â„ A Zaros Athaâllin x Reader Story (fem!reader)
â kinda oc? , Zaros is pathetically desperate
â this is my first fanfic so im sorry if its bad or anything like that! iâm not the greatest writer, if there are any mistakes in this I apologize dearly! iâm not the greatest with grammar as well so again, I apologize if there are any mistakes as such! hope you all enjoy reading lovelies!
Hate, was that what he felt for you? No, of course not. He couldnât hate you no matter how hard he tried. You couldnât call it hate when the only thing heâs been thinking about the last eight years was you. You couldnât call it hate when every woman he has fooled around with had at least one similar trait to her.
Zaros couldnât hate you no matter how hard he tried. No matter how much he told himself that he did, he was fooling nobody but himself. He basks in your attention, he yearns for it. Every little remark he made, every teasing comment, every smartass comment he threw over your way just for you to look his way.
Pathetic isnât it? Not being able to fall into a slumber because you canât get the thought of her out of your mind. You consumed him and his thoughts back then and still til now.
He was doing fine, he was doing perfectly fine without seeing you for the last eight years and now you just had to make an appearance back into his life. Seeing you again after all these years ignited something inside him, something only she could ignite. You set him off once again.
And now he found himself heading over to where you were. God, you looked ethereal in such light. The moon shining upon you only enhanced your beauty. It took every cell in his body not to run up to you and kiss you right then and there. God, what had you done to him? This was worse than any poison, you were like fine wine and he couldnât stay away from you, addicted.
He positioned himself right beside you, eyes locked onto your figure. His mouth parted ever so slightly to say something but nothing could escape his lips.
He hated you, right? He hated how easily you could rile him up. He hated how stubborn you were. He hated the way you made him feel. He hated everything about you, except he didnât. He carved every bit of you, fuck he even dreamt of you. He was so pathetically in love with you it was almost embarrassing.
âI hate you.â He let out breathily, his heart beating in his chest, loud enough for the whole kingdom of Serulla to hear. âGod, I hate you.â He whispered out once again, his fists clenching as he gulped down the lump that formed in his throat.
âYou make it known, Sarl Zaros.â You replied with a hint of mock in your voice. That same grin on your face, the one he oh so hated. He watched as you turned your back on him and walked away. Your figure disappearing into the distance painfully slow.
Zarosâs fists only hardened at hearing your remark. You were toying with him, playing him like a fiddle and he had no problem with it. After all, you had him wrapped around your fingers, you always have. God, he hated how easily vulnerable he became around you. âFuck..â Zaros cursed under his breath as he stared out in the direction you left off to.
Zaros glanced around his surroundings, his fists unclenched as the fell down to his sides. And that was when he began running towards you, like he always did.
After all, you were fine wine and he was addicted.
speculative fiction writers i am going to give you a really urgent piece of advice: don't say numbers. don't give your readers any numbers. how heavy is the sword? lots. how old is that city? plenty. how big is the fort? massive. how fast is the spaceship? not very, it's secondhand.
the minute you say a number your readers can check your math and you cannot do math better than your most autistic critic. i guarantee. don't let your readers do any math. when did something happen? awhile ago. how many bullets can that gun fire? trick question, it shoots lasers, and it shoots em HARD.
you are lying to people for fun. if you let them do math at you the lie collapses and it's no fun anymore.
âAudric! Your problem is with me..Let them go!!â
Xanthus screamed straining against the chains that bound him. Him and Dontis had been stuck in this room for a day maybe more. Love had gone with Audric and he could feel your panic, your pain and torment, thru the bond.
âPleaseâŠâ he begged barely above a whisper.
âThey can feel what you feel Xanthus, you need to calm downâŠ.â
âAND I CAN FEEL WHAT BEING DONE TO THEM!!âŠ.you have no ideaâŠ.the bondâŠ..I can feel it breaking.â
Tears start to stream down his face. âFUCK!!!!â he strains against the chains yet again.
