#this was very difficult but not for the reasons you might expect XD
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If Anakin gets his Vader shadow, then Maul deserves a reminder of Lotho Minor as a treat (to me) for the Hades AU
#darth maul#star wars#Wip#hades au#revenge of the 5th#Star Wars fanart#my art#this was very difficult but not for the reasons you might expect XD#I realized only when I was halfway through with this that his pose matches Moros’s pose from Hades 2#like I actively try to avoid copying poses from the game and it was not the case here either!#I just really have a thing to how maul stands with his hands behind his back that’s all#LOL if I finished maul sooner than obiwan what then? XD#maul opress#maul fanart#he looks so soooo very weird without his tattoos omg#what am I gonna do with his dialogue though good god
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A needlessly detailed analysis of Heisenberg's Conspiracy Board
One of the random details I was most eager to find in the RE8 game assets was Heisenberg's conspiracy board. (It's labeled 'strategy board' in the game files, but I think we all know what we're looking at here.)
The assets consisted of a base layer (below) with separate higher-res photos of Chris, Mia, Rose (with Ethan!) and the other three lords (clean versions of those last three, plus Heisenberg, can be found over here). The actual model is more 3-dimensional than you might think, with many of the photos displayed as separate 'flaps' that stick out from the base board (which does unfortunately make stitching together higher-res screencaps of the full board very difficult).
There are a few reasons why I wanted better pics of the board, but a real big one was catching an in-game glimpse of this one smaller photo on the upper right of some guy in sunglasses and going, wait, is that Wesker?
Having extracted the highest-res version of that photo possible... well, for that to be Wesker, he'd have to have come back to life and aged about 20 years. Which wouldn't entirely be out of character (he's come back from the dead at least once already, and even Chris is looking his age these days) but is really that who it's supposed to be? IDEK, and neither does this one Reddit thread I found discussing the same question.
There are a few other human-faces around the board ‒ mostly some mustachioed dude(s?) ‒ some of them entirely hidden under other photos on the finished board, but none I recognise. Presumably they're meant to be folks who are/were involved with Miranda or other bio-weapons research, past or present, and maybe they're characters set to appear in some future RE installment. But they may just be stock photos, thrown in to fill space.
But having finally posted this thing and come back to it again this morning, I'm looking at that one larger guy in one of those photos and going, wait, isn't that the Duke?
Goddamn, it is, isn't it? You can even see the lapels of his jacket and the curve of the wagon roof over his head. How did I miss that? XD No prizes for guessing why Heisenberg might think he's worth including on a conspiracy board!
Most of the rest of the board is covered with photos of various monstrous bio-weapons. Again, this is probably meant to represent a mix of Miranda's work and that of other bio-weapons manufacturers. Someone more familiar with extended Resi-canon than I am might even be able to identify some of these creatures, but none were immediately familiar to me.
Even the one zombie face below that looks almost exactly like a screencap from that first iconic zombie-reveal-scene from the very first Resident Evil turned out not to be (and yes, I checked both the original version and the remake), though it may still be meant to evoke that moment. The photo behind it, meanwhile, looks to be just a pair of soldats.
The other big 'notice me!' feature is, of course, the big map with 'BSAA Come!!' scribbled on it. The circled target location is the ceremony site, identifiable by the four huge statues, and the date at the bottom (February 10, 2020) is the date of Miranda's planned ceremony (tomorrow morning).
Presumably, this is supposed to be a map the BSAA themselves prepared for troop briefings, but no-one's going to get much out of trying to take this thing too literally. Realistically, the only reason "BSAA Come!!" is written in such big letters here is to let the player know at a glance that Heisenberg is clued in enough to be expecting a BSAA assault.
That's about it for really obvious features. There's not a lot else here that the casual viewer is likely to recognise or find particularly significant. But I'm way past 'casual' in over-analysing this damn game, and I can point out a dozen other features on this board that might (or might not) be awash with implications about all the juicy intel Heisenberg's got his hands on.
Basically, it's time to play my favourite game: Cheaply Reused Asset or Significant Callback?
See, much as I'd love for every last detail on this board to be dense with important lore, the reality is that the player gets barely a few seconds to look at this thing in-game, and so most of what's on it was probably thrown together in a hurry by some overworked member of the asset team without much thought. And nothing demonstrates this better than the fact that two different photo clusters (circled below) from the right edge of the board are duplicated wholesale as you move left across the board.
Someone's just copy-pasted these in their entirety, slightly reduced them in size, and assumed no-one would notice. The asset team is only human, and believes in working smarter not harder as much as anyone.
Then there's the fact that a number of other assets you can find on this board are actually posters advertising fishing equipment, which you can find around the reservoir, near where you pick up the boat key.
Why would Heisenberg include these on his conspiracy board? There's no good reason, they're just a convenient assets to fill in some space.
And then there's my all-time favourite random detail on this board ‒ a completely random photo of a bottle of Dulvey Beer, two bags of Half-Whole flour, and a carton of orange juice.
Now, maybe somewhere in these games, you can find these exact items arranged in this position next to never-before-found coded clue to the future of the series! But more likely, this is just the asset team making an inside-joke about asset recycling, using a picture of some of the most oft-reused assets in the game, on a board that's already covered in reused assets from elsewhere. (Look, I thought it was funny, even if no-one else looking at the board is going to get it.)
So, yeah, a lot of what's on this board means nothing, except that whoever made it had limited time and a lot of space to fill. And That's Okay.
But then we get to the stuff where I do really wanna believe its inclusion means something. For one, the board contains copies of both the mission briefing Chris' team is carrying when they abduct Ethan (the one you find by the overtuned truck), and Rose's BSAA-headered medical checkup report.
I already have this whole theory that that same medical report being leaked to Miranda might just be a major unsung catalyst for how she realised Rose's potential, and thus set all the events of the game in motion. So finding that the same report has made it's way onto Heisenberg's conspiracy board is a lovely bit of potential validation. Similarly, the implication that Heisenberg might have known about Chris' mission to Ethan's home before it even happened has some tantalising implications (or maybe he just found it out by the van where Ethan left it).
Rose's medical report isn't the only BSAA-headered document on the board either ‒ there's another on the top right (outlined in yellow) that doesn't correspond to any in-game asset I can find (presumably it wasn't actually needed for whatever it was created for). There's plenty elsewhere in this game to suggest Miranda has contacts in the BSAA feeding her all their secrets ‒ and whether Heisenberg got these reports from Miranda or independently, the fact he's got them at all suggests one hell of an info-leak.
Speaking of Miranda, you can find a couple of copies of some of her own research notes on Heisenberg's board ‒ this is the same asset used in her lab under the graveyard, where you can find notes about her experiments on 'Alcina D'. So that's another interesting file that it makes total sense Heisenberg might include on his board.
The board also includes a couple of extracts from that issue of The Dulvey Daily from Ethan's home, with the article about the closing of the Baker investigation. Realistically, this is likely to be another case of a random asset being used without much thought, but it does make sense that Heisenberg would have followed that investigation (and I can't help but loved that Heisenberg felt the Horn of Plenty article was worth including in his vast conspiracy-network ‒ I told you they were shady!)
You can find bits of a couple of Heisenberg's own Soldat-x-rays on the board too. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but they do look nicely sinister, so onto the board they go! (In multiple places again)
That's about it for assets I could identify. However, there are also a few photos from around the village itself on the board ‒ two of which were evidently screenshots taken from Ethan's own point of view, given that his gun is clearly visible in the bottom left of the screen in customary position. Objectively, this makes no sense, but it sure does add to that "someone's been watching you" atmosphere that any good conspiracy board should aspire to.
(I also feel like I should totally be recognising that doorway in the photo about the 'o' in 'mother', but can't place it.)
And for one final, bizarre detail, you may notice this weird photo of someone's feet appears in a few places on the board. And it's definitely the same photo ‒ the details line up perfectly, right down to the pin and that bit of string. But for some reason, someone's added a lace skirt to the feet in the example on the left.
You can't even see that skirt in the finished board (it's under Miranda's picture), but it amused me nonetheless.
Before we finish, have a few more close-ups on some of the other weird photos you can find on the board.
So, what conclusions can we draw here? There's a ton of detail on Heisenberg's conspiracy board to suggest he (or perhaps Miranda) has access to files from the BSAA and whoever Chris is now working with/for, that he's researched what happened at Dulvey and has certainly helped himself to Miranda's own files, if you'd like to read significance into what was included on the board. But there's also a ton of complete nonsense, so, you know, pretty much just RE lore operating as per usual.
I hope you've all enjoyed my little descent-into-madness while picking this thing apart.
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So I have been slowly but surely playing variable barricade and have been able to finish the common route and Nayuta’s route after a couple of months, and now I want to write everything in my mind before moving on completely to Shion XD
Possible spoilers ahead 🙈
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To sum it up, I have been enjoying this game so much, it is really shaping up to be my favourite otome game! (Sorry Hakuouki you are still special and dear to me, but yeah, I’m being objective here XD)
At first, I was wary and kept my expectations low because the reviews were quite mixed. And I was entering the game assuming it is pure romantic comedy. I won’t lie at the first couple of chapters, the more slice of life-y tone that has some comedy sprinkled left me waiting for the rom-com to kick in Ouran-style, but the moment I appreciated and drilled in the idea that this game is indeed more of a slice of life, character-study kind of story, I immediately started enjoying the common route immensely!
The dialogue is top-notch, the character interactions are so good, and the characters themselves are multi-faceted and feel so real in a good way.
The common route was enjoyable from start to finish, every sentence and piece of dialogue I enjoyed.
Of course, Hibari herself has a huge role to play in this. She was thrusted in a very extreme and difficult situation from her point of view, so every thing she has said or done (including her ‘bratty’ attitude) totally makes sense and perfectly portray a 17 yr old teenager.
Plus she’s cute, really really cute, protect my baby at all cost 😤
So yeah overall I have been hooked😆🤝
Now for Nayuta’s route, I like genki, himbo guys so was looking forward to his route, and it perfectly delivered. I like how in the beginning, Hibari, as a way to work upon making sense of her choice of him, creates this scenario of him being her guardian and acts like a typical teenage girl who falls in love, and despite this shattering because of how oblivious and one track minded he is, her pursuing of him actually caused a huge ripple in his very straightforward simplistic world, where he sets on one thing and clings unto achieving it despite everything else.
That gets me to the fact that he was described as ‘selfish’. Which was a really interesting way to describe him. And yeah that one track mindedness of his and straightforwardness makes him put his own desires first and foremost and in a way he is ‘selfish’. But interestingly, as I said, the ripple caused by Hibari led to him gradually maturing in a way that uses such straightforward and ‘selfish’ thinking in a way that is more balanced.
In fact, I think him being ‘selfish’ is not bad at all! It means that his desires, when being directed towards becoming better and to also be and support those whom he loves, is actually much more better than a ‘selfless’ person who might put societies needs above theirs and would consequently get hurt or even hurt those around them.
So as his route progresses, I liked how he gradually started cherishing Hibari as someone dear to him for personal reasons, not idealistic ones, and he redirected his guardian skills in a way that made him perceptive of Hibari’s needs and compared to the beginning of the route, he became much more understanding.
By the end, the same one track mindedness that is an inherent part of his personality as well as the ‘selfishness’ became the drive for him to fulfil his desire to help Hibari and to be with her.
So 10/10 XD
Now to continue Shion 🤌
#variable barricade#nayuta yagami#yagami nayuta#otome#otome game#english otome#tojo hibari#hibari tojo#varibari
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Big Bang Editing Story [Day 112]
I started writing this fic while editing my Big Bang story years ago, but am going to continue doing it for other things now that Kill Dear is out. I will write and publish 100 words of the story every time I finish doing whatever task I’m doing. If you’d like to block these proceedings, please feel free to block the tag ‘proofread stories.’ I will reblog this post with the parts of the story I do today. Edited chapters are linked; everything else I’ve done so far is under the cut.
My Master Post Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31 Part 32 Part 33 Part 34 Part 35 Part 36 Part 37 Part 38 Part 39 Part 40 Part 41 Part 42 Part 43 Part 44 Part 45 Part 46 Part 47 Part 48 Part 49 Part 50 Part 51 Part 52 Part 53
I don't have a lot of time on Mondays to work, so you'll probably only get 2 rounds of this. However, I'm trying to get back into the habit so...
Maybe you'll get some this evening, but no promises. I had a busy weekend and am tired lol. I might just go to sleep at 5 when I get home. XD
Chapter 54 (Patton)
“I still can’t believe he’s allowing this,” King Thomas said from next to Patton. The two of them were standing at the edge of the arena outside the horse stable, watching from a safe distance.
“If he hadn’t tried to bite me earlier, I’d think he was a different horse,” Patton agreed.
“He doesn’t even let Logan ride him,” the king said. “At least not ride him and give him directions.”
Patton was very aware of that. Logan did on occasion choose to get up onto Mr. Apples’ saddle. However, Mr. Apples was always the once who got to decide where they went after that. Logan had no say.
With that in mind, Patton, Logan, and every stable hand who’d heard about the prospective riding lessons had tried to convince Virgil to learn to ride on a different horse. Virgil was just as stubborn as Mr. Apples however and had insisted. Logan, being the only one who could be around Mr. Apples without risking being kicked, had become his de facto tutor.
Not even Logan could have expected that within a week, Virgil would be able to control Mr. Apples. Though perhaps ‘control’ was the wrong word. Nothing could control Mr. Apples, but for some reason, Mr. Apples seemed willing to do as Virgil asked.
Even right now Mr. Apples was trotting around the training arena like he was a well-trained trick horse warming up with his rider.
“Logan told him we could go on an actual ride today if the lesson went well,” Patton told the king. The lesson seemed to be just getting over because Logan said something to Virgil and Virgil started to climb off. Mr. Apples was patient and still as he dismounted.
“Do you think he’d mind if I went with you?” King Thomas asked.
Patton shrugged. “Mr. Apples might.”
“Mr. Apples definitely will,” the king replied. “I’ll come anyway.”
Logan had walked over to where Patton and the king were standing while Virgil fed Mr. Apples some apple pieces as a reward.
“I hear you’re going to go riding today,” King Thomas said.
Logan nodded. “Mr. Apples seems to listen to him well enough,” he said.
“I might join you if that’s alright. Where are you kids going?” the king asked.
“I was thinking the main forest path,” Logan replied. “It’s not a particularly difficult route, but it’s also a part of the castle grounds Virgil hasn’t been able to see yet. Loraine told me it has been recently cleared after the winter.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” the king said. “Are you going now?”
“Once Patton and I saddle up our horses,” Logan said. “You can come.”
“Great,” the king said with a smile. “I’ll ask for Bella’s saddle to be brought out. I haven’t gone on a ride yet this week.”
He turned then to walk towards the stables leaving Patton and Logan alone.
“Do you think he’s been acting weird?” Logan asked, turning towards Patton.
Patton frowned. “No,” he said. “Not really.”
“I’m just wondering why he wants to go horseback riding with us.”
“He likes spending time with you?” Patton guessed.
“Yes,” Logan said, “but typically in a setting that doesn’t involve Mr. Apples.”
Well, that was fair.
“I mean, it’s not too weird,” Patton said, thinking back through the last couple of days. King Thomas had been a bit… clingy.
“He’s been hanging around a lot,” Logan said, echoing Patton’s thoughts with narrowed eyes. He glanced back at Virgil. “You don’t think Virgil let something slip, do you?”
“He didn’t say anything,” Patton said. “I think your dad would say something if Virgil let slip he was an assassin somehow.”
“Unless he let slip something that didn’t quite implicate himself but invited suspicion.”
“Your dad doesn’t seem suspicious,” Patton said. At least, Patton didn’t think he did. He hadn’t been acting mean in any way. In fact, he might have even been acting nicer.
Logan frowned. “We should keep an eye on him, especially around Virgil.”
Patton bit his lip.
“What?” Logan asked.
“Are we ever going to tell your dad about Virgil?” he asked.
Logan hesitated. “I don’t…” he trailed. “I’m not sure.”
“It just feels weird lying for so long,” Patton said. Patton didn’t lie a lot. Sure, maybe he’d pretend to not know what Mama was talking about when sweets went missing from the kitchens or he’d pretend to not know what Logan’s birthday gift was, but he’d never lied about anything serious before now.
“I know, but,” Logan glanced back at Virgil once again, “even if we did decide to tell, we’d have to convince Virgil everything would be alright beforehand. I don’t think we’re at that point yet. He was terrified of Father until a few months ago, and he’s still cautious around him sometimes.”
Logan was right, of course. Virgil was getting more and more comfortable around the king, but he figured any of the progress made would go down the drain as soon as they brought up telling King Thomas about where exactly Virgil had come from. Patton didn’t know if Virgil would ever be comfortable enough.
“We should go get our own horses,” Logan suggested, and Patton nodded.
Patton and Logan’s horses had already been saddled by the stable hands in anticipation of their ride and it didn’t take long for the king to saddle his own horse, Bella.
The forest path at this time of year was very pretty, Patton thought. The tree branches now had small green leaves on them after having been barren for the entire winter and flowers were starting to grow. In a few weeks’ time it would be even prettier, but it would also be harder for the groundskeeper to maintain as well as it was right now.
Virgil really did seem less anxious around King Thomas now. The path was only wide enough for two horses to go at once, and he didn’t seem to mind that he and the king ended up next to each other while Patton and Logan lagged behind. In fact, he and the king seemed to be having a nice conversation about the local wildlife.
However, if Patton looked close enough, he did sort of see what Logan meant. Virgil may not be anxious talking to the king now, but the king himself seemed just a little bit nervous at least at the beginning of the ride.
He seemed to relax a bit as they rode (even laughing when Mr. Apples tried to bite him when he got too close).
Logan had been teaching Virgil the basics about things like animals, but there was still a pretty big gap in his education when it came to anything that wasn’t about training to fight and kill. King Thomas seemed more than willing to answer any of his questions when it came to the animals and plants around them even if they were sometimes a bit silly.
He’d seen a bird that looked like a dove. (It may have even been a dove, but Patton hadn’t seen it.) This had been a source of endless confusion for him.
“But shouldn’t it live in the dovecote?” Virgil asked.
“Not all birds live in a dovecote,” the king explained again.
“But it’s a dove,” Virgil said with a frown.
“Not all doves live in a dovecote,” the king replied.
“But it’s a dovecote,” Virgil argued. “It’s for the doves.”
“Yes, but there are also wild doves,” the king said.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Virgil replied.
“What about it doesn’t make sense?” the king asked with a laugh in his tone.
“Doves go in the dovecote,” Virgil said.
Patton was starting to have trouble following this argument.
“Dovecotes are made for doves,” the king said, “but not all doves go in dovecotes.”
“Why?”
This seemed to stump the king momentarily, but he still answered after thinking for a bit. “Doves existed before people got to them,” the king explained. “People caught and trained some of them, but there was no way to catch all of them. So, some stayed in the wild and continued with their lives like they had been before humans. Plus, sometimes domesticated doves fly off and never come back. Sometimes they might die, but other times they may have just gotten lost and had to build a new life somewhere far away. Or maybe they even decided that being a trained dove working for humans wasn’t for them, so they decided to go off on their own.”
“You let them do that?” Virgil asked.
“We can’t really stop them in the end,” the king said. “People can try, but it never ends up working as long as they can fly.”
Virgil thought about this. “I still don’t understand,” he said, “but okay.”
“We should take you to the cliffs,” the king suggested.
“What are the cliffs?”
“The castle grounds were built for defense,” King Thomas explained. “The edge of the grounds to the North is a large river and overlooking it is a huge cliff. It’s a good place for picnics and for birdwatching. It’s a bit of a trip, but now would be a good time of year to go.”
He glanced over his shoulder back at Logan and Patton. “What do you boys think about going to the cliffs sometime? Maybe in about a week?”
Logan squinted at his father suspiciously. It wasn’t so much the fact that the king was asking them to go to the cliffs. They did that every so often. However, this time, it only supported Logan’s claims that the king was hanging out with them a lot recently.
“Sure,” Logan said, after a moment.
“Sounds fun!” Patton said cheerily right after, trying to cover for the lack of enthusiasm in Logan’s voice with his own. Judging by King Thomas’s expression and Logan’s tight-lipped scowl, he may have overcompensated.
“Great,” the king said. “”I’ll make sure to make arrangements when we get back to the castle.”
Chapter 55 (Logan)
Virgil was beginning to be able to read some of the common instructions in magic books, but Logan still made sure to read out the instructions to him at least twice before setting him loose. He’d started to jot down notes to himself about things, though these notes were not words, but various symbols that only made sense to the boy himself.
Logan had asked about their meaning at one point and received an answer that, while earnest, was unintelligible. The symbols were mostly just pictures of things to represent certain steps in spell casting, but they were filtered through Virgil’s rudimentary penmanship and often bizarre perception of the world.
Though, despite the fact that Logan could not often decipher his chicken scratch, it did seem to help him produce impressively quality charms even as Logan began to introduce more complicated processes to make them. He was a very good student even if he didn’t have the best foundation for learning.
“I add lavender for the next step, right?” Virgil asked, his finger on a word in Logan’s magic book.
“That is correct,” Logan confirmed.
Virgil looked back at the book and mouthed the word ‘lavender’ to himself before turning back to his potion. He grabbed a few sprigs of lavender and threw them into the cauldron.
The liquid popped and bubbled violently, but Virgil didn’t flinch as he once would have, prepared for it now.
After the lavender, Logan knew that it would have to simmer for 5 minutes. Virgil looked down at the boiling liquid, contemplating it for a long moment.
“Can I soak a knife in it?” he asked.
“What?” Logan asked.
“Can I soak a knife in the potion once it’s done?”
“In that potion?” Logan clarified. “In the emergency hand warmer potion?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I think a hot knife would be useful,” Virgil said.
“For what?”
Virgil shrugged. “Cooking food on the road,” he said, “burning wood, stabbing someone and immediately cauterizing the wound.”
“That is… not a standard use for this potion,” Logan said.
Virgil titled his head at him. “Would it work though?”
“Well, I don’t know,” Logan contemplated. “Perhaps. The potion can cause burns if one uses too much of it or if it is used without an appropriate layer between it and the skin. If one were to pick a knife with enough surface area and let it soak long enough, it could in theory get hot enough to do as desired. Hmm…” he thought about it. “There would perhaps be the problem of the potion not sticking to the knife very long as it is intended to soak into fabric. However, cardamom could solve that issue as long as it doesn’t interact with any other ingredients. Let me see that spell.”
Virgil stepped out of his way so he could study the page. “Yes,” Logan said after scanning through all of the ingredients. “I think coriander would work for something like that. Let me go find some.”
He turned to walk towards where he kept his supplies of potion ingredients. Virgil followed on his heals.
“Can we use a serrated knife?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea, Virgil,” Logan said, nodding as he searched through the cupboard that should hold the coriander. “The knife being serrated would help keep the potion stuck to the blade after many uses and would increase the surface area.”
“That was certainly my intentions,” Virgil said smoothly. There was something odd about the tone that had Logan turning to him and blinking at him. Virgil just smiled at him innocently and Logan turned back to the cabinet finally locating the coriander.
“So how are we going to use that?” Virgil asked.
“We’ll put it in right before the last step and let it sit for about 3 minutes,” Logan said. “If it doesn’t quite work, we may need to make another batch. There are options other than coriander, but that’s the first idea that comes to mind and it a lot simpler if it works.”
He continued to speak of the many other options they could try as they returned to the caldron as well as how they could test the hot knife. It was already about time for the next step and Virgil did it without interrupting Logan’s rant.
Virgil listened to his suggestions with interest all while still making sure the potion he was making was progressing well.
Logan did eventually take over to finish the potion with the revised steps he’d come up with and they ended up with a potion that looked perfect except it was a few shades darker than the one they’d originally been planning to make.
“Well, it looks good,” Logan declared. “We will need to acquire a knife to test its effectiveness, however.”
“There are a few good ones in the kitchen,” Virgil pointed out. “I especially like the one 10 inch one with the black and white handle.”
“You have been eyeing up the kitchen knives?” Logan asked.
Virgil rolled his eyes as though that was not a perfectly reasonable question to ask him. “We should steal that one,” Virgil said.
“Do you think we’ll be able to sneak past Ms. Heart to steal a knife from her kitchen?” Logan asked.
“We can’t,” Virgil said.
Logan almost didn’t believe him… and then he remembered the water pouch incident. “It’s the dinner rush,” Logan said. “We should probably wait for a bit.”
Virgil was shaking his head. “The dinner rush is the best time,” he said. “Everyone will be distracted, and all of the knives will be out and in prime stealing position.”
“And if Patton’s mother catches us messing around in her kitchen during her busiest time of day, she will have Father ground us for a week.”
“Then we just won’t get caught,” Virgil said.
“I’m not sure if it’s that simple,” Logan said with a frown.
“You can stay here if you want,” Virgil offered. “I’ll just go by myself.”
“No, I’ll come too,” Logan relented, though he did still have some reservations about the idea.
He let Virgil lead him towards the main dining hall. By now, Virgil knew the kitchens and dining hall very well.
“Stay here,” he said. They were in a hallway a few feet down from the staff entrance to the kitchen. “I’m going to do some reconnaissance.”
“What type of reconnaissance?” Logan asked, but Virgil had already disappeared before his very eyes. With a blink, Logan looked up and saw a dark figure disappear onto a balcony overhead.
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This is such a strange feeling. I don't know if it was ending things (common sense would tell me it's probably that) or if it's medication, hormones or just a very deep and entire acceptance that happened yesterday and today. I am not afraid to loose you all of a sudden. I still really want to work on us, I still want to take the time to do it and I still don't like the way my future looks without you in it but I am not afraid of it.
I think it was that post about not destroying the thing we love honestly. I love him, plain and simple and I want BOTH of us to thrive. I want BOTH of us to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.
Figuratively, on Monday I said "fuck that third entity that is the relationship" and in doing so I can now see the people that were suffering because of it. And I really do think it turned into a twisted mess because we were both too afraid of hurting each other, we were both too afraid of destroying "the relationship".
And it's strange because while I still want and really hope that we could still be together, I also look at some of my friendships and my more than friendships but not quite in a monagamous, committed, eternal relationship, relationships and I think yeah, there's no reason on my end why I wouldn't enjoy that.
I know the transition TO that will be difficult coz theres a lot of difference in expectation that I feel there... heck, maybe that's SUPER unhealthy but I know I have had some really loving, genuine, accepting relationships like that.
Maybe its a me thing and when I am wearing that hat and have those expectations, my codependency doesn't destroy shit.
Coz that's the other thing I'm feeling at the moment: very little expectation, I don't feel a NEED to be understood or a NEED for the "correct" apology.
It's just like this weird "it's all g, we are all different, we're just here to experience and enjoy what we can. Oh you feeling down, here let me spread some love".
Am I fucking high on quetiapine? Though, last time I thought it was fucking with me it made me weirdly dismissive of everyone else and now I think it's making me weirdly dismissive of me??
Hahaha just ran through a fantasy to check that assumption; wait so, if I am being weirdly dismissive of my own needs and feelings, does that mean I am not afraid to work..? Checked against the idea of being a peer support person and was like okay, yeah that seems cool. Turned up the heat a bit and thought through the process of going to work 9-5, 5 days a week and was like ooo that's getting uncomfy, don't think I wanna do that so turned it up even more just to really stress test and just had one word "homecraft?". My brain INSTANTLY RECOILED and said a big old naaaaah MAAAATE.
Hahaha brains are dumb XD.
But yeah, in this moment I just kinda feel.. good? Like I could actually be honest about what I want instead of being too afraid to ask/tell or be worried about what might seem like a double standard.
I shall monitor this feeling closely. How long do we rekon it's gonna last Tumbls?
Confusion, hope, desire, confident, curious, 😴 sleepy, silly, empathy, smol guilt, "like me", wary, medium guilt, suspisciously stable... unstable XD
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For the two characters meme, Athena and Angela Merrill
Who would win in a fight: oooh, very difficult. I think Thena might find her older sister a LOT harder to take down in a fight than she expected, even with Thena's greater experience. Angie's nearly seven foot, with greater reach and strength. Thena might still win, but it would be bitterly fought. (Assuming Angie agreed to participate in a physical fight in the first place, which is highly doubtful XD)
Who would be a better roommate: ...lbr, neither of them would be great. Thena is only a little messy, but she'd be bringing home girls and kicking you out of your berth all the time, and Angie is not only as obsessively neat as Rich or more so, she has the added downside of being Real Particular about where things go.
Who’s better in bed: Thena, thanks to WAY more experience.
Who I’d pick to be my presidential running mate: Angie in a heartbeat. She'd have been a government official since shortly after coming of age, she'd have vast amounts of legal stuff memorized, she'd be amazing to have at your side, and if she's a little stiff on camera, at least she won't have a new scandal breaking every five minutes, Thena...
Whose shoulder I’d cry on: .....Thena. Even all the Security training can't fix Angie's inherent stiff discomfort with giving physical comfort to a stranger. She has the non-public-facing Security job for REASONS. Thena on the other hand would pat you roughly on the back, give you a breathless squeeze or two, tousle your hair, and offer cheerfully to beat someone up for you.
Who would make a better parent: I don't think Thena wants kids, but if she had them she'd be... okay at best. A fun parent, but not a very responsible one, and less than ideal. Angie on the other hand would be equal parts terrified and determined to do the Best Job of parenting anyone ever did. She might hover and be a little over stern, and have to remind herself to give hugs and regular signs of affection, but her kid/s would grow up to be damn fine Fleet citizens.
Who I’d rather date: yes I would hook up with Thena. >u> I would not date either of them seriously tho.
#ask meme#boat boys#or boat girls as the case might be#Thena Merrill#Angela Merrill#asks#again these are merely my thoughts and not canon#as they have not been ratified by the coauthor trio
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🍑 🍇 🍉 //casually floods you xD also hello! o/
🍑 how meticulously does my muse look after their physical appearance? do they spend a lot of time on their hair, makeup, grooming, and clothing? is there a particular reason why they do or don’t?
"Ah." Clive raises a hand to the back of his head, his hair even more unruly than it usually is, dark strands matted down by sweat and dirt from a recent scuffle. "Is it that bad? I only just got back from an errand. Ran into some trouble..." He turns his head, gaze averting with the movement and takes a covert, selfconscious sniff of himself, afraid he's not only looking, but also smelling the part.
He thought he could get away with at least turning in what spoils he procured before returning to his chambers to wash up, as he is — for once — not covered head to toe in blood and monster guts at least. However, he clearly underestimated what others would be able to pick up on if his current appearance warrants inquiries such as this.
Brought up as a noble, hygiene and a well maintained appearance were part of his daily life and even nowadays he enjoys a good soak in a bath if given the chance, although an opportunity for anything beyond a quick daily scrub down with soap and warm (if he's lucky) water rarely arises.
He has given up on maintaining any sort of proper haircut years ago, but he does remember that his hair drove some of the servants tasked with keeping him presentable mad with how thick and abrasive it was even back then. Nowhere as soft or easy to tame as that of his little brother and definitely nowhere near the dark silk of his father's hair either.
The latter was why Clive was in a constant struggle to have his own be kept longer as a boy, wishing to emulate his father's appearance, ever regal, never a strand of hair out of place, only for his own hair to be cut shorter again and again whenever it grew past a certain length because it was deemed unruly.
Whether or not the same could be said about his facial hair he hasn't attempted to find out yet, usually keeping his beard closely shaven. He's rarely clean shaven for more than a day or two for lack of time or a looking glass while om the road, but also his face is seldom adorned with more than a stubble for the sole reason of him always having kept it like this. Less a conscious choice and more a force of habit rather than anything else.
As for his garments, there are few items of clothing he even owns, preferring to travel light he rarely purchases new garments unless he absolutely needs to, and what sees the most use of the things he does own is his armor of course, which he treats with great care, checking it for scratches and tears each day. For one, because these clothes are what keep him alive on any given day, but also because they were his father's and therefire hold great sentimental value, too.
🍇 : how would my muse describe their childhood? how much has it impacted the person they are now, or will become as an adult? around what age did they or will they start to mature, and why? do they wish to go back to their days as a child, or have they embraced adulthood?
