#maulwurf

Part 1: Prawn to the King’s Forth

You were promised a vacation by the Arcanum. You were promised some well deserved time off. Time alone to yourself…And yet here you are, heading to the Arcanum’s calls immediately after dismissing you.

What luck; another promise broken.

You step into the Arcanum, bracing yourself for whatever condescending smart remarks Librarian Fitzhume throws at you. You grumble under your breath as you take each step, ranting about how everyone the Arcanum seems to treat you like a pitiful child, even though you’ve saved the spiral from collateral catastrophe…thrice. Ione and the fore mentioned Fitzhume especially seem to think of you as incompetent.

As you approach the pompous Librarian, he sneers at you as he speaks, “Oh, look, it’s the hero of Unicorn Way.” You stare back at him with a snarl, your eyebrows raised and your teeth clenched.

“What? I’m a librarian; I do my research!” Fitzhume retorts back. “But seriously, nice job saving us from cataclysmic doom.”

You raise your eyebrow further, not sure whether he is being serious or mocking you. But you shrug your shoulders as he continues to speak in his annoyingly posh accent. “You and I are a lot alike, you know. We’re both made to perform tasks we didn’t sign up for, and we never get the credit we deserve.”

You relax your eyebrows, realizing that he was being serious and not at all condescending. But you quickly raise them up again when you begin to wonder what exactly the Arcanum is up to this time. He wouldn’t just praise you if he didn’t want something.

“For instance, after the Musiocology Scholar blew up his office, who managed the clean up and do all the paperwork move him into a new one?” Fitzhume asks.

Since when does the Arcanum have a Musiocology Scholar?

“Me!” Fitzhume answers his own question. “And when Ione needs someone to fix her problems - or was it a mole problem? Yes…fix her mole problem, who does she run to?”

Prospector Zeke? At this point, you’re convinced that anything’s possible, that anyone could be your next enemy. Who do you trust? Who is your friend? Who knows-

“That’s right, me!” Fitzhume answers again, snapping you back into reality. “LIBRARIAN Fitzhume. I’m two millennia’s worth of books to Dewey decimalize, yet Princess Ione makes me call the exterminator!”

Right, that’s where you come in, of course.

“‘Hero of the Arcanum’ is what they should call me!” Fitzhume complains. “Oh well; you should probably help Ione before that mole makes too big of a mess.”

You begrudgingly nod your head, dreading the absolute worst to happen. Whether that be from the cabal, or a new threat entirely, only time will tell.

-

You immediately rush into Scholar Ione Virga’s office, to the surprise of absolutely no one.

“Ah, Wizard; welcome back.” Ione greets you, already knowing what you are about to say. “What you’ve heard is true. The Arcanum has a mole.”

Better get this over with then, you think to yourself.

“But first, we must attend to the matter of your rank.” Ione adds. “Besting your primordial powers of creation and saving all life goes well beyond the responsibilities of an Understudy.”

That’s only putting it lightly, of course.

“In addition, your work to unite the factious forces of Light and Shadow, as well as the Arcanum and the Council of Light, deserves special recognition.” Ione continues as she hands you a bag of items inside. “Thus, I hereby promote you to Arcanum Liaison and grant you the appropriate uniform.”

What, is what your wearing too casual for the Arcanum? Rude. Nobody really ever appreciates all that you do, and it makes you feel like you are personally unwanted. No, not the savior persona you’ve had to put on for everyone; the real, honest you.

“I also wish to personally extend an earnest…thank you.” Ione nervously adds, before immediately moving onto the main reason why you have been sent here in the first place.

“Now, onto the mole issue.” Ione nods her head. “Following Grandfather Spider’s retirement, we’ve been monitoring Cabal communications for attempted retribution. Unfortunately, we traced many of the communications right back here to the Arcanum. The Musiocology Department, to be precise.”

Again, since when did the Arcanum have a Musiocology Department?

“After the Medulla Headache, we ask that you, the Arcanum Liaison, be the first to confront Scholar Von Trap. For liability reasons, of course.”

So much for the heartfelt, earnest thank you, Ione.

-

With Von Trap’s new office being next to your Arcanum Office/Apartment, you barge in to find the Mole in question humming a merry tune.

