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“…Hey, Libby?”
“Hmhmm?”
“…Who’s leading Eos now, anyway?”
It’s a sudden question, and Libri obviously hasn’t been expecting it, since she looks up and blinks from behind her glasses, surprised and confused for all of two seconds, before she pushes her glasses back on her nose.
“Well that’s sudden… from where the sudden interest?”
Regina holds up the book she’d been leafing through; the Cosmology book that describes how the first Oracles came into being, as well as the first King of Lucis, and how he had been given control over the Crystal. There was a lot in there, sure, but it also succeeded in sparking the question in her mind that asked; who’s leading now?
Libby hums softly as she accepts the silent answer, before she gives the answer.
“Currently, the Secretary watches over Eos.”
“The Secretary…? From Accordo?”
“Correct.”
“How’d they get into power?”
“Temporary power, really. They are merely holding the seat temporarily until a more stable system constructs itself.”
“…but it’s been 15 years…”
“It isn’t so easy to restructure a nation, Regina. It may take another 15 years, perhaps it will take 20 years, or maybe 30. We may not even be there to witness it coming to fruition.”
“…what about the Crystal?”
“Pardon?”
“Do they also control the Crystal now?”
“…No.”
“No?”
“While the rest of Eos is being steadily rebuilt, the Crown City remains in a state of ruin. And no, not because there is no wish to rebuild, but because it’s become too dangerous to do so.”
“…why’s that?”
Libby is now looking at her as if she’s an idiot, but Regina honestly has no idea. Her Dad’s talked about the Crown City with great pride, and she’s always dreamed of one day going to the city to see the sights he always spoke so fondly of. She would’ve loved to see the Crystal, though that would’ve been impossible, she figured soon, but a girl can dream, right?
“Because of the daemons.”
“…so why not send out some Hunters?”
“They did. None ever returned. And the few that did, shortly after turned into daemons, as well.”
Regina freezes. She’s heard about that from her Dad; the Empire had attempted to utilize the power of daemons, using them for the MT’s, and ended up turning themselves and ALL their inhabitants into bloodthirsty, super powerful daemons. It always sounded like a scary horror story her Dad would tell her before bedtime, but he’s always assured her that what he told her then was the truth… as horrifying as it sounded.
“So… no one’s… dared to fix the city?”
“Correct. It’s been deemed too dangerous, and thus the city’s been cordoned off, for everyone’s safety.”
That hurts… she doesn’t even know why, but that hurts…
She actually really wanted to go to the Crown city. She wanted to see the city in all its glory. All her Dad’s pictures from his time living there had been in the city when it fell, and he’d never gotten around to getting them back, so she didn’t even have anything to help her imagine what it’d be like to live in the once proud city…
“Don’t even say it.”
“Wha…?”
“I know that look on your face; you want to go there, correct?”
“Well… yeah, but… that’s just because Dad… well… it used to be his home, so I’m like… at least a little curious about it. You can’t blame me for that!”
“Perhaps not… but it would be unwise to go there now. If you wish to go there, wait until it’s been restored.”
“…Assuming it gets fixed during our time…”
“Regina.”
“Fine, fine…”
She sighs as she goes back to her book, flipping the page to continue reading. After a while of silence, though…
“…what if there was someone from the Line of Lucis left?”
“Unlikely.”
“Why?”
“It would mean either King Regis had a second child somewhere… or that King Noctis had sired a child. I needn’t remind you that either of these options are ridiculous.”
Of course she knows that.
The late Queen Aulea had died a few years after Noctis had been born, and Noctis, to everyone’s knowledge, had never had a child. While he had been on the way to be married to Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae at the pinnacle of war between Insomnia and Niflheim, there’d never been time for them to marry… let alone consummate their marriage. And that wasn’t even taking into account the time it would take for a child to be born.
On top of that, upon their late King’s return, he’d not wasted his time with women (her Dad could confirm that, since he’d been the one wasting several hours with him instead), and had instead gone straight to the Crown City to bring back the dawn.
There was simply no way for the Line of Lucis to be alive today…
She sighs softly as the realization hits home and she tries to not think on it any longer. It’ll just upset her all the more…
…even if she doesn’t understand entirely why…