Moon Helios

Moon Helios

a/n: My god did I take forever to make this chapter. Whoopsies. Anyway this is the last chapter till the actual plot. I’m so excited to write the actual plot now. Lots of triggers in this so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

꓄ꃅꀤꌗ ꎇꂦꈤ꓄ ꀤꌗ ꎇꀭꍟꋪꀸꍏꈤ

Word Count: 3.461k

Series trigger warnings:Child abuse, anxiety, religious trauma, racism, manipulation, division of canon, Alina hate?, trauma, ptsd, bullying, insomnia, self-neglect, mental health issues, guilt tripping, cult theme, blood consumption, cannibalism?? Lost of murder, talks of SA in other characters, S/A, Sexual acts, future smut, predatory behavior(not from Aleks) and all other shadow and bone stuff

Act I : A Helios is Born

Chapter Six

The wind whipped furiously around the sanctuary. The banners marked by a raging sun blazing across the silks. It was cold, it’d been fair to cold. 

As Y/n’s grey eyes trailed over the younger Helios in trainings, the blinding ceremony had just commenced. They were clumsy as tripping over their own feet. 

You never really knew how much you needed your eyes till they were gone. Although sight allowed one to see again it wasn’t the same. Colors were dulled, lights were less. 

“Enjoying the snow?” Egons voice came from behind her. She didn’t turn to him as he went to her side. His large hands pressed again the railing. 

Maja growled softly from where she sat. The snow dressed her coat, almost blending in. She didn’t like Egon, she’d almost bit his fingers more times than Y/n could count. 

“No.” Egon couldn’t help but frown. Her answers had been short and never in full sentences anymore. That silver comb was  laced in her hair by Isla no matter what she was doing.

“Ready for the ceremony?” She didn’t answer just turned away. Her armor was cold, the metals almost froze in the snow. Her cape, long and lined with wool danced behind her. 

“꒒ꀤꈤꃅꂦ꒒ꂵꍟꋪꋪꍟ, be ready for your ceremony.” He urged her. Her hands went to her neck, pulling off her collar. She held it out for him to take.

“I’m not permitted this.” Egon gently took her armor. She was right, in the trial the children would be allows one dagger as there weapon. 

His eyes fell on her smaller frame. As she moved inside he watched her. He watched Maja and his ꒒ꀤꈤꃅꂦ꒒ꂵꍟꋪꋪꍟ disappear into the sanctuary.

In truth he worried, there was the small chance she would never survive this. It was a fight to death after all. 44 in training, only 22 would survive. 

He held confidence in her, she was trained by his hand. But her opponent would not be one she would be able to kill, he knew that well enough.

It was warm in the arena. The sand was heated slightly by one of the Inferni whom had kept their powers. Y/n stood, digging her feet in. 

If she was to die then she didn’t mind it to be her. She was the last ceremony of the night. Everyone who survived had killed a friend tonight. In turn they had regained their eyes.

Would Alina be able to live with her death. Mal had answered her letter, he and Alina were well. Underfed but well. The guilt festered deep within her. While her sister and best friend were underfed she slept on a full stomach overnight. 

Alina, she missed her sister’s dark eyes. The tree bark colored eyes were just brought enough to tell where the irises stoped and pupil began. How Alina’s thick locks would blows gently in the breeze. She missed Alina…. But did Alina miss her as much.

“Announcing Y/n Starkov, ward of Egon Waldow.” Aratha’s voice was mellow. Y/n supposed so many years of conducting these fights would do that to a woman.

“And Isla… Isla Vernio, ward of Egon Waldow.” Y/n froze, her blood going cold. Slowly Isla’s blurred frame came into her sight. 

Isla.

Why was Isla in the arena with her. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Niko had checked. 

She was supposed to kill a random boy, Avich or something. It been easy to kill Avich, he was weak hearted. To kind for his own good, not bad with a sword but horrible with a dagger

“ӄɛɮɮɛռ ready!” Aratha yelled. Y/n couldn’t move. Isla moved into her stance. Her breathing picked up as she dropped her knife. It hit the sand, not a sound echoed around her.

“No… wait !” Y/n uttered finding her voice but from above Kanos nodded his head. 

“FIGHT!”

In seconds Isla was charging towards her. Isla’s blue knife sliced through the air as Y/n dodged. 

“Isla!” Y/n yelled as her friend attacked her relentlessly. Isla was quick, always had been. Her vibrations were all over the place, it made it hard for Y/n to track her.

