A/N: Surprise! Remember this story? Well, with E3 having arrived, I wanted to write another chapter. So that, whatever happens this E3, at least you get some more of this fic. This chapter gave me more trouble than I would have liked, but I really need to get the story rolling, even if it's still in its revving state. Enjoy!

II

City of The Light

"...Octis. Prince Noctis. ...Prince Noctis!"

His mind still foggy for having been pulled from a dream—though he did not mind escaping that realm with those unknown faces passing in front of his vision—Noctis opened his heavy eyelids and managed to tilt his head up that had been nearly resting on his shoulder. Falling asleep while seated was becoming a far too easy task for him. Yet, despite all the times that he now found himself drifting off during the day, the Prince always felt so tired. He sniffed and tried his best to gather his thoughts.

A part of him thought he was back in some other meeting, that he had dozed off and was about to be scolded again. Mentally preparing himself for a lashing, Noctis winced lightly and looked around. He was in no meeting. There were no other members of Council around, nor even his father. He was in a car, with a highway and the city beyond rolling by. He blinked several times, trying to recall where it was that he was headed, and looked up.

From where he sat, he could see the driver reflected in the rear-view mirror. Pale-blue eyes studied him for a moment, before the driver returned to watching the road. Through the front window, the Prince could make out another dark car, and beyond that, the border crossing. The landscape around them slowed to a crawl as the vehicles neared the crossing.

"Enjoy your beauty sleep?" asked the driver, Mr. Iter. The elder man was the one often assigned to escorting the Prince on official business, and had reached the level of being able to talk rather casually with the heir.

Noctis snorted lightly, shifting his gaze to look out his window instead. Other people had their barbers that they could talk to and tell anything, Noctis, on the other hand, had his driver. In the car for a drive, he did not have to worry about prying eyes or listening ears. He was alone, with no one else but a kind, yet stern, soul who managed to help ease his troubles.

"Hardly," responded the Prince, shifting in his seat. His suit felt unbelievably tight now, like it was slowly suffocating him. Usually, that was not the case, as he was rather accustomed to the suit, but the reason behind wearing it this time made him all the more uncomfortable. "Having all those faces stare at you and then turn into a nightmare themselves is not a peaceful dream..." He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. "I really don't know what to do about this."

"Well, whatever you do, don't fall asleep during anything important while there. Sleep more now, if you need to. Get it all out of your system."

A wry laugh slipped past Noctis' lips as he glanced back to the rear-view mirror. He knew it. Mr. Iter was grinning. "That the only advice you can give now? Not exactly the most useful."

Mr. Iter shrugged. "I'm afraid that's all I have left, young Prince. I've used up everything else for you already."

Silence fell as they made their way through the crossing. Noctis sunk back in his seat, putting on an emotionless mask for the guards that checked inside the car. In that time, his thoughts lingered on his driver's words. Since having shared his troubles, Noctis had received a fair amount of help from Mr. Iter, with a hefty share of wise-cracks as well, but even they sometimes helped to lift his mood.

"It's time that you face the possibility that, for whatever reason," continued the driver once they were past the crossing, "you may be stuck with these dreams of yours for a while longer. You must work around them to the best of your abilities. Sleep, rest, nap, whenever you can. Stay awake for important sessions, which, I'm afraid, will only lengthen as your duties increase."

Noctis found himself grimacing. "Well... Good thing I already enjoyed taking naps." Mr. Iter chuckled, but the Prince could not. Even when he did have a moment to himself for resting, he felt no more refreshed after than he did before. It was frustrating, more so than the last time nightmares plagued him. When that had happened, he knew the reason behind it: the Crystal's shattering. Once it was restored, the nightmares went away. Now, however, he did not know the cause, and could not find a way to make them stop.

"Then get some more rest, Prince Noctis. It's a long trip. I'll wake you when we arrive at Tenebrae."

"Prince Noctis, we've arrived."

Having not been fully asleep, yet still in a groggy state, Noctis had to rub his eyes for a moment before he could see clearly. Clearing his throat, the Prince sat up straighter in his seat and looked out his window again. He had expected to see tall buildings slipping by, but it was only hillsides and rivers. Brow knotting together, he looked up to the rear view mirror and Mr. Iter's reflection in it. Noctis could only frown. He thought that he would have been woken up once they were in Tenebrae, not still out in the country.

"It's just up ahead, sir. This is your first time here, correct?"

