an ode left unfinished
varka x hexenzirkel! reader
synopsis : you and Varka were inseparable growing up—the kind of friends who would walk into hell for each other without hesitation. But while Varka was away on an expedition, you went with a team of knights to investigate some ancient ruins only for it to go terribly wrong, with the knights returning with news of your death. Forced to mourn the loss of his closest friend (and crush), Varka eventually learned to live with the grief. That is, until years later in Nod Krai, he comes face to face with the impossible: you are alive.The only problem? You now stand on different sides.
! slight spoilers for nod krai's archon quest contains : wc: 11.4k+, female reader, angst no comfort (or at least, a bittersweet ending?), TW!! mentions of violence/gore, torture/psychological trauma, manipulation, brainwashing, medical experimentation, implied su1cide and body harm, grief
IV: elegy before the setting sun.
"As you've already seen," you said quietly, lowering yourself into a chair that materialised beneath you in a shimmer of silver light, "Dottore's care was..rather thorough."
Your tone was so light that it almost sounded as though you were recalling an unpleasant inconvenience instead of years of torment. The smile resting on your lips never quite disappeared, though Varka could tell it no longer reached your eyes.
"I'm sure The Knave has already told you enough."
Arlecchino remained silent. She neither confirmed nor denied your words, simply meeting your gaze with an expression that had become unusually difficult to read.
You exhaled softly and looked away.
"Well, I guess we all had our own things to deal with." Your fingers absentmindedly traced the armrest of the chair before you looked back toward them.
"So, what brings you three into my little sanctuary?"
Lumine stepped forward.
"The Doctor is trying to seize control of the Three Moons," she explained, unable to hide the urgency in her voice. "If he succeeds, he'll gain access to Tevyat's primordial power. If we can't stop him.."
"..Then that truly would be the end of Tevyat." you finished.
You shifted your attention towards Varka.
"And the Hexenzirkel?"
"Alice roped every Hexenzirkel member in settling matters at the border." Varka answered, "Nicole is with us in Nod Krai."
"Dottore's influence continues to spread," Arlecchino added, her voice as composed as ever. "Every moment we waste gives him another opportunity to move."
"And you've come to ask for my help, I suppose?" A faint smile curved across your face before softening into something weary. "I'm afraid that won't be so simple."
"And why is that?" Lumine questioned.
Your fingers drifted absentmindedly over your chest as you looked across the endless field surrounding you.
"A long time ago, I separated my consciousness from my body. This place became the only corner of my mind Dottore could never truly reach. As long as I remained here, there would always be a part of me that he couldn't control."
Your voice grew softer.
"The body you've been seeing beside him..I guess you can say it isn't truly me anymore. More like an empty shell carrying out borrowed commands."
Your eyes settled upon Lumine.
"I suppose it's similar to what the Electro Archon is doing?"
Recognition crossed Lumine's face almost immediately.
"Can't you take control?" she asked. "The Electron Archon could."
"Oh? Did she leave the Plane of Euthymia?" you blinked, surprised. "..I wonder how long has it been.."
A quiet laugh escaped you, though there wasn't the slightest hint of amusement within it.
Your hand remained resting over your heart as your smile grew almost apologetic.
"Besides, that's easier said than done. The archon never had a device lodged beside her heart, nor would it threaten to end her life."
Your gaze lowered to your own hand.
"I'm human through and through. No matter how much magic I've mastered, my body still has limits, and eventually.."
"Death catches up with me."
Varka stepped forward immediately, his hand reaching for yours.
His fingers wrapped gently around it, "Please.." his voice barely rose above a whisper. "Don't speak about yourself like that."
You stare at the hand holding yours and for the briefest heartbeat, the practiced smile you had worn since their arrival faltered, revealing a quiet sadness that ran far deeper than words could ever hope to express.
It vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, replaced once more by that same gentle warmth Varka remembered from years ago.
"Oh dear," you murmured softly, giving his hand a small squeeze before slipping your fingers free. "It seems I've made everything rather gloomy."
You rose from your chair and turned toward the endless meadow, the grass swaying gently.
"But it isn't entirely hopeless. Even if I can't control my body most of the time, I can still feel fragments of what's happening beyond this place. Sometimes.." you paused, watching the wind ripple through the field.
