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Chapter Text

It wasn't until they were in Lestallum that Noct realised there was something going on with Prompto. He'd noticed that he'd been acting strangely since Galden Quay, quieter than usual, lost in thought, but Noct had written that off as a response to the last few weeks. They'd lost everything, after all, their home burning behind them.

But when Noct began to get headaches, Prompto was even more quiet. His usual quips and jokes missing, and a contemplative look on his face every time he so much as glanced at Noct. He'd been staring too. Any time the headaches hit, Prompto's eyes were on him.

He would ask, but his first priority was to get rid of the headaches, and the visions that were coming with them. They were disturbing and unhelpful and Noct wanted them to just go away.

But his questions would only grow in number before the end of the day.

The suggestion had been to look through the binoculars to see if they could figure out if the Archaean really was trying to talk to Noct, but they never actually got a chance. Standing in front of the equipment they needed was a vaguely familiar man. Tall, brown-red hair, amber eyes and way too many clothes for the hot Lestallum climate.

As soon as they saw him, Prompto stiffened and stepped back, waiting in the background and looking like he was trying to disappear. Nothing else seemed to be out of place, and the day carried on, if not a little strangely.

It only got stranger during their journey. Somehow they'd found themselves following the odd man, who had introduced himself as Ardyn, and about twenty minutes outside of the city, Prompto all but demanded that Ignis pull over.

“I thought we were gonna follow him to the Archaean.” Noct grumbled, wanting to get these migraines to stop and not enjoying the idea of delaying that.

“We will.” Prompto sounded sure before turning back to Ignis. “Pull over.” He demanded, his voice low. “He'll stop.”

A little confused, but trusting, Ignis did as he was asked and pulled the car over. As soon as the vehicle had come to a stop, Prompto jumped out, not even bothering with the door. Ahead of them, Ardyn had also pulled to the side of the road. He exited his vehicle a little more slowly than Prompto, who was starting to march forward.

Confused and a little wary, Noct followed Prompto, jumping out of the car to catch up with his quickly walking friend. “Prompto?” He questioned, but the blond didn't reply, simply kept walking, his hands held by his side and fists curled into tight balls.

“Gentlemen!” Ardyn called, finally close enough to be heard, “Might I ask what the delay is for?”

Noct was close enough to Prompto now to hear the growl in his voice as he summoned his gun. “You were supposed to stay away!” He called out to Ardyn, not slowing his feet as his arm lifted. Three shots rang out. Warning shots, Noct knew, because they didn't seem to hit and Prompto never missed.

Ardyn stopped dead, looking at Prompto with a tilted head and a soft smirk. “Well now. That's no way to greet family, is it now.”

“You are not my family.” Prompto answered, finally coming to a stop, body moving to take a battle stance, gun aimed squarely at Ardyn's head.

“Think your actions through Silver.” Ardyn's tone was low and warning. “Is this truly how you wish to play things?” He spread his arms wide, as if challenging Prompto to take the shot.

“That's not my name!” Prompto shouted back, and from this short distance away, Noct could see how his gun arm was shaking. Prompto hadn't shaken like that since they first started training, even when he'd been terrified of the various creatures that they'd fought.

“You were supposed to stay away!” Prompto repeated, letting out another shot. It went wide, burying itself in a tree nearby. “So go! Go. Away!”

Ardyn seemed to consider this, eventually a small smirk formed on his face and he bowed forward, hat falling into his hand. “As you so wish.” He said, voice low but loud enough to be heard over the small distance between them.

And go away he did. Prompto didn't dispel his weapon even after Ardyn had climbed back into his car and driven off, disappearing into the horizon.

“Prompto?” Noct questioned, stepping forward. He had a frown on his face, and was not only confused, but worried for his trembling friend.

Finally, Prompto put his gun away, taking a few deep breaths and swallowing a couple of times. “I- I'm okay.” He told Noct, his wobbling voice leaving Noct to believe that he was lying, but the young king wasn't game to push, not yet. Instead, he reached forward and took his friend's elbow into his hand, gently guiding him back to the car.

“Well...” Ignis spoke, also climbing back into the vehicle. He looked to his side where Prompto was sitting, a frown on his face as he regarded the shaken blond. “Now that you've scared away our guide, what do you propose we do?”

There were more questions than that, but Noct was going to leave this up to Ignis, he knew how to make things better, how to guide them without emotions getting in the way.

Prompto seemed to deflate and he took another breath, rubbing his eyes for a moment before looking up at Ignis. “Let me drive.” He said quietly, “I know where we're going.”

Ignis frowned at Prompto for a moment before shaking his head. “I think perhaps not.” He told Prompto, “You're in no state to drive right now.”

“It's gonna get dark soon anyway.” Noct leaned forward in his seat to speak to the two in the front. “We should find a place for the night and head out again tomorrow.” He could last that long, the headaches were awful and still coming, but he could deal with them for one more night.

A small nod from Ignis and they were driving again.

– – – – – – – –

When they arrived at the closest outpost, Noct got out of the car and stretched. There was a caravan, so he began to head that way. The sun was low in the sky, but not quite setting, so when Prompto turned and walked in the opposite direction, Noct was worried, but not for his physical safety.

He hesitated, thinking that he should follow, but Ignis took a hold of his shoulder and pushed him towards the caravan. “It seems like he needs a moment.” His advisor told him, and Noct gave a defeated sigh and nodded, silently agreeing with him. He would give Prompto his space, for now.

But when the sun started to fully set, he couldn't help the spark of worry that came over him, Prompto still wasn't back. Wasn't Prompto normally the one that would speak up about daemons? Why would he risk being out in the dark when he knew full well how dangerous it could be.

He stood, ready to go looking for his friend, but Ignis stopped him. “He'll be fine.” He reassured Noct. “There's no reason to put yourself at risk also.” Behind Ignis, Gladio slipped out of the door and Noct gave a small nod. He could trust Gladio to bring Prompto back.

Except... a few minutes later, Gladio returned without Prompto. Noct was instantly on his feet, ready to go looking for his wayward friend when Gladio put his hand up to stop him. “He's fine.” He told him, “He's sitting on the roof. Said he wanted to be alone for a while.”

He'd already been alone for the majority of the afternoon, and enough was enough, right? Normally, Noct could understand needing solitude, but since meeting Prompto, neither of them had needed it for this long and he couldn't stop the anxiety from building within him.

He gave it another ten minutes before making his way outside, glad when neither his advisor nor his shield stopped him. He stepped away from the rest stop and scanned the buildings, seeing Prompto on top of the gas station. He could have found a way up, climbed to be beside Prompto, but his worry over the last few hours had built up to the point where he was anxious to be close to his friend. So instead of taking the slow way up, he simply summoned his weapon, threw it and warped beside Prompto.

The blond gave him a small smile and gave the roof beside him a pat, inviting Noct to join him, not even phased by the sudden appearance of the royal.

“Sorry.” Noct apologised as he sat down beside Prompto, leaving only a few inches between them. “Gladio said you wanted to be alone but...” He shrugged, unable to voice his concerns.

“Nah, you're all good dude.” Prompto said with a soft sigh. He leaned back, bracing himself on his arms as he looked to the sky. “I kinda missed the stars.” He muttered.

“They're always there, you know.” Noct told him, frowning slightly but following Prompto's movements, leaning back to also look up. “They don't exactly go anywhere.”

“Sure they do.” Prompto said quietly, “It just takes them a long time, and we're more likely to move before they do.” He turned his head to smile at Noct, “Did you know that the stars are completely different to how they were a thousand years ago, or even a hundred.” He reached one hand up, pointing to one constellation. “Those stars were closer together.” He moved his hand to point at another constellation. “Those ones used to be further apart. And there are some that aren't there anymore.”

“Dude. You're such a nerd.” Noct said with a small laugh. “How do you even know this shit?” He questioned, not actually caring for an answer.

Prompto shrugged and fell silent. He sighed softly, lowering himself fully to lay on the ground. He continued to look up at the sky. “I like the stars.” He admitted. “They're pretty.”

“I guess.” Noct didn't really see the appeal. They were just lights. Still, he lay down, joining Prompto on his back. Together they looked up at the sky for a while before Noct spoke again.

“How do you know Ardyn?” He asked quietly.

“Someone from my past.” Prompto admitted, obviously not wanting to go into detail. He hesitated before speaking again. “When I was a kid...” He let out a breath, eyes trained on the stars. He was quiet for long enough that Noct wasn't sure if he would continue, but eventually he did.

“He was supposed to be taking care of me.” He said, “But he was a little... aggressive.”

Aggressive? Noct's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at Prompto. “He was abusive?” He questioned, concern and anger flashing in his own eyes.

Prompto simply shrugged. “It was a long time ago.” He told Noct, his tone sounding like he was trying to reassure Noct.

“I'll kill him.” Noct growled, anger surging within him. This man had hurt Prompto when Prompto had been vulnerable and supposedly in his care.

For some reason, Noct's words made Prompto laugh. It was a bitter, sad laugh that ended abruptly. “I don't doubt it.” Prompto whispered before shaking his head. He let out another sigh and spoke again. “He wasn't always a bad guy.” He told Noct, “He used to be a good guy. A long time ago. But... his brother betrayed him in a big way and the resentment just built. It grew until Ardyn hated everything and... every one.”

“That's not an excuse.” Noct was staring at Prompto. He'd heard that abusers would try to get their victims to sympathise with them, and he could see that that was what had happened there, that Prompto was covering for him. It wasn't something that Noct would stand for. Not as a king. Not as a friend.

Prompto shrugged again. “No.” He agreed. “But it just makes me sad.” He admitted. “I kinda miss the guy he was.”

“He's not that guy any more.” Noct argued, suddenly itching to find the man and shove a sword through his heart.

Prompto sighed again, this time it sounded defeated. “Lets... not talk about that any more.” He requested, and Noct slowly nodded.

“Wanna come back down and play Kings Knight?” He offered, bumping his shoulder against his friends.

“Yeah.” The smile that Prompto gave Noct was genuine, if not still tinged with a hint of sadness and loss. “Yeah. Let's go.” He stood and offered his hand to Noct, who took it instantly and allowed the man to hoist him up. Together, they made their way down the side of the building and back into the caravan.

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

The next morning found the four once again travelling, the Regalia being driven by Prompto for once, and he really did seem to know where he was going. They reached an impasse though, a large wall stood in their way and it was crawling with MTs.

Pulling the vehicle to a stop, Prompto turned the engine off and paused, surveying the area around them. “We can take them.” He announced, climbing out of the car. The others followed, Noct watching his friend closely.

Prompto was acting strangely, and Noct wasn't sure what to make of it. He'd think on it later, but for now, they had a battle to attend to. With a nod, he summoned his sword and threw it forward, warping after it and officially beginning the battle.

During the fight, he lost track of Prompto – which in its self was a strange thing – and it wasn't until the last MT fell that he found him again, standing next to the newly opened gate, waving an arm above him to get their attention.

“Leave the car!” He called before slipping in past the barricade, leaving his friends scrambling a little to catch up.

When they did, Noct decided that he wasn't going to let Prompto out of his sight until he figured out what had gotten into his best friend. The boy was acting completely unlike himself, and it kind of scared Noct.

They followed the path for a long while, the air getting hotter and hotter as the minutes passed and it didn't take long for them to begin to strip layers. Prompto, however, looked unphased, as if he didn't even notice the encroaching heat. The other three exchanged glances as they followed him.

Eventually, Prompto came to a stop and just ahead was something Noct didn't expect to see here.

“A Royal Tomb?” He questioned, moving past Prompto to reach out for the weapon.

Almost as soon as the weapon was stored safely in his armiger the ground gave another shake, this one seeming to be bigger than the earthquakes the region had been experiencing lately, and the ground actually gave way.

With a shout, Noct scrambled, trying to find something to hold on to as he fell, panic making his movements frantic. A hand caught his and he looked up to find Gladio straining to keep him from falling into the abyss below.

“I got ya!” Gladio called, “C'mon, pull yourself up!”

Noct threw his other arm up, managing to grab the top of the cliff and pull himself up. He didn't get a moment to catch his breath, only a few seconds before a loud voice spoke behind him.

The Archaean had awoken.

– – – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

It was only a few minutes, ten at most, before the four were reunited, but to Noct it felt like hours. The ground was trying to swallow him, the god trying to smite him, his own damn feet tripping him up. It felt like a lifetime. But eventually they were reunited, fighting along side each other.

Titan said something and Noct's head felt like it was splitting open. Pained as he was, he vaguely registered the snort of amusement that came from Prompto. Was Prompto laughing at him? When Noct turned to glance at his friend, he found that Prompto wasn't even looking at him, he was simply looking at Titan, an amused look on his face.

“Back at ya buddy!” He called, dodging an oversized fist. “Let's do this!” He called to Ignis, and Noct warped away, giving them the space to carry out their plan, and him enough distance to launch his follow up attack.

The Archaean fell.

“What now?” Noct leaned forward, hands braced above his knees as he concentrated on taking in deep breaths, sucking oxygen in to his aching lungs. It smelled like sulfur and was far too hot to be comfortable, but it was better than not breathing. Around him, the world was on fire and the ground was trembling. Was it going to give way again?

Amidst the bubbling lava flows, Noct became aware of another sound. “Now?” He questioned, standing and lifting his head, looking to the skies. An imperial drop ship lowered itself, blasting cool air around them and making the four companions stumble even more.

“The empire? Now?” Ignis called out, hand over his face to block the gust of air.

Slowly, the ship opened its doors, revealing the smiling figure of Ardyn. Noct couldn't help the growl in his vice as he glared up at the man that had apparently caused Prompto so much pain. In front of him, he could see how Prompto tensed before relaxing, forcing himself into a fighting stance, ready for anything.

“Fancy meeting you here!” Ardyn called from the ship, voice loud and projected across the distance between himself and the royal retinue. “It occurs to me I never formally introduced myself. Izunia. Ardyn Izunia.”

He seemed to look directly at Prompto as he said that, and the boy's muscles tensed even further. “What do you want!?” He called, shouting his anger.

“Do you really think that I would leave you down there to die?” Ardyn questioned, tilting his head to the side in question. “Come now boy. Hate me if you must, but surely you would rather do that while your friends live!”

“Is that a threat?” Gladio growled, placing himself between Noct and the airship. Not that it would do much good. The ground was still shaking, the lava still spewing. If they didn't go with Ardyn, then they would die.

“Dying here is not an option.” Noct said, loud enough for only his companions to hear. He stepped forward, sliding past Gladio to place a hand on Prompto's shoulder. “We don't have to trust him.” He told the blond, “We'll keep our guard up. But we can't stay here.”

“Don't let him out of your sight.” Prompto warned, “He's slimy.” He turned his head slightly to look at Noct, but Noct noticed that his attention was never really taken from the man above them. “You sure you want to go with him?”

“You think staying here to die is preferable?” Ignis asked, having stepped closer to them to take part in the conversation.

“To being around him?” Prompto questioned, a wry smile on his face. “Yeah.”

Swallowing, Noct shook his head. “We stay, we die.” He told him.

Prompto gave a small nod before turning his head back to Ardyn. They watched as the ship lowered itself enough for Noct and the others to jump on board and then suddenly they were in the air.

With his back to the doors, Prompto glared at Ardyn. His posture was tense, but relaxed enough to spring into action the moment he needed to. He was on edge, that much was clear, but Noct knew that this wasn't the time to try to comfort him. Such attempts would be futile anyway.

Instead, he simply stood beside his friend, a show of support and backup if nothing else.

“Drop us at the nearest outpost.” Prompto's demand was clear, his tone leaving no room for mistakes. This wasn't a request, it was an outright order.

“And miss the opportunity to spend time with you?” Ardyn questioned, smirking and leaning back against the wall behind him. “I have so missed you, dear boy.”

“The sentiment isn't returned.” Prompto spoke quickly, almost on top of Ardyn's final words. “Put us down, or I will.”

“Oh I'd like to see you try.” The challenge was there and the older man opened his arms, as if offering Prompto a target.

Noct found himself reaching for Prompto, putting an arm on his to make sure that the blond didn't take him up on that offer. The way Prompto was acting now... the way he had been since Galdin Quay... something was wrong, the gunner was on edge and Noct wasn't entirely sure that Prompto wouldn't outright murder the man currently goading him.

Prompto hesitated for a moment before pulling himself from Noct's grasp, barging past him and further into the ship.

“Oh dear.” Ardyn gave a sigh, “I believe he meant it.” Ardyn pushed himself off the wall, somehow swooping as he stood and turned to follow Prompto.

Noct didn't even think about it, he was chasing after them before he'd even realised they were moving. There was no way in hell he was leaving Prompto alone with the man who had abused him for god knows how long. “Don't you touch him!” His protective instincts were kicking in full force as he reached for Ardyn, intending on pulling him away.

He never managed to grab a hold of the man as the world tilted from under him, the ship banking sharply. Thrown off his feet, Noct found himself sprawling on the ground as the ship rocked, seemingly randomly.

Less than a few seconds later, Prompto came rushing back from the direction he'd disappeared in. “In the car!” He called, running to the hanger doors, pushing Ardyn to the ground on his way past.

Nobody questioned him. The situation called for complete and absolute trust now and questions later. Gladio, Ignis and Noct all threw themselves inside the regalia and watched as Prompto stood by the door, seemingly waiting for something.

After a few seconds, he hit a button and the air started to rush past them as the doors opened. Prompto all but threw himself in the car and they were off, the ground close enough that Ignis obviously believed the risk worth it.

– – – – – – – – – –

The crash landing into the road hadn't been very good for the car, but the people had survived mostly uninjured. The small injuries they had sustained were easy enough to fix with a simple potion or two and the four were more or less on their way.

They had landed not far from the chocobo ranch, so Ignis had suggested that they stay there to recuperate while Cindy took care of the Regalia. It would be at least a few days before the car was ready to be used again, and the four could certainly use the down time. The chocobo post was a lot nicer climate than Hammerhead, so the rest of the group had no problem agreeing with Ignis.

So Noct found himself sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs outside the caravan, his friends around him.

“Ah!” Ignis lifted his head from his phone, eyes a little wide. “Now I remember!”

“What is it Iggy?” Gladio asked, putting his own phone down to look at his friend.

“The name. Izunia. I remember where I heard it.” Ignis was frowning, attention back on his phone but the Kings Knight music was no longer playing.

Slowly, Noct put his own phone down, curiosity setting in.

“Chancellor Ardyn Izunia.” Prompto muttered, not taking his eyes off his phone. He was the only one still playing the game. He was speaking as if it wasn't anything important, as if they were simply talking about the weather. “Of Niflheim.” He added, as if that fact was an after thought.

“Wait.” Noct frowned at Prompto, “Didn't you say that he looked after you as a kid?”

“He did?” Gladio leaned forward, regarding Prompto with a scrutiny that was matched by Ignis.

The blond shrugged, now looking at his phone in an attempt to not have to look at all the others. “For a while.” He told them, “Before I moved to Insomnia...”

“You're from Niflheim?” Ignis was watching Prompto with suspicion. Noct couldn't blame him, he could completely understand why his advisor was worried about Prompto having come from the enemy nation – especially given that he was connected with somebody so high up – but he still couldn't find it within himself to distrust Prompto. Not after all this time.

“No.” Prompto gave a soft sigh, putting his phone on the flimsy table between them all. He leaned back on his seat, but didn't look any of them in the eyes. “We just lived there for a while.” He admitted. He paused for a long moment, but it was obvious that he was trying to figure out how to word things. “I ran away.” He finally looked up at them, his expression one of nervousness. “I moved to Insomnia, changed my name. I just... wanted to be somewhere safe.”

“Safe?” Gladio raised an eyebrow, his suspicion seeming to lift slightly, but not disappear entirely.

Ignis on the other hand, had closed his expression off completely. Even Noct couldn't read him.

“Ardyn was abusive.” Noct spoke for Prompto, never once taking his eyes off his best friend.

“So you moved to Insomnia and the Argentums adopted you.” Ignis asked.

Prompto shook his head, looking away. “The Argentums don't exist.” He told them quietly. “I made them up. I lived alone, and nobody bothered me... for the first time, I could live a normal life. Away from... away from Ardyn. From Iedolas, from Besithia and the labs...” He shrunk down in his chair, his arms wrapping around himself. “I knew that in Insomnia... they couldn't get to me.”

There was so much there, so many more questions that Noct had, but Prompto was shutting down, pushing them away. His body language, his expression, it all told Noct that Prompto was feeling small and insecure and Noct knew that if he was pushed too far, Prompto would just stop talking entirely.

“I...couldn't tell you guys.” Prompto continued, looking off into the distance, staring at a chocobo. “I had a friend.” He continued, tears actually coming to his eyes. “For the first time in so long, there was somebody who honestly, genuinely cared. I couldn't... I couldn't risk losing that.” He wiped away a tear, but continued to speak. “With you guys, I finally found somewhere I could belong. Somewhere where I didn't have to worry about every little action, I didn't have to flinch away every time somebody got too close.” The tears were falling now, and Prompto was no longer trying to keep them at bay. “For a while... I even managed to forget who I am.” His words were dropping in volume, almost whispered now.

Noct didn't know what to do. His friend was hurting, curled around himself and shying away from the world. He was trembling, crying, and Noct was sitting there staring at him like some kind of useless child.

“I don't care where you're from.” He told Prompto quietly, not sure if he should physically reach out or not. “Yeah, you kept something big from us, and you're still not telling us everything but...” He could almost feel the disapproval coming from Ignis, but his advisor kept his mouth shut, at least for now. “But you've never tried to hurt any of us.” Noct continued.

Unable to stand not doing anything any more, he slid off his seat, sitting on his knees in front of Prompto. He finally reached out, his hand resting on Prompto's arm as he looked up at his broken friend. “You've had plenty of opportunity.” He added, “And not once did I feel unsafe around you. I still don't.”

“He has a point.” Gladio agreed, arms folded over his own chest as he watched Noct and Prompto with a mildly concerned frown. “All these nights in the tent, on the road. Even you could've taken us out by now.”

“There were also times,” Ignis added his voice to the mix. Noct looked up at him, watching his advisor adjust his glasses – a nervous habit he'd had since he was a child. “That you could have caused us harm by way of inaction.”

“Right!” Noct turned back to Prompto. “You've saved our butts so many times!” He leaned forward, trying to peer up at Prompto's face. “So... you can tell us anything... and you're not gonna lose us.” He promised, hoping that his friends would keep it for him. He was speaking for all of them, after all. “We trust you Prom.”

Finally, Prompto lifted his head a little, looking Noct in the eyes. The genuine emotion was plain on his face, relief, hope. He gave a small hiccup, more tears flowing. Slowly, he moved, his hand coming to rest over Noct's.

“You... you don't know everything.” He told him, fear in his voice.

“So? We all have secrets.” Gladio leaned forward in his seat, arms coming uncrossed so his elbows could rest on his knees. “You'll tell us when you're good and ready.”

Slowly, Prompto gave a small nod and extracted himself from Noct's grip with a soft smile. “I'm gonna hit the shower.” He told them, excusing himself and heading inside the camper.

Silence fell among the remaining members of their group, each lost to their own thoughts.

“How old was Prompto when he came to Insomnia?” Gladio asked, frowning.

Ignis had a calculating look on his face, the one Noct remembered from all the times the man had tried to remember intricate details about random dignitaries. He was pulling something from his memory. Probably Prompto's file.

“I am unsure. He was officially adopted by the Argentums when he was around seven years old.” Ignis told them, “But he could have been younger, if the Argentums were really a fabrication...” He gave a tired sigh and leaned back in his seat, “Something doesn't add up.” He told them, “It's unlikely that such a young child without parents could go unnoticed for so long.”

“He was hiding.” Noct supplied, watching his advisor. Ignis had been there for him for almost his entire life and Noct would trust him to the end of the world. He didn't want Ignis to distrust Prompto, he didn't know how he would handle that. He loved them both, and wouldn't be able to choose between them.

“Regardless.” Ignis sounded tired, and Noct realised that he didn't want to distrust Prompto, but it was his job. What choice did he really have? Prompto had just admitted to knowing the most prominent figures in the empire, personally. “You have a point.” He said to Gladio. “If Prompto wished us harm, he would have had many opportunities to do so. For now, we will continue as we have been. This information has given us reason to distrust Prompto, but his actions to date have not.”

“I meant it when I said I trust him.” Noct said, suddenly feeling defensive of his friend. “He didn't have to tell us any of that, and it hurt him to.” He stood, picking up his phone. “Nothing's changed.” It wasn't a statement, it as an order.

It wasn't often that Noct took that tone with his retinue, even when he really wanted something, simply for the fact that it carried more weight when he did. This tone was one that he had learned from his dad, he called it his king voice, and was always told to use it sparingly and only for the most important things.

The looks he was getting from Gladio and Ignis told him that he'd made his point. He wouldn't stand for them to change how they acted around Prompto, not because the boy had finally opened up about his upsetting past.

– – – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Things went more or less back to normal after that. It took a few days, but eventually Prompto returned to his old, hyperactive self. He went back to bouncing around, making smart quips and jokes. It made Noct relax and he found himself smiling even more. For the last few days it had felt like the world had gone dark – fallen into a long night without sunlight – until Prompto started smiling again. It was like the clouds had parted and allowed the light of the sun to shine upon them again.

They were on the road again, following up on a rumour about a weapon hidden on the top of the Rock of Ravatogh. Prompto was taking rapid photographs, leaning over the edge of the car to get the perfect shot before turning and taking pictures of Noct and Gladio. He grinned at them, leaning over the seat to take a selfie with Noct.

Life as normal. Prompto as normal.

Even the complaining had come back, and for the first time in a long time, Noct was happy that his friend was whining about the growing heat as they approached the active volcano.

They pulled into the small outpost at the foot of the mountain and climbed out of the Regalia, stretching after the long drive. “I would suggest that we spend the night here.” Ignis said as he closed the car doors. “We can tackle the mountain tomorrow.”

“Good plan, I'm beat!” Prompto announced, wandering over to the shop to start browsing. Noct caught up with him, intending on keeping his friend company.

They hadn't spoken about his past again since that night, several days ago, and even though everything felt like it had gone back to normal, Noct couldn't help but wonder what else Prompto hadn't told them. He wasn't suspicious or anything, more like curious. Prompto was his best friend, and he wanted to know everything he could about him.

So when Prompto was done with his shopping, he invited him for a walk. It didn't take them long to come across the warm waters of the hot spring. “Dude.” Prompto was staring at the bubbling water, a grin slowly forming on his face. “We should totally go for a swim.”

