"It's over here." Ravus said, as we neared a clearing.
"The guardian?" Gladia readied her sword.
"That's right. The trace..." he took a deep breath, "The trace is being blocked from here."
"Alright." I said, and walked on ahead.
Just then, we heard a loud voice reverberating all over the place.
"Ah, I see the merry band of adventurers finally made it here! And you brought a straggler along too?"
"Allyn." Ignis muttered, as she instinctively stepped in front of me.
"Ah, I see your entourage is devoted as ever to you, Stella. Good, you'll need their help for what's about to come next."
"Enough with this! Where are you, Allyn?! Where is the Emperor! Show yourselves and let's-"
A tremor. A roar. And fumes that began to cover the entire place.
"One thing at a time. There is one Astral that you all neglected during your quest to fight back against Niflheim, you know. Ifrit, the Guardian of Flames. Never had much love of humanity, that one, so I think it'd be a pretty fitting test to pit him against those trying to save Eos from the brink!"
"Enough! Allyn, just-"
But I couldn't say anything more. Not when I saw the ground around me erupt in flames, and a throne rise from within them. A giant sat on the throne, and the smoke emanating was finally making it a struggle to breathe.
"Ravus, get back!" I yelled.
He limped away, as far as he could. Prompto, Ignis and Gladia rushed ahead of me to launch a frontal assault.
I still had to catch my breath and steady my posture. The fumes were suffocating me, but eventually my vision cleared. Yes, I could do this. I could fight.
I would fight, no matter what.
I headed straight for the throne, only to get hit by a barrage of flames that knocked me on my back.
"Stella!" Prompto rushed over and patted the flames off my clothes. "Hey, hang in there! We'll keep him busy!"
She rushed off as I got back on my feet.
"Stella, over here!" Ignis yelled from a low wall. "Quickly, before he strikes again!"
Gladia grabbed me from behind as we rushed over behind the wall.
"Here it comes!" Prompto said, and I ducked.
Sure enough, the fire blazed right above me, but the wall, and my friends, kept me safe.
As soon as the attack ceased, we knew it was time to come out of hiding and go on the offensive.
"Let's go!" I yelled, and summoned my Armiger.
A barrage of my own. Swords summoned and launched, over and over again. I focused so much on my own attacks, I lost track of my friends. But I knew they were doing their best. I knew we were inching closer to victory every second.
"NOVA!" I heard a voice yell. I turned around to see Ravus and a small army behind him. "LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!"
A bright pulse emanated from what looked like a cannon, and the beam headed straight for Ifrit, hitting his reclining form square in the center-mass.
"Gilgamesh!" Gladia yelled, and her next attack finally forced Ifrit off his throne.
"He's going to overwhelm us with force! Scatter and keep firing!" I yelled. It was time to draw his attention and warp my way around!
Sure enough, Ifrit attempted to destroy Ravus's cannon with a shockwave, but a well-timed shot by Prompto threw off his aim.
"GYAAAH!" I warped with an Armiger attack to hit him in the back, causing him to turn his back to me. "I'm the Queen you seek! Come and get me!"
My distraction worked. Ifrit lumbered over to my position, but all I had to do was warp away to leave him disoriented. Ravus took advantage of that distraction to fire another shot with his Nova cannon.
"HA! TAKE THAT!" Prompto yelled.
Another ball of fire headed straight for me. It came by too quickly for me to warp, but I managed to dodge it by a hair's breadth.
"Stella!" Ignis rushed to my side. "I'll be your support!"
"Copy that." I smirked. "Let's give this sucker a taste of the Glacian!"
"Very well." Ignis drew back, and I leapt forward.
The next strike staggered Ifrit considerably.
"Did you see that, Gentiana? Can you hear me! The time has come for you to unleash your wrath!"
"Very well."
My caretaker. The one who brought me to the man I loved. He was always here, wasn't he? Waiting for me to call for his aid?
"Charge it up again!" Ravus yelled, as the Nova cannon generated another beam. But this one was different.
An icy blueness shot from the cannon, and hit Ifrit square in the face. He was brought to his knees.
"Don't hold back now!" I yelled to my guardian spirit. "COME FORTH, SHIVA!"
