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Like a bird
The sun of Leide was frying Noctis’ brain.
Noctis wasn’t a stranger to sun, especially not in the summer. With concrete and bricks catching sunlight the whole day, Insomnia could get unbelievably hot. But there had been fountains with water, shops with ice-cream, and many, many places where one could hide from the merciless sun.
There was no shade in Leide. Only sand, stones, more sand, and weirdly twisted, bare bushes under which sabertusks liked to lurk. It was so hot Noct swore his skin was getting red even under a thick layer of sunscreen and he had to wipe off sweat from his forehead every few minutes. While Noctis didn’t fancy sleeping on the hard stone of a haven, he was longing to be there already: according to stories, havens stayed cool during hot days and warm when cold.
Right now Noctis was ready to sell his crown to feel cold again. Why did the Regalia have to break down in the worst possible location and why couldn’t they even afford a camper? It would be so cold inside and he would take a shower in cold water –
Of course, because two little things had gone wrong already, they had to be attacked by a pack of sabertusks when doing as much as breathing would make them sweat.
“Noct, on your left!”
Noctis raised the engine blade just in time to parry an attack from a sabertusk. The animal growled, falling down on its back. Without thinking, Noctis threw the blade after it and warped, pinning the sabertusk to the ground with a sword in its chest. His side got scratched a little by the monster’s paw but he barely felt it.
Quickly, Noctis looked around himself, pulling the sword from the dead sabertusk. Behind him, Prompto was doing well, keeping his distance and shooting everything that came too close to him. Gladio was fighting with two sabertusks at once, obviously trying to go closer to Noctis. There was a sabertusk attacking Ignis with another two more slowly crawling to him.
The distance between him and Ignis was a little more than what he was used to warping to. Yet, with adrenaline rushing through him and magic singing loudly every time he pulled out the blade, worrying about such things like too long of a distance seemed pretty silly. Even if he hadn’t practiced it too much in Insomnia, Noctis was sure he would be able to succeed.
Without thinking much more, he pulled his arm with the sword back and then threw it in the direction of a crawling sabertusk, warping right after it. He hit one of them at full speed, easily breaking the monster’s neck. Then, without thinking, he warped to the second one, stabbing right into its stomach and then kicking it and crushing it under his own weight for good measure.
It didn’t last more than three seconds.
Noctis stood up, panting, just to hear Ignis loudly saying that all monsters had been killed.
“Good thinking, princess.” Gladio walked towards him, his eyes roaming over Noctis’ frame as if looking for injures. “That was impressive.”
“Yeah, buddy, that was awesome!” Noctis didn’t even budge when Prompto draped himself over his back and almost pushed his camera into Noctis’ face. “I took the photo, look!”
In the photo, Noctis was crouching above the dead sabertusk and staring at the other one, surrounded by blue light. He was in the process of pulling his sword out of the dead animal, his hair and clothes dishevelled, face and arms dirtied and yet there was a small smile of his face. Noctis squinted his eyes, zoomed in on the photo and he had to admit he was smiling a little. Was it because of adrenaline? Because of the easiness with which he had killed monsters other hunters talked about with fear in their voices?
“I suggest we go, it’s getting dark.” Ignis’ voice broke Noct’s train of thoughts. He didn’t even notice when Ignis came closer with a potion in his hand. “Cindy mentioned there are energy deposits near the haven. We could use some ice in next fight with those beasts.”
Noctis could almost feel how his eyes sparkled at those words.
“Energy deposits?” Prompto asked, looking at the three of them with curious expression.
“A naturally occurring source of fire, ice, and electric magic which can be taken in and stored by one of the Lucis Caelum line,” Ignis explained as if he was quoting from a book. He probably was. “His highness can craft spells with them.”
“That sounds amazing.” Prompto was positively beaming. “I didn’t hear about it before.”
“There are no energy deposits in Insomnia.” Gladio shrugged, resting the sword on his shoulder. “We have to get to the haven before it’s too dark to find one, they don’t have to be close.”
Noctis nodded and took the potion from Ignis. Immediately after crushing it, he felt the wave of magic enveloping him and healing every cut and bruise. He even felt colder than before.
“Thanks, Specs.” Ignis bowed his head a little, taking a potion too.
