Final Fantasy Short Stories (+more)

(Creepypasta) Nocturne 2

"I believe I know of the creature you speak of," Slender said, looming over his two proxies. "The Nocturne - a being nearly as old as I am. She's quite elusive, I'm surprised you saw her. They say her howl is so beautiful that it captivates any human who hears it. She's even been called 'Reaper' and 'Death' for her tendency to steal the life force of humans."

"So, what should we do about it?" Masky asked.

"Nothing," Slender answered. "She is merely passing through. She'll be out of these woods before long. But be extra careful when you leave the mansion. Don't let her siren song entice you. And if you should happen to run into her, avoid all eye contact." The proxies both nodded in understanding.

~~~~~

A couple of nights passed without any trouble. But then one night, while Masky and Hoodie were out, they heard something in the distance. It sounded like a woman singing, and it seemed to echo over the distance. The two men both stiffened.

"Do you think that's... the Nocturne?" Hoodie whispered.

Masky slowly nodded. "Most likely. I kinda wanna see her."

He began walking in the direction of it, already falling under the spell. But Hoodie quickly snatched him by the arm, stopping him. "We shouldn't. Slender said to avoid her."

"I know, but..." The song was too alluring for him to ignore. "It's so pretty."

Hoodie tried to resist, but he also found himself wanting to head to the source of the song. "I... I guess a glimpse couldn't hurt."

The proxies gave in to their temptation and walked in the direction of the song. After a moment, it stopped, but the two continued onward quietly. They eventually caught sight of a very horrendous scene that made them freeze in their tracks. The skull-headed beast was there with a man. The guy was on his hands and knees, facing Nocturne as a white, wispy substance flowed from his body and collected in the beast's bony jaws. Once every bit was drained from him, the man collapsed, now a pale, stiff corpse.

Nocturne closed her jaws, the collected life force absorbing into her body. She then turned her head slightly, immediately noticing the two watching her. In an instant, the proxies both twisted around and ran as fast as they could. They were mentally cursing themselves for being such idiots. Nocturne was of course giving chase. She could already tell these were the same ones who had hidden from her before. But this time, she wasn't letting them escape her.

She was faster than them, quickly catching up, though they couldn't tell by how quiet her footsteps were. She was eerily silent, even when she moved so quickly. She darted past the two and stopped in front of them, cutting them off. Masky and Hoodie skidded to a halt and instantly covered their masked faces, making certain they didn't look at the beast. Nocturne was fascinated. She had never met anyone who was smart enough not to look at her.

"What do we do?!" Masky quietly panicked.

Hoodie remained silent. He was concentrating on sending his thoughts out in hopes that Slender was within range. Nocturne was growing impatient with them. She let out a shrill screech of a howl that made them both stiffen. While keeping his eyes averted, Masky bent down, snatched up a rock, and threw it at the beast. Nocturne easily jumped to the side, avoiding the object.

Hoodie then followed his companion's lead and grabbed a stick. He rushed forward, taking a swing at her. But she simply stepped back and grabbed the stick in her jaws, ripping it from his grasp and dropping it. She then jumped on him, tackling him to the ground. She stood over the hooded boy, her claws pressing ever so lightly against his collarbone. He squeezed his eyes shut as she leaned down, staring into the eyes of his mask. She knew what he was doing since she couldn't take his life force.

Masky was quick to snatch the stick Hoodie had previously used and swung it, smashing it against the beast's back. But Nocturne didn't even flinch. She looked back at her attacker, furious at his attempt at hurting her. She let out the most horrendous scream of anger. She stepped away from Hoodie and stalked toward Masky, who fearfully backed away. In the blink of an eye, Slenderman appeared in front of Masky, tendrils out.

"Nocturne!" he said in a loud, commanding voice. "Enough of this!" The beast froze in her tracks, recognizing another powerful being when she saw one. Hoodie was quick to jump to his feet and scramble behind Slender and alongside his friend. "Masky, Hoodie, are you both alright?"

"Y-Yeah," Masky answered. "We're fine, sir."

"Good. Nocturne, leave my proxies be. They're with me."

Nocturne's anger faded away as she peered up at the tall being. Now she understood why those two were so bold and clever - they were with Slenderman. Nocturne had no reason to fight with another being. Her only prey were humans. If she had known those were Slender's woods, she wouldn't have ever gone there. She backed away from him and sat down, noticing the proxies peeking around from their boss.

Slender's tendrils retracted when he sensed her hostility had dissipated. They all listened as the beast sang a beautiful song as apology. Masky and Hoodie carefully came out from around their boss, their fear leaving them. Once the song was sung, Nocturne stood, bowed her head to Slender, then turned and silently left.

"Where do you think she's going?" Masky asked.

"No one can say," Slender replied. "But I doubt we'll be seeing her again. The Nocturne will continue traversing the land, never ceasing, and never truly understanding why. It's all a part of her cursed existence."

"What do you mean?" Hoodie quietly questioned.

Slender tilted his head up toward the starry sky. "One of Zalgo's ridiculous ideas. He thought it would be amusing to see an immortal creature aimlessly wander about, judging humans by its own standards and deciding whether they live or not, all while it remains clueless as to its own point of existence. That beast, once an ordinary wolf, is the product of such an idea. The Nocturne will forever live out her pointless existence, only following her instincts as she does exactly what Zalgo intended for her - to prey upon humans she believes aren't worthy of their lives."

The proxies hung their heads down. "That's... sad," Masky stated.

Slender slowly nodded. "Yes... it is."

The End

I know this one only had two parts, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless!