» in the next life

[Vivika]

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[Vivika]

── HELL AWAITS !!
⤷ from mal's pov

“Welcome to hell.”

The iron jaws of the prisons gaped, emitting a piercing screech as obsidian gates slithered open. Spikes crested the top of ebony walls, glinting spires under the fading twin moons. Within those gaping jaws, shadows squirmed across cracked walls as if phantoms released from pits.

A slender form waited, silver claws deliberately unsheathed as she strode up, flashing a toothy grin. “Good day, judge. Still working that same stubborn fool, aren’t ya?”

Malachi offered a grim smile. “Take me to him. I have several questions for this… fool.”

[Vivika]

── AND WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE ?
⤷ from mal's pov

The prisons reeked.

An awful stench of rotting filth and mold. Iron clanked, clanging, as chains collided with unyielding steel rods. The jeers of prisoners accompanied him as he walked, dozens of eyes pinned on him… the majority locked behind bars at his decree.

But he refused to be cowed. Down spiralling stairwells and past sterile hallways to the isolation division. A familiar sight for housing the most despicable souls. Traitors to the crown.

A pair of amber eyes flashed, glimmering from the shadows, watching behind steel bars.

“You can leave us.” Malachi waved a dismissive tail at the guard. “I can handle this. Go.”

The guard retreated and shadows flickered once more from within the cell. The prisoner pulled close, poking a muzzle between the bars, the barest hint of a smile curving. “What brings you here, friend?”

[Vivika]

── HELP ME, HELP YOU !!
⤷ from mal's pov

A sinner and saint.
A law-breaker and a law-follower.
A villain and a so-called hero.

A criminal and a judge.

The only thread connecting them… friendship. An unlikely one.

“Any chance you came to hear more about my so-called cult?” The tom grinned, amber eyes shining. “I have plenty more to tell.”

Malachi groaned, pulling closer to the bars. “No. I came on a state-sanctioned visit on orders of the King. He sent me to─”

“Oh, so you’re saying that the King waved his paw and summoned you to hang out with me in the dungeons.” The tom chuckled, leaning back and uncoiling his tail. “Well, why didn’t you say so? Besides…” A tiny grin. “You could just say you missed me.”

He scoffed. “As if. Now about having plenty to tell… how about a name?”

“Guess.”

A groan slipped from his jaws as he leaned his head against the bars, meeting those amber eyes. It was a game they both played, one both irrationally frustrating and unreasonably entertaining. At least for the other. As for him, the odds were forever stacked against him.

Sighing, he closed his eyes. “Alright. How about Rian? Xav? Loki?”

The tom’s nose wrinkled. “C'mon, judge… do I look like a Xav to you?” His brows waggled. “The King must be overworking you, lately. You know better.”

A laugh sputtered from his chest.
Was it possible to enjoy this tom’s company… without knowing a single thing about him?

Just the crimes he was accused of.
Theft. Forgery. Conspiracy. Murder. Treason.

His smile faded. “I can’t help you if you don’t help yourself. You understand that, right? The King… he won’t be patient for long.”

“So he’s putting pressure on you to make a decision. You should. Can’t keep me locked in this filth forever.” A wry smile. “Maybe you should consider feeding me to that Beast you threatened me with. Fun times, huh─”

“No.” His shoulders tensed. “Not if I can help it. Besides… the evidence against you is circumstantial at best. If you could assist the process by telling me something of importance, I can release you.”

“Ever thought that the King controls you too much?” The tom hummed softly, gaze lifting for a second. “Orchestrates every second of your life and tells you what to do and when to do it? All those rules and regulations you have to follow… your every step is controlled like a monkey on a leash.”

It struck a chord. The tom’s gentle, flowing cadence and his acute observations. He was perceptive. Intelligent.
A captive bird locked in the pits of hell and yet… he acted like the cage didn’t exist.

Malachi inhaled sharply. “Never considered it, actually. Don’t you believe your cult deity does the same for you?”

A breathless chuckle erupted.

“Don’t make me laugh, Mal.” The tom choked back a wheezy laugh, wincing. “I swear. I can’t─”

“Are you hurt?” He leapt to his paws, peering through the bars. The tom hugged his side… favoring it. His jaw clenched.

“A harmless skirmish with one of the prisoners. Don’t worry─”

“Ridiculous. I’m getting help, hold on.”

[Vivika]

── MAELSTROM OF FIRE AND HAIL !!
⤷ from unknown tom's pov

It was like a maelstrom of fire and hail had unleashed outside his cell.

One word from the judge. One word and healers rushed to his aid, bearing pungent herbs and cool salves, with the full force of their medical expertise on him. Where he was once invisible, one word from the judge placed him in the spotlight under narrowed eyes and skillful paws. They were a whirlwind of action, bustling and churning, paws skimming his side.

Then… they left.
And the tom was alone. For a moment.

The tom’s ears pricked as pawsteps thundered down the hallway.
Mal. The judge had never been… a quiet walker.

