Taiga dragged himself out of the bathroom and into the expansive hallway of the Everlasting Fortress, blood dripping a shadow behind him. He passed by a maid who was trying to avoid eye contact—a maid who also ignored his question.
"Do you know where Noctis is?" the dishevelled boy asked.
"No, sorry," she replied, her eyes dancing around the boy in front of her before rushing off—already reaching for a cloth to wipe the bloody trail Taiga had left behind.
Taiga made his way down the stairs at the end of the passage, where he began to hear sounds of cheering and applause. He reached the bottom and turned to his right to see a large double door leading into a well-lit ballroom. The doors were opened wide, allowing him to see the countless men in expensive suits and women in extravagant dresses flooding the dance floor, illuminated by the numerous domineering chandeliers. Before Taiga even thought of taking a step, he was stopped by a butler whose eyes drooped down to his neck.
"My dearest condolences, Sir, but I am afraid you are not allowed to go in there. The Lord is holding a banquet for his politician friends. You would only stir up unnecessary drama," Arthur spoke earnestly.
"How do you know what I'm going to do?" Taiga replied with a soulless smile. "I'm just here to celebrate."
"I am not sure if you can tell, young Sir, but I was not born yesterday. A blind person could see through that smile—you are not to go anywhere near the Lord. Do you understand?" Arthur returned, grabbing hold of Taiga's bleeding hand and wrapping it in a piece of cloth.
Taiga jerked his hand away before Arthur could finish wrapping it. "Yeah, and how do you plan on stopping me?"
"I don't. Give me your hand."
Taiga's fist clenched before succumbing to the deadpan stare on the old man's face.
Arthur sealed Taiga's hand with the cloth before drawing a circle above his fist.
"Have you gone senile, old man?"
"Quiet!"
As he spoke, a green enchantment began hovering above the cloth mitt. Taiga instinctively tried pulling his hand away, the only reason it stayed under the emerald ring being the airtight grip Arthur had over it. The ring contained many small, spinning spheres within it, providing it with the aesthetic of a complex watch. Almost immediately after the enchantment appeared, a viridian spotlight shone from it, healing Taiga's cuts almost immediately. As quickly as it appeared, the magic vanished, leaving only a shocked Taiga as evidence of its existence.
"My Fraze is called 'Laughter Is the Best Medicine,'" Arthur explained. "Your cuts should be gone, but keep the cloth on to prevent the blood that was already there from ruining the floors."
"Where was the joy in that? It just seemed like you healed me with some generic healing ability."
"A joke is ruined once you explain it," Arthur replied with a weak smile. "Now come closer. I'll fix the imprint on your neck to—"
"No."
"I appreciate the help, but I'm sorry. I need to remember this," Taiga continued. "I have to see Noctis right now, but as a token of my gratitude, I'll make sure not to cause a scene—okay, Gramps?!" Taiga shouted as he made his way to the ballroom.
"He's surprisingly cheery for someone who was kidnapped," a maid commented to Arthur.
"No, no he's not," replied Arthur.
"Welcome. I hope you enjoy yourself," said a butler standing at the entrance to the hall.
"Yeah, thanks," Taiga replied hastily before taking a few steps inside.
His peripheral vision caught glimpses of long, extended tables, each housing all sorts of powerful politicians and businessmen from across the globe. The sound of strings and laughter spilled into the hallway. In front of him was the dance floor, full of elegant dancers dancing elegantly. But his eyes were focused on one place, one person. Above everyone, past the dance floor, sat Noctis Vale, the 33rd Don of Aria, eating a steak from his elevated seating—beside an empty chair. A set of grey, bending stairs led to his table, which was situated closer to the ceiling than the floor.
Taiga climbed the stairs to Noctis's table, ignoring the stares from the guests below.
'No security?' he thought to himself.
Finally, the boy made it to the top, where he was greeted by the sight of Noctis spilling a few drops of wine on himself.
"What are you doing here? You should be resting," Noctis spoke without even looking in the boy's direction.
"Resting from what? The same thing that was strangling me? What happened after I was unconscious?" Taiga replied, agitation seeping into his tongue.
Noctis glanced at the boy's neck, his eyes cramped with disgust.
"Scum."
"What?!"
"You're scum. One of the very few dregs of society who have the audacity to think they're entitled to anything. A true loser," Noctis spoke while simultaneously standing and applauding his many guests below.
"Huh?! I thought I was the one you wanted. There was something special about me. Something only I could do."
"That is true. Right now, you're my best shot. But you're still scum."
"How?! Why am I still so bad in your eyes?"
"Last time you were conscious, you saw your girlfriend and brother die over and over again by my hands, yet I felt no anger from you towards me... I felt no anger until I brought your importance into question. Someone who carries so much pride is, and forever will be, at the bottom of society—my society."
"Tsk." Taiga clicked his tongue before letting out a hearty laugh as Noctis returned to his seat, concealing the annoyance brewing within him.
"I appreciate your pseudo-smart criticism, but I think it would land a wee bit harder if it was actually correct. I think you have me mistaken for my emotionally stunted brother, but I'll fill you in. When I first woke up, my first thoughts were the safety and location of my sibling and his friend. This anger led me to almost assault one of your maids. I would really appreciate it if you could say sorry to her for me. Afterwards, using my brain, I came to the conclusion that you hadn't actually done anything to them, hence there's no reason for me to be mad."
"Oh really? And how did you figure that out? Last I checked, they were being slammed into the concrete, each of their ligaments being separated in slow, agonising pain."
"Slow and agonising, huh? I find that hard to believe. Not only did you slam them head-first, but they also seemed to be perfectly fine whenever they were brought back—no screaming, nothing."
"How do you know they're not dead right now? They were witnesses to a kidnapping. My PR would take a pretty bad hit if they were to say something." The Don's eyes exclusively circled between his steak and the audience below him.
"Oh, come on. I'd hardly call this a kidnapping. I'm happier here than I'd ever be back in Berry Town, being stuck there with that idiot brother of mine and his unfaithful excuse of a friend. Plus..."
"Go on."
"You still need them alive. How else are you going to convince me to help you? You're using their lives as bargaining chips in order to get my help." Taiga scratched his neck as he spoke.
"No. I'm using you."
Noctis stood up and turned to face Taiga—their eyes finally meeting.
"A prideful beast like yourself isn't fond enough of others for that idea to work. All I have to do is threaten your life and you'll do what I ask... Lick my shoe. I'll let you cling on to your pathetic existence if you do as I say."
Taiga's eyes moved from Noctis's pupils down to his brown leather shoe and back up to his irises.
"No. I'm calling your bluff."
Noctis brought his hand towards Taiga's face, both refusing to move an inch from where they were standing. Noctis's hand was millimetres away from completely palming the boy and suffocating him.
Noctis ruffled Taiga's unkempt hair while wearing a childish grin.
"Nice call. After what happened in the alley, one would think you've got nothing in your head."
"I stand by everything I said that day. This is what happens when my brother tries thinking for once. If he had just woken up that day, we would both still be living normal, happy lives."
"So you're not happy?"
"I was speaking for him."