The ice enveloped the skies, and extinguished the flames.
O vicious fiend who fueled the fires of hatred
Your reign will not burn out She who is our Salvation
Yes. I could feel her drawing her strength from me. I withdrew my Armiger and focused fully on the Summon.
May the benevolent save those who seek it
And may the fires of your damnation flicker out forevermore
Such is your fate for succumbing to spite
Fall, Ifrit, and surrender to the True Queen's Light!
"DIAMOND DUST!" I yelled, as Ifrit was engulfed in a blizzard. He charged straight for me, but couldn't even make his first step before he was paralyzed. And then he was glazed over with the blue tint of ice. I saw numerous figures engulf him. They were humanoid, and they were cold.
Yes, Ifrit's final execution was at hand, and with a gentle hum, his body disintegrated into icy dust, and scattered to the winds.
"I have fulfilled my duty." Gentiana said as he faded away. "Now it is your turn to fulfill yours."
"I will." I said. I'd already made that decision a long time ago.
"Ravus!" I heard Prompto yell, and turned around to see him collapse. Everyone rushed over to him.
"Stella..." he muttered, turning to face me. "Take...me with you..."
"Ravus..."
"I need to finish this too...Cynthia...I must...she must be..."
"You're too weakened. You need to turn back." Ignis said.
"No. I don't care. I need to finish my atonement. I need to see her."
He tightened his grip on me. His eyes were firm in their resolve and determination.
"Very well. You can come."
Nobody questioned me when I said this. Perhaps they did not care what became of a traitor to their kingdom, even if he had aided them. Or perhaps they wanted him to fulfill his final wishes, no matter what price he paid.
Instinct told me it was the latter. And I understood better than anyone what it was like to fulfill a duty you could never return from. Today would be the journey's end for us both.
"As for the rest of you, turn back." I said. "Only the Niflheim rulers remain, and their quarrel is with me alone. Go and protect your families and friends from the daemons while I purge the Starscourge."
"Majesty, no!" one of them stepped forward, only for Ignis to block his path.
"She gave you an order." Ignis said, her tone firm.
"Majesty..." they hung their heads. I knew they wanted to help, but I also knew that they had no role to play in what came ahead. Whether I'd asked for it or not, this journey had always been about me. The Astrals had chosen me. Allyn Izunia had chosen me. Without answering to them, I could never fulfill my duty to my people.
They turned around and left. I only hoped I could cleanse the Scourge before they lost too much.
We entered the royal palace and opened the doors. Sure enough, Cynthia Nox Fleuret was there, waiting for us. With a corpse in her her lap.
"Aldercapt!" Prompto yelled, recoiling in horror.
"Yes." she replied, smiling nonchalantly as she stroked the lifeless body's hair. "He'd long outlived his value to us, so we disposed of him."
"But if he's dead, then Niflheim..." Ignis stuttered.
"It's just Allyn's fiefdom now. It was always hers. This sorry excuse for a man just thought he was in control, and it was a delusion I entertained with glee."
"But when did he die? How could you...?" I began, before the realization struck me.
"It looks like you finally pieced it all together. Yes, the daemon Foras you encountered in Zegnautus Keep was none another than this man. Allyn transmuted his soul into one of the mindless daemons we summoned along with the Scourge. He went down like a rabid beast who's slayers never even knew who he truly was. A fitting end, isn't it?"
"She was behind everything. And you were with her!" Ravus yelled, as he staggered forward.
"Indeed, though even Allyn herself was not aware of this at first. I couldn't afford to arouse any suspicion."
She stood up, and cast Aldercapt's corpse aside. It seemed to crumble into dust almost immediately.
"But my work here is done. I've done everything that was asked of me. So now I just need to take care of my own business."
She extended her arms wide open.
"Come, brother!"
Before I knew it, Ravus had just warped into Cynthia's arms. No, it was more than that. He'd...stabbed her.
"Cynthia...CYNTHIA!" he yelled as he finally realized what had happened.
"It's alright, brother!" she said triumphantly as she collapsed. "I'm free now! I can finally leave this existence with you by my side!"