“Are you alright?” Strain lingered in that clipped tone, sharpening it to a pointed edge. “I requested a med report from the healers, but they were preoccupied.”

Something was off.

The short puffs of breath from the judge’s chest. The wild frenzy in those firelight eyes. And the intensity sparked within those vibrant eyes akin to… fear? Desperation?

Horror.

“I’m fine, Mal.” He pushed himself upright, smothering a wince as a low stab of pain spiked between his ribs. “Something wrong? I don’t look that terrible, do I? C’mon, I get it… I should be more careful, not provoke anyone, avoid picking fights… ”

“The King moved your execution date up.” A sharp, shuddering breath in. “It’s tomorrow.”

And like that, the shadows descended.

The fragile reality, the little paradise spawned in the heart of hell, disintegrated. Shattering on the existence of two fateful words, sealing his fate. Swift, decisive and without warning.

He offered a faint smile. “We knew this was coming, Mal.”

Mal’s jaw fell slack. “Did you hear what I just said? It’s tomorrow.” His paws tapped a restless rhythm against the stone floors, tail wringing into knots. “The King wants me to announce it, tomorrow, and have you executed, tomorrow.”

“Hey… ” He shook his head. “It’ll be okay. You’ve done this plenty of times. You said you had evidence─”

“Void.” A curse sputtered past the judge’s jaws. “You’re asking to meet the Beast, you realize that?”

“A once in a lifetime invitation.”

Mal sighed. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

His head leaned against the bars. “I thought that was your job to… make me say things.”

A choked, wheezing laugh. “Idiot. I don’t understand… please, I can help you. Tell me something. Anything. Your name for starters ─ it has to be in the system.”

His head dropped. “I-I can’t.”

“Why?” A broken whisper barely straining past Mal’s jaws. The judge slumped. “I’m asking… I’m asking as a friend.”

His chest tightened.

Stars. A kick to the gut that stung in a thousand different ways, a pinprick compared to the prison skirmish earlier. He could see it in the other’s eyes ─ the steel conviction and unwavering belief ─ how utterly convinced Mal was of his innocence.

Dear Mal. He couldn’t understand, he could never understand. And Stars, he wanted to tell him. Wanted to spill it so many times on so many occasions, let the weight crushing his chest… lift.

But he couldn’t.
Not the real, whole and complete truth. With truth came questions, questions he couldn't answer.

Not when so many lives were hanging in the balance.
Not when moons of sacrifice hinged on his silence.
Not when it meant victory in a war with no end.

But the partial truth?

He was guilty.
Guilty as charged for the whole slew of crimes the judge had listed…

And more.

[Vivika]

── IN THE NEXT LIFE
⤷ from mal's pov

“I’m sorry, Mal.”

A soft, haunted whisper like that of a perishing phantom, vanishing at the break of the blinding dawn. A phantom pushed too far and too stubborn to give in… even at the gates of death.

The tom made it so easy. So easy to go along with the King’s orders. Announce the completion of the trial, schedule the execution and… let this tom vanish from the realm.

“Alright.” Malachi tugged a breath in, slow and steady. His paws drummed against the ground, tail coiling like a water serpent drifting through turbulent waters.

If the tom wanted to play it stubborn, then…

“I’m going to get you out.”

The tom stiffened. “You’re going to─ ”

“Shhh.” He slid a paw into his satchel, claws hooking around a slender, cylindrical tool. His gaze locked with the tom’s. “Technically, this doesn't exist ─ not on the markets. The prisons are activated by energy and this disrupts it. Turn it on and the cells will unlock.”

“Mal, I…”

“The gates outside? They’ll also open. You have three minutes to get out there, hear me? Three minutes.” He released a tense breath. “It’ll be attributed to a system malfunction. Virtually untraceable.”

“Mal. How long have you…?” The tom shook his head. “Fine, don’t answer that. But why? Why risk everything for me? If you get caught…”

Why him.

Too many words, too little time.
The tom was a stranger. A nameless criminal. An idiot with a death wish.

But so much more.

“Because…”

He wanted this tom to be innocent.

This tom, so foolhardy, reckless and… carefree. Prison or no prison, he was unshakeable. Calm in the midst of a raging storm. Still smiling like an idiot while surrounded by bars. The tom had an untouchable freedom. Unscathed by rules and regulations. He was free.

Uncontrolled.

Because… you’re who I want to be.
The carefree to my careful.
The chaos to my control.
My friend.

But he couldn't say that.

“Because you’re innocent.” Malachi swallowed. “Void. I don’t even know who you are, where you come from or even your name. But I… I think you’re innocent. So take it…” He pushed the device into the tom’s paws, placing the other’s paw over it. “Please.”

“Mal, if we do this…” Amber eyes fell from his. “I can never return. It’s good-bye. For good.”

“I know.” He leaned closer, soaking in the cool steel, a barrier forever dividing them. “But I can live with that.”