"My own will proves stronger than his."
A quiet chuckle escaped you.
"Or maybe Lord Barbatos carried my prayers from deep down here?" you tilted your head thoughtfully. "Hm..well, whatever it was, I hoped my little contribution helped with the Wild Hunt."
Varka's breath caught, instantly catching the reference.
The Cecilias.
It hadn't been some miracle.
"I had more time than I knew what to do with," you continued, snapping your fingers.
A weathered deck of tarot cards appeared in your hands, their corners softened from years of careful shuffling.
"These were the only things keeping me company. Their answers were frustratingly vague most of the time though." You sigh, thumb brushing across the worn cards.
"Still, knowing the people I cared about were alive somewhere beyond this place was enough."
Your eyes drifted toward Lumine.
"Would you like a reading, Traveler?"
Lumine blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden request. After everything they had just spoken about, the offer felt almost surreal.
"Uhm..sure?"
Your smile brightened.
"Wonderful!"
You began shuffling the deck with practiced ease, the cards dancing effortlessly between your fingers before one corner caught against another.
The entire deck slipped free.
"Oh—"
The cards scattered across the meadow, fluttering through the grass like leaves caught in the wind.
You stared at them for a second before letting out a small, embarrassed laugh.
"I suppose I'm a little out of practice." A sheepish smile tugged at your lips as you crouched down to gather them.
Lumine knelt beside you, picking up one of the fallen cards before offering it back.
"Thank you," you said warmly, flipping over the card.
"..Ah.
You smiled.
"The Nine of Cups."
You traced the golden chalices decorating the surface of the card before looking back at Lumine.
"It speaks of wishes fulfilled," you said, "Of long journeys finally reaching their destination after countless hardships. Whatever you've been searching for at the moment, you're closer to it than you think."
Lumine glanced at the card before looking back at you. "Really?"
"Does that mean Columbina would return?" Arlecchino questioned.
You shrugged. "Barbie told me that though the cards have always been rather dramatic, they're rarely wrong."
Tilting your head, you let out a thoughtful hum. "Though I can never quite get on her level."
With a gentle flick of your wrist, the cards rose from your hands and drifted upward.
Their edges dissolved into silver light, unraveling into countless luminous motes that scattered through the meadow like fireflies caught in a summer breeze.
They floated lazily through the air, illuminating the surrounding flowers in soft moonlit hues before slowly drifting back toward you, gathering around your fingertips.
"Being trapped in here gave me far more time than I knew what to do with," you murmured. "Once I stopped worrying about whether everyone outside was safe, there wasn't much left to occupy my thoughts."
The silver threads gathered together between your fingers, slowly weaving themselves into an object.
"So I started thinking about this mechanism."
Your gaze lifted to the three of them.
"If it couldn't be removed easily, then perhaps it didn't need to be."
The silver light condensed into the shape of a dagger.
The instant Varka saw it, he frowned.
"What...are you doing?"
You met his gaze.
"..just testing something."
Before any of them could react, you reversed your grip and drove the dagger straight into your own chest.
The sound was sickeningly dull.
The silver blade disappeared between fabric and flesh as your body jolted from the force.
A soft cough escaped your lips, followed by a thin stream of blood that spilled from the corner of your mouth.
Then, with unsettling calm, you pulled the dagger free.
Blood flowed from the wound, staining your clothes and dripping onto the grass below—the dagger in your hands dissolving into nothing.
"[Name]!!"
Varka rushed towards you, reaching out to catch you before you fell—
His hand passed straight through you.
The sensation—or rather, the absence of one—stopped him cold.
The entire meadow rippled like the surface of a lake disturbed by a falling stone.
The blood vanished from the grass, and reality quietly folded back into place until, before his eyes, you were once again seated in your chair exactly where you had been moments earlier.
You rested your chin against one hand, quietly examining a fractured metallic device lying in your palm.
Only then did you look up.
"I'm sorry." A quiet laugh escaped you. "I probably should've given a warning."
The three of them could only stare at you in disbelief.
"Oh, don't worry. I can't die in my own consciousness."
You turned the broken mechanism between your fingers before holding it out for them to see, the crack running clearly through its centre.
"This—" you began. "Is what I have inside me. The Doctor showed it to me once..and as you can see, there is a way to destroy what he created."
