(SOOOOO, I had this idea. What if Rebecca was the one to create Wooly? Like as a coping mechanism OC she made while she was still at the orphanage. She'd basically do what I do with my OCs: Put them through Trauma™.
Hope you enjoy this, especially @cctypical
Though, I will say, if song lyrics in fics make you cringe, maybe skip this one-)
----
"Once Upon a Time, there was a sheep named Wooly.
When he was born, he was the smallest of his flock. And was seen as weak because of that.
He couldn't lift much, or run fast. He couldn't jump high or he wasn't the smartest sheep in his flock.
He wasn't good at a lot of things, but he was creative, kind, and he loved helping people. Maybe too much.
His flock never treated him well. They all said mean things to him.
'You're too small' 'You're so weak!'
Wooly couldn't take it any more. One day, he ran away from his flock to a nearby orphanage.
There, he waited for a new family to take him in."
---
Little hoofs clopped along the creaky wooden floor, searching for something. The littlest sheep stopped near a bookshelf, his tiny fingers skimming through the titles. Settling on one he liked, he reached up and grabbed onto one of the many storybooks. He pranced his way onto his small bed, which creaked as he bounced onto the mattress.
"Settle in y'all, it's story time!" Wooly seem to have been speaking to his toys, who couldn't respond. His smiled dimmd slightly before he shook his head and opened up the book.
"There's a orphan, life of misfortune,
Now, where have I heard that one before?~
Poor Oliver, barely gets to eat,
Then gets punished cause he asked for more?" His voice wavered before he shook his head and continued.
"But then he becomes an apprentice!!
To a nice mortician!
But when Noah says bad things about his mom, he attacks before running away?
Oh man-" Wooly skimmed over the pages, looking panicked.
"He's taught to pickpocket—I don't remember this part-
Crime, stealing, SOMEONE'S BEATEN DEAD!? Skip ahead, skIP AHEAD-" Wooly stopped around the final pages.
"...Buuut in the end, Oliver's Auntie Rose is married off
And Ollie lives happily as Mr. Brownlow's adopted son~" Wooly held the closed book to his chest in relief.
"So I know, they'll appear
'Cause there are rules and there are strictures!
I believe the story books I read by candlelight!" He danced and clopped around a hallway, looking through a window at the clouds.
"I can be someone's knight, or their steed!!~
And we'll look just like those nice pictures~" He glanced at a poster with a happy family illustrated on it.
"It won't be long now, I guarantee
Day number..." Wooly counted on his fingers. "-23!~"
Wooly hopped back on his bed, tallying a mark indicating how long he had been there.
"I know it's today, I know it's today~"
~~~
"Weeks, months, years passed by. And Wooly remained where he was: At the orphanage."
~~~
A slightly older Wooly, now slightly taller, still struggled reaching things. But regardless, he managed to grab the books he wanted with less struggle. There was slightly less of a frolick in the way he walked, but there was still some pep in his step.
"Oh, here's a good one! It's a classic~" Despite aging, Wooly still had a habit of talking to his toy friends.
"There's a orphan, red-haired and talkative
Guess both of us really stand out!~
Two people adopt her, but they want a boy!
I'm sure things will work themselves out?~" Wooly mindlessly flipped through the pages, even skipping some books in the series.
"Blah, blah, blah, blah, country school,
Boring, boring Avonlea~
Filler, filler, been there, read that,
Oh dear, Matthew died?! Haha!" He panicked and skipped to the final pages of the last book after that.
"Skip ahead, SKIPAHEAD!!-
...Buuut despite it all, Anne stayed
with Marilla, she could never part~
Despite any of her flaws,
She made her way into their hearts~" Wooly organized the books in their proper number order.
"So I know, they'll appear!~
Their kindness may be a lot to take~
We'll do so much together, and we'll never be apart~" Wooly hopped outside to the garden and plucked some flowers.
"I'll wear my heart-
On my sleeve~
And I hope it will not break,," Wooly's voice faltered before he threw the flowers up in the air, pitching his voice back up.
"About time we set at least a meeting date
Day number 9...58" He pulled out a notebook, tallying another mark. The pages were filled to the brim from marks just like it.
"I know it's today,
they'll show up todaaay!~"
~~~
"As the years went by, Wooly remained where he was, growing impatient by the day."
~~~
"...There's a orphan, any orphan! Take your pick, they're all like me!!" A slightly older, yet not that much more mature, Wooly was stomping around and making the other kids around him look concerned.
"Not exactly, I'm still waiting" He frustratedly bangs on the glass window. "They're out living hap-pi-ly" The last bit was sung sarcastically.
"'Ever after' better get here! I want love in seconds flat." Wooly flipped through the pages of one of his book, irritated and not being careful.
"No one needs these middle bits- Whoops, did I do that?" Wooly had accidentally tore one of the pages. Looking down for a second, his face darkened, and he continued to tear.
"Cut the villains, cut the hardships, cut all of that!!" Wooly continued tearing page after page, before throwing the book to the side.
"Cut the peril and the pitfalls, cut Huck Finn and his dumb hat!!" He began to tear out his pillows stuffing.
"Cut the parents- in the hearses, keep the intro, cut the verses-
And the waiting, the waiting, the waiting, the waiting-" Wooly suddenly pushed his entire bookshelf down.
"THE WAAAA-IIIIITING!"
~~~
"Wooly got into trouble with the adults running the orphanage. Like, really big trouble. He had to clean up his mess."
~~~
"But I know, they'll appear~"
Wooly rubbed his arm, wincing softly from the aching he felt on his wrists. The adults were really mad after his tantrum. And after they got someone to pick the bookshelf back up and fix it, he was left to reorganize the books. Fortunately, he remembered the order each one was put in. Unfortunately, he was now being given fearful looks from the other orphans.
Wooly noticed and frowned.
"-Though I seem a bit bipolar." Wooly placed the last book in it's proper place. "And I'm a vandal now as well, hope they don't mind..." He shook his head, trying to motivate himself.
"I'm a find, I'm a catch, and a very gifted bowler!!~" He grabbed his reliable notebook of tallies.
"It won't be long now, I guarantee!!...
Day number-"
~~~
That's where the page ended. I was...seven, yeah that was right. I came here when I was a baby, at least one... Memories of my birth parents are fuzzy at best most days. But that barely mattered now, at least to me.
Why did no one want me? Is it my own fault for being feeling so angry all of the time? Was I just a "problem child" like the orphanage lady says?... My fingers gently traced the tallies in my notebook, feeling the slightly bumpy texture.
There were so many...
Next to that was my little art book, filled with drawings of my closest friend. The sheep frolicked froom one page to the next. He was the only one I could confide in. He may not be real, but we were in the same position and the only one who could possibly understand how I felt. And right now, we were in the exact same position.
Alone and feeling unwanted...
I looked up at the window nearby and at the clouds.
"Are you there, God?..." My voice was quiet. "It's me, Rebecca..."
"IT'S ME, REBECCA
(WOOLY)!"
My bedroom door slowly creaked open.
~~~
I couldn't believe someone wanted me. Someone nice.
"Now I know, they'll appear!!
'Cause there are rules and there are strictures!!"
His name was Sam. He had come by sometimes just to read to us. But he always seemed to be the only adult who actually listened.
"I believe the story books I read by candlelight~"
He wanted to take me home, and he didn't care what the other adults said about my "behavior". I was going to have a Dad!! Obviously, I said yes!
"A white knight, a knight I shall be!!
We'll look just like these pictures!!~"
I was so excited that I was gonna be adopted, when packing, I forgot to bring my sketchbook. I didn't even notice until we had gotten to his home.
"It won't be long now, I guarantee~"
I was too happy about having a home that it didn't really matter at the time
~~~
"Day number 23...
It had been a year since I was adopted. Life was just...ok for a while. Dad didn't always understand how I felt, but he always tried. It took a while for me to fully call him Dad, but if felt natural when I did. On our anniversary, we both went back to the orphanage, mainly just for memories.
"Day number 958..."
There we met up with Kate, who worked at the local library. She wasn't related to us but I liked thinking of her as my aunt. She handed me the sketchbook I had forgotten about when I left. Dad got me a new one and I was too happy to be that affected by it. Seeing my old one gave me... nostalgia? (Yeah, that's the word) looking through it.
But I frowned slightly when I saw where I had left it off last year.
"Day number 2...5...(&)98"
And it was just my Wooly...alone...
He helped me so much when I felt stuck in place. He deserves to be happy too.
He deserved...a friend...
"I know it's today, ooh"
Dad mentioned making a show and said I could be in it.
"I know it's today, I know it's today, ooh"
I asked if we can give her a best friend.
"I know it's today, ooh"
He said yes when I showed him Wooly. And he even gave him a voice!!
"I know it's today, I know it's today, ooh!
I know it's today."
I was happy. Now both of us had someone who'd never leave them.
"I know it's today!"
While Dad worked on the show, I drew my two new favorite people (next to him of course) together.
Whatever happened in the future, I knew these two will always be friends forever!
Description: Takes place after the Toad Biscuit fire, Vaelyn has lost control over his Oblivion Madness. Kalypso hasn’t been able to find him for weeks….until she does.
Author’s Notes: So me and Geez have been absolutely feral, coo-coo banana bonkers over these two and the ANGSSSTTTT. So I wrote out this piece of lore for them, and I know, most of you won’t read this. However, I’m satisfied with it just being something for me and Geez to enjoy. 🙂↕️ @aller-geez Owns Vaelyn and did the cover art.
The flickering neon lights of the city buzzed faintly in Kalypso’s ears as she sat cross-legged on her bed, staring blankly at the myriad of tabs open on her laptop. Vaelyn’s social media accounts were dead, his phone disconnected, and not a single whisper of him had surfaced since the fire at Toad Biscuit’s last concert. The isolation clawed at her, each day without him like sandpaper grinding against her sanity.
Her emerald eye twitched as she flipped her septum piercing back and forth—a nervous tic, though she’d never admit it. Kalypso’s powers had their limits, and no matter how deeply she delved into the dreamscape, she couldn’t find him. Because he wasn’t sleeping. For two agonizing weeks, the void where Vaelyn should have been was deafening. She bit down on the stiletto nail of her thumb as she continued searching for any crumb of clue, frustration rippling through her wiry frame.
“He’s doing this on purpose…stupid lanky bitch,” she muttered, her voice icy with irritation. “Hiding. Avoiding me. Like I’m the problem,” hissing to herself as she flipped her laptop shut and sat back against the wall her bed was pushed up against. Fidgeting with her piercings, rummaging through the infinite scenarios that played in her head.
Deep down, she knew better. Vaelyn was spiraling, as he often did, in that uniquely self-destructive way that made him impossible to ignore. And yet, the absence of his chaos was far worse than his presence. She needed to know where he was. She couldn’t keep living like this, like everything was fine without him. At the very least by now he would have given her some sort of agitating sign he was alive and well. The cards he’d given her to pay bills and whatever else she’d need financially were all cut off. What was this? An even sicker game than they usually played? Or was it worse than she thought? Was he still alive?
————————
The room smelled of mildew and stale cigarettes, a scent that seemed to cling to Vaelyn’s skin no matter how many cold showers he took in the flickering, dimly lit bathroom. He sat on the edge of the creaky motel bed, his gaunt face buried in his hands, his fingers digging into his temples as though trying to claw the memories out of his skull. The screams—God, the screams—echoed in his ears like a broken record stuck on the most excruciating note. The texts from Rexar, their friendship, the fall of something beautiful they had worked so hard to achieve…all of it, destroyed because of him. He hadn’t eaten in days. The takeout box on the dresser had gone cold and gray, the edges curling with mold. His stomach growled, but he ignored it. The hunger was just another reminder of his failure, another punishment he deserved. The cracked mirror on the far wall reflected his haggard form: sunken eyes with dark circles so pronounced they looked like bruises, his once-vibrant red markings dull and lifeless.
The whispers started again, faint at first, like the distant murmur of a crowd. Vaelyn’s head snapped up, his bloodshot eyes darting around the room. “Shut up,” he hissed under his breath, his voice rough from disuse. His gaze landed on the shadows pooling in the corners of the room, their edges writhing like living things. He knew they weren’t real—or at least, he thought he did. The line between reality and hallucination was razor-thin now, and Oblivion Madness wasn’t known for mercy.
They whispered louder. Murderer. Fool. Coward.
