The Heir of the Eternal Eclipse

by Aworldnotsosimple00

Eos was a world stuck in stagnation. The inheritor of light and heir to the Lucian thrown cursed to repeat his life and dream of worlds that he had failed in. Gladios was right about the car being a bad omen, but i guess that's in the past... or future. doesn't mater. The worlds moving forward again. Too bad I'm pinned to my throne. Or i was... and where the hell am I?

1. Chapter 1

The Heir of The Eternal Eclipse

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Okay just to get this out of the way first. I do not own final fantasy 15, VS 13 or RWBY.

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(Please Read if not skip to the next bold with page break)

Okay now, this is obviously a FF15 crossover with RWBY. Noctis will find himself in the world of Remnant with a few tweaks to his character. I'm going to follow RWBY cannon like my other story, To be or not to be is not the question… but the answer and incorporate Noctis in the story as an independent character instead of replacing someone. The story will deviate from Cannon around the time of the fall of Beacon.

His personality will follow the more mature, tired, uncaring nature of the Episode Duscae demo and the original versus 13 story.

~ magic ~

Since magic is a big thing in RWBY, I figure this will be a good tack on.

In ff 15 the Lucii is a family of black mages, The Fleurets are white mages while Aranea Crowe, Dave and the two witches in the game are red mages. Ardyn is a mix of a red and black mage as hinted at by his Lineage and the red color of his magic; like Aranea and Crowe's is.

Arcane mages are hinted at having been around in Solheim, and blue mages were alluded to in Altissia.

Summoners did seem to be mentioned in the old lore as proof by one of the art pieces drawn for the game before it's release. So with all of those mages hinted at or mentioned I suppose it's highly likely that spirit mages, green mages, and dark mages exist or existed on Eos at some point as well.

Okay so now for Noctis' spell repertoire. It will include all the black mage and arcane mage spells at their max strength because this story will take place at the end of his journey and the start of another in Remnant. He will also have the basic support spells such as Esuna, Cure, Raise and Libra

(Note - raise cannot bring back the dead it heals critical wounds and wakes people up who are in a comatose/ downed state.)

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Now, as for how Noctis will look. Picture him as he was in the VS XIII trailers, but he'll be 30 years old.

He'll have the black hair, and the red eyes from Vs 13 he was supposed to get after seeing death/ Etro.

(not the violet when he summons in the game and not the orange-red from the Omen trailer. I mean blood red from the versus trailers. Chaos red like Vincent Valentine.)

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Alright so now without further ado let's get on with the story. I hope you guys enjoy it. Please read, review, favorite, and follow.

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"thoughts"

"Speech"

'words with implied meaning.'

Regular text

"Disembodied voice."

"disembodied thoughts /Memories."

~ STORY STARTS HERE! ~

Prolog

~ I'll keep coming ~

It was a dark foreboding night. The world of Eos once a beautiful planet favored by the Astrals calling themselves gods was now a faint shadow of its former self with nothing left of the once proud healthy world. All that remained was the crumbling structures of ruined nations and desolate, wasted fields.

Where once-lush expansive forests rested lay pyres of burning charcoal. Mountains and fields now were torn and scarred with deep gashes that left them weeping to be whole once more. The deep blue oceans, crystal clear rivers and lakes now empty river beds and mass graves for those that had once used them. The land once ripe and bursting with life now lay scorched and unrecognizable. Burned by the flames of war and torn by battles that brought ruin to gods themselves.

The royal city of Tenebrae once a sprawling ravine with a magnificent city built into its walls was now nothing more than a cold mountain with the corpse of the once great Ramuh lying at the bottom.

The City of Altissia, now lay at the bottom of the ocean, more remiss of an old fantasy of a once great civilization that legend spoke having sunk to the bottom of the sea. Now those legends had a real culture to speak of.

A sad and awe-inspiring visage of the broken body of the god of the oceans, Leviathan, would bring the remnants of this once vast world to their knees in reverence and fear. The death stranded corpse of the ferocious god now no more than a rotting pile of flesh and scale.

The Niflheim empire once a rich and warm country had over the years become a cold, unforgiving tundra after their battle with the ice goddess Shiva. To their shock, her corpse had brought about the never-ending winter that had pushed them to fan the embers of conflict into the raging inferno of war out of desperation for resources to provide for their people.

Years later, while nearing the end of the first war, no one mourned the loss of the nation to the daemons. None but the Archean himself could bring the city back from its icy tomb. But alas The Archean who had once shouldered the meteor of Ifrit's wrath had been torn asunder by the very same nation in their greed and spite.

Last, the continent of Duscae. In the easternmost reaches of the war-torn continent lay the tall unwavering walls of the Capital city of Insomnia. The once proud wall meant to keep those within safe were now more akin to the stone walls of a tomb. Not a sound could be heard from within but for the scattered fire of rifles and the boom of heavy artillery.

The city of Insomnia lay decimated with what little remained of humanity fighting for control of the last bastion for the future of mankind. The bodies of the two fiercest gods lay spent and wasted atop the grand architecture of the capital city.

Ifrit the Infernian sat on a crude thrown he'd constructed of obsidian made from the marble leading to the trade center with a golden sword pinning him to his crude throne in what would appear a cosmic joke.

The body of his rival and eternal enemy, king of dragons Bahamut, Sat pierced on the spires of the tower holding the very crystal he had manipulated mankind into protecting. His ancient majestic form now a sad reminder that even the greatest of dragons could be wrought asunder.

Though the god of the storm lay dead and the goddess of ice had been slain a chill filled the air as dark storm clouds filled the already black sky. Thunder rumbled, and lightning tore through the heavens. Despite natures wrath, humanity would not rest until only one victor remained.

~ 0 ~

Noctis sat on his throne, eyes closed as a small tortured smile played across his lips. After all these cycles. Decades and centuries or repeating his mistakes. It was done. It was finally done. He'd Defeated the Niflheim empire and destroyed the so-called gods of Eos.

He'd found a cycle where he could become the true king of Insomnia and the inheritor of light. A true king of kings unmatched in power by any. None remained who could threaten the safety of the world he'd fought for. Now precious little remained, but humanity could and would continue. They always had. Ardyn was no longer among the living, not in a way that he could influence the world so readily and the Astrals lay dead by his hand and his hand alone. He'd hunted all of their proxies so they could not reincarnate and then torn their souls from this plane.

He took a breath, his lips slowly drawing into a thin line as the faces of his four best friends came to him in his semi-unconscious state. His features scrunched as the weight of his decision pressed down upon him. "After all, I've done. Now my conscience bubbles to the surface?" It tugged at his heart and pulled on his very soul. How could it not? His being was no longer that of a human, and yet he was not god.

The state of his world and the reality that Eos now lay in ruin made him question his actions. Had he done the right thing? Was everything… okay? Did it matter? The gods were no more. The crystal shattered and scattered to the wind. No one person could claim dominion over the lands. None… but himself. As it should be.

His eyes slowly opened just a fraction of the way his gaze traveling down towards the dark marble floor under his left boot. The marble was cracked and singed from the fighting that had taken place. His throne was little more than a fancy chair now.

From his fancy chair, he could hear what was left of the world in chaos. Those that remained alive fighting tooth and nail for something that would never come. Little did they know all that remained was themselves, and every dark creature they had spawned. Be it daemons or monster more human in nature. Whatever the event the war cries of for insert gods name here or moral cause there would fall on deaf ears.

He scoffed at the idea and exhaled as he fell back into the grand throne he sat upon. Crimson eyes closed again as his head twitched. He winced, rubbing his temples as memories swam in his mind.

~ 0 ~

A blinding flash of light appeared, and suddenly Noctis found himself standing on the cathedral steps of the capital. The sun shone brightly in the sky of the capital city of Insomnia

A younger version of himself and three of his best friends made their way down the stairs. King Regis, the only father he'd ever known limped down the steps walking over with a worried expression before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Walk Tall, my son."

The Regalia was broken down on the side of the road. Pushing it along as cars passed them by while Ignis, Prompto, Gladio and himself all complained to each other.

Hammerhead station.

Walking across the rocky desert.

High fives and fist bumps.

The rolling hills and rocky formations of Duscae.

An old ruined facility in the woods that was home to a certain behemoth.

A room at Galdin Quay With him and his friends.

The city of Insomnia fallen and his father… dead.

Himself standing on a cliff overlooking Insomnia in the rain as Niflheim invaded.

A Royal tomb. Him slamming his fist on the coffin ranting about responsibility.

Ravus, staring at him before choking him. Gladiolus pushing Ravus off him and fighting him.

Summoning his spectral weapons and standing firmly in front of his friends.

That bastard Ardyn, playing mind games and telling him half-truths.

A train in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Trying to make his way to Ardyn with Ignis and

Gladios passed out on the other side of him.

The station to Tenebrae. The tall metal structures.

His features scrunched as the memory shifted to one of Altissia.

Ardyn, stabbing a woman who never remained a constant, Luna.

She, holding him protectively even as she died and the Leviathan raged.

In his mind, he found himself standing in an elevator when the floor fell out from under him. Down he fell into a dark abyss.

Memories of training with Gladio, having his life saved, Better and rougher times flashed through his psyche.

"Guard the king with our lives. When you can't focus, I focus for you. That's my job, so let me do it, alright?"

Prompto swam to the forefront of his mind. That goofy smile of his followed by a melancholy one. The memories of them fighting alongside each other and cracking jokes.

"Huh. I never imagined it would work out like this. That I'd get to go on an adventure with you guys. Seriously though… Thanks for making time for this loser."

His ever faithful and level-headed retainer Ignis. Cooking and being the dad of their little group. Teaching him to be independent but that it was okay to depend on others.

"One cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences, and never looking back."

A campfire in a shadowy world. Sitting on a hill overlooking the road to Insomnia. His cheeks were damp, and his voice cracked.

"Well. You guys… are the best."

Their most epic moments flashed through his mind. Taking down Deadeye.

Fighting the Leviathan.

Killing a king snake.

Taking down the giant bullhorn.

The first time they took out a fire giant.

Deflecting attacks from Titan.

Warping to a griffin and tearing it down to the ground.

Summoning all the armiger weapons to take down Ardyn in a one on one dual.

The dark city of Insomnia and the dim, empty throne room. The Ether realm. Ardyn, standing there seeping darkness. His friends and father, all of them standing by him.

He held out his right hand, the ring he was given by Luna on his middle finger. It began to glow, and a pain shot through his body as weapons made of crystal tore from his body, forming into twelve kings of the past.

