#no one would ever believe the prophecies told from her mouth

[deadbaguette]

Dear children of Priam, were you doomed all along?

[kerosenee-kisses]

Friend You Can Keep | Zayne

summary: while preparing for final exams, you ask Zayne if he can help you brush up on your knowledge of human anatomy

cw: 18+, mdni, college au, afab reader, loss of virginity, oral sex (receiving), vaginal sex, fingering, lots of kissing, this is literally just self-indulgent love-making

wc: 3.7k

a/n: I started playing lads a few weeks ago after a lot of resistance (I'm afraid of spending money on them!!) I started playing for Sylus but Zayne really came out of nowhere and assumed the role of my husband. I'm obsessed with him!!

In my mind, I wrote this with a five-ish year age gap between Zayne and reader (reader a freshman/sophmore in college, Zayne in the first years of med school). That isn't explicitly stated here so choose your own adventure. I'm also of the opinion that Zayne would make sweet, sweet love to you to the soundtrack of true yearner R&B. Just me?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Songs from your favorite R&B playlist emanate from your roommate’s speaker. You thought listening to the calm crooning from the nest of pillows and blankets that is your bed would help you study. But the music is more effective at lulling you to sleep, as are the sparkling fairy lights strung around the room’s perimeter. Maybe you should suck it up and turn the horrendous, overhead fluorescent lights on for this. Because the words in your textbook swim together the longer you try to focus on retaining them.  

You rub your eyes hard; flashes of color undulate in the darkness of your closed eyelids beneath the pressure of your fingertips. When you open them again, somehow, the words rearrange themselves even more chaotically. It’s like looking for a prophecy in a bowl of alphabet soup. 

“Is it possible I have late-stage dyslexia? Is that a thing?” you ask. 

Zayne chuckles from his place at your desk. “I believe that’s an indication that you need a short break. And right on time, too.” 

The timer on his phone goes off then, which he shuts off before it can complete one full blare of sound. He opens the desk drawer and takes out two candies. One for each of you.  

“A reward for our diligence,” he says as he deposits a sweet into your hand.  

“What? Where did these come from?” you ask as you unravel the foil wrapper. Candy didn’t survive in your dorm room long enough for you to have a stash to dip into for emergencies like today. 

You have two more finals to study for before you can officially begin a much-deserved winter break. Your roommate had been your study buddy up until her first and only final yesterday. She left for home immediately after she’d submitted her exam, having decided that the papers assigned could easily be completed from the comfort of her own home. And while you were so happy for her and not at all jealous, it meant you were short a study buddy.  

But Zayne, always dependable, offered to swing by and study with you when you’d met him for lunch earlier and bemoaned the fact that you would have to stay focused all by yourself. A herculean task if there ever was one.  

“I managed to hide them while you were fiddling with the speaker. Otherwise, I doubt they would have survived more than ten minutes had you seen them.” 

“Don’t be a hypocrite. Your sweet tooth can be just as bad,” you say. 

You observe Zayne as he delicately pops his candy into his mouth, pushes his glasses back up, and continues to study through your break. He has some biochem final to prepare for. While he had told you he felt more than prepared for it before your complaints about being abandoned, he’s sitting here reviewing alongside you all the same. Your heart warms at how thoughtful he is. Sure, he loves to help everyone, but he always goes out of his way for you. Does he go out of his way for anyone other than you? You're too curious.  

So curious, in fact, that you ask without thinking, “Don’t you have a girlfriend? Or someone you’re kinda into?” 

Zayne blinks at you, slow and deliberate like a house cat, then shakes his head. Embarrassment and relief coalesce in your stomach. In an ideal world, you would shut the fuck up and go back to studying too. 

But like the glutton for punishment that you are, you sit up on your knees and keep talking. 

"Oh, ok. Good. Well, not good as in you should die alone but good in the sense that...well...You know what, can I ask you something without you freaking out? Like, you have to promise not to.” 

Zayne swivels in the desk chair. A gift from him to you actually. Ergonomic and expensive, he’d replaced the standard rocking chair that the room was originally furnished with since he was concerned about the health of your spine as your future primary care physician.  

Once he’s facing you completely, he says, “I would prefer not to promise something if I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to follow through. That would not be fair to you.” 

“You know what, you’re right. I’m sorry. You're always calm anyway so I have nothing to worry about. I think.” 

Zayne watches you expectantly as you reach for a plushie to hold. Your mouth feels dry now that his attention’s on you. You’re not sure why you feel so nervous, he normally goes along with your schemes. This won’t be so different, right?” 

“So, I was wondering if maybe you’d be...willing to have sex with me?” The words leave you in one breath. 

Zayne stares at you blankly. You might have successfully broken the most collected person you know.  

“Zayne? Did you hear me? I said would you–” 

“I heard you the first time,” he says. His expression hardly betrays anything, but color spreads across his face, up his ears. If he didn’t have a turtleneck on you imagine his neck would be just as pink. “I apologize. I’m a bit taken aback. I certainly didn’t expect that to be your question.” 

“It’s just feels like everyone my age has lost their virginity already. Obviously, I don’t need to have sex, but I’m intrigued, I guess.  And I don’t want to do it with just anyone. And you’re not just anyone so–” 

“I’m sorry to interrupt. I want to make absolute sure I’m understanding you correctly.” He clears his throat before asking, “You want me to take your virginity?” 

You hug the plushie for dear life. “Well, yeah. You would be my first.”  

Zayne takes a deep breath. You begin to worry about the state of his heart the longer you sit in silence. Because your own is pumping so hard you fear you’ll succumb to cardiac arrest if you’re lucky. Or maybe the earth will miraculously swallow you whole before that happens. You’ll even accept death by wanderer if it means escaping this conversation. 

“May I ask why you wish to lose your virginity to me?”  

Not a flat-out rejection. You can shelf the death wishes for now. 

“Since you’re basically a doctor you know all about anatomy; safe to assume you know how it goes. And you’re hot so...why not?” 

Zayne averts his gaze at your blunt assessment, and you can’t help but tease him a little.  

“I thought we were working on accepting compliments.” 

Zayne smiles faintly but still refuses to face you, “I have to say when it comes to accepting compliments, I’m not very good in front of you. But I suppose there’s a chance for you to teach me.” 

“First lesson starts now. All you have to do is say ‘thank you’ or something.” 

Your breath hitches when his eyes meet yours again. He’s caught you in his gentle yet captivating green gaze. In it, you see acknowledgment of what your relationship to each other could be. A desire to explore a new dimension of intimacy, one that goes beyond childhood friendship. 

“I accept your compliment,” Zayne murmurs. His eyes drift to your slightly parted lips and you feel your skin prickle. 

“This will be an opportunity to learn each other’s bodies together,” he says, almost distracted. He plucks the plushie from your grasp and carefully places it on the back-killing rocking chair beside your desk. “I only hope I can measure up to your expectations." 

“Oh. Ok,” you manage to whisper. You didn’t think he would say no per say, but considering his immediate response you expected a little more resistance to the idea than this. And now you feel nervous, more than you had anticipated. This was your idea after all. 

You go to remove your pajama bottoms, a seemingly imperceptible shake in your hands. But of course, nothing gets past Zayne. He stops you with a reassuring squeeze on your thigh.  

“There’s no rush. This requires ample preparation. I would never want to hurt you,” he says, caresses the hinge of your knee. “Just, let me kiss you for a bit. Like this.” 

Zayne brings the chair up to the edge of your twin xl and gives you a sweet peck. He gives you a few more before he brushes his lips against yours. You follow his lead, revel in the plush feel of his mouth as he kisses you. He rubs his palms along your thighs, squeezing them every so often. His tender touches embolden you as much as they relax you. You hesitantly touch your tongue to his bottom lip and Zayne moans into your mouth. The vibrations of such a gentle yet erotic sound travel through your whole body. You cup his cheeks to pull him closer, and Zayne gladly follows. He rises to his feet and crowds you into the corner of the bed until you’re on your back. He kisses you so thoroughly that you can taste the lingering sweetness of candy on his tongue when he licks into your mouth.  

You slip one hand under his sweater, trace the ridges of his tight abdomen, no doubt the result of all those pull ups he does on the rare occasion you work out together. Zayne’s breath shudders against your mouth and you shiver in response. His receptiveness to your touch makes you desperate to feel even more of him. You grab the hem of his turtleneck and yank it upwards. He pulls away, reluctantly you think, grabs the shirt from between his shoulder blades and tugs it off. The action leaves his glasses askew and you remove them from his face with a giggle. 

“I hope they’re not messed up now,” you say as you carefully put the lenses on yourself. They blur your vision some, but you clearly see Zayne swallow thickly when you smile up at him.  

“I have an extra pair,” he says breathlessly before he removes them and goes right back to kiss you. More of his warmth seeps into you now that he removed his sweater. He presses his thundering chest against yours, and the delicious weight of him renders you pliant beneath him. You smooth your hands along the muscled plains of his back and moan. You can’t think straight in the face of such overwhelming affection. He hasn’t even touched you yet, really, and you already feel so ready for more.  

But for some reason, a pang of guilt lances through your gut. Did you pressure Zayne into this? Are you taking advantage of his goodness, his kindness? You said it yourself, he goes above and beyond for you in all things. You would never forgive yourself if you ever made him do something he didn’t want to.  

“Wait,” you say, and weakly push at his chest.  A gossamer thread of your saliva stretches between both your lips, and your thoughts empty out of your head for a moment. Zayne’s eyes are as unfocused as yours as he looks down at you, cushioned in your fluffy pillows. 

“Are you sure you’re cool with this?” you ask quietly. 

Zayne takes hold of one of your wrists to drop a kiss to your palm that you feel all the way down to your clit. Does he want to kill you? 

“Why don’t you touch me and find out.” 

He most certainly does.  

You gasp when he guides your hand to his hardened length. The fact that you could do this to him with just a few kisses turns you on immensely, makes you feel powerful. You squeeze him gently and he groans. You flick the button of his pants free, but he stops your second attempt at undressing before you can even yank his zipper down. 

“Let me take what I desire first,” he says.  

Zayne carefully unbuttons your pajama top, until your chest is fully exposed to him. You sit up slightly to remove it, and no sooner is it off than Zayne starts to knead and kiss at your breasts. He sucks one of your nipples into his mouth and you arch into him, mewling at the spike of pleasure that zings through you. He licks and teases it into a stiffened peak while he pinches and rolls the other between his fingers.  

Once your nipples are wet and taut from his ministrations, Zayne trails deep kisses down the center of your spasming stomach. He grasps the waistband of your pants and tugs them down along with your underwear.  

While most guys would look at you with lust clouding their gaze, Zayne looks at your naked body like he loves it. It’s enough to make you feel sheepish.  

Zayne fits his broad shoulders beneath your slightly spread thighs and puts his mouth to your dripping core. You’re so stunned by the sight of his head between your legs that your brain goes fuzzy. Obviously, no one has kissed you here before. But you’d still be inclined to say that even if the opposite were true. Zayne full on makes out with your pussy. He licks and sucks at your clit with the sole purpose of making you cum hard. And your entire body sings with ecstasy.  

He eases his index finger inside of your wet heat and you whimper at the intrusion. He searches for that spongy patch inside of you that has your back surging upward. Zayne coaxes more of your arousal out of you with his tongue on your clit and his finger massaging the soft walls of your cunt. You feel strange, like you need release, but you’re almost terrified. Your thighs close around Zayne’s head and he groans into your sex. The sound vibrates through you until you’re a quivering mess. 

Zayne blindly reaches for one of your hands and squeezes. He licks and kisses you as you cum on his beautiful face with a loud cry of his name. He laps up as much of your essence as he can, and you twitch and whine all the while. 

Your back falls onto the mattress once you come down from your high, the first orgasm that someone else has ever given you. You lift yourself up on your elbows to get a better look at him. He kisses your thighs, your hip bones, back up along your stomach so earnestly. 

 Zayne settles himself over you again and now pumps two of his long, elegant fingers inside of you. They curl against your sweet spot with the skill and precision of a surgeon, and you moan his name. When his thumb swipes at your clit you cum for him again, still so sensitive from your last climax. He kisses you through it. The taste of yourself is a little strange, but you don’t hate it. You deepen the kiss as you cum around his fingers. You didn’t think you could cum again so quickly, but Zayne is nothing if not efficient.  

He removes his fingers from you so he can lay in between your twitching thighs. He rolls his clothed hips into your bare ones, and you meet his thrusts readily. The friction of his pants against your clit makes you feel delirious. Enough to remember what you had first asked of him.  

“Zayne,” you sigh as he moves to kiss your cheek, your jaw, your neck. “Do you have a condom?” 

He exhales against your ear; you just barely hold in a whimper. 

“No, unfortunately. I haven’t had a need for them before now…I suppose we’ll have to reschedule,” he says, but makes no move to pull away from you.  

“No! It’s ok!” You wince at your frantic tone. Way to go, Desperate. “I, um, grabbed a handful from the resource center before you came here. They’re in my bag.” 

While he had thoughtfully replenished your stash of candy, you had shoveled way too many condoms into your backpack only an hour after your lunch date with him. Now he’ll probably think you're some sex-crazed degenerate or something. How embarrassing. 

Regardless, you feel a teeny, tiny thrill at the knowledge that he doesn’t have any on him.  

Zayne nods, presses one lingering kiss to your lips and goes to retrieve a condom from your backpack. You feel even more embarrassed when he returns with one embossed with a heart and the words ‘wrap it before you tap it.’ He doesn’t seem to pay much attention to that, however. Zayne removes his pants and his boxer briefs. His hard cock springs up against his abs and your mouth waters at the sight of it. Long and flushed and too pretty, you think. He settles back into bed, kneels in between your spread legs and tears the wrapper open.  

You watch, wide eyed, as he rolls the latex over the glistening head and down the length of his cock. He lines himself up with your stretched entrance and makes eye contact with you. Despite the heat pulsing through your veins, you shiver. This does not go unnoticed.  

“Anxious?” Zayne asks. He runs his fingers up and down your arm. Slow touches that soothe your frayed nerves. A reassurance, a reminder that he won’t let you feel anything you wouldn’t absolutely enjoy.   

“Only a little,” you admit, “but I trust you more than anyone, so I think I’m more excited than anything.” 

Zayne smiles down at you, small and sweet. You feel even more shy now.  

“You know we can stop at any time,” he says even though his cock is straining against the condom. “You need only tell me to stop, and I’ll stop.” 

You place a hand on his smooth cheek and smile up at him. His breath leaves him on a shaky exhale.  

“I know that Zayne. Thank you. But I think I’m ready now.”  

There’s a slight discomfort. A foreign pressure, a pinch, that he lets you acclimate to. There’s so much tension in his body as a result. You can’t help but feel endeared by how considerate he is of you always. Especially now.  

He places his palm on your belly, and you jolt.  

“Try to relax your muscles,” he says. 

You slow your breaths, try to do as he says until the fullness of his cock feels less invasive, almost comforting. You focus on the intimacy of this moment, of your bodies connecting. Of him being the first person to ever give you pleasure of any kind.  

“Mmm, good, just like that,” he groans. Who knew a voice could get you so hot. And not just his voice, those green eyes of his. He stares down at you so intensely you feel like you’ll melt into a puddle. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” you ask meekly.  

“You’re beautiful,” he states as certainly as he would a fact.  

You hide your face behind your hands and whine for him to stop. Zayne laughs lowly and pulls your hands away. 

“You helped me accept a compliment earlier,” he says, kisses one wrist. “And even teased me for being nervous.” A kiss to the other. He rests them on the back of his neck and regards you with an almost mischievous smile. 

“Now it’s my turn to return the favor. Say ‘thank you’.” 

Your chest is heaving. You can’t believe how seductive he’s being. And so effortlessly, too. Where did this side of him come from?  

He lowers his face into your neck and all the air in the room vanishes when he kisses it.   

“Won’t you accept my compliment? Or should I continue to tell you how lovely I find you? Say that your beauty is beyond measure? That you are my greatest treasure.”  

Zayne lightly sucks on your pulse point. How does he expect you to speak? You can hardly function as is. 

“I’m not nearly as patient as you think I am.” He nips at your neck, and you tense up.  

“Thank you!” you yelp. 

You feel his lips pull into a grin. “That wasn’t so difficult, was it? Or should I give you more compliments so you can practice?” 

“Y-you can move now!”  

Zayne kisses under your ear before he pulls his hips back and slowly grinds into you. His pelvis meets your sticky clit every time your bodies meet. He thrusts into you until your moans and sighs fill the humid air between you both. 

You experimentally squeeze around his cock as he pulls away from you and he moans in concert with you.  

“Did you want to see my like this?” he asks, voice hoarse as his cock pushes deeper into you. You arch up against him, your nipples grazing his chest. Zayne dips his head to take one of your pebbled nipples into his mouth again, sucking and biting at it affectionately. You wrap your legs around his trim waist and try to pull him even closer to you. He’s making you feel so good that you can hardly stand it. All you can focus on is Zayne. The way he fits so perfectly between your legs, the feel of his biceps under your hands. His crisp, clean scent sends your eyes rolling into the back of your head. You want even more of him.  

You bury your hands in his hair, thick silk between your fingers, and tug. Zayne pulls off your breast with a wet pop and kisses you. He plasters his chest to yours as he rolls his hips into you. Your walls tighten up around him and he grits out your name. He wraps his arms around your waist tight and fucks into you so deep that you swear you see stars. So bright that you clench your eyes shut as pleasure takes hold of your whole body. It’s an ecstasy like no other.  

“I love you, Zayne. I love you,” you babble mindlessly as you cum harder than before. 

Zayne moans and ruts into your body erratically, desperately, until he seizes up and cums with you. Maybe you’re too caught up in the romantic atmosphere you accidentally created– sultry love ballads and low lighting–but you almost wish he had painted your walls instead of the condom.  

He looks ethereal as pleasure contorts and relaxes his features, his muscles. Zayne takes your face between his hands and kisses you hungrily. Like he’ll never have another opportunity to. You’ll make damn sure that’s not the case.  

"I adore you,” he says before he steals another kiss and your breath along with it. You both grip and pull at the other as if you could get any closer. You want to nestle in the marrow of his bones, dwell in the cavern of his heart. 

