So here we go with chapter two. This is an idea that I apparently really want to write. I'm kind of stuck on Oblivio Deorum because writing children is really freaking hard, and Thunderdog is getting written slowly but surely. So here I am, updating this one because I want to at least get through the actual Fall of Insomnia before I actually work on other stories. I'm working on all of them off and on, alternating between the three stories, so they will be updated. I'll let everyone know if I plan on abandoning them.

So anyway, this is another more serious style chapter. My writing style will be changing to more reflect Prompto as a character as time goes on, but serious times call for serious thinking. So that's why this is closer to my normal writing style. I did this story specifically because I knew I wanted to keep Prompto as in character as possible and that meant making sure my writing style reflected that. And its way harder than I though. So eventually Prompto will be joining back up with the guys, but that will be a while. I'll also be changing the signing scene.

Chapter Two: Cadere

Something about the man was off. He was wearing all black to the citadel, a color usually only reserved for the royal family of Lucius, but he was the Imperial Chancellor. Didn't the empire usually like to wear white as some sort of sign? He wasn't sure, but that wasn't all that screamed out at him. He was wearing a hat, he noticed in an off hand kind of way, distracted though he wasn't sure why. Like, did he even realize how disrespectful that was? INSIDE the citadel, no less? It wasn't until the man walked past him did he realize what was wrong.

The choir in the back of his head sprang up, screaming and wailing. It made Prompto balk like a scared chocobo, though none of the imperials seemed to notice this. Both Clarus and King Regis did however, and he could feel their stares boring into him even as he tried to silence the choir again. This time though it didn't back down. It didn't flee from him. No it wrapped around him as far as it was able, screaming and crying in fury and fear. Like armor, it screeched at the man, who only faltered in his steps once before an oily smile made its way onto his face.

FEAR

ANGER

PROTECT

Prompto felt a sense of vertigo from the sheer screaming of the voices that usually hid in the back of his mind. Now they were in the front, not fighting to take him over as they usually would but there all the same. Protect what? What were they afraid of? Anger? Whose anger? Everything was slipping around him, falling as they fought to urge him into battle against something. He was trying desperately to keep himself grounded but he was falling and this time he didn't want to fight it. Oh gods was this what the others felt when they-

A strong hand on his shoulder made him jump, but grounded him all the same. And to Prompto's surprise the choir pulled back as well, purring lowly. He blinked, never having realized that the choir could purr at all. He was so distracted that he almost didn't notice Clarus watching the burgundy haired man closer than ever. Prompto had to admit, he didn't really look like a comforting person given the fact his amber eyes gave him a hungry, wolf like look. He almost missed the question the king asked him as well.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Prompto, unable to speak past the black gunk gathering in his throat in response to the choir's anger, just nodded.

Next to the chancellor was another man, an older man with white hair. His face was lined with age but his crystalline eyes were lined with malice. There was something completely unwelcoming and dark about the figure of the man, who held himself taller and mightier than the king of Lucius. MT's were stationed outside along with the guards of the citadel, leaving only a few members of both to kingsglaive and the dignitaries of Niflheim within the room. Iedolas Aldercapt made Prompto about as comfortable as he would be trying to walk on a bed of coals.

"Ah," the Emperor said, his voice falsely cheerful. "and here we are. I was worried perhaps that you were not going to show."

"I apologize," the king said, his tone both formal and smooth. Prompto felt his eyes widening despite himself. "A rather brazen thief decided to strike last night. The matter was of too much importance to simply dismiss."

"How unfortunate," the Emperor sighed as the party finally came to a halt. "I do hope you can be compensated for your loss."

Prompto wanted to snort, not believing him for a second. What were the odds that the man wasn't part of this whole plot to kidnap the oracle? Not likely. The weathered king took a seat at his chair, leaving Prompto and Clarus took stop just behind him and take in the scene. The few MT's that were in the room were silent, standing to the side just like the members of the kingsglaive that were here in the room as well. There wasn't much else in the way of people, he knew that at the same time the eyes of the world were on them. It was being filmed as they spoke, the whole world holding their breath and cheering for a treaty that would never be signed.

Even as the Emperor moved to take his own seat behind the desk and await the treaty to be signed the burgandy haired chancellor moved to take a place behind the emperor just as Clarus and Prompto were both doing. He purposefully moved so that he was standing directly next to Prompto. The blonde tried to ignore the man that was so much taller standing next to him, but he could feel the scourge bristled as much as he could see Clarus's obvious unease with the situation.

On one hand, he didn't trust Prompto and he was loathe to let him be here at all. But on the other hand, something deeply struck all of them as not being right with the other man. As much as Clarus didn't like MT's, he had known Prompto since he was a kid. There was something deeply unsettling about seeing the chancellor hovering next to the small man. The meetings were suddenly put on hold as a member of the guard came running into the room. As he did, he ran to the king, slipping just past Prompto without touching him, but making him shift uncomfortably closer to the man next to him. Still, the king seemed to relax.

"What was lost has been returned," the king said.

