#the greatest show ive ever fallen for??? hello???

[iridescentis]

brutus speaks has permanently altered my brain chemistry i fear

[ventiskies]

when he accidentally injures you | Xiao, Albedo, Bennett

a/n: hello anon!! im doing well, thank you!! hope you are too !! thank you for giving me the chance to add characters HHHH ive been DYING to write for Xiao, Albedo and Benny so i took the opportunity to! hope you like it !! also,,, this is probably my longest post !! i loved writing this <3

pairing: Xiao x gn! reader, Albedo x gn! reader Bennett x gn! reader

warnings: vague mentions of injury and blood

Xiao

★Xiao and you had been on a stroll, something you casually did together whenever Xiao was in a good mood. the adeptus wasn’t one to get out of the confines of Wangshuu Inn, so every time he does, you cherish it and spend it as if it was your last

★but this particular stroll didn’t go as planned, at all

★the two of you had left Wangshuu Inn in the morning, when the weather had seemed as if it would be sunny the whole morning, but it had betrayed you the moment you had set foot in Minlin, the skies had loomed with darkness and occasional rumbles of thunder

★Xiao could have easily teleported the two of you together, but a sudden attack with a ruin hunter had caused him to get distracted

★he could easily defeat the creation with a simple use of his elemental burst, but you were in the vicinity and he didn’t want you getting injured, despite the chances of hitting you were low, he wasn’t going to take the chance

★he had strictly told you to stay back and out of sight, making use of the terrain to jump and strike at the core with his polearm whenever the hunter was aiming to him, but he should have known you were stubborn

★the moment you had ran into the fight, arrow pointing to the ruin hunter, the said war machine had immediately turned towards you, all four of its arms aiming missiles towards you

★Xiao had been too slow, and when he had realized it was aiming towards you, you had already been sent back flying after the hit

★your name fell on his lips, his eyes widening in anger when he had seen what the creature had done, and without any hesitance Xiao summons his elemental burst and sends the creature falling to pieces

★“y/n,” Xiao mutters, worried that he would be met with the sight of you dead, “y/n, where are you?”

★you gave a weak groan, unable to raise your head after hitting it on the sharp rocks. Xiao made his way towards you, and the rain started pouting

★Xiao knelt down and cradled your head gently, seeing the gash on your head. you were most likely suffering from a concussion as well from the way you were unable to look at him in the eye, and your hands grabbing your forehead as if it had exploded

★his eyes showing evident worry, and this was the first time he had felt so scared

★he knew he was powerful, and he was beginning to regret even taking you out of the safety of the Inn. this shouldn't have happened, he was with you because he wanted to protect you,

★and here he was being the cause of your injury

★“y/n, can you hear me?” he asked, and when you hissed the moment he placed a gentle hand on your head, he curses lightly, unable to keep himself calm as he always had anymore, “hold on,”

★Xiao had lived for years and had suffered watching deaths and injuries of the people he had been close with since he had became the adeptus of Liyue, but for once, he had felt a different type of hurt when you had been injured this time

★because this was his fault; what if it had happened again?

★he had teleported the two of you back to Wangshuu Inn, and had asked Verr Goldet to help you just because he was afraid of hurting you further

★and she knew more than to question what happened, especially after Xiao had told her with the weakest voice she has ever heard him use, and pleading eyes to take care of you.

★when you had healed completely, you noticed Xiao had distanced himself from you more than when you had both met the first time, and it had worried you to no end

★it had came to a point where he would disappear whenever you tried to search for him at the balcony, and you were getting upset that he was running away from you because of the accident that was caused by your stubbornness; and the fact that you knew Xiao blamed himself had only made you more guilty

★”Xiao,” you gently said, walking outside with a bowl of his favorite almond tofu, “I miss you,”

★he had to contain himself to avoid disappearing on you again after he heard the words. Xiao wasn’t much of an emotional person, but the memories from the accident had left him afraid of getting close to you again, in fear that he would hurt you once more

★but when he had met your glossy eyes and saw the pained expression you held, he knew that it was only going to be worse is he had avoided you

★”y/n-” Xiao started, but you had only dropped the almond tofu and ran into his arms, hugging him tight as if you were afraid to let him go

★and (with reluctance), Xiao had hugged you back, twice as hard

★it would take time for him to get back to his usual self and trust himself to go out and adventure with you again, but for him, you would wait your lifetime.