“I want you to be mine. Only mine,” you whisper between kisses. 

“I have always been yours. Only ever yours.” 

[porcelainbirdss]

the sweetest

summary: when someone told you that being in love doesn’t necessarily mean loving, you couldn’t believe the absurdity of that statement. as life went on, the truth of those words would continue to weight heavily over your head.

cw: fem!reader, both mydei and reader are equally disturbed individuals, toxic relationships, codependency, angst, hurt with the littlest of comfort, soulties/soulmates au || wc: 10k

the food on your plate seemed especially unappealing today. on the other hand, was it ever? perhaps when you first stepped into Okhema, completely enamored by the culture. yes, you could remember it clearly - the way it would melt on your tongue, flavors mixing with fresh air you’d breathe in everyday on the high balcony. meat and fruits, expensive wine you spent way too much money on. you’d chuckle to yourself as you dipped the slices of cheese in honey, thinking about how lucky you were to reside in the holy city. the state of unawareness you possessed only made everything more blissful.

right now the dinner was nothing but dry - with the first bite, you genuinely thought you would choke. it tasted the same way his name felt on your lips. Mydeimos. the man that decided to test your patience, will and mental strength everyday. you didn’t like the thought, but did he bring anything other than misery into your life? at first you didn’t want to perceive the relationship you both shared as something inherently bad — as time went on, it turned out near impossible. venom seemed to be laced through his words, and you knew that it seeped from your mouth too. sometimes you liked to imagine him as the wrong one - however, with the way things stood, you were equal in your spite. you could stop the chain of events and run somewhere else, to another city. looking back, it was the best option you had, and yet still declined to take. rope bound your hands to his, and you would tug on it relentlessly. in the back of your mind, the image of Mydei finally stumbling over, and letting go replayed constantly. but if it ever came to that, would you be satisfied? happy?

the answer was simple, but dreadful all the same - no.

as you took another bite of your meal, the image of your late mother flashed. perhaps she was the root of all your suffering? the damned prophecy she revealed to you when you were younger, of a boy with golden hair dipped in blood, who one day would bask in glory.

"you see, my dear [name], all of humanity has their other half, hidden somewhere. not everyone is destined to meet them, but you will. i’m sure of that."

(the way she smiled at you with so much glee in her eyes was disgusting).

"but mom, how do you know?"

(you wish you never asked this question).

"i have my ways," she chuckled, swiping the mischievous hair behind your ear, "see that mark on your wrist? look for someone with the same one. it means you both are meant to be."

you glanced at the singular line that stretched from the knuckles up to your wrist, and thought it looked more like a scar than anything else. you have seen other people with similar marks - but they were always more intricate. veins of ivy embedding an arm, or stars splattered in a specific pattern. yours wasn’t like that.

"ugh… that will be so hard to spot on someone! do you at least know how that person looks?"

the woman seemed to take a second of contemplation. "well, it was revealed to me in a vague way. but i can tell you, if you want to."

"yes, please!" you giggled as you jumped up all thrilled, tugging at the long sleeve of her dress. to your younger self, there was nothing more exciting than finally meeting the person you were 'tied' to. your soulmate.

"alright then,” your mother nodded, giving your head an affectionate ruffle, "his hair is blonde. it’s a very beautiful color, mixed with red. those eyes… striking to the bone. a born leader, i’m sure."

at that, you hummed in deep acknowledgment as you tried to imagine the boy. for some reason, nothing concrete came to you. still, it wasn’t like you were unsatisfied - maybe you had a different picture in mind, but that person was destined to you nevertheless! as you kept on brooding, one of your friends suddenly called out to you. immediately distracted, you followed after the beckoning girl to play in the fields.

how you wished it ended at that. your past self forgot, and kept on frolicking in the lush meadows with your old friends forever. your mother never passed, and you pursued your physician studies at home. the soulmate you dreamt of meeting got left behind as nothing but a mere, blurry visualization. but here you were, sitting in one of the apartments of Okhema, locked up in your room. Mydei was probably attending to some important stuff, or bickering with Phainon, like he always did. maybe they were sparring? from the sound of clashing swords outside, it was likely.

you sighed, digging the knife into the piece of meat with more force than necessary. the momentary guilt you felt from blaming your mother for the situation you created with your own hands shook you a bit. how could you? she never meant any harm. nor did you, but things turned out as they did, and who else was there to blame?

perhaps the winds that took you to the holy city.

it was unbearably hot that day. sweat covered your temples as you tried cooling down your face with a makeshift fan (which worked poorly). still, you couldn’t help but feel a wave of excitement wash over you as you took the views in. streets bustling with life, merchants yelling over each other, people laughing somewhere, and children running to their heart’s contents. the general atmosphere successfully pushed the discomfort to the back of your mind. it was only your sixth day in Okhema, yet you were already feeling as if it was the place you belonged to.

your peaceful stroll quickly came to a halt when you saw an awfully familiar silhouette standing not so far away. you didn’t know the man - it was not possible, as it was your first time seeing him. however, something about him seemed… unsettlingly different. you could recognize the blonde-red hair, so rare and distinct. you felt your heart jump - both from fear and elation, a mixture that caused you to freeze. you blinked twice, then rubbed your eyes, but the man was still there, talking to someone.

you clenched your fists as you remembered the words of your clairvoyant mother. meeting your soulmate wasn’t the objective of life you led so far, but the thought of having someone important was still dear to your heart. with new-found resolve, you took a few steps forward, wondering how you could strike up the conversation. first impression was always the most important, after all. the image of coming up to a stranger, and waving your mark before his eyes was ridiculous. what if it wasn’t him, after all? now that would’ve been awkward.

you approached the blonde, gently patting his arm.

"excuse me, sir, how do i get to the baths?" you could never go wrong with a classic. of course, you knew the way to the baths, but playing oblivious was your best option.

when he turned to face you, you felt your blood pressure rise once more. two golden hues met with yours, and at that moment, you knew your mother was right. striking. it was the only word you could use to describe them. fierce eyes filled with something your mind couldn’t quite comprehend. your gaze flickered over all of his body in search of a soulmate mark, yet you were unable to spot it. stress squeezed your guts. where was it? under his clothes? if so, then you had no real way of confirming if he was the one.

as he opened his mouth to answer you, his vision seemed to suddenly lock onto something else - your right hand. recognition seeped onto his face, and you felt brief relief before the man’s expression twisted. something was wrong. why wasn’t he happy? you were, at least that’s what you thought a few seconds ago. joy quickly morphed into an ugly feeling of distress, sitting firmly at the bottom of your stomach.

"is… is there something wrong?" you asked, furrowing your brows as the relentless sun beamed straight onto your nape. it seemed as if the heat only made the situation worse.

"i know you asked for directions, but i’d like to have a talk with you. in private." he glanced at the other man who was still standing there, "then, i can lead you to the bathhouse."

the slightly harsh tone of his voice made you wince, but you nodded, knowing that refusal wasn’t a choice you could afford to make here. the blonde excused himself, telling you to follow him somewhere secluded. you did, even though something deep within your mind was screaming at you to turn on your heel and run. at that time, you didn’t recognize it as anything other than nervousness. at least now you were aware your gut feeling was right. back then, if you decided to dismiss the man, would it all turn out differently? it is common knowledge - you meet your soulmate once, and the universe will make sure for you to never truly part ways. at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. you could have sprinted with all your might, but you’d still cross paths nevertheless. be it in a few months, maybe on your deathbed. there was no telling.

to be honest, it was much more of a complex problem. you could continue to blame all of your choices, thinking of ways you should have avoided it. the domino effect began long time ago, when your mother first got sick, and soon the delightful life you once had crumbled over your own head. all of your struggles lacked in any meaning, and the house of cards you meticulously crafted for all those years got swiped by a strong gust of wind. grief-stricken people seek resolve, and the only way of keeping your mind from the tragedy was to change your environment.

image of the man’s back as you trailed after him like some kind of a ghost was still vivid. something between his shoulder blades, located around his thoracic vertebrae caught your attention. it wasn’t easy to tell, but there it was. slightly obscured by his clothes, a singular line. that really was him. surely, the moment of meeting your soulmate didn’t go as planned, but perhaps he was more… sensitive than you? your fantasies of jumping into each other’s arms got successfully dimmed by his rather odd reaction, yet you couldn’t blame him. after all, it was so sudden, so unexpected. obviously he’ll eventually warm up to you.

after walking into an alleyway, you finally stopped, almost bumping into his back. fortunately, it was much darker and cooler here, and he couldn’t see the sweat beading on your forehead. the blonde turned to face you, his expression unreadable. it wasn’t angry, nor sad, but rather cautious in a certain way.

"show me your hand.” he demanded, stretching out his palm towards you. the man was straightforward, that’s for sure. usually you’d have no problem with it, except this time it actually irked you.

"you won’t even introduce yourself?" you cocked your eyebrow, gazing up at him with a bold look. his piercing gaze made you feel as if he wanted to fix you into place, just like people do with dragonflies. securing them with pins and needles, their lifeless forms never to move again.

you managed to spot the twitch of his eye. “Mydeimos." he huffed, lips stretching into a thin line, as if he was barely stopping himself from adding unnecessary comments.

"[name]." you replied shortly, placing your hand atop his. resisting made no sense, even though you wished to spite the impossibly impatient man.

is it really your soulmate if your first thought is to make his life harder? are you truly meant to be when instead of feeling giddy and excited, you’re starting to become irritated?

a clipped breath of disbelief escaped Mydei’s lungs, his grip on your hand strengthening just for a second before he let go. "why do you look so calm? do you not have any oppositions towards a stranger dragging you off, and then showing him your mark?”

that was a fair question. you definitely were acting as if the course of action was natural, even though it wasn’t.

"my mother, she—" you began, thinking of the simplest way you could explain it to him, "when i was younger, she had a prophetic vision. specifically speaking, of my soulmate. she managed to describe you to me, and the image stuck." a heavy sigh slipped from your mouth as you got met with silence, urging you to continue. "well, of course i wasn’t sure if it was you, but once i saw your back…"

you trailed off, wondering what caused Mydei to be so deeply submerged in his thoughts. all the time he kept quiet, looking between you and your wrist, as if contemplating something.

"a-are you not happy?" you managed to force out, dreading the response he would offer. slowly, the hopes of a better life with someone by your side started to fall apart.

you should have stayed in your hometown. why didn’t you?

(grief-stricken people seek resolve).

why do they seek resolve?

(because they have nothing—)

"no." Mydei’s curt answer cut through the air, making you jump. "i’ve no time for soulmates, or any other type of romance." he scoffed, "hmph, to think that a person would willingly put themselves through such trouble simply because of a mark on their skin."

you watched the man cross his arms over his chest, your eyebrows narrowing together. "then why didn’t you ignore me earlier? if soulmates really hold no significance to you, why’d you confirm we are tied?" you almost barked out, feeling the heat crawl back on your skin. oh no, you wouldn’t let it go simply because your soulmate is apparently also a coward.

"listen, i understand why you’re upset. my mind won’t change, though." the man’s tone got a bit darker, as if owning you at least an explanation was already too demanding. "i just wanted to set things straight with you. it is more than probable we’ll… stumble upon each other some more."

"so you don’t want me to get my hopes up, is that it?" you barely contained your anger, Mydei’s indifference only adding to the fire in your chest.

"exactly. now, do you still want me to show you the way to the baths? or was that just an excuse in order to talk to me?"

your fists clenched by your sides, and the thought of slapping him across the face appeared in your mind. fortunately (or perhaps not), you were above that.

"bastard." you hissed through your teeth, rapidly turning on your heel and walking away. damn him and that stupid stubbornness, and his hair, and eyes, and— and everything! not only did your 'soulmate' humiliate you, he seemed so stoic about the whole situation in contrast to your boiling blood — as if he didn’t care at all! and the bitter truth was, he most likely didn’t. why did your mother insist that you find him? her passing already took an unfathomable toll on you, and now her absurd death-bed wishes continued to only further your misery.

''once i’m gone, you’ll be left on your own'' she’d say, her voice trembling with fatigue, ‘'you’ll need someone to take care of you. to stand by your side, and protect from the world’s harm.'’

couldn’t you protect yourself? did she really think so lowly of you?

'’he will treat you well. i’m sure of it."

(liar).

you closed your eyes, traversing the streets at a fast pace. tears welled up behind your eyelids, and you knew it wasn’t because of how Mydeimos rejected you, but rather at the memory of your frail mom. the unwavering love still filling her gaze as coughs shook her body, careworn words urging you to find a better life. perhaps you weren’t doing it for yourself, but rather for her - for that ghostly vision of her face.

you seldom fought for anything, however now it seemed that a new resolve sparked within you. you won’t stick by your soulmate’s side, but you’ll strive. depending on anybody was no good, and that much was clear to you.

the memory of that fateful day made you cringe as you attempted to convince yourself the vegetables you were currently chewing on weren’t exactly awful in taste. they were, but you still continued to eat. wasting food wasn’t something you usually did, even if it was disgustingly bland.

three years passed since then, but all those events were still clear as a day in your mind. you remember swearing to yourself that you wouldn’t even look at Mydei’s face — turns out, Phainon found out about the correlation between you. it was long before you and Mydei started to jump at each other’s necks, so you were sure the man harbored no harm when he came up with that wicked plan of his. for whatever reason, he thought that playing a matchmaker was his call, and by some means he found out about your qualifications for a physician. the energy that emanated through your body, which took you years to master into a healing form would soon be used for a ‘greater good'.

Chrysos Heirs never exactly lacked in medical care, yet now you were hired as their personal nurse. by that, you also found out Mydei was apparently the crown prince of Kremnos. it wasn’t like you were unaware of his high status in society, but the sheer importance he carried took you by surprise. with that, something else was revealed — he couldn’t die. he was a warrior, and his body lacked in any kind of scarring. when you first heard it, you were almost relieved, as it obviously meant he wasn’t in the need of a physician.

turns out your hopeful thinking was for nothing, as your current position was only meant to get you both closer. you could as well be polishing the baths, and it wouldn’t make any difference.

it began out slow, and you don’t remember which one of you started it. you would regularly see Mydei, and share just a mere glance of acknowledgment. sometimes he’d scoff under his nose, then again you’d make a brief remark about his attitude. those small interactions were nothing but a dragged out prelude to the events that future held for you. a testament of sorts, building the fundaments of your downfall. snarky comments couldn’t sate neither of you, and soon you’d begin to argue on daily basis. soulmates are further cemented by interaction - which you were aware of, yet couldn’t stop digging your own grave. every time you talked to Mydei, you knew the mud around your ankles got denser, and soon you’d be stuck. he would be as well - at least you weren’t the only one at disadvantage here. constant fighting was draining, even for the mighty prince, and that thought never failed to make you chuckle grimly under your breath.

others took notice of the scenes you both would cause. sometimes they would end long before escalation, but more often than not Mydei was faced with flying ceramics, and you with a logorrhea of curses and damnations. the worst part is that it didn’t only affect you, but others too. even though you both had enough decorum to stop yourself from fighting in front of civilians, Aglaea would often point out how anxious Tribbie got, careworn by your constant barking and scowling. Phainon has shown genuine concern too, going as far as to scolding Mydei. needless to say, he was always getting dismissed by a wave of the uninterested man. as how things were unfolding, you had thought many times of leaving the Okhema. however, wouldn’t that equal you admitting defeat? in your soulmate’s eyes, your picture would be reduced to a cowardly nobody. for some reason, it would sting way more than his words.

"everytime you open your mouth, i am physically resisting the urge to push you off a cliff!" you seethed, shutting the cutlery drawer with an unnecessary amount of force. the knives and forks clattered inside loudly, filling the communal kitchen with an unpleasant noise.

"what makes you think you could?" Mydei snapped back, perhaps hoping to intimidate you. in answer, you cocked your head to the side, granting him with an unaffected look.

"just a guess, but you’re not very likable, are you?" you swiftly changed the topic, knowing that pushing him off a cliff was certainly impossible, and you had no arguments to back up your homicidal idea. "even your own people seem to—"

his eyebrows narrowed dangerously, clear indication you were walking on thin ice. "you’re not exactly popular around here, either." he interrupted, "you’re just a nurse, gods know from where—"

"just a nurse?!"

"—and nobody seems to take you seriously-"

"you’re foolish if you think i care about the opinion of other’s, especially yours!"

"well, maybe you should start to, because—"

"you think yourself mighty, huh? not everyone’s gonna be—"

"—i have a very good advice! pack your things, get out of Okhema, and as far—"

"—kissing your feet and worshipping the ground you walk on! unlike most people, i—"

"—as i am concerned, no one would miss you!"

"—actually have eyes and i’m capable of recognizing a cowardly bastard!"

you both kept screaming over each other, interrupting, and snarling as the packet of sugar between your fingers seemed close to ripping in half from the amount of tugging it faced. it was a conflict you could easily resolve, yet you seemed to ignore the fact. why share the sugar when you could fight for it instead?

every single one of your days in the holy city looked like that, filled with the sound of biting teeth and roars of anger. if you avoided the clashes, Mydei wouldn’t perceive you as someone worthy of recognition (and you needed to be, you had to make his life harder for the way he was treating you). if you ran, he’d laugh about it with others, saying how easy to scare off you were.

you could try to justify the reasons why you stayed, but at the end of the day, one answer resonated profoundly in the back of your mind — you wanted to prove it didn’t hurt.

"hey, would you two—"

"what?!" you yelled in unison, your necks snapping towards the innocent Phainon who stood in the doorframe of the kitchen, a bit shocked. you didn’t even notice when the sugar package torn in half, its contents pouring all over the floor.

"…keep it down." he finished with utter disappointment, his weary eyes taking in the mess you both made. "look, now because of your petty arguments the sugar is wasted."

Mydei measured you with his fierce gaze, and you did the same. the air got heavy with tension once more as you stared at each other with murderous intent, mulling over whichever insults would be the best this time. Phainon gripped the bridge of his nose with silent resignation, knowing the unavoidable screaming match was going to erupt once more.

"you clean it up!" you bursted out, pointing towards the sugar-covered tiles.

"no, you clean it up, you imbeci—!"

