#nanook honkai star rail

[yourlocalstranger123]

Hello I luv your writing may I request a yandere Nanook (if you write for him) with a Aeon of wind reader who's like Venti

U don't have to write this if this makes you uncomfortable is it fine if it's fluff?

|\/|Xx×!¡《Nanook》¡!×xX|\/|

ofc! Also, i appreciate you putting what kind of theme you wanted, like fluff. Bc I sometimes I add angst to a fluff bc they didn't exactly tell me what kind of theme, so I just take it as a free for all...(I still feel guilty-)

Also, im not too familiar with the lore, aeon's, and stuff. Especially his personality, so I might get it wrong. So I'll just go with the typical yandere who goes softer with you? For the fluff and since you said reader who's like venti, I view him as free going, so there won't be too many dark things about him being a yandere (and since it's mostly fluff)

Why every time I read my own writing, I think of the wattpad 😨😱😭

Warning: Murder mention

×Beauty of destruction×

Xx×—' and life ♥︎ '—×xX

× He wasn't interested in you at first, only focusing on destroying things. He sees the creation of the universe as a mistake and sought to destroy everything. As he was busy with his own plans, he felt a gust of wind thrown at him. He turned around to see you playfully laugh.

× he scoffed in annoyance but didn't bother to kill you.... but your alluring chuckle caught his attention. Seeing you directly gift your blessing to the people who walked your path so easily... Smiling as if something new and wonderful has been newly created and brought upon the world. Why were you so...happy?

× his dead "heart" started thumping against his chest as he watched you... he never felt so intrigued with something or someone. Did you do something to him? Why is his heart beating so hard against his chest? It hurts....but it hurts so good

× he was bothered by this new feeling...it felt confusing. He wanted to hear your voice, touch you, embrace you... but the most cunfusing part for him is that he wants you to be his, his only, but he wants to be yours too... it's simple, really, but why..? Why does he want that? He wanted to know more

× He read books in his own time of how to approach you, and he tried many times, but he just... he couldn't. Like something was stopping him. Hesitance, perhaps? He wonders why. There wasn't any bad relationship between him and you, so why was he hesitating? He's been observing and made every preparation of trying to make a conversation with you for days, so why?

× While he was in the middle of his thoughts, he flinched and quickly turned around, then saw your startled face. He stood still, mind racing of what to say. His heart thumped against his chest painfully. He felt like he was suffocating. He wanted to clutch his chest and make it stop. Why did he feel this way?

× The feeling was soon replaced immediately the moment you touched his shoulder, asking if he was alright. He felt... free, felt as if all the burden on his shoulders were lifted off. He lifts his head up to see you, your gentle eyes gazing into his,,

× he was stiff while having a conversation with you; only replying with dry responses. (Dryer than the Atacama desert) He wasn't much of a talker, so he listened to your stories, your daily life, your complaints, anything honestly. He simply laid their with his head resting on his palm as he watched you talk.

♥︎ oh, how he was soooo new to these kinds of feelings. But don't worry! You're here with him for a reason :) You're gonna help him, right? You guided him through these complicated meanings of it, so of course you will! You're the one responsible for it so you should take the responsibility!

♥︎ He takes mental notes about you, even the smallest details like he always notice that whenever your presence is near, a slight wind blows around the area you are in. So, he is able to quickly notice your presence. (You didn't even notice it yourself until he told you-)

♥︎ He always accompanies you everywhere. Every. Single. Place. (Maybe even the place you rest at..) And if you ask him why, he always says that it's was quite a coincidence, purely luck for him to cross path with you. Or that he thought that you needed protection (sir...[name] is an Aeon, how does- nvm, hes just delulu) and etc...

♥︎ and if you say no? He'll try to convince you. If that doesn't work? He'll be sadden, frowning(pouting), and looks with you with teary eyes. (those be fake asf-) ah....what a wonderful way to guilt trap you because it definitely works.

♥︎ Oh, the first time he smiled at you? You were memorized. (But if someone else, they would think he was planning to finally destroy the world now...) you happily and giddily told the other Aeons about this, and they looked at you H.O.R.R.I.F.I.E.D. Like, what do you mean the most mass of destruction is smiling innocently? They decided to secretly watch you from afar.

