#this would maybe slightly explain why the timeline is so wonky

[florshedworf]

thinking about how ghost and the hollow knight were so different YALL what if the whole “stasis” thing in the kingdom had like. a nationwide effect. like obviously the vessels are dead but they literally cannot molt on their own because there is a pause on fucking life cycles in hallownest. the hollow knight had to be trained to prime form because NOBODY CAN GROW ON THEIR OWN. hollow needed DIVINE POWER to be able to get TALLER.

[sometimestxt]

envy.

Fandom: Elsword Characters: Liberator, Celestia Summary: In another world, he walked a different path. A brighter path, lit by starlight. It was like looking into a distorted mirror.

Word Count: 8,349 Read on ao3.

note: formatting might be wonky on mobile/expand more. I recommend reading on ao3 (kudos appreciated) or at least opening up the entire post on browser.

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A spark suddenly erupted in front of him, causing Noah to stumble backwards, stunned by the abrupt shock of power. The shadows following him promptly dissipated within the momentary brightness.

He winced, his eyes blinded by the unexpected burst of light. Once his vision adjusted, he took a moment to gather his bearings and re-examine his surroundings. It looked like the monsters he had been fighting were swiftly defeated and the few stragglers left behind were now retreating.

"What was that?" he muttered under his breath. Some sort of magic, he presumed, but where had it come from?

"Light magic, perhaps?" Clamor spoke up. "Maybe even celestial if I had to take a guess."

Celestial magic? He’d never heard of such a thing before.

Regardless, who had cast that spell?

As if on cue, Noah spotted an unknown figure approaching from the distance. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out their appearance.

Dark, wavy hair. Gold tassels and ornaments decorated his clothing, hardly something that could be considered discreet. A similarly flashy sword floated alongside him as he walked. The figure stopped shortly in front of Noah, eyes following him carefully.

“Who are you?” fell from Noah’s lips.

He felt the stranger’s curious gaze pierce into him. The boy raised a hand to his mouth, brow slightly furrowed, as though he was contemplating how to respond to his question. The gold jewellery that adorned his fingers shimmered in the dim moonlight, almost as if it was taunting him. After a moment, he said simply, “You don’t recognize me, Noah?”

He immediately stiffened at those words, his eyes narrowing. “How do you know my name?”

He lowered his hand from his face and spread his arms out wide. A smile formed on his lips and his eyes brightened. “Because I’m Noah. Noah Ebalon. Of course I’d recognize you—me.”

Noah stared.

That didn’t make sense. Why would he claim to be him? That simply wasn’t possible, not unless—

He felt his blood run cold.

Memories of his brother and the imposter from Henir’s Order flashed in his mind.

He raised his sickle, grip tightening around the handle. Shadows emerged from the ground and he shifted his feet, ready to—

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Clamor like that,” the stranger suddenly remarked, and Noah froze on the spot.

Dread immediately settled in the pit of his stomach as the words processed in his mind. How did the Order know about Clamor? Had they been keeping tabs on Clamor since the very beginning? Or were they really following him that closely? But, no, why would they send him then?

A pale imitation of himself.

Because when Noah looked at him, he saw a boy who stood several inches taller than him, a small flicker of gold in his eyes, and navy locks of hair that were nowhere similar to his own hue.

Yet he couldn’t deny that the shape of his face resembled his own. Moreover, he could make out the slight teardrop pupil unique only to his eyes.

But he didn’t see the tiredness of every repeated iteration in his gaze, nor the weight of each failure looming over his shoulders.

No, that person wasn’t him. There was no way that was him.

“I can explain,” he continued as though he could see the gears turning in Noah’s head. “I’m you, Noah, from another timeline. It seems I’ve accidentally ended up here after a little magical accident. Well, not so little, maybe.”

“Do you really think I would just believe that?” he scoffed. It was preposterous. Did the Order always use such flimsy reasons? As if such an idea would put him at ease?

Quietly, Noah adjusted his posture. If he examined his movements carefully, determined how he cast his spells, he could find an opening and catch him off guard.

“Hm, maybe not,” he hummed in response. “But maybe this could convince you.”

With those words, he raised his hand and the sword by his side followed his movements. It glowed faintly for a moment before exploding into a bright light. Noah winced, shielding his eyes with his arms. Once the glow faded, he lowered his arm and observed the aftermath.

Noah blinked, stunned at the sight before him. Faintly, he heard Clamor stammer out a few words in his own confusion.

The sword had transformed into a spirit, shimmering a luminous golden colour.

The spirit in front of them was familiar, yet not.

He looked vaguely like the scholar Noah had encountered within the Seven Tower. His robes were much more immaculate and his hair was parted differently in the front, but Noah recognized that face.

Everything about him—them—was familiar, yet not.

“Do you believe me now?” he asked after a moment, gesturing towards the floating figure next to him. “This is Clamor. Well, my Clamor, I suppose.”

No, everything in Noah’s mind screamed, his grip on his weapon tightening. Instinctively, he leapt forward, moving in on the imposter. In a split second, he closed the distance between them.

He swung his sickle forward and—

This time, Clamor’s voice stopped him.

“Noah, wait!” the scholar interjected. “I think he’s telling the truth. It… he feels like you. At the very least, I don’t think he wants to hurt us.”

Despite the blade of his weapon pressing dangerously close to his neck, the stranger didn’t move. Rather, he watched Noah closely, seemingly unfazed by his assault. Reluctantly, Noah had to admit that it didn’t seem like he nor the spirit next to him were going to retaliate.

Cautiously, Noah pulled back.

“I can sense that the spirit is similar to me, too,” Clamor continued. “Not exact—that boy over there isn’t exactly like you either—but similar enough to me that I don’t believe he’s lying. That’s not something that can be easily imitated, even with magic.”

“You should listen to Clamor,” the other boy said suddenly. “I’m not here to fight you, Noah.”

His eyes narrowed in response, trying to piece everything together.

He watched quietly as the figure before him adjusted the collar of his coat. Vaguely, Noah saw a small trail of blood stain the column of his throat. He must’ve touched him with Clamor after all.

A tense silence settled between them momentarily, before the golden spirit moved closer towards Noah. 

“We should have been clearer, obviously this would have been unexpected for you,” he spoke. “We don’t want to harm you. My Noah, here, had been experimenting with some magic and something went wrong in the process. We suddenly landed in another world—yours—a few days ago, and we’ve been travelling alone since. Noah was just excited to see someone he recognized, even if that someone was himself. We didn’t mean to alarm you so suddenly; this kid here just got a little carried away. All that being said, we’re still trying to figure out a way back to our own timeline. Would it be possible if we joined you temporarily until then?”

“Right!” The other boy nodded his head along, grinning. “How about we fight alongside each other for a bit, instead of against?”

