows her comm again, “It’s…everything to me.”

You fold your arms, and shift your weight slightly as you examine her. Over the years, you’ve become very good at reading people. Part of it is your natural magic, an innate ability to read intentions off of people, most of it, however, is just experience. 

She’s being honest.

Not only does she believe that the War Chest is real, it really does mean everything to her.

You drop your arms, “Fine. But I want to be paid immediately.”

“Deal! Is there someplace we can…talk?”

You turn your back on her, and start walking away, and then you pause and glance over your shoulder, “Follow.” You don’t want to see if she’s following your instructions, you just start walking, your feet leading you to your favorite food cart.

“A…food cart?”

“Don’t knock it til you try it,” You reply as you order a caf and move to the side to wait until it’s done. Your maybe employer’s nose is scrunched up in distaste.

“Is this where you want to talk?”

“Surrounded by people? No.” You accept the cup of caf, and motion for her to keep following you. You lead her down several winding roads, and then make a sharp left into the biggest cemetery in the area.

You notice her hesitate at the gate, but you don’t slow down. If this means as much to her as she implies, as much as your magic is telling you it means to her, she’ll follow you anyway.

And you’re right.

Though she dithers at the gate for half a minute, eventually she hurries to catch up with you as you head into the older parts of the cemetery. As soon as you’re sure that there isn’t anyone around you can listen in on your conversation, no one alive at least, you perch yourself on the worn down stone wall and stare at the other woman.

“Alright. I’m all ears.”

“Here?” She asks, her voice hushed, “Isn’t it…disrespectful?”

You just tilt your head, “People don’t come to this part of the cemetery, which means no one can eavesdrop.”

“Right. Right.” Evie paces in front of you for a moment, and then she stops, “How much do you know of the Six Great Houses?”

“Assume I know nothing.”

“Right. Right! Okay. I can work with that.” Her hands curl into fists again, “There is a hierarchy to the six families, with House Dooku at the top of the pyramid, and House Wilsi at the bottom. House Nalcin is nearer to the top than the bottom.”

You lean back on the wall and take a sip of your caf, waiting for her to continue.

“This is why, 50 years ago, it was so easy for House Dooku to incite a war with Mandalore.” Evie continues.

“As I understand it,” You interrupt, “House Dooku was manipulated into it by what’s his face from Naboo.”

Evie looks genuinely pained, “You mean Court Wizard Palpatine?”

“That’s the bitch.”

She takes a deep breath, “You’re right. He was, and it was only after Count Dooku was killed that we were able to sue for peace-”

You sigh heavily, “Evie, what does this have to do with the price of chicken in Corellia?”

“...what?”

“Why does this matter?”

“Oh. Well, my family lost a lot of clout during the war…we sided with House Dooku. It seemed like a politically sound choice…so when the peace treaty was signed…we lost almost all of our status. We almost lost our noble name.”

“And?”

“And, finding Dooku’s war chest will do so much in helping us recover from this.”

“If it exists.”

“It does! It does. I’ve been researching this for years, my whole family has, and we have a solid lead.” Evie says as she steps closer to you, “It’s…here.” She digs into her purse and shoves a thin notebook at you, “All of the evidence is there, if you know where to look-”

You set your cup to the side and flip the notebook open, every page is filled with different handwriting. The notebook has clearly been in the works for years.

“Count Dooku had a safe house. He had many safe houses, in many different countries. But in the middle of the war, he vanished for three months. My family thinks he went to Hoth.”

You arch a brow, “Well, if that’s where he decided to hide his war chest, it explains why no one has found it.” 

“Yes! Exactly. According to records, Count Dooku’s safe house was up in the mountains of Hoth, which would be nearly impossible for anyone to traverse at the time-”

“It’s still impossible to traverse.” You point out, “The storms of Hoth never stop, and you need special gear and equipment to survive even the lower parts-”

“Yes, but you’ve done the impossible before.” Evie says, “I mean, you’re the one who found Palpatine’s palace in Mustafar-”

“You’re not wrong, I just hate that you mentioned it.” You mutter.

“Can you help?”

You stare at her, silently, for a moment, and then you sigh and nod. “Yeah, alright.”

“Really! Oh, this is-”

You hold up a finger, silencing her, “Several conditions. 1, I hold on to this for as long as it takes for me to read it cover to cover.”

“Deal!”

“2, you are coming with me. It’s the only way for your family to get all of the credit.”

“Of course. I’ll even pay for everything we need to survive-”

“3,” You interrupt again, “We can’t leave for 6 months.”

“...what! Why?”

“I’m not fool enough to try and climb a mountain in Hoth in the dead of winter. And good luck trying to find anyone who will.” You say flatly.

“...you raise a fair point. So we’ll head out in the spring.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Evie claps her hands together in excitement, “Oh! You won’t regret this! I promise.”

Your gaze drifts off of her, lingering on a dark thread connecting Evie with something else, a thread that only you can see with your magic, “Well,” You murmur, “That remains to be seen, doesn’t it.”

“Hm?” Evie tilts her head, “Oh! Right, payment.” She pulls her comm out and hurriedly, very hurriedly, sends you the two million credits that you’re owed for taking her contract.

You watch your bank account shoot up, and then promptly move the money from that account into your personal account, “I need your comm code,” You say once that’s done, “I’ll call you when we’re ready to leave.”

“I can’t wait!”

And then Evie is gone, hurrying out of the cemetery with none of the grace that you’d expect to see from a lady of her standing. 

You watch her leave, and then pick up your cup of caf and take a sip, while eyeing the notebook thoughtfully, “Well, it won’t be boring at least.”

7 Months Later

Hoth is a miserable place.

Frigid even in the dead of summer, with very few animals that won’t kill you as soon as they see you. 

True to her word, Evie did prepare everything that you might need for an expedition, and then some. You have a base camp, vehicles that are suited for the freezing weather, and cold weather gear that is light enough to move in, yet heavy enough to protect you from the biting wind.

There are also people. So many people. Aides and attendants, and bodyguards. Not to mention maids and chefs and butlers. You’re not impressed, at all.

“So, I was thinking we’d go up the mountain in the morning?” Evie says, her eyes alight with some emotion that you don’t want to think too hard about.

“Mm, bad idea.” You reply, as you eye a group of men that you know come from a Merc Group, “There’s a bad storm rolling in, we go out in it, we don’t come back.”

“Oh, really?” She glances at the monitor and makes a face at the massive storm rushing in, “I should tell the others to prepare for the storm.” Evie mumbles, before she gets to her feet and hurries out of the room.

You’re alone for a moment, before one of the mercs brushes past you. “You should know,” He murmurs, his voice low, “The moment you find this treasure, we have orders to remove you from the equation.”

“Hmm.”

“You saved my life that day on Taris, this is me returning the favor.”

“Noted.” He glances at you, and then continues walking. The exchange took less than 5 seconds. 

Luckily, you prepared for this exact scenario. 

It’s not like this is the first time a client has betrayed you, after all.

You remain in the monitoring room for a bit longer, watching the storm build and grow in strength, and then, when you’re sure it’s late enough, you meander to your “room”. 

You waste some time in your room, packing what few items you need to be able to survive in the storm, and then you cut out the lights, and you wait. 

One hour passes. And then two. 

And finally the lights dim in the hallway, and you know it’s time to go. 

You don the severe weather gear that you bought yourself, grab your bag, the notebook, and you slip out the window.

As you figure, you have about five hours before anyone notices that you’re missing, and by the time they notice you’re gone, the storm will have erased any and all evidence of where you might have gone. 

You walk quickly through the snow, wanting to get as far as you can before the storm hits. Though, you do take the time to veer towards a ravine just long enough to toss the notebook as well as a decoy pack down the ravine. With luck, anyone chasing you will think that you succumbed to the storm and nature.

The trick won’t work for long, but it will buy you a couple of hours, at the minimum. 

That done, and with a storm moving in, you veer towards the mountain range. According to some of the notes you decoded, Count Dooku had pathways dug through all of the mountain ranges. You just need to find an entrance.

Luckily for you, Dooku wasn’t half as clever as he thought he was, and you were able to find an entrance in less than two hours. Unluckily, the passageways aren’t heated or lit.

You dig around in your pocket for your lamp sphere and light it with a touch of magic, ordering it to circle your head as you walk through the empty tunnels. 

“Let’s see,” You say, aloud, to yourself, “If I was Dooku and needed to hide a war chest, where would I hide it?” You look around, peering down identical dark passages, and you sigh.

If you have to search every passage, you’ll be here for ages. There has to be an easier way.

You close your eyes for a moment, and focus your magic on your eyes, and then open them again.

Your natural magic isn’t the most useful for your chosen career path. You can see intentions, which is useful in foreign countries when it comes to bartering and when dealing with clients. 

It is an innate magic, you don’t have to focus on it at all.

However, if you focus your magic on your eyes, and if you’re lucky, sometimes you can see traces of people’s intentions. Memories, written on the world around them.

It’s a desperate act. Dooku has been dead for almost fifty years. The odds of any of his intentions having been strong enough to leave an echo so far into the future is…unlikely, but you have to try.

As you fear, there’s no hint of intention in any of the passages.

You’re about to power down your magic, when you catch a glimpse of something higher than where you are. You focus your gaze on the dim glow and you frown.

The intention is…strong, but faint at the same time.

You puzzle through what you’re seeing. Strong implies that someone is actively in the passages with you. But the faintness implies…slumber, perhaps. Maybe someone lives in these passages.

Well, it’s better than continuing blind.

So you mentally mark the location in your head, and you start heading that way.

It takes time, though, to find the right path that will take you to the right level. The passageways were designed as a labyrinth, and you wonder if the passages aren’t complete, or if Dooku was just that paranoid near the end of his life.

You’ve never heard one way or the other. 

But finally, after many dead ends, several looping paths, and one time when you thought you were going up but were actually going down, you reach a door.

You send a silent prayer to the patron god or treasure hunters, and then push the door open. 

It creaks loudly, and another hard push causes it to fall inwards. “Whoops.” You whisper as dirt and dust swells around you. You wave the dust away from your face, and then step into the room properly.

It’s…empty.

Well, okay. Not really empty.

There, sitting in the middle of the room, is a massive crystal formation.

It looks man-made, to your eyes. Crystals don’t generally grow in such a deliberate way, at least not in your experience.

You move closer to the crystal and circle it, your eyes narrowing thoughtfully. 

Now that you’re closer, it looks like there’s something inside it. You press your hand against the stone and try to peer through the cloudy material, but you might as well be trying to look through a solid wall. 

You rip your gloves off, and press your bare hands against the planes of the crystal. Slowly you feel around the edges of each plane you can reach. And then…there, near the bottom, on the opposite side of where you started, you find a single sigil carved into the crystal.

Now, sigils and runes are basic magic.

It is, quite literally, magic 101.

But you’ve never been interested in modern runes or sigils, preferring to focus more on the more ancient versions that you normally encounter while on your treasure hunts. 

That said, runes are runes, right?

They all get activated in the same way.

So you pull your hand back and summon a small amount of magic to your fingertips, and press your fingers against the sigil. “Please don’t be a bomb.”

For a moment, nothing happens, and then there’s a loud crack. And then another one. And a third. 

And you’re forced to dive out of the way as the crystal shatters, sending large shards crumbling to the ground.

Then you see what was in the middle of the crystal, and your heart sinks.

It’s a man. Maybe about the same age as you, or a bit older, with a strict military cut and a five o’clock shadow. He’s wearing mandalorian armor, with the symbol of the medical corps on his shoulders.

You hurry over to him and kneel next to his head as he releases a low groan. You push your hood off your head, and tug your scarf down and goggles up as his eyes flutter open.

He looks like-

Your lips turn down in thought. 

“Hey, can you hear me?” You ask, shoving your concerns to the side.

“Y-yes,” His voice is raspy and he blinks a couple of times, as if trying to clear his vision.

“What’s your name, soldier?” You ask, as you help him sit up.

“Kix…M’name is Kix.” He groans as you sit him up and he looks around the room, and then at you, “Your accent…you’re not Mandalorian.”

It’s not a question.

“Good ear,” You pull your bag off your back and dig through it, please let you have enough cold weather gear for him. “I’m Corellian, born and raised.” Kriff, you don’t. 

Kix looks around, sharpness sliding through his gaze as he shakes off the sleep, “This isn’t Corellia.”

“That is correct.” You reply, before cursing, “How good is that at keeping you warm?” You ask with a nod towards his armor, and the helmet laying half forgotten in the shards of crystal.

“Good enough.” He lets out a pained groan as he gets to his feet, “Why?”

“Well, because it’s a wee bit chilly outside, on account of us being in Hoth.” You reply dryly and you stand and grab his helmet. You make sure that there aren’t any crystals inside the helmet and you offer it to him.

“...Hoth?”

“The one and the same.”

“What is a Corellian doing here?” Kix asks suspiciously.

“Well, I was hired to find Dooku’s war chest.” You glance at the crystal shards, and then at Kix, “And I found it, apparently. I’m not generally in the business of saving people, but I suppose I’ll make an exception.”

“...what?”

You glance to the side when you hear, what sounds like, magic explosions, “Times up, I’m afraid.” You look around, and then find another door, “This way, hopefully this door stood the test of time better than that one.” You pull your scarf and hood back on, “Put your helmet on, it’s freezing.”

Kix pulls his helmet on, but he doesn’t take his eyes off of you, “What’s going on? What’s with the explosions?”

You glance at him, before you focus on the door, “Oh. My former employers. The Wilsi family from Serrano. I was informed that they were going to kill me once I found the War Chest, so I decided to cancel the contract.”

“You keep mentioning this war chest, what is it?” Kix asks as he walks over to you and helps you open the door wide enough that the pair of you are able to leave the room. 

“Well, unless we find a vault full of riches, I think it’s you.”

Kix pauses, “What?”

You glance at him, “There’s no easy way to say this, but it’s been 50 years since the war between Serrano and Mandalore ended.” He freezes, and you quickly tug him out of the room and shut the door, “Listen to me, Kix, I know that this is a shock to you. I know that. But if we don’t start moving, we die here. Can you contain your totally understandable freak out until we’re somewhere safe?”

It’s kind of eerie, having that blank helmet staring at you, but slowly Kix nods, and you release a sigh of relief.

“Come on, this place is like a maze. Maybe we can use that to our advantage.” You turn to the left, and Kix falls into step behind you. 

All you have to do is find a way out, and make sure that neither you, nor Kix, die. And then, somehow, get him back to Mandalore.

No pressure.

“Can we take a break, please?” Kix asks as he helps her close another door, leaving the pair of them in a slightly warmer room, “I can’t hear the explosions anymore.”

She frowns, though it’s only noticeable because she pulled her scarf down a little bit ago. “Are you okay?”

“I’ve apparently been in stasis for fifty years-” And isn’t that a kicker, how is he supposed to deal with that? How can he deal with that? His brothers are all going to be in their 70s- “I just need a break, that’s all.”

She nods, and tugs her hood down, before she sits on a rock, stretching her legs out in front of her. Kix watches her for a moment, before he sits on another rock, “So…who are you, anyway?”

She blinks, and then laughs, “Sorry, I never actually introduced myself, did I?” She introduces herself with a slightly crooked smile, “My mother would have my head for such rudeness.”

“And what is it that you do?”

“I’m an archeologist. Technically. That’s what my degree says at least.” Her name, something long and complicated, does not suit her at all. So Kix makes a mental note to just call her runi, and then moves along.

“That sounds like you don’t actually do archeology, runi.”

“Eh, I go to old places and look for old things to sell to people who would rather stay safe than do things.” She waves her hand.

“Ah.”

“What?”

“You’re a tomb robber.”

“I am not!”

“Oh, so you have permission to take these items then.” Kix asks.

