I do not own Dragon Quest 11 or any of the characters.


Family

"So, let me get this straight," Kai said. "We're going to spend the night here because everyone's been having the same dream and we want to check it out?"

"Exactly," David nodded.

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "How do you know the dream isn't a brainwashing thing? Or Mordegon searching for you?"

"We don't," David admitted.

"Right," Kai sighed. "I'm staying awake."

The others all nodded, and they all headed to the inn's restaurant and bar to pass the time. Jade joined Kai at the bar, and he glanced at her as the bartender handed them their first drinks and walked away.

"I don't know if I..." Jade trailed off, staring into her mug.

Kai nodded silently. Every night since Octagonia, she'd been plagued with terrible nightmares. They hadn't discussed them, because she always pretended that it didn't happen and that she'd had a restful sleep, but the shadows under her eyes were beginning to show, and the dreams had been getting worse. And Kai knew as well as Jade that the others, especially Rab and David, may not be quite as respectful of her desire to ignore them as Kai was.

"Let's get a separate room," Kai suggested.

Jade glanced at him, then nodded, smiling appreciatively. They all stayed at the bar for a while before finally heading to bed. It had taken them a while to reach the inn on account of David resting until late, and then being swarmed by monsters along the way.

Kai explained to the others that he and Jade were getting a separate room because she had nightmares she didn't want to talk about, and they all accepted the reasoning, heading to bed. True to his word, Kai stayed awake, holding Jade while she slept. However, as with every night, Jade began to sob in her sleep after a few hours, and Kai shook her gently to wake her. This time, however, she woke up screaming, and Kai instantly pulled her into a hug. Jade resisted, slapping him for a moment before realizing who he was and sobbing into his chest.

He didn't need to ask if she'd had the mysterious, shared dream. He knew she hadn't. So, he merely sat there in silence, running his hand through her hair and up and down her back as she cried. Eventually, she began to calm, and Kai took a long, slow, silent breath before asking.

"What did he do to you?"

Jade nodded in silence, taking a few moments to finish calming herself before speaking in a shaky voice. "When I tried to fight him, he used hostages to force me to put on a blue bunny suit, then trapped me in a dimension called Limboo, where all of the other MMA fighters were being forced into battles against monsters. I fought and defeated everything they threw at me until Booga's girlfriend, Boodica, fought me. She was basically a larger, grey Jockules, and at first, she beat me, until the other MMA fighters stepped in to help. We won, and escaped from Limboo, but as soon as we did, the bunny suit's curse took effect and transformed me into the version you found."

She hesitated, her eyes watering again. "But then...when I was under his control..." She took a steadying breath. "He was very childish in his affections...at first. He only wanted to hold hands. But then it was hugs. And then cuddling. But...eventually..." She began to sob and Kai held her tightly against himself. "And...And because of...of his curse...I...I wanted him to...from the start."

Kai said nothing for a bit, simply holding her. "That wasn't you. That was the curse."

"But it felt like it was me," Jade said. "While I was under his control, everything felt like me, and everything I wanted was what I wanted, not what the curse wanted."

Kai nodded. "I'm sorry. I wish there was some way I could change it. I wish I could erase what happened."

Jade shook her head. "I'm going to be okay. I'm going to live with this for the rest of my life, but I'm going to be okay."

Kai didn't believe her. She was lying for the benefit of his worry for her, but he nodded for the benefit of her worry for him. He continued to hold her for a while longer before she drifted off to sleep. She didn't dream this time, and when she woke, she seemed to have rested a bit. However, as they met the others outside of their rooms, they were informed that everyone else had had the dream. A dream about a faceless man wearing Drasilian armor lamenting his powerlessness followed by a feminine voice begging for him to be saved from his despair.

"So, obviously we need to go to Dundrasil," Kai said, frowning.

The others all nodded, and they all left the inn, heading west toward Dundrasil. They met a few monsters, but managed to kill them all easily enough. However, at Dundrasil's entrance, where the secret path through the well was located, they stopped, staring at a pair of green dragons with three long, thick tails, clearly-defined muscles, and walking upright on their legs like humanoids, each of them holding a purple orb with a black, slit pupil visible inside from all sides. Kai narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword.

"What are those?" David asked.

"Liege Lizards," Kai said. "I'll take care of them."

"I'll get one," Jade volunteered, drawing her glaive.

Both shot forward, and Kai leapt at the nearer of the two. It turned, belching a massive ball of fire at Kai, only for Kai to roar, his own flames transforming the Liege Lizard's attack into an explosion that wrapped around the massive, lesser dragon's head. Then, Kai's blade tore down the dragon's front, the Liege Lizard roaring in pain as it collapsed in a fountain of blood. Kai glanced at the other just as Jade leapt into the air over a fireball, pulling back her glaive as electricity screamed along it. Then, she drove the spear into it, and the dragon shrieked and convulsed, crashing to the ground before beginning to smoke. Kai's breath caught for a moment before he let out a slow breath, smiling just slightly. She really was Xia.

