#◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊When stars collide.┊ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

reginrokkr · 2 years

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"Here." A share of piping hot bowl of calla lilly seafood stew was offered to the other, something to perhaps warm up Dain's frame as the chill of the night started to set in. "Eat up! I made a whole bunch, more than enough for both of us."

■ ■ ■ The crackling of dancing embers by the fireplace, the soft rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze rises every so often and the tranquility of the area they have chosen to spend the night on are discordant elements to nocturne perils that Dáinsleif was acquainted with ever since he still lived in the now Khaenri’ah. Might as he tries to force himself into relaxation, his heightened and honed senses byproduct of many years of military experience and leadership warn him to not let himself be deceived by these components that may conceal unexpected dangers.

More than ever, eventide creatures are at their worst: in their beginnings, they were merely creatures of the Abyss that would rather shy away from the light of the golden kingdom. But now, it is confirmed that what additional beings that came into existence may arrive to the nation of freedom harbor sentiments that their makers possessed. There is another factor to keep in mind also: amongst these creatures, once upon a time humans are betwixt their ranks and can control them as they fancy if they so will it.

Dáinsleif snaps out of his reverie at the sound of his companion’s voice alongside the smell that tickles his nostrils of the appetizing dish. He reaches forward to accept the bowl, mindful to not burn himself despite counting with the protection of his gloves as he mouthes a small thank you in appreciation for his kindness. It hasn’t been that long since the two of them have met and decided to start a journey together and it already felt like they’re joined at the hip. The very thought helps to add to the warmth that holding the bowl and being sheltered by the bonfire between them, a smile only to be noticed if one were to pay special attention to his eyes illuminates his features before looking back at Aether. ❝With your permission.❞

If the dish’s aroma was not telling enough by then, the first bite he takes should seal the premise as he allows the stew’s flavors inundate every taste buds. With the stew serving as a unifying thread, the savory taste of the seafood meet alongside the freshness that calla lily flowers offer as well as the rest of used spices do create a harmonious experience in his mouth that culminates with the enjoyable warmth that runs down his throat with every swallow.

Cyan irises rise from the bowl to meet amber ones in a gentle nod of his head that denotes complacency. ❝Exquisite. You ought to take pride in your culinary skills.❞ And his adaptive qualities for using ingredients that he must be unfamiliar with, for how little time he must’ve spent in this world. A genuine smile makes its way to his otherwise neutral features as his gaze drops to the bowl once again, bringing it to his lips for a large sip to the broth. ❝Allow me to prepare us a dish next time we camp in the wilds like this. You can expand your cuisine horizons by tasting different food too.❞

Wary as Dáinsleif may be of their surroundings, it can’t be all that bad to lower his guard just a tad— if only while they enjoy some hearty dinner at least.

@risingsol ✦

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reginrokkr · 2 years

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"You know, you don't have to hide your pain from me." Neither of them had embarked on this journey without some scars on their hearts- perhaps some scars on their bodies as well and the companionship had been... soothing to have. Perhaps Aether was still accustomed to the company of another on his travels, more than he had thought previously or maybe it was just the unfamiliarity of the world that laid into an anxiety that he wasn't even aware that he had. But Dain had been a stone in all this, had offered up encouraging words when the journey grew tough and a healing hand for moments where he would undoubtedly push himself too far. All the while, finding new experiences that shortened the length between experiences that might uncover unpleasant sights.

Aether wasn't alone in his suffering either, for all the reassuring words that Dain offered him and the aid rendered were things that Dain probably needed as well. There was a solemnness to the other that was present, but that still didn't change the fact that the other was his friend - a person that he very much wanted to see happy at the end of it all. Sheepishly, he opened up his arms to offer up a hug - gaze softening when he looked over at the other. "We're in this together, right? You're not alone."

Compassion-stricken words hit like a boulder of frozen water when the confirmation of what Dáinsleif has been questioning himself for some time makes itself manifest: Aether knows. Of course the Twilight Sword isn’t blind to his inner struggles and the darkness he harbors within, nor the nightmares that plague him time and time again. It is upon seeing so many other innocent people paying the consequences of a kingdom’s sins and his own mistakes that led him to hold onto the firm belief that others have it worse, that he has no right to even complain about his current circumstances. Oft times, he self-chastized himself for succumbing to the physical pain and the mental exhaustion that make pressure specially in his slumber, strengthening himself to deal with it in his search of his fate.

