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azucanela · 3 years

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chapter iv

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

warnings: mentions of blood. violence. injuries. cursing.

word count: 2k

[series masterlist] [wattpad] [ao3]

THIS HAS TO BE A DREAM. Y/N really doesn’t want to be dealing with this right now, this is literally the last thing she wants to be dealing with right now. She has half the mind to just disappear into the shadows using Telen’s quirk, seeing as she hadn’t returned it yet.

‘Returned’ probably isn’t the best way to put it, after all he can still use his quirk but… she’s never really had a different way to explain it. But, Y/N is capable of using his quirk until she’s returned it to him, meaning his pain is hers and so is his quirk for the time being. Not that it matters right now, because she’s currently staring down Bakugou, who looks just as shocked as she does.

“What are you doing here?” She finally asks, scowling.

In response, Bakugou is rolling his eyes, allowing the door to shut behind him. “You don’t own this café,” he grumbles out.

That was actually incorrect, Y/N had bought the set of buildings on this street to make sure that the café wouldn’t go out of business, she was sentimental in that manner Meaning she technically had authorization to kick him out, something Bakugou seems to catch onto as his eyes narrow at her, “of course you do.”

Y/N scoffs, looking away from him, “only legally. I have too much respect for Rosalyn to tell her what to do with her business.” She waves him off, “they’re getting something from the back, you’ll have to wait.” Y/N finds that she’s wishing she had a little bit less respect for Rosalyn, because maybe then she would have the guts to kick Bakugou out.

Bakugou says nothing, simply eyeing Y/N as he moves to grab a bag of chips from the stand, awkwardly standing by the cash register he waited for them to return. Of course, Y/N had a feeling they wouldn’t be returning anytime soon at this point. She wouldn’t be shocked if Lily had done something to make this happen, all to torture Y/N.

Although Lorelai might consider this the perfect time to apologize, Y/N finds it her personal hell. And she’s fairly sure Bakugou has the same sentiments as she begins to tap her foot rhythmically against the floor. The space is silent aside from that, and Y/N almost wishes a stranger would come in and end her misery.

A sudden pain courses through her, and Y/N’s brows furrow as her mouth gapes open slightly, hand coming to her stomach, though her thoughts are interrupted as Bakugou snaps, “could you quit tapping your damn foot?”

And Y/N does stop, but not because he asked, instead to say, “you can always leave.” There’s a sarcastic smile on her face as she glances at him, preparing to continue tapping her foot despite the throbbing that had appeared in her leg as well.

If Y/N had to guess, something had happened to Telen. But that wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary in hero work, and given how high profile Hawks’ agency was, they had a healer on call. She had no doubt that whatever injury he’d somehow sustained, he would be fine. And yet, Y/N can’t help the frown that washes over her, a certain fear and anxiety that definitely doesn’t belong to her suddenly drowning her senses.

Y/N is about to make a phone call when she hears Bakugou, “you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

She’s about to make some sort of witty comment in response, only to see that he’s looking outside, where the presence of paparazzi has become apparent. Though they hadn’t started their mobs yet, any trained Pro Hero was well aware when they were being followed. Despite attempts to hide, Y/N could easily see that there were several people hidden throughout the area, trying to catch pictures of the famed Y/N L/N and Bakugou Katsuki together.

They were probably hoping the pair would start arguing, maybe even get into a physical fight knowing Bakugou. Though, if that did happen, Y/N was fairly sure Lorelai would have her head.

That and the fact that the shippers on Twitter were going to love this. But Y/N certainly wasn’t, scoffing as she came to a stand, “did they follow you here?” Her tone is accusatory, she knows that. But if Y/N is honest, she has no shame being upfront about her emotions with Bakugou, not anymore.

He glares at her once more in response, placing his order down more roughly than necessary, “obviously not. If anything it was you they followed here.”

Y/N comes to a stand, inhaling deeply as she reminds herself that she and Bakugou are currently the stars of the show that is the media. Everyone who's anyone, and anybody that’s a nobody wants to bear witness to their interactions if it means advancing their career. And Y/N has no intent of further damaging her reputation, or giving the media the easy way out.

Though she wouldn’t mind putting an additional dent in Bakugou’s already horrid reputation, there were bigger things than that. And at the end of the day, they were stuck together for the time being, until things died down that is.

So, Y/N finds herself heading over to the counter with her items in hand– discarding them behind the register to make sure that Lily would hold onto them for her— before looking to Bakugou, “we need to leave, now.”

Bakugou is frowning, eyes falling on his order, but he simply nods as he returns his gaze to Y/N, “and how do you suppose we do that?”

While she’s grateful he elected not to argue— probably because he’s well-aware of his own dwindling reputation and wants to salvage whatever he can, like the selfish bastard he is— Y/N finds herself narrowing her eyes at him, simply turning around and gesturing for him to follow her, “come with me.”

“What, we can’t just go out the front door?”

She’s not shocked by his proposition, though Y/N is also aware that Bakugou isn’t a fool. He may be impulsive at times, and extremely confrontational to a fault, but he was not an idiot. Even if he seemed to be just some annoying brute.

Y/N glances back at Bakugou, looking to him incredulously, “the moment we step outside, we will be bombarded with questions.” A bitter laugh escapes her, “and we both know how you’ll probably respond to that.”

“Oh so this is my fault?” He asks, taking a few steps closer.

Bringing a hand to her temple, Y/N looks up to him, “we don’t have time for this.” Comes her response, “either you come with me, or I leave without you.”

With that, Y/N turns on her heel, hand shoved into her pocket as she pulls out a set of keys and begins to flip through them in search of the right one. She can feel Bakugou’s eyes on her as she finally finds the right key, the one that leads to the hallway behind the second staff door. Most people don't have access because if you take a wrong turn you’ll end up in the studio apartment of the owners. But, if you continue down the hallway, there’s an exit into the alleyway that Y/N intended to take.

Finally, she pushes the door open. Y/N doesn’t bother to look back as she steps inside the hallway, dimly lit, in fact some of the lights are even flickering. But she can see the bright red ‘EXIT’ sign not too far away.

Y/N doesn’t hear the door click shut, and with a sigh she turns back to see Bakugou had planted his foot in the door, kicking it open while his hands remained shoved into his pockets. Wordlessly, he stepped inside, and Y/N simply returned her gaze to the exit.

Until another spike of pain coursed through her. Her steps falter, though Y/N manages to catch herself on the wall, hand planted firmly there as she inhales deeply.

To be fair, the average person would’ve passed out from the pain by now, and Y/N didn’t have her hero suit to help cushion the blows of pain nor was she necessarily prepared for sudden pain— she wasn’t in battle. Though her pain tolerance is high enough that it's manageable.

Bakugou seems to notice, no— he definitely notices. Looking to her pensively as he pauses behind her, Y/N doesn’t want to meet his eyes as she huffs, pushing off the wall. “Let’s go.”

He says nothing, and Y/N is grateful as they continue down the hall.

It’s a short walk to the actual exit, but Y/N’s head is pounding so she doesn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary until Bakugou’s arm comes to stop her. She bumps into it, frowning as she looks up to him ready to speak in protest, to yell at him for touching her— though there's no skin to skin contact so she doesn’t really have much to worry about yet.

Until she realizes blood is coming from under the door. Evidently, she had a lot to worry about.

Y/N looks up to Bakugou, offering him a nod that he returns. A silent communication between the pair which brings Bakugou to press his separate hand against the door, brows drawing together before he rapidly pushes the door open and the pair steps out into the alley.

And there lies the body of Pro Hero Telen. Y/N recognizes him instantly, and it makes sense given how badly her body is throbbing with pain.

Her mouth gapes open, but Y/N is no fool as her back meets Bakugou’s, each of them surveying the area for the hero’s attacker.

But there’s no one to be found.

Y/N looks back to Bakugou, who simply nods, prompting Y/N to drop to her knees despite the blood that begins to seep through her clothes. Eyes falling on Telen as a hand comes to his chest. Nobody has ever died while Y/N was using their power, and if Y/N had to guess, Telen was still alive. There was no need for her to check for a pulse, simple as that.

“He’s alive. Call for backup.”

When Bakugou doesn’t reply, Y/N turns, and she can see the explosions sparking in his palms but there are no enemies nearby. But Y/N recognizes the look on his face, the frustration, the anger. But he’s not angry with anyone other than himself right now.

“Bakugou.” She repeats, an attempt to pull him out of his thoughts. They don’t have time to be distracted right now. While the attacker clearly isn’t around right now, there was a possibility he’d return. Not that Y/N was too worried, if they had any sense of bloodlust, she’d notice them.

He inhales sharply, simply nodding stiffly once more before pulling out his phone. But all Bakugou can think about is the fact that the Stain Copycat was here, and they’d targeted a member of Hawks’ Agency. The Number 2 Hero. Which meant whoever it was, they were getting bolder, and even worse, two of the best upcoming Pro Heroes were just next door and they hadn’t even noticed.

Even if the new Hero Killer had failed to finish the job, it didn’t matter. This would be a sign to all. A bad one. A message even. It felt as though this copycat was mocking him with every move.

The only thing that Y/N can think about, is how dark this alley is, how easy it should’ve been for Telen to escape from his attacker. Which can only mean one of two things, the perpetrator had done something to prevent Telen from escaping into the shadows. Or, it was someone he trusted enough that he hadn’t felt the need to. Not until it was too late, that is.

This was a problem. A big problem.

note: short but eventful chapter? and look at me go, updating on an actual schedule thats a first!

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1stunseeliefaelass · 4 years

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Darksiders Arthurian Tales Revisited

Chapter 30: Rose Petals Falling

Death only sighed, "Fuzzball being in your pipes...was no coincidence."

"So that's why he was in there. You asked him to spy on me?" Aleyn inquired sounding a bit pissed off.

Death remained calm however, "You're angry, and you've every right to be. It's an old habit I never truly got rid of. When I'm suspicious of someone, part of me wants to investigate further. Usually I follow my instincts to do so and seldom am I wrong. But in this case it seems I was. I imagine such an affliction has always been private for a reason, if not for many. If it makes you feel any better about me, I can reveal something to you later. That seems only fair given my violation of your privacy."

Strife and War both looked his way in bewilderment, "Who are you and what have you done with my big bro?"

