HOW COULD EVERYTHING HAVE GONE SO TERRIBLY WRONG? the end was within reach, all it took was just some magic and cooperation. it was feasible; y/n could return to her life as she had once known it while tooru would be relieved of his curse and have his lover back.
now, the female wasn't so sure on victory being possible anymore.
her allies had been released, thankfully, but who was to say they were going to come for her? it was just her in a library of demons sworn to their king. they wouldn't betray his orders for her, certainly not with him so close to unlimited power- the time to be in his good graces.
which led her to believe that every ounce of the boy she once knew was all but gone. submerged in the depths of greed and malice — the curse that was fated to devour him wholly.
y/n slid down the bookshelf with a sigh, bringing her knees to close to her chest. whatever power she was gifted, being a fairy as she was, would not be sufficient with getting her out. for one — she had no idea on how to use said power, and two — who was to say it would suffice?
there were two demons defending the door, a short spiky haired one, and somewhat taller bald one. both dressed in black with skin the color of lilacs. she wasn't sure what sort of demons they were, but she didn't choose to mess with them.
any windows surrounding the place were too high to reach and the only one within reach, a broad vitrine looking down onto the courtyard.. was guarded by a pair of twins. if her guesses served her correctly, atsumu and osamu. she'd remembered them as servants for the king of hearts — or well, also tooru.
unlike the brunet though, getting through to them.. was not gonna happen. it was far too much to explain, and might just get used against him in a bad way. subordinates were known to usurp when given the opportunity, certainly with someone on the throne like oikawa.
with a sigh, she tossed her head back against the shelf in defeat, closing her eyes as her legs slid down.
and then it hit her. quite literally. in the form of a large object landing in her lap.
the impact nearly knocked the air out of her as her eyes shot wide open, darting from left to right and then before her.
a dusty, heavy book sat on her lower half, having fallen from a height she couldn't quite fathom as the soreness finally kicked in from the collision. what was with books dropping on her as of late?!
groaning quietly, simply because she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, the maiden did her best to get over the pain as she dusted the cover off with her hand.
the book hadn't seen the light in what appeared to be years, as the dirt kicked up into a thick cloud of gray. she could only imagine when it was last picked up and properly cleaned.
with the wave of her hand, the dust cleared from her line of vision, revealing a rather beautifully designed book.
embroidered flowers of every color adorned the maroon colored surface with vines decorated in gold leaf and silhouettes of woodland creatures found only in the enchanted forest. truly, a work of art, even if the book lacked a title.
at the center, however, stood a crest with three jewels forming a triquetra.
y/n looked around to make sure she wasn't being watched, a chill running down her spine. if the jewels tooru spoke of matching those on the book wasn't a creepy coincidence, she wasn't sure what was.
having nothing left to lose, the fairy pried the book open, letting out a quiet cough into her fist when some excess particles kicked up. a library that could house thousands of books, and they remained untouched.
but well, she understood. to have lost the person you loved and have a reminder of them thrown in your face everyday without having properly moved on, was hard to revisit.
but he could at least have them taken care of..
reopening her eyes, she turned to the first page, a surge of wind rushing to her face despite the windows being closed.
inside, she found a short passage on the left, and a mirror on the right.
knitting her brows together, y/n tried to flip through the remainder of the book, only for the pages to remain stagnant. as though they were not meant to be lifted.
curiously, her eyes slid to the short paragraph, lips parting to mouth the words. "only when not in fear of death, can this mirror be handed even in your final breath." a chill ran down her spine as she read the rhyme. "within the grasp of its great king, turn back to this very page, should you wish to reverse his cursed rage." she continued softly, dragging her finger down the surface. "beware that peering into the looking glass will at first sting, though it is the sole method at finally being freed." her thumb stopped at the final line. "now take a peek and see, to let go of your greed."
a moment passed before she let out a long sigh. riddles and poetics weren't exactly what y/n would call her strong suit, and it was hardly the time for them — certainly without an escape from the library she'd been trapped in.
cursing the book under her breath, she shoved it off her lap with a grunt of struggle, the hardwood floor groaning underneath its weight. for being a book of two pages and a mirror, it sure was heavy.
she'd lost track of count now, but for the umpteenth time, y/n dusted her skirt off, rising from her sunken spot to straighten herself out.. when a sliver of beige caught her vision.
puzzled, she flitted her gaze over to the spot beside the book, noting a folded sheet of paper. weird, that wasn't there before.
y/n cursed herself for everything that kept revealing itself to her so suddenly in such.. harmful ways ( concussions by books sounded awful just thinking about it ), crouching to pick up the note as she unfolded it gently.
the parchment felt old against her fingers, almost as fragile as a page out of an original copy of a jane austen book — if a comparison was to be made.
meticulously, the fairy held the letter up to her face, turning it so it wasn't upside down.
