#spear of cassius

[rocketorca]

My new tats! I asked for the NGE Spear of Longinus and the Spear of Cassius but make them magical girl.

Artist is Rosie Cole at Needlework Tattoo Co in Michigan.

#personal #tattoo #tattoos #nge #neon genesis evangelion #evangelion #spear of longinus #spear of Cassius #magical girl #sparkle #pastel #eva #Rosie cole

[xxstillbornfeelingxx]

this ep is fucking nuts

#spear of cassius #underoath #metalcore #black metal #Spotify

[ccarrot]

New funniest take: Rei and Asuka fucking hate Kaworu and his creepy prettyboy smile

#rei doesnt want him getting his spear of longinus too close to her brothers cassius if your getting the shitty reference #evangelion

[mjm2travel]

#mJmTravel #mJm_Travel #mJm2Travel #Tickets Spear of Cassius Tickets Buy Genuine Spear of Cassius Tickets from the official TicketMaster Site. Find Spear of Cassius Tickets, tour schedule, concert details, reviews and photos. #Spear #Cassius #Tickets

#Cassius #Concerts #Spear #TicketMaster #Tickets

[emmettland]

Gold and Green AU | Repost #20

Beneath A Golden (2023)

CW: explicit NSFW, noncon, dubcon, whumper to whumpee, brainwashing, fuck machine, bottoming for the first time

It was beneath a Golden to beg.

But it was also beneath a Golden to be stripped down to nothing, completely bare save for the glowing red ring around his neck.

It was certainly beneath a Golden to be forced into his own Reformation machine. Forced by the ring puppeteering him to move his limbs into position, all for Mavik's sick pleasure. As he sat down, metal clamps locked his limbs into place with a series of sharp clicks, sealing the Golden's fate.

The seat was thrust forward, forcing him to be on his hands and knees, spreading his legs apart. Shame burned under his skin, and something close to fear made his chest tighten, his breath escaping him in short, shallow bursts. Not because he did not know what would happen; Cassius Helven knew exactly what would happen.

"That's a pretty sight," Mavik drawled, their footsteps creeping up behind him. Cassius jolted when a gloved hand smacked his ass, nearly biting his tongue to keep quiet. "You know, as much as I'd love to have such a long, nice-looking cock in my ass, I just love breaking in the Goldens. Always so tight and sensitive."

Cassius heard a switch flip, and the machine turned on.

Greens were raised to give pleasure, and Golds were raised to take and inflict pain. They became hardened with combat, desensitized to fear, fortified by the bonds of kinship they shared. As a Golden, the most superior of Golds, Cassius was used to pain, and could lose a limb in battle without batting an eye. He was used to pleasure as well, from the wet mouths and tight holes of Greens who lived to service him, of his beloved True Green who was taken from him.

This kind of pleasure was unknown to him.

The metal plate that his bare chest was pressed up against started buzzing, creating pleasant vibrations that made Cassius shudder as his nipples hardened. Rather than spear him open, a thin, lubricated rod breached his opening, barely causing any discomfort as it slid deeper inside, save for the disgust clawing at Cassius' throat.

His cock was left hanging between his spread legs, untouched and ignored. But it began to swell against his will when the rod reached his prostate, and Cassius nearly gasped when it started buzzing. He clenched his jaw as it pressed down and started massaging the bundle of nerves, his body twitching as a white-hot sensation shot through his veins, spreading under his flushed skin, making his toes curl and his breath catch.

It felt so good.

"Ooh, that's good," Mavik said, as if reading his mind. They stepped out from behind him to stand in front of him, forcing Cassius to be at eye level with their clothed erection.

It did not stay clothed for long.

The ring forced his mouth to open. He fought against it, trying to use the burning pain in his jaw as a distraction from the heat coiling in his abdomen. But it was a losing battle, and once his lips were pried apart, Mavik cupped his cheek with a condescending smile and thrust their cock inside.

Cassius gagged. But unless he wanted to choke, he had to hollow his cheeks and accept the intrusion, relaxing his throat and blinking harshly to keep his eyes from tearing up.

Crying, like everything else right now, was beneath a Golden.

Mavik sighed blissfully, slowly thrusting in and out until the Golden could take all of them in, their balls touching his chin. "I may need the ring to control you now," they said, tangling their hand in his silky white hair, "but I will not need it forever, little Golden."

Cassius refused to believe that. Mavik would always need the ring, because Cassius would never subject himself to this willingly. He would never submit like the Greens that he brought here for this exact purpose, strapped into the same machines to be taught a lesson. To be reminded of their place.

His place was above a mistake like Mavik. His place was back with Logan, without Derek Bornachi to interfere. Eventually, he would find his way back to it.

Eventually.

---

Mavik looked pleased. Cassius took pride in that; to please his Master was his only purpose in life, now that he was no longer burdened by the responsibilities of being a Golden.

It was a wonderful thing, really. Cassius used to wonder how Master got Golds and Goldens to grovel at their feet and assumed that they just went insane in the Elos ring. But now he knew. They did not lose their sanity; they simply found their freedom.

It was a wonderful thing, really, to not have to decide anything. To have Master decide what you felt, and what you thought, and what you did. How long had it been? How much time had passed where he was just a body to warm Master's bed, a toy for Master's pleasure, a hole for Master and Master's chosen ones to fuck? How long had his mind been melting from pleasure, from praise, from being rewarded just for being an enjoyable fuck? Cassius had no idea, but really, did it matter? Of course not. All that mattered was Master's pleasure.

Master's pleasure was his pleasure.

How long had it been since he last fought back? Gods, he didn't know. He hated to think about it. Hated to think about all of the infuriating times he got so close to escape, only to find out Mavik was toying with him the whole time. All of the times where he was forced to degrade himself, forced to just take it, until it felt pathetic just to resist because there was no point to it.

At some point, he finally realized it would do him no good. The more that he was forced to throw away his pride, the more he just wanted to rid himself of the shame, the disgust, the hatred he had not just for Mavik, but himself.

Because he was weak. So utterly, helplessly, pathetically weak, and the weakest thing about a Golden was their ego.

But if there was no ego--

If there was no self-assured arrogance, no superiority complex holding him to such high standards, no unrealistic expectations that he had to live his life by, always making sure he was above others and in control of himself--

"You've finally earned this, Cassius."

There was no shame.

Master didn't need to use machines anymore. Cassius dropped to his hands and knees willingly, the moment that Master ordered him to. He gasped when Master's cock thrust into him, tears springing to his eyes not out of pain, but pure joy. After all this time, he finally had the honor of Master's cock inside of him. Not just using his mouth, but actually claiming him. Giving him their Blessing.

"What do you say to your Master, hmm?"

"Thank you, Master," Cassius gasped out, a strained cry pulled from him when Master started thrusting, burying their cock deep inside of him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

my writing x emmettsin x gold and green au x ko-fi

#emmett whumps #whump tag #emmett writes #emmett reposts #Gold and Green AU #Gold and Green AU (writing) #mavik oc #cassius oc #mavius (ship) #emmettsin

[brokeitwiththepowerofmathamatics]

Fanfic - I see what you'll become

(ao3 here) (ff.net here)

This was written for @valentines-core-exchange. I've been wanting to write a story like this for a while, though I'll admit this is outside my comfort zone. I've never written a story like this before, but I definitely had fun writing it.

Written for @pennerjones (who for some reason tumblr will not let me @)

Most thought Clockwork had always existed, he was the Lord of Time after all. It made sense. Clockwork was content to let people think that. But Clockwork didn't always exist, there was someone before that.

Cassius flew through the forests. The scouts were wrong. The enemy had encroached so much farther than they had thought. A dozen ghosts, infected and corrupted by the Avatar of Malice, were chasing him through the woods. Cassius was fifteen minutes out from any of the outposts that Dark had set up to watch for the encroachment, but hopefully he could make it.

The internal clock in his head told him he only had a minute till he was caught.

Above the treetops, enraged spirits let out screeches as they clawed at each other. Too filled with hate to even recognize that they were clawing at who should be their allies. Behind him, the Infested scrambled along the ground, their arms and bodies distorting as they all tried to chase him down while also trying to tear into each other.

Even though they recognized Cassius as something they wanted to destroy, it only marked him as slightly above each other.

Cassius felt something grab his cloak. The cloak was of a good make, it held firm even as it forced Cassius to stop suddenly. Cassius cried out as his body impacted against the ground, and for a brief moment, he saw the infinite green of the realm of the dead above him.

Before the Infested blocked his view.

“No! No! No!” Cassius shouted. He swung his staff around trying to beat off the infested. Their bodies had been so infected, that the ectoplasm had turned red, and hardened their skin. Each movement they made was enunciated with a cracking sound that rang sharp, and their clawed fingers tore apart Cassius’s armored clothes, making short work of the token protections he wore.

But there was one part of Cassius that was not even protected by those.

Cassius saw the hands above his face, glowing red eyes forming in their palms as they searched to try and find a weak point so they could tear him apart. The same way they once had been.

It happened so quickly, Cassius hadn’t had time to recognize what was going to happen.

He only felt it.

He let out a guttural scream that tore his throat as the hands reached into his face, tearing chunks out of it. The first Infested had struck quickly, shoving its fingers deep through one of his eyes. But it wasn’t the only one, and they all wanted the pleasure of tearing him apart to themselves. The next infested tore into Cassius’s face, trying to pull away the first so it could have the release of destroying something. Its claws didn’t sink in as deep, but in a wider area.

Then a third followed suit, digging into the cracks the others left behind.

Cassius didn’t so much fight back as thrash about in pain. He screamed and screamed. “Help me!” He cried out, futilely. “Please someone!”

A roar shook the ground and rattled the trees. The infested recognized a threat to their existence, and hesitated. A moment later the ground next to Cassius cracked, as mace crashed through the piled up Infested. Their armored hides did nothing to stop them from being smashed into pieces.

Cassius was ripped off the ground as one hand cradled him to an armored chest. His savior roared and screamed, with enough anger in him to match those contorted by the Avatar of Malice itself. He was pressed further into the arms of the one who saved him, as they swung their weapon about.

This continued for a minute and fifteen seconds, before there was the sound of spears piercing the ground, and everything went still. Cassius was shifted, finally able to look up. “Dark?” He whispered.

“I have you,” Dark said, cradling Cassius in his arms. “I have you. You’re safe now.”

“Dark, they… they tore into me,” Cassius cried, “I’m… I’m going to-”

“No, you’re not,” Dark cut him off. “That is an order, you will not be corrupted. Understand?” Dark twisted and started marching through the woods. “Fetch the healers! All of them! The Frozen Tribes want to swear allegiance? Fine! They can prove their worth by saving this man!”

Dark pulled Cassius in closer to his chest. Even though they were all dead, Cassius could still feel a rise and fall of his king’s chest through the armor he wore. Dark’s steps grew faster and faster as Cassius tried his hardest to keep his eyes open.

Or rather, his remaining eye.

It was futile, darkness had taken him over before the warrior gave up on walking and began to fly.

***

When Cassius came to, it took him three and a half seconds before he recognized where he was. The stone arched ceilings weren’t something he often looked at, usually in this room he watched his king. However, the crimson banners gave him a clue to where he was.

Cassius sat up, causing a cry of shouts to begin to ring out. He was helped up to a sitting position by a large furred man. “Careful,” he said, a low baritone voice echoing out in a calming manner, “Do you know where we are?”

“Dark’s keep,” Cassius said, tearing his eye away from the man. “How did I get here? We were on the outskirts of the kingdom.”

“Ghosts are creatures of emotion, when we want something, when we desire it. We can do much more than we’d expect. The king was quite insistent.”

Cassius tried to see the throne, but he was surrounded by too many healers. He turned toward the one who was helping him. “I’m afraid I don't recognize you… but your form looks familiar.”

“Yes, I am from the Far Frozen, I am one of the many yetis who have come to rally against the Avatar.” The yeti reached over and a piece of ice materialized in his hand. “You may call me Frostbite.”

“Frostbite, thank you.” The yeti hummed as he pressed the ice against Cassius’s head. Cassius let out a gasp as the chill, greater than even death, sunk into him. Pain he hadn't even recognized began to fade as the ice pressed against wounds. Cassius took another breath before he tried to speak again.

He didn't get a chance to, instead a bellowing cry of “Enough!” rang out. The entire throne room grew quiet as the sea of healers began to part. Cassius turned to look and saw Dark trying to push his way through, too impatient to wait for the healers to move. There must have been at least two dozen of them surrounding his bed.

Dark forced his way through. And Cassius gasped as he saw him. A feeling of relief washed over him, as he realized that, yes, he did survive, and he got to see Dark again. He tried to memorize the sight of Dark approaching him. After four seconds, Dark had made his way through and knelt down next to Cassius’s sick bed. “Cassius, my Cassius, you’ve awakened.”

Cassius had to turn more, further than he would have had to before the loss of his eye. He looked down at his hand which was encased by the much larger Dark’s. Cassius felt his chest twitch as he mentally caught up with what was happening.

“Dark…” he whispered. He smiled at his lord and met his gaze. Dark’s lips thinned as two eyes met one. “Dark, I believe you’ve missed several meetings.”

A laugh burst out of Dark's mouth, curving his lips into a smile. “I think I have bigger concerns than a few unimportant meetings.”

Cassius huffed. “Dark, unless I’m wrong, I've been unconscious for 13 days and 7 hours. Which means that you should be meeting with Lord Nocturn-”

Dark squeezed Cassius’s hand possessively. “Cassius, I’ve told you not to call any other Lord or King by their title. You serve me, not any other Lord.”

“Lord Nocturn- and his army of dreamers. They are just as needed to fight this threat as any.”

Dark scoffed. “And what point is there of any of that if the ones I care about are left by the wayside.”

Cassius couldn’t think of anything to say to that. So, he didn’t. Instead, he simply decided to continue staring into Dark’s eyes and squeeze back with a smile on his face..

There was a clearing of a throat, and the two of them looked up at Frostbite. “I hate to interrupt, but there is something important we need to address.” He turned toward Cassius and fixed him with a look. “This treatment was very experimental, and it won’t be without consequences.” His face fell. “I would hope it’s already obvious, but your form has been damaged. Permanently.” Dark raised a hand to turn Cassius’s face toward him. Cassius watched through one eye as Dark’s eyes roamed over his bandages and his lips turned into a frown.

Frostbite’s stern look turned soft and he gave them both a smile. “But, other than the loss of your eye, you should fully recover. The rest is up to you, and bed rest.”

Dark stood. Cassius turned to listen to his announcement, the others in the throne room hadn’t quite caught the way his stance widened, or the set of his shoulders before he gave a demand. “The healer has spoken, Cassius needs rest. Everyone, unless you are a healer, a messenger, or one of the ancient lords, get out.”

Cassius raised his hand and grabbed Dark’s. “Dark, I can sleep in our chambers.”

Dark’s hand squeezed, practically crushing it. Dark’s eyes snapped to Cassius. “No.” The statement was final. There was enough force behind it that Cassius was reminded just why everyone was flocking under his banner. “I nearly lost you. Once in that forest, and once under the doctors’ hands. You’ll stay right here in front of me, where I can see you.”

Cassius felt his mouth dry as Dark continued to focus on him. “As you wish…”

Heavy footfalls approached the two of them, and Dark turned to face him. He addressed the knight that approached them, “What is it?”

“My Lord, what of the captured Infested?”

Cassius blinked. “Captured? We took some of them prisoner?”

Dark didn’t turn, but answered him. “Yes, the healers had said it would help them figure out how to cure you.” He turned toward the knight and waved his hand. “We have no need for them anymore. Bring them to the dungeons.”

Cassius sat forward. “Could they be cured?” He hadn’t intended to shout, but many of those who hadn’t yet left turned to face him.

Dark turned and looked at him, his eyebrows raised. Even the knight seemed surprised Cassius had asked. “Well,” Frostbite began, “It’s not impossible. It’d be much more difficult, you only had a small infestation of malice, and those ones are completely taken over.” Frostbite raised a hand and pointed to a corner of the room. Now that the hall was clearing, Cassius could see the cage holding them.

It wasn’t as large as he would have expected, in fact, it was quite small, it would take Pariah two steps to cross the short side, and three to cross the longer, and it wouldn’t even have reached up to his shoulders.

But the unique thing about it, were the spikes that were pointed inward. Even in the dark of the throne room, he could see them glowing. Not quite the same dark green that permeated the ghost zone, but bright and sharp. Just looking at it made a chill run through the entirety of Cassius’s body that Cassius would never forget.

It was the chill he felt as he lay dying.

“It’d be a long shot,” Frostbite continued, ignorant of Cassius’s discomfort, “but we could theoretically cure them.”

Cassius barked out a laugh. “That’d be great! We might be able to save them!” He turned toward Frostbite. “I doubt we’d be able to reunite them with anyone, but… at least they’d have a chance?” He turned back Dark. “It’d be nice to do something good after all this.”

Dark hummed thoughtfully, and reached over and ran his thumb along Cassius’s jaw. “It would, wouldn't it?” He turned back toward the knight. “Still though, they can’t stay in the throne room. Bring them to the dungeon.”

The knight bowed and turned to follow orders. Dark turned and walked up the steps to the throne. He glanced at Cassius, and raised his fist. The bed Cassius was sitting on began to shake, and Frostbite shouted, before Cassius was raised up, and a horde of skeletons carried Cassius up to Dark’s side.

Dark reached over and placed his hand on Cassius’s shoulder.

“Now then, who needs to be heard first?”

***

The next several hours were a long slog of conversations, the longest of which was a very long conversation between Dark and one of Nocturn’s messengers. With that one, Cassius had to get involved quite often to calm Dark down, as Nocturn had demanded an apology and if there was one thing Dark gave out, it was not apologies.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the dead did not need rest. Physically at least, so 53 hours later, Dark had managed to answer everyone who had come to him.

The moment the last messenger had been dealt with, Dark called in for Frostbite.

