Chapter 02

"Wow, kid. Slow down. Don't want you to die choking, though", Noct ignored Qrow's snarky comments as he focused more on his food. His main priority right now is to finish this delicious meal served for him and he is on his second plate now. But still, how long has it been for him to eat this kind of meal? His last meal was at the camp with his Bros, before their last mission to save the kingdom and the world.

'must have been so long', Noctis thought sadly. Shoving his thought aside, he hungrily devoured his second plate. Meanwhile, Qrow silently observes Noctis while his mind replayed back of their conversation in the forest before.

'He said he was a traveler, far away from home. While it may be true of what he said, considering how he ended up in that forest, there's something off about him. He was hiding something',

Qrow was an experienced huntsman, that is for sure. He could be teaching at the Beacon Academy right now if it wasn't because of his semblance, but that was partly of the reason. The other reason is he was working under the Secret brotherhood led by Ozpin, whose purpose is to protect Remnant and is privy to knowledge kept secret from most of the world.

He was always out there, either drinking, doing some recon or gathering information. Doing these for years has earned him a habit of reading people, and he was pretty good at it, and he can tell the kid was lying.

Given the way he avoided eye contact, the way his body shifted uncomfortably at his question, clearly showed that he was lying. About what exactly? Qrow didn't know. This guy right here certainly piqued Qrow's curiosity. Not to mention his prowess, though.

For an experienced huntsman like Qrow, he can easily take down the horde. Probably.

But….

He was talking about a guy who's probably around Yang's age taking down a horde of Grimm single handedly.

If that wasn't enough to raise suspicion on this guy, Qrow doesn't know what else would.

Maybe asking a few questions could give Qrow a glimpse of what this guy is trying to hide.

After finishing his glass of orange juice, Noctis finally finished with his meal. He seems more at ease now, and Qrow saw this chance.

"Damn,kid. It must be hard for you if you was this hungry, how long you've been fighting that horde?",

"Don't know, maybe a whole day? It was night when I first fought them, since it showed up from nowhere. I kept fighting till the sun arose and it was night again, when I finished them all. Must say, it has been a while since I had such a challenge and it was fun", Noctis said, unsure if what he said is true.

True, he fought with the horde of Grimm on the night, but it was shorter than he last remembered. It was always dark back in the days at the Crown City, but when he first saw the sunrise, its warmth brought a smile to Noct's face.

How long has it been for Noct to see this magnificent view? Even for a heavy sleeper like Noct, he knew the view of sunrise was always captivating.

…...but the beasts were still within the area, and this brought a question into Noctis's head. Why didn't they dissapear when the sun rose?

No matter. At a time like this, he wished that his bros could be here. They never shared any similar traits, but there is one common thing they have, and that is…..

Their love of hunting.

Ten Beowulf pounded on him, not before they got impaled by his Armigers, which Noct summoned to shut them down. With a smirk, Noct continued his hunt.

Noct finished his story while Qrow just listened quietly, while his mind was on alert.

He fought for a whole day and he said it was a fun challenge. Who the hell is this guy?

"Wow, kid. You sure are strong enough to fend them off by yourself", Qrow complimented him, which Noct can't help but bothered by it, the kid part actually.

'what is up with this guy anyway? Can't he tell how old I am?'Last time he checked, he was imprisoned in Crystal for ten years, in that span of time, he had aged a lot. As if growing a beard wasn't enough to prove it, his face would be a lot more mature compared to a kid at least. So why does this guy keep calling him a kid. What is his problem anyway?

He tried to ask Qrow to stop calling him kid, not until Qrow interrupted him.

"Where do you learn to fight?"At his question, Noct is pondering whether to tell him or not, after a short while, Noct thinks there is no harm to tell him anyway, and since this man treats him for dinner, Noct decides to tell him since he owes him.

"Since I was a kid, my dad has trained me."That was actually true. Born in a royal family, means many expectations from others, and he had to fulfill it, even if he didn't want to. His dad and Cor Leonis trained him so he could become a great King once the promised day came for him to ascend to the throne. Ironically, the day he was crowned as a King would also mean his last as well. He sadly smirks at that.

There was a hint of sadness in his tone when he answered Qrow's question, and Qrow who's good at reading people, noticed that.

