Happy New Year everyone and to celebrate the new year here's a new chapter!
Okay, so just to clarify, Skales Noctis Jr. is not supposed to be Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy. He is based on FF Noctis but will not be a clone of that character. Also I own nothing.
Acidicus sat in a plush velvet chair with golden studded arm-rests. Across from him, Prince Noctis was lounging in a similar chair, with Alura sitting in a black leather armchair across to the left. Noctis' scales were the same design as his father's. In fact, Noctis looked almost identical to his father in terms of his physical appearance. He wore a black fingerless glove-let on his left hand. Acidicus and Alura had dispensed with their clothes, which had been a formality for the humans. Though, Alura had kept her necklace.
"So, Prince Noctis. Would you like to tell me what you saw in your dream last night?" Acidicus asked, after a moment of silence.
"Dunno really," Noctis replied, simply.
"Well, could you describe it to me?" Acidicus pressed.
"Nothing really happened," Noctis replied. "Look we've been through this stick before I have nightmares, the city gets fried and then we have this little 'therapy session."
"Noctis. Just answer him please," Alura said, her voice gentle. Noctis let out a breath before straightening up. He looked down at the ground, his hands clasped together.
"I was in a field, at night. The field was burning and all the rivers were the color of blood. I started to walk forward. In the sky there was a…a symbol," Noctis began, his voice becoming shaky as he continued.
"This symbol?" Acidicus asked. He held up a picture. This was an old picture, drawn in crayon with ripped edges. The picture showed a large heart with a spiked x through the middle and a fuer-de-lues design on the bottom. Noctis had drawn that picture when he first started having these dreams.
"Yeah, that," Noctis affirmed. Acidicus motioned for Noctis to continue.
"And I reached a door, jet black with jewels for handles and that same symbol on it. I opened the door and walked through. When I exited, I was in a big city."
"Do you know which city?" Acidicus asked.
"N-no. It wasn't our city. It looked human," Noctis replied, before continuing. "There were men in armor, staring at me. The armor had the symbol on it. They all had guns or swords or something. I could feel their fear. Then, they all started shooting at me."
"The bullets didn't hurt you?" Acidicus asked.
"No. They never do," Noctis replied, his hands shaking. "I walked right into their ranks and…and started to…"
Acidicus and Alura looked down and noticed a black blade had formed in his right hand and his left hand was glowing red under the glove-let.
"We can skip that part," Acidicus said, trying to keep his voice even. "What happened next?"
"A-after that, the whole city went black. All the lights turned off. Then, creatures started to appear," Noctis said, his eyes attaining a faint purple glow. "Horrible monsters, with darkness all around them and yellow eyes."
"Noctis, if you want to stop, we can," Alura advised, but her words seemed to pass right by him.
"They started to chase me. So I ran," Noctis said, an axe appearing in his left hand.
"Prince Noctis. That's enough for now," Acidicus said. However, the prince continued.
"I found another door and when I opened it. I was in a dark room," Noctis said, his eyes beginning to fully glow. "I saw a figure in a brown robe and on the floor was…was… F-Father…"
Alura put her hand on Noctis, a faint yellow light emanating from her palm. The dark glow emanating from both his eyes and palms suddenly vanished. The weapons vanished as well.
"Noctis, it's over now. You're safe here," She whispered gently.
Noctis gave her a thankful look before standing up.
"Can I go now?" He asked, shaking off his previous distress.
"Of course," Acidicus replied. He then reached into his desk and pulled out a well-wore notepad. "Though one more thing. Did you hear any voices this time?"
"Oh right, the voices. My favorite part," Noctis muttered under his breath. "The forgotten king awakens. Dawn to suffer and the light expire. The World of night shall bring the shadow. That's what I heard."
"I see and the voice was the same?" Acidicus asked.
"Yeah. Can I leave now?" He asked.
Acidicus nodded as he started to write down the words. Noctis briskly walked out of the room, leaving Alura and Acidicus alone in the room.
Once Acidicus had finished Alura spoke up.
"I'm not sure how much more of this he can take," Alura commented, her voice concerned by still reserved and calm. "The nightmares, the incidents, the constant questioning, it's starting to ware on him. Do you think you're close to any kind of conclusion?"
"If I was even remotely close to even a general hypothesis, I would be running up and down the halls yelling for joy," Acidicus replied, his voice tinged with bitter sarcasm. "At this point, I'm not sure there's anything I can do."
"Well, we mustn't submit to hopelessness," Alura said. Acidicus nodded his head in agreement though the weary look in his eyes implied the sentiment was not shared.