Y/n began to move around, turning and dodging very moved Isla made. 

“ISLA! STOP!” Isla’s movements became sloppy, frazzled. 

Y/n caught her friend’s arm, twisting it and pushing the knife out of her hand. Isla slammed her head back and Y/n backed away. 

“Isla stop this! I’m not going to fight you.” Y/n could keep the quiver from her voice. Not this. She couldn’t do this.

She could softly hear Niko’s voice screaming. Niko was alive? Had he lied to her? Of course he’d lied to her. Her mind raced as she went through everything.

Maybe Niko had never been her friend. Only tried to gain her trust in order to get her killed. Maybe it was all a lie. Everything was a lie.

Before she could realize her back was against the sand. Isla’s knife inches from her face. Isla’s knife was in her face.

“Isla…”

As the knife inched closer to her throat she couldn’t see anything. Her vision was turning colors. Her hand moved before she could stop it.

GRAB THE BLADE! 

DRIVE IT INTO HER CHEST!

She felt the cold metal dig into her skin and then it was gone. The sound of flesh being pierced echoed through her mind. The choking on blood invaded Y/n’s ears as she caught Isla. 

“No no no no no no no!” Y/n repeat as she clung to Isla. The tears burned down her skin as she sobbed.

Isla clung onto her arm as she choked. Y/n looked up at the perch. Her eyes filled with terror as all the blood began to soak her. 

Egon wasn’t there.

He was supposed to watch all the fights.

Kanos stared down at her, eyes blank as she stared up at him. His eyes…  were those tears. 

Kanos never cried, he couldn’t. What had he done that he was crying?

……………………

…………………………

……………………………….

He couldn’t have? Could he?

The moon moved over the arena as Isla shook Y/n. Her eyes slowly moved down as she sobbed. Isla’s eyes were dulled and she could see. All the colors, everything was so vibrant.

Y/n’s eyes began to dart around as she saw everything. Isla’s blood was a deep crimson and it soaked through her ceremonial clothes. 

Isla’s vibrations were slowed, almost gone. 

Her hands moved slowly, covered in her own blood. 

“Burry me with the roses so I’ll always be pretty but I’ll always have my thorns.” 

Y/n held her face as she watched the lights in her chocolate eyes left. Her beautiful chocolate eyes were now visible her. Her soft skin lost its warmth, leaving not a trace of life. Y/n felt her breath stop. Her eyes stared down at the blood in her hands.

She could feel herself shake, she could feel her own vibration were everywhere. She could hear her surviving trainees screaming yelling. 

She could hear Egon yelling faintly. She could hear everything faintly. The ringing in her ears grew louder as she held onto Isla. It became so bright as her own screams entered her ears. 

Her scream didn’t sound like hers. Her screams sounded like something else. Like the screams of the volcra or ʊռʊɖɛǟɖֆ. Or the wailing of a banshee. It was so bright, there was light all around her. She left a pair of arms around her as she screamed.

The light only grew as she screamed and then…………..

Nothing, just black.

There was too much snow, the pale pink roses were covered in frost. The dug up ground covered in snow. Niko’s bright crystal eyes stared over at her. 

She was knelt down tying the blue ribbon to the post. A large sun at the top of the wood. In her hands she held tightly into Isla’s collar. 

As per tradition the winner of the fight would take the dead’s collar. Melt it down and add it onto your own armor as a sign of respect for the dead. But Y/n had left the grave in three days.

She merely sat in the snow covered ground still in her bloody clothes. Her hair was become dirty. The bloody was racked under nails. Her own collar had not yet been given back to her. Egon knew she would be far to dangerous with her armor at the moment. 

Niko stood behind her, his crystal blues full of unreleased tears. Rosica stood to his left, her blonde locks flowing in the breeze while Zan stood on his right, his arms crossed. 

“She hasn’t left her grave.” Niko whispered as the snow whipped around them. Zan sighed gently, looking over at Rosica. The emerald eyes girl nodded her head as she gripped into Niko’s arm.

“Niko, I’ll take her for a walk or something. Clear her mind.” Niko scoffed softly. Y/n would not move from the grave. Her body was too weak, it was by the saints grace she didn’t have frostbite yet.

“And do tell me how you’ll move her?” Niko snapped his cloak blowing in the wind. Rosica smiled gently as she held onto his face. She leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his plush lips.

“Don’t worry about it, I have an idea.”  She pulled away from him keeling down next to the unmoving girl. She pushed away some of Y/n’s h/c hair and leaned down in her ear.

