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astr0-philia · 1 month

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ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟞: 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕠𝕞 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕁𝕖𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤?

Prolouge 1 2 3 4 5 6 7(ongoing)

[Third Person]:

'This is not good'

Hurried footsteps resounded in the halls and were increasing by the moment. Our protagonist was sprinting around in the hallway trying to find her class 1D. It was 10:30 am in the morning and it was not good. [Y/n] was beyond pissed that she missed not one but two of her first classes of the day. She absolutely hated being tardy to any of her classes. (She had tutors at the palace that taught her.)

'I just need to go to gym class and check in to my class.....now where the hell is it.....'

This wouldn't have happened if Ace DIDN'T piss off Grim, and she DIDN'T wake up late. Partially it was her fault but she chose to ignore it due to her panic and anger.

As she ran without a care ignoring her surroundings she rushed to find a door labeled 1D.

Yes, that was the name of her class.

What was supposed to be a 5 minute search turned in to a 20 minute scavenger hunt, she was getting tired by the second and her pace was slowing down.

She was giving up .

Dragging her feet across the floor, she sulked at her own misery.

'Why is this happening! I didn't do anything wrong, I was just trying to find my class. Why did I have too meet those idiots anyway?! I could have just ignored them and I could have gotten to class earlier. I even got in trouble......I hate this......I HATE THIS.'

Tears welled up in her eyes as she was lost in her thoughts. Just as she reached the end of the hallway [Y/n] wiped her tears turning to the next corner to check.

Wait what-

Huh....HUH?????

'Oh thank the heavens!'

The door labeled 1D. [Y/n] couldn't be even happier in her life. Not even waiting for a second she starts to speed-walk towards the door with accelerating speeds finding it hard to stop due to her adrenaline.

'I PRAISE THE GREATER LORD WHO HELPED ME FIND THIS DOOR. Thank you, thank you, thank you-'

Then she bumped into something hard-

"Oof-"

"UuAugh-" an unknown voice grumbled.

"Dammit what's with me and bumping into things nowadays…." [Y/n] mumbled as she rubbed her head as it slightly throbbed in pain.

[Y/n] looked up at the man she had bumped in to.

'Damn he hot-'

The guy [Y/n] had bumped in to had light green hair which was slicked back making a clean look. He had fair and pale skin. His eyes were also a beautiful yellow-green with vertical-slit pupils and pointed eyelashes. (Thank Twisted wonderland wiki for this description 😭)

He wore a green armband contrasting her own. The color defining him as a student from the dorm of Diasomania. The boy had his head down, causing a shadow to cover his face and making it hard for her to see his facial expression.

As soon as she started to apologize. "Excuse me sir I am very sor-"

"YOU DARE BUMP INTO ME FOOLISH MORTAL" bellowed the green haired man interrupting her in the middle of her sentence. He drew closer to [Y/n]'s face with every word.

[Y/n] stepped back at the sudden proximity between them and, physically tensed at his insult.

"Well I'm sorry! I was just trying to get to my class!" retorted back [y/n] in rising anger. "I was ALSO trying to apologize to you idiot!" Jabbing his chest at every word she had spoken.

'To THINK I thought this guy was HOT'

"WELL I AM PRETTY SURE YOU WERE NOT TRYING TO" said the green haired man flinging her hand away from his chest in great momentum. The guy was fuming and so was she.

"I WAS"

"YOU WEREN'T"

"I WAS"

"YOU WERE-"

"Ehhm......" A voice interrupted the angry green haired boy.

Both the teens snapped their heads towards the man with fury.

The man was nonetheless shocked at the amount of fury the duo had in their but choose to ignore that.

"Stop this nonsense at once!" The man commanded in a demanding tone, causing both of them to back away from each other and face him.

The man looked quite unique at first sight. He had hair which was partitioned with 2 colors: black and white. He wore a suit and tie also partitioned with black and white matching his hair. He also wore a very fluffy looking black and white overcoat.

'Bro is the obsessed with black and white I see'

"What are you children doing here at this time, shouldn't you both be in classes?" Asked the man, as he looked at them suspiciously. He looked at them with the eyes of a predator, staring them down and examining them cautiously.

Then his eyes widened.

"You aren't doing any funny business are you?" Questioned the man looking even more suspicious and concerned than before.

'Funny business 😨, I can't imagine doing anything with this bastard!' [Y/n] grimaced at thought

"SIR I AM SORRY BUT I WOULD NEVER DO ANY FUNNY BUSINESS WITH THIS CREATURE" Shouted the green haired boy with displeasure at the thought of [Y/n]

'I can feel all the spit coming out of his mouth right now.'

"Hey! That's not nice" [Y/n] screamed as she slapped his arm as hard as she could in retaliation to his statement.

"Well children-" interrupting the chaos they were creating again the man said. "-I am Divius Crewel teacher of potionology in this school-" towering over them as he stated "-once again I must ask why are you two out right now and not in your classes?" ending his statement, looking at us judgmentally waiting for our answer.

"SIR I AM FROM CLASS 1D AND I WAS GOING TO THE FIELD FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION BEFORE I BUMPED IN TO THIS CREATURE" answered the green haired boy screaming in the teachers face.

'HE'S IN MY CLASS????? Can't my luck get even worse.....'

Crewel then wiped his face looking disgusted, looked at the green haired boy again and asked another question.

"What is your name boy"

"MY NAME IS SEBEK ZIGVOLT SIR" The green haired boy now known as Sebek replied.

"Boy, will you stop with the SCREAMING?" bellowed Crewel angrily.

Sebek, startled by the scolding, just huffed and nodded at Mr.Crewel.

*Huff*

"Well now young lady......what class might you be from and where are you planning to go?"

'I was so not ready for this'

"Well sir......I am also from class 1D and I am also searching for the field for physical education....."

*Cue Sebek with the offended gasp*

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M IN THE SAME CLASS AS YOU-"

"WELL ME NEITHER NIT-WIT"

"This is why I will never have children..." mumbled Crewel.

"NOW NOW CHILDREN-" raising his voice as he spoke.

"-I will not tolerate this behavior anymore-" If looks could kill [Y/n] and Sebek would have been in their graves right now.

"-now follow me quickly, I will lead you to your classes." He swiftly turned around as if signaling them to follow him.

[Y/n] mockingly pushing Sebek to the side quickly started to follow Crewel Leaving the poor boy in the dust.

"This bit**" mumbled Sebek as he ran towards them quickly to reach them.

They were walking through the same halls [Y/n] had been running through a while ago. It felt like she was backtracking back the way she had ran away from.

'How could I be so stupid?'

The halls looked like the halls [Y/n] had walked through in the beginning of her time here. Green flames spewing out of fire holders. The same wooden carved doors, and the same bricks that towered over them creating walls. Though this experience was not as pleasant as the previous.

She could already feel the dread piling up inside of herself. Not only had she gotten in trouble with the headmaster but she had also gotten in trouble with another teacher that would possibly teach her.

Oh lets not forget about the brat.

[Y/n] could feel Sebek's furious gaze on her as they walked down the hall in silence. It showed how much he resented her right now. He's probably mad because they got in trouble. She was getting kind of annoyed by his stare, so she turned around to acknowledge Sebek's stare.

To say the least, he was quite surprised at the fact that [Y/n] had turned around to look at him, but nonetheless his anger returned and he once again started to look at me angrily.

'Heh lets see who wins this staring contest.'

As they continued to stare at each other the tension grew between them. If a bystander had looked at them they would have thought they were in love, but nonetheless the contest went on.

As the duo kept on staring at each other, Sebek couldn't help but notice how beautiful [Y/n] looked at the moment. Her [e/c] eyes were glowing in the sunlight from the window with confidence he had never seen before. The strands of her [h/c] hair framed her face. Her face looked like a sculpture sculpted by Michelangelo. Her face was alluring, and Sebek couldn't deny it at all.

Sebek stuck in a trance couldn't help but blink in reflex looking at [Y/n].

'Hah! I knew I would win.' thought [y/n] as she smirked unknowing of the boy's thoughts.

[Y/n] came closer to Sebek. Snapping him out his trance, and confusing him at the action. At the moment they were so close that if either one of them had moved an inch would kiss immediately.

As [Y/n] drew closer she turned her head a little left reaching his ear and whispering "I won~"

Sebek quickly drew back as quickly as he could, flustered by the girl's action. Turned his head toward the side as he blushed like crazy. [Y/n] being as oblivious as she is giggled in glee not noticing him blush.

Crewel just walked in front of them oblivious of the fact that they were both having a staring contest at the back. Not that he cared enough to notice.

As they walked further down the hall. Some doors ahead there was a ray of light passing through an opened door at the front. When they reached the door, Professor Crewel opened the door with great force, causing a slam to be heard throughout the hallway.

The sound shocked both Sebek and [Y/n] to the core.

As they went out into the field, their eyes stung as the sun contrasted the dark and gloomy nature of the hallways inside the building.

'My eyes.....'

The sounds of students chattering and running throughout the fields could be heard.

"Well pups, here's your class."

"Thank you so much Professor Crewel" replied [Y/n] with utmost gratefulness.

"THANK YOU SIR"

"Now now, your welcome pups, and I should see no more fights between you pups." he stated pointing at both of them individually before turning to leave to go back into the building. Leaving both Sebek and [Y/n] in the sun.

"Well brat you ready to go face P.E.?"

"YOU'RE LUCKY YOU'RE A GIRL OR I WOULD I PUNCH YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW."

'Heh....but ya can't'

Sebek kept on spewing threats to [Y/n] as they walked to the instructor.

The teacher looked basically like a knock-off version of hulk. He had bulking muscles, and he ALSO wore a tight shirt making it look like he wanted to emphasize muscles. He also wore TIGHT pants, she swore to god that she would not specify what she just saw..... (R.I.P. [Y/n] 💀)

The teacher then noticed the duo walking to him and grinned like a maniac.

"Hello children. I am Ashton Vargas, the teacher for P.E. what may I help you with today?" asked in an enthusiastic tone.

"Well Professor Vargas we were supposed to come to this class, but somehow got lost and reached now! What are we supposed to do for the class.....?"

"YES PROFESSOR VARGAS WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?"

Professor Vargas sweatdropped as he replied "Well children you have come at the wrong time. Since the class-"

*Ring, Ring*

"-has ended"

Shocked at the revelation both Sebek and [Y/n] stood there mouth wide open and confused.

"Well now I need to go and dismiss my class. Now run along to lunch now."

[Y/n] snapping out of her daze looked at Sebek and asked "Do you know where the cafeteria is?" Feeling embarrassed that she did not know where the cafeteria was.