“I…well..not exactly. But I haven’t exactly been denied permission either-”

Kix smirks, “Tomb robber.”

“Yeah…well..what do you do?”

“I’m a medic. A perfectly respectable career that isn’t illegal.” Kix replies.

She huffs, but doesn’t respond, so Kix takes it as a win. 

“So, I assume you have a plan?” He asks, “To get us out of this mess.”

“I have a broad idea of what needs to happen, but as for the details…not so much.”

“...what?”

“Why plan? I mean, they never work out like they’re supposed to.” She shrugs, “But in the end, I do intend to get you back to Mandalore.

“And you’re going to do this without a plan?” Kix asks.

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

He heaves out a sigh and then stands and pulls his helmet back on, “Maybe I should stick around with you. Stars know how you haven’t been killed yet.”

“Rude,” She scowls at him, but scrambles to her feet and pulls her cold weather gear on as well, “I-” She pauses and her head snaps to the side, “Motherkarking-...they’re planning on blowing up some of the tunnels. We need to go up and…over, I think.”

“Then let’s go. I’ll follow you.”

Kix watches as she leads him through the winding halls, pausing every now and then as though she’s following a path that only she can see. Having some kind of magic would make her survival a lot more understandable, all things considered.

He very nearly stumbles as a massive explosion makes the whole mountain shake, and Kix has to tackle runi through a door to keep them both from being crushed. 

Turns out to have been a good thing, as the room they ended up in had a single set of stairs that lead somewhere else. It’s good enough for Kix, as he hoists runi to her feet and ushers her to the stairs and up.

And up.

And up.

Finally she throws open a door at the top of the stairs and they find themselves in a workshop of some kind.

“This must be where Dooku did his magical studies,” She notes as she peers at some of the books lining the walls. 

“Wouldn’t there be a teleportation circle in here somewhere?” Kix asks, thinking back to the wizards tower back in Mandalore.

“Well, yeah. Probably. But I’m not wizard, I might be able to make it trigger it’s last destination, but-”

“This mountain is coming down, like it or not. Anywhere is better than here.”

“Ugh…fine! Help me find it.”

The pair search frantically around the room, before Kix lets out a shout of triumph. “Found it!” Runi hurries over to him and, with Kix’s help, clears the teleportation circle. 

“Um…let’s see, it looks like it’s set to teleport somewhere…west?” She says as she scans the runes.

“West is good enough.” Kix shoves her into the circle as the building trembles, “Can you activate it?”

“Can I activate it.” She scoffs, “Of course I can activate it, but I have no control over where we land.”

“Better there than here,” Kix points out logically, and she makes a face, but clearly doesn’t disagree.

The runes start to glow, faintly at first, and then brighter. 

Runi pulls her hands away from the seals, her eyes widening in panic, “Oh…oh bad…”

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Um…” She turns panicked eyes on him, “The runes and sigils are reacting to the magic of the explosions…they…this is bad.”

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Kix asks, and runi opens her mouth to reply, but before she can say anything the teleportation circle activates.

It’s the most painful thing that Kix has ever felt in his life, and he’s almost grateful when he blacks out.

His last coherent thought is that he hopes runi is okay.

Kix wakes with a groan, this is beginning to become a habit for him. His everything is throbbing in pain, and it’s funny but his first thought was to question where his armor went.

“Easy there, vod. You’re okay.”

Kix squints at the man, one of his brothers, “-where?”

“You’re on the Resolute. We found you and the civvie passed out near a bombed out building. Seems like you threw yourself over her to save her.” Kix blinks a couple more times and finally he recognizes Vacc, one of the men he trained.

“...civvie?”

Vacc helps Kix sit up, and there’s a slightly jarring sensation when he realizes that he doesn’t recognize the medical bay. It’s…whiter and starker and has a lot less magical healing equipment than he’s used to. “Over there.” He motions to runi clad in some kind of medical attire, “She hasn’t said a word since she woke up.”

She’s curled up on the bed, her knees pulled up to her chin and her hands tangled in her hair. She lifts her gaze to meet his, and as soon as their gaze meets, her gaze darts to the portside window.

Kix follows her gaze, and his breath catches in his throat.

The Resolute was a sea-faring vessel. 

But, for whatever reason, the Resolute seems to be in space. 

No wonder she’s so freaked out. “Where…” Kix pauses to clear his throat, “Where are we going?”

“Coruscant.” Vacc claps his shoulder, “Get some rest, vod. We’ll be back at the barracks before we know it.”

And then his brother is gone, and Kix pins runi with a stare, “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” She sounds miserable, “The explosion must have mixed with the magic of the teleportation…I don’t know, Kix.” She winces and clamps her hands over her ears.

“Okay, okay. Runi, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you in pain?”

“How can you stand it?”

“Stand what?”

“The screaming.”

“What screaming, there’s no screaming-” She wraps her hands around his wrists as soon as he’s close enough, and then he hears it, high pitched and constant, as though someone, somewhere, is screaming in unending pain.

When she releases him the screaming stops, but she just tightens her hands over her ears.

“It…it’s going to be okay, runi. We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

Kix casts his gaze back to the window, just as a slightly mechanical voice echoes through the ship, “Preparing to jump into hyperspace in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”And the galaxy outside the window fades into streaks of white and blue as Kix folds his hands around runi’s hands, trying to help her block out the screaming.

[til-f]

Episode 4 thoughts (spoilers)

This was by far my favorite episode.

the bonding scene on the train was refreshing. Like, we needed that.

In general I like the dream sequences. I like tiny percy. The beginning swim lesson bit with percy and sally I didn't like as much, mostly because *surprise* I like that Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, and I thought it was annoying that they added that scene without us witnessing some tiny percy powers. But that's just me.

I miss the poodle scene. "I said hello to the poodle."

I wish so badly that percy was the subject of the nation wide man-hunt. Like, that was one of the reasons why this quest is AWESOME. Plus, it brings nasty gabe back to the picture. I have a feeling that they aren't going to kill him in the show. Probably sally will just leave him. Wah

I liked when they ran from the train. Like yeah, they're freaking demigods. They're gonna look a little odd most of the time.

I liked echidna. I liked her and the chimera. I get tired of the long ass monologues by the villains. Like, just fight already. Or give me some action. there's so much cool stuff to add from the book that I literally don't care about echidna except for the fact that she calls her chimera "sonny" and also that she tells percy to "prove his bloodline" as he dangles from the arch, laughing at him because he doesn't believe Poseidon will save him.

I liked how Annabeth started talking about architecture. Changing the plot so that the arch was a temple that monsters couldn't enter, and she pissed off athena by mailing the gorgon head... like, that did nothing for me. but okay.

I liked the bit about the centaurs being a metaphor for the plains' buffalo, and the emphasis on the plains tribes. South Dakota is my home and out here we stan.

I liked how percy tricked them and made them go down the elevator. that's some good percy vibes right there. props to the team, lol.

The fight scene with the chimera was lame, but at this point, who's surprised. Also, I literally cannot deal with how lame they made riptide. LIKE SERIOUSLY. THIS WILL BUG ME TILL THE END OF TIME. GIVE HIM A REAL FUCKING SWORD. IT LOOKS SO STUPID. sigh. okay.

The scene of percy falling from the arch was dope.

The scene in the mississippi was cool (so far). I really want the bit where he takes the old wet plastic wraps and lights them on fire. But I doubt it will happen considering that in the previews for next week, I see annabeth hugging a very wet percy. Sigh.

I want percy powers. give them to me! I feel like the writers are somewhat undermining percy as the main character and it's driving me a little nuts. I looooovveeeeedddd leah's performance (all of them) in this episode, but there really are a lot of bits where it doesn't feel like percy is this singular threat, who stole the fucking lightning bolt. THEY HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED THE LIGHTNING BOLT AGAIN. the gods think he's a fucking thief, and there's a whole ass mystery to solve . whatever.

Simply saying that percy is the "forbidden child" doesn't make it so, when all the monsters are so fixated on annabeth, or literally ANYTHING but the quest. it's kinda weird.

[strxnged]

CHILUMI: # a chasmic mistake.

CHAPTER I: descent.

chapter summary. in which Lumine makes a decision she will regret; in which Childe has everything under control.

wc. 3.4k. genre. enemies to lovers, adventure, pining.

table of contents / next chapter

Lumine’s muscles tensed as she felt the ground beneath her feet give way. She should have seen this coming, having ignored the signs placed around the area warning against trespassing. She’d never been the type to pay them much attention, nor had her target. And Paimon wasn’t around to drag her back, either—her floaty friend was left behind somewhere as she’d scaled the mountains and skidded back down them, only willing to stop for one thing.

That one thing would be her blade to the neck of the Eleventh Harbinger.

Paimon had said this whole thing was pointless, that “Mr. Moneybags” would only get them both into danger. Lumine had initially agreed, but seeing Childe, the man who had tried to kill her and wipe out all of Liyue Harbour, recklessly hunting a bounty across the nation had driven her to devote herself entirely to stopping him. 

Countless duels had commenced over the last few weeks, and Lumine had contributed greatly to the chaos that followed in his wake. He liked resisting her, and she liked that she got closer to defeating him every time. But it was because of Childe. It was all his fault. Him, and those damn Fatui.

Lumine had caught word of a bountied creature, some kind of rare animal belonging to a Sumeran noble. She had already understood that this was his goal. But she found it very suspicious of the deceptive (and wealthy) Snezhnayan to chase just any bounty. Surely it wasn’t just over some Mora, because that was definitely not worth falling several hundred meters into the so-called solar chariot ruins known as the Chasm. Thus, she had been keeping an eye on him. A very close, hunting eye.

He had told her about his plans himself during one of their duels, saying, “You can’t blame me for bounty hunting. You’ve done enough of that to understand the thrill of it.” And this, she could not deny. In a way, he was her own target, the unattainable bounty being satisfaction.

Lumine had never been great at saving herself from near-miss falls, but whatever ability she could muster would momentarily have to come into use. She would grab ahold of something—anything—to keep from getting herself stuck in the abandoned mines. She slid down a crumbling slate of rock, which angled her closer to the gaping black hole below. The Qixing had claimed to have sealed it off completely; how could it be that there was now a wide mouth to the dark caverns below?

Making quick use of Anemo, she managed to propel herself to the edge of the gap, scrambling up to uncertain safety. Only once she was assured the rock would hold her did she venture to peer down the hole. 

“Hey, girlie! You sure you wanna go down there?”

The nauseatingly charming voice echoed dramatically from somewhere above her and she looked up.

Childe stood on some jutting rocks further up the opposite side of the cavity, waving his fingers at her from over the edge. “Hello!”

She didn’t respond, making a face she hoped he could read from his distance.

“Someday you’ll be happier to see me,” Childe said. “Come now, no need to look at me like that. Suppose I’ll catch you later, then, traveller. Careful on the way down!”

With that, he took a step and a hop over the edge, soaring confidently towards the depths of the Chasm. A flash of grey and ginger later, and he had disappeared into the darkness. Lumine crawled to the overhang’s edge, gazing down into it again.

She had no defensive logic for the decision she was about to make, and yet… she had to. He was dragging her down with him without even touching her. She had to follow him, no matter what.

—

The first thing Lumine noticed upon landing was an ache in her legs. Her glider had served her well for most of it—but the amount of time it took her eyes to adjust to the low light level still had her legs nervously tensing for most of the descent.

It smelled of dank cave, metal, and some bitter scent she couldn’t place. She immediately took to a rock that was just the right size for leaning on, and regained her wits as she looked around. There was no exit; that was clear.  The cavern appeared to be fairly large, narrowing towards the stone ceiling from which she fell, assuring no simple clambering out. She’d find a way out eventually, as she always did, but escape seemed to be quite out of reach for now.

Damn. If only she could contact Venti to fly her out. But then, even if she could, the last time she had seen him he was too intoxicated to fly straight. It wouldn’t serve either of them well. Also, as lovely as Venti was as a friend, he was one of the last people she’d like to be stuck underground with. Childe was further down that list, of course.

Around herself, she could make out the shapes of different rocks and minerals, dismally glowing cave-dwelling blossoms, and in the distance, the faint silhouettes of abandoned mining equipment. 

And no Paimon. Paimon would have no idea where she was.

Lumine had no chance to grieve this lack of communication, because she heard footsteps and disfigured yelling just a moment later.

“Who’s there? Name yourself!”

She said nothing, hopping over the rock and gliding further down into the cavern. Unfortunately, she noticed the Fatui camp’s fire all-too-close to where she landed.

“There’s an intruder!” The distorted voice of a Pyroslinger broke out and she groaned internally. Not even a minute to catch her breath? Really?

Lumine’s attacks came naturally, blowing down the Fatui’s elemental shields and stunning them with Anemo vortexes. Finally reaching the last enemy, the Pyroslinger Bracer, she took slow steps towards the corner she’d blasted him into. She always soaked up the last moments of her victory for what they could offer: the Pyroslinger’s arms raised to protect himself, muttering curses just loud enough for her to enjoy, and the inevitability of his defeat. Her movements halted, suddenly, though it was neither her doing nor the Fatui skirmisher’s. Her vision was dimming, and she looked around herself to see strange dark mud covering the ground. Her nose was overwhelmed by the bitter smell now, and her legs were leaden.

Three shots from the recovering Pyroslinger now struck her chest, knocking her off her balance. She collapsed to the ground with hands cushioning her fall in the egregious mud. She looked up as the Pyroslinger repositioned his gun to aim again. She couldn’t pull her hands out of the mud fast enough to reach for her sword, which had fallen to her left.

“Stand down, comrade,” a tenor voice said from somewhere behind. 

The Fatui skirmisher looked up from her and cocked his head. “Who gives you the authority?”

A second later, two arrows had struck each of the skirmisher’s shoulders, just hanging onto the top of the fur, and a third zipped directly into the feather on his hat, knocking it clean off.

“Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya, grants me absolute authority.” Childe stepped into Lumine’s view, giving a cold smile to the skirmisher. “Can’t recognize one of the Eleven Harbingers, comrade?” A dim flash bloomed above his gloved palm in a shapeless lantern of elemental energy, casting an eerie blue glow on his visage. 

The skirmisher stood straight, giving an awkward salute. “Forgive me, sir.”

“You’re off the hook, but don’t go aiming your gun at me again,” he chided. “Her Majesty will hear about it.”

“No, sir. But—” he gestured to Lumine “—she took down my whole squad.”

Childe peered into the shadows, noting the unconscious or incapacitated forms of said squad. “I see.” His dim elemental lantern extinguished and he offered Lumine his hand, which she greeted with nothing but an offended stare. “Good work, girlie. You know, you really don’t have to attack ‘em unprovoked, hey?”

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” she spat, getting to her feet without his assistance and dusting herself off. This mud would surely leave quite the stain.

“Don’t I get a ‘thank you’?”

“I had that under control.”

“I’d beg to differ,” he said, leaning over to her to wipe a bit of muck out of her hair. She froze, at first, and then stepped away from him, slapping his hand away. Fetching her sword from the mud, Lumine nearly stormed off.

But then she realized, with much consternation, that she had nowhere to walk away to. Her goal had been to stop him. She wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.

By now he should have prompted a duel, as had happened each time before. She’d interrupted him chatting with (interrogating) innocent civilians in Qingce Village, prevented his discovery of Albedo’s camp, and taken clues for herself. Rumours were everywhere, of course—and yet they had both been acquainted with similar directions to the earthquake zone which had dropped them here. The targeted creature was last spotted and chased away by guards of the Chasm. The guards were the reckoned finish line of their race for intel. But the guards were at the Surface, and they were down here. 

Childe grimaced at her movement. His eyes didn’t leave her.

Lumine cleared her throat. “You didn’t, by chance… end up talking to the…”

“The guards? Nah, I didn’t make it that far. You thought I might have come back for you, girlie?” He sniggered.

