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captainkurosolaire · 3 years

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Prompt #11 ~ Reclaimed Living

♫Overpowered♫

Another cleansing of the soul came with reinvigorated steps loudly revisiting a place of his bearings. His latest and most formidable enemy awakened him from a ghostly remnant he served. He wasn't the same. The last Crew finding them behind his follow weren't the same that collapsed, or buried with his old ship. The rover returned to a rancid pub front-steps. In a dead and remote location, where used to be celebration, came to cease. Now it was just nesting drunken sailors who held no direction. Majority of the Crew that served a Captain were family members, other associates, all drowned and dead brought by his endeavors, curses, afflictions. It was never easy to confront a past, but proper healing cannot begin without it, that's where his wisdom had found of recent date. It was the most despicable and deplorable thing a feeling could present in a leader. The people under your helm perished but the Captain didn't go with his ship and men. Although all held belief he remained deceased, this would be soon uncovered in a twist. He unstrapped his holstered revolver. Swallowed nerves. Then proceeded. Inside were grievers those at the bottom of bottles, they felt too. Sapped of motivation. Chained, jailed, life had no meaning. The peers that died, killed them too. Outsiders didn't come to this enclosed location. So as creaking old planks of wood were heard they drew alert. Until a stoppage. A shadow between the doors. Even in their rancid and intoxicated states they drew arms. The two loose doors flung open as the perished ghost became alive. In a series of insurmountable clicks and aim's hundreds of trained gun's re-positioned. Dirks, brass knuckles, a plethora of last resistance shown. If they were to be raided, they'd go with bangs.

"Minfilia's oversized tits, blimey o' bastard... I don't believe it. Ye chose a poor choice t' ruse us n' appearance." They didn't follow a leader. Each of their voices left were who seized first in their mass. The interloper had them cautiously on standby. "Nay. It b' me." The Seeker discarded his only means of defense and slid a kick over. They had the right to take their shots. Tension was stacked in disbelieving soaring heights. Each still felt a beguile footman who stood at their gate. "Ye inconceivable fool. T'is a reason why, Dead men tell no tales..." Cocking mechanisms of flintlocks surged. Another chimed in when Captain went to peace. "Best ye tell a helluva' tale. Of what ye live..." This served a code, a message in a bottle, but parchment became waterlogged, useless. If there was ever a moment etched within his time, to become unspoken, now was it. He would be a preaching to a choir. Chewing and clacking his gums, he'd lower the tricorne to his heart. A ferocity lit in his hues, rebellious. "From conception we're met with opposition. There ain't a single-choice upon what we calls origins being dealt, whether by some invisible puppeteer, deemed an author, or some putrid sack ov' excuse-spinner." Revving up, "Educated, groomed, taught t' be the same way, that results t' a history never ending but repeats, wondering why we live under th' same shadows ov' all our dated descendants who fell. Constantly wishing or reflecting back, things were simpler, better, desiring do-overs. No-one looks forward t' a clock, only backwards when bloomed." The fulfillment of dreaming in youth, gets devoured, in due age, later when matured. What could've been, spawns. He took brash steps even while being trained on with blunderbusses. "Thrust into environments where eating metal, doing whatever it takes to survive! --- They call us problems." Speaking out to the rebellious that still swelled, "Sentence t' unexplained diseases, festering rot n' us. We start giving into instability, alongside insecurities, it racks us into a trail of bottomless failures, believing we've nothing of importance... Told by our closest endearing whispers, who mutter the same air of our doubting thoughts... It encourages demons, t' vices, to a point, a visit only ov' ferryman can accept us." He registered and conveyed a lot of personal emotion. "Bein' pirate everyone thinks our take ov' freedom means pure unadulterated chaos, anarchy, destruction. To be feared... Truth it means we're standing against what governs us all, growing bone's where they've gone missing." Showing teeth and taking a stand on top of a tavern table between, the disheartened. "Authority, Order! These things are presented as principal things that are required to function, n' keep peace... But it's artificially made-up. Think to yourselves! How many label's have been created to categorize yourself? To try separating you from being an individual, just so someone can stand-out against on a perch! you don't even know how t' stand anymore! ...Thinking by being on your two-legs that's all? You b' so far drowned, you cannot impose those who wear their crowns, cause you accept it as all-purpose... O' if a mass-herd flocks, it's natural to' fall in that line and try to be included at all costs, thinking it'll grant you an audience, notice, give you validation." His speech began boiling up, resonating something in a few, they became domesticated too. "Words, like 'martyr', 'rebel', thrown around. Placed to maintain control, they subjugate, they'll bend rules, whatever it takes! They'll use their fancy speeches t' rile you into a false-sense to stay kneeled over, stating it's a 'we' or 'us', ignoring really they're out their own business." He presented as their so called pirate king was faceless, removed, abandoned all the free-spirited left. That continued with the powers in place. "Same almighty forces that are throwing us into forgotten. Trying to remove us, are the some who were us, once..." The red-coats weren't someone to be all idolized. Innocent's rain rampant on

those, it was not-self sacrificial, they were govern. "Free. Isn't exclusive. It's within us all, a lifestyle, something that any are capable of taking with zero discrimination, no hierarchy, or diversities preventing you at some barrier for entry! Reach down! Battle against your illnesses, wounds, oppressors! Wobble on your soles and fight to stand against what you disagree with, crawl even, gnarl at that hilt! Die fer passion, what makes you feel who, who gives you it! That's what actual breathing looks like! This IS yer rightful treasure, yer CLAIM. Get it back into your hands and you'll know this is a world you own!" Climatically blew through in his renegade passion. The very air he exhaled into these words weren't laced, they came from personal, raw emotion! Casting away not only to his own liberation but his former folks. "This is living's meaning!" Reaching down grabbing a bottle and smashing it against his arm into a tearing cut, bloodied arms formed outwardly, like wings he threw his arms. Drops of resolve and armed weapons fell in unity. 'The Captain ov' the Five Seas' approached them, and said, I am alive, but so are all those who died, they're in me! I haven't lost this War, It's only getting started. Waves, winds, change, so I've adapted. Here, I am.'

The lawless bellowed out an uproar outcry and jolly, shooting their guns into the ceilings. Smashing and slugging each other with haymakers, drinking and thrusting into debauchery, they were free, once again! Label's no more! Defined, never again! Each saw their passion, the moment was seen! What went obscured. Captain leapt into the brawl, of celebration, he was home, alive! The storms were still remaining but he found many places to call shelter when they came.

#Prompt - Preaching to the Choir #FFxivWrite2021 #FFxivWrite #-Captain Kuro Solaire #The Unspoken #Rebel Speech #I'm Alive.#Gif #The Conqueror of Winged Freedom #Creative Writing #FFxiv #Tales of the Goldbrand #A cult of personality #Miqo'te #Seeker of the Sun

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avidrawsthings · 3 years

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Mini showcase: Reina and Talbott's children

As I wasn't able to get around to drawing a new pic to celebrate the quads' birthday (May 9), I figured I'd at least compile some past drawings of them I made into one post. They've gone through a few tweaks over time, and their latest designs to date are on the fourth pic. Their adult look above is also outdated now, and their updated appearances are in the works. A brief profile of each one will be under the break below!

Altogether

They were born in May 9, 1998, seven days after the Battle of Hogwarts.

Rowan is their favorite aunt, and they lovingly call her Auntie Rowan.

All of them inherited the same Empath abilities as Reina, allowing them to read the emotions of those around them. Like their mother, all of them can see through deception.

Like Reina, none of them eat poultry as it makes them nauseous.

All of them are LGBT+, discovering their respective orientations during their teens. The family's love is unconditional, and they're happily supportive.

All of them are Animagus, however they didn't go through the steps to become one. As Reina became an Animagus thanks to her grandmother's experimental potion (which skipped all the steps and granted the form immediately), it was believed the trait was passed along to the quads. Their respective forms manifested when they were 8, all being a type of bird.

Like their parents, the quads were among those that received Sacrificial Protection from Harry during the Battle of Hogwarts.

They also inherited the birthmark of their ancestral clan, the Mark of the Celestial.