"That power..." Rab breathed, stepping up next to Kai. "I've only ever seen..." He turned to Kai, keeping his voice low. "Yer fiancée. Xia."

Kai nodded slowly, only to look up as three more Liege Lizards flew over the walls of Dundrasil. Kai narrowed his eyes, extending his wings. However, before he could take flight, the lizards dropped, crashing to the ground atop the last pair's corpses and at the center of the others' group. Everyone scattered, avoiding the surprisingly effective attack, and Kai charged, ripping his dagger from its sheath before ducking, streaking under a fireball. The Liege Lizard spun, swiping its three tails at him and he leapt over them, slashing the lizard across the side with his sword. It roared in pain, staggering away, and Kai leapt at it. It swiped a backhand at him with its right arm, but he slashed it off before driving his dagger into its head. As it crashed to the ground, Kai ripped his dagger free and slashed off its head. At the same time, Jade and Rab finished Jade's together with a combination of her spear and his claws, and Hendrik shouted in effort, slashing off all three of the last dragon's tails. As soon as he had, Sylvando leapt over him, slashing the Dragon up across the chest in an "X" before David drove his own sword down into its head, finishing it.

"Finished," David sighed, ripping his sword free.

"Then let's go," Kai said. "Being here is bad for my mental health."

The others nodded, and they took the secret passage in the well, only to stop, staring at the ruins before them. If before it was a ruin, now, with Mordegon in power, it was a hellscape. Fires dotted the ruin, and it had been destroyed even more than before, nearly to the point of being unrecognizable. However, despite that, Rab managed to find the entrance to a secret passage leading into the castle itself, which Kai cleared by melting then cooling the debris blocking it.

"It was meant to allow the royal family to flee should Dundrasil ever come under attack," Rab explained. "Right. Let's get in there and see if we can find some clues to the identity of our restless knight, shall we?"

"He's probably in here himself," Kai said, leading them all inside, just as the Khalamari Kid on his shoulder cooed fearfully. Kai reached up, resting a hand on his back reassuringly. "It's alright. You're safe."

"Have you chosen a name, yet?" Jade asked, glancing at the Khalamari Kid.

"Squiggles," Kai said. "He loves to draw, so it seemed fitting."

Squiggles cooed happily, hugging his head, and Jade giggled. Kai smiled, lightly scratching Squiggles' head, and they all followed the passage into Dundrasil's sewer before following a path to a chamber off to the side. It was dark, but as they stepped into the chamber, they stopped, staring at a figure ahead of them.

"Such pain...Such...despair," the figure's distorted voice echoed around the room.

Ghostly blue flames flickered into existence in the air around them, then in a trail, leading to the crouched figure, around which five blue fireballs formed. The figure wore Drasilian armor, but as he stood, his face was pitch black, little more than a silhouette.

"How dare you! How dare you return here! Begone, servants of evil!"

The figure's mouth didn't move at all as it spoke.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Leave it to the ghost of a Dundrasil Knight to call the Dragovian a servant of evil."

"I don't think it was directed at you specifically, Darling," Sylvando said.

"You took everything!" the ghost's distorted voice snarled. "You destroyed everything! You monsters! I will never forgive you!" The ghost stood, drawing a rapier with a long, thin blade, a guard with a gold falcon on the blunt sides of the sword and a gold knuckle bow, and a purple-wrapped grip. On his free arm, he raised a Magic Shield, an oval-shaped, red shield with gilded designs on its face and a blue sphere near its top.

"I'm keen to have a wee chat with our friend here, but something tells me he's got other things in mind," Rab said, preparing himself to fight.

"Could it be the sword he's holding?" Kai asked sarcastically, lowering Squiggles to the ground before drawing his sword and dagger. "Jade, use these. Those swords were given only to Dundrasil's most skilled. You're not going to be able to keep up with your spear."

Jade accepted his claws, pulling them on as Rab pulled his own on, David drew his sword, Hendrik readied his sword, and Sylvando drew both of his rapiers. Then, the knight roared, launching himself forward, slashing at Kai, who deflected the blade off of his own, only for the knight's arm to whip around and slash from the other side, his near-weightless blade offering no resistance to his efforts to strike quickly. The blade deflected off of Kai's dagger, missing Kai by millimeters, and Kai slashed with his sword, only for the knight to use his shield to deflect the blade. The knight slammed a kick into Kai, hurling him backward.