"Yeah." Lucis had always been a reclusive kingdom. Travelling to other kingdoms was a rare event, especially during the cold war. It had only been last year, when their Crystal shattered, did he get to see the world around him in all of its wonder. Tenebrae, however, was one of the many other places that he had not visited.

"Well, take a look, young Prince! It's right there."

Leaning forward in his seat, Noctis peered through the front window and felt his jaw hang open. Beyond the car in front was a city rising over the horizon. For all his life, even after having travelled far to the east, and the moon itself, Lucis had always been his favourite city. Others were grand, and breathtaking, yes, but he still liked his home best. Granted, he would not hesitate to admit his bias.

Though it was named Tenebrae (the capital was named the same as the kingdom), it did not look dark at all. Quite the contrary, the city was pristine and rather, especially in the fading light as evening settled in. Not so much from city lights, but just from the buildings themselves. That and... Noctis felt himself frown as he sank into his seat.

There was The Light.

A few glimpses of it hung above the city before slipping through the invisible gates that led to the Underworld. He sighed and cast his gaze down, not wanting to be reminded of all that had occurred last year because of it at this time. The Light itself was not to blame, that he knew now, but that did not mean he had to watch, nor enjoy it, every time that he saw the hauntingly beautiful display. When he looked up again, it was gone, and he could instead focus on Tenebrae once again.

Noctis felt himself gaping at the architecture as they rolled into the city, buildings soon filling the entirety of his view. They were not extremely tall buildings, not like some of the skyscrapers back in Lucis where he would steal away to a distant rooftop when he needed time to himself, but that did not make them any less grand.

Clearing his throat, Noctis shifted in his seat, somewhat uncomfortably. It was his first time in a different city since the shattering of their Crystal. And now he was finally in another, only it was for the political game into which he was born. In the end, it was still for the safety and prosperity of his people, of his home. Tugging at the collar of his shirt, he tried to take solace in that thought; it was all that was keeping him going

Traffic became heavier as they made their way through the streets. In his seat, Noctis tried his hardest to simply enjoy the city and not think about what was to come, but that truth was thrown back into his face when the palace of Tenebrae rolled into view. He stopped his gawking, righted in his seat, largely to look proper for the press that was around, and prepared for what was to come.

After making it past the gates, down the long driveway lined with gardens, and stopping at the far end of the roundabout, the car finally came to a halt.

"Good luck in there," commented Mr. Iter.

"Thanks," muttered Noctis, before swallowing his nerves away. The car door was opened for him, and the full force of the crowd gathered as close as they could get hit him. He had not suspected that their visit to Tenebrae would be such a public event. He inwardly grimaced while forcing a brief smile at the crowd with a wave thrown in. Showing a good face for all of Lucis was in his best interest.

Noctis joined his father's side, and they waited at the front of the palace. The wait was not long. Atop the flight of stairs lined by guards was a tall man with short, silver hair. A younger man, appearing not much older than Noctis, also stood there, hands neatly held behind his back. At his own pace, the elderly man descended the steps, the younger man following, with even his gait capable of showing that he was royalty, and held out a hand.

"King Regis. It is both an honour and a pleasure to have you visit Tenebrae. I hope you find your stay most welcoming."

"The honour is ours, King Viduo. I hope that we may one day repay your hospitality when you visit Lucis."

"I'll make certain of it." The King of Tenebrae laughed before clapping Regis on the shoulder like old friends. "Ah, and this must be Prince Noctis."

"I am, your highness." Noctis was momentarily taken aback when the King of Tenebrae shook his hand as well. He had done some reading on King Viduo Fleuret, but he had not expected the man to be so...boisterous in person. In his teachings, Noctis had been told to act a certain way as Prince. Granted, he would eagerly throw those aside when just with his friends, and use them more as guidelines than strict rules, but he did try to keep that air about him when dealing with political matters, especially when dealing with the Councilmen (minus the dozing off that had been plaguing him of late). Seeing a King act as such, especially with press around, no less, was different, to say the least. "Thank you for inviting us to Tenebrae," he added, after a brief pause.

"This is my son, Avarus." The Prince of Tenebrae greeted those from Lucis in turn. His blond hair nearly shone in the sun, and he had a pair of pale-green eyes that matched the king's. Compared to his father, he had a rather emotionless expression, and seemed content to remain more silent than Noctis. "I must apologize, though. My daughter should have been here to greet you as well, but something unexpected came up at work that she could not avoid."