♥︎ He brings you small little gifts like flowers that are shaped as a crown (Your his emperor/empress) or a ring (He wants to marry you since he thinks that marriage is a powerful contract of loyalty and love...and maybe wants to prove to you that he is worthy of that-)

♥︎ He softens whenever you're around. He feels like he's wrapped around a warm blanket whenever you praise him or comfort him in any way, so he always seeks for your approval (and attention). You are his world, his everything, his only reason to not already destroy this universe.

♥︎ Oh, how he's sooooo obsessed with you! It's like seeing a teenager obsessing over their crush! Whatever you give him, even if it's the most basic thing ever, he takes care of it and makes sure it's in its top shape and condition! And if anything or anyone dares to damage it or even touch it, he'll make sure they'll regret it... (Of course, if it's you, he doesn't mind! He can just simply try to put it back in shape, and if it doesn't work, he'll ask you for another one! He's even saying, please....)

♥︎ He even has a cute little (huge) shrine of you! He used something called a "camera" and took pictures every time you looked in high spirits like when you smiled, fascinated, grinned, etc. And of course, he took it with your consent....he doesn't want his love to be upset now, would he?

—Xx×《 ~♥︎~ 》×xX—

He was enjoying the feeling of resting his head on your lap, intertwining his hand with yours. He listened to your voice as you sing songs, stories, or even just humming. He really wants to hear your heartbeat, so he pokes your arm to catch your attention. As you looked down, you could see something no one could or ever believe.

His smile. He tapped lightly on the spot where your heart was. He savored the sound of your chuckle as you gently lift his head off your lap and made yourself comfortable before letting him lean closer and put his head on your chest. He closed his eyes as he nuzzled against you. He was like a little cat, how adorable.

He was always so jealous that when you shared your smile with others, he wanted to be the only one to see that. He wanted to keep you from others. He didn't like that your attention was ripped off from him when one of your followers prayed for you. He covered your eyes with his hand and snuggled against you. He huffed and frowned when you tried to get him off.

He glared when he heard the other Aeon trying to call you. Before you could even respond, he pushed you down and hugged you tightly. "Do you really have to go to.....that aeon right now? Can't you stay just this once? Please [name]?" He asks. He would've begged if you didn't respond quickly with a agreement. He smiles and bathes in your warmth once again.

(He's gets jealous quite easily)

He made a ring out of the flowers he found. He tried to secretly slide it onto your finger, which made you smile. You pretended not to know what he was doing and just played with his hair. Once he was done, you finally pretended to just notice it now. "Oh, did someone put this pretty ring on my finger? Oh, how I wonder who the handsome/beautiful person put this ring on me?"

You chuckled as he perked up. He snuggles against your hand that had the ring on it. "Mustn't I put a ring on yours too?" You played along as he blushed lightly. He could see you using the wind to gather up some flowers into your palm, making a ring for him too! His eyes light up as you put a ring on his finger.

He smiles once again. He's glad that he killed all of your suitors before they could even meet you....He should be the only one who you call "yours," and you should only be with him, you don't need anyone else...

He really loves and adores you. He will do anything to keep you with him

[gia-batmm-crickle22]

Phainon going crazy was SO GOOD 😁 Need me more insane Phainon lol

[starsofabundance]

Started playing Honkai Star Rail and after seeing the aeons, let me tell you something...

THEY ARE HOT. (nanook kinda literally).

[writing-time-bitches]

Aeon Headcanons because i have many thoughts about them

-Yaoshi is vain as shit. Particularly about their mission and Path.

-Lan is one of the Aeons who has a more favorable opinion on humans and mortals. They don’t bother mortals much but will jump to their defense.

-Nanook despises everything and has made several attempts to break Qlipoth’s wall, all of course ending in failure and a very angry rock-god.

-Yaoshi’s extremely obsessed with Lan. The obsession began when Lan first started hunting their beautiful creations and gifts. Is mad at Lan for taking a vast majority of their old followers (Xianzhou Alliance) and makes it a point to slander Lan any chance they get.

-“I hate Lan.” Yaoshi says, as they hang numerous pictures of Lan on their wall.

-Qilpoth is the tired dad of Aeons. Xipe is the mother.

-Nanook was once human, was crossed by the humans and made it their life mission to destroy every single trace of humanity from the universe. From then on they became an Aeon due to their immense desire for humanity’s death.

-Yaoshi and Lan are like divorced parents, enemies to lovers, and Lan took the kids.

-Nous and IX are surprisingly good friends, or at the very least in each other’s good spirits.

-Nous is that one friend that says “i know” to everything you say.

