#dark themes.

[the-enchanted-archivist]

While I'm banging my head against a wall to try to get the synopsis of Switched done and the dialogue for the next Dark Tides post right, here's something to think about.

(Warning: This is a pretty dark entry, including murder/attempted murder.)

This could happen either during the initial stretch of time or when you've awoken during his crusader days, as he transitions into his Belos persona, but no one recognizes him without his robes and mask. (You're also probably still getting over the glow-up he got through age and the fact that he can now do magic without issues XD) You may not have even been aware that he wore a mask or had been crusading during that time. Your awakening was timed to happen when he was in between Grimwalkers.

You and Philip arrive in a town while looking for Galdur Stones for an "experiment" of his, just in time to hear the local leadership try to put to rest rumors of a serial killer in their midst. When you ask one of the townsfolk, a male witch, why everyone thought there was a serial killer, you're told that all of the victims have the same traits... that you happen to match. And he said this within Philip's earshot. And now you have to deal with him being overprotective and hyper vigilant.

Great. You were already having issues lately with him not getting enough sleep because he wants to continue working on whatever, and now he refuses to do so, citing a "valid reason." Your safety. He still needed the Galdur Stones, so you couldn't just leave immediately, either, as much as he wanted to.

You stay in the town for a week, trying to locate the stones, and two other murders happen practically under your nose. Philip has no interest in solving the murders, and when you point out that in doing so it would, in turn, "keep you safe." He counters with the fact that chasing after a serial killer who had an issue with how you looked would only put you in more danger since it would take you as bait to lure them out, and the killer most likely would have access to magic to subdue you. As much as it irritated you, you couldn't argue with that logic. So, you get baby-leashed to him, leaving you alone as little as possible.

It happened during one of those brief moments in a room the two of you had been sharing. Philip had begrudgingly agreed to help someone at your suggestion since you wanted a moment to yourself. Philip had just stepped out of your line of sight when you were attacked. You recognized the person as the witch who had given you information about the other victims. He had been closer to you than you realized. During the struggle, the door had been sealed shut with magic to stop someone coming in, and you could hear that Philip had returned and was on the other side, desperately trying to force the door open to get to you.

Time felt like it had slowed immensely. The killer pinned you down, and, as you stared up, wide-eyed with fear, you saw your entire life flash before your eyes. Everything up until that point... Your childhood. Your family. Your time with Camila and Manny. Holding Luz for the first time. Manny's death, Camila's grief, Luz's anguish... The last time you saw Luz... her smile and wave goodbye as she walked off with Lilith...

Goodbye?

No. No, that couldn't be it. That wasn't goodbye. You were working your way back to her; you had to see her again. You were GOING to see her again. As this seeped into your mind, a sudden rage filled you, and you found the strength to push back with an almost primal scream. Your hand, grasping for anything nearby that you could use as a weapon, landed on the hilt of a familiar ceremonial dagger that had been knocked off the table onto the floor. Philip had been sharpening it before he left.

Philip ended up blasting a large hole in the wall via magic to get inside, his heart slamming in his chest as your screaming became louder. Following it through a completely trashed room, he froze upon finding you on top of the intruder in the bathroom with the dagger, his dagger, in both hands, screaming in rage as you stabbed the witch repeatedly with as much force as you could muster. The body was not moving, indicating he was already dead, but you hadn't seemed to notice. Careful not to get stabbed himself, Philip snatched your wrist and pulled you off the body, keeping you tightly against him as he backed out of the room while muttering calmly to bring you back to reality.

When you finally came to your senses, you dropped the dagger out of shock and looked down at yourself to find yourself covered in blood and defensive wounds. By some miracle, you had avoided getting any life-threatening injuries during the debacle. You immediately tried to explain yourself as Philip ran a glowing hand through your hair to dull any pain and heal your wounds, and he told you to stop. You didn't have to explain anything. A surge of emotions ran through you as it dawned on you that you had just killed someone. The fact that it was self-defense and was a situation that would have ended with someone dead regardless didn't soften the blow, either.

While you were devastated by this, Philip seemed absolutely thrilled, perhaps hoping you would see what he did now. Witches weren't to be trusted. Maybe this meant you would stay by his side without being prompted. He did, however, bring up Luz before you even told him what caused you to fight back the way you did.

You killed that witch for Luz.