Noct groaned and sat down on a rock by the pools. “That means going back to the car for a change of clothes.” He groaned, making a show of stretching his legs and leaning back on the rock. He didn't want to walk all the way back only to have to walk here again.

“Nah bro!” Prompto laughed, “In this heat, we can jump in like this, and we'll be dry before we even get back.”

Noct simply gave Prompto a look that told him exactly what he thought of that idea, but the only reaction the blond gave to Noct's stern gaze was a giggle.

“C'mon Noct!” He called, smirking before leaning down and looking up at Noct with big, overly sad eyes. “Don't you loooooveeee me?” He was teasing, but Noct found that he couldn't say no to that face.

“Fine.” He said with a sigh, pushing himself off the rock and leaning down to take his shoes off. He was going to end up in the pool, one way or another, and the last thing he wanted was wet socks. Next came the jacket and he placed it carefully on top of his shoes, wanting a wet jacket even less.

Prompto copied him, throwing his jacket and shoes on top of Noct's with little care. He grinned at the prince and grabbed his hand, not even waiting for Noct to take the glove off before dragging him towards the waters edge.

“WOOO!” Prompto cried, letting go of Noct's hand to cannonball into the pool, splashing Noct, who simply sighed and followed his friend into the water. “Ahhh.” Prompto sighed, leaning back and floating, his soaked shirt sticking to his skin. “This is the life.”

“Dork.” Noct muttered, giving his friend a half glare. But he did have to admit that the water was nice. It was pleasantly warm and he could already feel it loosening some of the tension he'd been keeping in his muscles, even the chronic ache in his back was starting to feel better. Maybe Prompto had been on to something. Noct decided that he had to trust his friend more often.

They stayed there for a while, making small talk while relaxing and letting the water do its work, but eventually Noct let out a sigh. “Hey Prom.” He interrupted Prompto's rant on just why every party needed a white mage.

“What's up buddy?” Prompto asked, swimming across the water to join Noct near the edge. There was a small shelf at the perfect height for them to sit and relax.

Now that he had Prompto's attention, Noct wasn't entirely sure what it was he'd wanted to ask. He had questions, but there were so many of them that he didn't really know where to begin. So, he decided to go for something simple.

“You lived in Niflheim before Insomnia.” He started, and watched how Prompto tensed up. He really didn't like talking about his past, did he? “But you also said that you're not from Niflheim...”

“Yeah...” Prompto's tone, like his body, was guarded, as if he didn't know where this was going, but already didn't like it.

“Where were you born?” Noct questioned, turning his body so he was facing Prompto.

The blond let out a sad laugh and shook his head. “Nowhere you've heard of.” He told Noct. “Doesn't exist any more.” He added with a shake of his head.

Noct frowned, wanting to question more, but deciding to drop it. Prompto looked like he was either going to bolt or close off completely and he didn't want his friend to start to act strangely again. He was sure that he would get his answers eventually, and he could wait a little longer.

“Kay.” Noct said with a shrug. “You'll tell me about it one day.” He told Prompto, letting his friend know that he was always willing to listen, but that it would be up to Prompto when he told him.

Prompto flashed him a grin and gave a nod. “Sure.” He said, but Noct wasn't sure he meant it.

– – – – – – – – –

Things fell back into a normal routine pretty quickly. Rumour of Royal Arms, location, retrieval, repeat. It didn't take them all that long to gather most of them up, but eventually the rumours ran dry and they had to consider the possibility that not all kings of Lucis had been laid to rest in Lucis.

“Lucis used to be a lot bigger.” Prompto pointed out one day, “I mean, it's older than Accordo and Tenebrae, so the kingdom used to have claim across the sea.” He turned to Ignis, “right?” The question almost seemed to be an afterthought.

“Indeed.” The advisor agreed with a nod.

It had been weeks since Prompto had told them about his past, and it seemed like both Gladio and Ignis had decided that things really hadn't changed in the party. Prompto hadn't given them any more reason to doubt him, after all. Noct was glad about this.

“Glad someone was paying attention in history.” Gladio muttered as he threw himself into his camp chair. The fire was crackling happily even though the sun hadn't quite finished setting yet.

“Prom's always been stupidly good at history.” Noct muttered, a pout on his face. He remembered those history tests – the ones that Prompto had never even had to study for and had still got a hundred percent – and he still felt a little bitter about that.

Prompto just shrugged. “Gotta be good at something.” He pointed out before turning back to Ignis. “So you think that maybe some of the weapons are in Accordo or Tenebrae.”

“It would stand to reason.” Ignis agreed, looking up at the stars above them. “I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.”

– – – – – – – –

The Royal Vessel needed mythril. Noct wasn't sure what that was exactly, but apparently Prompto did and after only a little bit of information gathering, the group had figured out where to start looking.

It felt strange to be travelling without Gladio, but there was definitely more space in the car, and Noct decided to take advantage of it while he could. He spread out over the seat, stretching as far as he could as the scenery passed them by. They were headed to Steyliff in the Vesperpool. It was a bit of a ride, and the rain just made things depressing, so Noct decided to catch a nap.

It wasn't long before the car was pulling over and Ignis was gently shaking him awake. He blinked and looked around, a frown of distaste on his face. The place was crawling with bugs. “Gross.” He muttered, clambering out of the car to better glare at his surroundings.

“Yep.” Prompto agreed, heaving a sigh. “Bugs suck.”

They ended up hiring chocobos in order to cross the marsh lands, and Noct had never been more thankful for the birds. At least this way he didn't get mud in his shoes. When they arrived at the entrance to the dungeon they came across a woman waiting for them.

“Name's Aranea Highwind.” She introduced herself, looking each of them up and down. Was she checking them out? Noct watched her with suspicion, wondering who she was and what she wanted.

“So what does the empire want with some broken ruins?” Prompto asked, frowning as he looked between her and the two men flanking her.

She was from the empire? Noct risked a glance towards Prompto, but the blond didn't seem concerned so Noct let himself relax slightly. It did make sense that Prompto would know the who's who of the empire.

She simply smiled at them. It was a smile that would have better belonged on a shark and Noct couldn't help but suddenly miss Gladio's presence. He inched himself closer to Prompto and Ignis, knowing that if shit went wrong they were better when they were side by side, ready to work together.

“You must be Silver.” She said to Prompto.

“Not my name.” Prompto responded, eyes narrowing into a glare. The response was one that Noct had heard before, and it sounded like Prompto had had to say that a few times.

“Whatever.” Aranea brushed off his protests with a small wave. “Izunia sends his regards. For some reason he changed his mind about being here himself.” She shrugged as if she didn't care, but Noct had seen that tactic before. She was trying to get them to volunteer information without seeming like it.

“You didn't answer his question.” Noct moved closer to Prompto, ready to protect the blond if need be. The group were closing ranks, ready to protect each other if necessary.

“I will admit to some curiosity.” Ignis agreed, standing on the other side of Prompto. The blond looked between them for a moment, surprise on his face before he turned back to Aranea.

Prompto watched her for a moment before letting out a sigh, eyes closing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Besithia.” He muttered.

“Got it in one.” Aranea smirked. “Doesn't matter. Not like we can get in anyway.” She told them, “Doors wont seem to open.”

“So you guys were just on your way out, right?” Prompto asked, gesturing for them to leave by sweeping his arms in front of him then pointing in the direction that Noct and the others had come from. The movement reminded Noct of Ardyn, and he frowned but didn't say anything.

He had a feeling that Prompto wouldn't appreciate being compared to the chancellor.

“Actually, we were.” Aranea admitted, “Knock yourselves out.”

With that, she swept out, the two men who had been flanking her following without a word.

“Well,” Said Ignis, watching them leave, “That was strange.” He kept his eyes on the strangers until they were out of sight.

“Think she was right about the door?” Noct asked, moving in the direction that he assumed the entrance to the ruins lay.

“Maybe.” Prompto followed Noct, “But... why don't we check it out for ourselves?”

“We should make haste. The sun is beginning to set.”

“Perfect.” Prompto grinned at Ignis over his shoulder, “Since I'm pretty sure this door's on a sun lock.”

“Sun lock?” Noct asked, looking at the door with curiosity.

“Yeah. Doesn't open til the sun's gone down.” When everybody looked at him, Prompto just shrugged, “History.” He said.

“You're such a nerd.” Noct rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face.

– – – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

“It seems Prompto is a little bit touched.”

Ignis' warning came just in time for Noct to dodge said friend as he clumsily fell forward into a punch.

“Great.” Noct muttered, realising that they were low on curatives and that they didn't have a single remedy in stock. They would simply have to make sure to dodge him until the battle was over and however long it took after that for the status to wear off. Thankfully Prompto seemed aware enough of his condition that he'd stopped using his firearms and was instead relying on hand to hand – which he'd never been particularly good at.

Luckily the varmint they were battling was felled a few seconds later. Noct turned to look at Prompto, who was giving him a goofy smile and a wave.

“Vultus bonus Noct!” The blond cheered, grinning. “Tempus ad requiem!” He stumbled as he turned to Ignis, still wearing that goofy grin. “Nos ad deversorium posshunt prohibere?”

The other three simply stared at him and Prompto gave them all a confused look, possibly wondering why they didn't answer his question. “What... language is that?” Noct asked slowly, frowning. He didn't know that Prompto could speak another language, but apparently he could. And he didn't seem to realise he was doing it. The more this trip wore on, the more Noct realised jut how little he knew about his best friend. Wasn't knowing how many languages someone speaks a pretty basic thing?

“Sounds like ancient Lucian...” Gladio muttered, frown mirroring Noct's, which only deepened when the language was identified.

“Quid iniuriam?” Prompto asked, noticing their frowns. He sat on the ground and looked up at them, cocking his head to the side.

“Prompto... are you aware that you're speaking another language?” Ignis asked, watching the young man with concern.

“Quid?” The bewildered look on Prompto's face would have been amusing if it wasn't for the situation.

“Can the confuse status do this?” Noct asked, staring at Prompto.

“There have been known cases where the effect causes one to revert to their native tongue, but I've never heard it causing someone to speak a learned language...” Ignis told Noct, reaching forward to gently grasp Prompto's bicep. “Come along, Prompto.” He said, “We'll get somewhere safe and wait for this to wear off...”

With concern and curiosity, Noct followed as Ignis lead Prompto to a nearby haven, glad that their enemy had fallen and that there seemed to be nothing between them and the haven. It wouldn't do for something to take advantage of them.

“Sum denique, gravissime!” Prompto seemed to be protesting, but he followed Ignis anyway. His words may not have been understandable, but his tone most certainly was. It was one they were all familiar with, and Noct felt himself relax, even if only a little. No matter what language he was speaking, Prompto was still Prompto.

Once they were safely within the runes of the haven, Ignis sat Prompto down and crouched in front of him, regarding the blond for a moment. “Prompto. Can you understand what I'm saying?”

“Affirmativia.” Prompto answered easily with a nod.

“Does that mean 'yes'?” Noct asked, sitting down near Prompto. He watched with curiosity. It didn't seem like Prompto was hurt at all, and he could only hope that this would pass. Most status effects did, but normally they would fade faster than this. It should have gone away long before they arrived at the haven, but Prompto was still speaking Ancient Lucian, and still giving Noct a dazed, goofy smile.

“I believe so.” Ignis replied, looking over Prompto. He leaned forward, looking into the blond's eyes and Prompto leaned back away from him.

“Nunc questus terrebis...” Prompto said slowly. “Quid iniuriam?”

Ignis paused for a moment, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pen and paper. “You're speaking Ancient Lucian.” He told the gunner, “I have studied it extensively, but it hasn't been spoken in some time. I'm having trouble following you.” He told him, “Try writing something. We'll see if your language problem is limited to vocalisations, shall we?”

Prompto nodded and took the paper and pen from the advisor before scribbling something down. Noct peeked over Ignis' shoulder but realised that he couldn't decipher what was written. It looked like the ancient symbols he'd seen around the tombs and ruins they'd come across. Lost, he looked up at Ignis, noticing that the tactician seemed surprised, but not as confused.

“I see...” He looked down at it, moving from his crouch to sit on the ground, heedless of the dust now coating his backside. He took the pen back from Prompto and the tip gravitated to his lips, eyes never once leaving the page in his hand. Noct had only seen him like this a few times – always when he'd been given a new puzzle to work out. Ignis would be distractedly happy for the next little while.

“Prom...” Noct turned his attention back to his confused friend. “Since when can you speak ancient Lucian?”

“Quia in aeternum...” Prompto shrugged, and Noct realised that there was probably no point in questioning him when he couldn't understand the answers. That didn't seem to stop the blond from babbling though. He found himself listening to the vaguely familiar language for a while before Ignis made a triumphant sound.

He wrote a few more things down before leaning back a little and looking at the small notebook. “Thank you Prompto.” He said with a soft sigh, putting the notebook away. “I was fully aware of that.”

“What did he say?” Noct asked.

“Hoc erit gerunt off.” Prompto supplied with another shrug.

“That his status effect will wear off and that we shouldn't worry about him.” Ignis translated with a sigh. “Once you are speaking normally,” He said to Prompto, “You and I have a lot to discuss.”

“Iggy?” Noct asked, turning his entire attention to his oldest friend.

“That particular dialect of ancient Lucian hasn't been spoken aloud in almost five hundred years.”

“Sex annis ducenti.” Noct was familiar enough with the way that Prompto spoke to realise that was a correction, but he didn't understand what he was saying.

“So Prompto can speak a dead language? You sure he's not just making it up?” He asked, “I mean... he's confused, right?”

Ignis shook his head, “It is too similar to what I learned for him to be making it up.” He pointed to his breast pocket where the notebook resided. “And the written form is even older than that. As far as scholars have been able to determine, that form of written language was among the first.”

“So he's speaking and writing a dead language?” Gladio asked, frowning as he watched the others. He was still on his feet, his arms crossed over his chest.

“It appears so.”

– – – – – – – – – –

It took almost six hours for Prompto to recover from the status ailment. During that time, Ignis and Gladio had returned to the car to retrieve the camping gear, dinner had been made and consumed and the sun had set.

Noct had stayed by Prompto's side through it all. He listened to his friend speak, but could only understand the odd word here and there. Still, he waited with his friend, hoping that this would pass.

When it eventually did, Gladio and Ignis were asleep. The plan had been to spend the night at the haven and travel to the nearest outpost in the morning. Regardless of whether of not Prompto's confusion lifted before morning, it had become obvious that they needed to invest in more curatives.

“Ego duo milia.” He was speaking quietly now. “Meus es tu optimus amicus... Seriously dude. Like. In all that time.”

Prompto suddenly reverting to their common language caused Noct to start. He turned to his friend, a grin spreading on his face. “Prom!” He threw his arms around his friend, his relief palpable. “You're speaking normally again!”

“Really!?” Prompto asked brightly, chuckled, his arms circling Noct briefly. “Good to know dude!”

Pulling back from the impromptu hug, Noct looked at his friend closely. “So since when do you speak ancient Lucian?” He questioned, curiosity burning within him.

Prompto just shrugged. “Just picked it up somewhere I guess.”

Noct gave him a disbelieving look and to his credit, Prompto looked a little sheepish. He turned away and shook his head, refusing to answer and the questions Noct had just multiplied. How well did he really know his best friend?

– – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Altissia was beyond beautiful, more so than Noct had believed it could be. The sun shone brightly and reflected off the perfect blue of the waterways as it heated up the area. The architecture was unlike anything Noct had ever seen before and he couldn't help but point out areas for Prompto to snap pics.

They'd spent most of the day just exploring the labyrinthine city before finally finding their way back to the hotel and finding rooms. Ignis had actually agreed to splurge and rented two of the cheaper rooms – they would have a bed each for once!

A per usual, on the rare occasions that this happened, Noct and Prompto were sharing a room, leaving Ignis and Gladio next door, and Noct fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

He was awoken at some point late in the night to a cry from the next bed over. A burst of adrenalin gave him the energy required to wake up almost instantly, ready for combat, but before he was fully aware of what was happening, he found himself with an arm full of Prompto.

“What-?” Surprised, and more than a little concerned, Noct reacted instantly, his arms groping in the dark for his friend. “Prom- what-”

Prompto pulled back to look at him, and in the dim light provided by the city below them, Noct could make out the tears falling from his friend's wide eyes.

“You're alright.” Prompto was muttering, his breath and words coming quickly, almost as if he was in the midst of panic. “You're alright.” Fingers found their way to Noct's chest, scrambling against his pyjamas as if checking for damage while he repeated those two words over and over.

“Yeah- Prom I'm fine.” Finally understanding, Noct calmed down. Prompto had apparently had a nightmare that Noct had been hurt. Reaching out, he held Prompto's shoulders, hoping that the small action would provide at least a little comfort.

“You're-” But Prompto was still a little panicky. Noct was about to try to reassure him again when Prompto moved.

The blond reached up, hands taking a hold of Noct's face. “You're okay.” Prompto repeated, hushed and hurried as he launched himself forward and pulled Noct into a hasty, sloppy kiss.

Stunned, Noct felt his eyes widen and didn't have a chance to respond before the lips were gone and Prompto was backing away.

“I need to- I need some air.” The blond stumbled over his words and rushed to the balcony of their room.

Later, Noct wouldn't admit just how long it took for him to recover from his surprise at being kissed like that. It wasn't something that had ever happened to him before, after all, so the fact that it took him almost a minute to regain his composure could probably have been forgiven.

When he finally did recover, he realised just how shaken Prompto must have been for him to act like that, so he climbed out of bed to join Prompto on the balcony, planning on checking on him. When he got there, however, it was just in time to see Prompto disappear in a blue haze and reappear across the canal.

Had Prompto just... warped? Noct stared at the figure that had appeared across the way and realised that it was Prompto. And that he had warped.

His concern had been replaced with curiosity now, and Noct found himself reaching into his armiger to produce his own weapon, following shortly behind Prompto who warped from rooftop to rooftop over what seemed like most of the city.

Eventually, he came to a stop on the balcony of a fancy looking building. Noct decided to keep his distance and only when Prompto had been let into the room adjacent to the balcony did he warp to the balcony.

Still, he kept himself out of sight as he listened in on Prompto and whoever it was that he had sought out.

“Silver!” The voice that called out was familiar to Noct, even though he'd never heard this particular version of it. It wasn't just the sound of the voice, but the tone and the accent. Surely he had to be wrong? There was no way that Prompto had found-

“Luna.” Prompto sounded relieved, but Noct felt his heart jump into his throat. How did Prompto know where to find Luna in this labyrinth of a city? Why hadn't he told Noct? Let him come with him? Surely Prompto understood why Noct wanted to see her again?

“I assume you're here for this?” Noct couldn't see into the room without fear of getting caught, so he couldn't tell what it was they were talking about. Flattening himself against the open window, he moved slightly closer.

“No.” Prompto was speaking quieter now, and Noct had to strain his ears to hear him.

“You should take it.” Luna said, “Just... make sure that your father doesn't get his hands on it.”

“Like I'd give him anything.” Prompto muttered and Noct frowned. How did Luna know Prompto's father? Even Noct didn't know anything about Prompto's father.

Hadn't Prompto said that the Argentums didn't exist? Then again, logically, he had to have a father in order to exist...

He realised that he'd missed some of the conversation while thinking and moved even closer to the opening to strain his ears, curiosity burning him.

“Do you know... our families used to be as one.” Luna was saying.

“Yeah.” Prompto agreed with her.

“You have some of her power, do you not?”

“Yeah. A little.” Who's power? Noct's questions were multiplying, and he was beginning to realise that there was a lot he didn't know about his best friend. Like the fact that he was apparently related to Luna somehow?

“You have seen what is to come?” Luna was asking, her voice sounding compassionate.

“Yeah.” And Prompto was sounding sad. “Can- is there any way to change things?”

There was quiet for a moment. Luna must have answered him silently, because it was Prompto who spoke again.

“No way? None?” He sounded close to tears, and Noct wanted to do nothing more than to figure out what was going on so he could find a way to help him.

“Our fate is what it is.” Luna spoke quietly.

“Fuck that!” Noct jumped at Prompto's outburst. It was a lot louder than he'd been for the rest of the conversation and he must have noticed because when he spoke again he was much more quiet. “Run away. I can get you out of here, we can run, and we can hide and the gods can go fuck themselves.”

There was a quiet laugh from Luna. “Dearest Silver, I can no more run away with you now then I could when I was a child. Do not fear for me. I have accepted my calling, and the fate that comes with it.”

“I haven't.”

“Be that as it may. All I can ask is that you continue with your own calling. Stand by him. He will need you now more than ever.”

“I saw-” Prompto's voice broke again, and Noct could feel the pain within his best friend. “No.” The voice turned determined now. “No. I won't let it happen that way.”

“There's little to be done. Do you not remember what happened the last time the gods were defied?”

“Of course I do! I get reminded of it every day that I'm still alive.”

“Then you understand that this must be done. For the good of all.”

“There has to be another way!”

“Then I pray that you find it.” Luna's words and tone were both kind. They were quiet for a few moments and Noct decided that he'd heard enough. He was about to leave when Prompto spoke again, and his words made him pause.

“I thought I would've learned by now.” His voice was quiet, sad. Noct could hear a familiar tone to it, one that Noct heard every time Prompto said something bad about himself. He hated that tone. “Not to fall in love.”

There was quiet for a moment, and Noct could imagine Luna's expression, the sad, understanding smile that she was probably wearing.

“Is it so bad?” She questioned quietly. “Surely the feeling compensates for what comes next?”

Prompto gave a bitter laugh, and Noct could practically hear the shake of his head.

“No.” He said, “No, it really doesn't.”

It seemed like things were getting too personal, and no matter how many questions he had, no matter how much Noct wanted to know more, he suddenly felt like he was listening in on something that he really shouldn't be. Like some sort of creepy stalker. He backed off, warping his way back to their room.

He had a ridiculous number of questions to ask Prompto now. He had no idea what the hell was going on and suddenly he was feeling like he didn't know his friend at all. Prompto could warp? He knew Luna? What was this fate that Luna was talking about? Their families were once one and Prompto had powers? He was in love with someone? Probably Cindy or something. Noct hadn't realised that it had gone any further than a small crush.

Head spinning, Noct finally returned to their room and climbed back into his cold bed. He made sure to leave the window open for Prompto to come back through when he returned.

When Prompto finally returned, Noct had already fallen asleep. When he woke up in the morning, he found the room to be empty with a closed window.

– – – – – – – – – – –

He didn't get a chance to speak to Prompto again. Not for a long time. The next day began with a meeting with the first chancellor of Accordo, followed quickly by the waking of the Tidemother and a battle thereafter.

The only chance he even got to be near Prompto that day was when the man had ordered him to jump off a ledge and caught him using one of the imperial machines that he'd acquired somewhere. He seemed to know exactly how to use it, but Noct didn't have time to question him.

Even with the fact that he suddenly didn't know a lot about his friend, Noct still found himself trusting him completely, not thinking twice before throwing himself off the ledge.

That was, until he woke up in the hotel three days after the battle.

“I'm sorry.” That was the first thing that Prompto said to Noct when he woke up. He was sitting by the window, looking out over the smoking city.

Noct was quiet for a moment. The last thing he remembered was Luna standing by the alter, Ardyn's knife-

His eyes widened and he sat up straight, staring at Prompto. “Luna- is she-” He didn't want to think about it. Didn't want to contemplate the fact that she was.. That Luna was... No. She had to have survived. He'd survived worse than that, right? And Luna was strong!

But deep down, Noct knew the answer before Prompto shook his head. He knew that Luna had died, that she had given her life in service to him, her King of Light. His dream had all but confirmed that.

He felt his throat close and choked back a sob, eyes still wide and staring at Prompto as the man delivered the news. His long time friend. His finance. Was dead. The dream he'd had of her was the last memory he would ever have...

“There's... more.” Prompto was still speaking quietly, still looking out the window. “During the battle... I had to make a choice...” He sounded like he was about to cry, and he still wouldn't turn around. Wouldn't look at Noct. Noct stayed quiet, waiting to hear what Prompto had to say. “I chose to save you.”

“You let Luna die?” Noct asked, managing to keep his voice level. He didn't know how he felt about that. He could understand why Prompto would choose him over Luna, but that didn't make it sting any less. Luna died because of him.

“No.” Prompto caught Noct's attention again. He gave a soft shake of his head. “Luna was already dead before I got there.” He said quietly. “When I got there... Ardyn was kneeling over you. Iggy was incapacitated... I had to choose who to save.”

Who to- Between him and Ignis? Was Iggy-

Trembling, Noct felt his eyes begin to gush fluid. Losing Luna was hard, but losing Ignis? That- that wasn't even something that Noct had truly considered to be possible. Ignis had been there for him for as long as he could remember. He'd met the man when he'd been three years old and he'd been by his side every day since. He'd always assumed that Ignis would always be there, beside him no matter what happened. He was his brother in arms, his advisor, protector. He was his brother.

“Iggy's-” He choked up, unable to even say it.

Prompto shook his head quickly, finally turning to face Noct. Somehow, his eyes were different. Harder. Darker. “No.” He said fiercely. “I don't think so.”

“You don't think so!?” Noct couldn't help but shout. His emotions were all over the place and suddenly he felt so damn angry at everything. At his fate. At Luna. At Prompto. At everything. His fists curled around the fabric of the blankets that were pooled on his lap, holding tight to something as the tears fell unblocked.

“My father may be an evil son of a bitch but he's not stupid.” Prompto spoke quickly, standing and beginning to pace. “I'm sure he's realised that Ignis is worth more to him alive than he is dead.”

Noct's mind was spinning, his emotions going heigh wire, but he didn't miss what Prompto had said. “Father? Ardyn's your father?” He questioned, anger surfacing again. It was the easiest emotion to face, the easiest one to handle, so he focused on that. “You said he looked after you, not that he was your father!” He watched Prompto pace and found himself sitting up on his knees, ready to pounce if he felt the need to. “Prompto, what the fuck is going on!?” He roared.

Prompto finally looked him in the eyes, his eyes briefly flashing with surprise before he gave a soft sigh and sat down on the edge of Noct's bed. He didn't answer Noct right away, instead he pulled out his phone. “I'm asking Gladio to join us.” He told Noct before he could demand the answer. “I don't want to have to tell this story more than once...”

“You'll have to tell it again when we get Iggy back.” Noct replied darkly, tone leaving no room for doubt. They were going to get Ignis back. No matter what it took.

After a seconds hesitation, Prompto gave a small nod. “Yeah.” He agreed quietly.

They sat in tense silence for a few moments until Gladio quietly slipped into the room. If he hadn't believed Prompto about Ignis' disappearance before, one look at Gladio's face would have cemented it. The shield looked distraught, face pale and large dark, bags sitting under his eyes.

