One breath…

It was different this time. Last time he'd had Cor and Nyx right beside him, not one of them halfway across the street and the other almost right where he was supposed to fire. But last time had been his first time in a crisis. He'd had to resist wiping the sweat from his brow – had to resist the nerves that wanted to make his hands tremor.

"All confirmed to advance?"

"Ready."

Two breaths…

There was no tremor in Prompto's hands now. No sweat threatening to drip in his eyes. Nyx had taken personal time to train him for crap like this. He wasn't gonna let him down now. Not when Nyx was standing deathly still, the skin of his neck already shedding small droplets of blood from accidental nicks from the sword trapping him there.

"Affirmative."

Three breaths…

Steady, steady… No room for error. Cor could take out the MT below. All he needed to do was focus on the one above. Nyx's life was down to him making this shot. He could do it. Still, he didn't like it. This seemed too easy, even if it was supposed to just be a distraction.

"Ready," Prompto said evenly, using the side of one of the booths to hold his gun still. Just a little more pressure.

Four breaths…

"Commence in three… two… one… Begin!"

He pulled the trigger, praying that he'd judged everything correctly.


Gladio vaulted over the edge of the roof the moment Cor's last word reached their ears, rolling as he hit the ground before summoning his sword to take out the first MT in the circle. Noctis knew that he'd rather have gone straight for his father, but landing in the middle of that horde was pretty much suicide.

For Gladio, that was. Noctis, on the other hand, had a way back out.

He hurled his lance, hitting the exact point in the MT's back that Cor had told him was a weak spot. The resistance was so much stronger than when his magic was at full strength, the metal of the MT scrapping against that of his lance's blade until he finally forced it all the way through. The MT's death shriek was loud enough to grate on even his hearing, but regardless, he'd succeeded in taking out at least one of MTs around them. Success. For now.

The lance vanished from his hand as he dodged around the falling dead hunk of metal and headed for the middle of the circle. "Clarus!"

Clarus' stance was so low he was almost on his knees, but somehow he was still holding onto that horrible rusty sword. "You shouldn't be–"

"Oh, I don't even wanna hear it!" Noctis snapped. Way, way too many times had he had to sit through that lecture, and it got more annoying every time. "Just get down!"

Getting down was not hard for Clarus right then – he pretty much just had to stop fighting like hell to stay upright. He was on the ground before Noctis reached him, dropping as well.

"Gladio, now!" Noctis twisted to look over his shoulder, summoning his shield to cover as much of him and Clarus as possible.

Gladio may have been the tough guy of their group, but he could be a hell of a drama queen and have flair if he wanted to. The MT he had attacked wasn't dead, but it had a hole through it from where Gladio had stabbed it. And so Gladio… sort of went with the plan – blocking the MT's heavy strike with his sword before dismissing his sword and jamming one of their strongest magical pods into the hole he'd created before re-summoning his sword and using it to shove the MT into the next nearest one of the circle. He fell back, summoning his own shield as the pod exploded, painting their surroundings white with ice as Noctis ducked his head under the shield's cover.

The spell was a fraction as powerful as it normally would have been – which was good, actually, because the full thing probably would have killed all of them – but it did the job it was meant to.

Noct shivered, lowering the shield enough to see the results of their efforts.

…Dear Six, were those results a terrifying sight.

The MTs near Gladio were frozen solid, even their glowing chests darkened as they stood, stuck upright. That was an eerie enough scene, but the ones that were further away were so much worse. The light from their chests blared through the icy haze, and they twitched, slowly breaking themselves free in short motions.

They were coming. It wouldn't take them long.

"Gotta move!" Noctis dismissed his shield, shoving himself to his feet and grabbing one of Clarus' arms to haul him up too. He half-dragged Clarus towards the opening Gladio had created.

And then Gladio appeared on his father's other side, his touch surprisingly gentle compared to normal as he took most of Clarus' weight. "I got him!"

Trusting Gladio at his word, Noctis pulled away, a second magical pod appearing in his hand as he whipped around to face the remaining MTs that were advancing on them.


Even with the air of horror that Loqi's announcement had brought earlier, the gunshot was startlingly loud in contrast to the happy festival music that was still playing. Without a scope, Prompto couldn't tell at first where his shot had hit. There was one terrifying moment where he was almost sure he'd missed – Nyx jerked, along with Prompto's heart – but then Nyx was still standing while the MT let out a dying shriek.

The MT fell to its knees, starting to dissolve as Nyx wobbled precariously on the edge of the platform.

