Darren Ocus - Curse By A King

The moonlight peeked its way into the room through the slits of the concealing curtain, the glimmering light gracing the ruffled bedsheets of a young noble man by the name Darren Ocus. Drowsy and weak from an unknown illness, he slowly lifted his head as he began to wake up. He yawned and stretched his paws, his claws releasing from their retracted state as he positioned himself upwards and blinked, taking in the dim lighting of the room.

Darren swung his legs over the edge of his bed and slipped his feet to the floor. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, though he assumed it to be normal considering he’d awoken in the middle of the night. He lived with his step-mother and father, who generally slept soundly through the night. As to not disturb them, he quietly stepped his way towards the bedroom door. He was quite thirsty and had decided to drink some water before returning to rest for the night.

Though, as he approached the door, he started to hear a strange sound coming from down the hall. It sounded like muffled speech; another Kalon struggling to speak. He began to question his awakening, perhaps what disturbed his slumber wasn’t his thirst or the dim glow. Perhaps it was a sign that something was not quite right this night.

He slowly creaked open the door, trying not to cause any sort of disturbance – but his efforts were in vain. He immediately became aware of the sound of feet scurrying across the floor. Without a second thought, he jumped out into the hallway and darted towards the main hall. To his surprise, it appeared empty and untouched…. Though, something was off. Upon fully entering the room, he saw that the exit to the outside was open. The exposed doorway allowed a chill breeze to sweep through the room, gently caressing Darren’s side.

Darren felt a sense of worry overtake his mind and body. What exactly was going on? Clueless but concerned, Darren headed towards his parent’s room, where he hoped but didn’t entirely expect his father and step-mother to be sleeping soundly – rather, he didn’t know what exactly to expect. All he could do was try to brace himself for what had happened this night.

…

The entrance to his parents’ room sat at the end of another connecting hallway. Darren made his way over in its direction but hesitated at the last step. Something deep within his heart warned him – whatever was wrong, whatever happened, once he lays eyes on the truth, there is no going back. He brushed his worries aside and stepped into the room to find that his step-mother was missing, and his father was unconscious on the floor. Darren rushed to his father’s side and shoved at him, repeatedly asking if he was okay.

…

It appeared he was no longer breathing. Darren stepped back, not wanting to accept what he was seeing. I must find help. Someone has to help. 

Darren raced out of his home and towards the nearby town. A doctor. A doctor. I must find a doctor.

The town was quiet, as though nothing had changed, as though no one was aware of the situation. To be fair, no one really was… besides him.

A local medicine and health expert by the name of Boure Tole was temporarily stationed at a local herb and medicine shop. He worked late most nights working towards alchemical solutions to those with ailments in the town. Darren had been speaking with Boure about his illness in the recent days, and knew of Boure’s current schedule. Rushing into the shop, Boure was taken by surprise. “Darren? How may I-”

Darren panted heavily, his fragile state of physical health drained him as he’d run the entire way. He felt on the verge of collapse, but his will kept him conscious and moving. “Please, you must help my father!”

Boure momentarily froze. Seeing Darren in such a horrid state initially made Boure believe he was there for his own health, but he quickly came to the realization that the situation was quite different. He immediately rose and went with Darren to assess the dire reality he was facing.

…

The two approached Darren’s home estate and rushed into the room where Darren’s father had been left alone. He laid motionless and pale. “What in God’s name happened here…?” Boure spoke softly. There was no blood, no sign of struggle – yet it seemed that this was not an accident, and Darren’s step-mother was still nowhere to be found.

Boure turned to Darren with a solemn expression and shook his head. Darren began to tremble, still unsure how to process this incident. He wondered what only the spirits of the night knew – exactly how things came to be this way.

______________________________________________

Shortly after the incident, Darren was approached by the King’s Guard, and asked to follow them to the castle which housed the royal family of his land. His father had connections within the castle and was among the few who had the favor of the King. In the days following the incident, Darren had remained under the watch of Boure Tole, and his physical health had improved significantly. His mental state had deteriorated from the intensely stressful circumstances, though.

Darren approached the entrance to the throne room, the King’s Guard following him closely. He entered at the call of the King and bowed respectfully in the royal’s presence.

“Sir Ocus, I have been informed of the circumstances surrounding your family. I will command my men to seek out those responsible for your father’s death, and to find your step-mother’s whereabouts. In this troubling time, I do have a favor to ask of you.” The King spoke. Darren raised his head. Unsure if he was permitted to speak, he remained silent at the King’s words. “I would be grateful for you to speak with me privately at a later time. As for now, you will be assigned a room in which to rest. I will call for you once more when certain duties of mine have been fulfilled.” The King continued. Darren slowly nodded in acceptance of these words and followed an assisting guard to a chamber which had been prepared for him.

Unbeknownst to Darren, this act of the King was not that of hospitality, rather a convenient method for containing what would be seen as a threat in due time…