Chapter Three - Requiem for the Dead

After a word from Nocturne, Karna allowed him the silence he needed to review the memory comfortably.

"Any moment, System," He thought, closing his eyes.

"Affirmative. Beginning replay," System said.

...

Blackness.

An eternal void.

Nothingness at the precipice of everything, a young nonbinary, cursed to float in the blank of the void, gazed emptily into emptiness as his body burned away, disintegrating into the nothing, leaving behind naught but fragments of energy, colored the very same azure his eyes lost.

Where was he? He began to wonder within remnants of light. Who was he?

"Danger incoming."

A voice broke through his haze, calling to him.

"Shall I initiate countermeasures?" It said.

He couldn't understand.

Danger?

Countermeasures?

The words rang hollow within his mind.

But, he knew, if it would- if it- could-

If-

...

"Error. Memory incomplete, unable to restore at this time."

The icy chill still crept through his veins, freezing his bones until they could shatter from the wisps of heat within the cold air. His lungs clenched in on nothing. He couldn't--

Warmth spread throughout his body, radiating from his cheek. Air rushed back in, he could breathe, he could...

"-ship, please. Can you hear me?"

Karna.

His voice echoed through the depths of Nocturne's mind, shattering the suffocating silence. Karna was there, he was alright. He was okay...

"Karna..."

He whispered. Reaching out with one hand, he stroked over one of the myriad of scars covering Karna's face. He was back.

"Sorry," He said, refusing to look away even as he tried to hide his face in Karna's large hand, "I didn't expect that..."

"What happened?" Karna asked, eyes unfocused.

"Just... I was trying to remember how I got here. I think I just experienced my own death... or maybe it was my rebirth, I don't know..." He mumbled, his voice muffled.

As unfocused as the world around him was, dulled through his recovery, Nocturne could clearly see the way Karna's eyes widened just a touch, his lips parting, he could practically feel the small rush of air. He could feel Karna's feelings.

"Your... death?" He said, voice airy and distant as if scared any force would shatter Nocturne, who just nodded into his palm. He quickly continued, "How is that possible?"

"'Cuz I died. I'm from another world." He wasn't in the right mind to practice eloquence.

Karna was silent, his hold on Nocturne slackened. Nocturne released him from his grip in turn.

"That's not possible," He said, so blunt that Nocturne almost flinched. Seemingly realizing this, he backed off, "I apologize, I was under the impression that Otherworlders were human."

Nocturne wanted to snark back, and he wasn't?

While searching for a more polite way to say it, System spoke up. "Report. You are not."

...What?

"Report. I recreated your body. My authority extends merely to magic. To assist you better, I fabricated your body entirely from magic. In the contexts of this world, you are a Spark, magic given form," She said, acting as matter of fact as always. She really was an AI.

"I'm a special case," Nocturne translated for Karna, who couldn't hear System, "My body was recreated from magic."

"I see, so that is why you are a monster, then?" He asked.

Before horror could set in, System added, "Monsters are primarily comprised of magic and hold stronger auras than humans. Individual: Karna also holds monster blood. He would be considered a demihuman, more towards a monster race than a human. Specifically-"

He didn't need Karna's entire biology. His only real question was if he could appear human.

"That is correct," Nocturne said as he waited for System to do her thing.

"Report. Although the markings cannot be hidden without the use of magic or potentially unobtained skills, I can freely manipulate your aura. Currently, only ten percent of it is escaping, the predicted amount for an avatar of the divine. Shall I modify this?" System explained.

'Please do,' Nocturne thought to her.

"Affirmative."

Karna spoke up at the same moment System gave her response, "I understand. I would suppose a magical being is more likely to be used as a medium for divine intervention." He went quiet for a moment, processing the information he'd been given. "May I ask, do you plan to follow through on the prophecy? Will you be reviving the Dawn Dragon?"

Reviving? He didn't even know what that was!

"We will see if I am able. Currently, I have no information to go on. I do not know who or what this god is, Karna, nor do I have any understanding of its nature. ...You can understand my hesitance to commit, yes?" Nocturne asked, hesitant to finish.