Noah paused, attempting to assess the situation.

The entire idea was ludicrous.

But then again, was it really?

After all, his own time was repeating. What’s to say there wasn’t another him somewhere else, capable of travelling to alternate worlds, even if by mistake? Perhaps it wasn’t as preposterous as he had initially thought.

Still, a part of him was wary. But maybe if he kept him close by, kept a keen eye on him, he could gather some crucial information if he was truly hiding something.

“I don’t think it’ll hurt to let them tag along for a while,” he heard Clamor say.

He hesitated at those words. Clamor didn’t seem to think they were a threat, at the very least. Noah let out a brief sigh, then turned to face the other boy. “Just don’t get in my way.”

He brightened. “Oh, I won’t, Noah. You have nothing to worry about.”

Then, after a pause: “I’m Noah too, but that’s a little confusing, isn’t it? You can call me Celestia.”

Celestia.

Noah silently mouthed the syllables. It felt foreign to his tongue, not quite right. He let out a non-committal sound in acknowledgement, before walking away.

That person couldn’t be him, Noah repeated to himself. His gaze turned back towards Celestia, and Noah quietly watched as the other boy said something to the spirit by his side with a laugh.

After all, he couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled like that.

Celestia was talkative. Just as much as Clamor, if not more so.

He would continuously chat away as they travelled together, even when Noah said little in return. Regardless, it was better to keep his distance.

Every little thing seemed to catch Celestia’s attention. There were small differences to his own world, barely noticeable, he had said. Still, he excitedly pointed them all out to his own Clamor.

He spoke a lot about magic as well and everything that he had learned under Clamor. It didn’t mean much to Noah; the terminology he used and explanations he provided went completely over his head—magic had never been his strength, after all. It quickly became evident to Noah that Celestia’s interests were primarily in magical research and experimentation, similar to Clamor.

Noah couldn’t see how he and Celestia were similar at all.

“The stars here are slightly different,” Celestia mused offhandedly as they came to a stop, taking a moment to rest. Noah stared at the boy next to him, shooting him a questioning look. Normally, he’d meander off with the golden spirit by his side—to discuss something relating to magic, Noah figured—however, he stayed with Noah this time. 

Seeing his expectant gaze, Celestia continued, “It makes things a bit more complicated for me. I wasn’t immediately able to read them at first, but I’m starting to figure it out now.”

Noah’s brow knit in response. Frankly, he had no idea what that meant.

Celestia let out a short laugh before elaborating further, “My magic is tied to the constellations. When Clamor and I first arrived here, I was immediately able to figure out that we were no longer in the same world because of the stars. My magic wasn’t resonating in the same way as usual—something about the world was not quite right. Though, just as the stars are tied to my abilities, I can influence the stars as well.”

“What does that mean?” he had to ask, the implications turning in his head.

Celestia paused for a moment. “Well, I don’t know for sure if this would happen… But you and I are not supposed to exist in the same world, at least not for very long. I think the stars might distort a bit, and the fates may drastically change in a direction they are not supposed to go.”

“Fate?” Noah echoed.

He nodded his head. “The fates are laid out in the stars. The past, the present, the future—it can all be read through the stars. I could even read your stars, Noah, once I get a better feel for the ones here.”

He flashed him a smile with those words but all Noah could think about was the so-called fate predetermined by the celestial bodies. Was it fated from the very beginning for his brother to die in such a horrendous way? Fated that they’d be ripped apart, that he would be left with a shattered world? 

What did he do to deserve this, to have to pick up the fallen pieces? To try again and again, and fail each and every time?

“And you follow these stars?” he eventually spat out. Night had not yet fallen, but he could still easily imagine the constellations twinkling across the dark horizon, mocking in their shine.

Celestia tilted his head to the side, confusion briefly washing over his features. Noah grit his teeth, his gaze turned away as he felt Celestia’s eyes bore into him. Then, quietly: “I never said the stars were just.”

“They aren’t,” Noah affirmed without missing a beat.

Celestia’s smile turned sardonic. “No, maybe they aren’t. But they still guide our paths forward. Regardless, I’m worried about how they will change if I stay here too long. It’s difficult to determine what could happen.”

“How much longer until you leave, then?” Noah asked next.

“Oh, I’m hurt. You want me gone that bad, Noah?” Celestia’s lips pursed into a playful pout.

“Yes,” he said simply with a roll of his eyes.

The other boy chuckled in return. “Hm, probably not until the next half moon? It was during a half moon that my experiment landed us here in the first place. Clamor and I have been discussing the situation and we’ve deduced that the next half moon would be when we can return to our own timeline.”

The full moon would be next, Noah mentally noted with a frown. It would still be a while until the next half moon.

“I guess you’re stuck with us a little longer then, huh?” Celestia teased, seemingly able to read his thoughts.

He rolled his eyes once more.

Still, his thoughts lingered on what Celestia had spoken of earlier.

A supposed fate, painted in the stars.

Somewhere, written in the stars was the image of his brother, brutally torn away from him. Blood and tears and nothing but a shattered heart remained. A young boy who would never amount to anything, who vainly hung onto a sliver of hope—a bright light that shone in the darkness of the night like a full moon. And now, now—

He squeezed his eyes shut.

He hated the idea of it.

The sun was rapidly setting, the horizon shifting from a warm gold into the darkened hues of dusk. Celestia approached him in the tranquility of the evening, a smile spread across his features. He beamed, “The stars are bright tonight.”

Noah glanced in his direction, an eyebrow raised in question.

“They feel more familiar now,” he continued. With those words, he procured a small set of cards from his jacket, fanning out several so that the back of the cards were facing Noah. An intricate golden pattern decorated the cards, something bright enough to still be seen in the twilight. The designs were as flashy as Celestia himself was.

“Tarot cards?” Noah guessed, confusion evident in his tone. He took a step back from the other boy, suddenly feeling wary. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Not tarot cards, no,” he hummed in response. “These cards represent the traditional astrological signs. The connection with the stars allows me to read the celestial bodies. I can read your stars with these, Noah.”

Vaguely, he remembered Celestia saying something similar to him not too long ago.

Noah twisted away, stating simply, “I’m not interested.”

“You’re not curious about what’s in your stars?” He sounded astounded at the very thought, as though the possibility had never crossed his mind. “Really? Why not?”

“Why do you care so much?” he asked instead, turning to face Celestia once more.

Celestia stared at him like the answer was obvious. “Because I want to know more about you—about me, who’s made different choices. This is a very rare opportunity, isn’t it?”

He frowned, because he still couldn’t reconcile the image of the boy before him with… himself. Because Celestia was talkative, bright, always smiling—

No, it was easier not to think about it. It was easier to keep him at a distance, to not let him any closer.

“You’re really not interested?” Celestia asked again.