Kai flipped, landing on his feet just as David slashed at the knight. However, the knight deflected the blade with his own, then slashed back the other way. His sword tore through David's side before the knight spun, beginning to use both sword and shield to fend off Sylvando and Jade. Rab healed David before rushing to join the fray as Sylvando was blasted by darkness that exploded off of the knight as it let out an enraged roar. Rab and Jade struck over and over, but no matter how hard they pressed, the knight deflected every strike, keeping them from putting it on the defensive, countering rapidly. After another moment, Kai reached the knight from behind, slashing down at it, but the knight spun, his sword blocking Kai's as his shield blocked both Jade and Rab's claws. Then, all three struck with their off hand, only for the Knight to drop, plunging his suddenly shining, flaming blade into the ground.

A massive dome of flames erupted out of the blade, stopping their strike and hurling them all away. Kai crashed to the ground, growling in frustration, and stood, picking up his sword and dagger as Jade also stood, Rab beginning to heal them all, as the blast had caught the others as well. Kai charged, Jade charging from the opposite side, and the knight looked between them both before turning to charge at Jade. Kai roared, bathing the knight in flames, only for it to use its shield, which caused the flames to vanish before they'd even passed the shield. However, as he did, Jade exhaled flames onto him as well, hitting him directly. Her flames were weaker than his, but the knight still roared in pain as they slammed into him. Then, Kai and Jade reached him and struck rapidly, their weapons flashing out over and over in blurred streaks. As they struggled against the knight, they flowed around each other, moving with a practiced, fluid grace that should have earned them victory in minutes. However, the knight moved with a fluid grace of his own, one which exceeded their own.

As they flowed around each other and struck in a ceaseless string of blows, the knight twirled and danced amid the chaotic battle, blocking, dodging, parrying, and countering near-flawlessly. His blade bit into their bodies over and over, though only in relatively small injuries, and their own weapons failed to reach him at all. Rab healed them repeatedly, and they continued to struggle. For several more minutes, they struggled. Then, finally, Kai dropped his weapons, allowing the knight to stab him in order to catch his arm. At the same time, Jade caught the edges of the knight's shield, stepping out of the way just as David reached the knight, slashing.

The knight bellowed in rafe and effort, a massive blast of darkness erupting off of it, only for all three to resist, David's blade tearing down the knight's front. The knight staggered away, losing his shield but taking his sword. Rab instantly began to try to heal Kai, only for the knight to roar, a sphere of darkness speeding from his chest to Rab's, Rab shouting in pain, his body contorting, and Kai swore, beginning to heal himself, only to stop as the knight spun, darkness gathering along his blade. Kai swore, diving forward, and tackled David and Jade to the ground as a blade of darkness flashed out over them. It tore across Hendrik, Sylvando, and Rab's chests, hurling them all. Kai and the others shoved themselves to their feet, charging, only for the knight to spin again, repeating the same strike. Jade was the closest, and wasn't able to dodge, the blade tearing across her stomach, but David ducked under it and Kai leapt over it. Kai reached the knight first, slashing downward at him, and the knight blocked it, only for David to stab him through the chest. Then, as the knight staggered backward, Kai slashed him down the front with his dagger. Both leapt backward, leaving the knight to fall to one knee.

"Such...pain," the knight panted. "You took my beloved Eleanor...You took my boy...I will never forgive you!"

"Eleanor?" Sylvando asked. "But that's the old queen's name. Which would make you..."

"Irwin," Kai said. "I knew I had seen that skill somewhere before."

"The last king of Dundrasil," Rab said. "Just as I thought. A great man. And a fine warrior, too, as ye've just witnessed." He looked to David. "And most importantly of all, your father. I'm sorry the two of ye had to meet like this." He turned back to Irwin. "What happened to ye, Irwin? Come on, laddie. Look at me."

Irwin raised his head, but just as he did, he slid the faceplate that would defend his upper face higher. His face vanished, leaving a swirling void of darkness in its place.

"What in the-" Rab began.

"At last you've come," a feminine voice spoke from all around them. "Long have I waited for a kindly soul to free my restless knight from this misery."

"The voice from the dream," Hendrik noted.

"You are correct, of course," the voice continued. "Before you kneels Irwin, King of Dundrasil. All those long years ago, on that darkest of days, he fought to the last. The light of justice sustained him, and he refused to yield to the Darkness. But with time, that light has waned, and all that remains is the tortured soul you see before you, lost between Light and Dark. Life and Death. I beg of you. Help him. Free him from his nightmare. Shine the light of hope into the darkness of his despair."

"The voice," Sylvando said. "It's gone again. Who is she?"

"That'll have to wait," Rab said. "Irwin here needs our help. But what are we supposed to do to help him?"

"Well, killing him's clearly out," Kai mused. "Otherwise he'd be dead by now after David stabbed him and I slashed him. I wonder what cursed him."

"Well, if we're supposed to help him rest in peace, it should be David who saves him," Sylvando suggested. "It's only right."

