Chapter 1: Prologue
Summary:
Rider arrives at a small island island far away from all their troubles and their past.
Chapter Text
The loud blare of a boat horn rumbled through Rider's entire body as the salty ocean air flowed into their lungs, alerting them of their arrival at the island.
No-Man's-Land Isle.
One of the only areas in Inkadia where nobody and no magic inhabited.
The perfect place for Rider to escape to and live a life without any wizardry nonsense.
And no more Wireglasses.
Rider sighed as painful memories rushed back to his head.
His lies. His power. His greed.
Rider's hand rose to their right cheek, etched with a star-shaped scar, in remembrance.
It was still all to much to bear.
Out of the corner of their eye, though, Rider saw the familiar and worried face of a blue-tentacled Inkling beside them.
"Rai? You still thinking about it?" Her voice broke Rider out of their memory ridden trance and made them look up.
"Headph- Yeah. I still am," Rider admitted after a short intake of breath.
The blue Inkling's gaze softened to a small smile, "It's gonna be okay, Rider. You're safe now," she put a hand on Rider's shoulder.
"I know, I just... Can't forget about it."
"We dont want you to. We just want you to be safe."
Rider returned a weak smile, "Thanks, Headphones."
"You guys really don't have to do all this for me, you know. You could've just stayed home and I could've handled the whole leaving thing myself."
"We're your friends, Rider. We care about you."
"And where else are you gonna get a boat!" A cheerful voice came from above the two on a higher part of the deck. Goggles, the ship's temporary captain.
"It's not really our boat though, is it?" Headphones said.
"Well, where else are you gonna borrow a boat, then?" Goggles corrected himself, "The word you're looking for is 'steal.'"
As the two bickered back and forth, Rider couldn't help but feel warm inside
These were his friends, his family, who loved him and wanted him to be happy.
Yet he was about to leave them.
And they knew it very well, but they were still happy for him.
"Guys! C'mon! We can't keep this boat forever!" A third voice called from the bow of the ship.
"Coming, Specs!" Goggles called back and rushed toward the front.
Headphones turned to Rider again, "You'll be fine, Rider," she said before running off as well.
When Rider made it to the others, they already had all of her belongings ready for her departure.
"I'm telling you, Goggles, stop blowing that horn! What if someone from the mainland hears it and sends another ship?" Specs scolded Goggles who looked carefree as ever, "Aw, but it's fun!"
Specs pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyence before looking up to see Rider, "Oh great! You're ready to go, Right?"
"Ready as ever," Rider replied, grabbing his luggage and stepping closer to the edge of the boat.
A silence fell upon the four, thick as the fog surrounding the island.
"We're gonna miss you," Goggles spoke up but Headphones elbowed him in the rib, "Don't say that, Goggles! What if you made them feel bad about leaving!"
Rider chuckled, "Don't worry, I've made up my mind, I'm not going back there."
"I suppose this is where we part ways, Rider," Specs held out a hand, which Rider took after a moment in a handshake, "I wish you the best of luck out here!"
"Thanks, Specs. Take care back in Splatsville. And don't let... Him get out."
"I promise they'll be no way he'll come back, we'll make sure of it!" Specs vowed.
After more overextended goodbyes, Goggles, Headphones, and Specs finally got back on the ship and prepared to leave.
Rider kept waving to their ship even after its silhouette disappeared into the mist and the beach fell to an empty quietness.
This is what I wanted, wasn't it?
Rider sat down on the cold sand and watched the distant waves pass on.
I'm alone now. As I should be.
Splatsville is saved from Wireglasses. Ocho's got him taken care of.
The green Inkling sighed again and looked at their reflection in the ebbing tide. The water mirrored their exhausted appearance.
And their star-shaped scar of shame. A giant sign to any onlookers of their magic.
At this point, Rider wanted nothing to do with magic anymore.
All magic did was complicate things, ruin relationships, and corrupt lives.
After everything, Rider wanted none of it.
At this island, there'll be no magic and I'll never use my own again.
I'm not needed in Splatsville anymore, so I won't leave ever either.
Splatsville is safe now.
He's gone.
Chapter 2: Scars reopened
Summary:
Mitsuami finds a mysterious spellbook in his swamp
Notes:
content warning for a sorta graphic eye injury description. if that triggers you or you simply don't like reading about it, read with caution or not at all. take care of yourself
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As a lone inkling wizard slept soundly, the morning sun rose above the horizon, illuminating the swamp and making its murky waters dance with sunlight.
The glow spilled through the window into Mitsuami's room, rousing him from sleep.
He groggily sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes free of sleep.
