Hey :),

finally I can upload the next chapter on FF too (couldn't login yesterday).

New canon characters now introduced:

Cor: obviously ;)

Ravus: is the villain with the hood (from the reveal trailer 2013) (UPDATE: now officially revealed as Luna's brother Ravus Nox Fleuret!)

Else, I have not much to say about this chapter ;), I want everyone to draw their own conclusions ...

I hope you like where the story is going so far, I have quite the surprises hidden in my sleeve, fufufu.

ben4kevin: yeah, I'm happy with the showing of PAX though. I loved to watch the driving part and the development tidbits. Hopefully TGS is interesting, they will show more of Luna and Regis *_* can't wait!

LisAlice: hey dear, how are you? Glad to read your review and that you liked the previous chapter! The female warrior is the 'dragon lady' from one of the older trailers. With long blonde hair and having a dark armor with a huge sword, fighting Noct on the roof of some skyscrapers at nighttime. ^_^ thank you again! Enjoy this chapter.

leni90: hey :), thank you so much for your review! Happy to hear you like how I write Noct and Prom! Your favorite author? Really O_O? Thanks! You make me blush, girl! Aaaaand here is the update, and the next part is almost done as well. This time you won't have to wait that long for further updates :).

Have fun reading everyone!

Kamuel

Chapter 10 - Lost Part One - Noctis POV

...

Prompto...

"I'll protect you! Run to safety! Run!"

Prom!

"I love you."

PROM!

With a sudden twitch of my legs, awareness creeps slowly inside my sleepy and numb body again.

I try to reach out my senses as best as I can to understand my situation.

There are instances, when I can feel unforgiving hands holding me down, cold fingers prodding everywhere on my body, before unconsciousness takes over me all over again.

Where am I?

Little by little, despite my drugged state of mind, I try to commit as much sensory impressions to my memory as possible, in an attempt to keep up with the blurry events happening around me.

So far, I found out that these people have a clear schedule, day after day, following the same routines and procedures. I might have lost my sense of time, but my intuition is telling me that almost a week has already past since... that painful incident.

Since the day I've been captured, I'm literally chained somewhere on something that is having a soft surface and I find myself unable to move any of my limbs ever since. Even my eyelids seem to be too heavy, I can't get them to open up. Most of the time I'm more asleep than actually awake and aware.

Thankfully today is such a day, where my brain can forge at least some full words into a whole sentence.

I take a moment to listen what's happening around me.

Hn... only the sounds of typing on a keyboard are heard. Somebody sitting near to me must sit on a computer, writing something ...

For many times since I've been here I asked myself the following question:

Why do they still keep me alive?

Prom... he should have been alive as well. He shouldn't have died in such a gruesome way .. shouldn't have been burned alive before my eyes ...

Didn't Niflheim send all of their military prowess and deathly arsenal after me, for the sole purpose of killing me off?

I shouldn't have survived... not when Prom isn't by my side anymore.

I notice now that the deep pain of loss is dragging me down into depression again. So I start to divert my thoughts, wondering, as I did many times before, what Niflheim possibly could want from me. What is their true purpose? I wonder, because as a matter of fact, I know that I'm not being tortured nor forced to do things that out of my own free will I would never agree with in the first place.

What's up with all the injections, the prodding and the creepy touching? It's not exactly pleasant to feel all of this happening, but at least I'm not in pain. Each day I get some kind of drug injected that instantly makes me lose my consciousness. And afterwards, I don't remember any of the things they did during the time when my mind was fast asleep. Only a slight headache is lingering for a short while, but it's nothing major.

But instead, whenever I'm somewhat awake, even while I'm scarcely aware of my surroundings, the pain of loss becomes once again unbearable... it's pushing inside, pulling, squeezing, hammering, hurting.

As it does now.

Prom...

A single memory keeps repeating itself in the forefront of my mind. It's Prom's brave smiling face, his soft lips forming his final words 'I love you' at me.

This is my last precious memory I have of him - the very last moment before he left this world.

I'm not sure how many days or even weeks have past, but what I know is that I still haven't gotten the chance to mourn for the loss of my soul mate yet.

And it hurts so damn much.

