#newfound dragon powers mhm mhm

[xiaomomowrites]

midas touch

Genshin Impact | ZhongChi

Summary: Sometimes, in moments where Zhongli finds himself surrendering to the harmonic bliss that surrounds him, he’ll allow himself to lose control over his mortal form and let some of his draconic features shine through. Some days his horns will make an appearance, and other times his scales will begin to blossom across what once was human skin. Tonight, his horns make themselves present, and his eyes have shifted, too.

“Can I…” Ajax starts tentatively. His eyes are blown so wide, and they glimmer with curiosity and a silent joy that is akin to a child being gifted sweets. Zhongli chuckles, nodding his head in silent affirmation. 

The pads of Ajax’s fingers hesitantly make contact with the horns stemming from the crown of his head. They’re beautiful; they glow as if they’re dipped in melted mora, pulsing brightly and casting a dim light across Ajax’s pale skin. They’re quite long, and Ajax gently trails his index finger along the curve of a horn. They don’t stick straight up, though. Instead, it bows backwards charmingly until it tapers off midway toward the back of Zhongli’s head.

Beautiful.

Or, Zhongli discovers something new about his powers and gladly takes advantage of it.

Find it on Ao3!

A/N: Soo the thought process behind this fic was inspired by three different pieces of chili fanart I found on twitter (I'll link it in the end notes) and the concept that my mutual put in my head of Zhongli turning Childe's skin to gold whenever he touches him. My mutual is a genius. And uhhh initially I didn't expect this to turn explicit, but I just started typing and then suddenly they were going at it lol. But writing them super soft and cute is always such a pleasure, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did :)

But this was so fun to write! Definitely a good break from act vi bc damn that piece just doesn't want to be written right now. I have a collab with miss stereotypicallyasian on the way as well, a Naruto x Genshin crossover that I should be posting sometime toward the end of the week!

--

As soon as he wakes up, Zhongli finds his breath stuttering with a noticeable hollowness in his chest that he cannot quite describe. 

Briefly, he supposes it is merely the effect of his gnosis being taken. But even with the core of his divinity gone, there still remains a vibrant energy coursing through his veins that buzzes with a level of excitement. It’s a nagging feeling, but it is the very thing that keeps him awake at night. Zhongli exhales, nice and slow, and allows the back of his head to press against the pillows he had propped up against the table. His hair is free from its usual hold and it spills across his shoulders in ribbons of black and gold. 

He stretches his legs across the blankets he’s laid beneath him and wiggles his toes, flexes his fingers, twitches his nose. The wind around him responds in kind. Warm Liyuan air wafts through the room at the inn as the sun begins to set, casting an orange glow across the walls. Zhongli feels himself sink into the floor, melting into the plush pillows, and revels in the way he is being held down firmly by the weight in his lap that belongs to his beloved.

He’s been tired these days. 

Only a week had passed after the incident with Osial and his official retirement as the Archon of Geo. Adjusting so far has been strange, and eerily enough, rather easy. Despite the new creaking in his joints and the mild back pain he never quite felt until now, he’s become rather fond of the quaint life he subconsciously built while he was living amongst his people. 

And, well, Ajax’s presence made adjusting rather painless. The Harbinger staying by his side somehow made it easier to to cope with the gaping void in his chest.

Speaking of which, Ajax makes himself known by rolling over and shuffling closer, burying his face in his abdomen. The ex-Archon cracks an eye open and looks down at the smattering of red hair against his stomach. He can’t help but smile at the sight. 

“Ajax,” he calls, voice a deep rumble from his temporary slumber, “it’s getting late. If you continue napping, you’ll have a hard time sleeping tonight.”

He’s answered with unintelligible mumbling, and the vibrations of Ajax’s voice tickles his stomach.

“What?” He breathes out a laugh. 

“Xiansheng I don’t want to get uppp,” Ajax whines as he props his chin against Zhongli’s stomach. He wriggles closer, moving up higher in his lap until his face is pressed up against his chest. Zhongli cradles the back of his head lovingly, and softly runs a bare hand through ginger locks. 

“You must, baobei,” Zhongli tugs on his hair gently, “also because I am getting quite hungry.”

Ajax makes a noise of indignance against him. The ginger looks up, ready to protest, but abruptly halts. 

His eyes widened comically. Ajax stares at him like he had grown a second head, cerulean eyes tracing his every feature as if this was his first time ever seeing him. Any noise or complaint of being woken up dies on his lips as he’s suddenly speechless, any and all vocabulary suddenly void. 

Zhongli’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Is everything okay?” 

“Xiansheng, you’re…” the ginger trails off breathlessly, “by the Gods, you’re beautiful.”

Zhongli sputters. “Well, I am flattered, truly, but--”

“Zhongli,” Ajax all but hisses. He brings a deft finger up to Zhongli’s hair, but doesn’t quite stop at his fringe. He reaches up, up, up and--

Ah. 

Zhongli knows where this is going. This isn’t the first time this has happened. 

Sometimes, in moments where Zhongli finds himself surrendering to the harmonic bliss that surrounds him, he’ll allow himself to lose control over his mortal form and let some of his draconic features shine through. Some days his horns will make an appearance, and other times his scales will begin to blossom across what once was human skin. Tonight, his horns make themselves present, and his eyes have shifted, too.

“Can I…” Ajax starts tentatively. His eyes are blown so wide, and they glimmer with curiosity and a silent joy that is akin to a child being gifted sweets. Zhongli chuckles, nodding his head in silent affirmation. 

The pads of Ajax’s fingers hesitantly make contact with the horns stemming from the crown of his head. They’re beautiful; they glow as if they’re dipped in melted mora, pulsing brightly and casting a dim light across Ajax’s pale skin. They’re quite long, and Ajax gently trails his index finger along the curve of a horn. They don’t stick straight up, though. Instead, it bows backwards charmingly until it tapers off midway toward the back of Zhongli’s head.

Beautiful.

“You’re…” he breathes, “I’ve never seen…”

“It has been a long time since I last let myself truly relax into this form.” 

Ajax’s eyes flicker back down to his face as Zhongli’s voice snaps him out of his reverie. He’s met with eyes glowing bright as cor lapis, pupils almost narrowed into slits, and a few stray ebony scales. 

“Woah…”

Once again with the curiosity of a child, Ajax reaches out to poke at the scales blooming across Zhongli’s skin. The ex-Archon tuts. 

“My apologies, I was not aware that this much of me was visible—“

“Why are you apologizing?” Ajax demands, eyes darting up to his horns once more before locking onto his golden ones. “You’re beautiful, Xiansheng. I had no idea you could even do this.”

“Frankly, I am surprised, too,” Zhongli speaks honestly. Ajax looks at him, stunned. “I didn’t think this could happen without my gnosis. But life has been full of surprises lately, it seems.”

“What else could you do?” Ajax asks excitedly, shifting to where he was sitting up and laying on his side, curled around the latter. He rests against the incline of Zhongli’s body comfortably. They were still pressed against each other impossibly close, legs intertwining. Zhongli’s head presses against the pillow behind him, and Ajax stares at the horn-shaped indent in the cushion inquisitively. Zhongli is filled with an abrupt surge of affection at the sight. It has been a long time since someone looked at him with such fascination in this form. “Without your gnosis, I mean. Obviously you could do a lot with it.”

“I still have yet to see, Ajax, as it’s only been a week since I’ve lost it,” Zhongli murmurs. He brushes a stray strand of hair away from Ajax’s forehead. He presses the pad of his thumb against the growing frown lines developing between the ginger’s eyebrows. “How are you already developing wrinkles? You are still so young.”

“Mean!” Ajax pulls away, rubbing at the spot with the back of his hand. “Says the one who is six thousand years old! In fact I’m surprised you don’t have any wrinkles. Seriously, I’ve never even see you apply moisturizer before and—“

“Ajax,” Zhongli interrupts. This time, it’s his turn to stare at Ajax with astonishment. His eyes, bright and golden, burn a hole through the spot on Ajax’s forehead where Zhongli was just poking at. The ginger can’t help but strain to look up as if he could catch a glimpse of what the half-dragon was looking at. Cross-eyed, he just looked ridiculous. And confused. He was so, so confused. 

“What, what?” Ajax asks anxiously. Zhongli stares at him still, wordlessly reaching up to touch him again. The dragon’s eyes soften, brushing a knuckle right across Ajax’s cheekbone, right underneath a blue eye. The Harbinger sees, then, the gold that shimmers right beneath his vision. Zhongli’s expression is nothing short of enamored, astonished, and downright entranced.

“Is your hand glowing?” he asks. Zhongli shakes his head, listening, but not really. His eyes trail across Ajax’s face, too focused on the path that his hand takes more than anything else. He continues drawing lazy patterns across Ajax’s cheek, and the gold seems to shine brighter. “Xiansheng, what is going on?” 

“Your skin,” he begins slowly, voice lowered into a hush. Ajax has to strain to listen to him. “It seems to turn to gold where I touch.”

“W-what?” Ajax scrambles, but Zhongli places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s temporary, love, do not fret. The spot on your forehead has already disappeared.” 

“Wait, wait, I wanna see!” Ajax demands, suddenly sitting up straight. Zhongli follows suit and corrects his posture, holding his palm out as an invitation. 

“Give me your hand,” he commands gently. The latter complies, and places the back of his hand in the warmth of Zhongli’s own. 

The ex-Archon uses the tip of his finger to trace patterns into his hand, and the skin underneath responds immediately to the touch. It glows an ethereal shade of gold that has Ajax blinking away the spots that form in his eyes from the brightness. And although it goes away as quickly as it comes, it still leaves a tingling feeling across his skin as it disappears. Zhongli doesn’t so much as flinch at the brightness, though, as he continues tracing letters, characters, symbols he’s never seen before, into the palm of Ajax’s hand. The ginger shivers at the touch. It’s so intimate— it’s too intimate— he feels like he’s going to pass out. He can feel an energy so divine being pressed into the palm of his hand, sinking in through his skin and spilling into his bloodstream. Ajax’s heart beat picks up, a newfound energy coursing through his veins. 