"Ah," the emperor said, his voice sounding too high to be normal. "how wonderful. It seems that everything has been sorted out then."

Prompto had to force himself not to sigh in relief. At least Lady Lunafreya was safe then, especially since she was supposed to be a symbol of the peace. He didn't even want to think about what would happen if the Empire had managed to somehow spin that the Lucius kingdom had murdered her or something. Still, the Emperor didn't seem very happy with the idea, though he tried to smile. He could feel the scourge growling and bristling in the back of his mind, whispering for now but ready to leap up screaming if it came to having to fight.

"Indeed," King Regis sighed. "Very well then. Shall we?"

"But of course."

That was the instant that the scourge started screaming in his head, shouting and drawing ever closer. Despite just making him extremely uncomfortable, it also made him nervous. What was up with this stupid thing? Usually it was quiet when he forced it down, but now it was reacting to creepy guys in fedoras and trying to get his attention? He closed his eyes, letting his mind reach towards the outside world again to see what had upset it. It clamped down on him, hard, screeching and snarling, biting at the back of his skull and scratching at the front. They swelled and pitched like winds tossing a frothing sea, pointing towards something.

A thrumming. A deep sound that made his very soul shiver. It was like the beat of a drum, hammering behind his eyes and synchronizing with the daemon choir in his brain. It was then, with a feeling of dread settling in his stomach, that he realized he had heard this kind of thrum before. It had been like something created at the same time as him, manufactured for the unbeatable army of the empire. It was too loud to be a car engine, and they were too far inside of the citadel to hear the engines of cars. No this was something that inspired terror in those who heard it. A Magitek Engine.

His eyes flew open, turning to the emperor despite knowing that this was where it was headed. He had really done it! He had really brought airships here into Insomnia! He flicked his eyes to the side of the room, where a kingsglaive was waiting away from the rest. Seeing his wide eyes, he nodded and rushed from the room quickly, moving to hopefully evacuate the citadel and the city in time. How much time did they have left though, if there were airships already close enough for the scourge to hear. He became increasingly aware of Clarus's eyes, not on him but instead on the chancellor standing next to him. It was the chancellor whose knowing smile had turned to Prompto, as if knowing what he had just done and what was happening. King Regis had signed the papers, and the Emperor was smiling as the pen was presented to him.

"Ah," he said. "now, let there truly be peace."

Everything was too still. From the chancellor and Prompto watching each other out of the corners of their eyes, to the MT's, who were absolutely silent like wolves waiting to jump onto their prey. It was the kind of silence that people associated with daemons that were lying in wait to drag off helpless victims. The atmosphere in the room, though it may look relaxed on the television screens outside, was tensed and silent. Clarus, still keeping an eye on the chancellor out of the corner of his eye, leaned forward to whisper to the king of the danger, to get him out of there.

And then an explosion rocked the citadel.

Prompto wasn't entirely aware when the scourge came screaming up through his mind, only the horrible sense of vertigo that came with it. However it didn't let him fall, keeping him firmly grounded even as a familiar blue light filled the air. When he came to his senses, it was to a scene of chaos. Every kingsglaive in the room had their weapon out, pointing it towards the Niflhiem dignitaries and MT's, who had guns pointed back.

King Regis had his armiger activated, with many weapons floating in the air, and the emperor had a gun pointed to his head. Then Prompto became aware of the knife just under his chin, and the gun in his hand pointed to the temple of the chancellor who was holding that knife. If the scourge had reacted a second later, or if he had resisted it at all, he would have probably been at the completely mercy of the chancellor which would have put everyone else in the room in a bad situation.

As it was, the chancellor's smile had only grown wider, as if Prompto had just given him a real treat. Prompto wasn't sure how anyone else in the room was currently faring, but he wasn't taking the chance to take his eyes off of the chancellor now to see what else was happening. But it brought up yet another confusing question about the scourge. Usually it was painful, seeming to delight in his pain, yet with the appearance of the chancellor it had suddenly changed its tune. Now it wanted to protect him? As if it saw the chancellor as some kind of threat to it? He heard the scourge purr again before growling lowly at Ardyn Izunia.

It was what marked him as a MT, and held the coding to his own instincts. It was the being that lived inside of his head, making his life a living hell and hurting him any time it appeared, whether he wanted to call it or not. Even now he could feel it burning in the back of his skull, threatening to spill through his eyes and mouth. But for once it wasn't trying to force him to use it, simply happy for now with lurking beneath his skin. Still, any illusions of peace had slipped away with that explosion, leaving only a tense silence in its wake as the two leaders eyed each other carefully.