"why would i? i wanted the sugar first, and you started to—"

"what?! no, i put my hands on it first!"

"gods, you’re insufferable! that’s not how it—"

Phainon shook his head, closing the kitchen door with a loud thud. you paid no mind to him, way too occupied by your quarrel. even from the halls, he could still hear the distant shouting, and began to wonder how long it’ll take before someone loses their mind.

the arguments you shared varied on the scale of severity. one time they were closer to a bicker, and everyone was grateful that at least you didn’t want to kill each other. a few hours later the clamor was back on, and wouldn’t stop until you both got fed up. it mattered little whether the cause of your argument was serious, or no — you’d still put your everything into those screams. if someone told you that everyday you’d be having an altercation with the crown prince of Kremnos — be it about who gets the last sugar packet, or who is more of a pathetic-foolish-wrongdoer — you wouldn’t believe them.

it is said that soulties can make you feel emotions tenfold. sorrow, anger, joy, love. it only applied towards one’s soulmate, but could be destructive nonetheless. it can either make you more infatuated, or cause you to regret ever meeting them. you surely identified with the latter.

exactly one year passed before your relationship with Mydeimos took… a slightly off-track route.

it was pretty obvious that you and him were at your wits ends, and bearing any more of that would lead you both astray. each day, you prayed to whoever was willing to listen, begging for this nightmarish charade to finally end. countless days spent on either bawling your eyes out, or tearing your throat as you screamed in frustration were making you more than exhausted. wicked satisfaction coming from making Mydei’s existence harder was meek, and the constant headaches drove you up the wall. you felt trapped — perhaps you truly were. dark shadows hanging low under the man’s eyes were a clear indication he felt the same. still, no matter how much you tried to stay separated, the nature of soulmates was unavoidable. a bond, no matter how dire, once created wouldn’t be able to break. it could only progress further, and when you realized that you were practically attached by the hip, your heart sank low. did you really have no way of breaking free in this dystopian world? nowadays, even your own thoughts seemed to betray you. whenever you crossed the line with Mydei and said too much, guilt would follow you around like a stray dog. a dog from what? the nether, most likely. a vicious, snarling hound, gnawing at your bones, only to lick the marrow with apology in its bottomless eyes.

a tug of war. that’s the best way you could describe it.

as always, the sun hung high on the horizon, and even though you liked to think of yourself as accustomed to the holy city’s climate, it still took a toll on you. you decided to open the window, hoping the fresh breeze would make you feel better. it did, even if just a little. you sighed in relief, smiling to yourself as you watched children playing outside of your surgery’s window. they seemed so carefree, falling and instantly getting up, unable to pay any attention to their scraped knees as the whirl of fun distracted them from pain. this sight brought distant memories, buried somewhere deep within your mind. once, you were like them too — running around the fields, covered in dirt and grass until your mother would finally drag you home, and lecture how dangerous it was to stray so far away. when was the last time you thought about that? life in the holy city stripped you away from all that was once dear. never ending conflicts and problems piling upon one another, forcing you to push back any comfort left.

you prayed that those children would never have to bear such burdens, even though it was nigh impossible to avoid.

as you continued to brood, someone opened the door. your head snapped towards the direction of the sound, immediately recognizing the silhouette. your brows furrowed as you tore yourself off from the windowsill, stepping a bit closer to the man. it was an extremely rare occurrence — him visiting you out of his own volition, that is. you sent him a cautious look, feeling a tinge of anxiety rise up in your gut. you were having such a good day, and now he probably came to ruin it, likely out of boredom. you already opened your mouth to chase him away, but before you could say anything his voice resonated through the room.

"what?" Mydei asked, as if your expression offended him, "can’t i visit our physician?" the man’s words were phrased like one of his usual sarcastic remarks, making your brow twitch.

your frown deepened slightly as you continued to study him with intent eyes. something was obviously off. "well, why’re you here then?"

at that, Mydei paused. his gaze jumped around the room, and he appeared a bit conflicted. it was unlike him to be caught off guard like that, but he came to you - obviously he had a goal in mind, yet now he refused to voice his thoughts. perhaps his pride didn’t allow him to. if it was anybody else you’d be already on the case, sitting them down and coercing into admitting their troubles. however, this was Mydei, and you were adamant about helping him. you stood there, tapping your foot as you scrutinized him, waiting for the man to finally say something.

before your patience managed to reach its limit, his voice once again tore through the silence. "i want you to cast healing energy on me."

you barely stopped your burst of laughter caused by the absurdity of his demand. seriously, come again? he seemed completely fine, standing straight and still managing to get on your nerves. if it wasn’t the picture of health, then you definitely didn’t know what it was. anyway, since when did he experience any kind of pains? Mydei was able to take blows effortlessly and live through fatal wounds, and now he was asking you to waste your time on him. was it to ridicule you?

"you’re joking, right?" you put your hands on your hips, restraining yourself from making any unnecessary comments. for whatever reason, you didn’t feel like fighting today. truthfully, you never did.

"is it really so unbelievable to you, [name]?" the man scoffed, taking few long strides towards the medical bed, "and you dare call yourself a physician." he taunted, a crooked smirk stretching his lips.

Mydei sat heavily, making the bed creak dangerously under the sudden pressure - you winced, hoping it wouldn’t break. you could feel your blood pressure rising, but you clenched your teeth in order to keep any remarks behind them. no, you won’t allow him to get a rise out of you. not today.

"alright, let’s assume something is genuinely wrong with you. what is it?"

another prolonged pause. the only sound filling the space was distant laughter and ticking of the clock hanging on one of the walls. it was arguably worse than listening to Aglaea’s scoldings.

"must you always ask such stupid questions? get to work, or i’ll make sure you bid goodbye to your little workplace tomorrow morning." after a while of contemplation Mydei snarled, visibly annoyed by your questions. it’s something he often did - threaten you. he rarely pulled off any of his promises, but they still made your mind stir with anxieties. if you could, you’d take a basin filled with water and forcibly dip his head inside until he finally lost consciousness. an unrealistic vision it was, because before you’d manage to get a handful of his golden locks, he would have already knocked the water out of your hands and laughed at your poor attempts.

why did you keep putting up with him, even though you were fed up beyond reason?

(grief-stricken people seek resolve).

"at least i wouldn’t need to look at your face everyday," you snapped back, closing the distance between you two, "tell me what’s bothering you, or i won’t cast anything."

it’s not like you cared — you genuinely didn’t, but you wouldn’t be effective unless you knew where the problem was rooted. spreading energy through the whole body was always pretty demanding, so you’d rather focus on one specific spot. you waited for Mydei’s response, but upon receiving none, you sighed with defeat. you throughly washed your hands with soap (something unpleasant crawled up your spine as you felt his eyes fixated on you the whole time), and stepped behind the bed. the sooner he leaves, the better.

you usually announced whenever you started to cast your energy, as the feeling at first was often akin to a slight shock. this time however, you firmly put your hands on his back and surged all of it at once, wanting to capture his jolty reaction. unsurprisingly, Mydei didn’t do anything other than gaze at the floor tiles with a bored look. how come things never turned out the way you wanted? with a little more fervor, you moved your hands towards the nape of his neck. your fingers twitched as you imagined curling them around his throat, cutting out the oxygen — but soon you turned down the vision. you weren’t always like this - this aggressive, and violent. what were you even thinking? Mydei was the bane of your existence, but it’s not like he deserved to suffer.

(or maybe he did?)

your brows narrowed together as you forced the intrusive thoughts out of your mind space. you were a medic, damn it—

"are you doing this on purpose, or what?" he murmured, slightly turning his face to look at you from the corner of his eye. you blinked twice, not understanding what he was referring to. "i mean breathing so hard on my neck. stop it."

you almost retracted your hands, suddenly feeling a mixture of embarrassment and ire. you didn’t even realize that your breaths got so labored, and much to your chagrin, you had no witty response to offer. with a heavy heart, you continued to move your palms around the man’s back, trying to find out yourself where his pains were located. finally, when you stopped around the shoulder blades, Mydei’s muscles seemed to relax at last, even if just a little bit.

"does it hurt here?" you asked absentmindedly, focusing on the flow of energy escaping your fingers.

being so gentle with someone who would never do the same to you felt almost disgusting. but you weren’t wicked at heart, and it was your job to put people at ease instead of furthering their misery. your mother would never approve of causing harm, no matter if the patient was especially awful.

Mydei nodded in response, his back hunching. you took that as a 'yes', continuing to heal. after about three minutes you were done, and the man got up from his seat, stretching his limbs as if he just woke up from a long slumber. you worked your expression into something more unpleasant, worried that if he saw the softened look on your face he might mock you for it.

"we’re done now, so get out of my face." you announced bluntly, the tone of your voice turning harsher than before.

he didn’t even spare you a glance as he walked towards the exit. "i don’t feel any difference. you’re awful at this, [name]." Mydei answered, shutting the door with a loud 'thud!'.

you stood there for a longer while, contemplating whether you should run after the man and choke him like you wanted to earlier. you ultimately abandoned that idea, instead sitting back into the chair and cradling your head with your hands. you hated Mydei. not because he was horrible, but rather because you still were somehow able of being delicate with him. why? how was that physically possible? bodies respond to spite with stronger reactions that yours — if your hatred was real, you wouldn’t even let him into your surgery in the first place.

that dreadful thought would haunt you for the next two years, everyday.

normally, you wouldn’t even dare to reminiscence about such things, but the dull taste of cauliflower made you think of equally terrible recollections. during the second year of your stay in Okhema, things took the turn for worse, and the unpleasant sensation on your tongue made all of your memories resurface.

the drastic shift in the air definitely felt like a thunder’s roar, at least in retrospection. soulmates are a complex thing, and even though they play a very significant role in people’s lives, the research on them is surprisingly lacking. alas, one thing is for sure — there is no turning back. the same applied to yours and Mydei’s case, the feelings of odium soon melting into something more conflicted. he was - much to your dismay - occupying your mind all the time. of course you would think of him earlier on, however back then it definitely got out of hand. constant questions plagued your already fatigued brain, forcing you to seek him out. you did nothing but argue, or huff and scoff at each other, but somehow it put you at ease. a certain sense of twisted familiarity. it worked both ways, unfortunately, and whenever you got busy with work, he’d still come bustling through your door. sometimes you’d fight, other times he’d ramble about things that got on his nerves, and you listened. you started to rely on him — apparently the same happened to Mydei, as Phainon often pointed out how agitated he got whenever you got separated for too long.

you never acknowledged the change in your behavior. it came naturally, just like sun peeks from behind the clouds after rain. your stormy relationship didn’t exactly calm down — Phainon still complained about the noise you two would make, and Castorice winced whenever you both appeared in the same room. mayhem followed in your wake, but at least Mydei stopped his constant threats on your person, and you spared the plates you oh-so-loved throwing at his head (even though he always avoided every single one of them).

what didn’t stop however, was the feeling of going crazy. hatred, spite and agitation took the nightmarish shape of obsession. alienation shook your bones whenever you tried forming any other meaningful connections, and your thoughts always sprinted back to the only question in your head: "where is Mydei?".

more often than not, you felt as if you completely lost yourself. the promises you made to your own self — to run far away from that man, never looking back — it all seemed so distant now. two years of mental exhaustion made your perception crooked, and everything seemed wrong. sometimes you’d wake up and look around, feeling as if someone moved the furniture in your surgery. it wasn’t rearranged, no, but the placement was off by a few inches. the same feeling of unease would creep up on you whenever you thought about how cruelly you betrayed yourself.

Mydeimos was important to you. coming to terms with that fact was hard, and the unfathomable hurt of it was almost comparable to when you cradled your mother’s terrifyingly bony hands in yours. two completely different situations, yet you still felt as if they shared a common ground — your downfall. it will continue to torment you, until your body will finally be lowered in a casket.

the worst part is, you still don’t know whether you genuinely lost your mind, or if the soultie effect caused it.

everything is changing. everything is getting worse. Phainon payed you a visit today, and he was talking about something, yet you couldn’t recall what it was. you gave him some tea — he said it was the best he had in a long time. you wanted to believe him, but the way his lips stretched in unnaturally cordial smile indicated otherwise. you couldn’t blame him though, as the brew was prepared with health-prosperity in mind. you could put a few sugar cubes inside, but it would defeat its original purpose.

the conversation between you and him didn’t stick, and you felt awkward. when you first got into the holy city, Phainon was definitely someone you would call a friend. he secured you a good job and a place to live, and would always try cheering you up. right now, there was an invisible wall separating you both. you could see no way around it.

"so, uhh, [name]," he began after a long pause, putting down the elegant cup back on the table, "Mydei was asking about you. i told him you were busy with work, so that he wouldn’t bother you." Phainon let out an unsure chuckle, carefully observing your expression.

you hummed in acknowledgment, taking a sip of your herbal drink. "good thing you did, else i’d have to put up with that man for gods know how long."

the image of Mydei walking unceremoniously into your surgery, and starting to pick at you made your skin crawl. you’d pick at him too, spewing insults left and right. you’d push him to the limits, watching the man come undone in front of your own eyes before the conversation would turn into a screaming match. then, you’d calm down. he’d stare at the tiles again, counting, and you would fall onto your chair with a resigned sigh. Mydei would eventually apologize, and you’d smile at him. it sounded terrible, no?

(yet you still yearned for it, the equal ruin).

Phainon laughed genuinely now, and you had to admit that happiness looked great on him. as of late, he seemed more worried than usual.

"well, i’m glad you approve of my decisions. you two really don’t get along, do you?" he mused, his gaze now trailing over to the window. perhaps the sights outside were more interesting than your face.

"no, no we don’t." you admitted in a weak voice, even though you didn’t want to sound so unconvinced. what was there to deny? someone once compared you and Mydei to two tigers — you didn’t catch on it until later, when you realized those animals were prone to killing each other in fights to death. that person was on point, much to your chagrin.

when you were unable of adding anything else to your lacking sentence, you thought it would be better for you to spend time with some other people. perhaps then you’d relearn what it means to be a normal, functioning human instead of a husk who only could spew and clash.

"oh, look at the time [name]!" Phainon suddenly called out, getting up a little bit too fast from his seat. "Aglaea wanted to see with me, and i don’t want to be late." he explained vaguely as you sent him a perplexed look, also standing up.

"a-alright then." you stammered out, taken aback by his rapid reaction. maybe he got bored, and came up with an excuse on the spot. "see you soon?"

"yeah, see you soon." he sent you a slightly nervous smile before walking out of the door. you watched him disappear, the surgery once more filled up with silence. you gazed at his barely touched tea, and decided to pour it out in the sink.

as you were doing that, you heard the distinctive footsteps outside. you didn’t even get the chance to turn around before Mydei walked through the entrance, that ever-present scowl on his face deeper than usual. you carefully placed down the cup, afraid of breaking it. it was your favorite, and you couldn’t afford to lose anything else dear to your heart, even if it was only porcelain.

"so that’s what you were busy with, huh?" the man asked, his tone low as he stepped closer to you. at first you didn’t understand what he meant, but after a second everything clicked. Phainon lied to him on your account, and then managed to spot him through your window. he left in hurry, thinking that Mydei discovering you both would only cause more problems. your heart clenched at his consideration as you observed the man with narrowed eyes.

"are you insinuating something?" you hissed, feeling the tension in the air arise with every second. "who are you to tell me what to do anyway? go find someone else to bully, because i’m really not in the mood for your bullshit."

"no, i’m not insinuating anything," he replied, venom practically dripping from his words, "i simply find it hilarious that you thought you could deceive me like that. do i look stupid to you, [name]?"

you couldn’t help the huff of irritation escaping your lungs as you looked around yourself, almost bewildered. Mydei seldom acted like that — yes, he was an absolute pain, however he has never outwardly shown his disapproval of you meeting with others. you didn’t even like Phainon in a romantic sense, and you never would. to think that this man came to such a conclusion was baffling, especially when you two weren’t even in a relationship.

"deceive you? are you crazy?" you barked out, spreading your arms apart, "you’re acting absurdly, Mydei! do you think i’m your possession, or something? you always seem to talk about how much you despise me, and yet here you are, ordering me around as you see fit!"

"it’s because—" the man paused, as if searching for the best words, long fingers woving through his hair. "you’re driving me mad, [name]! can’t you see? can’t you see what you’ve done?!" he shouted, making you want to take a step back. instead, you boldly rendered the distance between you two.

insanity. the slow descent into pits of human destruction kept dragging him down — perhaps you were much lower than Mydei, gripping his ankles and pulling — or maybe you were above, waving at the man, beckoning him to crawl out. as things were standing now, you were equal in your devastation.

"why are you blaming me?! go blame yourself, you lunatic!" you seethed, grabbing something from the drawer beside you. you paid no attention to the item in your hand, your sight focused solely on Mydei.

why do things between you always have to escalate at such a quick rate? sometimes you felt as if you were treading above an active volcano, where one wrong move could lead to a rapid eruption. you thought of yourself as the victim, and that much was foolish, as you were deeply aware you and him were both lava, and nothing else.

when Mydei failed to snap back in time, you decided to provoke him some more. "what, maybe you’re just jealous? it definitely sounds like that to me." you sneered, but the thought seemed horrifyingly real.

"why would i be jealous of someone like you?" he retaliated, even though the false denial in his expression was obvious, "look at yourself! you think that little cup will do me any harm? you must be really slow of mind." he laughed mockingly at the weapon you gripped in the palm of your hand.

to this day, you still don’t know what pushed you to such extreme. maybe it had something to do with soulties, or you were simply becoming what you’ve always hated. still, the already weakened strings which previously held your sanity together seemed to snap, and no amounts of regret could fix it.

"want to see for yourself?" you didn’t wait for the man’s response, shattering the porcelain across your tiled floor. you immediately bent down to reach for the biggest fragment, cutting yourself in the process, though you cared little for the stinging pain in your fingertips.

possessed by anger that only someone literally tied to your soul could evoke, you surged towards Mydeimos, aiming at his throat. he wouldn’t die, but the few minutes of him coughing up blood and gripping his own slashed neck would be enough to satiate you. you didn’t care that after his recovery, he’d likely kill you. leading such a life carried no sense within anyway.