Not caring for his musical antics, you forcefully demand the Cabalist Mole to surrender now, or else.

Shocked, Von Trap turns to you and responds in a thick, olde fashioned Karamelle accent, “Surrender Cabalist Mole? Such an odd greeting-”

Realization strikes in quickly as to why you have confronted him. “Oooh, I think I see what is going on here. Come, let us speak.”

You sigh aloud, complying with this Mole’s request. You might as well hear him out before you blast him to smithereens.

“First with the Introductions, I am Maulwurf Von Trap, Scholar of Musciology!” The Mole, Maulwurf introduces himself to you. He seems polite enough, almost to a suspicious degree. “A very exciting magical discipline in which we have no time to discuss.”

When is there ever any time to discuss such trivialities?

Maulwurf continues talking by explaining, “As you have observed, I am mole, but not of the sneaky-sneaky-infiltraty variety, no, no! In fact, it is I who has uncovered the latest Cabal plot!”

You raise your eyebrow in suspicion, but remain silent to hear what exactly this Mole has discovered.

“Indeed, Grandfather Spider may be silenced forever, but his former underlings still carry his old, shadowy tune!” Maulwurf continues. “As we speak, a fiend named the Scarlet Shrimpenel is plotting to retake Khrysalis!”

Khrysalis…now that’s a place you remember. Not only did you spend a considerable amount of time there, but that’s where you defeated the Shadow Queen after failing to save Azteca from Xiabalba. It’s also where you freed Grandfather under Taylor Coleridge’s influence. That Rat got off Scott free for what he did…

How much has Khrysalis changed since you freed it from the Umbra Legion?

You press Maulwurf for more details.

“He plans to assassinate King Pyat MourningSword and seize the throne!” Maulwurf explains, complying with your request. “You know this world, yes? Then you must go to Bastion and thwart him!”

He doesn’t need to tell you twice; there’s a king in danger, and a world that needs defending. Same old song and dance, same old boring routine. Best get going, then.

-

You arrive in Bastion as quickly as you can; somehow, the Spiral Door is still not fixed. Perhaps it’s a security measure to prevent unwanted guests from entering? Not that it matters, because you’ve been spotted by someone; someone with a strong sense of perception and awareness.

A silhouette runs in the distance, coming closer towards you.

“Halt!” The figure ahead immediately yells, stopping you from moving any further. As he comes closer, his features become more recognizable; the long ears, the antlers on his helmet, the tail, those eyes and that deep, authoritative voice…

That mouse is Dyvim Whitehart; the first true ally you made in Khrysalis.

“No one may enter Khrysalis without-” The Mouse Knight immediately stops in his tracks as he takes a closer look at you. He remembers you, and a bright smile arises from his lips (or the mouse equivalent of lips).

His eyes light up with excitement, and his voice turns from stern to jolly.

“Oh, Spellbinder, it’s you!” The mouse cheers, happy to see you once more. A weak smile rises from your lips; it’s good to know that he still remembers you.

Of course he does…why wouldn’t he?

As far as allies go, he was one of the more helpful and pleasant ones to have by your side, that’s for sure. In fact, you could consider him a friend; he certainly seems to consider you one. But he, like everyone else in the Spiral, has never said your name out loud.

To him, you must just still be “Wizard”, or, more accurately, “The Spellbinder”. That’s what he’s more excited about, not you personally, you tell yourself.

“Is this a social visit, or has a new calamity returned you to our world?” Dyvim asks out of peeked curiosity. You hesitantly nod your head at the latter, as you explain to him what you’ve been told. His face goes white.

“A shadowy cabal agent named the Scarlet Shrimpenel is here in Bastion, and he stalks our king?” Dyvim asks, relaying everything told to him. You nod again in confirmation. “No, that’s impossible!”

Well, it’s always possible Maulwurf is lying. But your duty as the Spiral’s hero requires you to act in good faith.

“I’ve personally verified each and every person that has come through this world door.” Dyvim responds back to you. He looks off the the door in question, lost in thought. “Unless…”

Unless…?

“…there was a conspicuously large delivery of seafood that came through recently.” Dyvim theorizes. He looks back at you again with intense vigor you recognize from your past adventures with him. “Perhaps those crates were packed with more than just imported fish. I made note of the delivery’s final destination. Follow me!”

