As I listened to their weaving murmurs, I tried to filter out, which would tell me what to think about the heated discussion.
I kept my gaze on the anemo archon. He was—well Venti was hopefully not backstabbing me. Right? He surely wasn't. He wouldn't. I hoped that much.
It was naive to think that, though.
Was he tired of me and my plans to do the right thing? Did he struggle to trust me after everything? It was insane.
I was insane- paranoid for thinking he'd betray me.
I tried to hinder these thoughts desperately, but they were bound to come back. It was making me feel more guilty by the second.
Instead, I tried to divert my attention no longer.
My hand tightened its grip on the stone, and my eyes went wide as I heard the little pebble tumbling off the wall. Slowly rolling down, until a member turned around. They stared towards the pebble. There was a bad feeling unfolding. The last thing I saw before a vampire walked my way was the subtle flinch on the corners of Venti's mouth.
Then I realised what all of this was, a trap.
I was supposed to be led here. They hadn't planned to trust me. I couldn't blame Fischl nor the boy, but it didn't stop the brooding anger.
Thanks to my naive trust in something unlikely as a change of heart got me into this.
When the group spotted me, they shouted something in an ancient way I couldn't comprehend.
A specific vampire came closer towards me, the same one who turned as the pebbles tumbled. They'd be the first to try laying a hand on me.
If they'd touch as much as a hair was another question.
They starred at me with darkened eyes, their hands shot towards my throat.
I ducked.
I sent a kick towards their arm. Instead, their hand grabbed my leg, and I yelped. The grip tightened as I tried to wriggle out.
I tried not to cry in pain. Weakness was the worst thing to express in a fight with an immortal being.
I was alone, all alone.
No one but me, the same as in the old times.
A roar errupeted from the crowd, many different voices shouted, and the fight only became worse.
Even I, as a mortal, sensed the agitated energy. There was sweat dropping from their forehead.
They were nervous.
I stared at my opponent, with every passing second, I could feel my bones come closer to crushing. I winced as stinging pain shot through my ankle. Again, I wanted to cry out in pain and retaliate. I couldn't, I had nothing left in me. They pinned me against the ground so effortlessly that it made my heart race in my ribcage.
I felt the adrenaline coursing through as someone made my opponent loose balance. I tread on their wrist, and it cracked. I shot a swift swing towards another close-up.
They cried, anguished by the fast kick. I looked at them and saw the wide eyes, the shivering and whimpering as I put away my foot.
How the game had changed. Now, I was the one in control.
Not for long, I shouldn't get rocky.
One blunder and I was done for.
Another took me in a chockehold, Venti kicked them in the side, they stumbled to the side, and I gasped for air, I took in a deep breath and stepped backwards as another guy tried to give me a jab in the ribs.
Venti grabbed their arm, twisted the flesh, and tackled them to the ground.
"I'm sorry—" he said, "I tried-" his attempts of explanations were cut short by the battle as another fist dared to race our way.
"No time for talking! More fighting-" I yelped as someone pushed me on the ground. I barely registered the scrape on my palms.
"Shit," I cursed as they ran off as fast as they had attacked. I was about to punch the ground with my balled fist. I inhaled once. Before it could happen, Venti was by my side. Then I exhaled and inhaled twice.
This was unacceptable, I shouldn't lose my act like this.
He kneeled down to me and paid attention to the scrape in my hands. His hands brushed my palm, I didn't react, partly because of the adrenaline that had my heartbeat in a chockehold.
"That looks nasty," he whispered as he observed the pebbles stuck between the wound and the open flesh. Blood slowly trickled off the palm. As I watched it, I realised just how hypnotising liquid was, from water to rain to my own blood.
Maybe even vampires had a more intense fascination, rather obsession with this topic.
A thought shot through my head. The same way I thought, about the blood just now. It was worse for Venti. A single drop of it could do as much as destabilize him. I tried to push him away.
"Don't," he said, his voice soft and gentle. I hesitated and put my unscathed hand away. I couldn't do it to him. Even if he was endangered, I couldn't push him away.
Not anymore, at least.
Hbrought out some water to cleanse it.
That was when I realized that he either must've gotten a potion from the alchemy section or he was good at suppressing his needs. His obvious craving for something he couldn't control. Which, in all fairness, is less likely to control.
It was nature.
They'd be driven to the edge by this nature, and that was when I finally saw just how much pain he had to go through as well.
Not just as an archon who bore all of the responsibility, but as a person too who decayed within their nature of seeking blood.
I met his gaze hesitantly. My heart was racing again. It was so wrong of me to suspect that he'd betray me, to waste a thought on such a useless fleeting idea.
Paranoia, after all, woke the most irrelevant, unlikely scenarios that tore us away from others.
He tended the wound with alcohol and wrapped a clean, soft clothe around my skin.