Clive tenses visibly before giving a heavy sigh in response. "This is rather a difficult thing to speak of. I doubt it would serve as a particularly pleasant topic for conversation." He crosses his arms infront of his chest, shielding himself from any other question that might follow.
As the firstborn son of the Archduke of Rosaria great expectations were placed on his shoulders from a very early age, far greater than they should have been for such a young boy. Not only his parents, but Rosaria's people as a whole expected him to be the heir to the throne, the Dominant of the Phoenix, and when it became apparent that this was not what fate had in store for him, but for his little brother instead, Clive was robbed of what everyone had told him was his purpose in life.
Still, he never resented Joshua for it, but instead turned to another cause immediately, finding reason and validation in becoming the First Shield, seeking a way to earn his way back to the love and affirmation he was previously so readily given by his parents. His mother in particular.
Clive would like to say that his father's behavior didn't change in the aftermath of this development, but the truth of the matter is that even at such a young age he could see the disappointment and the worry for his youngest son in Elwin's eyes, which in turn caused Clive to withdraw from him as well.
Even without taking into account everything that came after that ambush at Phoenix Gate, Clive was marked by these circumstances, and while it may not be as easily seen as the mark or the scar on his face it is something he will carry with him until his dying day.
However, sometimes the lighthearted, bright boy shines through the rough exterior of the battle-hardened man he is today. The boy that used to hide away in his room to read tales of heroes long gone and Gods almighty, dreaming to someday be of the same might but also the boy that once brought a frog home from one of his explorations in the field and laughed uncontrollably alongside his father when the little creature ended up disturbing a rather dull dinner between lords, causing an uproar for a good half hour until it was caught and safely returned to the outside. Yes, the boy that used to look upon his future with such determination and hope but also the boy that was forced to grow up too quickly —
Rarely, when he looks with wonder upon the places where age old stories played out... when he laughs alongside his companions over a particularly bad joke during dinner... when he gets to stop and pet a stray cat during his travels... when he sits leaned against a tree with Torgal's head resting in his lap...when the winds of fate are quiet.
Then.
He feels he is still that boy.
🍉 : which of the four seasons suits my muse best, and why?
"Huh," he says, clearly caught off guard. "I can't say I've ever given it much thought." Clive tilts his head, thinking, a hand raising to his chin as he seeks for an answer, likely taking this far more seriously than it strictly needs to be.
He could answer with the obvious choice. As a Dominant of Ifrit, an Eikon of fire, surely it must be summer, with its scorching heat. But then he thinks of early spring, of the days where for the first time after a long dark winter he'd be able to run back outside, Joshua, Jill and Torgal in tow, the last remnants of snow thawing away, making way for a new year, for new beginnings.
And while this is clearly personal preference caused by nostalgia and good memories he'd like to think it's this what suits him best, too, for how many times has he started over since? How many times has he fought for this exact thing? A new morning. A new day.
"Spring," he answers at last, oddly satisfied with his answer, smiling slightly. "I think it's spring."
#phoenixblessing#answered ask#//thank you so much for sending this in <3#.headcanon#//also I think the last icon is my fave I've made so far#//he soffff
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I so missed visiting your askbox for some spoilers(?) xD As I mentioned, I totally faded out Azula's guards and now I'm wondering: How will their journey evolve? Will they always stay together? Which also hit me with the reality, that they will also be a squad on their own like Azula's and Sokka's. (Though now I do wonder how many squads exist) Sokka will visit places obviously, but could you maybe make a list with the places he visits until he reaches Azula? On the peak when the nasty fights happen and the war ends, is that the day and moment where everyone seperated meet again/come together? Sorry again if it's too soilery =))
x'D well, then, spoilers ahead...?
I may or may not have mentioned already that I actually didn't outright plan the guards' journey properly all along. I was a lot like Azula, I suppose xD I had no idea what they were doing until the proper ideas arrived shortly before I started writing a certain transition arc that felt a little slow-going in Part 3... and then I was enlightened by an opportunity I was far too happy to make the most of in order to bring back a very beloved character xD
But we won't see the guards again for a veeeeery long time. If you want the exact chapter number... 308 is the next glimpse we'll get of them. Yes, they will split up at times, it's safer for their purposes not to stick together 100% of the time, but they're always in touch and ready to field any threats to their safety if any pop up. It doesn't hurt that these guys are difficult to identify since there were no immediate, ready portraits of them for Ozai and his people to distribute wanted posters as effectively as possible :'D I suppose a similar situation to Kino's weird poster may have unfolded x'D though of course, these guys would know to alter their appearances (they'll look quite different the next time we see them), so they're not going to make it easy for Ozai to hunt them down. I'll keep quiet about what they'll be up to, however, if you don't mind my secretiveness xD I really just hope that it'll be a big surprise once our wonderful boys come back, especially once they're here to stay *sobs*
A list of places Sokka visits before reaching Azula... yikes with the considerable spoilers there, haha xD but fine, fine, I suppose I can oblige...
Southern Air Temple
Outskirts of Gaoling
The Swamp
The White Lotus Headquarters
Omashu
Ba Sing Se
Northern Air Temple
Northern Water Tribe
The Black Cliffs
I suppose this way you'll have something of a guide now through the events of Part 3 in order to know how far away the eventual reunion will be? xD
As for that last question... not quite, because I'm not entirely sure as to how many groups you're expecting will be converging by that point in time x'D There will be maaaany reunions here and there throughout Part 3, I recently wrote a very emotional one and I'm thrilled for it, so not everything will come together at the last moment. There's also a few reunions that will happen shortly after the big battles, other reunions that won't happen until weeks/months after said battles... so we won't have everything happening all at once. It all hinges on where the characters are at a given point in time, and if there's any sense in making them travel here or there for plot reasons xD
Oookay, then. I hope this is enough? xD I don't know if I was too spoilery or not spoilery enough, I do feel like I gave away so much with Sokka's itinerary even if objectively I might not have given away remotely enough for it to make sense to anyone other than myself X'D but alas, that's that!
#kigozula#gladiator spoilers#*wipes tear*#ngl the periods without Rui Shi or Song made me love those two even more than I already did#it's crazy how vital they are for this story to feel right#they're the secret spine of Gladiator I'd say (?)#once they're around#everything feels better#I missed writing them so much
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Dracula Daily: June 29
(Warning for spoilers from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, via Dracula Daily)
Oooh so this is why Dracula took Jonathan’s clothes. He was posing as him as he posted the letters, which is interesting.
When Dracula tells Jonathan that he will be able to leave the next day, he starts to use these sort of manipulative/gaslighting type positions. He even dares to suggest that Jonathan may OPT to stay voluntarily! lol Does he truly not realize that locking guests in and stealing their stuff, having near-fatal brushes with the sisters, would definitely be a deterrent to a human? I think it highly unlikely, or if it’s true, then Dracula is more delusional than I expected.
I also note that Dracula preemptively sets up a (flimsy) excuse for himself, saying, “Oooh /I/ won’t be here, I have to be ~away~, but my coachman will take care of you.” But we already highly suspect/are sure that he IS the coachman, along with almost everyone else in the house. lol
Jonathan ain’t being subtle, being all, “UM I’ll walk I wanna go NOW, fuck my luggage.” is very fair. It sounds like Dracula stole all his important identification papers anyways. XD
Dracula: “ Not an hour shall you wait in my house against your will, though sad am I at your going, and that you so suddenly desire it. “
God this is so much manipulations. He’s basically letting Jonathan KNOW that he knows Jonathan wants to GTFO, but at the same time suggesting that he was never REALLY imprisoned in the first place? I also noticed that we are getting hints that Dracula’s power of manipulation is not merely on a human level or verbal level - when he starts to act sweetly and courteously to Jonathan, and despite how unsettled and frightened Jonathan has been of the Count, he still has a hard time DIS-believing the Count’s truthfulness! It seems like such a small thing, but I think in stories we often forget the power of energies in a room to cow us into doubting ourselves. I think if Dracula wanted to fully set on Jonathan and force him to WANT to stay there, through some sort of vampiric powers over will, I think he probably could at this point. We mustn’t forget that when the sisters were coming at him, he was willing to admit (even for fear of hurting Mina’s feelings) that he WAS tempted to kiss the sisters. There’s something alluring and willful about the vampires, so even if we might feel frustrated that the rat isn’t leaving the trap directly, so to speak, I think this is an important detail. It may very well be that that power is exactly why Jonathan took so long to piece the facts together - it’s like leaving out Feliway for your cats to keep them calm. Sorry for the bad metaphor, lol. Jonathan was being manipulated into complacency by the Count, but it might be more difficult now that Jonathan HAS become aware. Or else the Count may be reducing his influence on purpose.
Jonathan KNOWS the Count locked him in, and shut off his attempts to communicate with the outside world. He KNOWS the Count is not normal, and is planning something dark and probably hateful. But even so, when the Count tells him he is sad at Jonathan leaving so soon, Jonathan feels compelled to believe him.
He KNOWS to distrust the Count saying, “Oh sure, you can leave whenever.” And it gets proven the next moment when he summons the wolves to keep him securely inside. Imagine how horrified Jonathan is in that moment, to not only have ravenous wolves so close by, threatening to come in, but to also now know that the Count has some sort of command over the wolves, AND that he was totally lying about allowing Jonathan to leave. The helplessness he must have felt as he covered his face to hide his tears and told the Count he would wait.. How terrible for our dear friend. He has good reason to deduce that the next night will be his death, his end.
As that time draws near, we can see the Count is starting to slowly, proudly show more of his hand to Jonathan. The sisters come and he hears for himself the Count promising them their due.
I also think it interesting that he says, “Tonight is mine. Tomorrow night is yours!”
Jonathan decides to focus on that tomorrow night with his fate at the hands of the sisters. Myself? I wonder what Dracula’s “tonight” means, that he so determinedly wards the sisters away.
Also does this mean Dracula just hovers around outside Jonathan’s room all night sometimes? Because we can assume the sisters have known for awhile (probably since their run-in with him) where Jonathan has been kept, so they’ve probably been salivating at the door for ages now. Creepy.
Final Note: In case any of you weren’t aware of the pop culture reference in the Dracula Daily sub-title for this entry, it’s a lyric from Hotel California by The Eagles. “You can check out anytime you like / but you can never leave” being a part where the main character of the song realizes he’s essentially stuck in the limbo of the Hotel California, and that despite the temptations in the Hotel, he is still a prisoner.
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For the animemangaask have you heard of the one piece live action? If yes, from what have been released (the straw hat’s actors and official poster) and since Oda is involved in it do you think it’ll turn out good or cringey?
I heard about the LA (live-action) to be produced by Netflix. I am not aware though that Oda would be directly involved. It's not often that we encounter LAs where authors/mangakas are actually involved or even just asked for input.
To begin with, I always have my doubts when it comes to watching LA adaptations. I don't set high expectations, otherwise, I'd just be disappointed. Now, specifically for One Piece and one that's produced by Netflix, I don't know what to expect. They did produce their version of Death Note, but I didn't watch it. I guess when I saw the trailer and the cast, I became biased because I do have some things I am looking for when it comes to watching live-action series or films. Depending on the series, some scenarios are actually too difficult to replicate through live actions, but I believe that the actors can certainly make up for it if they truly understood the roles they are portraying.
I checked the cast, and the only actors I am familiar with are Iñaki Godoy (Luffy) and Mackenyu (Zoro). I watched Iñaki on The Imperfects. He did great there, in my opinion, so I hope he'll do great in portraying Luffy. As for Mackenyu, I think he'll do great as Zoro since he has already proven himself when he portrayed the role of Enishi in RuroKen. As for the rest, I definitely have no idea. Also, I've never watched an English dubbed version of One Piece. I'm not a fan of English dubbed so I don't know what to expect from an English version. I even enjoyed watching the Filipino-dubbed version of One Piece because they are retaining some Japanese phrases that are better off not translating (and they are pronouncing them correctly XD). Are they doing that on the English dubbed version, too? Oh man, I really have no idea. XD
Anyways, Oda might be a good reason to expect something out of the series. I'm still not sure if I will watch it though. I can definitely watch Japanese live actions but I'm not sure about the English version. Maybe it's fine with other series but One Piece is just a little bit too special for me. I saw many Japanese actors that are able to portray the characters properly. The actors on Death Note (the oldest film version), RuroKen, and Gintama did really well. If the cast of One Piece LA series will do well, it may be worth watching to some degree. Let's just hope that Oda-sensei will be very strict about the important elements of the series.
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Hi! Could I get HC from the guys? 👀 How they would always react to catching the reader seeing them "badly", in addition to the fact that he usually avoids them, but with his brothers it is incredible and they feel bad because they think they do not like him. But she actually likes them and she looks at them like that because she "studies" them to draw them and she is too clumsy and shy to talk to them, that's why she ends up avoiding them. Until finally he catches her drawing them with lots of hearts or maybe they'll find her notebook with lots of portraits of them.
It's kind of funny because when I study people to draw them, they think that I look at them with hatred xd maybe I should increase my glasses prescription
God, glasses are such a pain in the ass but I have to wear them. If I don't anyone within my near vicinity doesn't have a face. But why they gotta get dirty so easily???? Makes me wanna explode or something
TMNT Headcanons
The boys w/ a quiet reader who is fine with his brothers but acts cold around him and stares a lot
Michaelangelo
mikey couldn't describe his disappointment upon realizing that you didn't want to be friends with him
well, you never actually said that to him
but he was pretty sure it was the case
you'd never made an effort to be friends with him
stared at him an awful lot though, but there was always something off about your gaze when you looked at him
like you were sizing him up, scrutinizing him, like he was an opponent
it kinda worried him
to add to that, you didn't even attempt to look embarrassed when he caught you staring
you'd just stare harder
on your end it was quite the opposite
you always found the brothers fascinating and you LOVED studying their anatomy, you'd confessed this to Donnie early on and he happily indulged in your questions
and you loved how easily you got along with the boys
well, except for Mikey
but it wasn't for a lack of trying
whenever the orange sporting turtle came around your normally flamboyant personality crept back into its little corner and hid
any words of excitement that had previously been with you died in your throat
for the longest time you didn't understand it
and you hated not understanding things, so you turned to your only outlet
that's how you ended up with an entire sketchbook full of the youngest brother in vastly different styles and poses
you had a separate book for the others, none of them as detailed as this
and when you stared to analyze you'd fallen into a habit of not looking away when caught
by your logic, if you stared back hard enough he'd look away first or just assume you'd zoned out
he didn't
and on one hectic day you'd left your sketchbook open on the kitchen table in your rush to get to work
you hadn't even noticed the slip up until Leo texted you to let you know during your shift
instant panic
in truth, Mikey was the one who discovered the book upon waking up from his nap and he'd spent the next three hours analyzing every drawing
when you finally dropped in after work to grab your book the turtle was waiting for you with it in hand
he'd asked you if you hated him
you told him no and accepted your sketchbook from him
he was relieved and screaming excitedly, just in his head
"Do you maybe wanna hang out sometime?"
You sighed in relief and nodded
"If you're cool with it- you don't think I'm weird do you?"
"I mean- you are talking to a turtle..."
you lightly shoved his chest and smiled, although it faded within a second
"Oh hush, 10 o'clock tomorrow? I'll bring snacks."
he was so stunned he could only shoot you finger guns in approval
Donatello
Donnie genuinely couldn't understand your unease around him
he'd followed all the proper expectations of holding a conversation
he was polite and engaging
so why wouldn't you talk to him?
this boy has read so many social blogs to try and figure out what he was doing wrong and he just couldn't put his finger on it
you were fine with the rest of his brothers, you'd stay up for hours laughing and gaming with them
you'd even sat still long enough to listen to Leo explain some old Japanese myth that he'd read about in a book
but with him it was always a quick, cordial greetings and farewells with bland small talk in between
Donnie had picked up pretty quickly that you weren't interested in any sort of interaction with him
and he convinced himself that that was okay
but that didn't explain the staring
he'd caught you in the act several times, eyes narrowed and locked on him
especially when you were alone with him in a room or just in the lair
the poor turtle just couldn't put his finger on it
then he caught you drawing, he noticed early on that you always carried a small sketchbook on your person but he didn't think much of it
and it wasn't so much that he caught you drawing, in fact, he wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't snapped at him while he was trying to do a sudoku puzzle
"Damn it Donnie! Stop moving! If I fuck this arm up one more time I'm gonna decompose!"
he'd quickly moved back into the position he was in prior
"sorry?"
but you'd gone silent again, occasionally glancing up from your work and running your eyes along his frame before looking down again
nearly twenty minutes later Donnie had finished the puzzle and it seemed as though you had finished your drawing
"Uh- can I ask what are you-"
"I'm drawing you but you kept moving your arm and making me mess up. You always do that when I draw you so every damn picture I have of you stays a sketch because you always come out looking like a fucking octopus."
He just stared
"Sorry, I uh- I didn't mean to explode on you like that. I'm just- I'm really bad at talking to you okay? It's so easy with everyone else but you've just gotta be so damn smart all the time and I worry that you'll think I'm boring so I just... don't talk to you?"
Donnie is stunned™
You refuse to show him the drawing until you can complete the line art and color it
But at least he knows that you don't hate him
Leonardo
To be completely honest Leo didn't mind that you were distant from him
You created an aura of calm when you were around and you always managed to distract his brothers while you were present
And he enjoyed the alone time
But after a few months that calm acceptance turned into jealousy
Not that he would ever admit it
He would just push it off and ignore it, that usually seemed to work
So why wasn't it?
And your obvious staring problem didn't help at all
Leo didn't spend much time considering his appearance but something about your gaze made him self conscious
And he hated that with a passion
Why was it that you could hold entire debates with his siblings? Even his dad for gods sake. You'd have hour long conversations on almost everything but whenever he tried to say hello you'd make up some lame ass excuse and scamper away
He just wanted an explanation
It appeared that the answer resided in your sketchbook
You'd left it open on the couch when Raph had called you away to spar with him
Leo very delicately flipped through the pages, careful not to disturb some of the polaroid pictures of his brothers
He was admittedly surprised to find pictures of himself among the pages
One of him in a handstand, another of him meditating, there was even one of him mid sneeze that you'd recreated with pencil and paper
The image of his eyes was the most startling, but the book held no polaroid of his eyes
You drew them from memory
And he was shocked when you returned to the room and didn't immediately panic
But that might have been because he didn't try to withhold your book from you
"It took me three months to color them, your eyes. I could never get the shade of blue just right."
"I'm gonna be honest with you y/n, I really thought you didn't like me."
You had the nerve to roll your eyes and follow it with a laugh
"I don't. I mean- I do but no, you just remind me a lot of myself and I haven't exactly figured out why yet. I thought that maybe if I drew you it'd be easier to figure you out..."
"Well did it help?"
You grinned
"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"
Raphael
If there was one thing Raph hated it was not understanding something that was right in front of him
which is ironic, as a much younger version of himself probably couldn't care less
and a part of him wishes he didn't care about it so much
he wishes that your blatant avoidance of him didn't upset him
but shit, it got under his skin better than any needle ever could
was it too much to ask for you to just tell him what he said or did wrong?
was he asking too much of you?
but on the same scale you'd never shown obvious dislike towards him, you were never rude and you sure as hell didn't talk shit about him to his brothers
you got along great with them
in fact it was getting more difficult to remember a time before you became a part of his family
he'd become so used to your presence that it no longer put him off when he found you hanging around the lair
but in another sense he was certain that you hadn't spoken more than three sentences to him in your time knowing him or his family
so what was the reason
several months in he finally caught onto the staring, your narrow, glassy gaze locked onto his body and refusing to look away
he stared right back at you
this annoyed you for several reasons
because within five seconds your very peaceful drawing session had turned into a staring contest and your eyes were getting VERY dry
then you exhaled in a half-sigh and looked back down at your paper
"Huh, I guess your head is more of an oblong shape..."
he took offense to this
"What tha' hell is that supposed t'mean?"
now your eyes held more of an amused silent judgement, you begrudgingly held up your sketchbook
"I'm drawing you, you fucking walnut."
"Oh..."
now you rolled you eyes and tossed the book to him, he nearly dropped it and fumbled with the pages
your annoyance was quickly growing
"Careful with that."
He flipped through the pages at a snails pace, assumingly because he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing
you had some real talent
when he looked back up at you he was wearing that crooked smile
"and here I was thinkin' that my eyes were just green."
Hope I was able to get this down pretty well! I really enjoyed writing this one! Thanks for the patience!
-Mars 🌠
#tmnt bayverse#tmnt headcanons#tmnt x reader#writing blog#writing requests#askbox#ask response#tmnt leonardo#tmnt donatello#tmnt raphael#tmnt michelangelo
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hey how are you ?
what do you think that episode 10 will be like ? do you think we will have happy ending with jake ?
Hey, Anon! Well, I'm doing good so far! Thank you a lot for asking! And what about you? I hope everything's okay!🥰
Oh, that’s a really difficult question, and it’s really very hard to estimate because, to be honest, I expect that Everbyte, no matter what we think, having something very different in mind that we might never come up with.
I think at the beginning there will be a big bang that we all don’t see coming. I think the episode might be very sad, sad but incredibly exciting. I think we’re going to have really hard decisions to make that are going to be very stressful. I think it could really be a tough task we have to face.
And I also think that the police could still be a big problem for us in episode 10. I think we can still expect difficulties.
And I can also imagine that we might have problems keeping the group together again. I think it might be possible to argue again within the group that has an impact on the whole situation. I hope not, we do not have time for that, but it will still be interesting.
I hope, and I think, that something will happen, which will make the group even more trust Jake, at least a little bit, and show how important Jake is. *-*
I imagine that the others may also learn that Jake is the half-brother of Hannah and Lilly.
I think we’ll finally hear from Ted Madruga, and hopefully he will be able to provide us with an answer that clarifies a lot.
I can imagine, and I hope that Phil gets out of prison, and then he might be invited to the group chat as well, and then he’ll have to explain to us what happened. Maybe the reason Phil was arrested is important to find out who the real MWAF is. And I hope that Jake and Phil meet (I’m sorry but I have to think about my own happiness xD)
I don’t know, a lot can happen, and I’m still holding on to the hope that there will be a second part of Duskwood. If we are lucky, and that will be so, then it may be that after episode 10 nothing is finished and the MWAF is still on the run. I very much hope that it will be so, because I do not want an end yet. :(
And I hate to have to say this, but right now I’m still very doubtful that we’ll have a happy ending with Jake. Especially if episode 10 will be the last.
I mean, he’s on the curse, and unless something knocking out happens, it’s gonna stay that way. With bad luck it will never stop.
As things stand right now, I find it hard to believe in a happy ending. If you already can talk about things like feelings, I can imagine that Jake MC might confess his feelings, and the other way around, if there is, it happens. Maybe they both get involved in a real relationship, but unfortunately a relationship doesn’t automatically mean a happy ending. Jake’s situation is simply very difficult and it is even more difficult to get out there.
So I think it depends on what you understand by happy ending, because all of a sudden everything will be fine? I doubt that very much. Even if I still hold on to the hope that everything will suddenly end positively. 🥲
So yes, I really think that episode 10 will be very tugging at our nerves and will present us with tasks that will be very difficult. And I’m worried that everything will suddenly collapse, I can imagine that it will happen, it will be exciting and difficult. It will be a crescendo. 💥
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Thank you a lot for asking! And I hope my answer is a little fun or something. I really enjoyed answering and thinking about it!🥰
I really hope you will have a wonderful day/evening/night! Take care of yourself and stay healthy. Lots of love and hugs to you, dear Anon! 💚🎭🌹
#duskwood anon ask#hbj dw talks#duskwood episode 10#duskwood thoughts#duskwood theories#duskwood group#duskwood jake#duskwood mwaf#duskwood game#everbyte studio#everbyte duskwood#duskwood everbyte#everbyte game#<3<3<3<3<3<3
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6 vs 9
Thank you for answering my question on Ni and worrying!
I have debated on 6 vs. 9 before, but I’m pretty sure I’m a 9.
Not sure if you want an answer or not, but why not? I’ve got time. ;)
I do see 6 aspects in myself:
Lots of self-doubt and over-thinking. I take commissions as an artist and usually I’m excited to hear about a new commission but then get worried and think I won’t be able to do it / won’t do a good enough job. <- if you are a 9, this could just be your line to 6 and general anxiousness about doing a good job per your (I assume) 1 wing.
Being indecisive when anxious and wanting someone to tell me what to do/solve my problem. <- Hmm, I haven’t talked to my 9 core friends about this a lot, but I do notice some of them consult me in a “this is happening!!!” way and I give them suggestions on what to do, so… I’d say 9s will consult people they trust if they don’t know what to do. Also, did you decide on INFP? If so, indecisiveness is Ne.
I tend to plan for the worst/expect the worst (but hope for the best). <- Pessimism is a human condition. xD
I don’t project, though - I do worry that people may not like me, but I don’t test them to find out if that is the case and I always blame myself for it (i.e if they don’t like me it must be because I’m boring or weird or not emotionally reactive enough). <- I used to do this way more when I was young. I’d send an e-mail, get anxious if I didn’t get a normal prompt response, comb back over what I said searching for anything that might have upset them, and feel anxious for no reason assuming someone is mad at me. I would send out little feelers to see what was going on – quick texts or notes in a friendly tone to see if that generated a response. Now I just assume, when that anxiousness kicks in, that as adults, we’re all busy. But self-blaming is a condition of Fi, and not related to Enneagram type, IMO.
Also, I don’t provoke people to examine reactions. In fact I hate conflict (the classic “raised voices = yelling” 9 issue is true for me; in 95% of arguments I’m the peacemaker trying to find middle ground between other people). <- with me, it depends. I have zero problems with conflict at home or arguing with my parents / family members, but the less I know you and the less I trust you, the more I don’t want to fight with you. It’s true, though, that I have that bratty 6w7 energy that sometimes provokes to get a rise out of my loved ones, which my mother (a 1w9) absolutely hates. It’s hard to shut off, but I try for her sake. Course my father is quarrelsome too, so we’re like a tempest in a teapot sometimes.
I also don’t see many positive 6 aspects in myself:
The ability/desire to build connections and make a security system. <- Interesting. My security is my bank account and having a few people I can count on. It’s not stalking up my pantry, for sure. *cough * weak Si, like what kinds of foods even go together? *cough* Though I work very hard in my family business so we can all thrive, which is a security of its own.
Being loyal to friends and checking in with them to make sure we’re “okay” (I never do this barring an actual argument or something - mostly I ghost people; loyalty is not my strong suit!) <- This is very true of me. If anyone picks on any of my friends, I will get offended and fiercely defend them (even if I have criticisms of them myself). And I do like to stay connected as an extrovert. But following up what I said above, I don’t try to build super close connections as much as I did when I was younger. I’ve realized people have their own lives, and you’re lucky to get their attention at all. But I don’t ghost people. I used to stay in very immediate contact with them.
I feel very little need to connect with other people. My friends are basically my family and in-laws - about 10 people who I truly trust and would do anything for. I don’t really want more people-related responsibilities. <- lucky little sp-dom introvert. ;) Though I can somewhat relate. More people means more energy going out, and I spend so much of it on my books and hobbies, I don’t have a lot left over. I was laughing with a fellow sp-dom INFP just yesterday about how we are both like “OMG, I have SOCIAL events in October, 5 of them!! I’m going to be so busy!!! Will it be too much???” Chill, girl. They’re interspersed over weeks. Stop over-thinking “invasions of my time!”
Meanwhile, I have many positive and negative 9 attributes:
The core problem of 9, apathy, is a BIG problem for me. Many problems in my life have been caused by not acting, by waiting too long in hopes that the problem will go away, by riding along on easy work (even if it is work I love and is worth doing) and not doing the hard work that would lead to the achievements I really want to make (writing a novel, etc.). I’m not a lazy/apathetic person in general - I can (and do) work extremely hard (I run my own art business and working 12+ hours a day is typical for me). But it’s a mental apathy issue, the quailing at mentally facing hard tasks and ending up doing small easy things that soothe me. <- aww, tho I relate to procrastinating. Being around 9s, it kind of amuses me to watch you self-soothe. Like, shouldn’t you be studying for your math final and not reorganizing the bathroom cabinets? And it seems like 9s can drag their feet even when it’s important until they decide to do it, then nothing stands in their way.
Other 9 aspects/problems I can see in myself:
Being vague - not knowing what I really want and getting frustrated by not having a clear vision of what to do. <- yeah, that’s 9ish.
Suppressing anger and other “negative” emotions because of seeking inner peace/blankness. And if I do express anger (usually in a burst under stress) I feel guilty about it. <- 1 wing, yeah.
Setting up walls between other people and myself because I can’t deal with their emotions. I don’t struggle with the intense kind of “merging” described by many 9s, but I think that might be because I’m Fi-dom and probably sp-dom. But it is still exhausting to handle the emotions, opinions, etc. of many people for long periods of time. <- I need to ask my 9w8 INFP more about this specifically, but I don’t know that she fully merges so much as prematurely (sp-dom) throws up a barrier and says Nope to things, in hopes of avoiding other people creeping into her feelings. And yeah, she finds being around especially temperamental or high energy people difficult, since it’s such a bombardment of drama + her own intense reactions.
Tolerating behavior I don’t like for too long because “they might have good intentions.” Thinking positively of people because believing the worst of them feels mean. <- same for me, Ne + compliant type issues.
I have very strong opinions but I don’t like to argue with other people. I tend to believe that if the truth exists, other people will be drawn to it without my twisting their arm and making them see it. <- that’s nice of you and very healthy Fi-dom. I … will absolutely argue up to a point, then decide it’s not worth my time and pointless.
My motto (good and bad) is often “Let’s wait and see if things improve.” <- haha.
Also, although I do struggle with 6ish self-doubt, when it comes down to it I trust my gut and believe that I know what is best for myself. People can give me advice and I’ll nod and thank them but inside I’m thinking “You don’t know me!” In general I am (or at least appear and strive to be) a cheerful, emotionally stable, positive person. So… I still think 9 gets more points. But honestly, this is one of those things that makes me believe in tritypes because I relate a lot to both of them! Thank you for reading all of this!
Go with your gut. Be a happy little 9. :)
ETA: Regarding relating to them both -- of course you do, 6 is your stress line, so it will show up regularly. ;)
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Lost Love’s Ruination (Viego/Reader)
Done at last! Was desperate to get this one out before Isolde was released for obvious reasons, so glad I got it done xD
Once again, I tried to make it that you don't need any lore knowledge to get what's going on, though I would recommend maybe watching Ruination (the league short). Also no apologies for all the Senna because I love herrrrr
As a warning, there is smut at the end. Hope you enjoy it :)
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A woman’s body, her beauty spoiled in apparent death, was lowered into beautiful crystalline waters. You couldn’t see who was lowering her into the water, or who stood around viewing the scene. You never could.
As it always did, the water grew poisoned with death as the woman revived from the dead, her features twisted with anger and confusion. Like a caged animal that had been freed, she lashed out, ripping a great blade out of someone’s grasp, and before you could react, the blade was plunged into your chest.
With a gasp, you woke up, your body broken out in a cold sweat, like it always did when you had that particular dream. You had had that dream many times before, but it never got any less terrifying. Long ago, you had considered visiting a dream reader to decipher what the horrifying nightmare meant, but you were scared that you would be told you were cursed and gave up on ever knowing.
It was a relief that most days you didn’t have much time to worry about your nightmares. You had been working on a farm in rural Demacia ever since you had been taken in at age four. You had been told that you were the only survivor of a fire, but you had been so young that you had no memories of the fire, or of your parents.
The owner of the farm had given you a home, but he was far from being family. You were given enough food to survive, but no more, and it was always contingent on you working on the farm seven days a week. You were grateful to have a bed to sleep in at night, even as hard as it was, but couldn’t help but feel some envy watching the other girls in your town go about their lives without the responsibilities that you had.
You might as well get up, even with how early you had woken up. Today was sheep shearing day, the longest day of the year for you. The sheep liked you more than they liked the owner, so that meant that you were stuck shearing all the sheep by yourself while he went to the town bar all day.
