I awake yet again with a sharp pain throbbing throughout my skull, my body aching more than it ever has previously. My knees sting from being pressed against the sharp edge of the cuffs for so long, my back aching horribly from the awkward position I've been strapped down in due to the absence of my right arm. How long has it been since we came here? As promised, Ardyn backs away having completed his goal of waking me up.
Before either of us can speak, I hear muffled voices through the wall that separates me from Prompto. Ardyn lunges forward, clapping a hand down over my mouth just as I take a deep breath to scream or shout or make any sort of noise to tell the others that I'm here and I need saving too. I bite down on his palm as hard as I can only to find the bitter flavor of his fingerless glove biting right back.
Gritting my teeth, I shake my head wildly, humming my pleas as loudly as I can. Ardyn huffs, slamming his other hand into my neck and pressing his fingers into my throat. Without a chance for a breath of air, I'm trapped listening to the hushed murmurs I'm positive belong to Noctis and Gladio. I can't make out their words, only the deeper notes of their voices. Once I hear the sound of an automatic door shutting, Ardyn lets go. I gasp for so much air at once that I find myself choking on my own greedy breaths. The chancellor rests his hands on his hips, watching me with a patient, mocking expression.
"We wouldn't want to ruin their fun, now would we?"
"What fun?" I rasp, glaring at him. If looks could kill, he'd be a pile of diced bits on the floor right now.
"I couldn't leave you in a cell with all doors unlocked without setting up some surveillance, could I?" He motions up to the series of obscured video cameras hanging from the ceiling. I hadn't even thought to look up. "All I had to do was pull the trigger and upload the footage to a surveillance room. Simple, yet effective." They... think I'm..? Then why did they sound so calm? I turn my glower to the floor, teeth gritted together tightly. I'm not falling for your mind games again.
Sensing my mood change, Ardyn steps closer, his face growing smug as he brings out his true daemonic features yet again. Those cursed black tendrils reach out toward me. No matter how much I struggle, I can't get away from them as they approach steadily, writhing and twisting around my skin. They trail up like vipers, and no matter how far I lift my chin, their cool darkness overcomes my face, washing down my throat like a rancid medication.
My head begins to swim, unconsciously surrendering to the thick haze that blocks out all protest. Suddenly, I understand. Ardyn was the savior. All the selfish wrongdoings of Eos's people and their gods destroyed him, stole his blessings, ruined his life. A life he cannot lose. A burden he cannot bear alone. I've only been brought to the edge of such suffering and yet... I feel all his pain when I look into his glowing, golden eyes.
"We have a party to host, now don't we Rayne?" He asks gently, stepping toward me and undoing my shackles. I make no reply, stepping free. My joints celebrate as they move freely, my muscles overjoyed at the feeling of a good stretch. He rests his hands on my shoulders, drawing me to look up at him. "Follow my lead. Stay close or you may become lost and fall into the wretched light once again. I'll do the talking; I ask only that you stop the senseless motives of Noctis's retainers."
"My life is yours," I reply, feeling the tangled mess of my hair brush roughly against my collar. Smiling, he reaches a hand down and presses something familiar into my hand. I smile back upon feeling the comfortable hilt of my gunblade, grasping the weapon and watching it dissipate into a blend of red and blue sparks as I let it go.
I understand now, why I was held against my will. My will was wrong. It brought me no benefit, only pain. Ardyn rescued both me and Prompto after seeing our true potential. Here we are; Prompto crawled back to his wretched friends and I won the battle for true power. For a true future. My mother's legacy and my father's supposed misdirection... Everything happens for a reason. The gods pointed me on my purposeful path, aligning it with the fabled Usurper. Here we are; we have arrived at the apex of truth, at which it crowns me its champion.
"Let's be off then."
He turns on his heels, leading me out of the cell and past the glowing door swiftly. Suddenly he stops, turning back to face me with a smug smile. He offers his hand, which I take hesitantly. "Close your eyes; be patient." I do as I'm told and suddenly feel as though I'm being pulled from every angle relentlessly, a freezing wind tugging against my hair and stinging my skin. "Open." I obey, blinking to focus my vision on the area around me.
We're at the end of an immense stretch of steel bridge stretched over the black abyss of Zegnautus Keep. Straight ahead, I see a gentle violet glow breaking up the darkness through the dark mist that drifts around the large, open room. Ardyn chuckles darkly, taking long, confident strides toward the source of the glow. I feel the heat of bitter rage stir in my chest as a figure moves across the light, obscuring it momentarily. Noctis and his beloved Crystal. How cute.