I need the kind of privacy where I can let lose myself within this pain and just cry my damn eyeballs out, a place where I can reminiscence about him until I can finally let go... to get to that state of mind where it doesn't hurt that damn much anymore.

The logical part inside of me knows, that one day, Prom and I will meet again.

My experience, of meeting my deceased father in the spiritual realm, has opened up my eyes to the profound truth of the spirit inside of us human beings being in fact immortal.

But the injured, mortal human part of my heart is missing Prom sorely. No words can properly express the level of longing I feel for him, especially now that I finally know of his real identity. Now, when I'm aware of our primordial existence and the deep love we feel for each other.

The need and yearning for his presence as my soul mate is on a whole different level, much more painful and intense. Much stronger than I would have felt if we were unaware of each others deep-seated bond.

I now know, that the alien power I've been born with is in some way connected to Prom, because, since the day Prom has left us I can feel its (his?) own pain at losing his bonded mate. Especially because of this, I'm sure, there are far more truths to be unveiled - the truths of what truly happened between my soul mate, the alien force inside of me and myself on the days we made love to each other.

Never would I've thought, that we would have only such a short time to spend together in this life. And what I mean is, together as lovers, with the awareness and knowledge of being each others soul mates.

That we grew up together so close to each other, meeting for the first time as innocent seven year olds. Going to school and visiting the same class, having him sitting beside me each and every day, growing up into puberty and doing all kinds of fun and stupid things. Growing further up and getting to learn about each others embarrassing tastes and quirks and then fighting side by side for so many years - all of this happening without having any clue of our true selves. These memories and thoughts are boggling my mind to this very moment and I wish right now that I could just bash my head against a wall because we didn't wake up much sooner to our destiny.

We didn't have enough time to enjoy each other to the fullest... we've been friends for over fourteen years, lovers only for two days, and soul mates for only one.

So much precious time is now lost. A time and place, where I can't return back to, no matter how powerful I might become one day.

All this time at our disposal as friends, and so much has been wasted for trivial things every day... it's not that I regret the platonic friendship, he was my best friend after all. But the time spent together could have been spent so much more meaningful.

I did intend back then, the moments after Titan became our ally, to properly go out with him. You know, experiencing small but fun and tender things like eating ice cream intimately together, watching movies while lazily stretching out on the couch and making-out, sneaking at night away to each others rooms, or having him lying in my arms on the top of the roof as we caress each other and watch the stars outside, visiting various foreign places in the world and just enjoying life together side by side for a little bit...

I actually did plan to track down his ancestry, to find out what kind of terrible war forced his entire family out of his country. Our history books still don't tell us much, and my father forbade me when I was younger to look deeper into it. The mysterious circumstances around Prom's past speak of something very serious, something truly sinister going on. I saw how much his soul longed for the truth behind his fugitive status and how much he wanted to mentally make an end to his troubled past.

Prom...

It just doesn't feel right that you are already gone from this world. There are still so many things for us to take care of, to do, to find out ...

I can't do all of this without you.

Gods, I need you now more than ever to be here...

Some silent tears make their way out of the corner of my eyes, the drops trailing downwards over my temples and tickling my ears as they get absorbed by the strands of my hair. I want to wipe them away, but I still can't move.

Damn it all, I miss Prom that much...

Why has destiny teared us apart as soon as we found each other in this life?

How in this God forsaken world does this make any sense?

How can I just live on, waiting for an entire lonely life to pass me by, until I get to embrace him again?

There is no guarantee that in our next lives we will remember who we truly are to each other... and this thought frightens me. I don't want to forget all the knowledge I've acquired until now ever again!

That's why, the first thing that I've tried when they brought me here to this place, has been to reach the Astral realms. I desperately need to look for Prom there. Surely he must have gone to the realms of Etro, where the Goddes of Death dwells and guides all spirits and lost souls.

Maybe Prom is standing right at my fathers side - everyone there waiting for me to come back for a visit.

But it's so damn frustrating, I wasn't able to reach the spiritual realms thus far. All attempts were in vain.

I recall my father telling me, that a human being needs a lot of life energy, quite a lot of magical power, to become aware in its own Astral body while asleep.

This can only mean, that Niflheim is purposefully keeping my body on low magical energy levels at all times, to not summon Titan to escape.

