For Me, This Is Heaven (Lucina x Male!Reader)

Chapter 17: I'm Not From This World

Naga: The more you use this power, the closer you come toward losing your humanity. Keep that in mind before you harness it. 

He nodded, as the shaking in his hands ceased. In that moment, I knew I had made the right choice. His eyes met mine, and he said, without an ounce of doubt, desperation, or fear, "I'm ready. Teach me all you know."

And so began the second phase of Y/N's training. One we knew could fully well end in his own downfall. 

--Timeskip: Three Months--
--Sharena POV--
Glumly, I shuffled halfheartedly in the forest. I had to take my mind off everything. All of our efforts so far had led to nothing. We had come close a few times- certain rites that were said to be able to destroy Hel, but proved to be false leads.

We were running out of time. Soon, the army of the dead would begin their march on Askr, sealing the fate of all its people. We had returned home in order to make preparations, but the air of hopelessness rising in our ranks was more glaring than ever. Hel couldn't be stopped. Death was inevitable. What were we fighting for now? Was there any point? It was getting harder to resist the call to lay down and do nothing until the end.

I plucked a leaf from a branch on a tree in front of me, sniffing it, trying to memorize the scent of sweet, sweet life before these forests were littered with the bodies of the dead. I closed my eyes, in order for the sense of smell to take center stage. 

A breeze lifted, blowing more leaves into my hair. I paid it no mind; those were mere commonplace around here. 

What happened next, though? That was a bit rarer. 

The wind picked up, going from a light gust to a hurtling gale in the span of a few seconds. I opened my eyes in fright, but immediately closed them once more. The area was surrounded in a blinding light. Once the wind died down, and the light receded, I hesitantly peeked from behind the hands that I had slammed against my face in alarm. 

A man was on the forest floor, facing it, using one hand to prop himself up, while the other clutched his head in pain. I froze, afraid to step closer. After a moment, the man groaned, dropping to the ground and fainting. Without missing a beat, I ran over to the body.

Turning him to face me gave me a small shock- it was... Y/N? What was he doing here? How did he get here? What did the wind and the light mean...?

Too many questions, so little time. Using all my strength, I got my arms under his sleeping form and hoisted him up. He was extremely heavy, almost as if I was carrying not just his physical self, but his mental self, with all of its mental baggage. 

I dismissed that fanatical thought from my mind. I needed to think straight, in order to be fully ready for Hel's assault.

--Timeskip--
--Y/N POV--
I opened my eyes, immediately shielding them at noticing the morning sun. Here I was... back in Askr. Naga and I had trained my new powers relentlessly, until we were both confident that when the time came, I would be able to kill death itself. It still didn't seem possible, but if it would free Lucina from her mental prison, I would do it without a second thought. 

The one thing that I feared was... what would happen to her when we eliminated Hel? I knew they had some sort of connection... What if she died? I had tried not to think about that, and Naga had told me time and time again about how improbable that was, but... improbable was improbable. There was still a chance. A chance I attempted to push out of my mind daily.

After a few minutes, Sharena entered the room, eyes full of hope, concern, and despair. Something... had definitely happened. 

But was I in a position to ask that? I had disappeared for nine months, only to return out of the blue. It didn't seem right to bring that to her attention.