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Noctis breathed in deeply, taking in the cool breeze and listening to the gentle rustle of the trees. Somewhere in the woods, he could hear a bird singing to itself. A short, high-pitched tune that sounded quite melancholy. But, despite this, Noctis reveled in this moment of peace. How rare it was nowadays for him to be alone with his thoughts, even for just a moment.
“Noctis!”
He jumped, recognizing Ignis’ voice immediately and turning to face him as the boy quickly approached.
“Where have you been?! Gladio’s been looking for you.”
Noctis made a face.
“So? I have better things to do than be around him.”
“You do know your father wants you to practice how to protect yourself, right? He wouldn’t make you do all this without reason.”
“But it’s with Gladio. I’d rather deal with big scary monsters than him!”
Ignis’ eyes widened, horrified by Noctis’ statement.
“Don’t care about your own safety?!”
“Of course I do!” Noctis turned around, not wanting to talk to Ignis anymore, and began to walk away, not caring to look where he was going. He just wanted to be as far from this situation as possible.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
“Maybe I just want to be on my own! Have you considered th-?” As Noctis stepped forward, the ground suddenly gave way beneath him, cutting him off and making him collapse onto a small ledge a few feet below him.
Terrified, he dug his fingers into the soil to stop himself from falling further, kicking desperately at the empty air in the hopes he’d be able to find a foothold. He dared to look over his shoulder, only to feel his heart drop when he saw the dark and deep abyss that greeted him.
“Noct!” He turned back to see Ignis was above him, lying on the ground above and reaching into the hole where Noctis was as far as his body would allow. Yet, the distance between them was just a little bit too far. The only way Noctis would be able to reach him is if he were able to pull himself up onto the ledge, but with nothing to push his feet against for support, his efforts to save himself would be futile.
Then, to his horror, the ledge began to detach itself from the hole’s wall. In a mix of adrenaline and fear, Noctis clawed at the ledge to pull himself forward before it fell but it only helped to quicken the process, making his one escape to freedom disintegrate entirely.
Ignis shouted something, Noctis screamed, and he fell into the darkness in a shower of dirt and stone.
Noctis awoke, slowly, to feelings of incredible pain and agony. His entire body hurt, with the world spinning as he opened his eyes and tried to make sense of his surroundings.
He blinked hard once, twice, three times, in an attempt to stop the dizziness, moving his right arm to block out a bright light that was blinding him. However, when he did so, he was greeted with a sharp, horrendous pain that made him cry out. He curled up into a ball, waiting for the pain to fade, but it only did so slightly. He opened his eyes and looked at his arm.
Through the light that shone down on him, he could see his arm was broken, bent at an awkward angle. He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see if his bones had torn through his skin.
Suddenly, a loud sound interrupted him, and Noctis stiffened. Slowly, carefully, he raised his head to take in his surroundings.
Then, he heard the sound again. It was deep and strange, yet somewhat familiar. Like the sound of someone breathing out sharply. But, whatever was making the noise was definitely big. Much bigger than a human. It reverberated around the chamber Noctis was in. Now, he truly regretted leaving without a weapon in his hand.
Noctis stared into the cave opposite him, trying to see if he could spy the source of the noise in the darkness. It was tall and wide enough to accommodate a vehicle or monster, but he couldn’t tell how deep it was. Did it stretch off into nothingness? Or was this cave his salvation and what would lead him out of this place?
Noctis tried to stand, still wincing in pain. Only to feel the breath catch in his throat when the cave began to move. Abruptly, Noctis sat up and crawled backward until he was up against the wall, with cold stone meeting him.
As this beast moved towards him, towards the light, he recognized the long, black horns; the large bat-like wings; the muscular, broad frame. Noctis’ felt himself start to hyperventilate, too paralyzed to move and only being about to stare back at the behemoth. He didn’t know what would kill him first: The snap of the Dread King’s jaws, or his own heart giving out.
That was until the behemoth breathed out again. Its tone was soft, and welcoming, as though realizing how frightened the boy truly was. Making sure to move slowly, it lay down on the ground, pushing its front paws together and raising its head slightly. Noctis slowly felt himself calm down, somewhat confused by what the behemoth was doing.
The Dread King lowered its head, tilted it to and fro once, and then, much to Noctis’ surprise, rolled over onto its back, somehow expertly not damaging its horns or wings. It moved its paws up and down like it was paddling water and despite the darkness, Noctis could just see and hear the soft fwap fwap of its tail swishing from side to side.