"Oh? What work, may I ask?" questioned Regis while Noctis was far too happy to remain silent.

"Research. Hopefully she'll be able to tell you about it over the weekend. But come now, let us leave the formalities for later. I'm sure you're tired after your trip. Please, follow me."

Opening his window, Noctis peered at the night sky. There was not much to see in the heart of the city, due to all of the bright lights. He tried to look for stars, but could not find any—it being a little cloudy now did not help. Drumming his fingers against the windowsill, he shifted his gaze down to the city itself. From his current elevation while staying at the palace, much of the city stretched out before him, with only the odd other building blocking his view. Biting his lower lip, the young Prince glanced over his shoulder at his room one last time before confirming his decision.

Sleep would not do him any good right now. Taking a break instead would do him better. And so, that was what he did.

Grinning in delight, Noctis leaped from the window, and used his powers to make it past the palace ground. None of the guards were any wiser to his presence, thanks to the power that the Crystal had given him. Once he was far enough away, the young Prince ceased the silent display of his abilities and walked amongst the other inhabitants of Tenebrae like any other local. Donning his casual wear, and having combed down all of his hair, no one recognized him as the Prince that had just arrived earlier that evening.

It was his little task that he had taken upon himself, to learn more of the people of the kingdom through his own means. Reading up on files of a neighbouring kingdom could only teach him so much. And, as Ignis had pointed out to him at one point, did not really inform him on the real people. It was his hope to learn more about the people in just the one night than what he had from reading all those papers (though he had only really scanned them).

While it was nighttime, Tenebrae was still very much alive. People flooded in and out of various stores, shops, clubs, restaurants, and more. Noctis weaved through the crowds, silently observing. From this perspective, it felt a bit more like home, even if things did not quite look the same. People seemed friendly, albeit louder than those of Lucis. He continued on like this for a while, silently observing, and silently wishing at least one of his friends was with him, until he wandered off for some time alone just to enjoy the city and not worry about the people.

His feet took him to a bridge where he stopped. Here, over one of the rivers that flowed through the city, he could enjoy the reflection of all the lights. The noise was not too loud either. Cars were a mild drone in the background, and there was only the odd other footsteps of people passing by. With a sigh of content, he looked up, and frowned.

There was The Light again. Multiple displays of the haunting beauty shimmered in the sky. His frown deepened the more that he studied them, not having averted his gaze like the last time. Before they disappeared, one by one, those souls entering the Underworld, he could have sworn that they had been gathered over a specific section of the city. Noctis shook his head. Surely he was mistaken. Perhaps he had just been at the right angle to make them appear closer together. Having so many appear so close together did not—

"Can you see The Light?"

Startled, Noctis nearly jumped. So focused on The Light, he had not noticed the person who had quietly neared him. Clearing his throat, he tried to reclaim what was left of his composure to greet the person. He was met by a woman, of about his age, with blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her short dress and frilled vest was well-suited to the warm evening. Noctis was nearly taken aback again when he noticed how hopeful and expectant her gaze was, all topped with a comforting smile.

"Y-yeah..." muttered the Prince. Mentally kicking himself, he cleared his throat to try again. Eyes quickly flashed back to the sky, but the display had since finished. "Yes," he re-answered. "I can see it. Sometimes."

Her face lit up. "Oh, really? That's wonderful. I thought I knew everyone who could see it, though." Noctis felt his face beginning to twist in confusion, and tried his hardest to stop it before it became obvious to the woman. Perhaps the people of Tenebrae treated The Light differently. Back home, it was discussed, yes, but not frequently. And those who could see it did not often come out and admit to it. Only Noctis' friends and family knew that he could see it; not even the Councilmen knew (there were speculations, of course, considering the horrendous nature of the accident).

"I'm not from here."

"That would explain it." The woman chuckled lightly. "Where are you from?"

"Atherna," Noctis quickly replied, having already decided upon the city should anyone happen to ask him that very question.

"My, that is a fair ways away!" She stepped up to the railing of the bridge and glanced to the sky, even though The Light was no longer there. "You know, we have a legend surrounding The Light. It's said that the Goddess Etro shall open the gate welcome the souls of the dead. When that occurs, a bright light shall shine down through the skies over the dead. And those few who see that light shall be bestowed with the strength from the land of the dead."

