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quazartranslates · 3 years ago

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Welcome to the Nightmare Game II - CH53

**This is an edited machine translation. For more information, please [click here]**

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Chapter 53: Purgatory Reunion (V) {cw: attempted suicide, religious guilt}

There were too many demons. There were too many demons.

The space by his feet had already been filled with corpses, and the whole lake of fire was floating with the stench of sulfur and demon blood, but it seemed that no matter how he killed them, he couldn’t kill them all.

Ning Zhou watched the steady stream of demons, from the initial tension to the final numbness. He tried every demon with Maria's sword of judgment, and finally… tried himself.

After entering Purgatory, the burning wounds on his abdomen had become more and more painful, lost consciousness, and there was no divine power in the body that had once been filled with holy power to protect him. Then, the evil power had gradually returned to him.

Ning Zhou already knew what it was. For many years, his mother Maria's worried eyes and her awkward words have planted too many questions in his heart. Now, he finally understood.

When he was young, he had once asked her who his father was.

Maria had sat by the bed and watched the sunset, remaining silent for a long time.

He persisted in asking his mother again.

Maria took his little hand and gently answered him, "He was someone who was lost."

"It's a long, long road, and no one knows where the end is. Your father and I met unexpectedly. We walked along the same road, passed many beautiful sights along the way, and left many beautiful memories. We said goodbye briefly at a fork in the road and agreed that we would continue walking. But he got lost... He walked a long way and gradually forgot everything from the past. He gained power that ordinary people could not imagine, but he even forgot his name."

"Did he forget you, too?" the small Ning Zhou asked anxiously.

A faint smile appeared on Maria's pale face: "No, he hasn't forgotten me. He didn't forget me all his life. On the day we met again, he looked at me for a long time and asked me... ‘who are you?’"

Ning Zhou looked at her in confusion and asked, "’Who are you?’ Doesn’t that mean he forgot?"

But he didn't know that a man who had forgotten himself and everything else had found his true love in the vast sea of people. At that moment, no matter what question he asked, it didn't matter.

The fact that he could find this person had already shown that he had never forgotten his love.

　　&&&

In a dark room, a long table with more than a dozen seats was surrounded by people, each of whom silently looked at the magic mirror suspended on the table which displayed this scene of carnage from the bottom of his heart.

"Is it okay to let him kill like this again?" the Witch of Nothingness asked gently, with her eyes closed and her hands folded on her lower abdomen.

The Witch of Desperation, covered in a black robe, looked at the bright red lake of fire in the magic mirror, but there was no magic in her empty eyes: "It doesn't matter. As long as he can fully awaken his original force, it doesn't matter how much of that trash he kills."

"I'm afraid he won't want to. Don't forget, he was originally from the Holy See," the Witch of Nothingness warned.

"Haha, have you forgotten? His Majesty was also very close with the Holy See. To be precise, he and the Holy See’s Holy Nun was the object of his affections. Even when his original force had awakened fully and he forgot his whole family, he was still holding a Canon all day long. But wasn't it him who finally took us into the human world?" the Devil of Evil smiled, not sharing his colleagues’ worry.

The Witch of Resentment held her forehead in one hand: "Please, don't remind me of the days when I studied hard to please His Majesty with the scriptures. I have no interest in the things of the Holy See. I would rather boil my potions."

The Witch of Nothingness smiled faintly. "Have you ever noticed that all the Devil Kings have some abnormal hobbies? When you count them carefully, none of them looks like a normal demon. However, compared with the subordinates of the Devil of Slaughter, we should feel content."

The group of higher demons laughed meaningfully.

To the demons, following a Devil King did not mean that they agreed with that person’s personality, but that they followed the force that that person represented. Just like this group, who had tied their own destiny with the force of destruction, who had known both glory and utter ruin. In the twenty years after the fall of the old Devil, their power had also declined to even less than half of its heyday.

They were too eager to have a new Lord of Destruction and renew destruction’s original force. As for who that person was, they didn't care.

"I heard one thing. Our new Majesty had a lover whom he loves deeply, but he died. It's a pity that the Devil of Fraud killed him. If he was still alive..." The Devil of Evil smiled with interest. "How interesting it would be."

"Why did the Lord of Fraud kill her?" the Witch of Nothingness asked doubtfully.

"God knows. Oh, by the way, he’s a man."

"Isn't His Majesty a follower of the Holy See?" Even the Witch of Resentment was shocked. Those who had been around since the old Lord of Destruction were familiar with the Holy See’s teachings, and they were very clear about the Holy See’s attitude towards same-sex love.

"He was drained of the power of faith and expelled from the Holy See. Otherwise, do you think that with such little stimulation alone he could awaken the Devil’s force sealed in his body? That's the seal left by Maria." The Devil of Evil laughed very exaggeratedly. "Ah, for love, I am willing to abandon the glory of God! ...It is really a romance branded in blood."

"Unfortunately, it seems that this time I can't see the touching love story," the Witch of Resentment sighed faintly.

"Attention, His Majesty is beginning to show the form of a magic dragon. Record the time. It is... 8:47 in the evening. If you’re optimistic, he could be completely demonized within 24 hours. I can't wait." The Devil of Evil looked at the Devil's black body in the lake of fire and the human who had begun to show the Devil's characteristics, and couldn't help but smile with expectation.

"I hope nothing will happen in these twenty-four hours. Contact the Dragon Ant Queen and order that Purgatory be sealed off now, especially in the area around the lake of fire," the Witch of Desperation said. "Don't say it’s in our name... The seal on the Devil of Slaughter is suspected to be loose, other people will naturally associate this with the Devil of Power."

"I’m afraid that the Dragon Ant Queen can't be contacted. Considering the time, she is now busy with 'life events'," said the Devil of Evil.

"Then contact her maid, she still has the authority to deal with this matter," the Witch of Desperation said.

　　&&&

He was already in hell.

Ning Zhou looked at everything around him and suddenly had this thought.

After the crazy battle, there were countless bodies of demons floating in the lake of fire, some of which had been swallowed up by lava, and some of which were rushing towards the lower reaches of the valley with the burning current.

The air seemed to be filled with scorching flames, burning from his mouth to his heart, and even his soul was ignited.

He stood in Purgatory’s lake of fire, inexorably transforming from a man into a devil.

How fragile human will was, that it couldn't prevent a man from dying, or a saint from degenerating into a demon.

Sharp talons grew on his hands, and his skin became cold and rough like a cold-blooded animal. Black scales spread all over his body like a plague, and a pair of bat-like wings grew behind him. He couldn't control the power of destruction. He had lost his human form and turned into a huge magic dragon.

A devil among demons, a Devil King among devils, an evil magic dragon symbolizing destruction. According to legend, the ancient world was destroyed by such a magic dragon, which had woken from chaos, flew while spraying angry flames that spread in all directions, and destroyed the whole world.

This kind of magic dragon had really appeared once in history. Twenty-two years ago, when the Devil of Destruction had led the demons to break through the seal and come to the world of humans. His demon form was just such a magic dragon. He held the law of destruction, but also the madness of destruction, wishing to destroy the world at all costs.

What had been a vague feeling had finally come true. When the force of destruction awakened, he understood everything.

It was ridiculous. Those who fought against the demons eventually became demons. Those who stared long into the abyss finally fell into the abyss. The evil force sleeping deep in his body laughed at him: Your whole life is a joke.

Fate had taken away everything from him: his only relative, his beloved, and now it wanted to destroy his last treasure.

Everything about him as a "human" had ceased to exist. What else could he do? What else could he do for this miserable world? What was the value of his existence?

Immense grief struck his soul, and the desperate black dragon roared and wailed at the sky blocked by rocks in the lake of fire. The force of destruction even tore the rock wall and let the distant light fall into Purgatory.

He looked at the light dazedly, as piously as when he had prayed so many times.

"He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

But why had fate given him such a cruel temptation? And he had been banished from his homeland; would God still help him and protect him?

Not anymore.

He was doomed to fall to such temptation.

Because God had given up on him.

Like the man who gave him half his blood, he would gradually lose himself to the original force of destruction, forget everything about himself, forget how he had once guarded the world, and finally bring endless pain and despair to this world.

Let it all end here.

Suicide was a sin, but if he lived, he would eventually bring more disasters and misfortunes to this scarred world.

He couldn't end the cruel fate imposed by this world, so at least he could not bring more suffering to this world.

Let him end it with his own hands!

In this lake of fire in Purgatory, holding warm memories, he would put a full stop to his life with this heart that still belonged to mankind.

But at that moment, he heard a voice that was too familiar to be a memory: "Ning Zhou—!!!”

He stopped at the edge of destruction and looked up.

Looked up to see the love of his life, returned to him.

-----

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alethiometry · 4 years ago

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thinkin about an alternate take on odyssey’s cult of kosmos storyline that may culminate in a blatant ripoff of valhalla but bear with me here lmao

instead of deimos continually antagonizing you the entire game as you try desperately to convince them that the cult is simply using them, deimos is actively trying to recruit you to fight alongside them. you are both demigods descended from sparta’s greatest hero, two sides of the same coin, etc. etc. as you go around killing cultists you get those cutscenes where each cultist gets to have one final say (just like all the other ac games) and while many joined and profited from the war for selfish reasons, there are enough of those who had lofty ideals that maybe you start to see that the two warring nations are both truly broken beyond repair. people are suffering because of the war, and for every callous profiteer that joined the cult to make a quick buck there’s also someone who joined just to survive, or because if you can’t beat em, join em -- at the least, they could then maybe stand a chance at protecting the people they love, even if it means others will have to pay that price. that’s just the way the world works, right?

and so after the battle of amphipolis and after killing the rest of the cult, you return to the cave of gaia in delphi and find not only deimos but also the ghost of kosmos down there, in front of the pyramid. deimos is still nursing his wounds from where kleon shot him, and the ghost finally unveils herself. both get their villain-y monologues about how it’s all for the greater good, everyone who died along the way was sacrificing themselves for a better world and the world will remember what they did -- but that will only happen if you join them. if you’re there to make sure they mattered. and the pyramid with its weird little artifacts still draws you in like it did that first night you infiltrated their meeting, and you and deimos and the ghost all touch it and you all get teleported via videogame magic or isu technology or whatever the fuck who cares it’s just a stupid scifi game let me live to...

atlantis?

it’s the exact same look and feel as the dlc: humans and gods living in (apparent) harmony, people are happy, families are together, there’s laughter and music and plenty of food and leisure. the buildings are gorgeous, there’s like fountains and gardens and aquariums and other cool shit, and if not for the weird isu tech all over the place you’d almost think it was elysium. but it’s not elysium, because you’re not dead. deimos isn’t dead. and you’ve never felt more at peace. the ghost tells you that this is all perfectly achievable, if only you join them in helping construct this world from the ashes of the old. deimos tells you that they’ve seen this in their dreams; the world was truly like this once, and it could be again.

there’s no war to be fought here; no pain or suffering or loss. deimos sheathes their sword and tells you that they cannot just go back to being family in the real world, not after everything that has happened and all the suffering you both have experienced -- out in the real world, you were both doomed to be nothing more than shattered bones and streaks of gore at the foot of sparta’s sacred mountain. you don’t matter out there, and you never did, and they know you are tired of trying to prove that you do, because they’re tired too. but in here, in this world, you could be together. you could be the siblings you never got the chance to be. this is what they were fighting for all along. they gave their name, and their life, and their innocence and their pain -- all to achieve this. and with your help they can finally stop calling themself deimos and reclaim their old name. or the two of you could find new names. you could be gods. you could slaughter the old gods, the ones whose prophecies doomed you both to die at the foot of mount taygetos (deimos still doesn’t know the cult orchestrated that lmao listen the brainwashing runs deep). you could be anyone you want here.

all of this feels so real. you feel like you could stay here forever.

deimos extends their hand. you reach out to take it. to join them.

and something tumbles out of your pouch.

it’s a little wooden eagle, a child’s toy, battered and all scratched up with most of its defining features worn away. you know it well. you know every contour of it because a little girl gave it to you when you left the island where you and she once lived, to go make a name for yourself in a war that never seemed to end, until suddenly it did. you know this toy eagle because you folded that little girl’s cold, dead, still-bloody fingers around it one terrible night in athens. you were told, later, that the eagle burned with her on the pyre your friends constructed for her. and so the only reason this eagle is here now, the only reason you can run your hands along its outstretched wings and trace the whorls of the woodgrain with your fingertips and feel the slight weight of it in your palm is because none of this is real.

what is real is this: the cult existed, and phoibe died. leonidas died. perikles died. brasidas died. and you cannot live in a world where the very act of dying for the world they didn’t know they were helping to shape is the one thing that becomes the defining feature of their legacies. where their lives become nothing more than some kind of grotesque buttressing to prop up the very people who got them all killed.

there’s some kind of bossfight against deimos, who, despite their appeals to you to join them as a battlefield companion and true siblings after too many years lost between you, still doesn’t hesitate to turn against you as they always have the moment things do not go their way. because that’s the way it is between the two of you: they push, and you push back.

and the more you fight, the more atlantis crumbles. the others don’t seem to notice; they simply sit there and laugh and sip wine and dance and sing as stone after stone falls from the vast turrets and crushes first their companions, then them, into blood and bone and gristle. there’s a gate up on the highest tower of the city, and you know instinctively that without it you’ll be stuck here in this strange dream-limbo, fighting your sibling for eternity as both worlds, dream and real, carry on with or without you. and as you make your way to it (maybe there’s some sweet parkour opportunities here with like falling debris and such) deimos gives chase and as you draw closer to the gate you start to see that it’s not empty at all, but full of people crowing in to take a peek at all the commotion.

there’s sokrates and hippokrates and aristophanes. alkibiades looking uncharacteristically worried, and [insert any npc lieutentants you’ve recruited like roxana or odessa]. xenia is there, and so is anthousa. kyra and/or thaletas, too (depending on the outcome of the mykonos questline). and a gang of plucky little kids, all cheering you on: khloe, the girl with the clay friends; arsenios, the tour-guide-turned-con-artist; ardos and his caretaker. (and i guess nikolaos and stentor if they’re still alive lmao) (maybe pythagoras is allowed too but he’s on thin fucking ice)

and, of course, myrrine. standing at the forefront, shoulder to shoulder with barnabas and herodotos. all three of them -- alongside everyone else you’ve ever allied with, fought beside, or helped out -- everyone who loves you, everyone you’ve ever loved -- they’re beckoning you home. back to the real world, where they matter. where you matter.

where you have always mattered.

you’re so close to taking your mother’s hand, you can feel the warmth of her fingertips -- and then you hear a scream below you.

it’s deimos, and they’re falling. maybe they tripped in their haste to catch you. maybe some of the falling rubble knocked them off-balance. it doesn’t matter. the only thing that matters is that your sibling is falling to their doom. again. and there’s nothing you can do about it.

except this time there definitely is.

so you leap from the ledge with all the strength you have, the roaring in your ears drowning out myrrine’s shouts. you’ve fallen from greater heights, after all, and lived to tell the tale. this is nothing. and this time you’ll catch your sibling, because this is your dream, too. and in your dream, you can do whatever the fuck you want.

you catch deimos, the both of you still falling, the ground rushing up to meet you -- and you both wake in the cave of gaia with a jolt. each of you still have a hand on the pyramid, and you make eye contact. they give you the slightest of nods, as if to say i’m okay. i’m awake.

the ghost is still asleep, head bowed, eyes flitting to and fro behind closed eyelids, both hands still on the pyramid.

you destroy the pyramid with your grandfather’s spear. this wakes the ghost. she’s furious, and tells you that you’ve made a terrible mistake. the cult of kosmos may be extinguished, but the ideals she worked toward are not. (basically this kind of mirrors the whole spiel about the philosopher-king or whatever tf the ghost said at the end of the actual in-game storyline that foreshadowed the order of ancients and eventually the templars)

deimos looks to you and mutters that it’s your choice what to do next. the ghost tries to appeal to them but they’ve run out of fucks to give. they leave.

[kill the ghost] what it says on the label. you get a nice little ac-esque assassination cutscene and it’s actually got some emotional weight to the decision/scene, unlike the game.

[walk away] leave the ghost in the cave. the pyramid is gone, the cult is dead, your sibling is free. the ghost will live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, knowing that the grandchildren of leonidas have seen her for what she is. knowing that whatever she does next, they’ll be watching closely.

when you leave the cave, you see deimos, pacing as they overlook the view of phokis from mount parnassos. it’s high noon and the sun glints brilliantly off their gilded armor. they glance at the temple of apollo and remark how strange it is to be standing here together, so close to the place where both your fates were sealed with just a few words from a puppet pythia a lifetime ago.

you ask what they’re going to do, now that the cult is gone.

the peace of nicias isn’t going to hold, they tell you. the war will start again soon enough, and when that happens both athens and sparta will be looking for champions to fight for their side.

dialogue choices:

[i’ll see you on the battlefield] you and your sibling part ways. subsequent conquest battles have a chance of spawning a bossfight against deimos who is fighting for the other side -- neither of you can perma-kill the other so you can encounter/fight them over and over again. at the end of the conquest battle, no matter who wins, you can see them walking up and down the battlefield and you can have some silly little sibling banter, which changes depending on who wins/loses the battle

[join me, fight with me] deimos joins your crew just like in the game. unlike the game, you can interact with them at any time while they’re walking up and down your ship and have sibling banter because i just want some decent fucking sibling banter in this game

no matter which option you pick, the first time you return to sparta after finishing this storyline you’ll have the option of entering your old family home and triggering the family dinner cutscene with all the surviving members of your family because goddammit even after all this wishful revisionism i still love that silly little family dinner

anyway in conclusion this is what i want out of odyssey, thanks for coming to my TED talk, don’t forget to smash that like&subscribe the way the eagle bearer definitely smashed brasidas’ fine spartan ass offscreen bc ubisoft were too smoothbrained to give us the romance we deserved

#tuserautumn #userbryn #assassin's creed #ac odyssey #cool story charlotte #can u tell i listened to 'leaving valhalla' one too many times on loop tonight and have been cryin in the club @ that doorway scene #idk fam i just want a remaster/retweaking of odyssey #where all the art direction and the characters and music and general story beats are the same #but with a more coherent narrative that doesn't disintegrate the moment you start prodding at the plot holes #yes i'm fully aware that deimos dies in novel/wiki canon NO i do NOT care. FUCK that. in this version deimos lives #anyway ub*s*ft hmu there's way more odyssey-reboot ideas where this came from and they're all WAY hornier + involve pegging spartan general #better yet just let me buy the fucking franchise already cmon #i've got IDEAS #i mean they're not GOOD ideas but like.#must ideas be good??? is it not enough simply fulfill all the desires in my selfish little gremlin heart????????

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five-rivers · 5 years ago

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Reflection

Tucker passed in front of a mirror and stopped, did a double take. He'd been doing that a lot, lately, ever since what he and his friends referred to as the 'Egypt incident.' He raised one hand and traced a line under his eye, his lower eyelashes ruffling.

"You checking your eyeliner, Fol-ey?" asked Dash, bumping into him, rudely.

Tucker avoided stabbing himself in the eye and caught himself on the sink. He frowned at the reflection of the jocks in the mirror and scanned the locker room for Danny. Alas, his best friend must still be running punishment laps in the gym.

"Looking for Wimp-ton to save you? That's pretty pathetic," said Dash, jabbing Tucker again.

Tucker spun to face them and started to back away. He wondered if it would be okay to fight back under these circumstances, or if he would get in trouble. Because Tucker could fight. Maybe not as well as Sam and Danny, he was more the tech guy of their group, but all of them could throw a punch. Heck, Tucker could pull back a bow and put an arrow into the center of a target a hundred feet away. That took arm strength.

If he fought Dash, he'd probably win.

But fighting was generally frowned upon at school and with the other jocks as witnesses... Yeah, that wouldn't pan out well. His parents would take his side, but he didn't want to get a bad reputation with the teachers. One of the trio had to stay on their good side. Obviously it couldn't be Danny, and Sam was too argumentative, so it fell to him.

He sighed. Well, he could take a punch, too, if it came to that. He took off his glasses and put them on the back of the sink.

"What're you doing that for?" asked Dash.

"Good glasses are expensive, Dash," said Tucker, flatly, glaring up at the taller boy. "They're also made of glass. I don't want to be wearing them if you decide to hit me in the face."

Dash stared down at him, as though seeing him for the first time. He humphed. "You take all the fun out of it," he complained. "Come on, guys," he said to the other jocks, leading a parade out of the locker room. Tucker sighed and looked back at the mirror.

Eyeliner, huh? Dash probably would have been surprised to find out that Tucker had thought that he'd seen eye makeup on his face. Kohl. No. Not kohl. That was a recent word, and not completely accurate. Mesdemet for the black. Udju for the green. He blinked, unsure where the words had come from.

No, he knew where the words had come from. He just didn't want to think about it.

Danny stumbled into the room, banging the door behind him. "Hi," he said, waving at Tucker. He paused. "Are you okay? You look kind of..." Danny trailed off and shrugged.

"I'm fine," said Tucker. "Just talked my way out of getting beaten up by Dash."

"What, really?" asked Danny, his eyes flickering over Tucker. "Are you sure you're fine? He didn't hit you?"

"Nope. I'm really fine."

He hoped.

The archery club met right after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, regularly, contrasting with the computer club, which met 'whenever' and 'online.' Usually, meetings coincided with Danny getting detention and Sam's activist stuff. Tucker thought of these afternoons as their 'alone time.' Otherwise, they were, well, not quite joined at the hip, but...

It was a near thing.

Tucker wouldn't have minded if Sam and Danny did join the archery club (or the computer club, for that matter), but it could be nice to have some time away, so that he could sort through certain thoughts. Thoughts such as: What was happening to him?

Because he really had thought that he had thrown off the influence of Duulaman's ghost, or that weird staff, or Hotep-Ra, or whatever had been going on that week, and yet, here he was, over a week later, hallucinating himself wearing Egyptian makeup, of all things.

He squared himself on the edge of the archer range and checked that it was clear. The other members of the club were working with the closer targets. Tucker thought that he would challenge himself today. He pulled back.

The thing was, at the end, when Hotep-Ra was gone, and Tucker was back to himself, he had been able to use that staff, the Scarab Scepter, to return everything to normal. He wasn't sure he should have been. He had no idea how that staff worked. Yet, in that moment he had.

And he did look an awful lot like Duulaman.

"You're doing great today, Foley!" called the club advisor from across the range. "Are you sure you don't want to shoot competitively?"

Tucker rolled his eyes. "I'm sure!" Then he caught sight of his arrows. They were all clustered neatly in the bullseye.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Tucker was good. He wasn't, quite, that good. Not at this range. But, in the moment, as he was shooting, he hadn't registered anything as being unusual. He remembered looking at them as he was aiming, so he wasn't just spacing out.

Archery was practiced in Ancient Egypt, wasn't it? He remembered seeing murals. He remembered the sun shining down on his shoulders as his entourage...

... What?

Tucker frowned. This wasn't going to go away, was it?

The computer screen cast Tucker's dark bedroom in a blue light. The only sound was him typing away at the keyboard.

Tucker didn't want to worry Danny and Sam. Mostly Danny. He had enough to deal with without worrying that his best friends was going to go crazy and try to kill him. Again.

He cringed. He did not have the best track record when it came to that particular thing. Then again, neither did anyone else close to Danny.

Hence not wanting to worry Danny.

Maybe he should talk to Sam, though. Out of everyone he knew, she was the only one who'd been mind controlled in a similar way. She hadn't said anything about having hallucinations post-Undergrowth, but, then, she wouldn't, would she? Sam had the same reasons Tucker did for keeping quiet.

Tucker made a face at himself. It was probably a sign that their relationship wasn't as healthy as it looked, keeping secrets from each other like this. But... he knew Danny kept secrets. They all did, and they were fine with it. So, Tucker or Sam keeping secrets was fine, too.

