Hello all. Welcome to Chapter 10 of Frozen Heart! In this chapter, we continue to the Archaean, where Noctis undergoes his first trial of strength and will. This one follows the game pretty closely in the second half... although I promise that's not going to be the norm lol. I think things are going to start deviating quite a bit in the next few chapters - but this trial was pretty important for setting things in motion with Luna, as well as helping Noctis work through some of his issues. The next chapter will probably focus more on Lydia... she has a lot going on now that she'll have to figure out!

Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 10: The Might of the Archaean

Lydia finally fell asleep at about 3 a.m. in the backseat of the Prince's car. Despite her racing mind, her eyes became heavy enough that she drifted, and knew no more until she felt Gladio's fist gently knocking on her forehead a few hours later.

"Yo," he said. "It's morning. What are you doing, sleeping out here?"

As she slowly came to, Lydia rubbed her eyes and glanced down at her watch, surprised to see that it was almost 7. She must have crashed hard for a while.

"Mm, sorry," she mumbled, pulling herself into a sitting position. "I didn't even realize I fell asleep."

"Well, get yourself ready," he said. "We're planning on hauling ass outta here as soon as possible."

She sat up on the back of the car and looked over at the caravan, where Ignis and Prompto were already on the move, packing up their stuff. Meanwhile, a drowsy Noctis emerged from inside, still looking like he was about to drop.

A moment later, she scanned the rest of the lot with a frown. "Where's Ardyn?" she asked.

"Pretty sure he's inside the shop," Gladio said, jutting his head toward the entrance before walking away.

And so here they were, taking on a new day. It was the day they would face the Archaean—and while she would never admit it, Lydia found herself a little apprehensive at the thought. She'd never had the pleasure of meeting Titan herself. But she did know he was a force to be reckoned with and that he was notoriously stubborn. He was not as harsh or unforgiving as Leviathan, to be sure... but she had to think he wasn't going to be easy to get along with, just having woken up after sleeping for a few millennia.

Still—Noctis was the Chosen King, after all. If anyone could give Titan a run for his money, it was him.

After taking a few minutes to wake up, Lydia headed into the store so she could use the public restroom to brush her teeth and fix her hair tie. Unfortunately, she had to walk past Ardyn when she walked inside the shop, and he had to comment, of course.

"So much for a sleepless night," he said with a chuckle. "Have a nice rest?"

She sighed and kept walking. "I've had better."

After she finished getting herself together, Lydia joined the group outside and helped them pack up the car. Since Noctis was driving, they had to wait a little bit for him to come out of his sleepy haze before they took off. But it didn't take long for Ignis to get some breakfast in him, and they were off, traveling behind Ardyn once again.

"Well, this is gonna be a rough day," Prompto said, folding his hands behind his head in the seat. "I didn't sleep much at all."

"Neither did I," Ignis murmured, leaning his elbow over the side of the Regalia.

"Yeah, I think it was kind of a restless night for all of us," Gladio said. "But the good news is, once we get this over with, we never have to see this guy again."

"I'm pretty sure he was actively trying to make us uncomfortable, to be honest," Noctis added.

With a slight nod, Ignis said, "I daresay he has his own agenda in mind."

"Speaking of which," Gladio said, turning his head to glare down at Lydia, "What exactly did you two talk about last night?"

"Yeah, we were a little worried, actually," Prompto said. "You went over to the shop while we were hanging out by the caravan, and suddenly at one point Ardyn just sort of disappeared. We thought he was harassing you or something."

Lydia laughed, amused that her roadfellows thought anyone could "harass" her, and get away with it. She wasn't afraid of anyone, and she certainly wasn't afraid of Ardyn. The only thing she feared was finding out just how he turned out this way, and why.

Not that she voiced these concerns to the boys. Instead, she said, "No, he wasn't harassing me. He was—just trying to figure me out, I think. And—well, if it eases any of your minds, I don't think he's planning to screw us over. Today, anyway."

"And on what basis do you say this?" Ignis asked curiously.

"Well... admittedly, it was hard to tell truth or fiction from his eyes, but I think—for some reason—he genuinely wants his Highness to succeed. He didn't tell me why, but that much was pretty clear."

