Disclaimer: These wonderful characters do not belong to us, but SquareEnix. We do, however, have a jolly good time playing with them ;)
A/N: Hia all! So this is our first time venturing into the world of Kingsglaive (in published work anyways) so hopefully its good and can give you all some enjoyment. This story was inspired when I was talking to Cheskit about how different things would be if our dear Nyx Ulric had survived using the Ring, and also if dear Pelna hadn't been murdered so nastily by that horrible squid. SO! Without further ado, I pass you over to Cheskit, ;) R&R!

Hello my little hatchlings~ Cheskit here, Chapter one was written 99% by the amazing Truthy. I have claim to 5 sentences haha, so enjoy and leave a review!

Survival

Chapter 1

For Hearth And Home

Nyx had harbored an uneasy feeling about this mission from the moment it began. Even though he had been the one to all but demand that the King should send them after Lady Lunafreya, and the Nifflehiem warships, a pit had been growing in his stomach, a churning ball of restless distrust that seemed to grow by the second.

Perched upon a small section of piping in the Niff' warship, he held his breath as an MT passed by underneath him, staying deadly still and waiting until the enemy was well out of hearing before he lifted a hand to press the piece in his ear, "Hold position," Even though the MT was long gone down the hall, he still kept his voice low, pressing his earpiece again to change frequencies.

"Arrived at destination, high possibility of target in the vicinity." He reported, pulling the watch from his pocket and looking down at the numbers, another confirmation on his theory.

Swinging his legs around, he hung from the pipes for a moment before dropping soundlessly to the ground, grey eyes swinging up and down the hall to ensure there were truly no hostiles in the area, before lifting to his earpiece again.

Drautos' voice came through loud and clear, the sound seeming almost too loud, "Proceed to secure."

Nyx shrunk back against the wall, eyes constantly roving the halls around him, "It's going to need a fight." He relayed, waiting almost impatiently for Drautos' reply.

"Keep it quiet, and keep it confined." There was resignation in his Commander's voice, but Nyx paid it little mind as he turned and began a quick pace down the hall.

"Pelna, you're clear to engage; but keep it quiet. I'm on my way." That said, he broke into a run, the feeling of...wrongness, only seeming to intensify.

"Target confirmed," He had been waiting for, hoping for, the words, but a small jump still ran through his frame when Pelna's voice carried over the comms, "She's unharmed."

Relief flooded his mind, but it was short lived, Luche's familiar tone soon breaking through the silence, aside from the pounding of his feet, "Things are about to get ugly over here."

Cold realization slammed into him with all the force of a chocobo, the shock to his system enough to stop him in his tracks. It was a trap. Of course it was a trap. Anger flooded his veins, followed shortly by panic as he knocked back his hood, stealth abandoned, and all but shouted into his earpiece.

"Pelna! Get out of there, it's a trap!" There was no response, and panic flared in his chest, adrenaline giving speed to his body as he raced down the deserted hallways.

He should have known it was a trap. Should have known the moment they set foot inside the vessel and met no resistance whatsoever. That should have been his cue. An angry growl slipped through his teeth as he tore past an empty junction, the next only a few meters away.

All but sliding around the corner, his eyes alighted on a familiar uniform, as well as striking blond hair. Pelna turned as soon as he heard the pounding footsteps, a grin arcing across his face.

"One Tenebr-"

He never finished the sentence as Nyx grabbed his arm and yanked him forwards, away from the arcing tentacle threatening to crush them both. Lunafreya let out a startled gasp, cowering away from the monster before Nyx grabbed her forearm and bodily propelled her in front of him.

"Pelna!" The man recovered from his shock quickly, falling into a dead sprint behind the two, and so the chase began.

The Daemon chased them across what felt like the entire ship, never falling more than a few meters behind them. A mighty explosion rocked the vessel, sending all three runners tumbling to the ground. Casting a glance behind him, Nyx scrambled to regain his feet, the monstrous creature slithering towards them rapidly.

"Go, go go!" He prompted, hauling Luna to her feet and pushing her in front of him.

They finally lost the creature when the wide hallways gave way to a smaller archway, which in turn led to a catwalk above the ship's engines. Sprinting across the rattling pathway, Nyx glanced back to see Pelna close on his heels, a feeling of relief sweeping over him at that.

It was short lived, however, when another wave rocked the warship, only this time there was no accompanying explosion; not from within the ship anyway. Lurching towards the high windows that lined the catwalk, Nyx felt complete, encompassing shock fill his being at what he saw.