It is a blessing that no one could ever even imagine receiving from Rex Lapis himself. 

Because gnosis or not, the being before him was a deity too precious to be touching a soul as blackened as Ajax’s. And yet here he was, accepting such a heavenly gift from Teyvat’s oldest god. 

Ajax almost wants to pull away, but it is his pure curiosity that keeps him in place.

Zhongli continues his trail up the Harbinger’s arm, and this time, he’s drawing flower petals that bloom from thin branches. They encroach upon the inside of his forearm, streaming along his veins as Zhongli draws petal after petal. The half-dragon is quick— quicker than the rate in which the golden lines disappear. He sketches the design of his flowers rapidly across his skin, all while maintaining his gentle hold on Ajax.

The human canvas has no choice but to sit and watch with awe as the design seems to come to life. Blue eyes follow gold, attracted like a moth to a flame, and Ajax is simply unable to look away from the art Zhongli creates on his skin of all things. Ajax’s skin, freckled and marred by years of fighting, is being turned into a work of art made for his eyes, and his eyes only. 

Once again, Zhongli has done what has felt like the impossible. 

But of course, all good things come to an end, and Zhongli stops. With a flick of his wrist, he tapers the tip of the last petal he draws before withdrawing his hand entirely. Ajax watches with the same level of fascination as the golden strokes vanish as if they were never even there. Yet still, Ajax’s skin tingles. 

“Any chance you knew you could do that?” he speaks after awhile, voice uncharacteristically quiet, pensive.

“No,” Zhongli answers, eyes flickering back up to him. “But to be honest with you, I do not wish to stop.”

Ajax’s eyes widen at the statement. “What do you mean—“

Zhongli’s hands grip at Ajax’s hips as he pushes him backwards. The Harbinger gasps, arms shooting out to wrap around his neck for stability. Zhongli crowds him in an instant as soon as Ajax’s back hits the floor. The ex-Archon noses at his neck, peppering kisses along the line of his jugular and watching with dilated eyes as a trail of gold is left behind where his lips once were. The feeling that blossoms in his chest can only be described as some primal satisfaction as Ajax is marked with his stamp of gold.

“I cannot help but wonder,” Zhongli speaks quietly, “if your skin would turn to gold while touching all parts of me.” His voice drops a whole octave. If it was deep before, it was even deeper now, closer to a purr than anything. The sound rumbles through his chest, making Ajax shiver at the noise.

Ajax’s breath stutters. “Oh,” is all he manages to say.

“If you would indulge my curiosity so kindly,” Zhongli begins, voice breathy, “I’d like to see you glow in many other places.”

“Oh my god,” Ajax blushes a furious red, “you have such a way with words, Xiansheng! And just do me already, you’ve never had to ask before!”

“I’m just asking because in this form, I might be… slightly different in some places.” Zhongli’s ears burn red.

“Oh my god,” Ajax all but sobs, “shut up and get inside me old man, make me glow, or whatever.”

Zhongli grins and oh fuck he has fangs, of course he has fangs—

“As you wish.”

Ajax does a lot more than glow that night. In fact, he gets so much more than what he initially bargained for. The sun begins to set, but the darkness that befalls the room matters naught when Ajax is turned into a human lamp every time Zhongli touches him. And gods above, does he touch him.

When Zhongli kisses him, his head spins a little more. When clawed hands squeeze at his hips and almost break skin, his heart beats a little faster. When one, then two, then three oiled fingers slip past the tight rim of muscle with care and makes him grind his hips down impatiently, his breaths come a little shorter. And when Zhongli finally, finally slides in and makes him forget his own name, Ajax can’t help the broken moan that flies past his lips when he bottoms out. 

Holy shit, Zhongli wasn’t kidding when he said he was built a little different. 

Though, they probably needed to gloss over the definition of a little later tonight because apparently, a little meant an additional three whole inches in length and half an inch in girth. The newfound length brushes past places in Ajax’s body he never even knew existed, scratching an itch he wasn’t aware he had.

Was Ajax expecting to be taking his boyfriend’s dragon dick at nine at night when he was supposed to be having dinner? No. Was he going to take it anyway? Absolutely. And in retrospect, Ajax was faring just fine. He had his legs wrapped tightly around Zhongli’s waist and his hands tugging at his loose locks. The amber ends glow brighter at every pull and Ajax just holds onto the strands for comfort at this point.

Zhongli, on the other hand, had his eyes shut and was breathing hard through his nose. 

“Xiansheng?” Ajax calls tentatively. He reaches a hand out to cup Zhongli’s cheek, and almost gets distracted by the luminance his hand emits as soon as he makes contact. 

“I’m alright,” Zhongli says through gritted teeth, “I’m having trouble… regaining composure, is all.”

“What do you mean?” Ajax gasps when Zhongli’s hips flex.

“You…” he struggles, “are very tight. And. My senses are heightened in this form.”

Ajax smiles wickedly, and squeezes around him. Zhongli hisses, biting down hard on Ajax’s shoulder. His fangs almost break skin, but the ginger doesn’t even flinch. 

“Let me on top,” he says instead, “I can set the pace.”

“That might be difficult,” Zhongli begins tentatively, “laying on my back may not be an option at the moment.”

“What? Why— oh, holy fuck.”

Lo and behold, a long, serpentine tail is laid out across the blankets and thumps once, twice, happily in place. It’s thicker at the base where it forms near Zhongli’s body, and smoothly tapers out until the end is covered in silky, golden locks. Ajax swears it sparkles. The hair flows so elegantly across their floor, Ajax almost has the urge to reach out and run his fingers through it. And he would, if he currently wasn’t impaled and unable to move. 

“... I apologize—“

“That is so hot,” Ajax almost weeps. “Please for the love of all Archons, Zhongli, Morax, I’m begging—ah!”

The lilt in his voice as he begs, whining the long lost name, has Zhongli moving before he can register what he’s doing.

Zhongli moves. He throws all caution to the wind and lets himself move recklessly without abandon. Ajax writhes beneath him and takes what he is given with gratitude, praying with breathless gasps and broken moans. Every noise that leaves his throat has Zhongli moving desperately for more. The light between them glows brighter, almost impossibly so, to where Ajax has to squeeze his eyes shut.

There's a moment where Zhongli grinds into him just right that sends Ajax crashing; his head is thrown back when he's all but forced to see stars, and his fingers scrabble to claw at Zhongli's skin for support. His back arches high off the bed and the ex-Archon uses the space to wrap a solid arm around Ajax’s lithe waist. He takes advantage of the bared neck in front of him and immediately noses at his pulse point, licking over the skin before sucking the flesh between his teeth. 

They lose track of time in the throes of their own pleasure. At some point, the sun fully sets, but Zhongli continues to shove him down into the sheets relentlessly. Ajax on the other hand, takes it like a pro and continues to surprise Zhongli with his growing responsiveness. He takes and takes and Zhongli feels like he has no choice but to continue giving. The dance between them is elegant as much as it is animalistic, and Ajax loves it.

Zhongli bites down on his neck slightly, flexes his hips, and the breaking of Ajax’s pale skin and the relentless pressure against his neck has the ginger spilling between the tight press of their bodies. A dragon’s fangs, apparently, are by no means gentle and tear into his skin with ease. Yet, the blinding pain that sears through Ajax’s body sends him tumbling nonetheless. Zhongli fucks him through his orgasm, rutting against him until he tips over at the sound of Ajax's pitiful, overstimulated cries. He shudders as he empties into him, breathing hard against where his face is pressed into his neck. 

They lay there for a moment; Zhongli tries to get his breathing under control, and Ajax tries to focus his vision after it had blurred during his climax. The ginger rakes his nails along Zhongli’s sweaty back, and the sensation brings them both back down from their high. Their breaths are heavy and labored, and Ajax can’t help the chuckle that leaves his lips when he finally calms down, because holy shit. He’s going to want to do that every night, now.

Sometime amidst their fun, the golden glow had dimmed, until it all but disappeared. 

"You suck," Ajax gasps after a moment, "you just ruined vanilla sex for me."

Zhongli snorts. "I don't suppose you expect me to morph every time you want to be intimate?"

Ajax's silence speaks volumes. It’s silent confirmation. The latter looks up, disgruntled. He looks so unamused, brows furrowed and everything, it makes Ajax chuckle and kiss the frown away. 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding, xiansheng," he waves him off, "the only thing I expect from you right now is for you to pull out, oh my god Zhongli, get out of me. You're like those huge dogs that think they can fit in your lap! You're not exactly small, mister Rex Lapis!" 

"Oh, yes, my apologies," Zhongli murmurs. He presses a light kiss to Ajax's freckled shoulder before sliding out, muttering a quiet apology when he winces. He rolls off of Ajax and lays on his back next to him, so they're both staring up at the ceiling. His tail is gone and so are his horns, so he can finally lay on his back comfortably. Zhongli reaches for his hand and intertwines their fingers. He gets a squeeze in response.

“Say, xiansheng,” Ajax starts. “Have you ever been able to do that before?” 

Zhongli looks at him, silently asking him to elaborate.

“Turn someone’s skin to gold, I mean. With something as simple as touch, too. Has that ever happened?” 

“No,” he answers simply, “I believe this was the first occurrence in my six thousand years of being alive.”

Ajax hums. “So I’m not like. Going to die or anything, right?”

“Why would you die, baobei?” Zhongli chuckles, “you act as if I injected poison into your bloodstream.”

Ajax lets out an indignant squawk. “I! Am still kind of new to the whole dating a god thing! I don’t know what special abilities you adepti hold. And I am a mere mortal, after all!”

The reminder has Zhongli looking at him with sudden sadness. “That you are.”

Ajax hums and offers a small, resigned smile before letting his eyes slide shut. He gave into the exhaustion, it seems.

He’s already dozing off, and his head is tipping slightly to the left. He’s all but slumped into the comforters beneath him, his chest rising and falling with each soft breath he takes. He’s mildly aware that he’s going to have to wake him to clean him up in a few minutes, though, but he allows his lover to rest for a moment. The whirring void in his chest— the one that constantly reminded him of his lost power— finally, finally settles.