“What do you need of me?” Frostbite asked as he approached the throne. He gave Cassius a soft smile before turning back to Dark and turning serious again.

“I want you to check on Cassius’s health.”

Cassius rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, my lord.”

Frostbite scoffed. “Between the three of us, who’s the one with any medical training?” He asked, before bending over Cassius’s bed. His large frame covered all of Cassius’s remaining vision. “Dark is doing the right thing. He’s being cautious.”

This time Dark scoffed. “Cautious? No. I’m being proactive. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this war, it’s that victory favors action.”

“War? Is that what we’re calling it?” Frostbite voiced sadly. “I thought it was a fight for survival before the Infinite Realms are cleared out for the next age.”

“Exactly, a fight I intend to win.”

Cassius felt something touch his face and he jerked. Frostbite leaned back at the same time that Dark’s head snapped in their direction. “Sorry,” Cassius said, shaking his head, “That… surprised me.”

Frostbite shook his head. “No, that was my fault, I should have announced what I was doing. I’m taking off the bandage around the remains of your eye.”

Dark’s lips flattened into a thin line. “Are there options?”

Frostbite paused as he unwound the bandages, just for a quarter of a second. He continued unwinding the bandages. “Options? To fix the eye? His form is damaged, it is not an easy thing to fix.”

Frostbite bit his lip as the wraps came off. “Well, you certainly are a tough one. This is much better than I had even hoped. I’m going to touch your face here to inspect the scar here.”

Cassius glanced at Dark and uttered quietly. “Well, my lord gave me an order to recover from this.”

Frostbite chuckled. “Well, that would do it…” Cassius sat still as Frostbite poked and prodded. He leaned back and shook his hands and dusted them off, clouds of snow drifted off of them with each movement. “Just to confirm, you two know nothing about necromantic medicine?”

Cassius shook his head as Dark leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. “The only information I have on the subject is about how to destroy.”

Frostbite nodded. “Humor me, tell me what you do know.”

“Unlike our mortal forms, our forms are not a physical construct. I could flay the skin off any ghost and they’d be able to recover eventually. But, if I strike with enough intent, when I want to crush and kill, their forms can be broken. That being said,” He glanced at Cassius for a brief moment before looking back at Frostbite, “We still feel like we use our senses. We don’t truly have a form, but we think we do, so we do. So if one were to do enough damage to a ghost to the point that they feel like they have been torn to shreds, and keep them there in a period of time, they’ll be destroyed even without the intent.”

Frostbite nodded. “Excellent, that’s a perfect spot to start.” Frostbite put a hand to his chin and stroked his fur (or perhaps that was his beard? It was a bit long compared to the other Yetis). “The term infested for these wasn’t chosen randomly, they quite literally have a piece of the Avatar of Malice shoved into their forms. And even the Avatar of Malice’s most passive intents are enough to overwhelm most ghosts.”

Frostbite began to pace in front of them. “The operation we did was to excise that infection out of you, but to put it frankly, we had to remove the concept of an eye out of Cassius’s form.”

Dark leaned back, surprise quietly clearly written on his face. “That’s something that can be done?”

Frostbite smiled. “We are the best healers for a reason.” The smile quickly turned into a frown again. “But to that point, Cassius’s form subconsciously feels that he should not have an eye so therefore he doesn’t. I was fearing that there’d be more damage done to his form, but we were cleaner than even I expected, the excess damage is minimal.”

Cassius began to reach up to touch his own face, but Dark’s hand shot out and stopped him. Cassius looked down at Dark’s hand, before reaching up with his other hand and gently prying it off his wrist. “May I see?”

Frostbite nodded and held out a hand. Ice formed in hand taking the shape of a hand mirror. He handed it over to Cassius. He held it up and looked at his reflection in the perfect ice.

Cassius felt his throat seize as he looked at the wound. There was no weeping ectoplasm, or anything of the sort that would indicate this was an injury, but he could see into part of his face. It was like someone had sliced out a chunk of his head, like one would slice open a cake. He could see a static barrier of ectoplasm that acted like a facsimile of skin, but it glowed brightly as compared to the rest of his pale skin.

“Oh…”

“So, options.” Dark demanded.

Frostbite huffed. “Well, going back to your comments about intent. It’s theoretically possible, but-”

“But what?” Dark interrupted. “What would I need to get you?”

Frostbite huffed. “I was getting to that. What we would need is to fill Cassius’s form with something. We removed the concept of an eye from Cassius, so we’d need to put it back in.” Frostbite waved his hand about in the air, “It’s not like we can just create such a thing. Much like to forge a sword, you need to find the ore first before forming the blade, we’d need to find the material to create that concept. That material is a concept, a part of someone’s identity.” Frostbite sighed and ran a hand over his head. “So, in order to fix Cassius’s eye, we’d have to rip it out of someone else.”

“I can have my army go out and capture a thousand ghosts.” Dark dismissed with no hesitation, “Finding someone to take it from is a trivial task.”

Frostbite’s jaw dropped, as Cassius turned. “No, that’s not… I don’t want anyone else harmed for my sake.”

“If it’s for you, I’d send my army into the Avatar of Malice’s clutches myself.”

“Regardless,” Frostbite said, a bit of panic leaking into his voice. “Even then, it’s not so simple.” Frostbite held out his arms as if to try and get Dark’s attention on him, though nothing would tear it away from Cassius. “If it were a simple matter of a transplant from one host, willing or otherwise, to another, that’d be one thing.”

Frostbite lowered his head to look up at Dark and took a step closer. “There’s also the fact we are splitting someone’s soul. That isn’t something to be considered done trivially. If the donor is too weak, it’d be overwhelmed by Cassius’s own will and it’d be like we did nothing. Too strong, and it’d overwhelm him and change him permanently. It’d have to be of equal power to him… or back to the concept of intents, be given willingly.” Dark’s eyes narrowed and Frostbite reiterated. “If it was given willingly, if the donor was stronger and had the intent of giving Cassius his eye, then it’d take with minimal damage.”

Dark let out a hum. “I see… that makes sense.” Dark sighed. “Is there anything else of note that you’d like to share?”

“No, I think that covers it.”

“Then you are free to go.” Cassius cleared his throat and Dark grimaced. “Thank you for your time.”

“My pleasure.” Frostbite said bowing.

As Frostbite left, Cassius turned to look at Dark. Dark’s eyes never left Frostbite’s back before he exited the door and stayed fixed on the exit as it closed. Cassius reached over and grabbed Dark’s hand. Carefully, he removed the gauntlet off of it as Dark watched his fingers entranced. Once the metal was gone, he linked his fingers with Dark’s.

��Does it bother you?” Cassius asked. “My appearance now?”

“You being hurt bothers me, not your appearance.” Dark clarified. “You could look like the good doctor for all that it matters to me, but I don’t like seeing you wounded.” His lips tightened and he swallowed. Cassius could hear it clearly in the silence of the throne room. “It does bother me, it reminds me that I nearly lost you. That I let you go on your own into a land my scouts said was safe, and that I had stayed behind and nearly got you killed.”

“You did nothing of the sort. It was my decision to be alone for a bit.”

“And it was my decision to not send any soldiers with you. I should have known better.” Dark sighed and stood up, not letting go of Cassius’s hand but turning just the same to face him. He sat down on the bed and scooped up Cassius into his arms and sat him on his lap. “I nearly lost you, and I was playing king.”

Cassius leaned into Dark, but pressed gently against his chest. “I may need to remind you, the doctor said I should rest.”

Cassius could feel Dark’s face shift into a smile against the top of his head. “That’s why we are here on your bed. Besides, he also said you’re recovering well.”

“I suppose that he did.”

***

It was 26 hours later when Nocturn arrived. It was herald by the endless green void darkening to the point that even the oldest ghosts remaining remembered the night sky from their lives. Some marveled at the change, the Infinite Realms were not known for change after all, but most grew restless as the entire realm began to accommodate the Lord of Dreams.

It took another hour and a half for the Ancient to arrive. The doors burst open and a dark mist spilled out. Some of Nocturn’s sleepwalkers marched in, their sackcloth forms forming a corridor. They knelt down as Nocturn entered.

To say he walked in wouldn’t be quite right, the Lord of Dream’s form was more like a mass of darkness than anything else. He slid into the room, ducking his head underneath the doorframe and then stretching up to the full height of the room.

The darkness spread to the foot of the throne, a few torches keeping the dark at bay. Nocturn stopped just outside the light. “So, you are the one called Dark.” Nocturn looked him up and down. “I am not impressed.”

Dark scoffed. “Considering how few can destroy the Infested, you should be. If we counted how many warriors outside of your army can defeat them, we’d still have a hand left.”

This time Nocturn scoffed and bent down, “Yes, let’s ignore the greatest defenders of the Infinite Realms. Are we ignoring the Ancients who survived the last Calling as well?”

“The point is that if we hope to survive this, we should be working together. Or are the stories of the fallen ancients just that?”

Nocturn stood back up. “No. No they are not.” Nocturn looked around the room, at all the ghosts that had fled to Dark’s banner. “Even if I dislike it, this is beyond any of us. If we wish to survive, we’ll all need to work together.” Nocturn turned toward Dark and pointed his finger at him, “Make no mistake, I have heard stories of you, Dark. Stories that I hope are just stories. Stories of how you treat your men, stories of how you treat your allies, stories of-”

“He’s not like that.” Cassius interrupted. “Yes, he can be terrifying, but he’s been keeping us all safe.”

Nocturn turned toward Cassius, then glanced at the bed he was resting on. His gaze shifted towards Dark, before he looked back at Cassius . “Forgive me if I don’t find your words convincing.”

Before Cassius could say anything more. Dark spoke up. “I don’t care if you like me. I’m not here because I was liked, I am here because I am strong.”

“Not strong enough,” Nocturn said, folding his arms. “You speak of strength, but your strength only extends as far as your arm. Unlike me. If it were not for Helios telling me to visit you, you’d be beneath my notice.”

Cassius could see Dark’s jaw work as he bit his tongue. Cassius knew that Dark had much to say about that, but none of them should have been antagonizing each other. Cassius knew Dark though, and knew exactly how to keep him from snapping back. “Helios? I don’t know this name, though it feels familiar.”

Dark’s jaw loosened immediately and turned to Cassius. “Another Ancient,” he began explaining, to ensure that Cassius never felt lost in his presence. “Nocturn is the Lord of Dreams, Helios is the Lord of Vision. He sees much. If he is forcing us to work together, then it is the best chance we have.” Dark huffed through his nose and turned back to Nocturn, “If you have a suggestion, I’m all ears.”

Nocturn laughed. “If you could, oh mighty king, you’d have an army to match mine. No, your royal army doesn’t carry your strength.”

Dark stayed quiet for a moment. “Explain that.”

Nocturn looked down at Dark, confusion spreading across his face. “Explain what, it’s a simple concept.”

“What does kingship have to do with the armies?”

Nocturn frowned, and for two and a quarter seconds, Cassius thought he wouldn’t answer. Then Nocturn reached into the darkness swirling about his feet. “Simply put,” he said, drawing out a sleepwalker from the mists. “This soldier here, carries my intent. He is my hand, carrying out my will. You don’t have enough intent to have your troops carry it.”

Dark leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees. “So… if I were a king, my troops would all be able to fight the Infested?”

Nocturn froze. “If you were a king?”

“I am not a king, I am just a warrior who others have been following. This castle wasn’t made for me, it was where I found a handful of fearful ghosts hiding from the Infested. It suits our purposes as a lair, but I have never called myself a king. It is others who call me king.”

Nocturn shrunk down so that he wasn’t towering over Dark. “And how many of those are also capable of fighting the Infested?”

Dark glanced at Cassius, and Cassius refused to meet his eyes. There was a reason he was injured. He was not suited for battle. He hated that, he wanted to stand with Dark as an equal, but what could a ghost who had a knowledge of time do?

“Of those that go into battle? All of them.” Dark stated.

“Exactly… as a king, as a ruler, they carry your intent. If you intend to destroy the Infested then they can too.”

Dark stood up. “Frostbite,” he demanded.

Immediately the Yeti made his way to the front of the crowd that was gathering around the edges of the room. “Yes?”

“I have another task for your craftsmen. I apparently find myself in need of a crown.”

“We’ll have it ready soon. Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s of utmost importance. If we can go from 5 warriors capable of fighting the Infested to a thousand, we will have a chance.” Frostbite bowed before turning and running out the door.

“Another order?” Cassius asked, “What was the first?”

“Nothing of importance. Just a token for myself, a promise to never let you get hurt again.” Dark said, turning to Cassius. He placed his hand on Cassius’s head before moving to cup his cheek.

Nocturn grumbled. “Cute, but we still have matters to discuss.”

“Vortex.”

“He won’t listen to you.”

“Will he listen to you?”

“It’s possible, but unlikely. He’s…”

“Volatile?”

“I was deciding on stubborn, but yes, that as well.”

“I might have a plan, though I’d like to know what someone who fought with him in the past would think of it before deciding on any decisions.”

“What plan could possibly force him into the fight?”

“The yeti’s have a metal, it causes a feeling of fear in those who are in close proximity-”

Nocturn rolled his eyes. “You seek to use that on Vortex? Each of the Ancients can resist such paltry-”

“I don’t intend on using it on Vortex, I intend on using it on the Avatar of Malice.”

Every single ghost in the room, including Cassius turned toward Dark with various levels of incredulity on their faces. “Dark,” Cassius began, “How could that possibly work?”

Dark smiled. “I have fought many of the Infested, and I know one thing. They still have fear. The Avatars of Malice will tremble as I crush them beneath my heel. I have reason to believe that the Avatar of Malice does as well. Aren’t some expressions of malice born of fear?”

Dark stood up. “Additionally, a Calling happens in a place of calm, yes?” When Nocturn didn’t correct him he continued. “If we scatter the spaces where the calling can occur, we can shift it. Pushing it to the nearest stable realm.”

The room was silent as everyone processed the plan. Nocturn never broke eye contact with Dark for thirteen seconds, “You wish to force the Calling to happen in Vortex’s realm.”

Dark nodded. “He will fight, whether he wishes it or not.”

“I don’t know if you’re insane, foolish, or both. This idea could only come from a madman…” Nocturn paused as he thought a bit more. “But it could work.”

***

After that proclamation, the castle broke into a flurry of activity as orders began to be given. Nocturn’s sleepwalkers weren’t the talkative type, but they were quite efficient as messengers carrying written orders to and from the castle. Even better, they didn’t feel fear, so they were quite helpful in moving in spreading the metal that the yeti’s were providing.

Cassius was taken away from the throne room and brought back to his bed at Frostbite’s insistence. Dark practically threw a fit over it, but Frostbite pointed out the fastest Cassius had healed was when Cassius was sleeping and at peace as compared to the last several days of being in the throne room. Convinced of its importance, Dark carried Cassius to their chambers himself.

Cassius threw himself in his bed – big enough for both him and Dark to have plenty of room in – curled under the blankets, and slept for 16 hours straight.

He would have slept longer, but he was awoken by a knock at his door. It would not have been Dark, as Dark would have just entered their chambers. Cassius thought about ignoring it, before there was a second knock.

“Come in,” Cassius called out, not getting out from under the blankets. The door creaked open and heavy footfalls echoed in the chamber.

“Comfortable, are we?” Frostbite chuckled, standing somewhat near the bed.

“Very,” Cassius stated. “And though I am dead, I feel quite warm under here.”

“Unfortunately, I’m going to ask you to scoot over this way and come out from underneath. I am not going to sit on Dark’s bed to get close enough to check your wounds again. I fear our king would splatter me against the walls if I were to be in the same bed as you.”

“He would not, he is a just man.”

“Hmm…” Frostbite hummed.

The sound dragged Cassius out of the bed. “Do you not believe so?” He demanded.

“He is protective of you, very much so. I think when you’re involved, reason flees him, as it does anyone in love.” Cassius felt himself blush at that. He knew Dark loved him, but Dark would never say such a thing outright. “But also, he is a warrior first, and a king second. Even though many called him a king, he refused to accept that title.”

Cassius nodded and sighed. “He called what he was doing playing king quite often. He’s probably quite unhappy to actually have that title.”

“Yes, well, that’s why Dark is having me check on you. He wants you by his side at the coronation.”

“That’s already happening?” Cassius asked, scooting over to the edge of the bed. “It was only twenty hours ago that he gave that order.”

Frostbite nodded, a grim expression on his face as he knelt down. “I’m going to be touching your face here,” he warned. “But yes, apparently after I left to come here, Helios appeared to my tribe. He told them that a crown was needed, and gave them the orders to forge it. I have yet to see the crown myself, but…”

The fact that Frostbite trailed off while inspecting Cassius made him nervous. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, everything is fine. The rest has done wonders. I think at this point you’re as healed as you can be.” Frostbite said standing up. “I hear the crown was made to Helio’s specifications. It’s not just a crown, but an artifact.”

“Forgive me, but I don’t know what the importance of that is.”

“An artifact is… it’s something that brings out more potential. For example, there’s a gem somewhere in the infinite realms that can alter something else’s form at will. It can make someone’s intent so strong that nothing can stand against it.”

Cassius narrowed his eye at Frostbite. “You did not mention that before when Dark was asking about ways to heal me.”

Frostbite gave a quick nod. “I would have if it was within reach, but it fell through a portal into one of the living realms. It’s out of the reach of any ghost. Even if one were to escape into the living realm to find it, there’s no telling if they made their way into the living realm before or after it, and then it’d be nearly impossible to find their way back, and for all we know, they’d wind up before even the very first Calling, or after this one.”

“So quite impossible.”

“Indeed.” Frostbite took a step back from Cassius and looked him over. “You’re handling this much better than I’d have ever expected. Most would be quite bothered by any damage to their form, let alone as much as you have received.”

Cassius chuckled and indicated his good side. “Well, as you can see, I am lucky to have a spare.”

