Archive of Our Own

The Libra was silent. Ignis laid still, wheezing faintly through grey lips, sheltered by the blankets of his bed. The candles were barely burning now. Their dim glow of heat flickered, illuminating the room with a dying light and fading aroma. The world around him seemed lifeless.

Ignis knew that Noctis had gone, therefor it must have been true that he was alone, as if the cruel fates had stolen his beloved from him yet again. This time, he truly had no one to blame but himself. Ignis stretched out a withering hand. His palm was still warm – he believed, from the grip that held close a promise to spare him. Now the space of this room was void of his kindness and replaced only by the selfish desire that he would return.

It was getting cold with no hand to hold. How would he move forward from here? Was forward even an option anymore?

Ignis stayed there wrapped within his sheets decaying with rot and loneliness. His cheeks were stained with dried tears. His vessel in constant resistance against him. But the quakes and pain were incredibly beginning to subside as though his still living body was reaching its limit at last.

Contrary to his better nature, Ignis lifted his hand up to the open air. Nothing was to meet him, and when he finally admitted so, he clenched those fingers together into a weak fist. He called out Noct’s name to the dark of his blindness. “Noct...?” His ears told him that his voice came through, but no answer returned.

Ignis tried to sit up only to fail and slump over halfway on the headrest. Eventually, he collapsed back down again with regret but heaviest with remorse. With what energy he had left, his eyes threatened to shed tears once more and it hurt him with every heave that tormented his chest. How pitiful. If this truly was the beginning of the end for him, it was a heartbreaking way to go and made him unrecognizable to even himself.

“Noctis.”

He knew the efforts were futile. Noctis would not be here. It was impossible after asking such things. Calling out would only provide an empty longing. If only his time had not been running so short in such a horrific way. His pulse was growing heavy. Losing life.

“Please come back… I’m sorry… for what I said.”

It was the right thing to do. Letting Noctis go was the only way left to save him. But the yearning to hold his hand remained. There would be no kinder way in his time of dying than to have the one he loved, the one who knew him most and cherished him deepest, to be here until the very bitter end. Though he couldn’t see him, Ignis swore the texture of Noct’s fingers had not vanished. He wished he could squeeze that sensation back into reality.

Ignis clenched his palm towards his chest and kept it there. The last presence of his greatest adventure. His closest friend. About to be forgotten. More and more aspiration stolen by the Shadow. It was unfair.

“I don’t want to die without you.”

So, this was it then.

Ignis cradled the last of Noct’s trace. All he could do now was rest and listen to his failing heart. He sent his prayers and all his wishes to whatever void awaited beyond this place. Ignis lowered his scarred eyelid. He would stay here, and soon, it would be over.

Time obscured as he laid still. The aching within him grew numb. Perhaps he could no longer feel anything anymore. It was wonderful even on this perch of letting go that he had his chance to love someone. He tasted freedom, though short lived, and it had been worth the hell of losing it.

As seconds ticked on, Ignis’ breath drew measured. The clock itself may have been breathing slower than him.

Suddenly, a firm clicking sound echoed from inside the building. Ignis’ kept his eyes shut. Of course, he wouldn’t have been able to see either way. But the sound. What was it? Could a candle have fallen, subjecting him soon to burn for a second time? The direction of the noise seemed distant. One of the Libra doors may have swung from a draft. No- what he had heard… was it the ringing of his front bell? He felt himself a fool for wishing Noctis to be the one responsible. He should never come back here. It was shameful how the chance of someone coming inside had him repenting that yearning he felt.

His mouth opened. Greed filled the gap where desperation to live began its bloom. One word, one name could escape him. “Noctis?” Could it be?

There were sounds of footsteps. They paced the ground floor in random directions before finding the staircase. What could be happening? It sounded as though there were multiple persons here. Had Noctis brought someone? Was this Gladiolus with the cavalry of undertakers? Delusions of being reunited with his uncle Delano poured in like the rainwaters of a storm he had not prepared for. It simply made no sense and yet he continued to wish for anything that might salvage his isolated demise.

The waiting to hear or feel someone was terrible and reawakened all his senses. Weight shifted along the wooden boards, steadily approaching toward him. At last, breaking the distance as it drew nearer, Ignis heard the bedroom door creak open. Somehow, someone was here. This was no illusion.

“Mr. Scientia?”

A woman’s voice? Ignis puzzled. “Who is there?”

Sharp steps approached his bedside. They were cautious yet soft like a woman’s heels.

“My name is Lunafreya. You and I have met once before some time ago at a ball. We danced. Do you remember?”

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret? How? Ignis cracked open his good eye in the vain hope of seeing the girl of pale blond hair. Her graceful eyes, peaceful smile, charming and kind. Oh yes. Within his mind’s recollections was indeed a girl whose life intertwined in his own by some small part. She had influenced him strongly in the brief time they shared hands swaying on an elegant dancefloor. Her delicate touch was a phantom from the past when Noctis was once worlds beyond his reach and betrothed to her instead… but could it really be the same woman inexplicably standing here or was this some stray memory surfacing into a hallucination?

“Who… is with you?”

The voice of a man came through the doorway. “Her brother, Ravus. I’m sure you will have no trouble placing my voice.”

Ignis was startled by this. The renowned doctors from Tenebrae; it was indisputably them. But here, and now?

“Your shape appears just as dire as your physicians described,” Ravus pointed as he studied the room around them. Whilst his sister stood near the ill man’s bedside, her elder brother began cataloguing the variants they were presented. “This room should do, I suppose.”

A vigilant touch pressed upon Ignis’ cheek. It was a sensation he feared at first, discovering that it was the gesture of a gloved hand. Smooth protected fingers stroked at his skin with all care.

“Ignis,” Luna said, “my brother and I have come here to find you.”

“I… don’t understand. Why?”

Ravus plucked back his fingers from the edge of the bedroom wall and studied what he saw. “The traces of dust in this ring of the city are atrocious…” He wiped his hand clean against a cloth produced from the pocket of his thick winter coat before lifting his voice to inform. “You see, I hadn’t forgotten the evening you reached out to me. It was the phone call between you and I?”

Ignis furrowed his brows. Yes. He had a desperate contact on behalf of learning anything that might direct him to finding where Noctis could possibly go.

“I considered the nature of that interaction and concluded that you sounded unstable.” Ravus took an uneasy breath. “After your foreboding inquiries, I took it upon myself to consult Lunafreya. My history with master Ardyn Caelum as a patient was not something I had fathomed to surface in such chaos. I must say, it took us less time to confirm Insomnia’s headlines than it did for us to discover your damn location. And due to the weather, none of our telegrams seemed to be getting through. This blizzard has caused complications for everyone. Having said that, we would have believed you sensible enough to remain in a hospital.”

News of Noctis and his family scandal allegedly spread across the lands then. It would need to be wide-known for that information to be easily found – which was the least desirable thing any of them could have asked for. Drat. Without seeing for himself, there was no way to ensure Ignis’ name didn’t play a role somewhere within. A lowerclassman mingled in the affairs, Shadows and betrayals. It had to be quite the story for the world.

“Mr. Scientia,” Luna made a rustle as she tucked her cushioned dress and took a seat upon the only chair in the room. “If I may. I don’t wish to startle you, but I have a medicine here with me.” The woman went on to depict the shape and purpose of an item in her hand invisible to his blind eye. It was something enhanced in design to combat the Shadow from within.

Almost immediately Ignis was protesting. “No, please. I am appreciative… very much so… but you must understand… you could get sick yourselves. I am beyond…”

“One is never beyond saving so long as they live, Scientia,” Ravus hastened. “It isn’t too late, not even for you. And we are aware of the risks.” The prospect of allowing Lunafreya into this sort of environment was – needless to say – undesirable. Before their departure to Insomnia, Ravus tried time and time again to convince her to remain home while he pursued the ordeal since he wouldn’t be able to guarantee what they’d be facing. Her persistence to be helpful broke him in the end and they set to leave together. Now here she was: already in place to contradict any assumption that might deem her unfit for this role. “We have all the necessary material with us to stay safe,” he went on. “Worry not.”

“I still don’t… grasp your motive.” Ignis struggled from the information. Ravus came all this way for him? It wasn’t clicking together and he felt miles beyond clarity in his current state. He grit his teeth.

Lunafreya advanced upon his distress. “Please, Mr. Scientia. We may only be just in time. Would you allow that I administer this concoction to you?”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, just give it to him already. Dawdling will get us nowhere.”

“I need his permission first, Ravus, you know this.”

