Vanya- campfire

Vanya chose to sit on a tree stump a couple footsteps away from the majority of the soldiers. She was not a good company to have at the moment and she refused to be distracted by their chants and other shenanigans. She couldn't bear their overwhelming joy and even less their desire to force her into dancing and chanting with them. So the elf isolated herself from her band of brothers. She took her knife and a wooden stick she started to carve when she heard the muffled sound of boots walking on the soft ground. Someone was coming closer. She quickly changed the way she held her knife to prepare herself for an attack and lifted her head.  Richard was standing in front of her. He was just dressed in a loosely fitted black shirt a pair of black pants and his old trusty pair of leather boots. Because their last mission took several weeks, Richard was sporting a scruffy beard and his hair was long enough for him to be able to tie it into a loose low ponytail.

"What are you doing alone, Vanya?"

"I needed some time for myself."

"Seems like you always need some time for yourself. All these years and you still don't want to spend a full night with us? Are you afraid of getting drunk?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. How ridiculous that statement was! She wasn't scared of getting drunk, as a matter of fact, she always got shitfaced whenever she indulged in drinking. What bothered her was that she tended to speak of things she would rather keep to herself.  She didn't want to spill her guts and expose her weaknesses to the greedy eyes of friends who could turn into foes with a hefty load of money. She pursed her lips together and twirled her knife in her hand. 

"Nope. I'm not afraid. I just don't feel like getting drunk with you guys." She shrugged, planted her knife into the tree stump, and tilted her head to the side to look at him straight in the eyes. "What do you want, Richard?" 

"Why do you assume I want something from you?" -He asked, furrowing a brow as he was curious about what she wanted to say. Vanya sighed and put both hands on her knees-. 

"Because I know you never ask something without wanting something in return. So... Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Richard knew little about Vanya except that she was of noble ascendance and, for some reason, became a gun-for-hire. He knew her parents were dead and she was angry but he didn't know why. He shouldn't be bothered with her past like he was because so many of them had awful pasts. So many of them were orphans, products of war, forged with fire and hardened by battles.  Vanya's unwillingness to share elements of her past, her aloofness, and her rough exterior piqued his interest. Perhaps that was the reason for his interest in her He shrugged, closed the distance between them, put his foot on the tree stump, and bent a little forward. 

"Why did you leave the royal court?"

"Why do you care?" -She almost bit her tongue while trying to reply to him. The question made her blush as he didn't expect her to retort with her own question. He furrowed his brows and looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"Why wouldn't I care about you? We've been together for 15 years now! It's a very long time in human years, Van." She pursed her lips and wrapped her arms around her leg. "I'm serious. You're my friend, and I know when something is on your mind. It's the only topic that gets you all defensive."

"I don't want to open old wounds, Rich. I left the court because I wanted to! I /had/ to!" -She tried to defend herself but it didn't come out as very convincing. So Richard's blue eyes stared at her with a harsher glow.

"And yet, you still cover your face when we walk into the royal city. If you didn't care about being recognized you wouldn't do this. So, I have to ask, what is it that you are so afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid. I am /angry/!" -She pointed out, unable to stop herself from speaking to him. Richard tilted his head to the side, now certain that he was starting to have the real answer to his question. She was angry and immediately he started to wonder who or what made her angry. Was it the court itself? Was it someone peculiar? She realized it was too late to backpedal and she was way too angry to think about lying. So she ran her hand over her face and moistened her lips.- "My parents were framed, I don't know who or why but they were framed and I can't do shit about it except find the people responsible for it. Because they were of noble ascendance, they were disgraced and marked as criminals instead of killed. My mother couldn't deal with the shame and she killed herself, well she let herself die when she got sick. My father took all the odd jobs he could to provide for me but that killed him. I left the court because all I could think about was finding the one responsible for the slander to force them to admit the truth or kill them if they didn't want to." 

Her orange eyes set upon Richard's face as she wanted to study his very reaction to her words. She was taking a huge risk by confiding in him but she trusted Richard more than anything else. He was her friend, perhaps the only friend she ever had in her life and she knew she could trust him. They had each other's backs for so long that it became second nature for them to care for each other. Still, she felt awfully vulnerable at this instant because she didn't know how he would react to her answer.  The elf expected anything from the human,  from laughter to a lecture but he did nothing of the sort. The mercenary sat next to her, his frame looking in the same direction as she was. His attitude was friendly, which made the elf relax next to the soldier. He glanced at her and quietly laid his arms against his thighs. 

"Do you have any leads?"

