Chapter Text
Noctis’ Engine Blade stabbed deep into the cockatrice’s body. The creature died with a shriek, joining its dead chicks on the muddy ground. Noctis tried not to look at them; they reminded him too much of chocochicks.
“That’s all of them,” Ignis said, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of the weather. Rain hammered the Vesperpool and dripped off the lush plantlife. “Perhaps we should find shelter from this storm now our work is done.”
Sighing in relief, Noctis allowed his weapon to fade. He rested his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. It was harder than usual, his lungs never feeling comfortably full. Damn, he was exhausted. It had been one hunt after another lately. Monsters and daemons seemed to be running wild, attacking anyone in their path. Noctis knew they’d saved a lot of lives by helping out, but right now, he wanted to return to Meldacio, report the completed hunt, get paid, and collapse into the nearest bed. Actually, no, that was all in the wrong order. He wanted to collapse into bed and worry about the rest of it later. “Let’s go,” he said, dragging himself through knee-deep water.
Noctis took the lead, but Ignis soon caught up. He placed a hand on Noctis’ arm. “You’re looking pale, Noct. You really ought to take care of yourself.”
Swallowing his usual flippant response, Noctis pushed his dripping wet hair out of his eyes. “It’s raining, it’s cold, I’m soaking and it’s getting late. We’re all looking pale.”
“Perhaps, but –”
“Don’t worry about it. I just wanna get some sleep.” Noctis didn’t utter a word about the tiny, insignificant, hardly there burn in the back of his throat. Because it was nothing to worry about. Nothing. At. All. He just needed a drink. Something hot to warm him through. He was not sick.
“Please say we’re staying in Meldacio tonight,” Prompto said from the rear.
“There’s a haven a short walk away,” Gladio said. “Makes more sense to camp.”
“I agree,” Ignis said. “This rainstorm is severe. I’d hate to risk a car accident in such conditions, especially with night approaching.”
“But… but…” Prompto stuttered. “Noct, back me up. Soft beds? Showers?”
Noctis found he didn’t really care where they slept, so long as he personally did it soon. He was exhausted. The hunt had drained him. He needed sleep. His body felt too heavy to be upright. “Camping’s fine.”
He heard the other three come to a standstill.
Noctis turned back to look at them all. “What?”
“You’re usually the first one to complain,” Gladio said. He raised his voice. “‘Camping in the rain sucks! I only want to stay in hotel rooms or trailers where I can get all the beauty sleep I need.’”
Prompto tried and failed to hide his laughter behind a cough.
Noctis glared. “I do not sound like that.”
Gladio smirked.
“And yet Gladio makes an excellent point,” Ignis said. “It’s most unlike you to choose camping over another option. Are you certain you’re feeling alright?”
Noctis walked on. “It’s raining. We’re all soaked and muddy. Let’s grab the tent and pitch it before anything else attacks us. And before it’s dark enough for the daemons.” He was not in the mood for daemons in this weather.
(And maybe he didn’t feel up to taking on any daemons right now. But that was just because of their last hunt. He was not, could not be, unwell.)
“Aaah, he just doesn’t want us getting the car dirty,” Prompto said. He flicked a thick globule of mud off his hand. “Remember last time we got it muddy? So. Much. Whining.”
“Riiiiiight. I forgot how he likes to keep it squeaky clean,” Gladio said.
“Which it would be if you all refrained from leaving empty food wrappers in the back seat,” Ignis said.
“Hey, there’s only one person in this group that drinks cans of Ebony, and that person is you,” Gladio shot back.
“I do ask you to throw away my rubbish,” Ignis said. “Given that I am frequently tasked with driving, it’s the least you could do.”
“That’s only because you and Noct won’t let me drive!” Prompto said.
Leaving the others to argue, Noctis walked on. Bitterly cold rain slapped him in the face, making it hard to keep his eyes open. But he pushed onwards, seeking out firmer ground and the car. Once they got the camping gear and pitched the tent, he could faceplant into his sleeping back and wake up to dawn, sunshine, and Ignis’ cooking.
And his sore throat would be gone, along with the aches and pains.
They reached the car without trouble, grabbed the camping gear and had the tent up at the haven five minutes later. Leaving his mud-caked boots at the flap, Noctis curled up in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.