Morning already? Jeez, I need to get to bed earlier.
Mitsuami looked around his room to make sure everything was in place. He liked to make sure nothing was missing.
His bookshelf was still full of books, melted candles, and bowls of herbs. His desk parallel to his bed still has a list of his chores to do that day. But as he looked below the desk where a small bed lay, he realized his smallfry familiar, Kojake, was nowhere to be seen.
A jolt of panic shot through Mitsuami's head as he got up from his handmade bed.
"Kojake?" He said but to no response.
Worry crept into Mitsuami's mind, but he tried to brush it off and step outside of his cabin.
"Kojake! Where'd you go?" Mitsuami called out, his voice echoing in the empty swamp. Nothing but the squawks of startled birds just waking up.
The inkling sighed and went back into his cabin to retrieve his boots.
Due to living in a swamp with water everywhere, it was a pretty dangerous place to call home for an Inkling. Luckily, Mitsuami had figured out that if he wore thick enough clothes, the water wouldn't seep in and hurt him. That and the fact his field of wizardry was healing, made it so living in a marsh wasn't so horrible.
After putting on his boots, Mitsuami was ready to wade through the muck and find his familiar.
Mitsuami trudged around the swamp, finding nothing but clumps of reeds and crows.
Eventually, though, he started to hear a familiar but faint warbling in the near distance.
"Kojake!" Mitsuami exclaimed and rushed towards the sound.
As Mitsuami neared the origin of the noise, the water got deep and started to sting as it sloshed over the uncovered part of his legs. That didn't matter though, all he needed to do was make sure Kojake was safe. I can just heal it later.
More squeaks came from the direction Mitsuami was running in, and eventually the floor underwater got steeper and the wizard reached drier land. Drier land where a small salmonid that looked extremely happy to see Mitsuami was.
"Kojake! I'm so glad you're safe, buddy! What were you doing out here?" Mistuami asked as if he could even understand anything Kojake might answer. All he got in response was more squeaks and warbles.
Mitsuami sighed and picked up the smallfry to take it back to the cabin. However, he noticed there was something next to where he found Kojake.
A book?
"What's this you found, Kojake?" He asked and picked up the book. It was soaking wet like it had been in the water for days. The cover art seemed mostly washed off, and when looking inside the book, many pages were ripped off and sodden, the water it was in likely having washed off most of the printing.
Upon further examination, Mitsuami noticed some of the text of the cover wasn't fully gone.
e S Book f Spells
Prop ty of T e Serraño l e
Very helpful... Mistuami thought with some distaste.
Property of Serraño, though? Is that a name or something? Of who?
Kojake made another warbling noise, which Mitsuami interpreted as wanting him to take it back to the cabin. "I guess I could, since you found it yourself."
"But don't ever run off like that again, Kojake! You had me worried sick!" He scolded the smallfry as they began the trudge home.
---
"Missing text... Missing text... Wrong field... Ripped page..." Mitsuami droned to himself as he flipped through the pages of the spellbook. All of the pages so far were either gone, had something missing or weren't for his field of healing, It seemed like the book had a spell for just about every field, though, which was a bit intriguing to Mitsuami but frustrating as well.
Eventually after more skimming, he finally found a page describing a healing spell.
The Healing Star Spell, huh? Mitsuami thought as he read the text on the page. Cracked and wet like the rest of the pages, but the incantation for the spell seemed to be visible enough.
"Quote the incantation while surrounded by any herbs used in healing spells... sounds interesting... and easy. I could probably do it if I wanted to," Mitsuami read the passage aloud to himself.
He got up from his desk and turned to Kojake who was curled up on its bed, "Kojake! Get some water mint! I'm gonna try this spell."
Kojake jumped up in surprise but understood the order and quickly hopped to the bookshelf to find the herb.
While Kojake searched, Mitsuami read the incantation.
"'With the might of the stars and nature at my feet, sanitatem stellam will bring no defeat...' Simple enough."
Kojake returned with a mouthful of water mint. Mitsuami took it from the smallfry and patted it on the head, "Thank you, Jakey!"
Once he had set the light pink plants in a circle around him and Kojake was settled outside the ring to observe, Mitsuami knew he was ready.
"Alrighty, Kojake, if anything goes wrong, get the rest of the herbs and the cloth," Mitsuami instructed his familiar who nodded worriedly, "Of course, nothing will go wrong, don't worry! But just in case."
Kojake seemed satisfied with the reassurance, so Mitsuami proceeded.
Just stay calm, Mitsuami. It'll be fine.
He took a deep breath.
