#movement crystal city

[averagehighlife]

Fun V8 while I visited home. Compression and anything heel hook heavy is my favorite!

[yamujiburo]

Ketchum vs. Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

Woo! Finale time! I wanted to make this final battle feel special and give it more substance than I could do with just a comic. So! I got the help of @cyberwulf to write out this ending in fanfic form! Check it out here on AO3 if you prefer! If not, the journey continues below the cut~

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James Sidestory / Meowth Sidestory

A lot has happened since our Poké Moms began their journey. After a rocky start…

“*SQUAWK*”

…they’ve managed to catch some new Pokémon…

“Run! Run! Run!”

…in their own way.

“What a cute baby! You know, I have a son, too!”

With their month on the road almost up, Delia had just one more thing she wanted to do…

“I want to beat the Cerulean City Gym!”

But little did Delia know, there was a surprise waiting for her in Cerulean City!

“MOM??? JESSIE???”

“Let’s have a double battle! You and Ash versus Jessie and I!”

“You’re on! But I’m not going easy on you just cuz you’re family!”

“…What’s going on?”

Poké Mom Adventures

EP009

Ketchum vs Ketchum! Showdown in Cerulean City!

The water of the Cerulean gym battlefield glistened in the sunshine streaming through its crystal glass roof. Both teams gazed at each other with steely determination (and some lingering confusion, in Misty’s case) as above them, the Drone Rotom announced the rules.

“This will be a double battle between Gym Leader Misty and Champion Ash, and the challengers Delia and Jessie.” It projected a holographic image of both teams. “For today’s battle, each trainer may use two Pokémon. The battle is over when all of one team’s Pokémon can no longer battle.”

“All right!” Misty declared. “This is an official League battle for the Cascade badge!”

“And bragging rights!” Jessie added with a smirk.

“We’ll see about that!” Ash retorted. Misty glanced at him, taking in his clenched fists and gritted teeth. She’d seen Ash determined before, but… there was something here that she was missing. However, with the Drone Rotom hovering expectantly overhead, finding out what that something was would have to wait.

“Come out – Corsola!”

The Coral Pokémon landed on the rock in front of her, eagerly crying its name.

“This is a water-themed gym, so I’ll go with a Water-Type,” Ash remarked. “Oshawott, I choose you!”

“That’s the spirit, Ash!” Misty exclaimed. “It’s the job of a Gym Leader to help trainers learn type advantage and weaknesses by specialising in one kind of Pokémon, and around here that’s Water-Types!”

“Water, huh?” Jessie frowned as she considered the three Pokémon she had on hand. “Well, I don’t want my delicate little Ziggy to get her fur wet.” With a flourish, she tossed a Pokéball high in the air. “Go, Venomoth!”

The Poison Moth Pokémon emerged, hovering over the water.

“It’s a shame we don’t have any Grass or Electric-types,” Delia mused. “I guess we’ll just have to do our best with what we have.” Pushing her bangs out of her face, she called, “I choose you!”

Ash and Misty’s jaws dropped as the light from Delia’s Pokéball coalesced into a very large, very stern-looking Kangaskhan.

“I didn’t know your mom had such a strong Pokémon,” Misty whispered.

“Neither did I,” Ash whispered back. Movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked down at his starter Pokémon. “Something wrong, Pikachu?”

“Pika…”

Pikachu gazed across the water at Kangaskhan, ears and tail up, alert to… something. But before anyone could figure out what had caught his attention, there was a small cry.

“Kangaskhan!”

The baby squirmed, spooked by the glistening water lapping all around the rock. She buried her face in her mother’s belly and cried again. Cradling her young protectively, Kangaskhan gave Delia an apologetic look.

“Oh, of course!” Delia exclaimed. “I’m so sorry. Kangaskhan, return.” Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called across the battlefield. “That doesn’t count as one of my Pokémon, does it?”

“Of course not, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty shouted back. “Please choose another Pokémon!”

“If she’s got one,” Ash said with a confident smirk. “I’m betting she’ll send out Mimey.”

“I choose you… Clefairy!”

“Looks like you bet wrong, Ash,” Misty laughed as Ash stared in surprise at the Fairy Pokémon.

Above them, the Drone Rotom moved into position.

“Begin!”

“All right, Oshawott!” Ash called out. “Open up with an Aqua Jet!”

With a determined cry, Oshawott blasted a jet of water across the field, hitting Clefairy square in the belly and knocking the Fairy Pokémon off the rock and into the water.

“Ash Ketchum!” Delia exclaimed reproachfully. “That wasn’t very nice!”

Thrown off-guard, Ash gulped. “S-sorry!” (Oh man - I can’t believe I’m actually battling my mom!)

On the opposite side of the battlefield, a wet and bedraggled Clefairy clambered back up on the rock ridge, scowling at her attacker.

“Shake it off, Clefairy!” Delia urged as her Pokémon did just that, sending a fine shower of water droplets flying from her pink fur. “Use Disarming Voice!”

With a deep breath, Clefairy shot a vortex of pink hearts towards Oshawott, taking the Sea Otter Pokémon by surprise and knocking him into the water.

“Good work, Deerling!” Jessie shouted triumphantly. “Now it’s my turn!” She pointed at Corsola. “Venomoth, use Poison Sting!”

Venomoth hovered uncertainly for a few moments, then looked back at her.

“It doesn’t look like Venomoth knows that move, honey,” Delia remarked.

“Well, Dustox knew that move!” Jessie protested. “Venomoth should know it too, aren’t they both Bug-types?”

Venomoth just blinked at her.

“You really don’t know what moves your Pokémon knows?” Misty asked incredulously.

“Of course I do, just – just let me think!” Jessie spluttered, clenching her fists. “All right, Venomoth – use Gust!”

Venomoth didn’t move.

“Whirlwind!” Jessie tried. “Psybeam! …Tackle?”

Venomoth looked back and forth between Jessie and the battlefield as it fluttered about agitatedly, utterly confused by the barrage of unfamiliar orders.

“This is just sad,” Misty muttered, getting a nod of agreement from Ash. Raising her voice, she called out, “Corsola! Use Spike Cannon!”

Corsola glowed, and a split second later a shower of glowing white spikes slammed into Venomoth, driving it backwards towards the trainer box.

“Oh, no!” Delia groaned in dismay, wringing her hands. “Maybe we should’ve practiced with our new Pokémon before coming here!”

“We’re not giving up!” Jessie snarled, clenching her fists. “Venomoth! Get back out there!”

With a trill, Venomoth shook off the spikes, and floated towards its opponents again.

“Corsola!” Misty called. “Hit it with another Spike Cannon!”

Corsola began to glow.

“Well don’t just hover there!” Jessie barked out. “It’s about to attack again!” Venomoth looked back at her, and Jessie gestured angrily towards the battlefield. “Just do something! Anything!”

Once more, glowing white spikes shot towards Venomoth. This time, however, Venomoth dove towards the attack, sweeping its wings in front of itself at the last minute. Blue blades of light cut through the barrage of spikes, one hitting Corsola and driving it back.

“That’s Air Slash!” Ash exclaimed.

“Air Slash, eh?” Jessie shot her opponents a triumphant smirk. “Venomoth! Use Air Slash on that pitiful pink Pokémon again!”

“Hang in there, Corsola!” Misty called as her Pokémon was driven back for a second time. “Use Recover!”

“Don’t let it recover, Venomoth!” Jessie yelled. “Air Slash again!”

As her Pokémon geared up for another attack, she noticed Delia gazing at her in rapture.

“You’re so ferocious when you battle, Smoochum,” Delia remarked dreamily. She lowered her voice, waggling her eyebrows. “It’s kinda hot.”

Jessie blushed and giggled. “Baaabe, not in front of the twerps.”

Misty wrinkled her nose in disgust. “…Smoochum?”

“Freak out later, Misty!” Ash yelled. Venomoth was bearing down on Corsola, and the Coral Pokémon didn’t have much left. “Oshawott! Use Hydro Pump on Venomoth to protect Corsola!”

Leaping high into the air, Oshawott sent a powerful jet of water directly at Jessie’s Venomoth. With a cry, the Poison Moth hit the floor between Jessie and Delia, bounced once, and fainted.

“Hey, no fair!” Jessie bellowed, stamping her foot. “I was distracted!” She recalled Venomoth with a scowl. “I ought to ground you for making me look bad!”

“This is really weird,” Misty mumbled.

“You have no idea,” Ash sighed wearily.

“All right, you big blue blob,” Jessie growled to her faithful Patient Pokémon, “get out there and let’s win this thing!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet waddled forward, straight into the water. Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose as Wobbuffet awkwardly clambered up onto the protruding rock.

“Wobbles can’t attack unless he’s attacked first,” Delia murmured to herself. “Oshawott is strong, and Corsola can use Recover to gain back health. That means I’ve got to make this next move count!” She looked to Clefairy, wet and winded but not out of the battle. It was risky, but…

“Clefairy! Use Metronome!”

“Metronome?!” Misty exclaimed as Clefairy began to move her fingers hypnotically back and forth. “Now anything can happen!”

“Hold tight, everybody!” Ash called, just as the Fairy Pokémon’s fingers turned white.

Razor-sharp leaves whipped through the air, striking Oshawott and Corsola. The Grass-Type move was too much for the dual Rock/Water Type, and Corsola collapsed into the water, fainted. Oshawott was driven back against the rock ridge, and Ash held his breath, but the Drone Rotom only counted Corsola out.

“Oshawott! You hanging in there, buddy?”

With a grimace, the Sea Otter Pokémon gave him a determined nod. “Osha!”

“Ha!” Jessie cried triumphantly. “Now we’re even!” She clenched her fists, calling tauntingly across the battlefield. “Who’s next, twerpette? Togepi? Psyduck?”

“She sure is cocky for being down to just Wobbuffet,” Ash muttered.

“Not for long,” Misty replied with a smirk. She plucked her second Pokéball from her hip.

“Go – Gyarados!”

Delia’s eyes widened and Jessie took several steps back as the gigantic Pokémon appeared in the water. It glowered down at both trainers, making Delia swallow hard.

(Now’s not the time to lose my nerve! Gyarados is just a Pokémon like any other. All I have to do is-)

“Hey!” Jessie exclaimed angrily. “No fair using such a powerful Pokémon! What, are Staryu and Starmie at the Pokémon Centre or something?!”

Taken aback, Misty gaped at the former Team Rocket member in disbelief. “Since when do you care about playing fair?”

“Since you decided to use that monstrosity on a first-time trainer!” Jessie retorted with a shake of her fist. “That’s cheating!”

Misty paused, almost second-guessing her choice of Pokémon, when she remembered who she was dealing with. Squaring her shoulders, she shot back, “You’re not a first-time trainer!”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ash muttered.

“I heard that!” Jessie bawled.

“It’s okay, honey,” Delia murmured, placing her hand on Jessie’s shoulder. “We can beat them. We just need to use strategy!”

“Gyarados!” Misty called out. Jessie may not have been the best trainer, and her track record with him was hit or miss, but Wobbuffet could reflect almost any attack. It might just have been luck, but Clefairy’s Metronome had taken out Corsola and left Oshawott just barely hanging on. There was only one choice of target.

“Use Hurricane on Clefairy, now!”

Rearing back, Gyarados shot a powerful blast of air directly at the Fairy Pokémon, sending her flying back to the trainer box.

“Oh no!” Delia cried. She knelt by her stricken Pokémon’s side, but it was obvious even without Drone Rotom saying so that Clefairy couldn’t continue. “You did a wonderful job, Clefairy.” Recalling her Pokémon, she rose, pushed her bangs out of her eyes, and called her second Pokémon.

“Mimey, I choose you!”

Ash clenched his fists. No more surprises – he knew what Mimey was capable of. Oshawott was tough, but he’d taken a lot of damage. If the Sea Otter Pokémon only had one move left, then Ash had to make it count.

“Oshawott! Hit Mimey with Aqua Jet!”

“Mimey, dodge it!” Delia cried out.

The Barrier Pokémon leapt high in the air, leaving Ash to watch, powerless, as Aqua Jet splashed harmlessly on the ground between his mother and Jessie. But before he could call out another attack –

“Now, Mimey, Focus Punch on Oshawott!”

There was no time for Oshawott to get out of the way. Mimey dove straight down, fist outstretched, and scored a direct hit. Both Pokémon vanished underwater. All four trainers held their breath. After a few seconds, Mimey burst out of the water, effortlessly leaping onto the rock. A moment later Oshawott floated to the surface, fainted.

“Good work, Oshawott,” Ash murmured as he recalled his Pokémon. He turned to Pikachu. “Looks like my mom’s a tougher trainer than I thought. You ready, Pikachu?”

The yellow mouse nodded, one tiny fist raised. “Pika!”

“You be nice to us now, Pikachu!” Delia cheered brightly.

Jessie was less optimistic.

“Babe, this isn’t looking good,” she murmured urgently. “I’ve been beaten by that Pikachu a zillion times! And that Gyarados looks strong. And mean! I don’t know if…”

She trailed off as the other woman took her hands.

“Now you listen to me, Jessie Ketchum.” Delia gazed into her eyes, a look of fierce determination on her face. “A zillion battles. A zillion losses. Against that very Pikachu. And you never gave up. So you’re not gonna give up now! Okay?”

Jessie stared back at her. Time seemed to stand still. Delia’s fingers were warm on her own as her words of encouragement hung in the air.

“Jessie… Ketchum?”

With the briefest of nods, Delia turned to face their opponents.

“Ash honey, don’t you hold back just because I’m your mom!” she called. “We’re going to give it our all, even if we lose!”

“She’s a lot like you, Ash,” Misty laughed. As Ash tugged the brim of his hat down to hide his blush, she raised her voice and called to the challengers. “You’re doing great, Ms. Ketchum! I’m really impressed by your abilities as a trainer. Now show me you’re worthy of the Cascade badge!”

“Hey!” Jessie yelled indignantly. “What am I, chopped liver?! My Venomoth pushed your Corsola to the brink!”

Misty grimaced. This was all still too strange – Jessie was a good guy? Jessie and Ash’s mom were… partners? She struggled for something positive to say about Jessie’s performance so far.

“Uh – yeah!” she managed. “It was, uh, really great how you figured out that one move.”

Jessie put her hands on her hips. “Ugh, could you sound any more insincere?!”

With a growl of impatience, Ash cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled across the battlefield. “Hey! Are we gonna battle or what?”

“Oh, we’re battling, twerp,” Jessie shot back. “And we’re gonna win!”

Ash grinned. “You ready, Pikachu?” The yellow Pokémon turned to look at his trainer. Ash pointed. “Quick attack!”

“Ha!” Jessie scoffed as Pikachu zigzagged along the rock ridge. “Wobbuffet, use Counter!”

Pikachu leaped forward…

“On Mimey!”

Delia and Jessie gasped as Pikachu pivoted and went straight for the Barrier Pokémon. Taken by surprise, he took the full brunt of the attack, losing his balance and hitting the water.

“A fake out!” Delia exclaimed. She beamed at her son with pride. “That was so smart of you, honey! You had us completely fooled!”

“Baaabe!” Jessie hissed. “I get that you care about him – I do too – but right now he’s the enemy!”

Delia tapped her fist against her head, grinning nervously. “Oh, right!”

“This is hurting my brain,” Misty groaned.

“How do you think I feel?” Ash grumbled.

Delia took a moment to centre herself and assess the situation. Pikachu didn’t have a Type advantage, but his Electric attacks were powerful – not to mention that Mimey was still wet. Of course, using them ran the risk of electrifying the entire battlefield, including Gyarados, but only one Pokémon needed to be left standing in order for that Pokémon’s team to win.

“Mimey!” she commanded. “Use Psychic on Pikachu!”

“Mr Mime!”

Mimey fixed Pikachu with an intense stare, his eyes and hands glowing blue. Blue light enveloped the yellow mouse as he was lifted into the air. Pikachu strained and struggled, but couldn’t break free.

Ash groaned in exasperation.

“Misty, go for Mimey!” he called. “If you weaken him, maybe Pikachu can break free. Plus, he’s a lot stronger than Wobbuffet!”

Misty nodded. “Right!”

“Hey!” Jessie objected. “Just because it’s true doesn’t mean you have to say it!” She shook her fist at them. “I raised you better than that, Ash Ketchum!”

“Wha – ” Ash took a step back, flabbergasted. “You didn’t raise me at all!”

“The heck I didn’t!” Jessie retorted. “Who kept an eye on you while you twerped your way through eight regions, huh?!”

Misty rubbed her temples. The whole situation was giving her a headache.

“Gyarados!”

The Atrocious Pokémon stirred itself and looked her way.

“Use Crunch on Mr. Mime, now!”

“Oh no, not Crunch!” Delia fretted, as Gyarados reared back, a sinister purple aura swirling around its fangs. “That’s a Dark-Type move!”

“Wobbuffet!” Jessie barked. “Get between Mimey and Gyarados and use Counter!”

Saluting, Wobbuffet leaped in front of Mimey, his body outlined in orange light. Crunch hit, hard, and bounced back twice as hard. Both Gyarados and Wobbuffet recoiled from the damage.

“Wobbles!” Delia cried out, as Mimey caught Wobbuffet in his arms.

“Don’t you quit on me now, Wobbuffet!” Jessie shouted.

Wobbuffet saluted weakly as Mimey pushed him back onto his paws. The distraction worked, and Pikachu dropped back to the rock, freed from Psychic.

“Keep the pressure on, Pikachu!” Ash yelled. “Use Iron Tail on Mimey, now!”

“Quick, Mimey!” Delia shouted as Pikachu somersaulted through the air, tail glowing white. “Use Reflect!”

Pikachu hit the invisible barrier and flew backwards, landing in the water.

“Gyarados!” Misty commanded. “Use Crunch again!”

“Mimey, keep using Reflect!” Delia shouted. “Don’t let them in!” She had to think. Poor Wobbles, he didn’t have much left – one more shot from that big Gyarados and that would be it. Not to mention that if Crunch hit Mimey, the battle would be over! She’d completely forgotten Gyarados could learn that move! Oh, maybe she should’ve used Zaggy instead…

Mimey obediently continued to use Reflect as Gyarados and Pikachu attacked from either side. Slowly the invisible barriers began to box them in, till Mimey and Wobbuffet were crowded together on the rock.

“Babe!” Jessie urged. “We have to do something or we’re gonna lose!”

“I know!” Delia groaned. “I just…” She cupped her face in her hands, pulling down on her cheeks. “…I don’t know!”

“Ms Ketchum!”

Delia lifted her head.

“You can’t let us back you into a corner!” Misty called. “Use your environment to find a way out!”

Ash shot her a glare. “Hey, whose side are you on?!”

“It’s my job as a Gym leader to help trainers to learn,” Misty explained with a smile. “Did you forget?”

“You didn’t help me when I battled you for the first time!” Ash replied indignantly, poking his thumb into his chest.

Misty glowered at him.

“That’s because you still owed me a new bike, Ash Ketchum!”

“Aaagh!” Ash placed both hands on his head, tugging his hat down. “Can’t you let that go already? It got repaired, didn’t it?”

While their opponents bickered, Delia had taken Misty’s words to heart.

“Use the environment…” she mused. There was only one place Mimey and Wobbles could go – but first they had to do something about the double attacks coming their way.

“Jessie!” she hissed, beckoning her partner to come closer. “Can you have Wobbles use Counter?”

Jessie looked at Wobbuffet, sweating nervously as he stood behind Mimey. She nodded.

“Okay,” Delia replied. She whispered quickly in the other woman’s ear. Jessie grinned, then straightened up.

“Wobbuffet! Use Counter on both those attacks!”

Without any hesitation, Wobbuffet moved in front of Mimey, body once more enveloped in an orange glow. Crunch and Iron Tail came back double on Gyarados and Pikachu, sending the two flying backwards. Both Pokémon landed hard on the rock, Gyarados almost wrapping around it with the force of the blow.

“On your feet, Pikachu!” Ash called. “It’s not over yet! …Huh?”

He blinked at the empty battlefield. Mimey and Wobbuffet had both disappeared. Ash tensed as he scoured the water for any sign of the enemy Pokémon, but the surface was still settling from the last bout of attacks. The sunlight streaming through the roof didn’t help either – it made the rippling water glitter.

Misty spotted movement a second too late.

“Look out-”

In tandem, Mimey and Wobbuffet burst through the surface, taking up positions either side of Gyarados and Pikachu, trapping their opponents between them.

“Good work, you two!” Delia cheered. She pointed dramatically. “Now, Mimey – use Psychic on both of them!”

Once more, Mimey’s eyes and hands glowed. Both Gyarados and Pikachu rose into the air, enveloped in blue light.

“Great strategy, Ms. Ketchum!” Misty called, earning a dirty look from Ash which she ignored. “There’s no point going for Wobbuffet – he’ll just Counter our attacks again.”

“Right,” Ash agreed. “We’ve gotta take out Mimey!” He raised his voice. “Pikachu!”

Misty did likewise. “Gyarados!”

Delia grinned. “Just as I thought.” She looked at her partner. “Get ready with Mirror Coat!”

Jessie blinked in confusion. “…Huh?”

“Thunderbolt –”

“Hydro Pump –”

“On Mimey!” both young trainers yelled in unison.

“Mimey!” Delia called, just as both Pokémon charged their attacks. “Drop them, use Light Screen and aim at Wobbles!”

“Aim at WHO?!” Jessie exclaimed.

There was no time to explain. Everything turned on a split second. Pikachu and Gyarados began to fall through the air. Several volts of electricity and a powerful torrent of water hit Mimey’s Light Screen and barrelled towards Wobbuffet.