A faint smile inched over my lips. I was so lucky to have him. If it weren't for his presence in this fight, I'd be lost. I'd be done for.
Our silence wrapped me in an uncomfortable sensation, a tight sling around my throat.
And it wasn't losing up. On the contrary, it worsened that I couldn't catch my breath anymore.
It reigned us like nothing else did. Before, it wasn't restraining my voice chords or overwhelming my senses.
My priorities should be elsewhere, possibly on the suspects who ran away, the assaulters.
They'd be gone, within the forests, probably. I could tell that much.
"I was there to infiltrate them," he said, the first words that broke the silent war apart in my head.
The little puzzle pieces were put together in the right order by him. When I couldn't fit them, he rearranged them and gave me confidence in the trust I thought I had wasted.
I didn't give a lot more than a wordless 'o' noise. I understood then. A bittersweet idiot behaviour I had built. It was.. strange. That he apologised for that? It felt odd and unusual, but it made an even stranger burden drop off my shoulders.
He chuckled, "I understand your mistrust, it stings, but I get it," he sighed.
Even now, he seemed more sympathetic than most of the adults in my life. I was an adult just like him. I could imagine that even if we were in different situations, he'd still respect my emotions more than any of the other figures I worked with.
I didn't get used to this new sort of.. trust yet.
I used my unscathed hand to push myself up, Venti took my wrist and I grunted in pain. My body was sore, aching and in more pain than I expected. I held my hand on my lower abdomen. It was warm and thick, soaking my fingers. As I looked down, I realised the danger. The string liquid trickled down the fabric of my clothes.
It wasn't just blood.
It was my own.
I remained quiet, I had no thoughts left to think about.
"And I'm so sorry that it seems like I have betrayed you. It went so quick I couldn't notify you early enough without losing their trail-" he didn't notice my injury yet. His voice was so delicate and gentle, trying not to stire my paranoia or anger. If I weren't injured, I would've chuckled at the irony. He hesitated and turned his gaze towards me as I became quiet.
Right, I was always talkative around him.
Well, that's a problem.
"Love?" Venti whispered, I nodded.
"Right now, I don't care a lot for what might look like betrayal. You need to focus on keeping yourself safe and the people we love— that's enough.." I whispered.
His hand flickered down to the injury. Faint whispers, shouts, and cries were the last clear ones I could decipher.
"I..." My avtive consciousness sunk together that moment. It slipped out of my grasp.
The sun was never this beautiful, I had never the time to appreciate the little moments like I did now. I never took the time, and now none was left.
My biggest mistake was getting comfortable. It would never assure safety.
Even if only for a minute, I'd give everything to let go of the anxiety, suspicion, and hatred to accept a warm and loving embrace in a moment of comfort.
And I gave everything for this minute. Where I let go of my anxiety, suspicion and hatred, to accept a last warm and loving embrace in a moment of comfort where I felt like I finally truly breathed the same air as everyone else, instead of being intoxicated.
And as selfish as it was, I longed for more, and yet there wasn't a solution to this one. The first time, I wasn't intoxicated since childhood, and this in my earliest memories and those would be the last.
— ; —
ErRoR - Temporary system change.
Venti couldn't believe his eyes as he watched his beloveds consciousness slip.
He took Y/n in bridal style and carried her towards the next available hospital wing. Which happened to be her friend Sucrose' obligation.
Venti wasn't sure when Y/n had befriended the alchemist apprentice or how they'd gotten so close, but something felt odd about the subtlety.
Y/n let barely anyone close.
Which was a surprise since Sucrose somehow had vampire ancestors from long ago. Her genes weren't enhanced by it, but she was the living reminder of the mixture a line that once trespassed prohibition.
Venti didn't like the thought that he'd have to leave Y/n now that she was unprotected without defenses.
Even before there was somewhere dismay in that sentence if she weren't one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful figure in monds democracy. Her job, even before this forced promotion, had her at risk when she was unconscious.
Venti sat by her bedside. He recalled Albedo's words as they talked alone.
Back then, he nodded and affirmed Albedo's words. There wasn't a particular huge backbone behind it, but Venti sensed the responsibility Albedo meant. It wasn't just his known public image. It was rooted deeper than that.
Even the anemo archon could do so much to keep his secrets hidden below the surface.
——✧･ﾟ: ★,｡･::･ﾟ☆
RAINEE's NOTE;
Guys, she got her karma like so many wanted her to have it, since she's probably my most shit on self Insert (valid reasons ofc cause it seemed like she's a awful dislikable mc<3)
And yes, don't worry, I have a lot more planned out for the next two chapters. They'll be hopefully just as satisfying as the last ones.
Also, I got my first chapter on the Lyney fic up and am on the road to two :)
BTW, 1st week if school was awesome.
How do y'all like the covers I use lately? Should I make them more like the one from the Lyney fic with little details or just a cool picture with a title?
39/41
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