“Don’t you wanna play some King’s Knight?” Prompto asked.
“Too tired,” Noctis said, keeping his eyes firmly closed. “It’s been a long day.”
“You should eat,” Ignis said.
But Noctis was already asleep.
Much to his drowsy dismay, he was awoken mere hours later to the sound of his phone. His friends, all tucked up in their own sleeping bags, grumbled and complained. Uncomfortably hot, Noctis freed himself of his sleeping bag and dug his phone out of his jacket pocket.
“Hello?” He winced at how husky his voice sounded. And, more worryingly, how much it hurt his throat to utter that one word.
“It’s Dave. Sorry for calling so early.”
Early? What time was it? “Uh, good morning?”
“Listen, one of my tipsters said you boys are down at the Vesperpool. Is that true?”
Scrubbing his eyes to wake himself up, Noctis confirmed their location.
“You know about that big old structure that’s down there?”
“Steyliff Grove? Yeah…”
“We’ve got a missing hunter. He radioed that he was under attack in the ruins a few minutes ago. The call cut out, but maybe there’s a chance you boys could reach him in time.”
Suddenly alert, Noctis agreed to go. “It’s just the one guy?”
“Just the one. Young kid. Real young. New to hunting but handy in a fight. Problem is he’s desperate to prove himself. The crew here in Meldacio told him not to go, but…” Dave broke off with a mirthless chuckle. “You know how it goes.”
“Leave it to us. We’ll find him.”
“Thanks. I’ll owe you.”
Noctis ended the call.
“Problem?” Ignis asked. As expected, he was wide awake despite the hideous hour.
“Hunter’s got himself into trouble in Steyliff Grove,” Noctis said.
“The one we visited with Aranea?” Prompto asked. He yawned. “With the water and the weird collapsing floors?”
“That’s the one.” Noctis rummaged through their supplies for a bottle of water. He needed something to soothe his aching throat. “We should go.” He found the water and knocked it back. It took the edge off the pain, but it didn’t help the headache, his blocked nose, or the unpleasant weight in his chest. “You guys up for a rescue mission?”
“Sure,” Gladio said. He yawned and stretched. “Sleep’s overrated.”
Ignis pulled his phone out. “It’s nearly dawn. We don’t have long before the door will close.”
Noctis finished the bottle and cleared his throat. “Let’s go.” They just needed to find this idiot hunter and get him to safety. After that, he’d let the others know he might need a day or two to rest and get over what was starting to feel like a really bad cold.
Abandoning the tent, they moved quickly and quietly through the trees, not wanting any roaming daemons to delay them. The rain didn’t let up in the slightest, although the sound of it did disguise their footsteps. Soon, the ruins of Steyliff Grove emerged from the darkness. And that was when a large problem reared its head.
“Dammit,” Gladio said. “That’s a lot of Flans.”
Noctis shuddered. Those things really did put him off mushy food. And his stomach, already unsettled, quailed nauseously. It was their oozing, wobbling movements, like sentient desserts come to life, ready to stuff themselves down this throat and choke him to –
A hand clapped his shoulder. “Noct, did you hear me?” Ignis asked.
Noctis looked at his friend. “Huh?”
Ignis frowned. “Magic. You need to slow them down.”
“Oh, right.” He summoned a Blizzaga flask out of his Armiger. He always kept stocks of powerful spells at the ready. “Stay back,” he warned the others.
“Why did I never ask you to freeze a pool so we could skate on it?” Prompto asked as Noctis launched the magic into the crowd. “Can you imagine how much fun that would’ve been at school?”
“I think I would’ve been expelled,” Noctis said, watching the Flans freezing over.
“But it would’ve been so worth it.”
“Shall we take out the rest of these daemons before you two lament missed opportunities for trouble?” Ignis asked.
Gladio’s greatsword appeared in his hands. “Let’s take ‘em out before the door closes.”
“Got it!” Prompto said, gun in hand.
They attacked the Flans. Launching his weapon across the daemons’ heads, Noctis warped behind them; he wanted to be ready to run into the temple the moment the others could make it past the daemons. Noctis cut them down from behind, taking advantage of their half-frozen, slow-witted movements. They couldn’t put up much of a fight, but they made up for it in sheer numbers. They packed out the small path leading into Steyliff Grove, pressing in on everything in their path.
