Event || Once Upon A Dream

[eternitymods]

Who: All characters who signed-up!
When: May 31st - June 04th
Where: The Dream Width (+ Curti Center & Airships)
What: Event log for the Once Upon A Dream Event! Should your character have their own memory, start your own top-level with said memory. If not, then tag around in other characters's memories! Furthermore, feel free to use the Mingle threads at the Curti Center and in the Airships for non-memory related CR. Please refer to the OOC Post for details and plotting. Plot Memories and the second Airship Mingle will be unlocked on May 25th.
Warnings/Notes: Memories with specific warnings will be marked as such by their players.

Please use the following form for your memory's title line:
CHARACTER'S NAME | MEMORY TITLE | WARNINGS (IF ANY)
We will add links to your memories here as the event progresses!

Mingle: Curti Center | Airships #1 | Airships #2
Plot Memories: The Dream | The Nightmare | The Premonition
Holographic Messages

Adrien Agreste | Then and Now
Aqua | Thorny Pathway | cw: spoiler for kh 0.2
Castor | Lord of the Inferno | cw: fire, mind control
Ena | Zera Hamlet, Reprise | cw: mutilated corpses
Futaba Sakura | Early Days | cw: references to verbal abuse/neglect and auditory hallucinations
Ignis Scientia | For The Life of the Chosen | cw: spoilers, violence, death
Irhya Pendhula | The Parting Glass | cw: violence, amputation
Johnny D'Amico | United Earth Prisoner
Kanji Tatsumi | You're a BOY, you know! | cw: bullying, mild homophobia
Lelouch vi Britannia | Julius Kingsley
Monika | Just Monika | cw: spoilers, possible horror, possible deletion
Nanamo Ul Namo | A Good Memory
Noctis Lucis Caelum | Light of the Crystal | cw: chapter 13 spoilers
Okuyasu Nijimura | Lending a Hand | cw: blood/injuries
Prompto Argentum | I'm not one of your experiments! | cw: episode prompto spoilers
Selphie | The Answer | cw: gore/death
Takashi 'Shiro' Shirogane | The end of the beginning | cw: end of season 2 spoilers
Tidus | A Broken Dream | cw: death, bullying

Comments

[lordshield]

The whole scene was... a lot to take in. Clarus watched in horror, feeling helpless, as he tried to soak in as much as he could. His heart soared to see his son fighting so valiantly, to see the new scars and strength he possessed. Prompto fighting with such purpose, and Ignis... The cane and the scars weren't lost on Clarus, and he lost his breath for a moment. What had these poor boys been through on their trip? From how Noctis and Ignis described it, he knew little of it had been pleasant, but... No, honestly Clarus wasn't surprised something awful had happened, he supposed he was surprised it happened to Ignis. He and Regis had mourned the loss of Noctis fifteen years ago, and Clarus had contemplated at that time that he would likely loose Gladiolus as well, but Ignis was an unforeseen casualty of sorts.

For a moment he worried this was how the other three met their end, at the hands of a hoard of daemons on foreign soil. But as he watched over his shoulder as he followed after Noctis, Clarus noted that they seemed to be holding their own fairly well. The words Ardyn spoke were true, however; he did not envy Noctis that decision.

The power of the ring made Clarus shiver and recoil a few steps. He'd never get used to that aspect of it no matter how many decades he'd spent with it. To be fair, though, Regis most often used the ring for elemental attacks and shields rather than... that. But enough hesitation, now was the time to try to act and bring the prince back from this nightmare.

"Noctis!" He called out, taking long strides to close the gap between them as the door shut, but the young man was already running for the central elevator. The older man was forced to run after him. Being that this wasn't real, he wondered what would happen if he didn't get in the elevator in time, but he wasn't certain he wanted to find out, so he followed closely. But then they were alone, so he tried again. "Noctis, snap out of it. This isn't happening right now, you're lost to your mind. You need to wake so we can return to your companions."

[warpstriking]

It wasn't a choice to be made lightly, and he truly had no other option. Either he died with his friends because that sick bastard would likely just keep sending daemons at them until one of them fell (or all, his mind supplies that possibility) and doom the rest of the world to no promise of the dawn, or he drag his ass to the Crystal.

So he put his faith in his brothers to handle themselves and pressed on, swore he would come back for them all. He doesn't so much as sense Clarus, his voice sounding nothing more than a gust of wind amidst the mechanical noise of the elevator. He only took a few steps before the words from the start of the memory are given context.

"How far's this go?" Noctis' voice echoed in the long hallway with each step. "The Crystal had better be here. Everyone's counting on it...counting on me."

He felt a headache coming on as his eyes caught a glimpse of the familiar light in the distance.

"Your journey is over, Noct."

[lordshield]

Familiar indeed. He'd visited the crystal's chamber in Insomnia with Regis enough times to instantly recognize the light. He growled softly at the idea of the precious gift in the hands of the Niffs rather than in Lucis where it truly belonged.