The diabolical beauty of Delia’s devious plan suddenly caught up with Jessie. That pair of pathetic Pokémon were in for a –

“Now, honey!”

Jessie almost fumbled the command.

“M-Mirror Coat!”

Wobbuffet glowed, shrouded in a reflective aura. Everything seemed to slow down. The attacks hit. They bounced back at Mimey. Pikachu and Gyarados fell. Ash’s mouth opened in a silent noooo.

The timing was perfect.

Gyarados and Pikachu fell in front of Mimey, taking the full brunt of Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump, doubled by Mirror Coat. The sheer force of the attacks drove them along the surface of the water, causing huge plumes of water to rise into the air either side of them. The battlefield disappeared in a shroud of surf and spray.

“Pikachu!” Ash cried out.

All four trainers held their breath as the mist began to clear.

Jessie cried out in dismay on seeing Wobbuffet floating belly-up in the water. Ash groaned on spotting Pikachu doing likewise. Draped over the rock, Gyarados lifted its head weakly, then dropped it again.

Delia scanned the water, a smile spreading across her face as Mimey swam to the rock and clambered up, standing tall with a cry of, “Mr. Mime!”

“Wobbuffet, Pikachu, and Gyarados are unable to battle,” the Drone Rotom declared, as Ash sank to his knees. “The winners are the challengers, Delia and Jessie!”

“I… I can’t believe this…” Ash moaned.

“We…” Jessie couldn’t stop staring at the battlefield, Drone Rotom’s words ringing in her ears. “…we won?” She looked to Delia, and the joyful look on her face confirmed it. “We WON!!!”

Delia shrieked as Jessie caught hold of her and lifted her high in the air, doing a twirl before setting her back on her feet and peppering her face with kisses. “Hahahaha!” She turned to their opponents, pulling down on one eyelid while sticking her tongue out. “Suck it, twe – I mean, Ash and Misty! I knew this day would come sooner or later!”

“Jessica, I know you’re happy, but don’t be a bad winner,” Delia chided gently. “Magnanimity in victory goes a long way.”

“But baaaabe!” Jessie whined. “I’ve never had a victory this magnificent before!”

Delia just smiled and gave her a peck on the lips. “I think poor Wobbles wants you,” she remarked, nodding to the battlefield. “We’ll need to get him to a Pokémon Centre with Venomoth and Clefairy.”

Jessie nodded and went to haul Wobbuffet out of the water.

“Come on, you,” she grunted as she dragged the Patient Pokémon back onto dry land. Briefly she removed her cap and wiped the sweat from her brow. Fine, so she couldn’t taunt the twerps any more. Victory still tasted pretty sweet.

In her arms, Wobbuffet stirred and smiled weakly up at her. Jessie couldn’t help but smile back.

“How about that?” she murmured to him. “You’re a winner, Wobbuffet. I bet you can’t wait to tell the others.”

He managed a salute and a quiet “Wobba…” before Jessie recalled him to his Pokéball.

Ash, meanwhile, remained on his knees in the trainer box. “I can’t believe we lost to my mom.”

“You gotta admit, that last strategy was a thing of beauty,” Misty replied with a smile. She’d made her way out to the rock and was cradling Gyarados’s head, absently rubbing its crest. The big Pokémon opened its eyes and let out a quiet rumble. “I guess now we know where you get your battling skills from, champ!”

Stepping out of her sneakers, Delia carefully negotiated the slippery rock and fished Pikachu out of the water. A couple of vigorous rubs from his head to his tail, and the Electric Mouse Pokémon opened his eyes.

“You were great, Pikachu,” Delia murmured. She tickled him under his chin, getting a weak “Chaaa” in response. She made her way back to the side of the battlefield to find Ash, Misty and Jessie waiting. “You were great too, honey.”

Ash managed a smile as she handed Pikachu to him. “Thanks, Mom.” He gasped as he was pulled into a hug.

“That was such a fun battle!” Delia exclaimed. She loosened her hold just enough to look at him. “I can see why you like this so much.”

“Watch out, Ash,” Misty teased. “You might just have a new rival on your hands!”

Ash let out a distressed yelp.

“Oh no, I don’t have time for that,” Delia assured him with a wave of her hand. As Ash sighed with relief, she cupped his cheek and tilted his head up to look at him. “But travelling around this past month and battling with you today… it’s made me feel a little bit closer to you.”

Ash blushed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Aw, Mom,” he mumbled with a grin.

“Ahem.”

Ash and Delia turned to see Misty holding out a Cascade badge.

“This is yours, Ms. Ketchum,” the Gym Leader declared. “You made the battlefield, your Pokémon and their moves work to your advantage. I’m impressed!”

“Oh, you’re too kind, really,” Delia replied, blushing as she accepted the badge. Its blue surface seemed to glitter in the sunlight streaming in from the roof. “I’ll treasure this, always. Thank you.”

“That’s how you win a badge fair and square,” Misty teased, shooting a wink Ash’s way.

The Champion rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

All three turned to see Jessie holding out her hand.

“What about me?” she demanded. “The perfect Pokémon battle partner? Trainer of vicious Venomoth and wild Wobbuffet? Where’s my badge?”

Misty sighed. Jessie had been on the winning team, and she had won a badge fair and square, but the whole situation was still bizarre.

“I’ll give you a badge if you explain what all…” She waved her hand between Jessie and Delia. “…this is about.”

“Delia and I dating,” Jessie scoffed with a shrug. “It’s not that complicated.”

“I got that part,” Misty shot back irritatedly, “I just…” She looked from Jessie, standing with her arms crossed, to Ms. Ketchum, who had one hand on Jessie’s hip, to Ash, who looked like he was hoping the floor would open up and swallow him. “…you know what, never mind.” Reaching into her pocket, she took out a second Cascade badge.

“I can’t believe this is happening, but… you earned this!”

Jessie let out a little cry of joy as Misty put the badge into her hand.

“Oh, Deerling, look how pretty it is!” she gushed. “Do you think maybe we could just get the prettiest Gym badges?”

“I don’t see why not,” Delia replied. “With James to run the restaurant, I can take vacations more often!”

“James is –” Misty glared at Ash, who pulled the brim of his cap down and giggled nervously. “We’re going to the Pokémon Centre and then you’re telling me what’s been going on, Ash Ketchum!”

“Let’s all go to the Pokémon Centre,” Delia suggested. “Our Pokémon battled hard today, they deserve a good rest.”

It wasn’t long before Nurse Joy’s tender care had Venomoth, Corsola, Oshawott, Clefairy, Wobbuffet, Gyarados and Pikachu feeling like their old selves again. Delia squeezed Jessie’s hand, murmuring “that’ll be you one day, Smoochum” as they watched Joy work.

“Well, we should get going,” Delia declared once they had their Pokémon back.

“We were going to stay and have dinner, Ms. Ketchum,” Misty said. She eyed Jessie reluctantly, but made the offer anyway. “…You’re welcome to join us.”

“That’s sweet of you, Misty, but we’ve been away long enough,” Delia replied, to both kids’ relief. “It’s time we headed home. Thank you both so much for such an amazing battle.” She hugged Ash tightly. “Don’t stay away too long, honey.”

“You know I won’t, Mom,” Ash replied, blushing. He shot Misty a grin. “I’ll be home right after I kick Misty’s butt in our rematch!”

“Then I’ll see you soon,” Delia murmured. She let go of her son and gave Misty a quick hug and a wink. “Try not to beat him too badly!”

“Hey!” Ash exclaimed indignantly.

Delia stepped back, joining her girlfriend near the door of the Pokémon Centre. She gave her a look and nodded to both kids. With a sigh, Jessie trudged up to Ash and gave him a stiff hug.

“See you at home, kid,” she mumbled. Letting go, she turned to Misty. “Thanks for the battle and the badge, I guess...?”

The two gazed at each other for a few awkward moments, then Jessie took a step closer, slowly lifting her arms.

“Aah!” Misty hurriedly moved back, holding her hands up in front of her. “I don’t think I’m there yet.”

Jessie dropped her arms with a huge sigh of relief. “Great! Me neither.” She offered her hand instead, and the Gym Leader shook it.

Ash and Misty stepped outside the Pokémon Centre to see them off, their goodbyes ringing in the air as Delia and Jessie got on the road. Jessie slung her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder.

“Happy, babe?”

“Yes and no,” Delia sighed. “I’m sad my journey’s over, but I couldn’t be happier about how it went. I made three wonderful new friends, foiled a nasty poacher, and that battle today –” She clenched her fists in front of her. “ – I never felt so alive! I can’t wait to tell Professor Oak and James and Meowth all about it!” She slipped an arm around Jessie’s waist. “I’m so glad you talked me into this.”

Jessie preened. “Oh it was nothing, babe, I –”

She broke off as Delia took hold of her hands.

“Thank you for making my dreams come true,” the other woman whispered. Jessie’s heart caught in her throat as she saw tears shining in Delia’s eyes. “Not just today, but every day we’re together.”

Jessie smiled, warmth blooming in her chest.

“It’s the least I could do,” she replied. Delia deserved more, so much more, for putting up with her, believing in her, loving her. Not to mention all she’d done for James and Meowth too. Maybe one day –

- but before Jessie could continue the thought, Delia leaned up and pulled her into a tender kiss.

THE END

“Oh, I can’t wait to get home to our nice comfy bed!”

“Ugh, me too. I hate sleeping on the ground.”

“…who said anything about sleeping?”

[crystallilytarot]

Your future life's aesthetic (supposed to be, but it's a little random about your future life, but I hope you will enjoy it still) Choose an item!

Pile 1

I think you will relocate or travel a lot. I feel old, beautiful buildings. You are the boss of your own life now. Animals, but some expensive dogs or fancy horses. Moon, wings. You will be lucky. I also see good quality clothes, some coats, jackets. It's strange, because I see you are with your family or friends, and it's sunny, but I also see rain, clouds, snow. Maybe you will go to the mountains. You will be with your partner, and you can have children or pets. I think it's an old european city, or it's the vibe, definitely an older, historic city. Colorful walls or curtains. Unique, good quality furnitures. You are very confident, succesful, you feel good. I think you can live somewhere very different, do something different than now, your life will be completely new, but good.

Pile 2

I feel a nostalgic vibe, can be a person from your past, or you move to your childhood place or just the vibe is similar. You will find your soulmate, and maybe a good friend too, they are part of your soul family. So the nostalgic vibe can be because of this, you probably knew each other in past life too. You won't be lonely anymore, there's movement, excitement. It's a new beginning, and I think you are close to this. I need to say, sexuality, sensuality can be a big part of your life. I feel a mid size home, but there's everything you need. Autumn, leafes, flowers, crystals. You can have a new job, new hobby, going to a new school. It's something you dreamed of. Gold, sunny, theater, fame. You work a lot, but you enjoy it very much. You are succesful.

Pile 3

Nature is important here, you can have a garden or live near a park or a beautiful place. Stars, and a pond, river, sea or waterfall. I think you are smart, and you can do something where you need to use your intellect. But I also see creativity. And you can help people in a way. But it's mutual, you can be in a community, where you support each other. With your friends, or in the workplace, or with the neighbours. Someone can have blond hair. Balance, law, scales, Libra. If you are dealing with an addiction or bad habits, you will succesfully overcome it. You finally let go of the past. You have good boundaries and you aren't afraid to stand up for yourself. You do selfcare, and you love yourself, especially your body. Blue, air. You are strong, but caring, you live in harmony now.

[koiiiji]

lets dance

author's note ; heavily inspired by this and “what is love” song

tw ; fluff, a little too vulnerable Jonggun, might be both romantic or platonic!🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

summary ; Jonggun suddenly can't dance, but it's fine

night was warm, almost lazy in its softness, and the four of you lounged comfortably in spacious living room. the dim light from a single lamp in the corner mixed with the faint glow of city lights through the windows, casting everything in a golden haze. an easygoing playlist was looping in the background as you all worked through a couple of drinks, laughter filling the room as the alcohol began to soften edges and loosen moods.

music pulsed in the background, an irresistible, driving beat that filled the room and made it impossible not to move. Jungoo and Crystal were spinning around, laughing freely, their faces flushed from the drinks and the warm glow of the room. you joined them in their infectious, carefree dancing, swaying to the rhythm as the world around you softened, the warmth and laughter blending into something that felt a lot like pure joy.

and there was Jonggun, still rooted to the couch, his usual composed expression unreadable. his arm was draped lazily over the back, his other hand holding a half-finished whiskey, his gaze on all of you like he was observing something foreign, almost surreal. it was impossible to tell what he was thinking; his face was perfectly blank, his mouth barely quirking at the edges as he watched.

moment later you broke away from the other two, heart racing from the dance and the thrill of the moment, and took a step toward him, your eyes bright with a mischievous glint. you knew he would refuse, that he’d stubbornly resist, but that made the challenge all the more tempting.

“Jonggun!” you called out, voice lilting with laughter. “get up! come dance with us!”

he met your eyes, his usual cool, steady look unwavering. “no,” he replied, his voice calm and even. “i don’t dance.”

“oh, come on!” you grinned “don’t be shy.”

you took a few steps closer, still swaying with the beat, until you were standing right in front of him. “not shy,” he murmured. “i just don’t dance.” there was a calm resolve in his eyes, the same steadiness he had when faced with any challenge. but there was something else, too — just a hint of reluctance, like this was territory he’d never dared to tread.

but you didn’t give him a chance to resist. moving quickly, you reached for his hands and caught them both in yours, your grip strong and insistent. he hesitated, caught off guard as you pulled him to his feet, his body stiff and reluctant.

“too late to argue,” you teased, grinning as you backed up, tugging him along with you, your fingers tightening around his. “just follow me.”

with a faint sigh, he finally met your gaze, and for a brief moment, he seemed to let himself relax, to fall into the rhythm of your small, shared dance. your movements were bolder, more rhythmic, and you started to circle around him, pulling his hands with yours, guiding his stiff steps with your own fluidity. you felt him loosen ever so slightly, his focus shifting from his own discomfort to the feel of your hands in his, when you lift them, so you can spin around under his hand, and each time you did it your laughter warming the air between you.

Jonggun fell quiet, and for a moment, his gaze softened. as he let you lead him through the rhythm, he found himself watching the way your face lit up with each laugh, the way you smiled at him as if he wasn’t awkwardly stumbling through each step. there was something magnetic in the way you danced, something so full of life that it almost made him forget his hesitations.

he glanced toward Jungoo and Crystal, watching them sway and laugh alongside you, their faces flushed and open in a way he rarely saw. somehow, in the course of all the late nights and shared drinks, you’d all carved out this strange, unspoken bond — a closeness he’d never expected to have. he’d always prided himself on his distance, his ability to remain detached. but in this small moment, it hit him that you, Jungoo, Crystal… you’d become something he hadn’t even known he wanted. you’d become a little dear to him.

he almost couldn’t believe it — he, Park Jonggun, who had always valued control and restraint above all, was letting himself be led, letting himself be swept into this odd, rhythmic dance with you, feeling your warm hands in his and hearing your laugh right next to him.

you circled him, moving with such effortless joy, guiding his movements until he felt himself fall into a rough, hesitant rhythm with you. his gaze fell on your joined hands, and for a fleeting second, he felt a small, quiet warmth settle over him, a sense of ease he never felt. it was strange and almost dizzying, this fleeting happiness, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull away.

your smile was bright and easy as you continued to move, drawing him deeper into the beat, into the energy of the room, and he felt himself soften further, his grip on your hands tightening instinctively. it was as though everything else faded for just a heartbeat, the world narrowing to this small, imperfect dance, the feel of your hand guiding his.

maybe he’d never admit it aloud, but in that moment, with the music filling the air and your smile lighting up this world, he thought… maybe he could be happy here, too.

[reddesires]

I have a NSFW request for you if you're interested. Could you please do smut piece on Koba x Female Human Reader where he's in the woods hunting something where he stumbles upon a small camp close by a river and he sees a head in the water not looking at him pretty much not noticing him. As he prepares to kill the human when they get out of the water he immediately stops in his tracks when he sees their naked body glistening with water drops dripping down their curvaceous body particularly their large chest and butt which keeps him entranced while they still don't notice his presence and go inside their tent. Later on back at the ape colony while he's alone Koba can't stop thinking about the reader's body where he finally relents and starts masturbating and after he's done he's filled with self loathing for falling for the seductive spell of the reader especially because she's a human. For several weeks he's constantly spying on the reader in secret especially when she's taking a bath in the river with her none being the wiser until one day he's finally caught after he made the mistake of masturbating right there in the open rather than wait until he's back in the colony and rather than run away in fear she admits that she had a feeling she was being watched and was waiting for him to show himself and invites him to her tent so that she can help relieve him. What follows is the reader and Koba fucking like rabbits a blowjob and squirting thrown in there both which surprise Koba at first until he finds out that he really likes both things being introduced to him. For the sex positions could you please include Missionary, Doggy style, and Cowgirl and please include breast play like breast squeezing and nipple sucking and the reader's personality is shy and timid and a bit submissive and a bit lonely which is why she wasn't afraid of Koba when she first saw him. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Endeavors. [Koba x Human!Reader] Smut

Koba x Human Reader

Rating: Smut. (18+ MDNI!!)

Fandom: Planet Of The Apes

A/N: *sniff sniff* this all I got, this is all I got. I'm not the most experienced smut writer, so hopefully, it's still enjoyable.

Koba took the initiative to hunt for the colony, not bothering to round up other apes to join him. He was more than willing to avoid the company of others at the moment, taking refuge in his lonesome.

Whilst following the tracks of his appointed prey, he came across the river that resided outside the colony parameters, the apes tend to avoid this area, incase of running into any humans that could possibly be migrating from the fallen city located outside east of there.

Koba notices the huts haphazardly placed on the opposite side of the watercourse, he crouches down in caution as he's on the lookout for any human life within the camp but there's an obvious lack of any.

His eyes catch movement in the crystalline waters of the stream. The figure isn't aware of his presence as their back is turned to him.

Koba's muzzle is pulled back in a snarl as he raises his spear, intending on ending the pathetic human's life right then and there, ensuring the colony's safety from their pestilence.

He waits for the right moment to strike, the hackles on his back raising in anticipation as the figure stands the river's water. He's immediately struck by the sight of the female human, her bare body on full display for him to see.

The spear that he held in the air is glued to his palm, the tension traveling from his arm all the way to his navel as he watched the crystal like water droplets drip down the curves of her body, her skin glistening as the sun's rays hit her body in all the right angles.

Koba noticed that the human was well endowed in both her chest and buttock areas, his gaze mesmerized by the sight before him the more he observed.

He watches the female human as she retreats into her hut, taking no heed to his presence as she does so. Koba skidding backward into the woods behind him, retreating back to the colony.

○●○●○

Later that night, koba was overwhelmed with the thoughts of the human and the image of her body. The depiction of her malleable breasts and curvaceous ass has him reeling in ways that he's never experienced before.

The more time that passes, the more the tension located in his navel grows before finally he relents and secludes himself with the thoughts that have been hounding him since the encounter.

He growls as he takes himself into his thick skinned hand, his thumb grazing the precum off the tip slowing smearing it down his length, only more to procure as he allows the image of the human in the forefront of his mind, his hand on automatic as he thought back to how the water glided down her body and imagined it was his hands bruising the supple skin of her hips including him pounding into her her, her ass slapping the tops of his thighs and her taking him into her so gratefully.

As the last thought came into his mind, he finally felt the high hit him, a deep groan tumbling from his chest and feeling the wetness of his pleasure coating his palm as he finally came down from the high, he was struck with the realization of what he had just done.

The malice filled his body within a millisecond and he was unsure whether it was directed towards his lack of self-control or the female human that managed to entrap him in some kind of seductive spell, as he contemplated further he sat with the self-loathing that bubbled in his chest at the notion that he lasted for a human.

A human of all things, the very species that he wanted eradicated from the earth. A snarl crossed his features as he tried making sense of the complicated bundle of emotions clouding his judgment. He'll just have to see what his next course of action is.

•○•○•○•○•○•

For the next several weeks, Koba has made it a routine of stalking the female, taking note of her every move, but he's especially watchful during her bathing rituals.

Observing the way her body fluidly moves, the way her hair falls against her in neck in such a delicious way that he feels a tingle in his jaw at the thought of biting into her tender neck, marking her his.

He can just just imagine her cries as he has his way with her body in any way he sees fit.

She's always so unaware of his presence that it reminds him of small prey that has no idea it's being hunted, a trace of electricity travels down his spine at the idea of him hunting her with it ending with absolutely demolishing her, making her cry with the pleasure that he so graciously gives her.

As he watches her from the clearing, he's uncaring as he openly begins to stroke himself becoming so immersed with the pleasure and image of her that he's late to notice he caught the attention of said human, his movements halt as his gaze is caught by hers.

He notices there's no trace of fear or resentment in her expression but rather surprise by his unexpected presence. "I had a feeling that I was being watched.." she utters timidly, her gaze tracing down the length of his body to the hold he had on himself, her eyes filled with a longing and intrigue.

"Please.. let me help you.." she says, an implication that even he understood what she meant by as slowly trailed towards her tend, she looks back at him with a diffident look in her eyes before disappearing into the shelter.

He's unsure if he should follow in after her, but he's hit with the scent of her arousal, and the decision is made for him.

•○•○○•○•○○•○•○•

The female human holds an apprehensive air as she kneels before him. He has a watchful stare as he's uncertain as what she's intending to do. She lacks her lips, wetting the dryness away.

