Hey everyone :),
thank you very much for reading so far and for all your comments and reviews and likes!
From now on it gets more and more interesting, as the tangled roots get un-tangled and more truths are revealed! O_OY I changed the name for the ancient civilization now to Accoris. Somehow I did forget that officially the beautiful waterfall-place was written Accordo and not Adorro. Forgive my mistake x_x I have dutyfully corrected every misspelling inside the past chapters.
Please enjoy this chapter and don't forget to drop me a comment or two! Your feedback is my nourishment ;)!
Kamuel
Chapter 12 - Lost Part Two - Noctis POV
...
I lift my trembling hands to wipe the tears away from my face, and then my fingers hesitate for a second, just when my elbow pushes against a warm body sitting on my right side.
What the...?!
When in the world did Ravus manage to sit beside me?
I got sidetracked by that painful, deep-rooted longing and by the sudden relief that I felt. After having seen the old painting of Prom's past life, the alien force inside made me tremble with an inner knowing, that Prom must have somehow survived that deathly explosion. That he might be alive and doing well... because he isn't fully human.
Only now do I become aware of Ravus' arm looped around my hips, sitting very close to me. Becoming aware of his soothing caresses over my lower back...
With a quick shove I push him away from me and mutter somewhat shell-shocked, "Don't touch me."
It's probably only my imagination, but the expression in his eyes is telling me that I did hurt him with this. I try not to squirm again under his gaze.
With a sigh Ravus lets go of me and says softly, "I apologize. It's just...," he pauses, taking a closer look at my face, but instead of finishing his sentence I hear another sigh. "It's nothing."
Then I watch him glance at the table, reaching out to the teapot with his right hand and then he pours the hot liquid inside the cup, placing it in front of me afterward. Defeat colors his gentle voice as he says, "Here, take a sip of your tea, it will calm you down."
I follow his movements in silence as he occupies his own seat opposite of mine once more, and only then do I allow myself to relax.
Hell... I'll never get used to all the strange emotions his close presence induces inside of me. I wish at least Ravus were ugly to look at, so that my heart wouldn't skip a beat whenever our eyes meet.
I dry off the damp skin on my cheeks with the back of my hands and then I place the heavy book on the table. The page with the beautiful painting of Prom's past self lying open before me so that I can glance at it as much and as long as I can. I mutter a quick 'thank you' toward Ravus, reaching out to the full teacup and take a careful sip out of the fresh boiled liquid. My eyes do not leave the ancient painting even for one second.
As the liquid is reaching my taste buds, my eyes grow wide as I recognize the aroma.
Honey Lemon Green Tea.
So it was Cor who made this... I know it because it's the same flavored tea that he had always made for me in the past, whenever I felt lonely and lost back then as a child.
It's my favorite tea.
Smiling slightly at the bittersweet memories, this brings me back to the topic of Cor and I ask Ravus, "What are your intentions towards Cor? Why does he take your orders? I swear to God, if you are forcing him to do anything against his will, I-"
"Don't worry about him," Ravus cuts me off in mid-sentence.
I watch him pouring himself a cup of tea as well and after he takes the cup into his hands, he leans on his seat, moving his long leg comfortably on top of the other as his radiant eyes catch mine once again.
It's really uncanny, how his attractive features closely resemble the ones of his younger brother... at least I now know why I felt attracted to him. This must be the only reason.
We stare at each other for a while, my patience quickly draining as I wait for him to reveal further explanations.
Somehow, it's quite the comical situation.
Lucis versus Niflheim.
Both of us drinking our tea in peace and silence while staring into each others eyes as if we were involved into some kind of a furious battle of chess.
Not long after I feel as if I won whatever game we just seemed to have just played, because Ravus is the one who speaks first, "Cor is here on a mission, he came to me directly after my father got his dirty fingers on the Crystal."
My eyes lit up with confusion. "But, why you? Why did he choose to join the enemy?"
"I can't tell you all of the details because Cor didn't confide me into his concrete plans. For his and your own safety. But what I can share with you so far is, that he came to me because of your father. He sent Cor here."
"What?!" In my shock at hearing this news, my shaky cup of tea sloshes all of the remaining liquid over my trousers and I wipe over the wet fabric on my inner thigh with a frustrated sounding groan.