Cor was already at work below, his surprise attack having cleanly taken out the first MT. But there was still another one, facing off against the Marshal now.

Prompto had no doubt that Cor could handle one MT, no matter the circumstances, but he sprinted towards him all the same.

And then he heard Nyx's muffled yelling through his gag. His warning.

Prompto snapped his head back up, close enough now to see the rope that was looped around Nyx's neck while the other end was tied to… Oh, crap. The other end was tied to the MT, the remnants of which were sliding off the edge of the platform.

That was going to break Nyx's neck if it–

The MT fell off, the rope starting to unravel as it was pulled by the plummeting, lifeless metal body.

"Nyx!" Prompto threw everything he had into running, the knife Nyx had given him barely six months ago appearing in his hand before he hurled it in desperation.

Prompto sucked in a breath.

Having his main weapon as a gun, watching the knife fly was like watching in slow motion, each rotation taking entirely too long as the slack of rope ran out–

The blade sliced cleanly through the rope, burying itself in the Leap's wooden supports as the MT crashed harmlessly to the ground and continued to dissolve.

But Nyx's hands were still tied behind him, and he couldn't regain his balance.

Oh, no… There was nothing around that could cushion his fall–

A horrible screeching that was completely different from that of the MTs grated on Prompto's ears, and he looked back to the street just in time to see Cor shoving one of the decorative wagons of hay towards the bottom of the Leap.

…Would that work in real life?

Gah, it was the only chance they had – the only chance Nyx had. Prompto rushed to Cor, yanking the cart from his end and getting it into place just as Nyx finally lost the battle with gravity.

Prompto let go of the cart, falling back onto his rear and his hood flopping into his face as Nyx came plummeting down.

Prompto unfortunately was able to tell that the crunch that reached his ears was not just the cart, but as least the murder scream afterwards told him Nyx wasn't dead. Yet. Prompto yanked his hood back so he could see again.

Cor climbed up on the side of the wagon. "Alive, I take it, Captain?"

Nyx groaned in response before Cor reached in and presumably removed Nyx's gag.

"…My arm is broken," Nyx wheezed. "And so are some ribs…"

"But you're, like, not dying, right?" Prompto grabbed the edge of the wagon and hoisted himself up to see inside.

"Not currently…" Nyx looked up at them, blinking sluggishly. "Uh… nice outfits." He blinked again, settling his gaze on Cor. "Didn't realize you were into that sort of thing, sir. Who are you supposed to be, anyway?"

Prompto could have sworn Cor rolled his eyes as he reached down and started to drag Nyx out of the wagon. "I have no idea. Come on. I heard an ice spell a few moments ago. Noctis and Gladio may need assistance–"

Prompto hadn't heard the first spell go off, but it was hard to miss the second one as lightning cracked and crashed in the distance.

"Are those even gonna work with the jammer?" Prompto wondered, hovering a hand close to Nyx in case he needed some extra support.

"I supposed we'll find out." Cor helped Nyx fully out of the wagon, making sure he was stable on the concrete before letting go of his arm. "Can you walk, Nyx?"

Nyx pressed his non-broken arm to his side, nodding. "Yeah… Yeah, I can."

"Then we move. Prompto, give him a potion," Cor ordered, beginning to do just that as he pressed a hand to his ear. "Ignis, Highwind – what's your status?"

–––


Ignis clenched his fists, refusing to give in to the urge of moving towards either the explosions of magic or the gunshot from the other direction. They would all be fine.

Only a few moments had passed after the explosion of magic when Aranea hissed. Actually full-on hissed before spitting, "There he is."

And she was right. Loqi was hurriedly making for the power plant from one of the alleys, a smirk on his face that Ignis could see plain as day even from as far away as they were. His two human guards jogged to keep up with him.

Human. Interesting choice. Likely due to MTs being loud and less agile. Loqi was trying to move quickly and quietly while his distractions played out. He was counting on them being stretched thin. Counting on them being weak.

Oh, how wrong he was going to find he was.

Ignis and Aranea moved together, wordlessly taking off after their target. Here it was. Their chance, finally.

Ignis summoned his daggers, narrowing his eyes at the guards. He knew Aranea would go straight for Loqi, and it was up to him to watch her back while she did so.

She leaped from the top of the roof, twisting in her unique, graceful way.

But Loqi also twisted, just barely enough to not be impaled, but it was enough.

One of Ignis' daggers struck true, landing in the neck of one of the guards. The other threw up an arm in time to deflect the knife with a metal gauntlet.