-Ouroboros and Nanook are also kinda ok with each other? They both strive to destroy everything but that’s also why they’re a little hostile to the other. Rivals?

-Nanook is that feral little child that everyone hates.

-Fuli likes to watch human memories like telenovelas.

-Yaoshi isn’t actually that bad. They wish to spread eternal life and, yes, their means of accomplishing that are twisted but their looking for those select few mortals who would push through the ugly to get to the beautiful. So far no luck, but Yaoshi will continue to hope.

-Akivili and Qlipoth were the oldest Aeons before Akivili’s disappearance. They were buddies.

-Qlipoth knows of the Sky People for HI3 and they are one of the many other possible threats that inspired Qlipoth to build.

-Qlipoth knows or at least has an inkling of the existence of the Imaginary Tree. Perhaps they strive to protect their universe from others…

-Aha most definitely is self-aware. Definitely knows about alternative universes and Imaginary Tree, not that the others will listen to them.

-IX is the quiet kid in the back of the class that always has an AK in their bag.

-IX is just a little baby and almost all Aeon’s agree that IX should be protected despite knowing that IX could easily eradicate everything that comes against them.

-Nous has movies. They like movies.

-Nous does not have information on Welt Yang or Void Archives. They are out of Nous’ reach of knowledge due to them being not of this universe. Nous has acknowledged both of their existences to be a challenge.

-Lan’s body is literally just a fancy horse. Horse anatomy. Centaur mf.

-Xipe has a very positive opinion of mortals. They love them little things.

-Usually the one the Aeons go to when a dispute happens is Xipe due to their Path and their indifferent personality.

-Mythus is the weird uncle that everyone has a love-hate relationship with.

-Ouroboros will gnaw on other Aeons if given the chance. Nanook is usually the victim.

-Yaoshi has this big ass tree surrounded by a golden sea of energy. This tree is how they spread their Path’s ideology. Seeds and fruits of this tree are the basis of the Xianzhou’s mara. The tree is covered in little cocoons that hold the bodies of those inflicted with Yaoshi’s gift and failed Yaoshi’s trail.

-All the Aeons are one big dysfunctional family and when placed in the same room it’s just chaos.

[isakoyuhere]

Nanook<3

[indilaras]

ruin author StarRailTober Day 5: Destruction Following this prompt list!

ID: a drawing of Nanook the Destruction from the waist up. They are looking down at the viewer, frowning. The background is dark with yellow textures in some parts. End ID.

[redcallisto]

(hsr 3.4)

I love them

[sviteer]

Destruction

[thedeerus]

the random thought about stelle getting a couple of scars by accident and her resemblance to nanook starts to stand out even more

she's still silly

[nomohmoss]

beep boop

[121231212i]

Are you ready, Nanook? I BROUGHT YOU DESTRUCTION!

[iloveyanderes]

Imagine phainon/khaslana goes up to nanook's darling thinking of killing her to get somewhat of a revenge for all the pain the destruction has caused him only for nanooks darling to be like; thank God! He's crazy ill accept any method to get away from that bastard ,even death.

That makes phainon/khaslana realize that your a victim of Nanook just like he is, so he helps you escape the two of you fall in love and many years later nanook finds you two(mythus and aha had sealed your presence because they thought it'd be funny so it took some time to find you) nanook demands you back and phainon/khaslana goes: no, we're in love now.

Que mass murder.

(When the son you were trying to adopt turns against you and then fucks your wife who you totally didn't force to marry you. Every day problems)

[heliosunny]

your nanook fic is scrumptious 😞🤌, can I request another one? A continuation of it or a different one is ok

Golden Shackles

Yandere!Tyrant!Nanook x Reader

His march of ruin was almost complete, another world shattered in his wake, another civilization quaking beneath the shadow of his might. Nanook loomed over the devastation. The warriors at his back knelt as his mantle, thick with the remnants of fallen kingdoms, swept across the broken earth.

The air itself stilled, then shattered.

A blur of movement where there should have been none.

Pain erupted in your leg before you even registered the strike, an arrow searing through your flesh. You screamed as it pierced your calf then hit the ground hard, the impact driving the breath from your lungs.

He merely looked down, and in his eyes, you saw the end of all things.

"Persistent" he mused. His voice was the low crackle of a dying fire. "I do admire that."

A hand cupped your jaw. His thumb brushed your cheek bone, and for one delirious moment, you thought he might laugh.

