[cue battle music]

I started to use my own magic to support Trey, Cater, Grim, Ace, and Deuce. Yuuna was using 'Micheal' to materialize the rose thorns attacking them.

"Sleight of hand!" Trey says, casting his unique magic.

"Confound it all!! Still, you oppose me, Trey? Y/n?" Riddle asked, completely baffled that his friend and crush are fighting against him.

"All! We've locked down Riddle's collaring attack!" Trey shouts.

"But not for long. We're still kind of a tight spot here..!" Cater mumbled. "Yeah. Weaken Riddle for Y/n to do the final hit while I keep 'off with your head' sealed away!" Trey ordered.

"" Riddle shouts, infusing his fire magic into the rose tree carried by Ira.

"Gah!" Ace yelped, falling on his butt from the impact of Ira smashing the rose tree on the ground. "Shouldn't he be outta magic by now?!"

"I am absolutely, positively right! Beyond any possible shadow of a doubt! I have to be! Otherwise, what was any of it for...?! How would I be able to protect my beloved...?!" Riddle clenched his fist in anger, influenced by his own memories of being a shard of his past life's soul.

"Riddle..." Y/n and Trey mumbled quietly.

"Trey, Y/n, Focus! Any distraction now will be giving him an extra advantage!" Cater shouts.

"Ah, sorry!" Trey jumps back behind an ice shield created by Y/n from being hit.

As for Y/n, she was panting, not from exhaustion, but from the flames that engulfed the surrounding area. She was gonna have a fever at this rate.

"GAH!" Ira and Riddle screamed in pain. "Riddle is weakening! Now's your change, Y/n!" Deuce shouts.

"alright...here goes nothing.." Y/n mumbled, standing in front of the group facing Riddle. "Heh...you finally realize your mistakes? Come back to me.." Riddle said in a distorted voice.

"I can't do that. After all, it is my duty to pull you out of the abyss" Y/n says, taking out the white queen chess piece. "I can't allow you to continue hurting yourself, my strawberry. After all, you are my other soulmate, I must protect you..."

Y/n would look up at Ira, "and you, must go back to aunty, back to protecting Teyvat from sin!" she shouts, raising the chess piece, "In the name of that scum, Barbatos..."

Ira seemed to flinch in surprise as Y/n glows in an angelic light. Once it fades away, Y/n was floating 6 feet in the air, with a light incarnation of the white queen behind her. A light incarnation is similar to a overblot incarnation but made of pure light.

"It seems that it's time for my help" the white queen spoke in a familiar voice. "Indeed. Don't expect anything more, Barbatos" Y/n spoke.

"he. Let's get this battle to a close. I'm missing my dandelion wine!" Barbatos spoke. "heh, scum" Y/n mumbled, motioning her hands in a circle, summoning to holy lyre.

"wow...she looks beautiful..." Yuuna mumbled.

Everyone else watched in aw at the power of the young goddess.

Y/n looked towards Riddle with determination as she held off the holy lyre, taking a small breath. She stuck a string as she opened her mouth at the same time, "Ahhh!" she sang. Her voice summoned rose vines made of ice, and grab onto Ira, pinning her down, along with Riddle, making sure not to hurt. "Ngh!" They both screamed.

Riddle tried using his magic to break free, and use his power, but stunned when Ira eyed the light incarnation, "Sister..." she mumbled. It was the side of the queen of hearts.

"Now, Barbatos!"

"alright~"

The white queen incarnation would summon a bow made from light, aiming it towards the sky, and shoot an arrow, causing more arrows made of light to rain down on Ira. "GAH! NO!" she screamed.

Y/n used this change to dash down towards Ira's class head, smashing her hand through, causing the ink to spill everywhere as Ira's darkness began to fade away.

"GAAHH!" Riddle screamed in pain as the blot all around Riddle began to evaporate into the light, having his dark appearance go back to normal.

"And my job here is done" Barbatos smiled as the light incarnation faded away, as Y/n went down towards Riddle, cradling him. "I...was wrong?! But that's...impossible...isn't it...mother?" Riddle says, before falling unconscious into Y/n's arms.

Y/n and Yuuna's vision turned white. Y/n made a close eye smile, knowing that they were about to enter his memories

Y/n opened her eyes again to a dark ceiling, and Riddle? "Y/n...your here as well..?" he asked. "As well?" Y/n questioned to see Yuuna in the memory plane as well, who waved nervously. "So it seems."