"my dearest y/n-chan,
i fear our time together will become harder to share as the years pass us, and the risk of you being found by my parents frightens me greatly. should something happen to you, i would never be able to forgive myself..
so i ask of you, please, when the day comes that i finally give into this curse, and it will — a day that has sadly been prophesied since my birth.. do whatever means necessary to stop me from the destruction i will bring. even if that means driving a blade through my chest to end my life, do it.
i've hurt so many already, far more by now as you are reading this, but you must put an end to it all if this world is to survive.
that being said, i've left you a route that can get you out of this library and into the courtyard. if you find me.. do not hesitate.
i love you forevermore, y/n-chan.. and i hope the stars will shine down upon us again, and offer us a better chance at being together — truly, being together.
i can just imagine the loveliest, most carefree life.. and i will wish every night for it, fearless towards the consequences along the way at achieving that dream.
with love, your dearest tooru-san."
her hands began to quiver, vision blurring from the tears that gathered to her eyes.
all this time, leading into now.. was all the failed attempts at being with tooru. strange as it was, in every story — life in this narrative, somehow they had been pulled apart.. whether or not the tales she'd lived through were the true versions, each came out unsuccessful with her lacking to say 'i love you' back.
her timeline.. was the one in which she would end up with oikawa, and the letter confirmed it all.
now was just a matter of making wish of his- of theirs, come true, and finally saying the words that she had held back.
reaching down to pluck the book off the floor, she flipped the page to its backside, taking in a deep breath.
ten words a book enjoyer like herself never thought she would dare express — but it was time to break out of the library.
𓏲𓍢 🎭 ˚ . ⿻
"your highness, your crown is ready." tetsuro spoke up, bowing his head. "i have extracted the jewels from the hairpin, staff and necklace just as you have asked of me."
the brunet nodded in acknowledgment, crossing one leg over the other. "well done, kuroo-chan. your loyalty to me has been unyielding. now the world shall be fixed, along with this wretched curse of mine." he answered distastefully towards the end, rising from his throne to approach his most trusted aid.
the crown was hardly ordinary, surely for someone with horns like tooru. rather, it was more of a circlet, with three jewels at the center and a halo of gold with golden leaves twisting into said gems, holding them in a triquetra.
tentatively, the king took the accessory in his grasp, wincing briefly at the searing pain that traveled through the gold into his hands. a demon was not meant to be in contact with any of the three crystals, even indirectly — certainly not all three at once.
but oikawa had come too far, so close to the cure he had been seeking for all these years, and the power to end the turmoil in his lands.
therefore, a burning sensation would not get in the way of his endeavors.
with that in mind, he willed his hands to move, placing the circlet atop his head as his eyes fluttered shut.
at first there was pain — the one he felt when in contact with the jewels, and then a surge of unimaginable power rushed into his veins, causing him to stagger back.
he was more than likely the most powerful in the land by his standard abilities, but with this crown- he would truly become unstoppable.
kuroo lifted his head in concern, eyeing his superior. "my king, are you alright?"
"i'm fine.. kuroo-chan." he whispered, bringing his glowing fingertips to his temples as he massaged them gently. "deploy the armies, the rebels will be coming soon." he added a little more clearly this time, the pain seeming having dissipated, or rather, numbed.
the sorcerer eyed the royal for a moment before bowing. "yes, your majesty. it shall be done as you have wished for it to be."
following those parting words, the cat eyed demon vanished in a cloud of black smoke, leaving the lonely king to himself.
he returned to his throne carefully, sinking into his seat comfortably as he reached for the crystal ball beside him.
originally, it belonged to tetsuro, but he had been allowed access — certainly for monitoring any threats to his kingdom, or those treacherous rebels.
in this case, though, he had someone else to check on.
"show me y/n l/n."
whorls of teal billows circled the inside of the ball, curling into itself. as though it was searching for her whereabouts, attempting to replicate the picture.
a minute passed and the smoke began to clear, revealing a running girl. only one thing could be concluded for that — she had escaped.
"shimizu-chan!" he shouted, slamming the ball back down on its perch as a beautiful succubus appeared on the turquoise carpet, kneeling with her head bowed.
"yes, your excellency." she responded quietly, pushing her glasses up.
tooru narrowed his eyes at her, simmering with rage. "your subordinates allowed that rebel to escape." he seethed out, gripping his armrest. "find her, immediately! these last five years of preparation and hard work will not be wasted at the hands of some foolish outlander!"
the raven haired woman nodded, bangs framing her face. "it shall be done as you have asked of me, oikawa-sama."
𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗨𝗦. hi hi, happy holidays, late update
from what i had previously said- but i had to
form an appropriate ending and method of
executing things</3 anyway, i hope this was
somewhat decent — two chps left after this
one so hopefully it will be either completed
before the new year or during january, it all
depends on inspo & motivation.. either way,
feedback as always is much appreciated, it
helps a lot believe it or not :') furthermore, if
you guys celebrate, enjoy your holidays!<3
p.s. new banner! the other one was almost
four yrs old and my old style.. so a new one
felt appropriate to have, and more fitting<33