Ravus wordlessly holds out a napkin for me and I grab it from his hand to wipe the mess I made away with hasty movements. I place the empty cup back on the table. "Explain this to me. My father was the one to send Cor to you of all people?! I'm sorry but I find this difficult to believe. I want to know the exact reason, and I warn you, this better be good."
"I promised Cor not tell you."
I try to ignore the sudden growing irritation in my veins, they start to twitch on my temples and simultaneously itching like mad, just ready for a good scratch. I have Gladio to thank for my impulsive behavior sometimes. Today is such a day and I welcome my inner rage for once instead of swallowing my emotions down.
This is the second time today where I feel left out and where I feel being deceived by these people.
And if I hate something with passion, then it's people not trusting me to keep secrets close to my heart.
So I use my position as the new King of Lucis and demand with an authoritative voice, "Then break this promise right here and now. Ravus, if my father sent Cor here, his reasons do concern me as well, you know that."
Ravus takes calmly another sip of his tea, his attractive face expressing serenity, as if mocking me for emptying my own cup all over my inner leg. He stares meaningfully at the wet patch near to my groin, making me squirm in my own skin again, only to hear him say a minute or so later, "I can't tell you."
Eos in all seven hells!
My hands form themselves into tight fists on their own accord.
That's it!
I suddenly can hear several boiling veins popping up on my forehead and I imagine the content of my provoked brain bleeding all over my face in furious anger.
"ENOUGH already!" I shout at him in utter frustration.
"Do you think I'm just going to continue to put up with your charade?! I'm sick of it!"
My patience has run out once and for all!
I need an outlet for everything that has happened to me so far!
So I stand up from my seat to walk around the table and I place my feet in front of a very surprised looking Ravus. I bend down, immediately taking a handful of his elegant looking shirt into my fists and pull him forcefully up.
Despite our difference in height, our noses are only inches apart as I hiss at him, my inner rage barely restrained, "First Cor and now you. You know what? Do me the favor and take your sneaky secrets to shove them forcefully back into the place they did come from. First you save my royal ass from dying, then you chain me up on a bed, restraining and drugging me for almost three weeks, as if I were some kind of a laboratory rat to you, and for what reason? Only for you to find some kind of a mysterious key existing only God knows where! And once this key really does fall into your slimy hands, what do you intend to do with it?!"
He blinks at me, opening his gorgeous lips to answer, but before he can utter even one word, I continue to hiss angrily, "All this time I've been your prisoner and you stole private moments of my past lives without any of my consent! Solely for your sick and bizarre private entertainment and joy!"
His eyes grow wider at this.
"Oh yes, Ravus, don't look at me like that, I know of your strange fascination with me."
For some reason his gorgeous face makes me even more angry and I can hear my voice becoming louder with each further sentence that comes out of my mouth.
"But then, imagine my surprise to find my father's personal bodyguard and best friend out of the blue joining Niflheim's forces and refusing to spit out to me his so called complicated reasons for suddenly going along with Aldercapt's precious son's shady schemes! And then imagine my raging feelings inside, when I, only a few minutes ago, decided to trust the two of you for the time being, and then you just had to go ahead and continue to play hide and seek with me again! What the hell, Ravus?! Whom do you two take me for?"
Ravus watches me calmly, not saying anything, as if he just waits for me to finish my childish tirade.
My breaths come out in short, agitated gasps, the rage inside of me almost bubbling over as I hiss at him one last time, "Nothing to say? Good. I'm now back at square one with you two. I don't trust you, Ravus. I'm going to leave this place right now. Just take Cor, your well kept secrets and my past life memories altogether and you can both go fuck yourselves several times over. I don't want to see your backstabbing faces in front of me ever again."
With that, I shove him as hard as I can back into his seat and I stomp my way towards the exit to get the hell out of here.
"Noctis! Wait-!"
"Don't you ever dare to speak to me again." I turn my head to glance back at him one last time. "You are lucky right now that I'm out of magical energy, or else I would have made you shut the hell up."
My body shakes from all the negative emotions boiling in my guts, feeling deceived, alone and utterly lost.
What had I been thinking?!
That drinking tea with my archenemy would change anything? I'm an idiot, that's what I am for trusting Ravus to help my case.
Here in Niflheim I have not one soul on my side. The conversations today should be my hard won lesson.
I can't trust anybody, because they don't trust me in return.
That's it. I need to get out of here. Now.
So I open up the door with as much force as I can, the satisfying impact against the wall sounding like music to my ears, and then I start to walk outside into the hall just when Ravus calls one more time after me, utter fear lacing his voice, "Noctis, only Cor and I know about you, if somebody else sees you out there... please wait!"