("you are a medic, my sweet girl. your job is to save people, and make them happy. isn’t that a wonderful vocation? make your mother proud. i’m sure you can”).

Mydei gripped your wrists as you flailed your limbs, struggling against his strength. you kicked at his shin, your foot meeting with the golden metal, and you cursed yourself for forgetting it was there in the first place. a sickening whine of pain ripped from your throat as you realized that even if he unhanded you, letting you do as you please, you still wouldn’t be able to hurt him. after all, how could you?

the force of your efforts made you both stumble down and crash onto the hard floor, littered with sharp pieces of the cup. you felt the breath get knocked out of your chest as you gazed up at the man with wide, terrified eyes. warm blood trickled down your hand, and only then you realized just how deeply you wounded yourself. tears fogged over your vision as dry cries began to jerk your body.

(why do grief-stricken people seek resolve?)

(because they have nothing).

"i’m—" you sobbed, your voice trembling as you looked at Mydei’s equally shaken expression, "i’m so sorry! i’m so very, very sorry!" you wailed, letting go of the porcelain fragment, hearing it clatter on the ground. the man slowly released your wrists from his grasp, still hovering above you.

"stop it, [name]. i went overboard this time. you don’t have to apologize." his voice was uncharacteristically doleful as he observed your face, measuring the amount of tears with downcast eyes.

you wrapped your arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to you. you could lie to yourself and pretend like you had genuine friends here, in Okhema— but at the end of the day, Mydei was all you had left. there was no one else. he wasn’t your home, but he was the only one who managed to stomp out the loneliness from your heart. you hated each other to the bone, and yet you still held your bodies on that cold floor, surrounded by nothing but muffled sobbing.

you were not violent. you were kindhearted, and warm, and you never would’ve thought of doing such things, however now all of it seemed repressed somewhere else. Mydei — no, perhaps entirety of the holy city — caused your breath to stop. you wished to view him in repulsion, but for gods’ sake, you knew you could not. once the summer sun will extinguish your being, up until the last cloud of smoke, you’ll be thinking of him. the soulmate mark stretching from your knuckles to wrist hurt. a pulsating kind of pain, reminding you it was still there, and you couldn’t forsake it.

"i’m so sorry…" you choked out, pressing your face into his shoulder.

"don’t be."

"i— i never meant to harm you, i just—"

"i know."

your hands gripped Mydei’s clothes, the blood from your cut already seeping over his previously clean attire and body. he didn’t seem to care, stroking fingers through your hair in attempt of showing any semblance of comfort (could he ever offer it?). you searched for something meaningful to say, but your thoughts narrowed to only one thing.

it was your favorite cup.

you chewed on the piece of meat with a twisted expression, the scar still visible between your fingers and the palm. sometimes it would itch, making it utterly irritating. the sounds of the swords clashing outside seemed to quiet down, now replaced by idle chatter. you were almost finished with your meal, and the time on the clock was indicating near evening. the day was coming to an end.

just like the food in your mouth, tasting rotten even though it looked completely fine, by the third year of your stay in Okhema things suddenly simmered down (wreck of your mind remained). the storm was no longer, thunders and lightning turning into whirlwind — still unpredictable and very much able to cause harm, but a bit more subtle. leading a war for three years straight would humble everyone, even the most capable warriors. for that, you were grateful.

the scorching sun no longer bothered you, and with enough savings you managed to buy yourself a place somewhere further from your surgery. now you didn’t have to reside in the small space, sleeping on medical bed and pretending like being caged there was no problem for you. this change brought you a certain peace of heart, as you regained at least a small piece of your independence.

as for you and Mydei — you still continued with your usual routine, although a bit less fierce. even though you never touched upon the topic, it seemed as if you shared a collective agreement that snapping your teeth at each other’s gullets brought you no good. it never did, but it took you both three years to realize.

now as you stuffed your mouth with some more vegetables, you wondered if Mydei possessed any redeeming qualities. if he didn’t, then you surely would have lost your mind a long time ago. after a short while of brooding, you came up with a verdict — he did. after that incident, it seemed like you started to notice more things. it’s not like you didn’t before, but perhaps you were buried too deep within your own sorrow to actually pay attention. the man wasn’t always awful. there were certain moments when you found common ground, and actually got along. though rare, the soultie progressed, and you felt as if some kind of understanding between you two formed.

after all, he was your soulmate, wasn’t he?

you sat down on the ridge of a big fountain, a heavy sigh escaping your lips. the weather was nice for a change, skies colored with a mesmerizing hue of yellow as the rain stopped pouring a few minutes ago. your clothes were soaked, but that didn’t matter, the cool on your body soothing you. you had a hard time at work today, so you wished for nothing more but a moment of rest — alas, it seemed like the universe wanted to mock you some more.

"look who we have here." a booming voice came from your right making you jump up, even though you were all-too-well accustomed to its sound. "what, don’t tell me you got caught up in the rain?"

"Mydei, give me a break…" you groaned, rubbing at your temples. he was the reason why you had to sweat so much today, and the mere sight of his face already made your blood pressure skyrocket. "are you aware you’re the reason why so many people came to me today?"

from what you’ve gathered, some fools decided it would be a great idea to spar with the Kremnoan prince. nobody wanted to admit to being the originator of the concept, though Phainon appeared especially nervous. you decided against pressuring him into speaking, as he was already injured enough. while you tended to the wounds, sewing the broken skin and putting gauzes to them, everyone kept murmuring one word: 'Mydeimos.' yes, that definitely made sense.

"it’s their fault for being overly-confident." he huffed, sitting down beside you, his eyes fixated on two birds jumping cheerily in a puddle. "if you’re not at least slightly afraid of your opponent, of course you’ll underestimate them, and fail. a pathetic mistake."

"well," you began, stretching out your legs as you captured his expression from the corner of your eye, "i’m not afraid of you at all. does that make me pathetic?"

even though your words sounded a bit exaggerated, it was the truth. throughout all of your fallouts and vicious arguments with Mydei, there was never a time where you were genuinely scared. maybe of yourself — but not of him. over the time you have learned to trust your gut, and right now it was telling you that your soulmate wasn’t a threat. yes, he throughly enjoyed making your existence filled with various anxieties and hardships, but did he ever rise a hand at you? you tried to literally slit his throat, and yet he didn’t even look offended, meanwhile most people would have strangled you unconscious.

his eyebrows rose slightly as he turned his face towards you. "is that so?” he didn’t seem to believe you, doubt arising in the honeyed irises.

"yeah," a humorless, dry chuckle escaped your lips as you studied the look he carried with great attention, "the sun will go out before i’m truly afraid of you. i have no reason to, anyway."

perhaps you should have reasons, because one of Mydei’s glares was enough to render someone unmoving. you watched him fight before, and the enemies seemed to be nothing but mere rag-dolls to him. a mentally-sound person would be trembling in respect before him — unfortunately for you, you were far from that, hence why you had to put up with all of the shouting and arguments.

"how can you be so sure, [name]?" Mydei mocked, but his comment lacked in real bite. it fell as something lighthearted on your ears, urging you to continue.

"if you really wanted to harm me, i’d be beheaded by the time i first threw a plate at you." that evoked a poorly contained snicker from him, and you couldn’t help but smile along. "and you’re… you’re not a bad person, Mydei— at least i don’t think so. bad people don’t play with children, nor do they bake pastries in their free time."

Mydei looked at you as if you just offended his whole lineage, way too dumbfounded to respond. you shook your head, an involuntary huff of laughter slipping past your lips as you took in his baffled expression. "you thought i wouldn’t notice?"

"well— well, obviously—" he forced the words out, struggling to compose a proper sentence, utterly embarrassed. "Phainon must have told you, right? he must have. oh, when i get my hands on that little—"

Phainon didn’t tell you anything. it’s just that after three years of knowing someone, people usually become aware of such things. you vividly remember Mydei playing hide and seek with a group of Kremnoan children, even if a little begrudgingly. it was one year ago, and Krateros asked you to relay some informations upon him. you can’t quite recall what it was, but you remember it being grim — normally you wouldn’t care, but it somehow made you feel somber. you didn’t want to ruin Mydei’s moment of peace, so you simply stood behind a pillar, watching the man count down as kids ran around trying to find the best hiding spot. after a while you departed, thinking it would be best to tell him later.

the other thing — precisely speaking, his baking hobby — you discovered by accident. after a long working day, you spotted Castorice and Tribbie eating something. you didn’t mean to stare, but they eventually noticed your longing gaze and invited you to sit with them. it was rare for you to share a meal with anyone, so you gratefully accepted one of the profiteroles. it was delicious, and the girls giggled at the way your eyes lit up. Tribbie explained those were a gift from 'De', as they liked to affectionately call him. you were surprised to hear that, and even thought about using that as a leverage in one of your many arguments, but eventually abandoned the idea. it wasn’t a bad activity. actually, you found it quite endearing, as far as your positive feelings towards Mydei could go.

you sighed, looking up at the yellow sky as you pleaded the gods for more patience - then, you focused back on the man. "Phainon didn’t tell me, and i don’t perceive any of those things as something you should be ashamed of. they’re good qualities. at least i know you still have a heart, Mydeimos." you grumbled, rolling your eyes.

his features seemed to relax a bit, as if the cause of his stress was based solely on your opinion. "well, aren’t you the sweetest." he murmured, a bit dryly.

you hummed in response, watching Mydei suddenly turn his face away from you, his expression obscured by the blonde locks. before you could say anything else, he pulled himself up, and started to walk away. for a second, you contemplated whether you should call after him, but decided to keep your mouth shut. it was rare for you both to share a conversation so civilized, without any crude remarks or insults. you didn’t want to ruin it for yourself, so you watched his silhouette slowly fade into the crowd of people.

and that was it. sometimes, you’d pace around your room and wonder whether you held any love for him. somewhere, in the deepest corners of your soul, the answer perhaps lied. you would have to dissect your body over and over again, searching for it, until you’d finally find the core — oozing with the venom of a rattlesnake, covered in wildflower petals. being in love, what does it feel like? were you even capable of it?

your scorched mind couldn’t grasp the concept, so you decided to leave it unanswered. even though you yearned for it — even if you wanted to catch it like a butterfly, gently nursing against the palms of your hands. contradictions are an inevitable part of the human nature. soulmates were a curse of sorts, and nowadays it seemed as if you were close to giving in. remaining hellbent took a toll on you, and the line between "surrender" and "acceptance" started to blur. still, you would never forget the torment he brought upon you. Mydei won’t forsake the thousands of your spiteful actions either, their ever-presence hovering just a few steps behind.

in a metaphorical sense, it seemed as if you both were constantly throwing up on each other. reduced from humans to mere specimens, created only to claw at one another’s throats, and then crawl back into the warm embrace as the bloody wounds made your bodies shake with cries. nothing less, nothing more.

the fork in your hand scraped against the ceramic material, forming an unpleasant sound. there was nothing left on your plate. the disgusting dinner gone, replaced with smudges of sauce and vegetable scrapes. you frowned when you suddenly heard the knocking on your door, characteristic enough for you to recognize who was standing behind them. you placed the dish onto your desk, sitting back on the bed. usually you’d be stomping to the door, ready for another clash, vicious words already on your tongue. however, now all of your bared teeth was gone. nothing made sense, and you were worn.

"come in." you called, smoothing out your attire from any wrinkles.

the door opened slowly, and a second later you were already facing Mydei. you sent him a questioning look, taking notice of his slightly slumped form. did he injure himself while sparing? no, that wasn’t possible. you observed him carefully, waiting, trying to deduce what the issue was. maybe those annoying pains were getting to him again.

"i was looking for you." he announced, his tone depraved of any kind of ire he’d still sometimes grace you with.

"you know i’m usually at my place during evening hours." you replied, your eyebrows narrowing together. "did something happen?"

"no." Mydei sighed, taking a few steps forwards. "i just wanted to see you, [name]."

you sent him a chary smile, noting the unabashed tone of his voice. honestly, it took you by surprise, but somehow you understood what he meant. it was always like that — you wished to never talk to him again, yet you felt as if you were conjoined.

(grief-stricken people seek resolve, as they have nothing — and once it’s caught by their fangs, they won’t let go, no matter how much pain it brings in its wake).

Mydei’s expression was a little absent, stripped from the usual high-awareness. "you seem tired." a soft mutter left your lips as you gently grabbed his fingers and tugged towards you, wondering whether he was getting enough sleep.

"maybe a bit." he admitted, kneeling by the side of your bed and wrapping his arms around your waist. you let him without any hesitation, watching as he put his head on your lap.

moments of intimacy were not a part of your everyday life, however there were times when one of you would unravel and lean on the other person. humans needed connection. they needed touch, warmth, affection. those were things you’d never use to describe the relationship with your soulmate, yet you couldn’t resist the sparse comfort when offered.

Mydeimos was much nicer to you in your head. your conversations didn’t usually go as planned. sometimes, when you felt the side of his face press into your neck as you let your healing energy flow through his spine, you dwelled on things he harbored within his heart. after you were done, he’d retract his body away from yours and send you a fleeting glance, filled with grudges and dismay. you’d scowl back, thinking how nice it would be to never see him again.

you ran your fingers through his golden locks, feeling at how soft they were in contrast to their owner. whenever the man got tired — genuinely tired — he’d always become so docile. the rise and fall of his chest was meek, and you would’ve thought he wasn’t breathing at all if you didn’t look closer. the same hands that ripped his enemies apart were now cradling you, as if your body was made out of glass. all the hatred and rage was gone, replaced by silent agreement to let this moment last before you’d be back to spitting at each other.

Mydei never opened up to you. you didn’t know what he went through in the past — all the horrors and trauma shaping him into who he was now. it must have taken a lot of effort to stay gentle, at least in a certain way, hidden away from the eyes of others. you leaned down, watching his relaxed face as you trailed over the tear-shaped tattoo with your intent gaze. when you felt Mydei press himself further into your lap, one conclusion appeared clearer than anything you managed to deduce throughout those three years of bloodborne struggles.

no matter what, all wolves dream of being a dog.

[fluemou]

EVERYTHING I EVER LOVED — genshin impact : furina ノ fem ! reader , angst no comfort , doomed yuri

"are you sure this is something you actually want? or is it something she wants you to do for her own selfish plans?"

despite the words being spoken oh so carefully, as if the owner of their voice was trying to hold themselves back, furina felt a stab in her stomach — sharp yet dull pain, making her fingers stop on one of the pages of the newest fashion magazine she was trying to read till her ministrations were so absurdly and cruelly interupted.

her head tilted to the side, piercing blue eyes set on you in a second — sitting on the sofa next to her, seemingly mindlessly staring out of the window at the lively court of fontaine, taking in happy faces and occasional laughter flowing through the air.

"what do you mean?" furina's voice was almost shaking, you noticed — almost. there was still some kind of precise way she held herself up, never dropping head or gaze down, even if the question made her heart clench uncomfortably and fingers curl into fists.

"you'll die by doing this," your eyes moved away from the window, head turning in her direction as you took in that confused expression plastered on her face you would usually tease her for. but now, the carefree atmosphere was gone, leaving the room full of unspoken worry and emotions needed to be addressed out loud. "and burry me alive in the process."

the young lady's brows furroved. there were no unnessesary theatrics, no shocked gasps. she knew what you were hinting, what you were trying to say and there was no room for any jokes.

"this isn't a role i can decline so easily, my love," furina took a deep breath, fingers playing with the hem of her shorts twitching to touch your hand, caress your skin and make you believe everything would turn out well at the end. "the prophecy needs to be taken care of, the fontanians need to have a god to look up to."

she took yet another inhale, this time with a poorly masked tremble. "i will... i will find a way to keep you here. to keep you here with me."

you couldn't help but scoff in annoyance, eyes fluttering shut as if even looking around her apartment, personal belongings of yours scattered around, was something too painful for you to bear — because soon enough, there would be absolutely no proof of your existence at all.

"five hundreds of years isn't something an average mortal can achieve," you chuckled bitterly.

"i'll think of something," she told you quickly, tone hurried. "i'll come up with something, i swear —"

"furina." there is was. that final, resolute word. opening your eyes, gazing at her just to witness pure terror of realization sprawling all over her face as the meaning of your tone finally settled in.

"there will be no me in five hundreds years," lips curled up in a soft smile, you slowly moved from the sofa. now standing in front of the young lady, you took her trembling hands in your own covered in white lace gloves. "and there won't be no me tommorow morning when you wake up."

tears rolled down her pale cheeks, eyes tightly shut close. furina knew there wasn't anything she could do anymore. no begging, no crying, no empty promises would stop you from leaving the fontaine for good.

who was she to decline you a good, happy life anyway? if she couldn't give you what you needed, what you deserved, somebody else would.

she exhaled shakily into your mouth when you pressed lips against hers in the last soft kiss.

when the door closed for the last time and apartment went completly silent, furina finally sobbed out. five hundreds of years... five hundreds of years of pretending to enjoy something she promised, without the only love she ever cherished by her side — she prayed for the time to pass quickly.

she prayed, begged for the time to pass quickly so she could be reunied with you in the possible afterlife sooner, clinging to nothing but a slim hope of gaining your forgiveness once again.

[eternallyfrustratedwriter]

The Curious Case of Reluctant Immortals

Summary:

“We have made our decision. Many of us feel that you represent a very clear danger to the universe by just standing here. However, others feel like you could, what’s the phrase? Rise to the occasion, so to speak, if given the chance.

Your powers appear to be affected by your emotions, much like how the rings work. You will train your powers here, and you will be overseen by the Lanterns of your sector. When, and only when, you have sufficient control over them will you be allowed to return to Earth. Our contribution will be over, and it will be up to you whether you prove us right or not.” 

Authors Note: I did not mean to write this much originally. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

You didn’t know how a meeting between the Guardians of the Universe typically went, but something told you this wasn’t it. The Guardians were arguing amongst themselves while the Lanterns of Sector 2814 were arguing for you without much luck. It didn’t help that you’d only met two of them after the meeting had started. 

One of them, Guy Gardner, had barged in, John trailing close behind with a look of resignation on his face. Barely a beat had been lost, though, before a simultaneous three-way debate started with you standing on your tiptoes to see over their shoulders.