Scoffing, Sebek smirked at [Y/n] raising his eyebrow trying to tease the poor girl.

'Why the fuck is this guy so annoying 😭'

"WELL I GUESS I COULD HELP. Though you have to repay the favor when I do need help." replied to [Y/n]in a normal tone for the first time.

"WOAH? Sebek talking in a classroom voice, that's so rare!"

"SHUT UP!"

So basically what happened next was that Sebek being a nice brat helped [Y/n] get to the cafeteria with no issues. Then ditched her to go sit with his friends on the Diasomania dorm table at the farthest end of the cafeteria.

'Then again I thought we were friends for a sec'

As she went to the line to get her lunch. She remembered something.

'Oh shit I forgot to take my purse from my box didn't I......'

Welp, I guess that meant no lunch for her. So she went towards the hallway to walk around and explore. It was quite interesting I must say all the paintings and every-

'OH SHIT I FORGOT I HAVE TO GO HELP CLEAN WINDOWS WITH YUU TODAY!'

As if she was sonic she turned around and ran as fast she could to the place where she was supposed to meet Yuu. As she reached the empty area of the hallway she noticed two people in the distance. A human and a small pet looking thing- that was probably Grim. So she ran to them to meet them.

"Hi Yuu!"

Startled by her sudden appearance the poor boy stuttered his response "O-oh Hi [Y-[Y/n]"

"Gah! Took you long enough to come! We were waiting for ages." complained Grim as he was tired of staying in one spot the whole time.

"How about I carry you so you don't have to feel tired, Grim?" [Y/n] asked Grim with a big smile on her face.

Grim stunned by the innocent gesture and smile couldn't help but feel giddy. "W-well I mean sure..."

So [Y/n] picked him up and in to her arms. As if on instinct Grim snuggled up in to [Y/n]'s arms like a baby would do in a mothers. Grim had never felt so happy in his life.

"Well then [Y/n] now that you are here we are just waiting for Ace." Yuu exclaimed.

"Well then we just wait then."

"What's buggin' me is, Ace ain't even here yet! To make us wait, after what he did... Grrr!"

*15 minutes later*

".........."

"..............And now he's super late! I bet he up and bailed on us!" Grim exclaimed in anger while punching the air in anger.

"I didn't actually think he would bail out of it...." [Y/n] mumbled as she thought of the boy's behavior. "At second thought he probably would" She said once again, sweat dropping.

"We should look for him." said Yuu calmly as he gestured to us to follow him around the hall.

As we walked around. Once again plenty of paintings were hung on the wall but there was a specific painting that caught [Y/n]’s eye. It was a picture of a beautiful soldier on top of a snow white horse in a meadow. It looked beautiful.

As she went closer to the painting-

"Hey! Ace! Get over here! Try to hide from me, will ya! Huh... Maybe there's really no one here?" Grim shouted out trying to catch the attention of the redhead who was nowhere to be seen. Startling the girl.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, I'm here." Another voice rang out from somewhere. It came from the painting [Y/n] was looking at.

The three of them looked quite confused from where it came. Then [Y/n] spoke up announcing something.

"Guys.....I think the painting I was looking at just talked....."

"Yes girl, indeed it was me who talked." Once again the same painting on the wall spoke in a confident voice.

"Bwaaah! That painting just talked!" Grim exclaimed in fear as he dropped out of [Y/n]'s arms to hide behind Yuu's legs.

"Yes, and...? (Slay arianna grande) Is a talking painting really such an oddity at this school?"

"Well I mean......" Yuu muttered in awe.

"The lady in the portrait on that wall talks too. As does the gentleman in the portrait on this one."

"But we haven't heard a single one of them talk!" exclaimed [Y/n] in disbelief

'Are all these paintings able to talk too 😨'

"As long as a painting has a mouth, why wouldn't it be able to talk? Is that really so strange?"

"Of course it's so strange! You don't see paintings talkin' around here man!" Grim said to the painting on the wall.

"In fact, yes. Paintings don't usually talk." Yuu also stated backing up Grim's statement.

"Well, your "usual" and my "usual" clearly differ. Shall we agree to disagree on the matter?"

"Sure.....?" [Y/n] said unsure of the answer she had said.

'Can this end already we need to find Ace!' [Y/n] thought while getting impatient.

"Now, you seem to be searching for someone." Finally asked the painting to them.

"So we're looking for a guy-" As Yuu started to explain the situation and tell who we were searching for.

"We're lookin' for this guy called Ace. He's got messy hair and a heart drawn on his face." Grim interrupted Yuu clearly annoyed of how slow this conversation was going on.

"Ah, I know the one. A new student, I believe? Today was his first day at school. I think he went back to his dorm a while ago." Sated the painting making Grim even more fidgety and impatient than before.

"Myaaah! So it's true! He's tryin' to ditch us! Do you know which way he went?"

"Well then let's go quick before we miss the guy totally!" exclaimed [Y/n] as she started to walk towards the mirror hall gesturing for the duo to follow her.

"The door to the dorms is in the eastern building." stated the painting.

"Let's chase after him, [Y/n], Yuu!"

"Let's go! Let's go!" said Yuu, pushing both [Y/n] and Grim forward. To increase their speed.

"Yeah right, like I'm gonna have a hundred windows. I'm just gonna go back and—" Said Ace gleefully skipping towards his dorms, happy he got out of cleaning the windows, unknowing of the danger following him.

"AHA! GOTCHA, PUNK!" Exclaimed Grim catching the redhead's attention.

"Oh no! They saw me!"

"Stop right there, pal! No fair gettin' a head start! Wait!" Grim exclaimed trying to make Ace stop.

"Stop ditching your responsibilities and actually do something good for once!" said Yuu, getting annoyed at the boy's antiques.

"Who in their right mind would ever wait?! See ya!" Ace shouted at the trio before running away at full speed.

Then of course they had to run after him.

'How many fu**ing times do I have to actually run today....'

They ran and ran and ran. Ace however did not stop. It seemed very determined to get them off his tail and get out of cleaning the windows.

"Eh..?" Suddenly an unfamiliar voice resounded in the halls as they ran.

"Outta my way!" Ace screeched out pushing the poor boy to the side with great force as he continued to run foward with speeds she didn't think he could run.

"Hey! What gives?!" said the stranger.

The boy that she saw had blue hair and shining blue eyes. He wore the same dorm band and uniform as Ace signifying that he was from the same dorm as him. He also had shining blue eyes the matched his hair. On his face was drawn a spade, just like how Ace had a heart drawn under his eye.

"Help us!"

"Please, stop him!"

"Myah! Get him now"

All three of them screamed at the poor boy startling him.

"You want me to cast a spell to stop him?" asked the blue haired boy curiously as he also started running with the trio following after Ace.

"YES! PLEASE DO IT QUICK!" exclaimed [Y/n] as she was starting to huff and puff from the exhaustion of running too much.

"Like, freeze his legs? Or bind them with a rope? Or maybe I could... Hmm... No..."

"I don't care how! Just do something! Anything!" Grim screamed at him in annoyance.

'Just do it quickly-'

"Anything?! Anything, huh... Alright! Here goes anything! I summon thee... something heavy!"

*Poof*

There was a black object falling from the sky and was falling towards Ace as he ran ahead confidently. The black thing fell on Ace with great force falling on his back causing him to fall on to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Bwaaah?! Wha?! A pot?!" Ace shrieked in pain as he glanced at the object that had fallen on him.

As the four of them reached Ace. [Y/n] couldn't help but wince at the sight of the object that had fallen on Ace.

'Wtf bro is that a fucking cauldron.....?'

One question rang through each of their heads.....how did this guy not break his back?

"Ah ha ha ha ha! Look, [Y/n], look!-" Grim cackled as he pointed to Ace on the floor. "That Ace guy got crushed beneath a giant cauldron! It squashed him flat! Aha ha ha! That's what you get!" He stated completely unconcerned that, it could have broken his back.

'Never back down, never what.....'

"A cauldron?! I wasn't expecting that. I may have overdone it this time..." The stranger was clearly shocked at what he had manifested with his magic at the moment of panic.

"Well, we weren't either." mumbled Yuu under his breath.

As Ace sat up with great pain, his face grimaced and he shouted out in pain. "Owwww! What are you bothering me for? You guys coulda just banged out the work yourself!"

"You did this to yourself, you must face the consequences." [Y/n] said sternly ignoring any whines of pain Ace made.

"There's no "banging out" a hundred windows!" Yuu exclaimed, backing up her statement.

"So why do you have to wash a hundred windows as punishment? What the heck did you do?!? asked Deuce in a concerned voice.

"So basically-"

"I was just screwing with that furball a little." Side-eyeing Grim meticulously. "...Okay, and the statue of the Queen of Hearts got a teeny bit charred. Sue me." Ace stated cutting of Yuu once again.

'How many times is the poor boy going to get interrupted....'

Yuu, disheartened at the interruption, had sadness etched on his face. [Y/n] being a nice person she patted his shoulders to make him feel better.

"You charred and set fire on one of the statues of the great seven!??" exclaimed the boy in pure horror. " No wonder he flew off the handle at you!"

"Oh, shut up." yelled Ace angriliy and really annoyed with the boy. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Deuce. Deuce Spade." Said the boy glancing at Ace with a questioning gaze. "Don't you remember your own classmate?"

"You don't remember my name either, do you?" Ace started smirking at the fact that even Deuce did not know his name.

"That's not the point!" Deuce yelled at Ace, flustered at his question. "You shouldn't try to shirk an order from the headmage!"

"Okay- So since we're all introducing ourselves-" Yuu said smiling at Deuce. "-my name's Enma Yuuken, but you can call me Yuu."

"Ah! I'm [Y/n], by the way!"

"Yeah, yeah, message received... Fine, let's bang out the windows already. Huh...?" Ace scoffed as he turned around to look at us.

'Uh, oh......where the hell is Grim????'

"The furball! He's gone!"

"Ah ha ha ha! I'll let you three handle the rest! See ya, suckers!" exclaimed Grim before running again.

"Didn't we just get Ace to listen!" exclaimed Yuu in annoyance. "Grim, come back here now!"

'What in the fucking tom and jerry is this....'

"You caught me so YOU could run away yourself?!" Ace said clearly annoyed at the running Grim. "Hey uh- Juice!"

"It's Deuce! With a D!" yelled ast Ace. "It's not Juice!"

"This is partially your responsibility, you know!" he screamed at Deuce while running. "So help me catch that little furball!"

"Why is it my responsibility!??"

"Oh just run Deuce!" Yuu exclaimed, clearly irritated.