Albedo

★An experiment going wrong was a part of alchemy. It was something Albedo would expect to happen fifty percent of the time he conducts something for the first time

★He has gotten a handful of injuries from it that he had sometimes forgotten that people outside of the realm of alchemy wouldn't know what it would be like to expect a burn or scars after the first test

★So of course, sometimes even the smartest people could be careless

★Albedo had brought you to his lab in Dragonspine, claiming that he had found a rare plant and wanted to see if it was able to withstand heat

★Putting it in a flask, he had placed it on a test tube holder and your curious eyes had caught sight of the glowing pink tube

★“What’s this?” you stepped closer to inspect the glowing flask, and Albedo wordlessly looks at you with a fond smile. your curious gaze at his work had always made him feel happy; you truly were endearing

★Albedo turns on the burner, and the moment the fire had hit the flask, the substance had instantly exploded, causing you to recoil back and grab at your face when the substance had burned your face

★instantly, Albedo had abandoned his failed test and attended to you, trying to pry your hands away from your face

★“My love, I’m so sorry,” he says gently, trying to see the damage that the explosion has gave you, “please look at me,”

★you felt tears well in your eyes, the burns on your cheeks combining with the coldness of the snow stinging your face

★when Albedo had successfully pried your hands away , he grabbed them gently and looked at you, “we- we need to see the deaconess,” he mutters to himself, feeling his heart ache seeing you holding back tears, never in his life had he regretted conducting an experiment so badly;

★he had wished he was able to take the pain away from you, he absolutely despised seeing you so hurt

★after you had healed, Albedo would make a rule that you weren’t ever allowed in the premises of his laboratory ever again, and that you were banned from joining him whenever he was conducting experiments

★it had hurt you when Albedo had adamantly decided on it, but you knew that it would only hurt him more if you tried to fight him about it

★he was still blaming himself for the incident; despite him knowing that errors were completely common in alchemy

★his greatest fear was hurting you, and if he was given a choice, he would rather have you far away as possible from anything that could lead to potential harm

★(and that especially meant that when the time comes and he loses control and destroys Mond, he hopes you would be far away from him as possible, too)

Bennett

★Bennett knew he was bad luck, he knew that was mostly the reason there wasn't anyone on his team. no one wanted to get hurt and gain nothing on an adventure. no one wanted to bring a bunch of medical supplies for when an accident that was bound to happen, happens

★no one but you

★you were the only member in Bennett’s team; you were a duo. you didn’t wield a vision, but that didn't make Bennett think of you any less, in fact, he thought you were the bravest person ever for being just a feet away from him outside of Mond, and now you were a team member of his

★injuries were common for you. there would always be some sort of scratch or bleeding whenever you went out on an adventure with the pyro vision holder. if there wasn’t a monster encounter, the two of you would accidentally trip and fall into a lake

★but when the latter happens, Bennett would have a fire for the two of you, and settle in an empty (at least, you hope was) hilichurl camp nearby to warm up in

★it was the norm now, and despite Bennett wanting you to just choose another team because he couldn't handle seeing you in pain from his luck, you had always reassured him that the unexpected turns of events because of his luck was just what you had loved about adventure, and you always trusted him to take care of you whenever something like that happened

★but of course, it was only a matter of time until it was Bennett himself who had hurt you

★you were both fighting a cryo abyss mage, the bastard’s protective shield already broken by Bennett’s elemental skill, causing the creature to start crawling on the ground pathetically

★you were sure its health had already decreased a significant amount that one slice could kill it off instantly, and you had wanted to give the final blow

★but Benny seemed to have a different idea

★the moment Bennett had saw you coming, it had been too late for him to stop, because the same moment you had ran towards the abyss mage, he had raised his sword and sliced the creature hard to the point that his sword had accidentally sliced your stomach as well

★thankfully, your clothes were thick enough that the cut hadn’t been deep enough to get stitches, but it still hurt so badly that you had fallen to the floor, clutching your stomach

★“y/n, what happened?!” he asked, too worried to remember that it had been him who did it, “are you okay?!- wait, no, that was a stupid question, let me see,”

★Bennett was an excellent team leader, but sometimes, he could be a little oblivious

★he gently lays you on his lap, taking out supplies from his belt. he had saw a glimpse of red, so he takes out towels to wipe the blood

★he had gently asked if he could lift your shirt, and when you had weakly nodded, he assessed the damage

★and that was when he had saw the burns by your cut

★burns. the abyss mage was a cryo one, and there wasn't any source of fire where you were but him

★Bennett felt his breath hitch, hands holding the towel clenching in fear. what had he done?

★“no, no, no,” he says in slight panic; this was exactly what he was afraid would happen, “no, no, y/n I’m so sorry. I was supposed to protect you,” his voice broke, gently pressing the towel on your wound to soak up the blood, and when he heard you hiss in pain, he felt tears well in his eyes, “I’m so sorry...”