He swung his fist through the air, and Ardyn yelled as the world exploded into a bright explosion of light. He fell backward as his consciousness faded and his body disappeared.

Then to his horror. A hot tight feeling like being chewed inside the mouth of a Marlboro but without the teeth. Then the beeping of machines and the clamor of doctors.

"It's a boy, your highness. You have an heir to the throne."

Two firm hands grabbed hold of him, and a pair of soft silver, gray eyes met his.

"May the gods forgive me."

~ 0 ~

A small bitter smile crossed Noctis' face. "Sorry, but there are no more gods left to forgive you… old man."

His smile fell back to the calm indifferent line as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes once a bright cerulean blue were now a deep blood red after having witnessed the death of his mother and the culling of her soul in the city of the dead.

They gave off a dim crimson glow, a glow that anyone familiar with the eyes of an expiring soul would recognize.

Somehow he'd retained his memories of all previous cycles. Was it a gift? No. He remembered every failure all the loss the pain and the torture. Granted, there had been good times, but they were drops of rain in an ocean of grief. He had another chance, and he didn't know if it would happen again, so power was his goal. It was power he sought above all else. In turn, he'd deviated drastically from his previous lives and became something akin to that which he despised.

He'd focused more on his combat skills and magical prowess while hiding the fact he knew his father's darkest secret. That he had struck a bargain with Ardyn Izunia, or Ardyn Lucis Caelum. A deal that ensured a perfect weapon to be born. Not in the sense that he was powerful, but that he would not be able to rest until by chance or happenstance alone, he succeeded in finding the 1% threshold for a new future.

Something had occurred in his last life, allowing him to break the veil that divided his soul. He became aware of the world, and all of its cycles, from the moment of birth in that run he was equipped with the experience of all of his lives.

Lives that had been so grandly orchestrated to insight reactions from him, to try and change the outcome of their fates. To beat destiny. Now every day and night he'd slipped further and further into the so-called monster the people claimed him to be. That he supposedly was born to be.

This second chance he'd received that he was now aware of, was a chance he had not wasted. Gone was the calm nerdy young man who played King's Knight. He was who he had been born to be. The inheritor of light and sword of the goddess of death. The morning star of a new dawn.

He was Noctis Lucis Caelum no more. To the people, he was a cold and pragmatic man. A monster among men who felled the gods themselves. To those, he had confided in, however. Those he had trusted in his last life to and had stayed close to him. They knew what he indeed was. Who he was at his core. What he gave up to escape this farce of a life that had been manipulated by others since before his conception.

His father had been manipulated by Ardyn from a young age to marry his mother. To sire a child capable of wielding the power of the goddess of death, which many had confused for the power of the crystal.

His mother had rejected him after his birth, somehow seeing him for what he was and leave she did. To Solheim, the city of the dead and a once mighty nation of magic.

He was the inheritor of light, king of this world, prince of darkness. Some, like his mother, would call him the devil had that tile not belonged to a god already. No, he was just a man but far more powerful than any god that claimed dominion over Eos.

He was a gods bane blade. A tool meant to kill the powers that controlled the world so that humanity could be free from their cruel, twisted fate of imagined freedom.

A bitter, twisted barking laugh left the Kings' lips. His laughter trailed off into silence as he slowly stood up from his throne. Well, he'd sure done what Ardyn had meant him to do. Funny how things worked out. All those cycles fighting him and siding with the Astral. So much time wasted.

To think his father had wanted a happy medium between man and gods. He scoffed at the idea. Ardyn had told him the story of how Eos had born the children of a mortal to the fury of Bahamut who had then manipulated the civilization of Solheim into turning on their beloved goddess, imprisoning her underneath the land of Duscae.

The story Ardyn had told of the Infernian championing the depths of Pitios to save his lover despite knowing she sired the children of a mortal. The broken and dead body he had found with the two crying twins. The mercy he'd shone the babies and the wrath he brought upon Solheim and the war that followed.

Oh, how history favors the victor. Bahamut, the great deceiver. Judge jury and executioner. He remembered doing the god's dirty work for cycle after cycle, never questioning his role nor the beings intentions. Never again.

Sighing Noctis relaxed, taking comfort in the dark hall as the sound of gunfire was dulled by the thunder rolling and rain now pouring down outside.

The cathedral that the throne rested in was eerily quiet save for the muffled sound of the skirmishes outside. He took a few steps but stopped when the soft tap of shoes alerted him to the presence of another. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled, seeing Ignis walk out from one of the side rooms further down the hall behind the throne.

His crimson eyes shone brighter as the phantoms of his other three friends appeared beside Ignis, and he turned to face all of them.

To Ignis' left stood the smiling visage of Cor, who was standing with his arms crossed and a proud smile on his face. His instructor. No. His friend. The man had died in his arms after being eviscerated by Ardyn. The last words he'd spoken to Cor, played in his mind.

"I'm proud of how you grew up. You're everything I hoped you'd become and more. I'm honored to have been your friend."

To the left of Cor, stood Gladiolus with his confident grin, hands on his waist, chest puffed out. Gladio had betrayed him when he'd taken the throne after his father was killed. He understood the reason why and held no ill will towards him for it.

He'd been so focused on building up his power and hunting the Astrals it had cost many innocent people their lives. His refusal to acknowledge the cost for a better future had cost him Gladiolus' trust, which led to his betrayal in Tenebrae.

In the end, Gladios had taken the bullet from his own father's gun meant for Noctis himself. The last words they spoke to each other brought a tear to his eyes.

"You're pathetic and weak-willed. As the king, your obligation is to the people. You can't throw them to the side and pretend that their pain and suffering is irrelevant just because you want to save the world." Sigh. "Regardless. It's my job to make sure you stay on the right track, not to fight you at every wrong turn. I'm sorry."

Noctis clenched his fists whispering to himself. "There's nothing to be sorry for. I was such an idiot. I should have listened to you from the start."

Looking to the right of Ignis, his eyes met the sad smile of Prompto. Prompto had been a clone of the Niflheim empires greatest scientific mind, Verstael.

His 'father' and Ardyn had manipulated him into revealing the location of Noctis' mother, which led to their excursion to the city of Solheim and his awakening the eyes of an expiring soul.

Thinking back he wished Prompto had asked for help or at least talked to them. The dying words he spoke as his blood pooled in his mouth after their fight with That monstrosity that Verstael created floated through his memories.

"Noct." He coughed up blood and his eyes closed, a pained look contorting his features.

"I know this doesn't mean a lot coming from me, but I'm sorry. I really am. I would never have worked my way through all this if it weren't for you guys, and I regret everything that's happened. Please. As a last request. Tell Igi and Gladio, tell them… tell them I said, Thanks. Thanks for making time for this loser."

Noctis grit his teeth looking up, trying not to let the tears fall from his eyes. Blinking, he rubbed his face in frustration as a knot formed in his throat. A firm and comforting hand came to rest on his shoulder, making him shudder as he let out a shaky breath. His eyes met the unseeing gaze of Ignis, who was standing in front of him with a sad smile.

"They're, here. Aren't they?" Ignis said quietly.

Noctis nodded and closed his eyes. "Thanks, guys."

When he opened them again, only Ignis stood in front of him. "Came to say goodbye, I guess," Noctis said, giving a small shrug. Trying to keep his words firm despite the knot in his throat and the heavy feeling in his head as his vision blurred slightly.

Ignis nodded with a firm smile. "That is what friends do. We'll always be here for your Noct."

The king nodded again and then looked up into Ignis' eyes, putting his right hand on the man's left shoulder. With that, he took a step back and turned on his heel walking with a purpose to the grand doors that led to the plaza.

He kept his eyes on the dark and heavy monolithic doors as he made his way there, and he spoke the final words his last friend would ever hear him speak.

"No matter the pain it causes me, I will bring an end to this, I swear."

Ignis stood there in the darkness of his own blindness as tears streamed down his face. A lump was forming in his throat as he spoke. "Isn't there another way? All of us loyal to you know what you have done, what you have sacrificed so much for. We would do anything for you, Noct!"

Noctis looked over his shoulder, his eyes closed as tears fell down his cheeks, a warm smile on his face as he said the last part with a bit of desperate humor. "Don't worry about it, Igi. Everyone's sacrificed so much already. They've given everything I asked and more, I can't ask anything else of them. Besides, what kind of king would I be if I didn't pull my own weight."

The tears just kept coming as Ignis stood there, forcing a smile to his face for his best friend. "You'd be quite the fat one I'd think what with all the meat you eat and no vegetables."

Noctis chuckled softly, looking down, a couple of tears hit the floor. "Yeah…,"

"Goodbye, King Noctis. Serving you has been… a joy."

Noctis let out a strangled sigh, and his voice cracked. "I won't tell you not to cry Igi. Just promise me you'll make the best of the world I leave behind. I leave Insomnia to you. Take care of it. And don't think you were anything less than the best of friends to me… brother."

Ignis sniffed clenching his fists as he held his head high. The only remaining friend he had left in this world walked off to meet his destiny.

~ 0 ~

As Noctis made his way to the exit, phantoms of his friends and loved ones appeared around him. Echoes of their voices whispering to him that he didn't have to do this. His eyes became half-lidded as a stoic looking man who appeared to be in his late forties stood in front of the doors. The whisper of a specific memory floated through his mind.

"I will give my throne to no man who would sacrifice so much for a future that may never come! I will be the last king of Insomnia; the bloodline and the crystal shall end with me if it must! I will see Insomnia burn before I let it fall into the hands of a man like you, my son. This is not the way."

Noctis' lips pursed as he looked into the eyes of the phantom in front of him. The words his father spoke to him on that day. The day he became king, ran through his head.

"There is no escaping the fate we must all face. Please do not blame a foolish old king for the mistakes he made as a young man. Oh, what have I done."

"Before I was even born." Noctis tilted his head and clenched his fists. "I was planned for a purpose, and now I'll play my role. But I refuse to let that be the end."

He stepped through the phantom of his father, King Regis, and put his hands on the doors. "I love you, father, but this must happen. I apologize for everything. I'm sorry."

He began to push the doors open as a hauntingly sweet yet distorted voice filled the dark recesses of the cathedral ceiling. The tone and intent behind the voice made him shiver even though he knew it held no ill will towards him.

"You will bear the consequences for your actions."

Noctis paused and regarded the statement. The doors stood open by a couple of inches. The smell of rain and ozone filling his nostrils as he sighed. "As must we all." He said in a bitter tone.

He looked over his shoulder, and his eyes burned. The phantoms of almost everyone he knew stood around the hall. He met the gazes of each of them in turn. "There's nothing left for me here. All I can do is put an end to this."