I resist the impulse to grab for my gunblade and end the flow of royal blood before me, along with the urge to crumble his glittering rock to bits, and follow Ardyn obediently. I owe it all to him—he saved me from an existence composed of only lies. From here, I see Noctis reach one pale, trembling hand toward the light of the Crystal, hear the slightest sound of his pleas. And then I feel a grin spread across my lips as tendrils of colorful light wrap themselves around his wrist, crawling up his arm and dragging him toward the glimmering stone.
"Unharmed by the light. The Chosen King, indeed," Ardyn comments smugly, slowing to a stroll. I stand to his left, watching with twisted glee as the Crystal drags Noct further into the light, relishing in the stunned feelings of betrayal that wash over his face. "Allow me to regale you with a tale." His voice is gentle and calm, a sharp contrast to the gritted, pained sounds emitting from Noctis as he struggles. "In an age long past, an incurable scourge ravaged mankind. A tiny menace that twisted men into monsters, the likes of which you've seen."
Ardyn stops before the Crystal, smiling slyly at the sight of the Chosen King being lifted from the ground and further dragged into the hell of his destiny. Ardyn continues, cocking his head to the side while I stand by dutifully, hip rested against the cold rail of the walkway.
"In Lucis lived a savior who could cure the afflicted. His body would come to host myriad demons, that countless lives be spared." Ardyn glances back toward me, hatred flashing throughout his face before he turns back to the prince with a menacing gleam in his eyes. "But a jealous king, one not yet chosen by the Crystal, ostracized and demonized this healer of the people." His eyes go wider, so eerily empty and so, so cold. "Making a true monster of him."
Noctis winces, grasping onto the jagged edge of the Crystal as his other leg is dragged into the glow. Ardyn turns to the side, watching Noctis from the corners of his eyes.
"I gave you my name earlier, but you should know that it was not the name given to me at birth." He smirks, peering up from underneath the black rim of his felt hat. "Ardyn Lucis Caelum is my proper name. You'll never guess whose name Izunia was." He shakes his head, tilting it to the left as Noctis grits his teeth, reaching out toward me desperately. I watch on coldly, devoid of all emotion. "Noct, killing you as a mortal will bring me scant satisfaction. Claim the Crystal's power. Arise as its champion."
Ardyn sweeps an arm out to the side, sneering. "Only once the Crystal and King are no more... can I know redemption." Noctis begins to fade into the Crystal, its blinding beams of light obscuring his face and drowning out the sounds of his struggle. "Come back soon. Rayne and I shall keep your friends company until you are ready."
I give a final, complacent wave to the fading figure of Noctis before his final scream echoes through the room and the light goes dim. Ardyn steps toward the Crystal, smiling faintly at its jagged black spines and violet glints. I straighten, joining his side and laughing softly under my breath. Our tomorrow is near.
I don't look back when I hear the clanging thunder of boots slamming along the bridge, or when I hear six feet skid to a stop around us. I can smell blood and metal in the air. Ardyn chuckles, turning to face the three traitors behind us and sweeps an arm out to the side dramatically.
"It appears your beloved king has decided to take a rest."
I dive forward, parrying the powerful swing of Gladio's sword and pushing him back with ease. He gives me only a moment's consideration before slashing at me once more. I block the strike, though not without consequence. My shoes skid along the steel floor and I nearly fall over without my right arm to catch my balance. I hear a gunshot and the sound of a body falling. I don't worry; Ardyn lasts forever. Instead, I take Gladio's pause as an opportunity to counterattack, slamming him against the floor with strength I never knew I had. Turning to Prompto, I knock the gun from his hands and shove the bottom of my boot into his chest.
I catch sight of Ardyn rising again just as I turn to attack Ignis, the weakest of them all. Black smoke raises up around him accompanied by the golden glow of his dripping eyes.
"Keep them company, Rayne," he calls, heading back down the path in perfect health. At the near end, he disappears with a puff of clouded darkness.
Grinning devilishly, I swivel around and slam the edge of my sword against Ignis's throat, pushing him far enough that he has to lean backward over the bridge's sturdy railing, grunting and struggling against my newfound strength.
"Rayne!" Prompto shrieks, diving toward me and tearing me away from the blind man. The liability.
I wrestle him to the ground, slamming the end of my gunblade against his temple and leaving him dazed there to shoot at Gladio. The bigger man swats my bullets away like flies; I roll under his swipe at me with record speed, turning back to strike his head. Only then do I find my plans foiled when I'm spun around weightlessly and thrown back against a steel panel. A fist grips the collar of my shirt, pinning me to the wall as I struggle, dazed.
"Let go!" I scream, kicking like an angry child.
"The #%$'s wrong with you?!" Gladio demands, pushing me harder. I can't help it; I throw my head back and laugh a twisted, dark cackle that sounds nothing like it might've before I knew the truth. But... the truth? My laughs turn to chokes as the snakes of Ardyn's black smoke crawl out of my throat and slither away down the path. My head feels as though a clean wind has swept a mass of smog away. Gods, what've I... Gladio moves to throw me around a bit more when I drop my weapon, gripping his hand tightly.