To his absolute relief, Karna's grip found itself sure once again, warm against his skin. "Of course. I expect nothing from you. Whatever you decide, I know that it will be the correct path. I am unsure of the how or why, but I know it like I know how to breathe. Following you is the only choice for me."

His gaze burned into Nocturne.

He trusted him.

They trusted each other.

Was this System's interference?

"Report. That is incorrect. Shall I attempt to locate the source?"

No, Nocturne didn't feel it necessary.

"Understood."

Leaning back into Karna's touch, Nocturne covered his hands with his own. "Thank you, Karna, you have no idea what it means to me. I... I'm so lost. But I know it will be alright with you here. So..." Nocturne swallowed, dropping his gaze for a moment as he took Karna's hands in his own, holding them to his chest. "Could I give you an order?"

In answer, Karna carefully dropped to one knee, careful only to not to move his hands an inch.

Meeting his gaze once more, fire burning in his eyes, Nocturne gave the most authoritative voice he could.

"Win that tourney. Become my warrior," Nocturne commanded.

The entirety of Karna's expression lit up; like the stars, its warmth would be able to reach him even if they were miles apart. He dropped his head, hiding the grin that split his face. "As you will it!"

Nocturne was unsure of what would have happened next if the drapes of the tent's flaps had not opened, soft sunlight streaming in.

When had it gotten so late?

"Report-"

He didn't actually need to know though he gave his thanks to System anyway.

The Twelfth Elder entered and wasted no time in addressing him, kneeling to the ground with her eyes to the floor. "Your Worship, the tournament has been prepared for you."

Nocturne didn't bother releasing Karna's hands as he stood, only guiding him up. They warmed his very soul.

"Very well," He addressed her curtly. Though when he turned to Karna, he spoke with warmth uncomparable, "Shall we leave, Karna?"

Though his gaze was not on her, Nocturne felt the Twelfth Elder startle at it. She really didn't want them together, did she? Nocturne thought bitterly.

"If that is what you wish," Karna said, bowing his head.

The Twelfth Elder shifted uncomfortably, as if unsure how to bring something up. "Ah- Your Worship... I'm, um, afraid that he will be unable to compete..." She murmured.

Nocturne's voice turned to ice. "And why is that?"

"The Elder Council- that is-"

"Karna has already explained."

"Right, ah, the Elder Council has ruled that Karna is too low of a ranking to be considered for the part," She spoke surer now that she'd gotten through the initial rip of the bandaid.

Alright, he'd play their game. "The Elder Council means to rule out talent based solely on your discrimination?"

That hit a nerve. "You dare insinuate-!" She gasped as she realized what she'd said. "Ah, my sincerest apologies. I did not mean- it was a reaction-"

"I have no time for fools who remain stagnant in their views. You may tell the Council that individuals of any caste have full rights to fight for their place at my side. If they have any problems with that, then inform them that I have no patience or tolerance for discrimination and will be promptly leaving." His words were poison, and he prayed that she ate them, lest he fail his goal.

She dropped her head to the ground, hands trembling. "As- as you wish. I shall inform them immediately," She said, her voice shaking.

She'd wolfed them down. Perfect.

"Be on your way then," He said with a smile, feeling Karna's eyes on his skin, "Oh, and please tell them that any further... comments will earn them nothing but my ire. I'm sure your Tenth Elder understands exactly what I mean." He waved her off.

As she left, Karna dropped his gaze from where it had been staring into his cheek.

"You do not have to do this for me..." He said, eyes trained on the ground.

"That's where you're wrong," Nocturne said, genuinely smiling as he did, "I refuse to allow anyone else at my side. You are the one I've chosen, Karna, and nothing could possibly change my mind."

"Your Worship..."

"Nocturne, Karna, my name is Nocturne."

"Master Nocturne, allow me to devote my life to you."

"Whether you win the tourney or not, we stay together, Karna. I'll run away with you in the middle of the night if I need to," Nocturne promised.

"If that is what you will," Karna's voice broke, his eyes shining with adoration. Devotion. Nocturne didn't deserve it.

But he'd send himself to hell if he didn't cherish it - if he didn't return it with all of his heart.

God, he did. He didn't know why, but he did.