I hear him run after me, his hand suddenly gripping me hard on my arm to pull me back inside. "I think you don't understand your grave situation! Please, my father mustn't know you are still alive. You'll not only get yourself in danger, but Cor and myself as well!"
"You should have given a thought about this before you decided to be all disingenuous with me. Let go of me!" With a hard shove I try to get rid of his hand, glaring at him.
"Noctis, please! Come back inside, we still have a lot to discuss, it's important-" Ravus stops moving and then goes rigid with fear all of a sudden.
Just when I want to ask what's wrong, we hear voices echoing in the distance.
Oh crap, people are coming up the stairs that are leading to Ravus' rooms!
Before I can make a smart decision, Ravus already pulls on me with all of his strength toward his rooms. Once we get back inside, he closes the door swiftly behind me, even going so far as to lock it up, and when the voices outside become louder, the footsteps getting closer, Ravus even dares to push me against the door, his entire body molding perfectly against mine and pressing me hard against the cold, woody surface.
I tense up, my eyes widening in alarm when his hands spread out on each side next to my head. We are so close to each other right now that I can feel his clean, agitated breaths tickling my face.
His close proximity shouldn't affect me anymore. I mean, it's only his similarity to Chronus that made me confused, but damn it all to hell, my body still shivers in delight wherever he touches me! I just don't understand what's going on with me anymore.
I gulp down the strange, insistent attraction, forcing it with all my might to disappear into nothingness, but when I feel it only intensifying, even arousing me instead, I growl at him in a low voice, "Ravus, I mean it, I'm on the verge of beating the crap out of your handsome face if you don't let go of me this instant!"
His eyes grow wide when they meet mine for a split second, my cheeks flushing from the intensity inside his eyes, but before he can say or do anything else we tense up as the people outside knock at the door a few times.
A man's voice is heard, "Ravus, it's me. Let me in."
I watch as Ravus' eyes close in dismay. The focused expression on his face tells me that he thinks furiously of a solution out of this situation.
"Ravus, are you home?"
Just when I'm about to open my mouth to ask him who the person outside is, because the man's voice sounds familiar to my ears, all of a sudden Ravus fully leans into me, my body trembling as I give a constrained, silent groan against my will, fighting with myself not to react to him in any way. Hell, he shouldn't feel that good against me and yet I can't stop the delightful tremors rocking my groin into absolute excitement. I only catch a small glimpse of his smirk before he tilts his head without warning and his soft lips are swiftly pressed on mine to keep me silent.
For Heaven's sake...!
What in the world is he doing?! Kissing me all of a sudden!
And what in the world am I doing?! I should push him away!
The person outside tries to open the door, the wooden surface trembling against my back, but thankfully it stays close as it is firmly locked from the inside.
Ravus uses this opportunity to prolong the open-mouthed kisses, his lips admittedly very skilled in making my toes curl up in arousal, and despite my shock I feel myself giving in to his desires with a soft moan.
Why do I allow his seduction to happen? Why do I enjoy his ravenous kisses? What's wrong with me?
There are again several knocking sounds, and then the male voice startles us when the man shouts louder, "Ravus! I know you are at home. I need to speak to you urgently. Open the door."
I tense up again when my muddled brain finally recognizes the voice.
This is Ravus' father!
It's Iedolas Aldercapt!
I don't dare move nor shove Ravus away.
I don't even have time to think about the immediate danger we suddenly find ourselves in, nor do I have the courage to think of the intimate, all-consuming kisses that Ravus just stole from me. Not to mention my confusing reactions to them.
Ravus pushes himself away from my body, breathing hard and avoiding my eyes.
My heart hammers against my chest, the arousal and danger battling for dominance when Ravus takes my hand to guide me silently to a small, dark room.
He pushes me into the far corner, whispering his warning, "Stay here, I beg you, don't even think of breathing!"
With a firm nod of my head, I watch with dread as he draws the heavy, dark curtain in front of me close, shutting me visibly out from what is happening outside. I can hear how he rummages around, probably rushing to erase any traces of me being here and hiding his ancient books away. All the while my heart is beating itself almost out of my mouth, knowing that when his father catches sight of me now, he might even kill his very own son for conspiring against him.
