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‧₊˚ ┊ While Vil is interested in your world, he isn't exactly champing at the bit to learn everything there is to know about it. That being said, he does end up taking an interest in the media you're able to access from over there!

‧₊˚ ┊ Vil, at heart, lives a bit of messy drama. He doesn't like it when he's a part of the drama, but he will happily sit back and watch the others' mess. Anyway, he absolutely loves the Real Housewives shows and other 'reality' shows like 90 Day Fiancé, Love Is Blind, Love Island, and the like! Vil is definitely the sort to judge and criticize the toxic relationships and poor decisions the people in these shows make, literally ranting and raving while he does his nightly routine. Outside of reality shows, I totally see him being obsessed with Glee. (Idk why… I just feel it in my soul that he's a Gleek lol.)

‧₊˚ ┊ I previously had a bit of a difficult time figuring out what kind of music Vil would like, but someone suggested Lady Gaga, which seems sooo obvious in hindsight. So, yeah, he's definitely a little monster and no one can convince me otherwise! Also, someone suggested that Vil would like showtunes, which I can totally see since he's basically a theater kid. 

‧₊˚ ┊ Speaking of, Vil love love loves all the various musicals from your word! Moulin Rouge is definitely a favorite of his and I 100% see him making the Film Studies Club put on a production of it! He also loves La La Land, Into The Woods, and Wicked (of course). I think he might enjoy Heathers, Mean Girls, and Ride the Cyclone too, but probably not as much as the ones previously mentioned. (No, he is not a Hamilton. Please do not show him Miku binder Thomas Jefferson.)

‧₊˚ ┊ Vil is actually pleasantly surprised by the media available in your world. The reality tv is more trashy, the music more artistic, and the musicals much more entertaining! Vil honestly has quite the low bar when it came to the quality he was expecting, but all the things you showed him surpassed those expectations with ease!

‧₊˚ ┊ Oooohhh, Idia is eating up the media you have available to you! He's a huge nerd, so you better believe he's gonna geek about all the anime and games that are popular in your world! The only downside is that Idia can't really buy merch or anything like that since he's in another world and all that.

‧₊˚ ┊ Obviously, Idia is gonna be obsessed with video games from your world! I know for a fact he'd put hundreds of hours into League of Legends, like he's hitting platinum or whatever the highest rank is. Also, he'd love the Persona series and other RPGs like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! Also, also, he definitely is a super sweaty killer main on Dead By Daylight! Like, he exclusively runs toxic builds on top-tier killers like Blight and Ghoul! (Yes, he shit talks on the mic. Thankfully, he doesn't call anyone slurs when he gets accused of hacking lol.)

‧₊˚ ┊ Of course, Idia is gonna love the anime from your world! This may be my personal bias, but I think he'd really like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure! Stardust Crusaders is definitely his favorite part, but I think Golden Wind is a close second! I also think he'd like the classics like Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Naruto, and HunterxHunter! Idia likes modern anime like Jujustu Kiasen, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia.

‧₊˚ ┊ In terms of music, I see Idia listening to a lot of Kpop — specifically the girl groups! He is a big Twice fan, but he also likes Red Velvet, LOONA (rip), and Girl's Generation! He might secretly try to learn some choreography, but he tires out pretty easily, so he always gives up after a few attempts. One day, Idia will master the choreography Cry For Me, and it will be over for all of us lol.)

‧₊˚ ┊ You have now successfully gotten Idia obsessed with a bunch of media from your world! He wishes he had better access to it all, but he'll just have to figure out a way for the two of you to be able to go back and forth between your world and Twisted Wonderland! Idia will get right on figuring that out… after he plays another match in League!

‧₊˚ ┊ Malleus is positively fascinated by the media of your world! He's pretty curious by nature, so he, obviously, takes a great interest in all the media you have available to show him! It doesn't matter what it is — movies, music, games, books, etc. — Malleus is 100% invested.