★he knew the cut wasn’t deep, and you were going to be okay, but the mere thought that the fact you couldn't move and were in pain was because of his doing had caused Bennett to be unable to focus

★you were taken to Barbara immediately, Bennett carrying you bridal style the whole way back (he had been silent, while you had tried to start a conversation with lighthearted banter with him, he had only given you a half hearted laugh before focusing on his journey back) and was healed with a simple swish of the deaconess’ hands

★but afterwards, Bennett had started to spend less time outside of Mondstadt, saying that he had preferred to read at the library with you, and that was extremely unlike of him

★you knew it was because he was blaming himself for what had happened, so you had to let him know that you were fine, and that you knew that it was bound to happen anyways

★It would take a lot of reassurance for Benny to agree to even step a foot outside again, but in the end, it would be worth it to see his adventurer spirit once more

[haticesultanas]

Fasten your seat belts because this is gonna be a wild ride™:

Selim II: everyone hates him, blames him for the decadence of the Ottoman empire, but it wasn't that simple. Also yes he made bad decisions but his father's bad decisions were blamed on his Grand viziers, whereas Selim II's bad decisions were blamed on him. Double standard much? Yes. Basically, I love him because everyone else hates him. It's spite, yes. Also, he was weirdly domestic? Like, he's always talked about for his debauchery but one of his favourite past times was play chess with his former nanny like how sweet is that???

Giacomo Leopardi: my favourite Italian poet of all time you have no idea how much I relate to his poems and to his life. He's usually just dismissed as just "sad" and "depressed" but his works are in fact so beautiful. I don't know how good the English translations are but if you could read some of them it'd be great. La Ginestra for example is a masterpiece imo

Murad V: another man with such a tragic life I can't help but loving him. He was accused of insanity and removed to the throne but in fact he had (most probably) depression and alcohol problems. He loved his children dearly and had such a sweet wit. He suffered like hell and didn't deserve the life he had... not even his funeral. It was done secretly and at some point someone opened his basked to show everybody that it was truly him. Such disrespect

Murad IV: totally different from his descendant LOL. He was authoritarian, strict, arrogant; he kind of reminds me of Peter the Great. What I find interesting about him is that he had a public persona (strict, merciless, bloody) and a completely different private persona, where he would have fun with his favourites and would also accept jokes made at his expense. He's a very interesting man imo

Lucius Sergius Catilina: okay this man was SLANDERED. HE. WAS. Everything we know about his conspiracy comes from Cicero who hated his guts and his Orationes in Catilinam were touched upon during the time to make them more beautiful and to slander Catilina more. For example, he says that Catilina was a parvenu but he wasn't, he was part of the aristocracy. His whole argument rests on the fact that Catilina is supposed to hate his own class — and this is how he turns the Senate against him — but that's not true. In this house we're Catilina defenders first and Cicero haters second.

Gustav II Adolf of Sweden: A. LEGEND. The Lion of the North. SUCH. A. LEGEND. he almost won the Thirty Years' War against the Habsburg empire ALONE. He even won his last battle but unfortunately died fighting. Also he was Christina of Sweden's dad I mean legends fathering legends.

Frederick V: another legend. HE DESERVED TO KEEP THE KINGSHIP OF BOEMIA OK? I totally supported him against the Holy Roman Empire. Though the reason why I love him is because he loved his wife TO DEATH. I just love him so much. Finally a good husband.

Dante Alighieri: I mean, could I leave him out? absolutely not. The greatest (Italian) poet of all time, he created the Italian language and gave the world the greatest masterpiece, the Divina Commedia. Do not trust anyone who says that he copied someone Martin Luther (h o w ??) or that the Commedia is just fanfiction ?? or that he was disgusting for loving a woman he met once. First of all, no, he didn't meet her once. They knew each other; once Beatrice stopped saying hello to him because he seemed to have fallen in love with another woman. Secondly, his love for Beatrice was pure. It was not carnal, it was almost holy. Beatrice was the means through which Dante could get closer to God. I mean??? No other man could beat this. Thirdly, the Commedia is written in honour of Beatrice who had died young?? Imagine someone dedicating the greatest literary work of all times to you. No other man could ever.

Prince Ahmed Kemaleddin: oh man, another legend. A little background or you don't understand just how legendary he is: Ahmed Kemaleddin was the younger brother of Murad V (above) and Abdülhamid II. Now, Abdülhamid is not nice or fun at all; once, Ahmed Kemaleddin had asked him for money and he replied that he wasn't a Jew (!!). Prince Ahmed never forgot just how condescending he was treated so when Murad V was deposed in favour of Abdülhamid II, he organised a (failed, unfortunately) coup together with his even younger brother Süleyman and his sisters Fatma and Seniha. As you can see, nobody liked Abdülhamid in the family lmao— I mean, they had taste.