You nod in response, following Dyvim as he leads you to where the suspicious seafood was supposedly delivered. As the two of you walk closer, the stench of smelly Polarian fish draws closer.

“Do you smell that?” Dyvim asks you as he sniffs the putrid fish musk. You nod. “It’s the stench of evil…and shellfish.” Dyvim was never one to hide his true feelings. If he had something to say, then he was going to say it!

It must be nice, to feel so intensely as he does. But your feelings…your feelings feel subdued. Pacified.

“Once again, old friend, let us save Khrysalis.” Dyvim responds back in a heartfelt, compassionate tone, placing a hand, or a rather a paw, on your shoulder. You look back at him, the fire in his eyes burning bright. “Together. Kiai!”

-

Inside the two of you barge inside the building to find Cabal Arachna talking about dinner. They notice you and Dyvim, and beam with twisted excitement.

“Ooh, it seems someone has ordered lunch for us!” The Arachna Cabalist cheers. “Rebuilding a Shadow Empire on the ashes of this new Khrysalis is hard work! Let’s eat!”

At least they aren’t Cannibal Mice. Are those Barbarians from the Khonda Desert still Cannibals? Guess you’ll just have to ask Dyvim later, if you get the chance to or even remember to.

As Dyvim draws his sword to launch an arial attack on both Cabalist, you cast a spell on Dyvim to amplify the power of his attack tenfold. His attack easily lands on the Cabalists, and they fall to the ground, now sliced in half. Those Arachna didn’t even try to fight back.

Either that, or you’ve become too powerful for your own good.

“I’d forgotten the thrill of fighting at your side, Spellbinder!” Dyvim responds to you, lifting his sword back up from the remains of the Arachna Cabalists. His smile is unwavering, his ability to persevere still unrivaled. No fear in him whatsoever. “Let us press on!”

You nod, as you follow him upstairs. When you both arrive, you find the Scarlet Schrimpenel in his glory. Or lack thereof.

He notices the both of you, and mockingly monologues to himself. “Well, well. Look what the rat dragged in; the Divine Paradox.”

Great…He’s one of those enemies is he? Not that it matters; he’ll be defeated in a moment’s notice.

You silently prepare to cast a spell of devastating power on the Scarlet Schrimpenel as he continues to monologue. “Before you, the Cabal had a purpose, a unity, a dream; to restore the first world! But now we’re fragmented, disjointed, searching for lost power, and forced to kowtow to one whose ambitions would destroy all that we are!”

Does he ever stop talking? Apparently not, because he doesn’t realize the nasty spell you’re about to cast on him.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Shrimpy asks mockingly. “A new leader has emerged in Spider’s wake. An Old One, ever watching. He has such plans for you. He will-”

Dyvim cuts him off, striking at him with his blade in hand. Clearly, he’s had enough of this clown as much as you have. “Ugh, enough talk you malodorous monster! To battle, Kiai!”

It’s not going to be much of a battle, you think to yourself as you finally cast your spell on Shrimpy. It lands on him, immediately striking the pathetic Cabalist Specimen. With your attack and Dyvim’s fierce and swift strikes, Shrimpy is overwhelmed and falls in defeat. As predicted.

On his knees, Shrimpy continues to monologue. “I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling Divine Paradox! How did you even know where to find me?!” He stops, before cursing Maulwurf’s name aloud.

“The old mole in the Arcanum…” Shrimpy adds. “Figures he’d side with the Old One.”

You and Dyvim both look at him with annoyance before looking back at each other with mutual understanding. Mutually agreeing that this Shrimp is an eyesore and a nuisance.

“What? I know he’s literally a mole. He’s also a Spy!” Shrimpy adds again, to the amusement of absolutely no one.

Yes, that has already been established. The Mole is a Mole. In other news, water is wet, and the Spiral is a Spiral.

A group of assigned Burrower Knights arrive upstairs to detain the Scarlet Schrimpenel. Realizing this, Schrimpenel becomes unhinged and rants, “We’re everywhere! You’ll never win!” As he is handcuffed and detained by the Burrower Knights, he retracts his false statement. “Or…you’ll never win any additional times! The law of averages is on our side; you have to lose eventually!”