Then his grip tightened.

"Pity it’s wasted."

You woke in gilded chains.

Not literal ones. No, your prison was far more elegant—high ceilings, silk sheets, the scent of something floral masking the iron beneath. Servants redressed your wounds. None spoke.

You waited. You healed. And when the silence became unbearable, you ran again.

This time, you almost reached the gates.

The air turned to syrup. Your limbs locked mid-stride.

"Tell me," his voice curled around you, "do you enjoy disobedience? Or are you simply incapable of learning?"

You couldn’t turn. Couldn’t speak. But you didn’t need to. He already knew the answer.

A snap of fingers. Suddenly you were facing him, close enough to see the golden-glow of his irises, the faint scar cutting through his brow.

"You amuse me." he admitted, as if confessing a weakness. "But don’t mistake indulgence for mercy."

The servants led you back. The doors sealed behind you.

---

Survival required more than defiance, it demanded strategy.

You studied your chamber. The guard posted outside wasn’t like the others. No hulking armor, just a quiet man who flinched when doors slammed too hard.

His name was Kael.

A scholar once, before the tyrant’s eye fell upon him. "The Mark" he called it, not a blessing, never that. A curse disguised as favor.

"You read people's mind?" you noted one evening as he adjusted his ill-fitting uniform.

"I used to read books. Maybe his blessing gave me such ability according to my skill."

"Why obey him?"

He smiled bitterly. "He’s not cruel without reason. His majesty believes this is how strength is earned. And… he enjoys it. Not many people receive his blessing and survive."

Your escape wasn’t an escape at all.

You waited until Kael’s watch waned, until the halls sighed empty. Then you moved.

The fortress unfolded like a living manuscript.

Then you heard the sound. It led you to a gallery overlooking a sunken coliseum.

The Tyrant lounged on a dais of fused bones, toying with a dagger. Below him, figures knelt in the sand.

A woman was thrust forward.

The onlookers roared with approval. Toasted. Threw coins.

You couldn’t look away.

Nanook smiled.

The performance began.

Your hands trembled against the railing.

His gaze lifted, as if he’d heard your silent horror.

You dissolved into the dark before he could see.

You never learned what gave you away.

Maybe it was the choked gasp you couldn’t swallow fast enough.

It didn't matter.

Nanook's head tilted upward with predator's grace, his attention peeling away from the bloodsport below like a man distracted by a particularly interesting moth.

"Someone's watching."

The arena fell silent.

Your bones turned to ice.

Pressed against the balcony's shadowed pillar, you became stone. The pounding in your chest threatened to betray you as you retreated one silent step at a time.

He didn't pursue.

But the damage was done.

That night, sleep abandoned you. Every rustle of fabric became approaching footsteps. Every breath of wind carried phantom laughter.

Dawn came with armored fists pounding on your door.

"You're summoned," the guard said. "For a walk."

They dragged you from bed, tossing a cloak over your shoulders as they marched you beyond familiar corridors, past the gilded cages of the inner palace into the raw expanse of the outer cliffs.

Nanook stood at the precipice, the morning wind playing with his hair.

"Come here."

Your feet refused.

With a flick of his wrist, a circlet of dark metal appeared in his palm.

"Put it on," he said, "if you value your next breath."

The metal seared your fingers as you clasped it around your throat. It settled against your skin like a living thing.

"Good." He gestured toward the cliff's edge. "Now run."

Your bare feet tore across jagged stone as you bolted, not toward freedom, but toward the massive sword leaning against a nearby boulder. His sword. The one he'd so carelessly left unattended.

The moment your hands closed around the hilt, power erupted through your veins, the blade's ancient hunger vibrating in your bones. It was too heavy, but when you swung, it moved with you.

Nanook caught the strike barehanded.

The impact should have severed flesh. Instead, his fingers curled around the singing steel as if greeting an old friend, the weapon's fury dying instantly at his touch.

His other hand snapped out, twisting your wrist just enough to bring you to your knees.

For a breathless moment, you stared up at your captor, expecting death.

Nanook threw back his head and laughed, a sound both terrible and delighted.

"Oh, little mouse," he purred, prying his weapon from your shaking hands, "you do make this interesting."

As guards lifted you from the ground, the circlet at your throat pulsed warmly.

----

The crash of splintering wood shattered your fragile sleep.