Noctis sighed, sitting in the back of the car quietly and glad that they had finally gotten it fixed and refilled. He still thought that Cid had charged them way too much for fixing the car, even if he was "teaching them a lesson". He wasn't some stupid kid, he was the prince of Lucius for astrals sake! And now they were having to take some stupid hunter jobs around here just to get some more money so they wouldn't be broke. He knew that Ignis was talking about the fact that it was his duty as the future king to protect the people, but it was beyond annoying. He didn't mind helping people, but this was humiliating. He was kind of surprised the Prompto hadn't…

With a start, Noctis remembered that Prompto wasn't here. He had almost forgotten...and that made him sad in a way. He was practically loud and nonstop all the time. Maybe Noctis was always used to having his bubbly friend near him all the time. He kind of missed hearing him laugh and joke about just about everything, for being his friend not because he was the prince but just because he wanted to be his friend. He missed his photographs and most of all, he just really missed Prompto. Not that he was going to admit it out loud. His blonde friend had always just kind of been the kind of person to need reassurance about everything, and he hadn't felt ready to go on this trip with them. But hearing him say that he was needed more at the citadel than with the future king who he was the part of the crownsguard of? That hurt a lot more than anything else.

Noctis was mad, at his father, at Prompto. Hell he was mad that he had to go get married for this treaty in the first place. Sure, he knew Luna and he liked her, but getting shoved into an arranged marriage just because the Empire wanted it? That was pushing it. And what was worse was that his father had agreed, all so there could be peace with the Empire. Then to complicate matters farther, he had learned something about Prompto that not even Noctis, his best friend had known. Hearing that Prompto had kept a secret from him was pretty bad, but having his best friend betray him for this stupid treaty? That had made Noctis so mad that he hadn't spoken to him days before they had even left.

Was it childish? Of course. Ignis had reminded him of it several times. Was it dumb? Probably. Prompto was his best friend after all, and as Gladio pointed out everyone had their secrets. Still, he hadn't wanted to talk to him. Not just because Prompto had kept secrets, but because he was staying behind to help his dad in all of his crazy plans when he should have been here with them. Noctis laid a hand on his pocket, where his phone lay. He hadn't even opened up his phone yet to see what Prompto had texted him just before they left. He couldn't trust himself to not say something even more stupid than avoiding him for nearly a week had been. No for now it would just have to stay unanswered. When all of this was over, he was giving Prompto a piece of his mind.

That was when he felt it, searing through his mind like a flash of light. It was the feeling of fear and pain, but a familiar tug somewhere deep in his soul. That tug was one that he associated with Ignis or Gladio summoning their weapons from his armiger in preparation for battle. But Gladio was asleep in the back of the car and Ignis was driving towards their next destination. Neither of them had summoned their weapons. That left only one other person: Prompto.

But why would he be in pain? Why would he be afraid? Noctis tried to tell himself that it was just some sort of last minute training. He had always been really nervous whenever he spared or trained with anyone, like he was afraid he would mess up somehow. Noctis didn't realize how desperately he wished that was true until he was gripping his phone tightly, as if it was a line that would speed him back to Prompto's side, so that he could help and protect his clumsy, bubbly friend.

That was, until Ignis pulled over, and he caught sight of the giant bird they were going to sneak past to get some stupid rock for that idiot at the peer. Blood pumping at the sheer size of it, and his annoyance at both the burgandy haired "man of no consequence" and the reporter, he was able to push the thoughts to the back of his mind. He would nearly forget why it had caused him so much dread in the first place. When the task was over, he would only remember that he had felt it. By the morning however, he would remember it with a dark clarity.

He would remember it clearly as the instant he felt the fall of Insomnia, and everything that would come with that terrible realization.

Prompto was trying not to seem nervous. He really was. But it was difficult with a blade pressed to his neck. He wasn't even listening anymore to the conversation of the two leaders as they tried to "talk out" some way of peace. Everyone in the room knew that was a lie, even as the room dissolved into a dangerous blur of bullets and swords. Someone grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, like a kicked puppy, and pulled him away from the chancellor.

He let out an involuntary yelp as he landed unceremoniously on his butt, only to find Clarus warning the chancellor away with a sword. Recovering and raising his weapon, he turned with a lump in his throat to join the battle, knowing that he couldn't simply leave. He had to try and save King Regis, even if only so Noct wouldn't worry. Swallowing past the lump in his throat as he saw Luciuns around him falling, sickening crunches and rips of bullets announcing their deaths even before their limp bodies hit the ground.

"Prompto," Clarus snapped. "Focus!"

"Right," he replied.

It was so much like Gladio that it had surprised him for a moment, though when he thought about it he really shouldn't be surprised that the man reminded him of the younger Amicitia. He was his father after all. Prompto raised his guns instead, taking a deep breath and focusing on his training here instead of his MT instincts and coding. The scourge in his head whined at this, but it allowed him to do so without complaint this time. It seemed rather glad to be away from the Chancellor, so it was letting him get away with so much today. Like a good boy.

The other MT's though were still screaming, loudly crying out and begging to be put down. Out of their misery. Prompto's hands only shook for a few seconds before he complied. He raised his guns at their heads, shooting each two or three times before they went crashing into the ground, the scourge fading from them as they finally ceased their miserable existence. It was a much more peaceful end than any other they could have hoped for, simple and fast. He could give that to them at least, so he did. He turned to aim at the next one when a shout made him jump.

