Chapter 2: Chapter Two - In Defense of the Heart
From between overlapping, threadbare flaps emerged two vastly different figures from a tent of rough burlap. Leaving first as the other parted the way emerged the most enchanting being to grace the earth. They seemed almost human with dangerously beautiful androgynous features, if it were not for their pointed ears and the glowing markings covering their skin, hardly concealed by the loose, tattered beige robes they wore. Their grace and poise could convince even the most trained eyes that they gazed at royalty- no, perhaps something more. Though they still held the form of the Japanese college student they once were, the elegance they'd always tried to possess shone like the brightest star in the sky, its brilliance reaching through light years of darkness to bless those lucky enough to catch a glimpse.
Behind the beauty stood a just as powerful presence, juxtaposed to the blue star as a red supergiant, his large form towering over the smaller. Though possessing a powerful build with strong hunting instincts behind it, he appeared to be on edge. However, thrown under the light of the sun before him, he stood taller, stronger; looking down on all but one. With tanned, scarred skin and bright amber eyes, he stood in great contrast with the lighter fawn and royal blues of the one he had fallen weak for.
The pair of them, like day and night, walked side by side, the sun leading the moon to where they were meant to be.
Nocturne couldn't help but giggle as Karna glanced from side to side, constantly searching the expressions of bystanders watching. Of course, he would never laugh at the fear Karna held to the sneering faces of his peers, he would never! Nocturne knew that feeling far too well. No, he was laughing at the idea Karna seemed to hold that Nocturne was bothered by it and- even with all the anxiety his little body held- that was nothing less than ridiculous. He would never feel scared when it came to caring for others, Karna especially it would seem. That puppy act had stolen his heart and mind, Nocturne would do anything for it. So, he placed his hand against Karna's arm, reminding him gently that he was here for him. If the following release of tension in a deep exhale or the way Karna leaned into his touch was anything to go by, it worked.
Hurriedly ushering Nocturne through the winding paths between countless tents, Karna seemingly tried and failed to keep his head down.
"You!" Accused a croaky old voice.
In unison, the pair of them turned around, one in confusion, the other in fear.
"Tenth Elder! I was just-" Karna tried to explain, stepping away from Nocturne, his hands raised in defense, but the elder was having none of it.
"Just nothing! Someone like you should have never been breathing the same air as the Great One! But for you to interact with his Worship? Why I should have you expelled from the tribe!" A shorter, old man croaked, all wrinkles and frail bones. Even if this... cretin stood two feet taller than Nocturne, he felt confident in his ability to beat him, especially with his AR display granting him view into where the man truly stood in his strength.
Tenth Elder
Lvl. 31
Title(s): Tenth Elder of the Lycanthri Tribe
Furious at the man, furious at the malicious smirks of the bystanders, Nocturne placed himself between Karna and the tenth elder. The elder turned to Nocturne with a placating smile, the type he saw on one crafty salesperson who had tried to sell him a hundred useless items when he was still Avery, and if he hadn't been so broke, perhaps the pitch would have worked. But he wasn't Avery anymore. And nobody would speak to his... to Karna that way.
He found the elder was quick to apologize and offer the straw for the camel's back, "I am very, terribly sorry for this wretch's forwardness, Great One. I'm sure he must have been terribly rude to you; I can have him punished in whatever manner you wish. Of course, banishing him is also an option if you so-"
With a gaze colder and darker than the everlasting void, Nocturne spat out venom, "Hah? Quit your barking, mongrel."
…
Everything went quiet.
Dammit, dammit, dammit! He didn't mean to let that out! He meant it, obviously he did, but he didn't mean to let it out. His life was over, that was it. Karna was going to hate him. He was going to get chased out. He was going to lose his one small piece of warmth he'd managed to find in this cold new world.
A thud resounded through his ears and when he looked, he found the shriveled old elder on his hands and knees, prostrating before him, trembling. His voice shook with fear, "My- my deepest apologies! I did not mean to speak so disrespectfully to you! Compared to you, I suppose even I'm no better than that bodyguard."
Though he tried to restrain himself, Nocturne found himself unable to stop his response, rage flaring to new heights, "You can't bark so you oink? What are you? A pig? Worthless."
He needed to stop himself, he needed to apologize and dig himself a hole to die in. He'd messed everything up. He could feel the shocked gazes boring into him.
Maybe he could at least explain himself to Karna.
Hesitant, Nocturne glanced shyly over to Karna, convinced that he'd be looking at him that same way Nocturne looked at the elder. But he wasn't.
Karna gazed at Nocturne with shock, however, his eyes lacked any kind of disgust or dislike. Instead, there was a kind of awe in his surprise, as if he could hardly believe that Nocturne was standing up for him. As if he was blind to the cruel words slipping from Nocturne's lips. As if they were really a divine declaration rather than disgusting degradation.
