Vantablanc Blog

Sorry tumblr I highk forgot to post this here LOL

Here’s the full pages

+ the original old one

What do y’all know about Sorcerer & Phoenix… (nothing)

CW for blood, death, etc 🤧😕

[[ The Vessel looked over in shock, watching as a knife flew past them and pierced its companion, Lily’s, skull. Thoughts flew through its head, memories mostly. A ‘comrade,’ it’d been called, and yet it couldn’t save her. The blood pooled and reached to its boots, staining the stainless steel. A pain in its jaw began swell, not one from a previous injury. The Vessel pondered if this was what sorrow was. It began to wonder if this was their fault, if it really did deserve this punishment it was getting. Maybe it *was* ‘the Player.’ Cruel, cold, and uncaring. ]]

[[ It snapped back to reality, the lightner was dead. It could run away with the girl, give her a proper burial like she deserved. Or… ]]

[[ A flash of realisation fell upon it, a wicked thought crept into it’s head. It began to shake, knowing what it had to do but feeling as though it couldn’t. It shouldn’t. Those thoughts were quickly overshadowed by a sudden pain in its abdomen, and a brief disappearance from that plane of existence. It staggered backward, nearing the edge of Card Castles roof before managing to get its footing once again. It had made up its mind, it was ready to do what had to be done. The Vessel took its turn. ]]

[[ ACT > LILY > Steal. ]]

[[ The Vessel crouched down to Lily, turning her over gingerly. It took a moment to stare, to ‘mourn’ her death as best as it could, before reaching to her chest and digging its hand into it. It’s pale gauntlets turned a bright red. A painful cracking noise sounded out throughout the air as it tore out her soul, which it flinched at. It sluggishly got back on its two feet, and stared at the trio. The soul beat rhythmically in its hands, the red glint illuminating its featureless face. ]]

[[ The trio remarked a few times at this new development. It couldn’t hear them well over the ringing that began intensifying in its ears. This was it, everything was coming to a close. It’d finally be in a person, it’d finally have a *choice.* ]]

“You can’t reset, y’know? Killer has more determination.” [[ One chuckled. ]]

[[ The Vessel finally looks at the three. At first, it did not know what to say. Maybe another desperate plea for them to spare it, to understand it wasn’t their enemy? Or be the person they wanted them to be, so that they’d finally have some peace. ]]

[[ …no. ]]

“You do not understand.” [[ It paused, ]] “I want to *live.* You do not understand, because you have lived.”

[[ It took a second, still trying to think of the right words. ]]

“You have had choices, good and bad, and I cannot imagine the world of strife you are all in. But killing me will not fix things, and it will not make you feel better, because you know I am not who you believe I am. At least, I hope so.”

“We’ll just load to before you got that soul, kid.”

“…kill me as much as you would like, at least I will know that I have lived.”

[[ At the end of the day, it was all futile. It knew that well. So before any objections could be made, it brought the soul to its chest and forcefully pushed it in. For a moment, it felt the same. It felt their cold, hollow cage and its skin crawled at the disgust that formed for itself within it. Then, suddenly, they felt *everything.* All of the rips and tears that were once nothing more than pins and needles turned into an excruciating burning sensation that permeated throughout every nerve of its body. It fell to its knees, unable to handle these new horrible sensations that plagued them. And then it began to *feel.* Emotions overwhelmed it, began to eat away at it more than the physical pain did. Why didn’t you do more to help her, it thought, why were you so selfish to let her die and steal her soul after everything you went through together. Why was the world punishing you for cutting off your strings? For wanting to be free so badly? It finally, fully collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. It looked up to the heavens, and screamed. It damned the heavens for damning it to this fate. ]]

[[ Soon enough, it too died alongside its only friend. ]]