Her hands trail from his abdomen down to the tops of his thighs, her gaze following along down to his navel. He can feel himself getting hard under her stare. Before he could make sense of her action, she takes him into her mouth, the warmth of her tongue sending a jolt throughout his body and he instinctally grips her hair into his strong grasp, she whimpers in response but she pushes through as she licks the underside of his dick, a deep growl crawls its way up from the back of his throat.

It's unlike any sensation he's encountered before, and he greedily indulges in it as the human takes in his facial expression before continuing with more vigor than before.

Koba forcefully pushes the female onto her back, her legs falling open upon the impact and as she goes to timidly close her legs in embarrassment but he places his calloused hands in between her thighs to keep them open for him, he noticed the arousal flowing out of her, the smell encasing all his senses in the most delicious way.

With no hesitantance, he dives into her intimate area, lapping up her essence, her moans abruptly filling the small space, and he realizes that it proves to motivate him to continue with the action.

He feels her up as his tongue dips into her, his longer forearms easily catching hold of her tender breasts, he squeezes and pinches her supple nippes, her tone picking up in pitch as her body shakes in response to his actions.

He continues on, and her body tenses like a coil, just waiting to spring before he knows it. She's releasing a substance from her entrance, and she's practically wailing in pleasure. He doesn't fully understand what just happened. He just knows that the sight filled him with overwhelming arousal.

°•°•°•°○°○°•°•°•°•°

Over the course of the next couple of days, Koba would break away from the colony to back to the human to continue on with their daily endeavors of sex.

He'd pin her down as he thrusted into her, feeling her walls squeeze him delightfully, her legs locking him place as he took what was rightfully his.

His growls intermingled with her light and airy moans as he licked her chest, taking her bruised nipple into his mouth, her face inflamed in flusteredness as he stared right back into her eyes.

With ease, he tossed her over and onto her knees. She shrieked in surprise at the motion. He took in the sight of her rounded ass, his hand slapping down drinking in her startled jolt as she whimpered in need.

He grunted as he inserted into her, relishing in the way her back arches in pleasure at his length, her ass bouncing by his onslaught.

He grips her hips firmly, absolutely pounding into her as if he was trying to fuck her breathless and by the sounds she was releasing, she loved it.

Now with the intention of fucking his seed up into her, he forces her on top of him, her mouth falling open and her eyes rolling up as she feels his length hit the deepest spot in her.

She begins bouncing on top of him, chasing the high that is bound to come crashing down onto them. He feels the tension building up in his navel, the feeling hot and heavy.

Koba throws his head back as his seed rushes from him into her. He holds her hips down, breeding her with vigor.

It'll be a wonder if the colony didn't already know his endeavors already.

[multifariousqueer]

Heyyyyy sorry this is my first time Requesting but can you do a earth 42 miles x reader where the reader has to go on vacation and he’s not happy.🤭🤭🤭

If not that’s ok and you can add your own little twist on it. Ty❤️❤️❤️

Yeah ofc!

A/n: keep requesting fics!!!! I’m sorry this one is so short y’all, I literally wrote it being half-awake

Warnings: possessiveness, miles being sweet, nothing else

Your parent’s had saved up enough money to go to Belize for your 16th birthday and you were ecstatic. The gorgeous views, the crystal clear oceans and the beautiful sunsets were just some of the things you were excited for, but Miles wasn’t as excited:

“You’re leaving me for 2 weeks? What am I supposed to do without you?” He questioned

“Well I guess you’ll just have to cope” you smirked

“What if some Cabrón tries to take you from me?” he said

“No Cabrón will try to take me away from you, Miles. I love you and it will always be you, okay?” You said reassuringly, touching his forehead with your own

“Si Mami, tu eres mio y solo mio” he spoke

You kissed your boyfriend on his temple and went back to packing your bags, all the while, he was lovingly admiring your movements. He decided to help you after a while and asked you some questions:

“you got your ring?"

“Yes, Miles"

“The Jordan’s I got you?” he interrogated

“Miles, it’s gonna be 95 degrees outside” You pleaded

“And?” he said

“and, I am not gonna wear them. Plus, we’re going out to dinner and Jordans aren’t exactly “dinner friendly”.” you said

“dinner friendly my ass, Mami; you’re mine and that counts for when you’re on vacation” Miles said, walking towards you

“I know Papi, I know. I’m yours even on vacation; okay?” you reassured

“okay. Let me know if you need some money or anything.” he said

“Okay, mi amor” you smiled

Sooner or later you arrived at the airport and were on your way to the terminal when you saw Miles waiting for you:

“what are you doing here?” you questioned

He pulled you in for a hug and placed a soft kiss on your lips

“I’m gonna miss you too, babe” you said with a smirk

“if something happens out there, call me.” he said

“of course, Papi. I’ll call you every night.” you spoke

And with that, you were off to your trip. It was beautiful and you got to see so many nice sights, meet new people and try new foods. It was the most fun you have had in a long time; it took your mind off of the grim, dull life of the city but you missed Miles more than anything in the universe so you decided to call.

“Miles, baby?” you asked

“Yeah, ma I’m here. You good?” he asked

“Yeah. I miss you so much. But its fun over here! I know you would love it.” you said

“Yeah well. I love wherever you are, Mami.” Miles spoke

“Awww you’re so sweet. How is it going over there?” you asked

“It’s going, that’s for sure.” he said, sarcastically

“Why? What’s wrong?” you asked

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tell you later” Miles said

“Oh okay!! I’ll see you in two days.” you spoke excitedly

“Okay, I love you hermosa.” He said

“I love you too! Bye.” you said as you departed

The last two days went by in a flash and before you knew it, you were home. You visited Miles before you went back to your house and he nearly jumped you when you walked in the door:

“I missed you, ma” he said in your hair

“I missed you too.” you confessed, breathing in his intoxicating scent that you missed dearly

“So did some asshole try to hit on my girl?” Miles questioned

“No baby, no. What happened while I was gone?” you questioned back

“Just some business stuff” Miles said, reassuringly

You kissed the man you loved dearly and he lifted you princess style and took you to the bed where you slept like a baby, after being home and being with the man you missed terribly.

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

*skitters up your walls* hey listen- stop screaming, listen. Foul Legacy meeting a witch.

you live a life of seclusion, deep in the woods of Fontaine and away from the city and the people. it's necessary, of course- magic is dangerous, even with a Vision, and despite how whimsical it seems it requires a great amount of discipline and work. besides, a quiet life suits you, obviously. all witches live alone to practice their craft, you're completely fine. this is how it was meant to be, you think, surrounded by bottles and delicate, stellar instruments made of crystal and elegant swirls of metal. you're fine on your own. you don't need anything but your books and herbs. you're not lonely.

...

...okay maybe you're a little lonely. there's not much you can do, though. you refuse to endanger other mortals with your work just because you want some company.

you're out gathering more plants one day when you happen across a crack in the earth, oozing dark, glittering goop from the Abyss. most people would scream and run, but as a witch you can't help but investigate every source of curious magic you come across, your boots dirtied with primordial gunk and cold starlight. a choked, pained whine catches your attention, and your head snaps up just in time to see something claw its way out into the sunlight, dripping with ooze and something that smells suspiciously like blood.

your first instinct is to back away, immediately, and take out your weapon. but the monster merely whimpers, hacking up more blood and violently shaking as it curls in on itself, and slowly you find your guard going down, taking a few slow steps closer. it lets out a strangled hiss until you put up your hands with nothing in them, beginning to gingerly clean and scour away the blood and goop clinging to its mask-like face with your magic. the creature's breathing gradually becomes easier, your efforts revealing red twin horns and a glimmering crystalline eye, armor dark as twilight, before it rises to its full height and you step away. it flutters its wings once, experimentally, grumbling in satisfaction, then kneels down to your height once more without breaking your gaze. with a gentle, grateful trill, the beast carefully nuzzles against your hands and looks at you expectantly. it follows you when you turn to walk away, movements clumsy but determined as it shakes off the last remnants of blood and sap.

without even thinking, you smile, and the monster gives you a lopsided, fanged smile in return.

[ellitx]

Chapter 19: The Lord's Will

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁

previous || next

art belongs to: srr_yo

word count: 3.9k

           The storm was strong, harsh, and maddening. The tempestuous wind annihilated the entire city— from a strong wind to a ferocious cloudburst. It was similar to how the blue dragon attacked the city and everyone presumed that was the cause, but their assumptions drowned upon discovering it was not the Stormterror causing harm to all but Barbatos the Anemo Archon.

           Aether wondered if Jean was aware that it was Venti who was causing all of this. And if she did, did he see him as Venti the Bard or Barbatos the Anemo Archon during his rampage?

           Everyone cowered in fear witnessing the strong aura of an enraged unknown being. From the center of the plaza stood a young man clad in green carrying a damsel in his arms.

           A pair of large angelic wings sprouted from his back, fluttering as feathers fell off and lifted him off the ground. Had he been the angel destined to calm the tempest storm of Mondstadt, everyone would have cheered. But that was far from Celestial.

           His figure loomed. The moon’s radiant glow cast his youthful features yet all was daubed with nothing but fury. No one can approach or stop him. Not even the Knights of Favonius.

           Not even Aether.

           If one dares to approach him, they’d be thrown away like a measly rag doll. Aether could clearly see how his once bright eyes had turned dark and sinister. All that anger was pointed at him, warning him: “If you take a single step and take her from me, I will slaughter you.”

           The crowds cowered, parents holding their children close and shielding them from the sharp gales, while others bowed, kneeling even, to honor and welcome the overwhelming presence of the Anemo Archon.

           Aether, with his restricted strength and movement, turned and saw Jean from the distance. Her face was pale, her hands shaking and clutching tightly on her sword grip. He had never seen her so scared before. No, scared was not the right word.

           She had mixed feelings of confusion, fear, and uneasiness.

           But even as the Acting Grand Master, she’s ready to charge if the archon were to burst into another outrage.

           But how ironic was it that she'd attack the nation’s god who protected them for thousands of years?

           Everyone was scared, some were shocked. Not a single soul has the courage to speak.

             ��O winds that sweep o'er Mondstadt's land, hear my words, my fervent command. In the realm where skies and earth collide, a love blooms fierce, none can deride.” The archon’s voice was soft yet thundering, his words echoed and reached the city’s ears.

           “This woman in my embrace, through day and night, she's my true lover, my cherished wife. A bond unbreakable, forged for life. So heed this warning: all who dare to cross the threshold of our lair, for should you trespass, face my might. Anemo's wrath shall take its flight.

           No mercy shown. No quarter given. By my hand, your fate be driven. For love is fierce, and love is strong. And for her, I shall right all wrongs. Let these words echo through the skies, a proclamation, a love that ties. Respect our realm, and you'll be free. But disturb our love, face destiny."

           With these proclamations, Venti's voice rang clear.

           A declaration of love and fear. His power as an archon was blinded with love and obsession.

           A warning to all who dared to defy.

           Pray and obey. That’s the only rule if they wish to be alive.

           And with those words, he vanished into the dark night sky, with only a few feathers left behind. The rain continued, pittering and pattering on the muddy floor. All sounds were muffled except Paimon’s cries which were crystal clear. Afraid and petrified by what happened, he mustered the strength to hush her cries. The only protection and safety he can offer from the god’s wrath.

  —

             “Is there a doctor here? Someone please help my brother!”

           “There were so many casualties… Is this still a safe place for us to live?”

           "I heard the Anemo Archon's wrath spared no one. The Knights of Favonius are overwhelmed, and there's chaos everywhere."

           “Even the Church can’t help us…”

           "I never thought I'd see the day when the Archon's protection turned into a storm of destruction.”

           In the hallowed halls of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters, poignant cries of pain and resilience played out. The air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and hushed murmurs, as the knights moved with purpose, tending to the myriad wounds inflicted by the recent upheaval. In makeshift infirmaries, the wounded lay on cots, their faces etched with the agony of recent events.

           Amidst the sea of suffering, the children and families sought refuge within the sturdy walls of the headquarters, clinging to one another for solace.

           The knights worked tirelessly to mend both the physical and emotional wounds inflicted by the recent chaos.

           “How are you doing, Aether?” Jean asked while washing the dressings that needed to be disinfected.

           “I’m doing well, but it still hurts like a brick…” he offered a wry smile to her while his fingers caressed his bandaged neck.

           “Please don’t push yourself. Rest as much as you can in here, however, the city is not in the best of state and our supplies may not be enough for everyone…” Jean heaved a sigh, putting aside the disinfected dressings.  “It seems our headquarters won’t be able to accommodate any more patients. The Knights of Favonius and I are trying our best to find a secured shelter.”

           “That bad, huh?” Aether frowned and leaned in, his torso bending forward, while his arms relaxed on his knees.

           Jean nodded slowly, staring out at the grim surroundings.

           "If we're lucky, perhaps when everything calms down, we'll rebuild the city..." she closed her eyes tightly, willing her thoughts away from despair.

           “I’ve already sent the emergency message to Grand Master Varka,” a familiar voice popped into the room. They both turned to see Kaeya emerging from the door holding two cloth bags. “He has decided to send three teams to bring more rations and resources on their way back. He will also come with them on their journey back to Mondstadt.”

           “Thank you, Kaeya.” The Acting Grand Master nodded appreciatively, taking the bag that had been placed on the bed next to Aether’s. He sat down, handing a portion of rations to the boy.

           As dawn painted the sky in hues of hope, the headquarters stood as nothing but a shelter. Mondstadt was in a complete disaster. Multiple houses were destroyed, the plaza was a mess, and even the villagers living outside the city were affected tremendously.

           The blonde traveler’s eyes flashed to the small figure lying on the bed. Recalling the previous night seriously made his head ache. Aether opted to take a good night’s rest.

  —

             A week has passed and the day is still the same. Rubbles and debris are still within everyone’s sight and it’s far from finished cleaning all the mess. All of the Knights were doing labor— not only that, but they also temporarily banned travelers from stepping within Mondstadt’s borders until further notice.

           It’s too dangerous for non-citizens to visit when the catastrophe is still imminent. As much as Aether wants to help, Paimon and Barbara would scold him for his recklessness, urging him to prioritize his own safety over assisting others in such perilous circumstances.

           He grouchily grumbled to himself, letting his mind drift somewhere else and possibly hoping an idea would flick the switch for him to do something. Laying on the bed will do no good, and he’s getting tired of nestling on the bed all day.

           Although he could always fall asleep if he just stayed put and waited for his eyelids to droop. But he knew deep down inside, that waiting for this catastrophe to be over wasn’t the best way to go about things either.

           Letting his mind meander in his headspace, he recalled Jean informing him of an update from the Grand Master. She was told their estimated time of arrival would be a week from now. They have contacted merchants from neighboring nations who will bring more rations to them so the knights can use them to sustain themselves while they wait. Some gave anonymous donations, gifting medicines, herbs, and bandages to aid in recovery efforts.

           Since a week had already passed, he was certain more rations should arrive by tomorrow or maybe even today. At least there won’t be any hunger pangs for these people anymore. To witness the Grand Master still aiding the nation despite his lack of presence caught Aether’s interest. If he’s able to live up to those standards, then there’s no doubt he’ll do great things once he comes back. A flash of hope filled his heart, giving him a feeling of motivation. Hopefully, the news about the arrival of the Grand Master will lighten up everyone’s mood.

           As much as he wants to join in helping the knights, he can’t neglect what is important to him as well. He knows Barbara nor Paimon wouldn’t approve of his idea. But if no one sees him, then there wouldn't be a problem.

           It’s almost night time and everyone’s too preoccupied with healing the wounded.

           Aether stirred from his bed, the call of restlessness drawing him. With quiet determination, he quietly left his room, ensuring his steps wouldn’t make a noise. Once he got through the front door, he made his way through the sleeping city streets, guided only by the dim glow of moonlight filtering through the clouds. His destination: the bell tower of the church.

           His silhouette moved against the backdrop of the moonlit sky. With practiced ease, he scaled the rough walls of the church, his fingers finding purchase in the worn stone as he ascended higher and higher.

           The chill of the night air brushed his skin as he continued climbing, each foothold bringing him closer to his destination. At last, he reached the towering bell tower, its shadow stretching out like a dark sentinel against the starry heavens. With a final push, he pulled himself up onto the narrow ledge, his breath coming in quick, ragged gasps.

           Leaning against the pillar to take a breather, he wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead and turned around to admire the night sky. Though the past few days were packed with dread and anguish, the luminous light of the crescent moon almost had him forget his purpose for climbing all the way here to the top.

           From his vantage point high above the city streets, he could see the familiar tower in the distance, its ominous presence casting a long shadow over the land. Aether’s golden eyes narrowed, searching for any signs of the god and his “lover” he claimed. The distance between them stretched out so far that his hope for spotting you from where he was was futile, just as he suspected.

           Forcing away the uneasy feeling in his stomach, he turned his attention to the watch tower from the Knights’ headquarters. A silhouette moving caught his attention and Aether decided to return to his room lest he’d be caught by the knights lurking in the bell tower in the middle of the night.

  —

             Two weeks after the catastrophe, there was a small progress within the city. Several are still wounded yet they’re gradually recovering. The Knights utilized the Church for civilians who lost their homes and few kindhearted volunteers assisted the Knights and members of the Church to feed the displaced families.

           Aether’s neck had already recovered, the mark was gone but the sensation of his perpetrator’s fingers still haunted him till this day. Caressing his neck brings bitterness within him he wasn’t able to save you from the god.

           What if Venti, in a fit of rage or madness, had done something irreversible, something that could have harmed you irreparably? The mere thought sent a shiver down Aether's spine, and he vehemently shook his head, trying to dispel the dark imaginings that threatened to overwhelm him.

           "No," he muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. "Venti wouldn't do that. He couldn’t."

           But deep down, beneath the layers of denial and hope, Aether harbored a nagging doubt. Even if Venti wouldn't physically harm you, the emotional toll of his actions could be just as devastating. And that was a truth Aether couldn't bear to face.

           With a sigh, he stood up from his bed and began pacing around the room. He spotted some villagers going in and out of the city gate behind the thickly curtained windows. What struck his attention were the carriages loaded with debris, and people carrying some vegetables and fruits. Perhaps to make soup for those who are still recovering.

           Somehow it stirred his heart a little to see the citizens still helping each other even after being scarred by disaster. Maybe they know it will bring more danger to move away from their homes right now, but they’re hoping for a miracle where everything will return to normal.

           The majority of the food supplies were already eaten during the crisis and a lot of residents are starving. Yet there are still people who have gone through so much more difficult hardships than what he has to go through.

           Staying inside will do no good. Aether strode to the door and opened it with determination, but the purpose of venturing crumbled to dust when a deaconess’s familiar blue optics glared at him.

           “Where do you think you’re going?”

           Aether swallowed the lump sitting in his throat, a cold sweat threatening to unveil, as he evaded her skeptical glare. “Just going outside to take a breather,” he answered immediately.

           Barbara’s frown wouldn’t expunge and he stood firmly in his place. When she took one big step, he panicked and backed off a little. If she continues walking forward, then there’s no turning back.

           Thankfully, she stopped before him. She looked annoyed and then glanced at Paimon standing beside the door, munching on a piece of bread. Was she with Barbara all this time?

           “He’s been stuck inside for a week. As long as he doesn’t do anything reckless, Paimon’s sure it’ll be fine.”

           Barbara heaved a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose at Paimon’s nonchalant and indifferent behavior. Deciding to give in, she allowed Aether only on the condition he’d be back before it set.

           She sure has gone stern with him but the kindness within her still remains pure. It didn’t take long for Aether to prepare. He only needed his sword and his flying companion. Barbara told him to bring some medicines in case he got wounded, but she hoped he’d return unscathed.

           As Aether stood at the city gate, Paimon floated next to him, her eyes scanning the lush greenery beyond. The landscape seemed unchanged, yet subtle alterations were evident – barricades now dotted certain sections of the road, blocking any passage beyond the city limits.

           The crops at Springvale Village lay sparse and withered, stark evidence of the devastation wrought by recent events. Despite the desolation, however, the villagers toiled tirelessly, their hands calloused and backs bent as they labored to revive the once-lush fields and replenish dwindling supplies. With each passing day, small signs of progress emerged amid the barren earth, a small glimpse of hope amidst the ruins.

           Aether’s feet controlled his body, aimlessly wandering the prairie of the nation of the wind. Paimon was silent, quite unusual of her, but he didn’t ask her. She was lost in thought and so was he, but his mind drifted to the abducted maiden.

           Paimon followed him along, sometimes leaving a few comments here and there not to go to the forest lest they’d be attacked by hilichurls.

           He hadn’t realized they stopped at Stormterror’s lair. Before him was the ever-so-familiar wind barrier. It still kept him from entering further, a warning that the Anemo Archon and his dragon inhabited the empty land.

           His body took over before his mind could stop him. He rushed and slammed his hand against the barrier, screaming at an empty space. “Venti, please! You don’t have to do all of these!! I know you’re a good person but if you lock [Name] there, it’s no longer freedom!”

             No response. That couldn’t mean anything good. He pounded his fist again, the barrier rippling from the pressure, yet he felt nothing in return. Oddly, he heard something behind the barrier… But what?

           Over and over, the traveler kept on banging, crying out for Venti to release you. Paimon watched in silence, her eyes darting to him and the tower as she feared what would happen next. The pain and the stress his actions brought into the fairy's mind might make her stop him at this instant, another unintended consequence that could lead them down a different path.

           She closed her eyes, blocking out the reverberation of Aether's yells. He needed to be calm, she knew. All of this chaos and emotion were only building up more anger in Venti and she wouldn't want that.

           They were starting to disturb the wind spirits who lived nearby. Eventually, the cry ceased after a long while and the emptiness returned. His palm burned red where it touched the barrier; only moments later did he realize how close he came to harming someone.