The door opened again, the wood crashing against the stone and making both occupants of the room jump as Dark strolled in. “Are you well?” He asked.

“I am, thank you.” Dark reached out and took Cassius’s hand. Cassius was brought to his feet and then pulled next to Dark’s side. “Frostbite just gave me a clean bill of health.”

“As clean as it can be, at least.”

“Then let’s not delay any longer,” Dark said, scooping up Cassius.

Cassius pushed on Dark’s chest. “Did you not hear the man? I’m healthy, I don’t need to be carried everywhere!”

Dark laughed. “Need to, no, but I do want to.”

“I’d like some dignity, thank you very much!” Cassius protested, though he did stop fighting to be carried.

“Cassius,” Frostbite interrupted, “I’ll have you know that most of the keep is more terrified of you than Dark. No one truly fears a chained beast, they fear the one who can release it.”

Cassius sighed. “I guess there is no getting out of this is there?” He groaned, placing his head against Dark’s chest. Though he could feel Dark breathing, there was no heartbeat.

None of them had one anymore.

“No, there is not.” Dark chuckled carrying Cassius. Though eventually he did put him down, once they could hear the sounds of a horde of warriors.

Dark held Cassius’s hands in his. “Cassius, I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything.”

“I want you to be the one to crown me. I had no interest in being a king, I was content to battle through all the Infinite Realms before you came into my life. I think it’s fair to have you place the crown on my head.”

“I already told you, I’ll do anything you ask. You don’t need to explain it to me.” Cassius chuckled. “Where is it?”

Another yeti walked forward, holding black box. The box was much smaller than Cassius would have expected. Cassius moved to take the box when the yeti opened it.

Cassius froze as he stared at the crown. Immediately, he knew that there was something to Frostbite’s claims of this being an artifact. A feeling of unease swelled up in his chest as he looked at the unassuming metal.

It was simple, just a golden crown with a few gems inlaid in it.

But as Cassius’s fingers touched it, he knew that this was nothing but simple. This was it, the way for them to survive the Calling. To actually make this a war, not just a desperate fight to survive another day.

“Cassius?” Dark asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Cassius grabbed the crown and looked at Dark. “We will survive this.”

Dark smiled. “When this is over, you’ll need a crown yourself. I believe as a king it is within my right to declare anyone married.”

Cassius froze at that and his eyes widened. Cassius had been content to never put a name to what they had. It was just what it was. Yes, he wanted more, but he was content. There was so much going on that thinking of the future felt like a fool’s task. But… he dreamed.

Dark leaned down and placed a kiss to his lips before Dark turned and walked out onto a balcony. “Denizens of the Infinite Realms!” He shouted, raising his voice so that it could be heard.

Frostbite pushed on Cassius’s shoulder. “Come on now, you can come to grips with the fact you're apparently now betrothed to one of the most important ghosts besides the ancients later. For now, you have a job to do.”

Cassisu stumbled out onto the balcony, and realized that Dark’s statement before that he had a thousand troops was underselling it. He did not just stand above a thousand men. The green of the Infinite Realms sky was blocked by so many bodies, and the ground beneath them was similarly hidden by all the troops.

Dark turned toward Cassius and knelt down, snapping Cassius out of his stupor at the sight. He went to place the crown on top of Dark’s head.

He hadn’t had the time to realize that this crown was tiny compared to Dark, before it stopped in place slipping out of his fingers. The moment his hands came away from the crown, it lit on fire, and the air shifted.

There was a weight to it now, like a pressure waiting for something to just snap. When Dark rose, the already tall ghost felt larger. His presence was unmistakable and impossible to ignore. Dark turned towards the army and threw his fist out in the air. “Now go! Destroy the Infested! Let not a single one claim another! This is my first order as the King of All Ghosts!”

His order was met with screams and cheers and every ghost started flying off to do what he ordered. Dark turned and marched back into the castle. They hadn’t gotten far when Nocturn stepped out from the darkness behind the curtain. “King of All Ghosts, quite the title you’ve claimed for yourself.”

“It's far too late to come up with another one,” Dark snipped. “You had plenty of chances to suggest a better one.”

“Hardly, between the moment you decided to become a king and you receiving the crown, we had much more to discuss than titles or speeches.”

A knight marched into the room, “My Lord! You’re needed in the throne room at once!” Dark turned to say something, possibly to demand who thought he could give him demands, when the knight continued. “Helios is here!”

Dark glanced at Nocturn for just a second before they set off, leaving Cassius and Frostbite to chase them. They made their way into the throne room to find the Ancient of Vision standing there. Cassius couldn’t see his face due the high collar around his neck until the Ancient turned to face them. A golden halo floated behind his head giving the inside of his collar a golden glow, and he stared at them with three eyes.

“Dark, Nocturn, it is good you are here.” He brushed the grey cloak that covered most of his form before he held up a hand in Cassius’s direction. There was an eye on his palm that looked over Cassius’s shoulder. “Frostbite, you are taller in person. And Clockwork…”

“Who?” Cassius asked, looking behind them to see who he was referring to, but there was no one.

“Ah, sorry, I forgot, my vision of you is a bit… scattered. A side effect of how time affects you. We have not met quite yet, but I know you quite well.”

Dark stepped between Cassius and Helios. “Helios…” There was a coldness to his tone that Cassius couldn’t quite place, but he recognized the way Dark stood in front of him. Cassius placed a hand gently on his back, letting Dark know that he was there with him.

Helios turned. “Greetings, King of All Ghosts.”

Dark folded his arms. “From my understanding, it is your idea that I take this title.”

Helio’s head tilted slightly and his eyes roved over him as if he were observing Dark. “It wasn’t my idea, though I was involved in it.” Cassius felt Dark’s shoulders tense the way they always did when he was unsure. Helio’s head titled the other way and he continued to explain. “I see all; things that will happen, things that are happening, and things that have happened. It was already set in the timeline that I’d help you.”

“Do we survive this?” Nocturn demanded. Dark’s head snapped towards Nocturn sharply, which made Cassius jump at the sudden movement. His hand pulled away from Dark for a moment. Dark whirled and swept his arms around Cassius before looking back at the two ancients.

Helios didn’t answer at first. “I… believe you do.” He said quietly.

“Believe?” Dark snapped. “Didn’t you just say you see what will happen?”

“I do, up to a point.” Helios turned toward Dark, a frown marring his features. “I see things that will happen, up until my destruction.”

“Oh…” Cassius was unsure of who spoke, it could have been Nocturn, whose shoulders slumped, it could have been Frostbite who was covering his expression with a large meaty paw, or it could have been himself.

But it never could have been Dark.

“So you’re just giving up?” Dark growled, his hand slid from one of Cassius’s shoulders to the other across his back as he stepped forward. “You’re just going to-”

“If you think I am merely lying down and dying like a dog, you can bite your tongue,” Helios interrupted, his tone dropping with his face. “I am doing what I can to ensure things move along the path it is supposed to.”

“If it weren’t for you and the other ancients’ existence, ghosts would say that we’re intended to be wiped out.”

“We’ve survived a Calling before, and you will do so again…” Helios trailed off before turning to Nocturn. “Though, Nocturn, I’d ask a favor of you. If you would be so kind as to send a message to Undergrowth. He will listen to your message.”

“I’ll… send one of my sleepwalkers immediately.” Nocturn began, his tone soft like a dream. “Are you-”

“I’m alright,” Helios interrupted again. “I’ve known this would happen since I gathered strength to fight the previous avatar.” He let out a slow breath. “I think we all have much to talk about.”

“Would one day be acceptable?” Nocturn asked. “If you don’t expect to survive this then…”

Dark nodded. “I think that should be expected,” he turned toward Cassius. “I have some things I need to get in order as well.”

Helios nodded. “As expected, come Nocturn… And Frostbite? If you’d join us?”

“Me?” Frostbite’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed toward himself. “You wish for me to join you?”

Helios nodded. “I think we have much to discuss as well, as two ancients to a future one.”

Frostbite started moving forward, though his face didn’t change its expression. But, Cassius hadn’t had time to react to that. Instead, Dark pulled him along the halls towards their chambers. When Dark closed the doors behind them, he breathed deeply.

Cassius put his hands on Dark’s back. “You wished to talk.”

Dark straightened and turned around, taking Cassius’s hands in his. “Yes… It’s…” he stopped and steeled his expression. “What kind of crown do you want?”

Cassius laughed. “Is that what you wanted to ask? Really?” Cassius tilted his head and gave Dark his biggest smile. “You know, you never let me answer the question you were asking.”

“Does it need to be?” Dark asked.

Cassius looked down at the ground. “No… I think… I think we both knew this was where we were going, but I thought you were content to leave it be and just let everyone make their assumptions.”

Dark pulled Cassius into his chest. “No, I never intended to leave it. I found you, and I intend to keep you, forever. Death can’t take us apart.”

Cassius squeezed Dark tightly, tighter than Dark was holding onto him. “No, no it can’t.”

***

Twenty three hours later, Cassius was back in the throne room, though now he no longer rested on a bed and instead stood at Dark’s right side. Helios and Nocturn were standing in a corner, partially hidden by the shadowy mists that followed Nocturn everywhere.

Dark had just sent away another messenger – one with good news that Dark’s army was now truly making headway into the calm areas of the Infinite Realms – when a yeti walked into the throne room.

Cassius frowned as he observed his approach. Even without announcing his presence, people gave him distance. He stopped some distance away before opening the box. “Your…” the yeti glanced at Cassius before looking back down at the box, “... ring… sire.” Dark waved him forward and the yeti approached the throne. Dark reached into the box and pulled out the ring.

It was all Cassius could do to not step back away from it.

When the crown was given to him, the feeling of awe was overwhelming, but it wasn’t truly fear that he felt looking at it. But this? The band was solid green, with a gleaming skull on the top. While the skull was a bit morbid – though not unusual in the realm of the dead – that wasn’t the problem.

There were two red gemstones inlaid in the eyes that made the wound on Cassius’s face itch. It was a deep crimson. They seemed to glimmer in the light, but then Cassius realized that it wasn’t the flickering fires from the crown that were causing this, but a facet of the gems themselves.

“Dark…” Cassius began, as he tried to find a way to explain to him that he felt this was a bad idea.

Dark took the ring and slipped it on his own finger. He did not take off his gauntlets to do so, the ring was sized for him to wear it on top of his armor. When it settled into place, everyone jumped as the flames from his crown intensified.

Then he stood, his eyes’ gaze burning. “The Avatar of Malice wishes to inflict us with rage. I’ll admit, it succeeded. So, let’s show it what rage means. Malice only knows anger, it doesn’t know loss, it doesn’t know desperation. I want everyone to go out and make it understand.”

The throne room exploded into a flurry of activity again. Cassius looked out across the throne room as everyone began running around, though he could see that Helios and Nocturn weren’t moving at all. Cassius turned toward Dark and reach over to get his attention, “Dark-”

The moment his hand touched Dark, he whirled to look at him. A snarl was on his face and his eyes were full of hate. Cassius took a step back as the sudden stranger appeared in front of him. Dark realized it was Cassius trying to get his attention and schooled his features. He gave Cassius a soft smile and reached over to touch his face.

With the hand wearing that ring.

Cassius flinched as the hand approached, as he felt a shiver of something run though him. He gasped and took a step back. Dark gaped at Cassius before his hand dropped to his side. “What is it?” Cassius shook his head. “Can’t you feel it, Dark? There’s something wrong with that ring.” Dark looked at the ring on his finger. “I… what is that? That’s not just a normal ring. Even now I feel…” Cassius paused as he tried to describe what he felt. He felt agitated, like there was too much noise around, or that he was waiting on something that should have been completed a while ago. “...angry,” he finally landed on.

Dark clenched his fist. “I am aware, but I won’t turn my back on this.” He held up his hand next to his face. “This ring is a reminder to myself. To make sure that I never let what happened to you happen again. You are mine, and I will never let anyone hurt you.”

“Dark… I’m worried that that will hurt you.”

“It’s not up for discussion,” Dark said tersely. He took a deep breath and looked at Cassius. “Speaking of…” he turned and barked, “Frostbite!”

Frostbite pushed his way through the crowd, running up to them. “Here!”

“What you said before, about one with a powerful intent and willingness? Would I suffice?”

Cassius frowned as he tried to think about what he was referring to. Frostbite got it first. “Sire… are you sure?”

“I now have twenty thousand men under my banner and more are flocking to it by the day. My intent to crush the Avatar of Malice is strong enough that each and every one of them is capable of destroying his Infested. I think it’s fair to say I have strength to spare.”

It finally clicked for Cassius. “Wait, Dark, are you giving up your eye? I don’t need it! What good is giving me an eye? I’m not a warrior and-”

“You are mine, and I refuse to leave you imperfect,” Dark said curtly, before turning back to Frostbite. “Well?”

“You certainly have the power for it, and you quite obviously are willing.”

“Then we shall start this tonight.”

“Dark! I don’t want-”

Dark turned toward Cassius. “Cassius… Helios called you Clockwork…” Frostbite froze as Cassius’s brow furrowed. “He called you something else… you’ll change.” Dark sighed, and turned back to Frostbite. “Frostbite, you said that taking something from a more powerful ghost would possibly change Cassius permanently, correct?”

Frostbite stared at Dark for a moment before he slowly nodded. “Yes, that would be the outcome if you were to try and steal a piece of a greater ghost.”

Dark turned back to Cassius. “I don’t want you to change. I want you to remain as you are, but if you must change, I want it to be because of me. Is that acceptable? I ask this of you…”

Cassius felt his throat tighten, even as his words from earlier echoed from his mouth. “I’ve told you before, I’ll do anything you ask…”

***

Cassius watched himself as he stumbled through the encampment. A handful of ghosts sharing the light of a fire with their backs turned toward it. Each of them watching the woods for signs of Infested. A ticking feeling in the back of Cassius’s head told him this was one year, three months, twelve days, and six hours from where he should be.

The first time he met Dark.

There were twelve warriors, Dark among them. At this time, he wasn’t the great lord that he was now. He was just one face amongst many. There were five others, Cassius was one of them. The five were scurrying about the camp like rats, trying to put together and repair weapons and armor for the fighters. It was a hopeless task, one couldn’t forge a blade without aid, but the five did what they could.

Cassius was stumbling amongst them. Unlike the others, he had a perfect understanding of how long they all had waited, and each second felt like another gamble. Cassius ran toward Dark, though he hadn’t known his name at the time.

“Sir!” Cassius shouted, as he approached.

“Silence! Or do you want the Infested to find us?”

“Your weapon…” Cassius said, handing it over.

Dark had taken the weapon, and then looked back at Cassius. His eyes widened as he took in his appearance. Cassius laughed as he watched himself flounder under Dark’s gaze. “What’s your name?” Dark asked.

“Cassius, sir.”

“You’ll take care of my weapons from now on,” Dark demanded.

Cassius looked down at the weapon. “But… what if I didn’t do a good job?”

There was a screech from outside the camp, and Dark pushed Cassius back, taking the mace in both hands. A pile of Infested pulled themselves along the ground, rapidly approaching. Dark heaved his mace high up into the air before bringing it down on top of it before, smashing it into pieces with one fell swoop.

Dark inspected his mace before turning. “You’ll take care of my weapons from now on.”

“A-as you wish…”

***

Cassius gasped as he woke up. Seeing out of both eyes again. Frostbite was leaning over him. “Cassius, Cassius can you hear me?”

“I-I I can,” Cassius blinked. The Frostbite he knew was no longer there. His fur was longer, and his arm was gone, replaced by a structure of ice. Another blink, and Frostbite was helping him up. “What’s wrong with me?”

“It’s… Dark is way stronger than we thought. Your forms are merging, your own essence and purpose are growing stronger.”

Cassius processed that information as he looked up at Frostbite. “We’re merging?”

Frostbite blinked and pulled back. “Yes, I was just about to explain that.”

Cassius put a hand on his chest, and he could feel… something. Something inside of him, it seemed like sand falling, with each grain hitting the bottom with enough force to shake the universe.

“Cassius, Cassius can you hear me?” Cassius blinked and looked up, Frostbite was leaning over him.

“I can.” Cassius stated, letting Frostbite pull him up. “I’m merging with Dark?”

Frostbite blinked and looked at the other yetis in the room. “Yes, that’s what we think is going on… how did you know?”

“You told me, just a moment ago I-”

“Cassius, Cassius can you hear me?” Cassius’s eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. “Whoa, careful! You just got done, there was a-”

“I’m changing. Merging with Pariah…”

Frostbite frowned. “Who’s Pariah?”

Cassius blinked, that name… it felt so familiar and yet, he didn’t know it. It rolled off the tongue like he had used it for a millenia. “I… I don’t know.”

“Cassius, Cassius-”

“Stop!” Cassius opened his eyes to see Helios pushing Frostbite away. “You can’t help here anymore, go calm Dark down.” Helios looked down at Cassius and turned his head to face him. “You’re observing too much. Focus, you must silence the rest. There is the present, that is it. Think of this moment right now, don’t try to remember.”

Cassius nodded. “This moment…” he breathed.

“What are you feeling? Tell me.”

“The table beneath me, it’s cold and solid. Your hands, I can feel the eyes in your palms searching…”

“Good, good, try not to-”

***

Cassius watched himself as he entered the tent, four months after Cassius had met Dark. It had taken a bit of convincing with the others of this unmerry band that bringing such a large tent was worth it, but the twenty warriors in the group found it useful.

Though, of the original twelve, only four remained.

The eight in the tent looked up to see Cassius enter. One of them, one that made even Dark look small, towered over Cassius. “This is not a place for the likes of you.”

“I-it’s soon for a change in the watch,” Cassius said, trying to step away from the larger ghost. “The others said that last time the change was late and they had to stay longer than they should.”