"But I think, I've found something of a pattern to how the dream relates to the incidents at night. Not that it's much help but it's better than nothing." Acidicus said, changing the subject.
Alura immediately fixated her attention on the venomari general.
"He dreams of the soldiers first, so he also conjures the weapons first. Then, when the lights in the dream city go out, the electricity starts to spark in the waking world," Acidicus explained.
"Oh. Do you think that will help?" Alura asked.
"Possibly but I can't say how much," Acidicus replied. "You can go now Lady Alura. But before you do I have a question."
Alura stood up but kept her eyes on Acidicus.
"What did you dream last night?" Acidicus questioned.
"It's always the same dream. Noctis and I with our friends in a bright world of light." Alura said, a smile forming on her face. "It's a dream I desperately wish would come to pass."
"As do I," Acidicus commented. "And the voices?"
"The figure is cursed by sleep lies in the darkness. The light to awaken the dawn and shadow to fade. The night and day shall find their peace," Alura replied.
Cole, Libertus, and President Lorie stood in the main dining hall of the castle, waiting for King Skales to join them. Cole looked around as various serpentine servants began replacing light-bulbs. They swept up the broken glass and replaced the bulbs as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Wow, that musta been some electrical storm last night," President Lorie commented. "Knocked out all the lights."
"Yeah," Cole muttered under his breath. The electrical storm was the story that Skales had told when he returned to reception deck last night. However, Cole knew the truth. There was something going on with Skales' son, something dangerous. But how? What kind of power could the serpentine be hiding? Cole wondered.
From no-where, a rock hit Cole's shoulder. He spun around to see the 'man-of-no-consequence' from last night, leaning against the doorway. A cocky smirk on his face, he nodded his head in a motion for Cole to come with him. Excusing himself, Cole approached the man warily. The man retreated to outside the door, forcing Cole to lose sight of President Lorie.
"Quite the electrical storm indeed," The mysterious stranger said once the two were alone.
"What do you want?" Cole asked, suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm in desperate need of something to talk about," The man replied, feigning despair. "Politics can get so boring."
"If you're so desperate, go chat up a maid. I have better things to be doing right now," Cole snapped, irritated by the distraction. He turned to walk back to President Lorie, when he stopped in his tracks as the man spoke.
"Ah, I see. Very well, shame though, I was hoping we could continue our discussion about the prince and his mysterious ailment."
Cole turned back around and looked at him.
"What ailment?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Merely speculation on my part," The man replied, a twinkle in his amber eyes. "Though it would explain why the people are so concerned. After all, you don't send get-well soon cards to a healthy man."
"Get-well cards?" Cole asked.
"My gift," The man replied, though he added in mock offense. "Or did you forget so soon?"
Immediately, Cole reached into his pocket and brought out the coin.
"It might also intrigue you to know that the prince is currently in the middle of a therapy session with Acidicus, general of Venomari, the tribe known for their expertise in medicinal arts," The man replied. "He must be quite sick, though rumor has it that his illness is not of an earthly nature."
Cole furrowed his brows remembering the events he witnessed last night. If the prince has a condition that can do this much damage when he's asleep, what can he do when he's awake. Cole thought. Then a horrible idea struck him, the idea similar events could have resulted in the birth of Lord Garamadon.
"Is it possible that he was hit with the venom of the Great Devourer?" Cole muttered to himself.
"Well, if you excuse me, I must be off," The man said, sauntering off.
"What? Where do you think you're going?" Cole asked.
"Unfortunately, I'm a very busy man," The man said, flippantly. "Good luck with your snake problem."
Skales slithered in a circle, anxiously waiting for Acidicus to return. Selma, Fangtom, Jakob, and Skalidor, who had been on guard duty for the events of last night, sat in a circle around him.
"Skales dear, please stop pacing," Selmas asked, after a moment.
"I would agree with her, your majesty. Multiple studies show that pacing increases stress, which leads to a decreased life span," Jakob put in, adding immediately afterword. "According the same studies, husbands who listen to their wives also experience an increased life span."
This resulted in a chuckle from every else. Jakob gave the others a confused look, before shrugging it off.
A knock at the door interrupted the group.
"Ah, that must be Acidicus," Selma guessed.
Skales slithered to the door and quickly swung it open only to find Noctis standing in the doorway. His arms were slack against his sides and his eyes gazed down at the ground.
"Oh, Noctis. W-what a surprise," Skales said, taken aback.
"Hello, Father," Noctis replied, half-whispering.
The entire room stood up simultaneously. One could have heard a pin drop as Noctis stood in the open door.
"May I come in?" He asked after a seeming eternity of silence.