“Prompto has some explaining to do.” Noct said darkly, pointing at a chair in a silent order for Gladio to sit down.

“Shit. If this is about him saving you instead of Iggy-”

“No.” Noct shook his head. He couldn't even think about that right now. There was way too much going on right now. After Prompto's explanation, he could decide if he hated him or not. Until then, he needed answers. “No. This is about Ardyn being his father. About him being related to the oracles. About how he can warp.” He turned to Prompto, “About how you can speak ancient Lucian more fluently than experts. What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On!?”

Prompto took a breath and let it out as a slow sigh, leaning back in the chair he'd placed himself on. “It's a long story...” He warned, but shrugged when Noct glared at him. “Fine. But let me tell it to you before you ask questions.”

Slowly, Noct nodded. He could try to do that at the very least. “Fine. Talk.”

– – – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Smoke surrounded him, filling his mouth, his nose, his eyes. He couldn't see his own hands in front of his face as he waved them around, panic gripping his heart like a vice. His small body was trembling as he coughed, trying to clear his throat.

“Mama!” He called, voice joining the choir of panicked citizens surrounding him, voice getting lost in the crowd.

The boy stood alone, small and vulnerable, surrounded by fire and burning buildings. His home was engulfed with the crackling flames of Hellfire. “Mama!” He called again, his small voice barely making a dent in the chaotic surroundings.

Suddenly there was an arm around his waist and he was scooped up, held against a strong chest. The man holding him began to run and the boy buried his face against the rough clothing of his chest. He didn't know where his mother was, he didn't understand what was happening around him. All he knew was that everything was bright and hot and he couldn't breathe. But there was safety in the familiar arms of the man that was now carrying him away from his home, he was getting him away from the fire.

He didn't stop running for a long time, and when he finally did, the boy found himself being gently placed on the ground, soft grass and blue flowers folding under his weight. He lifted his head, blinking his watering eyes clear as he looked up into the concerned face of someone he knew well.

“Uncle?” He questioned, a cough forcing its way up his raw throat.

“Rest, Silver.” The man said quietly, gently running a hand through the boy's sooty blond hair. “Stay here, and stay safe.” And with that, his uncle stood and turned around, racing back towards the flames that were once the city of Solheim.

– – – – – – – –

“Where's ganma?”

The sun had risen on the people gathered in the glade of flowers. The city was still burning nearby, the flames reaching the sky with supernatural tenacity, burning through everything they could find and raising the city to the ground.

A few hundred people had found their way to the field of blue flowers, among them the youngest prince of the lost city. He was stood beside his uncle, looking up at him with eyes that betrayed his inability to understand what the night had brought.

The man knelt beside the boy, his kind eyes filled with unshed tears as he gently placed a hand on the child's shoulders. “She rests with the gods now.” He told the boy quietly, “Your mother also.”

Even at such a young age, Silver understood what that meant. He would never see his mother or grandmother again. They had taken the sleep that never ends and would await him in the after, where the sun never set and the air was never cold.

“Where's papa?” He questioned, trying to be brave. Trying not to cry. He didn't know why, but he felt like he had to be strong for what remained of his family.

His uncle gave him that smile again, the one that spoke of kindness. “I'll take you to him.” He offered his hand to the child, who took it trustingly, and lead him to a small tent that had been erected during the night.

Silver knew the symbols that were hastily painted on the side of the tent, they were the pictures that adorned the healing houses where sick and hurt people went to get better. He gripped his uncle's fingers tighter as he followed him inside and to the very back where his father lay still on a bed made of grass.

“Papa?” He let go of his uncle's hand and fled to his father's side, reaching for his hand instead. He was happy when his father's hand squeezed his and his eyes opened.

“Silver?” He questioned, a tired smile on his face as he greeted his child. “Oh. I'm so relieved.”

His father sounded tired, so Silver spoke quietly, shuffling closer to the man on the floor. “Papa. It's okay now.” He could see the tears that were building in his father's eyes, and he wanted to make them go away. His father was a strong, kind man. He shouldn't be sad. He shouldn't ever have a reason to be. He brought his other hand up to clumsily pat his father's hair, attempting to the same gesture of comfort he'd often received.

The smile his father gave in response to his words wasn't a happy one, but it wasn't a really sad one either. The tears began to fall, and so did Silver's. He didn't know what to do – he'd never seen his father cry before – so he just leaned forward and placed his head on his father's chest. A hand moved to rest on his back, and Silver knew that he'd done the right thing.

“Somnus.” His father spoke to his uncle, and Silver just stayed where he was. “Did I get to her...?”

There was quiet, and the chest under Silver's head jumped as his father let out a sob. Movement under him made Silver move, looking up to his father's face. The tears were flowing freely and a hand had come up to cover his eyes. The emotion lasted only a moment before his father took a breath and gave a small nod. Silver knew that he would be sad later when he wasn't around to see it

“Ardyn...” Silver's uncle moved, sitting behind Silver, by his brother's legs. “Mother is also gone.” His uncle sounded like he was crying too, his shoulders moving as he quietly let his emotions out. Silver didn't understand fully what was happening, but he knew that people he loved were hurting and he wanted to make them feel better.

He sat up and reached out, one hand holding his father's, the other his uncle's. He closed his eyes and let his magicks grow, a glow surrounding them all. It gave them all a moment of calm, where the sad didn't hurt so much before fading away.

“Silver..” His father gave him a soft smile, his free hand moving to land on the boy's head. “Thank you.” He said quietly, hand moving to gently cup the child's cheek.

“What do we do now?” Somnus asked quietly, hanging his head, waiting for his brother to speak.

“We do what we can.” Ardyn responded, struggling to sit up. With Somnus' help, he managed it, and he reached out to gently hold his brother's shoulder. “We must be the strength of our people.” He told him, “We will find somewhere to rest and recover, and we will rebuild our lives.”

Silver didn't know what that meant, but he did know that if his uncle and his father were working together, everything would be alright.

– – – – – – – –

The village was much larger than it had been even a year ago. The streets were beginning to be paved, stones slowly replacing the dust and dirt that had formed their roads until recently. Silver didn't pay any heed to the dust clinging to his bare feet as he ran along, racing home.

Today was his tenth birthday. It had been five years since they'd moved here from the big city he barely remembered, but he liked their new home. This village, and many like it had been built quickly and people were moving on with their lives, leaving the lost city behind.

A lot of their technology and knowledge had been lost, but they were rebuilding as best they could, and their communities were growing by the day. Everybody seemed happy.

The autumn sun was setting on the village of Leide as Silver expertly weaved his way through the crowd and made his way home to his father. He lived in the biggest house in the middle of the village with his father, his uncle, his uncle's wife and their son. His grandmother's sister and her children lived in the house next door. They all lived so much closer than they had in the city, and Silver was loving it. Even if it was a lot smaller than it could have been.

“Papa!” Silver raced into the home and threw himself at the tall man who turned the moment the child ran inside.

“Good evening Silver!” His father greeted him as he lifted him into the air, spinning him around once before pulling him into his arms for a hug. “You're starting to become too big for this sort of thing.” He commented, putting Silver back on his feet.

Ardyn knelt down in front of the boy with a smile and tilted his head to the side. “My, if I'm not mistaken, today is the day your years turn ten! Why, you're practically all grown up, aren't you?”

“Yep!” Silver bounced on his feet, grinning at his father. “And I'm ready to be your apprentice!”

“Oh?” Ardyn's face morphed into an expression of mock surprise. “Is that so!? Well. I suppose if you wanted to come along with me...” He teased.

Silver knew that he was only teasing – his father had made him a promise after all – but he still almost fell for it. “Father!” He objected, placing his closed fists on his hips. “You promised, and it is my duty!”

“But if you come with me, who will lead Leide?” Ardyn questioned rhetorically and Silver rolled his eyes.

“Uncle Somnus! He' been in charge this whole time!”

“Oh well, in that case.” Ardyn grinned at the boy and gestured towards the small area of their home where he slept. “Why don't you pack your clothing?” He suggested, “We leave at dawn.”

That night, there was a feast. There always was when his father came back into town. Not only was he the oldest son of the queen of Solheim, but now he was a healer. He travelled from place to place, making the sick and sad people feel better, and Silver was the one who was going to go with him and help him. One day, Silver's abilities would get stronger, and he would take over for his father.

There were a lot of sick people in the world, and even if they tried their best, Silver knew that they couldn't help everybody who needed it, but at least with both him and his father out there, they could get to a lot of people and make the world a better place.

– – – – – – – – –

To the east of Leide, a large island stood proud in the water. The forests that inhabited the island were said to be magical in nature, and Silver was excited by the fact that they were going there. His father wouldn't tell him why, but something was pulling them there, almost as if they were being called towards something.

It was a peaceful forest with no dangerous creatures. In fact, the only wildlife that Silver saw were large, friendly birds. They came close to him, let him pat them. One even let him ride it, and it was fast!

“These are creatures of legend.” Ardyn said quietly, voice filled with awe as he reached forward, hand gently caressing the beak of one of the black birds. “They're called Chocobo's. They only live here, on this island.”

“Does the Island have a name?” Silver questioned from his perch on the back of one of the black birds.

“Insomnia.” His father answered easily, “It is said that this island is home to a magic that never sleeps.”

“Is that what we're here for? To find this magic?”

As Ardyn moved forward, Silver's bird followed, allowing him to stay on its back.

“Indeed. Don't you hear it?” Ardyn asked, tilting his head to the side as he walked forwards.

Silver closed his eyes, letting his ears open to his surroundings. The wind blowing through the trees, the crunching of the ground beneath them and-

His eyes opened wide as he concentrated on the sound. He had been hearing it since they arrived on the island, but only now that he was listening, did he properly hear it. “Singing?” He questioned, even knowing that that was wrong. It wasn't quite singing, and it wasn't quite music, but that was the closest word that silver could think of to describe the sound he could hear. A rising, then a lowering, then another rising. Slow and steady, repeating over and over. It should have been annoying, but somehow it was comforting.

Ardyn nodded. “Yes.” He gave his son a smile. “And we're getting close.”

They walked for a little while longer before arriving at a clearing. The grass on the ground was just as thick and lush as the stuff they had been walking through, but its colouring was different. Instead of being green, it was tinged blue, and it took Silver a moment to realise why.

There was an odd light filling the clearing and so the boy looked up. There, just under the treetops, floated the most beautiful crystal he had ever seen.

“You are the chosen one.” A soft voice filled the air around them, but Silver couldn't pinpoint it. It was almost as if the entire forest was speaking. “You are the one who will purge our Star of the Darkness and bring an end to the Blight. Will you listen?”

Silver was still looking around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, but in the middle of the clearing his father took a knee, bowing before the crystal floating above them.

“I will hear you.” Ardyn said, voice strong but not too loud.

Then, silence fell. Silver wanted to speak out, to ask what was going on, but he trusted his father would tell him when he needed to know as he always had before now. It took a long time, but eventually Ardyn stood up.

“I understand.” He said quietly, face raised to the crystal. “I will do as you say, and heal the world.” He stood for a moment before turning, facing Silver for the first time in hours.

The boy almost recoiled. Instead of the usual gold that he had come to know as his father's eye colour, all he saw was a deep blue – almost the same colour as his uncle's eyes – and it just looked wrong on his father. After a few seconds, the colour faded and Ardyn was back to himself.

He gave Silver a smile and gestured the way they came, and together they left the beautiful clearing and slowly made their way back towards their new home.

– – – – – – – – –

“Are you sure about this?”

Night had fallen, and Silver had been asleep until his uncle's voice woke him. He sounded agitated, maybe even afraid.

“The Crystal was a gift from the gods themselves.” Ardyn was speaking quietly to his brother, but in the small space of their home, Silver could hear him perfectly. “It has asked for me to carry out this mission, to protect the people of the world.”

“This is a far cry from comforting the ill.” Somnus was saying, “Are you sure that you can really do it?”

“I'm sure that I can try.” From where Silver was lay quietly on his bed, he could see the small smile on his father's face. “Already I can feel a new magic within me.”

“There are some affected within our own village. Perhaps you can start there. If the magic is what you say it is, we can find out before you travel.”

“That was my thought also.”

If anything more was said after that, Silver didn't hear it. Sleep took him into her bosom and gifted him with dreams of a happy future – one where the dark blight that had been effecting the people since Solheim's destruction had been healed by his father.

– – – – – – –

Leide was celebrating. Colours lined the streets and everybody was dancing, feasting and drinking. The party involved everyone, but no-one more so than Ardyn, son of Queen Izunia and Healer of the People.

In a little over two days, Ardyn had managed to heal every person effected with the blight in their small town, and tomorrow he would be journeying to the next village of Duscae to continue his work.

As the night wore on, Silver found himself sitting beside his father, looking into the fire in the centre of town. “I don't understand.” He admitted, turning his head to regard his father. “How is your power different now to how it was before Insomnia?”

“Back then, my power was limited to easing the suffering of those that were ill.” Ardyn explained, happy to bring understanding to his son. “I could not heal them as such. They would still be ill, and many of them would still die. But I could take away the pain for their final days. Like how you do when you make people feel less sad.”

Silver nodded, understanding what the power used to be. His own power was something similar, though he only worked on emotional hurt rather than physical. It was a gift that had been passed down to him through his father, and his father's mother, and a gift that he would one day pass down to his own children.

“And now?” He questioned.

“Now I can remove the darkness that is the direct cause of the illness.” Ardyn continued, looking out to the fire and watching it with guarded interest. “Take the fire, for instance.” He said, lifting an arm to gesture towards it. “With my power as it was, I would be able to prevent a person from feeling the flames heat as they burned. But now I can extinguish the fire that threatens them. Do you understand?”

“I think I do.” Silver gave a small nod, a smile on his face. His father's power had only grown. Where once he could only ease suffering, now he could remove it entirely. There were many people in the world that were ill from the blight, and Silver could only hope that they could heal every one of them. The chocobo birds that had followed them from the forests of Insomnia would no doubt help with that.

– – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Years passed and Silver travelled the world with his father, seeing to every person they could. There were those that were too far gone, or those that hadn't been able to hold out long enough, but they did manage to heal most.

But with every healing, Silver was noticing a difference in his father. Where once a kind man stood, a malicious man was forming. His temper had grown short and his anger grown harsh and he begun to lash out.

The bruises on Silver's skin healed fast, but the ones deep down did not and he was beginning to grow weary. He was looking forward to being back in Leide and could only hope that being around the rest of their family would help calm his father's troubled soul.

But they didn't go back to the village. Instead, Ardyn lead them further west, towards the great island of Insomnia and to where the magic Crystal resided. By now, Silver knew better than to ask his father questions. Long gone were the days that Ardyn would share information with him, now questions only irritated him and caused his anger to flare.

So he road behind his father silently, ever following.

“I have returned after doing your bidding.” Ardyn spoke the moment they arrived in the clearing, climbing down from his chocobo to stand by the Crystal, face turned up towards the artefact. “The darkness of the world has been purged.”

“The darkness remains.” The ethereal voice surrounded them again, but unlike the first time, it didn't feel comforting. It felt somewhat menacing, as though it was a creature cornered.

“I have healed all those that carried the blight!” Ardyn shouted, “It is time that you give me what is mine!”

“Within you, the darkness remains. Be gone from this place, and return not!” Silver grimaced as the strange voice rose in volume and pitch, screeching at him and his father.

His chocobo reared back and Silver struggled to control it, pressing it forward to keep it where it was. In the forest around him, he could hear the others scattering, running away from the menacing aura the Crystal was now producing. He lost his fight with his bird, landing heavily on the ground as it scampered away.

“You promised me reign over the new kingdom!” Ardyn shouted back at the Crystal, “That the gods themselves would bless my ascension and that my kingdom would flourish!”

“The Kingdom of Lucis will flourish.” A new voice joined in the fray, and from across the clearing, Silver could recognise his uncle. He was different to how Silver remembered him, older. It had been a good number of years since he had seen him last.

“Brother.” Somnus spoke again as he stepped forward, standing directly below the crystal now. “You were not the only one to receive the blessings of magic.” He spoke carefully, but Silver could hear something under his tone. Anger? Pity? He couldn't tell. “Our cousin is the founder of a line of Oracles. Women who speak to the gods for men, and who hear the gods in return. She has heard what they say of you.”

“Oh?” Ardyn stood straighter, regarding his brother and Silver could see a familiar anger in his posture. It was the same way he stood before his hand would slip and cause him pain. He wanted to warn his uncle, but didn't know how to do so without angering his father so he stayed silent. Watching.

“They say that your healing was flawed. That you took the darkness unto yourself... That you are no more the man you were when you started your journey.” Somnus spoke again, voice wavering slightly. “They say that the darkness is consuming you from within, and that there is no place for you in this world, nor the next. That you knew of this, and refused the alternative.

“The gods have spoken, and it will be I that leads the new world.”

This wasn't good. Silver could see the way his father tensed at those words, see how he was wound tight, ready to snap. Without thinking, he clambered to his feet and rushed forward, intending on putting himself between the brothers.

He was successful, but that success came at a price. As he moved, Ardyn lifted his arm, a dark cloud of mist forming around his hand. He reached out, launching the darkness at Somnus. But Silver had already begun to move, was already in the way. There was nothing that anybody could do, and by the time that they realised what was happening, it was too late.

Pain consumed him, ripping into his flesh and pulling it from bone. He wanted to scream, but no noise would come out and the world was rapidly growing dark. Around him, he could sense darkness encroaching over light and soon he knew nothing else.

– – – – – – – – – – –

No sound came to him, and no sights. He didn't even know if he was still standing, or if he had fallen. It was almost as if he had no sensory input what so ever, and he simply floated in nothing. There was no time here, no beginning and no end, but eventually there was a tug.

It was small at first, but it happened again and again, getting stronger each time. Finally, when he could take no more, Silver opened his eyes.

He was lay in the clearing, directly under the Crystal. His uncle was leaning above him, face filling his vision. “Rest now, little one.” Somnus said quietly, not looking at his face. “Wait for me in the After, and I will join you when my time has come. Those that you love are already there, and will hold you in love.”

That was the funeral prayer. Why was Somnus reciting the funeral prayer for him while he was still alive? Didn't he know how taboo that was? How rude? But no - he was still saying it. One word after the next, perfectly remembered in the way that was expected of royals.

“Be not afraid, walk tall, and proudly move on. Wait for me where the sun never sets, and the air is never cold”

Silver tried to move, tried to make a sound but found that he couldn't. He was paralysed inside and out, and all he could do was lay there and listen to his uncle say good-bye to a boy that was still alive.

– – – – – – – – – – –

When his eyes opened next, he was alone. He was still in the clearing on the Island of Insomnia, but the Crystal had gone. So had the chocobos. He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but the sun was still high in the sky. Or maybe it was there again, Silver couldn't be sure.

But there was nothing that he could do where he was, so he stood, surprised to find no pain. Slowly, he made his way in the direction of the beach, wondering if his boat was still there.

It wasn't. So Silver began the long swim back to the shores of the mainland and began to walk in the direction that he knew was his home.

The journey took several days and Silver had had to rest quite often, but eventually he made it back to town. Nobody seemed to pay him any attention as he wandered the paved streets, but they were gathering into a crowd. A crowd that Silver followed.

The square was different to how he remembered it – but then he hadn't been home for almost half his life – and there were a lot more people than before. It seemed like everybody was gathered together and it didn't take him long to realise why. Standing on the podium in the centre of town, his uncle was overlooking the people.

For some reason, Silver knew that he needed to not be seen, so he crouched a little, hiding behind the taller people in the crowd as he watched.

“My fellow men and women.” Somnus addressed the people, arms wide as he spoke loudly with authority. “I have spoken with the gods themselves, and they have anointed me as the new King of the land that we will henceforth be naming Lucis. The gods have spoken, and it is with great sadness that I must carry out my first orders as your new King.” He gestured to one side and two large men dragged somebody onto the podium. That was when Silver noticed the noose had been tied and hung.

Somebody was about to be hanged.

It wasn't something that happened often, but their village had had an area built for it, should it be needed, and apparently today it would be. Silver wondered what the man's crimes were and he watched as the poor man was brought before the people.

“He was once the kindest man that I have ever known.” Somnus was addressing the people again, voice loud and regal. “He spent his life serving those less fortunate than himself. He comforted those he could and even went on to become a healer of the people.”

Silver frowned, regarding the struggling man on his knees before the people. He had a bag over his head, but he was achingly familiar, and Silver realised just who it was that was about to be executed. He started to try to make his way forward, to stop things, to do whatever he could, but the large crowd was impeding him, holding him back. Every step forward he took, he was thrown back by two. All he could do was watch and listen with growing horror.

“But he began to take the darkness unto himself. The gods gave him a choice, a way to save everyone, including himself.” Somnus sounded sad at that, as if he was upset that Ardyn hadn't taken that option. “But he refused them.” Somnus continued, “He claimed the cost was too great and that he knew better than the gods!”

A boo and a hiss went through the crowd, and Silver questioned when his people had become so enthralled by the words of the gods that had allowed their previous home to be destroyed in such a grand manner. Did these people not remember that it was Ifrit himself who had burned Solheim? Silver had been only five years old when it had happened, but he still remembered enough. The heat, the pain, the dead out numbering the living. Had these people forgotten that the gods were not all loving? It had only been fourteen years, surely the memory of his people was not that short...

“In an attempt to prove them wrong, he lashed out. Intending on causing me harm, he instead caused the death of his own son.”

A shocked gasp rattled through the crowd and again Silver found himself frowning. His father hadn't killed him, he was still alive. He tried to call out to the people, to tell them such, but found that he couldn't move. It was as if he had been frozen by some sort of spell. All he could do was watch and listen to his uncle.

“So it is with great sadness, that I must carry out my oath to the gods, to help rid the world of darkness and of pain. I must punish my brother for believing he knew better, and for the death of dear Silver. And thus, as my first act as King of Lucis, I sentence him to death by hanging.”

The world dropped from under Silver as he stared up at his uncle, the man that he had loved as much as he had his own father. The man who had just sentenced his own brother to death. He watched in horror as Ardyn was pulled forward, the bag removed from his head and the noose secured around his neck.

Silver tried to pull forward, to reach out for his family, but he couldn't. The crowd held him back and then it was too late. The trap door had been opened and his father had fallen, swinging from the rope around his neck.

Silence fell over the village of Leide as everybody stared at the corpse of the man they had once looked up to. The man that they would cheer for, and bring feasts to. It was a quiet moment before all hell broke loose.

With a suddenness that startled the crowd, darkness fell. It didn't start from the sky like it would normally do at night, but instead seemed to be coming from Ardyn's slowly swinging body. It reached out, grasping for anything in its path. A few people were caught in the tendrils and fell, bodies contorting and changing into unearthly beings that began to chase those that escaped the darkness.

It was pandemonium, and the world erupted into chaos. Silver used this opportunity to rush forward, to run to his father, heedless of the dark snakelike shadows that were emanating from him. All he wanted to do was get to his father, to see if he could save him, if he could stop him.

“Father!” He called out, finally reaching his side. He produced his sword from the magical realm of the Crystal and cut the ropes holding his swinging frame, watching as the body dropped to the ground below before jumping down to follow.

He cradled the lifeless body in his arms, leaning over him and shedding tears. “Father. You must stop.” He whispered, begging, and slowly the darkness began to recede, returning to the corpse that was once his father.

It took a long time, but eventually the sunlight came back and the world brightened for all but one small man, holding the body of his father under the trapdoor of a hangman's noose.

“Silver.”

Silver's tears began to shed even faster as he swore he heard Ardyn's voice. But when the voice came again, speaking his name so quietly, the man forced his eyes open to look down into the golden eyes he knew so well. “Father?”

His father couldn't have survived. The hangman's noose was absolute – his uncle would have made sure of it – so how was he speaking to him now?

“We should leave.” Silver whispered, throwing his father's arm over his shoulder and helping him into a crouching position. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know that his father would no longer be welcome in Leide. Or possibly anywhere. He knew that they had to leave, and that they were likely to never come back.

Whatever happened. They would make it work.

Chapter Text

“Okay, I don't get it.” Gladio interrupted Prompto's story, unfolding his arms. He had a look of confusion on his face. “You're supposed to be telling us about you. Not some long lost history.”

“He is.” Noct was looking at Prompto, not sure what he was supposed to be feeling. The story was a tall one, and it wasn't complete, but it was starting to make things make sense. “You said that when you moved to Insomnia, you changed your name.”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah. The name I was given at birth was Silver. Silver Caelum. After the Crystal spoke to us the first time, we added the middle name Lucis.”

“So you're related to Noct?” Gladio asked, obviously trying to wrap his mind around things.

“Distantly.” Prompto nodded with a shrug, “But if you trace your family line back two thousand years, you're related to pretty much everyone you've ever met. Noct's my cousin one hundred and fifteen times removed or something.”

“You're claiming to be immortal.” Noct said with a raised eyebrow, not really believing him, but not really having a reason to doubt him. Prompto had been keeping a pretty big secret from him, but he hadn't actually lied about it. From what Noct could remember, Prompto had never actually lied to him.

But this... this was a little much.

Prompto shrugged again. “Believe me or don't.” He said simply, as if it didn't matter to him. “And if you want proof, shoot me in the head.” He leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly looking exhausted. “There's more to my story.” He told them, “But we should probably eat something.” He looked over at Noct, “And you should probably rest...” He suggested.

“Like hell.” Noct scowled at Prompto, “I wanna hear the rest of your story.”

“I do to, Noct.” Gladio said, standing and gently placing a hand on Noct's shoulder. “But he's got a point. You were hurt pretty bad. How're we gonna rescue Iggy if you're burned out?”

Noct didn't like it when Gladio made sense like that. He had a point, but Noct wasn't sure if he could let this go long enough to sleep. He had to know what Prompto did. He had to know where this all went, and how he got to where he was now. He needed to know if he could still trust his best friend.

“I'll go get us something to eat.” Prompto said, standing and heading to the door. He was gone before anybody could protest, returning fifteen minutes later with a tray.

He passed Gladio a cup of noodles and handed Noct something that he couldn't identify. He looked at it with a frown and lifted the spoon, sniffing at it.

“It's a medicinal stew.” Prompto told him quietly. “My father's cousin's recipe.” He seemed to have a bowl of it himself. “I had some locked in my armiger.”

“Wait... you mean this is two thousand years old?” Noct asked with a grimace, looking down at the food in his bowl.

Prompto let out a little laugh and a nod. “The armiger puts things in stasis. Time doesn't touch it. It's still good.” He tried to reassure Noct by eating some himself.

