That Jakob costume for the Heroes Halloween banner is what inspired me to want to do this. This isn't really going to be a very plot heavy story, as it's mostly a means to write a Frankenstein AU, but it will have some story in it.
Also I'll try to update when I can, but it won't be too frequent given what college is putting me through. But I'll still try to post every now and then.
For now, hope you all enjoy!
Several lonely nights in the far off castle of the kingdom of Nohr have left him with an enormous empty void in his heart. He had his family and his faithful retainers, but it just wasn't enough to make that emptiness close up. He felt alone in his world, isolated in the castle that held him prisoner from the world with only the stars and the moon to see from his lofty perch. That simple yet necessary feeling, that sense of companionship, it had eluded him for several years now and had been eating away at him bit by bit as time continued to pass. The occasional visits he would get from his siblings were simply not enough to make that empty feeling in his heart go away and he wanted nothing more to make it go away, to feel that special warmth that could only be given by a friend you can always count on to be at your side.
That's why he found himself having spent many restless nights reading up on everything he needed to know in order to have his plan go well.
Even though his subconscious was trying to stop him at every point.
"You want me to what?!"
"I want you to help me create a human."
Corrin thanked himself for deciding to bring Leo to his room and away from everyone else. If not, everything he had worked towards would have been all for naught.
His brother stared at him, utterly dumbfounded, "H-How did- Where did this idea even come from?!"
"It's simple Leo, being stuck in the castle every minute of every day is maddening. I appreciate that you all try to see me when you can, but I still need something more. I've already read up on everything that has to be done to accomplish this, but I need you and your magic to help me do this."
"Y-You read up on this?"
He nodded, "I managed to sneak some books on dark magic and I've looked into everything regarding bringing life to a corpse and I know everything we need to do to get it done."
"Corrin, you do realize what you're getting yourself into, right?" Leo intervened, "Using magic for this type of act is considered to be a horrifying taboo and something no one should practice."
"I'm aware. I know what I'm getting myself into by even thinking about this. But… I want to do this. And I need you to help me. My magic isn't anywhere nearly strong enough to make it work, but your magic can. Leo, please, you're the only one I can turn to. Please help me do this."
Leo could barely bring him to look into his brother's eyes, those bright red orbs seemed to be begging and pleading more than his words, and even those were sending chills through him just hearing his normally sweet and blissful brother say such things. Eventually, he let out a heavy sigh, "… Alright, I'll help you."
His eyes lit up, "You will?!"
"Yeah. I'm not gonna enjoy it, but I know you'll never stop asking me if I say no to you."
Corrin grabbed his brother's hand with a big smile, "Thank you so much! I swear, I'll do anything you want to thank you for doing this for me, promise!"
"You better, especially with what you got me doing. But keep in mind this is going to take a lot of work in order to get right. Understood?"
"Fully. But I'm prepared to do anything it takes."
"Very well. It's best to get started as soon as we can. I'll handle the first step then we'll work off from there."
His eyebrow raised at this, "You'll handle the first step? … Wait…" His eyes widened in shock, "Leo… do you know about this?"
His brother looked away from him as he spoke, "Every mage that decides to pursue in the dark arts are warned about this; this inhuman use of magic that no one should ever dare to think about. When I learned about this, I swore to myself that I would never even try this. Looks like I'm going to have to break that oath."
"Sorry about this, Leo."
He shook his head, "Don't worry about apologizing, I've already sold my soul to this," He looked at him, "Anyway, let's focus. Here's what I need you to do…"
He still couldn't believe that he was actually able to convince Leo to help him on this. He was so sure that he was walking into a hopeless battle, so to know that he had actually agreed to his unbelievable request sent a strange and twisted thrill through his mind. To know that he would soon have the companion he wanted and visioned for the last few months made it impossible for him to stop smiling and had granted him some of the best dreams he's ever had, dreams where his mind started to piece together what he wanted his creation to look like.
He had already finished his part of what they needed to get started: locate an empty room for them to do the procedure in where no one would ever go to.
After spending a day surveying his stone tower home, he struck gold in his search. Under the tower were several vacant and barren rooms. After asking around about them, he found out that those rooms used to be for storage for various weapons and tomes, but after those were transported to the capital, those rooms now laid abandoned beneath the tower. Not a soul had gone down there in several years.
Perfect.
After giving Leo the good news, he knew it was now time for him to do his part and obtain a body for them. Before he left, he asked Corrin if there was anything specific he wanted. He only had two requests for what he wanted, the two things that his dreams had helped him to perfectly invision.
"Male and around my age."
He hoped it wouldn't be much trouble but Leo assured him that it wouldn't be too much trouble for him. The reassurance had elated Corrin's spirit and had filled him with so much excitement that he could barely even sleep that night. But he knew he had to, since they wouldn't be able to get started until late the next night, since they wouldn't be able to get started in the middle of the day without raising suspicion.
So throughout the entire day, Corrin felt every nerve in his body jitter with anticipation for what would come that night, occasionally glancing at Leo whenever he could. His brother's eyes seemed to be constantly telling him to relax, like every once of his excitement was seeping out of his body. When the end of the day finally came, Corrin wasted no time pulling Leo aside and telling the others that he wanted him to stay for a while to help him further his magic. It wasn't a complete lie given what they were about to do, but it was enough to let it go without a hitch. The two had waited in Corrin's room until they new that most of the occupants have left or were at their station. He thought for a moment that they would have to sneak down to the room, but Leo planned ahead of that and proceeded to warp them into one of the abandoned rooms. It was pitch black, so Leo used a spell, creating several floating orb of fire throughout the room, washing the darkness and shadows into the corners of the room.
Now that they were able to see, they walked to the center of the room, where a long wooden table had been set up, "Ready to start?" With a nod and determined look, Leo raised his hand, "Brace yourself, this isn't going to look pretty."
With the snap of his fingers, a small portal opened and a naked rotting corpse dropped onto the table. The sight of it made them both step back. The male's body was thin down to the bone, skin pale gray and decayed, short brown hair dry and brittle, and the smell coming from him was putrid.
Corrin coughed before bringing his hand to cover his nose, "Doesn't smell pretty either."
"It's a corpse, that goes without saying," He said, using his high collar to cover his nose, "This man has been dead for a few months now, so he should work just fine."
Corrin stared at the body for a few moments before looking towards Leo and noticing he was shivering, "What's wrong?"
"I had to disturb this man's grave… it was the most vile and disgusting thing I've ever had to do. I remember this being the part that made me swear to avoid this at all cost…"
"Leo…"
He shook his head and regained his composure, "It's too late for me to be feeling sorry for myself, especially now."
Corrin gave him a comforting smile before he stepped forward and started inspecting the body, "You said this man died a few months ago. In this state, most of his organs have shrivelled up and need to be replaced, and there's not a drop of body left in him. This should make it easier to avoid any trace of his previous life being present when we revive him, since anything from who they were can affect the outcome of how you wish to make them," He looked up and found that Leo was staring at him, "What is it?"
"I'm starting to wonder if you're even the Corrin I know anymore. To think this kind of stuff could come out of your mouth."
He chuckled, "I'll admit, even I'm a bit surprised at how I've been acting since I started looking this."
"Well, regardless, we got a lot of work cut out for us. It's going to take some time to get every vital organ to replace and we'll be needing a large supply of blood. For now, I'll show you how to use the spell to keep his body from further deteriorating and to toughen the skin back to a living state. It's best you make sure how to do this spell for when I'm not around. Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
He was ready to invest every minute of everyday to this. Regardless of how challenging it would get, he would get his task done. He will create the being he dedicated many restless nights towards.
He will create his perfect companion.
