"Look, princess. I'm sorry about your family. It sucks that you had to lose them both in one day." Aranea didn't normally sound this distressed, but as Nyxia sat in the chair with her phone to her ear, she shook her head.

"Thank you, but... that's not why I called. I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away."

"I need a way to get to Gralea... Is there any chance you could do that for me?

She could sense the reluctance from miles away, and she could imagine why. Aranea hadn't the best relationship with the imperial army and their life-like MTs. As fate would have it, Gralea was their birthplace.

"What business do you have in Gralea?"

Nyxia didn't know why she hadn't thought of that. She couldn't just tell her the truth, now could she? Did she even know that Ardyn was resurrected?

"Everyone at the palace has vanished," she said carefully. "I think I might find my answers there as to why and how."

"I think I can answer that for you."

This was not the response Nyxia was expecting to hear. Slightly surprised, her interest piqued. "What do you mean?"

"The last time there was a report of a mass-disappearance like this, they were being transformed into daemons. And with the attack in Altissia... I'd be willing to bet the two might somehow be related, if I'm right."

"You're saying that everyone at the palace might have been turned into daemons?" she repeated, trying to make sure she hears her correctly.

"Yeah, but there's only one person that I know of to run that operation, and he died with it. Unless I'm wrong in assuming that."

Nyxia was quiet for a moment. Was she talking about Ardyn? Years ago, she might have not believed her. She hated to think he had his hands in so many baskets, but right now, that didn't seem entirely impossible.

"If that's true, then that's all the more reason for me to investigate."

She heard a sigh on the other end of the line. "I can get you there. I'll be there first thing in the morning."

Nyxia prepared herself as best as she could. She had never been to the once-imperial capital. Didn't even know how to get there, but Aranea was a good acquaintance to have at this point in time. It was relieving that she survived the attack on Altissia.

Nyxia did what she could to get some rest, though wasn't exactly successful. Four hours into tossing, turning, and broken sleep, she wandered into the throne room. Since the "vanishing sickness" had taken over Curia, she hadn't taken step into this room. A tall scale of white-and-black, marble stairs led to the king's chair, and beyond it was an ornate window that reached to the cathedral ceiling.

The weirdest part was facing that the throne was meant to be hers now. Nyxia looked at it from the bottom of the stairs. Then, she turned her back.

Nyxia spent the next, several hours training with her assortment of weapons. She spun her staves. She slashed her sickle. She even drew out other weapons she hardly ever used from her arsenal: her crossbow, daggers, and sword.

In the end, her staff provided enough distance between her and the bad guys. That was why ranged weapons had always been her preference. Yet, it was good to have a variety at her disposal.

It was still dark by the time that Aranea had arrived in Curia. However, she wasn't prepared for the emotional trauma that was to follow. As the airship lowered onto the ground to hover, and its door dropped open, Aranea disembarked with a limp figure in her arms.

Somehow, the queen already knew it was her mother's corpse.

With Aranea's help, she was given her own niche in the stone walls of the tomb, which was built beyond the gardens. She rested next to her husband, and with them resided other, Curian kings and queens.

Once the graves were sealed, they both paid their respects. Nyxia took a few moments longer to be with them in silence after Aranea respectfully left the room and awaited her outside.

"I'm sorry, mom and dad," she breathed. "I wish I could have done more..."

She rose from the stone ground and left the room, and Aranea gave her a sympathetic look as they began to walk back towards the ship. However, not being very experienced in putting softer emotions into words, she kept quiet.

After a little while of the ship flying towards the foreign continent, Aranea spoke up. "So, what do you intend to find in Gralea?"

"The gem should be there," she told her. Aranea would have been able to recall Nyxia searching for it during the last scourge. However, though the motive for finding it had changed, she wasn't about to tell her that.

"Well, there's no telling what's in the empire's base. I won't let you go in there alone."

"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle." The last thing she wanted was for Aranea to follow her and only to find out that this was a mission of self-sacrifice.

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't doubt that place is still swarming with rogue troopers and daemons. It's the least I can do, since I couldn't save your mother..."

Nyxia, who was sitting in one if the secured chairs, looked down. "What happened to her exactly?"

"Elemental bombs.. She was in The Arena. They came at her from all directions, and they just wouldn't stop duplicating themselves. The fire bombs blew up the building and the walls collapsed on top of her." Aranea looked frustrated. "Knocked me out for a couple of hours, according to what I was told. But she was already gone by the time we found her body under the rubble."

Nyxia was reserved for a while, but eventually, she did feel forced to at least break the silence after about three minutes. "I don't blame you. I'm sure you did everything you could..."

The other woman gave her a small smile, though it was hard to read whether she was relieved or just trying to cover up the guilt she felt. "Gotta keep our heads high, right? We have a city that needs saving."

By the time they arrived at Zegnautus Keep, Nyxia was feeling a little uneasy. Full of tall, hovering buildings and darkness, it was hard to determine where exactly the entrance was until Aranea had pointed it out. Nyxia activated the light strapped to her leather jacket, following the bright light into the keep.