‧₊˚ ┊ I see Malleus being really into the A Song of Ice and Fire series! For one, he's a prince with a lot of knowledge of political power structures, which makes the political intrigue of it all so much more interesting to him! Secondly, he really likes the dragons, which honestly isn't much of a surprise! Malleus doesn't consider the Targaryens to be the best of rulers, but he looks past that since he likes their dragons so much! (Dany is the exception, of course — she can do no wrong in Malleus' eyes lol)

‧₊˚ ┊ In terms of music, Malleus really likes visual ki! Like, you can't tell me he's not obsessed with DIR EN GREY, Malice Mizer, Plastic Tree, L'Arc-en-Ciel, and similar bands. I also think he'd really like dramatic classical music along the lines of Lacrimosa and Requiem in D Minor — the more grandiose and opulent, the better!

‧₊˚ ┊ Malleus is obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera and loves listening to the soundtrack. He's so into it that he once called you his 'Angel of Music'! Anastasia is also a favorite of Malleus'! The story of a lost princess kinda reminds him of Silver, but he prefers the soundtrack more than anything! (I lowkey need a Malleus x Phantom of the Opera au fic…)

Riddle hates that fact that he ever let himself fall for you.

Love was honestly something he never thought he'd experience. In Riddle's mind, romance was a distraction from his studies, something that would only hinder his progress and keep him from meeting his mother's lofty standards. Yet, despite this rather dour outlook on romance, he found himself taken with you all the same.

Love is a very vulnerable thing — something raw and deep and beautiful all the same. For Riddle, vulnerability was weakness, incompetence even. He'd learned long ago, when he was just a child, that such emotions were to be kept to himself and buried deep down away from his mother's critical eye.

Loving you was a learning process for Riddle. He didn't know what he was doing, but you were worth the time and effort. There were mistakes, slip-ups, and more than a few awkward moments, but you never criticized him for his mistakes like his mother would. No, you accepted every bump and stumble with a smile and gentle reassurance that only made Riddle fall for you even more.

With you, there were no expectations of perfection nor any consequences if they weren't met. Instead, there was only unconditional love and acceptance. You broke all the rules he'd been taught to follow to a T, and he found that he didn't mind breaking them so long as you were there by his side.

The thought of you leaving was lost to Riddle, in truth. It was a real possibility, but one he never let himself consider. I mean, why would you return to your world after everything you've been through together? Maybe it was naive for him to think that, but love makes fools of us all.

Your decision to leave Twisted Wonderland made Riddle feel exactly that — like a fool.

"You're really leaving?" The question is redundant, yet Riddle still feels the need to ask it nonetheless. Even though you've always told him your plans, he still can't believe it.

"Yeah, I—"

"After everything?" He doesn't mean to cut you off, but he just can't grasp the fact that this is the truth. There has to be some mistake, some slip-up he made along the way that resulted in this cruel punishment, because why else would you do this to him after a year of dating?

"Riddle—"

"I've sacrificed so much. I've made compromises and broken countless rules for you and that's still not enough?" Betrayal. That's what this is, not a punishment, but a backstabbing from the one person he never expected to wield the knife against him.

"This isn't just about what you want or what you think you deserve, Riddle. I never asked to do any of that for me. You're being unfair right now." Nothing in this life is fair, Riddle knows that, but he somehow thought that he was above life's cruel machinations. Unfortunately, he's not as untouchable as he would have liked to be.

"WHAT'S UNFAIR IS YOU LEAVING ME BEHIND LIKE I NEVER MEANT ANYTHING TO YOU! I TURNED MY WHOLE LIFE UPSIDE DOWN FOR YOU AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RETURN?" Riddle doesn't believe half the words he's saying, not really. He's hurt and lashing out and saying anything he can think of to make you stay, even if he doesn't mean a single word of it.

"You know that's not true, Riddle. I never asked you to change for me, you did that on your own, and you're a better person for it. I love you and you know that." The truth hurts more than Riddle cares to admit. As much as he'd like to guilt you into thinking he only changed his ways for you, he knows that's far from the truth. Still, he'd say just about anything if it meant that you'd stay.

"NO YOU DON'T! IF YOU LOVED ME, THEN YOU WOULDN'T LEAVE ME! IF YOU LOVED ME, THEN YOU'D STAY!"

