Erebus slipped away as students greeted each other, intent on heading towards the Demon dorms. All that mattered to him was that all of them were fine and in no danger of destruction. He wondered if Arthur and Thack had gotten his--
Ow. His head throbbed wildly then, and he realized that it was as though his mind was a jigsaw puzzle; the whole picture was incomplete, pieces missing here and there. He had been told to write a letter yes, but he couldn't quite recall...
-- "Who do you think you are?"
Something whispered and he looked around, ears perked. There was no one. They were all addressing someone else, not him.
-- "Look at your shadow."
He stared down, at his ordinary shadow, with pointed ears and a fluffy tail.
But then it changed, reformed itself as it grew brighter and bigger. It was of someone with armor, and a great, familiar sword. Specifically, the one that had saved them all...
"Your have forgotten something. Memories. I borrowed those from you and now you have my word I will return them. Take these memories and use remember their blessing. As long as you remember your path as a hero, I will be there."
Hero was a bit of a strong word, Erebus thought. Yet, he silently thanked Excalibur in his mind as his shadow transformed back into his ordinary one. He had given up those memories willingly, with thoughts of his brothers, his family, Tomoko, the school, everyone, and he had done it without expecting them to be returned.
He thought they were lost forever, but they were not.
Erebus smiled, tail starting a slow wag-- wait. Something felt different. He turned, peering down at his tail, and spotted something he had never seen before.
There was a white lock around the base of his tail. Chains secured it firmly, and would not budge though he attempted to tug it off with his hands. As his fingers brushed across the cool surface, he felt grooves upon it. Some sort of... symbol? Frowning, Erebus pulled his skull pin off his tie, transforming into his natural form.
...Ahhhh. That felt good. He couldn't help but raise a hind leg to paw at an itch behind his ear, sighing in contentment. He had certainly missed this in the days they had been trapped in the strange world Destruction had created.
But what was pressing was the lock on his tail, and once he was done with the itch, he lay down, so it was easier for him to peer at it. On the lower left hand corner of the lock was the symbol of a kitsune, and on the upper right hand corner, a Cerberus. "Woah." Erebus breathed. This had to do with the memories Excalibur had talked about, right?
Well, there had been a tower with keys, and now locks. Maybe that was a bit of a stretch now but, it was the only thing he could think of. What would Thack think about this?
He had never done anything much.
But now, watching his brother lie there on the bed in a coma, and having them tell him that there was a way to save him, he felt a glimmer of hope rise within him along with determination.
He would save his brother.
But now, watching his brother lie there on the bed in a coma, and having them tell him that there was a way to save him, he felt a glimmer of hope rise within him along with determination.
He would save his brother.
There was a brief flash of a memory, one before everything had happened. One before the event that led up to the one he had experienced in his past few days, where his brother had been a King, and...
He had been chosen by the King of Reflection, to serve him as a Truth-Seeker in the war brewing ahead between the Kingdom. It was his greatest honor, to be selected by someone he had respected so much, and also had an uncanny resemblance to...
He hadn't known then, he mused. He hadn't known then, when the King had beamed at him, and announced his title to the Violet Kingdom. He hadn't known then that the King was--
The stark realization of it hit him, and he realized, at that very moment, that the King was a mere shadow of his brother, and he had to kill him so Thackery would awaken from his coma. Everything was cold, and his heart hurt with the realization... how could he kill someone that looked so much like his brother? How could he kill someone that talked and laughed like him, even if it was to save his life-- how....
It had hurt. He had believed once in the lies constructed around them, in the world that had been fabricated.
He is in a pool, sleeves rolled up. A marking on his arm tingles and--
But when it all came crashing down, he hadn't had any idea what to do. But at least she was there, and she wasn't just a fragment, and that the wool had been lifted from her eyes as well.
He swallowed, but the lump in his throat remained, and so did the hot tears at the corner of his eyes. "At least you're real." He whispered to Tomoko, grasping her hand and pulling him into his arms as he choked back sobs. "At least you're real."
"Ow." Erebus whispered, holding a paw to his head. He was grateful for the chance to regain his lost memories, but the sudden influx of them hurt. It was as though it was overloading his brain, and he stood shakily, resuming his slow walk back to his dorm room.
There would be enough time to figure everything else out, in time.