Pope Gregory VII: oh man. He's so mean. I have a thing for mean popes lol, in the middle ages they were so fun. So basically Gregory VII was a monk that during a papal election led an army of Norman knights to keep the aristocracy out (at the time the Roman aristocracy basically decided who the next pope would be). When he became pope himself, Gregory VII became famous for his role in the Investiture controversy and because of the Dictatus Papae, a document which states that the pope is the highest authority on Earth (yes, above the emperor too) and that he's vicar of Christ and not of Peter. If I remember correctly, the Dictatus Papae also states that everyone — including the emperor — should kiss the pope's shoe. Like, amazing. He was so /nice/ he basically fought with everyone: emperor (Henry IV), cardinals, other lords. Everyone. I just love him so much what a legend.

[heliophilial]

𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒖𝒔 . (a tbz 3rd year anniversary special)

genre :angst ,fluff (more of brotherhood)

group and member involved :the boyz ,all members are involved !

between :the whole group and thebs hello cuties <3

warnings :u may or may not cry but i cried typing this so gluck ig HWUJDF

word count :844 (i didn’t count my notes to thebs and the boys in)

brief description :when all seems dull ,when times are grey ,it is only when we are together that the world gains its colour .theres no one else like you ,no one else like us ,theres really nothing like us .

playlist :literally just nothing like us by justin bieber like a 1 hr loop or smth ,depends on how long u take to read this

before you continue to read also please note that ‘we’ refers to thebs here !!

quiet .peaceful .light snores of the members filled the dorm .the room filled with nothing but darkness .black shade hovering over the members faces .they had just wrapped up a little celebration in the living room with cakes and party poppers to celebrate their 3rd year together not long ago .shortly after wrapping up the party ,they had fallen asleep on the couch ,all lying on one another comfortably .

sangyeon slowly blinked his eyes open .he rubbed his eyes and slowly unwrapped eric's hands from his waist and placed chanhee's legs that were on his lap onto the space of the sofa that he had previously occupied .careful to not wake the members up .

he looked at the members' sleeping forms and smiled ,glad that they were finally able to catch some rest after their packed schedules .he walked to the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water and at the corner of his eyes ,he spotted a glimmering light .he placed his glass down and approached the light that was so very alluring for some reason .

there on the shelf of where all their awards have been placed on ,laid a book with its contents blinding his eyes with its bright light .he inspected the book for a while before proceeding to open it with caution .

inside the book ,there were sketches of the key moments the members have shared together such as their debut stage ,their first ever music show award as well as their first ever full length album promos .as he flipped to the first page that displayed their first moment together ,there were harsh winds blowing past him and a force from the book pulled him towards the page and right into it .

he looked at the 12 boys on stage ,introducing themselves for the first time to the whole wide world .and he looked at them with pride and honour in his eyes ,the boys' who had no idea what being idols would be like for themselves ,clueless of what the future had in store for them .he looked at them from the bottom of the stage and sucked in a breath ,"wow we've really grown a lot ."he thought .

after they had introduced themselves as a group and individually ,the sight in front of him suddenly pauses and his attention gets diverted to the door to his right .

he walked into the room .

he gets transported to the very first time they cried together ,over the pain ,over the stress ,over the tiredness of it all .

he looked at the 12 boys shedding tears of pain .he swallowed the lump in his throat ,the feelings of helplessness ,confusion ,fear coming washing over him once again as he sees the very moment they broke down .

tears flows down his face ,and that my friends are tears of the caretaker ,the leader ,the person whom the members depend on ,lee sangyeon .

as heavy as the weight he carried ,the tears poured like a fierce and powerful waterfall .

and then the door right next to him yet again invites him to step into yet another memory .

he steps onto the stage of road to kingdom ,and as he looks ahead the ending poses of all their road to kingdom stages are there right in front of him .all the members still and not moving ,just statures .

he walks down the long stretch ,as he looks at the legacy they left behind ,the power and strength ,the confidence from these stages that the members have gained progressively with each stage .

as he finally reaches the other end of the stage ,the screen opens up to when they had their 'the stealer'promotions .where they had their wins .

his smile grew wider and wider as he walked through all the performances they have done for the stealer and all the trophies they have gotten from the era .

and finally he reached another door .a door with a question mark on it .

he opens the door ,to pitch black .

darkness ,just darkness .and the fear in sangyeon grew ,"what does this darkness mean ?what is it gonna be for us ?"

suddenly , the door creaks open to reveal the members one by one .

sangyeon looks up at them and suddenly the fear stops ,hes no longer afraid as he looks into their eyes .

they ran to him and extended their hands out to him .

he proceeds to embrace all the members into a big tight group hug .drops of colour starts to paint the room ,slowly forming a picture showing the many stages they have performed ,every milestone theyve achieved ,the concerts ,every moment with their fans ,every moment together ,every vlives .everything starts out when theyre together .

