Aaaaaaa! Aaaa! Stop it! Stop it! Forgive me! Forgive me!
The agonizing screams of the criminals pierced the air. They're soul shattering pleas fell on deaths door as Noctis ruthlessly carried out their punishment. J curled up into ball covering his ears, tears streamed down his face.
Two hours had passed as Noctis slowly walked out the final cell. A pin drop silence fell in the cellar, the slavers and buyers passed out from blood loss and pain.
Noctis crouched down, his voice soft, "J? Are you there or did you pass out? After all there is one more place you need to visit before we are done here."
"G-get away from me, you sadistic freak!" J said as he backed away, his eyes widened, fear written all over his face.
Noctis stood up, his gaze sharp. "Do I really have to use that to make you more stronger?"
Noctis sighed drawing a circle in the air as he murmured. "Spot."
An ancient spell once used on him and now he is using it one J. Strands of blue strings shot out of his fingers slowly wrapping around him. Then it tightened around J, phasing through his body and binding his heart. And in the next second, every strand of fear disappeared as a black spot appeared on his heart. As an old memory flashed before Noctis's eyes.
___
Noctis knelt down before the king of Aurora Vale who wore a red robe and a golden crown on his head.
"Noctis was it?" the king said.
"Yes, sire." Noctis said softly a small smile on his face.
"You do know why you were called here right?" The king said.
"Yes, sire. I am supposed to receive a gift from you." Noctis dare not raise his head, he closed his eyes.
The king raised his hand signaling the mages to begin. The mages nodded and raised their hands slowly chanting the spell. As blue strings wrapped around Noctis's body and heart, five out of ten mages collapsed to the ground but they continued. After a few minutes the spell completed forming a small black circle as the remaining mages fainted.
Hahh…
Noctis exhaled and slowly opened his eyes.
"Thank you my sire. With this gift yours I will make you proud and make the neighboring kingdoms kneel before you." Noctis said with radiating confidence.
___
J's sharp voice brought Noctis back to his senses as J said. "What was that? All of my fear just vanished, how? What did you do to me?"
"Calm down it is just a small spell to help you and it will be broken once you have conquered your fears. So, now rise. It is crucial for you so get up now and follow me." Noctis said in a commanding tone.
J slowly got up from the floor dusting away at his pants, avoiding his gaze from the cells.
Then they started walking slowly, their footsteps echoed through the dimly lit hallway. As the air hummed mixing with their footsteps in rhythm.
As they're walking J spoke in a demanding tone his voice sharp. "Noctis tell me honestly what did you do to me? Are you trying to control my mind because I'm challenged your laws and ideals?"
"If I really wanted to control you I could have made you my slave with a simple spell I picked up over the years, but I didn't. I have no need to. What I want is for you to be strong enough to protect my people." Noctis said his voice deep as his eye and hair turned back to normal.
J tilted his head as he continued to follow Noctis. "What do you mean by protect your people? Aren't you here to do that?"
Noctis sighed, "I don't have much time left. I have been suppressing my mana and power for too long and now it is breaking me from inside. So, I am relying on you as the fourth to take my place or at least make world where my people can live in quiet peace."
J gulped, knitting his eyebrows. "What do you mean by you don't have much time left? How long do you have?"
"Three years! That's all I have before I lose control. I know you just want to return to your world — and I will teach you the spell. But in exchange, you must make a contract with me — binding our souls," Noctis said, his voice sharp.
J stopped and took a step back. "Contract?! What do you mean?"
Noctis kept walking. "Don't stop. Follow me," he said. "A contract is a pact made between two dark magic users. In our case, I will teach you everything you need to know — and in return, you will create a stable world for my people."
"I… would need time to think about it. But can you clarify what you mean by 'binding our souls'?" J asked.
Suddenly, Noctis stopped before a grand door, thorny roses carved into its surface.
"To put it simply — it's an oath. If broken, the one who breaks it will face severe punishment," Noctis said as he slid open the heavy metal door.
The room beyond was laced with glowing vegetation, a warm light illuminating every leaf. A sweet aroma lingered in the air. At its center rested four glass coffins.
In the coffin on the far right lay a boy with black hair, draped in iron, motionless. Gaping holes were scattered across his body, and a broken sword rested beside him.
