#xwitch!reader

It has been weeks since I proposed and I am finding it quite difficult to hide my affliction from Angel. I have suddenly been exhibiting strange side effects.  Just days ago, while I was researching our next goal, I found my right arm essentially rotting away without any warning while I was at my desk! My entire arm detached itself from my body in some sort of greenish sludge! I was lucky to have been able to reattach it before Angel had seen it. 

I am sure Angel and I are safe for now. I am positive that imbecile Blight believes that we are nowhere near civilization given the direction we took before circling back to Bonesborough. We shall stay here for another week before continuing our journey. However, I am afraid that I am feeling a bit under the weather. I’m sure it’s nothing and I don’t want to alarm Angel. For now, I must somehow tell them what I am. I just hope that benevolent creature shows me mercy after everything we’ve been through…

“Angel, my treasure, I have a confession to make…” Philip inhaled, bringing his hands together as he paced the floor of the cave. “It’s been a long time coming… There’s… I have… Well… I have to consume Palismen to keep myself from turning into a monster, the same monster you ran into the night near the fishing hamlet… that scared you so badly you… refused to leave my side…and… Damn it all…”

Philip dropped into the chair near his workstation with his head in his hands. Each time, he had started strong but it fell apart quickly. He wrote it out several times but each time he would be unsatisfied with it and tossed it. A small mound of discarded paper balls had piled up around his desk and it made him switch tactics. He decided to try to wing it instead, which fell flat entirely.  Damn him for waiting too long. He should have told you that night. If he had, this wouldn’t feel so impossible. Confessing and proposing to you was easier than this. 

With a heavy sigh, Philip lifted his head slightly to look over his fingers in thought. 

“What am I to do? They’ll leave me for sure…”

A moment passed when he suddenly felt something caress his shoulders and he jumped to his feet with a yelp. Spinning around like a deer caught in headlights with his hand clutching his chest, he found you staring at him in surprise.

“O-Oh!” he breathed. “Angel-!”

He leaned back on his workstation with a relieved sigh. You furrowed your brow at his reaction while setting a basket of voidberries down beside the desk.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” you murmured, stepping up to him and placing your hands on his chest. This prompted an automatic response where Philip curled an arm around your waist to keep you close.

“Scare me? No, no, you didn’t- I mean, no, I was just…” he chuckled nervously, waving his free hand dismissively but he wouldn’t make eye contact with you which made you frown. Philip flinched as you touched his forehead.

“Are… you okay? You feel warm and your color is a bit off...”

Philip scoffed and took your hand.

“I’m fine, my love. I have a lot on my mind,” he shook his head and then paused. He gave you a soft gaze as he kissed your palm. “We are engaged now, after all… I have a lot to live up to…”

Your face warmed at the gesture and you couldn’t help but smile. It had been weeks so far and you were still trying to wrap your head around the concept that the man holding your hand was to be your husband.

“Well, don’t get ahead of yourself. I don’t want you stressing yourself out.”

“Of course.”

With a quick nuzzle, you pulled away and picked up the basket of voidberries to head further into the cave to put them away. Philip’s smile faded and he pressed a palm against his temple with a wince.

“If you’d like, I can make you some tea to calm your nerves,” you called back but the sound of something sliding across the desk and then hitting the cave floor startled you. Glancing back, your heart dropped into the pit of your stomach upon seeing Philip now laying on his side with his back to you, unmoving. Items from his desk littered the floor around him. “Philip!”

Rushing over, you kneeled and rolled him to his back which made his head lull. He was out cold. Touching the skin on his face, you felt the heat again, this time at a roaring temperature. It had to be the beginning of something bad.

Composing yourself, you began to think back to what had been done when you had been sick. While your parents had other things to tend to while you were growing up, it was the servants who actually took care of you. You just never had the chance to take care of someone sick before.

“Okay…” you huffed. “To the bed…”

It took all of your strength to move him but after some time, you were able to lay Philip onto his bed roll. You just didn’t realize how much of a mess of limbs he had become during the move with the arm he was laying on pulled behind him, the opposite arm bent at his waist and dangling against his lower back, and his legs tangled with one another. His face was pressed into the pillow which you had to turn to let him breathe.

“... … … Close enough… Now… What else…?”

The thought of how the servants removed any extra layers when you were sick to cool you down made your face redden. Kneeling, you carefully rolled him to his back and began to push off his jacket and vest. His head lulled from one side of the pillow to the other and his chest rose and fell with labored breaths as his brow furrowed. Sweat began to form on his face which made you open his shirt.

“... Ohhh… My head…”

“Shhhh, it’s okay…” you whispered, your hand rubbing his exposed chest tenderly without a second thought as you watched his face. “I’m going to take care of you the best I can. Seems like you may have picked something up somewhere. Just rest, my love.”

He let out a groan as his head lulled away from you and you took that opportunity to remove the extra layers from his form, as well as his shoes. He was left laying with his shirt opened and his pants and stockings. Glancing down at him once more, you noticed what looked to be a tiny brightly colored mushroom slowly blooming on his head, parting his hair on the side of his head. In the dim light, you could swear it was glowing blue, the same color as his eyes.

It was the Common Mold. I remembered that Philip kept a book on Boiling Isle diseases and went looking for it only to find the page for the Common Mold bookmarked, which makes me believe he’s had this before. To think he had gone through this once before with no one to take care of him…  I also am unsure how this will affect him but the glowing mushroom makes me wonder. What does the Common Mold do to humans?

I did my best to accommodate Philip for now but as I went through the book, I realized that I did not have any of the ingredients necessary to help him fight this. Gathering them meant I would have to make a quick trip to Bonesborough, something I know he would disapprove of given everything that has happened up until now. If Philip is right, then Alder should not be anywhere near here. I swore to him I wouldn’t leave the cave without him or go out of earshot.

Ugh, I can’t just sit here and watch him be delirious. As cute as he’s being, telling me how much he loves me, that I’m the best thing he’s ever had, that he’s been in love with me for much longer than I realized, and such, he needs medication. There’s also a soup recipe I found in the book that may be a great asset for his recovery. I will have to wait until he goes to sleep and he’s just going to get over me leaving the cave without him this time when he’s better-

Growling perked your ears as your pen paused on the page. Philip was no longer in a good mood and seemed more agitated than anything. You were going to ignore it, believing it was just the delirium talking but you froze at what he was saying.

“Those ears… Those damn ears… If it weren’t for those damn ears…” Philip grumbled feverishly. “I detest them… so much…”

“Ears?”

“If it weren’t for those blasted things… you’d be human… Completely human… You’d be absolutely perfect… Why can’t you be human…?”

You stared down at him as your hand reached up to touch the tip of your ear.

“My ears…? Completely human?”

His weak rant went on, whining about how they get in the way, which reminded you of the situation that had happened the night he had proposed to you. The two of you had entered the cave near your hometown for the night after the rain had passed and upon entering, Philip had done something he hadn’t done before. As you went to put the Galderstones in a safe place, his hand settled on your hip from behind to stop you. The strap of the satchel was pushed off your shoulder and the bag hit the floor beside your feet. As you turned your head to look back at Philip in surprise, his free hand settled on your waist and the hand on your hip began to caress it as he leaned over your shoulder with a nuzzle.

“Philip-?”

“Our supplies are back at the tavern,” he murmured, watching you with a warm, sultry gaze, one that you only caught from him a handful of times but only had resulted in cuddling. You felt him step up behind you, his chest pressing against your back. “We may as well forgo any work tonight…”

Staring up at him, allowing the suggestion to process coupled with how he was acting, you finally smiled sheepishly and brought your hand to his cheek.  Your heart leaped into your throat. This seemed different. Was it due to the proposal?

“A-All right…”

You followed his lead when he leaned in to kiss you, his hands running up and down your sides before moving you forward toward the bedrolls. His fingers began to tug at your clothes as the two of you lowered yourselves to the soft surface. You couldn’t help but let out a giggle when he went for your throat which earned you a warm chuckle but somewhere between that and getting undressed, Philip yelped and sat up, covering his eye.

“AH! SON OF A-” he snarled. You jumped at his reaction and sat up.

“Are you okay? What happened?!”

Philip sat there, his exposed eye twitching as he seethed, his glare on the floor beside you and his hand curling into a fist before he pushed himself up and headed for the mouth of the cave.

“W-Wait, where are you-?! Philip-!”

“I’m going for a walk,” he growled as he tucked his shirt in and fixed his pants. The heat of the moment slipped away, leaving you confused. You had tried to wait for him to come back but had fallen asleep in that time, only to be awakened by him laying down behind you and wrapping his arms around you without a word, looking disgruntled. The next morning, he apologized for his reaction and swore to make it up to you. You couldn’t understand what got him angry enough to leave like that and he refused to tell you then, but it was clear that you now had your answer. It wasn’t just the fact your ear had poked him in the eye, but it was the one thing he didn’t like about you. 

This left you feeling hollow inside. You couldn’t help your ears. 

Shaking your head clear, you stood upon seeing that he had fallen asleep. You couldn’t dwell on that. You had a task to do before either he woke again or it got too late. You gathered your cloak and satchel before making sure Philip was sound asleep and headed toward the mouth of the cave. You paused at Philip’s voice in the back of your mind making you swear you would never leave the cave without him, at least, not go far enough that you couldn’t hear him if he called for you. With a deep inhale, you glanced back at the sick human.

“I know you wouldn’t want this but… I have to get that medication…” you murmured. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise.”

With that, you pulled your hood up and stepped out of the cave.

“Angel? Angel, I feel horrible… Everything’s spinning…” Philip groaned weakly, his eyes cracking open. “Angel?”

When silence answered him, Philip pushed himself up the best he could, nearly overshooting his goal of getting to his feet. Upon looking around, he realized you were nowhere to be seen.

“A-Angel? Where are you?”

The man stumbled for the mouth of the cave and squinted out into the woods around him, shielding his eyes while continuing to call out for you. Without thinking, he started to wander out to look for you, ignoring how he felt.

“Where have you gone…? Angel… Gotta find…”

Ugh, damn Bonesborough for being so interesting… There are so many stalls here with more knick-knacks and baubles that could keep one’s attention for weeks. I could spend the entire day wandering the town if I had the time. Thankfully, I haven’t run into anyone associated with Alder and the wanted posters seemed to have disappeared.

Well… The good news is that I got the ingredients and medication. I was able to focus long enough to do that. The not-so-good news is my eyes began to wander as I was leaving and… ah… I may have gone a bit overboard…

Before you knew it, you had several items in your satchel that you may or may not have needed, including several books on the Isles and wild magic, a set of Hexas Hold Em cards, and a fully charged training wand that you thought about keeping on you in case of emergency. Oddly enough, it made you feel a bit better about being out on your own without Philip since it would give you enough time to get away from any situation that may arise. It also didn’t help that you left the cave in such a rush that you didn’t have any prepared glyphs and you only had the fire one down to memory. If Philip had known, you were sure he’d have a heart attack.

As you headed for the gates of Bonesborough, your eyes fell on a sign that was tucked away near a closed stall which made you slow to a halt. It was dark blue with imagery of eyes, noses, ears, horns, teeth, and such. In large gold letters, “body modifications” was written out in the center.

“Body modifications…?” you whispered, your hand wandering up to touch your ear under your hood as you spoke. What Philip had said about your ears echoed in your mind. At the bottom of the sign, you found the times the stall was opened which made you realize it was a Night Market stall. Shaking your head, you tore yourself away from the sign and strode for the gates. “No! Philip would kill me if he found out I went to the Night Market!”

As you came up to the start of the path, you paused and glanced back toward the sign in thought. Then again… 

A bell of a nearby church made you jump and bolt down the path toward the cave.

“Dammit! I’ve been away too long! He has to be awake by now!”

Upon reaching the cave, you quickly dug through the sachel for the medication.

“Philip! I’m back!” you panted, heading straight for his bedroll but halted when you found it empty. “What…? Philip?”

You turned the cave upside down looking for the human but had no luck. 

“Damn! Where has he gone!?” you scoffed, bounding out of the cave to look around. “PHILIP!”

No matter where you looked, you did not see him. A quiet, serene forest by the lake greeted you. Your mind tumbled with the thought of what had happened to him. There was no sign of a struggle or drag marks leading outside of the cave when you examined the ground but you did notice that one set seemed to have irregular markings to them as if they were stumbling and shoeless. Seeing as you had nothing else to go off of, you followed the abnormal tracks.

“I hope he’s okay…” you groaned, quickening your pace. Soon, the tracks began to be accompanied by something strange. A familiar dark green substance lined the footsteps and the scrapes they made in the dirt. Chills raced up your spine. One thing came to mind, only because you were covered in it once before, but you quickly shook it clear. You couldn’t think back to that night. Philip needed you now. The tracks led you deeper into the woods and started to turn into dragging marks. You narrowed your eyes in confusion as it looked as if Philip had passed out and someone started to drag him along.

As you were trying to make sense of the change in the tracks, the smell of fire nearby and men’s voices wafting closer made your head perk. Bushes along the path up ahead rustled, making your heart jump into your throat and you dove behind a nearby tree.

“Hell if I know. Never seen anything like that before,” a gruff voice grumbled as two figures in dark robes appeared and headed in the direction you had just come from. Judging by their attire, you assumed they were Demon Hunters. “We’ll see if it’s logged into any of the archives after we get supplies. Might be some sort of were-beast that got into something it wasn’t supposed to. Should still fetch us a nice price to the right buyer.”

