Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Imagine dragons an AU mixing a Phainon x reader with Xenoblade Chronicles. More specifically Xenoblade Chronicles 3 because I feel like Amphoreus as a whole fits really well. The same can go for like, any of the Xenoblade games but I'm gonna start with 3 since it fits more (imho). I got like this idea at like, 2am in the morning and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. Strap in, because I'm going to be yapping~

Also HUGE SPOILER WARNING for anyone who hasn't played XC3, please go and watch a playthrough of it or play the game if you have a chance. Please, it's beautiful and I promise you'll love it.

So basically (shout out to phillyonmars) Amphoreus is divided into two sides just like in XC3 and they're stuck in the endless now thanks to Lygus (ooh, when I catch you Lygus). Everything starts with Khaslana and the original reader, who are fated to meet in every cycle, join Ouroboros, and become lovers. But unfortunately, they're also fated to die over and over again, thus resulting in a near endless repetition (y'know, just like Khaslana did for 33 million+ cycles). Reader, just like Mio in XC3, will always die in front of Khaslana and he can do nothing. There is no way to save them, no matter what he does. He runs away? They freeze to death in a snowstorm. They get to Lygus? He kills them and their friends. He and the reader go into hiding? They die of sickness. He and reader have a frigging child in one cycle! And Reader just... dies right after giving birth. And then, a year later he eventually dies too! Having no choice but to leave the kid with a trusted ally. No matter if he runs away, or hides, or tries to fight, they will always die. And what hurts most? There's always a smile on their face when it happens.

Khaslana is powerless.

So he becomes desperate, and Lygus knows this. When Lygus invites Khaslana to his Grand Theater, where he oversees all of Amphoreus, he shows a mock movie reel of their past lives. How they met, to when they become Oroboros, and how they unfortunately met their end, returning to the cycle.

And it's pure torture.

It's forcing Khaslana to relive every moment he lost his beloved, and every time his heart dies a little more. Lygus used reader's deaths to manipulate and control him, forcing him to make an impossible choice: Continue the fight and break the cycle, or stay in the endless now with his beloved?

Khaslana chooses to stay. He will never lose them again.

I'm not exactly sure when the main events of XC3 take place, but I'm gonna assume it's been a while so let's just throw a time skip after Khaslana and OG Reader became Moebius.

And yes, I said OG Reader because in both their and Khaslana's places, Phainon is born along with another version of reader. The reason they were born is because of both Khaslana and OG Reader's lingering regrets, which gave life to the two. However, UNLIKE their OGs, Phainon may still be known as the 'Deliverer' just like Khaslana, but he was taught to become an Off-Seer by Cyrene, his best friend, who unfortunately died on the battlefield (again :<). Reader is also an Off-Seer who was trained by their best friend March (I'm not kidding), who in the end sacrificed herself to save them and Cipher. The only thing that is pretty much the same, is when they meet, which is on the battlefield.

Keves Group: Phainon, Castorice, & Hyacine

Agnus Group: Reader, Mydei, & Cipher

Anaxa and Aglaea are gonna be like Cammuravi and Ethel, it fits way too well I'm sorry.

If you played or watched someone play XC3, then you already know what the beginning is like. But for those with absolutely no clue, let me summarize it really badly for you while still using the AU stuff:

Phainon and reader turn into their Ouroboros form for the first time thanks to Chartonus (I can't imagine anyone else in Vandham's place), which leads to his unfortunate death. Now every Counsul knows that the Ouroboros are on the move again, now everyone sees them as enemies so they have no choice but to come together and travel until they reach Swordmarch, which is where Chartonus told them to go before he died. It's a bumpy start, the group isn't really happy to be acting like allies since they've been fighting each other for so long. But gradually, as they continue their journey, the ice that formed between them began to melt and they started to become friends. The most notable change being between Phainon and reader. For some reason or another, they're attracted to one another yet they can't place this odd feeling in their chests. There's a moment where Phainon says that they still have time to do what they want, but Reader doesn't feel the same way because they only have two more months until their homecoming. The next day, he apologies for his insensitivity and they have a sweet moment of reprise, where they eventually swap flutes. He has theirs, and they have his. The two are starting to like each other, but they don't quite understand what "love" means.

I'm gonna skip like most of the stuff, but all you need to know is that everything goes well at first.

Until Chapter 5 hits (if you know, you know).

