Deep Into Darkness

Hopeless

It had been well over two weeks since Alm's kidnapping. To say things were dire was an understatement. 

Rudolf took a leap at every little lead that they had in order to find his son, taking risks too large and dangers too serious, even for the emperor. His temper would be lost quickly if someone was to tell him to rest and it was growing quite obvious that he was wavering. 

Cornelius not only worried of finding the boy, but also for his friend's health. If this was to go on, no doubt Rudolf would collapse and be unable to see his son ever again. 

Marth was in one of the most serious state. The boy lost one of his only friends that he grew to care about deeply. So to have that very boy be in the possible danger of death tore the young Altean prince apart. He sulked in his room and barely spoke - even to the most polite and outgoing servants. 

Soldiers and messengers were working tirelessly to assist, looking for even the smallest hairs in the largest of forests and deserts. While they were diligent in their work, their exhaustion grew, and progress was beginning to slow. Less and less men were going out daily in their search for clues to Alm's whereabouts. 

Hope was dwindling, and it seemed like Alm was going to be lost forever... Until there was finally a tip from Furia Harbor...

Alm was tired. He had gone through days of cruel experimenting with his kidnapper and felt constant pain. The boy was fed a little more than what he needed to just survive at irregular times, leading his sense of time astray. He currently was chained to the wall of the workshop at the near bottom of the labyrinth by his ankles, waiting desperately for Nirnasha to come back from his leave.

The alchemist had left him for what felt like days with enough food to last him through that time in the large workshop with a single torch. He said nothing to him aside from playfully calling him his, "experiment," as though he were a pet. With nothing of interest around him, Alm was certain he was going insane by now. Not a single soul to save him from this pain, all he could do was lie there and pray to Mila that someone would save him from this hell.

His ears lifted along with his head when he heard distant footsteps. A small ball of light was approaching him and he covered his eyes with his arms so that he could adjust to the change from pitch darkness. As the footsteps approached and the clanging of what sounded like a lantern grew louder, a hopeful smile formed on his face. He uncovered his arms slowly to adjust to the light. As the blur cleared in Alm's eyes, he was astonished at what he saw.

It was his father. He stood tall and proud, lantern in one hand and his signature lance in the other. Rudolf smiled as he finally found his son. 

"Daddy... He came..." Alm thought. 

Tears had begun to fall from his eyes as he tried to crawl to his father who knelt down to greet him. He couldn't believe it. He was saved from this cruel pain that lasted with him. He could go home back to Rigel now. He could watch as General Massena taught soldiers with all his might and wisdom. He could play with his cousin Berkut and his kind friend Rinea in the gardens together. He could go back to learning all the fascinating things Kian would teach him. He could go to sleep with his father so he could protect him from his nightmares. He could live his normal life once again...

As Alm crawled the farthest he could, he reached his arm out to his father to touch him. As he did however, a scream broke out from behind Rudolf and stopped him in his tracks. Rudolf barely turned before multiple corpses with the masks Nirnasha dubbed the, "Death Masks," came from behind Rudolf and attacked him. Rudolf was barely able to turn as one of them had unhinged its jaw and bit Rudolf in the neck, eliciting a scream of agony from him. 

"DADDY!!! NOOOOOOO!!!" Alm screamed, horrified that the monsters were taking the most powerful person he knew. 

He could do nothing in awe as he witnessed the other creatures do the same and bite deep into his armor and into Rudolf's flesh. His father fell to his side, still looking at his son in the eye, and was slowly bleeding out from the multiple bites he received from the reanimated humans. 

"I'm... sorry... Alm..." was all he could muster to say as he lost the color in his eyes and exhaled his last breath. 

"No... Nonono... DADDDDDYYYYYY!!!" Alm screamed. Tears were falling uncontrollably as he grabbed his pulsing head in agony. First he was taken from his father, then he had to witness the horrors of these monsters, and now he had to witness his only savior's death. 

"This can't get worse... Please... I can't take it..." he thought. 

His answer was received when another one with the Death Mask approached, this time holding a mask like theirs. As Alm saw it approach his father, he froze. 

"No... Please no... Daddy... Wake up Daddy..." Alm said. 

His words reached deaf ears though. The Death Mask was slowly placed on Rudolf's face, every second of it feeling like an eternity for Alm. The mask wrapped around his head, tendrils being produced and wrapping around the limbs and body. The eyes sparked red as the body came to life once again. The once lively body of Rudolf rose to its knees and stood before it let out an eerie screech unlike anything before. It then turned to face Alm.

No longer seeing the beast as his father, Alm crawled back to the wall whimpering in fear of what it may do. The dead emperor went from a walk, to a sprint, then finally lunged at Alm as it let out a guttural scream. Alm screamed as he brought his arms close to try to shield him, feeling nothing but pure fear in his body. 

Alm's body jolted as he shot his eyes wide open. He was on his side just as he was before he heard the footsteps and clanging of the lantern. He sat up where he was and didn't dare to move or breath out of the fear that one of the reanimated may hear him and come at him like his father. His mind tried to process the dream he felt and hoped that none of it was real. He hugged his knees and put his head on his arms and cried, feeling no hope that anyone would save him from this.

"Please... No more..."

Cornelius stood at the head of the table full of his generals, Rudolf, Kian and Massena. "Men, we have intel that the person our soldier described has been spotted in the Mamorthod Desert. Supposedly, they've gone into the city of Thabes." Cornelius pointed at the map laid out, showing that it was a quite a ways from where they were. 

Rudolf looked at the distance the perpetrator had put between him and his son. Anger fueled in his eyes as his thoughts went into what they were doing with his son. Cornelius put his hand on Rudolf's, assuring him that this would be over soon. 

Cornelius continued with his plan. "We set off at dusk. Kian has set out a path for us that should allow us to get there as soon as possible. If we stay on the path, we'll reach Thabes in about three days if we leave then and should arrive there in the morning." Everyone in the room gave each other looks and nodded. "Then it's set. We ready some of our best men for this mission. We don't know what we're dealing with here. No unnecessary risks. That may very well be our doom when the time comes to face this perpetrator."

The men exited the room except for Cornelius and the Rigelians. It was Massena that spoke first. 

"We're going to find him your Excellency. We'll bring him home. I'm sure of it."

Rudolf did nothing more than give a concerned look at his trusted general and tactician. 

"Well then, let's get prepared for tonight. We must stay sharp if we want to get there quick." Kian ordered. 

Everyone exited the room, Rudolf slowly trailing behind. He made a determined look and uttered under his breath:

"I'm coming Alm... I'm taking you home..."