... but you are my [our] king and I[we] am[are] your lionheart[s]

Disclaimer: I don't own either characters or the song. This is tributed to Angy for their wonderful fic The King's Avatars. The song is King and Lionheart by Monsters and Men.

Summary: One Autumn Leaf. Battle God.
Lord Grim. The Devil of the 10th server.
Both of them have one king...
...and they are his lion-hearts

Shout Out: Accidentally stumbled on Angy's fic and couldn't help but wonder where it had been all my life. It's in Russian, but that didn't deter me from reading that little gem. Seriously, needed that fix. Especially with Ye Xiu being forced to hand over One Autumn Leaf just because and I sorely wanted to see how those two characters would've interacted if they ever met. So there.

Warnings: Mix'n'match of storytelling styles. No particular timeline. Wanted to experiment with these three a bit, so... Yep.

Taking over this town, they should worry,
But these problems aside I think I taught you well.
That we won't run, and we won't run, and we won't run

It had been a long time coming. I've known that, and my player had known that, but it still came as a shock, when he had been called out in front of them some cold winter evening.

We had finished another solo session, he and I, alone and away from those mongrels that masqueraded as our teammates. Ha. As if.

The last season and even before, we had been on a decline because those excuses for professional players dared to sabotage us, and most importantly, him. Him, the Battle God!

I had been called by that pretentious title, and I had been proud of it once. Because that meant that we were on the top, the best of the best, the undefeated. It had taken us ten years to claw to this particular pinnacle. Ten years of tears, patience, sacrifices, bloodshot eyes, drawbacks and advances…all for the love of the game that was [Glory].

But those standing the highest are also the clearest targets of envy and misfortune, as the old saying goes. He didn't have any other motive aside to keep having fun in the game. He was born for it, I know; it was expressed in every gentle touch of his fingers to the keyboard, every movement we've executed on the battlefield or the battle arena.

We breathed and lived together, like one person. My player was me and I was he.

I didn't care for the quality of my garments or how fearsome reputation I've gained in the process of climbing to the peak. I would've lied if I said if I hadn't enjoyed it, but it was just an expected byproduct of our efforts. What was important was that we remained together, through good and bad.

We were there when she stormed the scene with her Gunner, and I was the witness to his grief when his friend had died, leaving him to be the pillar of support to his little sister.

Ten years of efforts, blood sweat and tears, torn and thrown down to the drain because some pretentious asshole thought that with my player out of picture, they would get more fame and recognition through having that little brat, Sun Xiang, control me.

That time, if I could've materialized myself into this plane, [Evil Annihilation] would've been drinking their blood by gallons.

I shuddered when I sensed that brat's greedy mittens on the card. Hotheaded, arrogant, insensitive little…

With heavy heart, I watched his back, unbending and proud as he ambled out of the home we've managed to make in Excellent Era.

But if I taught my player anything, it was that persistence, aside time, was the strongest weapon one could have.

I am One Autumn Leaf, and this is our story.

And in the winter night sky ships are sailing,
Looking down on these bright blue city lights.
And they won't wait, and they won't wait, and they won't wait.
We're here to stay, we're here to stay, we're here to stay.

Every time a player entered glory, their avatars experienced descent into whichever plane he or she had chosen for them. The game was like a winter night with sky ships sailing across it and from those ships/vantage points, the avatars were released like birds to the places their players wanted them to be.

The plains. The mountains. The steps. The forests and hillsides, the world of [Glory] was indeed extremely diverse.

Tonight, I had been chosen/forced to descent into the city, under the hand of that arrogant little bratling. His will and commands had flown through my being like hot, poisonous blood - I couldn't bear it, yet I had to abide it.

I had to battle some or another player - I think it was Tide, was it? A [Grind King]...

It would've been fun to fight against him…but under that loathsome hand, it was extremely vexing!

That Tide had an annoying habit of running away from his opponents to annoy and rush them in equal measure. I've known his tactics well enough, and it was kind of both galling and amusing that Sun Xiang lost his temper all too soon, forcing me to chase after him.

What an idiot my new minder was. I say minder, because I will acknowledge only one person as my player and that wasn't this pretentious bleached brat.

