𝔳𝔞𝔪𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡 & immortalmarshal ℭ𝔬𝔯

[keymemory]

Centuries have passed since the boy was disturbed from his coffin, and he would have likely gone for a few more centuries had the area not been under attack by the Empire. It was something of an odd circumstance in which the town, insignificant in and of itself, was more than less in the crossfires of the Kings Glaive’s finest. The ground had split open and it was a bout two months afterward the townsfolk discovered the underground temple. It was fortified by steel walls, thick doors, and long dark hallways. Electricity once worked down there as there were switches, lights, and other things like old boxed computers, it was nothing like what technology looked like today.

They discovered more and more of the rooms and pathways, completely undisturbed by daemons and eventually they came across a strange room with empty shells that looked like giant eggs on a conveyer belt. In a room stood a lone egg, not a speck of dust would be found in the pristine white-room, and once the villagers got their lights set up in the room they could make out a ghostly figure of a young boy who simply appeared to be asleep. As if a spell was put over him.

Some began to speculate this was the crystal’s doing and perhaps these egg shaped pods were designed from the crystal’s power. That they were organized here, obviously, through great effort from the ancient civilization that dwelled here so many years ago.

Yet, one brave townsperson brushed their hand against the pod and the white egg began to pull apart like a flower blooming in the light of the sun. Hushed voices and curious whispers sounded through the room at the sight and then gasps as the boy began to move forward with a breath.

From there, the rest was history. As in, nothing was ever going to be the same again. A week or so after the boy woke things began to change in the small remote town. The people began to obsess and fuss over the boy and began to call him the sleeping prince. The town’s physicians and healers fret over the condition of the boy and tried their best to bring color back to the boy’s cheeks but nothing seemed to help. What certainly didn’t help, however, was the sun’s light and they soon adjusted their routine, around the boy, to be done so at night.

It was three weeks since the boy’s awakening did it finally happen. Sora took his first draw of blood on the wrist that reached over his face to dab a cool clothe to his forehead. It surprised them both but with just the taste of the blood in his mouth he regained color, energy, and his voice. Which is why they had come to know him as Sora. After that he regularly began to feed on the villagers and regain health at a much more rapid speed than he had with the food and drink they had tried to give him prior. It was clear to them all what Sora was and what he needed. There wasn’t one villager who had the resistance to deny Sora his drink. Perhaps that was part of the allure and soon enough the village turned solemn and grey, but happy as the villagers flocked to Sora to provide him his meal.

This, however, began to leak of suspicion as travelers came with trade and noted the pale state of the town as they wandered through expecting business as normal. Yet, they were turned away with their goods and left with more questions than they cared for.

Comments

[keymemory]

“Yeah, I bet you’re right! … Hey, I um.. I have a question!” He said, his tone was excited but his voice was hushed. Though his body wiggled a bit on the seat before he spilled his inquiry out between them. “I heard you are best friends with the King, is that true? Are you really so close to the King! Um.. R…R…” Now what was the king’s name? “Re..guss?”

He’s been playing with some of the kids when that bit of information was blurted out. He talked to them as much as he could but the kids didn’t know much more other than this guy was a friend of the king. Sora thought that was pretty neat! Now this guy was going to be a friend of the mayor and all the towns people! Boy, Sora was pretty lucky to have such great friends and opportunities to meet more. He wondered when he could start looking for what became of his friends.

They haven’t allowed him to go back from where he came from, though he was awake when he came out of the pod he was pretty darn weak and couldn’t remember the journey here.

[immortalmarshal]

A true, warm smile graces across Cor's face at the mention of his king. "Yes...Regis Lucis Caelum, the 114th ruler of Lucis. I've been his friend and brother-in-arms since I was 15, and he was 20. I help lead his Crownsguard as their Marshall, and it's my duty to help protect our people from our enemies - including the daemons."

It's the kind of warmth in Cor's voice that may be familiar to Sora - the same kind of warmth he might feel whenever he talks about Kairi or Riku, or any of his other friends he's made in the last year and a half before he found himself in that crystal egg.

[keymemory]

Sora definitely recognizes that warmth and it spreads to his own face and his own heart. He then thinks of this king and he can’t help but want to meet him. It reminded him a little bit of how the villagers would look at him and say things like how he reminds them of a significant other. It makes Sora feel special, cared for really, and the more they said it the more he wanted to hear it and it was almost like he was getting his wish.

