Warning: the first chapter is abnormally dark and depressing compared to the other chapters. This fic isn't grimdark or designed to be depressing. Rather, it's here to let you understand what depths this fic might reach in future chapters. The chapter after this is much lighter in tone (though not incredibly so). It will take a while until we get a chapter truly light in tone, but it will happen.
Thunder and lightning crashed outside stone walls. He coughed, feeling a strange ache settle itself in his chest, a heavy metal weight pressing down on his neck.
"Oh, it actually worked. And here I was thinking it was something the scriptures were lying about, that he was spouting bullshit... but then, here we are."
"What… what the…" His vision was clearing up from his pounding headache.
A Zoroark, shouldering a large bag, looked at him with amused interest. On the ground, there was a Nidorina. They were lying down, and a red liquid was spilling out from underneath them. It didn't take too long for him to understand what happened.
His mouth went dry. "What… what did you do to them?"
The Zoroark looked at the corpse. "What did I do? Nothing. What did you do? Slashed them three times - one they blocked, another one that tore through the armor, and one last that tore through everything else. Then, when they tried to call for help, you silenced them, permanently. Note the blood on your claws."
The blood on his claws? He looked down: he was a Shinx, with cat-like claws. And his claws had blood on them. The Nidorina's blood.
He felt sick to his stomach, his head thundering. "I… did this?"
The Zoroark narrowed his eyes. "So the collar's magic does work… but then again, the fact that you're here right now speaks volumes. Unfortunately, the description also said that it didn't work within the realms of impossibility, so after tonight I'll leave you be."
"Wait!" He called, sickness pooling in his stomach. "Why… how… what did you to me?!"
An alarm went off. There were no blaring red sirens or wailing klaxons, but a strange knowledge settled itself in his mind. Some protective systems had detected the guard's death and were letting everyone know through a form of telepathy.
"Ah, the alarm has gone off. She must finally be brain-dead, thanks to what you did for me." The Zoroark frowned. "Though, to make this all a bit more realistic… I've decided. You're a thief that came in here to steal this." He pulled out from his small bag a small instrument, something like a lyre. It glowed a beautiful yellow in the dark, making him shiver. There was a sense of power, of strength coming from it.
"This is the Life Harp, a powerful magical treasure. In the scuffle between you and the guard, it got broken." The Zoroark grabbed a couple of other pieces of wood from his bag, that looked like the wood of the harp, cut them down to the shape of the harp in seconds, and scattered them around the ground. He then spread some strings on the ground. "There, now it looks like you did it."
"Huh… I… what?" Those words thundered in his head, filling strange spaces. Electricity danced inside his body, making his muscles seize up. He found it difficult to say even a single word. "I… but…"
There was the stampede of feet, and the Zoroark smiled.
"You'll keep those things in mind, I'm sure - so remember, you're a thief, you killed that Nidorina guard, and you broke the Life Harp. And now… adieu!" With a shimmer of the air, the Zoroark disappeared into nothingness.
"Hold-hold on!" Energy returned to him, things he didn't know clicking in his body. "What do you mean, I killed the guard? I don't remember that!" All he remembered is seeing the Zoroark over the guard… while blood soaked his claws. He must have been the one to kill the guard, not the Zoroark - but then why was the Zoroark the one to flee?"
Then the stampede arrived, and he turned to see a battalion of soldiers. He froze.
The soldiers leveled weapons, for those not born with prodigious fighting ability, or readied their preferred attack of choice.
"Uh…" What was he supposed to do?
"Shinx!" One guard from the side stepped forward. "Explain yourself!"
"Explain… myself?"
"Three minutes ago, the alarm maintaining the guards' health issued a mortality siren in this sector!" That was all that guard could get out before another guard slapped their hand over the first one's mouth.
"What we'd like to know is, before we make any arrests, what the circumstances are behind Private Ren's death." The guard adopted a smile on his face. "If you had found the guard like this, we need to know as much as possible. The second guard waved his hand, and the guards lowered their weapons and dissipated their moves. The first guard looked furious but lowered his weapon.
That second guard was probably their leader, someone who they trusted. Even that brash first guard, the one that was trying to interrogate him, trusted him enough to lower his guard. They had several openings…
He shook his head. That was a rather strange thought. All he would have to do is explain to them that he didn't kill the Nidorina guard - or, at least, that he woke up next to the Zoroark, and didn't remember killing the Nidorina.