Ignis digressed. He was already at the doorstep to defeat and knew he could not argue about this. Accepting help from them would mean to prolong the battle. He would have to fight. It was a hefty choice to make. There was seemingly nothing to gain, and yet everything to lose. Ignis did not wish to meet his end before living half his life and in the same fashion that murdered his parents. From nowhere, two medical people were here, offering their advanced aid though no potential of the outcome was certain.

“I… cannot be sure… it will go to good use.”

An abrupt pattern of stomps moved towards the bed. Ravus scoffed as he yanked away the material from Luna and knelt at the head of the mattress. Next Ignis knew, a firm hand was clasped at his jaw and the rim of a bottle placed at the purse of his lips. The potent scent and flavor from inside stung his tongue instantly as some of the liquid drained into his mouth. The bizarre fluid turned everything in his face cool in what was similar to numbness. The young lady was in a hushed dissent from the force of Ravus’ actions but as the fluid sank between his teeth through to the insides, a sort of overpowering throb took hold of Ignis. It wasn’t quite a relief but it seemed to steel a portion of his afflictions and in that moment, he experienced the most indescribable lift from his hurt. He swallowed the thick excess in his cheeks. What was this substance?

Ravus monitored the reactions. “This is an elixir. A syrup highly concentrated of our strongest healing agents. You’re not the first to take it, but with luck, we may be in time to see its most vital distribution indeed…”

Luna’s lashes fanned in her brother’s direction. Though violent, this would have to do. “We have evolved this remedy over many months. The results have staggered doctors’ previous attempts at overcoming Shadow illnesses by injection alone. Forgive us, but it could very well be enough to save you.”

Being saved? Ignis wanted to believe those words. He steadied his breath as the drug took course. The response was fast. It had him baffled how responsive his ruined vessel was toward it, clinging in thirst for this last resort to stay alive. “I suppose you… have your doubts about my… involvement with Noctis. I am to blame… for causing his disgrace.”

“On the contrary,” Ravus said. “I do blame you personally for some things. Yes. That much is true. You were a fool for leaving the watch of the only people who could properly help you in this city. Yet… I understand why you did. I suppose I sympathized with your views to protect the ones we love.”

“What else is there that you know?” Ignis asked.

Silence followed. Ravus passed a discreet glance to his sister with one brow raised in question. Luna understood the look and nodded back to him.

“Overviewing your history, we traced the events to now. You were marked as infected by the authority office some approximate hours before your name was listed in the category of survivors from the Caelum estate blaze. You sustained severe damage to your eyesight, miraculously walking away with third degree burns and inevitably signing off from long-term medical care under custody watch… of Master Noctis Caelum. Does this sound true to your knowledge?”

“That… sounds like it.”

Ignis frowned. His whole timeline of nightmares shortened to this briefing and it gave the impression as though Ravus was airing out all his dirty secrets. Nothing was mentioned of the affairs between himself and Noctis, nor the crimes he committed against Ardyn by means of vehemence and the police by stealing evidence. At least his breathing was partially clearing post-drink and gave him the length of freedom to turn his mind from the agony. Something different was taking its place however and that was the urge to sleep. He trembled in an aim to face Ravus.

“I sent Noctis away from me. I denounced his care even after allowing him to procure that temporary medical custody. I am also responsible… for the parts I played in the burning. There is no innocence in me. Am I not obligated… to my punishments?”

Ravus hesitated. He was drawing air through the filtration of the mask on his face in search to word himself correctly. He decided to lean on Lunafreya for choice of proceeding tactic.

Her braided hair shifted over her shoulder as she sent a kind face to Ignis in bed. “There are decisions to be made, but not by yourself. Much less in your state. Confrontations with this case will likely be upheld by the Caelum family itself, if my assumptions are correct.”

“Do not concern yourself with that today, Scientia. Starting now, you are our patient. We will do all in our available power to reverse your affliction, blindness and burns included, and install ourselves here for the time being in order to do so. We shall represent you and fulfill any financial requirements for the process as well.”

Ignis started sinking into the call for slumber. It was a tremendous command surging through him begging that he fall to the world of sleep. Fear of death had not left him, and the need to reach conclusion outweighed it all by a great deal. His survival had significance? It wasn’t true.

“For my life… why?”

Ravus leant in closer and hovered just above him. “You had better live. That would be making it up to me.”

It took some seconds. Eventually, Ignis registered what Ravus was referring to. It was the call itself all those nights ago. His frantic cry of help to locate Ardyn and the insight to his Anosmia – the motivation behind Noct’s endangerment, and the very first domino to topple over the chain of events. It was true Ignis would have been hopeless without that information.

“Ravus…” Ignis pushed to speak one last thought.

The two siblings stared over the dying man. With the elixir solution taking effect, he would soon be unconscious and left back in the arms of fate. The drink was a confident card for the Nox Fleurets, yet nothing was definite, so they listened.

The doctors must have acquired all his records. They would surely be able to do such things. They would know all they needed to then, and if it were true, they could take care of him. If survival was an option at all, be it good or grim, perhaps it was safe to put his faith in their hands.

“Please… help me see him, one last time.”

~

In the dark of dreamless sleep, a motion suddenly came to stirring. Ignis felt his lips part, sticky and hot, and a pool of air flooded in. He was aware. Self-conscious. Ignis was still alive, and a voice from somewhere overhead began reaching out to him.

“Mr. Scientia,” it said. “Ignis?”

“Who’s there?” Ignis thought he had asked this once before already. The déjà vu of this rattled him from the black and into the vague of reality. Everything remained in obscurity yet the presence of touch again upon his shoulder could not be ignored.

“It’s me. Ravus? Forgive me for being made to interrupt your rest.”

Ravus. Ignis flickered his single eyelid open to find the emptiness of shapes… something his mind was already teaching him to substitute his loss of vision. The eerie ghosts of echoes carved into his understanding the image of a face looming before his bed. The doctor from Tenebrae – who allegedly moved himself in along with his sister for the purpose of combating the Shadow – made a noise of creaking as he stood from the chair at bedside and rose to his feet.

“There are visitors here to see you.”

Had he been watching over him? Ignis forced himself to seated with a surprising lack of struggle.

Lunafreya was next to introduce her voice. She was quite calm when speaking. “Do not be alarmed. We shall remain present as your representatives and help you with any questions we can, as we imagine your guests shall most likely have them.”

The unknown of who could be here was quickly solved as the tired muscles in his brain began moving. It must have been time for the police to return as they said they would. This time, Noctis wouldn’t be here to uphold conversation on his behalf, and there would be a deal of explaining to do. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone but Ignis imagined the officers would have plenty to ask. A part of him remained hopeful they might take it easy on bombarding their queries given the circumstances. He didn’t look forward to telling them everything since there was still so much to tell.

Ravus rustled his coat smooth of wrinkles. Then, with a clearing of the throat, he twisted the knob to allow the company inward. Almost right away Ignis distinguishes three sets of footsteps but what struck him more than that were the reactions that meets his ears.

One gasp belonged to Prompto. No one else could sound like that. “Oh Iggy,” he whispered.

A snap of the tongue followed. One came to weakly inhale. Gladio and Aranea followed behind their younger addition, bluntly steeling themselves.

There were conversations bound to come. They all knew. Ignis feared his helplessness to comfort these friends of his in wake of their witnessing of him all sickly and marred. Bedridden was no way to be having guests. He wasn’t sure how to even begin addressing them. He decided to try.

“You came back…”

“Of course we came back,” Gladio said without hesitation.

Aranea’s shoes tapped as she entered the room. An unusual refinement accompanied the weight with every step. “You can blame part of it on the job, but surely you didn’t think we wouldn’t come back around for you, handsome.”

By miracle, Ignis crafted a fragmented chuckle. “You would still use that appellation now?”

Prompto crouched close at the bed’s edge. He dared not reach out and touch Ignis despite his longing to do so. It was only natural for him to seek proximity in order to console. Not this time.

“Please… tell me you are all protected.”

Lady Lunafreya included her dialogue. “Yes. They’ve each been provided with veils.”

“It was a requirement,” Ravus added. “I wouldn’t imagine letting them in otherwise. Apologies, officers.”

Ignis’ half-mooned grin was as fast to form as it was to disappear. “You all have my thanks for being here. Though… I must not resemble the man you first met. I am sorry for my unpleasant display.”

The leather of Gladio’s gloves creaked into fists. They seemed angry, if not clenched from strong emotion. In the officer’s memory, he remembered Ignis just weeks ago, standing in the snow, unmovable from his decision to investigate Noct’s disappearance. The innocent man had his eyesight back then but not even seeing the consequences of his actions would have changed his mind. “You’re a stronger man now, Ignis. In a fight greater than yourself. It’s unbelievable.”

Prompto was next to slice the air with his verbal weapon of curiosity. “…Where’s Noct?”