“You sayin' that in two thousand years you haven't eaten it?” Gladio asked, clutching his cup noodles as if he was afraid that Noct would try to steal it.

“I was locked out of my abilities.” Prompto told him. “A very long time ago, the then King of Lucis captured me and used the power of the Oracle to sever my connection to the crystal.”

“So when I gave you access to my armiger, it unlocked yours?” Noct asked, still looking at his food with distrust. Slowly, he lifted the spoon to his mouth and tasted it. It was... different. He'd never tasted anything quite like it before, but it wasn't bad. Slowly, he ate some more.

Prompto shook his head. “Nope. Even then, I could only use your armiger. I could warp, but it was a lot of effort. If I hadn't already had centuries of experience doing it, I doubt I could've with the magic you gave me.”

“So then how?” Gladio asked, slurping down some of his noodles.

Wordlessly, Prompto put his bowl down on the small bedside table. He pulled off one of his gloves and lifted his right hand. On his third finger was a very familiar ring. The Ring of the Lucii.

The fact that Prompto was still alive and in one piece actually made his story more believable. He had royal blood running through him. Only the line of Lucis had ever been able to wear the ring without any adverse effects, but here Prompto was, wearing it like it was any ordinary piece of jewellery.

“My grandmother's ring.” Prompto said quietly. “After Solheim, my uncle wore it. He never took it off, and when he received the crystal's blessing, so did the ring.” He looked down at his hand and fell quiet for a moment. “I'm going to borrow this for a little while.” He told Noct. “Until my magic is completely unlocked.”

“Where did you even get that!?” Noct asked, food forgotten in favour of staring at the heirloom now sitting on his best friend's hand.

“Luna.” Prompto said quietly. “I went to see her before the rite.”

“Yeah. I know. I followed you.” Noct admitted. When Prompto frowned at him, it was Noct's turn to shrug. “You woke me up screaming, kissed me then warped away. I was worried and confused.”

“You kissed him?” Gladio asked, eyebrows raised, a smirk on his face.

Prompto's face turned slightly red and he bit his bottom lip. “I had a bad dream...” He muttered, busying himself by picking up his bowl and eating.

“So Luna gave you the ring?” Noct asked quietly, also keeping his eyes on his bowl. He could feel his own cheeks burning slightly as he remembered the kiss, still not quite sure what it had meant. He wasn't really comfortable asking that when Gladio was around anyway.

“Yeah. Made me promise that my father wouldn't get it. Who knows what he'd be capable of.” Prompto placed his bowl down again so that he could put his glove back on. “Even before the time of the crystal, my family had magic.” He told them, “My father and I, we could heal the ailments of the heart, make people feel better. When my father received the blessing of the crystal, his power evolved into healing of the flesh. At the time, I assumed that that was what would happen to my magic too.”

“But it didn't?” Noct asked, looking up from his bowl. The broth was growing on him and he found he'd actually started to enjoy it. He briefly wondered if Ignis could replicate the recipe, but quickly shied away from thoughts of his advisor. The loss was just too raw for him right now. So instead, he concentrated on Prompto's story.

Prompto shook his head. “No. I began to have dreams. And then those dreams started to come true.” He swallowed, putting his bowl down again, eyes trained on the floor. “At first, I thought that I was the reason these things were happening, but in time I realised the truth.”

“You were seeing the future.” Gladio placed his empty cup noodles into the trash and leaned against the wall, watching Prompto.

Slowly, the blond nodded. “The visions were few and far between, and they had all but stopped altogether when my magic was sealed.”

“But you had another one?” Noct's stomach dropped, and suddenly his appetite was completely gone. He put his bowl down on the bedside table as he waited for Prompto to continue. If the dream that had awoken Prompto that night had been a vision of the future...

'You're alright.' Noct remembered the pain and fear in Prompto's words as he pawed at his chest. If that had been a dream of the future, then at some point, Noct was going to get hurt. Badly.

“Yes.” Prompto confirmed. “I've never found a way to stop them from coming true, but I have learned that they're not always as they seem, and I never get the full picture.”

There was quiet for a moment, and Noct steeled himself, swallowing his anxiety and taking a breath before asking. “What happened to me? In your dream...”

Even with the distance between them, Noct could see how Prompto tensed, how his fists closed and clutched at his trouser legs. Noct waited, but the blond didn't answer, he simply stayed quiet.

“Out with it.” Gladio ordered, a little harshly.

Prompto lifted his head, eyes finding Noct's. “You were impaled.” He said, voice forcibly level. “By your father's sword.”

Noct felt his own eyes widen at that, his breath caught in his throat. He hadn't seen his father's sword since before they left Insomnia. He didn't even know where it was now. Did someone take it out of Insomnia after his father had fallen? Who was it that now wielded it? Who was it that was going to impale him?

“What else did you see?” He managed to ask, voice cracking slightly with emotion. Anger that someone would use his father's sword, grief at the thought of his father, fear for himself. So many emotions were running through him and he was having difficulty.

Prompto shook his head. “Not much. Nothing that made sense, anyway. I saw gods breaking through the Insomnian shield. I saw us standing on the steps of the citadel, Cor killing giant bugs...” He sighed softly and deflated into his seat. “It was just flashes, really. One image after a next until the last one.”

“The one of me-” Noct couldn't finish his sentence, couldn't say the words out loud. If this was what had to come to pass, then that was what would happen. But that didn't mean he had to accept it.

But Prompto nodded and looked away, eyes finding the ceiling. “You were on the throne. A sword through your chest.”

That certainly explained why Prompto had all but groped his chest when he'd woken from the dream. Noct found his own hand absently rubbing at it now.

Once again, silence fell in the room. This one lasted longer, each man lost in their own thoughts until Gladio cleared his throat. “We should rest.” He said quietly, pushing himself off the wall. “Tomorrow we'll come up with a plan to get Iggy.” He told them.

Noct didn't really want to wait until then, and he definitely didn't want to go to sleep, but he could already feel the exhaustion seeping in to his bones. He hadn't been awake for long, but his body was still recovering from his injuries. Slowly, he nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Gladio.

The others left the room and Noct was left alone with his thoughts. He lay himself down and traced his eyes over the intricate designs of the bowl on his side table, letting his mind wander wherever it wanted to.

He kept thinking about Prompto's story. It seemed far fetched, fanciful even, but it did answer a lot of his questions. Prompto could speak Ancient Lucian because that was the language he had been born to. He knew so much about history because he had lived it. He could warp for the same reason Noct could.

Because Prompto was a Lucis Caelum.

Chapter Text

As curious as Noct was to know the rest of Prompto's story, he knew the rest would have to wait. How Prompto found himself in Niflheim, what had happened to him, how he escaped... all of that could wait until after they had found Ignis.

After sleeping the rest of the day and all through the night, Noct was feeling a lot more energetic than he had when he first woke up, and was now itching to at least set off on their rescue mission. Prompto had been sure that Ignis had been taken to somewhere called Zegnautus Keep, and claimed to know where that was. In Nifleheim.

That was enough for Noct, who insisted that they set out that day, regardless of what Gladio had to say about his recovery. According to Prompto, it was still a long journey, at least a couple of days, so he could rest on the way.

Unfortunately for him, Gladio had taken that to heart and the moment the boarded the train to Niflheim, Gladio had all but locked Noct in one of the bunk rooms with orders to rest. Noct didn't blame him. Not really. With Ignis gone, the shield probably believed it to be his duty to take over his care, and if that was how Gladio coped with things, Noct wasn't going to stop him.

He wasn't entirely bored though. Prompto had snuck in when Gladio wasn't looking and made himself at home in the bed opposite Noct. It started off a little awkward, neither man quite knowing where their relationship stood after Prompto's story, but eventually things settled down and it started to feel like old times again.

It was during their fourth round of Kings Knight that Noct finally started to ask some questions.

“I guess video games are relatively new to you, huh?” He asked in what he hoped was a casual tone.

“Kinda.” Prompto gave a small laugh as he tapped at his phone's screen. “But I made it a point to keep up with the times, you know. If I'm gonna look like I'm nineteen forever, I gotta at least try to act like I am..” He tapped a few more times, focused almost completely on the game. After a second, he gave a whoop, having finally beat the level he'd been stuck on. “Thanks for the assist.” He said with a grin, finally looking up from his device.

He put it down beside him and gave Noct his full attention. “We gonna talk about this?” He questioned, and Noct had to think for a moment.

He had fallen asleep with his thoughts last night, but he remembered them well enough to know that he believed Prompto, and that no matter where he had come from, no matter what secrets he had been hiding, Prompto was still his friend. His best friend. And Noct was still willing to trust the man with his life.

“I guess...” He copied Prompto's action and put his phone down beside him. “I mean... dude... you're old.”

Prompto snorted at that, “You have no idea.” He chuckled. “I was nineteen when I was made immortal. I haven't aged a day since.” He let out a groan and flopped back onto his bed. “I'm not even fully grown.” He grumbled. “I should've had at least one more growth spurt. My father is at least six inches taller than me, and I was supposedly going to grow taller.”

Noct tried to imagine Prompto as tall as Ardyn, and his mind conjured up a picture of Prompto simply being stretched tall and thin. He let out a laugh at the mental image and shook his head. “I can't imagine you being any taller.” He admitted.

“Neither can I at this point.” Prompto agreed with a sigh. “Still. Could've been worse.” He turned his head to look at Noct, a grin on his face. “Could've been like super old before the curse hit. Imagine having to live forever as a ninety year old.” He pulled a face, showing just how little he liked that idea and Noct found himself laughing.

In the back of his mind, he was aware that things weren't going well. That Ignis was still missing, that Prompto had more dark secrets, that the empire was still plotting and scheming. But at this moment, Noct allowed himself to relax and to laugh with a friend, glad that things hadn't really changed between them.

“Wait!” Noct sat up and stared at his friend. “That's how you always did so well in History class!” He pointed his finger accusingly at the blond. “You cheated! You knew all the answers because you were there!”

“Dude, that's so not cheating!” Prompto protested.

They were still arguing about that when Gladio let himself into the room. He watched them both for a moment with raised eyebrows before interrupting. “We'll be stopping at a station for a bit soon.” He said, sitting on the bed beside Noct. “I overheard one of the passengers. Sounds like there's a Royal Tomb near where the train's gonna stop.”

“Will we have time to get it before the train leaves?” Noct asked, his argument with Prompto forgotten.

“Train's stopping for the night.” Gladio answered. “As long as we don't mind travelling in the dark, we should be able to get there and back before the train moves on.”

“If not, we can always catch the next one, right?” Prompto suggested.

“The Regalia's in the hold.” Noct reminded him, “If we don't get back before the train leaves, the car goes too.”

“Can't we... y'know, take her out and park her somewhere, just in case?” Prompto asked and Noct shrugged, turning to Gladio to see if he had the answer.

“I can go find out.” The shield offered. “You two make sure we're ready to go.” He ordered before turning to Prompto. “You got some of the Crystal's magic?” He questioned. When Prompto nodded, he continued. “Can you make potions?”

Until now, it had always been up to Noct to make the potions. He had to syphon some of his magic into a receptacle (his usual go to were energy drinks – apparently sugar and caffeine made the magic work better somehow) in order to make their curatives.

Prompto looked down at his hand where the ring lay covered by his glove and gave a small shrug. “I could.” He told them, “But I don't know how much of my magic has been released yet...” He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. “I can give it a try.”

“Dude. I so hope you can.” Noct muttered. Making potions had always exhausted him, but if Prompto could help, then maybe it wouldn't be so taxing. Or at least, Noct wouldn't have to do it all himself. And if Prompto could make potions, what other parts of the Crystal's magic could he use?

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Noct couldn't help but grimace at the smell as they descended into the murky mine. He looked around, noticing that the place seemed to be covered in a hazy green smog. The ground underfoot was flooded, mud squeezing its way into his boots. All in all, it wasn't a very nice place to be.

“There's a royal tomb here?” He questioned, distaste obvious in his voice. “My ancestors were nuts.”

Beside him, Prompto let out a laugh. “Most of them.” He agreed, looking around. “This place used to be nicer though.” He told them, looking down at his shoes and making a face. “Used to be less.. gross...”

“Still... crazy.” Noct muttered, arms flailing as he started to slip down an incline. He was prevented from falling face first by Gladio's hand on his arm.

“You good?” He asked and Noct nodded, making a mental note to watch his footing a little better.

Prompto took his other arm, wrapping his own through it and then leading Noct back to the path. “You think this place is crazy?” He questioned, grin on his face. “Remind me to introduce you to Pitioss one day. That place is down right evil.”

It took them most of the night to get to the tomb. They had to run around fixing various parts of the machinery in order to clear the way, but eventually they looked down into a flooded clearing.

“Should be around here somewhere.” Gladio muttered.

“Where else would it be?” Noct asked bitterly, he was sure that they had checked everywhere else in the mine.

“Gumpy.” Prompto grinned at Noct. His laugh died on his lips as a stench rose up from the water below, strong enough to make Noct gag. Prompto's hands shot out in front of both Noct and Gladio, preventing them from continuing their descent. “Wait.”

Noct pulled a face and swallowed thickly, trying not to throw up as Prompto lifted his head and took a deep breath, sniffing the air. It really was a putrid smell and Noct couldn't understand how Prompto could breathe so deeply without vomiting.

“Malboro.” Prompto grumbled, letting out a disgusted sigh. He slowly stepped back, pulling the other two with him until they were far enough away that Noct could breathe easily without gagging.

“What's a Malboro when it's at home?” Gladio asked once Prompto stopped pulling them.

“Really gross monster.” Prompto muttered, closing his eyes for a moment before letting out a sigh. He opened his eyes with a soft smile and lifted his hand to pull things from his armiger. After a brief flash of light, Prompto was holding three red ribbons in his outstretched hands. “Here.” He stepped forward and tied one around Gladio's wrist, then another around Noct's.

“Uh... Any reason for the fashion advise?” Noct asked, looking down at his wrist with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression.

“They're enchanted.” Prompto told them, managing to tie his own with ease. “They prevent status effects. Malboro's have a tendency to... breathe on you.”

“What's so bad about that?” Gladio asked, moving his arm to test that the ribbon would stay in place.

“Their breath stinks. The smell down there?” Prompto gestured to where they'd just come from. “That comes from them. If you get it full blast, it can cause all sorts of problems. Poison. Confusion. Some people even turn to stone when they smell it. It's...not good.” He lifted his wrist and waved his own ribbon in front of them. “Dunno how, but this stops the status effects from taking hold. Picked it up at a market when Altissia was first built.”

That didn't make much sense to Noct, but he shrugged anyway, happy to trust in Prompto. There was still a lot unsaid between them, still a lot of questions, but one thing was still the same. Prompto was Noct's best friend.

His ancient, immortal, semi-related, best friend.

He looked up from his ribbon and to his friends and together they gave a nod before making their way down to fight the Malboro.

Prompto hadn't been wrong. The Malboro's breath was truly awful. Noct had never smelled anything like it before. Suddenly he was put off his dinner. And tomorrow's dinner. In fact, Noct wasn't sure if he would ever eat again. But surprisingly he never once felt even the tiniest bit nauseas. The ribbon that Prompto gave him must really be working.

Eventually it became clear that there was something preventing the Malboro from actually dying. Nothing that they did seemed to be able to finish it off before it regenerated health. They tried three times before Noct realised they needed a change of tactics and he had to push away the pang of loss when he thought about how Ignis would've surely had the answer.

“Any ideas guys!?” Noct asked, barely managing to warp out of the way of it's bad breath. Sure, the ribbon was working, but that didn't mean he wanted to be caught in the putrid smell. He stumbled slightly before regaining his footing in the flooded ground. He turned and aimed, throwing his sword back into the fray and warping after it, only to fling himself away again. He landed a few feet away, polluted water splashing around him. “Damn.”

“Fire!” Prompto shouted, and there was a sudden brightness beside Noct. The brilliant blue-green light disappeared and Prompto's bright smile filled Noct's vision. The blond helped him to his feet and together they turned back to the enemy. “Malboro's are usually weak to fire.” He told Noct, reaching into Noct's armiger and pulling out a Magic Flask. “If we time it right, we should be able to make a chain reaction. Wait for it to start it's bad breath attack.” He was speaking loud enough for Gladio to hear them and it didn't take long for him to join Noct and Prompto.

“Now!” Prompto shouted, and together the three of them threw their magic. As soon as the flasks were out of their hands, Prompto turned around, arms flying around Gladio and Noct's shoulders as he threw them all to the ground.

Not a moment too soon. As they fell, Noct felt heat above them, it felt close, too close, and Noct wondered if he'd lost hair on the back of his neck as the Malboro's breath caught aflame. Before they'd fully hit the ground, the heat was gone and Noct chanced a look behind him, noticing the smouldering remains of what could only have been the Malboro slowly disappear.

“Well that was something.” Gladio muttered, kneeling in the water, watching the remains of the monster.

“Dude.” Noct half collapsed against Prompto, happy when his friend shouldered his weight. “You saved our skins.” He muttered, relaxing and letting Prompto hold him up. The blond chuckled and put his arm around Noct, keeping them both steady.

“Guess experience really does breed wisdom.” Prompto muttered with amusement, changing his grip on Noct's waist so he could lead him towards the Tomb. “First time I came across Malboro's they managed to kill me twice before I figured out how to kill them. Even then, that way doesn't always work.” He stepped away from Noct as they approached the door. It was blocked by something that looked awfully like eggs and Noct shuddered. He didn't want to wait for those to hatch.

“Whisking them just makes a mess.” Gladio muttered, looking over their shoulders at the egg sacks. “Better fry 'em.”

Noct nodded in agreement, waving his hand to summon flames to do just that. He wasn't the best at using his magic this way, and while he made it look effortless, it was anything but. It actually took a lot of concentration and drained his magic enough to push him close to stasis. It was almost as bad as when the Astrals decided to join their fights. Once the flames had done their job, Noct found himself falling against Prompto again, glad when the blond held him upright without even a whisper of a complaint.

“Let's grab the weapon and go.” Noct muttered, looking up to the sky. “Wont be long before the train leaves.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

Leaving the dungeon didn't take nearly as much time as it took to come down. With no obstacles in the way, they made it easily before sunrise and re-boarded the train. Even though Noct felt like falling asleep in the nearest bed, he took the time to shower (and throw out his clothes) and then allowed his companions to lead him to the food car – he even ate most of what they put in front of him.

“When we get Iggy back,” Noct said, trying to keep his voice casual. “I wanna see if he can figure out how to make that broth you gave me back in Tenebrae.”

“You think he could?” Gladio asked, “He's still tryin' to figure out the pastries.”

Noct felt himself slump into his seat, cheeks heating up. “He got it right on his third try.” He admitted, “He seemed to just really... like trying.” He picked at his food, suddenly not hungry. “I didn't want to take that away from him.”

“Awww. That's sweet.” Prompto nudged Noct and he looked up, noticing the soft smile on Gladio's face and the wide, if not forced, grin on Prompto's. “Good thing I left some in my armiger, huh?”

Noct gave a nod and stretched. “I need a nap.” He muttered, half whining. The train was busily moving and he knew that there was nothing any of them could do to get to Ignis faster. Even though he felt like he was being useless and not doing anything. Maybe taking a nap would help alleviate that feeling.

“I think we could all do with one.” Gladio muttered, collecting their mostly empty plates. He took them to the bar and Noct and Prompto followed him to the bunk rooms.

Noct was a little surprised to find Gladio herding them into only one room. “We're sharing?” Noct asked, frowning. There were two beds, and while they weren't exactly unused to sharing the beds were tiny, and the rooms were included in the train ticket. They could have one each if they wanted to.

“Call me paranoid, but I don't like the idea of anyone sleeping alone this close to Niflheim.” Gladio muttered, pushing Prompto and Noct inside and closing the door behind him. There was barely enough room for them all to stand, so Noct sat down on one of the beds.

“Fine.” He muttered. “But I'm not sharing with you.” He added to Gladio who nodded and climbed into the other bed.

“Guess that means it's us, buddy.” Prompto said with a grin, climbing on the bed beside Noct. He sat with his back against the wall and casually slung Noct's legs over his own. He grabbed his phone and started to play a game, silencing the music almost as soon as it started.

“You don't want to sleep?” Noct asked, shuffling down on the bed and trying to get comfortable.

Prompto shrugged. “I think my record is like, ten days without sleep. I can stay up. Not really enough room for me anyway.” He gestured at the bed.

Noct was taking up most of the bed without even trying. He was about to offer to shuffle over when Gladio's voice spoke out from above them.

“Don't care how long you can go without.” He muttered, “Lack of rest slows your reaction time. Sleep.”

Noct smirked and raised his eyebrow at Prompto as if challenging him to disobey. The blond chuckled and shrugged as they silently attempted to squeeze into the too small bed. Eventually they managed it, both lay on their sides with Prompto behind Noct, an arm thrown casually around Noct's waist and the other one under his neck. It was weird and a little uncomfortable, but Noct was tired enough to easily fall into sleep.

– – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

The last stop before Niflheim was Tenebrae. The train pulled in and Prompto nudged Noct awake in time for him to see the city come in to view. When he saw the burning building, a lump grew in his chest and he had to look away for a moment, just to keep his composure.

Tenebrae was one of the most naturally beautiful places Noct had ever seen. He'd only been eight years old when he'd last been here, but he remembered the proud, ancient buildings nestled within the walls of the surrounding mountains and to see them in flames...

“Just one more reason to hate the empire.” He muttered, looking out the window, jaw set in determination. He would make them pay.

A hand on his shoulder startled him slightly and he turned to look at Prompto. The blond's eyes were trained on the ruins but the hand on Noct's shoulder tightened slightly before disappearing.

In silence, the three exited the train to join the refugees on the platform. Almost as soon as they had, they were joined by a vaguely familiar face. Noct didn't have the best memories for names, and he couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before.

“Aranea Highwind.” Prompto muttered to both Noct and Gladio. “Works with Ardyn.”

“Worked.” The woman corrected as she came up to them. “Got tired of the empire. Decided to pursue my own thing.”

“I bet Ardyn loved that.” Prompto muttered and Aranea shrugged with a small laugh.

“I don't really care what he thinks. Anyway, my men and I working with the relief effort now.” She gestured and began to lead Noct's party away from the platform. With a shared look, the three silently decided to listen to what she had to say before making any judgements. Even if she ended up untrustworthy, they might learn something. So they followed her.

Before they could get too far, Prompto snagged Noct's arm and held him back.

“Noct...” He was looking around at the people on the platform. “Before all this began... I had a calling.” He turned to face Noct now, an empathic expression on his face. “I- I can help these people.”

Noct frowned, not sure what Prompto was meaning until he remembered a part of Prompto's story. Before all this began, before the crystal, the prophecy, and the gods, Prompto had been a healer, hadn't he? Didn't he say that he could help with emotional suffering?

Casting his eyes at the people around them, he could see how much pain they were in. They had lost their home, maybe their loved ones. He remembered how he felt when Insomnia had fallen, how alone and afraid he had been. How angry and hurt. He gave a soft nod and what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Don't miss the train.” He told him quietly.

Prompto nodded and let go of Noct's shoulder, turning and heading towards the people closest to him. As he walked away, Noct could hear Prompto speak.

“I'm here to help you. I'll do what I can to ease your suffering.”

– – – – – – – – –

Aranea had been somewhat helpful. She told them how the empire had been experimenting with daemons to make weapons, how daemons were made...

Every daemon they had defeated had once been human, or an animal. Every single one they had slain had been infected with an illness that had slowly changed them from the inside out. Suddenly the illness that had cursed Ardyn all those centuries ago began to make sense.

That new information made Noct queasy, but it was nothing compared to what she told him next.

MTs. MTs were clones, created in a lab and grown so they could be melted down into the parasite and used to power the mechanised units. MTs were human once, never having known it. Somehow, that made things worse. It was one thing to strike down an enemy soldier in battle, but quite another to do so to someone who was never given the chance to have a choice.

“I'm surprised you didn't know that.” Aranea said with a frown, watching his reaction. “The project started when they tried to clone your friend.”

“What?” Noct's eyes had been locked onto the ground – that being the least emotional place they could find – but now they shot up to Aranea.

“Silver. Prompto. Whatever he wants to call himself. The empire figured out what he was about a century ago. They attempted to clone him.”

“Why?” Noct's head was spinning. Too much disturbing information, all at once. He would need time to process this later, for now, he needed to know it all.

“What better army to have than an immortal one?” Gladio muttered.

“Exactly.” Aranea nodded. “Fortunately for us, his immortality didn't pass on to the clone. Unfortunately for us, his intellect did. The first clone went on to take over the cloning project, making the bases for the MTs from his own DNA.”

“Wait.” Even while his mind was spinning, trying to keep up with the information, Noct could read between the lines. “Does that mean that the MTs are clones of Prompto?”

“Yep.” Aranea nodded. By this point, they had made it to the clearing that was once nothing but Sylleblossoms.

Noct remembered this place. He and Luna used to come out here to look upon the manor. He'd even tried drawing it a few times when he'd had nothing else to do. It had been beautiful, the blue flowers swaying in the breeze, the gleaming structure in the background... Now however, it was muddied by the imperial ships that were parked there, by the boots of the ex-soldiers that were organising relief efforts. Its beauty had been torn away.

“We need to keep going.” Gladio's hand was on the back of Noct's shoulder, reminding him that they had a mission to do and that they could ponder the implications of what Aranea had told them later.

Noct nodded in agreement, letting Gladio know that he understood what the man had not said.

“And who's going to drive your train?” Aranea asked, smirking lightly. The look on her face made Noct realise that it was a rhetorical question.

“You know of anyone?” He asked, pushing her to tell him what he knew she wanted to say.

“I do. As a matter of fact, I know two.” She moved again, leading them to two men by the edge of the field. “Your new engineers. Biggs and Wedge. No need to worry – they can take a lickin'.”

One of them spoke in an accent that Noct had never heard before. “Only if we have to. What's this about?”

“Driving a train.” Aranea told them, her tone making it clear that it was an order. “To Gralea.”

“That all?”

“Well who would you have me ask?” Aranea countered. From this small interaction, it was obvious to Noct that those three had been working together for a long time. There was a sense of familiarity between them. It was the same conversational tone he'd heard his father use with Clarus in the past.

“You got us there.” The man said, with a small laugh.

“We'll do it.” The other man finally spoke, giving the answer they all knew was coming.

“Hey,” Gladio stepped forward, looking at the three ex-impirals. Noct could tell that he didn't really trust them, but they also didn't have much of a choice at this point. “Really appreciate you going out of your way.”