"You're acting like a child, Riddle. Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to get me to stay. Just stop this, please."

"STOP MAKING IT SOUND LIKE I'M IN THE WRONG HERE!"

"YOU ARE, RIDDLE! YOU'RE ASKING ME TO LEAVE BEHIND MY LIFE AND MY FAMILY BEHIND FOR YOU — HOW IS THAT FAIR?"

…

"None of this is fair."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"If you really meant that, then you'd stay."

"I've made my decision, Riddle."

"Fine. I hope you're happy."

Riddle left without a goodbye. He couldn't bring himself to bid you farewell, because doing so would make your departure feel all the more real. If he just ignored it, if he just pretended this wasn't happening, then it would all blow over like nothing had ever happened.

So, Riddle just waited. He planned his apology for his outburst and how he'd make it up to you, but that day would never come. He never did get another chance to speak to you before you were gone — something he is both thankful for and regrets immensely.

What Riddle truly regrets more than anything is letting you change him so irrevocably that he honestly had no idea how to pick up the pieces of what was left after you were gone.

Things weren't easy for you either.

For a time, life back in your world was rosy. You were happy to once again be surrounded by your friends and family, but that didn't stop your mind from drifting back to your time in Twisted Wonderland. You tried to stamp down the rising feelings of guilt and regret, but with every passing day they grew stronger and stronger until your rose-colored glasses shattered completely.

You began to think that maybe Riddle was right. Maybe you were being unfair to him. Maybe you should have just stayed instead of ruining your relationship. The realization is too little, too late. There's no getting back to Twisted Wonderland now, at least that's what you thought for a long time.

Despite it all, you tried — not just for yourself, but for Riddle.

For a whole year, you spent night after night spent huddled over old ancient tomes were worth it if it meant getting back to him. It wasn't easy — especially being magicless — but nothing good ever comes easily. In the end, it was worth it.

Twisted Wonderland is exactly the same as you remembered it. Stepping out of the dark mirror and back into the familiar halls felt like breathing in a breath of fresh air. You could have spent all day walking the halls and reliving the time you'd spent at NRC, but that can wait for now. You've kept Riddle waiting for a while year, and you won't keep him waiting for you a minute longer.

"Riddle?" He doesn't look different, older and maybe a bit taller, but still the most beautiful rose in all of Twisted Wonderland.

Riddle doesn't dare to look at you, at least, not at first. There's a long pause, a long, tense moment of silence that makes you feel sick to your stomach.

"What are you doing here?" You wish Riddle would look at you, but maybe you're undeserving of even that common decency after you left him behind. He's giving you the cold shoulder, literally, and it really fucking hurts.

"I-I missed you." The admission comes out as a barely there murmur. Your throat constricts, and your eyes begin to sting because you just want him to look at you, to acknowledge that you're here and that you still love him after everything.

"You can't just come waltzing back and expecting everything to be just fine, that's unfair."

"I know. I know, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Riddle."

Only then, as the tears that threaten to fall finally spill past your lashes, that Riddle finds the courage to look at you.

It breaks his heart to see you very even after all the days he's spent regretting you. Riddle would be lying if he said the sight of your tears didn't pull on his heartstrings because even after this long year apart, he still loves you too — more than he cares to admit.

Without thinking, Riddle rises from where he was seated in Heartslabyul's garden, quickly closing the distance to pull you into a tight hug. You melt into him instantly, burying your face against his neck and wrapping your arms around his waist in return.

"I'm sorry too, for how our last conversation went. It was wrong of me to speak to you in such a way, am I still very much regret it."

"Me too. I'm so sorry, Riddle. I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed."

"You're here now. You're here and that's what matters."

"I missed you, Riddle." You feel the need to repeat the sentiment as you pull away to meet his gaze. Tears are welled up in his cool grey eyes, beading at his delicate lashes just to be blinked away.

"And I, you, my rose." There's a sense of relief that washes over both of you. It's undeniably good to hear that the feelings you have for each other never faded, that after all the hardships and time apart, you still love and care for each other.