The disembodied voice hummed followed by a dark, airy chuckle. "Then go forth Morning Star. Bring this world to its knees. Force the hand of those who oppose you and fight for us."

Noctis turned to nod silently as he pushed open the grand doors. He passed quietly through the arch his eyes burning a haunting crimson reminiscent of blood.

He tightened his jaw as he made his way past the slumped forms of those who'd stood guard while he rested. Their bodies now riddled with bullets and blade wounds. They would be the last of those who would give their lives for this cause.

"I swear it," Noctis said under his breath in a bitter tone while making his way across the walkway at the top of the tall staircase. His gaze slowly rose to meet the pitch-black sky. He winced slightly, blinking the cold rain from his eyes as his hot tears were washed away.

Thunder rumbled, and purple lighting flashed through the sky, temporarily illuminating the plaza with an ominous glow. The king closed his eyes as the sound of armor clattering about signaled the readying of men and women below for the imminent battle ahead.

He looked down at the enemy forces that had reached the center of the capital and relaxed his features. He knew all too well what was coming and what they fought for. "I want the last thing they see to be a monster. A monster that killed gods and brought ruin to their world."

He took a steady deep breath. "It doesn't matter if they understand or even know that it was me and everyone who sacrificed themselves who saved them. I did unspeakable things to break their shackles, and now I pay that price willingly."

The remnants of the three other kingdoms filled the imperial capital with what had seemed to be several thousand troops. Out of that, a force of a few hundred had already surrounded the Royal Cathedral of Lucius.

Panning his gaze from one end of the plaza to the other, he bottled up the pain in his heart. The expressionless face that he wore was unnerving. The people in the square all turned to face him, letting him know they were ready.

He took his first step down the stairs, and every enemy unit raised their rifles at him. He continued his descent down the long flight of stairs as thunder boomed and lightning cracked. Making a few jumps and pull the triggers on their rifles.

He eyed the soldiers but didn't flinch as they all opened fire on him out of fear and confusion. Their hail of bullets ricocheted off the crystal weapons floating around him. They were near invisible to the naked eye only glimmering ever so lightly when they were summoned into existence or lighting up where bullets contacted them.

Noctis paused on the last step, his blood red eyes panning over from right to left, counting all the soldiers in the immediate area. He took note that despite the fact they were all armed with assault rifles, they were trembling.

He let out a breath and took the last step into the plaza. "Please forgive me, I took the easy way out." He whispered in a defeated tone filled with remorse as a tear slid down his cheek hidden by the ever-falling rain.

He could see the fear and hate in the eyes of the soldiers closest to him, see them tremble as they stood their ground against him. He closed his mouth as another knot formed in his throat. "Hate me. Despise me. And whatever happens, never forget, I was the man who destroyed the world!" he shouted to those present in the plaza.

He didn't trust himself to keep his tone firm after that. The frustration he held inside was consuming. In his opinion, the gods and the world could go fuck themselves. He wanted no part in their petty games and rules. Sadly life often only gives you the choice of fighting or giving up, and the latter wasn't an option.

He brought his left hand up next to his right cheek waving his arm out. Six of his one-handed swords materialized weaving through the air crossing in front of him. They exploded outward, pushing back the ten or so soldiers that rushed him. They were thrown down into a heap as his great swords manifested in their crystalline forms fanning out around him to form a barrier.

He swung his hand back around with energy and light culminating to form his engine blade. He tightened his grip around the cold steel in his left hand as he took a massive step jumping forward, falling into a run.

He rushed the group of soldiers that he'd just thrown and aimed for the first one that stood back up. The engine blade spun coming up to his shoulder while he leaned forward, lowering his chest to waist level.

The soldier immediately in front of him, put a hand on his face and shook his head before turning to look over, having heard the sound of Noctis' boots on the wet stone. Noctis kept an indifferent expression on his face as he ran the blade through the poor bastard's waist.

The man gasped and clutched at the sword sticking into his stomach, blood bubbling to his lips. Noctis glanced to his right, narrowing his eyes. A firing squad had lined up a few yards off and were aiming at him.

He looked into the dark visor of the man dying on his blade. Blood red met a pail brown just as he grabbed the man's shoulder twisting his blade while pulling him over to cover his right side using the young man's body as a shield to absorb the wall of lead that followed the loud crack of gunfire.

Noctis watched with an indifferent stare as the man coughed up blood spattering his high collar. "Oh, god." Noctis thought, his stomach churning, light fading from the man's eyes as he and his comrades standing around him that had been knocked back earlier were caught in the hail of lead. All of them died before their bodies hit the ground.

Noctis looked into the dead eyes of the man slumped on his blade as he fell to his knees with a splash. "They're terrified."

He looked at the soldiers who'd just fired, and they were stumbling back. A couple of soldiers ripped their helmets off throwing up. "They didn't think they'd hit their comrades?" He studied them for a second longer before gritting his teeth. They weren't soldiers, just people drafted to help slay the King of Insomnia. A monster.

Putting his foot on the dead man's chest, he pushed him off the engine blade before grabbing his throat. "Let's not disappoint them."

He twisted his body and lifted the dead man's corpse over his back as he spun using the momentum to throw the corpse into the group of soldiers to his right. It pushed them back, knocking several of them down, making them scatter.

The water at the king's feet flew as he dashed forward flowing from his spin down on to his left knee. His left arm flew around from behind him to his front and clenched the air near his chest while his right arm slashed out to his side. Crystal weapons materialized on his left side blocking a stream of shots from a group trying to flank him while several blades flashed into existence for a split second, cutting down the recovering firing squad to his right.

His momentum continued, causing him to slide forward a few feet on the rain-slicked marble pursuing his spin into its second revolution dodging under a rifle butt attack from his left.

He glared at the soldier while summoning another broadsword in his right hand, cutting the man in half as he slid past. Only the back of the man's armor, keeping him together as his body fell. Blood and gore spilled out of the gash in the front of the chest plate and across the wet marble.

His eyes burned red for a second as a bluish light coalesced around him.

Haste.

The world around Noctis slowed down as his eye's rose to glare at the soldiers in his path. The ones near enough to see the display stumbled back a step or two and raised their rifles, but their movements were sluggish from his perspective.

They opened fire on him. The forces behind the first few lines oblivious to their enemy's ferocity and power. They began to panic when their comrades turned and ran right into them.

Noctis continued his 720-degree spin letting the blades in his hands disappear and rejoin the others as a Lance appeared in his left hand. He brought his turn to a sudden halt leaning forward while standing profile, his boots sliding across the slick marble kicking up rainwater as he thrust his left arm out. The lance broke the rifle of the soldier in front of him and pierced her armor.

The lance impaled the woman with a sick squelching noise, and she let out a blood-curdling scream making the soldiers around her to stumble back or fall on their asses in fear.

Narrowing his eyes he lifted the lance skyward and thrust again letting gravity do most of the work and pull the woman down causing her body to slid down the lance, her screams became distorted as blood flowed down the corners of her mouth and along the blade of the lance.

Her choked screams and coughs fell on deaf ears as the rain fell, the staccato of bullets and barked orders filling the air drowning her out. Noctis tossed her body back into a group of trembling soldiers.

To his left, six soldiers were running up to his exposed back opening fire. Their shots ricocheted back at them riddling them with their own bullets as the sound of metal hitting metal filled the air, the silhouette of a few blades spinning around Noctis.

He ran a couple of steps reaching out his right hand behind his back, a greatsword formed weighing his arm down to the ground. He took another step forward planting his left foot on the ground pivoting as the great sword hit the marble cracking it while bullets whizzed past his head or ricocheted off the crystalline blades as he swung the sword up diagonally.

It made a wide arc as it flew from the ground behind him on his right side to his upper left side, cutting a large gash into the line of soldiers in front of him. He jumped and let its weight pull him up in the air before quickly making it fade and rejoin the others.

His body spun, and he kicked his right foot out catching the rifle of a soldier in front of him launching it into the air before he came down slashing the man from right shoulder to left hip with a short sword.

Before the soldier's body could hit the ground, Noctis landed pushing off the stone with his arms crossed in front of his chest, daggers in hand. He barreled into the next soldier sliding one of the blades under the armor where the torso connected to the abdomen and stabbing the other down into his collar next to the helmet. The man staggered back, and Noctis took advantage of his left knee using it as a platform jumping over him.

He pulled his left arm back flames bursting to life in his open palm while throwing out his right hand, a blade flying from his grip. Several weapons floated in front of him blocking the shots fired at him while he was airborne. The sword he'd thrown stabbed into the ground just in front of the soldier closest to the back of this group as he thrust his left hand forward.

A ball of fire exploded in the middle of the enemies rear forces and erupted into a raging inferno as several more fireballs appeared and exploded as well blowing up crates with weaponry in them and throwing the surrounding units into the air. A few turned to behold the terrifying, but the majority only faltered for a second before they continued firing. A second was all he needed though, and he disappeared in a dim flash of neon blue light appearing crouched on the ground behind a shocked soldier.

The man gasped and stumbled back, reflexively pulling his rifle up to aim directly at Noctis' face, but a spear materialized pushing the gun up and away from him. The gun fired, and the man's eyes widened as he saw those evil red eyes fill his vision before his vision went dark followed a burning sensation exploding in his neck.

~ 0 ~

Noctis wrapped his right leg around the man's head, twisting it further than it could handle as he swung around completely breaking the soldier's neck. The man's body slumped to the ground and he tucked into a roll sprang up in a dead sprint summoning sword after sword cutting his enemies down one after another.

The rain fell, and the water that pooled around Noctis' boots was as red as wine. He came to an empty space and threw a longsword across the fountain into a firing squad across from him. It landed in a woman's chest, and she fell back clutching the sword as Noctis warped to the blade jumping off of it making her fall to the ground clutching the hole in her chest. Summoning another spear in his right hand, he plunged the blade into the collar of the soldier behind the woman.

He held on to the spears handle swinging around while summoning an assault rifle in his left hand and firing. The man he stabbed gurgled on his own blood as he fell to his right knee and then to his back, swinging Noctis in a wide arc as his gun unloaded into the crowd to his left. The 5.56 mm armor-piercing rounds in the clip had no problem piercing the soldier's thin armor and cutting them down.

He dispelled both weapons and landed on the ground pulling his right hand to his chest as all of his weapons materialized in the air around him. The soldiers were all frozen in fear as a horrific noise met their ears. Through the patter of rain, the click of empty rifles filled the air.

Noctis stood up straight and turned to face the stairs to the cathedral as a blinding flash of light that originated from the ring on Noctis' right hand illuminated the plaza. Everyone in the vicinity covered their eyes or desperately tried to reload failing dismally.