"Grim's useless janitor friend can't use magic-"

"Oh but you haven't seen me run-" exclaimed [Y/n] before speeding up and running faster than she ever could leaving the three in the dust.

Yuu, Deuce, and Ace, shocked at the girl's speed, tried to follow her matching her speed but failed at their attempts.

Grim was up ahead running to get out of trouble but as he started to slow down he heard increasing footsteps behind him. He was not prepared for what he saw next.

A furious [Y/n] sprinting across the hallway towards him at great speeds. He then once again turned around and ran. He was totally not ready for this. Behind both of the trio were also running, trying to gain enough momentum and speed to reach them.

As they reached the cafeteria, Grim somehow climbed up the chandelier above the cafeteria to find solace from the 4 humans.

As all of them gathered around the bottom , [Y/n] couldn't help but scream in annoyance at the arrogance Grim was showing.

"GRIM ENOUGH WITH THIS NONSENSE!" Shrieked [y/n] shocking the people around her. "GET DOWN HERE AT ONCE!"

"How about we think of some ideas to get him down from there." Yuu said trying to calm the situation down.

"What could I summon to hold onto him...?" pondered Deuce as he put his hands below his chin. "Hmmm... Oh! That's it!"

"Did you come up with somethi- Oh, hey!" Squeaked Ace in surprise as he saw what Deuce was doing. "Stop! What are you doing?! Why are you pointing your pen at me?!" Yelled in panic.

"Hey Deuce let's calm down and not do something reckless- '' [Y/n] said, getting in between the pen and Ace.

"I'm going to launch you." stated Deuce calmly as he pushed [Y/n] aside with a small shove, aiming once again at Ace.

"Bwaaah! Put me down!" screeched Ace as he started to float mid-air as Deuce got ready to launch him. "Deuce plan Abort! ABORT!"

"I've got him in my sights, and... Go!" completely ignoring Ace's pleas he launched him towards the chandelier at great speeds.

"BWAAAAAAAH!"

*BOOM*

The three below the chandelier watched in horror as the magnificent chandelier fell from the top of the roof towards them. In panic they spread out quickly away from its landing spot and hid behind anything they could find. As they looked back they saw the chandelier fall down in front of them with fear reflecting in their eyes.

'I can't believe that just happened.....'

"ACE, GRIM!" Both [Y/n] and Yuu ran forwards in to the wreckage to get the two out of the debris. Leaving Deuce to flounder at the scene like a fish.

"Deuce! How could you be so stupid!" exclaimed Yuu trying to pull Ace out of the Debris.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" grumbled Ace as he got pulled out by Yuu. "You could have killed us!"

"Myaaah..." Grim mumbled as [Y/n] pulled Grim from the debris and in to her arms. Then he fainted.

" I probably should have come up with a way to soften your landing" stated Deuce uncaringly.

Ace suddenly got up and dash toward Deuce grabbing Deuce's collar. "You complete and total moron!" Ace screamed in Deuce's face. "We got Grim, but we broke the chandelier! If the headmage finds out about this-"

Suddenly Crowley out of nowhere appeared in the room. "If I find out about... what, dear Ace?"

"Gah! Headmaster Crowley!" Gasped Yuu in disbelief.

"You children again!" Crowley exclaimed as he saw the wreckage created by the group of students. "What did you do?"

"So uhh basically-" Yuu started to speak but was shut down by [Y/n]

"We broke the chandelier"

'I am so sorry Yuu-'

"I can see that but how???" exclaimed Crowley in displeasure. "I can't believe you did this! Burning a statue wasn't enough for you? Now you've destroyed a chandelier?!"

They all synchronized their voices as they said. "We are so sorry-"

Then Crowley dropped the bomb. "You all are expelled."

"EXPELLED?!!!" Both Ace and Deuce screeched in disbelief.

"Headmage, please!" pleaded Deuce as Crowley looked at him with pity. "Give me a second chance! I can't get expelled from this school!"

'I kinda feel sorry for him...' thought [y/n] as she saw the scene displayed before her.

"Then blame yourself for your own foolish behavior." Crowley replied unsympathetically.

"Sir! We'll try to pay for the expenses sir pls!"

"This chandelier is made of magic, created by a legendary artificer." stated crowley in a stern voice. "Its candles are powered by a magical energy source, enchanted so that they will burn for eternity."

“How much would it cost then?” Yuu asked with curiosity and impatience.

“A Billion Thaumarks.” stated Crowley

“A BILLION THAUMARKS?!” screamed Deuce. He looked as if someone showed him his worst nightmare…….you know what? This probably is his worst nightmare.

“Sir, will you not be able to fix it, sir?” Asked Ace with hope in his tone.

"I'm afraid I can't do that young man.." said Crowley. "Even magic has its limits."

‘This world is so freaky af.’

"A magestone cannot easily be replaced. I fear the candles of this majestic chandelier will never burn again."

"This is bad...." Ace mumbled under his breath, but it was loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"No Ace this is really bad!" Yuu exclaimed.

"What am I going to do?! How am I going to tell my mother...?" Deuce looked like he was punched in the gut by an elephant. His expression looked so grave, it looked like he just came from a funeral. Bro is not having a good day.

"Ah...! But there may be on way."

"Really!" exclaimed the group of students altogether.

"The magestone that powered this chandelier was mined from the Dwarfs' Mine," said Crowley. "If you get the stone with the same properties, we might be able to fix it."

"Sir if I with your permission, can go to the dwarf's mine?" Deuce asked sincerely ready to face the consequences.

"Me too sir!" Ace followed Deuces lead.

"Me three" So did Yuu.

"I guess me too....." Then grudgingly so did [Y/n].

"I must warn you it is highly likely that the magestones have already been mined a long time ago." stated the headmage waiting for their reactions.

"I will do anything to avoid expulsion, sir!" Deuce exclaimed, as everyone nodded at his statement.

"Hmmm... Very well, then. I will suspend your expulsion for a single night."

"Thank you very much sir!" said the group in synchronization.

As the Headmage heard their 'Thank you's' he left the cafeteria in a hurry. Before leaving fully he screamed to them "You should be able to reach the Dwarfs' Mine instantly by using one of the gates in the Mirror Chamber." and slammed the doors behind him as he left with flare.

"Yes sir!"

Then grim woke up from his little nap due to the loud noise made by the door. "Myah! Wh-? Where am I?!"

"Hah.....let's go guys we don't want to get expelled....." Yuu commanded in a tired tone.

Ace rubbed his head in annoyance. "Maaan... How did I end up in this mess? I swear, I have the worst luck."

"Dude look at my luck....I just wanted to get to class." mumbled [Y/n].

"We don't have time to complain. Let's go. Dark Mirror! Take us to the Dwarfs' Mine!" Deuce exclaimed with enthusiasm getting ready to walk out the door.

'I choose the worst time to come to this school....'

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Author's Note:

Hi guys! Sorry for the delay I had like 30 writers blocks on Thursday and had no idea what to write.

Hope you guys like this chapter! Have a nice day or night.

#twst #twisted wonderland #ace trappola #deuce spade #enma yuuken #sebek zigvolt #divius crewel #ashton vargas #twisted wonderland x reader #various x reader #x reader #twst x reader #twst grim

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tiniedemon · 1 year

Text

. . .

janitor’s closet

kenny mccormick / reader

you really didn’t want to be in class. you were so sick and tired of your math teacher’s bullshit, and the harassment from all the kids in your class. and based on the fact that you’d gotten into a fight with your mom that morning and you were running off four hours of sleep, you were definitely not going.

so you decided to go to your favorite place in the entire school: the janitors closet. it was a quiet, secluded room in a relatively desolate wing of the school. you spent most of your friday afternoons after lunch posted up in the janitor’s closet, vape or blunt between your lips, a cartoon playing on your phone.

you flung the door open, then locked it behind you, heaving a sigh as your forehead rested against the back of the door. the smell of weed burning invaded your nostrils, a smile creeping onto your tired face, your shoulders losing their tension. weed smoke meant kenny, and kenny meant nap time.

“hey, y/n,” kenny greeted softly, a tired lilt to his voice. you turned on your heel, slumping into the seat beside him. you’d somehow managed to sneak two lounge chairs into the closet, which was really just a large closet with nothing but a desk and a small cabinet of cleaning supplies. it worked out perfectly, in all honesty. the desk was great for an ash tray to sit, and the chairs were incredibly comfortable for thrift store furniture.

“hey, ken,” you hummed, outstretching two fingers as you let your eyes closed. you felt kenny deposit his joint between them, your lungs burning as you took a long hit, followed by another, and another.

“woah, honey. slow your pace a little,” kenny chuckled, swiping the joint very carefully from your hand. you puffed a sigh, followed by a tired chuckle, fingers massaging your temples.

“i appreciate you looking out for me,” you mumbled. kenny was silent for a moment, before sighing and settling himself on the arm of your chair. you looked up at him through your lashes, a weak smile on your face.

“i will always look out for you, y/n,” he spoke softly, a serious hardness to his face that you’d never seen before. his eyes shone with fondness, yet his jaw and body were squared, showing the somber seriousness of his statement. your stomach was alight with butterflies, a flush finding your cheeks, as you avoided eye contact with the blonde lingering beside you. the weed was starting to hit, too, only adding to the anxious fluttering of your stomach.

“can i vent for a second?” you practically whispered, kenny depositing the joint between his lips as he rearranged his body back into his own chair. you chuckled, watching him struggle to angle it to face you, a crease between his pierced eyebrows.

kenny truly was a beautiful man. his blonde hair, shaped haphazardly into an overgrown mullet, hung in his tanned face. his nose was pierced in three places, a stud in one nostril, a black metal hoop in the other, and an elaborate ring hanging from his septum, and his bottom lip held a shimmering vertical labret piece. both of his ears were pierced in multiple places, accented by an industrial bar through the left. he wore black eyeliner in his waterline, his right eyebrow slit and both pierced.

he always wore some sort of black outfit, todays choice being a faded band tee that engulfed his body and a pair of ripped jeans. he wore the same beat up converse he usually did, the sunflower he’d painted on the side beginning to chip with time. a few stick and poke tattoos littered his arms, a professional piece peaking out from his left sleeve.

you were caught staring, cheeks turning red as kenny’s eyes jumped up to meet yours. you glanced back for a split second, long enough to find a giddy smile on his blushing face.

“alright, spill,” he finally said, legs drawn up to hang over the side of his chair, his body angled to face you against the opposite arm. you took a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh.