âOh do lighten up will you..â the door creaks on its hinges as Audric calmly walks forward, hands behind his back.
An almost feral noise leaves Xanthus lips.
âI will kill you.â
âOhh now see you already tried that and look where that left you.â He smirks as he stops just out of reach. âBesides, I have a gift for youâŠâ hands covered in blood come from behind his back as he places a bloody pile in front of Xanthusâs feet.
A human heart.
âHave you felt it yet?â Licking the blood of his fingers. âit takes a minute for the heart to stop beating but I wanted to see how long the bond lasted after death, thought I should take notes.â
Xanthus couldnât breathe, the world was ending. He could barely hear Audrics laughter, barely hear anything at all except for the ringing in his ears and the numbness that spread from his chest to his head. Thrashing against the chains that were wrapped around him.
âNow tell me Xanthus, how does it feel to lose the one thing in life worth living for??âŠ.this is for my notes after all, so please use complete sentences and talk slowly.â
When I was a kid, we moved into a house that had a huge lilac tree out front. It was mostly rotten, and it needed to be taken down before it fell. It took a while, but eventually, it was gone.
Mostly. A couple years later, little lilac babies popped out of the ground in its place. My mom was determined to get rid of them, because she'd planted a beautiful flower garden there, and the lilac trees would overshadow and kill the whole garden. I insisted on saving at least a few saplings. She said fine, but I had to dig them out and put them in pots myself.
So, I did. I spent days digging little lilac bushes out of the ground and putting them into pots. Some couldn't be saved, but some could. When all was said and done, I had five brand-new lilac saplings. Seven or eight years old, and it was my absolute pride and joy.
Three died due to sun scorching, severe drought that no amount of watering could save, and perhaps just being moved from their place in the ground. But two survived, and I was awfully proud of them! I'd go out and talk to them every single day. I watered them by hand and made sure they were fertilized properly. I learned all about their favored environments, and I was determined to make sure they lived.
One of my mom's friends saw what I was doing with the lilacs. She asked if she could have one to put in her backyard, and I agreed on the condition that she take very, very good care of it.
It's now fucking enormous. I'm talking ten feet tall and bursting with beautiful purple flowers every spring. My mom still gets updates each year as they start to bloom, which she forwards to me. And all I can think is, "That's my friend! Thriving some twenty years on, there it is."
The other tree nearly died, too. It lived in a pot for far, far too long. I wanted to plant it somewhere in my parents' yard, but my mom was reluctant. Eventually, we agreed to put it in the far back garden. It grew okay for many years, despite the shade, but in all these years, it's never bloomed.
Last year, the massive tree casting massive shadows over the lilac and the garden cracked in half and fell. It tumbled into the garden, crushing part of the nearby shed and destroying a few plants beneath it.
It missed my lilac by inches.
The clean-up is long done. The rest of the tree has been cut down, and my lilac has full sunlight for the first time in fifteen years. It won't bloom this year, I know. But it's got new shoots up. It's taller than ever. I spent half an hour a few weeks ago praising it for surviving all this time, dreaming about its future and telling it how I believe it'll become the tall beauty it's always been meant to be.
Despite the annoyance you initially felt at having Zaros around in your home, you eventually grew to like having company in the library. It was your favorite place in the entire palace. The high-reaching bookshelves filled to the brim with ancient knowledge and hidden gems gave it the soothing air of your personal paradise.Â
You had always excelled at theoretics, partly because you spend the majority of your time leafing through these books, reading the wisdom penned on their pages. Perhaps it was a privilege of your upbringing that you were so free in exploring these treasures of great minds while the world around you was stuck in the daily grind, hurrying through the day with scarcely enough time to even look up at the sky and appreciate the stars.Â
It was no wonder that the library was empty most of the time. Nobody besides you had the time to study its contents leisurely, but now that Zaros was here â adamant to catch up on the years he, too, had neglected the complicated world of theory to focus on the reality around him â you had found a companion who shared your passion for knowledge.Â
In a mockery of your usually elaborate debates, he liked to bounce ideas off of you, asking your opinion on the subject he had just read about or simply anything that it had prompted him to think about â foreign policy, tradition and modernism, art movements, poetry, Serullian values, the social system, the noble families â which in turn, caused you to examine your beliefs more closely when you defended them against Zarosâ naturally differing ones.