"No, no, this isn't...this isn't what I wanted! This...it wasn't supposed to be like this!"
"Nothing in our lives ever went the way it was supposed to, brother. Our fates were cursed since the very beginning. But I've played my part in setting things right. This world will be reborn, and no one will have to suffer like we did! Allyn...she's going to make things right, brother!"
"No, don't say that, no, no, no, no!"
"Ravus, I love you. Ever since I was a child, I've loved you. But I never got to say it, not even once. I promised myself that I'd say those words with my last breath. I'm so glad...I could..."
"No, Cynthia, Cynthia, CYNTHIA!"
"Ravus." Prompto, Gladia, Ignis and I tentatively approached him. But we were too late.
I saw him shake and spasm. I heard his rattled breathing give out. And by the time I reached him, he was cold. They both were.
"They're...they're dead!" Prompt could barely keep her voice steady. "They're...why...?"
I knelt over. Cynthia's eyes were closed, and she looked to be at peace. By contrast, Ravus's face was contorted in anguish, his eyes and mouth wide open.
I closed them so that he too appeared to be resting in peace, side by side with his sister.
"We'll remember them. Eos...will remember them." I gulped.
I turned around to face my companions.
"Come on, let's move."
It wasn't much of a walk to the throne room. All we had to do was climb some stairs.
"Okay. I guess this is it." Prompto said with a rueful smile.
"It is." Gladia said, as she put her hands on the double doors and pushed them open.
The sight that greeted us was unpleasant, to say the least.
Numerous corpses hanging from the ceiling. My father, Regis. Nyx, the Oracle of Tenebrae. And Noctis, the man I loved, and the man I was forced to kill myself.
Forced to kill by her. The false queen who sat on the throne.
"I'm afraid you're all out of luck." Allyn Izunia said with a vicious smile. "The throne brings you here, yet it seats only one."
"Then get off my chair, pretender. I'm the rightful queen of this realm!" I said.
"I knew you'd make it here, Stella." Allyn said as she rose up. "I only did all of this because I believed in you. And together, you and I will forge a new destiny! A destiny that'll bring the blood royal's reign of despair to an end!"
She raised her arms, and before I knew it, dark shadows emerged from them that seized all of my friends.
"No, no! What did you do!" I screamed as I helplessly watched Ignis, Prompto and Gladia fall to the floor.
"They have no place in this, the battle of queens!" Allyn bellowed, drawing my attention. "Come, Stella!"
I knew then that my final test was at hand. As Allyn jumped out of the ripped-open window by the throne, I followed her, only to see her waiting a good few hundred meters away. The corpses that adorned the ceiling vanished like illusions in the dust, and the impotent crystal of Lucis glowed faintly over the throne. Allyn herself had exhausted all of its power, firstly to imprison me for 10 years, and then to unleash the Starscourge and wreak havoc unabated.
She left me with no choice but to sacrifice everything to undo the horrors she'd committed. And I knew now that was what she intended on all along. But nonetheless, it was a burden I'd no longer hesitate to accept.
I threw my sword, and warped.
"The once helpless and hapless princess. Is she ready to claim her crown?" Allyn said as I faced her. "Don't let us down."
We crossed swords immediately, and were flung off to the opposite ends of the battlefield. I headed back for her as soon as I could get my bearings.
"Hehehe, let the games begin!" Allyn said, as she finally caught sight of me again.
"No. Tonight, they end." I said as I moved to strike her again. Our dance to the death was finally underway.
"So, are you finally worthy of becoming the chosen Queen? Or are you still a poor second choice at best?"
"Either way, this realm has no place for you in it!" I screamed as my blade scraped her.
"Good, show me that anger! Show me how strong it's made you!"
"AARGH!" I yelled, as I thrust my blade once more, only to get parried by her again.
"Do you like what I've done to this world? I twisted it all, just for you!"
"Shut up!"
My strikes were finally gaining momentum, and Allyn had to work harder to evade them. Good, I was finally outlasting her.
"The ten years you spent being taught by the crystal, I spent them nurturing the very darkness that surrounds this world! So long as I reign supreme over you, not a speck of daylight shall grace this kingdom!"