Noah rolled his eyes. “Not interested in anything you would have to say, yes.”

“Surely our paths crossed for a reason, though?” Celestia pouted, then picked out a single card from his deck. “And that reason would be laid out in the stars.”

His eyes narrowed.

“The stars aren’t just,” Noah repeated back to him.

“Maybe not, but they guide our way,” Celestia echoed in return. “Though that’s not to say the future can’t be changed. Nothing is completely set in stone until it happens.” 

He paused for a moment, then shot Noah a meaningful look. “And even that’s not necessarily true, is it?”

He blinked at the insinuation.

Somehow, it seemed that Celestia knew.

He closed his eyes momentarily.

It was easier not to think about it—about him, them. He didn’t want to brood over what was written in the twisted stars. 

When he opened his eyes once more, he saw Celestia watching him with a bemused smile gracing his features.

He scowled. “Why are you looking at me like that?

“I don’t think many people would turn down the chance to see how the celestial bodies have lit their path,” he answered with a brief shrug of his shoulders. “Why wouldn’t I be interested in you, then?

His frown deepened and he turned away from the other boy.

In the darkness, he would forge his own path.

“You haven’t really talked much about yourself, have you?” Celestia casually observed one quiet evening.

Noah turned to face Celestia and stared. “Why should I?”

“I’ve told you a lot about myself and Clamor,” he huffed.

“You just like to listen to yourself talk, don’t you? Because I never asked,” he answered simply.

“Well, I’m asking you now.” Celestia frowned. “You don’t trust me still?”

“How can I? When you’ve appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be me—using my name. Clamor doesn’t think you’re suspicious, so… I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt for now,” Noah muttered.

“I figured everything I’ve said and done by now should be enough proof,” he stated pointedly.

Noah couldn’t completely deny that. It was true that Celestia seemed to understand some things about him that no other person could. There was Clamor, too—his very existence couldn’t be a lie, could it?

And if Celestia really was sent by the Order, why didn’t they try to better replicate his appearance and mannerisms?

After all, they had been able to so easily fool the El Masters.

It just didn’t add up.

Perhaps Clamor was right.

Still, Noah couldn’t shake the queasy feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach.

“You claim to be me, but I can’t just trust you like that so easily—not when Harque was…”

Murdered by someone using his own face. 

“You think I would…?” Celestia blinked at the implication, and he took a step back.

His lips formed a thin line and he nodded briefly.

“… I’m not from the Order. I’d never associate with them, not after what they had done.” Celestia’s gaze hardened. “Though you’d know that, wouldn’t you?”

Noah faltered at his piercing stare.

Something about the look in Celestia’s eyes felt so real.

Like he was peering into a mirror.

“I said we should fight alongside each other, didn’t I?” Celestia continued. “I’ll fight with you, Noah, if that’s what you want. Like I said, I’m not here to fight you.”

He reached towards Noah with an outstretched hand, palm open. “But I can help you. What are you trying to accomplish? I know you’ve been collecting information recently, but what for?”

His gaze drifted towards Celestia’s open hand, but his own hands remained firmly by his side.

“I’m going to stop the Order,” eventually fell from his lips, his voice low. “But I don’t need your help.”

With those words, he turned away from the other boy and walked off, ignoring him as he called his name.

There was no reason to divulge any further information to Celestia—he was going to disappear soon anyway, fading away from his memory like stardust. From the very beginning, Noah never had any reason to believe in his words, to say any more than necessary—not when Celestia so nonchalantly borrowed his name and his face.

But he couldn’t deny it any longer now.

That look in Celestia’s eyes—that pain he was all too familiar with reflected in his gaze. 

It was true.

Celestia really was him.

“Clamor, do you want your body back?”

“Huh? What’s bringing this up again?” came the scholar’s response.

“Just answer my question,” Noah grumbled, shooting his companion a glare.

“Well, I mean, yeah. I can’t do too much as a weapon, after all,” he answered simply. Then, with a chuckle, he added, “Hey, kid, you think I could look as handsome as my other self there?”

Noah frowned. “I’m being serious here.”

“I know,” Clamor agreed, “but we’ve talked about this extensively before. Why are you asking again? Is it because of Celestia?”

He fidgeted with the handle of his sickle. “Celestia was able to figure it out—a way to get you out of this weapon. I know it’s possible now.”

“Right, it is. But it’s not simple magic—if it were, I would’ve already come up with the solution a long time ago,” Clamor stated. “Even if Celestia were to explain it to us, I don’t think I have the capability in this form to execute what would be needed.”

Clamor didn’t need to say it, but Noah knew he would never be able to either.

“Then I’ll just find another way,” he said instead.

“I appreciate the thought, kid, but we don’t even know where to start. And we’ve just established that I don’t have the magical abilities to do anything about it either.“ He paused. “Besides, you still want to stop the Order, don’t you?”

“I can do both at once,” he insisted. “I’m capable of it.”

“I’m not saying that you aren’t. It’s just—we should focus on your goal at hand first,” he returned simply. ”I mean, I’ve since long accepted that I’ll be like this anyway.”

“... That doesn’t mean it’s okay.”

“It also doesn’t mean that you need to worry yourself about this, Noah. You’ve already got enough to worry about without having to concern yourself with this problem too,” Clamor chided. “It’s fine, really. Hardly even an issue. I promise.”

His brows knit. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” he repeated. “So cheer up! Frowning so much will only give you wrinkles at your young age.”

Noah rolled his eyes at that. Still, he couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his lips.

Maybe, maybe it was fine after all.

Maybe he really didn’t need to worry so much about it, even after all this time. Even after all these tries.

Yet whenever he looked at Celestia, all he could think about were the things he couldn’t and would never be able to do.

“Liberator,” Celestia stated suddenly and Noah stopped in his tracks, turning to face the other boy.

“I read it in the stars last night, something to call you. You’ll be Liberator.” He smiled. “It sounds nice, don’t you think?”

He didn’t know how to feel about it. He was just Noah. Noah Ebalon.

Nothing more than Noah, and he would never be anything more than Noah. He was never going to be good enough for any kind of title, after all.

Never going to be good enough.

“It sounds weird,” was all he said instead.

Celestia let out a laugh. “You don’t like it? Liberator. Or you’d rather I still call you ‘Noah’?”

That, too, was strange.

“‘Liberator’ is fine,” he eventually relented.

Because somehow, if he was Liberator and the boy in front of him was Celestia, they were both no longer Noah. Somehow, he wouldn’t be reminded that Celestia was him. Somehow, whenever he looked at Celestia it would feel less like he was peering into a distorted mirror.

Celestia beamed in response.

“Liberator,” he said once more, as though he were savouring the taste on his tongue. “Liberator. It will suit you, I think.”

He didn’t understand how, not when he was still trapped in this endless loop.