"Happy eighth birthday, Riddle. This year's birthday cake is a low-sugar recipe made with nuts and lecithin-rich soy flour to improve your cerebral function." a silhouette of a woman spoke to a small red-hair child. Riddle widen his eyes at the sight of his mother, and Y/n frowned a bit, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you. But, mom...just once, I'd like to try one of those tarts covered with bright-red strawberries..." a young Riddle asked. His mother looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Absolutely not! Those tarts are monstrously unhealthy and we can't go all the way north to Permafrost for one, after all, their desserts are unlike the desserts here. I might as well feed you poison!"

Yuuna stumbled from shock as well, "But...it's for his birthday.." she mumbled.

"Even just a single slice would exceed your recommended daily intake of sugar." Riddle's mom said, then cleared her throat.

"Now, dinner tonight will be tuna saute rich in DNA and omega-3 fatty acids. Now that you're eight, your caloric intake should be 600 kilocalories per meal, so don't eat more than 100 grams of it, understood?" she looked down at her son.

"Yes, mom..."

"I'd always..." Riddle started to speak. "...wanted to try one of those tarts with the bright-red strawberries. The local cake shop had them in the window. They shined at me like forbidden jewels.."

Yuuna then noticed something, "Desserts from Permafrost? What does she mean by 'nothing like the others,' Y/n?" she asked. Riddle was curious as well, after all, his mother always compares unhealthy desserts to Permafrosts.

"I see. She met by how our desserts aren't made and how sweets are usually made. They are healthy to eat, and completely rich in nutrients. After all, 300 years, it was used for children who didn't like eating veggies to have their vitamins from something they most likely eat" Y/n explained.

Suddenly, the room changed to another scene. "That's enough classical magic study for today. Your homework is to read the first fifty pages of the philosophy of language book referenced in today's magical philosophy texts. You may have one hour of independent study before your potionology lesson. Don't forget to place offerings to the frost shine for the ice queen, alright?"

"Alright, mother.."

"I need some time to prepare the lesson materials. I will see you in one hour, okay?" and with that, his mother left to do her business.

"I was studying every possible subject, scheduled down to the minutes. When I didn't understand something, the lesson was extended until I did. Including walking down to the frost shrine nearby every Sunday to the ice queen, as she was one of the Great eight still living...that was my 'normal'" Riddle says, clenching his fist.

"So that's partially why my mother and I had to write a lot of blessings on Sundays..." Y/n groaned a bit.

"It seems you don't like doing a lot of paperwork, [nickname]" Yuuna chuckled. "It's getting tiring after 700 years of doing it"

"...is someone knocking on the window?" the boy looked up from the book he was reading, putting down his pencil next to the book to look outside.

"Whoa, he heard us!"

"Hey, come play with us!"

They were the voices of two children.

"Who are you?" young Riddle asked.

"Awww Riddle, you're so cute~" Y/n pinched Riddl'e cheek, causing him to turn red, but not from anger~

"I'm Chenya, and that's Trey. Let's all play croquet! Oh, it's LOTS of fun!" the cat boy, who was Chenya when he was younger, replied to the red-head.

"I can't. I'm supposed to be doing independent study, and I have a lot of homework to do"

"Independent study means you pick what to do, right? My grandpa says play is a form of study!" Chenya said, making a lazy expression, causing Yuuna to chuckle.

"Just play with us for a little bit!" Trey smiled.

"...o-okay...just a little, though!" young riddle answered, agreeing to play with them.

"hey, what's your name?" asked young Trey.

"R-riddle...Riddle Rosehearts"

"I had the best time playing with Trey and Chenya. We did so many things I'd never done before. They taught me lots of things I didn't know, like how the ice queen has a daughter ruling over the land of Permafrost. After that, I snuck out of my room every day to play with them during independent study time"

Y/n smiled at the scene. It was a cute sight.

"Whaat!? You're never even tried a strawberry tart? They're out of this world!" Chenya screamed at Riddle in utter shock.

"Yeah...my mom says sugar is basically poison."

"I mean, you probably shouldn't eat too much of it, but calling it "poison" is kinda...yikes." Trey winced a bit. "You know, my family runs a cake shop. Let's go get a tart right now!" he suggested.

"really? but...I shouldn't"

"One slice for YOU, maybe. I want a whole one!"