Zhongli watches with fascination as the human in front of him continues to glow. The gold is gone, though. Zhongli has shifted back into his mortal form and skin to skin contact no longer summons the bright golden light that was there before. 

Still, Ajax’s skin seems to glow a little brighter than usual. His cheeks are tinted pink and his lips are slightly parted, still plump and swollen from his bruising kisses. Zhongli swears he can see a light blue aura surrounding the lines of Ajax’s body. His chest fills with something warm and pleasant at the sight, thick like the syrup that runs through the veins of Liyue’s trees. It trickles throughout his entire body, down into his core, down his legs and to his arms. Zhongli no longer feels empty. He smiles fondly.

For those that live too long, the friends of days gone by and scenes from their adventures live on in their memories. As such, I have no regrets in meeting you, Ajax. Should the day ever come that we are not together, you will continue to shine like gold in my memories. 

Fanart #1

Fanart #2

Fanart #3

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#genshin impact #tartali #tartaglia #childe #ajax #zhongli #rex lapis #chili #targlex chapis #i'm unironically using that tag now #idiots in loveeee #dragon zhongli #part dragon zhongli #newfound dragon powers mhm mhm #childe gets ROCKED #genshin impact fanfiction #tartali fanfic

[yukiwrites]

A Well-Deserved Break

Thank you for the support as always, @breeachuu! I hope you likey ;D

Summary: Wolfram had been thrown into action basically from day 1 since he arrived in Fódlan, so he welcomed the break from the dangerous missions with open arms, using his time to bond with his friends.

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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Ever since Byleth returned from the darkness with her newfound power, things had been hectic. Well, compared to how busy their student lives had been during the past year, the Pegasus Moon had actually treated them well so far.

The Archbishop assigned them a seemingly harmless mission for the end of the month -- to accompany their newly Enlightened Professor to a ritual right under Garreg Mach -- and the immediate threat of Solon and Kronya was also dealt with. Though, of course, there was still the matter of the two villain's third companion as well as the Flame Emperor and the Death Knight to take into consideration, yet so far the threat hanging by everyone's heads seemed to lessen.

However, that didn't equal to peace -- neither of mind nor body. With Byleth's enlightenment, all eyes were turned to the monastery: if the goddess bestowed her favor unto another mortal, would that mean another war? Should the knights prepare? What would happen after the divine revelation?

The students were tense; the professors were on edge (excluding Hanneman who was so overly excited about it all it somehow put everyone off) and the devouts started flooding the monastery in their pilgrimage to catch but a glimpse of the Enlightened One. There was no shortage of worries.

And all of that happened in less than two weeks! The Pegasus Moon was still so young in the sky yet so many things had already happened, culminating into an air of stilled stress amongst the students. The commotion, the pressure for answers and the heavy, familiar dagger hidden close to Dimitri's chest only added into the prince's list of reasons to scare sleep away from his grasp.

Exhausted due to his usual insomnia, Dimitri simply shook his head once he realized sleep would evade him until morning no matter how much he tossed on the bed. Sighing, the prince moved his heavy body out of bed, making sure to fasten a sword onto his belt, hiding the dagger in his chest pockets.

The minute he finished going down the stairs towards the greenhouse, something in the sky caught his attention, making Dimitri immediately assume battle position. "That-" he squinted, trying to make sense of a small shadow hovering over the Goddess Tower, "-is too small to be a wyvern... and yet...?" He quickly ran towards the tower, never taking his eyes off of the unidentified flying object.

However, the shadow of the night started playing tricks in the prince's eyes -- the 'creature', so to speak, stayed perched atop the tower without moving for so long, Dimitri couldn't discern it from the other spires.

"Did I lose it? Or was it simply a wild animal...?" He mumbled to himself, not allowing his battle stance to waver. After a few more minutes of staring into the dark with no apparent change or whatsoever, the prince finally allowed his shoulders to sag. "Hahh... It also may have been my imagination," he closed his eyes to avoid the eyes of the dead glaring at him even at that moment, knowing it within him that it was entirely possible for him to see things moving in the shadow that would be invisible to anyone else.

Had he succumbed to his maddening thirst for revenge, he would've laughed in spite of himself. However, he simply sighed and turned back the way he came, intent on at least remaining around the dormitory until dawn broke. At least he'd be able to glimpse on the Professor's face before anyone else if he did so, instead of waiting for her at the training grounds as he had been doing as of late.

Barely was he past the second flight of stairs leading down to the greenhouse, Dimitri once again saw something with the corner of his eye, this time flying dangerously close to the ground.

"Ha!" He let out an exclamation of surprise, running after the approaching shadow -- it seemed it intended on landing right in front of the greenhouse itself. "To think a wild animal this large would wander into a human settlement like this!" He securely gripped at his sword's hilt, ready to unsheathe it the moment the creature landed.

The clouds in the sky started parting, finally allowing the moonlight to uncover what had been hidden: the creature Dimitri chased was no animal at all.

It -- or rather, he -- had all the makings of a human donned with large wings and a reptile-looking tail.

Dimitri knew who that person was, as well. "Wolfram?" He heard his voice say before his mind could even process what his eyes were seeing.

The white-haired boy froze the moment his feet touched the ground; even his wings stopped flapping, his tail so stretched it actually looked like a toy from where the prince stood.

"Um," Wolfram stuttered, holding a pendant of sorts between both hands. "I can explain, Dimitri." He turned to his friend in a stiffed motion, a nervous smile plastered across his face.

Taken aback, the prince could barely form coherent phrases, his mind a rush of thoughts. The moment he opened his mouth, however, he flinched, looking around with caution. "If anyone sees you like this-" he quickly ran to the boy, touching the thin shoulder at the exact moment Wolfram called back his manakete side. The faint glow by Dimitri's hand made the prince look at it with curiosity, though by no means shy away as Wolfram thought he would. "... First of all," Dimitri's eyes lingered on Wolfram's open back shirt before trailing towards the stairs to the second floor, "let us change locations to somewhere more private -- if you are alright with it, I will escort you to my room."

Wolfram clutched his pendant with both hands, the initial panic fighting the warmth Dimitri's composed reaction brought his heart. "O-of course, that's fine. Lead the way."

They exchanged hurried nods as the prince set out at large steps, being evenly matched by Wolfie's equally long legs. Soon they were back at the noble wing of the dormitory, the silence between them being filled by their quick and calculated steps.

Dimitri opened the door of his room soundlessly, allowing Wolfram to enter before taking a last look at the corridor to be able to close the door. Taking a deep breath, the prince turned to his friend. "I assume that was the reason for your 'amnesia'." He stated, though it felt like a question.

Wolfram flinched, widening his eyes in confusion. "You didn't believ- I thought you said-?" He gasped.

Dimitri flashed a forlorn smile, trudging towards the bed to sit on it. He gestured for the chair by the secretary for Wolfram to follow suit, which he did while stumbling. "I did say that I was willing to trust you so we could understand each other, did I not? Your lie was born due to your own circumstances, which I do not claim to have the right to know." He rested both elbows on his knees, lowering his head. "I can see why you would do so no, however. Are you perhaps a Child of the Goddess? I have heard of them only in the oldest tales of how this continent came to be; but there can be no mistake, taking into account that draconic appearance."

Wolfie tilted his head to the side. "Child of the Goddess? So they're the shape-shifters of this world- of Fódlan...?" He looked up in thought, wondering if that was the term they used for 'manaketes' -- shape-shifting, dragon-like yet humanoid beings who enjoyed long lifespans.

Dimitri didn't raise his head, visibly tired. Wolfram kind of wanted to sit on the floor just to be able to be in his friend's line of sight. "No wonder you had to keep it a secret." The prince took a deep breath, struggling to straighten his back.

"Um, actually, that's not really the truth, but maybe part of it?" Wolfram scratched his cheek awkwardly before reaching for his bandanna. He slid it out of his head, revealing his pointy ears.

Once he did so, Wolfram promptly sat on the floor by Dimitri's feet, crossing his legs to be more comfortable. That way, they could look straight at each other no matter how shocked or tired the prince was.

Looking at Wolfie's ears made Dimitri widen his eyes in awe.

So that's the reaction of a human who's never seen a shape-shifter, huh... Wolfie thought to himself as he fought a relieved smile despite the thundering of his heart inside his chest.

"If that is not the entire truth, then- ah, may I?" Dimitri reached out to touch Wolfie's ears, stopping to receive consent first.

"Sure, go ahead." The manakete turned his face to the side so Dimitri could nervously reach out, poke it quickly and retract his hand lest he hurt his friend.

"Thank you. Ahem, well -- if that is not the entire truth, then what is? Of course, you do not need to tell me if you do not wish to, though I could be of much more help if I at least had a proper grasp of the situation."

The warmth won the battle against the thundering inside Wolfram, making him smile wide and genuinely, taking Dimitri's hand into his own. "Mhm, thanks for being so considerate as always, Dimitri. This is all gonna sound real crazy real quick, so it's better to listen with an open mind, okay?"

"Very well." The prince nodded without hesitation, though a curious frown furrowed his brow.

"Mhm," Wolfie squeezed his hold on Dimitri's hand, not actually knowing where to begin. For all of the preparations he went through to follow the destiny's call, he really didn't think he'd end up being discovered not four months after arriving. "Nyaha," he giggled, trying to remember what his father had said about using a very specific curse to manipulate people's memories. "I kind of forgot about that, Father..." he mumbled.

Dimitri waited as Wolfram gathered the courage and the words, trying to keep his own mind as open as possible.

"Guess there's no easy way around it, right? I'll just come out with it, then!" Wolfram apparently talked himself into spilling everything as it came, his eager eyes bringing a slight solace to the tired prince's chest. "I'm from another world." He blurted out and, before Dimitri could even react, kept on talking. "And I don't mean just 'another continent' like Petra or Shamir. Another world entirely. I actually came through a portal kiiind of like the one Byleth- ah, the Professor jumped out of last month."