“My word, he’s a talkative one.” Dyvim sighs loudly as he watches the Burrowers take Shrimpy away. He continues to rant and rave, yet each every word that comes from that Shrimp’s mouth has nothing of value.

Dyvim sighs once more, this time of relief. He adds, “He’s the Palace Guard’s problem now.”

Of course, the Shrimp is talking now, but wait until he’s out to the question. Then he’ll be as quiet as a mouse-err, rat.

“Come, Wizard. This place reeks.” You nod in agreement, and follow Dyvim outside.

-

The both of you step outside, basking in the fresh air away from the evil stench of shellfish. Well, evil to Dyvim anyway.

You, however, have smelled much more fowl things and people…His Rancidness, the Trash King included. Yuck.

Dyvim looks at you with sincere eyes and a wide smile curled on his lips, “As wonderful as it was to fight alongside you again, Spellbinder, maybe next time we could just share some cheese and a laugh, eh?” You smile as he laughs to that thought.

A cheese and a laugh does sound nice, doesn’t it? If only…

Dyvim’s smile fades a little as he realizes that your adventure with him ends here. As much as you both want to shriek your duties to catch up and just generally hang out, fate has other plans for the both of you.

So this is where you both draw the line; this is where you both say goodbye. For all you know, you may never see Dyvim again after this. If fate wills it so…

Dyvim adds in authoritative tone, “Until then, you must alert your Arcanum compatriots to what the Shrimpman said about the spy, Maulwurf.”

He places a paw on your shoulder again; you look back at him as he adds in a confident, yet reassuring tone of voice, “May the light guide you, my friend.”

You brace yourself for how Ione will react to the current tide of events. And as you make your way back to Khrysalis’s Spiral door, a deep longing in your heart begins to grow. You take a quick look back at Dyvim; the fire in his eyes has seemed to fizzle out.

From Khrysalis back to the Arcanum, your thoughts remain stuck on Dyvim Whitehart.

-

“Wizard, you return.” Ione coldly states manner of fact as you approach her in her office once more. “Finally…I am pleased. What news of the Mole Situation?”

Deep down, you want to walk out of the trouble your in, because you’re not sure where to even begin. But there’s there’s nowhere for you to go.

You explain the situation to Ione as quickly and briefly as you can, wasting no time on pleasantries and trivialities. Just on the duty at hand.

“Scholar Von Trap is spying on the Arcanum and the Cabal?” Ione asks, puzzled by the sudden revelation. “A double double agent. I find this…confusing.” Ione shakes her head, casting aside her confusion and doubt back to Arcanum business at hand. “When you left for Khrysalis, Maulwurf went to his Musciology Studio to prepare a, quote, ‘surprise for you’. No doubt a trap.”

A trap? From Maulwurf Von Trap? No way, it couldn’t be! Is what you would say to Ione if you weren’t afraid of having your Arcanum privileges revoked, but you hold your tongue.

Ione continues with explaining your next objective. “But you must spring it. Apprehend Maulwurf and bring him to me. Then he will learn that I, too, can be…persuasive.”

You nod, preparing for a grand fight against Maulwurf, or whatever else he has in store for you in his studio. You rush inside the studio near his office, and are greeted by a friendly smile on the mole’s face.

“Wizard, you are back!” Maulwurf cheerfully responds to your arrival. “Has the Scarlet Schrimpenel been…dealt with?”

You nod, confirming Shrimpy’s defeat.

“Wunderbar!” Maulwurf exclaims. “He was just going to get in our way. Now, for your reward…”

As Maulwurf finishes setting up your ‘reward’, you contemplate what exactly he’s going to throw at you. Will it be an ambush of Cabal Soldiers? An unholy monster from the depths of Tartarus or the Edge of the Spiral itself? The third resurrection of Rattlebones?

No, instead, it is a Boombox. With a tongue. That’s shaped like a chest. Basically, a musical Mimmic.

“You must face the Doombox, and you must face it NOW!” Maulwurf yells from the recording booth. “PLAY!”

Intense music starts playing as the Doombox charges at you at maximum power. Luckily for you, the Doombox’s best is nowhere near your level of skill.