They were meant to meet, Nocturne knew it. Karna was the one who he was destined to go with on his fated adventure.

He wanted to see the world with him.

He wanted to give him the friendship he didn't have, the respect he deserved, and a chance at someone more.

Whoever it would be, Nocturne hoped they were at least half as incredible as the man before him.

"Win this tournament for me, Karna, let us see what comes of this prophecy. Together."

Giving both of Karna's hands a squeeze, an assurance, he released him and turned towards the exit.

"I will follow you anywhere," Karna promised, hand on his heart, "I will do whatever it is you desire."

Nocturne smiled; he'd cherish it forever.

...

The seat was far more uncomfortable when he wasn't focused on something else. Karna was nowhere in sight, stuck with the rest of the contestants as Nocturne sat bored out of his mind. The introduction was pandering and nonsensical, he didn't bother to even listen. Instead, he took the chance to look through his UI while System kept an ear out for anything that might actually be important.

Though he was sure, she'd only notify him when the tourney actually began.

First was his status screen. He felt that it was particularly important to know the ins and outs of.

His status, first screen.

Nocturne Amina

Level 838

Health 83800

Mana 83800

Stamina 83800

Strength 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Constitution 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Dexterity 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Agility 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Intelligence 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Mind 999+ (Bonus 99+)

Luck 999+ (Bonus 99+)

The second screen: Titles.

...that was a really long list.

God Slayer really stuck out.

Dragon Slayer titles with everything from ancient to infant.

Demon Slayer, Angel Killer, King of Cores... ah, he was done with reading.

The third screen was something about protections. Protections and Blessings was its official name, though 'Dawn Crest' was the only thing listed.

Abilities were last, a much bigger list of very familiar names, he only skimmed it over, having seen them all before. He learned that the abilities he'd gained held subskills, such as Probability Manipulation from Chaos Tamer.

He didn't linger, he wanted to get through as much as he could while they were babbling.

His inventory was the other thing he wanted to see the most, to see if he had any starting gear.

Inventory... inventory... ah, the bag icon, obviously. Nocturne almost laughed at himself, selecting it with ease.

...

Shit, that was a lot of stuff.

His inventory was practically overflowing with items, all with their own colors and icons, repeating over and over. Various armors and weapons were listed. Potions, books, scrolls, it never ended, no matter how much he scrolled. God, it would take forever to go through it all. He needed to sort it - was that a corpse?!

"Report. After decimating Dragon's Sanctuary, all of the items within were collected automatically by User Interface."

'What do you mean, decimating??' Nocturne wanted to cry, barely keeping his composure on the outside.

[Skill Obtained: Poker Face]

He opened the skill list and quickly filled it out with points, taking another ten from his thousands.

"Report. I was granted permission to protect you. The only attack spell you have is Heaven's Fall." System almost sounded worried... no, Nocturne must have been projecting. "It destroyed the entirety of Dragon's Sanctuary."

Well, shit.

Not even a day in and he already committed mass genocide, if his map was correct. He had an entire country's worth of area filled out; apparently, it had all been destroyed.

...it wasn't his fault, was it? No, of course, it wasn't.

Nor would he blame System; she had been carrying out her duties within the limitations of her current knowledge.

It was miscommunication, nothing more, nothing less.

Is what he'd tell himself at least.

For now, he'd focus on sorting his inventory. One thing at a time and try to forget. It had been predestined from what he'd been told.

Everything was fine.

"Report. Individual: Karna's fight about to begin. Shall I sort your inventory while you watch?" System asked.

Blinking a few times, Nocturne finally came to notice that a pair of contestants were on the battlefield, one particularly more bruised than the other. The bruised contestant left the arena as the other was brought a potion.

Actually, there was a crowd. Many of the watchers were battered up. How much had he missed?

"Report. The tourney was on a break when you focused back in on it. This will be the final battle," System said.

What? Didn't Karna have earlier fights? He promised he'd watch.

"Report. Pariahs had an all-out brawl during the break for the position of battling the champion. From my calculations, Karna had a 99.8% chance of victory, his level being five higher than the second highest in the battle."

