Six months. This took a lot of time to get done. No, this really did. Sorry.
I was hoping to have some official names for the other official characters when I'd start including them in the proceeding chapter, as I'm not really comfortable to name them with something out of a whim (I'm just like that, I'm sorry TT_TT ).
At TGS 2010 and Jump Festa, no names came out. Just the usual stuff Square often does: increase hype of fans by showing bits of footages and all. -_-''
Then I heard news of the Fabula Nova Crystallis event that was scheduled for January 11 then renamed to Square Enix Production Premiere event moved last 18th. Only two names were confirmed aside from finally hearing Noctis's voice by his seiyuu, Tatsuhisa Suzuki. Two other voices confirmed for the Ignis (glasses dude) and Gladiolus (shotgun guy) belong to Mamoru Miyano and Tetsuya Kakihara respectively. I don't know who Prompto's (shotgun guy) seiyuu is. And yes, they officially and finally have names.
But I have to admit, procrastination is still a major reason for the delay. But hey, when you're in college, time's really hectic and harsh for you.
And HUUUUGE thanks for the reviews: Warangel88, Stella Lockheart, OnCeUpOnA-TiMeLoNg-AgO, AngelWingStella and rorudesu-chan(thank you for that wonderful review Miss Roru! I'm still trying to adjust to how I write now since I'm used to writing in dialogue styles. But I'll try my darnest to improve.^_^)
So that's about it for my excuses. This is chapter 2, not much progress though. I wanted to try a new type of writing style, just to get the hang of things.
Disclaimer: Noctis Lucis Caelum and Final Fantasy Versus XIII is property of Square Enix co.
THE INVITATION
...
This empty space, how'd I get here?
All alone in this dark place, I've been walking to and fro for what it seems to be an eternity. Where is this? What is this endless path? Am I...dead?
Fear not, my boy. This place is just your consciousness.
My consciousness? Oh, I remember. I fell asleep during study. How silly of me.
Young man, what is it that you seek?
What's with that question? I'm looking for...Nothing. I guess just wish to be...
Normal? Live a simple life?
Yes, that. But it only seems like it would occur in dreams. My name's already been written in damnation's book.
Ah, so you've already accepted your fate.
So it would seem. What other choice do I have? One's destiny IS inescapable, or so they would say.
...Interesting. You and that girl may be an exception.
An exception? And who is this girl that you speak of?
You'll find soon enough. Your meeting draws near, and that girl will play an important role in your tale, of that I am certain.
Hmph. It's not that I care though. I've got to play my story per orders from superiors anyway, all for the kingdom... and for mother's memory.
Oh, you'll see. There's something more than what your time has to offer. After all, life is full of surprises. Isn't that right,
...Noctis Lucis Caelum?
"...Could it all have been a dream?..." a soft murmur escaped his lips just as the bright morning light penetrated the frosted glass windows of his bedroom and illuminated his face. There he was, still slouching on his study table with his spectacles on just as he remembered before he fell asleep and that bizarre dream happened. He stood up, stretched his arms as he walked up to his bed and yawned as he slowly dived in to its soft comfort. He buried his face with the nearest pillow he could reach and tried to go adrift to sleep.
There was the sound of silence. He enjoyed times like these where he can just relax and get some shut eye. But for today, that moment was going to be short-lived.
"NOCT!", a loud, brash voice came shouting in from outside Noctis's private quarters, making the cerulean-haired youth open an eyelid to peek at who was making such a ruckus very early in the morning. And upon seeing who it was making such an entrance to his massive bedroom doors, he just sighed and continued to pretend to sleep. But it would seem as if his 'guest' knew about him feigning his slumber.
"You're not gonna fool me! With my awesome voice that rang through your hallway, it's impossible that you're still dozing!", and his guest guffawed rather—amusingly, for the sake of describing it.
Of course he couldn't go back to sleep, not with this person making all this unwanted noise.
"C'mon Noct, get up! The weather's awesome, and I feel like today will be the day when I can say 'CHECKMATE' and rub it on your face!", the male guest with blonde, short, semi-curled hair styled on the left of his head said as he sat down with a loud and intentional 'thump!' in Noctis's bed. Good thing it was a bed stuffed with feathers.
"..mphpfmph", Noctis mumbled words through the pillow that was covering his face. He was too tired to get up and argue.
