Immortal Poison (FFXV)

Chapter 15

The sound of the crackling thunder and lightning was nearly drowned out by the behemoth's vicious roar. The thick layers beneath its skin was pierced endlessly by the katana of an enraged man. The beast ascended into the air, desperately wanting to shake the young man off of its back, but he wouldn't budge.
    Beside the Jeep, Calix and Celio stood with their weapons in their hands, watching the behemoth as it began to descend. Calix's eyes were glued to the flashlight on Cor's jacket. That was the only way he could really identify him, since it was very dark out. His first thought was to get back in the Jeep and leave. He had no doubt that Cor could handle a behemoth on his own.
Calix and Celio stumbled from the vibration caused by the behemoth's heavy paws slamming against the ground. Celio angrily mumbled what sounded like gibberish and he sat in the Jeep.
"Let's go." He demanded.
Calix was hesitant. He watched the battle, with full knowledge of what it was like to fight against Cor Leonis. He's ruthless.
     The longer he watched, the more his blood boiled, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He could hear Celio yelling at him, but since he was ignoring the loud voice, his words weren't clear. The tip of his blade dragged through the mud as he walked away from the vehicle. His emerald eyes held a murderous glare, though to anyone else watching, it'd be unclear who the glare was for. In his eyes, he saw one beast attacking an old friend, and another beast who was living the life that Calix wanted.
His steps quickened as he raised his blade from the mud. He'd made the decision to fight alongside Cor, against the behemoth.

Twelve years ago...

    Calix took Cor's hand, and was pulled up to his feet. He'd been defeated in yet another training session. As always, they had an audience, with most of them being teenagers and young children. Most of them cheered for Cor since he always won.
    "Once again, you need to work on your defense." Cor lectured confidently.
    "You stumbled a few times." Calix pointed out.
    "Maybe, but I still beat you." Cor shrugged. "I'll just have to train harder to get it perfect."
    The two thirteen-year-old boys grabbed their backpacks and started their walk to leave the park. The breeze was cool against their sweaty foreheads, and the clouds were pink from the warm sunset. They could hear the other kids, mostly their classmates, following them while engaged in conversations about the fight. Calix occasionally smiled and waved back at them, basking in their praise and words of encouragement. Cor, on the other hand, had no interest in hearing how great they thought he was. He had no interest in the fan club that formed for him.

    Once out of the park, everyone made their way home through different forms of transportation. Calix could see his chauffeur standing beside a navy blue car. The young boy's mood negatively changed instantly.
    "See you tomorrow." Cor waved briefly before starting his walk.
    "Wait!" Calix called, stopping Cor in his tracks.
    "What?"
    "Can I sleep over at your house?" Calix asked.
     "Why? Lonely again?" Cor teased.
     "No!" Calix denied. "My parents aren't home, and it gets boring at my house sometimes."
     Cor was right. Calix's parents were pretty busy people, and often worked late. Calix was an only child, and usually felt alone in his own home. His parents would make time for him as best they could, but would ultimately make it up to him through material items. It didn't bother him much since they were things he wanted, but it was never enough for him.
      "If you say so." Cor shrugged. "You can sleep over."
     Calix grinned as he rushed to inform his chauffeur. He waved to Cor, gesturing for him to join them. "He'll drive us to your house!"

      That evening, Calix flipped through a few pages from the newspaper, while laying inside a sleeping bag. Cor entered the room and rested two water bottles on the nightstand.
     "They look so cool." Calix admired the photos of the Crownsguards on each page. "Their uniforms are awesome. So many skulls!"
     "Is that really all you see?" Cor wondered suspiciously as he sat on his bed. "They're much more than just cool people in skull themed uniforms. They serve and protect the royal family. I'm gonna join them one day."
     "So am I." Calix grinned. "I'll be the best one they've ever seen."
     "Not with those poor defense skills."
     "I'll get better. Just you wait and see." Calix flipped though the pages again. "...I hope we get in at the same time. How old do you have to be to join?"
     "I'm not sure, and I don't think it matters when either of us get in. I mean...I wouldn't mind if we started at the same time, but ultimately, it doesn't matter if we join at separate times." Cor explained.