I Dug Until My Fingers Bled. All I Could Find Was Charred Bone And Ash..

‘‘ I dug until my fingers bled. All i could find was charred bone and ash..’‘

Fallen Embrace Chapter 1

Warning: Nightmares, Hurt, Injury, and Feeling of Despair

Nevaeh was tossing and turning in her bed, her sheets tangled around her legs. She was trapped in another nightmare, one that seemed all too real. In the dream, she was being chased by a monster, a Geist that fed off her despair. It was getting closer and closer, its haunting laughter filling her ears.

The Geist was telling her to give in, to let it consume her. Nevaeh tried to run, but her legs felt heavy, and she couldn't seem to escape. She was trapped in the darkness with the monster, her screams echoing through the empty space.

Suddenly, Nevaeh woke up with a start, inhaling deeply as she tried to catch her breath. She sat up in bed, her heart racing and her body covered in sweat. She looked around the room, relieved to see that it was just a dream, but the fear lingered.

She lays back down and tries to push the thoughts out of her head, but the voices in her dreams kept creeping back in. They were always the same, urging her to give in to the infection, to let it consume her. Nevaeh squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the voices, but they only grew louder. A couple of tears prickled her eyes as she gave up on falling back asleep, knowing only nightmares would await her.

Nevaeh sat up further in bed and wiped the sweat from her brow. She looked at her arm in the dim moonlight filtering in through the window. The infection had spread since yesterday, and the skin around it was red and inflamed. Her gaze fell upon an icepack left by Noel before he left on patrol on the left side of the bed, which had now melted. Shakily reaching for it, she picks it up only to find that it sags in her hand. Gritting her teeth, she grips her arm tight as it throbs, as if something were trying to escape.

A slow gaze passed over Noel's room as she sat up slowly. The night was quiet, except for the little snores of DJ downstairs. A giggle escapes Nevaeh’s lips as she thinks how nice it must be to sleep without care. As she gazes upon the well-kept plants, a chuckle escapes Nevaeh as she remembers the time, she commented on how cute it was that Noel looked after the plants, only for him to be so flustered that there was nothing cute about watering them. Yet, she remembered the slight flutter in his wings that spoke of his true feelings.

Just as Nevaeh was starting to feel a bit lighter, as though her despair was lifting slightly, she was hit with a sudden surge of nausea and doubled over in pain. Her eyes misted from the pain as she covered her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she thought, You're okay. It's just a side effect. This will pass.

In the midst of the pain, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, her knees trembling. Fresh air was needed, she thought. The darkness that was closing in on her needed to be left behind. Taking care not to cause the floorboards to creak under her feet, she slowly approaches the windows. The silent creaking of the windows fills the room as she softly opens them. She sits carefully on the windowsill and holds the ledge as she takes a deep inhale, followed by a shaky exhale.

"I'm so tired," Nevaeh whispered helplessly to herself, "I'm so tired, and yet... I need to stay strong. I need to be there for DJ... for Noel." Tears spilled down her face as she thought about the blonde fallen angel. Despite her exhaustion, a gentle smile formed on her face at the thought of him. Nevaeh knew that she needed to stay strong…for him. It's the least I can do for him, she thought, after everything he's done for me.

As Nevaeh sat on the windowsill listening to the quiet air of Limbo for a couple of minutes, she decided it was time for her to come down and go back to sleep. Getting some sleep was necessary since she would join Noel on patrol tomorrow. In her focus on descending safely, she wasn't aware of the bedroom door opening behind her. In the middle of shaking, as she was still physically exhausted from her earlier experience, she heard a loud gasp followed by a demanding and equally panicked yell: "What are you doing?!" Nevaeh loses her grip as the sudden cry stuns her and pales as she notices herself falling...out the window as everything moves in slow motion.

~ Noel is from the wonderful game Repurpose! An amazing visual novel by @residentialrabbit​ :) Please check it out! ~

The First Dance

After a delightful dinner in their warmly illuminated kitchen, NakedToaster and Elena found themselves amid the gentle task of tidying up. The soft glow of the setting sun streamed through the windows, painting the room with a tranquil, golden light. The last of the dishes clinked softly as they were nestled into their places, just as the soothing melody of a slow song whispered from the old radio on the counter, setting a new, intimate stage for the evening. Elena turned to Toasty, her eyes gleaming with a playful yet tender gleam.

"Will you dance with me?" she asked, her voice a soft, inviting whisper that floated across the room, her hand reaching out towards Toasty with a gentle smile that tugged at their heart.

Toasty's momentary pause, filled with a shy hesitation, was a testament to their unfamiliarity with dancing, especially considering the stark contrast in their heights—Toasty's towering 6'4" frame overshadowing Elena's petite 5'4" stature. Yet, the thought of embracing Elena, of moving together to the rhythm of the song, melted away any semblance of reluctance.

"Okay," they replied, a burgeoning smile breaking through the initial shyness. Elena's hand, warm and reassuring, intertwined with theirs, leading them towards the living room. There, the last rays of the sun bathed the space in a serene light, transforming it into a dance floor meant just for two.