The dominant arguments on the Guardians' side were that you were the equivalent of a virus in the universe and that your appearance surely was a prophecy for doom. The proposed solution to your unfortunate existence here seemed to range anywhere from locking you in Oa’s Sciencells to banishing you to be another dimensions problem. 

“Just read her mind! Not like you’ll believe anything she says unless you see it for yourselves…” yelled Guy, looking proud of himself for his idea. Meanwhile, you, Hal, and John were looking at him like he was crazy because that was a HORRIBLE idea. 

“Very well,” started the Guardian, who went by Ganthet as they held a hand up to silence the others. “Human, step forward.” 

A wave of nausea rolls through you as you step forward. You force your arms to remain at your sides despite wanting nothing more than to hug yourself tightly. 

“Will this hurt?” you ask, lifting your head so you can look them in the eyes. 

There was no response. 

Before you could offer any form of protest, 12 pairs of glowing eyes were staring at you.  

The force of the invasion caused your body to tense, limbs stretched out as your mouth opened in a silent scream and your eyes impossibly wide. Your body actually rose a few inches off of the ground, the gauntlents around your arms developing hairline cracks from the power flowing through you. 

It didn’t hurt physically apart from the stretch in your muscles. 

Mentally, it felt like a hot poker was tearing through your subconscious. 

You could feel them carding through every thought you’d ever had. Your bones creaked and your jaw ached as they continued. 

Bits and pieces of your life floated across your minds eye, out of order but weaved into the tapestry of your life. 

Once their search was over, you collapsed to the ground. Your breathing was labored, and your clothes stuck to your skin from having broken out into a sheen of sweat. You clutched your head and focused on getting your breathing under control as you felt several sets of hands help you back to your feet. A strong arm, you didn’t know whose, wrapped around your shoulder and kept you standing. 

The Guardians appeared to now be having a silent conversation among themselves. The way their eyes would glow brightly before dimming just as quickly told you it was a heated one. Seconds dragged into minutes, your stomach tying itself into knots as you awaited their judgment. 

Finally, the one known as Ganthet stepped away from their huddle to address you. 

“We have made our decision. Many of us feel that you represent a very clear danger to the universe by just standing here. However, others feel like you could, what’s the phrase? Rise to the occasion, so to speak, if given the chance.

Your powers appear to be affected by your emotions, much like how the rings work. You will train your powers here, and you will be overseen by the Lanterns of your sector. When, and only when, you have sufficient control over them will you be allowed to return to Earth. Our contribution will be over, and it will be up to you whether you prove us right or not.” 

With that, the Guardians filed out of the room and left you with the three Earth Lanterns. The silence lasted a few seconds before they started talking amongst themselves over your head since you were still a bit dazed from the mind invasion. You could see from the corner of your eye that John had your backpack slung over his shoulder, glaring daggers at Guy. 

“What? I got us results, and the girl is safe! What else could you want?” snapped Guy, crossing his arms over his chest with a petulant look on his face. 

“Try asking her when she regains the ability to speak, you idiot!” retorted John, looking like he was two seconds from knocking Guy out. 

Hal gathered you in his arms before flying out of the building and to the dormitory meant for their sector. The scanner at the front of it chirped to life when presented with the ring, the door sliding open with a soft ‘whoosh.’ 

“Welcome, Lantern Jordan of Sector 2814,” said the cheerful automated voice. 

A wave of tiredness crashes into you as the dark gray walls of the dormitory surround you. The immediate danger was gone, and your brain was unable to keep running. Your eyes drooped as you fought the sensation, but it was a losing battle. 

The arms holding you lowered you onto what appeared to be a bed. The mattress was less comfortable than the one on the Watchtower, but that didn’t seem to matter to your body. Within seconds, you were out cold, darkness greeting you in a welcome embrace. 

You don’t know how much time has passed when you wake up later with a start. The sleeve of your jacket is stuck to your cheek, body aching from the weird position you slept in. You stretch yourself out before getting to your feet and wandering out into the hall. 

The rooms all have a placard outside of them that says who they belong to. The placard beside your door says your full name and that your origin is from an unknown Earth. You stare at it for a few seconds before turning away and following the hallway out to what appears to be the common area. 

There’s a coffee table and situated around it are two couches and a large chair. A shelf off to the side is filled with books, a few board games, and some puzzles. The kitchen is pretty utilitarian, only the absolute basics around. A few photos are stuck to the fridge, but that’s about the only personal touch you see. 

A glowing figure is hunched over the counter, throwing together ingredients that you’ve never seen before to make what appears to be a sandwich. Your footsteps caused him to tense slightly before he turned, relaxing a bit when he saw it was you. 

“How’s your head?” asked Hal, talking around the food that was shoved in his mouth. 

An expression of disgust flickers briefly over your face as you’re forced to see the half chewed food. Before you can answer him, though, your stomach growls loudly. Your face flushes in embarrassment as your arms wrap around your torso in an effort to stifle the noise. 

“Better. Um…mind if I…?” you ask, voice trailing off as you point to the fridge. 

Hal just nodded in response, going back to his sandwich. 

The fridge contained some foods from Earth, but most of it was completely foreign to you. You ended up taking out what appeared to be a sort of soup, heating it up before giving it a cautious sip. The taste was surprising but not altogether unpleasant, reminding you slightly of a spicy chicken soup despite there not being any meat in it. At least none you could see, that is. 

While you’d had to force yourself to eat on the Watchtower, everything tasteless and leaving you feeling worse than if you hadn’t eaten at all, here your appetite seems to have come back with a vengeance. The soup was finished in record time and didn’t make you feel like throwing up afterwards, the spices lingering on your tongue pleasantly. The dish was deposited in the sink to deal with later before you walked out of the kitchen in favor of looking at the books that filled the shelf. 

“Where did the others go?” you asked, pulling out an old magazine and flipping through it. 

“They have their own missions to get back to. They just happened to be on Oa when we landed,” said Hal with a shrug of his shoulders as he dropped onto the big chair. The part that went unspoken was that Hal had called them there before he left the Watchtower, wanting backup from people he trusted if the meeting went sideways. You didn’t entirely believe his exaggerated nonchalance, but you also didn’t feel like pushing him. 

The next day saw you and Hal on an isolated part of Oa. Mountains and canyons rose around you, almost seeming to blot out the sky. There was a slight breeze in the air, tickling your hair against your face as you pushed your sleeves up to your elbows. 

A construct that resembled a small laser was brought to your arms. The metal gave way easily to the construct laser, having been weakened already by the Guardians. The pieces fell to the ground with a metallic thunk as you stared at the skin that had been revealed. 

Seconds passed by in tense silence as both of you waited for something to happen. 

It started small, a sort of buzzing under your skin that caused goosebumps to raise and the hairs on the back of your neck to prick up. 

Then…there was a light. 

It seemed to come from deep inside of you and poured outward. The best way to describe it would be if someone was holding a high powered flashlight against you. 

The world around you started to look different as well. Charged bursts of light seemed to be housed in everything. They grew, shrank, and interacted with the world around them. You looked over at Hal and were struck by how he was glowing not just from his ring but also a light that streaked across his chest. 

“Okay, enough standing around. Let’s test what you can do, Sparky.” announced Hal with a smirk that left you feel uneasy. 

Before you could ask what he was going to do, he was already rushing towards you. 

Your hands were held in front of you, eyes mostly squeezed as you braced for impact. 

When your back hadn’t met the hard, unforgiving ground you opened your eyes to see what had happened. You saw Hal being blocked from you by a wall of white, pulsing energy. 

A glowing, green fist raised as he prepared to break the shield you’d unwittingly constructed for yourself. 

Then, another development occurred.  

The energy wall pulsed again before turning yellow. 

The composition went from a smooth and featureless monolith to resembling a jagged cliffside. 

Feeling slightly more confident with this development, you shoved your hands forward as you willed the wall to follow your movements. A piece of it shot out and shattered the construct Hal had made before colliding with him. The resulting impact causes Hal to fly backwards into the mountain, a giant hole decorating where he crashed into the rock. 

Dust drifts down for a bit before Hal walks out of the hole his body made, suit and face dirty but expression looking alive. The look in his eyes was wild, like a drug addict who’d just been presented with an unlimited supply of their poison of choice. With what you knew about the man and his love of adrenaline rushes you supposed the comparison wasn’t too far off. 

The staring contest between the two of you lasted a minute longer before he was hurtling himself towards you again. 

Yellow arcs of jagged energy shot from your hands, feeding on the anxiety that had been boiling in your gut since you arrived in this world. The sense of loss, hopelessness, and fear you’d done your best to suppress flowed through you feely now. What you lacked in skill you made up for in intensity and persistence. 

The fight cut a destructive path through the landscape of Oa. Occasionally Hal would throw out a critique for you to improve like making sure you didn’t tuck your thumbs in when you threw a punch or telling you how to adjust your stance so you wouldn’t be knocked down so easily. 

Constructs in the shape of gloves, pillows, and mattresses would catch you got knocked around from his return blows. A lot of times you wouldn’t even know you were falling when you’d already be caught by the construct. 

The light from Regulus, which has just been at the horizon when you started, was now hight in the sky. You shielded your face from the light with your arm, noting that your jacket was absolutely caked in dirt. Your eyes squinted as you stared up at the sky, the hot dirt warming your back and legs. 

Hal was in a similar position a few feet from you. His arms were behind his head with one leg propped up, knee leaning to the side. 

You opened your mouth to say something when, much like last night, your stomach spoke for you by rumbling its disapproval at having not been fed lunch yet. 

Hal snorted slightly before bursting into laughter that had him shaking, the sound echoing across the landscape. It was deep, and long, and free. 

In truth you couldn’t remember when you’d last heard a more wonderful sound. 

And, just like that, the yellow glow that had been surrounding you turned a pale blue.

Previously Next

[extremelyblackandwhite]

pairing: dad!bucky barnes x au pair!reader

warnings: age gap (reader is 10 years younger than bucky), smut (18+, dni if under 18)

author’s note: sorry this one is a bit short. i am worrying myself silly until tomorrow.

masterlist

and wouldn't you love to love her?

Bucky didn't know if Y/N wouldn't be back. He had decided to give her space, allow her the time off since she never had any but explaining it to Sadie was, to say the least, complicated. The two year old had decided to live up to the terrible two cliche and between refusing to go to school and kicking any time he tried to bathe her. Whenever she asked when Y/N would be back all Bucky could say was that he did not know and, honestly, that was the truth. The more the days passed by and her viva examination got closer, he was starting to believe more and more that maybe she just wasn't coming back at all. I like you just the way you are, what ever happened to Hey Y/N, would you like to go for some coffee? No, he just had to be upfront about it.

As if Sadie living up to her prophecy wasn't enough, Christopher was equally on him blabbing and wondering about Y/N. He could only tlel him so much before Chris charted a jet to Ohio and he was certain Y/N would hate that more than what he told her.

Bucky was in the middle of dealing with Sadie screaming bloody murder about the pancakes not having chocolate chips when he heard the front door close. At this point, if someone came to shoot him in the head he wouldn't mind. However, it turned out to be a much pleasant sight dressed in a professional black dress.

      - Why is she crying? - Y/N drapped her coat over the chair.

      - There's no chocolate chips. - Bucky sighed both of relief that Y/N was here and of tiredness.

      - Sadie Barnes, you either eat your pancakes or there will be no TV, no tablet, no toys, no Etch-a-Sketch and definitely no Bluey, Disney + or any other streaming service your dad may be paying for. Your choice.

The redhead stared at Y/N before starting to eat her pancakes. That's it, Y/N was a witch. She had to be a witch. That's it. She was a witch, a very pretty witch who looked way too polished to have come out of an Ohio farm, but a witch.

      - How were the cows?

      - Pardon?

      - Your parents. You went to see your parents right? They live in a farm in Ohio?

      - Yeah. They were ok. Apparently mum has named them Rose, Sophia, Dorothy, and Blanche much to dad's dismay.

      - Like the Golden Girls. - he chuckled. - So, your viva is today.

      - Don't remind me. It's like walking into a slaughter house and then being denied being called a doctor. They should decapitate me, put my head on a spike, and parade me around Columbia as the massive disappointment.

      - What's decapitate? - Sadie asked.

      - It's the capital. - Bucky said not wanting to traumatise his two year old with the scenario Y/N had just described. - Go wash your hands and get your backpack, bug.

Sadie nodded but not before going over to hug Y/N's leg. Y/N ruffled her head before sending her along to wash her hands. Bucky got to making Y/N a plate, patting the chair next to him. She smiled at him before taking a seat and cutting a bit of the pancake. She stopped chewing, looking at him with a forced smile.

      - Good?

      - Buck, why are they salty? - she put a napkin in front of her mouth to spit out the pancake.

      - They're not salty. - Bucky took a forkful from her plate to try it himself.

      - We've had this discussion, Buck. Salt is in the black pot and sugar in the white one.

      - I'm gonna be a mess when you quit. - he pushed the plate away from her. - Speaking of which, I would like if you interviewed your future replacement. I trust you to pick the right person.

      - Most likely you won't need a replacement because I'm failing my viva today.

      - You are not. - Bucky put his hand on her shoulder. - You are smart, Baudelaire.

      - Baudelaire?

      - Do the scary thing first. Get scared latter.

(...)

Bucky drove Y/N down to Columbia, ensuring she got there safe and ready for her VIVA before driving down to take Sadie to school. Y/N swallowed in empty, merely staring at the hallowed halls of a building which had many notable alumni and she was now hoping she would be one. The VIVA was intense to say less and as she came out of the room, she was sweating buckets and wanting to be as far away from the building as possible.

      - Y/N! - shit. Shit, shit, shit, she'd forgotten he existed. What ever happened to men taking a hint?

      - Chris. - she turned around with a fake smile. - What are you doing here?

      - Anderson told me it was your VIVA today, I wanted to come see you. I haven't seen you in a while and Barnes said you were on holiday.

      - I thought after our last chat you wouldn't want to talk to me, Christopher.

      - It was a hurdle, Y/N. - he got closer to her. - Listen, I understand it was rough of me to attack your job like that but you have to understand it's because I care for you and that job is beneath you.

      - No job is beneath anyone, Christopher. You think that silver spoon mouthed talk is gonna make me forget you basically insulted me, my boss and the child I look after?

      - You have a Bachelors and a Masters, Y/N. You should be working internships, assistant positions to help you build your curriculum, not being a silver spoon mouthed man's child's babysitter.

      - That's all fine when you can afford to work a non paid position, Christopher.

      - I care about you, Y/N.

      - But I don't love you.

      - I don't expect you to love me yet, we haven't been seeing each other for too long and if we ...

      - Christopher. - she interrupted him. - I love someone else. It's not gonna stop.

(...)

Y/N dragged herself home. It was now a week, a week long of worrying wether she passed or not. She guessed it was better than having to do it again, heck she hoped she wouldn't have to do it again. She opened the door and heard mumbling with all the lights being off. She moved to turn the lights on, coming face to face with a home made sign and Sadie yelling surprise.

      - What is this? - she smiled, leaning down to pick Sadie up.

      - You're done, it's a party. - Bucky chuckled, pointing to the sign. - We have reservations in about 3 hours. Bought an ice cream cake and Sadie made you a card.

      - You shouldn't have done this.

      - What? After 3 years and a half of you moaning and whining over psychology, you need a nice night out.

      - You do know she'll start crying at around 10.

      - That's why we have dinner reservations at 6.30 and once she's in bed, I will allow you full control of the television. How does that sound?

      - I may not pass.

      - You got this far. You deserve a celebration just for you.

taglist: @talesofadragon @themermaidscales82 @winters1917 @vladsgirlxx @stinkerbelle007 @maybefoxysouls @blackwood-bodecker-housewife @chipilerendi @kandis-mom @belennasif @abitofblues @buckybarnessimpp

[loz-untold-myths]

Untold Myths Masterpost

A collection of my "original legends" - imagined stories and mechanics for The Legend of Zelda fan games!

Find the master posts, ao3 collection, and hosted events/challenges below! ^^

Untold Myths

❄️ The Mage's Lantern

Hyrule has been cursed with eternal storms by a vengeful mage. A young boy follows a familiar voice to a spirit who may just be able to help him, and they join Princess Zelda in a quest to save her father.

Master Post

#loz the mage's lantern

[Rated T] (Ongoing)

💗 The Princess's Heart

A fairytale told in Hyrule, set in a forgotten age of the golden queendom. Passed by word of mouth from queen to princess, it is a tale of sacrificial love, hope, and determination.

Master Post

#loz the princess’s heart

[Rated G] (Completed, Bonus Stories Expected)

🍃 Stone Fate

Two children are raised in New Haven, a sanctuary hidden beyond the mist of Lost Woods. One is raised by the children of the forest, and the other by lights who tend to keep their distance. When the childhood friends find that their home is threatened by one who has breached the mystical barrier of the forest, they must take action... and risk losing everything they have ever known.

Masterpost

#loz stone fate

[Rated G] (Ongoing)

🥀 Wilting Heart

Hyrule is a small but flourishing province, united with many other smaller ones to create a larger kingdom. The provinces are said to be the most beautiful place in the world, blooming with life and celebration every night. However, the kingdom falls into a sudden despair when the Queen of Hyrule— beloved by her people— passes from an illness that had affected her for quite some time. A man named Arn is appointed to tend to her most sacred place: the garden she left behind for her daughter, Zelda. Brought in as his apprentice is his son, Link— a ten-year-old boy who takes notice of the princess's grief and, believing it would make him like the heroes of old, makes it his mission to heal the hearts of her and the castle staff in any way he can.

🔮 One Brave Deed

A young street magician named Ravio is taken in by the greatest Sorceror in Lorule, Yuga. Ravio is cared for and mentored by the wizard, but it turns out Yuga is not who he seemed to be. He is cruel, ill-intentioned, and obtains his magic from dubious sources... Ravio plans to escape to his former life, but then the wizard takes on a second apprentice: Princess Hilda. Something about the princess carries a sadness unlike any he has seen before... So he decides he must stay. He must protect this stranger from whatever use Yuga has for her, and he swears to himself it will be the one brave deed he ever does.