Noctis closed his eyes as every weapon he owned, every weapon in his spectral inventory materialized in the air around him. "Run." That was the only warning they received as he slashed his arms horizontally at his sides.

Screams of pain and cries for mercy filled the air as his weapons flew finding their targets.

~ 0 ~

The sky rumbled ominously as Noctis slowly made his way across the plaza stepping over bullets, guns, and bodies as the dying or pained whimpers of the people he'd struck met his ears. Their blood matched the red carpet that ran around the fountain making his stomach turn.

As he stepped over a body his foot landed on something and he heard a whimper. Looking down, he looked at what he'd stepped on. It was a hand, and on closer inspection, he noticed the smaller size of the body it belonged to as well as the long hair sticking out of the bottom of the helmet.

He lifted his foot, seeing that the hand was grasped around another's. There was an open locket on the ground between the two of them with a picture of a young boy and girl. He leaned down to pick it up, but before he could bring it closer for inspection the hand, he'd stepped on, grabbed his wrist.

He looked down at the soldier and reached down pulling their helmet off, revealing the face of a rather beautiful young woman. He tilted his head when she curled in on herself, flinching away from him but her grip remained firm around his wrist.

"Don't touch it." She hissed out through clenched teeth.

Noctis' eyes narrowed, and he pulled his wrist out of her grip before grabbing her by the throat. She quickly tried to tear away, but he was far stronger than any ordinary human could hope to be and lifted her in the air above his head looking into her bright silver eyes.

Her feet left the ground, and she began kicking weakly as her weight pulled her down, and his hand crushed her windpipe. She struggled to breathe and grabbed Noctis' wrists, trying to pull herself up.

She looked deep into those terrible crimson eyes and began to cry. "Why? Why did you do all of this." She managed to get out.

Noctis' grip around her neck tightened for a fraction of a second and spots filled the woman's vision as her air supply quickly dwindled before his grip slackened a bit. "I'm the only one who could." He said in a cold tone, trying to hold himself together.

He was far from innocent but his cause was noble, his power pure, but she wouldn't understand with such a short answer. Honestly, he thought it sounded pretty psychotic and pointless himself. Like someone who did something because they had the option to. That wasn't him, But in the end, it didn't really matter. They didn't need to know.

The woman scoffed and spit at Noctis face, her features becoming marred with a look of pure hate and revulsion. "You, monster!" She shouted as loud as she could

Noctis' gaze hardened before she kicked him in the face. He let go of her neck letting her splash to the ground, grabbing his face rubbing his eyes before looking back at her.

She hadn't pressed her attack but instead pulled the helmet off of the man who she'd been holding hands with and pulled him onto her lap with a sob.

She paid Noctis no more attention as she checked the man for signs of life before she stiffened, and her shoulders began to shake. She pulled the man up to her chest and hugged him close, letting out a wail of pain and loss.

He watched her with a frown feeling uneasy. Looking up he took in the bloody surroundings of the once pristine and undamaged plaza now a war-torn battlefield with bodies of the dead dying or injured laying about.

The price of freedom was a steep one, indeed.

"Just kill me."

Noctis blinked and looked back down at the woman. "What?"

"Kill me!" She sobbed. "Please…"

The king grit his teeth looking down, unable to meet the woman's gaze. "No."

She looked up with fear in her eyes. "Why not?"

Forcing himself to look back at her, he took in her features. She had dark hair with crimson tips and pale skin. Her silver eyes burned with a passion and hatred for those that would hurt her precious people, but fear was threatening to take over. Funny, he saw his mothers likeness in this woman.

Walking up to her, he held out his fist, making her flinch. She pulled the man in her arms closer and pulled back. He grimaced and opened his hand to reveal the locket to the woman. She eyed it for a few seconds, her expression giving nothing away before she slowly took it.

She held it close to her heart and sobbed as her grip on the man in front of her tightened.

"What's your name?" he asked quietly.

"Does it matter?" She asked in a defeated tone.

Noctis shrugged even though he knew she couldn't see. "I guess not."

He thought back on everything he'd done to get here, including the deed which had him seen as a monster. Much like Ardyn, he'd taken the scourge inside himself, but unlike his predecessor, he had done more than absorb it until he was corrupted beyond hope of return. He'd harnessed the power the parasites of Pitios offered to an extent.

That coupled with the blood of black mages, or the blood of kings as Eos had come to know it, he was able to take control of the demons to a great extent. On top of that, his excursion to Solheim had gifted him the knowledge to enhance his power further using an expired soul. His mothers. While it had granted him unimaginable control over his abilities, it had come at the cost of the wholeness of his own soul. His eyes were a testament to that.

For all intents and purposes, he was still a man but far from human. The word monster was an apt term. Honestly, he had come to terms with the fact that demons would forever be part of Eos, but without the gods to balance things out, humanity would have one hell of a fight ahead of them.

While looking at the woman, a thought crossed his mind. With Ardyn, Aranea, Crow, Dave, his mother, and his father dead the only people alive with magic himself and maybe a few others who had hidden away. Whoever was born instead of Stella or Luna this time around as well as those few mages he'd met in Solheim. There were also Umbra and Pryna. Their people could turn into animals or humans and even monsters as well. As was the abilities of a shape-shifter. Though they weren't combat oriented. His eyes widened with the realization. How would humanity survive?

Of course, the weaker daemons could be handled with ease, fists, or a stick. Swords and such for larger ones and guns or artillery for armored enemies. Then there were the demons that seemed made to kill humans. Ones that you had no hope of slaying. Daemons and monsters like Jormungand and the diamond weapons.

He had cleared the ancient tombs and dungeons but who's to say that more couldn't be out there. Lying dormant under the ice of Niflheim or deeper within the ancient monuments that were once the civilization of Solheim. Humanity needed something. The woman looked up at Noctis with an unsure gaze. He looked back at her his eyes narrowing slightly as his crimson ones met her silvery pools. "Humanity needs warriors."

The woman blinked confused. "What?"

Noctis took a knee to inspected the man in the woman's arms. He wasn't dead but just about. Only magic could save him now. Looking up at her, he asked in a firm tone. "Tell me. What would you do?" He looked into her eyes, holding her gaze. "To save the man you love."

The woman's expression became one of determination. "Anything."

Nodding Noctis held a hand out over the man. "It might not be the best, but Luna and Stella never did teach me how to master this."

Raise

The woman looked at him, curiously. "Who?"

Noctis ignored her holding a hand over the man. A white light shone accompanied by a golden shimmer that came from the center followed by a massive red feather forming. The man gasped for breath before going limp.

Cure

A green light surrounded Noctis' hand before he made a fist, and the sound of shattering glass followed by ocean waves filled the air as the light grew to coalesce around the man.

"Now." Noctis looked at the woman. "My silver eyed warrior." The woman's eyes widened before he reached out quickly and grabbed her head. She struggled and tried to pull away, but Noctis' grip held firm. "You said anything. I could kill him now if you want to take that back."

The woman stopped struggling instantly and slumped. She shook her head and then took a breath. "A deals a deal."

"That it is," Noctis confirmed.

Now the ring of the Lucii was a cursed ring. The only purpose of the ring was to make the High-Arcane spells accessible and easily cast with a reduced price on the user's life if they didn't have the magic inherently in their blood.

Now even with the ring without being an arcane mage over years of constant use it would halve your lifespan as it had done to his father but used sparingly and in low amounts would make for a deadly mage especially if it could be bound to a bloodline over time.

One would think it was bound to his bloodline, but that wasn't the case. His bloodline was that of black mages. Mages devoted to the darkest and most potent forms of the magical arts.

That allowed his lineage to use the ring but alas not without a price. Just as any who wear it must pay with their life, so must his bloodline. The only difference was the magic in his blood. It acted as a catalyst for the ring, so it didn't straight up kill him.

On the other hand, an arcane mage would be able to use it without any drawbacks or limits other than their casting power. However, the last arcane mage to be recorded was alive back before Solheim fell.

If the library there had been correct, then the clear crystal in the ring was made from a heart stone much like Lucis' meaning it was a bloodline crystal connected to the Archmages. So if his hypothesis was correct, it could be bound to a person sharing the same bloodline with the proper spell.

Looking into the woman's silver eyes, he pulled the ring off. He'd read the Archmages had soft silver eyes and their magic had a silvery color to it. It was a one in an infinite number of chances, but if he didn't try, then humanity would be alone against the daemons.

Warp

"This is gonna hurt."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

He slammed his ethereal hand into her chest and let go of the ring while activating Alterna.

The plaza lit up with blinding light as the woman's screams filled the air making everyone in the area freeze in fear and awe.

~ 0 ~

The rain was coming down harder than ever before, along with a constant rumble of thunder. The inside of the monolithic cathedral was dark, the weather outside only adding to the cold, foreboding ambiance. The only source of light was the candles in the chandelier above the throne that burned a dark, relaxing blue. In the end, he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill them all. The worshipers of gods would remain and in so call more to this world one day.

Noctis sat on the marble throne, taking long, slow, deep breaths. His right leg crossed over his left while his head rested on his left hand. His father's sword the Engine Blade was leaning against the seat. He began to drift off as the world around him began to go dark.

"This is it. The last step in creating a new world." He sighed quietly. If he couldn't kill them all, then he would do the next best thing and shroud this world in darkness by taking the light from it for a time. "After everything goes dark, the daemons will run rampant with no light to keep them in check." He blinked and sighed, his vision blurring for a second.

He thought back over the last ten years. How the war had decimated the four nations as they struggled for the crystal. The alliances made and broken. Discovering the real purpose behind why Insomnia's crystal never faded. The great war that tore Eos apart with Insomnia being the last nation standing mostly intact. The last battle between the three-nation alliance had tried to wrest power over Lucis, from himself, and kill him for crimes against humanity.

The last war was one he feared would never end. He couldn't be struck down or killed by any conventional means. Those that would see him dead came in waves making hunting the god supporters easier, but it was sickening. In the end, despite his power and his eternal properties, he was still human at heart.

He sighed quietly. With the way things had ended, people from across Eos would shun the once great land of Insomnia because of him and fight with the remnant of his nation. Those who believed in gods and those who knew better.

Fighting would be rampant. Everything looked bleak without a doubt. Especially as the light faded for the coming total darkness, the eternal eclipse would follow, but Noctis was sure that Ignis would be able to heal old wounds and guide those who remained into a much brighter future. Hopefully, his little gamble paid off as well. Despite not having the stomach to end every life touched by the Astrals, he could hope that in time something would change.