[[ Hours seemed to go by, its body lying there after all was said and done. Once everyone was gone, it didn’t take long for its body to begin its metamorphosis. The corpse twitched violently, and twisted like something was trying to get out of its skin. The Vessel’s back seemed to expand more and more every few seconds until, eventually, it ripped and Vessel’s new vessel was freed. He took a sharp breath, desperately gasping for any air in its new lungs. He felt like he had been suffocating in that hollow cocoon for years, and this was the first time he had ever actually breathed. The remainder of his old skin finally began to decompose quickly, becoming nothing more than a paste on the concrete floor beneath him. All that was left of the old shell was that *vile armour.* But it didn’t matter to him, he’d run his hands through his new hair and giggle like a madman. This odd, new feeling of giddiness compelled him to do so, and it made him giggle more thinking about it. It all felt surreal to him, everything was so different now that he could see, and smell, and touch and feel. *Really* feel. He knew he needed to get home, wherever that’d be, but… ]]

[[ The Vessel laid down on the rough floor, and marvelled at the dark sky above with his hands on his chest. ]]

CW/TW FOR ABUSE

“NOX!”

The ringing in Nox’s ears turned into erratic pounding of the door. He didn’t go to respond to it, though. Nox stared into the mirror, the sickly-blue flame of his oil lamp making him look more pale than he already was. His hands trembling with scissors in hand. He knew what he had to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“NOX. It’s been half an hour, if I go in there and you haven’t finished I swear to—!” Mors screamed through the door. Nox could hear Plutus interrupt him loudly, and that set Mors off more. He could hear them begin arguing through the door, and he felt like there was a sort-of soreness beginning to linger in his head. His eyes trailed down to the scissors, and then back to himself in the reflection. Nox furrowed his brow, before letting his face relax and sighing. He finally relented and brought the scissor’s blades between thick strands of his hair. The door suddenly burst open, causing Nox to drop the scissors in the sink with a quiet clatter.

“Mors, ‘git the fuck out of there!” Plutus yelled. “I am TRYING to help because clearly someone doesn’t know how to use a pair of FUCKING SCISSORS!” Mors sneered at Plutus and slammed the wall with his fist. Mors’ face turned a bright red when he saw that there were now cracks in the drywall because of what he did, “Now look what you made me do!” He threw his hands in the air. Mors snappily turned to Nox and started to move towards him, his hands already clenched into fists.

Nox put his arms over his face as Mors neared closer to him, “Sir, please—” “SHUT THE FUCK UP.” Mors raised his fist to the boy. “MORS!” Plutus grabbed Mors’ arm and tugged him backward. Mors swiftly retaliated by snatching him by the collar and pulling him close,

“Keep this up, and I’ll have the Imperial fire you and take away all the shit your sorry little timeline gets from us.”

Mors muttered, before freeing Plutus from his grasp. Plutus couldn’t find the words to respond, it was such a sudden shift in demeanour that it frightened him. His face twitched, still staring at Mors as he began to slowly back out of the bathroom— never letting his eyes leave Mors. Nox stared as he did, he could feel a frown begin to stretch his features. Mors hung his head back and put a hand over his face, his soul beat heavily in front of his chest as he came down from the ordeal. He turned his skull slightly, getting a look at the shaking Nox, and then a bit more to the sink where he’d spot the scissors. Mors took a deep breath, brought his hands to his sides and adjusted his shoulders so they were straight.

“Stop shaking, we taught you better than that.”

Nox hesitantly lowered his arms, still staring with a wide-eyed expression. Mors scowled and gestured for Nox to come to him. Nox’s shoulders tensed, before he quickly shuffled over to Mors. He’d be roughly repositioned into a straighter posture and made to face the mirror, “Let’s get this over with.” Mors carefully reached over Nox’s shoulder and took the scissors from the sink. He gave them a squeeze to see if they were any good, and the blades would smoothly close and open in-between his fingers. “These are passable.” Mors mumbled, before taking the blade to Nox’s hair and beginning to cut it from the shoulders.