"With the might of the stars and nature at my feet, sanitatem stellam will bring no defeat."
Mitsuami whispered the strange spell. The words felt foreign and archaic on his tongue, but they were spoken and there was no taking them back.
And then a flash of light, brighter than a thousand suns, blinded him.
Pain seared through Mitsuami's entire body, starting at his left eye and creeping its way all around his nervous system, setting every nerve ablaze.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Mitsuami's thoughts repeated and repeated as his vision became disoriented and fuzzy.
The wizard fell to his knees, just barely stopping himself from collapsing on the hard wooden floor. Splinters stung his hands from the sudden impact.
Mitsuami quickly put a hand to his eye to feel the damage, it was the least he could do in this state.
From the blur of what he could see when he pulled it away, there was bright blue blood dripping from his hand and presumably his eye.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck- KOJAKE! Get the cloth!" Mitsuami cried out.
Kojake seemed to already be on it, as it quickly jumped to the table in the room and grabbed a cloth on it to give to Mitsuami.
The inkling snatched it from Kojake and pressed it to his eye, more and more blood pouring from the wound.
Kojake had started squeaking frantically with fright, but Mitsuami couldn't manage to utter anything more, his eyes shut tight. The pain was unbearable, it was the tearing of fabric, only the fabric was Mitsuami's own body.
As more azure gushed from his face and he started becoming light-headed, a last glimmer of cognitive thought popped into Mitsuami's head.
Heal. Just heal yourself. Quick.
Putting all his focus into his mind and hands, Mitsuami attempted to mend the wound Slowly but surely, the stinging pain started to die down. Blood ran dry and Mitsuami's heart stopped hammering.
When he opened his uninjured eye, he could see green glowing plant life, intangible manifestations of healing magic, sprouting from his hands and coiling around his arms all the way up to his eye.
Mitsuami let a shaky breath out, relieved that nightmare was over.
A squeak came from in front of Mitsuami, making him look up to see a very distraught and terrified smallfry.
Mitsuami gave a weak smile and outstretched his arms as the green lights vanished, "It's okay. Kojake. I'm okay."
Kojake cried out and jumped into Mitsuami's arms and the wizard pulled his companion into a hug.
The two loners held like that and made no noise for a few moments, simply reveling in the fact Mitsuami was luckily still alive.
After those moments, Mitsumai let Kojake go, but Kojake squeaked something and pointed a fin at his wizard's eye.
"My eye? Yeah I'm sure it looks wrong. I'm quite aware," Mistuami sighed but Kojake squeaked again and pointed outside the cabin to the waters of the swamp.
Mitsumai looked out the opening of the door, "Go to the water? But why?" Kojake didn't answer with anything more than warbles and tugging on Mitsuami's braid, beckoning him outside.
"Okay, okay, fine. I'll go out, just let me get up."
Mitsuami made his way out of the cabin and onto the wet ground at the edge of the murky waters. Light shimmered on the waters of the marsh and reflected the franky, disheveled look of the wizard as he gazed upon it.
Unfortunately, something alarming was also reflected.
Mitsuami stifled a gasp as he stared into the water.
On his left eye, there was still a scar. A discolored scar etched into his face and shaped like a star.
Wait, wait, wait, that's not supposed to happen! Why is there still a scar! It should've healed! Mitsuami stumbled up from the bank, taken aback by the alarming mark.
When healing scars, a successful attempt would mean the entire wound would be healed, including any physical mark or impairment from the injury. Mitsuami, being more advanced at magic for his age, would've been able to do that, but to see a scar till there and not be able to see out of it was shocking.
"Shit, shit shit, why hasn't it healed yet?" Mitsuami muttered under his breath as he headed back to his cabin. Maybe if he tried a specific spell the scar and tissue would heal? Being half blind could lead to a plethora of problems Mitsuami couldn't afford to have.
The wizard shook his head to his own thoughts as he went up to his bookshelf to get some herbs.
Not all spells required herbs, some just needed incantations or focus in the mind, but using herbs would amplify to effect.
After collecting a small assortment of herbs for the shelf, jewelweed, black willow and cardinal flowers, Mitsuami ripped them up and held the pieces close to his heart.
"Shards of life will nurse my own, a call like this will make every wound resewn," Mitsuami managed to rush out the strongest healing spell he knew.
He felt no change in his body. He still couldn't open his left eye.
Mitsuami brought his hand up to his face and still felt the indent and damaged flesh.
"...Oh."
The wizard hunched over his desk, defeated.
"No, no, no... Why did this have to happen! Why did that spell even do this!?" Mitsuami muttered to himself.