“You sure Horak can hold down the fort with that… thing? He’s still a kid.”

“Psh, he’ll be fine. The beast looked out of it when it was trying to thrash about as we were capturing it.”

“He looked downright terrified that the thing was changing-”

“Look, he begged us to bring him with us out here to experience what we do. If he can’t handle this, maybe he should stay back until he can. Now, let’s get going. The sun’s going to set soon and I want to get to the Night Market before all the good stuff’s sold.”

You watched the two figures wander down the path and once they were out of view, you stepped out, staring after them.

“Were-beast?” you whispered. What did that mean? Turning your attention back to where they had emerged made you bite your lip. 

First, the appearance of that goop, now talk of a were-beast? If you weren’t looking for Philip, you wouldn’t have had a second thought about it but memories of Philip trying to tell you something since the proposal began to emerge. Dread rose in the back of your mind. The night you saw that monster was beginning to make sense. 

Regardless, you forced this to the back of your mind. As much as you wanted to deny all of it, you had to make sure that what these people had was Philip or everything up until that point was just a coincidence and Philip was just lying out cold in a bush somewhere. 

Stepping through the bushes, you found the Demon Hunter’s camp where a roaring fire had been lit with tents surrounding it. No one was in the immediate area, thankfully, so you crept in. 

It was a moment or two before something strange stuck out to you. Dozens of crates were scattered about the camp but instead of being filled with provisions, you found things that were supposed to be rare: galderstones, pelts and parts of nearly extinct animals, and trinkets that could only be found while graverobbing, among other things. From everything you’ve ever read, you couldn’t recall Demon Hunters needing any of these items. They didn’t deal in rare or stolen items. Moving through the camp, something caught your eye that made your blood run cold. In one of the stacked crates, you found yourself looking at a massive collection of already carved Palismen, some adorned with what looked to be jewels. A note on the side of the crate gave instructions on where to sell each Palisman to keep them from being found out by the original owners.

In mounting horror, you began to realize that this was not the camp of Demon Hunters. Only Trophy Hunters dealt with stolen palismen. It explained all of the other items as well.

A soft roar made you jump and snap your attention away from the paper and a voice of a young man stuttered out.

“S-Shut up, you-you monster! D-Don’t make m-me u-use this!”

Your hand delved into your satchel and clutched around the handle of the training wand you bought back in Bonesborough. Moving quickly, you ducked behind a crate leading out of the camp where heavy groaning could be heard followed by another roar and a scared yelp. Carefully, you crept around the crate and saw a familiar massive form tied up on the ground with a humanoid figure standing over it in a dark robe. In the figure’s hand, you could clearly make out an electric weapon. It was obvious that the monster couldn’t move or was too weak to do so.

“I-I said shut up!”

The figure brought the tip of the weapon down and prodded the monster which roared louder, this time in pain. Something inside you snapped upon seeing that the monster couldn’t move due to how tight the binds were or that it was too weak to do much at all. The idea that this could be Philip made rage soar through your veins. Without thinking, you pushed yourself to your feet and rushed forward. Before the figure could turn, you shoved the tip of the wand into his neck. 

“W-What-?!”

“Drop it!” you snarled. “Do it! You’re too far away from any healer talented enough to deal with fourth-degree burns!”

With a surprised whine, the robed figure did as you said and dropped the weapon on the ground while putting his hands high above his head.

“O-Okay! Okay! L-Let’s not be hasty!”

“Shut up! Back away from him! Now!”

The figure started to do what you said but when the monster let out a noise, you turned your attention to it. You couldn’t help but stare. Its face was turned away from you but the white hair and thin green body that rose and fell from labored panting were unmistakable. This was the monster you woke up to that night. What caught your eye was the small brilliant blue mushroom parting its hair near its temple. Your heart sank.

“It is you…”

With your attention elsewhere, the man suddenly shoved you to the floor beside the monster and pointed a finger at you with a gold circle at the end of it. The training wand you had scuttled across the ground in the opposite direction.

“I-I don’t know what made you think y-you could just come here and t-try to do… whatever you’re t-trying to do, but-!”

You only stared up at the circle as your hand felt around on the ground under you for something to defend yourself with. Your mind blanked entirely on the glyphs you were taught. All you could see in your head was Philip showing you blank circles as if the centers had been erased but when you wrote them, something was certainly there. As panic rose in your chest at how unhinged the man was becoming as he spoke about what the “others” may do with you when they got back, your hand fell on the prod he had dropped which was now pressing into the side of the monster behind you. When you tried to grab it to defend yourself, it went off. A roar of pain made you jump as the hot end severed one of the binds holding the creature down. This caused the monster to rear back, breaking several other ties, and it turned to the hooded man who stumbled back out of fear.

“O-OH NO!” he gasped then bolted toward the camp as you scrambled to your feet.  Seeing him face to face, those blue eyes glowing menacingly in an unhinged gaze as he turned his head in your direction, caused you to freeze. At that moment, you were unsure if he remembered you due to the feeling that he was looking through you instead. When he moved, you clenched your eyes shut, bracing yourself for an attack. The large form brushed past you and you heard the man start screaming in fear as the slamming into the crates echoed over the woods with the clear intent to do harm or worse. Your relief of not being the target was short-lived and you turned on your heel to see the tents and crates in the sleeping area start to be torn apart. The man’s yelps at least told you he was still alive.

“Wait! WAIT!” you cried out, chasing after the monster. “PHILIP!”

He had the man cornered near a stack of crates when his head shot up and snapped in your direction. The dread of being attacked returned and you froze, slowly putting your hands up.

“E-Easy… I-It’s me…!” you lowered your voice to a soothing tone. The monster you were sure was Philip panted hard as he slowly stalked toward you, almost feverishly. The man he had cornered near the stacked crates took this opportunity to sneak away not before catching a glare from you which made him suppress a yelp and scramble into the woods. 

“An… gel…” A deeper voice croaked out, one you were not used to. It still held the soft accent, but was almost the voice of an entirely different person.

“Yes,” you nodded. Swallowing down your fear, you reached out to touch him. “It’s me… W-What happened to you…?”

“An… gel… I found...”

Philip leaned his head into your hand, his glowing eyes boring into you. A shiver rushed down your spine as you felt how clammy his “skin” was, even if you could call it that.

“Y-Yeah, y-you did…”

Ignoring the feeling, you hesitantly reached out to touch the other side of his face. This earned you a trill which made you smile some. 

“How did you even get out here…?” you whispered. Philip watched you only for a moment before his massive body collapsed onto the ground without any warning and the blue of his eyes disappeared. The fall not only forced you to your knees to try to catch his head but had caused some of the nearby stacked crates to topple. You couldn’t move. Your legs were pinned under his massive form. With no other course of action, you quickly shielded Philip’s head the best you could while bracing for the impact yourself. More smashing followed and you were lucky enough not to have anything fall on you. Instead, you heard one of the heavier crates smash into the one right next to you and the sickening crush that followed made you realize it was the crate holding the stolen palismen. Your heart sank and your eyes widened in horror upon seeing the green magic oozing out of the broken wood near your leg.

“No!” you gasped. Without warning, the ooze morphed into a green cloud and descended on the creature in front of you. “W-What…?”

You watched in confusion as Philip’s monstrous form rose with a deep inhale as his nose and mouth took the cloud in. Before your eyes, his form became smaller and more human-like. The white hair slowly took on a dark brown hue and the clothes you had left Philip in began to take shape, his white opened shirt, brown pants, and white stockings, now dirtied with the dark green substance. When the transformation had finished, Philip let out a labored pant. His hair was now sporting more mushrooms due to his affliction.

With a furrowed brow, you glanced between the smashed crate and your fiance.

“So this…”

It took all I had to get Philip back to the cave before those hunters came back. I was unsure how I pulled it off but I did and now my love is resting on his bed. Several more mushrooms had sprouted during our walk- er, hobble home. Once I got him settled, I immediately made the soup and gave him that and the medication but I noticed something on his bare chest that made my blood boil. You could see where that monster had been torturing him. Those horrible witches! Barbarians! He was already tied up, how could they do something so cruel!?

… … … Be that as it may… I may not exactly be the best one to judge cruelty as I have done something dreadful myself. Seeing the result of palismen magic on Philip, I gathered as many of the creatures as I could that were still intact. Thankfully, they wouldn’t come to life for me as I am not their owner or anyone they trust so that made this a tad easier. I can’t say it is the best feeling in the world, quite the opposite, but… it’s for Philip and this… curse of his… My love, who did this to you? No matter, he’ll only use them until I can figure out a cure for it. It has to be linked to some sort of forbidden magic, right? I will have to do my own research into this. Maybe a demon hunter would know or there could be a book in one of the many libraries we pass on our journeys. 

I also came to the realization that Philip’s strange behavior may have stemmed from wanting to tell me about this. As well as despising my ears, I guess… but more importantly this. Thinking back to that night, he must have been more scared of me leaving than I was of him harming me. He did keep his promise of not leaving my side at any point.

I will have to keep that stall in mind-

You stared down at the page for a moment before carefully and quietly tearing those pages out. In the event that Philip got ahold of your journal, you couldn’t let him know you knew about how he hated your ears or that you had been wandering around Bonesborough while he was sick. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to know since you had already ditched the items you bought in favor of filling your satchel to the brim with stolen palismen which you side-eyed as you crumpled the paper with a heavy heart. You had abandoned it by Philip’s workstation when you brought him in.

A groan made you tense up and glance back toward Philip’s bedroll where he was now laying back, fed, medicated, and clean with his shirt removed and his hair fanned out over his pillow. The sight of him made your gaze soften. He looked so peaceful as several more mushrooms began to slowly grow and part his hair. When Philip settled back down instead of waking, you turned your attention back to your satchel. The transformation back into human form from the monstrous one after the Palismen were killed played over and over in your head as you picked it up. 

“I’m sorry…” you murmured as you moved to your station, removed the scrolls from their place in the basket beside the desk, and placed the satchel inside, the flap slipping away to show the gleam of one of the jewel-encrusted Palismen sitting atop several which you immediately fixed. “I swear if there was any other way, I’d take it…”

Hearing a groan, this time a more conscious one, you quickly replaced the scrolls, hiding the satchel entirely.

“What was that?” Philip groaned. Turning, you found Philip sitting up and stretching, his head now full of shrooms as he looked your way with a sleepy gaze. “Angel?”

“Hm?! O-Oh, I-I was just-!” you tried to smile but stopped yourself and shook your head while clearing your throat. You quickly went to his side to keep his attention away from the basket. “Nevermind. How are you feeling, my love?”

“Horrible, if I’m honest,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair and disrupting the growth. Upon seeing the dislodged fungus that fell into his lap, Philip only rolled his eyes and muttered something about “not again” before he froze, his eyes wide. “... … …”

“What?” you frowned with your head tilted. 

“Did you… Have you been…?”

“Taking care of you? Of course,” you smiled when you pieced together his thought process. “I couldn’t just leave you sick like that…”

Philip looked away, his face reddening.

“You didn’t have to…”

This made you stare before giving him a playful smile.

“Of course I did. You are going to be my husband, aren’t you? Maybe this is practice for what may come later…” you nuzzled him while placing a hand on his chest. “For all I know, the next time it could be the fire flu.”

Philip didn’t answer but leaned into your affection as his own hand found its way around yours and his free arm wrapped around you, pulling you close then back onto the bedroll.

“... Fine…”

You couldn’t help but grin like an idiot as you laid your head on his chest and settled in.

“I’m just glad you’re okay,” you sighed upon feeling a kiss on the top of your head.

A comfortable silence fell over the cave and you suddenly found yourself mulling over everything that had happened.

“I had the most terrible dream while I was ill.”

Your head perked at the sudden break in the silence to find Philip staring at the cave ceiling with his brow furrowed. 

“Hm?”

“It felt so real but I dreamt that you had disappeared and I had to go out and find you…”

You listened as he recounted the whole ordeal but when he didn’t bring up the monster form part, you frowned. The way he spoke and refused to make eye contact with you made you think he was hiding something.

“That’s all you remember?” you whispered. “O-Of your dream, I mean…”

Philip was still for a moment then nodded.

“Yes.”

“I see… Well, you were quite feverish,” you sat up with a slightly nervous smile which made his eyes narrow. Seeing this, you cleared your throat, your face reddening in return. “You were also telling me a lot of things that I did not really think were true…”

Philip cocked a brow.

“Like?”

“Like… you being in love with me since the moment you laid eyes on me…”

Philip’s look of shock coupled with the brilliant red that exploded on his face made you realize it was true. Your heart leapt in your chest. Him immediately grabbing his pillow and laying back with a hard flop while holding it over his face as he groaned amused you to no end. 

“So… that’s true?” you poked his side. “Let’s see, what else did you say…?”

“We’re not talking about this!”

“I take that as a yes?”

“I’m going back to sleep! I'm still too sick for this!”

“Aww, but you were so cute when you were telling me all of this-”

“Y/N, no!”