No longer was he looking at a ferocious god-like being of unimaginable size with the strength and power to destroy cities. But an oversized, friendly canine.
Noctis laughed, be it out of shock or relief, and allowed himself to relax and detach himself from the wall he was pressed up against, no longer needing it for support. Yet when he did, his arm protested again, making him yelp and new tears start to form in his eyes.
He heard the Dread King growl softly and watched as it quickly got back to its feet, keeping its head low to the ground. It tilted its head to one side, its body tense.
“I… I broke my arm.” Noctis said softly, unsure if his words meant anything to the beast. How would they be able to help him, anyway?
With great care, the behemoth stepped towards him, keeping the sharp ends of its horns away from Noctis as it brought its great head to his level. Noctis felt his heart speed up for a moment when he saw how big the beast’s fangs truly were, making him look puny by comparison. It looked at him for a moment and then at his arm, growling softly as it did so and seeing how badly the arm had been bent from the fall. Noctis felt his entire body and the ground itself vibrate from the noise, shaking him to his core. He took a deep breath before speaking again.
“I have to go home. My dad will be looking for me.” He was amazed he didn’t stammer over his words or that the behemoth could hear him at all, he spoke so quietly.
At that, the Dread King watched him for a moment, carefully taking in Noctis’ words. Then, it raised its head and looked away. It made an odd noise, something Noctis could best describe as warbled chittering, as though it were talking to itself. It did so for a short while until eventually, having seemingly made up its mind on what to do, it walked backward into the dark until Noctis could no longer see its features. Not knowing what to say, Noctis watched it go. Did it plan on leaving him here? Was it going to vanish off elsewhere to find his father?
Instead, however, its silhouette began to change. Its body shrank, the wings and horns folding in on themselves until they had completely disappeared. Noctis watched as it grew smaller and smaller but finally, stopped.
Now transformed, the Dread King walked back towards him.
They stood on two legs, with their tail still gently swaying back and forth behind them. Their dark fur and darker markings were still present, but the ‘whiskers’ that had been on either side of their face had gone. Their mane, now long red hair, reached down their chest and down their back. The outfit they wore certainly fit them well, Noctis thought: a long cloak with white fur over their shoulders and belt and robes made of red and gold around their waist.
They knelt down before him, making sure to keep their distance. Their eyes were soft, and their expression kind.
“If you want to go home, I’ll have to carry you. Is that alright?”
Their voice was deep and powerful; evidently, one that demanded attention when they spoke with how much each word rumbled. Yet, they spoke calmly and quietly, making Noctis finally feel completely at ease. He looked down then back to the Dread King.
“B-but my arm...”
“I will be careful,” They placed a hand over their chest, smiling softly, “I promise.”
Noctis sat still for a moment, considering their words before finally nodding.
“…OK.”
“May I pick you up now?”
“Yes, please.”
At that they reached forward, placing a hand under Noctis’ legs and placing another against his back. Once they were confident they had a good enough grip on him, they stood up slowly, making sure Noctis’ bad arm was resting against them for support. Whether it was out of tiredness or simply the desire to be comforted by a strong and caring adult, Noctis rested his head on their chest and listened to their steady heartbeat, pretending he was already back in his father’s arms.
Happy Noctis was comfortable, the Dread King looked up towards the hole he’d fallen from. Noctis followed their gaze.
“I won’t be able to carry back up through there.” They said. “But, there’s always other ways out of here.” At that, they smiled sweetly at Noctis once again and their tone became playful. “How else would someone as large as I be able to get into this cave?”
Something about the way they said that made Noctis smile also and let out a short laugh.
“My dad says you’re the biggest behemoth he’s ever seen.”
“Really?” The Dread King turned away from the light and began to walk their way out of the cave, “Has your father met many behemoths?”
“I don’t know. I’ve… never asked him.”
“Then perhaps you can do that when we get you back to where you belong, hmm?”
Noctis felt himself smile again.
“Yeah!”
Noctis felt himself jump when he heard a strange noise from somewhere he couldn’t see, be it a cry of a monster he didn’t recognize or the sound of something moving around from within the darkness. But the Dread King was unmoved, continuing their walk at the same steady pace.
“Don’t worry,” they said, looking down at him, “any monster out there wouldn’t dare hurt you. Not when I’m here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
Truthfully, Noctis wasn’t convinced but he didn’t say anything. The Dread King was so much smaller now with both hands occupied. How could they defend themselves?
