BOOK 2: THE TALE OF THE CHOSEN KING
CHAPTER 29 – THE LIGHT OF HOPE
"Home, sweet home," said Gladio as they walked through the streets of Insomnia.
"Yeah," Prompto echoed. "At long last."
"What we've been waiting for…" said Ignis.
"Sure is."
The Citadel shone in the distance. Noctis remembered that last time he saw his father, at the stairs of the Palace. Taking the Ring out of his pocket, he put it on his finger.
"Are you with me?" he asked his friends.
"Of course," said Ignis.
"You bet," Prompto puffed out his chest.
"Until the very end," his shield declared.
"It's time to finish this, once and for all," said the King, walking deeper into the dilapidated streets of his beloved Insomnia.
It was the first time Noctis set foot on Insomnia after that fateful day when his father bid them farewell. Assault crafts had crashed against some of the buildings, bringing them partially down in many cases, and in others blocking entire avenues with the debris.
Rogue MTs patrolled some areas, no doubt still working long after their masters from the empire had either perished or fled. The small areas not controlled by the soldiers swarmed with daemons of every size and form, some of which were rarely seen before the start of the Long Night.
The friends ran into a squad of soldiers they quickly dispatched.
"That's the way!" Ignis cheered as Noctis felled the last of them.
"We haven't fought together like this in ages," said Gladio, a wide grin on his face. The emotions of the previous day were still fresh in their minds.
"Really takes you back, doesn't it?" Noctis commented.
"We may have struggled before," said Prompto. "But now nothing can stand in our way!"
Gladio looked around them, growing serious all of a sudden.
"I'm surprised we haven't seen any Glaive around here," he commented.
Noctis remembered the Hunter from the previous day. The Marshal had come to Insomnia with a group of Glaive to set up a base.
"Their base is up ahead," said Gladio, pointing forward. "C'mon."
They reached a plaza with a half-dilapidated fountain and a Naga patrolling before a subway entrance. It wasn't as strong as the daemons from outside, judging by how easy they would kill it.
"Guess we've still got a little fight left in us," Gladio said, unsummoning his sword once the daemons disappeared in a cloud of black mist.
"You say that like we've already peaked," Noctis protested.
"Yeah," Prompto echoed. "We haven't even reached our prime!"
"Huh. Guess you're right," the Shield smiled.
Ignis was the first one to walk down the stairs. Piles of debris and broken street furniture formed two walls down the stairs, with a space for humans to walk through. Inside, crates, generators and tents occupied the space by the walls, but they saw no one there.
Deeper into the subway hall, MT soldiers attacked them. It seemed like they had ambushed the Glaive and the warriors had to fall back. After disabling them, Gladio guided them through the tunnels into the flooded second level.
There, sacks of sand had been piled in some places as barricades, but there was still no trace of either humans or daemons at first glance. Gladio, however, saw something in the distance that made his rush ahead. When Noctis caught up with him, he saw his Shield had grown pale.
Dead bodies piled up against the barricades, all wearing the Kingsglaive uniform.
"Looks fresh," Prompto said grimly, readying his guns.
"Then we should hurry," Ignis urged. "There may be survivors nearby."
Ahead, what Noctis thought were small mounds of rubbish were actually carcasses of fallen MTs.
They found two giant black flans in the next hallway. Finding the culprits of the carnage, Noctis raised the Ring and casted a spell. A ball of light engulfed the two daemons and exploded, flooding the hallway with a blinding light.
His mental energy spent, he staggered briefly before straightening his back.
"Follow me," he said.
"What kingly confidence you've acquired," Ignis teased with a satisfied smile.
"And it only took ten years," Gladio followed his friend's joke.
Noctis smiled, despite his tiredness. It wouldn't take him long to recover, though, and he continued to the end of the hallway, where the stairs would take them to another part of the first level.
As they ascended, they heard sounds of fighting. They saw a lone figure, clad in the Crownsguard's uniform, battling against a swarm of insect-like daemons. Gladio rushed forward, his sword ready.
"Marshal! You gone senile or something?" the Shield yelled.
"These monsters…" Prompto said as they all rushed behind Gladio. "Look at what they've done to our home! There's so many of them!"
"Tell me about it," the Marshal grumbled, readying his katana for another attack. "I've been at it for hours."
"Hang in a little longer, then," said Noctis, before warping into the fray.
"When is this gonna end?" Gladio protested and his sword traced a wide arc in front of him.
"When we kill them all," said Cor. "Focus!"
With spells and sword, Noctis carved his way through the swarm. If Cor had killed a big amount already, the King didn't want to think how many of them were in the first place.
When the swarm was finally taken care of, and it didn't look like more would appear, Cor approached Noctis with an appraising look.
"You've grown into a fine leader," he said.
Noctis could see how the past ten years had treated Cor Leonis: His hair was grey and there were more wrinkles on his face, yet time hadn't eroded his fierceness or the intensity of his blue eyes.
"Thanks. You set a pretty good example."