“Shut up!” Vaelyn roared, throwing a glass from the nightstand at the wall. It shattered, the shards raining down like tiny stars, but the voices didn’t stop. They grew louder, more insistent, overlapping into a roar of venomous taunts. He pressed his hands over his ears, curling in on himself as he rocked back and forth on the bed. “They don’t know me… they don’t know me,” he muttered to himself, his voice trembling. “It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault,” But it was, wasn’t it? The fire, the screams, the faces of those fans—young, hopeful, trusting—seared into his mind like brands of guilt. Vaelyn’s chest heaved with each ragged breath, the weight of his mistakes pressing down on him like a leaden shroud. He couldn’t escape the memories, couldn’t outrun the consequences of his actions. The world had turned its back on him, and he couldn’t blame them.
A shadow moved.
Vaelyn’s head snapped toward it, his eyes narrowing as his breath hitched. The corner of the room seemed darker than it should’ve been, the blackness stretching unnaturally across the peeling wallpaper. A figure emerged, tall and distorted, its eyes two pits of endless void. “Not real,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “You’re not real..” his body trembling as he tried to will the hallucination away, anything to reassure himself this was nothing more than a product of Oblivion. But the figure stepped closer, its form twisting and contorting as if mocking his denial. It didn’t speak—didn’t have to. The weight of its presence pressed down on him, suffocating and relentless.
“Get out!” Vaelyn screamed, stumbling to his feet. His legs were weak, his movements jerky as he backed into the far wall. His fingers clawed at the peeling paint, his body trembling violently. “You’re not real!” The figure loomed closer, and Vaelyn’s breath came in ragged gasps. His vision blurred as tears streamed down his face, his mind fracturing under the pressure. The whispers rose to a deafening symphony, each one slicing through his sanity like a blade.
“You’re the problem. You’re the killer. You’re the weak link,” the voices like poison as they wrapped around the neurons of his already suffering brain folds. Vaelyn dropped to his knees, his hands clawing at his hair. The shadows swirled around him now, suffocating and cold. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to,” he sobbed, his voice barely audible over the chaos in his mind. He thought of Rexar, of the band, of Kalypso. He thought of the fans who would never go home, their lives snuffed out because of his hubris. “I can’t do this anymore,” he whispered, his voice breaking. He curled into himself, trembling as the darkness closed in. The Oblivion Madness wasn’t just a curse; it was a predator, and tonight, it had its claws in him.
Vaelyn’s breaths came in short, ragged bursts as he shivered in fetal position on the motel room floor, his trembling fingers clutching his bony knees. The shadows in the room swirled and danced like ghosts in the graveyard of his hollowed mind. His vision blurred, and his body screamed for rest, but his mind was too chaotic to allow it. Sleep meant surrender. Sleep meant Oblivion. The whispers hadn’t stopped, though they had dulled to a low, menacing hum. His lips moved silently as he tried to repeat the mantra Rexar used to tell him during their early gigs: You’re stronger than your worst days. You can overcome any obstacle. You got this. You got this.
Yet, the words felt hollow now, distant and unreal, as though they belonged to someone else. His body was breaking under the strain of prolonged exhaustion: his muscles ached, his heart raced erratically, and his hands twitched involuntarily. Every so often, his head would bob forward, his eyelids drooping, but he’d jerk himself awake with a guttural cry, his heart hammering in his chest as he tried to sit up against the wall. “Stay awake,” he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. “Stay awake, or you’ll never wake up,” But his body didn’t care about his determination. It was shutting down, its demands overriding his fragile willpower. His hands grew heavy, his head lolling to the side as the edges of his vision darkened. He clawed at his arm, the sharp pain momentarily grounding him, but it wasn’t enough.
The last thing he saw before his mind gave in was the dim, flickering motel light above him. The bulb buzzed softly, the shadows stretching longer as he fell into unconsciousness. Vaelyn’s dreams were not a sanctuary—they were a battleground. He found himself in a vast, empty void, the air heavy with the scent of ash and charred wood. Flames flickered in the distance, illuminating a barren landscape of jagged rocks and shifting shadows. The screams returned, echoing from all directions, relentless and deafening. He stumbled forward, his bare feet scraping against the rough ground, as the whispers grew louder, coiling around him like a suffocating fog.
“You can’t run from this,” the guttural voice hissed, low and venomous.
Vaelyn spun around, his pale blue-green eyes wild as he searched for the source. The shadows had taken shape again, their forms towering and monstrous, their eyeless faces twisted with malice. They advanced on him, their movements slow and deliberate, as if savoring his terror. “No!” Vaelyn shouted, his voice cracking. He raised his hands instinctively, summoning the faintest glimmer of his illusions. A haze of light flickered around him, but it was weak, his power sapped by his fractured mind. The shadows laughed, their voices blending into a grotesque choir of mockery.
He fell to his knees, the weight of their presence crushing him. The flames grew closer, their heat searing his skin. The ground beneath him split open, revealing an endless abyss of swirling darkness. Oblivion reached for him with clawed hands, pulling him closer to the edge. “Stop!” he cried, tears streaming down his face. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean for any of it!”
But the shadows were unrelenting, their whispers now a chant: Murderer. Fool. Coward.
————————
In the Dreamscape, Kalypso sat cross-legged on a crystalline platform surrounded by an endless expanse of stars and shifting colors. She had been searching for Vaelyn for weeks, her mind spiraling deeper into obsession with every failed attempt to find him. Tonight, something had changed. A faint pulse of energy reached her, chaotic and raw, like a distant heartbeat. She froze, her emerald eye widening as she felt the unmistakable tug of his presence.
“Finally,” she whispered, a twisted smile spreading across her face. One of more relief than anything. He WAS alive. Her fingers brushed the lock around her neck—a tether to the man who had disappeared without a word. She rose to her feet, her messy black hair with lime-green streaks flowing about her as she leaped from the platform into the swirling ether of the Dreamscape. Her form shimmered and morphed, becoming a streak of light that shot through the endless void, following the pull of Vaelyn’s presence.
The closer she got, the more the Dreamscape shifted, warping into something dark and unstable. The stars faded, replaced by twisting shadows and flickering flames. Kalypso’s smile faltered as the oppressive energy hit her like a tidal wave, pressing down on her chest and making it hard to breathe. “Vee…” she muttered, her voice unsteady. She pushed forward, her determination outweighing her unease. Finally, she saw him. Vaelyn knelt in the middle of a broken, fiery landscape, his form flickering like a fragile illusion. The shadows around him writhed and clawed at his skin, their whispers piercing through the air. Kalypso landed gracefully a few feet away, her emerald eye narrowing as she took in the scene. “What the fuck is this, Vaelyn?” she hissed, her tone sharp with anger and confusion.
Vaelyn’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with panic as he saw her. “Kaly?” he rasped, his voice barely audible over the noise around him. Kalypso strode toward him, her black stiletto nails gleaming in the firelight.
“You’ve got some nerve, you bastard,” she snarled, her anger bubbling to the surface. “Disappearing for weeks without a single fucking word? Do you have any idea—” Her words cut off as she saw the tears streaming down his face, his body trembling under the weight of his torment. For a moment, Kalypso hesitated, her anger warring with an unfamiliar pang of guilt.
Vaelyn’s voice broke as he choked out, “I can’t… I can’t do this, Kaly. I ruined everything. The band, those people… I killed them. And now… Oblivion… it’s going to take me,” the man she saw before him was a mere shell, a hollowed-out replacement of who she’d known. This wasn’t right, she almost stumbled backwards, second guessing if the dreamscape had gotten it wrong. Was this really her Vaelyn?
Kalypso’s eye softened, the rare flicker of empathy catching her off guard, only to be swallowed up by another wave of unsurpassable rage. “Vee, I’m not fucking kidding,” she spat, stepping closer. “Come on, don’t play these fucking games with me, I’m serious,” Looking him over, as his glazy blue orbs looked at her, his frame still trembling. The two sides of her brain fighting against one another, the urge to scream at him, dimming by every second but despite it she still wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him.
“I-…I-…” he tried to get the words out but he snapped his hands over his ears and shrunk to a ball, pulling his long limbs inward as if he were under attack, and though the darkness leaked around them, Kalypso was unable to hear or make out the shadows that were tormenting him from the inside out. She cocked her head to the side, unable to figure out if this was a manifestation of his rotting mental well-being, or if this was just a means to manipulate her into not being upset anymore.
“Spit it the fuck out! I’m serious, Vaelyn, you’re seriously freaking me out, what the fuck is wrong with you?” her voice trembled as she spoke. Emotions that she thought she’d long abandoned years ago, re-surfacing and she could feel her hands starting to shake. She stood there over him and all he could do was crunch closer in on himself.
“I can’t, Kalypso! I-…I CANT!” a rumbling shriek left his lips, he couldn’t even open his eyes to look at her anymore because whenever he did, her face would shift and morph into something he couldn’t even place. Nothing was safe. Not his mind. Not his sight. Not his sleep. No where. He couldn’t run from it, the madness was spilling out of every part of his entire being and only when she heard the tear in his voice did she stand there in shock. She knew what she had to do, the one thing she promised she never would, but this instance was different. Vaelyn was more than clearly suffering, and if she didn’t do something, she was worried she could possibly lose him forever and the thought of that caused her to step forward again.
“It’s going to be okay…” she offered a semblance of support, her voice quivering as she did so, her heart racing in the depths of her chest. She knelt beside him, her hand reaching out to touch his trembling shoulder. Summoning every ounce of strength within her manifestations, she focused on the shadows, willing them to retreat, to give him a moment of peace. The inside of her mind worked to mold and craft something new, different, anything but what he was currently experiencing. But the Oblivion Madness pushed back, the shadows recoiling violently and lashing out at her. Kalypso gritted her teeth, her body trembling as she tried to hold her ground.
“Damn it…” she growled through clenched teeth. “Leave him the fuck alone!” her tone like jagged ice shards as she willed her strength to push at it, refusing to back down as her body worked to manducate the madness that flooded her lover. “Come on…COME ON!!!” she shouted at herself impatiently. Fighting between the many thoughts and emotions swirling around her while trying her best to focus in on the nightmares themselves, was proving difficult for even someone of her caliber. The shadows surged, their energy consuming Vaelyn. He screamed, his hands clutching his head as his mind fractured further. In an instant, he lashed out, his insanity manifesting into a solid energy that came exploding in a burst of chaotic electricity that knocked Kalypso back.
“No! Get out!” he shouted, his eyes glowing with desperation as he severed the connection.
Kalypso gasped as she was ripped from the Dreamscape, her body jolting awake in the dingy apartment she shared with a woman she’d met at the club. Disoriented and furious, she stumbled to her feet, the weight of what had just happened crashing down on her. Unable to process it, she screamed, grabbing the nearest object and hurling it across the room. Her rage consumed her, the sound of shattering glass and her roommate’s terrified voice lost in the chaos. “No! NO, NO, NO!” she shrieked, ripping posters off the walls, tossing her shoes across the room. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. What was the point of having mastered her stupid familial gift if the one time she needed it to help someone, it failed. Yet, maybe that was just it. Due to the fact she’d never used it in a means to heal, but only to torment, that is what made it so much more difficult to perform.
She collapsed to the floor, her hands shaking as tears welled in her eye. Guilt and helplessness gnawed at her, the image of Vaelyn’s tormented face burned into her mind. She had failed him when he needed her most. But as she sat there, the anger and despair slowly gave way to determination. Kalypso wiped away her tears, her jaw set in a steely resolve. She couldn’t abandon Vaelyn, not like her parents did her. She refused to give up, she refused to let his curse win, she would get back to him. She would fight for him.
With a deep breath, she stood up, her mind already racing with plans. She needed to find a way back to him, to break through the darkness that threatened to take him. Instantly, she knew just where to start. Kalypso reached for the lock around her neck, it’s significance to their bond powerful enough to aid her. Feeling the faint pull of energy that connected her to Vaelyn. Closing her eyes, she focused on that connection, letting it guide her back into the Dreamscape.
This time, as she stepped into that ethereal space of which she was so familiar, it was darker, more unstable than before, almost as if the Oblivion was manifesting throughout its entirety. “This is MY turf, mother fucker,” she growled, following the energy back to him. The shadows writhed and twisted around her as she moved through the Dreamscape, but Kalypso pushed forward with a fierce determination. She could feel the weight of the Oblivion pressing down on her, trying to suffocate her flame of obstinacy. However hard it tried, she refused to let it extinguish. As she neared Vaelyn once again, she saw him huddled on the ground, his form flickering in and out of existence. The shadows seemed to be feeding on him from the inside out, his very essence being torn apart by the darkness that surrounded him.