As long as it didn't turn into murder attempts. That was not fine.

Tucker slipped his fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes and returned his attention to the screen. He was researching Duulaman, and had dived deep into the academic side of the internet. He'd come up against a dozen paywalls and dismissed them all with a few keystrokes.

Duulaman. Pharaoh of Kemet. A descendant of Hatshepsut and an ancestor of Tutankhamen. He had been a fairly progressive member of his family, restoring several of Hatshepsut's monuments after other of his ancestors had done their best to destroy them, making laws concerning the treatment of slaves and foreigners, and forging peace with neighboring countries. He had been well-liked, his popularity having been attested to even years after his death by inscriptions in other graves, praying that their inhabitants would find themselves under Duulaman's rule in the afterlife. He'd been famed for his athletic and magical abilities.

Sadly, academic publications were as skeptical about magic as they were about ghosts.

Tucker rubbed his eyes again.

Duulaman had been murdered. According to his brother, the pharaoh who had succeeded him, the deed had been done by an advisor whose name and image had been systematically removed from everything.

Probably Hotep-Ra. That fit with the ghost's whole thing, and the fact that Tucker couldn't find any information on him.

After another relatively fruitless hour, Tucker pried himself from the chair and went to bed.

He turned the fine silver mirror over in his hands, contemplating its polished surface. It had been a 'gift' from a Mitanni noble, and had carried a brutal curse into the heart of Kemet, but the curse was loose, now, wound around his very soul, and the mirror itself was merely a harmless, empty vessel.

One that Duulaman could learn from. He ran his fingers along the strange symbols scored on the outer edge of the mirror.

If his advisors would stop arguing for just a moment.

"We must attack at once!" said Hotep-Ra. "This insult against the person of god cannot be borne!"

"But it is harvest season," objected another. "We cannot afford to take the men from the fields. There would be famine!"

"Hotep-Ra," said Duulaman, softly, "brother of my heart, it was not even their king that sent this. Would you raze their whole kingdom and force a tragedy on their own for the sake of one man?"

"One who attacked you and our kingdom through dread magics?" asked Hotep-Ra. "Yes, my pharaoh."

"Then perhaps it is good that I am pharaoh. I know that you love me, but I have no desire for war. Even so," he said, raising his voice, "I have sent certain persons to correct the problem, and my brother has borne a letter to the Mitanni king, explaining the situation. It is true that this assault on our kingdom cannot be suffered quietly."

The advisors took that in. Duulaman turned to the Priestess of Mut and tried not to squint. She was just far enough away that he had trouble seeing her. Sadly, none of his magic had yet succeeded in giving him the eyes of a hawk, but he yet had hope.

"What say you about the curse?" he asked.

Duulaman was a powerful priest in his own right, favored by the gods and his ancestors, but he valued other opinions. Being the focus of the curse might have blinded him to certain aspects of its function.

The priestess bowed. "It is as we first feared," she said. "It binds your great soul, so that you may not pass into the green fields of the Duat when it is your time to do so. Instead, it decrees that, when you die, you must suffer to be born into a common line, far from your rightfully exalted place."

"And for Kemet? For my line?"

The priestess, an experienced woman who had served Duulaman's father, actually trembled. "That, whence your second life reaches the age of reason, you shall understand, and you shall see the last of the Pharaohs come to ruin, all our temples abandoned save for nonbelievers, your descendants crushed or cast into obscurity, your name stricken from history, and your tomb robbed by foreigners. She dooms you to watch the slow decay."

This was about what Duulaman had expected. He closed his eyes, pained. If only he had been more careful opening the box... but he had assumed it to be from Hotep-Ra, or his brother, or one of his sisters, for it had been among other, like gifts.

"I see. Fear not. I will take care of it. Kemet shall not fall within our lifetimes."

The relief in the room was palpable. They had faith in Duulaman's power.

Alas, that it might come to naught.

Tucker woke with a jolt, hand on his heart. He looked around wildly, relaxing when he saw the acid green numbers on his bedside clock. He was here. He was now. He was Tucker.

And it wasn't even time to wake up for school.

Wait. It was Saturday. He wouldn't have to wake up for school anyway.

Alright. So he might have, thousands of years ago, been Duulaman. Fine. He laid back down, breathing through his nose. He dealt with ghosts on a daily basis. He could deal with reincarnation. This was cool. This was fine.

He was definitely having a crisis.

Crap.

He fumbled for his phone, and hit the speed dial for Danny. Danny never slept anyway, it was fine. Besides, stuff like this was why Sam had bought him a phone (a Nokia brick, because ghost fights) in the first place. Dead people were Danny's specialty.

"What's wrong?" asked Danny, far too alert for the small hours of the morning.

"I think I might be Duulaman," said Tucker.

There was a beat of silence. "Yeah?" said Danny, confused.

"Like, I'm a reincarnation of him or something."

"Yeah?" repeated Danny. "I thought that was the whole reason you could use that staff and stuff?"

"Wait," said Tucker. "You mean, you knew all along, and you didn't say anything?"

"I thought you knew and didn't want to talk about it," said Danny. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just having weird Kem- Egypt flashbacks. I'm fine."

"Do you want me to fly over?"

"No," said Tucker. "I just- Am I still me?"

"I mean, you're you to begin with. You are yourself. That's like, definitional."

"Yeah, but..." Tucker gestured at his ceiling with his hand, even though Danny couldn't see it.

Danny chuckled. "You're still you, Tucker. I know Sam and I aren't always super sensitive, but... We do pay attention, you know? We'd know if you were being taken over. Maybe not right away, but..."

"Thanks," said Tucker, with only a little bit of sarcasm.

"Hey, I like to think we've all come a long way since the thing with Poindexter."

"True," said Tucker. "Hey, thanks, man. I'm sorry about waking you up."

"Don't worry," said Danny. "You didn't. I'd just caught Boxy when you called."

"Oh. That's good. Get some sleep, Danny."

"You, too. Tell me what Egypt was like tomorrow, okay?"

"Kemet," corrected Tucker. "And, yeah. Bye."

"What are you doing?" demanded Hotep-Ra.

Duulaman turned away from his ritual tools and fixed an un-amused eye on Hotep-Ra. "I may have made it your place to question me," said Duulaman, "but I thought I had made my decision on this matter clear. The method your faction proposed is too uncertain, too risky."

"I have made a mirror," said Hotep-Ra, "one that will recognize your soul in whatever body it should take. With it, we could search all of Kemet for you when you are reborn and then lay you properly to rest, as you deserve, before the curse comes to fruition."

"And if I should be born in lands beyond?"

"Then we should look there, too!"

"Starting all sorts of wars on the way, no doubt. Tell me, brother of my heart, what is the difference between the young man who falls in war, whose body is left for the crows, and the old man who is buried peacefully, and who will find joy in the Duat?"

"The devotion of his family!" responded Hotep-Ra instantly.

Duulaman shook his head sadly and looked back to his tools, touching them softly. He had already completed the ritual that would force the curse to carry his soul thousands of years into the future. By the time his next life reached the age of reason, there would be no pharaohs for the curse to affect. And if there were? Well, it would have been a good long time, and the curse would have weakened significantly. Perhaps even to the point of unraveling.

"No, Hotep-Ra. The difference between a tragedy and a happy ending is time. All kingdoms fall. All civilizations fade."

"Not this one."

"Even this one. The only questions are when and how."

"No," said Hotep-Ra. "No. Never!"

Duulaman felt, rather than heard, the scrape of metal against oiled leather and reached for his staff, which lay across from him, on the other side of his ritual. He was too late. He had trusted Hotep-Ra too much, let him get too close, and he felt the bronze knife slide between his ribs. His eyelids fluttered as his hands groped up his chest.

He was dying.

"I will see you, in the next life," he whispered, blood bubbling in his throat.

And then he was gone.

It was bright when Tucker woke again.

He felt... oddly calm. It was nice to know that he had succeeded in out-waiting the fall of Pharaonic Egypt, even though the fact that it was gone made his heart shiver.

Well. He pulled his phone over, and texted Danny. I know what it feels like to die, now, he said. Maybe they'd be able to bond over it. Or Danny would give him some coping pointers, since Tucker was pretty sure he'd have at least one breakdown over this. Either one would be good.

He stood up and walked to the bathroom. His reflection stared back, completely normal. No weird eye shadow, no Egyptian clothes, just Tucker and his pajamas.

Behind it stretched miles and miles of sand.

#danny phantom #dannymay #dannymay 2020 #tucker centric #day 3

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hljournal · 4 years ago

Photo

Today’s author is throwthemflowers / @hazzabeeforlou ! Don’t forget to give the fics kudos and leave a comment!

The Garden Part 2 (44k)

It's 1969 and Louis Tomlinson has returned from Vietnam wounded not only physically, but in sprit. When his only chance at healing comes from a source he cannot bear to remember, he's forced to test the strength of his love by not only forgiving himself, but stealing from God.

The Garden Part 1 (12k)

Through many centuries and reincarnations, the same fate always binds Louis and Harry’s souls together… an AU mirroring the parallel stories of David, Jesus, and Adam in the Bible, the three “Christ-like” figures in Biblical history. Harry plays these divine faces, and opposing him is Louis, the complication, the thwarter, the 5th century Jonathan who falls madly in love with his kingly father’s musician, the 1960s Judas whose loyalty to his carpenter best-friend-turned-energy-healer is sealed in a kiss, and in the present day, an Eve, who finds himself shipwrecked on a perfect island with a man known to the world as the twitter handle @sonofgod, a sad and bitter man who has lost all hope. As they grow to love each other, echos of their past lives haunt them, and Louis is faced with the ultimate temptation. A three part story spanning hundreds of years, dripping with sacrilege and doused with angst, dealing with questions of duty and fate and destiny and divinity and holiness, a re-telling of one of the oldest myths known to mankind centered around the bonds of love, a love so powerful that even death cannot touch it.

This Shit Is Bananas (2k)

Louis sees a boy talking to some fruit and falls the fuck in love.

Here To Take My Medicine (3k)

Harry Styles reads Goop and everything good 'comes' from it.

Singularity (2k)

Harry and Louis have mutually parted ways, but always seem to find themselves falling into each other's orbits.

To Be So Lonely (2k)

No one knows me, baby, the way you do...

Sequel to Singularity.

Kiss The Girl (48k)

Hopeless lesbian Louanna Tomlinson moves to St. Petersburg hoping to forget her recent heartbreak and get a fresh start amid the salty sea air. While working at a mermaid bar isn't exactly what she planned on, one particular mermaid catches her eye, and her heart; Harriet is a confounding confusion of innocence and eagerness, and Lou absolutely cannot figure her out. Harriet loves to swim, but can't touch the sea. She's eager for Lou to show her everything from vintage antique shops to the art of kissing, yet she seems always too wary, as if some shadow follows her footsteps every day, as if some truth could destroy the love that has grown between them.

Featuring girl love, ancient rituals, sea lore, and perhaps the most beautiful treasure in the entire ocean.

“We’re Having a Baby, My Baby And Me...” (1k)

Harry has one dream. Louis plays along.

Flawless (25k)

After a debilitating surgery, former concert pianist Harry Styles isn't able to come to terms with his new reality. Sundered from his high standards of performance, Harry can't seem to feel anything anymore, except perhaps interest in his favorite coffee shop's barista, a man who seems wholly unsuited for the job and whose blue eyes hold in them the same pain that Harry struggles with every day. When fate renders them more than mere acquaintances, Harry is forced to deal with the insecurities of his condition and his stubborn pride. Louis wants to love him, but Harry can't accept that, because he can't accept himself. And besides, he's never loved. He doesn't know how. He just wants to be able to play his piano like before, because it was safe, because at its keys he could control the roiling of his heart and funnel it into music. With love, things are much too risky. Why would he ever take such a chance?

Never Stare (2k)

Louis is trying to survive figure drawing class. The nude model is Harry. It's downhill from there.

Reindeer Games (19k)

Louis is a disgruntled elf and Harry is one of Santa’s reindeer. Featuring classic miscommunication, heaps of unrequited pining, gratuitous smut (with a bit of, shall we say, horseplay), a pinch of NYC holiday magic, and a sickening amount of Christmas Spirit.

Promise In The Sky (99k)

AU in which Harry Styles, a naïve, repressed, socially awkward Midwestern highschooler tries to navigate his fundamentalist evangelical parents and radically progressive older sister. He’s doing an okay job of this until the Tomlinson family starts attending Lakeside Baptist Church and a boy named Louis changes everything. Harry is forced to come to grips with his true self when Louis becomes more than just his best friend; but their relationship opens a can of worms and sends them on the most painful, heartbreaking journey of their young lives. They risk everything and nearly lose, and Harry learns that perhaps only one Bible verse is true: that perfect love casteth out fear.

Until You Remember (21k)

Talented London pianist Louis Tomlinson moves to a small coastal town to escape the elites of his job and the mundanity of his life. Through the music of Debussy he finds a charming, wonderful friend in Harry Styles, the fiancé of the town's mayor. Louis thinks his pining is in vain until he discovers that all may not be as it seems....

Silhouettes and a Little Black Dress (3k)

Or, when Harry and Louis have a tiff, Lou daydreams about Jamaica.

Under This Sun (2k)

Or, Louis is feeling discouraged about growing older until someone reminds him it's not so bad if you do it with the one you love

Perfect Now (7k)

To Be Real (3k)

#faaw #fics

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hermitcraftheadcanons · 4 years ago

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AU Raffle: Cryptid AU!

[COMPLETE]

The result of the random selection was the Cryptid AU! Multiple people suggested this, so I'm looking forward to hearing all the ideas and extensions you guys will come up with. This will be a masterpost collecting them all, and it will be pinned for the duration of the AU.

Original suggestion: "For the Raffle. Cryptid AU. None of the Hermits are truly human and they all are really powerful cryptids that are hiding their true nature. The catch! Every Hermit thinks the other Hermits are totally normal and they are the only cryptid one. Hilarity ensures with everyone trying to explain the extrange things that keep happening "

Some ideas I came up with:

- every Hermit is a cryptid or monster of some kind, except for Grian, who is fully human and completely clueless about everything that's going on (suggested by a previous ask)

- Team ZIT is an investigation group trying to prove the existence of cryptids, but each one of them is subtly trying to sabotage the investigation to hide their own cryptid-ness. None of the three know the other two are also cryptids. Hilarity ensues.

- Xisuma probably knows what's going on with everyone, but he's not saying anything

- Mumbo is doing an absolutely horrible job of hiding that he's a cryptid, but somehow people still don't notice. Iskall is probably the closest to figuring it out.

- VintageBeef has already figured out that Keralis isn't human, but Keralis is bribing him to keep quiet

I hope that's enough to get the ball rolling! Send in your ideas using asks, and I'll put them down here!

If you need ideas about which cryptid would fit best with which Hermit, this list may be helpful.

Anonymous Additions:

- I feel like xisuma should be some kind of shapeshifter

- cleo was brought back to life by a family that loved her very much- or at least, that was what they tried to do. in reality, they brought a completely new soul back in the body of a deceased relative. cleo felt uncomfortable around people who thought she was a different person than she was, so she ran away and eventually befriended the hermits bc she just felt ~drawn to them~. she disguises her bloodless skin and lack of body heat with thick clothes and lots of makeup

- Cleo, of course, is a zombie, but she also has ties to Cthulu that she doesn't really try to hide, but that people overlook all the time. I'm just saying, an avatar of an eldritch being having to be a zombie kinda makes sense...

- Cthulu needed a body, and this kind family was nice enough to supply one! It was kinda their fault really, praying to ancient gods and making deals without reading the fine print. Cleo might feel guilty, but it wasn't on her, not really

- cryptid au: joe isn't a human, but a changeling: a shapeshifting, nonhuman entity that evolved to invade human families like a cuckoo. he has the ability to bend light to make illusions, but he normally just uses his powers to make himself appear human. however he does like to make all lime green things he sees invisible, for the lulz

- What about mumbo being a vampire, it just introduces the idea of so many odd behaviors that the others are just oblivious to

- What if ren is a werewolf(I know it isn't original) and he just thinks of the other hermits as his pack and is therefor very protective of them

- Obligatory Ren is a Werewolf for the Cryptid AU. He is acts like a gigant puppy when he is in wolf form. Nobody questions why sometimes they found a gigant wolf trying to play fetch with them. But nobody is complaining. Everyone talks about it and Ren is just upset because the gigant pupper has never come to see him. Surprise!! Not even Ren knows he is a werewolf

- idk if your still doing cryptid stuff because i don't really know how this works but,, what if everyone thinks that Grian Is Something when he's not. They keep trying to figure it out by asking him weird questions or trying to get him to do weird stuff, but he still stays completely oblivious. And then since Xisuma knows what everyone is, he thinks it's hilarious trying to watch everyone try to find something that isn't there.

- Cryptid au: Doc has made it obvious that he is a cryptid like, he explains it so obviously even an idiot would tell that he's one, But no one has figured out yet. So after the 15th time of explaining things he decides to present how he's a cryptid, by making a goatess.

- For the au, I have 2 ideas for grian, either he is very outspoken about not believing in the super natural, or he very much does believe in the supernatural, either way he unknowingly befriends multiple cryptids and is very confused

- Cryptic AU: Tango has fire for hair, and no ones really questioned as to why?

- What if false was a siren, just because it seems like an interesting idea (my addition: Wels would also make a great siren)

- Stress seems like the type to be an elf, graceful and cheerful, and of course admiring nature's beauty

- What if Impulse was mothman, I like this idea because of the whole team zit being paranormal investigators and they just go looking for mothman on one trip, and Impulse is just standing there probably feeling a bit awkward

- If Impulse is Mothman and he can fly and Tango is like a fire demon that controls fire, is only fair that Zed is an aquatic Cryptid. Maybe related to a lake monster or he is a Sea Serpent

- Yeti Iskall getting used to the hot environment of the Jungle??? Maybe?

- i have no clue how this works but etho is related to ningen in a way (Antarctic sea creatures from Japanese folklore)

- Joe's poems seem to stick in your head, echoing around for hours after you hear them, ringing between your ears. Their subjects vary, but they often seem eerily prophetic, warnings encased in rhythm and rhyme. Sometimes you swear you can hear the soft scritch of a pen on paper, before you realize you are the only one around.

- Wait how the hell would jevin hide that fact he's a slime? Better yet how do the other hermits not put to and to together? Through I think jevin probably wouldn't even bother trying to hide it, I mean he's a huge blob of slime how would you not be able to tell

(my response, summarized) Jevin inhabits a body of slime because that's the easiest way to hide his true form. "Jevin" is a non-physical entity that can possess other lifeforms by destroying their will. He chose a slime this time because it was easy and inconspicuous.)

- Cryptid au: Team ZIT have a headquarters and they all pitched in to commission Etho to make their door bell chime, the ghost busters theme, and afterward interrogated Etho to the ground.

- Doc is not a creeper with cyborneticts. Doc is the AI that came with the cyborneticts and over-wrote the conciousness of the creeper. Figured that making Doc something else would be too dificult so maybe subverting what he is with what we got alredy is enough (like you did with Jevin)

- I am putting this here for vampire mumbo in the au because the thought will not leave my head. It's dark, and mumbo's eyes seem to reflect light very well, his canine teeth seem just a bit too long and sharp, they seem to be stained red,was he always this tall? Something about him seems off, he seems very elegant in this darkness.

- cryptid au: when joe was young, he was ignored so much that he turned invisible. you can still see his shadow but you could look directly at him and not see him there with the best tools. he disguises himself by staying quiet, using text to communicate with the other hermits or by covering himself with clothes and masks so nobody would be able to see his body even if he wasnt invisible.

- For the au I think that Iskall could be a dryad because of his base this season

- Imagine if you will: Tango leaves town for a bit so the team ZIT can't do their "investigations". Impulse gets bored and decided to pretend to kidnap Zedaph in mothman-form. When Tango returns, Zedaph tells him how he almost was kidnapped by Mothman (and is over-exaggerating on every detail)

- What if in the au there is a situation where team zit is in some sort of danger, and so each of them just independently decide that they have to reveal the fact of their cryptid selves, and they just collectivly think,"huh. Okay." And after they are safe, they just talk about it as a group

- Beef is big foot.

- Biffa looks like a robot or cyborg, which one? He won't say. Maybe its because its neither, maybe he's just a walking body with a mind, maybe he's just a suit of armor roaming the world, maybe a spirit or ghost from the past, maybe a mob whose inhabited and pilots the body, maybe he's just Biffa. Only he knows, but he won't say

- Cryptid AU: I’m just imagining zedaph or tango throwing a bell at grian in an attempt to “capture” him under the suspicion that he’s part fae or something at a server meeting

- About Cryptid!Wels, sometimes, when the night is dark and the world is silent, you'll hear it; a soft voice in the darkness. You can't help but listen to it as you get lost in the song, swaying to the melody as your foot moves to the beat. The song gets louder and your feet are more frantic as they seem to take you somewhere. Suddenly, the voice stops singing and so you stop moving, and when you open your eyes you find yourself on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. The siren lurks near

- Doc isnt a Creeper with cybrog parts but a robot made to look like a creeper, that arm and eye? yea just exposed parts from years of just not caring enough. He's waiting to see when someone will call him out on it. So far, only TFC and X but they like to watch how long this will go. Doc isnt even hiding anymore, he loves to mess with Grian by making remarks that imply he's a robot but Grian just can't figure it out

- tbh I love the idea of Joe as a regular human who just acts super cryptic and strange, and has a bit of skill at poetry. others try and figure out what he is, and he's just vibing in a corner, the last one anyone would expect to be the sole normal person on the server

- Cryptid AU. Joe and Cleo as the ‘One Bagel. No!! Two bagels!’ Vine. Joe being the one that asked and Cleo ignoring Cthulhu

- Joe starts sharing different ideas of what he could be, and only Cleo knows (mostly... she's the closest at least). Joe's mystery is a Hermitcraft classic, greeting every hermit except X, who still only has what Joe's told him to go on. He delights in the chaos he causes

- Scar is a poltergeist, he hides it well. One time Grian caught him using his powers, after scar fessed up, in private, they both bring some amount of chaos to the server, but not to much so the ZIT crypt hunters, name in progress, don't know about the chaos, thus not puting the duo in danger.

- Mumbo might be a vampire, but it isn’t for blood (at least, not anymore). Only Grian has come close to figuring it out, and it’s due to seeing how refreshed and satisfied his friend looks after being around 2+ groups of people. If only he would just straight up and ask. - 🦊

- Rather last minute but do you have any ideas of how Evil Xisuma could fit into this? Would he be a shapeshifter as well. A copy of X's true form? A demon haunting Xisuma? Just X's pesky brother? There's a handful of ideas I can't personally decide what would fit best. Maybe none of them at all, who know?

Cryptid Au. Xisuma shapeshifts for fun. Thats how we get Turtle!Xisuma, Beesuma and Stridersuma. All hermits just assume X changes his suit because they have never seen his face so there is no way for them to know he shifts. Also clasic headcanon that TFC is Herobrine and he is just laying low in Hermitcraft after years of going around worlds. Everyone knows the legend about Herobrine but have not connected the dots yet because TFC is just everyone’s grandpa. No way he could be Herobrine.

- @/ivi-prism

- While most might assume that Grian would be a harpy, its actully Scar. He's incredibly flexable in Human form, hes able to manuver his foot behind his head, and moret than once has Cub walked in on Scar with a living fish in his mouth. He never questioned it because "Hey, Vex magics weird."

