Fantasy 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙲𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜

[neon reverie]

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[Uxie]

chapter i.

a tangle
of fates

art credit

 

[neon reverie]

gwendoline

Somewhere, a story crumbles, its arcs trembling as a ghost starts to roam the halls of Rosewood Academy. There is a grave abandoned, with footprints leading down paths that stretch further than the cliffs in the middle of them. The darkening clouds seem to rumble in protest, displeased with the meddling of a college girl who caused its world to turn upside down.

But fate is not so easily bested; threads of a story worm themselves through the space between destinies, searching on how to recorrect what another one has wronged. It bites through lives as if everyone is just a puppet on a strings, breathed to life and killed by its puppeteer for entertainment. It is how purpose gets carved into beings whose only crime was to be there somewhere at the wrong place during the wrong time― they rise and fall before the clock strikes midnight. This is how it goes in a tale where each death knell carries the weight of unlocking love's labyrinth; the narrative can't help but demand sacrifice, always.

For it doesn't know how else to write endings, if not with a pen inked with blood.

Call it a life for a life.

A mercy granted to the poor Gwendoline who still has trouble navigating a world she has only experienced through the beautiful eyes of another. Eyes that she could now admire from up close, its blues twinkling like sun kissed seas. This is not the first time Gwendoline completely misses what her best friend — oh my gosh, she still needs to hold back a giggle just thinking about being close to the heroine— Edelweiss is saying. Words leave the mouth, but all she can focus on is how silky Edelweiss's hair looks, and how her voice flutters as softly as a butterfly. She could throttle the game developers for not making Edelweiss a voiced protagonist if this was how they imagined her voice to be.

It takes Gwendoline nearly walking into a streetlamp to consider readjusting her points of focus. That, and the sight of Edelweiss's questioning gaze. Is she questioning my demeanour or did she just pose a question? Gwendoline clears her throat, slight embarrassment creeping in. An easy and breezy explanation is rapidly formed in the head, ready to soothe the heroine.

"I'm not listening."

she responds then, way more dismissive than intended. Gwendoline wishes to run into the streetlamp this time, head first preferably. One hand immediately goes to cover her lips lest they might twist something else, while the other hand waves frantically, as to fan away the sentence far away from them. Her mind searches swiftly for the right words, all while cursing her own social inability.

"Ah, what I mean is — I was distracted. So, sorry, what did you say?"

fk me

outside

Uxie

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[Uxie]

edelweiss

It is a most thrilling, riveting, exhilarating time at the academy thus far, and Edelweiss is so overjoyed she can piece together a soliloquy with her thoughts every single morning. How wonderful it is to wake on soft feathered duvet, and how wonderful it is to walk through the vaulted, mahogany hallways. She senses knowledge embedded within these very walls, the beautiful, beautiful scent of wisdom and theorems and intrigue.

Classes start today! Oh, she might nearly pass out from excitement.

It has been five days since she moved into the academy dorms; and a weekend since she sat through a dazzling opening ceremony. Thus far, she has managed to befriend only a single person — her lovely roommate, Gwendoline. She is pretty today, as she always is, with purple curls striking against the black uniform and a crimson gaze that might turn one to stone. She wears a scowl Edelweiss has come to identify as her signature, but it looks very stylish on her. Her aunt had warned her of dissent among the noble students of the academy, but she had not had to deal with an insult yet, much less a glare.

How lucky she is to have Gwendoline as her first (and only) friend!

Even now, she walks with purpose to their classroom, though the particularly scenic route she has taken alerts some innate part of Edelweiss in a way she can't quite explain — it is... off.

"Gwendoline,"

she says,

"Are we going the right way?"

Gwendoline seems to take pause, right by an ornately carved streetlamp, and she meets her eyes with a blank stare. After a moment, her tone comes out cool. "I'm not listening." Edelweiss blinks once, twice.

"Oh, yes?"

Perhaps her question was needless? Or perhaps she was to speak louder?

She watches in confusion as her friend breaks into a funny dance — it seems there is a lot about etiquette she has yet to discover — before continuing, "Ah, what I mean is — I was distracted. So, sorry, what did you say?"