The Wall was falling, an explosion so large it could be seen from this distance engulfing the top of the palace as the Wall shattered and fell in a thousand glass pieces.

"No…" The word was little more than a whisper, falling from his lips before he could stop it. Insomnia couldn't fall, not now. Not after everything.

He had little time to dwell on the crisis in the city, however, as an explosion erupted through the ground beneath their feet, fire licking through the engine room as one of the main turbines exploded in a blast of heat and flames.

Surging forwards, the trio broke for a way out, the ship tilting precariously to one side as they did. Slipping through a small doorway, they emerged on another catwalk above more engines, sprinting for the other side until the floor exploded from underneath them.

Lunafreya disappeared over the edge, Nyx's grip on stable footing slipping out from underneath him as he toppled after her, his hand found hers and he clenched around it, gaze snapping up as his other hand wrapped around the edge of what had once been catwalk. Giving a heave, he easily swung Luna back up beside him, Pelna waiting on the edge with a panicked look to help them up.

Their victory was short lived, the Daemon that had pursued them through the hallways reappearing to make life hell. Nyx didn't know how it happened, so focused as he was on keeping the princess safe.

One moment, Pelna stood at his side, daggers drawn and stature strong. The next, the spot beside him was empty, a bloodcurdling scream ringing in his ears as Pelna was flung bodily away from them, the gaping hole blown in the side of the ship providing the Daemon the perfect place to throw his comrade.

Lunging forwards, Nyx could only watch in horror as Pelna was sucked out into the unlimited expanse of space.

"PELNA!"

Pelna woke up with a gasp, the smell of smoke filling his senses as he drew in a deep mouthful of air, only to cough as his lungs harshly rejected the oxygen. Wheezing as he rolled over onto his side, the glaive squinted upwards, eyes finding clear blue sky and white, puffy clouds.

Finally able to catch his breath, he brought a hand to his chest, evaluation his injuries as best he could. Nothing felt broken, but he would definitely have bruises sooner rather than later. He frowned as he sat up, wincing when his back complained loudly to the movement, and reached for the blade still embedded in the ground beside him.

The Nifflehiem ships were nowhere within his line of sight, the cliffs rising up on his north blocking his view of Insomnia. Pulling himself to his feet, he turned towards the citadel, adjusting his grip on his blade as he took a few steps forwards. There were eighteen miles between him and Insomnia, but he couldn't afford to walk back, he would have to warp.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before drawing his arm back, fixing his grip, and throwing the kurika with as much force as he could muster.

The intense nausea he was expecting didn't come as he watched his kurika land on the ground a good distance in front of him. He could only stare at the blade in shock for a few moments; this had never happened before, it would never happen. Not unless the King died.

Shock flashed through his eyes, realization hitting him with as much force as his fall from the Nifflehiem ships. King Regis was dead, and if the King had fallen, so too had Insomnia.

Night had fallen by the time Pelna reached the citadel, the sun having long since sunk beyond the horizon. He was worn to the bone, a deep exhaustion that drilled deep into his being. Insomia had been shining like a torch for nigh on three hours now, guiding him forwards even as the daylight slipped out from under him.

Nifflehiem ships hovered around the citadel, the hulking shapes of Daemons outlined by the fires burning within the city. Rubble was strewn everywhere, destruction engulfing the whole of the beautiful city he had come to call home. There was no resistance to his entry, the Niffs hadn't established a presence in the South Gate as of yet, and Pelna waltzed right through the front.

As he travelled further into the city, however, he couldn't help but feel a deep, sharp sense of dread enter his chest. Insomnia had been a symbol to the people of Lucis, a sign of strength, courage, hope. And now, now it was gone, crushed beneath Nifflehiem's iron fist.

Pelna cursed as his footing slipped on a pile of rubble, his body crashing into debris as he tumbled down the steep slope and into a deep depression in what had once been road. Picking himself up with a dissatisfied sound, Pelna brushed the dust off his coat before taking a moment to look around, his eyes catching on the glint of light reflecting off something.

Curiosity peaked, he slowly approached the shard of what he now recognized to be armor, shock rippling through his frame as his mind began to register what he was seeing. General Glauca, the heathen general who had plagued the Kingsglaive time and time again, lay before him, half buried in rubble with Magitek armor chopped and warped. Half of the armor that would have covered his face was all but blown off, revealing the familiar face of Captain Drautos underneath. The man they had trusted.