Blast. There went their element of surprise, if they'd ever truly had it. Loqi was at least intelligent enough not to think his distraction was foolproof. He'd been keeping an eye out for them, and it had paid off.

But it would not be enough.

Ignis descended from the roof, perhaps not as cleanly as Aranea, but well enough that he landed firmly on his feet before the second guard.

"Good day," Ignis greeted, his tone not at all matching his words.

It appeared Loqi was beyond his normal taunting mood at the moment, because he didn't try to stall or sneer at them – he automatically pulled his gun, firing off a shot that Aranea had to jump back to avoid. Then he bolted, firing a few more wild shots over his shoulder to stall them as he ran.

…One of which hit his second guard directly in the stomach.

Ignis nearly rolled his eyes as he and Aranea gave chase. It was almost embarrassing how much their lives had been torn apart by someone with this degree of idiocy. Or perhaps it wasn't idiocy – perhaps it was mere disregard for anyone that wasn't himself.

Loqi pulled something from his pocket with his free hand as he ran.

The key card! He was trying to flee to the plant. He still didn't know that his MTs with the other cards had fallen.

"Aranea – take to the roofs! You can cut him off!"

She gave him a nod, propelling herself up with less power than usual, but making it all the same.

Ignis spared another moment to wonder what the devil actually did power her abilities again. Were they tied to the Crystal, or did they have another source and Loqi just happened to jam it as well?

Never mind. Later.

Lightning cracked in the distance. His heart skipped a beat at first, but the sky was still clear. Just another spell from Noct or Gladio.

He kept running. Loqi was still so close, the heavy footfalls of his boots thudding in time with Ignis' own stride. He couldn't afford to be distracted now.

"Ignis, Highwind – what's your status?"

"In pursuit of Loqi now! We're heading towards the plant!" Ignis replied quickly, rounding the corner to the power plant. The area was wider – they were losing their chance of trapping him in a confined space.

Aranea shot down from above again, Loqi barely dodging for a second time as he threw himself to the side, losing hold of the key card in the process.

Ignis dropped, sliding across the ground and swiping it up in a move that brought their first encounter to mind.

He stood again, flashing Loqi a faint smirk and tossing the key card to his right hand for a better grip. "Much obliged."

If the rage that twisted Loqi's face was anything to go by, he recognized Ignis' throwback. He'd managed to keep hold of his gun, and raised it again towards Aranea as she advanced on him.

She easily dodged the bullet, closing in further. Clearly panicking, he hurled the gun itself at her, which she easily deflected, but it gave him time to reach into his pocket again and grab another device that he pressed a button on and threw at Ignis.

Ignis reflexively tossed a dagger at the device, pinning it to the ground. Trusting Aranea to have Loqi under guard – and possibly dead in a moment – Ignis frowned at the small scrap of metal. It looked like a beacon of some sort.

Bloody hell.

"Ignis!" Aranea warned, tackling him suddenly as small bloody missiles started raining where the device was.

Ignis allowed her momentum to roll them a few times, getting them out of range. He squinted through the explosions that were now settling, seeing how Loqi was doubling back down the alley from where they'd originally come.

He released his hold on Aranea to smash his hand against his earpiece. "Loqi's heading for the Leville – converge there if possible! I have the last key card!"

"Iggy!"

Wait – that wasn't through their communications.

Noct sprinted around the opposite corner of the building from where Loqi had gone, Cindy in tow.

"Noct, we– Aranea?" Ignis tried to rise from the ground, only to find that Aranea's weight wasn't lifting as well as he'd expected.

She grunted lowly, pushing off of him with a wince. "I'm fine."

"Like hell." Noct reached them, cracking a potion over her and helping her up fully off of Ignis.

"Thanks, Pretty Boy," she said briskly, already looking ready to skewer Loqi again.

"Iggy, the key cards." Noct held out his hand.

Ignis scowled. "That was our mission–"

"Go after Loqi." Noct kept his hand out. "I've got this."

"…Right." Ignis dropped the key card in his hand into Noct's instead before retrieving the others that Cor had given him earlier from his pocket and adding those as well.

"Let's go!" Aranea started running.

"I'll meet you at the Leville!" Noct said, doing the same in the opposite direction.


The route wasn't at all a long one, but every step had Ignis worrying further on what they would find. Had Loqi had enough time to set up another trap? Or worse, had he found a way to truly escape? He didn't have to wait long to receive an answer. The moment he and Aranea reached the fountain area, Loqi's strategy was clear.