I want to say reader is older than Phainon by like a year, so their homecoming is approaching fast. They originally had 2 months left, now there's only one.

Unfortunately, nothing goes as planned for the main cast. They broke out of prison, just to be put back in there when they fought both OG Reader and nearly won, only to be destroyed by Khaslana. Now they're in sitting in jail for an entire month until reader's homecoming arrives. Khaslana (who's known as K or Consul K now) separated them from reader intentionally to break their spirits. They're trying to break out but nothing works, and time is passing by too quickly. Phainon is basically having a meltdown because he can't get to reader. And what makes it worse is that the day before homecoming, reader finally says his name which they've never done the entire time. He breaks down in tears, while everyone else just... gives up.

Homecoming arrives, the main cast are forced to watch it happen and be executed after. Phainon has a front row seat to it all because Khaslana wants him to see how powerless he is (how powerless he once was...). The worse part? After reader is forced onto their knees, Khaslana throws Phainon's Off-Seer flute at him and cruelly tells Phainon to "send them off."

He'll try to pick it up, try to give them a peaceful farewell like he did with Cyrene. But one look at their body beginning to dissolve destroys him, causing the flute to drop from his hands. Reader takes one last look at him, tells him that "it's been fun," before they disappearing into the sky. Never to return again.

And Phainon just loses it. His will is completely shattered and he doesn't even have the strength to fight back anymore. Khaslana raises his sword to execute Phainon, but is stopped when his beloved (Consul B or R, whatever you prefer) interfers. For everyone else, this happens in a blink of an eye but for Phainon, he's in a sort of limbo that Consul B/R puts him in. Phainon will get shown the memories of Khaslana and all the lifetimes both he and his beloved went through (not all of them tho, just a handful that matter). He sees the moment Khaslana made his choice to stay in the endless now with his beloved, turning them into Moebius. Phainon understands why Khaslana did what he did. There was a time he wished time slowed down forever when Cyrene ran out to the battlefield, but that wasn't she wanted. She ran to the battlefield because she chose that path for herself. Phainon is positive that if he were to ask Consul B/R about what they wanted, then they'd reply that they didn't want this. To live forever harvesting lives. When asked if he'd still continue fighting even if alone, Phainon responds "yes." Phainon's reader will suddenly appear and extend their hand to him, prompting him to he wake up.

Plot twist: Reader is actually in B/R's body (they switched bodies when they fought a month ago). This makes Khaslana freak out because he realized that his beloved is the one who actually died, not Phainon's. That's when Phainon would lay into Khaslana about betraying his values, turning his back on the friends who risked everything just to support him, even his own child. He deliberately went against the wishes of B/R and if he actually cared, then he wouldn't have forced them to take extreme measures like this. It was clear that B/R did not want this, all they wanted was to live together with him but he couldn't see that. Instead, he imprisoned them, forcing them to make an impossible choice for themselves: To leave, and then maybe he'll see why this isn't right. But of course, Khaslana is in denial. He won't accept it. He would rather kill Phainon and take reader to become B's replacement instead of facing the truth.

Here's a little thing I wrote just for this scene in particular.

"My feelings..." Khaslana hissed. "My feelings are the same as they've always been!"

He points his finger toward you. "They're for you, (Name)."

A chill runs down your spine. Feelings? No, this is an obsession. He's just being desperate now, continuing to cling onto the only person who he deems worthy to stick by his side. That's all this really is — A sick, a twisted form of devotion and love.

"If they're truly gone, I'll just have to redo it all!"

Khaslana's lips curl into an eerie, broken smile. "Watch me rewind our clocks back to the start!"

You can only stand there, horrified. That man is not an ordinary man anymore — Oh no, he is far worse. Driven to the brink of a cliff, just barely on the edge of madness and self-destruction. Actually no, he must have passed that point long ago when he made that crucial choice. The one that sealed both his and his beloved's fates forever. As a result, he has lost everything he held dear, and now? Now, he can only cling to the closet person that is the source of his obsession. You.

"Phainon, my long shadow... You have stolen them away from me. I will extinguish you, and take them back!"

Phainon takes a step back, equally as disturbed. His hand reaches for yours, and you hold onto his as if your life depends on it. Maybe this time, your life does depend on it.

"(Name) is MINE! They're not yours, they're mine! You are nothing, they belong only to ME."