The air went still after that and dread twisted Ignis’ face. He didn’t want to answer. Luckily, he didn’t have to. It was Ravus who punctually responded.

“Master Caelum was requested to return to the manor of which request he heeded just yesterday.”

Luna was second to confirm the truth. “It is our understanding that Ignis’ influence convinced Noctis to depart for the inner ring sometime between his release from the ward and our arrival here just this morning.”

“Frankly, I am unsure whether he was able to make it home in time before the oncoming blizzard. I hadn’t wanted him to get hurt again… I can only pray now he is far better off than myself.”

The three police shared glances while the Nox Fleuret siblings had some of their own. In this room, clarity of this long chain of interwoven connections became more and more palpable. A picture of love displayed itself. One made by one man who connected many together. His impact upon the legal force of this city as well as the Caelum family interested the doctors. Ravus in particular was fascinated by the complexity of it. Their relations with one another, the effect his health held on each of them – it was absolutely peculiar.

“So, you really got pretty boy to go home?” Aranea gaped.

Gladio too was surprised. He had been the first to think ill of their being alone together. “It must have reached serious limits to get that kid to listen.” Next, he shuffled his boots in the doctors’ direction. “So, what’s your story? How did you happen to get involved?”

Exchanges were made that filled the holes until everything pulled into one single picture. Ravus informed Gladio – professionally as between surgeon and captain – their intervention to study Ignis’ ailments and in long-term goals to treat them with therapies and remedy solutions, but not necessarily why. He explained his choice to take Ignis under his care along with Lunafreya’s certainty that they could turn the decisive hours into opportunity to heal.

“For personal reasons, if nothing else stands to sooth your curiosity.” Ravus justified himself with this, but decided to leave his detailing at that. He and his sister both supported the same conclusions. He claimed, “Illnesses are prone to Insomnia this time of year anyhow, you see. It is reasonable that we should make an effort to evaluate any cases we find here in the city and compare them to our archive data to formulate hypotheses for limiting the infamous factory smoke output. It’s the least we can do to aid our neighbor country.”

“Just as well, our products have surpassed previous standards and shown progress in repelling against the Shadow at newfound rates,” the soft-eyed lady included. “The increases are so hopeful. It would be a tragic waste to turn away from Mr. Scientia in this dark time when we have the material to tend him as long as we can.”

Ignis softened as the pair vindicated their status. It wasn’t as if he could ever repay them for their attempts to save his life, excuses or not. He couldn’t even guarantee them he was capable of pulling through to fulfill a debt of gratitude. Least of all to Noctis, whom he forced away.

“Master Caelum could not maintain the medical responsibility-”

“No,” Ignis interrupted. “It was me. I couldn’t… be honest with him sooner. Had I found the right words to warn him of this outcome, his stay here… would not have happened at all.”

Ravus was tripped by the disruption. He searched hard for his next approach. “If I may say so, the young man did not do the worst, evidently, for someone harboring little self-sufficiency skill. The fact alone he stepped up to care for another person speaks volumes. It may have been what preserved your life up until now.” Though the insults were directed at Noctis in a fashion of spite, it was the closest he’d come to complimenting his sister’s ex-fiancé and that held somewhat of an alleviation.

The officers aimed their attention toward Ignis again.

It was still easy to recall the frustrations that transpired while Noctis lived at the Libra to aid him through both blindness and bodily horror. Ontop of hallucinating, Ignis believed he’d been cruel to his friend in permitting that he remain for the sake of numbing that pain of isolation. It was unforgivable.

He grimaced. “Loneliness has been my greatest demon to conquer. I never desired to put Noctis through that hell, yet…” He adjusted in his sheets as his vessel grew restless. Due to the topic, he wagered. He did his best to face the two men and woman though he couldn’t see anything of them. His absence of eye contact would require a convincing speech. “Yet I was happy not to have been abandoned. Can you understand my weakness in the path of his assertive nature? For just a little longer I was beside someone whom I’ve had most of my better memories. But I realized very quickly… that I was killing him in a different way. It had to end somewhere. It simply had to. I could not let it be with Noctis summoning a hearse.”

Lady Luna produced a report of her findings to Aranea who turned to take it from her. “These are just from the rough twelve hours my brother and I have been here.”

Ravus bent his head down to confirm that the information was correct. Gladio stepped up to glance over the papers at Aranea’s side while Prompto continued keeping close to Ignis.

“It may honestly be one of the worst cases we’ve ever seen in our experience.”

Gladiolus shot his eyes up to Ravus. How horrible a thing to say and he’s sure Ignis heard just as clearly.

“Oh, he knows. We already shared this fact with him.”

If the doctors were open about Ignis’ slim chance of survival, matters for this poor man were looking to be as bad as they could get. Gladio wondered whether he would go through it all again if Ignis knew what was to come once he left for the inner ring that catastrophic night. His restaurant was closed – perhaps indefinitely if not from all this contamination then from his latent lack to run it. His partner was gone and likely never to return. His eyesight stolen, health ruined, at utter mercy to Insomnia’s worst disease. The odds of Ignis overcoming an infection so deadly that even two seasoned doctors were uncertain had the whole ordeal looking just as dark and grey as the scars on his skin.

“Don’t you worry, Iggy.” Prompto wanted badly to show any kind of affection. He would heed the doctor’s wiser warning against touch, though it was admittedly a challenge to resist it. Ignis was afterall one of the first people in this city to care for him as he had. Ignis opened his doors for him despite his background, selfless and generous, and now he was with death closing on him at what should be the prime of his youth. “We’re going to support you all the way, and someday, we’ll all look back on this together. What you’re going through now will be so far away it won’t hurt you ever again.”

Gladio ached at the sight of them. He handed back the clipboard of pages to the elder sibling where Aranea spared a few whispers betwixt herself and the doctors then stepped closer to Ignis too. Their footsteps were heavy, not from weight but with burden.

“We’ll find Noctis. I’m confident he’s back at home right now. He’ll be relieved to know the Nox Fleurets are here taking care of you. In no time, your recovery story will become a sensation to the city.”

Gladiolus was using his optimism, a favorable quality – the good man – but Ignis shook his head in denial. “No… Gladio. He cannot know.”

“Huh?” Prompto uttered. “We can’t tell Noct?”

“Sure we can. We’ll tell him for you. Trust me, it will take a lot of stress off both your shoulders.”

Ravus crossed his arms and went on studying the scene.

“Gladio, I will ask this one and only thing of you. While I have a chance to improve… it would indeed please me to know he is safe and finding new direction, but he cannot be told of my status.”

Gladio stood there until his smile fell. His assurance fully muddled. “I don’t get it. You don’t want to keep this good news a secret. We can make certain no one else knows what’s going on. You trust us, don’t you?”

“Of course I do Gladiolus but it still stands to truth that I may not live. I have decided to place my trust in the Nox Fleurets and I will try. But Noctis cannot be given any false hope only to discover my passing later if it happens. It would devastate him. He might not recover. Please understand that we cannot do that to him. This is the last I can do to prevent such pain.”

“That’s rather responsible of you,” Ravus said. “You care more for this Caelum boy than I gave you credit for.” A questionable thing really. Without doubt, they would be discussing that further when they were alone.

Ignis swallowed down a lump in his sore neck. “Nonetheless… May I ask your silence this time, officer? For the greater good?”

Gladio angled his nose downward. Ignis had to ask him that way, didn’t he? “You’d rather Noctis goes on thinking whatever it is that’s on his mind then, when you know he’ll overthink it? What if we could ease both your fears – communicate in the middle for you? We can do that. What if he could support you from a distance? That’s still a possibility.”

“Maybe. But it is already fact that… Noctis believes he has left me for dead. Of this much I am positive.” Painfully, painfully positive.

“That’s not okay.”

“I know.” Gods, he knew far too well. “But neither would it be okay to lead him on. I should like to be certain I could… maybe one day… see him again before I harm him any further. The last thing I wish to give him are more lies.”

“Ignis has the right mind,” Luna endeavored. “I agree with his request not to involve anyone who may be anticipating good news.”

Ravus squinted. “And such a particular favor is – how should I put this – attached.”

Ignis diverted from that direction. If either of them knew just how attached the pair once were, it could lead to further headlines. Which was unacceptable. “Please, Gladio. Don’t tell. If I endure, I should be the one to prove my wellbeing on my own. Understand this for me? Please?”

Unfair as it was, the dying man made himself clear. It would be wrong not only as a fellow man but as a friend to deny him those wishes. With Prompto and Aranea’s eyes on him for the right direction to follow, this was vital, and what must surely be for the good of all was biting his tongue. Just this once.