"I-I... uh, see." Dimitri tried to look as though he had an open mind, but even that sudden revelation went right through his head. Did Wolfram come from that darkness that enveloped their Professor? How did he come here in the first place? Was that magic something common whence he came? Was Solon also involved-

Seeing the apparent shift of expressions in Dimitri's face rather amused Wolfram, though he didn't allow that to keep him from talking. "In my world, there are these, uh, beings? That can shape-shift into other forms. I was actually gonna say that it's 'common' for them to roam around the land, but that's not actually the case; I guess it's because my family is kinda big that I just assumed everyone else knew of them, too." He bobbed his head to the sides. "We're descendants of the, uuhhh equivalent of the goddess back there, so I guess it's not too far from the truth to say that I'm also a Child of the Goddess, though not the one from this world."

The image of a mother pulling a misbehaving child's ear popped into Wolfie's head, making the boy raise one eyebrow. "Haha! I take that back, I take that back!" He laughed. "Sorry about that, Dimitri! Heehee, it's just that Naga keeps telling us that she's not a goddess and that she just happened to be the first one of our kind."

"Naga? So it really is an entirely different being than the goddess Sothis..." Dimitri was too shaken by all the new info to even be shocked by Wolfie's sudden laughter. "But then, what could a denizen of an entirely different world need to do in Fódlan?"

"Yeah, about that. As I said before, we manaketes -- ah, that's how we call the dragon shape-shifters back in my world -- are directly related to Naga, and sometimes we have to do her bidding. She says she's not a goddess, but she has so much power it stretches through other realities and worlds to the point of, well, I dunno exactly. She has so much power I don't even know how to express." He shrugged, never letting go of Dimitri's hand. "By the way, I'm actually only a quarter manakete, so that's why my ears are short like this."

"Short-"

"And, since my manakete blood is more diluted, I thought I wouldn't be able to hear Naga's commands at all, but that was before. One year ago, she touched? I guess she touched me? I don't know what that was, but her presence filled my house and she told me there was someone like but unlike me that needed help in a world that would soon beeee- um... I'm not sure if I should say this to someone who was actually born here, but..." He hesitated, not wanting to instill fear into someone who was supposed to rule over a Kingdom in a land fated to fall into disarray.

But it was Dimitri he was talking about here -- Wolfram chose to believe in his friend's ability to stay by the light. He believed Dimitri could take it, even though the grips of exhaustion threatened to claim the prince's consciousness at any moment. Wolfie had also chosen to believe in Byleth and fight BY her side instead of to take it upon himself a guard duty no one asked for.

"Please, Wolfram. Do not mind me and go on. I can take whatever it is that you are going to say."

"Mhm," Wolfie brushed his thumb on the back of Dimitri's hand. "Well, Naga told me to stay by the Professor's side during the time this land was thrown into turmoil -- I don't know if the past few months were it or if the worst is still to come, but I know that I was given a mission to help her, so to Fódlan I came. I was probably chosen because there would be no way for my siblings of my Mother to pretend they were human since their ears are wayyy pointier than mine."

"I... see." Dimitri exhaled. "This is honestly a lot to take in at once, but I am glad that you finally took that weight off of your chest. I will keep your secret for as long as you wish me to, my friend, though I might need some time to digest it all..." He looked down sheepishly.

"It's okay, really. Thanks for actually keeping the mind open and all; but I think you should go back to bed now, you look ready to fall over!" Wolfie smiled, pressing his forehead on Dimitri's.

Dimitri sighed, his body deflating. Perhaps it was because of Wolfram's story, but the shadows that had been keeping sleep away from the prince's grasp had dissipated. "I shall accept this advice, my friend. Forgive me for cutting the talk short despite saying I would hear whatever you had to say."

"Uh-uh," Wolfie shook his head, taking Dimitri's boost to put himself on his feet. "We have all the time in the world to talk. See you tomorrow?"

Dimitri flashed a tired but genuine smile, squeezing Wolfie's hand one last time for the night. "Of course."

Being with Wolfram during the largest part of his free time took a load off of Dimitri's shoulders, to be honest. The boy's upbeat attitude and easygoing smile coupled with how excitedly he talked about his family whenever there was no one nearby was a breath of fresh air to the tormented prince. He could be with Byleth during the lessons and with Wolfram during the free time, both of which allowed Dimitri to distract himself from the constant pressure of the shadows looming around his very being.

Dedue watched over the pair with a content smile, happy that his liege was taking breaks more often than usual as well as actually heading to bed at light's out time. It was as though being with Wolfram filled Dimitri with health, and Dedue didn't care if that was a temporary fix for his Lord's ailments or the first step towards the path of healing; he simply wanted Dimitri to be well.

Wolfram shared such sentiment as well, especially after Dedue thanked him out of nowhere one day, almost two weeks after Dimitri caught him.

"Huh? What's this about?" Wolfie scratched the back of his head in confusion. Dedue simply smiled softly, bowing once again.

"For being with His Highness. Once again, I thank you."

"O-oh, but I'm just being friends with him, no need to bow-" He scrambled about, grabbing Dedue's shoulders so as to make him stand upright.

"Very well, but my gratitude remains unchanged." Dedue complied as Wolfie's hands lingered on his shoulders. "I must be going now." He bobbed his head in acknowledgement, receiving the same courtesy from Wolfie before leaving.

As he watched Dedue's back leave, Wolfie felt a strange tingling inside his chest. He was proud for Dimitri to have someone care for him so much like Dedue and proud to be able to call himself friends of them both. It was a strange, yet pleasant feeling.

The half manakete looked at the lake, its surface reflecting the sunlight as it swayed slightly with the wind. Wolfie felt his heart thumping as his mind begot a thought he abandoned back in Ylisse before jumping into the portal: the making of a friendship jewel.

Wolfie's bond with Dimitri was a short one, truly, especially considering how many centuries of life the half manakete still had in front of him. It could even be considered fleeting -- to have a friendship blossom and bear fruit in such a short time wasn't he manakete way.

It was perhaps the human side of Wolfie.

No, that wasn't true, either. It was neither one nor another part of him, but the entirety that it was Wolfram. He wanted to share these feelings with Dimitri and have him reciprocate them; as someone who holds his trust and secrets. As a precious friend who believed in him simply so they could get along at first.

Wolfie had the process of the jewel-making beaten down inside of him, for the off-chance that he found someone here whom he could share everything with, though held little hope to. Yet, there Dimitri was, holding such a large place in Wolfie's heart it made him want to call Dimitri his friend for all eternity, even after the prince's lifespan had been consumed.

Smiling widely, the half manakete meant to head to the stables to have a talk with Aquilo when someone poked at his back, startling out of his mind. "Wah?!"

"Oh! I didn't mean to scare you, Wolfie! You didn't reply when I called, so I figured I'd poke you." Dorothea took both hands to her chest, apologetic. "I've been wanting to talk to you about something; is now a good time?"

"It's fine, I was just surprised, is all." Wolfie giggled awkwardly, then tilted his head to the side. "But, uh, sure! We can talk."

"Perfect!" Dorothea linked arms with Wolfie, humming. "Can we relocate to my room? I can serve the tea."

"Ohhh, lead the way!"

Out of the rooms Wolfie had been in during his stay at the monastery, Dorothea's was the one of the tidiest ones -- it also faintly smelled like perfume, even by Wolfram's heightened senses. The tea she brewed was also high-quality, especially when paired with these snacks from the Imperial City. Yum!

"So, Wolfie... I remember you roomed with Dedue before getting your own room back when you transferred, right?" She rested her chin between both hands, enjoying how Wolfram stuffed his face with sweets.

"Yeah?"

"But now I barely see you down here on the first floor, even when it's time to sleep -- I did hear Caspie mention you two were rooming for a while, but I was wondering if there was something else happening. Are you okay, Wolfie? I know we haven't interacted much lately, but somehow I think I can understand how you feel, especially during battle." She lowered her head, playing with a lock of her hair. "I also don't like any of this bloodshed and I could see that it shocked you, too. Caspie isn't the brightest one around so I figured I could reach out to you if you ever wanted to talk."

Wolfram choked on the tea he had sipped, laughing. "Gack- haha! It's true that Caspar doesn't have a way with words, but he's really thoughtful and attentive, you know?" He smiled softly, not realizing the heat rising up to his cheeks. "He's the one who offered to share his room with me so I wouldn't be alone. I never told anyone I don't actually like being alone, but he still offered to help like he knew."

Dorothea blinked, finding in that answer something she was not expecting, but that was way too interesting to let pass. "Oh?" She flashed a wolfish grin. "Did something else happen that we're all oblivious about?"

Wolfie looked at Dorothea in confusion. "Um, he also asked me to compete with him on how long we can stay in the sauna," he raised one finger, then another and another as he kept retelling their day-to-day. "Or how he always shares his dessert with me 'cause I always end up going back for more, or how he's really bad at teaching some moves with the axe, but really good at demonstrating... Ah! One day, I caught him feeding a cat and being really embarrassed about it -- also really scared someone would catch him and tell him to take the cat away! It was so funny and adorable."

Dorothea had to clutch her chest. "Adorable? That's you, dearie." She covered her face with both hands, giddy inside. Caspar was the single most dense guy Dorothea had ever had met, but it looked as though Wolfie was a close second! Couldn't he hear himself? He was talking about their daily lives one moment, then praised Caspar's qualities in the other! "But you have my full support." She gestured a thumbs up, her face flushed from excitement.

"Um, t-thanks?" Wolfie sipped the last of his tea. "I told him I'd impose only for a little while, but it's been over a month now... I honestly don't want to move out and he hasn't said anything in the matter, either, so I guess we're good for now? I want us to stay roommates for a bit longer."

"Oh, goddess, that's so cute." Dorothea's eyes sparkled. "Go on, dearie, tell me more!" She insisted, refilling his cup with fresh tea.

Grinning, Wolfie took Dorothea's invitation with gusto, quite literally. He had a lot to talk about regarding Caspar, after all!

