Hey there! Hope you are still with me after what I did last chapter. Anyway here goes.
After a good night's sleep, Luna was refreshed, and ready to heal Prompto, or at least attempt to. Her failure at being able to heal Noctis still haunted her. However, this had to be different. An Astral had knocked Prompto unconscious, and she had a bond with the Astrals. Her status as Oracle cemented that. She should be able to do it. But, what if his mind was gone? What if he was a shell of who he once was?
If she faced too many doubts, she would never do it. So, she approached Prompto's bedside, and summoned her healing light. To her relief, it shone sure and bright. At least she was well rested enough for this. She ran her hands over Prompto's head—that seemed to be the logical place to direct the light.
"If you need to touch Prompto elsewhere, I don't think he will mind as long as it wakes him up," Gladio reassured her.
Luna sighed. "I'm a healer. I will make contact wherever I need to to get the job done."
"Good. No time to be squeamish," Gladio said brusquely. He had not been able to find Iris last night, and the proprietor had never heard of her. For the moment, Gladio was guessing she was still alive, which gave him some hope.
After a few minutes of Prompto's "light treatment", his closed eyes began to twitch. His stupor became more restless.
"Do you think he is waking up," Ravus asked.
"I don't know," Luna replied, temporarily stopping her treatment.
A minute or so later, Prompto opened his eyes groggily.
"Luna, Gladio," he asked in surprise. "I had the craziest dream where—" he turned to see Ravus.
"Ooooh. It, wasn't a dream was it? We did take on Titan and start a world-saving quest, didn't we," he said.
Luna laughed in relief. "If it's a dream, then all of us have had the same one. I think that says Titan gave you your memories back."
"Yeah. I guess so. What are you doing here, Ravus? Uh, Prince Ravus?"
Ravus gave a put upon sigh at Prompto's gaffe. "I'm here to help Luna commune with the Astrals and to get my memories back as well."
"I think we need to see Ramuh next," Luna said. "He should be in Duscae."
"I'm ready when you are," Gladio said.
"We should let Prompto rest a bit first," Luna said. "He has only just woken up after all."
"Don't worry about me," Prompto said. "I've gotten plenty of rest it looks like. Besides, I can sleep in the car on the way."
"As long as it's not on my shoulder, that works for me," Ravus replied.
"Worried about getting your armor tarnished," Gladio mocked, giving his white armor a scathing look.
"Hmph," was all Ravus said.
With the quartet aligned on next steps, they set out for the next phase of their journey.
"Tell me," Ignis demanded of Ardyn again. He needed Ardyn to answer him, no matter what craziness came out of his mouth. Something, no matter how crazy, had to make sense.
Ardyn sighed, tossed his ratty mane back, cleared his throat, and began reciting to his bespectacled visitor.
"Once upon a time," Ardyn began mockingly, "Eos was created by the Six as their new home. Titan created the land, Leviathan the seas. Ramuh provided the storms to recycle the water and energy, and Ifrit and Shiva worked in harmony to maintain the balance of heat and coldness to keep it from becoming a barren waste. However, it still felt empty. Bahamut remedied this by adding the living things, including daemons."
"The Six quickly saw that daemons could not play nice with the other children, and flourished at night. They saw that humans ruled the daytime, and tended to be a bit, self-destructive, what with wars and whatnot. The Six knew that humans and daemons could not coexist, so knew one species had to be exterminated. And they created the crystal to do it."
"You mean, they built the crystal as a weapon," Ignis asked.
Ardyn nodded. "In their hands, the crystal is the ultimate weapon, capable of killing hundreds of thousands of humans or daemons at a time, if not more. It has infinite energy, and can cause any type of elemental disaster you can think of. And they would have used it on whomever they deemed unworthy."
"However," he continued. "The Six could not decide between human and daemon. Titan, Leviathan, and Ifrit hated humans, and thought they should be destroyed. Ramuh, Shiva, and Bahamut thought that daemons deserved to go. In the end, it was a stalemate, and they decided that both would coexist, and they would let the two species fight it out over time, and the victor would inherit the planet. The crystal was not used for its intended purpose."