Of course, it was, he'd seen it before. Karna was only six down from the highest level in the tribe. It seemed he was the fourth in it, three of the elders standing in front of him.

His opponent, however, stood one level behind him. A close gap.

First Elder's Second Son

Level 37

Status: Strength buff, Defense buff, Ag-

Buffs?

Nocturne clicked his tongue, earning the attention of the fools around him.

"Is something the matter, Your Worship?" Asked the First Elder, voice pleasant.

He didn't bother to turn his head. "I had been under the impression that this was supposed to be a fair fight."

"Of course, it is! Whyever would you believe otherwise?"

Nocturne would give credit to him for keeping composure.

"Clearly, you think me a fool, First. I'm making the call." Nocturne stood up. "The match is settled, your son is disqualified on the grounds of performance-enhancing drugs - you may count yourself lucky that I find myself in a good mood. It is not a safe plan to invite divine ire."

As Nocturne took his first step, the First Elder pushed himself out of his chair, surprise, anger, shock written on his features. "Please wait a moment, we never introduced him as-"

"The First Elder's second son. Level thirty-seven. He is currently under several buffs to enhance his combative ability." The First Elder audibly swallowed. "I am an avatar of the divine, why would you believe I could not sense such an obvious matter? Now, I shall personally inform the winner of his victory by default."

"Wait- the previous combatant would take the place of the victor for the battle-" The First tried so hard to convince him otherwise.

Nocturne's blood boiled.

How dare he?

How dare he insinuate Karna was anything less than the perfect fit.

That he was anything less than the one he needed.

...those fiends thought they were better than his dearest...

He stopped walking.

The First believed it his chance, it seemed, as his voice gained confidence. "We'll heal him up and prepare the battle, nothing less would be admissable for someone of-"

His blood boiled, threatening to overflow.

"Do

"You

"Ever

"Shut

"Up?"

He left without listening to a single word more.

...

"Karna," Nocturne said, pushing into the tent his warrior awaited.

There Karna sat leaning against the table, bruised and broken. Crimson dripped from his lips, parted as he heaved in breaths that refused to make it to his lungs. His tanned skin now looked pale, flushed with blood rushing to the surface.

"Ma-" He tried before falling into a coughing fit of blood.

Karna

Status: Poisoned, Full Stat Debuff, Bloodied, Internal Bleeding, Potion Resistance, Healing Spell Resistance

His System piped up with her report. "Report. It appears Karna was fed a faux healing potion. Reason. The Second Son was fed a buffing one. Potion bottle shattered at feet. Analyzation confirmed. Hydra Poison. Approximately two minutes until death."

'What do we have?' Nocturne's thoughts were jumbled, but he managed to force it out as he rushed to Karna's side, 'How do I save him?'

He felt cold, the world felt rushed, slowed. Vertigo flooded his senses, he couldn't tell which way was up or what was left or right. All he knew was the blood dripping from Karna's lips.

He felt so cold. Why was it all so cold?

Cold. Empty. Everything was too fast, too slow. Nocturne couldn't-

System. He needed her to guide him through this before he lost him- before he lost him again.

He couldn't- he couldn't-

If it happened-

No, it wouldn't.

Even as his soul grew cold from it. He knew it wouldn't.

He wouldn't let it.

"System. Potion. Scroll. Whatever will work," Nocturne said aloud, not trusting his thoughts, but trusting Karna with his secret.

A scroll materialized itself within Nocturne's hand. System said, "Report. Cure Poison. The scroll will stabilize. Casting will cure. To use, throw into the air and speak the spell's name. Focus on your target."

Trusting her words, Nocturne chucked it into the air, taking a breath. "Cure Poison."

The scroll fragmented into the same light his body did.

[Spell Obtained: Cure Poison]

That's what she meant by cast, was it? He pulled open his spell menu.

Spells

Heaven's Fall

Discover

Cure Poison, there it was.

He filled it out with ability points and activated the cast command, silently casting it at full power.

"Report," Said System, "Poison entirely eradicated. Individual: Karna still requires attention; however, the risk of death has been dramatically diminished."

Thank goodness, Nocturne's chest heaved with relief.

"You're going to be okay, Karna," He whispered, bringing both hands to cup his face, "I'll make it all better. You're going to be alright."