Lumine stared at him blankly. She wanted to ask him, what now? But she also didn’t want to be confronted about her decision to come down here in the first place.

He turned to the Pyroslinger. “When’s your relay over?”

“Twenty-seven days.”

“Rations?”

“We’re fine. There’s water sources down here, and mushrooms we can roast in the worst case.” 

“Good. Carry on, comrade.” He eyed a Fatuus in the shadows, who was groaning in pain. “And… try to take care of your squad, will ya?”

“Acknowledged.”

Lumine almost felt guilt for causing this group all the trouble. But then she remembered. They were Fatui.

And so was Childe. She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and glared at him. He turned to her with an amiable smile, ignoring her stance.

“Now, then, traveller, whaddya say we explore a little?”

Lumine tightened her hand’s grip on the hilt. “For what?”

“Well, for fun, of course.”

She gave him a hard look. “Okay,” she said slowly, relaxing her hand, “let’s explore. For fun.”

—

Oh, it was excruciating walking alongside her enemy like this. Lumine hated how he walked a little bit ahead, how he pointed out directions they should go, how he made small talk. How he attempted banter and she fell into the trap of responding. How he never hesitated at a single turn, offering light from his vision in case she found the dark to be too much (which she denied, affronted by the preposition that she was afraid of darkness).

“It seems to narrow into a smaller cave, here,” Childe was saying, “why don’t we—”

“You should let me walk ahead,” she interrupted.

He cocked his head at her, Fatui mask in his hair shifting with the movement. “Why? You want to protect me?”

“No, idiot. I don’t trust you.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust his intuition—it was sharp, she could admit—but that she hated being out of control. She was used to the “why don’t we—”s from Paimon, but rather than observant reminders as it was with her pixie companion, it sounded like suspicious schemes. Anything he said sounded like a part of a ploy, a puzzle to unravel. Some kind of evil mission, probably. It always would be with him.

He tch’d, but gestured for her to walk ahead. “You have so little faith in me.”

“I wonder why, Childe,” she spat his codename. “I wonder why.”

With a pause, he sent Lumine a more serious look. He spoke carefully. “I think it would help,” he said, “if you took the time to hear me out a little, girlie.”

Lumine studied his expression. It wasn’t often she got to see his expression reveal anything more than military, wiley, or bloodthirsty. The corners of his lips were nudged back, his brows were slightly gathered, and his eyes were direct. And his Fatui mask was as red as ever.

“I respectfully disagree,” she said, taking the lead ahead. “No amount of explaining can justify your actions. And don’t call me that.”

“I’m not trying to challenge your morals, traveller.”

She threw her arms out. “Then stop acting like you want me to fancy your ass.”

“That’s not what this is about.”

“Then what is it about, Childe?”

He hesitated again, boasting an irked expression. “I don’t need a babysitter, but you’ve been following me for weeks. Why?”

“You have the codename ‘Childe’ for a reason, don’t you?”

He went silent. Lumine looked over her shoulder to see his brows lowering.

“Giving up on your own case already?”

His gaze set into hers. “Do you hear that?”

Lumine listened, and then latched her eyes onto an ominous shape in the darkness. There was a soft, rattling snarl, which she recognized as that of a Geovishap only a second before it was too late. She leapt before Childe, raising her sword just in time to deflect the pounce of the dragonish Creature. Its claws scraped against the stone floor as it fell back, gearing up to leap again. Childe dashed past her and the Geovishap, and aimed a shot right at the nape of its neck, causing it to freeze milliseconds before lunging. It twitched, falling to its curved back.

For a second, Lumine thought he’d slain the Geovishap in a single shot, but it then began to twitch, spin, roll, towards Childe this time. He dove out of the way, narrowly escaping one hit which only seemed to aggravate the Geovishap more, landing directly in front of him with its claws out. Lumine always thought of Childe as rather tall and altitudinally advantaged, but when standing before an adult Geovishap he looked so small. Fleeting fear overtook her mind and with a leap from behind she took a steady blade through its skull.

Childe stepped back as it crumpled in his direction, Hydro blades dissolving into elemental energy as he gave her a taunting look. “You know, I had that under control.”

A proud smile spread across Lumine’s lips. “Ha. I’d beg to differ,” she said, planting one foot on the creature’s back, almost too high to reach, and driving her sword heavily into its back through scales.

His gaze shifted between the hilt of her sword, her overstretched leg, and her expression. A grin bloomed gradually, blessedly, on his own face and he laughed jovially. “Alright, then. You can lead the way.”

Lumine cleared her throat and withdrew her blade, swinging it inattentively before sheathing it. She forced her smile down. “Yes. Good. I will.”

He took to walking behind her, and she hated that more, because she could not see him. After a few minutes, she commanded, “Walk beside me.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Shut the hell up.”

He took to her right side with an expression like a satisfied fourteen-year old who just won a match of cards. “We should find somewhere to set up camp pretty soon, no?”

Lumine huffed. She did not want to set up camp with No. 11 of the Fatui Harbingers.

“Unless you want to go back and find my subordinates. I’m not sure how pleased they would be to host you after your unprompted attack, but I am great at convincing.”

“You’re not always so great at convincing,” she said, still unable to admit he had a point. She had no way to tell the time but she knew it had been late afternoon upon their descent, and they had been walking for several hours. Her legs were in need of rest.

“I’d like to think sometimes it takes longer than other times, but the job always gets done.”

“You’d like to think a lot of things.” The tunnel around them was widening rapidly as they walked. “I’d like to think this is our way out, but how likely is that?”

He pointed ahead. “There’s actually a bit of a semi-cave there, under that overhang, you see? You wanna set up there?”

She squinted into the darkness. “You’re joshing. There’s nothing to see.”

“Come on.” They walked in the direction he had gestured towards, and there was indeed a semi-cave, three walls but a big enough opening on the fourth side that there was no chance of getting trapped. “Is this to your liking, girlie?” he asked, like they were touring a couple’s apartment.

“Could be worse,” she conceded, and dropped her bag against the wall. “Now, by setting up camp, what is it you’re actually referring to?” Lumine crossed her arms, eyeing him. “Fire, food, shelter, and comfort? Or do you just conk out for a few hours on the ground?”

“Do you think I’m a savage?” he asked with a laugh. “I carry a leather blanket in my bag. I can make a fire with wet wood. I know how to turn a snowy tree into a cozy shelter. Hm… But we haven’t got any kindling, so shall we find some cave grass?”

Lumine, slightly insulted that he supposed her straightforward method of setting up camp to be savage, sauntered towards the greater opening of the cave and surveyed the area. There was still a strangely sufficient amount of light, though perhaps not enough for her to pick up on details such as potential grass locales. She squinted, trying to decide quite how far away the other side of the cave really was.

“Let’s walk this way.” Childe waved her over, providing his blue glow with elemental energy. She wished she knew how to do that. But she didn’t dare ask, knowing that sharing any trade secrets with a Fatuus would be both humiliating and disgusting.

“Childe,” she said, instead, and then hesitated. The forthcoming inquiry was terrible, but had to be inquired nonetheless.

“Yeah?”

“What are we gonna… or rather, what are you doing down here, and…”

He met her eyes without a tinge of sass. “You’re really asking your sworn enemy to reveal his plan to you?”

“Uh…” Lumine sucked air through her teeth. This was atrociously painful. “What’s the plan?”

Childe’s face broke into a wide grin and he howled. “You are so cute.”

“Answer the damn question, Harbinger.”

He chuckled some more. “Alright, since you asked so nicely. I already have enough leads that I know the bounty’s down here.” He shrugged matter-of-factly. “Shouldn’t take longer than a few days to reach it.”

Lumine narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you… know the Chasm well?”

He clicked his tongue. “Not particularly, but I don’t get lost.”

“You don’t get lost? Not even in massive, cursed cave systems?”

“Nope!”

“Do you have much experience underground?”

“Oh…” he said. “Yes, a bit.” 

For a fraction of a second his smile flickered, and this Lumine noticed with suspicion. However, she decided not to push it, keeping a watchful eye on him as they descended deeper into the cavern.

Wherever they were going, Lumine would have to stay on her guard for the deception that the Fatui Harbinger inevitably had in store for her. She knew how to survive, but she did not know the Chasm. She had not even seen a map of it before, and only had a trifle of knowledge about what had happened here. She was aware that it was related to the cataclysm 500 years ago, but its role was a mystery to her and the reason for its hushed nature in Liyue was just as mysterious. It was unclear whether Childe knew the Chasm, but he was of this world and was therefore at an advantage.

That, and he was the one who had some kind of true motive for being down here.

And Lumine’s only motive was to prevent him from accomplishing it.

author's note. please reblog if you enjoyed. thanks so much for reading! i'm so excited about this series man i poured my soul into it

— table of contents / next chapter

➳ GENSHIN MASTERLIST

[the-art-block]

Seeing your latest art of the nossies in the group new years picture reminded me of Wolf Mother (and her childe) as characters and now I'm DEEPLY interested in them as people and characters! I love their designs, just how much the curse affected them and am interested in how they fit into the Moonrise Nation story. (not that you have to reveal anything, of course!) Just admiring.

You're too sweet! YOU'RE TOO SWEET 🥺

These two have a lot of lore behind them (which I'm sure folks don't mind) so for the sake of brevity I'll try to keep it simple!

The Kindred population in the pre-colonial states was never that big, and it was kept in check by Kindred themselves - because the more of them that existed, the less food there'd be for the whole. These old laws regarding Kindred creation and conduct state that a Sire is responsible for their Childe for their whole unlife, and forbade any Kindred from having more than one living Childe at a time. Wolf Mother, original name lost to time, is a seven century old Nosferatu that was Embraced in the St. Lawrence River Valley for the crime of sabotaging the hunting grounds of another tribe in the locality.

Wolf Son, going by the name Jack Skinner modern-day, was Embraced 600 years ago by Wolf Mother for the crime of banditry. Probably like most Embraces, the relationship between them started out strained and unfriendly. Getting Embraced in the old tribe days was definitely a form of capital punishment and not something anyone really wanted. This of course is doubly true for an Embrace via Nosferatu, and the man that became Wolf Son took a long time to settle into his fate as a hideous living omen. When he did manage to overcome his grief and horror, he became a proper student to Wolf Mother and served alongside her in the assigned role of the Promiskeepers (The colloquial name for the Nos at the time) - which was to safeguard and dispense knowledge from both Kindred and Kine of generations gone. Things like: what to do when the seasons are uncharacteristically unfavorable, how to respond when a certain disease starts spreading, what to do with land that refuses to yield resources, etc. (Nos like Grandma Oginn also used to provide matchmaking services to her local tribes ;D) Additionally, in the old Kindred society, the Promisekeepers were tasked with keeping track of debts and contracts made between Kindred. The Nos of pre-colonial North America (at least on the East Coast) were basically your archivists and judges.

As the modern Moonrise Nation is attempting to reclaim some of the old traditions, both for Kindred and their human relations, Nosferatu who come into the faction are expected to take up this mantle of advisors and story keepers, to learn and preserve history, and be there to aid humans and other vamps alike when they're not sure what to do about a problem. Wolf Mother herself was a bit of an isolated Kindred back in her day, she roamed a huge tract of land and only encountered other undead and humans rarely. Still, she was widely known to be a neutral or friendly presence, and her child inherited the same nomadic lifestyle.

The pair would be separated when the first waves of Sabbat Kindred arrived on the continent on the crossings from Europe. They thought each other dead until very recently.

Wolf Son met with immigrant Camarilla Kindred in the 1700s and would later travel to Europe, where he would be installed as Sheriff over a Midlands Domain for several decades. Modern-day, he has come home to America, and is now serving as an Archon.

Wolf Mother spent most of the last few centuries in torpor near Lake Erie, and in the few years she's been awake again she's been singing into the night in hopes her long-lost Childe might still be around... Poor thing...

You can imagine the eventual reunion between them is gonna be super emotional. Not least of all because the Moonrise Nation is explicitly not joining the Camarilla, and seek to make themselves an independent faction.

I'm sure it's fine 🙃

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

Chapter 28: The Scroll part 3

Previous: Chapter 27

Next: Chapter 29

((ooc: the conclusion to the scroll's tale!))

The waxy crescent hung high that night as Erlan stood on a rooftop near the docks.

“We suppose congratulations are in order,” Allepac’s pleased voices echoed in his mind. “You have done well in securing your first partner. If all goes accordingly, the others will be soon to follow.”

“Thanks,” he grinned, leaping to an adjacent rooftop. The sound of the final bell signaled the approach of the midnight hour as he stilled, soaking in the view of the city around him. “See? I told you I knew what I was doing-,”

“So it appears. Although we find your mention of their secret treasure to be a rather interesting decision on your part.”

“Interesting?” he’d caught sight of the nearby docks, strangely yet unsurprisingly void of all soldiers.

“You revealing your awareness of it unnerved them. You are lucky that they did not attempt to kill you.”

A cold sea breeze passed over him as he replied, “I had something they needed. And besides, the Seralix have a history of knowing better than anyone to not mess with spirits…” His eyes rested on the sea as he adjusted his cloak. “Even if it's the spirit of someone they don’t particularly care for. But it’s good to give them just as many reasons as to why they should stay in my good graces as I should stay in theirs.”

His eyes searched the distant line of watch towers, watching as the furthest tower’s fire flickered before disappearing. 

It was time.

He’d descended from the roof. His feet reached the ground before he continued towards the Portia Docks. As expected Kokaf was there on the pier uneasily pacing about. His mind was clearly occupied as Erlan drew near.

“Kokaf,” he says suddenly, startling the man as Kokaf turns to him, his blade inches away from Erlan's throat before he pauses. 

His eyes were wide as he took him in. “You snuck up on me.”

Erlan barely bats an eye. “Apologies. I thought you heard me coming,” his eyes swept over the edge of Kokaf’s blade. “You never found your hunting blade, did you?”

Kokaf sighed, his blade lowering as he stepped back and looked away. “No. I don’t know where it went. I’ve looked everywhere for it. I just don’t understand where it could’ve gone to.”

“I think I might know.”

“Really?”

Erlan nodded. He could vaguely sense movement in the darkness that surrounded the pier.

“Do you have it?” Kokaf asked.

He shook his head as Kokaf’s expression fell.“But don’t worry, It’ll appear sooner or later.”

Kokaf didn’t reply as his hands had tentatively scratched his neck. “Did you bring it? Allepac, I mean.”

“Yeah, I did.”

He reached his hand forward. “May I see it?”

“You really want to see it? After everything I told you?”

Kokaf shrugged, “I don’t see why not, I mean I’ve come this fa-

“Kokaf it’s dangerous. You of all people shouldn’t be so eager to see it.” 

Kokaf’s brow furrowed. “And why’s that? Do you think I can’t handle it? That I’m not strong enough to be the savior like you? Wake up Erlan! You’re holding the key to victory in your hands! You just need to-,”

“Hand it over so you can give it to the devils too?”

Kokaf looked stunned. “…what?”

“Don’t lie to me Kokaf. All of the coincidental failures, and interceptions, that was you wasn’t it? Always Running off to inform the devils of whatever plan we and the other nations had concocted. I saw you do it before I entered the inn. You’d been giving them daily reports on my status and on the actions of the others. Then you’d told them that I had the creature, didn’t you?”

“What are you-,”

“It’s how they found me in the forest that night. No one would’ve known that I'd left, no one save for the only other person who’d made plans to leave with me that night. It’d been a risky move on your part, hadn’t it?”

“No, I-!”

“Risky unless you were confident that I wouldn’t survive.”

He frantically shook his head as he held up his hands in a surrendering gesture. “That’s not it- I swear! It was Geron who did it! Geron is the one who betrayed you! That was who Kerakash told you-”

“And how did you know that was the name Kerakash gave me? I never told you that.”