“Vaelyn!” Kalypso called out, her voice cutting through the oppressive silence. She knelt beside him, her hand reaching out to touch his trembling shoulder. “Where are you? Tell me where you are, I’m coming to you, just tell me where you are,”
Vaelyn’s head snapped up, his eyes filled with fear and despair. “Kaly… I can’t...” he choked out, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to form the words. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white with the effort of holding on against the relentless onslaught of the Oblivion Madness. Kalypso could see the torment etched into every line of his face, the remnants of a once vibrant soul now on the brink of being consumed.
She refused to let him slip away. With a deep breath, Kalypso summoned all her power, calling upon the ancient magik that flowed through her veins. The air around them crackled with energy as she focused on shielding Vaelyn from the encroaching darkness. If even just for a momentary minute of time to get the information she desperately needed. "Listen to me, Vaelyn," she said firmly, her voice cutting through the chaos. "I know your brain is basically soup right now, but I need to know your god damn location in order to push Oblivion back at the source, I need to be there physically…so get it together for two fucking seconds to get me the information I need,” she was trying her hardest to be patient, but the fear was also starting to get the best of her own mental stability.
Vaelyn's gaze met hers, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes amidst the despair. Slowly, he began to uncurl himself, the shadows receding slightly in response to Kalypso's power. "Motel…40 miles outside town…blue building…broken sign…" he managed to gasp out, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can’t remember..anything else..." he struggled with the memories of reality as they were slowly slipping away.
“I’m coming, just keep fighting…okay? You big stupid son of a bitch, don’t you DARE give up…” her voice cracked, breaking even. It had been what felt like centuries since she last felt genuinely terrified to lose something, let alone someone. Kalypso stood up, breaking the ties between the dreamscape and reality as she found herself back in the chaotic mess she’d once left her room.
“Hey, you psycho! You’re gonna pay for all these damages and you need to get the fuck out of my-…” cut off by Kalypso shoving straight past the agitated woman she’d been sharing a living space with.
“Can it, cunt, I have more important shit to do, I don’t give two fucks about this god damn apartment,” Kalypso snapped, her tone razor-sharp as she grabbed her jacket off the coat rack. She didn’t bother glancing back. She was already halfway out the door when the roommate screamed something unintelligible about rent and damages, but Kalypso had no space in her head for anything else. Not now. She slammed the apartment door behind her, the sound echoing down the dimly lit hallway. Her boots pounded against the cracked linoleum as she stormed down the stairs and out into the night. The air was sharp and cold, biting at her exposed parts of skin, but she didn’t care. She fumbled with her phone, pulling up a map. “Forty miles… blue building, broken sign,” she muttered, her voice low as she zoomed in and out, scanning the outskirts of the city.
There it was. An old motel in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desolation. The Blue Star Motel—or what was left of it. The reviews she skimmed said everything she needed to know: condemned, decrepit, “not fit for stray animals,” one person wrote. Perfect. Just the kind of place Vaelyn would run to when the weight of the world crushed him.
She sprinted to the car parked haphazardly outside the building. The door creaked as she wrenched it open and slid into the driver’s seat, the engine coughing to life. Her hands trembled on the steering wheel, her knuckles white as she gripped it tight. Every second felt like a war against time as she tore out of the city and onto the desolate road. The darkness outside was oppressive, the headlights of her car cutting through the inky black as the miles blurred together. Her mind raced just as fast as the car, running through every possible scenario. Was he even alive? Was this the last time she’d see him, his form shrouded in Oblivion, his mind broken beyond repair?
“No,” she growled to herself, slamming her foot down on the accelerator. “He’s not going anywhere. Not without me,” her blood boiling with the sheer idea of having to walk the rest of her journey without his obnoxious antics, his cutting insults, his soft hands on her own. Lifting her hand up to brush away the tears that started to build within her one good eye, she swallowed it. There was no time to cry. There was no time to be sad. There was no time to overthink every angle, she just needed to keep driving.
The Motel loomed out of the shadows like a ghost, the flickering remnants of its neon sign buzzing faintly. Kalypso’s car screeched to a halt in the cracked parking lot, dust swirling in the cold air. She climbed out, slamming the door shut and scanning the building. Most of the windows were boarded up, and the faint light of a single bulb glowed dimly above the office door. Her boots crunched against the gravel as she approached, the wind biting at her cheeks. She shoved the office door open, the smell of mildew and stale cigarettes hitting her like a wall. A disheveled clerk barely looked up from behind the counter, his eyes glassy with disinterest.
“Room. Tall guy. Dark green and gold in his hair, shit ton of tattoos, looks like he hasn’t slept in years. Where is he?” Kalypso barked, slapping a wad of cash onto the counter.
The clerk blinked at her lazily, then gestured down the hallway. “End of the hall. Room twelve. Don’t make a mess that I’ll have to clean up,” he scoffed before looking back down at the magazine he’d been previously invested in before she’d interrupted. Kalypso didn’t wait for him to finish. She was already stalking toward the room, her heart pounding as she reached the door. The faint sound of muffled whispers seeped through the cracks, and she froze, her hand hovering over the doorknob.
“Vaelyn,” she called, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and fear. “It’s me. Open the door.”
No response.
“Vaelyn, I swear to fucking god, if you don’t open this door, I’m breaking it down!” she shouted, slamming her fist against the wood. Inside, Vaelyn stirred, his mind still caught between reality and hallucination. Her voice sounded like a cruel trick, another illusion meant to torment him. He pressed his hands against his ears, rocking back and forth on the bed as the whispers in his head grew louder.
“She’s not real. She’s not real,” he muttered, his voice cracking.
Kalypso’s patience snapped. “VAELYN!” she screamed, slamming her shoulder into the door. The wood creaked under her weight, but it didn’t budge. “I’m not leaving until you let me in, you hear me? I’ll chew my way through this fucking door if I have to!” her voice was urgent, angry but deeply terrified. One hand she knew he was in there, she could feel his energy, but another was wondering if it was just a trick of her own sick mind. Did it take him? She needed to know he was still alive in there.
Inside, Vaelyn’s breath hitched. Her voice—real or not—cut through the fog, pulling him out of the suffocating spiral. He staggered to his feet, his legs unsteady as he stumbled toward the door. His hand trembled as he reached for the lock, hesitating. ‘Please….Please be real…’ he thought, no, prayed even.
“God fuckin-….VAELYN!” she screamed again, pounding her fist upon the cracked wood of the cheap motel door. “Open this fucking door RIGHT NOW!” and though her voice was as furious as it normally was in moments of stress like such, there was an undertone of desperation, a deep worry that shrouded her sealed off heart. She needed him to open the door just as much as he needed her to walk into it.
The lock clicked.
The door creaked open just a fraction, revealing Vaelyn’s haggard face. His eyes, bloodshot and haunted, met hers, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Kalypso’s rage almost melted away as she saw the broken man before her. Without a word, she pushed the door open and stepped inside, her arms wrapping around him in a fierce, desperate embrace. Vaelyn stiffened, his body trembling as if he might shatter under her touch, but he didn’t pull away.
“You fucking idiot…!!” they grabbed each other, both now certain the other was really there, confident in the fact there was no metaphysical or invisible barrier between them. Vaelyn’s arms finally wrapped around her, slowly, at first, shaking. Yet, it was when the fresh scent of her usually floral perfume that hit his nose was he really convinced it was her and they both slid to the ground as the door shut behind them. “You-…you fucking idiot!” she broke, sobbing into the crook of his shoulder as her hands clutched his back, holding him closer.
“Y-You’re….here?” Vaelyn’s hoarse voice confused, he’d thought certainly the madness had made up their encounter in the dreamscape. He was almost convinced he’d be eaten away by his insanity and there would be only one escape from it.
“Of course I’m fucking here! I told you I was coming, you dim-witted bitch!” she pulled back snuffling softly, realizing he was alive was more than enough to calm the tears that had sprung up on her the moment she had him in her arms. “Why? Why Vaelyn? Why would you put yourself in this STUPID fucking position? Why would you do this alone?” she pulled him back by his shoulders to look at him. His face was pale, his eyes sunken and haunted. His once vibrant green and gold hair now dulled and matted, his tattoos looking like mere shadows of their former selves. The man before her was a shell of the one she knew, broken and lost.
Vaelyn’s gaze flickered away from hers, shame clouding his features. “I…I had to,” he whispered, his voice barely audible above the pounding of her heart. “I can’t cause anymore damage…I can’t face them…I can’t face anyone…let alone you…I couldnt-…”
“Couldnt what? Give me a fuckin’ heads up that you were just gonna go get swallowed up by your own fuckin’ madness?!” her eyebrows turned in, the anger setting in. She was mad he didn’t take two seconds to consider her in his quest of solitude. Vaelyn flinched at her words, his jaw tightening as he tried to find the courage to respond.
“I didn’t want to drag you into this, Kalypso,” he muttered, his voice strained. “You don’t understand—” but before he could finish the rest of his thought or sentence, Kalypso came undone at the seams.
“Don’t I?!” she snapped, cutting him off. She released his shoulders and shoved herself to her feet, pacing the small room like a caged animal. “You think you’re the only one who gets to suffer, huh? You think your pain is so special that no one else could possibly understand? Fuck you, Vaelyn. Fuck. You,” She jabbed a finger in his direction, her single eye blazing with fury. “You don’t get to decide what I can handle!”
Vaelyn staggered to his feet, his own frustration bubbling to the surface. “It’s not about what you can handle, Kalypso! It’s about what I can’t!” His voice cracked as he gestured to himself, his trembling hands, his sallow face. “Look at me! I’m a goddamn wreck! You think I wanted you to see me like this?!”
“I don’t give a shit how you look!” Kalypso shot back, her voice rising. “I give a shit about the fact that you didn’t even try to talk to me! You just ran off, left me to pick up the pieces like you always fucking do!” walking towards him she shoved him with two open palms, he stumbled back a few inches. It was then that Vaelyn’s hands curled into fists at his sides.
“Maybe I left because I knew you’d make it about you! Like you always do!” The words were venomous, and the moment they left his mouth, he regretted them, but it was too late.
Kalypso froze, her chest heaving as his words sank in. Her face twisted in a mix of hurt and anger, and she stepped closer, her finger stabbing into his chest. “You really wanna do this right now? You wanna make me the problem?!” Her voice was low, dangerous. “You’re the one who decided to play the fucking martyr, Vaelyn. You’re the one who disappeared without a word, leaving me to wonder if you were even fucking alive,” she spat back at him.
“I didn’t ask you to come after me!” Vaelyn roared, his voice shaking the walls of the tiny room. His fists unclenched, his arms spreading wide in exasperation. “I didn’t ask you to care! I didn’t—”
“Bullshit!” Kalypso screamed, her voice cutting through his like a blade. “You don’t get to pull this lone wolf crap and then act like you’re the victim when someone actually gives a damn about you! Let ALONE someone like ME,” She shoved him again, hard, her hands slamming into his chest. “You’re not the only one who’s broken, Vaelyn! You think you’re the only one carrying scars?! Newsflash, asshole: I’m just as fucked up as you are!”
Vaelyn stumbled back, his breathing ragged as he glared at her. “I know that!” he shouted, his voice raw. “I know you’re broken! That’s why I didn’t want you here! Because I can’t… I can’t be responsible for you, too. I can’t carry both of us!”
Kalypso’s hands trembled at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. She took a step back, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You’re not responsible for me. You’ve never been responsible for me. But don’t you dare act like I’m some fucking burden. I didn’t come here for you. I came here because I wasn’t going to let this thing win. You fucking hear me? Not you, not it, not any of this,”
Vaelyn’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him as her words pierced through the haze of his anger. His gaze dropped to the floor, his voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t want you to see me like this… because I didn’t want to be another person who let you down,” his gaze avoiding hers as it stared down at the floor that moved amongst the slowed hallucinations. It was almost as if his mind could take a break because the woman standing in the room was enough to make things even worse for him.
Kalypso almost scoffed at the comment, rolling her eye and shaking her head. “Yeah? You didn’t want to be like everyone else in my fucking life? SO YOU ABANDONED ME?! Don’t GIVE me that sad sack of SHIT!” her emerald orb welling up with unresolved pain, with pushed off emotions that now bubbled to the surface. Her outburst echoed in the small room, the tension between them crackling like wildfire. Vaelyn raised his head slowly to meet her gaze, the weight of his actions heavy in his eyes.
The silence that followed was suffocating, each breath they took heavy with the anger and raw emotion they had unleashed. Vaelyn’s jaw clenched, and Kalypso’s fists trembled at her sides, her nails biting into her palms. Neither of them moved, the air between them crackling with a volatile mix of fury and despair.
