One hell of a companion

It was as if I had entered a different dimension, the 'ceiling' looked more like a red sky, the ground was made of jagged obsidian and the air burned my throat.

My grasp tightened, hands coiled over the handle of my blade.

I could tell from a glance, whatever was going on here was well out of my current pay grade. I knew instinctively that the current me wouldn't survive to the end if I went on.

But I persisted, and walked on.

The dungeon was almost maze-like, structured as if I was walking through a castle made in hell.

'Hell on Earth, huh.' I thought to myself. 'I sure as hell hope this is worth it.'

Hallways lined the dungeon, leading to various rooms and passages throughout the castle dungeon.

I'll even admit, I might have gone in circles a few times.

And the dungeon's mana beasts were so unusual.

Unlike the standard dungeon with mindless, frenzied creatures that would attack on sight, these mana beasts were intelligent.

They actually held weapons in hand, and looked much like Imps. 'Really going with the hell theme, huh?'

Each monster fought like a veteran adventurer, making them that much harder to deal with.

I often heard them conversing with or barking orders to each other in a language I was unfamiliar with. It made me wonder if they were sentient and I felt a pang of guilt at slaughtering them.

But I didn't let that affect me, and went deeper into the dungeon, my body aching from the dozens of lacerations and bruises on it.

I sighed, considering my wounds I should be able to take on at least one more floor. Or so I thought.

Not wanting to risk an ambush, I void stepped to the stairs at the end of the hallway, sighing in relief when no one jumped out to attack me.

The stairs were lined with torches made of human skulls, dark crimson fire burned through their eye sockets, and soon the next floor came into view

The second floor looked like a carbon copy of the first, but then again it was hard to differentiate between two mazes.

The hair behind my neck rose in goosebumps as I brought up my sword, barely blocking the blade to my right.

I hadn't even noticed it coming. Steel clashed with bone as the two weapons sparked, the sheer strength behind the blow jarring my bones.

There was no doubt that it was physically stronger than me, but they were still magicless, giving me a massive advantage.

The next time we clashed, a tremor shook through my blade, and into his as it went flying. As soon as the weapon was out of his grip, I acted. The temperature dropped by a few degrees as ice encased the imp from neck to toe.

It snarled at me as it tried to free its limbs, but I wasn't taking any chances, with one precise strike I separated its head from its body.

As soon as I had done that, a burning pain racked my entire being. I dropped to my knees, hugging my torso in pain, pain which seemed to taint my very soul.

The torture lasted for a few more seconds, or was it hours? It was hard to tell.

I got up from my seated position, suddenly glad I was not attacked while incapacitated. I picked up my sword, which had slipped out of my grip when the pain had begun.

I took deep breaths, calming my mind down from what I had just experienced. I stared ahead, contemplating if I should continue on.

I glanced down at the bracelet which sealed two of my elements. 'Perhaps…'

With a flick of my fingers I stored the seal into my dimension ring, allowing myself to relish in the feeling of unrestricted access to my magic.

Exhaling slowly, I let flame blanked my sword and lightning course through my veins, and I shot off at supersonic speeds, finding it a lot easier to deal with the imps now.

This elation would not remain, however, I would pay for underestimating the imps.

"Ack!" I groaned, feeling the sharp bone edge grating through my side, painting my shirt red.

The demon sneered at me, licking the blood of his weapon, mocking me. "WRYYYYYYYY!" It screeched as it lunged, sword held to stab through me.

I allowed lightning to replace my sword, the blade itself shaking furiously with earth magic, but I suspected it also had something to do with the strain placed on it.

With the speed of thunder itself, I slid below the monster, his blade shattering at the mere touch of mine, his eyes widened in unrestrained shock and fear, but my blade began cracking and splintering before it could reach him.

As the chipped edge of the steel touched his red skin, it shattered, releasing all the energy stored within it in an explosion of lightining and stone.

The explosion had shredded the imp to ribbons, but it had alse left me injured, if the backlash wasn't enough, the shockwave from it slammed me halfway through the ground of broken obsidian, its sharp edges cutting into my flesh and bone.

The last thing I saw before giving in to the realm of sleep was a dark miasma forming over me and a howl reminiscent of a wolf's.

.

.

.

When I came to, I was on solid ground, not the jagged crater I had expected to be in, although the blood pooling around me was completely expected.

I focused on my larger wounds first, ripping parts of my outfit to stop the bleeding. I began cauterizing them shut once my shirt had been completely turned to makeshift bandages. At least I still had the cloak.

I sighed, turning to my surroundings, and almost jumped when I noticed the wolf sleeping peacefully beside me.