"You think there's a generator in here somewhere?" she asked Aranea.

"No doubt. Keep an eye out for a wall map. There's one in almost every other room."

Doing just that, Nyxia followed the corridor down. It trailed for a long ways, though none of the automated doors responded to her approach. At the other end of the hallway, she located a map.

The generator was thankfully on this floor, but getting to it meant they would have to force these doors open. Nyxia used her hands first, trying to pry them open.

"Why did I think that was going to work?"

Aranea lodged the tip of her lance into the crevice, and she managed to pry it ajar. "Hold it... I think I got it. Can you fit through?"

Nyxia was sure she could. However, the doors were clearly resisting. "I can. But what about you?"

"If you can at least find the generator and turn the power on, we can catch up. Now, go!"

Nyxia did so, and though she didn't want to leave her behind, she really had no choice. The lance was pulled away from the doors, and they quickly slammed shut between them.

"Aranea, I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay, okay, now move it!" she heard her order from the other side of the heavy barrier. Nyxia did so, noticing a lot of crates and electrical equipment in the room that she was in. According to the map, the generator should be in the next room to the right. However, another set of mechanical doors blocked the way. Nyxia conjured a staff to throw fire at it, though it didn't seem to leave anything more than burnt marks on the metal. Another fireball was thrown forward, and still, no luck...

Then, Nyxia looked over at the electric panel on the side. Perhaps she could give it a jump without the generator's power?

Why didn't I think of that before? Focusing her power to her hand, where she would only need a small, controlled amount of spark, she raised it to the box on the wall. A current formed between her palm and the panel, and a series of crackles and zapps sounded. Then, there were white flickers, followed by a loud pop!

Then, the door responded, the dead panels on it glowing a bright green. "Yes!" As it opened, she stepped inside. There was a larger clearing, but once the door closed back up behind her, it was dark again.

Then, there was a bone-chilling sound that emitted from behind her. Nyxia conjured her sickle and struck, though she wasn't even sure what it was that pursued her until she had turned around. She had never seen anything like it before, but it was a daemon of black flesh with giant wings. Sharp appendages that could only be horns protruded from its eye sockets, and its sharp teeth looked as though they could cut through flesh like paper. It was a hideous beast, but Nyxia forced herself to focus.

Again, she would lunge at the monster, extending the blade on its chain to take it by surprise. It landed, but it only seemed to piss it off. Following it with a couple of icy spells, she darted away in a flip to gain some distance between them. Still, she only had this one room to work with.

It didn't seem to do much to it, only cause it to release an inhuman scream at her. Then, it was gone.

Or at least, she didn't see its figure in the darkness.

Suddenly, she was yanked back and thrown to the ground. Her body landed in a skid on the hard ground, and she hissed in pain as her elbow scraped across the floor.

It could dematerialize and reappear anywhere. Nyxia used her staff to bloe llw him back a little, still on the ground as she tried to defend herself. To her right, she spotted the large machinery that was the generator. If she could just get to it on time.

Nyxia focused her strength further, sending the daemon with a blast into the wall behind it. While she had the chance, she erased for the generator and pulled up the switch. In a matter of seconds, the power roared to life. She ran for the door.

"Aranea! A little help here!" she called out as she returned to the previous room. Even as she approached the first door, it opened for her, yet Aranea was nowhere to be found.

Where the hell did she go? She had told her she'd be right back!

The winged abnormality behind her gave another, terrifying screech. Nyxia wasn't sure where to turn, and so went for the door on the other side of the hall. She booked it down the narrow hall, frequently looking over her shoulder at the daemon to see how far behind it was.

Then, suddenly, she tripped.

It wasnt just that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going. Something had actually grabbed her by the ankle! Nyxia yelled in panic, not even noticing until then the magitek armors that littered the hallway. And apparently, some of them were coming to life.

Nyxia kicked her foot, then used her blade to chop off its head clean from its shoulders. Once it was immobile, she was running at full speed again. She could hear the daemon stomping after her down the narrow hall, leaving her with only one door to pass through. However, as she approached it, she noticed there was no power going to it. It wouldn't open.

"Damnit!" she cried out, but as she spun around, there was a flash of another figure in front of her, amber eyes staring deep into hers for a split second. She shrieked again, and as Ardyn's hands slammed into the broken door on either side of her, boxing her in, he had disappeared just as quickly as he showed himself.

The daemon, however, seemed to be completely gone.

Nyxia's heart was pounding like a steam engine against her chest. She heaved, staring down the long, dim path of metal walls. Then, she heard the laughter. It seemed to be coming from all directions, as if through a speaker system.

"So, you followed me here..."

"I couldn't resist," came Ardyn's mellow voice. She couldn't determine whether he was mocking her or just making a simple statement. "You could say I'm guilty for being a voyeur when it regards Her Majesty."