She talked a big game, but her focus was slipping, bit by bit. More of my hits landed. She became more and more disoriented. I sharpened my focus, and headed straight for the kill.
But I had underestimated her endurance. She withdrew her blade and took my sword head on, only to rush me and knock me to the ground.
"Yes, this was what I hoped to see! How long have a waited for you to rise to your destiny, Stella! The rebirth I've longed for will soon be at hand!"
"Stay your tongue! You do not dictate the destiny of my people!"
"Very well." Allyn backed away as I got up. "Let's not hold anything back. You and your crystal, against all I have become!"
"Power, of light!" I bellowed, as we both rose to the skies. Yes, both of us bore the mark of the Queen during our lifetimes, and it was that mark that gave us the unparalleled strength to stand tall in the face of adversity. But Allyn had forsaken her mark ages ago, and needed the daemons within her to replicate her former strength. Those daemons were what I would vanquish, and send her to her grave.
The clashing of our blades was relentless now, with nary a moment to catch our breaths. Every second someone's armor chipped away, every second pulsated with bloodlust. We flew all over Insomnia, desiring nothing more than to clip each other's wings.
"Ahahahaha! What power! What resolve! Truly, the Gods were right! They were right to choose you!"
"I don't care about the will of the Divine! All that matters is protecting what I love!"
"Then strike me down! Erase everything that stands in your way!"
"AAAAAGH!"
One final strike, and suddenly, we both lost our wings, plummeting to the cold ground below.
I could feel the raindrops beating down on me as I scrambled to get up. We were right by the front of the Palace. Our battle would end in the same place it began.
"A war...of attrition, then..." Allyn said, as she panted and got up herself.
I could see the towering figures around me. My forebears, the ones who'd guided the destiny of Lucis for so long.
"The kings of yore are on hand." Allyn said, "Watching their world head for oblivion."
"Allyn!" I warped straight to her and struck.
"Yet when your father died...you were out playing with your friends!"
I struck again.
"When your lover died, it was your own hands that snuffed out his light!"
Again.
"When your mentor died, you lay there, powerless to stop it!"
Again.
"This is not just my revenge, Stella! It's also yours! All I did was open your eyes to what this world had already ordained for you!"
"GYAAAAH!"
She could barely keep standing, yet she defended herself. A parry. A dodge. A shield.
But none of them worked. I struck. And struck again. And she staggered, and knelt.
And finally, capitulated.
"So, that's how you would end it." she said, as I ran my sword straight through her. It was a declaration of surrender. She couldn't fight me anymore.
Allyn collapsed to the ground as I withdrew my blade.
"Now it is over, Your Majesty. The daemons will be banished, and I will be erased from history once more. What happens after that, I leave to you."
"This time..." I knelt and cradled her face, "I'll bring you peace. You can close your eyes, forevermore."
"Come see me, in the beyond." Allyn said, as her body scattered into dust.
I heard footsteps approach me. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladia.
"So." I smiled, "I guess this is goodbye."
"Yes, it is." Ignis said.
I faced the palace doors and headed up the stairs.
"No turning back now." Prompto said. She sounded close to tears.
I turned around.
"Ignis, Gladia, Prompto. I...I ask not that you guide the wayward souls left behind to salvation." I paused, remembering my father's final words. "Only that you stay by their side. Walk tall, my friends."
My head was held high. My smile was proud and commanding. But I still wondered.
Was I truly worthy in their eyes? Did they genuinely see me as the true Queen?
I got my answer the very next second.
"Gladly, Your Majesty!" they bellowed, and bent the knee.
"Rise, all of you." I spoke, doing my best to keep my voice steady. "The time has come."
I then turned around for the last time, and didn't look back.
The throne room was empty now. No pretender on my chair. No haunting reminders of my failures to taunt me. Just my, and my destiny.
"I'm home." I said.
"I walked tall. And though it took me a while. I'm here now. People of Lucis. Noct. My girls. Dad..."
I could sense him now, watching. Yes, he knew what I had to do now, didn't he?
"I love you all so, so much. The times we had together, the faith you all had in me...all of it, I cherish."
I took my rightful seat on the throne.