- Imagine- sytyr Zedaph and Fae Impulse walking in on Willowwisp Tango who,because willowwisps are typically tiny, shrunk in response to panic and is now stuck in a caldron. I think that be hilarious. Just the idea of impulse going-"YOUR A CRYPTID?" while Zed just "WAIT I KNEW I DIDNT BURN THOSE PAPERS!" Which leads into a discussion of ZIT internal sabotage, and suddenly ZIT invesigation changes direction from "Are cryptids real" to "Is anyone else a Cryptid cause this cannot be a Coincidence"

- @/crypticalwitch

- Cryptic AU: Tango can also control his hair, to an extent. He can slick it back, but it still looks like burning embers. It's a bit mesmerizing

- Cryptid AU: Cub was a normal guy, maybe with some weirder interests, before the Vex. "Playing" with their magic too much is what made him a cryptid. So maybe he understands that the other hermits aren't exactly "human". But it isn't his business, and it means they don't question what the Vex get him into, so he just doesn't say anything about it

- Cryptic AU: Team ZIT's strongest evidence for Grian is the fact he's a master with an elytra, especially since he first said he "might use it a little bit" for long journeys. He's flown into a dark hole in a dark wall that's barely big enough to fit him multiple times, with ease, among other risky stunts that would get other hermits killed. The fact there's not much else to go on, besides his pranking zeal only matched by Zed himself, drives them up the wall

- Cryptic AU: when you stay out too long at night, you might start to feel watched. You'll turn around and nobody is there, but still you feel eyes on your back, and the breeze always seems hot and brushes your neck like too-close breathing and a hand. Finally, you catch it: a familiar figure that stands too stiffly, always just too far away to name. Then it vanishes with an airy shriek, and phantoms descend from the stars. Bdubs did always say the worst things happen in the night.

- Cryptic AU: Impulse's smiles are just a little too big. If you look at one too long, you feel as though it's stretching wider and wider, the cheery shine in his eyes twisting into a hungry gleam, but then you blink and he's back to normal ol Impulse and you question if you really saw anything. That time you saw his smile glinting in the darkness just beyond your bed must've been a nightmare. Your imagination.

- Cryptic AU: Don't look into his eyes. Look in, and you will see the universes. Billions of stars, trillions of futures, all impossibly swirling together, hauntingly beautiful. You'll fall down, down, down through the glittering spirals, until with a breathtaking snap you're on your knees, on solid ground. You're lucky he doesn't want to keep you, like others might. The lives and worlds you glimpsed will echo through your mind, weave through your dreams. Do not fear. Do not look into his eyes.

- The mountain is his territory. If you enter it unbidden, he will ensure you leave, lucky to keep your life. His contraptions are nonsense, seeming to serve no purpose other than to confuse. They distract from how the air crackles on your skin, how it tastes of storms and thunder. They distract how, from the corner of your eye, Zedaph's limbs are too long, fingers with too many knuckles and legs with too many knees. All angles and bones, like his designs. Do not look too closely at his garden.

- Everyone learned not to ask about him. Mostly because in trying to form the question, you'll find the words slipping from your mind. So Tango's hair burns, his eyes are red cherries. In the darkness he glows, the embers of a forgotten fire. His skin is always hot, almost feverish, yet he isnt sick. If he gets too close to lava, the illusion fades, reveals the magma that forms his skin. Illusion? No, that was just a burn. He relishes the smoke and rubble of explosions. Control. Always controlled.

- xB doesn't mind being away from the other hermits. It's quiet there; far enough away that most aren't bothered to prank him. He doesn't like surprises. Surprises get people hurt. Gets his friends hurt. His guardians appreciate the still predictability. The calm. Yes, he prefers to sit back, quiet, and watch. If he looks too long, bad things happen. So he observes it all, never focusing too much on one detail, never letting them go unseen. It prevents surprises.

- Because that last one wasn't all that clear, xB is a guardian-based cryptid! While nothing seems inhuman about him at a glance, he has a close affinity to water, and when threatened the spines he hides with his clothes will stick out. (Guardians only spawn in water, but they actually don't suffocate in air! Though their desperate flopping is a sad sight to behold) Plus, laser-eyes

- Xisuma wasn't always able to change his form as easily or drastically as he can now. But by now, he's forgotten his own face. Now, he'll feel his skin, his body begin to itch with the need to change. He's glad the hermits don't seem to care when he does. Keralis's mimicry was a surprise, but a welcome one. He feels less alone. Loneliness is how he would lose himself. He's scared of that possibility.

- When he sleeps, he walks through the minds of those whose eyes met his, as if it were his own dream. He'll hear their thoughts as if they were his own. He doesn't like this. It feels like an invasion. He feels like a parasite, and maybe he is. Whoever he dreamed through last, they seem exhausted and jumpy after, while he feels energized, near invincible. It's through this ability he knows their deepest secrets, but they aren't his to tell. Sometimes, he wishes he could understand. (Xisuma pt 2)

- Cryptid AU: another reason that Grian cant possibly be a human is his clothes. Just. How does he have something for every occasion. He even has a janitor one? Why did he have that? This "man" doesn't own a single closet yet has at least 20 different costumes-- not to mention you blink and he's changed! Wh- he had a REAPER costume for himself AND SCAR???

- @/basaltdragon

- Cryptid AU: Grian used to be against cryptids because of Sam (YHS) and his bunny attributes, but has since accepted the fact Sam was just a bad apple, and cryptids as a whole are neutral/good.

- Your heart, it beats, like redstone ticking away within you. He knows redstone through and through... so why not you too? Every pulse sent though the machine of your body is one more reason for him to reverse engineer you. But he restrains, takes a step back, as these machines could never be put back together.

- He's been here since the beginning; not of Hermitcraft, but everything. Watching as the game evolved over the years... He smiles at the thought. His hair now matching his eyes - like harsh reflective snow - he recalls these memories fondly. As his eyes fade to their piercing blue, he sighs, for this is home.

- When any of the other Hermits (at least the ones with blood) get injured, Mumbo has to step away. The need for their blood, their lifeforce, is too overwhelming.

- @/12u3ie

- Cryptid AU: with the team ZIT headquarters I thought of something similar to the TEA headquarters from season 3. Probably more confusing, colourful and chock full of even more excessive redstone doors. Why not add another elevator? Where's the coffee machine? Maybe the next room over? Was that corridor there before? I don't know. What's the use of that room? What's behind that door? What's behind you?

- Cryptid AU: with the whole burning hair thing on Tango, another explanation for why no one questions it. That's just Hermitcraft, people just assume he either royally messed up a redstone machine, or succeeded completely, you never know with Tango. Or maybe they think they're sleep deprived. They haven't slept in a while, Bdubs has been reminding them to do so. What were they doing? Maybe they should go home instead. Whatever they were doing can probably be done later. What were they doing?

- @/the-royal-bat-snake

- If joe is a changing then he is some kind of fae folk or as the irish and the Scots call them "the good neighbours" he could like anything, from a human, a small man, like knee height or a small green impish or goblin esque creature. Also changlings were the very old fae folk, not just the babies (humma women were stolen to be nurse maids cus fae folk cant make milk, also stolen to be mistresses) I know a lot of irish faerie lore so if you want to know anymore

- @/whatschooldoesntteachyou

#hcraft #hermitcraftheadcanons #hermitcraft #hermitblr #mod shade #au raffle #cryptid au #hermitcraft server

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axe-trio-commanders · 3 years ago

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OC Interview: Zori Sunblade

Draw (or use an old drawing, don’t worry!) or take a screen of your character in an interview setting and make them answer the following questions!

INTRODUCTION

Can you introduce yourself?

"That, uh... depends- this isn’t going on public record, right? I mean- not immediately?” [redacted] “Okay, yeah, after my death is... well- no, maybe Seremnis’ death. Or whenever she wants- okay, give it to her after my death and she’ll- yeah. Okay.” Shuffling and creaking of leather. “Zori Sunblade, member of the Sun warband, magister of the priory, pact commander by title, uh... oh- leader of Dragon’s Watch. And uh. Charr. Ranger. Uhm... hi?”

What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship status?

“...Uh... I think...” mumbled “...burn me I hope I remember the meaning of these right, been a while-” regular voice “Uh- she/her... lady friends, so far, and- actually been married for a while.” [She shows of a ring around her left-hand ring finger. Its gem gives off a faint glow.] “Still sort-of figuring out what that means, but I think I’ve got most of it down.”

Where and when were you born?

"...I, uh... hm. Lend me some paper and quill?” [Paper and quill is lent.] “...So it’s... 34, and that was... 25, when I was...” [She nods and taps the pen affirmatively on the paper.] “1306 AE, at, uh... all I remember or have been told is growing up in a fahrar around Rin.”

What is your weapon of choice and fighting style?

“That depends. I can snipe pretty good with a longbow, but torch and axe are my go-to for close range... sometimes a dagger if I need to be a bit less conspicuous.”

Lastly, are you happy?

“...Well, that uh. That escalated quickly, huh?” laugh “Ah... sometimes. Sometimes... it’s- I guess I don’t clearly remember now if it’s harder than it used to be, but... I’m working on it.”

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

“Dragon’s Watch is my family. As is my warband, Aurene... Canach’s in there somewhere, too. It’s... I dunno. Some of them... still look up to me, I guess, after everything- some of them know me to well, some of them... I don’t know. Warband’s... complicated, right now, and I’ll probably always worry about Aurene... the people that know the most want to help, I know they do, it’s just... it’s hard to believe things will get better sometimes.” laugh “Probably not the best thing to hear from the charr you’ve put in charge of saving Tyria for the past nine years, huh?”

Have you ever ran away from home?

“...I... I don’t know. Maybe that’s what I’m doing now- burn me, I... really don’t think I can go back to the legions now, regardless of if things are changing or not. Don’t really think there’s been another... place I’ve ever called home.”

Would you consider marriage or having children?

“I mean- kinda too late to have second thoughts on marriage, huh? Ah, not that I would. I don’t think I’d want to live without her at this point, being honest...” Tapping of claws “...Cubs, though... I don’t know. Not now, definitely. If I’m going to be taking care of cubs, It’s not going to be at a time where I can’t do it myself. Be there for them. Burn me, I’ve had far too many examples of what happens when you don’t.” Pause “...Have sometimes fantasized about a quiet house somewhere in the woods, though. Whenever the disaster’s over.”

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

“...Why would you call them your friends if...? No, if that was even a question. I’ve made it very clear who I hate, and... burn me, I guess... yeah, the only one who isn’t dead is Phlunt. And... Bengar, probably. Not sure if he’s, uh. Stable, right now? Not- I mean I don’t go out and murder whoever annoys me, that’s not- it’s a short list. It’s a very short list. I’m not going to murder someone over, like... burnt toast or something. That sort of thing is reserved for endangering my family.”

Which friend knows everything about you?

“...I- mm... I... some of them know more than others. Definitely, people in my family know more than people outside of it- ...burn me, I... I think, alltogether, if everyone I knew pooled knowledge they’d have everything, but... not any one. It’s... it’s habit, I guess.”

ASKED BY FANS

“Please tell me you’ve filtered these beforehand.”

Are you literate? Have you been to school?

"Okay, good start, uh... I mean, I’ve been through the fahrar, obviously, and I’m also a priory magister- I learned a lot more about the... being literate there, but at this point in my life I’m writing-fluent in New Krytan, old charr pathfinding symbols, ancient orrian... in the process of learning a couple others, too. Can’t hurt.”

The eeriest prediction you made that later came true?

Snort “I’m not allowed to die. I mean- burn me, what else am I supposed to take away from the fact that I died- actually went-to-the-mists died, and got told by the messenger of a human god that I, of all people, could go back? Had to, in fact? ...Burn me, I should probably be happy about that, but. Implication’s aren’t great there.”

What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

“...That I’m... that there are people who’d miss me. Not- not miss the commander, but... I expected people would- mourn, write songs or whatever once I actually kicked the bucket, but it’s all a bit... hollow, when most of them don’t even know my name- and to some degree, that’s purposeful. They can- they can mourn the role I filled, the stuff I did, that’s fine, that’s not going to destroy them, not going to hurt for more than a... week, maybe. And everyone else- even the closest people- burn me I’m supposed to be dead. Not only was I, but there’s no- there’s no logical reason I’ve survived all this. Gods and Elder dragons have wanted me dead- entire factions, powerful people- I’m not allowed to die by- by fate, or whatever, but nothing else in Tyria wants me here, so I- you expect people to expect it, at least. To be prepared for it. I want them to be, for their own sake, but...” long sigh “...I... tried to get my warband to leave. Now that they knew... where I’ve been. What I’ve been doing, and... it really shouldn’t have been such a shock that they were worried about me. That... that they, and... everyone who knows how bad it’s gotten wants me to get... better. That I even have that option.”

Do you have mental health or physical issues?

quiet “...I don’t think any of us came out of this unscathed.”

What is your current main goal?

“...I think... I think I will just- just focus on getting better, now. I- burn me, it’s going to give me anxiety like nothing else to leave this to anyone, but I’ve- ...guess this is the first I’ll say it outside of closed circles, but I... I think I’m giving up the title of commander. I don’t think- that’s not going to mean I’m not around, I’m... probably not even leaving Dragon’s Watch, but... it’s time to hang the regalia up, at least. Leave the final say to someone else.” Laugh “Definitely not gonna miss the politics. May I never have to see Phlunt’s face again.”

CHOICES

Drink or food?

“...Oh, the hard questions are over now? Er- sort of? ...I mean, you need both to... live, so... Hm. I mean- I’ve had some really good food, Dragon’s Watch has one of the best chefs, but- if you’ve ever had an entire jug of water past the height of the moon, you know exactly my dilemma here.

Cats or dogs?

“This is what we call a ‘false dichotomy’. Both. Duh.”

Early bird or night owl?

“...I, uh. I’m not sure I’ve had a steady sleep schedule, for... five? Years? I guess if you do want to wake me up without either food or news of immediate disaster that needs fixing, I might consider physical harm, so... whichever one that is.”

Optimist or pessimist?

“That depends. On the subject of how good today’s food will be? Optimist. On Phlunt ever caring for anything other than his own pride and wellbeing? Pessimist.”

Sassy or sarcastic?

“...There’s a difference? Everyone I’ve met has both or neither.”

HAVE YOU EVER-

-been caught sneaking out?

“Nope. I was raised Ash, and I was good at it.”

-broke a bone?

“...I... I don’t think I have, actually. Probably got just about every other possible injury, but... not that yet.”

-received flowers?

“...I, uh. Eheh... The, uhm. The first time my, uh- now-wife sent me flowers, I... didn’t know what they were for? And sort of. Ate them.” pause “...They were... definitely not meant to be eaten. They were anonymous- she told me about it later- so I thought someone was trying to poison me until a close friend explained what getting flowers meant.” pause “...Burn me, I have no idea how long she was trying to flirt with me until I managed to catch on.”

-ghosted someone?

“...Have I mentioned the time I burned to death?”

-pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get?

“...Wait, that’s- that’s a thing? I could have been telling terrible, incomprehensible jokes this whole time and I have no way to even know?! I- ...no, I haven’t, I guess. I just sort of... sit there confused...”

“...That’s the last one? Really? Sort of an awkward way to end it. Well, uh... remember the release protocol we agreed upon. Whole buncha people are gonna be upset if you don’t- most of which know how to hide bodies. Not... not sure why I know so many of that type of people, to be honest with you.”

#zori sunblade #oc interview #icebrood saga spoilers #path of fire spoilers #yes i did do the math on those years. yes i am making this cannon.#yes zori is 28 years old as the current story stands #there's a good reason most of the charr she knows think of her as a cub

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marril96 · 4 years ago

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Rowena Said

Pairing: Rowena x reader

Summary: Rowena says a lot of things. Not all of them are true.

Editor: @miss-moon-guardian

*****

Rowena once told you she couldn't love. Pride tinged her face as she said it, as if it were an accomplishment, a feat she'd worked hard to archive. It was never a secret, her disdain for emotions, her complete and utter indifference to them. As if they were beneath her, filth under bear the soles of her high heels. Too lowly. Too human for a witch of her caliber — a witch she'd fought tooth and nail to become.

She told you she didn't cook or clean. That was what the maids were for, she reasoned. She was a lady, a missus, a queen in everything but title; housework was as beneath her as emotions.

She said she hated modern music, and proclaimed — loudly, without a shred of hesitation — her disdain for contemporary art, finding it stale, tasteless. Lacking everything that made it mean something, that made it burrow itself into people's hearts like a benevolent ghost. Nothing could compare to the good old times, she said. The muses must have abandoned humanity long ago.

She said she was the best, and the Grand Coven was beneath her. That they only bound her magic because they were frightened of her greatness for they knew they could never reach their own. That they were persecuting her — hunting her — because she was everything they wanted to be and never could. Because she was born with power, and they were born with nothing. Because she wouldn't let them control her, reign her in and tame her like an animal. Because she was better.

Rowena said she was a horrible mother, and openly expressed her disdain for children. It wasn't that she wanted to hate her son; that was just the way she was, as inborn as the red of her hair and the green of her eyes.

She claimed to hate people, humans and monsters alike. Said she felt no remorse at taking a life, innocent or not. Nobody was innocent, she mused. They'd all done something; they'd all caused pain and ruin. Had to have for, at their core, they were living beings. Their hearts beat and blood pumped in their veins. They were capable of bad as well as good, and they had to have given in, at least once. Innocence was a myth sold to the masses to manipulate them, to make them feel guilty. Rowena was long past that.

She said she trusted no one, and advised you to do the same. People would only hurt you, she told you. They would rip your heart out when you least expected it, and stomp on it until it was in ruins. Until you were in ruins. They didn't care about you, so why should you extend that courtesy to them? You owed them nothing, and they had no right to expect otherwise. Sweet words and hugs were meaningless. Too risky in such a cruel, cruel world.

She told you Lucifer was safe. She didn't trust him — she simply relied on him. He was her (and, by extension, your) way to the greatness she deserved, that she was owed. She assured you it would be okay.

When it turned out to not be okay, and you were bawling your eyes out, thinking her dead, she told you she'd been stupid. It was the first time you'd heard her speak negatively about herself. Rowena MacLeod had the/an ego the size of the entire world; she didn't bring herself down. Not ever.

That was when things started to change.

She spoke of revenge, of everything bad she wanted to do to the Devil and knew she couldn't for he was an archangel and she was a witch whose magic had been bound.

She convinced you to give Amara a try, and then that the Winchesters and Crowley were a safer bet. They could take care of Lucifer, she said, and the two of you wouldn't have to live in hiding anymore. You could be free again.

As the world started going to hell, she proposed a spell of going back in time. You could live out your lives in the middle ages, and, as per the witch Clea's suggestion, in Ancient Greece. It would be fun, she said. You weren't too happy about the idea, but you agreed. You would do anything for her, anything she asked. Anything to be with her, even if it meant living in times that scared you, that weirded you out with their difference to what you were used to.

To your relief, when Sam Winchester came with a proposal of partnership, Rowena agreed. She told you Lucifer couldn't hurt you. She promised she would make sure of it.

Upon noticing your discomfort, she said her flirtation with God meant nothing. She was just having some fun, she said. Nothing serious. Nothing worth getting upset over.

And later, in the Bunker's kitchen, when you were sobbing about the world's inevitable end, and admitting your feelings out loud — for what did it matter anymore? You were going to Hell anyway. There was no point in pretending you saw her as just a friend — she took your hands, said she liked you, as well, and kissed you for the very first time, and it was everything you dreamed of and more. So much more that you no longer feared Hell for you'd finally gotten a taste of Heaven.

She told you you were beautiful. She called you her wee lass, and you, in turn, proclaimed her your girl.

She called you darling, dear, love. Made you hers in actions as well as words.

She held you. Cherished you. Kissed you over and over like an addict, always craving more, and you were more than willing to give it.

She told you she loved you, out of the blue, completely unexpected. An unusual proclamation for, as loving as she was, she preferred to show it in actions rather than words. Your startled look frightened her, made her flinch, and you could tell she was flashing back to her last love, the one who'd promised her the world and had abandoned her helf dead, her thighs slick with blood, a screaming infant in her arms.

It was over in an instant for your smile, big and bright as summer skies, elicited one of her own, and before she could utter another word, your arms were thrown around her and you were holding her tight and promising it was forever. Promising you were forever, if she wanted you.

She told you she did. More than anything, ever.

She called you silly names — Scottish, and you always demanded an explanation. When Rowena was feeling petty, you had to resort to Google — and chastised you when you messed the simplest things up. Half-heartedly, of course, for it seemed she was incapable of getting angry at you. True anger, the kind where her magic flared and sparked and destroyed everything in its path. That was reserved for enemies. For hunters, demons, and unfriendly witches. The worst your arguments elicited were eye-rolls and doors slamming shut as she walked away, stomping like a pissed off rabbit — an adorable, pouty pissed off rabbit.

After her last horrid death at the Devil's hands, Rowena told you she was scared. She tried to keep it to herself, but it was hard to hide the nightmares that drenched her in sweat, and screams and flashbacks in the middle of the day. She told you she was terrified. Called herself pathetic, a weakling. You were quick to assure her she was not. She was just in pain. PTSD was tough on a person.

She tried to deny she had it, but eventually had to look the facts in the face. The symptoms were there, painted in her every move, every twitch. She had post-traumatic stress disorder. And she was terrified of it.

She said she missed her son, and expressed regret you'd never before seen on her face, especially about her treatment of him. She'd been a horrible mother to him. She'd hurt him. Abused him. Abandoned him like he was trash she couldn't wait to get rid of. He'd been the one person who'd loved her unconditionally, who'd depended on her, and she'd let him down. She'd put him through hell. And when she'd found him again all these centuries later, she'd proceeded to do the same.

She told you she let down everyone in her life. Fergus. Oskar. Herself. And, eventually, she would let you down as well. You took her hand and told her — promised her, swore it on your life — that would never happen. She was a different person now. She'd changed.

She thought herself unworthy of redemption, only to be assured by you, and later by the Winchesters, that there was a chance for her. She could redeem herself. She could become a good person. In your eyes, she already had.

She talked sweet to you when you were sick. Made you potions and let you rest on her chest. Rocked you like a child in need of comfort.

She expressed her distaste at the amount of sugar in your tea and coffee, but still made them for you every single morning — exactly the way you liked them, sugar galore. She cooked your favorite foods to surprise you, and made you that cake you liked but couldn't seem to get the recipe to work. She made it work.

She took you out to shop, and complimented every outfit, even those you felt insecure wearing. Especially those. She made you feel comfortable wearing clothes you didn't think flattered you. "What is a body but a canvas?," she would say. "What is fabric but a brush and paint?" She thought you beautiful, and, by doing so, made you feel beautiful. Made you feel like a queen walking by her, an actual queen in everything but title.

She praised any work you did. Encouraged your hobbies, however strange she might have found them. Taught you the most difficult spells, and ensured her it was okay if you couldn't cast them perfectly right away. Some things took more practice than others. There was potential in you; you just had to work hard for a little bit longer.

She was right, every single time.

She learned from you what love was. That it wasn't a weakness. That it shouldn't hurt. She wasn't afraid of it anymore; she loved you openly, without fear, without shame. Without even a sliver of a doubt about your feelings.

You told her she looked happy. She said that she was. Had never been happier, and she had you to thank for it.

Rowena said a lot of things. Some of them were lies, and others the utmost truth. Some were insecurities baring their pointed teeth. Desperation and fear, thick as the blood in her veins. Pain. Sorrow. Helplessness she would never admit to out loud. Then there was confidence, loud as her voice, never wavering. Never backing down. Inner strength that rivaled her magic.

She was a complicated creature. One of a kind. An acquired taste.

You regretted not a single thing.