He was very careful with what he showed you. Philip was so proud of himself for how he caused you to go starry-eyed with his entries. It was apparent how sheltered you were over the years and it was strangely endearing. You believed every word that came out of his mouth and didn’t seem to mind that he skipped over a lot of pages when he told you they were just day-to-day activities. He made sure every word was carefully chosen, every move was executed at the right time, and it brought you closer to him. He had gotten well versed with his storytelling that he had put the journal aside and regaled you with other experiences that he only briefly wrote about. The longing look in your eyes made him weak. Knowing he had gotten the bulk of what he needed from the library, he had an idea.

“Y/N,” he started when you stood to head to your bedroom. You paused and sat back down to listen.

“What is it?”

“Forgive me, but I have been thinking. What if we left sooner?”

“Sooner?” you blinked. “As in…?”

“Tomorrow. Er, night. Right at twilight. It would also avoid a confrontation with that dreadful Blight fellow.”

“O-Oh… It would be safer for you then too. Do you think that’s enough time to gather supplies? And what about the study?” you motioned upstairs.

“I’ve had my fill and have duplicated the maps so we wouldn’t just have one. It’ll be there if we need to return. As for supplies, it shouldn’t take long to gather what we need,” he picked his journal up and thumbed through it. “Here, I’ve already made a basic list. We can shop in the morning and have everything ready by evening. You’ll also need whatever you’ll be bringing. I do suggest packing lightly.”

As he handed you the paper, the starry-eyed gaze returned and once you looked the item list over, you grinned.

“O-Of course we can leave tomorrow!”

You jumped to your feet and started to ramble on about what you needed to gather before rushing off upstairs. Philip stared a moment or two longer before chuckling to himself. You were adorable. Though there was something that still had the potential to ruin this for him.

The witch, Alder Blight. If he had eyes for you as Philip had suspected, he could try to get you to see past what he’s done to you and convince you to not go. It was a very slim chance but still a chance all the same. That monster would try to keep you stationary when you wished to fly. He had to make sure you did not see Alder at all from now until after the two of you left. 

Cracking his journal open once more, he flipped to the page where he last left off about you. This time, instead of narrating, he remained quiet to keep you from hearing him.

Thus, we became companions. I cannot be any more elated with their acceptance. 

A demon came looking for me today. A vile thing that cornered Angel and demanded to know my whereabouts. Angel fought valiantly to fend him off to the best of their ability but I had to intervene before that thing hurt them. I refuse to allow harm to come to Angel and I will go to war with anything that has the audacity to assail them. 

The demon’s name… Alder Blight… That name is just as disgusting as the being it belongs to. I must do everything I can to protect my angel from this walking disease lest it takes them from me. We will be leaving sooner than we planned. Angel believes it is to protect me when it couldn’t be further from the truth. I need to protect them. Our journey starts tomorrow night.

-------

Surprisingly, the shopping trip went well. There was no sign of Alder and you were able to find most of the things you needed on the list Philip had given you, plus a little extra. You went ahead and sold any maps you didn’t need from the study in order to have more snails to work with in case the two of you stopped in any other towns.

“I don’t want to stay in the other towns though… I can make or find us shelter…” Philip grumbled as he followed you around the marketplace.

“We may not have a choice if it decides to rain and we’re near one, though,” you glanced back at him. “Can your skin handle the boiling rains?”

Philip gave a heavy sigh and glanced away.

“Fine.”

“I assure you, it will only be for emergencies or supply runs. We’ll try to avoid the towns otherwise so you’re not attacked again,” you placed a hand on his arm with a sympathetic expression. At least, that’s what you believed his concern was after he ran into Tusk and Timber the day before. It surely wasn’t the fact he didn’t want anyone around you to try to coax you into leaving or to snatch you from him. Philip only uttered something under his breath before wandering into a book store ahead of you when you reached the part of the list for parchment and pens. While looking through the list, a black leather-bound book caught your eye.

“Are you going to get it?” Philip’s voice rang out behind you which made you jump slightly. Turning, you had found that he was watching you as you shop. The man then reached past you to pick the book up to inspect it and flipped through its pages.

“I don’t know…” you looked down at your list. “I don’t want to take anything I won’t use. We already have your journal.”

“Ah, but a personal traveling journal would be a wonderful idea. It is a great way to organize your thoughts and focus on the important aspects of your day,” he smiled as he handed you the journal. “One day, you might want to look back on our adventures together, maybe share it with… future generations…”

You stared at him a moment then glanced down at the journal, a small smile forming on your lips.

“Okay, yeah,” you nodded. “I’ll… I guess I’ll get it then.”

“Fantastic!” he chuckled before walking off with his arms folded behind his back. “Trust me, you’ll be glad to have it. I don’t know where I’d be without mine.”

After purchasing everything, the two of you headed back to the house and prepared for the departure. Philip gathered anything he may have needed out of the study. You had packed a traveler’s backpack and split the materials between your bag and Philip’s satchel. As requested, you had placed the torches in his bag since he cryptically told you he had a way of lighting them. While you were curious, you had to finish up making sure the house was in order to lock it up for however long.

Then the time came. The lanterns outside were just being lit up and down the street by lamplighters and you stepped out in a long black cloak with a hood up. Philip followed, leaning around you to look up and down the street to make sure it was clear. He too wore a long black cloak but his hood was down and the front of it was opened. 

“Coast is clear, love,” he murmured softly. With a nod, you turned back to the door. 

As you locked it up, a soft, meek voice called your name, causing both you and Philip to spin around in surprise. Your entire body seized up at the sight of Forsythia standing a couple of feet away with her hands holding onto one another nervously over her stomach. Her brow was furrowed and her gaze was on the ground.

“Forsythia,” you breathed then cleared your throat. You glanced between her and Philip, who wore a stone-faced expression toward the girl. “W-What are you doing here?”

“I had a f-feeling that you would leave early a-after hearing about what Alder did…” she murmured, twisting her fingers.

“You didn’t tell him, did you?” you stepped toward her, your mind racing through several scenarios of what may happen if you stepped foot outside of the city now that someone knew.

“N-No! I didn’t!” she gasped, putting her hands up in defense. 

“If you think you’re going to stop Y/N and I from leaving-” Philip stepped up behind you with a hand on your shoulder. Forsythia shook her head. 

“I-I’m not here to stop e-either of you!” she stressed then looked at you. “Y-Yes, it is true that I-I panicked upon seeing you with M-Mr. Wittebane the night before the last a-and I went to Alder, which is why he showed up yesterday… I was scared for you with everything being said about him ,” she motioned to Philip. “But… But after hearing what Alder said when he returned, a-about how you said it’s all rumors and gossip, I realized that… you were right…”

Philip cocked a brow in surprise and you exchanged glances with him.

“Really?” you blinked. Forsythia gave you a small smile and a nod.

“Yes. I-I actually think this might be a good thing for you. I hope this doesn’t sound bad, but I think it’ll be good to have someone around who doesn’t care about your magic ability…”

Your body relaxed with a sigh of relief. 

“Oh thank Titan…”

“I just wanted t-to come see you off… a-and… apologize for everything we- er, I did,” she moved forward and took your hand. “I am so sorry. I should never have allowed myself to be dragged around by those two… Please be safe, okay?”

Philip tensed when the girl turned her large green eyes to him. 

“Y-You’ll keep them safe too… right?”

The human’s expression softened and he placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

“You have my word as a gentleman,” he answered quietly.

Forsythia nodded with a small smile.

“Good… Now you two better get going before Alder really shows up to make sure you are still here.”

After thanking Forsythia, you and Philip put your hoods up and quickly made your way to the town gate.

“So that’s it, huh? We’re just going to let him waltz off with them?” a voice scoffed as Baron’s form stepped up behind Forsythia with his arms crossed. 

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Fine, but Alder’s not going to like this.”

“No, he’s not, is he?”

“Whatever. Come on, let’s head down to the beach. I think I saw some old classmates I used to mess with back when we were in school.”

Forsythia didn’t move and continued to smile after you, giving a soft sigh.

“You know what?”

“Hm?”

“Fuck you, Baron. And fuck Alder too,” Forsythia said sweetly, as clear as a bell before heading down the path. “I’m going back to my flower shop. Don’t bother me anymore.”

Baron stared in shock after her, absolutely speechless.

-------

You kept glancing over your shoulder, dreading someone noticing you two. Philip watched you out of his peripherals.

“Keep your attention forward. I’ll watch for anything that may stop us,” he lowered his voice. “I have a surprise for you once we get away from the town.”

A surprise? You turned your head up to look at him to find him looking about like you had been. What kind of surprise would a human have for you? Your heart was in your throat as the two of you passed the town hall and were about to walk under the arch. As Philip stepped through, you paused, staring down the path ahead of you. He moved forward a couple of feet before realizing you weren’t beside him.

The cobblestone path before you was bathed in the light of the full moon overhead. A wind blowing through rustled the trees and leaves across the ground. You had only ventured this path a handful of times in your life. It cut an intimidating path as it snaked into the woods before you. Were you actually about to do this?

“Y/N?” Philip called, snapping you out of your trance. You shook your head hard.

“Huh?”

The human gave you a concerned look as he turned his body to face you.

“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

A chill raced up your spin at his words but you shook it off and stepped past the arch. You dared not to glance back.

“Absolutely not.”

Philip looked pleased with your answer and held out a gloved hand to you. Once you slipped your palm against his, he firmly grasped your hand and led you down the winding, moonlit path. Anxiousness filled your chest. It felt as if you were being led away from safety by a malevolent being but you chalked it up to what everyone had been telling you about traveling without a “real witch” since you were a child. The rumors didn’t help your thoughts either but Philip did not seem like a dangerous person as everyone said. Despite the anxiousness, you felt… safe. 

“Shouldn’t we light a torch?”

“I don’t want anyone to see us… Hold on just a bit longer, love.”

After about ten minutes or so of walking, you found yourself at the mouth of a massive cave in the center of the dark woods. The moon was hidden behind the looming trees overhead and your anxiousness increased. When you tried to ask the man what the two of you were doing there, he just put a finger to his lips with his free hand. His other hand left yours as he reached into his satchel and walked into the inky blackness of the cave. You listened to his footsteps echo off the walls of the cave, followed by paper crumpling and fire suddenly lit up the area. 

Philip glanced back over his shoulder, revealing a torch in his hand and he beckoned you in.

With a slight hesitation, you followed him further into the cave, your heart slamming against your chest.

The further you went into the cave, the more you began to realize it was a lived-in area. Papers and items scattered the floor and what looked to be a makeshift bed of straw lay in the corner.

“You’ve… been staying out here?”

“For now,” Philip grunted as he took his satchel off and laid it against the wall. “It’s only one of several caves I’ve gone back and forth with. They are much better shelters than anything made by hand, given that they are stable enough.”

Seeing him settling in caused you to do the same by placing your bag against the wall and pulling out the sleeping mats you had bought. When you turned to lay them out, you found Philip kneeling over a pile of wood and he laid a piece of paper on top of it. On the paper was some sort of symbol you had never seen before.

“... What are you doing?”

The mischievous smirk he gave you startled you as if he was hiding a dark secret.

“I told you I had a surprise for you. Come here,” he held out a hand to you. You set the sleeping mats aside and took his hand, kneeling down next to him as you stared at the paper. “Watch.”

Philip reached out and tapped the paper and it suddenly burst into flames, causing you to gasp and fall back.

“OOF! What-?! How?!” you gasped, wide-eyed at the fire that took hold of the wood he had set up. The man let out a chuckle when you looked up at him in shock. “You-You can do magic?! You’re human!”

“Yes, but it’s not an innate ability, I’m afraid,” he sighed as he picked up another piece of paper, scribbled on it, and set it beside you. You stared down at it and he tapped it. Several flowers sprouted from the paper and he smiled at how your eyes sparkled at the sight of them. 

“O-Oh!”

Philip drew on another piece, set it down, and tapped it. This time, a ball of ice appeared. 

“And this is only the beginning,” he murmured close to your ear. “I’m sure there are others. I just have yet to find them.”

“What are those?” 

“Picto-glyphs. I found these symbols all across the Boiling Isles. This one I found in a snowflake, and the plant one in the center of a flower…” he motioned to each of them. When he looked at the campfire, he glanced back at you. “... I enraged some bees accidentally while finding that one…”

You glanced between the three then looked up at him while setting your hand on his.

“Philip, teach me…”

Philip insists that I keep a journal from now on of our adventures together. He thinks it would be great to organize my thoughts and focus on our tasks. He rambled off a list of things he wants to try to find so this journal should help me keep up with that. He doesn’t want anything to weigh my mind down that could distract me and put me in danger. He’s already sworn to protect me.

But this night was amazing! First I took the leap in leaving town and then Philip showed me an alternate form of magic! No wonder he had so much parchment on that list! The fire picto-glyph eats up the paper like nothing. I was up most of the night learning how to draw them and deploying them before I started to get drowsy. Figured I should write this before I passed out. Philip stayed in the corner, watching me as he wrote in his own journal. He wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt myself. 

-----

… … … They’re asleep now. Poor angel seems to have tuckered themselves out. Oh, how ecstatic they were when I showed them my secret. They are the only ones in this god-forsaken place that know how I’ve come to survive here. Being without magic themselves, I found it prudent to have them learn in the case that I cannot defend them. I need them to be able to return to me on their own if they are taken.