Alas, how long until even he would crumble under the weight of all his sadness and sorrow?

Open arms meant to offer the comfort of an embrace garner a new meaning with this fallen seraph’s last words: you’re not alone. Not without the you don’t have to hide your pain from me. Is he reading into this too much? Incorrectly even? Or is his assumption correct Aether, too...? Dáinsleif’s face remains as unreadable as ever in his careful consideration, most likely a misinterpretation of what the lost wanderer truly means. Cold stone as he may present himself most of the times, his heart is warm like stellar cores, his innate need to shed light in other people’s dark moments like the moon does above everything.

So a most delicate frown appears in his pale features when the instant thought to reciprocate the hug crosses his mind, all under the belief that Aether needs it— thus completely disregarding what he feels. The hesitation evident in his tensing muscles at the thought of aggravated physical pain were he even touch him, byproduct of that damned curse that will haunt him to everlasting days. A soft gulp and he steps forward to take Aether in his embrace wordlessly: one arm wrapped around the midsection of his back, the other one cradling his head close to his chest in what he believes to be a comforting gesture as unbeknownst to the fallen star, eyes press shut tight with nothing but the wish of endurance of the pain that is to come for as long as the hug will last.

Trembling eyelids open slowly when the realization that the so anticipated pain never came after several seconds of wait. It doesn’t hurt. Long exhales abandon roseate lips in the exercise of mentalizing himself so, muscles slowly relaxing and his mind finding momentary peace. Dáinsleif stays there, no word or movement that would give away the conclusion of this physical contact, unfazed as if he were an automaton of Khaenri’ahn origin. Then, it hits him. Aether’s arms wrapped tight enough around him but not so tight to cause harm, the warmth he evokes, the semblance of a feeling of sending his beating heart against him and the stirring of his own.

It doesn’t hurt.

At that moment, his face falls completely: fine eyebrows knitting in a frown, lower lids trembling and roseate lips parting to release a shaky sigh. It’s warm... welcoming. Everything he never expected to ever find for the rest of his life as a punishment of the gods for the sins he’s committed and the failure that he became in the face of divine adversity. Does he deserve this? He doesn’t know, nor it seems to matter in that moment when this time willingly his arms tighten their hold on Aether, chin rests atop the crown of his blond hair.

The corners of his eyes start to burn with the might of forming tears, clouding his vision until he closes them and pearlescent tears roll down his cheeks as this time, he presses one of them on his head instead. Given the present circumstances, there is no helping the whirlwind of emotions that wages within, not the strange stirring of his quivering heart. For how long had he yearned this comfort he’s undeserving of? Before he could have the chance to formulate an answer, Dáinsleif breaks down. So is revealed through the shaking of broad shoulders as he presses Aether to him some more in a foolish attempt to conceal his undoing, through the occasional and low sniff and the need to hide from the world even if just for a moment by pressing his forehead to the crown of the other’s head.

For every moment of sorrow he deprived himself from letting it heal properly, for every moment of horrifying nightmares that haunt him in his slumber... Dáinsleif never prayed to any god in his life, but this time— he did. Ever silently, to one person:

Just this once... I vow that it will never happen again. Please.

@risingsol ✦

#risingsol #◟༺✦༻◞ Seraphs reminisce how to fly even without wings┊Aether → risingsol.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ What use has the veil of falsehood? ┊Ask.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ Sapphire flames in their wake ┊IC.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ τόμος δ: Ψάχνοντας τη χαμένη μοίρα┊To the journey’s end.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊When stars collide.┊#sorry for the tardiness #to answer to this dear #boy did this make me sad djfhgj #Dain being a dumb dumb #convincing himself at first #that it's to make Aether feel better #and then bam #the train of feels hits him #upon realizing that it doesn't hurt #and that he needed this ;;#this verse here #is so depressing to him #it makes me sad to see just the thought #that he'd promise not to do it again #as if he's doing something bad #when he doesn't ><

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reginrokkr · 2 years

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‘ your failures are just what happened — they don’t have to be who you are ’

■ ■ ■ Ah, how he loathes the self-exposure that stems from defying the Abyss Order. Dáinsleif should’ve anticipated this would happen, for those creatures that seem to seek naught but ruin other people’s lives as they’re being consumed by resentment that perhaps already existed in their hearts were once people who he protected as Khaenri’ah’s Twilight Sword. Of course they would know his story, just as they can use it to their convenience to ruin him as a knee-jerk reaction to his opposition. How couldn’t he? Even if he, too, may resent the gods above whom doomed the kingdom’s existence since before its creation, he cannot oversee the injustice these people are facing.

