Chapter 1: Chapter One - Frozen
(5127 words)
https://open.spotify.com/track/4d2ZJ9W7dkQuITwUCTuD5n?si=5kFtRy4QRd6ag7lKMbgoiA
Play this before starting to read. Not related to the story but is a nice song. ^^
started this one-shot series since i was a little bored and because someone asked for an Art x Kath. Not very good at romance so spare me.
/// Arthur Leywin POV ///
*gulp*
I swallowed a dry slump of saliva as I took a step towards the scintillating sparks of aether that caused a disturbance in the air itself- fraying and lacerating the very fabric of space as it linked Euphotus... or what remained of it to Dicathen.
I took one last glance back at the vast barren expanse which screamed death and destruction littered with rubble and debris. And amongst it lay the headless body of the strongest being (former 🙂) in this world. Kezzes Indrath.
The reign of his tyranny was over. The war that used us- lessers as fodder for personal gain was over. The war that was the reason for the pain and suffering of billions, that war that caused millions of innocent children to become orphans and million women to become widows at such a young age was over. But the war wasn't the only thing that was over.
Yes... something inside me was over as well. A feeling. A desire. The desire to stay alive anymore. I inhaled a deep breath taking in the metallic scent of blood that flowed and stained the beautiful glistening rivers red, the abhorrent stench of wind that carried the sufferings, resentment and indignation of thousands- innocents that were dragged in it, included.
Letting out a deep sigh, I exhaled all the air that I inhaled, getting rid of the thoughts of the devastation I had done. I had become someone- or rather something that I always resented. A walking disaster, A Catastrophe.
I took out two horns from my storage rune as I looked down at it. One of them was a black straight horn with spirals around it while the other was a curved one, dark obsidian in colour. My heart ached as I watched the horns. They belonged to two of my most trusted and beloved friends. My hand raised and automatically went around my neck. The necklace around it jingled, producing a metallic sound.
I undid it and brought it to my eye level. It had shattered, broken, but somehow it kept its shape even in its splintered state. The cracks ran all along it but it remained whole.
"It's okay, Art. Be strong, I'll always be here. Right beside you. So, do it. No matter what you do, I'll always love you."
The words ringed in my head as the tears that remained bottled up in my eyes rushed out. I cried... cried with the force of a person vomiting on all four. Tears of despondency cascaded down my cheeks in the form of streams. I never felt so weak. So frail. Once the first tear fell down on the blood soaked red sand the rest followed in an unbroken stream. I fell on my knees, bending forward as my head almost touched the ground while my hands kept gripping my chest.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for failing you all. Mom, Dad, Adam, Ellie, Sylvie, Regis, Caera, Tess... I'm so sorry."
I cried for who knows how long. I punched the ground, obliterated what remained of the landscape, let destruction run rampant eradicating the wails and woes of the last remaining asuras. The ones responsible for all this. I let my unbridled anger roam unchecked until all that remained was me and this eerie silence.
"Come on Regis, now would be a good time to crack a lame joke."
*silence*
"Hey Caera, don't you have anything to say? We finally did it.. right? Together?"
*silence*
"Tess... Say something.. it's over, we can fulfill our promise now."
*silence*
The crazed look on my face vanished as the only sound that greeted me was the loud whooshes of wind blowing past me. My hair swayed in tandem with the wind- obscuring my vision. The silhouettes of the ones I loved faded in and out, everytime my hair covered my eyes and wind blew them away. I watched their distant, unapproachable forms blur with every passing second, as my tears continued to dry. I couldn't cry anymore. The tears were now gone, not because I couldn't feel anything. But because I had even lost the strength of crying.
The wind blew once more and the misty figures of my beloved smiled at me one last time and then frittered away in the wind- leaving nothing behind. I stood up and took a step towards the hole in space- the portal that connected this place to Dicathen. My steps were heavy, ponderous, carrying no specific purpose. They just treaded in the direction of the portal endlessly.
Once I approached it the sizzle of the portal became more and more audible. Sigh
I took a step and then the similar sensation of nausea hit me. The same sensation I can never get rid of no matter which body I have.
"A Godkiller who can't even handle portals. Oh how the mighty have fallen..... I'm pretty sure Regis would've said that." I wondered in my mind, imagining my companion with the same vulpine smirk on his face that never left his face even in his last moments.
"Stay alive for me princess. Now let me get some sleep. I've done enough and I deserve a long ass vacation. Piss off now."
