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With a relieved sigh, Noctis placed his pencil down on his desk and leaned back. The stiffness that had settled into his upper body gradually dissipated as he heard his peers echo his sentiment of relief throughout the classroom. Weeks of studying were finally at an end, and winter break stretched out in front of him. As their exams were being collected, he sought out Prompto sitting across the room trying to gauge how his friend had fared.
The two of them had stayed up late the previous night trying to cram dates and facts into their head for their impending history exam. History was a bit easier for Noctis, thanks in part to Ignis tutoring on various subjects since middle school. Prompto glanced over and responded to Noctis’ inquisitive look with a slight smirk and a subtle thumbs up. Seems the cram session had done them both a bit of good after all, despite Ignis bemoaning their sleeping and eating habits as of late.
Once they were dismissed, Noctis made a beeline for his friend, feeling a satisfying mixture of exhaustion and elation. Prompto looked up from zipping his warm, puffy, black jacket and began excitedly rocking up onto his toes, his enthusiasm evident.
“Dude, I’ve got the movies and games ready to go. Are Gladio and Ignis still up for a post-exam celebration?”
Noctis grinned and adjusted the shoulder straps on his leather backpack. “I had to promise an extra training session with Gladio and apartment cleaning for Ignis, but I know they’re secretly looking forward to some relaxation.”
Prompto scrunched his face in disapproval, “Better you than me.”
“Nah, the training won’t be so bad, we’ve been practicing with different weapon types, so it’s been pretty interesting. You should see my armiger, it has so much stuff crammed in it now.”
“I was talking about the cleaning. I’ve smelled your laundry pile, dude. That thing could send a Voretooth running for cover.”
Noctis nudged his shoulder into the jokester. “Shut up. It’s clean-ish now.” The two casually strolled out of the room down the murky sunless hallway. Outside, the thick gray clouds were just beginning to spit a flurry of snow onto the city of Insomnia. The streets and buildings quickly becoming covered with a mixture of ice and snow.
As they exited the building, the cold bit at the exposed skin on their faces and hands. Ignis casually waved at them from the front seat of a slick black car parked right in front of the school. Noctis and Prompto slid gratefully into their seats, shaking fluffy flakes from their hair, shoulders, and boots. Ignis cranked the heat up a bit in response to the sudden influx of cold.
Noctis continued to shake the snow from his jet black hair, “Thanks for the ride Specs.”
Ignis put the car in drive and smoothly pulled away from the curb. “My pleasure, I trust the exams went well?” He asked, glancing up into the rearview mirror.
“Pretty well, I think. My hand’s about ready to fall off though.” He held up his limp hand for dramatic emphasis.
“Such a shame then that you won’t be able to enjoy tonight’s festivities. Shall I reschedule?”
Prompto interjected, “He just wants to use that as an excuse for when he starts losing later.”
“Hey, I didn’t do all that cleaning for nothing! And don’t act like I don’t whip your butt on a regular basis!”
The sun began its descent below the horizon as the three continued their drive to Noctis’ apartment amidst amiable conversation. The snow continued to accumulate along the roadways and skyscrapers, leaving the city with a dusting of white wet powder.
------
Gladio shifted his weight back and forth waiting for the elevator to reach its destination. He had given Noct a hard time about coming to this “After Exam Fest A Palooza,” (name naturally provided by Prompto), but truth be told, he was looking forward to a night of relaxation and fun. His dad had been pushing him harder in his training and studies as he had gotten older, and fatigue had been catching up with him as of late.
He rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen the knots that had settled into place. The elevator dinged and the doors smoothly opened to reveal a simple, but sleek and modern looking hallway. When he got to Noctis’ door, he didn’t even bother knocking. He grasped the doorknob and stepped over the threshold.
His ears were immediately bombarded with a cacophony of sounds. Loud screeches emitted from the racing game on TV, accompanied by the cheers and groans of the two participants. He removed his large black boots and strode over next to Ignis, who was standing behind the couch spectating.