“I…It was obvious-,”

“Was it? For all you know, Kerakash could’ve given me any name. Just like the traitor could’ve given him any name as well.”

“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about! There’s been a misunderstanding! I swear!”

“A misunderstanding? Fine. Then tell me why the commander had been carrying your blade the night he’d died?”

Kokaf’s face paled as he slowly shook his head, “He hadn’t-,”

“Oh? So what’s this then?” he asked, holding the blade into view. Kokaf said nothing as he gingerly placed the blade into his hand. “It’s yours, isn’t it? I’d recognize that handle from anywhere.”

“He…Geron stole it from me! I…I was framed!”

“Framed by who exactly?” he whispered as several devils stepped onto the pier. All were armed and focused as they pointed their weapons towards him. “Tell me that I’m lying Kokaf. Tell me that it wasn’t you!” 

“I….I….”

“Kokaf answer me,” Erlan spoke, his voice growing quiet as the soldiers surrounded them, cutting off any way of escape. Kokaf was practically shaking now as his eyes filled with tears. “Were you the reason why our plans never took off? Why we were always caught?”

He grimaced, as he’d turned his face away. “I….I’m sorry…I didn’t want to do it…but I had no choice.” he shook his head.

“Oh don’t be foolish boy. You had a choice. But unlike your friend here,” came Kogash’s voice as he appeared beside Kokaf. He shoved him out of the way before nearing. His eyes never left Erlan’s as his own crystal eerily glowed in the darkness. He swiftly moved his spear forward, pointing its curved tip toward Erlan. “-You just made the right one…Restrain him.” He commanded to the guards who’d nodded and quickly dispersed themselves around Erlan.

He’d immediately taken a step back as he’d placed his two arms up, careful to not allow any guard near his right pocket. One guard grabbed his left arm as another neared. His right hand quickly dove into his pocket.

“You heard the commander-,” the soldier harshly barked. “Comply or els-,” his words were cut short as Erlan’s right hand returned, hurling grains of pepper into his eyes.

The man screamed. Letting go of his spear as he stumbled backward.

“Or else what?” Erlan mocked as he turned his attention to the other man. He’d swiftly adjusted his posture, tossing the other man over his shoulder and into the sea below. “You’ll kill me again?”

Kogash stepped back as the other soldiers began to charge him.

Erlan swiftly dodged one parry before grabbing the spear of another soldier. He’d kneed him in the gut, watching the man keel over before he’d pull the spear from his grasp. Then he’d pivoted. Sharply turning the spear’s blunt end into the way of an incoming soldier. Through the darkness, he could hear the soldier scream before he too fell into the restless sea below. 

Swiftly he’d re-angle the spear, just like Allepac had taught him, and thrust forward. But impaling a training dummy was far more different than a person.

He’d learned it the hard way when he’d watched the man’s eyes widen before he’d go limp as he’d withdrawn the tip of the spear from his heart.

The other Atlanteans tensed. Their eyes watching the body of their comrade lie on the ground. 

Atlantean blood had been spilled, and now Erlan was certain they would stain the port’s water red in vengeance.

Kogash hissed several curses beneath his breath before barking serval commands in Atlantean. A few Erlan could faintly translate to mean ‘divide’ and ‘attack’. 

He’d had little time to prepare as they’d begun their relentless assault. He’d force himself to weave around their attacks, striking, countering, and impaling whenever he could. 

It hadn’t taken him long to realize that they were trying to take advantage of their environment by pushing him closer and closer toward the edge of the pier. He knew that once he was on the edge it’d be nearly impossible to defend himself, so he’d given it his all to try to mount an offense.

He’d tripped, forcing himself to roll out of the way of an attack as he’d watched one soldier impale the ground with his spear. He’d kicked the man in the chest, watching as he flew backward. The opening was small, but it was enough to allow him to slowly begin to push them back. 

But with each opponent he’d impaled or outmaneuvered, two more had quickly appeared in their place. 

He’d managed to block the attack of two incoming strikers when he saw it. The light of more watch towers had gone out. Darkness had now noticeably enveloped half that side of the port.

Just a little longer… he’d told himself before turning his attention back to the guards in front of him. He used all his strength to push forward, catching one off guard before he’d leg-swiped the other. In a matter of seconds, he’d driven the end of his spear into the other guard’s gut as he’d heard the man gasp before toppling over the pier’s edge.

His body had been swallowed by the dark seas below when he’d seen Kogash strike.

He’d moved through the dark seamlessly. His attacks were relentless as their weapons clashed. 

Soon sparks flew, illuminating the darkness before the commander moved his blade.

Erlan only had a second to dodge before he felt pain envelop his forearm. 

He’d stumbled back, feeling the blood run down his arm as he’d caught sight of the commander’s now bloodied spear. He’d forced the panic from his mind as he’d watched the commander’s lips slowly spread into a smile. 

He’d charged at him once more. This time forcing him backwards. It had taken everything from Erlan to try to dodge and counter his attacks as his breaths came out in uneven gasps.

He watched the man grin. “I admire your bravery boy, you have the spirit of your father. Pity you don’t have his fighting skills as well.”

The sheer force behind his last attack had pushed him to the very edge of the pier. 

“I…I don’t need them-,” he grunted as he’d barely blocked another strike that had cut his sleeve. “-To beat you!” 

Erlan’s body wavered, threatening to fall backward as he gritted his teeth. He’d drawn one shaky breath as he forced his gaze on the man in front of him.

“Are you certain about that?” Kogash asked, dragging his spear’s curved edge along the ground after him. The sharp sound of the metal clawing away at the pier’s ground was enough to grate Erlan’s nerve as he felt himself waver once more. The edges of the pier crumbled beneath his feet before disappearing into the dark waters below. 

He’d nearly taken a step forward when Kogash started to move towards him. His speed was overwhelming as Erlan forced himself to block.

His spear shook within his hands as he felt his arms protest at the sudden weight of Kogash’s weapon. He’d moved his leg. But it had been so quick that Erlan barely had time to prepare for it before he’d felt himself fly backward. The pain from his stomach was nearly inconsequential as he’d seen the world sink beneath his eyes.

It was only by luck that he’d managed to reach out in time. His fingers screamed in protest as they caught the edge of the wooden pier. His body hung in the air carelessly several meters over the dark sea below.

He’d known Atlantean warriors had been dangerous, but he hadn’t expected the skill gap to be that vast.

His thoughts were promptly dismissed as the commander’s laugh echoed from above. “Are you sure about not needing them?” he’d called as Erlan felt his boot painfully crush his fingers. He grunted, feeling his grip ever so slightly slip. “Because your circumstances seem to diffe-,” his words fell short as Erlan watched his body jerk forward. 

A strangled gasp left his lips as he knelt over, cradling his right shoulder. Then he’d fallen backward, out of view before a hand reached down, pulling Erlan back onto the port’s pier. 

“Kokaf?” he’d whispered. His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of his friend. “You…you saved me.”

“It’s the least I could do after everything I’ve done to you,” he confessed. His eyes lowered before he caught sight of his arm. “Erlan! Your arm-,”

“Will be fine,” he said as he glanced at his blood-stained sleeve. In the distance, he could see only one watch tower, the closest one was still alight. 

“Foolish child” came the commander’s voice. His eyes were dripping with venom as he pulled the blade from his shoulder. “Do you have any idea of what you’ve done?”

“Yes,” Kokaf had challenged. “I’m setting the record straight!”

“Straight? Ha!” the commander laughed as he roughly brushed the blood away from his nose. “You’ve just condemned yourself to a fate far worse than death. And for what really? Glory?” He’d let out a harsh laugh. “You’ll all be lucky if you’re remembered as anything more than fairy tales in a decade!”

“Secure the ports!” he’d barked to his remaining guards. “They’re mine.”

The guards nodded,  scattering in the darkness.

“Erlan,” Kokaf started as the commander stared them down. “Are you sure you want to do this? Kogash is a highly trained Atlantean. He’s got at least a thousand years of combat experience under his belt, both in technique and strength.” His eyes followed the commander’s as the man slowly began to approach them. 

“But we don’t need to beat him,” he’d whispered to Kokaf in their native tongue. “at least not yet. Just keep him busy.”

“Alright,” Kokaf drew in a shaky breath. “We can do that. Or at least try.”

Erlan nodded. They could try. They had to.

Then he’d attacked. Erlan had known better than to hope that having an injured shoulder would’ve slowed the commander down. He’d moved so fluently and precisely, easily countering and parrying their attacks that Erlan had almost doubted that they’d ever injured him in the first place.

His thoughts were only confirmed as he’d barely blocked one of the commander’s kicks. The commander’s strength nearly overwhelmed him as he’d forced himself to hold onto his leg. He swallowed the pain as he’d sent his elbow straight down into the man’s calf. 

He’d been promptly rewarded with a pained hiss as Kokaf attacked, slicing his leg through the cracks in his armor. 

Kogash toppled over backward, rolling out of the way as Kokaf stabbed the ground where he’d once laid. Then he’d struck Kokaf’s face before disarming him in one swift motion. He’d re-aimed his spear, pushing the tip dangerously close to Kokaf’s chest when Erlan intervened, intercepting the blow with his own spear.

Kogash had scoffed, rising to his feet as they continued to exchange blows. The fight’s intensity increased ever so slightly as both boys resumed their assaults. Soon the commander’s once pristine armor sported cuts and dents. 

Hesitantly, Erlan had risked a glance past the commander towards the final watch tower. Dismay filled him as he realized the tower had remained lit.

How much more time would they need? He wasn’t sure he could hold off the commander for any longer- But he had to. Despite the exhaustion that was eating away at him, he knew that if he wanted his plan to work, he would need to do this. He would need to be strong, stronger than he’d ever known himself to be.

“You don’t look very good,” Erlan had spat in between deep breaths as he grinned at the commander.

“Funny,” he’d deadpanned. His expression betrayed no sense of emotion as he’d attacked Erlan with his spear before pushing him back with another kick. Erlan’s back roughly collided with the pier’s railing, effectively cornering him. “You look like your father, but you certainly don’t fight like him.” The commander sighed, moving his spear forward once more. Only this time the spear was glowing blue, as if it had drawn power from the very crystal he wore.

“Move to the right,” Allepac’s voice called out in his mind. And he had, or at least he’d tried to. But it hadn’t been enough. The commander’s blade was going to piece his heart. Or at least it would have, had his stone not intercepted the blow.

The sound of glass shattering filled his ears as he watched the stone around his neck explode into millions of pieces. This shouldn’t have been possible. The commander looked equally shocked as he stepped back. His stone, like their ships should’ve been virtually indestructible it should’ve been-,

The commander’s laugh broke his thoughts as he neared once more. “Shocked?” He’d thrust forward with his spear once more. This time breaking Erlan’s spear with ease. “Don’t be.” His foot lodged itself in Erlan’s gut before it sent him flying towards the middle of the pier. His back roughly collided with the wood as he felt it force all the air from his lungs.

“You really thought you and your little anomaly would be a match for us?” he laughed. “You were better off staying dead-,” he’d paused. Turning around as his blade clashed with Kokaf’s hunting knife. “Oh, you’re back.”

Erlan had looked on, as Kokaf had tried attacking from any and every angle he could. Their darkened silhouettes danced around the other, but Erlan had known, that despite all of Kokaf’s efforts and unpredictable tactics, the commander was in no danger.

His suspicions were only confirmed as he’d watched the commander’s blade slice Kokaf’s side before he’d turned his attention back to him. The world had slowed as his blade raised, ready to end the fight when Kokaf’s arms wrapped around his neck, attempting to lock in a choke as the commander staggered. His injured legs provided him no support as the two stumbled across the pier. 

Kokaf’s face had nearly contorted with pain, but he’d refused to let go.

He’d held on with all his might until the commander withdrew a hidden blade of his own. Swiftly flipping Kokaf’s body over his head before he implanted the dagger into his chest.

Kokaf’s screams were swallowed by the sounds of the commander’s metal armor clanking as he pushed him to the side.

“Kokaf!” Erlan screamed. Helplessly watching as his friend’s body hit the ground. Blood pooled beneath him. He’d taken his eyes off the commander. It was a mistake that would soon prove costly as he felt himself quickly slammed to the ground. Kogash was now on top of him as he’d restrained his body with one hand while holding a bloodied weapon in another.

“It’s a shame you could never fight like your father, but at least you can rest well knowing that you’ll die like him.” His voice was laced with disgust as Erlan felt his grip tighten painfully. “Not that you deserve that honor, anyhow,” The commander hissed, before turning to the surrounding guards. “remove the anomaly.”

“No-,” Erlan screamed as he felt the commander reach for his pocket. Only this time they’d opted for the left one instead. “You don’t know what you’re dealing with- don’t!”

Then the commander withdrew his hands. Confusion painted his voice as the soldier carefully held his hand towards the commander, “Is this some sort of ploy?” He whirled around to Kokaf, fury evident on his face as he painfully tightened his grip on Erlan. “You said the anomaly would be here.” Erlan craned his neck back, catching sight of the rather large silver-colored lizard the commander held in his hands. “So why am I holding a lizard?!”  

“Same reason why you and your best men were here, and left the rest of the city blissfully unexposed,” Erlan smiled. 

The commander halted. “What?”

“Aw c’mon, commander. You didn’t think I’d just waltz into this without a plan, did you? I had to keep you distracted-,”

“Distracted?” one of the soldiers repeated before Kogash glared at him. 

“Yeah! How else were we going to douse the watch towers, and cut you off from any form of outside communication while sweeping through the city?”

The panic and fury that had been in the commander’s eyes was nearly priceless as the sounds of running footsteps neared.

“Sir!” cried an Atlantean voice. “Sir it’s them-,” his voice cut off as Erlan heard a heavy thud. Immediately the other soldiers stood up. Their eyes all focused on the other side of the dock, as Erlan wrestled his head up to see. Lying there on the edge of the pier was the body of an Atlantean soldier with a hunting knife sticking out of his back.

“Sorry we’re late” came Geron’s voice as several masked hunters approached. “We just had to pick up a few friends on our way here.”

The commander yelled out something in Atlantean as the sounds of their flying ships filled the air. In the darkness Erlan could make out the figure of his aunt with her bow, carefully drawing the bow string back. Then she released it. An arrow sailed through the darkness before piercing the chest of an Atlantean. 

Soon several more arrows followed, with many hitting their flying targets. 

The hunters sprang into action, cutting and engaging the remaining Atlantean soldiers. Erlan’s heart soared as he recognized a few Seralix merchants within the mix as well.

“Foolish child,” the man sneered as he pulled Erlan’s neck upwards, forcing him to face him. “Do you really think this little calvary will be enough to defeat me?”

He shook his head as he smiled. “Nope. But she can-,”

“Who?” he’d murmured as the lizard sprung to life in his hands. Its teeth sharpened as it bit into his palm. He screamed, dropping both weapon and lizard as Erlan shifted his weight. Reaching forward to grab the fallen weapon before he turned around. 

“It’s been a pleasure commander,” he called as he’d lodged the blade into the commander’s chest. Then he’d pushed back, sinking the blade deeper as the commander had slid off of him.  

He’d forced himself to his feet, quickly reaching for the lizard. He couldn’t quite keep himself from smiling as he gently picked it up. “Thanks, Allepac,” he whispered to it, as it narrowed its silver eyes at him.

Geron was the first to reach him. “Are you alright?” He’d asked him. His clothes and armor had been covered in blood stains.

He nodded, “I’m fine. But Kokaf is hurt!” 

“Kokaf?” He could practically hear the frown in Geron’s voice. It’d been no surprise that he too had taken Kokaf’s betrayal to heart. 

“It’s a long story. But he saved me.”