#dimitri #dedue #dorothea #caspar #fire emblem three houses #fodlansona #fe 3h #my writings #yuki's commissions

[ask-a-cool-spaceguy]

I do hope you enjoy angst, hun. ‘Cause this is probably my most angsty character of all-

“Gweth was a very feared creature in his younger years. A colossal slender lavender dragon, beautiful and dangerous. Gweth got easily, stealing every treasure he saw to add to his growing hoard, burning down cites, and pelage a village or too. Gweth finally found a home atop an enormous mountain, over looking a peaceful village of commoners. Gweth observed these peasant day by day, planning on burning them to ashes initially. That was until a lowly farmer girl named, Shay, found her way up the mountain and discover Gweth. Shah threatened Gweth to leave her family and neighbors alone, or she’d kick the crap outta him herself, mhm. Gweth… found this oddly amusing, a tiny peasant trying to intimidate him. This one was braver than most, and that peeked his interest enough to not immediately crush her beneath his claw.

Gweth expelled his original plan to burn down the small town for more territory, but says he is willing to entertain Shay with a chance to change his mind. The next few hours Shay and Gweth flew around the village, observing the townsfolk and their friendly nature, all of them were amazed at the sight of a real dragon! Gweth had never felt so welcomed before, these humans adored him, they showed him their customs, gave him gifts, there was an odd fuzzy feeling inside. Shay took her newfound friend to her farm, and to end off their day, they watched the sunset on top of the tallest hill on her orchard. Gweth begrudgingly admitted his intentions had changed, and he wanted to form an arrangement. He would protect these villagers and their home, so long as they would welcome him into their society. Shay agreed enthusiastically, jumping up to hug his giant talon to express her joy, whilst Gweth felt the fuzzy feeling grow inside once more.

Gweth dedicated himself to his family, especially Shay, whom he visited regularly. Due to his troublesome amount of mass, Gweth sought out an old friend, a witch named, Indigo. Indigo crafted her dragon friend stylish golden magical jewelry. When Gweth wears these, he will be transformed into a not-so-powerful human form of himself, still retaining his dragon features, but not as threatening or huge as his normal form. Gweth spent most of his days in his human form, flying around the village to guard the boundaries of his home. But, he would stop in to indignantly check up on Shay. For some reason, he always found himself worrying about her, what’s the harm in stopping by once in a while? That “once in awhile,” turned out to be everyday soon. The two traded tales of adventure, picked fruit on the farm, basked in the sun, and took flights during the night. Gweth found himself always thinking of her, her voice and accent, the way her nose would crinkle when happy, how bright her damn eyes sparkled when she laid eyes on him. It took many conversations with Indigo to convince him that what he was feeling was love.

On a mission, Indigo sent Gweth in a spiffy suit, and with a bouquet of roses, over to Shay in the middle of the night. Gweth talked himself in and out of knocking on the door for about an hour- However, when he finally got up his courage, he heard a loud shriek from the sky. Quickly he recognized it as another dragon, quite a large one too, over looking his territory. Gweth’s insects snapped inside, and immediately tore off his jewelry, soaring up and tackling his enemy. The battle was fierce and a struggle for nearly twenty minutes, but Gweth came out victorious, having pinned his opponent and burned him to a crisp. Triumphantly, Gweth glanced in hopes to meet the proud eyes of his family, but all he saw was fire. In his blind fit of rage, Gweth had destroyed his village, his family, his home, everything.

Frantically, Gweth found his jewelry and returned to his smaller size, rummaging through the wreckage, and trying to calm the survivors. They fled from him, and all he found was burnt corpses. Tears whelped in his eyes, as she called out desperately for Shay, the anxiety in his chest making it harder breathe. Had he killed her? Was she really gone forever? All because- He heard weeping from a few yards away. Quickly, Gweth flew to the source, finding a badly injuries Shay, clutching onto the bodies of her family. Sighing in relief, approaching her slowly from behind, reaching out to place his claw on her back. Shay flinched away, turning to him, her face soaked in tears, yet furious.

She smacked him away, and angrily hissed, “Don’t you dare touch me.” Gweth stared in shock, still reeling from the battle. “I… I was j-just- I thought-“ Gweth attempted to speak, but found no voice, Shay was wailing in grief. She had lost her home, her family, her livelihood, all taken away in the matter of minutes. Shay punched him, square in the jaw. It didn’t hurt, yet Gweth felt a sharp sting in his chest, it stung more than any battle wound he had in his lifetime. “Leave, now. And if you ever try to find me or any of my people again, I will fucking kill you.”

No. He hasn’t killed Shay. He had done something worse. Something he would never be forgiven for, and that rotted him from the inside. Gweth hesitated, before flying away silently, fighting the urge to look back. He flew for hours, blocking out all his emotions. He had no right to cry. He didn’t deserve to cry.

Indigo was greeted by a knock on the door half past one in the morning. Groggily, she opened the door to see Gweth, with a somber look on his face. She smiled softly and asked what he was doing out so late. His only response was to collapse onto his knees and hug her tightly, sobbing into her robe. Indigo didn’t think twice and hugged back. After a long conversation, Indigo was up to speed, and completely heartbroken for her friend. Gweth asked his she would help him one last time. His last wish, was for Indigo to curse his jewelry, to make it bound to his skin and never allow him to be a fully fledged dragon again. With some convincing, Indigo agreed. However, she added a loophole. The curse will only lift, if Gweth learns from his mistakes and forgives himself, the curse will be no more.

Gweth travels all across the land now, no territory and no place to call home. He’s become detached and aloof, avoiding contact with others, even Indigo hasn’t heard from him in years. Gweth has become a lost soul, no wanting to be found or remembered. A small vampire girl, named Hoilday, stumbled upon Gweth one late night when traveling through the forest, and became quite attached to him, despite his distaste for her. The two now wonder together as a dysfunctional pair of “friends,” and it looks like Gweth might be getting a second chance at building a family again.”

———————————————–

“Damn that really pulls at your heartstrings huh?

That was really good though! small grammar mistake in the first paragraph I think, but still really well written! Good job Zodi!”

#I love this- #Poor gweth #submission #long post

[camellia-earhart-blog]

The New Watch- Ch. 1

The young woman didn’t look happy to see any of them. All four youths stood awkwardly in the doorway of the experienced, two-story workshop. The woman who was blocking their entrance was remarkably...small. Her dark ginger hair was pulled into two short braids, which framed her freckle and grime-covered face ungracefully. She was a good four or five inches shorter than Lara, who was already the shortest in their group. To top it all off, her brow was knitted in annoyance at the very sight of visitors. She was definitely a Lindholm. They’d come to the right place. Still, it didn’t hurt to check, did it?

“Hi! My name’s Lara Song, and I’m here with my-”

“I got your message.” the woman interrupted. “I know who you are.”

    Lara bit back her snappy retort, and decided to restart her approach.

“Okay, well I never got a response, so I wasn’t sure if-”

“That’s because I was hoping you wouldn’t show up.” the woman interrupted again.

    The young star felt her anger begin bubbling to the surface again, but she bit her tongue and willed it back.

“This is kind of an emergency, so if I could just-”

“My technology isn’t for sale. I can’t help y-”

    She couldn’t hold it back any longer. Lara Song knew she had a short fuse, but she really wasn’t in any mood to be improving upon that particular flaw of hers. This contrary little dwarf was going to listen to her, if it was the last thing she did! She took a step forward, intending to intimidate the shorter woman. It worked, albeit only a bit.

“Look, we don’t have time for this!” she interjected. “We’ve got a bunch of terrorist freaks hot on our trail, and if we don’t stop them soon, they’ll take more lives than they already have!”

    The woman’s expression soured.

“Exactly, which is why I need time and privacy to complete my tech. So beat it!”

    Lara opened her mouth to spit back her response, but Yoshio pulled her back by the collar of her jacket. He motioned for her to stand down, so he could try to negotiate with the indignant soul before them.

“We’re after the same thing.” he began, stepping forward. “If we hurry, we can stop this war before it begins, we just need a place to hide out for a few weeks.”

    The woman shook her head, and glance away, looking as if she were considering slamming the door in the team’s faces. That’s when Jeremy stepped up.

“You won’t even notice we’re here! And we’ll leave you completely alone!” he offered.

    Yoshio nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. We’re not asking you to join us, we just want a place to stay.”

    The woman rolled her eyes, but proceeded to back up, and swing the door inward so her newfound house guests could come inside. Yoshio felt himself let go of a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding.  He was sure Lara was still on the edge of boiling over. He stepped into the workshop with wide eyes. The ceiling was raised high, with vents and fans sporting from every gap. The ground was solid concrete which was coated with a thin layer of sawdust (which became not-so-thin in some areas, particularly corners), and there must’ve been a million shiny metal countertops, littered with blueprints and tools he didn’t even know the names of. Obviously, this Lindholm lady wasn’t screwing around.

“The name’s Ingrid.” the woman said bluntly. “My room’s downstairs, but there are a few places up-top you could make home for a little while.”

“Danke.” Yoshio replied. “We know how much your work means to you.”

“Yeah, well…” Ingrid muttered, leaving her sentence unfinished. “You have names, or what?”

“Er, I’m Yoshio Shimada.” Yoshio responded, eying Lara cautiously.

    She huffed irritably, but complied nonetheless.

“Lara Song dos Santos.” Lara replied, making sure to emphasize her entire name, just so Ingrid wouldn’t forget it.

“My name is Jeremy.” Jeremy said, quietly tacking on “Oxton.” to the end.

    There was a long pause, as Ingrid realized that one of the four of them hadn’t spoken. She turned to face the perpetrator; Andy, who was standing toward the back of the group, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. When she realized Ingrid’s hardened gaze was on her, she averted her dark eyes, and felt her face heat up in embarrassment. Ingrid raised her arms in a confused gesture.

“Name?” she asked.

    Andy shrugged.

“Uh, um...my name…” she murmured.

“Her name’s Andy, Miss.” Jeremy said, swooping in to save Andy from further scrutiny.

“Hm.” Ingrid said pensively, turning back to the staircase leading to the upstairs hallway. She pointed to it gruffly. “The bathroom’s up there, too. The room with the toilet.”