So far, they seem to favor the fire picto-glyph. Odd. I would have thought they would have preferred the plant picto-glyph considering it gives new life. However, I'll take it as a sign of us forging our bond instead. Regardless, I adored every glance they sent my way as they learned the basics. That smile is heavenly and the way their eyes sparkled in the firelight? Intoxicating. Such a beautiful creature. I was so busy sketching that I hadn't noticed Angel falling asleep among the parchment.

Once I’ve perfected the combination glyphs, I shall-

With a sudden painful grunt, Philip dropped his pen and held his right arm to his chest as it started to morph horribly. He scrambled to his feet, glancing toward you to make sure he didn’t disturb you. You had already fallen asleep on one of the sleeping mats with a pen in your hand and parchment scattered across the ground. Philip stifled several more loud, agonizing grunts then snatched up his bag before rushing toward the front of the cave, looking back to make sure you didn’t wake. 

Fishing desperately into his satchel, he pulled out a strange-looking Palisman before cracking it open between his hands. The green essence inside rose up and entered his eyes and nostrils, causing his eyes to glow green and then blue. 

“That was close,” he breathed, his voice overlapped with a soft, deeper one as he pulled his sleeve back to reveal the carvings in his skin. “I have to be careful… I don’t need them to know just yet…”

Once he calmed down and his voice was back to normal, he reentered the cave. Instead of going back to where he had been sitting, he stopped just above your sleeping mat and stared down at you.

I’ve only seen this tavern mentioned in old adventurer’s journals so I was quite excited when Philip and I came across it. The Wyvern-Leg Inn is far off the beaten path away from any of the cities where many young adventurers got their start! It is an ancient, three-story structure made entirely of elder wood that houses a museum containing a collection of items donated by daring adventurers as they trekked across the Wilds of the Boiling Isles.

When I told Philip about what kind of place it was rumored to be, he perked up. He wouldn’t tell me what he intended to do but said it would be a good place to stop and rest as it was out of the way of any of the caves. I was honestly surprised at how eager he was to get a room there. I am looking forward to relaxing on something soft for once since we have agreed to stay for a couple of days as a small vacation of sorts. I somewhat hope that this becomes an opportunity to see how Philip really sees the two of us considering everything we've been through.

As I was getting settled in, Philip, after deciding that he didn’t want to sleep in separate beds and pushed the two together, headed downstairs “for a drink” at the bar. I just hope he behaves himself this time. -

Philip has been gone for far too long. The bar should be closed by now. I’m going to go look for him. He better not have started a fight or he’s in big trouble!

—-   I met someone interesting at the bar the night before when I left Angel in the safety of our room, a demon named Warthrope. He apparently saw Angel and I enter the tavern and found us to be a strange pairing. I thought he had motioned to me as I apparently stick out like a sore thumb among witches but it seemed he was referring to Angel, commenting on how they looked to be a “pedigree” and not built for adventuring. When I met the rest of his team, I could see why he may have believed it. They were hardy, well-traveled adventurers. Angel was born with a silver spoon in their mouth and looked as if they hadn’t gotten their hands dirty once. Thank God they don’t act like it.

Accompanying Warthrope was four others but their names escape me. There were two female demons, a male demon, and a male witch. I am unsure of what any of their roles were within the group but I cannot say that I’m entirely interested in finding out. I was, however, interested in the topic I overheard his group talking about. Upon hearing “Titan’s Blood”, I tried to get as much information as I could out of them only to be stonewalled.

Warthrope refused to discuss it with me willingly. I did, however, notice he and his companions had a weakness for alcohol, and for that, I proposed a wager in the form of a drinking contest. First, one to drink the other under the table will give up the information needed. I wanted to know about Titan’s Blood, Warthrope wanted to know why Angel chose me as a traveling companion, implying that there were much better adventurers that would suit their needs. I ignored this, mainly because the contest was over before it began. I did not build a tolerance for alcohol back home for nothing. I am only thankful that the stuff is about the same here and I can stomach half of the offerings.

Granted, Angel was not happy to find me sloshed on the staircase but I prevailed and obtained the information I needed. Upon hearing about the arrangement I have made, we had a bit of a row and they are not speaking to me at the moment. I was aware that they wanted to use this time to rest and I did tell them that Titan’s Blood was the last thing I wanted to find so I am not surprised by this. 

I was tempted to leave them at the tavern but Warthrope had instilled the idea of Angel meeting someone else in the tavern while I was away so I decided it was best to bring them with me. The last thing I needed was some muscle-headed cad trying to convince them to leave with him. My only concern now is where Titan’s Blood is located. Our journey will take us close to Angel’s hometown so I will have to be careful and make sure they stay out of sight and out of harm’s way.

I assured Angel that I would make it up to them but they were not in a good mood at the time.

—

Part of me regrets introducing Angel to these rogues. I don’t like how the Warthrope’s men look at them. Some of the comments are borderline inappropriate but I let them slide. I need Titan’s Blood and if they’re willing to help, I can’t risk them walking off. The women seem very interested in Angel upon finding out they could not do magic on their own.

The site Warthrope mentioned is an old mining site that was abandoned some years ago. If I remember correctly, it was posted on one of Angel’s maps. Imagine my surprise that the very substance I needed was in the same area where I found my companion all that time ago. Angel must be my lucky charm.

Angel is still cross with me. First, they were upset with me over making these arrangements, now they’re furious that I will not let them into the mine. They argued with me when I told them that they will not be entering with me or the group but I am sure they will understand why later. I may have said a few things along the lines of what Warthrope had said about them, being inexperienced and all that I will need to apologize for later. I am fairly certain I came off harsher than I intended with how Angel reacted. Their downhearted expression felt like a dagger to the chest.

Thankfully, the ladies volunteered to stay behind with them so Warthrope, his men, and I could go forward with the task at hand. I was not fond of Warthorpe’s comment “lover’s spat” as we entered the mine. In my haste and anger, I regrettably denied it. I was halfway through the cave when one of the men informed me of the look on Angel’s face when we left which assured me that they had heard what I said. I will definitely have to make sure they know I did not mean it.

-----------------------------------------

The pounding in your head was nearly unbearable as your eyes opened, your vision blurry at first and you forced yourself up from a soft surface. You had the strangest dream. You and Philip had arrived at a legendary tavern in the middle of nowhere in the Boiling Isles and he drank someone under the table to get them to help him find something in an area near your hometown. The group he “hired” was composed of five people, three men and two women who were seasoned adventurers, and you were left with the women at the sight while he had gone on with the men into an old abandoned mine. It infuriated you since you didn’t want to be separated from him as well as be left with people you didn’t know. Philip assured you that he would make it up to you, believing you were angry you didn’t get to go.

However, while you were waiting with the ladies, they began to ask about you and Philip. It was playful and a bit suggestive which made you begin to wonder what you and Philip were. After him denying that the two of you had a “lover’s spat”, it made you curious as to what he saw you as. He pushed your beds together at the tavern as he had done with your sleep rolls, he had kissed you a handful of times, used pet names, and the list just went on from there. Even the little things made you wonder what he saw the two of you as.  They had asked you if you and Philip had been intimate which you immediately turned down but the way they laughed made you think your face had gone bright red.

But then you remembered something that made you reconsider calling it a dream. One of the ladies poured you a drink, claiming that it was a “specially brewed tea” that she learned how to make. You remembered that it had a floral scent but a fruity taste and it was bright purple. It was… sparkling in a way but you didn’t think anything of it. It made you feel fuzzy after drinking it and the next thing you remembered was this, waking up with this massive headache.

“What was in that drink…?” you groaned, rubbing your temples gingerly.

“Sleeping nettles,” a familiar voice answered, causing you to freeze. “I told those idiots not to overdo it but what did I expect? They’re sellswords, not apothecaries. Nor are they bards or I would have had them resort to a lullaby.” When your eyes adjusted to the dark, you saw a figure with its back to you standing over a table where a yellow glow emitted. You immediately recognized the outline.

“... Alder?”

“You’ve got quite the talent for disappearing, don’t you? It took me months to find you. Then again, it wasn’t entirely your doing, hm?” Alder turned with a cocked brow and an amused smile. “No matter. You’re home safe.”

“Home?” you muttered, glancing around. You certainly didn’t recognize the room you were in and your own bed was not as big as the one you sat on. Nowhere near as cushy either. “But this isn’t my-”

“You’re at my family’s vacation home right outside of your hometown. You know they’re originally from Bonesborough,” Alder stirred a finger as he approached the bed and the lights grew bright. You had to shield your eyes to allow them to adjust and once they did, you noticed a glass of clear liquid in his hand. “Your home is still locked up since the day that human kidnapped you.”

You furrowed your brow hard.

“Philip did not kidnap me-!”

“Look, I know you are going to defend him tooth and nail and try to make it sound as if he has your best interest at hand but the fact of the matter is, he manipulated you,” the witch sighed as he set the glass beside your bed.

“He convinced you to not meet with me the day you were supposed to leave on top of leaving earlier than you said. It’s no wonder your father had me put out wanted posters for Mr. Wittebane..”

“Wait, you involved my family?!” you looked from the glass to him.

“What else could I do? You were under the influence of a madman. I couldn’t just let that go.”

“You know how they overreact with everything I do! Why would you-!?” 

“Of course, they’re overprotective of you, Y/N. You’re the only child that cannot do magic and then they hear some human man came along and just whisked you away into the wilds?”

“I said “overreact”!”

Alder scoffed but it didn’t seem to pertain to you. He began pacing the floor, speaking in a more grandiose tone.

“Perish the thought! Your father was terrified of what that monster would do to you!”

“Philip is not a monster-!”

“Naturally, I knew what had to be done and set up a trap with one of the most legendary ingredients known on the Boiling Isles. I was certain that scoundrel would make a move for it sooner or later! Only those who have dark intentions seek it out!”

“He’s not doing anything nefarious with it! He’s trying to get home-!”

“The fact alone that he sought it out is proof enough that he is up to no good! It did take me a while to find you to put my ingenious plan into motion!”

You let out a hard sigh, setting your head in your hands as he went on and on about how he did it. There was no way you were going to get a word in edgewise. He was too far gone with his monologue. At some point in his speech, he noticed your demeanor and smiled, his voice now holding a sympathetic tone.

“Well now, he won’t be bothering you any longer. He’s been taken into custody and will be transported to Bonesborough to face charges of kidnapping,” Alder sighed, sitting on the bed near your legs. You lifted your head, staring at him in horror. “He will be put away for a while, considering who your family is. It’s for the best, I’m afraid.”

“What?! No! They can’t-!”

“Now, now, sit back and relax. You’re safe. Here,” he reached past you and picked up the glass again, this time offering it to you. “It’s best if you just forget about the whole ordeal, Y/N.”

You stared at the glass before pushing yourself off of the bed.

“Are you out of your mind?! Who the hell do you think you are?!” You swiped the glass out of his hand and once the clear liquid hit the floor, it sparkled before dissipating. “I’m powerless, not stupid! You have no clue what you’re talking about and have no business sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong!”

Alder stared up at you in shock for a moment as if he hadn’t expected you to stand up for yourself. He soon became bored and sighed, interrupting you.

“I should have known that bastard would turn you against me.”

“Turn me against you-?! You did that on your own after years of bullying! How do you not see that?!”

The witch pushed himself up from the bed with his hands on his hips, his head bowed and his eyes closed in a solemn expression. He tutted and shook his head.

“Absolutely atrocious. Wittebane has poisoned you against your own kind.”

“WHAT?!”

“I have a good mind to tell your father that prison isn’t good enough for him. I thought he was being a bit lenient when it came to this. I will have to reiterate my original suggestion to him once more. Surely seeing you act like this will make him see reason.”

“Original-? What are you talking about?!”

“It’s nothing for you to worry about. You just settle back in and pretend the last six months never happened. The sooner you do that, the sooner we can return to some form of normalcy,” Alder suggested as he went to the door. You immediately followed him when it was apparent he was going to try to lock you in.

“Where’s Philip!? What have you done to him!?”

“As I said, he’s being carted off the Bonesborough. The rest is not your concern. It’s quite apparent that you are unfit to be brought in as a witness and will only vouch for him so do as I say and relax. After I call your father and handle some business, I’ll be back and we can have dinner together.”

When Alder tried closing the door behind him, you immediately snatched it and slammed it open.

“I don’t know why the hell you think you can do this to me but you are NOT going to treat me like this, Alder Blight!” you bared your teeth at him. “I am not a plaything that you can fight over on the blasted playground! I’m not something that can be owned or a prize to be won! If I want to be with Philip, then I will damn well be with him!”

The witch paused in shock before a dark look fell across his face.

“Well then, it will be hard to be with a dead man once he’s executed for this,” Alder growled, storming back into the room which forced you to stumble backward into the bedpost. "Maybe I should tell them you revealed some devastating incidents, incriminating Wittebane in some of the most heinous crimes. Maybe it wasn’t as innocent as you say and are convinced that it was all consensual-”

Realizing what he was alluding to, your face reddened and you pushed back. 

“None of that is true! Philip has never laid a hand on me like that! Why are you doing this?!”

Alder pulled away slightly, his eyes darting down to your hips for only a moment then cleared his throat and stood straight with his arms folded behind his back.

“Oh. Good. Well, at least that part has been established. Regardless, it might be best to say otherwise. You’re only truly going to be safe with him dead.”

You shook your head, absolutely appalled by what you were hearing.