“i got into a fight with my mom this morning. she’s stressed about bills and shit, but it’s not like i’m not helping. i work my ass off after school trying to help out, but it’s like i’m not doing enough because i can’t work during the day. i’m not dropping out of school to take care of her bum ass,” you ranted, pausing, a sigh leaving your lips again. “and i have a thing for this guy, and i can’t tell how he feels about me. like, one minute he’s flirting, and the next i’m just a bro. he’s always taking care of me, helping me out, but i don’t know if he’s doing it because he likes me or because i’m a good friend.”

kenny took a minute to mull over your words, the end of his vape lighting up as he took a long drag from it. he exhaled, a large cloud exiting through his nose, a thoughtful expression on his face. then he spoke, his voice delicate and pensive.

“i can imagine how frustrating the mom situation can be. i’ve been emancipated from my parents for the same reason. maybe you could look into it, and i can offer up my place to you. it’s a shitty place, in all honesty, but it’s home, and the bedroom is huge so we can easily squeeze another bed in there for you. as for the guy, why not be straightforward? maybe he just doesn’t know how you feel about him. guys are pretty fucking stupid.”

“i would do that, except i’m scared. like, what if i read it all wrong from the start and he’s not actually into me? that would be so embarrassing,” responded, words morphing into a groan at the end. kenny chuckled, ashing his joint against the concrete floor.

“sweetheart, i promise, if he’s anything like what you just described to me, he’s not going to embarrass you. just confess to him, and if he doesn’t like you back, come tell me so i can beat his ass,” kenny spoke with a chuckle. you groaned, throwing your head back, hands dragging down your face.

“kenny, you’re so fucking stupid. how are you gonna beat your own ass?” you laughed, then froze completely. you’d accidentally just outed yourself. kenny was silent, the air heavy and tense.

“you’re the fucking stupid one, dude,” kenny finally spoke, a smile evident in his voice. “i’ve been hitting on you for, like, two years now. i was starting to think you just didn’t have brain cells or something.”

you scoffed, lifting up your head to stare daggers at him, a frown on your face. “i don’t have brain cells? kenny, i asked for your fucking number after one conversation. and the first text you sent was ‘hey bro!’ how the fuck am i supposed to take that in a flirty context?”

“that’s nothing compared to when i tried to kiss you at tolkien’s party and you thought i was trying to tell you a secret,” kenny drawled, raising an eyebrow. “or when i tried to hug you after i walked you to class and you thought i was trying to make a secret handshake.”

you flushed, an upset twist to your lips. you really were a fucking dumbass, as you were realizing now. “okay but i told you that i thought you were super hot and you threw up on my shoes. if that’s not disgust then what is it?”

“i was on acid, dumbass, having a bad trip. your face was melting. what the fuck else was i supposed to do, cry? i tried to ask you out that one time and you invited stan. how about that?”

“i would’ve preferred that, actually. and i thought you wanted to hang out with friends. in my defense, you said ‘hang out’ and not ‘date,’ so it’s not my fault. let’s just agree to disagree, we’re both stupid fucks.”

kenny chuckled, a smile on his face, your own mirroring his. he finally extinguished the joint he’d been nursing for fifteen minutes, sinking back into his seat once it was no longer smoking. you admired him from across the room, appreciating the halo of light reflecting in his blonde hair and the loving sparkle in his eyes.

“i’ll agree to disagree if you go on a date with me, no friends invited,” he spoke in return, a goofy smile on his face. you pretended to think it over, butterflies swarming in your stomach, smile so big it hurt your cheeks.

“i’ll go on a date with you if you let me hit your vape. mine died.”

“you’re fucking kidding me, bro.”

“see? this is the shit i’m talking about kenny! are we dating as friends or as people with feelings?”

“i’m literally going to fucking lose it.”

#south park x reader #kenny mccormick x reader

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kassandras-one-braincell · 7 months

Text

Kassandra x Reader - Obsidian

Kinktober 01: Face-Sitting [explicit]

Word count: 1021

Ao3 link here.

Men, minors and ageless/default blogs DNI. You will be blocked immediately upon interaction.

“Come up here and let me taste you.”

Criminally alluring words, said with a sly, easy-going smile that always had you folding. Kassandra tapped her lips as she murmured them. Her fingers languidly crooked, beckoning you forth towards the cloud of pillows upon which she reclined. And, shame on you, your mind couldn’t help but wander to a memory of those dextrous fingers sheathed deep inside your heat.

That charming smile bled into a wolfish grin as you shimmied out of your chiton. Warm hands eagerly roamed your thighs as you folded your legs either side of her head. Both the sensation and anticipation brought gooseflesh to the surface of your skin; you made no move to hide your shiver as her lips, hot as a forge, grazing the inside of your thigh. She caressed and kneaded your hips, ushering the sweetness between them down towards her awaiting tongue. “Sit,” she hummed, staring ravenously at the curls adorning your mons and the arousal glistening against your slit.

“Tell me if I’m hurting you,” you muttered, brushing a few unruly stray locks of away from her forehead. Your cheeks burned from the unabashed intensity with which she leered at your delicacy.

Kassandra tore her gaze from your quim to smirk up at you. “I don’t intend to do a lot of talking…” She caught herself at the half-hearted glare you shot her, conviction lacking because there wasn’t another soul with such an unrelenting, fiendish appetite for their lover’s pleasure. “Of course, my love,” she winked.

Her glee was infectious, a smile of your own decorating your lips not a second later. You carefully lowered your hips, encouraged by her hands. “You better—oh!”

A hot, slick tongue dragged itself purposefully over your folds. The tip teased your clit, flicking delicately, forcing a shaky breath past your parted lips. With a low moan at your taste, Kassandra anchored you in place with a forearm across the small of your back before circling the nerves with her tongue.

Your balance faltered at the sudden stimulation. Without the luxury of verticality, your shuddering hips inched forward, grinding down against her tongue that she readily flattened. The blazing muscle pressed delightfully against where you needed her most, bathing your nerves in a luscious, intoxicating warmth. A curse escaped you in the form of a whine, earning muffled laughter from Kassandra. She gave your clit a wicked kiss as you trembled in place.

“Should I slow down?” she chuckled, lips ghosting your quim. Her unoccupied hand reached down to massage your calf. The vaguest hint of burning within the muscle melted away at her touch.

Breathlessly, you ran a hand through your hair. “You little shit,” you marvelled down at her. Gods, did she have you by the strings. A puppeteer who knew precisely how to get you to perform a pathetic little dance for her.

Fingers trailed up the length of your thigh, all the way up to the sensitive skin of its apex. “You love it, though,” she grinned.

Softly, Kassandra kissed the mess she created. Edging on sweetly, with a clear hint of restraint. One, two more open-mouthed pecks found purchase upon your nerves, and then her tongue laved over you tenderly, catching the nectar that dripped as you relinquished a sigh. You closed your eyes and leaned back into the inviting warmth of her mouth.

Testing the waters, you carefully rocked your hips in tandem with her slow kissing. Contentedly, she hummed, guiding you along with a strong touch. You relaxed some of the cautious tension in your legs and whimpered as your weight pressed her tongue deeper into your slit. Something of an animalistic sound left her, causing your breath to hitch. Nonetheless, her tempo remained unchanged.

Gradually, as you gently rode her face, her lips caressed your clit with more intensity. Deeper, longer, with a few more sporadic flicks of her tongue. Heat ebbed and flowed into your core, sometimes a warm, soothing bath, other times a searing ember. It was a delicious thing to chase, and Kassandra happily indulged you. Every surge of pleasure she fed you was met with a sweet moan from your throat. A whimper, on occasion, when your hips journeyed a tad further forward than usual, allowing her lips to fully envelop your nerves. She couldn’t help but suckle ever so slightly, envisioning how your lower lip trembled from the countless times she had devoured you in a plethora of positions. The sensation delivered a bliss you couldn’t shy away from.

Your slow grinding halted; she took this as a sign to redouble her ministrations, sucking with a little less discipline. The hand supporting your back moved to grip the plush of your behind as the other ventured towards your slit, rubbing deep circles into the flesh. You shuddered as her fingertips toyed with your entrance.

“Inside, Kass. Please,” you moaned, suddenly overwhelmed with the need to be filled.

She rumbled affirmatively against your clit, pressing two between your folds, slickening them enough to effortlessly ease into your dripping, needy hole. You felt yourself clench around her as her tongue swirled around your stiff bud, choking on a gasp as she crooked the digits, tracing her fingertips along a spot she knew all too well.

Languidly, she cycled between wrecking you with her mouth and thrusting into you with her fingers. Two diabolical onslaughts. Mind-numbing ecstasy, only intensified by the rolling of your hips; you could either fuck yourself back against the thick digits hilted inside you, dragging them against your sweet spot, or you could grind forward onto a searing tongue. Igneous euphoria bubbled in your core, molten, white hot, emblazoning its cinders into your fingers and toes as you writhed atop her.

Foolishly, you fell into her rhythm, overwhelming yourself with a chorus of profane whispers and shallow whimpers until you erupted with a ragged crescendo of a cry. And as you shakily lifted yourself onto her hips, you were met with that same sly, easy-going smile that sparked this afternoon’s flame.

Kassandra never wiped her mouth. Her appetite had yet to be sated.

#kassandra of sparta #kassandra #kassandra x reader #kinktober 2023

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enchantedchocolatebars · 7 months

Text

Still Alive And Present (Fic based on this AMAZING theory sent to me by an anon)

Hunter was in his room carving a palisman commission for a customer with a smile on his face, meticulously whittling in the desired details that were requested of him - round ears, vertical slits for pupils, a heart shaped nose, a round body, and stubby little legs and feet.

According to the father who had paid for the piece a day ago, the palisman was intended as a birthday gift for his daughter and that pandas were her favorite animals. 💕 🐼

Although Hunter had never carved a panda before, he was having a great time doing so.

Gus had previously presented him with pictures of them.

He said that unlike giraffes, they were a lot friendlier and less vicious.

Once the carving was complete, Hunter planned on giving it to the father first thing in the morning.

He was already imagining the excitement and radiant smile on the girl's face as she opened her gift on her birthday.

The carving apprentice was confident that she would love her new palisman pal.

He knew he did.

"I wonder what your name is going to be?" The blonde would ask rhetorically, aware that the palisman could hear him.

He smiled.

He wouldn't have ever been allowed to carve in the castle, especially not with Belos around.

Hunter was unsure of why, but he experienced moments where he missed his uncle, but he made an effort to remove those thoughts from his mind.

Belos... Philip... was a bad man.

A bad human.

A wicked, unforgivable monster who had committed heinous acts against others and had finally met the demise he deserved in the end.

Hunter, as well as the Isles, were finally free of him.

Meanwhile, Waffles observed Hunter hawk-eyed carving from her wooden bird perch, with an almost possessive look in her yellow hues.