"Death, this is....unlike you."

Fury just facepalms, "Boys, you're ruining it. Besides I doubt he'll do this again for some time. In my opinion, it's about time he started recognizing and ADMITTING when he's fucked something up."

Death just coughed, "Ahem, thank you Fury."

"Thank you for attempting. It's somewhat comforting." Aleyn replies.

"Great a violation of privacy. Yet another reason why I don't trust him being around you people." Achiron says in affirmation.

"Like I said, I can reveal something of my own later. I'm willing to make up for this where I can." Death insists to him.

Achiron however isn't too convinced and quickly floats up into his face. From there he circles Death in obvious scrutiny, nothing he wasn't used to. Then upon circling back to his face, Death suddenly felt something pull at the wards over his mind. Carefully he let down what he felt he could. Wanting to be careful about what was revealed. Achiron eventually notices three specific doors of a sort. One looked like it was made in shadow, the middle looked like a simple gray wooden door, the final was so bathed in white light it wasn't able to be seen past that.

"Interesting wards, let's see if I can break through them."

Death then appears before him and sees the Lich in his full bodied form. Semi armored with the same golden color of his skull. "Before you do anything, know that I'll let one of my wards down for you to enter it. Just know that some memories are indeed difficult for me. I only show you them in good faith. And once one ward is down, I'm not letting down the others. Got it?"

"Hmph, let's see how much your wards can hold up." Achiron states calmly before working to break the darker one first.

Death finds himself in pain as he tries to fight back and hold out. But since Achiron is in his mind it's going to be much harder to hold him back. He does his damnest to keep the ward shut. Whilst Achiron cracks at it bit by bit.

Meanwhile Nergal and the Horsemen all look at each other. Then Nergal simply thinks to himself, "*Ok Aleyn you're coming with us.*" Before anyone can stop him, Nergal grabs Aleyn and Baccara. He then shouts to others, "Let's go! Hurry! While the Lich is distracted!"

"What about our brother?!" War shouts.

"Yeah we can't leave him here!" Strife adds on.

"Are you out of your mind Nergal?!" Fury yells in anger.

War isn't so keen on this plan though and leaves Death with a crystal to teleport back if he needs it. From there he then leaves with the others whilst apologizing to Death. And makes a mental note to punch Nergal in the face for this dishonorable handling of the situation. At that moment, Death's first ward is shattered with a single punch. Knocking Death back a ways as he tries catching his breath. Achiron just shakes his head, "Not impressive thus far."

"I told you I'd lower one if you chose it....was that seriously not enough for you?!"

"You want to make up for your transgression in any way possible right? Then you'll allow me to do this. Either take the others down yourself, or I'll break through them too." Death in a moment of anger rushes Achiron, shoving him through the freshly broken ward. Dropping both of them into a dark, swirling blackness. Achiron noticed Death looking on edge as they both got up. "Something troubling you Horseman? You had quite a bit of zeal not two seconds ago."

"This part of my mind...holds my darkest memories. I only shoved you in here to keep you from unlocking my mind further. I am not....in control of what happens...when I venture through here. The memories appear randomly..." Death expresses to him in as little fear as possible.

"Hmm, then let's take them on in a more 'orderly' fashion." Achiron simply says.

"I just told you...I CAN'T CONTROL THIS AREA OF MY MIND! I've tried countless times and....argh....nnnnrrrrrrgh...AAAAAAH" Death repeats before being hit with a sudden pain in his forearms.

Achiron actually looks on in a bit of concern as he sees the bandages around Death's forearms beginning to soak with blood. Death is on his knees in deep pain as it feels like a knife is practically flaying his arms up, excruciatingly slowly at that. Achiron uses his own abilities to freeze the memory in time, then he examines Death. Death at first tries backing away but is grabbed before he can get too far. "Hold still. You could've mentioned you'd end up reliving your memories here." Achiron then decides to leave Death's mind. Only to be met with Aleyn and everyone else being gone. Death slowly wakes up and tries to move but his hands are currently numb. Giving a VERY pissed off Achiron the opportunity to have a Death Knight grab him by the throat. "WHERE. IS. MY. SON?"

Death does his best to answer whilst being choked, "I.....can only...ugh assssume....ack guh....that he's....back at....aaaaah ugh....Titania's."

"WHY TRICK ME SO?"

"That.....huuuuh ahh...wasn't my intent....I don't....egh...know...why they left....aaaaaaaaaaah uuuuugh hurrrr......" Death responds whilst trying to get loose. Unfortunately even he knows the grip of the dead is stronger than most people know. Slowly, due to a mix of blood loss and the choking, Death passes out once more. Before being dropped in an unceremonious way.

Achiron simply whispers to his new prisoner, "Since you took my son, I shall keep you in return."

He then has the knights drag Death into his and Aleyn's home. Bringing him to a Styxian Rose Shamble, an abnormally small one at that. It almost could pass for the grounds' guard dog or house pet with how it behaves. Achiron keeps it calm and under control as he has the Shamble hold Death in place. He then has the Shamble follow him to the lab so that he can examine Death's arms. Can't have his prisoner die of blood loss after all. Carefully he removes the bandages of one arm using telekinesis, and is surprised by the opened and clearly old scars on his arm. As their outlines suggest their age before they reopened. Achiron then makes sure to use blood magic to reclose each scar. He does the same for Death's other arm, then has a Death Knight wrap them in new bandages.

"That should settle it. I'll wait until he's awake again before we continue further. Keep him here, and DO NOT EAT HIM. He's a prisoner,a hostage, NOT FOOD. Understand?" Achiron tells the Shamble. It lifts a single free vine to make a nodding motion with it and Achiron nods back. Satisfied he goes on to prepare things. Gathering various healing potions in case Death needs them, among other implements. He even gets an IV system going for a transfusion.

Death comes to some time later, his head spinning and his body stinging with the lingering pain. "Ugh...where am I?", then when noticing the IV and new bandages, "Wait a minute...what the hell?"

Achiron then surprises Death by bonking himself against his forehead to catch Death's attention, "You will show me all there is to see in that dark pit of your mind. Hold anything back, and I shall ensure you suffer tenfold."

"What the hell is wrong with you?! I told you I don't know why they took off with Aleyn! What's the meaning of this?!"

"Silence! I'm entering. With or without your consent. But first..."

Meanwhile back at Titania's, Morgen and War are both ripping Nergal a new one for this. Lunara is just embarrassed at not stopping him from doing this. Strife is panicking majorly as he thinks about what the Lich may be doing to their brother. Whilst Fury does her best to think of a new plan through all the yelling. Finally Aleyn grabs Morgen, "Morgen Morgen! Calm down, calm down. Fighting each other won't help. If we want to get Death back we'll need to think of a plan."

"THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO!" Fury shouts at him in annoyance and anger.

Aleyn can only sigh before his communication crystal goes off. As expected, he hears his Father's voice, "Aleyn, I trust you can hear me?"

"I can."

"Good, now then Horseman, perhaps you'll greet everyone Aleyn may be with?" Achiron responds in a dark tone as he places the crystal near Death.

"Aleyn...what the hell happened? Why am I being questioned on why you're with everyone?"

Aleyn sighs, "Nergal. You can blame him for this mess. It was a spontaneous idea of his, literally from nowhere."

"DAMN IT NERGAL! SERIOUSLY?!"

Everyone then flinches as they hear Death grunt after something seems to hit him, "That's enough I should think. Now, Aleyn I want you brought home. I could care less about Baccara being here or not. If you do not return, then Death shall remain until you finally do so. Am I clear?"

Aleyn rubs his temple and thinks for a time before replying, "Transparently."

"Good. Just make sure you bring someone, or a few people to retrieve Death when you do come around. He may need help moving when I'm done with him." Achiron tells him before ending the call.

Morgen then immediately speaks up, "Aleyn, let me go with you. If that Lich bastard does anything to him I will give him a piece of my mind in person!"

War also volunteers, "You need someone to carry him, so I shall go with you as well. And to make sure Morgen doesn't jump at anyone's throats."

"He's a floating head, if anything I'll jump at his skull!" Morgen shouts in her anger.

"Morgen I know you're angry with him, but he is still my Father. He's always been overprotective of me." Aleyn informs her.

"THAT'S NO EXCUSE FOR TORTURE ALEYN!" Morgen yells at him.

"Morgen control yourself. At this rate your dream side may react to your emotions." Nergal tells her.

"DON'T YOU GIVE ME THAT! YOU LITERALLY CAUSED THIS MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE! PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH BEFORE YOU PREACH IT!"

"Morgen enough!" Vortigern shouts at her before holding her in a tight hug, "For your sake, and everyone else's, calm yourself. Death's tougher than most, he'll make it long enough for you to retrieve him."

"Aleyn, if you truly need to return, then know this...I DO NOT CARE, if that Lich is your Father. He nearly took Baccara away from her Mother and I. I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY FURTHER ATTEMPTS ON HER LIFE! Nor will I tolerate any attempts to harm her physically, mentally, or emotionally. He steps out of line with her JUST ONCE, and I will drag his soul down to the Realm of Nightmares. Then I will PURIFY EVERY OUNCE OF HIS BEING UNTIL THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHO HE IS NOW. That is my ONLY warning to both of you." Nergal responds before letting Baccara go to him, against his and Aspen's better judgment.

"Believe me I would do something similar myself." Aleyn expresses as he tries to push Nergal out of his face for breathing room. Then he looks to Morgen and War, "So whenever you two are ready...heheh.."

Morgen simply nods but Vortigern wants her to at least have some tea to cool herself down. She agrees to it, but only because War agrees to wait for that much. Luckily for her Mina already started preparing a few cups of iced tea as everyone got stressed out. Morgen finishes it easily enough and hurries off with War and Aleyn. Fury remains with Strife in the meantime to one calm him down, and two plan ahead. Or at least have the backbones of one for Death and War to play off of. War of course decides he may as well ask Morgen a few questions along the way. Figuring it'd be a good distraction and that he'd learn more about his potential sister-in-law. Not like Death was being terribly secretive about the relationship in front of him and the others.

"So Morgen, what's it like being around my brother? I know how it is for myself and occasionally get slightly exaggerated stories from my older siblings about him. But what of yourself?"