“You’re a monster…”

“You can call me whatever you wish. In time, you’ll understand,” he sighed before heading back toward the door. With one final glance, he scoffed softly. “You should thank me for protecting you.”

You stormed toward the door once more but this time it shut completely. Letting out an enraged scream, you beat your fists on the wood and tried the handle, unsurprisingly finding it locked. 

“YOU ASSHOLE! Don’t you dare lay a hand on him!”

Once that was out of your system, you listened for a moment then pulled a piece of paper out of your pocket. You quickly drew the fire glyph on it and slapped it against the door knob. 

“You should thank me for saving you.” you mimicked him as the metal of the doorknob melted away due to the heat. “Thank this!”

Listening out for any sound to indicate someone was near, you quickly made your way down the hall. The vacation home was a two-story house with several rooms so you knew you were at least on the second floor.

“Thank you, but no, I will have to skip tea for now. I have some urgent business I need to attend to. I shall be back soon,” you heard Alder’s voice answer an elderly servant’s call to tea as you headed for the stairway. You ducked back behind the wall when you realized you nearly stepped out into full view of the door downstairs just in time to watch Alder grab his coat and hat and head out. Upon hearing “urgent business”, your eyes widened.

“I have to get to Philip before anything happens to him…” you murmured. Once the front door was closed and the ground floor fell silent, you carefully and quietly headed down. Each noise you made seemed amplified and echoed through the vacant area which only made you more nervous. Someone was sure to hear you. Once on the ground floor, just feet away from the door, you heard someone start talking and a door from a room down the hall behind you opened. Startled, you quickly dove into what looked to be a parlor and closed the door behind you. Whoever it was was speaking on a crow phone, sounding distressed as they tried to calm down a woman who was screaming on the other end.

“Yes, I am aware that he did that. I am so sorry, madam. No, I’m sure he had his reasons for breaking it off. I understand. Yes. I’m sorry. No, he’s not here, he had urgent business to attend to. I will let him know you called. Of course. Good day.”

A sigh followed.

“That man is going to need to get his priorities straight, I swear…”

You listened to the footsteps wander toward the back of the house before giving a relieved exhale. That was close. You decided to wait a minute or two to make sure you weren’t caught and glancing back into the room, you found it filled with considerably rare and priceless items that one would find traversing the Isles. Some items you had only heard about through the journals you’ve read through. Pulling yourself away from the door, you found yourself wanting a closer look at the collection. Your mind started to mentally catalog everything you saw, mainly wanting to learn more about them later. It wasn’t until your eyes fell on a display of glowing blue stones laid out on the mantle that it dawned on you what you were looking at. One of the ingredients on the list Philip had given you. Galderstones.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Those bastards! They attacked me and purposely caused a cave-in to try to kill me! This was a setup from the beginning! I should have known something was wrong when they started talking vulgarly about Angel as if they were trying to get me to admit to something! When I asked them to stop and that I was not that way with Angel, they decided to reveal their ruse! Of course, Blight’s name came up before they tried to attack me! By some miracle, I was able to get away but I was apprehended outside of the cave after it collapsed. 

Damn the allure of Titan’s Blood! The signs were there and I ignored them. I should have realized something was amiss with the location of the said item and when they wanted to split Angel and me up. I foolishly believed it was because Angel was “inexperienced” and “not built for adventuring” and had allowed it. They referred to Angel as a “blue blood” and a “pedigree”, a rarity to see out in the wilds of the Boiling Isles back at the tavern. Looking back, it seems as if they were trying to say that I didn’t belong in Angel’s presence due to how they were raised and who their family was. I know what Angel is and I will be damned if someone tells me I’m not good enough for them. I will definitely be eating crow once I see Angel again… if I see them again…

As I write this, I have been taken captive by the local guards who were waiting outside of the mine. I had to bear witness to Angel being taken, unconscious, by the people I left them with. It was then I realized Angel had been their true target. That bastard Alder was standing beside the carriage Angel was put in and that smug smirk on his face made my blood boil. Fighting was all for naught. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get free before they shackled me. If only I could have called on that damn curse, this wouldn’t be happening. 

I hope Blight finds all this worth it. He lost three men due to this stunt.

I can’t escape just yet. I need to know where these monsters have taken Angel. I doubt they would bring them back to their home. I need to save them from this hell.

The man they brought into the station was not the same man they arrested. The one who went into the paddy wagon was feral, swinging and kicking at anyone in his immediate vicinity while screaming at the top of his lungs for you. The one who came out was composed and soft-spoken with eloquence while compromising with what was asked of him. The guards who had handled him could not believe the change as he was placed in a holding cell. Philip, once he had calmed down, made banter with the guards. He had made them comfortable, and relaxed with his demeanor. Why, before anyone knew it, the guards felt as if they knew him all their life.

Then it happened. Someone made a comment about the witch who put all of this together. Alder Blight. It was about his obsession with something and how distracted he’s been. From there, rumors were circulated that perked Philip’s ears.

“Did you hear that Blight left his betrothed?” “No, what?!” “Yes. Seems like he’s lost interest entirely.” “He’s taken up a new interest that seems to have gone on for months now.” “You think there’s someone new?” “Why would he leave a prominent figure like her though?”

‘Why, indeed,’ Philip fought the urge to roll his eyes. Your name never came up, however. A shame, as it would have had to save doing it himself. He began to wonder if these guards even knew why he had been arrested. It would make sense if Alder didn’t spread around his business or someone would approach you for answers and find out any lies he had told. After all, these guards, from what he understood, were only following orders handed down by their captain. Before he could open his mouth, one of the guards gave him what he needed.

“I heard Alder has been holing himself up in his family’s vacation home.” “The one outside of town? Why there? What’s wrong with his own home?” “Maybe he was trying to avoid her before finally breaking it off?”

Thank God for bored people in small towns and their gossip. Philip knew exactly where you would have been taken and he had a pretty good idea of which place this was. He remembered wandering past an uninteresting two-story mansion nestled in the woods when he first came to the town. 

It wasn’t long before he was told the carriage taking him to Bonesborough had arrived, something that had blindsided him. Philip wasn’t aware that they would be doing this in another town. This meant he had to escape as soon as possible. He could only guess Alder wanted him as far away from there as possible to keep him from getting to you when he escaped.

“The prisoner is situated. Let’s get this over with. Bonesborough is still a ways away,” you heard one of the guards grumble after slamming the back of the paddy wagon shut. You stood not far from them in an alleyway, your hood up as you watched the scene. You were just shy of arriving in time to see them place Philip in the back of the wagon. “Why we can’t use a flying carriage is beyond me.”

“Last time we did that, the perp jumped off the side and disappeared into the woods, remember?” another chimed in. “We can get some coffee and snacks for the road and then head out.”

When the two wandered off and the coast was clear, you made your way to the doors where a chain was wrapped around the handles. Just as you were about to place an ice picto-glyph on the lock, you heard a frozen sound followed by something metallic shattering, and something told you to get away from the doors. Not a moment after you moved, the doors were slammed open by a massive spike of ice, followed by a blast of fire that melted it enough to create a way out. Philip leapt out of the wagon and glanced back toward the precinct as he fixed his hair and clothes before turning to continue his escape. The two of you froze upon meeting each other’s gaze. Conflicting feelings of relief and anger washed over you upon seeing that he was okay.

“Philip?!”

“Angel!” Philip breathed, immediately grabbing your jaw with both hands and pulling you into a kiss. You didn’t fight it, but the moment he pulled away, you struck him across the face with an open palm. “You’re-”

“That’s for getting us into this mess!” you hissed softly. “None of this would have happened if we just stayed at the tavern as we had planned! You HAD to go drinking and make plans to get something we weren’t even ready to get yet without even consulting me! You just expected me to go along with it! I can’t believe you-!”

Philip held his stinging cheek in shock as you chided him and his gaze softened.

“Yes, I know Angel. I should have never put you in that position, to begin with,” he murmured, taking the hand that struck him and kissing its palm. “It will not happen again…”

“It better not! Alder has lost his damn mind and wanted to have you executed for “kidnapping” me on top of several non-existent charges!”

His face fell when you explained what Alder had said, what he had alluded Philip to have done to you which boiled his blood. The sound of several guards nearby interrupted the conversation, causing Philip to grab your hand and the two of you fled town. Seeing as they couldn’t go back to the tavern to get your things right away, you told him that the two of you would go back to the first cave he took you to until everything had died down. The angry expression you gave him when he tried to protest silenced him and he nodded in agreement.

The walk back was tense and both parties had their own reasons for being angry, you for what Philip had put you through, and Philip for finding out that he was being painted as a rapist and kidnapper. The only noise that cut through the silence was a rumble of thunder.

“Oh bloody hell, not now!” Philip scoffed and ushered you under a protruding rock along the path with enough room for both of you to stand and sit. Moments later, boiling rain fell in a thick curtain. You curled your legs to you and rested your arms on your knees with a hard sigh as you glared out at the rain. Philip’s anger subsided some and he leaned back against the rocky outcrop, watching the rain as well since there was nothing else to do besides hash out what had happened.

“I should have known better than to think Titan’s Blood would be that easy to find.”

“Hm.”

“All that and nothing to show for it…”

Hearing this, you gave a thoughtful look before reaching down to the heavy satchel you were carrying and flipping its flap back to reveal the Galderstones you had found at Alder’s place. Their blue glow got Philip’s attention and you watched him shift in surprise upon realizing what they were. 

“A-Are those-?! Angel?!”

“Figured Alder owed me for putting me through this and years of torment so I took them from his parlor.”

Philip picked several up in awe.

“These are the third rarest items on the list! And there’s so many of them!”

“He won’t miss them.”

The man gushed about the stones for a moment or two before suddenly embracing you in a tight hug.

“Angel, you’re amazing-!”

You quickly shoved him away by the face with a sneer.

“Don’t touch me! I’m still angry with you!”

Philip immediately withdrew with a mixed expression of hurt and sorrow. A few moments passed before he wet his lips and opened his mouth.

“Angel, I truly am sorry for all of this. I let a stranger’s thoughts dictate my own and I got carried away with the promise of one of the rarest substances in the Boiling Isles,” he paused then moved from his knees to sit properly beside you. “I guess… I guess I thought if we could get it early, we could go home sooner.”

This struck a chord with you. “We”. He actually said, “we”. After a short silence, you spoke. 

“Philip…”

“Hm?”

“What are we?”

“What are we? What do you mean?”

Philip flinched when you gave him a side-glare and he remembered back to the “lover’s spat” comment. 

“O-Oh, yes… We’re traveling companions. We forged a strong bond of fellowship and… and…”

He watched your hand tighten on the fabric over your knee as he spoke and you turned your head away from him to glare elsewhere. It was clear this wasn’t what you wanted to hear. Philip’s heart leapt at this but the sensation only lasted so long when he was presented with a challenge. He had never had to confess to anyone before and, while he was good with words, he was never great at expressing his emotions. If he had any. With a deep inhale, he tried his best. “No… that’s not true. It’s not like what I’ve done for you that I’ve done for others who I’ve considered traveling companions. You are… different… for me.”

He flinched when you snapped your head in his direction and he averted his gaze. His face suddenly felt very uncharacteristically warm and he swallowed hard.

“I’ve been very affectionate toward you over our adventures, haven’t I? I’ve kept you close, awake and in sleep, kissed you several times at least, among other things… Well, there is a reason for that…” It killed him when you didn’t say anything. He could feel your eyes on him, searing his skin. He deserved this for letting it go on for far too long. With a deep inhale, he ran a hand over his head as he struggled to find the words to continue.

“I admit… that I… may… have… become quite… smitten. With you. During our travels. And… I… did not want to ruin. Anything… by…”

Your heart skipped a beat hearing this and your anger receded at his confession.

“... telling me you liked me?”

Philip’s eyes darted in your direction and he cleared his throat. At least you said something.

“T-That’s one way to put it, yes.”

“I doubt you would have ruined anything by telling me that. I believe the feeling is mutual.”

Philip felt you slip your arm around his and your hand into his gloved one as you leaned against his shoulder. Glancing at you, he found your expression was semi-content but still held a tinge of anger. His stare relaxed before turning his attention back to the rain. It felt as if his own heart was doing backflips. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out the next part. 

“If it is, then how badly do you wish to anger Alder for what he’s done?”

You stared forward blankly, the side of your mouth twitching before glaring at the rain.

“Very. He had no right endangering your life or making unfounded accusations against you or for kidnapping me,” you tightened your grip on his hand. “He acts as if he has a say in my life and it sickens me.”

This answer steeled Philip’s nerves and his confidence returned trifold.

“Hm. Well, we could commit to one another,” he sighed. “If you’ll have me, of course.”

Your brows flashed and your head snapped in his direction to meet his gaze. You slowly sat up as what he said sank in.

“What…?”

“It’s only a thought,” Philip shrugged. “Though, it’s not as romantic as I would have liked and I don’t appreciate that foppish gobermouch forcing my hand so soon. I haven’t the chance to speak to your father…”

Your gaze was that of a deer caught in headlights. Any anger you held onto was now gone as your head spun while trying to process the fact that he had just asked you to marry him. The shock of the idea someone actually wanted to…

“You want to…?”

Philip chuckled some with a slight smirk.

