thank for you my lovely review and to the rest of you for reading. i know that a lot of the ffxv story is fuzzy, i'll adjust accordingly as new info comes out, but for now i'll work with whats known and my own spin of it. i own nothing of any final fantasy, just my character and ideas.
...
"Once in a while you can see the light in the strangest places, but only if you look at it right." - Prompto Argentum.
"Kirin. Tritoch. Crusader. Alexander. Stray. Siren. Seraphim. Unicorn. Maduin. Bismark. Shoat. Phantom. Zone seeker. Golem. Fenrir. Palidor. Starlet. Odin. Raiden. Terrato. Ragnarok. Carbuncle. Ramuh. Shiva. Ifrit. Bahamut. Titan. Leviathon. Phoenix. The old gods, the ones that gave mortals the world we live, Eos. They were born from the Iifa tree, and drew their power from it. Together they created Solheim, and ruled over all, as below Eos was formed around the tree. Carbuncle, the god of dreams watched over all mortals in their own dream world. And it was there that the desire for power was discovered. Carbuncle expressed the concern about the war between gods and men. But the gods ignored the creature. Until the attack came.
"Almost every man had turned to fight, to harness the power denied to them. But there were some that did not wish to disturb them. And so, the gods fought, killing many that would otherwise had lived, and with the power and blessings of their gods. Many of the gods had perished also. By the end of the war, there only remained: Kirin, Alexander, Carbuncle, Ramuh, Crusader, Shiva, Ifrit, Bahaumut, Titan, Leviathon, Phoenix, Maduin, Odin, Raiden, and Ragnarok. And as the Iifa tree granted mortals the ability to procreate, and continue to flood Eos, the more the gods grew restless. Another war was inevitable. But they did not forget the mortals that stood with them, that defended them.
"Carbuncle was the first to disappear, vowing to protect those in need whilst inside their own dreamworld. Kirin descended upon the mortals, giving up her powers in order to become one herself. She founded the town of Tenebrae, gathering followers and expanding the city. Maduin, filled with sorrow that his greatest love had gone and died a mortal in the blink of an eye, also descended to Eos, forming a town that came to be known as Insomnia, as the former astral did not sleep due to his heartache. But as the years passed, Ifrit became hostile, knowing it was only a matter of time before the mortals would band together and come to destroy them once more. So he betrayed his fellow gods, beginning the fall of Soleheim. He bestowed a plague among the mortals, turning them in to monsters. The astrals had to fight back, and they knew this would be a never ending war.
"And so, the old war began. Alexander and Crusader perished trying to defend the mortals, while fighting off Ifrit. Starscourge had taken over all of Eos, the infection of daemons spreading upon the mortals as the night and darkness fueled their power. The Iifa tree was dying with each passing moment that darkness was upon the world. Shiva was able to subdue Ifrit, but it did not stop the Starscourge. The resulting battle caused Solheim to fall. The impact would destroy all of Eos, so the gods broke it down as much as they could. Titan caught what was left, a meteor, and for years he held it up as he entered his slumber. Odin and Raiden combined their powers, and formed crystals that contained the power to keep the darkness away. The plague would not disappear, but at least it would give the mortals a fighting chance.
"So long as there were gods among the world, the fighting would continue. It was then they decided to leave the world, and enter a slumber much like Titan. But they would return, to continue fighting the old war. Bahamut descended upon the mortals, choosing the lineage of Kirin known as Nox Fleuret, and thus the first Oracle was born, bearing the astral's own trident. Only the Oracle could commune with the remaining gods. He then anointed another, the lineage of Maduin known as Lucis Caelum. Thus, the first King of Light was born and banished the darkness. Phoenix used regeneration and restoration powers to heal all the damage done. And then the gods left Eos. Leviathon found the biggest and quietest body off water, and submerged herself in what would be future Altissia. Ramuh went to the heavens itself, only to return after the chosen passed his trials. Ragnarok became the Ultima sword, infusing his power inside for Bahamut to wield. Bahamut resided inside of the first crystal created by Odin and Raiden, the one that resided over Insomnia by the chosen King. There he sleeps, until it is time to choose another. Phoenix entered a sleep inside of the Iifa tree, waiting for the appropriate time to rise again. Shiva still lived among the mortals, knowing that she would be needed soon.
"And for years the gods slept as the world was at a tentative peace," Ignis finished what he read from the book. Talcott was listening intently at his tale, "That is as far I have unveiled."
Talcott, who recently started speaking in a male baritone seemed sad that the story was over, "There's no more?"
"So far, no. But I'm certain there will be once I unlock more pages."
"So daemons were banished once before."
"That appears to be the message. However the story is incomplete, and until I decipher more it would be unwise to assume anything."