"I killed her." The words slipped out of his mouth so easily, but they were the exact wrong words to say. "That guard? I was the one who killed her." Why was he digging himself deeper into this hole?
The guards were dumbfounded. "... can you repeat what you just said?" The first guard asked. "I must have misheard that."
"I killed that Nidorina with these claws" He showed off his bloody claws while panicking internally. Why was he doing this? Why was his mouth running off like this? "She got in my way while I was trying to steal the Life Harp, so I killed her. The Life Harp didn't survive, though." His lips curled into a sneer of their own accord. "A shame: I wanted to auction it off."
The leader guard wanted to say something, only to be cut off by the angry guard. "How could you, monster!" The guard, a Gumshoos, shot forward with claws slashing. He made an attempt to dodge but was too weak, too slow. He felt the Gumshoos' claws scrape away bits of fur and skin - but before he could scramble to protect himself, two of the other guards grabbed the Gumshoos.
"Private Hardling, restrain yourself!" The leader shouted, before looking at the other two. "Arrest the Shinx!"
He then, finally, got the bright idea to run, but only made it two steps before another of the guards, a Ninjask, shot forward and slashed his hind legs. He tripped, feeling his head crack against the ground.
He slipped off into blissful unconsciousness.
"Are you okay?" A small female voice said, shaking him. He blearily opened his eyes, and saw a strange Pokemon, one that he didn't recognize, looking over him. She was hooded in a black and purple cloak and had incredibly large, white eyes. Just by maintaining eye contact, he felt like she was looking deep into him… it wasn't analyzing, there was nothing mental about it, but she was making judgments of him that he couldn't influence. She had a pair of pink, black, and purple butterfly-esque wings, making him wonder if those would allow her to fly.
"What… what happened to me?" He tried to bring himself to his feet, but almost immediately tripped over himself. There was a sharp pain in his hind legs, and when he turned he saw where the Ninjask guard had cut him. It was a precise, methodical cut - one designed to incapacitate, rather than harm. They didn't want to harm him seriously, even though he had confessed. "Who - what - are you?"
"They brought you here six or so hours ago. Things have calmed down a bit, but…" The female Pokemon paused, shaking her head. "Anyway, my name is Selene."
He pulled himself to a standing position. Then he looked around and saw dark black and purple walls, the same color as Selene. There was a small bookshelf, a tiny bed a few feet away that looked comfortable, and pictures upon pictures of anatomical and… choreography positions?
"Where am I?"
"We're in my room, inside the castle." she promptly answered, before she continued tending to his wounds. "Specifically, Regilia's castle."
Regilia…. Regilia… he vaguely recognized the name. It was a country famous for its pompous elite - one of the longest of the dynastic kingdoms, only outlived by Eonia, it had five or six different earls and lords serving under King Midos.
"So we're in the king's castle, 'Ascendance Palace'?" Different names of people and places came popping out in his mind. He couldn't recall where he learned them, just as he could recall anything else about his past, but they were solid facts in his mind.
Selene nodded. "Of course." She raised an eyebrow. "Why clarify?"
He wanted to respond by telling her his situation, but instead, his mouth asked, "Why are you here?".
She tilted her face. "I… I live here," she finally stated, bowing her head. "This is my… home. I've lived in this castle all my life. But why are you in here? They've said that you're a criminal of the highest degree, but… I don't get that feel from you."
All of Selene's answers just left him with more questions. "Well, I killed a guard and broke the Life Harp."
That… was not what he wanted to say. Why was he saying all these things - all these lies?! He may or may not have killed the guard (he was still in two minds about it, as he didn't know what happened before he woke up to the Zoroark standing over the corpse. The blood was on his claws, not the Zoroark's, but the Zoroark acted suspiciously), but the Life Harp was still in one piece and in the Zoroark's hands.
"The… you… I… what?" Selene sputtered as she spoke, looking at him with bugged-out eyes. "That… it made the most beautiful music. I… how could you?!" There were tiny tears forming in the corners of her eyes, and he felt a twinge of sadness.
"It was destroyed in the battle between me and the guard. He wouldn't let me leave with the Harp, so we fought, and I accidentally stepped on it as we did so."
She looked at him, hurt. "I… they said you were a criminal… but-but… how could you do such awful things?!" Her eyes blazed white, a tiny bit of light coalescing into a ball in the front of her mouth.