"Where's Ardyn?!"
"Gladio," Ignis warns upon sensing the hesitation practically echoing throughout the open space. After a long pause, Gladio sets me down, keeping a watchful eye on me as I look over all of them. Their clothes are tattered and stained with blood. Their skin is bruised and cut. Their eyes are hopeless, lost, hurt, and confused.
"Where's Ardyn?" I ask again, my voice raspier than it was before. I feel exhausted, leaning back against the cold rail behind me. When did I get so tired?
"He got away," Prompto shakes his head, reaching up and running a hand through his stained hair. I frown, scanning over his thin frame. And then my memories rush back like a river bursting through a splitting dam. I tear my eyes away, feeling the yoke of guilt and horror Ardyn "lifted" drop back down on my shoulders, twice, no, three times as heavy. I'm the traitor he spoke of.
"Prom, I..." I shake my head, swallowing hard when my voice breaks. "I'm sorry. He took it... I couldn't take it anymore."
"You don't have to be sorry," Prompto shakes his head, looking overwhelmed with an array of emotions. I glance back toward the Crystal, flashes of Noct's terror and agony ripping across my vision.
"No, you don't understand," I choke out, shaking my head. Every part of me trembles, sinking to the floor in a puddled ruin of guilt, horrified at its own gullibility and weakened mind. "He..."
"Brainwashed you," Ignis finishes firmly. "There is no possible way you turned on your own."
"Unless she did," Gladio scowls, crossing his arms.
"Guys," I snap, catching their attention. "He got the amulet."
"The...?" Prompto glances down at the bare space across my collarbone.
"Why's that matter?" Gladio demands, motioning back to the Crystal. "Noct's gone and Ardyn's probably going after him right..."
"No," Ignis interrupts, lifting his head and thoughtfully shifting his cane from hand to hand. "You've heard the prophecies; Noct will return rightfully as King someday. When that is, we do not know."
"So, we stay here?" Prompto asks, frowning and glancing down at me. I sigh, reaching up to comb my fingers through my tangled hair.
"To hell with the #$% prophecies!" Gladio shouts, banging a fist against the side of the Crystal. "Noct's stuck who-knows-where and we're talking about leaving him to fend for himself!"
"Gladio," I start, only to be shut up by a furious glare.
"I don't want to hear anything from you. You're the reason we're in this situation."
"That's not true!" Prompto defends. "Rayne didn't do anything; you didn't see what he did to her, Gladio!" He didn't do anything...
"We don't know when he will return," Ignis points out, his voice laced with irritation. "It could be a decade for all we know. For now, we must find a way out before Ardyn decides to unleash something upon us." There's a long silence filled with Prompto's nerves and Gladio's fuming temper. Finally, Gladio sighs, shaking his head and pushing the loose strands of his dark hair from his face.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Prompto reaches down and pulls me to my feet. Ignis frowns, pushing up his shades.
"How do you suppose we get out of Gralea?"
"How'd you guys get down here?" I ask, looking around the hollowed tunnel uneasily. It's much darker than I remember.
"An elevator," Gladio replies, crossing his arms. "I bet Ardyn pulled a few strings to get us outta here faster."
"I was referring to the outside part," Ignis sighs. "How are we to return to Lucis?" Is it even Lucis anymore?
"We could contact Aranea," I suggest. "Biggs and Wedge would be back by now." Something stirs in my stomach. At least, they should be. Hopefully with Signum.
"I have her number," Prompto nods, glancing at the Crystal reluctantly. I sigh, patting the rough side of Lucis's power source. Its surface is cool and rugged, emitting an aura that leaves me the slightest bit uncomfortable.
"See you, Noct. Be careful," I mutter. Gladio tears his eyes away from the Crystal and leads the way back across the cold bridge. Prompto gives me a forced smile and glances at Ignis. I shake my head and he runs ahead. I step forward, linking my arm through Ignis's and walking slowly. "Any idea how long it's been?"
"Several days," Ignis sighs, shaking his head. "I apologize; we tried our very best to be quick. Ardyn led us off on rabbit trails one too many times."
"Hey, no need to be sorry, Iggy," I shake my head. "If anything, I should be apologizing for trying to behead you."
"It was only Ardyn's control," he replies. I roll my eyes, forcing myself not to look back at the Crystal. If I could, I would stay beside that rock until it spits Noctis back out. Who's to say he won't return within the next week? Then again, I can't say I'm surprised we're taking another risk. That's all this entire venture has been. But taking one this big now?
Gods help us.
