₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ₊˚⊹♡

one thing lohen knew is that vampires were, in fact, real. when he was young, he had an encounter with one. a small vampire, but the haunting expression in her red eyes and sharp canines he saw could not have been more inhuman, even as she took the form of a harmless child.

the series of events occurred when he got into a truth-or-dare match, and one of the children had dared lohen to enter the forest. as lohen proudly stated that he was no chicken, he and the other children headed to the edge of the forest, gazing into the pitch-black domain.

lohen hesitated for a moment, but he would rather die than be seen as weak. he held his bow tight as he walked into the forest, the light and taunting becoming more distant with each step. he gulped slightly, feeling the uneasy feeling of dread the place seemed to ooze. the forest was silent; there was no breeze to move the branches, and only the occasional sound of bat wings flapping could be heard. the grass beneath him seemed to glow a faint red with every step, fading as soon as his boot moved on.

now he understood why adventurers never stepped foot into this forest, while he didn't sense any immediate danger, it was the silence that heightened his senses and made him completely on edge.

as he made his way into the forest, he honestly felt like even though he had only moved in a straight line, he was lost. everywhere looked the same… dark and uninviting. he gripped the bow tighter as he gazed off into the distance, seeing what seemed to be a small red seelie. it looked more like a bat than the ones he was used to seeing, but it was unmistakably looking at him. he walked towards it, wondering where it would lead him. he may have already won the bet, but this was far too interesting not to continue, plus his parents always said following a seelie leads to good luck.

the seelie turned and started gliding deeper into the forest, forcing lohen sprint after it, jumping over roots and dodging low-hanging branches.

"wait up!" lohen yelled, slicing a branch in order to keep up. he was soon met with a wall of rocks and vines as the bat seelie stopped in front of it. he raised an eyebrow at the seelie, confused. the seelie seemed to nudge it's head towards the particularly thick patch of vines before dissipating into a statue beside him.

he looked forwards at the vines, rolling his eyes and pulling back the curtain of vines. stepping into the hidden grove as his eyes looked up to take in his surroundings.

play for ambiance~

what he saw next would stick with him for the next 10 years.

in a grove of multiple bat seelies, red spider lily-like flowers, regular bats, and what seemed like fireflies framed the figure in the center.

she sat atop a log, eyes staring directly at him. her mouth was slightly agape as he saw the shimmer of her sharp canines in the soft glow of the fireflies. her eyes seemed to beam in the dark light, staring right into his very being.

lohen was taken aback to see some... girl who looked around his age in the forest that was described as nightmare fuel. their eyes seemed to be intertwined in some kind of staring match, where he felt that her eyes only became brighter and bigger the longer he stared. his brain could barely keep up with what was happening, but unconsciously his grip tightened around his bow, pulling it closer to his body.

however, when he tried to take even just one step towards her, she was gone in an instant. the only thing she left behind was the gust of wind that almost knocked lohen off his balance (not because it was fairly strong; he was just in a state of shock... yeah right...).

his head whipped around as the vines fell back to its original state after she burst through them. he rushed after her, but once he was out of the grove, darkness was all that he could see, aside from the feint glow of the seelie that led him here.

he grunted, looking around but finding not even a set of footprints to follow except his own.

"stupid forest... playing tricks on me... *tsk* whatever..." he said as he followed his footprints back, grumbling at the stupid seelie, stupid dare, and stupid forest.

once he emerged from the forest, he covered his eyes from the sheer difference in light as he noticed the group of boys was missing, putting him in an even more sour mood.

once he found his way back home, he said nothing of it to anyone over the years. however, he questioned what he saw everyday and sometimes patrolling around the area of the border, but never going in. wondering who that girl was… or what that girl was.

fast forward to the present, lohen eagerly grabbed his polearm, checked to see if his knife was in place, checked to see if his hair was in place, and ran down the stairs of the knight’s headquarters.

“oh vice captain lohen! are you free, i have an important commis—“ “sorry jean! gotta go!” lohen interrupted her and slammed through the front doors, disappearing from jean’s sight faster than he entered it.

“what’s gotten him so riled up?” lisa states from behind jean as she sighs.

“who knows, but hopefully i won’t receive a report on my desk later because of it.” jean said, defeated.

lisa patted her shoulder sympathetically before leading her off to another job.

⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖

lohen had never run so fast in his life. his heart pounding in his chest as he ran THE ENTIRE WAY TO DORNMAN PORT FROM THE KNIGHT’S HEADQUARTERS. the fellow travelers on the path being passed by a bolting lohen questioned what just happened.

lohen reaches his destination so fast that varka would have likely been impressed by his dedication. lohen realized however, as soon as he stepped into the familiar port, that he had only read part of the report. he didn’t know what part of the forest she appeared from, where she went after, or who actually saw her.

whoops… guess he got too excited…

he grunts heavily, looking around the port to find his fellow knights. hopefully one of them was the one who made the report right… or was there when they saw her.

he walked along the port, talking to multiple knights about her. the first few didn’t know what he was talking about, the later few said they had only heard about a “strange lady” coming from the forest a few days ago from others. however, the 7th time apparently was the charm as this knight seemed to tense up at the question.