The giant stepped toward Cassius and brought up his club. “Who are you to-”

“Enough.” Dark’s voice echoed in the tent. It was loud enough that Cassius could feel his chest rattle. Everyone turned to look at Dark as he came around. “Changing the shifts is important. We all find it tiresome, and a tired guard is a dead one. We’ll go change the shift now.” Dark grabbed the ghost that threatened Cassius and pushed him out the tent. He turned and smiled at Cassius. “Thank you, Cassius…”

***

“Focus on the now!” Helios ordered. “Stop looking in the past, you’re needed here, and now.” Helios pulled Cassius up and held his hands up, the eyes in his hands staring into Cassius’s. “You shouldn’t look back there yet.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because you won’t like what you see.”

“What would I-?”

***

Cassius hadn’t been here before. In fact, he couldn’t place this moment. Oh he knew exactly when it was, it was four months and two days after he met Dark. He was floating next to the giant ghost from before.

The ghost was looking out into the infinite void, searching for any sign of the Infested. He huffed. “Nothing,” he muttered to himself. “I suppose that’s good but…”

Cassius turned, knowing that something important was going to happen in a few seconds from now. Dark came out of the woods, his mace held tight in his grip. Stealthy he was not, and his footfalls rang out.

The giant turned. “Dark, has it been that long? I thought I had another hour or two before the shift change.”

Dark didn’t say anything, instead he approached. The warrior knew something was wrong and brought his club around, but then Dark smashed right through it, breaking it into splinters. The giant didn't have a chance to react before Dark smashed his legs with enough intent to destroy them, and the man screamed. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“You raise a hand against my Cassius,” Dark explained simply, as if one were explaining that water was wet. Before he brought the mace down and crushed his chest. Cassius floated there transfixed as Dark smashed him over and over again, until there was nothing left but a wet smear of ectoplasm on the ground, before that too disappeared.

***

“You knew?” Cassius asked, looking into Helios’s eyes.

“I see all, Clockwork.”

“I’m not Clockwork.”

“You will be.”

***

Cassius didn’t recognize where he was, though he knew the time. It was four hundred and thirty two years after the Calling, but not truely. Something about what he was seeing was off. He could tell it was off, but he wasn’t sure he could describe how.

It felt like he was watching something, but his head was skewed to the side, or like he was hearing something that wasn’t there. It was all off and made his eyes water.

Despite the strangeness, Cassius knew what he was seeing. It was a timeline that could happen, but wouldn’t.

The green sky of the Infinite Realms was blotted out. Not like Nocturn’s darkness, where the realm was listening and bending to a being of great power. This was smoke from a thousand forges. Cassius stood in the middle of an encampment, he couldn’t see where the encampment ended and the ground had been trampled till the ground was as hard as any stone.

Warriors, wearing armor in Dark’s colors, were carrying a ghost. Cassius couldn’t tell anything about the ghost, not because he couldn’t see it, but because its form was so weak. The poor thing had been beaten down so much that it no longer looked like it had once been a person, but instead was a shapeless ball.

Cassius intended to follow them, to see where they were taking it, but then it faded away entirely into a mist. The two warriors looked at each other and then shrugged, going on about their day as if what had just happened wasn’t a great tragedy. The encampment continued doing what it was doing.

Preparing for the next invasion.

***

Cassius shook his head and pressed his hand over his new eye. “I will survive the Calling?”

Each of Helios’s eyes blinked and he leaned back a bit. “I had guessed, but I wasn’t sure. I can’t see beyond my own destruction.” Cassius started pulling his hand away, but Helios reached out and put it back. “No, keep it covered for now. Seeing out that eye is what’s causing your vision to run amok.”

Cassius glared at Helios with his own eye. “Couldn’t you have started with that?”

Helios smiled sadly. “No, and for once. I know why. You did need to see what you have.”

The door burst open and Dark entered the room. A bandage wrapped around his head, wet with ectoplasm that dripped down his face. “How is he?” He shouted, making the entire castle shake.

Cassius turned and felt an infinite number of responses pour out of his mouth with each having an infinite number of consequences attached to them, not just for this moment, for thousands of years afterwards. Some resulted in the destruction of everyone in the room, and some resulted in them failing to survive the Calling.

But Cassius knew Dark.

“It seems there was a minor problem, Dark, but nothing we should be upset about,” Cassius began as Dark marched over to him. “You were too powerful, and as such, I am much stronger now too.”

Dark knelt down next to Cassius’s bedside. “How?”

“Dark, you are the strongest ghost in all of our histories, and now, I have a part of you inside me. We should have seen that this could have consequences.”

At those words, Dark whirled toward Helios. “You… you should have warned that this would have happened!”

Helios tilted his head. “This is how things are meant to be, but… even if I could have changed it, I wouldn’t have. Cassius must be by your side in order for us to survive the Calling.”

Dark raised his fist, and Cassius could see the multitude of consequences echo out across eternity, and he brought them all to a close by simply standing up. Dark whirled around. “Cassius, you should rest!”

Cassius pulled his hand away from Dark’s eye in his head. “I’m fine, I can already see how-” then he glanced at the ring on Dark’s finger.

***

This wasn’t long ago. It was after Cassius had woken up after Frostbite had removed the infestation from him. Frostbite and Dark were standing outside the hall so they could talk without bothering Cassius as he rested. A knight went up to Dark, “My lord, what should we do with the Infested in the dungeons? Containing them is an arduous task…”

Frostbite hummed. “Well, like Cassius suggested, we could try to cure them. If we could we-”

Dark cut him off with a simple, “No.”

“No?” Frostbite repeated.

“No, even if you were to pull them back, how much of them would there be? They wouldn’t be of much use, partial pieces of weaker ghosts. No, they have no value cured.” Dark straightened his back and he looked down at Frostbite. “I want them destroyed, crushed into tiny pieces so that they’d never harm anyone again, but you, yeti, I hear that your kind have many skilled craftsmen. I want you to take those pieces and forge them into a ring for me.”

“A ring?”

“Yes, one that can fit over my armor. So that I can always look at it and remember what I let happen to my Cassius.”

“That… can be arranged.” Frostbite began hesitantly.

“See that it does.”

***

“-how i will recover…” Cassius got out, schooling his features. He wasn’t well practiced in it, and he thought for sure Dark would notice that something was wrong.

But Dark thought he knew him. He believed that Cassius would never lie to him. Sixteen hours ago, that would have been the truth, but now…

Cassius looked at Helios behind Dark, a grim frown on his face.

No, it still was the truth. Cassius would never lie to Dark.

Clockwork however, would.

Clockwork reached up and stroked Dark’s face. “I’ll be okay, Dark. I promise you.” Dark leaned into his touch. “Your Cassius is as fine as he can be. But… I’ll need some time. Your power is… much. I don’t understand how your form can contain it all. I need to rest, to let it settle within me.”

Dark smiled. “I got used to it.” He kissed Clockwork’s palm before pulling his wrist away. He picked him up and began to carry him. “You’ll be more comfortable in our bed instead of this cold room.”

“Thank you, Dark.”

***

Clockwork awoke to something entering his room. It was not through a door or window, but instead very fabric of the realm beneath them shifted. He sat up and looked at the glowing blue ring of light in front of him.

And out came himself.

“I forgot I used to look like that… it has been ages.” Clockwork took his appearance in. He still wore his favorite cloak that was a gift from Dark, and he could see a scar down his face where Dark’s eye had been implanted. But just when he thought he could recognize himself in the version in front of him, he shifted. Turning from a young man to one that looked older than any ghost he had seen in the zone.

“How long has it been?”

“Long enough for us to get a handle on all our powers,” his future self frowned. The long beard covering up much of his face vanished as he turned into a child. “Forgive me, but until we have them under control, we need to be careful. I’m sure you’ve already felt the reach of our actions.”

Clockwork bit his lip for a moment, but unlike before he couldn’t see the infinite possibilities of every action he could take. “Yes, I could, but I can’t right now.”

“You could say this event is scripted,” his future self began. “I am controlling the outcome of these events. Helios can see the past, present and future, but he doesn’t see all the twists and turns it can take. We can guide it like a river.”

“That sounds impossible. Changing the course of a river?”

“Oh, it wasn’t in your time, but eventually, yes it is.” His future self turned back into a young man again after that statement. “But that’s not the purpose of my visit. For a being that controls time, we have very little of it. And you need to have a grasp of some of them before the Calling.”

“Is that… transformation part of them?”

“A sacrifice to use some of our powers, but I won’t tell you about them yet.” He looked morose for a moment before turning to him, “You’ll want to discover them after…” He sighed and held out his hand. “Come, I’ll show you what we can do.”

***

Dark walked into the room five hours later. He froze at the door frame as he looked at Clockwork. “Cassius?”

Clockwork put his staff down on the ground. “Ah, Dark, right on time.” He gave him a smile as he pulled his cloak about his shoulders. “I’m glad you kept my cloak. I’ve missed it since I got injured.”

Dark closed the door behind him. “Yes, well, it was one of my first gifts to you. There was no way I was going to let anyone else touch it.”

“I’m surprised it survived the Infested.”

“I had it repaired, it had been torn to shreds.” Clockwork walked across the room and pulled Dark down into a kiss. Dark’s lips curled into a smile underneath Cassius’s. “Well, it seems that this was very much a good thing in the end. You’re taking what you want, I like that.”

Clockwork stepped back and looked up at Dark, trying to ensure he memorized his face. “Yes, well, I can understand you a lot more now.” Dark was now sporting an eyepatch instead of bandages, but it seemed that the damage to his form was minimal. Clockwork supposed that Frostbite was overzealous with him, and was much more careful with Dark.

Dark’s face fell. “Speaking of… there was a reason I was checking on you.”

“The Calling is soon, isn’t it?”

“We might have a week. The plan seems to be working, the calling is happening in Vortex’s realm.”

“Then you should hurry.”

Dark twitched under Clockwork’s hands. “Helios… made it sound like you’d fight with me…” There was a soft undercurrent of disappointment in that statement, though it was also cloaked in relief. Dark might have enjoyed the idea of Cassius being behind him in battle, but he’d prefer to keep Cassius in the castle, safe and unblemished.

Clockwork smiled from ear to ear to hide the frown that wanted to form. “Oh, I will, but…” He reached over and touched the top of his staff. “Time out…”

Dark looked about as the world shifted around them. “Is this a power of yours?”

“I can stop time for a while…”

Dark laughed. “In that case… Maybe I can take some time before we leave for the battle?”

“I believe you just read our future.”

***

Three hours later, Dark had left the castle with his army. But Clockwork didn’t leave quite yet, instead, he went down underneath the castle. He never went here before, he never had a need to. The dungeons were not a place he was ever brought to, Dark wouldn’t have let him.

After what he had seen, he knew why Dark kept him from here.

It was also a good spot for those who didn’t want Dark to find them to talk.

He opened the door to the dungeons. The hinges of the door creaked as it slowly opened. He walked down deeper into the dungeon where there was a room meant for the guards to get some time away from the prisoners between shifts. As he approached the door opened, revealing Helios.

“Welcome,” Helios greeted.

Clockwork didn’t acknowledge him as he entered, but he took a place along the wall with the other five members in the room. “Him?” Nocturn spat, “Dark’s little pet?”

“Cassius died on that table,” Clockwork interjected. He turned toward Frostbite. “No fault of your own, but the one who woke up was not him.” Cassius turned to face all the occupants of the room. “Call me Clockwork.”

A mass of vines and leaves rose up from under the table. “And just who are you?”

“I was, as Nocturn put it, Dark’s pet. He kept his nature secret from me, but he gave me his eye, and with it, a chunk of his power,” Clockwork’s hands tightened around his staff. “Like Helios, I was able to see the past, and I can see what will become of us under Dark’s rule.”

Helios turned. “Oh? I can only see what will happen. Not other possibilities. What did you see?”

Clockwork looked up at the ceiling. “Dark will not stop once the Calling is ended. He will start to expand his realm. Conquering along the ghost zone. Thousands… millions of ghosts will be fed into his war machine. Those who can’t fight will be forced to work and those that can’t work will be destroyed. Dark will not stop until he is destroyed but…” He shook his head and looked at Frostbite. “The ring that was made, it was made out of those that he had destroyed. He’ll feed off every single destroyed ghost. He’ll grow too powerful for anything to stop him.”

“I… I can confirm what he’s saying. We didn’t know what was being forged until it was. There’s intent behind forging an artifact… and it was forged with pieces of the Avatar of Malice.”

“How could you be so foolish?” A four armed woman in armor cried out. “Frostbite, you’ve seen what my box is meant to contain! It’s meant to stop things like this!”

“I wasn’t there Pandora. If I had known what was going to be forged, I would have stopped it.” He sighed. “The intent was to forge something that could hold Malice back. But… it was corrupted in the process.”

“And you still gave it to him?”

Frostbite threw his hands up in the air. “I wasn’t informed! The carrier brought the ring directly to Dark, his favored knight intercepted him and brought him straight to Dark.”

Clockwork turned toward her. “What’s done is done, we shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves. It’s good to meet you, Pandora. This would not be possible without you.”

Pandora opened and closed her mouth a few times. “I see. I think I can see why you say that you are like Helios then.”

Nocturn looked between them. “What makes her so special?”

Pandora straightened to her full height, the top of her helmet scraping the top of the room. “I am the guardian of what’s known as Pandora’s Box. I created it to try and seal as much evil in the Infinite Realms as I could.”

“If anyone can seal Dark, she can.” Frostbite vouched. “I’ve inspected the box myself with the ghost that apprenticed me. It’s a fine artifact.” Frostbite’s face fell, “If there’s any ghost here that should have doubt cast upon them, it’s me. I am just a healer. I am a warrior too, yes, but I don’t have the strength to be compared to one who controls nature, or one who commands an army.”

Helios shook his head. “You’ll have a very important task to do when the battle comes. You’ll be ready for it when it comes.” Clockwork nodded in response, though it didn’t seem to comfort Frostbite any.

“We don’t have much time,” Nocturn said, his presence looming over the others. “We’ll have to get Pandora’s sarcophagus to the site of the battle. Our best chance of stopping Dark will be right after the Calling… if we win. Are we all in agreement?”

“We will…” Clockwork stated. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “And yes, we are…”

“Good,” Nocturn said. He pulled himself away from the wall and made for the door, “Then let’s declare him a Pariah and get on with it.”

***

Clockwork approached Dark, and stood next to him. “You’re staying this far back?” He asked as he looked over the expanse in front of them. Here, in this part of the Infinite Realms, land was scarce. In front of them nearly as far as the eye could see there were storm clouds, swirling about with a calm spot in the center. The army float in the space around them, but they stayed far enough away that Dark and Clockwork had some privacy.

Dark turned toward him and raised the eyebrow over his missing eye. “I thought you said you can now see the future?” The question was laced with concern, and Dark reached over and pushed off Clockwork’s hood to see him better.

Clockwork smiled. “I can, but while Helios sees one possibility, I see many.” He leaned into Dark’s side. “I can see many choices that you could have made, I don’t just see one… path… I see thousands. I’m still experiencing this moment with you.”

Dark let out a hum and reached up and grabbed Clockwork’s shoulder. “I’m glad. Part of me hated the idea of you being like Helios and doing whatever he wanted because he believes that’s how it’s supposed to be…”

“The other part?”

Dark smiled and squeezed Clockwork tighter. “Part of me hoped you were, because it meant that you were meant to be here.”

“What’s better? To force someone to do something? Or to have it be given willingly?”

“Hmm… a good question,” Dark said. Clockwork raised an eyebrow as Dark didn’t answer. Dark pointed ahead, at the center of the storm. “To answer your earlier statement, the Calling is going to happen in the center of Vortex’s storm. Any closer though, I’ll be within his realm.”

“And… you care what he thinks?” Clockwork asked.

The incredulity in his voice must have been apparent because Dark laughed. “No, no I do not, however,” the smile slipped off his face and was replaced with a sneer. “Vortex refused to come to help, even Nocturn came, and though Undergrowth never spoke with me, my troops told me of the Infested he fed to his plants.

“No, I’m not waiting here because I am afraid of Vortex, I want the Avatar of Malice to attack him before we go in for the kill.”

Clockwork was saved from having to respond, when the realm shook. Not physically, but every ghost could feel something inside them quiver. A wave passed through them, shaking them to their very soul. Some of Dark’s army immediately turned tail and fled.

“Tch,” Dark spat, “I’ll track them down and deal with them later.” He held up a hand and shouted, “Hold!” The order echoed down the line as his commanders repeated his order to their own men. Then he turned towards Clockwork, “It’s almost time,” he said, leaving a kiss on his cheek.

Dark started marching forwards and stopped next to one of his knights. “My lord?” The knight asked, looking down from his horse. “Is there something you need?”

“You’ve served me well, and so, I have a gift for you… and a task.” Dark reached down to his hip and pulled a sword out of its scabbard. The ghosts nearby all took a step away instinctively, before turning to look to see what made them so uncomfortable. Dark handed the glowing green sword to the knight. “Take this blade, it’s forged from the same metal we used to push the Calling here. It’s pure, stronger than any other weapon in the army. Go behind the troops, and if any turn and flee, cut them down. Strike fear into them.”

“Understood, my king,” the knight said, taking the blade before turning his steed around and flying overhead.

Clockwork approached Dark. “Was that necessary?”

“The cowards in this army need to know that fleeing the battle won’t save them.” Dark didn’t explain more, instead looking up as the realm began to change color.

The green skies began to change, they began to darken before turning to a deep crimson. In the center of the storm, the space between began to distort. Wisps of something that looked liquid in nature began to flood out, seemingly out of nowhere as something pushed through.

“Hold!” Dark shouted one more time. A few ghosts turned and began to run, the unlucky ones were caught by Dark’s knight, who flew across the sky and cut down any ghost that he caught. They weren’t cut in two, but instead they screamed before vanishing.

That stopped the tide of fleeing ghosts.