I admit they are in the right to fear me.

As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to find those responsible for my father's and Prom's demise.

And then, there will be heaven and hell to pay.

Ignis and Gladio...

I really hope they are doing well, hopefully they could escape Niflheim's wrath in time...

Please, at least you two have to be alive.

It would destroy me to have my entire family taken away from me...

...

"How is it going? Any changes? We are running out of time."

Strange.

What's going on?

Today I'm more aware of my surroundings than usual.

Best to keep the image of me being still drugged, so that I can follow the conversation happening between my captors.

"Ravus, you didn't have to come all the way down to the laboratory. I would have come to you to deliver this weeks results."

Ravus? As in, Iedolas Aldercapt's only child? What in the world is he doing here? Him participating in all of this mess probably means more trouble than I have initially expected...

So, now I know I'm held captive in a laboratory. What are they doing to me?

For how long have I been here? Two weeks? Three?

And just who is the second person in this room? His voice sounds very familiar ...

"Positive results, I hope. Has the retrieval of his past life memories finally become fruitful?"

Retrieval of my past life memories?

What in the world?!

This is what they've been doing until now?

"It has, Ravus. But of course, with the current insufficient level of technology, the remote viewers weren't able to reach beyond the time and place that you have personally requested. To be able to expand their psychic powers that far into the past, it's imperative for us to have the key to activate the other Crystal."

"I see. So this is getting us nowhere. I'll take a look into the last batch of memories you have collected so far, just in case there is a clue hidden I have overseen. Send the data as usual up to my own personal quarters."

"All right."

So Ravus searches for a key... a key for another Crystal.

Wait a minute.

They have a second Crystal in their possession?!

I draw in a sharp hiss of breath.

Not possible... or is it? As far as I know, the Crystal of Lucis should be the only one left in this world!

Has everything thus far been a lie?

After all the things my father told me, well, this shouldn't really surprise me anymore - but it does.

All of a sudden I can hear soft footsteps coming closer in my direction.

"As you know, I've sent in secret my best men out there to look for the key. Everyone came back empty handed. Nobody knows where the hiding place could be. We might even look within the wrong period of time."

"You think, the key's original place is hidden in the past? How? I'm not an expert about the true functions of time, but shouldn't the object be found here in the present, linear time and all?"

My body grows taut with tension as Ravus' voice draws nearer. I want to know more of the subjects they are talking about, hopefully they won't find out that I'm awake yet.

"Interesting, isn't it? We know that time is relative, so linear time is a result purely out of our own fixed perception about the physical limitations inside and all around us. You know, the hints that were dropped from inside the ancient scriptures, the ones you stole from my fathers library last month, are only vague of the key's true location. I drew my own conclusions after I read every single page with utmost care. But what I found out, I tell you, is incredible."

The other person snorts amused, saying: "You have always been excited to discover ancient secrets. Don't make me wait, just spit it out already."

Ravus huffs out, sounding aggravated for being laughed at. "You have no sense for mystery and magic, I swear. So, where was I? Ah, yes, ironically, the key seems to be hidden someplace far back within our past history, and it's only to be found there. And now it gets interesting. Inside those scriptures, they speak of ancient Deities who once visited Earth. Powerful Gods, who themselves have locked the hiding place of the key eternally into their own timezone. Imagine that! They must have had the ruling power over time and space. This happened shortly after the cataclysm forced these Deities to leave our mortal realm, and now it gets even more interesting! Everything happened about twelve thousand years ago. Does that ring something to you?"

"I see, the cataclysm you mentioned must be the famous legend we learn as children about the downfall of Accoris. The advanced civilization who were the last to be in touch with the true Gods, the creators of mankind. Accordo was named after their place as far as I know."

"Indeed..."

Ravus stops at my right side, touching my cheek with the top of his fingers as he adds further, "Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, as the direct descendant of the noble House of Lucis is the only soul I know of living today who might have heard or seen the key's location."

"What makes you so sure?"

I give my best not to react to his sudden, soft caress over my skin, still listening closely.