"I missed hearing you call me that."

“Oh most reverent one how you shine, if you were to spare just a moment of your fleeting light how beautiful I could be, how loved I could be.” cried one woman.

“Oh fairest one, if my complexion only was as radiant as yours. Surely then my mind would feel at ease in such a matching body.” sobbed another. The one he hated the most, beauty to insight envy. 

“Oh precious beautiful deity, if you granted me such this simple wish I could finally be the glimmering star of my village. I could finally outgrow that stupid nitwit of a sister.” It made his skin grow sick. Was it not enough to be born gently and slowly? To fade into the existence of the world, cradled by its ways until its second nature? To be born into a world as not just a mere observer, but a participant in such beauty. Oh how he had come to envy those placed without a crown of what they could be on their own terms. He envied their unburden necks of naivety. Still, he did as a benevolent one must, as taught to him from another, and granted all who prayed for love, wealth, revenge beauty.

It was on a morning like any other, though he had now gain enough strength as a deity to conjure a mortal form. Walking along the wooded forest made him green, they could have everything in the world yet choose to throw their fate into his hands expecting him to make the right decision. There rabble were common, one sprouting up after the other, a constant tumor in his side, like potatoes. That’s when he heard it, a soft voice from not far. Tiny needles of leafy blades stung into his feet as he moved ever quickly to see the source of the noise.

“Oh kind one, I wish for beauty, as many have before you, though the reason seems foolish to say out loud. I wish to be as beautiful as the gradient rainbow that fills the sky when the sun hangs low to sleep. I wish to be as beautiful as the delicate crickets in the night chirping their love songs to another. I wish… I wish to be beautiful so I feel I might fit in with the world I was born into.” the young doe spoke gently. “….If that’s all right with you…” and for once the god felt something other than just the green putrid hue of an emotion. It was something warm, something as tender as the way in which their prayer was chanted. The green hue still lie there, he envied their soft eyes, the way the afternoon light caught in them the most luminous of ways, but it was not all consuming.

That night the deity returned to his dwelling and sent a message out. 

“Bring me the one with the soft spoken demeanor, the one who has just as much reverence for blades of grass as I, the one whose eyes sparkle with peculiar warmth. I wish to speak with them at my temple.” When the glittering golden orb had risen from its blanket the following time a handful of mortals lay standing on the exterior of his temple. Many of whom which he had seen before, begging and pleading with him to grant their wish. Their eyes glinted with an empty satisfaction, not of the gentle warmth he had seen that day. Others seem to have nothing at all of worthiness in their minds, which the villagers must’ve mistaken as softness. He was furious, that is until he caught the wisps of a glittering pair of eyes from the edge of his vision. Conjuring his mortal form, he appeared before them.

“You.”

“Me..? Pardon your kindness, am I the one you summoned?” they ask with wondrous curiosity in their gaze. He had then reached his hand into a section of their hair and chastely pressed his lips to it.

“Yes, you with the soft eyes who spoke of sunsets and crickets, come, for I have found you curious. The rest of you have already been bestowed gifts, while I may be generous, my patience knows its bounds.” With the quick quip and a flick of his hand the others had dispersed from his temple, trekking back towards the village that claim him a god. “I found your prayer interesting, it made the green in my soul dissipate for even the fraction of a second, so go on, do it again.” 

“Again…? I am unsure of on how to do that your eminence.” So the thing thought it’s be cheeky, fine then. 

“Until you are able to rid me of this… affliction you are to stay within the confines of my temple, I shall provide nourishment for your body to maintain the beauty you sought to ‘correct’.” There, that should do it. Without further complaint, the mortal nodded sheepishly, following him into the temple.

It has been already a few days going off of the things thoughts, and yet he still envied. He wanted the beauty of the sun and the moon, he wanted to pluck every star from its content perch in the inky sky and douse himself with their brilliance. He wanted this sickening feeling that consumed his every waking moment to finally leave— and that’s when the creature spoke. 