“Thank you.” Yoshio said, as curtly as he could manage. Ingrid was beginning to test his nerves, but he knew they needed the living space.

“Mhm.” Ingrid muttered, turning back to her workshop. “Make your own food. Don’t pester me while I’m working.”

“Sure.” Lara mumbled, still scowling at the wall, away from their hostess.

    Once the redheaded woman had left the group to their own devices, and they had retrieved their bags and fled upstairs, Lara finally let all of her frustration out.

“Augh! Can you believe her!?” she exclaimed, throwing her hands around dramatically.

“Shh! What if she hears you!?” Yoshio hissed.

    Lara took the hint and lowered her voice, though the resentment remained.

“What doesn’t she understand!? We’re trying to save lives, but all she cares about is her privacy!?”

    Yoshio sighed.

“I know. I almost wish we weren’t staying here.” he agreed.

“You and me both.”

    That was a different voice. The duo jumped a bit, and turned to search for the source of the interjection. Andy was standing hesitantly in the doorway of the room Yoshio had claimed for himself. He motioned for her to come in, which she did, taking a seat on the bed beside Lara. The latter of whom suddenly recalled one of Ingrid Lindholm’s more peeving acts.

“Hey, she didn’t shake you up too bad, right?” the girl asked.

    Andy shrugged.

“I just...don’t like when people raise their voices like that.” she said.

“Well, don’t worry about it too much.” Yoshio offered.

“Yeah, Ingrid’s not exactly setting herself up to be the nicest of chaps.” Lara added. “Although, she sure as heck deserves a punch by now…”

“Careful where you say stuff like that.” Yoshio reminded her.

“Yeah, yeah. I am.” Lara replied.

    The seventeen year old freedom fighter stood from the old mattress, with vigor. She stretched like a cat for a moment, before sighing once and making for the door.

“Well, I have to go move in.” she said, nonchalantly. “I’ll be down the hall if you need me, Dragon-Boy.”

“In your dreams!” Yoshio called back, as the girl traipsed out of the room. He smiled to himself, as he heard soft laughter from the direction she’d disappeared into.

    The Shimada boy turned back to Andy, who was still seated on his bed, spacing out with her gaze out the window. He offered a small wave to get her attention back.

“Hm?” she asked.

“You have your room set up yet?”

“Oh.” she took a moment to glance back out the window. “Not really. Sorry, I just wanted to talk to someone for a bit.”

“Oh,” Yoshio breathed. “Okay. Stay as long as you want. Tell me about something you like.”

    In an instant, Andy’s dark eyes lit up with newfound energy, and she began her discussion about the soccer team she planned to join, once all was said and done. Yoshio listened happily, glad to have something to distract him from the group’s predicament. After a good few minutes had gone by, Andy decided to get to work on her room, bid Yoshio farewell for a little while, and all at once Yoshio was alone with his thoughts. He wondered if he should go visit Jeremy, but he had a feeling Andy had probably already beaten him to that. He could go pester Lara in her room, but he was sure he wouldn’t be as chipper as he would like to be. Eventually, the boy gave up and flopped back down on his bed.

    The sheets smelled musty and unfamiliar, and while that was to be expected from someone else’s home, he couldn’t stop himself from resenting it a little bit. He missed his own home. He missed Aki, and he missed not having to wonder if a bunch of terrorist freaks were going to kill him, or his family and friends. He knew moping wouldn’t resolve anything, but he figured having a brief mope before dinner wouldn’t hurt anyone. Except maybe his pride, but then all he had to do was not get caught. So, staring at the setting sun through a window he didn’t know, in a bed that wasn’t his own, Yoshio Shimada wished for his home. And he resolved to save it.

~

    The next morning was bound to be hectic. Jeremy never had an idea of just how hectic until he was right in the middle of it. There were only five people present in the workshop, but between all of them, there was enough chatter and planning, and rushing about for fifty of them. First things first, though. No one had had anything to eat yet. And Jeremy for one, refused to train without any breakfast. He didn’t think the others should either, but he was confident enough that the compelling power of ‘watching-someone-else-eat-while-you-have-nothing’ would get them to change their minds pretty quickly.

    The sniper entered the kitchen to find Andy, already microwaving something, watching the table inside turn slowly about its axis while whatever was in the bowl on top of it was warmed to consuming-temperature. He grinned a bit just to himself, and hoped he wasn’t being too weird for her, as he stepped up beside the tank. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye, and gave him a little wave, still focused primarily on the microwave. Jeremy thought her careful examining of it was awfully cute, but he wasn’t going to just up and tell her that. Instead, he took to watching it as well.

“Good morning.” he said.

“Morning.” Andy greeted.

    The microwave finally ceased it’s twirling, and the alarm signaled to anyone who would listen that it had fulfilled its intended task. Andy swiftly put a stop to the noise, and removed the bowl of what now appeared to be oatmeal. Jeremy began to search the cupboards for anything he could make for himself and possibly Yoshio and Lara. Andy pointed to the top shelf in the corner.

“Oatmeal’s up there.” she said. “And I found some honey and brown sugar. They’re on the counter now.”

“Oh.” Jeremy said, grabbing the box of dry oatmeal. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Andy replied. “I don’t usually like oatmeal, but I didn’t want to make Ingrid too mad by stealing tons of food.”

“Ugh.” Jeremy groaned in annoyance. “Ingrid.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fan either.” Andy agreed, sprinkling another ton of brown sugar onto her oatmeal.

    The young sniper began to mix his own breakfast into a liquid-esque state, and popped it into the microwave, where Andy’s had been only minutes before.

“Sorry about what she did to you, by the way. She really should bugger off when someone seems uncomfortable.”

    Andy nodded thoughtfully.

“It’s alright. No one got hurt.” she said. “Plus, she’s still letting us stay here.”

    Jeremy crossed his arms, leaning against the counter beside Andy.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” he admitted. “But I still think she was too hard on you.”

    Andy shrugged, popping a spoonful of brown sugary-oatmeal into her mouth.

“Thanks for standing up for me.” she said.

“Hm? Oh! It’s was nothing.” Jeremy responded, praying he wasn’t going to turn red in front of Andy. Luckily, his breakfast called for him to remove it from the microwave, and he obliged.

    There was a brief moment of silence as the duo contemplated what to say next. It was Andy who finally piped up.

“So...after we’re all done with training and everything today...you wanna play some soccer or something?”

    Jeremy stirred a spoonful of honey into his oatmeal.

“Sure. You brought a football?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’m absolutely in. It’s been too long since we got to goof off for awhile.” Jeremy smiled.

    Andy returned his grin.

“It’s a plan.” she said, more cheerily than she had all morning. Things were going to turn around. Their little team would be sure of it.

#I don't normally do this kind of stuff on here #but I figured these characters needed some more development! #my writing #earhart stories #the new watch #neowatch #overwatch oc #Jeremy oxton #andy amari #lara song #yoshio shimada #Ingrid lindholm

[yukiwrites]

Battle Against What Was Forgotten

The time was nigh -- Kamui’s and Xander’s efforts to rouse up the hoshidans, nohrians and vallite under a single banner with the intent of defeating their nemesis finally reached its purpose: There was only Anankos, the Forgotten Dragon, standing between them and true peace. They would all do whatever it took to win. No matter what had to be sacrificed, or whose help they had to get.

Part 1 - Part 2

No legends could have prepared Kamui's army to what was happening right before their eyes: A thousand-eyed dragon the size of the moon had launched some sort of magic at the center of the world once known as Valla, which consumed everything it touched.

Buildings, trees, clouds and even stars. Nothing escaped the black hole which grew bigger and bigger with each passing second.

"We can't give up! Not now!" Were Kamui's words before the Forgotten Dragon set its sights on her -- pursuing her, it threw its dissolving magic left and right in an attempt to erase its closest family and worst enemy.

The battle seemed hopeless: although Kamui's Seal of Flames dealt considerable damage to the dragon's ancient scales, being able to get it close enough to them without destroying the entire structure they were on proved to be their hardest challenge. Not to mention, of course, the fallen vallite soldiers Anankos summoned the very moment it lost sight of its enemies.

They couldn't fall back and regroup.

They couldn't attack head on without fearing losing their footing and falling to oblivion.

They couldn't keep that up for much longer, either. Exhaustion was starting to wear them all off.

"We need to press on -- let's go hide inside that crumbling chapel, it seems far enough from the borders of this floating island-" Kamui huffed, using the Seal of Flames as a support to help her up, her entire body aching.

"Big Sister!!" Elise and Sakura both pointed in horror to something behind the dragon princess' back, but she turned one heartbeat too late -- Anankos' magic hit her head-on. Ryoma threw himself over his little sister and his wife-to-be, protecting them from the blow at the same time Xander pulled Kamui's hand to him, close to the one standing wall that protected them from the dragon's might.

Her Yato shone with the brightness of a thousand suns, covering both her and Xander in its light, negating Anankos' dissolving magic; though not being able to protect her from its physical damage.

Consciousness slowly slipped away from the dragon princess' grasp. "X-Xander- take everyone away from here-" she didn't hear her voice say, but her lips managed to think of others before herself even without enough strength to keep her eyes open.

Kamui could hear her name being called as though through a thick glass -- the sound became farther and farther as she felt her grip on Yato lessen, the last noise she heard before passing out was the loud clang of her blade hitting the destroyed stone floor.

Xander felt his heart beat cold blood to his entire body the moment he saw Kamui being hit by that blow -- it was as though he was seeing everything in slow motion.

The way the distorted purple ray managed to dissolve the remains of the half-standing wall Kamui had just been leaning in moments before; the way he saw his hand pulling hers before his own mind could process what was happening.

The way Kamui's body felt unbearably hot due to the Yato's protection for only half of a second, then increasingly cold in the next moment -- it all wrought his entire body in physical pain.

The way she weakly raised her hand to touch his cheek, asking him to lead them while she couldn't.