Your gaze lingered on the fractured mechanism before drifting back towards your own chest.
"For years, I've practiced weaving my magic around my heart. A shield to absorb an impact long enough to break the chip." You smiled faintly, though there was a weariness behind it.
"However, the human body is remarkably fragile, and magic is far less forgiving than people imagine. One lapse in concentration and the shield collapses before it can protect me."
You closed your fingers around the broken device.
When your hand opened again, it had dissolved.
"Of course I'll still be injured...but at least it won't be too serious and what holds me down can finally be destroyed."
Silence settled over the meadow.
Arlecchino was the first to break it.
"Is that truly the only option?"
"It's the quickest."
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in your answer.
"For me to truly break free, someone will have to drive a blade through my heart. Dottore would never allow me to do it myself, and the me he controls would never willingly accept the blow. That's why we'll only have one opportunity. Once I force my consciousness back and take control, Dottore will surely notice."
You looked towards Varka, your expression calm despite the impossible request you were placing in their hands.
"A single minute is all we have."
When Varka opened his eyes again, the endless meadow had vanished.
The gentle warmth of your consciousness was gone, replaced by the bitter chill of his surroundings as he stood somewhere deep inside the Doctor's lab.
You stood only a short distance away.
There was no trace of the warmth that had greeted him moments ago.
Your expression was distant, your eyes empty as threads of magic gathered around your hand, preparing to go against the three who had followed you through your mirror.
You stepped forward, immediately meeting Arlecchino's scythe head on.
Steel rang through the lab as Lumine darted in from your blind side, only for another mirror to bloom beside you, shielding you from her strike.
A mirror appeared and soon, clones stepped out, easily intercepting any attacks and keeping Lumine distracted.
Varka joined the battle without another word.
Your sword met his claymore with a deafening crash that sent sparks scattering between the metal ground.
The force drove both of you apart before you disappeared into another mirror, emerging above him with another weapon before descending.
He blocked the strike and drove his claymore forward in one fluid motion, the force tearing your sword from your grasp and sending it flying away.
As you staggered back a single step, you faltered slightly, a hand flying to your head.
Varka saw it then.
The lifeless emptiness clouding your eyes were gone, revealing something achingly familiar beneath it.
The words you had spoken earlier echoed through his mind with merciless clarity.
"A single minute is all we have."
The countdown has started.
This was the opening.
He knocked you down effortlessly, closing the distance almost instinctively, dropping to one knee as he pinned you beneath him.
One hand was pressed against your shoulder to keep you from moving while the tip of his claymore hovered above your chest.
All it would take was one thrust.
But his arm suddenly refused to move.
The blade trembled in his grasp as every instinct he'd honed across decades of battle urged him to seize the given opportunity before it slipped away.
Yet another part of him—the part that had mourned you for six years, the part that had spent countless nights wishing for one impossible miracle—fought against every lesson the battlefield had ever taught him.
How could he?
How could the hands that had once held yours with tenderness, that had reached for you every time you fell and sworn to protect from harm, become the very hands that brought you pain?
"Varka!"
Lumine's voice cut sharply through the battlefield, shattering the storm raging inside his mind.
He snapped out of his turmoil, looking down.
Your eyes met his once more.
You took in the anguish written plainly across his face, and you smiled softly.
Varka had always been terrible at hiding what he felt.
You decide then, that you'll make the decision for him.
Without a word, you surged forward, ignoring the pain as your arms slipped around him in a familiar embrace.
"My formula can get us ninety percent of the way," Sandrone said as he walked towards the window, her fingers brushing absentmindedly against the flowers arranged along the still. "It will be enough to guide you to Columbina."
She turned toward Lumine, her stern gaze sharpening with resolve.
"i'll deliver the formula's output to your side. As for the remaining ten percent..." Her eyes swept across everyone gathered in the room before settling into something determined. "Do whatever it takes."
"Just bring the moon down."
"I'll help too."
The words barely left your mouth before Varka answered.
"I disagree."
You looked over in surprise as he crossed the room in only a few strides. His eyes immediately fell to the hand bracing yourself against the wall.
Even after Albedo had removed the broken mechanism from your body, you were still far from recovered.
You frowned, folding your arms stubbornly across your chest.