The constant bickering and teasing did not annoy you as much anymore. It had been years since you had last seen Zaros, so it took time to get used to being constantly challenged once more. Still, there were instances where he got your blood boiling with just a casual comment or a particular tone of voice.Â
He knew you well. That was the problem.Â
He knew what to say to get you to scowl. He knew what got you to react in a certain way, and although you tried desperately not to lose yourself to the person he brought out in you â it had been years, after all. You had changed; you had grown despite him still looking at you as if barely a day had gone past â some things never changed, and Zaros latched onto those, riling you up until you became who he saw you to be.
Your teases had brought you closer together again. The preparation for the trials, the debates, the endless hours spent together in the library â it had all accumulated to a tension none of you could ignore anymore. It felt as if the air between you was laden, the tension rising and rising. You had read in one of the books on natural science that it discharged through a spark, and you felt it break through when you crashed your lips to his.Â
Zaros reciprocated the kiss immediately, wrapping his arms around your waist to pull you closer. You could feel his smirk, the fondness in his caresses as he ran his hands over your back and shoulders before cupping your face and deepening the kiss. It left you breathless. You melted under his touch as he cradled your head and kissed you senseless.Â
Distantly, you realized the swaying steps you both were making. Zaros led you backward until your back hit the lavish wooden door to your chambers. He made no move to open it, instead raising his hand to the back of your head and kissing you against the door. You grasped his sherwani as he deepened the kiss, your trapped position giving him all the advantages as he took his time exploring your mouth.Â
âZaros,â you murmured when he pulled away, tilting your head upward to have better access to your neck, ânot in the hallway. Someone could see.â
âLet them look,â he answered calmly, latching his lips to your neck and nibbling gently.Â
You stifled a moan, your thought process momentarily lost as the feeling of Zarosâ lips on the tender flesh of your neck had you shivering. The reaction he could elicit from you made him smile against your skin. He loved watching you unravel. He could not wait to see you fall apart in his arms.Â
Using the moment of brief respite, your hand shot out to grab the door handle, making both of you stubble into your chambers as the door at your back moved inward.Â
You dragged Zaros inside fully, shutting the door again, this time trapping him against the wood with a passionate kiss. He hummed in surprise at the unexpected fire in it, wrapping his arms around your neck a moment later as you swiftly turned the key. You moved your hands to grasp his shoulders, pressing him against the surface, the breathy chuckle escaping him telling you how much he enjoyed it.Â
âIâve been dreaming of this,â he breathed genuinely, gaze never wavering from yours as he brushed a hand through your hair. Your lips parted in a silent gasp. Reality was catching up with you.Â
The vulnerability of his admission had you shifting on the spot, suddenly entirely out of your depth. You had never done this before, and having Zaros here, so close to you, anticipating something you did not entirely know how to give him, made you nervous.Â
You averted your gaze, loosening his arms around your neck as you backed away slightly, fiddling with your garments as you anxiously wondered how to proceed.Â
Zaros chuckled, your nerves drowning out the fondness of his laugh, your shifting eyes shying away from him, hiding the expression of patient adoration in his eyes. To you, he sounded mocking, condescendingly ridiculing you as he said, âI suppose youâve not had much practice. Donât worry, I will take careââÂ
âI canât afford to be the slut of Serulla now, can I?â you spat at him, angry and embarrassed at the fat that Zaros could see through you so effortlessly.Â
Your deepest insecurities were laid bare for him because he knew you inside out, and you loathed that it was so easy for him to find the chips in your armor and leave you barren and defenseless. Lashing out was your default reaction, a defense mechanism that you had never managed to learn how to suppress, and you knew just as well where to strike to make him hurt, although he had more tact in hiding it.Â
Zarosâ smile dropped, hurt shining in his eyes as his gaze searched yours, trying to understand what he had done wrong to turn your gentle affection back into burning acid.