Khaslana grips the handle of his sword, yellow piercing eyes glare the pair down. You can feel it. The flames of obsession and denial fan so high, it feels as though your lungs are being deprived of air. And you're so, so scared. Why? Why won't he listen? Why can't he understand? Is he so blinded by this twisted form of devotion that he fails to see that this is the very reason his beloved went so far?

"Words won't cut it. I can't get through to him." Phainon turns to you, his resolve strengthening.

He needn't say anything, you have already made up your mind. And suddenly, all of those questions and the fear bottling up within you disappear. Somehow, in your heart, you know that he feels the same. The moment that you two are together is when you know that everything will be okay. Yes. As long as Phainon is by your side, you can do anything.

Man.

Honestly that's all I got really. I'm not sure how else to picture the rest of the stuff because ngl, after chapter 5 the story kinda... went downhill a little? Not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that they could've extended it to 10 chapters like they did with the previous Xenoblade games. And to be totally honest, I honestly think that Amphoreus fits all three of the mainline games. And yes, I know Xenoblade Chronicles X exists. But I'm not counting it as a mainline game since no one really knows where this game falls in the timeline. So I'm sorry, but in my honest opinion, it's not a mainline game. Just a sorta side story or maybe even a post-story of the Klaus Arc.

Also, y'know how Phainon is sorta based (I saw someone say it so, I'm just gonna mimic it) on Apollo from Greek Mythology? Well, I kind of imagine the OG Reader in this AU to be named Daphne since in one of the most known stories, Daphne is Apollo's first love. Albeit, it was kinda forced since they both got shot with Cupid's arrows but it still aligns with what I was imagining. (So I guess OG Reader should be called Consul D heh— shut up brain.)

Also also, for the other Ouroboros pairings:

Mydei + Hyacine

Cipher + Castorice.

I chose Cipher and Castorice because they seemed to have a good dynamic together — NOT ROMANTICALLY, just that I can see a great friendship between the two. I'm saying this right now because I know some people are gonna get mad if I implied something that I didn't even say. — despite not having interacted a lot in the main story. Hyacine and Mydei... I'm ngl I just kinda threw those together. I really didn't know who to pair with Mydei LOL, and I didn't want to do the whole Mydei and Castorice thing either. I know some people can see them as a pairing, but I really don't see it. I see more of a dynamic with her and Phainon than anything thing else, and that can really go multiple ways too.

Anyway, I think I rambled off for long enough. I doubt anyone's gonna read any of this anyway, so... If you made it this far, thanks for stopping by. I'm not sure why, but thank you for thinking I was worth your time. And if y'all got any suggestions about this AU or a completely different AU, feel free to comment. I'd love to see other peoples interpretations of this.

Honestly, this AU is just a random crackhead idea I got at like 2am and now that I've rambled about it online, I feel like I can go to sleep peacefully at night. Maybe. Probably not tbh.

I hope you have a wonderful morning, afternoon, or evening. If you're in school right now, chin up! It's gonna be okay, pace yourself and know when to take a break.

Love you 🫶 reeses pieces ✌️

Chapter Text

So basically!

Imagine dragons:

You, dear reader, awoke Khaslana who's basically the Deliverer of Torna (my spin on Jin being the Jewel of Torna). I imagine the reader's like Lora, where they grew up with their mother and have no idea what happened to their father. But there was a father-figure in their life, he just wasn't a very good one. He's the man who actually stole Khaslana from Torna, and while he was looking for a place to hide, he unfortunately found reader and their mother. The only thing you can give that man credit for was that he did at least try (for lack of a better word) to take care of the mom. But to put it frankly, he abused both reader and the mother. Mentally and physically. And when he decided that he no longer had need of the reader after their mother died, he tried to kill them that same night. Backed into a corner, reader tried to latch onto to something and ended up touching the treasure he stole from the nobles.

That's when Khaslana was born into this world once more as the reader's Blade. His awakening caused that wretched man to flee in fear, promising that one day he'll return and kill them.

From then on, Khaslana was all reader had, and they were all he had. They had to change his name since too many people would recognize that he's the stolen Deliverer of Torna, and they don't want to be arrested for something their (ugh) "father-figure" did. So reader named him Phainon, and that's the name he's been known to have ever since. The two of them would become mercenaries, they did odd jobs, bought a sword for Phainon that reader dubbed "Dawnmaker," and even made a weapon for themself to use out of thin, red rope. Because they're both broke, they couldn't afford two weapons so they just bought Dawnmaker and came up with a little system — Just toss it back and forth! That'll do the trick just fine!

