A Mabinogi fic to commemorate my character going Dark Knight!
I swear, Imagine Dragons is probably the best band to describe my character's thoughts right about now.
..Also slightly altered to make it fit a little more, as well as create a little more drama.
Enjoy the angst. (not really angst, though)
Also sorry for the grammatical errors ;;.
Also double sorry for the rushed ending.
"Yes… Be my master, Syphiki…"
"Within mere moments, you and I will become one."
There sat Syphiki in the middle of Albey Dungeon – unsure of if he should go on into the next room or leave while he still can. He could feel his head becoming cloudy with words and thoughts – mostly from the armor that he held within his arms. His body was lightly trembling as he looked back onto the Magic Cylinder that was equipped on his arm, reflecting amongst all the good deeds he had done in the past. He was the Knight of Light – a friend of Redire, Kristell, and Tarlach as well! As a teenage boy who was impulsive (but correct) on all his choices why, out of all times, was he deciding to hesitate on moving forward now?
He could hear the voice in the armor ring in his ears, and its aura nearly tickles the edges of his fingertips. Blue eyes were hidden slightly by his slit eyelids and the black and white robe that he had worn ever since he entered this world was covering the rest of his head. He watched as several black rats scuttled around him in search of food for mere moments – nearly sympathizing with them whenever they took note of his presence and scurried off into the nooks and crannies that they could find. He wondered if he could drop the armor and run away while he still can…
"It's inevitable…" Syphiki audibly gasped – eyes flashing from their normal ocean blue to a ruby red – and held is head in a futile attempt to stop the armor from speaking to him. "This day, where you and I become one…"
…
…
…It had only been a few weeks since he pursued the knowledge of a Dark Knight, and it was mostly out of Tarlach's request. Ever since he pursued the quest to become a savior of Erinn he had consulted Tarlach about a lot of the decisions and choices he should make, all the while using his own judgment. He was not expecting to become friends with one of the legendary warriors, nor was he expecting to meet and realize who the other two truly were. His initial mission was to travel from Taillteann and go forth in order to find his lost memories, not follow the Goddess' wishes and meet both an Elf and a Giant who were on their own until they teamed up with him. When consulting Tarlach in Sidhe Sneachta about what to do once he obtained the book about the Dark Knight, he could have sworn the Bard's face paled at the words.
"Syphiki…"
"I want to research it more, Tarlach. For the sake of Ruairi…" The boy gave him a small nod – wrapping his purple scarf around his mouth, "Ruairi didn't deserve this. Even if we fought against each other a number of times, he did not deserve to die that way..."
"…I understand what you're trying to do. In fact, I even asked if you could pursue Ruairi for me, but…" The bard shuffled his feet on the cold stone – fixating his glasses in order to give his viridian eyes a clear view of the teenager. "A Dark Knight is a dangerous route to follow; you, of all people, should be aware of this fact. They are knights that have stopped believing in Morrighan – and I know you have not..."
"I never said I was going to become a Dark Knight," Syphiki spat, "I said I was going to research more on it. If I can comprehend what material is inside of here, then maybe – just maybe – I can find out what happened to Ruairi in the end. I am still not buying the death card…"
"Now see here—"
"..Ruairi was an amazing fighter…" Syphiki nodded and looked up at the taller boy – opening the book and feeling the pages through his cotton gloves, "He could have killed me if he wanted to, but… He was very hesitant in doing so; especially after he saw both you and Nao. I want to learn more about this subject."
"Have you even consulted the other warriors about this?" Tarlach inquired, folding his arms against his chest, "Amarilly, Roshinhe… You obviously cannot expect them to allow you to go through with this so willingly."
"They haven't, and they most likely won't stop until I toss everything I've found away," Syphiki replied, pulling out a jet black medal that had been polished thanks to a little soap and water, "Amarilly has tried throwing this out, but I haven't allowed it because of the research I'm doing…"
"Where are they, anyway..?"
"They are in Tir, resting up in the Chief's house from our long travels-" The Alchemist stopped mid-sentence and raised his hand to his head, looking down at the floor only to find his vision was blurring before him.
"S—Syphiki?!" Tarlach walked up to him, clearing his throat before using his hands to feel around for any indication of sickness or fever, "Are you alright? Syphiki!"
But the Alchemist didn't respond as coherently as Tarlach would've liked. Instead, he dropped all that he held and covered his eyes as if it would help he retain his vision. He struggled to form words, but nearly everything that came out of his mouth sounded like a scream of pain.
"What's wrong?! What's gotten into you..? Syphiki? Syphiki!" The male immediately averted his eyes to the ground – watching as a crimson red aura illuminated from the medal, "No…"
When Tarlach tried to pick it up Syphiki then covered his ears and shook his head a few times. His reactions confused him, but he decided it would be best to leave the medal on the floor if it meant that the pain would go away. Whatever pain it was, it wasn't physical.
A few minutes passed and Syphiki had fallen back onto the ice cold snow – body tensing up to the touch, but his screams merely quiet pants. Tarlach had walked deeper into the snow to help Syphiki back onto his feet, noticing that the boy was still covering his face. He had not bothered to ask about the Alchemist's condition, and brought him back onto the pillar that he typically stood on in the dark.