Qrow can tell that this kid was sad when he mentioned his dad, but this is not the time. This kid is, but a stranger to Qrow and he needs to know if he can trust the kid.

"What Happened?"Qrow asked, which Noct knew exactly what the question referred to. He was careless for being emotional, but he can't help it.

This was his father; a man who raised him alone, despite having a duty as a King to attend to. A man who was always there for him, even when he had a bad dream, back when he was a kid. A man who filled the emptiness in Noctis's heart, when his mother died. A man who taught and guided Noctis to be what he should be. His final words still linger on Noctis's mind.

"Walk Tall, my son",

Ironically, his father's last words, Noctis passed it on to his Bros before he took his place as a King and put an end to the darkness forever.

"There was a Grimm…." The words 'Grimm' felt alien for Noctis, nonetheless, he continued, "...appeared out of nowhere and attacked my home while I was away. By the time I returned, everything already turned to ashes. I took my revenge on the Grimm, and now here I am, far away from my home to find a place and job, to live", he finished. That wasn't exactly a lie, but that was enough for now. He rather not spoiled his past to the stranger he just met, even though that stranger was kind enough to treat him to dinner. Last time he trusted a stranger, it cost him the death of his fiance, the fall of his kingdom, and ten years in Crystal, imprisoned.

That was reasonable enough for him, to never trust a stranger. For now.

"I'm sorry to hear that", Qrow said, after which, they fell silent as they didn't know how to continue their conversation after that. Tragedy always occurred in this land, and mostly because of the Grimm. Qrow had seen it many times back in the days, and he can tell how devastated the kid is. At least, this kid had his revenge. Wait a minute. Did this kid say he wanted to find a job?

"Are you not a huntsmen? You sure had the strength and experience enough to easily clear the horde of Grimm back at the forest before". There was a look of surprise on Qrow's face, and Noctis wondered about why he reacted like that.

"No, I wasn't. That is why I am here, looking for a job as a hunter. Erm...Mr. Branwen Is there any application form I need to sign up or maybe a test to qualify as a hunter?" There was a brief silence between them with an exception of drunken shouting and blabbering about. That was understandable, after all, they were in the bar, so it was pretty common that Noct didn't mind the company at all.

'Better being here than with those beasts in the forest', Noctis thought while Qrow takes his time to drink from his flask.

Noctis knew exactly what the substance was Qrow drinking from his flask, but to think Qrow carried the flask around and drank from it when he felt like it, told Noctis something about him.

'He was a heavy drinker', Noctis thought. He didn't know if that was his habit or his way to keep his mind away from painful memories. That wasn't Noctis's place to pry into his past life. As for now, Qrow was a stranger to Noctis but he currently needed his help.

Like he said before, he needed a job as a hunter, and Qrow was a hunter. An experienced hunter as well. Maybe he can help Noctis to sign him up into the guild.

Back in the days, it was Dave, an experienced hunter who helped Noctis and his Bros to sign them up into the guild, as a gratitude towards them for helping him when they found him, injured at the shack on Cindy's request.

He's unsure whether this is the same guild or not and That is why he asked for Qrow's help and perhaps he could find Dave there. 'Maybe it is the same one', Noctis hoped.

"Just Qrow. I don't like to be called by my family name or mister, it makes me feel old", Noct just nodded, agreed to his request. Wait a minute. He didn't like to be called mister yet he can call him a kid. Again Noctis tried to tell Qrow to stop calling him as a kid, until Qrow interrupted him again.

"Simple, go to school for four years at a huntsmen academy and then graduate."

...Well there goes that plan, back to square one.

"Figures, thanks anyways Qrow." A simple job then, he decided. A waiter perhaps, that seems like a good place to start. Perhaps this bar offered a job that he can fill in. Noctis let out a heavy sigh which was heard by Qrow. This piqued his curiosity. Qrow raised his left eyebrow before he asking,

"Let me guess, broke as hell?"He said as he took another gulp from his flask before he continued, "well, you did say you want to find a job, since you can't fill in as a hunter, maybe any job that can fill lien into your pocket will work fine for you, am I right,kid?."

Is that what currency is called in this land? Lien. Strange.

"Yeah, any job will do fine for me. I spent my last lien on the last town and I desperately needed it and here I thought with my skill, I can get it as a hunter." another lie he easily told to cover his Identity. He had to, because like he said, Qrow was a stranger.