Gladio glanced over at Ignis and smirked, “I’m surprised you haven’t planted yourself in the kitchen.”
Ignis pursed his lips, “Noct insisted I take the night off. I’m in line to play the victor apparently.”
“So what’s for dinner then?”
Ignis crossed his arms and sighed, “Pizza.”
Gladio laughed, “Aw, c’mon. A little greasy pizza once in a while isn’t going to hurt anyone.”
At that moment, the race concluded with Noctis claiming victory. “Ha! I told you not to pick that car, the handling is garbage.”
Prompto tossed the controller off to the side, “I just let you win out of pity for your poor defunct writing hand.”
Noctis turned around to Ignis and spotted Gladio for the first time. “Hey slow poke.”
Gladio snorted, “Is that a challenge? I’m always up for a race, you know. You owe me an extra training session, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. Here, you and Iggy take a turn.” Noctis and Prompto handed their controllers over to the older men standing behind them. Gladio settled onto the couch as Prompto began explaining the controls to Ignis.
Noctis meandered over to the wide sliding glass door and gazed out at the city. The gentle flurries from earlier had morphed into a more steady snowfall, bringing most of Insomnia to a standstill. Noctis had always loved the snow. The cold that came with it aggravated his old injuries sometimes, but he still couldn’t help looking forward to it. The normally bustling city became peaceful and quiet, with lights glistening off the fresh white blanket.
Glancing back and seeing that his friends were still preoccupied with the game, Noctis stepped out onto his balcony and into the night. He leaned over, placing his forearms on the railing, and took a deep breath of the sharp cold air. The wind gently batted his hair about as he basked in the tranquility and quiet he so rarely got to experience, let alone had time to savor.
As if on cue, he heard a knock on the glass door behind him. Prompto was beckoning him back inside to watch the face off, while giving him a look that seemed to imply that Noctis was mental to be standing out in the snow. Noctis gave him smile and a wave of acknowledgement.
As the prince straightened up, he heard a loud, sharp crack ring out across the muted landscape. His confusion was quickly replaced by blaring pain shooting across his shoulder. Noctis had barely had time to register the searing wound when he heard another crack thunder across the cityscape and blazing agony blossomed in his chest.
Despite the adrenaline coursing through his system, his knees buckled, and he collapsed; his back and head striking the cold gray pavement of the balcony. More of those damned cracks rang out, so loud, and yet the echo muted by the recently fallen snow. Glass shattered and Noctis heard panicked shouting ensue from inside.
Noctis tried to get up, get out of the line of fire, check on his friends, but it was all he could do to continue drawing breath. Each bit of effort rewarded him with only shallow intakes before he was forced to expel the limited air supply he had gathered. He lay on his back, eyes staring up at the falling snow. He could feel his back becoming wet with his own blood, every nerve sending simultaneous panic and pain signals to his brain. He gave a weak cough as he tried to convince his legs and arms to cooperate.
Blood began to leak from the sides of his mouth and ran down his face, blending in with his dark spiked hair. Tears began welling up in his eyes. He knew he was destined to die sooner than he would like thanks to the Caelum’s link with the crystal, but he had always thought he would have more time. This couldn’t be how it ended. Not with something so small and insignificant as a bullet.
He turned his head slightly towards his apartment. Where were his friends? Had they been hit? Gods, they were only here because he had invited them. They could have been home, safe, warm, and not in peril because they were in proximity to him. He sent one last prayer to whatever gods may be listening, “Please let them be ok.”
A pool of blood slowly creeped into his line of sight as it gradually spread from the gunshot wounds in his chest and shoulder. His thoughts spun incoherently in his head, slipping away as soon as they had come. “Why did this happen? Where is everyone? Who did this? Get up dammit! Move! Breathe! Do something!”