He opened his eyes and stared into the dark depths of the cathedral as the blue flames above his head went out one by one, with the gentle hiss of fire meeting liquid wax. "They are gone, and their influence will never return. I hope this pays off and humanity as enough time to gather strength to fight if they must."

Noctis' crimson eyes burned in the dark; he could feel his strength leave him as the world became eclipsed in shadow. Having to exert more control over the daemons running rampant across Eos was a strain on his soul. He laughed as the last request he'd made to Ignis pushed through the more serious thoughts.

~ two days ago in the capital plaza Noctis & Ignis ~

The two men walked around the fountain just trying to relax with the hustle and bustle of glaives running around preparing for the army approaching their walls.

"Hey, Ignis."

The blind man turned to face his king despite being blind. "Yes, Noct?"

The king looked up at the sky wistfully. "When this is over I want you to rewrite the books. Redact all information of Eos from the annals of history and rename the planet. It's happened a few times before, might as well have fun knowing your part of that exclusive club."

Ignis looked up at his king with his blind eyes wide, his jaw dropping. "That is extremely irresponsible. What of the lessons where those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it?"

Noctis grinned. "Can't call this breaking the cycle if we keep the same history around. The games changed." Looking up at the sky, he narrowed his eyes. "If this works the gods will be no more, and only a small number of people will remain."

Ignis just shook his head and smiled. "Quite right, Hines."

Noctis sighed before closing his eyes. "What do you think about renaming it… Nocturne."

Ignis laughed patting Noctis on the back. "Watch it, your egos showing."

The king just pushed his only living friend off and shook his head, sighing happily. "No."

Noctis looked off into the distance at the setting sun and let out a slow, tired breath. "The world will go dark, and after that, the moon will permanently eclipse the sun so there won't be any light for a while. A twilight world of an eternal eclipse." He looked over at Ignis.

His friend was in his thinking pose. The intellectual contemplated the idea while humming before he let his hands drop, facing his friend and brother with a wide smile. "Nocturne sounds fitting."

~ 0 ~

The near middle aged king was pulled from his thoughts by a light, airy voice.

"So, this is your final decision?"

Noctis just sat there in the dark as his vision began to dull. Surrounding objects blurred in and out of focus. In his honest opinion, nothing mattered anymore. He'd accomplished what his father couldn't and even with the losses along the way this was it.

"Yes. Even with the worshipers still around, this is where the cycle stops. Your death marks the end of the reign of the gods. I'd say I'll miss you but let's be honest here." He looked up into the ever-encroaching darkness. "You never cared for me just what I am and what that meant to you."

Noctis' eyelids dropped, his eyes becoming lidded as a breath slipped passed his lips.

"For this transgression, you will be cursed to wander the land eternally. Without the Crystals or the gods, no one could release you from the existence you have saddled yourself with."

Noctis smiled and gave a dark chuckle as the words drifted in one ear and out the other. "I've accepted my fate." He sighed in a tired defeated tone. "Even if the world were to be ground to dust, I would remain to ensure the gods never return, but I will never sacrifice what I had to again."

The disembodied voice laughed while speaking in a lilting musical tone. "Yes, well, the one who created this world is pleased by your actions. It seems He has granted you one small mercy."

Noctis smiled a weak, defeated smile. "And what would that mercy be?"

"Those who would claim this world now have had a mighty and unrelenting wrench thrown into their plans. It would not do to have such an effective tool easily removed. You have the makers blessing as a constant in this world, so long as you continue this path."

Noctis nodded. "Well, so long as the maker doesn't influence the world directly, I'll play my part." He quietly spoke while watching as the darkness swelled coalescing into the shape of a beautiful woman with flowing white robes. Her long flowing blond hair cascading around her body. Two wings, one remiss of a dove the other a bat. She was the woman, the phantom, the Goddess who haunted his every dream and nightmare, who whispered and spoke to him throughout his last life.

She walked towards the throne using Noctis' glowing crimson eyes like a beacon, dropping to her knees beside the throne as she lay her head down on the armrest. She gazed up at the inheritor of light and king of this world.

A small warm smile played across her features as her hand wandered across the cold marble and closed around his right hand. She sighed as they both felt the pull of sleep "They will come one day. Because of your weakness."

Noctis frowned and closed his eyes for a brief time. "And I'll be here to cut them down. Those two aren't gods. You hold more divinity than they do."

"Well then, will you honor this more divine being by accepting one final request my king of light?"

Noctis looked down at the Goddess, a small smile forming on his face as blood red met glowing lilac. He nodded and closed his eyes. "I suppose I owe you a last request."

Etro smiled as she closed her eyes, pulling his hand to her cheek, resting upon it as her consciousness continued to fade. "You have my heart and my blessing wherever you shall find yourself. No angel, demon, deity nor god shall have power over you. So, follow your desire, and let your own will be your guiding light."

Noctis smiled and let his thoughts wander. To be more selfish and to live for the sake of living again. It sounded strange. Despite only being 30 years in this cycle, it seemed like an eternity. "I promise." He caressed the Goddess's cheek and responded with a poem that he'd heard. A very long time ago.

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul."

"In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed."

"Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid."

"It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul."

The Goddess sighed contently and let her body relax as she faded into a silvery light that coalesced around the last king of Insomnia. "May the light of the world guide those who are to come. From this moment on let, humanity cast off the burden of the gods. From the dust you come, so shall dust be your power. I am Etro Queen of nothing, Goddess of light, new days, and death. True death is mine to command, and my blood will spill eternally to atone for the Sin of my brothers, my sisters, my sons."

The world darkened, and the last thought that passed through the goddess' mind was of finally being able to rest after the long cycles.

"Goodnight Noctis."

Noctis sighed as the goddess' power faded and nothing of her remained. "Goodnight Etro."

Just then the large doors to the cathedral creaked open, the howling wind from outside sweeping across the hall with a biting vengeance.

Looking up lazily Noctis saw a man with white hair and brown eyes wearing clothes similar to those that the people in the city of the dead of the fallen nation of Solheim wore. The man lifted his right-hand an ornate staff held aloft.

Noctis chuckled and shook his head slightly. "You're too late old man. You might have kept your promise and found the power you were looking for, but it doesn't matter. Your spirit magic won't do much to me. No one who attains it will either."

There was a flash of color and then a burning sensation spread through Noctis' chest. Looking down, he saw a sword sticking out of his chest, pinning him to the throne. A small smile spread across Noctis' face, and he laughed.

"What's this supposed to do?"

The white-haired man glared at Noctis. "It'll keep you here for a very very long time."

Noctis shrugged and let his consciousness start to fade again. "It matters little to me. What's I did is done, and you can't change that. The gods are no more, and there are no more magic bloodlines that can destroy the world. All those that come after you may hold it, but when you die out, it will be gone, and I… will be right here waiting."

The man walked up to the throne, followed closely by a young boy with dark brown hair and similarly colored eyes with tan skin. The older man held Noctis' gaze as he drew closer. "No more bloodlines except yours, you mean."

"And?" Noctis smirked smugly. "Is this how Ardyn feels when he smirks at me? Man, I should have done this more often."

He sighed tiredly but with a bit of humor. "I could have destroyed the world, but I didn't. What does that tell you?"

The man's fists tightened. "No human should have that kind of power!" He roared, making the young boy flinch next to him.

Noctis just continued to smirk and reached up holding his index finger against the man's forehead. "God is the absolute power."

"You are not a god!"

"Never said I was. I just said god is the absolute power. The beings I killed weren't gods. They and I are no more divine than you. What right did they have to rule us, to subjugate us in such a way! None, that's what. And so I took their power from them. I left them broken and wasted. No person or being could strike me down, but a god, and even then, I will not go quietly into that good night."

Noctis finished his piece and closed his eyes relaxing into the chair as best he could with the sword pinning him against the throne. "Just remember, I control the daemons, but I don't think I can do much to hinder them while I sleep."

The man looked down at Noctis with a worried expression but schooled his features and brushed him off while turning to leave. He pulled up a hood before putting on a traditional mage's hat with a gruff growl. "We'll manage. Humanity always finds a way."

Noctis almost smiled at the man's determination and bullheadedness. Funny enough, it gave him hope. He waved lazily as his strength slipped away. "Well then remember old man, I'll keep coming. It just won't be you who will need to be prepared."

The boy turned to look back at Noctis as the old man came to a stop.

"My name is Ozpin. Remember it. Come now, Ozreal."

Noctis watched as the two left. The young boy's eyes met his as they walked away. "When I awaken I hope you'll have spent your time wisely. Keep that family prefix of Oz, so I know who to come for."

The boy looked scared, but the older man looked over his shoulder. "Gladly."

Noctis let out a yawn before resting his head on his left hand again. "Such confidence in the face of impossible odds. That's pretty, admirable." As the two left the cathedral, he whispered his final words before sleep took him. "Goodnight."

~ 0 ~

~ Ch 1 ~

~ An unlikely reunion of sorts ~

Noctis found himself once again standing in a dark abyss void of anything. It was much like the fevered dreams he had before he came to understand they were broken pieces of his memories from the cycles. His crimson eyes burned with unbridled power as he sighed, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over him. He'd had that dream again.

It was strange. Noctis knew he was asleep in a sense so far as his body on Eos was concerned, but he had, in a way regained consciousness of his soul at least. He found himself stuck in this black yet not a dark world for a very long time. Or so it seemed. Long enough for him to ultimately play all of his past lives over in his mind with a fine-toothed comb.

It was strange. Noctis hadn't the faintest clue why he was doing it only that it seemed right. All the while though he couldn't help feeling like he was being judged on something. It was similar to being in school with a bad head cold where everything seemed to pass you by. You were aware of everything and could hear what people were saying, but you couldn't complete coherent thoughts. Just like moving from one activity to the next while paying attention to every detail as it happened only to forget it once the task was complete. Out of sight, out of mind.

~ Song – Nausicaa Requiem/ Requiem for the dead ~

At the end of his final dream that had led to his current place, a strangely haunting melody met his ears, a small thumping beginning in the back of his head that pulled him from his jumbled musings as uncomfortable memories dragged to the forefront of his psyche. Ones he'd instead have kept buried.

The melody, strangely enough, was one he knew. It was the song of the dead. They'd sung it on Eos during funerals since time immemorial up to his own father's funeral. The purpose, if he remembered right, was a way for those who died to see their past lives and not lose themselves on their journey through the afterlife. Strange that he would hear it after remembering his life as opposed to before.