*****

Tags: @werewolfbarbie @oswinthestrange @songofthecagedmoose @apurdyfulmind @getthesalt-sam @metallihca @salembitchtrials @jay-eris @hellsmother @elizabeth-effie @shadowgirl-vsb @rowenaswife @wonderifshelikesroses @xfireandsin @liddell-alien @hotdiggitydammit @lae-lae @darkhumorsblog @angel7376 @cherrypierowena @evil-regal-vampiress @hellbentredhead @angel-e-v-a @a-queen-and-her-throne @carryon-doctor-lock @fangirlxwritesx67 @theeasterbilby @midnight-lestrange @oster-hagen @impala-1979

#rowena #rowena macleod #spn #supernatural #spn family #fanfiction #fanfic #my fics #rowena x reader

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dammitadolfnomorecake · 4 years ago

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Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 200

200

Standing in the childhood home of Keith, Lance felt as if he was trespassing on the site of ancient and important ruins. The shack had been made by Jeong, according to Krolia, his little anger muffin inheriting none of his dad’s skill. After 20 years of abandonment, there wasn’t a space that was coated in thick dust or cobwebs. As much as Lance wanted to explore, he felt it’d be best if he remained outside so as not breath in anything nasty, or be reduced to a coughing fit... Especially not after the extra bumpy drive in which Krolia seemed to find every single rut and dip in the dirt road.

Having the memory of the living space imbedded in his mind, made it easy to fill in spaces with his imagination. Keith and his dad would have totally eaten in front of the TV. Keith would have played with the long discarded toys still left on the floor. No one had packed the house up. It still looked ready for Keith and Jeong to walk back into their lives, if you didn’t take into account the dust. Just how it’d remained standing astonished him more than the fact they were at Keith’s childhood house. This was the place Krolia and Jeong had called home. This was where they’d been happiest. And now it was... empty and hollow. Waiting for it’s owner that’d never come home.

Hearing Keith sneezing, Lance turned to very carefully lean on the front pole that supported a slim roof over the front door. His fiancé bound to have inhaled enough dust now that his nose would itching madly. God. His fiancé... Warmth swelled in his chest as his cheeks dusted red. Yeah, it’d be a long while before he didn’t feel giddy at mentally calling Keith his fiancé. He’d waited, not sure it’d happen quite so soon, and yet, on top of having now known him for 365 days, Keith had agreed. Lance accidentally true to his sentimental heart, not realising the date until he’d seen the date on his phone earlier.

A few moments later, Keith came out covered head to toe in cobwebs and dust, nose wrinkling as he examined himself in the light of day. How lucky he was to have this idiot who resembled a cobweb brush

“This is insane. Dust should have a limit. You should be allowed a maximum quota and once you’ve reached it, it shouldn’t be allowed to settle”

Trying to pull cobweb from his hair, Keith rubbed it between the thick locks. How he’d managed to survive being an adult as long as he did, was kind of a miracle

“Come here, you. I’ll do it for you”

Obediently Keith stood still as Lance dusted him off. Both of them wanted to say something to the other, yet neither knew what to say. Lance didn’t want to push Keith into talking. Not when he had to process the fact he was once again back where everything had started for him. The home they’d had in Cuba had been brought by family, Lance hadn’t had a chance to go there with him Mami and do the whole “I remember... thing”. He wondered if Keith had remembered anything at all, yet suspected he didn’t from the look in his eyes. Guilt didn’t suit Keith. He much preferred him smiling, so he did the only thing he could think of to make Keith smile and kissed on the tip of the nose.

Rubbing where Lance had kissed, Keith’s nose twitched. A sneeze forming then getting stuck as his fiancé partially opened his mouth only for nothing to come out

“The internet says if you say “sneeze”, it should help”

With an unimpressed look, Keith’s breath caught before finally sneezing ridiculously hard. The werewolf wiping at his nose as Lance watched, kind of finding it cute. Not the sneeze but the sheer unhappiness over how the sneeze had gotten stuck then the force of it

“Better?”

“Mhmm. Don’t go inside, it’s dusty”

“Thanks for the warning, babe. I’ll keep that in mind as I watch from out here”

“That’s why you’re the smart one... we...”

Keith sneezed twice, just as hard as that first sneeze before groaning and rubbing his nose on his hand

“We should have aired the shack out”

They couldn’t go back in time and do that now, plus they’d have to remember to close the place back up. Krolia had found the spare house key, buried inside a bottle that was buried in where Lance assumed once was a small garden under the front window. Sand had swallowed it all. Then they’d found lock had seized, obviously, and needed a little “help” to open. It was sad

“It’s too late now. How do feel being back?”

“I... thought maybe I remembered like fragments, but I don’t remember much of anything. Mum does... she’s going from room to room... but I feel like a stranger”

Keith was on the edge of tears. Lance taking his face in his hands

“It’s okay not to remember everything or anything immediately. It’s okay because being here means you get to make some new memories. I know the dust is depressing, but under that, I see a home where you played on the floor. Where you and your dad eat in front of the TV. Where he tucked you into bed every night. It feels depressing and cold right now, probably completely unimaginable that you lived her, but this is another part of knowing your dad. We should take some photos. It doesn’t matter if you’re not up to looking at them now, at least you’ll have them for when you’re ready”

“I wanted everything to come back”

“I know, babe. Maybe some things will once your brain starts putting the pieces together. The important thing is not to be mad at yourself for something you have no control over”

Keith snorted, before sighing

“I don’t know what to do”

“Let the house air a bit, then take photos. Mum’s stories might be hard to hear, but they’re all part of the puzzle”

Trying his hardest to be supportive, Keith simply rolled his eyes at his words

“I think I really fucking hate puzzles”

“Nah. I bet given the chance, you’d be a total ho for puzzles”

“I’m a ho for you”

“I know. You know, it’s kind of nice out here”

There was no one around, other than the other 3. No cars. No noisy traffic. No people... it was essentially a house in the middle of small desert. Weeds seem to even give the grounds around the house a miss, and there were no trees which meant no birds or animals around. What had Joe been through that had led him to such an isolated life? Or was it because people were racist dicks that he’d chosen to carve out his own small part of the world. To think in a way Lance was kind of like him. With his house out where no one was. Living alonish... Now the house was filled with noises, he liked it much better.

“The location does have its charms”

A peaceful existence was all Lance had wanted. With Keith around, Joe’s existence would have become all more happier

“Probably not when you’re a little kid, but you would have had all Joe’s attention when he was home”

“Because there’s a great lot of other things to do”

“Babe, you’re still a handful as it is. I bet he loved every moment he spent in this home with you”

“Maybe”

“Nope. “Definitely”, is the word you’re after. I know from personal experience... well, after you stopped thinking I was trying to trick into thinking you hadn’t turned”

Keith groaned

“I’m never going to live that down”

“Nope. But hey, you’re the cutest not turned vampire around, so it worked out in the end. How’s your ego feeling?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s sad, but mum keeps talking and it doesn’t know what to do”

“If it gets too much, let me know. I can totally fake sick if you need”

Keith kissed his palm, the action soft and sweet, even with his dirty face

“You’re too good to me”

Chuckling, Lance sensed an impending loop on the horizon. Keith could say what he wanted, yet Lance knew he was the one lacking. His fiancé was so fucking strong

“We’re not going into that again. I love you, babe. You should go back in if you feel up to it”

“Will you come?”

He hadn’t wanted to intrude, or face the dust, but Keith was asking so he couldn’t say no

“Sure...”

Keith let himself be lost in thought on the drive back from his father’s shack. When he’d been a teen, he’d been so desperate to find his way back there. Now he’d been there, the place was... depressing. Krolia had scavenged up the few photos that mould hadn’t destroyed, as well as a few other small pieces. Shiro kept casting glances at him, and Lance had a coughing fit so hard that Keith winced for his fiancé.

He’d come to find out about his dad... He now knew things he hadn’t known before, but it’d also reinforced that his family was nothing like Lance’s. Lance would have kept up the maintenance of the shack. He would have come out every so often to wipe away the layers of dust lovingly and air the place out. Any repairs that needed doing, he would have done it all without a second thought. Heck, Lance had had his eyes on all the things wrong with the place like he was daydreaming about fixing them all... and now his fiancé was snoring softly as he leaned into Keith in the back of Shiro’s sedan. At least they had a room. Shiro, Krolia, and Curtis were all going to have to check in while covered in filth, whereas he could whisk Lance away and clean them both up.

Slowly they made their way back to town, and Lance managed to stay asleep right up to Krolia jerking the car to a stop in the hotel parking lot. Blurry sleepy eyes blinked up at him at him, Lance realising he’d fallen asleep and going to apologise. Keith kissing the words away. He didn’t need to apologise for anything. Not as far as Keith was concerned. Having Lance with him for all of this was more than enough. Undoing his belt, Shiro turned back to grin at them like he’d never seen them snuggled up before

“You guys need any help?”

“Nah, I’ve got him. You guys alright to check in?”

“We’ll work it out. Want to grab some lunch?”

Lunch would mean talking and Keith didn’t want a concerned Shiro questioning what he did and didn’t remember. He was too busy being mad at himself for not remembering

“I think I’m going to take a nap and grab something later. Today was... enough”

“As long as you’re okay”

Keith rolled his eyes

“Yes, dad. We’re fine. Come on, babe. It’s shower time”

Lance’s staggering lasted a few moments before Keith lifted him off his feet. Steps and stairs were bad enough for Lance at the best of times. Sighing at him, Lance let himself be carried, Keith happy he was being so obedient about it. Carrying Lance made him feel strong. Not that he hadn’t been able to carry him before the turn, just now he had the strength to carry him with the surety he wouldn’t be dropping him.

Balancing his fiancé on his knee, Keith fumbled the key into the lock, opening it to find Lenny had dumped box after box on their bed. His ego hated that their space had been violated, yet opted to sulk rather than be angry because it worried for their tired mate. He’d liked to do things for Lance before, now he felt a rush of pride for everything right he did... Egos’ really were pathetically fragile and in need of constant reassurance... a thought at which his ego huffed unimpressed. Maybe he should buy the damn thing a trophy and let it bask until all it’s pettiness had left his system? If only he’d be that lucky. How could his ego possibly be upset that his father had died when it had nothing to do with it?

When Lance went down for a nap, Keith was just about comfortably cuddled. He’d gotten everything they’d needed, and filled the bedside table with it, so Shiro calling his name only made him groan. Naturally Shiro wanted to talk. This was Shiro. The second he felt any kind of emotion, his brother wanted to know all about it. As harsh it sounded to him in his head, Keith wanted a break from learning about his father. He wanted a time out to process. But no. Said time out wasn’t happening, despite how tempting it was to stay cuddled up with his smoking hot fiancé who’s arse was perfectly aligned with his crotch. Cock blocked by his dumb brother, he and Lance would have their revenge later.

Tugging on a shirt, Keith dragged himself out the hotel room to find Shiro leaning against the railing. The view was of the road and the couple of cars parked across the road that belonged to holiday goers. Boring as heck

“You wanted to talk?”

Knowing he sounded a tad too blunt, Keith knew Shiro well enough to know Shiro knew it was unintentional

“Yeah, kiddo. Is now okay?”

“Sure. Lance’s sleep pattern’s all over the place. He’ll be out until he has to pee again”

“That sounds rough”

“It is... I mean for him it’s rough. Not much I can do to change things”

Joining Shiro in leaning against the balcony, this was better than having him inside with all the files on his father. Now the pair of them were stuck staring at the boring road

“Keith... You’d tell me right. You’d tell me if you weren’t okay”

And there it was. Shiro’s worry. They’d grown almost radio silent apart... There was a time Keith could barely go a few hours without talking to Shiro... Mumbling awkwardly, Keith decided the railing was much more interesting to stare at

“You’re worrying too much... I’m not a snot nosed little brat anymore”

Shiro didn’t disagree, yet he also didn’t agree or praise Keith for his emotional growth. Instead his brother slung his arm around his shoulder and gave a tight squeeze

“I miss you, kiddo. I know how you feel about losing your father. So I know that none of this is easy for you”

“I... I didn’t feel... I felt like a stranger at the shack. I mean... I learned about my dad... bits and pieces, and I think maybe I’ve got a better idea than before, but I’m tired. I can’t stop thinking about what mum went through... and I can’t stop thinking about dad burning to death. I guess I’m not okay, but Lance has been really good. He’s been really patient with me... mostly... I made him cry yesterday and he ended up yelling at me for my stupidity. All of this feels exhausting”

“Yeah? And your ego?”

“Don’t even go there. We were about two seconds away from me ripping Lenny’s throat out. I can’t... cope with all this stuff about my dad and my ego... I honestly just... want to stop thinking about it right now...”

Kissing the top of Keith’s head, Keith mentally sighed at himself. Shiro had pulled his infamous mind trick and his mouth had moved on its own

“It was pretty confronting to see the shack. I know when I picked you up, all you wanted to do was get back there... I’m sorry it wasn’t what you were expecting”

“I don’t know what I was expecting... but... I keep hearing about dad and I don’t know if I feel any closer to him. I don’t know this place. I don’t know his friends. I don’t know why he chose here of all places. I don’t know... He feels further away than ever”

“That’s not true. He’s still here. A bit of him and a bit of Krolia made you, and I’m pretty damn grateful you’re here”

“I haven’t been much of a brother...”

“You’ve got a lot going on”

Keith shook his head. That was no excuse

“We used to be... so close. Now I can’t even stand the city. Even being here... there’s so many noises. I don’t know how Lance does it. He tells me to be patient. But I don’t want to be patient... I... said something really stupid and I really upset him. I told him maybe it’d all hurt less if I’d died”

Shiro sucked in a shaky breath

“I can see why”

“So can I... I’m just... done with feeling so... feeling that all of this is so much. I couldn’t even say... I didn’t know what to tell dad. I probably would still be standing there staring at his grave if Lance hadn’t given me some of his strength...”

“Kiddo, you’ve always been strong”

Keith gave a dry chuckle. He’d been a fucking moron, too hell bent on being angry to accept he was overthinking absolutely everything and paranoid that he’d never be seen as himself or outside of Krolia, and Shiro’s, shadows

“Right. I was a jerk to Krolia. Hated almost everyone we worked with. Stuffed up missions. Caused trouble for you and Adam...”

He hadn’t been oblivious to the fights between his brother and Adam. Now that he thought about it, they’d missed the anniversary of Adam’s death... He hadn’t... he hadn’t even been with Shiro on the day... Shit. His head had been full of Lance, not... the man who’d tried to father/brother/guide him the best he could by Shiro’s side

“We can stand here and talk about all the things you’ve done wrong, or you can accept that you were a bit of a dick and you want to make amends”

“I wanted to see mum yesterday. Her. You... I don’t know how you made it through... I’m sorry. I should have done more”

Shiro squeezed him again

“You know, it hurts and it’s hard, but in a way, we got through all of this thinking about you. I had you to help me through. Krolia had the thought of your safety and one day meeting you...”

That didn’t make it okay. Keith groaning when thought about his past “anger loaf” self

“I was such a douche canoe”

Shiro chuckled

“That’s a new one”

What was what? His brother doing him a temporary confuse

“What...? Oh... not really. Lance has all sorts of weird sayings for things...”

“He’s really rubbed off on you... Is he okay? He seems really exhausted. It’s not going to be like it was on your birthday weekend, is it? Does he need blood?”

“He’s okay. Coran said he could feed off me and it hasn’t seemed to have any negative effects... We um... he... um... kind of... yeah”

“It that your way of informing me you spent all afternoon in bed and that’s the real reason Lance is exhausted?”

No. That was him narrowly avoiding telling me his brother that Lance had sort of proposed and he’d agreed... and then they’d had amazing sex, stinking up the hotel room comfortably until his idiot family ruined it

“Yeah. You didn’t have to say it out loud. It sounds bad when you put it like that”

“You two couldn’t keep your hands off each other before, I’m hardly surprised...”

The passion was still very much there, but there was definitely less spontaneous bouts these days. Lance had shockingly low self esteem, maybe he should jump him more often? Huffing, Keith sounded more whiny than cranky with his mate

“It’s... not like that. He’s been struggling with his body changing ever since he first started showing. He’s an idiot. He seriously thought his body changing was going to ruin everything. He keeps saying that he’s fat and not sexy because he’s so heavily pregnant. Its total bullshit... Like, he’s... he’s still him. And god, Shiro... the sex is still amazing... the sounds he makes...”

His ego was getting riled up at the thought. Shiro’s scent starting to grate on his senses when his mind wanted his body in bed with his mate... Still, he couldn’t bring himself to simply push Shiro away. He was a walking bundle of contradictions and felt almost like he’d lose his mind from all the going back and forth he was stuck doing

“I’m going to stop you right there. Okay. I get it. You want to be a good boyfriend to Lance. If Coran says it’s safe for you to feed him, than it must be... but I’m still going to worry about it”

“It seems his curse kills my curse. It hasn’t negatively impacted on the twins... but he is drinking so much blood that it’s hard to not worry”

“How much is “so much”?”

Enough to be what they’d thought all vampires drank on a regular basis

“He’s gone from one bag split over three meals a day, to four or five bags a day, with fresh blood on top of it. The pregnancy has taken so much out of him. You can see he’s visibly older looking now, and he’s struggling to put on any weight he’s lost from constantly vomiting”

“That’s...”

“A lot. You know what he’s like. He doesn’t like drinking blood”

Shiro snorted, deciding now he needed to pretty much lean his whole weight against him. His brother was a dick, Keith half thinking of feigning weakness just to watch Shiro trip over his own feet, but his ego wouldn’t let him

“He’s the most “unvampire” vampire we’ve ever come across. A bit like you... you’re not a very “wolf” werewolf”

“Fuck off. Lance says I’m manly and shit”

“Sure, kiddo. A manly werewolf that sits outside his boyfriend’s window and cries his head off. Matt told me all about your first moon”

Fucking Matt. Keith couldn’t remember his first full moon... that wasn’t playing nicely

“Matt needs to be neutered. He’s a fucking menace”

Shiro clicked his finger, pushing off of Keith and turning to face him. His brother’s smile so wide it verged on creepy

“A menace that’s engaged. Or is getting engaged. He came to Platt to pick the ring up. He swore me to secrecy...”

“I can see how seriously you took that”

Arranging his expression as neutral as he could, Keith was annoyed. Couldn’t Matt have literally picked any other goddamn day of the year

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. He decided seeing you and Lance were away for your one year anniversary, it’d be a good time to step up and put a ring on it”

“Rieva would hit you if she could hear you, and what do you mean “our one year anniversary”? We didn’t get together until May”

��Ahhh, baby brother of mine, you met Lance a year ago, yesterday. You know he never forgets. Someone’s in trouble”

Keith now knew the date. Had Lance chosen yesterday for that reason? It was more likely his fiancé barely remembered the days of the week given vacation time moved differently from normal time

“Yeah. You. You’re going to be in trouble if you keep teasing me”

“Awww, little Keefy is cranky”

It took all Keith had not to pick Shiro up and throw him over the balcony railing, then kick down Krolia’s door, grab her, and toss her over to land on top of his brother. Stupid Krolia... that name was definitely going to stick then he’d have to put up with hearing it from everyone.

“Fuck you. I’m going back to Lance”

“Too cool to hang with your big brother?”

“Not when he’s all smelly. Go take a shower already, you’re getting me dirty again”

“Consider these cobwebs of love”

That didn’t even make any sense. Shiro was getting senile in his old age

“You’ve got cobwebs between your ears, old man”

“Come on, Keith. Give your big brother a hug”

Dodging Shiro, Keith put up a very half arsed attempt. Shiro wrapping his arms around his waist and hoisting him up backwards. The torture lasting a few moments before he was placed back down again. His idiot brother wiping himself against him, trying to get off one last cobweb

“There. You’re all nice and webby now”

“You suck. You suck and that was totally abusing your brotherly privileges”

“Yeah, but you love me anyway. Okay, you’re all dirty now, you can go away”

Huffing at Shiro, the werewolf didn’t know why he was smiling so happily about things when he was very clearly outwardly annoyed

“Oh, trust me. I am going. You better remember to bring me a peace offering for this”

“Nah. I told you these are cobwebs of love”

“And I told you you’re old”

Shoving him playfully, Keith lunged for the handle to his and Lance’s room, smoothly opening the door and darting inside before his brother got any other ideas. Poking his tongue out at Shiro, Shiro flipped him off. Both of them smiling at each other in a way that reaffirmed that everything was okay between them. With the chance of him saying something teasably sentimental, Keith shut the door softly in Shiro’s face, before realising his brother had sentenced him to have yet another shower for the day. His big brother really was a big bother.

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #ashratherose

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dragonrajafanfiction · 3 years ago

Text

The Wedding (Part 3): Burning Bridges

More Ruri Action. @rurifangirl

Ruri Kazama has returned with the full force of his dragonblood. You know because you learned from your experience in the Genji Heavy Industries that Dragons have malleable bones. In that tall office building, when you had been fighting for your life against a deadpool horde, Caesar had tied Chisei up to make sure he didn’t try to leave the floor without anyone. You had been assigned to watch him. But Chisei had a trick up his sleeve. His bones moved around his body like he had grown dozens of extra joints. He easily wriggled out of the restraints.

Chime’s dragonblood was so high that his bones had fractured from the typical two hundred individual human bones to twice that number, each able to move independently of the other. When he saw that you were dying and seconds away from turning into a permanent deadpool, he formed two bonespikes in his chest and rammed those through your body. He said, his blood will keep you stable and heal you… for a while.

You were too weak to do anything about it but now you felt his strength invading you and you lift your head from his shoulder. Snowy white hair had appeared at the roots of his black hair and soon, his hair had turned completely white. The moisture on his body was starting to evaporate as the dragonblood heated him up. He threw back his head and howled mournfully. You flinch against the terrible scream that announced that a new beast had been born into the world.

Chime Gen lost the last bit of his humanity and stopped struggling to restrain Ruri. He couldn’t do it. Even if he could pull off a miracle, you would turn into a deadpool and die. He lost all hope of reuniting with his brother. Even Ruri Kazama felt it and cried out in despair. There are no words to describe the terrifying sound of that roar, as if an ancient urn had been uncovered, and with the breaking of the seal, the demon awoke from its slumber, its scream mixed with thousands of years of pain and resentment. You wanted to tell him not to give up and to keep trying until the end. But your throat felt tied with a knot. You weren’t as stupidly hopeful as Caesar Gattuso.

With his emotions released, Ruri Kazama fell silent.

You see the black blood in your veins recede and the scales shrink and fall off. “You said… that your blood is able to restrain the evolutionary drugs…” You say with surprise. “But doesn’t your blood carry the drugs too? You should be full of Herzog’s poison. Shouldn’t your blood make me worse?”

Ruri Kazama was silent for a moment. He was still wearing his tattered tuxedo, you were still wearing your tattered and bloody wedding dress. Were it not for the blood, you would have seemed like you had just come from an extremely debauched wedding. With the blood and the bone spires rising out of your back, you both looked like a nightmarish distortion of marriage.

“You really don’t understand anything do you?” He asked softly, turning on his heel. You had taken great pains to cross a dance floor that was full of debris and bodies and had nearly died of your injuries. But Ruri Kazama cleared it in a single bound, flying through the air like a terrible angel.

“What you say is true. However, the blood that comes from the bone marrow is untainted by drugs. As Chime Gen, I could not save you. And even now, this is only a temporary solution. Once you’re free from me, your condition will rapidly deteriorate. Only the fetal blood of God can save you now.”

He stood in the gap created by the smashed wall that had brought the terrible wave into the Takamagahara. The ocean flowed freely and tranquilly through the gap. A moving river of debris carried barges of wood, luxury cars and wedding decorations. A banner still flies over the destruction announcing the marriage of the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Lady. But it’s soon torn away by a hurricane force wind and goes flying into the dark.

Lightning flashes in the distance illuminating the tilted spires of skyscrapers nearest to Tokyo Harbor. The streets around the Takamagahara were already cleared of everyone so, despite the destruction, everything was silent without cries for help. Distant thunder makes you both turn your head.

