BOOK 2: THE TALE OF THE CHOSEN KING

CHAPTER 27 – WORLD OF RUIN

His body drifted, weightless, through the void.

The last image he had was that of Ardyn gloating at him as the Crystal absorbed him. All had been a trap, and he had walked right into it. How was he supposed to stop him if he was inside the Crystal?

Gather strength, O Chosen.

A voice resonated trough the ether. It was powerful enough to rattle Noctis' very being.

He opened his eyes. A blue expanse, as if someone had mixed the sky and the ocean, surrounded him.

A gigantic form appeared in front of him, breaking Noctis' slow descend by holding him on its hand. What Noctis could see was an armored, humanoid figure of azure and gold: The helm was fashioned like a dragon opening its maw, and many swords floated behind the figure as if it were wings. Under the lowered visor, Noctis thought he could see human, blue eyes.

The fate of this world falls to the King of Kings, His Providence consecrated in the divine Light of the Crystal. So it is ordained… the revelation of Bahamut.

"Wha… What is this place?" he asked.

The heart of the Crystal, wherein lies the soul of the star, and it is in this place that the King will gain the power to fulfill his calling.

"Where are my friends?"

They stand against the darkness and abide in hope, sustained by faith unfaltering that they King shall arise and bring deliverance. By the covenants awakened, the Six have seen the coming of the prophesied hour, a time when the Crystal shall have shed the entirety of its Light unto the ring. Only then, once the sacred ring is replete, can the True King complete his ascension. And only by the True King's hand can the immortal Accursed be banished and the Light restored to this world.

The Accursed? Would he mean Ardyn?

"Who is the Accursed?"

A man cursed with life eternal, whose immortality stems from the selfsame scourge that wrought the daemons. One so impure of body and soul was deemed unworthy of the Crystal's Light, and forbidden to ascend. His mind twisted by spite and bent on revenge, the Usurper came to bring darkness down upon our world. Only the True King, chose by the Crystal and guarded by his forebears, can end the Accursed's madness.

Right. That much he could have guessed, but there were still things he didn't understand. Why didn't he listen when his father or Luna explained the Prophecy to him?

"What is this Providence you speak about?"

It is the sole means to ending the immortal Accursed. A power greater than even that of the Six, purifying all by the Light of the Crystal and the glaives of rulers past. Only at the throne can the Chosen receive it, and only at the cost of a life: his own.

His own life. No one had ever told him anything…

However…

In a moment, several pieces fell into place: His father, thinking himself alone, crying silently as he gazed at the murals on their private chambers, the ones picturing the legend of the Chosen One; Luna growing sad each time she recounted how the Chosen One would deliver the world from darkness…

But, why they never told him anything? Luna he could understand, since they were still too young but, what about his father? Why did he keep him in the dark?

As if sensing Noctis' inner turmoil, Bahamut spoke again.

The King of Kings shall be granted the power to banish the darkness, but the blood price must be paid. To cast out the Usurper and usher in dawn's light will cost the life of the Chosen.

Noctis didn't want to die. He still had his friends and a whole world to rebuild after that! There had to be another way! His mind scrambled to find any way he could say it but, somehow, his willpower failed him.

A vision of his father's throne appeared before him, with the thirteen weapons and the Kings of Yore who wielded them around it…

Many sacrificed all for the King; so must the King sacrifice himself for all.

Bahamut removed the hand which supported Noctis, and the king felt falling again.

Now enter into Reflection, that the Light of Providence shine within.

His vision blurred as Bahamut disappeared from his view. In that strange space he couldn't tell far from near as his body drifted away.

He was scared and confused. All his life he thought he would get the Chosen's power through the Ring and fight directly against the daemons. But now Bahamut revealed to him that he had to serve as a sacrifice, and in which manner.

In that place time had no meaning, and his mind showed him all the memories he had treasured along the years: Luna, with her white dress and her bright smile, dancing among the sylleblossoms in the days Noctis had visited her; him meeting Prompto; training with Gladio; Ignis, always so sharp-minded and serene. Noctis also saw all the people he had left behind: Iris, Talcott, Cor, even Aranea and his men… all those who had helped him and his friends in any way, and who were now trying to salvage what remained of the world, until the Chosen One was powerful enough.