The thumping in his head grew in intensity and persistence as the melody of the song evolved into a maelstrom of head-splitting noise. He covered his ears to no effect and clutched his head, gritting his teeth.

Reflect

Not a second after using the spell he felt the sound die down into a soft hauntingly pleasant melody once more. "What was?"

There was a giggle that filled the air around him. It sounded like that of a young girl's. He spun around trying to find the source of the noise when his eyes landed on a young blonde girl with pale skin. She had sapphire eyes and held a golden harp that she played as she sang along to the song of the dead, her body swaying and dancing to the melody as the deep blue dress she wore fanned around her little ankles.

She seemed innocent, but appearances wouldn't fool Noctis, Ardyn had taught him that lesson a long time ago. Looking around, he bent his knees, ready for a fight if one came. There was no way an Innocent little girl was wherever this place was.

He glared at the young girl. "Who are you?"

The girl just giggled again while playing her harp although a confused expression flashed across her face for a fraction of a second.

Reaching up to his face, he pressed his thumb into his left eye and pulled violently, making his eye bleed. As the blood seeped into his iris, he covered his right eye watching the girl through the thin coating of blood over his pupil.

Libra

To his discomfort, his head pounded for a second as the blood in his eye began to glow. Now he could see the wispy almost transparent visage of a woman layering over the girl, but she became more evident the longer Libra's effects worked on her.

The woman wore a dark Gothic form-fitting dress that accentuated her curves, making her look taller. Her skin was as pale as snow but sickly looking. She had deep black eyes with burning red irises and black veins running along her body.

She reminded him of those who had been taken by the star scourge. Or Eos' curse as Ardyn had called it. What he knew to be the primordial darkness that was the building blocks the maker used to create the world.

A formless substance. A substance that could be anything and consumed everything. Something humanity should not have meddled with, but of course, after Bahamut's whispers of power in their ears, Solheim had gone hunting for it dooming humanity to a fate they couldn't fathom.

A fate he had made sure to bury while paving a new one. It seems someone had undone his hard work.

His eyes narrowed in anger at the implications of her appearance. He watched her with a wary eye trying to force down his rage as the false image of the girl sang and swayed. She smiled up at him, but the visage behind her ruined the effect by giving a wicked pleased smile in turn. Then they both spoke, but the voice of the phantom was what Noctis paid heed too.

"The gods are gone, but they shall return. Grant me your favor and lend me your power. Allow me the strength to defeat my enemies, my king."

Noctis watched as the girl stopped dancing, letting her harp rest against her chest with a small smile on her lips. He relaxed a bit, letting his hand drop from his face. He had no idea what was going on, but he had a strange feeling. Looking around, he noticed that there was a faint glow coming from himself. Looking down his eyes widened in surprise, seeing that he wasn't wearing his regular clothes but the royal armor of the kings of Lucis. His armor, the set he'd never worn.

This struck him, and he looked back to the woman pretending to be a girl. He felt a strange emotion come over him. It was a disappointment with what he couldn't say. Looking the woman over he noticed she was holding something in her right hand.

"Why do you ask for my power." The words left him but they didn't feel like his own, and yet he couldn't say they weren't his.

The woman grimaced. "That I might tear down my enemies." She said. The words didn't fit the illusion of the girl but matched up with the woman entirely.

"I hold no love for the gods, but why should I grant you power?" Again he'd spoken not knowing why. His attention slowly being drawn to the woman's hand again. Why?

The woman glared at him. "Because no one else will. No one will do what must be done to rid this world of them and their machinations! I ask you again. Will you grant me your power?"

Then it hit him. This was what he'd seen every time he slumbered in the crystal for ten years every previous cycle. The only differences were instead of there being 13 kings judging him; he was alone judging the worth of a single person. His stomach turned.

The kings had sold their souls to false gods for power, and he'd ended their contracts. Had gifted the ring to another that humanity might have its defenders. So then why was he here? He had no ring to channel his power through, and yet.

His gaze drifted to the woman's hand before he seemed to float towards her coming to her eye level, her real eye level. "What is in your hand?"

The woman stiffened. Her expression became one of surprise, and she backed away with a scowl. The young girl faded away, and the woman became more apparent and more easily discernable as she held out her hand. In her palm rested a perfectly preserved silver eye.

Something in Noctis snapped. A cold feeling stirred in his mind at the sight. He reached out and took the eye before it vanished in a wisp of blue energy as the same light blue energy swelled around the two and the Ether rumbled. The darkness seemed to recoil, and a pale gray filled the space around the two as the area brightened with each passing moment.

"You dare bring harm to those I have stationed over this world. To deface that which I hold dear and of high import. To steal power from those that need but ask it of me. You are not worthy of my grace!"

He had no idea what came over him, but the cold feeling exploded into a raging inferno. A dark violet flame erupted around the woman. It spread to her and raced across her body. Her skin began to crack, and her body smoldered as the fire grew, blending into a blazing pyre as she fell to her knees.

This woman would burn. He was no god, and he passed no judgment as a higher being. This was one person hurting the other for taking what wasn't theirs. This was personal. He didn't know why but this was the most human he'd felt in a long time.

But then he saw it. The small twisted smile that graced the woman's face as she fell to whatever ground there was here.

"No." The flames ceased instantly, and the woman's cracked flesh healed instantaneously.

She looked up at him with hate and surprise. "Why."

"I will not grant you what you seek. Suffer the curse upon you."

The song of the dead faded quickly followed by the image of the woman herself leaving him in isolation but not without a cold glare.

~ song – under the apple tree – final fantasy 7 crisis core OST ~

The Ether closed in around him as the light faded. His power seemed to leave him, and he felt light-headed as the darkness lunged for him tightening around him like a vice. It was squeezing the consciousness from him, but just before his awareness was snuffed out the soft spring of grass met his back, and the choking feeling faded just as quickly as it had come. He slowly opened his eyes. "Ugh. Feel so sluggish."

His gaze fell on the tree he seemed to be resting under while he rubbed his head, trying to clear his mind of the fog coating his thoughts.

The tree was a good thing to focus on, so he took in its details. It had a strange otherworldy color to it. A bleached white that seemed to give off a soft glow such as those in Tenebrae royal garden, but what really caught his eye was the unique shape it was in coupled with the exotic fruit hanging from the branches in the likeness of apples, yet they were a deep sapphire with silvery streaks. The tree itself was about forty feet in length but only fifteen maybe twenty feet tall. It curved from the base in the ground back to the ground at the tip.

A cool breeze crept across the field rustling the vegetation around him carrying a pleasant sweet flowery sent with it that filled his nostrils making him feel sleepy again, the fog in his brain rolling in once again.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath folding his arms behind his head as he lay back, getting comfortable. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea. This place was a nice contrast to the world he'd left. The smell in the air was clean and delicious without the scent of death, blood, or gunpowder filling the air.

The grass he lay on gave him a warm feeling as if he was being hugged from behind by a dear friend. So unlike the battle-torn and scorched earth of Eos. He smiled a warm wistful smile that fell as he continued to draw comparisons. The mental images brought back dark memories, and the fog in his mind cleared at the sobering thoughts.

He sighed sitting back up and opened his eyes, looking down at the grass between his boots then up to the world around him. As far as the eye could see was grass, black as night yet soft and lush. It almost had a sludgy color to it, but it was not rotting.

His eyes panned from left to right and then drew up towards the sky. A light gray, almost white canvas greeted hi, accompanied by a full moon that hung in front of the sun eclipsing it thus creating the image of a pale white ring around it with a beam seeming to drop down to the world far off in the distance.

He chuckled to himself at the sight of the sun and moon. "Well If this is a reflection of the real world I'd say I did a pretty good job. Dark but not dead. Cool but not cold. Lush but not lively. It's… peaceful." He let out a content sigh. "Guess you did it, Igi," He said quietly, a small smile on his face as he pulled a leg close to his chest resting his left arm on his knee scratching his head with a chuckle.

Thinking back to just moments before he found himself here, he decided to ignore the event and the feeling that had come over him. It'd made him feel uncomfortable but nothing more. Right now, he just wanted to 'stop and smell the roses' as it were.

"I wonder what the worlds like right now? For that matter, where am I? Could I still be stuck to my thrown?" He pondered to himself what exactly he was at the moment. If this was just his consciousness, then was anything physical? Was this world really what Eos looked like now? A breeze blew gently through his hair.

He leaned back on his free arm with a sigh and looked up at the tree. His stomach rumbled, and he rubbed it absentmindedly. "Whatever state I'm in, and wherever I am, it couldn't hurt to eat one. Right?"

Materializing a dagger, he threw it with practiced ease and deadly accuracy up at a branch. It cut the thin twig connecting a couple of the strange looking apples to the tree before disappearing in a faint wisp of neon blue light. Two fruits fell into his open palm, and he examined them for a second before taking a bite of one and pocketing the other.

It was sweet and brought back memories of better times that left a bitter aftertaste of regret and guilt that brought tears to his eyes. His lips quivered, and he bit his bottom lip as the tears ran down his cheeks. He quickly took another bite followed by another and another until naught remained of the apple. The most memorable times of his life flew through his mind. He closed his eyes while wiping his face and tossed the apple core. "Dumb apple," he said with a small amount of affection.

Just then he heard a voice. It was mature and feminine with a far-off sounding tone as if the owner were in a trance. It reminded him of Gentiana. Wise, full of warmth and compassion but with an unmistakable inflection of maturity and forlorn hope. The voice of a mother in pain would have been his response had anyone asked.

He stood up, patting the grass off his clothes, and took a deep breath while closing his eyes. He strained his ears in concentration, trying to make out what the woman was saying, but all he could pick up on was the gender and tone of the speaker. He opened his eyes, turning to face the direction he hoped was where the voice emanated from and started walking.

As he made his way to the edge of the clearing, he turned and looked back at the strange white tree. A sense of loss washed over him like he was forgetting something. Like when you wear a jacket for a long time and take it off. The feeling of something familiar missing. He closed his eyes, shaking his head, a determined look coming to his eyes as he turned back to find the source of the voice floating through the air.

Behind him, he missed the phantom of a young boy standing under the tree. Once upon a time, he could have related to the boy, but that time was long past. The boy had a broad happy smile and waved at the kings back as if to say goodbye to an old friend.

A young blond girl appeared next to the boy taking his hand, and the two turned running to the tall figure of a man who seemed to be in his mid-forties. As the two children reached him, they all disappeared just before Noctis turned around.

He blinked, a lone tear falling down his cheek. He gazed at the same spot the phantoms had occupied before looking back to the trees in front of him. He didn't know why, but he waved over his shoulder before continuing on his way.