Putting on your old and worn boots with a sigh, you wished you could find a way out of this life. But you had no skills besides farming, and no money. The only way a girl like you could get out of this life was to marry a likely-older man, and that was something you wanted to avoid at all costs. The owner’s brother had previously expressed an interest in you, but luckily for you the owner hated his brother, or you would have likely had to live on the streets to avoid that marriage made in hell.
The owner was out in the field feeding the sheep when you exited the farmhouse. He glanced up at you, but you knew better than to expect a good morning, instead heading towards the small shed to fetch your shears.
Only when you returned to the field did he finally speak up. “Have some buyers comin’ for the wool tomorrow, so make sure it’s done today.”
“Right,” you answered. He was always the gruff, no-nonsense type, so you knew by now that talking back would get you nowhere. You had learned that lesson soon after you had come to this place twenty years ago. He was your employer, not your father, and he made sure you never forgot that.
“Alright, I’m off then,” he said, giving the field of sheep one more look over before heading inside to change out of his overalls.
You finished setting your things up as the owner left for the bar. You watched as he headed down the road, knowing that he wouldn’t be back until late. You didn’t really mind when he was gone, even if that meant you had a larger workload; he never seemed to have any interest in you other than what you could do on the farm, so he wasn’t one for long conversation. Without him around, you were at least able to relax and work without feeling like you had someone breathing down your neck to finish faster.
Luckily, the sheep were more than willing to listen to your worries, even if they didn’t understand what you were saying.
“I just want to stop having that dream,” you said as you began shearing one of your favorite sheep, Tulip. The owner had no interest in naming his livestock, so the job was left to you. Names didn’t make a difference to the owner, but it made a big difference to you, even as sad as it was to have your only friends be farm animals.
“I just wish I could make them go away,” you told the uninterested sheep. “Things would be much easier if I could dream about grass like you probably do, Tulip.”
Tulip turned her head to face you and you sighed, petting her freshly-sheared back. You always felt silly talking to the sheep, but it wasn’t like you had any better options around here.
Every time you had dreamed of a more exciting life, you had backed down and given up on your plans. Beyond your lack of money or skills, you knew very little about the world outside your small farming town. You had only been outside the town once, many years ago when you went with the owner to help pick out some new livestock from a larger town.
As your life stood right now, you had very little idea of what your future would be like. Would you eventually get tired of this life and set out on your own, get married off, or stay here until you were old and gray? None of those options seemed particularly appealing to you, but for now, all you could do was sit here and talk to sheep about your nightmares, wishing you could have a chance to see more of the world than your small town.
It was already a pretty warm day, and handling heavy sheep’s wool wasn’t helping. You had sheared about half the sheep by midday, but your work had been slowing down, likely due to your poor night of sleep. You would have to pick up the pace considerably if you wanted to finish in time to get any sleep tonight.
You had been pushing through your increasing thirst for at least an hour in the name of finishing on time, but had finally given in and headed inside for some water. Your dry throat ached, but the water was still nice, as you knew the owner would be upset if you passed out from dehydration before you finished your day’s work.
As much as you didn’t want to go back out there, you knew you had to work to earn your keep. It was a little harder to stay focused on work when you were dirty, sweaty and covered in balls of wool, but you had to push through and just look forward to a nice bath after the day was done.
You paused to stretch as you stood before the front door, knowing it would be back to work as soon as you were back outside. Stretching only served to emphasize how sore you were feeling after several hours of tedious work, with many more still to go. That was the same reason why you hadn’t bothered to pick the excess wool off of your clothes; why bother when you would look like a patchy sheep by the end of the day anyways?
Saying goodbye to your brief moment of rest, you opened the door at last, reluctantly ready to get back to work. Looking out over the area, you were surprised to see the field in more chaos than you had left it.
Your stool had been knocked over, but that was easy enough to fix; your real problem came from the sheep. You had expected them to wander around the field while not under your supervision, but the scene before you was something you had never experienced before.
The sheep were all crowded along the fence that faced the way into town. Walking closer, you could see nothing along the road that led past other farms and into town, at least nothing that would catch the attention of the entire flock of sheep. The dirt road was clear, the only noise around drifting over from the other nearby farms, but that wasn’t unusual.
You walked closer to the sheep, still unsure of what their problem was. You had never seen them act like this before, not even when large carts would pass by them travelling on the road. Could they see something that you couldn’t? You had never heard of sheep having supernatural senses, but were having a difficult time coming up with any other explanation for their sudden strange behavior.
Approaching the sheep, you tried to gently pry one away from the fence, but it wouldn’t budge, digging its hooves into the ground with an indignant bleat. You tried the same tactic with several other sheep, but were met with the same stubborn refusal to move. Even Tulip rebuffed you, regardless of any pleading on your part. What was wrong with these sheep?
You covered your eyes with your hands, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. You really didn’t need this right now. You had a job to do, and a limited amount of time to get the job done or the owner would surely be upset with you. You would have to do whatever it took to get the sheep to comply with you, even if the owner was unhappy with you using extra hay as a bribe.
Before you could return your focus to the sheep in front of you, you were interrupted by a loud bleating from all around you. Removing your hands from your eyes, you looked around you to the flock of loudly-bleating sheep, and then back to the still-empty area ahead of you, still utterly confused as to what was happening.
All of a sudden, the sheep were desperate to be anywhere but where they were as they all turned and fled away from the fence. Unfortunately, you were unable to move in time and were sent falling to the ground, which was not helping your already-sore back. Sitting up with a groan, you lamented how rough your day was going, at least until you looked out at the scene beyond the fence.
Where there had been nothing out of the ordinary before, now you could see something that was not there before. Far off in the horizon, so far that you had to squint to see it, was a patch of dark black-green in the sky.
Standing up, you leaned over the fence, trying to see what it was when suddenly the patch grew bigger, or as you realized with a gasp, it was getting closer. The horrible black-green sky got closer still, close enough for you to tell that it was not sky after all, but a thick, dark mist, and it seemed to be closing in on your small town.
And then your world was swallowed by black.
Senna sat in the small boat, watching as the black-green mist began to dissipate, knowing that its creator had vanished as well. She could feel nothing but guilt and dread; she had failed not only herself, but all of Runeterra. Now that the ruined king had the memories, he was one step closer to achieving his goal, and then his focus would turn to the world that he felt had let him down.
“We have to find the girl,” Senna said suddenly, watching as the last of the mist faded from the cliff they had just been on.
“The girl?” Lucian asked.
Senna turned to face her husband. How often she forgot that Lucian hadn’t seen what she had seen, didn’t know what she knew. But this was no time to get lost in the past, not when so much was at stake.
“His wife died a long time ago,” she began as Lucian took hold of the boat’s steering wheel. “I’ve held her memory within me since the mist came to my island when I was a child. Now that he has her memory, he will seek out her body to reunite the two.”
“He’s looking for a thousand-year-old corpse?” Lucian sounded dubious.
“No,” Senna sighed ruefully. “His wife was reborn, but she has no memories of her past life. He thinks that he can force her memory into her new body and return her to his side.”
Only when it got closer did you realize the true amount of trouble you were in. The dark mist began to swallow the land, the sky, covering everything in its path as it headed straight towards your farm.
As it got even closer, you began to see more detail in the ominous mist, taken aback when you noticed ethereal green streaks in the mist that crawled along the black mist as if they were alive. This was no ordinary storm, no, this mist looked downright sinister. You stared, frozen with terror, until the screams from one of the neighboring farms snapped you out of your petrified stupor.
You had to run. Now.
You backed up a few steps, knowing that you had to leave but afraid to take your eyes off of the rapidly-approaching deathly black mist. Turning around at last, you ran across the field and towards the woods beyond the back gate of the property, hoping to find some safety within the dense forest.
The sheep had already got there first and were trying to break down the back gate to escape. The field was large, as you also had many crops growing, sections of which had been trampled underfoot by the terrified animals as they fled.
You were halfway across the field when the sheep scattered, bleating loudly as they gave up on the back gate, running instead to cower in their pen. As they moved away from the gate, you noticed with horror that the black mist was now rolling out from the woods as well. Stopping in your tracks, you looked around you, only to see that the mist was coming at the farm from every direction. You were trapped, and the mist was only getting closer to engulfing you.
Desperately looking for any way out of your impending death, you caught sight of the farmhouse. If you couldn’t escape this mist, then maybe you could delay its effects by hiding in the cellar of the farmhouse long enough for help to arrive. It was the only option you could see other than waiting here to die, so you took it.
Your legs were burning from all the sprinting you had been doing in the last few minutes, but you couldn’t stop, not when it was the cellar or certain death. You were almost to the farmhouse, so close you could almost feel the temporary safety within your grasp, when the looming mist beat you there, swallowing the house into its depths just as you were about to reach the door.
Jerking back with a scream, you backed away from the writhing mist, not wanting it to touch your skin. By now, the mist had surrounded the farm, so close to you that you could no longer see the fences that surrounded the property.
You stood still, having nowhere to run as the mist surrounded you on all sides. Shaking with fear, you were surprised when the mist stopped advancing, leaving you in the middle of a circular patch of field.
You watched with wide eyes, waiting for the mist to swallow you, but it didn’t come any closer. You weren’t dead, but it wasn’t like this situation was much better. You couldn’t fight off a supernatural mist with sheep shears, and even if you could, they were on the ground somewhere in that mist.
The farmland was deathly silent; you could no longer hear the screams of your neighbors or the bleating of the sheep. Now that it was so close and with nowhere to go, you had nothing to do but stare at the mysterious fog that surrounded you.
It was dark, so dark that you couldn’t see through it, the sickly green streaks running around the edge of the mist like circling sharks. Following them with your eyes, you struggled to figure out what they were. You had a very limited worldview to draw on, the only comparison coming to mind being like a ghoul described to you in stories when you were a child.
You weren’t sure what was happening; the mist had swallowed everything else without mercy, so why were you a different case? You weren’t left waiting long, as the mist gave way to a tall figure who entered into the open section of field.
He was tall and ethereally pale, clothed all in black, which contrasted sharply with his short, wavy silver hair. Looking at his well-defined torso, you realized that he was too pale; his face and shirtless torso were gray-white, like all the life had been drained from him.
His outfit was simple, a black pair of pants and dark cropped jacket, obsidian armor covering his arms and legs. More than anything, your eyes were drawn to two unusual features; on his head was a sharp three-pointed crown the same color of the ghouls still circling you, and on his chest was a black triangle, so dark that it seemed like it was a bottomless hole.
His eyes glowed with a supernatural light, a shiver running down your spine as your eyes met his. Immediately, he began to stride towards you, sending you into a panic.
There was nowhere to go but into the mist, and that wasn’t an option, but that didn’t mean you wanted the ghostly man anywhere near you. You clutched your hands to your chest, backing up as far as you could without entering the mist, but the man would not be deterred.
His eyes never strayed from yours, his gaze so intense that you felt it hard to look away from. With nowhere to run, he was quickly upon you, but to your great surprise, he came to a stop before you.
He raised one gloved hand, and you flinched as he reached towards you, stunned when the hand came up to gently cup your cheek. Shaking with fear, you stared at him, scared to even breathe and attract his ire.
“My love,” came his voice, gravelly and in an accent that you did not recognize. “Finally you return to me.”
“Who are you?” you whispered, shivering from the cold of his armor-tipped fingers against your skin.
His head tilted slightly to the side, as if he was appraising you. You wanted to shrink away from his gaze, to remove his hand from your face, but you were terrified of upsetting him and risking yourself. As stagnant as your life was, it was your life, and you didn’t want to die here.
“You do not remember me,” he spoke softly, voice laced with disappointment. “A shame. But you will soon.”
You were scared to ask him what he meant, but felt relieved as he finally pulled his hand away from your cheek. Your relief was short-lived as his hand instead went to lay over the deep black triangle on his chest. Now that he was so close to you, the triangle truly did look like it was made of endless darkness. You could see no flesh in the black space; it looked like a keyhole to a dimension of utter black, the sight of it reminding you of the black mist that swirled around you.
There was also the fact that he had spoken to you like he knew you. You had never seen this man before, that you knew for sure. The only part of your life that was hazy was your life before the fire that had claimed your home and parents, but you couldn’t imagine meeting this ghoulish man back then and not remembering him.
You inhaled sharply when out of his chest materialized an orb of wiry light. The strands of light that made up the orb buzzed with energy, and seemed to act as a sort of cage for a small white light in the center that looked like a flickering flame. You knew that it was not natural; but no matter how long you stared at it, you would not be able to place its origins.
The orb was so bright, and felt very out of place in the void of darkness that you were currently trapped in as its light helped to illuminate the face of the stranger before you.
Even with how deathly pale he was, his face was still handsome, jawline sharp and free of even stubble. No matter how much you stared at his face, you couldn’t tell how old he was; he looked around your age, but also had the aura of someone or something much, much older. He looked down at the thrumming orb with a strange fondness in his eyes before he turned his attention back to you.
“I have missed you so dearly, Isolde,” he said as he began to bring the orb towards you.
“No, please!” you cried out in response.
You weren’t sure what that orb was; all you knew was that you didn’t want it touching you. He didn’t seem to hear your desperate pleas as the orb got closer and closer to your chest. You had nowhere to run, and nobody to save you from this ghostly lunatic.
The orb was almost at your chest, a tear dripping down your cheek as you stared down at it, and then everything was light.
You closed your eyes against the bright light, but were surprised to feel no pain. Hearing a male grunt, you opened your eyes as the light beyond your eyelids faded as quickly as it had come.
Looking around you, you saw the stranger across the field, the orb on the grass nearby. Immediately, you noticed that the area was better lit, looking over to see a large split in the dark mist that led across the field to a figure holding a large metallic device.
“Hurry!” Came the call from the figure, too far away for you to see them in much detail.
A snarl from behind you had you looking back to see the strange man getting up, the sight spurning you into action. You made a mad dash for the gap in the mist, ignoring the stranger’s angered calls for you to stop. You didn’t recognize the figure in the distance, but you would take any help you could get as you sprinted towards them.
As you got closer, you noticed that the figure you were running towards was a woman. She was dressed in black and white, gold-accented dreadlocks hanging out of one side of her white hood. You couldn’t place the large metal device that she held; you had never seen anything like it before.
“You will not interfere!”
You glanced behind you, seeing the stranger following behind you, now holding a sword that was longer than he was tall, aglow with supernatural energy. The sight of him, of the fury in his eyes tripped you up, sending you tumbling to the ground.
You scrambled to your feet, but the delay was enough that he was rapidly catching up to you. The look in his eyes froze you in your tracks, only able to manage small steps backward until your arm was suddenly grabbed from behind.
You yelped as you were picked up and then quickly deposited back on the ground a short distance away from where you had been. Looking over, you saw a man in white standing protectively in front of you, twin pistols raised and pointed at the silver-haired man with the sword.
He quickly turned his head back to face you. “Go.” When you hadn’t moved after a few seconds, he barked the order again, his deep voice loud and commanding.
You nodded rapidly before turning to run, hoping that the man would be okay. You knew that you wouldn’t feel confident facing that ghoulish man down, but the man that had come to your rescue seemed to exude a quiet confidence, so you had to trust that he would be okay as you desperately sprinted towards the woman and her strange weapon-like device.
As soon as you were in her reach, she pulled you behind her. You saw the man who had saved you facing off with the sword-wielding stranger, rapidly firing bolts of light at him while narrowly dodging blows from the giant sword.
“Is he okay?” you asked, consumed with worry.
The woman nodded. “He can handle himself. We need to get you out of here while Viego is distracted.”
“Viego?” you echoed, turning your gaze from the fight in front of you to meet her startlingly green eyes.
“I’ll explain everything when we’re away from this place,” she answered, resting her large weapon against her shoulder. “We need to go.”
You were reluctant to leave the man fighting alone, but you had no power to help him. You couldn’t insist on staying here when it would doom all three of you.
As you and the woman ran towards the road, your thoughts turned to the owner, your neighbors… your whole town. Hopping over the fence, you found yourself facing down a wasteland.
The nearby farms looked like they had been hit by a tornado, fences broken and chunks of wood gouged out of houses. You couldn’t see anyone around but you and the woman at your side. Just an hour ago, those farms had been full of life, and now, nothing.
You were led around a bend in the road, where a metal cart waited with two large creatures hitched to it. One of the creatures turned its head to look at you and you stared back, trying to figure out what exactly it was.
“Greathorns,” the woman answered your unspoken question. “They’re very reliable.”
You nodded your head slowly; you felt like you had heard the owner mention greathorns before, but you knew that you had never seen one in person. They were bigger than any horse you had seen, with beige beardlike tufts of hair under their chins and large jagged horns that almost looked like a dragon’s wing sprouting from their heads.
The woman looked like she was about to say something, but she was interrupted by a horrible guttural screech from the direction you had just fled from. You met eyes with the woman, feeling unnerved when you noticed the worry in her expression.
Your momentary panic was shattered as a figure zipped around the corner. You were relieved to see that it was the man in the white jacket, though his clothing looked considerably more scuffed up than it had a few minutes ago.
“Is he–” the woman started to say.
“He’s down for now, but we have to go,” the man answered, running over to join you at the cart.
They both sprang into action, the woman placing her weapon into the cart before jumping in herself and helping you in while the man took his place at the reins, spurning the greathorns into movement.
You turned back to try and see what had become of the farm you had called home for most of your life. The dark mist still lingered over the farm, but it was getting thinner by the second. You didn’t see the strange man, the owner, or even the sheep. It was almost unbelievable how quickly your entire way of life had been decimated; as you watched the ruined farm get farther and farther away, you wondered if you would ever return.
You hadn’t realized that you had dozed off until you were being gently nudged awake. You weren’t surprised you had fallen asleep after the day you had, combined with the long cart ride.
You opened your eyes to see the woman who had rescued you, who offered a kind smile your way when she noticed that you were awake. “We’re here.”
“Here…?” you replied sleepily, before your attention was drawn to the scene around you.
You felt like you were in a world straight out of a fairy tale. Tall buildings made of polished white stone surrounded you, much more extravagant than anything you had ever seen before. The roads were paved, people in fancy dress and armor milling about. You were in awe of the fashion, suddenly feeling like a country bumpkin in your wool-covered overalls.
“Welcome to Demacia City,” the man said, steering the cart to a waiting stable.
You got off of the cart with shaky feet, feeling overwhelmed by the reality of the big city you had always dreamed of visiting. Looking out at the beautiful architecture of the city, you only wished you could have come here under better circumstances. The beautiful city instantly dulled in your eyes when you thought back to the state of your hometown, desolated by the dark mist.
“I thought it would be better to let you sleep,” the woman’s voice broke through the fog in your brain and you turned to look at her. “Now that we have a moment to breathe, I thought we should introduce ourselves. My name is Senna, and this is my husband Lucian.”
Lucian nodded to you when he was introduced, and you shyly gave your name back. Once the introductions had been made, you followed Senna through the streets after she had insisted that it would be safer to explain everything once you had arrived at a more secure location.
The more secure location ended up being a large building at the edge of town, the inside of the building a large circular chamber. You could see a few doors on the other side of the chamber, but didn’t get to see where they led as Senna stood in the center of the room, the light from a glass panel far above her bathing her form in a gentle glow. Lucian stood close to his wife, and you came to a stop a few feet away, nervous for what you were about to hear.
“Alright, so the start of this all goes back over a thousand years ago,” Senna started, the sheer amount of time involved stunning you. “That man… Viego… he was a king back then.”
“He was the king of Demacia?” you blurted out. It was hard to imagine someone so ghoulish and cruel being the king of Demacia, even a thousand years ago.
“Not here,” Lucian denied with a shake of his head. “A long-dead empire on a continent east of here.”
Another continent? You had never even heard of another continent; the farthest your geographical knowledge went were the other kingdoms that bordered Demacia. But if he was from another continent…
“…then how did he get here?” you voiced your sudden thought, watching as Senna’s expression hardened, as if your words hurt her to think about.
After a pause, she answered. “Viego was a poor king who instead focussed all of his attention on a peasant girl he had made his wife, Isolde.”
An unsettling feeling made its way into your stomach as Senna spoke her name, but you kept your feelings in, not wanting to interrupt her story.
“With his attention on Isolde, Viego did not govern. Wanting to be rid of their useless king, assassins came to take Viego’s life, but their aim was misplaced. Their poison dagger sliced the arm of the queen, who fell deathly ill from the toxin.”
As her story went on, the bad feeling got worse and worse. It was not at all helped by the knowledge of your mystery scar, the one on your arm that you had no memory of ever getting in the first place. Still, you kept quiet and listened.
“To cure his wife, Viego brought her to the Blessed Isles, but she didn’t survive the journey and was brought as a corpse,” Senna explained. “The elders refused him entry, as the blessed waters could not bring back the dead, but Viego forced his way through.”
You were beginning to have a hard time breathing, terror seeping into your skin as you thought about that dream, the same dream you had been having most of your life. You felt compelled to listen to rest of Senna’s story, even if you suspected that you knew how it would end.
“Isolde was angry and confused after being ripped from death. She stabbed Viego with his own sword, the touch of the ancient sword to the blessed waters turning the whole island into unlife. Viego’s death is what created the Shadow Isles.”
The Shadow Isles? You had thought they were just a myth. Everyone in your town had heard of the terrifying land that was said to be cursed with unlife, its residents thralls to the terrible curse. It had been said that anyone who ventured to the Shadow Isles would lose themselves to death and madness, but you had only heard the place mentioned by parents trying to discourage their children from behaving badly, telling them that the monsters from the from the isles would come and get them if they didn’t behave themselves.
You knew what was coming, but you couldn’t bear to say it out loud, feeling like the words were too horrifying for you to speak. Thankfully, Senna decided at last to get to the heart of the matter.
“Viego took Isolde’s memory from me, and now he intends to reunite her memory with her body,” Senna said, her eyes tinged with regret. “And that is why he’s after you.”
“So then that orb…” your voice trailed off as you thought about the ball of light that had nearly been forced upon you.
“Isolde’s memory from when she was alive,” Lucian confirmed. “Senna has had it with her for a long time.”
“And you think that I’m…” You couldn’t bring yourself to say it.
“Yes,” Senna confirmed gently. “You are the reincarnation of Isolde. Viego would not have come after you if you weren’t.”
“But I’m not… I’m just a farmhand…”
You knew that she was right. There was no other explanation, but you still didn’t want to believe it. You were a farm worker, not a long-dead queen. Yesterday you had been pulling carrots out of the ground, and today you were on the run from a demented king who believed he could use your body to bring back his dead wife. You didn’t have an exciting life, but it was yours, and you didn’t want to lose it to fulfil Viego’s twisted obsession.
Senna and Lucian had stayed silent, giving you a moment to try and calm yourself down, which you appreciated. You would probably cry about it tonight, but for now you would stay as strong as you could. You were used to talking about your feelings with the animals on the farm, but felt uncomfortable with being overly emotional in front of other people, considering the main person you talked to was the owner, and he was not one for heartfelt conversations.
“We won’t let him have you,” Senna promised.
“And besides, after what I did to him, he’ll need a few days to recover his strength,” Lucian added.
“Thank you both,” you said, bowing your head low. “If it wasn’t for you, I don’t even want to think about where I’d be.”
“Raise your head,” Senna said gently. You looked up to see her with a smile on her face, which made you feel a bit better. “Don’t go thanking us yet. Not until we send Viego back into the darkness for good.”
“Can we really stop him?” you asked.
“We’ll sure try,” she replied as you silently wished you had the confidence that she did. “But first, we have something else to do.”
You bit your lip, unsure of what she meant. What could be more important than dealing with the looming threat of Viego’s return?
“You’ve never left that town, have you?” Senna asked with a raised eyebrow, and you nodded. “How would you like to see the city?”
“But don’t we have to–”
“I’ll handle the work for now,” Lucian cut in. “We haven’t been back here in some time and Senna might aim her gun my way if she doesn’t get some downtime.”
“Me?” Senna replied with mock incredulity. “You were the one going on about missing Demacian sugar rolls.”
Lucian didn’t look bothered by his wife’s sass, staring at her with a pout until she relented with a smile and a shake of her head. “…we’ll get you some when we’re out.”
“Thank you kindly,” Lucian replied fondly.
After giving Lucian a quick kiss goodbye, Senna turned back to you, gesturing towards the door. “Ready to get a look at what the city is really like?”
You had thought the streets of Demacia City were big, but found yourself thoroughly blown away by the sheer size of the grand plaza in the center of the city. It was mostly empty now, but according to Senna, the entire space was packed with people when they held special events. It was hard to believe that you were standing in a place where wars had been declared and kings had been crowned.
The marketplace was less spacious, but no less overwhelming. Merchants of all types lined the streets, selling wares you could only dream of before today.
It was in the market that you got to try one of the sugar rolls that Lucian was so fond of, the crystalized sugar melting on your tongue. With so many new sights and smells, you were having a hard time deciding where to look, at least until you laid eyes on a colorful stand selling various types of clothing items.
Walking a bit closer while Senna perused some metalwork from a nearby shop, you found your attention drawn to a dress hanging on one of the racks in front of the seller. It was short, probably knee-length at best, and the same light blue as the sky. The dress was simple, with long sleeves and an a-line skirt, but it was the finer details that had caught your eye; sewn into the hem of the skirt and collar of the dress were little white birds in flight across the fabric.
You had never seen such intricate design work; in your town, people wore practical clothing for working; there was no need for a nice dress when you were just going to get mud all over it anyways. The more you saw of this place, the more you began to feel dissatisfied with how you had been living up until now. But then again, you may not live at all beyond the next few days, not if the ruined king got ahold of you. What a mess you had made of your own life, and Senna and Lucian’s as well.
“You know you’re not a burden, right?” Senna’s voice right behind you snapped you right out of your thoughts and you turned to look at her, her green eyes piercing right through you.
“I, uh…” You weren’t sure how to answer her as you processed her words. It was hard to think of yourself as anything but a burden; your existence itself had caused your town to be invaded by a long-dead king from the Shadow Isles, and now Senna and Lucian had to protect you or face the destruction of the entirety of Runeterra. You were an incredible burden.
“No, none of that,” Senna said, shaking her head with a smile, before her voice turned serious. “You’re a person with feelings and desires. You don’t deserve to be used in Viego’s plot to bring back his queen. You are worthy of being helped, so don’t you dare think otherwise.”
You were stunned speechless. You wanted to refute her words, but the look in her eyes was telling you that doing so would be a bad idea. Instead, you nodded reluctantly, and her stern face finally relaxed back into a smile.
“Good, then we’re going to practice being confident,” she said. “If we don’t work on your confidence, then you’ll never be able to stop fearing those who reside in the dark.”
She was right. You knew she was. “…okay.”
“See that dress over there?” Senna asked, jerking her chin towards the blue dress with the white bird trim. “You like it, right?”
You stiffened. You thought that she had been perusing the metal works being sold, but clearly she had been paying more attention to you than you had given her credit for.
“…it’s nice,” you admitted at last. “I’ve never owned a dress before. The owner of the farm said they would just get ripped and dirty.”
“I think we should get it then,” Senna replied, voice quieting so the seller couldn’t hear her next words. “Sometimes we all need a reminder that we’re not trapped in the dark. This dress can serve as your reminder that you’re brighter than the darkness that chases you.”
You were reluctant to accept the dress, but Senna paid the seller before you could properly object. Handing the dress to you, she looked pleased as she watched you marvel over the soft fabric and beautiful design. Looking back up at her, you were about to thank her, but stopped when she held up a hand.
“If you want to thank me, you can help me set the wards around the house. Besides, we’ll both get an earful if Lucian has to wait any longer for his sugar rolls.”
You thanked her anyways as you both turned to head out of the market, arms full of dress and sugar rolls.
The next morning found you outside with Senna, helping her set up complicated devices around the outside of the building while Lucian worked to set some of the same devices on the roof. You watched carefully as Senna demonstrated how each ward had to be placed in order to work properly, not wanting to mess up when you set up the next one yourself.
“Will these keep him out?” you asked as you bent down to place a ward against the wall.
“A little to the left,” Senna corrected, and you moved the heavy metal device to the left until she nodded with satisfaction. “Nothing can keep Viego out, but these should weaken his strength enough to give us a chance.”
You winced; you had anticipated her answer, knowing how powerful Viego had seemed from your short interaction with him. Hoping to defeat him seemed like a futile effort, but you wanted to believe it was possible. You knew so little about the world outside of your farming town, so at this point, anything seemed like it could be possible. You had no choice but to hope anyways because if you failed, you would be lost forever, at least if Viego had his way.
Your life had become infinitely more precious now that it had come under threat; you wanted to help Senna and Lucian, the people who valued you for being you, not a dead king who looked at you and only saw his departed wife.
“The roof’s all set!” Lucian called out from above you.
“Good!” Senna called back as she heaved another ward into her arms. “Then you can test the wards when I finish setting this one up.”
“On my way, dear,” came Lucian’s lighthearted reply.
The rest of the afternoon was spent finalizing the ward setup. You had never seen them before, and were surprised to see them light up as Lucian ran by them, leaving him looking exhausted by the contact. You had been even more shocked when Senna had told you that the wards had been set to their lowest setting for the test. If Lucian had been that tired on the lowest setting, then maybe you could have hope that the highest setting would have a significant effect on Viego.
“But are we sure he’ll set them off?” you asked Senna as she turned the wards back off.
“I’m sure,” she replied confidently. “Anywhere you are, he’ll go, except now we can use that to our advantage.”
The only problem being that you didn’t know exactly when he would come. Lucian’s guess of a few days was just that; a guess. He had explained that the day they had saved you was only their second time fighting Viego, the first time being when Viego had stolen Isolde’s memories from Senna. But it had been a few days without any sign of the dead king or his black mist, so you figured that Lucian’s estimate had been accurate.
By the fifth day with no sign of Viego, you began to prepare for the worst. He could come for you any day, at any time, so you were confined to the home with either Lucian or Senna with you at all times. You were disappointed that you could no longer explore the city, but you couldn’t make yourself an easy target for Viego to snatch from the streets.
There were some back rooms with beds to sleep in, but you spent most of your time in the circular chamber that made up most of the building, talking with Senna and Lucian or helping them with tasks. The time going by was wearing on you all as you wondered when Viego would come. By the seventh day, you were unable to relax, constantly worried that every noise you heard denoted the return of the ruined king.
It was late into night of the seventh day, but none of you could sleep, all finding yourselves in the chamber room. You were sitting against the wall, watching Senna as she cleaned one of Lucian’s guns, her own large gun resting on the floor next to her. Lucian had been pacing for a while, and you could tell it was beginning to wear on Senna’s nerves.
“Lucian, if you need to–”
Senna’s quip was cut off by a loud chime sounding from outside. The wards.
Immediately, Senna was on her feet, tossing the gun she had been working on to Lucian before picking her own gun up as they both turned to face the hallway, which was the only way in and out of the building.
“Hide yourself!” Senna called hurriedly to you before turning back to face the hall, Lucian at her side with his guns trained on the hallway.
You quickly heeded her words; you couldn’t see any sign of the dark mist yet, but you knew it would only be a matter of time. You dashed over to an ordinary-looking panel on the wall that you would have found otherwise unnoteworthy, if it hadn’t been for Senna showing you how it worked a few days ago.
Pulling the panel to the side, the secret door slid open to reveal a small nook, just big enough for a person to stand inside. You looked back to Senna to see her staring at you, giving you a quick nod when you looked worriedly back at her. Not wanting to trouble them by ruining the plans, you got into the nook, closing the door carefully behind you.
You were largely in darkness, the only source of light being the small eye-level slit that gave you a one-way view into the chamber. You were glad there was a wall directly at your back, because the lack of space was the only thing keeping you standing right now in the face of the onset of terror you were feeling.
Viego didn’t leave you waiting long; Senna and Lucian jumped back as mist flooded the chamber, retreating to the center of the room.
“There!” Lucian called as a figure suddenly appeared through the mist.
Viego moved quickly to the side, dodging a bolt of light from Senna’s gun. He emerged fully from the mist, eyes scanning the area, assumedly looking for you. You knew that he couldn’t possibly see you, but it didn’t stop you from shrinking back.
“Where is she?!” Viego demanded, the anger in his voice sending a cold shiver down your back.