Now that the absurd rage inside of me disappeared and is replaced with logic and fear in their stead, I start to regret my foolish behavior from before. The danger, of me being alive, and of Ravus and Cor hiding my presence and protecting me in the middle of Niflheim's territory, all too palpable at the moment.
The sounds of Ravus unlocking his door sharpen my sense of hearing immediately, and then I'm completely focused when I listen to the conversation happening on the other side of the curtain.
Ravus lets his father inside, sounding surprised as he greets him, "Father, I didn't expect you to be home so soon. I'm glad you've come."
Aldercapt steps inside, his footsteps slow and heavy, his voice sounding suspicious. "What took you so long to open the door? Why was it locked?"
"Oh, as you can see from my wet hair, I've been in the bathroom. You know how clumsy I sometimes am, I got myself covered in tea and needed to clean myself up and change my clothes. I took a long shower, I didn't want anybody visiting me right when I was walking around uncovered."
I'm impressed that Ravus came up with such a believable lie in such a short moment.
"I see." Aldercapt seems to be walking further inside and I imagine him sitting himself down on the same place where I sat previously on.
"Come, sit down, son. The news I bring to you today are of utmost importance."
For some moments I can only hear Ravus moving around, probably sitting down opposite to Aldercapt.
"What kind of news, father?"
Some papers are spread and shuffled on the table, the sounds of so many documents making my head spin from curiosity.
"As you know, recently, the bloodline of Lucis has been completely obliterated. As you can see from the files in front of you, these are the official documents stating that as of tomorrow you are to be the new King of the Kingdom of Lucis."
I'm simply too shocked to give any reaction to his news.
I stare speechlessly at the dark curtain before my eyes, not knowing what to think. Surely this is just a joke.
"Father, I don't understand...," Ravus sounds genuinely confused.
"Are you surprised?" Altercapt laughs out loud, probably grinning at his son in victory. "These past few weeks I've been very busy to get these papers signed by all nations that are now under our direct command and authority. Solheim, Tenebrae and Accordo, they all do agree that Lucis needs a new King. You, my dear son, have been chosen."
What?!
Even Tenebrae and Accordo agreed?
That's nonsense! That's a lie!
White spots of light start dancing before my eyes, my disbelief growing immensely the more I get to hear Ravus' father speak further.
"But how was this even possible to achieve? So soon! These are incredible news, father!"
Aldercapt sounds absolutely arrogant when he replies, "I know, my son, I know. My special connections made this possible. You can rest assured that nobody, who once knew about your true whereabouts, is alive today. Now the time has finally come to take your rightful place as a King and to lead Lucis into a New World Order. No one would dare question this decision as officially you are now Lucis' next heir. Since the Crystal of Lucis is in our hands now, you have full reign over their lands. Everything is proceeding smoothly according to our plans."
"Thank you, father, for your trust in me. It means a lot to me. I won't disappoint you."
"See that you won't. I want that you pack up all your belongings today, Cor shall help you with everything that you need, and then you shall leave tomorrow early in the morning to reach Insomnia before noon. I've taken the liberty to make arrangements for your arrival. We need to get your crowning ceremony immediately out of the way, preferably before something or someone can intervene for whatever unforeseen reasons. You do remember what you have to accomplish once the Crown city of Insomnia is rightfully yours?"
"Yes, of course, Father."
"Very good. I'm proud of you, my son. You know you are the only one that I can trust with such an important task. Your ruling presence in Lucis will secure us the gifts of their Gods. The Wise Ones have been waiting for many generations to finally reach this victorious culmination of events. They finally can lead us to the new world they have promised to us."
"Yes, I understand. I'll do everything in my power to bestow The Wise Ones with the divine knowledge and power of Lucis."
I'm truly holding my breath right now.
Because, Eos help me, I'm so damn furious!
I'm just one step away from ripping those damn curtains off and to choke this bastard with his own fake documents! I wish to forcefully shove down every single paper inside his ugly mendacious throat!
How dare he manipulate all nations into signing their own power and free will away!
How was Aldercapt even able to achieve such a task?!
My thoughts stumble all over each other to get a grip on myself.
Who exactly is helping his case? What did Aldercapt mean with New World Order?
And who in all seven hells are those Wise Ones of whom he was just talking about?
I hold my agitated breath when Aldercapt seems to be standing up, saying with finality, "I'll leave the documents in your care, my son, study them carefully. We can make further arrangements when we are getting there tomorrow. Prepare yourself for a stressful day and have an early night. You are going to need all your strength to deal with your new subjects."