"Not yet.  I know that it's not an average noble who started the rumors. It came from a very powerful noble. I would... I just need to ensure it's not who I think it is."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"The King." -Vanya whispered, almost unsure of her words. Richard blinked-

"The What???" -Vanya's ears flipped and lowered and she covered her face with both hands.-

"You heard me well. He was a prince when that happened... I know it's a big accusation but you really have to trust me and my guts. They're telling me that it's him but I need to know for sure that he is involved in my family's disgrace." -She held onto his hand and squeezed harder- "Please, Rich... Swear to me that you're not going to tell my business to the others."

"I  swear on everything I hold dear!"

"Thank you. I appreciate it. "

" I'll help you in your quest. I know how hurt you are and I want to wipe the smug grin off of the king's face anyway. So count me in. I'll help you." -She pinched her lips together and nodded slowly. It was settled then. They would investigate and give her justice.-

It was settled.

presentation of book characters V1

 Hi, 

So, the wonderful Luiza Ribeiro (primrivere online) and I met last year. She painted my profile pic, my partner's, and my sisters' :) We got along very well and I decided to go for another take on the main characters of the story I am writing. some haven't appeared yet but have been mentioned.  Two portraits are remaining and I will gladly share them with you when they're ready :) So below, you'll find the characters and I'll write very little information about them,  Just enough to give a glimpse of who they are and maybe, maybe entice your curiosity. 

Name: Nëela Olusegun

Occupation: President. former rebel leader. 

Relationship with Asma: She is someone Asma respects and wants to protect. Nëela trusted her when she didn't have to.  Asma will learn to trust her over time.

Colour Palette: white outfits, black skin, grey hair, and grey eyes.

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Name:  Abel Carvill

Occupation: Captain of the Elite. Husband of the president. 

Relationship with Asma: Abel trusts Asma. He treats her like a member of his team and she treats him with respect. 

Colour Palette: Blue, black skin, grey hair, and eyes. 

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Name: Sun Kwan

Occupation: Empress of the Purple Empire. Former rebel leader. 

Relationship with Asma: At the start of the story, the only thing Asma knows about the empress is her reputation as a hardcore warrior and a ruthless leader. Sun Kwan is very wary of Asma and doesn't fully trust her. She's been thinking of plenty of ways to neutralize the woman. Still, they respect each other, so far.

Colour Palette: Red and Gold (make-up), black eyes,  and purple outfits.

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Name: Sodih Benh

Occupation: Pilot. Member of the Elite.

Relationship with Asma: Sodih is a friendly colleague. She cares a lot for the woman and pays attention to Asma's behavior and mental health. She yearns for a friendship with the pink-haired lady.  Asma, at the start of the story, is trying to keep her distance from her in an attempt to protect Sodih but mostly herself. 

Colour Palette: Green outfits, black eyes, black hair, and silver (piercings)

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Name: Ivanna Markolvich

Occupation: Assassin/ Spy. Member of the Elite. Bodyguard of the president occasionally.

Relationship with Asma: Ivanna had a hard time trusting Asma. She has a hard time trusting anybody either way. Ivanna cares for her in her own way and respects Asma at the start of the story. They sometimes butt heads together but they respect each other. Asma is always nervous around Ivanna but they work well together. 

Colour Palette: white skin, Blue and white outfits, orange (her hair), blue (her valid eye), white (her blind eye)

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Name: Asma Jensen

Occupation: Member of the Elite. Main character. Mysterious past (really 2000+ years old) and keeper of a huge secret. 

Something special about her: She suffers from anxiety and perhaps some bouts of depression. She also has a beauty spot under her left eye. She has black sclera and golden eyes and natural pink hair. She's the only person with special abilities in this world. 

Colour Palette: blue, white, and gold outfit, pink hair, bumblebee eyes, black skin. 

xxx

Discocombulated

 At times, there is peace and quiet in the dead of night. Ah! Peace and quiet both force me to pick my own brain and to watch the maze it has become in such a quick time. Depression is thy name, a Dedalus of incomprehensible mess made of toxic thoughts and dread. Depression is thy name and is holding me on a chokehold, marveling at my body struggling to shake my body free. It toys with me, allowing me to catch my breath back so I can regain some consciousness before it squeezes the life off of me again. At times there is peace and quiet in the dead of night and I can, yes, I can travel inside my mind.  I can travel the maze and look at the broken pieces of my soul. 