They attended Muggle school during early childhood, and soon began displaying higher levels of magic than most magic children their age. Because of this, they were approved to attend Hogwarts one year early, starting their first year on September 1st, 2008.

Corvo Winger

Oldest of the four.

Animagus form is a crow with the same heterochromia.

Often slept a lot when he was younger, more than usual for a kid. Later on it was discovered that he has Narcolepsy, and has been on treatment since then.

While in Hogwarts, he works with several other classmates in creating a spell to allow muggle objects to function inside Hogwarts.

Often described as a cool and chill person, and is the easiest to get along with. Just don't mess with his siblings or his friends, and don't try stealing his things.

Discovered he was Bi during his 4th year. He's quite proud of it.

Loving music from a young age, he aspired to have a future career as a musician. Throughout his time at Hogwarts, he often hosted rave-like parties that became a hit with other students.

After Hogwarts, he became a well known DJ and music producer, being a hit the magic and muggle communities. He takes on the stage name of Talon.

His shows are very spectacular, as he secretly combines his magic with his music to create some highly amazing visuals.

His music is a mix of New Age and Hardstyle.

His favorite instrument is the piano.

Has a beautiful singing voice but is very shy about it.

Ava Winger

Second oldest.

Her Animagus form is a Golden Eagle like Talbott.

From a young age she proved to be very athletic. She was always the most energetic of the quads, and getting into sports proved to be a very good outlet for her.

Was the one that physically fought bullies during their childhood years at a muggle school. Classmates hailed her as a hero.

This carried over to Hogwarts, where she often fought anyone that dared to mess with her siblings and friends.

Don't touch her hair without her permission or you'll be on the receiving end of a beatdown.

She's something of a daredevil, and enjoys taking high risks in sports, such as pulling off very tricky moves. No risk, no reward, right? After Hogwarts she took up skydiving as a hobby during her downtime.

Attempted to try out for Quidditch as a first year but was declined. She wasted no time and tried again the following year, and makes it onto the Gryffindor team as one of their Chasers. She remained part of the team for the entirety of her time at school.

Realized she was a lesbian when the time came for the Celestial Ball.

Realizing how much she truly loved Quidditch, when the time came to consider future careers as the O.W.L.s were approaching, Ava was dead set on becoming a professional Quidditch player.

Near the end of her final year, her talents got the attention of the Montrose Magpies, who were looking for a new Chaser. Not only were they Ava's favorite team, but she was ecstatic when learning she made the team. She was officially a member by the summer of 2015, and continues to play in the present.

Jena Winger

Second youngest.

Her Animagus form is a Raven.

Never responded to her name when she was younger. It was later discovered that Jena was born on the Autism Spectrum.

Finds loud noises to be overwhelming. Has since gotten around it by wearing noise cancelling headphones when necessary. She eventually adapts as she gets older.

Loves her owl plushie Princess Feathers, which doubles as a ventriloquist puppet. She received it as a gift from Talbott for her 6th birthday.

Developed an interest in ventriloquism around this time, and after enough practice and dedication, she became very skilled at it before the age of 10. She preferred to keep it as a hobby rather than entering contests and such.

While incredibly sweet and polite, Jena is also very honest and straightforward. She also has a snarky sense of humor, and likes bringing fun laughs to her classmates.

Loves to explore new things, and briefly took up Quidditch in her 3rd year, playing as Ravenclaw's temporary Seeker for that year's final 2 matches. While she enjoyed it, she was fine stepping down from the team afterward.

Realized she enjoyed baking during 4th year, and began to help her brother Altair in running the school's mini baking business, much like Reina did back then.

Discovered she was Pan during 5th year, and dated a few folks during her remaining time at school.

Jena took an interest in working alongside her mother in the family's bakery, and did just that after graduating from Hogwarts. She still works there in the present with Reina.

Altair Winger

The youngest.

His Animagus form is a Magpie that retains his eye color. His earring contains one of his feathers.

As a child he was always the most sensitive and the most prone to crying, and much of it still lingers in the present. He's a guy not afraid to show his emotions, and tries to encourage his male students to do the same.

Although he's the youngest, he's always looked out for his siblings, especially Jena as kids liked picking on her during their childhood. This protection remains during their time at Hogwarts.

He's a fierce duelist and displays great skill in Dark Magic. He was taught to use it ethically and only as a last resort.

He's equally skilled when it comes to Jinxes, Hexes and certain Curses, and was not above using them against bullies if the situation called for it.

Like Reina, he baked a lot for classmates and started up the same mini baking business she once had during her school years. He was joined by Jena later on, and they ran it together until graduation.

Discovered he was gay some time before the Celestial Ball took place in his 4th year. When the time for O.W.L.s rolled around, Altair realized he wanted to become an Auror like his father. After Hogwarts he reached his goal. He was often paired up with Talbott on quite a handful of missions, helping take down the remaining Death Eaters that were still in hiding.

In 2019, Altair developed an interest in becoming a teacher, specifically in Defense Against the Dark Arts, as he felt he could use his experiences an an Auror to teach the students more efficiently.

He soon met all of the requirements and became a professor, taking over for Ricardo (the Jacob of this AU) after the latter stepped down.

#my art #avi ocs #corvo winger #ava winger #jena winger #altair winger #bird quads #reina cortez oc #hphm #hphm reina #hphm talbott #talbott winger #hogwarts mystery #hp #hpma

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spooky-bear15 · 3 years

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Human Prison (Puppet Master Fan Story) BTW, this is also inspired by 4,5 and 6 comic issues by Action Lab

The crystal ball glowed as Madam Adon looked through it, she could see a black figure peeping through the blurry smoke making the image hard to make out. As the old teller looked through her glass, Blade was peeking through the front window, dried blood was over his mouth in scrapped parts. His eyes squinted and he quickly moved from the window as he could see the old women get a feeling that he was there.

Adon gave a puzzled look as she looked over in the front window, still in her seat behind her crystal ball, “I know you're close by…..” By the time she looked over, Blade had disappeared without a trace or trail of blood behind him.

A couple nights had passed and a young man wanted to get a dirty deed done with Adon, she was able to easily transfer his soul without killing to a puppet. She would do this with ease, as she casted this man's soul to this other body, Blade had appeared again only peeking out of a smaller window as he hid within some bushes. Watching how this was done Blade quickly retreated this news back to the others in the hotel.

Toulon took this news as being able to be in flesh again, the others agreed.

“We won’t have to be in these wooden bodies no longer my friends, we can finally become human again.”

All the puppets headed out in a group, the sun had risen as all of them quickly and quietly moved to the seekers place to get this transfer done in reality.

Madam Adon spotted the puppets all coming in, “I knew it would have been close to time when you all showed up here, and I know exactly why you're all here.”

All the puppets looked up at the slender women hoping to get what they wanted, Adon flipped her cards and gathered her things around the room, “ You all are tired of being dolls, you all want to breathe, feel something. I can greatly grant to you all, is this what you want?”

All the puppets looked at each other and smiled widely in their own creepy ways, agreeing to the decision.

Adon looked at all the puppets with a sinister grin, “Good, well I request a small payment from you all. How about your current bodies staying with me as you all roam freely?” All the puppets looked at each other.

“I adore your work Toulon, do you agree with my terms to continue this?”

The blanked faced puppet shook his head viciously only to appear as Toulon seconds later.

“Agreed.”

Adon smiled with glee, “Excellent, now just one more thing from you all. You all need to provide your own bodies. Find them and bring them back here to complete, getting them here is all up to you.”

All the puppets found their bodies, sneaking around them, getting them at their most vulnerable to take them over. All succeeded, sundown was about to take over and a full moon was going to fill the sky. All the puppets had brought their vessels to the shop but Blade had taken longer than the others, none of them knew what the gothic puppet was up to. As the others had their bodies being sorted and getting ready, Blade had been filling his empty starvation. Blade had only killed three victims before he snuck into the shop from behind. Blood had been covering the puppets face and trench coat causing him to stink and soaked in innocent peoples blood. He quickly tried cleaning his blood clothes and self by dusting his hat off and putting it back on his head. Blade quietly snuck into the back of the shop without anyone noticing, he gave a sigh as he tried hiding his outstretched knife and hook into his coat sleeves.