~ song end ~

He didn't know how long he'd been walking, but eventually, he came to another clearing. This one appeared to be up on a high cliff. The sound of waves crashing against a rockface was a dead giveaway. At the edge of the clearing near the cliff face stood a figure cloaked in white. It was the woman whose voice he'd been following but that was all Noctis could make out from where he stood.

He was surprised her voice had carried all the way to the other clearing considering it never grew any louder despite the close proximity. It had, however, grown clearer the closer he got. "Then again, I'm sure this place isn't normal by any standards."

When he was just a few paces away from the woman, he could clearly make out what she was saying, and it made him pause.

~ 0 ~

"Mankind was born from dust into a hostile world, forced to battle for survival against soulless creatures of darkness known as the Grimm. However, man discovered a power that would help them combat the forces of darkness; they named their newly discovered power, dust, after that from which they were formed. Armed with dust, described as "Nature's Wrath," mankind was able to turn the tide against the Grimm."

He looked at the woman putting his right hand on his hip, letting the other fall to the side. The story she was telling sounded very similar to what Etro had said before she departed for wherever it was, she went. It was almost like someone had written a history based on the remnants of Eos after the war. Thinking on it, he had no idea what to call the war.

"In the absence of darkness, mankind was able to build civilizations and spread throughout the world. The mining of dust would continue to be a major industry, leading to the rise of large enterprises such as the Schnee Dust company".

Noctis rose an eyebrow at the last part. "Leave it to humans to find a way to monetize everything." Then again, who was he to judge? This Schnee family sounded a lot like his family only his was more akin to a mafia la Familia and his power was genetic, not mined.

The woman continued, and he looked up.

"However, having survived the Grimm menace, humanity began to turn against itself, spiraling into a series of self-destructive conflicts. The largest of these was the Great War, fought over issues of individualism and self-expression. Conflict also arose between the humans and the subjugated Faunus, eventually sparking the Faunus Rights Revolution."

Noctis closed his eyes while rubbing his temples." Faunus? Like Fauna for the goddess? Did it really come to war between god worshipers and those that didn't, or something else?" He dragged his hand down his face and just shook his head. "Why can't people ever just get along."

Sighing, he pondered the second half of what she'd said as his hand dropped to his side. "The place she's talking about has more than one species that are humanoid and intelligent enough to be recognized in the same way. As always, racism or national superiority was everywhere." He sighed, mentally before looking back to the woman.

"Well, it's definitely not my world then. Unless Faunus isn't god related but referencing animal life. Perhaps descendants of Umbra and Pryna's People bread enough for their species to become a noticeable number. Actually, Pryna was the last one alive." He said quietly. "Imagine my shock when I recovered memories of cycles where they could turn into humanoid beings. To think Umbra and Pryna were s frickin ninja dogs."

"In the modern day, most people live within the four kingdoms; Vale, Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo. Through a combination of human tenacity and the use of natural barriers, these settlements managed to survive, regarded as "Safe Havens" and "Beacons of Hope" for humanity. However, small villages and nomadic communities do exist outside of the territories of the main kingdoms, though they are noted as being far more susceptible to Grimm attacks. This serves to emphasize that Remnant is not a particularly welcoming world to humans and Faunus."

"So, this place is called remnant, sounds a lot like home." He scratched his head, eyes closed. He shook out his hand and relaxed, taking a deep breath. "So, what else can you tell me?" He said just above a whisper as he folded his arms, and shifting his weight.

"Following the Great War, Huntsman Academies, such as Beacon Academy, were created to train huntsmen and Huntresses, warriors whose sole purpose was to combat the Grimm using a combination of powerful weapons, Aura, and Dust. In doing so, they protect themselves and those who cannot protect themselves from the dangers of Remnant."

"Well we never had anything called dust and aura wasn't a word or concept he was familiar with in terms of combat, but magic veins were pretty common… It could be the same thing. Also, if we'd done that instead of pushing everything off on the army and royal guard we might have been better off Ardyn, the daemons and he would never have…"

Noctis paused, just noticing that the woman had stopped speaking, making the air go eerily quiet. He looked up at the woman and saw that she was staring right at him. He took in her appearance.

Most of her body was wrapped in the white cloak she wore, and her hood hid her hair, but she had a flawless young face reminiscent of those hailing from Tenebrae. She was beautiful in His opinion and reminded him of Stella or maybe Aranea. He paused when she turned to face him, and he saw the eyepatch. The woman looked up at him, her hood falling as tears came to her eye. A sad smile spread across his pale white face as a stream of tears trickled from her silver eye. Her face was framed by dark hair with red tips that fell to her shoulders.

"Qrow?" she asked in a weak and fragile tone as she reached out for him. She walked up to Noctis, hands moving towards his face.

He watched her as she drew closer but slowly raised his hands. He gently grabbed her wrists, stopping her a few inches from his face. With an indifferent look in his eyes, he gently pushed her arms back and lowered them before letting go.

"No. My name is Noctis."

The woman recoiled slightly a defeated look coming to her face. "Sorry. It's just that you, well. I guess. It's better that you aren't. Well I mean, you… nevermind." The woman wiped her face and took a deep, shaky breath trying to steady herself. "So. Who are you, then?"

The fact that he'd just introduced himself but that she hadn't remembered made the corners of his mouth drop slightly.

As he looked at the woman, his eyes glanced past her falling on the moon directly behind closed his eyes and grew quiet as he thought about that for a second.

The woman looked at Noctis and blinked. "Hmm? Helloooo." She waved a hand in front of his face and then snapped next to his ear, trying to get the man's attention.

Noctis blinked as he came out of his thoughts.

The woman put her hand in front of her mouth and giggled but stopped quickly. A sad smile pulled at her lips. "So, you died too, didn't you? I mean, we're both here after all." She said, gesturing around. "It's okay if you don't remember your last name if you have one. "I don't know how long I've been here myself, but I'm sure it's been a." She sighed, rubbing her arm. "A long time. I can hardly remember my own name."

Noctis' eyes widened. "Wait if she's dead then why am I here? I can't die. Not the same way humans do." Noctis took a short breath and let it out through his nose. "I could warp myself out of wherever here is, but I don't think I can help her." He felt something appear in his hand the same way his weapons did, but it felt soft. Looking down at his left hand, he lifted it to his face before opening it slowly so only he could see. It was the silver eye he'd taken from the woman in the Ether. Then he looked down at his right hand where the ring of the Lucii used to be. Then he looked up at her or more specifically her eyepatch. "Unless."

"Unless what?" The woman asked him.

He ignored her question. "The eyepatch."

She reached up towards it blushing feeling self-conscious. "What about it?" She asked nervously. She'd never liked talking about it ever since she'd lost it in the fight against that young girl and the young man who'd attacked her.

She looked back at Noctis, and he reached out to her face with his right hand. A wave of unease came over her, and her hand twitched for the weapon hidden under her cloak, but just as her hand closed around it, he stopped. His eyes a crimson red like Raven's started to glow slightly, and a small twisted smile came to his lips.

~ 0 ~

He could feel the power flow from his soul into the eye in his left hand. There was a slight pull dragging his hand up towards her covered eye as well. "Is your eye missing or damaged?" He quietly asked as he pulled his hand back, his eyes lighting up with their crimson glow as a velvety blue light coalesced in his closed palm. Unbeknownst to the woman in front of him, her remaining eye began to glow an ethereal silver.

She let go of her weapon and lifted her other hand to her face frowning slightly. "It's gone."

Noctis' smile grew becoming a satisfied smirk of pleasure one might get after succeeding in something they thought fruitless. It made her feel uncomfortable.

"It worked." He spoke quietly.

"Huh? What worked? What the hell are you talking about?" She almost yelled, stamping her foot feeling rather stupid for not being able to understand what he was talking about.

Noctis blinked having the humility to look embarrassed as he looked away apologizing. "Sorry, it's just well. You're wrong because I can assure you I'm not dead, and I think I know how to get out of here."

The woman looked at him with an incredulous expression, an excited look popping on to her face, giving her the likeness of an eager teen on a sugar rush. She jumped up to him and grabbed his hands, shaking them excitedly. "Are you sure because then, that means I have a chance to see my baby girls again!"

The woman let go of him and started pacing while muttering to herself, occasionally getting louder and adding a fist pump as she rambled. Noctis shook his head, watching her in bewilderment. He winced, looking down at his left hand, making sure he hadn't crushed the eye when she'd grabbed his hands. He sighed in relief, seeing it was okay. Just then the woman slumped to the ground having worn herself out and looked up at him giving a huff.

"So, you say you're not dead, but I thought I was, which means we're both nearly dead or something like it. Exhaustion of some kind? Like aura exhaustion. The soul is too weak to sustain consciousness, perhaps?" she pondered. "But that wouldn't explain how I'm here. I could have sworn I was." She shivered, reaching for her stomach rubbing absentmindedly. She looked up at him with a confused expression one might give when seeking answers.

He cringed slightly, his face scrunching up in annoyance. He had a growing suspicion his current companion was an intellectual like Iginis, and he'd really rather not deal with one right now. Not to mention he had no clue what her situation was. As for where they were at if he had to guess it was a testing ground to cleanse the soul. A place to discover your real inner thoughts and give up what you were for what you could become.

The woman stood up and dusted off her cloak before grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him slightly, pulling him from his thoughts. She was stronger than she looked by far, making him stumbled not expecting the strength behind such a small frame.

He gave her a reproachful look as he stood up straight while fixing his coat. She looked away bashfully with an embarrassed blushed and looked down while she drew circles on the ground with her boot, holding her hands behind her back. "Sorry." She said in a soft tone.

"It's fine," he replied in a calm tone that he usually reserved for a love-struck or over-excited Prompto. "Just try not to do it again."

The cloaked woman nodded furiously and smiled, saluting him.

"Aye, aye Noctis." The lady's eyes widened to what Noctis thought was an impossible size when she gave a deep bow.

"I'm so sorry I never introduced myself to you, argh! I can't believe I forgot I'm always getting after Yang for that and here I am forgetting myself. How embarrassing." She said, thumping her forehead. Her right hip cocked out, and her right index finger rested on her lips while her left hand held her right elbow.

Noctis smiled and shook his head at her. He'd recognize that pose anywhere. The nursemaids had always used it when they felt they made a mistake in raising him and the one time he'd seen his own… well. "She's definitely a mother."

Smiling, Noctis flicked her forehead and then ruffled her hair the same way he did to Iris when she gave him that look. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure you're a good mother. Let's focus on what's going on right now, though."