“It would twist his knickers to know I laid claim to you and you willingly accepted, but it would… give you a better title for what we are,” he sighed. “I would be your intended, or fiance. Your future husband.”

When you remained silent, he continued.

“I would like to believe I would be a decent husband to someone, though there wasn’t really anyone back home who I was remotely invested in… like this…” he cleared his throat and looked away. “Considering… everything, that someone might as well be you… if you are willing to marry… outside of your… race… You already know I will take care of you and protect you with my life…”

Emotion welled in your chest as he spoke. He sounded so sincere and soft as he rambled.

“But it’s not like we would need to get married soon, either. It can be a long engagement. However, my religion does not use rings for engagements forward but if you would prefer one, I’m sure we can find one… Perhaps, once my journey is completed here, we could wed in my world and I can give you a proper life-”

Without warning, you threw your arms around him and embraced him tightly, hiding your face in his shoulder. Philip gasped from the sudden movement and caught himself from falling over as his free arm wrapped around you, keeping you close. 

“I want that…” you murmured. “I want all of that. I don’t care if Alder gets upset… In fact, I don’t even want to do it for him!”

You felt both arms around you now, steadily tightening. Philip stared past you at the rain.

“So be it… However… there… are some things you should know about before-”

“I-In time, Flip… I’ll deal with all of it in stride…” you pulled away to look at him, your hand settling on his cheek. You hadn’t realized the tears swelling in your eyes until one streaked down your face. “I don’t care what it is. And I don’t want you to go to my family. They’re just as bad as Alder.”

“I really think that I should tell you-” the man began but then paused. “Wait, what?!”

Philip’s eye twitched when you reiterated what Alder had told you, including the part about going to your father to get his permission to retrieve you. The more he listened, the tighter his hold on you became and his eyes relaxed once more. You were too excited to notice the tone shift to a much darker one after he kissed your cheek.

“Blight! Knock it off!” you growled, trying to snatch a stack of papers out of the outstretched hand of Alder Blight, a bully that had set his sights on you for the past year or so. Two others stood behind him. “I need those!”

“If you want us to stop, why not make us?” the male witch snickered. A pair of hands reached out behind him and took the stack.  “Oh, wait! You can’t. You can’t do magic!”

“You’re supposed to be acting like grown adults, not children in school!” you chided, still reaching for your work. “Aren’t you a little old to be acting this way?!”

“What kind of witch can’t even do magic?” the witch who had grabbed them started flipping through the pages, his three eyes scanning them as he completely ignored your insult. This was Baron.  “What is this anyway? There are no pictures.”

“One without a bile sac apparently,” Alder snickered, wandering up to look at the papers over Baron’s shoulder.

“It’s a history of the town I was asked to write by the mayor!” you pressed. “I worked for months on it! Please, give it back!”

The final witch in their group by the name of Forsythia Park rushed past Baron to look at you, surprisingly, with concern. She was the youngest out of the three and you had a sneaking suspicion that she was only with these two because she either liked one of them, couldn’t say no and went with it, or just wanted to be popular.

“You don’t have a bile sac?! I am so sorry! I didn’t realize-!” she cried with her hands together in a pleading gesture. “If I had known, I would have never-!”

She was promptly brushed aside by Alder.

“What are you sorry for?” he scoffed then blinked and laughed. “Oh wait, I get it! This is quite pitiful, isn’t it?”

“I told you, it’s a birth defect!” you growled, finally managing to grip the stack to try to pull it out of Baron’s hands. From there, the two of you started a tug of war. “And I don’t have time for this! I have to get it to the book binder before nightfall-!”

“You’re not even half a witch at this point! You’re as lame as that human who’s been wandering the Isles! He can’t do magic either!”  Alder crossed his arms and shook his head with a smirk.

“Oh, that’s a new one! Comparing me to the human,” you rolled your eyes sarcastically. “Haven’t heard that one since he appeared in our realm. Let go, Baron!”

“Baron, come on, give it back!” Forsythia stomped a foot, actually siding with you. “This isn’t funny anymore! It’s probably the only thing they can do!”

This made Alder laugh so hard he cried.

“Dear lord, Forsythia, you’re good at this!”

This caused the girl to go quiet and red in the face out of embarrassment.

“Fine, fine, they can have it back,” Baron rolled his eyes. Your mistake was pulling too hard and not bracing yourself for what came next. Baron watched you with a bored look then grinned maliciously and let go of the stack. You lost your balance and fell back, hitting the ground hard. Hundreds of pages scattered the ground, some landing in puddles from the last rain, some blowing off in the wind. Others became entangled in the brush nearby. The group, minus Forsythia, burst into laughter again.

“No!” you gasped, scrambling to try to gather every page you could.

“Woah, look at it go!” Baron shielded his eyes from the light and watched the wind whip around a handful of the pages. With a sigh, he dusted off his hands. “Okay, I’m bored. How about we go torment someone else?”

“You mean someone who can fight back? That seems interesting,” Alder wrapped a hand around his chin. “Okay. Let’s go Forsythia.”

The two started walking off, not worried about their third member who stood there, watching you. You had gathered as much as you could but there was still a large chunk of the stack missing. More than half. You sat there on your knees, staring off in the direction that the wind had taken the rest of the pages. There was a cliff nearby, so you were willing to bet that a lot of them had already fallen into the boiling seawater or burnt up.

“Y/N… I’m sorry-”

You pushed yourself to your feet, shoulders hunched, not bothering to look at her or to pick up what was left. You let the wind take whatever it wanted.

“Just go, Forsythia. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Maybe we can salvage-”

“It’s gone. All that work. All that research. Gone. Just go back and do… whatever you’re trying to accomplish with those two.”

Before she could say another word, you turned and headed back into town.

A numbness filled you as you made your way through the streets. Maybe if you explained what happened to the mayor, he’ll give you another shot at it and extend your deadline. Unfortunately, you had to wonder if you were only given this task out of pity for your handicap. Either way, it was worth a shot, you guessed.

Turning the corner, you caught what seemed to be the tail-end of a scuffle. A man with long, brown hair in a ponytail and a scruffy beard in a blue jacket was thrown to the ground at your feet by two thugs you recognized as frequent patrons of a bar down the way. Tusk and Timber. They were also the mayor’s demon bodyguards who had to keep clean public appearances if they wanted to keep their jobs. A glance at the man at your feet made you realize it was the human you were being compared to. He sat up and put his hands out to defend himself.

“Now, hold on-!”

“Ha! Like we’d ever help a whelp like you! We heard what happened to the Gross brothers. They were last seen with you before disappearin’! Pretty suspicious how that happened. Care to explain- eh?” one of them scoffed but then paused upon seeing you. He strode past the man on the ground and got in your face. “What the hell you starin’ at, not-a-witch?”

Without thinking, you opened your mouth. You were half surprised at what had come out, but you weren’t in the mood to be polite.

“Two empty-headed brutes who can’t give a simple no, apparently,” you answered deadpan with half-lidded eyes, crossing your arms and shifting your weight to one leg.  “I wasn’t aware that you needed constant reminders. I’ll gladly remind you that you don’t have the mental compacity to choose non-violent paths.”

The thug’s eyes widened, and he grabbed you by the collar, pulling you up high enough where your toes barely touched the ground. You kept your arms crossed and didn’t react past raising a brow.

“What did you say?! You callin’ me dumb?!”

“More like an imbecile, but I guess monosyllabic words work better for you, don’t they, Tusk? I will say that it’s impressive that you have the ability to understand when you’re being insulted, given… all this,” you lifted a hand and motioned to all of him. The demon hissed at you. You caught a snort followed by a quiet snicker on the ground. At least the human found it amusing.

“Oh, I don’t care if you’re missin’ your bile sac, that mouth of yours is about to get you into a world of hurt!” he snarled, raising a fist in a threatening manner.

“Say it a bit louder, Tusk. I don’t think the people living in the Toes can hear you. Might as well let everyone know I can’t do magic. Maybe if you forgot that tidbit, you’ll have enough storage in that tiny brain to remember important things!” you gave a wry grin then rolled your eyes. “Speaking of which, here’s where you need your reminder. I’m working with the mayor right now. What would he say if I came into work with a black eye? I’d have to be truthful and tell him that one of his men who are supposed to be keeping their noses clean in public did it, thus rendering your contracts with him obsolete. Are you starting to connect the dots?”

You slowly tilted your head to stare dead-eyed at Timber behind him who happened to be the smartest of the two… not by much though. His face fell hard in realization, and he immediately snatched Tusk’s wrist and shook his head.

“Put ‘em down, Tusk,” Timber pressed. “We need this job.”

“Right, yeah, because it’s much steadier pay than having to loan yourselves out as sell-swords which, might I add, may not be illegal but frowned upon by higher society, the very people you want to impress,” you reminded him as he slowly set you down on your feet. The demon let out a growl before whirling around and stomping off down the street.

“There. You got what you wanted. We’ll leave the human alone. Just don’t say a word about this to the boss or we’ll come find you,” Timber warned before following Tusk. You fixed your collar before clearing your throat.

“And I’ll have you know; the Gross brothers were into illicit activities long before the human arrived here! They probably realized they couldn’t get much from him, left him to die then ran off to Latissa since they were the last ones he was seen with if he didn’t come back alive!” you called after them. “Wouldn’t be the first time they pulled that, huh?! I’d say think about that before throwing out accusations, but I don’t think that’s possible!”

Once the two were gone, you let out a sigh.

“Funny, telling off those brutes usually makes me feel better,” you narrowed your eyes and rubbed your chin. You then dropped your shoulders when you remembered losing your work and having to go back to plead mercy from the mayor. “Oh. Right. Why couldn’t I have been that ruthless ten minutes ago?”

“Well, if it is true that you do not possess the ability to do magic, your sharp tongue and wit certainly compensate for it,” a soft British voice called out behind you. Your shoulders flinched upwards only to drop again.

“Ugh, why not? I’m already considered the “town freak”, might as well interact with the human everyone’s whispering about,” you grumbled under your breath. You glanced over your shoulder just in time to see the human stand, revealing himself to be taller than you anticipated. He turned his bright cornflower blue gaze to you as he brushed himself off and fixed his jacket. You couldn’t help but stare a moment. “... Pretty eyes…”

“What was that?” he furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

“Nothing!” you snapped your attention away from him, face slightly red. He raised a brow before chuckling.

“So, who do I have to thank for saving my hide?” he outstretched a gloved hand which made you cross your arms tightly and turn your body away, still unsure about him. The stories you heard about him swam around in your head, but you didn’t know what was fact and what was fiction.

“You need to be more careful around here,” you muttered. “Some witches don’t take kindly to non-magic beings.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

Your arms tightened at the question, enough to dig your nails into the skin. You bit back the urge to snap at him over it. He couldn’t help it right? He was just human. Very few knew what this felt like. His fingers curled up and he retracted his hand.

“I see.”

“You should leave… before anyone else decides to attack you. I was able to talk Tusk and Timber out of doing whatever they were planning to do to you, I won’t be able to do that again. Witches like them tend not to listen unless they have something to lose,” you sighed, then stepped away. “Excuse me.”

As you started in the direction Timber and Tusk had gone, you heard his footsteps begin to follow you.

“Seems as if you saved more than just me by intervening. I’m sure those two are grateful you said something and let them keep their jobs. That was very kind of you,” the human sped up to match your pace and leaned forward to look at you. “And, ah, for the record, I’m not following you. The town gate happens to be in this direction as well…”

Your face warmed some from the compliment as you rubbed the back of your neck.

“After I insulted their intelligence, sure. Grateful,” you grumbled.

“Well, for what it’s worth, thank you, “Not-a-witch”,” he said in a playful tone with his brows raised. “I haven’t met anyone else who stood up for me like that, especially referring to my ex-companions that way. I hope to meet more understanding souls like yourself on my journey.”

The man gripped the strap of his bag and strode past you. You stared after him a moment, slowing down. You had heard warnings about him, including the things about his ex-companions disappearing or perishing in horrific ways, but a lot of it was hearsay without any evidence. Pure gossip. Something would have been done about him if he was truly dangerous, right? He seemed nice and sincere. With an inward sigh, you decided to hell with it. What did you have to lose by interacting further with him?

“Y/N… actually,” you called after him. The man paused before turning to face you, surprised at first but then gave you a kind smile.

“Y/N… Charmed. I’m Philip Wittebane.”

You repeated his name and closed the gap between the two of you.

“Well… I’m headed to town hall, which is also near the gate. I… don’t mind if we headed that way together…”

Upon hearing this, Philip’s expression brightened.

“I would be delighted for the company, Y/N.”

And with that, the two of you continued the trek across town. You had told him what had happened right before running into him and the two brutes and it looked as if the man was about to have a heart attack when told how many pages you had lost.

“My word! I would have lost all will to live if that had happened to me!” he gripped his satchel close.

“I’m… still fighting against that,” you rubbed your arm. “I’m just hoping I can get a second chance at it. If not, I’m not sure what I’d do.”

“I’m terribly sorry that transpired against you,” Philip lowered his voice. “I truly am. From one scholar to another.”

“Scholar?” your head perked but then you shook it. “Oh no, I’m no scholar. I’m… just trying to find something I’m good at to find my place in a society that is heavily reliant on magic.”

“I disagree. If you did as much work as you said you did to create a book for others to have an easier time to understand your town’s history, you must be a scholar. You’ve learned all of that for the sake of learning. I can’t imagine how that wouldn’t make you one.”