Celestia smiled, and he said nothing.

"This is a demon's nest," Celestia observed as he trailed behind Noah. He was surprisingly quiet for once—maybe taking in their new surroundings as they descended into the depths of the demon realm. The atmosphere was heavy and the air felt stiff. Each passing breath was more difficult than the one previous.

"It is," came his simple reply.

"Why are we here?" Celestia asked next.

“I’ve gathered enough information to determine that the Order is now operating in the demon realm,” he explained.

Silence settled between the two. Even Clamor was uncharacteristically mute as they continued walking further into the nest.

Eventually, Celestia spoke, "I don't think this is a good idea, Liberator."

He stopped at those words, turning to face him, eyes sharp. “You said you wouldn’t get in my way.”

“And I won’t,” he reiterated. “But I still think this is a bad idea.”

“I didn’t ask.” He shot the other boy a glare.

“Well, no, but it’s dangerous,” Celestia pressed on. “We should stop and head back.”

“I can’t,” he stated plainly.

“Why?”

Noah frowned, his irritation increasing by the second. “Because I know the Order is here, and they need to be stopped.”

“It doesn’t have to be now. You can still take some time to gather more information, can’t you?” Celestia tried to reason. “Because you… you don’t know for sure if that’s the case, do you?”

“I know enough,” he replied sharply.

“You’ll die out there,” he said in return. “You can sense it, can’t you? The demonic power here.”

For a second, he hesitated—because Celestia was correct about the demonic aura. He could already feel the overbearing dark energy in the distance suppressing his stamina; he could only imagine how much more suffocating it would be once they traversed further into the demon’s nest.

But he couldn’t back down now, either. 

“I have to do this,” he spat out instead, shooting a glare at Celestia.

He stared. “You don’t have to throw yourself head first into a swarm of demons.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered in response.

“Then tell me, Liberator, what am I not understanding?”

He asked the question as though it wasn’t evident, as though it meant nothing. To him, it probably did mean nothing after all, and that, that—

His hands balled into fists and his nails dug into his palms so hard they almost bled.

“The Order murdered our brother,” he continued, voice low. “I need to put an end to them, for Harque.”

“For Harque?” he echoed, tone incredulous.

“Of course you wouldn’t understand,” he hissed. “You gave up on vengeance long ago, didn’t you?”

“Of course I did,” he uttered without missing a beat. “But I understand enough, Liberator—I understand that you’re being reckless.”

At those words, Noah unclenched his fists and grabbed the collar of Celestia’s jacket. A scowl formed on his lips as his glare hardened.

Celestia stared back, gaze unwavering.

“No, you don’t, Celestia. You haven’t—you haven’t done this over and over again. You haven’t tried countless times, only to fall short each and every loop! No, you just played around with magic instead!” Noah shouted. “How could you even understand? When all you’ve been doing is—is acting all… all—!”

Happy.

His grip tightened on the fabric of his clothing and he grit his teeth. Celestia’s eyes flickered between sapphire and a starry gold as he met Noah’s glare. The air between the two felt heavy, exacerbated by the demonic aura that surrounded them.

“That was the choice I made, and this is the choice you made, Liberator,” he stated, tone steely.

“And how could you choose to just forget about Harque!?” Noah yelled.

“Why do you think I forgot about him?” he returned swiftly, his voice raising in volume. “Harque meant everything to me.”

“All you talk about is Clamor and you don’t even care about avenging Harque anymore!” he shouted.

“And you think that’s what Harque would want? Vengeance?”

“If not vengeance, then what?” he sneered.

“Live,” Celestia declared. “Live, Noah. Harque gave us this second chance at life for a reason! Why are you throwing it away like this?”

Live.

Like it was that simple.

Because Harque was gone now and Harque was his world, his everything, what was he supposed to do with the broken pieces left behind?

What did he have to live for?

“Regardless, the Order needs to be stopped,” he eventually spat out, his voice coming out weaker than he had intended.

“And then what?” Celestia’s eyes softened. “… It’s not going to bring him back, Noah.”

I know, got caught in his throat. His grip on Celestia’s collar loosened and his arms dropped to his side weakly. I know, I know, I know, but what else is there?

Instead, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

Celestia didn’t follow.

“Noah? Are you okay?” he heard Clamor ask.

The boy slowed at those words, before eventually coming to a stop next to the decaying skeleton of a willow tree. He took a breath as he gathered his bearings.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he answered simply.

“Are you sure?” Clamor continued. “We can talk it out. I know it’s been difficult with Celestia ever since he’s arrived. I mean, it’s been weird to look at my alternate self too.” 

Noah squeezed his eyes shut, an uneasy feeling building up in his chest.

“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he repeated, his voice strained. “Let’s just go ahead—I think we’ll be able to find the Order, or some more information on where exactly they’re operating at the very least.”

And you think that’s what Harque would want?

The words echoed in his mind and somehow, he felt like he was suffocating.

The air tasted stale, heavy.

Still, he continued onward despite Clamor’s hesitance. His companion remained quiet as they travelled further into the demon’s nest, their surroundings darkening as sunlight no longer reached the depths of the realm. Perhaps Clamor was on guard just like he was—after all, they were traversing through unfamiliar territory. There was a strong likelihood of an ambush.

The sound of something snapping into two resounded in the distance.

He froze.

“Did you hear that?” Clamor whispered.

Noah gave a short nod, shifting his feet and readying his weapon. He took a moment to call forth his shadows in preparation for an unexpected attack.

Somehow, the darkness that followed him felt sluggish, slower than the norm.

The uneasy feeling in his stomach intensified.

Noah took another short breath, trying to focus on any potential threats. He squinted his eyes in an attempt to peer into the never-ending darkness surrounding him.

A beast suddenly hurtled in his direction, catching him by surprise.

He staggered backwards as he parried its claws with his sickle.

“Are you all right?!” Clamor exclaimed.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just caught off guard,” he answered in a low voice. He narrowed his eyes briefly, examining the monster’s movements, before leaping forward to strike the beast. The creature’s skin was hard—almost armoured—easily deflecting Noah’s attack and knocking him to the side. He skid across the rough terrain, numerous gashes marking his body.

Noah grit his teeth as he rose to his feet, wiping away blood from the fresh cuts now on his face.

His eyes widened as he recognized several silhouettes before him.  

Dread settled in the pit of his stomach.

There were numerous demons, much more than he had expected to encounter. Their eyes glowed in the darkness, piercing, tracking down each minute movement of his as though they were only focused on stopping him from proceeding any further. As though that was their sole purpose: to protect something.

Was he—was he closing in on the base of their operations?

“Noah, we should pull back!” Clamor insisted.

“No, we’re close,” he returned swiftly.