He also remembered his father, saying goodbye with a smile, despite knowing that it would be the last time they would see each other. He remembered Luna, crying for a time together that they would never have, and Ravus, who had lost so much more than Noctis, who in the end had a group of brothers to accompany him. And yet, the Lord of Tenebrae only wanted to see his sister smile.

There was no other way. Many had sacrificed their lives for Lucis and for him, like good old Jester, and so many other nameless ones.

He would have wanted to see the new world, to help reconstructing it with his friends.

Noctis thought about them: Prompto, whose unlikely origins Noctis didn't care about, and the only person outside the Citadel who truly looked at him as a human being instead of the Crown Prince; Gladio, whose stern guidance helped him overcome his weaknesses, and Ignis, who guarded him ever since he was a small child, and who sacrificed something as precious to him as his sight for Noctis' well-being.

The gods asked that he gave his life for those who would have given theirs without a second thought. It was a fate that not even the Six could fight against. Perhaps there was a higher power they had to answer to, and they were as much as slaves as humans were. Perhaps not even Ardyn was free from those chains either.

He felt the energy flooding his system. It was a steady pulse which grew, very slowly, inside him. The Ring would be his guidance and the agent of his power.

The Light waxes full. Go forth to the kingdom, where the Usurper awaits. Reclaim the throne, and fulfill the calling of the True King.

The sense of weightlessness ceased. He found himself sitting on a hard surface. All around him felt damp and cold. Opening his eyes, he saw he was inside a holding cell, underground. His face itched and his overgrown hair fell over his eyes.

He heard a dog barking outside. Following the sound, he saw Umbra waiting for him at the entrance of the cave. It had a note on its mouth, which read:

Be waiting for you at Hammerhead.

He smiled, recognizing Prompto's handwriting. With a signal, Umbra barked happily and trotter ahead of him.

Until that moment, he hadn't noticed the landscape around him.

He stood upon a barren land. All around him, giant staves were stuck on the ground, creating a circular barrier around the prison's door. Behind him, the mountains rose in two strange formations resembling either mirroring waves or wings. He was in Angelgard, the ancient island where the gods gathered and bestowed their power to mortals in ancient times.

It was nighttime and the moon shone in the sky. Even so, its brilliance wasn't enough for him to see, and not even his flashlight could fully penetrate the darkness. Following Umbra, he came to see the Royal Vessel moored at the coast, and several humanoid forms moving near it. He slowed his pace, suddenly wary of those figures, although Umbra ran towards them without a second thought.

The king let go of a sigh of relief when he saw the figures welcoming the dog, and one of them playing with the animal.

Coming closer, he distinguished the silver emblems of the Kingsglaive. Five of them where gathered by the docks, and all turned their heads to him when they heard his footsteps.

"Your Majesty!" shouted one, quickly bending his knee. The others followed suit.

"I'm glad you're okay," the man continued, head bowed.

Noctis observed them. They were battered and exhausted, but still standing. The first one who had saluted him looked familiar. His mind rushed to remember the name of the stout Glaive who had brought dire news from Insomnia, so long ago.

"Libertus," Noctis said at last.

The man's weary face broke in a wide smile, his blue eyes bright with joy as he got to his feet, along with his companions.

"You… did all this for me?" Noctis asked. Now that he could observe them, he could see that they had stood guard, even when some of them still wore bandages, darkened with dried blood.

"All this for the King of Kings," said a voice behind him. Gentiana walked around him to stand at Libertus' side. "Let not their sacrifices go in vain. He must make haste for the Seat of the Stone and ascend as its rightful heir."

She gestured towards the Royal Vessel, and all the Glaive stepped back to let him pass. Noctis bowed at them and walked towards the boat.

"Our paths shall cross again," said Gentiana.

"Thanks. I hope they do."

xxxxXX-0-XXxxxx

Setting sail to Galdin Quay, it was as if a dense fog had settled in, and the waters weren't as calm as he remembered them. Hadn't it been for the Vessel's autopilot and compass, he would have lost his way, for the Quay was dark and with no signs of life.

Landing on the pier, Noctis saw a horde of goblins coming for him. They were stronger and more vicious than he could remember. Gritting his teeth, he met them with his sword, desperately praying that the poor souls transformed into daemons could ever forgive him.