âI have an image to uphold, after all. Unlike you, you Leech!â you finished, relishing Zarosâ flinch at the spiteful nickname.Â
He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath to collect himself before tightening his jaw and swallowing his bitter disappointment. He should have known. You would always look down on him, seeing him as nothing but a pawn in your game, a tool to use to further yourself.Â
It hurt, having the person he loved most in the world â ironic since you despised him so â look at him as if he were worth less than the dust accumulating on your precious books.
Still, if this is what you wanted for your own gain, if this was what you needed â the reason you had kissed him in the hallway, the purpose behind drawing him into your chambers â if you wanted to take advantage of him being at your disposal, willing to give you pleasure as the slut you saw him as, he would indulge both you and himself just this once.Â
He had imagined it often enough, making you moan and writhe in ways you never had as he applied all his superior experience to take you apart before piecing you back together again. In his fantasies, you had looked at him with a gaze drenched in love, and Zaros silently steeled his heart against the disdain he expected to see instead.Â
Your eyes widened when you saw Zaros fall to his knees, looking up at you with a muted smirk. âIf you wanted me on my knees, Earis,â he said, hands reaching up to caress your thighs, âall you had to do was ask.â You took a step back in shock. His hands fell back to his sides as he narrowed his eyes at you quizzically.Â
âWhat are you doing?â you asked shakily, scoffing at him kneeling before you. âGet up, who do you think I am?â You reached out a hand. Zaros eyed it wearily for a moment before accepting it, allowing you to pull him to his feet again.Â
âI donât understand what you want from me,â he said quietly, staring at your joined hands. You sighed, interlocking your fingers as you followed his gaze.Â
âIâm sorry,â you said, squeezing his hand, âIâ I never meant to insult you, it justâ I canât stand it when you mock meâ I canât change my circumstances! What do you expect? Do you think Iâve ever found someone I trust enough to be completely vulnerable around? How could I?â
Zaros sighed, pulling you into a hug. He could feel your thundering heartbeat against his chest. âI wasnât mocking you,â he said, âI was simply stating facts. I would never hold this against you.â
âIâm sorry,â you said, burying your face in his neck and wrapping your free arm around him to pull him closer, âIâ thereâs nothing wrong withâ uhââ
âBeing a slut?â he asked, drawing back to raise an eyebrow at you. âOr would you prefer to call me a whore instead? How about a leech?âÂ
âZarosââ
âIâve been called worse, you know,â he said, brushing some wayward strands of hair out of your face, âbut it still hurts when you say that to me.âÂ
You gaped at him, slowly understanding how deep Zarosâ affection for you ran. You opened your mouth, but the words were stuck in your throat as you gazed at him. Could it beâ?
âI will only ask this onceââ Zaros began, needing to know what game you were playing with him, needing to understand what it was you wanted from him.