"You alright?" Gladio said to Cor.
"More or less. I'm glad you made it back," then he turned to Noctis again. "I've got something to show you. Follow me."
"What brought you back to Insomnia?" Noctis asked as the group walked behind Cor.
"We wanted to do what we could to make sure everything was in order. For the day the King returned to reclaim his rightful seat on the throne."
He guided them to a closed security door. Using a key, he led them into a short corridor.
"We are stationed up ahead. It's about the only place we have left."
Opening another security door, they walked into a wide room. Many of the Glaive where there resting, dressing their wounds, or doing chores around the base, but the atmosphere was a gloomy one.
"Good news, everyone!" Cor announced. "Your King has returned."
All looked to the door, and all stood up and went to greet them.
"My liege!" one exclaimed.
"I knew you'd come back!"
"Your Highness," said Cor, making the Lucian military salute, as all the other Glaive did. "For many moons we have eagerly awaited the coming of this day."
Noctis looked at them bowing down. He saw their faces lighting up with hope, and knew he couldn't let them down.
"Brothers and sisters," he said. "Brave warriors of Lucis. You've done well these ten years. And I thank you. You've done so much, all for my sake. Even as the darkness overcame our world, we kept the Light alive in our hearts. We've lost friends and loved ones along the way, but the one thing we never lost was hope. Brothers and sisters, I ask you to stand by me and fight at my side… for the Light, and for the future of our world!"
"All hail the King of Light!" Cor said, raising his fist in the air.
The Glaive shouted in unison, all weariness washed away by the sight of their King and his words. They quickly surrounded him to express their gratitude.
"The Glaive's finally got its king," Gladio murmured to Ignis.
"They're all so happy to have him back," said Prompto.
"Yes… but none are happier than us," Ignis pointed out with a soft smile.
The base occupied two stories of the subway. There they had installed bunk beds for everyone and working spaces for the officials, including a makeshift office for Cor and a meeting room.
There they could settle and plan a strategy against Ardyn. Ever since Noctis had disappeared inside the Crystal, Ardyn had taken residence inside the Citadel, surrounding the perimeter with powerful daemons as protection. They had to find a way to weaken him if they wanted to take Insomnia back.
Noctis expected to the sent straight away towards the Citadel but, instead, he found himself sitting at the meeting room with his friends, planning strategies. Cor and his subordinates were very capable people, and in a few weeks they had created a whole infrastructure of intelligence and security. But, necessary as they were, meetings were physically and mentally taxing, and Noctis began to truly understand why his father hated them.
In one of the recesses of such meetings, Noctis took Prompto aside to talk. There had been something nagging at him since he reached Hammerhead.
"So," the King asked. "How'd things work out with you-know-who?"
His friend flashed a roguish smile.
"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."
That was a far cry from the times when Prompto became crestfallen if anyone asked him about a girl he liked. Ten years had been a long time, and some things might have changed for the better.
"Look at you," Noctis chuckled, but then his smile vanished. "Just remember: hold tight to the ones you love and don't let go. Loose your grip and you lose 'em for good…"
Prompto, understanding his words, nodded and patted his friend on the back.
That day, the scouts had brought information about the infrastructure the empire had built during the occupation. It was late already, and Cor dismissed everyone until the following day, when they were fresh to go over the received intelligence, but he asked Noctis to stay a bit longer.
"Never thought I'd find myself asking you for help," Cor commented as the two of them went through the reports. "'Preciate it."
Noctis said he was more than welcome, and that he would lend a hand with whatever he needed. The marshal nodded, and asked Noctis if he had a minute to spare. It seemed there was another thing he wanted to discuss, but didn't know how to broach the subject.
"What's on your mind?" Noctis asked.
"Plenty," Cor said, passing a hand over his silver hair. "Question is: where to start?"
He seemed to finally make his mind when he looked at Noctis straight in the eye.
"You really are the spitting image of your father."
"Think so?"
"You're a kind soul… like him. He'd always say: A single act of grace can save the human race."
"If only it were that easy," Noctis shook his head.
"But it is. The people you have saved will go on to save others and find ways to make life on this Star better for us all."
"Sounds like Dad… ever the optimist."
"He was right, thought," Cor assured. "Your father knew his actions would resonate into the future. That's why he chose to save you. Because he knew you would save us all."
"Wouldn't want to let my old man down," Noctis grinned.
Speaking about the past seemed to have set Cor into a melancholic mood. He smiled sadly, his eyes lost in the void.
"You know when someone's truly dead?"
"When?"
"It's not when their soul departs this world…" Cor said. "It's when their memory does. And if they're never forgotten, then they're never really gone."
"I guess that makes sense…"
"That's why I make a point to always remember those who have fallen… so I can keep their memory alive," he chuckled suddenly. "I was also thinking back to the day you were born."
"What about it?"