Next to him, another coffin held a brown-haired boy with pale skin and a severed head. Bruises covered his body, and a pair of shattered golden gauntlets remained clenched in his hands.
Beside him, a girl with flowing blue hair lay still, a gaping hole piercing through her chest.
And finally, in the last coffin, a girl with short white hair appeared as though she had been torn apart by wild beasts—her body covered in bite marks, deep scratches, and patches of missing flesh.
J slowly turned his head towards Noctis. " What is this? W-what happened to them? Why are they decorated like this?"
"They are the past heroes who faced me head on." Noctis said somberly, "They were quite strong alas they were to naïve and ignorant to see the truth. They believed the kingdoms and their lies they thought everyone in my kingdom as their enemy and a treat to this world."
"So, you killed them?!" J exclaimed.
"Not quite as their consciousness is still trapped within this world meaning they can see and hear us but cannot interact with us." Noctis said softly.
J narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Have the kingdom of Linares did not tell you that the body you have now is nothing but a puppet? Only that came here is your consciousness, but your body and soul is still in your world unconscious. Also to pull this thing of they sacrificed four thousand mages not literally metaphorically as those mages are now in coma." Noctis explained.
J's eyes widened as he shook his head.
"N-no, that can't be true. All of us got hurt, bled, and even fell sick… and Nita fell into a coma after exhausting her mana!"
Noctis turned towards J, pointing at him.
"So tell me—how come you and your friends have powers and magic that only exist in Alimia? How did you learn swordplay and spell casting within a few weeks, when it normally takes years?" He paused, his voice low and sharp.
"The only reason your body reacts the way it does is because it was designed to mimic human behavior—from bleeding to falling sick."
J covered his face with one hand and shook his head. "N-no… no that can't be true. There is no way it's true, when we were summoned here we had our school dress on." J paused, "But… if it is wouldn't that mean everything we experienced was a lie?"
"The reason you had your own clothing is simple it was copied from your memory. And as for your experience they were and are real as this puppet body of yours listens to your will." Noctis said softly.
J took a deep breath and exhaled, counting one to ten then he spoke. "Okay I get it… but why are the previous heroes consciousness still trapped in this world."
Noctis tilted his head, getting close to J. "Because they have not defeated me yet. If they want to return then someone has to kill me." Noctis turned towards the glass coffins.
"I could just kill their consciousness by burying them, but I have no intention of killing them because I am sure there is someone waiting for them in their world. Now that I have brought you here, they are expected to attach themselves to you and provide guidance."
All of the sudden Noctis starts to count.
One. Two. Three. Four. Fi—
But before J could hear the last number he is transported to some unknown place a battle-field broken sword and crumbled bodies scattered everywhere, the smell of blood is fresh.
J looks around stumbling on his steps. Even though he felt no fear his heart raced, his blood streams became faster and his breathing sallow.
Then a pair of hands covered his eyes as someone spoke in a playful tone. "Guess, who?"
J quickly swatted her hands, stepping back. As he saw a girl with blue flowing hair and golden eyes, wore a grey robe with golden swirls along her sleeves.
"How the hell am I supposed to know? Who are you? Wait aren't you that girl with a gaping hole in her chest?" J asked.
The girl crossed her arms and stomped on the ground before looking at J. "Opps! Sorry I forgot to introduce myself I'm Luna. The former healer and mage of the heroes party. And you?" her body trembled. "And yeah I— I'm the girl with the gapping hole through my chest. That Noctis fella was brutal, I didn't even got to use my ultimate spell before he killed me with on clean punch and even before I realized I was dead. Actually I was the first one to die."
J gulped, "I'm J, but that's besides the question how can you say something like that so casually?"
"Welp, when you've over seventy years to think about something it doesn't seem cruel or hard does it?" a boy spoke in a deep voice from behind J.
As J turned the boy with brown hair got down from the piles of body extending his hand. He had lose brown pant and a protective necklace on. His amber eyes burned faintly. "Hi nice to meet you I'm Ken. The brawler of the group, you must be one of the new heroes."
J shook his head. "I guess you can say that but I'm more like a fallen hero now."
"Fallen or not you're still a hero, aren't you?" a confident voice echoed besides him.