🪞 The Dark World

Princess Zelda follows her brother to a forbidden site, where the evil spirits of the world were sealed 1,000 years ago. Upon her arrival, there is a crack in the seal that allows a malicious creature to drag her in. Left in the unknown with only more questions than answers, Zelda must navigate The Dark World: a realm beyond time where every being in sight wants her dead.

⚔️ Will of the Spirit

The Kingdom of Hyrule has long been shaken by tragedy. It has been years since the final hope against the coming end has disappeared, and the most the country can do is prepare for a battle that could strike any day. Link, a low-ranking palace guard, accidentally finds himself in the heart of it all during one of his rounds in Castle Town. Now that he has come into contact with a demon of twilight, their spirits are forever intertwined… All he can do is preserve his will to move forward in the destiny that has chosen him as a vessel.

👁 Strings of Darkness

The prophecied Demon King has arrived too soon. When the Chosen Hero and Priestess are caught unprepared, they are defeated - and their remains are corrupted into plagues upon their home. A young Sheikah woman named Impa stays in hiding as the Demon King orders for her tribe's exeuction, but receives a vision soon after; one that commands that she will be the one to steal the Triforce of Power to restore destiny to its former course.

👻 Imminent Darkness

Link was abandoned amidst the shadows to be saved from a horrible war. His mother left him only with a wolf spirit they conjured in her final moments, and for years he went without hearing a human voice. However, this begins to change when monsters intrude upon the Forest of Spirits - and bring with them a peculiar prisoner. Within a shrine dedicated to a horned statue, the boy meets Princess Zelda: a priestess-in-training who was separated from her mentor whilst escaping the demons haunting her. The two of them, although young children, find themselves alone... and they must rely on each other to get her home safely.

🏅 Sages of Hyrule

💭 The Dream Spinner

In the land of Hyrule, nightmares are no more. An era of peace and prosperity reigns, although Hyrule is small and without a King or Queen. The young princess Zelda rules under the Sage Raura, her mentor, and guides the land based upon her dreams of prophecy - but her perfect world is threatened to be shattered when she begins to have horrifying visions. The only one she can confide in his her childhood friend, Link - but can they escape the jaws of darkness, or will they be able to navigate the terrible reality that brews in her mind?

🪶 Overthrown

🗡 Era of Malice

Years ago, the land of Hyrule was plunged into a war on the night of a blood moon. Under the constant threat of demons and the haunt of The Dark Beast, fate is uncertain. However, a young man bearing the legendary Master Sword may be able to prevent the end— provided he can protect the vessel of the complete Triforce: the only friend he has left.

🔹️ Echoes of Hyrule

🌹 Fable of Hyrule

[ Many Unnamed Stories In my Files ]

About

This blog is to house all of my original TLoZ story ideas, since there's too many to dedicate one for each (the number is always going up). This is my favorite way to engage with this fandom!

The blog will periodically change its theme to a specific story.

If you aren't one of those people obsessed with the Zelda timeline, that's fine! That isn't a main focus here. If you are, then I will specify that Untold Myths features stories based all over the place. Some are in the same general continuities as the games, having had similar events play out (although not always exactly the same), and others are alternative timelines from the very beginning. Consider it a large web of time's infinite branching paths - but this never matters to the stories on their own.

Some stories will be longer than others. Some will be in different styles. All stories will either be rated G or T, but never M or E.

Asks are ALWAYS open! But a FAQ will be added if the need ever arises.

Background

I'm studying Game Design and working on a lot of personal projects alongside my education, but making fan game concepts has always been a favorite hobby of mine. Many of these ideas are from 2019 onward, though! I spend a lot of time designing ocs and spins on Hyrule's worldbuilding.

What to Expect

Triforce Trio, Sages, and other OC designs

"Gameplay" posts

Worldbuilding posts

Comics & Fics

Zelink :)

Events

I also use this blog to host AU events! >:) They're mostly challenges for myself, but I like to invite others to join me!

Light & Time Event

2025 Announcement

2025 Masterpost

Triforce Event

[WIP]

Main Tags

#loz untold myths

#untold myths wip

#untold myths game concept

Event Tags

#untold myths update

#untold myths event: light & time

#light & time event entries

[dootznbootz]

At this point i am so sorry Ovid for all the hate you are better than the author that wrote Tele-GONE-ny :')

Like makes no sense for Odysseus story like it's not even canon. I believe he wrote it because of the success of Homer and wanted to make a known book based on something

Hmm this behaviour is oddly familiar with something recently we experience 👀

Honestly, it's not Ovid's fault in a way, just most peoples' taking his work as GREEK mythology instead of Roman. I don't think it's bad to enjoy the Roman Mythology version as long as people KNOW it's Roman and as long as they leave sweet boy Perseus alone.

Tele-GONE-y? That is just a titan of its own and it's so frustrating.

Because if you look it up? That's technically part of the Epic Cycle!

One of these is not like the others~

And it really sucks because we can't just say "It's Roman, therefore technically not Greek Mythology" like we can with Ovid! Why, out of all the myths for Odysseus and Penelope, would you choose this one? Why would you finish such a lovely story with such a trainwreck?

It literally goes against Tiresias' Prophecy! The myth of Odysseus being turned into a horse would've been a better one to go with if people didn't think "dying peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after old age" isn't "exciting enough". At least then it's kind of cute to possibly imagine Horse!Odysseus being pampered by his family or something.

It is so dumb and just WRONG to say that the Odysseus and Penelope that are in the Tele-GONE-y are the same ones we know and love in Homer's masterpieces.

Even to lump the Tele-GONE-y with the rest is laughable. Even without considering the extreme out of character-ness of it, its plot is just messy and almost overly simple. As even with just FRAGMENTS of the others, we can take so much of what is implied and see the beautiful web that's being woven!!!

One of my favorite arcs, for example, is with Palamedes and his effects along the way. He places Odysseus' BABY in front of the plow and ofc, Odysseus saves his son. His sanity is proven and he has to go to war now, after having a prophecy of being the only survivor and not seeing his family again for 20 years.

Odysseus' rage is just boiling under the surface and he frames Palamedes for treason, causing him to be killed. THEN Palamedes' father, King Nauplius, hearing of his son's death plans to get revenge against all the kings. He goes to their wives telling them that their husbands plan to replace them.

Almost all of them either killed themselves or took new lovers EXCEPT for Penelope. While we don't know the exact details, I believe it was likely that:

1.) "You're telling me, my husband, my Odysseus, is planning to replace me? That man is the biggest simp to ever simp, I've never heard such utter bullshit in my life. Get out of my house." 2.) When she realizes that he is Palamedes' FATHER? She's absolutely not believing one word that leaves his mouth. This is the father of the man who nearly got her baby killed and caused her husband to be taken away from her. She does not trust him.

(Silly side thing but Penelope's also probably making sure that Telemachus doesn't meet him lol "Remember that mean man who put you in front of the plow that I told you about? That's his dad. Don't talk to him. We don't know if 'Malice towards Telemachus' was inherited." 😂 )

It's so amazing and ironic that Nauplius got revenge against them all except for the man responsible!!! ALL BECAUSE PENELOPE IS THAT COOL AND SMART!

Granted, yes, he lied to Anticlea causing her heartbreak but still!

It's just such masterful and lovely storytelling!!! The rest of the Epic Cycle interweaves and connects lil stories into the big ones in such satisfying ways!!!

There is nothing like that in the Tele-GONE-y. No little seeds placed along the way to build upon. No "hey, this decision is actually monumental". Shit just happens.

It really does just feel like a young author being like "So, this is my new OC. His name is Telegonus and his dad is Odysseus! No, his mom isn't Penelope! And like, he has a special stingray spear and he kills his dad with it!"

I'm all for supporting and encouraging authors no matter how silly or cringy they get (I'm silly and cringy too!) but imagine from Homer's and the other authors of the Epic Cycle's perspective, that you write a book that you worked so hard on, only for people to take some FANFICTION as canon and therefore affecting how people see your work!

I got really rambly but I'm just genuinely mindboggled that people take the Tele-GONE-y as canon. It's not good. In general.

Another small thing but Homer usually tells us little details even when the characters don't know it. For example, with Helen not knowing her brothers are dead. (in Homer's works)

But I can’t see two of the men’s leaders,                                     Castor, tamer of horses, and Pollux, the fine boxer—they are both my brothers, whom my mother bore along with me. Either they did not come with the contingent from lovely Lacedaemon, or they sailed here in their seaworthy ships, but have no wish                                     to join men’s battles, fearing the disgrace, the many slurs, which are justly mine.” Helen spoke. But the life-nourishing earth already held her brothers in Lacedaemon,                             in their own dear native land.

(Book 3, Johnston)

Homer would have most likely said something in Book 12 of the Odyssey along the lines of "And so he left Aeaea for the final time, not knowing that he will have another son that grew up without his father." or something. HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BECAUSE IT'S NOT CANON. It also never says that they slept together in Book 12. All she did was pull him away so that they could talk and she could warn him.

[canadianno]

I am eating your au. Devouring it. I continue on with questions;

How are the bishops with their own domains (prior to the lamb killing em)

Do you have an idea of what the faiths/cultures were like in their domains?

How do the bishops feel about narinder now?

I continue with the yapping below the cut! Yet again! Roan I love you so much rn!!!!

How are the bishops with their own domains prior to their first death...

Well, it's important to note that in the time of 5 bishops, the realms were of Order, Sate, Cure, Peace and Death. After Narinders' attack, however, the 4 realms were Chaos, Famine, Pestilence and War.

As one can imagine, this is because something was now Horribly Wrong!

The bishops became paranoid, angry, afraid. They believed themselves to be safe from Narinder for a few centuries, until Shamura received word of prophecy from Haro- a lamb would come along, new bearer of the red crown. Suitably, the bishops lost their shit and became ever more strict. Tradition was cast aside for the sake of hunting down every single sheep, their people indoctrinated into the armies en-masse, those who weren't were threatened with death if they were caught harboring sheep at all. The lands of the old faith were riddled with fear, seeded by the betrayal of their beloved brother.

Darkwood traditions consisted of mostly aligning events with celestial patterns- Leshy was the best at watching the stars, after all. Full moon rituals full of flowers and mead, ceremonies to wish a constellation a good rest every winter as it dips below the horizon, and celebrations every spring as it rises. Their traditions were routine- orderly if you will. Part of everyday life.

Anura traditions centered alot around singing and alot around food. Heket was known for her enchanting voice, leading tables of feasts in songs before, during and after their meal. Farming traditions were common here- bury the baby teeth of your eldest below your barn before its built, and your crops stored inside will never go sour. Things like that!

Anchordeep traditions were centered around art and storytelling. Kallamar was known to host the best speeches of all the bishops. They bore large extravagant festivals, waters dyed hundreds of colors, crystal walls painted with murals of stories that were planned to be told. It was tradition in Anchordeep for history to be passed down mouth to mouth, as books do not store well in wet climates.

Silk Cradle traditions consisted mostly of older traditions of gods past- traditions inherited to the oldest of the realms. Their bishop had the best memory, of course, and was alive to see the traditions past in their prime. Traditions varied, and Silk Cradle never really had specific traditions of their own, developed for themselves. They do have a few, however. It's always good luck to spin the wheel of your spindle thrice before you sit down to spin. Good fortune comes to those whos' hair/fur braids without getting knotted. It's traditional to confess feelings to lovers under the watch of a crescent moon.

[yourmomni]

The Kids Of The Sun-2

A/N: IM BACKKK okay so I'm having a little to much fun writing this story so I guess I'll be posting a new chapter every day but it's only going to be 5 parts so please enjoy it while it last.

Wordcount:3k

Niki and I rushed to the side of the camp counselor office where we saw the boys go into. We ducked down when we made it to the window listening in to the conversation

" They followed us all the way here, if it wasn't for the barrier we wouldn't have made it." One of the boys said. He was shorter then the rest, the taller one put his hand on his shoulder. " Jungwon was the first one to see the fury, it was in our school." I looked at Niki but she was still looking through the window

" It attacked him first but luckily he got away, when he found me and Jake 2 more appeared we knew something was up."

Chiron was sitting behind the desk nodding. " Zeus must have angered someone for them to go after all 3 of you, the furys don't usually come together like this." He rubbed his chin.

Niki looked at me " they were attacked by furys, like us this totally fits the story the scroll told us about."

I nodded, " He's the son of Zeus, the one we've been waiting for." " Who have you been waiting for?" We both turned around to cover the girl's mouth who appeared beside us. " Kayla shush." The men stopped talking

I waved my hand making the bush that was beside me hide us. " Are you trying to get us caught?" Niki whispered. Kayla rolled her eyes, lowering the girl's hand. The men went back to talking

" Don't worry heeseung, we'll figure it out. Now while we take care of this, is still the first day of camp and I believe you boys would like to clean up and join the others for the festivities we will have throughout the day. Go with Dionysus he shall lead you guys to your respected cabins."

We rushed from behind the bush and rain back towards the center of the camp where our cabins were. " what's going on?" Kayla asked, walking beside us.

Kayla was the daughter of Aphrodite. She had beautiful brown curly hair reaching All the way to her lower back, with hazel eyes and beautiful brown skin.

She was one the first friends we ever made when we arrived to camp 5 years ago. The best part about her was that she wasn't as conceited as her other brothers and sisters.

" Those kids are the answer to our prophecy the scroll told us about 3 years ago." She looked at us confused. " You meant the group of demigods that's going to shake the underworld and Olympus or whatever that scroll said."

Niki nodded and we made it to our cabins and sat on the stairs to mine. Kayla began fluffing the inside of a rose that was sprouting out of the Crack of one of the stairs. " What took them so long to be found and brought here? Usually things like this happen at least 4 months after it's told but we had to wait like 3 years."

She pulled the rose out of the bush and I winced rubbing the spot she pulled it out of blooming a new one

"Hey if you do that again I'm going to grow poison ivy in your bed." Niki leaned back on the steps

" I think this is going to be a big step into the future of demigods. Hopefully it's a huge battle."

A bell was rung signaling the start of the camp games. Niki was literally jumping for joy running to the center. She met up with her siblings who were already ready for the event that was going to unfold

The ring of fire

That's what we liked to call it. It was basically a ring surrounded by fire. It was farther from the cabins just in case one of the flames engulfed the whole camp.

Basically 2 people would go head to head in a match, to see who was the best or strongest.

The ares cabin lived for this event, maybe because it was based off of their father. Niki was the champion beating everyone who would step up to her.

" You think she can go for another year as champion." Kayla smirked looking around at everyone refusing to go against her. I nodded

" Yeah maybe." Chiron walked up the stairs that led to the ring and got in the middle of it.

" Any new challengers." I looked around and everyone was silent. " I'd like to try." I looked over and saw one of the boys from earlier walking up the stairs to get into the ring. Niki raised one of her eyebrows. It was the Jungwon guy.

" Oh no she's going to beat him to a pulp I can't watch." Kayla turned around. Niki looked over at me and I shrugged .

" Okay pick your weapons, the first one to knock the other person off the podium and into the water wins."

Niki grabbed a sword twirling it in her hands warming up her wrist. Jungwon grabbed a sword as well. He looked over at his friends and they gave him a thumbs up.

" Begin." Niki threw the first kick hitting Jungwon in the side, making him fall to the ground. She brought her sword down and he blocked it with his.

He pushed his sword back knocking Niki off her balance. He regained himself holding the sword in front of him.

" Your stance is pitiful." Niki swung her sword and Jungwon blocked it. " But you do learn quickly." Jungwon swung his sword at Niki feet and she jumped over it stepping on his sword he looked up at her in fear and she kicked him in the chest making him fall back

The crowd screamed

" Omg she's going to destroy him." Kayla covered her eyes again. I frowned my eyebrows

Niki said something to him and he shook his head. She raised her sword and he dodged it. The sword was stuck in the ground and she was trying to get it unstuck which gave jungwon enough time to crawl and grab his sword

" He's lasted longer than anyone else in the past 4 years." That's made Kayla turn around.

Everyone started cheering for jungwon which set a fire in Niki

Finish him

Her father's voice ringed in her head. This was embarrassing. She's never gone this long in a battle with anyone but this boy was quick.

He dodged every hit that she threw at him, he was good at defense even she could admit that.

He started getting cocky and it was pissing her off.

Everyone was invested in the fight even Kayla couldn't tear her eyes away from the fight in front of her.

Then something unexpected happened

The boy smirked, dropping his sword to the ground and throwing a punch at niki which she dodged, then he threw the next one quicker than the other.

Niki was now on defense

" What the heck just happened." The kids beside began to whisper everyone was on their toes. " I think niki just met her match."

Jungwon wasn't going easy either. He tried to kick her side but she blocked it, faltering a little with her steps then he threw a punch that she blocked with her arms that made her falter again dropping her sword .

She was trying to find an opening where she could get out but everything was moving too fast.

Way to fast

That's when it hit her.

She had been deceived, he was playing with her this whole time. He tricked her. He was never weak, he was never scared.

He was analyzing her. Every move, every decision she made he was watching her.just so he could throw it back.

Hermes

He was the son of hermes

Niki finally caught on to his antics, lucky she knew how to handle the god of tricks.

Niki noticed she was getting closer and closer to the edge of the ring. So she was going to throw Jungwon off his game.

Literally

Once his left hand came swinging out for the punch Niki grabbed it instead of dodging it. Making Jungwon look confused. In one quick motion Niki pulled jungwon close to her

He was looking down at her and his breath hitched. She was so pretty when she wasnt swinging a sword at him.

But niki smirked at him. She had him right where she wanted she turned around her back on his chest and flipped him over her shoulder, Jungwon yelped in surprise and the girl who probably weighed half his weight threw him over her shoulder and into the water below ending the match.

" TEAM ARES WIN AND NIKI STAYS THE CHAMPION."

The announcer yelled in the mic making the crowd erupt in cheers Niki looked down at Jungwon in the water smiling at him. " You served your father well, but I'm the best."

Her cabin ran on the podium lifting her up and cheering for her. " That was exciting." Kayla jumped running towards the podium

By the time everyone calmed down it was already time for the next game.

The day went on and I grew more impatient. " I wanna talk to them." Kayla looked at me "are you crazy, they just got here give them a little peace before you drop the news on them." Niki was eating a popsicle not paying attention to us trying to soak in her win.