we opened the door carefully ,proceeding to join our hands together and form a circle surrounding the boys .as we cried tears of joy and pride ,we hugged each other as well and this is when we knew

"theres nothing like us ,theres nothing like you and me ,together through the storm ."

for thebs

thank you for being one of the most caring ,loving ,welcoming and inclusive fandoms ever .to all the thebs all around thw world ,thank you for supporting them and giving them love as well .i love yall <3 lets protect them at all costs ♡

for my beloved boys

hello my loves ❤ik its 12 am in korea already but i still just wanna type this for you !so there's really a lot of things i want to say to you ,im sure many of us have already said whatever im about to say but i will still say it to remind you or to let you know that ,yes ,you do make me feel that way ,you do make me feel those kinds of feelings .

i dont know how ,like no nothing at all can show how grateful i am towards you .i cant tell you how many times there were this year when i just got beaten up (mentally)to the point that i couldnt even have the energy to stand back up and continue life normally .but whenever these times come ,ik i just know even though youre not here physically ,i know you want me to stop crying ,i know you would want me to stop hurting myself and i know you would stay with me even when my walls come crashing down onto me .you made me feel the greatest kind of happiness possible ,i never knew that this feeling was even possible to feel until i met you .

there was never a moment when i regretted stanning you ,supporting you and giving you all my heart and soul ,my energy ,everything .i just want you to know that you are so special ,so wonderful ,so incredibly talented ,so hardworking ,so beautiful ,just the most amazing bunch of people ever .ive never seen people so passionate ,so ready to help ,so genuinely loving and caring towards the people who love them .

i know its hard to be an idol ,and i know that its especially hard to even speak your mind ,speak what you wanna say without having the media chase you down .but i just wanna let you know that we are and will be by your sides forever .no matter what happens ,im sure ,very sure u know that u can run right back into our arms like how uve always welcome us back into urs .u are the people who made me feel the most bizarre feelings ,beyond happiness ,beyond joy ,beyond euphoria ,beyond all the feelings ive ever felt in my whole 16 years of living .

we are so proud of you of how far youve come ,how much youve accomplished .im so so proud ,so so happy to be able to call myself a fan of yours ,a theb ,someone who so dearly supports you .and i really hope you know that .i would wish for there to never be an end to this .for all i know ,im in this shit for life ,forever ,till the end .

im just so happy because of you ,i feel joy ,i see the light in life ,the reasons to live ,so much more prominent to me now because of you .there will come one day ,when we can finally see each other face to face and i can finally shout out to you ,my words of gratitude ,my words of thanks and my words filled with love and affection for you and just see your faces .but till then ,please take good good care of urselves ,rest well and eat well okay !we're always here ,remember !❤

its really been a rocky and crazy ride these 3 years ,you my friend ,are indeed the best character i can ever invite into my story 💜i hope youre sleeping tight ,i love you so much more than words can ever describe .with that ,happy 3 years to my favourites ,my loves ,my bbs ,my shining lights ,my everything ,happy 3 years to the boyz ❤💜💙💛 - berinne

[gildedtma]

you  think  you  are  so  much     STRONGER     than  me  because   THE EARTH   quivers     beneath    your   feet  &&   your  voice  shakes  the  rain  from  the  trees   ,   but  you forget  that  inside  this  fragile  body  of  mine  is  a    SOUL AS OLD AS ROME   &&    A TONGUE THAT CUTS LIKE A WHIP  .

PROLOGUE .  THE FALL.

DARK STORMCLOUDS PAINT THE SKY BLACK    ,    the  olympians  gather  around  to  witness  the  disgrace  of  one  of  their  own  .     the  younger  ones  cower  at  the  sight  of  their  king  standing  in  his  full  divinity , turning  their  heads  to  look  away , unable  to  stand  the  sight.   their  elders  ,   bring  a  hand  to  their  mouths  to  cover  their  yawns , time  was  due  for  their  beloved  sun  god  to  fall.    every  few  centuries ,  daring  to  push  their  king  past  his  limits ,  refusing  to  subject  himself  to  take  a  knee .   golden  suns  stare  down  the  eye  of  the  storm , challenging  the  mighty  zeus’s  authority  &&  stature.   

he  is  not  afraid  of  it  anymore , when  his  father  points  his  master  bolt  straight  at  apollo’s  chest , he  has  a  moment  of  relief  before  the  pain  seeps  in.  skull - shattering  thunder  ripping  through  his  mind  until  he  can  no  longer  hear  his  thoughts.  lightning  forking  across  the  sky  strikes  him  where  he  stands  and  as  the  ichor  is  burned  away  from  his  veins , the  younger  god  lets  out  one  last  cry  before  crashing  down  to  his  knees .  he  tears  through  the  marbled  floors  of  olympus ,  falling  straight  through  the  clouds  with  nothing  but  gaea’s  earth  to  soften  his  fall.  