“Nowhere you need to worry about,” Lucian answered.
“I can feel her,” Viego snarled back, his mystical sword appearing in his grasp. “Where is she?!”
“I think you have bigger concerns right now,” Senna replied smoothly, and then she and Lucian jumped into action.
Lucian quickly moved to one side of the ruined king, firing bolts of light at him before backing out of Viego’s range. Meanwhile, Senna sent several strong blasts of light from her own gun Viego’s way, the two working together to try and take the king down.
Viego let out a frustrated growl as the bolts hit him, but didn’t appear to be injured like you certainly would be if you had been on the receiving end of the might of Senna and Lucian’s weapons.
Now that you thought about it, he didn’t seem any less powerful for someone who had triggered a series of wards that had winded Lucian on their lowest setting. Your theory was confirmed when he didn’t seem affected by anything Lucian or Senna threw his way. You would be frustrated, but neither one of them wavered, sending shot after shot at the ruined king.
“Enough!” Viego shouted, waves of mist pushing Senna and Lucian back. “You will surrender her to me or you will drown in my mist!”
As Senna and Lucian recovered their footing, the mist grew denser as it swirled around the room. You gasped as demonic green figures made of mist rose from the haze of black, and at the same time that Viego vanished into mist, they charged.
Lucian was firing bolts of light at the mist creatures left and right, but they were endless; as one was struck down, another one rose from the mist to take its place. As Lucian tried to fend off the creatures, Senna was forced to fight off Viego himself as he appeared before her, attempting to strike at her with his sword. It was a strange image, the two and their oversized weapons locked in combat, each trying to overpower the other.
The fight was quickly going bad for your friends; Viego was holding back nothing, his creatures aiding him by swiping at Senna, backing her into a corner as Lucian tried desperately to fight his way closer to her as she continued to shoot the creatures that tried to grab at her.
“You shouldn’t have the strength–” Senna growled as she fired at Viego.
“Your feeble wards cannot harm me,” Viego jeered as he swung his sword towards her. “Nothing will keep me from my queen.”
Viego stabbed his sword forward, but Senna was able to swerve out of the way, causing his sword to imbed into the wall opposite from where you were hiding. Viego then was forced to pull the tip of his sword from the wall, and Senna used that time to send a wide blast of light Lucian’s way, destroying the creatures that had surrounded him. Shooting Senna a grateful smile, Lucian began to fire at more creatures around the room, but his efforts still didn’t seem to be making a dent in the influx of creatures that filled the room.
Senna and Lucian’s luck ran out as Viego’s impatience reached a boiling point. With an angered grunt, he swung his sword at Senna, missing her body but striking her gun. The impact set Senna’s balance off, sending her falling to the ground, her gun spinning out of her grasp and onto the ground a few feet away from her. She made a desperate grab for her weapon, but was again stopped by a warning strike from Viego’s sword narrowly missing her arm.
Senna’s moment of weakness was quickly capitalized on by the mist wraiths as she was immediately swarmed, her body held down by many ghoulish creatures while Viego stood over her.
“Senna!”
Lucian’s desperate shout pierced the air as he charged forward, but was unable to get to Senna, his way blocked by the mist creatures. He shot bolt after bolt, but the demons pressed onwards, only growing in number. Soon he too was overwhelmed, pushed against the wall by the wraiths, his twin guns knocked to the floor. You watched with horror as they both struggled under the grasp of the wraiths, but were unable to break themselves free. The hope in your heart that this fight would be the end of Viego was snuffed out entirely as you watched Viego stand over Senna.
“Your life matters little to me, but I will offer one final choice. Give her to me or die,” Viego threatened, his voice cold with fury.
Senna glared up at him, struggling against the wraiths’ hold even as Viego loomed over her. “You will destroy this world.”
“I will destroy you,” Viego corrected. “And all of those who stand in the way of my love. I hope your impudence was worth your life.”
Viego raised his sword to strike Senna down, and you knew that you would only have seconds to act.
Senna and Lucian were willing to give their lives to protect you, but you couldn’t let that happen. You were not worth the lives of two strong, kind people; people who had rescued you and treated you with more care than the owner ever had, despite only knowing you for a week. One thought rang out loud and clear in your head as you watched Viego prepare to take Senna’s life; I can’t let her die.
You would only have a moment to save her life, so you didn’t waste a second, noisily shoving the secret door open.
“Stop!”
The attention of the three people in the room was drawn to you as you stepped forward, dark mist swirling around up to your knees. Viego’s eyes widened upon seeing you, but behind him, Senna was shaking her head, her eyes begging you to run. But you couldn’t run, not if you wanted to save her and Lucian.
“Please stop,” you implored the ruined king, forcing your legs forward even if the thought of moving closer to him terrified you. You had to do this for Senna and Lucian. You couldn’t allow your fear of what would happen to you to still your steps.
Viego’s sword dissolved into mist as he turned to face you, but the wraiths did not loosen their grip on your friends.
“My love,” Viego called as he began to approach you. “I knew I felt your soul call to mine.”
Ignoring his flowery words, you stopped a few feet from him, scared you would lose your nerve if you got any closer. “I’ll go with you, just please… please let them live.”
You stared into his otherworldly green eyes, trying to stay firm despite a desperate cry of your name from Senna. This was the only way, you reassured yourself. This was the only way to save their lives, even if it meant losing your own. You thought of the time in the marketplace with Senna, of listening to Lucian’s bad jokes, allowing the memories to keep your soul warm against the onslaught of dread you were facing down.
“You’ll come back to me?” Viego’s voice was kinder, softer than you had ever heard it sound as he continued to approach you.
“If you let them live,” you repeated. You could not see your friends beyond Viego’s broad form, but your voice still cracked with a sob as you addressed them. “Senna, Lucian… I’m sorry. And thank you for helping me.”
Viego raised a hand to wipe your tears away, ignoring the protests of Senna and Lucian behind him. “I knew I would find you again, my love.”
You knew it was coming, but you still let out a whimper as he once again materialized the buzzing orb of memories from the dark triangle on his chest, but unlike last time, there was no escape for you now.
“Together at last…” Viego whispered as he pressed the orb to your chest.
The orb felt cold, and then warm, too warm, as it pressed into your skin, absorbing into your body. You collapsed into Viego’s arms with a silent gasp of pain, the last thing you heard before passing out being Senna screaming your name.
There was a beautiful girl, her fingers delicately working a threaded needle through soft fabric that lay in her lap. You had never met her, but you knew who she was; after all, you had seen her corpse in your dreams. It was undoubtedly Isolde… you, from your past life.
You were surprised to find that you were watching the scene as yourself, not through her eyes. The realization brought you some measure of relief; maybe you were not lost entirely to her memory, at least not yet.
The scene around Isolde was blurry, but her figure was clear as day as you watched her gently sew along the fabric, and then it all blurred again. When the scene reformed itself, you watched a man approach her, young and handsome, his brown hair falling in waves to his chin. He was easily recognizable, but a far cry from the figure of unlife that he had become. Viego.
You couldn’t hear their voices, or the scene around them, but you watched as Viego bent down on one knee before Isolde and felt the shock and happiness that Isolde felt, and then the world around you warped once more.
Now you were in a magnificent castle, Viego and Isolde dressed in beautiful wedding clothes, figures leaning towards each other as they kissed. You could not see the faces of the crowd that watched, nor hear the vows exchanged; all you could feel was Isolde’s joy, which left you feeling warm, as if it was you there on your wedding day. It made sense; since it was you, the past you.
You felt the next scene before you saw it; a slow sadness appearing in your chest that left you feeling confused. Then the figures appeared; it was Viego and Isolde in a huge room together, his arms around her. Viego looked happier than you had ever seen him in unlife, but your eyes were drawn to Isolde. On her face was a small smile, but you knew she was sad, you could feel the quiet sadness radiating from her. But what did she have to be sad about? You followed her gaze, looking out a window to see a garden outside, birds flying around and flowers swaying gently with the breeze, but before you could get a closer look, you were gone again.
Now you saw Isolde standing behind Viego, her smile dimmer than before. Viego was wordlessly shouting at a faceless girl in servant’s clothes, a messy assortment of wildflowers crushed under Viego’s feet. Isolde was clutching at her skirt, and you felt a sense of powerlessness from her, along with that same sadness that held tight to her chest.
And then the scenes began to go by faster. Viego, blocking the way to the garden, sending Isolde back to their shared room. Viego, refusing entrance to the castle to an older woman who had the same eyes as Isolde while she watched the scene from a window high above in the castle. Viego pulling Isolde back to him when she tried to leave the room.
As the scenes flashed by, you could feel Isolde’s sadness grow. Time went on, and Isolde stopped smiling; you were watching her soul wither away a little more each time Viego cut another person out of her life. She was not allowed to see anybody but him, not allowed to leave his side even for a second… she was not a person anymore, but a doll to be moved at Viego’s whim.
She felt powerless, trapped by the man she had once loved. Your chest hurt, feeling like you were slowly being suffocated by the loneliness she felt; she was caged, shackled by his love, knowing there would be no escape.
But Viego still looked the same, no matter how many scenes passed by you. It was like he didn’t notice her pain, or maybe he didn’t care; didn’t care for anything but himself. You wanted to make it all stop; Isolde’s deep pain had nearly brought you to your knees, tears rolling down your cheeks as you desperately wished Viego would see her pain, but he never did. He always smiled that contented smile, never noticing that Isolde’s own didn’t reach her eyes.
The days finally slowed down and you were left standing in a large chamber room. The scene was tense; men in black swarmed the chamber, purple-tipped daggers poised to take the life of the king. Viego’s soldiers fought back valiantly, but one enemy broke through their ranks, dagger aimed at Viego’s heart, but their aim was put off course by a clever swipe from a spear. The poisoned dagger missed its target, but sliced Isolde instead, cutting through the sleeve of her dress and into the flesh of her arm.
Isolde knew as soon as the poison pierced her flesh that she would die. But while you expected to feel fear, worry, panic… all you felt was calm. The poison would slowly take her life, but that was what Viego had been doing over years with his possessive grip. At least at the end of this, she would be free in death, free of the iron grip Viego had on her in life. But alas, even death would not free her from his grasp.
The scene shifted one final time, and you knew what was coming. Viego held Isolde’s body, cold and dead, in his arms. The scene should have been upsetting, but the feelings that rushed through you were anything but. Isolde was dead, but her spirit was free at last, no longer a prisoner to Viego’s will.
But Viego would not allow her to be apart from him, even in death. So she rose, her anger finally unable to be contained, and stabbed him with his own sword. You watched the scene with no pity for the mortally-wounded Viego; Isolde had killed him, but she had been dead for many years before she had been poisoned. His love for her was more poisonous than any toxic dagger; he had been killing her slowly from the moment they had met, and only in death did she find the courage to return the favor.
Isolde had wanted a loving husband, but had ended up with a loving monster. This was nothing like the tale of true love Viego had spun, but he was the only one delusional enough to not see his marriage as what it was.
The scene faded to black at last, leaving you hurting body and soul, Isolde’s pain and sadness making your body feel numb from the inside out. You felt her emotions as if they were your own, and you supposed that they had been yours, a very long time ago.
The memories faded, and were quickly replaced by a soreness all over, like you had fallen from a decent height. Opening your eyes with a pained moan, you realized that you had beaten the odds; you had confronted Isolde’s memories, but you had not lost yourself to them. You were still you.
But with that good news came a lot of bad. You woke up in a bed, in a room that you had never seen before. The room was ornate, but looked dilapidated due to time. The gold posts of the canopy bed you laid in were speckled with dust, the blanket you laid under severely wrinkled.
Sitting up, you were relieved to see that you were still in the blue dress you had been wearing back in that chamber when you had given yourself up to Viego to save Senna and Lucian. You had passed out before you could ensure Viego kept his word, the memories too much for you to handle. For now, you chose to believe that they were alive, because knowing that you had done everything you could and they had still perished would crush what was left of your spirit.
You doubted you were still in Demacia, and one look outside the half-scratched window was enough to confirm that fact. The outside of the castle was even more depressing than the inside; the outside walls were cracked, the stones covered in black vegetation that you would have thought was ivy if it weren’t the color of tar. Angel statues on raised platforms stood tall in the outside courtyard, looking extremely out of place amidst the sinister green mist that seemed to hover over the whole area.
The supernatural layer of mist confirmed it; you had been taken to the Shadow Isles. The realization made your chances of escape nearly nonexistent. The Shadow Isles were filled with undead creatures hungry for the souls of the living, if the stories you had heard about this place were to be believed. And looking over the land that seemed to radiate unlife, you were certainly inclined to believe them.
Footsteps from outside the room broke your focus away from the view outside. Looking quickly around the room, you did not see anywhere to hide. With no other option, you began to back up to the far wall, staring at the large ornamental door as terror burned in your chest.
The door creaked open slowly, revealing the figure of the man you least wanted to see right now. While your mood dimmed upon seeing him, a smile lit up his face when he caught sight of you.
Viego wasted no time striding over to you while you stayed still, back against the wall both physically and metaphorically. Strangely, as he approached you, your fear began to morph into disgust. This man would not let you go, no matter how many lives you lived or places you went. As he took you into his arms, one word repeated in your head like the beat of a drum. Selfish.
He had stolen Isolde’s happiness, locked her away like a bird in a cage, and now he was doing the same to you. Letting out an internal sigh, you wished that you could go back to your boring farm days, which felt like they had been years ago, not weeks. But Viego did not give up his possessions easily, and that’s what you were now. A doll for a selfish king to keep by his side forever.
You hadn’t realized you were crying again until Viego had pulled back, his fingers sweeping across your cheeks to catch the tears.
“You’re safe, my queen,” he whispered, his words doing nothing to comfort you. And besides, you were clearly not safe if the biggest threat to your safety was standing before you, oblivious to all he had done.
You didn’t know what to do now; he wasn’t going to let you go, but you would rather die than live the rest of your life trapped in this place, pretending you were still the dead king’s dead wife.
“I have waited so long for you to return to me again,” he said, his jade green eyes staring into yours, ignoring your plight, just as he always did with Isolde.
You were tired, you were sad, and you were angry. But Viego only saw his own reflection in your eyes. He only saw what he wanted to see; you wondered if he even saw your features when he looked at you, or just superimposed Isolde’s features over yours in his mind’s eye.
It was a strange feeling; you wanted to be anywhere but here, but at the same time, you wanted the man before you to at least see you as you were now, to know your name even if he addressed you by another. Your mind was a mess, your heart even more so, but you would find no comfort in Viego’s arms, nor in his words.
“Isolde–”
“Don’t call me that!” you shouted, ripping yourself from his arms as you could no longer calm your rising anger. “And don’t call me your wife either! You have never cared about me, not back then and not now. You have never cared about anyone but yourself, Viego! You should have let Isolde stay dead!”
Viego looked shocked and hurt by your words, his silver eyebrows raised high on his forehead. You were expecting him to yell back, to tell you to know your place, but he just stood there, and then like the mist, he vanished.
His form turned to mist, and as you watched him flee, you couldn’t help a desire to have the final word.
“My name is–”
He was gone before you could say your name, but you shouted it anyways. Even if he didn’t use your name, it felt good to say it, even just to remind yourself that you were not the person you had been in your past life. Whatever happened, you would not allow this place to steal your identity from you.
You waited in silence, but Viego did not return. After some time, you reluctantly sat back down on the bed, your feet tired of standing, but Viego still did not come back to the room.
You were unsure what to make of what had happened. The Viego you had seen flee the room contradicted everything you knew about him. Could your words really have reached him? It was the only conclusion you could come to, but it sounded so unbelievable; an all-powerful dead king fleeing a room after being called selfish by a small town farm girl.
The encounter had been short, but you found yourself already tired. With no sign of Viego returning, and not much else to do, you slipped back under the ruffled covers, laying your head on the same pillow you had woken up on.
Maybe it was owing to your trip through Isolde’s memories that you were so tired now. Closing your eyes, you were relieved that you were still you, though you were still having a hard time reconciling how to see yourself with your time as Isolde. You had been her a long time ago, but she still felt like a different person, like a character in a story. You looked different, and lived different lives, but you were still weighed down by the possessiveness of the same man.
You had been surprised to see Viego look so hurt, but you refused to feel bad about what you had said. It seemed like everyone around him, including Isolde, had been too afraid to confront the king on his faults, at least that was what you assumed. You didn’t know where you got the courage yourself; maybe it was Isolde’s sorrow and frustration finally boiling over from a lifetime of being controlled that emboldened your tongue.
Either way, what you had said could not be taken back, so there was no point in ruminating over the situation, not when you were already having a hard time focussing on anything with how exhausted you were. There would be time to lament your situation when you woke up, you decided, consciousness drifting off at last.
You were surprised to feel so well-rested, but your mood was brought back down when you opened your eyes to the same dusty room you had fallen asleep in. It was just as empty as it was before, save for your body under the covers.
With how dedicated he had been to capturing you, Viego’s sudden absence was surprising. You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but everything in the room looked the same as it had before you had gone to sleep, so you had to assume that he had not returned while you were sleeping. It was probably for the best; you wouldn’t know what to say to him even if he was here.
Upon waking up, you were confronted with a new problem; your empty stomach. Come to think of it, when was the last time that you had ate something? You still had no idea how long you had been unconscious after Viego forced Isolde’s memories into you, but you had a vague recollection of eating some steamed buns Lucian had brought back from the market a few hours before Viego had attacked. But clearly that had been a while ago, if the gnawing emptiness in your stomach was any indication.
You were reluctant to leave the room and risk running into Viego, fearful of his anger after what you had said to him, but your stomach was so empty it hurt. Maybe you would get lucky and find a fruit laying around and scramble back to your room before you were caught. With that hope in mind, you walked quietly over to the door, prepared to do what you had to in order to survive for the rest of the day.
Unfortunately for you, the rest of the castle was just as dusty and dilapidated as your room had been. It was clear that this place was very old; anyone who had lived here in life was long dead by now. Eventually, you located the closest thing to a kitchen you thought you would find in this place, but instead of food, you found dust, cobwebs and the occasional brittle rat skeleton, which crumbled to dust under your touch.
There was no food here, that much was obvious, which led you to a new dilemma. You couldn’t ask Viego for food; for one, he terrified you, and there was also the fact that you had no idea where he even was. The castle was too large for you to check every room for him with any great speed, and so far you had not heard or seen any evidence of anyone else in this place but yourself.
So what were you supposed to do now? The thought of walking out into the Shadow Isles terrified you to your core, but what alternative did you have? Stay here and starve to death, a prisoner to a man who seemed like he had no further use for you if you weren’t the same person you were when you were Isolde?
It seemed that Viego avoiding you was a blessing in more ways than one, because now he wasn’t here to stop you from leaving the castle. It was easy enough for you to find the front door, following the patchy red carpet until it led down a long staircase that took you to another ornate door. Whoever’s castle this had been must have either been royalty or obscenely wealthy to live in a place this grand. The entryway alone was almost the size of the entire farmhouse back in your hometown. As grand as it was, you hoped that you would never see this awful, lonely place again once you exited the door.
The door was a lot heavier than it looked, but you managed to pry it open, the chill of the outside air telling you immediately that you were about to do something very dangerous. But it was this or starve, you reminded yourself as you took the first step outside, and it was better that you tried to find your way off of this island before you were too weak from lack of food and water.
Sinister green mist clung to the land, thick enough to obscure the far away, but just thin enough for you to see twenty or so feet around yourself. You remembered hearing as a child that the mist of the Shadow Isles was made up of the souls of the damned that had once lived here, but seeing it now, you hoped that it wasn’t true.
The stone angel statues were even more unsettling up close, standing on either side of the pathway like guards, their stone eyes seemingly staring down at you as you passed. Every step you took, you were scared the cracked ground would give out under you, but it held fast. It was a miracle that this awful place didn’t just crumble and sink into the cursed waters that surrounded it.
You quickened your steps, eager to be rid of this place as soon as possible. That, and the faster you were out of here the better a chance you had of getting off this island before Viego noticed you were gone.
The angel-statue-lined pathway opened up to a network of crumbled stone walls of all different heights that looked way more worse for wear than the castle behind you. It looked like this might have been a city over a thousand years ago, before the isles had fallen into this eternal darkness. But now you were the only person here, likely the only living person on this whole cursed island, at least until you got yourself back to civilization.
You picked up your pace even more as you entered a forested area, though the forest itself consisted solely of long-dead trees, their branches black and thin. What you hoped was wind howled, shaking the spindly branches, leaving you to duck and weave through them, their thorns scraping against your clothes and skin. You kept moving onward, pressing on despite the pain from the new cuts on your body, unwilling to turn back now that you had come this far.
You pushed through a difficult thicket of branches, panting from the effort as you looked down at your dress. The once-beautiful blue fabric now bore many tears, stained by your blood where the branches had cut you. You couldn’t imagine your face and hair looked any better, but you could worry about that later.
Taking in your own sorry state, you failed to take in the threat that was quickly closing in on you. You looked up from your dress, expecting to see more branches in your way, but jolted back with a gasp when you noticed the large figure standing fifteen feet or so in front of you.
The figure before you was giant, easily the width of several men, its gray flesh packed with bulk and muscle. It was bald, and wore no shirt, wearing only spiked shoulder armor on its upper half, while its lower half was covered by a large loincloth and equally-spiky leg armor.
It must have been human at some point, but it was far from that now. Its eyes were the same spectral green as the mist that hung over the island, that same green dripping out of his mouth in a drool-like fog. Its skin was tough-looking, like it was halfway between skin and rock, two large chipped horns made from craggy stone jutting out from the sides of its head. It had a manacle on each wrist; broken chains hanging from both of them. That gave you one more terrifying insight; while it was alive, it had clearly been some kind of criminal. And now it was here in front of you, unchained, its focus solely on you.
You turned to run, but the creature was faster. Its gaping maw opened wide with a horrible roar, and you were forced to grab onto a branch to try and resist the sudden pressure you felt pulling you back towards it. Looking back, you saw even the spectral mist being sucked into its sharp-toothed mouth, but you knew that you were its target, not breaking its focus as it stared you down with empty, dead eyes.
You couldn’t escape, you couldn’t even move an inch farther away from the monster’s supernatural pull. You tried to reach for a farther away branch to pull yourself to, but were forced to bring your hand back to the branch you held onto as holding on with only one hand made it much harder to keep yourself from being dragged further back.
Your fingers were hurting, the pressure pulling on you becoming more and more intense, and evidently the creature was done waiting. Not letting up on its pull, it began to move closer, and the pull got even stronger. Shaking from the effort of keeping your hold on the branch, you had no way of escaping it.
Was starving to death really a worse option than this? You had been so stupid, thinking that you had any chance of escaping this island; now this creature would ensure that you would never leave.
With a pained cry, your grip gave out at last, the branch slipping from your fingers as you fell to the ground. You tried desperately to grab at the cracked earth, but your hands could not find purchase in the ground no matter what you did as you were pulled closer and closer to the creature’s open jaw.
The closer you got to it, the weaker you felt, as if the monster was draining your very soul from your body. As the thought came to you, you realized that it was very likely to be the truth; the Shadow Isles were a place of eternal torment, it would not be out of place for this island to be filed with soul-sucking monstrosities.
You were almost within the creature’s grasp now, no more than five feet away from its razor-sharp teeth and black clawed nails. You were feeling more and more drained as it pulled you closer, your vision getting fuzzy as you tried to focus on anything other than your impending death, but it just wasn’t happening. It wasn’t like you had been expecting to see your life flash by your eyes like you had heard happened to people when they were about to die, but right now you would welcome any sight other than the one you had right now of the creature pulling you in, his eyes aglow with sinister satisfaction.
Just as a clawed hand reached down to take hold of your leg, it was sliced clean off at the elbow, stone skin clattering to the ground next to you. The creature let out a pained howl, which turned out to be the last sound it would ever make as it was then cleaved in half by a sword longer than you were tall, one you had thought you had left behind in that castle along with its wielder.
Freed from the monster’s pull, you scrambled away from its dismembered parts, wanting to be as far away from the horrible creature as possible. Shaking from your ordeal, you stared at Viego’s back, then at his face as he turned your way, letting his sword turn into mist as he caught sight of your quivering form.
You went still, afraid of the king’s wrath at your escape from his castle, but were surprised when he rushed over to you, pulling you to your feet and wrapping his arms around you.
“I thought… I thought I would lose you again,” he spoke into your hair, his words full of sorrow and pain as he held you to him.
You weren’t sure what to make of his behavior; it almost sounded to you like he was crying as he spoke, but you were reluctant to pull back and check. Instead, you reached up with sore arms and wrapped them around his waist, closing your eyes and leaning your head against his chest. A day ago you could never have imagined embracing this man, but he had saved your life, and right now you just wanted to feel safe, even if that safety came in Viego’s arms.
“Why did you save me?” you sniffled, voice muffled by his jacket, but loud enough for him to hear in the now deathly quiet forest.
Viego pulled back from the embrace with a sad exhale, his red-rimmed eyes telling you that he had indeed been crying as you had thought. Resting his forehead against your own, he stared into your eyes, brushing some stray hairs away from your face.
“I saved you because I love you,” he answered, voice quiet and hoarse. “Now tell me… why did you leave?”
“I…” You pondered how to answer his question, but decided there would be no point in lying to him, not when he hadn’t made any moves to harm you despite having good reason to be upset with you. “I was scared… and hungry.”
“…hungry?” he echoed, looking perplexed for a short moment before his green eyes went wide.
“Please forgive me, my love,” he spoke, sounding genuinely panicked. “It has been so long, I had forgotten–”
You couldn’t help yourself. “…you forgot that people need to eat food?”
“I haven’t… not since I became…” He was lost in his own world for a moment, before something seemed to come to him. “You’re…”
Without another word, he raised an arm, summoning one of his mist ghouls, who took off ahead of you, passing harmlessly through the mess of thorned branches along the forest path. You weren’t sure where it was going, but if it wasn’t after you, you found yourself lacking the strength to care about the ghoul’s mission.
Feeling drained, you leaned more of your weight into Viego, having a hard time keeping yourself upright. Viego’s eyebrows furrowed in worry as he looked down at you, but your eyelids were already drooping. You felt strong arms lift your body up as your eyes closed, head resting against cold skin. You could only hope that the creature hadn’t drained the life entirely out of you, but for now you had no consciousness left to worry about anything as you drifted off again for the third time since Viego had taken you.
“I pushed her to this…”
Waking up, your stomach was no less empty, but your head felt clearer. You had never considered yourself a lucky person, but you weren’t sure how else you could still be alive after all you had been through recently.
Your eyes didn’t want to open, not yet, but you were immediately aware of a feeling on your head. It took you a few groggy seconds to realize that it was a hand, slowly petting your hair. You had never had anyone stroke your hair before, but found it comforting; maybe your parents had done this before the fire, but the owner had never coddled you like this, even as a child. Absently, you mused that it had been a long time since you had anyone in your life that cared for you, when you were used to an existence of being merely tolerated.
Opening your eyes, you finally remembered where you were as you looked up at the man whose lap your head rested in. Viego’s hand stilled when he noticed that you were awake, but resumed petting your hair when you leaned your head into his now-gloveless hand, seeking out his comforting touch. Neither of you spoke, and you closed your eyes again, deciding to accept the comfort this moment offered you.
“…I was scared,” Viego said at last, and you opened your eyes again to look at him. “I felt that you had gone, and then I felt your terror… I thought that I had lost you again.”
You weren’t sure what to say, but it worked in your favor as Viego was not finished. “I have done awful things, committed atrocities, all to return you to my side. But I never realized that I was only thinking of myself. Your pain… it is all my fault.”
You felt overcome with the need to deny his assertion as you stared at his sad eyes, but you couldn’t. It was true. He had done terrible things and caused you pain not only in this life, but in your life as Isolde.
“I do not deserve your forgiveness,” he said, sounding like the words were hard for him to say. “But I will do anything to earn it. I…”
His voice trailed off as he removed his hand from your hair. You looked away from him and towards the same door you had exited when you had thought you had been leaving this room behind for good, as you considered his words. With those words, the power dynamic was shifting between you for the first time; he was willing to do whatever you asked of him in order for you to forgive him. And while you weren’t sure what it would mean for you to forgive him, you couldn’t allow this chance to pass you by.
“I want you to call me by my name now, not Isolde,” you said, sitting up and staring into his eyes, trying to silently communicate to him how serious you were with your stare. “And I would like some food and water.”
“Your… name,” he spoke softly, looking down at the bed sheets.
You repeated your name, and he still didn’t look up, but you weren’t quite done. If he was offering anything, you were going to see how far you could push your luck.
“…and I want to go back to Demacia.” You saw the alarm in his face and quickly made to soften the blow. “I want to tell Senna and Lucian that I’m okay. You can come with me if you want.”
“…if that is what you want,” he said eventually.
You could tell that he likely felt rejected by the stiffness of his shoulders and his refusal to look at you, but you would not back down, not when you had gotten him to agree to take you back to Demacia. You weren’t sure how Senna and Lucian would react to seeing you show up with Viego at your heels, but you knew that it was likely the only reason you had gotten him to agree to your request.
Your eyes had been wandering the room again when a soft call of your name had you turning back to face Viego, surprised that he had actually called you by your name. He was looking at you at last, but looked uncomfortable, like a fish thrown onto land.
Reaching down beside the bed, he picked up a simple stone bowl, handing it over to you. Inside, you found some circular objects that looked like oranges that were well past their prime, the orange of their rind mixed with patches of gray.
“Are those… tangor?” you asked. Demacian tangor were a mix of orange and tangerine grown all over Demacia. They were a little sour for your liking, so you hadn’t had one since you were a child.
“I had my servants fetch them. They are the only thing that grows here that will not poison you,” Viego replied.
His voice had hitched at the word poison, but you didn’t mention it, not wanting to draw attention to it. That was how Isolde had died, from a poisoned dagger. Even though you were with him now, it wasn’t like your presence erased the wounds of his past. You were just grateful that he had stopped being so domineering, at least for the moment. You weren’t sure what this was, or what you wanted this to be, but you knew that you were stuck with him at least for the foreseeable future.
Viego left the room to prepare for your journey back to Demacia, leaving you to eat in peace. The tangor were even more sour than you remembered them being, but you happily ate them, relieved to have some food at last.
With Viego gone, you allowed yourself to relax, free of his stare and his unstated expectations. He didn’t have to say it for you to know that he still wanted you to be his wife, or lover, or however it was he saw you in his mind. You hated yourself for even considering being with him in any capacity after the things he had done, but at the same time, you found yourself reluctant to fully close the door on the idea.
He had shown to you that he could do good things, even if they had only been for your benefit. You didn’t have to agree to anything right now, you reminded yourself, at least not while he wasn’t pressing the topic. But as of right now, you wanted to see if you could help Viego, even if you weren’t sure exactly how.
You stared at the bowl of tangor rinds, wishing an answer to your problems would come to you, but you knew that it wouldn’t be that easy. At least you would get to see Senna and Lucian soon; you wanted to make sure they were both okay, and you knew they were probably worried about you.
Placing the bowl back on the floor, you decided to take a look into the large closet in the corner of the room. Your own outfit was a mess; barely hanging together in places after running through the thorned branches. As much as you loved this dress, it was not in any shape to be worn. Hopefully the closet would have something passable to wear in it.
There were quite a few old-fashioned dresses, but they were too gaudy and frilly for your tastes. Sifting through the clearly upper-class clothing, you eventually came upon a dark green hooded cloak that looked out of place with all of the fancy dresses. Pulling it out, you realized that it would probably make a good disguise for Viego; Senna would likely shoot him on sight before you could explain, and you didn’t want Viego to have any reason to try and harm your friends.
Setting the cloak on the bed, you leafed through the rest of the closet, finally settling on the simplest dress you could find, a non-corseted, non-frilly purple dress with long sleeves and a scoop neckline with a hem that went to your ankles. The dress was a bit long for your liking, but it wasn’t covered in frills up to your neck, so it would have to do.
You changed into the purple dress, laying your old one on the bed, and had been running your fingers over a tear in the skirt when Viego re-entered the room. Sighing, you turned away from the dress, mentally apologizing to Senna for ruining the beautiful dress.