“Erlan-,” his voice had sounded more akin to a commander than the man who’d patiently taught him and Kokaf how to hunt. The man who’d more or less become his own surrogate father upon losing his family the day their kingdom had fallen. 

“Please,” he’d pleaded with him. 

He sighed, slowly relenting as he nodded “Alright. We will check on him.”

“Thank you,” Erlan let out a sigh of relief as he watched Saraki venture towards Kokaf’s body before asking, “How have things been going?”

“Surprisingly well. It seems as if he’d placed most of the guards and firepower here to confront you tonight. The rest of the city was nearly empty, just as you expected,” 

“I had a feeling that he wouldn’t be taking any chances once he’d learned that it was in the city,” Erlan had answered as he turned his eyes toward the commander’s body.

The man had dragged himself upwards, leaning against the pier’s railing as he’d writhed in agony. 

“No! NO!” The commander weakly yelled as he looked around the dock. The sight of his men’s bodies littering the ground with the bodies of the Seralix and hunters must’ve been too much for him to bear, as tears had begun to escape his eyes. He’d cradled his arm which was now turning a strange shade of gray. His fingers painfully decayed as the veins in his arm blackened.

He screamed in agony as the gray discoloration spread across the rest of him.  He’d reached into his side, pulling out a strange crystalline spear as he’d turned his eyes upward. Blood seeped through the corner of his lips and nostrils as he murmured something incohesive. 

“A flare signal!” Geron yelled. His voice drew the attention of every warrior who’d stood on the dock. “Don’t let him release it!”

Immediately every warrior, both Atlantean and non-Atlantean, had scrambled towards the commander. But the Atlantean soldiers had been quicker, either restraining or injuring their opponents as their commander aimed the spear upward. 

A laugh slipped through his lips as his finger began to apply pressure to the side of the spear.

That was all Erlan needed to see before he grabbed a bow and arrow from the nearest Atlantean body. His body effortlessly took the form he’d been practicing for months as he shot the arrow, watching as it soared through the air before firmly embedding itself in the heart of the Commander.

The Commander weakly reached for the arrow, only to halt as he slumped over.

His eyes had met Erlan’s for one final time just as he’d held the spear, pushing its button before his body went limp.

“No!” Geron screamed, watching as three red bursts of energy left the spear’s crystalline tip before disappearing into the cloudy night sky above. 

The port had gone silent as all eyes fixated on the sky.

Then they felt it. 

A low growl from overhead as something began moving through the clouds.

The commotion quickly spread as Erlan heard the sounds of the nearby streets awaken. People stepped out of the inns  to stare up in awe as Geron took an uneasy step back.

“No,” he murmured. He looked as if he were on the verge of passing out. “It couldn’t be.”

“What is it? What’s going on?” Erlan yelled to him.

“That flare signal…it wasn’t just a distress signal….no, it was a signal beacon.”

“A signal beacon? For what exactly?” He’d asked as they heard the creature above move once more. He couldn’t see it, but whatever it was, was huge. 

“One of the worst of the Atlantean inventions,” he’d murmured as the creature above moved again. Soon they could see blue eyes glowing from behind the clouds. 

The roar it released shook the ground once more as he heard his aunt cry, “They wouldn’t send it to attack a civilian port, would they?”

“They would if they’ve sensed it’s been overrun by hostiles,” Geron whispered back. Its eyes turned red as he heard Geron scream “Retreat!”

All hell had broken loose as he’d watched the warriors on the pier scatter. Pushing, shoving, and tripping as all raced to evacuate the pier. The monster roared once more, this time revealing itself as it slipped from beneath the clouds.

A large stone serpentine dragon with several carvings along the side of its body appeared. The energy glowed and pulsed along its side as it unhinged its jaw before aiming.

The blast of energy that had left its mouth had struck the sea a few kilometers away from them. The shockwaves rocked the very island itself as several people fell over.

Now he could hear the sounds of the distress bells, ringing in the city as an Atlantean voice yelled out evacuation instructions to the panicked crowd that had filled the streets.

How had this gone so wrong?

They’d been so close to winning. So near to victory and yet-

Another blast hit the ocean, this time far closer as he’d felt the heat from the blast singe his skin.

The ground rocked violently, as the waves began to gather rising higher and higher as they swept onto the pier, pulling people and bodies back into the darkness below. 

Lightning had torn the air as a large wave began barreling towards the pier. 

“Retreat! Retreat!” Geron screamed as Erlan raced over to where Kokaf lay. Sakari was there, slinging Kokaf’s arm over her shoulder as she pleaded with him to get up.

He groaned in pain, clutching his bloodied side as sweat gathered on his brow.

“Here,” Erlan yelled, slinging Kokaf’s other arm over his shoulder as he helped them up.

Sakari’s eyes had met his immediately. Then she’d looked past him towards the incoming wave. The fire from her eyes had been missing as he’d heard her scream, “What do we do now?”

What do they do? He wishes he knew.

“Allepac-,” he’d yelled over the sounds of the roaring wave that neared. “Allepac?” Horror filled him as he noticed the creature’s absence. “Allepac!” He’d screamed into the darkness of the horrified crowd.  “I have to find her-,”

“Find who? Are you crazy?!” Sakari yelled. “We’re all going to die!”

“Considering that I sold my soul for this,” he gestured to the pier as it was now covered in the wave’s darkness. “Yes!”

“You sold your What-?!” She’d screamed as the wave arrived. Erlan had braced himself, trying not to think of how it would feel to get swept away when the air had crackled. A beam of silver energy tore through the wave as it promptly dissipated into trillions of water droplets and steam that hung suspended in the air.

Gasps of horror and awe surrounded him as he watched the droplets shimmer before racing toward the stone serpent in the sky. 

The serpent was moving, firing its own beams of energy at the droplets. But it had done little to dissuade the incoming droplets as they’d promptly splashed it, quickly slipping through its cracks as it roared.

Darkness soon seeped around its body as several tendrils emerged, trying to rip it apart from the inside out. Slowly it had started to writhe. Its eyes flickered between silver and blue before its body tensed.

“Come on!” Erlan had yelled to Sakari and the surrounding warriors. “Everyone evacuate the pier now!”

They’d nodded quickly making their way off as Erlan, Kokaf, and Sakari had followed. Kokaf’s groans quieted as Erlan fearfully took note of his friend’s sudden stillness. 

“Hang on Kokaf,” he whispered. “We’ll help you soon. I promise.”

“Look!” Someone screamed as the people pointed to the sky. A brilliant light emerged from the serpentine creature as it faltered and fell towards the sea. Its body collided with the ocean, sending shockwaves through the city as the Atlantean ships began racing toward the shore. Large waves emerged from the sea, quickly swallowing them whole before dissipating into nothingness. 

 The waves in the distance shivered and glowed before going still.

All eyes rested on the waters as they began to swell and shake. 

They weren’t certain how much time had passed before the serpentine’s head had floated lifelessly to the top of the waves. Its once glowing eyes were now darkened pits as the water around it began to freeze, encasing it as the ice soon spread through the ports, just as bits and pieces of the serpentine's destroyed body broke the surface as well.

The people had looked on in awe and confusion. Their murmurs filling his ears as he made out the sounds of cheers and yells from the hunters and Seralix people around him. 

“We won! We won! We won!” Someone yelled as the rest of the crowd broke into cheers. The Hunters and the Seralix laughed and embraced as Erlan’s eyes returned to Seralix princess, and then his friend.

The princess’s eyes were filled with tears as she gave him a look that he could only describe as hopeless. 

“Kokaf,” he started. The ground beneath his friend was now stained a deep crimson. He’d cursed himself for not grabbing a crystal as he’d felt the broken shards of his own stone hang around his neck.

“Erlan,” Kokaf quietly whispered back.  “They’d discovered me the day after…Saraki had brought me to the first rebel meeting. And they’d known that my father had been a general, one that was nothing compared to yours…But they’d threaten the lives of my family, and hers,” he’d weakly look towards Saraki as she’d taken both of his hands in hers. “Unless, of course, I complied….” he stopped shaking.  “They’d never seem happy that you’d been allowed to live…So they told me to get you involved in our schemes. It would be your life for ours.” A tear had left the corner of his eyes as he’d drawn in a shaky breath. “I…I didn’t want you to die-,” he whispered before wincing. “I remember the day all of our parents were executed. I remember seeing my father before they carried him away. He’d made me promise him… to always look out for my family…no matter the cost.”

“A life is a life,” Erlan spoke quietly. His voice was nearly lost over the sounds of the sea as the other hunters joined him, all kneeling at the side of Kokaf. “And in this world, I can’t fault you for doing your best to preserve the lives of those close to you. I know that I would’ve done the same for you if it’d been demanded of me.”

“Then promise me you’ll forgive me,” Kokaf pleaded, every breath he drew was more shallow than the last. His eyes now staring aimlessly at the sky above as the light of the rising sun pierced the cloud.

“I do,” Erlan promised. “I do.”

“Erlan,” came a voice as all eyes turned towards the large creature that descended from the clouds. Darkness had enshrouded its form as it landed a few yards away from them.

“Allepac” he’d replied. Its silver eyes met his as he approached. The crowd was speechless. All staring in awe at the strange creature before them, before the Seralix princess stumbled forward.

“Please!” she begged, tears streaming down her face. “He’s dying! Please save him!”

Allepac had stood there motionlessly, looking over the form of the princess, then Kokaf’s. “The fate of the traitor’s life ultimately rests in the hands of those he has betrayed,” its voice hissed as he watched Saraki’s face pale. 

The hunters exchanged glances, looking uneasily at each other and then towards Merendellis. She’d nodded. Her hand resting on Geron’s shoulder. “Geron,” she spoke softly.

“He has a lot to answer for,” Geron whispered. His face hardened before he sighed. “But not with his own life.” His eyes had wondered to Erlan who’d nodded in reply.

There would be proper retribution for Kokaf’s actions later, but for now, Erlan had other plans in mind. He’d turned back towards Allepac as it whispered into his mind, ‘ We do not intend on saving him.’

He frowned, watching as its eyes narrowed before it continued speaking to him telepathically, ‘This is a fitting punishment for a traitor and is far more merciful than any death we could have given him.’

‘No,’ he’d replied back, taking note of the pleading look in the princess’s eyes. ‘Not quite.’

Allepac had watched him curiously as he’d looked back at Kokaf’s form. ‘Regardless of what we feel about his betrayal. Kokaf has proven himself useful, as have the Seralix this night. He is brave, and he is far more valuable to us alive than dead. The Seralix value him as he’s sacrificed himself for their princess. She seems to like him as well. So if need be we can use him to secure a much stronger alliance with them.’

The creature’s eyes rested back on the princess who’d still held Kokaf’s hands. ‘I see. Very well then. We will allow the traitor to live for the sake of your alliance.’

“Thank you Allepac,” he bowed, and with that, he’d watched as Kokaf’s wounds began to glow silver. The princess and several onlookers gasped in awe and wonder as Kokaf’s wounds vanished.

Slowly his eyes had opened as he’d groaned, looking from Saraki to Erlan in surprise. “Saraki?....Erlan? What happened?”

“You’re alive!” Saraki gasped as she tightly embraced him. “It worked! Erlan it worked!”

“Keep on hugging me like that, and you won’t be able to say that for much longer-,” he’d choked out before hugging her back.

She’d promptly released him before turning back to Erlan, then Allepac. “Thank you,” she smiled. “We won’t forget what you’ve done for us today. We, Seralix are proud to call ourselves your allies.”

“Likewise,” Erlan replied with a small smile.

Kokaf hesitantly sat up as he’d bowed his head to the hunters. “I know I owe you an apology,” he started. “All of you. For saving my life and for taking back the port. I was a coward to betray you all as I did, and I understand if you don’t want me around anymore.”

“Kokaf’s it fine…But why don’t we discuss this later?” Erlan started softly as his aunt and Geron nodded in agreement. 

Kokaf hesitantly nodded, “Alright…But I guess I owe you this for saving my life then, don’t I?” Kokaf replied as he’d dug through his tunic before pulling out an Atlantean crystal. “Here. Take it. It was their ‘gift’ to me in exchange for information” His eyes cautiously wandered toward Allepac’s form as he added, “Plus you seem to know more about dealing with these crystals than I do.”

“Thanks, Kokaf,” Erlan grinned as he held up the crystal for Allepac to see. “See? I told you the plan would work out!”

Allepac rolled its eyes as he carefully slipped the crystal into his pocket. Its eyes focused on the lingering Atlanteans who’d watched it fearfully. Already Erlan could tell what Allepac had planned to do, and he’d shook his head. 

His eyes landed on Kedakh standing not too far off with his family. Several Atlanteans had joined him as they’d looked on uneasily. He’d taken note of the look of passive resignation in Kedakh’s eyes. His words had effectively come true. Things were changing.

But they wouldn’t get worse, not if he had anything to say or do about it.

“ You wish to allow them to stay?” Allepac’s voices had asked.

He nodded, “of course. Not all of them have supported the actions of the royal family or their country’s quest for world domination. They are citizens who’ve been living on this port for generations. When my people made this port, they built it to allow everyone regardless of origin to do business here. So it is only right that we allow them to continue doing as they wish.”

Kedakh had nodded, relief coming to his face as cheers enveloped the harbor. 

A few Atlanteans had joined in the celebration as the sun rose, bringing with it the dawn of a new day.

“Look out!” Erlan yelled as he and Merendellis had ducked for cover. The ship sparked as it flew overhead, swiftly flying around before it promptly sailed into the forest. A loud collision was soon heard as the ground shook.

“That was insane-,” Merendellis breathed.

“That was perfect!” Erlan grinned. His silvery blue eyes widened in amazement. 

“What?!” Meredenellis cried as she and several of the men gathered, cautiously following after Erlan. “It could’ve killed us! Look Erlan when I told you to take some time off, I didn’t mean to take time off to build weapons that would destroy everybody!”

“I know- but it worked! Did you see the way it fired the energy or how fast it flew?” he’d called before he’d made his way out of their coliseum. He’d bid his greetings to the women who’d sat outside weaving as he passed, racing through the village. 

What had once been a mere gathering of small clay and mud houses were now stone buildings all exquisitely designed for both business and living.

Seeing the faces of people, sometimes from other countries such as the Adakhi, the Seralix, the Relaki, and even the Atlanteans had become a rather common occurrence. As with the reclamation of the port cities, the nations had begun to permit more traveling and intermingling. 

A few of the ships he’d invented had flown overhead with their riders bidding him good morning as he’d passed by. It had been hard to believe that it had only been half a decade since they’d reclaimed the port, but he was proud to say that things had mostly changed for the better. Convincing the people to rebuild the village in their old architectural style before the Atlantean invasion, had been met with a surprising amount of resistance. They’d claimed that the old style was far too reminiscent of the Atlanteans and had instead opted to go in a new creative direction, integrating all sorts of bold architectural styles and designs he’d never seen before.

It shouldn’t have frustrated him as much as it did. He’d understood the want to distance themselves from the past and the pain that it had brought. But he’d be lying if he’d denied that a part of him had secretly wished for them to restore their nation to its former image, an image that was said to have been so great that even the Atlanteans had admired it.

It had taken him two years until Allepac had deemed him ‘sufficient enough to teach’ allowing for him to return to his village. His powers had yet to awaken, but he could read, and write well, a skill that had quickly proven useful as he'd quickly learned his other subjects. 

Of course even after his 'graduation', he'd still dropped by to visit his former teacher whenever he wasn’t busy helping his people establish more trading partners and at times, recapture more port cities.

Part of him was ashamed at how much he’d love the rush of doing something so thrilling, but it had all been for the betterment of the people he’d assured himself. Even as Allepac scolded him for any injuries he’d sustained during the process. But it had been worth it, as, after the last most major victory, the Atlanteans had gone suspiciously silent.