Almost unconsciously, his hackles rose, and electricity arced from his body as he prepared to protect himself.
Then he felt pain - a searing, endless pain stretching from the tips of his toes to the top of his tail. He convulsed, the wound the Ninjask twinging.
He felt the need to throw up, and his eyes shot open. He tried to say something, anything, but his throat wouldn't work. All he could do was flop about helplessly as the pain continued to consume him. He was helpless, defenseless.
But Selene didn't take advantage of the opportunity. Did she break the attack off - out of fear? Out of compassion? He didn't know, he couldn't care.
"That band… around your tail. It's what's making you hurt," she said slowly, analyzing the situation quickly.
With a monumental effort, he looked at his tail. There, secured to its base, was a small crystal ring. It had lit up - and though he was barely lucid, he could tell that his pain was being generated from the band. He slowly scrabbled for his tail - and then he discovered the most painful thing of all. He couldn't get it off - it was fused to his tail, and he couldn't tell where it ended and his tail began.
It might have been minutes, it might have been hours. He couldn't feel the passing of time, only the vaguest hint… of the attenuation of the torture.
Eventually, though he was weak, he got up.
Selene was staring at him with an impassive expression. Though he didn't know how he knew, he could tell that hours had passed since the initial onslaught of pain.
"Why?" she asked vaguely, tending to the small wounds he had inflicted on himself in his sleep. Though his voice was hoarse for a reason he couldn't quite place, he found a question to ask himself.
"... why are you helping me?" He slowly said.
Her eyes were downcast. "That's what I want to know. I always thought taking care of people was the right thing to do, but to someone as selfish, as uncaring of others lives as you… helping you isn't right."
A small silence stretched out between them.
"... I'm sorry."
Selene looked at him, unimpressed, her hands slowing down as she worked.
"... it means nothing… it isn't something I can fix… but if it's making you feel this hurt… this… torn… I'm sorry."
His words were slow and halting. He couldn't find what he needed to say, his tongue tied to the roof of his mouth - never mind the fact that he knew that what he said wasn't true, as he distinctly remembered the Zoroark taking the Life Harp with him.
Then he found the words, those simple words.
"Thank you," he said. Selene didn't say a word as he continued to speak. "It… the Life Harp meant a lot to you. You shouldn't be doing this… so thank you."
Selene continued dressing his wounds. Then, after a brief period of time, she spoke once more. "Who are you?"
"I'm… I'm a thief. I killed the guard. I broke the Life Harp."
She shook her head. "... no, what's your name?"
"My… name?" No information popped out at him - it was hidden to him, like the rest of his memories. "I… I don't know…"
"You don't know?"
"No… my memory is… hazy…" He spat out, trying to figure out exactly what his name was. He felt like he should have a name, but… there wasn't any.
Selene looked contemplative. "They might have harmed you when they looked inside your mind." Upon seeing his confusion, she elaborated. "When they arrested you, they gathered their testimony from your memories. That might have messed things up inside your head."
"What did they find out?" He pressed, feeling a little worried.
"I don't know, they haven't told me much," she said. "All they've said is that they're certain you're guilty and that your memories contain no lies in them. I was worried they'd made a mistake, but…"
"But I did the deed," he said.
She looked at him. "Yeah, you did," she eventually said. "They've brought you here for me to take care of you - though where you'll stay after tonight, I have no clue. There aren't any prisons in Regilia, so..."
"There aren't any dungeons inside this castle?"
"No," a third voice drawled, making both of them freeze. He slowly turned his head around and saw a matronly Sensu Oricorio standing haughtily. "Selene's wing is in the most isolated wing of the castle. That, along with the slavery band around your tail, will stop you from causing any more harm. Do anything at all to trip the castle's alarms and you will experience tenfold the pain from earlier."
He shivered.
"Miss - Miss Strect!" Selee shouted, paling a little. "I… morning dance practice doesn't start for two more hours! What are you…." She trailed off, seeing a hulking Nidoking standing beside her, wearing a bright red jacket with hundreds of medals on it.
"... you are Selene, correct?" The Nidoking stated, watching over her with a relaxed gaze.
He immediately saw Selene fall into a well-practiced curtsy. "Yes, sir," she stated demurely.
"Leave with Strect - I wish to talk to the Harp Breaker." The Harp Breaker? Was that what they were focused on?