But that wasn't what horrified Pelna the most; what twisted his insides in a knot of dread was seeing the familiar form of Nyx Ulric splayed limply on the ground beside Glauca.

Moving forwards quickly, Pelna knelt beside Nyx, eyes widening in shock at the condition the young glaive was in. His left arm was bare of a sleeve, the skin mangled and burned so badly it took most of Pelna's strength to quash down the nausea that threatened to rise in his gut. Soft, wheezing breaths escaped the younger glaive's lips, a grimace painted across his face, though at least that meant he was alive.

But his pained expression brought Pelna's attention to bare on his face, and he could only stare at the marks seared over the left side of his friend's face; it was as though the glowing marks prompted by using the King's Magic had been burned into the skin, deep, ashen looking marks that were painful to look at, let alone actually feel covering Nyx's cheek.

Reaching out a hand, Pelna gently shook Nyx's shoulder, hoping against hope that the younger man would regain consciousness. Nyx responded immediately, grey eyes snapping open as a pained gasp broke free of his chest. His right hand clawed at the ground, agony etched into every line on his face as he gritted his teeth and rode out the waves of fire burning through his body.

All of a sudden he went limp, eyes still open but body lax. Slowly, his eyes moved over to Pelna's face, confusion, then relief passing through his gaze.

"Pelna," His voice vaguely resembled the sound of sandpaper being run over wood, a grimace passing over his face at the apparent pain speaking caused, "You fell…"

It was clear he was not completely lucid, a foggy haze settled over his eyes as his breath hitched with every inhale. Pelna shook his head, raking his gaze downwards and silently cursing when he saw the twin holes blown in Nyx's jacket, red staining the material of what was left of Nyx's uniform.

"You know me, a little fall isn't gonna stop me." He replied to Nyx's words, getting one leg under him as he ran through his options. They couldn't stay here, not with Niffs bound to start looking for survivors and Nyx in the state he was. They could try and find somewhere to hunker down in the city, maybe in the ruins of a building or something, but then they would run the risk of getting caught, and he had no supplies to speak of with which to treat Nyx's wounds.

The answer came to him as he was ripping a strip of cloth off the purple ribbons that were somehow still attached to the shoulder of Nyx's uniform, the strip intended as a makeshift bandage for the bullet wounds in Nyx's abdomen.

The old cave would be the perfect place.

Smiling, if somewhat grimly, Pelna moved over and pressed the cloth down on the gunshot-wounds; hard. It was cruel, and it made his stomach churn to do it, but Nyx needed the shot of adrenaline caused by the pain if they were going to make it out of the city to the safety of the cave.

Nyx let out a howl, his back arching as he tried to escape Pelna's ministrations. The elder glaive let him roll away, watching cautiously as Nyx stumbled to his feet, bent over at the waist and listing to one side, but upright.
"What the hell, Pelna!" He gasped out, grey eyes clearer now than they had been in the whole time he was awake.

Pelna sighed and pushed himself to his feet, wrapping the cloth around his hand as he moved over to touch the younger glaive's shoulder, "Sorry, but you're gonna need the adrenaline boost if we want to get out of here." He explained.

Nyx gasped out another breath, managing to lift his head high enough to give Pelna a look that ranged somewhere between desperation and hope, "And go where, Pelna? There's nothing left here."

The elder man shook his head, watching Nyx carefully as he swayed where he stood, a slight tremble making itself evident in his stance. "I know a place outside the city. Somewhere safe for us to hole up. I hid some supplies there ages ago, in case something ever happened."

Nyx managed a pained huff at that, straightening his body out slightly. "Guess you got the gift of foresight, huh."

Pelna managed a rueful smile before he started looking around the area, trying to pick a path they could take that wouldn't be too difficult for Nyx. Said glaive stayed quiet for a few moments before he let out a breath and lifted his head again, "Okay, let's go. There's nothing else we can do here."

Pelna nodded and turned towards him, "Are you sure you can walk?" He asked, hand hovering just above Nyx's shoulder.

Nyx nodded,a determined set to his jaw as he straightened himself into a taller position, albeit with one arm pressed to his abdomen, "Yea. I'd kinda like to get the hell outta this city."

Pelna pursed his lips, but didn't argue, instead turning towards the only pathway through the rubble he could see that Nyx would be able to manage.

"Alright. Let's get out of here."