He’d posted spies in every country to keep an eye on any activity, along with even recruiting a few Atlanteans such as Kedakh into his ranks. But all the trails had gone cold, which he had suspected hadn’t been unintentional on their part.

That’s why he’d been so intent on building weapons. Weapons that could level the playing field.  He knew it was only a matter of time before things escalated, and either side would declare war. 

He’d passed a training class, watching as Geron had instructed several children and women on how to use various weapons. A few of the children had stopped to greet him, with some even begging him to demonstrate. He’d (unfortunately) had to pass on the offer, but he’d promised them that he’d be back to visit soon.

Finally, he’d entered the forest, tracking the ship with relative ease as he quickly reached its crash site.

To his delight, the ship had remained in one piece. “Great!” he’d smiled as he slid down the rock before landing next to the ship. “I can also add ‘indestructible’ to the list!” He’d knelt at the ship’s side, taking note of the sparks that had emerged from where it had collided with the tree. 

He’d have to reinforce that side a bit better. He’d pulled out a small piece of paper as he’d begun to jot down a few notes. Finally, he’d nodded, Slipping the paper back into his pocket as he’d risen to his feet.

It had taken him a minute or so to notice the abnormal silence that had once filled the lively forest around him. He couldn’t remember hearing it this quiet before…

BARK

He’d paused, rising to his feet as he heard footsteps race towards him and a familiar Wolf-dog appear.

Faiolia!” he’d murmur in surprise as he kneeled down to greet his approaching pet. She was carrying something in her mouth. Something he hadn’t been able to see until she’d dropped it in his hands. It had only taken him a minute to recognize was it was, before he’d found himself withdrawing a communication device, hurriedly signaling for the ships to join him as he climbed onto the ship that had crashed a few feet away. Faiolia barked, eagerly taking her seat behind him as the ship began to levitate once more and they took off.

How had they been able to get in? His mind reeled with confusion and anger as the terrible screams of people pierced the air. The distress bells rang as he heard the sounds of evacuation orders. Plumes of smoke filled the air as he caught sight of the fire that had eaten away at the fields.

The Atlanteans were attacking their food source. A sensible tactic that was no doubt was part of a far more intricate plan. But whatever said plan was would have to wait as he caught sight of several stone sea serpents flying through the air. 

They fired towards them as Atlanteans swarmed the city below. His warriors returned fire, as several war machines exploded, filling the air with brilliant colors as his communication device had crackled to life. 

Kokaf’s voice rang in his ears, “on the way!” he’d called. “Bringing reinforcement.”

“Received!” Erlan called back, before turning to his soldiers. 

He’d barked commands to his soldiers, dividing their forces into three. One group to deal with the fire. The other was to deal with the war machines and the final was to deal with the ground assault. The soldiers had voiced their agreement as he’d turned his ship towards the serpent, locking onto it, before he’d grabbed an all too eager Faolia, and jumped, just as his ship collided with the serpent.

The explosion rocked the air as he felt himself fall downwards. Relief filled him as he watched one of his subordinates ship near, grabbing him as they pulled him into the ship.

They’d reached the ground in a matter of seconds as he’d leaped out of the ship, Faiolia followed suit. Quickly leaping onto an Atlantean as she’d pushed them backward. 

“Careful Faiolia!” he’d called as he quickly disarmed the first attacker before he’d dealt with the second. 

How had they managed to slip in undetected? He’d wandered before he’d heard Faoilia bark. Turning towards one of the storehouses. 

“Hold your ground!” he’d called to his soldiers. “I’m going to investigate.” They’d nodded as he took off in the direction he’d seen Faolia bark. Entering the house, he’d been greeted by nothing but darkness. He’d held his necklace up, allowing its silvery light to illuminate the darkness as he pressed forward.

“Let me know if you find anything,” he’d whispered to Faoilia who’d barked before taking off. The air was strangely still as he searched the house. This storage house had been much older than its other counterparts. Its support pillars were tall and partially decayed as cobwebs seemed to cover nearly every inch of the room.

He could hear Faoilia sniffing as she carefully made her way through the storage room. So far he’d seen nothing, but he knew better than to doubt Faoilia’s instincts, as she’d proven more times than not to be far smarter than most thought.

“See anything, girl?” he’d whispered as he’d ducked underneath a cobweb. 

She barked, which he could only assume had meant yes as he traveled towards her, watching as she stood a few feet away from a large pit in the ground.

It looked as if the ground had caved in. He’d heard rumors of the Atlanteans having interconnected underground tunnels that had run deep into the earth, allowing them to not only travel but flee in times of danger.

Of course, most of those rumors had been unsubstantiated, but he’d cursed himself for not considering them a possibility sooner.

Faolilia’s sharp barks caught his attention as he turned his eyes toward the direction she’d been barking in. A figure had stood near the entrance, shrouded in Atlantean warrior garb as their crystal had glowed.

“Take cover-,” he’d yelled to Faoilia as he’d ducked underneath one blast.  Faiolia had retaliated, her teeth clamping into the arm of his attacker as they yelled in pain. They’d tried to shake her off as he’d neared drawing his weapon to strike when they’d turn back towards him. 

Their eyes had met his as he watched them aim their weapon once more. But he’d been faster.  Drawing his blade swiftly as he dragged it across his attacker’s chest.

Faiolia barked happily as he watched the figure stumble backward. Their eyes widened with pain as their back hit the wall. It had only been out of mercy that he’d drawn his weapon again, hoping to make his attacker’s pain end when they’d struck once more.

Abruptly aiming their weapons towards him, they fired.

This time the beam hit the pillar, destroying it as the building began to shake. 

“Run Faiolia!” he’d screamed as they’d began bolting towards the entrance. He’d nearly made it when the debris fell, cutting him off from the outside world as his vision darkened. 

When he’d awoken the first thing he’d felt was pain. The darkness swimming across his eyes as he felt his body pinned beneath the debris of the storehouse. 

His heavy breaths echoed through his ears as he heard the faint sounds of Faiolia barking, followed by more shouts and yells. His eyes turned upwards, catching sight of the stray beam of light that had managed to slip into the cracks of the debris.

“Down here!” he’d yelled as he felt the ground shake. The sounds of the Atlantean war machines screamed overhead as he heard his people continue to shout.

He’d tried to move the debris off of his leg. But to little success. “Please,” he’d whispered as he felt the ground tremble once more.

The wail of his people filled his ears as he could smell the faint scent of smoke.  Faiolia’s barking grew louder. 

They couldn’t die like this. He couldn’t die like this. 

“That’s Seamus’s son,” he’d heard Kokash’s voice ring out from the darkness. “Pitiful in life and death.”

“That can’t be?!” he’d cried, reeling back as his eyes scanned the darkness. The figures of Kokash and Kerakash along with several other Atlantean soldiers slowly materialized in front of his face, all wearing the armor he’d last seen them in when they’d been alive.

“I’m not dead!” he’d cried.

“Not yet, no,” Kokash had sneered as Kerakash had ventured forward, kneeling next to him.

“What’s with the confusion, boy? You got what you wanted didn’t you?” His heart had stopped as he heard Kerakash’s voice speak to him. 

The pain must’ve been getting to him now as he’d replied without thinking, “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of this.”

“Didn’t you?” his voice had soothingly replied. “You spilled Atlantean blood, didn’t you. Yes, I’ve seen how you’ve practically littered the ports with the bodies of your enemies. Tell me, child, how did it feel? It felt powerful, didn’t it? Having us at your mercy?”

“No,” he’d coughed out. “It didn’t. I’m not like you. I only did what I had to. Not what I wanted.”

“And yet you all suffer the same for it.” Kerakash’s voice mocked as he felt the surrounding coldness begin to seep into his bones. “They’re going to wipe you out after this. They’ll torch your lands and salt your fields. Soon nothing will be left. Not your people, nor your lands, or even your animals. Nothing.”

He’d struggled harder against the debris trapping him. A cry escaped him as he’d found little success in freeing himself. 

“But I suppose you should find some pride in it,” Kerakash sighed. “Before we’d allowed your people to exist because they were nothing. You were nothing. The battle had been long decided before we’d ever claimed the lives of your parents.”

He stopped his struggles, “What?”

“Oh come now! You’re supposed to be a politician, aren’t you? Or some great statesman! Surely you aren’t ignorant of the past political intricacies of your nation.” When he’d failed to answer he’d watch Kerakash’s expression sour. “Of course. The spirit of the people, of a kingdom, ultimately lives and dies with their king. And your people were no exception. You see, your king was a special man. So you can only imagine how the people’s spirit had crumbled when they’d seen their king, once so brilliantly full of power, die like any common man.”

“Power,” he’d murmur. “You killed everyone within the royal family because of the king’s power?”

“Of course we did! Why else do you think we’d allow the other royal families to live and not yours? Yours were just too dangerous. You are dangerous,” Their laughter echoed through the space as fury filled him. His vision reddened as he’d unsuccessfully tried to free himself once more.

Powers. He’d never known the king had powers. In fact he’d never even thought that humans having powers was a possibility until Allepac had told him about his. Wait.

He had powers, didn’t he? He just needed to awaken them.

“Whatever you’re doing won’t work boy,” Kogash’s voice had harshly cut through the silence as he’d felt the walls of debris begin to close in. Breathing was becoming more difficult. “Every time you’ve cheated death has been because of the power of the anomaly with you! You have achieved nothing on your own!” Their voices had joined in unison as they’d screamed, “You are nothing!”

“I am,” he’d agreed as he felt the debris push against his body. “And I’ve always let it bother me. No matter how proud of my heritage I’ve tried to be, deep down I’ve always been ashamed of how little I had. It’s what made me chase after our past glory days.” Now he was pushing back against the debris that had threatened to cut and bloody his fingers. But he’d ignored the pain, continuing on, “Not only to reclaim our heritage but to be more like you, to reclaim a past image that you’d approved of.. But now I know this is not the case. The legacy and strength of our people have never lied in chasing our past, but rather forming our future.” His voice had wavered as he’d desperately tried to draw on any power he could sense within himself. He’d come up short once more, but there’d been no disappointment with it this time. No, only anger, as he’d called out into the darkness. “A future where we will be free from the shadows and ghosts of our past. A future where we will be free from you!”

The air around him crackled and burned as he felt it. Something within him moved as power flew from his body, disintegrating the debris and shadows around him as it swallowed the cries of his demons.

His body had felt light as it lifted itself from beneath the rubble. Bright blue and white energy gathered and crackled around him as he found himself back on the surface on top of the debris. All eyes drew towards him as he’d turned his eyes towards the sky where the sea serpents resided. 

The sea serpent roared, its body pointed towards the city as it released its attack. He’d barely managed to draw all his power as he’d reached forward. 

It had only been because he’d remembered what Allepac had said during his lessons to unlock his powers that he’d even been half successful. His powers pitifully deflected the incoming blast as it’d sent it elsewhere. It collided with the ground, knocking him over as he heard the creature growling.

Its eyes were now red as it unleashed another beam. One that he could barely answer with a half-formed shield materializing itself in the way of the beam. 

The two forces collided, nearly knocking him over once more as he’d forced himself to remain standing. His body quickly ached as the creature continued its assault.

“Erlan!” he could hear a muffled voice call. 

“Go!” he’d yelled back. His shield was starting to break now. “Get everyone out of here!” 

His legs had trembled, as he felt his knees threaten to buckle. Blurry figures raced past him as he forced himself to draw on his power. Deeper and deeper he’d gone, his mind screaming in protest as the cracks in his shield began to grow.

He’d been prepared to die here today.

He’d nearly resigned himself to said fate until he heard a familiar roar tear through the air. Instantaneously the clouds had parted as he’d watched a beam of silver energy tear through the sky like lightning, striking the serpent. The serpent screamed, its body burning as Allepac’s form appeared through the clouds.

The serpent hadn’t stood a chance as he’d watched Allepac practically swallow the creature as clouds enveloped its darkened figure. Seconds later mangled parts of the serpent's body descended from the clouds. Its final roar echoed through his mind as he felt his knees buckle. 

“ Erlan ,” Allepac’s voice had called. Darkness enveloped his vision as his head hit the ground.

“It’s unmistakable,” his aunt’s voice broke the silence as he felt the darkness gradually release him. He was in the castle’s infirmary now.

“We all knew it would come to this,” Geron sighed. “It was only a matter of time.”

“ Battle plans will need to be made. In the meantime, we trust that you two will be able to address the citizens?” Allepac’s voice answered. “ They no doubt will want answers for what they have seen.”

“Yes,” His aunt agreed. “They will, and they do. Word has already spread amongst them like wildfire. It seems as if they’re all aware of Erlan’s abilities.”

“There’d always been rumors that his father had been the illegitimate son of one of the princes,” he’d heard Geron murmur. “Unconfirmed rumors of course. But I always believed they’d had some merit to them. The resemblance between the two was uncanny.”

“I was hoping that it wasn’t,” he’d heard his aunt draw in a shaky sigh.

“ Why not? ” Allepac’s voices cooly echoed through the room, as Erlan’s eyes searched the ceiling, patiently awaiting his aunt’s reply.

“It’s a heavy burden being king,” she’d said. “And they’d already been suspicious of his existence given that he’d been the son of a great general. If they’d known the truth of this, then they would’ve killed him when they’d executed his parents.”

“ It is poetic justice then,” Allepac replied, sounding amused. 

“Any particular reason why your spirits are so high?” Erlan had asked, as all eyes in the room turned towards him. “Or was your trip back to space just that enjoyable?”

“Erlan!” his aunt had cried as she’d rushed to his side. Geron had cast the creature an uneasy glance before following after her, evidently not comfortable with being in such close proximity to it alone. “How are you feeling? You’re not hurt are you?”

“Other than feeling like a building collapsed on me, I’m fine,” he smiled at his aunt. “I finally awakened my powers.”

“So we’ve heard,” she cast a small yet sad smile. “And you’ve probably heard us discussing it as well.”

He nodded, sliding his legs over the side of the bed as he asked, “So what’s all this about me being king? And illegitimate bloodlines?”

His aunt had looked to Geron, who’d stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Well, Erlan. You see. The royal family of our kingdom has always been…special. Special in the fact that its bloodline had carried certain powers, capabilities, if you will, that had allowed them to do the impossible. It’d always been the mark of royalty, as well as the greatest secret of the kingdom. Anyone who’d been blessed with said powers regardless of whether or not they’d been related to the royal family by legitimate blood was often considered a royal. Now, nothing was ever confirmed, but people have always suspected that your father was an illegitimate grandson of the last king.”

“Why was he illegitimate?”

“Protection, I think. Most believe that due to his uncanny resemblance to the second son of the king, and the fact that his mother, your grandmother had been a rather favorite of the prince, your father was his son. Of course, the second prince knew better than to reveal his son after the three brothers had taken an oath to remain fatherless until they’d split the kingdom after their father died.”

“But they never got the chance…”

He shook his head sadly. “No, but even if they had, they’d all been so popular with the ladies that I doubted said vow had any meaning to begin with.”

“But the fact that I have powers,” he’d murmured as he gazed into his open palms. “Do you really think that it means I’m related to the last king?”

Geron nodded, “I do. From what Kokaf and the others tell me, it sounds as if your powers are nearly identical to your great-grandfather’s.”

“But…if I’m the descendant of the king, does that mean?”

Geron nodded as he took a seat on the bed next to him, “By law, I do suppose the kingdom, or rather what’s left of it is yours, if you so wish to claim it.”

“You don’t have to,” his aunt interjected. “Not if you feel as if the burden will be too much to bear-,”

“This burden that we have is all because of me,” he said. His head lowered in shame. “I’m the reason why the Atlanteans are attacking, so if anyone should be shouldering the burden for this. Then it’s me.”  He’d slid off the bed as he’d stopped in front of Allepac. “I won’t fault any of you for walking away,” he’d started. 