The waters continued to pour into space, slowly beginning to fill an invisible vessel. Eventually, a giant red orb floated in the center of Vortex’s realm, and then the water shot out in ribbons snaking their way into the clouds around it.

The storm instantly came alive with lightning and a furious roar echoed out.

“Hold!” Dark shouted one more time, as bolts of lightning shot from the storm. They impacted against the surface of the sphere before spreading across the surface. It seemed to have done nothing.

But every single ghost felt it, as a spike of rage rose in their hearts. Even Clockwork was not immune, he had to stop himself from raising his fist against the closest ghost near him.

“Charge!” Dark screamed, spittle flying from his mouth. He had totally forgotten that he wished to wait till Vortex was hurt, now he only cared about destroying the thing that was making him angry. This time the order was not echoed, as every ghost broke their formations intent on riding forth and sinking their blades into the avatar in front of them.

The hordes of ghosts flew forward, weapons drawn. Glitters of green speckled the sky in front of Clockwork as they drew their weapons designed to strike fear into the Avatar of malice.

Dark turned toward Clockwork, “Cassius, come!” he shouted before taking off. Clockwork chased after him following behind. It did not take long to cross the distance, but by the time they arrived the troops had already made it.

And thousands had fallen.

The Avatar of Malice didn’t kill. It inflicted those it struck with the water gushing out of it with a Malady of rage. One Infested could turn another.

One became two, two became four, doubling over and over again as the enraged army sought only to try and kill the Avatar of Malice, choosing destruction over their own safety. The safest ones were surprisingly those closest to the avatar itself. Instead of choosing to attack their neighbor, the new Infested kept their focus on what they already hated and tried to tear into the Avatar of Malice instead. They’d splatter themselves against its side trying to tear into it, swiping and slashing the entire time they were absorbed into it.

Then the sky darkened even further, Nocturn’s sleepwalkers charged in themselves, picking up the weapons dropped by Dark’s falling army.

Clockwork and Dark were handling themselves. Clockwork could not stop the avatar entirely, even when he brought time to a standstill the avatar could still move. But he didn’t need to just stop time. Dark and Clockwork dodged around the ribbons that sought them out, their own time slowed down. What seemed like what couldn’t be dodged was instead moving slower than a leisurely walk.

Not just for them though, it was them and every ghost in a hundred meter radius around Clockwork.

“My Lord, our weapons have no effect!”

“Don’t be daft!” Dark shouted back as he continued to hack and slash at the parts attacking him. “You can feel the thing twitch with every blow!”

Someone else down the line shouted back, “But how do we kill this?”

“We don’t!” Dark answered. “This thing was never alive and can’t die. It can only be made so uncomfortable that it determines that it doesn’t want to be here anymore.” Dark grabbed a weapon out of another ghost’s hands and then began stabbing with a weapon in both hands. “So get back to work!”

True to Dark’s words, Clockwork could feel something in him shiver with each and every strike someone made against the surface or the water’s gushing out from it. Though both he and Dark knew it wouldn’t be enough on its own.

Clockwork reached across time, and pulled every ghost he could down a hundred meters, as something sailed through the air above them. A giant bolt, five meters across the shaft, stuck out from the Avatar of Malice.

Pandora’s weapons were a sight to behold.

More bolts began to fly through the air, and this time the avatar reacted. The whips of water that had been corrupting the armor flipped through the air attempting to knock the ballista bolts off course. It succeeded with some, others were stopped as they impacted against trees that sprung out of thin air.

First one struck true, then another. Over and over again until fifteen bolts stuck out from the surface of the Avatar of Malice. Suddenly every ghost fell, as the rage and anger they had been feeling suddenly left their bodies. Some ended on the spot, vanishing into thin air, along with every Infested that had been attacking everything in sight.

The parts of the Avatar that had come through into the Infinite Realms began to fade, losing their cohesion and turning into what looked like a vapor before disappearing entirely. Dark scoffed. “Someday, I’ll find a way to hunt that thing down and end it for good.” He turned and looked over the remains of his army. “It came and slaughtered all my men. I’ll have a chunk of its hide for that.”

Thunder boomed, and Dark brought his weapon up to block a bolt of lightning that was coming for him. He was thrown back several feet as a voice screamed, “DARK!” Clockwork looked up to see Vortex flying at them. “You brought this into my realm?”

“He wants to challenge me? Fine. I wasn’t quite done fighting today.” Dark yelled back as he threw himself towards Vortex. The two met for a moment, Vortex’s hands pushing against Dark as Dark tried to bring his weapon around.

Then Nocturne’s sleepwalkers attacked.

Dark changed targets, striking a sleepwalker in the head and instantly killing it. He frowned for a second, as he wondered why it was there. Then, the others started pouring in. Dark out a scream of rage as he realized that both Nocturn and Vortex were attacking him.

Dark started swinging wildly, crushing each and every sleepwalker that approached. Vortex, even though he didn’t know why Nocturn was joining him, gave the sleepwalkers space so they could surround Dark.

The sleepwalkers were many, but each one was fragile. Dark eventually let out a scream and swung his mace in a wide arc, sending off a wave of ectoplasm that killed many of the sleepwalkers.

“What’s the meaning of this, Nocturn?” Dark shouted.

Nocturn didn’t answer, instead he sent another wave of sleepwalkers at Dark. More rose up to form a wall between Dark and the other ancients, their sole purpose to hide the approach of Pandora and Frostbite, holding a sarcophagus between them.

“He’s distracted, go,” Nocturn ordered. The two of them split, Pandora taking the bottom half while Frostbite took the lid. Nocturn glanced at Clockwork, “Any chance you’re going to help out.”

Clockwork bit his lip as a million possibilities unfolded in front of him, but only a handful had the outcome he wanted. “I’ll only have a moment.” He explained, “Each one of us except for Frostbite is too powerful for me to stop fully. If he realizes I’m betraying him too early, he’ll grow stronger.”

“Likely,” Nocturn spat, but didn’t force the issue. Instead choosing to focus his attention on controlling his forces.

Then Undergrowth struck, his vines snaked through in between the sleepwalkers and wrapped around Dark’s limbs. Immediately Pandora and Frostbite began to close in, moving as fast as they could with the intent of sealing Dark inside the coffin. They weren’t fast enough, Dark roared in rage and with all his strength broke one of the binds holding him. With one arm, he stopped Frostbite’s in his place. “So you all are betraying me? Fine!” A flame enveloped him, burning away Undergrowth’s vines and burning Frostbite. “I’ll destroy you all!”

And he ripped Frostbite's arm from its socket.

Frostbite screamed in pain, as another complication came in. “Sire!” His favored knight shouted, coming in fast with the intent of stabbing Pandora in the back.

And then Helios was in front of him.

The blade pierced right through Helio’s center, and Helios screamed. Though he didn’t disappear. He curled around the blade grabbing onto the knight’s arm. When it seemed he couldn’t scream any louder, his back began to bubble.

It was like he turned into sea foam. Dozens of forms flew out of him, each wearing his robes, as his form shrunk in size. Eventually, they stopped, when there was nothing left of the original form of Helios.

The knight looked up at the things that had circled around him, each one staring at him with a single unblinking eye. “What is the meaning of this?” he shouted.

“Now!” Clockwork shouted, and all the ghosts turned to look at him. Dark back at Clockwork, a snarl on his face before he realized what he was looking at. Clockwork reached across time and dragged it to a stop around Dark. “Time out!”

Dark had an intent powerful enough to fight back against the Avatar of Malice, he was capable of powering through Clockwork’s power. Slowly, he continued to move. The snarl on his face slowly fell off it, replaced with confusion. He knew he was looking at Clockwork, but he didn’t know what the significance of that meant.

Then his jaw slackened, as he realized that it wasn’t just the ancients that betrayed him.

But, his Cassius did as well.

Frostbite slammed the lid into place, shutting Dark within. The sarcophagus glowed, as it began to try to work its powers on Dark, but the lid shook as Dark pounded against the inside. It was well made and thick, the walls able to stand up to Dark’s strength.

But Clockwork could still hear inside. “Cassius! Cassius, why?”

Pandora reached around, jammed a key into the lid and twisted. Their forms shook as the artifact began to work, and they all winced as a blinding light came off of it. But two seconds later, the area was still once again.

“Why have you done this?” The knight shouted, turning his blade toward them. “I’ll have your-”

He cried out in pain as a shadowy hand reached out and grabbed his head. “Let’s have you sleep for a while, shall we?” Nocturn mocked. Immediately the knight’s eyes closed, but Nocturn wasn’t done. Slowly the knight's form began to change, until all that was left was a gourd.

Nocturn raised an eyebrow. “This… is what he wishes to dream about?” He chuckled as he grabbed the sword. He raised it high and then stabbed it through the vegetable.

“There was no need to kill him,” Pandora spat.

“I didn’t, but do you have a sheath for this blade? It was meant to inflict fear into the Avatar of Malice and instead this Pariah had his man turn it on his own troops. I don’t have a desire to leave it out.”

Clockwork glared at Nocturn. “He has a name.”

“Not to me he doesn’t.”

Frostbite groaned and everyone turned to him. Pandora reached over and picked him up. “Frostbite! Are you okay?”

Frostbite looked around, looking down at his missing arm and the ectoplasm smeared across the front of the coffin, before turning and looking at each of the ancients. Eventually his gaze landed on Clockwork. He smiled, “I’ll live, fortunately I’ve been given a spare. I’ll be able to continue my work despite this.” His smile fell. “What about you?”

Clockwork could have answered truthfully. “I’m fine. In some ways, I’ve had more time to process this than the rest of you.” Frostbite’s lips flattened into a frown. Clockwork shrugged. “I can see into the future, and I can see into the past. I didn’t just learn my powers in a day, I had to learn how to unfreeze time again before I could continue moving through it.”

“I see…” Frostbite said quietly.

Undergrowth spoke up, “What do we do with this now?”

Vortex spat on it. “I say we destroy it.”

“No,” Pandora shot down, “destroying it would just let Dark out again.”

“I know where to put it,” Clockwork interjected.

Nocturn laughed, and it was all Clockwork could do to not punch him. “Leave Pariah with you? His little pet.”

Clockwork glared at Nocturn. “Pandora,” he said, “You made this, could any one of us destroy it individually?”

Pandora hummed for a moment, “Well, Undergrowth or Vortex probably could. And I, as the creator, would know how to take it apart. I don’t know about… them.” She admitted glancing up at their observers.

“We have no interest, nor ability, to damage that thing. We are here to observe. Nothing more.”

Clockwork didn’t take his eyes off Nocturn. “What about you two?” he asked, addressing Undergrowth and Vortex. “Do either of you want to release him?”

“No,” Undergrowth growled.

“Maybe a little,” Vortex admitted. Nocturn snapped his gaze to him and he huffed. “Fine, fine!”

“I’ll hide the sarcophagus, Nocturn, you take the key. None of us will have the ability to open it on our own that way. Will that make you happy, Nocturn?”

“Nothing will,” Nocturn admitted. He snatched the key out of Pandora’s hand. “But I’m done with this.” Nocturn seemed to fold in on himself before disappearing a buff of black smoke.

Pandora looked down at Frostbite. “I’ll bring him to his people so they can heal him. Or… heal him as much as they can.”

“That… would very much be appreciated.”

“Good good!” Vortex shouted, “Get outta my realm! All ya!”

Clockwork grabbed the sarcophagus and picked it up. He maneuvered it under an arm and brought his staff around. “Time out,” he said, leaving the two ancients in place. It wouldn’t be long before they broke out of his power, but by then he’d be long gone.

Clockwork dragged the coffin into Dark’s keep, bringing it down into the dungeons. He’d take it to the throne room later but for now…

Cassius wept.

#danny phantom #dp fic #clockwork #Pariah Dark #Dark Ages (ship) #Valentine's Core Exchange 2024 #hazafic

[best-evangelion-girl]

the seventh angel is one of the angels in the rebuilds that doesn't resemble any angel from the original anime. dubbed "clockiel" by some fans, this angel appears as a giant clockwork mechanical angel with two long legs, a swinging pendulum that houses it's core, and Sachiel-like heads that move much like clock hands. it attacks by shooting large cross shaped explosions. because of its massive size, Unit 02 must be equipped with flight capabilities and a magnetic crossbow in order to defeat it.

https://wiki.evageeks.org/Seventh_Angel

Kaworu Nagisa is very similar to Rei, in the fact that he is a seed of life inhabiting a human body. while Rei is from Lilith, Kaworu is from Adam. despite his human form, he doesn't consider himself to be human. he also frequently refers to humans as "Lilin". he was secretly sent by SEELE to reach Adam and cause the third impact, but NERV was told that he would be a replacement pilot for unit 02. he immediately achieved perfect sync rates during his first test. despite being sent to destroy humanity, he takes an interest in them and their loneliness, especially Shinji. Kaworu takes great interest in Shinji, which initially makes Shinji uncomfortable as he has trouble trusting or emotionally connecting with people, but eventually they become close. later Kaworu takes control of unit 02 and descends to central dogma containing the body of Lilith. as he fights with Shinji, Shinji is emotional distraught and says that Kaworu betrayed him just as Gendo had. Kaworu then begs for Shinji to kill him, which he does reluctantly. in end of evangelion, he is part of the massive Rei/Lilith/Adam being, and appears to help calm Shinji and bring down his AT field.

in the rebuilds, he appears on the moon during the construction of Eva-06 before becoming it's pilot in 2.0. he, inside 06, stops Eva-01 from activating the third impact. post time skip, he plays a much larger role. as Shinji reaches the now nearly destroyed NERV hq, he meets Kaworu he teaches him to play the piano, and the two become very close. Kaworu shows him the ruins of the near third impact, and Shinji is distraught saying that he only wanted to save Rei, but Kaworu says that humanity does not see it that way. Kaworu tells him that they can save the world again by pulling the spears of longinus and cassius from Mark.06. he then takes Shinji's choker and claims that he will bare the wait of Shinji's punishment. as they descend and during the battle, Kaworu notices that something is wrong, and begs Shinji not to pull the spears. but Shinji doesn't listen and the twelfth angel is released. because of this, Kaworu becomes the thirteen angel. unit 13 then begins to awaken as the forth impact starts. Kaworu apologizes to Shinji and says that it was his own fault. he says that they will meet again before the choker explodes and decapitates him. although Mari manages to eject Shinji, he is absolutely fucking traumatized. during the additional impact in 3.0+1.0, Kaworu appears as a vision and explains that he has written Shinji's name in the book of life, which allows them to meet in all cycles after every time the universe is reset. after the would is rebuilt again without evangelions ever existing, Kaworu is seen as an adult, alongside the other children now also adults.

https://wiki.evageeks.org/Kaworu_Nagisa

[sunshinies]

hihi would you be able to do names and pronouns for a Jing Yuan (honkai star rail) fictive and maybe a Luocha (also honkai star rail) fictive too? if its too much thats okay,, you can just ignore ty <3 /p

Of course !

🐅 Jing Yuan name suggestions:

Ezra , Apollo , Othello , Isaiah , Zen , Cassius , Moses , Valentino , Roman , Gray , Lance , Lark , Conan , Heath , Lupin , Cedar , Marshall , Caspian , Lowell , Cairo , Lyon , Leigh , Eason , Ivan , Orion , Phoenix , Aldrin , Leo , Jericho

🗡️Jing Yuan pronoun suggestions:

slash/slashes/slashself , slice/slices/sliceself , zzz/zzzs/zzzself , strength/strengths/strengthself , spear/spears/spearself , zap/zaps/zapself , wise/wises/wiseself , wis/wis/wisdomself , cloud/cloud/cloudself , sky/skys/skyself , sword/swords/swordself , snow/snows/snowself , leo/leos/leoself

🌾 Luocha name suggestions:

Elio , Cary , Salem , Cullen , Jack , Alaric , Dexter , Emmett , Fester , Lon , Basil , Lucius , Cullen , Rune , Laurent , Lachlan , Cain , Alistair , Hemlock , Allan , Dyer , Blair , Poe , Ambrose , Onyx , Melancholy , Luther

⚰️ Luocha pronoun suggestions:

heal/heals/healself , medi/medis/mediself , wander/wanders/wanderself , myst/mysts/mystself , cor/cors/corpseself , mort/morts/mortuself , death/deaths/deathself , eter/eters/eternalself , pure/pures/pureself , mourn/mourns/mournself , dark/darks/darkself , shun/shuns/shunself

#sunrays #wanderlostsys #liom #mogai #actually mogai #xenogender #name list #pronoun list #pronoun suggestions #name suggestions #neopronouns #mogai names #honkai star rail #jing yuan #luocha #kin #fictive #introject

[soldatrose]

"Alexander clearly was one of the haughtiest kings in history with a spirit too arrogant for a mortal. Finally to abandon other evidences the suasoria in itself makes clear his arrogance: the world is his own, yet he is not satisfied. On these grounds, Cestius used to say, all argument must be couched in a tone of the highest respect for the king, if one would avoid the fate of his teacher, Aristotle's cousin, whom Alexander slew for the ill-timed frankness of his wit. It was Alexander's wish to be considered a god, and, on one occasion when he was wounded, the philosopher said on seeing the blood flow that he was surprised that it was not "that limpid stream that flows in the veins of the blessed gods." Alexander took revenge for this sally with his spear. C. Cassius in a letter to Cicero makes a neat point which recalls this story. After many jests about the folly of young Cn. Pompeius (who gathered an army in Spain and was beaten at Munda), he concludes by saying : "We may have a laugh at his expense, but his reply, I fear, will be a sword-thrust". With all kings such wit is to be dreaded."

