Warning: This is a sequel to my other one-shot, The Mark of the King, so go check out that story first to get some context before reading this one. Don't worry, I can wait...
Welcome back, and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, nor did I create them. All characters here are owned by Disney or Square Enix.
Sora sat up in his bed, not believing his eyes. He really saw Noctis and Luna, and they really gave him their blessing in the form of this key-chain. And if that was real…then his brothers were real as well, still alive, fighting the good fight somewhere. Sora didn't have the first clue as to where they might be, but he'd do everything in his power to keep the promise he made to Noctis. For now, he would continue on his journey.
The next world that Sora, Donald, and Goofy visited was Mount Olympus, thinking to check up on Herc and the others.
When they landed, however, they sensed this wouldn't be a casual visit, for they spotted the Rock Titan from above.
"Well, that doesn't look good!" Sora cried, "we have to help Herc!"
"On it!" replied Donald.
"Garsh, I hope everyone's okay" said Goofy, worriedly.
They landed close to the Rock Titan, and Sora and company quickly ran towards it. They spotted Herc fighting (and winning) against the giant mountain with the help of Pegasus.
"Herc!" cried Sora.
The demi-god looked towards the source of the familiar voice and, seeing his company, called back: "Guys! You have impeccable timing!"
"We're here to help!" said Sora
"I've got this one handled" replied Hercules, "please, go take care of the next Titan!"
"But—" Sora began.
"Go!" Hercules commanded.
"Uh, y-yes sir!" Sora replied, "c'mon guys, next threat!"
In the distance, the gang spotted what looked to be a giant tornado, only this tornado had a eyes and a mouth.
"There!" Sora cried, "that must be another Titan! Let's go kick some celestial butt!"
They ran as quickly as they could. Luckily the Titan stayed mostly in one spot. Sora wondered to himself why it wasn't moving.
When they got close enough to see the Titan's base from a nearby cliff's edge, he discovered why.
This Titan was already pre-occupied in a fight against three men. One with a giant sword, one with swift daggers, and another with a pistol.
"Looks like this one's under control" said Donald.
"Umm, are you sure we shouldn't help them?" Goofy suggested.
"There are three men here, and Herc is taking on one by himself. I'm sure they'll be fine!" replied Donald.
"I guess you're right" said Sora, "let's go back and help Herc."
Just as Sora turned to leave, he heard one of the men speak:
"Prompto! Will you stay focused! This is no time for photography!" said a deep, hefty voice.
Sora turned around, attentively. "Wait, guys, hold up" he said, holding out his arm.
"Hm? What is it, Sora?" asked Goofy.
"Uh—sorry! But how often do you get the chance to photograph a Titan from another world?!" replied a less serious, higher-pitched voice. He grumbled frustratingly "Ugh, I give up! This wind is kicking up too much dust anyways; I can't see a thing! How am I supposed to shoot something I can't see?"
"Oh no, what a nightmare" a soft, English-accented voice said sarcastically.
"Oops! Sorry Iggy. No offense."
"It's really not that difficult. The wind blows this way; therefore, the monster is that way! You don't need eyes to figure that out."
"It's no use anyways!" the deep voice chimed in, "we aren't denting it at all."
Sora's heart dropped. These were them—Noctis' friends. He'd found them already!
"Guys, I gotta help them!" Sora cried.
"Wack! What for?" Donald protested.
"To keep a promise. Go help Herc; I'll meet you soon and explain everything!" Sora said as he leaped off the ledge into the valley."
"Sowaaaaa!" Donald yelled, "Don't be so impulsive!"
"I wonder what's gotten into him" said Goofy, "but I'm sure he'll be fine. Let's go help Hercules!" Sora's two companions left begrudgingly, curious as to why Sora felt compelled to help these strangers.
Sora slid down the Cliffside and ran as fast as he could to the guys. What would he say to them?
Hey, guys, your late king visited me in a dream-not-dream, gave me his blessing, and asked me to help you; here's this key-chain to prove it.
Yeah, that's pretty much what he'd have to do.
