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𝐒𝐡𝐞/𝐇𝐞𝐫 • 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬: 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄 🌑 • 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 • 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬, 𝐦𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫?

790 posts

A Titan And Its Slayers

• A Titan and its Slayers •

➽ I made the right call of making her go with Leona and Jamil instead of the Prefect and Pomefiore trio. Also I noticed how the three of them have a problem with being in the spotlight 彡໒(⊙ᴗ⊙)७彡. (Jamil and hiding his skills, Leona and his birth order issues, Phoebus and her necessary evil dilemma—). Most of Jamil and Leona’s dialog are based off of Otome Ayui’s translations!

Summary ➽ Split into three teams, the ghostwriter finally reaches a buried truth thanks to the heroism of an uncrowned king and an unveiled tactician.

Word Count ➽ 2.6k

Trigger Warnings ➽ Mentions of S*icide and depictions of death.

Other notes ➽ SPOILERS FOR IGNIHYDE ARC

…

“...It’s too cold”

A comment by Savanaclaw’s Dorm Leader halted the other two. The events that transpired up until now left an uneasy feeling within the ghostwriter’s stomach. It hasn’t been five minutes since they left the last phantom asylum, where a distasteful memory reopened in her subconscious. On the bright side, her two upperclassmen have finally ceased their dispute but her worries rekindled when a chilly breeze rose to their altitude.

“Cold..too col- hold on.”

The ravenette saw her own breath manifest as a minuscule cloud of air, the only time this can occur is if they were in an environment with temperatures lower than average. Phoebus shot her gaze back to the other two students, expression tense and struck with the realization that—

“Ugh!- where’d the gust come from!?”

The trio took a sharp step back away from the ledge, a rising force began to ascend leaving none of their senses unalarmed. Jamil’s squinting allowed him to catch sight of other projectiles shooting from the tower’s inner walls, all likely coming from the very thing they were about to face.

“There’s wind and ice everywhere- A blizzard?!”

“This sound- and it's getting stronger…It's here!”

“It’s excreting something!- Blot?!”

It had to be at least five meters tall give or take, its size being the last of the trio’s concerns when it clawed its way up from the rigged ledge. Jamil’s expression finally lost its composure after spotting the elongated vial of what they presumed to be ancient blot, the body of the titan cultivated by ice in its every inch.

“Is that- Phantom Titans Crystal?!”

A fierce roar pierced the cold atmosphere, from their earlier trials the group knew phantoms can take many forms, some slithered, others crawl, but one with the ability to speak? The three shared the same thought; a reaction to the difference in intelligence between the other phantoms and the first generation… these Titans.

“J̶U̶P̵I̴T̵E̷R̵!̶ ̸W̷H̸E̴R̷E̷ ̸A̷R̸E̷ ̶Y̴O̵U̷?̴!̷”

Phoebus merely conjured a fleeting thought, Jupiter? Zeus’ Roman counterpart? As a native of earth, she did half expect some overlaps with Twisted Wonderland’s culture and the ones present in her world but the girl didn’t have time to dwell on the connection. Leona’s footing was hindered by the frost forming on the uneven floor, Jamil’s senses urged him to pull back the other two before the beastman grunted out an order for them to retreat into the hangar.

“Don’t you dare zone out! Follow me!”

…

The room looked fairly the same as the ones they were kept in earlier save for a few more compartments, likely storing other emergency supplies but that's as best as the ravenette’s guess was. Echoes of objects falling sounded through the vicinity trailing into muffled signals where the group stood. The two men shut the door in a hurry while Phoebus sauntered over to the wrecked pile of materials, carefully segregating them into smaller piles to reveal a long wall of shelves and storage. Leona reached a hand to his forehead, sweeping some of his fringes away from his skin before the third year leaned against the barricaded entrance.

“This door belongs to a big facility, I'm not surprised by how thick the material is..”

The Scarabia Vice Dorm Leader was about to do the same after abruptly pulling the door shut, he felt the subtle soreness settling in his arms but it wasn’t anything alarming. Before his back could make contact with the metal door another shrieked demand invaded the already chaotic environment.

“G̸E̷T̸ ̴O̴U̶T̵!̸!̶!̶”

Jamil’s gaze shot back to the wall’s glint, the sight of frost sheathing forced him to stand back from the sealed entrance as if that were the enemy itself. The Ramshackle first year rejoined her upperclassmen where they stood after her rushed inspection of the toppled junk. By now Leona had stopped his rest against the wall, the chill becoming more evident by the second, especially with how fast the temperature was dropping.

“It's freezing the door, is that Titan thinking of shattering it once it's a chunk of ice?"

"It's only a matter of time before it breaks in!”

The banging only increased in its aggression, the three of them didn't need to visually see its figure out the door for them to know how furious it was. Leona gritted his teeth, fangs protruding more than ever before he pinched the bridge of his nose; only now did he turn to face his juniors.

“I’ll guard the damned door, you two find the thunder spear- we need it to beat that wretched thing.”