...Most of the time.

They'd also awaken another Blade who had the power to immobilize other Blades, her name was Polyxia (yes, I know she's in a wheelchair in HSR but imagine that she wasn't for this AU). She had a "sister Blade" according to the merchant reader bought her from. This makes them want to find Polyxia's sister, that way they can be together. Polyxia wanted to find her too, and because she can typically handle herself without a Driver, reader trusts her to set out by herself.

This is basically like reader's whole life story in my imagination.

Reader and Khaslana Phainon have been conjoined at the hip since his awakening, never wanting to loose each other or possibly get him taken away from them. And as they grew into an adult (well, actually ever since they hit teenage years), they started falling in love with him. I mean, can you blame them? Not only is he really handsome, he's also really caring, and sweet, and he's always protecting the reader from danger. When they're huddled in a blanket at night, reliving the nightmares of their past, he'll be there — Holding and comforting them, always whispering that everything will be okay. But the fact remains that he's a Blade. He'll lose all of his memories of reader once they die. He'll return to his core and be awakened by someone else, having no recollection of the reader or the things they've been through together. And that fact hurts. Reader doesn't want him to forget, it'd be like having their heart torn in two.

What they don't know is that Phainon thinks about this too. All the time. He couldn't help falling for them, he just doesn't know how to express it. His heart clenches every time he looks at them, his mind is always racing toward the worse possible outcomes. That one day the reader will die, and he'll forget all about them. This is all he can think about when the two of them, along with their new companions (I'm not gonna bother with all that this time), come across his supposedly old home. An old man recognized him and directed them there. The house lays abandoned, but there there's still one memory left standing. It's a picture of his old Driver, a short pink-haired girl with blue eyes. Her name was Cyrene.

"Why do Blades never get to keep their memories?" That was the question Phainon asked himself every day since that visit. And once they reach the kingdom of Torna, that's when all of his fears and anxieties were realized.

The two fought to protect the townsfolk from an attack, the king recognized their efforts, and then reader became a knight. It was supposed to go up hill from there, but then Torna fell shortly after. Even though you defeated the enemy, thousands of innocent people died as a result and the ones who survived will have to live with that trauma. The reader lost four great friends that day, and the Aegis lost herself to grief. What was supposed to be a glorious victory turned into a bitter defeat. Then they would part ways with the others, with Phainon and the reader wanting to dedicate their time protecting the rest of the refugees. But of course, reader's abusive father-figure shows up in the most grotesque form possible, all in an effort to kill them. He's defeated, his ugly ahh fading away, but even then he's still spewing malice from his mouth. The reader can't help but pity him.

But the story's not over yet. Nah, nah, nah.

All of a sudden, an army from Okhema (we'll put that in place of Indol) that was sent by Lygus storms the Torna refuge camp and destroys everything. And in an effort to protect the people, the reader is struck down by cannon fire. Phainon drags them to safety, his eyes filled with tears and hoping to whatever god would listen to him that they'll be okay. But once he lays the reader down, he realizes that it's too late. They're dying, and there's nothing he can do.

"It's... it's going to be okay, (Name). You're going to be okay, I promise."

Phainon isn't sure that he was reassuring you or himself at this point. Not that it mattered anymore. He tries to put pressure on the wound present in your chest, an ever growing stain is seeping through your armor and the fabric that laid beneath. He can't give up, he mustn't give up. He can save you, he knows he can. He's the Deliverer of Torna, he's capable of anything. So why are you still bleeding? Why is your body getting colder and colder the more he can't stop it? And why are your eyes so hollow? They should be filled with that same determination he encountered when you were just a child. The same child who rose above their grief and sorrow to protect the innocent, even when it wasn't their business. You've already been through so much, you fought so hard to get to where you are now. So... why? Why did it have to be you?!

"No, no...!" He pleaded. "Why isn't it stopping?!"

"Khas...la..." You tried to say, but your voice was nearly gone.