Selene gave him one last concerned glance, then looked back at the Nidoking. "Of course," she stated, before walking out with Ms. Strect. The door slowly closed behind the two women, leaving him alone with the Nidoking.
The Nidoking walked up to him, his face emotionless. Shinx felt his hackles rise - but then, he felt a small prickle at the base of his tail, and froze, lowering his hackles. That band...
"Yes," the Nidoking stated, kneeling down to him. "Aggression, self-defense, you're incapable of all of it. The slavery band prevents you from hurting anyone else. Before you get any ideas, we can activate the band remotely for other reasons at all - such as you leaving the castle, or attempting to destroy property. It'll prevent you from disobeying his Majesty for the next week." The Nidoking looked at him intently. "But before I go on… I must ask you a question."
The seconds ticked by as the Nidoking let the seconds pass on by. He was unsure of what the Nidoking wanted to accomplish, but whenever he wanted to say something, the crystal band sent another warning shock of pain into his system, making him flinch.
Finally, Nidoking asked his question. "Do you understand the gravity of what you've accomplished?"
He wanted to open his mouth to say something, but the band was still active.
The Nidoking continued. "You've destroyed the Life Harp - the most sacred of all the treasures inside Regilia. It belonged to the great King Sotomon, the founder of this glorious kingdom. It bestowed upon him great power, and gave him the strength of a thousand men."
That seemed like… reality? It strangely made sense, for some reason.
"This is no mere legend, no fanciful tale. The Life Harp has… had... true divine powers. The royal lineage was born from its sounds, and all have been great, powerful men and women. It was more than the pride of Regilia… it was its soul. You have broken Regilia… permanently."
The Nidoking snapped his fingers, and the slavery band activated. Pain lanced through his body once more - his muscles stopped obeying him, and he opened his mouth to beg the Nidoking to let him go - but no words left his mouth. It wasn't the mind-numbing intensity it was earlier… the Nidoking wanted him to feel this.
"That's only a taste of the punishment you will face. You boke the Life Harp and murdered my daughter." The Nidoking's eyes gleamed with unending rage. "For a crime that severe, you are sentenced to Undeath."
Undeath…
A small Hydreigon was wreathed in chains. The necks were bound, unable to move an inch. The body was cocooned in leaden binds. A small tube led from holes in the ceiling to each of the heads. Every so often, it would pour in liquidized food into their mouths. They would drink - but only to sustain life.
Constantly alive, constantly thrumming was a glowing crystal, attached to each of their heads. He reached out with his psychic powers, to make sure…
… just as he had predicted. He was blocked out - but not by mental fortitude. He was blocked out by unending torture and pain. There were no thoughts, no place in his mind begging for mercy. He had been driven insane long, long ago.
Just as his master wished, the Hydreigon was Undead and would be so for centuries to come.
"I will not disclose what Undeath is, as it is a national secret - just know that what the slavery band can do will be extended to a… larger capacity." They wouldn't give him the respite of death and would extend his life for as long as they possibly could to bring as much pain to him as possible. "We don't have the facilities for it… but Illusuria does. In one week, after the Twin Moon Ball, your life will be over."
His mouth opened, and words whispered their way out. "No… I… you can't… please…"
"DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?!" The Nidoing yelled, the neutral facade breaking as well. "DO YOU THINK YOU DESTROY THE HEART AND SOUL OF THIS COUNTRY, AND KILL, AND THEN BEG?!"
The Nidoking grabbed his foreleg, and with an adamant grip, broke his shin. He couldn't feel the pain, the agony from the crystal overwhelming it by magnitudes.
"BEGGING WON'T TURN BACK TIME! BEGGING WON'T BRING BACK THE LIFE HARP! BEGGING WON'T BRING ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!"
The Nidoking took several deep breaths and fixed him with an empty glare. There was rage… but mourning as well.
"Begging won't give me back my daughter," he repeated. "And begging won't help you. The king will see you himself, soon enough." The Nidoking slammed the door behind him, leaving him bleeding and alone in Selene's room.
He lost track of time again, his vision and mind swimming. He only returned to lucidity some hours later, judging from the rising sun.
Selene was back and was applying a paste made from Oran Berries to his wound.
"What did the general do to you?" She whispered.
"Take a… look…" he breathed, feeling the pain slowly fading away. Oran Berries multiplied his internal healing properties and gave him energy, but he could still feel the broken bones clash against each other.