"Of course," Skales said, trying to regain his composure. "You see we were just…"
"Talking about me, I know," Noctis said, his eyes not leaving the floor. "I don't mind."
Noctis then took a knee before his father, his head still bowed.
"Your majesty, I would like to apologize for last night," Noctis began, his voice filled with shame. "I understand that I ruined the peace celebration. That was inexcusable."
"Noctis. There's no reason to apologize," Skales began as Noctis stood back up. "It's not your fault, besides our guests hardly noticed a thing. I told them it was an electric storm, no harm done."
Skales reached his hand out to place it on his son's shoulder. However, Noctis pulled away. Turning to leave, he said.
"That's not the point, it shouldn't be happening,"
"I won't take any more of your time," He muttered as he walked out.
The gathered snakes looked at each other with a collective look of sorrow. All except Jakob, who adjusted his glasses before following Noctis. Skales let out a defeated sigh. Why can't he see that we love him? He wondered.
Jakob found Noctis sitting on the edge of the border wall, starting out into the endless desert. Jakob shook his head before sitting next to the prince.
"Well, that certainly could've gone worse," Jakob commented, keeping his voice even.
"How?" Noctis asked, picking up a stone and hurling it across into the desert.
"Well, for starters, that fact no-one spontaneously combusted from the tension is a veritable miracle," Jakob replied matter-of-factly. This elicited a laugh from Noctis, which left Jakob both confused and relieved. After eventually stopping, Noctis' face turned serious.
"Hey Jakob, I have a question and I need you to be completely honest with me," Noctis began.
"Noct, when am I not completely honest with you?" Jakob pointed out.
"Fair point," Noctis said, before continuing. "Maybe I should just leave?"
Jakob looked intensely at Noctis but did not say anything.
"I think it would probably be for the best," Noctis continued. "I mean there's an entire nation just caught up with me and all I do is cause trouble."
"Hmm, you really think that you're the cause of all the world's problems don't you, Noct," Jakob said, smiling to himself. "The sun still sets even without you around."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctis asked.
"It means that you'd only cause more harm than good," Jakob explained. "Just stop and imagine the pain your departure would cause your parents. And what about Alura? Don't you think that she'd search the entire world to find you. And then there's the most important person to think of."
"Who's that?" Noctis asked.
"Myself, of course," Jakob replied, with a smile. "After all, you're the first friend I've had who isn't a hardback edition."
"Haha. So what does that make me? Paperback?" Noctis joked a smile forming on his face.
"Perhaps, though you'd doubtless be a limited edition copy," Jakob replied, joining in the banter.
Cobra stood off to the side of the human delegation, his hand occasionally grasping the hilt of his sword. His eyes constantly darting from one to another. He knew that they were planning something, something dangerous. Humans couldn't be trusted, that was a fact. And Cobra wasn't going to let anything surprise him.
"Hello stranger," Came a familiar voice. Cobra whirled around to see Skales, standing behind him.
"You know, for a Captain of the Guard you're taken 'of-guard' quite a lot," Skales commented.
Cobra bowed in response.
"Your majesty, what do you need of me?" He asked.
"Stand up, Cobra. I'm here as your brother, not your king. I wanted to ask you a favor," Skales began. "I worried about Noctis. I've never been enough for him. And I'm beginning to think that Jakob and Alura aren't enough to help him. He seems to be getting worse."
"His condition is worsening?" Cobra asked, his concern rising.
"No, it's his spirit. I'm not sure how much longer he can endure this darkness," Skales replied. "I'm afraid that he won't be able to endure it any longer. And when that time comes maybe I won't be enough."
"All right then, what's this favor?" Cobra inquired.
"Please, if that ever happen be there for him. You were able to save him all those years ago. When the crown threatened to destroy him and Alura, you saved them both," Skales replied, putting his hand on his adopted brother's shoulder. "I know it cost your arm but..."
"I would sacrifice my entire being for his majesty, the prince," Cobra said, bowing his head.
From behind a corner, Cole listened to the conversation with rapt interest. 'Destroyed by the crown' what does that mean? Cole wondered. Unless, they meant it literally. I have to find that crown, and find out what's going on. He resolved.
A small yellow car speed along the rocky road that led to the city of Oroborus. As it approached, two guards, a constricti and a fangpyre exchanged curious glances.
"Eh, didn't all the guests arrive already?" The fangpyre asked.
"Thought so. That's what General Skalidor said," The other replied. As the car slowed to a stop at the boarder check point, the window rolled down and a human woman with long blonde hair and sun-glasses leaned out of the passenger seat.
"Please state your business in the city," The Constricti said.
She lowered her sunglasses and adopted a cocky smile.
"We're here for the prince."
