Silence all consuming; not a whisper nor breath could be heard. Neither could a definitive temperature be named nor solid surface be found and yet none of that concerned Noctis at the moment. He only felt confused about why he was standing at the Astral gate instead of the fabled Astral planes. What could possibly be asked of him now? What more could he possibly have to give?
The voice that answered him both comforted and frustrated Noctis. "You have something more valuable than words can express, young King. I have brought you here because there is a story to tell, a request to make, and a question to ask should you wish to listen..."
Noctis pondered those words a moment; he knew Shiva would not keep him from the afterlife without good reason. Soon his curiosity began to outweigh any confusion and frustration he felt at the situation. Of all the Astrals, she and Ramuh had been fair to him; granting him aid willingly and without trial. So, making his decision, Noctis nodded decisively, "Alright, I'll listen, but I can't promise anything beyond that."
Shiva appeared before him as an icy haze and her voice emanated from within it. "I would not expect you to promise me anything more, young King, I have no right to ask what I am about to. After all we have done, all we have demanded of you, there is nothing you owe us... yet I must make an attempt."
Shiva took a deep breath then began her story, "As you know, 2000 years ago a incurable Scourge was unwittingly unleashed by my brother, Ifrit, which spread swiftly across Eos. Ravaging mankind and twisting innocents into the monsters that came to be known as Daemons. The first king of Lucis was once considered the savior of all; he was to be the original King of Light, for only he could cure others of the Scourge and stop the darkness' blight. However, the price of his magic was great and his body soon became a host to many Daemons. Though countless lives were spared by his actions, the Crystal rejected him upon attempting to gain it's true power. He turned to the darkness in the end which you know from legends of the past and yet... do you truly know Ardyn Lucis Caelum's story?"
Noctis' first answer would have been yes; after all the hero turned villain story was fairly straightforward. And yet... "I remember Ardyn asking me if I knew how long he had been forced to live in darkness. I didn't really understand what he meant, but after everything Bahamut spoke of, I couldn't help feeling like I was ending his pain by fulfilling the Prophecy... freeing him from that darkness. Izunia also spoke of some kind of curse upon his brother..."
The haze seemed to grow a little brighter and Shiva's melodious voice echoed from within. "The source of the Scourge you hate, and Ardyn Lucis Caelum, are two different entities that lived within the same body; bound tightly at the soul. The question I have for you is, are you ready to hear the truth of how that came to be?"
Taken aback by Shiva's words, Noctis' mind whirled at the possibilities; however, there was only one way to know for sure what had happened and Noctis definitely wanted to know... "Yes, I am ready to listen."
Somehow, Shiva's mist like form seemed to settle more comfortably as she spoke, "Very well then... Ardyn was only 18 years old when he took a portion of the Solheim dynasty and, after many great battles, turned it into the Kingdom of Lucis. Niflheim has always been bitter about losing out on Lucian territory and hostilities between your nations have existed for millennia. Despite all the bloodshed and spread of the Scourge, Ardyn never stopped healing those who needed it; enemy and ally alike. He loved his subjects dearly and I can honestly say Ardyn became the most loved King in history. Six years after the creation of Lucis, the five of us agreed to present Ardyn with the Crystal. Our hope was that, with our individual blessings, it would accept him. Together we would destroy the Scourge for good; we hoped to name Ardyn the King of Light and sent him on his journey with high hopes…"
Her tone turned bitter and she sighed deeply, "Here lies the beginning of our mistakes, one in particular that I can never forgive myself for, no matter how much time passes. When we granted the Crystal to Ardyn, we told him to seek a covenant with each of us in order to awaken our power and be granted our blessings. However, we never explained what the Crystal was or how to find out its secrets. Nonetheless he did what we asked with a willing heart and proved that we had chosen well."
"But he failed in the end," Noctis pointed out tiredly.
"Ardyn fell prey to his kind nature and naive heart; something that is as much a weakness as it is his strength. Over time, as he took in more darkness, Ardyn became weakened under the relentless power of the Scourge and without knowledge of the Crystal's cleansing power he became incredibly vulnerable to its influence. During the final leg of his journey on his way back home, Ardyn healed an old man who was blighted. However, the Daemon he took into himself was no ordinary Daemon..."
Noctis could see where this was going and finished the Astrals sentence. "It was the source, the Scourge itself."
