Intoxicated Fates | Scaramouche x Reader |

Prologue

Where am I? What happened? You thought as your eyes slowly fluttered open, trying to adjust to the darkness. You felt like a newborn who just opened their eyes for the first time into this world. You let out a low groan as you felt bewildered and light headed.

Your memory was still hazy, it's like everything that happened before you woke up was still a blur. You could barely even remember the details of how you ended up in this scenario. Still you tried your best to recall something. Anything.

An assignment.

It wasn't just an ordinary assignment, but one of great importance. Which meant it was one that you couldn't afford to fail. And you knew you were in the middle of carrying out this assignment but the memories that followed were grainy and indecipherable. Your eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to remember more details.

Scars...

The colors of a starry night...

So familiar yet so out of reach...

Then a flash of blinding light that had engulfed you. You blink back a few times, realizing how crazy that sounded and how it did nothing to help. Whatever, you thought to yourself. What matters most right now is getting out of this place and back to safety.

You tried to feel for the ground with your feet only to miss and feel air, your body staggering.

Air? You questioned yourself. That can't be right. Then again, what did feel right so far? You tried to move your arms only to feel them being bound tightly, restraining any further movement.

Tilting your head forward, you finally managed to get a grip on what your situation was. Your whole body was hanging upside down, tied down by some ropes attached to a tall, thick sakura tree, its branches shaking by the slightest move you made, making some of its petals float gracefully to the ground. Surrounding you was a whole grove of trees, each with different sizes and colors, making you believe that you were somehow trapped in the middle of a forest. The moonlight peeking through the small spaces between the tree's leaves served as your only source of light as your eyes were being forced to adjust to the darkness shrouding the area.

You don't recognize this place so you assumed that whatever assignment you took led you far away from home. However, there was something off about this particular forest. Shaking your head, you try to clear your mind. A forest like this shouldn't be this quiet. There were no night creatures around going about their daily habits. Just you and the cold wind.

Sill it felt empty...and ominous. It was almost unsettling.

What was going on?

I need to get out of here, right now, you thought urgently as your instincts took over.

With your hands still bound tightly to your body, you tried to reach for your belt where your weapons should be held. Except...there were no weapons? You were left defenseless. Your heart skipped a beat as you silently wondered who could've done this to you?

Your crimson eyes then dart around the area, desperately trying to look for something, anything to get you out of your position.

Just then, you sensed an aura lingering from behind.

The air around you suddenly was sizzling and brimming with electricity but there was no warmth to be found in it. A sudden static sensation filled the area as you could feel the hairs at the back of your neck prick up. But you knew that wasn't the only reason. From the distance, the sound of clacked soles hit the ground, crunching through the fallen leaves, breaking the silence.

Your body was frozen in place, both literally and figuratively as you felt a presence. You held your breath, daring not to make any unnecessary moves, not wanting to push the boundaries of the source of this mysterious energy.

"Where is it?"

A voice calls out to you from behind, his tone sharp. Your body immediately tensed up, chills running down your spine. You weren't alone. It made you feel both relieved and anxious. Yet from the looks of it, it didn't seem you were his friend.

"Huh?" was all you could stammer, feeling at a loss for words.

Squinting your eyes, you tried to make out the person from your position as he takes another few steps to the side. Almost as if he sensed you trying to look his way and was avoiding your gaze. This mysterious stranger, there was no way he'd show up and start demanding orders from you out of the blue. He must've known who you were. But how?

At this point your head was starting to spin with the amount of questions continuously stacking on top of each other.

"Don't try to play dumb around me. I know you have it!" He said, practically biting at the words. His voice sounded even closer to you this time.

A gust of wind suddenly swept the area, causing the leaves to rustle.

And at just the right timing, the moonlight hits the stranger's figure and you manage to quickly take note of his appearance. He was wearing dark colored clothes and a hat that shrouded his face in shadows, preventing you from being able to get a good look at him properly. However, you managed to catch a quick glimpse of his eyes, glinting under the moonlight and you felt your attention being grabbed by them. Your breath hitched and you could feel your chest tightened as a realization hit you.

They were exactly as you remembered.

The color of a void starless sky.

You felt yourself drawn to them, almost as if you could get lost if you stared at them for too long. However, you were immediately cut back to reality as your captor spoke once again, his gaze piercing yours. It seemed like he had been calling you out for some time.

"Have you gone deaf or are you just stupid? Answer the question!" He demands back, his voice sharp like the electro energy that's surrounding the air. He seemed pretty upset. For what reason, that you do not know. A heavy sigh escaped your lips as you tried to catch up with the words of the stranger. You were just itching to know what was going on.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you replied back in a defensive tone.

You felt a gloved hand suddenly reach towards your binds, stilling your upturned body from spinning and shaking in the air. His other hand had reached into the pocket of his uniform, pulling out a chess piece, holding it up to your eye view. It felt familiar to you for some reason. Then, you stifled in a gasp, realizing he was holding a gnosis. Except it seemed to be lacking in something. The colors were dulled, almost as if all its powers were drained and was now a shell of what it once was. Though you wondered how did you know such a thing existed?

The stranger seemed to take note of your expression, pulling back slightly, his fingers clenched tightly over the gnosis.

"Don't pretend to act all innocent, I know you did something!." He said accusingly. "Because of you, we both ended up with nothing."

Your gaze drifted towards his shoes and the grass, trying to piece together his words. He was acting as if the whole reason the gnosis was in this state was your fault. Was he just as clueless as you were?

"I already told you, I have no idea what you're talking about-"

Your voice gets cut off as you feel a new aura swirling around you, slowly getting stronger. It was so strong that the cluttered leaves around the area began to hover and swirl around you both, branches shaking. Even the stranger's eyes widened as he staggered back. He had probably felt it as well.

It was then that you realized this wasn't stemming from him. It was coming from you.

Before you could act any further, you felt your scattered thoughts suddenly drawn together like the pieces of a puzzle as your memory finally formed the big picture. You felt yourself pulled in as you found yourself in the past...

About two days ago.

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Hope you enjoyed that little tidbit! The first chapter will be published tomorrow. See you there ;D