ACT I.    THE PROPHECY

when  he  opens  his  eyes , it  is  as  any  other  day.   warm  brown  eyes  gloss  over  his  reflection  in  the  mirror , and  he  gets  ready  for  work.  an  unwavering  routine  that  he  does  not  stray  from  for  six  months.   

he  can  hear  their  voices  from  the  other  side  of  the  cafe.   three  women , dressed  more  elegant  than  the  place  called  for , capture  the  light  from  the  room.  they  are  the  only  ones  he  notices.  their  beauty  extending  to  the  entire  vicinity , moving  in  a  synchronicity  that  he  swears   must  be  a  trick  of  the  eye.  their  voices  snake  across  the  room , slithering  into  his  ears  incomprehensible.   he  wants  to  know  what  they  are  saying , because  even  behind  their  dark  glasses , he  knows  they  are  staring  at  him.   

his  feet  move  before  his  mind , and  he  stands  at  their  table ,   “  hello , ladies.  ”  the  words  fall  from  his  mouth  as  easily  as  greeting  old  friends.   “  i’m  damien , i’m  your  server , what  can  i  get  you  to  drink ?   ”     he  plasters  a  smile  across  his  face  to  conceal  the  wince  that  overcomes  him  at  the  sound  of  his  name . as  bitter  as  a  lie , it  burns  a  hole  through  his  tongue.    damien , damien , damien . no  matter  how  many  times  he  says  it , it  never  sounds  less  nauseating.  

the  first  one  speaks ,  her  arm  coming  to  wrap  around  his  wrist ,  “  it’s  nice  to  meet  you  ,  damien.   ”    she  shares  a  look  with  the  other  two , and  they  laugh  beside  him.  he  tries  to  pull  away  from  her , but  he  is  frozen  where  he  stands , her  delicate  grasp  anchoring  him  to  the  ground.     “   i’m  moira , and  these  are  my  sisters ,   faith  &&  cleo.   ”     

the  one  in  the  middle  meets  his  glare  and  spreads  her  painted-red  lips  into  a  wide  grin.   she  whispers  something  into  her  sister’s  ear  and  she  releases  his  wrist.   letting  out  a  breath , he  takes  a  few  steps  back ,  opening  his  mouth  to  speak , the  last  one  steals  the  words  right  from  his  lips  and  he  cannot  remember  how  to  breathe  let  alone  form  words.   quiet. 

the  rest  of  the  world  fades  away  and  unison  they  remove  their  glasses , and  show  him  the  truth.    the  three  of  them  see  through  one  eye ,  occupied  by  the  one  in  the  middle , the  other  two  stare  at  him  with  empty  sockets.   they  offer  him  a  glimpse  into  their  eye  and  the  vision  takes  him  over.

this storm has only just begun.  

but these clouds cannot hide the truth for long , light bringer.  

the sun must always rise.   

he  is  almost  afraid  to  move , but  the  words  are  already  fading  from  his  mind  and  he  does  not  wish  to  forget  them.  digging  through  his  apron  for  a  notepad , he  starts  to  scribble  down  their  every  words.   

the  vision  fades  and  he  glances  down  at  the  words  scrawled  onto  his  notepad , clinging  to  their  words  like  one  clings  to  hope , something  begins  to  awake  inside  of  him.  a  word , on  the  tip  of  his  tongue.   a  fire  begins  to  regain  momentum , and  is  extinguished  all  in  the  span  of  a  breath , for  when  he  looks  down , he  only  has  two  words  written :   LIGHT  BRINGER.

                                                            and the women are gone.

ACT II.  THE QUEST.

his  dreams  bring  him  to  the  beach , hands  digging  into  the  warm  sand  as  he  waits  for  the  sun  to  rise  from  the  water  and  breach  the  horizon.  he  stares  a  while , letting  his  eyes  wander  to  the  expanse  that  stretches  to  the  end  of  the  world. 