"Aldercapt," the king roared.

He was holding off a small horde of MT's, which were doing nothing more than making sure no one else in the room could harm the emperor, who was sauntering out of the room with a smirk. The asshole of a chancellor was beside him, as well as several of the surviving members of the foreign dignitaries. He turned his guns to take a shot at them, to try and at least take the emperor out before he escaped. It was only justice, after all the lives he had taken here and within his own country. But that's when he noticed a MT slip past the king's armiger, ready to rain a hail of bullets down on him. Clarus gave a shout, too far away to make it before the king was injured.

Prompto didn't hesitate. He loved this kingdom, who had given him a life. He loved the king, who had known everything about him and still trusted him. He loved Noct and all his friends, those who were safe and those now in the line of fire. And there was no question in his mind who he should shoot. The retort of his gun sent the MT reeling off balance, giving Clarus the time to sweep in and cut it down before it could recover from Prompto's assault. Pleased that the king had avoided injury for now at least, Prompto turned back towards the door, his eyes widening in horror at the armor clad figure that began making its way into the room. If things hadn't already been bad, now the General of the Imperial Army was here to cause issues.

General Glauca was a huge man, easily dwarfing all others still standing in the room. There was something terribly familiar about him, and that was what made him more frightening. He wore armor that completely covered him, head to toe in silver, and he carried an enormous sword. If the confidence of his stride wasn't enough to make Prompto uneasy, then the fact that he was a man known to destroy and kill without any sort of remorse was enough to do so. Hell, even the scourge was shifting and chattering nervously in his head, and that was something!

What had caused the man to come here now? The failure of the oracle's kidnapping or simply a strange stroke of fate? Whatever it was, Prompto had little time to prepare before the man lunged at him, lashing out with his sword. The scourge, sensing the incoming danger, screamed again and made him jump back, as if it felt a need to override his instincts more today than ever before. Surprised, he tried to jerk from its control, which ended up not taking him completely out of the way of the sword's swing. Still it was enough to save him from a fatal wound, though he still felt the icy blade pierce the skin on his chest and he yelped out a wordless warning.

Then he felt fire, like suddenly he had been torn apart. The scourge screamed louder than him, cursing at him for not trusting it (who the hell would trust the thing that was destroying the world?) and at Glauca for managing a hit. Small as he was, the large wound looked worse that it probably was, especially if the way the scourge was bubbling up through his blood to try and seal it was any indication. That didn't stop him from crashing into the ground though with a grunt and gasping for air, from nearly passing out as pain made him dizzy.

There was a lot of blood, enough that it was nearly impossible to tell whose it was. Prompto closed his eyes against a swell of nausea that came with the scourge and the pain, trying to catch his bearings. He couldn't die, not now. He had to make sure that he did what he had set out to do. He had to protect the king, no matter what. He just needed a break, yeah just a little one. His cry however had alerted both Clarus and Regis, who had been finishing the last of the MT's in the room, to the fact that there was a newcomer in the room, now standing over Prompto's still form which was lying on the floor. The blonde heard a quiet curse from the Amicitia.

"Prompto," the king called, hoping for a response.

Prompto didn't immediately move, still trying to keep his head from spinning. Glauca however took that as an invitation and turned towards the king instead, advancing with a menacing step towards him and his shield. Prompto managed to crack his eyes open, wheezing against the pain in his chest. It seemed like a fire had been rekindled in the man's eyes, which were flaming as he raised his armiger again. If anything, it made Prompto realize that he had to do something more to help the man. He had to move. Despite the way his chest was screaming at him, he forced himself to his knees, trying to get his head to stop spinning.

They had to move. They had to run. But they couldn't while Glauca was in the way. Prompto didn't want to watch his best friend's father die, not while they were facing off against something like this. He could hear the choir in the back of his head, chanting for blood. Something had popped out of place when he had hit the wall, and despite the scourge's attempt to knit the skin of his chest back together he could feel it pulsing through his head. Snapping up into his mind again, it tried to wrap around him, crying out in anger when it couldn't. He shuddered, hearing both Clarus and Regis calling out to him in concerned voices. But he couldn't hear them, he couldn't breathe.

He coughed, finally clearing his throat enough to get a gasp of air in. Something black slumped onto the ground next to his hand, and he stared at it curiously, wanting to feel revolted but just feeling an almost sense of relief. The Scourge. It was still fighting. It was trying to take him over. But he was scared too. He didn't want to hurt anyone innocent, let alone harm the king or his shield. He tried to shove the scourge down, but this time all he got in reply with a louder screech and a shaking body. Black liquid started to seep through his eyelids too, dripping slowly onto the ground in the same pulsing manner as the airships somewhere above.

PROTECT

DESTROY

SAVE

KILL

Prompto shuddered again, feeling the scourge slamming into his head, desperate to activate some memory that had long since been hidden deep in his mind. Everything hurt, and just letting it take over would let him rest. It would let him forget the pain for a while. But if he let it take over there was no telling how much damage it could actually do before it could be stopped, if they didn't have to kill him to do that. He suddenly could recall how utterly kind everyone in Insomnia had been to him. Would they be able to bring themselves to kill him? No! He wouldn't let it take him over! He wouldn't let it hurt them!