“Are you alright your eminence?” Alright? Since when did concepts of mortal emotion apply to a being such as him, since when did— “You seemed to be breathing, if it is breathing, rather heavily. I thought I’d ask to make sure,” they pause, before placing their hand onto his arm. A warm sensation of… something spread through his mortal self, it felt good.

“…..yes, that’s what it is! Do that again!”

“Do what again?”

“What you just did, make it feel less horrible, less envious, less green. Less like I want to rip out the very concept of immortality and beauty from my soul and stuff it with something, something better!” He couldn’t be breaking down like this in front of someone like this, someone like you. He couldn’t—

“For what it’s worth, I find you to be beautiful. You are beautiful to me Vil.” Ah yes, that name, the one the villagers gave him as a way to speak more casually about himself. He never was quite fond of it, it felt unnecessary, how many other gods of beauty existed that he needed his own identity outside of that? But when you said it, something just clicked. The panic, nay, the envy had fully melted to leave that oh so tantalizing warmth, warmth he could now place a name on, “affection”.

From that day on he tried to get to know you, what made you have an ability so, why come to just this beauty god when there were many predating his existence, what made you smile, what made you cry. He wanted to know everything, but mortals couldn’t share everything at once, so you started simple, with your name. It was sweet, saccharine sounding even not in meaning, leaving a sugary aftertaste on his tongue the first time he spoke it.

“(Name)”

“Huh, do you need something your kindness?”they cocked their head quizzically.

“No, simply testing out the way it feels on my tongue. It’s strange why you mortals give each other names, you already have the language to signal which person you are talking about or to.”

“Hmmm, well I suppose it’s out of fondness. Each person has a name we can refer to because innately us mortals are fond over each other. It’s affectionate to use another’s name and to know of it, perhaps poetic even. A promise between the two of you to hold each other’s memory to it,” they smiled. He sat next to them, moving his pale hand over to grasp their chin. Moving their head to look face him, to look at him.

“Could you use my name then? If that is how you view it I’d prefer to be referred to by name over title.”

“Oh I couldn’t possibly your kindness, it feels far too informal—“

“But I hold you in this fondness you speak of, and seeing how you behave around me I’d assume the same, so please,” he felt a touch of bile rising in his throat, “use the name.”

“Okay, I’ll try… Vil.” 

It was lesson after lesson with you, you taught him the simple things of what it meant to be human that’d he have no way of knowing otherwise. The envy returned every now and again, but every time you’d comfort him with sweet whispers of compliments that made him not only feel divine, but yours. You taught him of names, of cooking, the ability to distinguish poison from food, of family; of friends, and eventually of love. All types, from that reserved for said friends and family, to others of romantic passion and carnal lust. 

“Those lovers, as you call them, doesn’t that sound like us..?” Blushing, furious blushing accompanied with a nervous laughter far from the joyous jingling your laughter was normally akin to.

“Lovers…? Perhaps it might seem that way to you Vil, I view our relationship more as the platonic kind.”

“But we live together, do we not?”

“We do..”

“You praise my name with such closeness described best only by romantic love.”

“That’s to help cure your condition—“

“But it was sincere all the not, yes?”

“I suppose it was…”

“That makes us lovers then,” he firmly stated, confident in his own feeling towards you, towards (name).

Alas, the human mortal heart is not something easily contained, even if under the feelings of Cupid’s arrows. For while you loved him, you loved his sharp but curious demeanor, his curiosity yet his intense intelligence, his kindness yet his cruelty, life trapped in a cage, no matter how gilded, was still life in a cage. The heart yearned for him, but for the freedom of being able to walk under the sunlight sky without a partner or moments of further notice. The insect yearned to be let free from the chrysalis it had outgrown. So you did what most reasonable people would do.

“I wish to be let free from this temple Vil.” 

“What for? Did I say something as of late, if so I am terribly sorry,” and he meant it. You knew he meant it. He knew you knew.

“No, nothing of that sorts, I just wish to have some autonomy back in my life, to feel free,” a brow raised.

“Do I not provide everything you need here?” he asked swiping a loose strand of platinum and lilac hair out of his face.