Flying over to her owner, she perched onto his right shoulder.

"Chirp!"

Looking to this right, he spots her and sends his beloved bluejay a serene smile. "Oh, hey, waffle cone," Hunter gently greets the bird with her nickname as he pulled from behind him a single peanut nut. "Would you like a snack?"

The nut was pinched between his thumb and index as he brought it close to her beak.

She grabbed it, but then immediately turned to the left to spit it out.

Hunter was taken aback by her actions. "I thought you loved peanuts."

He then chuckles. "I guess you weren't hungry."

Waffles fixes her gaze on the palisman that Hunter goes back to carving. "What are you carving?" She questions him with a tweet.

"Oh, this? It's a panda palisman. I'm carving it for a commission. I think it's coming along rather nicely!" He showed off his hard work to Waffles. "Don't you think?"

Waffles' eyes squint at the panda, giving it an annoyed look. "Chrip, chirp, tweet, tweet, chrip."

"Well, you're certainly quite the critic," Hunter comments with a small chuckle.

Her second set of chrips and tweets earns her a playful glare from the blonde. "Okay, now you're just being mean."

When Hunter carefully applied the finishes to the panda, he grinned from ear to ear at his creation.

"There! It's done!" He pulls out a cloth and begins to wrap the panda in it, sitting it aside on his nightstand where his lamp and Polly Plantar plush sat at.

Waffles flutters over to Hunter's bed as he heads towards the door. "I need to get some paint for them. Be right back, waffle cone."

As soon as the room door is shut, Waffles slowly develops a malevolent expression on her face as she turns to the palisman on the nightstand.

...

Hunter returns to his room with some pink and white acrylic paints and two paint brushes in his apron pockets, only to see a sight that made him gasp.

His brown eyes witnessed Waffles pecking violently at the newly carved palisman he had just made.

"Waffles, wait, no, stop!" He rushes over to her as she stops.

He swiftly grabs the palisman and inspects to ensure it was not damaged.

Luckily it wasn't.

He sets the carving down on his dressing table.

"Waffles, you can't do that." Hunter tries to correct the bird as calmly as possible. He didn't want to come across as angry towards her.

Gazing at the ground, Waffles emits a somber chirp.

She's so ashamed.

"Do I hate you?" Hunter whispered in disbelief at the question. He shakes his head. "No, no, of course not. Waffles, I could never hate you. Listen, we all make mistakes. No one's perfect. I know you didn't mean it."

Seeing his birdie in such a sad state causes the blonde to shine her a sympathetic smile. "I'll have to paint that little panda later. In the meantime, how about we go see Luz and the others? You'll have the opportunity to hang out with your palisman pals! Would you like that?"

Waffles immediately looks up at Hunter at the offer.

A chripy tweet leaves her beak as the bluejay wastes no time perching on Hunter's shoulder.

She couldn't wait to see her friends!

Hunter gave her chin a gentle scratch. "Alright then, let's go."

As the blonde approaches the door, he fails to notice the sly smile on Waffles' face as her yellow eyes begin to glow in a chilling blue.

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tishdoescrochet · 2 years

Text

"I can't believe people are, like, digging it, maybe?"

This is my love letter to "A Court of Fey and Flowers" and especially to Oscar Montoya's character, Delloso de la Rue (was an owlbear the whole time).

ID: amigurumi crochet of Delloso de la Rue as their true self. They are an owlbear with light green skin. They have neck feathers and wings in bright and dark green, bear like paws with dark grey pads and black claws, a black beak, golden eyes, a cream face with a bright green outline, bright and dark green "socks", and lastly a colourful bouquet of peonies on the right side of their head. The peonies are white, pale pink, light yellow, pastel orange, and light pink. End ID

ID: three photos of the same crochet owlbear, now in a khaki dress with details in the same cream colour as their face. The dress has slits on the center front and back, as well as higher slits on the sides and has shoulder straps that close at the front with cream peony buttons. The bottom of the dress has a wide cream border, along the entire edge of the dress is a smaller cream border that also leads up vertically over the front from either side of the split. At the top center of the dress is a larger cream peony. The front panels of the dress both have two peonies on the wider border at the bottom of the same colour.

The first photo is taken from the front, where Rue is posing with one hand behind their head and the other to the side. The second shows them from the side, showing the thigh high split, Rue's head is turned towards the camera. The final picture is taken from the back, Rue is looking to the left and their right arm is stretched out. End ID

#crochet #crafts #fibre arts #described #accessible art #acofaf #acofaf spoilers #a court of fey and flowers #dimension 20 #rue #rue acofaf #delloso de la rue #oscar montoya #acofaf 4 #d20 #d20 acofaf

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ibikichi · 10 months

Text

Gay people real!! (Image IDs under read more! They got pretty long)

[First image ID: Digital art of Sigma and Nikolai Gogol from Bungo Stray Dogs. They're inside a blanket fort with pillows covering the floor, and Sigma is sitting in Nikolai's lap while the latter is rambling about something. A rabbit-jester plushie is leaning against them. Sigma is wearing Nikolai's hat, golden earrings, a purple sweater, a golden necklace with the letter "sigma" as a pendant, black pants and mismatched socks with a rhombus checkered pattern. The right one is black and white, the left is red and white. Nikolai is wearing an ace of hearts as an eye patch on his right eye, winged eyeliner, black lipstick, earrings with die attached to them, black nail polish, a white button up shirt with frills and golden buttons, black and white striped pants, and mismatched socks that match Sigma's. His braid is hanging over his left shoulder, and is tied with an elastic decorated with a rose and two golden leaves. The plushie has a bunny nose and mouth, and vertical scars slitting through both eyes. Its right side is white, with a yellow eye and a purple teardrop on its cheek, while its left side is black, with a purple eye and a yellow star on its cheek. It's wearing a jester hat decorated with frills, both ends culminating with a red pom pom. The right side is purple, while the left one has white and black stripes. It wears a white frilly collar, white sleeves, and a dark vest on top. It has two red pom poms that act like buttons. Its right paw is black while the left one is white. There's yellow string lights hanging behind them. END ID.]

[Second image ID: a collection of doodles depicting the previous characters. The first one shows Sigma holding the jester plushie in his hands with a deadpan expression, saying:"My son." The second doodle depicts Sigma holding the plushie while Nikolai holds its paw, saying:"greetings!" The third one depicts Nikolai sleeping while holding the plushie. The fourth doodle is of Nikolai and Sigma kissing in the blanket fort. END ID.]

#bungo stray dogs #bsd fanart #nikolai bsd #sigma bsd #gogsig #gosig #gogsigma #siglai #sigolai #nikosig #i like that plushie a lot i want one #id in alt text #id in caption #ibikichiart

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arathain · 1 year

Text

A Star of Dawn

The child, perhaps nine years of age or so, hid inside the cupboard, cutlery and tableware prodding in all the uncomfortable places. They did not see the room outside the cupboard, as instructed - quite probably for the better. The two caretakers were armed with a plain shortsword, the door barred with a wardrobe. The singular window's shutter was locked tight, as all the shutters in the town would've been by now. Even through the walls of the room & cupboard, screams and footsteps were audible in the distance. A shudder, the floor vibrating powerfully. Another. The cries went silent. The caretakers gripped their swords tightly, readying themselves as best as they could, given their meagre martial arts training.

The door flew open, smashing against the wall together with the wardrobe. Pieces scattered across the floor, with parts of the wall paint having flaked away to reveal the brick underneath. Through the doorway stepped an unassuming figure, cloaked in grey garbs. A half-mask covered their mouth and nose, two vertical slits streaming down from the tear glands of the eyes. The hair was an unassuming dark brown, streaked with hints of grey. They unsheathed a sword, if you could call it a sword - a solid piece of black granite, sharpened to absurdity. Abruptly, the leftmost nurse dashed towards the figure, sword descending with all the strength they could muster.

With thorough disinterest, the grey being grasped the sword by the blade, the inside of their glove absorbing the cut. Twisting, the sword broke, and the battered nurse could only gasp as the Mason cut twice, stone cleanly cleaving from the clavicle to the midriff, and again, horizontally. The eyes of the murderer were pointed in the direction of their victim, but thoroughly blank - as if seeing past the nurse altogether. With a rise of their left hand, the ground shook, thousands of tiny spikes protruding from the stone bricks directly opposite to the second nurse. With a gurgle, they fell to the floor, countless tiny red splotches forming on their back. Inside of the cupboard, the child could barely contain their fear. The Mason sheathed their sword, looking down on the corpses below them.

'Idiots' the Wheel-Bearer muttered, as a shadowy figure silently ran down the corridor behind them. 'One and all dancing on thin air.'

Turning back to see the one approaching, their voice slit through the air; 'Is the apparatus destroyed? The physickers dead?'

'Aye, sir.' The hands and knives of the Thronebreaker Shadow were painted with blood as they reached into one of their myriad pockets, and extended a blade-like sliver of crystal, tied down intricately with rope. 'The fruits of their labour, in all their glory.'

The Mason carefully grasped the combined effort of a century of alchemists, the crystal dancing as it refracted light in countless, pointless ways.

'Missed the mark by a tad, there.' they said, studying the essence of the artifice. 'A unique approach to be sure, but unacceptable in its intended use.'

The Mason's head turned towards the cupboard. 'Although, a more appropriate use might've presented itself.' They turned back to their compatriot.

'Prepare the Walkway back home; burn the entire complex down as well. It is best if we eliminate all traces of what was being sought after here.'

As the Shadow departed, the immortal-killer walked over to the cupboard, and, without a hint of hesitation, smashed it into the ceiling. The child shrieked as shards of clay and porcelain cut their face and arms, woodchips scraping against their skin. Laying broken on the floor, the small one coughed up blood as the Mason grabbed them by the neck, lifting them up so as to inspect them. Their eyes widened; still seeing past what they were looking at, however it seemed that, for a brief moment, a brand new vision was revealed to the lifeless orbs.

'Oh, you'll do.' The mason stabbed the primitive crystal kris into the child's nape, sending convulsions throughout the body as the crystal fused with the child's self, guided by the Mason's hand. 'You'll do well. I may not be a child of the Bud or the Blossom, but even the graceless I may yet serve the Twin-Dragon Wheel. Tell me, what is your name?'

The slivers of clay and porcelain flew off of the child as the magical stone-and-metalworker's hand moved, the crystal in the child's body bringing them back to bearable conditions once more.

The child hesitantly spoke. 'I'm J-'

Cut off before being given a chance to barely start, the child flew against the wall, bones cracking as the blunt of the Mason's stone-sword retreated into its sheath. With a twist of the hand, the child was brought back to a state just undamaged enough to be able to stand straight. Raising a hand to their chin, the Mason lowered themselves to look down upon the tiny one.