Nanook filled the doorway, swaying ever so slightly, the sharp edges of his divinity blurred by wine. His usually immaculate hair tumbled loose over one shoulder, and in his grip—a man.

Just some trembling soul with a split lip and shackled wrists, dragged forward like an offering.

"Wake up, little one. I've brought you a gift."

The prisoner collapsed at your bedside, his chains clattering against marble. "M-mercy, please—"

Nanook kicked him silent.

Then he tossed a dagger onto your sheets.

"Here's the game," he murmured, crouching until his breath, warm and wine-sweet, fanned across your face. "You kill him... or I do it slowly."

The blade glinted in the low light.

You stared at it. At the prisoner's tear-streaked face. At the way Nanook's fingers twitched, already anticipating violence.

Your hand closed around the hilt and you moved.

Not toward the man.

Toward him.

The dagger flashed upward, biting deep into the meat of Nanook's palm. A brutal, messy wound. Crimson welled, dripped, splattered across your bare arms as you twisted the blade.

For one glorious second, you saw something foreign in his golden eyes—

Surprise.

Then the world flipped.

Your back hit the floor with enough force to steal your breath. Nanook loomed above, his bleeding hand pinning your wrist, his other arm braced beside your head. The scent of copper and expensive wine filled the space between you.

You expected fury.

Instead, he laughed, a low, breathless sound that vibrated through your chest.

"Clever little thing." he slurred, his weight growing heavier as the alcohol finally claimed him. His forehead dropped against your shoulder. "Should've known you'd... cheat."

Then, impossibly, the conqueror of worlds went limp atop you.

His breathing evened out.

The prisoner had fled.

The dagger lay forgotten nearby.

And you?

You lay very, very still beneath a sleeping man, his heartbeat steady against yours.

For the first time since your capture, you held the power.

The dagger gleamed in the moonlight, still wet with his blood. One quick thrust between those ribs would end it all. You could almost feel the moment.

But you hesitated.

Killing him now would be a death sentence. His generals would flay you alive before dawn. Worse—what if he didn't die?

You took the blade and carved two precise lines into his skin—one along his unmarked palm, another just beneath his ribs.

I could have killed you.

The dagger clattered to the floor as you returned to bed, pulling the covers over your still-trembling body. Let him wake confused. Let him find his own blood first.

Dawn came quietly.

You feigned sleep as Nanook stirred. Through slitted eyes, you watched him examine his new wounds with something almost like... amusement.

Just a quiet huff of breath that might have been laughter.

"You," he muttered to your sleeping form, "are going to be trouble."

Then he was gone.

You moved before the echoes faded.

No time for breakfast. No patience for guards. The collar at your throat hummed, but you ignored it, today wasn't about defiance.

Today was about escape.

The halls were quieter than usual, whether by chance or some drunken negligence among the guards, you didn't care.

Your pulse hammered as you reached the lower levels, further than you'd ever gone. The air changed here, damp and salty.

A narrow corridor ended at a rusted gate. Beyond it, sunlight glittered on water. The harbor.

Your fingers closed around the gate's bars, just as a familiar voice purred behind you.

"Looking for something?"

Nanook leaned against the wall, freshly bathed and annoyingly alert, his wounded hand bandaged in gold silk. The cuts you'd given him were nowhere to be seen.

"Air." you said simply.

He studied you for a long moment. Then sighed.

"Fine."

Before you could react, he wrenched the gate open with one hand, seawater wind whipping through the corridor.

"Run," he said, stepping aside. "Let's see how far you get before the collar drags you back."

"Or stay. And learn what happens to mice who bite gods."

The choice hung between you as the scent of salt and freedom called from beyond the gate.

----

You found a new path today.

The crack in the wall was barely wider than your palm, just another shadow in the maze of servant corridors. But when you pressed against it, the stone groaned and gave way to darkness.

Cold air rushed past you. A forgotten passage.

You slipped inside. The tunnel sloped downward, narrow enough that your shoulders brushed both walls. Your fingers trailed along the rough stone as you descended, counting steps.

Then you saw light. A rusted iron grate blocked the exit, but beyond it, you could see the cliffside tumbling down to the city below.

You committed every turn to memory before retreating. Not today. But soon.

----

The scent hit you first, blood and charred meat.

You froze in the doorway.

Bodies littered the kitchen floor like discarded puppets. Some still twitched. At the center of the carnage stood Nanook, idly wiping his blade on a dead man's tunic.

His head lifted.