"Some parts of his past memories. He was born Accorian. His spirit has once lived at the time when the cataclysm happened. Further more, I recently learned, that the Crystal of Lucis and the inactive Crystal that is currently in my fathers dirty hands, were once bound for infinity by destiny. They are rumored to be exclusively chosen and crafted by the divine. Those artifacts have always been the Gods most precious and favorite possessions."

Ravus' surprising remarks about the legend of Accoris and the Crystals are clearing my sleepy brain all of a sudden.

My heart starts to beat frantically. Is this anticipation that I can feel right now? Does the alien force inside of me recognize something familiar from Ravus' words?

So there truly is much more history behind our Crystal and our past than I've been aware of...

I suddenly want to know everything!

"Then later, it made me question how Lucis could have come into the Crystals possession. Why have the Gods handed out one of their most important relics to these mere mortals? What made the Lucis bloodline so special?"

I feel the tip of his finger poking slightly on my chin.

"And the answer to that is simple. The ancestors of Lucis living at that time have been the rulers of Accoris. The ancient Gods have mingled only among the most powerful, sophisticated, most intellectual and spiritual capable human beings on Earth."

Ravus unexpectedly strokes his finger tip along my bottom lip.

What the heck is he doing? Touching me that intimately...

"Our Prince here, you wouldn't believe me if I told you, he was once the ruler, the King of Accoris."

"You jest."

"It's the truth. I saw some glimpses of it in one of his past life memories."

"Ravus, do you... do you truly understand how big this is? The task I've been ordered to fulfill is already too big for you. When your father gets wind about what you've done-"

"He won't. By Eos, he won't find out anything as long as I'm alive. He won't."

"Ravus..."

"You know why I do this. Don't you dare start telling me to back out now. It's too late."

"I won't. You have my word."

"Good. Anyway, the King of Accoris must have been confided into the secret location of the key by the Deities living at that time. I'm glad that my greedy father didn't get his dirty hands on the Prince. Surely you can imagine what would have happened if I hadn't sent my men in time to rescue him."

What?! Ravus did save my life?

Good Heavens, all the information so far is absolutely mind-blowing! I still can't believe the ancient secrets Ravus has just unveiled! My mind is spinning, I need a moment to process this...

"So far so good. As soon as the Prince wakes up, help him clean himself up, prepare for him some fitting clothes and bring him up to my personal rooms. He and I need to talk."

When I hear him turn around to leave, I make my decision to give up the pretense of being asleep. My eyelids open up to look at Ravus, saying in a raspy voice, "I'm already awake."

Ravus and the other person in the room are first looking surprised at each other and then at me.

My eyes widen even more when I finally recognize the man now standing at Ravus' side. "Cor..." I say blankly. "You are alive."

"Noctis." The man that I know since childhood acknowledges me with a nod of his head.

I can only blink in confusion at those two men before me.

Ravus and Cor... they were retrieving my past life memories without my consent.

Are they my enemies... or not?

Should I leash out my anger... or wait for their explanation first?

Before I proceed to say what's on my mind, I take a good look at Ravus.

The years have really been good to him. How old is he now? Twenty six?

It's been years since I've last seen Ravus. Despite being five years older than I, he has been such a silent and awkward brat back then. Never saying a word, never greeting or playing with me when my father took me with him to Altissia for important meetings. It was a tradition at that time to bring ones child to every event, not only for the child's protection, but for all future heirs to get to know each other early in life.

When we were young, Ravus always gave me the creeps. I was ten and he was fifteen. His much too intelligent bright eyes were boring hauntingly into mine, following me everywhere I was going but never speaking to me. With every further meeting as the years had gone by, the older I got, those gleaming bright eyes of his made me squirm uncomfortably in my seat every single time. I think he had some kind of strange fascination with me since early childhood.

In my naive and sheltered upbringing of course I didn't understand what those stares have meant. The last time I saw Ravus was three years ago. His last, insistent and intent gaze into my eyes, still vivid in my mind even to this day.

So today, especially after I've been together with Prom and gathered a little bit of serious sexual experience, I clearly do understand now the meaning of his peculiar behavior around me. I can't help but shiver at the realization, that for the entire time I have been in his presence, he might have really desired me...

I think he isn't accustomed to me not averting my eyes anymore as I've always done before. Now I keep continuing to stare firmly into his own. Trying to intimidate him for once, giving a taste of his own medicine. When he looks away, a slight flush gracing his face, I know that I was right.