For their first fight, Noctis mused, they didn’t look too bad. The worst injury had to be the sharp cut on Prompto’s leg yet he was walking without problems so it didn’t seem to bother him too much.
After everyone got healed, Gladio once again started to lead them to the haven, walking carefully and checking if anything was lurking in front of them. Ignis was walking a few steps behind him, at Noctis’ right, with Prompto closing the group. It occurred to Noctis just then that none of them had sent their weapons back to the Armiger. He himself was holding his sword a little tighter than usual. That first fight had proved to them they really weren’t in Insomnia anymore.
Thankfully, they reached the haven before night set in, them undisturbed by any other monster. Not managing to wait any longer, Noctis pulled their camping gear from the Armiger and announced he was going to the energy deposit. He knew Gladio was going to make him pay for leaving him to do everything alone but Noctis had to see for himself how it was to drain the power from the deposit on his own.
His father always spoke about taking those powers with a happy smile on his face, like it was something pleasing. There was no way to recreate that in Insomnia and Noctis was more than curious.
The first energy deposit was ice energy. With every step closer Noctis felt how his hair was standing up at his nape. It was almost like those stones were calling to him, wanting him to get a taste of their power. Mesmerized, Noctis raised his hand in their direction, focusing on the cool touch of the magic in front of him. Slowly, just like his father had taught him, Noctis took a deep breath and pulled on the magic source.
The first rush of power felt incredible. It was better than the first time Noctis warped, the first spell he used, the first time he got to drive a car, the first time he went fishing, the first time – It was better than everything else in Noctis’ whole life. The magic was filling him up completely, making Noctis feel as if it was a part of him that he had been missing his whole life and didn’t even know it. He was feeling like a starved man who got told to eat to his heart content for free. He felt so overjoyed he could cry.
It ended soon though. For a few minutes Noctis just stood in the place, tasting the magic on his lips and basking in the feeling of so much more power cursing through him before he turned towards the other sources, wanting to feel those other powers too.
Now he understand perfectly why his father was so found of those places.
The first Royal Arm Noctis received was the Axe of the Conqueror. The moment the weapon slid into him it felt as if Noctis was drowning for a second, magic flaring inside of him. His hands itched to wield it already. It was a big weapon, heavy and Noctis couldn’t wait to try it.
The first occasion came sooner than later as they were attacked by some general called Loqi and a group of MTs. Noctis’ body was already vibrating with a need to move even before Ignis and Cor put forth the strategy of their fight.
Using the axe was more difficult than a broad sword but it was so fun when Noctis was falling down onto MTs, aiming the axe at them. Every time he touched the ground after splitting another soldier in half he quickly switched to a sword, swirling around either to parry an incoming attack from another soldier or to hit one.
For some time already, since their first encounter with sabertusks actually, Noctis had started to look forward those fights. Every time he fought he discovered new ways to use magic, he could implement all those moves Gladio had spent months practicing with him and how to make up his own moves when it was needed. It was freeing.
For the first time in his life Noctis didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone when fighting. Gladio and Ignis were both formidable opponents but they couldn’t use magic, they didn’t have any means to protect themselves against Noct’s spells when they were practicing at havens.
But their enemies? Noctis could wipe the floor with them and laugh .
“Noct, do that again! I almost had it!”
The general cursed them loudly, his robosuit obviously slowly failing and Noctis flashed Prompto a grin before warping to hit one of the mecha’s legs again with the axe. He switched the axe to the sword and threw it high into the air, warping after it. Then he turned around midair not scared about falling onto the ground at all as if any moment he would sprout wings and fly away. He aimed at the mecha again, summoning a flask with magic and called forth a Firaga .
An avalanche of fire fell onto the robosuit, covering it whole with tall, wild flames, that melted the steel. It was so hot Noctis felt the warmth on his face.
He warped once more, landing effortlessly on the ground. There, without waiting for instructions, Noctis called for another flask, this time with electric magic. Before he could cast it though, Loqi yelled from the inside of the melting mecha:
“I’ll take you with me! I won’t let you run away alive!”
Fuck.
One look told Noctis he was the closest to the general. He turned around quickly and warped away towards Cor just in time; the shockwave of the explosion managed to scratch his back.
He landed at Cor’s feet, barely managing to stand up straight.