The restaurant looked nearly dilapidated. Overturned chairs and smashed tables littered the place, and here and there Noctis could see pieces of clothing strewn around, as if the owners had vanished, leaving them behind. He remembered the tunic at the throne room in Gralea, and the uniforms left behind at the laboratories, and knew that the people at the resort had been turned into daemons.

Warping his way out of the derelict restaurant to avoid the daemons, he ran all the way through the pier to the coast. There the situation wasn't better: the small souvenir shop was demolished, and many giant daemons lurked along the beach. He dodged their attacks and ran towards the road, where he was assaulted by a daemon inhabiting the walls of the rocky archway the road crossed under. Umbra guided him to the crossroads and sat down, expectantly.

Noctis heart sank when he saw the countryside around the road: the thick fog didn't let him see, not even with his flashlight, but he could distinguish the vague silhouettes of liches and elemental bombs prowling about. Humans had been either turned, killed, or chased away. How much time had passed? By the length of his hair it couldn't have been more than a few months, at much. Did it take so little for Ardyn to destroy the world?

Then a thought made him bathe in cold sweat: What had happened to his friends? Then his mind raced, telling himself that, despite the state of the world, they surely survived. Prompto at least.

An approaching light source interrupted his dark musings. Looking to his left and squinting, he distinguished a pair of lights coming down the road towards him: it was a truck. Umbra barked happily, and the truck sounded its horn. The lights where the same as the ones Cindy sent them to fetch from those sewers, years ago. She wanted to copy their technology so cars could travel during the night without being assaulted by daemons. It looked like she had been successful.

The truck stopped, and its young driver stuck his head out of the door's window when Noctis approached.

"Uh…" the young man started. He must have been on his early twenties. He wore a Hammerhead cap and what Noctis recognized as the Meldacio League uniform.

"Yeah?"

"It's me, Talcott. My grandpa served the Amicitia family?"

Noctis felt the truck swaying before him for a second. Talcott was twelve the last time Noctis saw him at Cape Caem! How much time had gone by!

"Talcott!?"

"Yeah," the young man smiled, happy that Noctis had recognized him.

"No way," Noctis gasped.

"Yes way. Welcome back, Your Majesty."

Talcott opened the door for him and Umbra. Noctis saw that the boy had kept the cactuar figurines Noctis and his friends had hunted around the world for him, and now displayed them on top of the dashboard.

The first thing the boy did was calling his superior. He just called him that, but Noctis had a hunch who might he be.

"Yes, sir, that's right. Hm? Just a second," he handed the phone to Noctis. "Said he wants to have a word with you."

"He can have it in person," Noctis smiled.

"He said you can have it in person. Okay. We should be there shortly, sir."

Talcott resumed his way to Hammerhead. He had grown up to a fine young man, but still retained his bright disposition.

"Wow. I can't tell you how good it is to see you again," the young man said.

"Yeah. You sure look different, though."

"You think so? Guess I've grown some these ten years."

"Ten years?" Noctis did his best to keep his voice from faltering.

"The guys must be pinching themselves right now," Talcott chuckled.

"Where are they anyway?"

"Lestallum, more often than not, but they take a lot of trips to Hammerhead."

"For…?"

"For Miss Cindy… y'know, back at the garage. She's a tough one, but when she needs a little extra muscle out on the road, she gives 'em a call. Speaking of which, the guys said they're near Hammerhead right now, so we'll be meeting them there."

The land alongside the road was now barren and teeming with daemons. Where there had been vegetation and life, now miasma pooled on the ground. Dark particles floated before the truck's lights like falling ash.

"Y'know, ever since you disappeared, Your Majesty, it's been nothing but nighttime nonstop. Lestallum still has light… thanks to the power plant… so just about everyone's taken refuge there."

"Only there?"

"Everywhere else's been abandoned. Daemons moved in, forcing the people to move out. People still swing by the garage at Hammerhead from time to time, but it usually isn't for repairs. These days it's less of a service station and more of a slayer station… a base for daemon-hunting. The garage's still open, thought… one of the few places that is."

"So, um…" Noctis doubted, almost fearing to know the answer. "Cid. Is he still alive and kicking?"