The pain made it impossible to concentrate! Just then, the lights in Noctis’ apartment and those in the surrounding blocks blinked out, leaving only the pale emergency lights behind. His vision began to spin and become hazy around the edges. His whole body, which had before been so cold, began to feel almost blissfully numb.
All he had to do was get up! But everything felt so muffled and far away; his limbs heavy as tree trunks. As darkness encroached on his vision, he implored his muscles to work. “Please! Get up! Where is everyone? Why can’t I feel anything? It’s so dark…”
“...”
“...”
“I’m not ready yet...”
“...”
“...”
“I thought I had more time…”
-------
Ignis reluctantly took the controller from Prompto. It wasn’t that he was necessarily opposed to video games, he just dreaded the taunting that would ensue from his inevitable defeat.
As Prompto began to go over the button mapping, Ignis saw Noctis quietly steal away outside. The advisor gave a small indulgent smile as he watched his oldest friend go enjoy some peace. He had always loved the snow, even when they were little.
It was inevitable that on the first snow of the year Noctis would sneak into his bedroom and excitedly demand that they bundle up and go play. Thus snowball battles were fought, snowmen built, forts constructed, and sled rides taken. The tradition had gradually changed as the years went on. Rather than snowball fights and sled rides, the two would meet up and take a peaceful walk through one of the parks in Insomnia until Noctis’ old injuries beckoned them home.
Ignis had just settled on the couch when he heard a cracking sound ring through the air outside. He knew what it sounded like, but surely he was mistaken. He looked up sharply wide eyes meeting Gladio’s whose whole body had tensed and frozen in place. The two scrambled to their feet as they heard another shot resounded from the direction of the balcony.
Glass shattered and cold air stung the exposed skin on Ignis’ hands and face. Gladio pulled him down to the floor. “Get down!” He shouted above the shots and frigid wind. Thankfully Prompto heeded the warning as well and dove behind the couch with them.
Ignis could feel his heart pounding in his chest. “Noct?!” He called, “Are you all right?!”
Prompto grabbed his arm and held him in a vice-like grip; his face pale and eyes wide as saucers. “He… I saw… Iggy, he got hit. He fell. There was blood. I…” He swallowed hard and tried to control the shaking in his voice and body.
Ignis felt his stomach churn and fought to quell the panic rising within him. “Where was he hit? Was he moving?”
“I don’t know! I think somewhere in his chest. He wasn’t moving, I-”
“Stay here.” Gladio interjected, “I’m gonna get him out of there.” Before either could retort the lights, heat, and all power suddenly blinked out. Gladio, determined to take advantage of the sudden darkness, scrambled out from behind the sofa towards his fallen friend.
He had no time to be gentle, no time to think, but all of the adrenaline coursing through his veins couldn’t combat the slight shake in his hands as he pulled his limp charge out of the line of fire. The shield picked him up and raced back into the relative safety of the apartment and tried to take a good look at his friend.
Noct had always been pale, but his skin had taken on an ashy tone. His clothes and hair, damp from the snow, clung to his face and body. Gladio’s eyes frantically searched for signs of life from his young friend.
Ignis and Prompto dashed over to join the two. Ignis shouted to be heard over the increasingly loud gusts barreling through the apartment. “Into the bedroom! Hurry! Prompto, try to find some sort of light source, but don’t turn it on, and stay low for goodness sakes!”
“On it!” Prompto yelled in reply as he crouched off towards the kitchen, taking cover whenever he could behind sofas and chairs.
Ignis and Gladio made their way towards the bedroom, trying to jostle Noctis as little as possible. Once in the bedroom, Gladio gently placed Noctis on the plush, king-sized bed and sat down, taking one of Noctis’ smaller hands in his own. He whipped out his phone with his other blood stained hand and sent an emergency signal out to all other members of the crownsguard and the glaives. There was no telling where the shooters had gone, or whether more danger was headed their way. The one thing he did know for certain was, with Noctis in this state, they were all sitting ducks.