Vaelyn’s voice broke the silence first, low and shaking. “You think I wanted to hurt you? You think I planned this?!” He stepped closer, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. “Every second I’m alive, I’m fighting against this… thing in my head that’s eating me alive. And every time I look at you, Kalypso, I see someone I can’t fucking save because I can’t even save myself!” he shouted at her, his expression twisted with self doubt, with self hatred, with the tension of all the years of messing things up.
Kalypso didn’t back down. She met his blazing eyes with her own, taking a step toward him, the space between them shrinking. “You think I need you to save me?!” she shot back, her voice trembling with rage. “You self-righteous, self-pitying asshole. I don’t need a savior. I need someone who doesn’t fucking run every time it gets hard!” her own words cutting, volatile and selfish.
Vaelyn flinched at her locution, but his anger surged again, masking his guilt. “You don’t get it! I can’t stay! I can’t stay and watch myself drag you down with me! You deserve better—everyone deserved better—”
“I deserve better?” Kalypso interrupted, her laugh bitter and sharp. She shoved him again, harder this time, her voice rising. “Don’t you dare tell me what I deserve! You don’t get to decide that! You don’t get to leave and make it about me! You left because you’re a coward, Vaelyn! Admit it!” she could tell that one hurt, it caused him to pause for a mere moment, looking at her in disbelief. His face then twisted with rage, and his voice dropped to a dangerous growl.
“Coward?” He grabbed her wrist, hard, enough to stop her from shoving him again. His eyes burned into hers. “You think I’m a coward because I’m trying to protect you? And anyone else I could damage? I’d rather be a coward than watch you end up like me! I KILLED people, Kalypso, don’t you fuckin’ get that? I ruined EVERYTHING, and all I'd do is ruin you too,” his eyebrows curved inward to match the disbelief and exasperation he was faced even having this conversation. She was supposed to be here to help and of course, she wanted to spin and twist their reunion based off something she couldn’t possibly grasp outside herself.
Kalypso wrenched her wrist free, her breathing ragged as she stepped even closer, her chest almost brushing his. “I don’t give a FUCK, about any of that, I could handle that shit, what I can’t handle…” she spat, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. “Is-…fuckin’..You….” struggling to find her thoughts leading into coherent sentences, but it finally exploded again. “LEFT, YOU LEFT! fuckin’….DISAPPEARED, don’t you get that? Why don’t you fucking GET that?” she was putting in over drive to not burst into tears, triggered by the abandonment only to find him still alive, still within his capabilities of letting her in but choosing to keep her shut out.
Vaelyn’s hands trembled at his sides, his anger and shame warring within him. He looked down at her, his voice breaking. “I’m already gone, Kalypso. There’s nothing left of me to save. And if you stay, it’ll take you too,” he turned his head away, gaze focused on the ground again, too ashamed to look at her.
Her voice softened, but it was no less fierce. She turned his head by his chin to return his attention back to her “Then let it. If that’s what it takes, then let it. Because I’m not going anywhere, Vaelyn. Not without you, I don’t know why you haven’t fucking gathered that in your thick ass skull, but you can’t just fucking leave me behind,”The words hung in the air, raw and unyielding, piercing through the storm of emotions that surrounded them. Vaelyn staggered back as if she had struck him, his hands running through his hair as he tried to process what she had just said.
“You don’t… you don’t mean that,” he muttered, shaking his head.
Kalypso stepped forward, her voice steady and firm. “I do. You don’t get to push me away and tell yourself it’s for my own good. You don’t get to decide that I’m better off without you when you don’t even have the decency to ask me what I want. You and I,” she paused, looking down then back up at him again. “We get each other more than you want to believe, you’re the only fuckin’ person on this entire earth who can handle me, and in turn, I can do that for you…fuck it if you’re batshit….fuck it if there’s a curse upon your soul, you…” she swallowed the lump that threatened to over take her voice and cause her to cry. She wouldnt do it. She’d already cracked once. “Are all I fucking have…I’d…” she stopped. Trying so desperatly to find the right words, unable to unearth the meaning to which she truly meant to convey. “Haven’t you a fucking clue?”
He sank onto the edge of the bed, his head in his hands, his shoulders trembling. “I don’t know how to deal with this,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Kalypso crouched in front of him, her hands resting on his knees as she looked up at him. Her voice was softer now, but no less intense. “Then we figure it out together, that’s why I’m fuckin’ here,” Vaelyn looked at her, his eyes filled with a mix of despair and something else—something that looked like hope, fragile and flickering. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Kalypso pulled him into a fierce embrace, holding onto him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded.
“Don’t leave me again,” she whispered, her voice breaking. For a moment, Vaelyn didn’t move. Then, slowly, his arms wrapped around her, his grip tightening as he buried his face in her shoulder. The fight drained out of him, leaving only raw, unfiltered emotion.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out, his voice muffled against her. “I’m so fucking sorry…I’m trying to fight it….I’m trying to—”
“Shut up, you fuckin’ idiot…just…let me in,” she whispered, the angry fire in her finally dulling out to a tiny ember, relieved again he was even in her arms and not a cold, purple body laying lifeless on the floor.
“It’s….so loud in here..Kaly…it’s so fucking loud…” he broke into harder sobs, his body trembling around her, his fingers gripping the fabric of her jacket tightly as the voices began to return to his mind. Seeping in slowly like a broken faucet leak.
Kalypso tightened her grip around him, her fingers pressing into his back as if she could physically anchor him to reality. “I know,” she murmured, her voice a surprisingly soothing contrast to the chaos in his head. “I know it’s loud. But I can help. You just have to trust me, Vaelyn. Just… let me in. Let me do this for you,” He shook his head against her shoulder, his voice muffled by her jacket.
“It’s not that simple. You don’t understand what it feels like—what it’s doing to me. It’s like… it’s like drowning, but you can’t die. You just keep sinking,” Kalypso pulled back just enough to grab his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. His eyes were bloodshot and wild, his pupils unnaturally dilated. She didn’t flinch at the sight.
“You’re not sinking, I won’t let you drown, I won’t let this shit win,” she said firmly, her emerald eye blazing with determination. “You said it yourself—we’re both broken. So let me deal with the pieces. Let me fix it, it’s what I was born to do,” she continued, her words struggling to convince him, which was almost understandable since in most cases, in most ways, all she ever did was make things worse. It was different this time. She knew she was capable of channeling all her unmanaged chaos into something useful for once, her gift could finally be that, for him, a gift.
Vaelyn tried to pull away, but her grip on his face was unrelenting. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” he rasped, his voice trembling. “It’ll take you down with me. It’ll—”
“Stop!” she snapped, her voice cutting through his protest like a knife. “You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t handle. Remember? I have survived things that would make most people lose their minds. And you know what? I’m still here. I’m standing right in front of you, Vaelyn, and I’m telling you that I can do this. Now, are you going to let me fucking help you, or are we just going to sit here until that thing convinces you to blow your fuckin’ brains out?” her expression read desperation, her words, more comforting and supportive than they once had ever been.
He hesitated, his jaw tightening as he searched her face for any sign of doubt. But there was none. Kalypso’s eye burned with an unyielding intensity, her resolve like iron. Finally, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a shaky breath. “If… if you think you can stop it… then do it. But if it starts to take you—”
“Don’t be stupid,” she interrupted, her voice steady. “God himself couldn’t take me from you,” Without waiting for further objection, Kalypso moved to kneel in front of him again, her hands sliding from his face to his trembling hands. “Close your eyes,” she instructed softly, her tone suddenly calm, almost hypnotic.
Vaelyn hesitated, but her unflinching gaze urged him on. Slowly, he closed his eyes, his breathing ragged as he braced himself for whatever was coming. Kalypso took a deep breath, centering herself as she focused on the swirling madness she could already feel radiating from him. The Oblivion Madness—it was a storm, chaotic and relentless, clawing at the edges of his mind. She closed her own eye, letting the shimmering thread of her dream manipulation uncoil within her. It was a gift, yes, but one she had always used for heinous reasons, never once had she tried to aid anyone’s struggles but only sought to worsen them. It required precision, control—and she had never tested it on something this… monstrous.
Dipping into the fringes of his mind was like diving into an ocean of tar. It resisted her at first, writhing and snarling, but she pushed harder, her will a sharp blade cutting through the darkness. The voices that plagued Vaelyn became audible now, screaming and wailing in an otherworldly outpour.
“You don’t belong here,” one hissed, its tone dripping with venom.
“He’s ours,” another snarled, its voice like nails on glass.
Kalypso ignored them, her focus unwavering. She followed the threads of chaos to their core, where the madness coiled and festered like a living entity. It lashed out at her, tendrils of dark energy clawing at her consciousness, but she didn’t flinch. “You’re loud,” she growled, her voice reverberating through the space like a thunderclap. “But I’m fucking LOUDER,” Summoning her strength, Kalypso began to weave her own threads of control into the storm, her power surging as she manipulated the very fabric of his nightmares. The voices screeched in protest, their force battering against her defenses, but she held firm.
Vaelyn groaned, his body convulsing as the madness fought back, trying to reclaim its grip on him. “Kalypso—” he gasped, his voice strained.
“Sh!” she hissed through gritted teeth, sweat beading on her brow. “I’ve got this,” her voice filled with unwavering confidence, though her body shook with the sheer force of energy she was putting out to work her way through the curse. With a final surge of will, she pushed the storm outward, forcing the darkness to retreat. It clawed and shrieked, but her resolve was unyielding. The chaos began to dissipate, the voices fading into an eerie silence. When Kalypso finally opened her eye, she was full trembling, sweating even, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Vaelyn was slumped against the bed, his breathing heavy but steady. His face, though still pale, seemed… calmer. The shadows that had haunted his features were lighter now, the madness no longer choking him.
“You…” His voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. “You did it…”
Kalypso collapsed onto the floor, her body drained but her lips curling into a faint smirk. “Of fucking course I did, numb-nuts,” she muttered. “I’m the most powerful Vahlia Baku who ever fuckin’ lived,” she sat up, catching her center and brushing back a few stray strands of hair before she continued. “..and if I couldn’t do this, I might as well not consider myself a Baku at all,” she scoffed a bit snarky, a little too cocky, but it made the tired lion man smirk.
“You really are too fuckin’ arrogant for your own good, you know?” shaking his head, but feeling the intensity of fifteen tons of emotional weight lifting off of him was the relief he needed. He was grateful. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the storm was quiet.
“Yeah yeah, you’re welcome…” she stuck her tongue out before taking a deep breath and exhaling with an uncertainty that made the man raise a brow. “Now I need you to trust me for just a little longer okay?”
“Why? What do you mean?” he hesitated, unsure if he was ready to face the rest of what she had to say.
“You need to sleep,” almost as if she were bracing for the impact of his resistance. Kalypso knew it was going to be a tough battle to convince him to close his eyes again.
“No…No because, what if it comes back? It’s most powerful when I’m asleep…” the man almost started to shake again, the uncertainty of it, the panic of being vulnerable in his sleep, it was the reason he’d been avoiding it for weeks at this point.
“Will you knock it the fuck off? You’ve already seen what I’m capable of, it’s fine, just let me do what I do best,” she rolled her eye, almost exhausted that he would keep doubting her abilities by this point.
“You just used all your energy to push it away, you expect me to believe you can handle another, what? Several fucking hours?” he raised a brow incredulously, pull his head back a bit to look her up and down.
“The dreamscape is my territory, I’ll have tenfold more energy and strength in there, you just need to have some god damn faith that I can do it,” her will unwavering, her stance unshaken. Vaelyn stared at her, torn between disbelief and desperation. He wanted to trust her, but the fear was still there, gripping his chest like a vice. His hands trembled as they clutched the edges of the bed, his breathing ragged.
“I don’t know if I can,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kalypso’s eye softened, but her tone stayed firm. “You don’t have a fucking choice. If you keep running from this, it’s going to kill you—or worse. And I didn’t just fucking drag you back from the brink, for you to give up now. I won’t let you,” She reached out, her fingers brushing against his, grounding him.
Vaelyn swallowed hard, his throat dry as he glanced at her. The fire in her gaze hadn’t dimmed, even after all she had done. She believed in herself—more than he ever could. “Alright,” he finally said, his voice barely audible. “But if you’re wrong—”
“I’m never wrong,” she interrupted with a smirk, though her voice wavered just enough to betray her own exhaustion. “Now shut the fuck up, lay the fuck down, and close your fuckin eyes, before I knock you the fuck out myself,” With a hesitant nod, Vaelyn eased himself back onto the bed. His heart raced as his head hit the pillow, his entire body tense. Kalypso shifted to sit beside him, her fingers lightly tracing shapes on the back of his hand, trying to calm him.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere,” He closed his eyes, his breathing uneven. The silence stretched between them, thick with anticipation. Kalypso leaned back against the wall, her gaze fixed on him as his breathing began to slow, his body sinking deeper into the mattress. She felt the shift as his mind began to drift, the edges of his consciousness slipping into the dreamscape. Her eye closed, and she allowed herself to fall with him.