Your choked muttering caught him off an instant later, âDo you love me?â
He inhaled sharply, your hand on his back keeping him from backing away. You looked at him intensely. Zaros bit his lip, avoiding your gaze. âTechnically, you should answer my question first,â he said. You tilted his head up, forcing him to look into your eyes. They were pleading with him, and despite everything, he never had the power to deny you. âYes,â he whispered, quietly enough that you could have imagined it.Â
It only took a heartbeat for you to kiss him again, pouring all the desperation and yearning of your heart into it, willing him to understand that you felt the same, that you always had â that he was the only person in this kingdom you trusted enough to see all of you.Â
He hesitated when you began pulling him towards the bed. The cozy blankets and puffed-up pillows adorning it looked inviting to sink into. âAre you sure?â he asked, remembering your previous nervousness. âWe donât have to. Not right now, not ever, if you donât want to. There is no pressure.â
âYes,â you answered, tugging him forward again. This time, he complied, following you to the bed until you stood at the edge of the mattress, Zaros in front of you. âIâ uh,â you stuttered, feeling your cheeks burning from embarrassment, âI donât know how toâ what toâ umââ
He smiled at you, careful not to betray how cute you were right now, bashfully flickering your eyes to him before averting your gaze again. You were adorable. âThere is no right way to do this,â he said, caressing your cheek to put you more at ease, âwe can do what we want, how we want it. There are no guidelines. Anything youâre comfortable with, or what you would like to try, what you would like me to do to youâ â he added, leaning closer to your ear to tease you some more â âwe can do.â
âWhat would you like to do?â you asked instead, easing into the situation and fighting your nervousness by running your hands up and down his chest. Zaros sighed contently, reassuring you enough to free the top buttons of his sherwani.
âIâm open for anything,â he said, taking your hand and pressing a tender kiss against your palm, âbut I suggest going slow. How about you get comfortable on the bed, hm? Iâll take care of you.â
You scrambled to obey, sinking into the soft mattress of your bed and looking up at Zaros, his chest now bare as he discarded his clothes to the side of the bed before joining you. He took his time, patiently adding your clothes to his on the floor, stripping you naked with kisses and caresses that had you melting under him, entirely forgetting about your anxieties as Zaros occupied every thought in your head.
âHow are you feeling?â he asked, stopping his trail of kisses down your stomach to look up at you. The softness in his eyes made your heart stutter for a moment, and you realized that Zaros â dashing, humorous, intelligent, kind Zaros â was the gentlest lover anyone could ask for. âEaris? Do you want to stop?â
You shook your head, not trusting your voice enough to keep steady when he looked at you like that.Â
He chuckled, pressing his lips to your lower stomach. âUse your words, my heart.â His hands brushed over your hips, angling your legs as he knelt between them. âDo you want to continue?â he asked, propping himself up to look down at you, his face only a few inches from yours.Â
âYes,â you breathed, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. You could feel him smile against your lips, a soft moan escaping him as you tangled your hand in his hair.
You felt his cock brush your entrance as he moved against you, making you gasp. âIâll go slow,â he reassured you, waiting for your mutter of compliance before beginning to ease himself into you with languid thrusts.Â
Your arms around him tightened at the stretch, the feeling of being filled a new sensation that had your head spinning with how good it felt. âZarosââ you choked, sinking your nails into his back when he stopped moving, having entered you fully. âDonât stop, keep going.â
âRelax,â he murmured, panting as you gripped his cock so tightly, he worried he would come undone in an instant.Â
Honoring your wish, he started slowly thrusting again, patiently dragging his cock in and out of you, making sure you felt every movement, every minuscule throb, to the fullest.Â
He wanted to build your pleasure up slowly, making sure you felt content and loved as he took his time to get you to the brink, only quickening his thrusts when you urged him on, telling him to go faster as you scratched his back, kissing him to muffle the moans tumbling from your lips.Â
âIââ you gasped, holding onto him tighter as you clenched around him.Â
The feeling had him hissing in pleasure, snapping his eyes up to look at you and memorize the blissed out expression on your face. A moan escaped him at the sight of your glazed-over eyes and heaving chest, clearly about to come. âLet go. Iâve got you,â he reassured you, feeling his own pleasure intensifying as your eyes rolled back, falling apart under him with a shudder.Â
He came a moment later, kissing you sweetly as he prolonged your pleasure for as long as he could until you were shaking from overstimulation.Â
âThat wasââ you began after Zaros laid down beside you with a breathless sigh of contentment. âWow,â you finished lamely, feeling his arms snake around your waist before pulling you into his side.Â
He chuckled, angling his head to place a kiss on your forehead. âEloquently put,â he teased, kissing you to stifle the retaliation already at the tip of your tongue. âAnd I agree,â he continued before you had a chance to interrupt him, âI enjoyed this very much. Is there anything you need? Iâd like to feel you close for a moment longer.â
You shifted your head to lay on his chest, looking up at Zaros with an expression of pure love and infinite appreciation. âThank you,â you mumbled, giving him a sleepy smile. He felt his heartbeat picking up, cheeks reddening at your lovestruck expression. It was so much better than he could have ever dreamed of.Â
forever thinking about how sukuna considers your assassination attempts foreplayâŠ.but he does take it personally if youâre not doing it yourself. donât send someone else to stab him or poison his foodâŠ.you guys are in a committed relationshipâŠ
Synopsis: Xanthus always swore he never wanted to indulge himself in warm feelings such as love, until the incubus manages to charm the vampire.