[ask-kirklandandbraginsky-blog]

[the-enchanted-archivist]

Warning: This piece has some incredibly dark themes. Mutilation and manipulation are present, as well as brainwashing and suggested sexual material. Read at your own risk.

There is another human in the Boiling Isles. However, they don’t even know it. Years before Luz showed up on the Boiling Isles, someone slipped through a pool of Titan’s blood and appeared out of the blue. 

Treating the experience like one would a medieval RPG, the human geared up and started to look for a way home, getting to know the area and the denizens of the Boiling Isles. No one thought of this newcomer as a human, as they covered their ears with a hat/helmet as one does in an RPG to protect themselves. 

The human decides that their best bet is to seek out the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles if they wanted to get home, believing that this witch would be able to grant such a request if they proved themselves. They cause some issues along the way, as you can imagine since they believed the world around them was a fantastic dream and they took out some of the coven guards without realizing it. 

To the emperor’s surprise, the human seeks him out at the castle and explains their story. At first, Emperor Belos is skeptical, believing this to be a delusional witch, and tries sending them away, but the human removes their helmet as a sign of further respect and tries again to persuade him. Upon seeing their ears, Belos orders everyone out of his throne room, leaving him with the human, much to his loyal subjects' dismay. The human is confused about this reaction but is elated to hear that the ruler changed his mind. Belos explained to them why they shouldn’t reveal themselves to be human as they would be attacked by wild witches and told them that they need to gather something for him before he could grant their wish to return home. They immediately agree, believing this to be a final quest. Belos gives them a list and instructions on what to do and sends them off.

The human ends up finding everything they needed, but not in a place where they thought they would. They believed they had to go on some epic journey for these items. All they had to do was wait until nightfall and enter Bonesborough’s Night Market to gather them. They would get strange looks from some of the vendors when asked if they carried the items, with one of them recognizing an item from the list as something linked to an evil deed. When asked to elaborate, the vender said it was a way to control someone intimately and wipe memories if used in the right context but then discarded the warning, saying he doubted it would ever happen. The human shrugged it off, believing that Belos had other plans for them, and returned to the ruler with the items in hand. Belos was very pleased.

They were then led deep into the bowels of the castle by Belos himself and to a dark room with a table in the middle of it. Attached to the table were straps, meant to keep someone tied down. Around the room looked to be experimental stations with various body parts and items laying about and a smaller table nearby showed what looked to be surgical tools. A patch of dirt lay toward the corner of the room with what looked to be a human hand sticking out of it.

It was now that the human started to feel that something was wrong. However, before they could address these concerns, they were grabbed and in a whirl of red, they found themselves on their back, strapped down to the table. Belos produced a jagged dagger and placed it on the table beside them, explaining that he was so elated to find another human on the Isles. He was calm and sincere, contrasting greatly from his actions.

He tells them about his displacement on the Isles as a young man all the way up until now and how he has never seen another human since. While he speaks, he starts gathering items onto a table near the human and lays out the ones they had brought to him. The item the vendor told the human about was held up and peered at by Belos for a short time before he set it down and the human began to piece together what was about to happen. They were going to have their memories wiped.

When they reminded him of his promise, Belos chuckled and told them he has every intention of returning them back to the human realm, just not when and in the way they thought he would. He lamented about being alone for so long and being in between something called a “Grimwalker” at the moment, he needed someone of his race to be with him until the time came. He made a casual glance at the human hand in the dirt as he spoke. However, he didn’t expect the human remain willingly since they were already hellbent on going home so he had to resort to this. If they had been a little more patient, he would have strung them along until it was time. He explained all of this while holding out a pitch-black ball and rolling it over in his hands until it began to float and create a black aura around it before setting it aside.

Horrified at this, the human tried to get free, able to break one of the straps but their body glowing red kept them from breaking anymore. Belos sighed, muttering that it would have been best if you had been put to sleep but for what needed to be done, you had to be conscious for the first part. He began to remove their top, exposing their chest and his hand ran over it, feeling for the exact place of their heart.  Red in the face, the human asked him what exactly he was doing as he’s picking up the dagger. He simply answered that he had to remove their heart if he wanted to achieve what he planned and it would only take a few minutes. Relax, he’s done this before, just not on a human.