"Karna," Nocturne called his name sweetly and he immediately snapped to attention, "Is there perhaps someone in charge who, preferably, doesn't have a superiority complex? I have little patience for such..." He briefly glanced down at the tenth elder, who'd just snuck a glance up at him. Whatever expression he wore in that moment, it was enough to make this supposed leader quack in fear and duck his head again, "boorish behavior."
It seemed that all Karna was capable of doing was nod helplessly, unable to process the situation. He looked to the path they'd been walking down and back to Nocturne, who watched him coolly, still displeased from briefly interacting with the twelfth elder. Of course, this didn't inhibit Nocturne's ability to track Karna's mood and he immediately noticed the way his shoulders dropped and he lowered his head. Though unsure of what had caused this sudden change in Karna's mood, Nocturne reached out immediately to place a hand upon his bicep, a gentle reminder that he was there for him.
Each second that ticked by endeared him more to the lycan as Nocturne slowly began piecing together the life he lived. At the same time however, Nocturne came to develop unfavorable opinions of his peers and home.
In that moment, none of that mattered. All that mattered was the unsteady yet blinding smile his companion wore, lifting some of his mood from his shoulders. It was enough to make him forget about the abhorrent man he'd just had the displeasure of meeting. It was almost enough to make him forget the way each and every person had glared at Karna. It blinded him to the possibility that those stares could have any meaning.
With the majority of the negativity lifted from them, the pair continued on their way. Only this time, Karna held his head a little higher and Nocturne followed a little closer. Dust from the dry clearing kicked up with every step, slipping into the pores of Nocturne's old sneakers and getting between his toes. Or perhaps it had all already been in his shoes and was just finishing its course to cause him discomfort. Whatever it was, Nocturne wished he had at least worn a newer pair that could hold against outside forces, or perhaps a pair that had no way in at all.
Karna continued to prove himself observant, perhaps too observant for Nocturne's tastes, as he soon picked up on his discomfort, a pleasant, rumbling voice - so achingly familiar, it was screaming to Nocturne that he knew that voice, he knew it, he swore he knew it – cutting through his internal monologue. "Is everything alright, your Worship?"
"Yeah, just thinking," He hummed in reply, refusing to let on when he had a justifiable feeling that Karna would drop everything to accommodate him, "It's nothing bad, I promise."
Nocturne didn't think himself a bad liar, but Karna picked up on it anyway, "…as you say."
At least he didn't press.
Nobody interrupted the pair from that point onward, and if the expression Nocturne wore held any weight in that, well, he wasn't going to say anything about it.
The village turned out to be more of a camp than any of the villages Nocturne had visited back when he was still Avery, but the people didn't seem much different. Whatever it was that linked small communities with closemindedness in the places he'd gone, Nocturne didn't know, but he no longer held the belief that small circles held tight bonds like he'd once had as a child. Perhaps that was too idealistic of him.
Those thoughts faded to the steady thuds of his partner's steps, the comforting sound echoing within the confines of his minds, refocusing his mind to the moment. Nocturne took in his surroundings for the first time since he arrived, finding himself surrounded by the same sort of burlap tents that he'd awoken within- only smaller and generally more weatherworn. The rips and tears would make Nocturne worry for their health in the winter or rain, but really the only one he was worried about was Karna. He could spare nothing else but concern for the children he'd heard playing in what he believed to be a clearing in the tents, he'd not seen it with Karna taking him around the outer edge to wherever they were headed. Perhaps he should have asked where they were headed earlier, now he felt that he could only wait and follow.
As they walked in silence and he had more time to his thoughts, Nocturne came to wish he'd asked something about the... village? Encampment? He didn't know, he wished he did. In the end, however, he'd found the silence too comfortable to break. And maybe he'd worried about Karna probing into his discomfort again.
Karna's voice cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality once again, "She should be here, your Worship."
Unluckily, it wasn't soon enough to stop Nocturne from bumping into Karna in his dissociation. The contact anchored him as he blinked a few times before hurriedly stepping away. He looked to the ground and cleared his throat, fighting off his embarrassment with a quick, "Ah, yes, thank you, Karna." An attempt to distract from it.
Although he'd been startled by the sudden push, Karna thought nothing of it as he made no comment. All he did was continue his job and step into the simple tent before him, one not large enough to make Nocturne believe it housed anyone important when he'd seen some twice its size in more central locations. In fact, it was smaller than the one he'd woken up in. However, he could hear Karna introducing him so it must be the right location. Perhaps this person was simply more down to earth than some of the others, or all personal tents were that size. Nocturne reminded himself not to make quick judgment calls.
"Please bring him in," Said an older woman's voice.
Not even a second later, Karna returned, ducking out and stepping outside to hold the tent flap open with his head bowed. He was too sweet. Or perhaps it was simply because Nocturne was being considered some kind of 'Great One'. He hoped it was the former, that was what he thought to himself as he walked in with his head held high, he didn't want the one person he liked so far to feel obligated around him.