There are days when I find comfort in looking at my memories. Comfort I find in knowing I have survived the worst. There are days when I have enough strength in me that I can look at those memories and instead of reliving those traumas, I can take a step back and see how much of a warrior I actually am. I could have been gone. I could have been alone but I am both alive and I am not alone. Revisiting those moments is sometimes very difficult, but humbling at the same time because I am reminded of the cruel nature of humans, and also of the beautiful hearts some of them also have.  I am reminded of the choices I made, the lessons learned and the mistakes I would never make again. I find comfort, but only on days like these. 

There are days when I feel dread. I am not strong enough to keep the demons at bay. They talk louder and they talk over me. They are so overwhelming that I am suffocating under the crushing weight of my regrets. Walking down memory lane, on days like these, feel like torture. I couldn't stand myself, I couldn't keep going. I felt like I deserved those ignominies and should be punished more. On days like these.....oh On days like these, I reject the peace and quiet. I would do anything to fill the silence with noise. I would listen to music, I would write, and I would talk or even read. I would do anything but listen to myself or revisit the painful memories. This way I wouldn't allow toxic thoughts to creep into my brain. I wouldn't convince myself that I should have it worse. 

Here I am today, in the peace and quiet of my room. I see the maze, and I walk through it. I see the memories, and the fear and the Hope and the joy and all those emotions that are being mixed in that brain of mine. here I am today, comfortable in my skin -those days do exist as well-, comfortable in watching my story unfold before my eyes. I loved, I lost, I suffered, I learned... In a way, I have been through everything and anything. I lived. That's the thing I see today. I lived. I live! Life is messy. Life is so fucking messy but I am slowly starting to see the beauty of it.

Chronicles of Lux and Tenebrae: The Keeper of Secrets (part 2)

A/ N: part 2: Stumbling. Those kids are not in front of the most powerful being of the universe. -relatively speaking. Death is the most powerful or is he?- and they are very tense because of the fight they just had. What would the Keeper teach them?

Xxxxxxx

Lux was standing tall, a few footsteps away from Tenebrae who had crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't want to look intimated by the creature that appeared in front of them. The keeper of secrets had a golden crown of roses, a long black lace veil that covered their face. It was difficult to know their features, but they seemed to appear soft, round and small. The veil was long enough to cover the rest of their body, body that was itself covered in a thick layer of black fabric that put together made some sort of a toga with a golden belt wrapped around their waist. The only skin Lux and Tenebrae could see was their white with green hues feet. Lux glanced up to the Keeper and crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing brightly and her brows furrowed. Tenebrae was standing tall next to her but despite him being tall, the Keeper was even taller. It was an actual giant which was sitting on a moving ebony wooden throne. They looked down at the pair but didn't move from the chair.

« We have a question. » Tenebrae started, forcing Lux to turn around to look at him. She clenched her fists and furrowed her brows.

« I am aware of this. You have been looking for me for a long time, Son of Death. » They said, grinning behind the veil. They turned their head to look at the puny goddess who was still staring at them with anger in her eyes. « As I am aware you also came with a question in mind. »

« How many answers can we have? » Inquired Lux.

« Many... but you only have one question to ask. » She opened her mouth to protest their words but they kept talking. « I know it sounds unfair, but this is how things work. I will only answer one question and one only. » She looked at Tenebrae and folded her arms above her chest.

« Please...ask them about my attackers...ask them about my memories. I need to remember. »

« You will remember in due time, I would never know how to defeat my father and the likes if I ask about your memory. »

« Are you willing to risk my memories? » She asked, eyes wide open. He looked at her and nodded quietly. Yes, he was. He was willing to risk their love to know how to defeat deities like his father because he knew how valuable this information was. She couldn't understand and he didn't blame her for wanting to regain her identity and the missing memory from her mind but it would come back to her, at least Tenebrae was willing to bet his life on it. «  I don't. I don't want to risk that because of a petty feud you have with your father. I would like to. »

Tenebrae touched her hand, causing sparkles to emit from their joint fingers. He held tighter and forced the sparkles to become more intense. In the Astral plane, their hands touching would only sparkle without any consequence. It was just an explosion of light and darkness but here on Earth, their hands touching created something different. Something unexpected. It was enough energy to push them away from one another and make them a nosebleed. The white-haired prince touched his nose but used the fact the goddess had not recovered fully and was half-conscious to ask his question.

« We might not agree on this, but I Tenebrae have a question for you Keeper » Of course, there was a special incantation to say when one wanted to ask the Keeper of Secret a question and Tenebrae learned it a long time ago when he first heard of the entity. « There is an answer to each question and to each question, there is an answer. And the one before me holds the key to knowledge. I bow before thee, Keeper of Secrets, ready to ask the question that burns my lips ever since it existed in my mind. I bow before thee, Keeper of Secrets, ready to know what you know. »

« Then speak son of Death. I am all ears. » The Keeper asked, moving their crooked fingers to encourage the young god to come closer. Tenebrae cleared his throat and looked up to the Keeper.