"Thank you, Father. I will."
"Then, I'll bid my goodbyes for now. Cor is waiting outside, I gave him my order to help you pack all of your belongings right away."
"I understand. Good Night, Father."
Blood rushes loudly inside my ears, and because of it I can only hear the part where Ravus lets Cor inside and how he shuts the door close after Aldercapt leaves.
With a sudden, swift shove aside, the heavy, dark curtains are being pushed away and Ravus' pale face appears in front of me, his tense body making room for me to finally step outside.
Cor greets me silently with a nod, staying alert in case Aldercapt might decide to come back.
We wait for a long moment, until we are sure that Aldercapt has truly left, and then Ravus locks his door up and motions for us to sit down.
Nobody says a word while we make ourselves comfortable on the couches around the table. Ravus motions to us with his hand to read the content of the signed documents in front of us, which we immediately do.
It takes us awhile to read through every detail, but the more we read from the papers, the more we understand the gravity of the situation.
"I have a lot of questions." I'm the first to speak out, sighing out loudly and shaking my hands up in the air a few times to get rid of my anger and frustration inside. "I get now that you two are not able to answer everything that I want to know. For now, just do me the favor and tell me only what I need to know. I'm all ears."
Cor and Ravus are looking at each other first, before Cor turns to me to inform me, "Noctis, the people don't know it yet, but a major world war will start soon. After reading the content of these papers, I think the nations have only agreed to Aldercapt's plans, because they fear Niflheim will take complete control over their lands. They were somehow blackmailed into signing these documents."
"Yes, this is what I concluded myself. The question is, how could Aldercapt achieve something like this in such a short amount of time?" I ask confused. "I'm not a genius in political matters, but even someone like me recognizes the amount of power one has to have to achieve a feat like this in a matter of days. Procedures like this usually take up months, if not even years."
Ravus crosses his arms, "I might have an idea how this was possible. But we will talk about it at another time. For now lets just focus and examine all possible options currently at our disposal. Which, I have to admit, are not that many."
I listen to Cor agreeing with Ravus, continuing his theory while sorting the papers back into a neat pile, "Well, with King Regis being dead and his son believed to be dead as well, these nations understand that Lucis is in a dire need to crown a new ruler, even if only temporary, to appease the confusion of the masses and to reconcile the growing panic inside the Kingdom. They want to bring back some resemblance of order for the time being. At the very least, the nations were able to influence the outcome of the election. That's something we should use to our advantage. It's a good thing that they have chosen Ravus to be the next King of Lucis."
Cor then turns to me, adding, "Noctis, with Ravus strategically positioned inside the capital, you still have the chance to take back the crown as soon as the war is over. At least something good will come out of this mess."
"Wait a moment," I place my hand on Cor's shoulder, hoping against hope that what he just said before isn't true. "You mean Niflheim is really able to wage a world wide war soon? How and why? Aldercapt already has control over all lands and the last Crystal is in his permanent possession. This doesn't make any sense to me. There are no further reasons left for him to do so, from a political stance he won't get anything worthwhile out of it."
Ravus steps in, sounding amused when he reveals, "Well, this is the thing. What my father hides from everyone, is that he isn't able to control the Crystal. He will never be able to. But he still uses his current ownership to frighten and to intimidate everybody into submission. Cor and I work on a solution to let everyone know that his threats are only a fluke. The dynamics of the war will change immediately as soon as the nations learn of my father's lies."
Looking at Ravus, I ask with a frown, "Why isn't Aldercapt able to control the Crystal? What's holding him back to use it?"
I watch curiously as Ravus stands up, his feet taking him to the bookshelves once more as he takes the ancient books out that he previously hid from his father. He places all of them on the table, saying, "Because, Noctis, the answers you seek are encrypted inside of these ancient books. The original scrolls were once written by the ancient rulers of Accoris. Only the Deities themselves, or the ones initiated into this knowledge, could ever decrypt their writings. To our fortune, my greedy father hasn't found out about the books true content yet, as he was too busy scheming and refining his political advantage all those past years. If he only had known that the answers he initially sought out were inside his library the entire time. I think it's quite ironic. His actions fit the saying 'to not see the forest for the trees'. That's my father in a shell. For all his brilliance and intelligence, his greed for power had made him blind to his own weaknesses."
Cor snorts, "Good for us, we will use every nook and cranny that we can find to overthrow his blind arrogance."