Oh yeah—the keychain! Sora quickly attached it to his Keyblade as he ran, replacing the Kingdom key-chain.
The simple Kingdom Key transformed into a Keyblade that looked to be a cross between the Oathkeeper and Riku's Way to Dawn. The handle was accented with raven's feathers on both sides, and the grip acted as a stem to a flower that connected the handle to the blade. The flower was one Sora was unfamiliar with: blue-violet petals which spread wide at the base and spiraled into a point at the top. He wondered to himself if Kairi might like them.
The blade was made of two straight bars, and a single white angel's wing spread to full length acted as the teeth of the Keyblade. Other than the flower and the wing, the blade was colored in a dark-gray marble. Dangling from the keyblade was the Lucian crest that Noctis and Luna had bestowed to him.
Sora was drawing close to the group, still running as fast as he could.
The Titan recoiled, preparing to release a large gust of wind.
"Someone approaches" declared the man Sora figured to be Ignis.
Just then, the Titan let out a large gust that would have blown them all away. Sora jumped in front of the guys and put up a reflect barrier for the duration of the storm.
The men stared at Sora curiously. The blonde—Prompto was it?—broke the silence: "Um…thanks, man."
"Someone we know?" asked Ignis.
"No" replied the one who could only be Gladio, "what are you doing here, kid? It's dangerous."
Sora looked back, smiled, and replied: "fulfilling a promise, and you're welcome."
"A promise? To who?" asked Prompto.
Sora turned, released his keyblade, and faced them, his barrier still holding back the wind.
"To Noctis."
Their posture changed from curiosity to shock. They all let out a gasp. Gladio now glared at Sora and approached him.
Unexpectedly, Gladio's fist connected with Sora's face in a right hook, knocking him to the ground. "Is this some kind of joke to you?!" he yelled, standing over the keybearer, "How do you know that name?! No one outside our world knows about that name."
"Gladio, calm yourself" commanded Ignis.
"Don't scare off our help, man!" cried Prompto.
Sora pushed himself up; he sure didn't expect that. Gladio could really throw a punch, though. His size was intimidating. Figuring words wouldn't be enough, Sora followed Noctis' advice and summoned his new Keyblade in front of him to show the others proof of the King's blessing.
Gladio and Prompto took a step back at the sudden appearance. "Woah! What is that?" Prompto asked. "You save us only to fight us?" Gladio suggested, misunderstanding Sora's actions.
"N-no!" Sora replied, "I don't want to fight! Look closer."
Gladio and Prompto leaned in skeptically, observing the intricate carving of the wing and the blade. Spotting the Sylleblossom, their curiosity peaked. Upon seeing the crest, however, their whole demeanor changed.
"What is it?" Ignis asked.
Oops Sora thought.
"T-the Lucian crest" Prompto answered him.
"Start talking" Gladio commanded, his tone no less threatening than before, "how did you get that?"
Sora began to explain himself as best he could: "I had a dream—or what I thought was one. I was in a throne room with Noctis and Luna—"
"Hold up! You saw Luna too?" Prompto interrupted.
"Y-yeah. He told me his story, offered wisdom, and then they gave me their blessing…and this key-chain." Sora held up his keyblade once more. "He asked me to help you guys if I saw you…and to pass on his message."
"And that message would be?" asked Ignis.
"He said to tell you…Noct says he misses you, and…to continue to walk tall."
The men rose from their defensive stances and had expressions of awe, not towards the keybearer, but in remembrance of their King and brother, and his parting words to them.
Sora continued: "Next thing I knew, I woke up from my 'dream' with this key-chain in my hand."
The force of the wind began to crack Sora's barrier. He pressed on: "look, we don't have time for twenty questions. I'll tell you everything I know after we take care of this," gesturing to the giant tornado bent on engulfing them.
"IF we can. Our weapons aren't doing any damage!" Prompto exclaimed, "If we're not careful, I'm afraid we won't be in Kansas anymore!"
Sora raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Prompto was referencing: "We'll find a way. There's always a way" he replied confidently.