Seneca the Elder, Suasoriae, 1.55

#spam tag #end of human pomp #i love this passage so much there's so much in it i needed to put it here. the Themes... #this reinterpretation of cassius's letter gives off 'what's a god to a non-believer' vibes. extremely enjoyable

[commonghost]

do u have anything u associate w bronte? or thoughts in general - i want to draw bronte somepoint soon but idk where to start haha

thins i associate with him: the moon for that classic sun/moon symbolism with fintan. deers. the color red, hidden behind blue. spears and bows for some reason. ouroboros. piranesi's imaginary prisons. silver. the library of babel. the onyx (of course). house of the rising sun. message lost. stranger (him and fintan). that feeling of being a monster and being an awful person that you develop in childhood and never grow out of. the hierophant. oh and i cant forget thunder (because of his name).

as for my thoughts...

well im gonna be real with you, my bronte is so far removed from canon bronte that i dont know if they count as the same character anymore. i dunno man i just think bronte has amazing potential as a character and its not being utilized to its fullest extent.

also if you are not already aware i am a firm believer in half human bronte. actually theres a genuine chance im like the first person to have posted about it? idk tho. (something something that scene in nightfall where bronte longs for a world where the humans and elves are living together again. and that scene in nightfall where he's nice to amy. also something something why the hell would an elf develop an ability like inflicting when theyre literally wired to hate hurting people. ergo half human bronte. fun headcanon!)

(oh, and if fintan is sophie's dad i think he 100% knows. see: every post ive made about it and also that one post by fin)

ALSO. the fact that bronte and cassius both have that weird icy mental wasteland defense mechanisms in place is.... Interesting.

ive got some old (2021) thoughts about him here, too. courtesy of quil's blog bc the one i posted it on got deleted lol. + an alt link for the fandom site with a bigger layout if you want. not particularly well written (should probably go back and update it) but all in all i think he's a character who above everything only wants to keep people safe. that's it. that's why he does what he does. + more.

also i really really want him to stop being a councillor by the end of the series (either by death--preferable but i understand it might not happen--injury, or just resigning, im not picky.)

w8 i just remembered you want to draw him. uhhhh honestly im not the best person for this (my design is so far removed from canon its almost funny at this point) but!! curly hair bronte!!!!!

but fr at the end of the day. my most important #1 thought about bronte is that he lives only to serve his people. he has been loyal to this people, this society that would very willingly shun him for his ability, for who he is as a person. and he would die for them! i 100% believe that. and i also 100% believe they would throw him out like yesterday's trash if he wasn't who he was, and he knows it.

#25 tag #kotlc #councillor bronte #none of these thoughts r particularly good but i hope you like em anyway! #cg.txt

[whocookedthelastsupper]

“The fighting women of the Celts were in fact legendary for their power and ferocity—an awestruck Roman historian, Dio Cassius, describes Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, as she appeared in battle, “wielding a spear, huge of frame and terrifying of aspect.” The same belligerence was characteristic of her sisters-in-arms: another Roman chronicler who had seen active service warned his compatriots that a whole troop of Roman soldiers would not withstand a single Gaul if he called his wife to his aid, for "swelling her neck, gnashing her teeth, and brandishing sallow arms of enormous size she delivers blows and kicks like missiles from a catapult."

-Rosalind Miles; Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women’s History of the World

#who cooked the last supper #herstory #womens history #radblr #radfem #radical feminism #radical feminist safe #radical feminists do interact #radical feminists do touch #radical feminists please touch #feminism #feminist literature #radical feminists please interact #radical feminist literature #radical feminst #radical feminist theory

[rosetheex-editor]

Would you like to meet and talk this through in person? I’m free anytime.

–Cassius

Sure. I'll even bring my spear. -Ness

#showfall ask blog #encoreverse blog #ness

[kittyt-hexxed]

Book Two of Hexed - The Fury of Zaun (Vi/POC!Reader) - Ch. 13

Series Masterlist

Next Upload Date: September 15th

Act 1: Chapter Thirteen - Time to Make a Move

Summary: You fight Cassius, give him your decision and Ekko’s birthday comes around.

Loud, excited chatter fills the air as everyone gathers around the platform to witness you and Cassius spar together. It’s been an interesting time with him and Dawn hanging around. With Ekko’s enthusiastic agreement, you showed them a display of your magic by officially making the flight tunnel between the Grotto and the Rapids. This allowed members of the groups to go back and forth when the gates were open. Dawn enjoyed sparring with the Firelight children and found herself impressed with their fighting spirits. You teased her when some guys expressed an interest in her. Her reaction was to try and skewer you with her spear. Jinx was consistently bothering Ekko when she wasn’t with you or busy. Ekko confided in you that it made him happy to finally have time with his friend.

The friendships forming between the groups were a good thing and a bad thing. You and Ekko were now being called by your titles by both of the groups. A few of the Firelights left and signed over with the Furies, wanting to play more of an aggressive part in the war. Ekko told them that they’d be welcomed back with open arms when they were ready.

“I can’t wait to see you get your ass kicked, sis!” Ekko teases you with a wide grin. You scoff and shove him, playfully brandishing your daggers at him.

“Watch your mouth, dear brother, or I’ll have to kick your ass!” You joke and he shoves you with a laugh. You wave to him as you approach the platform and take a deep breath to steel your nerves. ‘The last time you fought him, you were but a child. You are stronger. Faster. The worst you can do is end in a tie.’ Umbra consols you. You huff a laugh as you stretch and loosen up your body.

“Can you believe we’re going to see Hawk Fight?”

“Our Lady is fighting her mentor! This is going to be entertaining!”

“I hope she gets her ass beat!” You snort at Ekko’s comment. ‘He really wants me to get my ass kicked, huh?’

“That’s the guy who trained her? She knocked me on my ass in seconds!”

“A Warlord? Can she really beat him?”

A subtle breeze hits the back of your neck, and you instinctively bring up your dagger to block. A loud clang sounds as you push back against the weapon. Surprised exclamations come from the onlookers making you giggle to yourself. You whirl around, duck under another swing and leap back to create some space between the two of you.

“And here I thought you forgot the first lesson I taught you!” Cassius taunts you as he leisurely spins his weapon, “You can’t make this easy on me, Hexxit!” You narrow your eyes at the double-bladed scimitar. ‘That’s his weapon? He was very skilled at dual-wielding so I don’t believe he’d use a single weapon.’ The two of you face each other as you cautiously circle around. The talking becomes background noise as you focus on your opponent. You dash forward as he does, pivoting on your heel to parry his blade when you hear a small click. You gasp, bending your body at the waist to avoid the second blade that nearly nicks your chin. You move into a cartwheel, kicking your foot up to knock away the returning blade. Now that you have a complete view of the weapon, you can see that it is separated in the middle but connected by a chain.

“I knew it!” You shout as you go in for a strike, “You were too skilled as a duel-wielder to use a one-handed weapon!”

“A valuable observation that could save your life!” Cassius responds as he rotates the blades around, “But is that enough?!” He lunges forward. The fight becomes a fast-paced attack-defend cycle between the two of you until he manages to shove you backwards. You grunt as you hit the ground and roll out of the way of another hit. You wipe away the blood running down your arm.

“Sloppy!” Cassius snarls, “Do you think you can lead these people to victory like this!?” He spits as you get your footing and brace yourself. You physically recoil at his words as if you’ve been struck.

“What?” You gape at him, seeing a change in his demeanor. Those words remind you of when you first started training. Confused mutters sound around you as the others listen closely.

“Get serious! Your brother talks so highly of you and I have yet to see the person he admires!” Cassius’ glare hits a nerve in your mind, “Stop holding back and show me what you can do!” He slams his blades against the ground over and over again. ‘He’s actually angry.’ Your eyes widen and you look at your weapon to see that they’ve been daggers the entire time. ‘He must think I’m holding back. I… didn’t do that intentionally.’ The ringing of the blades echoes through your mind as you grit your teeth. Suddenly, you feel your magic burning in your veins, crystal creeping over your hands as you grip your weapons tighter.

“Hexxit, why are you always holding back?” Iesura tilts his head. You pause and slowly put down the little flower you were playing with. You turn to him in confusion.

“What do you mean?” You question.

“Your nature. You hold back when it comes to your magic, your horns, even your senses. You portray yourself as human even when you’re in a safe place with your Circle. You have yet to mention your horns to anyone and allow your hair to cover it. Are you ashamed of your gift?” Iseura frowns and gives you a worried look, “Is it not to your liking?”

“What? No! I am thankful for this gift. It’s just…” You look at your crystalline claws, “It’s a lot for me to process these changes. They’re happening quickly and part of me mourns my human past. How does one live as the only member of their species? I don’t even know how to make more of me or if that’s even possible.” You grieve for the loss of your humanity.

“That’s all the more reason to embrace who you are, even if it’s in the safety of your warren. You are no longer human. You are currently one-of-a-kind. Embrace it.”

“I-I’m dangerous.” You stutter, “I could hurt someone I care about. I don’t know enough about myself to avoid that.”

“We thought humans couldn’t hurt a fly.” Iesura looks to the distance, “They’re dangerous. We’re all dangerous in our own ways. What’s dangerous is not accepting that you’re different now. Ignorance is not bliss.”

“I didn’t mean to hold back.” Your voice comes out with a slight musical undertone, “I’m sorry for offending you.” For the first time in a while, you sink into your mind and push aside the fog you manifested to dull your senses. Your body tingles in awareness, as you put your hair up, hearing the awed gasps from the crowd when they see your crystal, aqua-colored horns. You take another deep breath and slip into your fighting stance as everything around you magnifies, “I won’t do that anymore.” Your fans snap open and you make eye contact with Cassius. This time he’s the one who makes the first move and you meet him halfway. The reverberations from your clashing weapons mix with the cheers from the group. You find yourself having fun in the short time the fight takes place. The both of you dodging deadly strikes that should have landed, but getting nicked here and there. Suddenly, the chain of the scimitar wraps around your arm and you yank Cassius forward. He stumbles a bit and you kick him, launching him backwards as his grip on his weapon falters. You follow him, crossing your fans at his neck when he raises his head.

His eyes widen as a proud smile makes its way across his face. You blink and retract your weapons, before handing his back to him with a grin. You extend your hand out and help him off of the ground. Roaring cheers force you to look up and you see everyone celebrating. Ekko has a huge grin on his face as he jumps in place with Jinx.

“I knew you could do it.” Cassius claps his hand on your shoulder with a proud grin, “You just needed a little push.”

“You’re not… afraid? My eyes are-”

“-unique. No, I’m not afraid of you. As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing to fear.” Cassius pats your shoulder as people start running down to you, “You’ll be a magnificent leader.” Those words touched your heart. You had been doubting yourself but didn’t want to worry anyone about your issues.

“HAWK!”

“MY LADY!”

“OH MY GOD ARE THOSE HORNS?!”

“THAT WAS THE COOLEST THING I’VE WITNESSED!”

“WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR VOICE?!” You laugh and show off your horns to the kids as you field questions from the others. You feel a little fuzzy as more and more people rave about your eyes and other changes. A blush covers your face as Heather brings up your little fangs and you cover your mouth. ‘Wait. FANGS?!’ You startle at her words.

~

Early in the morning, you find yourself standing atop the western sun gate, hundreds of feet above the water. The sun has barely risen over the horizon line but that wouldn’t deter you from your mission. The large cargo ship approaching the gate is your goal for today.

“The shipment is almost directly below us.” You move closer to the edge, “Is everyone ready to go?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be.” Landon responds and the others nod in agreement.

“Popper is itching for some action!” Jinx cackles, flashing her sniper at you.

“Okay, then it’s time for a recap before we get going.” You walk closer to them, “Crow, you’re on the lookout. You’re watching our backs while we head into the cargo hold. Don’t take a shot unless it’s absolutely necessary. The rest of you are heading into the hold to gather up the shipment. They’ve been tagged with UV paint by one of my contacts.”

“How big is the tag?” Zara questions.

“It’s big enough to notice.” You smirk behind your mask and toss them black light flashlights. They tuck them onto their belts as you continue the explanation, “When you find one, I’ll open up a rift to slide them into. We have to be as quick and quiet as possible. We don’t want to alert anyone, since most of the crew should be sleeping.”

“What about the Sun Gate operators?” Sevika steps forward, “Won’t they notice?”

“Skunk will take them out on our way down. When she does, we have six minutes to complete this run.” You all adjust your masks and head to the edge of the beam, “Remember, grab as much as you can without compromising yourself. In and out.” You remind them.

“Yes, Hawk.” They chorus right before Torx dives off of the edge. You count to five before signaling to the others and jumping off. You hear the wind whistle in your ears, but find it a bit strange to not feel it on your face. You shoot straight down glancing to your left to see Torx fall into line. You nod your head and focus on the dive. ‘8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.’ You snap your wings open and glide above the water, before shooting up the side and landing on the deck.

“You’re in the clear. The captain is too busy smoking his cigarette to pay attention.” Jinx chuckles.

With silent steps, you run to the grate that leads down into the hold. Fue slides in front of you, whipping out her lockpick, and pops the lock open. You lift the grate so the girls can drop inside, and softly close it behind you, sticking your hand through the bars to relock it. ‘We don’t want anyone to know we were here.’

Your feet hit the floor and you shake your head at all of the crates. ‘There are at least five dozen. What could be in all of these?’ The girls were already passing their lights over them and searching for your targets.

“What do you think is in all of these? They’re not all the necessities.” Auvern questions as she passes some smaller ones.

“Who knows.” Sevika shrugs, “Could be champagne or other things rich people enjoy.”

“I found the tags for item one.” Zara calls, “Third row, back of the line. They were put in an area that secludes them.”

“Count them.” You say as you look at the boxes on the other end, “There should be six large crates.”

“I’ve found the others!” Torx says from the other end of the ship, “All five crates are here.”

“Good. The rifts should be open now, so start moving them through.” You command.

“On it!” They chorus.

“Ah, Hawk? There’s a message on this crate for you. I don’t think it’s a part of our original set. Middle row, far right.” Auvern waves you over. You tilt your head as you approach the area she labeled. You walk around a large set of crates to see her crouched by a smaller crate. ‘Odd, smaller crates aren’t put in this section.’ You crouch next to her.

“Not on the list. Thought you’d find interest.” You read the note out loud. Intrigued, you search for the info panel and raise an eyebrow at the label. ‘Talis. That’s all it says.’

“Any idea?” Auvern turns to you.

“Vaguely. We’re bagging it.” You stand up and pick it up. You note that it’s lighter than you expected it to be.

“All clear down here.” Sevika relays to you, “Every crate is through.”

“Crow, what’s our situation?” You and Auvern rush to Zara’s position.

“Crew has started to come out to get ready for the lift. Two crewmates started in your direction.” Jinx informs you, “Annd, the gate operators are starting to wake up.”

“We’re on our way out. A rift will open for you once you’re at the designated area.” You say as Zara heads through. You motion for Auvern to go before you and she ducks inside.

“The rest of us are through, Hawk.” You hear Fue but you crouch low when you see shadows over the grate. Slowly, you back into the rift, keeping your eyes trained on the grate.

“The lock won’t open again! Gods damn it! I thought we told Jerry not to click it all the way down!” You hear one of the crew members shout in exasperation. You snort and vanish through the rift.

The sound of a crate being cracked open hits your ears when you step through. You disengage your mask, hearing the soft hiss, and take a deep breath. ‘We pulled it off!’ You grin to yourself. Jinx twirls a crowbar in her hand before slotting it in the top and popping it open. You place the crate down before walking over to see what’s inside.

“Holy shit.” You breathe out in shock to see pounds of rice bags inside of this one. You shakily reach in and lift out a bag, staring at it in deep thought. ‘One bag could feed a whole family for a few months. And… this is significantly less than what Piltover imports on a monthly basis. Where is all of this going? Do their families really eat this much so quickly?’

“…My Lady?” Zara places her hand on your shoulder and you look at her, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” You shake your head to clear your thoughts, “I was thinking how this food can keep many families from going hungry for a few months. There’s a lot more here than I thought.”

“Let’s open the others and get to sorting!” Fue rocks onto her toes and you nod.

“Let’s get to cracking these babies open!” Jinx cheers.

You hum as you stroll through the Undercity with a skip in your step. Cassius and Dawn were visiting the shops while you went to the Temple of the Monolith. The amount of food and fabric you lifted from the cargo ship should cover the families that need it. So, you wanted to inform the Priestess of the success and enquire when she’d like it brought to her temple. You were about a block away when you sensed Janna behind you. You stop and turn to see her form out of the air and give you a nervous smile. You furrow your brow and give her a short bow.

“Lady Janna, what can I do for you?” You question her. Janna clears her throat and takes a few uncertain steps toward you.

“You’re headed to the temple, yes?” Janna asks.

“I am.” You nod.

“May I accompany you? I’ve… never spoken to my worshipers before. I haven’t seen much of their temple either.” Janna says strongly, “I’d like to come.”

“Of course.” You bow again, “You’re welcome to come with me. It’s your place. I wouldn’t dare tell you no.” You chuckle and hold your hand out to her. There’s a moment of hesitation before she loosely grasps your hand and you continue your journey. Janna walks beside you like an unsure child and you can’t help but smile.

“There’s no need to be nervous.” You reassure her, “They love you and all that you’ve done. Just as I do.”

“You’re the only Terrian I’ve spoken to in centuries, possibly millennia. I’m nervous they will not see me the way they do.” Janna sighs.

“Well, here’s your chance.” You head up the steps and knock on the temple door. Within a few seconds, the heavy doors are drawn open and one of the acolytes greets you.

“Good morning, Lady Hexxit.” He bows before his eyes find Janna. He inhales sharply before dropping into a deep bow that has you giggling.

“Lady Janna! I-It’s an honor to be in your presence, Goddess of the Winds.” He stutters, looking flustered. You give Janna a little nudge and she snaps to awareness.

“Ah, thank you. Please, d-don’t bow.” Janna waves him off and you bite your tongue to stop yourself from laughing.

“May we enter? I have pleasant news for our Priestess.” You say cheerily and the acolyte nods furiously. In a rush, he stumbles out of the way and you guide Janna inside.

“Relax.” You whisper to her, “It’ll be okay.”