"Syphiki…" He murmured, "Syphiki…?"
No response. It was only until Tarlach forcibly pulled one of his hands away from his face – noticing the 14-year-old let out an eerie, yet meek laughter.
"…"
"The… the darkness, Tarlach…" Syphiki chuckled – his now sullen, red eyes locked onto Tarlach's actions, "The darkness got to me, ah…aha…"
"…I'm sorry..."
…
…
Syphiki had not noticed that he had touched the final red orb that unlocked the door to a typical boss room in Albey. He turned from the door to his armor, and then looked back once the armor spoke in whispers that made him wince.
"There…"
When the teenager turned towards door he noticed a figure standing in the middle – quietly pacing his steps to the left and right, but was definitely looking directly at the Alchemist outside. Syphiki heaved a great sigh before putting up a front – making his way into the room all the while listening to the armor resonate before him. If there were any compelling forces Syphiki could compare the armor to, it would have been the antics of a mere Succubus. Cunning, wicked, but also very convincing… Syphiki has realized that he can no longer get out of this situation. Everything could have been stopped if he did not grab the medal.
Everything…
"It was a good deal that I have waited for you…"
"Syphiki!"
When the boy had heard the high pitched call, he immediately turned around only to notice two familiar faces staring directly at him with worry.
"Roshinhe?! A—amarilly..?" He questioned – still clinging onto the armor within his hands.
Amarilly, an Elf with ginger locks tied into a ponytail, held a piercing stare with a bow being held between the both of her hands. She was carefully pointing the arrow within her bow at the enemy behind them – the Black Wizard. His faceless caricature merely looked in Amarilly's direction, though she was unsure to if he were annoyed with her or if he was simply amused at her appearance. The bendable bow began to illuminate a blinding white hue – indicating that she was preparing her next attack and it was going to launch itself soon.
Behind her was a Giant that wore nothing but Dragon-plated armor and a set of javelins on her back. In her hand was a lance that was capable of initiating some deadly blows once utilized correctly, and a blindfold that covered her eyes – symbolizing the fact that she cannot see without using the terrain beneath her feet. She did not speak – only grunting every so often to show that she was ready to participate in battle if need be.
"Syphiki, this is dangerous – you can't continue with this..!" Amarilly begged, hands practically trembling as she held the bow together "Aren't you a Paladin..? D-Didn't you become a Paladin so we could stop the Fomors and help Roshinhe recover her vision?!"
"Wh… why are you even here?!" He retorted, "This is too dangerous; you shouldn't have come back to Tir Na Nog!"
"I could say the same thing about you! Why did you go and open the seal again..?"
"Because…"
"Because what?" She replied, "This is the Black. Wizard. This guy has been putting a bunch of nonsense into your head, and you're actually taking what he says seriously! How are you even sure that what he's promising you is the truth?!"
"B-because..! I…"
"Don't listen to them, Syphiki," the Black Wizard intervened, placing his arm that was covered by a black robe in front of him, "…Listen to what your heart is telling you; surely you are mentally prepared to what consequences you are about to face, aren't you?"
"My heart…" Syphiki wasn't all that confident in what his so called "heart" was telling him. In fact, most of the things he was told were merely coming from the armor that was practically imbedded into him! He had not even slipped on the outfit yet, but it was clear that both his morals and life goals were changing within an instant. Why should he listen to the Paladins? Why should he even listen to the Goddess Morrighan – who had practically lied in his face about Tir Na Nog and its "peaceful" atmosphere in the first place? And more importantly: If he had suspected falsity throughout his entire adventure why did he not stop moving forward?
Such thoughts caused negative emotions to fester, which caused him to stop listening to the conversation.
"Agh…"
"Syphiki?!"
"…I see…" A chuckle arose from the Black Wizard's direction as he walked directly in front of Syphiki in order to chant an incantation that was required at this point. "I now peg this person as the one that draws power from greed and desire within…"
"No!" Amarilly began to fire her arrows, but shooting it too soon caused her to miss and hit the ground in a different direction. Not only that, but it threw off Roshinhe when she felt the arrow move across the ground. After the arrow had bounced off Roshinhe tossed a Javelin in the same way, but had not considered what had just happened until she felt the floor rumbling beneath her.
Syphiki merely watched as red seeped through the floors and onto his body – feeling the armor slowly attach itself onto him out of commands. He was not screaming in pain as he had in the past, but was quietly whimpering out of fear and anxiety. It was obvious that he wasn't ready for what was coming to him.
"Oh, the power of darkness, may you provide the power to your obedient servant!"
And within those mere seconds, a burst of black and red radiated against the room – Syphiki now in the air as the armor seeped onto his body. His face was being encased into a jet black helmet, as well as his body entire body being shrouded in nothing but dark armor. A few more screams were released into the air, but it wasn't long before both Amarilly and Roshinhe were knocked back by the immense power – Roshinhe dropping all of her equipment in order catch Amarilly as she was being knocked back by the power of the Darkness. They watched as the boy then landed – slowly averting his gaze from the ground to his two friends that were scared of his malevolent form.
What was going to happen now..?
Syphiki was no longer the Knight of Light;
No…
Syphiki had merely become the epitome of Darkness…