“But—”

Before Clamor could finish, a monster slammed into Noah, knocking him down to the ground. He felt his breath leave his body at the harsh impact.

Still, he rose to his feet once more.

He called forth more shadows to his side, sending them against the overwhelming mob of demons that were now approaching him. He immediately broke into a coughing fit, his lungs exploding with each shaky breath he took.

The pain tore through his body as he fought off blow after blow from the creatures, but he couldn’t stop. Not now. Not when he felt like he was closing in on his goal.

But despite his best efforts, the horde of monsters did not diminish in size. Rather, it felt like more and more demons were appearing. It wasn’t long until he was completely surrounded. His stamina was low and he felt the shadows by his feet gradually retreating.

He didn’t want to die, not yet. Not again.

And you think that’s what Harque would want?

His vision flickered between black and red as he fell to his knees. Distantly, he heard Clamor calling his name.

All of the sudden, something bright burst in front of him and he saw stars. He blinked rapidly, quickly recognizing the familiar figure of Celestia approaching from the distance. His magic lit up the surrounding area and for a moment, Noah felt frozen in his spot.

He swiftly cast another spell and a luminescent aura transcended high into the sky, sparkling. The monsters appeared to be distracted by the dazzling glow, many of which turned towards the flash of magic.

Noah, too, felt transfixed by the spell in front of him.

Belatedly, he felt a hand grasp his arm, attempting to pull him to his feet.

“Can you stand? We need to get out of here,” he heard Celestia say, the urgency in his voice evident. “I can’t fight all of these demons off, and I can’t stall them for much longer either.”

“Noah, we need to go,” Clamor reinforced.

He nodded his head shakily in response, allowing Celestia to assist him. He winced at the pain that seared through his limbs as he forced himself to stand up.

The rest was a blur.

He vaguely remembered running through mobs of demons—running, running, running until he felt like his lungs were going to collapse. They didn’t come to a stop until they were back to the edge of the demon realm. On the outskirts were the remains of a collapsing building, likely abandoned following a demon attack. He faintly heard Clamor utter that the decaying property would suffice as a temporary resting area.

Finally, Noah collapsed against Celestia once the adrenaline pushing his body to its limits wore off. A soft “whoa” escaped Celestia’s lips as he supported the other boy. Slowly, he helped him move into a sitting position, his back pressed against the deteriorated wall of the uninhabited building.

“I can only replenish some of your mana, so we’ll need to actually treat you properly,” Celestia muttered, crouching down to meet him at eye level. Noah felt his gaze all over, as though he were examining each and every injury he had endured.

Celestia himself was not unscathed either—Noah could see cuts and bruises marring his skin, alongside the rips and tears to his clothing. 

Regardless, he seemed more concerned about Noah than his own well-being.

Celestia placed a hand on his shoulder and he gradually felt the transfer of magic between them. Slowly, Noah felt some strength returning to his limbs and the crimson that stained his vision began to clear.

Several moments passed before Celestia pulled away. He flashed Noah a small smile. “There. That’s… all I can do for now until we safely get out of here.”

He said it so simply, as though he hadn’t just pulled him from death’s doorstep.

As though Noah himself wasn’t a fool, making mistake after mistake.

His cheeks felt wet, and he belatedly recognized the tears that had fallen from his eyes.

“You were right,” he blurted out.

Celestia’s eyes widened. “I… wouldn’t say it like that. There was no way to know that there’d be that many demons.”

“No, you were right,” Noah repeated, his voice cracking. “You were right, and I…”

His breath caught in his throat.

Slowly, he reached forward to grasp the front of Celestia’s jacket. Celestia paused, waiting for Noah’s next move, and somehow the air between them felt heavy once again. His grip on the fabric of his coat tightened momentarily before he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Celestia’s shoulder.

He felt Celestia stiffen against him.

Still, he didn’t move to push him away. Rather, his arms shifted around him to envelop him in a quiet embrace. A sob wracked Noah’s throat and he felt helplessly trapped under the weight of crushing realization.

Because Celestia’s time was moving forward, yet he was still stuck in the past. A past that shackled him to this seemingly hopeless objective, with no end in sight.

From the very beginning, his sole goal of avenging Harque’s death was frivolous.

And maybe he had always known.

But he just didn’t know what else to do without Harque, for Harque. If he could stop the Order and avenge his unjust death, then maybe, maybe he lived for a reason. Maybe he would finally have been able to do something for Harque, after everything he had done for him. Maybe he could prove himself and show everyone that once doubted him how he had grown into someone just as strong and hardworking and worthy of being an Ebalon.

Yet even now, he still felt like a little boy who would never amount to anything.

But despite it all, he still tried. Tried to be something more, tried to right the wrongs of his brother's unfair passing. 

All in vain.

And you think that’s what Harque would want?

No, echoed in his mind like an absolute truth.

What Harque would want was—

What Noah had always wanted for him.

To be happy.

Happy.

And the boy before him now, with his arms wrapped around him in a tentative embrace, was—

Another sob escaped his lips and he buried his face further into Celestia’s shoulder.

Eventually, the world faded to black.

Blearily, Noah opened his eyes.

His entire body felt sore, unsurprisingly. With a groan, he managed to sit up and observe his surroundings. He had been pulled out of the demon realm, he quickly ascertained as his breath came easily to him. Moreover, he felt grass beneath him and the air tasted fresh.

He shifted in his makeshift cot—something Celestia must have set up—and examined his injuries. He winced as he realized that his arms and torso were completely bandaged up. It was no wonder every limb of his felt sore.

To the side, he saw Clamor—Celestia’s Clamor. The spirit’s eyes widened as he noticed Noah’s awakening, before floating closer to the young boy.

“You’re awake,” he murmured and Noah nodded briefly, letting the quiet of the night settle between them.

Clamor was usually talkative, but Celestia’s Clamor wasn’t. Not with him, at least.

Noah’s gaze gradually drifted upwards and he recognized the waning of the moon in the night sky. Soon, he knew, it would be a half moon.

“Where’s Clamor?” he eventually spoke, turning to face the spirit by his side.

“I’m right here, kid,” he answered.

“Not you. My Clamor.”

“Ah, prickly as ever, huh? Celestia likes my jokes a bit better, you know. Though I can’t say that I don’t actually miss this,” Clamor mused. “Anyway, he’s with Celestia. They were waiting for you to wake up, but I wanted to speak with you first so I asked them to give us some time alone.”

Noah blinked. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Well, I’ve actually wanted to talk to you since the beginning. But I could tell that you were wary of us, so I didn’t want to scare you off or anything,” he started. “You’re not still skeptical of us, are you? Do you want to talk? How are you feeling?”

“... I’m fine now, we can talk.”

“Good.” The spirit smiled, then drifted closer towards where Noah sat. After a brief pause, he said, "Celestia is not wrong, but it doesn't mean that you were wrong."