PROTECT

SAVE

It was...agreeing with him? He coughed again, spraying the ground with yet more of the burning, dying scourge that was leaking from somewhere inside where it was making him sick. Everyone had noticed him now. Glauca was watching him, entirely interested and no longer worried about attacking Regis and Clarus behind him. The king and his shield were watching in a fascinated horror as Glauca carefully approached, looking down at the quivering twenty year old man, whispering something to him. Whatever he said made the scourge bristle and snap again.

KILL

DESTROY

Was it telling him that it knew friend from foe? Could he trust the thing that was trying to destroy the world? His eyes flicked upwards, Glauca towering over him and Clarus and Regis watching with wide eyes in the background. Glauca moved to raise his sword and strike the blonde down for good this time, which finally seemed to snap Regis and Clarus out of whatever stupor they had been in. Clarus leaped forward, slashing at the general with his sword as the king's armiger sped into a hot pursuit. Both clanked uselessly off of the general's armor, their hasty strikes meant to distract the general. They didn't manage to pierce his armor or make him pause. His sword arched down, and Prompto closed his eyes, letting the scourge pull him deep into his mind.

Booting up Unit 05953254…

Running System Analysis...

Defense Mode: Dormant

Attack Mode: Dormant

Initiating Standby Mode…

Awaiting Mission Update...

Unit 05953254 had remained inactive for fifteen years, nearly terminated by his human counterpart. However the mammal's coding had been obsolete to his own, leaving much to be desired in performance. The unit recognized that the creature designated "Prompto" would activate his protocol again one day, however it was waiting that wore on the unit's patience. The human had been born and integrated into his systems and coding, creating a more efficient and lethal being.

If not for those worthless distractions that other humans called "emotions" they would have become even more proficient in their existence. Those in charge of their creation had managed to implement a small computer in their brain to run the coding on individual missions, however they had been unable to preform the rest of the necessary adjustments in order to create the optimal being known as a Magitek Trooper. It stood to reason then, that this was no authorized mission.

It was a seamless transition, thanks to the scourge that had been planted within them near their production date. In the time it took his system to boot up, he had a few moments to spare in order to analyze the situation. A commander of the Niflheim army was currently in attack mode, looking to deliver a decisive blow to them. Two Luciuns were attempting to distract the commander, perhaps in order to preform some sort of rescue maneuver. It was clear that his human counterpart had received heavy injuries that would hamper his performance. Unit 05953254 was confused, knowing that if he could not properly function it was imperative that his existence be terminated. The Scourge however surged forward into his cognitive function.

DESTROY

KILL

Clearly he did not have all of the necessary information required to complete this assignment. His eyes flicked towards the two Luciuns, hoping to find the data that he lacked to input appropriate responses to the current situation. The power source, designated the Scourge, seemed to find this to be adequate and began recreating a sound that was often used by members of the feline species to indicate pleasure. Accompanying this response were images pulled from his human counterpart's "memories", indicating his loyalty and "love" towards these two beings.

SAVE

PROTECT

This did not match any of the coding that he had been implemented with upon his production referring to the Kingdom of Lucius, however he did not resist or question the scourge as his human counterpart did. He understood that in order to gain significant power it was only logical that they should endure pain to receive it. His coding was absolute. When not given current orders by a commanding officer he was to defer to the power source to decide what actions would best be taken.

They had been given their ultimatum. The sword had very nearly completed its course, which would have normally ended his existence with no complaint. Unit 05953254 latched onto the power source, creating within his visual sensors a crimson glow that noted whenever the unit itself was analyzing and reacting to a situation instead of its human counterpart. With careful accuracy the unit moved, allowing the sword to bury itself into the wall behind him as he readied for his next action.

Situational Analysis: 100%

Unit Health Analysis Updating…

Complete

Internal Damage: 25%

External Damage: 45%

System Damage: 15%

Scourge Damage: 15%

Unit Remains 75% Operational

Mission Update:

DESTROY

KILL

SAVE

PROTECT

Deactivating Standby Mode…

Mode Analysis...

Standby Mode: Inactive

Defense Mode: Inactive

Activating Attack Mode…

Initiating Mission…

The unit wasted no time, as its coding indicated that swift action was always required in order to preform missions competently. As soon as the sword had buried itself into the wall, the unit was already moving their shared body. The mammal had proven to be no longer completely incompetent, as it was no longer in the infantile stages of development. A weapon was in their hand, as well as information required for proper use and management of the gun. The word "armiger" was updated into the unit's vocabulary, but it wasted no time in questioning the usefulness of the "memories" given to it during this time.