So he still has a crush on me. Good. I can play with this knowledge in case they mean to keep me captive for whatever bizarre reasons for God only knows for how long.

"As you just said Ravus, let me clean up first, dress myself-" I pause to look down on my body to only see myself dressed up in my briefs. I try not to squirm under Ravus' eager eyes as they trail slowly along my almost naked body.

I clear my throat awkwardly. "I'll meet you as soon as I'm presentable."

"You are in your enemies territory, this is my domain, since when do you get to decide what you-"

"Ravus." Cor steps in. "Stop it. Go, let me handle this."

I can see how Ravus bites on the inside of his cheek. "All right." He turns around, leaving the laboratory with silent footsteps.

Cor steps closer to me to unclasp the leather belts and chains around the bed that have constricted each one of my movements. As I stare completely incredulous at the choice of restriction to bind me, I don't know why I find this suddenly hilarious and I joke, "Kinky. Does Ravus have a slight S&M fetish?"

"I wouldn't know." Cor smirks slightly in reply. "Why? Interested to find out?"

Never having expected the death-serious samurai to joke like this, I give an uncomfortable laugh and shrug a bit helplessly.

I hear his defeated sigh. "Ah, so you found out that Ravus likes you. A bit too much if I might say so. Not that my opinion in this case should matter to you both."

Yeah. I am aware of his lust for me. Just moments before, Ravus' hungry eyes, as they caressed my body, spoke enough volumes to fill not only one book but an entire encyclopedia of sex magic.

When Cor moves away from the place I've been lying on all this time, my arms and legs now finally unbound, I get to stretch my entire body heartily. "This revelation doesn't change my perception that I have of Ravus so far, which I have to admit isn't exactly on the positive side at the moment."

Joking all aside, I roll my shoulder blades a few times, wincing at the slight pain when they crack back into their place.

I turn to look with a serious expression in my eyes at my father's most trusted companion, bodyguard and confidant.

"Explain yourself. What are you doing in Niflheim? Have you changed sides?"

All of a sudden Cor gets down on his knees, bowing down to me and looking resolutely at the floor in front of him. "I deeply apologize for not being able to get in contact with you, Noctis. There is a good reason for my decision to stay at Ravus' side for the time being."

I wait for him to continue.

When I see that he doesn't speak any further, I say to him, "The reason for your decision... I assume I'm not going to like it."

"You want the truth?"

"Why not? It would be the best place to start."

He squeezes his eyes tightly shut, his expression forlorn. "It's complicated."

"What isn't?" Is my dry remark.

I wait for a while, watching the various expressions of his emotions playing on his face. When he still doesn't say anything else, an aggravated sigh escapes me. Letting my inner anger slip out a little more than I intended, I say in a strained voice, "Then let me be the one to kindly remind you, that you have given me no reason, yet, of why I shouldn't just kill you on the spot. As far as the demise of my father goes, you are not only under the highest suspicion of being a traitor to my family, but you are currently believed by everyone to be dead, and yet, I see you here alive before me. Tell me, Cor. How did they force you to join the enemy and to conspire with Iedolas Aldercapt's son of all people?"

I form my hands into tight fists when Cor continues to resolutely stare at the floor. Still staying absolutely silent.

"You were like an uncle to me, you cared for me, I grew up having you changing my nappies for Eos' sake! You always had my highest respect and admiration. I can't give you up just yet and I still want to believe in you."

"Again, I apologize. I'm not allowed to speak about it."

I try to ignore the stinging his words have given me, hurting me strongly, my anger rising as a result and so I ask, "Is it because of you that my father died? Did you weaken the protective barrier around Lucis? Did you help Niflheim to infiltrate our capital and allowed the Crystal to be stolen by Aldercapt?"

"..."

"COR! Talk to me, damn it!" My right fist punches the mattress below me to make some room for all the boiling rage and disappointment inside of me.

When there is still no reaction, I say in a hollow voice, "So you did truly turn your back to your one and only true home."

"What? No, never!"

Ah, finally a reaction.

"Noctis, don't get me wrong. I can't tell you the reason of why I'm here. I can't tell you who was responsible for your fathers death, not yet. It's for the best."