"She really likes history."
"She did, the Old War always fascinated her. But this is more than anyone has ever learned of it. She pursued it very thoroughly."
"So, what about Etro?"
"No mention thus far, though I daresay she would not forget about Etro after having met the deity."
"She met Etro?!"
"Yes. She ventured to Valahalla to get some answers that only her father could provide."
"I'm amazed she came out of that alive."
"I believe that same path is laid out for me once this Starscourge is vanquished."
"So what now?" he asked. Taclott had grown a lot over the years. He was still timid, but he was improving greatly.
"I must keep at my work. But soon I will venture to all the royal tombs. I believe there is something in them that may enable me to unlock more information. So far it seems that Nox has provided all the essential tools we need to understand what exactly is happening."
"You'll let me know will you? I want to see them."
"It is dangerous outside of Lestallum."
"I can fight."
Ignis sighed, wishing that it hadn't come down to this. But if he knew anything about Talcott, it's that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
.*.*.
The night sky blanketed Insomnia. The rain was light as it fell through the magical barrier. The tallest tower left a magnificent view over the city, as did its twin. The citadel was the largest building, and in the middle of both towers did emanate the crystal's power, which kept the barrier up around the city. It was huge, and despite her ill feelings towards the King, she was thoroughly impressed by how he maintained not only the barrier, but was able to loan the glaives his power as well. Holding up the defenses had surely aged him. But in a couple of years, she would be able to leave Insomnia and hopefully help end this silly war.
She stared into the overly large aquarium that rose from the top floor all the way to the roof. The creatures inside seemed unfazed by the small rain drops around them. At least they had all kinds of space to move around. She climbed the stairs, going outside. She looked out over the city, walking toward the railing and leaning her arms upon it. The rain drops didn't bother her, as she drank in a memory. And she began to sing, out loud, as she enjoyed doing so when she was alone.
Make my wish come true, let darkness slip aside
Hiding all our hope, mocking what we treasure
Battles we can win, if we believe our souls
Hang in for the light, till dawn
Fate will not leave you, hate will not heal you
Pray and one day, peace shall flow everywhere
"You have a lovely voice," she heard the voice of the King behind her. She stiffened, as he startled her, but kept her back towards him, "I have not heard that song in years, I didn't think anyone besides my late wife had known it," he said tentatively, coming to stand beside her.
"She sang it, I listened," Nox shrugged.
"Do you remember the rest?"
She sighed, though not because of him. The memories that flooded her while she sang always made her emotional. He knew why, she knew that he did, but she was happy at least he didn't bother to mention it to her. She supposed she could finish it at his request, given that he wasn't trying too hard to push himself inside her wall. She opened her mouth, continuing her song.
Make my wish come true, let darkness fade to light
Show me there's still hope, show me it's not over
Battles we can win, our struggle lies within
Will we live to greet the dawn?
Love will not leave you, hate will not heal you
Promise me one day that peace shall reign.
"Perfect," he smiled, "Do you know the origin?"
"No," she frowned, curious now.
"The song is said to have been originally sang by the very first Oracle. After Bahamut had bestowed his power to her, she prayed. And she encouraged her people to as well, so she taught them the song in order to show the gods their devotion. She had hoped that it would help keep their blessings with all mortals."
"I never knew that," her defenses were down as she spoke to him.
"It's not in our history books. Over the years the song died out as do the beliefs of the constant battle of the Old War. Only very few actually know the song. I am glad you are able to carry it over to another generation."
"You're assuming I'll have children of my own."
"Of course you will, Noxima. At the right time, you will find yourself a more than suitable companion and marry. It is only natural, even you would wish that once the war is over."
"You mean you'll decide for me like you have my entire life," she said coldly.
"No. I will let you decide who you wish to spend your life with. After the war is over, you will be free to make your own choices, as your talents will fall into disuse and the need for deception will no longer exist."
"I see, I'm only here to benefit you."
"You're twisting my words, Nox. Once Nifleheim falls there will be no need to hide who you are anymore. You'll be safe."
She opened her mouth to protest, but his words cut into her deeply. Freedom, it was the only thing she wanted after learning who and what she was. Could it be that she would have it? It seemed so far away, she couldn't fathom a world with it. She closed her mouth, sighing slightly as the rain began to fall harder. She didn't care though, and she was surprised that Regis stayed out as well. She was mesmerized by the twinkling lights of the city, wondering what it would be like outside of it. She hated the citadel most of all, but had nowhere else to go. Freedom...
"How do you know that I'll even come back once you send me away?" her bitter tone had returned.
"Will you truly abandon your family?"