“Yeah. No sweat.” Aranea told them with a shrug before walking away, only to stop after a few feet. “By the way, I ran into a woman from the manor. Used to serve house Fleuret. Said she had something important to discuss.” She raised a hand and gestured to the far end of the field. “Might wanna go talk to her before you head out. Just talk to Biggs or Wedge when you're ready to go.”

– – – – – – – –

After the short conversation with a woman Noct didn't remember, he rejoined Gladio on the train platform. The shield was watching Prompto as he moved from person to person, a golden glow emanating from his hands every so often.

“Kid cares.” Gladio muttered quietly as Noct moved to stand next to him.

“Yeah.” Noct agreed, watching his friend do what he could to ease the suffering of people who had lost everything. “But he's not really a kid, is he?” He added with a smirk. “He's a hundred times older than the two of us combined.”

Gladio snorted, “Guess so.” He took his attention from Prompto to turn to Noct. “What'd the old lady want?”

“Just to make sure that Luna got the ring to me. And to let me know that Ravus is looking for me.”

“Ravus?” Gladio asked with a frown.

“He... wants to give me my father's sword.”

“Hmm.” Gladio's tone made his distrust clear enough that he didn't need words. He turned his attention back to Prompto in time to see the blond lean forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Looks exhausted.”

“Yeah. Magic takes a lot out of you.” Noct stepped away from Gladio, slowly making his way to Prompto. “Hey.” He greeted his friend.

Prompto looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. “Hey.” He stood back up and gave a soft stretch. “I... helped as many as I could.” He sounded upset that he couldn't help more, but apparently knew his limits. “When do we leave?”

“Now.” Noct began to walk to where Biggs and Wedge were waiting, a hand on Prompto's shoulder to hopefully stop the protests that he knew were coming. He knew his friend well enough to know that he wanted to stay and help the rest, but they couldn't afford the time. Iggy was waiting for them.

– – – – – – – – –

The last leg of the train ride was not as uneventful as the rest had been. They had to stop not far from Tenebrae thanks to a daemon attack. The creature fell easily, but Noct couldn't help the sharp feeling in his chest as he remembered Aranea's words. The daemon had once been something else. A person maybe. Knowing that it hadn't always been a mindless daemon did strange things to Noct's emotions. He knew that they had no way of helping it, and that it was either it or them, but that didn't seem to help.

And he was meant to kill them all?

“What's the matter buddy?” Prompto asked through clattering teeth as they herded themselves back on the train.

“Aranea told us that daemons... weren't always daemons.” He answered, sighing slightly in relief when the door was shut behind them. The look on Prompto's face confirmed what Noct had been told and the weight in his chest doubled. “She was right?” His question was quiet, hesitant.

Prompto gave a small nod. “It's... because of a parasite that lives in the atmosphere.” He told him. “When it coalesces into a large enough mass, it can infect organic life. It spreads from the inside out, and eventually overcomes the host and becomes a daemon. When a daemon dies, the miasma is released back into the atmosphere. That is what's causing the longer nights.”

Prompto had been leading them back through the train, and now they sat in the dinning cart. “You didn't think to tell us this?” Gladio questioned, but there was no heat to his voice, not accusation.

“Once you know something, you can never unknow it.” Prompto told him, not looking at either of them. “I thought it would be easier on you if you didn't know.”

Noct kind of agreed with him. Where they came from, how they were made... it didn't change the fact that they had to take them out. If they had known earlier, they might have hesitated and that could've been deadly.

He gave a small nod, accepting Prompto's words.

“My father and I are the only people I know to be immune.” Prompto continued. “When he healed the afflicted, he drew the parasite into himself. That's what makes him immortal.”

“What about you?” Noct questioned, curious. He'd always assumed that whatever had made Ardyn immortal had done the same to Prompto. He'd never even considered that it could've been something else.

“A curse from the gods. To punish him.” Prompto's eyes were trained on the window, but Noct could see he wasn't actually looking at the scenery around them. He wanted to ask more, to learn more about his friend and the circumstances that had allowed him to be there with them, but the tone Prompto had taken made it clear that he didn't want to discuss it.

He would have to eventually. When they had Ignis back.

– – – – – – – – – –

The train station in Gralea wasn't any different from the ones that they had been to along the way, but for some reason it felt different. As they stepped off the train, Noct couldn't help but feel like this was the end of something. He pushed away the foreboding feeling and took a step forward into the heart of the enemy kingdom.

Ignis was here somewhere, and they were going to find him.

“I see that you have finally come to free your little pet.” A familiar voice called out from behind them.

Without thinking, Noct turned, conjuring his sword as he faced Ardyn. The man was standing on top of the train, looking down upon them. He was smirking and made a show of letting out a sigh. “Now now.” He spoke, voice dripping with false charm. “That will never do.” He gave a small wave and Noct's weapon disappeared in a crystalline flash.

“What-” Shaking his hand, Noct tried to call his weapon back, but failed to do so. He couldn't reach anything in his armiger. In a fit of desperate panic, he even tried to call forth his fishing rod. Nothing.

He felt Prompto slide close to him and reach for his hand. He was too focused on Ardyn to question it, but when he felt something being placed into his palm, he automatically closed a fist around it.

Prompto made it look like he was simply brushing past him as he stepped forward. “You can block their magic.” He spoke, raising a hand in front of him. “Or you can block mine.” A flash of the now familiar green-blue light and Prompto was holding a sword.

“How-?” Noct's eyes were wide and he tried again and again to summon his own weapon, failing each time.

“A design feature.” Prompto told Noct, eyes remaining on Ardyn. “So that he could block your magic but keep his own. It can only block one armiger at a time.” His grip on his weapon shifted and his feet moved slightly. “Go. Zegnautus is above us. I'll keep him busy and meet you there.” With that, Prompto raised his arm and threw his weapon, disappearing in a turquoise haze before reappearing on the train beside Ardyn.

“C'mon!” Gladio grabbed Noct's arm and dragged him away. After hesitating for only a moment, Noct turned and ran, following his shield deeper into the city. Prompto could look after himself, and even if the worst did happen, he couldn't die, right?

Even if it was by Ardyn's hand?

They didn't stop running until they were inside a building directly under Zegnautus. The moment the door closed behind them, Noct turned to Gladio, wanting to insist that they go back for Prompto, but he stopped himself.

He was at a crossroads. Prompto behind him, Ignis ahead. Prompto was immortal. He would be fine and Noct trusted him to keep his word. He would catch up. But Ignis...

Ignis had already been in the hands of the empire for almost a week. There was no telling what kind of damage he'd already suffered, and unlike Prompto, it was possible for Ignis to die. “C'mon.” He turned to the corridor ahead of them, swallowing thickly. His decision had been made.

“Let's go get Iggy.”

– – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Zegnautus was like a maze. After the ten minutes it took them to actually get into the keep, Noct hadn't expected to spend so long trying to navigate the corridors while dodging daemons. If it hadn't been for Prompto pressing the Ring of the Lucii into his hands, they would probably be dead already.

It wasn't easy to use the ring. Each and every time he did, he could feel it draining him, his energy, his magic reserves, his very life. It was an effective weapon, but an expensive one. More than once, he'd taken down a daemon and staggered into Gladio's strong chest. He could tell his shield hated the situation even more than he did, but neither of them said anything.

Not until they came across a bunk room that is. The minute they looked inside, Noct could feel himself being pushed down into one of the lower bunks. “Rest.” Gladio ordered, turning to keep his attention on the door.

“But-”

“No.” Gladio's tone was absolute. “There's no point in carrying on like we are. You can barely keep standing.” The shield kept his eyes on the door but sat down beside Noct. “You don't have to sleep, but you do need rest.”

“I can't just stop!” Noct's heart pounded. He could understand what Gladio was saying, but it didn't help. All the logic in the world wouldn't sway him now, he was down two friends and he needed to get them back. Prompto was fighting for them and who knew how Ignis- No. He had to get to them. To make sure they were safe.

“Like it or not, you're the only one of us armed.” Gladio pointed out, “If we keep going and you pass out, what then?” He questioned. “Take ten.”

Ten minutes. Noct didn't want to wait around while his friends were in trouble, but Gladio did have a point. Ten minutes. He could do that. Right?

He lasted five.

He didn't give Gladio any choice but to follow him down the halls as he took of at a run, his shield not far behind. “You're being an idiot.” The man grumbled, but didn't try to physically hold him back.

It took them maybe an hour to find Ignis. Not only did they have to find their way around near identical corridors, but they also had to backtrack a few times to upgrade the key card they'd found when they first got inside. Eventually though, they came across what looked like a jail.

There, in the very back room, was Ignis. He was tied to some sort of contraption that held his arms aloft. Even from this distance, Noct could see the bruises littering his skin and the way he seemed to be shaking with every breath. With a burst of energy brought on by desperation, Noct burst into the room and threw himself at the locks holding Ignis in place.

“Noct?” Ignis' voice was weak, but he was awake.

Noct didn't take his eyes from the lock he was dealing with, his hands shaking just a little to much to make the job easy. “It's okay Iggy. We got you.” The locks broke free and Ignis collapsed to his knees, Noct somehow managing to catch him enough to lower him down gently.

“Noct.” Ignis gasped out, panting lightly as if it hurt to breathe. “You shouldn't be here. This place is - you shouldn't – you shouldn't have come.”

“Like I'd ever leave you behind!” Noct's voice broke slightly as he helped Ignis sit upright, a hand lightly resting on his chest. The look Ignis gave him was equal parts thankful and exasperated.

“Quite.” The advisor agreed with a small, breathy, laugh.

“Here.” Gladio knelt down beside Ignis, handing him something. Glasses. With a nod of thanks, Ignis placed them on his face.

He took a few more breaths before giving a small nod and reaching up. His arm went around Gladio's neck and the big man helped him up, holding him steady. It was a practised move, one that they had used many times after combat training, but never for too long. They'd always had a potion handy before.

Not for the first time since entering the keep, Noct mentally cursed Ardyn's name for blocking his abilities. If he hadn't, he could've helped Iggy, healed him of at least some of his pain. But he couldn't. All he could do was hover worriedly beside his friends and watch, helpless as Gladio guided them back down the hallway and into one of the bunk rooms.

Once they were situated inside, Noct sat beside Ignis and finally looked at him properly. “Iggy...” He reached forward, hand hovering an inch or so away from his advisor's chest.

“I will heal.” Ignis reassured him with a soft smile, his own hand coming up to gently take Noct's. “Where is Prompto?” He asked, looking around the room.

Gladio was still staring at the door, as if he was expecting daemons or MTs to come bursting through. “Stayed behind to buy us time.”

“Ardyn locked us out of my armiger.” Noct told Ignis, half explaining, half apologising for lack of curatives. “But Prom could still get into his.”

“Prompto has his own?” Ignis asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You missed out on a lot.” Noct muttered, finding himself lowering his head. “I'm sorry it took us so long.” He whispered, breath hitching a little with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't even begin to decipher.

“You're here now.” Ignis reassured Noct in his own way. “And so is the crystal.”

“What?” Noct lifted his head to look at his friend. “Here?” He questioned.

Well. It did make sense, didn't it? Gralea was the capital city, the heart of the Niflheim empire and Zegnautus was a heavily fortified keep that somehow floated above it. Where better for the empire to keep their most prized spoil of war?

“I'm not entirely sure where.” Ignis told them, “But I believe so.”

“Then we'll find the crystal and take out the daemons...” Noct promised, swallowing back the bitter taste in his mouth. The daemons were other creatures once, and killing them did nothing but spread the pathogen that made them in the first place. But they needed to get rid of them in order to banish the darkness. It was a mess of a situation.

“From what I understand, if you touch the crystal, you should have the power to do exactly that. We should get moving.” Ignis shifted slightly on the bed, almost managing to hide his grimace of pain. If Noct hadn't known him so well, he might have missed it.

“Not until you've rested.” Noct muttered, standing so that he could push his friend down on the bed fully. “You're hurt and now that we've found you, we don't need to rush anymore.” As he was saying that, Noct became acutely aware of the exhaustion seeping into his own bones.

“Noct-” Ignis tried to protest, but stopped when Noct gave him a glare.

“If our positions were reversed, what would your advice be?” Noct questioned, almost rhetorically. He knew that he'd won the argument when Ignis let out a sigh and lay down.

“What of Prompto?” Ignis asked, slowly moving into a more comfortable position that didn't aggravate his injuries.

“He'll be fine.” Gladio muttered, leaning against the pole of one of the bunks. “Only the gods know how much training he's had. He'll catch up with us.”

Apparently that was all the reassurance that Ignis needed, or maybe the exhaustion had just caught up with him. Either way, his eyes slid closed and he drifted into slumber.

– – – – – – – – – – – –

They rested for several hours, but Prompto didn't find them. Noct was beginning to get worried, but he agreed with Ignis and Gladio. Their first priority had to be getting their magic back. Then they could look for the Prompto and the crystal.

The machine responsible for their blocked abilities wasn't all that hard to find. It was about a story tall and bright red, resonating with a strange sound. It was the most out of place thing they could find, and Noct was sure that it had to be what they were looking for.

Unfortunately, the control panel was hidden behind a locked door. After trying the stolen key card three times without success, Noct found himself banging on the door. They were so close. “Ideas?” He questioned out loud.

“I have one.” Ignis said quietly, reluctantly, “But I'm afraid it's somewhat.... unsavoury.”

“What is it?” Gladio asked.

“The pods surrounding us are incomplete MT units.” Ignis was using his 'matter of fact' tone. The one he used when he wanted to separate fact from emotion. Whatever his plan was, it wasn't going to be pretty. “I managed to escape briefly, during that time I came across some.. unsettling information. MTs are genetically engineered.”

“Clones. Yeah.” Noct nodded, knowing what Ignis was having trouble saying. He remembered how he felt the moment he found out, and didn't blame his advisor for being hesitant to talk about this. If his plan involved the clones in some way...

“Yes. Each clone is branded. A bar code on their wrist. I believe that one of those may open the door.” Ignis was looking at a security pad, examining it as he spoke.

“So what's the plan?” Gladio questioned.

“We find a clone.”

Noct didn't like that, he was right, the plan wasn't entirely pleasant. But it could work. Except. “Wont work.” He told Ignis with a sigh, “The clones get broken down and used as a power source.”

The look Ignis was giving him was a confused, disbelieving one. “I don't understand.”

“Me either.” Noct admitted, “But MTs really are empty.” At least, that was what he thought he understood about the whole process. “But...” He frowned and looked around, thinking as fast as he could. “Didn't some of the MTs explode?” He questioned, “When we killed them, some of them exploded, right?”

“What're you thinking?” Gladio asked, ready to move on Noct's order.

“Blow the door.”

“Somehow, I don't think that'll work.” Gladio muttered, pressing his hand against the doors. “Looks like it's reinforced.”

“Damn it.” Noct muttered, stepping back and looking up at the machine on top of the room. He frowned as he looked at it, wondering if he could interfere with it without having to go into the room. Out of curiosity, and not thinking that it would actually work, he lifted his hand and summoned the abilities of the Ring on his finger, watching as a stream of red magic made its way to the target.

Nothing happened.

With a frustrated shout, Noct dropped his hand and tried to think. There had to be something they could do.

“Allow me.” Noct turned quickly on his heels as a new voice joined them. It was only vaguely familiar, but Noct knew he knew that voice. When he saw a figure approaching them, he recognised him instantly.

“Ravus.” He didn't know if he could trust the Fleuret or not, but at this point they didn't really have much of a choice. So he didn't put up any resistance when the man walked past him, didn't make any hostile motions, only stepped out of the way, keeping his eyes trained on the man.

Ravus produced a key card similar to the one Noct found and lifted it against the panel by the door. The door opened, and Noct stepped forward. Instead of heading straight into the room, he turned to Ravus. “Thank you.” He said quietly. Ravus simply gave him a nod before lifting his other hand.

In it, he was holding Regis' sword, hilt facing Noct in an obvious gesture for him to take it. “I believe this belongs to you.” He said quietly, “Your Majesty.”

Noct had expected those words to come from Ravus dripping in sarcasm, but they weren't. Instead, they sounded somewhat sincere. When Noct reached out to take the weapon, he startled slightly as it began to glow. His surprise only lasted a moment as he realised that it made sense for his father's blade to be one of the Royal Arms.

With a final look at Ravus, Noct turned to the room they'd worked so hard to get into. He raised the weapon and jammed it as hard as he could into the computer banks, hoping that they were controlling the strange device above them.

It went quiet and the absence of noise was suddenly deafening, but it was a good sign.

“Did it work?” Gladio questioned.

“With the device down and out, Noct's power should be up and running.” Ignis remarked and Noct raised a hand, attempting to summon his sword.

It appeared in his hand with little effort and a wave of relief came crashing over him. Quickly, he banished the weapon and retrieved an elixir from his stash, not wasting a second before breaking it over Ignis. The advisor let out a soft breath, shoulders relaxing slightly.

“You have my thanks.”

“We should find the crystal.” Gladio said as he summoned his own weapon and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He too looked more relaxed now that he could fight again.

“And keep an eye out for Prompto.” Noct added as they turned to leave the room. Ravus was still standing outside and Noct hesitated only for a moment before speaking to him. “You coming?” He questioned.

“I can lead you to the crystal.” He offered. “I believe it's high time for the empire to fall. Don't you?”

Not much else was said between them as Ravus lead them forth. They took out any daemons that they had to, but Noct made a point of ignoring the ones that posed no harm and the others followed his example without so much as a question.

Eventually Ravus lead them into a cargo area. “The crystal is ahead.” He told them, gesturing. As they continued walking, Noct heard the familiar sound of a daemon spawning. Then another. And another.

He turned around and realised that they were surrounded by a large number of creatures. “Shit.” He muttered, throwing himself into the fight. A daemon fell by his blade, then another. After a while, he lost count but still the daemons kept coming.

“We're getting nowhere!” Gladio complained as he took out another imp with a single swipe.

“They just keep coming!” Ravus grunted, barely managing to dodge what could have been a nasty blow from an iron giant.

“Noct, you must go alone!” Ignis ordered.

“What!?” No. No way. No way in hell was Noct going to leave behind more friends. They still hadn't found Prompto yet. “No way!”

“Get to the crystal. Banish the daemons. Find Prompto.” Gladio grunted, jumping forward to block an attack aimed at Noct. “GO!” The shield ordered.

“What about you!?” Noct questioned, but he already knew that they were right. If he could banish the daemons, he could put an end to their fighting, to their struggle. It was the quickest way to make sure they were alright.

“We'll manage.” Ignis assured him and that was all it took for Noct to turn and run. He didn't look back. He couldn't. So he just kept running, throwing his sword and warping every now and again to dodge the daemons that were spawning around him.

At last, he made it through a rapidly closing door. He finally turned back, eyes finding his friends still locked in combat. He kept looking at them until the door completely closed. When he turned around, he could see the crystal shining ahead.

And stood in front of it, was Prompto.

Chapter Text

“I can't let you have it.” Prompto spoke before Noct could. He was stood in the narrow walkway, limbs spread wide to bar Noct from reaching the crystal behind him. His voice was steady, emotionless.

“Prompto?” Noct frowned, stepping forward, closer to his lost friend. He stopped abruptly when he heard Prompto suck back a breath that almost sounded like a sobbed plea, his previous emotionless determination crumbling slightly. “Prompto, what's going on?” He asked, watching as Prompto's resolve fell, as he began to shake and his face crumpled.

“You can't touch it.” He repeated, his voice less sure this time, shaking with barely suppressed emotion, his eyes wide and fearful.

“I have to.” Noct spoke slowly, calmly. Inside, he was just shy of panicking. Prompto didn't break down like this, didn't lose it. And Prompto never stood in his way. Not when it counted. Something was going on. “There's a hoard of daemons attacking the others right now. If I don't banish them-”

“It won't.” Prompto interrupted. “If you touch that crystal, it's over.” He was still shaking, chest heaving as he breathed quickly. “Please Noct.”

“What?”

“If you touch that crystal, it'll drag you inside. You'll seal your fate. You'll die Noct.” Prompto adjusted his position slightly, arms still outstretched, still blocking Noct's way. “And it wont banish the daemons. Not right away.” The blond sounded close to tears now, voice raised into a desperate shout.

“How do you-” He didn't even get a chance to finish his question before it was answered.

“Because, of course, he's seen it.” The voice came from behind Noct and he spun, weapon appearing in his hand as he trained his eyes on Ardyn. The ancient king slowly walked forward, eyes trained on his son. “Dear Prompto -” Ardyn all but spat the name, his distaste obvious on his features, “- has always known how this is to end. Yet he stayed silent, standing by your side as you walked to your death.”

What? Noct glanced behind him to see Prompto crumple a little more. He had no idea what Ardyn was talking about, but he did know two things. He would never trust a word out of Ardyn's mouth, and he trusted Prompto completely. So when the blond stepped forward and past Noct, he didn't turn to run to the crystal, instead, he stood behind his friend, ready to back him up if he needed it.

“Your world view is narrow.” Prompto said darkly, advancing on Ardyn who didn't even flinch, his features taking on a bored quality. “You can see nothing beyond your world of revenge and pain. The Draconian's words were vague, and I have found every interpretation for them. I will not allow Noct to die for your mistake!” Once again, Prompto's sword appeared in his hand, and Noct briefly wondered why he wasn't using the guns he'd trained so hard for.

The thought left as soon as it had come, and Noct watched the scene in front of him carefully.

“The mistake belonged to the gods.” Ardyn countered, voice casual as if they were discussing the weather.

“The mistake belonged to you!” Prompto roared. “You believed you knew better than they! The price you thought too steep now has to be paid by another after countless have suffered! Because you were too weak to do what had to be done!”

“My actions kept you alive!” For the first time, Noct saw actual anger in Ardyn's expression before he closed it off and replaced it with his usual look of indifference.

“But at what cost?” Prompto asked, shoulders dropping. “Your actions saved me, but condemned millions and cursed us both!”

“Think what you will.” Ardyn said with a dramatic flair, a smirk growing on his face. “We can debate this until the sun rises, but I wonder. Do your dear friends have that long?”

Prompto flinched and Noct's heart dropped. Every second they were stood doing nothing was a second Gladio and Ignis couldn't spare. He needed to save them, to – to banish the daemons.

Even if Prompto was right. Even if it didn't happen right away. Even if it killed him. He had to do it. He had to protect his friends, his people, had to do everything in his power and right now, there was something he could do. Something that nobody else could.

He took a step backwards. Then another. His eyes never left the back of Prompto's head as he made his slow way backwards towards the crystal, one step at a time. “Prom...” He spoke only when he was within arms reach of the ancient relic.

Instantly, Prompto turned around, his free hand rising almost lazily behind him. Between himself and Ardyn a barrier appeared – one like what Regis' Kingsglaives had been able to erect. Apparently Prompto had the full scope of his powers back and he used them effortlessly.

Beyond the barrier, Ardyn rolled his eyes and let out a soft sigh, leaning against the railing as if simply waiting for this to be over.

“I don't know what's going to happen.” He spoke quietly, knowing that Prompto could hear him. When the blond started to move forward, Noct raised a hand, imploring him to stay away.

Prompto stopped dead, his face filling with wild panic. “You'll die.”

“Probably.” Noct let out a bit of a laugh and shook his head. “But- But I can't do nothing. Iggy, Gladio, they're out there, surrounded by enemies that just wont stop coming. All over the world, people are getting sick, dying and turning into monsters.

“You're a healer Prompto. You should understand. The world is sick, and I can help it.” He felt like he was pleading with his friend, to let him go, but he knew that in reality, Prompto didn't have much of a choice. The choice was all Noct's.

“Noct-” Prompto made a move, took a step forward and Noct took half a step back, careful not to touch the crystal until he was ready. Prompto stopped the second Noct moved, his hand outstretched, reaching for Noct.

“I don't know what's going to happen to me.” Noct was wavering, his voice trembling, but he stood proud, giving off an air of confidence he didn't feel. He couldn't back down now. “I don't know if I'll ever see you again. So... So I want to say thank you. For everything.”

Tears were beginning to fall from his eyes now. He didn't know if it was fear, or grief. This could well be the last time he ever got to speak to Prompto, and he needed to make it count, but he just didn't know what to say.

“Rest well, my love.” Prompto spoke quietly, “Wait for me in the After, and I will join you when my time has come. Those that love you are already there and will hold you in love.” It sounded like something that Prompto had rehearsed, and the blond was sobbing by the time he got to the end of it. “Be not afraid, walk tall, and proudly move on. Wait for me where the sun never sets, and the air is never cold.”

Behind Prompto, Noct could see Ardyn through the shimmering barrier. He had a strange look on his face, but he stood relaxed – not attempting to do anything to prevent Noct from touching the crystal. As if he had been planning on this all along.

Maybe he had. Maybe Noct was falling right into his trap. But that didn't matter. If this was the only thing he could do, then this was what he would do. He couldn't hang around to try to find another way, Iggy and Gladio couldn't afford that time. He had to act and he had to act now, regardless of the consequences to himself.

Noct had no idea what Prompto's words – his goodbye - meant, but he gave Prompto a small nod before reaching out. Prompto had said that the crystal would drag him inside, so when it began to, he didn't fight it, didn't pull against it. Instead, he pushed forward, aiding the crystal in its efforts to take him.

Soon, he was floating in a sea of colours, facing Bahamut himself.

– – – – – – – – – –

The revelation of Bahamut would have been more surprising if Prompto and Ardyn hadn't already spoiled the ending. He was to give his life to destroy the Accursed Usurper and bring the light back to Eos. He would banish the daemons, and destroy the parasite that made them. All afflicted would be healed, and all that were beyond saving would be put to rest.

He would die to save the world.

But first he had to stay here, in the heart of the crystal, and gain its power. He would have to rest, to gather strength. He had no idea how long it would take, or what state the world would be in after it was done, but there wasn't anything else he could do. He was stuck here until the gods deemed him ready. Even after that, he would still need to find both Shiva and Ifrit to get their blessings before he could complete his task.

The road ahead of him was still long, and he only hoped that meant he got to spend even a little more time with his friends.

Chapter Text

The world had changed drastically. Having no idea how long he'd been gone, Noct couldn't say if it was a slow change or a rapid one, but the state of Galdin Quay lead him to believe that it had been sudden. The beds in the hotel were still partially made, dishes were scattered around the ground, broken where they had fallen. It looked like it had been abandoned in a hurry.

Carefully, he made his way through the dilapidated resort, relying on his father's ring more than anything to get him through the daemons that had taken up residence. His sword would have been too slow to take them out before he became overwhelmed.