His brow furrowed. 

“It feels like I’ve just been repeating the same mistake,” Noah muttered in response.

“I would have stopped you if that were the case,” Clamor returned simply.

“... You’ve tried. You’ve told me not to push myself so much.”

“Did I? Well, I suppose I would have. You’ve already been through so much, after all. Admittedly, even watching you now has been difficult for myself and Celestia. I can only imagine how your Clamor feels.” His gaze drifted momentarily towards the side, presumably in the direction of where the other two were waiting in the distance, before turning back to meet Noah’s eyes once more. “But if fighting the Order is what you’ve decided to do, then I’d help you regardless. It’s not a bad thing to want to do, after all. But you shouldn’t do it alone, Noah. I can be by your side. Well, I am by your side.”

“Yeah, you have been. And I’ve just made you worry.” His gaze fell to his hands and he picked at the bandage covering his wrist. “All of you.”

His eyes softened and he let out a small sigh. “Don’t blame yourself, Noah.”

He turned away at those words.

Clamor continued, "You’re in a difficult situation. It’s not easy to paint things so simply as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Besides, a child like you never should have gone through something like that in the first place, and you never should have been placed in a situation like this either."

He paused as he let the words settle in between them.

Noah remained silent, his body still twisted away from Clamor.

“Well, that’s all I really wanted to say to you,” he finished. “Don’t be too hard on yourself, kid. You may not have made the same decisions as Celestia, but it doesn’t mean that your decisions are any less valid. It doesn’t mean that what you have been fighting for up until now has been completely wrong. Anyway, I’ll leave you be for now and let you rest up.”

And, Noah reflected briefly, what should he be fighting for instead?

The soft golden glow in his peripheral slowly drifted away following those words. After a moment, Noah turned back to where the spirit had stood by his side, his gaze falling on the now empty space.

He felt tears well up in his eyes once again as he thought about the little boy of his past, torn away from his brother and used as nothing more than a simple pawn.

He thought about Celestia, too, and all of the other lost childhoods at the hands of the Order.

In the stillness of the night, Clamor’s words echoed in his mind.

It wasn’t long until Celestia approached Noah next, asking, “How are you, Liberator? You had a few nasty wounds back there.”

“I’m okay now. I’ve certainly been injured a lot worse in the past,” he answered. Fatally. The look of relief on Celestia’s face was palpable, and Noah let out an awkward cough. “Thanks… for healing me.”

His eyes drifted towards the side. “And thank you… for being there.”

A small laugh fell from Celestia’s lips, somewhat bashful. “Well, I couldn’t just let you die out there, could I?”

His lips formed a thin line at those words. It wouldn’t be anything new if he had.

A brief silence settled between the two following that. Celestia was uncharacteristically quiet, seemingly waiting for Noah to say something first instead.

“You were right, Celestia,” Noah eventually repeated, his gaze turning towards the other boy. “That vengeance wouldn’t change the past; Harque will always be… gone. Getting vengeance for him would be meaningless. Fighting the Order for such a reason is not what he would have wanted.”

He took a breath, and Celestia continued to wait patiently.

“I won’t throw away my life so carelessly, but I’m also not going to stop. I’m still going to put an end to the Order.”

“Oh?” Celestia’s head tilted to the side, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

“Not because of Harque—but for me, and you,” he elaborated. “And anyone else like us. So that no one else has to get hurt like we had. I—we—already know how dangerous the Order is and the awful things they are capable of doing. They can’t be left as is. I could… I could help a lot of people this way.”

Celestia blinked as the words occupied the empty space in between them.

“We should never have gone through something like that in the first place, and no one else should either,” Noah echoed, each and every syllable filled with resolve.

It was quiet for a moment.

Their eyes met and for the first time, Noah finally felt like he was on equal grounds with the boy in front of him. Before him was no longer the reflection of a distorted mirror, but rather the depiction of a different path, different choices.

And he finally, finally understood.

Eventually, Celestia spoke, “... I think Harque would be happy.”

“Yeah.” Noah closed his eyes briefly before meeting his gaze once more. Celestia’s tear-shaped pupils stared back and he no longer felt uneasy at the sight. “Yeah, maybe. But I think I could be happy too.”

Celestia smiled.

“Besides, I’m not alone,” he added, the edges of his own lips quirking upwards in return.

Celestia beamed. “As long as the stars continue to shine above you, you will never be alone, Noah.”

Night had not yet fallen, but he could easily envision the constellations painting the darkened sky, illuminating the horizon with a warm glower.

Somewhere, written in the stars, he was taking a step forward.

The next few days passed by quietly.

There wasn’t much Noah could do while he was still recovering from his injuries. Clamor doted endlessly on him and kept him preoccupied, however Celestia spent most of his time with his own respective Clamor. From the few lingering conversations Noah was able to overhear, they were working tirelessly to ensure that they could return to their own world once the half moon rose.

In the back of his mind, he prepared the words he would say to the departing duo.

“This is it,” Celestia hummed, looking at Noah expectantly.

“Yeah,” he affirmed.

“We’ve set everything up, so as long as it all goes as planned, we’ll be leaving soon,” he stated. Celestia’s gaze drifted to the side momentarily. In the distance, the golden spirit held Noah’s sickle in his grasp, softly discussing something that neither boy could hear. “Well, once Clamor finishes up his talk over there.”

Noah nodded his head in acknowledgement. Knowing the scholar, it would still be a while longer.

“So I guess this is goodbye?” Celestia continued.

Somehow, it felt a little strange to think about: saying goodbye to Celestia and his Clamor, after everything that they had been through.

“A ‘goodbye for now’—maybe our fates will cross each other’s once more,” Celestia amended, almost as though he could sense what Noah was thinking. He flashed him a small smile.

The edges of his lips quirked up in response. “Maybe.”

In the stillness of the night, a hushed silence fell between them.

Somehow, it felt comfortable. Natural. Like this was how it should have been, from the very beginning.

"You know, I really admire you, Liberator," he said suddenly, breaking the calm.

He blinked.

“Why?” immediately fell from his lips.

He stared at him like the answer was obvious. “What isn’t admirable about you, Liberator? Your goal? The other day, when you said that you wanted to stop the Order for us, I was happy. Really happy.”

His brow knit. Dumbly, he repeated, “Why?”

“Because you care,” he said simply, “about me—about the little boy of our past.”

For a second, he didn’t know what to say.

Because wasn’t it obvious?

But then he recalled their shared past and he almost laughed at the fact that he hadn’t realized it immediately because Celestia really, truly was him. And all he ever wanted was someone to care about him, as Harque so dearly did.

“Not just us—anyone else, too,” he added softly.

“And isn’t that admirable?” he repeated. "I wish I could stay and help, I really do, but I don't think Clamor and I can be here for much longer.” 