There was a surprised silence that fell, leaving the unit time to analyze the last of the data that it had been freely given via the power source directly from his human counterpart's mind. It was more than adequate, considering that it held information regarding previous missions and encounters that the more useful human had undergone with both Luciuns present in the room. If he confirmed his mission with them and engaged the enemy correctly then he had little doubt that they would also continue to function in a correct response to the situation.

"Hm," the Imperial Commander spoke, his voice sounding strangely garbled through the armor he had donned. "It activated. MT. Unit Number and Production Designation. What is your current mission?"

The man stepped back, taking his sword with him and providing the space necessary for the unit to return to a standing position. He did not however, deign to answer the commander. Considering that his mission was to DESTROY and KILL him, it logically stood to reason that he was an enemy. Those designated "enemy" were to be shown no mercy and swiftly terminated. His mission to the Luciuns however was to SAVE and PROTECT them, marking them within his cognitive function as "allies", which were to be used for mission success and guarded from bodily harm.

"Prompto?" one of the Luciuns inquired. It was the being that his human counterpart designated as CLARUS AMICITIA. Recognition for the EMOTIONS were those of fear, hope, and hesitation. He turned his visual sensors to the man.

"Unit Designation 05953254," was his oral reply. "Being Designation 'PROMPTO' is currently inactive."

It was clear that this response, though logical and adequate, was not successful in portraying the necessary procedure to complete this mission. All of the humans indicated SURPRISE and UNEASE at the current situation. It appeared that his long period of disuse had begun to alter the way that he reacted to certain stimuli, because a frown appeared on his usually stoic face in response. SURPRISE at least was an adequate response to his oral reply considering that Magitek Trooper coding required absolute obedience to any superiors present. Logically, according to his mission analysis, that indicated the KING, human designated REGIS LUCIUS CAELUM.

"Odd," the Imperial Commander noted, now indicating a reaction of FRUSTRATION. "It seems that this MT hasn't been completed. There's nothing really other than a computer to read its coding that's guiding it. Because of its coding, its supposed to listen to a commanding officer or the Scourge when making decisions in battle. It seems that both the Scourge and the system giving it instructions have been damaged, letting it decide that Luciuns are friend while Imperials are foes, as well as giving it the ability to act somewhat human. How interesting."

"The Scourge?" the KING responded, his body language and that of the SHIELD indicating HORROR and ANGER.

"How else do you think the units go from being human children to cyborgs or daemon soldiers?" the Imperial replied nonchalantly, which created a rise in EMOTIONAL response from the KING and his SHIELD. "Its small, most likely a sniper class. Quick too. But its damaged, and damaged MT's get decommissioned."

"Prompto move," the KING ordered, his voice seeming to imitate the sound of a large member of the feline species designated LION.

When presented with a direct order from a superior, Unit 05953254 promptly responded to it by leaping away to provide satisfactory distance between himself and the ENEMY. Sensory reception quickly informed the trooper that he was more heavily damaged than had first been projected by his self analysis. His body stumbled despite his training, and the ENEMY pounced to take advantage of the lapse in motor control. CLARUS however quickly moved to intercept the Imperial, blocking his sword with one of his own. This gave REGIS time to make quick use of his ARMIGER and send various weapons spinning forward to ATTACK.

The weapons did little damage, which indicated to the damaged unit that in order to achieve mission success while he was still operational he would need to provide a way for their assault to land. With this analysis in mind, the unit raised the gun that he had been provided, measuring a careful aim into the armor that the ENEMY was wearing. A quick retort from the pistol STARTLED the three beings in the room, but their assaults soon continued without pause. Perhaps seeing the DANGER that the unit posed or otherwise seeking to actively decommission him as earlier stated, the Imperial lunged towards him again in an attempt to farther damage him.

This time it was the clearly ailing KING that leaped into the way to PROTECT him. This response brought more confusion to the unit as he tried to comprehend the illogical choice. REGIS was clearly in less than optimal efficiency, and despite this fact he seemed to ignore all logic in order to SAVE the being he continued to designate as PROMPTO. When presented with information that PROMPTO was no longer active and only the unit itself was in working order the man continued to identify him incorrectly with a sense of HOPE that he would return to "normal". Clearly PROMPTO and REGIS shared a BOND more extensive than one of simply a superior and a unit. That indicated that he needed to alter his responses accordingly.

Since the man TRUSTED that PROMPTO was still active somewhere within the unit's coding, he EXPECTED to see him HELP. With this new analysis, the unit again raised his gun. When the gun retorted sharply in the air this time, neither CLARUS or REGIS reacted in SURPRISE. They continued their assault on the ENEMY commander, TRUSTING that PROMPTO would achieve the mission that his coding had set to him. Three more shots accompanied the first, all aimed at critical joints within the armor. While the low powered shells could not produce critical damage against such a foe, the larger weapons of his two ALLIES had no trouble.

