𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓽-𝓜𝓮-𝓝𝓸𝓽 (Varian x Reader)

Bonus Chapter 3- Nothing Left to Lose

(Publishing this early bc I actually already posted it and took it down but people noticed and now it's a whole thing can you tell I'm an overthinker)

Hi everyone!!

It's (in a few days lol) this story's 3rd birthday!! That alone is actually berserk to me because I can hardly fathom that I started writing an 100,000+ word fanfic 3 (almost) whole years ago (it feels like it's been ten years and six months at the same time tbh).

To celebrate, I have another bonus chapter! This one is a little bit different from the previous chapters, as it was actually in the original timeline for this book. This chapter was going to be told from Varian's point of view, however, so the reader could see him in "Nothing Left to Lose."

I ended up scraping the idea because it would've been the first chapter of the whole story in Varian's pov, and I felt like it would break up the flow and feel out of place. I'm happy I went with that decision, but I was still bummed that I couldn't write "Nothing Left to Lose" because it's actually my favorite musical number in TTS (ik it's not "Ready as I'll Ever Be" I'm sorry guys).

I could geek out about that scene for hours btw, it's literally perfect. Jeremy and Eden sound so incredible, the layers of character depth shown in Varian are amazing, and the parallels between Var and Cass are just so good UGH

Anyways, sorry for rambling, and as always, thank you all for your support! I love you guys so much, and I'm so grateful so many of you like my book so much.

I'm super proud of how this turned out and I hope you all love it!

The world is hazy for the briefest of moments. The boy with raven-colored hair is left with a few precious seconds of innocence, free of the painful burdens of his reality. The boy often wishes these fleeting moments could last longer before he remembers who he is.

Varian of Old Corona.

Varian: Usurper of the throne, terrorist, traitor of Corona, kidnapper of royalty...the list of his crimes goes on. It's a list he's forced to carry with him every single day of his life. His record is more tarnished than the goggles he wears, more permanent than the stains of blood.

The boy of his past haunts him.

Varian would give anything to change the way fate played out.

The train of thought he spirals on every time he awakens comes to an abrupt halt as a putrid taste swells on his tongue. A flavor worse than rotten ham sandwiches lingers in his mouth, and the raven-haired boy gags.

Any remaining drowsiness is ripped away as he opens his eyes. He allows his blue eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night and glances at his surroundings. Panic nestles in his gut when he realizes he doesn't know where he is. Terror strikes as he finds his hands bound behind his back. His eyes land on a woman with a bob of turquoise hair and milky white skin. She casually lounges against a black rock, looking rather bored.

"H-Hey! Where are we?!" He tries to sound intimidating. Tries.

The woman, Cassandra, rests an elbow on her knee and leans forward. "I need that third incantation, Varian."

Varian's eyes widen. That's right, he knows the third incantation. Cassandra doesn't. That's why he's here; she kidnapped him. As if he'd ever tell her. "Never."

Cassandra reaches for a leather bag lying beside her. "I knew you'd say that." She remarks, picking up the item. "That's why I went through your little bag of tricks. I found something in here that might change your mind." An eerie smirk crosses her lips as she rises to her feet and steps over to Varian. Holding up a glass vial, she asks, "Recognize this?"