As they began to move to the music, Toasty was vividly aware of their heart beating rapidly, a testament to the closeness and the beauty of the moment. Elena, with her natural grace, seemed to glide effortlessly, her body fitting against Toasty's as if they were two parts of a whole, moving in perfect sync with the melody. The rest of the world seemed to disappear, leaving them in their own secluded bubble, dancing in each other's arms, the very picture of harmony and connection.

Summoning a courage borne of the moment's enchantment, Toasty found the words they scarcely believed they could speak. "Can I kiss you?" they murmured, their eyes searching Elena's for an answer, laden with hope and a touch of vulnerability.

Elena's gaze met theirs, a deep well of affection and warmth reflected back. "Of course, you can," she whispered back, her voice a tender caress that seemed to draw them closer.

With a heart that felt like it might burst, Toasty leaned in, and their lips met Elena's in a kiss that was cautious at first but swiftly deepened with the intensity of long-held emotions finally given voice. Elena's arms encircled Toasty's neck, pulling them closer, deepening the kiss into something that felt like it could fuse their very beings into one.

When they finally parted, gasping slightly and awash with emotion, the world around them seemed irrevocably altered. In that moment, Toasty knew with unwavering certainty that they were stepping into a love story of epic proportions, a narrative just beginning to weave its threads around their hearts.

The melody continued to play, a soft backdrop to the profound realization that had blossomed between them. They remained close, sharing breaths, the air around them charged with the promise of all the tomorrows they would face together. In the quiet that followed, filled only by the fading notes of the song and the beating of their hearts, they understood that this dance was merely the first step in a journey they would navigate side by side, a journey defined by love, discovery, and the unbreakable bond they had forged in a dance that had transcended mere movement to become a declaration of their connection.

Thank you to Kowanyanko on Instagram for this beautiful commission of Asra from The Arcana with my Apprentice, Amaryllis 🥰💖

Snippet of What's to Come

~ Hello, everyone! I first want to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read more stories! I truly appreciate it ❤ Here's a preview of a story I am working from the game Blooming Panic featuring my character, Elena, with Nightowl, one of the love interests! Enjoy ~

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Elena's heart aches as she sees Nightowl's contrite expression on the video call. "...Hey," he says, his voice heavy with emotion. Elena's heart twists and turns as she remembers the hurtful words he said to her, and she takes a deep breath before saying, "Hi, Nightowl." In her tone of sorrow, Nightowl winces, knowing he has a lot to apologize for.

"I know you're upset with me. And you have every right to be." Nightowl says, fumbling with his sleeves as he looks at Elena with sincere regret. "I shouldn't have said those hurtful things to you. I'm really, really sorry." His voice trembles as he continues, "If you don't ever want to call me again, you don't have to. If you're uncomfortable with me in general, I'll even leave the server." He sighs and looks at Elena with remorse. "Just... I am so, so sorry."

Elena nods as she listens to Nightowl's apology, but her eyes sting with unshed tears as she looks up at him. She takes a deep breath to collect herself before sternly saying, "I appreciate your apology, but it's not good enough. You know that." In her pain, Nightowl laments with his heart sinking to his knees. "I know it's not. I get it." He looks at Elena with a glimmer of hope and asks, "Is there, ah, anything I can do? To make this better?"

Elena thinks to herself, "Is there anything he can do to fix this?" She reflects on the events of the previous day and past instances where Nightowl's behavior had been questionable. She decides to ask him directly, "You can start by explaining why you keep acting like this."

Elena waits patiently for Nightowl's response, her eyes fixed on him as she waited for an explanation for his behavior. "Like...lashing out?" he asks hesitantly, avoiding eye contact and looking off to the side with nerves. Elena's expression remains serious as she responds firmly, "Yes."

Despite the harshness in her tone, Elena's intentions are pure, and she only wants to help Nightowl. She cares deeply for him and doesn't mean to come off as callous. She hopes to help him resolve the issues that have caused him to lash out in the past and find a way for him to cope with his emotions healthily.

Elena's voice trembles as she speaks, her face showing her concern. "I don't want to seem insensitive, Nightowl. You have to know that I care about you and just want to help." She hesitates, searching for the right words. "It's just that, I can't pretend everything is fine when it clearly isn't." She stops herself as tears start to well up in her eyes. "What you said to me yesterday was really hurtful, and I was in shock that you could say those things to me, especially after we had such a nice conversation before."

Tears start to slide down her cheeks as she speaks, and she quickly rubs them away. Nightowl feels a deep sense of remorse as he watches Elena try to compose herself, knowing that he is the source of her pain. "I want to understand why you keep lashing out. Not only does it hurt me to see you like this, but your actions have hurt me too. I want to do everything I can to support you, but you have to understand how deeply your words have hurt me." Elena looks at Nightowl earnestly, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. "And I don't take that lightly."

Sally Face my beloved ,,