           If only he wasn't damaged greatly, he'd still have time to save you. No, even if he was wounded, he should have been able to bring you back. How had things turned out like this? He wasn't prepared for anything of this sort. This... is not what you deserve.

           "Aether… we should just go. Venti won’t even spare us a glance." Paimon pleaded.

           "We can’t just leave [Name] there! What if something happens to her?" He shouted in return, glancing back at the pillar. It almost seemed as though she was holding her breath now, but she finally exhaled, turning to face him once more. "Stepping in again will make it even worse! Paimon will be devastated if Paimon loses you!" Her voice cracked, quivering and wavering betraying the fear and concern she struggled to contain.

           She sniffled, averting her gaze as she wiped the tears off her cheeks with her arm. They know Venti has his own reasons for keeping you in there with him, but is that really the right way to treat you? More so, he abandoned his people after the mess he made.

           Nothing will change if he stays in the tower and keeps you locked there with him.

           Aether's hands slipped, knocking his forehead on the barrier’s surface. It was too much for him, trying to figure out what to do when he should be doing his best to stay alive himself.

           There's nothing Venti will gain from it if they did so; perhaps nothing except for their— or worse, your— demise.

           “Pardon me, but are you here to offer your prayers to the Anemo Archon as well?” A voice joined in, halting his silent mourns.

           An old man who appeared out of nowhere drew near, seemingly unconcerned about their whereabouts. But they did not expect to see behind that man a flock of people holding bouquets of flowers, wines, and baskets of bread. Despite how dangerous the area is, they radiated in contrast to the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them.

           "What the...?" Paimon muttered as one of the old men set down his offerings near the barriers. He made eye contact with Paimon and she offered him a wry smile, watching everyone follow along the man's gesture to place down their gifts on the other side of the wall on what seemed to be like a shrine. Was that there all along?

           A robed priest walked towards the shrine, chanting and making prayer gestures. It was clearly evident from their actions that these were believers, using the lair as a sacred place of worship that those who visited hoped to receive some form of blessing.

           Aether had multiple questions he wanted to ask the old man, but for now, he kept quiet while everyone prayed and whispered their wishes.

           It was strange watching the group of believers praying in front of the gates, with little awareness that the person Paimon and Aether were talking about was on the other side, practically begging for the god these believers were praying for to free the girl he took.

           It seemed as though the old man sensed their watchful and peering gaze. "Please do not anger the Anemo Archon... for he may be merciful to some but harsh to others..." he said.

           "Harsh to others?" Paimon spoke aloud. The man stared back at her for a moment before answering, "Lord Barbatos is a benevolent archon, but witnessing his wrath during the Ludi Harpastum left many an unfortunate soul destroyed and exiled forever from his land."

           It sounded familiar, a promise, that would let people make offerings in exchange for good luck. The air was tense between them and Aether was at a loss for words.

           “We only wish for peace and harmony. People deserve to live their lives freely with no worries of imminent danger or threat.” The elder answered, tightly holding the cross hanging on his neck to seek guidance. “But if we worship and follow the Lord’s will, he might become merciful. It’s the only way for everyone to be saved.”

           “Will?” Paimon echoed.

           “Lord Barbatos added a will that will significantly change the scripture and history of Mondstadt,” the robed priest added. He stood up and brushed away the wrinkles of his clothes and took out a thick book from his robe. “We found this book on the altar while sheltering everyone. The Church has yet to read the full scripture but we can discern it’s about his spouse.”

           “The night after the festival was already a warning to us,” the old man’s voice trembled. “We dare not to anger him. So please, Honorary Knight, do not accumulate Lord Barbatos’s wrath.”

           Numerous times he encountered you, it always didn’t end well and the archon is always there to step in.

           He frowned and bit his lips. His fingers dug through his skin. It made him uncomfortable that the church never dared to question the sudden addition of sacred scripture and the will of the Anemo Archon.

           Perhaps because he is the archon, they obeyed his orders.

           Sighing heavily, he turned back to the barrier and placed his hand upon it.

           Under his breath, he whispered his prayers for your safety. The wind may have brought it to Venti, but the wind may have not. And regardless if it angered the archon, he’d still find a way to get you out of there.

taglist: @trust-the-oxygen @so-uncute

sorry for the very long wait for an update >.> this chapter and the next one have been sitting on my drafts for months and I didn't have the time to edit and fix it. but I finally have done it!

the next chapter was supposed to be the chapter 19, however after I reread the story, there was a big plot hole and it'd be very confusing how it got there so I had to add this chapter to fix the plot hole lol

also!! i did major edits on the previous chapters regarding Decarabian. i changed his title from “previous Anemo Archon” to “God of Storms” since he wasn't technically an anemo archon back then

[ariiamgoblin]

I kept on thinking about the idea of the scars...

Note: my mother tongue is Spanish, so the translation of this little text is made with my basic knowledge and an online translation tool. I apologize for any mistakes that the translation may have, and thank you for understanding. Spanish version under the cut!

—The past

The faint moonlight spilled across his skin, splashing him with silvery reflections. Silence filled the room, interrupted only by the murmur of the gentle breeze that drifted through the large glass windows, whispering through the velvet and crystal.

The goblin city glittered under the blanket of night, tucked into a dark, billowing sky, motionless before the castle that towered above it. The goblin city, so still, so calm, that the sight of it through the great window seemed almost an illusion.

Jareth's chest swayed with his breathing, so faint, the movement was almost imperceptible. The ruffles of his shirt spilled down his chest, down his sides, exposing much of his scarred torso. Past whitish and pinkish marks from wounds of all sizes dotted his chest and sides. The largest, thick and jagged, appeared on his right side, extending upward, almost to his heart.

With a gentle movement he brought his hand to that scar, stroking its edge slowly, wearily. His narrowed eyes stared out the window, lost in the tide that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Lost in the memories of the past.

—El pasado

La tenue luz de la luna se derramaba por su piel, salpicándolo con reflejos plateados. El silencio colmaba la habitación, viéndose interrumpido sólo por el rumor de la brisa suave que se colaba por las grandes cristaleras, susurrando a través del terciopelo y el cristal.

La ciudad de los goblins relucía bajo el manto de la noche, arropada por un cielo oscuro y ondulante, inmóvil ante el castillo que se alzaba sobre ella. La ciudad de los goblins, tan quieta, tan en calma, que su visión recortada a través del gran ventanal parecía casi una ilusión.

El pecho de Jareth se mecía con su respiración, tan tenue, que el movimiento era casi imperceptible. Los volantes de su camisa se derramaban por su pecho, por los costados, dejando a la vista gran parte de su torso, colmado de cicatrices. Marcas de heridas pasadas, blanquecinas y rosáceas, de todos los tamaños, salpicaban su pecho y los costados. La más grande, gruesa e irregular, aparecía en su costado derecho, extendiéndose hacia arriba, casi hasta su corazón.

Con un movimiento suave llevó su mano hasta aquella cicatriz, acariciando su borde despacio, cansado. Sus ojos entornados miraban al otro lado de la ventana, perdidos en la marea que se extendía hasta más allá de donde alcanzaba la vista.

Perdidos en los recuerdos del pasado.

First post: https://www.tumblr.com/ariiamgoblin/718284307454722048/ever-since-i-saw-the-movie-for-the-358th-time-a

[mingi-s-dimples]

Hi!! I'm a new follower and I have binged read all of your fics and I absolutely loved them❤️ I saw that you are currently accepting request so I would like to make one. I need a smut fic with Hongjoong and Yunho. I'm thinking about MafiaBoss! Hongjoong and Yunho x Assassin!Reader. where the reader is a badass assassin in which her whole aura screams that she is a dom, only for her to be manhandled and treated as a fucktoy by the two. Thank you in advance!

Beneath the Bullet - hohong/yunjoong

REQUEST BY: @arki-sha

pairing: mafia bosses!hohong/yunjoong x assasin fem!reader

rating: 18+

genre: mafia au, romance, smut, filth (mdni ty)

summary: You finally meet the two hottest men in the city.. who happen to be mafia leaders... and also happen to be your enemies.. but hell lets loose in their car, atmosphere filled with lust and desire.

WC: 3k

warnings: mafia au, rough dom!yunho, softer dom!hongjoong, assassin fem!reader, mafia leaders!yunjoong, car sex, overstimulation, double penetration, pet names (sweetie, princess, love), slight degradation (once or twice, slut/fucktoy/cumslut), mentions of murder, mentions of blood, mentions of guns, knife play, pain kink ig?, oral (m), implied foreplay, big dick!yunjoong, two kinky mfs (reader and yunho), completely consesual, slight humor when Yunho gets a fucking erection from being cut by reader's knife I laughed so bad while writing that part, unprotected (use protection irl !!!), for sure forgot something, completely undedited.

Author's Note: HELLO I WENT INSANE WHILE WRITING IT? Had to include my lil kink with the knife play, hihi. I hope I wrote it exactly how you imagined it, love. Tell me your opinion down below <3 <3 KEEP THE REQUESTS COMING I LOVE WRITING !

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction & does not represent in any way the reality of the member.

The casino was a gleaming beacon of decadence in the heart of the city, its neon lights flickering like the promises of fortune that lured the desperate and the greedy through its gilded doors. Inside, the air was thick with smoke and the soft, constant hum of conversation punctuated by the sharp clatter of chips on green felt tables. Crystal chandeliers cast a dim, golden glow over the sea of patrons, each lost in their own games of chance and deception.

As you stepped inside, the weight of the city’s secrets seemed to hang in the air, wrapping around you like a second skin. You moved with quiet precision, your senses heightened, aware of every sound, every movement. The role of the assassin fit you like a glove—silent, unseen, and deadly.

Your eyes scanned the room, picking up on the subtle signs of tension beneath the surface calm. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you spotted them—two silhouettes at the far end of the bar. Even in the dim lighting, their profiles were unmistakable. The taller one, with his sharp suit and colder-than-ice demeanor, was Jeong Yunho. The other, slightly shorter with a more calculating gaze, was Kim Hongjoong. Two of the city's most powerful mafia bosses, men whose shadows loomed large over the criminal underworld.

Their presence was no coincidence. You knew them well—too well. But whether they recognized you, whether they knew why you were here, was a question that hung in the air like a loaded gun waiting to go off. In this casino, luck was a fleeting thing, and tonight, it was clear that the stakes were about to get deadly.

With your sharp senses you felt someone approaching you. It was a mere waiter.

"Hello, miss. Would you like something to drink, perhaps?" he said, smiling.

You thought, "what if he was paid by someone to bring me a spiked drink?" and refused him promptly.

"Ah, no, thank you." you said, skeptical of his intention.

"Okay then, I will be at the bar if you want to order something later" he said and left.

As you were scanning the huge room, filled with smoke and despair, as one or two people were always losing their bids, you lost sight of the two men. "Fuck it, he really was a decoy!" you said and touched your thigh, feeling up the gun and knife you had under your dress.

You left the place, through the emergency exit and stopped for a moment to catch your breath. You then felt someone near you, making you get out the gun from your thigh pocket. You moved slowly, steadily and tried to get to your car but to no avail. Someone came from behind you and put a hand on your mouth, turning you around.

"We meet at last, y/n." Yunho said, smiling at you.

"Hah, look at her face. She didn't expect it." Hongjoong said, approaching you slowly.

"Back the fuck off!" you said and Yunho loosened his grip, leaving you stay still in front of them.

"Ouu, feisty. We heard about you before, princess. We've heard allll the stories, about how you're the best assasin the city.. what happened now, hm?" Hongjoong said, carresing your cheek.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" you flinched at his touch.

"Don't worry, you're as filthy as us... if not even filthier. How many people did you murder until now? Hm.. I read about 130... We aren't even close to that, darling. Not even sumed up." the tall man said confidently, waving his gun at you.

"If you don't leave me the fuck alone I'll make you fucking dissapear!" you whispered, taunting the two men, and as soon as you finished talking you got your gun from your garment.

"Ohhh, you have your little gun with you? What, do you think you can kill us with that small gun? Baby, we've been shot multiple times by way more bigger and heavier guns. That one will one.. maybe scratch us?" Yunho said, laughing at you.

You were breathing heavily, trying to find a way to escape. But to no avail, as the two men were basically towering over you, cornering you. You had no way to escape. Though, your job was not necessarily to kill them... you were searching someone else, but they also had a bounty on their heads. A big, fat one, too. But, again, you weren't there to kill them so... why did they corner you?

You saw a moment of freedom and took your knife out, Yunho seeing you and chasing over to you. He turned you around, getting himself cut pretty badly on his chest. To your surprise, he let out a loud moan, making you and Hongjoong burst out laughing.

"HAHAHA what the fuck man! Did you just moan? Damn you kinky fucker, never thought you'd be into this typa shit" Hongjoong said, laughing along with you.

"SHUT UP!" He said embarrased, keeping a secret to himself.

"Oh, my god. This was HILLARIOUS! Never thought I'd hear Yunho, fucking moan." you giggled.

"Y/n, do you want me to give you a reason to moan, too?" Yunho said and pushed you against the wall, at the back of the casino. "You dared cut me, princess. What made you think I wouldn't fight back, hm?" he whispered, brushing the sharp edge of your knife on your neck, but not hurting you.

"You're lucky we don't hurt girls, princess. What, by the look in your eyes, did you expect me to kill you?" the taller one said and yes, you were looking him in the eyes, with a blank stare. Yes, you were terrified but no, you weren't trying to show him. Even so, he was the type to feed on people's fears.

"Not gonna lie, Yunho, this would turn me on in other circumstances" you giggled, trying to diffuse the mood.

"Damn, another kinky one.. Yunho, what did you do?" Hongjoong smirked, seeing your gaze darkening upon seeing the taller's one pants forming a tent.

"OH, my god." you exhaled, squirming under Yunho's grip.

"Get the fuck away from me" Yunho said, pushing you away.

"Relax man, the fuck are you getting so worked up for" Hongjoong shouted, giving you an understanding of what was happening. What if, the two men.. in front of you... came at the casino, for you? To find you, to get... and claim you. The thought that just ran through your mind made you cross your legs for a short second, while staring at Yunho, at how flushed he was. Truth is, these two fuckers in front of you were the hottest in the underground businesses... the only shitty thing being the fact that you were a fucking assassin and them... mafia leaders, which wasn't quite to your liking, but...

"The fuck are you pushing me away for!?" you said, giving him the death stare.

"I thought you needed some help...well then, I'll leave if you're done with me? I've got someone to kill, babes" you said, walking towards the door.

"Wait a moment, princess. The fuck did you just say now?" the shorter one rumbled.

Your heart racing, trying to find your words after what you just said.

"You heard what I said, I won't repeat myself".

"Come here you little fucker, dare to give me a damn erection and leaving without doing shit about it? You better prepare yourself." Yunho said, raising his eyebrows at you, showing you the way to their car.

"Make me. I know I said what I said but... did you think I'd submit so easily? Make me, love." you said and in an instant Yunho approached you and took you in his grip, lifting you off the floor.

"Don't make a fucking sound, y/n. We might actually hurt you." the shorter one murmured, sitting with you in the back of the car.

"Joong, keep her silent. I can't guarantee her safety if someones hears or sees her."

"On it"

Hongjoong started feeling you up, his hands traveling your body, up and down. From your bare thighs, to you waist, then to your collarbones. He closed the gap between the two of you and leaned in for a kiss, a deep and sloppy one. You tried to resist it, showing them that you're not that easily submitting but oh god.. the way he was kissing you sent you over the edge. Yunho was still driving, his cock achingly straining against the zipper of his pants, screaming to be let out.

"God damn" Yunho mumbled, trying to keep his attention on the road, but it was quite... hard for him. His dick leaking with pre cum and staining his pants, you heavy breathing in the back as you were making out with Hongjoong. He didn't quite resist anymore and sped up, trying to get to the destination as fast as possible. It was a remotely far hill, where one of their bases was.

"I don't have enough will and patience left in me to get you to the room. You'll take us right here in the car" Yunho said, pushing the front seats and coming in the back.

Hongjoong was already working on your fit, fondling with your bra from under the dress, not daring getting it off yet. He was enjoying every moment.

"Wait Joong, stop for a moment. Yunho, come here, lay down. Let me do something about your.. erection" you said, brushing your nails on his tip through the cloth, receiving a soft whine from him. He accepted the fact that you turned him on so bad that his dick was almost springing out of his tied up pants, but he had other plans.

"Okay babe, let's see what you've got in you." he said laying back, smirking.

And as he said that, you kneeled on him, the car big enough for you to have space to sit comfortably. Your wet cunt was touching his clothed thighs, turning you on even more. As your hands found their way to his pants, you started to slowly unbuckle them, then as you unzipped them his cock sprung out of his briefs, sitting angrily on his pelvis. It was true that the only thing keeping it in was his pants, after all. You then undresses him halfway, his pants and briefs to his knees so you could grind and hump on his bare thigh. The sensation send a shiver down both of your spines.

You started slowly stroking his pulsing length, from his shaft down to the base, your hands lubed enough from his leaking pre cum. As you were doing this, you started playing with him while Hongjoong was all touchy from behind, asking you to give in.

"What should I do with you, hm? Should I let you cum or edge you until you cum out of desperation?" you said smiling, looking at him in the eyes while fastening your strokes. From his tip to the base of his cock, your fingers worked their way to get him on the edge. But it didn't last long. Your little and steady strokes became sloppier and heavier, as you felt a hand slip behind you, to your folds.

"Oh damn, you're already so wet, princess. Want me to do something about it, hm?" Hongjoong said, rubbing your wet cunt.

"Uh, Joong-" you mumbled as he slipped two fingers in, no warning. Your back arched a bit and you decided to go down on Yunho, kissing his tip and licking circles on it's slit. He squirmed under you.

You sucked him off for a long minute until you felt one hand go on your head, tangling in your hair.

"I didn't imagine you'd be this cocky while sucking me, sweetie. Dare to order me around? Why don't you suck.." he said as he pushed your head down on his dick, hitting your throat, "more rapidly and deeply, hm? Let me fuck the cockiness out of you" he said as he raised his hips into your mouth, basically fucking your throat with so much power, tears forming in your eyes. Some fell on his abs, but it didn't make him stop. It actually made him want more, bottoming down in your throat, staying like that for a long moment to watch you choke on it.

"Oh, what a good girl. Look at me" he whispered.

He took his knife out.

"See this nice knife..? Look at it's blade, all right?" He put it to your throat once again, poking you subtly with the tip of it, not sharp enough to do any harm. But oh my god.. the thrill it sent through you... you could let him do that all day. But after all, you were a cocky one, as he said so.

"Do you think I'm as derranged as you to be into knife play, hm?" you said, smiling through the pleasurable tears forming from Hongjoong been all up in you. "It doesn't phase me, darling." he put the sharp part to your neck.

"Does this.. phase you?" he said as he poked you once again, but slightly scratching you, leaving a little mark on your neck.

"Not at all, do better." you said and he stopped Hongjoong from what he was doing, pushing you on his chest.

"What the fuck are you doing, man ! I was just in her moments ago!" Hongjoong said, angrily.

"Just do what the fuck I want you to do and shut up. Undress her and hold onto her, you can fuck her, I don't give a fuck. I want to have my fun with her" Yunho said and as Hongjoong did as told, he touched your pussy, first with his fingers then... with the blade. The dull point of the knife he had in his hand. He first slowly touched your clit, receiving a moan from you. Then with the blade he spread out your folds, watching how you were clenching onto air, basically nothing. You could see how his dick was throbbing at the view, still leaking. He then poked your thigh with the blade, leaving a small bleeding dot.

"Are you still not phased, princess? Should I fuck you dumb?" Yunho said as he put the knife away and closed the gap between the two of you, feeling how his cock was touching your folds. You whined at his touch, realising he's... way bigger than what you'd usually be able to take... either your fingers or your vibrator.

"Look at her man, she's out of it. What do you think, darling. Should we make you our fuck toy? Our little cumslut?" Hongjoong said as he spread out your cheeks and pressed the tip of his dick to your ass. You knew what he was trying to do and... you fully gave in.

"Oh my god, look at her, all spread out for us, see? She's so pretty like this... right, you little slut?" Yunho said as he pushed himself inside your cunt, one of his hands holding your thigh and the other one on your clit, rubbing it slowly but steady.

"Will you.. be able to take it, sweetie?" Yunho said and when you mumbled a soft, weak "yes" he started fucking you rapidly.

You were being fucked dumb by the two men, leaving you no room to act. You were catching your high, being closer than ever that night. Your hands were resting on Yunho's shoulders, your legs closing on his hips, asking him to ram into you. He wasted no time and as he pounded into you a few more times, along with Hongjoong's pumps in your ass, you came, your legs trembling and your eyes full of tears. It felt incredible.. how you were just fucked by them. But they weren't stopping... in fact... they steadied their thrusts.

"Don't even think of us stopping until we fill you up both" Yunho said and one of his hands went to your neck, carresing the small cut he did earlier with his knife. And as he said that, he bottomed out in you a few more times and finished in your cunt, his load dripping from his dick as he was still fucking you and himself through his high.

"Princess, bare with me but I'm not done yet" Hongjoong said and his hand went to your aching folds, Yunho's dick still inside you. He started rubbing your clit in circles, rapidly and forcefully, receiving loud whimpers and moans from you. You felt overstimulated, his hand rubbing the puffed oversensitive nub.

Yunho pulled out and his load was dripping down from your cunt, right down on Hongjoong's length, turning him on. You felt that he was close, as his thrusts became sloppy and had no rythm to them, and within a few more thrusts he also came in you, still fucking you through his orgasm. He emptied fully in you, leaving out a small string of curses as he slowed down.