The Magitek armor that awaited them was no more threatening than the ones they'd faced before, yet with Noct's magic still suppressed, Ignis knew it would be far more difficult.

"Well, well, Scientia… Highwind… here we are finally," Loqi said through his speakers.

So, now he wanted to taunt. Now that he sat inside some heavy metal protection. How typical.

"Got any bright ideas?" Aranea muttered, her lance at the ready.

"Yeah, let's not die!" Prompto yelled, appearing from another nearby alley to join them along with Cor.

"Helpful, Prompto!" Gladio said, not far behind them.

Ignis spared the alley itself another glance and found Clarus and Nyx there as well, joining at a slower, worn-out pace.

Loqi laughed. "Is it to be a fight of cripples, then?"

"Dad, what the hell?" Gladio scowled, summoning his sword and standing on guard. "One potion is not enough to get you back into action! Get back under cover – we can handle this."

Clarus did not comply, instead moving to stand by his son. "I need a sword."

Cor sighed. "You're a pain in the ass, Clarus."

"So am I," Nyx grumbled. "And I need some daggers."

Loqi's Magitek's arms swung around, apparently ready for the fight.

Ignis quickly summoned an older pair of daggers, handing them over to Nyx as Gladio begrudgingly did the same with a sword for his father.

"We're all gonna die," Prompto muttered.

And then they scattered as Loqi opened fire.

It was chaos. Utter chaos as the lot of them tried to avoid being shot down without any of their usual magic. Ignis hadn't realized just how much he'd come to rely on that magic for his fighting style. It wasn't just his elemental daggers, it was his every move that seemed to be slowed. Sluggish. His daggers landed with little to no impact, as were everyone else's weapons.

Ironically, in their group of veterans and those trained since birth, Prompto was the one doing the most damage. Not that it was much, but at least it was something.

"Look at you all – so pathetic without your Crystal!"

…Something to drown out Loqi's drivel, if nothing else. Ignis hurled a lance at the cockpit, hoping to at least give the miscreant something to flinch at. It worked, if the way that he stopped taunting them and started firing with more concentration was any evidence.

Ignis hit the ground behind the fountain – ironic, for water to be protecting him from Loqi at the moment – to avoid a smattering of bullets, his ears ringing in the aftermath.

They were losing this fight. They might as well have been beating on the metal monster with sticks.

"Uh, guys? Problem!" Prompto warned.

…Bloody hell. The remaining MTs in the city had arrived, pouring into the area with numbers far greater than they could handle at the moment.

And they'd also cut off any possible escape routes. The Leville was the only chance they had for a tactical retreat, but there had to be civilians inside still. They couldn't risk–

Ignis' skin buzzed, and he shivered as something exploded in another part of the city.

Prompto and Gladio staggered briefly, and they spared each other a grin.

"No! Impossible!" Loqi cried.

Aranea was already back in the air, dancing around her lance and driving it down to destroy three MTs at once.

Ignis darted from his cover, lightning crackling around his daggers as he zipped from one end of the plaza to the other. The lightning died out, cold flowing instead as he drove his icy daggers down and created a shockwave that made several MTs stagger.

Clarus cut in beside him, his sword now magical once more and allowing him to practically shatter the chilled metal of the MT with one swing. The strike looked as though it took entirely too much effort from him, but the MT was dead all the same, and Prompto took out the one next to it with a well-timed shot.

Cor beheaded two of his own MTs, Gladio following up behind him, calling his shield to catch the bullets Loqi aimed for the Marshal. The bullets paused, and Nyx used the opening to bolt past them and cut the wired throats of the last two MTs.

And then there was a flash of blue, and Noct landed in the middle of the area, spreading his arms as the Royal Arms spun around him.

He grinned. "Let's go, boys and girls! All in!"

The eight of them moved with perfect synergy.

Aranea and Noct took to the air as Clarus, Nyx, and Cor went after the legs of Loqi's Magitek armor.

Gladio followed a ways behind them, spinning as he dropped to one knee and cupped his hands. "Iggy!"

Ignis took the offered opening, heading for Gladio and allowing him to boost him higher into the air than he could normally reach himself.

The Magitek never stood a chance under their combined onslaught. Ignis planted his lance next to Aranea's in the hull of the machine, digging his weapon in as best he could, and then held on tightly as the attacks below them threw the Magitek off balance.

Noct flashed into place higher up on the Magitek, also driving a lance into the surface.

Three points of penetrations around the cockpit. Perhaps they needn't even take the machine down.