'Do not utter such useless words. You are nothing, were nothing, and, given your circumstances would be any different, would've been ash soon. Alas, your existence has the potential to feed the Twin Ouroboros, and that is a task I wouldn't dare to intrude upon. What are your parents' names?'

The child hesitated, silent in fear.

'Tell them to me.'

As the child opened their mouth to speak, they were thrown across the room once again, the Mason's blade ringing as it retreated into its sheath once more. Once again, the child was raised up, brought back to just before the brink of death.

'Your parents are dead or dying, and their essence is a disgrace to existence itself. A name must be earned, and they've long lost any right to such distinguishment. Given time and effort, your existence shall warrant a name for it; now, tell me. What is your name?'

With fear in its eyes, the child hesitantly whispered. 'Nothing. I have no name.'

The Mason straightened upright, still looking down on the now time-scattered child, their upbringing soon to be wiped off of the annals of history. 'Rule of the third - very well, you are salvageable.'

The Mason grabbed them by the nape and dragged them, their feet sliding across the planks. The halls they were dragged through burned with a blue flame, parting before its creator. Through the blue haze, the child saw corpse after corpse, being consumed by flames fed from the very essence of their previous owners. As the alchemists' mansion Blossomed blue and the Mason stepped through the Walkway, the child drifted away, their exhaustion sliding their eyelids shut.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The young adult circled the colourless meal on their plate with a three-pronged fork, the individual spines sharper than they have any right to usually be. The table, akin to the room itself, was plain and stone-cold - potentially owing to the fact it was made of said stone. Footsteps. The clank of cruel metal against the stone floor rang as the Mason entered the small kitchen, the two lanterns newly invigorated with blue flame. Rising a chair out of the sheer rock, the solitary Wheel-Bearer sat in front of the budding chrysalis. The no-longer-child but not-quite-adult immediately straightened and set down their fork - for the house, and the child, were the Mason's, and their existence was leveraged on serving their assigned purpose.

'What stands in your path?'

The adolescent looked at their 'mentor' bewildered, waiting for an elaboration. When one inevitably did not come, they gave in and hesitantly asked. 'Pardon?'

The immortal-killer sighed. 'You do not make progress. You have not made progress. The wheel does not budge for you. What stands in your path, to hinder you so?'

Looking down at their plate through their newly-made crystal glasses, the adolescent failed to provide an answer. While they held faint memories of occasional cruelty from the Mason, the being has never failed to provide for them, and allowed them to foster their skills whenever they provided. In contrast, the adolescent failed miserably at trials of power and wit, unable to impress in any degree. To say the young one felt useless was an understatement, to say the least.

'I- I do not know.'

The Mason stood up, the chair underneath crumbling to dust. 'Very well.'

With a single motion, the seat the adolescent sat in shot up through the roof, the stone tiles retracting to make space for the average-sized figure. As the young one got up, the Mason effortlessly climbed onto the rooftop, gazing at the stars above.

'The stars are curious, among the cycle. Seemingly ageless, they nevertheless pop in and out of existence in due time; their lifespans simply outshine a mortal one by aeons, forever out of reach.' Looking back at the adolescent, their eyes seeing past, the Mason stared. 'This is your purpose. That is the end of your journey, the culmination of your purpose; your death will blind a thousand eyes, and send the Wheel reeling forward. With time, and the care I grant unto you, you shall be fit for this express purpose; only power can be your salvation.'

The adolescent stared at them, wide-eyed.

'S-so, my only purpose is to die?'

The Mason's eyes narrowed, the grey irises drilling into the young one's own. 'If you do not find another way, yes - that shall be your purpose. Only if your existence will be noteworthy, may you escape the Wheel by serving it.' With that, the roof parted underneath them, and they walked out of the small stone house, opening a Walkway to stifle places far removed. As the wound in the world's fabric closed, the child looked up longingly at the astral objects above, grasping. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Astron woke up, rising against the wooden table, as the first rays of the morning sun illuminated Rat's hideaway log cabin. Rubbing their eyes and adjusting their cheap yellow glasses, they gathered their sketches and stowed their books away, lest Rat see what they're researching. The Mason's works, as well as miscellanities on the occult they gathered from their travels. Insofar, their search did not bear many fruit, however they were determined to find the truth of what 'Circle-Breaker' meant, and, perhaps more importantly, to discover who it was that so effortlessly put an end to the Mason altogether. Perhaps, there were other things that this being could bring an end to, or better yet - elevate.

As they gathered up the last of the papers, one of the pieces gave them pause - a singular sketch of the old dining hall at the Perch; Lux, Freak, & the Mason all together with them. Holding it tightly, they walked outside, the mountain valley laid out in front of them.

They squinted as the golden rays of the sun hit their eyes, hands firmly gripping the veranda below them. Looking up, the stars faded, but not in the mind of Astron. Grimacing, they painstakingly tore up the small sketch, letting the tiny shreds be scattered by the wind. Heading back inside, a single, soft mutter escaped from under their breath.

'No cost too great.'

#mason arathain #astronyu #content smp #creative writing #arathain #this is what watching the entirety of a TBSkyen Boss Designs playlist gets you /j

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paladinbaby · 1 year

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put another x on the calendar, summer’s on its deathbed. there is simply nothing worse than knowing how it ends.

[Image Description: A two page comic of my d&d character Fox. The first page shows two different landscapes, a ornate castle gate house surrounded by towers at the top and a simple cottage across the bottom. The cottage has a large shop window with a curtain drawn across it, a plaque above the door and two chimneys with smoke rising from the shorter one. There are bushes growing on its left and a picket fence on its right. The castle gate house is coloured white where as the cottage and the sky behind the gate house are a cool desaturated blue. An orange sun is setting behind the castle, "summer’s on its deathbed" is written in the centre of it in pale pink.

Most of the second page is taken up by a pale pink anatomical heart behind white ribs. The top pair of ribs continue up onto the bottom edge of the previous page, and "there is simply nothing worse" is written across the next two rows. Fox sits at the bottom of the page with their legs crossed and their hands resting in their lap looking sadly up to the top right. They have pink skin, swept back blonde hair, and long elven ears. They’re wearing a long orange dress with a slit in the skirt and a low neckline showing most of their chest. They have a vertical scar on the left side of their face and a large jagged scar through the centre of their chest and up onto their throat. Their nose, knuckles and the knee made visible through their skirt are bloodied. "than knowing how it ends." is written across the bottom edge of the page. End ID.]

#d&d oc #original character #original comic #dungeons and dragons #d&d art #personal #my art #my art described #fox #c:feywild #cw blood

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13leaguestories · 1 year

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~Shaph~

Classification: Botanical

Place of Origin: Stronoe, Comarus System

Usually standing around 5'7 to 6'2 and weighing anywhere between 200 to 300 pounds, most of their weight is attributed to bulkiness and well-defined muscles but exceptions exist. They possess four arms of the same length, four thick fingers on each, one of those fingers being an opposable thumb. Feet are similar, having only four toes. Their skin is made up of coarse material that many compare to the feeling of wood but being of the same hardiness of chitin.

Face wise, Shaphs share the same general structure as Terrans. Their eyes sit in the same position with a distinct sclera and pupil. They range in colors from green, blues, browns, blacks, and greys. The skin tones are typically grey or brown with the minority possessing much darker tones. Noses are thin and down-turned with two thin slits acting as their nasal vestibule. They have small, pointed ears that follow the groove of their extended skulls, also known as roots. Their mouth is a mix of both visible mandibles and lips, the top being the mandible and the lower actually being a lip. The overlap of the mandible and lip disallows the mouth from fully closing and creates a small hole that aids the species in breathing.

Each Shaph is born with one of three different facial markings which act as the only visual identifier to an individual's sex. The first sex and marking is called 'pisu', known as "web" in the Terran tongue. The marking appears as a large diamond that stretches from the upper bridge of the nose to the bottom of the lip, and to the outer area of both eyes. Six medium-sized lines branch off of it with a thinner line on the nose forming a circle. A pisu supplies a range of genetic markers in the fertilization process.

The second sex and marking is known as 'syutnu' or the "arrow." This marking is a thick line resting on the bridge of their nose with two thinner lines branching off at the bottom and stretching to both sides of the jaw. A syutnu also supplies genetic material. But while the pisu more so supplies a list, the syutnu allows boxes to be checked in the creation.

The third is known as the 'wumt' also commonly referred to as the 'foundation, base, or bark.' Two jagged lines that are not always similiar to another of the same sex, vertically covers the eyes. It reaches from the base of the roots to the jaw. The wumt supplies the DNA and basic constructs for the offspring.

Shaphs are a genderless race and do not recognize the use of pronouns. Instead they simply use their names. Each sex is needed in the process with the wumt beginning the fertility process and creating the sprout that is needed to be further fertilized by the other two sexes. These are always a faded white/light grey color.

The species possess the ability to enter a camouflage mode, similar to that of a chameleon. While in this mode they secrete a toxic thin smoke that is lethal to some species. Though not toxic to the Shaph, water usually causes allergic reactions. The species hydrate through toxins that exist in the air of only a few planets. When not on these planets, they typically are shown to wear lower face masks that keep water out of their systems.

Art by Beto Miranda

#13leaguesstories #horizon #horizon art

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booksandchainmail · 10 months

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Pale 9.z

One new wall nearly every second, all in red and shades of grey with the occasional stain in yellow or sepia tones. The only ones that lingered were the ones that needed more time to allow blood to seep through cracks or for something to crawl between wallpaper and wall, one corner of the wall to the other.

well this is a horror aesthetic

Tashlit sat back in her chair, mouth closed, swallowing a few times to clear her throat because coughing wasn’t working. Painted nails. Her lips- she was pretty sure she had lipstick on. She’d only worn lipstick once and she had been five or six. The result had been a horror show and one very ticked off older cousin who hadn’t wanted her strict dad to know she owned any makeup.

alpeana nightmare? Or possessing someone somehow, but I don't think of that as something Tashlit can do. Maybe another realm?

A wall to her right flickered from being on fire to being skin and hair, with a texture that defied normal adjectives. For less usual adjectives, genital sufficed, indistinct in gender but raw, goosebumped, and folded toward the center, framed with coarse hair.

I'm not even going to try to picture this

The girl, still rubbing at the eye that would have let her spot Tashlit, looked around. Her irises were purple, the pupils vertical slits. She set her eye on Tashlit, paused, and her expression went from sad to a wide smile. “Heyyyyy,” the kid said. “Tashlit!” “Verona.”

oh nice! I'm guessing that each of them subconsciously chose their avatar here? So Tashlit is human again, but dressed up in a way that she thinks of as fancy. And Verona is a furry kid marked with a tear.