Noctis felt a shiver crawl up his spine, but not from any breeze, it was from memories resurfacing. "We have the same legend... But they're just bedtime stories. Nothing more." He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. It was not his intent to make anyone the wiser of the true nature of The Light, and the power it held. Having the knowledge of the Obruo resurfaced was bad enough. In the wrong hands, it could be disastrous, as the events from last year proved only all too well.

"But you can see it, too!" Frowning, the woman neared him, adamant in her view. "Surely you have some sense of the power that's behind it."

The young Prince shrugged and sought to put a few more steps back between himself and the woman. "I'm better off without it." And so did the world, the way he saw it. Maybe, someday, they would be able to use the power of The Light, the blessing from Etro, and the last gift from those who had passed into the Underworld, but not as long as people would misuse it with the slightest in

"And why not? Keeping it in the shadows will not help the matter. Learning about it is the only way to make it better."

"Maybe. Someday..." It was not The Light itself that troubled him, just how people could use it. Good intentions would only go so far before they were led astray.

"I'm sorry."

"What? No, no. No. There's no need to be sor—"

The woman smiled and chuckled, cutting him off with a shake of her head. "No. I mean, I'm sorry, for whatever happened that caused you to see the Light. It's never a good experience. No matter what we get from it, no matter what we make from it, it's like we still lose something."

"Yeah..." Noctis sighed, casting his gaze down to the river. "It...it was pretty bad..." Remembering that night was never pleasant. Though it had happened over a decade ago, it still felt too close for comfort. The night that he lost his mother. The night that he first entered the Underworld, not knowing whether or not he would return. "I'm sorry, for you, too," he added, dipping his head in apology to the woman.

"Thank you. Well, I'm afraid I must be off. It was a pleasure to meet you...?" she asked, holding out a hand politely.

Uh... Cid. Just Cid," replied Noctis, already having decided to use the skycaptain's name as his lest anyone recognize his own as the Prince of Lucis. He took her outstretched hand and shook it before it was left hanging in the air for too long.

"I'm Stella. I hope you enjoy your stay in Tenebrae. And don't let the shadow of The Light hang over you forever, all right?"

A wry chuckle slipped past his lips as he nodded his head. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

"Good evening." With that said, Stella walked away, leaving Noctis alone at the bridge.

Remaining silent, Noctis mulled over the new information that he had received from Stella: Tenebrae could very well have plans for The Light, with how she spoke of it. How, exactly, this wold affect his view on the kingdom, he could not yet say.

"Stop fidgeting." At his father's words, Noctis felt himself straightening. "And no falling asleep." That made the young Prince choke lightly before the doors in front of them opened. This was their official meeting with the royal family of Tenebrae, and it would not make a good impression were he to doze off during their discussions.

A large table was the center of the room. Noctis was silently thankful that no one else was currently sitting at that table. This meeting was only between both royal families, no one else. The young Prince groaned inwardly. That meeting would occur on the following day, before they were to return to Lucis.

"Welcome. I trust you slept well?" greeted Viduo, coming to their side to guide them towards the table.

"Quite well, thank you."

"Good. Ah, yes. My son, you met. But my daughter..." Viduo stepped aside, and it was then Noctis took note of the other two people in the room. There was Avarus, that much he expected, but...

Noctis choked and manage to end his cough with only a single outburst rather than continuing on with an entire fit. Though she now wore a white dress, there was no mistaking the woman he had met the previous night.

Stella.

As she introduced herself to Regis, Noctis felt like shrinking back into a corner, but he managed to stand tall. Would she unveil his unwarranted night stroll? While he did not believe that his father would reprimand him too much under other circumstances, the nature of their visit was slightly more delicate than others. His mind reeled, trying frantically to come up with some explanation should the worst come to pass. It was much more difficult to come up with something that could seem remotely reasonable. Then again, what seemed reasonable to him may not seem reasonable to the others.

"Prince Noctis, is it?" asked Stella, her violet eyes almost weighing him. This was it. The young Prince silently grimaced, the wait of only a few seconds feeling like eternity. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoyed your first night in Tenebrae."

That was it.

Their handshake was more of Noctis just numbly standing there and Stella shaking it politely. He could have sworn that she shot him a playful grin before everyone made their way to the chairs. For a brief moment, Noctis allowed himself a hidden grin. There was now some shimmer of hope in these meetings after all.