————————
The dreamscape was alive with chaos. Shadows twisted and churned, an oppressive darkness pressing in from all sides. The voices were back, louder and more vicious, their whispers clawing at the edges of Vaelyn’s mind. He stood at the center of it all, trembling as the storm began to close in on him. Kalypso appeared beside him, her form shimmering like a beacon of light in the darkness. “You weren’t kidding,” she muttered, taking in the writhing mass of terror around them. “This is a real shitshow,”
Vaelyn turned to her, his expression both hopeful and terrified. “I told you… it’s worse here,”
“Yeah, yeah,” she replied, waving him off. “I’ve also conjured worse shit,” She stepped forward, her presence radiating confidence as she faced the darkness head-on. “Alright, assholes,” she called out, her voice cutting through the racket. “I’m here now, it’s time for you to piss off,”
The shadows surged toward her, a tidal wave of malice and fury. Vaelyn reached out to stop her, but Kalypso held up a hand. “Fuck off,” she commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. “This is my fight,” her hands moving in slow circles around each other, forming a manifested ball of shadow mixed with light. With a deep breath, she summoned her power, the dreamscape bending and shifting around her. The darkness crashed into her like a wave, but she stood firm, her energy blazing like wildfire. The storm screamed and writhed, fighting against her control, but she pushed back with everything she had. “Jesus…this shit is fuckin’…stubborn,” she spoke through gritted teeth as she stayed firmly planted, working her way through it.
Vaelyn watched, frozen, as Kalypso battled the madness that had consumed him for so long. The shadows twisted and writhed, trying to overwhelm her with their malevolent force, but Kalypso stood her ground. She channeled every ounce of strength within her, pushing back against the darkness that sought to suffocate them. Her eye blazed with determination as she unleashed a torrent of energy, dispersing the shadows and bringing a momentary calm to the dreamscape.
As the last remnants of the storm dissipated, a profound stillness settled over the realm. Kalypso stood amidst the fading echoes of chaos, her chest heaving as she surveyed the now tranquil landscape. Vaelyn looked at her in awe, a newfound respect dawning in his eyes.
"You did it," he breathed, his voice tinged with disbelief and gratitude.
Kalypso allowed herself a small, weary smile before turning to him. "Duh," she quipped, though the exhaustion in her voice was palpable. “Now, relax…gaining the upper hand was the hard part, keeping it away will be easy so long as I’m here with you,” she walked toward him, leading them to the ground by taking his hand. She sat, criss crossed, patting her lap to allow him to rest his head. Vaelyn let out a shaky breath, feeling a weight he hadn't realized he'd been carrying lift from his shoulders. The sense of relief was overwhelming, almost foreign after so long spent in the grip of fear. He looked at Kalypso with a newfound sense of trust, grateful beyond words for her intervention.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. He joined her on the ground, comforted, laying his head within her lap and allowing her to gently rolled her fingers through his messy strands of hair. Kalypso offered him a tired but warm smile, her emerald orb reflecting the weariness of the battle they had just faced together.
"You're welcome," she replied softly, her gaze never leaving his. “You know…” she chuckled almost mindlessly as her fingers worked to soothe his weary soul. “You’re the first person I’ve ever used my gifts to actually help…most the time, I am the storm…I am the darkness…” her words almost resigned, as if she had only just realized this fact about herself.
Vaelyn listened to the soft sounds of her voice, her gentle touch soothing him in a way he had never experienced before. He knew that she was different, something in her made her stand out from others, but never did he think it could be anything like what they just experienced.
"How does that make you feel?" he asked curiously. Kalypso had always been a complete and royal pain in his ass, but for once, she saved him. She saw him. The most insane apart about it, was when she saw him, she didn’t run or shy. She wasn’t even mildly shaken by it. He knew she had the capabilities of ruining people’s lives, he’d seen it first hand in their relationship. Yet, this side, was a completely different version of the person he’d come to know and meet. He knew that all of the roughest parts of her were just a means of protection from the pain that her family had caused her so long ago.
Kalypso paused, her fingers still moving gently through Vaelyn's hair. She had never really thought about how her own darkness might affect others. She had always been focused on surviving, on protecting herself from those who would or could cause her more pain. Using her gift as a means to seek vengeance and the upper hand in life, but now, seeing the effect she had on Vaelyn, she realized that maybe, she didn’t always have to.
"It's… complicated," she admitted finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "But knowing that I can preserve someone else, not just myself? That feels… good. Really good," Her fingers paused in their soothing rhythm, and she looked down at him with a mixture of vulnerability and gratitude. "I love you…stupid,” Vaelyn cocked a brow, an amused look written over his face but before he could respond, she continued. “and…thank you, for showing me there’s more to myself than…even I thought was capable," shrugging her shoulders, handing him a piece of the softness neither of them knew she was capable of doing.
Vaelyn smiled up at her, warmly, "I love you," he whispered back, his voice shaky but filled with sincerity. Truly, the first, and probably only time they’d ever been this intimate together. He held onto the moment tightly, not wanting to let go of it. They sat there, in continued silence, as Vaelyn allowed himself rest, real rest for the first time in what felt like his whole life. Not a whisper, not a voice. Silence. Something he was so grateful to even be in the presence of. While he relished in this freedom, Kalypso kept her guard up, made sure that her radiating energy kept the scape calm. They stayed this way, for the rest of the time Vaelyn needed to sleep. Allowing him his first real rest for what he believed to be, the only time in his existence.
To Be Continued…
Author’s Notes:
That is all I really can say. Elmo praising the flames. I’m physically sweating from all that intensity but damn….DAMN did I put my pussy into this piece 😩 I need to crank out more angst and lore and intense content like this. Vee and Kalypso seriously feed something really fucked up in me but i absolutely am addicted to writing their interactions with one another. 🤌🏻 Hope whoever reads this enjoys! TIL next time 🫡
A creature finally arrives home, taking note of all the lights being off and the silence. She flicks the living room lamp on, and quickly spots a pile of empty vodka bottles as well as a few labeled jars next to the couch. Eldritch sighs, a bit disappointed, but knew PT might relapse after certain events.
She begins cleaning cleaning the place up quietly, and washing out the empty jars in the sink before sticking them in a nearby dishwasher. The empty vodka bottles get either thrown out, or washed out to save for future craft ideas for PT and her to use. The creature also cleans up the remaining mess from PT’s drunk baking.
Eldritch then sweeps up any food crumbs, and cleans up the green “blood” spots from the hardwood in front of the front door. She grabs a thing of bacterial wipes to wipe down any tables in both the kitchen and living room, before finally deciding it’s “clean enough”.
She turns off the light, and heads up the stairs to PT’s bedroom to check on them. Eldritch carefully opens the door, and pretty quickly spots the aforementioned blue triangle asleep in bed. She softly smiles and lets out another sign, taking a minute before cautiously moving towards the bed to fix the slightly fallen down covers back other them.
Eldritch takes one long look at them, as if thinking about something, before turning away to leave. Before she can get far, she feels something latch onto her “arm” and tug her back. She looks behind her, and the creature’s eyes widen slightly at the sight of a half awake PT.
PT looks at her, a small black tentacle wire having reached out from under the sheets to quickly latch on before she could get her. They peer at Eldritch from under their eyelid, a sadness in their pupil that asks her to stay. She relents and moves closer, holding the tentacle in her own like one would when holding a hand in comfort.
“Do you want me to stay with you…?”, she asks in a hushed tone….As if talking any louder would shatter the comforting atmosphere.
“….Please….”, they quietly plead in back as an answer. Eldritch slowly nods, a smile on her face.
“Sure thing, Payton…”
PT softly snorts and wrinkles their nose at the name. They still smile at her and they lift the blanket up and scoot over for Eldritch to have room. As the blanket is lifted, it reveals a worn down teddy bear with patches over it’s body.
“You haven’t called me that in a long time….”
She climbs into bed carefully, carefully moving the old plushie over and closer to PT. PT then lowers the covers and hugs both the plush and Eldritch close. They tuck the upper half of their body into the herd, nearly curling into a ball.
“… Sorry…”
Eldritch wraps her “arms” around them, holding PT close.
“No, you’re fine… I’m…. Kind of glad someone still knows my name… It’s okay to use it in private, just don’t go telling anyone…. Okay?”
“Alright… If you’re sure.”
“I am…”
Eldritch begins gently rubbing PT’s back, letting her firm warm up slightly to a comfortable temp. PT snuggles closer, and softly smiles. Not too long afterwards, they fall back into a deep sleep asleep.
….
If they had stayed awake a bit longer….
……
Maybe they would have heard someone quietly sing a very familiar tune with words no human could ever decipher.
warning: graphic imagery, description of vomit/heaving at the start, use of syringes/needles, violence in inkie flashback
the story of how one lost inkling met a runaway octoling, and their journey to escape the sewers they find themselves trapped in.. but it’s not as easy as they think it is.
this fic is entirely oc related! i am proud to have the blanket octoling inkie as my oc, whilst the firefly inkling blinkie belongs to @sadratatouille ! we created this entire lore story together in tiny chunks and i took it upon myself to finally write a full fledged story about it🫶 thank you for creating these ocs with me and indulging into splatoon brainrot with me <3
a rotten smell intoxicated the air, blinkie didn’t recognise this smell in splatsville, but the moment it hit his nose, his reflexes kicked in and his eyes immediately opened. followed by this was his body reacting by itself, his airway closed and his diaphragm contracted, causing him to dry heave multiple times, retching whatever he could onto the ground. blinkie’s hands were planted on the ground, filthy discoloured water running over his fingers as he spat out foul-tasting bile, wiping his mouth with his sleeve after.
of course, this left a disgusting taste in his mouth, causing him to grimace. once he had finished retching, he struggled to stand up, but managed to finally rise to his feet, staring at what seemed to be sewage run past him.
“great! sewers, just great— and no way out..” blinkie groaned, grabbing his now ruined and creased notebook by his foot, soaked and covered in grime. the inkling sighed at the thought of his precious notes being ruined by such an accident. how did he even get down here? his memory was foggy and the only thing he could remember was walking near the overrun sewer drain, water divided from the rusted metal bars on the grate, before something had grabbed his leg, slipping him over the rails, pulling him down into the water— and now here he was.
blinkie wrung the water out of his sleeves and shorts, not so comfortable with the idea of trailing the mazes of the sewers in soggy clothes. the fact that he had managed to even get lost down here alone was enough to roll the cold sensation of shivers down his spine, the echoes of sewage and waste splashing against the walls becoming louder due to the isolation and deafening silence where blinkie stood— emphasising and almost mocking the fact he was alone and nobody was out to help him.
did anybody realise he had gone missing? did anybody even see him being taken away? somebody surely must have saw him being dragged away— yet, he wouldn’t be here if they had.
the only viable option he had was to walk through the desolate and dim tunnel he landed himself in.
blinkie wasn’t sure how far he had walked, but he knew he had walked long enough for his legs to ache and his feet were now numb— too cold from the bitter chill the sewage water brought. so far through his travels, he had not found a way out— but what he found particularly odd was the scrap metal and broken mechanisms plus weaponry tossed carelessly near the walls of the sewers, almost as if some sort of life form lived here before his appearance. maybe they still remained, but blinkie didn’t like that lingering thought.
instead, as he wandered the tunnels, he noted down his discoveries with small key sketches beside them, the idea behind it being if he weren’t to make it out alive— somebody or something could find his notebook and discover what was hiding deep in the sewers. maybe then he’d get his justice.
blinkie didn’t like that thought either.
a subtle echo of a splash caught his attention, his eyes darting around the tunnel, searching for the source of the noise, before spotting a splotch of green ink beside his feet.. yet, it didn’t look like ink. this substance was much thicker than normal ink, and blinkie didn’t want to find out what it was, only where had come from. based on where the substance had stuck itself, the only way it could have gotten there was from above him, to which blinkie immediately lifted his head— and met eyes with a being he hadn’t thought existed, yet staring right at him was this very thing.