The interior of the tent had less room than the outside suggested, despite being made for these giants, he found the space overrun with books in countless piles, stacked in front of one another in a manner that would make it a hassle to retrieve any single one- even if it was in any way organized. Only a small area in the middle remained, housing a rickety-looking desk lit by a half-melted candle and two old chairs, one of which likely had sat the woman who now knelt on the ground, her book forgotten.
"Welcome, your Worship," She did not meet Nocturne's eye as she spoke, "It is a pleasure to bask in your divine presence."
Why did meeting people in the... village-camp-place have to be so awkward? Nocturne wasn't sure why he'd ever thought he wanted to be royalty or anything of the like if this was what it was like.
"Please raise your head," Nocturne began, unsure where he was going, at a loss for words even as she followed his request, "I... ah, was told to speak with you after I awoke?" He hoped he didn't sound as lost as he felt.
"A mere request, I do hope you were not pushed," The woman turned her attention to Karna for a split second before returning it to Nocturne, not meeting his eyes, "That one can be a little overzealous but I promise he meant to disrespect. Since he has overstepped his bounds and failed to follow orders, and though it is my dearest hope you can forgive him, I can have him punished if-"
"-That won't be necessary, he's done nothing wrong." Nocturne's voice turned to ice in an instant, his gaze threatening to freeze the old woman, even as she refused to meet it.
"Thank you for your mercy, your Worship," She replied, relief palpable in her voice. It seemed she cared for Karna and that was enough to calm the storm in Nocturne's heart. He supposed she had asked for him to forgive him, but he didn't like the stern looks she kept sending Karna, who's gaze, he knew, was firmly on him.
"Now then," Nocturne backtracked, "What did you want from me?" How much do you know? He wanted to ask but decided to refrain until he had a handle on the situation.
The old woman almost dropped her head again, only barely managing to catch herself as she returned her attention to Nocturne's jeans. "We wish to know what you intend to do now and if we can lend our assistance in any way."
Nocturne narrowed his eyes in distrust, "What's the catch?"
"There is no-!" Her gaze shot up to meet his own before dropping to the ground in defeat. She released a sigh, "No, I should be entirely honest with your Worship. I do not know, but I would not put it past the First Elder to have some idea like that. Even still, I promise you, if a single member of Clan Lycanthri tries anything underhanded, I, on my name of Twelfth Elder, will do everything within my power to bring such scum to justice. Surely my fellow elders feel the same."
"…And what do you expect of me?"
"Was my explanation not satisfactory?"
"No, I mean, why are you doing this? What are you getting out of this?"
"We need nothing. Your journey is more than important enough to justify any cost. We need only have an idea of what you require to resurrect our departed God and we shall provide if we can. At the very least, I'm sure we can lead you in the right direction."
It was a testament to Nocturne's poker face that the sheer shock of the statement didn't break through in its rush.
"I see…" What was he supposed to say? How the hell was he supposed to resurrect a god?? "Well, for now, I need information and to find my bearings."
"Of course, that makes sense. You only recently fell from the heavens and you've spent the whole time recovering… yes, we'll support your recovery with all we have," She sounded like she was speaking to herself for a few moments before finally addressing the one before her, "Please feel free to take advantage of all we have to offer even if it might not be to your Worship's standards. Additionally, we would like to supply you with one of our warriors, the First Elder has taken over that process, so I'm afraid I have no influence over that. I believe he has designed a tournament of sorts to eliminate unworthy candidates from the options we have available. If you would prefer to do that now, I can inform him and have it set up immediately, otherwise, I would advise it be done soon."
As if he'd need a tournament to have that kind of decision made, but something drove him to ask, "Tell me, Twelfth Elder, what if I would prefer to make that decision on my own?"
"I would ask that you didn't."
Something told Nocturne to listen.
"…Very well. Ask him to host it in the evening, I would like to gather my thoughts before it all begins."
"As you wish, your Worship."
She bowed her head once more, rising to her full height, seven and a half feet, to carry out his request. Although he'd expected her to rush out with the treatment he'd received before, he was somewhat surprised when she stopped to address Karna with a harsh whisper, "Kneel, young one, you are in the presence of a divine. Remember your place."
She lingered only for a moment at the exit to assure herself that he would follow her instruction before leaving. Somehow Nocturne could track each movement without turning to look, the way she stretched her hunched form up, the way Karna panicked, the quick drop from parade rest, the movement of the left flap over the right, he followed it all.
He waited only a moment after she had left to speak, "Rise, Karna, you need not kneel."