To the beat and groove of the rhythm, you and the Doombox blast spells back and fourth at each other, in sync in a powerful duet of spellbinding. But like all songs, your duel with the Doombox comes to an end as you fire your last spell at the device. And with that, the music accompanying your duel stops.

“Do you feel the music, Wizard?” Maulwurf asks as you stand triumphant against the cursed Doombox. “Coursing through you like electricity? If not, we shall have to do this again.”

You nod in response. You’ve had enough.

“Good!” Maulwurf responds back. “This rhythm will syncopate with your magic to create a new spell! A small token of gratitude for dealing with the stinky Schrimpenel!”

Oh right, you almost forgot; Maulwurf is a Cabalist Mole.

“What?! Me…a Cabal Spy?!” Maulwurf exclaims, astonished by your sudden hostility as you confront him once more. “Herrrr Shrimpy spilled the Jellybeans, didn’t he?”

You nod again.

“Well then, OK. I confess.” Maulwurf admits in defeat. “I am indeed a Mole. Also the Mole. I multi-task.” He sighs a deep sigh of relief and wipes the sweat dripping off his forehead. “Whew! Feels good to say that out loud!”

You raise a suspicious eyebrow at the Mole, glaring at him as intensely as a Bolt of Insane Intensity.

“But please know that I have only the best of intentions!” Maulwurf adds. “Come, come! Let us March to my office and discuss this further!”

-

Inside of Maulwurf’s office, Ione awaits near the office’s desk, ready to attack at any time.

But instead of attacking she just...she threatens Maulwurf with words, “Bite your tongue, traitor.”

Maulwurf sighs aloud, “You see, this is our problem. Always with the fighty words. Is it not time we move the discussion forward? Come, let us speak of something new.”

You raise an eyebrow. What does he mean by new, you wonder?

“Well, I say something new…” Maulwurf adds. “First we must discuss something far older than our silly little schism…the Great Old One himself.”

Grandfather Spider? Grandfather Bartelby? Merle Ambrose? How come you haven’t heard of this name until now-actually, you’re not surprised. It seems like a lot of names just come out of nowhere, doesn’t it?

“The Great Old One is just a myth!” Ione retorts back in a hostile tone. “There is no ‘secret author of history, always watching, always nudging.’ That is pure Cabal propaganda.”

“Oh you are quite wrong,” Maulwurf confidently argues back. “The Old One is just reclusive. At least, he was until Grandfather Spider went kaput. Now, he speaks out for a change.”

You and Ione exchange mutual suspicious glances at each other before letting Maulwurf continue with what else he has to say about the Old One.

“The Great Old One has established the grand summit; a conference to unite all Cabal factions under one common goal: peace with the Arcanum!” Maulwurf explains. “Ione makes the scrunchy suspicious face, but the summit will be hosted in the sweetest world in all the Spiral: Karamelle! My beloved home.”

Ione pauses to recollect her thoughts, process her opinion on Maulwurf and the Cabal’s supposed peace treaty.

“Karamelle is famous for it’s peaceful neutrality.” Ione states aloud. “Just thinking of it makes me want to…smile.” Ione manages to crack a small, sincere smile at both you and Maulwurf. “As Arcanum Liaison, you shall represent us, Wizard.”

“Wunderbar!” Maulwurf cheers. He turns towards you and adds, “Meet me in Karamelle City, and I will escort you to my home! Because the summit is at my house. Not because it is a trap!”

You nod and breathe a sigh of both relief and sorrow as you step out of Maulwurf’s office. A heavy weight still hangs over your head like a rain cloud.

Dyvim. It’s been so long since you saw him, and yet you had to leave him so soon…you’re not sure why you are constantly thinking of him specifically today. After all, there’s so many other people in Spiral you could be thinking of.

But it’s starting to gnaw into your heart.

-

Part 2: Breath of Bastion

The Peace Summit didn’t go as planned. To no one’s surprise, another threat to the Spiral is yours to handle. As to how, though, that would be tricky. How do you fight what you can’t even understand? You fought yourself, or your evil twin doppelgänger. But what happens now?

And what about the Old One? What happened to him?

“Lemuria…” You swear, you hear a feint voice call out to you…but you can’t see anything. You sigh, going back to what you were doing; sorting out your mail.