The human was awake and aware of what he was doing just as he removed the heart and placed the black aura he created in its place. They felt no pain, partly due to their body glowing red, just pressure and panic at what was happening. They had watched this man remove their heart from their chest. Once the aura was sealed inside them, they began to lose consciousness. The last thing they saw was Belos picking up the dagger and moving toward their head, saying something about having to “blend in” as the ears were a dead giveaway.

Brainwashed and mutilated to look like a witch with their heart under lock and key, the human took their place beside the Emperor as his most trusted advisor. It wasn’t long before they began receiving sexual advances from the emperor and willingly accepted them as a part of their title.

[the-enchanted-archivist]

Caleb would be fucking pissed. How could Philip/Belos do that to you? If you still want to keep the baby, though, he’ll raise it as if it was his bio kid.

IF he ever found out. And HELL YEAH, he'd be pissed. Belos/Philip TRICKED you into meeting him then drugged you. Using your weakness as Luz's godparent to take advantage of you? Yeah, he's going to murder Philip.

The thing is before anything even comes up about how the baby may not be Caleb's, or the incident in general, the baby would already be born and the light of Caleb's life. It might be through a DNA test that they find out Caleb isn't the father but a distant relative. You yourself may have initiated the DNA test when you realized there were some traits there that weren't yours or Caleb's (considering Philip is not in the picture this time around for you to match them). You're devastated and betrayed when you find out the truth.

When Caleb does confront Philip, he just shrugs.

"I made you a dad, didn't I? I may be the father but you're the one caring for it. You should be thanking me since your genes decided to betray you. How else were we going to continue our bloodline? You and Beloved both will be thrilled once you remember our past."

[ambrial-blog]

The Thought of Losing you.  Part One.

Between the stifling stillness of the rom he just entered and the heart wrenching imagery  that surrounded him.  Photographs  doctored the walls of the three bed-room apartment.  Moxie and Millie's face  staring back at him while Blitzo's face was scratched out of every-single one of them. Loona and Blitz: adoption day.  Striker stopped,  his breath catching in his throat  as his eyes locked a picture he had taken back on the Rough-N-Tumble ranch.  Blitzo was happily swinging  on the gates while Bombproof stood right beside him, snout burried in hog innards.

Blitzo had looked so happy and carefree back on the farm, farm-life truly suited the city imp in the Cowboy's opinion.  And, with the money he was going to get for the assassination of he could buy the horse ranch of his dreams. He wanted  to surprise the Boss imp with the news.  But to come home to this, to see his face scratched out with such viciousness hatred  ignites a deep fury  within the snake-like imp.  Swallowing thickly he turns facing the small hearth, flicking it on he made a nest of pillows and blankets.

Blitzo was notorious for being a deep sleeper: a fire-twister could touch down, and the boss imp would just slumber right on through. Ice settles in the pits of his stomach as he came around lifting Blitzo up off the couch, he began shaking him.

The Outlaw had been with Stella and Octavia securing the perfect vantagepoint  and setting up for the final showdown.  He  never thought Blitzo would go this far, never thought Verosika and Fizzorolli would be so relentless in the flaying t of he scarlet imp.

The wrangler just wanted him out of the way, his plan got waylaid once he got the disturbing phone call.  He could hear the sound of his mate's broken voice setting off many alarms.  Stella sends him a scolding glare as Striker focuses on his voice.

"You were right, cowboy I can't do this on my own but that's all I'll ever be is... Blitzo voice shudders... "Alone, I just want to let you know I love you, you were only trying to open my eyes  I was just too blind to see" " I wish I could've been a better mate to you, cowboy"  

Stella's eyes widened in shock,  as Striker mounts Bombproof. "Don't you worry ma'am  that husband of yours  is as good as dead, mark my word Missy, your husband is living on borrowed time." "Madam something has come up, I'll return shortly to finish my end of the bargain" The Cowboy promised.  "Just  remember yours" hisses the the snake.

The Cowboy Mercenary kicks in the door to their three-bedroom apartment. his serpentine eye scanning each room.  His heart pounds, his stomach churns with dread  he couldn't shake the feeling of dread.   He couldn't shake this overwhelming feeling of sorrow from his mind.

"Blitzy, I'm home darlin, wake up" "Sugar-cube, can you hear me!" "Bossman, open your eyes!" "Blitz, answer me! Lucifer damn you!" he growls.