One shared glance with the two of them was all it took. They planted their feet, magic channeling as they pushed on their lances like massive crowbars. The metal screeched unpleasantly, resisting against the force.

And then it gave.

Ignis and Aranea fell back, landing smoothly back on the ground but having to roll to the side right after to avoid the cover of the cockpit falling on them.

Noct, on the other hand, warped again, landing on the edge of the open cockpit and grabbing Loqi by the front of his shirt. He hauled Loqi out, ignoring the man's frantic struggling and throwing him to the ground without regards for the height from which he'd thrown him.

Loqi hit the ground hard, seeming to lie there stunned as Noct dropped a magic pod in the cockpit and backflipped, warping back to the ground as the center of the Magitek went up in flames.

Loqi curled into a ball, covering his head as the debris fell around him.

His Magitek fell fully, the sound of metal groaning and creaking echoing across the area before everything fell blissfully silent.

Ignis breathed deeply, advancing on Loqi's curled up form.

Loqi looked up at him, true fear in his eyes as Ignis closed in on him. Ignis relished the way the man flinched as he reached down and yanked the mike Loqi had been using to speak to the city off of where it was clipped to his collar.

Lestallum's population was likely all in hiding at this point after all the explosions and gunshots – not to mention the execution they'd had to listen in on.

Ignis stepped back, knowing Loqi had no escape with how many utterly pissed off people were watching him at the moment. Ignis coolly locked eyes with him, bringing the mike up to speak into it.

"Citizens of Lestallum…" Ignis tried to regain his breath from the fight and speak clearly. "The Imperial presence in your city has been dealt with. Lestallum is once again yours, and yours alone." He turned the mike off, tossing it aside to the ground.

Loqi's glare was livid, but the fear was still there. Good.

Loqi rushed him wildly, pulling a knife from his belt with a yell. It was so predictable and telegraphed that Ignis could have easily deflected it, but Clarus moved first, darting in front of Ignis and slicing a shallow cut in Loqi's side that made him fall back to the ground. Clarus kicked the dropped knife aside before slowly falling back and exhaustedly handing his sword back over to Gladio.

"My thanks," Ignis said quietly. Clarus merely nodded.

Gladio accepted the sword, releasing it back into the Armiger as he took his father's arm and helped support him. Probably a good idea. Clarus looked as though he was going to black out any moment as he bowed his head and let his eyes close for a moment.

"…What the hell is on your neck?" Gladio growled, but Ignis' attention was already being drawn elsewhere.

People were slowly exiting the Leville now, heading towards them.

"Keep your distance," Nyx advised, his voice cracked and rough.

The people somewhat complied, beginning to form somewhat of a circle around them.

People to witness Loqi's defeat and shame him further. Ignis appreciated the extra slap in the face that would be to Loqi's pride as he half-lay, half-sat on the ground, clutching the wound Clarus had given him.

Prompto cleared his throat. "Uh, so… What do we do with him now?"

That was a good question. Ignis honestly had never expected them to beat him and have him still be alive. Killing him in battle was one thing, but killing him now would be an execution in front of a group of civilians. Not the best light in which to cast the remains of the Lucian royalty.

Dear Six did he want to, though. Oh, how he wanted to… Wanted to drive a blade through the man repeatedly for every time he'd lost control of himself or someone he loved had been hurt. For his own pain, for Noct's, for Aranea, for Clarus, for Nyx, and for Biggs and Wedge especially.

He clenched his fists. But he would not do that here. He wouldn't let Loqi take this self-control from him again. Never again.

"Oh, I've got a pretty damn good idea."

…Aranea, however, did not have those qualms.

She advanced on Loqi then, her lance striking right across his face and knocking him out of his propped-up position on his left arm. But she didn't stop there – she flipped her lance around, striking him with the blunt end repeatedly to any part of him she could reach.

"You! Son of a! Bitch!" She punctuated her words with hard strikes of her lance.

Loqi cried out under the blows, his thrown-up arms doing little to nothing to shield him as she landed a hit that definitely cracked a rib.

"You think you can play god with people's lives and get away with it?"

No one moved to stop her, but Ignis glanced back at the civilians, whose mounting horror was evident on nearly every one of their faces.

"You think you can rip apart families and suffer no consequences?"

"Aranea…" he said hollowly. He needed to stop her. He didn't want to. But he would. For her sake. Not Loqi.

"You bastard!"

There was an audible crunch as Loqi's arm broke from her next blow, and he screamed louder than before.