"Yeah, well... I'm not here to put on a show for you." she answered, stepping away from the door. She hated not knowing where he was. It didn't exactly do well for trying to hold a conversation.

She turned back to the door, using another spell of electricity to start up the panel just enough to open up the door. It only parted by just a foot, allowing her just enough room to squeeze through.

She followed the next corridor down and hooked a left, cautious along the way. Any armors that she came across, she would demolish before they even activated.

As she pressed through the dark hallways, she constantly had her scythe at the ready. There were so many sharp corners, anyone could sneak up on her. Once she came across the elevator, she took it on up. It had been a linear walk so far, but as she came into what appeared to be a monitor room, she took a close look around.

And she certainly didn't fail to notice Ardyn's hat resting on a control switch. It seemed to be the power to the monitors, and as she switched them on, Nyxia quickly realized he had intended for her to look at them.

There was a screen in particular that showed live footage of a room that appeared to be a large, round room. There was machinery inside, but sitting on what looked like a throne chair was the Gem of Tenebra. She knew it couldn't be far.

Observing the icon in the top-left corner of the screen, she was able to determine exactly where it was.

4F, EMP

"Fourth floor," she assumed sourly, making her way back towards the elevator. As the sliding doors closed behind her, she selected the button to take her up two more floors.

Then, just as the doors opened, she was shoved back inside, her lower back slamming into the hand rail behind her. Ardyn had her pinned again, and as the doors closed behind him, the power of the keep cut off, leaving the two of them in darkness.

"How much longer do you plan on taunting me?" she sneered at him, shoving him away from her. He staggered back a little, though otherwise seemed untroubled by it. He would smirk at her, casually walking towards her until she was backed into a corner.

"As always, you are so full of fire." He grabbed her by the wrists, pressing them against two adjacent walls in time with a fervent kiss on her lips. It was all she could do not to give in. While he intimidated and scared her, Nyxia never knew passion like she did with him those five-odd years ago. She sounded a moan, her resolve weakening as she sank against the wall. Ardyn only pulled back slightly, his breath fanning her cheek as he whispered. "It will be simply glorious to see it burn you alive."

"Get...off..." she grunted, though she did very little to physically pry him off.

"Is that what you really want? I know when your body craves something." His hands glided over her waist, yanking her in tightly. "I've always known."

"Ardyn... please..."

"Ah, I think she's about to combust."

Nyxia caught that irresistible scent of cologne: a luscious blend vanilla, coconut, and amberwood. It had intoxicated her like an aphrodisiac every time, and even now, it was like fresh blood to a hungry shark.

"Allow me to help you with that," he purred. "It looks like we might be stuck in here for some time."

She trembled as he effortlessly lifted her from the ground, pulling her legs around his waist. He may have been still fully dressed in his number of usual layers, but the pressure between her legs couldn't go unnoticed. She tried to ignore it. She had to remember why she was here.

"And the detonator is probably going to be right...here..."

Nyxia bit her bottom lip as his hand disappeared beneath her skirt. She had hoped he wouldn't go that far again. He played his cards well, and his seductive words weren't helping.

She could never recall him toying with her quite like this. While he had always been a tease, he always finished what he started, when they had been close. It was still hard to believe that she had loved him, and that he pretended to have mutual feelings.

Yet, fighting him off was hopeless, and at this point, a preposterous idea. Her hands found the rails just beneath her backside, fingers clutching tightly around them. Her body was hot with desire, and she was on the edge of simply surrendering to him. Even if just this once...

"Your body serves me, Nyxia. That's why it betrays you."

His fingers played circles against her wet skin, causing her to shiver and whimper. There was no escaping him. "You're right," she panted. "You win..."

"My dear... Neither of us can lose at this game." He kissed her again, and this time, she was more welcoming to it. Her body flexed slightly, itching for more than he was currently giving her. And knowing him, he'd play this game until she forced his hand.

"Shut the hell up and fuck me already."

He gave her a sly stare, though seemed very briefly surprised by her aggression. "I thought you'd never ask."

He shifted for a moment, and Nyxia practically held her breath as she felt him prod, though only for a moment until he would slip through her folds and inside of her. She drew in a deep, pleasurable gasp, every muscle in her body squeezing in anticipation. She couldn't have even dreamt of it feeling this good.

"Oh, how I've waited for this." Ardyn gave her a firm thrust, sending her into a frenzy of rapture. Once he started, she was long gone, but it was clear that he was drawing it out just to torment her. Her body squirmed against his, as if trying to push back to pursue her buildup.

He ripped off Nyxia's jacket, which helped her cool down a little bit. As soon as the leather hit the ground, suddenly, so did Ardyn. She made sure to land on top of him, taking control to gain her satisfaction at her pace, not his.

A pleasurable growl rumbled in his throat as he took her hips. His grip was tight, but not to the point of restricting her bouncing motions. She couldn't help but recall the number of times she had ridden him in the past. Particularly that one time in the camper, after he had saved her one of numerous times. When she believed him to be a good man.

Maybe that same man was still in there somewhere.