Into The Shadow Realm | Rascal x fem reader story 2023

27| Sword Fight

"You don't understand~"

"It's okay," you pant, looking up at him, "can we stop? You can talk to me! I will try to understand. What is going on?"

He continues staring and takes a step closer. And another step. Soon Rascal is close enough for you to be breathing the same air. His shoulders drop.

You stare and it is heartbreaking to see him like this. Without thinking, you gingerly reach up, taking the side of his face gently in your hand. The jester remains as still as a statue, then the blue glow disappears as he closes in his eyes in comfort upon your touch.

"It's okay Rascal."

Just as you start feeling a sense of relief that you have finally gotten through to the joker, you feel his jaw setting under your hand and you see his dropped face hardening, scowl and bared teeth returning to view. Then his eyes open.

Red.

"You don't know that!~"

You teleport behind him, summoning as many knifes as you can, and throw them at the joker without hesitation when he turns around, pinning him by his clothes to the pole holding the trapeze structure.

"Eugh!" He looks down in disgust at the sides of his jacket and sleeved arms, now slightly ripped. "First you singe my clothes, then tear holes in them~!?"

You shrug. But when you point your sword at him, Rascal melts into cards. You groan, sensing his presence over on the other side of the room. Then the lights switch off.

A giggle echoes around in the dark, turning manic. It sends chills down your neck.

I was nearly there!

You have to try again!

A spotlight switches on, right in the centre circle of the room and you teleport straight there.

There it is, or was, you feel the last of your teleportation energy evaporate.

Then a boot comes at you from nowhere, kicking you right in the stomach.

"Ah!" Thump. You drop to the ground once again, pain spasming inside. It feels like your organs have been rearranged. That fucking hurt.

"Hey!" In anger you pull yourself up from the floor, see Rascal appear in front of you, haul your own shoe to his face. Unfortunately he is too quick. You curse to yourself when you feel his clawed fingernails curl around and dig into your ankle. You are pulled back to the floor.

Slam!

Unable to give up just yet, you buck your hips, lift your legs and thrust them into the back of Rascal's knees in retaliation. To your surprise, the jester is unsuspecting, and his legs buckle as he drops to the floor.

Growling, he spins and attempts to trap you again.

Acting quick, you dodge his grasp and pin him down yourself. When you look down, his red eyes and angered expression widen into a wicked grin. Just as you go to kick his sword out of his hand, he giggles.

"You've got to find me first." Then, the unfortunate happens. Rascal separates, into perhaps a hundred exact replicas of himself.

The joker you pin to the floor beneath you fades into a purple smoke at your touch with a chuckle. Calmly, you stand and face the many Rascals in the air, all wearing the same grin and red glowing eyes.

Then you reach into your belt, pull out a knife, then hurl it into the air. The knife spins around, knocking away every single jester.

All expect for one, right in the back corner.

"What!?" He gasps in shock when the knife returns to your hand in a boomerang motion. In anger, he returns to you on the floor, sword in hand and already throwing hits.

"Rascal!" You cry. "Stop this!"

"You're giving up are you!?"

"Yes! Go on and kill me then!" You cry out and stop mid fight, throwing your sword to the side then sigh, "I'm done."

The jester pauses, arm still outstretched over him, sword in hand. His shoulders heave from exhaustion, and lips are parted, downturned in a scowl.

"You are stronger than me, alright? Can we just – ah!" Rascal leaps onto you instantly, the both of you hitting the floor.

Then you see the tip of his blade directly aimed for your heart.

Your chest heaves, and even Rascal looks drained. His other arm works its way up, wiping the mix of sweat and tears from his face. But his stare and red glow of his eyes are frozen on you.

You whisper harshly, uncontrollably shifting your gaze between the sword and the manic grin. "Rascal. Eek!" The tip of the blade nears your chest. "Rascal! Stop, stop! Please don't do this." Then you find tears welling in your own eyes, and you blink them away. "This isn't about who is strongest is it? You're upset, and you're alone."

When the grin fades away, this signals you to keep going.

"Either way, you are stronger than me! You are a strong creature. You don't need to kill the one who's on your side to prove it, please Rascal, I am so sorry, for whatever's happened. I never meant it to be like this, I only wished to help you."

Now when the jester looks down at you, his lips part ever so slightly and his eyes widen, turning orange.

"I don't think you realise," you continue, "you may even be stronger than Nogo! This could be useful, but we can come up with a plan later, okay? Please let's talk about this instead of trying to kill one another."

Clang. The sword falls to the ground.

The jester stumbles off you, lifting a hand to his mouth in alarm. "I just~ I didn't mean~! (Y/n) I never – "

You sit up, the adrenaline pumping through your veins, and see how distressed Rascal is, having his hands lifted to his head, thoughts obviously racing through his head.

"Hey," you near him, "it's okay."

Then, just like earlier, you take the side of his face in your hand, bringing him closer to you. This time he accepts, and reaches out a hand to yours.

The orange in his eyes fades away after a while. Then Rascal pulls you closer, wrapping his arms around you, and you do the same.

"I'm sorry (y/n)"

An apology. You then remember how he swore he never apologises. 

"I know. It's alright Rascal. I forgive you."

The two of you sit there, in each other's arms for a while. You feel Rascal's heartbeat slow into a steady rhythm and his hands stop trembling.

"But," the jester pulls away and this secretly disappoints you, he looks away, "there's something else you should know."

He grips onto your hands still, and you frown, patiently waiting.

"Queen Euphoria is my mother."