Guilt and sorrow-stricken as he may be, his heart remains true: the chivalry of a knight that should be no more after the nation met its downfall is not limited to Khaenri’ah. It extends to the rest of humanity.

Despite the bravery he professed and the refusal to listen to one ill-word they had to say to him, here he is now, wounded to the very core. It has always been like that, ever since he saw himself with no other choice but to confront those of what he considered his homeland. One moment he overwhelms them with his unbreakable willpower and he overthinks what he was told on the next. These occurrences are so frequent that Aether must’ve caught up with bits and pieces of his story without the need to press him for answers or Dáinsleif openly discussing his circumstances. In his yet broken heart, this failure of a Twilight Sword should’ve been deemed as such: a malfunctioning weapon good for nothing. A horrible monster for throwing his people under the bus for the safety of others.

Instead, he receives kindness.

And that breaks him even more.

❝That, I try.❞ He truly is. Perhaps that plays a great part in the reason why he feels indebted with ensuring the safety of these people that have to pay the consequences of a kingdom’s sins. Sins that perhaps would’ve never existed weren’t it for the fact that the gods above chased them until they were no more than cornered animals forced to live in uttermost darkness. A glance is shared with Aether and Dáinsleif nearly regrets looking at him in the eye, but his stance doesn’t waver despite the subtle quivering of roseate lips that he forces into stillness by pressing them in a thin line. ❝Is it why I am trying to make amends.❞

Nothing but an ocean of sorrow fills icy sapphires and yet, there is an unmeasurable kindness in them with the way they soften as his head cants to one side. ❝You should not feel overwhelmed by that which you could not control, either.❞ He refrains from calling it a failure, in his case. For he was merely a passing star forced into confinement away from his kin by the wrath of some god. Dáinsleif closes their distance slowly and places a gloved hand atop his shoulder, long fingers offering a gentle squeeze. ❝Never let your darkness defeat you.❞

@risingsol ✦

#risingsol #◟༺✦༻◞ Seraphs reminisce how to fly even without wings┊Aether → risingsol.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ What use has the veil of falsehood? ┊Ask.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ Sapphire flames in their wake ┊IC.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ τόμος δ: Ψάχνοντας τη χαμένη μοίρα┊To the journey’s end.┊#◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊When stars collide.┊#hi have these unsolicited feels #which are ruining me too :'))#I hate whenever this happens #Dain always pushing his own feelings away #to try to comfort another ;;#it happened with Halfdan #for multiple reasons #it can happen with more #and I'll cut it before I get emotional djfhg

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reginrokkr · 2 years

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risingsol asked: ‘ you don’t have to have everything figured out. ’

Onyx gloved hands clench and unclench in an irregular pattern. The unfocused, icy sapphires glued at them do nothing but denote further Dáinsleif’s current absentmindedness. An image that remained imprinted in his mind burns more in the back of his eyes as the only thing he sees, the sight of an Abyss Mage fading to nothingness and the liquid remnants of corrosive blood dripping off the black edge of his blade.

Never has the Twilight Sword ever draw his blade against a person or a creature that he is cognizant of its human origins for a reason. Though it is hard to discern an Abyss Mage’s emotions by facial features that they have no more, his ears ring with the shocked cry that came from recognizing Æternum Crepusculum in his hold, the very sword that the king of Khaenri’ah ordered to the best swordsmith to create for him as a gift. Be it by myth believers or rumors, there was not a single soul that did not know about the perk of that blade: once unsheathed, it cannot return to its case until it has claimed a life.

A shaky exhale emerges from his nose at the memory, prompting his hands to intertwine in a trembling hold as albescent lashes flutter close— the wrinkles betwixt his eyebrows the only sign of distress and inner struggle in an otherwise collected face.