Like any time they said it to him was a time when he was feeling particularly low and needed some cheering up. He tried to keep a chin up but sometimes he missed home, his home, his world, back when it was something familiar to him.

None of this was familiar, though, maybe if he was able to see a map of the land he would recognize at least the land? But the people, the writing, even the way they lived out in the land so far away from the ocean was something bizarre to him.

He was accustomed to sunshine and beach-side life.

His mind then began to feel a bit heavy as he missed his own friends and he found himself needing some cheering up. Maybe he could remind Cor of someone he cared for and the other wouldn’t want to leave him, or at least for real want to be his friend. Sora looked up to Cor and poured his wish into the other’s eyes. He wanted to be significant to Cor.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor's shifting to get up, and he looks a little confused when Sora starts to stare up at him like that. But as the stare continued, he slowly realized what's going on: The kid is lonely. Any friends he might've had before...they could be long gone, as far as Cor knows. And while the people here are very supportive and adoring...there's no true friendship here unless it's with very little kids.

And now...he's looking up at Cor in that 'please don't leave me' manner. The same kind of manner Noctis once gave him when he was bed-bound and recovering from that Gods-awful daemon attack.

...Six; he hates being so weak to pitiful-looking kids.

"...look. I'd love to take you outside now," he finally says. "But I can't risk hurting you like that. We'll meet back up tonight; I promise." And he will grant Sora's secret wish to meet Regis, Astrals willing...

[keymemory]

Sora softly nods and he moves his fingers down to his stomach where he gently pinches the thin shirt he’s wearing. Sora wanted to believe in Cor and though it was hard for him to tell him goodbye, for now, he knew he would see him again — soon. If Cor didn’t come back tonight then maybe Sora can pay him a visit some day? If he ever goes to the King; if he ever finds out where the king lives!

He pushes down those insecure feelings and he offers a meek smile and soft nod. “Okay, Leon-is.” He feels a warmth to his small frame and holds his arms around his body in a self-soothing hug. He can wait, he’ll be a good boy and wait!

[immortalmarshal]

"...call me Cor, kid." See, first-name basis! A sure sign of a potential friendship! Maybe; probably. Cor certainly does care about him as a person, and does intend to uphold his part of their new little promise.

Even as he moves back towards the window, though, he addresses Sora over the shoulder. "You'd better get some rest; you'll need it for our little secret hunt tonight." Cor himself plans to make a show of him leaving town and setting up camp at a haven in the area to help deter any suspicion on himself he'll return back to town thru the nearby woods, and wait for Sora on the edge of said woods.

[keymemory]

The day went by routinely, accustomed to the way the village behaved and breathed through the day and early evening. Sora slept quite soundly, though he ended up falling asleep in the living room rather than in the room designated for him upstairs. Which caused some commotion when the mayor couldn’t find him right away. With that cleared up Sora quickly took his meal and even though there was some protest to his going outside, he went anyway. He found it somewhat easy to find Cor, actually, all he did was follow the smell of him.

Which was really weird, honestly, he’s never sniffed someone out before (who was he, Riku?) but sure enough he found Cor in the forest some miles away from the town. Course, the trek there took a few mere minutes for the child of the night. But, again, Sora hadn’t recognized that his speedy travel wasn’t exactly abnormal either.

“Cor?”

[immortalmarshal]

Afterhe sneaking away from the mayor's house, Cor made a show of leaving the town, buying supplies to last him for a very long trip...or rather, enough supplies for two people to get to Insomnia within a decent amount of time. After setting up camp, he riggedthe tent to be more anti-daylight than normal, testing it by taking an afternoon nap.

Once the sun started to set, Cor made a quick dinner before heading out to meet Sora. He waited at the edge of the woods, seeing just how swiftly the young vampire moves. Trusting in Sora's sharpened senses, he keeps his voice a little quiet. "Right here. You ready, kid?"

[keymemory]

Ah! There he is, Sora thought. The brunette turned toward Cor’s direction and quickly, quietly, moved closer to the other. “Hullo!” He said with a gleam to his eye. He was ready for a full night of action! There was an innate need in him, Cor might have already figured out, to prove himself worthy to others. Thus, Sora’s reassurance that he could and would protect others; almost as if that way he would be invaluable to others. In a sense too invaluable to put back in the pod.

“I’m definitely ready!” He called forth his keyblade with a soft pop of fragments which quickly formed the weapon in his hand.

[immortalmarshal]

Even if Sora didn't prove himself to be battle-ready, somehow, Cor wouldn't dare put the lad back into the pod. The kid deserves to live, and freely so, too. At least, that's how Cor would feel should that ever come up in conversation.