After agreeing to exclude the doctor’s intervention from the picture for the time being, the three officers took their turns catching Ignis up on a few things. Telling personal chronicles, sharing words of goodness casually natured as though they might be having their last chance to do so. They attempted to comfort him by offering to watch over Noctis and eventually report back on the unknown verdict of the Caelum household. Every bit of compassion they gave was appreciated and by the time they were preparing to depart back for the station, Ignis was permitted to trade brief hugs with them. He wondered, was this the first – potentially the only – time he’d ever been held by them? The difficulty of breaking embraces from each proved tough. It seemed Gladio truly cradled him. Prompto withheld his breath altogether. Aranea pleaded in his ear to keep strong. They would all see him soon, no matter the outcome.

Lunafreya generously escorted the three toward the downstairs while Ravus awaited her return in the open bedroom doorway. His features remained firm until their footsteps could no longer be heard. The man clutched the clipboard to his side then sent his glance toward Ignis…

…and there he sat up in his sheets against their qualm he may never move again. His fresh bandages shed that previous image from the moment of their arrival, and at least there was a trace of improvement from a single dosage of the elixir. Ignis wasn’t quite closer to healthy. His veins still exhibited trails of darkness and his blinded eyes were looking rather nasty. But he noticed something else besides the obvious. Luna would be better at judging so as an expert in mental illnesses. Still, Ravus saw a change in Ignis. One which existed beneath the exterior.

Ravus spun the clipboard around and laid it aside with the rest of his materials.

“Thank you Ravus, for letting us see one another. It… feels better now somehow.”

“I see. Ignis. Do you dream every night?”

He puzzled at the question.

“I hadn’t wanted to mention this in front of Lunafreya, but I happened to notice while she was out of the room that, well, apparently…” Ravus struggled. “Noctis occupies a large part of your thoughts. Calling names in your sleep might become an annoyance should you ever acquire a partner someday.”

Ignis blinked his one eye. The opposite was motionless beneath the gauze wrapped about his head. Sleep talking – was he really? He fiddling with the edge of his blanket already heavy hearted and throbbing from the long-term stimulation of the medicines. He sank into a passive state. How embarrassing.

“It isn’t common for me to dream like that, no. I don’t even remember. Goodness Ravus, my apologies…”

The elder sibling situated himself into the sole chair in the room.

“It must feel wrong treating a patient such as myself. Knowing my… preference, as I assume you do by now, must be unethical to you.”

The silver-haired man hummed. “I may misunderstand you, but you are still a person. Flesh, and heart; same as I. Treating you as a patient does not require anything about your intimate choices in this case… so there are no ties between myself and your personal life. Why should I care?”

“Hah…” Ignis softened. “Ravus, you may appear callous on the surface but truthfully I wish more people could think the way you do.”

Ravus was astonished by the statement. “What?”

“Had more people shared your opinion of my relationship, then perhaps Noct and I would have been free enough to legitimately have one.”

Both of the Nox Fleuret’s heterochromatic eyes stared over Ignis for some while. It was a lucky thing Ignis couldn’t see the rosy blush fluttering onto his face but even though Ignis couldn’t, he imagined Ravus to be considering his blunt confession.

Finally, Ravus answered with sympathy. “I was unaware. Relationships are… tricky things.” His jaw set tight. “Forgive me.”

“…There is nothing to forgive Ravus. Again, you have my thanks. I have been labeled as an intimidating person simply due to my appearance and similarly for my background. I am used to being judged, but casting such spotlights on Noctis was always unacceptable to me. I couldn’t stand the thought. I still can’t.”

“The lad seems to be a source of inspiration, Ignis. Let us use that to your advantage, shall we?”

Ignis gaped. “Use Noct? How so?”

“When you are at your limits during treatment Mr. Scientia, direct your focus not on your plights but to that which you hold dear.” Ravus scooted the chair closer toward the mattress. “Perhaps your relations with Master Caelum are more… personal than I had originally presumed. A moot point. If this person gives you strength, then it matters. You need strength right now, and if it consoles you,” he hesitated, “Lunafreya is my motivation in times of distress. There is a love for her – if you will. With that love, I am easily able to go forward.”

Ignis’ heart took a leap. “Love?”

“Between her and myself obviously, such affections are of a familial type. Yours... ah, seem to stand strong. In some ways I fathom… even stronger. From here forward, I want you to push through your pains no matter the greatness. Fight with conviction. We will pray it shall grant you what you need. Courage, if nothing else. You must ask yourself how badly you wish to live and see him again.”

Ignis paused suddenly. He caught his breath turning very still. Noctis. He had said goodbye to him. The only thing he could do was accept that they were no longer meant to be a part of each other’s lives. What more could he do like this? If he had the strength to change, could he really turn it all around?

“Do you honestly want to sit there with nothing left to lose and not give your all for what you believe in?”

For what he believes. Ignis did his best to meet Ravus’ gaze, wherever it could be held. For Noctis, he wanted the world.

“I want him to be happy. To grow into a proud man, and… for me to find that same happiness beside him.”

“Do you? Or do you want to be pitied?”

“No.”

Lunafreya at last returned to the second floor where her heels daunted to a slower pace. Ravus peeked over his shoulder to her then leant ever nearer to Ignis. It was imperative his patient was encouraged now more than ever.

“Then abandon your negative defiance. It’s rubbish. Cooperate with us, and we will see you through this. Your response to the stimulants has already been positive. Now you have to fight, Ignis. You can return to him. You’re on the verge of life and death here. Which of those paths do you want to take?”

“Brother please,” Luna spoke up with worry. “Aren’t you being harsh?”

Ignis sharpened his expression. There was little he could give for his friends, his family, or his love ones. But there was everything to lose. When Ravus put it the way he did, it dawned on him: he could get it all back. He didn’t have to let those embraces be his last. He shouldn’t let Noctis go forever. No. He could change it. If he fought for what he believed mattered, this wasn’t the end. Not anymore.

Ignis defended himself with a voice both stern and unwavering. “I’ll do it.”

His hands weakly grasped at the blankets. Knowing it would hurt to stand, he cast the obstacle of pain aside and traded it for the memory of Noct’s face. The happiness of their pasts and the honest yearning for a future. He rebuked the notion that he might give it all up when his life was not yet over. He would live. Live to fight. Fight to love.

Ignis forced himself onto his feet. Quivering, sluggish, but grounded. “I will exceed your expectations, Doctor Nox Fleuret. With your help if I may truly have it… I will take back the life that’s mine.”

Finally, the pair of siblings shared smiles.

“Now that’s what we like to hear.”

~

Days began to pass, transforming into weeks. The hours grew long. Dosages became Ignis’ dearest supply. It was admittedly torturous to say the least but days were passing. Suns rose and moons fell over Insomnia. All the clouds and stars of the changing skies watched over the Libra as Ravus and Luna began initiating their exercises to restore Ignis’ mobility first. Foot by foot Ignis was able to make himself walk again, far enough that he was able to move onto the next phases of their gradual teachings, which was the hardest by far. He had to adjust to his blindness. There was much to do and their dedicated attention proved that the doctors intended to stay and see him through.

Lunafreya was a tremendous help while Ravus monitored their research of progress. All the while, the blind man’s goals remained the same. He would live. Even through the pain. And there was plenty of that. Advancing through the drag of time, Ignis ached to survive the sting of cloth baths until he was able to endure an actual bath. Creams and healing agents went to disposal and helped his skin to regrow, changing into pale coloured tissue. Additionally, there were sessions to train his lungs. Fresh air through open windows worked wonders in aiding his breathing and to Ignis’ surprise, with each practice, the cold of winter air became tolerable on his skin.

Most interesting was having the siblings in his kitchen preparing their meals. Provisions were still finely stocked, to which Ravus reassured Ignis (multiple occasions) that they would fare before facing any need to shop for extra. The brother insisted Ignis could cook again someday on his own should the visual restoration treatment succeed.

Being nosey as he was, Ravus skimmed through a few pages in the books situated near the pantry one afternoon. “In my opinion, this Libra Elementia is a quaint little restaurant. On your talents though, I think you could do better somewhere in the upper ring. Your tastes seem very exquisite.”

Ignis shifted from the comment. It was likely meant as a compliment, but he couldn’t help clicking his tongue in contempt. His thoughts flashed to Ardyn whom he discovered had lost sense of taste completely. That idea in itself made him uncomfortable.

“I would, if such luxuries were affordable to my class, you see.”

“Ah.” Ravus suddenly ceased his chattiness.

Luna made her own comment while counting the stock and brought a saddening detail to light. “Noctis was feeding himself during his stay with you, wasn’t he? If the charts from the hospital on your release are correct, there should be more missing from the rations.”

