#vampire ignis

The Old City had been avoided since in the Awakening, as it had come to be known. Everyone knew the story of how King Noctis had reappeared after ten years, taken his warrior best friends with him to stop the darkness and bring back the light to all of Eos. It was a fairytale that stemmed from the truth.

Insomnia had lain in ruins for decades since the Awakening. There had been small attempts to save the city, the capitol of the Lucian Kingdom, but after several failed attempts at any sort of progress the ruins were abandoned. It was a sad, haunting reminder of what had actually happened all those years ago.

Archaeology had not been where you had planned to end up in college, but there you were at the edge of the broken wall looking ahead at all the remains of the once brimming Insomnia. You had worked closely with a professor to uncover any kind of information that could shed new light on the Awaking and after the ancient tombs and texts, you had made your way here. Your professor, like every other sane person, had not wanted to risk a venture into the ruins. Hell, very few had ever gone into the city and returned. In fact, you were doing this without anyone knowing your plans – other than a very worried roommate who agreed not to sound the alarm as long as they heard from you every hour.

Armed with a camera, trowel, and a pistol, you took a deep breath before carefully descending into the city.

Taking pictures to document each of the details you could see, you moved slowly and carefully forward. Some of the rubble bore spray painted insignias and names – evidence of the vandals that usually went missing. There was also evidence of looting in a few somewhat intact buildings but now everything lay covered in a solid layer of dust. More than once, you stopped to inspect a strange substance dried onto the stone or cracked pavement. Each time, you snapped a photo and pushed forward trying to convince yourself it was anything other than blood. Your path had taken you well into the center of the city when what remained of a gleaming, black building caught your attention even through the heavy coating of grime and dust that covered the ruins.

“The Citadel,” you breathed aloud in wonder. Even in its fragmented and ruined form, you could picture its majesty with ease. If the stories were to be believed, than that was where King Noctis had made his last stand. And it was where his warriors had perished in the final battle. If there was anywhere left that could share some light on the story of the Awakening and the return of the sun, you would find it there.

The sun had already begun its descent by the time you reached the Citadel ruins. With time working against you, you wasted no time in finding a way inside and praying to the Six that something might be left inside that could be of some use to your search.

The beauty and craftsmanship of the building was evident despite the ruined state as you snapped picture after picture. The portion of the building that had survived seemed stable and sturdy so you didn’t worry about the stairs being able to hold you. Finally, you pushed open a rotten wooden door to reveal a perfect view of the evening sky and the landscape beyond the ruins of Insomnia. The remains of a throne stood sentry as if attempting to protect the ruined kingdom and all that remained of the capitol. The view was breathtaking.  

Snapping a few pictures of the room, you moved closer. Careful of the crumbling steps, you reached what remained of the throne where an elaborate sword was driven into the back. A stain ran from where the sword had pierced the back of the throne to the once cushioned seat. Without thought, you gasped and stepped back. Your hands covered your mouth at the realization of who had died there.

“Tragic, isn’t it?”

Another gasp left you as you turned toward the voice. A young man, probably in his early thirties, stood a few stairs beneath you in the shadow of one of the remained walls. His accent was old, something not very common and unfamiliar to you. His sandy brown hair had been styled back from his face in a vintage fashion, though several rogue strands escaped to hand into his eyes. One was a beautiful, vibrant see green while the other was a milky white. The scaring over his eyes appeared as though he had been blinded, though now both eyes bore into you with clarity. His height allowed him to look into your own eyes though he stood several stairs down from you.

“Who are you?” You swallowed and studied his clothing looking for any indication as to how screwed you were. His plain black pants and button-up were stylish and well-fitting but gave away nothing as to his identity. “Where did you come from?”

A crooked smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth as the stranger blinked. You noticed he held a pair of glasses in his hand toying with the arms though he seemed to have no use for them. “My name is Ignis Scientia, brave archaeologist. And I imagine with that bit of information that you can discern the rest.”

Ignis Scientia. The name rattled around in your head as the semesters of research poured back through your brain. Retainer. Strategist. Warrior. Crownsguard. Friend. The Ignis Scientia of history held many titles and was always described as a man of manner and refinement. He was one of the three that accompanied the young Prince from Lucis. He was wounded at the battle of Altissa and lost his sight. He became a very skilled daemon hunter after the prince had disappeared and had lain down his life to allow his King time enough to save the world. He had died centuries ago and while this man did resemble the few surviving depictions of him, There was no way he was Ignis Scientia.