"I can see the damage… but how deep does it go?" She was a little concerned. "I… when I was in practice, I saw the general walk by. He was crying… what happened?"
"He crushed my leg with a claw. And the poison… he spat that on the wound to make it worse." There was a moment of silence. "That guard… she was his daughter."
"Oh…"
"... the Life Harp… I…" He desperately wanted to say that it wasn't broken, that the Zoroark had it, but his mouth still wouldn't obey him when it came to telling that truth. "... I shouldn't have tried to steal it," he finally said.
"Yes, you shouldn't have," she stated. "But… you don't deserve this. Neither this nor what punishments they're going to give you." There was that piercing gaze that told him that she knew instinctively what was going to happen to him. "For some reason, I can't understand, I want to show you sympathy."
She finished putting a cast around his broken leg. "It… well, if it's allowed to heal, it'll be alright."
But it wouldn't be allowed to heal - not after the next week. Not after the Twin Moon Ball.
"... name me," he eventually said.
"What?"
"Name me," he requested. "I've forgotten what my name is. I need a name before I get sent to Undeath. If... if you can."
Selene slowly nodded. "If… if that's what you want, then fine." She took a deep breath. "Your name is… is…"
She looked deeply into his eyes, and he nodded. "Whatever you say, Selene, I'll accept it." It was the least he could do.
"I… your name… is…" Then she blinked, a strange look of recognition in her eyes. "Culus. Your name is Culus."
Culus tested out his new name. "... alright, Culus it is." It felt right, for some strange reason. In fact, it was the name on the tip of his tongue before. It fit him perfectly. It felt more familiar than any other name he could imagine. He faced Selene again. "Selene, what am I allowed to do for the next week?"
"I'm not sure… you're not allowed to leave the castle, and everyone's been given free rein to hand out punishments at will if they come across you, but..." Selene looked confused. "What do you plan on doing?"
"I'm… not entirely sure. But, if my life is going to effectively end, I want to make the most of it. I'll trust you to decide what I should do."
Selene was silent. Then…
"I'm not going to help you," she said, after a short while. "I'll take care of your wounds and things like that, but I'm not going to entertain someone like you, Culus."
He was fine with that.
"But… well… if I happen to leave books lying around, I don't think there'd be much stopping you. And I can ask one of the guards to get me some books from the library if I say I'm curious about a subject," she hedged.
"Thank you."
"Thank me?" Selene raised an eyebrow. "I don't want your thanks. You've committed the worst of crimes, and I'm only showing you a sliver of pity."
Culus said nothing as Selene continued tending to his wounds and feeding him more of the Oran Berry paste. She started humming a small tune as she worked… though Culus noticed that it was rather half-hearted.
"... done." She started walking away and brought out a small book from her bookshelf to read. While she was reading to herself, Culus looked at the window of the room, high in the ceiling. That was probably the real reason he was here, instead of in the guards' barracks - there was no feasible way of him to escape, as the windows in the guards' barracks were low and to the ground to allow the guards to more easily exit in case there was an emergency.
…
That was another thing he just so randomly knew - and he had a feeling that if he were to ask Selene what the barracks looked like, she'd say what he was describing was true. He had amnesia… but he couldn't really understand what kind. He had no concrete memories before waking up to Private Ren's corpse and the Zoroark, but he knew a strangely large amount of information about the world.
He knew the exact layout of the castle, a couple of the secret-passages (though not all of them), and the best route to the well-guarded treasure chamber inside the castle (there were two decoy chambers to fool intruders) - though he didn't know the names of the people who guarded those chambers, only the names of the high ranking officials such as the Nidoking - which he now recognized as the renowned General Ceasian. He 'remembered' all of this as soon as Selene had told them they were inside Ascendance Palace.
What happened to him? What caused him to know such little knowledge about himself, but so much about things he had nothing to do with… unless the Zoroark did something to him.
Culus tugged at the collar that he had woken up with.
I am a thief. I killed the guard. I broke the Life Harp.
Those facts pounded themselves into Culus's brain. He ground his teeth and hissed, causing Selene to look concerned. Luckily, it wasn't enough to agitate the slavery band around his tail.
The collar had been there even before they had captured him, sitting snug around his neck ever since the first thunderclap had woken him. He tried taking it off - it grew tighter and would have choked him had he not let it go and let it relax.