"And you're that swordsman?" J said tilting his head.
"Yes, I'm. My name is Ryan, the swordsman of the group." He said calmly.
He was draped in iron and silver, his armor radiating under the warm sun.
"Ugh… do you guys really think he can defeat Noctis? And even if he can what's the point in that? It's been seventy years by this point our body are probably old fossil while our mind is young." A white haired girl exclaimed her violet eyes had lost there sparkle. Her body was draped in iron armor with red runes scattered throughout.
"Ruby! Don't be like that. Don't you remember what Noctis said, fifteen years here is one year in earth?" Luna exclaimed.
Ruby tilted her head, "And how can we believe that smiling demon? Who took everything from us?" she continued, "He killed our comrades like it was nothing and forced me to see all of you fall one by one helplessly. And when I managed to borrow some power from the eclipse state he crushed me with his overwhelming strength."
Ruby clenched her first, "And to add salt to the injury he kept smiling throughout our fight. Do you really expect me to believe him?"
"Okay. Okay. We understand that very well after all we all have talked about it already. But would please calm down?" Ryan paused and then continued again.
"In truth nobody here trust Noctis but he is the only hope. And if he was saying the truth that mean we still have chance with our new friend J here." He said as he pointed his finger at J."
"Damn you guys are always so serious, just relax and let him breath." Ken said with a smile.
Ruby shook her head as she sat on the ground clutching her knees tight. Her voice soft, "You guys can do whatever I-I just wanna go home. But it means trusting Noctis which I don't want to, but maybe if he promises that he will defeat Noctis for us I'm willing to put my trust in him."
J stared at the former heroes still processing what's happening.
Luna got close to J looking at him with puppy dog eyes. "Won't you free us from this?"
"I'd but how? How am I supposed to defeat Noctis?" J said spreading his hands.
The former heroes sat on the ground forming a diamond with J being in the middle.
"Noctis is someone who cares about his people than anyone else and if we can make them turn against him he is going to break emotionally especially if you can make his brother betray him." Ryan said, his voice cold and sharp.
J gulped as he also sat on the ground. "But that isn't right, is it? It's unmoral I don't think we should do something like that."
"Let him feel the pain we have faced." Ruby exclaimed.
Luna exhaled, her voice soft. "It isn't when you think about it. After he is the type of person who thrives in psychological manipulation and control and when that is broken he is granted to make a fatal mistake."
"Even so—"
Ken interrupted J mid-sentence. "We know what you are feeling J, trust me we do. But when you live with person like him for seventy years you're bound to get influenced."
J shook his head, his voice defeated. "Okay, but how? From what I've seen his people are very royal to him."
Ryan smiled his voice calm and reassuring. "You don't have to worry about that Noctis will do it by himself if he agree to his contact."
J tilted his head. "How? And why would he do that?"
"We know him better than anyone. So, please trust us on this. He is most likely going try making you the new favorite of the people while making himself look bad so that you don't have any problem in ruling Aurora Vale." Ryan replied.
J's eyes sharp, "So, you want me to make the contract with him and use him to achieve our goals?"
"Precisely! And we will train you to become even stronger than Noctis and exposed everything we have learnt since our demise."
Ryan stood up and reached out his hand.
J shook his head and took Ryan's hand. "O, I'll help you but after I've learned how to return back to earth."
Ken jumped off the ground wrapping his arm around J's shoulders. "Now, that's the spirit."
"Thank you!" Luna murmured.
As Ruby stared at J's back imagining a warm glow radiating from his back, a small smile formed on her face.
But in the next second, everything vanished, and J found himself back in the cellar.
"What did the heroes tell you?" Noctis said softly his never fading smile glued to his face.
"…" J didn't respond as he got up from the floor.
"Well, nonetheless it is nice to know they finally found someone to talk to except themselves." Noctis continued.
"What do you mean?" J asked.
"The heroes can only attach their consciousness to those who have entered this room and until now I was the only one who came here. And as my power is superior to theirs they couldn't communicate with me, but was different for you wasn't it?" Noctis replied.
J nodded, "Yeah, I met and talked with them and… they were nice."
"That is nice to hear that but we should get going." Noctis said as he swiped his hand teleporting J and him to the throne room.