A small sigh escaped Celestia’s lips next. “I can already feel the stars beginning to change, more than they should."

"You… you've already helped me, Celestia," Noah whispered.

"And I wish I could help you to the very end." His smile widened, and Noah could feel that he really meant it.

Celestia’s gaze shifted upwards then, towards the half moon in the sky and the stars surrounding.

“May your path be shaped by starlight,” Celestia murmured next. With those words, Celestia locked eyes with Noah and reached towards him, palm open. Tentatively, Noah grasped his hand in his own and Celestia beamed as he intertwined their fingers together.

Noah gently squeezed his hand in return. The gold rings decorating Celestia’s fingers shone like a familiar star. Then, softly: “... May the darkness light your path.”

He closed his eyes. Slowly, the warmth brushing against the cool fabric of his glove drifted away.

“Thank you, Noah,” he whispered into the dark.

In the distance, he heard a faint laugh.

It was quiet now, without him.

Clamor still chattered on endlessly—maybe more so than usual—so it was never truly silent as they travelled. But Noah couldn’t help but notice the distinct empty space left behind in the wake of starlight.

Unconsciously, he found his gaze drifting towards the night sky.

The sliver of a new moon hung high above his head. Stars glittered across the dark expanse, evoking an inexplicable warmth in the hushed chill of the night.

He smiled.

[pokeverse-amethyst]

Sooooo… this is gonna be a long one, strap in. What follows is a metric ton of HCs about every single evil team and how they have worked themselves into every aspect of daily life, as to make them way more difficult to get rid off than just with a couple of arrests. Timeline wonkiness when trying to explain what likely happened first is to be expected, I’m playing fast and loose with all of this stuff. I might be way off topic in some regards but HECK HERE GOES. ~~~

TEAM ROCKET: This is pretty much of a no-brainer. What we have here is a classical mafia structure, and you just need to look at countries with extensive mafia presence to know that they are baked into every single fucking thing. Giovanni has worked years upon years to cement himself straight into Kanto and Johto, consequently making it impossible for any of the other teams to even THINK about gaining a foothold there. No further explanations necessary. ~~~ TEAM AQUA / TEAM MAGMA: This one is a bit of a more difficult one. But then again, let’s presume that most of the teams recruit a mixture of people who fully believe in the team’s message, who misunderstand the team’s message, and who see themselves in the team, but not necessarily in the message (so just looking for somewhere to belong and to gain some kind of direction). Oh, and monetary gain. Can’t forget that. So in the case of both Aqua and Magma? I like to believe it started out with Maxie and Archie working together on a plan to give nature back to Pokémon. Like, with trying to get more protected zones established, kinda like Fiore has them? But they were hitting resistance too often. Now I’m not saying that they were on the wrong track from the start or developed into what is basically eco-terrorists, but… they probably saw way too much bad shit happening to Pokémon around them. Maybe they heard what Team Rocket was doing to Pokémon in Johto and Kanto. Maybe they heard rumors about what Cyrus nearly accomplished, what Lysandre almost triggered, what Ghetsis managed to fuck up with his whole power play madness (TWICE, too!), what the Aether foundation might have had triggered if not for the intervention of a Legendary, what Rose made possible in the GALAR REGION of all places… Suffice to say, they probably felt like they needed to seriously up their game… to make sure that the other teams didn’t fuck up the world beyond repair before THEY could make the world a better place. The only thing that finally broke Archie and Maxie up though, was an inability to settle on what would be better. More landmass, more sea? What would be the gentler way of resetting humanity? Suffice to say, their vision might have attracted way too many who nudged them along. So TLDR: Archie and Maxie mostly reacted to what the other Team Bosses were doing and were helped along by Grunts/Admins that were way too into the whole “we will be the only humans deserving this new, shiny world”. They were numerous enough and determined enough to turn into a slightly terroristic group, but until the ultimate use of Kyogre/Groudon, they never really registered that much on Interpol’s radar. And when Interpol learned of them stealing a whole ass sub? It was already too late stopping them in their tracks in time. After all, Interpol had all the other regions to monitor as well… ~~~ TEAM GALACTIC: So. Charon doesn’t need much of a head canon fuckery. He just did it for the money, that much he stated openly. And Jupiter, Mars and Saturn? They all admitted openly to being along for the ride because they believed in Cyrus and the world being fucked up beyond repair, thus needing a good ol’ divine intervention from the whole-ass creation trio. But I don’t think any single one of them fully understood what Cyrus’s goal was. The commanders (that are not Charon) squarely fall into the category of “misunderstanding the ultimate purpose of the team”, as do all the Grunts. And as mentioned above with Team Aqua and Magma, Galactic probably saw some of the stuff that was happening around them and ultimately decided (and this is mostly for the Grunts and the Commanders) that Cyrus probably wasn’t so far off with the human spirit being incomplete. But they made one crucial mistake (pretty much the whole team, even Charon). They thought that Cyrus’s assertion over the incomplete nature of the human spirit was a reason for the man to believe in a world that should be made whole, not in wiping the whole fucking slate clean and going Tabula Rasa on the whole of creation. Much to the annoyance of everyone involved (and with that I mean the Creation Trio and the big boss of them), he actually went far enough to step on everything just to gain the power to control the legendaries. Also, time to unearth an already yoinked HC of mine that Giratina mostly retreated into the Distortion World to get some good alone time in, only to be disrupted by Cyrus bursting in. On that point also: time not really working all that clearly in the Distortion World. Kinda like Narnia rules, in as there is no fixed constant for time moving forward in either one or the other extreme. Sometimes, time will move forward extremely fast, other times, you spend years and years in the Distortion World and only a few seconds passed. After all, everything gets a bit… wobbly in there. But around the time Cyrus entered, Distortion World time became… more orderly. And that was what prompted Giratina to go VERY UNAMUSED ON HIS ASS. Think of it as time being influenced by what is thrown into the Distortion World. BACK to the Team, though. Galactic honest to Arceus believed that what they were doing would give the world a much needed boost… and were unpleasantly surprised when they were later on all shown that Cyrus wanted to go destruction and rebirth on the world. But that is not to say everyone was unhappy about this revelation. ~~~ TEAM PLASMA & NEO PLASMA: What easier time to convince disparate beliefs than with the apparent reason that they were just helping Pokémon that would have been unhappy in the care of their trainers? Wether the Grunts believed that the Pokémon should then consequently be released back into the wild or that they THEMSELVES deserved the Pokémon way more than others? What easier way to convince them of Plasma’s ideals? And there was no real discussion amongst the Grunts over this dichotomy. Sure, a few were disputing the one or the other stance, but most were still agreeing that the trainers they took the Pokémon from did NOT deserve them. No matter how pure their reasoning was. No matter how reality really looked like. Sure, they were removing Pokémon from some really nasty trainers? But on the greater scale of things, they mostly took Pokémon from trainers who they loved being with. And Ghetsis had his thumb on this a lot. See, Ghetsis didn’t want N to sway too much, before he finally met the protagonist. So Ghetsis made sure that only obviously abused Pokémon removed from trainers were brought to N. …why, no, this doesn’t mean at all that they were usually just from the outside. Ya think Ghetsis only had his main team? Dream on. ~~~ TEAM FLARE: What is there to say about Team Flare? They are basically a mix of the worst of the self-viewed elite of the region. There is entitlement to being viewed as the best of the best (and you can’t tell ‘em otherwise), there is doomsday fans who would do the whole shit with bunkering down and then fighting in an apocalyptic wasteland and fancying themselves new leaders in that changed world, there’s the ones who just think they will be able to surpass even Lysandre… What about the Admins of Flare? They half share Lysandre’s views of beauty. But mostly, they are in too deep to quit, and also half about relishing the fact that they get to work on something truly unique and devastating. They want this whole power thing to work out for them because some time in their lives, they might have felt like they were owed power and didn’t receive it. They were owed recognition and didn’t receive it. They want to be the new top of Kalos without working TOO hard for it. Without anything laying rocks in their path. Without any obstacles telling them that, no. They fucked up. ~~~ AETHER FOUNDATION: The moment Lusamine found out about the Ultra Dimension, she ostensibly was lost to her goal of getting her hands on the power to change the face of the world. And to preserve beauty. In many ways, her goal was similar to Lysandre… to a degree. The Aether Foundation is half staffed by people who truly believe that conservation work is the most important factor in the Pokémon World, to preserve some of the more endangered species around the world, and half staffed by people who truly believe that the Ultra Dimension holds answers to problems humanity might not even have recognized as such. This latter half was unpleasantly surprised when they started to learn the truth from the Ultra Dimension researchers. Finding out that Necrozma had destroyed the natural light of that world and was now the only source of more light for the city? That was a shock. But that didn’t necessarily mean that the Aether Foundation would have been broken up by that. Because honestly? The part of the conservation enthusiasts who were not deterred by the Ultra Dimension incident made the Foundation bloom beyond what it was possible to become. So in short: this foundation survived its leader far better than many others, and actually managed to get accepted. ~~~ MACRO COSMOS: This is the team that shocked their region with just how far their influence had gone. And that is to say that they existed at all, right under the noses of the region. Rose’s whole deal is a big part why Leon would later be plunged into a crisis of conscience, despite everyone assuring him that he had no way of knowing just how far Rose was willing to go to show the region how wrong it was to not immediately acquiesce to all that he envisioned for the future. The mere fact Rose was UNWILLING to wait what would at most have been half a day for Leon, to celebrate with the others after another big Champion Tournament? That was what sat so ill with many in the region. It wasn’t so much the message that Rose felt everyone had missed (that was actually just his version of events - most of the Macro Cosmos Grunts were attached to him solely for the reason of having privileges that none other had, and when they saw how he was acting, only the most dedicated few could ignore what was going on). So we are dealing with another team that was shocked how far the leader would go, but even more so than the Aether Foundation, the members scattered when Rose enacted the Darkest Day right out of nowhere. There is still worries that remains of Macro Cosmos could be out there, trying to bust Oleana and Rose out of prison and actually finding another way with which to scare Galar into complicity. How well that would even go is a whole different question… because the new champ is even stronger than Leon, and THAT is real fucking bad news for anyone who would want to establish themselves.