Ignis bent over the pale boy on the bed and searched desperately for a pulse. “Gladio, find something to stem the bleeding.” Ignis requested, without looking up. As the larger man began grabbing whatever cloth items he could find, Ignis placed trembling fingers onto Noctis’ throat. Despite the frigid temperatures, the advisor felt uncomfortably hot and antsy in his own skin. He watched his friend for any sign of life and forced himself to wait.
…
…
There! It was far too slow and weak, but it was there! Gladio returned and began applying pressure to the wounds. Just then, Prompto ducked back into the room slamming the door behind him and holding a small battery powered lantern. As he turned it on, Noctis let out a quiet moan. His eyes opened slightly, reflecting the pale yellow light that had so recently bathed the room.
“Noct!” Ignis exclaimed as he leaned in a bit closer. “Don’t worry, we’re going to fix this.” He cursed the waiver in his voice as he tried to comfort the bleeding prince. Noctis’ soft blue eyes struggled to focus on Ignis. The advisor noticed his lips moving slightly, but the words were too soft to make out, lost to the whistles of the wind and more distant shots from outside. He leaned in, putting his ear close to his straining friend, desperately trying to discern the whispered words.
Amidst the soft painful gasps, Noctis pushed out three words. “Armiger… I… Made…” He took one more shuddering breath and let out a wet sounding sigh. His muscles went slack and his chest ceased what little movement it had been trying to maintain.
In that moment, the world felt frozen. Not because of the blizzard raging outside, but the stillness inside. Nothing moved. Prompto stood planted in place with lamp in hand. Gladio hovered over Noctis, still covered in the blood of the man he had tried to save. Ignis still kneeled with his head close to the lips that had spoken their last just moments ago.
There was stillness in the air. Dust mites seemed to hang in place; tiny flecks reflecting the pale light. There was stillness of movement. Each man hardly dared to breathe and break the fragile belief that this could be somehow mended, that the man they called their brother would take another breathe. There was even stillness from outside; the wind temporarily abated and no further shots being fired left behind such a void their ears started ringing.
Ignis sat up and felt tears welling up in his eyes. He once again placed fingers on his prince’s throat. “Noct?” He whispered.
Gladio removed his hands from his charge’s chest and shoulder. The newly cast light allowed him to see the situation clearly for the first time. The bed, Noctis’ clothes, and even his own hands were soaked a dark crimson. His chest tightened as his mind tried to reject the scene playing out in front of him.
He protected Noctis all these years for it to end like this? Isn’t the crystal supposed to be some sort of powerful magic force? Then why the hell didn’t it do something?! Hadn’t people been spending Noct’s whole life telling him he was some damned chosen one? Then why the hell hadn’t the crystal protected him? It drains life force, but can’t do anything useful when it comes down to the wire. Gladio clenched his fists and turned away, desperately trying to wipe the signs of failure off of his hands.
Prompto stood at the foot of the bed, lantern held up half heartedly. His mind was surprisingly blank; body numb. He would wake up soon. His fishing obsessed partner in crime would be shaking him awake on the couch with a playful jab and an indulgent smirk. He had always told himself he would stay at his best friend’s side, he’d even made a promise to Lunafreya. He had just assumed he would be able to accompany his dork of a friend a little longer.
Abruptly, like a sharp jolt to the brain, his mind hooked onto a single thought. “Ignis, what did he say?” Noctis had been desperately trying to convey something in the end. It suddenly felt imperative to know what his best friend had said to them in that moment.
Ignis seemed reluctant to look away from the face of his prince, but eventually glanced over at Prompto, tears now falling freely from his eyes. Hand never leaving Noctis’ throat, he replied, “He said something about the armiger… That he made something?...”
Gladio whirled around, eyes fixed intensely on Ignis, “Made? Made what?”