"And why not? I have every reason to face Dottore." A small sigh escaped you. "I'd like to repay him for everything he's done."
"I know you do.."
His answer came quietly.
"But you just had a short surgery. Your body hasn't even had time to recover." His gaze lingered on the fresh bandages beneath your clothes before returning to your face. "You're still healing."
"Varka."
Your voice carried the familiar warning that usually meant you had already made up your mind.
He simply sighed.
"..[Name]."
Rather than arguing in front of everyone, he gently slipped an arm around your waist, careful not to put pressure anywhere near the wound, and slowly guided you back to your resting area.
He helped you sit down on the cot with a tenderness that made your chest tighten.
It would've been easier if he'd scolded you or forced you back beneath the blankets, but instead, every touch was impossibly gentle, as though you were something fragile he couldn't bear to break.
Once you were settled, he lowered himself onto his knees in front of you.
His hands found yours almost instinctively, carefully lifting your hand against his chest.
Through his clothes, you could feel the steady thump of his heartbeat.
He lowered his head, closing his eyes.
"As selfish as I may sound," his voice wavered, barely holding together. "I don't care about anything but you right now." His thumb trembled where it rested against your hand.
"I just..I need you to stay here and rest."
You frowned.
"But—"
"[Name], please."
When he finally looked up, the sight of him stole every argument from your lips.
There was relief in his eyes, relief that you were sitting here breathing instead of lying still where he'd last seen you.
But tangled so deeply beneath it was fear, crushing guilt, and an exhaustion that looked as though it had hollowed him out from the inside.
His composure had always been dependable, something everyone leaned on without question, yet now it looked like it was being held together by nothing more than sheer will.
"You don't understand.." he murmured, his fingers tightening around yours as though he needed to reassure himself you were real. "I was terrified."
"When you threw yourself onto my sword—"
He couldn't continue.
His eyes squeezed shut, and he drew in a slow breath that refused to steady. Even now, merely speaking of it was enough to drag him back to that moment.
You watched as he opened his eyes, gaze drifting down to your joined hands.
"They were covered in it," he whispered, staring at his own fingers. "My hands, my clothes." His lips pressed into a thin line as he fought to keep himself composed.
"The blood wouldn't stop."
His breathing grew uneven.
"I know it was the plan." He forced the words out, "I know you'll be fine.."
His head lowered.
"But I wish.." He paused, throat tightening painfully. "I wish, even for a moment, you'd thought about what it would do to the people standing beside you."
His thumbs traced slow circles over your knuckles, as if the motion alone could keep him grounded.
"Even now, no matter how many times I've washed my hands, I still can't forget it."
"I can still remember how warm your blood was. Everytime I look at my hands, it feels like it's still covering my skin."
He let out a shaky breath before looking back at you, his eyes red and glistening.
"So please," he whispered, tightening hid hold on your hands. "I'm begging you, [Name]. Choose yourself this time. I already lost you once...and I don't think I could bear watching it happen again."
The desperation in his voice struck somewhere deep inside your chest.
A wave of guilt settled over you as you looked into his eyes.
"...Varka."
Your voice softened as you gently squeezed his hands in return.
For a long moment, you simply looked at him before letting out a quiet sigh.
A small weary smile found its way onto your lips as you carefully slipped one of your hands free and reached up to brush away the tear that had escaped down his cheek.
"How about this?" you said softly, "I'll stay here and rest."
A flicker of relief crossed his face.
"And unless I'm truly needed," You gave his hand one last reassuring squeeze. "I won't interfere."
At last, Varka let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Some of the fear lingering in his expression finally began to soften as he searched your face,as though trying to convince himself you truly meant it.
"Promise?"
You held his gaze for a moment before nodding.
"Mhm—"
The sound barely left you before Varka moved.
He surged forward without another thought, wrapping his arms around you.
Yet even then, he was careful—painfully careful—not to put pressure against your injury.
One hand cradled the back of your head while the other settled lightly around your back, holding you as though you might disappear the moment he let go.
You froze, caught off guard, before slowly returning the embrace.
He buried his face against the crook of your neck, "Thank you," he whispered quietly, the words barely audible. "Just..thank you."
A small smile found its way onto your lips as you gently rested your cheek against his hair.
He never noticed the hand on his back.