"Forebears of Lucis..."
One last moment of hesitation. One last second to catch my breath.
"Come to me!"
My sword was in the ground, and all my ancestors of yore had awakened. They surrounded me, with their unmistakable glow lighting up the room. Yet my father stayed silent, looking away.
Slowly, one by one, they rose up, and ran their blades through me.
"GAH!" I panted, as my ring resonated with their power. Over and over, I felt my strength fade, as that of the ring grew stronger.
I clenched my teeth. I tightened my grip. But I couldn't hide the pain. As much as I'd wanted to, to make it easy for my father.
Little by little, I could feel my ties to this realm slip away. My life flashed before my eyes as I saw the times I'd shared with Noctis, the final campfire with my best friends, how my father smiled at me as I left him, still oblivious to the fate that awaited the both of us.
Finally, they had all gone. All...except for one.
"Father..." I panted. "It's alright."
And there he was. Awash in his glow, I embraced my fate. His blade ran through me, and all my senses faded away.
When I opened my eyes, I knew I was no longer in reality. This was the final dream, the one that would determine the fate of the world I'd left behind.
I threw my sword into the void.
The strongest among us never lose their inner light
Even when their world is plunged in darkness
Even when they keep losing what they hold dear
The strongest hope is only borne of the strongest despair
And so I sought to take everything away from you
To wipe away everything in this world
So that your beauty would shine brighter than all else in existence
And your love would paint a paradise in the canvas I laid out for you
It is your destiny, and yours alone, to save us all
Welcome back, love of my life. Welcome back, Stella Nox Caelum!
I was back in the open field, where we'd first met. Tall grass surrounded us, as Allyn faced me. Gone was the viciousness from before. Instead, all she had to show me was a warm smile, full of love and devotion.
"I always believed in you." she said. "I knew you'd rise to your destiny, Stella. I love you so much. I love you more than everything in existence!"
"My destiny...as the true Queen."
"Yes!" she sounded ecstatic. "Eos will be born again, and you will be its mother. With your love, a new paradise will rise. It'll be so beautiful!"
"This is why you did everything?"
"Yes! You're so beautiful, Stella! More beautiful than anyone could hope to be in the wretched world of old! After the way you proved yourself to me, I have no doubt left within me. Your love will eradicate despair from this world. Your children will create an unmatched utopia. All I did was test your power, and cleanse the realm of anything that could stand in your way."
Once more, she wrapped her arms around me. Once more, she kissed me on the cheek.
Wasn't this the point where I'd first accepted her? Where I'd told her that I trusted her?
"You are my savior, Stella. You're the Goddess this wayward world so desperately needs."
Her face was tearful as she looked me in the eye.
"Now come. Shape the new world in your image. Give birth to a new Eos!"
"Allyn..." I couldn't help but smile. Because her love was true. Her devotion was sincere. She truly did love me more than anything else, and I couldn't deny that it made a part of me happy. To be loved so fervently...who wouldn't be happy to be in that position?
But a good Queen never considers herself above her people, no matter how much she may be tempted to.
"I'm sorry," I said, looking her in the eye. "But I refuse."
"What?" she simply looked puzzled upon hearing that. But as I backed away, that puzzlement turned to incredulity.
"But why? Why won't you? You're the only one who's worthy!"
"No one person is worthy of such a thing. Not even a Queen."
"No, Stella, please, don't walk away! Please! If you won't, who will?!"
"My people. The ones left behind. I'll allow them to rebuild,"
I raised my ring.
"By putting you to rest!"
At those words, Allyn lost her composure. Her face seemed to disintegrate as she howled a daemonic roar. But she was outmatched.
My forebears were by my side. So were my friends, and my people.
And Noct. The man I loved didn't even flinch as he approached Izunia.
My ring pulsated with their power, and I rose up. The swords my forebears had impaled into me burst out of my body and attacked Allyn relentlessly. Her howls echoed across eternity as her daemons were purged, one after another.
Until she staggered backwards, looking to be a different woman entirely.
I caught her as she fell. Her hair was back to it's natural golden hue. Her face, it looked so much like mine did 10 years ago. Like we were twins.