" I've been calm and patient enough with this situation." Kayla threw her hair over her shoulder and I got a wift of her berry-smelling shampoo. " Maybe I can seduce them Into telling us." I sneered at her. " no thanks ."

We stopped when we saw the 3 boys walking the opposite direction of us. My eyes widened in panic. I needed to get my words together before I met them. I need more time. I was trying to see if we could go another way to avoid them but it was too late.

Niki was already walking up to them " Niki." I yelled but she was already in front of the jungwon guy. " You know I could have killed you right?" He smirked at her. " Oh please I was just going easy on you. You know I would have won if you didn't throw me." She scoffed

" No, you would have still lost." I put my hand on her shoulder. " Sorry she's really competitive."

I tried to usher her away but she didn't move." You know for a Hermes kid you have pretty good defense." He chuckled ." And how do you know I belong to him?" She raised her eyebrow

" Well for starters the sharp nose, the mischievous grins and of course the speed."

He smiled. " Wow you can read me like a book, can you tell me anything else?" He was towering over.

" Well the fact that you have Chiron golden bracelets is definitely a give away." She smirked up at him. They were inches apart

Niki opened her hand and he dropped the bracelet in it.

" Maybe be a little more discreet next time you try to steall." He rolled his eyes looking away from her.

Demigods that were Tied with Hermes were known for their speed and quick hands. They could steal the mustache right from under your nose if you looked away long enough. But it's not their fault their dad was a notorious thief.

The boy beside him cleaned his throat." Hello sorry about him, when he gets nervous he sorta steals." I laughed, " Yeah that's what usually happens."

They tried to go around us but I stood in their way. " You're Heeseung right." The boy looked at me with no emotion. It felt like his eyes were digging into my soul. He stayed silent.

" He doesn't talk much." Jake said quickly. " You're the son of Zeus everyone's been talking about." I said he finally looked at me and I could see it

His eyes were a dark Gray almost black. " What do you want? An autograph."

I clenched my Jaw taken aback not saying anything back to him." If not get out of my way? I don't have time to talk to petty demigods let alone girls."

I scoffed. " Oh please you think you're all strong and bad because you're the only descendent of Zeus in camp. You're not. Not even close."

He smirked. " And you must know a lot of things about being strong?"

My hand closed into fist, he was definitely a Zeus spawn. Always thinking they're better than everyone.

" She was just saying how it was Cool to meet a kid from the big three that has actually survived out in the world for a long time without getting killed, you don't have to be an asshole." Kayla said standing beside me crossing her arms.

Jake was now standing beside Heeseung with his arm on his shoulder. " Let's just go man."

They began to walk away but not without heeseung giving me the meanest glare I've ever seen.

" What a dick." Kayla said, frowning her eyebrows. " Yeah totally."

—----

During dinner time everyone was crowded around Hessung, Jake, and Jungwons table fawning over them. I rolled my eyes as I sat down with my food.

" They're getting treated like royalty, Jungwon literally just lost a battle. To me I should be the one getting free juice and extra bread rolls." Niki grumbled frowning at the table that was in front of us.

The girls were laughing at whatever heeseung said touching his shoulder. " if only they knew how he really acted." Kayla scoffed. " They don't care, trust me my sisters think since he is the son of Zeus they might get special treatment. "

Kayla pulled out her mirror looking at herself fixing her hair and lipgloss. " They're so conceited." I snorted. " sure they are."

" Niyah." A girl ran up to our table sitting her tray down and I smiled at her. " Hey rose wassup." She had a flower crown on her head which meant she was feeling a really strong emotion

She was one of the newcomers from last year. She was only 14 but she was smarter than anyone in our cabin.

" Did you see the new guys, they're so cool" I huffed. " Yeah. Cool." She smiled. " Jake is in the Apollo cabin and he said he would teach me how to shoot an arrow isn't that great." No wonder she was so excited

" Why don't you just let me teach you." Niki asked, obviously looking a little hurt. I mean her dad was literally the god of weapons.

" Well he seems a little bit more...nicer than you are." I looked at Niki expecting her to retaliate but she didn't. Instead she shrugged " Well you're not wrong." She laughed

And daisy bloomed at the top of roses head crown. " Isn't that amazing, they're so nice, well bye I have to go help out some girls in the demeter cabin. Apparently they don't know the difference between an orange, a mandarin and a tangerine isn't that weird." She waved goodbye to us and walked away

" I'm the one who taught her the difference between them and how dare she betray Me." I stabbed my chicken breast with My fork. The flower crown popped up on my head with marigolds.

" Let's go visit the scrolls after dinner. Maybe they got the prophecy wrong." Kayla said, staring at my crown.

I glared at Heeseung as he was talking to the girl that was sitting on the table in front of him.

He smiled up at her nodding at whatever she said then without skipping a beat he looked at me.

Smirking

" Yeah, let's go tonight."

_________

Everyone in my cabin was sleeping making it a good time to slip out. Usually we would cuddle up on eachother on the floor but since it got so hot tonight we opted to sleep in our beds.

I quietly opened the door, stepping out and closing it. I looked Both ways making sure no one was out doing nightly patrol and I ran across the way to the ares cabin. I saw the window was cracked open.

I kicked at the dirt under my feet making a dent in the dirt then I bent down hovering my hand over the spot. A spout popped out of the ground. I waved my fingers making the plant grow longer and longer. Once it reached my shoulder I directed it in the Crack of the window.

I went over the beds of the sleeping people all the way to niki's bed.

She had the cover thrown off her sprawled out on her bed feet and arms dangling off. I gently cast the flower bud down to her face, shaking it a little, causing it to tickle her nose. Niki swatted and rolled over

I groaned, blooming the plant into a sunflower and smacking her with it causing her to sit up quickly.

She rubbed her eyes looking at the flower frowning then at the window. "Let's go." I whispered. She huffed pulling her basketball shorts down a little and fixing her bonnet.

" i'm not taking this off." She retorted back pointing to her head. She grabbed a zip up and quietly walked out her cabin.

" This scroll better not waste any time tonight or I'm burning it." She stumped down the stairs and I followed.

We started walking to the Aphrodite cabin getting ready to wake Kayla when she stepped out. She had on a silk pink robe with a matching silk bonnet, she also had a white face mask on

" I could hear you a mile away. Let's make this quick. I need at least 8 hours of beauty sleep." She walked past us and started walking to the counselors office building.

Me and Niki rolled our eyes and caught up with her trying to discreetly make it to the office without being seen by the Apollo kids who were guarding the camp.

We ran to the office, entering and closing the door. " Okay I saw Dionysus head to the other side of camp with Chiron probably to discuss the fury problems that's been happening so we have at least an hour."

We headed up to the attic where the scroll was. " This place was always so creepy to me." Kayla said, looking around at the Cobwebs and fanning her face.

" This place is disgusting." She groaned, swatting the air around her. " Well I'm sorry your highness it doesn't smell like the new Chanel perfume or roses."

Niki retorted back, making me stifle a laugh and making Kayla glare at us.

The scroll was sitting there with its head down in the old rocking chair it was always in.

" Okay wake it up so we can get out of here." Niki groaned pushing me forward, I swatted her hand way." Okay okay." I walked over to it and tapped it 3 times. " Hello scroll ma'am sir whatever you are I would like to have a prophecy." The scroll lifted it head up making me stumble back in fear. It's eyes opened with blue glows of light shining out of it

The prophecy you seek is soon going to come true. 6 demigods being led by one of the big three descendants shall shake the lower and upper kingdoms, changing it forever.

Niki looked at me, dropping her hands, making a sound when they touched her legs. " See nothing new we did this for nothing lets go."

But

We looked at the scroll as it raised its hands

A new danger will be coming soon and it will test you all.

I looked at the girls beside me." That's new."

No one is safe

No one is safe

No one is safe

" turn it off." Kayla said " I said turn it off." She screamed and I waved my hand making the scroll shut down. We looked at eachother fear in all of our eyes. " what..what did it mean by No one is safe." Niki asked. We stared at the scroll as it sat lifeless in the chair. " We have to tell someone." I said. " We have to tell Mr.D." Niki breathed out turning around

" No need."

Dionysus with Jake and Chiron standing beside him were there looking at us.

" What are you doing in my office?" He asked with his arms crossed. Jake was standing beside him smirking.

" snitch." Kayla glared at him

" We can explain." I said looking up at Chiron as he glared at all 3 of us

" Yes you will."

Taglist: @jaehyunsblkgf

Tell me if you guys wanna be added to the taglist😇🩵🩵

[aboutanancientenquiry]

Απιστία (Unfaithfulness/Infidelity)- a poem of Constantinos Cavafis (C. P. Cavafy) with translation into English

Πολλά ἂρα Ὁμήρου ἐπαινοῦντες, ἀλλά τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπαινεσόμεθα…

οὐδὲ Aἰσχύλου, ὅταν φῇ ἡ Θέτις τὸν Ἀπόλλω ἐν τοῖς αὑτῆς γάμοις ἂδοντα

ἐνδατεῖσθαι τὰς ἑὰς εὐπαιδίας,

νόσων τ’ ἀπείρους καὶ μακραίωνας βίους.

Ξύμπαντά τ’ εἰπὼν θεοφιλεῖς ἐμὰς τύχας

παιῶν’ ἐπευφήμησεν, εὐθυμῶν ἐμέ.

Κἀγὼ τὸ Φοίβου θεῖον ἀψευδὲς στόμα

ἢλπιζον εἶναι, μαντικῇ βρύον τέχνῃ:

Ὁ δ’, αὐτὸς ὑμνῶν, ...............................

............................αὐτὸς ἐστιν ὁ κτανὼν

τὸν παῖδα τὸν ἐμόν".

Πλάτων, Πολιτείας Β΄

Σαν πάντρευαν την Θέτιδα με τον Πηλέα σηκώθηκε ο Απόλλων στο λαμπρό τραπέζι του γάμου, και μακάρισε τους νεονύμφους για τον βλαστό που θα ’βγαινε απ’ την ένωσί των. Είπε· Ποτέ αυτόν αρρώστια δεν θ ’αγγίξει και θα ’χει μακρινή ζωή. — Αυτά σαν είπε, η Θέτις χάρηκε πολύ, γιατί τα λόγια του Απόλλωνος που γνώριζε από προφητείες την φάνηκαν εγγύησις για το παιδί της. Κι όταν μεγάλωνεν ο Αχιλλεύς, και ήταν της Θεσσαλίας έπαινος η εμορφιά του, η Θέτις του θεού τα λόγια ενθυμούνταν. Αλλά μια μέρα ήλθαν γέροι με ειδήσεις, κι είπαν τον σκοτωμό του Αχιλλέως στην Τροία. Κι η Θέτις ξέσχιζε τα πορφυρά της ρούχα, κι έβγαζεν από πάνω της και ξεπετούσε στο χώμα τα βραχιόλια και τα δαχτυλίδια. Και μες στον οδυρμό της τα παλιά θυμήθη· και ρώτησε τί έκαμνε ο σοφός Απόλλων, πού γύριζεν ο ποιητής που στα τραπέζια έξοχα ομιλεί, πού γύριζε ο προφήτης όταν τον υιό της σκότωναν στα πρώτα νιάτα. Κι οι γέροι την απήντησαν πως ο Απόλλων αυτός ο ίδιος εκατέβηκε στην Τροία, και με τους Τρώας σκότωσε τον Αχιλλέα. [1904]

Then, though there are many other things that we praise in Homer, this we will not applaud...nor shall we approve of Aeschylus when his Thetis avers that Apollo singing at her wedding, “‘foretold the happy fortunes of her issue’”

Their days prolonged, from pain and sickness free, And rounding out the tale of heaven's blessings, Raised the proud paean, making glad my heart. And I believed that Phoebus' mouth divine, Filled with the breath of prophecy, could not lie. But he himself, the singer, himself who sat At meat with us, himself who promised all, Is now himself the slayer of my son.

Plato, Republic, II

At the nuptial banquet of Thetis and Peleus Apollo rose from the sumptuous marriage table, and gave the newlyweds his divine blessing for the offspring that would be born of their union. He said, "No sickness shall ever touch him and he shall have a long, long life." -- When he spoke these words Thetis rejoiced beyond measure, for the words of Apollo who knew all about prophecies seemed a guarantee for the life of her son. And through the years when Achilles was growing up and his fine looks were the glory of Thessaly, Thetis remembered the words of the god. But one day old men arrived with news and they told of the slaying of Achilles at Troy. And Thetis tore off her purple garments, and she kept on tearing off and casting upon the ground her bracelets and rings. And in her lamentation she recalled the past; and she asked what the wise Apollo was doing, where was the poet wandering who speaks so divinely at feasts, where was the prophet roaming when they were slaying her son in the prime of his youth. And the old men answered her that Apollo himself had gone down to Troy, and with the Trojans he had slain Achilles.

Translation by Rae Dalven. The translation of the opening excerpt from Plato’s Republic is by Paul Shorey

https://ia601409.us.archive.org/23/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.123075/2015.123075.The-Complete-Poems-Of--Cpcavafy.pdf

[creamycreamyun]

Eclipse of the Future

Short Story

She stood on the edge of the abyss, behind her there was a faint screaming. "They will catch up with me soon. Only one way to escape this hell." She took a step back, hestiating for what seemed to be inevitable. But the faint screams grew louder and louder. "There is not much time, Kleo." "I know. I just … ", her knees started to shiver. "Now or never." "Will you remember me?" "How could I ever forget you?" She positioned her feet at the cliff and glanced at him one last time. The nod of approval. "You can be proud of proud of yourself. I … am proud of you." "Goodbye." With the screams now in arms reach, she jumped.

The swirling colors devoured her, she couldn't make out what was up or down anymore. It was like she was looking at the back of her head. In reality, she was only falling for mere seconds, but it looked like days, even years had passed. With no choice left, she embraced the void, and closed her eyes. One day she'd wake up, and everything would be back to normal. However, this is but a wishfull thought, isn't it? Kleo had made up her mind long ago, but the struggles kept gnawing at her conscience. She did what was told her would be right, but was it worth it? All the suffering, all the pain and all this … death. Doubts crawled up from the abyss. The same abyss she swore to embrace. Yet, here she was, falling indecisive. "There's no turning back now, Uuro." As she thought of him, it was almost like he was still in reach, but deep down she knew, it was too late. Uuro was long dead.

"What do you seek, Kleo, child of Heialäm? You dance on the threads of chaos." The voice echoed everywhere left, right, up, down, front and back. Lights were flashing in what seemed to be a mix between radiance engulfed by shadows, spinning radically in almost horrifying harmony. If she still had a heart in this realm, it started pounding in her chest — regardless, with a bold tone she uttered: "Wisdom." Unfortunately, it wasn’t impressed by her and saw right through her mask. "Many tried to obtain our wisdom, but the price is high." No doubts were found in this statement. She knew what she was getting herself into. "With all due respect, but I can't go back, can I?" "You dare to assume we share due to you failing to navigate through the dimensions?" The voice vibrated within her skull, as though her own thoughts were being unraveled by the flashing lights, now spinning faster, blinding her to any direction.

"If you really know everything, why do you ask me who sent me? I’ve been let to believe you already know what happened and what will happen." A looming fright battled her mind. Why would it ask this question, if it already knew the answer? "Child, you are but an embryo. At some point, you may understand, but you have much to learn. The future is not linear and there are endless posibilities." This didn’t make sense to her. She hoped for a more satisfying Verity. "I know of this. I came for answers, not a riddle." It was only in her mind that she thought of saying this, yet somehow the words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them, doubt gnawed at her resolve. Was this truly the right path, or had she been led astray? "We sense your frustration. The truth is, there is no prophecy. It was a scheme, forged to tangle the ones who believe. We know you are beyond destiny, you are a creator but unaware of the potential you hold." Curiosity and confusion unfolded within Kleo as these words struck her ear. "Wait, you mean to tell me, I am the dreamer?" "You cannot possibly remember, because your journey has just begun. It is a long process, and unlike anything you've come to know or experience. We are all dreamers in our own realm." "I don't understand. What happened to Mekkido?" "Mekkido met their end when you entered the protal. In a sense, they live on within you, because you emerged from them." At this moment, her suspicions were confirmed, leaving her with a lingering ache in her heart for a life she had never truly known.

[aphroditesmoon]

melting moment

harwin strong x targ!reader

summary: harwin falls for the dreamer of house tagaryen.

warnings: nsfw, smut (minors dni!!)

°°°°

The first time he saw you, he knew he had to have you. You were the most beautiful creature he's ever seen. Your peculiar personality might scare off other people's from making friends with you, but it only intrigued him.

A lot of people agree, only the knight and her sister, the princess Rhaenyra, had enough patience an love for you to tolerate and keep up with your weird conversations and random thoughts. You were easily branded as insane. Though no one would have the guts to say it to your face, and you didn't care as you were too busy being caught up in your head.

Harwin was as weirded out by the way you talked just as everyone at first. But the more he guarded you and spent time with you, the more he paid attention what you were saying, he realizes you might not be sputtering garbage after all.

He believes you were some sort of magical entity gifted with the gift if prophecy by the gods themselves.

He remembers the one time you wouldn't stop rambling and repeating about thirsty rats and something about a killer in a knight's armor during Rhaenyra's wedding day.

He assume it the same as always, you're daydreaming again. But then Rhaenyra's sworn knight starts beating the shit out of a man until he died. And your voice repeats themselves in his head over and over as he rushes to escort you to your room to safety.

As he secures you inside, he realizes you don't look even e bit scared, a disgusted expressions crossed your face when you saw the poor man's barely existing face, but that was all. It's almost as if you had expected it.

He tried telling himself it was impossible, and that he was overthinking it, but deciding to indulge his curiosity, he asks you if what had happened was what you had been talking about all morning.

Instead of answering him you had only stared at him for a solid 2 minutes making him sweat under your intense gaze, before slowly smiling softly.

As weird as it sounded, he felt the answer to his question was already answered by the peculiar given grin.

Since that night, he had spent the rest of his guarding with more friendliness, learning the gears of how your mind works and becoming fast friends with you.

He realizes then that if there was one thing more beautiful than your appearance, it was your mind.