What could have possibly incite Dáinsleif to end the life of someone whom not too long ago he was supposed to protect? An instinctual act of protection or a sense to oppose that which is unfair, he cannot tell which one is worse when both are at fault. Alas, how could he overlook the utter disregard for the human race upon watching that abyssal creature scheming against an individual from the shadows? For all he knows, this sentiment of hatred for humans could’ve been bloomed as a result of that person’s transformation into a monster. Or perhaps even in their days as a human, they stopped caring. There is one thing he knows: these ill feelings are directed to the people of Teyvat.

It’s one life for another. The very notion makes the fallen luminary tighten his hands hard— so hard that his knuckles would be white weren’t for the coverage of his gloves. Dáinsleif hated it with all his heart, made him feel like he’s playing god in deciding whose life is worth its continuity when he’s anything but. Being aware of his deeds in confronting abyssal creatures that now he knows that they’re Rhinedottir’s creations was hard enough, the prospect made him realize just how rotten the kingdom already was. But to murder a creature that was human once under his protection is a fact that he will never recover from— a seed that has been planted in his being that will germinate in nothing but another burden for him alone to bear.

❝You don’t have to have everything figured out.❞

Aether must’ve sensed something amiss in him for him to speak when he should’ve been asleep. The Bough Keeper perks up at the sound of his voice at once, his back straightens and his intertwined hands undo and fall back to his lap. You should be resting, Dáinsleif wanted to say, but instead his azure eyes soften in quiescent consideration of his words. He ignores what Aether must be thinking about him to prompt that sentence from him, but he cannot deny a muted curiosity that he’s too shaken up to even pay attention to. When words fail to form an immediate response, Dáinsleif pats the spot beside him, a silent invitation for the younger blond to join him by the campfire.

❝I know.❞ He finally manages to muster, albeit it is nothing but halfhearted dishonesty on his part to not worry him further. Aether has enough on his plate as he is. But ah, he does have to have everything figured out and the first step has already been made since the moment when he chose the outlander’s life over the Abyss Mage’s. He does have to have everything that is in his power figured out to assist him to the best of his ability, for habits die hard and his chivalry will die harder— if that day ever reaches.

But as things stand, Dáinsleif himself is in no better position than him. He, too, has lost everything and he’s not even allowed death’s respite. ❝We will figure things out as we go.❞ Ever the ingenious one that never fails to give an insightful answer, the Twilight Sword was at a loss. You, whom have come from the heavens above, will have to figure your issues out too. For I cannot guarantee that I will stay all the way by your side nor that we may part ways once we find our answer. ❝There is still a long way to go, many things to come to terms with.❞

Icy sapphires soften in an untold smile that his lips daren’t, he has already lost the notion of time of when he lost this ability. A gloved hand surges to offer what he hopes to be a comforting squeeze— completely unbeknownst of the prospect that he, too, needs a sense of comfort. Alas, his guilt and subsequent self-depreciation eclipse such a human need that he no longer feels so. ❝Go back to sleep. We’ll depart when the sun rises.❞ The abyssal might will only decrease when dawn breaks. Hopefully so will the abyssal creatures. He cannot afford to face any other anymore— not until he comes to a decision that he’s not ready yet to.

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reginrokkr · 2 years

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Tag dump #5:

◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊When stars collide.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊Stardust trail.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Seraphs ┊Black hole silence.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cavaliers ┊Crepusculum finis.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cavaliers ┊When dawn breaks.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cavaliers ┊Intersecting wills.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cursed ┊War with the void.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cursed ┊Past and future.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Cursed ┊When twilight comes.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Hearts ┊Light termination.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Hearts ┊Kindness spring.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Luminaries ┊Occursus lunaria.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Luminaries ┊Lament of gold.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Luminaries ┊Dimming eternity.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Fallen ┊Mοίρα ουράνια.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Fallen ┊Tι αναμένει εμπρός.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Darkness ┊Aureus palatium.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Darkness ┊Discordia effigiei.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Darkness ┊Pugnandum fatum.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Light ┊Quaerenda lux.┊ ◟༺✦༻◞ Aria of the Light ┊Nexus of souls.┊

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