Their simultaneous affirmation met Leona's hearing before the trio dispersed. Jamil opted to rummage through the higher shelves allowing the Ghostwriter to handle the lower tier compartments. They were genuinely doing their best to execute this teamwork as efficiently as possible but the pounding force Leona was handling didn't help in letting the younger students focus.

"No sign of it— ugh!— did the staff say what it'd look like?"

"I'm assuming it's something long if it's an- tsk- emergency counter to that monstrosity!"

The low temperature was starting to affect their movement; Phoebus' finger twitched as it tugged on one of the cabinets open before a glint of gold peeked from the peripheral vision of the two students.

“The shelf at B-16… ah- got it!”

The first year wasted no time in assisting Jamil, the two pulling open the cover only to reveal an oversized spear. Faint electrical sparks scattered its golden blade and to the observant eye, there were subtle white engravings in its crevices, truly a blade for the divine. Despite its ethereal form, there was a more significant concern for the two students.

“This is a spear..? It’s bigger than me.”

The first year shuddered at the power it was emitting. Perhaps it was her condition as a non-magic user but even Jamil seemed to be taken aback by what he just uncovered.

“Code: Titanomachy, Identified as emergency level A. Releasing all magic circuits, Battery: 100%”

"Jamil-senpai can you carry it? Perhaps with magic?"

The male shared the same strained expression as Phoebus, he could tell by her voice that she was pushed into a mental corner, in some way he pitied her as it reminded him of his younger self. That feeling of anxiousness was buried under their masks of responsibility— but in a situation as dire as this, it was dangerous to haul such responsibilities on your own back when you know for certain you're not fit for it.

"No."

“Activating thunderstorm spear. Registering operator’s fingerprint, please touch the screen panel”

Panic flashed on the first year's face, the AI's status report didn't go unheard by the two present students. She looked to Scarabia's Vice Dorm Leader as if asking why, after all, Leona was already working himself to the bone out there and if Jamil had the capacity to overblot then wouldn't he have the magic capability to— wait.

Was that what he feared? She had to remind herself that a wizard in training might sense things she wasn't able to comprehend. Jamil gave a distressed sigh before biting the insides of his cheek.

“No, I can’t. Even if the registration was successful...The power emitting from the spear, it’s too powerful and I don’t think I can handle it.”

An answer was left at the tip of her tongue before the room shook violently, the crossfire at some distance away was starting to grow more violent than necessary. Urgency had finally snapped their reluctance out the window. Jamil held his tongue in thought before declaring his decision.

“Dammit- We should call Leona-senpai.”

The risks were equal at face value but after further debate Phoebus caved in, tailing Jamil while charging into the frontlines where the third year stood tirelessly against the Titan they had to face.

“Well look who woke up in a bad mood…tsk- Stop whining!"

The beastman's mockery was met with an agitated rumble from the first-generation phantom. He tore every ice figure into sand time and time again but the fatigue was starting to weigh on his chest.

“Leona-senpai! we found the Thunder Spear!"

Slitted emerald eyes shot back to where the Vice dorm leader stood, to which he confirmed when the Ghostwriter nodded in the assurance that they did fulfill their task.

“So you guys did… go, head to where it is and I’ll guard the rear, Move and don’t look back!”

…

Even Leona gaped at its size, opting to just scratch the nape of his neck before side-eying his Underclassmen.

“Hmph, so you can be patient.”

"You think, senpai?"

“Besides, You only told us to find it...”

A snarky retort was left unsaid when the system AI resumed its announcement. Earning an irritated grunt from the third year before begrudgingly walking over to the displayed pad.

“Stop being repetitive you hornbill- we can hear you just fine."

Consecutive crashes pressured the trio; Leona immediately pulled off his glove with a fanged bite letting his exposed palm rest on the indicated scanner, it took a few seconds before it accepted the registered user.

“Registration complete, Releasing safety device’s locks. Support mode activated.”

The locks loosened, presenting the two-meter spear to their group in its advanced glory. Leona could faintly feel his sweat drop despite the low temperature in the vicinity. Dismissing the pit in his stomach he took the handle with two hands, irked by the impractical size of the weapon.

“What’s with its weight and power— ugh! It's so hard to make it float.”

The uneasy feeling that settled in Phoebus’ stomach grew heavier, midnight gaze locked on the spear and by extension Leona. One minute he was attempting to lift the spear with both his physical strength and magic the next thing she knew their footing lost its balance on the frosted floor. None of them knew how heavy the Thunder Spear exactly was, if they did, perhaps Leona wouldn’t have forcefully moved the weapon off its hinges, the momentum of the curved swing causing it to force itself over the ledge where not even Leona could hold back.

Phoebus went deaf as if the only significant thing in her life right now was the two-meter weapon that continued to spark a dangerous array of lightning— all that power possibly going to waste instead of being utilized against the Titan that stubbornly resumed its havoc on the current floor. This would be the first and last time she throws away reason; because this whole circus show of death was unreasonable to begin with.

“PHOEBUS-SAN!”