“That’s not what I meant—“ 

“Do I not provide you freedom? Freedom from poverty, from judgement of others? Do I not provide you freedom from ugliness? From having to bear the burden of dealing with insignificant rabble that cannot see beyond surface deep?”

“Vil—! That’s not what I’m saying.” 

“So what are you saying then.” Green, green, green, this conversation brought nothing but green.

“I’m saying I wish to be able to choose where I go, and what I do. I still love you, just would like to not be confined to just this temple…” it came out meekier than you had hoped.

“As far as I see, there is nothing beyond this temple, nothing beyond me, that you could possibly want. You are to remain here, at all times, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes your kindness.” That title, that old title being brought up now, oh he HATED it. You knew what you were doing didn’t you? It stung, and for the first time in a while he felt it flood in, envy envy envy. Envy for the world you craved— envy wasn’t even the correct term here, wasn’t it? It was jealousy. A deep, violet purple of an emotion, swirling around in his insides like the very poisons you taught him of. He knew one thing, he would not lose you to the outside world.

As a child you had always been complimented on your innate sense of perception. Perhaps at the time it might not have been appreciated, but relatives would later come clamoring to you about how you were right from the start. How that one person lie, stole, or something of the ilk, causing your relatives to bad mouth them every chance they got. You had wanted to believe that your gut feeling about this beauty god was false, he had been too kind, too naive, too beautiful to be someone like that, someone like who he was. The cracks were faint always there, how he didn’t treat people with humanity, and to a lesser extent yourself. How he always would point out things he wanted to absorb into himself when he saw something beautiful. How he never asked if you had wanted to stay here. Your initial impression of him was blinded by pure awe, and then eventually love. He was as cruel as he was kind, cunning as he was naive, and as envious as he was beautiful. You simply couldn’t stay with a person like that, with him.

The night that night felt colder, being pressed into Vil’s side didn’t give as much warmth as days prior, as if the wind and weather knew what had happened. You couldn’t stay here, trapped, no matter how kind Vil had been, no matter how much he meant, staying here would mean your death. So, you conjured an escape plan. The temple sat aloof a steep hill overlooking your village, it was two days of a walk going up, most likely less going down. You could find shelter in the village for perhaps a day, before fleeing the area further and heading north. Or south, or east or west, whichever way could allow for the best escape. To the west there lie a port city not too far, the abundance of humans would make it easy to be lost in the chaos. To the east lie further hills and eventually mountains, a god of charm ruled over those lands reins free, or so you’ve heard. Seeking refuge there would be a wise idea, that god being older would be able to outpower Vil worst comes to worst. To the north lie snowy woods, the food plentiful thanks to blessings bestowed upon the land by a fertility god recently. And last, the south, an open plains area where many trade routes pass through, bargaining a ride could prove difficult. These thoughts lulled you to a peaceful sleep of freedom.

The next morning you had devised another tactic, subtly scraping small bits of non perishable foods together in a stash that would help in the journey ahead. There was a room you had long since claimed as your own, underneath some floor boards did this stash lie. On your walks with Vil you tried to memorize the layout surrounding the temple further, identifying every single possible undergrowth that could cause you to stumble. You did your best to make meaningless chat with the man all the same, compliments you still felt were true rang somewhat hollow knowing what you did. His annoyance from that argument still seemed to linger, his hands tightly gripping onto to you as if he was scared you would slip through his fingertips, which was in all honesty not unreasonable to believe. At last, the time for preparations had ended. Quietly you shifted from your shared bed with the god. You got your bag, full of only necessities, spare a few sentimental gifts you had been given from the beauty god. Food, check. Water skin, check. Map drawn from a vague memory of locations and books you were able to convince Vil to borrow for you, check. It was finally time.

The first leg of the journey went smoothly, climbing down the hill you had never felt more alive in your life. There was a certain doomed poetic beauty to it all that made the escape feel all the more important. Training had done you good, as stepping over overgrown roots was by now second nature. The plan was to head south of the village and hitch a ride far away, for you knew his wraith and sorrow would be immeasurable. Vil searching for you was not a matter of if and so much as when. Panting, you had finally made it down, your legs had a few scratch marks, but it was nothing you couldn’t walk off.

