The Prince of Aincrad - Beginnings

Chapter 10: "Appointed"?

He couldn't sleep. He didn't know why, but Scary just couldn't doze off the way he usually did. He tried to count to five-hundred, but something nagged him constantly to the point he couldn't stay put. He just had to do something.

"...Ah, Goddess-damn it all." Scary cursed as he somehow ended up in a tower. He had walked around for a while, letting his feet take him wherever it felt. Needless to say, he was lost. He turned on his heel several times but he didn't recognize anything at all. It didn't really help when most of the torches were burned out.

"'Not like this place is cold and scary like ours' my arse. This place is just as bad as home!" Scary spat, clearly irritated by the fact that he was lost. He didn't like to admit it, but being in a foreign country in the heart of it all threw him off. He was used to the chilly atmosphere and the not very lively motivation that hung around the Royal Castle of Gale. Scary ran a hand through his hair with a scowl. "I should've at least asked for a damn map when I got here. Goddess, I feel stupid..."

"Eeeeehh? Are you wrost, sir?" came a soft voice behind him. Scary jolted in surprise as he spun on his heel, a hand quickly reaching for his hidden dagger in the back of his shirt. His eyes blinked in surprise and his hand froze in mid-action when he saw no one.

"What the-?" he began. Then, he looked down. A boy with silver hair wearing a pair of simple tan shorts and a brown night-shirt with his sleepy baby blue eyes staring up at Scary, stood up to his upper stomach, confusion on his face. At that moment, an image of a boy with similar features flashed in his head. Scary couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear when his mind pieced everything together.

"Whaaa!" he cried. Scary felt his eyes widen with utter shock and his body stumbled back, landing sorely on his arse. His head was automatically spinning with thousands of questions bombarding him. Could it be? Was he just dreaming? Or was this reality? Shouldn't this child be dead? Or was he supposed to be alive in the first place?! He suddenly heard the faint voice that spoken to the boy in that memory.

"I have pulled you from your eternal slumber to bring you into my father's dying world, but I desperately need you..."

Scary felt sick. Did that woman (who was more than likely to be Etra) mean that the boy was already dead? If so, then who the hell was the child standing before him?

The boy yawned and stretched a hand above his head, rubbing an eye with the other. "Haaaah~? What's wrong, sir? Is there somethin' behind me?"

He looked behind himself and saw nothing. He turned back to look at Scary with a frown, slowly waking up. "That's funny...there's nothing there. Are you scared?"

Scary blinked in confusion as he tried to calm his nerves. Maybe he had just mistook this child to be the one in his dream-or memory? Shaking his head to try and get a grip on things, he stood up and regained his composure as he dusted himself off.

"I-I'm not scared! Just-I'm was only acting!" Scary stammered, utterly failing to come up with a plausible excuse. The boy only gave him a raised eyebrow with an expression that clearly said "Oh, really?" He turned his head to the side and crossed his arms to hide the embarrassment creeping on his face. "A-anyway! What are you doing out here so late at night? Shouldn't a small boy like you be in bed?"

The boy pouted. "I was, but then I heard something strange."

Scary looked at the boy and tilted his head. "'Strange'? What did you hear?"

"I heard a loud whooshing sound and a door creaking open. I think it might be another ghost or something." The boy explained. Scary felt a shiver run down his spine at the mention of a ghost. An image of the boy flashed in his head once more, overlapping his view with the boy in front of him. He shook his head to push the picture away and focus on the boy.