Striker's voice cracks as he whispers the last part, his body trembles as fear courses through his veins. Was he too late?.  Blitzo remained unresponsive. "no, no, not this" thought Striker swallowing thickly his heart hammering in his chest. "Please Lucifer, let him be asleep" whispers the snake imp. Running his fingers through his short hair.  the gunslinger licks his lips  before kneeling in front of Blitzo.

He never  thought the boss imp would go this far,  never considered that Fizzorolli and Verosika would've been so relentless in the flaying of the scarlet imp.

He just wanted him out of the way, but not like this.  He'd deal with the other two later he promises himself.

"Don't you dare do this to me!"  Striker growls cupping Blitzo's head. his eyes dart over his listless form searching for any signs of life. "Don't you leave me darlin, not this way!" "I'll fucking kill him- I'll kill them all" he thought darkly his gaze hyper-focused on the still form of his lover.  

Blitzo's phone had fallen to the ground, there was a bottle of pills clutched tightly in his hand another spilled across the floor.  Striker snatches them up staring at the bottle. Before zeroing on the one clutched in his hand. The Cowboy flings it across the room, the moment it dawned on him. "No, No, No! Blitzy! he shouts  "Your not getting of that easy sugar"

"What were you fucking thinking!, Blitz..." he cries while dragging him through the narrow corridors that split off into the rooms. He kicks in the bathroom door,  and drags Blitzo inside.  His hands shake as he turns on the dim lights his eyes begin to water as he turns on the faucet.

The country imp pulls Blitzo  into the  tub with him as the gushing waters pelt them from above.  Lightly slapping his face, trying to  stir the scarlet devil in his arms. "Come back to me, and fuck them all, and just come back to me" "Blitz!  do you hear me!" Come back,  just open your eyes, darlin" The Gunslinger cries.

The Cowboy pries open Blitzo's mouth sticking his trembling fingers inside his mouth and down his throat. "Come on, Come on, fuck em," he grits resting his  forehead against the  back of his mate's head. Tears stream down his face as he continues, desperate to get Blitz to vomit.  

Biting back the rancid taste in his mouth, as Blitzo's voice resonates in his head.

"Maybe the world would be better off without me in it?,  I ruin anything I touch" "I'll ruin you too, cowboy"

Cold and clammy,  Striker barely registered it caught up in segments of Blitzo's last voice-mail, and his time of brief reprieve at the Harvest Moon festival.   Blitzo's skin was like ice. Striker scrambles pressing Blitzo against his chest, trying to warm his body while calling out his name his voice cracks with emotion.

"Blitz!, I need you, your wrong sugar-cube, just breathe, come on Blitzy!, for me" "Not like this! Anything, but this!  Striker cries clutching Blitzo to his chest.

The Outlaw held Blitz through the long and lonely night. Biting back tear of frustration the searing pain that claws at his chest  cutting right through him leaving him numb.  As  water continues to pelt them from above.  The Mercenary growls upon hearing the insistent ringing  of both cellphones. Those vermin checking in perhaps, or the pompous asshole he was out with.  His claws dig into Blitzo's bare shoulders with shaking  fingers he tries again. shoving two of them down Blitzo's throat.

"Come on Bossman,  don't let me down now darlin, I know your in there Blitzy!"

With a sudden jolt amber eyes shoot open as Blitzo began choking. He could feel the bile rise from within his stomach as tears prick his eyes. He was gagging on Striker's fingers, the gunslinger could feel the rapid beat of his heart staggering back to life. Blitzo lurches forward  heaving painfully. Striker was holding him steady rubbing his back as he puked up his guts. "Atta  boy" Striker whispers into his ear as he heaving, licking his lips grimacing at the sour taste as Striker buries his face into the crook of Blitzo's neck. Inhaling his scent.

Blitzo continued to convulse till his body gave out and he slumps into Striker's embrace.  Staring blurry eyed up at the Cowboy.  The Cowboy could feel  Blitzo tense upon hearing the irate fizzing  mixed in with his mate's sweet scent.  was the roiling stench of the Goeita prince.

The scarlet imp closes his eyes against the pain, blinking past the splitting headache that pounded mercilessly at the back of his head. He groans as Striker's tail wraps around his waist. Whimpering painfully his stomach violently churns against him. Blitzo's eyes were dim, sore and achy with a vacant tiredness to them. Resounding fatigue settles into his bones as his diaphragm spasms with anxiety. Fiery eyes glowing through the shrouding darkness. Feeling his mate quaking  with fury and relief. Blitzo bit his lip as striker wraps an arm around his waist. Striker pulls Blitzo to him, burrying his face into his neck. sharp teeth pierces Blitzo's skin as he pushes Blitz up against the wall. Snarling his name. "What were you thinking, I could've lost you!" Guilt  wells up within the fire imp as he licks his dry and cracked lips, trying to form the words to fill the empty void.  