Karna's eyes remained unfocused as he stared hazily at Nocturne. "Master..."

'What's next?' He finally thought in his relief.

"Inquiry. Would you like to learn Thought Transmission?"

Thought Trans-what now?

He knew what it meant in theory - telepathy - most likely, but failed to see its application.

"Report. Incorrect, it is the ability to influence magic by using thoughts. Most individuals are incapable of using this skill; however, you are the perfect candidate. You will be able to cast without spells, although it will draw attention if you use it. Additionally, it will ignore Karna's current spell resistance."

That was all he needed. 'Give it to me.'

"Understood."

[Skill Obtained: Thought Transmission]

"Notice. Thought Transmission has been allocated ten skill points, obtaining it level ten."

Shouldn't she ask before using his skill points? Ah, Nocturne couldn't bring himself to care at that moment, he had what he needed.

Now, how did it work?

"Report. You need only think of your desired outcome, visualize it as well as you can. As long as the thought holds enough weight behind it, it shall work."

Think, right. Thought Transmission, it was in the name. He'd practice with System another time, maybe learn how it was supposed to go.

He wanted Karna to be okay. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against his bodyguard's. When he opened his eyes, Karna would be alright. He'd be as well as he was the first second they'd met eyes. He'd glow with the same reverence he always looked at him with. They would be alright, and Karna would be in perfect health once again.

He opened his eyes.

And Karna looked back.

His AR screen popped up, Nocturne ignored most of it.

Status: None

It had worked like a charm. Thought Transmission was that powerful, huh? Nocturne wondered if people could do anything with it in this world.

"Report. It is a skill obtained by one in a million. It rarely reaches the second level," System said, informing him of the fact that it didn't actually work that way.

Yay for cheats, he supposed.

"Master Nocturne..." Karna said, capturing his rapt attention, "My apologies for-"

"No apologizing from you, mister!" Nocturne frowned, puffing out his cheeks. "Do you have any idea how happy I am that you are alright? I was terrified. Now, instead of apologizing, you're going to tell me who poisoned you. I've got a good idea, but I want to hear it from you."

Karna dropped his gaze. "The First Elder's heir brought me a potion, he told me that I needed to heal before my next fight. I shouldn't-"

"Alright, I'm cutting a bitch," Nocturne interrupted, already standing up, "System, how many knives do I have?"

"Report. Approximately seven-thousand-and-thirty-eight in usable condition," System said, ever dutiful.

"Seven thousand should be enough..." Nocturne said to himself, thinking.

Karna spluttered. "Master Nocturne, you needn't! I am positive they simply wanted the best possible match for you and-"

"Need we go over this again, Karna?" Nocturne shook his head. "My bodyguard will be you, and only you, for as long as you'll stay by my side. I am not losing you. If these scum think they can lay their hands on what's mine, they have another thing coming for them."

Karna stood on shaky legs, using the table to steady himself. "I understand. It's simply... I don't wish for you to sully your reputation over me."

Smiling sweetly, Nocturne shook his head. "I already warned them. It is not safe to invite divine wrath upon yourself. They knew I was attached to you, they tried everything to keep me from you. I won't allow it." Nocturne took Karna's hands in his own. "You are under my protection, Karna, you bare the name I gave you. You are my protector. An attack on you is an attack on myself. Now, do you have any reservations about my retaliation."

Going quiet for a moment, Karna's eyes slid to the broken bottle. "I should, shouldn't I? This is supposed to be my home, the place I was raised, all I've known for over thirty years. But I..." He met his gaze once again. "I've never thought of it as my home. I was meant to be the pride of this place, I'm the descendant of a long line of bodyguards. We've guarded royalty, heroes, leaders of all stripes. Yet, I've always been treated as a failure. Nobody here cares for me, not even the Twelfth Elder - though she has shown me decency. Even the children are taught to despise me. I..." He swallowed.

"What I'm trying to say is that this place holds no meaning to me. No, I despise it and the people. If it were your wish, I would burn it to the ground."

Nocturne smiled, soft and sweet yet so very cold.

"Very well. We shall make these fools rue the day they turned on my guardian."