With the rising of the sun, rays of light hit my face from the window near my bed, causing me to wake. Despite my nightmares and better judgment, I realized I was still in the Van Doren castle. The bedroom was more grandiose than anything I had ever seen, with every luxury I could think of and more. Yet the fact I had seen it all consumed by the dreadful purple fog last night during my nightmare still bothered me — it wasn't easy to forget something like that. 

Do I trust Vanessa's judgment on staying here like this? 

Feeling lazy, I rolled over in the crisp white sheets with a groan to face the intricate, carved walnut table placed next to the bed. All the wood in the room was dark brown, offsetting the light grey stone and red velvet fabrics of the interior. 

I wonder who decorated the place? I was so focused on my nightmares last night that I didn't inspect my room at all.

My eyes scanned the room, and I noticed my two large kris blades sitting on the desk, along with my black cloak and various pouches. 

The guards must have taken my gear from me as soon as I entered the castle as a precautionary measure. 

A single hand wandered to my neck, surprised my necklace was still there. Why hadn't they taken it off? They had taken everything else from me, even the black strips of fabric that I used to wrap my palms, so why not take the necklace, too? I tried to remove it but found no tie keeping it around my neck. It was just a thin piece of leather, never ending and never beginning.

What the—?

Frowning, I pulled it over my head, finding it too small to fit around my skull. With it stuck around my neck, I felt claustrophobic. I wanted the damn thing off of me, so I grabbed one of my blades from the desk. 

"If this doesn't work, nothing will," I murmured to myself before I pressed the sharp, curvy blade against the leather strap with all my might to cut it—but it wouldn't break. Then, I tried several angles, each failed attempt increasing my frustration. Even with my superhuman strength, I couldn't cut it.

What the hell is this strap made of?

After a few more tries, I was out of breath and convinced that if I continued, I'd end up slitting my throat by accident. I tossed the knife back onto the desk in frustration, pulling on the strap one last time. No luck. 

Ugh, it feels like a goddamn collar or something…

To distract myself from my irritation, I stepped onto the floor, and my gaze wandered to a mirror above the large fireplace. I took in my appearance in the mirror, knowing it was the first time I had seen myself since waking up. Even though I had an unusual look about me with my silvery hair and purple irises, none of it surprised me. My face was familiar, at least more so than anything else I had encountered.

Shaggy grey hair, lavender eyes, pale skin… Yeah, this is me.

The strange necklace, now framed by the open neck of my loose, billowy black shirt, felt out of place. My eyes made their way down, taking in every detail until I saw something dark in the center of my chest.

What's this?

I loosened the laces at the neck of my shirt to inspect it but ended up wishing I hadn't.

A tattoo? Of… Oh shit…

An open eye sat in the middle of my chest — a twisted, vertical eye like the one I often saw in my nightmares. As I stared at it, my heart began to race.

A sudden knock at my door startled me, and I scrambled toward my blades until I realized it was only an adolescent servant boy standing in the doorway. 

"M-Master Noct…?" he asked as he surveyed the distress on my face.

"Yes? What do you want?" I asked defensively as the teen placed a pile of clothing on the desk with my other equipment. 

"Um… These are the clothes Lady Vanessa told me to bring you for the party. It starts at noon in the west gardens and will go until late at night in the dining hall and ballroom. These belonged to the Lady's late brother, so please treat them with respect. They will fit you well because of your similarity in size. My Lordship requests that you bathe before changing into the clothes, and a hot bath is waiting for you in the room across the hall. Please go as soon as you can." He told me, still giving me a strange look.

"Thank you. I'll bathe and get dressed soon. What's the time?" I asked in my usual irritated tone. I had no interest in observing the social niceties of the nobility.

"I-it's… About eleven o'clock, sir." he stammered, put off by my agitation.

"Sure. That will be all, so leave me be." I dismissed him with a gesture, uncomfortable with a stranger in my space. After a sloppy bow, he exited the room, not needing to be told twice.