“The adventure? Dealing with the invaders?” Verona asked. “I’m claiming the credit for the badass play that stopped Bridge.”

nice phrasing, and good establishing your participation

“That’s great! What did you do?” “I think you should ask Lucy, she’ll tell that story better.”

lol

Avery was wearing a decorated jacket and button-up shirt with a copper-tinted sash and epaulets. An antler pin at her brow kept her hair back at one side, while the other side draped straight down.

nice! I like the pseudo-military look, and the asymmetric hair

“What demesne would you make?” Tashlit asked. “Oh man. Okay, so I’m a creative type, right? And art, really, is about testing and pushing boundaries…” “Really worried,” Avery elaborated.

seconding that worry :)

Snowdrop wore a simple white dress, earrings that were little silver opossums with the tails hooked through her earlobes, and she had tiny white flowers in her hair, one over one ear to start but getting more dense toward the bottom, until they were omnipresent.

fancier than I'd expect, but I guess it matches everyone else

Lucy was still recovering. She wore a halter-style dress, red, with jewelry matching her earring at her ear, brow, topping her ponytail like its own little tiara, as bangles, as a necklace, and as various rings, including two caps on the fingertips of her left hand, forming clawed tips.

nice! I like the jewelry, and the claws are a nice touch

"If I’m to be a corruptive ooze that seeps into patterns and processes, I’ll be a gentleman corruptive ooze.”

I like Montague

"Umm, Sabita was odd right out the gate. The way my dad tells it, she looked normal for about five minutes, then a tiny snake slithered out of her nose and onto the beach, and then the floodgates opened.” “Floodgates?” Lucy asked. “Of snakes?” “Yeah. Ears, nose, mouth… everywhere. Handful every second. All shapes and sizes. But you know, my dad’s a trooper.”

did they ever stop?

"Last I saw her, she was doing a thing as a fortune teller. Travel to a certain island, go to a cave, and there’ll be a woman in the shadows, who’ll tell you what’s to come.” “How do you learn that?” Verona asked. “I think she B.S.’s a lot of it."

I love this. Real mystical semi-divine snake woman, fake prophecizing. She should team up with Nicolette

“I visited other siblings. Our whole deal, I’m not sure if anyone’s explained, Montague, is we’re like the bloodlines of Echidna, or Minos of Crete, or Jormungandr. Sometimes you get a girl who has snakes instead of bodily fluids, sometimes you have a boy with sapphire skin who kills anyone who hears his voice, and sometimes that egg hatches and you have two dragons sharing one mind. Mom found knotted places for them to reside, so you can only find them if you go looking.”

so cool

I mean, it sounds like it sucks for most of them, but so cool

"Um, one of my brothers is a big crime lord in a place knotted enough that someone with a ‘skin condition’ of not having skin gets a pass, and he really knew how to throw a party. He bought me a, uh, dance, and the company of the male dancer for the evening, and… no thank you.” “No?” Avery asked.

huh.

Also, amused at Avery instantly perking up when Tashlit mentions not having been into (a) guy

“Aren’t you upstarts?” Montague asked. “You’ve been given a lot of power in a short time. You’ve already challenged a system you’ve known for months and it feels as if you might carry on doing that.”

and this is making a lot of people nervous

Avery shifted her seat, giving up on trying to keep Snowdrop from snacking. “We’re looking for help, Montague, we want to make this work, here in Kennet, and we want you guys to feel at home. But we also want things to be better.”

and sometimes those two goals are in conflict (see the Hungry Choir)

“I’ll take it in the positive, adventurous spirit it was offered,” Montague said, his voice briefly lapsing into feedback squeals for the ‘s’ sounds, before almost disappearing into a crackle. “Much as you’ve done by indulging me here.”

Verona is good with "weird" Others

“For a vacation, dribbletits,” Avery said. Verona snickered at the insult.

same

“I was going to ask if you wanted company,” Tashlit told Verona. “I’ve wandered around, and if it isn’t far, I can cover a lot of ground in a day. But if it’s getting in the way of you spending time with your mom…”

yes! This would be neat, keep Verona from getting too isolated

“They can’t really figure out what my responsibilities should be,” Tashlit told him. “I wasn’t brought in for any exact purpose. I was brought in on Verona’s recommendation.”

“You don’t know what binging is? Oh my god…” Verona paused, her expression changing. “Oh my god. You haven’t watched all that much TV and movie stuff. I can show you some of the best stuff and you’re totally unspoiled. You haven’t even been ruined by trailers! It’s a pure and vicarious-for-me viewing experience!”

I bet Verona would like liveblogs

“Says the horror fetishist,” Verona said. “And the closet romance-movie-watcher.” “I’m not closeted, exactly, I just don’t broadcast it. I like genres with a lot of conventions and movies that toy with those conventions. Horror and romance are really formulaic. It’s the same with music.”

that's actually a really cool way of looking at things. I know I appreciate books that are in conversation with their genre for genres I know well, but I hadn't thought about how more rigid genres would play into that

“I used to like romance movies, but then I got super sick of them really fast all of a sudden,” Avery said.

gee, I wonder why

“We can find you stuff, Avery. Just gotta know where to look,” Verona said.

I feel like Verona could put together a list of good queer starter media. I bet Avery would like She-Ra.

"And I think my mom might be really careful about not causing too much fuss, sometimes, and Avery’s parents being there probably really helped, with that.” “Not making much fuss?” Verona asked. “I guess you got that from your dad?” “I got it from me, if I’m being generous to myself,” Lucy said She sat back. “From Paul, if I didn’t.”

... ouch

"She saw the church and the church community as a kind of insurance, where you put in the hours and make your face known and they’ll support you if you’re ever in a pinch. That she really liked being able to shop around for a sub-community of people to spend time with."

I need to find more (non-religious) things like this as an adult. I was in a club in college that provided a lot of this, and I miss having that in person.

“Exactly, yeah,” Lucy said. “Verona’s mom is really set on deep introspection and thinking about how to set up her life. She’s smart and does this, I dunno, calculus? Figuring out her church community, wine drinking buddies, work…”

Lucy means this in a complimentary way, but I could see Verona thinking of it as cold or unfeeling in the way her dad accuses her of being

“The Demesne ritual in particular is one I mind, because it means ceding ground, every time, and because it runs against the sect I belong to. But they grow.”

Do Demesnes keep existing after the practitioner dies? This also reminds me of how demons operate, from Pact. Incremental progress that can't be undone.

“Boxes and box-makers,” Rook said. “Cages and cage makers. What is a home but four walls, a floor, a ceiling? A container we make for ourselves. What boxes do we fit in? What boxes do others put us in, or lock us in? Do you understand the thread running through this?”

I'm thinking of that one tumblr post about queer identity where the response to "Why would you define yourself with a label" is "As any cat can tell you, a box you choose for yourself is very different from one someone puts you in"

“There is a stopping point,” Rook told him. She clicked the calipers closed, then slid them into her belt. “That point is when you decide to stop playing games with the rules and get serious.”

ominous but cool!

"If you think of this as a game of chess, then those three girls don’t have any idea that they’re playing. They are poised to lose, soundly and thoroughly. As for myself, I don’t plan to lose. It may not be a victory, but it shouldn’t be a loss.”

welp.

The outfits were similar to what they’d worn in the dream, if simpler. Avery wore a light blue button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbow and black pants, hair in a similar style, and a matching pin to the dream. Snowdrop wore a white dress that faded to gray at the bottom, slightly simpler opossum earrings, and silver eye shadow. Her hair didn’t have as many flowers in them and they weren’t all snowdrops. A lot were daisies and longer stems with very small white buds on them. Lucy had done a good job there.

awww, this is nice

“I got so preoccupied making the pin for Avery and the earrings for Snowdrop that I sorta didn’t pack much,” Verona said. “I’m going to borrow some of Lucy’s stuff and my mom’s going to want to take me shopping, I bet.”

Getting to see people wearing jewelry you made is fun

All of it over stormy red-and-purple clouds, balloons, and dirigibles. A train station in light, bright colors, occupied by predominantly young Others, poised over an open, wild, dreamlike sky that was more painting than reality.

this would also make really neat art

“Tashlit,” Verona murmured, pointing, “Meet Zed, Brie, Nicolette, Jessica, Tymon, Liberty, and Fernanda. I guess Estrella had better things to do?”

oh nice! That's a good mix. Basically everyone they made a positive connection with at the Institute. Glad to see Fernanda sticking around after hanging out with Avery that once. And that they invited Estrella even if she couldn't make it. I wonder if Tymon is mainly here for Lucy?

“This isn’t about the Familiar ritual we’re about to do, but that’s a part of it. This is about attachments, forming bonds, and establishing long-term ties. I’ve been saying for a little while now that I think we need help. We’re willing to make deals if you want to ask for them, but we’d really like your support for what’s coming down the road.”

good to see Avery taking point on this! It will be useful to have these allies, and I think inviting them to the familiar ritual is a nice touch

#booksandchainmail reads pale #wildbow #pale

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ashes-writing-corner · 9 months

Text

In the Heart of Winter

Chapter 7

The morning found Siobhan still trapped in a polar, albeit luxurious, nightmare. The bed she laid in was not her own. The room she was in was not her own. The only things that were her own were her still packed travel bags and the clothes she wore. The princess refused to wear any of the clothes in the closet, very much preferring the bright but earthy tones of her home kingdom.

Siobhan got up and moved a little sluggishly toward her bags. She needed to change and get ready for the day. Perhaps she and Siomon could work together to map out the palace. Should things come to a bloody end, her allies would need such information. Plus, she needed to return Siomon's cloak.

Siobhan changed into a casual gown of red and gold, the colors of her family. It was a comfort, but also served to tell others that she was still a proud Lorcain. That would never change, no matter how much she herself did. She did however grab a fur coat from the closet, the only thing from it she'd wear, before making her way out to the extensive, icy hall.

The outer walls of the keep were made from stone, but on the inside it appeared to be different. The walls looked as though they were made of crystalline ice, with enchanted glittering snow to fill in the nooks and cracks in an elegant fashion. Like in all of Iorera, there was magic here, just magic that Siobhan didn't know.

The princess found herself back in the central tower, with the five staircases. If her memory served, Frost had sent Siomon to the furthest left staircase from the entrance. Siobhan looked in that direction briefly, her gold eyes scanning for anyone or anything watching her. It seemed to be dead in Erya's Keep, the silence almost deafening. It reminded her briefly of the mornings after festivals held in her kingdom.