"Hmm, well I'd personally say your elder brother is quite charming for the stubborn ass that he is. And though he can be rude at times, at least he knows when it's not necessary. Well...mostly anyway."

"Yeah that sounds about right." War replies stoicly, though inside he kinda wants to laugh a bit, "Although aside from his personality, what do you see in him?"

"Well I believe he has potential he's yet to tap into."

"In what ways?"

Morgen thinks for a moment, "Potential to be a better man. Granted, I can't be his savior. Not the only one he has anyway. I can help him some, but I can't be all he has."

"I understand what you're saying. I know fully well you are right as well. The problem lies with my brother's need to hide things when it threatens him or my siblings and I."

"I'm guessing opening up is difficult for him?" Morgen inquires.

"More so than you think. It can be...frustrating sometimes. All we want to do is help him. Yet we can't get him to tell us anything hardly. We only ever found out about....one of those 'issues' recently."

"I see. Well perhaps with some extra help and pushing in the right direction, he'll slowly become less closed off."

"I doubt that, but I do hope despite it." War answers her.

Aleyn meanwhile keeps quiet, not reacting at all. He's having a minor heart attack over everything piling up, and naturally is having trouble coming up with the words to say. Finally they reach his home again after finding a proper spot to teleport at. Meanwhile Death has been put through the ringer mentally. Reeling massively and already exhausted by it all. 'Course Achiron isn't finished with him just yet. Unfortunately, he has one more memory he wants to look for. None in particular, just anything he feels like looking at. Death is just lucky Achiron hasn't found anything too traumatizing for him yet. If mainly because his absolute worst memories he's doing his best to hold back.

"You're hiding something from me Horseman. I suggest you show it to me. Or else I shall pry from your mind everything it has to offer."

"Show your worst Lich...it can't be that bad." Death tells him between breaths.

"I guess we're getting cold." Achiron says before prying into Death's mind as promised. Death tries to hold him off but is too worn out to stop him. His skin actually freezes over as Achiron forces him to relive the memory he has. Achiron then decides to switch Death's view of the memory at the last moment. A small shred of mercy after everything he's been combing through. Despite it being far tamer than Death's worst memories out of the bad batch. Death stops shivering, the frost on his skin fleeing as he stands next to Achiron in his mind.

"How are you...doing this?"

"You think your mind is the only one I've seen where people have trouble controlling their worst memories?" Achiron questions him.

Death goes quiet for a moment as he sees what memory is being revealed. Already being a bit uncomfortable, despite knowing now that his daughter did indeed survive. Achiron watches as Death reacts to his lover at the time dying, and how he interacts with his little baby girl.

"Wren? Wren I'm here now, I've got you. I'm right here. Wren....open your eyes please. Please."

Death has to look away as he watches his younger self. Only daring to look back when hearing C's crying. When Achiron sees Death find and scoop up the infant he's stunned.

"Shhhhhhh shhhhh....I'm here. Daddy's here. There there."

Achiron then looks as Death next to him, "You are a Father?"

"I am. Watch on, if you want to see me why this memory bothers me so much." Death replies as he looks on solemnly.

He continues on and recognizes that there's a small thread. One attached to C itself. He grasps the thread, hoping to guide Death to the better parts of his memories of her. He sees Death putting together a makeshift blanket for C, and making a special anklet with her name upon it. Which Death's younger self says loud and clear upon placing it on the little infant's ankle.

"Coventina. My little girl. I promise you just as I promised your Mother, I will keep you safe. I won't let anything happen to you."

The memories continue on with Death holding C close to him as an empty pyre burns. Only for that pyre to attract a hag even Achiron is familiar with.

"Black Annis."

"You knew of her?" Death quietly inquires.

"I did. Once. A spiteful, cannibalistic monster she was, never did like her. Then again who would've?"

They then keep watching on, just in time to see Black Annis defeat the younger Death and make off with C. He does his damnest to keep fighting, to get up, but ultimately cannot. The last memory he sees is Absalom lying to Death about his daughter being found dead and his complete breakdown over it. Death's anger at having been so blinded at that time ends up causing both him and Achiron to be shunted from his mind.

Death takes a moment to compose himself as best he can. His emotions from that memory beginning to overwhelm him despite his efforts, "Are you satisfied Lich? What more...could you possibly want? What else will...you put me through?"

Achiron notices the voice cracks despite Death's attempts to hide them, sighing he tells him, "I'll not search further. Rather, I'll ask you questions about her. Your daughter I mean. Although, I am willing to give you time to process your emotions if needed. I know there's more, I remember seeing the thread continue on."

"I....don't want to go through my memories right now. I'm....already overwhelmed enough as it is." Death responds, wishing he could just get some alone time or simply be free from the place.

"You feel extreme guilt over losing her so soon, don't you?"

"I used to, now the guilt has evolved. I've met her recently...but the guilt is now over the fact that I....failed to protect her. Failed to keep yet ANOTHER promise I made to Wren, and to her. I still feel as though...I failed as a Father. I never got to know the joy of raising her. To see her first steps...hear her first words...train her to fight. I...never got those chances, because I failed her at such...a crucial moment." Death replies fighting back his pain.

"Then you and I are unfortunately much alike. Aleyn throughout most of his childhood was a lively boy. Happy, free, despite certain things. I never intervened with that, until his Mother nearly got him killed. What she did to him behind closed doors, will be forever scorched into my mind. When he got ill, she refused all treatment. I thank whatever forces that allowed me to get close enough to help him, to save him."

"I see. Guess Aleyn is also alike me in some ways. The desire for privacy when it comes to secrets we hold onto. The fact we both have terrible Mothers. Course I got lucky, I have Ale, who I view as my true Mother to this day. For all she's done for me, and my family. I sometimes wonder if I could ever thank her enough."

Achiron glances at him, "From what I noticed in one memory, she is a kind woman. Understanding, gentle, and loving as a Mother ought to be. Perhaps Aleyn would be jealous of you if he ever met her."

"Maybe so. Ale may not have raised me from an infant, as I was never a child but...she did still technically raise me in a way. I owe her so much given how much of who I am now was shaped by her influence on me. But when it comes to you and Aleyn, you're too overbearing. Which is something even I still struggle with. As I was left to raise my younger siblings mostly alone. Strife was....always my responsibility. Absalom wanted him dead and others never took him seriously. I had to be the one protecting him, the one who was there for him, and the only example he had of how one should behave. And in my youth, I unfortunately wasn't always a decent man. Strife was raised during a time when I was....involved with or doing truly dark and horrid things. I may have done my best to be what I knew at the time as a good example but, sometimes I feel it wasn't good enough. Fury came near the tail end of my darkest deeds, it was after then that I began questioning myself and my purpose. But I did my best for her too, no matter what. Again though, I sometimes wonder if I could've done more, been better than I was. War was when I came across Ale. By then Strife was already a teen, and Fury was nearing that milestone. Ale made sure I did more with her guidance, as I often asked her for advice on that. So I do feel accomplished with War and how he turned out at least. Then again, I needed help at that point in time." Death informs him, beginning to calm down slowly.

Achiron seems to reach a few conclusions, his skull landing on the table by Death, "Perhaps....you are right about me Horseman. I only tried to kill that Dryad because....he was forcing himself to keep up with her. Pushing his body for her in ways that were breaking him. I couldn't....let that happen. As for yourself, I believe your siblings being alive, being good fighters like you, following you as an example to this day, means you must've done something right for each of them. Something to ask them about really, as I'm only speculating."

Death nods, "Thank you. And I get it that Aleyn was pushing himself for Baccara, but that's ultimately on him. If he wasn't listening, why not tell her? Sounds like you never once tried, and I've never known any of my friend's children to be entitled. Responsibility is always important to them due to how Aspen raises them all. I doubt Baccara would be any different on that front."

Suddenly War bursts through the lab door revealing a hedge labyrinth outside, "Was it ALWAYS this difficult to navigate through...wait...what are you doing to him?!"

Achiron finds Chaoseater pointed at his skull while Morgen rushes past him to check on Death, "Death are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Fine just...kind of in an awkward position now that I realize it. Can someone please just...get me down a bit?"

Morgen notices he's above a baby Shamble that's acting rather...'friendly' for a Shamble, "Strange that such a critter is so friendly."

"Yes it is, now Morgen can you please help me down from this position?"

"Uhm..." Morgen begins to say before glancing at the skull, "...do you mind?"

Unfortunately something catches up, or rather several things. Achiron knows this and tells them, "If he puts the sword down..."

"Not likely."

"You'll do so anyway." Achiron states simply.

Before War can question that, he's grabbed at the waist by a thick rose vine and pulled back outside. Turns out, the big Shambles they woke up whilst moving through the garden are very much unhappy now. Morgen herself barely avoids being grabbed as well whilst hugging the back wall of the lab. Death meanwhile tries getting loose to help his brother out and protect Morgen. Only for the Shamble reaching at Morgen to suddenly freeze up. The vines then leave the lab as it seemingly leaves. They hear a massive thud of armor outside too, which they can only assume was War being dropped. Aleyn then steps into the lab and pats the baby Shamble some. It gets excited at his being home and drops Death without being told to do so.

Morgen hugs him once he's close to her, "Will you need assistance walking?"

"Uhm...wasn't that high up but..", Death replies before showing her the books on the ground where he landed, "Kinda landed on those so yeah.."

Morgen checks his back gently as Aleyn simply tells his Father, "Well, I'm home. Like you wanted."

Both Morgen and Death note that his tone sounds a bit broken. War is just confused as hell and a little spooked after his encounter. He's remaining outside to watch the Shambles closely. Death motions to the skull, hoping their chat wasn't for nothing.

"The girl is allowed to stay, and you are allowed to go anywhere. But you need to report back every now and then. And please take some of the guard with you." Achiron tells Aleyn.

Aleyn looks at him surprised but nods, "Of course Father. I'll take two of the Shambles, and one Grave Titans as well."

"WAIT WHAT?!", Death shouts whilst looking back at the skull.

"Well I...make things. Regardless, that will do. Somewhat. I hope that girl is capable of some things." Achiron replies.

"Grandkids?" Aleyn asks confused.

"No! No. Magic."

"Eh typical."

From there Aleyn excitedly calls Baccara on his crystal whilst everyone else is told they're free to leave. They happily do so, with Morgen hollering to Aleyn, "Take care. And should anything happen with Uther let us know! Stay safe!"