It had special properties. He didn't know what exactly they were but…
He attempted to whisper, 'I didn't break the Life Harp'.
"I broke the Life Harp," he whispered instead, causing his eyes to narrow. Luckily, Selene didn't notice that time or he would have to deal with more issues like that.
It was contradictory… he knew that the Life Harp was still whole, as it was in the hands of that Zoroark. Those wooden pieces he had scattered around were fakes to sell the charade. He had… hadn't broken the Life Harp.
But the collar was making him say otherwise… no, it was affecting his mind as well. The only reason he was like this was because of that collar, and those Zoroark's… orders…
… he was a cat's paw. It made him feel so stupid to only realize it now, but the Zoroark had taken the Life Harp and ordered him to take the blame for it - and the stupid collar was making him do it eagerly! It chained him in body and mind, even going as far as to make false memories, and…
… and…
… Culus knew what he had to do. He wasn't going to face Undeath, not if he had anything to say about it. He was going to escape the castle, track down that Zoroark, and make him clear his name!
"... so, Helios, make sure you behave yourself this time! The Eonia royalty is coming to the ball, and I'm sure King Leafia remembers last year's debacle!"
"Yes, Aunt Hessie," Helios dutifully said, absentmindedly playing with the flame on the end of his tail.
"And you should stop playing with your tail! What if one of the tablecloths catch on fire!" Aunt Hessie continued nagging at him, making sure he understood that he was to be proper during the events of the Twin Moon Ball. All Helios had to do was outlast her tirade, and he could finally get back to pretend-sparring with Slate.
Eventually, she sighed, and Helios grinned, knowing he had won. "Slate, make absolutely certain that Helios keeps his manners during the ball."
"Of course, your Majesty," Slate dutifully replied, bowing. Helios rolled his eyes as she nodded approvingly.
"Helios, I expect you to have better manners when we arrive," she said with a note of finality, before leaving to sit at the front with Uncle Theus.
The minute she left, Helios turned to Slate. "So, back to sparring?"
Slate shrugged. "Sure."
Helios eagerly jumped off the wagon he was sitting on, right after making sure that no one that would interfere was watching. The guards that he was assigned with for this trip rolled their eyes, already expecting this, and continued walking.
Helios fell into a battle stance. "Ready, Slate?"
Slate hopped from leg to leg. "Ready!"
"Then let's go!"
Helios rushed forward - he was a Charmander, so it would be difficult for him to play defensively. He worked on hit-and-run tactics, so just waiting around for Slate to give him an opening to work with was plain old dumb.
And Slate, a Gible, could easily overpower any defensive or evasive strategies he had with a Sandstorm and a Dragon Rage. The Dragon Rage would hurt him badly no matter what kind of defenses he had, and the Sandstorm wouldn't allow him to drag out the battle for very long. Granted, Slate probably wasn't going to use a Sandstorm in the middle of the road where Aunt Hessie could find out, but still…
Helios shot forward and swiped repeatedly at Slate, who just held up an arm and took it - but before Slate could get a counterattack in, Helios jumped out of range and started running around, looking for a proper opening to take advantage of.
Slate stomped and kicked at the ground, and a small cloud of dust formed. Waving his arms, Slate shot the Sand Attack at Helios. Helios frowned, then exhaled a large plume of smoke straight at Slate. Slate didn't dodge, since he was too slow, and the Smokescreen hit its mark.
Things would go more poorly now for the both of them. With their vision obstructed, they would have to rely on their other senses. Helios was forced to close his eyes, cursing the lack of senses that the Charmander line had. The best sense the species had going for them was their smell, but Slate's smell was being masked by the Smokescreen that had spread around the little enclosure.
Slate had those horns that could detect movement and heat. If Helios stayed still, Slate would be able to sense his body heat and attack him easily. If he tried to dodge or move, Helios would detect the movement and wouldn't miss the second time around.
Helios could use Dragon Breath, and that could take Slate out - but he didn't know where Slate was, so he didn't know where he should fire it. Straining his senses, Helios desperately tried to figure out where Slate was hiding. Unfortunately, there was no point. Slate was too good at stealth attacks for that and could glide across the ground easily.
Sure enough, Helios felt a tapping on his shoulder and twisted around to catch a Dragon Rage straight in the face. Helios staggered to his feet and breathed a Dragon Breath. It didn't connect, and he got hit by a Tackle. He fell to the ground, feeling a tiny ache from the fall. Still, he got up.