By Oda
The iron smell of cages rattle in Dontisâs head, heâs been here for a while, sighing against the dark wall, wondering if heâll ever manage to find a way out. Which it always does, but the situation seems bleak. He looks around to the windows shining a shred of light into the cells.
But, suddenly, the cells start shuddering and shuffling, the other mythics locked up look around in confusion. Small sighs and gasps can be heard around the rows of cages, echoing through the halls.
Dontis runs up to the cell bars, the ginormous double doors open, light, cool air flows through, and from afar, he could see a thin but built blond man with blood on his face, Ruby eyes that could catch the hearts of anyone, a cold but expression full of Justice. Dontis holds his breath. He could smell the seducing bloodlust from a mile away.
Thatâs when he met his first unexpected bond, Xanthus Claiborne.
After Xanthus freed everyone, he finally got to Dontis, unlocking the cell doors, Dontis stared at his face and his slight smile. Heâs felt love many times, and appreciation, but towards a vampire? It couldnât be put into words. He said while running out,
âHey, thanks for freeing me, vampire!â
Xanthus yells back, turning around to face him,
âDonât thank me! run over here! Youâll be safe!â
âYouâll be safeâ what an odd thing to hear from a vampire with such bloodlust.
After they all got to a place where no one could see them, everyone ran in their different directions after Xanthus made sure they were indebted to him, only dontis stayed.
Xanthus said, looking straight at him. âWhy are you still here? You can leave, you know.â
Dontis perked up, âI am aware, I just.. wanted to get to know you better, you did save my life. You seem very interesting to me, Xanthus, I want to see whatâs ahead.â
He said as he smiled softly, green eyes looking loving and kind.
Xanthus' face softened, and raised his eyebrows. He smiled back.
âHow curious, then, I guess Iâll entertain you. What was your name again?â
Even though the vampire knew his name due to him looking at all the records before feeling them, he wanted to see what Dontis would say.
Dontis paused for a second, and he said,
âI am Dontis, but Iâll guess that you already knew that, Claiborne.â
Xanthus swore that this guy couldnât be an incubus. Catching his gasp with his pride, he chuckled and nodded.
After a couple days or so, they meet up at the bayside, the ocean waves pounding against the wood of the walkway they stood upon. It was barely sunrise, but it was safer than being there midday with everyone around. Theyâve been talking here and there, ever since dontis got released, heâs been growing more fascinating to Xanthus,
Sometimes the vampire's thoughts would be filled with him, and he hated it. Not wanting to get charmed.
âWhy are we here, Dontis?â He asked, in a cold tone, while looking at the sea.
âI donât know, really, donât you just want to admire the bayside sometimes?â
Xanthus chuckled, he never thought about seeing nature with someone else. Especially an incubus, or someone he thinks about often, or someone he thinks is interesting, has a cute face, his scent drives him crazy at any time of day⊠you get the point.
Dontis cut through his thoughts with his smooth voice while half laughing, âWhat? Nature is nice when you're with someone else.â
âIâve never felt so safe with another mythic in a long time.â Xanthus suddenly said, and his eyes widened, realizing what he just said.