"He's kicking alright," Talcott chuckled. "Just not as hard as before. He hasn't really been himself lately. At least, not since he moved out to Lestallum. Someone suggested he move the garage there, too… but old man Cid wasn't having it. He called it a big, fat chocobo turd of an idea. Said it just wouldn't be the same anywhere else."

"That sound like Cid alright," Noctis smiled, remembering the old man.

They reached a crossroads where a restaurant and a motel stood once, to find ruins crawling with monsters. Noctis did his best to ignore how a dog-like daemon played with what remained of a piece of clothing.

"Miss Cindy said she didn't mind either way, so the garage will probably stay put for a while. And without any tinkering to do, Ignis' gourmet seafood is about all Cid has left to look forward to."

"With all the daemons prowling around, more folk were getting hurt… or worse. So Iris talked the marshal into taking out the daemons themselves. Iris the Daemon Slayer, they call her. Gladio and the others, they lend 'em a hand whenever they can."

"Really?" Noctis interrupted.

"Really, Your Majesty," the young man chuckled. "It took her a while to convince the marshal, but she did. She's quite the heroine, nowadays."

"Prompto spend most of his time hunting around Hammerhead. He tries to impress Miss Cindy… but she's already married to her work."

"And Ignis?" Noctis asked cautiously. He was already grateful to know that he was alive, but there was something else which worried him.

"He hunts, too. We tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. He said, if anything, he's more used to the darkness than we are."

"Never got his vision back…" his heart sank.

"I'm afraid not. But, that being said, he gets by pretty well on his own. Gladio and Prompto usually hunt on their own as well. It isn't often you see the three of them together nowadays. They still work as a team every once in a while, but each has his own set of tasks to keep him busy."

"Is that so?" Noctis whispered, a bit downhearted.

The lights of Hammerhead could be seen ahead.

"We've arrived, Your Majesty. Everyone'll be so happy to see you."

They had built a fence around the station, and armored guards stood at the gates. Supply trucks unloaded their goods into the former restaurant, and Noctis could see three familiar figures inside that building.

Stepping out of the truck, he saw them coming out to greet him.

His friends had all grown older, but it was barely noticeable until one looked closely: Gladio's beard was thicker, and he had let his hair grow, gathering the front bangs on a ponytail; Prompto now sported a goatee, and Ignis now styled his hair on a toupee, aside from wearing different glasses which covered better his eyes and scars.

"Hey," he saluted them.

"Hey? That's all you have to say for yourself… after all this time?" Gladio scolded him, though he playfully shoved at him.

"Noct, it's you!" Prompto exclaimed, patting his back. "It's really you!"

"Is it?" Noctis joked. "I hadn't realized."

"Well, well," said Ignis, always calm and composed, though he couldn't help smiling. "You kept us waiting."

"Not like I wanted to," Noctis said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We've got catching up to do."

"Let's head inside."

The Hunters had turned the restaurant into a mess hall and a warehouse of sorts. There they sat down and gave Noctis a summary of the last ten years.

When he disappeared, the darkness was soon to follow. Hunters and Glaive, as the Long Night approached, joined forces to protect the people and Lestallum, humanity's last stronghold. Thanks to Lunafreya's prayers before she was slain, the power of the ancient kings had been unleashed, and the Glaive could use magic again.

Former imperial soldiers also joined them, including Aranea and his men who, in time, became prominent figures and each one would come to lead their own small army.

Niflheim had fallen apart, after the death of both the emperor and the high commander, and their territory conquered by daemons and rogue MTs. Accordo had suffered a similar fate, also being overrun with daemons, forcing people to flee into Lestallum.

It was said that Bahamut himself tested those Glaive's worthiness after their transgressions at the signing of peace. Satisfied, the Astral god forgave their betrayal and tasked a handful of them with the protection of Angelgard, along with Gentiana, sending the rest to protect other areas of the world. Those were the men and women who greeted Noctis when he came out from that cave in Angelgard.

Eventually, as Talcott had told him, as the weeks became years and the darkness deepened, so did the daemons become stronger, and each post and small settlement the Glaive had conquered was overrun by the monsters. The sky turned red and giant daemons began circling the skies as the world plunged into darkness.