As blade turned over before heading into the situation with his heavily dragged human body behind him, he could still feel his hunger for blood hit him again. He wasn’t finished for the night but he wanted to be in the human flesh, all like the others. So he hid the cravings of blood for as long as he could until the transfer was complete.

“Surprised your bring wasn’t as messy Blade, shocked from you. No matter, we can start the transfer,” The seeker started her chant but she started and the other immediately took into their new bodies, Blade stood impatient tapping his hook on the body in a strange pattern motion, trying to keep his starving craving down to a controllable level. The small puppet fought the huge urge as he finally transferred himself to the human body he picked, still feeling hungry for blood and flesh to be digested.

Within a couple minutes everyone in the small shop awoke, rubbing their heads and feeling dizzy. All of them awoke and felt amazing, being in the flesh and bone again. Adon waved her hands in the air,

“Welcome to the world of flesh and bone. You’ll all have little memories of your past selves but nothing too harsh to ruin your new lives.”

Everyone had gotten on their feet, looking at their old puppet selfies on a table.

“What do you want to do with them?”

The seeker smiled, “I know a private collector, I know a couple people that enjoy your work that would love to procure it.”

Dr.Hess grabbed his hat and smirked,

“Well, I say good riddance and you're welcome to them.”

Everyone smiled at each other and reconnected, soon everyone shook hands and waved goodbye to each other. Dr. Hess smiled as he walked off to his small apartment. Once he was there, he pulled out supplies to cook himself dinner. He finished with a hamburger, he took a bite out of it only to get a mouth full of raw meat and maggots in the meat. He immediately spat it out into the kitchen sink and whipped the spit and raw meat off his face.

“Damnit, it’s raw- '' Hess gave a closer look as his long hair covered half his face from spitting it out. The mean wasn’t raw but just slightly still pink in the middle. No maggots or bloody parts, just cooked meat. Hess sighed and drained out the rest from the sink and saved the burger for later, as he wrapped it to put it away he got a strange prickly feeling in his stomach, was painful. He took a couple deep breaths as he held onto the outside of the sink to control his breathing, but the pain got stronger. He slowly glanced at his fridge and quickly pulled out four full packages of raw beef, he ripped them open and sat them at his small dining table and before he grabbed it, he stopped and thought. As he sat down at his table the dr lost control of his hands, shaking violently as he gripped the raw meat with his bare hands and shoved it into his mouth. Only to get sick once he could almost swallow it whole. Hess looked at his hands in disbelief as he had raw meat and blood all over him. His calming and serious nature turned to fear and concern.

“Wh-what?” Hess got up and headed upstairs to his bathroom to wash all the blood off his hands but only to get the burning starving pain in his gut again. But this time he also got a hit of the shivers and his eyes started to water from the pain. “ What’s wrong with me?” As the doctor tried to regain his footing and get a gain on what was going on with him, another sharp pain hit him, the doctor then proceeded to get sick and thick saliva dripped out his mouth. He shook his head, only for the mirror to show the opposite reflection. The reflection showed Hess giving a long distrubed smile at himself, the drool covering his mouth as the raw bloody meat covered some of his clothes. Hess grew scared at his own reflection, he raised his hand to the mirror and whipped his relation to only go back to normal.

He blinked blindly and tried getting himself back down stairs to clean his table, but when he came down flies and the meat began to stink up his kitchen. He covered his nose and quickly grabbed a bag to throw the meat away in.

But he didn’t throw away the meat, Hess sat back down at his small table and looked at the rotten meat that built its stench in the room. The doctor looked away from the mess but then that hard hit of wanting to fill his mouth with the rawness hit him again. He slammed his hands and head down onto the table and shakenly looked at the mess, giving a shaky smile and weary eyes.

It had been several weeks, Hess’s place started to stink of raw meat and gathered with flies. Hess didn’t look like himself, as he didn’t eat anything. His cheeks were sunken in as were his eyes, he looked at if he saw a ghost had taken his soul. And just to think, Hess was able to perform surgeries on people just weeks before.

Hess laid at his table all night long until he awoke in the middle of the night, groggy and nauseous to the head. He rubbed his head only to accidentally prick himself with his head. He looked and noticed a small sharp curved tip bleeding out of his wrist. He tried touching it but it was tender and looked like it was breaking the skin. Hess went back up stairs to his bathroom and got a closer look. His hands were shaky and cold as he looked at the strange wound, Hess then gently tried cleaning it only to have the sharp hook violently shred his wrist and head open. Blood splattered everywhere in the bathroom, Hess jumped back from his own hand and examined it with scared eyes. The hook was decent sized, but when he looked at it, it had ripped the muscle tissue and tore all the nerves in his hand making his hand useless and just a floppy piece of flesh. Blood was squirting all over, the doctor quickly grabbed a pressured sleeve and some thick bandages to keep him from bleeding.

“T-that sh-should do it, ahhhah-“ Hess looked up into the bathroom mirror, his reflection grinning back at him with the newly fresh hook tapping against the glass. It’s grim grew wider as the eyes where this pal was silver white instead of brown.

Hess hesitated and slid to the floor in fear, his head was against the door as he took in deep breaths to calm himself. Just as Hess was about to take another look at his hooked hand, the doorbell was rung.

Hess painfully dragged himself up to go back down stairs and answered. Shooter was right at the door when Hess answered.

“He- woah Hess you look like shit.” Shooter’s voice was low and just in the peak of sounding worried.

Hess gave a nod and shuffled his feet to his kitchen table in pain. He sat back down and looked at the raw meat that was collecting flies at this point.

Shooter leaned against the wall of the kitchen and held his head down after giving a good look to Hess’s sudden sickening looks.

“(Sighs) Listen Hess, I may not know what you used to do when we were, ya know. But it looks to me it dragged its way to this life. I know a sufferer when I see one, and you definitely got that look.”

Hess gave a dead glossy glance, he gave out a long painful sign and rubbed his face.

“I’ve just been feeling…..I don’t know what I’m feeling. It’s only been a month since we all transferred to this new life but……just look at me!” Hess held out his still normal looking hand out but shooter quickly saw Hess’s other hand bandaged and compressed to stop the bleeding, but it was clearly soaked already.

Shooter had a concerned look on his face as he fixed his handkerchief around his neck.

“What happened to your hand Hess?”

Hess looked up at the rotten meat right next to him. His eyes had no more sanity in them but his eyes were lost and in fear. The doctor's eyes gave off this slight silver color as the sunrise hit his face from the kitchen window. He shook his hand, blood dripped down his arm as he gave way to his weak hand.

“You wanna know what happened to my hand? Let me show you….” Hess undid the bandages and blood gushed as he slowly tried taking off his bandaged work. The hook was fully out of his wrist at this point, still shiny as could be but was stained with blood. Hess’s hand was dead flesh just hanging by skin.

He slowly looked at the huge wound with a crooked smile on his face.

Hess got up and pinned the tip of the hook to the table. He didn’t even turn around as he grabbed a huge knife from a cutting board.

Shooter tried stopping him, having all his weight, trying to stop Hess from hurting himself.

“Hess stop! Don’t do this!” Shooter jerked back as Hess gave him a look of an unhinged mental patient. “Y-you need to tell Toulon what’s been going on with you. Now. If this has been going on for a month or more, he needs to know.”

Hess shook his head, “The old man doesn’t know a thing! Ever since he died and we killed McGrew I haven’t been the fucking same! Something happened to me when the old fool got slashed by my hands!”

“Tell him then! Toulon needs to know what’s been going on with this whole thing! You're nuts, you need help.” Shooter cried as he backed away. Hess still kept his gaze, his eyes were a light gray, almost nail- like as he fixed his gaze upon Shooter in the doorway.

Shooter sighed as he left the small home Hess loved. He closed the door behind him, as the door slammed, Hess slammed the knife down and cut his hand off from the hook. Blood stained him and the walls around him. The doctor let out a screaming laugh as he heard his hand hit the floor like dead meat.