"Perfect timing." he said.

A guard shoved a goblet into your hands. The wine inside smelled faintly of almonds.

"Drink." Nanook commanded.

You hesitated only a second before swallowing.

Nanook watched your throat work with clinical interest. When you didn't collapse, he smiled.

"Congratulations." he said. "You're my new taster."

That night, they brought you roasted pheasant and honeyed figs. You ate slowly, waiting for the poison to take you.

Nanook watched from his throne.

Nothing happened.

Morning revealed the price of defiance.

Six heads adorned the outer gates. The seventh prisoner hung crucified above the banquet hall, still breathing when they brought in the first course.

Nanook sipped his wine, eyes never leaving yours.

"Tell me," he murmured, "do you still dream of running?"

You took another bite of your food.

The meat tasted like ash.

----

The scent of charred rosemary still clung to your fingers when you woke to find Nanook crouched beside your pallet, his shadow swallowing the candlelight.

You reacted before thinking, your hand lashed out, catching his wrist as he reached for the half-eaten fig on your tray.

"Still alive, I see."

You released him like touching scorched iron.

You decided to pass through the kitchen today.

The scent of blood had been scrubbed away, but something lingered.

The way your reflection in the soup cauldrons looked strangely blurred. The atmosphere was gloomy.

You made yourself useful.

Small comforts. You can perform magic tricks, so why not. You cheered them up, well temporarily, but it was better than nothing.

"They say the Tyrant's pet can charm snakes..." "I heard they turned a guard's sword into flowers..."

Nanook's summons came at dusk.

His private chambers sprawled across the palace's highest point, all obsidian arches and windows open to the stars. The bed he indicated for you stood opposite his own.

"Having fun?" he said, pouring wine you wouldn't dare drink.

You flexed your still-tingling fingers. "They look sad, I don't like that."

He swirled the dark liquid. "I won't have you making allies in my own house."

That night, as the twin moons rose, you gave him a different kind of show. Well, you were forced to. Fire blossomed between your palms.

Nanook watched from his chair.

When the last ember died, he said only:

"Again."

You obliged.

This time, the flames took his shape, looming and terrible, until with a flick of your wrist, the figure's head tilted back in silent laughter.

Nanook went very still.

Then he stood, crossed the space between you, and caught your smoking hands in his.

"Clever mouse," he murmured, thumb brushing your scorched knuckles. "But remember—" His grip tightened just shy of pain. "I like my toys flammable."

----

The arena stank of sweat and fear.

You watched from the high balcony as the prisoners were herded into the pit, some weeping, some snarling, all doomed. Nanook lounged on his throne, fingers drumming a lazy rhythm against the armrest.

"Last one standing earns my blessing." he announced, as if offering salvation rather than damnation.

A lie wrapped in gold.

You slipped away before the first scream.

Phainon, someone called for his name, sat apart from the others in the holding cell. When you appeared at the bars, he didn't flinch.

"You are.. ?" he observed.

"You must've known the king's pet. That's me." You pressed closer. "There's a way out."

His gaze sharpened. "For who?"

"The dragon. The challenge for tomorrow. Its throat softens after the first fireburst." You slid a knife between the bars. "Make it count."

Phainon tested the blade's edge. "Why help me?"

You smiled. "Every distraction helps."

Nanook caught you returning to the tower, your clothes reeking of prison straw.

His grip on your arm was deceptively gentle. "Naughty pet."

He carried you back like a misbehaving cat, dumping you onto the fur-strewn floor.

----

The arena roared as Phainon faced the fire dragon.

You watched from the shadows as he danced between claws and flame, waiting until the beast's chest glowed molten.

Then he struck.

The knife found its mark.

Ichor gushed black as the dragon collapsed, its death throes shaking the stadium. Nanook leaned forward, intrigued rather than angered.

"Bring me that one." he commanded.

But Phainon was already gone, vanished through the chaos you'd engineered.

Nanook found you polishing his armor that evening.

"You," he said, catching your chin, "are far too clever for your own good."

You met his gaze without flinching.

He laughed then, before pressing a kiss to your knuckles.

"Run again tomorrow." he murmured. "It's more fun when you try."

----

The cup shattered before you hit the ground.

Fire raced through your veins, not the clean burn of liquor, but something else. Your vision tunneled. The banquet hall swayed. Somewhere beyond the roaring in your ears, you heard Nanook's chair scrape back.

His face swam above you.