You waved Viego over, and he approached immediately, face stony and uncertain. Picking up the cape, you just hoped he would agree to put it on.
“So you won’t stand out in Demacia,” you said, holding the cloak out to him.
“If this is what you desire,” he answered. Though he didn’t seem to understand your concerns, he dutifully wrapped the cloak around his shoulders.
Reaching up, you fastened the clasps at the front of the cloak, trying not to feel shy being so close to his intense stare that you was pointed right at your face. You couldn’t avoid his eyes as you pulled the hood over his silver hair, careful not to let the fabric get caught on the metal bands that tied off sections of his hair into low ponytails. With the cloak fully closed, the black triangle on his chest was also no longer visible, which would definitely invite suspicion if left uncovered.
“Promise me you won’t hurt my friends,” you said, needing to hear him say it.
His glare was deadly. “If they harm you…”
“They won’t,” you replied quickly. “Haven’t you had friends before?”
That was evidently the wrong question to ask, because Viego looked like you had hit him in another sore spot, like back when you had yelled at him. Come to think of it, you didn’t remember really seeing him with anybody else when you had watched Isolde’s memories. No wonder his world had collapsed when Isolde… when your past self had died; she was his world, as sad and lonely as that was.
“How are we getting to Demacia?” you asked, figuring you should be merciful and change the subject, feeling bad as you looked up at Viego’s awkward stare.
“The mist,” he answered, and you turned your eyes to his chest where you knew the triangle of black lay hidden under the cloak you had forced him into. “It will carry us over the waters.”
You weren’t thrilled with the prospect of being surrounded by the black mist again, but the unknown waters that surrounded the Shadow Isles were even more daunting; at least you were confident that the mist would not harm you now.
You followed Viego to the cracked window, standing behind him as he opened it, revealing a clearer view of the dark, desolate isle. You were too far inland to be able to see the ocean, your view out of the window largely consisting of millennium-old rubble and patches of dark forest that must have been where you had run into that creature. You stared outside the window, wondering why he had led you here, at least until you noticed the mist that had begun to seep through Viego’s cloak.
“We’re not going to… jump?” The thought horrified you. There was no way you would survive a fall from this high up, mist or no mist.
“I will carry you in my arms,” Viego corrected you. “And then we will travel in the mist.”
You shivered as you considered his plan. “…you won’t drop me?”
You were half-joking, but Viego didn’t seem to pick up on that, one hand cupping your cheek as he stared down at you, voice deathly serious. “I will not allow any harm to come to you. Not again.”
You were once again taken aback by the intensity in his green eyes, even under the shadow of his cloak’s hood. You were still getting used to his devotion to you; it was a weird feeling having someone care about you after so many years of being without anyone who even cared enough to ask you about how your day had gone.
You weren’t sure what the owner’s fate had been, but you were confident that if he had seen you with Viego that day at the farm, he would’ve turned tail and ran, unlike Senna and Lucian, who came to your aid even when you had been a stranger to them. Maybe you should stop thinking of the farm as your home; because if you really thought about it, the only thing that tied you to the farm in the first place was your own fear of not being able to make it if you left.
You allowed Viego to take you into his arms as the mist surrounded you, pressing your face into his shoulder in order to avoid seeing just how far below you the ground was. You felt Viego move, likely exiting the window, and braced yourself for the drop that didn’t end up coming.
You could feel that you were moving, like you were in the arms of someone who was walking on solid earth, even if you knew you were walking through the sky and not the ground. You weren’t sure if the mist blocked your view of the ground entirely or not, but you were too scared to look.
“You were never this afraid of heights back then,” came Viego’s teasing voice from above you.
You doubted that Isolde had ever seen heights like this from the sky, but you welcomed his attempt at conversation, desperately needing a distraction from your growing curiosity to look away from Viego’s shoulder.
“How are you not scared?” you mumbled into his shoulder.
Viego let out a soft, sad laugh. “After what I have seen, what I have lost… there are more horrifying things in this world than heights.”
That was true; he had over a thousand years of life experience on you. Even if you had lived back then, your only memories from that time were ones you had seen flash by you when you had been exposed to Isolde’s memories. You couldn’t pretend you had experienced the hardships that he had; you had died, and he had been left behind, stuck as an undying mist wraith.
“…I’m sorry I yelled at you,” you said quietly as you listened to the sound of the wind whipping by.
“They were words I should have heard long ago,” he replied. He was silent for a long time, so long that you thought he was done talking, but then he spoke up again. “I led your life to ruin back then, and I was about to do it again.”
You let out a soft exhale against the soft material of the cloak. You couldn’t deny his words, you knew you couldn’t, but you also didn’t want to give up on him entirely. Right now, here in his arms, it really felt like all you had in this world was each other. You knew that you also had Senna and Lucian, but you didn’t have the history with them that you had with Viego. That, and while you considered them your friends, they would always be each other’s most important person; you didn’t want to admit it out loud, but you really wanted what they had, to be the most important person in the world to someone.
You both seemed content to let the conversation drop as you adjusted your face against Viego’s shoulder, the ends of his silver hair brushing against your forehead. Opening your eyes at last, you stared at his hair as it swayed with the wind. If you hadn’t seen it yourself, you would have found it hard to believe that his hair used to be a rich brown, a far cry from the silver it was now. But he wasn’t the same person he was then, both physically and mentally.
You couldn’t deny that you found him attractive; his eyes were deep-set, his jawline sharp and lips soft-looking. You immediately regretted observing his face when he looked down at you just as you were staring at his lips. You hurriedly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. Viego did not say anything, but you could feel his eyes on you, even after you closed your own eyes again, leaning your face fully back into his cloak.
The trip to Demacia felt very long, and you had been drifting in and out of sleep, with little else to do, when you felt Viego’s feet touch down onto the ground. Opening your eyes at long last, you watched as the mist that surrounded you faded away, returning to Viego’s chest and revealing the area around you.
You were standing on a cliff, the beautiful blue waters of Demacia at your back. Demacia City stood before you in all its pearly glory, looking exactly the same as it had the last time you had been here.
It looked to be mid-afternoon, the sun shining high in the sky. It was nice to see light again instead of the dreary permanent dark of the isles.
While this was not your first time here now, you still had a difficult time figuring out the way to Lucian and Senna’s place from your current location. You looked over the paths that led into town, trying to figure out if any of them seemed familiar, finally settling on a small stone path that led along the coast. You remembered that their house had been close to the coast, so you hoped that you would eventually find it if you kept on the path.
You turned back to Viego, making sure his hood was down over his head before you two set off on the path. The last thing you needed was for anyone to notice Viego before you got to your destination; you were just lucky he had let you put the cloak on him or else you’d be much more worried about your chances of going unnoticed.
Viego walked at your side, sticking fairly close to you, eyes casually but tactically scanning the area as if searching for threats. There were some people milling about the area, but not many, and none that looked like a threat to you, not unless Viego threatened them first.
“Your… friends,” Viego spoke up, sounding as if the word itself was foreign to him. “Are you certain they will not welcome me with weapons drawn?”
You frowned. “I hope not.”
“They would not be the first,” he sneered bitterly.
“Viego.” You grabbed onto his arm and he looked down at you, staring first at your hand on his arm and then up to your face. “I will make sure they won’t attack you, but you have to be nice as well. No mist, and no giant sword.”
You felt like you were lecturing a child, but hoped Viego wouldn’t feel like you were treating him like one. You swallowed nervously as you stared at him, pleading with your eyes for him to agree to play nice with Lucian and Senna.
His eyes seemed to soften as he stared at you. “I can deny you nothing.”
“Thank you,” you replied happily, letting out a small noise of recognition as you spotted the building that you were looking for in the distance.
Leading Viego over, you signalled for him to wait behind you. He half-obeyed, but stood much closer than you had meant. You let it go, knowing you weren’t likely going to be able to convince him to leave your side, instead knocking on the door.
The wards that you and Senna had set up still lay scattered around the outside of the building, the lack of glow about them telling you that they weren’t activated. You knocked again after no response, shifting your weight from one foot to the other as you waited. Just as you were about to knock a third time, you heard movement from inside at last, stepping back slightly as you waited for the door to open. You felt Viego tense up behind you, but had to focus on the door in front of you as it opened to reveal a frantic Lucian.
He called your name with relief in his voice until he noticed the figure behind you, his features turning grave instantly.
You raised your hands up in front of you, desperate to stop the incoming fight. “Lucian, wait! He’s not here to hurt anyone!”
Lucian looked very skeptical, but paused his hands reaching down to his guns. “Y’know, I can probably activate those wards from here.”
“It’s fine,” you replied, relieved by the joking tone in his voice. “Can we come in?”
Lucian sighed, stepping away from the door to allow you both to enter. “Senna’s not gonna be happy when she gets back.”
“She’s not here?” you clarified.
“Nah,” he answered. “She went out earlier to get some supplies for, uh, findin’ you…”
“…oh,” you replied guiltily.
Lucian led you down the hall and into the large chamber that you had been in when Viego had ultimately captured you. But now there was no mist filling the room, and no weapons drawn, at least not for now.
Lucian stood awkwardly in front of you, picking at invisible lint on his jacket while you looked between him and Viego, who had taken off his hood when you had entered the room.
Nobody was saying anything until Lucian finally broke the oppressive silence. “So how have you been?”
“Good,” you said, desperate to latch onto Lucian’s attempt at conversation.
“Dead,” Viego answered at the same time.
You and Lucian stared at each other for a short moment before you were interrupted by the sound of the door opening down the hallway. Lucian sprang into action immediately, quickly dashing into the hall, likely to warn Senna about what she was walking into.
Once Lucian’s figure was out of sight, you turned to Viego, knowing you had to keep him calm.
“Please don’t hurt her, Viego,” you pleased. “She doesn’t–”
You were cut off by a loud exclamation from the hallway.
“He’s where?! Lucian, get out of my way!” came Senna’s enraged voice from the hall.
You heard rapid footfalls coming your way, Viego stepping in front of you before you could think to stop him as Senna entered the room.
“You–”
You began to panic when you saw dark mist trickling from the front of Viego’s cloak as Senna stormed towards the two of you.
“I won’t let her harm you,” Viego hissed quietly.
“She won’t hurt me,” you insisted quickly, grabbing onto his arm.
You stepped in front of Viego as Senna came over to you and quickly had your wrist snatched by Senna, who pulled you behind her.
Viego stepped forward, but Senna wasn’t having it, pinning him with a fierce glare. “You can stay there, ruined king. You’re lucky you’re still breathing in my home after what you’ve done.”
Viego didn’t look happy at her words, but kept his eyes on yours as you desperately shook your head at him, pleading silently for him to back down. You stared into his green eyes, hoping he would listen to you, and slowly, he backed down, fists unclenching but face still tense. You let out a quiet exhale, relieved that he had listened to you, although a glance at Senna told you that she was no less angry.
Lucian slowly stepped forward with an overly friendly smile on his face. “How about we have a conversation while the ladies talk?”
Viego stared at Lucian, face blank, but Senna didn’t hesitate, pulling you with her to the other side of the chamber and out of earshot of the boys. Once she had felt you were far enough away from them, she stopped, letting go of your wrist and pulling you into a short hug.
“You had us so worried,” she scolded, pulling back from the hug.
“I’m sorry,” you said, guilt pooling in your stomach.
Senna sent you a hard look. “Why would you do something so dangerous?”
You bit your lip as you thought back to that moment. “It was the only thing I could think to do. I couldn’t let you and Lucian get hurt.”
Senna let out an amused breath, shaking her head. “I can’t say I didn’t appreciate what you did, but it was stupid.”
“I know,” you agreed. “I thought I was going to die.”
“But you didn’t,” Senna countered. “Though I can’t say I understand why. What did you do to tame him like this?”
“I, uh…” It felt weird to say out loud, but you had no other explanation that made any sense. “I called him selfish.”
Senna stared at you for a second, and just as you were starting to think that she didn’t believe you, she surprised you by bursting out in laughter. She took at least a minute to calm down, and you just stared at her in confusion, not sure what you had said that was funny.
“Well that’s been a long time coming,” she said at last, before noticing you staring at her in shock and shrugging. “Never thought I would see the day.”
“I may have been a bit mean,” you admitted, voice dropping to a whisper. “I told him he should have let Isolde stay dead.”
Senna’s eyebrows raised in surprise before she let out another small huff of laughter, glancing briefly over at Viego. “Can’t say he didn’t deserve it. Probably deserved worse.”
“It was just… after seeing how he treated Isolde for so long… I couldn’t stop myself,” you said.
Senna nodded. “I’ve thought the same things myself, but the difference is Viego actually seems to listen to you.”
“Yeah, it’s weird,” you replied, sneaking a quick glance at Viego, only to find him already looking your way. You looked back to Senna, feeling awkward locking eyes with Viego like this in front of Senna. “I was so mad at him, but now I’m just confused about what I want.”
Senna didn’t reply, merely raising an eyebrow as a prompt for you to explain. You swallowed nervously, resisting the urge to look back at Viego as you explained your thoughts. You told Senna about Viego fleeing the room, about escaping the castle and running into the soul-sucking monster, and then Viego coming to your rescue.
“At first, I just thought he was scary, but after that… I don’t know. After going most of my life without anybody who cared about me, I…”
“…you want to give him a chance?” Senna finished for you, her voice frustratingly neutral, not giving you any insights on how she was feeling, but it wasn’t as if she was off the mark. You didn’t want to lie to her, so you nodded, unable to help but feel like you were letting her down.
Senna sighed a slow sigh, but didn’t look angry. “So have you told him?”
“Told him?” you echoed.
Senna rolled her eyes at you. “Told him that you want to be with him?”
You averted your eyes, staring at the stone floor. “…no.”
“He won’t know unless you tell him. Men aren’t always great with that kind of stuff,” Senna joked. “I had to spell it out for Lucian, and he’s one of the smart ones.”
“Right,” you agreed. She was right; you couldn’t just hope that Viego would somehow understand what you were thinking, though the thought of opening yourself up to him like that made you nervous.
“We have a smaller place just outside the city for when we need to lay low,” Senna said, fishing a key out of her pocket and handing it to you. “It should have enough supplies to sustain you while you figure things out with him.”
“Thank you,” you replied, stunned by her generosity.
“Come back and see us when you’ve got things sorted,” she replied with a smile. “And make him earn your forgiveness. If he does anything, just let me know and I’ll make him regret it.”
“I will,” you promised with a smile. You really didn’t deserve a friend as good as Senna.
Senna seemed happy with your response. “Then let’s go and save Lucian. He never was great at making small talk.”
You both turned your attention back to the two men across the room and their conversation.
“…so the mist, does it come from inside you or something?”
“The mist flows from my black heart,” Viego answered in a monotone.
“Oh, uh–”
Lucian was saved by Senna’s approach. “Alright boys, we’re done.”
You stifled a laugh at Lucian’s obvious relief at being rescued from his attempted conversation with Viego. Viego, on the other hand, seemed to forget Lucian existed the moment you came close, which was both flattering and embarrassing.
“How about you come with me to return the armor I bought and we pick up some sugar rolls on the way back?” Senna proposed to Lucian.
“Huh? But–” Lucian looked tempted by the offer, but looked back at you with a concerned frown.
“They’re fine,” Senna insisted. “They have somewhere to be anyways. I’ll explain it to you on the way.”
Lucian finally relented, allowing Senna to drag him towards the front door. But before they got too far, Senna turned her head back to you.
“Keep down the road for about an hour. It’s the one with a sun on the front door.”
You nodded and Senna wished you luck before pulling a still-confused Lucian with her out the front door. You really owed her; you would have to try and make it up to her and Lucian after you sorted things out with Viego.
Once they had left, you turned your attention back to Viego, knowing you had to have this conversation with him whether you wanted to or not.
“I was talking to Senna about what I want… with you,” you said, cursing yourself internally for how shaky your voice sounded.
Viego looked like he had been forced to swallow a Shadow Isles tangor, his posture rigid. “Now that I see how happy you are here with those two… I know that you were never truly happy being at my side.”
You were shocked speechless, the words you wanted to say fleeing your mind, your lack of a reply prompting Viego to continue.
“The Shadow Isles is a place for monsters like me. I won’t make you return there with me,” he said, sending you a sad smile before his body began to turn to mist, starting with his legs.
“No!” you cried out, grabbing his arm. You hadn’t expected him to let you go, but you found yourself not wanting him to leave you, even though that was all you had wanted only a week ago.
The moment you touched him, he turned fully solid again, looking down at you with furrowed silver eyebrows, uncertainty plain on his face.
“Don’t leave,” your voice came out quiet and weak, but you kept your hold on his sleeve. “Please don’t leave.”
You were trying not to cry, and it must have been obvious, as Viego quickly brought you into an embrace. Being alone with him again, you finally felt like you could say what you wanted to say, even if you were partially fueled by desperation to make him stay.
“I want you to stay in Demacia with me,” you said, pulling back to look at him, placing a hand on his cheek like he had done to you so many times. Viego seemed mesmerized by the contact, leaning into your palm as he stared at you with hopeful eyes.
“I will go wherever you are,” he replied softly.
“But,” you said, steeling your nerve. “I want you to see me as me, not the me I was when I was Isolde.”
You felt relieved that you had finally gotten out what you wanted to say, but were nervous at how he would take it.
“You are much stronger now than you ever were a thousand years ago,” he replied. “No matter what form you take, you are still my only love.”
You couldn’t help yourself. “Even if I was reborn as a sheep?”
“I would become a sheep myself if I had to,” he responded, and you giggled at both the seriousness in his voice and the mental image of Viego as a sheep.
Staring up at Viego, who seemed puzzled by your laughter, you were struck by just how much your opinion of him had changed since you had watched Isolde’s thousand-year-old memories. It was hard to believe that you could feel like this about someone who had brought you such sadness in the past, but as you stared at Viego’s handsome face, all you could think about was how much you wanted to kiss him.
But Senna had given you the key for a reason, and you didn’t want to trouble them by still being here when they returned, so you decided to be brave like Senna, taking one of Viego’s hands in yours and pulling him towards the front door. Viego’s hand was cold in yours, but his fingers held tight to yours. You found yourself wondering what kind of look Viego had on his face, but you were too nervous to look back at him until you got outside, taking the walk down the hallway to gather up all of your courage before turning back to him.
“Senna gave me–”
You were cut off by a gentle tug on your hand by Viego, pulling you back to him. Faster than you could comprehend, his other arm wrapped around your back, pulling you against him as he leaned down to kiss you.
You were shocked, Viego’s arm behind you being the only thing keeping you upright as his lips pressed against your own. You closed your eyes, hoping your inexperience wasn’t too obvious as you tentatively tried to kiss back, wishing your face would stop burning so hot; there was no way he wouldn’t notice the heat in your face, not with how cold he always was. Just as you were getting worried that you were too stiff, Viego pulled away, touching his forehead to yours.
He looked too pleased with himself, his jade eyes glowing with the same mischievous aura as the smirk he now wore on his lips. “You were saying something, my love?”
You sputtered, face red, trying to catch your thoughts. You hadn’t been expecting the kiss, and had also never kissed anyone before, so your brain was struggling to work again as you stared at Viego’s sly grin.
Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath and forced yourself to focus. Right, the key.
“Senna gave me the key to a place of theirs we can stay in,” you explained. “It’s about an hour’s walk out of the city.”
Viego raised an eyebrow. “It would take much less time to travel there with the mist.”
“No!” you exclaimed hurriedly, noting the few people who were still out since it was only early evening. Your face only flushed more as you realized he had kissed you in front of other people, even if it was only a few. Noticing two women staring at you and Viego, you quickly pulled his hood back down over his head from where it had fallen askew, taking his hand again and pulling him with you in the direction Senna had indicated.
“People are already staring… if you use the mist, they might call the Demacian guard!” you explained as you pulled him with you down the road.
“They can try,” Viego scoffed. “No power in this world will take you from me again.”
You sped up your pace, desperately hoping the two women hadn’t heard Viego’s not-so-veiled threats against the Demacian guard as you pulled him along with you. While you didn’t doubt that Viego was likely strong enough to take on the whole of the Demacian military, it was a confrontation that you desperately wanted to avoid.
For his part, Viego didn’t seem bothered by your increased pace down the path; rather, he seemed to be in too much of a good mood for someone who had just threatened to take on a kingdom’s entire military force. Part of you wondered if he was just talking like that to keep you holding his hand to pull him along, but the notion was too embarrassing to possibly be true, so you dismissed it from your mind, choosing instead to focus on the scenery around you as you walked.
The path out of town was not too different from the roads you had walked back in your hometown. Once you were out of Demacia City, the path of finely-cobbled stone became a simple dirt path lined occasionally with simple houses on either side. The people who lived just outside the city didn’t seem to conform to the fanciful beauty standards of the city, instead dressing more like the people you had known back in the Demacian farmlands. Seeing the more ordinary people go about their lives brought you comfort; as nice as Demacia City was, you had a hard time feeling like you really belonged among its finery.
“I have never seen how the peasants live,” Viego commented from your side, the lightness in his voice making you feel like he didn’t quite get that most people took the word peasant as an insult. “They look happy.”
“I’m a peasant too,” you mused. “I lived on that farm most of my life.”
Rather than looking displeased, as you secretly feared he might, Viego let out a quiet hum. “I cannot help but wonder, if we were both peasants back in Camavor… could we have lived happier lives?”
“Viego…” You looked over at him to see him gazing sadly your way, and for a second you could have sworn you saw the Viego of his youth when you looked at him, tan skin and rich brown hair instead of the pale, silver-haired man you had come to know in this lifetime.
“I led us to ruin, and I almost lost your beautiful smile for good,” he added with downcast eyes. “I will not allow myself to be so foolish again.”
While you were trying to think of a response to his words, your eyes caught sight of a small house in the distance, a golden yellow sun painted on its front door. The house itself was fairly isolated; the last house you had passed had been a while back, and you couldn’t see any other houses in the distance ahead.
It was a relief; while you were still feeling awkward around Viego after that kiss, you knew it was better for everyone for Viego to not be around anyone but you for now. You pulled out the key Senna had given you, overly conscious of Viego at your back, fumbling a few times before getting the key slotted in correctly and unlocking the door.
Stepping inside, you were surprised to see how well-furnished the place was, despite it just being an out of town hideout for Senna and Lucian. The home consisted of a combined kitchen and entryway area with a simple bathroom down the short hallway. Opening the last door, you found a small bedroom containing no more than a bed and a small chest of drawers.
As you were looking over the room, you were surprised by Viego’s arms circling your waist, his chin resting against the side of your head.
“I have missed this dearly,” Viego’s low voice in your ear sent a noticeable shiver down your spine, which he definitely noticed. “It has been over a thousand years since I have felt your body against mine.”
His tone was sultry, and accompanied by a gentle nip at your ear, your cheeks were feeling incredibly warm. You had to assume that you had been with Viego like this, back a thousand years ago. But you hadn’t seen any of Isolde’s more suggestive memories, so you had no idea of what to expect from Viego. That, and you were as inexperienced as they came; it wasn’t like there were many boys around your age in your small town for you to do anything with. You were nervous, but glad it was Viego, and not someone like the owner’s brother who always hit on you whenever he visited the farm.
Viego withdrew from you, a metallic clang sounding out in the small room as he released the clasp on his cloak, allowing it to slide off his shoulders and hit the floor. Chancing a look back over your shoulder, you made eye contact with a once-again shirtless Viego, the black triangle on his chest bared once again.
Approaching you again, he took hold of your wrist, bringing your palm to lay against the spectral-green lined dark triangle in the center of his chest. You inhaled sharply, surprised when your hand was not swallowed by mist or sucked into the black void, but instead pressed against the triangle of black as if it were normal skin.
“The mark you gave me,” Viego said, voice surprisingly soft for someone talking about the wound that had ended their mortal life. “The mist is a part of me, so it will never harm you.”
“It feels warm,” you murmured. How could it feel so warm when the rest of his body was so cold?
“Only ever to you,” he replied, leaning down to kiss you again.
It was a short kiss, Viego giving you several short pecks as he slowly backed you up to the bed. He pulled away as the back of your knees hit the bed, and you opened your eyes as you caught your breath, only to see Viego with a wicked smirk on his face. Before you could question him, you were sent backwards onto the bed with a yelp as a rush of mist from Viego’s chest blew over you.
You found yourself on your back, the sheets a lot softer under you than you had expected. Realizing that the mist had left you feeling a lot colder than you had expected as well, you let out an embarrassed squeak when you discovered that the mist had somehow done away with your clothing, leaving you completely naked against the sheets.
The mist faded as quickly as it had appeared, revealing Viego at the foot of the bed in nothing but his tight black pants, which were noticeably tighter at the front. His gaze was smouldering as he took in your now-fully-revealed form, and while you were overtaken with the desire to shy away, but you were not given a chance as Viego quickly joined you on the bed.
He gently cupped your breasts in his hands, thumbs rubbing against your nipples, the cold of his fingers only heightening the jolt of pleasure that heated your face. Viego stared down at you, looking awestruck, strands of his silver hair falling over one of his eyes. He was so handsome that it was hard for you to believe this was real as you looked up at him, fighting the urge to run your hands through his hair as you let out a soft moan.
“You make it hard to focus when you sound like that,” Viego admitted as he leaned down. “It has been too long since I have heard your sweet voice moan.”
Crawling over you, Viego tilted your chin up with a hand on your cheek, allowing him to lock your lips together again. Unlike the previous kisses, this kiss was heated and intense, your tongue meeting his as his other hand laid next to your head, supporting his body closely above yours.
His body caging yours in should have felt cold with how frigid his skin was in unlife, but all you could feel was warmth as Viego kissed you like his life depended on it. Deciding to act on your earlier thoughts, you slid your hands into Viego’s soft hair, your nails running along his scalp. Viego groaned into your mouth, hips rutting into yours, letting you feel just how hard he was under his leather pants.
Viego’s hand strayed lower, your back bowing slightly off the bed when he began to move his thumb over your clit. He continued the passionate kiss as he kept up with the movements on your clit, the sensations making it hard for you to concentrate on the kiss. Finally, the pleasure got so intense that you jerked back against the pillow with a breathy moan, your face flushed with heat.
Viego pulled back from you entirely, spreading your legs and grasping your thighs, pulling your legs over his shoulders. Startled, you realized what he intended to do, staring at him with wide eyes.
“You don’t have to…” you trailed off, fingers grasping the sheets at your side as you stared at him.
Viego’s mouth turned up in a sly grin, looking up at you with his mouth inches away from your naked pussy. “There is nothing I want more in this world right now than to hear you cry out for me, my love.”
Before you could reply, Viego surged forward, tongue licking against your clit while his fingers pressed inside you. He seemed energized by the noises you made, fingers moving faster against you as you closed your eyes, moaning his name as his tongue brushed against you at a spot that had you seeing stars beyond your eyelids.
He was relentless, determined to get you to reach your peak, not slowing down until you cried out his name, nails raking against the sheets as you came.
Viego withdrew, looking very proud of himself as he stared down at your wrecked form. You laid flat against the bed, panting as you tried to catch your breath. As you took in Viego’s disheveled hair and satisfied smile, you let out a soft exhale, still not fully understanding how he was able to make you feel so comfortable with him after all that you had been through. Or maybe it had been because of everything you had been through together, the thousand years you had been apart and the short time you had been together again.
He didn’t make any moves to remove his pants, despite the fact that they looked painfully tight by this point. You stared at him from under your lashes, not knowing what to say as you slowly came down form the high of pleasure he had given you.
“Your form has never been more beautiful,” Viego said, leaning down to kiss you. “Now if only your lips were as honest as your eyes.”
“What?”
“Your eyes are telling me what you want me to do to you,” he murmured into your ear, voice low and sultry. “And I cannot find it in me to deny my queen what she desires.”
Viego sat up as mist flew from his chest, sweeping over his lower half and turning his pants to mist before dissipating entirely, leaving him just as naked as you. His cock was just as pale as the rest of his body, but clearly was still functioning just fine; in fact, you were slightly worried about the sheer size of him.
Viego took his place between your legs, his cock so close to where you wanted it. He took himself in hand, slowly lining himself up with you, looking down at you appraisingly before his cock was sinking into you.
You let out a soft sigh as you felt the stretch of his cock, surprised that it was nowhere near as painful as you had imagined. Once he was fully inside you, he leaned down, caging you in with his arms as he began to roll his hips into yours.
Sliding a hand into his hair, Viego happily allowed you to pull his lips back to yours, groaning into your mouth when you clenched around him after his cock hit a particularly sensitive spot inside you. While you had struggled to focus amidst the pleasure you were feeling, Viego had no such problem, easily able to kiss you breathless while maintaining a slow and gentle pace with his hips.
But as you continued to move against each other, slow and gentle began to be too little for you. You pulled back from Viego’s lips with a whine, looking at him with pleasure-hazed vision as he continued to move against you.
“Viego… faster, please,” you whined, watching him swallow as you spoke.
With a deep groan, Viego picked up his pace, each thrust of his cock hitting exactly where you needed it. Viego seemed to be as lost in the feeling as you were, eventually trading speed for increased intensity as you clung to his biceps.
Viego came first, slowing with a groan, but kissed you hard, rubbing at your clit until you joined him over the edge, feeling your energy drain from you as Viego pulled out of you before pulling your body to his, wrapping his arm around you.
“My heart, my body… they have only ever belonged to you,” Viego spoke, his words sending fondness blossoming in your chest.
Closing your eyes, you leaned against his chest, feeling happy but drained, at least until the reality of where you were came rushing back to you. You were in Senna’s house… in Senna’s bed. What had you been thinking?!
Noticing your panic, Viego lifted your chin, tilting your face up towards him with an eyebrow raised, quizzically speaking your name.
“Senna’s going to kill me,” you groaned in embarrassment.
“What?” Viego hissed, voice flat and dangerous, some mist tricking from his chest.
“No!” you exclaimed, placing your hands over his chest in a futile effort to keep the dark mist in. In your embarrassment, you had forgotten about Viego’s tendency to react against any threats directed towards you. “I just meant she would be upset with me for…. getting intimate… in her bed.”
Your words didn’t particularly seem to ease the severity of Viego’s misinterpretation of your words, but that would have to something to work on over time. With how harsh his life had been for so long, you shouldn’t have been surprised that hyperbole was largely lost on him. For now, all you could think of to do was distract him, quickly pulling his lips down to yours to hope you could make him forget about his current dangerous intentions, at least for the moment.
#x reader#reader insert#league of legends#league of legends viego#viego#lol x reader#league of legends x reader
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Wings in the Dark Chapter 11: Rumors
AN: Ahhh yes...we’ve passed the discovery bump...now...relationship building.
Why not start off with a bang :P That in my defense, I feel like kind of makes perfect sense, considering animosity with past peers and what their arrangement might look like to outsides...especially outsiders with animosity... O.o
Also, yes, Hange eventually will be incorporated, just give me a bit, I’m slowly incorporating people XD
Characters: Levi, Vampire!Fem!Reader, Petra, Eld, Gunther, Oluo, Erwin (Mentioned), Various Background Characters
Pairing: (Eventual) Levi x Reader
Warnings: Language, Mentions of Sexual Acts, Vicious? Rumors (Couldn’t pick the right word for it, settled with Vicious)
Word Count: 5320
<----Previous Chapter Masterlist Next Chapter---->
*Reader’s POV*
While the one on one training with Levi had not been at all what you were expecting when he pretty much ordered you to do it, it ended up being the most profitable training you'd had in a while. For one, you had someone you could actually spar with, and despite his current status as undefeated among everyone else, he was taking his losses in your matches in stride. If he lost, he would at least have some critiques in techniques, or what move would have worked better in such and such position.
He seemed to be approaching with the logic of 'just because you have superior strength and speed, doesn't mean you're good,' and was focused on refining talent into skill.
As well as improve and refine his own abilities, perhaps. What better way than to repeatedly take on you, with your natural talents? He'd managed to pin you a few times already. You had the raw strength and speed, but his abilities weren't that far behind, and he had the skill. He just needed a bit more knowledge on how to fight a vampire despite his disadvantages, and he'd probably be set.