He prides himself for being an honorable knight and protector of the princess, yet each day his want to be more than that increases.

How could he not crave to have more between you when his days that use to start from standing by your door from morning to eve goes to laying by your lap as he gives you permission (after many begging and puppy eyes while holding his hand) to braid his hair with flowers.

He has had the miraculous luck of feeling your hands running through his hair and your lips on his cheeks for a thankful peck. The only thing holding him back from doing anything unbecoming of his station was your station yourself.

He cared too much to risk dishonoring you in any way.

But when one day she surprises him with a stunning ruby engraved dagger made of valyrian steel for his seven and twentieth named day, he told himself himself would marry her.

She looked so happy by his own joy that he couldn't stop himself from holding her face in the palm of his hands and closing her mouth with his. claiming her.

She flinched at the contact at first. But as he pulls away to apologize, she pushes their mouths together again and he was ever the willing to reciprocate the kiss.

That same night he informed his father of his intentions to wed you.

To say that Lionel was nervous for his son was an understatement, he was well aware that compared to the Targaryens, they've nothing to offer them. But for his dutiful son, he would try to speak with the king.

The king ended up giving Lionel a vague confusing answer then proceeded to request the presence of Harwin himself to present his intentions for his daughter.

He offers the king nothing but his loyalty and love for you, vowing to protect you with his life as that is all he has of him to give.

Viserys was doubtful, but knowing how different her daughter is compared to the other girls of the court and her own sister, it wasn't shocking that he fears for her fate as well and wishes to wed her to someone he's sure would take care of her, not trusting himself to tie her to some political alliances.

And so, trusting the knight's reputation as the strongest man in the seven kingdoms and the loyalty if his father and dear friend to himself, He gives his blessing and announces their betrothal the next day.

He was attached to you like a second shadow from them on always needing to be near you at all times, if people had thought you two were familiar before, now they have to try and not throw up at your displays of affection.

It's not your fault you're both infatuated with eachother. He was too impatient to restrain himself until you were wed.

And that is the story of how you found yourself splayed on your bed, legs wide open with his fist inside your cunt, wrist deep fucking you.

He's thrusting his hand in you while clenching and unclenching his fist as you're moaning and screaming out his name in an unholy erotic manner that's making his cock harder.

He marvels at the sight in front of him. Your laid bare body writhing under his gaze pulling and gripping the sheets with your mouth hung open chanting out his name, tears wetting your cheeks. Your tits red with his bruises and bitemarks.

His cock twitches at the sound of your whine when he uses the thumb of his free hand to rub on your clit. You were arching your back and clenching on his fist begging him to go deeper.

"so fucking tight for me, hm? no matter how many times you take my cock." You clench harder at his words. His pacing becomes unrelenting as he fucks you through your orgasm, rising up to shove his mouth againts yours, letting your tongues dance with eachother's.

You came with his name spilling off your lips repeatedly as he moves his to assault your neck, licking and kissing the marks from before.

You whine at the lost of contact as he slowly takes out his wrist from you, licking and sucking off the juices off his hand, never breaking the eye contact.

He pushed two fingers through your lips and you instinctively suck on it making him groan at the bewitching sight.

As he starts rubbing himself on your thigh your hand links behind his neck to pull him closer, needing him inside of you

"Think I've stretched you enough, sweet girl?" He was met witha delirious moan as a response as you start wrapping your legs around him and grinding your sensitive raw cunt on his hardness.

He groans low in your ear, trying not to pound into you. "Say it." He grunts out. "Say you want my cock."

He was forcing you to submit, and gods you loved it so much you're embarassed.

"Please Harwin, please-need you, need your cock inside me-" You let out a strangled moan as his restraints broke and he holds your thighs apart, shoving his fat cock in you, plunging in and out of you so hard, the wet squelches of your skin slapping became as loud as your screams.

His back was being scarred and torn apart by your nails dragging and holding on to him with your dear life as he took you apart, ruining you for anyone else.

"Mine, all mine. My sweet dreamer, my pretty dragon girl." You couldn't respond if you wanted to, the only noises coming out of you, incoherent.

You've predicted many things, but you wonder why your dreams never told you you'd be this happy.

[impishtubist]

buck moon snippet #3

okay look I know I said I wasn’t writing fic anymore, but @mkaugust wanted Moonchaser angst and who am I to deny someone Moonchaser angst???

CWs: dubious consent re: jily, dumbledore being an asshole and breaking up two loving couples, discussion about a baby being conceived only because a prophecy says so. also this has no ending, it just stops because I got tired and can’t be arsed to finish it.

----

“I need the ring back.” 

Remus grips the edge of the door, the smile fading from his lips. He hadn’t been expecting James tonight, but seeing his fiancé is always a welcome surprise.

Except right now, when James is standing on his doorstep with his eyes downcast and his hands shoved into his pockets, his shoulders hunched. 

“W-what?”

James finally lifts his eyes, which are red-rimmed. “Can we talk?” 

Remus automatically goes into the kitchen to make tea, James trailing after him. 

“There’s a prophecy,” James blurts out when Remus hands him a steaming mug of tea--a splash of milk, no sugar. “Dumbledore told me about it tonight. It’s--there’s a way to defeat Voldemort. It’s possible, Remus. We can defeat the Dark Lord.” 

“That’s wonderful,” Remus murmurs, but he doesn’t know what this has to do with him--or his ring, the one James had given him last fall, so nervous about the proposal that he’d forgotten his entire speech and just blurted out Marry me? 

Of course Remus had said yes. He’d been waiting, longing for that day for years, ever since James had given him his first, chaste kiss in fourth year. 

“There’s a catch, though.” James won’t meet his eyes, instead staring into the depths of his tea. “A baby’s going to defeat Voldemort. A baby born to parents who have defied him three times, and he’ll be born at the end of July. We--we don’t have much time.”

“James.” Remus’s mouth is dry, his heart pounding. “James, what are you saying?”

“It’s ten months until July. We need--we need to move on this soon.” James swallows audibly. “Lily Evans and I have both defied Voldemort three times. Dumbledore says that it has to be us. We need…we have to have a baby. I need the ring because…” 

“You’re going to marry Lily.” 

James’s expression is wretched. “I have to. It needs--it needs to be believable, he said. And there’s no way I wouldn’t give my fiancée my mother’s ring, so…” 

“So that’s it, then?” Remus’s voice is hollow to his ears. “You’re breaking up with me over a prophecy? And what about Mary, is Lily breaking up with her, too?”

James grimaces. He whispers, “We have to, Rem. There’s no other choice. Lily and I have to have a baby, and it needs to look like we’re in love.” 

“You’ve already spoken to her, then?” 

“Just now, yeah.”

“You went to her before you came to me?” 

“Remus--”

“You went to her and the two of you decided that you would implode both of your relationships, cast your partners aside so you could fuck--”

“It’s not like that!” James bursts out. He runs his fingers through his hair, causing it to stand on end. “I don’t want this, Remus! I don’t! But it’s the only way.”

“Why is it our responsibility? We’re nineteen, James! Why do we have to be responsible for defeating Voldemort? Dumbledore can’t come up with a better plan than, than you fucking someone who doesn’t want anything to do with you?”

[gallavich-headcanon]

i have a confession to make. the gods au was actually just a little snack, a tiny distraction for in between until i got around to bother you with an au of my favourite book series. i could say i'm sorry, but we both know that ain't true. does it make a lot of sense? probably not. does it feed my needs? absolutely fucking yes. that being said, if the below sparks interest, check out the lumatere chronicles by melina marchetta. needless to mention. huge spoiler alert for the series. anyway-

i'm mostly taking ideas from the latter two books, what you need to know from the first is,

- it's set in medieval-ish times. what can i say. i'm weak.

- the whole world comes with a map of several countries, the most important ones for us are lumatere and charyn.

- the kingdom of lumatere had been cursed for ten years. nobody had been able to enter the kingdom.

- some of its people had been trapped inside the country. they could not communicate with those (of their people) outside the country.

- the curse was brought onto the country after their royal family had been slain in a nightly ambush. the ambush had been led by the king's brother or cousin (i can't quite remember), with the help of soldiers sent to aid him by the kingdom of charyn. he claimed the throne. he's called the impostor king; i don't think we ever get told his actual name.

- only the young prince was believed to survive the massacre. turned out, he sacrificed his life for his little sister.

- ten years later the protagonist of the book has a dream that tells him to pick up this young novice in a cloister. turns out, it's the princess, there's some magical soulmate thing going on between them. they free their country, lead it with justice and kindness and are beloved by their people.

- on their travels to gather their people they met a boy on the streets. some things happen, they free him from some slave traders, he's bound to them by them -mainly the queen- saving his life, he becomes the main protagonist of the next two books.

i think that covers all, now let me get to the fun part that is the canon story of book two and three!

- one of the main characters' first words are literally, “but if your mouth touches mine, i will cut it out.” which is honestly the main reason i am now here to bother you with all this.

- it's revealed that the kingdom of charyn is cursed, too. after their princess was born, no child was born to the kingdom. everybody who was pregnant lost their child, nobody could get pregnant again. i think it had something to do with someone killing their saint/oracle, but i would have to go back to read all of it to be entirely sure.

- this has been going on for eighteen years.

- the prophecy says the two last born children of charyn will break the curse by “making the first”, which they interpret as them producing a child.

- charyn is devided into provinces. year after year the last born of each province makes his way to the palace to see whether he is the one last born they need to lift the curse. It does not work.

- the queen of lumatere is still angry about her family being slain and her people being cursed in the wake of it. due to circumstance they get the chance to send an assassin into charyn to kill the king, and the princess.

- the assassin, you guessed it, is the boy the picked up on the streets. they had him be trained by the royal guard for this specific reason. so far, he had been sent after those who collaborated with the impostor king.

- long story short, he's obviously sent into charyn to execute the killings. one thing leads to another, he falls for the princess, it's revealed he's actually a charynite, surprise surprise, he's the other last born they need to lift the curse, there's a lot of running to be done, a lot of heartbreak and push and pull between the protagonist and the princess.

- he returns to his kingdom without having fulfilled his task (obviously), it's apparent he's heartbroken. there's also that period where he believes the princess -and their unborn child- to be dead.

- turns out that isn't true, and despite how much their hearts break over it, the king and queen of lumatere send him back to charyn. they disguise him as the son of two of their nobles so he's of proper stance to marry the princess.

- their marriage leads to peace between the kingdoms, everybody is happy. practically.

now to what i thought about for the crossover-

- it's mainly still the original storyline. terry gets to be a mixture between the charynite king and his asshole advisor kind of guy. the latter assaults the princess because he thinks he's destined to break charyn's curse. reminds me of mandy's tragedy with the pregnancy and all. obviously, it does not work like this here, but you get what i mean.

- to have this make sense, hear me out. mickey is the last born royal child. his and mandy's mother is actually from one of the other kingdoms and not a charynite by blood. mandy is the result of an affair of hers, thankfully she looks enough like mickey so it doesn't get caught. sorry to mandy, but i need you to fit my agenda.

- thankfully, ian already kind of fits the plans. (if anybody reads the actual books, yes, the original protagonist from book one is a redhead, too, leave me alone.) while he shared the same mother as his siblings, his biological father is a charynite. the main part i'll have to change about him and mickey is making them born close to each other, probably on the exact same day, because i really

- i'll have the gallaghers originally be farmers, because i can.

- while their country was cursed fiona, debbie, carl, and liam were trapped inside the country, him and lip among those who could flee in time. they're picked up by the queen (still in disguise) and her entourage. basically the substitutes for the orphan boy.

- in the meantime, fiona married the son of a lord who was close to the royal family. (jimmy-steve possibility, maybe?)

- after they reunite, ian has troubles finding his place with his family. during his and lip's time outside the country's walls, he met a ton of people and learned a lot about them. his heart is yearning for – something. someone?

- through his brother in law and the relationship built during their travels, he gets a position in the royal guard. obviously, he becomes a trusted soldier and trained as an assassin. he's sent to charyn after they hear about their curse, to basically make sure they never get another heir. jokes on. practically everonye.

- now where it gets interesting is the prophecy. i'll have it be a classical misinterpretation. “make the first” - what. nobody said anything about a baby. for all we know they could make handprints on the palace walls as the first people ever and tada, the curse is broken.

more quotes from the books i think would fit our favourite idiots,

- most days he feared that a monster of great baseness lived inside him, fighting to set itself free. killing the traitors […] made sense. but killing also fed the monster. → maybe hinting at ian's bipolar? i'm not sure how it could be properly brought into this.

- as always, the intimacy between them made [him] ache. / it wasn't magic or curses, this thing that lay between them. it was more profound than that. he couldn't even put it into words, and at times it made him want to walk away and take refuge from the ties that bound them both.

- in a kinder world, one i promise you i've seen, men and women flirt and dance and love with only the fear of what it would mean without the other in their lives.

- he was as wild as ever and full of rage at the world. at himself.

- do i have to be here to belong to you? can't i belong to you wherever i am?

- our bodies aren't strangers. our spirits aren't strangers. tell me what part of me is stranger to you, and i'll destroy that part of me.

- “i'm not worth the valley.” “you're worth a kingdom.”

this is very many words (according to my word program 1,476 words, precisely) for saying i have an unhealthy obsession with two pieces of media and desperately need them fused. i will go and bury myself now, thanksokaybye.

Good morning my darling! This is fucking amazing, let's dive the fuck in!

Listen man, you can't come up to me with a medieval kingdom soulmate AU without a warning like that, I need to sit down.

The first book sounds so good! Like is it mostly about their journey? I am a sucker for a good soulmate storyline!

“But if your mouth touches mine, I will cut it out.” -> No fucking way! this! this is exactly! It's meant to be.

the original protagonist from book one is a redhead, too, leave me alone. -> Hahaha to be honest Ian Gallagher changes me into a redhead enthusiast, so I think this is very valid. However, I will not leave you alone.

I'll have the Gallaghers originally be farmers, because I can. -> yes you can. You can also have all my money to continue telling me this story.

Ian and Lip being able to escape and being picked up together reminds me of the CPS plot in s3!

Fiona married the son of a lord who was close to the royal family. -> Jimmy-Steve !!! I love how we manage to slip him into so many AUs! Maybe his dad is the royal family doctor / advisor?

Thinking back about Lip trying to help Ian get into west point and JROTC, this make so much sense that Ian would become a solider. Maybe running away, joining the army, like in canon? not sure what would set it off... Maybe people discovering about him and Ned?

Nobody said anything about a baby. for all we know they could make handprints on the palace walls -> hahaha okay but what if it's make the first true love? Like all the royal couples in their kingdom before them were arranged marriages or something of the sort and this was they first time the prince got to chose someone he loves?

This is so fucking incredible because I am getting so much of the "I want the gun back Mickey" vibes but more in the "prepare to die" kind of way... Ian sneaking into Mickey's bedroom to kill him but getting distracted and somehow ending up fucking? (the curse only breaks when they 'make love')

Alternatively, maybe they make the first united country as Ian grew up in a different one (if I understood you Ian's dad is from charynite and his mom from lumatere, terry is the king of charynite and Mickey's mom is as well, but maybe she cheated with Mickey's real dad?) hence no one thinks they are the couple that will break the curse, but they're both mixed, and make the first mixed couple? I don't know if this makes sense at all.

quotes from the books I think would fit our favorite idiots (I am so ready for this!) - in a kinder world, one i promise you i've seen, men and women flirt and dance and love with only the fear of what it would mean without the other in their lives. -> "In what fucking world do you live in?" straight to my heart. - do i have to be here to belong to you? can't i belong to you wherever i am? -> "I want to be where you are, Mickey!"

1,476 words of pure fucking gold, Nosho. I am dying. This is too good. I feel blessed. You better come back from the dead so we can talk about it more!

[bravado07]

“Black and Green”

Ok guys, I’m thinking of writing a series containing multiple books based on GOT. It’s kind of my take on the whole prophecy of the prince that was promised and it progresses through multiple eras. Here’s a little teaser to the first book.

Tell me what you think. Should I publish it?

Enjoy!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Tywin! Tywin! Don’t run so far, my sweet; you know mother can’t run as much now.” The echo could be heard throughout the walls as the little boy sprinted forward. Stumbling a little, he lost his balance and in his attempt to brace his fall, the little wooden phoenix he always kept with himself fell from his hands onto the floor far away. He doesn’t know where it came from or why he is so attached to it, but he knows he will never let it out of his sight.

Scrambling to his feet, he rushed towards the toy but before he could reach it, somebody else picked it up. “I believe this belongs to you, my lord.” A gentle, loving voice said, making the little boy’s head snap up. He had seen the lady around the palace before. Well, she was not a lady anymore, or maybe she never was to begin with. She was a tall woman with fair skin and long auburn-brown hair, but what stood out about her were her big eyes that could pierce your soul, one green like his and the other a warm shade of dark brown. Those eyes looked so familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before?

A smile tugged on his lips. He felt like he could trust whoever this person was. He reached for the phoenix and the woman handed it to him, a warm smile on her lips. It felt like for a second all the tiredness and sadness vanished from her eyes.

She opened her mouth to say something but before she had the chance a hand latched onto Tywin’s shoulder and turned him around. “There you are! Don’t ever run from me like that again, alright, dear?” His lady mother, who despite her heavily pregnant state had knelt down and was clutching him for dear life said with a gentle yet stern voice. Tywin nodded but looked tried to look back at the enigmatic woman so he could talk to her again. He had so many questions, he didn’t know where to start, but before he could say anything, his mother’s gaze turned harsh, landing on the woman with odd eyes. “I thought I told you to stay away from us! Haven’t you learned your place yet? The king is being too kind to you. If I were in his place I would behead you and get rid of you and your curse for good. If I see you anywhere near my son again, I will personally see to it that you get punished so severely, you’ll regret the day you were born.” The young woman kept her mouth shut and swallowed her pride as she was berated by the Lady. The Lannister picked up her son and turned sharply with her entourage, leaving the girl behind. The girl just stared at their retreating forms. As they turned the corner, little Tywin turned around and waved at her with a smile.

A joyous smile graced the young girl’s lips as she waved back.

“You can’t keep a mother from her child, my lady.”