Once they're gone, Nergal teleports there with Baccara and Aspen, "If she's going to be here. You and I are talking, Father to Father. Aspen, I trust you'll watch over her while I'm at it?"

"Yes dear. Course I'll also let Aleyn do so too. Baccara has been talking you up for some time. I think I can finally believe her when she says you weren't the one trying to kill her that night. Though your Father will need to do FAR MORE to earn my forgiveness and respect." Aspen responds.

Baccara meanwhile rushes into Aleyn's arms, despite his pain he holds her tightly. He then shows her the baby Shamble which greets her as happily as a puppy. He shows her the rest of the garden as well. Delighted to show her the other additions it has gained since she last step foot within it. Nergal and Achiron find a private spot within the house that oversees the garden for their chat. Nergal notices the many bodies within the garden and asks concerned, "Why do I sense so many bodies in the garden?"

"His patients that unfortunately did not make it. He believes he honors them by placing them within the garden." Achiron responds whilst settling on the table by the window.

"Ah. A mini forest of the dead. Although I must inquire of you, do you regret what you did to my daughter? I want to know so I can rest easy whilst knowing she's here in the lion's den." Nergal explains a bit worried.

Achiron thinks carefully, not wanting to screw up his son's chances NOW, "Regret? I regret...the actions I took. The lengths I went to. I do not regret the reasons, only that I did them at all. I'm ashamed, as I now can see just how much being without her destroyed him. And it was my fault. I did however, need help reaching that conclusion. The Horseman is actually pleasant company for a man with his reputation."

"Most of the time he's a sarcastic asshole. But at least he's straight with people, usually." Nergal states simply.

"Indeed. Tell him I'd like to meet his daughter sometime. Something tells me she may be pleasant like her Father."

"Eh, she has a bit too much of him that really shows at points. But she is compassionate and caring from what her adoptive Father Gregory has stated once or twice. Like any Dwarf he's a proud old man, but when it comes to C he can be allowed to express some pride." Nergal tells him.

Death at this point had been placed in bed back at Titania's place to rest. 'Course a particular voice is ringing in his head, albiet quietly, "I could've ended it had you let me out."

"We both know that isn't true." Death says bluntly.

"You only assume it isn't. I wasn't keen on that intrusion either you know."

Death grunts in annoyance and rolls over in his bed. That's when a glint hits his eye. After a moment of squinting he gets up and sees it coming from the box he'd hidden under the cloths. He replaces the cloths carefully, only to feel drawn to reopen the box. Despite the feeling of something crawling up his spine. He feels a hand slowly moving around his body, flinching with each second. As he holds in the urge to scream, a knock suddenly causes everything to cease. He takes a moment to calm down and hurries to the door. Barely opening it at all, "Yes?"

Bardak's voice rang out from beyond the door as his hand grasped the edge of it, "Heya Death. Wanted to check on ya, since ya were kidnapped and all. Not to mention the shit I'm sensing in there with ya."

"Oh I see. But what do you mean by sensing?"

"Don't kid me Death, ya know full well I've got both Spirit Walker and Shaman in me through my parents. I can sense when something ain't right about someone, a place, or a thing." Bardak declares to him.

"Hmm. Well..what exactly did you sense?"

"Very powerful undead, and unrest. You know I can pick up on the emotions of others too. That includes yours, so there's no use hiding it from me. You're spooked to hell, and I think I know why."

Death cocks his head slightly, "And pray tell, what is it?"

"Crom." Bardak says bluntly before inquiring, "Ya still got the little charm from my parents right? It should still be working."

Death takes a moment to respond, signaling to Bardak that he's either going to lie or make up an excuse, "Well I uh....Well I don't..."

"Nah, speak the truth. What happened to it?"

Death sighs before admitting it as a pit in his stomach forms. Fearing what Crom will do if he's paying attention, "I.......I don't know what happened...not exactly. Only that it...broke."

"Ya got the pieces still?"

"Every single one....and I've locked them away....although if you want to...see them I can show you...." Death tells him as Crom begins slowly going to his throat again.

"Hey Crommie boy! Shut up or else I'll send another spirit your way. Heard you had some trouble with the other one some time back. Only this won't exorcize ya, but it'll keep ya all nice and quiet for a bit." Bardak threatens, noticing Crom despite his efforts to remain in the shadows.

Death in response goes to open the box after revealing it. Only from Crom to suddenly scratch at his back, the sudden attack catching him off guard enough to release a scream. Bardak instantly looks him over as he hisses in pain, but not before calling for the spirit he threatened to use on Crom. Death takes a moment to catch his breath whilst the spirit does it's job. He can't see it at the moment but does sense it's presence. "Thank you..."

"After I see those pieces, I think you and I need to talk."

Death only nods, "Understood. Let's get this over with."

Bardak upon seeing just how broken the charm is, looks at Death, "And ya didn't think to tell me about this why?"

"I was threatened Bardak."

"He's in your mind, if you wanted to, ya could kick his ass. Your fear is gonna get you killed one day. Ya can't just sit there and do nothing about this whilst not facing him." Bardak tells him firmly.

"You don't think I've tried to face him before?! That I haven't tried multiple times over the eons to be rid of him?!"

"See? Now that I'm confronting you with this, you're lashing out. If you'd save that for Crom ya'd likely have a better time." Bardak states.

"This feels different from a confrontation. It feels like you're blaming me for what's happening to me."

"Now listen here, I never once said I blamed you for what Crom does to you. Not even in the past. What is on you though, is your reactions and refusal to fight back. And that leads me to your mental state..." Bardak tells him.

"Enough Bardak." Death replies sounding a bit uncomfortable and angered.

"...No, you let me finish damn it. I get it, you're stuck processing grief, and you're stuck in a massive ass pit of guilt. But FOR FUCK'S SAKE DEATH! You just keeping dragging yourself through that mud pit day after day and year after year! The grief I can understand, somewhat. BUT DAMN IT DEATH LET GO OF THE GUILT! You've already attoned for all you could! What are you so afraid of?! Why aren't you reaching out?!"

"I'M AFRAID OF LOSING PEOPLE DAMN YOU! I'VE ALREADY LOST TOO MANY PEOPLE CLOSE TO ME! OR COME TOO CLOSE TO IT FOR COMFORT! OK ?!" Death shouts at him with rage.

Bardak however just cools down some, "Right. And I get that. Everybody's scared of losing people they care about in fact. But you gotta stop hiding this shit from people. If you need help, fucking ask damn it. I know you've got a big mouth so use it."

"Bardak....it's not that simple. Nothing is for me anymore. Hell it likely wasn't ever simple for me."

"Maybe not, but that's what change is for. Change and adaptation. I know you're good at adapting. But that's not enough Death, not this time." Bardak says.

"You can't save everyone, nor can you 'fix' everyone. Some require little time, others need more, and still some cannot ever 'get better'. Some people are just stuck with their inner demons for life."

"Death, I'm only bringing this up for a few reasons. One, is because Crom is using your past against ya. The less ammo he can use, the better off you'll be. Two, I care about ya as a friend, always have. The last thing I want, is for you to lose your way, or worse..your life. Thirdly and finally, because we can't help ya if ya hide stuff from us. I don't expect ya to let everything loose in one day, not even in a few days. But I expect you to at least work on opening up more. To work on telling people when something is wrong, when you need help. Ya get it?" Bardak expresses in a suppressed blow up at Death.

"I just....want to keep everyone safe. Crom he....threatens everyone around me. Hell when I said I was threatened a moment ago, it was because of the charm! Crom was pissed off and after breaking it he threw me around my own house to batter me! He told me if I ever got it fixed or used a new one he'd kill your parents and you! I do what I do to keep everyone safe."

"At what cost Death, your suffering?! You having no voice in your own home because of a violent, dead spirit?! That just ain't right."

"Well what am I supposed to do?! Let him attack people whilst he's possessing me, thus making me responsible for people's deaths by proxy?!"

"TRY ASKING FOR HELP! Me and my parents, we can hold off a spirit! Despite it calling itself a god! Me?! I'VE TOOK ON AN ENTITY THAT COULD CONTROL WENDIGOS! It was tough but I was able to handle it! As for your siblings, I'M PRETTY SURE THEY CAN HANDLE YOU WHILST YOU'RE GOING ROGUE! WAR CAN HOLD YOU DOWN MOST LIKELY! Hell he might even just sit on ya, while Fury and Strife bring ya back. AND I'D HELP OUT TOO! HELL MORGEN PROBABLY WOULD TOO IF SHE KNEW ABOUT CROM!"

"She does know. He's threatened her to her face before." Death admits.

"Then DON'T. LET. HIM. DO THAT. Let him know who's the boss when he does stupid shit like that. Let him know you won't tolerate that crap." Bardak tells him.

"How can I do that? I can only hold him back for so long with my might alone. Meditation barely works anymore. I even tried Astral Projection once, only for it to backfire."

"First off, stop putting yourself down. If he's feeding ya this crap, then ignore him. Or at least don't believe him when he says it. Secondly, there's plenty of stuff I can teach ya to do to help ya keep Crom under control." Bardak informs him.

"What would that be?"

"For one, spiritual journeys can be good for just calming people down and grounding them. Going on one every so often might help ya. Another thing you could try, is maybe weed. Particularly the strong sort for you given your resistance levels, also don't get the fake shit. Hell that Satyr your brother knows may be helpful there. Finally, I hear 'Lunar Mages' or Moon Sages as we call em, have all sorts of ways to remain at ease with a peaceful mind. A peaceful mind that isn't racing, is one that can fight back the best against inner demons. Morgen would definitely be a good help there." Bardak points out to him.

Death thinks on it before asking him, "I suppose I must ask one thing. Despite everything, do you truly believe I can do this? Do you...have faith in me?"

"Brother, I won't give up, so don't give in Death. Ya got this, especially with everybody at your back. Just let us help ya out, ok?"

Death sighs, "Fine. Although, thank you for this. I...needed to hear that, as difficult as it was."

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep and I'll talk with my parents about maybe getting a better charm for ya. One that's better suited for the problem. In the morning though, you're gonna tell your siblings and Morgen about this. You're gonna ask for help. Ok?"

"Got it. I'll...do my best."

