Hello! Neon here, I've decided to TRY to write out a longfic involving my Years Later AU. Be weary that I'm horrendously bad at keeping stories updated but if this Prologue and Chapter 1 (which should be up in the next few days) gets enough reviews, likes, follows, etc etc, then I'll sit down and continue it!
Run away, run away…
The click of sharp talons scraping the stone floor echoed off the cave walls.
With breath like fire and a gaze of death…
It held a fast pace, as if the creature was in a rush. Body long and slender, it moved through the cavern with ease. A broken, disfigured skull for a face with jagged teeth and a single, beady red eye.
He seeks revenge, for those that took his body and mind…
The creature stopped at the entrance, shielded by the darkness of the night. A thick, tar-like substance dripped and bubbled off the broken body he had created. His ribcage stuck out, tar oozing and dripping from the bones. A long, thin tail swished behind him, the tip ending in poisoned quills. More quills suck out from the spine, lining down from his neck to the end of his back. Horns stuck out from his skull, swirling in at upwards angle.
And he will not stop until they have perished under him…
Suddenly, bones broke out from his shoulder blades, rising and cracking as they formed. Wings shaped from the remains of bones, tar spreading across the thin joints.
Run away before he gets you…
With force pushed into his hind legs, he flapped the appendages. Using powerful and unknown magic of his own, he could fly.
Or meet a deadly fate that he has for you…
And like that, he flew into the night.
Run away…
She woke up, startled and gasping. A cold sweat had beaded on her pale skin, her heart hammering against her chest as the nightmare clung to her mind. The voice sounded so childlike, soft like a whisper but with fear trickling in every word. The images she saw were hazy, blackness scratching them out like claw marks. There was one thing that she will always remember; the red glow of an eye.
Her sudden gasping had awoken her partner, a shift in the blankets next to her was the only indication.
"Diana…?" A groggy voice spoke out, and her nerves calmed down at the sound of their voice. Another second passed, and the person sat up. Brown locks of hair stuck out in all directions, falling down their shoulders and back. They rubbed one of their eyes as they yawned.
"Go back to sleep, Akko, I am fine," Diana reassured them, but that wasn't enough and she knew this. Akko pouted and all signs of sleepiness disappeared from her features. She faced the white-haired witch and took her hands into her own; the glow of their rings lighting up their faces. Akko could see how shaken Diana was, and she grew anxious.
"Diana," Akko's voice was stern, and Diana figured there would be no way out of this. Her wife tightened her hands, and Diana let out a sigh. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead against her wife's, inhaling the brunette's smell; earth and cake.
"It was just a nightmare," Diana responded quietly, but she could feel Akko stiffen up. One of Akko's hands moved to Diana's chest, gently placing it over her heart; it's beat was a little fast-paced, but with her presence there, she could feel it slowing down. Akko waited till she felt the double-beat and breathed out, relaxing little by little. Diana appreciated her concern, her heart was fragile and an attack was something neither of them ever wanted. But Diana never left Akko out of the dark if she felt one coming.
Several years ago, when both women were still students, a dark force had made itself known on Luna Nova grounds. After some students were ambushed by the beast, and one even killed, Diana felt responsible and went to go stop it herself. But, she underestimated its power, and she was fatally wounded, the creature's tail piercing through her chest and poisoning her.
Had Akko not been there, Diana was sure she wouldn't have made it. After a long recovery with Akko's help, Diana had grown to be stronger. However, the injury had left her with an irregular heartbeat and weak heart. Not only that, but the poison ripped away any chances of her becoming a mother.
Despite these hard times, she and Akko were by each other's sides the whole time.
Well, most of the time…
Four years prior, Akko's previous career had demanded her to travel around the world. However, communication was few and far between the two of them, which turned the situation worse. When a devastating blow occurred to Akko, she had no choice but to return. But, due to overwhelming anxiety, Akko had postponed her return to Diana, and disguised herself among school staff until she was ready to reveal herself. Only, Diana had suffered physical and mental anguish within the three years her wife was gone, making her weak.
It had only been a year since Akko reappeared, catching Diana in the middle of a fatal heart attack. Had Akko not been there, Diana would've perished due to how weak her body and mind had been. Ever since then, Diana had made a full recovery, and had become the strong headmistress Luna Nova needed. Akko continued to teach, but no longer found it necessary to disguise herself.
Without a single word spoken, the two of them laid back down, Diana curled into Akko's chest as the brunette wrapped her arms around her wife. Waking up from nightmares was a regular thing now, some harder than others. But the other would always be there in the waking world, always willing to comfort their partner. Tonight had been a smaller nightmare, and thankfully no tears had been shed from it.
Despite this, as Diana was lulled to sleep by Akko's steady heartbeat, the images and the voices still replayed in her head. Something didn't feel right about the whole thing, as if it was a vision more than a nightmare.
A warning…?
Reviews are greatly appreciated! It helps me keep motivated to write these sort of things!