“i-i did see her, i was with a few others on our normal patrol. it was just up that hill when we saw her, it was only for a moment though. she appeared from behind one of the trees in front of us. she poked her head from behind the trunk, stared at us and then stuck out her hand to where the sun was shining, but she pulled it back as soon as the sun hit her skin. after that, she looked at us one more time with this expression of discomfort before running off crazy fast into the forest. really weird gal. hope she’s okay. we tried calling out to her, but she ran off into alucardia’s domain and we wouldn’t dare go in there.” the knight yaps, but lohen genuinely listens. his eyes staring at the knight, categorizing the intel.

“why do you ask vice captain? i figured this would be the least of your interests…” the knight asks, raising his eyebrow. lohen didn’t answer for a moment, staring off into the distance after the knight stopped talking. he looked up at the man, completely oblivious to what he asked.

“huh? yeah yeah, thanks for the intel, byeeeee” lohen says, turns around, and starts bolting away towards the forest line. he remembered the exact spot where he went in all those years ago, figuring it was the best place to start since it was in the area of their sighting.

he walked up to the spot, reminiscing in the few times he had come back to this spot, even if all he did was stare into the forest, hoping maybe she was watching him from in the forest.

little did he know of the little vampire hiding in the tree’s branches each of those visits after their first meeting, looking down on the knight as the years past and she watched him grow.

present lohen once again stood at the edge, squinting his eyes to scout out the area inbetween the two regions. when he saw nothing, he sighed, pulling out a torch from his bag and sparking a flint and steal to light it. he held it up as he began his trek into the forest. the torch lit up the trees, and now he could notice that the trunks of the trees varied, but most of them were thin and he could see much further into the darkness.

he was no longer the nervous boy who faked being fearless he was 10 years ago however. now he was a vice captain who had experienced far worse. he set on, searching for any signs of life.

⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖

her eyes locked in on his aura the instant she felt his presence in the forest. she quickly rushed to the area he entered and sat atop the trees, gliding silently through the trees as she stalked him. she stayed further back as to not get caught in the light of the torch, but her eyes never left him, the curiosity in her growing.

⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖

lohen could tell he was being watched. by what exactly? he hoped it was her, but he figured it wouldn’t be that easily. he summoned his polearm in his other hand as he continued forward. towards the grove that he hadn’t been to in over 10 years.

he never could bring himself to actually go into the forest before everything happened in the past 10 years, but now he was ready. he’s faced much tougher terrains than this place in nod-krai.

it didn’t take him very long before spotting a soft red glow in the distance, using the cape in order to cover the torch’s light for a better look. he deduced that it was potentially the seelie from all those years ago, and headed in the direction of the strange glow.

his eyes kept darting to the tree tops as he trekked on, the feeling of being watch following him as he went further.

he reached the strange glowing orb and confirmed that it was indeed the one he followed. turning his head he saw the familiar vine wall. well at least he didn’t hallucinate this part, he thought to himself.

he tried to pull at the vines, but they were much thicker than before. almost as if they were sealed shut. he groaned before raising his polearm and slashing through the vines. the vines cutting and falling to the ground. he looked inside to see the grove inside. the log where she originally sat was empty, but instead of turning around, he stepped over the pile of vines and into the grove.

he walked towards the small enclosed grove that was surrounded by stone walls decorated in little caves and overgrown with vines. he scoffs at the empty space. of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

he turns to leave, but his head snapped to the sound of the vines growing back quickly and sealing off the entrance. his eyebrow raised as he walked up to it and found it to have completely regenerated.

“should have expected there was some kind of curse on this place…” he says before bringing his polearm to cut the vines. however, instead of cutting them, his weapon bounced right back, not leaving a dent. he tsk’s at the situation before turning back towards the grove and noticing the cliffs above having a clear climbing route to get out.

he walked over towards the wall, when all of a sudden a flash of a dark figure appears in front of his torch’s glow. a moment later he stills as he feels two sharp points against his neck.

he sucked in a quick breath as he felt someone’s hands on his biceps. when lohen felt the air blown on the back of his neck, he shivered for a moment before realizing what was against his neck, a devilish smirk appearing on his face.

“so… vampires are real huh?”

⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪ ˖ ⋆﹒༚𓂃⊹ ࣪

⟡ | author’s note: oh god i’m obsessed. also get tricked nerds this is me talking about my oc who i ship w lohen but make it x reader 😎 i just wanted to dive into her lore but make it so like you get to be my oc. does that make sense???? anyways. this is gonna be a multi-part series, so expect the next few posts to be a continuation of this. on another note, it’s been so fun to write this all down. hits two birds with one stone, i get my oc lore, you guys get lohen HAHAHAH

I really hope chai-writes-stuff reads this cause if you do omfggggg i love your lohen x readers they are chefs kiss

did i forget to mention this kinda gonna be a slow burn with spice? anyways bye~

PS: if you want to be added to the tag list, leave a comment and make sure you're following me!

careful amber and emerald eyes look at your wound as a small hiss leaves your mouth when a cloth soaked in alcohol hits your skin.

“sorry.” he simply says, applying gentle but precise pressure to hurry it along. you sigh and shake your head.

“it’s alright. i just wish this would heal faster. i’m tired of being cooped up in here. i need fresh air and to move around.” you say, avoiding his gaze as he looks at you. he contemplates something in his mind before returning to clean your wound.

“well maybe if you didn’t always try to help out so much around here and actually rested, your wound would be healed more.” he said simply, making you sulk as you knew he was right.

“UGH, you measly human! if only you were more like me, the great dragon lord k’uhal ajaw, you wouldn’t be so weak and require my servant to care for you!” suddenly an agitating, grating voice is heard in form of ajaw. you can see kinich expression sour as his companion makes his presence known.

“i guess you’re right ajaw, maybe the great dragon lord will give me advice so next time i won’t fall so easily in battle?” you say, smiling at ajaw as his jaw drops. usually he was used to backtalk, especially with paimon, but to outright hear he was right?

“AHA! you measly human! i shall take on your request! as the great dragon lord—HEY! KINICHHHhhhhh….” “be quiet already you’re giving me a headache.” Kinich interrupts as he sends him flying out the window team rocket style.

you giggle at the action, looking at him. he doesn’t say anything more and quickly finishes up what he was doing.

“there, it shouldn’t get infected now, but you need to be more careful ____.” he says genuinely, looking into your eyes. you lower your head and sigh.

“okay fine…” you admit in defeat, dreading the days to come of strict bed rest that you know he will inform your tribe of to make sure you adhere to it.

“but… that doesn’t mean we can’t go out for a picnic?” he suggests after a moment, looking at you with an almost shy gaze.

a date huh? yeah that’ll be perfect…

“oh~ you intrigue me so! can we do it where we used to... before the war?” you asked, blinking your eyelashes up at him in a begging manner. he sighed, knowing that path should be reserved to when you’re fully healed, but he could arrange for something.

“fine, but i have a few things to do these next few days, so that’ll give me some time to prepare. i’ll come get you when i’m ready, okay?” he asks, sitting closely to you on your bed, grasping your hand.

you nod, looking down at your interlocked hands.

“that’s fine, i know you’re busy so don’t trouble yourself for me… more than you already do…” you say, smiling softly. he smiles back, reaching over to grasp your chin and turn your face to his own.

he leans in and softly presses a kiss to your lips, its brief, but everything kinich does is purposeful. you try to linger once longer, but he pulls back to press a final kiss to your forehead.

“you’re not trouble, you’re just too passionate sometimes it leads you into trouble. that’s something i admire and worry about constantly with you. i’ll be back in a few days. be safe and rest.” he says the last part sternly, and you laugh softly at it. he smiles and stands up, squeezing your hand once more.

⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪

the next few days mostly consist of you being constrained to your bed, aside from the daily walk accompanied by one of your relatives. it seems that kinich spread word to everyone that you were to rest, as when you offer to even do a small task, you are shooed away and told to rest.

damn it kinich…

but the fourth day brought about a surprise. you were lying in bed, reading over some scrolls that ororon had brought as a means to help distract you, when a commotion was heard outside. you at first paid it no mind, but as you heard a child yell “kinich is back!” you instantly shot up. he didn’t even send you a message he was coming! and you had no time to make yourself look approachable before he was knocking on the door.

“___?” he states as he’s about to come in, but you hop out of bed and slam it shut in his face.

“wait! i’m not ready! give me like… 5 minutes…” you say, hearing him sigh on the other side.

“alright, but if you leap up from your bed just to shut the door in my face, i’m coming in regardless of if your five minutes is up.” shit, he knew you too well, but you just decide to not answer him and quickly put yourself together.

as the five minutes passed, kinich opened the door, covering his eyes and closing it. “are you decent?” he asks, ever the gentleman.

you had just finished brushing your hair and teeth, so you nod, but realize he can’t see you. “yeah i’m decent.”

he opens his eyes and immediately lock on you at your vanity. he walks over to you and leans down to press a kiss to your temple.

“i’m glad to hear you’ve been resting these past few days. how are you feeling?” he says, resting his chin on the top of your head and looking down at you in the small mirror.