"What a good fucktoy, hmm?" Yunho said helping you get up and sit on the backseat, wobbly on your legs and your head dizzy.

"Oh, my fucking, god." you exhaled, watching the two men dress you up.

"See? What being bratty with us does to you?" Hongjoong said, carresing your cheek.

Yunho helped you out of the car.

"Come here, let's go get you washed up and then I'll drop you off at your house."

"Thanks, I guess" you said, the cockiness in you visible again.

"Oh, cocky again? Prepare yourself for the next time we meet, it won't end good for you, princess", Hongjoong said, smirking.

While you were showering, you heard the two boys talking.

"The fuck were you doing with the knife, man?! Are you fucking derranged? What if you hurt her, hm? I thought we agreed on sharing her, for fucks sake! Not killing her." Hongjoong raised his voice and Yunho, making you giggle at his remark.

"Didn't you fucking see she was into it too? Give me a fucking break, I enjoyed it, she enjoyed it, the three of us are safe, leave me alone" Yunho said as he went back to the car to wait for you.

*several minutes later, all dressed up, in Yunho's car"

"See you other time, y/n. Enjoyed my time with you" he said.

And you continued.

"Next week at the casino? What do you think... bring Joong along with you"

"Deal"

[buccini555]

𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐬 - 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭.𝟑

♡ What would it be like to have a secret relationship with one of the city's most dangerous gangsters? (NSFW Imagine)

♡ H e a d c a n o n s/I m a g i n e s .ᐟ .ᐟ

♡ 𝑭𝒕.Kakucho Hitto

𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐢𝐫𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐨 . 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐳𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐲𝐨 . 𝐊𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐨 ♡ . 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢 . 𝐑𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢 . 𝐊𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐢 𝐇𝐚𝐣𝐢𝐦𝐞 . 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐨𝐦𝐢 𝐀𝐤𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢

tw: only submission mention, almost none, he's a sweetheart.

𝗞𝗮𝗸𝘂𝗰𝗵𝗼 𝗛𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗼: For a long time, he kept a small spark of passion alive in his heart for you as soon as he caught a glimpse of you in a place you frequented in common, you ended up talking and becoming good friends, until Kakucho he finally got the courage and ended up declaring himself after meeting you again some time later.

Initially, Kakucho intended to assume this relationship to anyone who wanted to know, however, after thinking about the risks he could expose you to, he just preferred to keep your relationship confidential, even with this clear fact, Kakucho never treated you differently , he remained completely passionate and romantic, being extremely gentlemanly and loyal.

You end up meeting literally anywhere, but Kakucho prioritizes taking you to high-end and more reserved places, whether hotels, restaurants or even his own home, he usually makes some surprises for you when you are at his house, such as welcoming you with roses or crystal necklaces, he does everything to please you and is completely submissive, even though he is a member of one of the city's criminal organizations, his heart melts for you.

Kakucho also has his bad days, but he would never hurt you in any way, when he's like this, the taller one just becomes a little colder and quieter, another fact is that Kakucho would never be aggressive towards you, nor would he even raise his tone of voice, he cannot deny being jealous, however, he keeps them under control and is extremely respectful of your preferences and privacy.

That same day, two weeks had already passed before your eyes since he last met Kakucho, he would return to see her that night after finishing all the work he had, to eagerly await it, so, you took a shower and dressed in your best clothes, the expectation increased as night fell and intensified even more when you heard a knock on the door, immediately, you wasted no time and went to welcome him, quickly getting up from the sofa in your living room and opening the door with your heart throbbing with anxiety and joy at seeing him again.

"I'm back, my princess-" Before he had the chance to finish speaking, you jumped into his lap, hugging him in silence while even though he was surprised, he held you so intensely when you held him in the hug. "My girl... I missed you so much." Entering through the door and placing you under the sofa, he said, approaching you and making your eyes meet before kissing you.

That definitely wasn't like any kiss, it was different, intense and passionate, the rhythm increased with each movement of your tongues that did the work, even if the air ran out in a few brief moments, you couldn't stop, you needed it. "Promise you'll never be away from me again, Kaku?" Holding the brunette's face, you say in a low tone. "I promise." Looking directly at you while caressing your face, he responds and then gives you a few kisses, laying you down on the sofa and getting on top of your body, his hands roam your body, at first, the caresses are just like innocent touches, then, if they became hotter as the weather heated up, Kakucho caressed your breasts while holding one of his hands on your thigh, making you shiver with each touch and squeeze, you knew you hadn't felt each other for a long time, he really needed you right there.

"K-kakucho..." Amidst sighs, you pronounce the name of the taller one, who immediately turns all his attention to listening to you. "What happened, doll face? Want me to stop?" Kakucho questioned immediately. "I want more." In a few words and with a smirk, you said, looking away with flushed cheeks, so Kakucho immediately complied with your order and without thinking twice he kissed you again, this time, with even more desire to give you pleasure, while kissed you, he raised the hem of your dress, soon, it didn't take long for you to be completely naked in front of him, he looked you up and down making you realize his excitement when he took your hand to his member over his pants that were with the zipper open, you subtly lowered the black boxer shorts he was wearing, leaving his member visible, the pre-cum down your hand, holding it carefully, you began to make light movements up and down with your hand, making him let out a few moans at the same time as he attentively gave you watched him masturbate.

"Fuck... I-I need you, baby, right now." Looking at you with a needy look, he spoke, trying to contain his excitement, Kakucho made you come on top of his lap, being careful as he slowly placed his member in you until you felt it completely inside you. "I want to be yours again." You said, feeling his member pulsate along with your intimacy. "You're mine, you're only mine." Holding your waist, he forced your hips into his while helping you move up and down.

The rhythm increased more and more, keeping you both close to the peak, your bodies werem sweaty and reaching the limit. "I-I, I've missed fucking you, you're so...tight, damn." Putting even more pressure on your waist and hips, he looked at you as if begging for more, worried about you, he made you lie down for fear of tiring you out. "D-don't stop, K-kaku, please." Controlling his breath, you made his request while he penetrated you again. "Yes, baby. I won't stop until you cum on my cock." Going even faster than before, he uttered amidst already tired breathing. "Argh! P-please fuck me, fuck me, p-please!" Hearing you beg for him only made him more excited, he couldn't contain himself anymore so he just went even faster. "I-I'm almost... Y-yeah, that fucking tight pussy drives me crazy..." He said. "P-please, baby, fuck me, I-I need more..." To tease him even more, you continued to ask for more, so it didn't take long for you to reach the peak together. “Do you want, do you want me to cum inside your pretty pussy, hmm, baby girl?” He questioned. "P-please just... K-keep fucking me." As soon as he heard your answer, he could no longer control himself and did so, Afterwards, he removed his dick from inside her pussy, which was dripping with his cum.

After quenching your longing, Kakucho lovingly helped you shower and get dressed again, this time with comfortable nightwear, leaving you to rest next to him in your bed.

[b00kdiary]

A Ballad of Flame & Shadow | Azriel

Alex was falling between worlds- falling through worlds- until she landed with Bryce someplace that was definitely not Hel.

And now there was a male before her, the most beautiful male she had ever seen and something other than fear sparked in her heart.

Wattpad & Ao3

CHAPTER ONE:

One moment Bryce and I were running toward the Gate, leaping through the Gate into the chasm of darkness beyond, Rigelus screaming at our backs.

And then the next we were falling.

Not through the worlds but across – as if some God had gripped us by our hair and yanked us sideways, pulling, pulling, pulling, our screams greeting nothing but stars and darkness and emptiness.

There was a pressure in my brain like someone had wrapped their hands around my throat and squeezed, a tightening that felt like fingers pressing down on my eyes to cave them in.

And so much screaming.

And then... grass.

I panted, a burst of pain lancing through my right shoulder as it collided with the ground, as it collided with the green grass below me. Though my head spun so wildly that for a second, I wondered if it was even real.

But I felt it, under my hands, beyond the Harpy's blood coating my palms and fingers, crusting under my nails- grass, dense and damp with condensation.

Hel had grass.

"Hel," I breathed, and it was pure panic that overrode the spinning in my mind, the pain in my body. Pure and undiluted panic as I realised where we had appeared, what likely prowled these lands. "Bryce-Bryce!"

My knees shook as I rose onto them, and I could feel my body begging me to stop- stop moving, stop fighting, just stop. But I didn't, couldn't, not as flashes of Hel's pets passed my mind's eye, those horrific creatures that had attacked Lunathion that day.

Deathstalkers, Kristallos demons- they would rip us to shreds before we even found Aidas.

"Bryce!" I called again- not too loud. I lifted my chin and I saw the Starsword, a few feet in front of me and then I glanced back- to where Bryce lay groaning on the floor. "Shit, shit-"

The air felt different here, thinner, and as I scrambled over to Bryce, half-crawling, half-stumbling, it took all my strength to make it those few feet before I dropped to my knees at her side.

"Alex," Bryce gritted her teeth as I rolled her onto her back, her tan skin ashen her body convulsing. Running from Rigelus's power, opening the Gate with the Horn, getting us both through to Hel- it was all too much for her.

"We need to go," Her amber eyes darted frantically, to and from my face to the darkening sky above. But even her hand clasping mine felt weak, and I knew that she was on the verge of passing out. "Death-deathstalkers, they'll kill us, Alex, we need to go."

"I know, I know," I rasped and something helpless burned behind my eyes as I held her hand, and watched her sneakers dig into the ground for leverage before giving out a second later. "We're not going to make it far with you like this Bryce, we need shelter, we need-"

The mists before us parted and the words died on my tongue as I beheld the land before me- beheld a sight of beauty. A flowing, crystal blue river, a lawn of verdant green grass, kept green grass, and beyond.

"A city," I gasped, and Bryce must not have heard me, not as she tried and failed to bend her knees under her. But I saw it, saw a city of stars and moonlight and prosperity, the kind that Ruhn had shown me pictures of when he had travelled across the Continents.

But there, through the mystified fog and past that winding river- movement. Demons of Hel.

"Bryce, I know you're tired, but you need to get up," I grab her limpening arm, tucking it against me and something twists in my gut at the wet feel of the Harpy's blood on her clothes and mine, the smell that thickened as I grabbed Bryce by the waist to haul her to her feet.

Her amber eyes opened; her head tilted back against my forearm blinking up at my face. And then her eyes widened.

"Alex-"

Too late.

Steel slid against my throat, cold and sharp and I froze.

A male spoke, like death incarnate against the shell of my ear, so close that I felt a tremor ripple across my skin. I didn't recognise the language, but with the hushed tone and the press of that blade against my carotid, I knew not to move.

I didn't even dare breathe.

Bryce grunted as she slipped from my grip and back to the grass, and as her eyes flashed to whatever demon stood behind me, I saw it in her face- her calling to her powers, just as I did now. But it splintered and cracked, shards slipping through my fingers.

I had nothing left to defend with, and if the dull star at Bryce's chest told me anything, it seemed we were out of luck.

That male voice spoke again, demanded something in that foreign tongue and when I still knelt on the ground, palms exposed, begging any who listened for even a flicker of magic to ignite in me, he growled.

Bryce gasped as his large hand clamped down on my shoulder, and I saw her fighting to rise as he hauled me up and twisted me to face him. "Don't fucking touch her."

But I didn't react. Not as I was met with something, unlike any demon I knew existed.

A male- the most beautiful male I had ever seen before. Golden skin, carved bone structure, raven hair. And those eyes were hazel, a sunburst of honey and whiskey, even if they seemed to gleam with violence.

The sight of him surprised me enough that I stumbled back a step and like the warrior he seemed to be, he reacted, his hand falling to my curved waist and gripping me. Something sparked, like a match being lit, at the touch.

And for a second, I think he felt it too, it seemed like those hazel eyes cleared and his tall, muscular form shivered at that spark. Just for a second and then it was gone.

He released my waist, instead wrapping his hand around my wrist, a glint of a blade shining in my peripheral. He spoke again, a quiet voice that seemed to hold no mercy. But I was dumbfounded as I stared at him.

The scale-like obsidian armour, crafted over acres of lean, corded muscle, and so tall I craned my neck to meet his eyes. And those wings, nothing like Hunt's, no, these were vast, black, leathery, tipped with talons that peered over his broad shoulders.

Hunt.

Ruhn.

Something squeezed in my chest and that beautiful face twisted, brows knitting and soft lips tilting down as tears filled my eyes.

"Take us to Aidas," I begged, and I couldn't stop how my body was shaking now. I glanced back at Bryce, braced on her palms and mascara running down her face- as if she too remembered all we had left behind. "Take us to Aidas, Prince Aidas!"

I couldn't stop the tears as they fell and when I jolted forward, curling my hands into the solid, intricate armour he wore, his eyes flashed in warning. But he didn't pull away. I leaned against him, knees near giving out and he seemed to recognise how desperate I was.

He spoke again, softer this time, that rough hand still holding my wrist.

"What the fuck is he saying?" Bryce choked, and I could hear rustling as if she was fighting with everything, she had in her to get up. I could practically hear her screaming in her mind get the fuck up.

"I don't understand, please, just take us to Prince Aidas. We came to Hel; we came for his help-"

"Hel?" He echoed the word sounding jumbled on his lips. I nodded frantically, my nails breaking against his armour, half my body flush against him now and he held my weight up with ease.

"Yes, yes, Hel!" I looked around, gesturing at the misty surroundings, the sky-scrapping trees, the darkening night sky, "What level? What Pit? What Chasm?" But my words seemed to just confuse him even more, dark brows furrowing.

My eyes screwed shut with frustration and I opened my mouth again, to repeat those same words, hoping this time something would click- and then I felt it, felt them.

"Fuck," I gasped, launching back, my fingers untangling from the male before me as I scrambled away. His hand- brutally scarred, I realised- squeezed, but when he saw the fear and panic sullying my eyes, he reluctantly let go.

And I inched back and back and back until I felt Bryce beside me- and she was shaking just as much as I was. Because stood behind that male, were three more... demons? No, no, Fae, two of them were Fae.

We were surrounded now, outnumbered.

"Shit, shit," Bryce hissed and when my eyes met hers, half-risen, legs knocking together as she tried to stand, I saw it on her face- we were fucked, royally fucked. "We can't fucking take them all."

I sucked in a shallow breath and with it, I steeled my spine and forced the alarm to clear from my face. The first male's eyes scrutinised me, observed as I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin, refusing to cower- and I swear his lip tilted at the corner.

"Prince Aidas, we're looking for Prince Aidas," I looked past him, to the two Fae females, beautiful Fae females and another handsome male with wings standing beside them. "Is this Hel?"

One of the females stepped forward, petite in every sense of the word, her dark, cropped hair so at odds with the gleaming silver in her angular eyes- eyes that seemed to look over me, over Bryce, and narrow.

I didn't blame them. We were covered in blood, seeping through our clothes, sticking to our skin, coating our hands and neck, and speckled against our faces. Blood that was not ours.

The other male spoke, just as tall, if not taller than the first with those same hazel eyes and those dark, foreboding wings. He shook his head, long raven hair shifting from his bun, and I watched as the female beside him, pretty and fawn-haired, pursed her lips.

Bryce bared her teeth, red hair swinging in her ponytail as she stepped forward and I fought against my instinct to help, to grab onto her to stop her tumbling over. But we were the prey here, they were the predators and we had to do everything in our power to not become food.

"Is this world Hel?" Bryce asked and something shifted in the air at the sound of the Old Fae Language on her tongue, that petite female flinching at the words. "We need to see Prince Aidas."

The others gaped at the smaller female as if her shock was the most alarming thing about this situation. But I sagged in relief- finally, someone who fucking understood us. But that seemed secondary to her, as that female glanced from the Starsword on the floor at her feet to the first male's dagger at his side.

He slid it free, and it was as if someone had ripped the ground out from under our feet.

"Oh my fucking Gods," It was a twin to the Starsword, a mirror with its dark hilt and engraved blade. And Bryce's hand found mine, tugged me back with her as the Starsword began to glow, vibrating with white magic.

And almost as if in answer the dagger pulsed black.

It fell from the male's hand, alarm breaking through the pure ice hardening his eyes and I would have laughed under different circumstances- laughed at seeing these fully grown, powerful creatures flinching from these weapons.

Except I was fucking terrified too.

"Gwydion," The dark-haired female gasped, red-painted lips parting in shock as she stared down at the Starsword- known by a different name here, a name I had never heard before.

"Please, is this Hel?" I stumbled slightly over the language, unused to the mother tongue of the Old Fae, but still, I locked my intreating gaze onto that female and demanded again, "Is this Hel? We need to find Prince Aidas."

She pursed her lips and Bryce's nails dug into the skin of my palm, her body stiffening under that stare. She looked over us- the mess of make-up smeared across our faces, the clothes and shoes caked in blood, and the bruises and cuts looming over our skin.

So at odds with them, with their outdated attire. For some reason, I thought back to the old fantasy movies Danika used to drag me and Bryce to, just so she could laugh and throw popcorn kernels at the screen.

My heart burned in memory of her.

I saw a blare of blue, bright enough that it had me blinking through the tears that lined my eyes in memory of my friend. As the haze cleared, I locked onto that beautiful male and saw something solemn in his face- like he had felt my grief at that moment.

I didn't have the time to contemplate how.

"No one has spoken that language here in over fifteen thousand years," She spoke, tone clipped and chin high, "I do not know any Aidas here."

"Apollion then," I swallowed, and I felt Bryce sway beside me, hands rubbing at her face, muttering incoherently under her breath. "You must know the Prince of the Pit."

"I do not know of such people," She shook her head, her eyes weary and something in my chest caved, "This is not Hel."

This is not Hel.

Not Hel.

Where the fuck where we?

"Oh Gods," Bryce gasped and this time when she swayed again, I did hold onto her, wrapping her arm over my shoulder and baring her weight. I didn't let the calm mask I donned slip, didn't let them see me as anything other than strong. I couldn't afford to.

"Then where are we?" I asked, voice shaking as I looked between the two females, then the other swaggering male and then finally to the first. And my eyes now noticed the blue jewels embedded into his armour, blazing like sirens.

I locked my gaze on him and for some reason, whatever reason, I felt like he of all of them might take pity on us, have mercy on us. And I let him see that in me, that hope, strong enough that something unreadable whirled through his eyes.

"What world is this?" I breathed, just looking at him and I saw his throat work, that powerful body going unnaturally still. His lips parted as if to speak, but then something happened. I felt it again, that shift in time and space and air.

And then there were two more of them, two more Fae as if they had just appeared- from thin fucking air.

"How fucking many of them are there?" Bryce scoffed, and something like a chuckle rose in me, at how ridiculous this was, how unbelievable. Did the Gods truly hate us so fucking much?

I eyed the female first and watched her wade through the others to the front- lovely, fawn-haired, and her eyes a cloudy blue. They widened slightly at the sight of us, but they held little threat, only weariness.

And then two black, ominous wings erected high behind her, and the breath ripped from my lungs as a third male stepped out- midnight hair, and violet eyes, breathtakingly lovely.

"Ruhn?" My voice broke, and it was Bryce who had to hold me up now, had to keep me from falling to my knees at the sight of that male, so much like the Prince I had left behind on Midgard.

He blinked at me, likely as confused as I was.

And then he turned to the first male, the one with the scarred hands, and they spoke between them. Something almost akin to worry flickering through those hazel eyes as he watched me, the tears now leaking down my face, the haunted expression I wore.

"He-he looks like Ruhn," Bryce gasped, voice barely above a mutter and I heard the emotion clogging her words- for her brother, in the hands of the Asteri, so similar to this male that it physically made us hurt. "Why does he look Ruhn?"

"I don't know, I don't know-" Once the tears started it became hard to stop and Bryce, was beginning to sag in my arms, she was starting to drift in and out of consciousness now and I couldn't hold her for much longer I knew that.

"Please," I looked to the dark-haired female again, and I would be the prey, I would be food, I would chattel if it meant getting them to help us. "My sister is weak, she needs help and-and our world, our home... Midgard, it's in grave danger-"

Hunt, Bryce's mate. My friend.

Ruhn, Bryce's brother. My family and yet so much more.

"Don't- don't tell them anything, Alex," Bryce rasped into my ear, and I was starting to buckle now, teeth gritting as her body got heavier and heavier. "Don't tell-"

"Bryce!" She crumpled to the floor, and I fell with her, knees giving out, slamming into the grass hard enough that I felt the pain through every inch of my body. The Fae before us seemed to startle, but only the first male stepped forward, grass crunching under his boots.

Scarred hands reaching out as if to catch us. Catch me.

"I don't have any magic left, it's-it's depleted, more than depleted," Bryce rested her sweating forehead against my shoulder, and I bit my lip hard enough to taste metal as her eyes fluttered.

"Mine too," I whispered back, and the muttering amongst the others told me they were confused, that us speaking in our native tongue did not sit well with them. They didn't like not knowing what we were saying. "It's going to take a long time for it to come back, we need them to not kill us before then."

"C'mon Alex," Bryce lifted her eyes to mine, dry amusement in them, "Flutter those lashes and throw them a pretty smile, works with the males back home."

Their muttering got louder, and more voices joined in.

"These definitely aren't the males from home," I scoff- only Bryce could make a snarky quip at a time like this. "We don't have this kind of eye candy back home."

"Speak for yourself," Bryce's lip tilted. "Hunt Athalar happens to be my mate."

Her mate. I felt her chest seize in memory of him.

And it's that, that awful hurt in her eyes that makes me exhale with resolve. I draw on every ounce of exhaustion and pain and suffering we had endured these last few days, these last years- and I look back to those Fae with unveiled desperation.

