Darker Beginnings

Chapter 4

  Noroi smiled wide whilst Aria escorted him to his home, Ultimate not too far behind the two as they discussed how to come forward to the public about not only Aria's return, but also how to dissect the scepter for the fragments of the Emblem within it.

"And remind me why we should save this thing?" Noroi asked. Aria chuckled a bit.
"Because it's an artifact of the past. It may be a misused artifact, yes, but an artifact nonetheless. I want to preserve it for historical uses." Aria explained, Ultimate catching up and chuckling.
"Hey, Noroi, think we can stay at your place for another night?" he asked. Noroi glanced to him, confused.
"Why? Your house is better than mine. And you've gotten your butt kicked so many times by my son at Mario Kart that you're on the brink of hating him." Noroi joked. Aria snickered, Ultimate laughing along.
"Your kid is amazing, Noroi. He's better at that game than me. It's just I want to help Ari come out to the public tomorrow. It'll ease her tension if I'm there." he said. Noroi looked to her, tilting his head.
"You two discussed this already?" he asked. Aria nodded.
"While you and Tezel were saying your goodbyes we did. Ulti keeps me calm through alot of things, he can certainly help me with this tomorrow." she said. Noroi nodded.
"Fair enough." he said. Ultimate pecked Aria's cheek, Aria chuckling and leaning on him as she walked. Noroi approached his house, looking down at the scepter. The obsidian-looking gem gleamed in the moonlight. Suddenly, he heard a voice. Looking around, he saw no one other than Aria and Ultimate, and they were dead silent. Noroi looked back into the gem, the voices getting louder and louder. Suddenly, he saw shadows erupt from the gem, he unable to move as they wrapped around his body. He began to shake violently, gasping for air.
They were choking him.
He heard his allies speak behind him, their voices dulled by the barrage of callous whispers.
"Noroi?" Aria asked, concerned.
"Dude, you ok?" Ultimate asked. Noroi was too chocked up to respond, unable to breathe, he began growing pale. The voices became clearer.
" What suffering you put us through...
Our blood stays on the hands of the sinner throughout time.
Nothing will clean this slate, not purity or divinity.
Try our fates on for size. "
Noroi was suddenly 'freed' from the episode of whispers, not realizing that Aria and Ultimate had begun to shake him.
"Noroi!" Aria yelled into the ebony night.
"Dude...You zoned out for a second...Everything ok?" Ultimate asked. Noroi turned his gaze away from the gemstone, sighing and shaking his head.
"I...I saw shadows...I heard whispers...Didn't you guys see or hear them!?" he asked frantically. Aria and Ultimate looked to each other, confused and bewildered. Aria looked back to Noroi and shook her head.
"N-No...Are you ok? Are you tired?" she asked. Noroi shrugged, Aria and Ultimate helping him inside as Noroi unlocked the door.
"Yeah...I'll just nap for a bit..." he said, concern masking any emotion in his voice.
This torment felt so familiar.
But why?