"The idea that he may be helping us for his own personal gain doesn't exactly inspire confidence," Gladio said with a low grunt.

"We don't have much choice but to trust him for now," Noctis murmured, sounding pained. "I can't take much more of these pounding headaches."

"If it's too much for you, I could take the wheel," Ignis suggested. "I'm sure if Ardyn truly wants to help us see the Archaean safely, he would rather us avoid road casualties."

Noctis sighed, rubbing his hands on the wheel with discomfort. "I'll be fine. If it gets too bad, I'll let you know."

"No one ever believes me when I tell them the Gods are actually a bunch of assholes," Lydia said. "Now you guys get to see first-hand."

"Have you ever met Titan yourself?" Prompto asked, turning around in his seat. This kid was always asking questions.

Lydia shook her head. "No, I've only heard stories."

"Then how do you know he's an asshole?" Gladio asked with a small laugh.

She frowned. How could she possibly explain it?

"It's complicated," she said, waffling back and forth in her mind over whether to talk about it. "You see, I—well, what the heck?" She figured she might as well tell them. Information about the Astrals was so skewed in the modern world—these guys at least had the right to know what they were up against. "I was born a short time before the Astral War," she said, eliciting wide eyes from her companions. But she ignored them and continued. "Back then, darkness was ravaging the land for the first time, and humankind was starting to... grow envious of the Astrals. They sought after the power of their Gods, not only for their safety and survival, but for their own greed and desire for power.

"I'm not sure how much of it is passed down these days, or how accurately—but the Astrals are not really 'Gods' in the literal sense. They're more like Guardians who've been tasked with the protection of Eos. They're loyal to the land itself—but their views on humanity are a little more... varied."

"Let me guess," Noctis murmured. "Titan doesn't like humans very much."

Lydia gave a quick shrug. "I don't think he has particularly strong feelings one way or the other. But the Astrals, in general, don't think of human beings as unique individuals worthy of respect and admiration. Mortals are all the same, and one living or dying doesn't make a difference to them. I know because there was a time Shiva felt that way."

Lydia paused, but everyone stayed silent. So after clearing her throat softly, she went on. "When I was a child, my Mother told me all about how compassionate and strong of will humanity could be. But she said that before I was born, she had a hard time understanding them. That's why she was worried I wouldn't be accepted or loved by the other Astrals—because I was part human. She always feared that I would be seen as lesser.

"She wasn't wrong, of course. Leviathan, for example, was as stuck up as they came. Ramuh didn't really care about anyone unless he had the opportunity to pass judgment on them. And Ifrit—well, he's just a cruel, manipulative bastard who screws with innocent lives whenever it suits him."

Prompto's eyebrows furrowed as he watched her. "What did he do that was so bad?"

Lydia tsked and glanced down into her lap. After a few seconds of silence, a cold smile graced her lips. "He ruined my life because he hated my Mother."

When no one replied after another four or five seconds passed, she added, "Anyway, I'm just saying—I don't know about you, but I sure wouldn't want to worship Gods like them."

There was a part of Lydia that knew her words were hypocritical. After all her years on Eos, living and dying again and again, she had come to look down on humans a bit as well. And yet, another part of her envied them.

Unlike the other Astrals, at least Lydia knew what it was like to be human. She was bound to this world in a way they could never be. And she understood that to be human meant to resign to fate, whether willingly or unwillingly. In the end, the only real difference between her and the "mortals" was that she had the burden of knowledge. She was already well aware of what her fate would be in this life—just as she had known it in the life before that, and the life before that.

Once Lydia finished her tale, however, everyone fell silent for a while. She wondered if it was because she scared them with her story or because they felt sorry for her. Of course, that was the last thing she wanted. The only reason she said anything in the first place was to make a point. But she didn't ask, and no one else brought it up again as the Disc came closer into view. It was late morning before they finally stopped in front of the blockade leading inside.

"We're here," Ardyn announced from his car as they pulled up next to him.

"This really better not be a setup," Noctis murmured.

Ardyn just smiled and asked, "Have I given you reason to doubt me?"

"You don't really inspire confidence," Prompto admitted.