“I can see the disbelief on your face, little one. I give you my word, I speak the truth. Though, I’m not certain what weight the word of a “dead man,” he used air quotes to emphasize his words, “might hold.”

Uncertain, your mind circled back. “How do you know I’m an archaeologist? Did you follow me?” You had tried to be careful as you navigated the ruined city and you hadn’t seen signs of anyone following you. Your planning had been careful and so you carried nothing of value if this man aimed to rob you.

“It is not often that anyone crossed into the ruins of Insomnia. I keep an eye out for the occasional treasure hunter or vandal, but researchers are a rare sight. You’ve been taking careful notes,” he nodded toward the camera. “You were being so…respectful I decided it might be interesting to see what you were after.” Taking another step towards you, he was now looking down at you. “Tell me, have you found it?”

Suddenly, your mouth felt dry and your instincts were telling you to run away from this man and this city and everything attached to it. Something about the predatory look in his eye and the way he seemed to be looking through you was alarming. “I-I came here looking for information about the Awakening. To find out what happened to the King and his warriors.” You voice sounded so light and fragile. You hated how weak you sounded.

A darkness passed over Ignis’s features for a moment before a stern look settled onto his face. “I’ll tell you what happened to the king.” Reaching out, his fingers curled around your wrist to lock you into place. You struggled but his iron grip held you fast. “He returned after ten long years of darkness and the loss of hope only to sacrifice himself. His friends gave their own lives so that he may have enough to save the world. He faced the darkness alone and took his life.”

“And his friends?” you whispered after a moment of silence. Dread had begun to fill your chest and you tried to slip out of Ignis’s grip. You feared you knew the answer.

Chuckling, Ignis released your wrist and watched as you fell backwards onto the stone floor at the foot of the throne. “They all died. But the darkness and daemons would not allow them a peaceful end. Rather, they invaded their bodies and their souls and turned each of them into creatures better suited for the darkness their king was giving his life to banish.” Anger seemed to boil in his words as he looked down at you. He appeared to be weighing his options before stepping back and allowing you back to your feet. “If I were you, young archaeologist, I would take my camera and run.”

Pushing your luck, you hugged your camera close and backed away from him. “They…they turned you into one of them? A daemon?” You carefully retreated down the stairs one step at a time while you faced down Ignis, too afraid to turn your back to him.

In answer, he ran his long, delicate fingers through his already messy hair. A small laugh escaped him before he smiled and allowed his teeth to be on full display. Elongated fangs pushed into his bottom lips and the hair on your arms rose in horror. “Run, little archaeologist. I’m afraid It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the company of anyone so inquisitive.”

Not needing anymore prompting, you turned and sprinted from the throne room taking the stairs in the stairwell as quickly as your legs would carry you. Adrenaline burned through your veins as you ran, pushing your body past its normal limits. The sun was too low in the sky for you to have any hope of it providing assistance against a daemon. You imagined Ignis would be close behind you but you couldn’t help but worry about what else could be hiding amongst the rubble.

Shadows cast by the ruins distorted the path you had taken into the city. Refusing to stop, you jumped, ran, and climbed over anything in your way to keep moving. The wall had just come into sight when your foot caught on piece of broken building and sent you crashing to the weed covered ground. Groaning, you pulled your foot free from the rubble, noting only a small scrape on your shin where blood was already beginning to escape.

“Intelligent, agile and delicious. I’m quite the lucky man today.”

Turning, you caught sight of Ignis as he leaning against a boulder that had one been the stone foundation of a skyscraper. “Please, I just want to leave. I won’t come back,” you promised as you pulled your trowel from its sheath and held it as a sort of makeshift weapon. It was sharp enough to cut if he got close enough.

Pushing off from the boulder, Ignis nodded. “And that is just the problem, dear one. I believe you and I are going to learn a lot from one another.”

In a flash, he pinned you to the cold earth and smacked your trowel away. Looking into his oddly colored, predatory eyes you could see plainly the curiosity he held. Deeper still, there was sadness and anger.

“Please,” you whispered once more and attempted to push on his chest.