With that Bardak was finally able to leave without worry. Death just lay down for a time as he processed everything. He felt a tiny tug at the sheets and heard Fuzzball's little growls as he tried climbing up. He glances at the nearby wall briefly before looking down at the floor absent-mindly. Quietly he says to himself, "Maybe things won't be so bad when they're helping me."

Fuzzball finally makes it onto the bed and slowly walks up to Death. Curling up beside him as Death removed his mask finally. He cracked a small smile before gently petting Fuzzball's head. After a few licks to his hand, his smile widens some and he begins to try falling asleep. Morgen of course heard the yelling, as did her cousins. She's just finished calming them down before confronting Bardak, "Want to explain what all that yelling was about?"

"Death and I needed to talk, nothing more. It's settled now so, no need to worry about it."

"Uh huh sure. Well goodnight then." Morgen replies before walking off. Her robe barely hiding the figure underneath. Finally she reached Death's door, intent on checking on him. She finds it's unlocked and sees him glance up at her, "Forgive my intrusion. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I see. Guessing you heard the 'discussion' Bardak and I had?" Death responds whilst not moving from where he'd laid.

"Yes, as did the girls. They're asleep now. But hopefully they'll stay that way."

Death sighed, "Shit. Sorry about that. Most of the yelling, and the loudest of it came from me."

Morgen however sat down on the opposite side of the bed from him, "I'm sure you had your reasons. If you're up for telling me of them. Bardak wasn't very forthcoming."

"That's because it's my responsibility to let you know what's going on with me. Although I still need some time to process things, to figure out how I want to go about this. Could we speak in the morning, please?"

"Alright then, would you prefer to be alone or...?"

"Actually, since you're here already and I should probably find some way to start breaking my habit of hiding away....you can stay. If you want to that is. I won't force you to." Death tells her a bit nervously.

"Alright, together then. Give me a moment." Morgen replies before removing her robe and laying down after hanging it up on a partition. She's glad to see Death roll over to be face to face with her. From there she places herself on his chest, letting him hold her gently. One arm wraps around her whilst the hand on the other arm drapes over hers loosely. Only then does she see how much bigger his are compared to her dainty hands.

Crom soon FINALLY gets away from the spirit, having beaten it, "I....REALLY HATE THAT ORC!"

"Ah you're still around." Death says sarcastically.

"VERY FUNNY. That THING is still somewhere here."

"Oh yeah? Have fun with that." Death says coldly before instinctively holding Morgen a bit closer in his sleep.

"Heheh...well it isn't here right now. Is it?"

"Maybe not in this room directly, but I'm in no mood and could frankly care less about what you want right now. So, would you kindly shut up for once?" Death responds, baring Bardak's words in mind.

"You wanna follow his advice? Fine. I'll let you...GET AWAY WITH IT. Eheheheheh...but only this once. Otherwise I'll have to get very ANGRY. Neither of us want that now DO WE?"

"Shut UP. SHUT UP." Death growls at him.

"See? It's a lot easier for me to win than you think? YOU MAKE IT SO EASY."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Death shouts before waking up to a worried Morgen.

"Death? What's wrong?"

Crom then speaks up again, "Look at her, reaching out to you. I wonder how long she'll last. Before you...do your typical move."

Death growls a bit in a mix of anger and annoyance. Leading Morgen to caress his face a bit, "Death, what is it? Are you alright?"

Death then tells her, "If you have anyway to shut him up. Please do so. He's being too vocal, I can't shut him up."

"Steady now, I'll see what I can do. Just stay calm ok?"

As Morgen begins to use her magic, Crom tells him, "You're growing either bolder, or more careless. You do know she's at such a high risk at this very moment, right?"

"I trust her."

Crom actually snorts a bit at that one, "Really now?", then he begins laughing, "HA! Hahahahahaha....ah AH! Ahh HA! Ha ha ha! Just a day ago you'd have kept it in! Now you're actually asking for help from someone as vulnerable as you?! Now THAT is definitely hilarious!"

"Laugh it up as much as you want."

"Oh I damn well am." Crom says slowly sobering up, all of sudden he stops laughing completely and freezes, "Not that DAMN THING again!"

Death then laughs himself, sensing the spirit has returned to the room. Morgen then finishes the spell she was working on before taking in a deep breath. Surprising Death as she begins to kiss him. He feels cooling air go down his throat as she keeps it up. After a moment she finishes it and Death asks her, "What...was that?"

"A sealing spell. One I perfected myself. I've been saving it for some time."

"And it required a kiss because....?"

"I just felt like it at the time, it sounded romantic too. Lastly, and most importantly, I had hoped to find someone who may require it. One who WASN'T trying to force me to use it on him." Morgen replies a bit nervously.

"No need to be embarrassed, I've made a few strange spells in my youth too. Most of em utterly useless aside from one specific use." Death expresses to her.

"Really?"

"Tell you what, I'll show you one of them right now. If you'd like." Morgen then nods a bit excited as Death cast a silent spell. Many lunar magic threads suddenly form together into a circle before Death then told her, "Think of something. Anything at all."

"Hmm, how about....a crescent moon?"

The threads form into just that instantly to her delight and amazement as Death tells her, "Go ahead, keep going. See how fast I can keep up with you." Morgen then began to list off various simple things. A rose, a bird, spider, and even a wolf. She then started listing off more challenging query. Saturn, a whale, a squid, and finally a jellyfish. Which is where she caught him up as the threads were having a hard time forming it.

"Seems you win this round. Shall I show you one last thing as your boone?"

"Just for me? Well then lets see, how about...an aurora?" Morgen questions him.

"That's an ambitious one, but I shall give it a go for you." Death replies slyly before working his magic as best he could. Eventually after a few minutes of meticulous and hard work he got the shape to form. And finally had it move. He couldn't mimic the change in colors, but was glad at seeing Morgen's delight.

"This is amazing. Well done love. I'll bet you could make some interesting illusions with practice! We may find more uses for this yet!"

Death couldn't help but enjoy her sudden enthusiasm, "Well if you really believe so, we can see about that tomorrow. You teach me a few spells and I'll see about making sure you can wield a blade."

"Sounds swell, I'll look forward to it. Pleasant dreams love."

"Goodnight Morgen." Death replies before kissing and laying back down with her.

The night was filled with serenity luckily. Morgen's sealing spell actually worked quite well in ensuring Crom couldn't do much once the spirit was done chasing him again. Death ultimately found himself dreaming of a beautiful lush field. He was currently harvesting a crop before hearing a young voice call out, "Daddy!" Turning around he caught sight of a little white haired boy just as his leg was tackled. Death couldn't help but scoop him up, feeling immense pride and joy. He answered each question the boy asked with sincerity, but care given his age. Then came a really tough question, "Hey Daddy, how come people fight all the time?"

"Hmm...well for many reasons. Some are decent, some not so much." Death responded.

"What's that mean?"

"That while some people have good reasons to fight, others have bad ones. Then there's those who have a mix of both good and bad reasons." Death replies.

"Oh. Why do you fight though Daddy?"

Death pauses a moment before saying, "Well...it depends on what my job is that day. Sometimes I have to protect the balance, other times it's my family, and occasionally I'll protect others if need be."

"Those all sound like good reasons though."

"Daddy doesn't always fight for good reasons. Sometimes I'm just doing my job and people get hurt along the way. I was...much worse when I was younger, but that's not a story for you. Not at your age."

The boy made a pouty face, "Why is that important?"

"You're too young to understand certain things. But one of these days I may tell you more, when you're older."

The boy then hugs him, "Then I wanna be older soon."

Death chuckled, "Not too soon though right? Your Mother would surely want you to stay little for some time."

Speaking of her, a woman's voice then rang out. Death recognizes it as Morgen's. "Dinner's ready boys. Best come get it!"

"Coming!" Death shouts back walking down a hill towards a humble hovel. That's when he wakes up, with Morgen still asleep beside him. The night was still on, but late at this point. Death eventually went back to sleep, until his stomach growled. Sighing he carefully got up to get something in his stomach. He ran into Lunara briefly, who greeted him as she walked by. Finally teleporting the bottle she was to give her Granddaughter with a special message. Baccara woke up upon hearing the bottle land, luckily it didn't shatter. Tenderly she moved off the bed in Aleyn's room to go look at it. Aleyn however had heard the sound too and came up behind her. His arms wrapping around her waist loosely, as he was still half asleep.

"Guessing this Lunara is part of my family. Wonder what this message says, and what this potion is for."

"Well...go ahead and see. But I'd like to ask about the potion first before you drink it. So let's save that for tomorrow, alright?" Aleyn implores of her.

"Ok then." Baccara tells him before reading the message, "Welcome to our wonderful yet messed up family dear. I am Lunara, your Grandmother. This potion was given to me by someone important. I was told it will help you. Your Father will likely be able to tell you more."

"Even so, I'd like to be more alert than this before we try anything. Let's get back to bed for now." Aleyn says simply.

"Very well, let's get back to sleep."

#Darksiders Fandom #Darksiders Fanfics #Darksiders OCs #Darksiders Arthurian Tales Revisited #Death #Strife #Fury #War

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rival-ado · 4 years

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owo I'm curious. But like could order like all the pmd and why you like/dislike each one?

AHHHHHH !!!!! okay hope ur ready for a lot of rambling this might be one of my favorite asks ever fjlsjfJTKFJ

1.) pmd2 !! this is my favorite by far and my first pmd game , specifically explorers of sky !!!!

the story is SO good , the characters are really good and interesting and memorable , theres a lot to do main game AND post game , not to mention special episodes [ theyre ALL so good but i give my life to special episode 5 . ive replayed it so many times ] !!! i could go on forever ahfjsjkfkg . the only negative things i can rlly think about rn are fixed in the later games [ moving in dungeons can be slow and depending on ur type a lot of dungeons can be hell + teammates can be a nuisance rather than helpful ] but !! a rlly big plus is you can make your own missions thru a generator online and get literally any item you want , its super helpful [ reviver seeds are super important to have ] !! i havent replayed it in a while so i might have more to say later but i really could write papers about this game i love it so much alfjskfk

2.) psmd !! the most recent pmd game , and my second favorite !!!

this game has every pokemon gen 1-7 and every single one has a different mission AND theyre all connected to each other . you can get missions from characters from previous games [ grovyle + celebi mission ; __ ; ] . i recommend playing this game last tho if you plan on playing them all !! the story is pretty good and has some rlly good twists , theres post game but not a ton [ unless u want to do every mission ] , you can befriend and play as any pkmn you want which is rlly cool !!! also theres a pushing mechanic which is not only super helpful but rlly funny to me [ shoves an entire line of teammates out of harms way ] . for the negatives ... the characters are interesting but i dont remember them as well , i wish there was more character development . i dont hate the final boss but ... its kinda a reused concept from pmd3 which i wasnt fully a fan of in the first place [ spoilers ? the final boss isnt a pkmn , its just negativity ] . they bring back apples which isnt rlly bad but i sure didnt miss them . leveling up is HELL . i rlly dislike the fact that you have to buy saves for dungeons though , no quicksaves if you have to do something all of a sudden , no saves at rest stops mid dungeon . you gotta buy em and bring em along , im pretty sure its only this game that does it but i hope they dont keep it . nevertheless its a solid pmd game !!!