"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Gladio.
"I sense no deceit in his tone" Ignis replied, before Sora could explain himself, "but it may take a god to defeat a Titan."
Ignis and Prompto took out their weapons, preparing to fight. Gladio was still skeptical, but decided to focus on one threat at a time. Taking out his broadsword, he joined the others and the keybearer in facing the Wind Titan as the barrier continued to break.
Suddenly, Sora's keyblade began to glow. He wasn't expecting THIS at all. Perhaps this was the unique ability tied to the key-chain that Noctis had suggested?
What the heck is going on? Sora thought.
He soon lost control of the Mark of the King. Still glowing, it forced Sora's hand upwards, directing the blade to the sky. A beam of light sprung forth, stretching straight into the heavens.
As this was happening, the guys had their attention towards the Titan. The barrier was now completely broken, and the Titan began to lunge his whole body towards the keybearer and company.
"Ignis! Prepare to guard!" Gladio warned, as he stepped in front of the blind man to take the blunt of the blow.
"Here he comes!" yelled Prompto.
"Brace for impact, everyone" Ignis replied.
Sora, having regained control of his Keyblade, raised it to guard, praying their combined strength would be enough to force the Titan back.
But not before an armiger of weapons burst through the clouds above them.
The barrage of weapons stopped the Titan in his tracks, but he still pushed forward.
Sora looked up in awe; there had to be a dozen or so swords. Okay, NOW what the heck is going on?
His questions were answered once a figure descended from where the beam of light once was. A man, engulfed in a blue aura, followed the trail of weapons, and warped quickly to his targer. The figure struck the Titan with all his force, letting out a mighty battle cry and knocking the monster on its back. The wind ceased.
The armiger soon returned to the figure, encircling him as he remained floating in air. Sora then knew exactly who this was.
This was Noctis Lucis Caelum.
They all lowered their weapons in disbelief.
"That voice…" said Ignis softly.
"It can't be" Gladio added.
"Ha! It's Noct!" Prompto cheered.
"It's not possible!" Gladio objected, "Noct is…"
"Here! Noct is here!" Prompto cheered again.
"If it truly is Noct, I care not how he got here, but let's embrace this moment while we have it." Ignis replied, re-raising his daggers offensively.
Gladio, still in shock, followed suit and charged head-first towards the fallen Titan. Ignis ran cautiously behind him, followed by Prompto, who was still ecstatic.
"Woohoo! Just like old times!" Prompto really was the life of the party.
Sora stood back in disbelief. He was awestruck by the sheer power Noctis possessed, able to knock a Titan on its back with a single blow. Sora could barely wield two Keyblades, and this man commanded several weapons with ease. As if sensing exactly where he was, Noctis turned his gaze directly into Sora's eyes. Remembering his promise, Sora nodded, raised his Keyblade, and charged in after the Titan.
Noctis continued to soar through the air, striking the Titan with his armiger like a machine gun. While down, the monster was vulnerable, providing the opportunity for Sora, Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto to strike from the ground. Every time the Titan rose back up, he was put back in his place by the King.
Although Sora had just met them, he fought surprisingly well with the guys. He took a mental note to stay out of Gladio's way whenever he swept the area with his broadsword, fearing the hulk may "accidentally" downhammer the keybearer instead. Noctis wasn't kidding when he said Ignis was intelligent despite his disability, for the man pointed out weak points that everyone else had missed. Prompto was a ball of energy, dashing back and forth across the battlefield, looking for openings. And, despite using so much energy, he still managed to crack terrible puns in the middle of combat.
"I guess you could say this guy has a lot of gust-o! Get it? Because he's a tornado?" was just one of many.
Sora liked these guys.
The fight did not last long, as the Titan grew weaker by the moment. Noctis came to the keybearer's side and spoke: "Now! We attack together! Use the Keyblade's power!"
"Got it!" Sora replied. Feeling goosebumps, he complied, and directed The Mark of the King towards the grounded Titan.
