Heavy Lies the Crown

Crickets chirped in the warm spring evening from outside the high glass windows of the Aegis' chambers. The room was entirely dark, save for the silvery light of the pale moon streaming in through tattered old curtains. There was no need to keep a fire burning in the bedroom when the days and evenings were getting so warm in the southern continent. In the comfort of the massive bed, Artorias laid awake, gazing at the long shadows stretching across the far wall in silence while he listened to the subtle sounds of Briar's slow, slumbering breaths. His fiancée was curled up against him, snuggled in his embrace and fast asleep, her troubles and worries miles away. Artorias, on the other hand, was mulling over many a vexing thought. He had much on his mind—as an alpha, as a brother, as a lover. It didn't always keep the young brute from sleep, but it had recently, especially after he'd witnessed Bowen's emotional breakdown when helping her move rooms. It was difficult for the Carpathian man to handle, knowing that he couldn't fix every problem he found.

"You can't save the world, Art."

The words that haunted his heart had never left him since the day he'd been told them. Black sides heaved with a deep sigh, his chest rising and falling with the heavy breath. Artorias hadn't even realized he'd begun to fall asleep amidst the stressed and concerned thoughts until he was suddenly asleep, amber eyes vanishing behind obsidian lids as consciousness gradually slipped away from him and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

---

When Artorias blinked again, he was not within his castle home. The room, the bed, Briar, it was all gone. He was... actually, where the hell was he? The world was blank and misty, with the filmy clouds obscuring most of his vision. It felt like he was standing on solid ground, but when he looked down, he saw nothing but emptiness. It was a peculiar sort of sensation, feeling like he was caught in stasis somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Was this a dream? A nightmare? With nothing else to do, Artorias began to make his way through the fog, hoping that something would manifest or reveal itself to him in time.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"