3.) pmd3 !! gates to infinity !!! i gotta be honest im barely putting this above red/blue rescue team but i WILL bc despite its very big flaws it also has a lot of ups !!

okay this game along with everything gen 5 gets a lot of hate and i can sure see why with this one but i still think its rlly good !!! im actually gonna start with the negatives on this one to get em out of the way but . paradise building does not interest me . no stacking missions [ you cant do more than one at a time ] , the rewards are just supplies that go towards building paradise , the final boss doesnt rlly interest me [ again spoilers same as psmd: its not a pkmn ] , and it just has so many differences from the usual pmd formula and i cant promise that theyre all ..... positive . plus the VERY limited choices for hero and partner [ i wont complain much bc i wouldve chosen the given pkmn over other starters anyways but . no quiz , only 5 pkmn compared to other games 15+ ? oof ] A..... ANYWAYS now that thats over . POSITIVES ..... i rlly like the characters ! the main ones and even the villains have a little development !! [ dunsparse emolga hydreigon ILY ] the story itself is good ; im not a fan of concepts that appear for one game and are never even mentioned later but the entercards [ ? ] are interesting and the frozen chasm recorder thing may have made me want to cry . i dont want to specifically spoil anything but this game can be a little brutal at times too ? leaving friends behind , being chased down by the villains , being split up from your friends , not gonna say the exact scenes bc of spoils but when things get rlly bad and how desperate the hero and partner can get when theyre trying to protect each other ..... [ cries ] . while some mechanics of the game arent my favorite , the story is good and can make u damn emotional .......

4.) pmd !! red/blue rescue team !!! i cant even call this my least favorite bc i have no real least favorites when it comes to this series but i just like the others a little better ahkfjsjfkc

im a little more biased bc this is the last game of the series i played even tho its the original . BUT i still have so many good things to say about it and i would probably recommend this first ? i dont remember there being a lot of characters compared to the other games but they sure leave an impression on you . i also like how the partner is kinda sassy and like , they just met you but would literally do anything for you and believe in you even when you dont believe in yourself . every pmd game has good twists but i RLLY like the one they pulled here . also you spend a good amount of the game being on the run from people you trusted literally trying to kill you which is fucked up but i really like how they played the story . i didnt even play it that long ago but writing this makes me want to play it again smfjkskfj ... the main negatives i can think about are all stuff fixed in future games again [ and you can also do the same make your own mission generator and get items to make the game easier ] . a lot of the bosses are the same type / resistant to the same type so depending on your hero / partner it could go rlly smoothly or rlly badly [ to anyone choosing grass type pkmn . godspeed ] . i think this might be the shortest pmd game and it might be hard bc its the first , but if youre looking to rlly get into the series id go with this one first . if you just want to test the waters id go with pmd2 !!

T.... TYSM FOR THE ASK and these are all opinions of course and its just my thoughts but if you got all the way down here . ily

#I AM ... SO SORRY FOR THE WALL OF TEXT AHFKSJFJ #ill try to put it in a readmore whenever i get to my computer agsin .#i really do have a lot to say about this series .... i just love it sm ; ___ ;#rosepowdr #long post #ado.txt

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generallynerdy · 5 years

Text

Magic (Merlin X Arthur!Reader)

Spoilers for the end of Merlin if you haven’t seen it!!!

Summary: With the modern world of 2019 in shambles, Merlin is starting to wonder if Arthur will ever return. But then the warlock meets your magical eyes from the other side of a cafe window and realises that he already has.

Requested by @pearlll09: Okay this one might be tricky. Spoilers if anyone hasn’t seen the show. So at the end, Merlin is all by himself walking past the lake. Being a sorcerer, he doesn’t have to look old, (but if you’d rather keep him old that’s okay too), and maybe reader is in a cafe Merlin goes to and something draws him towards reader. My two ideas for that are reader has a book of Arthurian Legend out, or reader is Arthur reincarnated - but you could go any way you want with it, I trust you :)

Key: (Y/N) - your name Warnings: big depresso merlin for a bit, mentions of war, bUT ITS MOSTLY FLUFF, can you feel the gay bc i can, reincarnation? is that a warning? never written it before so yeah probably Word Count: 1,603

Note: how about both??? Im in love with this ‘arthur reincarnated’ thing its the greatest concept ive ever gotten the end hands down

Merlin never got used to the modern day he lived in. Things were changing ever constantly, from back in Arthur’s time to 2019. Every day was a struggle, each one feeling more difficult than the last. Merlin couldn’t find his place in the world anymore, not after Arthur was long gone.

So, he wandered.

From shore to shore, from building to building, Merlin never stopped wandering. He stayed as close as he could to Arthur’s resting place. He never left the city, but he imagined what it would be like if he did.

He only had one place that he felt connected to the world he’d separated himself from for so long.

It was a little cafe down the highway that passed the Lake of Avalon. It was a quiet place without many visitors, but they made the best damn coffee Merlin had ever tasted. Given, he hadn’t had a lot of coffee, but their coffee was still amazing.

He was a regular at this cafe, but today he was running slightly late.

Merlin approached the building sluggishly.

It wasn’t that he was in a bad mood, but more of that he was preoccupied with this thoughts.

The world was a mess. Between countless wars and natural disasters, it was in shambles. This world was a world like any other, but it was in pieces, in fragments. It couldn’t put itself together without effort, but it was an effort no one was putting forth. If any time was ideal for a saviour to appear, it was now. So where was Arthur?

Still disguised as an old man, Merlin could not help feeling that his attitude reflected his appearance. He had waited so long, forever, it seemed, yet Arthur still remained dead. The world needed him-- Merlin needed him, now more than ever.

Hundreds of years had passed and he found himself wanting his prince more than he had in a long time. Things seemed utterly hopeless, pointless. Was Arthur ever going to come back?

Passing the cafe’s back windows to skirt around the building and enter through the front, Merlin froze. At the edge of his vision, he saw something of interest and turned to look inside.

A single person was sitting at a table, all by themselves. It was you.

You’d retreated into a booth in the corner of the cafe and pulled out a book from a shoulder bag, placing it on the table to read. Its pages splayed out on the surface, Merlin had to really squint to see what the title was and, when he did, he felt his breath leave him.

Arthur & His Knights.

God, fate was cruel that day, he couldn’t help thinking.

But then he saw your face. Your eyebrows were furrowed in pure concentration and you bit your lip, leaning over the table and almost into the book. You were so deep in your tales of myth and legend that you barely noticed the old man staring at you in awe on the other side of the window.

The thing that really clicked for Merlin was your eyes. Oh, how they sparkled-- bright with a knowledge beyond your years, a spark to light a crackling flame, an ember that would last lifetimes and, in fact, already had. Arthur.

The moment Merlin thought the name, a shockwave of realisation hit him. Starting at his heart and bursting out across his entire body like a ripple turned into a wave, a flash of gold covered him. In a spectacle of blinding glory that you somehow missed, he was changed from old to new, ancient to young. He was himself again. But he hadn’t chosen it. It was forced upon him.

He looked down at his hands and felt his face before looking back at you inside that cafe. Your very presence, and his realisation of who you are, had quite literally thrown him back through time.

With that, he threw himself into the fray.

Merlin entered the crowded cafe and made a beeline for you, feeling his heart beating erratically as he did.

“Sorry, uh,” He started, clearing his throat. He hardly remembered what his voice used to sound like. “Can I sit here? All the other seats are taken.”

When you looked up at him, he swore he nearly died right then and there. He knew those eyes. He knew you. But would you ever believe him about it? How could you? After all, it was entirely mad. You’d be right to think he was crazy. Maybe he was. But something about that little lightshow from before told him that he wasn’t.

“Oh, sure,” you said cheerily, motioning for the seat opposite you. “I’m (Y/N).”

“(Y/N),” he repeated, trying to keep the tone of wonder out of his voice. He sat down, placing his things on the booth beside him. “Arthurian Legend, huh?”

You nodded almost shyly. “Yeah, my favourite. I’ve got a bit of an addiction.”

“Well, it’s not unjustified,” he laughed. “Knights and castles and dragons-- who wouldn’t want that?”

“I’m a little more interested in the magic,” you admitted.

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

You pushed back your hair and glanced away before looking back. “It’s kind of amazing. A fix-it for everything, the ability to change the world as we know it. Don’t understand why people back then thought it was a bad thing.”

At your words, Merlin found himself almost speechless. But he regained his composure and opened his mouth again, a little smile decorating his expression.

“That’s a very poetic way of putting it,” he agreed. “But don’t you think it might be dangerous?”

You shook your head instantly. “In the hands of the wrong people, maybe, but that’s how everything is. Give a man a knife and it’s up to him what he does with it. Doesn’t mean you should take away all the knives. Then we’d have to find other ways to cut things.”

“Wow,” he muttered.

“Sorry,” you said, face suddenly red. “It sounds a bit silly, doesn’t it?”

Merlin grinned, “No, no, it’s not. I’ve just never heard anyone talk about it like that. It’s brilliant.”

“You think so?”

“Definitely,” he nodded. There was a slight pause, but he inhaled sharply. “Do you think it’s real?”

You tilted your head at him. “You mean magic?” When he nodded, he saw you bite your lip. “I feel ridiculous saying it, but--”

“Don’t,” Merlin said, attempting to encourage you. “Honestly, I won’t judge you for anything.”