Its fingers remained quietly crossed.
Nor did he see the way your smile faded the instant you closed your eyes, warmth giving way to quiet resignation.
Had he seen either, he never would have believed your answer so easily.
Things had gone terribly wrong.
Although Columbina had returned, victory had slipped through their fingers at the final moment.
In the midst of their battle, Dottore had turned Sandrone's fallen body into a weapon, forcing Columbina to falter slightly—
It was all the opening he needed.
The Traveler fell soon after.
"And thus," Dottore's voice echoes across the battlefield, calm and almost triumphant, "I shall ascend as a true god, inheriting Tevyat's Primordial Authority. From this moment onward, this world belongs to me."
A ripple spread across the air behind him.
A mirror emerged from nothingness, its surface shimmering as you stepped through, your footsteps carrying an eerie calm that contrasted sharply against the destruction surrounding you.
Between your fingers rested a single card.
The Nine of Cups.
Dottore turned toward you, amusement immediately finding its way onto his face.
"So you've decided to show yourself." His gaze lingered on you before drifting to the card in your hand. "After disappearing without so much as a farewell, I had begun to wonder if you intended to watch from the sidelines forever."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"Tell me, have you finally come to stand beside me willingly?"
A small smile touched your lips.
"Of course not."
Your answer came without hesitation.
"I came to ensure that everything you've built ends here."
A laugh escaped Dottore.
"Ends?" he repeated, genuine amusement colouring his voice. He slowly spread his arms, divine energy radiating from his body in slow, suffocating waves that caused the very air around him to distort.
"Look around you. The Traveler has fallen, Columbina has been defeated..and your other allies can't defeat me either." His smile widened. "My plans have long succeeded when the Primordial Authority became mine."
"It's a shame..we could have worked well together." Dottore sighed, raising his hand as countless beams of light descended toward you.
You moved before they could strike.
Mirror after mirror blossomed into existence, each one blocking the attack just moments before they reached you.
Glass shattered endlessly across your path, fragments scattering through the air before new mirrors instantly replaced those that had been broken.
Without slowing your pace, you pressed through the relentless barrage until you finally reached Lumine's side.
"Traveler," you dropped down to one knee, extending your hand as the card in your hand drifted free, floating silently between the two of you.
"Your wish was granted. Columbina returned to his world, just as you hoped she would."
Your eyes fell upon the card.
"But every wish demands a price." The cards slowly revolved in the air, its golden edges catching the fractured light spilling across the area.
"And sometimes," you continued quietly, "The things we desire can only be obtained by surrendering something."
Your gaze shifted toward Sandrone's motionless body.
"It seems Sandrone's life was the price."
"What.."?" Lumine's breathing caught as she struggled to lift herself from the rubble.
"But we don't have time to grieve."
You opened your hand, and the floating tarot card settled gently into your palm.
"If Dottore remains standing," Your voice grew firm. "Then there won't be a future left for any of us."
Meeting Lumine's eyes, you gave her a bittersweet smile.
"You've already witnessed where this path leads..so this time," both your hands moved to the top of the card, "make sure none of us are forced to walk it again."
With a sharp motion, you tore the card cleanly in half.
The instant it split apart, an overwhelming surge of white light erupted from within it, and everything seemed to freeze.
Mirrors began appearing one after another throughout the sky, stretching endlessly across the horizon.
Your voice rang through the light, "With the power entrusted to me, I have witnessed the fate this world had chosen.."
You drew a slow breath.
"I refuse to accept it."
The first mirror shattered.
Then another.
Then hundreds over.
"If fate insists upon leading us towards ruin,"
Your eyes lifted toward the sea of fractured reflections above.
"..then I shall become the hand that rewrites it."
The last of the mirrors exploded into countless fragments of light.
As they scattered across the sky like falling stars, the brilliance swallowed everything in its path, erasing the battlefield, the heavens, and even time itself until nothing remained but endless white.
When the light cleared, Lumine found herself standing at the very moment before everything had fallen apart.
Whatever she went through before, came to her easily and because of that, she knew exactly what was coming.
And because she knew, she refused to let any of it happen again.
The battle unfolded differently this time.
Before Dottore could exploit anyone, Lumine intervened, ensuring that Columbina would never be forced to witness the sight that had once shattered her resolve.