Noctis rose to the sky and raised his right hand, summoning his armiger to his side once more. Letting out another fierce battle cry, he swung his arm to his side, unleashing the barrage of weapons upon the Titan. At the same moment, a bright beam of light shot out of Sora's Keyblade. The armiger flew down to meet the beam and travelled parallel with it towards the monster, encircling the light and gaining momentum.
The force collided with the weakened Titan, causing him to shatter and turn to dust. The resulting shockwave threw everyone on the ground back several feet.
As the dust settled, Noctis slowly descended towards the ground as his armiger began to disappear. Sora looked up as the King's feet settled on the ground, his back still facing everyone. For what felt like hours, it was silent; everyone was frozen. The only sound was that of Noctis' cape flowing in the wind.
Prompto broke the silence:
"N-Noct…is it…is it really you?"
The King turned to face his brothers. His expression could only be described as that of humble joy. A smile crept across his face, and his eyes were on the brink of tears.
"Yeah, it's me" he replied softly.
Without hesitation, the blonde broke out into a sprint, bound towards one target. If there were a tree in his way, Sora thought, he would have run right through it.
Prompto collided with his best friend in an embrace, and tears began to fall from them both.
"I missed you, buddy" Prompto choked, before eventually releasing Noctis.
Gladio and Ignis followed closely behind Prompto, albeit a little less touchy than him.
"Jeez, Noct, I didn't know you had it in ya" said Gladio, patting Noctis on his back.
"Your timing couldn't have been more perfect" Ignis added.
Sora remained still and silent, afraid to interrupt the reunion. These guys acted like they were still teenagers! Was this the same King Sora met the other night? Watching the bromance unfold before him, they reminded Sora of him and Riku when they reunited at the Castle that Never Was. He wondered if he and Riku would still act like this in ten years…
Probably.
Noctis spoke, stilled choked up: "I'm….at a loss for words."
"If I may address the elephant in the room" Ignis began, "shouldn't you be resting in the realm beyond with Lady Lunafreya, Noct?"
Noctis nodded. "Yes, and I will have to return shortly, but…" he paused, looking at his brothers, "I really wanted to see you guys again."
"How is this even possible?" asked Gladio.
"You have this young man to thank" Noctis replied, gesturing towards Sora. They all turned to him, having forgotten he was there for the last few minutes.
Sora, forgetting he wasn't just an observer, felt his fourth wall break.
"Um…" Sora began.
"I owe you an apology, keybearer" Noctis continued, walking towards him, "while I truly desired to assist you in your fight, I didn't disclose my primary intentions. That crest you possess contains the spirit of the King—my spirit—and it has a chance to be awakened given the right opportunity and desire. I couldn't pass up a chance to see my brothers again. You being close to them more than sufficed to trigger a summoning of my spirit. I hope you understand."
Sora did understand, thinking back to all the desperate things he'd done for Kairi before. "No apology necessary. I would have done the same" he replied, finally letting out a coherent string of words.
"I am in your debt" said Noctis.
"Don't mention it" Sora replied, placing his hands behind his head, "I'm happy to help."
Noctis smiled lightly, then addressed the group: "As much as I'd love to stay, I have to return to Luna soon."
"Somebody's whipped" Gladio joked, which got a chuckle out of everyone.
"Hey!" Noctis yelled.
"It truly is good to see you again, Noct. We miss you, but we're happy so long as you're happy." Ignis said.
"I am. I really am" he replied.
"And you're even more badass now!" Prompto added. The blonde then paused, almost hesitant to say what was on his mind. "Um, Noct…is it okay if I get a picture of us? For old time's sake?"
"Hmph. Do you have to ask?" Noctis joked.
Prompto happily jumped as he began setting up his tripod, "Woohoo! I'm gonna call this shot, the bro-union!" he said, making a box with his thumbs and index fingers.
As Prompto ran back to the group and took a pose, he turned to the keybearer, who was still keeping his distance: "hey, man, you coming or not?"
"Um…you sure? I don't want to impose—" "Just get in here! C'mon, don't make it awkward" he interrupted.