“We’re not gonna get through all of these,” Gladio shouted. “Not in time.”
Noctis looked over his shoulder. He could get in, find the lost hunter, and get back out. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but if he didn’t go in now, they’d lose an entire day. And if that happened, the hunter could lose his life.
“I’ll go,” he called out to the others.
Three voices shouted back in disagreement. But the sun was already creeping across the horizon. They didn’t have much longer.
“We don’t have a choice,” Noctis said, cutting another Flan down. “If we leave him, he could die.”
“Don’t take any stupid risks,” Gladio said. “And if he’s dead, leave the body behind.”
“Use the warp panel to escape if possible,” Ignis shouted, his daggers slicing through a flan. “And if you’re not out by tonight, we’ll come for you.”
“Got it. You guys be careful, too.”
Noctis warped inside, their responses too distant to hear. Seconds after he crossed the threshold, the ruins sealed themselves shut. Breathing hard, Noctis gave himself a moment to feel his body’s illness. A harsh cough escaped him, leaving an unpleasant ache in his chest in its wake. He pressed a damp hand to his aching head and groaned. He really hadn’t planned on doing this alone.
“Suck it up,” he told himself in his best Gladio voice.
Determined to help the lost hunter, Noctis pushed himself upright. He was alone and unwell, and that meant he’d have to get the job done faster. Still, he held off calling out to the hunter. No reason to bring out the daemons any earlier than he needed to. Hopefully there wouldn’t be too many, not after the amount they’d taken out with Aranea during their recent exploration of the strange old place. Surely the daemons wouldn’t have regained their previous numbers in so short a space of time.
Except the sheer quantity of Flans outside suggested otherwise…
Using the map he’d created on his phone during his last visit, Noctis kept himself from getting lost or wasting time in dead-ends. He reached the large, watery main hall when something caught his attention. Something that wasn’t the odd sight of water overhead.
Blood. Fresh blood. Not enough to be lethal, but enough to suggest the hunter would be injured.
Hoping the kid hadn’t gone much further, Noctis called out. “Can anyone hear me?”
“H-hello?” A voice, young and uncertain, called back. “Is someone there? Please, I need help!”
The voice came from below. Noctis looked over the walkway’s edge and saw the guy on the lowest level of the Grove. How had he gotten himself all the way down there?
“What happened?” Noctis asked.
“I was stupid,” the teenager replied. “Got cocky. Thought I’d be able to make it back with some kinda treasure.” He laughed at himself, the sound echoing around the massive chamber. “I was really, really wrong.”
“You’re injured?”
“Yeah, my leg. It won’t take my weight.”
But the hunter alive. That was what mattered.
“I’m coming down!” Noctis shouted.
“O-okay!” the kid called back. “Um… but there’s… I’m not alone down here.”
“Daemons?” Noctis asked, readying himself for the long warp.
“Yeah. Reapers.”
Reapers? Shit. “Stay where you are.”
“I will.”
Noctis aimed the Engine Blade and threw it. The weapon pierced the ground at the kid’s side. A moment later, Noctis warped down several levels. He landed harder than usual, his head pounding at the harsh impact. He stood up straight, ignoring the dizziness and the heat lingering in his limbs. He didn’t have time to feel the pain or discomfort, not with five Reapers stood around them.
“Stay where you are,” Noctis told the hunter.
“I, uh, yeah, I will. But, um, are you who I think you are?”
“Probably.”
“Wow. I can’t believe it’s actually you. Of all the people!” He chuckled. “Unbelievable.”
Leaving the kid to his astonishment, Noctis attacked the Reapers. He took three out with a blast of Firaga, successfully beheaded a fourth, and skewered the fifth Reaper.
Dead.
“Whoa,” the kid said. “That was… wow.”
Noctis dismissed his weapon, bent over double and tried to catch his breath without looking like he was about to pass out. He just had to hold it together long enough to get the guy out of the Grove. And thankfully the warp panel wasn’t too far from here. In some ways, the kid had done them a favour by working his way so deep into the ruins.