Right now, the two of you were in the middle of a spar, hands flying in a quick back and forth of action and reaction, trying to get in a hit just to be parried, then trying to make that parry work to your advantage. A punch in towards the chest resulting in the arm getting pushed aside, just for that hand to grab at the arm that had pushed it, to pull and try to throw them off balance, a foot coming in to try and sweep the feet at the same time, resulting in a side step, moving behind to try and put them in a choke hold, just to have them duck under the arm and go for a quick jab between the ribs, abandoned when an elbow came flying through the air to crash where their head was at, the attacking arm raising instead in defense.
These kinds of quick and fluid movements were what made up most of your sparring session, both of you constantly trying to catch the other off guard and gain the upper hand, raw talent with some tempered skill against a skill forged in fire. Your heart pounded, excitement running unbridled in your veins now that you could have this spar without prying eyes, without having to hide the full extent of what you could do. Of course, this also let Levi get a better look at the extent of your abilities, but you didn’t pay that part much mind.
Your eyes caught something that wasn’t so much of an opening as it was an opportunity, something you could exploit as a vampire. Feeding off the thrill coursing through you, you took the opportunity, forcing your arm with your strength past his guard so your hand could grasp the front of his shirt, your other arm grasping somewhere that was much easier to reach as you went low. Levi realized what was about to happen and tried to shift his weight, to make it more difficult, or perhaps twist himself out of your grip, but you were already lifting him in a throw over your shoulder, taking care to make sure he landed on his back and not his head before you whipped around and attempted to pin him, your knee on his gut, a hand on his chest, your other hand pulled back ready for a finishing strike if this had been real.
Levi froze up underneath you, staring up at you with a hard glint in his eyes that didn’t match his usual defeat. There was even a spark of fear you hadn’t seen yet during these spars, and he seemed to tense like he was ready for a real life or death struggle.
You were confused for a few moments, breathing coming a little shallower than normal--yes, even a vampire could get tired, the stamina wasn’t limitless--as you held his gaze, trying to figure out what was wrong, the hand raised for ‘attack’ having dropped on instinct to show less of a threat.
Your emotions. They were unbridled right now, all over the place, and channeled directly to the fight. Which meant he wasn’t just holding your gaze because he was staring you down. He had frozen because of your eyes.
You looked away, releasing him and backing up, feeling a rush of shame for giving him a scare like that, that you’d let yourself go that much that you weren’t even keeping control of your appearance. Maybe during the fight he could forget, even for a moment, but when he was pinned with your eyes glowing red and locked on yours, it was a harsh and alarming reminder of what you really were.
“Sorry,” you murmured, a hand rising to your cheek as you kept your face turned away, waiting until you had a firm hold of yourself again and you were certain that there wouldn’t be so much as a red glint in your eyes when you did face him again.
You really hoped this little slip of yours wasn’t going to cost some of the trust that the two of you seemed to be building between each other with these training sessions. Maybe not trust specifically, maybe more of rapport, but at the same time, there was far more trust that went into this than you’d realized. These moments where you beat him, where you had him pinned...the two of you were alone in the woods, if something happened, no one would know, no one would be able to intervene. And when he lost, for those few moments, he was at your mercy. He might not be able to do anything if you lost control or simply decided to bite him one of these days. Yet he continued to carry on the lessons despite that possibility and the level of risk in having these training sessions be private. Then again, if they weren’t private, you couldn’t exactly train as much as you could now.
“I thought you had control over your bloodlust?” Levi asked sharply as he got to his feet behind you, notes of that distrust you used to hear from him creeping back into his voice. You hadn’t heard it in a while, since the start of this training, so hearing them creep back in now…
“That wasn’t bloodlust,” you murmured, rubbing softly at your eyes and wishing you had a mirror to make sure the red was gone from them.
“When your eyes are red--” Levi started to argue, but you cut him off, turning to face him again since you were certain you had a clamp on your emotions again.
“That doesn’t just mean bloodlust. It happens for multiple reasons,” you corrected him, fighting to keep your voice from anger or impatience. You could understand the confusion, the only times he’d seen your eyes red had been in moments of bloodlust. Never the other moments. “Sometimes emotions running rampant can trigger it. Especially in the middle of a fight, because a vampire’s instincts are already riled in a fight. I could do it on command, I suppose, if I felt threatened or wanted to threaten--like when a cat’s hackles rise. It’s not...just bloodlust,” you finished in a murmur, looking away again.
Still, even if it had been a misunderstanding you’d just given Levi quite the scare in that moment. He might have thought you were a second away from actually ripping his throat out or something similar.
As a way to make it up to him, you decided to take the position of teacher for a moment, while you were both letting the mood cool from that spark towards danger a few moments ago.
"Listen, when you're fighting a vampire, it's not about strength and speed, it's about leverage and making each shot count," you started to say, pushing hair out of your face as you explained semi-nervously in lieu of an apology for giving him a scare like that. "I'm far from the strongest vampire out there. Even your strength and speed is only going to get you closer to even footing with them, you'll still have to be smart about it. Get them off their feet, stun them, go in for what would normally be a kill shot if you're close enough and they're not expecting it. Even if you know it won't kill them permanently and they'll come back, it will put them down long enough to escape...or find something to properly kill them with."
You didn't know why you decided to suddenly make this a lesson about killing vampires, but here you were, information running out of you like water from the spout.
"And if you're in a really bad spot, and they've already got their teeth in you...make them choke up. Got for the throat. Especially right here…" you touched a spot on your upper throat that made you feel strange just touching it with a bit of pressure, and then a little lower, closer to the base of the throat, where some pressure made you feel like you might throw up. "Or here. At the very least, it should get their fangs out of you. But with a vampire, it's all about fighting smarter, not harder--like when you fight someone much larger than yourself."
Levi studied you for a moment, the on guard position he'd been holding draining from his body as he slowly relaxed in front of you, nodding to himself as he made his way back to the center of the clearing that acted as your starting position.
"We're not here to train me. We're here for you. Keep a hold of yourself and I won't have to do anything," Levi said, falling into an at the ready stance, hands up in front of him as he waited for you to approach so you could resume your training.
The other half of your personal training with Levi happened the same way every day. Namely, he had you run the same maneuver at the exact same pace over and over and over again, until it all became muscle memory--pace included. The theory was that if the pace could be ingrained into your muscle memory, then you wouldn't accidentally execute it too quickly for the gear to keep up when you acted on instinct in the field. And, just so your abilities could still come into play and help with your execution, the first thing you did with every maneuver was figure out how fast you could pull it off without breaking the gear. After that, you walked it back a step or two in speed so you didn't strain the gear and wear it out too quickly, but you were still able to pull off the maneuver with startling speed.
While those practices were much of the same, with you doing it over and over under Levi’s supervision and occasionally learning a new move from him at the start so that he was still teaching you, they were arguably more exhaustive than the morning training--at least mentally. Levi didn't have to do much except observe, so he didn't look remotely bothered while you would look exhausted when you entered the mess hall to eat afterwards.
Since you two would come from the same place, and would usually enter when almost everyone else had received their food, you would end up in the line together, though Levi’s tray always wound up looking different from yours. Because he was an officer, plus he was actually eating the food while you were strategically picking things you could pawn off on the horses or birds and squirrels later.
"Are you even going to eat half of that?" Levi asked critically. You both knew you didn't need to eat, so the rations were kind of wasted on you, but you needed to keep up appearances, and what you did eat would help with cravings.
"Most of it is bribes for the horses. Namely yours. I think he likes me now, but he might feel betrayed if I don't give him a treat with everyone else," you teased him with a soft smile on your face, tossing an apple up into the air before putting it back where it belonged.
Levi rolled his eyes. "Stop bribing my horse, he's going to get fat," Levi grumbled, pushing on with his tray.
It was nice that you could tease and joke with him now, even if it was just the brief, lighthearted stuff. He really was making an effort to be more accepting with you. When you weren't dragging the vampire stuff front and center, you could almost say he was comfortable around you.
Of course, until something reminded him what you were, or you talked about it, and he was on edge again. He was going to need much more time to come to terms with the vampire side of you. There was too much about it that made him uncomfortable and ill at ease. That wasn’t something he would be able to get over just by spending more time around you--that was going to take some time and reflection of his own.
As you followed behind Levi in the line up, you spaced out slightly, listening in on some of the conversations going on around the mess hall, ranging from sore muscles from training today, to an upcoming shipment of fresh supplies, to how bad the food tasted. And then, through all the meaningless chit-chat, something caught your attention.
“...definitely sleeping with Captain Levi.”
You paused, centering in on that one conversation, a bad pit in your stomach.
“Are you kidding me? Captain Levi’s hardly the type.”
“I’m sorry, do you know anything about him? Nobody really does, other than his irritable attitude and his reputation. For all you know, he is the type. And I’ll bet he is. There’s no way she’s climbed the ranks that fast unless she’s climbed on someone’s dick along the way, I don’t care how skilled she is.”
“That’s foul.”
“It’s true! There’s advancing because of your skill, and then there’s going from a fresh recruit to part of the elite squad in a couple days, to private lessons with Captain Levi not long after. We’ve just gotten placed in Squads and barely started training with the squads. And it’s a position they literally made up so she could be in Levi squad. That’s beyond favoritism. I’ll bet you when they come out of those woods every morning all sweaty and flushed and tired, it’s after she’s given him a good fuck to get on his good side.”
“Maybe they’re just sparring--hand to hand lessons…” someone else suggested weakly.
“If it was a spar they could do it on the training grounds like everyone else. What they’re doing they have to hide. They get up so early so no one will see what they’re up to, and I’ll bet that means they’re out there for hours. It’s gotta be one hell of a blowjob she gives, that’s for sure.”
“Hey--what’s that look for?”
You snapped yourself out of the revolted and disturbed focus you’d found yourself in at Levi’s more immediate sounding voice trying to get your attention, eyes focusing on him as, for a moment, you found yourself at a loss of words for what to say to him after hearing...that.
And he had no clue. Because besides the people /in/ that conversation, you’d been the only one to hear it.
He looked concerned, maybe even worried, his mind probably coming up with a bunch of worst-case-scenarios for what you felt or heard that gave you whatever expression you currently had.
You shook your head, sliding your tray to the side to get him to keep moving or else risk their trays crashing into each other with the contents spilling everywhere. “I heard something I did not want to hear. Just keep going,” you said dismissively, trying to brush it off as someone having a roll in the hay in the stables or a quickie in the supply closet--whatever kept him from even getting a hint of what you actually heard.
If it was just your reputation they were trashing, maybe you wouldn’t mind so much--you knew it wasn’t true, that it was as far from the truth as they could get. What made it really worry you was how it also dug at Levi’s reputation. Maybe he wouldn’t care, but maybe he would. You hoped if the rumor reached the rest of Levi’s squad, that they wouldn’t believe it. They knew Levi better than most people here, surely they’d know it wasn’t true? But you could also see how that was a rumor that would burn like fire through the ranks.
Behind Levi’s back as he continued down through the line, that worried look lingered in your eyes, wondering if you should do something about the rumor, or just leave it alone. Normally you would just leave it alone, but this one seemed...insidious to you. Or at least, you didn’t like the thought of people spreading it further, even if you knew the people that mattered knew better, or might know better.
You ended up breaking away from the line before Levi did, heading for the table that the squad usually sat at and trying to shake off the concerns and worries eating at you in the back of your mind, giving them a shy smile as you took the seat next to Petra.
“So, newbie--private training with the Captain, already? Someone moves fast,” Oluo said conspiratorially before you could even sit down.
Had they already heard that damn rumor? Was it already making its way through the ranks and you just hadn’t heard it yet?
“Oluo, don’t be an ass,” Petra scolded him in answer. “And she’s not much of a newbie anymore.”
“She’s a newbie until she’s been out on a few expeditions, Petra,” Gunther commented.
“Whatever--you’re really getting private lessons with the Captain? Two a day, from what I hear?” Oluo asked, cutting past the debate over whether or not you were a newbie.
“It would explain where you disappear to in the mornings and just before dinner,” Eld added quietly from where he usually just observed these back and forths between you, Eld, and Petra.
“None of us get one on one training with Captain Levi,” Oluo stressed, leaning forward in his seat. “How’d you do it?”
At that moment, Levi appeared at the head of the table, setting down his tray with an agitated sigh. “She needs someone to kick her ass into the dirt every now and then,” Levi said simply in answer to the debate bouncing around you.
Petra turned to look at you with a slightly apologetic look on her face. “You are pretty infuriating to spar with.”
“So I’ve been told,” you answered, feeling yourself start to relax again as the conversation started to drift into what you considered safer waters.
“Sometimes, I swear you’re letting us win,” Gunther added, clearly agreeing with Petra on that matter.
“Because she is,” Levi said bluntly from the head of the table. You gave him a sharp look that clearly asked why the fuck was he outing you, but he didn’t even glance in your direction as the rest of the table fell awkwardly silent. “It’s why she trains with me in the mornings--she needs a tougher opponent.”
You blushed, feeling the attention shifting to you. “I wouldn’t put it that way,” you muttered under your breath, worried it might come off as Levi suggesting the other four weren’t good enough to spar with her, that they weren’t at her level, that she needed someone who actually presented a challenge.
All of those could be taken rather insultingly, considering you were apparently still new enough to be considered a newbie by most of the squad.
Levi held your gaze from across the table. “How about next time you spar with them, you don’t hold back and let them see for themselves.”
“Put that effort into sparring with your comrades, and they might learn something.”
The first thing he’d ever tried to teach you, back when he’d first encountered you.
You nodded, deciding not to question his judgement on this. He knew the other members of the squad better than you did. And not he was aware of your secret and could properly assess risks. You were going to trust his judgement on this one, despite your own confusion or reservations.
“Yes, sir,” you said with a nod, turning back to the food in front of you with a slightly thoughtful frown.
*Levi’s POV*
After shooing Y/N away from taking care of the horses like she usually did, Levi was spending some much needed time with his horse, brushing down the black steed’s coat and gently rubbing his neck, forehead, and muzzle--whichever he could reach.
“You’re putting on a bit of weight,” Levi remarked lowly, eyes roaming over his horse’s frame. “If she’s going to give you so many treats, she could at least make sure you get the exercise to keep from gaining the weight…”
The horse just snorted and tossed his head, settling back down when Levi gave him a disapproving look before Levi continued brushing him, taking a moment to let the sound of the horses moving around and nickering softly in the stables soothe him away from the bustle of the Scout’s headquarters.
The stable door opened, and Levi glanced out the stall to see who it was, half expecting it to be Y/N again and for him to have to shoo her away again so he could have quiet time with his horse.
It was Petra, actually, and she went right by the stall that her horse was kept in and made a beeline for where Levi was standing by the entrance to his horse’s stall.
“Captain, I need to talk to you about something,” she said seriously, a flush of nervousness coloring her cheeks as she came to a stop in front of him. Levi’s eyebrows rose at her demeanor, but he didn’t say anything, intending for her to continue without further prompting from him.
“There’s a rumor that’s been going around…”
Levi snorted softly, turning back to his horse. “You know I don’t give a damn about what’s going through the gossip chain for the week.”
“I know, and normally I wouldn’t say anything, but...this one’s pretty bad. And it’s only getting more out of hand. And I thought I should give you a warning before someone tries to do something about it.”
That caught his attention. People throwing rumors around was one thing. A nasty rumor that could stir people to action, though, that was something that he might want to give a bit of attention to. And considering Petra was coming to him about it as a warning, it involved him.
“People have been saying that Y/N has been getting her promotions and placements by sleeping with superior officers...namely you, and that it's still going on right now. Now, the rest of the squad and I don’t believe it, but there are some people who believe it’s true to the point they’re planning on bringing their concerns to Erwin,” Petra told him nervously, the slight shake in her voice getting worse when Levi’s expression darkened considerably.
That was quite an accusation. And apparently one people were believing enough to try and take action about. But to think some people would believe he was actually the type to be bought with sexual favors.
Well, actually, he was used to people thinking lowly of him, but this was a line he’d thought it was clear he wasn’t ever going to cross--either falling into the trap of accepting sexual favors in return for promotions, or exploiting someone in a lower position for them. It was a filthy rumor, and Petra was right, this was one he preferred to have a heads up on so he could do something to shoot them down before they got any further.
This wasn’t a rumor that could be combated with words--no one was going to believe it no matter how insistent Y/N or he got, but maybe, at least for a little while, if it was more out in the open that they were just training, and it was for good reason, maybe it would help abate the rumors.
Maybe letting them go to Erwin was a good idea. Erwin knew what was actually happening--hell, Levi gave him regular reports on her progress, since the man wanted to keep a close eye on his new asset while he decided how best to use her in the grand scheme of his goals. Then again, Erwin might have to be forced to investigate anyway, considering the seriousness of the claims, even if they both knew it was just a nasty rumor that had gone too far. And Levi and Y/N were spending plenty of time alone and out of the public eye where no one knew what could be happening--besides the three who knew exactly what was happening, but their witness wasn’t there, physically.
Petra was watching his reaction in tense anticipation, staring at him as his eyes roamed around at something only he could see, considering his options and how best to handle the situation. He went back to his horse, giving the almost perfectly shining coat another few brushes before he answered.
“Thank you, Petra. I’m sure if it does get to Erwin, he’ll know better--he knows what I’ve been training her on and when, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. But if it does become one, it’ll blow over,” Levi reassured her, exuding an outward demeanor of calm after deciding on a few minor moves to help dispel the rumors.
*Reader’s POV*
About a week after you had overheard the rumor in the mess hall, and well aware that the rumor was only getting worse, Levi called you into his office to discuss that very rumor. Apparently, Petra had told him about it, including the lovely fact that there was a group that was going to go to Erwin to have him take action about it like it was possibly true. Besides letting you know that he knew, the only thing Levi was requesting that they do in order to try and combat some of the rumors, was to move their just-before dinner training with the ODM gear onto the training field so there were witnesses that they were just training, and at least once in the upcoming days, the two of you were going to do your hand to hand training on the training field where there were witnesses to see that you actually did need to train with him for the sparring.
You would, of course, have to refrain from doing something openly vampiric, even though normally during your morning spars you could cut loose, but the two of you sparring and being rather evenly matched would probably be plenty of evidence to show that you had earned your spot on Levi’s squad (Even if the circumstances had been unique).
However, something about him going to these lengths sort of bugged you. You understood how serious it would become once people took it to Erwin, but at the same time…
“Thank you, Captain Levi, but...you don’t have to do any of this for me just because of some rumors. I don’t really care what they think of me,” you said hesitantly. The only people that mattered were the ones that didn’t believe the rumors, from what you were aware. It was mostly people who had some kind of a grudge against you from the training cadets or simply out of jealousy that were pushing it further than just a rumor and willing to actually believe you and Levi were the kind of people to be doing something like that.
“What makes you think I’m doing this for you?” he asked, possibly a little sharper than he’d intended.
He had a point, though. This didn’t just hurt your reputation, it could hurt his credibility as well if it made it to the point of a legitimate investigation, whether the two of you were cleared or not. No one would forget that there had been enough to question him, that he had still been investigated for accepting sexual favors, whether it had been true or not. You were both in the same boat in this mess. He didn’t seem like the kind of person to normally care about petty rumors, but this one was going too far.
“Okay then...but on one condition,” you said firmly, sitting up in your seat. Levi leaned back, studying you for a moment, looking a little confused that you even had a condition for going along with trying to clear your names up even a little from these rumors. “No matter how the spar goes, you have to be the one to win it when we’re in front of everyone.”
Levi stared you down for several long minutes, the silence almost getting painful as he seemed to be trying to read you, to glean why this was your condition, why you were so insistent about it. Maybe he was also thinking back to how you’d thrown your first match with him even though you were about to win, and how that one had been in front of everyone...while you had never thrown a fight when it was just the two of you, and you’d even beaten him a few times.
“Why is it so important to you that you lose to me when we’re in front of everyone?” he finally asked.
“The same reason I threw the fight when we met. You’re Humanity’s Strongest. I know it might not even matter to you, but it does to me. I don’t want that title, I don’t deserve it--I’m not even human. You do--deserve the title, I mean. I can’t take it, I refuse to, even if it’s bestowed by people who don’t know any better.” You licked your lips, heaving a soft and somewhat tired sigh. “That’s why you can’t let me win when it’s not just the two of us. I can’t even risk the thought entering their minds that you’re not Humanity’s Strongest anymore, because that’s not true. Not that they’d ever know.”
“I really don’t give a damn about whatever title they want to try and fit me with,” Levi said, his voice surprisingly not betraying anything about what he thought--not yet, anyway.
“But I do. I hate to sound superficial, but it does matter to me that you stay the one they see as Humanity’s Strongest, and it doesn’t get passed on to me. So that’s my condition. You have to win the spar at the end.”
Levi nodded slowly, getting to his feet. “All right, then. I’ll win the spar,” he agreed, gesturing for the door. “I’d invite you to have some tea with all this shit going on, but we probably shouldn’t be spending any more time by ourselves until this whole mess blows over.”
“Of course,” you said, getting to your feet and ready to leave. You paused by the door, turning to look at him. “And Captain…”
He looked up from where he was getting his jacket off the chair, looking at you expectantly.
“Thank you. For training me, and...giving me a chance. Despite everything,” you said, feeling awkwardness drip into your tone and a blush color your cheeks before you hurriedly left the room, shutting the door before you could see his reaction or he had the chance to answer with a snarky or sharp reply.
Next Chapter---->
Levi Tags: @clary-quinn @humanitys-hottestsoldier @whalerus @sunny-flo @thirstyforsometea @hauntedhousecat @peaches-and-clouds
Wings in the Dark Tags: @regalillegal @animeluver23 @theshylittleelfgirl @queenthorin1 @dilucs-thighs @sociallyanxiousmouse @subtlepjiminie @hakunamatatayqueen @queenofcurse @linxiajei17 @levisbebe @toni-jones @pinkberrymilktea
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Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 67
Firstly, I am sorry this took so long to do but it's finished now and hopefully it is a good read. Anyway, this was really fun and hard to write but I enjoyed it. I tried to make it quite light hearted compared to the others I've wrote recently and this officially marks the Lukanette part of the story. Like i know these two blueberries have been dancing around each other for a while but now they are finally on the same page on each other's feelings. However, Anatis won't be telling Lady Noir about it and vice versa. The reason is because they could work out each other's identities. Anatis thinks if he tells her, she realize he's is Luka from it as he wouldn't want to be with anyone else then Marinette and Lady Noir is still Marinette so she figures that if she tells him, he realize that both her and Marinette had the same thing happen to them at the same time and from that, he realize they are the same person. So I will be working on the Halloween Special for the Specials section and Crescendo next so I'm pretty excited about them XD
Also I changed Heureux Fin's powers a bit. He has a dust that turns people into fairytale characters that makes them not worry as a side effect. It can also change objects and places into fairytale scenery. Fairytale can shape-shift into fairytale creatures aka a fairy, a shadow and a wolf. It can also produce a dust in it's fairy form that turns Adrien's friends into the lost kids, making them think they were always lost kids while forgetting who they really are. Their canon hero names are inspiration for their lost kid names. For example, Kim is just monkey as a lost boy. Another reason why I decided to give it that power is because Neverland has that effected on the characters in the book.
Oh and for the fairytale characters that the characters became check the end notes :)
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Chapter Sixty-Seven: Heureux Fin
~Agreste Manor~
"Thank you all for coming," Gabriel stated as he looked to his guests. Audrey and her husband were sat close to him on the right side of the tablet while Tomoe was sat next to him on the left. She was still gripping her cane. XY had come in place of his father and Amelie Graham de Vanily was sat opposite him. The only person who hadn't turned up was Alim Kubdel but this did not surprise him as Alim had walked away after the birth of his son. "As we all saw the temple of the miraculous has returned,"
"Is that why you called us here, Gabriel?" Audrey asked, making him look at her as she glanced at her nails. "I already did my part for the order,"
"Yes and your daughter was a wonderful contribution but now we must focus our efforts on the true goal of our organization," He stated, making almost all of them look at him. "Finding the mage's latest form,"
"We have been looking for years," Tomoe replied. "We even hoped our own children would be him reborn and when it wasn't the case, we gave up or did you forget that?"
"Of course, I remember that but I have reason to believe he must be here in Paris,"
"Why on earth would the mage come here?" Amelie asked with disgust. "This rat hole is not worthy of his presence,"
"Because of Hawkmoth," Gabriel stated, causing everyone to look at him. "Hawkmoth is currently misusing a miraculous and trying to steal more. It would make sense that this would draw the mage to Paris. In fact, I believe he might even be the one responsible for giving Anatis and Lady Noir their powers,"
"So you're saying the mage has already been reborn?!" Amelie gasped, standing up. Gabriel nodded in reply. "Well, that simply won't do! How are we suppose to control him now?! He could be older then all of us,"
"Relax, my dear. I have reason to be believe that he isn't that old," Gabriel replied, making her frown. "As for controlling him, there is plenty of ways to indoctrinate him into our way of thinking... as I'm sure Audrey will testify with her daughter,"
"Yes, Zoe is doing wonderfully at her current school. By the time she is 18, she'll be a perfect fit to take over my position as both the Style Queen and Queen of the underworld," She smirked, looking at her nails. "Shame that Chloe is such a broken child though... however, I'm surprised none of you decided to put your child into the program,"
"The Tsurugi family never let anyone dictate how they see the world," Tomoe declared, making Audrey frown deeply. "We are as elusive as the wind, as powerful as the flood, and as swift as lightning. We never let anyone rule our hearts or control us,"
"Yet you're one of the most controlling parents here," Audrey pointed out, making Tomoe frown. "So much for not letting anyone control you,"
"At least, my family understands honor," Tomoe retorted back. "Yours only understands money,"
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Audrey laughed. "Money is power. We all know that,"
Gabriel clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.
"As much as I would love to see this continue, let's focus on the subject at hand," Gabriel stated, making everyone look at him. It took a lot of mental strength for him not go to his secret garden and akumatize the room but having said that, they would make great akumas. He would even akumatize Amelie despite the fact that she was technically family. He cleared his mind of those thoughts as they began to talk about how to track down the mage's latest form and how they would take control of him. Of course, Gabriel had no intention of letting the others have him. No, he would take the mage for himself and akumatize him. He would be the perfect akuma to finally take down Anatis and Lady Noir. They wouldn't know what hit them.
~Feng's Hut~
"Su Han used the wish?!" Luka gasped, pushing his fingers through his hair. "Why? Why did he do that? Why did he kill Toutai?"
"Because he wanted the title," Feng replied, making Luka frown. "Su Han believed it was his destiny to become the Celestial guardian as soon as he found out about my existence but when Toutai was revealed to be my most recent incarnation, Su Han became jealous. That jealousy was left to fester and grew, turning into resentment as the years passed. It did not help that both were in love with the same woman,"
"Mulan," Luka muttered, causing Feng to nod.
"When she chose Toutai, it added salt to an already infected wound and the resentment that Su Han had for Toutai turned into a cold, deep hatred," He stated, making Luka frown. "From that, things just got worst. Thanks to his hatred, Su Han fell victim to the dark spirit I mentioned. This dark spirit influenced him with promises of power and his 'rightful' destiny. He tried to get Su Han to murder Toutai but when he wouldn't, he suggested using the wish to claim what he called Su Han's destiny but as you know, the wish requires a price in return for what you wish. Su Han wished to be the celestial guardian and so Toutai lost the title but even with the title, it didn't change that Toutai was the rightful guardian. Su Han only wished to be have the title. He should have wished to have been born as my reincarnation but he did not. He thought just having the title was enough. He thought that he would become the best celestial guardian there was and that Mulan would rush to his side as his bride. Of course, she didn't rush to his side and stuck with Toutai. The two of them intended to leave and rebuild else where but the dark spirit whispered in Su Han's ear, making him believe they intended to usurp him. He made a special dagger and confronted them but he did not expect Toutai to challenge him for his betrayal. They got into a fight and as a result, Toutai was murdered and the dark spirit was freed,"
"That's when he possessed Su Han," Luka stated, making Feng nod. "Tell me more about the dark spirit,"
"His name is Simme. He was born of humanity's cruelty and feeds off negative emotions. Feelings such as anger, jealousy and resentment are what he is drawn t. He is also drawn to those who's hearts are darker then others. Just been around him will bring these negative emotions to the surface but it goes much far then that," Feng replied, making Luka frown. "Simme is what the kwamis call Móguǐ or Devil in your tongue. He inspired the stories of Lucifer, Satan and most devil figures in mythology and religion. He is a trickster and a deal maker but those deals never go the way people want them to. They only work in his favor,"
"How did he get trapped?"
"Another spirit fought him and trapped him in Jīngshén, an area in the spirit realm," He replied, making Luka nod before he frowned. "Luka?"
"Wait... if he escaped from there and possessed Su Han at the temple..." Luka muttered as the color drained out of his face. "I restored the temple! That means he's back!!"
"Yes and no," Feng replied, making Luka frown. "Simme is a spirit, meaning it is rather difficult for him to interact with the physical world so while he is technically back, he can only do so much right now, especially with the fact that his host is weak... but should there be an event that creates enough negative emotion or if he was able to find a dark soul and use it as a host, it could be enough to allow him to break through the spiritual barriers and manifest a form in the physical world,"
"Great... wait what's a dark soul?" Luka asked, frowning.
"It's a form of a pure soul but one that is born pure evil," Feng replied. "It is rare but what's even rarer is a light soul, which is one born pure good. You see most souls are a mix of good and bad. It's very rare for someone to be born pure evil or pure good,"
"And I brought this thing back?!" Luka gasped, running his fingers through his hair. "I've made a huge mistake! I should have given up been Anatis and then-"
"Simme would have returned regardless of your choice. Whoever defeated Feast and cast the miraculous cure would have brought him back," Feng replied, making Luka at him. "But regardless, this is what was meant to happen and your choice has been made. You are Anatis and Simme is free but that doesn't mean you are helpless against him. As my reincarnation, you can use a spell to trap him back in Jīngshén,"
"Wait... I can?" Luka asked, making Feng nod. "How? I don't know magic... or at least not that type. Obviously, I know how to project my emotions... but casting spells... isn't that evil?"
"No, a spell is neither good nor bad. It is the intention of the caster that makes it either," Feng replied, making Luka nod. "As for learning, I can teach you. Of course, you won't be able to cast that spell yet. It is a very powerful spell and you must first learn to channel magic, which is why we have the tests,"
"Tests?" Luka asked, confused.
"Yes, tests," Feng replied, making Luka raise an eyebrow. "These tests are required to prove you are worthy of magic as well as the title of Celestial guardian,"
"Whoa, whoa... Celestial guardian?!" Luka gasped, making Feng chuckle. "I'm not celestial guardian material! I'm barely guardian material, Feng!"
"Becoming a celestial guardian is your destiny, Luka," He explained, making Luka frown. "Think of it as you are my heir and I beg to differ. You have already ticked a number of the boxes to becoming a celestial guardian and passed one of the tests,"
"I... have?" Luka asked, surprised.
"Yes," Feng nodded. "You lead a team of heroes, you have the trust of a civilization, you restored hope, the kwamis you have met love and respect you and you are willing to fight for the right. As for the test, you passed the test of determination... my test... when you continued to fight, despite having a chance to walk away. Whether you see it or not, you're on the path of becoming the next celestial guardian,"
"What do you mean your test?"
"Each test comes from our different lives," Feng replied, making Luka frown a little. "Me and Khnurn came up with them after he showed determination in saving Egypt despite having a strong dislike towards most humans,"
"...Why does he hate people?" Luka asked, making Feng sigh.
"It is not really my place to save but let's just say for now that Khnurn has seen how cruel humans can be," Feng replied, causing Luka to frown. "He'll tell you in his own time but for now, let me explain more about the tests,"
"Ok," Luka nodded. "Why is your test determination?"
"It is what I represent," Feng replied, making Luka give him a confused look. "Hmm... how to explain this? Well, I guess you could say we're the closest thing to a spirit a human can be,"
"Wait... that does mean we're not human?!" Luka gasped, concerned. Feng chuckled a little and shook his head.