His words struck my heart like a hammer to an already cracked vase. My eyes stung once again, but no tears fell. It was almost like I had run out of tears, only left with this feeling of immense guilt and these burning and stinging eyes. The other side became more and more vivid as the outline of a gate radiating white light continued to grow bigger and bigger. Streaks of other colours continued to mix in the white. My eyes squinted as I focused on the sight in front of me. A plethora of colours invaded my eyes as my vision got invaded by a veil of white, enveloping my sight for a brief second and then my vision returned to normal.
The tunnel vision expanded, sucking in the new surroundings. I saw many faces- Ladened with different expressions. Pride, awe, jealousy, envy, happiness, resentment, enmity. None of those things mattered much to me. I had lost more than anyone in this war, none of them could get what I went through. But the one feeling that everyone carried in their gaze made my heart squeeze and churn. It ached so bad. It was the feeling I came to hate so much.
I watched the dirty faces of the people, covered in mud, blood and grime as I continued to hover over the people. Nobles and commoners, high bloods and blood unnamed alike. They looked at me in awe. Almost like an ant who looks up to the human who could crush it with no effort. My heart thrummed, threatening to break out of the rib cage as I saw the people look at me in the same way as they saw the ones responsible for all their pain. They looked at me just like they looked up to the asuras.
This was human nature. When life shuts a door at the face of a person, he or she becomes restless. Everyone wants a place to be, somewhere they could belong, feel like they're needed by people there. That was what happened to people on the two continents. When the self proclaimed deities shut their doors on the "lessers", they started to search for someone else- Someone they could rely on by entrusting their everything, even their lives to them. And as much as I hated it and as much as I didn't volunteer for it- the baton was passed on to me, Forcefully.
Aether courses through my aether channels as I drew it from my core and guided a minuscule amount of it to my arm. The extra-dimensional rune glowed in a vibrant golden as aether fueled it. Focusing on two specific objects I willed my will into it and the next moment the things I desired manifested in both of my hands. The frenzied crowd went silent, their voices coming to an absolute halt. Even their breathing seemed to have stopped like the air had been frozen in their lungs.
In my left hand I held a head, clutching at its elk-like antlers while in my right I held another head, clasping the brilliant white hair so tightly that it would have snapped the hair. They were the heads of the two abominations. The ones whose personal war was about to wreak havoc on everything. I threw the heads in the middle of the crowd. The crowd separated leaving a small circle for the heads to crash.
They landed quietly- the voice of their fall muffled by the slight murmurs and whispers of people all around them. The bones inside their faces squished as they landed as they produced a slight plop sound. The Alacryans' eyes widened as they saw the head. After all, it was the head of their former high sovereign, Agrona Vritra.
"People of Dicathen and Alacrya." My feeble voice roared as I imbued aether into it, "From this day on... you all are liberated. Unshackled. From the reigns of these self proclaimed gods and tyrants. Today marks the end of the tyranny of these false deities. Long live Dicathen. Long live Alacrya." I spoke as the crowd bursted into an outburst chanting my name.
"Long live Godspell."
"All hail Godspell."
"Prostrate to the Godspell"
Shut up.
Shut up
Shut up
Shut up
Shut up
Shut up
Shut up
Shut up...
shutttt uuuuuuuup.......!
My brain screamed at the people every time they took the name "Godspell". I was undeserving of this name. I never even earned it. I just got this name. And that's why it pained me. If I literally, actually was 'Godspell', then I wouldn't be here standing so lonely.
I may look triumphant, strong, above all, maybe even God-like. But there was a big hole in my life. That hole being the one I loved. There was no one to greet me at the teleportation gate. Neither will there be anyone to greet me at home. I will be devoid of the company of my bonds. My surrogate daughter, Sylvie. I will never have a heated argument again, with the horny wolf that I surprisingly seem to miss so much. I won't be able to play a competitive sovereign's quarrel again.
Not wanting to remember all that I flew away from there. Reaching for the aether strands and connecting them into one long passageway I god-stepped and reached in front of the floating castle. I entered the wide alleyways and continued my walk towards the main hall. My steps felt heavy and everything seemed hectic. Even breathing seemed to feel like an arduous task.
Reaching out for the double handles of the door that led to the main hall I pulled them. A wave of small wind greeted my face which was produced from the swift opening of the door as the people sitting inside it came into view.
"ARTHUR?" Everyone said in unison as I gave them a weak wave,
"Hey everyone. I'm back.... And it's finally over." I said and as the final words left my lips, a figure clad in black aura tackled and hugged me, almost knocking the air out of me. The sack of bones had used his second phase just to hug me.