"Tough luck, kid so what are you gonna do now?"

"As for now, maybe I will look for a part time job and of course, I need to pay you back, Qrow. You just treat me for dinner."

"Don't mention it, kid. It is the least I can do for you. You already helped me by finishing my job back at the forest and now that you have mentioned it, actually there is a reward for it. How about you come with me and claim the reward?"

Really? There's a reward for it. That was awesome and here Noctis thought he was doing some pest control for free but, this is really good news. It's like back in the days again, where Ardyn offered his help despite being a stranger for them but, whenever they needed help the most, he was always there. This actually brought a question into Noctis's mind, which he can't help but ask,

"But why? You already did so much to me,Qrow and you barely know me so why help me, Qrow?"

There was a serious look on Qrow's face before he burst into laughter.

"Oh, come on,kid. You are no fun at all," he said with a wave of his hand before he showed his serious face again. "But really, I don't mean anything bad if that is what you think. Honestly, you are a capable fighter, kid and it would be a waste of time and your potential if you don't use it. It's rare to see an experienced hunter handle the situation like you did, despite you not being a hunter at all and that is an understatement."

"What exactly do you want to say, Qrow? Are you mean….." before Noctis respond back, Qrow interrupted him,

"Beacon Academy. A school that trains students to become hunters.

Qrow said it so casually that Noctis almost missed it. They train children...to fight animals? Is that true? Not even the Kingsglaive trained so early. The only exception being Noctis and that's because he was a prince! Just what kind of land is this? And why does this have something to do with what he said?

"That is the place I want you to come with me."

What the hell, is what Noctis tried to say out loud, instead he kept it inside his mind.

"You say you want to find a job right? With your skill, there's a chance they will hire you. Besides, the headmaster is an old friend of mine, so the chance is pretty high."

Oh dear Eos. This is good to be true. Here he was thinking, he was gonna work as a Waiter to fill some Gil or like Qrow said, lien to fill into his pocket and maybe find out what exactly happened here. These things had bothered him greatly ever since he arrived here.

First off, the shattered moon. How or what exactly happened to the moon, he wanted to know. Last time he remembered, the moon was whole and he always stared at it when he remembered his dead fiance, Luna.

Secondly, the creatures that Qrow called it as a Grimm. The creatures look so identical to the Daemons, yet Noct knew they were different. As a King of Light, Noct can sense a daemonic presence, no matter how close or far they are, he can sense it, but this Grimm creature, It was made by something else. Something not entirely far from the darkness, yet Noct can't tell what it is. Not to mention that they are still in the area even when sunrise. He will figure it out.

Third and most important of all, how on Earth did he still alive? This could be the most stupid thing to ask but not for him.

He remembered being brutally stabbed by his ancestors in order to complete the ritual, and he remembered the pain that came after it, which he almost couldn't endure, but when he saw his father's spirit was beside him all the time when he had to take all that pain, he knew he can't let him down.

He asked his father to take his glaive back and with it, he pleaded to his father to end his life and he promised he won't let him down. His father appeared before Noctis, not as his father but as a King before Noctis and before his father, clad in full armor and he readied his glaive, to end Noctis's life. With the ritual completed, Noctis travelled into the afterlife…..

…..And he kept his promise.

"Hey kid, if you keep daydreaming like this, I wonder if the Academy would still be interested to hire you. I can help you out but you still have to go through an interview first. If you keep this up, I don't know what the result would be", he chuckled.

The nerve of this guy.

This time, Noctis had enough. He needed to voice out of his discomfort of being called as a kid. Who Qrow thinks Noctis is, he would let him know that he may actually act like a kid sometimes but he can act as an adult if he needs to but this time is different, he is already an adult. This time, Noctis will tell him…..

…..until he was interrupted again, but this time not by Qrow. Rather by something he would rather not talk about when he almost can't hold it in.

"Nature called," he said and hurried to the toilet. Qrow just chuckled at Noctis when he saw Noctis leave hurriedly to go to the toilet. After finishing his drink from his flask, Qrow decided to go outside and reported back to Ozpin about what he could find out about this new piece.

And that's it. So how about it. I'm sorry if this is so short but what can I say, I barely had time to write and this is as much as I can write in my free time. I'm so sorry. Btw till next time.

And be safe, dear readers.