he couldn’t utter a word, only stare in fear and tighten his grip on his notebook a little more. piercing red orbs bore into his own, mouth secreting the very same green liquid beside his foot, as if it were drooling and ready to pounce. crooked teeth were visible, yet blinkie could recognise the iconic three fangs inklings would possess, but apart from those, the rest were square, jagged— almost like a salmonid’s. it’s hair was spiked too, yet possessed normal tentacles like an inkling did. another drop of saliva splattered onto blinkie’s cheek— yet, there was a stinging sensation where it lay, suggesting that this “ink” wasn’t safe— and neither was this salmonid-inkling hybrid.
it growled deeply, which caused blinkie to immediately scramble, the tainted sewage water splashing beneath his feet. he knew if he slowed down anytime soon, the hybrid chasing after him would catch him, and he would be as good as gone. the feeling of fear and dread settled into blinkie’s stomach, overwhelming his thoughts and tears began to brim at his eyes. please don’t kill me, i don’t wanna die! i’ve only just enrolled into turf war battles, please— whatever god is up there, hear me now and save me from this!
blinkie sharply turned a corner, arm colliding with the rotting concrete and the familiar feeling of pain shot through his arm, causing him to let out a harsh gasp, stumbling and dropping to the floor. with now a weak and throbbing arm, he couldn’t bring himself to lift up and off the ground, and the true feeling of fear began to engulf him— small cries and yells of agony and pleads of mercy coming from the inkling as he crawled, teeth gritted as his arm ached.
the salmonid-inkling crouched behind him, sharp nails pressing into both arms, drawing blood as it seeped through his jumper, causing blinkie to yell— this is where i die. i never even got to play r—
the familiar sound of an octoshot rang through the tunnel and the back of blinkie’s jumper became wet, and he realised something had splatted the hybrid behind him. someone had came to save him, he thought, yet when he looked up he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. a small, presumably, octoling girl, held her gun aimed, before gently resting it by her side, yet blinkie was confused how she even saw past the long tentacles covering her face.
it was as if she had heard his thoughts, and she quickly brushed a tentacle out of her face, revealing a singular left eye to blink at him. the octoling crept closer, but blinkie was still filled with fear, causing him to edge backwards away from her. she noted this, cautiously kneeling, before bringing a hand out.
“…..safe.” she mumbled through broken inklish, and blinkie noted she had the uniform of an octarian, yet it was dishevelled and dirty. he hadn’t noticed how heavy he was breathing until he had finally calmed down from the sudden attack, now slowing his breathing as the throb of pain in his arm dulled. he pulled himself towards her, shakily taking her hand.
“..thank you— y-you saved my life! i thought i was a goner—“ she placed a hand on his mouth, glancing at him through the slit between her tentacles.
“too much. talk less.” despite the language barrier, she had managed to communicate through basic words, yet such words were so harsh for a basic greeting.
“sorry… but— do you, uh.. have a name?” blinkie managed to stand up with the help of her hand, and she wiped the dust and water droplets off her knees. the octoling shook her head, arms wrapped around herself due to the biting cold air surrounding them.
“no name, only number.”
blinkie thought for a moment, before placing a hand on her shoulder.
“well, let’s call you inkie. i’m blinkie, it’s nice to meet you after you saved me from certain death.”
inkie peered at him, before breaking into a wide, toothy grin.
“inkie. nice meet you.”
a growl emitted from blinkie’s stomach, making the inkling remember that he hadn’t brought any snacks along with him like usual, causing him to grumble. he turned his head to inkie, who was walking beside him, octoshot in hand.
“hey.. inkie?” he gave a nervous laugh, to which the octoling turned her head to face him as he walked, lifting a tentacle from her face. “do you perhaps.. have anything to eat on you?”
she furrowed her eyebrows and blinkie could see the cog wheels turning in her head, translating what he had said in her head to octolish, before bringing out crinkled pieces of tinfoil from her pocket. blinkie peered at the contents in her hand.
“gum. mango.” she ushered the foil towards him. “not much. will provide.” he took a singular strip, unwrapping it and popping it into his mouth, letting the heavenly flavour of mango sweetener kick his tastebuds into action. blinkie thanked the octoling, and she hummed in response whilst chewing on her own.
after a while, the two stopped to take a necessary break after walking for an unknown period of time. inkie sat on a dry spot of concrete, resting her octoshot by her and bringing her knees up to hug them. blinkie leaned against the wall, arms folded as he took notice of the girl beside him. he hadn’t had a chance to look at her properly, but now he did— and he began to notice little details. the way her tentacles reflected whatever light illuminated the tunnel they were in, how her front tentacles were pink, whilst the back were green— the same colour as what the salmonid-inkling hybrid drooled. blinkie began to reach a hand out to touch them, but inkie instinctively flinched, arms protecting her head.
“…how’d you get different coloured tentacles?.. did you dye them?” he knew it seemed to be a touchy subject, but blinkie couldn’t help but ask. curiosity killed the cat, of course. inkie’s eye softened and she lowered her arms, head resting on her knees.
“testing. octarians want power. use sanitised ink on us. i failed. i ran.” even despite the language barrier, blinkie pieced together what information she had given him, before it finally clicked his head.
“test subject 304, are you ready for the experiment?”
the octoling gave a simple nod, sitting up from the lone bed that lay in her cell. her wrists were cuffed, red lines where they had dug into her skin remained. she gave a final glance back at her cell. perhaps she wouldn’t miss this cell as much as she thought she would, considering how bland it looked from the outside.
“alright, follow me.” her superior sighed, tapping the clipboard she held with her pen, fixing the seaweed in her hair before beginning to walk away with the girl behind. 304 looked at the posters and stickers plastered on the wall, noting how dirty they had become from being uncared for. “serve for octavio!” “become sanitised today, make an effort for the octarians!” “fight on! we shall get back what’s rightfully ours!” what a laugh.
304 didn’t believe a singular word behind these propaganda posters. she knew the true horrors from being front line fighting against inklings. serving for octavio didn’t mean anything. you were giving your life for nothing, what difference did it make for you to be sanitised?
yet 304 still applied.
“alright, 304. we’ll take off your cuffs and if you just sit right here, we’ll get your injection of sanitised ink soon.” her superior entered a pin into the cuffs and soon they clicked, dropping off her wrists and 304 was relieved with the freedom she had. she did as she was instructed, sitting down upon the white leather chair— which upon resting, wasn’t as comfortable as it looked.
the room was filled with silence for a while, the buzz of the overhead air conditioning whizzing through the vents, which surprisingly made 304 feel at peace— going as far as to yawn. she felt too comfortable here.
“okay, 304– was it?” a different superior came in, this time it was a male superior. he grinned at 304. in his hand was a syringe of a pale green liquid. “are you ready to be sanitised?“
the subject nodded, smiling in return. “oh, octolings need to be more like you. so willing and co-operative. we’d have that damn zapfish if we just had multiple octolings like you. you ever thought of becoming a superior yourself when you’re older?” he laughed almost, taking the safety cap off of the needle and flicking it slightly, the ink juicing from the tip. she wouldn’t dare become a superior. she’s seen the hardships they’ve had to suffer through and she’d be more likely to be struck by lightning than become a superior.
“maybe. i don’t think i’m suitable for the role of a superior.”
“oh, 304, you do make me laugh,” he pat her shoulder, shaking his head. 304 carefully rolled his hand off, laughing nervously in return. “now, enough chit chat, this’ll only pinch a little.”
the superior carefully inserted the syringe into her shoulder, injecting the ink into her bloodstream. at first, 304 didn’t feel anything, but then a sharp pain struck through her head— more painful than any headache or migraine she felt, causing her to let out a blood-curdling scream. the octoling clutched her tentacles, breathing heavily and gritting her teeth.
“now now 304, the pain will subside soon. it should fade just now,” he spoke gently, but in fact— the pain didn’t leave at all. it resided in her head, and 304 lurched off of the leather seat, back arching before she collapsed back onto the chair, wreathing. her superior panicked, restraining her down with his hands. “304, i need you to stop moving! i need to give you another dose—“
but 304 did not stop struggling. 304 kicked her new superior, causing him to knock back, holding his side in which she kicked. 304 grabbed a nearby syringe with the same liquid, letting out one final cry before stabbing it straight into his jugular, the octoling gargling whilst 304 injected the ink into his blood stream, before removing the syringe. the superior clawed at his throat, choking and spluttering from the unrecognised substance now in his bloodstream, and now it was 304’s turn to panic. dropping the syringe, 304 quickly limped past, stumbling as she ran towards the door, shakily entering the password as fast as she could— before escaping the experiment room.
an alarm sounded through the laboratory, almost deafening 304- meaning the liquid must have heightened her hearing range, causing her to cover her ears as she raced past monotone white rooms. “warning, failed sanitised octoling has escaped. warning. 304 has escaped her experiment, warning—“
304 whipped her head around, before quickly turning a corner, sliding across the tiles before scrambling to get back up and she could already hear echoing footsteps nearing from each end of the hallway— so, in the heat of the moment, she crashed through the nearby window, folding her arms around herself and bracing for the impact of the concrete ground..
a high-pitched ringing blared through her ears, before her surroundings faded from white, to gray, to black.
“and then.. you found the sewers?” inkie nodded. “oh.. i’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“ ‘m okay… we will live.” her sudden hope warmed blinkie’s heart, causing the inkling to grin in return.
“yeah. yeah we will,” blinkie stood up, wiping the dust off of his knees, turning to look at inkie. “hey, i’m gonna go look around and see if there’s any sign of an escape, okay? you just stay here.”
inkie grabbed blinkie’s arm swiftly, picking up her octoshot and handing it to him. “safety.”
the inkling chuckled, examining the gun in hand. the pink ink inside the translucent container swirled as he held it. inkie attached her ink bag to his back, tightening it to fit his shoulders before she pat his back.
“well then, i’ll be off. keep yourself safe, okay inks?” blinkie’s eyes softened, smiling softly at the octoling. the girl grinned back, beaming at the nickname, before pulling the inkling into a gentle embrace.
“kind. i like you, bli.”
the two giggled, before blinkie took his leave, walking a short distance before turning right.
inkie hadn’t met an inkling so nice to her. every inkling she had met, or well, fought, hated her. they looked at her as if she was scum of the earth, as if she was inferior. truly, she didn’t mean any harm— she wanted to live life beside them if anything, yet, with the octolings and inklings being so opposed to each other, some people hated the idea of both species living in harmony..
and now, she met someone that viewed her as if she were one of theirs.
inkie had fallen asleep, and she had only woken up by a piercing, echoey scream coming from a short distance away from her, which was a warning sign that something wasn’t right. once she had come to her senses, she lifted herself off of her feet, tiredly but steadily racing towards the source of the noise, fearing what sight she might have to behold. was inkie injured? had inkie died? no. no, that couldn’t have been possible, she had given him her gun, he can’t have—
inkie stopped in her tracks, water rippling around her boots as through the small slit of the parting of her tentacles, she spotted blinkie: wreathing and shaking on the floor, hands pressed into his eyes as he shrieked loudly. through the tight spaces of his palms, inkie noticed small tears streaming down his cheek, signifying something was definitely not right.
“b—bli?” she barely managed to whisper his nickname. her octoshot and ink bag were scattered on the floor beside him, another salmonid-inkling hybrid crouched by his side— barely a drop of ink covering its skin. it took notice of the octoling in front, baring its teeth before it sprung into action, dashing towards her but with her delayed reaction, she just barely spun to the side, letting the hybrid scuttle past her before it used it’s nails to drift and turn. inkie sprinted to her gun as blinkie continued to screech beside her, to which she quickly grabbed the octoshot and turned around, shooting the hybrid directly to the face. it let out an ear-splitting cry, before it exploded into the same green substance inkie recognised from the day she met blinkie.
the octoling took a few seconds to regain her breath, before quickly kneeling beside blinkie, shaking his shoulders. “bli! bli—“
“inks— inkie, my eyes—“ inkie removed his hands off of his eyes, to which her own widened, tears brimming at the edges of her lashes. “i can’t see, inks— is that you?”
what once was the gorgeous blue inkie had never seen before was now a dull fading white, green ink splotching over the edges of his eyeballs. inkie concluded that the hybrid had managed to land a blow of ink to his eyes and this had caused damage to them, ultimately blinding him. inkie’s hands shook as she held his, droplets of tears splattering onto his cheeks as she sobbed, before holding his face in one of her hands, thumb rubbing his cheek.
“i’m here. i’m here, bli! we leave.. we leave now,”she choked on her own sobs, lifting blinkie up and wrapping an arm around him, resting his own on her back so she could support him after slipping her ink bag on one shoulder, holding her octoshot in her right hand. “it’s okay, i got you…”
inkie managed to walk whilst supporting an injured blinkie, every step she took felt heavy and every second felt an eternity. she prayed, wished and hoped an exit would be nearby, and fortunately, whatever god was up there heard her prayers during this desperate time, because after several minutes of walking with the fear of being attacked, light shone on the water below them— causing inkie to look up.
a sewer gate.