He looked at his remaining hand that was now a bloody meat hook. Hess went back into his bathroom upstairs and gave a deeper look at his other hand, a sharp tipped piece of metal had forced itself out of the skin. He bandaged his hand with what he could, but as he looked into the mirror, Hess's roots had turned white. He gave a grown and violently found some expired hair diy. He squeezed the diy onto his roots and let it deeply stain his hair. Dripping down his hair and onto his face. Hess gave a wide grin as he dyed his whole head, drool dripping out of his mouth.

It had been a couple hours, the diy started to stink in Hess's bathroom horribly. He finally washed it out in the sink and it did it’s work on hiding the white hair. Hess looked into the mirror and looked hard, he finally snapped back to himself for once. He gave a confused look as he wiped the spit away from his mouth. His eyes were watery and red, back to a dark brown.

Water dripped down his face, he pulled his eyelids down to see bloodshot eyes and a hint of the white gray color pupils behind it.

Hess jumped back, he rubbed his eyes with the one hand he had left and finished up. Putting on his black trench coat and matching hat, he headed out to the park close by where Toulon and the others were waiting to all reconnect.

Everyone had gathered around a park bench, Toulon and Elsa sat next to each other. Close in hand.

The others came, jester was in a hurry as usual, heading to class.

Everyone got to chat and reconnect again, but Hess still hadn’t showed. Until he shuffled on the path to where all of them sat.

Hess painful day on the other end of the bench, Toulon gave the doctor a horrid worried look.

“Hess, my god…..are you alright.”

Elsa looked over and was in shock to see Hess’s condition. The man didn’t look alive, his cheeks were sunken in, he had huge bags under his eyes and he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days to weeks.

Hess looked around his suffering bubble and smiled at the others who visited him.

The others asked the same thing, and Hess gave his chilling reply,

“I’m fine, yes. Just a little under the weather. But-,” Hess glanced at Toulon, “I need to talk to you privately, now.”

Hess’s glances faded within seconds and he turned his personality back to his old self. “How have you all been?”

All the others were in disbelief, they gave a nervous reply and all had to be on their way. Herman (Pinhead) stayed for a while before Hess and Toulon were alone.

“Looks like you’ve seen better days, Hess. What got you, chicken fever?” Herman chucked. Hess gave a smirk but he quickly gave a sinner smile at Herman just seconds later, creeping him out.

Herman cleared his throat and told he had to be on his way.

Hess, Toulon and Elsa were all on the bench alone. No sound of children playing or people walking dogs. Just chilling silences.

Hess’s trench coat blew in the wind, the doctor looked at the once old master but his eyes weren’t innocent, they had a bright grey white color to them. But as he stared, the wind stopped.

Toulon looked around him but his concern went back to Hess in seconds, Elsa was freaked out to the bone. She held onto her lover.

Hess gave a croak, his voice deeper than before, “We need to talk Master Toulon. It’s urgent.” He smirked as his blonde hair blew into his face. Toulon shook as he held his beloved wife, he agreed and all three of them went back to the home Toulon and Elsa took in.

Hess sat across from Toulon at a small round table as Elsa was in the kitchen.

“What’s wrong Hess?” Toulon asked, still freaked out by the doctor's actions.

Hess grinned as the hat covered most of his face. His hair also covered his thin face.

“Did I ever tell you about the blood issue, Master Toulon?”

Hess looked up to reveal the white glowing eyes again. Bags made his eyes seem endless in sickness and starvation. “Hmmm, maybe I should start from the beginning.” Hess coughed up blood as he tried continuing his sick story.

“I wasn’t finished…….when we all became new fleshy selves, I didn’t finish my assignment.”

“Assignment?……Blade?”

Hess gave a nasty bloody grin, “yeeeeeessssss, master Toulon. Hmm, I’ve had this problem for a while now,” Hess slowly stood only to undo his nasty bloody bandages from his hook. “Ever since we killed our latest master a couple years back, something had taken me. Take my main source of surviving, you see when I slaughtered the old man like a dead sheep something happened……,” Hess looked deeply into the bloody hook and proceeded. “It was blood. Blood had gotten to the best of me. When I sliced the old man into pieces, some of that blood stayed with me. Creating a new source to live besides refilling on elixir every so many years, and now-“

Hess violently slammed his other hand into the table, having the sharp knife shred his hand into beef. The doctor gave out a shrieking laugh. Toulon backed away slowly, seeing his own creation bleeding out of this human body.

The sharp knife from Hess’s hand stabbed the table, making the body Blade took upon stuck and full of intense symptoms, the same symptoms the small puppet experiences every full moon.

Hess gave out a screaming, bloody laugh, his eyes piercing Toulons as the puppet performer slowly grabbed his wife. But as Blade bled out of the human body through laughter and screams, two small puppets had snuck in from Adon’s shop.

Leech woman had peaked from the staircase and grabbed Elsa’s leg as the Decapitron watched from behind. Toulon quickly looked behind only to be stopped by his own creations.

Blade had a smirk and tipped his hat, putting his knife hand in a pocket of his coat. He walks out of the home, only leaving the couple to be silenced by their own screams.

“I told you Master, I’m not finished. Still starving….see you both soon.” Then, Hess closed the door with his meat hooked hand, leaving Toulon and Elsa to die in their home.

The doctor shuffled his feet on the busy street. Passing people and finding an alleyway. He slid down against the wall. Hess looked at what was left of his right hand as it was just a couple pieces of skin and tissue. He picked them off painfully but a strong craving hit him. He could feel his neck crack as well as his ribs.

“Hmm, hah.” Hess glances over in the backside of the Ally to see a pile of dead corpses being loaded into a truck for some sort of science. The small evil puppet inside him couldn’t calm himself. Hess gave a smirk and went mad. His eyes rolled to the back of his head to reveal the whites only. He then rushed to the pile without others noticing, and dug in.

Biting into cold bodies didn’t please Blade enough but, it did the trick for not finishing his own life deed just a month ago. The sun beat down on the human body Blade had taken over, but it wasn’t long for the puppet to say he’d had enough.

Had he gutted and bit into more bodies then three, two small heads peaked out from the outside of the alleyway.

Pinhead came forward, kicking a can to get Blades attention. Tunnelr still kept an eye out.

Blade turned within seconds, the once Dr. Hess’s face was now misshapen and looked like a mad zombie. The eyes were white as his whole mouth was full of blood and organ chunks.

The doctor stopped his nasty cannibal habit and sat against the wall. Having a smile on his face for only a small time. He then started to choke, as he choked to death on blood, a huge mass came bulging out of his throat. The hook and knife had ripped back into the doctor's chest cavity. And within minutes, the hook and knife cut through the throat and out coming from the stretched broken jaw came white hair and two soulless eyes.

Blade let out a scream as blood came flooding out of his mouth as he escaped his once human prison.

The small puppet caught himself before smashing to the ground. He got his hat from still inside the body and slipped it on, making the blood disappear in seconds.

Blade gave a smile, he blinked once and pointed to the bodies. Pinhead shook his head, he stuck up three fingers. Blade focused on Pinhead and snarled, he slowly shook his head and deeply whispered,

“Not yet…only slaughter one....soon.” Blade glanced back at what was once used to be his human body. “Don’t count. I’m stilling going to have to find three more victims to be fully satisfied…..”

Pinhead grabbed Blade's shoulders and shook him, telling him no in the whole non verbal commutation he and the others went by. Blade stepped back and shook his head again, he snarled again but blood spilled out of his mouth. The nails popped out of his eye sockets, his projected a deep hissing sigh. Pinhead retreated and held his head down. Tunnler came over, Blade gave the same response.

Both puppets look at eachother and quickly went back to the hotel, leaving Blade with the bloody corpses.

Taking his hook, Blade popped a gear in his neck as he watched his comrades leave him.

Blade was alone, he took in a deep breath but when he exhaled his ribs started to give the same effect. They cracked and shifted as he stretched out his body for that later night to come. To have room for not just three innocent people, but more…….more than he can take.