Ignis gripped onto his sight staff. So Noctis wasn’t eating enough. Ignis was counting on the reverie that they might reunite someday. Soon, by any prayer. He knew the threat of shame would hang over them always but that was nothing new. He wondered how Noctis was doing… whether he kept his letter in reverence or hated it for what it represented. Their friendship was never meant to turn to tragedy. They were deserving of beautiful things, so Ignis would find the route back to them.

He surrendered to the injections. To bandages. Elixirs. Methods. One by one. Treatment and cleaning at a steady pace to prepare the stages anew for the next. Repeating. Patterned from days, to weeks, to months. The Nox Fleurets remained and Ignis was comforted by their persistence.

The real fear however closed its jaws around the Libra when bleaker moments ensued. Especially at night when the forced cries of impending spasms came. The warped voice of Ignis’ panic split the air of peace turning it into a living hell. He couldn’t control himself during the seizures. The medics responded brave and swift in every instance. Professionals in their element. Yet this too was horrific for anyone to bear.

Fight it. Ignis countered against his war of self with conviction. For Noctis.

He didn’t understand how his body could survive so much – from the internal scourge, to boiling blood and putrid expel. Any occurrence was an opportunity for them to learn and develop. They could predict when the next waves would come and how to prevent their ferocity.

Luna held a wrist over her mouth in a particularly violent episode far after midnight. The scene before her was sheerly devastating after she snapped from her sleep to investigate a rumble heard in the dark. Her nightgown swayed as she ran toward the hallway from their spare bed in terror that Ignis might have fallen and was disappointed to find her horror come true. Seeing Ignis to have come along at a marvelous rate, they entrusted him to handle on his two feet in sparse exceptions. Ignis was managing to pour his own drinks now and dressing himself without pain. Lunafreya had confidence his growth was excelling because of these little climbs. Coming to discover him at the drop of the staircase huddled up at the mercy of tremors snuck up on her guard and stole the valor right from her.

Ravus hurried behind her while his eyes squinted under to search for a light switch. He was careful approaching the two. He found tears in Luna’s eyes.

“We couldn’t prevent this… Please, be still. It’s alright. We’re here.”

Ravus took in the sight of her before rushing to help and tried to stabilize himself. It was easier to lose sight of his drive when his sister was exposed to the Shadow. Precisely the reason he first denied her travel with him. Ravus promptly removed his night robe and laced it around the sick man’s body.

“Scientia…”

Ignis’ attention lifted to him through the tension of his muscles. His chin pointed up, arms strapped around himself and clinging for the robe with the floor unceremoniously beneath him. “I’m… sorry…”

“Breathe. I need you to breathe. Can you do that?”

Luna turned to her brother who staggered her with his tranquility. Ignis heaved, obviously shaken by his plunder, but did what he could to relax.

“Good. Keep breathing. This will be over soon.”

Ignis nodded through the pain. It was the only answer he could manage. His eyelids squeezed shut tight as the tar of the disease dripped from his lips.

Ravus exhaled through his nostrils. “Lunafreya,” he whispered. His voice was grim. She had already been scarred enough by past experiences with the Shadow. “Perhaps you should go back upstairs…”

By the look on her face, he felt she was against any suggestion to leave. While he loathed his sister witnessing this, he wanted to trust her decision. Ravus pulled his dust veil closer over his nose.

The coughing. It burnt everything and didn’t appear to know cease. Ignis coiled toward them. Those he now viewed as companions. Their hands didn’t frighten him where they touched, no. Instead, they gave him shelter. And he believed in them.

The fingers on Luna’s hand lightly clenched. “You are not alone,” her voice pacified. “We’re here with you.”

There was a pause. “We are here Ignis,” Ravus added beside her. “We will stay with you.”

Once he was restored to a competent state, Ravus and Luna returned Ignis to his bed with a fresh glass of milk which he had been initially searching for. Warm by request. Something to heat his palms and loosen his esophagus despite the fever. Silently, the cup reminded him of the one he missed. With as much time gone by already since Noctis’ departure, Ignis was unable to conjure how he was really getting along in the world. He hadn’t read a newspaper in ages, let alone dare to ask about him from either the officers or his caretakers. It emulated selfishness to be fantasizing him somewhere deep down. In spite of all that, Ignis continued to think of him. Wishing him well. Craving someday that he would have the courage to face Noctis again. He wondered what he’d say. How he’d approach the boy he felt his first love for and tell of his time spent recovering with the Nox Fleurets in his very bar. Would he believe him? Be overjoyed… or completely overcome?

Feasibly, confronting Noctis after sending him away only to contradict it all with his appearance was sure to leave an impact. Reuniting would solidify that he was indeed alive and well – if he could get that far – but the choice to do so appeared counterintuitive from the distance he’d put between them.

Into the following days, Ignis dreamt of Noctis more and more. Both sorrow and bliss burrowing a hole into his chest where the heart longed for its completing pieces. Calling out in the dead of night through sweat into whispers and cries. A tossing that mirrored his motivations, yet troubling him all the same. Could their goodbye have crushed his beloved, or had it set him free at last?

…and which was worse?

~

“I shouldn’t be long.” Ravus straightened out the auburn coat around his shoulders. The broad of the fabric adjusted snug around the prosthetic mechanic attached at his left socket as he rotated it into place. “While I know you are faultless on your own, I trust you better here than alone at the market of a city we are still unfamiliar with. My conscience is clear knowing you’re protected indoors, Lunafreya. Don’t argue.”

“A marketplace is not so dangerous to a woman, Ravus.” His sister grinned subtly as she could. Her hands busied themselves with the material before her laid out along the Libra’s bar top counter. She set aside the Insomnian hospital bag found earlier in the spare bedroom, emptying it of its contents and began organizing the pieces. “You’re certainly not in question of my budgeting, correct?”

The older brother fixed his posture while ensuring all he needed for his short trip was in place. “No? Think of it then as a feeding ground for criminals, perhaps. They are less likely to approach myself than a delicate girl from oversea going all on her own, and Ignis needs one of us here. I can handle the market.”

Luna expected as much of a reaction so she simply let Ravus have the success of this argument.

“Our tenacious patient hasn’t exempted any signs of strong reactions in the last week, and the likelihood of those reoccurring have slimmed. It’s looking like good news afterall, sister. You shan’t be expecting any trouble during my time away.”

“No signs of addictive responses in his charts either?”

Ravus shook his head. “Not a one. I have to say I’m perplexed at the curve this treatment has taken. It’s of the foulest Shadows I’ve seen and yet somehow, Ignis has impressed me.”

“Impressed you say?” Luna lifted her brows and stepped up to see her brother to the front door. “That’s a compliment I do believe.”

“I suppose but don’t get carried away with that. I was doubtful before, but his behavioral readjustment as well as both his breathing exercises and motion training show favor now. This is all I’m saying.”

“Aren’t you glad?”

The hope Ravus found in his sister’s eyes momentarily softened him. “It is good news… Now, stay safe while I’m out. Remember, I will only acquire what is needed then return. I’ll head toward the police station for referral with that captain Amicitia, and there may be delay to send telegrams back to Tenebrae. If I’m not back within the next three hours-”

“Ravus, don’t be silly. A man like you can handle this.” The girl left a good-mannered jeer in her tone, fully aware that Ravus only meant well. She was confident of him to turn out fine and retrieve stock for their inventory.

The pair shared a small embrace. Seconds afterwards, Ravus was down the cobblestone road, coat tugged close in the breeze of upcoming Spring. Through cool air as it pooled around inside the Libra’s open doorway, Luna paused to listen to the birds. Sunlight beamed down from a clear blue sky filled with chirping songs to melt the final traces of snow. It seemed the last signs of winter were coming to an end. A good year was to come. Perhaps a warmer one than usual, but Luna felt that the odds were in their favor indeed. She was full of relief, constant in her faiths and looking forward to a bright future ahead.

The stats marked on Ignis’ recovery documents were worth smiling upon. Not only had he made a turn-around regardless of the extent to his suffering, but taught them very much about their approaches to the closeness of healing at home. Because of this, understanding their methodical solutions clarified many of the data they’d never seen before. These rare hallucinations and episodes, sensitivity and internal bleeding, they were all subsiding. And perhaps it was their relationship with him that brought them to a greater understanding of things.

Lunafreya carried the contents she prepared and made way upstairs. The building in whole including the bedrooms had already been decontaminated thoroughly from top to bottom today, so she went quietly as she could toward the windowless bedroom where Ignis slept. Her body soundlessly entered past the doorframe. Thank goodness she thought that he was getting much more rest and actually keeping it. His marks from the blaze that trapped him were transforming back into hale skin. The area of scarring narrowed down to the deeper gashes scattered across brow, bridge and lip. Even now she noticed a remarkable luminosity to him. By some divine power up above… he was restoring.