« I want to know how to kill my father. »

« You cannot. » -The answer was dry. Lux slowly came to her senses and held onto her dress as she knelt. She was too late, Tenebrae had asked his question. It made her groan and she rubbed the back of her neck.

« I can't? » He blinked and straightened up. He put his hands on his waist.

« Yes. You cannot kill a deity like Death or Life. You can't kill Time or Fate. You can't even kill me. When I am on Earth. However, do not look disappointed, child. There is an answer to your question. You can't kill Death but you can defeat him. »

« How can I defeat him? » His eyes turned fully black as he was now curious about what the keeper would tell him. He realized that it was foolish of him for trying to kill Death because ultimately, Death was needed. Tenebrae didn't even consider Lux who was still sitting on her heels. She was awake enough to listen to the conversation between the two deities...

« A long time ago, long before you were even an idea in your father's mind, a similar ritual was performed. To banish a deity as powerful as your father, you will need the Alpha and the Omega, holding hands. They would chant the sacred spell. 'Together, at last, we will banish thee to the Vanishing Point'. You will need the Alpha and the Omega to have a strong connection, a link that can't be defeated. Only their true affection for one another would create a bond strong enough to lock Death away. »

« What's the vanishing point? »

« I have answered your question. » The keeper's voice boomed through the room.

« No. No, you haven't. You left me with more questions. You left me with--- »

All of a sudden, the pair found themselves in the streets once again. Lux had recovered from the little shockwave caused by their mutual touch and she looked at Tenebrae. He was shocked, his eyes returned to the normal black orbs they were as he clenched and unclenched his fists. He was this close to having all the answers yet he didn't have all of them. Was the Keeper lying? Were they trying to mess with the Prince's mind? He kept in mind the answer but who was the Alpha and the Omega? What was the Vanishing point? The white-haired god didn't even have time to think through that Lux slapped him. She didn't even think twice about doing it. He purposely ignored her pleas, sacrificed her memory in order to ask a selfish question and on top of it all, they didn't even have an answer. They were left with more questions. He took the slap, feeling that he deserved at least this and rubbed his skin with his fingers.

« You asked this stupid question. » She blamed him with. He nodded quietly. « You asked this stupid question and now look where we're at! We don't know more than when we went there. I don't remember you. I don't know who I am. I can't figure anything out. Do you know how it feels?  Of course not! You never had to experience this! » She accused him of.

« I understand why you're upset and I can't say 'sorry' enough. I disagree, however. We know more than when we went there. We know it happened in the past. We know we need the Alpha and the Omega. We know about the Vanishing point. We'll find those answers. »

« How do you exactly plan to find them? By asking your father? » Tenebrae shook his head but didn't dismiss the possibility to ask his father. He first intended to find the Harpies. They raised him and might be more willing than his father to explain the past to him. She sighed, disappointed and upset at him. « That's what I thought. You don't know. »

« I will find the answers, Lux. For both of us. » She sighed again and flinched when he walked closer. He put his hands on her shoulders, relieved that the shockwave they experienced before didn't happen again.

« Convince me then! Convince me because so far, all I see is a selfish prince who lusts after his father's power. I am just an excuse you use to hide behind. » She spat at him. He shook his head and cupped her cheek, sending shivers down her spine.

« It's not true and you know it. I care about you. I have always cared about you because I love you. »

« I don't know what you're talking about. I can't feel it because I can't remember you. Stop.. stop... » She held onto his chest and leaned her head against his. « I just want to remember everything and help my mother. I want to remember you. » She shut her eyes tight. « I want to remember everything. »

« You will. I promise. »

But it seemed more and more that this was a promise he couldn't keep. Or could he?

-TBC-

I will always find you Pride x Asma

Pride and Asma: « I will always find you »

A/N: this is the beginning of a story I'm writing with a friend of mine. He's doing Pride and I'm doing Asma/Elpis. And I am really satisfied with this beginning that would be the background story of them both. Behold, the tears:p All the usual disclaimer 

xxx

Asma crawled to Pride's private quarters. She barely had enough energy to teleport there and could barely make an audible sound when she knocked on the door. Her life force was leaving her and she knew it would only be a matter of time before death would claim her. Yet, the only thing she had in mind at such a moment was him. She wanted to see him one last time before she met her demise. He heard the noise and dropped the file he was reading, to quickly open the massive golden door and take her in. His beloved. The only person of the universe who mattered to him. The sight horrified him because she was laying in a pool of her own blood and he could see her lifeforce, manifesting itself as a warm and comforting blue light, raining out of her body like pixie dust sprinkled over a flower. Her body was still warm in his arms but the wound wasn't healing.

