Stormy Skies: This Cruelty Known As Fate (Laxus x Reader) [CURRENTLY EDITING]

~ Words and a Warning~

Okay... I know I've been gone for a while but I promise I'm not dead! Here's an extra long chapter for your guys' Valentine's Day, from me to you!❤

Note: The picture for this chapter is from the WEBTOON comic called "LUMINE" by the creator Emma Krogell. It's among my favorite subscriptions and definitely worth checking out on either webtoons.com or the mobile app. Now, the story!

~ My eyes snap open, and we disappear into the depths of time and space. ~

Laxus' POV

        All I see is darkness. Deep, seemingly never-ending darkness. My body feels weightless, like I'm floating; suspended over a gaping chasm. 

        Is this what death is like?

        I look around, confused. 

        Where's (Y/N)?

        Where am I?

        I turn around, trying to make sense of the situation. Nothing. As far as the eye can see.

        Then, out of nowhere, a light. Small at first, it grows in size, racing towards me at... well... the speed of light. 

        The light envelops me in what is at first a warm and gentle embrace, but it doesn't last long. 

        My back arches as I release a low, anguished growl. My body is overtaken by tormenting pain as invisible pins and needles prick my nerves in an endless assault. All of the air is sucked from my lungs as my entire body is set aflame, and I squeeze my eyes shut in a vain attempt to shut it all out.

        The pain begins to subside after what seems like eternity, replaced by a feeling of overwhelming cold. An unseen frost creeps across the entire surface of my body, freezing me to the very core. My hand erupts in warmth, but it's different from the burning sensation I felt prior. It begins to slowly spread throughout my body, and I feel at peace for the first time in ages.

        When my eyes finally flutter open, nothing on Earth could've prepared me for the sight which they beheld.

        My earlier suspicions are confirmed as I find myself floating, but I wasn't in complete darkness. Not anymore. The sky around me was blooming with all of the most beautiful colors imaginable: purple, green, gold, pink... all spread across an expanse of deep, breathtaking navy blue. The entirety of the area was sprinkled with tiny, sparkling lights - no. Stars.

        Am I...?

        I hear someone clearing their throat, and I look to my right to see (Y/N) hovering beside me. Her (H/L), (H/C) hair is floating around her head loosely, and her normally (E/C) eyes had taken on a deep red glow. She looked timeless in that moment, like some sort of goddess stuck between the past, the present, and the future.

        "Where are we?" The sound of my voice reverberates within the vast expanse around me.

        Y/N looks at me with those chilling yet hypnotic eyes. "Where are we? We are everywhere, and we are nowhere. We are neither in the past, nor the present. Nor are we in one of the many futures that our life may lead to. A place all have access to, but few can ever truly find. We are in the depths of reality, a pocket within time and space itself. Do you understand?"