A lazy look over his shoulder silenced the bubbling protest and Nocturne's gaze didn't linger as he heard him shift to stand. It took a few more strides than the elder had taken for Nocturne to cross the space and perhaps the area was a little bigger than it had seemed. Things changed when taken out of perspective, he supposed, and that chair was definitely bigger than he'd thought. If the size difference between him and that woman had been more than the two feet it was, he'd probably have had a lot more difficulty getting into one of those chairs. As it was, he made it first try without embarrassing himself too much. He nodded to the other chair when Karna was on his feet again, "Sit with me."
This time, Karna didn't make even a token protest, following his order immediately and swiftly taking the other seat. Nocturne shouldn't have felt jealous that he could do it so easily when the chairs were made for people like him, but he did.
Really, Nocturne shouldn't even be thinking about putting so much trust in Karna when his position there was so precarious, but something about him felt so familiar. Something made him trust him and Nocturne knew he needed advice, since System was out of the question after she vanished earlier, and Karna felt like the only choice, unprecedented feelings notwithstanding. So, he'd trust his gut.
"I'm going to be one hundred percent honest with you, Karna. I have no idea what is going on, where I am, or why I'm here," Nocturne said, meeting his gaze head on no matter how much he wanted to look away, "All I know is that I got a message about some kind of plan and then I woke up in that bed. I think I might be the person you're talking about but…"
"You are worried, you do not know anything of our expectations," Karna finished for him, a warmhearted smile on his face, "I think I understand, you seemed a little overwhelmed when I came in. You did not respond to me and jumped straight to information gathering, I had explained it as being upset at my intrusion, but it seems my first assessment was correct." He placed one hand over his heart. "Of course, that hardly changes much, your Worship. You are still the one we have long been waiting for, but I swear I will double my efforts to assist you. Please ask me anything you wish to know; I will answer to the best of my abilities."
The sheer relief that rushed through Nocturne was almost enough to double him over. Karna understood, he wasn't upset. For once, Nocturne had made the right decision in trusting someone and he couldn't be happier about it. Whatever it was that told him Karna was trustworthy, he thanked it with all his heart.
"Thank you, Karna…" It felt rude not to verbalize one's gratitude when it ran deeper than magma, "In that case, I believe the first thing I should know is what this whole thing is about. I'm supposed to revive a god?"
Karna nodded his confirmation, "Yes, the Dawn Dragon. It has been millennia since it vanished but there's a prophecy just as old stating that one day someone will appear to mark the beginning of its return. I will save you the details and say that it can be boiled down to the starfall from a fortnight ago and that someone matching your description and name would appear. I apologize on behalf of my people that they assume you are all knowing, it is foolish of them. However, I worry that they would believe you an imposter if you revealed the truth…"
"Yeah, I got the same kinda feeling- I mean-!" Nocturne tried to correct himself but quickly gave up, Karna had already heard worse from him, "Ah, nevermind. How about this place? How does it work?"
"We are a warring clan, officially, that is. Really though, we act more like a mercenary group. We will fight for the highest bidder, guard whoever pays us well, and as much as I loathe to think of it, we sell off our own people. I have tried to change our ways, but my voice no longer holds much weight since I began reading…" Frustration evident in his voice, Karna's brow furrowed for a few moments before he released a chest deep sigh, "No, I should focus on giving more practical information. Our leadership consists of the Elder Circle, with authority assigned by number, the First Elder is the end all be all while the Twelfth Elder holds only more sway than any not of the circle. Other than that, we have our crafters and hunters, both self-explanatory. If one of us is not part of either category, a child, or the heir of an elder, then we are considered pariahs, I, myself, am part of that group. We are the first to be sold off when it comes down to it. This is also the reason I will not be considered as a viable candidate for your bodyguard."
Anger flared up in Nocturne's heart, what kind of place had he found himself in? What place could treat someone like Karna so… so… horrendously?
"That's why you wanted me to consider you?" He asked.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Karna responded slowly, "…Yes. Though it is selfish of me and far beyond my position, I cannot see myself in any other position than at your side. I have felt this way since I found you, more so after I first saw you awake."
"Don't worry about it, I feel similar," Nocturne gave him a reassuring smile, "I haven't put much thought into the future or where I see myself, but I felt from the moment I saw you that you were someone I could trust, as much as I tried to tell myself I couldn't know that."
Karna bowed his head, "I am honored to hear that."
Just as Nocturne opened his mouth to ask another question, a familiar voice intoned, emotionless yet comforting.
"Report. Memory retrieval successful. Would you like to review?"
Questions could wait for later.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AreaArea
AreaArea Ahhhh I couldn't think of a chapter name for so long, but I think I like the one I settled on.
In this chapter, Nocturne defends Karna (someone who has already wormed his way into his heart) and tries to hide the truth of himself from people who believe they know him.
I gotta ask, is there anything you all would like to ask Karna? Nocturne had to pause his Q&A session which has unintentionally given me the chance to answer any of your questions!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone