tw: gore, descriptions of death and blood.
A RAGGED BREATH SPILLED PASSED THE FAIRY'S LIPS, her boots cominh to a sloppy stop as she clutched her chest tightly.
adrenaline was pumping through her veins, tainting her blood with the rush dealt by her improvised escape. the map may have left instructions, but not a guarantee of stealth.
y/n wiped a bead of sweat traveling down her forehead, swallowing any remaining nerves as she leaned against a polished column.
the area was oddly devoid of guards, not a single soul in sight. it was out of place in comparison to the masquerade ball, where soldiers were stationed at every corner.
then again, that was a party.. but if one is trying to achieve unlimited power, would it not be wiser to ascertain no mistakes would be made?
as air filled her chest, a sign that she had properly recovered her breath, the rebel pushed herself off the column, making way towards the corridor. she wouldn't linger any longer than necessary; something tooru ordered strictly within his letter.
her hand outstretched to grab the handles leading into the courtyard.. only for the doors to have blown wide open.
a loud yelp left her lips when her back connected with the marble flooring, violent squalls of wind flooding into the throne room.
as the rush of air quelled, the female sat up, groaning in pain. the impact would surely bruise the following morning, she could predict that much.
rubbing her head, she looked around the grand space, noting the lack of a brunet king on his throne.
had the worst come true?
with a wince, she stumbled back onto her feet, plucking the book off the floor as the frigid air greeted her face harshly.
yesterday, the breeze hadn't been as strong, and the temperature didn't come close to beating the low one that blew into her face just now.
"tooru!" she concluded in her head, dashing out the large wooden doors as she made way for the source of the power hanging in the air — the one that created the unnaturally crisp atmosphere.
billows of gray covered every square inch of azure, a symbol for the brewing storm that was to come.
or that was ongoing.
as y/n ascended the polished stairwell, she found herself in the palace grounds of fallen soldiers and rebels — the allies she had briefly made.
her heart was in her throat as she witnessed hajime drop to his knees, scarlet trickling down his lips while the color left his olive hues.
the honorable knight fulfilled his great duty in protecting the chosen one in front of him — the petit ginger she came to know as shoyo hinata.
otherwise, supposed chosen one that was to defeat the grand king.
tooru's eyes flashed with excitement, a cruel smile on his lips as he stepped closer to the shorter boy after removing his bloodstained blade from his best friend's chest, crashing it down onto shoyo's. "aw, would you look at yourself now, chibi-chan. completely powerless without your rebel friends to support you~" he crooned out, watching the hero's sword crack under his great might. "iwa-chan was a fool to postpone your death, thinking i wouldn't end your life within seconds. but don't worry, i'll send you off with your allies momentarily."
the topaz eyed male grimaced, overwhelmed by oikawa's newfound power.
although the stance of his weapon began to falter, hinata had refused to give in. the fate of the world rested solely on his shoulders and if he died trying to defend it.. he would sure as hell ensure that he wouldn't perish without living up to his duty.
"i-i won't lose to you, grand king.. the world will be freed from your tyranny and will once more find peace within the chaos you created..!" the tangerine haired boy fired back, shaking his head. "their sacrifices will not be in vain, and neither will my own!" he vowed, mustering the remaining strength he held to push the taller back.
tooru blinked in surprise before barking out a laugh. "it's so funny how you believe you can actually defeat me, sho-chan. my power rivals that of the gods — they pale in comparison to me!" he bellowed out, raising his arms. "those puny gods will cower beneath my might as i am now, and so shall you. whether or not you've been tasked with defeating me by the stars hanging above us."
y/n stood there, frozen with fear, quivering at the sight of everyone, battered and bloodied.
what hope had she to defeat the great king if no one else could, with all the combat prowess and powers they possessed?
"only when not in fear of death, can this mirror be handed even in your final breath."
hajime couldn't hand the mirror, shoyo.. likely couldn't either — the message would have gone to him instead. would have been founded by him rather than.. her.
the maiden surveyed the book in her hands, watching the pair lock blades again as they exchanged a series of blows — a distraction.
hinata hadn't noticed her, but neither had oikawa.
her trembling lips pursed together at the realization of what she had to do, despite the riddle's condition.
fear could not be stopped like a button on a dashboard, y/n knew that much. but there was no longer any time to think, to be afraid or to mourn.
death, for once, was the only way to set things right.
as tooru drove his bloodied sword into the hero's chest, the female broke into a sprint like she'd never done before. not during the pacer test, not during the sports festivals hosted by her schools in the previous years, and certainly not on the many occasions she'd slept through her alarms.
reaching the platform to watch the horned male pulling out his weapon from the young boy's chest, y/n knocked the steel out of his clutches with a fierce kick, panting as his eyes slid to hers.
they were colder than the breeze that nearly swept her away as she gazed up at him, a fury in his garnet irises like she'd never seen before. no more soft brown, just a wicked, cruel rouge.