“bli! you sit, i go!” she leant the inkling against the wall, who whimpered from his lack of vision, hands grasping at inkie’s arm.
“don’t go, inks. i can’t see you.”
“i will be here. always.” she pressed her forehead against his, before brushing her tentacles back and looking up at the gate, gathering nearby scraps and metals to stack before climbing them, bumping her head on the gate before (with much effort) lifting the gate and pushing it to the side, peeking her head up and looking around.
“safe! come on!” she descended the small tower, taking off her ink bag and dropping her octoshot, picking blinkie up on her back. “hold me. i carry you.”
blinkie did as he was told, holding tightly onto inkie as she climbed the tower once more, before lifting the two of them out of the manhole and onto the concrete ground. the sound of trains overhead slid by, shop doors jingling as people entered and left and gentle music playing through the street. blinkie hiccuped, and inkie turned to look behind her, seeing the boy crying, pressing his face into her shirt.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
next chapter is out of The Frostling! Yay!
Please take note that in the tags it does say I might not post the next chapters for a while, since this fic doesn’t really get much attention and posting to a non-existant audience is kinda dumb. I do have more chapters already written, though, so if you want to see more please give me support!
After the light aspected aether proved too much for Yonah, she realised despite how little time she had left, she needed to be alone with her thoughts and reflect on her failures.
But it's foolish to think she could simply vanish without her allies seeking her out.
‐---------------
Having concluded her conversation with Feo Ul and vehemently turning down their request for her to take their crown and live an eternal life as King Titania, Yonah had come to a realisation. So much had happened so fast that she hadn't had even a moment to begin to process everything. She had confirmed the identity of the Crystal Exarch was none other than G'raha Tia, the same Miqo'te man that aided her in her journey through the Crystal Tower on the Source.
However, just as quickly as she had confirmed he was a dear ally of hers, he was badly injured by Emet-Selch and promptly taken by the Ascian far below the waves of The Tempest. All of this happened while Yonah herself struggled in vain against the painful, all-too-heavy consequence of taking in so much light aspected aether. She was turning in front of her friends, and she couldn't do anything to stop it.
Yonah's failing to contain the light aspected aether caused G'raha Tia to be taken from them, and before she had the chance to respond to Emet-Selch, she collapsed.
Now, her aether may have been temporarily balanced by Ryne, but she still suffered some ill effects from it. The edges of her vision still stung with a blinding white that gave the world around her somewhat of a reverse vignette, her body ached and burned with every step she took and every move she made, and her horns were plagued with a constant ringing that threatened to deafen her.
All Yonah wanted was some time to process it, a moment to breathe and take it all in. She had come to the decision that, though she likely had very little time left, she had to be alone with her thoughts. It was a subconscious effort, her attunement to the Wright Aetherye, her legs carrying her towards the cliff overseeing the seemingly endless sea, mind racing a million miles a minute while simultaneously thinking about nothing at all while her body practically screamed at her with every step she took.
When she finally realised what she had done and where she had gone, she looked up towards the sea stretching out before her. This was the first place on the First that Yonah had ever taken a liking to. This was the cliff that her and Alphinaud walked up together to find a lost toy for a little girl, the cliff that overlooked The Tempest and everything beyond. The one she imagined would have the most gorgeous sunsets.
She had declared to Alphinaud that day that, once everything was over, once night had returned to Novrandt, that she wanted to come back here with the Scions to watch the sunset together. Alphinaud had agreed, seeming excited at the chance to have a quiet evening with their allies once the burden of the Sin Eaters had been taken care of. Yonah had wanted this so badly, to see the sunset burn the sky a brilliant orange, to sit with the people she had gotten so close with and enjoy a moment of peace...
Most of all, she had wanted to watch the sunset with Alphinaud.
But now she was plagued with the realisation that the sun would never set again, the sky would continue shining a sickly, unnatural yellow, and that all of this was her fault.
Because she wasn't strong enough.
Because she wasn't good enough.
Because she failed.
Everyone.
She failed everyone.
She failed the citizens of Novrandt, of the First, who would never again see the night.
She failed Hydaelyn herself, who blessed her with the gift of the Echo and the strength to fight.
She failed Minfilia, who gave her life to give the First a fighting chance.
She failed the Scions, who had so much faith in her.
She failed him. The man she...
Tears were falling from her eyes rapidly as she was overcome with grief. Her legs gave out and brought her down to her knees with a painful thud. It was too much, her body hurt too badly, her ears rang too loud, her mind raced with all of her failings and her heart was breaking. The peace and quiet she had hoped for so she could clear her thoughts had become a prison, giving her no distraction to her internal monologue, monologues that plagued her.
It was like an entire armada of screaming voices that threatened to swallow her whole.
It was all too much, it was just too much for her. Her body curled in on itself while her arms grasped over her chest, gripping the opposing bicep and squeezing hard. It was all she could manage while her head fell limp and she sobbed. She hadn't felt this worthless, this small since she was a little girl...
After her brother died,
As her mothers health declined...
And she was too weak, too frail, she couldn't do anything to prevent it.
But now, with her failures she wasn't just going to die, she was going to transform, succumb to the Light's embrace and devastate the reflection and everyone in it. She was going to be singlehandedly responsible for the deaths of everyone she had met here, everyone she never got the chance to meet here, and everyone she loved.
She was going to cause the Eighth Umbral Calamity.
Even when she closed her eyes tight in an attempt to quell her tears, she wasn't greeted with the momentary bliss of darkness but a flood of blinding white light behind her eyes. This realisation wracked her body with another wave of painful, choking sobs. Her mind was failing, deteriorating any hope, any aspirations, any dreams she had hoped to fulfill. None of it mattered anymore, she wasn't going to live to achieve any of it.
A small push pulled her from her self-depricating train of thought and back to reality. It was the smallest pressure against her thigh but it was there. She lifted her head, glancing over to the source of the touch. It was her faithful companion, the minion that stood ever faithfully by her side.
Her Wind-up Alphinaud, the last face she might ever see...
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"You mean to tell me she woke up and you simply let her leave the Crystarium, knowing full well she was injured and in need of succor?" The Miqo'te woman's voice rang out accusingly towards the galdjent man. Y'shtola was tense, fists clenched at her side.
"We don't know where she went!" The man retorted desperately, hands raised in surrender, "The last we heard from her, she was just going to stand in the Exarch's garden!" Looking between the six worried faces, the man pointed up towards one of the lookout towers overseeing the Crystarium and Lakeland, "Watched her climb the steps myself, she could hardly walk! We didn't think she'd grab an Amaro or something and take off!"
"Well she did, and without our aid and support." The next voice to contribute was the female elezen, trying her absolute best to maintain her composure. "Do you have any idea where she may have gone?" Despite Alisaie's attempts to remain level, the wavering in her voice gave away just how frightened and worried she was. The woman was rapidly falling to pieces.
"None," another voice broke in. A hume, holding a large clipboard as she approached the galdjent and the Scions, "According to our records, she did not take one of our Amaro. There's a relatively good chance that she either engaged in Aetheryte travel or took a steed of her own out through the gate to Lakeland." If nothing else, despite the way the hume's hands trembled, she managed to keep her voice calm and level.
"We have not the time to worry the residents over her whereabouts. We've need scour the realm for her." Urianger proposed, getting a slanted look from Thancred at the prospect of searching all of Novrandt for one auri woman. "I, for one, believe it's favourable for us to divide our search. I shalt returnest to Il Mheg. Being accustomed to the lands and those dwelling within shouldst prove advantageous, and seeking the aid of the Pixies wouldst prove invaluable to our search."
"Does anyone have any clue where she might have gone?" Thancred added, dreading the idea of the six of them trying to search every nook and cranny of an entire landmass for her, "Anything she might have done? Anything she's said that might give us any clues? Moving as a group could potentially waste time... and we have precious little of it to spare. We must have some way we could narrow the search."
Alphinaud until this point had been a passive listener, being lost in thought while he rattled his head to figure out how to find her, but Thancred's question finally made it click. His head shot up, eyes burning with a fierce determination, "We should divide our search. Think of anything, anywhere that Yonah had been that she had taken a liking to."
He knew where she was. He was sure of it. But he also didn't want to take any chances, her life was at stake.
"Thancred, you've grown to know Lakeland far better than anyone else. Begin your search there," he began with a confidence and tone that loosened the stances of the remaining Scions, "Y'shtola. Seek the aid of the Nights Blessed and begin your search in the Rak'tika Greatwood. You're familiar with the lands and you've grown an incredibly positive rapport with those dwelling in it."
"Urianger, you've already dedicated yourself to Il Mheg and seeking the aid of the Pixies. Alisaie, return to Amh Araeng. It's endless expanse and the intensity of what little wildlife living amidst the sands will prove no match to you." He finally turned to Ryne, "Ryne. I want you to remain here, seek out the residents of the Crystarium. Gather information, get eye witnesses, anything at all you could do to help us narrow our search. If you have a lead, I want you to pursue it, wherever that may take you, and seek out the aid of whichever Scion is stationed there."
His heart raced, and he just as firmly declared, "I will return to Kholusia. I have grown to know it exceptionally well in my time on The First. I have allies within Eulmore's walls and even more scattered throughout the region. I am willing to turn Kholusia, and the whole of Novrandt itself upside down in search of her."
The Scions seemed to agree, each of them finding their own strengths and relationships played out in this plan. "And if anyone finds her, once you are able to determine if she is safe, return her to the Crystarium at once and begin gathering our allies. If Ryne is still stationed within the Crystarium, she can assist in this."
Alphinaud finally turned to the two residents that had been the subject of the Scions wrath up until now. They stiffened, but Alphinaud's demeanour didn't change, "And we could use your aid as well. Please, could you begin the process of securing three Amaro, three incredibly loud horns, and a flare gun? We'll need them in pursuit of the Scions when one of us returns with Yonah. Y'shtola, Alisaie, Urianger, and myself can signal our location with magicks when we hear the wail of the horn, but Thancred will need to signal his location in other ways." This was met with a firm nod from the hume woman, who motioned to Thancred to follow her immediately.
Once Thancred had taken off with the woman to secure his flare gun, the Scions split off, a fierce desire to find their precious friend fueling each and every one of them.
Alphinaud, however, was convinced he knew exactly where she was, and attuned to Wright to begin his search there.
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"I'm never going to see them again," the xaelan woman whimpered, voice hoarse and strained. She looked to the minion pushing against her calf as though, by some miracle, it would be of some help. It looked up to her, reaching its arms towards her. She rubbed the top of its head, but it only proved her undoing as she realised it truly was the last face she'd get to see, "I'm going to take them all down with me..." her voice was small, terrified, and wavering with the threat of new tears, "And I'm not even strong enough to say goodbye..."
As the realisation set in, her head fell against her knees now that she was sitting down properly with her knees tucked up against her chest. It was hardly a moment later that she sobbed, despite her minions attempts to stir her from it. She had become so entirely engulfed with grief and despair that she couldn't even stand to look it in the eyes anymore.
At some point it stopped trying to press against her leg, but she hardly noticed the change. She just assumed it was her body beginning to numb itself in preparation for the takeover of light aspected aether. Her horns were burning, searing, making too much noise, she swore the ringing in her horns sounded like footsteps behind her, but she knew it was just her deteriorating mind.
She knew...
"Yonah...?"
Her entire body jolted as her head snapped up with a sharp gasp and a choked sob. She wiped at her eyes furiously, sure it must have been her imagination. Was she really so delirious that she thought she heard...
Finally she turned around, able to see him even through her light-steeped gaze, able to see the concern, worry, and fear in his eyes and face, able to notice the way his body shook and his eyes locked onto her. Disbelief painted her, tears continuing to pour down her cheeks. In a weak, hoarse voice she called out,
"Alphinaud?"
She didn't even register the next few seconds, but before she knew it he was knelt to her right, fretting over her, checking her for wounds, eyes scanning over her frantically. His hands were shaking, one would think he was freezing if the panic in his eyes didn't attest otherwise.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" His voice rang through her, cutting through the internal dialogues plaguing her mind, "How did you manage to get all the way out here in your condition? Why would you make the journey all the way out here?"
The questions hit her like a ton of bricks. There was a moment that she froze while she tried to process a response, eyes fixed on nothing in particular but vaguely aware of the way he stopped to look at her. Rather than answering, Yonah was only able to break down once again, sobbing into her hands. It was horrible, humiliating, she had never cried like this in front of her allies before. She had always tried to be this powerful force of unwavering optimism, always swearing to cry only once she was alone, but now...