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disneyparktournament · 1 year

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Redemption Bracket - Round 2

#disney parks #disney #tumblr contest #tumblr polls #disney world #disneyland resort #haunted mansion #constance hatchaway #dinosaur #dinosaur attraction #countdown to extinction #dinosaur puppet #grant seeker’s puppet

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sapphic-scylla · 3 years

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@the-one-and-only-blake-llewell so this is that OC I was talking about. It’s fairly detailed because I’m a writer but there may be inconsistencies. TW for blood, horror, and mentions of abuse.

Name: Petra Naverrian

Real Name: Anezi Diasea

Nickname: The Heretic

Race: Protector Aasimar

Class: Cleric

Subclass: Blood Domain

Proficiencies: Medicine, Insight

Patron: Nytoria, Goddess of Judgment and Free Will

Alignment: True Neutral

Domain: Life, Balance

Symbol: Four hexagons, top and bottom two with arrows pointing up and down respectively, the other two with stars

Story: A goddess whose power is used to protect or take away mortality’s privilege to control one’s own fate and make choices while punishing those who seek to undermine others and subjugate or mislead the population. The power she grants her chosen are the abilities to elevate and protect others and manipulate, control, and punish the deserving. Believes in balance and that neither good nor evil should rule a generation and that each is required to fuel the destinies and desires of each individual, but those seeking power through greed or control or subjugation will be dealt with in the same manner and will suffer the loss of their own free will. Encourages her followers to protect the weaknesses of those you are loyal to and exploit the weaknesses of those they defy.

Age: 21

Height: 5’6”

Weight: 100 lbs.

Hair: Blonde with a blood red streak, tied in a ponytail

Skin: Pale

Eyes: Heterochromia, one green eye (L), one blood red eye (R)

Fashion: Trench Duster with one sleeve torn above the wrist on the right side, leather armor over a gauze wrap across the breasts and tight black pants, a belt across the waist and a three corner hat

Appearance: Right hand is wrapped in gauze with a blood red tattooed sigil on her wrist, which marks her as a follower of Nytoria and channels her abilities. Under the gauze is a massive slash through her hand that, while she can heal herself, doesn’t go away due to the amount of times she’s used it to fuel her blood magic.

Weapons of Choice: A Saber and her divine gifts

Personality:

The most brutal show-off in the world. Actively loves dueling and can have a bit of an ego. Enjoys her work as a bounty hunter and is a thrill seeker to the bitter end. Has a sense of honor and will always respect a disciplined combatant, but is more than capable of fighting dirty if her enemies don’t fight fair. Has spilled more than her fair share of blood and has no qualms in taking a life unless it's with her blood magic, which invokes her PTSD. Prefers to carefully assess a situation before killing someone and will exhaust every avenue before slitting someone’s throat. Learned from a young age to study and deconstruct people physically and emotionally, so has a very good eye for reading people and emotions as well as knowing the human body very well. Tries to act civil and mature, but has a hard time concealing the childlike persona she carries.

Backstory: Petra was gifted from a young age, blessed with the favor of Nytoria. Nytoria, as the protector goddess of free will, presented her with a small fraction of her divine power in the hopes that Petra would one day protect her friends, loved ones, and perhaps herself from disaster, knowing that this child’s life would not be a happy one.

From the second she could walk, Petra experienced trauma and hate. Her village worshipped Helm, god of protection, believing that he would shield them from suffering. Mistaking Nytoria’s act of patronage and blood red brand on Petra as mistrust and lack of respect from the deity, her parents and the town, stirred up by the High Priest, Morvarian, ordered her death. Petra, being only 5, was defended solely by her older sister, Neraia, who grabbed her and managed to barely escape with their lives into the wilderness.

Neraia, 17 at the time, being a combat specialist due to her time as a soldier taught her how to wield a sword and, as time went on, Petra became an extremely adept duelist. Neraia also was a combat medic, so she also taught Petra about the important parts of the human body and where to heal as well as where to strike. She and Petra came to rely on each other very heavily while continuing to avoid and dodge mercenaries and followers and acolytes sent by the High Priest, mad with this ideal that killing them would lead to favor from Helm.

During her 15th year, Petra and Neraia were separated in a surprise attack by an assassin’s guild. After days of searching, Petra found her sister being held as bait. With a knife to her throat, the main leader slashed Neraia’s throat. Feeling the divine magic well up inside her from seeing her sister’s blood, she channeled Mystra’s gift into puppeting all 3 assassin’s into killing each other through their own blood, her brand glowing a malevolent red. Able to barely save her sister from an agonizing death, Petra healed her and took her to the nearest town, making sure the infirmary nursed her back to health.

Feeling unbelievable remorse and terror at her own power, she ran before her sister came to consciousness. Running into the forest, she took her knife and tried to carve it her own brand only to have it perfectly healed. Trying several times as she cried and blood continued to spill from her arm only to have it healed, Nytoria appeared to her in her usual way, appearing to be a traveler of unknown origin.

“Child, why do you deny your gifts? I have given you strength.”

“I never wanted this. I almost got my sister killed. I killed those people. I put people in danger with this magic. I will pay any price to make this stop, even if it’s with my own blood.”

“My dearest Petra, there is a reason I entrusted you with this magic and why I became your patron. Your path was never meant to be easy. Helm knew of your fate and chose to let it be, so I stepped in. You are capable of great things. Blood is not a product of violence, it symbolizes life and passion. So instead of spilling your own blood, use it to make this world better than you found it.”

Instilled with an odd sense of peace, she returned to the infirmary to find her sister had left in search of her. After looking for days, neither Neraia or Petra could find each other. Using her instincts, Petra started to craft a persona as a mercenary, donning the name that hounded her as a child, the Heretic. Embarking on a quest to come to terms with and become comfortable with her abilities before being able to face her sister again.

After several years and continued harrying by the same High Priest, she continues on her journey, still harrowed by the horror her divine gifts can inflict, but slowly becoming accustomed to it, she continues to gather reputation among the continent while searching for her sister.

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sepublic · 4 years

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Dark Hunter Statuses

In the chaos of the search for the Mask of Life’s fragments, the Brotherhood of Makuta’s assault on the Odina Fortress, as well as the Battle of the Codrex, many Dark Hunters have been involved. As events unfolded, some have died; While others continue to live, and some keep fighting even now. As the organization sees new management underneath Lariska, the question raises- What are the current whereabouts and circumstances of certain Dark Hunters?

The Shadowed One: Deceased; After being betrayed by Darkness for showing weakness, he was eventually slain by his lieutenant Lariska, thereby ending the Battle of the Codrex. Afterwards, his dead body was puppeted by Matoro’s Mask of the Undead, used as a means of escorting the Okotans back to the City of the Mask Makers- Lariska has since bought it from the Okotans for a hefty sum, and now displays the crystallized corpse in her newly-rebuilt throne room.

Lariska: Alive; Is now the new leader of the Dark Hunters, and is restructuring the organization to be more lenient towards its members, while still practical when handling its affairs.

Ancient: Alive; Is serving as second-in-command of the organization as always beneath Lariska.

Airwatcher: Deceased; Killed in the Brotherhood siege on the Odina Fortress.

Amphibax: Alive; Has since rejoined Ehlek’s army and is fighting on behalf of the Barraki.

Charger: Deceased; Electrocuted to death in the Battle of the Codrex.

Conjurer: Alive; Defeated in the Battle of the Codrex, and has since regrouped with the remaining Dark Hunters underneath Lariska.

Darkness: Deceased; Destroyed by the Mask of Life’s destruction.

Devastator: Alive; Is currently imprisoned in the City of the Mask Makers, with his powers disabled by the Mask of Control.

Dweller: Deceased; Eaten alive by Jumala.

Eliminator: Alive; Has regrouped with the Dark Hunters and continues her duties beneath Lariska’s command, although is less active as a punisher and moreso as a general assassin.

Dracax: Deceased; Destroyed by the Elemental Deities during the Invasion of Okoto.

Gatherer: Alive; Is currently undergoing an identity crisis somewhere in Xia.

Gladiator: Alive; Is currently serving as usual beneath Lariska.