Speaking of it…

… I sensed a familiar spark in the distance. That warmth –

The feeling stalled me, earning me an especially hard jab and a curse from brat's side but –

He was there.

He was there, somehow, someway - not that close to me, but he was out there and I wasn't with him!

Instead of that, there was someone else - I got the feeling of cunning like a swindler fox with its sunny smiles and had to swallow the blood that was trying to force itself past my lips in anger.

I was still there. And he was mine, my player, not of some cheap imitation of me that - !

(Later in the night, I've felt guilty for my thoughts. He wouldn't have forgotten me; he wasn't that kind of person. But that didn't change the fact that instead of me, there was now the two of us, and I would have to deal with that fox-faced bastard the next time we will be seeing each other face to face.)

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.
A lion-heart.

I don't know when or why was I created. But when I was, there was a special feeling of warmth pervading both my body and mind, and somehow, I was reassured that everything will be alright.

The weapon I've been given was interesting. An umbrella, of all things. When I held it in my hands, I've felt his emotions – regrets, determination, guilt, persistence and love. The love for this [Game], the world I had been created into, and given the purpose of obtaining the oft-mocked title of [Unspecialized]. If it had been anyone but him, it would've been impossible.

But with him –

I watched little Moon Moon awkwardly trying to protect himself from the increasingly furious [Midnight Phantom Cat] with amusement, when that feeling of warmth/reassurance prompted me to lift my weapon.

Impossible? Ah, are you trying to make me laugh?

I should've been afraid, but instead, I am calm and curious of my player's next step.

There was nothing impossible in front of the two of us.

His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly
Pass the wondering eyes of the ones that were left behind.
Though far away, though far away, though far away
We're still the same, we're still the same, we're still the same.

Ye Qiu.

In [Glory], this name denoted the [Battle God], the perfect textbook player. The one who had taken Excellent Era to the greatest heights of their first championship title and then three others, the MVP player his allies could always count on and enemies dreaded to meet across the field.

Among different guilds, however, it was also a synonym for stomach ulcers, increasing need for anger management therapy worldwide, cause for replacement of many extremely pricey gaming keyboards and overall mind-fuckery in its truest, most artistic form, along with the loathed nickname of the avatar this shameless person manned, one Lord Grim.

One could curse him, one could bless him, but no matter what one elected to do, the only one thing that person couldn't do, was to ignore him.

One Autumn Leaf listened to the rumors about his player with both great amusement and great consternation.

That Ye Xiu, huh. He hadn't changed, not a bit. (He didn't know whether he ought to be relieved or irritated at that little fact.)

He was still that willful old fox. The edges of avatar's mouth twitched into a small smirk of anticipation as he thought of not so distant future when he would be reunited with his player once more.

Lord Grim heard much about the legend that shrouded One Autumn Leaf and his previous owner.

Ye Qiu.

Even is that Sun Xiang made the previously revered character more of a mockery what with the unfortunate matchups he had been given (and Ye Qiu one-upping him with that Rising Dragon), One Autumn Leaf was an avatar to be feared.

That was Ye Qiu's potential, unhindered and unmatched, after ten years. Lord Grim wondered, if there would ever come the day when he could stand on even footing with this God-like character.

And if it came to that… who would win.

Who would Ye Qiu - no, Ye Xiu - chose?

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.

They had met each other. A [Battle Mage] and an [Unspecialized]. The God and the Devil.

Yet both of them belonging under the fingertips of only one player they would ever acknowledge.

One lost to his player because of greedy manipulations, forced to dance to the tune of the loathsome substitute that was too hot headed for his own good.

The other amassing the kind of infamy that would, if he had been in the hands of any other player, buried him thousand feet under.

A spear. [Evil Annihilation].

[Myriad Chances] umbrella.

Those two weapons, each fearsome in their own right, should have crossed each other for their owners to find out just who was the rightful avatar of their player.

But –

Wasn't that a pointless endeavor?

He was the one that raised One Autumn Leaf.

He was the one that made Lord Grim.

He was their master - no, their king.

Wasn't that enough?

And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.

Something had changed.

The game had changed.

They had changed.

Instead of being in the radiance that was [Glory], both Lord Grim and One Autumn Leaf found themselves on an ancient ghost ship in the middle of a storm.