"Uh—alrighty then!" Sora replied. He ran over to the group and stood to Prompto's right on the end. The photographer enthusiastically put his arm around Sora, pulling him closer in the group photo. Sora gave his dorky smile as he heard the camera flash. From left to right in the photo, it ordered Sora, Prompto, Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio.
As they admired their group photo, Noctis began to fade away slowly, shedding particles of light which drifted up to the sky.
"I guess my time is up" Noctis said.
"You sure you can't stay?" asked Prompto.
"As much as I'd love to, my place is by Luna's side" Noctis replied.
"Will we see you again?" Gladio asked.
"That depends" Noctis said, "If you stick with the keybearer, and your hearts remain strong, my spirit may be awakened once again in a rare time of peril."
"You have our word" Ignis promised.
Noctis smiled and turned to Sora: "I really can't thank you enough. Because of you, I got to see my brothers again."
"I should be thanking you, Noctis, for all your help" Sora replied, "I hope we meet again."
Noctis smiled again, now almost completely faded. With what little time he had left, he faced his brothers and spoke one last time:
"I love you guys"
Proceeding his final words, the last of his spirit disappeared, and Sora was left alone with the guys. For a moment, they all held their gaze to the sky, as if hoping the King would return somehow.
Ignis broke the silence:
"It appears we owe you an apology, young man, as well as a debt of gratitude."
"Yeah…I may have…been a little extreme" Gladio added, shifting his gaze towards Sora.
"Hey! I have nothing to apologize for" Prompto chimed in, "I believed you from the start!"
Sora rolled his eyes sarcastically at Prompto, "look, really guys, don't worry about it. I may have been a bit rash in my entrance" he replied, rubbing the sore spot on his face, "I do have a favor to ask, though."
"Let's hear it" Ignis suggested.
"Yeah, you're one of us now" Gladio said as he wrapped his massive arm around Sora and gave him a noogie with the other, "you've even got the crazy hair. You'll fit right in."
"H-hey!" Sora laughed.
"We got each other's backs. That's what the brotherhood is all about!" Prompto added, giving Sora a light punch on his shoulder.
Sora escaped Gladio's grip. "Anyways" he continued as he fixed his hair, "My friends and I could really use your help. There's this world not far from here, called Radiant Garden. It was destroyed ten years ago, when the Heartless invaded, and some residents organized a Restoration Committee in an effort to rebuild the world to what it used to be. But waves of Heartless keep attacking it, and they need all the help they can get. Will you help us?"
"You kidding? Fighting off monsters is what we do best!" Prompto exclaimed, pointing a thumb back to himself, "up until now, we've just been traveling to random worlds, helping where we can."
"A sense of direction would be nice" Ignis added, "and we can fly there in the Regalia."
"The what?" asked Sora.
"Our flying car" explained Gladio, "it was totaled years ago, during the Starscourge, but a friend of ours completely restored it for us. She's good as new."
"Yeah" Prompto sighed with a dreamy look in his eyes, "a friend."
Sora laughed. "Really? That's awesome!" he exclaimed, "you can follow us there!"
"Us? You have company here?" asked Gladio
"Yeah! Come with me! I want you to meet my friends" he replied, "they look different, but they're the same as you and me on the inside."
"Looks matter not to me. Lead the way" commanded Ignis. Already Sora was jogging ahead, eager to acquaint his old friends with his new ones.
"Oh!" Prompto exclaimed, "we never got your name."
"Oh right, haha" the keybearer turned and replied, scratching the back of his head.
"The name's Sora"
AN: I want to thank Darknight Silver for your kind review of The Mark of the King. I was already feeling unfinished with the ending, and your suggestion gave me the little push I needed to write this sequel. I also wasn't expecting it to get so many hits and favs so quickly. In this sequel one-shot (is it a two-shot now?) I really wanted to showcase how Sora and the bros would act around each other, and for Sora to witness first-hand the bond between Noctis and the bros. Thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoyed! Again, reviews are more than welcome!