Without that single moment of hesitation, the future began to unravel into something entirely new.
Flins, Nefer and Lauma returned from where they were trapped and assisted as well.
Together, they reclaimed the Moon Marrows before Dottore could fully wield their power.
Outnumbered and stripped of the advantage he had once possessed, the Doctor's carefully orchestrated plans collapsedone after another until, at long last, he was defeated.
Tevyat has been saved.
It was the ending everyone had fought to reach.
As the celebrations echoed throughout the place, Varka made his way back towards where you were resting.
The weight that had pressed against his shoulders for so long had finally lifted, and now he could finally relax.
His eyes quickly found you standing above on the balcony, overlooking the horizon as the setting sun painted the sky in shades of amber and crimson.
Warm light spilled across your figure, the breeze gently stirring your hair as you stood there.
Relief flooded his chest.
"[Name]!" he called out to you, before hurrying up the steps, unable to hide the joy in his voice. "It's over! We did it!"
You remained silent.
Something about your stillness caused his footsteps to slow.
"...[Name]?"
Only then did you turn around to face him.
"It is over.." you replied softly, looking down.
His eyes instinctively followed yours.
Tiny fractures stretched across your fingers like cracks spreading through delicate glass. As he watched, a translucent shard broke free from your hand and drifted into the evening wind before quietly disappearing into the fading light.
The colour drained from his face.
Without thinking, he closed the remaining distance and grasped your shoulders, his eyes frantically searching yours for an answer.
"W—What's happening?" His voice trembled despite every effort to steady it. "Why is this..No, why are you—"
He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.
You looked back toward the horizon, avoiding his eyes.
"There will always be a price to pay for defying fate," you said quietly. Your voice carried neither fear nor regret, only a quiet acceptance that made his heart ache all the more. "I knew that from the moment I chose to interfere."
"What? What are you talking about?"
A small smile found its way onto your lips despite everything.
"But I couldn't have asked for a better ending."
Varka shook his head immediately.
"No."
The word escaped him before he could stop it.
"There has to be another way."
The desperation in his voice was impossible to miss.
His hands tightened around your shoulders, not enough to hurt you, but enough to convince himself that you were still there.
That you hadn't already slipped beyond his reach.
That if he held on tightly enough, he could somehow stop the future from unfolding the way you both knew it would.
"We can fix this," he insisted, his voice growing rough. "We always find a way."
A quiet laugh escaped you and you shook your head.
Looking up at him, you raised a trembling hand and brushed your fingers against his cheek, your thumb gently tracing a familiar path across his skin.
"Varka..did you know that when everything happened, when I was trapped in that place and thought I would never be free, it was you who kept me going?"
Your eyes glistened as you held his gaze.
"Not because you were there..of course you couldn't be. But because no matter how dark things became, no matter how much pain I was in, I could never forget you."
"Whenever I felt myself losing hope, I would remember the moments we shared together. Your smile, your laugh..the way you always reached out your hand without hesitation..those memories stayed with me when everything else was falling apart."
A shaky breath escaped you as your smile softened.
"Thre were days when the pain became so overwhelming that I couldn't remember why I was still fighting. Days when it felt easier to just..let go."
Your smile wavered as you lowered your gaze, the memories of those moments passing quietly through your mind.
"But whenever I felt myself losing my way, I thought about returning home. I thought about seeing everyone again..and I thought about seeing you." Your voice softened. "That was enough to keep me going."
Tears gathered at the corners of your eyes, though you continued speaking before they could fall.
"So thank you, Varka." Thank you for reaching out your hand all those years ago. Thank you for showing me that there was still something worth holding onto when I thought I had lost everything. Thank you, for giving me the courage to keep moving forward, even when I wasn't sure I could take another step."
Another shaky laugh left you.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to put into words how much that meant to be."
Your gaze lingered on his face, tracing every familiar feature with quiet affection, trying to preserve the memory of him for all the days you would no longer have together.
"I know I've caused you more pain than anyone ever should," you whispered, your voice wavering, "And I'm sorry..not just for today, but for every promise I can no longer keep."
Your fingers tightened slightly against him.
"Especially the one where we promised we'd grow old together."
Your smile trembled.
"I wanted that future too."
The confession was barely louder than the wind around you.
"I truly did."