"Good to see you too, Gramps." I said rubbing the weak, bony back of Virion. Years of commandeering, losing the war at one point, winning against Alacrya, the start of war against the asuras. All these years had worn him out, his facial features exuded tiredness, his back was hunched and dark circles embraced his eyes.
"Good to see you too, Brat. I'll stop getting surprised now or I'm just going to die. Seriously? Killing deities like some mana beasts." He said as everyone present let out small chuckles, their nervousness and fear awfully visible.
"After everything that happened, I think even I can't kill you, Gramps." I replied with a weak smile as he let out a snort. My gaze darted from Virion to the people around us. Everyone started either looking away or down, unable to meet my gaze. Afterall I was someone who just killed the ones they worshiped. As of now I was nothing but an unnecessary existence with no purpose in life.
Letting out a sigh I started to withdraw my gaze when it finally fell on a girl. Her long, jet black hair fell well below her waist. Her light brown eyes remained fixed on mine, unflinching, unwavering, without an iota of fear and a genuine smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Kathyln.
The memories of me and her eloping rushed my mind like a tsunami. After my battle with Agrona, I had to kill Tessia with my own hands. I could still remember my hand piercing her chest as I grabbed her still beating heart and blasted it off to smithereens. During the battle her only family, her brother, Curtis had died too. So for the sake of our mutual benefit and for the betterment of our mental states we decided to sleep together.
The memory of her arched back whenever I pushed hard, her soft almost inaudible but melodic moans, her pale slender body and the two well proportioned peaks invaded my mind.
"Right there."
Once again her voice ringed in my mind as I felt the heat making its way to my face. Immediately, without making anyone suspicious of me I averted my gaze from her.
Virion looked at me with a smirk- which I thought he had forgotten graced his face. He then looked at the documentation in front of him and grabbed them all in one go,
"Let's go gentlemen. Our work here is done. Let us go now. I'm sure General Arthur needs some rest and some private space too." He spoke in a dignified and stern tone, contrasting to his appearance which looked like someone who was on his deathbed.
The men and women just nodded their heads and started to pick whatever they could lay their hands on. Files, letters, scrolls. Once the long rectangular oak wood table was clear they all made their way to the door. Once they went outside, Virion looked back and threw me a wink before a sad expression crept up his face and he left... closing the door behind him.
I heard Kathyln's steps, walking towards me. I glanced from the corner of my eyes as I saw her sliding her finger at the corner of the rectangular table while moving from her side to mine. She reached where I was and stopped. Her gaze remained fixed on me as she dusted the little dirt that managed to stick to her finger.
I looked at her and saw a tinge of pink extending from one corner of her cheek to the other. I averted my own gaze immediately as I looked at the side and started sliding my own finger on the table drawing incomprehensible shapes on it. The silence loomed over us and I noticed the slight fidget in her movements- discomfort getting the better of her. Finally concluding my inner monologue I decided to break the ice of silence that seemed to have frozen us in place,
"Hi Kathyln." I said, trying to meet her eye. She looked at me. Her face was as stiff as ever, her round face features were now sharpened due to the war snatching away the delicacy of youth. Well, I was the same. We both looked a bit older and scarier than our real age of 21.
Her brown eyes moved from the downcast gaze to meet my blue-stained golden eyes, and for a moment I saw true bliss and relief grace her face. She took a step towards me. The same memories invaded my mind once again, making my weird state even more difficult. Once she came close enough she stood on her toes, her small frame kept getting closer until I felt hands wrap around my neck.
"It's so good to see you again, Arthur. I-im so happy to see you alive." Her weak voice trembled even further and her hug on me tightened. I smiled- not a forced one or a sad one. But a genuine smile as I lowered my body by bending so she could get back at her feet. I wrapped my own hands around her slim curvy back and buried my face in her shoulder.
"Good to see you too, Kath." I replied and saw her small yet well-endowed body shudder in my grip. She parted from me, her hands running along my body as she took a step back, an unsatisfactory look at her face at the loss of touch. And surprisingly it was the same for me. I suddenly wanted more of it. Maybe it was because of the fact that I had no one left or because we eloped before, just seeing her or being around her was enough to bring a change in my temperament. Without me knowing I had started to long for the warmth she gave me.
Noticing the awkward situation again she began to turn on its heel and began to move away.
"Be selfish for once princess. Go get her... also she got em milki**"
'Shut the fuc-' I was about to curse mentally but stopped realising that it wasn't him but just a hallucination of him.
"For the first time, maybe I'll listen to you." Closing my eyes I muttered incoherently under my breath and imagined the vulpine smirk over his face growing even bigger.