Her shoes stopped her before the dresser where she produced a match and with it, began to light the wicks of several candles. The warmth should do well in its purpose to comfort with pleasantry. Afterall, these were the very same kind found near to extinguished the night they came to him.

“May they set your mind at ease.”

Her blessed murmur stayed in the room as she parted with a glance and moved onto the hallway.

Fumes of the aroma candles lifted into the room. Free from the tangle of bandages and not quite as limited in his mobility, Ignis inhaled long and deep from his realm of slumber. The scent was a familiar one. He could taste it. It was an experience unforgettable. This fragrance… It was the past and the present. It was the sound of footsteps in marble hallways at the Caelum palace. It was the heaven of Noctis and his clumsiness, falling around, tinting Ignis with fondness soft and sweet as romance. It was now; perfume that clings in everything. Alleviating and reminding.

Suddenly, Ignis was stepping forward. He was both nowhere and everywhere all at once. With each new stride, he could feel floorboards taking form beneath his feet. The world was black and white. No colour could be seen from anywhere.

Though the world echoed with a strange motionlessness as though unchained from the restraints of time, he searched for the source of the smell. Wonderful it was. He longed to be closer to it… those golden memories they evoked. Ignis searched the corridor of his home. The difference of sleep and waking was dulled by blindness, thus, telling differences was a lost cause. It was unimportant anyway.

Ignis scanned the stairs. The kitchen… “That’s where it’s coming from.”

Along the bar as he stepped down Ignis spied a few empty beer mugs standing on their own with no one to drink them. Had Gladio been over draining his supply as always? Maybe he’d brought over his police friends and they’d been awaiting Ignis to arrive back from some provisional absence. Ignis fell into an impulse and reached out for a cloth hanging on one of the racks. Next, he put himself to work scrubbing the cups. There didn’t seem to be any layers of dust here but the need consumed him all the same.

Then, magically, from over the devoid sheen of the glass in his hands, Ignis spotted someone. There were no guesses to who it could be as the single soul rested in his favourite chair. An image so natural it was a landscape made of colour. Colours, yes… he still remembered what those looked like. Peach lips, ocean eyes, clothes of hue and glowing presence so radiant he was the only rainbow in a world of darkness.

“Noctis!”

His customer’s eyes pointed down, pencil moving leisurely against the pages of a book once gifted him back when the world was still secretly theirs. Ever poorly poised, one foot hooked in a tuck behind the other leg, Noctis hunched his back and basked in a colourless sunlight coming through the windows.

Here in dreams they were together.

Ignis ran from around the bar and yanked a menu into his hands along the way as he went for the table. Beautiful he was there. In slow motion did the young master lift his head. The swing of his hair captured Ignis’ attention wonderfully. Mesmerizing him. He felt he might melt or collapse – whichever came first. It was the same as each time in the beginning. He’d always spent too much time staring at Noctis no matter whether the younger man knew. Awkwardly fumbling around phrases and looking forward to his every return.

Ignis skid to the edge of the table. “Noctis, can I bring you a drink? I’ll get the oven running fast, don’t you worry.”

Not long after arriving there, Ignis saw how his regular simply widened his harmless grin. Noctis said nothing but the way he tightened his shoulders instead suggested he was trying to hide a chuckling reaction. Somehow, he didn’t need to say a word. Ignis’ eyes began to swell with water at the sight of him, pure and happy the way he used to be.

“Are you blushing?”

‘…You’re finally here.’

“Well, yes of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

‘You were going to die. You chose it; to give up and leave everything behind.’

“Ah… an ugly truth… How about we review the specials for now and have a different discussion? I have missed you.”

‘Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?’

Ignis’ smile upheld. Despite being weighted heavily by the query, he refused to let his happiness fall. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to keep you here like this. I had thought by letting you stay with me, you would have everything you wanted. But I have hurt you instead with a clouded desire. I never meant to, Noctis. It was one of my fears. Can you… please forgive me for that?”

Noctis inhaled and let it pass through his lips quietly. ‘You were mine. Did you know that?’

That was when Ignis started sinking into despair. This was the same confrontation used before at the police station. So he was certainly sleeping then. But even in dreaming he could not escape these insecurities. Ignis stammered. In the end, he failed to find a solution.

‘I loved you, Ignis. I wonder if you were ever going to figure that out.’

“But… I knew. At least, I think I had for a very long time.”

‘It sounds to me like you’ll never really change. What’s your problem?’

“Noctis…” His problem? Ignis didn’t have to pretend here. He knew what it was. “The problem is me. I am unfit for this… for you.”

Those gems of glorious blue now faced him in full. There were storms raging inside them. ‘I never cared about any of that.’

“But I did. It was always me who couldn’t stand tainting you in any way possible. My last wish was to save you the only way I could, so you would not die by standing by me. That way, you would not… ache by having ever known me.”

Noctis abruptly got to his feet. The motion felt more than serious. ‘I wanted you to trust me more than you hated yourself. That was why I loved you. But what of it now? If all you’ll do is regret me, then I’m of no use here. I’d better move on and quit hanging onto you.’ Noctis loomed face to face with Ignis before turning his gaze away to mutter. ‘I guess it’s time for me to leave.’

“No. Wait-” Ignis stepped closer and placed a palm down over the wood surface. “Please stay? Don’t go and leave me. Would you like some pastries? I can start them now and you won’t have to go anywhere else… There’s nowhere I have to send you this time.”

Unexpectedly, a humbling sensation immediately reminded him how easygoing his lover could be. Casual and relaxed in the face of any danger. Though his glare screamed of anger, a touch void of any transgressions came over Ignis’ hand there at the table. Noctis laid his palm against him and, inching, tangled their fingers together. He would still dare to seek contact with him? After goodbye, after fighting and stains of ugliness had soured their love?

Maybe… there really was no danger here.

When the texture of his hand drifted upward and met Ignis’ cheek, he swore he felt real warmth cupping his flesh and where his fingers curled to the edge of his hairline, stroking ear and tucking back strands, Ignis found salvation. There was a relief unlike any other.

‘You idiot,’ Noct chastised, and it sounded just like what he might really say. ‘I was never afraid of you. You’re weak… but so am I. We’re people. That’s just what we’re stuck with. But I don’t care about weakness because you chose me. I needed you as my strength, so where the hell did you go?’

The bartender gradually lowered onto his knees, his eyes never leaving the raven and clasped both hands into Noctis’ before pressing down his forehead to the space of his lap. There, he surrendered to an upmost peace. This was the truth. He confided in that sacred faith where Noctis welcomed him and Ignis believed himself to feel untied by the burdens that suffocated them both.

‘Neither one of us are perfect. That wasn’t something that could chase me away. I never asked for anyone flawless anyway. You were never someone filthy or unfit for the world, or for anyone, but what you were to me… was dear. I was trying to help you see that the whole time, you stubborn man. Why do I have to be mean to break through to you?’

Ignis shut his eyes. Only the wonder of Noct’s voice infiltrated his senses. Noctis banished his own judgement as though cleansing his soul. Reality all this time perhaps hadn’t been quite so scary as long as Noctis was there to shelter him. A filter – a life who looked to him and found acceptance there. The Shadow was his biggest battle, crumbling his esteem and morality, but the fragments that shattered off of him would no longer scatter. Ignis would never abandon what he believed in again. That was something survival had taught him. Ignis thought he was breaking, but never could he recall a time someone was able to bring every single piece back together in the aftermath. Somehow, Noctis saved him, and brought him to life with rainbows.

‘You’re fine, Specs. You’re gonna be okay.’ Noctis curved himself inward ever slightly until he was sitting down again and lifting his hands up to lay in the locks of his hair. ‘One day… come see me again so I can be okay, too.’

Noctis loved him. He always had and would no matter what. Ignis was good enough to want him, good enough to live, and worthy of coming back.

He wasn’t afraid anymore.

Noct’s fingers wove into Ignis’ strands and for a glimmer he seemed un-imaginary, protecting him. Understanding and letting him come undone without malice.

“Yes… I’m coming home to you this time, Noct.” He would never doubt it again. “I’m coming home.”

Ignis felt his hand extend to something of a breeze and found that the dream was ending. All that lingered behind in Noct’s embrace as it disappeared were the fumes of his candles. Flickering flames. The very same spheres of light and love once used as ceremony to a practical funeral. No longer would they remind him of hopelessness. No. Now, there was courage.

Noctis.

Ignis’ fingers clenched weakly into the curl of a fist, aspiring to grasp the fictitious remnants of colour left lingering in his mind. Ignis parted his eyelids and marveled at his departure from the vivid dream. This strength coming over him… was it always there?