He was shocked when you continued, actually believing his words. He wasn’t exactly the most comforting person or encouraging. People usually sighed at him when he tried to give pep-talks. But you were instantly safe in his presence.

You talked about magic, whether you thought it was real or not, with a complete stranger. Well, he wasn’t a stranger, but you didn’t know that. All you knew was that you trusted him, this odd man, who you had completely forgotten to ask the name of.

“I think it might be,” you admitted with a deep breath. “I’ve felt surrounded by magic my whole life. The kind of stuff that’s happened to me...you would never believe.”

“Try me.”

Merlin smiled at you with a sparkle in his eye, one that shook you to you very soul. It was as if you knew him, but you could’ve sworn he was a stranger. You didn’t even know his name. But something about the man was familiar.

That was where it began.

You spoke to him for what felt like hours. You told him of all these odd things you’d seen when you were a child, things you swore had to be magic. You even told him about the old woman who approached you when you were little and called you ‘Arthur,’ which you had never told anyone before.

When you checked the time again, you realised it had been a few hours. “Oh, I’m sorry. The time got away from me.”

“That’s alright,” he said, waving you off. “I’m quite enjoying this.”

You smiled timidly, but then you realised something. “You know, you never told me your name.”

“That’s my bad. It’s Merlin.”

“No,” you scoffed, but he shrugged, telling you he was completely serious. “You’re bullshitting me.”

He grinned. “I’m not.” He leaned forward against his elbows. “And you know what?”

“What…?” You asked suspiciously.

“(Y/N), I know you’re a brilliant person,” he said, almost changing the subject. “Just from these few hours with you. So, believe me when I tell you; I’m not crazy.”

You laughed a little. “I’m getting the sneaking suspicion you’re about to tell me something that sounds crazy.”

“Maybe just a little.”

“Alright,” you said, deciding to trust him. “Go on, then.”

Merlin took a deep breath. “Magic is real. I believe it’s real, I know it’s real. And I know it sounds ridiculous--”

Suddenly, you interrupted him. “I just went off for more than an hour about why I think it’s real and you think it sounds ridiculous?”

“You’re easier to convince than I thought,” he chuckled.

“Well,” you teased, “I’m full of surprises.”

He gave a silly little smile, a smile that filled you with joy. “I know magic is real, (Y/N). And I can prove it.”

All of a sudden, he held out a pale hand to you, raised upward in an offer of companionship. You eyed him curiously, but his smile never faltered. Something behind those eyes knew you, you thought. Something behind those eyes was magical. But there was something about you that was, too.

“Will you let me?”

Merlin Tags: @pearlll09

Masterlist

#merlin x reader #merthur #merlin x arthur #arthur x merlin #merlin imagine #merlin fanfiction #merlin oneshot #merlin #the adventures of merlin #arthur!reader #novakitty114 #novakitty #generallynerdy #pearlll09 #prince arthur #king arthur #arthur pendragon #river #rivika

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yeoldontknow · 7 years

Text

Hero: 4

Author’s Note: Updating now as my sister will be in town this weekend, so I’ll not have time. The update schedule for this is going to be out of whack for a while as I actually don’t have a free weekend until July. I’ll update when I can, but it might slow. Sorry! Also, enjoy a political, PCY POV chapter because we all deserve it <3 Song for this chapter: Come Near Me - Massive Attack Genre: Vampire!Chanyeol; thriller; horror; suspense; drama; eventual smut Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader (oc; female) Rating (this chapter): R (mostly for graphic depictions of wounds?) Warnings (this chapter): graphic depictions of burns; wrist cutting; swearing Word count: 3,571 (literally the fastest 3K ive ever written wth)

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CHANYEOL

Finally alone in his bunker, Chanyeol presses his back against the closed door and finds himself gasping for breath. He’s starting to feel choked in his collared shirt, sweating and gagging for release, and when he reaches to loosen his tie he’s caught off guard by his hands. There's a twitch in his fingers he hasn't seen in centuries, the kind that comes with the outrage and disappointment of unfulfilled promises. All his self control has been exhausted, and he feels young. He let himself get drunk on the human and now he's craving everything he could possibly take from her. Tugging at the silk around his neck, he takes a breath and damns himself.

Now, even rooms away, her fragrant scent haunts him with disturbing intensity. She’s ghosting over his senses in a siren song, the coursing of the blood in her veins rich and tangible and alive. His fingers are saturated with her and, though it was foolish to even touch her, they’re only inches from his mouth and he entertains the idea of licking them clean. This, he knows, is dangerous. Once he has a taste, he will never have his fill. He’s gluttonous and unapologetic about his thirst, always has been, but there’s something burning inside her he’s never witnessed in any other human, and he thinks she’d taste like molten gold. Ignoring every urge making his chest feel tight and compressed with yearning, he lowers his hands and breathes deeply through his mouth.

He can taste her on the air, but the flavor is enough to cool his fire. Ideally he’d have her laid out before him and his throat would be full, teeth and tongue dripping with the stains of her, but this light tease will suffice. It’s enough for him to collect his will and manage a single, logical thought: what the fuck is she?

The beating of her heart, its stereotypical and unremarkable rhythm, signifies that she is human and living. But the strength of the beats and the flickering embers behind her eyes are uncharacteristic for a creature usually so meek and mild. Yes, her heart had fluttered in the cage of her chest and, yes, he had called her a hummingbird but before his eyes she’d transformed into something...Other.

In swift succession, she peeled away all his defenses and bore straight through the heart of him. She never begged for her life or said please; she didn’t ask to die, she demanded it with a vengeance worn only by immortals. She fought every word he said as though his mere presence was a punishment, and he thinks she was only this brave because she saw the fire in him and recognized it in herself.

As soon as he was in the room with her, he understood what Yixing had meant when he said she was nothing short of miraculous - though he thinks he’d prefer to call her peculiar. Yixing had worn his fright valiantly, acknowledging the possibility she was a weapon of combat against his better judgment. He’d been in her body, and this made him sympathetic to her, but Chanyeol had seen her heart and the the heart is fixed. The mind and body can lie, but the heart burns and is unwavering in its truth. And in her heart, she was comprised of nothing but fury.

So while she is miraculous, she is also volatile and this meant Chanyeol would keep her unbearably close.

Pushing himself from the door, he walks briskly to the desk in the center of the room and removes the stopper on the crystal bottle. He a needs a drink. What he really needs is to feed on something fresh. The blood contained here is hardly recent, over a week since it was spilled from its plastic container but it will have to do. It’s too soon to arrange another shipment, the cargo destroyed by the human containing a month’s rations for his own coven. Reaching out to his suppliers after such a short time would raise alarm and raise questions, causing more problems than he already cares to deal with - and while he has the stamina, he really doesn’t have the patience. His men will survive, but their defenses will be down and this is why it is urgent he focus on what he has lost rather than what he has found.

Rounding his desk with frustrated steps he drapes himself in the leather chair, stretching his legs and taking a swig of AB negative with a rumble in his chest. Immediately he feels the tension in his body ease to a manageable level, exhaustion fading from him like smoke. He’s not at full strength, but he’s still a battalion unto himself and this energy will be necessary in the coming days.

He looks once more at his hands and studies the stains on his fingers. He’s not sure how long they’ve been covered with blood but he decides to leave it on, wearing it like gloves. It serves as a reminder of and a tether to all the lies that have circled around him for days, and he thinks he looks good in retribution. Recalling Jun-Yeon’s interrogation, and his now dead body, he refocuses his attention and contemplates the information he knows to be true.

A halfling was born within days of the alliance with Jin-Soo’s coven completing negotiations, however whether she was spawned before or after his blood signature he can't be sure. Eventually, Jun-Yeon revealed that she was made with purpose and he feels residual disappointment that his captive was only forthcoming after the loss of his fangs. Knowing that she was not an accident, that she was not born out despondent misery, it is easy to discern that she was planted near the perimeter either as an insurance policy or as a breach of contract.

Correction: a direct, implicit threat.

Jin-Soo’s coven is sick from within, dwindling in numbers and running into difficulties negotiating bounties with multiple dealers - perhaps the worst of these issues being a lack of suppliers for food and arms resources. Chanyeol remains unsympathetic to this, finding the affairs of others to be trivial and inconsequential, and only became involved after a sudden influx of halflings appearing near his territory. He’s counted thirteen halflings in the last five months, and so it is neither uncommon nor surprising to find they've made another halfling - he’s come to expect it.

What makes this halfling different is the timing and the clause of the deal.

The halflings born by Jin-Soo’s comrades are acts of desperation, signs that some men are fearing the realities of starvation. This kind of fear bears with it a chaotic and disorganized frenzy, the kind where vampires with little self control feed on humans only to be consumed by panic. A panic of this magnitude results in halfling creation - a thing comprised entirely of mistakes; a realization that you have emptied a person, and to leave the body behind means reporters, and police activity, and theories, so you give just enough of your blood back to keep it alive.

It's alive but it's neither human nor vampire, and that's the worse curse of all - a thing born out of selfish malcontent.

It's typical for halflings appear without ceremony or pattern, given the nature of their birth. Sometimes there are many and other times just one. In every instance they were found barely alive and frail, abandoned so early in their existence it’s astounding they were even aware of functions beyond satiating their thirst. The point is that they were found. The point is that they were weak, and the point is that they stopped once negotiations began - the point is that they were meant to stop altogether.

This halfling was strong, born in what could have been hellfire given the sound of her screeches. A banshee in spirit, she descended on his coven swiftly and in the cover of darkness. She wasn't lost, wandering helplessly on the curtails of death, she was alert and she was hunting.

There was no bitter accident about her birth. She had not been abandoned, she’d been trained and she had been nurtured.

But while all the signs of her existence point towards an obvious betrayal, he has no tangible proof of intent or motive. In an ideal world, these losses would be pinned on Jin-Soo’s infighting, but without any evidence Chanyeol has no way to deflect the atrocity that took shape on his end of the deal. If the halfling was mere coincidence, then it would be on his men that money and blood have been lost - and that the secrecy of both covens is now at stake. And while his coven may be the largest in number and strongest, Jin-Soo's has the enough territory coverage and legitimate property assets that make for an advantage in battlefield strategizing.