I watch his form shake genuinely in anger and in sadness for the loss of my father - the loss for his best friend.

"But if you really want to look for the traitor, look at your father's connections. Your uncle might have known more about it."

Well, I guess that's all that I can get out of him. How should I reach my uncle? He's still in Insomnia, held captive by Niflheim's forces...

"Enough. Let's clean you and dress you properly up. Ravus waits for you... he at least is in a position to tell you more than I can."

Hell, I hate it when he does this. Always evading and avoiding important topics. I'm not a child anymore.

"What are you? A dog? Does Ravus hold you on a leash now?" That's my last attempt to rile him up, for now.

He raises an eyebrow at me in question and I raise both of my own at him in response.

All right. Fine. I get it.

"You really won't tell me anything. No wonder my father trusted you so much, you are a true samurai, honest and absolutely loyal to the cause you strongly believe in," I compliment him with a slight pout on my lips.

Cor smiles slightly, bowing his head to me in acknowledgment of my honest compliment to him, a sign for him that I decided to trust him.

So I give up for now, having no other choice but to trust his judgment for the time being.

He takes me into his strong arms and I let him carry me to the bathroom, my legs still too weak from weeks of having been strapped to the bed.

I can't say for sure that I look forward to talk to Ravus. Not when this guy can't keep his admittedly gorgeous eyes to himself...

His blatant desire makes me very uncomfortable.

...

"Do you two need anything else?"

Cor waits outside at the still open door, ready to leave Ravus and me alone. I take this opportunity to look around me.

Ravus living rooms look, as I expected, tastefully decorated. I can see that Ravus loves ancient relics, some items seem to be very interesting. I'm intrigued and I plan to have a closer look at all of them after our conversation.

"No, thank you Cor. You may leave us alone."

I patiently wait until Cor closes the door after himself with an echoing click.

Ravus turns his attention back to me, and the first thing that I do is to walk straight up to him, in long but quick strides, to punch his much too handsome face with all the rage boiling inside of me.

He falls backwards on his sofa from the impact, holding his nose with one hand and staring up at me with a knowing look.

"This was for invading my personal space and for taking my past life memories without my permission," I explain to him coldly, feeling a lot better now that my frustration with him did lessen a few notches because of my violent outlet.

Ravus startles me when he starts laughing softly, instead of being angry or shocked, and then he shifts his body to sit upright, composing himself on his sofa to look like the perfect host that he under normal circumstances probably would be. Well, if his nose wouldn't suddenly start bleeding like a fountain and dripping on his quite expensive looking carpet under his feet right now.

I think I can hear a regretful sigh escaping him. "I truly was prepared for the worst. I must admit that I got away quite easily considering the bold liberty that I took to infringe upon your free will."

"Oh, so you were prepared for more pain? I knew it, you are of the kinky type. The leather belts and chains holding me captive on the bed did give your secret fetish away," I joke, now feeling a bit sorry for striking my anger so suddenly at him. He actually saved my life, and in the end those people didn't torture, nor hurt me in any way.

Not that this is excusing his behavior or making the issue of him invading my privacy any lighter.

I sit down on the sofa directly opposite of him and grab an apple from the table between us to have a hearty bite from it, feeling ravenous as I wait for his reaction to my joke.

His cheeks look flushed, red as ripe tomatoes, while he drinks a small potion to heal the bruise and get rid of his nosebleed. I'm somewhat disappointed that he shrugs my joke away, changing the subject, "That was a good punch. I've heard a lot of good things about your combat skills, apparently the people were not jesting about it."

I watch how he leans back on his couch to make himself comfortable and then there he goes again. Watching me intently while I proceed to eat my delicious apple. I can't stop the shiver of my body...

"Ravus, why am I really here? Aside to the fact that I quench your obvious thirst to find out more about my previous lives," I cut straight to the meaty part of our meeting, wanting to clear up my confusion about his true intentions towards me first.

"How much did you hear Cor and me talk?" His bright, almost white glowing eyes are looking seriously into mine.

Eos, here he goes again, making my body shiver against my will.

I refuse to further acknowledge suddenly finding myself, for some bizarre and inexplicable reason, attracted to him.