"A bright-red strawberry tart on a white plate...to me, it shined more brightly than any gem could. That first bite was so sweet. It tasted like nothing I'd ever eaten before...with each bite, I became more entranced...and completely lost track of the time" Riddle's smile faded into a sad frown, as the scene changed again.

"I cannot believe this! Not only are you cutting independent study time, but i find you eating a mountain of sugar?!" Riddle's yelled, feeling completely betrayed by her own son. "Those two hoodlums must have incited this behavior while I was away chatting with the 8th Fatui Harbinger! You must never play with that again!" Riddle's eyes poured with tears.

"I'm really sorry, Mother! I promise, it will never happen again.." he begged, hiccuping a bit.

"Enough! You're broken the rules, and I'll not hear another word from you. Clearly, you're not able to handle the freedom of independent study. I need to keep a closer eye on you..." the women sighed tiredly as young Riddle was left to cry in silence.

Y/n and Yuuna were at a lost of words.

"Because I broke the rules, my favorite part of my day was taken away from me...I vowed to never break my mother's rules again. After all, she was the most accomplished mother in the city, and therefore, the most correct." Riddle sniffled a few times.

"But mom...why does my heart hurt so much? I want to eat a tart! It's my birthday, so can't I have some just this once? I want to play outside all day long! I want to make lots and lots of friends!" Riddle broke down in tears.

"Tell me, mom, please...what rule do I need to follow to make this pain go away?" he cried. Yuuna frowned a bit, was about to cry as well.

"Yuuna. It's time for you to wake up. I can handle it from here..." Y/n says.

"Alright...take care of Riddle.." Yuuna says before fading away from the memory plane.

"Y/n...?" Riddle gasp a bit when Y/n embraced him into a hug, as the scene changed into her own space. The floor was all water, as the moon shined above with ice trees growing, and ice lotuses popping out here and there.

Y/n cradled his head in her cold yet warm embrace. "Sorry...I'm so sorry that you had to go through that." she shed a few tears as Riddle's teary eyes widen in shock.

"From now on, you will be happy. Always showered in love and warmth...after all" Y/n would pull down her sleeve, making Riddle blush, and tried to stop her but he stopped when he saw a rose mark, the same one he had on his shoulder.

"A soulmate mark...does that mean..."

"Indeed Riddle. You are the second soulmate I've found" she smiled.

"Who is the 1st?" he asked. "It's Malleus. He has a spindle wrapped with thorns mark." Y/n says, showing Riddle Mal's soulmate mark on her waist.

"S-since we're soulmates...I would get married to you in the future..?" Y/n nodded. "It is exactly what you think. You are going to be one of Permafrost's kings..." she smiled.

As she said that, a cryo vision appeared in the middle of them, shining a small light, and floated towards Y/n's palm, levitating above. "I guess it's time. After all, I have found you, my strawberry..."

Riddle was confused a bit, as Y/n grabbed his shoulder. "I'm going to unbutton your shirt...my I?" she asked.

Riddle turned more red, his lip shaking. But he nodded his head, because he trusts Y/n.

Y/n would smile gently, unbuttoning Riddle's shirt down a little to show his chest. the cryo vision above her hand glowed, "This will hurt a little, especially for a mortal...but, I'll be with you to soothe the pain" Y/n warned Riddle, making him stumble in shock.

"I-it'll hurt? Just what are you going to do to me?" he asked.

"I placed this crystal inside of you. It's infused with my blessings...it will give you the ability to control frost like a cryo vision bearer in Teyvat, without the dangers of blot. This crystal is a mark that you, Riddle Rosehearts, as it shares bits of my power to you. Put it in similar terms, You and six others belong to me, while I belong to you guys..." Y/m explained. Riddle was nervous but he prepared for the pain that was about to come.

Y/n moved her hand forwards, causing the cryo vision to glide forward, into the middle of Riddle's chest. This caused Riddle to whimper from the pain, clenching his fist over the area. Y/n rubbed his back, using some magic to ease the pain until the ritual was over.

After about 20 seconds, it was done.

Riddle seemed to be taking all of this in, but flinched when he heard the voices of his friends, including Yuuna as well, calling out to him.

Y/n smiled gently, "It seems it's time for you to wake up." Y/n would kiss Riddle's tears away, "Let's go.."

And with that, they were enguled with light. Waking up...