You notice you have a letter addressed to you in your mailbox. A recent letter, too, with today’s date on it, The handwriting is unfamiliar, but familiar at the same time. Addressed to you, the Wizard. A curious paradox in your mind; you decide you want to look into the letter further.

You hastily tear the envelope open to get to the actual letter itself.

It reads:

“Dear Spellbinder,

If you have the time, I would like to invite you to my Burrow for lunch. Thanks to some modifications and innovations made to Khrysalis’s security system and means of transportation, I finally have the means to send this letter to your address! Stop by whenever you please.

Sincerely, Dyvim Whitehart”

You’re not sure how he managed to find your address…well actually that’s not true. He probably could have gotten it from someone at Ravenwood or Zaltanna or someone else he knows. But wait…was this is even really him? This could be a trap from whoever or whatever wants you dead.

What if it is Dyvim and he wants you dead? You did free Grandfather Spider after all. Yes, Spider retired but you’re still responsible. 

But what’s the best case scenario? You get a much needed break. It’s not much but it’s something, right? But...

Wait. That voice, you hear it again. “Lemuria”…Lemuria it calls…

Lunch break with Dyvim it is.

-

You quickly arrive in Bastion, now raining since the last time you visited; Dyvim’s already standing by the door; he’s been eagerly waiting for your arrival.

“Spellbinder!” Dyvim cheerfully greets you. “Did you get my letter?” You nod in response as silent raindrops fall on you. The almost empty, muted stare in your eyes alerts Dyvim a little, his initial excitement drops a little.

But Dyvim still smiles back at you. “Good. But before we can go to my Burrow, I just need to set up the Penumbra Barrier. Wait one moment, please!”

With the snap of a finger, the old Penumbra Barrier you destroyed when you first entered Bastion magically appears behind you and Dyvim.

“Zaltanna taught me,” Dyvim immediately explains. “With the threat of the Cabal and remnants of the Umbra Legion, we have to employ more measures secure Khrysalis’s safety.”

Makes sense. Can’t argue with that.

Dyvim adds in a softer, hushed tone, “But enough of that; shall I lead the way?”

You nod once more; the rain pouring harder and harder the longer you two stand outside.

-

The two of you arrive at Dyvim’s abode in the Silent Market, a place that now hardly lives up to it’s name. As you step inside, you notice just how spacious the place is. It’s so grand and yet so…cozy at the same time. A welcome change from the rain pouring outside.

The place is also rather spotless; most likely, Dyvim did some cleaning to make the place look nice for potential visitors such as yourself. How very thoughtful of him!

Too bad he’ll have to do more cleaning after this, though.

“This Burrow belonged to my family for generations,” Dyvim explains as he shows you around. “Before the Hundred Year War. After the restoration of Bastion, I was able to reclaim my family’s old home. Although at the moment, I am the only resident living here. It gets to be a little tiresome to manage this place all by myself, but I make it work.” He tours you through his Burrow in each room, from the Living Room filled to the brim with books and scrolls neatly tucked away in a neat bookshelf to his own resting quarters with more books and scrolls. After the Guest Bedroom, The last stop is the dining room, all set up and ready for meals to be served.

“Stay right here,” Dyvim says aloud. “I’ll be right back; please, make yourself comfortable!” You nod as you take a seat on one of the Ornate Chairs.

You’re not sure if you can make yourself feel comfortable, but it would be rude not to try, wouldn’t it?

Inside the dining room itself, as you wait for Dyvim to return, you notice a particular set of armor and sword on display. It looks a lot like type of gear that the Burrowers use, except it’s more ornate and decorative. The cape even has special decor attached to it, reminding you of Ravenwood. It matches your chosen field of magic as well!

Noticing that you have noticed what’s in front of you, Dyvim, while holding a tray of various cheese related snacks, smiles at you and says, “Well, what do you think? It’s a gift from me to you, my friend!”

You smile back in appreciation; the amount of thought and care that he must have put into this set ought to be commended.

“It’s nothing compared to everything you have done for me and my people, but I’m glad that my present is to your liking!” Dyvim adds in a slightly flustered tone, as he carefully places the tray of food right in the center of the dining table. “Although, I suppose I shouldn’t be taking all of the credit for what you see here; the people of Khrysalis as a whole came together to make what you see here.”