~

You stretch after your long training session with Cassius and sigh in relief as your aching muscles relax. You and Ekko have been training with him in the mornings, and it thrilled you to see your brother improving. He was growing into a brilliant young man and it warmed your heart to be able to witness it.

“Hey, sis! I'm heading back to the Firelights, but I'll be back tomorrow!” Ekko shouts to you.

“No worries! I'll see you tomorrow then!” You wave to him as Cassius polishes his scimitar.

“Hexxit! I need you to come to me NOW!” Jinx shouts in your ear, making you wince and sigh.

“I have to go check on Jinx, are you okay by yourself?” You ask your mentor. He pauses and raises his eyebrow in a silent question.

“You ask me every time, Y/n. I’m fine.” Cassius chuckles and continues polishing, “Go do what you need to do and stop worrying about me.”

“Right.” You blush, “Sorry.” You whirl around and head for the stairs. You liked to walk around the place instead of using your rifts. It was peaceful to be able to do so and enjoy nature. The more time you kept your new features out, the more you found yourself drawn to nature.

Around the two gangs, you stopped hiding the changes that you went through but preferred to keep your eyes normal. Jinx enjoyed braiding your hair back or finding cute ways to style your hair. Your favorite so far is the braided space buns she would clip jewels into. It eased your nerves to have people feel so relaxed around you in your true form. So relaxed that you felt like you were floating half of the time.

Your sense of awareness is almost overwhelming. You’ve taken to writing down the things about yourself and logging them. All of the changes you went through, the symptoms, when it happened and how long it took to show. You found out that your fangs came after your horns, and were the reason you were snacking on jerky for a month. Heather nearly peed herself laughing at you teething so late in life. You tried to smother her with a pillow for it.

The tattoos had been adjusted to accommodate your changes, without your knowledge. Everyone joked that you really are some kind of goddess and the tattoos show it. You should be used to this by now, but it surprised you every time someone outside of the Furies called you “Lady Hexxit.” Sevika was right and after the fight, everyone in Zaun is acting differently around you.

You knock on Jinx’s door in a cute rhythm and wait for her to open it. ‘Is… Is that a doodle of Sevika’s sword?’ You narrow your eyes at the new doodles on her door. It swings open and you have enough time to catch Jinx’s maniacal grin before she yanks you inside.

“Woah! What are you doing?” You yelp.

“Ekko’s gone, right?” Jinx peeks outside before closing the door and locking it. You give her a suspicious glance.

“Yeesss.” You say slowly, crossing your arms, “Why are you asking?” Jinx grins again and grabs your wrist with an excited little dance.

“I stole his weapon right before he went back to the Grotto!” Jinx chirps as you enter her workshop, “So, I was hoping he didn’t notice!”

“Wait, you stole his weapon from him? Why?!” You shout in exasperation. You notice his clock hand laid out on Jinx’s workstation along with the blueprints hanging above it.

“His birthday is very very very soon, and I wanted to get him a gift! His weapon is the only one that hasn’t been upgraded and I wanted to do that for him.” Jinx sits down and you sit next to her, “I know weapons are traditionally given for someone’s twentieth, but after everything he’s been through… I want to do something nice for him.” She bites her lip. Your gaze softens and you give her a side hug.

“I think that’s a great idea. I’m planning on gifting him a magic crystal, because I know he’s really interested in it. It’s the only thing he rambled about when in my workshop.” You chuckle.

“Great! So, you’ll create the metal and crystals needed for the weapon? And also help me design and make it?” Jinx smiles expectantly. You huff a laugh and roll your eyes. ‘Typical, Jinx.’ You think, amused.

“I’ll help you.” You laugh, “Let me see what you have right now.” She slides all of her ideas over to you. ‘Sword. Broadsword. Staff. Gun. Handgun. Scythe.’ You sigh and shake your head, “None of these are what Ekko likes. He enjoys taking a swing at someone and stunning them. Killing is the last thing on his mind and he does it when necessary.”

“So, what do you think?” Jinx pouts, “This is why I need your help!” You take the offered pencil from her and chew on your lip. ‘If we flip the clock hand around… the gear would be by the handle. Then we could add more space here to give him a larger area to work with.’ The pencil brushes over the page and Jinx leans in closer.

“It’s… a bat?” Jinx questions, “Why a bat?”

“They’re great stunner weapons and Ekko already uses the clock hand like that. The only sharp part is the gear at the tip of it.” You show it to her.

“Why don’t we sharpen one of the sides?” Jinx takes the pencil from you to add to the sketch, “That way he still has a way of killing, if necessary, but he doesn’t have to use it.” You nod.

“I agree with that. Having that option is better than not having it at all.” You smile and nudge her, “Look at you using that brain of yours.”

“Yeah, I’m a bit of a genius myself.” Jinx playfully brags, making you laugh. You stare down at the sketch. ‘I can cast the clock hand and remake it out of Hexmetal. Then use a 60:40 crystal to metal ratio for the rest of the bat blade.’ You hum and jot it down onto the paper.

“Let’s get to work!” Jinx jumps up from her chair, “We’ve got to finish this before his birthday!”

“And return his weapon before he notices it’s not strapped to his back.” You point out as she tosses you the casting materials.

“Oh. Yeah, that too!” Jinx laughs and skips over, “I can always just blame it on you.”

“Hey!” You gasp, making her laugh harder.

~

The amount of emotions flowing through you is so overwhelming that you’re crying before Ekko even gets here. Your twentieth birthday had been highly emotional for the two of you. Benzo being gone hit you hard, harder than the loss of your parents, and Ekko cried with you on the floor as you ate cake.

‘Child, your brother will be here in a few hours. Save your tears.’ Umbra says softly. You wipe your tears away as they fall and sigh.

“I thought I lost him months ago, Umbra. It’s a lot to look back and think of all the times my brother came close to death.” You roll the magic crystal between your fingers, “Ekko… is everything to me. I’m so grateful he made it to eighteen.” A knock sounds on your door and you call the person in, closing the crystal in your fist. ‘It’s probably Jinx. She comes here when a nightmare wakes her up this early.’

“I know I’m a bit earlier than we planned, but I made my decision and wanted to do it before everyone woke up.” Ekko comes inside with a sheepish smile. You blink and tuck the crystal into your pocket before getting up. He takes his shoes off by the door and you open your arms. Ekko runs over and gives you a tight hug.

“Happy eighteenth birthday, my little firelight.” You whisper, smoothing down his locks and kissing his forehead. Ekko hugs you tighter and you feel a drop of water hit your collarbone. You smile sadly and give him a squeeze.

“I can’t believe I’m eighteen.” Ekko laughs in disbelief, “There were so many times I nearly died.”

“Imagine how I feel.” You chuckle and release him from your grasp, “So, you made a decision?” You walk over to your kettle and turn it on. ‘From the look of it, it’s around sunrise.’ You glance at the window.

“Yeah, did you?” Ekko sits down on the couch and pulls a blanket over his legs. You lean against the counter and nod your head.

“I did.” You take out two mugs along with the hot chocolate mix, “Do you want to tell me now, or would you rather wait?”

“I know we said we wouldn’t influence each other’s decisions, but I’d rather not spring it on you.”

“I’m all ears, then, Kiko.” You hide the nervousness in your voice. The kettle starts to whistle and you pick it up. Ekko is silent as you pour out the water and mix your drinks. It only makes you feel more anxious but you take a deep breath and hand him his cup.

“I made the decision to accept Cassius’ proposal.” Ekko rushes out before taking a big gulp from his cup. You exhale in relief and take a drink from yours.

“Oh, thank Janna. I accepted, too.” You give him a relieved smile and Ekko grins widely.

“For a second I thought we stopped thinking alike!” He jokes and you laugh.

“Time to tell the professor then, hm? We can find him by the lake at this time. He’s an early riser.”

“We can go in a moment, but I want to spend some time with you.” Ekko moves closer to you. You put your hand into your pocket and grab a hold of the crystal.

“Well, then I can give you your gift now.” You say as you reveal it to him. Ekko freezes before hurriedly placing his cup on the table.

“You’re giving me one?” He gasps as you place it in his hand. You roll your eyes.

“No, Ekko, I’m loaning you one.” You say sarcastically, “Of course, I’m giving you one! That’s all you talk about when you visit my workshop.” You chuckle.

“Sis, I- I don’t know what to say.” Ekko examines it with wondrous eyes.

“Don’t say anything.” You wink, “Just do what you and invent something cool with it, okay?” Ekko lunges forward and gives you another tight hug. You laugh and return it.

“You’re the best sister ever.” He mumbles, more tears falling onto your shoulder. You pull him closer, trying to hold back tears of your own.

“You’re the best brother ever.”

“Happy Birthday, Ekko.” Cassius says as you approach him, “You’re up early. Too excited?” He turns and gives you two a bright smile.

“Something like that.” Ekko smiles back, “I was actually hoping to catch you alone. I have something for you.” He reaches into his coat as Cassius tilts his head.

“For me? Ekko, it’s your birthday.” Cassius snorts, “You better not-”

“-It’s not like that.” Ekko chuckles, pulling the document out, “I made my decision.” He hands the rolled-up paper to him.

“I did as well.” You step forward and hand yours to him, “We made our decisions separately.” You say as he breaks the seals and unrolls them. You wait silently as he looks over the two of them.

“You… accepted. Both of you.” Cassius says with an emotional lilt to his voice, ”You’re serious?” He says with disbelief.

“Are you serious?” You laugh incredulously and Ekko whacks your shoulder. Instinctively, you grab your shoulder and give him a glare.

“We’d be happy to call you our uncle.” Ekko grins, “You’ve treated us like family even when you were far away. You always have. I still remember the first piece of taffy that Y/n gave me from you. It was tutti-frutti and the reason I love taffy now.”

“You still remember that? You were seven!” You raise an eyebrow at him.

“I haven’t forgotten the flavor.” Ekko shrugs with a cheeky grin.

“But, Ekko’s right. We’d be happy to call you our uncle.” You smile at him and Cassius stands up, “Family is all we have. You’ve been a part of that for years. Sure, having a last name will be strange, but you’ve proven that you have our best interests at heart.”

“Thank you. Both of you. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Cassius wipes a tear away.

“I think we have an idea.” You smile sympathetically. ‘No doubt thinking of his little sister.’

“So, are we going to hug or…?” Ekko waves his hands around and you all laugh. Cassius smiles tentatively, opening his arms. You and Ekko glance at each other before embracing him with huge grins.

A few hours later, everyone is awake and the party has began. Birthday waffles were made and being served, music was blaring and the members were enjoying themselves. People were flying around on the hoverboards and testing out their skills in mock sparring. You were currently leaning up against the wall and watching the way Ekko and Jinx interact. ‘They’re so cute together. It’s like they never grew up when they’re with each other.’ You can see the excited way Ekko rambles to her and how she hangs on to his every word.

“What are you doing over here?” Sevika asks as she approaches you.

“Enjoying the atmosphere.” You smile at her, “Ready to bring the cake out soon?”

“Yeah, though I’m still curious as to how you got all of those fruits for his cake.” Sevika probes you. You give her a secretive smile before looking back at the duo.

“I have contacts.” You say simply. There’s no response from her and you give her a curious glance. Sevika’s eyes are trained on someone and you find her gazing at Ran. You look back at her and smile when you recognize the longing in her eyes. ‘Oh? Interesting. There is something between them.’

“I’ll go get the cake.” You say suddenly and start pushing her in their direction, “You get Ran. It might be a bit challenging to get them to stop talking.”

“W-what?” Sevika stutters as you catch her off guard. You don’t respond as you zip away to the kitchen and see your friends.

“Heather, what are you doing?” You laugh at the numerous candles on the cake, “I think that’s more than eighteen!”

“One for each near-death experience he’s had, duh!” Heather jokes, “That calls for an extra candle or two.” You roll your eyes as Scar lights the candles. Zyn picks up the cake and throws you a wink.

“She’s right, Ekko’s practically a cat.” Zyn giggles, making you snort. ‘A demon cat.’ You open the door for him and take a deep breath.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIKO!” You scream and everybody stops talking. Ekko lets out a surprised gasp as everyone claps and sings to him. The cake was modeled after a Firelight and you had paid Lacie to make it. You throw your arm around his shoulder and give him a squeeze.

“Make a wish!” You chirp and nudge him towards it. Ekko grins and closes his eyes for a few seconds before blowing out the candles.

“What’d ya wish for, little man?” Jinx teases him as the cake is cut.

“For you to stop bothering me.” Ekko jokes and makes her laugh, “No… I actually wished for Sevika to smile for once!” You choke on your slice of cake as you start laughing mid-bite. Ekko startles when he hears you choking and pats your back.

“Are you okay?” Ekko says worriedly but you only laugh harder when he gets a face full of frosting from Scar. Ekko yelps and the next thing you know he’s being chased around the pavilion. You happily eat your cake and watch him have fun.

“It’s time to open presents!” Heather shouts as she brings out a couple of wrapped items. You make eye contact with Jinx and she winks at you before sneaking out of the area. You guide Ekko to a chair and take a seat on the edge of the table.

He was gifted with new pieces for his inventions, a really nice toolset from Cassius, and a weapon’s holster. Ekko nearly falls out of his chair at the sight of the holster but gives Sevika a questioning glance.

“Thank you for all of the gifts, but this holster doesn’t make any sense? It’s too big for my clock hand.” Ekko nervously rubs the back of his neck. You giggle as Jinx appears behind him with the bat in her hands. Awed gasps come from the people who see it, and you cover Ekko’s eyes.

“Well, little brother. You’re going to need a holster for your new weapon!” You announce and remove your hands from his eyes. Ekko’s jaw drops when he sees the bright blue bat and he jumps out of his seat.

“No way!” Ekko shouts in excitement, “This is mine?! This is actually mine?!” His eyes dart between you and Jinx. Your grin and nod enthusiastically.

“It was all Jinx’s idea!” You brag for her, aggressively nudging her arm, “She really wanted to give you something important for your birthday.” Jinx blushes heavily when Ekko turns his sparkling eyes to her. He gives her a tight hug that has her flailing awkwardly, making you hold in a laugh.

“Thanks, Blue.” Ekko grins and Jinx struggles to find the words to respond, eyes darting between you and your brother.

“You’ve got to test that out!” Heather shouts and the others all agree with her.

“Tell me all about it! Let’s go, Jinx!” Ekko throws his arm over Jinx’s shoulder and starts dragging her to the fighting area. She gives you a pleading look, holding out her hand dramatically but you just give her a cheery wave.

“She’s so into him.” You and the girls' chorus, grinning impishly at each other. ‘Jinx has a crush.’ You giggle to yourself.

“I didn’t expect it to be my brother, but I’m glad I won’t have to threaten anyone if they get together.” You chuckle as you follow them out of the building. Your eyes seek out Sevika, interested in talking to her about earlier. ‘Now I need to figure out when she’s going to admit her little crush.’ Almost as if she heard your thoughts, Sevika meets your eyes with a questioning glance. You give her a secretive smile and head over to her.

#vi x reader #vi arcane #poc reader #vi #arcane #the fury of zaun #arcane netflix #vi x you

[dino-fart]

Disaster in the Making | Chapter 1: Visions

Summary + Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Pairing: Namor x Ellyon (Original Female Character)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Torture

Summary: Ellyon Midus and her fellow knights return home from battle, another successful victory. King Regis Armadeus commands the group to rest which should be easy for the brave knight. However, fate didn’t see it that way and plagued her with visions of a fallen kingdom at the hands of a flying man. Ellyon decides to seek the soothsayer, Seraphina, for help but her plans are interrupted when the king’s guards bring in a prisoner...One with wings on his ankles...

Ellyon rode through the doors of the kingdom. She was finally glad to be home after a long battle. Of course, she and her knights were victorious otherwise she wouldn’t dare set foot in Briarwood. She gave thanks to the citizens who cheered seeing her and the knights. It felt good to be home. 

Ellyon and her knights sat at the table in the dining hall, enjoying a warm well deserved meal. 

“Did you listen to some of the rumors?” Sir Cassius said. 

“You shouldn’t listen to gossip.” Lady Rowan scolded. 

“This isn’t gossip, Lady Rowan, this sounds more like the king is planning something...” Sir Tybalt shook his head. 

“Planning what? We just got back!” Sir Richard grumbled. 

“Better leave us out of it.” Sir Valus murmured. 

“What were the rumors?” Ellyon looked over at Sir Cassius. 

“That our great king has caught a prisoner and not just any prisoner, one with pointed ears and wings on his ankles.” 

“You’re just tired, Cass.” Rowan rolled her eyes. 

“Pointed ears...Wings on his ankles? An elf?” Tybalt furrowed his brows. 

“Since when do elves have wings?” Richard glared. 

“Well, it could be a new species of elves!” Tybalt retorted. 

“The less we talk about it the less we’ll be involved, alright? I’m tired, I’m bloody sick of yer faces, so shut it and let’s finish our food!” Valus snapped. 

“Nine hells Valus, then why don’t you just eat in your room?” Cassius offered. 

Valus didn’t answer but he grabbed his bowl and left the hall. 

“Ellyon, what do you think?” Cassius asked. 

“I think we need to sleep and ask the king tomorrow,” Ellyon answered and everyone agreed. 

Night came and the rumors that Cassius spoke of wouldn’t leave Ellyon’s head. Why would the king capture someone just like that? Surely, there must be a reason. Ellyon turned in for the night, hoping that sleep will silence her thoughts. Unfortunately, it was the most sleepless night Ellyon had ever had. A vision stuck in her head of the kingdom on fire and the man with wings on his feet flying down to deliver the final blow into her chest. 

Ellyon gasped and shot up from the bed. She covered her face and calmed her breathing. Her hands moved down to touch her chest where the spear was shot through her in her vision. “I’m okay...I’m okay...” She kept telling herself quietly. 