"Go get em tiger." He spoke as I opened my eyes and saw her almost at the door. Pushing the ground slightly I reached immediately where she was and grabbed her arm. She turned around, her expression almost neutral just as always, except there was a small look of..... relief over her face. She raised her brow, asking me why I stopped her.
"Uhh... are you free?" I was not sure why I did that.
The corner of her lips twitched as she continued to suppress the smile that was forcing its way to her lips.
She looked back at her hand which was on the knob of the door and closed the door. Turning her head towards me she spoke,
"Sure. I'm free." She replied, not a single wasted or unnecessary word. So typical of her.
I smiled, for the second time since meeting her. There was definitely something wrong with me.
/// Kathyln Glayder POV ///
I looked at Arthur, struggling to get words out of his throat. It was amusing to see him like this. While everyone looked up to him as a god or someone to worship after the asuras, he was just a normal man to me. A man undergoing the loss of everything and everyone. Just like me. Just like me, he had no one left in this world. Just the painful memories of our families when they were still alive.
"Do you want to go for a drink?" He asked. Ever since he returned I couldn't help but smile again and again. A rare occurrence. I was taught to keep my expression neutral. As a princess many would try to get close to me to take advantage of me. But did that applied now too? I wasn't a princess anymore nor I had any intention to inherit anything.
I was so done with this emotionless facade. I wanted to scream at people, yell at them, announce to everyone that I wasn't an emotionless person. I felt... felt everything. More than anyone. But that's the end. Just because someone doesn't show feelings doesn't mean they are heartless. I have the same lump of flesh that everyone does. And it beats the same. Just like how it is beating now with utmost happiness after..... my childhood crush asked me out.
"Sure, I'm free." I replied and I noticed my voice was still how it used to be in front of others.
"You should smile more." Arthur said and a faint smile crept up his face. I felt the blood rush to my face but I kept my expressions neutral for the time being.
"So.. where to?" I asked, "I know of a bar...." He cut me off midway as he approached me and grabbed me by my waist,
"I know of a much better place." He said, sending shivers across my spine. His warm breath touched my neck as I held tightly on to him. The next moment, space warped around us and we weren't in the room anymore. Wind blew violently, blowing my hair in a stream of black. I looked at Arthur as the sun shone on his face. His sharply chiselled face was picture perfect, his eyes shone like the sun above our heads and his golden hair kept caressing his face. Small amount of moisture stuck to his forehead because of the humidity around us. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead to the ground.
The image of him going back and forth in our night together replayed in my mind as I remembered us covered in sheets and sweat, but never stopping. We continued to channel our grief and sorrow into one another, our annoyance and frustration being nullified because of the intense intimacy we had. We went at it several times... 2 days to be exact, only stopping when our- or rather my body was about to break. But continued after him healing me up.
I could still remember his every move like it was just last night. Moments when he would be gentle, afraid not to harm me because of his own mental state, moments when his sanity would slip away and he'd be rough, but even that was invigorating. Blissful. His lips kept kissing mine aggressively, his hand supporting my head from behind, sometimes clutching at it. I can vividly remember my own hands running through his silky smooth blond hair, my nails digging into his back and arms whenever he came.
It was a wrong act, but still we did it. And I don't regret it. Despite all that I had lost, I felt happy. I felt safe, secure. Being in his arms, hugging him, feeling his broad chest press against my own was such an euphoric feeling that it was indescribable by mere words. The smell of salty air invaded my nostrils and for the first time since coming here with him I realised that throughout this whole time I was still clinging on to him. But what surprised me is that he didn't push me away, but simply let me remain like that.
I peeled myself away from him with a warm face and looked back. My eyes widened as I saw the waves upon waves of sea water rushing towards the shore. It was the beach at Etistin. I started to think how did we even get here but gave up on it realising it was Arthur. I looked at him, he was looking at me with an expectant look of me being surprised or baffled at his god-like powers but I knew he hated it the most. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. So I did what was appropriate, ignored his feat and accepted it and him like any other normal event.
A satisfied smile crept up his face as he plopped down sitting at the golden-tinted sand because of the setting sun. He pointed at the ground beside him and motioned for me to sit. I sat down beside him, facing the setting sun. The wind blew once again touseling my hair. The waves crashed one after another, roaring and thundering violently against the gigantic stone boulders.
I felt a tingling feeling. I looked to the side to find Arthur who had a glass bottle in his hand and two round cups. It was surprising I didn't felt any mana despite me being at a later stage of white core, making me much stronger than even Lance Varay. He placed them on the sand and started filling them. Once they were quarter filled he picked one up and gave it to me. I took the cup from his hands, the slight tremble in it was barely noticeable. It was discernible that he was still holding his emotions. I had gotten over it long ago.