The way she thought of others even during such a critical time for herself -- she was losing consciousness in the middle of battle, for the Gods' sake! -- and how she exhaled calmly as though she was falling asleep in his arms once she finally passed out.

The way her limp arms let her sword fall to the ground, the clanging sound ringing through all of their ears, making their hearts fall: every wielder of a Divine Weapon could feel their power diminishing rapidly.

Without Yato -- alas, without Kamui -- there was no power that could unite them all to bringing out their weapons' full potential. There was no 'full potential' to be brought out in the first place.

They needed her.

She was crucial.

Xander quickly adjusted Kamui in his arms, "move!!" He vociferated, the rush of battle exploding all around them, despite the stillness that invaded their bodies with the loss of Kamui. "Camilla, take Kamui's Yato; let's move quickly to the chapel she just mentioned -- we shall be safe there while she's unconscious." He ordered quickly, placing his beloved over his horse, mounting it right after. "We've no time to mourn -- Kamui will wake up in time; we must survive until then!"

"... Right!" Elise sniffled, still lying in shock as she hugged Sakura in Ryoma's arms. "C'mon, Sakura, Ryoma, I'll take you two on my horse!"

Camilla rushedly took the Yato, running towards her wyvern. "Dearie, Marishka can carry me and your sweetheart much better than your horse. Come now, Prince Ryoma."

"Of course, Princess Camilla." Ryoma finally snapped out of the desperation that had hit them all, quickly helping his betrothed to get on her feet. "Take my sister with you, Elise. I'll monitor the skies with Lady Camilla."

"And you're coming with me," Leo pulled Takumi by the arm, shoving him towards his horse.

"I'll scout the area, but we still need someone to stay behind to lead the troops!" Hinoka jumped on her pegasus and took off, not waiting to hear Silas' volunteering to take on the role.

"Proceed!" Xander held Kamui with one arm, taking out his Siegfried with the other, pointing forward. "We will survive this!"

"...my. H-... c-... hea... e? ...my!" A childish and far, faraway voice called, scratching the back of Kamui's consciousness.

Though her head throbbed a bit, her body felt light. It was as though she could feel a newfound power coursing through her veins, despite having no idea where that power came from, or how she found it.

She felt the tips of her fingers tingling; overflowing with energy -- if she so much as clenched her fists, she would feel like she were controlling the sun and the stars, making them burst into flames.

"Flames...?" Her voice groggily said, not noticing how she shook her head ever so slowly, delirious.

"The Seal of Flames, Mommy." The childish voice whispered, so close to Kamui's ear she could feel its breath. "It's right here."

A small, so very small hand held Kamui's, its tiny fingers eagerly holding two of hers.

"I didn't know I could have all this power, honestly." The voice went on, too insecure about itself, but overflowing with pride from its ancestry. "But it's all because of you and Father, Mommy. Because you two are my parents, I can reach this potential."

Kamui felt a warm tear itching down her cheek, wanting more than anything to be able to open her eyes. "You're-" she choked her breath, squeezing the baby's hand on hers. "Siegbert?"

The voice was silent for a beat, but Kamui could almost see the little boy nodding, smiling proudly. "Mhm. I'm with you, Mommy. Please, don't give up now; I want to meet you so badly."

The princess breathed heavily, the chains of unconsciousness pinning her down with an almost inhuman strength.

But her longing to meet her child; to meet hers and Xander's child was so, so very much stronger. She broke through the stillness holding her body and reached out to her stomach with her free hand, using the last of her forces to sit straight, quickly opening her eyes to finally look at her child's. "Siegbert!!"

The stillness broke.

Cold wind swept Kamui's hair apart, slapping her face. She huffed for breath, her wide eyes looking at where the child had been just a second ago, his warmth still tingling her hand.

"Hah... hahh..." The princess blinked, finding that her hand was indeed being held -- by Xander's own. She trailed her gaze from his long fingers to his arm, shoulder, neck and finally to his eyes, which met hers with surprise and relief. "X-Xander... he's here with us."

The Crown Prince opened and closed his mouth, the perpetual frown over his brow growing deep, even after lessening just as Kamui had woken up. "You are pre-" he choked on the word, widening his eyes further. "Siegbert-" he breathed out, slowly reaching out to the hand Kamui never took from her stomach.

The moment his fingers brushed on hers, they both felt a surge of power so intense and sudden, they almost jumped out of their skins.

"He's here... He's here with us!" Kamui smiled widely, her eyes shining with tears.

She looked all around herself -- all of her family looked at her in differing levels of happiness and confusion. She reached out to her Yato, properly laid beside her, and clenched its hilt. "We're going to win this, everyone! I have the blood of another one of Yato's chosen inside of me!"

The wielders of Divine Weapons felt the breath leaving their bodies, most of them crumpling on the ground due to the intensity of power coursing through them the moment Kamui brandished her Yato. It was as though their weapons had gained a heart that beat in sync with their own.

Leo, Takumi and Ryoma could barely hear the calls of their concerned family members, their astonished gazes leaning on their weapons. The samurai took out his Raijinto, staring at how it crackled with power -- the lightning surrounding it jumped from the blade to his hand, entering his body and filling it with vitality.

The mage closed his eyes, placing one hand over his tome -- he could see himself wielding it with his mind eye; he could see the power of creation he had in his hands. Minuscule roots bound the book to his hand, infusing him with the wisdom of millennia.

The archer felt his bow crackle, the magical bowstring fizzing by his ear. He but tapped on it, and the resulting sound sent waves of energy around them, breaking any remaining glass windows the ruined chapel had. He could see the bluish arrow dig deep into his hand, binding the bow into it and tackling him with the strength to shoot a thousand arrows.

The King held his beloved's hand, Siegfried pulsating by his hip -- calling for its master. He looked deep into Kamui's eyes, feeling the power of Yato coursing through her body towards his, seeping even more into his own weapon. The dark blade exhaled energy, its purple glow merging with Yato's golden light -- the moment he took it off of its scabbard and pointed it upwards, the world went still.

A barrier  big enough to cover the entire chapel seethed from Siegfried, as though its overflowing energy physically dripped out of it. The blade dug deep into Xander's hand, binding itself to him as he squeezed Kamui's hand on his. Yato did the same to her, red and yellow veins popping out of her arms so as to accommodate the overpowered sword, ready to integrate it into her own body for as long as it took to accomplish its mission.

They got up, exchanging meaningful glances. "Never leave my side, my Little Princess." Xander's voice dug into Kamui, showering her with warmth.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Xander." She smiled back at him, squeezing her hand on his. Blind to the world around them, they didn’t notice how Leo got up from his crouching position, one hand under his chin in thought.

"You know what, I think I know how to defeat that overgrown lizard now." Leo said a ways behind them. "Prince Ryoma, Prince Takumi? If you may?"

Takumi was holding back a smirk. "This power should be freaking me out, but I think I'm too high strung to realize that my bow is PHYSICALLY BOUND TO MY ARM to care right now. You had a plan?"

"I'm all ears, Prince Leo." Ryoma nodded, approaching.

“Good. So, for starters, we should lure it back to where we were first…”

The wind howled, its sound the only remaining thing that felt somehow real for all the players in that deadly -- undoubtedly their last -- game. Even the breeze was being sucked into the dark void Anankos tore in the sky, which grew ever closer to the island they stood on.

The thunder of their army's cavalry broke the sound of the world being torn asunder -- under Silas' command, the soldiers roared towards the invisible vallite soldiers. "Don't break formation! Keep them on us!"

"Draw their attention!" Hinoka barked orders to her pegasus knights, covering Silas' left flank while Camilla commanded the wyvern brigade by the right flank.

"Let us be the last thing they see!" The nohrian princess lifted her overgrown axe in a battle roar.

Mages, archers and lance throwers kept to the rear, encircling the battle formation so as to make sure no vallite escaped their pincer attack.

Barriers exploded; arrows hit their targets; lances pierced through their enemies -- flashes of magic left and right rang into their ears. The soldiers' utter and raw will to survive made each and every of them fight as though possessed, raising dust, spilling blood and dripping in sweat.

From above the battlefield, atop a borrowed kinshi, Ryoma raised his divine blade, thunder crackling in the distance. "Kamui!" His voice travelled like the lightning itself towards the dust which kept on growing amidst the battlefield.

"Do it, Ryoma!" A dignified, confident yet desperate voice rose itself from the chaos into which it mingled, but the sound of it brought a smirk to the hoshidan prince's lips.

He pierced his gaze to the far-away thousand-eyed dragon, "you die, NOW!" He vociferated, thrusting his swords upwards to the vortex of clouds that followed his command.

A lightning bolt as large as the dragon's claws thundered from Raijinto to the clouds, ramifying into thousands more -- they followed their master's command, from the clouds to the void whence the Dragon made its home, far from their reach -- but not from Ryoma's thunders.

"Get here, you coward!" Takumi yelled from below, sharing Leo's horse as they pierced through the vallites towards the edge of the island.

"One more time, Ryoma!" Kamui dispelled the dust around herself with but a wave of her Yato -- nay, of her Seal of Flames -- as Xander steered his horse under them both.

They shone with a purple glow, the barrier Siegfried emanated highlighting them from the battlefield.

"You underestimate me, Sister!" Ryoma smirked with the fervor of battle, his lightning quickly making its way to the void which Anankos protected itself into. "Look this way, beast! We are not done yet!" He bellowed, once again raising his Raijinto above his head.

Then, there was silence.

A heartbeat of a moment inside a millisecond of silence before the explosion.

Friend and foe alike had to cover their eyes for the burst of light blinded any and all who could see, the following shockwave blowing away those who hadn't their feet solidly planted on the ground. The island itself shook as though a boat amidst a storm, the ear-piercing screech the Forgotten Dragon released making soldiers hold their heads lest they split in half.

"Overdoing it, much?" Leo felt cold sweat itching down his temple, betraying his excited smirk as he got his horse into position. Behind him, Takumi kicked his feet in excitement.

"That's my Brother! I bet he could single-handedly-"

"Let us focus, yes, Prince Takumi? Your turn approaches." Leo turned his horse to the abyss a thousand meters ahead of them, his frown deep but his mind blaring with all the possible outcomes of his insane strategy.