"you don't listen well, do you, y/n?" he chuckled out, lacking his usual humor and playfulness as he reached for her neck, squeezing harder than the first time around. "i thought of sparing you.. but you just seem so eager to join your friends, thrown at my feet with blood spewing from your treacherous lips." he seethed out, digging his nails into her skin. "i'll do you the courtesy of sending you off a bit more intimately, though. after all, you did mean a lot to me." the king muttered seconds after, tipping her head back.
"any final words you have for me?"
y/n felt his hand constrict on her neck, almost tauntingly. it was ironic, for what last words could be spoken without the ability to be said?
her grasp on the book barely hung on as her vision blurred.
tooru had to make eye contact with the mirror. she wouldn't go down with the others just yet without doing the one thing she was capable of doing to save him.
with a deep breath, the very last she might have, her lips parted when she turned to the only page available to his view, sliding her gaze up to his anger filled one.
the phrase fell quiet on her tongue, as she weaved her final intake of air into the four words she failed twice to express, smiling as lifted the book. "i love you, tooru-san.."
as the object rose into the air, oikawa barely had the chance to dodge as it tipped his circlet off, breaking his grasp on the girl as the crown fell with a light clink.
his eyes had blown wide in shock, having missed the book she held as he gazed down at it in surprise.
the right side gleamed, urging him to draw closer.
it wasn't a blade, but a mirror instead.
inside he found his reflection, as expected, and although it appeared the same as him, there was something different about the figure he found inside.
it was precisely him, though that image of him seemed to bang on the surface of the looking glass. confined to it, almost. which in essence, was true.
awoken from his state of rage, tooru stumbled backwards a few steps, looking around him.
a courtyard that once hosted garden parties and welcomed guests of the palace now resembled a field of fallen soldiers, like the ones after a great war. both demons and rebels littered that ground, one of them being his most treasured friend. all from the the destruction he alone had inflicted.
feeling his heart pound in his chest, the brunet's eyes then fell to the girl he loved as tears began to gloss them.
the one person he had sworn never to hurt, had prayed never to harm, died not just by him, but by his very own hand. no blade, no magic- the raw grasp of his hand.
tooru felt sick to his very core, a queasiness overcoming him as the scent of blood tainted his sense of smell. but even so, he scooped his arms underneath the broken fairy before him, sorrow overtaking his initial anger as he cradled her closely to him, sobbing into her neck.
a string of apologies that fell deaf to her ears escaped oikawa's quivering appendages as he squeezed her to him, as though it might bring her back.
sadly, it was wishful thinking.
the book, no longer being held, slid off her body with a loud thud, landing open on the page tooru had seen.
despite his panic, there was a reason y/n was holding it — a purpose for wanting him to see the page before she perished.
he assumed, by the way he reverted to his normal self, it contained the true remedy to his curse. and it took every ounce of the maiden he loved — the maiden who had loved him, to present it to him.
although the tears continued spilling down his cheeks, the demon king brought the book closer, a folded paper slipping out.
tooru noted the black ink seeping through it, freshly written by the smudges on it.
with wavering courage, he opened it up, flitting his eyes from left to right.
"dear tooru-san,
our time was short here together, but i fear we must return to our stories. with your letter and this book, i was able to discover the truth. and although things might end ugly, it sadly must if things are to blossom into something beautiful.
i realized i never once told you of my feelings- that i loved you.. and i'm hoping that i was able to finally express those words to you, even if they are the last i was able to get out.
mourn me not, tooru-san.. your curse has been lifted and things will go as they shall for us. the nightmare will at last end, as the story closes, and a new, less melancholic one emerges.
i truly, deeply, love you, tooru-san. i'll be looking for you at the first light of day.
timelessly yours, y/n l/n."
𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗨𝗦. best believe i wrote this in one mf
sitting. idk what came over me but here we
are LMAO anyway one chapter left and um,
probably a lot for y'all to recover from, sorry
iwa and shoyo fans.. ahem. as always, love
to hear from you all- feedback is very much
appreciated<3 it motivates me as a writer to
know people are invested and immersed in
the story! i think i'll try to end fantasy before
2023 ends, so look forward to the finale! <3