Chapter Two: When Dark Meets Light
Sleep is inevitable and as necessary as the dawn of a new day. No matter what anyone thinks or feels, the moon cannot shine without the sun. It is such with being awake is as vital as being asleep. They reflect each other and yet do not. Both are needed and will succumb to the other. As much as he hates to sleep, it claims even him. Sometimes it is not so bad. Most times it is that bad and he wishes he could forget the things that he's forced to see.
In those dreams where it is not so terrifying, he sees what could only be a glimpse at happier times. Back to a period before the nightmares entrapped him. It is in this reality that he wishes he can stay. He is very young, a mere boy. He does know how exactly how young, but life is simple. His emotions are full of simple things. He knows love from his mother and respect from his father. He knows careless laughter with his father and warmth from his mother.
Father is full of enthusiasm and mischief. Mother is full of grace and indulgence. They are familiar and they are home. There are others, but his world consists of mother and father. They are his haven and he feels that it is only with them that he is free. Mother is sunshine and flowers and brightness. Father is endless protection and strength. He hears father making them laugh and mother hiding her soft, quiet laughter behind her hand. This is the world he wants to stay in. These are the dreams that he doesn't want to wake from.
Then there are the other dreams. He is still that little boy, but he knows no comforts. There is no mother and there is no father. Alone he stands in front of a door. There is a light. The light seems so bright that it blinds him. He sees it, even with his eyes closed and he raises a hand to shield the rays. Then an image appears in front of him. No, not an image but a person and he's not sure who it is. It seems both breathtakingly beautiful and repulsively disgusting all together. It stands there beckoning him to walk through the door. It's not safe and it's not home. So, he runs and feels arms like tentacles ghosting behind his back. Instinctively he knows it's straining with all its might to grab him. Only it can't. He stays just beyond its reach and it screeches out in anger. It rings so loud that he stops to clutch his head. The grotesque arms snatch him up and he screams.
NOOOO!!!
Noctis jerks and gives lets out a small gasp as he sits upright in the backseat. Heart racing and chest pounding he looks at the city skyline, with the vibrant moon above and the ever present light that only he seems to see.
"Prince Noctis, are you all right?" asks the driver.
He catches his eye through the rear view mirror. "I am fine."
The driver knows better than to ask again and says instead, "We are almost there, my Lord."
He makes an uncommitted sound of understanding and leans upon his hand. There is no time to dwell on nightmares right now. He can think about them later, when it's only him and the darkness and the whispers that are never silent. He takes a breathe within his nostrils and clears his mind.
Just as he had predicted, a day had passed since the attempt on his life and exactly as predicted, an official courier from Tenebrae arrived. There were many "sincere" condolences on such a frightful scare. There followed by the utmost assurances that there are no hostilities between them and even an offer to help with the investigation of these fiends. These fiends who would dare to harm the noble prince, last of the Caelum clan. How that mention made him all the more suspicious. Investigation... He knew and they knew, that neither the soldiers nor their weapons would be traced to anyone. That hadn't stopped his men from trying. They were trying still, to find something definitive. If they did, he'd be very surprised.
The car reaches the rendezvous point and a valet swiftly comes to open the door for him. Finely crafted shoes step out onto the pavement, followed by an impeccably tailored suit and spikey black hair. There are eyes that appear blue but they change. They can be blue and they can be red and somewhere in between. Right now they are blue and just as vibrant as any crystal. Some people stare as he stands there, with the moon as a backdrop. He belongs to the night as much as the suit has been crafted for his build. He steps away from the car and begins his walk along the carpeted floor to the entrance of the tower. As he walks he does not smile yet his face is not cold, merely guarded. He makes eye contact with those sure enough to look back and continues through the doorway that's being held by two awaiting guards.
An official visit deserved an elaborate dinner and there was nothing more so than having it while enjoying the stunning views of the city beneath. It was romantic to those that were fanciful, ostentatious to those that were pompous and impressive to those that were smart enough to know what it meant. From the views to the structure of the building, it told you of remarkable power and skill. It showed you the entire, vastness of the city and the ingenuity of the ones that built it. All this, while you ate.
As the prince and a native, these were not the things that he had really concerned himself with. This place was strategic in every sense of the word. The height would guarantee that nobody would try an attack. It offered clear views of anything coming nearby and it was too high for any foot soldiers. Not when the elevators did not work for just anyone. Of course, it meant that he would be isolated with those who would take what was his family's, but it was a small price to pay for assurance. It was not that he feared death. He feared the loss of his family's legacy.
