Effigy | M | 61,920 words
Author: imogenbynight Artist: saudade
Drowning in grief after losing Cas to the Empty, a hunt leads Dean to a well-meaning but reckless young witch who has created an ‘umboð’ — a supernaturally animated effigy that takes on the form and memories of a person who has recently passed. Though he and Sam convince the witch to nullify the spell that she’s woven, Dean finds himself weak against the temptation of using the same magic to see Cas one last time. But when the umboð he creates takes its first breath, opening familiar blue eyes that lock with Dean’s just as earnestly as those he’s missed, Dean can’t bring himself to end it after just one conversation. Meanwhile, newly rescued from the Empty, Castiel works to rebuild the afterlife with Jack. But the work of divine creation is draining him in ways he did not expect, and leaving him to question whether he made the right choice in returning to Heaven despite his heart pulling him back to Earth.
Link to fic | Link to art
Pairings: Dean/Cas, background Sam/Eileen
Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Consensual But Traumatic Sexual Situation, Dean-typical Moments of Suicidal Ideation, Temporary Character Death, Memory Loss, Grief, Depression
Tags: Horror Elements, Original Mythology, Eventual Happy Ending