The night with him made me forget all my grief. How could I think of anything else? All I ever thought was about him and him alone. He looked at the sun which now turned extremely large, orange and yellow in colour as it seemed to be sinking inside the wide, endless sea. He raised his glass such that it was right in front of his eyes, the sun faintly illuminating the scotch whiskey, further adding brilliance to its translucent gold - amber colour.
"To the ones that are no more among us. May they rest in peace." He muttered slightly, just enough for me to understand it. I raised my glass in a similar manner and clanged it with his,
"May they rest in peace." I repeated in a bare-audible whisper. He smiled, a fake one. He couldn't hide it, not from me who had been doing it for my whole life.I took the glass and took a sip from it. The taste of caramel that gave it its amber colour greeted my tongue. It had a malty taste. The smoky flavour inside it indicated it was produced over peat fire. Licking my lips I took another sip and a plethora of tastes invaded my mouth this time. The rich fruity, buttery flavours seemed to melt in my mouth. The ice cubes were a contrast to the malty taste which seemed to have lifted my mind off so many things.
He did it again. Lifting all of my burdens away from me. Making me want to smile. I looked at Arthur who kept staring at the amber-shaded drink with his honey coloured eyes, both of his hands clutching at the glass. His hands were trembling and so were his lips. I looked at the strongest being sitting in front of me- So Weak and So Frail. So delicate that he could break at the slightest of touch. His broad shoulders were slumped, his head hung down and his bangs covered his face. Then with one swift movement he pressed the opening of the bottle to his lips and gulped it all down in one go.
"Arthur!" I almost yelled at him. He looked at me and smiled,
"It won't affect me anymore. I don't get drunk. Because I am not a human anymore." He said and I saw a sad look over his face.
"Leave me and abandon me like everyone else. Worship me like everyone else. That is what I am now right? A god to worship?" He said and I felt tears well up in my eyes as well as his.
"You don't have to force yourself to..." Before he could finish I slapped him across his face. The echo resounded but got muffled by the fast moving and thundering roars of wind.
"Why does it matter? Why does it matter if you are not a human anymore? Why does everyone's evaluation of you matter so much to you? You don't even know them and yet you take their evaluation to heart." He looked at me with a baffled look with his hand over his cheek. The red print on it was already disappearing.
"Look at you. You just got slapped. You are normal. It's the people that are abnormal." I continued and I saw his whole body shivering, his sclera glistening as tears welled up in his illuminated by the faint sun rays,
"You made me cry again." He spoke as streams of tears started to flow from his eyes. It was painful to see him like this. All I could do was embrace him and let the torrent of his tears soak through my shirt. I could feel him clench his fists, not knowing whether to be mad or to give up hope all together. I could hear him silently screaming, suffocating with each breath he took holding onto his pride. I ran my fingers through his hair, time and time again, in an attempt to calm the silent war within his mind.
"Don't worry Arthur. I am here. Even if no one else is." I said as I kept caressing his hair.
"Hey do you know?" I continued speaking with him, still hugging me. I gathered every ounce of my strength to finally say what I had been trying to say all this time. He broke the hug and looked at me.
"I know.... But." I cut him off by placing a finger over his soft plump lips,
"I love you, but I know you don't. However, I am sure with time....." This time it was him who interrupted me as he removed my hand from his lips, with his hand sweeped away my bangs that lay sprawled over my forehead and kissed it.
"It's not entirely true, Kath. I do have feelings for you. But I am not sure what to do. I am in such a mess right now. Can you give me some time to sort it out?" He spoke and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
"No, I won't give you time." I spoke as I finally dropped the emotionless ice princess facade, "Because we will get through it together." I said and kissed him, leaning my body over him. He was taken aback but held himself by supporting his body with his left hand on the ground.
"Yeah, I am sure we will." He replied as he kissed me again.
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Time heals every wound and it surely leaves scars. But the scars aren't a disgrace. It is a trophy. A testament of all of your suffering and hardwork. So instead of dwelling on it and trying to hide it, embrace your scars and inner demons and live with your head held high.
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(A/n Well that's it for the one shot. I know the ending could've been longer but its better to leave some details to your imaginations ><. Anyways hope you enjoy the chapter.
I am down to all suggestions and ideas for one shots but I won't write them much since I have people chewing the life out of me for my other fics.
Until next time, stay blessed and happy reading.
Whooper out!)
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(WORD COUNT: 5127 words)
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