It didn't make sense. Why would a healing spell harm him? What did it even do anyway? Mitsuami didn't feel more powerful than before. Was the spellbook lying?
Mitsuami grabbed the book on his desk, flipping through the pages to find the healing spell.
Upon reaching the right page, he reread everything. Maybe there was an explanation or way to reverse the effects?
Nothing. He read and read the page over and over but there was nothing. Whatever may have been written there was washed off. Only the incantation was still visible.
Mitsuami couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything.
He simply sighed and walked over to his bed, collapsing on the sheets.
Kojake jumped onto the bed next to him and squeaked something at the weary inkling.
"What is it, Kojake?" Mitsuami mumbled, not looking at the smallfry.
Kojake tugged at Mitsuami's braid and hopped down from the bed.
After a moment Mitsuami looked up to see Kojake on the desk.
The smallfry motioned out of the window with its fins to the distant north.
Mitsumai's breath hitched. He knew what was up north.
The city of Splatsville.
"Nope, no. I'm not going to Splatville, Kojake," Mitsuami shook his head and flopped back down on his bed.
Kojake whined and squeaked some more, as if trying to convince Mitsuami.
"I'm not going back to society! I don't want to be around people! And what would going to Splatsville even do!?" Mitsuami ranted to himself.
Kojake put a fin to its eye and warbled. Mitsuami tilted his head, " My eye..?"
"Do you think they could do something about my eye?"
His familiar nodded.
Mitsuami went silent and thought about it for a second.
"No. I'm staying right here," Mitsuami turned over and curled up in his bedsheets. He heard more squeaks of protest from Kojake.
Mitsuami ignored them, "I don't want to go back to people! Even if I did, how am I supposed to talk to them? It's been too long!"
Moments of nothing went by before Kojake jumped back onto the bed and whacked Mitsuami's arm with its fin.
"Ow! Kojake!" Mitsuami snapped but Kojake wasn't fazed and angrily squeaked some more. "What are the chances of someone in Splatsville being able to heal me? If I can't even do it, who can!?"
This seemed to be the last straw for Kojake, as it sighed and jumped down from the bed, speeding out of the hut.
Mitsuami looked up, "Kojake?" He called, but the smallfry was already out the door. A wave of dread washed over Mitsuami.
"Kojake! You are not about to go to Splatsville yourself!" The wizard yelled as he rushed out of the hut. Luckily, Kojake wasn't too far from the small island Mitsuami was on, so he ran to it.
It didn't take too long, since Mitsuami could easily run faster than his small familiar, for him to catch up, scoop him up and catch his breath.
"Kojake! What did I say about running off like that?" Mitsuami reprimanded Kojake again, but the creature jumped from his grasp and almost took off again.
Instead of chasing Kojake again, though, Mitsuami only sighed and stayed where he stood, "Fine! Fine! We can go to Splatsville if you really want!"
That stopped Kojake in its tracks and it spun around, chirping happily, then started to make its way back to the hut.
Mitsuami put his face in his hands and sighed again.
Well, he made a promise. It's not like he could go back on it easily. Kojake was a feisty little smallfry and definitely would try escaping again if Mitsumai didn't go through with his promise just to prove its point.
A feeling of numbness washed over him, but he tried to shake it off and devise a plan as he walked back to his hut.
Okay. Tomorrow, I go up to Splatsville and find a healer. That's it. That's all I'll do there. Go in and get out.
It'll be simple and quick. I won't linger more than I need to and nothing will go wrong.
Right?
Notes:
apologies if the (physical) reaction to Mitsuamis injury isnt realistic, i really just couldn't handle reading too much about what it really feels like sorry (maybe making it happen at all was a mistake on my part cuz i couldnt handle the research. boo hoo point and laugh at me will ya)
Galax_Dragon on Chapter 1 Thu 20 Mar 2025 07:40PM UTC
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elysiums_lightbringer on Chapter 1 Fri 21 Mar 2025 09:34PM UTC
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Mafii :-3 (Guest) on Chapter 1 Wed 14 May 2025 09:25PM UTC
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luvheartz on Chapter 1 Wed 14 May 2025 09:37PM UTC
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Mafii on Chapter 1 Wed 14 May 2025 10:32PM UTC
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luvheartz on Chapter 1 Wed 14 May 2025 10:40PM UTC
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Mafii on Chapter 1 Wed 14 May 2025 10:46PM UTC
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Galax_Dragon on Chapter 2 Wed 14 May 2025 09:52PM UTC
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Cosmic_Phoenix31 on Chapter 2 Thu 15 May 2025 12:51AM UTC
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