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Tredd Furia had always been a ‘firecracker’. Short tempered, always looking for a fight, even before the refugees had been brought into Insomnia. Once their homelands had been taken over, and they sought refuge behind the wall, it increased ten fold.
Because of how much he hated how the Glaives were being treated; used, abused and tossed aside when no longer fit to serve the king, it was easy to be swayed by Drautos. To be told they could get back at the royal family who, in their eyes, helped destroy their own; with promises of freedom and getting their homes back, though that wasn’t necessarily what Tredd was aiming for. He was a selfish man with selfish desires, and just wanted to survive on the winning side, he’d figure out the rest later.
However, things changed in ways Tredd wasn’t expecting. After the non-traitorous Glaives fell for the trap Drautos had set up, Tredd and other traitor Glaives waited for their cue. He watched on the screen as hundreds of innocent lives were gunned down by the Empire. Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. Innocent bystanders who simply wanted to see the two nations united peacefully, gunned down in the streets.
How was this any different from what happened to his own home?
Knowing it would only bring jokes and jeers, Tredd kept his thoughts to himself while the others laughed it off. Axis slapped Tredd on the arm, making a joke about how someone just had to watch their family member die, and he tasted bile on his tongue.
This wasn’t any different from what happened to his own home.
He stayed quiet as they continued to watch, until they finally received their cue. Nyx and Lunafreya had made it back to Insomnia and had meddled with their plans to get the ring from the king. “Secure the ring at all costs.”
Tredd managed to go off alone after receiving their orders, watching the others walk off in excitement. They were finally getting what they wanted, right? To get back at the people who helped destroy their lives, even if at the end of the day, it had been the Empire to attack their homes.
As he walked, there was a deep sense of unease that had finally been pushed to the surface. Sure, talking about attacking the Citadel, going after the crown, was good and all, but at what price? Tredd thought of no one but himself, but to die like these people did seemed like a pretty awful way to go.
Perhaps it was by accident, or fate, but Tredd ran into Libertus Ostium. Walking with a limp, carrying two walkie talkies, Libertus had stopped and looked at Tredd, a blaze in his eye. “What are you doing here?” Suspicion laced Libertus’ words.
“Got my own orders to--” Tredd was cut off by one of the walkie talkies. General Glauca explaining that they were all to head to Sector D to intercept Nyx and Lunafreya.
“For Hearth and Home.”
Tredd could see the wheels turning in Lib’s head, trying to figure out who had said that and decided to expedite the process. “It’s Captain Drautos.”
Libertus stopped and stared at Tredd. “And how do you know this?”
Tredd shrugged before folding his arms across his chest. “Because I do. I was part of that group. They all wanted revenge so badly they didn’t care who they hurt. Most have already gotten themselves killed in the process. Decided it wasn’t worth it, went off on my own. Now here I am.”
He went quiet as he shifted his stance, debating on what to tell Libertus next. “You know, he plans on killing them, taking the ring, and heading back to Niflheim.”
“Then we need to stop him. He can’t get away with this!” the ferocity in Lib’s voice made Tredd smirk. Libertus, always spouting off words, but never acting on them.
“Yeah? And how do you expect us to do anything about it? We’ve lost our magic, the king is dead. I’ve seen Glauca, there’s no way a normal man can even stand a chance.” Tredd sneered. Just the thought of attempting to take on Glauca was laughable, they would die within moments.
“Maybe we don’t need to kill him, just slow him down enough to get Nyx and Lunafreya out. I think… I think I know what we can do.” Libertus began walking off without a response from Tredd, who was watching the man in disbelief. He had the audacity to believe Tredd would help without actually asking him?
Yet, Tredd found himself following the man to a car that had been left on the side of the road in a panic as if on autopilot. As he got into the passenger side he glanced over at Libertus who had found the keys and started the car. “We’re just wingin’ it aren’t we?”
Libertus shrugged. The entire drive was quiet between the two men, though the walkie-talkies went off sporadically, giving locations of other members of the resistance. As they drove up to find Nyx laying on the ground with Titus above him, Tredd glanced over and saw the look in Libertus’ eye, panic flowing through him.
“What are you doing? You’re going to get us killed!” Tredd shouted as Libertus hit the gas pedal, ramming right into Drautos. The force alone would have killed a normal man, but Titus Drautos was no normal man. The moment they made impact with him and the half wall, he morphed into General Glauca and flipped the car over onto its hood.
‘This is it. This is how I die.’ Tredd thought to himself, as the car landed. Groaning, he managed to undo his seatbelt, falling to the roof of the car before crawling out, watching as Luna made her way to Nyx before Glauca did.
Something came over him as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. An overpowering anger over everything they’ve lost. Over Drautos not actually caring about the men and women from Galahd. That everything they had done and worked towards was for nothing as thousands of people continued to die for a lost cause.
Adrenaline pulsed through Tredd’s system as he pushed himself up and ran towards them.
“Nah, not today hero. I’m tired of you taking over the spotlight.” Tredd spoke as he snatched the ring from Luna’s hand and shoved it onto his own.
It was a weird sensation, putting on the ring of Lucii. Time seemed to stop completely, and the kings of old surrounded him, bathing him in a blue light.
“Tch... So you’re the kings of old we’ve heard stories about. Don’t know what’s so special about you.”
“What is this? Another fool looking for our power? Third one today. Don’t they realize they cannot wield it?”
“Who do you think you are, mortal? Putting on the ring that you have no hopes of controlling. You will burn like the others.”
Tredd began to laugh as he stood there.
"The king treated us like rats, only letting us borrow his powers to protect his stupid son, and where did it get us, huh!? Dead on the battlefield. Treated like shit! It’s not fair what happened to us, and the countless other lives that you let be destroyed. It ends now. This can’t keep continuing like it is!”
There was a moment of silence as Tredd trailed off. He looked around as he watched a figure that looked like Regis appear.
“I’ve already lost everything that I held dear. My home, my family. My people. But those people… Those people right there hold the future in their hands. Future generations for Lucis and Galahd alike. Stories that would have been lost… I’d rather not die, but I’ll die if it means something survives.”
The kings stood quiet around him, letting his words sink in. The silence was almost deafening, before a well known voice was heard.
“I will admit that I wanted to protect my son from a fate I could not stop, and many people have been hurt in the process. I have watched you sway on a pendulum between both sides, and I believe the words of which you speak. If anyone could buy them more time to escape, to change the world, you are as good as any to help aid them.”
Tredd snorted softly. Even now his life was merely a tool, but one that was willingly handed over.
“Very well. Know this, Tredd Furia. Your life becomes forfeit at dawn.”
“Yeah, yeah. Get shit done before I die, buy them more time. I got it.”
Tredd waved them off as time began to come back to him, Glauca’s sword coming down upon them. Without a second thought, Tredd brought forth the power of the ring and blasted the man away, before grinning down at Nyx and Luna.
“Go on. Save the world like the hero you are. Just do me a favor? Don’t let them forget my name.”