Her expression brightens in an instant.

"Oh! I asked you if we were going the right way,"

she pauses, as if considering her words,

"Well, it would be quite silly if we weren't."

It's not as if she doesn't trust Gwendoline; in fact, she is most certain the other girl knew the school grounds much better than she. Yet, that inexplicable feeling nags and tugs at her body. She casts a glance in its direction, only to spy a forming crowd of students among shrubs and flowers. Her mouth moves unconsciously, asking aloud,

"What's that?"

As if her roommate's presence has been forgotten, she moves without warning.

curious!

outside

gwendoline, ???

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[mother of sorrows]

alexander

It has been five minutes since the standoff with the squirrel began, and Alexander has started to grow increasingly nervous that it might make a move closer.

The bush he has taken shelter in is barely grown enough to cover a fully grown man and his legs are in the precarious danger of sticking out if he reverses from his position. A twig is poking him in the face, there is a bitter-tasting leaf in his mouth and the fuzzy, maliciously chittering rodent in front of him has apparently decided that Alexander is intruding on its territory, the flashing of its square teeth sending cold sweat down his back. The campus squirrels are not afraid of humans or anything else, and their diet of caffeteria-standard potato bread and tiramisu has made them the size of a yarn ball.

''Have you seen prince Alexander?''

''The president? He was here not too long ago. Maybe he went that way?''

A pair of muddled voices loitered right out on the cobblestone road next to him, colored with confusion. Dread wiggles in his stomach like molted metal, and Alexander holds no hope beyond every passing second. This whole situation has been brought on by him not wanting to go through the list of events for this month, but trapped as he is now, Alexander has started to deeply resent his own laziness. The joint of his knee was starting to ache something awful and he's not sure how long he can keep up his arms. He is not sure what is worse - being caught hiding in a bush or being stuck here.

The squirrel has started to inch closer with violent intent, making Alexander consider if he should just punch it and run for his life. His forehead is damp with nerves, flashes of his entire file flickering before his eyes.

''Let's go check by the courtyard.''

Footsteps part ways and right as the murderous-intented squirrel snaps at him, Alexander jumps out of the bush into the wet grass with a noise of horrified extertion. Water-clogged mud sticks to the white of his uniform and a twig tangles in his pale hair, and he yanks it out. The squirrel still eyes him discontently, but Alexander is up on his legs before it has a chance to attack him so viciously again; he sprints for his dignity and life, opposite of where he heard the other student goverment members go.

He ought to be embarrassed that his life involves scenes such as this. As it is, he holds nothing but a vague relief that no one has seen him.

White pillars dug out of black, crumbling earth hold up the sky and classes have dragged most of the university body inside. Magic seeps through the air like electricity, gathering on his tongue in a heavy filter that makes him clear his throat. Sunlight, bright and overly optimistic, plays with the treetops and falls over the buildings in a heap. A few students still lingered on stone benches with open books and lunches, their mumbled conversations out of reach. Alexander brushes a patch of dust off his chest and pulls on a distant, mild smile, utterly unoffensive even to himself.

There, where a staircase bleeds into the garden, he catches note of a familiar form - and the drift of a breeze, just like an opened window.

"Emyrs!"

Alexander greets with a bland smile, settling on the lowest step.

"Don't you have classes right now?"

The fact that Alexander has them too is irrelevant. He watches his roommate with kind suspicion, the type hidden behind a wall of harmless reputation. They are not friends, exactly - Emyrs reminds him too much of his sister's borzois, all refined elegance and a taste for quiet, refined in a way that is not easy to excite. More than a good relationship, theirs is one where Alexander does not have to pretend (too much, anyhow) and in return, he does not bother the other student. He has always struck Alexander as the sullen sort.

For what purpose he would have been gone at night, he is not sure.

''President!''

Behind them both, he could hear the bustle of running legs. Alexander wisely pretends not to notice.

"By the way,"

The prince continues, still smiling in a flat good nature.

"Not that it's my business, but did you go out last night?"