Mount Fuji burns like a crimson lighthouse in the distance. The earth movement from the volcanic eruption was likely the cause of the tsunami. “God has awakened. The one called the Light King. The King General knew this. In fact, he probably timed the awakening deliberately. To crash our wedding.” Ruri’s voice was dull, but you detect a slight humor in it.

“But I thought the mercury had killed it?” You say. Zero reported that the Hydra clan was celebrating its victory after diverting the river that served as a womb for the Light King into a giant mercury poisoned lake.

Ruri Kazama huffed. “Do you really think a pool of mercury will kill something that powerful?”

You suddenly bark out a laugh.

He turned to you, his eyes empty and cold.

“Then, I’ll consider this a gift for our wedding day. Didn’t we both dream of seeing Tokyo destroyed?” You look deep into the hypnotic flowing colors in his eyes, flowing in red and gold.

His lips finally quirked up but he doesn’t respond. He turns his face up to the upper floors of the building and takes a flying leap vertically from a standing start. He lands on an outdoor terrace of one of the rooms on the third floor and walks inside.

You can hear the screeches and slithering of Deadpool all around. People were yelling and crying out in their dying moments. The sound of gunshots was simply never ending. A war was on this floor. Ruri Kazama acted casually, like nothing was going on. “This is the place where we’ll meet my brother. Once he’s done playing Ultraman.”

“You brought your sword with you?” You ask, suddenly seeing him rest it on a table. It was the sword in the red sheath that you saw him wield when he rescued you from Hydra before.

“No. This sword is called Viper Fang. It comes when I call it.” Ruri approaches a luxurious divan and sits down. “We have a little time to wait and rest.”

Without a care in the world, he lays down next to you on this couch. You stare at him in amazement. He seemed completely unconcerned about anything, but your mind was racing. “Herzog will never share the fetal blood with you. You heard him already say that. He’ll give it to Erii. After killing you.”

He lightly strokes your hair and shushes you. “You understand Herzog very well. Your trap was good, too good, because he had to best you with a spectacular entrance worthy of your scheming. Do you think he would wield the power of God against just anyone? He views you as a true enemy.”

He gathers your hair to his nose and inhales your scent deeply. “What better woman to be my bride. I trusted you and now it’s time for you to trust me. I have no intention of losing to him. So sit back and watch. You’ve fought hard.”

You smile, hope filling your eyes. Ruri Kazama hadn’t given up! He was still going to fight Herzog! But doubt creeps in again. “But… What about your brother?”

His eyes suddenly glow with fury. “My brother and I understand that we cannot coexist. You should understand that too.”

You suddenly hear the splatter of something wet hitting the door. You turn and look. The door was running with a dark spray of black blood. Another gale force wind blasts into the room, knocking over lamps and throwing the paper doors off their hinges.

In the door stood Chisei Gen. When his eyes fall on you and Ruri, embracing on this couch, his eyes go wide. He sees the bone spikes sticking out the back of your ragged wedding gown. Ruri Kazama is still stroking your hair. It was the worst way to see his brother again because it was just as he was in the basement of the village gymnasium, only you were alive and not a corpse in a bathtub.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still. Only the sea pounded outside and Ruri's long white hair flew in the wind. He was so slender and so light, reclined with his new wife on the couch. This moment was so intimate and tender, but also bloody and disgusting.

Behind you, the black sea made a keening tidal sound.

Ruri slowly raised his head. His makeup was mostly dissolved in the water, but there was a stunning beauty to him regardless. In the depths of his eyes, there seemed to be golden mandarins swirling. He was as beautiful as an Ukiyo-E painting, but his stare was full of malice.

Chisei crossed his sword in a guarding position over his chest.

There was truly nothing you could say to Chisei. Your eyes were sad and filled with resignation. Chisei would try to kill Ruri just like he’d killed Chance. Chance was more innocent than Ruri was and begged for his life. Ruri’s hands were already stained with the blood of countless people and there were no regrets in heart. You couldn’t save Chance from Chisei. How could you possibly plead for Ruri’s life?

Behind Chisei were several men and women who were taken aback by the scene of these two devils in love at first, but they recovered and raised their guns to fire. You recognize Sakura Yabuki. You could see the regret in her eyes. She viewed you as a beautiful bride and a potential friend, but she was about to fill you with bullets.

They were stopped by Chisei who threw out his arm. "Stand down! Stand down!"

Your eyes widen in shock and hope lifts in your heart. “Chisei… I’m okay. Ruri won’t hurt me-” Ruri’s hand goes over your mouth. It’s a gentle gesture, but enough to silence you.

Chisei doesn’t say anything either. His eyes slide to the crimson sword. It was distant from the couch, too far for Ruri to actually reach out and grab without leaving the bed. But he’d already summoned that blade from thin air. The weapon now could be considered to be in his hand. You’d witnessed first hand the power of that sword. Just removing it from the crimson sheath stopped a speeding armored vehicle. Just bringing it down once split that car in half.

No wonder Chisei’s guard was up. In an instant, Ruri Kazama could kill all of them.

Chisei took a step back in retreat even though Ruri Kazama hadn’t so much as moved a muscle. But you could feel Ruri’s heart’s accelerated pulse against your ear and his hot breath on your neck. Ruri Kazama seemed relaxed but he was poised like a serpent that could strike at any moment. His killer’s aura reached beyond the room and down the hall where you could see Deadpool cowering on the floor. But this wasn’t the result of Chisei’s ‘Majesty’ ability. They were moving away from Ruri Kazama. The Deadpool were running from him.

Chisei moved slowly and deliberately into a more murderous offensive posture. He took a deep breath. His eyes were serious. Whatever attack he formed in his mind had to kill Ruri Kazama, or else it would be the last attack he would ever execute. You had no hope, being stuck between them. If Chisei succeeded, you would die.

Ruri Kazama sensed your fear and lightly kissed your head. You feel something tickle your nose and stare in astonishment as Ruri’s hair was growing so fast, it seemed to be crawling over you to cover you like a blanket. His long hair, white as snow, was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye. When the door to your room burst open, his long hair was just falling on the small couch, but a moment later it had fallen on the tatami floor.

You were held tightly against him and you could feel the incredible changes happening inside him, like snakes were battling under his skin. He looks so pale and so thin, but also divinely complete, like a king who is ready to mount his horse and go to war.

"Is it you?" Kazama Ruri's eyes suddenly lit up, as if a small spark were ignited behind his golden eyes.

"It is me." Chisei replied.

"Brother?" Kazama Ruri got up from the couch. The bone spikes hooked into you and lifted you too. When he called out to his brother Chisei, there was a hint of childishness in his voice. You raise your eyes and look up at Ruri, looking for a sign that maybe Chime had been awakened by the sight of his brother. You’d bet everything -- everything -- that you or Chisei could snap him out of it, but there was no warmth, no weakness. Chime didn’t return.

How could you have been so wrong? Chime’s spirit seemed so strong that even Caesar was convinced by his quiet confidence that he could convince his brother. You rest your head against Ruri Kazama’s chest, unsure of what to do.

Chisei did not answer Chime’s call either.

“It was you who killed me." Ruri Kazama cocked his head and looked at him.

Between those two phrases, that ghost of Chime’s voice left. It turned out that it was just how Chime and Ruri tended to speak. Even after he turned into an evil spirit, he was still able to say "brother" in that juvenile tone without thinking.

Chisei still didn't answer.

Ruri Kazama’s eyes narrowed for the briefest of moments. In that instant, you saw that Ruri was hurt by the silence. You were so attuned to him that maybe Chisei didn’t see it, but just like you responded to emotional pain with laughter, Kazama Ruri laughed, the kind of maniacal laughter he used on stage.

The laughter shook you on bone spires. It hurt so much you had to stop looking at Chisei and wrap your arms and legs around him to brace yourself against the rise and fall of his chest. No one else knows whether he is really laughing or acting. That laugh is too outrageous, as if the villain killed the hero and took over the country and finally got the world. He laughed as if he were standing at the top of the world laughing, unrestrained, laughing at those enemies who challenged him, who now have turned into dry skeletons. The laugh is so full of ambition, yet so empty.

The world is glorious! He now occupies the highest position! From now on, no one can stand in front of him and speak!

Ruri’s smile is still wrapped in so many years of resentment and poison. You’d underestimated the fact that Ruri’s resentment over his brother’s actions was just as deep as his love. Chime didn’t lie when he said that he wanted to reunite with his brother, but the hope was so fragile that a simple stone-faced silence from Chisei tipped the scales and called the resentment to full force.

The next moment you were moved so fast your hair pulled at your scalp and your face pressed into his ribs. When you gasped in the next moment, your nose filled with the smell of blood and you felt the sickly, sticky warmth of it soaking your white dress. You turn your head and look into the eyes of Sakura Yabuki.

Ruri’s blade had penetrated not one, not two, but several people! In the moment of the attack, the members of the Executive board jumped in front of Chisei and were skewered on the blade. They were even reaching out to Ruri as though the strength of their hands alone could somehow stop him. The fastest of them all and the most devoted of them all was Sakura Yabuki. You had saved her once before, but you were helpless to save her now. You could only stare in dismay as the light and smile in her eyes hollowed out and vanished.

Ruri Kazama, meanwhile, buried his head in the chest of Sakura Yabuki, listening to the sound of blood leaving her with a soft and pleasant sigh of someone hearing the sweet sound of a flute. You grit your teeth and pound on his chest in a fury. “Stop it!”

He laughed wildly at your irritation and withdrew the sword, splashing the dripping blood all over the wall. There couldn’t be a heartier laugh in the world. After so many years, he finally trampled the dignity of the emperor under his feet. He’d finally broken Chisei Gen’s heart.

You turn and look at Chisei fill with sadness. Chisei was kneeling, holding the uncontrollable bleeding from his chest, staring at Sakura’s limp body, unmoving. Chisei was unable to counterattack. He only stared blankly at Sakura, eyes dull. Despite her sacrifice, he was still wounded.

The actual gap between him and Kazama Ruri was absolute. Compared to Ruri Kazama, Chisei just like an ordinary person facing a hybrid. He was against hopeless odds. You recognize the truth. Stable and safe hybrids weren’t powerful hybrids. Erii was unparalleled in her power and so was Ruri.

And so were you.

With a bit of effort, you could have easily destroyed all of Tokyo under the Genji Heavy Industries building, no God required.

Perhaps since ancient times, Hybrid society have been making the same mistake over and over again. The so called ‘Ghosts’? Those are the descendants that the White King expects, and the so-called Emperor, the so-called stable half-breeds, are just boring weaklings.

“Protect everyone! Hold back that madman!" An old man in a robe yelled as the surviving operatives rushed towards Kazama Ruri, forming a seemingly impermeable but incredibly fragile human wall trying to protect him.

“Run…” You breathe shakily. “Run!” You scream again and again. “Run! Run!”

But they weren’t running. “What are you doing?! RUN!”

The old man grabbed Chisei. Sakurai Nanami retreated to the other side of the corridor as fast as she could. Ruri Kazama was in no hurry to pursue, he strode down the corridor without a care in the world, waving his long sword casually, turning those samurai-like loyal members of the Hydra into corpses as easily as he was mowing the lawn. In the darkness, his long, pure white hair undulated, and his golden pupils came closer and closer. Blood splashed on a poster warning young women of Ruri the Ripper.

Chisei, the old man, and Sakura Nanami disappear to go up the stairs at the end of the hall. Likely headed for the roof.

Ironically, Ruri ignored the Deadpool still in the hall. They press themselves against the wall as you pass them, shivering in fear. “Stop… Ruri… please stop… Stop!” You reach your hands into his hair and pull like you were on a horse that was galloping out of control.

Much to your shock he does stop! But when you look around, it’s because all of the Hydra operatives in the hall are already dead. He looks deep into your eyes and blinks. “MC… this is how they killed the members of the Devil Clan.”

Your heart stills remembering Chance’s words in the park. Even though they lived quietly in an apartment block, the Hydra, in their frenzy to invade and break up the Devil Clan, killed all the adults in Chance’s family who were there and took the children captive. The apartment block burned bright that night, according to Chance’s retelling.

Ruri Kazama lightly strokes your hair again and you release his hair in silent acknowledgement. “There are no good sides and bad sides of this war. Only the winner and the loser. The winner will completely devour the loser without mercy. Tonight… you and I are the winners. So tonight… we will feast!”

You grit your teeth. You didn’t want to be included in this slaughter. You didn't want to be included in Sakura’s death! But if you freed yourself from Ruri, you would just die like an animal. Like these deadpools in the hall.

Together you climb the stairs and you end your protest. You had no intention of dying. Ruri was a monster, but he was all you had.

At the top of the stairs, you’re met with a simple iron door. Ruri’s skeleton deforms. You can feel it even though no visible change takes place. Ruri rears back and slams his fist into it and it deforms like aluminum foil but doesn’t fly off the hinge. You hear the old man yelling in Japanese. He’s right behind the door, holding it. You hear the roar of the helicopter engine very nearby, the rotors pushing the rain into the openings around the door.

The walls of the Takamagahara are starting to crack. You can feel the whole building shudder. It’s groaning like a dying beast. Ruri peered out the crack in the door curiously and then he reared back again and this time the door flew away like paper.

The old man stood alone on the roof, surrounded by deadpool. He faces Ruri who’s still cradling you in his arms. He’s holding a burning barrel of gasoline over his head. You just shake your head at him. What in the world was he supposed to do with that? Why was he being so stupid?

The old man rushed towards Kazama Ruri with the burning gasoline barrel held high, throwing the flaming lighter in his hand into the barrel, but Kazama Ruri casually pulled over an iron I-beam that was sticking out of the crumbling building without even touching it and swung it to smash him like a star baseball player, sending him crashing off the rooftop into the water along with the gasoline barrel.

Ruri giggled quietly. “You didn’t think that was funny?”

You just sigh and rest your head against his chest. “It was pretty dumb. No lie.”

The explosion of the barrel sent a pillar of fire rushing up from the sea water in the street, and the group of deadpool in the water was illuminated by the fire light, swimming around that pillar of fire like sharks.

Ruri Kazama looked up at the sky and laughed again. He opened his arms wide, as if giving his brother high in the helicopter another chance to embrace him.

#Dragon Raja

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kentuckywrites · 3 years ago

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Imperium 2: Chapter 2

Bruma venit. (Winter is coming.)

At Nessa’s insistence, Elma led her into the barracks and sat her down on the couch as she dug around various locations for first aid supplies. Lin made herself useful in a different way: she figured Nessa would want some food, even though mimeosomes didn’t technically need to eat, and started preparing something warm. She wouldn’t explain what she was making, preferring to keep it a surprise. Elma quickly learned as she was bandaging up Nessa that Lin was making soup, something that smelled warm and cozy.

Elma worked on the deeper wounds first, particularly one on Nessa’s right shoulder. She winced whenever Elma made contact, but didn’t tell her to stop at any point. As she worked, Lin spoke over her preparations.

“So you’re Pongo’s sister...how come he never told us about you?”

Nessa chuckled, though she hissed through her teeth when Elma started wrapping the first bandage around her shoulder. “Because I didn’t exist until a short while ago. It’s so easy to lose track of time when you’re walking on foot all the way from Noctilum, so I want to say...maybe a few weeks?”

“Holy shit,” Lin breathed. Elma shot her a look when she cursed, and Lin flushed up and turned back to making her soup.

“Yeah. Believe me, I tried to flag some Skells down,” Nessa said, “But either they didn’t see me, or they flat out ignored me. If it was the latter, then that’s quite rude.”

“Either way, it sounds like you’ve been through quite a bit,” Elma finished wrapping up her shoulder and went on to cleaning the next biggest wound, a pair of scratches on her stomach. Not nearly as deep as the one on her shoulders, and if she had to harbor a guess, inflicted by some type of insidia. Once Nessa noticed where Elma was planning to work next, she rolled up her shirt for easier access. Elma paused for a moment.

“See something you like?” Nessa winked.

“W-What? No, I was just thinking...you’re a lot different than Pongo,” Elma confessed, a slight hint of blush starting to form on her cheeks and nose, “He wouldn’t have let me do this.”

“We’re both stubborn in our own ways. Hell, I wouldn’t have let you do this if you weren’t drop dead gorgeous,” Nessa grinned.

“Now that’s most certainly something Pongo wouldn’t have said,” Elma chuckled, partially from embarrassment and partially from the absurdity of the situation. She cleared her head by going back to cleaning the wound with a fresh cloth, dampened with water. “So what exactly did you mean when you only existed for a couple weeks?”

“Exactly that,” Nessa explained, “Now, you both know about Mira, right? I’m pretty sure Pongo told you at one point.”

“When Pharsis was about to break out and kill us all, and the only way to stop it was for Pongo to fall into Mount M’Gando? Yep,” Lin said bitterly. It didn’t go past Nessa and Elma undetected, but while Elma sighed, Nessa rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, that was fun. Here’s the thing. Mira created Pongo to be its avatar, right? Well, it created me for the same purpose...except, it’s also because Pongo is in some kind of trouble.”

“What kind?” Lin walked over, carrying a bowl of soup in her hands. She set it down carefully on the table next to Elma’s medical supplies before taking the couch adjacent to Nessa. “Like, the life-or-death kind from before? Or something different?”

“I...we...don’t exactly know,” Nessa admitted, “That’s kinda why Mira created me. Because whatever happened to Pongo, it kicked Mira out of his body, and Mira has no idea what happened after that. So it created me in an attempt to find him and figure out if he’s okay.”

“Mira was ejected from Pongo’s body?” Elma scowled, enveloped in her own deep thoughts, “How would that work? Do you think miranium has something to do with this disconnect, since Mira couldn’t access Pongo’s body beforehand due to a miranium shortage?”

“Normally, I’d agree with that,” She said, “But Mira does remember one thing before it lost its connection to Pongo. There were...they’re called Ganglion, right? There were a lot of them.”

“Ganglion? God,” Lin slumped in her seat, “I thought we’d be done with them after the Lifehold battle.”

“Unfortunately, many Ganglion still have strongholds positioned throughout the continents,” Elma clarified, “Our fight with them is far from over. Now, these Ganglion who found Pongo...where exactly were they? Do you - or Mira - remember?”

“Mira remembers a little,” Nessa said, “The Ganglion Pongo encountered were in Noctilum. But Mira also remembers...okay, hang on, actually, it’s thinking about it…”

Nessa trailed off, her eyes flashing white for the briefest of seconds. Elma recalled how Pongo’s eyes went white when Mira assumed control of him, back at Mount M’Gando, and could only assume that this was Mira appearing for a moment. Nessa’s eyes remained indigo, however, and recognition soon dawned upon them.

“Mira remembers a small part of where Pongo might be, right now. The Ganglion took him to Cocytios.”

Lin and Elma exchanged a look.

“Cocytios?” Lin asked first, slowly, making sure she pronounced it the same way Nessa did. “What…”

“Oh! Ah, right, I don’t think BLADE has discovered it yet,” Nessa said sheepishly, “It’s a sixth continent that’s located underneath Primordia, to the southwest. It’s only one of many places you guys haven’t found yet, though, but that’s an explanation for another day.”

“We haven’t exactly expanded our search to below Primordia’s southern borders yet, so that explains why it hasn’t shown up before now,” Elma said, “Though, why there? What do you know about the continent?”

“Cocytios is cold,” Nessa put her shirt down, realizing that Elma had finished patching her stomach wound a while ago, and that she had begun working on a section on her thigh. “Like, freezing. It’s pretty mountainous, has lots of snow, and a couple of those ancient weapons like the rings in Oblivia. Has a giant cavernous pit like Oblivia, too.”

“Ooh, it’s like Antarctica!” Lin smiled. Nessa’s visible confusion prompted her to expand slightly, “That was a continent back on Earth. It’s at the very bottom of the planet and it’s super cold there.”

“And it might be just as dangerous,” Elma cautioned, “We’ve never encountered an environment like that before, nor do we have much of an understanding as to what lives on the continent. We got lucky with the other continents being hospitable, for the most part.”

“You call Cauldros hospitable?”

“I said ‘for the most part’. Remember, Cauldros is also the continent with the most active Ganglion presence, and they’re seemingly responsible for the number of architectural developments there. Disregarding our relations with the Ganglion, those fortresses have the most protection against indigens and Cauldros’s weather phenomena. Of course, the Ganglion would never let us walk in there of our own volition…”

“But that didn’t stop us in the past!” Lin giggled, “Even if sneaking around didn’t work, those Prone were never gonna win against Team Elma!”

“Ooh, what confidence!” Nessa said, “Well, if you’re sure your mims can handle the environment, then that’s good to hear. I think I’d be more scared for those giant robot things you guys pilot sometimes.”

“Skells?!” Lin got stars in her eyes, but they just as quickly diminished when she realized what Nessa was trying to say, “Oh man, I don’t actually know if most of the Skell frames available through BLADE would be able to handle that sort of environment...most of the ones that were able to operate in space were dismantled or destroyed during our descent onto Mira, and we haven’t had any reason before now to upgrade any of the existing models aside from heat and humidity resistance so they can function in Noctilum, Oblivia and Cauldros…”

“And this mission is time-sensitive, if we’re to believe Pongo’s in serious trouble,” Elma added on, “So the chances of developing and installing those modifications onto our Skells for this is...well, I doubt we’d have the necessary amount of time required to make those modifications effective.”

“It took us a couple weeks to make the humidity modifier for Noctilum’s weather,” Lin sighed, “And even longer to create a modifier to help with the heat waves in Oblivia and Cauldros. It’d take a while to create a modifier to help against frost, weeks at best, even if we didn’t take any Skells out there for a test run. It’d go untested if we wanted to keep things quick, and ah...I don’t really recommend that.”

“BLADE has boats, right?” Nessa asked, “Please tell me this entire time you haven’t just been relying on Skells to get things done.”

“We’ve got boats,” Lin chuckled, “Sometimes with research teams there’s equipment that we just can’t trust in the hands of Skells, so we use rovers and boats to transport them, especially if they’re going to Sylvalum or Cauldros.”

“Great! Then we’ll need a boat, and some warm clothes for you both,” Nessa sat herself up straighter, placing her hands on her lap. Elma had long since finished addressing her wounds, and feeling as though she’d done a good job of patching the major injuries, was beginning to put the first aid supplies away. “I know mims can usually handle a ton of heat, thanks to your adventures in Cauldros, but...what about Elma?”

Nessa glanced towards Elma before taking the bowl of soup in her hands, fiddling with the spoon dipped into it. “I mean, at the risk of me sounding picky, you’re downright stunning in your true form. But...well, would it be a better idea to be in your old mim for this?”

Elma took a moment to think as she moved to pick up the medical supplies. Once they were off the table, Lin nudged the bowl of soup closer to Nessa, who nodded as a silent thank-you. Elma placed the medical supplies on the counter in the kitchen, not wanting to move far from the conversation. In the back of her mind she wondered where Tatsu was - he was usually here in the barracks, hovering next to Lin like an affectionately curious cat. But he was nowhere in sight. Elma resolved to ask Lin about it later. He’d probably want to come along, even if he didn’t offer much to the team besides being the constant victim of food jokes. But that wasn’t what she needed to think about, at least, not in the current moment.

“Recovering my mimeosome might be the better option,” Elma pondered openly, “And I don’t think that’s picky, Nessa. I quite prefer my original body to my mimeosome, though I can concede that the nature of the mimeosome would be better able to withstand the climate. Not that armor isn’t important, but I wouldn’t need to worry about extra layers in my mimeosome versus my true form.”

“I guess it would be a shame to see you covering up all that skin…” She sighed, and Elma’s blush returned tenfold. Perhaps it was a better that Tatsu wasn’t here, although unfortunate that Lin was. The poor girl was shaking her head. Was it disappointment? Second hand embarrassment?