You are usually a person of few words, but this time you decide to speak aloud. “How long did it take to make this?” That is what you decide to ask as you grab a handful of delectable cheesy goods for you to munch on.

While it’s not the most amazing food you’ve ever had, it’s rather well made. The presentation helps improve the flavor of the meal.

“Not too long, actually.” Dyvim responds back, grabbing a seat across from you as well as grabbing some grub for himself.

He’s a little surprised to hear you speak like that, since you are usually so soft spoken. But he’s surprised in a pleasant way. He adds, quickly explaining, “I had commissioned it as soon as you had left Khrysalis, and got the results back almost immediately afterwards. It’s been sitting here, waiting for you to claim it ever since.”

“What about the food?” You ask back, taking another bite into your lunch. “Did you make this?”

“Yes, this I made.” Dyvim answers back after swallowing a bite of his food. “To be honest with you, this is very basic Burrower Cuisine. I don’t know what you like, so I decided it would be best to just stick with the basics.”

That makes sense.

“Do you like it?” Dyvim asks, a little bit of concern starting to show itself clearly in his voice. “If you don’t, I can make something else.”

You shake your head; you are pleased with what you have.

Dyvim noticed your refusal at his offer to make something different. “As long as you are satisfied, than that’s all that matters.” Dyvim responds back, taking another bite of food.

-

The two of you talk a little bit, briefly catching up on stuff you’ve both been up to. You ask about the Barbarian Mice, and Dyvim tells you that they are still the same as they were before. You ask about the Dragonfly you and Dorian hatched in Tyrian Gorge; he tells you Dorian has named the Dragonfly Princess Waffles and has started breeding Dragonflies for the Burrowers and the Mantises to use as mounts. The name Princess Waffles got a little chuckle out of you; Dyvim seems to think the name is pretty amusing too.

You let Dyvim do most of the talking, as you don’t feel comfortable speaking about yourself. He seems content, but also he seems to be observing you. 

Then...

There’s a brief silence between the two of you as you eat, the both of you occasionally glancing at each other. In his eyes, you can sense that he can sense something amiss.

Something amiss with you.

“By the way, Spellbinder, may I ask you something?” Dyvim finally asks you in a tender voice, breaking the silence. You nod as you chew on your food. “I realized that for all this time I’ve been calling you Spellbinder, I never asked for your name. Please forgive me for not asking sooner, my friend.”

You freeze in place.

Your name…

Your name…

Not once has anyone ever called you by your name. Of course, your memories of life before Ravenwood are fuzzy and hard to recall…Perhaps, you don’t even have a name at all; your name is “Wizard”. Or it’s nothing. Because that’s all there is to you; nothing.

No, that’s not true. You have a name…you have a name!

“Spellbinder?” Dyvim asks in a concerned tone, snapping you back into reality. In the pit of his stomach, he worries that he’s struck a nerve. “Spellbinder, you look as pale as a ghost; are you alright?”

“My name…” You mutter in response. “My name is…” You hesitantly state your name aloud. “No one has ever called me by my own name before…”

“Y/N…” Dyvim whispers, grabbing onto your trembling hands. “Is…is it alright that I call you that?”

You give a quick nod, as you stare off into the distance, lost in your intrusive thoughts.

You realize now…Karamelle has made a mess out of you. You just wanted to attend a quick, friendly peace summit. 

Instead you got stuck with cleaning cavities, shattering the fractured Cabal even further, and overthrowing a corporation with another one. One that will, realistically, probably become just as reprehensible as Nana’s Karamelle Delights.

The Cavities, the Paradoxes…it’s just as Judge Veg said; You are not guilty, but you are responsible. As such, you have to clean up this mess. And yet you wonder….why? Is it because you feel so incomplete, so empty? Is it because you want to be something more than “The Wizard”, or the “Divine Paradox?” Could all of this been prevented if you had just…didn’t think, didn’t feel at all, just acted?

“Spellbinder?” Dyvim asks again, now extremely concerned for your well-being. He tries to get your attention by staring in front of your line of sight. “Y/N…can you hear me?”