“Your highness, you didn’t stick to the plan.” A vein on Cor’s forehead was pulsating with annoyance yet his voice was as dull as always. “You could have gotten hurt.”
“I’ll try to be more careful next time, promise.” Noctis casts the sword back to the Armiger, nodding at Prompto who was cheerfully waving his camera at him.
Noctis smelled like burnt clothes, oil and sweat, his shoulder hurt, his leg hurt and yet he looked at the sky with longing in his eyes. It was so fun to just float there for a precious few seconds, away from everything.
Cor sighed.
With each passing day of their trip to Altissia, they had to fight more and more. Prompto could swear at everything that there were some days when all they did was fight: monsters, daemons, MTs, even hunters who recognized Noctis and decided that the reward from the Empire was good enough to try to capture the king of Lucis.
After days like those they usually spent the next one in a motel in some backwater town, wanting to be hidden from everyone and everything. Those days were filled with silence and half-muttered sentences while they were regaining their strength. It was actually quite comfortable, to sit together like that, not talking, everyone focused on their hobby.
Noctis tossed and turned on the bed in his sleep, kicking Prompto’s shoulder and Prompt swatted his leg without even looking at his friend, checking the photos he had taken the past few days. It was hard to decide which one should he delete.
“This one looks good.”
“Huh?” Prompto turned to Gladio.
Prompto was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed Noctis was sleeping in. Gladio was sitting on the bed, next to Noct, and Ignis was occupying the single armchair in the room. How Ignis didn’t fear sitting on something that looked as if it remembered the times of creation of the world was beyond Prompto. It was a miracle it hadn’t fallen apart under him.
Truth be told everything in the room looked like it was older than sand in Leide. Maybe Prompto would be sleeping on the floor today.
Gladio was leaning forward, trying to see Prompto’s camera better, his book laying next to him. The bookmark was already in the middle of it; how could Gladio read so fast?
“Princess looks happy, don’t you think?”
Prompto turned back to the picture. It was a photo of Noctis jumping down onto a MT with a pair of daggers. He was surrounded by a blue hue from warping but also by white, soft-looking, thin strings of ice magic. His eyes were gleaming, more bright than usual, his hair colour more blue than anything else. Yet, instead of a serious expression, there was a smile on Noctis’ face. A grin in fact. He was looking like he was having fun, soaring through the air and making their enemies suffer.
Prompto swiped to the next photo. It was Noctis again, this time doing some acrobatics in the air. How he could so gracefully turn himself around mid-fucking-air to avoid getting hit by anything Prompto couldn’t imagine. He was low-key jealous about that though.
He remembered it was from a fight with some brutal bees, when Gladio had thrown Noctis into the air. Prompto quietly congratulated himself for taking such a good looking photo when he was so busy trying to kill every single one of those awful bees.
The next one was a selfie Prompto had taken in front of a cave and the next was Noctis again, smiling once more and holding a thunder spell in his hands, waiting to be cast. Without focusing too much Prompto easily remembered how that spell had pierced the air, how the sheer power of it had made him shiver.
“His highness likes to fight,” Ignis commented from his seat. He put the small notebook he had been writing in a few minutes ago down and he was looking at Noctis with a soft smile. “Gladio, if I didn’t know better, I would think you lied when you said he didn’t like to practice.”
Gladio chuckled; his expression was fond too when he looked briefly at Noctis.
“He couldn’t use too much magic when practicing with me. I think this is what he likes the best. Remember, how he ran to the first energy deposit we found?”
Prompto giggled, remembering that scene. Noctis had been looking like something had been chasing him and he had left the tent for them to put up. The next morning Gladio had made him jog much longer than usual for it, but Noctis hadn’t looked like he minded it. He had looked almost happy then.
Swapping through more photos showed Prompto just how many of them Noctis was smiling in when he was in the air or when he was using spells – especially fire ones. The past few days there hadn’t been much reason for them to smile and it made Prompto feel good to see that Noctis still could, that despite everything there was still a thing he liked to do.
Even if that thing was to fry MTs into piles of ash.
All right, that was it. From now on Prompto was going to print out every photo of Noctis smiling. Maybe in a few years, after their lives would get back more or less to normal, they could look at those pictures and laugh together, remembering “the good old times”.
On the bed Noctis only snored quietly.