“Are you implying that, despite agreeing to go in my mimeosome, which is more suitable than my current body, I should wear less clothing to a continent you’ve described as freezing cold?” Elma raised an eyebrow. Her tone was teasing, but not annoyed. How could she be annoyed when she considered this flattery?

And yet, Nessa started to blush, too, and she looked away quickly, suddenly interested in one of the bandages that Elma had applied to her shoulder. “Whatever makes you comfortable, of course! I’m not saying you should wear anything specific, just that you’d look nice in something similar to what you’re wearing now - or ah, well, you’d look great in anything, to be fair!”

“I never imagined, in all my life, that I’d meet someone with a bigger crush on Elma than Irina,” Lin chuckled, “But here we are!”

“Compliments aside, I’ll speak with the MMC about recovering my mimeosome from storage,” Elma told them both, “In the meantime, Nessa, I patched up the majority of the wounds on your body, and with a little rest and extra care, you should be good to go by tomorrow. I can lend you some of my weapons for the journey ahead, if you like, or Lin might be able to grant you weapons better suited to your fighting style.”

“When I hit, I hit hard, no matter the weapons,” Nessa smirked, “I’ll take some of your old weapons just for convenience’s sake. Plus, if they’re in the barracks already, I can take ‘em for a test spin!”

“Try not to overdo it, if you can. For now…”

Elma turned to Lin, who looked happy and bright. This would be a new adventure, a new location. Unexplored territory and possibly unidentified indigens. Despite the mission they’d agreed to take, Elma couldn’t deny that she was quite intrigued regarding Cocytios. Judging by Lin’s expression, she was excited, too.

“Lin, do you know where Tatsu is?” Elma finally asked.

“Oh, he’s hanging out with some friends he made the other day. Said he wouldn’t be back until dinnertime.”

“Something tells me he’ll want to join us.”

A sparkle brightened in Lin’s eyes, and her fingertips bounced against each other as a mischievous smirk crossed her lips.

“I sure hope he does! If he didn’t, we wouldn’t have anything to eat!”

#xenoblade x #Imperium 2: Chapter 2 #this is basically a setup chapter #and it's a little messy imo but serves its purpose #ABOUT TIME I DEVELOPED COCYTIOS MORE LMAO #anyways Nessa is gay and so is Elma

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elsanna-shenanigans · 4 years ago

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February Contest Submission #12: Life On Mars

words: ca. 3200 setting: Modern AU lemon: No cw: Angst, Horror Elements, Psychological Horror, Mindfuckery, Hospitals, Ancient Alien Wars

“Status update?”

“All systems nominal. Solar charge at 65%.”

Elsa looked at the screen through her glasses, the monitor displaying the rover’s current route as it made its way across the red planet. OLAV was due to be passing over an unexplored sector of the Syritis Major region of Mars today and there would no doubt be a lot of analysis and data gathering to be done. Their rover was going to be the first visitor from earth to visit this largely explored region of the red planet.

“Good, keep OLAV on his present course,” Elsa stated. “Let me know once it reaches the site.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Anna replied.

The blonde rolled her eyes. She never understood why Anna kept referring to the rover as if it was a living being. OLAV was a robot, a mindless automaton. It only knew what it was programmed to know. It wasn’t a true artificial intelligence like the ones from the science fiction movies Anna and her had both grown up with.

And yet, it was always rather cute when Anna did it. It was part of why she fell in love with her; Anna and her seemingly limitless ability to be warm and affectionate to those around her, even to a robot with no real life of its own. Elsa found that very endearing. She and Anna had been dating since college, and Elsa couldn’t have asked for anyone better to help her on this project. Working for NASA definitely was a dream come true.

Anna in particular had a hand in designing OLAV in the first place, even naming him after a cuddly snowman plushie she had back in their college days. Though of course, she justified it by clarifying OLAV stood for “Omnidirectional Lifeform Analysis Vehicle”. All the same, Elsa found it adorable.

Anna relaxed back in her chair, grinning. “So… what are the odds we’ll find life today?”

“Anna, I swear you ask that question every day,” Elsa remarked with a playful roll of her eyes.

“But it’s the question that has haunted scientists like us for centuries, Elsa,” Anna said honestly. “Is there life on Mars?

Elsa had to giggle, knowing Anna was partly quoting the David Bowie song. Her girlfriend was such a nerd and she adored her.

But so far, that particular question still hadn’t been answered. It was a known scientific fact that at one point Mars did once support a much more habitable climate, with vast lakes and rivers. However, the loss of its magnetic field had resulted in the planet becoming the red, lifeless desert it was today.

If there had been life at some point, it was probably only very basic. Some sort of bacteria or another microscopic organism. And yet, if anyone could prove that life had indeed existed on Mars at one point, it could prove that life wasn’t just confined to the little blue and green orb that was the Earth but was out there amongst the stars in all sorts of shapes and forms.

“He’s just coming up to the ridge now,” Anna said.

“How much solar charge has OLAV got left?” Elsa asked.

The redhead looked at her screen. “52%.”

“The steep incline will likely drain the power of the motors by quite a bit. As soon as the rover gets over the ridge, shut him down for the night. The sun is starting to go down.”

“Yeah, he’s earned a good night’s sleep,” Anna said with a smile. She then stared at another one of the screens, showing life camera footage from the rover. Every few seconds a new picture would appear, showing where the rover had travelled every few seconds.

So far, all Anna had seen from the pictures was red sand and large boulders as the rover travelled up the ridge. It was rather basic and yet… it had a certain beauty to it. A hellish beauty one might say.

Mars was a fascinating world, even if it was a vast desert that didn’t really have much variety in scenery. Anna and Elsa and the rest of their team were just merely the latest in a long line of scientists and scholars wanting to discover the secrets of the red planet.

“Think Mars would be a good place for a vacation?” Anna joked. “I mean, there’s lots of sun there. Bet I’d get a great tan.”

“Unless you prefer sunbathing at minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit, I don’t think so,” Elsa replied flatly.

“Minus 80? Oh, that’s perfect for an ice queen like you.”

Elsa shot Anna a look and playfully nudged her girlfriend’s arm. “Oh shut it, you.”

Anna giggled. “Okay, okay, I guess that nickname has worn out its welcome.”

“It wore its welcome the week after you started calling me that back in college,” Elsa remarked.

“Well, you used to be so closed off when you were focused on your studies,” Anna retorted, smiling in nostalgia. “You got so into your work you practically cut off all contact with the outside world… and then you met me.”

Elsa smiled, blushing. She remembered fondly the days when Anna encouraged her to get out of their dorm room and get outside on their campus. Science had always been her passion, but she hadn’t truly felt love until she met Anna.

Leaning over, Elsa gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. “Yes I did, and I couldn’t have been more thankful for anything else in my life.”

Anna giggled. “Should you really be making such comments to me here? We are supposed to be working right now.”

“Hey, I’m the project director here,” Elsa spoke with an air of faux haughtiness, upturning her nose slightly. “I think it gives me certain advantages.”

Anna giggled at that. Elsa smiled down at her. The two of them leaned in at that moment, almost kissing… and then something caught Anna’s eye. She blinked again, thinking whatever it was just a figment of her imagination, but no, there was indeed something unusual being projected on the screen.

“Wait… what’s that?” Anna asked.

She looked at the monitor with the live camera feed from the rover. In the corner of the screen, as the rover drove over the ridge, Anna saw a strange shape. Whatever it was, it didn’t appear to be a natural rock formation, but it was still too far away for Anna to see.

“You see something?”

Anna nodded and pointed at the screen. “There, right there.”

Elsa pulled down her glasses, leaning in closer. “That looks like a rock.”

“No, I don’t think it is,” Anna said quietly, eyes on the screen in focus. “It seems taller than everything else, taller than any of those other boulders…”

“Hmmm… how much charge does OLAV have left?”

“He just dipped below 45.”

“That should be just enough to get a closer look before we shut down for the night,” Elsa stated. She got up and looked across to another one of the scientists in the control room. “Kristoff, make a course adjustment. Left by about 15 degrees.”

“You got it!” The blonde man called back.

Anna looked at her screen again, seeing the camera view shift slightly as the rover altered its course. For the next few moments, she felt her heart begin to race in her chest. Was the hunch she was having correct? Was this strange object the proof mankind had always been looking for? In the next few minutes, they’d know.

Putting her hand on Anna’s shoulder, Elsa gave her a concerned look. She didn’t like to see Anna stressed like this. “Hey, relax. It might just be a rock.”

“I know… but for some reason, I don’t want it to be,” Anna admitted.

Elsa smiled. “You’re a determined one, Anna Armstrong.”

Anna merely smiled, before looking at her screen again, and then her jaw dropped. As the rover drove up closer to the strange object, Anna could see that her hunch had been right. Standing before the rover was a strange, tall structure. It was a tall obelisk, its surface covered in strange alien runes and hieroglyphs.

As Anna stared at the screen, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Right in front of her eyes was the evidence everyone had been looking for, signs of alien life. But Anna never thought they’d find something like this, an alien relic from a forgotten time.

“What in the…”

Elsa blinked. “That’s…my god, that’s it! That’s what we’ve been looking for!”

There were hurried murmurs and whispers all through the control room as the other scientists saw the image of the obelisk on their screens from the camera feed. The rover was stopped in its tracks, the camera panning up and down, giving the team back on earth a good look at every inch of the strange monument.

“So… what exactly do we do at a moment like this?” Anna asked in wonderment.

“I… I’m not sure,” Elsa said, still awestruck by the fact they had found genuine proof of alien life. After all, how else could one describe what was essentially a stone obelisk built on the surface of Mars. But that’s what indeed it was. As Elsa looked at the markings, she wondered what they meant. A warning? Some prayer to a divine being?

Looking at the screen again, Anna gazed at the strange glyphs. She couldn’t begin to understand them, but the more she looked at them, the more they seemed to be… glowing. Each of the symbols seemed to be glowing a deep, vibrant red, like the colour of blood.

The red glow seemed almost mesmerising to Anna, completely hypnotic. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t look away. As she stared more and more at the strange obelisk, she started to hear whispers in her ear, voices that clearly were not human. Deep, hissing tones that unsettled her completely.

Suddenly, the symbols flashed an even brighter red, as Anna heard the voices start screaming in her ear. Images suddenly filled her mind. Those of a vast empire that spanned what seemed to be the entire cosmos, fleets of ships that travelled to every world, a Mars very different from the one she knew, one of lakes and plant life and a beautiful green sky. And then chaos. Black, monstrous creatures that descended from the heavens, destroying everything in their path.

Anna wanted so desperately to look away from the horrific imagery she was witnessing, of the civilisation, she was witnessing being slaughtered by the black creatures, their world being utterly devastated to the point there was nothing but a red lifeless desert in its wake. Anna screamed in pain, trying to force the images from her mind, but it was no use. Her eyes were glowing bright red with alien energy and were bleeding, as was her nose and ears.

“Anna!” Elsa cried out, rushing to Anna’s side. Her girlfriend grabbed her head, screaming in agony as the alien visions were burned into her mind. Elsa grabbed ahold of Anna, holding her close. She stared at the monitor, seeing the glowing red obelisk.

“Shut the monitors down!” Elsa yelled, alarmed. “Don’t look at the obelisk!”

The other scientists did just that, shutting down each one of the computers until the room was in complete darkness. Anna was still screaming though, suffering in agony. She screamed louder, her eyes glowing the same bright red as the alien glyphs, those same glyphs flashing across her eyeballs.

Elsa felt her heart shudder in her chest, as she watched Anna, holding her close. Nothing in her life had prepared her for anything like this.

“Someone get a doctor, now!”

xXx

It was about half an hour before the ambulance arrived and Anna still hadn’t stopped screaming. By the time Anna had gotten to the hospital, she’d lost consciousness, but fortunately, she was still alive. Throughout all of it, Elsa stayed with Anna for as long as she could.

The doctors hadn’t found anything wrong with Anna, aside from some rather odd brain activity. Elsa hadn’t told them the exact reason why Anna had ended up in this way, telling them she’d merely suffered a seizure. She knew most people wouldn’t understand the truth.

As she was making her way back to Anna’s room with a cup of tea in her hand, Elsa suddenly got a phone call from Kristoff. He’d stayed behind to watch things at the control centre while Elsa escorted Anna to the hospital. She sat down outside the room, picking up her phone.

“Kristoff?” Elsa asked.

“Elsa, thank goodness,” Kristoff said, relieved. “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get through to you. Some major shit just went down at the lab.”

“What?” Elsa asked. “What happened?”

“Just after you left, these guys in black suits showed up. They confiscated everything on the computers, including all the data we received from the rover. I think they might have been the FBI or something. They swore everyone to secrecy. I didn’t tell them about you and Anna though.”

Elsa sighed. It seems not only were aliens real, but so were the men in black. But she had to remain calm. Even if those government agents had taken all her data, everything she’d spent most of her life working on, her biggest priority was Anna and her safety.

“Thank you for letting me know,” Elsa responded.

“I’m so sorry, Elsa,” Kristoff told her. “I feel like I should have done something to stop them.”

“You did what you could,” Elsa said softly. “I suggest you go home and get some rest. It’s been… a really long day.”

“I’ll do that,” Kristoff nodded. “How’s Anna doing?”

Looking through the nearby window into Anna’s room, Elsa saw her girlfriend lying on the bed, motionless with an IV tube stuck in her arm. It pained her to see Anna like this. This wasn’t the first time Anna had been in the hospital since she’d known her, but she hadn’t felt this worried about her before either.

“No change in her condition,” Elsa said quietly, glancing back at her comatose lover. “The doctors can’t really explain what happened to her.”

“Damn,” Kristoff said, his face creasing in sympathy. “Well, if she does wake up, tell her I said hi, will you.”

“Sure thing,” Elsa smiled. “See you later, big guy.”

After hanging up, Elsa walked into Anna’s room, closing the curtains on the window that looked out onto the hallway. As she sat by Anna’s bed, she reached over and held her lover’s hand softly, gazing at her unconscious form lying beside her.

The room in the hospital was quiet, save for the ambience of whatever was going on in the corridors outside. As Elsa looked at Anna, she felt tears swell in her eyes. She wasn’t a religious woman by any means, but at this moment, Elsa was praying to god for Anna to make it.

Though as the hours ticked by, Elsa began to wonder if her love would ever awaken. It was at that point that Elsa started to blame herself. She was in charge of the mission and she should have stopped the rover before it approached that obelisk or perhaps she should have chosen a different route for the rover to take.

But at that point, Elsa realised that blaming herself wasn’t going to do anything, nor could she have predicted that something like this would have happened. What had been done was done and nothing could change that. All she could do now was keep hoping that all would be well again, that Anna would wake up.

Her prayers were answered.

“Elsa…” Anna croaked, barely above a whisper.

Elsa’s eyes widened, gazing at the redhead as she finally awakened from her unconsciousness. She held Anna’s hand tighter, staring into her eyes. “Anna!”

Anna looked up at her lover, her teal eyes fluttering open weakly. “W-What… Where am I?”

“In the hospital,” Elsa explained. “That weird obelisk we found on Mars did something to you. I… I was worried for a moment that you might…”

“I… I’m okay,” Anna assured her, weakly raising her hand and stroking Elsa’s cheek. The blonde sighed and touched Anna’s hand, resting her head against it.

“Do you… Do you remember what happened when you saw those glyphs?” Elsa asked. “All I saw was you looking at them and then you started screaming.”

“I… I remember now,” Anna groaned. “Oh fuck… it was horrible…”

“Easy,” Elsa placed a hand on Anna’s shoulder. “Relax for a moment, snowflake. Just take it one step at a time. Everything is going to be okay now.”

After Anna got a drink, she explained everything to Elsa. All the images she’d seen, the voices, how horrible it all felt. Elsa couldn’t begin to fathom what Anna had seen… but she was just glad that Anna had been strong enough to recover from it, a testament to her spirit.

But the whole affair had clearly taken its toll on her girlfriend. Every time she spoke, Elsa didn’t feel that sense of joy and excitement she usually got from Anna. It was as if the Anna she knew and love was gone and what was left was just an empty, emotionless shell.

“What do you think it all was?” Anna wondered.

“Well if I had to make a guess, I’d say when you looked at the glyphs, that obelisk must have telepathically beamed those images into your mind.”

“It all… It all looked so real,” Anna said, her voice still shaking. “It’s like it was a dream and yet I felt like I was really there on Mars, watching it all.”

“We probably won’t be able to tell anyone about this,” Elsa told her. “Apparently, the FBI or someone like them went to the control centre just after I left with you and took all our data.”

“What the hell?” Anna wondered. “Elsa… We need to tell people about this. This is big, really big.”

“I know, but if we try, the government will likely have us arrested,” Elsa argued.

“But people need to be told about this!” Anna shouted. “During those visions… when I saw the Martians get slaughtered… I saw these giant black monsters attacking them from space. I.. I couldn’t help but feel like those things wouldn’t have stopped at Mars.”

Elsa’s eyes widened. “Anna… what are you saying?”

“I’m saying I have this weird gut feeling that whatever destroyed Mars… might still be out there,” she then looked out of the window. “And… they might be watching us here and now… and one day, they might come to wipe us out too. And we have to be ready for them if they do.”

Elsa held Anna’s hand. “That won’t happen, Anna. Not as long as I’m around.”

“You promise?”

Elsa nodded, taking Anna’s hands and leaning in. The two of them touched foreheads and Anna sighed, welcoming Elsa’s loving, tender embrace.

“I promise. Whatever happens, we’ll face it… together.”

#elsanna #submission #february 2021 contest #prompt: ancient worlds #cw: angst #cw: horror #cw: hospitals #cw: aliens

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blightarts · 4 years ago

Text

Blades of Order & Chaos

Chapter Title: 5 - Fateful Encounter

Previous Chapter: Beast of Blood

Word Count: 5742

Disclaimer: All rights belong to Pixelberry. This is my version for the upcoming sequel of Blades of Light & Shadow. I am not claiming this to be the canon story of the book. This is only written to increase the hype for the actual sequel.

MC/Pairing: Kite (Blue Elf Male MC) / Kite x Nia

Taglist: @princessstellaris @mechaspirit @brightningstar @cal-north @lxdy-starfury @tyrils-star @imturaxamara @kelseaaa

Minutes after Tyril’s capture, the party has now reached few miles north of Necropolis. They stop in their tracks to catch their breath. Kite looks back.

Kite: Okay… I think… we’ve gone… far enough…

Kade collapses and sits on the ground.

Kade: I hope Tyril comes back soon.

Nia puts her satchel down.

Nia: We should camp here and wait for him to return.

Kite: Yeah, that’s a good ide—

Suddenly, the party hears rustling nearby. Kite quickly unsheathes and draws his bow at the source of the rustling.

Kite: Not again!

Uncertain whether the cause of the noise is either Tyril or a vhampyr, Kite ensures its identity.

Kite: Tyril? Is that you?

A figure steps out from the darkness and reveals themselves to be Adrina Starfury, Tyril’s sister, followed by other elves.

Kite: Adrina?

Adrina: Kite? What are you doing here?

Kite: I was about to ask the same thing.

Adrina looks behind Kite and sees only Nia and Threep, along with Kade and Loola, whom she was unfamiliar with.

Adrina: Who are these two? Is that another nesper?

Kite puts away his bow and introduces the two to Adrina.

Kite: Oh, this is my brother, Kade, and this is Loola, another surviving nesper who we rescued in the Shadow Realm.

Adrina smiles and approaches Kade and Loola, introducing herself.

Adrina: Greetings to both of you. I am Adrina, Lady of House Starfury.

Kade: Oh, you must be Tyril’s sister then.

Adrina: Correct.

Loola: Pleasure to meet you.

Adrina then looks around.

Adrina: Wait, where is Tyril? And Mal, and Imtura?

Kite hesitates to tell Adrina the truth. Nia stands beside him and holds his hand before looking at Adrina.

Nia: Well, you see, Adrina…

The lady of House Starfury notices everyone’s looks upon the mention of their friends’ names.

Adrina: What happened to them, Nia? What happened to my brother?

Adrina’s fists slowly clench and tremble. Kite comes clean and tells her what happened since Whitetower. Her face falls in disbelief.

Adrina: No… you’re lying…

Kite shakes his head and places a hand on Adrina’s shoulder but she shoves it away.

Adrina: What are you still doing here then? We have to save him!

Kite: We can’t. We have to wait for him to return, otherwise, we would be overwhelmed by the vhampyrs.

Adrina: I don’t care! My brother’s life is on the line here!

Kite: I know, but I’m sorry. This was his choice. He chose not to risk everyone’s safety. As a leader, you should know that hard choices must be made for the good of all.

Adrina unclenches her fists and starts to break into tears.

Adrina: It’s just… too much…

Kite and his friends approach to comfort Adrina with a soothing embrace.

Adrina: I’ve already lost our father… I don’t wanna lost Tyril too…

Kite’s eyes widen in horror upon learning Valir’s unknown fate.

Kite: Wait… why are you all here? What happened in Undermount when the Empire attacked…?

Adrina bites her lip, hesitant in telling what happened, but goes through with telling the story.

Adrina: Three days ago, after the beam of lights pierced the sky all around Morella, the Council of Houses and I held a meeting, discussing what did the phenomenon mean. We agreed to meet with you, specifically Threep.

Threep: Me?

Adrina: We believed that the phenomenon had something to do with an ancient enemy that had existed prior to the rise of the Shadow Court.

Kade: Well, you’re not wrong. The enemy did exist before the Shadow Court.

Adrina: Yes, yes. As I was saying, we were about to send you a letter, informing you of our visit, but Undermount was suddenly attacked by a birdman.

Loola: A birdman? You mean a native of the Avian Kingdom?

Adrina: Indeed. He introduced himself as “the Lieutenant of Lust, Daedalus Regios” …

Nia quickly pulls out Haldir’s journal and reads the information regarding Daedalus.

Nia: Ah, here it is. “Daedalus was a lieutenant of immense speed. He can zoom across the battlefield while firing feathers as sharp and durable as steel. He can hurl a thousand of these feathers with just a few flaps of his wings, and is able to destroy any structure and eliminate any cavalry within minutes.”

Kade: So, basically a one-man group of archers.

Adrina: That is exactly what he did. He unexpectedly arrived, asking for the Priestess of Light, but when my fellow elves tried to subdue him, they were easily killed.

Nia approaches and embraces Adrina.

Nia: I am so sorry, Adrina…

Adrina: Father was led the charge to keep Daedalus distracted long enough for the next generation of elves to escape unharmed. After that, I never saw him again. I… didn’t even know if he survived or not…

Adrina breaks down once more before Kite and the others join Nia in comforting her. After a few minutes, Kite thinks to himself.

Nia: What is it, Kite?

Kite: I need to know why he specifically asked for the Priestess of Light. Maybe the Empire needed her for a specific reason.

Nia hands Kite the journal for him to read while she continues to comfort Adrina.

Kite: “Daedalus was a birdman with his own goals, different from those of the Empire of Ash. When he was young, he fell in love with the True Priestess of Light. However, he became obsessed over her, to the point where he would resent anyone going near her, especially suitors. Despite his best efforts to confess his love to the Priestess, she saw him for what he truly was and rejected him because of it. Unable to accept his rejection, he became more aggressive in his approach, but was exiled from the Avian Kingdom. Days after his exile, he was approached by Athala Neset and was given the essence of the Draconians, blessing him with unimaginable magical power and immortality. He later murdered the True Priestess, hoping that her next reincarnation will love him.”

Loola: Daedalus is a pathetic birdman! All of his bloodshed only to win the love of a woman he is obsessed with?!

Kade: Wait a minute, “True Priestess of Light”? Is she a special type of priestess?

Kite looks up what the “True Priestess of Light” is in Haldir’s journal.