David nodded, stepping forward and kneeling, calling out to Irwin. However, after a few moments, he fell silent, staring into the void that had replaced Irwin's face.

"Um...David?" Jade called out to him. "Are you alright?"

"Hey!" Kai called a little louder. "Oh, come on. Now what?"

He stepped forward, shaking David by the shoulder. But even as he did, David didn't stir, staring emptily into the void. Kai shook him harder, waved before him, shouted in his ears, covered his eyes, lay him on his back, but nothing reached David.

"What is going on!?" Sylvando worried.

"Something's got him under its spell," Kai said. "We can't help him. We'll have to trust David to be able to resist."

"Are you serious?" Rab asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Kai nodded.

Just then, light began to shine blindingly from David, a matching light shining from the void in Irwin's head. Finally, David stirred, sitting up, and shaking his head before pushing himself to his feet.

"Laddie!" Rab gasped. "Ye're back with us! Are ye alright?"

Just then, there was a bright flash of light, and a monster emerged from the void in Irwin's head. It was a manticore with dark purple fur, a silver mane, and bright yellow teeth and webbing in its wings.

"So, this is the thing tormenting Irwin," Kai said, drawing his sword.

"This light!" the monster growled. "Disgusting! It blinds me! It fills my mouth! It tastes of...hope!"

"We must defeat this beast and lift His Majesty's curse!" Hendrik declared.

"You dare disturb me while I prepare to sample the next delicious morsel of misery?" the creature snarled. "No matter! Your screams of agony will surely whet my appetite!"

It lunged instantly, moving to tackle Kai, only for Kai's foot to snap up, slamming into the side of its head, hurling it away. It roared in pain, contorting in the air to land on its six feet, then sighed, spewing a jet of Darkness magic at them. Kai and Jade both met it with a jet of flames, burning it away instantly and bathing the creature. It roared and shrieked, recoiling from their attack, and both ended the flames just before Hendrik reached it, slashing it across the side. It roared, swiping at him, but he blocked it, skidding backward but smirking. A moment later, Rab crashed down on its back, slashing at it ferociously before the creature reared, hurling him off, only for him to land on his feet. Sylvando flashed past instantly, his twin rapiers slashing through the creature's underbelly before its feet crashed to the ground, fracturing it but missing him. It lunged after him, only for David to reach it and split the side of its head open deeply, knocking it off course. Then, Jade leapt into the air, lightning screaming along her glaive before she drove it down into the creature's back. It shrieked and writhed beneath her, but just as the lightning ended, Kai and Hendrik lunged, driving their blades hilt-deep into the creature's face before Kai ducked and they stepped past each other, slashing out of its head to the sides. The monster let out a defining roar of pain, then crashed to the ground, dissolving into darkness. As it did, Irwin rose to his feet, shining blindingly for a moment. Kai turned to Irwin just as the light faded, leaving him fully restored, his silver armor gleaming, and his shadowy body restored to its natural state.

"W-Where am I?" Irwin groaned.

"In the secret passage beneath Dundrasil," Kai said. "You've been under the control of a monster for years.

"I have?" Irwin asked, then stopped as he spotted David. "Wait...those eyes. I'd know them anywhere." he hurried forward, stopping just before David. "Son...is it really you?"

"Yeah," David smiled. "It's me."

Irwin reached out hesitantly, grasping him by the shoulders. "It was you who saved me, wasn't it?"

David nodded, smiling.

"Irwin, you're back," the feminine voice said from all around them just as a light began to shine from above them. "You're back to your old self at last."

"Eleanor?" Irwin gasped.

"Our son has freed you," Eleanor said. "Despair no longer holds you captive. You're free to join me after all these years."

"I am...my love," Irwin nodded. "I am."

Then, he gave David one last smile before transforming into a ball of light. He circled David once before ascending into the light.

"My dear son," Eleanor addressed David. "My darling boy. Many hardships await you. Many trials lie ahead. But you must not stray from your path. You must not falter. Let the light of hope...the light inside you...be your guide. And remember...we will always watch over you. Farewell my darling. I love you...so much."

Finally, the light faded, and David's head fell as Rab stepped forward.

"Goodbye, my little one," Rab said. "Goodbye Irwin. I hope both of you find peace at last."

"Honey!" Sylvando gasped, pointing at David's left hand. "Your hand!"

David looked down, then raised his hand, the mark on the back of it glowing once again with the Luminary's power.

"The mark!" Rab gasped. "It's glowing again! Your powers! They're back!"

"The Luminary is restored to us," Hendrik said. "And all thanks to his honored parents."

"Good," Kai said. "Now let's get the fuck out of here. I'm getting claustrophobic."

The others all nodded, and they all turned, leaving the passage quickly, then left Dundrasil before heading to the cabin where Kai, Jade, and David had rested the last time they'd been at Dundrasil.


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