Siobhan shook her head, as now wasn't the time to be nostalgic. She needed to keep a mental map of the keep and return Siomon's coat. She took one step towards the staircase before she stopped, catching a faint movement from the corner of her eye.

There was another door the to back of the tower leading to a central courtyard and garden. Through one of the vertical slits in the top half of the door, Siobhan could see something moving. She wasn't armed, having left Dragon Seeker in her locked luggage case, but she did have her aerokinesis. If there was an intruder, Siobhan was sure she could handle it. She took one of her hands out of the cloak, caring little for the icy air nipping at her bare hand. She motioned one of her fingers in a circular movement, controlling the tiny gust it generated into a ball, which the princess moved to her palm as she inched toward the door. She opened it, ready for an attack the second she did...

But there was nothing. At least, not from what she could see. Siobhan was greeted by a wide courtyard with patches of glistening snow, surrounding ice statues and even more deafening silence. She blinked, believing that she hadn't imagined it. Still, the beauty and serenity of this place couldn't be understated. Surrounded on two sides by cold resistant, evergreen shrubbery, the courtyard had black stone paths that ventured in several directions all around. The paths led around to four corners, each ending in an intricately carved ice sculpture, one of the four original fae conquerors of Iorera. It was a bit discomforting to Siobhan. She wondered why in the world they'd keep those damn statues. The fae were conquerors, slave drivers, who wanted to rule and control everything. Siobhan shuddered at the thought of them.

Iorera was better off without them.

In the center of the courtyard, surrounded by ice flowers, was a peculiar statue of an elf child. It was a young girl, younger than her brother Seoras. She was pale, with curled shoulder length hair that blended seamlessly with the fallen snow. Her eyes were lifeless and yet, in part thanks to the subtle smile on her face, they seemed so kind. She looked almost...lifelike.

Siobhan stood on her toes, curious to touch the had of the girl.

But a subtle growl stopped her. Rising from what Siobhan thought was a large snow pile was Frost. The dragon king raised his head and peered down at his bride to be, his blue eyes cold. He snarled deeply, baring his teeth.

"Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Her!" he growled, rising to his full height and making a small hill of snow fall from his body as he stretched.

Siobhan blasted the snow away from her toward the tower wall. Making sure no one else was out or got hurt, the princess turned to face him.

"What in the four kingdoms is your problem?! It's a statue!"

The dragon snapped his jaws threateningly. "Watch yourself, little one. You don't understand what it is you almost touched".

Siobhan looked at her confused. "What do you mean?"

He shook his enormous body, shaking off the rest of the snow on top of him. He didn't seem to particularly care that Siobhan was practically right under him. He yawned, and she hadn't really noticed just how big Frost's mouth actually was. It looked as though he could devour an entire horse whole. It amazed and terrified Siobhan at the same time.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" Frost offered with a dark undertone.

"Closer look?"

Without another word, Frost lifted her in a claw and moved her toward the statue. Siobhan looked notably at the girl's face. Very faintly she could make out the pores on the girl's cheek and nose. Looking down at her hands, she even had palmar flexion creases...and her wrists had veins. Siobhan felt the blood drain from her face.

"Put me down...Now!" she demanded.

"Of course" Frost placed her back on the snowy ground and Siobhan backed away from him.

"What is WRONG with you?! You just...kill people and turn their bodies into statues?! You sick monster! Bad enough you kill them, and now you show you have no respect for the dead!"

"Silence elf! Who are you to question my motives?! My reasons?! Perhaps she asked me to do this! Think before you speak!".

"Who is this?" Siobhan demanded.

Frost growled and hesitated. "Aurora Eronen".

Siobhan's look of anger didn't fade. "So you just turn your victims into decorations? Where are the other bodies?"

The dragon shook his head. "I burned the others, aside from Kalervo. He was a monster".

"He was king" She hadn't forgotten what Matias had told her, but thought she could get more information.

"Didn't make him any less of a monster. Power only made him worse".

She let herself calm a little. "What did he do to get you to kill him?"

Frost snarled. "You aren't ready to know about it".

"I'm not some child, your grace".

"Ha...compared to me, you may as well be".

"Only because your kind live longer than us".

"And yet here I am, the last" Frost shook his head.

Siobhan wasn't sure what to say to that. The4 war of Man and Magic had devastated everyone and everything. She looked away from Aurora to glance at the new king.

"Why would you do this to her?" Siobhan asked.

Frost raised his head. "She was the only good one really. At least to me. So I honored her by putting her in the center of the Ice Garden".

"She was good to you and yet you killed her".

The dragon glared. "Mind yourself girl. I'll tell you everything once we're married".

"Why not now?"

His expression was cold as his name. "Don't ask questions you aren't ready to know the answers to. You will get your answers when you earn them, Princess".

"And I earn them by marrying you?"

"By proving yourself worthy of them. Now, there is another matter we need to discuss".

Siobhan raised a brow. "Yes?"

"The keep is yours to explore as you see fit. I only ask that, for the time being, you stay out of my chamber".

"I don't even know where it is" Siobhan cocked her head.

"The door is normally locked. Knowing how curious you elves are, you'll find it in time".

"Keeping things from me, still?"

Frost growled lowly, a warning rumble from his chest. "Watch yourself, girl. Do as I say, and your friend may just survive long enough to see you wed".

"So is this how we're going to keep doing things? You're just gonna keep threatening Siomon to keep me in line?"

"If it keeps you loyal and in line, absolutely".

Siobhan felt her anger rise. "You won't lay a finger on him".

"Oh really? How would you try to stop me?"

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll...I'll snap those wings of yours like twigs".

Frost snorted and then started laughing. It was a deep bellowing laugh, as if his bride to be had just told him the funniest joke. Siobhan however wasn't laughing. He noticed, but it only made Frost even more humored. His tail slammed on the ground, and he was nearly in tears from laughing so hard.

"Sweet Traygan's breath...you're serious? Yout hink you can break these?!" he spread the two immense, powerful wings, "You amuse me girl. Go..Just go. Speak to your little friend" Frost was still grinning as he folded his wings back, "Snap my wings will you? Ha! I don't think so!"

Siobhan bowed and left the courtyard back into the tower, her face hot with a mix of anger and humiliation.

*******

"You threatened him?" Siomon raised a brow.

"He keeps threatening you. I meant what I said" Siobhan looked at her friend as he was organizing old tomes on a large table.

"Do you realize we're in a very delicate situation right now? By threatening him, he was well within his right to have me killed to teach you a lesson. This isn't just your life at risk anymore your grace. It's mine as well".

"I still meant what I said. I'll break his wings if he tries anything".

"You aren't strong enough yet. The most you'd do right now is slightly inconvenience him".

Siobhan sighed. "So what am I supposed to do? Everything he asks?"

Siomon moved to sit across from her. "Unfortunately, we have to play the long game here. The long winter comes in three months. We need to be careful Siobhan, if we both hope to make it out of this situation alive".

The princess looked at him with a serious, hard face. "I want you to teach me".

"Teach you?"

."To break his wings".

"Are you mad? Do you have any idea how powerful a dragon's wings are? This isn't like breaking a bird's wings under pressure. If you wanted to break his wings, you'd need to conjure up the most powerful wind storm Iorera has ever seen. Innocent people would potentially get killed. I know your ego is bruised, Siobhan, but it's not worth spilling innocent blood for a ridiculous threat".

The princess sighed softly but let herself calm down. "Okay...I won't break his wings. But don't expect me to sit here and be compliant to him".

Siomon shook his head. "You aren't making this easier for yourself".

Siobhan sat back in her chair. "Yeah, but I'm not making it easier on him either".

"So...you're choosing to inconvenience yourself for a sort of sense of catharsis?".

"Don't tell me you're siding with him-".

"Don't change the subject on me, Siobhan. This is a dangerous game you're playing. I would hate for my mother to find out you got me killed because you couldn't keep your priorities straight. This isn't about sides, Siobhan. This is about survival, and about becoming the queen I know you can be" Siomon put his hand on hers, "I'm not asking you to capitulate to him completely. I'm asking you to play the game, but play it smartly".

The book master stood to resume his work. "As for the information you've given me from Sir Auckland and Lady Ketainen, I'll send your mother a letter about it".

"Wouldn't it be safer for you if I did it?" Siobhan asked.

"Perhaps but that's part of the reason I'm here isn't it? To keep you safe and take the blame if things go wrong".

"He'll throw you to the reapers".

"Then I will pass as my father did, in the line of duty. Better I get thrown than you do, princess".

*******

Bird were the most reliable way to send messages across Iorera. Their inclusion in the War of Man and Magic had proved to be invaluable. While the most important of these had been the raptors of House Nevrakis, just as important were the swift, black winged ravens. They were intelligent, intimidating, and blended well with dark surroundings so to go unnoticed.

But there was one big drawback to using ravens and crows for messages. One very big, overlooked problem. One that House Seiya had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to exploit.

Owls were the natural enemy of crows and ravens. In large groups, corvids had the advantage in both numbers and intelligence. However, owls were quiet and much bigger than corvids, and far more opportunistic.

House Naito, a noble house aligned with the spring royals, committed themselves to years of perfecting magic gene splicing experiments. Combined with their love of all things poisonous and venomous, this relentless noble house of assasssins gave of the owls of House Seiya another deadly advantage.

Siomon had sent out a raven with a message for Queen Neassa, relaying what was going on in Zaigary. Flying over the charred, ashy land of the Veil, the poor creature had no idea of the trouble coming. Silent as a shadow, an enormous great horned owl swooped down on the raven, its talons digging deep into the corvids flesh. With sharp, hypodermic needle like talons, the owl pumped the poor bird with a venom that caused extreme bleeding. As the owl flew back towards Xisha, the poor bird in its talons bled out of every orifice, from its mouth to the not so savory parts. It wasn't designed to kill too fast or too slow, as it would thin the victim's blood, stop temporarily, and when the owl would tighten its grip, the process would continue until there wasn't a drop left.

Flying to the seat of House Seiya, Rose Hold, in the capital of Xisha, the owle dropped the bled out raven at King Daimon's feet. With no hesitation, the one eyed king picked up the dead creature and found the small scroll on its leg. Opening it, Daimon realized it wasn't a woman's hand writing, and it was signed with the name Siomon Robason. The name was only slightly familiar to the King of Spring, but the information this Siomon Robason provided was invaluable.

Zaigary was in a state of unrest. If ever there was a time for rebellion, for political movements, now was it. Motoaki would have his queen and kingdom soon, and House Seiya would rule Iorera for the next two thousand years...

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#original work #fantasy #dragons #elves #in the heart of winter #romance #fantasy political drama

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