Strength reluctantly returning to his limbs, Noctis turned back to the stricken hunter and pulled a potion out of the Armiger. “Here,” he said. He had to clear his throat so his voice made it past the congestion clogging him up. “It should help with the leg.” He punctuated the sentence with a smattering of coughs.
“Um, thanks.” The hunter took it and drank it. “You alright?”
“Yeah, fine.” Noctis straightened and held a hand out to the hunter. “We should move before anything else comes.”
“Right.” The hunter took Noctis’ hand. He grunted as Noctis yanked him to his feet. “Guess this was pretty stupid of me.”
“You’re alive,” Noctis said. “That’s what matters. How’s the leg?”
“Better,” the kid said. He tested his weight on it. “I can walk.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Noctis took the lead. Their pace was slow, but the teenaged hunter refused further offers of assistance. But he was chatty.
“I heard there was supposed to be some kind of amazing treasure in this place. It’s why I took the hunt. Looks like that was just a myth. It’s a shame. I could’ve sold it and used the money.”
“Guess so.”
“Still, I can’t believe you of all people came to save me! This doesn’t seem real at all. I’m from Insomnia, you know? I was one of the lucky ones.”
“Really lucky. You’ve survived tonight, too.”
The boy carried on like he hadn’t heard. “The Empire’s attack was like something out of a nightmare. Just fire and monsters everywhere you looked. It was totally unbelievable.” His voice never lost its bouncy, airy tone. “I didn’t think I’d ever make it out. When you think about it, it’s a miracle anyone survived.”
Noctis clung tightly to his composure, and leaned heavily on all those years of royal etiquette training. “I’m glad you made it out.”
“Yeah,” the kid said. His voice lowered. “Shame the rest of my family didn’t.”
Solemn, Noctis stopped and turned to face the hunter. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
The young hunter shrugged. “It’s not your fault,” he said, his voice dull. The boy looked up with cold grey eyes. His lips snapped into a rictus grin. “I mean, it’s not like you were there, is it? What could you have done?”
Guilt washed away all of Noctis’ cold symptoms. He stood in front of the teenager, desperately clinging onto his composure. He knew why he hadn’t been in the city, even though the truth of it would never sit well with him, but there was no way to explain it to the boy without it sounding ridiculous.
My dad sent me away because I’m destined to save Lucis. I have to gain the favour of the Astrals, and then we can take on the Empire. But it’s going to take time, and more people might die no matter how hard I try to keep them safe.
It all sounded so grandiose, so noble and romantically tragic. But it wouldn’t bring anybody who’d escaped Insomnia comfort.
“People keep saying they see you and your friends cruising around Lucis, helping out whenever and wherever there’s trouble. Like that’ll make up for what you didn’t do in Insomnia. Your dad got you out, didn’t he? I mean, I just keep thinking did King Regis really sacrifice an entire city just to keep his son alive?” The boy’s voice took on a bitter edge. Each word cut Noctis deeper than the last. “That’s a total dick move.”
“The Empire will answer to their crimes,” Noctis said, summoning the most commanding tone he could find within himself. He had to sound like a man who knew what he was doing, not the guy who hoped the Astrals really knew what they were doing when they bestowed their blessings upon him. The boy rolled his eyes, but Noctis pushed on, his hoarse voice fading with each word. “I will not rest until the kingdom is safe. You have my word.”
“Your word?” The kid said. “How reassuring.” He pushed on ahead of Noctis, dragging his injured leg. “I bet that’ll bring my dead parents and my dead brother back to life.” He laughed. “Shame the king didn’t think to tell the rest of us to get out. Nah, what did he care if the plebs got slaughtered so long as you escaped?”
Swallowing past the ache in his throat, Noctis coughed softly and forced his aching body after the kid. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice husky, once he got alongside the young hunter. “I can’t go back and change anything that happened, but I’m going to do something about it.”
The kid looked back, eyes still cold, face still taut. “Yeah. You will.”
Noctis moved around him and retook the lead. “Come on. There’s a shortcut out of here.”
Whispers and noise echoed out of the long, dark hallways. Noctis moved slowly, every sense strained for daemons. He knew better than to get into any more battles. He didn’t have the energy, and the kid carried an injury the potion hadn’t managed to completely cure. Without his friends to back them up, Noctis knew he, and his angry companion, were in very real danger.