A large clang announced to the unit that this new strategy had proven to be a success, as a section of the armor the ENEMY was wearing was fractured under the force of the larger and sharper weapon used by CLARUS. The sword bypassed all protective layers, eliciting a response of PAIN and ANGER from the Imperial as flesh was struck. Despite the damage that the unit had already sustained, this familiar response did rejuvenate him enough to keep him from allowing his body to shut itself down so that it could attempt to begin a healing process. DETERMINATION allowed the unit to remain within a state of consciousness even with the level of sensory PAIN that he was receiving from his damaged body. This however did not mean that EXHAUSTION was not already taking its toll, sending the unit back to its knees.

CLARUS recognized the obvious signs of DISTRESS that the unit was showing and motioned to him with his head. REGIS correctly interpreted the SHIELD'S silent order and quickly fell back to check on the unit's condition. Now seemingly ASSURED of the SAFETY of both, the man launched into another assault, this time settling for a nonlethal blow to the back of the head. While providing suitable distraction for any other current assaults, Unit 05953254 could not comprehend what the man was planning with such a simple measure. How would this allow them to complete the mission? The power source was likewise CONFUSED.

Another door opened, CONCERNING the unit with the possibility that other ENEMIES may have been sent to complete their own mission. A man and a women entered the room, one looking battle worn but still willing to engage in combat while the other appeared to be awaiting something. Upon analyzing the condition of the room, those within, and the ENEMY, the battle ready man was quick to JOIN the KING and his SHIELD. The woman likewise followed as quickly as she seemed able to, her eyes analyzing the condition of the unit instead.

"A MT?" the man GROWLED, preparing to unleash an assault.

"Its fine," the KING assured, sounding TIRED and WORRIED. "This is Prompto Argentum, one of Noctis's Crownsguard. I had him remain behind in order to aid us in evacuation since it was revealed that he could sense the Magitek Technology that the Empire wields. I have been aware of his condition of some time and it is clear from this recent battle that he is no danger to any of us. Mr. Ulric, I will explain everything when there is time. But we do not have time to wait now."

The man, designated ULRIC, was not familiar to PROMPTO. Unit 05953254 could find no MEMORY that linked the two, however it was clear that REGIS did know him and TRUST him and so the unit deduced that he was not a threat. He was tall, wearing all black and covered in tattoos. His hair was black, styled carefully behind his head, and his eyes were a dangerous BLUE. The woman however was much more familiar, and more concerned with his human counterpart's SAFETY.

She was not like the other man, radiating a light that made the scourge UNCOMFORTABLE and yet it seemed to LONG for it too. She was fair skinned and wore all white, her blue eyes emitting waves of CALM. Her blonde hair, pulled into a careful pony tail, spoke of PEACE. This being had a designation, if only from seeing her from far away. LADY LUNAFREYA. Seeming to seek a farther assurance from the KING, ULRIC finally nodded and assented to the unit's presence.

The woman reached forward, laying her hands upon either side of the unit's face and speaking quietly to him. As she did, light radiated between her hands, making the unit jump but easing the pain. Was she attempting to correct the damage he had sustained in the previous encounter by some unknown means? Her forehead leaned into his, ignoring the blood and the dark matter left behind when the scourge was attempting to aid the unit with extra strength or protection during missions.

"Blessed stars of light and life," LUNAFREYA said.

"We don't have time for this," CLARUS growled. "We need to move now!" REGIS nodded, understanding the need for haste, and focused his attention instead on the unit.

"Prompto," he said. "I need you to come back now. Your job is done."

An order, to deactivate at least for the time being. It was an order that the unit was loathe to follow despite his coding SCREAMING at him to do so. Unit 05953254 had yet to complete his mission. He had also been deactivated for fifteen years before his current reactivation as caused by an over stimulus of PROMPTO'S PAIN and FEAR and the scourge. However the scourge began to PURR at him again, assuring the unit that his mission had been completed as specified. Despite being CONFUSED as to how this was possible, the unit was APPEASED.

Mission Updating…

Mission Complete

Deactivating until further notice…

Powering Down Unit 05953254…

Complete

Prompto wasn't aware of "falling asleep", but gods he remembered waking up, and that was the scary part. He blinked, the last of the gunk falling from his eyes and through his lips, at least until it came back. No, that was a gross thought. It was absolutely disgusting! Then he was aware of the pain in his chest (oh right, giant swords will do that) and the fact that he was pretty much staring Lady Lunafreya in the face. Well, her eyes were closed and he thought she was trying to heal him, but everything else was a confused blur of memories from the MT inside of him. The scourge had retreated at least, purring and seeming pleased with itself.

Well at least someone's happy…

"Back to normal?" Clarus asked, seeming concerned.

Prompto wasn't sure what to make of that honestly. Just earlier he'd basically been threatening to kill him if he stepped out of line. Now he leaned just past Lady Lunafreya, looking for something. Oh right, his eyes. MT's eyes glowed red. He kind of remembered something like that. Another man (all he was getting was Ulric) was watching him just as closely, but from where he was he couldn't see if King Regis was all right. What if he had failed? What if something had happened to him? He didn't want to think about that. Clarus nodded, mostly to himself, and from somewhere behind Luna he could hear the sound of a sigh of relief from the king.

"We must go," the king said. "We have no time."