"Helios, I think we should stop," Slate said - and Helios aimed another Dragon Breath at where he spoke. Slate wasn't hit by this one either, and Helios prepared another Dragon Breath. This was the time he would win!
Then Slate hit him with another Tackle, sending him to the ground once more. Helios was bringing himself to his feet - he would win this time - before Slate walked up to him and shoved an Oran Berry in his mouth.
"Helios, if you get any more hurt, then Queen Hesione will worry." Slate gently reminded him.
Helios spit out the Oran Berry. "Who cares what Aunt Hessie thinks? I'm the crown prince of Dragnis, I should be able to fight for longer than this! Slate, I'll finish this, but then we'll have to continue to spar-"
"I think not," a strong voice said. Helios froze, as Slate looked a little relieved - the traitor.
Helios turned around with a smile on his face. "Uh… hi, Uncle Theus!"
Immediately, the guards that were staring off into the distance snapped back to attention as they realized who had just spoken. "Hail to King Prometheus!"
"Hail!" The other guards, including Slate, echoed. Uncle Theus sighed.
"Thank you," he said listlessly, before turning to Helios. "Helios, what are you doing?"
"Battling Slate, of course," Helios said shamelessly. "You said I should practice my battling skills for anyone that gets past the guards or Slate, so I'm sparring with him."
"In the middle of the road on our trip to Regilia? Where any assassins with an appropriate amount of stealth could assassinate you when no one is looking, like when you're in a cloud of dust and smoke?"
Helios winced. That Smokescreen… hadn't been the best decision he had made.
"You will spar - but not on this trip. You will wait until we return to Dragnis, where we can be more sure of your safety. You can wait two or three weeks until we return to continue this little spat - until then, you aren't allowed to fight."
Helios groaned. "But Uncle-"
"That's an order!" He snapped.
Helios unsheathed his claws, a fire building up in his throat. But before he could unleash anything he might regret, Slate lightly put his hand on Helios's shoulder. Helios looked over his shoulder to see Slate begging him to calm down.
Eventually, Helios resheathed his claws and haughtily looked away from Uncle. Uncle Theus sighed, before turning to Slate. "Slate, you aren't to battle him until we return to Dragnis."
"Yes, sir," Slate saluted.
Uncle nodded approvingly. "Take care of him," he said, before turning to the other guards. "I'll let the general decide the appropriate punishment for letting this battle continue. Until then, continue guarding, and make sure they don't resume the battle." The guards nodded, saluting as well. Helios just groaned louder.
Uncle then left, leaving Helios alone with Slate and the rest of the guards.
"I don't suppose that you'd be willing to resume the battle now that he's left?" He tried half-heartedly. Slate shook his head. "Drats. You know, I'd think that as the crown prince, I'd have the choice to do what I want where I want, but no, whenever the regent says anything against me, you guys listen to him instead."
"It's only for a decade or two before you're old enough to be crowned king," Slate said as an attempt at consolation.
"Yeah, but that's going to take forever! Why do I have to wait so long to become King of my own kingdom!" Helios kicked the ground. "It's so unfair! I hear in Eonia the princess will go through coronation at fifteen, not twenty-whatever!"
"Actually-"
"Don't ruin this for me, Slate!" Slate said nothing. Eventually, Helios sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm just so tired of having Uncle Theus make all of these decisions for me."
Slate looked pensive. Then, he walked up close to Helios' ear. "You know, Helios," he began. "While we might not be able to sneak a spar in the road, if we can find a suitably isolated place in Regilia Castle, we could… well…"
Helios brightened up. "I knew you were better than to just obey him blindly, Slate!" Slate smiled awkwardly. "As soon as we get to Regilia, let's find a good place to battle!" Helios had the sense of mind to keep his voice down, so none of the other guards would hear - after all, Slate was the only guard that was more loyal to him than Uncle Theus.
Slate nodded. "But until then, let's have some fun doing something else," he suggested. "Let's… I don't know, read a…" Slate saw Helios' completely uninterested face. "On second thought, let's just talk."
"I can work with that."
I repeat, within the next few chapters the tone will lighten up. This chapter needed to be dark to set the stakes. This isn't grimdark, though there will still be many mature elements in future chapters.
Hope you enjoyed it! If you liked it, feel free to fav, follow, and review!