Prompto took a shaky step forward, eyes flicking frantically between the two men who had sworn their service to the lifeless man, sprawled and bloody, on the bed. “There must be something in there then! He knew there was something that may be able to help!”
Gladio tensed up and whirled around to face Prompto, still not bearing to cast his eyes on the man he had failed. “He’s dead Prompto, we can’t help him now! We screwed up!” Saying it out loud layed a heavy weight on the room. It spoke of finality and an end to the fragile hope they had been wordlessly clinging to.
Prompto’s shoulders sagged as he practically begged. “At least try!” Prompto had considered trying out for the crownsguard, but had yet to work up the courage to broach the subject with his best friend. No crownsguard, no armiger access. It fell to the older two men to try and decipher Noctis’ departing message.
Out of sheer desperation and denial, Ignis began mentally rifling through the items Noctis had stored in his armiger. Across the bed from him, he saw Gladio begin to do the same, despite the insistence that they could do nothing for their fallen comrade.
Noctis had recently begun some lessons with his father to focus more specifically on magic. Some of the higher ranking glaives had been filling in the gaps, but there were some things only King Regis could teach his son. Noctis had always been a bit vague about what the lessons entailed, always telling those that inquired that he wasn’t “ready yet” to show them anything. What had he been working on?
As the two men searched, they tried to focus more specifically on items with healing and curative magic bound to them.
Potions…
Hi-potions…
Antidotes…
Elixirs…
There! Ignis swiped his arm through the air and amidst a flurry or sparks the three saw a curved, golden bottle with a gleaming gold and crimson striped feather sticking form the top. The magic radiating from the container felt volatile and hot. Before Ignis could ponder the item further or second guess what he was found, Gladio ripped it from his hand and broke it over the cold and still prince.
In unison the trio yelled and lept back as blinding orange and yellow flames erupted from the broken bottle pieces engulfing Noctis. His limp form lifted slightly off the mattress as the flames grew brighter and spun faster and faster around him, casting the room in radiant light. A final white flash emitted from the flames and the room went dark.
Rapidly trying to blink the sun spots from their vision, Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto felt their way back towards their friend. Prompto sat next to Noctis and scooped up one of his hands in his own. Gladio leaned over to inspect the bullet wounds that had so recently taken the life of his comrade. His eyes widened as his large fingers gently moved Noctis’ shirt fabric aside. “Whatever the hell that thing was did something. The bullet holes are gone!”
Ignis knelt opposite of Prompto, about to once again place his fingers on his prince’s throat to check for the impossible; to check and see if the volatile magic stored in that bottle had somehow managed to bring Noctis back to them.
A sudden loud gasp caused them to jump back in surprise until the realization dawned on them. That once lifeless form on the bed had life in his eyes and air in his lungs again. Muscles that had begun to stiffen now flexed and stretched with blood pumping through them once more.
Gladio reached Noctis first and tenderly helped him sit up, eyes fixed intently on his charge. Noctis continued to take gasps of air in quick succession and began shaking all over his body. Confusion and fear were plastered on his face as his eyes darted around the room, trying to get his bearings.
Ignis gently cupped his friend’s face and tilted Noctis’ head up so their eyes could meet. Frightened stormy blue met tearful emerald green as Ignis offered some words of comfort. “It’s all right Noct, we’re right here. You’re safe.”
Prompto rubbed his thumb over the back of one of Noctis’ calloused hands, pausing every now and then to wipe away tears trickling down his cheeks. At those words, he gave Ignis a quizzical look. Were they really safe? They had no way of knowing whether the danger had passed yet.
He caught Ignis’ eye and mouthed “Shooters?” Ignis gave him a knowing glance in return. He couldn’t be sure what was happening outside. He could only hope the remaining crownsguard members and the glaives had the situation under control. His priority was the man still gasping for breath and purchase.
“No one’s getting in here.” Gladio said quietly, anger burning in the implied threat.