She looked at him with a confused expression before she smiled and happy tears started welling up in her eyes. Noctis winced thinking he'd done something wrong. She rubbed her eye and giggled a bit, shaking her head. "Don't worry. It's just been a long time since Qrow…" She sniffed and cleaned her eyes. "Never mind. Thank you." She said, wrapping her arms around Noctis hugging him close. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's just been so lonely."

Noctis could feel some hidden tension from something other than the current situation that caused her to say that. "Uh. I um, you're welcome." He patted her head. "How about you tell me your name, and I'll help you figure a way out of here." He closed his eyes and smiled. It was apparent he forced it as he put his hands on her shoulders, trying to keep her away without pushing her off.

She looked up at his weak expression and almost laughed. Her isolation here had her all over the place mentally and emotionally, and she knew it. He seemed so stoic which was a significant indicator he wasn't a touchy-feely kind of person, but the fact Noctis hadn't thrown her off showed he was trying for her sake and she appreciated that.

She smiled warmly and buried her face in the leather of his coat, tightening her grip on his back. "Thank you." She said softly into his chest.

Noctis opened his eyes and looked down at her head as his expression softened. He shrugged mentally and sighed while wrapping his arms around her securely, holding her while she rested against him and he looked off into the distance.

A few moments later, Noctis felt her shift, and something poked his nose. He looked at her seeing the woman's hand in his face her index finger resting on his nose, making him go cross-eyed. "Summer. My name is Summer Rose." She smiled up at him prettily.

He blinked and let the corners of his mouth lift slightly. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Rose."

Summer covered her mouth and laughed. "I'm not married, so it's just Ms. Rose. But you better just call me Summer." She gave him a mock glare and then smiled. "But don't go getting any funny Ideas. There's someone I'm hoping I'll get to see again."

He looked down at Summer and nodded. "Sure. No worries."

Summer couldn't help but smile at Noctis. It warmed her heart to see how composed he was. "He's so much like him but… well, never mind. I'll deal with that if I. No. When I get out of here."

~ 0 ~

Noctis stepped back from Summer, and he looked at her sternly. "Summer, if you wanna get out of here you need to trust me. Can you do that?"

She didn't know if she could but to be completely honest what other option did she have. She didn't know where she was or how to get out. Noctis claimed to know how to escape, so It was her best bet. She closed her eyes and nodded before looking into his eyes with her bright silver one filled with determination. "I trust you."

Noctis opened his mouth slightly to respond but thought better and closed it as well as his eyes while giving a small smile. "Alright. Take off your eyepatch."

Summer stiffened but nodded and reached up sliding her eyepatch, more a gauze cover, over her head. She kept her eyelid closed and shut her other eye frowning slightly.

She felt a hand rest on the side of her head and heard Noctis whisper a string of words. She suddenly felt dizzy and tired, her body slumping against his. Terror gripped her heart. Had she made a mistake? Was he going to finish her off?

"This is gonna hurt."

Those were the last words she heard before her head exploded in excruciating pain, and everything went darker than the pure darkness of closed eyes."

~ 0 ~

Noctis wiped his forehead and took a deep breath as he lay Summer down. Her left eye was bleeding slightly, but it wasn't anything serious. He'd had to put her to sleep and numb her to the pain the procedure would inflict. Healing the dead nerves and reopening the wound to connect the eye was a messy and painful process. Or so he'd been told. It wasn't the first time he'd done it.

He'd done it several times for Igi over the cycles. All new ones he received eventually burned or lost their sight though.

This woman was hopefully different. The eye was her's, and he'd been meticulous in repairing everything instead of using magic to connect it instantly.

He leaned back next to her and looked up at the sky with lidded eyes. "Let's hope this works." The air around the two of them lit up with runes, glyphs, and a velvety blue glow while the symbols gave off a silvery light.

Closing his eyes, he took hold of Summer's hand with the light continuing to increase in intensity. "Let's get out of here. Summer."

She stirred, tightening her grip on Noctis' hand while reaching up to rub her eyes. "Wha? What happened?" She winced and clutched her head, letting out a scream. A Vicious pounding started in the back of her head, and her chest tightened up as her heart began to race. She felt her face heat up, and she got light headed again; only it felt like she was experiencing a heart attack.

She opened her eyes to see arcane symbols and images begin to appear in the air around her. Suddenly the world went white, and there was a flash of blue followed by an implosion, and the sound of shattering glass.

When the light died down, all that remained were two holographic images. One was almost transparent and was in the form of a short woman in a hooded cloak. The other was a dark neon blue in the form of a tall knight with horns wearing armor reminiscent of the kings of Lucius.

In the distance by the edge of the clearing was the phantom of a young woman who looked exactly like Summer. She smiled happily before disappearing as the gray world faded into black.

~ 0 ~

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

"Oooooh. Ah. Damn it." Noctis rubbed his shoulder and right arm. The violet light emanating from the cracks running along his arm and neck quickly dimmed as his skin healed and the pain receded.

"Why did it hurt so much?" He said to himself, trying to figure out why forcing her to activate Alterna had been so taxing on him. Maybe it was because he was forcing her to use an ultimate level spell when he was incapable of using it without a catalyst.

He pushed the thought from his mind and looked around seeing the crumbled and ruined structures of once grand marble walls now nothing more than the eroded stone left in what appeared to be a dark hall. There was no light save for the glow coming from his crimson eyes.

If it weren't for the power of an expired soul that he held within himself thanks to his mother, he wouldn't be able to see a thing.

He put his hands out to steady himself as he stood, but one of his hands fell on something soft and warm, followed by an uncomfortable groan. Looking down, he saw Summer lying there. His hand was on her upper thigh. He quickly pulled his hand back and stumbled to his feet, not wanting to get slapped. He'd been in that situation more times than he'd like to admit and it never ended well.

"Huh? Wha? Oooh, ow ow ow." Summer rubbed her head gingerly and looked around, unable to see anything. "Where are we? Noctis?" Summer held her head as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

He watched her for a second before something in the distance caught his eye. It was a very familiar looking ornate chandelier laying on its side. Holding out his left hand, he pooled his magic for a weak spell.

Burn

A small ball of blue fire illuminated the cave for a second before it collided with the chandelier and the walls surrounding them were cast in a weak comforting blue light.

Noctis smiled as his eyes fell on the old crumbling throne a few meters away. His father's sword the engine blade still resting to the right of it without a single bit of rust. He stood up and started walking over to it.

Summer's eyes widened, and she stood up weakly with a slight stumble feeling drained after whatever it was they'd done. "Wow. What is this place? I…" She trailed off, just realizing something. She looked to her left and could see much more than usual. She lifted her left hand and… she could see it without moving it to the right. "My."

"You're welcome. I came across it before I met you. Figured you'd want it back. Sorry about the pain." Noctis commented from by the throne.

Summer felt tears of relief at not being dead, and a wave of gratitude towards Noctis swell in her chest from the incredible gift he'd given her. Suddenly a vibrating went off in her pocket followed by another and another of what became a continuous vibration.

She pulled her scroll out to see she had signal despite being what appeared to be underground. That meant she was near a CCT. Tears filled her eyes as pictures and messages that had been backlogged filled her scrolls screen one by one.

She fell to her knees, clutching her scroll with small sobs wracking her body.

~ 0 ~

Noctis' eyes widened after he lifted the engine blade as he turned his head to look at Summer. He let the engine blade hang in his left hand as he walked back over to her and held out his right hand.

She shuddered and took in a deep breath taking his hand. She was staring at the last picture that had shown up on the screen. It was a picture of Ruby on her first day at Signal, with Yang standing next to her. Both wore confidant grins giving the camera victory signs.

She closed her eyes and covered her mouth sobbing slightly. Noctis watched her silently as she shuddered, letting out a single sob as she pocketed her scroll. "Ten years." She said to herself. "I can't believe I was gone for ten years." The two stood there in silence after that. She looked fragile like a stray breeze would blow her away.

He'd seen the picture on her device while he pulled her up. Seeing someone so young ten years later was shocking. He'd experienced it quite a few times over the cycles namely Iris and Talcott.

He thought back to all his previous lives and assumed a relaxed pose, hand on his hip head tilted a bit as a warm understanding smile came to him. If she had a phone, the world had put itself back together, and kids meant humanity kept on keeping on. The world may very well indeed be different without gods to influence, but he was glad things had worked out. Whoever she was, he wanted to make sure that she got to experience what he and his mother never had.

Call it living vicariously through her.

"You know. That's ten yours you get to make up for by smothering them when you get back."

Summer looked up at him, taking in his expression. She saw the strength in his eyes and felt the calm friendliness in his words. She nodded while wiping her eyes and grinned at him rubbing her left eye. "Thank you again, for everything." She said bowing low.

He grimaced and held his hands up. "Please don't do that. I don't deserve it. Thank you, is enough."

Summer straightened up quickly with a smile and nodded. "Okay." She said cheerily.

He gave her a confused look. "That was, fast."

Summer nodded. "Yup." Popping the p. "Thanks to you, I get another chance, and I got my eye back. I shouldn't dwell on the bad things." She folded her arms, striking a confident pose, finally looking around the room, taking in every detail she could. "So. Where are we?"

She was amazed that something like this existed. She'd never seen ruins like this before even with working for Ozpin. Her gaze snapped to Noctis when he slowly walked away towards the throne. "Noctis?" She called after him following behind.

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His memories of the once pristine throne room overlapped the now desolate hall as he drew closer to it. He gripped the engine blade and smiled as the familiar cold stone ran under his gloved hand as he ran it over the marble armrest.

Summer turned to look at Noctis blinking in confusion at the way he was acting. "Hey, Noctis."

He ran a hand across the armrest up the side before sliding off as he walked by the throne down the hall behind it to the wall at the back. Summer looked at all of the magnificent architecture that surrounded her and looked into the dark recess of every door she passed as she followed Noctis. Then there was a flash of blue light, and the blade in his hand disappeared.

Summer gasped at the spectacle, her eyes wide as he placed his left hand on the wall. Blue flames danced to life around a sizeable ornate mural depicting the history of something that she couldn't quite tell. She looked at Noctis again. "Where, are we?"

He closed his eyes and bowed his head, his bangs covering his face as tears fell down his face. The last part of the mural was a new addition added after he had fallen asleep and disappeared.

His hand slid over the words written at the bottom in the old Lucian throne room.

"For my king, my friend, my brother. Ignis Scientia."

"Walk, tall."

Noctis looked back up and took a shaky breath. "I'm home."

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Authors Notes

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And that's a wrap. I hope the editing was good. My friend just finished working on this one. Till next time.

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