It had to be at least larger than a grizzly bear, but was wispy, almost intangible looking fur, and looked like it housed the very constellations of the sky—the interconnected stars looking as if they were part of an ancient script.

I was instantly on my feet, my hands heading for my back, where I usually kept my sword. When it found nothing but air, I remembered how it had been shattered right before I lost consciousness.

I shook my head clear of these thoughts, activating the acquire phase of my integrate phase, creating a blade of nacht to serve me until I got a new one. But for some reason I felt…safe? Comforted? I couldn't find the right word.

The wolf stirred, opening it's eyes, silver as the moon as they pierced into my very being. I was strangely reminded of my time with Noctis.

I stumbled as a dense wave of what I could only describe as happiness flooded my mind, the look on the beasts face mimicked what I had suddenly felt. The foreign feeling escalated as the beast walked towards me slowly.

Perhaps it was judging if I was a threat. I raised my arms, "I'm not here to har-"

'Father!'

That single word echoed through my mind, the raw emotion behind it making me falter, and my hold on the nacht weakened, allowing it to dissipate.

"Wha…"

He nuzzled his snout at my sternum and I froze, it could devour all of me in seconds if it wanted to.

It was then that I noticed the symbol carved on my chest, right over my mana core. It was made of the same substance as the wolf's fur. Recognition struck through my mind as I realized what it truly was.

In my previous life, I had dabbled into some mythology, not because I was a particularly religious person but because it interested me. While I was looking into Norse mythology, I stumbled across a list of the runes used by the ancient men of the eastern world.

The rune on my chest was one that I, thankfully, recognized: Perthro. Its meaning had been lost to time, but from what I could make out, it was considered to literally mean the unknown, and often used as a synonym for destiny.

But it still didn't explain the situation I was currently in. My mind suddenly went back to the moment I parted with Noctis, when he had given me his will. He had shot something at me just then, I was too disoriented to realize what it was but it could be…

'That is the only explanation.' I decided, solidifying my belief of this wolf being a gift from Noctis. I vaguely remembered what my grandfather had said about bonds, how they could range from D to well above AA Class.

I relaxed, understanding he wouldn't hurt me, and petted its head.

"What's your name?" I spoke out loud, looking into his eyes.

'I don't have one.'

I blinked, surprised he was capable of complex speech.

'I have been observing the world everyday for seven years, I have learned a lot.' He pointed out dryly as if having read my mind, which, considering he could speak telepathically to me, he probably did.

I cleared my throat, "Well then, what would you like your name to be?"

He tilted his head in childlike innocence, 'Whatever you want it to be.'

I sighed, how could someone be so mature and childlike at the same time…

"Ezekiel," I muttered at last, the name being vaguely familiar from my last life, "Zeke for short, how about that?"

He grinned, or at least I thought he did, 'I like it.'

I stopped myself from scoffing, "Of course you do."

Sighing, I looked around the floor, it was only the second and I was already injured this bad. "Maybe it's better to come back another day…"

Ezekiel nodded, 'I agree.'

I glanced at the wolf, "Well, I suppose I should introduce you to my parents, your grandparents if you will."

'But I have alread-'

"Shut."

________________________

I soon learned Zeke and I shared our ability to warp through shadows, making our return to Elenoir a lot quicker and I was grateful for it.

I knew something was wrong when I was welcomed with a flurry of blades. I chuckled, "I knew Mom and Dad were mad, but not this mad."

Beside me Zeke growled threateningly, nacht leaking from his jaws. 'Calm, Zeke.'

One of the guards holding a sword to my throat dropped his blade, "Prince Fayden?"

"In the flesh," I nodded, smiling 'innocently.' "Now, if you would be so kind as to remove the weapons from my neck?"

He gulped, barking at the others to drop their weapons, and I was finally allowed to relax. I inhaled in deeply, looking around for any apparent changes to the kingdom.

'I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed that nothing changed.'

"Y-You're injured, do you need medical assistance?"

I turned to the man who had spoken, "Not at the moment, you are free to go back to your duties."

I waved them goodbye and began walking away-.

"There is something you must know Prince Fayden."

I glanced behind my back, notifying the worried expression on his face, "It can wait until after I've met with my family."

Before he could protest any further, I void stepped away with Zeke trailing close behind.

'I don't suppose you can shrink to a more…fitting size?'

Zeke glanced at me, his form dissipating to a mere ball of nacht that hovered above my shoulder.

'That works I suppose.'

As I neared the castle I flared my mana noticably, signaling Gramps of my arrival, I could only hope I didn't look as terrible as I felt.

I met him at the gate, the old man stopping in his tracks as soon as his eyes fell on me, "What happened to you, brat?!"

I sighed, already dreading the slew of questions that would be coming my way.