"Yonah..."
The voice pierced her to her core, it was dripping with worry. The shifting of the elezen man beside her failed to distract her until she suddenly felt an arm around her. Alphinaud pulled her close to him, letting his free arm grasp one of hers gently. He had never witnessed her cry before, he had never witnessed her get anywhere close to the point of tears, but to not only hear her cry, but to hear her absolutely gut-wrenching sobs broke a part of him. He worked delicately, using the hand grasping her arm to slowly ease her hands away from her face. Once he finally managed to pull them away her position changed. Her right arm fell, tightening around her abdomen and grasping hard at the fabric of her loose fitting shirt, while her left hand returned up to her mouth, covering it firmly while she failed to quell her tears in hopes she could at least stifle the noise of her continued sobs.
Alphinaud moved in kind, shifting a bit to give her some extra support. The hand around her abdomen shifted down, unconsciously placing itself over the hand clenching the fabric of her shirt. Without thinking, his thumb rubbed softly along her hand, not realising it worked to somewhat loosen her grip. His right hand shifted, moving her left hand away from her mouth again. "Yonah," his voice was soft, warm, laced with every ounce of care and adoration he held for her, "I can't bear the idea of you shouldering this burden alone. Please, talk to me, let me relieve you of some of your pain..." his voice was quiet, his entire being honed in on her, "I want to help... any way I can."
Her body trembled in his arms, her throat was raw and sore, feeling like it was about to leap from her body with violent force. But he was here, the person she wanted the chance to see one last time...
The one she adored in ways she wished she had told him, while she still had the chance.
Regret slowly bubbled up in her, she never did tell him how she felt. She realised young, but....
He was so busy during his time running the Crystal Braves, they were both so emotionally wounded during their adventures in Ishgard, and so preoccupied during their time aiding the Domans and Ala Mhigans. The timing was never right, and she had convinced herself so entirely that a confession would ruin their friendship... that she'd lose the person she cared about the most.
That she never told him how deeply she cared about him. And now it was too late.
Now, and now... now she was going to be the cause of his death. She was going to turn, become the most violent Lightwarden the First had ever seen. She was going to level the reflection, devastate everyone in it, and single-handedly cause the rejoining of the First with the Source.
Yonah tucked herself into the crook of Alphinaud's neck, trying, though unsuccessfully, to gather control of her tears. Her voice was weak, dying in her throat as she managed to choke out, "I failed... everyone."
For a moment she felt his body stiffen against her, but it was short lived and only served for him to pull her even closer. Alphinaud's tone was gentle, careful, when he spoke again, "You didn't fail anyone, Yonah. We will find a way to stop this, we'll find a way to save you."
"But I did! I failed everyone!" She cried out, practically screaming as she continued to sob, "The people of the First were depending on me, the Exarch was depending on me, the Scions were depending on me, and I couldn't stop it, I made it worse! I just made everything so much worse!!" She practically collapsed, and the hand that was coaxed away from her face gripped desperately at Alphinaud's top. All she could do was sob fiercely, helplessly against him while she tried to put her thoughts into words, "Now... now I... I'm going to turn-- I'm going to kill everyone I care about, everyone I love... everyone that was depending on me to stop the Sin Eaters, everyone on the Source that's going to be subjected to the Eighth Umbral Calamity, and I can't do anything to stop it!"
"We're going to find a way to stop it, Yonah!" Alphinaud affirmed, confidently and somewhat desperately, "We may not know how yet, but Ryne already managed to steady the aether in your body, it may have only been a temporary fix but--"
"But it's not your burden to bear!" Yonah interrupted, her eyes squeezing shut while she tried to block out any hope he was trying to imbue her with, "It never should have been your burden to bear! But I was so weak, so absolutely useless and utterly worthless that I made it everyone's burden!" But her voice betrayed her. She wanted to sound mad, to turn her anger inwards and blame herself with every ounce of rage she could manifest... but instead, her voice was laced with fear, regret, and sorrow that vastly overpowered her self directed anger and loathing. She had tried to manifest anything to push her anger to the surface, but all she could think about was Emet-Selch referring to her as an eater as though the man himself could taunt her from within her own head.
Yonah's head fell loose, tucking itself back into the crook of Alphinaud's neck while tears filled her eyes again. Her voice was quiet and filled with grief when she spoke again, "There was so much I wanted to say, and do, and experience, and now... I'm never going to get to see any of it..."
This small, regretful confession was met with a tight, warm hug. Alphinaud, despite not being the best with physical reassurances like this, took to wrapping his arms tightly around her, "It's not the end for you, Yonah. I won't let it happen. I may not know how to save you yet but... I am going to find a way." he responded, voice barely above a whisper, "After everything we've been through together, let me be the one to save you for a change."
A steeled affirmation, a promise, spoken with such care and confidence that Yonah couldn't help but freeze up. She hadn't ever failed so spectacularly that she needed this much help bailing her out. She straightened up a bit, letting her head lift from his neck to look at him while she tried to steady herself and stop her tears. But even in that regard, she wasn't alone.
Alphinaud had taken to wiping her tears gently with his right hand, taking the ungloved sections of his fingers and rubbing them so carefully under her eyes. Yonah's body honed in entirely on the sensation, the gentle touch... his warmth. She had been so distracted that she hadn't noticed he had leaned in and closed the gap between them.
It took a moment to register, but it was the unmistakable feeling of his lips pressed against hers, and his tear-dampened fingers caressing her cheek until he could cup her face. This was something she had wanted for so long, but had decided so, so long ago that she'd rather be a steadfast friend in his life than risk ruining things between them by confessing her ever-developing crush to him...
She wasn't going to let this chance slip her by.
Her eyes fluttered closed as the arm grasping her shirt finally loosened, finding its way to the ground to steady her, she felt Alphinaud's hand settle on her waist now that it couldn't hold onto her hand anymore. Her free hand lifted, stroking his cheek softly as she finally returned the kiss, pressing her lips back against his with all the tender love and adoration she held for him. It was everything she had ever wanted from him, even if it was just this one fleeting moment between them...
She was so happy she got it.
When the two of them finally parted, Alphinaud quickly straightened up, pulling himself away from her. His face was bright red, eyes wide, his hands trembling a bit while his voice shakily stammered out, "I-- I-- I never should have-- the timing was all wrong, this was-- Yonah I'm so sorr--"
But as his gaze finally met hers, he found that she had launched herself forward at him, knocking him onto his back as her arms wrapped tightly around him. Her face buried itself in his shoulder while a new flood of tears dampened the high-necked shirt covering his neck. She was clinging to him like he was her lifeline, and she finally managed to admit, "I've wanted to do that for so long..."
Hearing her confession made his heart practically skip a beat. He returned the hug again, letting his head fall back against the ground. He looked to the sky, burning that unnatural yellow while they embraced like this in silence. There was a soft smile on his face when he admitted, "I've known for some time." He felt Yonah stutter in his arms, like she wasn't expecting the confession, "Estinien made me aware of my feelings after you felled Ravana. I hadn't considered the depths of my feelings until he accused me of 'fretting like a maid for her lover.'"
"I think it was 'sweetheart', actually." Her voice came muffled with a soft, teary giggle, making him laugh in reply.
"Regardless of the wording" Alphinaud sighed with a smile, "After I left the exchange, I spent the brief quiet I had realising just how right he was. I realised that in addition to my adoration to you as a dear ally and trusted friend, that my feelings dove much, much deeper than that." One of his hands began rubbing her back softly, letting the gentle motion ground both of them, "Though I truly understood the depths of those feelings when I was finally reunited with you here, in Kholusia."
"When I saw you again, smiling at me the way you always have, so genuine and full of cheer... it felt like a part of myself I didn't realise was missing had returned to me."
"I can't explain how relieved I was to see you again..." Yonah admitted, unable to lift her head from his neck. Her cheeks and nose burned, she was sure her face was practically beet red. "It had only been two months, but seeing you in front of me again, I don't know how to explain it. I..."
Yonah finally lifted herself up, letting him see just how badly she was blushing at last. Her torso was still somewhat over his, her arms on either side of him to keep her up. She noticed him take note of her nose reddening alongside her cheeks, due to the abundance of scales on her face. She was embarrassed, but admitted, "I've known, known how I felt... since you first started the Crystal Braves."
The name brought a flash of anxiety to Alphinaud's face for a moment, but Yonah continued, "You've always been so kind, so confident. You have the sort of presence that can relax a room. You wanted to do so much good, and I wanted to be so much better, to be the ally you deserved. But..." she glanced away from him, but it didn't last long as Alphinaud gently cupped a hand under her chin and eased her gaze back to him. There was a smile on his face that was contagious, and she donned one in return, "I realised pretty quickly that my heart didn't skip a beat when I was talking to anyone else, just when it was you. I hadn't had a crush like this before, and I didn't want to risk ruining our friendship by telling you."
"But seeing you thriving here, seeing you going out of your way to be kind to the people in Kholusia... it... it made me so happy. I was so happy to see you, and I wanted to be a part of your journey again." For a moment, she giggled, "I almost cried, you know. It had been two months, and I really, really had to fight tears."
"It had been a year since I had been shuttled to the First." Alphinaud began. "A year away from my dearest ally and friend. I can readily admit that it was incredibly taxing, though I hadn't realised how difficult it had been without you, how terribly I missed you until I was finally gifted the chance to see you once again."
Yonah smiled down at him, letting herself lower back down, laying somewhat on her side and somewhat on him while her arms settled against him again. Alphinaud slowly, softly embraced her again and the two laid there in a peaceful, comfortable quiet, a moment for only the two of them. Their embrace lingered, with Yonah cuddled up against him while she finally managed to steady her thoughts.
Of course it took Alphinaud to pull her together, he had always made her want to try just a bit harder to accomplish things.
When she lined up her thoughts, put herself on a single path instead of a garbled jumble of half-baked self-loathing insults, she felt it was time to finally be open and raw to Alphinaud. She thought he deserved the trust, the comfort for Yonah to be able to talk openly and be honest with him about her fears and apprehension.
"I don't want to be alone," she managed to admit quietly, getting a slightly tightened hug from Alphinaud in response, "I'm scared... scared I'm going to hurt you all, but I don't want to be alone." Tears threatened to fill her eyes again, but she managed to steady the stinging sensation with a few stable breaths, "But... if I'm going to die anyways, if it's between your lives or mine... I want to at least help you all stop Emet-Selch and rescue the Exarch... before the Scions need to take my life. I want to protect everyone, I want to protect you..."
Alphinaud took a moment, carefully planning his next words. He spoke with a steeled resolve, "You're not going to die... I'm going to make sure of it." The confidence, the optimism in his voice relaxed Yonah's shoulders significantly, but he heard her whimper quietly into her shoulder, "I promise, I promise, I will find a way to save you. And once I do..."
"I'll make sure we're never apart again."
He wasn't able to see her face, but he turned his head towards her regardless, resting his cheek against the top of her head, "You've gotten through so much and come out unscathed. You're going to get through this." He added warmly, "We'll look back on this and..."
"And..." His voice wavered for a moment, trying to put his thought into words, "And we'll remember this for the right reasons. Not for the flood of light, not for Emet-Selch. We'll remember this for us."
Despite his voice faltering for a moment, his determination and intention were clear. Yonah meekly managed to pull her head from his shoulder and meet his gaze once again, "For us...?" She dared let herself hope that he had meant what she thought he had.
"For us," he affirmed, "I promise, Yonah, we will never be apart again. I will ever stand by your side as an ally, as a friend... and wherever else our affections choose to take us in our shared future."
She managed a smile, a genuine one. It was accompanied by tears, but it was a smile nonetheless, one that reached her eyes. Her watery eyes shone while she nodded warmly at him, "I want to get through this." She admitted with a wavering but hopeful voice, "I want to get back to the Source with everyone, and I really... really want to pursue this..." Yonah's face was red, far worse than it had been before, "Since we both feel the same way about one another... I really want to see where pursuing our feelings would go."
Yonah was slowly eased back into a seated position by Alphinaud, who rose with her until he was sitting upright again. There was a bright smile on his face that warmed Yonah straight to her soul. Her voice was lighter when she finally giggled out, "Is it selfish, wanting to get through this just to see where a relationship with you would take us?"
Alphinaud's hand cupped her face again, eyes softening as they met hers, "After all you've given in the service of others, no one would fault you if it was." A pause, letting the silence stretch between them for a few comfortable moments until he rested his forehead against hers, "But it could hardly be considered selfish."