"Noctis Lucis Caelum, enough. Not a step further," he barked in order, reaching out to grab the young man with both hands and pull him back, to interrupt the memory so they could be gone from this unholy place.

"This time is over for you, you needn't continue this path," he continued to inform the prince. Or... was he king now?

[warpstriking]

It's right there— on the other end of the long catwalk, finally within reach after so long. Yet as he took the first couple steps, he's stopped by the sensation of hands on his shoulders, holding him back. Noctis blinked, turning his head to see who it was that could be.

...

Nothing. He saw nothing. His eyebrows scrunch together with confusion as he turned slightly further still. "What?"

He's not hearing you, Clarus. Try again.

[lordshield]

The Shield gave a frustrated growl at his failure. He didn't like this scenario, he didn't like being stuck helpless and watching. He preferred to act and protect and just generally be involved.

"Noctis Lucis Caelum!" He tried again, practically shouting in the young man's face as he tried to move around to block his way. "Wake up! This isn't real. If it was real, you are no longer living it. Chancellor Izunia isn't anywhere near and Ignis and Prompto are safe and waiting back on the airship for you to return."

the dice finally stopped hating the old bear lmfao

[warpstriking]

Noctis Lucis Caelum!

His voice finally got to him, but where was it-? It's close, he can tell that much. Probably right in front of him considering how he felt hands earlier and at the volume of the tone. Was it because of how Ardyn taunted him about the dead? Was that why he was hearing Clarus' voice?

...real... no longer... Izunia isn't...Ignis...Prompto...waiting...

Noctis grit his teeth, trying to make out what was too garbled by whatever's going on to understand. Trying to follow the sound of the other's voice in the vain hope that he might catch a glimpse of the speaker. Whatever was going on, it wasn't nearly so merciful to let him see it. Not completely. He could make out a vague outline, but at the same time...

Argh, the hell was going on?!

"Is this some kind of a joke?" He said, not to Clarus, but up to the ceiling. Ardyn's laughter echoed through the hall and chamber beyond, responding to the young royal's outrage. "Quit screwing with my head!"

"Oh, Noct... If only you could see the look on your face."

[lordshield]

Whether or not Noctis was reacting to him or something Ardyn was doing, Clarus couldn't tell. So he continued to try, lifting both hands and shoving Noctis back with quite a bit of force. If his voice wouldn't work, maybe physical force would.

"This has gone on long enough," he growled, pressing his attack by shoving again. "We need to return to the ship now. We cannot dally here any longer, Noctis!" Clarus had no idea what might happen if they remained in the Dream Width too long, if they would be lost forever, and he had no intention of sticking around to find out. He may have taken a risk when he'd encountered Prompto, but he would do no such thing with Noctis.

[warpstriking]

Noctis magic automatically reacts to the attempted shove, the familiar blue silhouette taking his place as he phases through it as the young king appeared once more directly beside him. His warps and phasing had only gotten better since the Fall of their kingdom, it would seem. Yet as he reappeared, something... odd happened.

"A ship..?" he asked, before it all began to flicker around them as the royal tried to recall it. He remembered...

The light within the Crystal slowly took over as the sight of the Draconian Himself filled their vision. Bahamut dropped him deeper within the Crystal's light, and he remained there, floating weightlessly as the Ring grew steadily brighter. After that, he-

Ignis, Prompto, Shiro, Reno, those two girls he never caught the names of, Hunk and...

"...Clarus." Astrals, his heart ached knowing his father's Shield had to witness this. How much did he see? Yet as that realization dawned on him, another sort of weightlessness seemed to start taking hold.

[lordshield]

Just as they were making progress again... But Clarus was struck dumb at the sight of the Draconian standing over them. He stared in awe for a moment until Noctis spoke his name and snapped him back to their reality. Forgive him, he'd never seen a god before.

He smiled reassuringly at the young king and gripped him gently a moment before pulling him into a fatherly hug. "You're safe. Or rather, you will be." The older man glanced around, trying to discern a way out of this. "We need to return to the ship. Can we leave this place now?"

[warpstriking]

Clarus would be forgiven, but right now that was far from his mind. He knew long ago he'd be making legends come back to life, so suddenly a god? Eh. It was just another day that ended in the letter "Y" at that point.

Besides. Waking up was enough of a chore as it was. He stiffened slightly at the touch, trying not to let down that last wall as he found himself leaning into the embrace. Because, if he started? He doubted he'd stop and he had to keep it together, if only so that another memory wouldn't take the other's place.

"I'm not sure h-" A quiet yip broke his conversation as he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, a familiar and blue Messenger climbing up Clarus' back to sit on a once-free shoulder. Don't worry, uncle- he did that a lot to Noctis, too. "Carbuncle?"

It's kind of like that dream they trapped you in when you were small, Noct. Another yip. Focus on what happened after. You're almost there!