“I was think of getting some winter roses for the grave. Isla would like those wouldn’t she.” Y/n’s dead gaze slowly tracked to the girl at her side. With a slight nod the blonde pulled Y/n to her feet.

Niko’s eyes widened at the sight and moved over to her. His arms found there way around her form. She seemed so small now. Her fire was gone now, not even a spark left. 

He pulled his cloak off, wrapping the material around his shaking form. Rosica’s eyes faltered and she shot her gaze over to Zan. His eyes did not meet hers as she moved back to Y/n.

“There’s some flowers at the border, come.” She whispered in the emotionless girls ear. Rosica attempted to lock her hands in Y/n’s but Y/n pulled her hand out of the other’s grasp. Rosica smiled softly at her as she watch the dirty girl curl around herself.

Her brain was blank yet so many thoughts raced all at once. This had to be false. Isla wasn’t dead, she was simply sleeping somewhere. Or hiding away from her. 

Maybe this was all another test for her. But Y/n’s mind kept pulling her back to the blood. She never been covered in so much blood.

With Ville it was different, she still wasn’t sure if she loved him. Did she love him? Or had she been so convincing in her own lie she had known.

He was kind, and strange in a way. His face had been etched into her memory. The way he stared up at her had been different. He stared up at her with love in his eyes. Even as his blood began to cover them his held the same expression.

Isla didn’t.

Was it fear that she felt in her final moments? Did she fear her when she died.?

Did Isla fear herself in her final moments.

“Look at all the roses.” The blondes words brought her from her thoughts for a moment. She turned to the pale and frost covered roses. They bordered on a lake that was partially frozen over. She brought her tired legs over to the edge of the pond.

Her knees hit the snow covered ground without a sound. Rosica stood over her as she dug the flowers out of the ground. The weak and cold dirt caked under her nails as she pushed the earth away. The blondes eyes darkened as she stared down at Y/n

She never been cruel to her. She stuck by Isla. She was kind enough, helpful enough. But the spell she casted in Niko was too great. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that a girl he hated for so long became the object of his heart before her. 

“You know Y/n, I never really liked you.” Her words made Y/n pause. Something was wrong. There were no birds singing. No a sound was present. Something was wrong. 

She slowly placed the rose, roots in all on the pile of other roses. 

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I just never really liked you. You were always so… brutish, not to mention bloody.” Rosica snarled as she stood over Y/n. This was wrong. She shouldn’t have gone with Rosica, Y/n barely knew her. She was Niko’s lover if anything at all.

Niko had almost never brought Rosica around her. She wasn’t sure why but now in the moment she knew that this girl was not her friend.

“Niko used to hate you, I don’t know why it changed. You aren’t very pretty, so you couldn’t have made him fall in love that way. Your personality is nothing special either, you’re just cold.” She continued. The bushes began to shake as another figure approached.

“What is this?” Y/n asked not looking back at the pair.

“Your death.” Zan voiced. She turned her head to him. It didn’t really surprise her, Zan should have don’t something like this ages ago. She’d disfigured him after all, no amount of kind words could change that.

“You are a special breed half-breed. I never would’ve know had Kanos not placed me in that arena with you. Your power is astounding!” His face was as manic as his words. 

“The only powers I have are the gifts of Helios. I’m no grisha like you.” She snapped as she glared at the pair.  Zain’s smile curled up, showing off his perfectly white teeth.

“Adam felt it, the power in your bones that day in the arena. I never got close enough to touch your skin but he did. I gather so did Kheli but he wouldn’t give us many answers.” She furrowed her brows at his words. 

This made no sense, not a single word spoke to her made sense. After the ceremony she had gain powers. Strength in the flesh, mind and spirit, but all helios’s were granted these powers. 

“You’re an amplifier.”

The words sent chills down her spine. She wasn’t sure what an amplifier was but it sounded familiar. Like a concept she was in the cusps of grasping 

“Took me some time to figure it out but,” he paused laughing crazily. “They hid it so well. All of them. You have NO IDEA! No idea how much that council protects you!”

Her eyes faltered for a moment. Staring down at the snow covering the woods. She should have never felt Maja in her room. She should’ve brought her war dog with her. 

“What are you talking about?” She asked her tone surprisingly gentle. Rosica’s harden gaze faded for a moment. This wasn’t the viscous girl she was ready to kill moments ago. 

“An amplifier is a creature whose bones grant more power to a grisha. You amplify us. At least you will once we’re done with you.” She curled up her lips. He was wrong, he had to be. Niko was a grisha and he never once brought this up. 

A few moments of pure silence past as they all stare at one another. She could hear the snow falling into the ground. Niko had never touched her skin. He was afraid of his own powers. Saints grace….

Niko had only ever grabbed anyone by their clothed shoulders or arms. After the arena fight Kheli refused to touch her. He was reject her hand at every turn and grasp onto her clothes back instead. 

His way of showing love was touching. He enjoyed hugs and hand holding more than Isla ever had. Yet he’d never touch Y/n, every memory of her experiences with grisha had been the same. One touch then never again.

“Where’s Adam? He told you of this?” Her words were soft, quiet, small.

“He’s a fool, he wanted nothing to do with this.” Perhaps that was what hurt her more. Adam was more a stranger to her than Zan. She killed someone she cared for she he and the others could escape the village in fjerda. She never done such a thing for Adam. 

She didn’t react as her entire body was pushed into the ice waters. She flared around as the pair grabbed onto her legs, arms and body keeping her down. The corners of her vision became darkened as she thrashed. 

The water enclosed upon her as its cold waters filled her lungs. She screamed and gagged as she tries to break from there grips. But she was weaker, tired, and broken. Y/n had to admit that they were rather smart to choose now to kill her.

GET UP!

It was that voice again. It was different this time. His will voice was deep, harsh but there was a sense of fear she’d never heard before. She continued to thrash about as through her blurred vision she saw a blade. 

Her jerking slowed as her vision began to blacken. Her lung became heavy as she inhaled the salty lake water. It burned down her throat as her fight began to diminish.

THERE’S A BLADE AT YOUR SIDE! 

GRAB IT!

Quickly obeying the strangers voice her freezing hand reached to her side. The cold metal cut at her fingertips. She knew there was never a blade on her. She wrapped her hands around the hilt and brought it up.

The blade slashed around….

It planted dip into flesh. Red filled her vision as her body was pulled from the icy waters. Her eyes faded in and out as screams entered her ears. A pair of cold wet hands held tightly onto her.

She was rolled on her back, her head falling limply to the side. There he was. A mass of muscles, taller than any man she’d ever seen. His body covered in thick bounds of metal that curved around him. His sword was ginormous, the hilt alone was bigger than her hand.

Water was pulled from her throat as she gagged violently. A pair of gentle and delicate hands pulled her head into there lap. Her eyes shut for a while.

The world was too loud to ignore. 

“No! Please! We didn’t mean any harm!” Was that Zan? Begging?

A dark chuckle echoed through the cold air. 

“Then why did you try to kill what was mine!” His voice was deep and cruel. It echoed like a famine that would slaughter thousands. Like a battle that saints knew would be bloody. 

Zan’s screams would quickly cut off as the sound of metal meeting flesh entered her ears. Slowly her eyes opened, above her was the most beautiful woman she ever seen. With perfect blonde hair that flowed elegantly around her shoulders. Her beautiful crystal eyes stared down at her worriedly.

Slowly her own eyes drifted away, going to the side of her. Rosica laid on the ground by the lake. Her throat slit in two as the crimson pooled around her.  

The roses she’d pulled from the ground were coated in blood. They seemed to drown in the puddle of it. Her eyes flickered, she’d seen this before. Those bloody flowers were the same in her vision.

Alina, Y/n, and Mal all laid in the meadow field as they hid from grisha testers

Blood covered flowers 

A white stag standing in a snow covered forest

A pair of piercings eyes so dark they looked black peering down at her

Black armor covering her as a strange light admitted from her hands

After her head injury those images had been planted in her head for the past few years. They had been burnt into her very soul. 

“Will she live?” His voice held that touch of fear she was so used to. Another man she hadn’t seen nodded his head gently. His long locked curled around each other like gently ocean waves. His bright blue eyes stared down at his calmly. 

“You’re are certain?’ The blonde women who held her sighed softly.

“Ares, my love, she will live, her memories of this will be fogged.” She could hear yelling, so much yelling in the distance. 

“We must go nephew.” The ocean eyed man said as he stood. The blonde who held Y/n kissed her cheek softly, her eyes began to drop even more. As her body touched the cold floor she felt a warm large hand in his face. 

“Be bloody, be ruthless…. My little blood Helios.” With that, they were gone. And all faded to black. 

Divider create goes to @astralnymphh