You couldn’t help but smile.

“Thanks… I think I needed to hear that,” you sighed. Philip nodded with a soft grunt.

“I… hope you don’t find this forward of me, but… you were born without a bile sac?”

“It’s a birth defect,” you answered automatically in a deadpan tone since you constantly had people asking about it. “Skips a handful of generations in my family and I was the lucky one who got it.”

“Ah…”

“There’s three kinds of people, those who consider me a freak of nature, those who show pity to the point that they try to do things for me I can’t normally do, or those that ignore my existence since, in their eyes, you’re useless without magic,” you explained. An awkward silence fell between the two of you before you were gently nudged in the arm.

“Well, I’m pleased to say I’m none of those considering I’m in the same boat. I was born without a bile sac too. That’s where dignity and intelligence come in,” Philip shrugged. The playful tone kept you from being angry with him and you let out a snicker.

“Smart arse,” you muttered. “Off topic, but what… did you ask Tusk and Timber for that made them react that way?”

“Oh… Well… it’s nothing I want to bother you with. Let’s just say I just needed a guide or two to get around the Isles. It’s just since the Gross brothers abandoned me, everyone seems to believe I’m cursed or that I’ve done something to them,” he flicked a hand. “As if I even have the means to take down two powerful witches. I mean, look at me,” he motioned to himself. “Compared to them, I’m nothing but skin and bones! I should really be careful who I speak to at the taverns.”

“You really should. There are those who also try to collect rarities and being human puts you on that list,” you chuckled and folded your arms behind your back. “Probably right beside someone like me.”

“Oh, well if that be the case, I’d gladly let them take me if you’re right there,” he joked. “At least I’d have someone to talk to.”

You couldn’t help but smirk and roll your eyes.

“Har, har. That’s even if you’re kept alive that long. They could just do to you what they do when they hunt rare beasts and mount your head on a wall as a trophy.”

“AH. Yes, that would be quite a hindrance, wouldn’t it?” he stroked his beard with a furrowed brow. He then shrugged. “Well then, I’ll just have to develop a better sense about these things.”

“I guess you’ll have to. This world is hard and unforgiving for someone who can’t defend themselves without magic- as if I have to tell you that. You’re living through it,” you flicked a hand but then came to a dead stop upon seeing the town hall looming over you. You became crestfallen with a hard sigh. Philip looked between you and the building.

“... As are you, hm?”

“Yeah…” you breathed but then inhaled to pull yourself together and you gave him the best smile you could muster. “Thanks for the chat. I better get in there and see what can be done about losing all that work.”

“The feeling is mutual, Y/N. I’ve quite enjoyed your company, regardless of how short it was. Good luck. I… hope to see you around? Again? Soon? Maybe?” he gave you a hopeful glance.

“Maybe… I guess we’ll let fate decide,” you hummed. “Good night, Philip. Please be more careful out there.”

Philip nodded before turning to leave.

“To hell with fate, I’ll make sure we meet again soon,” he muttered quietly under his breath out of earshot of you. When you called out his name again, he flinched and whirled around. “Y-Yes?”

You gazed at him with concern.

“... Don’t let the gossip get to you. It’ll die down soon. It’s just a bunch of bored people who have nothing going on in their lives making crazy things up to pass the time. They’ll see once the Gross brothers come out of hiding after what they did to you,” you offered him a kind smile. He stared back at you and let out a soft chuckle.

“Of course. I figured as much. Don’t worry about me, Y/N. I refuse to let anyone get in my way of my goals. And neither shall you, hm?”

You shook your head in response.

“Never.”

The two of you parted ways, you entering the town hall and him leaving through the gate.

Philip fished into his satchel to retrieve his book and skipped over pages that spoke about a grim ending to a set of brothers who had accompanied him to get to a clean one.

“How fortuitous, I became acquainted with a saint in this horrid place,” he softly narrated as he wrote and walked. “Akin to finding a lost angel that was once snatched from Heaven by vile demons while traversing the ninth circle of hell itself. Despite their own misfortune, they valiantly saved my life from monsters that blocked my path without raising so much as a sword. I shall meet with them on the morrow to convince them to accompany me on my journey. I aim to return the favor and deliver them to safety. And the angel’s name? Y/N… Such a fitting name for one so gentle and kind. Their defect is their saving grace and I, their savior. It is destiny.”

Philip then closed the book and returned it to his satchel as he gazed back toward the town with a dark, determined expression.

Oh, my divine Angel, must I disturb your sleeping form? You look so peaceful… But alas, I must. That demon cannot find you. I must take you further away. Maybe toward the Knee. Or the Hand. I’ll figure something out. Forgive me, dearest. I’ll let you rest as soon as we get to a safer place…

“Galderstone… Selkidomis scale… Palistrom wood… Stonesleeper lung? Bone of Ortet?” you read aloud the list Philip had given you as you followed him down a path in the early morning hours. The man had made a point that it would be best to keep moving in case someone came looking for you since the two of you had left a day early and neither of you was far from your hometown yet. “What is all this for? I’ve never heard of a… bone of ortet?”

You glanced up at the man who walked ahead of you as he wrote something down in his journal.

“Hm? Oh, it’s an experiment I want to try. I was given that list by someone in Latissa. Granted, there may be an extra ingredient or two missing but it’s a start,” Philip closed his journal and slowed down just enough for you to catch up to him.  “I would like to try to get them eventually and I would imagine it will take us all over the Isles.”

“Hm. I know Palistrom wood should be the easiest to come by but I’m not sure about the rest. And… are we going to have to use the modern-day equivalent of a Stonesleeper? I thought those were extinct…” you murmured. “Not having an innate magical ability somewhat hindered my knowledge in these sorts of things…”

“Understandable. I am still learning myself.”

“Speaking of learning,” you slipped the list into his satchel and looked up at him. “How many more glyphs do you think there are?”

“I am not entirely sure, to be honest,” he rubbed his chin. “I haven’t found another one in quite a while. I’m sure when the world is ready to show the next one, we’ll find it.”

“I see…” you sighed. You glanced at your surroundings as the two of you made your way down one of the trade routes toward another town. You were entering areas you had never seen before and excitement rose in your chest. It was beautiful, however, it did remind you of the comment Philip made about the Boiling Isles being a “god-awful place”.  “It’s so nice out here. I wonder though, is it anything like where you’re from?”

Philip scoffed and shook his head.

“Not even close. Sure, this place has its moments, but the human realm has a beauty that is incomparable. Green trees, non-boiling seas and rains, quiet nights…” he sighed. The longing look in his eyes made you smile sadly. 

“That sounds amazing… You must miss it.” “Dearly. I wish to return to it someday,” he glanced down at you with a smile. “Maybe you’ll be able to accompany me.”

“Really?” you blinked and he nodded. “I’d love to see another realm! But…”

“But?” “But first I would like to explore my own. I don’t know anything about this place outside of books and maps. I think it’d be best to start here.”

Philip laughed light-heartedly.

“Oh, Angel, it’ll be a while before I can return. There’s much to do here first,” he placed a hand at the center of your back. You stared at him a moment, the name he just called you rolling around in your head. Has he been calling you that and you just now noticed? You had caught “love” a handful of times but not “Angel”. He noticed the stare. “Hm? What is it?”

“Angel?...”

Philip fell quiet for only a moment, his face turning red under his beard and he rubbed the back of his neck while avoiding eye contact. 

“Oh… Forgive me,” he started quietly. “I’ll stop using it if you’re… ah, uncomfortable with it-”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just wondering why that?” 

“Well… Your benevolence toward me these past few days have been nothing but angelic… So…”

“What even is an angel?”

Philip opened his mouth but then closed it and snapped his head in your direction with a look that screamed “I can’t believe you just asked that”.

… … … then he went on for hours about something called Heaven where a god resides and all of his followers were angels and how there was this one angel that disagreed and went to war with the god… So there’s a god in the human realm that is all-knowing and all-seeing but its teachings are told through normal people and if you don’t do its will, it sends you to a place called Hell for all eternity? Then there’s something called the “Original Sin” that sounds… awful if I’m interpreting it right. Ugh. I’m so glad we don’t have something like that here. 

Well, at least it made Philip conk out when we got to our next destination. He wasn’t kidding when he said he had cave setups all over the Boiling Isles. This one overlooks a boiling lake and you can see the Titan’s skull in the distance. It’s so nice… I’m going to continue practicing glyphs as well as gather firewood for tonight.  I’ll write soon.

=========================================================

I did something unforgivable. I hurt Angel. They were trying to be playful and were trying to get to know me, I see that now, but at the time, I hadn’t realized. I took it the wrong way and I said something horrible, something that poured salt into an open wound they had since before I even met them. They won’t talk to me now past one-word answers. Oh, why did I open my damn mouth?!

“Humans are weird,” you murmured after Philip told you about how he grew up in the human realm. The two of you had just settled in for the night with a fire between you.

“No, we are not!” he scoffed. “Take that back!”

“Yes you are!” you snickered back. “I mean, most of the stuff that you’ve told me sounds like you live a very mundane life. It’s boring. You have the freedom to go anywhere you wanted and yet all you do is work. I didn’t and I still was able to have some fun in my day-to-day life.”

“By being confined to a library?” Philip raised a brow.

“Or going to the beach to find unique things, climbing onto rooftops for the thrill of jumping from rooftop to rooftop knowing if I fell I couldn’t magically heal myself, messing with the town guards to make them think they’re crazy for thinking they saw something that wasn’t there. I once got them to believe a Slitherbeast was loose outside of the gates with nothing but light and shadows,” you explained. Philip just stared over the fire at you. Memories of messing with people played in his head, even up until a year or so before- He shook his head. If he started talking about it, he would only say something that would get you to prod for more. It was probably best not to say anything.  “Surely there was something you did for fun-”

He just scoffed.

“We all did what needed to be done. While you had all the time in the world to muck about because you couldn’t properly contribute, we had goals to achieve. It’s not like your community didn’t do the same-!” Philip crossed his arms and glared at the ground. When you didn’t reply immediately, he glanced up. You stared down at the fire, disheartened. Your smile and playful demeanor were nowhere to be found. Philip, realizing what he had said, put his hands up in defense. “I did not mean it like that…”

“I guess… I did screw around a lot,” you answered quietly. “Couldn’t figure out what else I was good for so and got tired of being yelled at for being under foot… I just went on my own and did things to entertain myself to keep from reminding myself how useless I was. It’s not like anyone needed a powerless witch around when everything can be done by magic.”

“Hold on, now-”

Philip’s mind raced to try to mend the situation. When you glanced up at him with a broken smile, a part of him died.

“I forgot that I’m still the odd one out. It must be nice to be useful.”

“Y/N, please-” he breathed as he watched you stand and gather some of the parchment paper and a pen.

“I’m… I’m going to practice glyphs…” you avoided eye contact with him. “Don’t fall asleep too close to the fire. Your beard will catch again.”

Philips scrambled to his feet but by the time he did, you had left the cave. Panic flooded his mind. What was he going to do? What if you decided to go back to town because of what he said? After several minutes of pacing and trying to figure out what to do, he rushed out of the cave to look for you. 

He was greeted with a nighttime setting with a full moon hanging over the boiling lake. You were nowhere in sight. Philip didn’t call out for you, not wanting to call attention to the cave to anything that could be nearby, and went searching the immediate area. Still, no sign of you. 

“Oh, if anything happened to them, I’ll never forgive myself..” he growled under his breath. Just as he inhaled to call out for you, he paused. The sight of thick vines wrapping around two trees not far from the cave caught his attention and he followed them up to see a vine hammock several feet off the ground. He had walked under it three times so far.

“Y/N?” he called up quietly and began to climb the vines that were wrapped around the base of the tree. Once he was high enough, he peered into the hammock. You laid there, staring up at the purple night sky with the same disheartened look you had back in the cave. A hand laid against your chest with crumpled up parchment in your fist. “Mind if I-?”

“It’s not strong enough to hold two yet.”

“O-Oh… Listen…”

You let out a soft sigh before rolling onto your side.

“I’m too tired to think about this right now… Can we talk in the morning?”

Philip opened his mouth to continue what he was going to say but paused upon hearing your request.

“Of course, Angel. Just… Just be careful out here,” he murmured before climbing back down. With one last glance at the hammock, Philip made his way back to the cave.

Philip clenched the strap across his chest, his mind on you as you trailed behind him, looking as if you hadn’t had any sleep the night before. If he was honest, he didn’t get much himself, trying to figure out a way to keep you from leaving because of it. Your head was down with your gaze on the path and whenever he addressed you, you wouldn’t look at him. It was killing him. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when you stopped halfway down the trail.

“Y/N?” he turned when he realized you weren’t behind him.

“Why am I even here?” you muttered, causing Philip’s brows to flash. 

“What are you saying?”

“You could have just taken the maps and just… just left me there. I shouldn’t be here.”

The sound of Philip’s satchel hitting the ground caused you to look up only to find Philip in front of you with an enraged expression. His hands lashed out, grabbing your upper arms tightly and pulling you toward him.

“P-Philip-!”

“Enough!” he snarled, his hands squeezing as he spoke. “I will not have this! I brought you with me because we made a deal!”

“Y-You’re hurting me-!”