The silence that followed felt heavier than any words.
More cracks spread across the back of your hand, delicate fractures of silver splitting across your skin as they caught the fading light.
Yet you paid them no attention.
Your eyes remained fixed on him, as though he was the only thing in the world you could still see clearly.
"But," You drew in a slow breath, your tears finally slipping free. "I'm afraid this is where our paths must part."
Your forehead rested gently against his.
"For so many years, I thought that if this day ever came, I would disappear without ever knowing the truth. I thought I would leave behind nothing but unanswered questions and feelings"
"I never imagined I would be fortunate enough to tell you everything myself."
Your eyes slowly closed.
"Thank you for finding me again, Varka."
You leaned forward, closing the remaining distance between you, and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his lips.
It was gently, filled with warmth and every feeling the two of you had carried since childhood.
For a fleeting moment, the world around you seemed to fall away, leaving only the warmth of the person you had spent so many years with, and the quiet comfort of knowing that, even after everything, you had found your way back to him one last time.
When you finally pulled away, the tears were slipping down your cheek.
"I love you." The words were barely more than a whisper.
"Goodbye, Varka."
Before Varka could answer, the fractures racing across your body finally gave way.
Your form shimmered like fragile glass beneath the evening light before quietly breaking apart into countless luminous shards.
They drifted upward with the wind, dancing through the golden sunset, slipping through his trembling hands no matter how desperately he reached for them.
He tried to hold on.
To gather even a single piece of you.
But there was nothing left for him to grasp.
Only a single Cecilia remained where you had once stood, floating down onto the floor.
Slowly, Varka lowered himself to the ground.
His hand reached out and picked up the flower with the same tenderness he would have shown you, holding it as though even the slightest pressure might cause it to vanish.
Then, with a quiet reverence, he brought it closer and pressed a gentle kiss against its petals.
'I love you too, [Name].'
"And so, [Name] used the cards I entrusted her to rewrite the course of the future."
Barbeloth stood before the grave in silence, her gaze fixed upon the stone.
"I suppose there was never truly another choice," she murmured. "Out of all the possible futures, this was the most peaceful one."
"Poor [Name].." Alice's expression softened, a rare sorrow settling in her voice. "She has endured so much, hasn't she?"
Her eyes lowered to the bouquet in her hands.
Carefully, she knelt and placed it at the foot of the gravestone. "Still, i'm glad she was able to say her farewells to us before she went to confront Dottore."
Alice brought a hand to her chest, blinking rapidly. "Oh my, how unfair. Just recalling it is enough to make my eyes sting all over again."
"It is a tragedy, no matter how you look at it." Nicole's voice cut through the silence, calm but heavy with thought. "Varka was truly devastated."
"Ah..Varka." Alice's smile turned bittersweet as she looked down at the inscription carved into the stone:
'In loving memory of [Name]'
'Brilliant witch of the Hexenzirkel. Beloved daughter of Mondstadt. Protector of the innocent and a guide of the lost. Friends to gods and mortals alike.'
'She walked paths few dared tread, bore burdens few could endure, and gave everything she had so that others might see another tomorrow.'
'She was loved beyond measure, and is mourned beyond words. May the winds of Mondstadt carry her laughter until the stars themselves fade.'
"Such a devoted soul..he loved [Name] dearly, didn't he?" Alice sighed. "And now, their story has reached its end far too soon..leaving only an unfinished chapter behind."
Barbeloth nodded, slowly reaching out and brushing a hand against the cool stone.
"Indeed.." she murmured. "A beautiful ode, left unfinished."
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notes: anddd that's a wrap for this short series !! i hope you enjoyed this story from start to end :D i haven't written angst in a while so im a lil scared it's doesn't hit as much as i hope HAHAH from the start, there never was a 'happy' ending planned..though a few things did change along the way! the original draft was for [name] to live a little longer, get married to varka, before peacefully passing away in varka's arms underneath the oak tree in Windrise..but i decided to change it to whatever we have now. i was lowk contemplating between the two but i decided to go with this bcs i didn't want to drag the story too much..maybe the og plan hurts more but im rather satisfied with what we have rn !! and with that, thank you for reading 'an ode left unfinished' !
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I hate how beautiful this is. My ass should NOT be crying over a fanfic.