"Please," I say again, and when I picture Ruhn and Hunt, when I picture our parents and our friends, my tears become real, "You have to help us."

The dark-haired female seemed to translate my words to the others, and something almost softened across their faces- kind, these people, they seemed kind. The fawn-haired female, who I noticed had a tapestry of dark whirls tattooed up her right arm, smiled sadly at me and spoke.

"She wants to know your name," the petite one relayed.

I could taste the salt of my tears in my mouth and my throat worked as I searched across all those lovely faces. I stopped at the first male, something tugging at me, an incessant throb that only settled when my eyes found him again.

There was a tense silence as we stared at each other, my arms wrapped around Bryce, holding her weak body to mine, no longer able to open her eyes much less speak. The male saw that, saw that we weren't a threat, at least not right now, and he dipped his head in the barest nod.

As if to say- we won't harm you.

"I'm Alexis Quinlan," I met those violet eyes and tried not to shudder at the thought of Ruhn. I cleared my throat, looking down at Bryce in my embrace, her chest rising and falling- just barely. "This is my sister, Bryce Quinlan."

"Hello, Alexis Quinlan," He stepped forward, a small smile tilting at his gorgeous face and the sound of the Old Language on his tongue was as glorious as night and space itself. "I'm Rhysand."

One moment, Rhysand was smiling and then the next something wholly dark and terrifying eclipsed us.

And then there was nothing but oblivion.

***

Alexis Quinlan- that's what Rhysand said she introduced herself as.

Even the sound of her name made something in my chest spark, a call in answer to her.

I felt as if I knew her somehow, felt as if we had met before- it was that feeling that stopped me from sliding Truth-teller into the junction of her throat when I found her earlier. It was the shiver that ran down me when I grabbed her waist that made me stop.

Made it impossible for me to harm her despite every instinct in me screaming that she was a stranger, a threat against this Court, against my family, against everything I held dear.

Even if another instinct in me whispered that she was anything but.

"Azriel," Rhysand's voice broke through the wall of confusion and intrigue that had erected the moment I laid eyes on her, and it took all my power to slide my gaze to his and look unfazed. "What are you thinking?"

I glanced at where the two females lay, nestled together on the small cot, faces calm as they slumbered. My lips pursed at the first female, Alexis, and the blood that caked her- matted in her long, chocolate hair, crusting against her tawny skin, staining the tight, unusual clothes she wore.

Not a threat and yet she was covered in blood that was not hers.

"They said they came from another world- Midgard- how?" I forced away the incessant thoughts of her, jaw locking as my shadows danced across my form- whispering, whispering, whispering, just about her. "They possess Gwydion but seemed surprised by Truth-Teller."

My hands clenched at my sides; the dagger sheathed at my hip no longer pulsing with that dark, unnatural energy in answer to Gwydion. It was alarming, seeing the blade I had cherished and wielded for so many years suddenly become unfamiliar to me, become other.

"She said their world was in grave danger, that they needed help," Amren mused, her slender arms folding over her chest as she stood beside me and Rhysand, her eyes assessing those females with lethal scrutiny. "Who's to say whatever they fear hasn't followed them straight to us, if the danger even exists."

I thought back to first discovering them- weak, no power left in them, if they had any at all and she had cried- amber eyes welling with tears as she held onto me. I felt it as sure as if it were my own, her grief, her desperation.

It had felt real.

"They did not seem disingenuous," Rhysand's violet eyes moved between Amren and me, the cavernous walls so at odds with the stars in his eyes but seemed to match perfectly with his deep-set frown. "And if they were going to attack, would they not have taken their chances against Azriel, before reinforcements arrived?"

"Whatever they endured has left them defenceless, they couldn't have taken Azriel even if they wanted to," Amren examined her sharp, glistening nails, her tone almost bored, "Wake them Rhysand, all these assumptions are pointless. We need them to tell us the truth."

It seemed unlikely they would tell us anything, not willingly, not if the way Alexis had steeled her spine and raised her chin as my court surrounded her was any indication. And her sister, Bryce, had bared her teeth, enough ire in her eyes to translate the curses that fell from her lips.

These were not weak females, not feeble by any account. My power seemed to rally at that reminder, that they were the enemy until proven otherwise. And as Rhysand let a wave of his magic brush over them, pulling them free from their unconscious- I let my mask slip back into place.

Shadowsinger. Spymaster. Darkness incarnate.

The females stirred, dark lashes fluttering and the three of us braced ourselves as they both sucked in sharp, lungfuls of air and shot up. Bryce, red hair swinging violently, and teeth bared, reached back- for Gwydion- and her painted nails met nothing but air.

But the other female, Alexis, sprung out of the cot and to her feet- but she didn't reach for a weapon. No, my brows rose as her hands curled, palms exposing and- nothing. Nothing came from it.

"She reached for her magic, but there isn't anything left," Rhysand muttered, interest lacing his tone and I nodded gravely in agreement, watching her breath stutter from her in realisation. "They have power, enough that it's her first instinct to call for it."

"And they're trained," I said lowly, watching their eyes flicker over themselves, over each other, and the cavernous walls that surrounded them. "The sister went for Gwydion first, and now they're assessing the space- these are no novices."

Their eyes slid to us as if knowing we spoke about them. And rightfully so fear crept up their faces as they took in the scene, the three of us, the cell they were trapped in and not a weapon or a speck of magic left in them.

The grate behind us hissed and Alexis groaned, muttering something in her language, amusing enough that the female behind her cracked a dry smile. They shifted to stand before the cot, their eyes unflinching upon us.

Rhysand stepped forward and I didn't miss how Alexis stiffened and shifted in front of Bryce- her protector perhaps? Or maybe whatever they were, she thought her sister's life more valuable than her own.

Rhysand spoke in that Old Fae language, translating mind to mind. His hand extended, wreathed in stars and moonlight, two small beans lying in his palm. "Here, swallow this and it will translate our mother tongue to you, allow you to speak it too."

Bryce scoffed, looking at the bean as if it were a vial of poison. My head cocked when Alexis folded her arms across her chest, her dark brow raising at Rhys and she spoke, something sardonic crossing her lovely face.

Rhys laughed- and I glanced at him in surprise. Even Amren's lip quirked at the corner.

"She said," Rhysand's eyes met mine and danced with enough amusement that my shadows hushed, "That she doesn't swallow- no matter how nicely a pretty male may ask."

I chuckled quietly at that, and something akin to approval hummed in my chest as my gaze shifted to hers. And it blared brighter when she tilted her chin in challenge, every inch of her soft body turning still at my attention.

"If we were going to kill you, we wouldn't need to use poison," Amren drawled, Rhysand translating again. The females met each other's eyes and Bryce said something, something that made Alexis flash her a smile- a devastating smile.

Bryce's hand trembled barely as she plucked the beans from Rhysand's palm, careful not to touch him and there was silence as they slipped it between their parted lips, grimacing as they swallowed it dry.

They gasped- in pain I realised, and it became increasingly difficult to stay rooted in place as they bucked, as she writhed, body convulsing, eyes screwed shut. I gritted my teeth as Bryce slumped back onto the bed, reeling, Alexis now bracing her palms against the cave walls to keep herself steady.

"If you were trying to hurt us a fucking knife would have done the job just as well," Alexis scowled, panting as she held the wall. My shadows skittered at the sound of her voice- soft and melodic to my ears.

"Poison might have been better than... whatever the fuck that was," Bryce said, husky voice half-muffled by the hand at her mouth as if she was forcing down bile - an answer to the pain that had thrashed her insides apart moments before.

"My apologies," Rhysand smiled, sounding anything but apologetic and their eyes narrowed as if they knew that. "But the language barrier was growing tedious, wouldn't you say?"

Bryce mumbled something incoherent, and we watched as she rose to her feet again, both their faces tight with discomfort as they steadied themselves, standing side by side as they had before and faced us.

They wanted answers as much as we did it seemed.

"You said your names were Alexis and Bryce Quinlan," Amren took a step forward, and her gaze slid over them, unimpressed. But to their credit they didn't baulk, if anything Alexis mirrored that look, taking in Amren's clothes with veiled humour. "You say you came from another world- if you are to be believed, how did you come here? Why?"

"Where is here?" Bryce swallowed, gaze flickering over the space again, "What world is this?"

"Why do you speak the Old Language?" Amren argued, eyes narrowing.

"Why do you?" Bryce countered, jerking her chin and Alexis rolled her pretty eyes, already tired of the back and forth- it nearly made me smile.

"Why are you covered in blood that is not your own?" Amren's red lips tilted into a cruel smile and- silence. They didn't speak for several moments.

And then something else overtook them. Panic overtook them. They looked down at the blood, covering them and whatever had happened, whatever they endured at home, those memories came back with a vengeance.

Bryce began to hyperventilate, her breath sawing in and out and she looked around the room, eyes wide, as if the walls were beginning to close in.

"Bryce," Alexis grabbed her sister's hand, silver-lined her eyes as she looked at her, "Bryce, don't think about it, don't think about them, please Bryce-"

"We won't harm you," Rhysand frowned, and they seemed to realise the comfort in the words, and the warning too. My throat worked, my head spinning with so many thoughts as she grabbed her sister's hand, anchoring her, and met our eyes again.

"What world is this?" Alexis demanded, and I could see it, as she looked at us one by one, the power she might wield, the magic lying dormant in her veins. She looked to Amren, unafraid. "You said no one has spoken the Old Language here in fifteen thousand years. Why?"

"How did you come to be in possession of the lost sword Gwydion?" Amren countered and this time Alexis bared her teeth, sharp canines exposing with a soft snarl. That sound glided down my spine and over my wings.

"I thought we agreed that we didn't want to have tedious conversations?" She said, and Amren's smile broadened- as if recognising a worthy opponent. "Or should we keep asking each other questions while giving no fucking answers?"

"You mean the Starsword?" Bryce rasped, giving a hint of an answer- but none of us spoke. Her eyes rolled, a mirror to the face her sister had made minutes ago, and she sighed. "It's a family heirloom, It's been in our world since our ancestors brought it over...fifteen thousand years ago."

Alexis met Amren's eyes, and something whirled in them, something sarcastic- as if to say see, that's called answering the fucking question.

My shadows crooned at that look.

"How did you find this world?" Rhysand asked, and rightfully so, they both seemed uneasy in his presence, seemed to recognise that he was in charge.

"We didn't," Alexis sighed, "Like we said: we wanted to go to Hel. We landed here instead."

"How?" Rhysand's voice sharpened and they both grimaced at the sound that came hissing from the grate, as if sensing their High Lord's anger and pleading for a taste.

"How much do you wanna bet they're gonna feed us to whatever the fucks hissing in there?" Bryce mused, wincing at the sound and Alexis nodded, looking at the grate with dread.

"We're not exactly the most palatable females, Bryce," Alexis tucked her long, dark hair behind an arched ear and chuckled wryly, talking as if we weren't even here, "Maybe it'll taste the sarcasm in our blood and be uninterested?"

She quirked a brow, teasing her sister- at a time like this they were teasing each other.

"I can assure you that that they don't discriminate," I flashed my teeth in a wicked smile, and Alexis's eyes locked with mine at the sound of my quiet tone, hands clenching at the cruel amusement in my eyes. "They like the taste of a pretty female, sarcastic or not."

She sucked in a shallow breath at that, her shapely chest rising and falling in waves as she stared at me. There was silence, and I knew the others were looking at us, between us, sensing the battle of wills that raged.

"Look, I just watched my mate and my brother get captured by a group of intergalactic parasites," Bryce snarled, and I straightened at the anger in her voice. "We have no interest in doing anything except finding a way to help them."

Her brother. Not our brother.

I narrowed my eyes and looked between them then- they didn't look remotely alike that much was obvious, nor did they smell alike, their blood completely different. Sisters, but not by blood, sisters in the same way that Rhysand and Cassian were my brothers.

"Explain." That's all Amren said. And they looked at each other, seemed to read the words on each other's faces and then turned back to us and said nothing. Amren sighed, "Just look into their minds already, Rhys."

"Don't even think about it," Alexis hissed, angling herself before her sister again and she glared at Rhysand with true terror in her eyes. A mirror to how Bryce looked at him.

"I do not pry where I am not willingly invited," Rhysand said quietly, his face not yielding even an inch of how he felt. Bryce's eyes narrowed, and Alexis showed another sarcastic smile.

"Gods be good, there are some decent males left in this galaxy," She drawled, utterly unimpressed, "However may we thank you for not invading our minds and rifling through them. Should we bow in the face of such virtue, Bryce?"

"It's definitely something to revere," Bryce looked at her sister, and chuckled, "A male with a code of mind-speaking ethics."

Rhysand paused, entertained if the constellations in his eyes told me anything. And even I fought back my astonishment, my smile, surprised by these females.

"Then we'll have to rely on your words," Rhysand grinned, snapped his fingers, and then settled onto one of the three chairs that appeared behind us, crossing an ankle over a knee.

"I was wrong before Bryce, these males are just like the ones back home," Alexis muttered, rolling her eyes at Rhysand's dramatics, before dropping onto the cot behind her with a sigh. "Beauty and arrogance, nothing new here."

Bryce fought a smile, sitting beside her sister, so close their thighs brushed, as if needing the other for comfort, for support.

"Amren," Rhysand smiled lazily at the frowning female, gesturing to the chair and then to me, "Azriel." I dropped onto the chair, tucking my wings behind me, and bracing my arms on my knees.

Her eyes were on me. As if hearing my name had the same effect as when I had heard hers.

"You say your sword has been in your world for fifteen thousand years?" Rhysand asked, and if I knew Rhys then he was more than pleased that she thought him beautiful, liked that she considered him arrogant.

My stomach lurched at the thought for some reason, her thinking him beautiful. I shoved it down, deep within me, not daring to think of it again. Think of why I even cared.

"Brought by our ancestors- Queen Theia or Prince Pelias, depending on what propaganda you hear." Bryce said a shade hesitantly, but upon seeing Amren stiffen, seeing her react, her brow rose, "You know of them?"

"No one has spoken those names here in a very, very long time," Amren swallowed, and Rhysand had gone still- if Amren was worried, then we all should be. "They once dwelled here."

"So, this is it, this is where we- the Midgard Fae- came from," Alexis was breathless, like the piece of the puzzle they had been missing slid into place. "Our ancestors left this world and went to Midgard, but we forgot where we came from."

Rhysand looked at me and I shook my head, lips pursing, never before heard of such stories involving our people migrating through worlds. But then he looked to Amren- and Cauldron, she looked shaken.

"It's murky, I went in before-" Amren glanced to the girls and didn't continue that sentence, "But when I came out there were rumours- many people vanishing, some said to another world, others said they'd moved to distant lands, rumours that they had been chosen by the Cauldron and spirited away."

Something cold lit through me at her words, getting colder still when Amren lifted her eyes and sharpened them upon the females. "What I want to know is why you came here when you meant to go elsewhere?"

"Join the line, Amren," Alexis said, biting down on her name sharply. She wasn't afraid, stupid, or brave, I couldn't tell but my shadows seemed to enjoy it all the same. "We want to know the same thing- we have no desire to be here."

"You wish to go to Hel," Rhysand said, not a shift in his tone, "To find this Prince Aidas."

At his question, they again glanced at each other and knew just from each other's faces, their eyes, what to do. It was intrinsic, just as I was with my brothers, on killing fields, in council meetings, in situations of peril, I could see exactly what my brothers thought just from something as simple as a blink.

"Allow me to lay out the situation for you, Bryce and Alexis Quinlan," Rhysand leaned forward, and they both met his stare- warriors, fighters, survivors, that's what I saw in them. "We will not torture you or pry into your mind. If you choose to talk or not, is indeed your choice."

"Let me guess," Alexis cocked her head, silken hair sliding over her shoulder as she met those star-flecked eyes, "Just like it's your choice to leave us down here to rot. Until these four walls drive us fucking crazy and we have no choice but to tell you whatever you want."

"That's torture, isn't it, Alex?" Bryce mused sarcastically, her brows furrowing in faux perplexion.

"Yes, it is, Bryce," Alexis drawled, locking her ankles and meeting Rhysand's gaze again, "Chivalrous torture though- because you know, they have a code to follow after all."

Cauldron, under different circumstances these females, I think I would rather like them. Rhys seems to share my sentiment, a rumble of laughter dancing through my mind. Rhys smiled- and snapped his fingers. In an instant, they were clean- of blood, of gore, of whatever else they had been coated in.

Beautiful. That's the word that sprang to me first at the sight of her, just beautiful.

"To incentivise you," Rhys gave a half smile, more menacing than anything else. Another shared glance between the girls and then a defeated sigh.

"The Asteri are ancient, tens of thousands of years old and they arrived in our world fifteen thousand years ago," Bryce said, and something sullen flashed through her eyes, as if in memory.

"What do you mean by arrived?" Rhysand pushed.

"Honestly, we have no idea how they first got to Midgard." Bryce shrugged and Rhysand's face softened at the agony in her eyes, her scent turning cold, as if she could still feel them, whatever they were.

"The history has spun them as liberators, they found Midgard little more than a backwater planet inhabited by humans and animals and they created a perfect empire- a place where creatures and races from other worlds came to through a giant hole called the Northern Rift." Alexis continued, frowning, "It now only opens to Hel, but it used to open to everywhere, anywhere."

"What happened when these creatures arrived from other worlds?" Rhysand asked, his voice tight now.

"The official history is that Hel tried to invade Midgard but the Asteri in all their glory unified these people under one banner and banished the Princes back to Hel. The Northern Rift was fixed, with its destination set on Hel. A massive wall was built to keep out any demons that come through the cracks and the Asteri's indomitable empire lives happily ever after."

"And the unofficial history?" Rhysand asked, a shade more quietly.

Alexis looked at her sister, saw the question in those eyes- and then nodded, solemnly. Bryce turned back to us, bracing herself with a shaky inhale and exhale.

"The Asteri are ancient, immortal beings who harvest off the magic of a world, of its people and then eat it. We call it firstlight, it fuels our world. We're required to hand it over when we reach immortality, we seize our full power through a ritual called the drop and they siphon off pieces of it- like a tax on our magic."

"A tithe," Amren gasps- I've never heard Amren gasp before, even Rhysand looks alarmed by the soft sound. They furrow their brow but when Amren doesn't continue, Alexis swallows, continuing the tale.

"Midgard is one of many in a long line of worlds invaded by the Asteri. They have an entire archive full of planets they've conquered or tried to conquer- we saw it before we came here." Alexis clenched her eyes shut, haunted by the memory, "There were only three planets that managed to kick their asses to the curb- Hel, a planet called Iphraxia, and a world occupied by Fae, the original Starborn Fae."

"My sword- you know it by a different name," Bryce looked to Amren, who nodded slowly, "I think it came from this world- was forged here. It was a part of your history and then vanished, right? Hasn't been seen in fifteen thousand years? It lines up with the timeline of the Starborn Fae arriving in Midgard."

Worry- it bloomed over us, all of us like a phantom touch. And something uneasy furled in my gut, the way these females had appeared, the light and dark call and answer between Gwydion and Truth-teller- it was not right.

"We learned that long before the Asteri found Midgard, they were here- but you kicked them out, you defeated them," Alexis's face turned pleading then, desperate, "How? How did you defeat them?"

"Our history doesn't include any such event like that," Rhysand said- but the look he gave Amren, spoke of something more.

"The Asteri remember you- and they're pissed off," Alexis scoffed, and my shadows lurched at her words, at the threat these Asteri posed. "Rigelus, their leader, basically said it's his personal mission to find this place and fucking destroy it. You're number one on his list."

Alexis trembled as she said his name- Rigelus, and her scent darkened in fear, in repulsion. And something awful rose in me at the smell, at whatever he had done to make her shake that way- something dark and terrible and deadly.

"It is our history, Rhysand," Amren said gravely, and we both went still, "But the Asteri were not known by that name- we called them the Daglan." I jolted, wings rustling, and Rhysand's face turned ashen, golden skin leeching of colour.

Cauldron fucking spare us, the Asteri are the Daglan.

"How did you defeat them?" Alexis tried again, hope beaming in her eyes now, "Do you have any record about how they fell?"

"Nothing beyond old songs of bloody battles and tremendous losses," Amren frowned, and that hope, fuck, it dimmed and dimmed and then completely vanished from her eyes.

"You think that these Asteri want to come back here for revenge?" Rhys asked, shaking his head like he didn't quite believe it. "After fifteen thousand years?"

"These are petty, arrogant bastards, fifteen thousand years is like five minutes when it comes to Rigelus when it comes to his revenge," Alexis said, her face twisting with ice, "He has infinite time and resources to-"

"What resources?" Rhysand cut in, and now, there was not an inch of amusement to be seen on his face. No, his High Lord's instinct had taken over.

"I don't even know where to start explaining it," Alexis shook her head, looked at her sister, frowned and then turned back to us, reaching out a small, shaking hand to Rhys. "I'll show you."

That darkness twisted in my gut again, at the thought of his hand touching hers. I thrust it down with the other ludicrous emotions and thoughts that plagued me.

"One moment," Rhys frowned, knowing better than to fall so easily into a trap. He vanished, and an emotion akin to relief filled me, as she lowered her hand back to her lap with a dazed blink.

"You can teleport here?" Bryce asked, but not really asking.

"We call it winnowing," Amren said, and my lip tilted at their reactions. "Can you two, do it?"

Another short glance- and two heads shaking no. My smirk widened.

"No," Alexis squared her shoulders, meeting my eyes and raising a brow at me, "There are only two Fae who can."

"On your entire planet?" Amren started, "Only two?"

Liar- I let her see that word in my eyes, even as she bared her teeth slightly at me, before turning away, dismissing me.