[philociraptorsquad]

Pick Up - Wyra/Schotthaven Drabble

Spoilers for the end of 2x14 and maybe 2x15 (I’m just going off the promo here.)

For @winnschottjrwrites, who wanted some Winn x Lyra love. I hope you like it! :)

Words: 542

A/N: Have we decided on a ship name yet, or...? Anyways, this is probably not my best work, but I gave it a schott shot. I haven’t written for Lyra or Maggie before, so I hope I got their characterization at least a little right! Also, the timeline in relation to the last episode is a little wonky, but shhh, we’ll pretend that it’s right. ;)

Winn's heart raced as panic began to fully kick in. After warning Kara over the phone about Cadmus's plan, he frantically tried to get a hold of his girlfriend.

"Come on, Lyra! Pick up!" He was terrified that they could enact their plan at any moment.

He cursed to himself when he reached her voicemail.

"Lyra! I need you to listen to me very carefully, wherever you are, leave now! Please, I need you to get somewhere safe! Don't go home, don't go to the bar, don't go any place you normally would! In fact, don't go out in public! I'll explain everything later, just please stay safe!" His voice was thick with desperation.

Without hesitation, he bolted out of the DEO and made his way to the alien bar. He continued to call her every couple of minutes, hoping that it wasn't too late. He tried not to let the thought creep into his mind.

"Maggie." He muttered as he suddenly got the idea to call her.

"Hey, Winn." Maggie sounded a little surprised that he would call her, seeing as he never had before.

"Where are you?" He chose as his greeting.

"At the bar. Why?"

"Is Lyra there?"

"Not that I've seen. But it is open mic night, so there's extra crowds tonight. What is going on?" She could hear the fear in his voice.

"You need to get everyone out of there now! Cadmus has the national alien registry!"

"What?!"

"I don't know exactly what they're planning, but I need you to get as many people to safety as you can!" He urged.

"Got it!" She assured him. "Hey, Alex is calling me. She's probably trying to tell me the same thing. I should really take this." She sounded apologetic.

"Ok, but please, if you see Lyra, keep her safe."

"I will." She promised before switching calls.

The closer Winn got to the bar, the more antsy he got. He surmised that it would be a high level target seeing as it was one of the most densely populated alien hang outs in the city. He figured once they took out the public places, they'd move on to people's homes and then nowhere would be safe.

He practically jumped out of his skin when his phone began ringing, "Lyra! Oh, thank God!"

"Hey, sorry I didn't answer sooner, it's kind of loud in here." She sounded both entertained and slightly concerned. "I have seventeen missed calls. Where is the fire, Handsome?"

"You need to get out of there now! You're in danger!" He could hear the bustling of the bar in the background, just as he'd feared.

"What are you talking about, Love?" Her flirty tone turned to that of confusion.

"Please, just take the back exit and go to my apartment! There's a spare key hidden behind the horse painting in the hallway." He directed.

"You're not making any sense."

"I'm almost at the bar, but I need you to leave right now!" He pleaded.

"You're starting to scare me."

"Please!"

"Ok, ok. I'm leaving right now." She agreed.

"Thank you!" A sigh of relief escaped his lips. His relief was short-lived, however, as he heard a small explosion on the other end of the phone.

"LYRA!"