Kite: “The title of Priestess of Light is always given to any female of any race who has ascended into priesthood after going through trials involving the Light. However, after what I had discovered, before the Gods became one with the magical essence of the universe, Shagara, the Goddess of Light and Hope, created the True Priestess of Light, a Humanoid possessing high affinity for Light Magic, as well as immunity to its life-draining drawbacks. The True Priestess was originally tasked to act as the vanguard of the Light Realm, leading the frontlines against the reincarnation of Moirae should he return. Despite being mortal, once the True Priestess reaches the end of her life, she is reincarnated into her next, regaining all of the memories of her previous lives once she has ascended into priesthood.”

Threep: I see. So, Daedalus murdering the True Priestess of Light during Haldir’s era ended up being beneficial to the Empire of Ash. Without her, the rebellion had little chance of victory.

Kade: That’s true, since she’d still be a child during that time.

Nia begins to connect the dots; her vision prior to Laundsellyn’s attack in Whitetower, her battle with Laundsellyn, the history of the True Priestess of Light. It all starts to come together. She pulls away from Adrina, who has regained her composure, and approaches Kite, grabbing his arm.

Nia: Kite, I have something to tell you…

Kite looks at Nia, who seem distraught. He closes Haldir’s journal and hands it to Kade, before embracing Nia.

Kite: Is everything okay?

Nia looks at Kite, clutching his arm while almost tearing up.

Nia: Kite, I think I—

But before Nia could finish, a figure quickly zooms towards Kite, grabs him by the neck and snatches him away from Nia’s grasp.

Kade: Kite!

The figure then slams Kite to a nearby tree as Adrina and the other elves recognizes the attacker.

Adrina: It’s him! That’s Daedalus!

Kite struggles to breathe and break free from Daedalus’s hold while the birdman tightens his grip and presses the elf more against the trunk of the tree.

Daedalus: Don’t you dare touch her.

Kite: Wha…? What are… you talking… about…?!

Nia steps up.

Nia: Let him go! It’s me that you want.

Kite looks at Nia.

Kite: Nia… what are…?

He then starts to realized what she meant.

Kite: Nia… don’t tell me you’re…

Nia nods, answering Kite’s question before he could even finish it. Under her wishes, Daedalus throws Kite to the side before turning to her.

Daedalus: I commend you for your willingness to come with me, my Love, but you must forget about him once we reach Whitetower.

Nia says nothing as she willingly gives herself up to Daedalus for Kite’s sake. Angered by the lieutenant’s actions, Adrina draws her bow and aims it at him.

Adrina: Unhand her, you degenerate!

Daedalus flaps one of his wings, flinging a few feathers towards Adrina before she could fire the arrow.

Council Elf: Lady Starfury!

A member of the Council of Houses jumps in to shield Adrina from the incoming attack, at the cost of his life. The Lady of House Starfury then unsheathes her bow before tending to the brave elf.

Daedalus: Strike me down and I shall kill you all before you could even draw your blades.

Kite coughs after being choked while Kade helps him out. He and the others watch as Daedalus takes Nia up in the sky and flies to Whitetower.

Kite: We have to go after him!

Kade: Kite, wait. You’re still hurt.

Kite: I know that, but Nia is kidnapped… again! We have to save her, especially when she is actually the True Priestess!

Feeling Kite’s frustrations, Adrina turns to her fellow elves.

Adrina: We need two drakes.

Elf Guard: As you wish, Lady Starfury.

The elves lead two drakes towards Kite and Kade.

Adrina: Get on. You have to save Nia.

Kite nods and rides one of the drakes. Kade does the same while the nespers join them. Kite turns to Adrina.

Kite: Thank you, Adrina.

Adrina: Avenge the losses we have endured, Kite. I know you can do it.

Kite: I plan to.

Adrina: My kin and I shall take refuge near the Rysoth Rainforest. We heard it was once a home to House Swordsdance.

Kite: Understood.

Kite and Kade take to the skies with the drakes and chase after Daedalus. Kade worriedly looks at Kite.

Kade: Kite…

The elf, feeling anguished, looks at his brother.

Kade: She’s safe. You won’t lose her again.

Kite nods in silence, feeling somewhat a little relieved after hearing Kade’s words. But that relief will soon turn back into despair as a beam of destructive magic bursts from within Whitetower and pierces the sky. The beam looks to be larger than the beams of light signaling the release of the Lieutenants, shocking Kite, Kade and the nespers. Suddenly, a pain strikes Kite’s head.

Kite: Hrrrkk!!

Kade: Kite! What’s wrong?

The elf’s headache worsens as he begins to see a vision.

Kite: Wh-What…?

Lights flash before Kite’s eyes as the vision brings him back to the past.

In this vision, Kite finds himself at a cliffside above the ocean during a sunset. He sees two elves in front of him, watching the sunset. One is standing at the edge of the cliff and the other is sitting atop a boulder just behind the first elf. The first elf then begins to speak to the second elf.

Voice: This dream of yours, Ignis… I shall carry it with you.

Ignis chuckles and gets off the boulder to approach the first elf.

Ignis: It is no longer my dream. It is ours now… Haldir.

Kite stares in awe, realizing that he is witnessing a memory of his ancestor, Haldir Nightbloom. He watches as two elves clasp each other’s right hands, forming a pact.

Haldir: …Glory to the Empire.

Ignis: Glory to the Empire.

Kite: Wait… what…?

Before he could find out more, Kite is pulled away from the vision and returns to reality.

Kite: Wait! I want to know more!

Kade looks at him, confused.

Kade: Did you… see another vision…?

Kite soothes his head, where the pain is slowly fading.

Kite: Yeah… I did…

Kade: What did you see…?

Kite: I…

But before Kite could answer, a loud and terrifying roar can be heard from the beam of magic. The drakes reach Whitetower and fly around the beam. Threep spots something at the bottom of the beam.

Threep: Look over there!

The party sees a silhouette of a large creature visible at the center of the beam.

Loola: Is that… a dragon…?

Kade: I don’t think that’s just a dragon…

Kite: It’s him… the “Fateseeker”.

As the beam finally fades, the dragon stretches its wings, ready to take flight.

Kite: Here it comes! Get away!

Kite and Kade order their drakes to keep distance from the incoming dragon. The “Fateseeker” soars to the sky and upon reaching the height he needs; he roars once more. Inside his mouth, flames can be seen burning brightly.

The flames released from the maw of the “Fateseeker” lay waste to the city of Whitetower, destroying every structure in sight and setting it ablaze.

Kade: This is… too much to watch…

Kade closes his eyes and grits his teeth, unable to witness the unbearable destruction. Kite surveys the city and notices it to be devoid of any inhabitants.

Kite: There’s not much we can do now. What matters is that the knights fulfilled their duty in evacuating that city before the Lieutenants arrived.

Kade reluctantly nods at Kite. After unleashing havoc upon the capital city, the “Fateseeker” turns towards the two brothers circling him and stares at them menacingly. Kade and Kite’s hearts sink upon looking at the dragon’s eyes.

Threep: We have to split up! He’s gonna come after us!

Loola: No, wait! Look!

Instead of attacking them, the “Fateseeker” flies towards the castle before taking the form of a Humanoid and entering the throne room.

Kade: He just… ignored us…

Threep: He is most likely baiting us to follow him.

Kite then notices something and points to it.

Kite: Look over there, at the harbor.

Kade looks towards where Kite is pointing to.

Kade: It’s K’ell Dhana! Vulcanis is already here.

Loola: And so is Athala.

Loola points to the machine that Athala operates, stationed at the south side of Whitetower. Overwhelmed by what’s about to undergo, Kade gulps.

Kade: How are we supposed to face off against the entire Empire with just the four of us?

Kite: We don’t have to. We just need to rescue Nia with as little fighting as possible.

Threep: How are we supposed to do that?

Kite thinks for a few seconds and snaps his fingers.

Kite: I got it!

A few minutes later, Kite and Kade land their drakes in front of the entrance of the throne room, where the “Fateseeker” and his army waits for them. The doors open and Laundsellyn comes out to greet the party.

Sir Laundsellyn: Welcome, welcome, esteemed guests of the new Empire of Ash!

Kite clenches his fists upon seeing the shadow knight, who notices it, but keeps his composure.

Sir Laundsellyn: Now, now, let’s not result into violence. As much as I want to kill you as well, the “Fateseeker” specifically requested you to be his audience.

Laundsellyn turns to enter the throne room.

Sir Laundsellyn: Come. He’s been dying to meet you.

The party reluctantly follows their adversary inside and upon entering, they see the “Fateseeker” seated on the throne, with all of the Lieutenants at his side, including an unknown hooded woman. They also find Nia standing beside Daedalus, who is irritated to see Kite once again.

Kite: Nia!

Nia: Kite! Are you oka—

Daedalus interrupts by standing in front of Nia, making sure that she doesn’t interact with Kite at all, angering him. The birdman turns to the “Fateseeker”.

Daedalus: I still don’t understand why do you want to have me spare him.

The “Fateseeker” just chuckles and stands from his throne before walking down the steps to greet the party. As Kite walks closer to the Emperor, his eyes widen and he freezes in place upon recognizing the familiar face of the “Fateseeker”.

Kite: Y-You’re…

The “Fateseeker” realizes the meaning behind Kite’s expression and grins maniacally.

Fateseeker: Yes, Kite. I’m glad that you already know who I am.

Confused, Kade turns to Kite.

Kade: What is he talking about? Was it that vision you saw? Did you manage to find out his name?

Kite is unable to speak from shock so the “Fateseeker” answers Kade’s questions for him.

Fateseeker: Well, if you must know… my name is Ignis Fateseeker; the Fated Reincarnation of Moirae Boreas; the First Emperor of the Elven Empire; the Conqueror of Ashes.

Ignis smirks.

Ignis: And of course… Haldir Nightbloom’s blood brother.

Kade, Threep, Loola and Nia stare in disbelief upon learning that Haldir and the “Fateseeker” were once close companions, to the point where they had to make a blood pact to solidify their friendship.

Threep: No… That’s a lie…

Ignis laughs.

Ignis: I assure you; it is not. You did not expect that the “Great Haldir” was perfect, did you?

Loola: How can two elves who are polar opposites of each other be companions?!

Ignis walks back to the throne.

Ignis: You might want to sit down for my side of the story.

He nods towards the hooded woman, who uses her magic to force Kite, Kade and the nespers down on the floor by increasing the gravitational pull around them. Their bodies are glued to the floor, which is a bit painful, while Ignis sits on the throne.

Ignis: Millennia ago, during my conquest which would eventually lead to the rise of the Elven Empire, Haldir and I were once inseparable and unstoppable. He was my right-hand man, always fighting alongside me in every battle in order to expand the territory of our Empire.

The draconic elf clenches his fists.

Ignis: But then… everything changed when he witnessed the death of his own brother under the hands of the first humans. According to him, this very death opened his eyes to the… “horrors of war”. And so, he left. He abandoned his duties… his responsibilities… his own friend… OUR DREAM!!

Ignis’s bloodcurdling voice echoes throughout the room, unsettling the lit torches.

Ignis: Instead of standing by me, he went on a “life-changing” pilgrimage, learning about everything in this realm and befriending the other Humanoids who we were supposed to rule over! Pathetic!

Kite attempts to argue.

Kite: He was not pathetic! He realized the truth upon paying the consequences of his actions! Instead of exacting vengeance upon the humans who killed his brother, he set out on a journey to redeem himself and create peace with the inhabitants in this realm so that no more blood shall be shed! If anyone here is pathetic, it’s you!

Ignis is unfazed by Kite’s argument and insult.

Ignis: You really are his descendant.

Laundsellyn seemed confused by what Ignis said.

Sir Laundsellyn: Wait… this kid is a descendant of House Nightbloom?

In need of convincing, the shadow knight approaches Kite and crouches in front of him to inspect his face closer. After seconds of observing, it finally hits him.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ah, I see it now! You are Estel’s son!

Kite: Who…?

Kade: “Estel” …?

Kade recalls his vision the night prior to Laundsellyn’s first attack where his supposed parents mentioned that very name.

Sir Laundsellyn: Oh, how sad. You do not even know your own mother’s name.

Kite: Well, how would you know?!

Sir Laundsellyn: Of course, I would know. After all… she is my little sister.

Kite and Kade became silent at the absurdity of what Laundsellyn just said.

Kade: How is that even possible?!

Kite: We are hundreds of generations apart! How can you be the brother of my own mother?!

Suddenly, Threep experiences a headache, where he starts to regain the memories he lost before he was sealed inside a crystal.

Threep: I remember now!

The brothers, Nia, Loola and Laundsellyn, the latter being irritated, turn to Threep.

Threep: I’m sorry, Kite, but what he is saying is true. You are the son of his sister, Estel Nightbloom.

Kite: But… how?

Threep: During the war against the Shadow Court, Lucius was tasked to eliminate every single member of House Nightbloom, with Estel being his last victim. However, before she perished, she took her son to Dunbar Forest in order to have him preserved.

Kade: “Preserved”?

Threep: The trees of forest have roots that contain immense magical power, called the “Roots of Preservation”. These roots act like the crystal I was trapped in, preserving any living being in suspended animation.

Kite: So, what you’re saying is…

Threep: Yes, Kite. You were born during the era of the Shadow Court, and in her last moments, your mother, Estel, sent you to the future to keep you protected.

The party, excluding Threep, are at a lost for words. Laundsellyn stands up straight and returns to Ignis’s side.

Ignis: Now that you have heard enough revelations, it is time for you to become one of us.

Kade: What?!

Ignis stands from the throne and walks towards Kite. The draconic elf then opens his hand, revealing a Draconian essence, ready to be infused with the descendant of his friend.

Threep: This is bad! He’s going to put Kite under his control!

Loola: Kite, snap out of it! We need to commence the plan!

The hooded woman laughs.

Hooded Woman: No matter what your plan is, it is futile. You cannot do anything when you are all under my gravitation spell.

Sir Laundsellyn: Hey, isn’t it getting a little bit cold in here?

Kade and the nespers continue to tell Kite to do something while the elf is petrified after everything he’s heard.

Kade: Kite! Please!

Regardless of the risks, Nia eventually steps up, shoving Daedalus aside, in order to help Kite.

Nia: Kite!

She attempts to rush towards her beloved’s side, but Daedalus quickly grabs her arm, stopping her in her tracks. Even still, Nia struggles from the birdman’s grip and tries to snap Kite out of his silence.

Nia: Your mother kept you safe for a reason! She realized your potential as a descendant of Haldir! She sacrificed everything, even her own life, because she knew that you would be the one to save us all! You’re the Chosen Hero, Kite! You’re… my Hero…

Tears begin to well up in Kite’s eyes upon hearing Nia’s words. The opposite can be said for Daedalus, however, as he slaps her, causing the priestess to fall on her knees.

Daedalus: How dare you fall in love with such a weakling!

Kite looks up and glares at every single one of his enemies.

Kite: Is it ready, Loola?

Loola: Waiting on your signal.

Kite grins before quickly clenching his fists.

Kite: Mirage break!

Loola begins to fade from existence, revealing herself to be an illusion created by Kite using his Mirror Mirage spell, surprising everyone in the room, except Kade and Threep.

Sir Laundsellyn: Where did she go?!

The real Loola begins to fade into existence above everyone, along with multiple icicles that she created. She smirks.

Loola: Thanks for buying me enough time, Kite.

The Lieutenants attempt to stop her from using her attack but she was too quick.

Loola: Ice Magic: Flash Freeze!!

Loola then launches her icicles towards Ignis and his Lieutenants.

Sir Laundsellyn: Ooh, that’s why it was cold earli—

Before Laundsellyn can finish, the icicles strike his, Ignis’s and the rest of the Lieutenants’ chest areas, before immediately getting frozen by the attack. The leaders of the Empire stand there, motionless. The gravitation spell of the hooded woman wears off, freeing the party. Kite stands up.

Kite: Come on! Time is of the essence!

He rushes to Nia, followed by Threep, and helps her up while Kade carries Loola, who worn herself out after using such a powerful spell, in his arms.

Nia: You… had this planned all along?

Kite nods.

Threep: He needed to buy Loola some time to cast her most powerful spell. That’s why he used his Mirror Mirage spell as soon as we landed with the drakes.

Kite: Less talking, more escaping, please.

Kite gives Nia a piggyback ride and runs towards the entrance of the throne room. Kade, Threep and Loola are just right behind them. They quickly mount the drakes and take off to the sky.

Kade: Where to now?

Kite: North. We’re heading to the Vishanti Mountains.

As the party fly towards north of Whitetower, Ignis and the Lieutenants begin to break free from their frozen prisons. Ignis chuckles and dusts himself off.

Ignis: That is quite unfortunate. He is more skilled than I thought.

Laundsellyn and Athala seemed impressed.

Sir Laundsellyn: Oh, he is Estel’s son, alright.

Athala: I haven't felt this much pain for so long. It feels soooo good.

The rest are irritated by what just happened.

Hooded Woman: How did I not see through his illusions?!

Vulcanis: So, I was made a fool and ended up destroying illusionary ships?!

Vladus: Haaaate… coooollddd…

Daedalus: I’LL KILL HIM!!

Daedalus takes flight and rushes out of the throne room.

Sir Laundsellyn: There he goes again. Remind me why we keep someone like him?

Ignis: Daedalus is nothing but a simpleton. You give him the proper trigger and he’ll act accordingly to our goals.

Near the northern border of Morella, the party draws closer to the snowy mountains

Kite: We’re almost there! Just a little clo—

Suddenly, one of Daedalus’s feathers pierces through the head of the drake that Kite was riding.

Kite: Damn it! Hang on!

Nia clutches onto Kite while he tries to keep the dead drake steady as it begins to drop.

Kade: Kite! Nia!

Kade, Threep and Loola chase after the falling couple. Kite looks around for a safe place to crash land into and aims for the snowy ground.

Kite: Hang on!

Mere meters from the ground, Kite and Nia embrace each other before leaping out of the drake and landing on the soft snow. The two then help each other up after the fall. Nia shivers from the cold.

Nia: Do you still have the coats that King Brynjar gave us?

Kite: Yes, I do.

Kite takes out two large coats from his satchel and puts one on Nia. She smiles and holds onto her coat, blushing.

Nia: Thank you.

Kite puts on his coat and smiles at his beloved before kissing her forehead. Kade lands his drake next to the couple with the nespers hovering beside him.

Kade: Are you two okay?

Kite: Yeah, we just need to—

But before Kite could finish, Daedalus swoops in and grabs the elf by the neck before zooming past the party.

Nia: Kite!

Kite struggles to breathe and break free from the birdman’s hold.

Daedalus: You are a formidable foe, Kite. I can see why Nia fell for you.

Daedalus then hurls Kite up in the sky and flings a few feathers at him. The feathers pierces through Kite’s body, leaving near-fatal wounds on his limbs and abdomen. The birdman then kicks the elf onto a stone wall, where the latter crashes onto headfirst before collapsing on the snow, unconscious.

Daedalus: But she belongs to ME.

Daedalus hovers in front of Kite’s body and prepares to kill him but is interrupted by a blast of Light from behind. He turns to see Nia running towards him, with Kade mounted on his drake right behind her.

Nia: Daedalus, stop! You’re only here for me, aren’t you?

The priestess stops in her tracks and raises her hands up.

Nia: I’ll come with you… willingly. Just please spare Kite.

Daedalus scoffs and hovers towards Nia.

Daedalus: I recall that the last time you came to me willingly while I spared him, he made a mess back in Whitetower.

The birdman shakes his head.

Daedalus: I shall no longer do what you ask me to. Kite Nightbloom has to die.

Nia: Then you leave me no choice…

Nia closes her eyes, channeling the power she once unlocked when she faced off against Laundsellyn three days ago.

Nia: Shagara, Goddess of Light and Hope, guide me in these despairing times. Awaken the power sleeping inside me.

Daedalus realizes what she is doing and rushes to stop her, but it was too late. Nia’s eyes burst open, radiating with the power of the Light. She begins to levitate while magical energy surges through her.

Daedalus: Damn it!

The birdman flings a few feathers towards Nia, who in turn, disintegrates them with a blast of Light magic. Through telepathy, the priestess tells her plan to Kade.

Nia: Kade, grab Kite and take him to Dunbar Forest, just west of here.

Threep: Wait, what?

Nia: You have to preserve his body inside the Roots of Preservation, otherwise, he will perish from his wounds.

Kade: What about you?

Nia: I shall keep Daedalus distracted.

Kade: But…

Nia: This is not the time to discuss, Kade! Hurry!

Kade grits his teeth and just nods. While the bard flies towards Kite with his drake, Loola turns to Nia.

Loola: I’ll be supporting you.

Threep: What?!

The female nesper turns to Threep.

Loola: She needs all the help she can get, Threep.

Threep: I understand that but… what if I lose you?

Loola: You will not. I promise you that.

Threep hesitates.

Threep: Loola, I…

While the male nesper begins to tear up, Loola places her paw on his head.

Loola: I know. You don’t have to tell me.

Threep’s eyes widen as he blushes, surprised to know that his feelings are known by Loola this whole time.

Loola: I feel the same way too.

Threep breaks down into tears before rushing to aid Kade. Meanwhile, Daedalus continues to barrage Nia with his feathers. Loola hovers beside the priestess.

Loola: Let us begin.

Nia nods and begins to fly far away, followed by Loola, while still defending herself from the birdman’s attacks.

Daedalus: Get back here!

Daedalus chases after Nia and Loola, further into the mountainous region. Soon, they land near one of the peaks where they stare off against each other.

Daedalus: No matter where you run or hide, you cannot escape me, Nia.

Nia: I beg to differ.

Nia begins to cast a powerful Light magic spell, but Daedalus attempts to intercept it with his feathers. Unfortunately for him, Loola stops his feathers with her conjured icicles.

Daedalus: Tch! Your friends are all frustrating!

The birdman hurls more and more feathers but Loola just stops them all by creating an ice wall between them.

Loola: Not on my watch!

After about a minute of Daedalus’s attacks being intercepted by Loola, Nia has finished conjuring her spell.

Nia: It’s ready!

Loola: Do it!

Daedalus: NO!!

Daedalus zooms towards the two, with his hand almost about to strangle Loola, but…

Nia: Light Magic: Blinding Flare!!

Nia raises her hands, unleashing a large burst of Light, blinding Daedalus before he could grab Loola. The magic affects the entire area around them and soon, the ground around them begins to shake. When the light fades, the birdman turns to them, appalled.

Daedalus: You didn’t…

Nia: That is exactly the plan.

An avalanche begins to take place from the peak of the mountain. Daedalus begins to take off but…

Loola: Oh no, you don’t. Ice Magic: Mini-Flash Freeze!

Loola flings a small icicle towards one of Daedalus’s wings, instantly freezing it so that he won’t fly away.

Daedalus: You insolent cat!

The birdman tries to break the ice but is too slow as the avalanche is just meters away from him, Nia and Loola. The priestess and the nesper look at each other and nod.

Nia: The rest is up to Kite and the others.

Loola: May the Light guide them.

Nia touches her palm with Loola’s paw and they begin to cast one last spell together.

Nia: Coalescence Magic…

Loola: Light-Speed Freeze!

Nia uses her Light magic to amplify Loola’s casting time, allowing her to cast her freezing spell faster than the avalanche can reach them. Seconds before being hit, the two are frozen solid inside an icicle before being buried in snow. Daedalus, meanwhile, gets dragged down towards the base of the mountain.

Daedalus: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!

After recovering and breaking the ice encasing his wing, he rushes back to where he last saw Nia and Loola, but they’re no longer to be seen. The birdman screams in despair, knowing that he has failed once again in claiming the love of his life.

Nia has left the party.

Loola has left the party.

Meanwhile, Kade flies his drake towards Dunbar Forest, with Kite in his arms and Threep on his shoulder. Upon seeing their destination, the bard commands his drake to descend.

Kade: We’re almost there, Kite. Don’t worry.