The Scourge, as the empire had discovered, was an illness for which there was no cure other than death once the infection mutated the victim. After Luna's passing, the plague got out of control, and the miasma the daemons released became, little by little, so abundant in the atmosphere it blocked the sun, effectively creating an eternal night.

The once secure havens also lost their sacred power with time and, with the deepening darkness, the growing strength of the daemons, and the dwindling number of secure shelter, the humans were slowly but surely pushed back, until Lestallum remained as the only secure place, and Hammerhead as the spear point on the way to Insomnia.

Noctis listened silently to everything they had to say, including their investigations about the Scourge, and Talcott and Ignis' findings on old royal tombs. They had come across the name Ardyn on scriptures from the old gods: He had been hailed as a savior who could cure the Scourge, only to be branded a daemon himself.

So what he said was true, after all.

The marshal had taken several volunteers with him and headed to Insomnia, to prepare for Noctis' arrival. He and Gladio had agreed on a rendezvous point where Cor would be waiting for them.

Prompto, all of a sudden, got up from his seat.

"Hey, I know you just woke up," he told Noctis. "But it's pretty late here, almost dinner time."

Ignis chuckled.

"I supposed the caravan's kitchen is still usable?"

The gunslinger blushed, scratching his head.

"Well…"

"Blondie here has been keepin' it clean and ready," Gladio grinned.

Noctis' eyes widened.

"For ten years?"

"No! Of course not! Just… this last month… But you don't have any idea of how dirty it was after ten years! I almost scrubbed my fingers to the bone!"

The King chuckled. It felt good being among friends once more.

"All right," he said, standing up. "It would be a shame not using it after all that effort."

They went to the caravan and found it in pristine condition. The materials were worn out, but it felt as comfortable as Noctis remembered after Prompto had restored it.

Ignis improvised a quick dinner, and the four friends sat again outside the caravan to chat and interchange stories. His three friends filled him up with everything they had been doing during the King's absence.

Prompto teased Gladio about that girlfriend he allegedly had. The Shield recounted how they had met, and the reasons why he hadn't formally introduced her yet.

"So yeah, no wedding just yet," he concluded.

"No wedding ever," Prompto protested.

"Go figure," Noctis said, hiding his grin behind a cup of coffee.

"Hey, don't hate me."

"Hate the game. Yeah, yeah," Prompto waved his hand dismissively.

"So we can't expect a formal introduction for some while, then," Ignis mused.

"Yeah. At least not 'til all of this is over. Can't in good conscience leave a girl to worry while I rush headlong into danger."

"Right," Noctis didn't sound very convinced.

"Gee," said Prompto, putting his hands behind his head. "You oughta teach a master class in romance."

"Or acting," Ignis commented.

"No acting here. I keep it real with the ladies."

"Well, you sure changed," said Noctis. "From just flirting to thinking about marriage."

"We all changed," said Ignis. "Prompto's even capable of hunting alone these days. He really has come a long way."

The gunslinger chuckled, embarrassed.

"Had to become a functioning adult sooner or later."

"Doesn't feel like you've changed though," said Noctis.

"Not nearly as much as he claims," Gladio grinned broadly.

"You gonna spoil my moment?"

"What's there to spoil?"

"Y'know," said Noctis, smiling softly. "Even after all this time, you guys haven't changed a bit."

"Not as individuals, perhaps," said Ignis. "But we no longer need to ask one another for help in times of need. We've reached the point where that sort of synergy is second nature."

"Yeah," Prompto laughed. "And it only took us then years to get here."

"So Ignis," Noctis said. "You're really cooking like you used to?"

"More or less. I can manage with far less help than I required before."

"Y'know," said Prompto. "It's okay to ask for help. You don't need to prove anything to us."

"Probably more about proving it to himself," Gladio said. "I say we leave him to it."

"Yeah, I guess that's how he got so good. Even better than before, if you can believe it."

"Perhaps I've developed a culinary sixth sense."

"Hey Iggy," said Gladio. "You oughta follow Weskham's example, open up a restaurant."

"I'll give the matter some thought… assuming such demand still exists in a post-apocalyptic world."

Noctis laughed with the rest of them, for some moments forgetting what remained ahead of him, and what he had left behind.