Still, there's a part of him that wants to keep an eye on the kid - not out of fear for what he can do, but out of concern...like a father. Or a mentor.

"Very well...there's an old log just a little ways in that we can test your magic on. I want to see how well you can still use." Cor's much calmer about seeing Sora summoning his blade in that manner, now that he knows to expect it. His own blade, Kotetsu is already in his left hand, having been summoned just minutes before Sora's arrival.

[keymemory]

Sora bounced on his heels, his toothy grin clear by the moonlight. “Okay! Lets do it!” He followed Cor to the log and showed him a few blasts of ice, fire, and aero. The log was a flying piece of wood by then and Sora looked up to the sky and followed it’s trajectory until it landed down on the ground a few feet ahead. “I never did that on a log before..” He looked to Cor then laughed softly before he continued his show of magic. “I can do other things too.. like gravity which um.. squishes someone down to the ground..”

He blinked and walked over to Cor with a hand on his hip. “Hey I can also heal too.. if I’m hurt, or if you get hurt.. I can cure you!” He then bounced on his heels. “I can make someone stop too! But only for a few seconds.. but sometimes it’s just what I need!”

[immortalmarshal]

Cor simply advised Sora to not go too overboard with his demostrations before he got started - "just so that you're at full strength for our hunt," he had explained. Still, that much magic for a 'demostration' leaves Cor rather surprised. And impressed with how well he seems to be in control of it.

And the man isn't easily impressed in such things.

"Your healing probably will be more needed than anything else, should you end up fighting alongside anyone else." Still, being able to cast what he sees as magic of both royal lines blessed with such gifts? The kid really is a rare find in this day and age.

Which is all the more reason why Cor needs to not let him go back to that town, no matter what.

"But I do have a question - how much can you do before you tire? And...does it strain you to use so much over a certain amount of time?" Because as far as he's aware of, all forms of magic comes with a cost, no matter how big or small the spell.

[keymemory]

Sora agreed with a flashy flex of his arms, indicating that he was well prepared for a long night of using his strength to keep the darkness at bay. “I’unno.” He answered with confidence and a bright grin to his lips. “I haven’t gotten tired too much, I mean lately.. uh, except late morning, but they don’t come out in the day time, huh?” Or as far as he had seen and been told. Sora licked his lips and the keyblade dissipated into the air. “I feel like the more I hit something the more power I have to do magic.”

Though, with that logic, it seemed like it would only just make him tired, but it didn’t. Not really. It made him feel more energized, in a sense. “I bet I can go all night!”

[immortalmarshal]

Cor frowns in confusion for a moment. How can one simply gain power from defeating enemies all night? Even at his full strength, Cor could still be a little worn out after a night full of hunting and fighting daemons. Or even a full day of raging battle. Just what kind of being is this kid, anyway?

However...

"No; daemons hate bright lights. They hide from the sun during the day, but you need bright electric lights at night to keep them at bay. As for getting tired by morning...that's not surprising, even if you wouldn't be harmed by it. Staying up all night does that to a person."

He then pulls out his cell phone, checking the picture of the hunt poster he snapped for their mission tonight. "Speaking of which, we need to get moving. We have a pack of Reapers to take out."

[keymemory]

“A pack of reapers?” He hadn’t ever heard that before! He wondered what sort of trouble they were causing and what the best way was to take them out! Sora gave Cor a toothy grin. “Hey, have you ever wanted to keep a daemon for your own?” If he were to be honest, some of the past bad guys he fought prior this time era were pretty gosh darn cute!

Sometimes he felt bad busting them, but it had to be done! They couldn’t be trusted!

[immortalmarshal]

"Yeah - they've been wandering around here since that huge battle right before you were found, causing terror among travelers. Best to take them out before things get worse." He puts his phone away, and starts moving in the right direction.

He doesn't get more than a few steps, though, before he hears that question. Giving Sora a Look over his shoulder, Cor bluntly grumbles, "No, because the cute ones tend to be even more dangerous than most. Plus, spending too much time around daemons could put you at risk of catching the Scourge."