Once again she was at a loss for words. Her eyes hardened as she focused back on the lights of the city. No, she wouldn't and he gambled right on that. There was no else with her abilities, it only made sense that they prep her for this. She was as ready as she was ever going to be, happy to leave this all behind. Except for a couple of things...
"Come, Nox. You'll catch a cold if you stay out here," Regis spoke softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.
To his surprise, she didn't shrug it off or make a rude comment. She simply nodded, sitting up and beginning to walk back inside of the tower.
.*.*.
Ignis opened his eyes slowly. He was thoughtful, the symbol in the book coming back to his mind. Part of it was the god, Phoenix. Another part was the Iifa tree, which made sense as the god had sealed itself inside. But the third, what was it? The lucky streak he was on cracking the code had come to a bitter end, as he was stuck again. He knew that the history lesson was essential. In order to understand their enemy, they needed all the facts. Well, he did, and she knew that. They were raised very similar, having studies together most of their lives. It only made sense that she did things almost the same. Almost, she did go charging in blindly once in a while. But that was a different story.
As he got out of his bed, he noted that Cid was not sitting and waiting for him to cook. Odd, considering the old man didn't really have anything left besides food. Ignis walked towards his room and tapped on the door lightly. There was no answer. He tried again, a little louder this time. Nothing. Strange.
"Master Cid?" he opened the door slowly. He saw the lump of the old man in his bed. He carefully walked over, shaking gently on the shoulder.
"What are ya doin' that for?" the old man asked grumpily.
"Are you alright?"
"Just havin' some trouble breathin'."
Ignis placed the back of his hand on the old man's forehead. He had a slight fever, he had caught a cold, "Remain in bed, I shall see to some home remedies."
Cid said nothing as he had fallen back asleep. Ignis walked out of the room, going to look at anything that might help right away. He boiled some water, placing some ginger and honey inside of it. He was hoping this was mild, something easily able to pass. Cid was getting old, and Ignis couldn't really handle having to lose someone else at the moment.
.*.*.
Ignis busied himself with the dishes in Noctis' apartment. The young Prince was finishing off another attempt at the Tenebrae sweets. Ignis was determined to master it, enjoying the challenge it provided him - among other things. He wasn't even sure how close he was getting, but he wouldn't give up easy. As he finished that last of the dishes, drying his hands, he noted that the Prince had left the dirty plate on the table and had his nose buried in a comic book. Ignis sighed, clearing away the plate and choosing not to comment on the studies would be more important that the comic.
But he wasn't in the mood to for a futile argument today. Something had been bothering him since he left his home, but he was putting it from his mind in order to focus on his job. He washed the dirty plate quickly, placing it in the tray and looked for anything else he might have to do before leaving.
"Heard some noise in the apartment above me this morning," said Noct, not even taking his eyes off his book, "Guess someone really does live there."
"Yes well, I imagine the person is away on business more often than not," replied Ignis.
"If they're never there I don't see why I can't have it."
"It would be rude to ask someone to leave their home."
"Right..." replied Noct dryly.
"Will that be all?"
"I guess. See you tomorrow?"
"Count on it."
Ignis left then, but instead of going down in the elevator, he swiped his other key, and went up a floor. The elevator stopped at the penthouse, opening and allow him inside of the home. He looked around carefully, noting that one light was left on in the guest bathroom. Curious, he walked towards it, but saw no one there. The water was running slightly in the sink, and he turned it off. Someone had been here at some point. He walked up the stairs, but it was all quiet.
"Nox?" he called out before turning on the light in her room. Nothing. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and called her. It rang relentlessly before hitting her voicemail. She wasn't answering. It was unlike her to show up and not at least give him a sign that she was in town. He tried one more time, only getting the same results and sighed. He left her home, going down to the garage and getting into his car. The nagging feeling he woke up with only got worse as he found no sign of her. He pondered all of it as he drove home, trying one last time to reach her. Nothing.
He sighed again as he got out of the car, sending her a message to call him when she could. He just had to make sure that all was well with her. As he walked up the stairs to his apartment, he saw curious brown spots on the floor. Almost as if someone had spilled something, seeing as it was unlikely a bleeding person had come about unnoticed. To pass the time he kept his eye on the trail, noting it disappeared two floors below him. Curious, he walked down the corridor to the other entrance of the stairwell. No trace of it. Frowning again, he walked up the two sets of stairs to his apartment, only to be startled that the door was slightly open, and there was smeared blood on his doorknob.
He put down his bag on the inside of his door, calling his daggers as he walked inside slowly, his feet not making a sound. He opened the closet carefully, nothing. He walked further out of the foyer, looking into his bathroom. Nothing there either. He kept going until he saw bigger blotches of blood, that lead him straight into his living room. He dropped his weapons at the sight before him. A lamp and accept table were knocked over, blood all over it. The trail of destruction led to the his glass coffee table. It was shattered, as it could not support the human weight that fell through it. Her feet in the air, hanging off the frame, as a pool of blood surrounded her. She was unconscious, dead it looked like.
