⛦Final Fantasy XV⛦The Divine Necromancer

Chapter XVII - Walk Through Dark

Softness. That the first thing Kat felt. She had her head lying on something soft, but something that moving slowly up and then down. The light of the flashlight on her jacket gave her a clear view of someone's feet. But now just anyone's feet; Noctis's feet. Kat's eyes wide. She pushed herself onto her knees and looked towards Noctis who was lying unconsciously on the ground. Darkness was surrounding them and for a moment, Kat feel creeped out about it.

"Noctis." Kat whispered, calling out to him quietly, afraid someone who shouldn't, would hear. "Noctis." Kat called again, sleeping his cheeks gently, but he didn't budge which caused Kat to let out a frustrating sigh. "Noctis!" Kat slapped Noctis's cheek harder than she originally planned to, but at least it got his eyes to open up.

"Ouch..." Noctis placed a hand onto his burning cheek that Kat slapped to awake him. "What was that for?"

"How are you feeling?" Kat ignored his questioned and focused onto his well-being from falling down from above.

"You tell me. You slapped me." Noctis groaned, pushing himself into sitting position while rubbing his cheek.

"Don't be a baby." Kat commented, pushing herself onto her feet. "We need to find the others."

"Yeah..." Noctis agreed as he pushed himself onto his feet as well. "But first...you'll tell me what 'daemon stain' is?" Noctis demanded, the light of his flashlight illuminating her face for him to see her uncomfortable shift.

"Can't that wait when we get this done?" Kat asked, wanting to avoid the topic but knew she won't be able.

"Nope." His answer held firmness and Kat let out a sigh, figuring out the faster she answers the faster they leave this place.

"When I was a stillborn, my soul entered the Beyond that has always been stained by Starscourge. It stained my soul and I was resurrected with it." Kat started explaining. "At least that's what my mother told me." She murmured. "But the problem is, the souls I am bond with contain that stain as well and whenever I use them as my powers, my stain feeds on theirs." Kat said. "I am being infected by Starscourge."

"But you said the Starscourge doesn't affect you."

"It doesn't affect me as it would have." Kat placed her right hand over the Mark of the Six behind her left shoulder. "This mark is the blessing of the Six, it is what is suppressing the Starscourge from spreading inside of me." Kat told him.

"So..." Noctis gulped, looking from her shoulder towards her eyes. "You are going to be alright?"

"Yes." Reassuring smile appeared on her lips. "Let's find a way out." Her expression changed and she looked around at the darkness that was clouding their view.

"And a way out would be..." Noctis trailed off as he examined their surroundings, something catching his eyes. "Look, there's an opening." Kat looked towards the direction he was pointing at, a small opening that they could go through.

Kat was a bit skeptical, feeling something bad creeping on her skin. However, she proceed with Noctis. Kat went first under the wall in crouching position to head into the room the passage was leading. Noctis followed after her just to enter another dark room. The only light was their lamps on their clothes but they hardly helped them orientate themselves.

"Where are we...?" Noctis wondered quietly as they slowly and carefully made their way forwards with their bodies close to each other.

"Somewhere below?" Kat nervously laughed, showing her uncertainty and fear of the consuming darkness.

"You good at pointing out the facts." Noctis pointed out humorously, earning a sarcastic laugh from Kat.

Noctis tried to lighten up the mood, but the darkness that surrounded them just killed it. They walked close to each other and at one point, Kat's hand wrapped around his own. Noctis looked down at her cold hand grasping his own. Her skin was so soft and her hand perfectly fit his. He grasped it back and felt her bones shaking. It reminded him back on the day when she had to pass a few hard exams to enter the Royal Staff Office and a few minutes away from getting results, Kat had an urge to hold his hand from anticipation. Back then it didn't mean a thing to him, but now...it was different. He no longer saw her as a friend, but something much more than that.