I don't know why, but right now I start to feel confident again. Looking at Cor and Ravus exchanging smiles of revenge, I'm inclined to trust those two again. What options do I have anyway?
Ravus gets my attention as soon as he places the book, the one with the painting of Chronus, wide open on the table. My heart starts to beat furiously again while Ravus proceeds to explain to Cor the meaning of the Deity depicted in the beautiful picture.
"You mean Chronus had the means to control the inactive Crystal in your father's possession?" Cor asks in a tone that betrays is genuine shock.
"Yes, I think it was him, who through an act of love, was able to bind the power of two divine items together for all eternity. The two divine items were originally intended to bring peace and prosperity to all people of Eos. They were once called the Crystal of Chronos and the Crystal of Aether. With their combined power, the rulers in ancient Accoris were able to manipulate time and space, they were able to literally change the entire material world as they would see fit. Just imagine for a moment what would happen, if my father and The Wise Ones were to gain control over these powerful relics! It's only because the Crystals were specifically bound to soul mates, two spirits who were having the purest of hearts, that their power today can only be awakened and utilized by the same, pure-hearted successors; the soul mates themselves who are reincarnated within this period of time."
Cor huffs hopelessly, "That sounds great and all, but how do we find those soul mates you speak of? There are currently over seven billion people alive on this planet. I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you Ravus, but the chances for us to find them together are thin, let alone in such a short amount of time."
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Ravus reminds Cor, "Did you even listen to one thing that I said to you? You are impossible. I told you two hours ago that Noctis' past life memories revealed to me that he was King Atlas of Accoris."
Cor raises his eyebrow, "Yes, I remember. What does this have to do with everything?"
"Simply everything," is Ravus' dry reply.
I hide my chuckle behind my hand, but I clear my throat quickly when Cor glares at me in irritation.
"Then I told you that Atlas was married to Chronus, they were soul mates," explains Ravus slowly, as if speaking to a child.
"Yes, I remember that too, I'm not an imbecile."
"Well, that's reassuring to know, you had me worried for a minute," is now Ravus' placating answer.
Cor's eyelid twitches, his irritation visibly growing.
I press the knuckles of my hand to my mouth to keep from laughing out loud, pretending to scratch the skin under my nose.
Ravus notices my amusement, winking at me once.
Those two are hilarious to watch.
Focusing on a clueless Cor once again, Ravus adds, "By now you should be able to put two and two together on your own. Atlas and Chronus have been reborn and are alive in this timeline. Atlas' soul lives on within Noctis, one half of the puzzle sits right here next to you. We now only need to know who and where Chronus' reincarnation might be. The best clue for us is to stay at Noctis' side. His heart will reveal in time the identity of his true soul mate, of that I'm sure."
"Fascinating, but this isn't very far off to the original question that I raised in the first place. We come back now full circle, because, as I said to you before, the chances to find those soul mates together are thin," says Cor more forceful than he probably intended. Obviously his patience is waning.
I seem to be the only one in this room to know that Prom is my soul mate and that he's still alive. But I'm reluctant to share this information with either Cor or Ravus. After everything I learned so far, Prom and I are imperative to the Crystals powers. This knowledge is dangerous in the wrong hands.
But on the other hand I won't get very far without Cor and Ravus' help.
Father, Prom, what should I do...?
Right then, Ravus takes pity on Cor, ending the amusing discussion with something, that makes me keen-eared instantly.
"Right. There, I agree with you now. Sadly, I wasn't able to locate Noctis' soul mate's whereabouts. So I arrived at two possible outcomes. For one, regardless of my exact calculations in Chronus' astrology chart, he might not have been reborn into this time and era at all. The second possibility might be, Chronus' soul might have fallen victim to a gruesome war as a child, which means he failed his mission. If the latter were the case, it could take ages until his spirit reincarnates on this planet and by then Noctis might not be alive anymore. There were already cases similar to this one documented, where soul mates never met because the time lines they were born into were mismatched from the start."
My heart starts longing strongly once more for Prom as I glance down at the gorgeous face of his past self.
Deciding to take the plunge, I ask, "Ravus, why do you think my soul mate could have died in a war?"
Ravus looks up from his book to meet my eyes. "Ah, I should have mentioned this before. Chronus' astrology chart revealed to me that his soul was reborn as my sibling in this timeline. His reincarnation would have been my younger brother, younge by five years. If he were still alive, he would be your age by now. Also, at why I think that he might have died in the war, because it was my father who waged the gruesome war on the Chronos bloodline at the time when he adopted me. As far as I know, I'm the only survivor, my whole family died on that night."