The elevator shaft was clear, affording you the view as you flew up to the top, the speed giving you a feeling of heaviness as you're pressed firmly on your feet. There were no need for guards, but they had assigned three to ride up with him. All wore helmets and armor. Their identities hidden by shadowed visors. He smirks at them and they bow when the elevator doors open to the dining area and he steps out. The dining hall is large and grand with a floor to ceiling aquarium with the most exotic of fishes. Along the floor were many people of different stations. All of them are dressed in their finest, with flashy attire and perfectly coiffed hair. He recognizes many of them and receives many bows of acknowledgment. A whisper of a groan wants to escape his lips but he remains impassive. He's thankful that he does not have to smile back. These dinners are never something that he likes to come to and socialize in.
Almost, immediately he is greeted by his highest official. "Ah, my Lord. You have come." He is wearing what he always wears to these official events. A sharply cut pin striped suit and slicked back peppered hair. He's older and could easily be seen as father figure for him, but his father he is not. His entire presence signifies power and strength with a face that knows many frowns. He's never been entirely easy around this man, but he has had no choice but to trust him.
"Lord Aenigma," he addresses with a nod. His eyes move towards who he can only guess is the envoy from Tenebrae. The man must be in his early forties and looks to have once been very handsome when he had been younger. The years had hardened the lines between his eyes and he's forgotten what it was to be a soldier. His hands were soft, as was his body. A little too soft. He had an easy smile and a calm demeanor. Maybe, if he hadn't been so observant, Noctis may have trusted the man on sight. Only, soldiers did not grow soft and overindulgent over the years. They remained as they were, soldiers.
"Might I introduce you to Lord Nuntius," offers Aenigma with an extension of his arm.
"I am most honored to be a guest within your city, your Majesty," Nuntius responds with a flourish of a bow.
"Welcome to our fair city, Lord Nuntius," responds Noctis.
"Ah yes, very fair indeed Highness."
"Was your journey a good one?"
"Very. I was most eager to assure you of our country's total compliance with any help you need with your investigation. It was most alarming to hear there was such an attempt on your life, my Lord."
A naïve person would have believed his words to be in all sincereness, but Noctis was not paying attention to the pretty words spilling forth from the man's mouth. He nods at the man's words but he has caught sight of someone else.
"Might we start dinner now, my Lord?" offers Aenigma, drawing his attention and he's gesturing towards the elaborate table before them. It's situated just so, to afford the best views of the city. With Noctis' seat at the foot, with the best view.
During dinner, he gives the appearance that he could not have cared any less about being there. Playing the role of an ignorant and self obsessed prince while his dignitaries said the necessary things and accepted the predictable terms of treaty. He eats sparsely but listens carefully. Under black bangs he pays close attention to the subtle body language of those in the Tenebrae party. He can tell who is most opposed to his rule and those who are more concerned with themselves.
Though his eyes are drawn, he keeps them firmly on the plate in front of him. They want to stare at the girl on the other end of the table. She's dressed all in white and her blonde hair gently falls past her shoulders. She's absolutely stunning in her brilliance and he cannot help the desire to look upon her. Yet he must deny himself that. Even with his eyes firmly fixed on his plate, she's taken up too much of his attention. He is aware of her more than anyone else in the room and that is a problem. For he cannot, he will not show his interest. It is not a time to reveal how magnetic she is to him. She had to have been brought as a trap to him. No, that was not it. It was not her physical beauty that captured him. It was in her aura. How it shone like a halo around her body and made him wonder, just wonder if maybe she would understand his perpetual night. Was it not true that secretly, the dark craves the light?
There is only one other place that would be safe for him to occupy his eyes and they are above. His eyes goes up to see the light. Its luminescence is strong and it allows him to temporarily forget about the girl who has caused him so much distraction. The whispers he usually tries to block out seem a welcome reprieve. They distract him enough to help his facade of casual indifference to those around him.
Yet, it is later, when he knows that she has walked up the stairs to the observation deck alone, that he cannot help himself any longer. His feet take him where he knows he will find her. Trying to stop himself seems futile, because he needs to grant himself this. The dark craves the light afterall. He was drawn to her even as he felt compelled to draw away.
He's thankful that her back is turned because then he can gaze upon her without being seen. Though he can, he does not make his approach silent. He doesn't want her to be surprised and fearful. He wants her to know he is there and see her face as she reacts to him.