"What? You're admitting defeat? ", the blonde taunted Noctis who tucked himself further under his bed covers, wishing that somehow this person would shut up for even five minutes at best. But due to constant pestering, he thought he'd better give his friend a chance.
"Prompto," a still-drowsy Noctis said, placing aside the pillow that muffled the words he spoke earlier as he sat straight up while putting his specs back on. "If I win, you're restricted to neither enter nor set foot near these grounds ever again."
His blonde guest, Prompto, gave an expression of disbelief. "But duuude, that's like, forever!" , he exclaimed further.
"What? Scared? " Now, it was the composed Caelum's turn to get cocky.
Prompto laughed nervously. "Who's scared? ME? In your dreams, bub."
"Oh please, you'll make it hard for me to sleep if you ever appear and give me nightmares in the night. A lot of people don't want me bedridden. It'll affect my handsomeness. Just three days then, just don't appear in my dreams Prompto. Please? I beg of you."
"Sometimes, you can be such a bastard." Prompto remarked with an annoyed face as he pulled out an expensive-looking chess set, seemingly made out of crystal glass and marble, under the coffee table near Noctis's bed and the contents were laid out on the mattress.
Noctis picked up the crystal clear 'king' piece and examined it intriguingly, his eyes full of inquisition. He slowly began to gather up the other chess pieces.
"I on white," he declared first, much to Prompto's irritation.
"My horoscope today told me my lucky colour is white", he informed Noctis, hoping that he might give in to his request.
"Well I'm telling you whichever colour you'd choose, you'd still lose."
"Believing in luck and chance isn't a bad thing to do, right?"
"But nothing good ever comes out if you just rely on dumb luck and fat chance, right? Action is the key to make things happen, my friend." Noctis refuted, sounding triumphant in tone with a smirk on his face.
"Alright, alright. Me on black then. C'mon, let's get started before you go on to continuing on your boring lecture and sermons again."
"The faster the better," Noctis yawned before proceeding, "I want to continue my interrupted sleep."
...
The match only lasted for a few minutes, about a good two or three. Prompto went down with just four to six moves by the still bored-looking Noctis, leaving the former looking dumb and lowering his high morale that he had a while ago.
Achieving that win, Noctis waved his hand with a mocking grin formed on his lips; a sort of gesture implying to Prompto that he should leave as per terms to their agreement."Off you go. I need my rest."
"W-wait! Can I make a compromise?" Prompto could only smile nervously, hoping that his friend wasn't serious about what he said earlier.
"You really believed what I said?"
"SO YOU WERE JUST KIDDING THEN?" he exclaimed, sounding relieved.
"No," came a bored and flat answer.
"WHY YOU SUNUVA-"
Before Prompto could continue with his sentence, he was cut off short by the tingling noise of what sounded like chimes. It was pleasant to the ears, but Noctis certainly did not seem too happy to hear it. He frowned a little, and lay down back into his bed, pulling a nearby pillow to cover his face as he kicked Prompto to lose his balance causing him to land face first on the marble tiling. He definitely did not like that either.
"OUCH! THAT HURT YOU BAS— Oh. Good morning Gil!", Prompto greeted a figure of an old man clad in a black swallow tuxedo, uniforms that are usually made and worn for butlers.
Gilbert came into the room, walking in strides with a plastered smile on his face and a silver platter in hand. "Sorry to interrupt your chat but," he tilted his head a little to take a glance on the seemingly sleeping royalty, "...duty calls, Prince Noctis."
"UGGGHHH," the prince could only whine from behind. He knew this was going to be a long day ahead of him, a long day without getting proper rest.
Prompto tried to hold in a chuckle but it was, without effort, useless. "It's tough being a royal ass—I mean prince, eh Noct?" And almost instantly after he said, a cushion came in contact with his face. The bang was enough to push his head back to the floor.
"Aside from being able to do anything I please and getting away with it? Yeah, sometimes it is." Snickering slyly after feeling content with the payback he got at Prompto, Noctis finally stood up from his bed to get himself ready for appointments scheduled for him today.
"And oh, Prince Noctis," Gilbert lowered down the platter that he was carrying. There lay a white envelope stamped with a red seal. "It's for you."
"What's that?"
"An invitation."
"For what?"
"To a party that you must attend."
Chapter 2- end
I'll be reading a lot of action-packed type of stories to familiarize on how to write kick-butting action scenes in future chapters. I do hope I get better at this. Cheerio!
If you'd like to leave a review, that would mean a LOT.