[keymemory]

Oh. Sora’s mouth twisted and he was quiet a moment as they continue on their way. He thought it was probably the most obvious of answers and a question not even worth asking. It’s not that he was ever going to keep a daemon. Though, he wondered, “do you think I could ever catch something like that? The Scourge I mean?” He looked up to Cor’s shoulder as they trekked forward.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor frowns thoughtfully. "...I'm not sure. I've never heard of a vampire coming down with the Scourge before...but I wouldn't push it if I were you." Indeed, most Creatures of the Night stay as far away from daemons as possible, unless they're strong enough and trained enough to fight them off. Their sharper, primal instincts drive them to do so, immediately recognizing such threats towards them and the humans in their 'territory'.

Once they're within the area, Cor slowly down to a patrolling walk, fully on alert. "Get ready..."

[keymemory]

Sora gave Cor a silent nod. Soon enough his keyblade was in hand again and he was stepping after the marshal, staying close to him, like a shadow. A shadow in the dark, which wasn’t much like a shadow after all (the more Sora thought about his cleverness, the more he found there was a lack of evidence of it). In any case, Sora followed after Cor. It was nice being out here with Cor, the villagers let him go off on his own while they stayed out of range. It was safer for them that way, Sora figured they just weren’t big fighters was all.

Cor, though, Cor could definitely handle himself! Just look at this guy, he was all sorts of suave and muscly and strong. Fighting with him was going to be fun!

[immortalmarshal]

Cor could definitely handle some Reapers. Not the first time he's tangled with them, and probably won't be the last. Which is probably why he stops as soon as he sees the familiar portals of darkness opening up on some nearby ground.

"Brace yourself. These things hit hard and fast." As soon as the skeleton figures rise up to their feet...Cor charges in, Kotetsu flashing as it's unsheathed.

[keymemory]

Sora was preoccupied by Cor, watching him and watching him, then he followed the other (a few steps late) into the flurry of rising darkness. Soon that dark shadow grew into solidity and creatures Sora had not yet seen before submerged. His lips parted and with full confidence he moved forward toward one beast to attack. “Hey!” He almost laughs as his weapon sparks off of the creature, reflecting his power-attack. So, this time, he used magic: blizzard, fire, and then thunder—

that got the beast to stumble and Sora tried another power-attack, which was much more successful this time than it was the first. He was about three hits in before the thing melted to the ground with dissipating particles rising into the air. He had better tactics for the next two he disposed of.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor focuses on parrying those quick and powerful slashes of their namesake weapons, using his speed and furious blows to take down the two he first faces. But more appear - twice as many as Cor had seen with Reaver groups before. And a tiny part of his brain wonders if that's due to the Imperial presence from before; there's always more daemons popping up whenever there's been a heavy presence of Imperial troops...

And it's easy for him to dodge Sora's brand of magic. It's far more focused than what he's used to sparring with from Noctis (his bombs), or even the more refined and powerful spells that Regis can still wield in their (fewer) sessions.

But even Cor has his limits, and he doesn't spot the one running up from Sora's rear until it's just about on him. "Look out--!"

[keymemory]

The young boy was oblivious to what was coming up on his backside, instead the shout over to him was a distraction until he got knocked down by the rushing daemon. Of course they otherwise left him alone if he was just out there minding his business but if he was a threat to their pack, well, that was an entirely different case and he was fair game. The blow that took him down was pretty tough, actually, but he stumbled back up to his feet and pointed his weapon toward the backside of the creature and casted a quick blizzard spell which caused the creature to freeze in its tracks. He brought a hand up to his face to feel at his features, as if he was expecting to be missing a nose, but once he discovered he was fine he gave Cor a small nod.

“Get him!” He said before he began to trail after the creature, ready to fight him.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor swears under his breath as he sees that hit land on Sora, and he finishes off the Reaper that was harassing him first before going after the one that attacked the lad. Granted, it helps that it's badly effected by that freezing effect, and the older man's always been quick on his feet.

Still, he circles around to try and pin the annoying creature between him and Sora, in hopes that between their blades, they can finish it off. And hopefully, they wouldn't take too much longer to finish off the couple of stragglers left afterwards.

Mainly because Cor is worried that Sora's been hit hard enough to draw blood, and he's not sure if a simple healing alone can help a fledgling vampire recover.

[keymemory]

Sora proved resilient and once the daemons were killed he sauntered over to Cor, tall and proud, with only just a bit of mark on his forehead. The rest of the beasts didn’t take too much longer to take care of and in the meantime, each blow he delivered made him feel more powerful.

His keyblade disintegrated into thin air and he reached over to hold onto Cor’s hand. “Wow, you were pretty good out here!” He gave Cor’s hand a squeeze. “Listen, I don’t think I want to keep any of those kind for pets!” He teased lightly. “So, what are we going to do next?”