Several weeks had passed since the visit to Tenebrae. Negotiations were going well, although the mere thought of them could begin to give Noctis a headache. Despite the discomfort, it did made him hopeful for the future. And yet, the sight of those multiple occurrences of The Light did not sit well with him. Too many... He had never seen that many in a single month, let alone a single day. There had even been a few more over the course of that weekend, but not as much But totalling at nearly a dozen? Finishing his dinner with his father, the thoughts troubled him for a moment before rising. Meeting up with his friends before heading off for his shift guarding the Crystal would help to take his mind off of things.

"Noctis, a moment, if you will." Regis' voice carried its calm, and yet stern, tone. Hearing that when it was only directed at him always caused Noctis to swallow nervously. Licking his lips, he took back his seat and waited for his father to continue. The King fell silent, the only noise coming from the servants that cleared away the dinner table. It was an uncomfortable silence, one that made Noctis want to look around to find something, anything, to focus his attention and made the silence feel unimportant.

The seconds dragged on until the servants left. A low sigh escaped Noctis before he expectantly looked to his father. Even now, Regis remained silent. The young Prince swallowed nervously again. Though he had felt closer to his remaining parent in the past year than all the others after his mother's death combined, that did not stop Regis from acting more as a King around Noctis than a father.

"What do you think of the prospect with Tenebrae?" his father finally asked. He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together.

"I—uh..." Noctis faltered, not having expected such talk at the dinner table. In fact, they rarely talked at dinner, but even then, it was never politics. It was one of the rules of his wife that Regis had upheld over the years: no political talk at dinner (unless it was deemed a matter of great importance). Pursing his lips together, Noctis gave the question serious thought. "I think... I think a future with Tenebrae is a hopeful one. Though the cold war has gone, tensions still haven't completely died down. Forging an alliance will help ease people further, and ensure that we're a part of that future, paving the way for the other kingdoms. But..."

"But what?"

Noctis cast his gaze down. Perhaps it was just that ever-present stigma that still made him wary, however, he could not shake the feeling of something looming behind him, readying to strike.

"It's The Light, dad," muttered Noctis, not wanting to hide his doubts any more. He glanced up to his father and saw the man tense. Mentioning The Light only refreshed the night of the accident in their memories. "I saw it there, multiple times. More times than I would like at any given time. I hope it was nothing—okay, so it was something, definitely—but ever since Creon dug up the past and found those machines that used the power of The Light, I hate to think what someone else could do. Perhaps it was just coincidence that I saw all those signs of The Light while there, but...but I still don't like it..."

Silence settled back in. Regis held his hands tighter, looking off across the room. Noctis knew that expression all too well. His father was busy weighing options and outcomes, trying to pick the path that was best for Lucis to take. A silent sigh slipped from Noctis, for he could not think like that yet. It was not just his future, or the future of his friends, that he had to weigh, but the future of everyone in Lucis, the kingdom itself, and that of their Crystal.

"And, do you think, because of this, we should stop negotiations?"

Noctis suddenly felt the full weight of it fall on his shoulders. He was going to have to learn to deal with that weight, for it would not go away as time went by. "No..." he answered, and not as confidently as he would have liked. "Any kingdom that we enter negotiations with will bring doubt and concern. We're the last kingdom with a Crystal, after all. If not Tenebrae, it would only be one of the others. Considering everything else, Tenebrae is still one of the best choices, by far."

With that, Regis gave a silent nod of approval. Just seeing that made Noctis breathe easily again, and the weight felt somewhat lighter because of it.

Despite that small moment of reprieve, as Noctis said his good evening and took his leave, that lingering doubt would still not go away.

A/N: This chapter... First it was going to end one way, then another, and now finished with this.

Well, now we have Stella. And yeah, giving her a brother for reasons that come into play soon. Anyway, their meeting is meant to have been reminiscent of the trailer version, but I didn't want it 100% alike since this is an AU.

And yes, the driver is meant to be the one from the 2011 trailer. As is king Viduo is meant to look like the other man introduced in that trailer at the end (I can only hope that is meant to be Stella's father xD ). His eyes looked pale-green, at least to me and in that lighting from the scene. Hopefully it's not far off...

Anyway, that should be all. Hopefully the next update won't be in nearly a year from now. Though I'm still working out the finer points of the ending, the plot early on is fairly set. There'll be some more of my failed attempt at political stuff to come, but not for much longer. Please bear with me, and thank you for your patience.