“Lady Midus.” A soft voice echoed through the room and Ellyon looked up to see the great soothsayer, Lady Seraphina standing at the foot of her bed with a candle holder in her hand. 

“Lady Seraphina?” 

“It’s good to see you, my child...But while you were away, the king lost his mind.” Seraphina moved to sit down on the edge of the bed. 

“Is this about the prisoner?” 

Seraphina nodded and sighed heavily, “I told him to leave it be...To send the king back to his home. But he doesn’t listen...” 

“The prisoner is a king?!” Ellyon gasped. 

“Indeed...The vision you just had...It was mine.” Seraphina said sadly. 

“What would you have me do, my lady?” Ellyon asked softly. 

The older woman smiled at the knight and gently tucked a loose strand of her dark hair back. “I want you to find out why the king has captured this man. Truly, why...And I want you to set him free.” 

Ellyon met the woman’s eyes and took a deep breath. “I-I...I will investigate.” 

“I know it is a hard task but trust me when I say, the prisoner will be our doom.” Seraphina said firmly.

Ellyon felt a chill up her spine and nodded, “I will do what I can.”

“What you must, my child. What you must...” Seraphine said finally and left her room.

Ellyon was dressed in her armor and walked into the throne room where she was summoned. She stood beside her knights and knelt as King Armadeus entered the room. Ellyon looked up to see six guards walking on either side of a dark-haired man. She noticed that his ears were pointed and looked back down. “It’s the prisoner...” She whispered. 

“Oh, nine hells...That means we’re going to be involved.” Valus groaned softly. 

“Shush!” Rowan scolded. 

“Rise, my brave knights, rise!” The king boomed and they obeyed. 

The man with pointed ears was pushed to his knees and the guards pointed their spears at his head. 

“I’d like you to meet the Great King Namor of Talokan!” King Armadeus grinned and gestured to the dark-haired man. 

The group met the gaze of Namor and could feel the seething rage coming from the mysterious king. 

“We’re fucked.” Ellyon sighed.

Dividers By: @silkholland​

Like if you want to be tagged!

#namor x oc #namor x female oc #namor

[quietly-by-myself]

The Dark Side of the Sun: Chapter 8

This is the second to last chapter of the story. After Chapter 9, the finale, I'll have an AMA about the story! It's been great to have you all along for the ride.

However, this is Chapter 8, not Chapter 9. Onto the story!

CW: whumper turned whumpee, whumpee turned caretaker, nonhuman caretaker, nonhuman whumper, human whumpee, threats of war, civilian casualties, graphic descriptions of gorey death, broken whumpee, description of past whump/torture, discussion of mental health/breaking

---

Sometimes, what Hakon saw in his readings was incomprehensible in the moment. Most of the time, Hakon found himself missing some important context that he didn’t understand until he thought through similar jobs. Rarely, though, what he saw shook him so deeply that it took him time to be able to comprehend it.

It seemed with Valentina that he was having more and more trouble comprehending her actions. He understood all the context. He’d kept surveillance on her for long enough to understand her modus operandi. However, the why of what she did was completely impossible to understand.

Dare he say that he might’ve found someone more heartless, more ruthless than Cassius himself?

The thought of having the woman invade his home and tear it all apart was absolutely terrifying. He saw what she did to the areas she targeted. There was nothing left in her wake. She brutalized the dead bodies and hung heads from spears at the village gates.

Hakon would die. King Myndill would die. Alfie would die. Worst of all, he knew King Myndill to be too prideful to give up the fight now that he knew about it.

“Alfie?”

They came from the other room.

“Hakon? What can I help you with?”

He put down the bones he was reading off of and pulled his blindfold off. “Can you get me some cloths and a glass of tea?”

Alfie raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Hakon nodded, looking at them with his sharp golden eyes.

They shrugged. They knew better than to question when the Seer wanted to stop with his readings.

They were quick to return with damp cloths. Hakon quietly wiped the ink off of his body, closing the link to the golden threads. It was something of a relief - sometimes, they were a rather overwhelming phenomenon. Too much information, too much going on to comprehend fully. It was perhaps best compared to trying to keep track of a thousand conversations - impossible, even for the sharpest minds.

Once Hakon was finished removing the ritual marks, Alfie put a hand on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong?”

Hakon gave them a startled look. “What do you mean?”

They looked at Hakon gently, kindly. “I can see on your face that something’s wrong.”

It was true. With Alfie, Hakon was an open book. He just wasn’t used to showing his emotions so obviously. Maybe his readings lowered his inhibitions. Or maybe it was just a comfort around them that he found so foreign he couldn’t recognize that he was actually comfortable around someone.

“We can’t fight Valentina,” he blurted.

Alfie looked at him curiously. “What makes you say that?”

With a panicked edge to his voice, Hakon continued at their prompting. “She’s awful. She kills everything in sight. Even if we beat her successfully, we’ll lose too many people. His Majesty won’t back down, though. I know he wouldn’t.”

Alfie was quiet for a long time. “So, this alchemist is so powerful that we don’t even really stand a chance?”

Hakon shook his head. “Our kingdom is too new. Our forces are not trained enough. Cohesive enough. Our territory is easy to defend, yes, but how many are we willing to lose over one prisoner?”

They watched him cautiously, motioning for him to continue.

“I think His Majesty would forgive me if I did what was best for his kingdom, even if it isn’t the action he would take.”

The images of bloodied battlefields flashed in his head. He couldn’t allow the people he loved to be hurt in such a way. He’d have failed at his job as Seer - to make important decisions with knowledge of the future, knowledge that only he had.

“I-” Hakon forced himself to take a deep breath and try to stay in the moment. “I hate what I have to do. I couldn’t even describe what I saw to you. Just bloodied, decapitated, bodies with limbs torn off.”

“You know I’m always here by your side. My role is to support your decisions and to help you do what is right by this kingdom, not His Majesty. What is it that you want to do with your knowledge, Hakon?”

Alfie quietly pulled Hakon into a hug, before grabbing one of their signature glasses of chamomile tea and handing it to him.

“I have to let Cassius go. I need him to go to the alchemists and tell them not to attack. They’ll listen to him. I’ve seen how they respect him.”

Alfie paused. “Are you sure?” Their voice was a whisper.

“Completely. I hate the idea too, but it’s the only way to save this place. My home.”

Alfie swallowed, then nodded. “I understand. Just let me know what I should do.”

Hakon nodded, taking a deep sip of the tea. Tears were forming in his eyes as he looked down at it. “Why me?”

“This world works in mysterious ways. I don’t like it either.”

---

Hakon was quick to dismiss the guards from where Cassius was being held. He needed total privacy for what he was about to do.

Cassius looked at him blankly when he arrived without food and made no comment. The absence of any of his snarky remarks unsettled Hakon beyond measure. Cassius’ jaw hung open a little limply and he could see the remnants of tears on his face.

Suddenly, the idea that Cassius might not be able to run with him struck him. He was in horrible condition. What am I getting myself into?

“Cassius?”

“Yes?”

It was the most polite response he’d ever gotten from Cassius.

“I- we need to talk.”

Cassius gave him a familiar, curious look. “About what?” 

He had a sad smile on his lips.

“They’re sending Valentina after you.”

Hakon didn’t know why he decided to be honest with Cassius. He had no reason to. All the cards were in his hand and to tell Cassius was to give him leverage in the negotiation. However, that human part of him that saw Cassius and hurt wanted to speak to him as an equal about matters of life and death.

“She’s going to rip this fucking place apart.”

“I know. I saw it all.” Hakon rubbed his hands together.

“What? You’ve come to ask me if I can call her off from here?”

“No.” Hakon swallowed. “I have two choices right now: either have you escape with His Majesty and arrange a counter defense against her, knowing that there’s going to be a lot of casualties or to let you go and have you call off the offensive.”

A small look of curiosity flashed across Cassius’ face before it quickly disappeared under the immensity of his despair.

“Why should I help the Tainted creatures that tortured me?”

That was exactly the question that Hakon had anticipated and the one he found he couldn’t answer easily.

“I’ll be honest. My reasons for releasing you are purely selfish. I want to preserve what’s mine, not help you.” Hakon took a deep breath. “However, I also know you want to make it out of here alive. So, we both win. You accept a curse from one of us to ensure that you follow through on your promise and I’ll let you go. I’ll make sure you’re left alone for the rest of your days.”

Cassius seemed to seriously consider it. “Ma- King Myndill would let you do that?”

“He doesn’t have to know, does he? Anyway, if you tell him, he’d never believe you over me.”

Cassius nodded without argument. Again, Hakon was shocked.

“I don’t want to owe Valentina anything.” Cassius began to cough, but the bruising on his ribs was obvious. Hakon hoped that his broken ribs weren’t too bad.

“Then be ready.” Hakon swallowed. He didn’t want to thank Cassius. Instead, he left quickly, calling the guards back and heading to speak to Alfie.

---

Cassius couldn’t believe that he was getting out. He wouldn’t have to live through the torture soon. It seemed almost too good to be true. However, if he knew one thing about Hakon, he knew he wasn’t a liar.

What a surprise it had been to see him here, healed and doing well for himself. The feeling it left Cassius with was almost indescribable. It was an odd mix between nostalgia, sadness, and victory. He’d succeeded. Seeing Hakon reminded him of a time when others didn’t look down on him so much. However, his life had mostly remained stagnant, while Hakon’s had exploded.

Cassius broke out in another coughing spell. Even if there were no clocks and no windows, he sensed it was time for a meal soon.

Just as the thought passed his mind, Hakon came down the stairs. Hakon, right. Not Elijah.

The two were becoming separate entities in his mind. Hakon was strong. Hakon might’ve been his equal in a different life. Elijah was pathetic. Elijah would always be inferior.

Hakon slid him his meal.

He picked at it a bit. There were questions on his mind that he couldn’t leave the Tainted’s Kingdom without having an answer to, not after everything he’d been through with Hakon.

“Hakon, can I ask you something?”

For some reason, as he set his tray down, Cassius found himself somewhat afraid of the answers of what he was going to ask.

“Yes.”

Hakon was curt.

“When I broke you, how was it?”

Hakon looked offended. Cassius hated the way he shrunk away from the angered face of the Tainted in front of him.

“Why the fuck do you want to know that?”

Cassius, with as genuine a voice as he could manage, answered simply. “For me, it happened within a moment. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Suddenly, the price of holding on was too much. I had to give in.”

Hakon, with thinly veiled hostility, was quiet for a long time. “It was the same for me. Suddenly, I couldn’t resist you anymore. I couldn’t stand up to you. Everything was too awful because of you.”

The emphasis of his role in Hakon’s torture wasn’t lost on him. “I’m sorry that my experiment failed.”

“What? You’re only sorry that your experiment failed? Not for the hell I went through?”

Cassius didn’t doubt that answer for a moment. He went quiet while trying to think of a way to change the subject before he was forced to answer with something Hakon wouldn’t like.

“We all fight at the beginning. We all want out. Eventually, we all realize it’s never going to fucking happen. We realize that the pain is forever. We realize that we’re going to die there, huh? You’re lucky I’ve spared you. You’re so lucky that I was kind to you. I have more strength than you ever will, Cassius. I have thousands of years ahead of me. You’ll be a speck in my history, a bad one at that.”

Cassius flinched a bit at the final bit of Hakon’s rant. However, he didn’t want to respond to that.

He stayed quiet as Hakon continued on his rant, allowing Hakon to dig into him for the first time. He did not have the mental strength to stop him. In some sick way, it made him feel better to know that Hakon was no saint. He was flawed, just like Cassius. His forgiveness was imperfect. He still harbored his anger and his flare.

I always failed to extinguish it, huh?

Yes, Cassius had failed in every way with Hakon.

Somehow, that comforted his broken soul. He’d been right in what he did, but at least when he failed, it wasn’t the end for someone. At least, Hakon had been able to make a life for himself.

---

Tags: @i-can-even-burn-salad, @whumpsday, @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump, @whumpwillow, @annablogsposts, @no-terms-and-conditions-apply

#the dark side of the sun #nonhuman whumper #nonhuman caretaker #whump #whump writing #cw are above #whumpblr #hakon #cassius #captivity #king myndill #whumper turned whumpee #whumpee turned caretaker

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ILLEGIBLE’S TOTALLY SUBJECTIVE FAVORITE EORZEA COLLECTION DESIGNS | SEASON II: MELEE DPS

I compiled a list of designs in the past to share some favorite Final Fantasy XIV glamours from the Eorzea Collection website. With the Endwalker expansion released, there are quite a few new options available and people have developed even more incredible looks. So I decided it was worth doing a follow-up. I’ll probably do this every expansion or so. As before, this list comes with a disclaimer that it’s personal opinion and purely in the interest of going ‘LOOK HOW COOL THIS IS’ at people! Anyone could theoretically do the same, I’m not an authority.

This post focuses on melee dps.

Season I Melee DPS

DRAGOON

FEMALE

- Dragontamer by Nova Kie

- Eastern Spear by Toffi Fee

- Valkyrie by Shiyo Hayashi

- Holy Knight, Unholy Arms by Rio Natani

- Imperial Shrike by Rio Natani

- Spear of the Father by Accoy Liv

- Spinosus by Mio Meyi

- Wyrmlance by Louise Aquitaine

- Virtu Bird by Leisha Aysheen

- Daughter of Suzaku by Leisha Aysheen

MALE

- Abyssal Dragonlancer by Felidae Aelfwig

- Nidhogg’s Bane by Hiei Imada

- MONOCHROME MELODIES || MAIMING by Val'tirion Runaan

- Ktiseos by Nya Nya

-Harlequin Dragoon by Ry Tempester

- Glynne - Royal Knight by Glynne Silence

- The Crimson Fang by Sui'ra Yhven

- Lancer of the Heavens by Felidae Aelfwig

- Forgiven Deception by David Gerussi

- Iceborn by Erles'io Noctaleos

REAPER

FEMALE

- Goelia - Terminal Hesitation by Glynne Silence

- Monochrome city by Lillith Light

- Crimson Reaper by Lielle Graham

- Sable Scythe by Illya Heavy

- Ruby Reaper by Morgana Dotharl

- Gravedigger by Ratel Felsenbrecherin

- Hell To Pay by Morrow Krvnagora

- Blue feathers by Rixario Highborn

- Keeper Of The 12th Gate by Noel Haze

- Desert Strayer by Sylvian Staffbearer

MALE

- Reaper Warrior by Wei Wangji

- Oneiros by Kheiron Reginleif

- Scythe of Bahamut by Ered Kaehr

- The Night Watch of Hingashi by Sir Owl

- No Title by Glynne Silence

- Darbar Maiming by Teru Nashira

- Reaper of the Snow by Sir Owl

- Destiny’s Protector by Zenix Stormcaster

- Demon in Red by Elias Deldrin

- Bluefeather Explorer by Tyo'li Wolndara

SAMURAI

FEMALE

- Tres Deseos by Leisha Aysheen

- Yojimbo by Lohia Aihol

- Ruby Samurai by Iggy Goldberg

- Flame’s Champion by Sarah Montcroix

- Divine Blade by Iggy Goldberg

- Samurai of Light by Bb Channel

- Seraph by Rue Mitsuri

- Blademaster (F. Ver.) by Louise Aquitaine

- Neo-Mercernary by Mio Meyi

- Sword Saint by Pastel Alerion

MALE

- Hellhound by Kaien Shimazu

- Spirit of the Desert by Tenchi Tora

- Samurai Mercernary by Esta Mephistopheles

- Makai Blade by Keiteaux Kisarre

- Desert Scavenger by Vellen Grydja

- Medieval Samurai by Hanso Richimoto

- Wet Ink by Yuzu Rein’del

- Of the Falling Snows by E’saiye Valhesri

- Panthean Striking by Teru Nashira

- Blade for Hire by Banri Togano

NINJA

FEMALE

- Blue Genie by Leisha Aysheen

- Ruby Sea Ribbons by Ko Kiri

- Managarmr by Shiyo Hayashi

- Alzadaal by Miyo Mei

- A Hunter At Heart. by Lakira’ Kina

- Blade Princess by Toffi Fee

- Karasu Ninja by Anya Maeve

- Bloodied Feather - Maelstrom Operative by Alisya Hawk

- Ghost of Vanaspati by Ko Kiri

- Chromatic Miysis by Jenny Nguyen

MALE

- Beauteous Beast by Keiteaux Kisarre

- Deadly Masquerade by Suranar Thunderwind

- Ala Mhigan Assassin by Red Boar

- Prince Of Thieves by Cassius Tayunn

- Nasty Bat by Val Forsyth

- Blademaster (M Ver.) by Leon Aquitaine

- High Emissary by Felidae Aelfwig

- Artic Ninja by Braum Osbern

- through the snow by Toffi Fee

- Forest Whisper by Juniper Luna

MONK

FEMALE

- Seiryu Serpentsworn by Ko Kiri

- Navi’s Ninth Vare Monk by Navi Tsuri

- Purple Punch by Sumire Ume

- The Beast Within by Sveta Raybrant

- Assassin but not a Ninja V2 (Monk) by Loe Vaen

- Cyberlicht by Tarn Supreme

- Beat-down Brat by Nerril Kuroba

- Feral Instinct by Z’oka Bajhiri

- Wardancer by Miyo Mei

- Heir of Fire by Ko Kiri

MALE

- No title by Glynne Silence

- Red Fist White Dragon by Viveka Serhilde

- Modern Theravada by Angyo Owari

- Gyr Abanian Fists by Corus Maderna

- Yankee by Noir Malqir

- Sky Rat  Enforcer by Citrus Prime

- Five Finger Snap Punch by Coco Kai

- Azure Fists by Y'taryll Bjurhet

- Claws of Anubis by Matthaeus Imperator

- Monk of Divine Light by Geraltus D’doritus

#eorzea collection #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv #ff14 #ffxiv glamour #hyur #elezen #viera #hrothgar #lalafell #roegadyn #au ra #miqo'te #gpose