You’ve put your feelings away but lately it’s been becoming too much. Feelings of anger, sorrow, confusion, fear, even joy…

The tears you have tried so hard to suppress for so long start to stream down your face as so much comes flooding back to you. You didn’t cry when you witnessed Malistaire Drake die. You didn’t cry when you watched Azteca fall. You didn’t even cry when Dyvim was poisoned by the late Broodmother, or when he awoke from his catatonic state. You…you can’t remember the last time you have ever cried.

You feel yourself pulled suddenly close to Dyvim as he holds you in his arms. His embrace is warm; you can hear his heart pounding through his chest. You can’t remember the last time someone has comforted you like this, if anyone has at all.

And as you weep, Dyvim wonders just how long you’ve been holding onto these feelings alone, how long your skin felt so cold and clammy, so touch starved. He wonders just how long it’s been since you’ve woken up with the light on your face.

You struggle to put the words in your mouth that you want to say aloud; tears still fogging up your throat. You don’t know why hearing your name is what caused you to break down like this, to leave you so vulnerable, but what you do know is that you don’t want to be alone.

Dyvim continues to hold you close as you pour out your heart and spill out your soul. He listens as he begins to understand just how daunting the responsibility of being the Spiral’s Savior is. He understood to a degree about the responsibility that comes with being a leader, but not to this extent.

You’ve been through so much in so little time, and he realizes now that you feel like you are nothing.

He eventually lifts your chin up, wiping the fresh tears still dripping sore on your face. “Y/N…There is beauty all around us. You may not recognize it, yet what you do, what you create, brings more joy to this Spiral than you realize. There is still good to be done, both small and grand.”

Dyvim believes in you. He doesn’t want you to surrender; he wants you to keep fighting. And he’ll do anything to make you see that you are more than just the Savior of the Spiral, The Child of Light and Shadow, or the Divine Paradox.

“You are you, Y/N. You are irreplaceable to me.” Dyvim tells you, sincere and true with every word he says aloud. “Back in the Khonda Desert, when I said we were fast friends, forever, I meant it. Y/N, it doesn’t matter how far apart we are. I’ll always be there for you, my friend. That’s a promise.”

Your tears begin to dry up as you realize that out there in the big, seemingly endless Spiral, there’s someone out there who cares about you for you.

And how can you tell? He called you by your name.

-

[Author’s Note:

4/13/22: THIS WAS WRITTEN BEFORE LEMURIA!!!Actually I don’t even remember when I wrote this. But I’ve had this sitting in my drafts for too long and fuck it. No Beta, we die like Sylvia Drake. Perfectionism, be damned!!!

…anyway. In a way, I sort of wrote this for myself, as I am someone who’s constantly trying to suppress my own emotions and not let things bother me. I’m also not very good at reaching out to other people and asking them for help dealing with my feelings, lmao. I kind of like to imagine that after this, when the Wizard and Bootleg Old One go searching for Stallion Quartermane, that scene in the Lemuria Prequests where Old One asks if the Wizard and him will still be friends is just him parroting the Wizard’s feelings.

So...I wrote this all on my phone initially, mostly because I’m not writing on my Computer when my Computer Mouse is going to be all finnicky and glitchy on me. I need to get a new Computer Mouse, and Computer for that matter. By the way, I ended up getting a really nice Anon message that I stole and put in this fanfic. I hope you don’t mind me doing that Anon, but what you said was really kind and made me feel better. =D

I also listened to Light of my Life and Real Life from Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter writing part of this. Well I listen to a lot of songs when I write stuff but I’m mentioning that those songs because I sort of implemented the lyrics into the writing? I don’t know how else to explain it. But go listen to those songs, they are good.

By the way, If KI ends up having Dyvim betray us or whatever I am going to be so pissed. Or if he dies again, that would also be awful. But if KI gives him a canon love interest…Polyamory! That or Dyvim and Love Interest TM adopts you and becomes parental figures, depending on how old your Wizard is idk.

Well, anyways, thank you very much for reading! Any comments would be appreciated. Or if you are reading this on Tumblr (which is probably more likely let’s be honest here), any likes, reblogs, and/or messages would be appreciated! Let me know what you liked, what you didn’t, all of that is good.