“  it  is  not  coming.  ”    a  disembodied  voice  tethers  itself  to  the  earth  and  finds  home  beside  him. where  there  was  nothing , was  now  a  dove  that  was  a  woman.  fair  and  beautiful , it  almost  hurts  to  look  at  her.   there  are  tears  falling  from  her  eyes , but  when  she  turns  to  him  her  face  lights  into  a  smile.  “  the  sun  has  not  risen  in  a  while ,  and  i’m  beginning  to  miss  it.  ”

“  of  course  it’s  coming , it’s  the  sun , it  can’t  just  not  be  there.   ”

“  look  for  yourself , damien , there  is  nothing  there.  ”   

his  eyes  find  the  horizon  and  he  cannot  believe  the  sight  in  front  of  him.   she  is  right , there  is  nothing.   it  is  not  there.   where  it  should  be  is  nothing  but  an  empty  space.    he  opens  his  mouth  and  whispers ,  “  where  is  it  ?  ”

next  to  him , beauty  smiles  and  places  her  hand  on  his ,    “  it’s  gone.  it’s  gone  and  you  must  find  it.    ”     

“ why me ?  ” 

when  she  lays  her  eyes  upon  him  the  sorrow  that  falls  upon  her  face  breaks  his  heart  in  two .  to  make  tears  fall  from  such  beautiful  eyes  should  be  a  crime , and  he  wishes  to  fix  it ,   “   my  darling ,  you  really  do  not  remember ?  ----  this  cursed  storm  is  worse  than  the  last.   ”   anger  flashes  behind  beautiful  eyes  and  he  remembers  the  myths  about  her  being  war’s  lover. 

“   it  must  be  you.  you  are  the  only  one  that  knows  where  it  is.  ”

“  i  don’t  know  where  to  look.  ”

“   just  follow  the  path  it  took  to  get  here.  ”

ACT  III.   THE PATH OF LETO.    

even so far did leto, in birth-pangs with the far-shooter, wander to seek a land willing to serve as a home for her dear son. 

over the people who dwell in crete and the district of athens, also the isle of aigína and galley-renownèd euboía, aigai, Eíresiaí, and Pepárethos, close to the sea-brine, also thracian athos and pelion’s towering summits, thracian samos as well, and the shadowy highlands of ida, Skyros as well as Phokaía, the highland of steep Autokánè also, and firm-set Imbros and inhospitable Lemnos, sacred Lesbos, the dwelling of Makar, Aíolos’ scion, also Chios, the brightest of islands that lie in the sea-brine, Mimas, rugged and rocky, and Kórykos’ towering summits, shimmering Klaros as well, and the highland of steep Aisagéa, also watery Samos and Mýkalè’s steep high headland, they were all dreadfully trembling and fearful, and none of them dared to take in phoibos the lord, not even the richest among them, not until finally leto the lady, arriving on delos,

his  feet  fall  to  the  island , desolate  and  barren.  devoid  of  life  and  all  that  it  was  ever  promised.   something  primordial  stirs  inside  of  him , a  vicious  cloud  fogging  his  memories ,  but  the  offset  feeling  is  deep  in  his  bones .    he  falls  to  his  knees  and  takes  a  fistful  of  dry  and  rocky  sand  and  lets  it  slip  through  his  fingers ,   “   what  happened  to  you ?  ”

the  earth  speaks  back  to  him , cries  of  agony  spread  through  the  air , killing  anything  that  dares  to  grow  in  this  wretched , god-forsaken  place.   nothing  could  survive  here , not  even  the  blessed  date-palm  tree  that  had  overseen  the  birth  of  delos’ god.         my far - shooter , apollo , thy  delian  king  has  abandoned  me  !   i  have  known  the  day  would  come .  i  gave  him  a  home , but  he  has  disgraced  it  for  something  with  more  beauty.    from  the  moment  the  fairest  leto  had  descended  upon  me , on  hands  and  knees  begging  me  to  house  her  son , i  had  known  he  would  dishonor  me  because  i  am  rugged  and  rocky.  overturn  me  with  his  feet , thrust  me  to  the  depths  of  the  seabrine ,  he  would  go  to  another  land , one  that  would  please  him.        the  ground  shakes  with  earth-wracking  sobs  at  the  rejection  from  it’s  greatest  treasure.

damien  cannot  move  from  his  spot , staring  at  the  island  with  pure  horror.   this was not right  !     rage  boils  inside  of  him , and  he  lays  his  palm  flat  on  the  ground ,   “   i  will  find  apollo.   i  will  find  him  and  i  will  make  him  fix  this.  ”   the  earth  quakes  settle  but  he  does  not  rise , grieving  a  moment , all  the  life  that  has  been  taken  from  this  place.   