"Sheesh, no need to tell me twice." Takumi groaned, though he wore the same smirk as his sibling, carefully aiming his Fujin Yumi before pulling its magical string.

Wind revolved around them, lifting hair and mane alike as the blue arrow started to form itself -- bigger than Takumi had ever seen it. Merely the tip was large enough to cover both him, Leo and their mount.

He laughed nervously. "This power is freaking amazing; I can feel it literally inside my veins."

"Don't get carried away! Though I do understand what you mean -- I can now remember things I read only once in my life, as though the book is filling me with magical and intellectual potential."

"No time for idle chatter, you two!" Xander steered Bucephalus towards his younger brother's position, Siegfried's purple glow tapping into the Fujin Yumi's power and engulfing inside its protection. "We have its attention, now!"

Recovering from the stunness Ryoma's thunder brought into its body, Anankos once again screeched to the head-splitting level, words long forgotten being sung in the background as though the souls of the fallen were playing the Forgotten Dragon's tune.

Azura's pendant pulsated with power, her own blood feeling like fire inside her veins -- her voice echoed louder than the damned souls driven to sing for Anankos, her words delivering the true meaning behind the ancient song.

"¡ǝɯ ʇsuᴉɐƃɐ -פNOS ʎW -ƃuos ǝɥʇ ǝsn noʎ ǝɹɐp ʍoH ¡∩Oʎ NW∀p" A voice clashed into their consciousness, ramming its way into their minds.

Breathing heavily, Kamui lifted her Seal of Flames. "This ends TODAY, Anankos!"

"¡∩Oʎ NW∀p" The dragon rolled its thousand eyes to make way for a monstrous teeth-filled mouth, getting ready to shoot its dissolving beam.

The world blinked as the light flickered into the dragon's mouth, its ray as blinding as Ryoma's lightning had been moments before.

But none of them moved.

Kamui kept her Seal of Flames raised, not flinching as the ray approached.

Takumi kept his bow apeak and ready to shoot, unblinking.

Leo hovered his hand over his open book, ready for an opening; his mind focused on what would come next.

Ryoma flew overhead of his family, his eyes unfaltering.

Xander slowly raised his blade, his frown deep as the lowest caves of Nohr's underground, unmoving. "I WON'T allow it!" His low voice shattered the world like a wave breaking on the shore.

Siegfried's barrier pulsated, strengthening with the extent of Xander's feelings -- his protectiveness over Kamui and their unborn baby, his resolve to protect their people from whatever had been controlling his beloved Nohr for so many years, his own hopes for the future, borne only after embracing his love for Kamui and opening his own eyes to a path laid by their happiness.

A mere dragon's rage would never topple Xander's resolve to protect what he held dearest into his heart -- and into his arms. He held Kamui with his free arm, never letting go of the reins, as he lifted his sword with the other hand, the barrier completely withstood the impact of Ananko's previously-dreaded dissolving blast.

"HAH!" Takumi and Leo sneered in unison. "Take that, you lizard!" The hoshidan prince laughed as he shot the overgrown arrow the moment the impact of the dragon's attack lessened in Xander's barrier. The arrow flew, straight and true, towards one of Anankos' arms, entangling itself around his claws as though a sailor tied a tight knot around his ship's anchor. "And another, and another!" Takumi panted, shooting one more magical rope to tie itself between the first and the very ground they stood on -- followed by another two to do the same with the dragon's right arm. "Bind!" He bellowed, his voice echoing with the hoshidan mages and ninjas so very far behind them as they finished the hand seals necessary to strengthen the binding spell, physically pulling and constricting Anankos to the edge of the island they stood on.

Once again the ground shook as though in a seaquake, the island infinitely smaller than the gargantuan dragon bound onto it. The ground level started to slanten, forcing the soldiers to hold themselves into any walls or trees so as not to fall into the nether right below.

Not giving the Forgotten Dragon any time to understand what was going on, Leo chanted under his breath before thrusting his book upwards. "We'll erase you!" He roared, the very island trembling in the rhythm of his breathing -- it not only stabilized itself due to the power of Brynhildr’s roots , but the forest itself rose from the ground, entangling itself around Anankos’ claws and filling the space between them, proceeding to go upwards.

"Form a path!" He panted, the strain of using so much of his weapon's power seeping into his life force, but he wasn't about to stop -- not when the roots acted as he commanded.

Not when the path was almost visible -- the stairway he willed to be unravelled itself in front of their eyes, his hands coordinating it as though a maestro guiding an orchestra.

The strain to keep Anankos stunned made Ryoma clench his teeth, as did the burden of keeping him bound drove Takumi out of his breath.

Yet, like Leo, they wouldn't stop. Not when victory lay so very close to their eyes -- the nohrian prince had but to carve the path for Kamui to reach her nemesis' head.

The Seal of Flames would do the rest.

"Onward!!" The dragon princess vociferated at the same time Xander whipped the reins, Bucephalus himself receiving much of the Yato's power to be able to withstand the shocks and explosions of that battle.

"Sister! The stairs aren't ready yet-" Leo huffed, his vision blurring and his breathing failing him. He was at least thankful that the book was physically bound into his skin, otherwise it might've fallen as well.

"I have faith you can do it, Leo! Keep going!" She smiled at him before turning to the still-forming path ahead in the split of second their mounts crossed paths.

"Hah! Failure is no option!" He renewed his breathing by sheer willpower, straightening his back to resume his conduction of Brynhildr’s roots.

"Fly, Bucephalus!" Xander spurred his horse to its limit as they ascended towards the Forgotten Dragon's head.

Without wasting any time, Anankos once again turned its thousand eyes so as to open its nightmarish mouth, ready to cast his dissolving blast at point blank.

"The path -- we are almost at its end." Xander whispered gravely by Kamui's ear, making her hurried yet attentive eyes switch from it to their goal right on ahead.

"Jump, Bucephalus! Don't falter!" She breathed out, getting ready to jump herself. Xander held onto her abdomen for support as she crouched on the horse's back -- at the very moment the stairs under them ended and the void started.

Anankos once again shot its blinding light, clashing immediately with Siegfried's force shield. "Think again, worm!" Xander made use of the very last bits of strength he had to throw Kamui upwards, aiding her in her jump.

"This ends now!" She yelled as she pointed Yato towards the still open mouth of the Forgotten Dragon, throwing herself inside -- cutting everything open in her path.

For a moment, there was nothing.

No one could remember when they had closed their eyes, but they quickly opened them again to witness the fall of the World Eater.

As though the sea before a quake, the wind was sucked into the nothingness that Anankos had become, tearing the grass from its roots towards the black hole so far up in the sky.

Stillness.

"Kamui! Xander!" Leo yelled desperately for the first time in his life, reaching out to the spot where his siblings had disappeared at, uncaring about appearances.

"Big Sister! Big Brother!!" Elise cried from behind the lines, theis voices being mirrored by one and all who still stood around them.

"May this not be the end of our Queen!" Remaining vallite people cried for their chosen ruler, echoing their nohrian counterpart's words.

"Long live King Xander!" The nohrians clamored, tears falling down their tired faces. "Long live Queen Kamui!" Their voices thunder in the stillness, their words spurred the gears of time to move again.

From far ahead them all, the black hole started dissolving itself into hundreds of thousands lights -- each one of them a single thing it consumed.

The light felt gentle, albeit far, though it didn't raise the worry from the soldier's wrung hearts. The very spot Anankos had been -- where its carcass still lay, unmoving but undoubtedly dead -- still stood, Kamui and Xander nowhere to be found.

The wind started to gush, first as a slight breeze, gaining momentum as though it brew a hurricane -- bringing the flocks of light closer.

They shone over the people's heads, flying towards this or that specific place so as to restore it to its former state -- before the Forgotten Dragon had absorbed it, but not to its former glory from time immemorial.

Islands appeared in the sky one after the other, as did half-collapsed buildings all around where they stood -- the magical display to take one’s breath away.

The world was being rebuilt all around them, but they couldn't feel happiness -- if bringing the world back meant the sacrifice of their heroes, then perhaps they should have left it to oblivion.

Too tired to even move his eyelids, but still resolute in his faith, Leo gripped at the reins, ready to climb the still-standing staircase he managed to finish after Kamui dealt the final blow.

But in that moment, breath was taken from his lungs.

Takumi and Ryoma felt it right there and then as well -- the pulsating power from the Seal of Flames telling its shield-siblings that it still lived; that its wielder still stood, all the while severing their physical binds with their hosts.

A single flock of light touched the empty carcass, quickly making it dissolve into another thousand lights. From within, one could see a purple yet gentle glow enveloping three silhouettes, protecting them from without and within.

Differing levels of surprised gasps roamed around the troops, starting from Kamui and Xander's family.

Siegfried's barrier lifted its future King, Queen and their mount towards the edge of the staircase, slowly dissolving alongside the Forgotten Dragon's dust.

On his feet, Xander pulled Bucephalus' reins as he let Kamui ride it, allowing her an early rest.

The rumble of the soldiers' clamor started as a huff of breath, quickly evolving into a quake that shook the very sky. "Long live the Queen! Long live the King!" They roared, clapped and laughed, finally feeling the high of victory.

Kamui covered her face with emotion, holding her stomach with the other hand. "T-they're calling me your Queen-" she whispered, leaning on the horse's neck so her beloved could hear.

"As they should -- for I will not allow another moment to pass without making you my lawful wife." Xander smiled softly, his heart filled with warmth.

"Oh, Xander..." Kamui's voice shook, her eyes itching with tears. Reality that they had finally beat their nemesis was yet to sink in, but to be there, beside her beloved; to be standing in front of the future whence they would be husband and wife made Kamui quickly accept it as true.

"There is much to do after a war -- for ourselves, that means our coronation. You, as my Queen-"

"And you, Xander, as my King."

#corriander #kamarx #xander #fire emblem fates #leo #takumi #ryoma #this is so terribly self indulgent #there's gonna be a part 2 #my writings