"No one saw it coming… not that soon, at least. When we heard your mother was about to give birth, your father and I dropped everything. We hopped in the Regalia and off we went… A little too quickly, though. We made it to the hospital in one piece, but the car wasn't so lucky. Cid wasn't too happy about that one."
"Yeah, I can imagine," Noctis laughed.
"To be frank, though, I didn't catch a word Cid said. All I could think about was how happy your father looked. I'm sure he'd be proud to know the little boy he held that day has grown into a fine young man."
"I had a little help," the king admitted with modesty.
"Thanks for taking the time to talk with me."
"Should've started listening to my elders sooner. Hopeful the younger generation won't make the same mistake I did."
"Think they'll make time for an old man like me?"
"They're gonna want someone to serve as their role model, won't they?"
"Guess I won't be retiring any time soon, then," Cor chuckled.
That night, when he was about to go to bed, Noctis' phone buzzed. It was Cindy.
Word had spread very quickly about the Chosen King being back. It was just natural that his friends would want to contact him.
Cindy's voice made him smile. She sounded as energetic as always, and he closed his eyes, remembering that sunny, hot day when they had to push the Regalia to Hammerhead. The woman kept talking about her next project: a machine to produce enough energy for a whole city without the need of more Meteor shards.
"Hard at work as always," he commented
"Just pitchin' in and doin' my part," she said with modesty.
"And you can count on me to pitch in and do my part as well."
"Well, whatever you end up doin', make sure you don't keep a girl waitin' this time, y'hear?"
"I'll see what I can do," he said, trying his best to sound as cheerful as he could. "And sent Cid my regards."
It was hard to keep it from everyone. He could trust his friends with the secret, but he wasn't so sure that other people would accept it. Cindy was a resolute woman, and it was in her character to look for alternatives. Not this time, unfortunately. It was a bittersweet feeling, to know that so many people cared so deeply about him.
Right after he hung, his phone buzzed again. Iris.
He let the phone buzzing on his hand for a few heartbeats. That was a calling he didn't want to pick up but, if anyone deserved the courtesy of a long talk, it was her.
Taking a deep breath, Noctis picked it up.
Her voice was deeper than he remembered, and then he realized that she must have been twenty-five by that time.
"I didn't believe Gladdy when he told me you were back," she said. She hadn't lost an ounce of her energy.
"How've you been?" he asked awkwardly.
"I've… been okay. Actually, there's something I wanted to talk with you about…"
"What?"
"It can wait. I'd rather talk about it in person. So… Just make sure you come back in one piece, okay?"
"… Yeah," he barely whispered.
Then she hasn't received the figurine yet, he thought.
After the attempt on his life, Noctis had spent many days drifting between life and death. His father had delegated every single task on Clarus, to spend day and night at his son's bedside. Noctis remembered the first days after he opened his eyes again like a haze, trying to remember the strange dreams he had.
Then he saw the figurine of a strange, sea-green, fox-like creature, sitting quietly on his pillow, and the dreams came back to him. He had dreamed about the forests of Tenebrae and about the Palace, and there was a strange creature guiding him on his travels, the same one which now looked back at him with black, beady eyes: Carbuncle, one of the many messengers of the Six.
The figurine was very realistic, and even the small ruby on the creature's forehead seemed like a real gem. Noctis remembered taking it on his hand and feeling a warmth sensation wash over him. His father told him it was a blessed amulet, and told him to carry it always with him.
And so he did. Even when he was a teenager or when he attended University and was a disgruntled young man, Carbuncle would always go with him.
But now he would need no protection anymore.
When they finally parted ways with Talcott, Noctis entrusted the figurine to the young man, and instructed him to deliver it to Iris, with the same message his father had told him: "He will protect you."
All his friends had known about Carbuncle, so that simple interchange spoke volumes to them. And so did Iris' request to Noctis.
Gladio had known the truth all along, yet he had kept it from his sister. Noctis didn't want to be the one breaking it to her. He couldn't bring himself to hear her sadness or, worse yet, her rage towards something no one could change.
She was strong, he kept telling himself. It would be better that way.
"Thanks for taking care of everyone while I was gone," he managed to say. Suddenly his voice became hoarse. "And, if anything happens, I'll be counting on you."
"I'm sure nothing will happen," she reassured him. "See ya soon… okay, Noct?"
"Yeah. See ya soon."
He hung up with a deep sigh. Thankfully, Gladio wasn't within earshot.
Noctis buried his face in his hands with a groan. Talking with Iris had put back in perspective everything that had to be done. He kept telling himself that, despite causing Iris and his other friends a lot of pain, his actions would set the foundations for a better future, one they could enjoy in peace.
He tried envisioning the kind of world that would exist after the Long Night ended: Cindy wouldn't need to work as feverishly once artificial light wasn't such a crucial matter, and she and Prompto could be happy together if they desired; Ignis could open that restaurant, something Noctis knew he would love to do, and Gladio could marry his girl and start a family.
Iris… Iris was already an adult, and she could carve whatever path in life she wanted for herself.
He knew it would be a good world to live in.