"No, we're still human... we're just part spirit too," He replied, making Luka frown. "Well, you know Kwamis are born from concepts and Renlings are born from values. Well, spirits are born from traits,"
"Traits?" Luka echoed, making Feng nod. "I'm not sure I fully understand,"
"Ok," Feng replied, making a thinking face. "Well, a good example is Simme and his opposite,"
"His opposite?"
"All things have an opposite, Luka. Where there is light, there is always shadow and where there is evil, there is also good. The world is of balance and Simme is no different," Feng replied, making Luka blink as he stopped talking and took a drag from a pipe. He rose an eyebrow as he was certain that Feng didn't have it a moment ago. However, he blew smoke out of his mouth and to Luka's surprise, it formed shapes that resembled men. He frowned as he watched them hurt and kill each other as a new form shaped. It resembled a snake with a grin. "Simme was born from the cruelty in the hearts of man and as a result, he can influence it,"
Luka frowned as he watched the smoke snake whisper to the men, causing them to be cruel and evil but the smoke changed and showed a smoke person offering another food.
"But where there is cruelty, there is also kindness," Feng replied as Luka watched. "Not all humans are evil or cruel. There are kind and it was from this kindness, Simme's opposite was born,"
From the smoke people, a new shape formed but this one resembled a bird.
"Finni, the spirit of kindness.... you met him during the mob boss situation. It was him who guided you to safety," He replied, making Luka blink. He did remember seeing a bird but he had no idea it was a spirit. "And it is him that we owe our long lives and immortality to. He is why we are part spirit,"
The scene changed, showing a boy in a temple surrounded by others but what made them stand out was they didn't look solid. Instead, they appeared to transparent but the boy in the scene looked solid. Luka realized the boy was Feng.
"I was born with the gift of foresight and I have always been able to see spirits..." He replied as the smoke changed. It now showed the boy but he was alone in the temple while others whispered to each other. Luka knew they were whispering about him. "Other humans believed I was mad. Even my parents. I never fitted in and the other children thought I was weird,"
The scene changed to the boy, walking through a forest before he stumbled on the kwamis.
"Then one day, I met Tikki and the other kwamis. I invited them to live with me, finding that I had more in common with them then other humans," Feng replied as the scene showed him laughing and playing with them. However, the scene changed to him trying to tell his mother something during a thunderstorm. "But then I had a vision of death and war,"
The smoke changed to Feng talking to a girl in a village before it showed him running from her.
"I tried to warn my family but they did not believe me so I ran away," He replied as the smoke showed him going deep into a forest and crying to himself. As he did, the grinning snake approached him. "That's where I met Simme. He tried to tempt me into using my gifts for evil but I refused him and found Finni,"
The smoke showed an injured bird and Feng trying to heal him.
"I tried to help and my kindness saved his life but he was still weak. I took him home with me and for a small amount of time, I was happy again but my vision haunted me and one day, it came to be," The smoke changed into a scene of carnage as a village been attacked by men on horses. Luka covered his mouth in shock as he watched Feng been cut down then attacked by Simme. Before he could kill him, Finni flew in and attacked Simme to protect his friend. He used his magic to banish him, sending the snake away and tried to heal the boy's wounds with his tears. When that wasn't enough, he possessed a nearby body and lifted Feng into his arms. The smoke changed and showed Finni's host taking a dying Feng back to their temple and to the other spirits who surrounded the dying boy. The other kwamis and Finni discussed something and then the scene showed them surrounding him and singing as Finni turned into a ball of light before it covered the area. When it disappeared, the smoke showed Feng sit up, alive. Finni had sacrificed himself to heal him.
"That war drained Finni's power a lot and he used the last of it to merge his soul with mine and save my life," Feng explained, making Luka blink as the smoke showed Feng placing his hand where his heart was. "That was the moment I became the spirit of Determination. Up until the very end, I tried to warn my family of the attack and when Finni merged his soul with mine, it made me into a spirit... well, the closest thing to a spirit a human could be. That is why my test is the test of determination and each time I have been reborn, I became a new spirit with a new trait but the same soul. Each of my tests is based on those traits,"
"What is my trait?" Luka asked, looking at Feng. "Did you know straight away?"
"No... and I don't know what yours is either," Feng replied, making Luka frown. "But you will find out,"
"Can I know what the other tests will be?" Luka asked, making Feng nod.
"You will be tested on honesty, loyalty, courage and compassion," Feng replied, making Luka nod. "But I can not tell you when you'll be tested or how. Only that you will be and what their traits are,"
"Four tests? That's it?" Luka asked, a little surprised. "What happens if I pass them? I mean I don't feel any different from passing yours..."
"Oh, you are different since you passed mine. You're stronger and I know you felt it," Feng smiled, making Luka remember how he felt when he transformed after reclaiming his miraculous back. He had felt stronger. "As for rewards for passing, I can teach you how to farther your magic and how to channel mine. You also unlocked one of the locks,"
"Locks?" Luka asked as Feng gestured towards the door of the hut, the one that never opens. "There's locks on it?"
"Yes, five all together," Feng replied, making Luka blink. "One for each trait and once you have passed all of them, it will open the door, allowing you to join me and the others in Shangi-La both spiritual and physically,"
"Ok... cool..." Luka muttered, not entirely sure how to feel. "I am here physically?"
"No but this is still real," Feng replied, making Luka nod. "Anyway, do you understand spirits, our lives and the tests a bit better?"
"A little... yeah..." Luka admitted. It kind of did make sense. He had to admit he was interested in learning how to channel magic. "So you can teach me to channel your magic? Does that mean I can have visions? And will that help with learning to cast spells? Also what spells can we do? Is it like Harry Potter? Do I need a wand?"
"Luka, calm yourself," Feng stated, making him blink and grin in a sheepish manner. He did get a bit excited. "No, you don't need a wand. It isn't like Harry Potter. We can cast any spells but certain ones need certain things and power level so you'll be learning basic spells and yes, it will help with casting and you will be able to have visions but learning your own magic will help too and most things can be a spell. We just need to work out how you cast,"
"Ok!" Luka grinned, making Feng smile. While part of him was kind of weary of it, a bigger part of him was excited. After all, he just got told he could do actual magic and it wasn't like Issac was in his life anymore. He didn't need to be afraid of been a witch plus Feng had explained that it was his intention that determined what the magic actually was so as long as his intention was good, his magic would be too and this was a chance to learn more about his empathy. "When can we begin?"
"Now if you want,"
"Yes!!"
~A Few Days Later~
"Urg, I can't believe we're back at school," Alix groaned as a number of students walked back to the school grounds. Summer holidays were over now, meaning it was back to the humdrum routine of studying and akuma attacks but the children were back, heading to the school. Felix had returned from London and was talking to Aurora and Mireille while they waited for Jean to turn up. Nino and Alya were similar in the sense they were waiting for Adrien and Marinette. Nathaniel was already at the school and in the art room, discussing the new ideas for the comic that he and Marc came up with during the holidays. Marc was also there. Alix would have joined them but she wanted to wait for Kim and Max. Mylene and Ivan were stood with the others, waiting for Juleka, Rose and Luka. "Why couldn't the summer holidays last longer?!"
"We had two months off, Alix," Max stated as he walked up to her, making her groan before she grinned. "How was your holiday... other then... you know?"
"History Keepers," Alix replied, rolling her eyes. "It's been fairly good. Dad's still embarrassing and Jalil is still a history geek. When's Kim gonna be here?"
"Oh, he is currently stuck in traffic," Max replied, pushing up his glasses. "Mr Pigeon has been trying to get rid of cars. I'm surprised Alya isn't on the scene,"
"Eh," Alya shrugged, making Nino snigger. "It's Mr Pigeon's 60th time as an akuma and it will be over soon anyway. No one wants to watch that,"
As if on que, the miracle cure rushed throughout the city, fixing any issues the akuma had caused. The students grinned as they saw it before beginning to chat about the recent akumas and how Anatis and Lady Noir saved them. A few of them had been akumatized before going back to school. Nino had been one of them. He had been re-akumatized into the Bubbler as he wanted Summer to never end so he tried to get rid of the adults again to allow the summer holiday to continued. Fortunately, Anatis and Lady Noir had dealt with him pretty quickly. A few minutes after the cure had been cast, Juleka and Rose walked over, followed by Luka. At the same time, Marinette had rushed out of the bakery, holding a croissant in her mouth. She had ran over and hadn't seen Luka, who had been jogging to catch up with Rose and Juleka. The two of them knocked into each other and fell on the ground with Marinette landing on Luka. She jumped up and helped him up as he laughed it off.
"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have looked where I was going!" She gushed, making him chuckle.
"It's ok, Marinette," He replied, smiling before he pulled a face as a limo pulled up. "I was rushing too so I should have been more careful as well,"
"Did I miss something?" Adrien asked as he climbed out, followed by Kagami. He smiled at her as he held her hand, making her smile back as she linked their fingers together. Instantly, Marinette cooed at their action, making both Adrien and Kagami blush a little. Alix laughed and moved her arm around Marinette.
"Just Marinette and Luka falling for each other," She grinned, making both of them blush a little bit too. However, the mood soured as they heard the screech of none other then Lila Rossi. They all looked over as she waved at them before she walked up to them, instantly making a number of them feel uncomfortable.
"Hi everyone!" She grinned before turning to Luka. "Hi, Luka! I'm so glad you decided to take the restraining order off me! I hope we can be friends,"
"I didn't take it off. It was granted on a temporary basis and I'll be in court tomorrow afternoon to get it reinstated," He replied in a calm but cold voice. "So no, we won't be friends. Just because it is currently inactive doesn't mean you can come near me so I suggest you back off, Rossi,"
Lila gave him a look before huffing and walking over to Alya.
"Can you believe his attitude?" She asked, rather loudly. It was obviously to make Luka hear. He took a small breathe and ignored her, turning back to Marinette. "I just want to fix where we went wrong and he won't even give me a chance,"
"Lila, you didn't exactly treat him nicely," Alya muttered, making Luka roll his eyes. It was more then that. "I mean you kissed him without his permission,"
"I misread the situation!" Lila gasped.
"Still..." Alya stated as Nino started to berate her, saying it wasn't cool to kiss people even if she thought it was but Marinette took Luka's hand and led him inside the school, making him smile a little as they walked over to the benches. They took a seat as he let out a sigh.
"You ok?" She asked, making him nod. "How come the restraining order ran out?"
"The court granted it on a temporary basis," He sighed, making her frown. "If the problem still occurs, we can get a fresh one which we'll be doing tomorrow. I asked if we could get it renewed before but apparently it needs to run out first and they review the case before granting a fresh one which can take up to two weeks to grant depending how bad the case is. There is a chance they won't grant a second one against her,"
"They should," Marinette stated, taking his hand in hers as he looked at her. She gently moved his hair, causing him to close his eyes. "Are you sleeping ok? You look tired,"
"Hmm... my nightmares aren't as bad," He muttered before a yawn escaped him. "But I'm not getting a lot of restful sleep. Music's been on my mind,"
"Oh, you writing some new songs?" She asked, making him smile before he shook his head. "Oh?"
"I've been practicing for that violin contest," He admitted, making her grin.
"You're entering it?!" She gasped, clearly excited. "Wait but weren't auditions for it a couple of days ago?"
"Yeah... I'm just waiting to find out if I got through to the next stage," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He hadn't even told his ma or Juleka that he had entered yet. He didn't want to disappoint them if he didn't get through. There had been a lot of entries for it and a lot of talent. Luka wasn't sure if he could get through to the next stage so he decided to keep quiet about it until he knew for certain. "I don't know if I'll get through and I don't want to disappoint anyone if I didn't so I figured I'd tell Ma, Juleka and you if I got through but I guess you know now... sorry for not mentioning it,"
"Hey, it's ok," She smiled, making him smile back. "I get why but you're gonna get through to the next stage and blow those judges away!"
"Thanks, Melody," He smiled as the first bell rang. "We better go to classes,"
The two of them got up and walked over to the locker room as the other kids headed inside. Luka completely ignored Lila, who shoot a glare at him when she thought no one was watching before he put his stuff in his locker and grabbed what he needed for his class. Once that was done, he locked his locker and headed over to Marinette's locker as she put her things in and grabbed what she needed. The two of them left the locker room with their friends and headed upstairs to their classes.
"See you at Lunch?" She asked, causing him to nod before she gently kissed his cheek, making him blush. He smiled dreamily at her as she waved to him before heading into her classroom. He turned and walked over to Mrs Mendeleiev's class as Aurora hooked her arm with his and grinned.
"So you and Mari are an item?!" She grinned, clearly excited. He blushed a little. "Oh you are, aren't you?!"
"W-We're taking it slow," He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like we're not exclusively dating... just enjoying each other's company,"
"Oh my gosh! You're courting her!" Aurora grinned, making him blush as she giggled before she leaded against him as they joined the rest of their class. "I'm so proud! Our Lu is a true gentleman!!"
"Have you told her that you love her yet?" Mireille asked as Aurora let go of his arm and took her seat next to him. Luka rubbed his neck again. "You haven't, have you?"
"I mean we're taking it slow..." He mused, looking to the side. "And I know she likes me but I'm still unsure if it's just because I'm her friend or more... I'm probably just a friend to her..."
"More... it's definitely more," Marc stated, making everyone look at him. He was scribbling in his notebook but he looked up to address everyone. "She flutters to you like a bee to a flower... I would use a butterfly as an example but... akumas..."
"It's not their fault," Luka pointed out, making everyone look at him. "Hawkmoth uses the butterflies, just like he uses people,"
"Hmm... that is a good point," Marc smiled, writing something down. "Anyway, Marinette definitely likes you. She moves her hair, blushes and she also shows you her wrists and 'vulnerabilities'... which means she trusts you,"
"Trust and liking someone isn't the same thing," Luka pointed out but he couldn't help the smile on his face. He liked that she trusts him. "Still... it's nice that she trusts me,"
"She's also open with you, has a genuine look in her eye when she looks at you, she mirrors you a little bit and when you two talk, she leans towards you and acts like it is only the two of you in the world," Marc pointed out, making Luka blush. "All signs that at the very least, she has a crush on you,"
"How do you know this?" Luka asked, making Marc blush a little as he begin to fidget. "Not that it's a bad thing... I'm just curious,"
"I wanted to show that Lady Noir has feelings for Anatis in the comic so I researched body language for it plus it helps Nathaniel with expressions when he's drawing," Marc replied, playing with his hands. "I'm sorry if I crossed a line. I just think you should know that Marinette likes you a lot and definitely as more as a friend,"
"No, it's cool," Luka smiled before looking down. "I just guess... I like that she might like me but I'm just Luka so I guess I don't really see why..."
"Stop second guessing yourself, Couffaine," Felix stated, making everyone look at him. He was so quiet they had actually forgotten he was there. "Dupain-Cheng likes you. You like her so just date already,"
"Felix! Be nice!" Aurora gasped, causing him to give her a cheeky grin before she turned to Luka. "But he's right. Oh, you should ask her out on an actual date and make sure she knows it's a date date!"
"I don't know, Aurora..."
~Meanwhile in Miss Bustier's Class~
"You look happy," Alya grinned, making Marinette jump a little as she had been day-dreaming about watching Luka playing violin. Alya grinned, making Marinette look at her. "So you finally asked Luka out on a real date?"
"W-What?! No!" She blushed, covering her face with her hand. She wanted to but they were taking it slow. However, when she thought about it, she did want to been more then just what they were at the moment. She liked the idea of been his girlfriend. She liked the idea a lot. She really enjoyed going on their little dates and she had thought about kissing him a few times but hadn't done so because she wasn't sure if he wanted to. It seemed like he did but she didn't want to assume. She loved and respected him too much to do that. She looked up from her hands as Alya grinned at her. "I... I want to... but I'm not sure if he likes me like that. Like I know he likes me but I'm not sure if he likes me enough to want me to be his girlfriend,"
"But you want to be his girlfriend?" Alya asked as Rose gushed, leaning against Juleka who gave Marinette a small but happy smile. Everyone knew she shipped what they had dubbed 'Lukanette'. Marinette slowly nodded. "Girl, you need to ask him out,"
"I bet he would say yes!" Rose gushed, making Marinette blush even more.
"Luka definitely likes you," Mylene agreed as Alix rolled her eyes.
"I don't get the whole dating thing but you like him and he likes you then you should go for it," She added in, making Marinette smile. Even Chloe encouraged her in her own way. However, Lila kept to herself, digging her nails into her hands as she listened. She wanted to destroy Marinette and take everything from her but taking Luka from her will be really hard since he knows what she is like. Somehow, that freak had seen through her facade extremely quickly. Even Marinette hadn't seen through it straight away. It was only after Lila slipped up that Marinette had realized that she was lying and tried to expose her. As annoying as it was, Lila was partially glad because she couldn't stand the baker girl but she had to pretend to. Sure, she still had to pretend but before she couldn't do anything about it. Now, she could mess with her and that's exactly what she did. In fact, that's what she'll do. She might not be able to turn Luka onto her side but she could at the very least make Marinette asking him out impossible. Hell, Marinette or Luka might even get akumatized out of it. She could then claim that they hated her and it would be especially funny if Luka got akumatized. If it succeed, he would have to fight his friend for Hawkmoth and if it didn't... well, he'd be sick for a few days and out of her hair. She held back a smirk to herself as she pretended to listen to Miss Bustier. The day moved on and soon enough, it was lunch time. Marinette was getting her food and Lila was watching her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Seeing Marinette walking towards the lunch table, she tried to trip her up but much to her annoyance that failed so she moved onto the next plan. She tried to get Marinette to call her out by saying something clearly false. Instead, Alya told her she didn't need to lie again and Marinette ignored her. She didn't even notice Nino rolling his eyes. After a few more attempts, she saw Luka walking in with his friends and annoyingly enough, his expression lit up when he saw Marinette. It was so obvious he had feelings for her that it sickened her. However, she also noticed a number of students looking at him. A few girls were looking at him with a dreamy expression but a couple of guys were glaring at him. Lila smirked as she saw one of the boys who she knew had a crush on Marinette, not that she understood why. She didn't know his name either and it didn't matter but luckily enough, he looked like Adrien and most of the school knew Marinette had a crush on a boy with blonde hair and green eyes. She could use that to ruin Marinette's chances with Luka by getting this boy involved. She excused herself from the table, not that Nino or Alya noticed and walked over to the boy. He looked up at her with mild surprise.
"Hi, I have a message from Marinette for you," She smiled, making him frown.
"Um... what is it?" He asked, a little confused.
"She asked me to tell you that she has a crush on you but is just too shy to ask you out," She stated, making him blink.
"Uh... isn't she with Couffaine?" He asked, making Lila mentally smirk. She knew they weren't together.
"Oh, no they're not actually dating," She stated, making him raise an eyebrow. "She sees him as a brother and really likes you,"
"Right... but aren't you that liar?" He asked, making her frown. "Doesn't Marinette hate you?"
"Look, I have an illness that makes me lie sometimes but I'm currently in therapy for it and it's helping so much," She replied, making him nod. "Besides, I don't lie about crushes and I want to make up for my behavior towards Marinette so I figured getting her with the guy she likes. Anyway, you should totally ask her out. I'm sure she'll say yes,"
"Well... I do like her..." He admitted, making Lila smirk. Though she morphed it into a friendly grin. He got up and walked over to Marinette, who was chatting to Luka. Lila returned back to her seat, just as Alya looked up and the guy talked to Marinette. He frowned as she gently let him down and asked her why she got her friend to tell him otherwise. Marinette looked at him confused as he pointed out Lila. She frowned and apologized to him before she walked over.
"Why did you tell that boy I like him?" She asked, crossing her arms. Lila gave her an innocent look.
"Oh, I thought you did," She gasped, making Marinette grit her teeth. "I'm so sorry. I thought that's who you were talking about in class today when you were saying about having a crush on a boy called Luke was it? Or was it Luka?"
Marinette's face went red as Lila gasped.
"Oh, no! I must have got the names mixed up," She gasped in fake regret. "I hope I didn't embarrass you! I was just trying to help you out... I mean you suffered so badly with your crush on Adrien that I didn't want you to suffer in the same way with your new crush but I should have known it was Luka you were crushing on. I just hope you're not stalking him like you-"
To everyone's surprise, Marinette slapped Lila across the face before storming out of the room. Lila held back a smirk but instantly started to cry. However, no one jumped to her defense. Instead, Luka rushed outside to check on Marinette and Alya leaned over to her as the rest of the room glared at her.
"Lila, girl, I know you were trying to help but you shouldn't have done that," She gasped, making Lila frown. "Everyone knows that Marinette has a thing for Luka and moved on from her crush on Adrien. You didn't need to lie to get her to ask Luka out. We don't do those sort of plans anymore,"
"O-oh, I thought it would be ok since you and the other girls have come up with plans like that before," Lila gasped, tears rolling down her face. "I didn't mean to embarrass her. I guess I deserved that slap..."
"Damn right!" Alix growled as the class glared daggers at her.
"I get it, Lila but Marinette was getting there," Alya replied, causing her to grip her fist. "It's not nice to reveal a crush like that and that poor guy... I get you were trying to encourage her but you shouldn't have told that other guy she liked him? What if he hadn't take no for answer?"
"Oh, no! I didn't think of that,"
"Yeah right," Nino muttered, making both Alya and Lila look at him in surprise. "It's clear you did all of that on purpose,"
"W-what? No!" Lila gasped as Alya looked shocked. "Why would I?"
"Because you hate Marinette and probably want Luka yourself," He pointed out, making her blink. She would have to be careful with Nino. "I mean all you do is lie. You lied to me about having a crush on Adrien, you framed Marinette and you lied about been friends with heroes,"
"Babe, that's enough," Alya gasped, making him look at her. "I get she lied but she's trying to be better and she did it to help Marinette, right Lila?"
"Of course," She lied, making Nino glare at her before he suddenly got up and walked off. Alya sighed and went to follow but Adrien stopped her.
"I'll go talk to him," He stated before walking away. Alya nodded and sat down as Lila mentally frowned. Her plan didn't go the way she wanted but at least, she embarrassed Marinette enough to make it awkward with Luka.
~The Art Room~
"Hey!" Adrien called out as Nino stormed in, slamming the door. He ran up to him and gently grabbed his arm. "Nino, calm down,"
"How can I?" He asked before sitting down and taking off his cap as he ran his hand over his head. "I had to say something, dude. I wasn't there for Marinette when Lila caused her to become Princess Justice. I actually believed her until Anatis exposed her and then this whole thing Alya still believing in her. It nearly drove us apart and I keep telling her that Lila isn't a nice person and is lying to hurt people but Alya still wants to see the best in her and I love that because it's sweet but it's wasted on someone like Lila. She doesn't want to be nice! She didn't do that to make amends with Marinette. She did that to hurt her and Alya can't or doesn't want to see that. I love her but she is acting dumb around Lila!"
"Whoa, it's ok, Nino," Adrien gasped, kneeling down as Nino tried to calm down. "I get it. You just want to look out for your friend and your girl. And someone like Lila is nasty but Alya has to realize that herself. You just need to be there for her when she does,"
"... you're right, dude," Nino replied, nodding. "I'm sorry... I just... I just don't want Lila to destroy her faith in people but I also know she needs to realize Lila isn't the person she thinks she is,"
"I know," Adrien stated, sitting next to him. "I wish I had realized sooner myself but if you want, I can try and talk to Alya bout Lila,"
"That be cool," Nino sighed. "I wish I had known before Anatis exposed her. I can't believe it took that for me to see the truth,"
"I know the feeling," Adrien sighed, looking down. "I never realized how damaging her lies could be before Anatis called her out... I really thought she was like a tabloid and that she was just doing it for attention but after he pointed out that she was hurting myself as well as others, I realized how damaging lies can be,"
"Yeah," Nino replied before he suddenly looked up. "Wait... Anatis called her out in front of you?"
"Y-Yeah, like a few hours before he exposed her online," Adrien replied. He was sure he had told Nino about that. "She had tried to claim she was a descendant of a superheroine and that Marinette had threatened her into blaming Chloe,"
"Y-You knew before the rest of us?" Nino asked, making Adrien frown. "Did you know before Anatis called her out? She use to claim that she knew Aspik and Ryuko and you always seemed to ignore that..."
"Well, I thought at first she was telling the truth but then she said something that I knew was a lie..." Adrien admitted, making Nino start at him. "I asked Nathalie about it and she just said to ignore her like a tabloid and that she would expose herself..."
"You knew and you didn't think to warn us? Me?!" Nino gasped, surprising Adrien. "Did you not think that we wouldn't realize?!"
"I honestly thought she would expose herself and I didn't think she would go so far," Adrien gasped as Nino looked at him with hurt, making him realize how wrong he had been. He should have exposed her straight away and he would if he could go back in time. "I'm sorry, Nino. I wish I had told you and the rest of the class. I could have saved everyone so much pain but I really thought she would expose herself and disappear like a tabloid paper,"
"Well, she didn't!" Nino gasped, pinching his nose. "God, Adrien! This isn't a fairytale! Things don't just randomly fix themselves! You should have told us! I... I don't know how I can trust you anymore..."
"Nino!" Adrien gasped, surprised but Nino walked out of the art room, causing Adrien to follow. "Nino, wait!"
Nino ignored him and kept walking, failing to notice the akuma and amok heading towards him but Adrien did. He gasped and suddenly pushed him out of the way, causing Nino to turn around in anger.
"What the- Adrien?" Nino gasped, feeling his anger melting away as he noticed Adrien gripping his head and stepping backwards towards the wall. A purple butterfly mask appeared around his eyes as he tried to fight off Hawkmoth's control. Nino gasped and reached out his hand as he realized that Adrien had taken an akuma meant for him. He gripped his shoulders as Adrien tried to fight off Hawkmoth's influence. "Adrien, dude! Fight him!"
"I'm not going to listen to you!" He gasped before groaning. "I won't be one of your puppets, Hawkmoth!"
"That's right, dude!" Nino gasped, trying to encourage him. "Think only positive thoughts! You've got this, Bro!"
"I won't do evil for you!" Adrien gasped but his eyes widen as Hawkmoth spoke to him. Nino slowly let go as he remembered what it was like giving into him. Hawkmoth had a way with words that made it seem like the greatest idea of all time. No one could resist for long, even Adrien and both of them knew it as Adrien's arms fell limp to his side. A single tear slid down his cheek as he gave one last look of desperation towards his friend. "N-Nino... run..."
"Adrien!" Nino gasped as the purple smog engulfed him and a small blue smog appeared next to him before it disappeared, revealing his akuma form. He actually didn't look much different or scary at all. His outfit had changed into a green tunic with leaves on his sleeves and he had matching green pants. Material shoes were on his feet and he had a dagger attached to his hip, along with a pan-flute. His hair was still blonde but it was messier in style and he had a green mask across his eyes. The only thing that he could see right now that was unusual was his ears that were now pointed. In fact, Adrien actually reminded Nino of Peter Pan. Nino stepped forward, unsure what to do but maybe he could find the akumatized item before Adrien did anything. He went to reach for him but Adrien snapped open his eyes, revealing that his scleras were now green and his irises "A-Adrien?"
"Not anymore," He replied, smiling as Nino stepped back in fear. Adrien took out a small bag and reached in it before taking his hand out and blowing the dust in Nino's face. His eyes rolled up into his head as he fell down onto the ground. A golden glow surrounded him as Adrien grinned. "Don't worry, Nino! You'll be seeing me soon... but first, I have a game to play! Come on, Fee!"
He flew up into the air and laughed happily before he flew off with his sentimonster following him.
~In the Courtyard~
"Marinette!" Luka gasped as he rushed out of the canteen after her. He frowned as he looked around but he couldn't see so he took a small breathe and closed his eyes, listening for the familiar song. He picked up on it and luckily it was close by so he followed it, coming to one of the staircases. He stopped and looked underneath. Hugging her knees while sitting underneath it was Marinette. He crawled next to her and sat down, making her look up from her knees. Her eyes were bloodshot and her tears were tear-stained. Luka gave her a soft look before he opened his arms. Instantly, she crawled into them and wrapped her arms around his torso as he hugged her. "Are you ok?"
"E-Embarrassed," She mumbled, looking up at him. "N-Not of my feelings for you but just how it came out... I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?"
"No, you don't," He replied, moving part of her hair out of her face. "If you did, I would have told you already but I like been with you. Lila was just been a bitch because she is a black hearted coward,"
"But... now you know I like you.." She mumbled, looking down as she pulled away.
"Well, I hope so... we have been going on dates with each other..."
"Yeah but only like small dates. They're practically friend dates," She mumbled, pressing her fingers together as she still felt embarrassed. She really liked Luka but she hoped he liked her but they were probably just really close friends... even though she wanted to be more. She would love to be his girlfriend but there's no way he would like her that much, especially after Lila's stun. "Lila meant that I like you... like really like you... and I'm sure you don't like me. I mean I'm sure you like me enough to go on a few small time dates but I don't think you like me as more then that. We're just friends... right?"
"Marinette... I-"
"Marinette! Luka!" Adrien's voice stated, causing Marinette to gasp and bring her hands to her face. Luka looked behind him as Adrien walked over. Before he could reach, Adrien suddenly blew a golden dust in his face, causing Luka to fall to the ground as he heard Marinette shout before he heard a thumb as well. He tried to look over and saw Marinette laying on the ground as Adrien grinned to him before he looked over at Luka. "Don't resist it, Luka! This is your happy ending!"
Luka felt himself getting heavily before he fell into darkness...
~Hawkmoth's Lair~
"Dusuu, fall my feathers," Mayura declared, turning back into Nathalie. As soon as she did, she felt dizzy and began to cough. Hawkmoth went to see if she was ok but to his surprise, she pushed him away. He gave her a puzzling look as he turned back into Gabriel. "I'm fine, sir... but why didn't you recall the akuma? Adrien-"
"It would have been too suspicious," He replied, making her frown. "That friend of his is the boyfriend of the lady blogger. If he tells her then she'll publish it and it will end up in Anatis' hand which could lead him to find out that I am Hawkmoth. I have managed to keep his investigations at bay but that would only fuel his belief that he is correct,"
"I see, Sir," Nathalie replied as they made their way back to the lift. It took them a few minutes but once they were back in his office, she took a glass of water and sat down. Gabriel frowned to himself as he began to work on designs while keeping an eye on the news. As soon as Anatis and Lady Noir were on the scene, he would transform back into Hawkmoth but right now, Heureux Fin was wreaking havoc across Paris so he might as well do some designs while observing the situation. It also gave Nathalie time to rest. He glanced over to the news as Heureux Fin burst into the news reporter. He transformed Alec into one of the ugly step-sisters and turned Nadja into a version of the boy who cried Wolf before he addressed the camera.
"People of Paris! I am Heureux Fin, bringer of happiness! I invite all of your to the grandest ball in the whole of Paris, brought you to by me and to be hosted at Agreste Manor!!" He declared, making both Nathalie and Gabriel to stare at the screen before he grinned and flew out.
"Wait what?!" Nathalie gasped before the doors suddenly burst opened and Heureux Fin flew in landing on the table.
"Father!" He declared, grinning as Gabriel stared at him. "We're having a grand ball and I've invited everyone in Paris!"
"Absolutely not," Gabriel declared but he regretted it. As soon as the words left his mouth, Heureux Fin's expression turned dark and his sentimonster, Fairytale, transformed into his shadow before it wrapped around Gabriel, trapping him in place. Nathalie jumped up in shock as Heureux Fin walked across the table towards his father. "Adrien, stop- hmm!"
The shadow covered his mouth.
"I'm not Adrien anymore! I'm Heureux Fin!" He declared, taking out his bag of dust. "We're having a grand ball and all of Paris is going to come whenever you like it or not!"
"Hmm!" He declared as Heureux Fin took a handful of dust and blew it in his face, causing his shadow to let go him as he fell to the floor and began to glow gold as well. Nathalie rushed over to the door but the shadow got there beforehand, causing her to back up from it. She felt a tap on her shoulder before she turned around. Heureux Fin was hovering right next to her.
