𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐬

[ Mannimarco x Reader ]

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ Remnants ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

I PUBLISHED A DRAFT OF THIS I'M SO SORRY LMAO

anyways it's now fixed. i had so much fun writing this. <3

______

He and his group often disregarded you. They were all-powerful, fearsome necromancers, you were a simple herbalist.

It wasn't your fault that they were stuck with you, this manic necromancer circle just decided to move in into a nearby cave, but they weren't expecting you to come with the terrain. You were headstrong enough to not let them kick you out. Especially after your dog had bit the leader's leg.

Still, you both coexisted, despite your differences, and you took pride whenever one of them came to you to be healed by your miraculous hands.

So, aside from the time Roo almost ate his leg, you never really interacted with the leader. And to be honest you preferred it to remain that way. Of all of them, he was the only one who could instill fear in your soul. Every time you laid eyes on him, a shiver ran down your spine. Maybe it was the way he moved with a wraith-like grace, or the intensity of his glowing eyes, unshadowed by the hood that cast the rest of his face in pure darkness.

Or maybe the fact, you learned recently, that he was THE Mannimarco. Now you understood the predicament you found yourself in, unwillingly and unknowingly. You were now wary of even meeting him, so you avoided the cave at all costs.

Him, however. He didn't really avoid you. All it took was one time of you giving him one of your draughts, and the next day he was there, making "small talk" -really, it was just him talking about the nature of soul gems and how he was going to obscure Arkay- with his menacing aura around him, while you tried to work in your kitchen, and honestly, you were always on edge whenever he was around. It seemed to amuse him, judging by the silent cackle he made before leaving. And you were NOT about to confront him, for you didn't want to end up in the soul gems he so liked to talk about.

Months passed and, stupidly enough, you began having a certain fondness for the necromancer king. He talked about eras long forgotten, about how beautiful the island of Artaeum was when he was there, about his friendship with the mystic, Vanus Galerion. . . There was a tinge of nostalgia in his voice, almost as if he was lonely. And you understood him, with how you lived in the middle of nowhere with no human interaction before the Order came around. So, you joined in the talk too, talking about your potions, your life in your home country, and his glowing eyes seemed wider, more interested when you gushed about your passions.

"So. . . I sprained my ankle while getting those mushrooms," You explained to him, moving your hands around as if that helped the storytelling. His eyes were, once again, trained on you, and he nodded between words, completely silent, just to show you he was listening. You found that endearing. "and frankly would've died in there if Roo didn't come around. He found me, barked for help, and I was saved by some farmer. He did not have a home so... I just brought him with me! He's usually so peaceful, so I'm sorry about your leg, I think it is because he thought you were a chewing bone or someth. . .-!" You interrupted your babbling when you felt his hand on top of yours.

Its coldness caught you off guard, and a sense of dread washed your whole being. You looked up at him, while he pushed back his hood with his bony hands. He was pale, oh so pale, his eyes were deeply set and surrounded by beautiful shades of blue and purple. A smile, genuine and kind was tugging on his thin lips, and all worries vanished from your mind. He was beautiful, honestly, and you didn't know how to process that. You were expecting him to be missing his jaw.

"Thank you." He just said, placing his free hand on your cheek. And you felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

He leaned towards you, and you took time to stare into his eyes, shining with dark magic but still holding a soul in them. You saw remnants. Remnants of his millions of years, of his life before he was undead.

You closed the gap between you, and when your lips touched, his gaze was alive once again.