ACT IV.  THE RECLAIMING

chaos  has  sprung  in  his  absence.   expunged  plagues  resurfacing  after  generations , the  clouds  refusing  the  give  way  to  the  light.  hope  in  the  mortal’s  eyes  have  dimmed  and  their  muses  no  longer  sing  for  them.   oh , but  worst  of  all , has  a  creature  sprung.  from  the  depths  of  tartarus  ,  the  last  of  gaea’s  children  ascend  back  to  the  mortal  world , and  reclaims  home  from  the  ruins  of  the  greatest  temple  man  has  ever  built.

it  is  his  last  hope , standing  in  front  of  what  used  to  be  the  temple  of  apollo.  it  is  the  last  place  he  has  to  look  for  this  missing  god.    his  feet  crunch  over  the  pebbles  and  lying  among  the  rubble  is  no  god. 

bigger  than  his  memories  could  fathom , it  curls  around  a  fallen  tripod  and  the  earth  beneath  it  dies.   his  head  alone  the  size  of  damien’s  entire  body , moving  faster  than  the  winds  that  brought  him  here ,   it’s  voice  slithering  down  his  spine  reminds  him  of  the  women  from  the  coffee  shop.   

“   have  you  come  to  reclaim  your  temple , phoebus.  ”   the  word  spat  like  venom  from  a  forked  tongue ,   “   go  ahead , try.   ” 

“   i  want  no  trouble  with  you , i  merely  seek  out  the  god  apollo.   ”

the  snake  raises  it’s  head  at  that , coming  to  loom  right  above  the  mortal  standing  in  front  of  him ,  he  whispers  so  the  heavens  cannot  hear ,  “  tsk , tsk.  such  a  radiant  thing  so  pathetically  condemned.    look  no  further , you  have  found  him.  ”

he  doesn’t  understand.   he  saw  nothing  but  the  creature  in  front  of  him  whose  name  could  not  have  been   apollo.   he  opens  his  mouth  to  speak , but  the  great  creature  did  not  give  him  a  chance.   faster  than  lightning , it  strikes  him , teeth  digging  into  the  flesh  of  his  leg , and  spitting  out  the  iron  that  falls  from  his  wound.  

“  this  was  so  much  more  fun  the  last  time  was  it  not ?   your  blood  no  longer  tastes  so  sweet ,   ”   despite  such  words , it  attacks  again , springing  into  motion  and  sinking  it’s  fangs  into  his  shoulder , spreading  venom  through  his  veins ,   “    i  want  gold , gold , gold .   ”     

the  loss  of  blood  begins  to  cloud  his  thoughts.  everything  that  he  had  thought  he’d  known  falling  from  his  grasp  as  he  crashes  to  the  ground.  palms  digging  into  the  dirt  pushing  himself  onto  his  elbows , he  is  barely  able  to  dodge  the  next  attack  from  the  creature  above  him  as  it  digs  it’s  teeth  into  the  ground  where  he  had  been  only  a  breath  before.

he  brings  his  hands  to  his  side  and   presses  against  the  wound  spilling  into  his  clothes , and  when  he  pulls  his  fingers  back  his  hands  are  covered  in  molten  gold.   the  voice  of  a  woman  fills  his  ears  and  the  two  words  she  speaks  awakens  the  force  deep  inside  of  him :   KNOW THYSELF.

his  lungs  need  more  air  than  they  are  capable  of  holding.  sucking  in  through  his  teeth , the  gold  melting  from  his  skin  is  beginning  to  boil.  flowing  as  fiery  as  the  phlegethon , it  spreads  from  his  hands  to  the  ends  of  his  toes.   brown  eyes  begin  to  glow  with  the  light  from  the  sun  as  the  clouds  begin  to  part.  sun  rays  stretch  from  the  sky  to  the  spot  he  lays  on  the  ground  and  forms  a  gilded  blade  that  sits  in  his  hands.  a  sword  forged  from  the  sun  gleams  brighter  than  the  light  reigniting  behind  his  eyes.   it  is  still  hot  to  the  touch , but  he  accepts  the  pain  as  his  fingers  wrap  around  the  hilt.   he  does  not  have  time  to  think  before  the  hissing  voice  of  the  python  grows  closer  to  him.   

he  swings  the  broadsword  into  a  large  golden  arch  and  he  invokes  the  strength  of  a  millennia.   the  sun  burns  the  sky  behind  him  as  light  is  brought  back  to  the  earth , with  the  force  of  a  thousand  stars , he  brings  the  sword  down  and  slices  the  giant  snake’s  head  clean  off.   it  writhes  and  seizes  before  it  dies , letting  out  a  simmering  hiss  as  tartarus  reclaims  dominion  over  the  escaped  infernal  creature. 

his  shoulders  heave  up  and  down  as  he  wipes  the  beads  of  sweat  falling  from  his  face. his  strength  returns  to  him  slowly  and  the  skin  torn  by  giant  teeth  begins  to  reform  together.   he  walks  up  to  the  temple , and  remembers  it  fondly  in  it’s  glory.   two  words  inscribed  in  stone  reflect  back  in  his  mind.   golden  eyes  find  the  sun  in  the  sky , and  his  glare  only  sharpens  ,   “   i  am  phoebus  apollo ,  the  god  of  light , and  i  remember  everything.   ”