Archive of Our Own ^beta

Summary:

[original summary]

Arthur Lester is dead.

The last thing he remembers is the panicked run through the witch’s lair, with John’s voice guiding him in the darkness of the tunnels, and Yorick at his belt narrating his doom. A sharp pain in his abdomen, the blade piercing through his flesh, emerging on the other side, as blood seeps out of his body and lands in heavy droplets on the ground.
John’s pained scream, calling his name.

Darkness.

Then he wakes in a painfully familiar place, with a familiar voice in his head.

But there are still promises to keep – promises, whose weight hangs heavy on Arthur’s shoulders. Breaking Kayne’s deal threatens eternal suffering not just for him, but for everyone he’s ever loved; yet how can he find his way not only back to England, but to the right time, the right universe?

In this place of wrath and tears, Arthur, and the entity within are forced to reckon with the past and with the future. Old wounds are opened, new knowledge uncovered. Will they light a fuse on the relationship with an old foe, risking everything they've worked for — or perhaps, gain an unexpected ally for the final day of judgement?