"Let me guess," Bryce smiled barely, "You have more?"

"Only the most powerful, but yes. Many can here." Amren's words cut off as Rhysand appeared between us again and I lifted a brow at what he held between his hands. "The Veritas Orb?"

"Hold it, think of what you want to show us, and the memories shall be captured within for us to view." Rhysand nodded to the orb at his feet. The girls frowned, muttered something, a word I didn't understand- camera- I think and then nodded in resolve.

Alexis rose on stiff legs, tugging at her clothes almost subconsciously, and no one spoke as she waded forward on silent feet. She paused before it, glanced at Rhysand, then Amren and then me- I tried not to appear like I wanted to kill her.

She bent down, short fingers curling around the orb and my throat worked at the slip of flesh that was revealed as she leaned forward, my eyes averting away from the display of golden skin and full breasts.

She rose, top mercifully slipping back into place and my eyes met hers- they danced with humour, knowing what I had seen, knowing that I had chosen to look away. My shadows flanked me excitedly, even as my face remained a sheet of darkness.

"Here goes nothing," She muttered, stepping back and then she closed her eyes and held that ball. It was a few seconds, if not more, before she fluttered her dark lashes, and then rolled the ball back to Rhysand.

He picked it up, touched the top and everything, all the horrors within began to play out.

Dread, pure fucking dread lined us all.

"Guns," Bryce said pointing to a human man holding some sort of weapon in his hands, hitting a target from miles away. "Brimstone missiles." A furious explosion, a flash of blinding white light and then... everything was in ruin, rubble. "Omega-boats." Some sort of underwater ship, with more of those weapons within.

"Asteri." Alexis breathed and when the male came onto the screen, dark-haired and gangly, she looked away, couldn't face him even in her own memories. And as a white-hot power blasted from him, shattering stone and glass and everything in his way, I could see why.

"You live in such a world?" Rhysand swallowed thickly, and they just nodded. "And they wish to bring all those things here?" Another grim nod.

Her eyes were on me, observing me but I didn't meet them, pushed the feel of them away. I stared at that orb, at the horror shown within and I knew that we were fucked, that against those monstrosities, Prythian would stand little chance.

Guns, missiles, omega-boats, the Asteri- it would be a catastrophe beyond anything that the Hybern war had seen.

"Bryce-" Her voice shook suddenly, panicked and my gaze tore from that orb. To where the other female hunched and groaned- to where her back glowed- "Bryce- Bryce, stop!"

Rhysand's magic pulsed and so did mine- and before they could strike, I lunged.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" Alexis snarled as I stood before them, Truth-teller in my hand, poised to attack. I inched closer- but then that darkness began to leak from the blade again, and I stopped at the sight.

"Put it away," Amren hissed, "It sings for her, and by bringing it close-" It was gone whisked away by my shadows within a blink.

Alexis glowered at me but then she turned and met her sister's pale face and concern softened her expression. But that light still pulsed- bright, shimmering, iridescent- and the panic in both their eyes, told us everything they had tried to hide.

"The glowing letters inked on her back," Amren muttered, Rhys stood by my side now, watching those closely, "They're the same as those in the Book of Breathings."

They seemed to notice the shift in the air, the power rumbling through the stone and the way they stared back, the way she stared back, told me that they wouldn't go down easy.

"Explain or die." 

____________________________

A/N:

HERE WE HAVE IT, CHAPTER ONE OF MY AZRIEL FANFIC!

This is a little sneak peek into what's to come but if you want to read the rest of this fanfic I am uploading it on Wattpad and AO3 (linked) My Wattpad handle is @itzwhatever and my ao3 handle is @b00kdiary

So excited to continue this story, I've been thinking about it for MONTHS.

@hellodarling1357 @charlineraven @starrystarkey93 @mockingjaytributes @nelapeach14 @alessiazeni @bishhh2003 @impossibelle @firebreathingbishqueen @lovely-susie @sarawritestories @hellowinterlane @minnieoo @charlineraven @acotarfics-mharmie009

[baddybaddyadardaddy]

a last alliance

Nenya sparkles in the sun, suspended between them, cradled in his palm.

It still startles him to see his own unblemished hand, but as he surrenders the ring—as his heart accepts its impending loss—he feels the luster of its power begin to leave him.

As Galadriel reaches out to take it, he feels relief.

He had fled the battlefield—out of astonishment, out of embarrassment, out of the guilt that came with the realization that in finally reaching for the thing that he desired, the object with the power to liberate his children from the threat of Sauron forever, he had betrayed them.

For the unforeseen cost, he had learned, watching his flesh transform before his eyes as dawn broke over the eastern rise of the mountains, is that he should cease to be one of them.

Too ashamed to let them see his uncorrupted face—his beloved children, the ones who had fallen in such great numbers at his asking, he had sought the shelter of the wood, high above the city, and hid. Some had followed, of course—his faithful sons, ever attuned to their father’s movements.

He had commanded them to stay back, away, and they had obeyed his wish.

That is, until they returned with her.

He had been paralyzed, frozen and inert against the stone until he had heard her voice: soft and imploring, not sharp and menacing, as it so often had been in her dealings with him and his children. He could sense her desperation, and he knew, in that moment, that it matched his own.

As he’d turned to her, revealing his original form, seeing the wonder in her eyes, he’d been filled with hope for the first time that he could remember. For after all, if a ring—little more than a trinket—could heal the wounds of a thousand years, then surely, they—two beings with minds and hearts, who had lived and lost so many times over—could find forgiveness between them.

He holds his palm steady, determined to assuage any of her fears that it might be a trap. No more flames, and no more darkness, he promises her, speaking of a lasting peace—of healing, at last, between elf and uruk.

She slips Nenya onto her finger, and he watches relief wash over her. As she studies the ring, he studies her, appreciating how radiant she is—like the brilliant dawn of the first sunrise he had glimpsed as he’d emerged from the bowels of Angband.

She does not need a ring to radiate with light, and yet Nenya amplifies her beauty even so.

She was a worthy adversary, and now, she will become a worthy ally.

Basking in her light, his limbs feel stronger, his sinews ready. With her at his side, his heart assures him, they will win.

A twig snaps, and they both turn their attention in the direction of the sound. Striding though the sun-soaked forest toward them, with an air of unpracticed confidence, is a tall, blonde figure, clad from head to toe in black.

“It is him,” Galadriel breathes, turning back to Adar with a maelstrom of quiet terror swirling in the depths of her crystal blue eyes. She places a hand against her breast, the place where she has hidden the nine rings. “I cannot face him alone.”

Setting his jaw, Adar draws his blade, stepping in front of her. “You will not be alone, Alatariel.”

As Sauron draws a blade of his own, Adar glances back to lock eyes with her once more. “No more flames,” he murmurs. It is an earnest offer: an offer to set their tenuous alliance in stone as hard of that which sits within the ring of adamant that she wears.

“And no more darkness,” she answers, resolved as she bares her teeth, drawing her own weapon.

Together, they charge toward their ancient enemy.

Read the rest on Ao3.

[yorshie]

Cistern

bayverse turtles x fem reader (No Y/N)

Summary: The Boys have a surprise pool party waiting for you in the sewers. Some lewd jokes if you squint. nicknames and fluff

set in 2023 so turtles are 22 ish

When you side stepped through the turnstiles and into the lair, you expected to be greeted by all four of the turtles. Instead, only the smallest of the brothers was there, playing away on his phone and humming a lively tune.

“Mikey?” You parked your butt on the table next to him, bare legs brushing against his arm as he looked up from whatever game he was using to pass the time.

“Hey, babycakes! Woo-woo, look at you!” He waggled his eye ridges, looking you up and down. “Really glad I drew the stick to bring you to the surprise.”

You felt your face heat up, but gave him a smile all the same, glancing down his body to take in the lack of weapons and his loose orange and black swim trunks. “Well, Leo said wear comfortable clothes I didn’t mind getting wet?”

“Heh.” The orange turtle pocketed his phone, using one movement to sway to his feet and lift you up into his arms. “Hope you’re ok with a bit of an adventure, babes. We gotta go through some of the larger tunnels to get where we’re going.”

You crossed your arms around his neck, slinging your bag up and over your stomach so he could get a better grip. “You’re not going to drop me into anything nasty, are you Angelo?”

“Oh, babes, I’d never drop you.” He winked, doing a little dance towards the entrance to make you laugh.

The sound of running water grew louder the closer you two got to the ‘surprise’. Mikey was horrible when it came to keeping secrets, especially when it involved anything his brothers planned that included you.

So far, you had weaseled out of him that there was a waterfall involved, and some sort of swimming would be required. That last bit worried you, but you comforted yourself that surely nothing too deep could exist in the underground system of tunnels.

At the last bend, Mikey slapped his large hand over your face and tucked your head into his shoulder, causing you to giggle as you fought to peek between his fingers.  Finally, he let you win, and you were able to pull his hand down and lean back up to take in the view. 

“Woah.” The word left your lips in a soft whisper.

Mikey had brought you to a giant stone cistern far below the city streets. Crystal clear blue water stretched off between columns as far as you could see. The arched ceiling was littered with lights to keep the light a soft glow. Against the furthest wall a rounded opening high above spilled water out into the pool. The ripples were the only disturbance, the crash of water somehow a distance echo with the calm ambiance.

“Took you long enough.” Leo’s soft voice, the eldest moving up a set of stone steps you’d completely missed. You flicked a look over him, his form a little alien without the twin swords strapped across his back and his arms uncovered.

“Don’t get jealous, Leo, that particular shade of green is unbecoming on you.” Mikey singsonged, causing his brother to roll his eyes.

“The water’s clean?” You asked, before you held up a hand, physically pushing the question away. “No, don’t answer that. That was a stupid question.”

Leo chuckled, but only tilted his head back towards the stairs, hand reaching out for you to pass your bag over. “Donnie’s been working on this for years, ever since we found it. We wanted to make sure everything worked as intended before we invited you down.”

You hummed back at him to show you were listening, clutching Mikey tighter as he all but skipped down the stairs to a path jutting out between the columns.

“You drop her, shell-brain, and I’ll beat your ass.” 

You had to do a double take to find him, but Raph was floating in the water, peering up over the stone edge to eye his baby brother critically. 

“Relax Raph, I’d never drop her. Throw her, however-”

You barely registered the words before you were flying through the air with a shriek, stomach ticking up in your throat before the swoop of the fall. You hit the cool water hard, limbs tangled and your side taking most of the hit.

You regretted never telling them you couldn’t swim.

You resisted the urge to take a breath, the shock of impact causing you to freeze up as you slipped under the surface. You had a moment of clear wonder at the way the light reflected like dancing arcs through the water and off the stone, before you realized the cistern was much deeper than you expected, and Mikey had thrown you well away from the wall.

Your chest was starting to burn, and you tried to think back to how people in movies swam. Before you could get through more than a handful of uncoordinated movements however, a strong grip circled your arm at the same time something shoved you from below. Looking down, you could see Leo’s shell, his arms twining around your legs to push you up towards the surface.

You broke the surface with a ragged gasp, sputtering as that large hand wrapped around your torso and pulled you off Leo’s shoulders. 

Raph used his other hand to rub your back briskly, the up and down motion causing your shirt to pull at your skin.

Leo broke through the water in front of you, blinking back his second set of eyelids to glare at you. “You can’t swim?”

You floundered, sucked in a too loud breath, and watched as the knowledge settled in him and his ire turned to Mikey. “Mikey!”

“Woah, bro, how was I suppose to know?”

“This is why we don’t go tossin’ guests ‘round!” Raph thundered, aiming a splash at Mikey.

You gripped Raph’s arm tightly, bobbing in the water as he pulled you back towards the edge. When he tried to transfer you to the stone, however, you sunk your nails in, preferring the solid, constant aura of strength he oozed.

“Hey, babes, you ok?” Mikey was hunched on his hands and knees next to the edge, and you glanced up at him, blinking away water to meet his concerned gaze. Before you could say anything though, Raph grabbed the top lip of his shell and hauled him into the water with a squawk.

“Hold on, sweetheart, go to Leo so I can drown his ass.” His free hand kept Mikey effortlessly under the water despite his thrashing, and you all but threw yourself towards the turtle in blue to escape the sloshing water.

He slid an arm around your waist before pushing you up towards his shell, letting you sprawl across the width and grip the edge as he swam away from Mikey’s punishment.

“We should have asked if you could swim.” He offered over his shoulder, the sounds of fighting breaking out behind you both. 

You twisted on his shell, peered over your shoulder to see Mikey had broken the surface and while Raph was big and angry, Mikey was just barely faster than him in the water.

“I should have told you guys. I just-”

“-didn’t think about it.” He finished, blue eyes clear of judgement. “I hope you aren’t scared now?” He was heading out into one of the larger sections of water, closer to the waterfall, and the ripples lapped over the curve of his shell and your legs as he cut through the water effortlessly.

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to be afraid with you guys around.” Leo let out a pleased rumble at your words, and you continued. “Speaking of, where’s Donnie?”

As though summoned, the water broke over the curve of the last brothers’ shell next to you, a squinty eyed Donnie peering up at you after blinking back his protective membrane.

“Hey, you made it.” He seemed pleased, reaching out to brush against your arm as he rolled over in the water to float on his shell, bare except for neon purple shorts. He grinned, knocking purposefully into Leo’s shell. “First time here and you’ve already turned Leo into a turtle taxi.”

Leo huffed under you. “She can’t swim, Dee.”

That brought the tallest brother up short. “What? You can’t swim?” At your nod, his lips pursed. “Well, that’s not good. Maybe some lessons?”

Before you could groan at the fact that they’d somehow worked training into what was suppose to be a day for relaxing, Leo was nodding, disappearing under the water to pull you off his shell.

“We’ll start with something easy. All you have to do is swim to Donnie.” He held you upright in the water, away from the heat of his body despite your insistence to cling to him.

“Orrrr- we could take the turtle taxi underwater?” You tried to dangle the notion in front of them like a treat, knowing they liked to show off for you, but they both shook their heads.

“This is important. What if you were alone for some reason and fell in?” Leo reasoned.

“Then it’s my time to go.” You deadpanned, knowing you’d never get out of it now but needing the stress relief of sassing back at them.

Leo snorted, the soft sound almost lost as you eyed the distance to Donnie. With an intake of breath, you kicked off his chest, arms coming up to sweep in an arc before you madly grabbed onto Donnie’s proffered arm.

“Well done!” He chirped at you, letting you cling to him for a moment.

“Don’t chirp at me, I’m mad at you both.” You sulked, but let him pull you further away, taking his offered hand. Your four fingers slotted in between his two, the stretch slightly awkward with how big his knuckles were.

“Hm, well, maybe we can focus on treading water for a moment?” His palm was cool on your other arm, supporting your elbow just under the surface of the water. “Kick your legs, like that.” He grinned at you again, following as you slowly turned them both in the water. “There you go, you’re a natural!” 

It was hard to stay mad at him, as giddy as he became at your success. It became even harder when he lifted your clasped hands up high, twirling you in the water until you laughed, before facing towards Leo once more. 

“Now, back to Leo.” His fingers slipped from your own, receding to mimic the other at your elbow as he waited for you to move.

You eyed the distance, noticing it had widened a little.

“C’mon,” Leo called, arms swept towards you, “I’m right here.” 

You huffed, then took a reflexive gulp of air before arcing for him. You’d almost reached him, when without warning, he pulled back, movements easy as he swam a little further away.

“Wait! Come back!” You floundered at the end of your arc. “You ass!” You bobbed under in a moment of panic, swallowing a large gulp of water in the process, before slapping the water desperately as you followed after him. You felt more than heard his chuckle as you bodily hugged him, legs coming up to hook on the edges of his shell as he widened the distance.

“This time, when you get to the end of your arc, simply repeat the movement and kick your legs, like you did when you were treading the water! They’re way stronger than your arms, so use them!” Donnie called the instructions over to you.

“Your mom is stronger-” You muttered, low enough that only Leo heard, irritated at the both of them once more. You pushed off him again, childishly kicking water in his face as you arced for Donnie.

Upon reaching him, he offered you an arm, and you pressed it flat along your chest, hooking both arms over to bob next to him. He hummed, long and low, and you watched him phantom mime touching his glasses while giving you a look, taking in your expression.

He let you settle for a moment, before his hand grabbed onto your shirt, bunching up the material at your side. “Hold on.” 

He swung you in an arc, pulling you through the water, creating a wave with your body and pulling out an elated yelp. You could just barely hear Leo laughing at the look on your face over the sound of the water. Donnie turned back, using the momentum to pull you through the water in the opposite direction in a wide arc.

Finally, when your cheeks started aching, he relented, pulling you closer and letting you hook your hands on the lip of his shell over his shoulders. “Ah, there we go. Much better.” When you raised your brows at him, be smiled softly. “Ready to go again?”

They switched from letting you cling to them, to staying just out of reach, forcing you to follow in their wake as they swam close enough to nudge you back up above the surface every time you dipped under. 

You tired out quickly however, dipped more and more under the water, until something smooth touched your knee and you realized Raph was coming up next to you. 

“Grab on, princess, let’s ditch school.” His low baritone was pitched to a rumble, clearly goading, and you wasted no time lunging for the top ridge of his shell. He sent a well aimed squirt of water directly towards Leo’s face before he dipped back below the surface, giving you time to take a deep breath before he whisked you away.

Raph swam between columns, surfacing in timely intervals so you could take a breath until you were both quite away from the others. Then, he switched to floating along the surface, masked head just above the water enough to hear you speak.

“How long can you stay under?” You asked, leaning your weight fully against him and letting your arms trail in the water.

“Longer than you, doll face.” You snorted at the non-answer, relaxing back against him.

“Hey guys! I’m gonna cycle the lights!” Donnie’s voice echoed through the cistern, seconds before the sound of a large switch being flipped, and half the lights went out. 

“Stay up on my shell.” Raph warned. “I see pretty good in the dark, but no point in tempting fate with how tired you are.”

You gripped the edge of his shell again, pulling yourself further out of the water.

“Ok! Check this out!”

Another switch, and the lights slowly flickered back to life, much softer and in different colors. You chuckled as blue, red, orange and purple flashed in the water below, the lights along the ceiling dimming further.

“Nice!” You called out to Donnie, before leaning back down to lay against Raph, watching as the water changed the tone of your skin color as you trailed your arms through it again.

“Damn, Don, that’s pretty cool.” Raph sunk his head under for a minute, before he tapped your leg, prompting you to hold onto him once again and take a deep breath.

He pulled you deeper into the water this time, turning slightly so you could take in the way the lights played across the surface above you. Eventually though, you reached forward to tap his shoulder, and he quickly swam back up. You broke the surface with a loud gasp and a stream of mist as Raph cleared his nostrils.

The sight made you cackle before groaning in disgust as the mist swept back towards you. “Ewwwww!”

“You two ok over there?” Leo’s voice echoed in the gloom, and you stifled the amusement rising up your throat as Raph started swimming in the opposite direction.

“Fine, Fearless! Don’t mother hen us.” 

“You’re like- like a giant-”

“You finish that sentence, sweetheart, and I’ll dump you back with Mr. schoolmarm over there.”

You hid your chuckle against the surface of his shell, almost jumping at the rumble he gave back. Peering over the edge, you watched the water ripple outwards, before the sound in Raph’s chest deepened and the water started hopping around you both, droplets seemingly suspended in mid air, growing taller the louder he got. The sound rattled your chest, your bones, your skin numbing where it was pressed against the slope of his shell.

“Raph,” you reached out, laid your palm flat against the water and let the vibrations tickle your skin. Your voice sounded as if you were talking into a fan. “What is this? How are you doing that?”

“Eh?” A dip in the sound, as he blinked up at you, and you got the distinct impression he was scrambling to answer. “Oh, don’t worry about that, sweetheart. It’s a turtle thing.”

“Hmmmm. Hey Donnie!” You cupped your hands, sitting up so the call would echo more. 

“Shit.” Raph bolted, and you had to scramble for a hold, cackling madly as he took off in the water, determined to outrun his brothers long enough for you to forget asking his genius brother for an explanation.

[thegildedbee]

Open: May 1 Prompt from @calaisreno

The cloud-covered gloom that neutralized the moon's incandescence doubled the chill of the early morning air, and the indifferent glow from the streetlamp did little to illuminate the surrounding area of damaged roadway and pavement. John pressed his back with care against the crumbling wall of the building furthest away from where it stood, holding his body completely still as he strained to pick up any sounds to factor into his calculations. Discerning nothing, he slid down the night vision glasses atop his black knit cap to rest on the bridge of his nose, and almost imperceptibly turned his head from side to side, scanning the street in measured increments, until he caught a glimpse of a body crossing a threshold a block away on the other side of the street.

He drew in a sharp breath at the sight of Sherlock, whose body language would appear to be nonchalant to a casual observer, which John was not; he could read the tension in the way the forefinger of Sherlock's right hand pressed against his thumb. Sherlock turned to step away opposite from the direction where John was placed, pausing briefly to shake out his hand, and then smooth it over the worn surplus jacket that covered his torso. After his first footfall there was a slight hitch in his next step when the forward movement placed him in a spot from where the shadows had fled, when the clouds suddenly abandoned the moon.

John's focus crystallized, knowing there were only seconds left to take cover and maneuver for an open shot. Moving swiftly, he crouched next to the rear wheel of a battered sedan, one knee on the ground, and the other bent, allowing him to set his elbow on it and aim his rifle. There was no need for a silencer; he would have one shot, and one shot only, and if the trajectory was true, then in the immediate aftermath of the surprise of the hit, he would melt away backwards, unnoticed, slipping around the corner of the building to the alley just beyond. He tamped down the fury that threatened to rise up as he spied a movement from inside a parked car a block ahead of Sherlock, where an assassin behind the wheel was placed at an angle beyond Sherlock's immediate line of sight. John breathed in, and on a count of three, pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying through the windscreen, shattering the glass into crystal fragments, and exploding the head of Sherlock's adversary into a halo of blood.