"Nox!" he was there in an instant, cutting himself on the broken glass. He lifted her out of the table's frame, holding her neck with one arm, his other hand on her cheek, "Nox!" he shook her slightly, trying to wake her up. He checked for a pulse, noting that it was scarce there, "Nox!" he shook her a little harder, but she remained unresponsive.
He kept himself calm and he looked her over for all of her injuries. She was pale, the bruising from where she had bumped around in his home evident. The cuts from the glass were obvious as well. And then he saw something he had never seen before. Some sort of weird bite it looked like, a tooth marks forming a perfect triangle. He didn't recognize that sort of injury, but it was definitely from outside of Insomnia. He frantically searched his pockets for his phone, dialing.
"Hello?" he heard his friend on the other line.
"Gladio, I need you here at my apartment," Ignis tried to keep calm.
"You okay?"
"No, get here at once!"
He hung up the phone, hoping that would emphasize his point. It was lucky the shield didn't live far from him, but if he was at the citadel, it could take longer. He kept his green eyes focused on Nox, as she looked as if she were clinging to life. What happened? Why had she come here? He held her tighter as he felt his blood boil, his body wanting to shake with rage. But giving into his emotions would do him no good, he had to help her. He stood, placing her on his couch. He went to his room, laying down an extra sheet and some towels. He then transferred her from the couch to his bed, and began cleaning her up. He picked out as much glass as he could from her left elbow up to her shoulder, some in her thigh and forearm. There were a couple of small shards in her neck, as well as her face. He did what he could, hoping that he had gotten them all. He then started to clean up the blood, seeing that she had another injury on the right side, near her torso. There was another cut on her right leg. She had quite a fight before she arrived. And then of course, there was that strange bite.
"Iggy!" Gladio burst into his room, "Everything okay?"
Ignis stood, turning to his friend, "No," he spoke sadly, standing aside.
Gladio growled slightly at the sight before him, "What happened?!" he demanded, walking up to her in a fit of rage.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I found her collapsed in the middle of my coffee table."
"Is she...?" he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"No, not yet. But... she will pass if we do not find the source of this bite," Ignis pointed out the odd wound, "With your knowledge of survival, I had thought you would be the best chance she has."
Gladio observed the bite thoughtfully, though still obviously upset, "It's from the Duscai region. Poison, not easily healed by our antidotes. This needs something a little harder. Get me a pen and paper," he turned to his friend. Ignis was able to provide what he needed in record time. Gladio wrote down a list of things and then handed them to Ignis, "We'll need this. I'll stay here, you know more about where to find things in the area than I do."
"I won't be long," Ignis nodded, taking of as fast as he could towards the general store.
...
Ignis returned, moments later, trying to keep himself calm. Gladio quickly went to work, while Ignis watched. Should the situation occur again, he wanted to make sure that he was prepared. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and Gladio used the remedy. It took affect almost instantly, the colour returning to her skin. Her breath came back a little better, but was still slower than normal. He began to relax a little, the worst was over.
"She should have been dead. How she came here from Duscai without detection and managed to stay alive is something of a miracle," said Gladio.
"Her very existence is the result of her beating the odds," replied Ignis, finally noticing the glass in his own arms and knees. He sighed, beginning his work on removed the glass.
"Guess you're right. Still..."
"Thank you."
Gladio nodded, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Anytime. I'll leave you to it, and check in tomorrow. Try and get some rest."
Ignis nodded at his friend, going back to his work. Once he had taken all of the glass out and cleaned himself up, he wiped the blood from his door and locked it. He would deal with the rest in the morning, as he sat down beside his bed. Her breathing had returned to a more even and soft pace. She was resting now, probably still very weak from her fight. He tentatively grabbed her hand, hating that he was unable to help her, that she was alone out in the world.
"Nox... I'm sorry..." he whispered, bringing the back of her hand to his lips and kissing it softly. She stirred slightly, her eyes moving beneath their lids, "Nox?" Ignis put his other hand on her shoulder. She opened her amethyst eyes slowly, unfocused, "Nox," his voice was still soft. She looked over at him, her eyes half closed, "Do you know where you are?" he asked gently.
She never left his gaze, though she looked hazy. She blinked a bit longer than standard, and looked at him once more, "I'm in my safe place," she said lightly, before rolling to face him, her cheek rested on the hand he had on her shoulder. She snuggled deeper into the bed, and fell back asleep.
.*.*.
...
thanks for reading!