Guardian: Alive; Has regrouped with the Dark Hunters and now continues her previous role, but her duties have changed to assassination. She is no longer charged with hunting down defectors, at least not nearly as much, and is now questioning her purpose in life.

Lurker: Deceased; Slain by Pohatu after he used Poison to indiscriminately kill several Xians.

Mimic: Alive; Has defected from the Dark Hunters alongside her lover, Ferri. The two are now living in the City of the Mask Makers, granted special protection by the Okotan Alliance for their contributions towards The Shadowed One’s defeat.

Minion: Deceased; Killed in the Brotherhood siege on the Odina Fortress by Makuta himself.

Phantom: Deceased; Devoured alive by multiple Energy Leeches.

Poison: Alive; Currently operating as usual underneath Lariska’s command.

Primal: Deceased; Sacrificed herself to hold off the Brotherhood siege on the Odina Fortress.

Prototype: Deceased; Accidentally killed by Eliminator. His armor-remains are kept as a keepsake in the rebuilt Odina Fortress.

Ravager: Unknown; Was last seen buried beneath the wreckage of multiple engines from the flying island of Xia.

Savage: Alive; Defeated during the Battle of the Codrex, and is now back with the Dark Hunters and performing missions on Lariska’s orders.

Seeker: Unknown; Was severely damaged during the Battle for the Codrex, but has since disappeared.

Sentrakh: Deceased; Was incinerated into ashes in a Tametru furnace, before those were destroyed as well.

Silence: Alive; Defeated during the Battle of the Codrex, and has since regrouped with the other Dark Hunters underneath Lariska’s command.

Spinner: Alive; Is operating as usual beneath Lariska.

Subterranean: Alive; Has defected from the Dark Hunters and reunited with his family. Him and his family are trying to avoid the vast brunt of the Core War, but Subterranean is already considering siding with the Xian Rebellion at this point.

Tracker: Alive; Is operating as usual beneath Lariska.

Triglax: Alive; Defeated during the Battle of the Codrex, but later regrouped with the other Dark Hunters and now serves Lariska.

Tyrant: Unknown; Was last seen falling off a cliff into the depths of the ocean, swearing vengeance upon Kualus and her Okotan allies.

Vanisher: Unknown; Disappeared during the Brotherhood siege on the Odina Fortress. Honestly, who can keep track of him at this point?

Vengeance: Alive; Defeated during the Battle of the Codrex, and has since defected from the Dark Hunters. He now aids the Xian Rebellion against the Barraki, hoping to take down Mantax in particular for betraying the Lumada Clan.

In addition, the Dark Hunters Zaktan, Hakann, Avak, Vezok, Reidak, and Thok have all defected from the organization. The six have banded together in the hopes of finding the fabled Mask of Light, for whatever purpose.

The Hordika Dragons have survived, although a few are still in recovery after brutal injures from their battles with the Okotans. The Recorder is also still alive. He was disappointed upon hearing of The Shadowed One’s demise; But after being offered new meals by Lariska, he happily attends to her call as the Dark Hunter’s personal scribe.

#bionicle #bionicle rae #dark hunters #the shadowed one #lariska #ancient #sentrakh #zaktan #devastator

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nadziejastar · 4 years

Link

– Considering the conversation between Sora and Ventus in the ending of the Last Episode, is this saying that the “just-born heart” that Ventus connects with in the opening is Sora’s?

Nomura: Yes. At first we supposed that it could be Sora before he was born, but because of opinions from overseas that “the heart doesn’t exist until after birth”, we discarded that portrayal.

Interesting post. I actually do remember when they were referred to as Unbirths in the promotional material. I think the theory from that post is a lot more interesting than the canon explanation where they just come from the negativity in Vanitas after he was split from Ventus. I always thought that was kinda lame, honestly. I didn’t even know that the Magic Mirror was supposed to be an Unversed originally.

BBS and the Dark Seeker Saga is all about the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. So it makes total sense that unversed involved the concept of death/anti-life. Ventus was originally supposed to connect to Sora’s heart before he was born, which probably was supposed to be important. It makes sense for Vanitas and the Unversed/Unbirths to be connected to that. I wish they had kept that idea in. I honestly don’t know why it’s so hard to believe that the heart could exist before birth.

There’s also the unexplored concept of the Void. When Nomura said there’s more to the Unversed than we know, perhaps that was what he meant. Vanitas’s Keylade is called “Void Gear” and the song that plays during his Lingering Will boss fight is called “Enter the Void”. And the way Xemnas says “those who have returned to the void” in the manga does make it sound like the void is where hearts originate from, maybe before birth. And that was probably what Master Xehanort was referring to when he got into that argument with Eraqus.

It was darkness. Just darkness. Well, no, not even darkness.

If Aqua sank into the Realm of Darkness, then where had I been? Did I even exist? I’m sure I… Yeah, I know I existed. But I have no idea where I was. I was imprisoned behind Xehanort, but my consciousness—my heart—was sealed away. So, where was my heart? It wasn’t in the darkness, so maybe it was just in a world of “nothingness”. A world without Darkness or Light. You can’t have light without darkness and you can’t have darkness without light. It was somewhere like that.

I wasn’t asleep like Ven was. It wasn’t the Realm of Sleep—I wasn’t dreaming, I was just in a world of nothingness. And that void became pain and sorrow and anger that rushed over me. All I could do is writhe in its grasp. Maybe that place was like the world where Unversed came from. A void that only takes in grief and suffering. A world where hope and joy could never exist.

The void was like the darkness, but also not. Nothing could spring forth from there. And all I could do in that world is wait. I can no longer remember what I thought, what I did, in that world; I just waited. No, that’s not quite right. I believed. In our promise.

Like Vanitas, Terra has a Lingering Will, too. In Terra’s character file story he talks about how he was in the void and how that was like the world where the Unversed came from. It was not a world of darkness, just a world of nothingness.

“You know, right, because you all have hearts!” Sora said, testing Xigbar. “Axel and Roxas and Naminé, and that other girl. I felt what Roxas felt and…they laughed together, got mad, and they grieved.” The ache in his heart belonged to everyone. “You have to have a heart to cry.”

Xigbar snorted derisively. “It’s about time you noticed.”

All the organization members had hearts. Xigbar took that fact for granted, like it was just obvious.

“Oh, the things you hear from a guy with no heart,” Xigbar said through his hilarity.

“Don’t let us down now, kiddo. Shouldn’t be too much trouble without a heart,” Xigbar told Saïx.

The exception to that was always Saïx. Xigbar knew some secret about him. If Isa’s heart was in the void like Terra’s, that might explain it. Saïx could only feel negative emotions like rage, but he didn’t have a heart. If it’s in the void, the world of nothingness.

When he was recompleted in KH3D, it seemed like MX was controlling him like a puppet, unlike with Xigbar. And then in KH3, it didn’t seem like he had any self-awareness while he was in his berserk state fighting Lea. The only other one who had that blank look was Terra. So, I think those two were probably the only ones who became vessels without any choice or free will. Their hearts weren’t merged with Xehanort’s, it was sent to the void. And unlike with the others, the power of waking would need to be used on them.

Then there’s the Lich. The word “lich” is from Old English meaning “corpse”. It carried the hearts of Sora’s friends through the Sleeping Worlds and its purpose was to usher hearts down to the deepest abyss. Is the abyss the same thing as the void? Is the Lich taking people’s hearts into the void, making it so that they have “died”, giving them an “un-birth” so to speak? Then they can possess the “corpse” that is left behind? The “X” put into the organization’s names means “death” and Nobodies are empty shells, or corpses.

We Keyblade Masters have a special gift. We can extract a heart, be it our own or that of another. By continuing this cycle, it is possible to remain in the world of the living forever.

Master Xehanort adopted a very Lich-like technique.

It seems this body, this name will be my last. The lives I have lived over the ages could fill volumes, but for now, I must focus on what matters most.The Keyblade has been successfully passed down, generation to generation, and it seems a Keyblade Master devoted to the darkness may finally arise. Until now, I have watched over the course of events from a distance. Perhaps the time has come to intervene.