“Who the bloody hell cares if you can’t do magic?! Your skills would make you absolutely essential in my realm! I see your value where others are too damn blind to see it! If I thought you were useless, I would have never even considered bringing you with me! Do you know what kind of mind it takes to do what you do?!”

Your stare was fearful at first but it relaxed into one of realization. Your face warmed as you gazed up into those stern blue eyes and listened to him. When he finally released you, you stood there quietly.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself and buck up! You’re invaluable to me. Start acting like it,” he growled, turning on his heel and snatching his bag from the ground. He glanced at you again with a glare as he slipped his satchel back on but his voice was calmer now. “Now, let’s continue. We need to get to the next area before nightfall.”

The aching in your arms from where he grabbed you was ignored as you stared after him. He found you useful. He actually said “invaluable”. Excitement rose in your chest as you rushed after him.

Once Philip noticed you out of the corner of his eye, he cleared his throat and folded his arms behind his back.

“I do apologize for what I said last night,” he spoke softly, his gaze on the path ahead. “I did not react properly and it was insensitive of me to say what I did.”

“It’s… It’s okay… I’m... I’m used to it, you know?”

“No, it is not “okay”. I am genuine when I say your talent is very much needed and appreciated, regardless of what others believe.”

“The only ones that seem remotely interested in my cartography skills are those who want maps to what doesn’t exist…” you sighed, staying near him. “I’m… just glad I’m able to help you with your goals.”

“I know. And I will continue to need your help for quite a while, Y/N. Please don’t believe I can do this without you.”

You couldn’t help but smile as your face warmed again and you turned your gaze to the ground in front of you.

“Don’t worry about the book, we decided last month to go in a different direction! We want you on the project, but for the time being, we need you to go back to running errands.”

The mayor’s words repeated over and over in your head as you stared out over the boiling seas from the beach. The response just left you dead inside. When asked why no one told you since you had been openly working on it, the answer had been just as deflating. 

“We thought you just needed something to keep you busy since, you know, you can’t… you-know-what...”

If you hadn’t come from an affluent family, you’d wonder what the hell you would be doing with your life. The only reason you even had a job with the mayor was because of who you were related to. Regardless, you really weren’t looking forward to going back to running errands but what else was there for you to do? A better question was “What did you want to do?”. 

What haven’t you done already? You charted the stars, you made maps by reading old discovery journals you obtained through the library and retired adventurers, and you blindly created a trade route using those maps that turned out to be extremely successful between the cities. And the kicker of it all was you actually enjoyed it. Everything you’ve done so far pointed to traveling and discovering new parts of the Titan that had yet to be explored.  Hell, even part of the book you wrote had geography maps of the town before and after and the established trade routes.

However, no matter how much you expressed your desire to travel, you were met with resistance from those around you. They grounded you with warnings of vicious beasts and dangerous roads, things you had already come across in those journals. Over the years you had learned techniques that weren’t based on magic to soothe some of them, just to prove a point but no one paid any attention. That did involve learning several instruments from a couple of old bards that lived in town. Naysayers brushed it off as a sad attempt to fit in. Even with positive results, you were ignored. It didn’t matter how much you tried to show what you could do, no one seemed to have had any confidence in you to survive traveling without a “real witch” with you.

When you brought up the use of a palisman, you were shot down again. 

“Don’t put so much pressure on the poor thing!” “A palisman is more than just a magical tool to get what you want! Don’t be selfish!” 

It was what deterred you from getting a palisman in the first place. You were treated as if you would overwork the palisman instead of having a lifelong partner, that you’d be a burden to it. Seeing everyone with their palismen and how they built everlasting relationships with them over the years hurt. A lot.

With no one willing to help you or encourage you, you remained grounded, like a bird whose wings had been clipped by a careful owner.

Finding this too depressing, you shook your head and looked down the beach at seemingly nothing to try to find something else to dwell on to pass the time. The thought of going back home made your head hurt. You suddenly perked up at the sight of a figure slowly heading your way. Squinting, you made that figure out to be the human you ran into earlier that day. Philip Wittebane. He was walking by the shore and writing in his journal without looking up. He was a little ways off so you didn’t move from where you were sitting, just watching him contently.

He was able to travel around without any innate magic ability. He was able to brave the wilderness and discover the isles with or without anyone’s help for years now. Why could he do that as a human, but you couldn’t do that as a powerless witch? What was the difference here?

The conversation you had with him mulled over in your mind as you watched him get closer, specifically the part about what he wanted to ask Tusk and Timber. His answer made your head slowly rise in realization. He needed a guide to get around the Isles. Even though he seemed well traveled, there must have been something he was trying to do that needed more expertise, something that needed guys like Tusk and Timber or the Gross brothers. While you were no where near what either of them were strength-wise, you did have your maps and journals. Why couldn’t you be the one to go with him? True, he wasn’t a witch, but at least you wouldn’t be alone! The only thing you had to do was to get him to agree to take you along.

Pushing yourself up, you dusted the sand off of your clothes and made your way toward the man.

“The angel’s longing stare captivates me as no other has. It’s as if they are looking through the waves at whatever lies beneath them instead of at them. I have lost track of time watching them since I noticed their presence near the shore, trying to find the best way to approach without offending. They seem… dejected, the poor thing. Their task must have not gone well.”

Philip stood on the edge of the forest several yards away. He had been exploring the area while contemplating how to casually meet with you again. Several scenarios played out in his head, some of which would probably have gotten him smacked, but he nixed all of them. 

He had already offended a witch in the previous town by… well, he wasn’t exactly sure how. All he remembered was saying something along the lines of how some people deserved the fate handed to them, referring mainly to his past companions who happened to be of some relation to the witch. Granted, he wasn’t implicated in the disappearance (or worse, as far as they knew), but it may have come off in poor timing. It wasn’t his fault he was right. The hit stung like mad though.

Regardless, he was aiming to gain your favor, not to see how quickly he could offend you or how hard you could hit him. He had a feeling you may not use an open hand, but a fist instead if it came to that.

When he caught sight of you on the beach, his heart leapt into his throat and before he knew it, he had sketched your likeness on the page he was writing on in the margin. His mind raced on what to do next. This was the perfect opportunity to see you again. 

“I was thinking, would you join me on my mission?” he practiced as he rushed further down the tree line away from you to find the perfect spot to cross to the shore without you seeing him. “Forgive me, I had a thought earlier. You would accompany me- Join? No, accompany sounds better. Accompany me on my… my… mission? No, too formal. They’ll want to know exactly what that means. They’re not an idiot not like the others, God forbid… Quest? Journey? Right, journey… to… across the Boiling Isles?  Bloody Hell, get it together, Philip! You’re not asking them to wed! Well, not yet anyway…”

Philip found a large rocky outcrop where several strange touch pools were scattered about and he quickly fixed himself up. He pulled out his ponytail only to rake his fingers through his long hair, careful of any knots, and put it right back up. The small tuft of hair immediately sprung back up, causing him to sigh in defeat so he just moved on to his beard, then to his clothes. Once he was sure he looked presentable, he took out his journal again and started to write or doodle in it to make it look like he was working as he approached you. To his surprise, you noticed him immediately but he did not let on he knew you were watching him. His heart raced. What were you thinking with that pensive gaze? When he got closer,  you stood, dusted yourself off and started to make your way toward him. This elated the man to no end and he began scribbling quickly. 

“How fortuitous,” Philip muttered under his breath, watching you approach him out of his peripherals. “The angel has sought me out first.”

"Mister Wittebane-" you started. Philip glanced up with a smile when he noticed you and closed his journal with an audible snap.

“Please, Y/N, call me Philip," he chortled. "There's no need for formalities. What are you doing out here? Isn’t it a bit late?”

You returned the smile and shook your head.

“Okay... Philip... Unfortunately, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep after today, honestly…” you rubbed the back of your neck. “What about you? Aren’t you worried about running into any wild animals or demons?”

“Hm? Oh, no. I’ve learned how to tread carefully and when to do so,” he waved a hand dismissively. “It’s nothing to worry about, my dear.”

Silence fell for only a few moments but you pushed through it. Philip was about to open his mouth to say something and looked shocked that you beat him to it. 

“I know this is forward of me, but I want to offer myself as your guide,” you exclaimed. The human stared for a brief moment before giving you a soft hum while folding his arms behind his back. While he was enthused by your willingness, he wasn’t happy about how you beat him to it. Now, he wasn’t going to just accept so easily. He was going to play hard to get.

“Absolutely not.”

His bluntness threw you off guard as the answer did not match the amused expression on his face.

“What? Why not–?”

“You look as if you’ve never traveled a day in your life.”

“W-Well, only with other witches, but-!”

“But never alone, hm?”

“No-

“And I take it you’ve never slept a night out in the woods?”

“Well, once, but-”

He continued to grill you on what you’ve done and haven’t done when it came to traveling and roughing it and each answer came back less and less appealing. It didn’t matter to him one way or another considering he was going to accept in the end. He just wanted to give you a hard time first and tease you a little. He had every intention of protecting you if you had accepted him.

“I see. I’m sorry but I’m going to have to decline,” he sighed as he stepped around you and continued down the beach. “I don’t think we’d be a good fit. Besides, it’s clear that you haven't a clue what you’re doing and have nothing to offer in return.”

“Philip-!” you groaned in frustration. Upon hearing that, your head perked up. “Wait! I do!”

This caused Philip to halt in his tracks.

“You do?” his eyebrows flashed as he slightly turned his head. Before he knew what was happening, you had rushed up and taken his hand and began pulling him toward the town. 

“Yes! Come with me!” you smiled brightly back at him. Pulling him forward earned you a yelp but he quickly recovered and was able to keep up with you. 

“Easy! Where are we going?” he laughed as you led him through the streets that were now lit up by lantern fire.

“You’ll see!” you answered, not looking back. You were so focused on what you were doing that you didn’t acknowledge the sound of a heavy gasp and a pot shattering on the cobbled street. Philip glanced over to find the girl you knew as Forsythia staring at him with a startled expression, both of her hands over her mouth with her eyes darting from his hand in yours to his face. At her feet laid a broken flower pot with some strange plant inside. Without a beat, she quickly ducked back into an open door behind her and slammed it shut. The side of Philip’s mouth twitched some. That wasn’t a good reaction. Something told him that his time in this town was nearing its end.

Philip found himself staring down at a table with scrolls laying haphazardly across the surface with maps and coordinates written on them with stacks of what looked like old books. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the research you had done for the book you told him about. The walls of the room he stood in were decorated with various sketches of the Isles in between bookcases overstuffed with books and various objects. 

“I was… not expecting this…” he answered quite truthfully as his fingers ran over the margins of some of the work. 

“Of course, you weren’t. No one ever expects anything out of me,” you answered, deadpan with an eye roll. Phillip immediately shook his head.

“N-Not like that… Forgive me, it’s just… This is… extraordinary. You did all of this?” he glanced back at you.

“I’ve had a lot of free time.”

“A scholar and a cartographer… Absolutely fantastic… Are these accurate?” he picked up a map and showed it to you.

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Wait, if you can't leave the town, how on earth do you-?”

“I pieced together everything I had found in these journals,” you touched the cover of the top book on the stack. “Once I plot out trails, the town guards scope out that area and report back to see if it’s a hit or miss. Once in a while, I’m able to go with them and get a better look at the land. Unfortunately, I’ve only been from one town to another without many stops along the way,” you stepped up beside him to look down at the maps. “According to everyone around me, it’s too dangerous for someone without magic to traverse the Isles so I’ve been stuck here all of my life, waiting to either die here or marry a witch that would be willing to take me elsewhere.”

Philip stared down at one of the maps as he listened to you. You didn’t notice his opposite hand curling into a fist in anger but the expression on his face remained neutral. 

“That’s tragic,” he finally answered. His attention turned to the stack of worn books but before he could touch them, you slipped yourself between him and the desk with your arms crossed. Philip’s face reddened slightly from how close you were and he took a step back while clearing his throat.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll let you stay here a couple of nights to look through everything I have, but you’ve got to take me with you when you leave for wherever you’re headed to next,” you leaned back on the desk with your head tilted and a determined expression. “And I mean we stay together to travel, not just “take me somewhere once and that’s it”. Deal?”

“Deal!” Philip thrust his hand forward without a second thought. So much for playing hard to get. He was too determined not to lose your interest now. You were already invaluable to him, wanting nothing more than to keep you to himself as if you were a legendary treasure, but this made his desire become trifold. You became an asset he couldn’t live without. With you at his side, he would accomplish everything he needed to much quicker. He was sure he could convince you to return home with him once his mission was complete. Not your home. His home.

You were surprised by his immediate acceptance but smiled and took his hand. 

“And while you’re here, you could probably use some of that time to get cleaned up a bit,” you raised a brow. You then motioned to the far wall where a couch with a folded blanket was. “Other than that, anything in this room is yours to use. Maps, star charts, Boiling Isles history, legends, and folklore, it’s all here.”

Philip nodded but he wouldn’t let go of your hand. 

“I… ah… can’t do an Everlasting Oath so we’re going to just have to trust each other’s word, okay?” you muttered sheepishly and he nodded again, his wide blue eyes staring intently at you. 

“O-Of course, Y/N. Anything you want, I will do it…”

Your face warmed at how soft he said it and you cleared your throat after a moment or two.