You could feel your body growing weaker and colder as the seconds passed. You don't have much time left. Is this how it all ends? With you, lying in a cold cave while Phainon is trying his best to save you? And you never get to tell him how you truly feel? How pathetic, you thought. It sounds like a cruel ending to a fairy tale you once read as a child. Except, the princess always gets to confess her unyielding love to the prince in those stories. She always gets that happy ending, where she and her beloved get to walk off into the sunset, hand-in-hand. The princess gets to have her happily ever after. You don't. This is not a fairy tale or a fictional story where it's revealed by some plot twist that everything will be okay. This is reality. Your reality. Tears fall from your face, though you can barely feel them drip toward your ears. All you can do is stare up at Phainon — No, Khaslana, as he tries to stop your wound from bleeding out. He's in tears, begging and pleading for you to stay alive.

"I'm sorry..." He wept. "I'm so, so sorry, (Name). It's all my fault that you got hurt. I couldn't protect you..."

You shook your head, not entertaining the thought. He's protected you all his life and continued to stick by your side, even until the bitter end.

"That's not true... You did what you promised..." You choke out a pitiful laugh. "Guess I flew too close to the sun, right?"

"Please, don't joke like that..." Yet, he couldn't stop a smile from creeping up his lips.

"Khaslana... The thought of you forgetting me is like having my heart torn in two..." But then, you smile. You're bleeding to death in his arms, and you're still smiling. "But... that's the price we pay for being human, right? To yearn for what we can't have, to love with a fragile heart... Isn't that tragically romantic?"

You raised your arm, cupping his cheek with the palm of your hand, using your thumb to wipe away those tears. They did nothing to stop their flow, but what mattered to you is that you can still feel the warmth in his skin. To others, he may be the "Deliverer," or a hero of prophecy, a legend that will burn brightly until the world reaches the end. But in your eyes, he has always been one man — The love of your life, a man you cherish with all your heart and soul. It's selfish to think this way, to even consider confessing these thoughts as your final moment is at hand. It might even be the biggest mistake of your life. But, even so, you refuse to die without telling him how you truly feel. To have this sole regret in your mind when fate whisks you away is unbearable. Because if you're going to die, you would like to be a little selfish this one time.

"I love you, Khaslana..."

Raising a hand, he meets yours and holds it. He doesn't answer, but he doesn't need to. He already gave you an answer. Darkness fills your vision as the feeling in your fingers cease and the freezing temperature fades away. The last thing you see is Khaslana leaning down, his lips are moving but you can't make out what he says, your hearing all by extinct now. But the most important thing, at least in your mind, was that you finally got to tell him how you truly felt. And that is enough for you.

Khaslana can feel his body starting to wither, he will return to his core soon. But there is one way he can prevent this process from occurring. Just one, simple thing. It's barbaric and unsightly, but if it meant that he didn't have to forget about you... he'll do anything. Reaching a hand up, he prepares himself before plunging it straight through your chest. The sound is revolting, but he endures. His hand comes into contact with a faintly pulsing organ that laid conceal under your skin and caged by your bones. Khaslana pulls your heart right out of your chest, the arteries and veins connecting it to your body are snapped like threads, but he is gentle with the way he handles it. The pulsing stops, but this does not deter him in the slightest. Ripping open his shirt, he tears an opening in his own chest with his bear hand. He takes one last look at the heart that belong to you.

This is it.

There will be no going back after this.

But his mind is made up, and his resolve is unwavering.

Khaslana places the heart in his chest, the cavity seals, and his body begins to change.

"I heard something." A hushed voice spoke from beyond the cave.

"It could be more enemies, be on the lookout." Another replied.

"Let's check that cave over there."

Footsteps grew closer to the cave. They are unaware of the hell they're about to walk into. Khaslana, sword in hand and his body pulsing with a rage that cannot be quelled, walks forward. The intruders are soldiers from Okhema, the very same breed of vermin who murdered his beloved and countless other innocent people. He will not show mercy to them, they don't deserve it. As soon as the soldiers spotted Khaslana, it was too late. Their frightened cries and futile attempts to flee were in vain as Khaslana, in a blaze of anger, lunged at them. He doesn't even remember what their faces looked like, if they even had any that were worth remembering. He doesn't remember their screams for help, nor the reinforcements that came after to try and take him down. All he does remember is the aftermath he stood in moments later, the ground splattered in blood, the forest engulfed in flames, and that horrible scent of ashes.

But most haunting memory of all, were when his tears evaporated before they touched the ground.