***

Majoni woke up, it late into the moonless hours and the sound of quiet muffled sobs keeping him up. He slipped on some slippers and began his decent down the main castle stairs. Reaching the kitchen, the sobs got louder and louder. He opened the door, seeing Shade's head seemingly slammed on the table, a glass of wine in his hand. Majoni calmly sat beside the Mobian, gently rubbing his back.
"Shade... What's troubling you at this hour?" Majoni asked. Shade sniffled, looking up at Majoni with red tinted eyes.
"I...I found my 'dad's old sword. And then I saw my mom's tombstone in the courtyard and...I just fell apart. Usually I get mad in this scenario but the dark light had other plans..." He said somberly. Majoni turned Shade's head to himself, petting his hair.
"Shade...In times like this you have to remind yourself... Who's your dad? The one who stood by you and gave you a shoulder to cry on?" Majoni asked. Shade wiped his tears away, sniffling a bit.
"You are...But... you're a king...I have royal blood but...you tower over me and have so many abilities to counter me... I've always called you your Majesty and you never complained..." Shade said. Majoni held Shade close to him, sighing a bit.
"Well recently I've started to care. These last two months I've seen what kind of boy you are. I didn't mind because back then you weren't a prince." Majoni said. Shade looked you to him with wide and shocked eyes, sniffling more and starting to breathe a bit faster.
"P-Prince...?" He asked. Majoni nodded, smiling warmly to him.
"Think about all you've done. Even when you weren't in these castle walls you've provided flames to factories and heat where needed. You've aided the people around you and even tend to my cats when I am out doing errands. You've turned yourself around since the day I met you. You're fit to be a Prince, Shade, I know it." Majoni said, hugging Shade tightly. Shade looked up to him again, smiling.
"Does that mean I'm your son?" He asked. Majoni looked to him and nodded.
"What Noroi did was inexcusable. You need a parent in your life. You're 23. You might be an adult but you never had a childhood. I want to give you someone to go to for fatherly love. Someone to turn to for advice or help or... anything really.. I'll happily adopt you if it'll more you happier in this castle." He said. Shade sniffled a bit, drying his eyes again and looking to his wine glass, Majoni chuckling and spawning himself some coffee, stirring it a bit and taking a sip. Shade looked up to Majoni, smiling fondly.
"T-Thanks...King Maj-...Dad." he said. Majoni looked down to Shade, ruffling his hair.
"No problem, son."Majoni said. Kuma walked in, shakily walking and falling flat on her face. Shade's ear twitched, Majoni sighing angrily.
"What did you do this time?" Majoni asked. Kuma climbed onto the table, booze in one hand and a fitful of tablecloth in the other to keep herself up.
"I kinda just hit three people on the head with beer bottles...It was funny." Kuma giggled. Majoni glared the shadow in the eye, snatching the alcohol and vanishing it into thin air. Kuma screamed as if she had just witnessed a murder.
"PEPPERJONI! WHAT THE FUCK?!" she yelled. Majoni snarled to her.
"No more. Go to your room, I'll deal with you when you're not a hungover bitch." He barked. Kuma growled at Majoni as she stumbled to her room, Shade looking up at the enraged Majoni and gulping, looking to his glass of wine. Majoni looked to Shade, smiling warmly and petting his son's ear.
"Don't fret about you drinking. She's a miserable excuse for a shadow. You're my son, drink as you please, but please refrain from getting drunk. It'd pain me to see you in the pain of being hungover." He said. Shade nodded, then shifted to confusion, looking to Majoni once again.
"Wait...if you hate her, why team up with her against the Kingdom of Light?" He asked. Majoni sighed a bit, ruffled Shade's hair, and took another drink of his coffee.
"You'll see eventually, my son. Some things are best left unseen for now."

***

Noroi shot up in his bed, staring off into the wall in his room. Autumn Leaf took quick notice, lightly tapping his arm.
"Noroi? Babe? You alright?" She asked. Noroi could hardly hear her over the whispers.
Menace.
Murderer.
Sinner.
Useless Husk of a Shadow.
Failure as a Father.
Failed Lover.
Noroi felt himself stand up, Autumn Leaf calling to him.
"Noroi...?!" She called. Noroi walked into the bathroom, locking the door, and drowning out the whispers just enough to hear Autumn Leaf and Natsu knocking on the door loudly.
"Dad?!" Natsu screamed.
"Honey! Open the door!" Autumn Leaf cried.
Noroi looked to his hands, finding a razor in one and his wrist in the other. He snapped out of it, screaming and dropping the blade onto the floor, falling into the bathtub in shock and rubbing his forehead, shaking violently.
It felt like a dream! He was so sure he was dreaming!
Was he sleepwalking?
He used his powers to open the door, Autumn Leaf rushing in and hugging him as he lay shaking in the bathtub.
"Oh Noroi! I was so scared! What came over you?!" She said, fear burning in her eyes and Natsu's becoming clouded with tears as he picked up the razor. Noroi was happy to see no blood on the blade or down his forearm, but he was still curious as to what happened. Aria rushed in covered in a nightgown he didn't own, possibly from her and Ultimate's place. Ultimate came close behind her, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"What happened?" Aria yawned. Autumn Leaf looked to Aria, then to Noroi, lowering her head.
"I-I don't know..." she said. Noroi sighed a bit, looking his household in the eye.
"Guys...Aria especially...I think we need to dig up some dirt to figure out what's happening." He said, Autumn Leaf pulling him out if the tub and hugging him tightly, Natsu put the razor where it originally was and hugged Noroi too. Aria and Ultimate joining in too. Noroi felt so warmed by the support, but one thought made his nausea return.

Why did he attempt to do something as heinous as that?