I refuse to think about the fact, that for reasons that are still a mystery to me, he desired me all these years and that he still does so today.

I don't even know why he makes me squirm in my seat all over again. I know he wants me, but I don't, or do I? Okay, anyone with two, proper working eyeballs attached to his head would find Ravus handsome beyond words - or so I keep telling myself, to shake myself awake from the danger of being captivated by him.

To hide the effect he has on me, I reply bluntly, "I heard everything, and now I want to know everything else."

"Then let's start from the beginning," is his simple answer.

He stands up to walk over to his bookshelves, taking some ancient looking books out of them and then places everything on the table in front of us with a thud.

Heh, so he truly is ready to tell me everything he knows. Consider me surprised.

After Ravus sits back down on his previous seat, he opens up the first book and points at an old painting inside.

"Before we talk about this, you should know that I'm not a mortal being, Noctis. I'm not completely human, I never have been."

I blink up at Ravus in confusion and shock.

Not completely human? What in the world?

"The person you see inside this painting was my younger brother. He wasn't a human being, not in the sense you might understand."

I furrow my brows as I place the heavy book on my lap to have a closer look at the person depicted in the beautiful painting.

"Chronus was his name. The people living in the ancient civilization of Accoris once fondly called beings like us Gods. Chronus was one of the many ancient Deities that once graced the Earth with their extraordinary presence. They bestowed upon humanity the much needed technology and knowledge to advance civilization according to divine will."

I've read the tale about Accoris when I was a child. I never thought that the tale was founded on truth...

That's strange. Looking at this absolutely breathtaking otherworldly being, his powerful aura emanating from this original painting, makes me heady with longing. I just can't take my eyes away from the most beautiful face that I've ever seen. Chronus' hair is painted in gold, his eyes such a brilliant bright blue, that they almost seem to be glowing white. His face is so very graceful, noble, masculine and yet androgynous... so incredibly radiant and stunning that I have trouble breathing. Not entirely human, but a face worthy of a Deity indeed.

What is this feeling? I strongly feel as if I should know him. I'm getting utterly lost inside his beautiful bright eyes, strongly attracted to him in the way I am attracted to only one other person that I know of.

The words just stumble out of my mouth before I can catch myself, "I know this person."

Ravus just watches my reaction before saying something that makes my blood pump with excitement. "Of course you would feel that way. I thought this picture would trigger something in your subconscious mind, that's why I did show it to you first."

My trembling fingers stroke over the fragile looking page, caressing the surface of the ancient material in tender motions, hating the fact that my skin can't reach the warmth of Chronus' gorgeous face. The artist who captured the feelings of this incredible individual was very skilled. It's as if I can feel the deep love the Deity has for the one he thinks of as he looks in yearning somewhere far away into the distance. I can feel his strong longing resonating with mine and it's resurfacing with a sudden vehemence with the same level of yearning that I've only ever felt for Prom in this life.

I start to shake all over, my excitement growing, having already an inkling of who he might be. Even the alien force inside of me feels elated at seeing his gorgeous face again.

I lift my still trembling hand before my lips, whispering softly the most pressing question from the forefront of my mind against the palm of my hand, my stomach making flip flops full of anticipation, my heart hammering, wanting desperately for Ravus to confirm my inner inkling, "Your older brother... did he know me as well? Were we close?"

"Yes, he did. You were."

Oh my God...

Tears blurry all of a sudden my entire sight in front of me and I wipe them furiously away, only for more to come out of the corner of my eyes as I stare in disbelief at Chronus' beauty.

Ravus leans forward, placing his hand on my knee, but I'm too entranced and shocked to react to it.

"Noctis, your past self, Atlas, the King of Accoris, was married to Chronus. My brother was known as the 'Father of Time'. The love between the two of you is still unmatched even to this day."

Gods...

I can't even properly listen to Ravus words. My heartbeats are roaring inside my ears like crazy, my legs feel all heavy as if they were lead, and I press the painting of Chronus to my pounding chest as I bend down to hide my face and I start to cry hot tears of happiness, anguish, longing, craving.

Prom...

I just found you again.

I finally know who you truly are.

Now I know, that you are not from this world.

Now I know, that you are still alive.

...

To be continued.