"So, the Six were willing to sit back and watch us destroy each other," Ignis asked, surprised.
Ardyn chuckled. "Does that shock you? These are the same Six that made you fight them to gain their blessing, saw fit to kill your king in a bid to defeat me, and trapped you in an endless lie. Do you really think they would stop there?"
Ignis subsided—the fiend did have a point.
"Anyway," Ardyn continued patronizingly, as though he hadn't wanted to be interrupted. "All of this did not sit well with Ifrit. He hated humans, more so than any of the others. He wanted them destroyed. He would have used the crystal on them if he could, but only the Six together as a unit could wield it for that purpose."
"Two thousand years ago, he attempted to destroy humans on his own with the first starscourge. The people lived in terror, much as you did for ten years waiting for your King's return. However, the last one lasted generations. Light was becoming but a memory. I for one had had enough. My twin brother and I decided to fight back. We went on a pilgrimage, much like dear Luna did, to gain the Gods's blessings and beg them to stop it. In order to do so, they would have to slay one of their own, which did not sit well with them. They had no problem using my brother and myself as pawns in an attempt to dissuade him. They gave us the powers of the crystal with which to fight back."
"They gave that, awesome power, to humans," Ignis asked, shocked.
"Please," Ardyn responded bitingly. "If they had left that much power in the hands of humans, do you really think the planet would still exist at all? We would have destroyed ourselves long since. What they gave us is the powers you are familiar with—a toned-down subset of the crystal's powers. They figured that if Ifrit saw humans had the powers of Gods, he would be swayed from his course."
"However, not all powers are created equal. The crystal has the ability to take down humans and daemons alike after all. My brother obtained the powers of light, perfect for daemons and darkness. Whereas I obtained the powers of darkness designed to slay humans. Purely at the crystal's whim. If the dice had fallen another way, perhaps I would have had the power of light. Who knows?"
"Still, we worked together. My brother used the power of light much like Noct, and I used the powers of darkness—absorbing daemons into my being to eliminate them, healing those blighted by daemons. I endured years of that agony, stubbornly fighting against a God, for him to finally relent. He ended the starscourge of his own accord."
"But don't think for one moment that it was because he suddenly cared about humans. He just needed to change tactics. And had all eternity to come up with a plan B. I trust I'm not boring you," Ardyn asked Ignis in mock concern.
"Keep going," Ignis ordered.
"How do you know everything I have said thus far isn't a lie," Ardyn asked insinuatingly.
"I shall be the judge of that when you finish your tale," Ignis replied.
"Suit yourself," Ardyn replied coolly. "My brother and I were revered as heroes, and for a brief time we ruled together as joint kings. However, the crystal wasn't done with us. Since 'light' was dominant, the world didn't need someone with the powers of darkness. The crystal rejected me, viewing me as unclean, corrupt. I was no longer able to effectively wield the powers of the crystal, and would destroy the world if I tried. I became just another man, albeit one with the powers of daemons. I was no longer fit to rule, so my brother took the role of 'Founder King' and lived out his life as His Majesty, revered by all. I spent the rest of his natural life imprisoned—the crazy brother and potential world destroyer."
"Just as you are imprisoned now," Ignis said, appalled.
"I'm used it by now," Ardyn stated. "As the final insult, due to the powers I inherited, I could not die. I was immortal. I took the mantle of Ardyn Izunia, and watched empires rise and fall, the Lucis royal line grow and flourish—the crystal continuing to smile upon them while it ignored me. And I kept waiting for Ifrit to try again."
"With Niflheim so powerful, and beginning to harness the power of Astrals, I knew that Ifrit's fury would know no bounds if he were attacked by the Empire, and he would make his move. Furthermore, if all the Six were threatened, they would align with Ifrit, take control of the crystal, and destroy us all. I had to keep the Six divided so they could not use it. To that end, I saved Ifrit, protecting him from the Empire in an attempt to spare everyone his rage. I told him I wanted revenge on the crystal for it having slighted me, and would destroy it and so doing, destroy humanity, which was exactly what he wanted. He decided to ally with me. Using my powers of darkness, I even planned the return of the Starscourge as a show of good faith."
"Could you destroy the crystal," Ignis asked.
"What do you think," Ardyn asked scathingly. "If I could, I would have. It still shocks me that Ifrit believed me, but I think my daemon powers and immortality convinced Ifrit that I could do what I said. Anyway: in order to keep the rest of the Six on humanity's side, I knew the Oracle would have to fulfill her destiny by achieving the blessing of the Six. To force her hand, she would have to believe that darkness was inevitable. So, I helped the Empire attack Insomnia—don't give me that look. The Empire was going to attack anyway. I just 'helped' things along so that the fair lady Luna would come right to the thick of things and see the danger firsthand. I figured the tidbit about her needing to marry Noctis for the sake of peace would get her out of her fortress," Ardyn added smugly.
"She could have been killed," Ignis seethed. "And you did kill her in the end."
"If she did not follow the path I set for her, then she was no Oracle," Ardyn said philosophically. "She did quite well. However, she and Noct were still too immature in the end. After I saw how the Hydrean nearly killed them, I knew they were too weak to keep the Six (sans Ifrit) aligned with humans for very long. The Gods respect power after all. I concluded Noct and Luna were useless to the goal of keeping the Six divided, so I had to go with my plan B."
"Killing them," Ignis asked scathingly.
"Luna was dying anyway—it takes too much power to commune with the Six. And with how weak she was against Leviathan, she would have died before she even made it to Bahamut. I was merely being 'merciful' and giving her a quick end."
"I doubt Luna would agree with you," Ignis added coldly.
Ardyn shrugged. "Fine. I'm the villain. I killed Luna and tried to kill Noct because it's fun. There. Satisfied," Ardyn replied in put-upon tones.
Ignis glared at him. "It seems like you think you had another motive."
"I did. With nobody strong enough to control the 'light' part of the crystal, there was no human powerful enough to handle the crystal. Except for me. And I need darkness to reign to be able to do so. Luna and Noct, with the blessings of Six they had achieved, would have prevented that. So suddenly they were obstacles—too weak to do anything with their powers, but too strong to be totally ignored. So…I give you credit for figuring out the logical remedy to that."
"But you had to get in the way, 'Prime Majordomo'. When you used the Ring of the Lucii, a piece of the crystal, successfully, even though it blinded you, I concluded that there may be other stronger humans out there capable of wielding the crystal and the powers of light, if given enough inducement. So, I let Noct live, but put him through so much agony, forcing him to grow up, so he could become what he needed to be to wield the crystal properly."
"Then the crystal saw fit to take him away. There was no saying when or if Noct would return, so again we were back to the need for 'dark powers'. I needed daemons and darkness to reign to keep the crystal in my power and at bay, and to make Ifrit think I was in fact delivering on my promise to destroy all humans, while keeping his focus away from the crystal."
"The fact that Noct came back ten years later, and the only way to set things right was to kill me was an added bonus for me. There was finally a way to end my immortality. I did not anticipate Noct needing to end his life in exchange, but that's how the dice fell. And you four even took down Ifrit before doing so. Really you wrapped it all up nicely."
"At the expense of so many lives," Ignis said bitingly. "You think you are some kind of hero? Doing evil deeds for the greater good?"
Ardyn shrugged. "Well I'm trapped in an endless prison by the Gods now for what I did, so you should be relieved to know I got my 'comeuppance'. And I stand by what I did. Humans are still around because of me. Oh yes, and you, Noct, dear Prompto, Gladio, and fair Luna helped too."
"Well. That took up a little bit of the endless eternity," Ardyn said brightly. "What will you do now?"
