Chapter Text
An island floats in a darkened sea. If not for the barren kingdom anchored by its king, the island would have been engulfed by the waves.
Too secured in his room to notice the light rain pouring over the island, a young man sits, eyeing the chess pieces as if they moved with a single thought.
A low sigh is followed by the sound of a knight toppling a pawn. A bishop overtaking a rook. The kings and queens lie in an old, worn down box. One of the few items he had not parted with. Trying to figure out why, his mind senses another danger in the air. He closes his eyes, making out the familiar Yet distant blue-grey eyes. Eyes he could not place. The eyes of a familiar person lost to memory.
Tripping over branches and tumbling over roots could have been avoided if the sun had been out. Instead, Chuuya runs aimlessly through the dark. Was there a need to run if the threat was at bay? If the whole island was at rest?
Maybe not. Still. Chuuya hoped he could find the mysterious castle hidden in the forest. The one he had heard so little about from the few people who had ‘visited’ the island.
Panting, he rests against a tree. The bark is rough against his calloused skin. The gloves were ripped. Jagged holes cut across his palms. His left index finger poked out from its place, along with his right thumb. If he kept this up the gloves were sure to fall away from his hands.
Pushing himself up, Chuuya walks past the tree , only to hit a smooth mountainside. Convenient. He rubs his bare skin along the side.
Too smooth.
Stepping back, the cobblestone wall towers over the trees. It rises higher than the mountain it’s built into- as far as Chuuya could tell, with only moonlight to go by.
“This is too fucking convenient.” He smirks, walking until the wall opens into a clearing.
Metal poles climb high in the sky.
The iron is rusted over.
“I could do this the easy way. Or…” Scanning its height, Chuuya steps to the gate. At his touch the gate gives a loud creak before plummeting to the ground. “Or I could do that.”
The old castle looms over the island. Just the front was enough to assume it was abandoned. Plant overgrowth had done its job. Roots and weeds blanketed the ground, creating uneven surfaces. If there had been a tiled walkway it was gone. Vines weaved their way up the tower. Some leaked into open windows. Dark bushes hid forgotten entrances. And there was a man.
A man sitting on a stool. A dark grey cloak loosely wraps around him. A cap sits on his navy hair. Where the man’s focus was, Chuuya could not guess. He treads closer, only to hear the soft snoring from the man. With his eyes closed, his resting expression resembles that of a child’s. Relieved, Chuuya hurries inside.
A gloomy mist shrouds the entire castle. Inside was no different than out. A staircase sits to the left of the entrance. Unused, wooden doors lined the hall. Their colors faded and vines crept through openings where pieces had chipped away. Standing out of place and shining under the moonlight is the giant door. The heavy metal gives a groan as it is pushed open. Sure that he was going to wake the man outside and alert anyone else around of his presence, Chuuya slips past the door.
Aside from the light spilling through gaps in the ceiling and shining on the throne, the room is dim. The once remarkable oak and velvet seat now stands old and faded. A thick layer of dust covers the chair. Two grand staircases lie on both sides of the throne. A third sits off to the far right.
Walking past the pillars, Chuuya saw the throne was empty. It had been for a while. An eerie presence shadows the throne. Vacant of a living person, a decaying, cracked skull sits where the king should be. “Is the king dead?” His voice bounces off the walls as he steps past the throne into the dark halls under the stairs.
A long, door filled corridor stares back at him. Some were left ajar, giving light another place to slip through. The feeling of curious eyes follows Chuuya as he searches the empty rooms. He finds nothing. A few of what looked to be dried patches of blood but nothing more.
Scrape.
Scrape.
The sharp sound rings in his ears, sounding as if something were being dragged across the walls. Chuuya turns. No one was there.
Scrape.
Scrape.
The faint sound continues.
Scrape.
Scrape.
It gradually grows louder.
Scrape.
Scr-
A small metal object hits the ground. Someone bumps into him. Turning again, Chuuya grabs the figure by the wrist. His right hand had silently gone for his knife as his left restrained the figure against the wall.
Heavy breathing fills the hall.
“So this place isn’t completely empty…” Chuuya whispers, listening to the soft sound coming from the figure. Were they choking? No.
It was laughter.
Hardly able to see the person, Chuuya could feel their intense, perhaps murderous stare. “What the hell is so funny?” He mutters.
“You wouldn’t kill the king, would you?” Tauntingly, the person continues to chuckle. He didn’t seem to care that he was less than a knife away from dying.
“I’d gladly kill you if it meant getting rid of some asshole who shoves himself into me on purpose.” Chuuya considers. Thinking over the other’s words, his knife hand relaxes. Wait…
The other’s eyes trail to the metal object as it shines in the dim light. It’s stuck in the wall, less than an inch away from his head.
“The king…” Chuuya lets the other go, contemplating his actions if he killed the “king” in front of him.
“Yep,” the man hums, standing under the doorway of a dimly lit room. His features were almost as clear as day under the light.
A tall figure, cloaked in a black leather suit that hugs his body. The sleeve cuffs reach over his hand. The suit collar reaches his chin. Splitting in half at his waist, the cloth trails to his ankles, which his pants also cuff over. His feet are slipped into simple, dark shoes. Among his clothes, a velvet cloak drapes over his shoulders, complementing his attire. Apart from his face, nothing stood out. His hair is dark and unkempt, giving off the impression he didn’t care, or he did it in the dark. Obscuring his left eye are bandages that wrap around his head.
And the right eye… Dark rings circle his eye. Although there is a red tiredness to the unblinking void, the auburn eye pierces Chuuya as he gives a small, inaudible gasp.
This… He mulls over the gaze, remembering the rare occasions his nightmares held the same threatening sea his thoughts would get lost in.
“Sure,” he mumbles, pulling the knife from the wall. “King of these empty halls, why don’t you sit on the throne?” Chuuya looks to the man, waiting for a response.
“I’m not comfortable sharing a seat with a skull. The obvious solution is to stretch my legs-”
“That seat hasn’t been touched in years.” Chuuya voices the thought that had bothered him upon arrival. Once again, the man laughs.
“Good to know someone’s observant,” he steps further into the room. His heels click on the black and white tiles as he walks away. He glances back, waiting for Chuuya to follow. He doesn’t. Skeptical of anything good coming from this, he stays.
The man sighs. “I would be cautious as well so… I’ll tell you one thing. Anything you want to know about me.” He offers his gaze searching the darkened hall and stopping directly where Chuuya stands. Anything.
As good of a time as it would be to get useful information, or to simply know if this man was the king, there was only one thing. Chuuya wasn’t sure why he chose to ask a question only people who wanted to know each other asked. For all he knew this person could be an enemy he had yet to bring to light.
But it was a genuine question.
To which the man had a simple response. He turns, giving one last glance to where he is sure Chuuya is, before walking away and murmuring his one word answer.
“Dazai.”