Dontis' lips parted, looking like he wanted to say something. Xanthus looked gorgeous, his hair slightly floating in the wind, a smile on his face, the jewelry on him, his wide eyes that made his soul warm.
âYou know, honestly me too.â
A few silent moments went by, of them walking along, seeing the ocean waves wash against the wooden bridge. The cool air made their hair slightly flow in the other direction, everyone was gone, it was just them.
An incubus and a vampire, wait, no, two people just reconnecting trying to figure out if their love is real.
Every single night, The taller man thought of that day, when he met Xanthus, it was unique, different. Xanthus felt a warm, electric feeling with a tinge of safety, he hasnât felt that in a long time. Both of them havenât.
The two mythics needed someone to feel safe with, to laugh with, and to relate with, without being used or threatened.
Dontis, always used for his kindness and comfort.
Xanthus, always threatened for an âuncontrollableâ bloodlust his kind had.
Both of them understood.
They had both walked to the Ferris wheel, near the ocean, basking in each otherâs presence.
âIt seems weâve made it.â Dontis chuckled
Xanthus looked over, âMade it to what?â
Dontis looked over with loving eyes, âTo a new beginning.â
Xanthus sighed. âIâm assuming that you're using one of your charms on me.â
Dontis laughed, âYou know I don't do that to you, Xanny.â
Xanny? The name was silly, but it made the vampire's heart fill with an embarrassingly electric feeling.
âDonât call me that.â Xanthus turned away.
The taller man reached out to hold the blond haired man's hand. Xanthus looked at his hand for a second. Sighed, and took his hand, laying his head on Dontisâs shoulder.
They could both hear each other's heartbeats. They were slow, but it seemed like they felt safe for the first time being a mythic.
The vampire and the incubus spent years together, kissing each other, holding each other, both attending to their normal lives, but every few moments. They both thought of each other.
Xanthus makes his way to you, holding a bouquet of peonies, with a beautiful pink ribbon tied around it.
âI had to go the shop as soon as they opened. Who knew peonies sell out so quick?,â he says sitting down beside you on the grass.
âYou know Iâve always seen you in them. Theyâre very beautiful, I get why you like them. Iâm thinking of planting them in our garden this summer. What do you think?â He asks.
âDo you like them? Iâve picked them out myselfâŠIâve even written the letter myself hoping youâd read it,â he says placing the bouquet down with a defeated sigh.
âSpeak to me. Iâm starting to forget what you sound like,â he pleads, his voice cracking as he speaks.
âIs it because of the flowers? Are they not good enough? Iâll change them for you, Iâll get you Jasmines, how about that? Or orchids? Tulips? Lillies? Anything you want just pleaseâŠlet me hear your voice one more time.â
His eyes began to swell as he turned to you, tears falling onto your tombstone.
Xanthus makes his way to you, holding a bouquet of peonies, with a beautiful pink ribbon tied around it.
âI had to go the shop as soon as they opened. Who knew peonies sell out so quick?,â he says sitting down beside you on the grass.
âYou know Iâve always seen you in them. Theyâre very beautiful, I get why you like them. Iâm thinking of planting them in our garden this summer. What do you think?â He asks.
âDo you like them? Iâve picked them out myselfâŠIâve even written the letter myself hoping youâd read it,â he says placing the bouquet down with a defeated sigh.
âSpeak to me. Iâm starting to forget what you sound like,â he pleads, his voice cracking as he speaks.
âIs it because of the flowers? Are they not good enough? Iâll change them for you, Iâll get you Jasmines, how about that? Or orchids? Tulips? Lillies? Anything you want just pleaseâŠlet me hear your voice one more time.â
His eyes began to swell as he turned to you, tears falling onto your tombstone.
if youâre ever in the position to choose between giving up and accepting defeat, and actually trying to fight the ancient unkillable god that is about to peel apart reality like a string cheese, remember this: scientifically speaking, you might as well give it a shot!