''There's been an accident!''

Stubbornly, he keeps his eats shut.

"I just thought it was odd, because I found the window out and..."

''PRESIDENT!''

His smile twitches at the edge. I hate my life.

life is hell

staircase

emyrs ;; open

♡coded by uxie♡

 

[triples]

emrys

The night had been peaceful on the lush grounds of the women's dormitory. Not an ominous shape to flicker by or a scream of horror to send chills down one's spine. Not even the faintest smell of blood, as the morning sun shows its full face and dew begins to glimmer on the unstained blades of grass.

The night had been peaceful. The night had been useless.

A quiet figure stalks through the halls, a shade of gloom haunting the sharps contours of his face. The sea of students, loitering for the final few minutes before classes begun, part all too naturally as he passes by. Even those who were often quick to offer pandering words of concern leave him a wide berth today, blessed were their tact.

Emrys, in this moment, is sulking. Dark circles under his eyes are more prominent than ever, and his pale skin — untouched by rough weather or hard labor — is now marred by insect bites, dotting his arm in red and purple. And all for what? After the utter serenity of the past few hours, even he could no longer be sure.

The memories were at once so vivid and so vague; certain details were as clear as day, others blurred in fog, and their categories seemingly arbitrary. He remembers when it happens and where, but he doesn't remember to who or exactly how. He remembers the waves of her hair from the portrait at her funeral, but he doesn't remember her face.

Maybe it really was all just a long dream.

The thought should bring relief, but his frown only deepens. Emrys has never been able to let go of mysteries easily, much less one with consequences so grave. Anxious to gather his thoughts in silence, he hurries himself up the spiraling steps, safely leaving behind the open yard to-

"Emrys!"

He pauses, one step away from disappearing from sight with the turn of the stairs. Foolishly, he glances back. Pale eyes greet him, curved into soft crescents, a familiar picture. Alexander. Emrys does not return the smile.

"Don't you have classes right now?"

A beat of awkward silence ensues; awkward, that is, only for one of them. The prince seems to barely notice. Emrys sighs under his breath.

He used to find Alexander pleasant enough. Golden hair and vacant smiles, harmless but with something of an unpredictable nature — he found the prince reminiscent of his mother's retriever. His view has since grown more complex.

Wordlessly, Emrys eyes the traces of mud scattered across Alexander's chest, accompanied by a noticeable patch of tousled hair, with some suspicion. Well, the dog metaphor still holds some worth, he decided.

Good morning, he thinks to greet, though it is somewhat belated. The words hesitate on his tongue, in that odd way they sometimes did, and what leaves his lips instead were the glacial syllables:

"Your Highness."

The desired effect of brushing past the matter of skipping class is achieved regardless, and so he refrains from correcting himself.

A desperate call for the prince sounds from a distance away. Unfazed, Alexander continues to speak.

"By the way... not that it's my business, but did you go out last night?"

The call of duty getting louder behind them distracts him for a moment, and it takes the weight of the implications a second to settle in. Emrys blinks, then tenses. Last night? How did he know?

"I just thought it was odd, because I found the window out and..."

Damn. He couldn't tell if he was angrier with himself for being careless or with Alexander for being so uselessly observant.

"That's... well, I-"

"PRESIDENT!"

A sharp yell cuts him off before he's even began his explanation. The boy skids to a stop at the foot of the stairs, uniform disheveled and out of breath, brows drawn so tightly together they melded into one. A tinge of panic colored his hazel eyes.

Emrys pauses in the midst of taking another step, thoughts of taking the opportunity to escape put on hold as a sense of foreboding set in.

"There's been an accident,"

the messenger catches his breath, glancing unsurely up at the unexpected company before lowering his tone,

"You have to go, to the courtyard."

It hits him like a bucket of cold water. His heart stutters, then races. The courtyard? More questions arise than answers at the news, but he is almost certain this is proof. In a daze, he stares down at the pair, his expression frozen. Calmly, or so it sounded, Emrys asks,

"Did someone get hurt?"

Conflicted

Staircase

Alex

♡coded by uxie♡