The Chronos bloodline?
Wait a minute, does this mean that Prom is in truth of royal blood, and in addition to that he's Ravus' younger brother?
I gape openly at Ravus, my heart hammering again in my chest. Never in a billion years would I have imagined Prom's past to be that tightly intertwined with mine, not to mention the fact that he has an older brother now. Prom will be estatic to know he still has family!
"I see," I thread cautiously, needing more answers before I make my final decision to reveal the identity of my soul mate. "Ravus, please answer me another question. When you say you are the only survivor, do you remember what this war was all about? I never heard of the Chronos bloodline before, I couldn't get any kind of insider information about that war. It's like it completely vanished from history. You mentioned that Aldercapt was responsible for killing your entire family, he waged the war for an important reason. What was Aldercapt really after?"
"Yes, I was old enough to remember what happened. Iedolas did save me and I was adopted by him when I was a child because in his eyes one day I will be useful to his personal agenda. You have to know that my family, the Chronos bloodline, were the only people on Eos, privileged by the divine, to use the powers of the Crystal that has been in their possession over many generations which lead back to the time when Accoris still existed. You could say that Chronos, your soul mate, is now my ancestor. When my father invaded our lands, he's been specifically looking for someone who could control the inactive Crystal that he stole from us. He killed everyone who did bear witness to his secret and got rid of everyone who wasn't able to activate the Crystal's powers for him. He erased every single trace that could once bespeak of the Chronos bloodline ever having lived on Eos."
I stare wide-eyed at Ravus. I'm not able to express how sorry I am that something so gruesome happened.
So that's why Prom's family vanished over night without a trace. Aldercapt commited genocide on a whole bloodline world wide, and in addition to that horrifying truth, he managed to erase every single trace in his wake. When I think about it, Aldercapt's powers are beyond my scope...
Cor then speaks out the same that I'm thinking about right now, his face pale, "You know what? Aldercapt isn't able to control the Crystal of Lucis either. Lucis might be next in line to fall to his greed and be erased from ever existing."
"Indeed, that might be a possibility... and it would make sense why he was so eager earlier for me to reach Insomnia tomorrow. The prospect of us changing the upcoming war to our favor grows dim, as of right now the time we have to act has been cut very short," says Ravus with urgency lacing his soft voice. He pinches with his long fingers between his eyes, closing them in dismay. "This gets more and more complicated by the minute and it drives me nuts."
Cor and I share a look of worry.
But then I remember Ravus mentioning a key to activate the other Crystal. "Who else knows about that key which can activate the Crystal? What were your intentions once you find the key that's hidden and locked within the far past?"
Ravus looks at Chronus' picture, thinking for a moment before replying, "Noctis, I'm not sure King Regis knew about the truth surrounding the Crystals when he was still alive. It could be that this knowledge has been deliberately held back from your family for the past generations, maybe by the same people who want to forge a New World Order. If your father would have known about the key, he surely would have already made efforts on his own to search for the other Crystal. As you've never heard of these truths either, my suspicions are being confirmed. There are indeed very strong and evil forces at work who mean to shape this world to their wicked vision under any means necessary. To find the key would of course change everything. The Crystal of Chronos has the power to change the past, the present and the future. If used under the highest moral, ethical and spiritual motives, the Crystal's power would make sure that evil never prevails. Hence, the key would secure us a stable future, with all of us living in complete harmony together."
With my decision now cast in stone, I suddenly ask my father's best friend, "Cor, can I really trust Ravus?"
He frowns at me, probably not understanding what I want to achieve. But when I see the serious expression inside his eyes, I know that I have made the right decision. "Yes, Noctis. You have my word that he is on our side."
I hope with every fiber of my being that I'm doing the right thing when I turn to Ravus and reveal to him, "My father might not have known about the key when he was alive, but he most definitely knows now of its whereabouts. I met and talked to him within of Eos' Astral realms a few times."
Cor gasps out loud, awe and stupor written all over his face while asking me, "You saw him? You were able to reach the spiritual realms?"
"Yes."
Cor's expression morphs into one of regret and longing, but before I can analyze him further, he changes his face back to normal, hiding his emotions from me as he avoids my eyes.