As if as an answer to his own question, The Dread King rounded a corner and Noctis was shocked to see even more behemoths of all sizes covering the cave floor. They were all still, their chests rising and falling in deep slumber, until The Dread King whistled sharply. All of the beasts snapped awake, even those further from the pair, turning to look at them.
The Dread King didn’t slow their pace, making their way to the other end where the light of the outside world could be seen. Although it would have been easy for them to weave through the many behemoths before them, the beasts quickly got to their feet and stepped aside with bowed heads.
As he was carried, Noctis looked behind him as best he could, fascinated by how such unruly creatures could be so easily tamed and he saw that once he had passed them, the behemoths would stand back up and follow them, staying close by but keeping a respectful distance away.
“Are they scaring you?” Asked the Dread King, but Noctis shook his head.
“No. It’s just weird seeing them… act nice. They won’t attack anyone, will they?”
At that, they laughed.
“Only if I tell them to.”
Noctis must have made a face, as their expression quickly grew serious.
“Don’t worry, no one is going to get hurt. I’ll make sure of it.”
Finally, after much anticipation, they made it to the entrance of the cave, with the bright light dazzling Noctis and forcing him to shut his eyes. Upon doing so, The Dread King stopped walking and Noctis felt their body stiffen as the behemoths surrounding them let out low growls. Slowly, Noctis opened his eyes.
At the entrance, still standing in the sun, were Regis, Cor, and dozens of armed men. Some had swords, others guns. All now aimed at the line of behemoths that stood before them. Two of the beasts stepped forward, putting themselves between Regis’ men and The Dread King. Amid all this, Regis had stepped forward, recognizing his son in their arms. In turn, Noctis abruptly sat up, not caring about the pain this movement was causing him. He wanted to run to his father, to leap into Regis’ arms without a second thought. But, how would he even begin to explain that the behemoths meant no harm?
The behemoths' growls had risen to a chorus of roars, pushing against one another in a wave of barely contained ferocity. Noctis flinched as he saw the men get ready to aim, terrified of what would happen next.
“QUIET!!” The Dread King’s loud and sharp command made everyone jump, including the behemoths themselves. Then, quickly and quietly, they all bowed their heads once more, whining their apologies as they stepped back, now completely docile.
Regis took a deep breath, watching as the Dread King turned to face him and Noctis looked back at him with wide eyes. He turned to his men.
“At ease! Lower your weapons!”
They all looked at one another, confused but finally obeying. Cor still kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, but the firm and unwavering from Regis eventually made him let go.
Now that both sides had yielded, the Dread King stepped forward and in turn, Regis did the same. Cor attempted to stop him, wordlessly grabbing his arm, but Regis simply shook himself free and kept walking until the two stood opposite one another. With how tall his saviour was, Noctis looked down at his father who stood steadfast, his expression blank. Then, he held out his arms, posing them in the same way the Dread King did. At the request to hold his son again, they obliged, carefully transferring Noctis over to Regis.
Now in his father’s arms, Noctis pressed himself up against Regis’ chest. He felt his eyes start to water and he began to cry and shake, prompting Regis to pull his son ever closer.
“It’s alright Noctis, I’m here.” He whispered, before turning to look up at the Dread King one last time. Regis breathed in deeply.
“Thank you for bringing Noctis back to me.”
They said nothing but responded with a nod. And when Regis turned away, so did they, their behemoth forces following close behind.
Cor approached Regis, his voice a hurried whisper.
“Regis, this cave is infested with behemoths and someone who commands them, why tell the men to surr-“
“My son is hurt and in tears, Cor.” Regis snapped, which made Cor recoil. “And I refuse to add more drama to this day. I want to take him home and have his injuries tended to as soon as possible. A cave full of beasts who have helped my Noctis is not my priority right now.”
Regis marched away, comforting Noctis with kind words and the other men followed him, leaving Cor to stand there alone. He watched as Regis placed Noctis in the Regalia and jumped into the front seat, not even checking if Cor had followed him.
Still, he felt the need to check all of the behemoths, as well as this new stranger, wouldn’t follow them. So, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, he turned to walk into the cave, only to immediately stop short.
The almighty Dread King greeted him, now once more a beast with wings spread wide and head lowered, as though ready to charge Cor if he dared to move one more inch. They peeled back their lips to reveal long, sharp fangs, eyes now burning with incredible fury and power. The beast let out a deep, rumbling growl, and with their gaze firmly transfixed on him, they slowly, deliberately, shook their head before finally turning and vanishing back into the cave, leaving Cor to stand there on his own once again.