A metallic roar sounded, reminding them all of the room's other occupant and the idea of escape. Lady Lunafreya winced, ending whatever magic she was trying to use to heal him and quickly standing. Despite the blood and gunk covering him, she threw on of his arms over her shoulders and nodded to the king, a similar kind of desperation shining in both of their eyes. The group turned, fleeing the room as quickly as they were able to in an attempt to escape the citadel before another disaster could strike. They all quickly filed into the hallway, Lady Lunafreya most dragging Prompto beside her and softly reassuring him that he was going to be all right. Upon reaching the elevator, Clarus punched it, glancing behind them for any sign of General Glauca.

"Come on," he hissed.

The General, despite being wounded, came crashing out of the room, charging towards them as fast as he could through the hallways. They could hear the sounds of his heavy footsteps, getting louder and closer. Prompto had to force down the fear that he felt building in his throat. What if he caught up to them? The elevator let out a soft ding, opening for them. Despite the small space all of them crammed themselves onto it, and the doors closed as Regis hit the button for the first floor. With an ominous shudder that said that the citadel was more damaged than they had originally thought, the machine began moving and taking them down.

"While we have the time," Ulric growled, eying Prompto carefully. "would you explain why he is here, your majesty?" Regis sighed, looking at the elevator panel as if doing so would make go faster.

"As I said," he said, sending Prompto an apologetic glance. Slowly, Prompto nodded. He'd worry about what would happen after that if he survived today. "Prompto is a MT. We were aware of this when we found him around fifteen years ago. Only Cor and Monica, whom I sent on the mission, and myself were aware. However he is no threat to us."

"Listen, Nyx," Clarus said, making Prompto blink. Was that his first name? "I didn't want to trust him either. But there are some things we can't ignore. He did help us back there. We probably wouldn't be alive if not for him. Something in his programming is apparently messed up, and he responded to us just fine."

"That is the truth," King Regis soothed Nyx, who finally seemed to relax just a little. "However the matter is far worse than we had imagined."

Both Lady Lunafreya and Nyx turned to look at the king, surprised and curious about what he was going to say. It was obvious that both the king and his shield were completely unhappy about this other information, and if they pitying and angry looks they were throwing his way were anything to go off of, they were aware of his true nature. The memories of the MT pointed to the fact that something had been mentioned about the Scourge, and Prompto didn't have to guess what their reactions to that information had been.

Nyx at least seemed satisfied, and so when the elevator doors clattered open finally he didn't ask any more questions. There was a lot of chaos on the ground floor, people screaming and fleeing for their lives in the aftermath of the explosions. Pieces of the floor above had collapsed at some point, now making more sense as to why the elevator had been in the shape that it had been in. Lady Lunafreya began trying to coax him out into the chaos and away from the elevator, speaking softly in tones he hardly understood over the screaming around them.

King Regis was looking around with a frown, hurrying the group towards the doors in the front of the citadel and their first breath of fresh air in a long while. If they could make it out of the doors, they would be safe. Honestly Prompto didn't even want to think about all the people who didn't make it out, or the amount of people that hadn't survived the first explosion. All of those talks of peace had shattered like the windows on the citadel. Through the surging crowd, another face could be seen, relief etched clearly onto his features.

It was Cor (okay inner fan boy, down), who was part of the king's crownsguard and was practically as immortal as the legends said. Seriously, the dude had survived just about everything! He was a lot younger than the king or his shield, but had been part of the crownsguard to venture with the king...like he was supposed to be doing with Noct. If there was anything he could take away from this though, it was that at least his friends were safe now. He had no idea if his warning had come in time to evacuate, but at the very least Noctis, Ignis, and Gladiolus weren't here where the world was practically going to hell.

Cor was tall and well built for using a sword, a though man with steely brown eyes. His brown hair was cut short, almost to the point that you would have to shave him bald to get anymore hair off of his head. The relief in his eyes turned to concern as he noticed Prompto's injuries (okay, maybe he was a little more light headed than he thought because there was no way THE IMMORTAL was worried about him).

"There are cars ready outside," Cor said, turning his attention back to the fact that they were in the middle of a warzone. "We'll have to run for it. There's no time! This place is going to-"

And that was when the citadel crumbled, burying them under rubble and the dead bodies that littered the once proud seat of government in the crown city.

And there we are, the end of chapter two. This took way too much time to actually write, and honestly I wish that it didn't. Mostly what took the most amount of time was writing MT Prompto. Like seriously, the dude is so logical about everything that I think I ran out of bland technical words to use for him. He's an interesting character to write though, which makes it fun in a way.

Don't worry. They're not dead (because BS writer powers), and in the next chapter we'll get to see where they head off to after the fall of Insomnia and their escape. And next chapter will also feature Noctis having learned that his home town is completely destroyed and basically all of his friends and family that were there are now "dead". That was the point of having Noctis and Prompto fighting. Because I'm an asshole that likes to add feels.

Anyway I hope you guys enjoy, and feel free to leave me a review below!