In terms of coven and monetary growth, it has always been Chanyeol’s interest to merge with Jin-Soo however it was never a necessity. To him, the merger was merely a security measure. For Jin-Soo, the merger was a chance at survival, and now that ties between the covens are tarnished there is every possibility Jin-Soo will take a reactionary approach to politics.

Jin-Soo was always quick to war.

Chanyeol knows of these things to be true, has been, in some fashion, able to prepare for them and all their alternative outcomes - even the ones that don’t end in his favor. But the human acts as an unexpected variable and her very presence makes him nervous, not weak or impotent, but aware that something very much out of his control is looming on the horizon. She changes the rules, and he never liked change unless his gains were explicit and numerous.

His thoughts are disrupted by Jongdae, who swiftly enters while ushering the burned, mangled form of a vampire and a woman.

Not a woman. A halfling. The halfling.

She’s naked, and the flesh hangs from her bones as though it were soap and wax and melting away. Blood has been taken from her and not nearly enough returned to her limp skin. She chomps her jaw as she looks in every direction, throwing her gaze on everything all at once - she’s eating the world, first with her eyes and then with her mouth. And, when Chanyeol finally wills himself to actually look at her eyes, stomachs the pain and fear and anguish he’s loathe to admit pools in his chest, he almost feels tempted to give her mercy.

The human pieces of her are lingering, clinging desperately to whatever part of her mind they can find. They live the shallows behind her hungry stare, though the pupils are red and wild and ravenous. He can see them there, all the questions she can no longer ask, a thirst so violent and horrible she feels as though she’s carrying hell itself in her slow, black heart.

In a sense, she is.

Chanyeol has murdered and killed and tasted his way through history. He’s tortured men and woman, licked at the flesh of children, and fucked his way through and in between humanity for so long he thinks mercy is a myth. But when he sees a halfling, is forced to be confronted by something truly cursed, he thinks he could have it in him to be kind even if it is a fleeting whim.

Removing his attention from the halfling, he looks at Jongdae and watches the way his chest heaves with effort. There's more than battle or fright elevating his breaths, there's a fraternal heartbreak weaving itself along his features. The halfling struggles against him and he subdues her with ease but she is not, and likely never was, his focus, she's merely background noise.

Jongdae refuses to look away from something so Chanyeol follows his gaze and has to bite down on his tongue to keep from growling.

‘Kyungsoo?’

Slumped against the wall, a vampire with his fangs drawn is dry heaving. The flesh on his face and arms has been burned so severely hair no longer exists atop his skull. His lips are chafed and blood is seeping from the holes and grooves in his skin. The cells of his body are swollen and moist, leaking from the inside out.

Chanyeol knows it's Kyungsoo for two reasons.

The first is his posture. Broken and fingering true death with every haggard breath he draws, he still manages to emulate strength - remaining noble even at the edge of his demise. Even in the heat of reckless abandon, he would remain unmoved and taciturn, perpetually wearing the skin of a soldier.

And second, his eyes. They're pale white and starting to cloud over, threat of death passing over them in slow tendrils, but they remain fixed on Chanyeol with a dignified longing for absolution. And behind the white, Kyungsoo’s mind is screaming.

Jongdae speaks but barely opens his mouth. He's tense with sorrow but refuses to put these sentiments on display. ‘He brought the halfling to the gate. I’m not sure -’

Chanyeol doesn't give him time to finish his sentence. He snaps his fingers and quickly pulls a syringe from his desk drawer. ‘Get Yixing.’

Swiftly moving toward Jongdae, he angles the syringe so that in one quick motion it is buried in her neck and she screams as though wrath itself was carried between her ribs. Almost immediately she falls limp, eyes wide open and staring at the sky as she falls back against Jongdae’s chest, silent and afraid. He catches her weight with ease, but his attention remains fixed on Kyungsoo.

‘Did you hear me?’ Chanyeol snaps, his voice cutting through the echo of her screams. ‘Get Yixing and put her with the others.’

His tone brings Jongdae back to the present, and he nods his head without saying a word. Hauling the halfling over his shoulder, he moves at an inhuman speed out the door.

Tossing aside the empty syringe, Chanyeol kneels before Kyungsoo and gingerly cradles his head in both of his hands. Now he can truly see the extent of Kyungsoo’s wounds, and he wonders how he even made it back to the hold with death perched on his shoulder.

‘Kyungsoo, what have you done,’ he whispers. Taking care to be delicate, he lifts Kyungsoo’s head so he can study the full state of him, hands slick with the excrement of Kyungsoo’s burns. He is fading in the palm of his hands, and Chanyeol feels as if the world around him is turning to ash.

‘I had to,’ Kyungsoo says, although the words come out bruised and raw. ‘I had to protect the coven.’

At the sound, Chanyeol collapses to the floor, his tailbone settling hard on the concrete beneath his despair. ‘Did you take Baekhyun with you? Did he give you any light to protect you?’ he asks.

Baekhyun is the only way they can walk in the daylight, his light an ironic sort of purity that protects only the damned. If he was with Kyungsoo when they found the halfling, and somehow got separated, Chanyeol needs to prepare himself for a body count. Baekhyun wouldn’t allow himself to be caught without a fight, and the sheer noise of him would draw attention for miles around.

‘I couldn’t tell -’ Kyungsoo’s response is cut short as he coughs, pus and blood frothing at the corners of his mouth. ‘They’d have stopped me.’

‘Damn right they would have,’ Chanyeol mutters, rolling up his sleeve. ‘You're fucking stupid for leaving without the day walker.’

Bringing his wrist to his lips, he draws his fangs and pierces his own veins until an angry gash, deep and weeping, lives between his marble skin. Putting the wound to Kyungsoo’s mouth, he furrows his brow and waits.

‘Drink this, it will keep you alive until Yixing can heal you.’

With a groan, Kyungsoo turns away from blood and whimpers. ‘I don’t deserve your blood.’

Kyungsoo is letting his guilt kill him. It was on his watch that the deal was ruined, and so it will be on his watch the coven can be saved from at least one threat, even at the cost of his life.

Indignant rage boils at the base of Chanyeol’s spine, and he thrusts himself forward to force Kyungsoo’s lips open with the pressure of his arm. ‘Goddammit, Kyungsoo!’ he growls. ‘Drink!’

Weakly, Kyungsoo begins to suck and Chanyeol feels his eyes roll back at the stimulation. This was always his least favourite part of healing with blood, the sheer intimacy of the action. Pieces of himself being given away, pieces he had no control over, the darkness spreading from his soul and into his men like a sickness.

‘I don’t want to punish you Kyungsoo, but you keep giving me reasons to,’ he says, lifting his wrist after Kyungsoo has had his fill. Groaning, he feels the skin of his wrist mend itself together with a stinging burn.

The clouds in Kyungsoo’s eyes have faded, the blue glimmer of immortality speckling the brown irises once more. His life had been saved, but only just.

‘You have to punish me,’ he hisses, coughing once more but this time it is infinitely less wet. ‘I endangered the coven. It’s my blood oath to die if I ever do such a thing.’

‘And is my oath to protect you,’ Chanyeol says with equal vigor.

‘You cannot be easy on me,’ Kyungsoo says fiercely, and for a moment his human form saying the similar words.

‘You cannot let death be easy for me.’

‘You have punished yourself enough for the both of us,’ Chanyeol chastises, though his statement is all encompassing and grand, covering centuries of mutual regret.

He knows this is precisely why Kyungsoo is not his second in command: he’s too noble for his own good. To a fault, his desire for righteousness and justice, to protect his comrades with honor, persuades him to make choices that are both irrational and dangerous. Too willing to lay down his life for his brethren, he serves with an affection that is toes the line between self-sacrificial and foolish. And while this is undoubtedly his best quality, it is also his most imprudent.

‘You were my first,’ Chanyeol says softly. ‘We have grieved together, and suffered so much loss. I cannot mourn you alone.’ He doesn’t think he’s ever been more genuine about anything in his life, and he satisfied that it’s these words that make him so.

Yixing bursts through the door with Jongdae at his heels, and with one glance at Kyungsoo it’s clear he’s biting back a howl of remorse. He doesn’t ask questions, just immediately settles at Kyungsoo’s side and touches him with the sort of compassion meant only for lovers. Consent here is unspoken and implied, openness given fully before it is sought and within moments Yixing is swimming in Kyungsoo’s head.

‘Can you heal this?’ Chanyeol asks, mumbling so has not to disturb Yixing’s concentration.

‘I can, but it may take many sessions. He’s been burned straight through, even his organs are scorched.’ The words fall from Yixing’s mouth but his eyes remain closed and he appears as though he has left his body behind, his voice absent and transcending the atmosphere.

‘Do what you can,’ Chanyeol commands, turning on his heels to approach his desk. ‘I’ll have questions for him later.’

Ripping open a drawer, he takes an empty file and brings it to one of his fangs. He wastes no time in pulling the top off and bringing it to his mouth. After a brief moment of focus, a single, pure drop of saliva falls into the glass and he caps it with his thumb.

‘Sire,’ Jongdae says, warily, ‘you aren��t at full strength. At least let me go with you.’

It took five centuries with Jongdae as his second for Chanyeol to be provided the leisure of knowing how well Jongdae could read him, though he thinks sometimes he allows himself to feel surprise just for the thrill luxuriating in the feeling of something comfortable. He knows this is why he is so powerful, every action he takes followed carefully behind by Jongdae as a means of support and balance. Never has he felt the need to glance behind him to check for Jongdae’s presence, it was always assumed and proved to be there - felt sometimes even over miles of physical disconnect. Jongdae is always there, a knowing specter looming in the shadows to take care, and to manage, and to guide.

But while Jongdae can read him with ease, Chanyeol knows when Jongdae says things out of propriety rather than expecting a response - he already anticipates the answer before it’s given.

So when he brushes past him without a second glance, he doesn’t even need to listen to know exactly what Jongdae says.

‘Get some rest, Yixing. I’ll bring Kyungsoo to his bunk. We’ll need you soon enough.’

And he knows that Jongdae is locking the gate behind him as soon as he steps through, putting the coven on quarantine - no one in and no one out - until Chanyeol himself is standing back at the bars demanding entry.

He knows that Jongdae is putting Jongin and Xiumin on patrol, and keeping Suho at his side as means of precaution.

He knows that Jongdae is preparing for him not to return at all.

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