There’s also Luxu and the Master of Masters. We know Luxu has been body hopping, effectively remaining immortal since the time of the Keyblade War. This is very Lich-like behavior, too. I doubt the Master or Master or even Luxu are human.

Saïx: Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts. And yet they know not the true power of what they hold. The rage of the Keyblade releases those hearts. They gather in darkness, masterless and free…until they weave together to make Kingdom Hearts. And when that time comes, we can truly, finally exist.

I still think Saïx was speaking as some kind of non-human entity here, even if he wasn’t aware of it. Whatever entity was possessing him wanted to “truly, finally exist”. Is that what Luxu and/or the MoM were really after?

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theshatteredrose · 4 years

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Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 23 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Whew, sorry for the wait! Still dealing with headaches and migraines, but at least I have an MRI scan on Friday. Hopefully, these headaches will leave me soon so I can get back to writing properly. Moving on, this is the last chapter to this saga. After I finish my short Trails of Mana fic, I will work on a completely original novel. So I hope when I begin, you, my lovely readers, will give it try.

Until then, I hope you’ll enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 23:

The gentle glow of the fireplace was the only source of illumination within the seating room. Night had fallen, the overcast cloudy sky hid the moon’s light. Drayce his guildmates, waiting in anticipation of what their talented scholars had learned through the readings of the documents and scrolls found within the altar that held the Cursed Blade.

He sat on the three-seater couch with Faelen on his left, and Caelem to his right. Zohar stood quietly by the large bay windows as he gazed outside. Blayke sat on the edge of the armchair next to Caelem, seemingly idly watching the flames within the hearth. He was also subtly keeping an eye on Tokala and Salim who sat close to the fire, staying together and keeping warm. Nashoba rested with them, sleeping next to Tokala. Finally, Fiorello rested in a high-back chair, engrossed in a book he was reading.

Runihura and Palash had chosen to stay in their room. Runihura was still recovering from his injuries that Keane had ruthlessly inflicted upon him. And, unsurprisingly, Palash had chosen to stay with him.

And the rest of his guild were in the library.

Finally, they all heard the familiar sounds of footsteps descending the stairs. Footsteps growing louder as they approached.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Kamali stated as he walked into the room with his brother and Ashton.

While Kamali moved to stand by the couch where Faelen sat, Shashi moved to be at the centre of attention. Ashton chose to stay by the room’s entrance, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

“Well, it took a while but we’ve managed to translate the text found within the altar of the Curse Blade. Unfortunately, many of the scrolls were damaged or had faded due to time. And it tells nothing of what had occurred during the Legendary War. But it holds some interesting information regardless,” Shashi explained. In his hands was his trusty notebook. “Ready, Caelem?”

“Yes!” Caelem immediately replied, his enthusiasm barely restrained. “I want to know everything.”

Shashi offered him a small smile as he brought up the notebook and flipped through several of the pages.

“Shall I start with the mysterious figure known as Sorataki? It appears that he was a Therian that was friends with both the Turquoise Lotus Father and his brother, the Blood Lotus Brother. He was considered an oddity of the Therian race for being interested in the teachings of rituals and magic rather than the art of the blade.

But those skills became useful when the brothers learnt of the plot to reawaken the Cursed Blade. With Sorataki’s help, they were able to seal the Cursed Blade away. Also, they placed a spell upon the Shining Lotus so that it would only reveal itself when the Cursed Blade awoke.”

“Awoke?” Blayke questioned, his brow furrowed. “Did the lotus blades have a consciousness?”

“In a sense.” Shashi flipped over a page of his notebook. “Like how the Radiant Moon held devas because of the crystals used, the lotuses held the same.”

Hmmm, that led to the question of where the Cursed Blade got its consciousness. Though, it could be through the use of a sigil or curse. The creator of such a blade certainly didn’t have benign intentions.

Next to him, Faelen raised his hand meekly. “Um, can I ask how could they have known that someone like Caelem would be there to wield the Shining Lotus when the Cursed Blade woke up?”

“Of course he would be there,” Shashi answered somewhat dismissively. “The descendant of the Turquoise Lotus Father would wish to help in any way he could.”

Drayce drew in a breath. That…was quite the discovery!

It took Caelem to fully register what Shashi had just revealed. And when it did, he tensed in his seat in complete surprise. “D-descendant?!”

Shashi uttered a light chuckle as he folded an arm loosely across his chest. “Yes. According to the documents found within the altar, the Shining Lotus would only reveal itself to the one who carries the blood and will of the Turquoise Lotus Father.”

With his eyes still wide in surprise, Caelem slumped back into his seat. Gobsmacked. “That’s…”

“That’s amazing!” Faelen said in delight as he flopped across Drayce’s lap so that he could get closer toward Caelem.

Drayce just chuckled. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised. Though, he did understand Caelem’s surprise completely. He had gone through the exact same thing when he learnt about Aura.

Still perched on the edge of the armchair, a slight frown tugged at Blayke’s lips as he looked over at Caelem. He looked surprisingly worried. “The Turquoise Lotus Father appears to really be your ancestor. What will you do now?”

Caelem didn’t answer. Instead, his expression shifted into a look of contemplation. His gaze drifted down to the floor in front of him. Yet, he didn’t take anything in visually. He was lost to his own thoughts.

Faelen regarded Caelem’s silence with a sense of trepidation. “You’re…not going to head back to your village, are you?” he asked, his ears flattening against his head.

That…was a possibility. Especially since the Shining Lotus was in Caelem’s possession. Drayce hadn’t taken that into consideration, honestly. He…couldn’t really see his guild without Caelem being a part of it.

Though, it was ultimately his choice.

“Masuraos…are to pledge themselves to a worthy cause…” Caelem murmured.

Drayce had heard stories of the loyalty of Masuraos and their pledges to others. Some would dedicate their whole lives for the sake of another. Even if that put their very lives at risk.

He…didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be someone’s soul purpose. Their burden.

Caelem suddenly turned to face him with a sense of determination. “Drayce, I-”

“Wait.” Drayce raised his hand to stop Caelem for just the moment. He had some idea of what he was to say next. “I’ll accept your loyalty and your friendship. But your pledge should come from the heart, and pledge your heart to someone who will return it. That pledge, after all, deserves someone special. Far more special than me.”

Caelem was genuinely startled by Drayce’s reply. And Drayce feared that he may have offended him. But he didn’t want to string him along like that. He deserved to make his own decisions. For his benefit along for the benefit of others.

“…Yes, I understand,” Caelem finally answered as an unexpected flush appeared across his cheeks. “I’ll stay until I find a reason to make that pledge.”

Drayce gave him a smile, honestly relieved. He was sure that the others of their guild were also greatly relieved to hear that. And he was sure that his ancestor, Turquoise Lotus Father, would be happy with that decision, also.

“What of the Cursed Blade, though?” Blayke suddenly asked.

“Ah, yes, there is more information,” Shashi lifted his notebook again but instead of looking at the pages, he glanced over in Drayce’s direction. “Drayce, you said that the Cursed Blade was summoned, yes?”

Drayce nodded as he rested his hand on Faelen’s back, allowing the rover to stay comfortably flopped over his lap. “That’s right. We didn’t know of the altar until after everything had happened.”

Shashi nodded and turned back to his notes. “Then that means, Tokala is the descendant to the Turquoise Lotus Father’s brother, the Blood Lotus Brother.”

Tokala immediately stuttered. “W-what?”

Well, talk another bombshell!

Shashi continued; “The blade is drawn to the blood of the one that wielded it without fully succumbing to the darkness held within the blade. The Blood Lotus Brother was the only one who did not succumb to the darkness, did not become a mindless puppet to the will of the blade. His actions were controlled, but his conscious remained intact.”

He turned to give Tokala his attention. “And you; you also didn’t succumb to the control of the blade. You fought back. Just like the Blood Lotus Brother tried. So, the Cursed Blade was drawn to the one strong enough to wield it successfully. You have a light, innocent heart. The brighter the light, the darker the darkness. To control you fully would grant the Cursed Blade more power. It was also likely wishing to seek revenge against the Blade Brothers who dared to defy its will.”