Obviously someone has poisoned you.

For one terrible moment, you thought he might let you die.

Then his hand closed around your throat.

You woke up. No collar, you could no longer feel it on.

The servant girl bowed low. "You have received His Majesty's blessing."

You touched your chest. Where your heartbeat should have been, there was only a slow, steady pulse.

---

Phainon's name echoed through the halls like a prayer: The Golden Victor. Nanook's Favorite.

Wait, what did you miss? How long was you out for?

You pieced together the story from whispers:

How he'd slain the drake with a single strike

How the Tyrant had draped his own cloak around the boy's shoulders

The court adored him.

You wondered if he still remembered the knife you'd slipped him.

Nanook's visit came at midnight.

"You'll fight in the morrow's games." he said, as casually as ordering wine.

You stared at the canopy above your bed. "To prove what?"

"That I don't keep broken things. Unless they're interesting."

The rules were simple:

Twelve champions

One victor

You turned your face away.

Nanook caught your chin, forcing your gaze to meet his. "You've tasted my power now. Let's see what you do with it."

Dawn painted the sands gold as you entered.

The other champions circled like jackals, each bred for battle, each marked with their master's sigil. You wore Nanook's colors: black and gold.

No one cheered for you.

High above, Nanook lounged in his box, Phainon seated at his right hand.

The horn sounded.

The blessing guided your hands. When the first champion fell, his neck snapped clean as dry kindling, you felt nothing.

The crowd roared.

Nanook's smile widened.

By sunset, the sands ran red.

Only you and one other remained, a hulking brute with a general's mark burned into his chest. He spat blood at your feet.

"Pretty little pet," he sneered. "Let's see how your master likes you broken."

Then, in a blink of an eye, he died.

They dragged you before Nanook's throne.

Phainon's face was pale.

"Well?" he asked the assembled nobles. "What do you think of my pet?"

His fingers tangled in your hair, tilting your face up.

The kiss he pressed to your forehead burned worse than any poison.

"Well done." he murmured, for your ears alone.

----

You found Phainon in the ruins of the old temple. The moonlight cut through the broken pillars, casting jagged shadows as he turned to face you.

"You're alive," he breathed, relief flashing across his face before his expression hardened. "But not for long if you stay here."

"I need your help."

"There's a ship at the eastern docks. It leaves at dawn. If we can get you there—"

A slow clap echoed through the ruins.

Both of you froze.

Nanook stepped from the shadows.

"How touching," he murmured. "A rebellion of two."

Nanook flicked his wrist, and the speed in your veins burned away like paper in a fire. You gasped, stumbling as your limbs turned leaden. If he is able to give you his blessing, he can take it back.

Phainon drew his blade, but Nanook was already upon him. A single strike sent him crashing into the stone, his sword skittering across the floor.

Nanook didn’t even look at him.

His gaze was fixed on you.

"Did you really think," he said, "I wouldn’t notice?"

Back in the palace, the air was thick with fury.

"You were mine," he said. "And you threw it away."

You didn’t back down. "I was never yours."

He moved first.

The fight was brutal. You were slower now, stripped of his blessing, but you knew his patterns. You dodged, struck, twisted—until his patience snapped.

A backhand sent you reeling. You hit the table, rolled—and grabbed the nearest heavy object.

The impact of the bronze decanter against his skull echoed like a gong.

Nanook staggered.

Then collapsed.

You didn’t think. You just moved. Dragging him was harder without the speed, but desperation lent you strength. Through the hidden passages, past the unsuspecting guards, into the cold night beyond the palace walls.

You made it to the edge of the cypress grove before he stirred.

A groan. A twitch of fingers. His eyes fluttering open.

"Who...?" His voice was rough, disoriented. He looked at you like he’d never seen you before. "Where am I?"

You tensed, ready to run.

But then his hand—weak, unsteady—reached for yours.

"Don’t leave." 

The most feared tyrant in the world had no idea who he was.

And for some reason, he trusted you.

"Can I come with you?"

You exhaled sharply. "No."

He flinched. Just slightly.

You cursed under your breath.

"Fine. But if you slow me down, I’m leaving you behind."

A slow, hesitant nod.

And just like that, he followed you into the dark—barefoot, bleeding, and utterly, terrifyingly helpless.

You have no idea what's waiting for you both ahead. But you can't stay here any longer.

----

[To be continued?]

[fomikrai-idu]

proud father

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