Geron and his aunt had exchanged uneasy looks. 

“Ay son,” Geron protested as he stood to his feet. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“What?”

“As a general, I’d swear my allegiance first and foremost to my king and my country. I did it for your great-grandfather and your grandfather. So why not you?”

His aunt nodded, “he’s right. We’ve already come this far, Erlan. Why stop now?”

“We could fail-,”

“We could, but what other option do we have? The Atlanteans have declared war upon us. But I know you’ve been preparing for this, haven’t you? The weapons you’ve been building. The warriors you’ve been recruiting and training as well as the alliances you’ve created. It’s why you even blessed Kokaf’s marriage to Saraki…All of that has been leading to this very moment.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “I wanted to make sure that if they’d declared war, then they wouldn’t just be fighting us. They’d be fighting the world.”

“But they’d conquered the world-,” Geron started.

“As individual countries, yes. But as United forces hell bent on vengeance? No.” He’d turned back to Allepac. “I may need your help once more, just to ensure last-minute reparations. And proper training.”

“ Consider it done,” it answered, much to his surprise. “ Do not mistake this for charity. We only wish to see you succeed if it will mean that the shard fails.”

“Great,” he’d sighed. “But I suppose beggars can’t be choosers so I’ll take all the help I can get.” He'd turn back to his aunt and Geron, gratitude filled his eyes as he'd bowed and smiled. "Thank you. Both of you, for everything." The other two nodded, their voices becoming muffled as Asha watched the scene blur and meld before her. 

Now she and the star were standing on the outskirts of the kingdom, where she could see a proud yet beautiful castle sitting in the far-off distance. Fireflies gently circled as she heard the incoming waves crash on the nearby shore. 

She'd watched the figures of Erlann and several warriors appear on the beach. All were in battle armor wearing silver stones around their necks as she’d noted that their eyes were all a startling shade of gray. All save for Geron, whose eyes remained a deep brown.

 Several mounted their ships as Erlan stood there, talking to them. They nodded. Their ships took off, leaving Geron alone with Erlan. The two had exchanged words that she couldn’t quite hear before they’d embraced. 

 Geron had stopped to stare off into the distance, his eyes meeting hers before he’d turned his attention back to what he was doing.

Then they departed. 

Geron on his ship.  

Erlan, on Allepac. 

[prata-isms]

11pm dinner with a spy?

Rook Hunt x GN! reader!! (although no one is ever really specified!!)

A/N: oldie but goodie! I saw this thing on tt over my sis’s shoulder and it was kinda funny!! rook’s stalker tendencies help the French government out lol. so here! (@x011011x this is for u babes)

“Ugh…”

You tiredly ascend the stairs to your flat, the promise of a restful sleep in the comfort of your bed the only thing stopping you from just dropping dead and clocking out there.

“good god…working for the government is so stressful….”

You were a small-time record keeper, working as a liaison between your city and the Federal government. A thankless job, really, one that most people don’t even know that much about.

“uuuuuuugh.” you groan, a small spark of releif brot forth at the sight of your apartment’s door. “finally, I can slee-”

The door was open.

A fraction, granted, one that no one would notice unless they were touching the door. But still. One of the habits you learn to pick up as a member of the Government is to double-triple-quadruple check your doors and windows. you may seem small to the people, but to other nations, you could be the gateway to a nation’s decline.

What was once exhaustion turned into a sense of alertness. you quickly took off your shoes, taking immense care not to make a sound as you padded into the apartment.

you quickly slip into your bedroom, and after some panicked rummaging, pull out the closest thing to a weapon that you owned : a bat.

Slowly slinking into the kitchen, you catch the sight of blonde hair, and soon the full form of a person, their back turned to you, greeted you.

getting into position, you took a step forward, your bat poised and at the ready.

another step… and another….

“ah, hello hello! you are finally home!”

the person turns, purple eyes gazing into yours before closing, accompanied with a toothy smile.

“w-what are you doing in my flat???”

“well..” the man stirs something in the pot that you only just noticed. “you weren’t home, and I felt a bit bored. so I thought I would make myself , and perhaps my target, some food.”

“you….how is that even….target?” you fumble through your words, struggling through which question to ask first.

The man laughs. “you are part of the government, no? You must have your fair share of… ah, well…spies.”

He looks at you again, and with another wide smile, he gestures for you to sit down.

“now now! no need for hostilities! as you can see I have not brought any weapons-”

You point at the kitchen knives, too dangerously close to his hands to your liking.

He follows your finger, and he lets out a playful “tsk”.

“Ah,” he chuckles, “I lied. I meant I don’t have any weapons on my person-”

Another hand shoots up, and this time you point at the fork he was stirring with.

He looks at it, as if considering stabbing you, and for a moment you wished you weren’t so brash with this seemingly easy-going spy or assassin or whatever.

“ah yes, I lied again. You seem to have calculated everything!”

He puts down the utensil, and begins rummaging for plates.

“Mon Dieu, you really have one of everything?”

“I’m one person…? government workers aren’t supposed to invite people over anyway..”

“Ah well, I can settle with a cup and spoon.” He sets up the table, and takes his place across from you, straw-blonde hair grazing his chin. He takes off his hat, setting it on the polished wood surface before eating.

“what do you want?” You huff, annoyed.

“nn? Ah, well..It is my first time in the Queendom.” He chuckles. “You probably think it crazy. Me, an international spy, never before setting foot in the Queendom? And having dinner with the target too?” he laughs to himself, shaking his head as he goes back to (attempting to) eating with a spoon, out of a mug.

“your lucky none of the agents never caught you.” you mutter, fork poking at the fairly aromatic dish.

“Pffffffft! Those silly bodygaurds of yours? apprehending moi?” he is full blown laughing now, almost choking on the food he had made.

“aha, you are one silly little filou. I like you.”

[silvfyre-writings]

Snapshots Pt. 1 (BSD Fanfic)

Welcome, welcome, because I don't have enough WIPs to focus on apparently, I am bringing another one to the table, but this time, it's a oneshot series, so yay. How many chapters will it be? Who knows, we're just going on a ride until I run out of stories to share or my motivation dies!

The goal of this actually is to help improve my short story skills, so none of the chapters should be over 3k words but uhhhh, it's me, so who knows really.

Anyway, Ranpoe nation, BE FED! And leave a like or comment or a reblog if you enjoyed~

Poe wasn’t a stranger to nightmares.

They’d been a part of his life ever since he was a child, and while they had lessened over the years, they were still frequent enough to ensure that a decent night’s sleep was nothing more than long forgotten memory. The nightmares when he’d been a child had all been about the same thing; glass bottles shattering, and heavy hands throwing him about. But as he’d grown up, they’d slowly begun to change depending on his situation. As a teenager, they’d been about the monsters and demons he wrote about hunting him down and tearing him to pieces. As an adult, after he’d met Ranpo—and after he’d joined the Guild, he’d become haunted by the gifted detective from Japan; dreams of the man he despised so much, taunting, and mocking him. Sometimes his dreams were filled with the faces of the people the Guild killed in their line of work. He may not have killed those people directly, but he was part of the Guild and that was enough to warrant him dreaming about them.

But now things had changed.

He was no longer a member of the Guild, no longer anything really, and he was living in a foreign country far from the land that had been his home for twenty-eight years. But the most major change to his life was that he was no longer alone. Sure, he’d never truly been alone before in the Guild; he’d had Karl of course, but he’d also been comfortable with the quieter members of the Guild to sometimes socialise with them. Well… more like when he was forced into socializing, because for the six years he was with the Guild, most of that time was spent planning for Fitzgerald and plotting his revenge against Ranpo.

And speaking of Ranpo…

If you’d ever told Poe that one day, he’d wind up falling in love and dating the man he’d been plotting to kill for six years, he would’ve laughed in your face. People didn’t fall in love with Poe, he just wasn’t the kind of man to be loved by others, so when his feelings had grown for Ranpo, he’d tried desperately to squash them down, knowing that the other wouldn’t return his own feelings, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin the friendship they’d built in such a short time. But what Poe hadn’t been expecting, was Ranpo to suddenly confess that he liked Poe more than a friend. That’d been a cluster of emotions that Poe hadn’t been ready to deal with, but Ranpo hadn’t given him time to think; he’d just kissed Poe and invited himself into Poe’s home and that was that.

So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when the topic of his nightmares shifted to Ranpo.

“No!” Poe jerked awake, the cry falling from his mouth before he could stop it, and he lay there, chest heaving and eyes wide. Images from the nightmare he’d just been trapped within flashed across his mind—a distinct false memory of watching Ranpo bleeding out in his arms, the memory is just vivid enough to make him reach out with an arm until it came into contact with the second person in the bed. He lay still for a moment, focused on calming down as his hand rested on top of Ranpo’s still sleeping form, using the rise and fall of Ranpo’s chest to help him slow his own breathing.

He was grateful in that moment, that Ranpo was a heavy sleeper, because it meant that while he lay there, stressed, and panicked after a nightmare, his partner continued to sleep away without a care in the world. Poe let out a sigh and sat up in the bed, scrubbing his face with his hands. There was no way that after a dream like that, he’d be able to go back to sleep, and while he’d love nothing more than to just sit in bed and just watch Ranpo—if only to reassure himself that the other was still very much alive and breathing—he didn’t want to accidentally wake the man.

So, he eased out of bed, and padded across the room towards the study that was attached; his intention was to sit and write until he felt tired enough to sleep again, but it would also allow him to be able to still see Ranpo and keep an eye on him, just like he’d been told to do so by a doctor. With another glance towards Ranpo, Poe sat at his desk and turned on the lamp before dragging some blank papers towards him and began to write, letting the words fall from his mind to the paper where a story began to form.

Poe didn’t know how long he’d been writing for when he heard footsteps behind him, but he didn’t panic when they came to a halt behind him, nor when he felt Ranpo’s arms wrap around his bare shoulders and a chin came to rest on top of his head. Neither of them moved for a couple of minutes, but Ranpo was the first to break the silence; breaking into a coughing fit before he moved to kiss Poe’s temple. “Nightmare?”

Poe sighed, and placed down the pen he’d been writing with, relaxing into Ranpo’s hold. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I woke myself up with this stupid cough.” Ranpo rasped, and pulled away to cough a few times into the crook of his arm. This was why Poe had done his absolute best to avoid waking Ranpo; the detective had been sick with chest infection for a couple of weeks now, so he needed all the rest he could get, something that was hard to do when you consistently woke yourself up with coughing.

“I’ll get you some medicine.” Poe made to stand, only for Ranpo to tighten his grip.

“I’m fine, but you need some more sleep. It’s still early, come back to bed?”

Poe thought about, he really thought about, because he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed and get some more sleep, but all he could think about was that dream he’d had; Ranpo with blood spilling from his lips as he lay there, bleeding out and dying in Poe’s arms no matter how much Poe had begged him to keep holding on. He’d woken up before Ranpo had actually died, because that was just how his nightmares always worked, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying—any less real.

And Poe couldn’t go back to sleep knowing that he might have to live through that again.

“I think I’ll just get some writing done instead, love.” Poe turned his head and brushed his lips against Ranpo’s cheek. “You should get back to bed though, you’re still recovering.”

“And this is the third night you’ve stayed up after having a nightmare.” Ranpo stepped around to the side of Poe’s chair and tugged at his hands until Poe was standing. Ranpo moved closer and squeezed his hands, looking up at Poe with concern on his face. “Tell me what it was about?”

Poe shook his head and dropped his gaze. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because it involves you.”

Ranpo stood there, visibly thinking for only a few seconds before his face softened even more, and he began to guide Poe back towards the bedroom, slowly and carefully, like Ranpo is afraid that he’ll spook if they move any faster. “I’m not going anywhere, Edgar. I’m right here, talking to you, and still breathing. Nightmares are scary, but you can’t let them win.”

“It felt so real though.” Edgar tried to argue.

“Of course it did, that’s what nightmares are good at.” They had arrived back at the bed now, and Poe watched as Ranpo crawled back under the covers, holding them up and staring at Poe expectantly. Poe shifted uneasily and sighed, giving in to Ranpo’s silent demand and returned to bed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, but he also knew that if he hadn’t returned to bed, Ranpo would’ve kicked up a fuss and his partner was supposed to be resting, so it was just easier to give in. Poe made to pull Ranpo into his arms like he usually did when they went to sleep together, only to suddenly find himself being the one held.

Poe blinked as Ranpo wrapped his arms around his waist and buried his face between his shoulder blades. “Ranpo…?”

“I cling when I’m sleep, so if you have another nightmare, you’ll wake up being held by me. It’ll help you feel less afraid if you wake up and can feel my warmth, my heart beating, all that sappy stuff, ya know?” Ranpo explained with a cough. “And before you worry about waking me, remember I sleep like the—I sleep heavy. I won’t wake up if you do.”

Poe smiled, and relaxed into Ranpo’s hold. He did know, and he appreciated it. Exhaustion danced at the edges of his mind, and he closed his eyes, shuffling closer towards Ranpo to get comfortable. He listened closely to Ranpo’s breathing, listening as it slowly evened out as his partner drifted back to sleep, his hold on Poe loosening, but still warm. It’s that comfort, that allows Poe to snag onto the vestiges of sleep that have been taunting him since he first awoke, and drag them towards himself.

Sleep comes easy for him this time, knowing that if he does wake again in fear, that Ranpo will be there to remind him it’s not real.

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

i am the witch of the water / i come like a thief in the night

1. water witch - the secret sisters ft. brandi carlile

i am the witch of the water / i come like a thief in the night / bewitched by invisible forces / to lead you away from the light

this song is the reason this playlist exists. it was also my most-listened song of 2020.

2. you should see me in a crown - billie eilish

i'm gonna run this nothing town / watch me make 'em bow / one by, one by, one by one

this feels like a joke bc it's such a popular #girlboss song but hama does run that little town and make them physically bow. and that old man was falling for those ocean eyes...

3. running with the wolves - aurora

there's blood on your lies / the sky's open wide / there is nowhere for you to hide / the hunter's moon is shining

hama feels that her vengeful hunt under the full moon is justified.

4. sisters of the moon - fleetwood mac

be my sister, sister, sister of the moon

hama to katara.

5. night of the worm moon - shana cleveland

i've always been here / stuck inside the wall / i watch you breathe / you never noticed me at all / and when I come for you / i’ll freeze your blood

hama lives quietly under the radar in her town - until she comes for you and your blood.

6. après moi - regina spektor

be afraid of the old / they'll inherit your souls / be afraid of the cold / they'll inherit your blood / après moi le deluge / after me comes the flood

sometimes you just find the perfect song for your character playlist - so much hama-appropriate imagery of blood and flood and old and cold.

7. deeper well - emmylou harris

so i ran with the moon and i ran with the night / and the three of us were a terrible sight

about hama's journey in the fire nation, plumbing new depths of waterbending even as the quest for vengeance destroys her.

8. we the common (for valerie bolden) - thao & the get down stay down

all they wanted was a villain, a villain / and all they had was me / all they wanted was a villain, a villain / so then they just took me

a song about thao's experiences doing prison advocacy work and thus, apt for hama - she was not a villain when they took her and imprisoned her. she only became one when their cruelty forced her to desperate measures.

[prolestariwrites]

The Wish [9]

Fandom: Devil May Cry

Characters: Dante, Vergil, Nero, V, Lady, Eva, Sparda, OC

Rating: General

Tags: Family, Humor, Fluff, Angst, Typical demon hunting violence

Summary: A demon gives Dante the chance to have his greatest desires made real. When he finds himself in a seemingly idyllic life, all seems well until it starts to unravel. Will he sacrifice himself to save the family he lost, or will he choose to give them up for the truth?