Noctis’ shaking continued, but his breathing had begun to even out. Prompto leaned forward, “Hey bud, How’re you feeling?”
Noctis let out one more rattling breathe and raised a trembling hand to push his dark hair out of his face. “I guess you guys found it, huh?”
Gladio let out a weak laugh, “You almost had us worried for a second there, what the hell was that thing?”
The exhausted prince looked sheepishly up at his friends. “A little bit of an experiment. I’ve been practicing magic with dad. He said I had a knack for flasks, potions, and stuff. I read in a book somewhere that a few kings in the past had made potions that could bring people back from the dead if you used them quick enough. This is the first time I’ve been able to test it.” He concluded with a lopsided grin.
Ignis shakily sighed, “Perhaps next time you’ll let us know about your little experiments so we’re not left with cryptic dying messages to decipher?”
Before Noctis could reply, Gladio’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out and frowned at the screen. “Message from my dad, he said they found the bastard. Looks like it was just one guy, but they’ve set up a perimeter around the building for now. He wants to know if we’re all ok.”
Noctis opened his mouth to reply, but Ignis quickly interjected. “Have the medics come up please, I’d like them to give Noct a once over.”
As much as he hated medical exams and hospitals, Noctis decided to give in without a fuss. He saw the haggard looks on his friends faces. Prompto’s smile didn’t reach his eyes and his right knee bounced nervously. Gladio’s posture was the same as it usually was during training. He was ready for a fight, but all the while eyes flicking over towards him as if to make sure he wasn’t about to have some sort of relapse.
Ignis’ mannerisms would have seemed calm and collected to anyone who hadn’t grown up knowing him. He still sat on the bed, now looking at Noctis, waiting for affirmation to be checked over by the citadel’s medical staff. However, his eyes were slightly squinted, looking his friend over trying to give his own surreptitious examination. His shoulders were tense, brows furrowed, and hands clasped together a little too tightly to be entirely comfortable.
No, despite his past experiences with hospitals and doctor’s visits, he couldn’t put more on their plates. He sighed, resigned, “Ok, but is there any way we could keep from telling my dad about the phoenix down?”
Gladio raised an eyebrow, “Is that what that thing’s called?”
Ignis honed in on a more glaring detail, “Noct, why shouldn’t we tell your father…?”
He shrunk into his plush pillow a bit, “I told him I wouldn’t do any magical experimentation on my own…” The look on Ignis’ face foretold a vicious tongue lashing. “But! -” Noctis jumped in before Ignis could get on a roll, “Dad said he had never really gotten a knack for it! That’s why I started reading some books. A few of the past king and queens wrote down how they made some of the things they used. I figured if I got good enough at making potions and stuff I could start making a bunch for the glaives and hospitals and stuff…” He petered out sheepishly.
Saying it out loud was a bit embarrassing, but he knew what some members of the council thought of him. Lazy. Spoiled. Childish. He had just wanted to prove them wrong.
Noctis cast his eyes down down and fixated on his hands. The brief silence was agonizing as he waited for the final judgement from his comrades. What he didn’t expect was Gladio’s massive hand smacking him lightly across the back of his head.
“Hey!” Noctis objected as he looked back up at his shield.
Gladio was looking at him with a mixture of pride and exasperation. “I’m all for you helping out, but maybe don’t go running around performing unsupervised magical experiments all right?”
Prompto snorted, “Gotta agree with the big guy here dude. Don’t go blowing up your apartment or something ‘cause you were trying to ‘help.’”
Ignis gazed fondly at his charge and added, “We will have to mention it to your father, however.”
Noctis groaned and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m so screwed.”
The four began laughing. There wasn’t much funny about their current situation, but the tension and adrenaline that had kept them on high alert dissipated, leaving them wrung out and a bit hysterical. As they waited for the medical staff and security, Prompto, Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis gladly shared a brief moment of peace. Giddy in the knowledge that their team remained unbroken and whole.