“it’s better now, i can move around without severe pain, but it’s still sensitive. no one in the village would even let me get my own groceries…” you sighed, hating how you had to lean on others.

he noticed your somber gaze and laid his arms around your shoulders and brought you back against him, sandwiching the back of your chair between your back and his chest.

“i know you don’t like being coddled, but you’re a hero of natlan and your tribe. they want to repay your deeds to them, and now it’s time for me to give my gift to my hero.” he said, and you can see how his lips pull into a small smile in the mirror.

“corny…” you whisper, but a small flustered blush comes to hue your cheeks. “you were the one who saved me, if anything i should be doing something for you.”

“is it so bad that your partner wants to give you a picnic date after we just literally went through hell and back?” he says, smirking gently at you.

“n-no… it’s just… whatever. i’m ready now, how are we getting there?”

that question brought kinich to smile. he pulls back from you, the warmth depleting from your back as he holds out his hand.

“why don’t we go see?” you stare at him, a smile on your face but questioning the sudden mystery.

“okay?” your hand places atop his own and he pulls you from the seat and out the front door.

your eyes look around, not knowing what to expect, but suddenly kinich whistles and a yumkasaurus comes running around the corner. kinich brings out his dendro bungee ropes and wrangles up the saurian easily. as a hunter it makes sense why it was so easy for him, but it was kinda hot to see…

he guides the saurian over to you and motions for it to bend down, once it's secure, he hops off and gently helps you onto the saurian. "careful," he softly says as he notices you wince from the stretch.

he hops behind you, caging you in between him and the head of the saurian. he scoots up closer, his legs and back pressed against you. even when you’ve been intimate in the past, it was always easy for him to make you flustered.

“hold on,” he says in your ear as you gently grab the fluff of the neck and pat the side of the saurian’s neck, earning a coo.

kinich begins the ride as you watch the tribe fade from view and the familiar clifftop come into sight. you lean back into kinich’s grasp as he sucks in a quiet breath.

the clifftop adorned with a picnic basket and blanket come into view as the saurian comes to a halt. kinich gets off and helps you off as well, but doesn’t let go of your hand once you’re safely on the ground.

he pats the saurian’s side and it walks off, going to find something to eat. kinich turns to you and guides you both over to the blanket. you smile softly at the view, gazing around at the familiar landscape, but your eyes catch the aftermath of the war. battlefields you found yourself fighting at, ones that kinich had to bounce between, and the ones you and your nation lost so much at. it made your heart grow somber.

he noticed your gaze and reached out to grasp your chin and make you look at him.

“i know it may be hard to admit it… but the war's over. now, you can rest and enjoy this moment.” he says simply, he never really was one for comforting words, but he always meant what he said, and in moments like this, it was honestly better.

your frown disappeared as you looked at him, and your gaze softened at his face. he meets your eyes for a moment before turning away, trying to hide the small blush appearing on his cheeks.

“you know i’m not.. great with cooking, so i did have a bit of help. i just wanted to give you a peaceful break after forcing you to stay at home alone.” he sounded guilty, like it was his fault. i mean… it was, but it was with good intentions!

you chuckled slightly, reaching your hand out to pat the top of his head. he closed his eyes as a faint blush appeared on his cheeks. he didn’t usually like physical touch, but you were the exception.

“well despite whoever made this food, you still made all of this happen. you always help me out of a dark place kinich… and i think that’s why i fell in love with you…” you confessed, looking at his face with longing in your eyes.

he met your gaze, and quickly pulled you into an embrace. a small gasp escaped you, but you quickly wrap your arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“i love you too.. which is why sometimes i’m so harsh on you. i just want you to know that i care for you..” he says as you tilt your head to place a kiss on his cheek. he turns to meet your lips in a soft kiss. he lingers for a moment before pulling away. “we should eat before the food gets cold…”

you smile and nod at him, pulling back but leaning against his shoulder. he pulled out some of the dishes, and you both enjoyed the silence and ambiance of natlan’s wildlife.

as you ate, you truly did grasp how much you care for him. he’s always doing stuff for you, always making sure you’re taken care of, and loves to make you feel truly special. you smile softly as you eat, relishing in how war may have taken so much from you, but a moment with your lover can help start the process of healing.

⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪ ⋆.˚˖ ࿔ ࣪

⟡ | author's notes: wow, it's been over 3 years since i posted a fic. i just recently got back into genshin after almost 3 years and ive fallen in LOVE with natlan. i know theres a lot of opinions on the nation, but i adore all the characters, the story, and especially the beauty. all the colors and wildlife really just reminded me why i fell in love with genshin. i'd love to hear your thoughts on natlan, this fic, or anything really! anyways, i love kinich and i need him to rerun ASAP PLEASE LAWRDDDDD

ps. if you wanna send in an ask for a drabble or anything please do!