Nothing made sense, he was alive, but how?. He could've sworn he had taken enough painkiller to do the job.  His breath hitches as Striker traps him wedging a knee between his legs.

In blind desperation he had managed one single phone call, too bad he didn't pick up. Blitzo's mind was in a thick dense fog. His tongue  felt itchy with a lingering bitterness.  Blitzo's voice was raw and hoarse  as he attempted to speak, only to be silenced by a pair of bruising lip crushing onto his in a hasty, sloppy kiss that demanded attention.

Fear slowly dissipates as Striker wipes the tears from Blitzo's eyes. The Assassin sweeps him up into his arm, his eye bright with unshed tears. The scarlet imp is at a loss for words as he looks down ashamed of his actions. Blitzo waits for the scathing remarks.  the back handed comments or the laughing ridicule. "He should've tried harder,  perhaps he would've been more successful" he thought numbly.   None came to Blitzo complete surprise. He buries his head into Striker's chest, his claws curling around the Cowboy's bandanna. his head resting above the gunslinger's chest. "I didn't mean to scare you, don't look at me like that: like I'm some sort of freak!"   "I can't do this anymore!, Blitzo's mind screamed at him.

Soaking wet, Striker led them back to the living room. Blitz had a death-grip on  him. The Cowboy could feel his trembling body as he places him on the nest of pillows and blankets. Blitzo's eyes dart back and forth listening to the crackling pop of the fire.

They were alone, it was just the two of them, and an empty apartment.  His eyes land on a shrine of pictures. Blitzo could feel the bitter self-loathing well within him. He quickly turns his head.

The Boss imp reaches over him, his fingers skimming across his phone  gliding against the shiny metal cover. Growling as Striker quietly snatches up his cell phone.

"It's late, or early,  however you wish to see it sweetheart, but its been a long night, and I think we should rest here where I can keep an eye on ya" " I'm going to go get a few thing, to dry off with" he says.  "I'll be back,  don't you go tryin something stupid on me, Bossman" Striker says snatching up  the rest of the bottle up off the floor. Blitzo winces, "I can't think straight, my head keeps on throbbing, why is he here?" Where are Moxie and Millie when I need them.   "I thought we were enemies,  why would anyone waste their time on me?" " I've got to quiet  my thoughts" Blitzo thinks.  Realizing he has just been starring at the cowboy: like a dumb child. "I've got to get out of here,  need to find Moxie and Millie" "Why is here again?"  Blitzo winces as Striker disappears into the recess of the apartment.

The scarlet devil closes his eyes trying to starve off another on coming headache, knowing if he got up Vertigo would be a bitch. And that's all he needed right now, to be disoriented an solely dependent on the snake-imp.  

Blitzo groans  feeling weak and queasy as his stomach roils with another turning jolt of sudden nausea

"Damnit  why did he have to come, I was so close" the pain was fleeting, and now it hammers away. He waited, and waited shivering and lonely next to the hearth. Until Striker appears  with a tall glass of water in hand, a change of clothing, two fluffy white towels draped around his neck and a half-eaten sandwich wedged in his mouth.  

Blitzo didn't feel like talking having nothing to say, while believing he had said it all in that one missed phone-call. The red-skinned imp was still shaking as Striker wraps one of the towels around him.  Pulling him closer his eyes were brimming with unshed tears as he dried him off. A lump forms in the back of Blitzo's throat. Every time he attempts to speak, feeling like nothing he could say  would make this awful pain go away.

His hands tremble as reaches for the glass of water that Striker sat on the table, the cowboy humors him, by tilting the glass up as Blitz drink, wiping the residue off with his sleeve. Dull amber eyes star out through half-lidded eyes.   There was a part of his that still expected to be berated for his actions. his head throbs painfully. For Striker to tell him how weak and pathetic he was and that he should've tried harder.  Blitzo waited with baited breath stealing his heart, and waiting for the punchline. Blitzo take a deep shuddering breath. his chest ached as he fumbled  with a tiny string attached to a wooly blanket.