"Indeed, King Noctis, the King of the Underworld and the one who used Ifrit like a puppet. He is a Daemon who calls himself Malum and is cunning to the highest degree; though not infallible. Because of Malum's presence within him, the Crystal rejected Ardyn when he attempted to seek its final blessing. Because such a holy creation had rejected him, the people he loved with all his heart began to fear that their king had been corrupted. At first, they attempted to sacrifice him to appease the Crystal, but Izunia stepped in and Ardyn was exiled instead. Seeing the weakness of Ardyn's spirit, Malum attempted to wrest control from him and use him as a puppet. However, when Ardyn realized what was happening, he tried to take his own life in a last ditch effort to save the world and those he still loved..." Shiva's voice broke in a suppressed sob and her glow dimmed alarmingly.
Horror as he realised what must come next spread through Noctis. "Bahamut turned him away, here, at the Astral gates. That's why he was immortal."
The blue mist seemed to almost absentmindedly shift slightly closer to the swirling gate. "Yes… he barred his way, for Bahamut feared that Malum would obtain access to the Astral realm if he let Ardyn pass on into the afterlife. So he cast the dice of fate and sealed your own doom with the creation of a new prophecy, the revelation of Bahamut. It may have been necessary, but doing so was also the mistake that sealed our fate. Turning the next fabled King of Light, yourself, into a sacrificial lamb while Ardyn was cursed to live with the burden of the Scourge he hated. In the end Malum took over Ardyn's soul and all the former King could do was use what strength remained to him to hold the majority of the Deamon's powers at bay."
Horror and fear weighed upon Noctis in equal measure as he asked the question he dreaded the answer to. "If he was so intimately intertwined with Malum… then what happened to Ardyn when I destroyed the Scourge with the Ring and Crystal?"
All was silent a moment, then Shiva responded and a truly terrible sorrow weighed her words, "When you finally defeated Malum and gave your life doing so, it is likely you destroyed Ardyn's soul. He will have paid the ultimate price because we did not guide him as we should have… I was so sure he would understand… so now I ask your aid in setting this to rights, King Noctis."
Self condemnation fought with hope as Noctis attempted to steady himself emotionally. "How... how exactly do you plan for me to set something like that to rights? I destroyed an innocent man, Shiva! Besides, what can I possibly do to help you; I died, did I not?"
Noctis could feel it get colder and Shiva quietly said, "Calm yourself, Noctis, there is yet hope for Ardyn. While it is indeed true that you have passed on from being considered a mortal that fact will be more help than hindrance. I would have Umbra send you into the past, permanently, to become my Astral Messenger. Tasked by me with guiding Ardyn and teaching him about the Crystal in ways not even we can. Time has never been messed with to this degree, doing so will likely change a great many good things that happened. Yet, I refuse to believe it was worth the soul of one of the purest humans to walk this earth. I have given voice to mine request, told the story lost in time, and made my offer; what say you now, King of Light?"
Noctis was silent for a long time, lost in endless thoughts. He could go back, truly get to know who Ardyn was, prevent the prophecy which spelled his death and save a lot of strife from happening. However, he would also be making sure to rewrite the entire history of Lucis and those he loved might never be born. Then he thought of the look Ardyn had given him as he lay dying...it had been so tender, so full of care, like in that second he was the most precious person in the world. There was also Ardyn's empty promise of seeing each other in the Beyond, for if his soul had been destroyed then he certainly wasn't waiting for him beyond the gate... yes, Noctis knew his answer. "I cannot accept a history that is born from the suffering of a innocent… so I will see Ardyn succeed this time. Will he accept my help though?"
Shiva's spirit or whatever it was seemed to glow brightly as she responded in her usual strong and clear voice, "The rest of my self is already in the past explaining things to Ardyn, although he is far from unfamiliar with the enigmas of time. He was only given the Crystal a month prior and is only a day into his journey to seek the first covenant. He knows you are an Astral messenger and from the future and Ardyn is also aware you were once a King of Insomnia who will teach him about the Crystal. Needless to say, you are likely to find a rapt audience for your words as Ardyn is quite excited. Expect to be bothered for his curiosity knows no bounds."
Then, to his left, a dog barked and looking that way Noctis saw Umbra trotting up. "Are you ready, King Noctis."
Taking a deep breath, the new Astral messenger nodded, "Yes, I am."
"I do not know what effects sending you this far back in time will have upon your spirit. Be cautious King Noctis and good luck to you; may your instincts guide you truly."
With one last bark Umbra vanished and bright blinding light hit Noctis with the force of a Behemoth, then all was nothingness once more.