The full light of day was not good for Gralea, to Aranea's mind. It belonged as it had been—shrouded in clouds and darkness, soaked by a seemingly endless rain. In the glare of the sun, the city looked dry-rotted. A once busy city was now stone silent, the only sounds the wind and the periodic clattering of pieces of buildings breaking off.
Aranea was beginning to wonder if Zegnautus Keep would collapse around her when she went in, but she had no choice. She needed answers, and as far as she was concerned, the truth was worth the risk.
The gigantic metal hulk of a building did not appear to be falling apart. But again, keeps by their nature were designed to remain standing even as everything else fell down around them. Aranea had to hope it would live up to its name. At least it had power—the lobby lights glowing as normal amid the surrounding abandoned buildings was disturbing.
She had only been here once, for official intake as part of the imperial forces. She had undergone a routine physical to determine her fitness for duty, and had been sent on her way. She had never gone to the upper floors, which is where she needed to go now. How would she be able to track down a secret project in a building this large?
She started as any visitor would, with the lobby sign saying who was on what floor. She found "Research and Development" on the 30th floor. However, since Verstael was doing "secret" work, it stood to reason that his department might not be listed, which would be a major problem. Still R and D was a logical place to start, so time to make her way up. But with an elevator she didn't trust after ten years of neglect—30 flights of stairs was a long walk.
Iris tried the door to the office, only for it to be locked. She was all set to pick the lock to escape, but the heat of the door gave her pause. It was hot to the touch, as though if she dared to open it, she would be incinerated. She could do nothing against fire. Not even Cor could, she thought with a shudder. She spared a thought for Cor, and hoped he was in a place free of fear and pain.
She made her way to the window. It was plate glass and covered the whole front wall. She could easily fit through it if she could break it. And there were desk chairs in here that could do the job. However, it was a twenty story drop straight down. There was no ledge, no way she could shimmy to a neighboring office to escape. Unless she wanted to kill herself, that was not a viable route.
Although, maybe killing herself should be what she was thinking of. She didn't believe Belenus's "sparing her". Even if he did not kill her right now, he would, eventually. But he would probably do things before that that would make her wish for death, she thought with panic.
She was under no illusions as to why he had kissed her. It was not like a "stolen kiss" that she had read about in romance novels. Those implied somebody you cared for, who cared for you. They were sudden, to be sure, but at some level you could trust the person not to take things too far or hurt you. Any other time it was a violation, and an assault. Bel—he (she didn't even want to think his name) just wanted to hurt, to dominate, to prove that he was the one in command. And if she couldn't escape him, he would do even worse.
And where were the guards and staff in all this? Did he harm them too? If she pounded on the door, would they hear her and come to her aid? Or was their loyalty with Lux and Belenus now? It may make matters worse if she tried enlisting their aid. And if they were on her side and Belenus caught them trying to rescue her…No, she couldn't have their deaths on her conscience.
For now she was trapped, with either a plummeting death or incineration if she tried to escape, or who knows what if she stayed put. Then she remembered. She still had her cell phone! She could call for help from outside! But then, who could come to her aid? Cindy and Talcott would do what they could, but they weren't fighters. And it would take a special kind of fighter who could take on someone who could kill Cor.
The only one left she could trust in a fight against Belenus was Aranea. But she didn't want Aranea to rush into danger to help her. And Aranea had already warned her that staying here would put her into Belenus's path. Iris's flippant response about "being a hunter who could handle him" made her flinch now. No, she couldn't make Aranea come to save her from her own folly. She was Gladio's sister after all. Surely she could come up with something on her own? Except, right now her options seemed limited.
So...I played with Ardyn's backstory quite a bit here. I was curious if he maybe had other reasons for doing what he did, and wondered what it would look like. I had to play with crystal lore a lot to make something remotely plausible (to my mind anyway). Hope you don't mind. Not sure if giving him an "Itachi Uchiha" style backstory works either, but I tried ;-) Anyway: till next time.