...And there, she turns and he's given a full view of her magnificence. Her slow and brilliant smile mesmerizes him and he feels the need to walk closer even while the rest of him knows he must stay far away from her. He does not see any malice nor any ill will but he cannot let himself walk any closer. Instead, he stops a few feet away with his back to her.
"Lord Noctis," he hears and it's the most melodic voice he's ever heard. "You can see the light? Right?"
Her question startles him and he feels almost excited. She knows of the light? He steps toward to walk towards her but stops when she looks up at the sky and his eyes follow hers. Curiously, he turns to watch the expression of wonderment on her face. He can't help but feel shaken at what this means. There is nothing he can do but look at her in awe.
"Was that what you were looking at from downstairs?" she asks, walking towards him.
This puts him on guard and he turns and walks away. This is not something to be casually mentioned amongst strangers. "Pretty much. When did you start seeing it?" He asks this casually, almost nonchalantly, but his mind is racing.
"When I was a child," she answers softly.
"A near death experience, I presume?" His tone is convincingly calm, but he sympathizes more than anyone else can.
"Yes.. you too?" there is something in her voice when she asks that compels him to answer.
"It was pretty horrible," he answers with a shrug and a shake of his head. That is something he does not wish to think about anymore than he does already.
He listens intently as she tells him about the legend of her people and even falters slightly in his steps at what she says. "The goddess Etro shall open the gate welcoming the souls of the dead. When that occurs, a bright light shall shine down through the skies from the land of the dead. That is the legend. It's a Tenebrae legend."
"We've got the same legend here," he said as if this is common knowledge but his heart and mind are racing. The same legend in two lands. Especially two lands as distant as theirs.
"Did the light give you power?" she asks coyly with a slight tilt to her head.
"No, I don't need anything like that. I'm fine how I am," he says it to throw her off.
"I know, right? No matter what kind of power it is, if its at the cost of someone's life... It would give me nightmares."
Like his. "Same. It's a ridiculous bedtime story... You shouldn't talk to other people about the light," he warns.
"How come?"
"Being different from others can cause a lot of trouble..." he says as he sits upon one of the many couches on the side. He leaves the sentence unfinished. He wonders if she would catch his words. "Don't you think?"
"But if its just a bedtime story, what do you think the light really is?" They both stare at the light together before he turns back towards her.
"It's just something that's there. Isn't that enough?" No, it's not enough but he wishes the light had never existed to him. He rises to leave. "Um, you are..."
"Stella," she answers.
"Stella... I should be going."
"Thank you for your time, Prince Noctis."
"Just Noct is fine." He wants to tell her that he really is no prince and he doesn't realize that he's smiling genuinely at her. There's a moment of awkwardness and he realizes that he does not really want to go just yet.
"I have to go too," she says to break the tension as she starts to leave. She's made a few steps away from him and he's stepped toward her without even thinking about it. She stops and turns towards him again to say, "I feel like I've received something from the light tonight... I got a chance to speak with you." She looks briefly upwards to emphasize her point and smiles at him again.
He allows himself a smirk and shrugs. "Well now you'll have nightmares," he jokes.
"You're a mean one, aren't you, Prince Noctis?" she ask but he's made her laugh and it does something funny to him.
"Noct," he reminds her.
"I'll call you that the next time we meet. You should come to Tenebrae sometime. I'll show you around."
"That sounds interesting. I'll think about it." He gives her his best smirk, full of the smug a pompous prince as he's known to be, would.
She smiles another brilliant smile at him and rushes away. He watches her until she's out of sight before looking upwards to the light that he thought only he could see.
Who are you? He hears whispered.
"That's my line," he whispers angrily at the voices before walking back down the stairs.
Though the party is far from finished, he is done for the night. As he makes his way towards the elevators he thinks over his conversation with her, with Stella. She's shaken him more than she could ever realize. He's wondered over those questions countless times but could never voice them to anyone. Had she felt that in this, he had been alone? Hearing those questions spoken out loud was both comforting and disturbing. To find someone that he could truly connect with and his heart rejoiced in it. Whether she knew it or not. Whether he wanted it or not. They were both connected now and he was afraid of it. He was afraid of her and for her.
Standing within the elevator cabin, watching the floor quickly come closer and closer, he knew. This was just the beginning. This meeting would unfold a chain of events that he was now powerless to stop. There was no turning back. He knew that she must know this too. Their lives were now entwined and he feels guilt as much as he feels fear but a part of him cannot help but feel happy too. He who was nothing but the blackness had no business tainting the brilliance of one such as she. Yet he knew he could not stay away from her. For, the dark craves the light, doesn't it?