Wasn't this what she'd looked like all those ages ago, when she herself was nothing more than a kind princess who only wanted to help her people? Before she was cruelly cast aside for her mistakes, and was doomed to an eternity of living with her shame, and her spite?
At the very least, I could now finally grant her the peace she so desperately needed.
Allyn Lucis Caelum opened her eyes.
"Stella."
She reached out to my face and caressed it.
"It's alright." I said, and smiled.
I was hurting. My attack had left me feeling sore and debilitated. Right now, I felt like I was barely hanging on, that I could fade away at any moment. But I still held on, for her.
So that Allyn could go to rest seeing the smile of the woman she'd loved more than anything.
"Stella." she smiled as her eyes began to dim. "Stella...Stella..."
They finally closed, and as they did, I held her crumbling body close. I could feel myself crumbling away as well. My purpose had been fulfilled. My role had ended.
"Finally, it's over." I whispered, as my vision faded.
It had been our last campfire before we headed to Insomnia. They all looked solemn, as if a great weight was hanging over their shoulders. Seeing them in that state, I figured that now was as good a time as any to open about about what was left unsaid.
"Guys, I..." I swallowed, trying to keep myself composed.
"Come on, out with it." Gladia said, looking me in the eye.
"I...I thought I'd made my peace. With what I had to do." I clenched my fists. "And I know I can't back out, but..."
I sniffled.
"Seeing all of you here. Maybe for...for the last time, like this. I...it's more than I can take."
My voice cracked, and I didn't bother to wipe away the tears that were flowing.
"Yeah...you're goddamn right it is." Prompto said, sounding rather shaky herself.
"Heh, you spit it out." Gladia said, and though it seemed as though she was giggling, we all knew that she was just disguising her cries.
"It's...good to hear." Ignis said, as she faced me. "It's been an honor, serving with you, Stella."
"Well, what can I say?" I said, as I sniffed again.
"You all, are the best."
The daylight returned, but the Queen did not. With Izunia's fall, the tides of the war turned with ease, and the daemons were once again cast out from Eos, cursed to the margins once more. A new age had dawned, one bereft of the Lucis lineage. One where no royalty held any sway over the people anymore.
By forsaking her chance to recreate the world in her image, the true Queen had effectively erased the Caelum bloodline entirely. And now it was up to her subjects to prove themselves worthy of the faith she had placed within them. It was a duty none were likely to forget anytime soon. And so they rebuilt the realm bit by bit, with no one seated on the throne.
As for the Queen herself, no one could ever really prove that she was anything other than dead. But people chose to believe that she was still around, watching them. And so they would continue to pray for her guidance, and her strength, to help them through the challenges yet to come.
If there was one thing the subjects of Stella Nox Caelum would never let go of, it was their gratitude. It was because of her that those left behind had seen a new day. The Queen truly did care for her subjects above all else.
Wayward though she may have been in her lifetime, she had done them all proud.
All I can hope is that my daughter at least knew happiness.
My arms were entwined with his, as we walked down the garden.
It looked just like the one next to my childhood home. We used to go there all the time when we were together.
His hands had been caressing my hair for a while now.
"I'm so glad to finally be with you." I said.
"So am I." Noctis said, and smiled.
There was no grand wedding in the afterlife for us. No romantic ceremony. I simply wasn't his bride-to-be. I no longer had a claim to that role.
But I had my own story to remember nonetheless. A story where he'd still loved me with all his heart.
"I'm sorry for what I did. I wish..."
"It's okay." He smiled and kissed me. "You did the very best you could. Nothing else matters to me."
"You mean it?" I caressed his face. "Did I live a good life? Was I a good person?"
"You were." he said. He then reached into his pocket and took out a photograph.
"This is..."
It was an old photograph I'd taken with my friends, back when we were just a bunch of carefree girls taking a road trip to Altissia. I couldn't stop the tears from welling up as I looked at it.
"They'll follow your example, Stella. They'll do their best, just like you did. You can be at peace, alright?"
"Alright." I smiled and kissed him. And then we just kept on walking.
I stayed close to him, and rested my head on his shoulder as I closed my eyes.
"Thank you."