Suddenly, his tired brain began to focus. Oh. There were candles lit in his room afterall. He shuffled in his sheets up to seated and noticed the crack in his door and how the daylight from beyond highlighted the outline of the hallway beyond. Ignis fanned his lashes as he scanned the waver of each wick.

Burning yellows on their white wax. Rings of gold on the walls. Elegant trails of aroma in the air.

“Impossible…”

Ignis touched his fingertips against his face.

Next Lady Lunafreya knew, she was throwing her head up at the excited call of the man upstairs. She gripped the edge of the chair she was firmly tucking into its table when the holler captivated her in both shock and uncertainty. Though it startled the woman, it didn’t sound that Ignis was hurt. Luna surged with a terrified adrenaline, that was, until Ignis came speeding down the stairs.

“M-Mr. Scientia? Goodness, slow down!” She stuck out her arm as she paced fast towards the steps in the storage room.

Ignis met here there, two eyes round pointed at her direction and a smile stretched even bigger. He threw an enthusiastic outburst at her, moving about into the kitchen. The woman’s own stare blew wide on him. Had she heard him, right? She had to. How else could he be scooping her hands up into his own and stepping so precisely with both eyes roaming in every direction? Ignis admired everything at an unstoppable speed. His pupils moved to take in all they could and their greens, though reduced, were ardent with energy.

“You’ve opened all the curtains and cracked the windows. The chairs are settled down-” Ignis lavished the sights, “and the teacup set is stationed here, the oven mitts are hanging on the cupboard and- Lady Luna, it’s real!”

She went on to gape in awe as Ignis told of his waking mere minutes ago with both eyes feeling rejuvenated. Colour, depth, shapes and perception all present. With time, Luna herself was equally animated. Their hearts bound with thrill.

“You can see!”

As the two were priding over Ignis’ renewal of sight, the ringing of the front doorbell drew their focus forward. The sign reading ‘sorry, we’re closed’ flapped back and forth with a gust of winter’s wind and Ravus stepped inside. Ignis and Luna both hastened toward him.

“I’m earlier than expected,” he started but quickly hobbled backward on his heels as he was approached. “Stars, what has the both of you so wiry? You’re giddy as children. Did something happen?”

Suddenly, the room was filled with their voices, exclaiming and energetic.

“O-One at a time-!”

~

Ravus sat down the last of the stock into its respective place and relinquished a long exhale. “Let me get this straight,” he started. “After waking from your sleep, both your eyes came open and you’re telling me they’re both functionable?”

“That is correct.” Ignis nodded and the smile upon his lips touched his eyes. Though the emeralds had dulled to gentle shades of mint, they trailed Ravus throughout the room not by the ways of sound in which Ignis traced noise with his ears, but by authentic sight. His pupils shifted to inspect as they naturally should, and for the first time in over a year. “Things are not perfectly clear in both eyes, but it is somewhat similar to my previous vision. Details are obscure and yet… I recognize colours and shapes. It’s incredible.”

“Yes. It certainly is astonishing,” Ravus sounded out. “There is credibility to it all though. You have been under serious recovery for quite some time.” He produced a pen from his pocket to test the reflexes of the man claiming his blindness to have left him. The results of luring his eyes and examining each iris individually proved the same outcome. “Well, you can thank your lucky stars, Scientia. Seems things are looking up for you.”

The smile upon Ignis grew wider and in the small gap of quiet between them, Ignis saw Ravus start to smile too. What a pleasant image. He might never have believed it if it weren’t right here in front of him. Blessed be, Ignis had his sight again. And although things had somewhat changed in the Libra around him, he was vastly thankful to behold it all.

The elder sibling stood, thoughtfully strumming his chin as he paced across the open floor. “We have been in Insomnia for quite a long time. All our work files from home are taking too long to transfer back and forth, and we’ll be very needed once we return.”

Ignis’ newfound gaze tracked after Ravus. Luna too began to focus questioningly on him.

“We are due for our homecoming to Tenebrae soon, sister. You must be missing the service dogs too… I know how attached you are with Pryna and Umbra. The officers will receive an update once they check in. Should Ignis be in his final stages of recovery, that is, this should all be exquisite news.”

Ignis practically exuded approval. “Splendid-”

“Before you act asinine and get ahead of yourself,” Ravus interrupted to make a suggestion. “Why don’t we put those senses of yours to a real test? I want to know whether you are capable of being left on your own yet. It may take a few tries before you are savvy with the processes again, but I would like to proceed experimenting. Perhaps with enough practice, you may be a single stride away from functioning normally on your own.”

“You truly think so?”

“Not without continuing your treatment of course. They should still be used just to be sure. That is, until you can confidently assert you no longer need it.”

“What was it you had in mind, Ravus?”

The doctor hummed, then made a simper. “Cook for us.”

Ignis raised his brows and balked. “You want me to work behind the stove?”

“Your countertops, your burners,” Ravus gestured his arm to the variety. “It’s all been spot cleaned each day so you should be available to serve right away.”

Lunafreya was skeptical. “I am not so sure. Isn’t this sudden?”

The more Ignis thought about it, the more he wanted to believe it was already possible. Functioning naturally once again was something he strongly desired. He just had to push a little harder. He tenderly addressed Lunafreya and her contemplation. “Madam, if I may. This is my kitchen. I’ve spent years familiarizing myself with it. Won’t you grant me the chance to prove myself?”

With the lady’s waning approval, Ignis glanced around. First, he needed to know what was to work with. What ingredients did he have in the pantry? What would he crave on an early morning fresh from the market? He hadn’t had coffee in such a long time either. It was not sane for his character. There were a few dishes already mentally built up to pair with a warm, dark brew for himself and the doctors. Not long later and Ignis snapped his fingers.

“That’s it!”

He set to work on the steps of assembly followed by preparation. His efficiency quickly returned right back to action the way it was when the restaurant sign read ‘yes, we’re open’ at a near constant. Ignis started a flame on the oven, unafraid yet cautious and orderly. Within minutes, the scent of sweet fixings came together, rising up and spreading everywhere. Ignis multitasked to the alternate side of the counter and arranged his beloved brewer, ensuring he would make enough for three. Coffee again after ages…This wouldn’t only be a trial to self-satisfy, heavens, it would be its own reward.

A trio of mugs were filled, post to a instinctual dusting. All the while, the two surveyed him, tangible achievement on their features. Once two servings of breakfast were readied, there was no room left for doubt that he could see. He could walk upright. He was free of coughs and only rarely victim to a shortness of breath. All things in account, Ignis had transformed vastly since yesterday. Overnight, the man had experienced exceptional change. Good change.

“Fine reflexes, Ignis.”

Ignis proudly straightened his back after setting the plates down at a table for them. It felt beyond brilliant knowing he had not been a failure. He had done something useful. “My gratitude, Ravus. And to you too, my Lady.”

“How’s your pain level?”

“Actually, I’m feeling rather well as of the moment.” He bowed his head. “Bon appétit.”

The two dined on his recipe while Ignis stood idly by, leant on the counter and occasionally sipping from a warm mug in his hands. The delicious Ebony brand had been missed, blessing his taste buds with every drink. At the end of his last bite, Ravus dabbed at his lips with a handkerchief then folded it to set beside the empty dishes.

“A decent meal does indeed fuel the mind for thought.” He sighed, pleased with the serving.

In his long time away from Tenebrae, it seemed Ravus was beginning to sprout some facial hairs and might be in need of a shave if he desired to maintain his usual sleek image. Just as Ignis was about to offer him the sink and razor, Ravus spoke up.

“With matters finally in order now, I shall like to present you with a check at my first convenience.”

Ignis made an awkward smile. If Ravus was being conclusive about this result, then he thought the man might have been readying a bill for the medical service. A bead of sweat formed at his brow and he gave a slight glimpse towards Ravus’ pocketbook when he produced it. “It’s not necessary to pay me. Not at all. You’ve done so much…”

“Actually, thanks to the advanced statistics of your recovery, Lunafreya and I were able to learn a grand amount about natural responses to the elixir’s healing properties. We think it can help us greatly in future Shadow cases.”

Ignis chimed to the explanations. His grip tightened on the mug handle. “What does that mean, exactly?”

“It means that I’ll be granting you payment for the contribution; courtesy of our medical department, and on behalf of the potential lives you will help save. You’ve aided us in our development to the very first effective cure for the Shadow.”

Ravus unfolded the daily newspaper and stuck his nose into it to hide any emotion that might otherwise be taken as unprofessional. A cure… and Ignis played a valid part in it? It reached him deeply. Down to a place that had long grieved the loss of his parents who could not fight against it and the lives of those affected by the city’s plague. First he was fighter to it, recovering his sight and overcoming the hardships of terminal illness. Now he was told that the future was brighter than anticipated.