"Aranea!" Ignis reached for her, catching one arm from behind. It took every ounce of his strength to keep her from landing her next strike as she fought against it. He lowered his head to speak softly into her ear. "Aranea, stop… This won't bring Biggs and Wedge back… Don't make yourself the villain in the eyes of the people…"

She struggled against him for a moment more before she let go of her lance, making it vanish as she collapsed to the ground. Ignis rested an arm around her shoulder as a comfort as she continued to shake with anger.

A raspy chuckle from Loqi stole Ignis' attention yet again.

The Imperial had not fared well under Aranea's assault. Despite having survived the battle itself unscathed, he was now sporting an already swelling eye, some obvious broken bones, and a lot of bleeding patches of skin that were soaking his Imperial uniform. And yet… with all of his injuries, he was still managing to laugh at them.

"Misery-addled messes, the lot of you – breaking under the pressures of the world! Just like your pathetic King did before Chancellor Izunia ran him through!" He held his ribs in place as he continued to laugh. "The Empire will destroy you all in the end–"

Thunder roared loudly, a chilled wind suddenly whipping through the street as clouds gathered unnaturally fast above them, sending the area into a shadowy darkness.

"Uh, Noct…" Prompto said meekly.

Ignis nearly recoiled as he looked to Noct.

He stalked closer to Loqi, the unnatural wind blowing his robes out behind him as his eyes glowed a rich purple. "Another word about my father and Aranea won't be the one you need to worry about."

The fear that settled on Loqi's face was gone as quickly as it had come, and he grinned again. "Best be careful, Your Highness – I've heard your Advisor isn't terribly fond of that sort of weather."

Noct faltered, glancing at Ignis before he closed his eyes. The wind died down, the clouds slowly receding.

Loqi laughed again, louder this time. "You're as weak as he was that night – shivering and crying in terror. A little more time and I would have had him broken!"

Ignis shoved himself to his feet, a retort on the tip of his tongue, but Gladio beat him to it.

"I've had about enough out of you." Gladio's voice was low and dangerous as he stared at his father's neck.

Oh, dear Six… Was that a brand of the Imperial symbol?

"How unfortunate for you, then, because long after I'm dead I will still be in your head!" He was cackling madly now. "Oh, I do hope you enjoy caring after your dear old dad! I may not have broken him or your Captain in body, but I daresay their spirits are good and cracked! Tell me – when was the last time a Lucian Shield outlived their King? You are branded with failure, and that will never leave you! And you – Scientia and Highwind! How do you ever hope to succeed against the Empire now, as damaged as you are! Perhaps I should have passed a suggestion on for my superiors to arm themselves with garden hoses! Might even work on your Captain too, at this point! You–"

Aranea surged to her feet, lance in hand… but Gladio was faster. He shoved past Noct, knocking his ward to the side as he hauled Loqi up by his neck and spun him around, forcing him over to–

The fountain.

Gladio held Loqi there for only a moment, one hand grabbing his hair and the other clamped onto his damaged shoulder in a way that had Loqi gritting his teeth.

"Let's see how much you really enjoy water torture," Gladio hissed, the look on his face darker than Ignis had ever seen.

And then he forced Loqi's head under the water, easily holding him there as Loqi thrashed in his hold.

Ignis tried to look away.

Nyx swallowed, closing his eyes and turning to limp away as he held his side. Clarus and Prompto and Noct seemed frozen in place.

Ignis' gaze drifted back to the scene, and he found himself staring, unable to even blink.

"Gladio, he's a prisoner," Cor reminded. "He's no threat right now – this is senseless violence."

Gladio didn't stop. Gladio didn't even let Loqi up for air at all.

He wasn't trying to torture him, Ignis realized. Gladio was going to finish things this way.

There was a gentle touch on Ignis' arm as Aranea tried to get him to turn away. "Come on… you don't need to see this."

Ignis didn't budge an inch.

Loqi clawed at the edge of the fountain, his nails chipping off and his fingers beginning to bleed with the futile effort as the rest of his body twitched and jerked.

The splashing, the gurgling… Ignis felt a tremor form in his own hand.

"Gladio…" Cor said again, but he still made no move to stop him.

Loqi's struggles became weaker as the seconds ticked by, dying down to a few unsettling uncontrolled spasms of his muscles. Soon, he stopped moving entirely.

The tension… the struggling… it all left Loqi's body. He went limp.

He was dead.


*tosses confetti* I do hope that was as satisfying for you all as it was for me. There was no other end I ever had in mind for him after he water boarded Ignis.