Noctis led them into a long, dark corridor. Silence echoed around them, disturbed only by their footsteps. Nearly there. The warp panel was just around the next corner…
Except a Lich appeared, standing right between them and the only escape.
“What is that?” The kid gasped.
Noctis pulled him back, ducking into one of the alcove rooms. “Something you aren’t gonna mess with.”
The boy’s temper flared. “Why not?”
Noctis pushed him into the far corner. “Stay right here. Don’t go anywhere until I come and get you.”
He didn’t wait to hear the kid’s response. Noctis ducked out of the room and into the corridor. The Lich spotted him and attacked. Noctis dodged, leapt out of range, then threw himself into a warp strike. He needed this fight over and done with as soon as possible. Hopefully he could get it done without entering Stasis.
The first strike hit hard. The Lich fell back with its hideous, rasping hiss of a cry. Noctis, still airborne, twisted himself around to deliver another hefty blow.
He missed. The Lich slid out of way and recovered its focus. It summoned dark, cold magic.
A Death spell.
Noctis had seconds to react. He’d landed awkwardly. Dizzy and off balance, he swung himself around, Engine Blade singing through the air.
The Lich dodged. Its Death spell culminated.
Switching his grip, Noctis swung his sword backwards. The blade pierced the daemon’s body with a slobbering crunch. The creature released a guttural death cry and slumped in on itself, fading to nothing as it died. Its spell died with it.
The corridor was empty again. Noctis leaned against a wall, adrenaline fading from his veins. He tried to catch his breath, but it ended in another round of coughs. He pushed himself upright regardless. No time for wallowing in how bad he felt. He had to get the kid out and take him back to Meldacio and safety. Guilt thickened the nausea roiling in Noctis’ stomach. Thoughts that only crept up in the quietest moments of the longest, sleepless nights filled his head. Had his dad truly sacrificed the city for him? Had Dad known what the Empire would really do at the treaty signing? Or had he planned for the worst and hoped for the best? Noctis had no way of knowing. Anyone who might’ve known the truth had died at his father’s side.
One truth was obvious: Noctis had been safe and sound while the people of Insomnia suffered and died. He had unknowingly snuck away without the Empire noticing.
The people of Insomnia and Lucis probably looked at him and saw a coward.
Returning to the alcove, Noctis struggled to contain his rapid-fire thoughts. He called out as he rubbed his aching head. “It’s over. We should –”
The kid wasn’t there.
Swearing under his breath, Noctis walked out the other door, hoping the kid had gotten spooked and just slipped out the alcove’s back way.
No. He wasn’t there either.
Dammit.
Noctis turned to head back into the alcove and smashed straight into the kid.
“Whoa!” Noctis bounced off and hit the ground hard.
“Sorry!” the kid said. “I went out the other way and circled round.” He laughed, a strange sound in the empty, echoing halls. “We must’ve missed each other.”
“Right.” The sooner Noctis got this kid outside, and dumped him Meldacio, the better. He pushed himself to his feet, pressing a hand to his head as his brain bounced off the inside of his skull. “Let’s go.”
They cut through the alcove and back into the main corridor where the warp panel waited. Its red light stood out in the dark.
“There,” Noctis said. “That will take us back outside.”
“Really?” the kid asked. “Is it, like, magic?”
“Yeah.”
“Will it work for me?” the kid went on. “I’m just a normal guy. Nothing special about me. Nothing magical. What if it sends you outside but leaves me here, alone, in the dark with all the daemons?”
“You can go first,” Noctis said, hoping he sounded more patient than he felt. “I’ll stay until I’m sure you’re safely out.”
“How thoughtful,” the boy muttered. They walked side by side up to the panel, but the boy hesitated at its edge. “Before we go, there’s something I need to say.” The red light of the panel cast jagged shadows over him. His eyes glowed, dark and empty. He looked up at Noctis, his fists trembling at his sides. “I hate you,” he said. “I hate you, I hate your father, and I hate everyone who knew what was gonna happen and did nothing to help us.”