“I have the both of you to thank… For my health, and for the hope to save others…” Stars above, what words did he have to offer in exchange?

“Our success is enough reward, I say,” Lunafreya declared. “And, to compensate our unexpected occupancy with you… well. It’s only the right thing to do.”

A payment coming from doctors. Such things weren’t heard of in contracts between specialists and their patients, were they? Ignis only now began to consider what debt he might have been in for the rest of his life to them. The treatments weren’t possibly cheap, nor simple to continuously administrate. He couldn’t fathom a decent response.

“Are you trying to say that you and I are ‘even’?” he tried.

“Perhaps,” Ravus answered swiftly. He cleared his throat. “You’ll hear from me about it once I can organize the rest of my figures, but after this inauguration performance, I believe we will indeed be ‘even’.”

“Wait. Inauguration?” Ignis peeked at the pages in Ravus’ hands. “What is that?”

“Ah. That thick-headed Noctis is pushing his ascent to company rule faster than planned. Must be some vicissitudes going on at the Caelum manor.”

Ignis caught Ravus leaving a light smack against a headline in the paper. Though he focused and even squinted hard along the lines, he couldn’t perfectly make out the words.

“Is it possible you could elaborate on that for me? The letters are difficult to make out without my lenses.” With his previous pair left behind in the blaze, he might require a full evaluation to construct new ones. That could be sorted on another day.

Luna and Ignis both listened as Ravus read from the article. “The lad has restricted the information concerning his uncle from the media, according to what these authors had to say about it. That feels plenty motivation to let the grudges between Ardyn and myself go.”

Ardyn. Was Noctis protecting him? Ignis let a frown slip over his mouth, scars from the past causing a dented texture on the plump flesh.

“The affliction must be difficult to introduce to the people. Anosmia is more commonly hereditary than it is inflicted, and even then, it’s particularly rare.” Luna expanded the subject.

Her brother agreed and skimmed the text once more. “While that’s true, in Ardyn’s case, the symptoms began in his childhood after an incident that caused damage to his brain. Unfortunately, there are no surgeries advanced enough to correct his condition and he was distraught to be denied any possible antidotes.”

“It must have been very traumatic for him then. Goodness, and especially being heir to his business at the time, no less.”

Suddenly, Ravus sloped with a startle. “How do you know about that? I can’t imagine this was something Noctis told you.”

“By no means. He wasn’t made aware until after the kidnapping. A lot was revealed that night… But I believe it’s sensible to assume those truths are all but exposed in the manor now.”

Ignis politely sat himself down and clutched at his nearly empty cup. In wake of all this, he found his heart grown restless. Noctis would be taking over Lucis Scents very fast. He prayed it wasn’t a reckless choice and that he knew what he was doing. Was he content with that future? Did he want it? Swallowing, he dared to wonder, would it make it him happy and what should he do himself now that there was a completely uncertain horizon laid out ahead of him?

“You’re in love with him,” Luna whispered, which turned Ignis red in the ears as he sent an anxious gawp toward Ravus. The young lady asserted herself to Ravus as though reprimanding him before speaking. “We do not have a problem, do we?”

The sharp glare Ravus bore over the top of the newspaper nulled. He groaned in denial. “No.”

Lunafreya’s question rekindled adoration he had known could never be dowsed. His fingers twiddled on the cup. Perhaps it was due to seeing his portrait at the estate. The image of Noctis young and bright in that painting still haunted his memory. It was one of the last clear visions of his lover’s face – and from a time in life he did not get to know or appreciate him. It too was gone by now. Destroyed and reduced to ash by the flames.

“Silly… I’d only met Noctis some years after returning to work in Insomnia. I seem to be remembering him in an oddly familiar way that stretches back…” That love for Noctis had always fascinated him. No one could ever hold such a power over him the same way.

“You must miss him something terrible.”

“Ah, yes.” Ignis retracted from those thoughts. It would be improper to sully the table with anything unnecessary about himself regarding Noctis under such tender light. But it was true, and he hoped to make the most of that truth. “More than I could say, my Lady.”

“You will get your chance to see him again, Ignis.”

Ravus laid the newspaper down flat in its original fold. “That’s more probable than you think. He’s hosting a gala at the end of next month. It may be too late with the invitations already mailing out to request personal entrance, but there are vacancies expected in the event of his musical performance. You can squeeze in.” Ravus then raised a sharp brow and crossed his arms. “It isn’t up to me whether you follow your ambitions or not. But you are alive and able, Mr. Scientia, and so long as you keep going, you have new chances each day. I would advise you not take them for granted.”

No. He already made a promise he would never do that again. This was his chance today, and living to see tomorrow would be his next. Ignis would fight for that chance. Nodding, he met Ravus with resolve, decided to himself: He would live. He would live happy. And he would make the choices his heart longed to reclaim.

~

Ignis was apprehensive as he straightened the lapels of the suit top and checked to make sure the tails of the jacket were fixed properly. The price tag frightened him out of his skin upon first acknowledgement, but it was within his new budget to buy such clothing more than a dozen times. He couldn’t refute; it was surreal handling the expensive textile in his hands, wearing it on his body and actually debating the final purchase. Since the Nox Fleurets had secured temporary housing elsewhere in the upper rings of the city, their invitation to the luxury shop encouraged him to look his best for the upcoming occasion. Knowing the doctors he came to think of as friends would be there to watch the performance loosened his nerves, but Noctis would be there too and he was sure to be looking his best. Perhaps it was that factor making Ignis so nervous in front of the long mirror studying himself.

The tailors at this boutique were so kind to provide their best suggestions to the men while the seamstress worked tending to Lady Lunafreya’s deluxe gown across the way. The lead couturier recommended the optimum material to don for a formal event. Pleated trousers to match his vest, accessories to tie it all together, nothing being too over the top.

Ignis gulped and turned with open arms to gather a second opinion.

“It’s fine,” Ravus commented dryly at his side. He hadn’t looked, nor did he know what Ignis was referring. He extended his wrist for a measurement of his hand to be taken by their assistant. “Thank you kindly, sir.”

“I haven’t even asked you anything yet.”

“The golds will highlight your stature, slim your form.” Ravus wasn’t so good at delivering compliments. He muttered a few times before gesturing a free hand to the open to pull words from the sky. “It, ah, it… it brings out your eyes.”

Ignis chuckled. “Thank you, I suppose. If you did in fact mean that.”

The smooth buttons lining his chest accentuated the golden chain attached from the ascot, pinned to the pocket and drew the eyes to all the right places. He’d never actually seen himself in an entire shining ensemble like this before. And at the mention of eyes, Ignis stopped to really stare at his facial reflection.

Ignis breathed out. “Not the same man as one year ago.”

Ravus paused from stretching the fit of a new pair of gloves and set them down to take a true gander. “You’re right. And it’s been a fair while since you were victim to illness… Are you comfortable with who you see now?”

A prevailing question. One Ignis might always ask himself. Were he looking at the younger Ignis Scientia who trembled at the sheer thought of Insomnia’s veil of dust and not the one standing survivor to it today, it may have left him disgruntled. He might have turned away, uninterested and certain not finding what he does now: a proud man, stronger and wiser. Hopeful for a future unhidden.

“If you’re bothered about the appeal for the new property, don’t be.” Ravus thanked the gentleman for his work with the gloves and promptly left them in the shop’s care to package. Ravus then pat the self-conscious fellow on his shoulder, nudging him forward. “There’s no one who wants it more than you do. After the conversation you had with the investors, your odds are favorable. Be more optimistic, Scientia.”

“There have been plenty who wanted to buy from me for years. Ever since I returned to Insomnia, actually. I truly pray to procure the land once I’ve sold.”

“See? Now you’ll have something to look forward to.”

Two ‘vision’ jokes in one go. Ignis couldn’t help smirking. “My lord, is that cheer I hear coming from you, Ravus?” He smoothed out the wrinkles on his shoulder. His cheeks raised from a grin. The mirror in front of him displayed his full figure in crystal clear detail, and he took the time to truly admire himself without regret. The scars on his face had faded and thankfully didn’t draw as much attention to them as they once did. In spite of the little bits of evidence on the bridge of his nose, over his bottom lip and gashing his left brow, he was in clear view of himself again. Vast liveliness filled his green spheres with determination.

“Now, just remember what I told you.”

“I do,” Ignis said.

“Ashes to ashes as they say,” Ravus stated. And dust to dust. “Think you can handle what you’re setting yourself up for this time?”

Somehow, without explanation or the need to find one, he found that reflection in the mirror to display a never before seen beauty. At last, Ignis felt renewed and content with the smile looking back at him. He took a long, healthy inhale to clear his airways. “I am ready.”