By now the villagers should have been winding down for the night, some homes quiet as mice while others stay boisterously chatting in their sitting rooms. It was odd then, that there lie no one nor nothing awake. Not even the tavern you had gotten drunk well late into the night was open. And then you feel it. A spinning sensation makes you immediately loose your balance and stumble, but you don’t fall. Something firm held you, propping you up from falling. The grip is tight, horribly so, and it’s not until you look down at the hands holding you that you understand why.

“In all of my existence, I had never expected a mortal to betray me in this way.” The cat was out of the bag, or perhaps it had been so for a long while. He wasn’t stupid, far from it, and little tells you left might have been enough to clue him in. The unusual eating patterns, the way your gaze flickered about, the clasp of your hand soothing less of his envy than usual. It could all have been predicted.

“Vil, please—“

“Please what?! ‘Please oh mighty one allow me to slip away into the ebony darkness never to be seen again, I promise it sounds worse than it is!’” His tone mocking, seething, you could feel the sting of his words settle in your skin. It was then you felt another wave of dizziness, followed by swirling stomach sensation. It then decided that then and there was the best time for it to eject. The taste of acidic bile, and something familiar, flowed through your mouth as you vomited your dinner onto the floor. Were you…? “Yes doll, you were poisoned. Fog lilies to be exact, as you once told me, ‘Better not to eat these, it won’t kill a person, but can make them quite weak’. Fitting it’s such a beautiful flower, and thanks to these—,” he gestures about vaguely towards the cabins of the villagers, “—potatoes’ offerings I had quite the supply.”

“You— you poisoned me with the knowledge I taught you…?”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures, by beloved follower was planning to leave, is it not right to guide them away from distractions and towards my grace again? Now come along nicely, we have much to discuss about your… attempted escapade.” He picked up your body like a rag doll, and adjusted you so your body was held like those of brides. Curious faces of the village’s night owls peeked through curtains and blinders, before dipping away back into the comforts of their own home. There was moment, and presumably you were headed back to that gilded temple built with marble much more bright than the soul of the god it housed.

The Heavens opened and graced me with the possibility of having this prepared for the exact day of the publication of the last chapter of Heartslabyul's part in @shiny-jr 's Empyrean AU. Craaaazy work.😭

The composition, background, and Riddle's design/silhouette have mostly been made by sheer vibe alone with no beforehand planning whatsoever. BUT I did get inspiration from both the game's overblot design and the Empyrean one! To some extent...

You captured the moment so much better than I ever could, holy hell. And your take on Riddle's design eats?? Give me some of your artistic talent, PLEASE.

There's literally so much I can say, and each time I think I've taken it in fully, there appears more that I failed to notice. Where to even begin?

The embers are a tiny detail, but I love attention to detail and it makes it that much cooler? Realistic?? The lighting and colors, with these embers and the fires in general, is insane. The destruction that is displayed that I could not capture in my own concept art, is just wow?? Like, I'm actually at a loss for words. And that's not even talking about RIDDLE.

Like I said, your take on Riddle's design is just perfection. It corporates my really bad concept sketches and aspects of the overblot look so well?? So seamlessly??? I'm gonna try to go over everything I noticed.

Okay, so going from head to toe, I have no idea if you made it on purpose put the colors of the threads looks like the same color of his hair, like a glowing red? I imagine that was done on purpose considering how Riddle has been described and what he is. Imagine seeing that in the middle of all the destruction, oh my god.

The split between the black and red works so well. And it's like, not a very vibrant red either like his hair or threads, and so it makes it visually look good while allowing other things to stand out. Golden accents too? Amazing. It took me extra long to realize that the little golden parts around the waist that flare out not only resemble a part on the overblot design (as you point out), but also resemble petals. At least, that's what it made me think of. Also, I have no idea why, but I really like the longer half that flares out towards the back, reminds me a lot of how royalty is sometimes depicted with velvet capes. Again, could just be me though.