Now Posted: The final chapter, now completed after a three-year hiatus.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Chapter 9: The Past Returns, Again

Dante is shaken awake, jolting out of a deep sleep. “Huh?” he grunts as his eyes blink open, rolling to find Lir gripping his arm.

“Dante,” she says worriedly. “You need to see this.”

He sits up as she grabs the remote control, turning up the volume on the small television in their motel room. The news is on—breaking news, as evidenced by the large red letters that splash across the chyron.

He slides to the end of the bed where Lir sits, and the two are silent as they watch the report next to one another. “—National Guard, although there is still no indication if this is a domestic or foreign terrorist. Evacuations continue for the uptown area, and all citizens are urged to take shelter. Mayor Morrison has asked everyone to avoid the roads so that emergency services—”

“What's going on?” Dante finally asks.

Lir changes the channel to another newscast. This one has footage from a helicopter, and his eyes go wide as he recognizes the huge tower now standing in the center of several city blocks, reaching two or even three hundred stories tall. “Temen-ni-gru?“ he groans to himself.

”So it is connected. Is it your father?“ Lir turns to him worriedly. ”The reports are saying...“

Her voice fades and he swallows uneasily. ”I need to call Vergil.“

His brother picks up on the first ring. ”What the hell?“ he shouts. ”What the hell did you do?“

”It's the old man,“ Dante growls. ”You think I'd do this shit? He's raised the damn portal, just like you tried to do.“

Vergil goes quiet for a moment before asking, ”I did? Why?“

”For some bullshit power. But I don't think that's his plan.“ Dante sighs as he glances back at the television. ”Can you meet me there?“

Lir insists on going too, even though he tries to put his foot down. But she won't be left behind, so they climb into the car together before Dante begins to maneuver through the busy streets. Luckily most people are trying to get away from the tower, not go towards it like him, and it takes just a short drive to get as far as they can before hitting a roadblock.

Dante throws the car into park and gets out, remembering to bring Rebellion this time. ”Stay here,“ he orders.

”And get eaten by some demon? No way.“ Lir quickly scurries out behind him, picking up a piece of broken rock on the ground to hold as a weapon. It would make him laugh if it wasn't so ridiculous.

Honestly she's probably just as much in danger here than with him, so Dante just grumbles as she follows. The ground is broken beneath their feet, the force of the tower ahead having broken the concrete as it rose. Buildings on either side are in various states of brokenness, giving the place the look of some dystopian nightmare. Abandoned cars lay along the sides of the road, and Dante is grateful that there aren't any corpses on the ground.

His pocket buzzes and they stop as he fishes out his phone. ”Vergil?“

”Where are you?“

Dante looks around. ”Uh, looks like what used to be 30th Street?“

Vergil sighs. ”We're on the other side. I'll meet you inside the tower.“

”Okay, but Verge—“

The call ends before he can finish, and Dante curses as he stuffs the phone back in his pocket. ”You still good?“ he asks Lir as they start off again.

”Yeah,“ she replies, her voice shaking with nerves.

It's not until they are nearly at the entrance that they begin to encounter the first demons. Dante dispatches them easily, his muscles slightly sore from the fights the night before but thankfully remembering his maneuvers easily. It's much quicker to kill the demons with Rebellion, and he can't help but smile to himself when he catches Lir watching with awe.

Once the place is cleared of the demons he gives her a wink. ”Easy as pie,“ he says.

Lir laughs, making his skin heat, and together they head inside. The memory of the tower comes flooding back, and he looks over his shoulder, half expecting Lady to come busting through on a motorcycle. Instead, they enter the main hall and hear two voices arguing.

Vergil and Mary are there, along with the boys. ”You're not going anywhere!“ Mary is shouting.

”I have to!“ Vergil insists. ”You have no idea what you're talking about.“

”Hey, hey,“ Dante says, quickly hurrying over to the bickering couple. ”Let's all calm down.“

”You.“ Mary pokes him in the chest hard, and Dante stumbles back a few steps. ”What the hell is wrong with you? What did you do to Vergil, and what the hell is all this, and why—“

Dante holds up his hands. “Look, I'd love to fill you in, but in a few minutes this place is going to be swarming with bad guys. So why don't you all go back to the car and wait, okay? I'll make sure nothing happens to Vergil.”

Vergil seems to scoff at this and Dante braces himself for an argument; at the same time, Mary opens her mouth to yell more, but is interrupted when Vitale says, “What is that thing?”

The group turns to see a huge, three-headed dog step through the entryway. “Get back!” Dante yells, throwing out one arm.

”Dante!“

He ignores Lir's startled cry as he steps forward. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Vergil matching pace with him, drawing Yamato out of its sheath. ”You sure about this?“ Dante asks. ”I've kicked its ass before. I can do it again.”

“I'm sure,” Vergil replies.

Dante takes a glance over his shoulder to see the others heading for cover behind a pillar. Relieved they are somewhat safe, he darts ahead, moving in an arc parallel to Vergil. Together they reach the Cerberus at the same time, and with an angry cry Vergil jumps as Dante goes low, both slashing at the monster.

They work together with amazing speed, and Dante even finds himself laughing as Vergil takes off one of the heads, his own Rebellion plunging through its heart underneath. The spray of blood is warm and familiar, and Dante wonders if it would have been like this, had he and Vergil been able to stick together back in his world. They really do make a great team, killing the Cerberus almost as quickly as it arrived, and when the beast finally falls to the ground in a heap they skid to a stop next to each other, both grinning wildly as they catch their breath.

“Jackpot!” Dante shouts, pumping his fist in the air.

He offers his fist to Vergil, who bumps it with his own after a moment's hesitation. “I forgot you used to say that,” he huffs.

Dante grins. ”Can't catch your breath, old man?“

”You wish.“

He hears his name and turns, and a moment later Lir is in his arms, pulling him into a kiss. Her lips linger on his for a long moment, making Dante feel like this is all worth it after all. When she finally pulls back, Lir is grinning, and he thinks he’s never seen anything so beautiful. ”That was incredible!“ she exclaims, her eyes bright as she looks him over. ”You're not hurt, are you?“

”Me? Nah.“ Dante grins as he slings an arm around her. Usually when he fights demons he's lucky if he gets a thank you; typically it's a bill for destroyed property and a few choice words from the client. But he feels a real sense of accomplishment as Lir presses against him, watching as Mary fusses over Vergil and the boys chat excitedly.

”That was so cool!“

”Did you see all the blood?“

”Dad, you took its head right off! How did you do that?“

Vergil looks confused, shaking his head as Mary presses her hands to his face. ”I...“ He scratches his head. ”I don't know.“

”Uncle Dante, that was amazing,“ Nero gushes. ”Can I try it next?“

”No,“ Mary and Vergil answer together.

The tower suddenly shakes, and they look up as dust falls from the ceiling. ”We need to get going,“ Dante says as Vergil nods. He pulls Lir away and presses a kiss to her forehead. ”Just stay with the others, please? We need to get the old man back.“

”Dante...“

She definitely wants to protest, but Mary takes her arm. ”Let's leave it to them,“ she says. ”I think I've had enough demon hunting for one lifetime.“

Dante snorts, and with the boys protesting that they want to go too, the twins head to the staircase that leads to the upper floors. It has been years since he navigated the tower, and his memory fails once or twice as they take a wrong turn. But it mostly comes back as he reaches familiar areas, and he and Vergil easily take care of the demons that pop up in the hallways as they head towards the top of the tower.

When they reach the library, Dante feels a bout of trepidation, remembering when he left Lady there to confront Vergil. But this time it's different; his brother is beside him, not ahead, and his nerves strangely settle as they step out onto the platform on the highest level of the tower.

Sparda is there, as expected. He watches a spell that swarms in the air ahead, strange writing and patterns swirling in a glowing green. ”Yo, pop!“ Dante shouts, and Sparda jumps. ”What the fuck, man?“

He turns with a furious look on his face. ”What are you doing here? Go home!“

”You destroyed the city!“ Vergil fumes, stalking ahead until he can grab the front of their father's shirt. ”What is this? You raised a demon tower? What is wrong with you?“

”I did it for you boys,“ Sparda argues, shrugging out of Vergil's grip. ”Dante is right. It's too dangerous to let these portals exist. Mundus can break through at any time.“

”So what's the plan?“ Dante sighs, slinging Rebellion over his shoulder. ”Gonna draw him out and fight him?“

”No,“ Sparda replies. He swallows thickly as he presses his lips together tightly before responding, ”I'm going to go and defeat him.“

”You're what?“

”I'm going back to Hell,“ Sparda repeats. ”I need to finish what I should have done years ago.“

Vergil frowns but Dante laughs. ”Yeah, you're not doing shit.“

”Dante—“

”I don't need to tell you what a huge mistake that plan is, right?“ Dante asks. ”Because of all the ideas that the Spardas ever had, this is probably the dumbest.“

Sparda bristles a bit but Vergil shakes his head. ”Dad. You can't... What about mom?“

Their father shifts uncomfortably. ”She'll have you boys, and—“

”Are you crazy?“ Dante's voice shakes with anger, his temper flaring as he continues, ”You know what happened last time you took off? Mom died. Demons showed up at our house and burned it to the ground. Vergil and I were nearly killed. And not just us, Dad.

“You know how many families lose people with the demons running around? What it does to this city? Fuck, there's a goddamn cult that starts up and tries to breed it's own damn demons, because you left! You can't keep doing this. You can't keep...”

Sparda's expression is pure shock, and Dante grits his teeth, trying to get a hold of his emotions. “This isn't going to end the way you want it to,” he finally finishes.

His father looks at him sadly. “Dante...” Sparda winces and looks between the two brothers. “Vergil. I never wanted this curse to land on your shoulders.”

“Then don't leave,” Dante says. “Your leaving is what starts everything.”

Sparda nods before turning back to the spell. He lifts an arm and begins to chant, but before he can contain the magic a demonic voice sounds through the tower, making even the walls shake.

“Sparda. Finally.”

“What is that?” Vergil asks wildly.

But Dante and Sparda exchange a glance as a burst of power comes from below. They back up as the runes grow bright, then blood red, before exploding in a shower of stars. Dante holds up his arm to shield his eyes, Vergil doing the same. But Sparda stands unmoving as a huge, winged figure is revealed in the wake of the broken spell.

It stands at least twenty feet tall, its wings opening to nearly the width of the tower. “Mundus,” Sparda says with disgust. “So you've broken my seal.”

Mundus laughs, the noise like a growl. “It may have taken me three thousand years, but you could not escape me forever. Once you began your spell, I was ready with my own.”

“Shit, what do we do?” Vergil hisses.

Dante shakes his head but Sparda glances back at them over his shoulder. “Stay here,” he says. “This is my fight.”

“Like hell it is,” Dante argues. “We can help.”

But Sparda ignores them as he steps forward. His hair blows wildly behind him, his shirt flapping as magic swells around them. His palms glow as the power is rapidly drawn forth, and Vergil grips Dante's arm, both in question and in alarm.

The fight between the two demons is brutal. Magic sails between them in an elaborate dance that shakes the Temen-ni-gru and fills the air with electricity. The sons of Sparda can only watch as their father faces the King of Hell, holding onto each other to keep steady as the ground beneath them rocks with each attack.

It could have been ten minutes or ten hours, Dante could never tell. Never had he imagined such a display, even when he faced Mundus himself, even watching Nero take on the Savior, even when he and Vergil had their final, fateful fight. This is truly a fight between gods, and Dante can't help but feel a deep pride in his father's power, but also a deep sadness. He has the capability of saving the world, but only at the expense of his own family. How is any of this fair, to anyone?

The fight is nearly won, and Sparda opens the portal to Hell as Mundus staggers. Dante and Vergil brace themselves against the incredible winds that now swirl around the tower, watching in amazement as Sparda methodically takes down Mundus bit by bit.

So focused on defeating him, Sparda does not see the spear that appears just outside of the portal. Mundus is forced back, and as he steps into the portal his hand darts out to take hold of the demon weapon. Dante can see it clearly in his mind's eye: Mundus is defeated, being sent back to the demon world, but the spear will run Sparda through. But unlike when Dante did the same with Rebellion, this one will kill him.

With a cry he jumps forward, ignoring Vergil's shout as he steps into the fray. Sparda does not see him until the last second, no time to even say his name before Dante pushes him out of the way. The spear goes through his chest, making him stagger to the side, and the searing pain of the demon spear sparks a pain that he has never, ever experienced before.

Mundus is already disappearing as Dante falls to one knee. “Dante!” Sparda cries, grabbing his arm as Vergil hurries over to take the other. Dante leans forward, spitting out blood as he tries to take a breath, his lungs seared and bleeding, making it impossible. He falls backwards, the world slowing as the faces of his father and brother swirl overhead. At least they will be safe, he thinks, and then he remembers to wince as his head cracks on the ground.

“Dante? Dante!”

Someone is shaking him, and a bang brings him back to the present. Was that a dream? Is Lir shaking him awake in the motel room again? ”What?“ he rasps.

”Jesus Christ I thought you were dead. Fuck, get up.“

Nero's voice makes his eyes pop open. Slowly Dante sits up, his lungs tight as he presses a hand to his chest. There's no spear or hole, just his torn t-shirt and about a liter of blood all over him. He blinks the stars out of his vision and looks over at Nero, who is kneeling next to him. ”Must have really hit hard,“ Nero says. ”Damn, I've never seen you actually black out.“

”I what?“ Dante looks up, his vision swimming. ”Where's the queen?“

”Dead.“ Nero gives him a wink as he spins Blue Rose on his finger. ”Two bullets right between the eyes did the trick.“

”Did it...“ The dream is fading, just out of grasp, and Dante frowns. ”What the fuck happened to me?“

”Hell if I know. Come on, we should go.“

Nero hauls him to his feet and Dante stands awkwardly, trying to remember. ”Did... where's Mundus?“ he asks.

”Mundus?“ Nero makes a face. ”What made you think of that fucker? It was just a swarm. You sure you're okay?“

”Yeah, yeah...“ Bits and pieces come back: Vergil, Mary, the Temen-ni-gru. He looks at Nero and sees he is no longer a teenager. ”Yeah. Weird, weird dream or something while I was out.“

Nero laughs and claps him on the arm. ”Let's go get a drink.“

A week later, Dante sits at his desk, frowning down at the notebook on top. He had jotted down the bits of his dream he had remembered, but there was still so much that was missing. He had told Lady she was in his dream and that earned him a knock on the jaw, so the rest he had kept to himself, making notes on the shop and his parents and the fight on the tower. Dante couldn't seem to shake it, the dream clinging to his skin like the dampness after a shower.

Something was missing.

The bell above the door jingles, making him grit his teeth. Patty had put that up despite his specific instructions not to, and he had been meaning to take it down right after he checked on the seals in his dream. ”Yeah?“ he grouses.

Dante looks up to see a woman step through the door, looking around curiously. Her eyes fall on him and he sits up, wishing he was wearing a clean shirt. She has light hair, almost white, that frames her pretty face in a trendy little bob. Her outfit is casual but cute, and Dante notices right away how good the jeans look on her as she walks across the room towards his desk. And when she smiles at him in greeting, his heart jumps.

”Hi,“ she says. ”I'm looking for some help.“

”Help? I can help.“ Dante jumps up, sending his leather chair rolling, and he clears his throat as he steps around the desk. He offers her a smile as he leans one leg up against the edge, trying to look cool. ”What can I help you with?“

She looks him up and down. ”You, uh... work here?“ she asks skeptically.

”Not only that, but I own this place.“ Her brows draw in so he quickly straightens, deciding being professional will be better. ”I'm Dante,“ he offers, holding out his hand.

She still looks unconvinced but at least takes it. ”I'm Lir,“ she replies.

”What can I do for you, Lir?“ he asks.

Lir smiles again, and he thinks it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his entire life.