With Umbra by his side, he slowly made his way forward. It was going to be a long walk, but the note had said his friends were waiting for him in Hammerhead. He had no idea how old that note was, or if they were still there or not, but it was the only lead he had. And if he managed to get to Hammerhead and they weren't there, it was likely that somebody would know how to contact them.

After half an hour of walking and battling the daemons that seemed intent on eating him, he made it to a t-junction. At his feet, Umbra gave an excited bark, facing in one direction, tail wagging.

“What is it, boy?” Noct asked, “Someone coming?” He'd long learned to trust Umbra. He wasn't just a dog after all, and he'd always helped him in the past. Right now, Umbra was the only companion he had.

It wasn't long before he saw the flash of headlights and he moved to the side of the road. He wanted a lift, not to be flattened. He wasn't sure how the world would fare if the King of Light came back only to be run down by a car.

When the truck pulled over, he approached the driver who seemed astonished to see him. There was a look of recognition on the young man's face, and Noct stepped closer.

“Yeah?” He questioned, wondering if the boy was going to speak.

“It's me.” He said, “Talcott. My grandpa served the Amicitia family.”

Talcott? Talcott Hester? But... Talcott was eight years old, this man looked to be at least in his late teens. He stared at the boy for a moment, surprise hitting him hard. How long had be been gone?

“Talcott?” He had to check. Be sure that he'd heard the boy right.

“Yeah.” He confirmed, leaning a little further out of the truck window.

“No way.” Noct couldn't help his exclamation as he stared at the young man. He could see the resemblance. The same brown eyes, the same face shape. He was probably telling the truth. This was Talcott Hester.

“Yes way.” Talcott said with a small laugh and a smile, “Welcome back, Your Majesty.” The boy looked more relieved than anything, and with his head still spinning, Noct rounded the front of the truck and climbed in.

By the time he and Umbra had sat down, Talcott was on his phone, which apparently still worked. He was speaking and Noct could easily recognise the voice on the other end of the line. Prompto.

“Yes sir. That's right. Hm?” He quickly turned his head to look at Noct, “Uh, just a second.” He pulled the phone from his ear and offered it to Noct. “Um. Says he wants to have a word with you.”

Noct's emotions were running haywire, but he had to keep his cool. He had to be the king that the world needed, and he had to make sure everyone thought he was. He couldn't afford to break down in front of Talcott. In front of anyone. Not yet at least.

Talking to Prompto... that would just bring the emotions too close to the surface, where he wouldn't be able to hold them back.

Instead, he gave an answer in the most appropriately happily relieved voice he could. “He can have it in person.” That would have to do.

“He said you can have it in person.” Talcott relayed, he listened to the response before informing Prompto that they were on their way, ending the call with the word 'sir'.

Noct wasn't sure when or how that happened, but the fact that somebody was calling Prompto 'sir' filled him with an odd sense of pride. It seemed Prompto was finally getting the recognition he deserved.

The truck started up and they were on their way, presumably to Hammerhead.

Along the way, Talcott informed him of what had happened in the ten years he'd been gone. Noct decided to hear it all first, then think on it later. Ten years was a lot longer than he'd expected, but it did make sense.

Over those ten years, things had changed drastically. Apparently less than a year after he entered the crystal, the sun stopped rising and the daemon population grew exponentially. Gladio had passed on Aranea's information to the local scientists and they'd spent the first year researching. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to keep it up as the daemons took out more and more of civilisation.

Most people lived in Lestallum now, and when Noct heard that his heart dropped and he struggled once again to push his feelings aside. Almost the entire population of Lucis now fit into one small city. He didn't dare ask what the death toll was, or what the current population estimate was. He didn't know if he could handle the answer.

Iris was a daemon hunter now, and Talcott was very fond of her. At least there were some good things still happening in the world.

It pained him to learn that the other three weren't close any more, but he could understand it. They each had their own missions to take care of and it made sense for some of the strongest hunters they had to split up and cover more ground.

“Things could've been a lot worse.” Talcott was saying as they passed what used to be Longwythe. “If Prompto and the others hadn't come back with Zegnautus, a lot more people would've been killed at the beginning.”

“Wait, what?” Come back with Zegnautus? What did that mean.

“Yeah. Zegnautus was one of those flying bases? Apparently Prompto knew the people who built it and he knew how to fly it! It's all gone now. Broken down for spare parts to use in the barricades. But it really was something to see.”

Zegnautus could fly? Prompto knew how to fly it? What about all the daemons that had been within? What had happened to those? How had his friends survived them? He filed those questions away for later. He and Prompto were going to have to have a long conversation.

As they drove, Talcott kept speaking, attempting to bring Noct up to date on everything that had happened in the last ten years. The trip wasn't nearly long enough for him to get everything, but Talcott told him the basics.

The world was in bad shape, and everybody was waiting for him to come back and fix it. Apparently, at first, people had thought him a coward. His disappearance noticed before the truth was, but over the years, support for him had grown. Now, almost everybody believed that Noct would come back and bring the dawn with him.

“I know it's a lot to live up to.” Talcott said quietly as he waited for the gates of Hammerhead to open. “But I know you can do it.” He drove in and parked the truck, turning to face Noct.

All of a sudden, Noct could see that bright eyed young boy starting at him, his expression full of faith. Noct wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve that, but he nodded anyway and gave Talcott a smile.

“I'll make sure I do.” He promised.

Beside him, Umbra let out another bark, standing on Noct's lap and wagging his tail in Talcott's face, prompting the teen to let out a laugh.

“Looks like it's time to get out.” Noct commented with a chuckle, opening the door and watching the dog jump down to the ground. “Thanks for the lift.” He said to Talcott as he jumped down.

As soon as he rounded the vehicle, he saw his friends approach. At first, they looked shocked, but it didn't take long for Prompto to start bouncing excitedly in the way that only he could. It brought a fond smile to Noct's face.

“Hey.” He greeted as Gladio stopped in front of him.

“Hey?” Gladio asked, “That's all you've got to say for yourself – after all this time?” The shield pushed his shoulder gently and Noct let himself go with it, letting out a chuckle. It was good to be reunited with all of them, and he let himself give into that for a moment.

“Noct!” Prompto was the next to speak, voice trembling slightly, “It's you! It's really you!” The expression on his face was hopeful, as if he wasn't expecting to see him again.

“Is it? I hadn't realised.” He dead panned. He was expecting a laugh, or to smacked on the shoulder. What he wasn't expecting was to suddenly find himself with an armful of blond. He barely managed to keep his balance, his arms lifting to encircle Prompto's waist by instinct. “Hey now!” He chuckled. After finding his footing, he awkwardly returned the hug, sinking into the warmth of his best friend.

He wasn't sure if he would ever admit just how much he needed that hug right then.

“Well well.” Ignis spoke, a fond smile on his face as he looked Noct up and down – an old habit from when the advisor would routinely check him for injuries. Not that Ignis could see much of him past Prompto. “You kept us waiting.”

Noct wanted to reach out to his long time friend, but Prompto was still holding tight. Instead of reaching for Ignis, Noct found himself placing a hand on Prompto's head, offering him what little comfort he could.

“Not like I wanted to.” Carefully, Noct moved, his hands resting on Prompto's hips and he gave him a small shove, letting the blond know that it was time to let go.

With reluctance, the immortal stepped back, subtly wiping his eyes before grinning at Noct.

“We've got a lot of catching up to do.” Finally, he was able to move forward and place a hand on Ignis' shoulder in greeting.

“Let's head inside.” Ignis suggested. He and Gladio turned and walked into Takka's, but before Noct could follow, Prompto snagged his arm.

“What is it?” Noct asked, curious as to why Prompto would pull him aside.

“I-” The blond looked like he wanted to say something, his expression oddly vulnerable for a second before he shook his head. “Nevermind.” He shook his head, his resolve apparently gone. “Later.” He added before Noct could tell him off for stopping half way through. Instead, he just shot him a smile and they walked into the diner.

Takka's had changed. It was less of a diner now, and more of a hunter base. Weapons of all types littered every available surface, and hunters were carrying out maintenance on others. Still, they managed to find an unoccupied pair of couches to sit on.

“Lot's changed in the last ten years.” Gladio started, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Startin' to think you decided not to come back.”

“Time... works differently in the Astral Realm...” Noct wasn't sure how to describe it, but he knew that he would try. “It felt like I'd been there for only a minute, but at the same time it felt like it could've been centuries.”

“It was.” Prompto said from beside Noct, gaining everyone's attention. “The Astral Realm... We used to call it the 'After' or the 'Beyond'.” He told them, “For a long time, my people believed that it's where the souls of the dead went.”

“How did they come to that belief?” Ignis asked, curiosity piqued.

“It was what the gods told us.” Prompto said with a shrug. “Before Solheim fell, the gods were a lot less...” He looked like he was searching for a word, but eventually sighed and shrugged, “Mythical. They were around a lot more. Anyone with sufficient station was taught how to hear their words.” At Noct's confused look, he tried to clarify, “To understand the things they say.”

“Like the Oracle can?” He questioned. As far as he was aware, being able to understand the gods was exclusive to the Oracle line. He had never even questioned if it was possible for someone else to learn.

Prompto nodded. “Yeah. Kinda. Except with the Oracle it's intrinsic. Instinctual. Everyone else? We had to learn the hard way. And there are twelve languages. We had to know them all before we were five.”

“You speak twelve languages?” Gladio asked, eyebrows raised in mild disbelief.

Prompto rolled his eyes, “I'm a lot smarter than I let myself look.” He told him, “And a lot older. I speak twelve Astral languages. I also speak the ancient forms of Lucian, Altissian and Eldrian. Not to mention all the more recent ones.”

“Eldrian?” Noct had never even heard of that language, and by the look on Ignis' face, he could guess that his advisor hadn't either.

Prompto shook his head with a shrug. “The first country to be conquered by what would become Niflheim. About fifteen centuries ago.” He said it like it didn't matter, and it probably didn't any more. But all Noct could think about was the fact that there was an entire country that had been lost to history.

“Just how many languages do you know?” Noct asked before Prompto could continue.

“I think... all of them? Dude. There aren't that many. I'm two thousand years old. I got bored.”

Once again, Noct was hit with just how old his friend was. He couldn't even fully comprehend it. Prompto had lived to see civilisations rise and fall, to see countries born and die. Even if he spoke for a hundred years, nobody would ever live long enough to hear his entire life story.

“The Astral Realm?” Ignis prompted, trying to push them back to the previous topic of conversation.

“Oh, right.” Prompto gave a nod, “Time is funny there. It sort of all happens at once?” He pulled a face at how badly he explained that. “I don't get it completely. But from what the gods tried to explain, it's sort of the pin point of time.” Again, everybody was giving him blank looks, including Ignis.

“Right.” Prompto frowned for a moment before raising a hand. He summoned a long, thin piece of metal. At first, Noct thought that it was a needle, but on closer look he realised that it wasn't. There was nowhere for the thread to go, and it wasn't quite the right shape. He couldn't quite identify what it was, but he didn't ask. That was another question for another time.

Prompto held the metal up for everyone to see. It was about twice the length of his palm, but came to a very sharp point. “This,” He gestured to the length of the not-needle, “is linear time.” He picked up the item and balanced it on his finger tip, the point digging in to the skin slightly. Prompto didn't even seem to notice the bead of blood that rose to the surface. “This is what comes before,” He gestured to the bottom then drew his free hand up the length, “And this is what comes after.”

The hand that was balancing the ancient tool raised so that it was just below eye level. “The point at the bottom, it's where everything starts from. Where everything ends. If you look closely at the shape of it, you'll see that it comes to a point, that the dentiscalpium thins out until there's almost nothing left.”

Prompto had just described a sharp thing. Noct still wasn't getting it, and he was sure it was because of Prompto's explanation. He gave his friend a raised eyebrow and Prompto gave a frustrated grunt.

“There's a reason I was never a teacher.” He muttered, flicking his wrist and catching the dentiscalpium before banishing it into the ether.

“I think I understand what you're saying.” Ignis said quietly, a look of contemplation on his face.

Prompto gestured to everybody else, as if asking Ignis to explain it for him. The advisor sighed softly and nodded. “A better analogy would be the matriarch of a family tree.” He told them, “Think, if you will, a pictographic representation of a family lineage. At the top, there is often a single name, and from there, the tree spreads. First, to the spouse, then to children, and then to their children.”

“Huh?” Noct's head was spinning and he didn't feel any closer to understanding.

“Time gets stretched dude.” Prompto tried to be helpful but failed utterly.

“I think I get it.” Gladio muttered, rubbing at his temples. “You're saying that time started at the Astral Realm?”

Prompto gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yes! But it also ends with the Astral Realm. But at the same time!”

Nope. Noct shook his head, deciding that he didn't really need to understand what they were talking about. “Right....” He looked between his three friends, still completely lost in what they were trying to say. “So I was in there for centuries?” He questioned.

“Yes. And no.” Ignis answered. “If I understand correctly, you have always been in the Astral Realm, and you always will be.”

“But... I'm here...” Yep. There was no way Noct was going to even try to understand it any more.

“I-” Prompto just chuckled and shook his head. “Don't worry about it dude.” He gave Noct a pat on the shoulder, “You don't need to understand it.”

Noct had more questions, but when he opened his mouth to ask them, he decided against it. His head already hurt. “Right.” he said again instead.

They were quiet for a few moments, a natural lull in the conversation. Ignis took the time to gather coffee for everyone. When he sat down again, Gladio spoke.

“So what now?” He questioned, looking at Noct. They were all looking at Noct, as if he was supposed to have all the answers.

“I dunno.” He answered honestly with a half shrug. “I need to gather the blessings of the last two Astrals before I can do anything about the darkness.” He admitted, “But I have no idea where to start.”

“Travelling aimlessly as we once did will be unlikely to yield us any answers.” Ignis spoke as he handed mugs to everybody. Noct took his with a grateful nod, happy when he realised that it wasn't coffee. Instead it was something that was almost a hot chocolate. He grimaced at the taste, but didn't comment.

“I agree.” Gladio took his cup with a soft smile at Ignis before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. “The world's much more dangerous than it was back then. Wandering around without a plan'll probably get us all killed.” He paused for a second before turning to Prompto. “Well. Most of us killed.” He corrected himself.

But Prompto wasn't listening to the jokes, instead he had a frown on his face. His thinking frown. “You still need Shiva and Ifrit right?” He asked and Noct nodded. “I don't know where Shiva is, but I... might know how to find Ifrit...” He looked uncomfortable, like he really didn't want to give the information up, but Noct gently nudged him with his knees.

Prompto took a breath and leaned back in his seat, his eyes trained on the mug of dark liquid in his hands. “A century or so after Solheim fell, my father forged a covenant with Ifrit.” He told them. “As far as I know, he can still summon him.”

“So we need to get Ardyn to summon Ifrit?” Gladio questioned.

“So... all we need to do is find Ardyn then.” Noct felt better having a plan, but his words brought only silence. “What?” He questioned. “Not like he's dead or anything. Right?” A lot had changed over ten years. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that they had somehow figured out how to kill the Accursed without him.

“No...” Prompto muttered, squirming a little, “But... I might have locked him in a literal torture chamber...”

“You what?” Noct asked, surprised, amused, and oddly proud of Prompto. He had no idea why, but the thought of Prompto putting Ardyn through hell... there was something just right about that.

“Did I ever mention Pitioss Ruins to you?” Prompto asked, looking a little sheepish.

Chapter Text

“Did I ever mention Pitioss Ruins to you?” Prompto asked, looking a little sheepish.

The name was vaguely familiar to Noct, but he couldn't quite place it. It had probably come up in conversation at one point, but he couldn't remember exactly when. Slowly, he shook his head. “Maybe...” He answered.

“It was built by my ancestors. It was old when I was born.” Prompto started. “It started off as a training ground, but was eventually used as our worst punishment for our worst criminals. There's some sort of old magic there, gifted by Ifrit himself. You literally cannot die in there.”

“Ardyn's immortal anyway...” Noct pointed out. He had a feeling that there was more to the place than Prompto was saying.

“Yeah but... Pitioss is a maze. Filled with traps.” Prompto had an angry, bitter look on his face as he counted on his finger. “Poisoned spikes, moving platforms. Poisoned spikes on moving platforms. Spinning poisoned spikes on moving platforms. Thousand foot drops. It even has rooms where physics doesn't quite work.” He was starting to become even more animated than usual as he described the place. “In one room, there's a moving wall that comes at you. Covered in spinning. Poisoned. Spikes. You have to go around the wall, then under it, then through it, then over it, then you have to ride it. All without so much as touching one of the spikes.”

“But if you can't die there, what's wrong with touching the spikes?” Noct asked, frowning. It didn't sound like a nice place to be trapped in, and it didn't sound like it would be easy to navigate, but if you couldn't die, then surely, eventually, you'd find your way out. If there was a way out.

“If you touch one of the spikes, or miss time a jump, you have to start again.” Prompto told him, face serious, frustration in his voice. “If you know what you're doing. And you do everything perfectly without missing a single jump, you can probably get out in a couple days.”

“How long did it take you?” Gladio asked, watching Prompto with a serious look on his face.

Noct's eyes widened as he realised what Gladio was implying. Prompto had sounded like he was talking from personal experience, and he was all but vibrating in place. It was obvious he wanted to get up and pace, but there really wasn't enough room in Takka's.

“The first time?” Prompto sighed and leaned back in his seat again, throwing his head against the back of the couch. “Twelve days.” He muttered tiredly. “But I can probably do it in two now.” He added.

“You were sent there?” Noct asked, mouth agape. Prompto had said that it was a place reserved for their worst criminals. What had Prompto done to be thrown in there?

Prompto nodded with a sigh, raising one hand to wipe it down his face. “I pissed off my father once too often.” He muttered tiredly. It was as if all that energy he'd had earlier simply vanished, leaving him an exhausted lump. “We can go tomorrow.” He said with a sigh. “We'll need to find something that flies so we can get there. The mountains surrounding it aren't easy to navigate on foot.”

“I'll give Aranea a call.” Ignis volunteered, reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone. He stood and left them as he dialled.

“You implied that there's a way out.” Gladio said to Prompto as he watched Ignis leave, a strange look on his face. He turned his attention back to Prompto, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah. There was.”

“Was?” Noct asked, frowning.

“I sealed it.” Prompto was still leaning against the back of the couch, his eyes staring up at the ceiling. “So I knew where to find Ardyn when we needed him.”

“How... long ago was that?” Noct asked.

“Three days after you left.”

“Ten years.” Noct stared at his friend. He was glad that Prompto was on their side. If he was willing to throw someone into a literal torture chamber for ten years.... “Remind me never to piss you off.” He muttered, half joking. It prompted a bitter laugh from Prompto.

“Nah. You're good.”

“You threw him in that place for ten years and now you want him to help us?” Gladio asked, “He probably wouldn't now, even if he liked us.”

“No.” Finally, Prompto sat up. He rubbed the back of his neck while speaking. “We want him to attack us. We need him to summon Ifrit, but Ifrit won't come unless there's combat. Then, we fight the Infernian.” He turned to Noct, “If you win, he'll give you his blessing.”

It was then that Ignis came back, placing his phone in his pocket. “Aranea can be here by mid afternoon.” He told them. “Until then, we should rest an prepare.” He gave Prompto a look, his lips pursed into a small frown. “Will you be okay in there?” He asked.

“Yeah. Hopefully he'll be waiting near where the exit used to be. Or near the entrance. I'd rather not have to go looking for him.”

“That's if he hasn't found another way out.” Noct pointed out. “Or made one. Ten years is enough time to break through stone.”

“Not in that place.” Prompto grumbled.

– – – – – – – – – –

Noct watched the scenery move below from the window of the airship Aranea had provided them. Prompto hadn't been lying about the mountains surrounding Pitioss. They really would have been difficult to navigate on foot. It was a good thing they apparently had a friend with a flying ship.

With a soft sigh, he pulled away from the window and turned to watch Prompto expertly handle the controls. It made sense, he supposed, that Prompto could fly the ship. He'd lived in the empire when they were being designed, after all, but it somehow still surprised Noct.

When Aranea had dropped the ship off to them, she'd simply told them that she wanted it back in one peace before climbing on board the second ship that had followed them. According to Ignis, she was one of the few still able to ferry people between continents, and was busy evacuating what was left of Accordo to Lestallum.

Perhaps the strangest thing about Prompto being able to fly the ship, was the fact that he had used his wrist. A bar code tattoo stood out, dark lines etched into pale skin, and had been used to activate the engine. Ignis had said something about the clones being branded, but it hadn't occurred to Noct that this was what the blond had been hiding under his wristband for as long as Noct had known him.

Now though, Prompto didn't bother covering it. During the long night, he had given up on keeping his cover, and it was now widely known that he couldn't die easily. From what everybody had said, Noct could deduce that Prompto had been sent on a lot of the more risky missions, and had gained himself a reputation for always coming back.

“We'll have to walk for a bit.” Prompto told them, reaching over some controls. “This is probably the only place I can land.” He added and Noct felt the world move as the ship began its descent.

“How did you get here with Ardyn?” Noct had to ask. If they'd come back with Zegnautus keep, that explained how they were able to fly, but if this small imperial drop ship was too big to get close, how did Prompto land the much larger base?

“Flew here with Zegnautus.” Prompto answered, “Didn't bother landing,” He added, almost as if he knew what Noct had been thinking. “Used some of my magic to put my father to sleep, then just jumped.”

“Ouch.” Noct grimaced at the thought. “You might not be able to die, but I know you can still feel pain...”

Pressing a few more buttons, Prompto shrugged as the ship finally came to a stop. “Pain is fleeting.” The immortal told him, standing and turning to the exit of the cockpit. “Lets grab the others. Time to go.”

Ignis and Gladio were waiting for them in the cargo hold, but before they could all head out, Prompto stopped. “Uh... you guys should stay outside the ruins.” He told them, “There's a haven not too far away. From there, you should be able to see if Ardyn summons Ifrit...”

“And let you go in on your own?” Ignis asked, his tone and raised eyebrows telling them exactly what he thought about that idea.

“We used the place as a torture chamber.” Prompto reminded him. “I've spent long enough in there that I know what to do. There's no need for you guys to go through it too.”

“Still.” Noct shook his head, “What if you have to go in to look for him, and he summons when I'm not there?” He questioned, “I need to fight Ifrit to get his blessing, right?”

Prompto hesitated, and Noct knew that he was right. There were more reasons for Noct to go along than there were for him not to, and really, they couldn't afford the chance that Ifrit would be summoned without him there.

“If Noct's going-” Gladio spoke up, but Prompto shook his head.

“No.” He interrupted, voice steel. “It's bad enough having to take Noct in there.” He sighed and relaxed a little, shaking his head again. “Besides. The more people we have in there, the harder it would be to get through it without getting separated.”

Ignis and Gladio were giving him a look, one that Noct recognised. It was the look that was usually directed towards himself whenever he had an idea that they both believed to be incredibly foolhardy, but weren't in a place to stop him.

“If you sealed the exit, how exactly do you propose you get yourselves out?” Ignis asked, an eyebrow raised.

“I sealed it with my magic.” Prompto told him with a small shrug, “I can unseal it without any problems.” That seemed to mollify Ignis at least a little. Still, the advisor looked like he was trying to figure out ways to stop them without putting their mission in danger.

“Guess it's just you and me, then.” Noct said, linking his arm around Prompto's and gently pulling him towards the exit of the cargo bay before Ignis or Gladio could say anything else, his actions making it clear that he agreed with Prompto.

– – – – – – – – – – –

The haven really wasn't all that far from the ruins. You could see them from where they'd pitched the tent, but the trek to the ruins was all but easy. Not only did they have to contend with daemons, but there were also malboro running around. Luckily, the ribbon that Prompto had given to him was still working, but it still didn't help the smell.

Eventually, they found their way to the ruins. The stairs were in a state of disrepair and they had to jump a gap, but finally, finally they were inside.

“Weird.” Noct muttered, looking around. The statues all seemed to be looking at him – even the horned one that was leaning forward – and it was unlike any place he'd ever seen before.

Prompto chuckled, “You haven't seen anything yet...” He sighed and walked down a ramp, eyes roaming. “Looks like it was reset.” He grumbled, kicking a loose stone.

“Reset?” Noct questioned.

“Yeah. You finish certain puzzles and the way forward opens up. Every so often, it resets itself, meaning that if you haven't finished yet, you have to start again.” He shrugged and moved to join Noct back at the starting platform. “C'mon.” He muttered, taking a running jump and clearing a hole in a fence.

Noct blinked at him for a moment before following. “We can't warp?” He questioned. It would have made that jump much easier.

“Nope.” Prompto lead them up a set of stairs and over a sliding platform. He gestured to a gap in the wall that served as a door and Noct followed him through.

“This place is huge!” Noct couldn't help but exclaim as he looked around.

“You have no idea.” Prompto took off, stepping onto a moving platform. Noct joined him as they stood still, apparently waiting for the platform to move close enough to the next walkway to step off it.

“This doesn't seem so b-” Noct was commenting, when something strange happened. His entire being seemed to catch fire and freeze at the same time and he felt himself being pulled in all directions. All at once, he found himself back at the entry to the room with wide eyes. “What..?”

“Yeah.” Prompto shrugged from across the small chasm. “Might want to get used to that feeling. You'll probably feel it a lot before we're done.”

“What happened?”

Prompto gestured behind him, where a block with spikes was slowly moving up and down. “You touched the spike.” He told Noct casually, as if suddenly disappearing and reappearing somewhere else was a normal reaction to touching things he probably shouldn't.

“The poisoned spikes?” Noct questioned, still not sure exactly what had happened. He didn't remember touching the spikes -surely a poisoned spike would hurt to touch?

“Yep.” Prompto gestured for Noct to join him, and with a lot more hesitance this time, Noct did. He watched the spikes move wearily before ducking under them, following Prompto to another area.

They seemed to be standing on some sort of cage, but somehow their feet didn't fall through the gaps in the bars. He tested it a few times before finding his footing was stable and looking up at Prompto with a quizzical expression.

“Trust me.” Prompto muttered, “There's no point in trying to make sense of anything in here. It has its own set of rules.” Without looking away from Noct, Prompto bashed his closed fist against a large, glowing, red button, and all of a sudden the ground began to move.

From there, there were a series of jumps, tumbles, respwans and a whole lot of cursing, but eventually, they managed to get to somewhere that Noct felt was safe enough for them to rest.

The room had what could almost be considered a corridor, surrounded on both sides with doors. At the end of the room was yet another door. Only one door was open (courtesy of the orange button on the floor), but Noct had called them to a halt before they even got near it.