"Adr-" She started but he grinned and blew the dust in her face, causing her to collapse to the floor as well. Heureux Fin turned to his shadow and grinned. "Go and bring our Princess Charming. She can help us set up the ball with her skill!! Oh and why you're at it, spread this all over Paris,"
The shadow grinned and nodded, turning back into it's fairy form before it took the pouch that Heureux Fin handed to it. He had already transformed those who he needed to. Now he just had to set up the ball. He was even willing to let the cat and the beetle come to the ball. Though he will take their miraculous from them before the clock strikes Midnight.
~Back to the School Yard~
"Luka!" A voice echoed as he slowly came around. He slowly blinked and opened his eyes, causing him to notice that he was laid on the ground. He slowly sat up and looked around as he recognized his surroundings as the school yard. Tikki flew in front of him and let out a sigh of relief. "You're ok,"
"What happened?" He asked as he looked around. He remembered been in the courtyard with Marinette. He was making sure she was ok after Lila pulled one of her tricks and was about to fully confess to her but then they got interrupted by Adrien, only he didn't look like himself. In fact, he looked like he had been akumatized. Luka's eyes widen as he looked around and saw Marinette was gone. "Where's Marinette?!"
"She was taken by something that looked like a shadow," Tikki stated, making Luka look at her. "I think your friend was akumatized.."
"We have to transform," He declared, standing up. "Tikki, sp-"
"Luka!" Juleka's voice echoed, making him stop and turn to Tikki. He went to open his hoodie, only to find that his clothes had changed. His new outfit resembled the waiter outfit Marinette had made him but it was more ragged and wore out. He blinked before pointing to his hair which was messier then usual. Tikki got the idea and hid in his hair as Juleka rushed over to him. Like himself, she was wearing a different outfit too. She was wearing a white dress with a blood red overcoat, matching red shoes and a ruby and gold circlet. Her hair was her natural color, which like himself was raven brown, almost black and her lips were blood red. As soon as he saw her, he realized she was suppose to be Snow White. Following her was Rose, who was wearing a pink dress in a style similar to Juleka's. "Are you ok?!"
"I'm alright," Luka admitted. "Just confused about the new outfit,"
"Oh, Luka must be Cinderella!" Rose gasped before yawning. Of course, she would be sleeping beauty. "Sorry!"
"What's that?" Juleka asked, making him frown and look down. She was pointing to a golden envelope on the floor, causing Luka to pick it up and opened it. "Well?"
"It's an invite to a ball at Agreste Castle," He stated, making him frown before he read it out. "Citizens of Paris, I, Heureux Fin, am throwing the finest ball in all of Paris! Everyone from all walks off lives are invited so they find their happy ending and forever after! Even the beetle and his cat are invited as long as they promise not to cause a fuss and hand over their miraculous! The ball starts at 7pm tonight at Agreste Manor..."
"That's in half an hour!" Rose gasped, making him blink as she yawned. "Sorry! I'm just really tired,"
"No worries, Rose," He replied before continuing to read. "The Dresscode is Fairytale theme. Though that shouldn't be a problem for anyone in Paris..."
Luka's eyes widen, along with Juleka's and before anyone could say anything else, the two of them had ran out of the school. They came to a stop as they looked around. There were a number of giant beanstalks, thorn bushes and trees, making them realize that Heureux Fin had transformed the city into something out of a fairytale. The Grand Paris hotel was now a huge castle, there was a number of smaller castles and huts around. To Luka's surprise, the bakery had been transformed into a tower. Luka rushed over and made his way inside, finding Tom and Sabine had been transformed into a king and queen. He wasn't sure what fairytale they were from but he was more concerned about Marinette. They looked up at him and rose an eyebrow at his outfit.
"I see you got hit as well," Sabine sighed, making him nod. "Are you ok? You look pale, dear,"
"Is Marinette here?" He asked, making the two shake their heads as they looked at him with worry. "She was with me at school but the akuma ambushed us and when I woke up, I was dressed like this and Marinette was gone,"
"We can help you look for her," Sabine stated, lifting her dress a little and following him outside with Tom. Luka nodded and led them to where Juleka was. He frowned as he noticed she was staring. He followed her look, causing him to stare at the floating ship. For a second, he thought it was Guard-O-War again until he realized it resembled the Liberty. A rope was thrown down and Anarka swung down, making them look at her. She was wearing a red captain's coat, black pants and boots but the most interesting thing was her right hand was replaced with a hook. She grinned at them.
"Ahoy, Me Hearties!" She grinned as a crocodile jumped down and landed next to her. Weirdly enough, they could hear ticking coming from it. "I see that scallywag hit ye all with his cursed magic,"
"I'm afraid so," Sabine answered as a puff of glitter appeared next to Anarka before it reformed into Penny. She was wearing a silvery suit, had fairy wings and was holding a wand. "Oh, Miss Penny, you look lovely,"
"Thank you," Penny smiled before turning to the kids. "Everyone ok?"
"Well, no one's hurt but we've all been turned into something out of a fairytale," Juleka muttered, gesturing towards the school where a giant version of Ivan stood. Luka rose an eyebrow as he smiled and waved at him. He waved back before turning to the others. "At least, Anatis will be able to fix this,"
"Have you seen Marinette, Penny?" He asked, making her frown as she made a thoughtful face.
"No but I have an idea where she might end up," She stated, making Luka raise an eyebrow. "At the ball. Everyone in Paris is invited and Marinette is friends with Adrien,"
"She's also the class representative," Rose gasped before yawning again.
"And she's the best at making parties and organizing things," Juleka pointed out, making Luka frown before his eyes widen.
"You don't think Adrien has taken her to help set up the ball, do you?" He asked, making everyone look at him.
"It makes sense," Penny stated, making him frown. "We should attend the party then,"
"Aye!" Anarka grinned as Penny cast a critical eye towards Luka, making him blink.
"Something wrong?" He asked, making her look in his eyes.
"Marinette would never forgive me if I let you go to a ball dressed in rags," She pointed, making him blink. "And since I've been turned into what is clearly the fairy godmother... it makes sense that I have the ability to do this,"
She waved her wand at Luka, causing a silver mist to move around him, causing him to shield his face as it changed his outfit. Once it disappeared, he lowered them and looked at his new outfit. He was now wearing a light blue vest with dark blue detail and silver buttons with matching light blue pants. There was a blue ruffle tie around his neck and he had a light blue gloves on his hands that only covered part of his hands and middle fingers. His boots were a dark crystal blue and sparkled like they were made from glass. Over his shirt, he had a silver tailcoat with a small amount of frills on it. It felt like it was made from the finest silk there was and his hair had been tidied up but remained in his normal style.
"Ok, now you can definitely go to the ball," Penny grinned, clearly enjoying herself. Luka would have to find a way to sneak away from them at some point during the ball so he could transform into Anatis but at least this way he could get in there without been spotted. Now just to get there. Maybe he could get close enough to Adrien to find out where the akumatized item is.
~Agreste Castle~
"Are you coming to the ball as well?" Luka asked as the ship came to a stop outside the castle. Penny looked over and shook her head as Anarka walked over and handed her a bottle of rum. "I'll take that as a no,"
"Well, I am a pirate, Lad," Anarka grinned. "We'll just wait here until Anatis fixes everything. Now go have fun at the ball!"
"Right," He smiled before Penny lowered a plank for them to walk. Juleka and Rose went first before Luka followed. He felt nervous as he walked through the gates with a number of other people that looked like something out of a fairytale. Once he had located Marinette and made sure she was fine, he would find a way to transform. While his mother was flying them to the castle, he took a moment to check on Tikki. Luckily, she hadn't been affected by the change of clothes but gushed over his outfit. She was now resting inside his jacket, waiting for him to find the perfect moment to transform. He hadn't seen anything on Lady Noir yet so he guessed she was in a similar situation to himself. He took a deep breathe and followed Juleka and Rose in. The ball room was the grandest room he had ever seen. It was clearly based on an enchanted forest and hundreds of people there including a number of his classmates. Luka rested his hands on the edge of the banister and kept himself hidden a little as he looked around and observed the room in his luck vision, noticing the amount of exits in the place before he turned his attention to the guests. Rose and Juleka had joined the others and started to dance but Luka was observing everyone. In the back of the room was two golden thrones. A woman dressed as a queen but with a pig's nose was sat one. Judging by the color of her hair, it was Gabriel's assistant Nathalie. He noticed a frog king sat next to her that looked a little bit moody and he suspected it had seen better days. Judging by the smirk on Nathalie's face when she looked at the frog, it was Gabriel. There were other fairytale themed characters to. A lot of the guests were transformed into one might reference to as stock characters such as royalty and witches but it seemed that Adrien's friends were themed around main characters from fairytales. There was a wooden puppet next to his maker, making Luka realize it was Max and Marvok as. Alya and Nino had been transformed into Beauty and the Beast only Alya was the beast. Kim resembled a mermaid and seemed to be holding something in his hand while he sat in a bathtub. That made Luka assume he was the Little Mermaid. Near him was Alix who was talking to Aurora. Both appeared to be characters from Alice in Wonderland. Alix was clearly the white rabbit and Aurora herself was Alice. They were also talking to Nathaniel, who was Red Riding Hood, Marc who looked like a warrior, Mireille... she was the blue fairy and Jean who was dressed as Aladdin. It took Luka a second but he realized Marc was Atreyu from the Neverending Story. He took a deep breathe as he looked over the remainder of the guests, hoping to find Marinette. The Bourgeois family were there. Audrey was the Queen of Hearts and Andre was the cowardly lion but Chloe was dressed in a beautiful dress that resembled a Swan. Clara Nightingale was nearby. She was dressed as Clara from the nutcracker by the looks of her dress and she was talking with Felix who resembled a pixie. In the far corner of the room was an old witch, which he realized was Lila. Luka wasn't surprised that she had been turned into that. He moved his eyes from her and scanned the rest of the room until his eyes landed on Marinette. She was dressed in a pink tail coat with a golden waist coat and matching pants. Her boots were dark brown and her hair was tied into a loose ponytail. She had a ruffle tie around her neck and a pink rose pinned into her hair. It was simple outfit but she looked very beautiful. However, she seemed to be look around. Her eyes moved over to where he was and a look of relief came onto her face as she saw him. A blush crept over his cheek as that look turned from relief to awe. She must have spotted his outfit. Alya was next to her and said something to her but she shook her head as Luka took a deep breathe and walked over to the staircase. He descended down them as Marinette pushed through the crowd, causing people to look at her as she moved over.
"Hi..." She smiled shyly as she met him at the bottom of the stairs. "You look amazing,"
"T-thanks..." He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as well. "You look beautiful,"
"Really?" She asked, making him nod before she moved closer as if to inspect him. "I'm glad you're ok. I was really worried when I woke up and you weren't around. I thought Adrien had hurt you. He assured me that he didn't and that he needed my help to set up this. I was gonna post on the akuma alert app but Adrien seems harmless and the heroes haven't turned up yet,"
"I know," Luka replied, nodding. "I think they might be stuck in their civilian forms and haven't had the chance to escape yet,"
"That makes sense," Marinette replied, nodding before shrugging. "Oh, well,"
Luka nodded in reply and looked around as the music changed. It was the same song they danced to at Chloe's party and in the moonlight. He had a feeling Adrien was behind the song choice. Marinette smiled as she looked around too before Luka cleared his throat nervously.He knew he should make some excuse to get away so he can transform but it would just seem odd to just sneak off. Besides, Adrien seemed harmless as an akuma and he could fix everything later. He should be able to enjoy himself, especially since he was with Marinette.
"W-Would you like to dance? It's our song... You know... never mind it's stu-"
"Yes," She stated, making him look at her. "I would love to dance with you,"
Luka broke into a smile as she grabbed his hand and lead him to the dance floor. The two of them moved together, ignoring everyone else as they just danced and zoned out into their own little world. Luka couldn't help but smile when Marinette leaned against him as they swayed. The more they danced, the more a fog seem to cloud their mind, making them forget as they continued to enjoy each other's company. Around them, the same thing seemed to be happening to everyone else. Nino, who wanted to talk to Adrien and apologize to him, decided he could just do it later. After all, he was having a good time and it was thanks to Adrien. The other guests were the same. Aurdey didn't care what people thought about her, Chloe was complimenting Sabrina and others and Marc wasn't hiding behind his hair. He was laughing and happy. Lila was talking happily to people as if she wasn't a malicious witch. Her lies and fake personality forgotten by both herself and everyone else. Even Gabriel had forgotten that he was Hawkmoth and that he was after the miraculous to bring back his wife. Instead, he was sat in Nathalie's hand as they danced, all of their worries forgotten. Luka smiled as he swayed with Marinette. His own worries lifting away and been forgotten as they danced.
"I love you..." He whispered, making her suddenly look up at him with surprise in her eyes. A blush crept over his face as she searched his features. A smile broke through as she looked at him as well.
"I love you too," She stated, making him stare at her before he grinned like a love struck fool. She smiled back and gently leaned on her head against his shoulder again as they swayed. Luka smiled and pulled her a little closer to him as he rested his chin on top of her head before closing his eyes as they swayed on the spot with their friends grinning and whispering as they finally confessed their feelings for each other. However, their peace was short-lived as Heureux Fin flew in and landed on the stairs case, crowing as he did.
"Hello, Paris!!" He shouted, grinning before a fairy like creature flew over, trailing dust over everyone. "Let's get this party started!!"
He laughed and flew up into the air as everyone cheered before the party kicked into a swing. Everyone laughed and danced without a single care as the castle shifted into a real forest. A huge roaring fire was created in the middle, causing everyone to dance wildly around it including Heureux Fin. It was like something out of a fairytale with wild fae and characters dancing around. Sure, it would be a mess in the morning but Luka couldn't bring himself to care. Just like everyone else, he knew Lady Noir and Anatis would fix it, even if the heroes hadn't turned up yet but that didn't matter. Now was the time to have fun. The music changed into a fast paced song, causing everyone to clap and dance faster as the evening went on. Song after song, played and Viper laughed as he spun around arm in arm with Ladybug but he suddenly stopped when he saw someone standing in the crowd, watching. He let go out of Marinette's arm as he stared towards the figure but Carapace knocked into him, making him look over.
"Everyone ok, dude?" He asked as Viper blinked.
"Oh, I thought I saw someone over there," He replied, looking over again but the person was gone. "Huh... guess they went away,"
"Ah don't worry too much!" Carapace laughed, joining the party again as he howled and danced around the fire with Rena and the others. Frowning to himself, Viper glanced over to where the person had been. He felt like he knew that person and something had changed but he couldn't place his mind on it. He shrugged and turned around to dance again but something inside his mind niggled at him. Something felt wrong. Very wrong but he didn't know what it was. It just felt like he had forgotten something. He groaned a little as he felt his head ache and very slowly, the fog began to lift. It still wasn't clear what he had forgotten but it was definitely something. He moved to the side and sat down as he held his head. Ladybug moved over and leaned down in front of him. He looked up at her and frowned. Was she always dressed similar to Rena? For some reason, he was sure she was dressed as a princess before.
"Hey, you ok?" She asked, making him look over. "You look pale,"
"My head hurts," He replied, frowning. She frowned back and sat next to him, gently rubbing his back. "I feel like I've forgotten something important,"
"Really?" She asked. "What do you think it is?"
"I don't know," He replied, looking down. He frowned as he noticed his outfit had changed as well. Like Rena, Carapace and Ladybug, he was dressed in what he could only described as ragged clothing. He was in a teal green tunic with dark teal breeches and material shoes but he was certain he hadn't been wearing it before hand. He was sure he had been wearing something similar to Cinderella. That's what his fairy godmother put him in. Wait... not his fairy godmother but Penny! His eyes widen as he remembered her and his family. She had been transformed into the fairy godmother and his mother had been transformed into Captain Hook by an akuma. His eyes widen even more as he remembered Juleka and Rose. They were Snow White and Sleeping Beauty respectively and Marinette... Marinette had been Princess Charming. He glanced over and saw Rose and Juleka dancing by the fire. They were dancing as if there was no care in the world. He turned to look to Marinette, who was looked at him with worry and fear. He stood up as she watched him. "There's an akuma.. we have to get out of here,"
"What's an akuma?" She asked, confused before gasping. "It is to do with that nasty pirate-"
"Marinette, listen to me," He gasped, cupping her face. "Do you remember who your parents are?"
"I don't have any, silly and my name is Ladybug," She giggled, making him frown. "We're the lost kids, remember? Part of Fin's crew. We never grow up and we get to play all the time. You know that, Viper,"
"Viper?" He asked, frowning.
"It's your name," She giggled, tapping the side of his head. "You came here with Tigress and Pigella,"
"Tigress and Pigella?" He asked, causing her to point to Juleka and Rose. He frowned and shook his head before gently grabbing her shoulders. "Listen to me. None of this is real. It's the effect of the akuma,"
"Viper, you're scar-"
"My name isn't Viper, it's Luka," He gasped, making her frown. "And your name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Your parents are Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng. You're 15 years old and a fashion designer..."
"This game isn't funny, Viper,"
"It's not a game," He gasped before he took a deep breathe. Something told him he needed to wake her up as well. "Remember what I said to you just before Kitty Section played live. You are an extraordinary girl, Marinette. Clear as a music note, sincere as a melody. You have been the song I hear in my head since we first met..."
Recognition flowed into Marinette's eyes as the fog began to lift for her. She gasped and looked around, panicked.
"Luka?" She gasped, making him let out a sigh of relief. "What happened? My mind feels foggy and confused,"
"There's an akuma but I can't remember everything. I just know we need to get out now," He gasped, grabbing her hand and leading her away from the fire. Everyone else was having too much fun to notice. The farther they got away from the fire and the others, the clearer their minds got until they fully remembered everything including that they are heroes and that they needed a chance to escape and transform. Luka turned to Marinette, making her look at him. "I'm going to see if I can find Anatis. He might have been affected by the spell as well,"
"Right," She nodded. "I should find Lady Noir as well,"
He nodded before they were their separate ways. He slipped into the garden and hid behind a rose bush before letting Tikki out. He found her in his pocket asleep. He poked her and woke her up, making her yawn.
"Luka?" She asked, making him slight in relief. "What happened?"
"You feel asleep and I fell under the akuma's spell but now it's time to rewrite this story," He stated, making her nod before he swiped his earrings and transformed into Anatis. The rest of the fog completely cleared. He took out his yoyo and made his way back into the forest to fight Heureux Fin. He spun his yoyo when he came to the fire as all of the 'lost kids' looked at him with annoyed expressions. Heureux Fin got up from his throne and flew over, landing in front of him.
"So you finally turned up, Bugboy," He declared, glaring at him as the lost kids sneered and shouted. "You know I'm just trying to let people have fun and helped everyone get their happy endings,"
"By forcing them to forget who they are?" Anatis replied back, shaking his head. "That isn't how to help people... Adrien,"
"My name is Heureux Fin!" He shouted back, taking to the air. "Besides, you can't catch me! Unlike me, you can't fly,"
"He might not be able to fly but he isn't alone!" A voice shouted, causing Heureux Fin to look behind him as Lady Noir jumped on him. He managed to throw her off, causing her to land next to Anatis. "Got a plan?"
"Not yet," He replied as Heureux Fin laughed and taunted them. "We need to ground him so we can find the akuma,"
"Ok,"
"You can't catch me!" Heureux Fin shouted before whistling. The fairy like creature flew over to him. "Fairytale, deal with this losers!"
Fairytale turned into a giant wolf and landed on the ground, making Anatis and Lady Noir stare at it.
"Great, he has a sentimonster," Lady Noir gasped as the wolf changed at her. She hit it with her baton as Anatis threw up his yoyo and summoned his lucky charm, which was a shoe and a sock. Anatis rose an eyebrow at it with confusion but before he could work it out, Heureux Fin tried to grab it off him. He jumped out of the way and stepped back, dropping the sock in the process. However, he was grabbed by the lost kids as Lady Noir was knocked back by the sentimonster. Anatis struggled against the lost kids as Heureux Fin flew over.
"Now we can finally finding out who's behind that mask," He stated, reaching for his earrings. Anatis' luck vision kicked in, highlighting Heureux Fin himself, the shoe and the trees as a plan formed in his head.
"None of this is real!" Anatis suddenly shouted, making Heureux Fin stop reaching for his earrings. "It's all a lie created by your powers. You're not Heureux Fin, you're Adrien Agreste! And this isn't a forest!"
"You're lying!" Heureux Fin shouted but he lowered closer to the ground again, causing the lost kids to look at him with a little confusion. Seeing his chance, Anatis yanked him self free and threw the shoe, causing everyone to gasp it flew towards tree tops. Heureux Fin gasped and went to fly after it but Anatis stopped him, using his yoyo. The shoe hit the top, shattering one of the skylights before it fell down with shattered glass. The lost kids gasped and realization appeared in their eyes, causing Heureux Fin to realize. He fell down to the ground, allowing Anatis to recall his yoyo. Heureux Fin yelled out and charged at him but before he could hit, Lady Noir got the upper hand on the Sentimonster and threw it into him, causing it to fall on top of him before Anatis threw his yoyo, tying Heureux Fin and the Sentimonster to one of the trees with his yoyo. "Let me go!! Fairytale, atta- hmm!"
To everyone's surprise, Nino shoved the lucky charm sock into Heureux Fin's mouth, cutting him off and causing Heureux Fin to look at him in surprise and slight betrayal.
"I'm sorry, Adrien," He stated, taking the ring off and turning to Anatis, holding it out to him. "The akuma and the amok are in there. He took them to stop me from been the victim,"
"Thank you, Nino," Anatis replied, taking the ring. "Kitten, would you mind?"
"Cataclysm!" She called as he flipped the ring, tossing it towards her. She caught it and it rushed in her grip, causing the akuma and the amok to escape. Anatis recalled his yoyo, causing Heureux Fin to fall to his knees as Fairytale disappeared in blue smog before he threw out his yoyo and captured the akuma and the amok in it before releasing them. Lady Noir picked the shoe and handed it to him, causing him to smile as he took it. "Should I get the sock as well?"
"The shoe will work fine," He replied before tossing it up in the air again. "Miraculous Ladybugs!!"
The shoe burst into the cure and spreaded throughout the forest, getting rid of the trees and fire as it turned back into Agreste Manor. It washed over the party guests, turning them back to normal and restoring them to where they had been originally before bursting through the windows and spreading across Paris, turning it back into the city they loved. Heureux Fin turned back into Adrien and looked up confused as the heroes fist-bumped each other. Gabriel and Nathalie also looked around confused.
"How did I get here?" He asked, confused before he noticed them. His eyes widen in realization and dread. "Oh, no! I was akumatized, wasn't I?"
"Yes but I know you took it to stop Nino from been the akuma," Anatis stated, helping him to his feet as Adrien stammered an apology, "No need for an apology, Adrien,"
"But I hurt people!" He gasped, making the heroes look at each other. "I did hurt people, didn't I?"
"Adrien, you threw a massive party and turned people into fairytale characters," Lady Noir explained. "The most trouble you caused was causing them to forget their troubles. You didn't hurt anyone,"
"But Nino... he must hate me," Adrien groaned, covering his face. Anatis frowned. "I... I should have never trusted Lila! All she does is hurt people and she upset my friend Marinette and Nino got upset with Alya because even though she told Lila off, she thought Lila was trying to help and fit in, just like I did. I offered to talk to her, to help her see the error of her ways like I did but in the process, Nino discovered I knew about Lila before anyone else and got upset that I didn't tell him like I should have!! I upset him and I saw an akuma coming for him! I couldn't let him down or fail to protect him again so I pushed him out of the way but the akuma and amok got in my ring and I tried to resist I swear. I-"
"Adrien, calm down," Anatis stated, making him look at him. "Yes, you made a mistake with the whole Lila thing but that doesn't make you a bad friend. Talk to Nino and get him to help you with understanding social situations. None of this would have happened if you were taught how to interact with people your age and allowed to interact with them,"
He shoot a look toward Gabriel, who looked at him with shock.
"How dare you suggest that I'm the cause for this?!" Gabriel gasped. Anatis was ready to chew him out but to everyone's surprise, Nathalie stepped forward.
"Anatis is actually correct, sir," She stated, making Gabriel look at her. "While his grades are excellent, he does lack in understanding normal social situations due to his isolated upbringing,"
She turned to look at Anatis.
"Which is we will work on," She stated, making him nod before she lead Adrien out, promising to get him some ice cream and to clear his schedule for a couple of days. Both Gabriel and Anatis stared in surprise as she lead him out before Gabriel turned to Anatis and held out his hand.
"A thank you is in order," He stated as Anatis looked at it with distrust. "Is something wrong?"
"I'm sure you saw how I call out a number of people for their behavior," He stated, making Gabriel retract his hand. "Well, you're heading to the top of the list, Mr Agreste. Adrien isn't some puppet or property. He is your son and if you keep going down this path you have chosen, you're gonna end up losing him forever,"
"Is that a threat, Anatis?" Gabriel asked. He was certain the young hero didn't know he was Hawkmoth but he suspected the boy still suspected him. "Or a promise?"
"Neither, Mr Agreste," He replied, making him raise an eyebrow. "It's a warning and if I were you, sir, I would heed it. Let's go, Kitten,"
The two heroes walked out of the door, making Mr Agreste frown in a dark manner.
"Soon enough, Anatis, I will crush you like the insect you are,"
~A Couple of Days Later~
"So Adrien's schedule is been relaxed a little bit and he's asked me to help him to understand social ques," Nino explained as he and Marinette walked up to the school. "Though he won't be back in school for a couple of more days. Apparently, Nathalie is letting him have sweets and watch whatever he wants,"
"That's good," Marinette replied before seeing Luka sat on one of the benches, listening to music. "Hey, would you mind going ahead? I need to do something,"
"Sure thing, dudette," Nino smiled as he saw her looking at Luka. He grinned. "Go get him, tiger,"
"Nino!" She gasped, blushing as he laughed and walked off. Licking her lips, she began to walk over. Since been restored, she hadn't had a chance to talk to Luka. She had tried to text him but he barely answered and she had a feeling is because of the party. She wasn't sure if it was the affect of Heureux Fin but Luka had said he loved her and she told him she loved him back. She did but she wasn't sure if he knew if she was been sincere. She had a feeling that he thought it was because of the effects of the akuma and in a way, she thought that might be the case as well. She stopped in front of him, making him jump a little and take out his headphones. "Hi..."
"Hey," He stated, looking down at his hands. "Um... how is everything..."
"G-Good," She mumbled, feeling her face heat up as he looked up at her. "How are you?"
"I'm... good..." He muttered, though he didn't seem ok. In fact, he seemed surprised. Marinette rose an eyebrow. "I... I got through to the next stage for the music contest..."
"Oh my gosh! That's great!" She gasped, going to hug him but she stopped and rubbed her neck, making him frown. "Sorry,"
"It's fine," He replied, making her smile. "But are you ok?"
"Um... actually, I wanted to talk to you about... the party and what you said..."
"Oh god," He muttered, making her frown as he looked down in embarrassment. "Marinette, I am so sorry... I don't know what came over me with that. I know you don't like me in that way at all. I mean if you did, you probably would said already and you're out of my league anyway. I mean why on earth would a beautiful symphony like you want to be with a sour note like myself? You deserve better then me..."
Marinette frowned as he looked down before a wave of clarity came over her. Luka didn't think she meant it but not because he didn't love her. He did but because he thought he wasn't good enough for her.
"Luka," She stated, making him look at him. "You're an idiot,"
"That's mean, Melody," He stated, making her giggle "Why am I an idiot?"
"Because I like you," She stated, making him blink at her in surprise. "I meant what I said during the party. You're amazing, funny, brave and creative. You mean everything to me and I'm so sorry it took me a while to realize it. I was so blinded by my crush on Adrien that I didn't even consider that someone else could be the one I want to be with but with you... there isn't any of that. Everything is so easy and simple with you. I don't feel like I have to be something I'm not. When I'm with you, I'm happy. Luka, I know I'm not perfect. I'm clumsy, stupid and I'm sure there's tons of girls that are way better then me but... I like you, Luka as more then a friend. I really like you and I..."
She took a deep breathe.
"I want to be your girlfriend," Luka's mind went completely blank as her words sank in. Marinette... liked him. Like actually liked him in the same way he liked her and she wanted to be his girlfriend. Marinette, the most beautiful girl in the world, wanted to be his girlfriend. He must be dreaming. There's no way this could be real but when he looked up at her, she was still there and he hadn't answered yet. He needed to say something before she thought he didn't like her. He opened his mouth as she looked down. taking his silence for rejection but before she could get up and leave, Luka gently took her hand, making her look at him. The way he was looking at her made her cheeks heat up.
"I don't think you're clumsy or stupid. I actually think you're brilliant, beautiful and gifted," He stated, making her cheek heat up even more. "And there might be tons of other girls but they don't hold a candle to you. Marinette, I meant what I said when I said you were the song in my head. I still mean it and I always will. I... I love you..."
"Luka..." She gasped, blushing. "I-Is that a yes to been my boyfriend then?"
"Yes, it is," He smiled before blushing as well. "I-If you'll have me that is. I mean I'm not perfect and I'm certain gonna mess up but I love you and if you'll have me, I want to be your boyfriend..."
"Yes, absolutely!" She gasped, making him blush. "Sorry, too much?"
"N-No... I like your enthusiasm," He replied, causing her to squeak and throw her arms around him in a hug, making him chuckle and hug back as the bell rang. "We should go to class,"
"Ok but meet me at lunch! I want to spend it with my boyfriend and hear about the contest! Ah, I can't believe I can say that!!" She grinned, making Luka smile back. Her song was louder then it had ever been. The second bell rang and she jumped. "Right! Gotta go!! See you at lunch!!"
She blew a kiss at him before running off to her class, making him smile dreamily before he headed to his own lesson. He couldn't wait for lunch.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Miss Bustier’s Class:
Marinette- Princess Charming/Ladybug
Nino- Belle/Carapace
Alya- The Beast/Rena
Nathaniel- Little Red Riding Hood/Red
Rose- Sleeping Beauty/Pigella
Juleka- Snow White/Tigress
Ivan- The BFG
Mylene- Little Princess
Max- Geppetto/Pegasus
Marvok- Pinocchio
Kim- The Little Mermaid/Monkey
Alix- The White Rabbit/Bunny
Sabrina- Rapunzel
Chloe- The Ugly Ducking/Swan Princess/Bee
Lila- The Evil Queen/Hag
Miss Bustier- Mrs Darling
Mrs Mendeleiev's Class
Felix- Rumpstileskin/Chat
Luka- Cinderella/Viper
Kagami- Puss in Boots/Dragon
Marc- Atreu (Neverending story)/Horns
Aurora- Alice Liddle
Mireille- Blue Fairy
Jean- Aladdin
Ondine- Thumbelina
Mrs Mendeleiev- Unaffected
Other Characters:
Audrey Bourgeois- Queen of Hearts
Andre Bourgeois- The Cowardly Lion
Nathalie- The Pig-faced Princess
Gabriel Agreste- The Frog King
Anarka- Captain Hook (didn’t attend the party)
Jagged- Tick-Tock (didn’t attend the party)
Clara Nightingale- Clara from Nutcracker
Penny Rolling- Fairy Godmother (didn’t attend the party)
Jean (Butler)- Knave of Hearts
Mr Damocles- the Piped Piper
Nadja Chamack- The Woman who cried Wolf
Gorilla- The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
Officer Roger- The Huntsman (didn’t attend the party)
Master Fu- Wizard Of Oz (didn’t attend the party)
Master Mila- Snow Queen (didn’t attend the party)
Tomoe- Mother Gothel (didn’t attend the party)
Emile- The White Queen (didn’t attend the party)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Next Chapter: Coming Soon
#luka couffaine#ladybug luka couffaine | anatis#Marinette Dupain-Cheng#black cat marinette dupain-cheng | Lady Noire#lukanette#lukanette moment#pro lukamari#fairytale inspired#akumatized adrien#Akumadrien#Heureux Fin#Fairytale (sentimonster)#sentimonster#Hawkmoth is a dick#gabriel agreste's a+ parenting#Butterfly Gabriel Agreste | Hawkmoth#Peacock Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura#Forgetting#amnesia#memory loss#miraculous#miraculous ladybug#miraculous lost kids#peter pan inspired#luka loves Marinette#lukanette endgame#lukanette begins#properly#blueberry square
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