Threep: The Dunbar Tribe should still be inhabiting the forest. Once they recognize that Kite is the son of Estel, they will let us preserve him in the Roots of Preservation.

Kade: I just hope we’re not too late.

They eventually reach the heart of the forest where they met with the tribe, who in turn, agreed to preserve Kite in the Roots of Preservation, where his body will heal.

After facing the might of the Empire of Ash, those who are still left standing must now face the challenge of reuniting with their friends and finding the Sacred Treasures. But will they succeed?

————— ONE YEAR LATER —————

At the heart of Dunbar Forest, one of its Roots of Preservation opens like a cocoon, releasing Kite from his 5-year long rest. Kade rushes to his aid and helps him up.

Kade: Kite! You’re finally awake! Are you okay?

The elf’s vision is blurry after being trapped in suspended animation. Once his vision clears, he turns to Kade, uttering his first words after five years.

Kite: Wh… Who are you…?

Kade’s eyes widen, shocked to learn that his brother has gotten amnesia.

————— END OF CHAPTER —————

#choices #playchoices #choices stories you play #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #blades of light and shadow #choices blades #bolas #choices bolas #blades fanfic #blades fanfiction #bolas fanfic #bolas fanfiction #nia ellarious #choices nia #kade #choices kade

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baddyzarc · 5 years ago

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1/6 Ruins: Legend of the Ancient Hero

x 2 3 4a 4b 5 6 7

So awhile back I wrote a small, incomplete piece over Vector and his guardian, Minotarous, and how it connects to his legend and mythyrian number. Since then, I've been wanting to do it for all of the Emperors since there's enough details and Easter eggs to do that and nows a good time. I'm gonna be taking text mainly from the original subs since the dub did things to them that I do not agree with.

Since its gonna cover 6 different ruins, I decided to split this up into multiple parts.

So let’s begin with the ruins of everyone's favorite blind, book-loving, memelord supreme barian, Dubhe

Being the first to kick off the arc, Durbe’s ruin is probably the easiest of the ruins to understand.

Aside from the theme of trusting in others, one of the other major themes of his ruins revolves around the self-sacrifice motif.

This is clearly seen at the very start of the arc. It started with the scene where Yuma jumped in front of a bear in order to protect Durbe, who is a stranger and a very likely candidate of the Barian Emperor that crashed into their ship. Yuma was willing to sacrifice himself to (or fistfight) a bear to protect a complete stranger.

The next example is a little more obscure, but I say it happens when Durbe pushed Ryouga out from under the falling rocks and trapped himself with the fish boy. This one is a bit tough to grasp what Durbe “sacrificed” by doing this, but I argue that Ryouga was immediately held distrust towards Durbe from the beginning. Durbe has no reason to save him, and it would’ve benefited him greatly if Ryouga is out of the picture. Instead, Durbe saves him, and in the process he sacrifices his safety for a person who really hates Barians.

This whole concept continues throughout the Durbe's ruins. “Numbers 44: White Winged Horse - Sky Pegasus“ has the ability to destroy a monster unless the owner pays 500 lifepoints, and due to additional effects, Yuma has to pay 1000 lifepoints (which is a quarter of his life) each time this happens. Yuma chooses to sacrifice his lifepoints to keep Durbe and Ryouga as well as his “Numbers 39: King of Wishes, Hope” alive. In the Legend, Mach sacrifices himself for Durbe, and Durbe sacrifices himself for Mach in the past. There’s also something to be said when Yuma places his trust in the Barian Emperor, Durbe, after recounting his disaster with my boy Vector too. Even near the end of the episode, Ryouga is willing to die in order for Yuma to win the duel. The whole mini-arc is lathered in this theme.

What I found interesting about the "self-sacrificing" theme is what Mach says at the beginning of the duel. He says that in order for Yuma to win (and in turn save Ryouga and Durbe), he has to surrender the duel, or "victory can only be achieved through surrender." In essence, Yuma has to sacrifice, or surrender, the Mythyrian Number if he wants to save everyone. This is usual villain banter, but in the context of this episode, it is almost knee-jerking and tragic.

Recall back to Durbe’s legend. The Legend of the Ancient Hero (recounted through the scriptures on the ruins, Durbe, and Mach) tells the story of a group of four brave knights with one of them being Durbe and his Pegasus, Mach. Together they protected a distant land. Durbe returned to his homeland for some time (presumably to aid Nasch in his quest). Corrupted with the aspiration for power, the remaining knights overthrew the king and took over the country. When Durbe returned, he tried to appeal to them by saying “their hearts [are] filled with justice.” Unfortunately, he failed to open their hearts, and the three knights attacked Durbe.

Despite the assault, Durbe refused to harm or kill the attackers because he saw them as his cherished companions. Instead of fighting back, he surrendered, and he was stricken down by their relentless attacks.

Mach intervened in these attacks in order to protect his master, and he became fatally injured as a result. Durbe refused to retreat or abandon his dying steed, so he stayed by Mach’s side so they could perish together.

The final line of the legend said that the knights saw how noble the two of them were in their self-sacrifice to each other. They committed their lives to prove the bond between friends, the knights included. To honor Durbe, the knights ceased their rebellion, and they laid Mach and Durbe to rest as heroes.

In the case of the legend, even with their tragic demise, victory was achieved through surrender.

Yuma does a similar thing. In order to win, he has to play Mach’s game. He has to accept sacrificing himself over and over again. Only by taking those hits, by surrendering his life, is he able to win the duel and save his friends.

Okay, so enough about the theme of the ruins, let’s talk about physical ruins.

Noteworthy imagery used in the ruins is the use of colors.

When the characters got separated, they ended up in two chambers. One is lit by blue flames and the other by red flames.

And the thing about Zexal is that blue and red have strong associations to Astral World and Barian World respectively. Not all of the time, but the usage of these colored hallways and flames disappear shortly afterwards. So if the writers didn’t want you to notice the difference, they would’ve omitted it entirely. These colors are included for some reason.

Now you're probably wondering why I bring this up. Ryouga, Durbe, and Rio are Barians, Astral is, well, an Astral, this separation doesn’t make sense. But consider where the characters wind up. The “blue light” leads to the legend of the hero while the “red light” leads to the Number.

With the "red light" path, their intention is to free “Number 44: White Winged Horse - Sky Pegasus”.

Okay, slight deviation since this is important, but the Mythyrian Numbers are a special set of Numbers that Astral used to seal Don Thousand’s powers away. With Numbers, they do not belong to the Astral as a whole. If that’s the case, the existence of “Number 100: Numeron Dragon” implies that Astral created God, which is a little problematic (or a plot hole, take your pick). This is also why the Barians have their own set of Numbers. Astral is called the Original Number, so I take this as he is conglomerate of a bunch of strong Numbers, and Astral’s whole identity and powers is tied to the Numbers. This is why his memory shatters in the form of Numbers, or how other beings can absorb Astral’s Numbers. The Astrals simply used the powers of the Numbers to create Astral and lock Don Thousand away. I’ll explain this more later when we get to Mizael’s ruins and the whole smitck with the Numeron Dragon because it gets complicated.

BUT if anyone took the Mythyrian Number, whether it was carried out by Astral World, or Barian World, or an Earthling, Don Thousand’s strength will be restored. No matter what, Don Thousand's strengthening is inevitable as long as the characters choose to act on the red path.

For during the path of the “blue light”, or the one that Durbe and Ryouga took, the show hints that the evil Barians maybe aren’t evil. They have another secret to them that we don’t know of. In fact, the legend concludes by mentioning that the heroic Durbe and Mach ascended into Heaven, or into Astral World. This did not happen, of course, since we know of Durbe’s true fate. With Ryouga, his presence with Durbe allows for a crucial scene to play out later in the episodes. This also steadily connects him to his Barian heritage.

I can’t say much for Rio, but I feel as though the writers were incredibly inept about handling her Barianhood in comparison to Ryouga. They had no idea what to do with her (aside from being a handy-dandy translator and expositioner) and her character suffers for it, but ill get to her later.

Like, I may have an slight explanation for why Rio stays with the “red light” group. It’s kinda weak, but here we go.

Out of all of the legends, only Nasch and Durbe were not seen to be touched by Don Thousand's direct actions:

All of the other Emperors had a scene where an Over-Hundred goes into their heart or are possessed by Don Thousand. It is highly implied that Durbe also had the Over-Hundred Number monster enter his heart, but this was not shown since the scene cut away before we find out. Far as I know, Durbe was influenced to become a Barian when Donny made the knights turn on him, and the betrayal of his friends was so heart-breaking that Durbe descended into Barian World. Nasch was… well, ill get to him later too, but Durbe and Nasch could be the only ones who aren’t embedded with the curse. At least, on-screen.

Whether it happened or not is up for your interpretation, but them staying on the “blue light”, in the path of true heroes, makes sense in this concept.

Weak, yeah, but if there’s anyone that can explain why Rio is on the “blue light” side, let me know, aside from plot convenience. It’s obvious that the writers wanted Ryouga and Durbe to be together in the death rooms for plot reasons though.

Moving on, more plays on colors could be seen with the drawings in the Ruins.

This handsome, colorful fellow is meant to be Durbe. This depiction of him is much different than the one that is shown in (hopefully accurate) flashback.

It isn’t known who is responsible for scriptures and drawing in all of the ruins.

But the person who did this has the right idea of dressing Durbe in this multicolored garb. The story is called the “Legend of the Ancient Hero” and heroes are often associated with the three primary colors: blue is seen his shirt, pants, and helmet; red is seen in his cape; and yellow is seen in his undergarment. Meanwhile, white is a color often associated with purity, peace, and sincerity. All of these colors represent Durbe his legend—as a pure hero.

Being as he is the first Ruins we visit, using all this imagery to scream to the audience that “the barians are actually fallen heroes! theyre not evil!” is quite a nice, fun touch.

As well, out of the Seven Emperors, Durbe is the one who tends to be the most pure and heroic. From his deck being based on “holy” objects and his... questionable leadership, Durbe isn’t like Vector. He isn’t cruel or evil; everything he does is “for sake of Barian World” and that’s about it.

He knows that if Barian World does not attack Astral World, they will die (and vice-versa with Astral World). His motivations are solely to protect his home and his people. Also, I like Durbe I really do, but he is pathetic as a villain. Literally the worst plans and a bad leader who does not know how to use any of his pieces, but I appreciate his noble goals. He’s funny, Durbe is really funny. He just doesn’t have the heart to be the bad guy; but as a character who acts heroic (his duel with Merag for example), he does it pretty well.

And to rub my grubby little barian-eatin hands all over Durbe’s heroness, I want to talk about his ace monsters—his Mythyrian, his Over-Hundred, and his Chaos Over-Hundred.

Durbe’s Mythyrian Number also serves as his beloved Guardian of the ruins, Mach. This holds true for most of the Emperors due to the Guardians connection to their Emperors during their past life.

Now, Durbe isn’t shown with the card like some of the other Emperors, but we likely can infer that he was in posession of the Mythyrian Number, thus being a target of Don Thousand.

The role of the Mythyrian Number for the Emperors isn’t crystal clear, but what is known is that their being used to seal Don Thousand away. During the original fight between Don Thousand and Astral, Astral won the battle but lost fifty of his Numbers. Among these were the Mythyrian Numbers, which had the power to suppress Don Thousand. I don’t know if it was random chance that the Numbers glided towards the Emperors or it was divine intervention, but what I do know is that anyone who got the Mythyrian original had a good, strong heart and were destined for Astral World.

My personal theory is that the Barians and Astrals are like Newton’s Third Law, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. They complement each other and balance each other out.

In order to seal Don Thousand’s Chaos away, the Astrals had to counteract with equal forces of Cosmos. In their true life, the Emperors provided the necessary Cosmos to suppress Don Thousand. The Emperors were supposed to be Astrals anyways; the Astrals just harnessing their powers while they were humans to fight Don Thousand.

Since the Mythyrian Numbers are drenched with the power of Cosmos due to their relationship with the human Emperors, they are the antitheisis to the Over-Hundred Numbers whose powers come from Chaos.

Mythyrian Numbers being based more on Astral World could also be seen in how the Pegasus on the coat of arms is often associated with Heaven, or a messenger from God. And as Mach recounted the ending of Durbe’s legend, he does that color thing. That iconic blue, Astral-like glow.

With his Over-Hundred Numbers, I think the most interesting thing about it is that the full Japanese name is “Numbers 102: Holy Lightning - Glorious Halo”. These Number monsters represent the Barian Emperors in some way (despite some of them being weird like the giant handy one). The most direct statement to this is when Vector uses the Over-Hundreds to mock Nasch by summoning Durbe and Merag’s monsters (as in “I ate your sister and best friend and these are mine now”), and the entirety of Nasch’s tragic display during his final duel with Yuma.

So even in death, even as a Barian, even as one of the villains, Durbe is still sainted as holy and adorned with a halo. None of the other Over-Hundred are dressed in such a positive light (if at all).

When he turns “Glorious Halo” into a Chaos monster, technically putting extra barian sauce on a plate of fried barian, the name changes into “Number C102: Unholy Lightning - Noble Daemon”. Durbe still has the “Noble Demon” attached to him, even with extra evil on him.

Durbe’s nobility as a Barian makes since if you see that he isn't deeply infused with Don Thousand's curse in comparison to someone like Vector. Or his strong affiliation to keep Barian World safe from harm.

Plus, as a little extra snippet that I noticed in the episode, I wanna focus on this scene in the ruins.

This scene is great. It doesn't have much to do with Durbe, but it's an amazing foreshadow. I think by this point, the audience suspects that Ryouga is a Barian. He acts weird sometimes, his past is unknown, he can summon Chaos monsters, the Emperors are missing two and the Kamishiros slide in like a puzzle piece. BUT, I think the most damning evidence is this specific piece.

Before entering the ruins, Durbe broke his Baria crystal. He is unable to use his Barian powers nor does he have the ability to fix it. But the moment he saves Ryouga from falling to his death, Ryouga begins to glow that iconic red Barian color.

Not Durbe, but Ryouga. Ryouga’s energy flows into Durbe, which restores his crystal to full power and allows him to reveal his true form. Since Ryouga is the King of the Barians, Nasch, it makes complete sense that his body has remnants of his Barian life. (why this didnt activate before, idk, maybe shark wasnt in the mood)

Watching Ryouga heal a fellow Barian is conclusive evidence that Ryouga, as well as Rio probably, must be Barians, or at least connected to the Barians.

Even parts of the duel includes Nasch’s legend in it.

“Labyrinth of Decisions”, “Unfair Treaty”, and “Shield of Conspiracy” are cards used by Mach that fit into Durbe’s story. The labyrinth could be attributed to him leaving the country to aid Nasch in tracking Vector into the Labyrinth of Screams, and the unfair treaty/ or conspiracy is attributed to his own story, where the three knights betrayed the king.

In the end, the first of these ruins reveals two major plot points about the Emperors with one being much more obvious than the other. First is that there are more to the Emperors than being “plain evil” for the sake of it. Second, the events seen in the ruins hints that this shark-shaped shadow is Ryouga, and he is likely to be the final and missing Barian Emperor(s).

Of course this isn’t everything. I don’t know why his ruins are in South America (Ecuador, i think, go here if you want to know more about geography) when they say his homeland is somewhere else.

The Pegasus came from Greek mythology which spawns an interesting connection to the legend of Nasch and Vector. Pegasus was borne from the death of a gorgon (Medusa) and reared by Poseidon (who is attributed to being the god of the seas in most pop culture iterations). Gorgons and oceans is basically the story of Vector and Nasch, and as you know, Durbe and Mach participated in that legend too.

I’m just so fascination by Emperors and their everything, their monsters, their past lives, their ruins, their planet, their composition. Theyre entertaining to explore bc it feels like the writers put something in them for the audience to discover. They're simply fun, and I'll see you in the next ruins

#long post #zexal #barians #durbe #dumon #dyzarc diet #dyzarc writes #barian biology #my boy durbe and his horse #i have a video conference tommorow at noon and my internet cut off at 2am #i was like 'ah! my durbe essay cant save' instead of 'ah! how an i suposed to stream in the morning'#so my priorities are pretty much straight #not a fan of getting a critque over skype thats what

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relanah-qahs · 4 years ago

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I’VE GOT YOU

Whumptober 2020 no.7 Title: I’ve Got You Fandom: Final Fantasy VII Prompt: Support| Carrying | Enemy to Caretaker Rating: T, Characters: Elena, Tseng, Vincent Words: 1586

Tags: Hurt/Comfort

AO3 Link Summary: Tseng and Elena are rescued by Vincent Valentine in the Forgotten City. Tseng has something to confess to Elena.

Elena felt herself calming down as the cooling effect of the healing spell washed over her injuries, both external and internal. The crimson-cloaked man was focusing his concentration onto the Full Cure materia that he pressed lightly against her temple. It was an impressive feat, Elena had to admit, to concentrate his energy to a powerful restorative spell through a larger organic materia. And he managed to perform this spell not just once on her but also on Tseng’s gunshot wounds. Even experts of materia and magic would have trouble performing even one Full Cure spell, it required a far greater amount of magic potential than what most humans could possess.

Perhaps he wasn’t human. His red eyes, deathly pale skin, and long black hair made him downright unsettling to look at. Elena’s mind was admittedly still in a fog, but she could have sworn that this man seemed to shape-shift from the red phantom that had carried them to the safety of this ancient house.

“You don’t need to scowl like that,” said the stranger, his voice deep yet soft. “Just trying to help you.” He tucked the materia into the slot of his armband, next to a pink ribbon that seemed out of place with the rest of his outfit.

“What are you?” said Elena. Her fear was subsiding along with the pain, yet she was still cautious.

The man made a noise which may have been a short chuckle, though it sounded more like what a monster trying to mimic human laughter would sound like. “What indeed. A lab rat, a freak show, an undead abomination, a disgruntled ex-Shinra employee; all of those are true to some extent, so take your pick.”

“Ex-Shinra employee? Well, with everything else you said, that just raises more questions than answers.”

“Don’t feel like answering.” He leaned back into his chair.

“Oh come on! You can’t just say shocking stuff like that and just expect me to accept it. How do I know you really want to help anyway? How do I know you’re not one of those Jenova freaks and you’re just waiting to torture us some more?”

He shrugged. “Why would I go through all the trouble of saving you if I was allied with Kadaj’s gang? I can assure you we have the same goals. We both want to put an end to the madness plaguing this planet, Elena.”

Elena’s head shot up while she clenched her fist tightly, instinctively ready for a protective stance. “Why do you know my name?” “Sorry. Guess it’s time to tell you. For the past year or so I’ve been trailing the current Turks trying to gather information about geostigma alongside you. Don’t worry, he knows.” He nodded his head toward the bed. Tseng was laid upon it, still unconscious but seeming to sleep soundly now that his wound was mended. He was sickly pale, a sign of the massive blood loss he had suffered from the gunshot to the artery in his leg.

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. What was going on? Who was this guy and why did Tseng allow him to follow her? “Who are you? And what do you mean by ‘current Turks?’”

“Vincent. By current Turks, I mean you and Tseng as well as the other two men who are still loyal to the son of the late President Shinra.” Vincent paused for a moment, allowing Elena to process his words. “Elena, how long have you considered yourself a Turk?”

“Well, I was hired after Sector 7 was destroyed. So I guess it’s been a little over two and a half years now.”

“And why, after everything you have been through, everything you’ve seen, do you still pledge your life and loyalty to a company that’s in ruins?”

Elena opened her mouth to protest but found she couldn’t find the words. Who did this Vincent guy think he was to ask something like that? What gave him the right? Why did Tseng let him follow her? How could he possibly understand?

But still, his question burned through her mind. Why was she still so loyal to Shinra? Even after all the harm and pain they had caused the Planet and her people? After they had nearly destroyed the lifestream out of greed? Why did she continue to dedicate her entire life to the Turks even in spite of her complicated history with them and her family?

Because we are trying to fix the mistakes of the past. Because I believe Rufus and the Turks are capable of rebuilding this world. Because Dad and Emma are gone, and Tseng, Reno, and Rude are my family now. Because without them, I wouldn’t have a home to go to. Wherever they are, that is where my home is. Because together, we are going to stop this madness and save this Planet.

“Don’t feel like answering you,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Vincent showed a hint of a half-smile behind his cowl. “Fair enough.”

They sat in silence. Elena focused her attention on Tseng. He was still sound asleep, some of the color had returned to his cheeks. The Full Cure spell was running its course through his body.

“Will he be okay?” she asked, fighting to control the shaking in her voice.

Vincent shrugged, “Don’t know. You should really consider getting some rest yourself. I’ll keep watch, so you don’t need to worry about intruders.”

A slight groan came from Tseng, slowly returning to consciousness.

“Tseng!” Elena whispered. She stood beside the bed and placed her hand on his shoulder.

Tseng blinked, taking in the sight of the ancient room. His eyes met Elena’s and he took a deep breath. “Elena,” he said, his voice hoarse and brittle. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Way better than you, that’s for sure.” She tried to force a smile, trying desperately to take the attention off herself. She didn’t want to be reminded of what that silver-haired freak had done to her.

Tseng looked past Elena, making eye contact with Vincent. “Surprised to see you here.”

“I was just stopping by and happened to see you getting roughed up,” said Vincent. Elena was surprised at his humor and casual speech.

“Thank gods you got there when you did. Thank you, Vincent.”

Elena pulled her hand back to herself and looked away from Tseng in shame. “Tseng, I’m sorry. I was too weak and I couldn’t fight back. And you got hurt because of me…” She dared not show any emotion in her voice. She was truly sorry, and she really did believe it was her fault Tseng was hurt and that danger was now headed towards their friends.

“Elena, stop.” Tseng reached and pulled Elena’s hand back to him, his grip tight. He spoke quietly through his heightened emotions and labored breathing. “You did nothing wrong. You did everything you could.”

“Going to check outside,” said Vincent as he stood up and walked to the door. “Shout if you need anything.” He left the two Turks alone in silence.

Tseng gripped Elena’s hand tightly over his heart. He stared into her eyes, trying to find the words and the strength to say what he needed.

He sighed. “Elena, you are an excellent Turk, and you always were. Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you? Well now you know.”

Elena lowered her gaze. Tseng had never complimented her before, she felt pride but also unease at his honesty.

He continued speaking through shaking breaths and fighting through the pain. “Back there, I thought it was all over. I was afraid. I didn’t want to die alone. But you helped ease my fear. And there was so much I wanted to say to you. I realized I never showed you my appreciation for being with me since Meteorfall. I wanted to thank you for everything. And I wanted to apologize to you for hurting you so much over the years. “We Turks traded our humanity for the job. Our souls belonged to the company. Stoic professionalism is what we strived for. And you exemplified all the strengths of the perfect Turk. But Elena, I think we let it consume you. Shinra is gone. It’s never going to be rebuilt and it’s time we accepted that. If I make it out of here alive, I’m going to reclaim my humanity. I want to show my soul, my true self. I want to tell the others how much I love them. “And Elena, I hope you can cast away your Turk identity. I want to know the real you.”

Elena felt tears stinging her eyes, but turned her head away so he couldn’t see. How could Tseng hide this side of him all this time?

“Tseng, I...I don’t know what to say.” Her voice was shaking now, almost on the verge of breaking all her barriers.

“If I survive this, I hope you can stay by my side.”

And with that earnest request, all of Elena’s barriers were destroyed at once. Sobs escaped her throat and the tears burst from her sore eyes. It was as if she was finally crying for everything she had repressed for the past few years. All the trauma, the heartbreak, the grief--everything was flooding out now. She buried her face in his chest. Tseng wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.

“Tseng, of course you will survive this. Of course I’ll stay with you, you dumbass!”

#whumptober2020 #no.7 #support #enemy to caretaker #final fantasy vii #ffvii #elena ffvii #tseng ffvii #vincent valentine #fic

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