“Please.” He panted, throwing himself down at the ground. His clothes had been ruined hours ago, and now there was a deep ache in his bones. “Tell me it's almost over?”

Prompto laughed and shook his head. “Nah. Maybe a quarter of the way through?” He suggested with yet another shrug. “We still have all the fun rooms to play with.” The sarcasm was dripping heavily from Prompto's words, but he couldn't get past the fact that Prompto had said that they were only a quarter of the way through.

“This place.. is evil.” Noct muttered, allowing himself to lay down completely. “Tell me you know shortcuts...”

“We've been using them.” Prompto sat beside Noct and looked down at him. “You're doing well though.”

“Says the guy that hasn't respawned once.” With that grumble, Noct pushed himself back to a sitting position. “What do we have left to go?”

“Next up is a room full of moving spikes.” Noct grimaced at that, but didn't interrupt. “Then we have the room with the twirling, moving spikes.” Another, stronger, grimace, “Then there's the Pac-Man room.”

“Pac-Man?” Noct questioned, not entirely sure what Prompto was talking about.

“Hmhmm. Remember that old arcade game? Well, there are stone circles that look like that, but you gotta jump in them, then over them. That sort of thing.”

That sounded awful, but less so than the moving spikes. “Go on...” Better to know what was in store for them, right? That way he could go in prepared? Or at least, as prepared as he ever could be for this place.

“Then there's the room with the moving platforms, where you have to dodge the spikes. After that... well... I don't think I could properly describe the Daemon Wall room...”

Daemon wall? That was a creature that they'd come across before; a daemon that hid inside walls, right? Did that mean they could finally kill something? That would be easier than all of this. With that in mind, he pushed himself forward, following Prompto and trying again and again until he finally managed to get through the rooms that Prompto had described.

It was with the thought in his mind that he would be able to fight soon – to do something he knew, something he was good at – that kept him going. Gladio would probably be a little proud that Noct was currently considering combat as a way of resting.

But his hopes were all in vain. When they finally managed to make it through the rotating door (rotating in the wrong way!), Noct was greeted by a sight that shocked, awed, and terrified him. The wall was massive and covered in rotating spikes and it seemed to be moving back and forth along the room, a massive skull front and centre.

“What the-” As shocked as he was, Noct hadn't taken his eyes from the wall until his question went unanswered for a few seconds too long. He turned his eyes to look at Prompto who just smirked at him and shrugged.

“Daemon Wall.” He said simply, gesturing at the skull as it came ever closer. Noct couldn't help but take a step back, but Prompto stayed where he was. The skull came within an inch of him, the spikes grinding on the platform, sending crimson sparks flying.

“Hey,” Prompto caught his attention again, and Noct gave him a look, wondering if they seriously had to travel around that room. “Why don't you wait here. I'll open up a short cut.”

Numbly, Noct nodded, his eyes once again trained on the skull that was slowly moving away. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.” If Prompto was opening up a way, that would make things easier for them both, right? At least then Noct wouldn't be the one constantly respawning.

Prompto flashed him a grin and stood ready, as if he was about to start a race. He waited for the skull wall to get close to them, and as soon as it started to move away, he was off. He sprinted to the left and leapt off the edge.

Noct swallowed the shout of surprise and stood waiting, his nerves shot. He had to remind himself that if Prompto got caught in the terrifying spikes or fell, he'd respawn somewhere, probably close.

After about three minutes, that was exactly what happened. With a loud clang of magic, the blond appeared beside Noct with a grin. “C'mon. This way.” He gestured to the right, but held Noct back for a moment. “On my mark. Follow me. As quickly as you can.” Noct gave a nod and waited.

Once again, Prompto waited for the wall to begin to move away before setting off. “Now!” He called, running and jumping off the ledge. With a deep breath, Noct followed, throwing himself to the lower platform and over a red glowing plate on the floor.

“Watch your footing.” Prompto warned and Noct followed him.

– – – – – – –

“Okay. That room was terrifying.” Noct let the wine out between pants. He sat down for a moment, looking up at the slowly turning stone above them.

“Yeah.” Prompto let out a soft laugh and sat beside Noct. “This room's just... weird.” He warned. “Stay close, follow me, and tell me if you get dizzy or feel sick.”

“In a minute.” Noct muttered, leaning back and laying down. His eyes followed the rotating stone for a few moments as he rested. “This place sucks.” He muttered.

“Yup.” Prompto agreed, leaning back and laying next to Noct, their shoulder's pressed together. “But... it's better with you here.”

Noct couldn't help but let out a snort of amusement. “Back at you.” He chuckled, bumping Prompto's shoulder. “I don't think I'd've got this far without you showing me how.” He told him, giving a soft sigh. “How'd you manage the first time?”

“I had a lot of time.” Prompto said with a shrug. “I...wasn't in the best place and part of me thought I deserved it.”

“What?” Noct lifted himself on his elbows to look down at Prompto, frowning.

Prompto gave a sigh and turned to look away. “My... third husband had died. It was my fault.” He shook his head and sat up, eyes trained on the darkness in front of them. “I wasn't fast enough to save him, and less than a week later my father threw me in here.”

“Your third husband?” Noct asked, frowning. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but it did make sense that Prompto had been married. He was over two millennia old after all.

Prompto gave a small nod and a bitter laugh. “I made it through five marriages before realising that it was just a bad idea.”

“Marriage?”

“Love.” Prompto said with a shrug.

Noct had no idea how to respond to that, so he stayed quiet. He sat up to join Prompto, his arm going around his friend.

“You told Luna that you should've learned that by now.” He muttered.

Prompto gave another small nod. “It's good, while it lasts.” He said, speaking slowly, voice thick with emotion. “But... I can't grow old. Every time... I out live them. I get to watch the person I love whither and die while I stay young and healthy. I've buried five spouses and countless lovers. After a few hundred years I gave up. I always left before I fell too deep but...” He shook his head and fell silent for a long while. Noct was about to comment when Prompto spoke again. “But I didn't this time.”

“Have you told her?” Noct asked quietly, and Prompto just looked at him like he was an idiot before shaking his head.

“We should carry on.” He said instead, gesturing at the dark room ahead of them. “Let's go.” Noct frowned, but decided to drop it for now. It was obvious that Prompto didn't want to talk about it, and this wasn't really the time or the place to push it.

Slowly, Noct nodded, and when Prompto stood he followed him through a very confusing room where physics just didn't work. Up was down, but down was up and left and right were confused. He found himself jumping up when his instincts were screaming at him that it was impossible, and landing on a floor that should've been a ceiling. They slowly made their way down and Noct was more than happy that Prompto knew where he was going. He wasn't sure if he would ever have been able to figure it out for himself. Even thinking about the room was making him dizzy.

Eventually, they made it through the room, and the next, and then the next (where they had to jump onto a statue), until eventually they made it back to the second room they had entered. As they progressed, Prompto was frowning more and more – though it didn't seem to have anything to do with the almost impossible jumps or confusing directions – and it took Noct a while to realise that it was because they still hadn't found Ardyn yet.

Eventually, they found their way onto a ridiculously thin walk way, and Prompto's frown was etched into his face so deeply that he almost looked like he was turning to stone. Once they jumped off the long beam, Prompto turned around a few times. “He's not here...” He said, still frowning.

“What? You sure?” Noct asked, sitting himself down on the stairs beside them.

Prompto nodded and gestured to the wall behind the stairs where Noct could see yet another glowing button.

“That's the exit.” He told him, still looking around.

“You said you blocked it, right?” Noct questioned.

“Yeah.” Prompto nodded, slowly climbing the stairs towards the button. With a groan, Noct pulled himself to his feet and followed. Once Prompto pressed the button, the ground began to rise and Noct found himself sitting down again, his muscles aching and his body exhausted.

Soon, Noct saw something he never thought he'd see again. The sky was as dark as it had been when they entered, but the air was less stale and it was obvious they were outside. “Oh thank the gods.” Noct muttered, once again struggling to his feet.

He followed his friend through the small gap in the rocks and looked around. It looked like they weren't far from the entrance. He let out another groan, this time a happy one as he realised that they were truly out of the hell hole that was Pitioss. He tore his eyes from the sky to look at Prompto, who was once again frowning.

There was a piece of paper in his shaking hand, and without a word he handed it to Noct.

'Nice try, Silver.
I await you in Insomnia.
-A.L.C'

With a confused frown, Noct looked up to Prompto only to see him leap down from the ledge. There didn't seem to be any damage around. Didn't Prompto say he sealed the exit? He followed his friend, falling from the ledge with a small grunt.

“Prompto, Noct. How did you fare?” Ignis and Gladio were apparently waiting for them at the exit and Noct gave in to the urge to drop to the ground.

“Cake baby!” He muttered with obviously fake enthusiasm. He dropped to the ground, happy that his fall went exactly where he had expected it to, his knees hitting the floor below him. “Physics, oh how I've missed you.” He fell back, leaning against the fence and feeling like he could sleep for a week.

A hand on his shoulder made him open his eyes and look up. Prompto was giving him a strained smile. “C'mon.” He said, “Lets get to the haven and pass out.”

“That's the most sense you've made all day.” Noct agreed, taking the hand Prompto offered him and once again climbing to his feet. He joined Gladio and Ignis and gave yet another groan. “He wasn't kidding about that place.”

“You find Ardyn?” Gladio questioned as Ignis checked him over for wounds.

Noct shook his head and handed his shield the short note. The warrior read over it, features contorting into a frown. “How'd he get out?”

Both Noct and Prompto shrugged. “My brain hurts too much to think right now.” Noct muttered, leaning heavily on Ignis as the four of them headed down the steep slope.

– – – – – – – –

The moment they arrived at the camp, Noct threw himself into a chair, knowing that he wouldn't be allowed to sleep until Ignis had fed him, and really, he was hungry. The smell of dinner soon wafted over the camp and Noct gave a soft sigh. Ignis was cooking fish. It was a small gesture, but one that Noct definitely appreciated.

“I wonder if Ifrit helped him out.” Prompto wondered out loud, leaning forward in his seat. “He was the one who built it, after all.”

“Please don't tell me you forgot to take that into account when sealing the place.” Ignis said with a sigh, handing plates to the team.

Prompto shook his head. “No. But I don't exactly know the extent to his powers.” He pointed out. “He's a god.” He reminded them.

“Point.” Gladio agreed with a shrug.

They ate in relative silence, Noct simply enjoying the company after their ordeal in the ruins. Almost as soon as he'd finished eating, he trudged his way to the tent and all but collapsed into his bedroll, only to be disturbed a few moments later when Prompto joined him.

The blond rearranged their sleeping gear so that he was pressed close against Noct, sharing a blanket, and Noct couldn't help but look at him with a raised eyebrow. The light from the fire was apparently enough for Prompto to see his expression since the blond shrugged.

“Your head needs a bit of time to realise it's not in Pitioss anymore.” He told him. “You'll probably have nightmares. I've found that having someone close by helps.”

“Okay.” Noct nodded and settled down, bunching the blankets around his neck. After a few moments, Prompto lay against him. They weren't quite cuddling, but they were definitely touching. It was enough to make Noct relax into sleep.

– – – – – – – –

Prompto had been right about the nightmares. In his dreams, Noct was back in what Prompto had called the 'perspective room' – where physics seemed to have taken a holiday – and his head was spinning. No matter where he looked, no matter which impossible ledge he jumped to, Noct was alone. He searched for what felt like days, maybe even weeks, but couldn't find hide nor hair of his blond friend.

As the hours passed, Noct's anxiety rose and suddenly he was in the room with the giant skull. The wall was closing in on him and he had nowhere to go and he knew that even if he backed himself into the furthest corner, the wall would get to him.

“Noct”

Prompto's voice called out to him, and in a fit of dizzying fear he cast his eyes around, hoping, praying, that he would see his friend, that the immortal would know how to get him out of there. But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find him.

“Noct!”

Again, the voice called out, familiar and grounding. He couldn't see his friend, but he knew that he was close by. Prompto was always close by.

“Noct, wake up!”

Wake up? What did Prompto mean? He contemplated on it for a few scant moments before a grinding sound reached him. The wall was close. Within a few seconds, it would reach him and then he would-

His eyes flew open and he found himself sitting upright in his bedroll, a hand on his shoulder and another one clasping his own. He blinked a few times, feeling disorientated. Had he respawned again? To a place before he even entered the ruins? Was that possible?

“Hey, you're okay.” Prompto's voice was grounding him again, and Noct turned to face him.

“Prom?” He asked, voice weak and throat raw as if he'd been screaming. Had he been screaming?

“Yeah. You're okay. We're not in there anymore.” His friend reassured him, using the hand on his shoulder to pull him into a side on hug. “We're out.” He told him again. “And we never have to go back.”

Slowly, reality came back to Noct and he nodded, relaxing against his friend's shoulder, suddenly feeling weak and exhausted. “You were right about the nightmares.” He told him quietly.

Prompto huffed out a small laugh and Noct could feel him nodding. “Yep.” He muttered quietly, slowly easing them down to a lying position. Noct found his head on his friend's chest and the sound of his steady heartbeat was somewhat soothing. “Been there, done that. Didn't even get a t-shirt.” Prompto laughed at his own joke as he ran a soothing hand down Noct's back. “Try to get back to sleep.”

Noct gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of going back to sleep. He was exhausted, that was true, but the thought of going back to that place, even in his dreams, was daunting.

“It's okay.” Prompto muttered against his head. “I'll wake you up if you get lost again.”

With that reassurance, Noct closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. He'd never had trouble falling asleep before, and now was no exception. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he was once again asleep.

This time, he didn't dream.

Chapter Text

The question of where to go next had been asked almost as soon as they had finished their breakfast. Noct couldn't blame Ignis for asking, not really. As far as he was aware, his advisor and long time friend had no idea that their journey would end in Noct's death.

He just wanted to restore the light to the world.

“Insomnia.” Noct answered as they began to pack the camping gear back into the Armiger. “I have no idea where to even start looking for Shiva, but we know where Ifrit is.”

“Noct...” Prompto had stilled in his actions, his hand holding a camp chair limply, as if he'd forgotten it was even there. “If we-”

“I know.” Noct looked away, he couldn't look Prompto in the eye, not knowing what they knew.

“What is it?” As perceptive as ever, Ignis had realised that there was something wrong, something that Noct hadn't told him.

“Later.” Noct shook his head and Ignis gave him a considering look before nodding briefly.

“Very well.” That tone of voice told Noct that Ignis wouldn't let this go, but that was okay. He was planning on telling them. At some point. He just didn't know how.

Once all the gear was packed up, they filed back into the drop ship, Ignis and Gladio stowed in the cargo area and Noct and Prompto once again on the flight deck.

“This is a bad idea.” Prompto growled the minute they were alone. He reached for the controls and the ship purred into life. He seemed to be piloting the ship without actually thinking about it, his movements practised and fluid. “Going to Insomnia means...” He shook his head, not looking at Noct.

“You said your vision had me sitting on the throne, right?” Noct asked, and Prompto nodded. “So I just won't sit on the throne. Not yet. I don't think it'd work anyway, not until I have the blessing of all the Six.”

Prompto's jaw was still clenched, but he didn't say anything else as he began to plot a course for Insomnia.

– – – – – – – – –

Insomnia was on the other side of the continent, so even with the borrowed airship it still took them several hours to reach the outskirts. As they approached, Noct gently tapped Prompto on the shoulder.

The blond looked up at him, half glaring, half curious. He hadn't said anything since the brief conversation they'd had when they took off, and it didn't take a genius to realise that he was just a tad irritated with Noct's decision to return home.

“I... Land outside the city.” He requested quietly. “I... need to tell the others. I think we should make camp.” One last time wasn't said, but Prompto seemed to understand. He gave a small nod and moved to work the controls.

Less than a minute later, they had touched down and exited the craft.

“We should rest.” Noct told the others as they disembarked, “Who knows what's waiting for us inside. Best to be prepared, right?” He tried to inject some joviality into this tone, but his efforts fell flat. Ignis was again looking at him with that same contemplative look, and Gladio was just frowning, but neither of them objected.

Together, they trudged their way up the slopes they had climbed ten years prior to the outlook over the city. This time, there was no smoke, not burning, just a pile of rubble blurry on the dark horizon. It took them very little time to set up camp, and soon they found themselves sitting around a fire.

“Just like old times, huh?” Noct said quietly, eyes stuck on the fire between them. “There's... something that I need to tell you all...” He couldn't bring himself to look away from the enticing flames. Not without losing his nerve. “About... the prophecy...”

The others stayed silent, waiting for him to talk, the only sound in the air was the crackling of the fire. “Bahamut's Providence... 'The sole means to defeating the Accursed Usurper. Only at the throne can the Chosen receive this power, and only at the cost of a life.'...” He trailed off for a moment before taking a deep breath. “The King of Kings shall be granted the power to banish the darkness, but the blood price must be paid. To cast out the Accursed Usurper and usher in the dawn's light will cost... the life of the Chosen.”

There. He'd said it. As best as he could remember. He knew that he hadn't managed it quite word for word, but he was sure it was close enough. It seemed important to get it right – if he got it perfect, then Ignis could possibly, maybe, see a loophole they could exploit. It was a shot in the dark, and a long one at that, but it was worth the try.

He gave his companions a moment to think on that before continuing. “So yeah... I uh... um..” Why couldn't he find the right words to say now? The silence that had been almost calming before was now beginning to feel oppressive, but he couldn't blame his companions for having no words.

Instead, he tried again. Except nothing came. He couldn't let out the words that were stuck in his throat. They were true. Mostly. And he knew that he had to say them, for the others if not for himself.

“Out with it.” Gladio muttered, giving Noct the push he needed.

“I just...” He clenched his fist on his lap, trying to keep his emotions as in check as he could. Already, he could feel the tears building, the regret of a life not lived, of having to leave them all behind. He couldn't let that get in the way. Not yet. “Damn it.” He whispered quietly to himself. “The hell is this so hard?”

He watched the fire for a few more moments, gathering his words. “So I... I've made my peace.” He finally looked up, his eyes lingering on one of his friends, then the next. He wanted to remember them as best he could, wanted to make sure that he would never forget them, in this life or the next. “Still. Knowing this is it, and seeing you here and now...” He struggled again, heart aching and voice breaking. “It's... more than I can take.” Finally, he couldn't hold the tears back any more. He had to look away, look down at the ground.

“Yeah.” Prompto agreed, “You're damn right it is.” He sounded bitter, a little angry, but there were tears falling from his eyes too.

“Huh.” Gladio didn't sound much better and a glance at him told him that his Shield wasn't finding this any easier than any of the others, but he was somehow managing to keep himself in one piece. “He spit it out.”

“It's...” Ignis spoke, slowly and almost quietly. “Good to hear.” He admitted, and Noct turned to his oldest friend. There was an odd look on his face that was quickly covered.

Silence fell again, each man lost in their own thoughts and misery, but Noct couldn't take it. He stood, gaining the attention of his retinue as he faced them, looking at each one at a time, as if this really was his last chance.

“Well... What can I say?” He spoke, voice trembling as he continued to look between his friends. He took maybe a little too long to finish his words.

“You guys... are the best...”

– – – – – – – – – –

After that, he found that he couldn't handle it. Not really. His friends were all looking at him, eyes glistening in the firelight. Their grief, their pain... It really was more than he could take. So with a sad attempt at a soft smile, he excused himself to stand a few feet away, giving himself a moment.

When he returned to camp, it was to find that Prompto had himself wandered off. Not worried about his immortal friend for now, Noct retook his seat.

“Given Prompto's vision... this wasn't entirely... unexpected.” Ignis spoke quietly, eyes trained on the fire in between them. He was leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees and hands clasped between his spread legs.

Noct gave a slow nod. “I'm... sorry.” He kept his own voice quiet. For some reason, it felt wrong to be loud at this moment. This was a time for quiet reflection.

“You didn't choose your fate.” Gladio muttered. His position was almost identical to Ignis', only there was an open beer in his hand.

“I...” What could he say to that? Gladio was right, he hadn't chosen his fate. But he also hadn't told them sooner, when he probably should have. He took a deep breath in and let it out, trying to figure out what to say next. Finally finding the words, he looked up to the sky, where the stars should have been. “A part of me... wants to keep delaying it.” He admitted. “To take the ship and just... go.”

“That's rather understandable.” Ignis told him, and Noct let out a soft laugh.

“Yeah.” He agreed before shaking his head. “But... I can't.” His gaze returned to the ground, back hunched over as he tried to get through the overwhelming emotions flooding through him.

In the quiet that fell between them, Noct heard footsteps. He didn't have to look up to know that they were Iggy's, or that they were coming close to him. “Still...” he spoke to his advisor as he approached, stopping to stand beside Noct, a hand on his shoulder. “Looking back... It wasn't all bad.”

“I suppose we had some fun along the way.” Ignis agreed, a hint of a smile in his voice. Noct couldn't bring himself to look up at him, not yet.

“And our fair share of trouble too.” This somehow seemed like a lighter topic, and Noct was glad for the reprieve. “But I don't have any regrets.” Not any big ones, anyway. But there were still things he needed to say. Things they needed to hear. “I wouldn't have made it all this way without you guys.” He was speaking mostly to Ignis, but he knew that Gladio could hear him too. “At the end... I might not have you by my side... but I'll always have you in my heart.”

Finally, he looked up, eyes finding Gladio's first, then moving on to Ignis'. He stood to face them, Ignis' hand falling from his shoulder.

“Gladio... Iggy... Thank you. For everything.” The tears were threatening to fall again.

Gladio gave a nod in response, accepting the gratitude but seemingly unable to answer verbally. Noct didn't blame him, it had been a hard night for them all.

Beside him, Ignis offered his hand for a shake, just like how he had when they had first met. An almost forgotten memory wove through Noct's mind and he reached out, clasping Ignis' hand in both his own, just like he had on that very first day when he had been so very young. Somehow, he managed to hold his gaze while tears fell between them.

– – – – – – – – –

After a few hours, Noct once again excused himself from the campfire, this time to seek out their fourth member. He walked for a little while before finding him sitting on the ground, leaning against the rock face with his back towards Noct.

“Hey.” Noct greeted him, not sure if the blond was lost in thought or not and not wanting to startle the surprisingly agile warrior. He stepped forward to approach, only to be held up short when Prompto lifted a hand.

“Slowly...” The gunner warned. “Quietly.” It was the same tone of voice that he'd used with Noct in high school, familiar and used only in a certain situation. But surely Prompto couldn't have found a stray kitten out here...

With slow, careful foot steps, Noct moved closer, squatting down beside Prompto before shuffling the few extra feet forward, half expecting a small kitten to be curled on Prompto's lap.

Well. There was definitely something curled on Prompto's lap, but it most definitely wasn't a kitten. Noct wasn't sure what it was, it looked... green and seemed to be wearing an old sack. “What...?”

“Shhh!” Prompto shushed him, his hands gently petting the small creature for a moment before he spoke, voice low and steady. “If he wakes up and sees you, he'll attack.” He muttered, adjusting the hood on the small creature. He pushed it back to reveal a bald green head. It was kind of familiar, but Noct couldn't place where he'd seen anything like it before.

“What is it?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“A Tonberry.” Prompto answered, moving to cradle it in his arms as he stood. When he looked at Noct, Noct gave him a shrug and a slightly bewildered look. “A daemon.” Prompto clarified.

A daemon? Prompto was... cuddling a daemon? Could this day get any stranger? “A daemon?” He questioned, taking a step back. Prompto chuckled and nodded.

“Sometimes, daemons retain a sense of 'self'.” He told him, walking forwards towards a particularly dark area. He leaned down and placed the sleeping daemon in the shadows and slowly backed away, being careful not to wake it.

“They remember who they were?” Noct asked, eyes never once leaving the small green creature.

“Not really.” Prompto shook his head, “More like... they remember that they weren't always a daemon. Those ones tend to be less hostile, less likely to attack without provocation.” He watched as a darkness spread beneath the Tonberry and began to envelop it. The creature sunk into the ground and disappeared. “Or at least... they don't attack me.” Prompto shrugged, “Sometimes, they're more curious than anything.”

“So that's why you were cuddling it?” Noct questioned, eyebrows raised.

“Nah.” Prompto chuckled. “I was sitting out here, minding my own business, and he just came up to me.” He sat back on the ground and Noct joined him, their backs resting against stone. “So I let him investigate then put him to sleep.” He shrugged. “No point in killing it him I don't have to.”

“Him?”

Prompto shrugged, “Didn't feel right to say 'it'. Not if he remembers even a little.”

Noct gave a small nod, a soft smile on his face. Wasn't that just typical of Prompto? To care so deeply for a creature that would have no problems killing him without a second thought? Noct couldn't help but lean slightly closer to his friend, happy when Prompto returned the gesture.

They sat like that for a while, simply allowing themselves to bask in the feeling of being together, side by side. As it should always be.

Eventually, Prompto started to speak. “I've... always known how it ends.” He admitted quietly. “I was there... when the Prophecy of the Chosen was first spoken... I just... I didn't realise...” He shook his head, and Noct could hear the pain in his voice. He didn't interrupt. His retinue had given him time to get his words in order, and he would now do so for Prompto.

“When first I got to Insomnia...” Prompto continued after a brief silence, “The- The city, I mean, I decided that I wanted to have a normal life. At least... for a little while. So... I enrolled in a high school. Before school even started, I found out that you'd be in the same year as me. Maybe even in some of the same classes.” Prompto gave a soft sigh. “I remembered... what it was like to be a lonely prince, how everybody had expectations of you, and nobody really cared what you thought or felt... I knew that. So... I decided to be your friend, to make sure that you had at least one person that saw beyond the crown....”

Again, Prompto fell quiet, and again, Noct didn't interrupt. He just waited, pressing a little more of his weight against his friend's side in a gesture of comfort.

“I didn't know.” Prompto's voice was thick, “I didn't know that you were the Chosen, not until we left on our trip.” He shook his head, “By then... I knew that I had to stay by your side. No matter what.” He paused, lifting his head to look up at the starless sky. “It was... already too late to run.”

Finally, Noct spoke, his voice gentle if not a little confused. “Run?”

“Yeah.” Prompto gave a nod and looked back at the ground. “I told you, didn't I?” He questioned, “That whenever I started to fall, I'd run away before I got too deep.”

“Fall?” Maybe it was the rough night, or the horror of the day before, but Noct found himself lost in the conversation with very little idea of what Prompto was meaning.

“Man, you really are clueless.” Prompto laughed, shaking his head again. “Love, Noct.” He reminded him, and Noct remembered one of the conversation's that they'd had within Pitioss, his eyes widening.

