#chapter 14 teaser

Chapter 14 is almost finished and will be posted within the next day or two.  Enjoy this teaser of the chapter, and let me know if you would like to be added to the tags for notification!

GUARDIAN CHAPTER 14 TEASER

Her scent called him. He watched as Kagome walked through the woods, the light and shadows of the setting sun playing against her hair. He was aware of every movement she made, every object she had touched.  As he watched, she ran her hand over a leaf, then reached out to touch the trunk of a tree. He moved closer, always staying just out of her range of awareness.  He froze as she looked in his direction, he was crouched low to the ground and when still he blended in with the shadows.  He waited a heartbeat, two poised in that frozen crouch. When she turned away, he moved silently deeper into the shadows, using dying light to conceal him as he stalked towards her.

Her scent had been changing, something was wrong.  Her vanilla and rose scent had taken on a sweet and at the same time sour note, as if the rose were beginning to decay.  He growled, his teeth hanging over the edge of his lip in a snarl.  He froze and began to lower the volume of this growl, fading it out as he watched her still.  She was starting to be aware of him.

That would not do.

He watched her as she started to move further into the forest, patiently waiting until she had moved further out of range before he jumped up into a tree, following her scent as she moved.  He used the breeze to mask his movements as he made his way towards her until he was almost on top of her.  He smirked as he watched her looking around to try and find him. 

She never thought to look up.  That was exactly what he had been counting on. A deep rumble began in his chest as he began creeping closer to her, his red eyes never leaving her.  

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Dead by Daylight - Chapter 14 Teaser

You’re gonna get Silco trying on a new coat at some point tonight!

I’m attempting to write Chapter 14 of “The Battle of Illumination” before I do, though!

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Despite everything- the confusion and the ache in his heart and the worry -Vincent still moved into a defensive position between Lucrecia and the wraiths.

"They won't attack," she told him with the same defeated tone as before (and just what had happened to her throughout all these years to cause it?). "Not unless you give them reason to."

Sure enough, Vincent noted that, so long as he remained where he was, they did not come forward. It was only when he made any movement towards the tunnel leading out of the cave that these Whispers became agitated.

"Have they hurt you?"

"Not physically, no," she replied quietly. "But I think that's because I may still have some part to play."

Part to play. Like this was all some sort of story or-

Or a game.

His eyes narrowed, a rare surge of indignation and anger rising up within him.

It had been some time since he'd thought about the world Castalia had left behind- or rather, how she first came to learn of this one -but he couldn't say it was any easier to make that comparison now than it had been back then. There was just something that felt so inherently...wrong about thinking of his life as a predetermined set of events- that he'd never had any control over what happened. If it were true, then that made everything he'd gone through- and everything he could go through -all but meaningless.

He refused to believe that was the case.

. . . . . . . . . .

"Vincent? What-...What do you think our chances are- realistically? Of changing things, I mean."

The hesitant question- so different from Castalia's cheerful steadiness -made him frown a bit as he looked down at her.

She was looking at her hands. Both were trembling slightly after their extended shooting practice that day, but if constantly having to brace for the recoil had hurt her, she didn't say.

He pulled out a cure materia and took her hands in one of his own. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that we...There's only two of us, Vincent. Against ShinRa- maybe even against Sephiroth if we can't keep him from losing his mind. And I don't-...I don't know if I could ever do as much as what I remember the others doing. What if-...what if we can't-? What if-?"

"Castalia."

She finally looked up at him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears and an all too familiar fear in her eyes. With an almost inaudible sigh, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We will do what we can, which is more than if we did nothing at all."

"I-...Yeah," she agreed, attempting a shaky smile before she realized it was futile. "Sorry. I'm just...scared, Vin. I don't-..."

A fragile expression settled on her face, held together only by the hope of their success.

"I don't want to lose everything again."

"...We won't."

Her smile was stronger this time. "Right."

. . . . . . . . . .

She had asked if things could be changed, seeming to forget that they already had. These creatures were just reaffirming that. If they were meant to enforce "Destiny," then the fact that they were here now only meant that he and Castalia were considered a threat.

It meant that whatever they were doing now was going to change something.

And he was not going to let them ruin that.

"Lucrecia."

He looked over his shoulder, his eyes locking with hers for what felt like an endless moment.

"I am going to save your son. Come with me."

Her eyes were wide. "I-I...The Whispers-"

"I'm here now," he gently cut her off. "That's proof that change is possible."

"N-No. I've tried! Again and again only to-! It won't work!"

"We'll make it work."

"No, Vincent!" she snapped. "What can the two of us even hope to do against them?!"

"Whatever we can."

He ignored the hitch of her breath- the conflict he could see in her eyes -and kept his expression neutral. As much as he wanted her to agree, he would not allow any more of his feelings to affect her decision.