He didn't need to think too hard to understand what was happening. It was a punishment from the elder gods for their forbidden relationship. He wasn't a god, he wasn't a mortal. He was an original Sin! He was Corruption! He was a weapon that could be used against the Gods and provoke their demise. So of course, her people would never welcome him. She was an elder goddess, a goddess who predated the ancient gods. The very daughter of Gaea, the All-mother. The fragile beauty that was withering in his arms was the elder goddess of Hope. The one who explored the universe too far and ended up finding Pride. They couldn't have been more opposite and yet something brought them together. Something called « love ». Pride snapped his fingers and poofed them on the sofa near his desk. She would be more comfortable than on the floor, he thought to himself, but as he was petting her pink locks, she opened her eyes and stared at him with sadness and pain. They wouldn't have enough time to say goodbye if she didn't start to speak. She took his free hand and brought it to her heart, where the wound was.

« P-Pride. We don't have much time. »

« What's happening? » He asked, always with composure but his eyes were vibrantly blue and she could see the conflict and turmoil in his gaze. A faint smile crept on her lips and she nodded quietly.

« They're... punishing me...for falling in love.. with y-y-you. » she coughed blood and braced herself. « I'll live an eternal cycle of reincarnation...I'll be human forever. » She cupped his cheek with her blood-soaked hand and stroked it softly. « They don't want me to remember you. They want our love to die. »

« It's...Is there a thing I can do? I'm not familiar with this magic, I'm not familiar with..I'm sure we can do something. I could ask... » But she put her forefinger on his lips. Staining it with her blood.

« You will forget me Pr-Pride. We're meant to forget each other but... » She coughed again. « ..You know what? They forgot something...they forgot that love knows no bound....I will always find you. Wherever you are..in place..and time. »

She was fading away, her legs were vanishing, which meant the spell was being activated. He realized that they would never see each other again and worse, he would never remember her. The Sin started to shake nervously while his hand was stroking her cheek, trying to grasp the last minute they had together. He wanted to tell her again, how much she meant to him, how empty he would feel without her. How much she changed his life and turned a once lifeless and empty life into a thing of beauty. She gave him something he never thought of freedom. He never truly realized how much she meant to him until this very moment and the irony slapped him in the face in a matter of a millisecond. He didn't even care about his Father's motives, about the reason he was brought alive. He only cared about her and before he could say anything, she was taken away from him.

« I...love...you. » He muttered to her. Confused as for why he even said those words. He never said them, he never understood fully well why it was so important for her to whisper them any chance she got but it felt right to speak them. It felt right to let her know what he never said to her. He understood at that very moment everything and it hurt more than he could imagine. Her eyes grew wide and her golden orbs flashed a bright light before she whispered to him with the warmest smile she ever had.

« I know.  I always did. »

His eyes were now cerulean pools as emotion was overwhelming him. She vanished mere seconds after she said those words, only leaving behind remnants of her essence, the blue pixie dust that kept oozing from her body ever since she was wounded. His knees felt light now that there was no weight and he realized the cruelty of their punishment. He saw flashbacks of their life together, from their first meeting to the moment she confessed her feelings for him and his response back then. Then, all he could see was her smiles, over and over again and how her face lit up whenever she saw him. All he could remember was her warmth and how it felt to hold her hand or her body against his. All he could remember was his heartbeats increasing whenever she was near, how whole he felt by her sides. She was gone and he's never felt so alone in millennia.

He screamed, turning into a blue being of energy that blasted everything in his room. His siblings could hear him and for a brief moment, because he accidentally connected them together, they could feel his sadness although they didn't understand why. Alerted by this sudden burst of emotion, the siblings moved from their realms and arrived at his door. They noticed the pool of blood and when they opened the door, they found their brother back to normal and laid on his front. The spell had worked wonders and he didn't remember his beloved Elpis. Their lifetime together and bond had been permanently severed.

But did it?

Millennia later, circa the XXIst century, the young elder, still trapped within a human body gathered enough strength to manifest herself inside of her host. Memories appeared through dreams. Memories of him. The spell was weakened and there was a chance for both of the cursed lovers to find each other once again.

~.~ I will always find you, in this life or another. ~.~