Ravus places the book in his hands away, fully focusing on me now, "So you did successfully travel to the Astral plane. Tell us, what did you learn? Who else did you meet?"
"Actually," I look into Ravus' eyes with intent. "Ravus, before I tell you everything my father has imparted to me, I want to tell you first something else that is related."
He frowns but nods at me in understanding, waiting patiently.
"Ravus, your younger brother is still alive."
At first he looks stupefied, but then his handsome face transforms into a strange expression, a mix of deep sadness and elation. "What did you just say?"
"At least he was alive. Until the very moment when he saved my life back in Duscae before I was brought here to your place. A grenade hit the ground when Niflheim's airships chased me and my friends. Ever since then, your brother simply disappeared. It's because of the evidence that I gathered, no human bones nor any ashes were left after the blazing flames went out, that I think he is still alive. The second evidence is the one you provided earlier, his immortality. My heart recognized his picture when you showed me the painting of his past self. I was aware that he was my soul mate before he completely vanished."
Ravus suddenly reaches for my hands to clasp them tightly, and I feel him trembling when he inquires, "So you met him already? He was by your side the entire time? Who is he?"
Cor butts into the conversation before I can say anything, "So it's either Gladio, Ignis or Prompto. If it's Prompto, I'll see to it personally that he's immediately castrated as soon as he places but a mere toe in your presence again."
Ravus raises a brow at Cor. "Oy, be careful what you wish for. It's my brother you are threatening here."
I smirk slightly back at Cor to confirm to him, "It's Prompto. How did you know?"
Cor gapes at me, his foolish expression unbecoming. "Sometimes I really hate my intuition," he says in defeat.
I have the urge to smirk even wider now.
But then my lips freeze up because Cor huffs in triumph, "Hah, you almost got me!" his face suddenly brightens like a sun, "Forgive me, but I just can't imagine clumsy, little Prompto being a Deity. Come on. That's impossible. Just take a look at Chronos and compare him with Prompto. No, it must be somebody else, am I right? Ignis might fit the role much better. Handsome, intelligent and a virgin. Yes, it must be Ignis. He's the perfect match for you."
A sudden laugh escapes me, hitting his shoulder with my fist to make him stop teasing me already. "Cor, I didn't joke. It's really Prompto, my best friend since childhood. It happened only recently, before the incident with Titan happened, that he and I woke up to our true selves as soul mates. I wonder where he could be now...," I rake my brain for a moment.
Ravus stands up suddenly, rummaging through the old tomes scattered on his table like a possessed man.
Cor and I share a meaningful look, waiting for Ravus to explain himself.
"I know where he is!" He exclaims all of a sudden.
Now it's my turn to tremble when Ravus sits down next to me and I listen to him further explaining his claim as he points to a passage, written in a language I myself can't read.
"Noctis, if my brother is truly alive and he is indeed your true soul mate, then as the reincarnation of Chronus, he must have traveled far back in time."
What?! Prom is in the past?
Heaven, I was right, he is truly alive!
My heart is almost killing me on the spot from anticipation and suspense as I stare at Ravus, expecting him to elaborate his claim.
"Noctis, the ancient book tells us right here, that as a member of the noble House of Chronos, he's been called to ancient Accoris to accept his inheritance."
"Inheritance? What do you mean?" asks Cor perplexed.
"Indeed, his inheritance. The content of this book speaks of the following," Ravus pauses to turn the page, reading to us outloud, "Only through an act of true love or sacrifice can the successor of Chronos come into his inheritance. Under the guidance of his ancestors, the amnesia which has infested his soul while living on the plane of mortals shall be lifted, his vitals purfied, and he will awaken once more to his true self."
Cor and I stare speechlessly at one another, then back at Ravus.
"Do both of you know what this means?" Ravus places the book back on his table, rubbing his face in utter awe. "I feel like an idiot that I didn't think of this before."
"What? You didn't think of what before?" I ask impatiently, eager to know more.
Ravus glances at me, his expression relieved and spirited.
"This means, that now we have a real chance to win the upcoming war! We don't need to look for the key anymore. The key will come back to us!"
I lean forward, searching Ravus' eyes to understand what he just said, asking him, "The key will come to us? How?"
"Noctis, I understand now, finally. The key to activate the Crystal of Chronos wasn't an artifact, nor an item as I had presumed. Your soul mate is the key! Prompto, my younger brother will come back to us soon!"
...
To be continued.