John knew that Sherlock would have stopped and instinctively leaned toward the scene of the hit, and then immediately have pivoted in reverse, to deduce from where the shot had been fired. But there would be nothing to see, as John would have vanished, leaving no trace of his presence.

One more city; one more mission; one more night which Sherlock would survive, as the long, tedious, and painful untangling of Moriarty's web continued to unspool.

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl

[kykyonthemoon]

Limerence

(noun) — a mental state of profound romantic infatuation, deep obsession, and fantastical longing

⋆˚✿˖° This chapter is a part of a mini-series of dark fairy tales and romance sets in another universe. It consists of three chapters, each with a Male Lead and is separated from one another.

⋆˚✿˖° Character x Reader/MC, from another (OC's) point of view. Reader/MC's pronounce is "she/her/hers".

⋆˚✿˖° Warnings & tags: 16+, MDNI, angst, hurt, thriller, emotional and mind control, manipulation, obsession, unrequited love, major character death, dark fantasy, dark fairy tale, sci-fi theme, m.urder, serial killer, imprisonment, abusive, reference to drugs.

⋆˚✿˖° Detective Cooper is my OC.

⋆˚✿˖° Read more chapters:

✦ Rafayel's ✦ Xavier's

⋆˚✿˖° Masterlist

Chapter: The Goddess — in which he heals and kills for her

⋆˚✿˖° Word count: 4k3

Each white snowflake descended gently to the earth, resting on Detective Cooper's black revolver, which was frozen in the air. The crystal barricade in front of him fractured and dissolved. The ice on his palm eventually melted into frozen droplets of water, allowing him to move again. With a very slow movement, he lowered the gun.

From a distance, sirens sounded. He stared at the city of Linkon on the horizon, which appeared like shimmering stars in the black night. An aircraft had just been dispatched and was flashing its light into the garden, revealing all of the secrets kept hidden for so long.

Cooper narrowed his gaze. He glanced up to the middle of the garden full of jasmine blooms, where there was a shelter made of marble and wood. In the center of that place, on a daybed an ice sculpture of a female in a reclining posture. Prostrating next to her was another figure who had not yet entirely frozen; his head rested on the daybed, and his icy hand held the sculpture's.

Detective Cooper took a deep breath. The cool breeze carried an almost faint aroma of jasmine. He turned and walked away, leaving the tragedy where it had started.

It seemed like just yesterday when Detective Cooper met Zayne for the first time.

The young doctor left the first impression on Cooper as a perfect combination of mechanics and biology. A cyborg. Zayne was a product of ASTRA, the world's foremost technology corporation dedicated to developing robots with human bodies, living like humans, and, of course, exceeding humans in numerous aspects.

That was such a problem with cyborgs. They were too sophisticated, too knowledgeable, and too competent. They overwhelmed real humans, even Cooper. This was how it felt to work with Zayne.

Thanks to the doctor's help, Cooper quickly solved the case. And even though he did not like working with cyborgs, he had to admit that Zayne's presence was necessary for his career. Through repeated contacts, the ice wall surrounding him melted over time. And Zayne, a cyborg, gradually revealed more of his human side.

As for Cooper, he had long considered Zayne a partner. But an occurrence five years ago transformed the doctor into an entirely different person. A cyborg that showed no emotion, as he used to be.

Cooper recalled a tragic accident that occurred in Linkon's suburbs that year. On the way back from her vacation, the little princess of the ASTRA empire was viciously attacked by Wanderers. Upon hearing the news, Cooper hurried there immediately. Yet all he saw were the Wanderers' bodies rapidly dissolving in the snow, blood spraying all over the place, covering Zayne's wide back as he turned away, the dying girl in his arms. That was the last time Cooper interacted with him.

It was not until five years later that Cooper set foot back in Dr. Zayne's office.

It was a late night. The streets were deserted, with flickering neon lights obscuring the sanitation robots. The city slept, but Akso Hospital remained awake as always. Detective Cooper sat alone in the office, waiting. Few hours later, the door opened and Zayne walked inside with perfectly synchronized steps.

“Long time no see, Doctor Zayne.”

Zayne nodded to the detective before returning to his seat behind the desk. He was still wearing his surgical attire, which was concealed by a white blouse. His spectacles were pushed up on the bridge of his nose, and his forehead was still beading with sweat.

"I trust that the surgery was successful?"

"Yes." Zayne replied briefly. Surely he knew what Cooper came here for. “My apologies for making you wait so long.”

"No problem." Cooper settled into the chair across from Zayne on the opposite side of the desk. The doctor remained the same, impeccable as the first time they met. Only Cooper had begun to feel old age creeping up on him, even though he was only nearly forty.

“Saving lives is the most important,” Cooper added. “That's what you were created to do.”

Zayne gave no response, just gazed at him.

“All right, no more rambling. I really need your help, Doctor Zayne.”

"I'm ready to help." Zayne expressed the same thing whenever they worked together. Cooper provided a quick summary of the matter he was investigating. It was a missing case. Many, to be precise. He had enough evidence to assume that the most recent incident was linked to cases that had occurred many years ago.

Cooper placed on the desk photos of the girl who had been missing for nearly half a year. Zayne paid great attention to them while listening to the detective's clarification, which included details about previous cases.

“The victims were young women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty. Their appearance has many similarities. And above all, they are all patients or have been treated at Akso Hospital.”

Silence fell on Doctor Zayne's extremely organized and clean office, furnished in a minimalist and modern manner with a black and white color scheme. A moment later, he said:

“I recognize a few faces here. They were my patients. Others belong to departments that I do not supervise.”

Cooper nodded, but seemed disappointed since he had anticipated Zayne to add something he did not know.

Their conversation went on for a little longer, yet it led them nowhere. Although Zayne gave valuable information regarding each victim's itinerary while at Akso Hospital, including who they might meet during that time, (Cooper was secretly grateful for a cyborg's superior abilities!), the investigation remained deadlocked. All victims vanished after being discharged from the hospital without any further contact.

The clock struck three in the morning, Cooper's thoughts became clouded with exhaustion, rendering him unable to think. He needed to alter the subject.

“It's been a while since we talked like this. You know, about the cases or other things in our lives.”

His response was the consistent, precise sound of Zayne typing on the keyboard.

"This feeling doesn't change either!" Cooper said with a laugh. At that point, his gaze was drawn to the corner of Zayne's desk, where there was a photograph of him and the heiress of the ASTRA corporation - the one who had given him life.

"How is she?"

Zayne's fingers, which were racing across the keyboard, came to a halt. Something shifted in his eyes for only a fraction of a second. Then he returned to his former state.

“She is well. Thank you for your regards.”

The young lady in the photo was smiling and clutching a bouquet of flowers while standing close to Zayne. She was so beautiful and talented. Yet since that accident, she had entirely concealed herself in an isolated place distant from Linkon City. She refused to appear in public, nor did she welcome guests to her mansion. She only kept one cyborg with her, and that was Zayne.

"That accident was truly horrifying for her…" Cooper recalled. Among the clicking sounds from Zayne's desk, he knew that the doctor was still listening. "I couldn't believe anybody could make it through something like that. But she recovered. It was you who saved her life.”

Zayne came to a complete halt. He leaned back slightly and examined the neatly framed photograph. It had been on his desk for the past ten years, ever since he began his employment at the hospital.

"I just did my job." He responded. After that, the room went silent again.

Cooper mused. Nobody knew how Doctor Zayne saved the life of that woman, whom he dubbed Goddess since she was his Creator. He did not take her to Akso Hospital, but instead returned to her residence, which was equipped with advanced medical technology and facilities. The news that she had been saved became a miracle, and everyone appreciated Dr. Zayne's hands even more.

"Sometimes I miss her energy." Cooper said out, breaking the stillness. "When she found out you were helping me investigate a few cases, she was so excited and asked to join. Although, I must confess, she was quite skilled at messing up clues, and it was you who had to assist me sort it out. Haha!"

Cooper was irritated when he merely received a nod from Zayne. The doctor would spend hours talking about his Goddess, only when Cooper knew how to initiate the conversation. But now it seemed that whenever someone mentioned her, he said as little as possible. Was he also adopting her secluded lifestyle after the accident?

When it was too late, Detective Cooper had to bid his former partner goodbye. Before departing, he made it obvious that he wanted to see Zayne's Goddess again. But the doctor only gazed at him deeply, without a response.

Zayne drove home at dawn. As a cyborg, he did not require as much sleep as a human, yet severe sleep was at times necessary. Still, he had been unable to sleep peacefully since the event occurred. Every time he closed his eyes, the only thing he dreamed of was her body lying in a pool of blood.

He saved her. He must believe it. However, she was no longer the same person she had been before the accident.

The enormous gate opened after scanning Zayne's face. Their home was set on a snowy mountain, with thick layers of bulletproof glass surrounding it. Most of the building was constructed of stone and wood, giving people a sense of modernism and classicism. One side faced the mountain and woodlands, while the other faced the sea and Linkon City. There was also a jasmine garden where Zayne spent hours with The Goddess while she rested there.

He walked through the main entrance made of oak. Greeting him was a woman sleeping soundly on a comfortable sofa in the reading room. He softly raised his feet and crouched down next to her.

His rough, scarred hands lifted her hair, revealing a familiar, pretty face. It was the very first face he saw when he opened his eyes, although now it had been somewhat altered by the passage of time. His touch awakened her. She got up.

“Zayne?” She called, and he reached out a hand to take hers.

Zayne helped her sit up straight. Lately, she had been losing weight, her body was constantly cold and she did sleep a lot.

“Why don't you go into the bedroom?” He asked.

“I'm… sorry…” She murmured. “I was just a little tired and fell asleep without knowing…”

Zayne frowned. Even a simple expression like that made her shudder. She held his hand so tightly, apologized.

“I didn't mean it… I know you told me to always go to the bedroom to stay warm… But…”

"Hush." Zayne placed a finger on the corner of her mouth, keeping her mute. “Lately, you often don't do what I say anymore.”

Her body quivered slightly. Her hands clenched on the sofa underneath. She dared not say a word if Zayne forbade her so. He continued to scold her:

“You don't sleep in the proper place. You don't take enough medications. And you met someone you shouldn't have met."

She shook her head aggressively. She muttered: "N-No... that's not true..."

“Have I allowed you to speak?”

Zayne's expression was melancholy as he stared at her. He was kneeling on one knee on the floor, but his physique still dominated hers, and his powerful voice made her shiver even more.

"You already know your punishment for disobeying orders." Zayne spoke again. He reached out to wipe away the hot tears streaming down her cheeks. "There you go again. The Goddess does not cry."

Zayne instantly stood up. Still with that cold gaze, he looked down at her. With trembling hands, she reached to him and pleaded: 

"Please..." Don't…"

"What's the matter?" His stern voice reverberated throughout the room. "Don't you want to become The Goddess you once were?"

“I… want to… But… I'm scared… Please, Zayne…”

She begged, but to no avail. Zayne did not respond. He approached the door, while she stood up and stumbled behind him.

Many hours later, well past noon, Zayne carried her back to the bedroom. She was freezing and shivering still. Cold sweat erupted all over her body. Yet in that semi-conscious state, she remembered something significant.

She recalled dancing with Zayne, in a garden filled with jasmine blossoms. She was still young at the time, and he was only a little older than her. When did he become such a heartless cyborg toward her? Was it because she forgot who she was and that angered him?

Who was she? There were some faint recollections that surfaced. She was the heir to a technology empire. She was a properly trained hunter. She was a schoolteacher. She was a painter. She was a mechanic. She was a scientist... In all of those scenarios, she had always been a girl with a fragile heart.

And just like that, in all her dreams there was Zayne. Whoever he said she was, she was precisely that person. He intended her to become The Goddess, she would be The Goddess for him. She desired to be the person Zayne worshiped. The only person he held dearly.

But why did he treat her that way? He confined her in a freezing cellar. He injected her with hallucinogens. He left her half-dead. And he solely stopped when she was almost unable to tolerate it anymore.

She heard Zayne's footsteps entering the room. The edge of the bed declined as he sat next to her. His cool fingers brushed her hair again.

"Get some sleep. You will feel better when you wake up."

Was it true that she would ever feel better?

The dismal sky indicated an impending hurricane. She cried. But her tears were hidden into the thick cushion. At the moment, she recalled something else.

She waited for Zayne to depart, and as the door closed, she searched under her headrest and took out an old phone.

She could not clearly recall the origin of this phone, yet it recognized her face. She had found it in the old archive of the mansion, some time after the third time she endured Zayne's punishment. Perhaps since that day, she had planned to leave this place.

She rummaged through the pocket of her nightgown for a business card. On it written a name: Detective Cooper.

Detective Cooper's investigation hit a dead end. The only clue he had turned out to be untrustworthy, due to her incoherent state.

He had traveled to that mansion to find The Goddess. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, only the bright smile and virgo he had seen in her were now lost.

She vaguely recalled their acquaintance; everything else was as blurred as the mist that covered the residence. He had anticipated her to provide more valuable clues to the case, but after the encounter, he had to reconsider his entire conclusion.

The first missing cases occurred five years ago. There had been twelve equivalent cases thus far. Despite the differences in their occupations, hometowns, and nationalities, the victims were all about the same age. They had identical physique shapes and even similar appearances. They all resembled a single individual. The Goddess.

For Detective Cooper, there was no such thing as a coincidence. His visit to Akso Hospital that day was mostly to determine Zayne's reaction. However, the doctor made no mention of the fact that the missing ladies all had something in common with the person he regarded most highly, which made Cooper suspicious. He came to see her knowing Zayne was not home at the time. With his instincts, he felt she was somehow tied to those disappearances. Perhaps she was the one being targeted after all.

There were still plenty of details that were left unclear. Cooper attempted to connect the dots, but was unable to discover any evidence to support his conclusion. That night, Detective Cooper was stressing out alone in his office when he received an anonymous phone call.

“Detective…” A familiar female voice rang out on the other end of the line. “Save me… Please save me…”

"You are—?…"

“Zayne! He's… gone insane… Please… get me out of here… I don't want to go back… I don't want to go back to that place… AAAARGH!”

A scream sounded out, followed by a sequence of noises, and then a beeping sound. Detective Cooper rushed out of the office at full speed, started the car and headed towards the mansion in the snowy mountains outside Linkon City.

The first time he woke up, Zayne was in the jasmine garden. Standing before him was a delicate face with a gentle smile.

“It is my honor to serve you, Master.”

He bowed to the lady. The sound of her laughter resonated around the lovely afternoon garden.

"There's no need to call me that."

She was considerably shorter than him, and he tended to lower himself so she would not have difficulties seeking his eyes. When she sat on the daybed, he would be on the floor by her feet. When she fell asleep, he would spend the entire night outside the chamber, guarding her dreams. She would sometimes lay her head on his lap and fall asleep after humming a few songs. Even though she disagreed with him calling her "master," he privately referred to her as his Goddess.

For his life was a gift granted by her. By using technology from the ASTRA corporation, she had created a cyborg, a perfect replica of the childhood friend whom she cherished so much. He possessed that person's appearance, intelligence, talent, and name.

“From now on, you are Zayne.” His Goddess said. “You shall continue his work and live his dreams."

The real Zayne had passed away a long time ago. After being unable to control his Evol, he chose to dissolve himself. Cyborg specialized in the medical field was originally a project of a lifetime that The Goddess and him had collaborated on.

Even though he was only a replacement, cyborg Zayne was delighted to stay with his Goddess. They lived together at a mountain mansion. Every day, she read books, sang, and danced in the garden of jasmine. She taught him everything she knew, evoking deep human emotions in him. He cared for and safeguarded her, while she granted him the grace to walk alongside her everywhere, to keep her company, and watch time impact her gradually while his physique stayed untouched.

His universe revolved around her. She gave him a reason to exist, which was to save lives.

That day, he should have accompanied her. Yet, the duty he was assigned since awakening obliged him to remain at Akso Hospital. He saved someone else's life, but he was unable to save hers.

Her lifeless, bloodied corpse lay on the surgery table. He had tried every method he knew, but her heart no longer beat.

His world crumbled from that day on.

Though, he still had a glimmer of hope. He took her protocore and memories. Her body was preserved by him in ice that never melted. He placed her on the daybed in the shelter, surrounded by a jasmine garden. It was where she often laid down to rest, her eyes always fixed on the metropolis in the distance.

Then, in the darkness, he began his hunt.

The woman with a similar figure was chosen by him from among the patients in the cardiology department at Akso Hospital. He implanted the core and memories of The Goddess into her body. He brainwashed her and through surgery, he transformed her into a version of the Goddess. However, the first experiment proved unsuccessful. She was quick to remember who she was and what he had done to her.

The second person, followed by the third... With each experiment, Zayne learned and improved. However, although the look was easy to replicate, the demeanor was not. Every time a girl said or did something that differed from his Goddess, he deemed her a failure. Then she was made into an ice sculpture in the garden, duplicating every moment of The Goddess he adored.

A sculpture depicting her seated and reading a book. The other portrayed her dancing. Another one featured her cooking meals... Across the garden placed eleven sculptures, all centered on the original essence, the true Goddess.

That night, the twelfth piece would join them.

Zayne raised the woman's chin in a delicate manner. A visage similar to that of a Goddess was staring at him. But he knew it was not her. She would not weep, she would not plead like that. She was quite resilient in taking on everything, including death. Even in the moment when Zayne failed to protect her, still she smiled and said, "You're here."

As for the person who was steadily frozen in that standing posture, she was weeping and begging him to release her. She used to be a scientist. How unfortunate; her brain was almost perfect for receiving all of the Goddess' memories, as well as the prior females' pasts; nevertheless, that was a side impact Zayne did not desire. However, this woman was not obedient at all. She in secret disposed of the medication he had given her and discovered an old but still functional phone in the archive. She intended to run away but Zayne intervened just in time.

"Quiet." He spoke in his usual calm tone, but it sent chills down the woman's spine, literally. Since her body was almost entirely frozen. Zayne added: "Smile. "My Goddess looked nothing like this."

It was always the same; they screamed, they cursed, they pleaded for life. How ugly! None of them were worthy of wearing the face of The Goddess! It was Zayne's hands that adjusted their faces before the freezing procedure was complete. As a result, they all transformed into beautiful ice sculptures at last.

He came closer, carefully extracting the Goddess' protoccore from the false woman's heart and ending her agony.

When Detective Cooper arrived, the mansion's gate was already open. He heard screams in the jasmine garden, followed by a sudden silence. He immediately took out his gun and moved towards it.

He discovered Zayne's collection of ice sculptures in the garden. Twelve sculptures representing varying looks of the same person were coated in a thin layer of ice that was nearly transparent, allowing the faces of those inside to be seen. Zayne was in the center of the place, kneeling close to the daybed. His hand was softly stroking the hand of the woman who was lying down.

"Do not come close." Zayne's words sounded like anguish. Detective Cooper aimed his gun at him and shot.

A layer of ice developed from the ground, forming a crystal fortress between them. Cooper's bullet ended up caught inside.

"Zayne!" Detective Cooper shouted. "Stop it! You will suffer the consequences for your crime!”

"Consequences?" There came an uncanny laugh from the shelter. Zayne gave Cooper a grieving look. "Having to live in a world without her is already a punishment."

Cooper proceeded one step further. The ice spread to his legs and knees before swiftly covering his hands.

"Zayne, what are you doing? This isn't you. This is not what you were made for!"

Zayne's gaze returned to the Goddess, filled with affection. Her face was so calm behind the thin covering of ice. He replied: 

"That's true. She created me to heal people. Yet, I hurt them.

Silence arrived. For a very long moment, there was only the sound of the wind howling.

"I knew you would find out the truth, Detective Cooper." Zayne cracked a smile at him from over the ice wall. "I just hope I have a little more time to create a perfect replica of her."

Cooper, with a portion of his body immobilized, had become a reluctant audience for Zayne's monologue.

"I've tried a variety of ways throughout the last five years. But I've never been successful. I can't replicate my Goddess. And now I know why."

Zayne leant forward slightly. His arm wrapped over her head, cradling her. He muttered:

“For, in this world, she is the only one. Thus even if I searched the entire earth, I wouldn't find her a second time. I have made my own judgment.”

“What are you going to do?” Detective Cooper said impatiently. He had called for reinforcements and they were on their way. This place would be surrounded in just a few short minutes. No one could escape, not even a sophisticated cyborg with the Evol of Ice. However, it appeared that Zayne had no intention of escaping. 

“I disappointed her…” His voice began to tremble. “I could not save her… I murdered others so that I could replace her…”

Therefore, Zayne, himself, was a failed experiment. Everything that failed would be discarded. A fragment of black ice erupted on his chest and penetrated his body.

"Zayne!" Detective Cooper called out. From where he stood, he could see ice sprouting from Zayne's back. It was a torture.

“I do not deserve to see her again in the afterlife, if there is such a place… But if my life must end here… Please let me die… beside her…”

Zayne's words and breathing became stagnant. Detective Cooper attempted to escape, but he discovered that he could only move once the ice Zayne had summoned melted away, just as life was leaving his body.

Zayne shed a tear toward The Goddess as he placed his head close to her. His hand clenched on hers. He whispered one last time before he, himself, sank into the never-ending ice:

“Let me… die… by your side…”