And Ye Xiu between the them, about to be swept off the deck either by those loathsome creatures or the waves carelessly, sloppily licking the board with its icy watery tongues that stung of salt.

Wait

Wet? Salt?

Stinging?

What –

-the scene crumbled upon itself like a crumbled paper, causing the young man bolt up from the sleep, his heart racing and still feeling the adrenaline of loss, sadness and hurryhurryhurry –

His sight hitting the familiar blank walls of his little storage room, Ye Xiu slumped back into the bed.

What was that?

And as the world comes to an end
I'll be here to hold your hand
'Cause you're my king and I'm your lion-heart.

"You're my king and I'm your lion-heart." The silhouette, clad in black armor with golden accents and carrying a spear with blood red gem muttered, as his golden eyes stared into the sunset.

His fist clenched with helpless fury as he remembered the dreams.

'Always too late.'

"You're my king and I'm your lion-heart."

Unknowingly, another avatar echoed the dark silhouette's murmur, having the self-same eyes, but more mellow, messy brown hair and clad in third-rate armor, the only good thing he owned was that unusual silver umbrella.

Golden eyes looked over the sleeping bundle on the bed affectionately, but with a hidden guilt in warm orbs.

'You are my king… then why can't I protect you?'

A lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart
A lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart

Should he feel guilty, for abandoning his faithful partner of ten years and instead creating a new one to carry on the dreams of his dead friend?

He had always been a fool, following his dreams recklessly.

Shaming his family, stealing a name that wasn't his, going into a profession that had all too high chances of ending at the drop of hat if something went wrong.

Either he became too old or simply thrown out.

e-Sports was an extremely competitive field, and he had already dedicated a to single game ten years of his life.

He watched the montage of his greatest victories with One Autumn Leaf being played over dispassionately.

He ought to be angry, railing against the injustice that had happened to him just because he decided to do the only one honest thing and refuse to show his face to the masses.

He didn't play for fame. He played for [Glory], and that was enough.

(-and he played One Autumn Leaf, dreaming of the day when this old dream would be resurrected –)

Should he cry and curse his fate?

Elegant fingertips gently tapped the keyboard, skillfully nudging Lord Grim into the action over the field.

There was no use to crying over spilled milk.

But there was still time to make that forgotten dream into reality.

Howling ghosts they reappear
In mountains that are stacked with fear
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.

Do avatars dream?

He wouldn't know what dreams felt like.

[Glory] was the only reality he had known for the longest time.

But then - this new system –

Holograms.

This - allowed him to perceive the Outside in an entirely new way.

He was …

Tangible.

More light than flesh still, but tangible enough to –

(- he felt envious gaze of Lord Grim on his back as he micro-squinted in the glaring light of the spotlights, absentmindedly noting just how different was to stand up there, without his player to back him - )

Lord Grim was always with Ye Xiu. What did he have to be envious of?

And in the sea that's painted black,
Creatures lurk below the deck
But you're a king and I'm a lion-heart.

Avatars were said to be made of hope, dreams and light.

This time, they didn't care for the sting of sea or strange atmosphere surrounding the ghost ship.

This time, Ye Qiu - Ye Xiu, was their priority.

[Evil Annihilation] and [Myriad Manifestations] umbrella worked in a synergy under the will of their wielders, quickly dispatching those strange monsters, and they managed to reach their player, skin touching skin –

Cold, fragile, wet, was their first thought.

The scent of cigarettes and spices sneaked into their nostrils.

A brittle smile.

"Took you two long enough."

Both One Autumn Leaf and Lord Grim scowled at their human with irritation.

Their player was really shameless person.

And then, Ye Xiu smiled. Not that brittle facsimile of smile, but a true one.

Seeing that glowing smile aimed at them, the two avatars supposed they could bear with their precious person being a little bit shameless.

Just a little.

A lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart
A lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart, a lion-heart

They had a dream. To proudly stand beside Ye Xiu in front of the whole world, both Lord Grim and One Autumn Leaf. Devil and God, both made and guided by the same hand.

It would take time, and they would have to persuade their player, but they were certain of their success.

(because he was their king and they were his lion-hearts)