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Titus Drautos stood, holding his sword tightly in his hands. His fingers grew white against the strain, face unreadable at the horror unfolding before him. First it was the betrayal. One of his Glaive had defected to the other side. He wasn’t sure whom, but they were tearing apart his family while he tried to protect the King.
Screams quickly came from outside as Imperial drop ships unloaded their contents onto the courtyard of the Citadel. Then, it was the appearance of Glauca; a mystery that the Crown had never identified since the attack in Tenebrae.
“You can still save yourselves.” Regis’s words were flat as he positioned behind Titus and Clarus.
“Into Ifrit’s fire I would follow.” Clarus’s words were solid, his sword materializing in his hand.
“You are my King. My life has long been forfeit to you.” Drautos held his red blade before his eyes. He owed everything to King Regis.
The large metallic suit approached them, and they could do nothing to stop it.
“Then, let us once more into the fray,” Regis’s fingers twitched by his side, a slow calm breath coming from his lips, “Old friends.”
Combat was fast, council members being flung like ragdolls as Clarus and Titus moved to protect their King. Glauca was strong. That was their first mistake. As two swords held back the larger, a burst of electricity surged forward. As if enraged, Glauca swung, tossing Clarus and Titus to either side.
Titus felt his head connect with the wall, blackness spiking into his vision. From the corner of his eyes, hesaw Regis calling forth his Armiger. A dozen blades screeched as they pressed back the inhuman strength of one. It was in unison that he and Clarus spotted the opening. Rising as quickly as they were able they charged, taking the weakness to their advantage.
It wasn’t enough. Glauca turned in slow motion, pushing them back once more. Yet, Clarus flew further and with more aggression, this time. Titus watched, moving to his feet, teeth bared in anger. Clarus’s blade fell right into Glauca’s armoured hand. Wrist flicking, the large two handed bladed flew faster than Clarus towards the wall.
“Clarus!” Titus heard the words echoing his King's. They watched as the sword impaled the Shield, pinning him to the wall. Standing between Glauca and Regis as Luna and Nyx entered the room, Titus was compassed with a calm fury in the blink of an eye.
“Go.” It wasn’t a request. It was an order. Drautos felt Glauca’s blade collide with his own, and he crumpled under the pressure, falling and landing hard on his back. Glauca moved to him, the red menace leaking from his eyes. He stopped above the Captain, staring down through the glowing slits of his helmet. The large sword was held above his chest. “You could have been me.”
Drautos braced for the death he was sure he was due, eyes pressed closed for the impact. There was a quick, dull pain against Titus’s already throbbing head and darkness engulfed him.
~~~~
Drautos sat up quickly, his head pounding as he looked around the room. It was as he remembered it. All the death and-
“Can you hear me? Repeat. This is Drautos. Can you hear me? Over.” Titus tapped his ear com, frantically pulling himself to his feet.
“Your timing is impeccable, Captain.” There was a lot of background noise overlaid with Nyx’s words.
“You are to rendezvous and regroup. Understand?” Titus was moving, legs operating on their own as he weaved through the destruction of the Citadel.
“ Might not be so easy, Captain. My wings have been clipped, if you didn’t know.” Static and a large explosion. Titus cursed before he responded to his Glaive.
“Ulric, are you alright?” There was a long pause, and Titus wondered if the worst had happened.
“I’m not dead, if that’s what you mean, sir.” Titus let out a long breath, relief washing over him, as he depressed the elevator key for the Citadel garage.
“Head to section D as soon as you are able. I will meet you there with an evacuation team. Cut all communication and make sure you both make it there!”
“It’s a date, sir.”
~~~~
Nyx was standing in the center of the plaza when Titus arrived, pulling the car up as he stepped out. Relief continued to wash over him as he looked around. “Where’s Lady Lunafreya?”
“Captain, she-” Nyx stepped forward. There is a look of calm on his previously frazzled features. Before he can continue the sharp hum of a Magitek engine cut through the air. General Glauca landed in the plaza without so much as disturbing the dust around him.
“Hand over the ring.” The words come out filtered and metallic. Glauca stepped forward, eying the two of them.
“You are not worthy.” Luna said, and Titus whipped his head around to see her stepping from behind a pillar. Just as he was turning back to Glauca, a second car sped into the plaza, colliding with Glauca, flying and crashing into a concrete barricade.
“Lib!” Nyx called, moving towards the car as Libertus rolled out. A moment slower, and he would have been tossed aside with the car, as Glauca freed himself. Even with casted foot, Libertus managed to move with urgency. By the time Glauca had found his stance, the four of them were grouped together in the center of the Plaza.
Before anyone could react, Titus pulled the ring from Luna’s grasp, feeling the weight of the warm metal in his palm. Titus knew what the ring did and could do to those not worthy of it. Only those of royal blood are supposed to be able to use the Lucii’s power. There was almost no choice if Titus were to save those he cared about.
Horror overcame Luna as Drautos slipped on the ring.
Immediately he felt the world around him stop. A black curtain was pulled around him, a hazy blue light filling the air. “Old Kings of Lucis, show yourself.” Titus spoke into the void.
One by one, blue figures similar to those of the Old Wall materialized before him. Hundreds of the old rulers looking down on him in judgement.
“You call upon the wards of this world, mortal. If you come lusting for our power, you must stand our judgement.”
TItus shook his head, hands balled at his sides. “I do not lust for your power. I wish only that I could see Lucis free. Truly free.” Shifting, Titus sees Nyx and Libertus holding onto Luna beside him. He can see Pelna and Crowe laughing over a beer. His family, his Glaives. “Protect them! Protect your precious Lucis!”
“You do not command us. Yours is not even royal blood.” The words resonate in the space before them and Drautos feels his stomach fall.
“Wait.” This voice is familiar, and one blue figure steps forward. “I know this man’s heart is true. He and his men wish for our destiny.”
There is silence, and Drautos wonders if Regis’s words will be enough.
“Very well. Our gift does not come cheap. Your life, or theirs.”
“My life is nothing without them.” And as Titus spoke he could feel the astral plane slip away.
“You have until the sun rises, after that-”
Everything came rushing back like being hit with the full weight of a waterfall: cool, unrelenting and refreshing. The power pulsed through him like a red hot flame, coursing through his veins and filling him.
Slipping the ring off his finger, he pressed it back into Luna’s fingers. “Keep that safe. Don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.
“Ulric. Ostium. Protect Lady Lunafreya. Take her away.” Titus raises one eyebrow, seeing the argument bubbling under the surface of Nyx’s blue eyes. “That’s an order, hero.”
Nyx closed his mouth, lips pursed as Titus shifted to block the attack that Glauca slammed down against his sword. With the power of the Lucii, Titus was able to parry the massive weapon. A feat he could not have accomplished alone, before. If only I had done this before, I could have saved them. No matter. I will still save those that work towards the future.
~~~~
The battle between Glauca and Drautos was over, the ruins of Insomnia all that remained. Titus felt the sun rising on his skin, his arm burning from the knuckle, crawling steadily upwards. He collapsed, seeing the hint of a face as the suit of armor beside him disintegrated into miasma. He had failed his Glaives. One of them had indeed betrayed him.
“Ulric.” Drautos pressed his hand to the com once more. “Ostium. You two take care of yourselves.”
The warmth of the sun felt nice against his sweat drenched features. Titus closed his eyes as he felt a tear escape from the corner of his eye. “Drautos out.”
He pulled the com from his ear as everything faded away. At least now, there is hope. For Hearth and Home.