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]

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?”

[immortalmarshal]

Cor finally relaxes a little once the last daemon is finally dispatched. Good riddance; that's one less daemon nest to worry about. But his own blade had just disappeared in a small shower of crystalline bursts when Sora grabs his hand, and he goes a little stiff for a moment or two.

That kind of handholding...that hasn't happened in years. The last person to hold his hand was Noctis - and he was 10 at the time.

Still, Cor doesn't make any moves to yank his hand free. Yet. Instead, he's giving little confused glances at their hands while he response. "...actually, that's something we'll need to talk about. I have a campsite set up at a nearby haven. It shouldn't take too long to head over there."

[keymemory]

Sora frowned, he felt a sudden dread come over him and he looked up to Cor with worry in his eyes. “I don’t know if the Mayor is going to like that I hadn’t come back.. He said I must come back.. always.” He looked to their hands. “But, I mean, if it’s with you.. I’m sure it’ll be alright.” He thought again about the Mayor’s extensive worry and excessive direction for Sora to return. It had been the only place he knew, honestly, he felt a bit worried not returning himself! After so long a sleep and waking up to this world, he didn’t know what else there was but the Mayor and his town.

It was like his memories of the world before was becoming less and less real. What if they weren’t real? What if he was some weird delusional kid? That was even more depressing!

He looked back up to Cor and nodded softly. “I’ll .. go.”

[immortalmarshal]

Cor bites back any sharp words about the Mayor. At this moment, he needs the kid to trust him over that cult leader, and he can't do that by rsnting about his hatred of cults. Yet.

"Good. Let's get going." And with a nod, Cor starts to lead Sora towards his campsite. It's not as long as it would've been if they were trying to reach the next town, but it's certainly farther than Sora had been from the town before. The haven glows with its protection wards, keeping daemons and more dangerous creatures away. The fire is banked, and Cor moves to stir it back to life. Otherwise, it's neat and tidy for a (previously) one-man camp.

[keymemory]

Sora was amazed by the runes and color that reached out from the stones and ground surrounding the campsite. In the darkness it radiated a soft glow of colors between purple, blues, and yellows. Yet, the campsite was dark enough to be comforting at night to sleep.

He rushed up to the campsite and twirled around on his feet before he settled to face Cor. “This is really a neat place, did you do all of this? What is this?!” Sora hopped over to one of the runes and peered down at it.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor smiles a little fondly at the kid's awe upon discovering the runes. "They're wards meant to keep the daemons away from this place. It lets people stay here if they're too far from any towns to seek shelter from the dangers of the night."

Once the fire's starting to grow again, he settles down near it, gesturing Sora to do the same. "Legend has it that the first Oracles carved them into the rock at various points across the land, using their blood and magic to set up these safe areas around 2000 years ago."

[keymemory]

"Woah, no way?" He sounds both amazed and dumbfounded at the same time. Although, he does listen with full earnest to believe anything Cor's got to say. He sat down not too far from the campfire but not close enough to appear all too interested in absorbing any heat its got to offer. He pulled his legs up to fold his arms around and he stared into the flames. "It's weird, .. the more I'm here.. I mean, .. awake, the more my old life seems like a dream.. and it just confuses me." He was honest.

Sora chanced a glance at Cor's expression before he looked back to the fire. "Do you think someone here can help me? Do you think that .. maybe an Oracle can fix what happened to me?"

[immortalmarshal]

Cor listens to the kid's words, taking in the latter's body language at the same time. It seems like the kid really is lost - and it makes sense, considering his situation. Cor could barely imagine how he'd feel if he himself ended up in a similar situation.

"That's because you've been asleep for centuries inside that crystal egg. It's only natural to feel lost when everything's changed so much during that time, and none of your old friends are around to help you get back on your feet."

He then sighs. "...I've been in contact with Regis, my king. He's learned of your situation, and wants to help you. And...I want to help, too."

[keymemory]

"The King.. really! Wow!" He was amazed, to say the least, the idea that the king -the king!- wanted to meet him and help him really touched Sora. He didn't think the king was out just helping any old kid, really, but then he had a thought; what if he wasn't really that old and just forgot who he was one night and stumbled in some place he wasn't meant to be! Not that he knew any better, honestly he didn't remember his coming out of the egg or the few days he was recovering.

The earliest memory he had was waking up with the Mayor and being in his house surrounded by all those helpful people. Sora's eyes lifted up toward the sky and he frowned with the thought twisting at his lips.

It seemed pretty strange to him that he was able to come to with all the knowledge he had, language and how to tie his shoes for example, without remembering how or when he learned that!

[immortalmarshal]

It's very strange, yes, that he knew all of that. Cor himself hadn't considered it, but it's certainly a mystery. However, even if he did ponder it, he still continues to explain.

"Yeah; I explained to him what you told me - about the Keyblade and other things. And he thinks he can help. But he needs you to come to Insomnia with me, so that you two could figure things out together."

He pauses for a few moments, choosing his next words carefully. "...I know this means leaving the village behind, even for a little while. But it's not everyday that a king is willing to accept just anyone to join him in his personal endeavors. And you'll be given a place to stay at the Citadel - our castle, so to speak - and all the accommodations afforded to a guest such as yourself."

[keymemory]

“Oh.. really? A castle!” Sora brightened up at the mention of that. “That.. well, that sounds great! I .. I can’t wait to see it!” As if to tribute to his excitement his hands ball up together, before his chest, and they vibrate down to his elbows and up to his shoulders. He’s excited, obviously.

Once the flow of excitement sees him through he settles his hands down on his knees. “Hey! I can’t wait to go!” He didn’t seem at all fazed by the prospect of leaving the village or mayor at the moment, that’s for sure.

“It’s funny, insomnia… I could probably stand to use some since I been asleep so long, huh?!” He giggles.

[immortalmarshal]

Cor lets a small smile tug on his lips for a few moments. The kid must be an explorer at heart if he's that eager to go somewhere new. And at least he's not being reluctant about leaving the village behind; that's a very good thing in this case.

"Probably, but we might want to wait until the next sundown before we get moving." He gestures to the horizon, where it's starting to grow lighter. "I'd rather not wait and see how the daylight truly affects you the hard way."

Cor then points to the tent already set-up. "You can sleep in there. I'll keep an eye out on things until the sun goes down.