Noctis resisted the urge to shove the kid onto the warp panel. This was a conversation that could wait until they were outside and safe in the daylight. “I know you do. I’d change everything if I could, but –”
The kid turned to face Noctis fully. His face was expressionless, but his voice simmered with rage. “Our apartment building was hit by Diamond Weapon. My dad died instantly. I think he took half the wall through the head. Not that he had much of a head left after that. Not much of anything, really. My mother? She was bleeding to death. Had a huge chunk of glass stuck through her, right here.” The kid placed a hand over the right side of his torso. “But she told me to grab my brother and get out, escape the city.” His shoulders shook, but it wasn’t with tears. He laughed again, the sound sending cold chills down Noctis’ spine. “My brother was in his cot. Except his cot wasn’t in one piece anymore. Have you ever seen a crushed body before? Hmm, guess not. Princes probably never see anything like that. You wouldn’t know what it’s like to see so many bodies of people you know, crushed and bleeding everywhere you look.”
Noctis did know, he had seen, he had survived, but he knew better than to talk right now.
Except his silence only angered the kid. He shoved Noctis back, anger burning in his cold eyes. “And what do you do? Go driving all around like you’re on some kind of vacation! You’re pathetic! You’re an embarrassment! Your city fell. Your people died! Why? Why’d that happen? Because your dad figured your life was more important than anyone else’s. He should’ve warned us. He should’ve told people to stay away and get out of the city. But he didn’t, and thousands died.”
Noctis’ temper flared, but he strangled his protestations. They couldn’t get into an argument in here. “We need to leave.”
“You’re just a selfish bastard, doing whatever you want and not giving a shit about the rest of us.”
“That’s not –” A rasping call from behind distracted Noctis. He looked over his shoulder and saw another Lich emerging from the shadows at the far end of the corridor. He turned back to the boy. “We’re leaving, now. Step on the warp panel and we can get out of here.”
The kid stepped towards him. “No. You’re not coming. You don’t deserve to leave here.”
A strange, sharp pain in Noctis’ gut stopped him dead. Frowning, he looked down.
The kid had his fist pressed against Noctis. His fingers glistened.
Noctis frowned. “Your hand’s bleeding,” he said.
“You’re a waste of space,” the kid hissed. His fist pressed harder against Noctis’ side. “You should’ve died just like everyone else that night.” There were tears in his eyes now. His teeth clenched so hard, Noctis heard bones grinding. “It should’ve been you who was crushed. You who took a chunk of glass through the gut, but I guess being a spoiled prince means you don’t have to deal with the same shit as the rest of us.”
The boy pulled his hand back, and realisation dawned, piercing the fog clouding Noctis’ thoughts.
Stabbed. He’d been stabbed.
Noctis’s knees hit the ground. Agony radiated out from the wound. He pressed his hands to it. Hot blood worked its way through his fingers.
Not good. Really, really, really not good.
The kid raised his bad leg and placed his booted foot on Noctis’ chest. “You’re an idiot, you know that? I didn’t come here looking for treasure. I came here because I knew it’d be you who’d come if I said I was under attack.” He laughed, and this time he sounded hysterical. “I didn’t think you’d be alone though. Figured I’d deal with you, and then your friends would take care of me. That is what they do, right? Eliminate any threats to their prince?”
“You wanted them to kill you?” Noctis whispered.
“What have I got to live for?” The boy asked.
“Everything,” Noctis said. His voice cracked, whether though pain or illness he couldn’t be sure. “You don’t have to do this. Your family wouldn’t want –”
“Shut up!” He kicked Noctis to the ground. He kicked again and again until his injured leg gave out. “You don’t get to speak about them! They’re dead because of your father. Kings aren’t supposed to sacrifice people. They’re supposed to protect them!”
Winded and in agony, Noctis’ vision tunnelled. He tried to speak, but he couldn’t get the words out.
“I hope you die slowly. I hope every last breath you take is agony.”
The last thing Noctis saw was the kid’s leg swinging at his face. For a moment there was only pain and darkness. He came back to his throbbing senses in time to see the boy warping out of the Grove.
A deep, terrible twinge dragged Noctis’ attention down to his belly.
Red. So much red. It gushed over his fingers and dripped into the puddle spreading beneath him.
He passed out.