Prompto couldn't mean... could he? But he was in love with Cindy, wasn't it? Noct was sure of it, his mind spinning as he tried to remember if that had ever actually been said by anyone. All he could remember was Prompto confessing to Luna that he was in love, and the conversation they'd had in Pitioss as to why Prompto didn't want to do it again.

A sigh beside him told of Prompto's minor frustration and amusement. “I fell in love. With you.” He said, spelling it out for Noct. “I know. Creepy, right?” He continued, laughing at the look of astonishment that Noct was giving him. “Two-thousand year old perv falls for sixteen year old prince.” He held his hands up, spreading them as if revealing a banner. “I can just see the headlines now.”

“P-Prom...” Why was Prompto joking about this? Making light of something that Noct had never even considered a possibility?

“Eh. Don't worry.” Prompto dropped his arms and shrugged. “I know you don't feel the same.” He admitted. “'S why I never told you.”

He didn't? Noct's brain was spinning, dizzying him with thought after thought, memory after memory. He needed time to process this, to actually let it sink into his brain and be absorbed before he could even think about formulating a response.

Prompto was in love with him. Him. Not the King of Kings, not the Chosen One, but Noct. He'd never treated him as anything but Noct. He'd chosen to be Noct's friend, to specifically be a friend who looked past his stature, past all the obligations and social constructs. Someone to save him from being so lonely.

Since the first day of high school, his life had improved drastically. His mood brightened, he had started looking forward to going to school, to interacting with his peers. From that very first day, a light had been lit within him, and Noct had never even given it a second thought.

And here Prompto was, confessing to him. “I...” He had no idea what to say. All his thoughts were doing were showing him memories of the times they spent together. Afternoons in the arcade, weekends in his apartment doing nothing but playing video games and taking naps. He remembered the casual arm around his shoulders, the way the other was always there for him. He remembered the look on Prompto's face when they encountered something beautiful that the blond just had to photograph.

“I... don't...” He shook his head, “Know if that's what you'd call it.” He spoke quietly, unsure, “I'm not good with words. You know that.” Beside him, Prompto nodded. “But... my life... would be a lot darker without you.” He admitted. “I don't know if that's romantic love, or just the bond of friendship.” He turned his head to look at the blond who was just giving him a sad, understanding smile.

“Hey.” Prompto's hand was suddenly resting gently on his cheek. “I didn't tell you to freak you out, okay. And I definitely didn't tell you so that you'd feel obligated to do anything.” A gloved thumb gently stroked his cheek and Noct found himself leaning into it a little.

“Kiss me.” The words were out of the king's mouth before he even thought them, but he didn't take them back. He honestly didn't know if he was in love with Prompto like that, but he did know that he loved him. One way or another. If a kiss would make Prompto feel even a tiny bit happier... well then it didn't matter how Noct felt. Because it would be worth it.

Prompto looked at him, hesitating slightly before leaning forward, lips gently finding Noct's.

Noct wasn't sure what he had expected. Fireworks? Maybe. An answer to how he felt? Definitely. But there were neither of those things. Instead, there was simply a warmth that spread within him, a comfortable, homely warmth that centred near his heart as their lips moved softly together.

It was better than their first kiss. At least this time Noct got to experience it, and it didn't shock him at all.

Slowly, they broke apart and Noct let his eyes flicker open. Prompto was looking at him, a question in his eyes. “I...” Noct leaned forward, his forehead resting against Prompto's for a moment. “I still don't know what I feel.” He admitted. “But that... was nice.” At some point during their kiss, his hand had found its way to Prompto's neck, and he gave the skin there a soft stroke with his thumb, mirroring the move that Prompto had used on his cheek just moments ago.

“Yeah.” Prompto agreed, “It was.”

They fell quiet again, but this time it was a nice, calm, quiet. Eventually, Noct swallowed and gathered up his courage to say what he wanted to next. “Hey Prom...” He spoke slowly, giving himself a chance to back off if he suddenly changed his mind. When he didn't, he spoke again. “I don't know if this-” He frowned, no that wasn't right. “I don't know if-” With a frustrated sigh, he tried again. “Prom, can we-”

Prompto was chuckling silently as Noct tried to get the words out, their foreheads still pressed together. “Noct.” He said, “Don't worry about propriety, or how I'll take it.” He told him, “Just say it, and we can figure it out from there.”

That was easier said than done, but Noct took a breath before trying again. “I don't know if I'm in love with you. But I do love you.” He began, “And... I...” Godsdamn it. He stalled again, but Prompto nudged him, reminding him that the point right now was just to get the words out, and work out the rest later. “I don't want to die a virgin.” There. The words were out. All seven, completely embarrassing, words.

Prompto chuckled and pulled back, standing up and offering Noct his hand. “I can fix that.” He promised, smiling down at him. “Last night on Eos and all that.”

Noct laughed a little, feeling lighter somehow, as he took Prompto's hand and stood. He allowed himself to be lead back to the airship they had parked not too far away and let himself breathe through the nervous energy that was now all but consuming him.

“I uh...” Prompto was speaking as they walked, still hand in hand. “Don't have any condoms. I mean... I'm like 99 percent sure that I'm clean but I haven't had a test done in-”

Noct cut him off with a laugh, suddenly feeling a lot more at ease. Prompto was babbling. Ancient or not, in love or not, Prompto was still Prompto.

“Prom. I'm going to die like... tomorrow.” He pointed out. “Unless.. you think you could give me something that could kill me faster?”

He had half expected Prompto to get upset again with the reminder of his impeding doom, but to his surprise, Prompto just let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Guess you have a point.” The hand gripping Noct's gave a squeeze, and together they entered the ship they'd arrived in.

– – – – – – – – –

Chapter Text

Insomnia was much as he had expected. The dilapidated buildings, the rubble, the daemons, it was all exactly as Noct had imagined it would be, yet he couldn't help the gasp of surprise and pain that escaped his parted lips the moment they set foot within the city proper.

“Home sweet home.” Gladio stepped forward, reaching Noct's side as they both surveyed the area, eyes flicking from one wreck to another.

“Yeah.” Prompto agreed, “At long last.” There was pain in his voice, but also... relief?

“What we've been waiting for.” Ignis spoke next and Noct stepped forward, ahead of his friends. His mind flashed to the last time he'd been within the city, when he had last seen his father the morning they left for their fateful road trip.

He dug the Ring of the Lucii from his pocket and looked down at it for a moment. If they managed to find both Ifrit and Shiva within the city, then... this would be the end. The day that he died. But until then, he needed to survive. He needed his friends to survive. Slowly, he put the ring on his finger.

A light flashed behind his eyes for a moment before his vision cleared. He took a breath and turned around. “Are you with me?” He questioned his companions. There was more to his words, it wasn't just a question about their mission, but their hearts also. He needed to make sure that his friends, his companions, knew that they couldn't protect him at the end. That they couldn't change things, that they wouldn't get distracted trying. They needed to keep their heads clear if they were going to survive the night.

“Of course.” Ignis agreed, obviously understanding the words not spoken.

“Until the very end.” Gladio stood proud, ready to do his duty.

Noct turned to Prompto, meeting his eyes as the blond gave a tiny nod and a soft smile. “Always.” He said, voice not wavering in the least. He stepped forward and took Noct's hand gently. “Ever at your side.” He promised.

Noct squeezed the hand in his own for a moment before letting it go and turning around. “Let's do this.”

– – – – – – – – –

As they fought their way through the ruins of what was once their home, the four men found themselves focusing on the combat enough to push away the sense of finality that had been surrounding them like a mist and it was almost like old times. Almost.

Working together, side by side, Noct almost managed to forget how this was going to end. With his brothers beside him, he once again felt like he could take on the world and he boldly lead them forward, marching towards where it all began. The citadel.

There was no sign of Ardyn as they made their way through the streets, but Noct knew that he would be here, and he had a feeling he knew where. They passed barely recognisable land marks – the arcade where he and Prompto used to hang out, the fountain where Prompto had abandoned him when a girl had asked him out, the shop where they all used to meet up for coffee and ice cream – and Noct somehow managed to keep his emotions at bay. It hurt to see his beloved city in such a state, and instead of letting it slow him, he used it to fuel the fire of rage burning within his heart.

Even though it would cost him his life, he would make Ardyn pay for all the lives he had ruined.

Eventually they made it to the outer gates of the citadel, it's tall towers staring down at them in a way that Noct had never noticed before. He paused before the gate to take it in for what felt like the last time.

Unless they managed to find Shiva somewhere within, it wouldn't be the last time, but for some reason, Noct's instincts were telling him that he would never see his childhood home from the outside again.

After a moment, he stepped forward, hand reaching for the gate that was somehow unlocked. He stepped through, expecting... something. But nothing happened. It was almost exactly the same as every other time he'd pushed this gate open, only now he was older and instead of feeling like he was coming home, he felt like he was saying good-bye.

Slowly, his retainers followed him onto the royal grounds and they continued on.

– – – – – – – – –

Ardyn was waiting for them outside the doors. He stepped forward, smirking at them, looking for all the world like he had already won. “Ifrit. The Infernian.” He spoke, lifting his arms, eyes never leaving the party. “He doesn't share the others' fondness for mankind. But you can expect a warm welcome.” He started to turn around, hiding that smirk as he started to walk away. “I shall await you above.”

As he left, the area around them began to darken before suddenly erupting into crimson light as flames grew to surround them. Within the fire, Noct could make out the form of a god. “Stay cool. He's going to bring the heat.” He couldn't resist one final pun.

As they approached, Ifrit raised a lazy hand and suddenly Noct was on fire. His body burned where the flames licked at him and he dropped, rolling slightly to try to smother them. It wasn't working, he couldn't roll far enough without the pain stopping him.

Prompto was suddenly there in a flash of blue-green, a hand patting the flames out. “Hang in there buddy!” He called, “Stay down, we'll keep him busy!” He finished patting out the fire and stood, raising his sword and throwing it for a warp strike.

Ignoring his friend's advice, Noct dragged himself to his feet and began to slowly move towards the closest cover he could find. He needed to get out of the line of fire before he could use a curative, otherwise he'd simply get hit again.

That had been a long and painful lesson to learn.

He wasn't moving fast enough, but Gladio was. He grabbed Noct by the shoulders and manhandled him to the cover he'd been aiming for, crouching over him to protect him from the flames that arrived just a second later. The four of them huddled together, awaiting the end of the attack before they moved.

“Here you go.” Ignis broke an elixir over him and the pain receded to the point where Noct could fight again.

“Ideas!?” He called out, summoning a blade to his hand.

“Ice attacks.” Ignis called back right away and Noct didn't bother to suppress the eye roll.

“Duh!” He countered, pulling his arm back to aim his sword. “Anything else!?”

He was about to throw himself into a warpstrike when the temperature which had steadily been increasing suddenly dropped.

“The King of Kings' bravery knows no end.” A vaguely familiar voice spoke from behind Noct and the temperature dropped even more. He turned his head, keeping most of his attention on the god of fire, but sparing some for the woman now joining them.

“Gentiana?” He questioned, completely thrown. Why was the Messenger to the Oracle suddenly there? What did she want?

“Yet he foolishly strikes forth, with not the weapon needed.” She spoke again, walking passed Noct without pause. As she stepped forward, she seemed to begin to hover, her body and clothing changing smoothly until she was floating, blue and mostly naked.

Even with everything that was going on, Noct wasn't distracted enough not to realise who was now standing before him. “Shiva...” The goddess rose, dodging flame to make her way towards the Pyreburner. Once she reached him, she leaned forward, hand gently stroking his cheek before she gave the god a soft kiss.

Noct didn't know what to make of the look on the taller god's face, but it looked almost heartbroken and froze in place as his body began to lose its fire. The heat of his flames died and the god shattered into a thousand pieces.

Shiva slowly lowered, her eyes never leaving where Ifrit had once stood. “O King of Light,” She spoke clearly, in his own language, “Walk Tall and move forward with the blessings of the Six.”

With those words spoken, she faded, disappearing into the ether from which she had come.

As ash settled around them, Noct's retinue rejoined him, all four staring at where the two gods had been not moments before.

“Well...” Prompto said, voice oddly peppy. “That made things easier.”

“Indeed.” Ignis agreed and they stood still for a moment longer before the tactician turned to his king. “I suppose this means...”

Noct gave a nod, eyes still forward. “I have all six...” He didn't need to spell it out. Didn't need to explain it to them. They all knew what that meant.

Tonight was his last night after all.

– – – – – – – – – –

They made their way through the citadel, towards the throne room where it had all begun. The familiar corridors passed by but Noct didn't spare them a thought. He couldn't. To do so would cause him to hesitate, to lose his nerve, to second guess... He had to do this. He had to keep moving forward.

So he did. He kept pushing forward, his friends by his side until finally, someone spoke.

Just as he was about to push open the door to his final destination, Prompto's voice caught his ears. “Not much further...”

This, more than anything, caused Noct to stop, hand still outstretched, as he realised that this wasn't just his last time with his friends, but theirs with him. And they would live to remember, to grieve. The thought of that, more than the thought of losing his own life, made him want to stop. To turn around and run away. His death would hurt them more than it would hurt him.

“Well. Shall we, Noct?” Ignis asked, and only through years of knowing the man did Noct hear the hidden pain.

“Yeah but...” He tried to come up with something to buy them time. Even just a few minutes. Just a few minutes longer with the most important people in his life. “Ah.. Hold on a sec.” His mind was reaching for something anything that could keep them here. For just a little longer...

His eyes settled on Prompto, the ancient man having a harder time than either of the others in hiding his emotions. “Prompto. Can I see your photos?”

“Uh, yeah!” The eldest of them looked confused for a moment, but obliged, summoning his camera with a flash of green-blue light.

“I just need one.” He told his friend. “To... take with me.” He had no idea if it would work. If the photograph would go with him from this world to the next, but it didn't matter. This was buying them some time, just to be together.

“Oh... Yeah. I get it.” Prompto dropped his head for a second before handing the camera over. “Um... take whichever you like.” As he spoke, the other two stepped forward to join them, and for the last time they partook in the familiar tradition of sorting through Prompto's photographs.

He ended up settling on one of the first that Prompto had taken. It was a shot of the four of them surrounding the newly fixed Regalia.

“Only befitting the Regalia be included in the shot.” Ignis said with approval and Noct nodded as Prompto used the cameras function to print the chosen picture out.

“Take good care of her.” Noct said quietly, turning to look at Ignis, a soft smile on his face. Prompto handed him the photograph and Noct looked down at it. The ink was glossy, still slightly wet, but the picture had come out perfectly. “She's one of us. Always got us where we needed to go.”

He hadn't actually seen the Regalia since returning from the Crystal, but he could only hope that she had survived and was still running. Nobody told him otherwise, so he allowed himself to believe that.

“That I will.” Ignis promised with a smile.

With a deep breath, Noct turned and faced the door to the room that would bring about his destiny. He didn't say a word, knowing that the moment was over and if he stopped again, he would never be able to move on.

– – – – – – – – – –

Ardyn had, of course, set a trap for them. Which was how Noct found himself alone, chasing down an insane immortal, their weapons flying in all directions. It was a hard fight, mostly because his emotions were spinning faster than the royal arms surrounding him. He had to win this fight. If he died here, it would all be for nothing. At least if he died on the throne...

Ardyn's taunts rang in his ears as they clashed blades. The man was acting like this was a game, something fun to pass the time. It made Noct's blood boil. All he could think about as they struck and parried were the bodies of his friends on the floor of the throne room, prone and vulnerable. If he lost here...

No. He would fight. He would win. He would keep them safe from Ardyn, and then he would save the world. And up until his final breath, he would be thinking about his friends.

His thoughts were fast, but his blade was faster. Ardyn was a tough opponent, but he was arrogant, self assured. The immortal assumed that he would win, and didn't put any effort into the fight until it was already too late.

“So. That is how you would end it.” Ardyn spoke, stumbling back as Noct's blade pierced his chest. The blade disappeared and the ancient king fell, body landing heavily on the ground. “Now it is over, Majesty.”

There was something different about this Ardyn. The man on the ground was not the one that had been battling him only seconds ago. Noct couldn't place it, but there was a kind of... gentleness to him now. As he lay, prone and staring at the raining sky, he seemed more relaxed.

Noct approached him carefully, kneeling beside the fallen man.

“What... will you do?” Ardyn asked again.

From here, Noct could see the difference. The darkness behind his eyes had lifted, his features soft and sad. Was this the man he had once been? Before the crystal, the gods and the scourge? Was this the healer that Prompto had told him about?

“Banish the daemons and bring peace?” Ardyn was still speaking, voice quiet but breaking slightly. “Erase me from history once more?”

This man wasn't the evil embodiment of darkness that Noct had been fighting. This was just a man. A father on the brink of death given just one more moment of sanity.

“No.” Noct's voice was barely above a whisper as he reached out, a hand gently landing on Ardyn's shoulder. “This time... you can rest in peace.” As he spoke, he remembered the words that Prompto had said to him, just before he'd been taken into the crystal. They had been a good-bye to him, but during his time in the Astral Realm, he'd heard them again, spoken in a thousand different voices.

A funeral prayer.

“Rest well, healer.” He said quietly, trying to remember the words he'd heard so many times yet only once. “Wait in the after. Those that love you are already there and will hold you in love.” Ardyn's features softened a little as he listened, eyes closing and breathing slowing. “Be not afraid,” Noct continued on, “Walk tall and proudly move on.”

“Wait for me where the sun never sets, and the air is never cold.” Prompto's voice spoke quietly in the night and Noct lifted his head, watching as the blond stepped forward to crouch on the other side of Ardyn. “Rest well, father.” He said quietly, hand gently resting on Ardyn's chest.

A soft, golden glow emanated from Prompto's palm, and Ardyn's muscles relaxed, a soft sigh escaping him. “I will await you, in the beyond,” He whispered, hand reaching up to gently clasp Prompto's. “My dearest Silver.”

There was a moment, then Prompto's magic faded and the hand holding his dropped. Prompto reached up with his other hand to wipe away the tears falling from his eyes. A few seconds of silence followed, then Prompto stood. He took a few steps back and wiped his eyes again before turning to Noct.

“I guess... it's my turn now.” He said, voice quiet and broken.

“What?” Noct frowned, confused as he stood and stepped away from the fading body of the man that had caused so much hurt.

“It... It's my turn now.” Prompto took a hitching breath, dropping his arm to his side. He stood, legs spread and knees bent slightly. A battle stance. “You understand... right?” The blond asked and Noct shook his head, completely lost. Wasn't it over now? All that was left was for him to sit on the throne and give his life, right?

“I thought... I thought you knew.” Prompto's voice broke, a sob escaping before he somehow managed to calm himself down. “I thought... That maybe I could stand by and just let it happen. But that- but that won't work. I have to give it my all, or I can't go down.” He took another breath and raised a hand in front of him, his sword appearing in front of him.

“Prompto, what...?” Noct found himself taking a few steps back, staring at his friend. “What are you talking about?”

“Bahamut's Providence!” There were so many emotions in Prompto's voice, but the one that Noct heard most clearly was despair. “You have to kill the Accursed. The Usurper.” Noct frowned, still not understanding and his eyes flicked to the almost gone body of their enemy. Prompto let out a bitter laugh. “You still don't understand? My father... My father was the Usurper...”

Prompto's hand tightened on his blade and he lifted it, pointing it at Noct. “I guess that's why the Oxford comma is so important.” He laughed again, a horrified, broken sound. “My father was the Usurper, Noct. But I'm the Accursed.”

Chapter Text

“I'm the Accursed.”

The words were spoken with regret, bitterness, and finality. Prompto knew that this was coming, what Noct would have to do to end the long night. But Noct knew that he wouldn't, couldn't kill Prompto.

“What?” He stared at his friend, ignoring the sword pointed in his direction to instead look into Prompto's eyes, hoping beyond anything that this was some sort of sick, twisted joke. That he was somehow mistaken. That he didn't really have to....

“I have to give it my all.” Prompto's voice was shaking, but his sword arm was still. His chest was heaving and tears were falling, but he stood tall. “I have to give it my all, or it wont work, I wont die and you can't... You can't bring the dawn. But I don't...” He swallowed, his voice failing him as Noct did nothing but stare at him. “Don't let me kill you.” Prompto finally managed to choke out, half words, half sob. “You need to take me out.”

“Prompto... I can't... I...” Was Prompto seriously asking him to kill him? To be the one to end the two thousand year life that the man had been cursed with? To kill his best friend, the man he loved in a way he couldn't define? The man he'd lost his virginity to less than twelve hours before?

“Please Noct.” Prompto's blade finally started to shake and he dropped his arm, the weapon disappearing. Prompto hung his head for a second before lifting it, eyes determined. “Don't hold back.”

With those words, Prompto opened his arms and a circle of spinning weapons flashed into existence, circling him at a fast pace. Prompto's Armiger.

The blond didn't say anything else before suddenly launching himself forward, disappearing in a flash of light only to reappear directly in front of Noct, leaving the king barely enough time to block the blow that came.

“Prompto!” Noct shouted, pushing the blade away only to have to doge another that flew towards him. He phased through the end of it and jumped backwards, trying to put some distance between himself and his best friend. “Prompto, stop!”

“I can't!” Prompto called back, raising his arm to send yet another weapon at Noct.

He barely dodged it before raising his blade and throwing it towards a lamp post, wanting to put distance between himself and Prompto, time and space to figure out what the hell was going on.

But it did make sense. Didn't it? Prompto was tied to Ardyn in a familial and magical way. His immortality was a direct result of Ardyn's defiance, wasn't it? So if the Usurper had been defeated, then it stood to reason that Prompto's curse had been lifted, right? So why did he need to die now? By Noct's hand?

Because he was a loose thread.

That was it, wasn't it? Prompto was the last remnant of the ancient era, rejected by the crystal and the gods for something beyond his control. It was just like the gods to forsake him one more time.

Prompto launched himself at Noct again, and Noct did his best to warp away again, but he wasn't fast enough. Prompto's hand was against his throat, slamming him against the concrete street before he even knew what was happening.

“Please Noct!” Prompto's tears fell from his eyes onto Noct's face, but the hand didn't loosen it's grip as Prompto begged. “Fight me.”

The hand disappeared, and so did Prompto, but the respite was only temporary. Almost as soon as Noct regained his footing, Prompto was warping at him again, weapons launching themselves at him.

He was serious.

Prompto's weapons clashed against Noct's as he summoned the royal arms. The blue weapons floated around him, ready for his silent commands. For a split second, Prompto and Noct were close, faces almost pressed together as the weapons clanged and sparked.

Noct pushed. Prompto pushed. The two were thrown backwards, each flying into a building and dropping to the street below.

If Prompto wanted a fight, then Noct would just have to give him one.

– – – – – – – – – – –

Every clash, every parry, every strike, sent a sharp spike of sorrow and grief through Noct. Every time Prompto dodged, Noct's heart swelled with hope that was quickly dashed as Prompto retaliated. Tears were blurring his vision and the lump in his throat and chest made it hard to breathe, but still, they kept fighting.

The battle was short, but it lasted an eternity until eventually, everything stopped. Prompto's face was barely an inch from his and he felt the exhaled gasp on his cheeks. “Thank you.” Prompto whispered, blood beginning to drip from the corner of his mouth.

Noct didn't move. He couldn't. His entire body was shaking, the vibrations causing his blade to cut deeper into the chest of his best friend. “Prom.” Noct's legs gave way and his weapon disappeared, his hands reaching up to catch the blond as they both fell to their knees. “Prom!”

He held the blond's shoulders with trembling hands and gently lay him down. “Prompto...” He knew it was too late. He knew that his friend was gone. He wasn't breathing. The wound in his chest was flooding the concrete below with a crimson puddle and his eyes were staring blankly. “Oh gods...” Noct felt the sobs come, feeling almost as if he was throwing them up, the lump in his throat refusing to move. “Prompto, I'm so sorry.” He leaned over the blond, hand moving to gently close his eyes. As soon as he'd done that, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against his friend's one last time.

“Rest well my love.” Noct managed to sob out. This had seemed so damn important to Prompto, a part of his ancient culture that he had never let go of. Not in two thousand years. The least Noct could do was say it now, for the man who had said it too many times over. “Wait for me in the After.” He somehow managed to get the words out between his cries as the tears continued to fall.

“And I will join you when my time comes. Those you love are already there and will hold you in love.” He had to pause again to swallow past the lump in his throat, “Be not afraid, walk tall, and proudly move on. Wait for me where the sun- where the sun never sets and the air is never cold.” He was breaking down, losing it completely, his grief surrounding him and pulling at him. “I'll see you soon.” He leaned forward, his lips pressing against Prompto's one last time.

Slowly, he rose, taking a moment to let the grief and pain flow through him before he took a breath and reined it in. With a new found determination, he lifted his head, pulled his shoulders back, and walked forward, making his way once again into the citadel.

Behind the first set of doors, he found Ignis and Gladio, sprinting towards the exit. They stopped short the moment they saw Noct, covered in blood and expressionless. He paid them no heed, marching forward, intent on putting an end to this entire ordeal as he made a vow to himself. He barely even noticed them continue on their way outside to check on Prompto.

If he made it through this alive, the gods would pay.

The throne room was eerily silent now that Ardyn had gone. He didn't hear anyone behind him – his friends had probably found Prompto by now. They wouldn't be here any time soon.

There was a soft breeze that filtered through the large hole he'd pursued the once immortal out of, but Noct didn't feel the cold. He didn't feel anything. His body, his mind, his heart, were all numb. He felt nothing but he knew that he needed to get this done before his shock wore off and he felt everything.

With one sure step in front of another, the King of Light stood proud. He walked tall and he sat with a regal grace that his ancestors would have been envious of. Without prompting, he called his blade forth, and slammed it into the ground.

“Kings of Lucis. Come to me!”

– – – – – – – –

Sunlight streamed through the large window beside the throne, light reflecting from the crystal shards floating in the air and shining on the blue and white decorations below. White drapes hung artistically from the rafters over the throne and petals were scattered throughout the room.

A single photograph sat on the arm of the throne, a group of four smiling enthusiastically at the camera, a sleek, black car parked between them. With a gloved hand, Noct picked up the photo to examine it, a soft smile on his freshly shaven face. Without hesitance, he turned offering the picture to his companion beside him.

“Wish I had my camera in here.” The blond said with a grin, taking the photograph in his own gloved hand as he moved to rest his head against Noct's shoulder.

“The others will see it when they get here.” Noct told him, gently placing his own head against the blond hair, hand gently taking his hand in his own. They stared down at the photograph together for a moment before Noct spoke again.

“We'll wait for them in love.”