The girl bit back her tongue, she needed to reach it. Reach it reach it reach it REACH IT REACH IT—

“LEONA-SENPAI PULL IT BACK!!!”

They say your life flashes before your eyes when in death’s ballroom, but for this waltz, she threw away the premise of her act. Whether it’d be her last never crossed her mind until both she and Leona held opposite ends of the spear. Her body acted before her mind could, words pathetically stuck in between the two forces. Phoebus hung for dear life with a single hand at the end of the weapon; while Leona desperately clutched on its handle with both hands unable to reach for his magic pen a few feet away when it flew out of his grasp. Jamil called out for the two, he ran over as fast as he could but the faster he tried to reach them with his magic the more projectiles the Titan thrashed in his general direction, occupied with the nimble Scarabia student.

The first year couldn’t recover her sense of hearing save for the sound of her frantic heartbeat— standing as the last reminder of how in the deepest pits of her heart she did value her life. The thought came too late and so did Leona’s realization. The problem here was the weight, right?

"...Forgive me."

Leona’s increase in speed didn’t go unnoticed by Jamil when he saw the third year pull up the Thunder Spear, his relief was simply a fleeting hope when he saw no sign of their youngest teammate, in its place, was an unexplainable distraught on Leona’s expression. It didn’t take the Scarabia Vice much to put two and two together.

"Leona-Senpai where did she go!?-"

“W̴̻̆H̷̛̝E̵̱̒R̴͕̆E̷͕͐ ̶̯̈́Å̴̬R̷̺̀Ḙ̶̍ ̶͓́Ȳ̸͚Ȏ̵̥U̷̧͌?̶̼̏!̴̨͆!̶̛̳”

They didn’t have time and that fact repeated in the beastman’s head over and over again like a cruel record. Sacrifices were an inevitable variable in any pursuit towards victory, Leona just didn't account for a greater risk is all. That inexcusable slip-up was on him, who asked for her to go after it? Who asked the kid to jump over the ledge? Who asked her to let go when Leona was already desperately finding a way to pull her and the Thunder Spear up?

“Listen, we’ll beat the hell out of this thing but…It’ll take some time for me to handle all this… buy me some time with magic.”

Jamil followed, a plan executed perfectly between them; the Titan plunged back into where it ascended from, but neither men could see the girl’s body. There was no answer to their shouts. Then again…

They didn’t hear her cries beneath the sea of phantoms, did they?

…

Dark, darker, yet darker her vision became, the headlights blue in hue had long disappeared from her line of sight. It was in her final hope that they did it— that at least somewhere, without her, things went right.

The longer she fell the louder those agonizing cries became to her hearing. Phoebus didn’t dare look down even with her swift descent towards gravity’s core. When was the last time she was consumed by fear? Had she felt something this severe before? An ungodly amount of thoughts breached her mind just as the immense feeling of despair settled within the confinements of her chest.

Her vision became too blurry to comprehend, how far had she already fallen? According to their earlier experiment with Jamil’s hair accessory, it had to be at least around fifty floors. Jamil… did he see? Since well… she couldn’t forget Leona’s ferocity, the obvious refusal of her final apology.

…Maybe, final words fit better…

Her body made contact with something, the mass accumulation of stray phantoms greeting the only humane life force within one hundred-meter radius. At this point Phoebus had already resigned her life away, it only occurred to her now just how long ago she deemed it disposable. Suicidal? It wasn’t that, she hated herself more than life itself.

The blot finding its way to infect her skin slowly numbed her physical senses. Her hearing had long abandoned cooperation— why was she holding on to her mental awareness? The ghost writer choked out an unpleasant scream. She wished she lost her mental hold first before anything because it seems the blot was affecting it first, the despair and agony choked her alive. Phantoms of all sorts sensed the only living force and hand to Great Seven fate never gave her mercy even in her final moments. Tears immediately became dry before they could fall down her cheek, The prefect, the first year gang, her family in this Twisted Wonderland… if there was still one last plea she could give, it'd be the wellbeing of the people who taught her that she didn't need to force herself into the role of a necessary evil.

Her limbs went limp, allowing even the most minor of blot forms to consume her body and soul, what was left of her hope had diminished— when her last plea ascended in defiance of the weight fate placed on her.

A mortal body exhausted beyond belief, like a dying flame in a field of ashes. That fire was simply too enticing to the undead beings surrounding her writhing figure. The space around her closed little by little as she was caved in by symphonies of mockery, grief, and wrath.

“Y̸o̴u̴ ̵s̸h̶o̸u̷l̸d̴n̸'̵t̸ ̸b̶e̶ ̵h̵e̵r̸e̶.̸.̵.̶“

An estranged wisp of blue pierced the void around her. How can someone sound so cold…yet reach a hand so warm…? Unbeknownst to the masses, there was once a legend that tells of a great being who committed theft to Jupiter’s lightning. The terrible being loathed by the gods gave humankind the first fire on the earth. His sister witnessed the exchange, and seeing his aid to humanity ignited a peculiar question to the dear moon’s mind…

Can a primordial disgrace show mercy to the mortal soul?

…