The tom nodded, swallowing hard.

Slowly, his head lifted, amber eyes locking with his, a faint smile quavering. “In the next life, Mal.”

An ancient farewell, an exchange between titans thousands of generations before, on the eve of a pivotal battle ─ a battle with no easy choices, nor answers. A battle of dilemmas, destruction… and sacrifice.

Those words… not a good-bye, but a parting. A shared understanding of the uncertainties to come. A greeting to another life. A tribute amongst close comrades. Sacred.

His throat was raw, chest tight. “In the next life.”

[Vivika]

── YOUR MAJESTY !!
⤷ from mal's pov

Perhaps the next life would greet him soon… if he couldn’t cool the King’s ire.

The King waltzed from one end of the silver throne to the other, claws shredding tapestry and azure carpets as he flung curses to the stars, the twin moons and the void.

It was almost comedic.
Almost.

“Tell me something, judge.” The King ripped a carpet from beneath him. “The prisoner escapes on the eve of his execution.” A shred tore off the carpet, spiralling to the polished marble floors. “And a random system glitch enables his escape…”

“Perhaps─”

“... and this glitch uses a piece of stolen technology from my systems.” Ivory teeth gnashed, glinting. “An odd coincidence, isn’t it?”

His heart thrummed, hammering in his chest. “It narrows down the lists of suspects. If I had a list of who had access to your systems─”

The King’s eyes glittered. “Actually, I have a theory of my own. Let’s start, shall we? The prisoner got into your head─”

“Ridiculous.”

“Don’t you dare interrupt!” The King drew in a ragged breath, hissing. “And you fell for his mind tricks. When I asked for him to be executed, you went behind my back and stole the device from my systems.”

No.

“Then, you provided the prisoner with the means to escape. And he did.” His breath was hot against his ear. “There’s only one reasonable play here, no?”

A wheeze wrenched from his chest. “With all due respect─”

“Silence.” The King’s voice softened, dropping to a hush. A sickeningly, saccharine hush, sending his stomach churning. “I’m not asking for your opinion, judge. Since we’re old friends, I thought I’d pay you the courtesy of an explanation for what comes next…”

Marble doors banged open, a shuddering thud echoing through the throne room. Tall, slender shadows crossed the threshold, their silver-azure cloaks fluttering in the low light. Emblazoned with the royal insignia. The King’s personal guards.

There was no question who they were here for.

A metallic tang invaded his jaws as the guards hurled him against the marble floors. Silver shackles roped around his paws, slithering a serpent’s dance, binding them. It was futile to fight. They were trained for exactly this purpose… to eliminate threats to the kingdom.

It was always a possibility. A possibility the King would suspect him and the world would be usurped from under him. And now that the King had, the uncertainty and the lack of control, the sheer chaos… was strangely freeing.

He was a captive bird flying through time and space.
And he didn’t care.

“Leave him.”

At the arch of the marble doors, another figure stepped in, leaning against the walls, favoring their side. Amber eyes flickered, a faint smile curving as they met his gaze.

The world spun to a standstill.

“Your Majesty.” The tom bowed his head. “Miss me?”

He couldn’t breath, he couldn’t─

The tom strode up to the throne, a wry smile twitching. “Aww, don’t look so stunned, dear King. I returned, since I couldn’t stand the idea of someone taking the fall for my little escape. It seems you already have a scapegoat?” He chuckled. “C’mon, that judge? He’s as loyal as loyal can be. How about you listen to my brilliant escape…”

No.

“Nah, I think you’d rather hear my confession.” The tom’s chin lifted. “So here, in the presence of His Royal Highness, I confess to being an enemy of the Crown and accept all charges raised against me, including…”

He wanted to scream.
But no sound came out.

This was…
Void.
Ridiculous.
Ludicrous.

There was another word, but he couldn’t find it. He couldn’t think─

“Treason.” The tom flashed a grin, offering a wink. “Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh? You probably also want a name, so you can properly execute me in public… send me to the Beast and all that…”

Amber eyes swiveled over to meet his, flickering with gentle determination and strength, a bittersweet smile tainting his delicate features. A paw touched his shoulder, feather-like, but those eyes never left his. “My name is Xavi. I go by Xav.”

His world was crumbling.

It hit him. The word he’d been looking for.

Sacrifice.
This was sacrifice.

A life in exchange for a life.

Silver shackles slipped from his paws, snaking around the other tom’s, fettering him in their manacles.

A false confession to hide a lie.

The guards swarmed the other tom, binding him in chains and in codes and in captivity.

A friendship purified in fire.

The smile never wavered from the tom ─ from Xav ─ as he was dragged away. Amber eyes never left his, twin pillar of flames, forever flickering. Xav's jaws parted, mouthing five simple words, almost imperceptible. Crushing.

“In the next life, Mal.”

[Vivika]

a closing post for honesty! <33
thank you so much for reading, ahh! i hope you have a good rest of your day/evening!
and i'm so sorry for the length </3