Silence fell over the room as they waited for Tokala to understand, or at least mentally comprehend what he had just learnt. It was a lot for him to take in.

“Am…am I susceptible to the pull of the Cursed Blade?” Tokala asked softly.

“That is something that the Blood Lotus Brother himself had feared,” Shashi revealed. “Yet, he didn’t. And you didn’t wilfully seek the blade for yourself, did you now?”

Tokala shook his head. “No…”

“Then there is nothing to fear.”

Tokala still looked worried. And pale. Drayce was empathetic and wanted to try to comfort him somehow. “That’s right. Besides, if anything should happen, Caelem will take on the Cursed Blade with ease.” He turned toward the masurao next to him. “Right?”

“Yes,” Caelem immediately replied. No hesitation or reluctance in his voice. “I do not fear having to face the Cursed Blade in battle, should the need arise again.”

Drayce smiled. That wasn’t from bravado, but from confidence. “Then there really is nothing to fear.”

That gave Tokala a bit of comfort and he gave Caelem a small smile. That smile abruptly disappeared as his hand flew up to touch the red gemstone that hung around his neck. “W-wait, my necklace…”

“The Blood Lotus Brother was given the Scarlet Lotus to act as Guardian over the chest that hid the location of both blades. He believed it to be the redemption he needed to rest his soul, and allow his descendants to carry on his legacy.”

Tokala’s hand tightened around the red gemstone of his necklace. “I...really am related to the Blood Lotus Brother?”

Faelen turned his head toward Drayce and gave him a questioning look. “That means that Caelem and Tokala are distantly related, right?”

“Right,” Drayce smiled as he glanced over in Tokala’s direction. “You found a member of your family after all, Tokala.”

Finally, a smile made its way upon his lips. “I really did.”

“Well, that is all the information we managed to gleam from the writing documents,” Shashi finished as he flipped his notebook closed and rested it under his arm.

As the others began to talk amongst themselves, Drayce sat back into his seat and mused to himself. It was a shame they couldn’t learn more about the Turquoise Lotus Father himself, but their previous research had discovered enough. And from what they did learn, he appeared to be a humble therian. He likely didn’t want much known about him. Just the essentials.

His time during the Legendary War was more likely than not extremely painful for him to endure. It would have been, with his brother unwillingly working alongside the notorious Despot himself.

“Drayce.” Ashton uttering his name pulled Drayce from his musings. And as he turned in his direction, Ashton made a quick motion with his head toward the foyer behind him. “A quick word, if you would?

Drayce blinked. “Hm? Sure.”

Faelen slipped off of Drayce’s lap, allowing him to stand up. He quickly shuffled to take his seat so that he could continue to speak with Caelem.

He followed Ashton out into the foyer and over to the entrance way into the dining hall. “What’s up?”

Ashton took a moment to glance over Drayce’s shoulder and into the seating room before shifting his gaze back to him. “Well, there’s something that Shashi and I would like to keep from Caelem and Tokala for now,” he admitted quietly.

Ok, that was a little concerning.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s not so much information, rather a feeling.” Ashton shifted on his feet as he folded his arms across his chest. “The documents don’t mention the name of the one who created the Cursed Blade. Either version of it. Despot was likely to have been the one who ordered the crafting of the first Cursed Blade. But the second? There’s no mention. And this…situation feels unfinished to me.”

…Yeah, it kinda did, didn’t it?

“Keane muttered something,” Drayce admitted, his voice as equally quiet. “He was working for someone else. And Despot was believed to have many loyal generals of his own. You don’t think…?”

If the generals that battled alongside the Legendary Earthlain Dragoon had descendants, who was to say that the generals of the Despot didn’t?

Ashton pressed his lips tightly together, indicating that he had considered the possibility, too. “Perhaps we’re being overly cautious, but…I believe it is a good idea to keep the Shining Lotus here. Caelem is truly the only one who can wield it.”

“I agree.” Drayce was also glad that Caelem had made the decision to stay with them. “It would allow no other. Just like the Radiant Moon, right?”

“More likely than not,” Ashton agreed.

Drayce glanced toward the seating room for a brief moment, watching as Caelem and Tokala interacted with one another. They had grown close. Acting very much like brothers. “Though, in the end, Tokala never learnt why he was seemingly abandoned when he was a child,” he mused aloud.

Ashton shifted on his feet again. Somewhat uncomfortably this time. “This is just speculation,” he started. “But perhaps it was a desperate attempt to keep him safe? A therian was after the Cursed Blade, right? Perhaps a family member of his decided he would be safer with a family of protective pugilists. Sometimes, families do desperate things to protector one of their own.”

Huh…That almost sounded like he knew that from experience.

“That sounds plausible, though that also raises more questions,” Drayce replied, running a hand through his hair. “Still…I’m afraid Tokala will need to be satisfied with the answers he got for now. There is always a possibility that he could learn more about his past somewhere in the future.”

“Very true,” Ashton promptly agreed before he dropped his arms from his chest and gave him a small smile. “Best head back in there. Your guildmates are probably missing you.”

Drayce gave a small laugh. “Right.”

… … … … …

Drayce stood in Caelem’s room and watched as Caelem carefully set about ensuring that the Shining Lotus with its turquoise encrusted sheath sat perfectly balanced upon the wall next to his bed. After he was satisfied, he took a step back to stand next to Drayce, the both of them turning to admiring the ancient blade.

Despite it being over a thousand years old, it was in pristine condition. And very beautiful. The turquoise stones seemed to sparkle with an inner light. And the blade itself was flawless. As if it had been crafted with expert hands just moments ago.

“Is it really ok to keep the Shining Lotus here?” Caelem asked him.

“Yes, I believe so,” Drayce quickly answered. “It looks good on your bedroom wall, don’t you think?”

Caelem nodded. “Yes. And the Cursed Blade is safe in the council treasure vault. And…if anyone should try to steal it, I’ll stop them. Before anyone is hurt.”

Determined and confident, but no arrogance. Caelem was quite the guy, wasn’t he?

“Right. And you won’t have to do it alone. Not when you have guildmates more than willing to help.”

With a smile now gracing his lips, Caelem nodded his head again. “You’re right.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as Caelem continued to gaze upon the Shining Lotus. He was likely musing about all the information he had learnt about his village’s founding father. And how he seemed to be the legendary therian’s descendant.

It was a lot to take in. Drayce knew that well.

Caelem broke the silence with a question. “Is this how you felt when you realised Aura was an ancestor of yours?”

“Proud?” Drayce questioned in return, quickly gaining a nod from the therian beside him. “Yeah.”

“I’ll make him proud.”

“I’m sure you already have.”

Caelem suddenly chuckled. “Hah…”

Drayce tilted his head curiously at him. “Hm?”

“I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to meet you,” Caelem admitted with a light dusting of pink across the bridge of his nose. “Blayke, Faelen, Kamali, Zohar, Shashi, Ashton, Fiorello…Carrying the Moon Legacy was worth it for bringing me to this guild.” He paused, struggling to find the next words. “I’m…happy.”

That…was good to hear. Truly.

“We’re also lucky,” Drayce added. “And happy to have you here.”

A light pink flush appeared on Caelem’s features. Though looking shyly embarrassed, he was happy by the response all the same. “So, what treasure will we discover next?” he asked, somewhat excitedly.

Good question!

“I dunno,” Drayce replied casually. “But its going to fun finding out, right?”

Caelem was definitely enthusiastic in his reply. “Yes!”

Drayce suddenly stilled as realisation hit him in the middle of the forehead. “Ah, before all that, though; we better find those stairs.”

Caelem stiffened, realisation also hitting him abruptly. “Oh, right. I forgot about them.”

The two shared a sheepish look for a drawn-out moment before submitting to a bout of laughter.

Ah, it was fine! After all, their guild was bigger now. And they found the Shining Lotus along with the Cursed Blade, two relics purposely hidden. They were sure to be able to find a set of stairs. No problem.

Third floor to the labyrinth, here they come!

#Etrian Odyssey #etrian odyssey 5 #fanfiction #turquoise lotus father #the treasure seeker #Angelward Guild

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