1.there were trees at the beginning of the world! there were trees so long ago that they predate bacteria that causes wood to decay. when a tree fell, it would lie there in stasis and there wasnât any way of breaking down wood xylem on a molecular level in that way.
2. it seems obvious to say, but wood eating bacteria are literally incapable of comprehending what theyâre breaking down. Itâs just not information conciously available to a microorganism. they donât know what theyâre deconstructing, where it came from, bacteria have no way to even fathom the existence of a tree as a concept.
3. Regardless of the facts above, the world we live in today is a world where wood inevitably decomposes
it is worth fighting the unkillable god no matter how pointless it seems. it is worth taking the risk even though youre trying to accomplish something impossible. the reality in which you live was also once reality in which trees didnât rot. You live in a reality that allows for existence before the possibility of destruction. you live in a reality where uncomprehending microbes break down matter that is so far beyond the scope of their comprehension that it feels comical to specify something so obvious. you live in a reality that occasionally allows unshakeable physical truths to be altered with no warning.
It is worth fighting the unkillable god because trees are so old they predate the source of their destruction, and it still did not spare them. It is worth fighting the unkillable god because bacteria rots unthinkingly, because there is room in our cosmos for destruction without comprehension on the part of the destroyer. It is worth fighting the unkillable god because now and then reality retracts the promise of immortality without fanfare, and when that happens there is no mercy for the ancient. the unmaking is not softer for the desecrators ignorance. for all things, existence is endless until the exact point where it ends.
so you might as well try to kill the unkillable god. it doesnât seem likely, but at the beginning of the world, trees didnât rot. so you never know! you never know
âAudric! Your problem is with me..Let them go!!â
Xanthus screamed straining against the chains that bound him. Him and Dontis had been stuck in this room for a day maybe more. Love had gone with Audric and he could feel your panic, your pain and torment, thru the bond.
âPleaseâŠâ he begged barely above a whisper.
âThey can feel what you feel Xanthus, you need to calm downâŠ.â
âAND I CAN FEEL WHAT BEING DONE TO THEM!!âŠ.you have no ideaâŠ.the bondâŠ..I can feel it breaking.â
Tears start to stream down his face. âFUCK!!!!â he strains against the chains yet again.
âOh do lighten up will you..â the door creaks on its hinges as Audric calmly walks forward, hands behind his back.
An almost feral noise leaves Xanthus lips.
âI will kill you.â
âOhh now see you already tried that and look where that left you.â He smirks as he stops just out of reach. âBesides, I have a gift for youâŠâ hands covered in blood come from behind his back as he places a bloody pile in front of Xanthusâs feet.
A human heart.
âHave you felt it yet?â Licking the blood of his fingers. âit takes a minute for the heart to stop beating but I wanted to see how long the bond lasted after death, thought I should take notes.â
Xanthus couldnât breathe, the world was ending. He could barely hear Audrics laughter, barely hear anything at all except for the ringing in his ears and the numbness that spread from his chest to his head. Thrashing against the chains that were wrapped around him.
âNow tell me Xanthus, how does it feel to lose the one thing in life worth living for??âŠ.this is for my notes after all, so please use complete sentences and talk slowly.â
if a supervillain said "you wont kill me thatd make you just like me" i would simply say "no it wouldnt id be saving millions of people" and the villain would say "but youd be dooming yourself. could you really live knowing youre a killer" and id say "well id certainly have trouble. ill probably be very sad about it. definitely a lot to unpack" and theyd say "so you wont do it" and id say "oh no im still gonna" and theyd say "what" and id say "youre a supervillain responsible for countless deaths and yet here you are desperately trying to bargain for your life. you want to live. which means you can easily live with yourself after being responsible for countless deaths. i, on the other hand, will at the very least have tremendous difficulty with even killing just one person and at worst might just jump out a window right after i do it. the very nature of this whole conversation about whether we are the same has proven to me we are very much not the same and i am certain killing you to save millions is the morally correct decision here" and theyd say "what" and id say "get killed idiot"