And Gladio agreed, "Yeah, not very straightforward."

Yet, Ardyn didn't seem to give a crap whatsoever about the group's opinions of him. He made this clear when he ignored their concerns and called out: "Hello! It's me! Be so kind as to open up."

A few seconds later, the doors of the blockade parted, and Lydia raised an eyebrow. She guessed he really wasn't kidding when he told her he was going to ask nicely.

"Wow, that actually worked..." Prompto mused, sounding simultaneously impressed and wary.

Ardyn looked over at us from his vehicle and added, "I may not look like much, but I do have some influence. Aren't you glad we came together?"

"See, it's statements like that that make me think you're just mocking us," Lydia said bluntly, folding her arms across her chest. If Ardyn worked for the Empire, she could only think he must have a high position of power. If he didn't, he wouldn't be able to get these doors open with no questions asked. As far as the Empire was concerned, Noctis was an enemy that needed to be stopped. Which meant if Ardyn's true intention was to let the Prince see the Archaean and walk out unscathed, he was just using the Niflheim's power to further some other agenda.

What are you up to, Ardyn? What became of you after I left all those years ago?

"It's hardly my fault if you all lack a sense of humor," Ardyn replied.

Ignis quipped back before Lydia had a chance. "It's not our fault if no one bothers to let us in on the joke."

Ardyn chuckled. "Oh my, touché. Well, I'm sure it will all become clear to you sooner or later. In the meantime, your audience with divinity awaits." He then gestured broadly toward the door, signaling for us to go.

"Wait—you're leaving?" Prompto asked after a quick pause from everyone.

"I drop you at the Archaean's open door, and with that, I bid you farewell," Ardyn said.

Everyone was a little caught off-guard by his decision to leave them, but they didn't ask questions. Instead, Noctis sighed apprehensively and began to roll forward, toward the door. Lydia glanced back, briefly catching Ardyn's gaze as they crossed through the barrier and started down the path toward the Disc. She kept hoping something—anything—that would give her some sort of clue. But those cold, calculating amber eyes gave her nothing.

Noctis drove along the path to the meteor until there was nowhere left to go. The air seemed to thicken with heat as they made their way closer to the crater, and a sense of unease came over him when he parked the car at the side of the road.

"Well, everyone ready?" he asked, casting his gaze up at the vaguely growing crystal shards sticking out of the center of the Disc. It sure would be fun to figure out how the hell they were going to get in there.

Prompto came over to him and patted his shoulder affectionately, as if he already knew Noctis was just one big ball of nerves. "As ready as we'll ever be," he said with a grin.

Noctis sighed, thinking back to what Ardyn said at the gate. Your audience with divinity awaits. Was he really about to meet one of the Astrals? I mean, sure, Lydia was apparently part-Astral—but it wasn't quite the same. For the most part, she looked and acted human.

This was the Archaean. And if the stories he'd heard about him were at all accurate—well, he nearly shuddered at the thought.

Maybe he should have had more confidence. After all, he now had the power of his ancestors to protect him. What was the worst that could happen?

The group walked the rest of the way down the path, until they came to the end of a platform that looked out over the jagged crystal formations protruding from the Disc. As he gaped at the sight, he throught he heard a soft "Wow" beside him. When he turned his head, he saw Lydia looking up at the crystal with as much awe in her eyes as he felt.

After a few seconds of staring, she saw him watching her and said, "I've just—never seen it this close before," she said.

He opened his mouth to answer, but he didn't get far. As the group stood together on the platform, a tremor started underneath them. Noctis stumbled and found himself palms-down on the ground to steady himself as the tremor grew into something far greater. "Get away! Quickly!" he heard Ignis shout as rocks began to tumble around them.

"Damn it," he muttered, pushing himself up when the ground started to give way so he could get to safety. He felt the rock underneath him pull away from the rest of the platform, and suddenly the air rushed past him in a blur. A second later, he hit something hard and began to slide down, desperately grasping at air and looking for something to hold onto. But before he flew over the edge to his gruesome death below, a strong hand grabbed his wrist.

"Noct!" Gladio growled as Noctis hung over the edge of the cliff. "I gotcha!"

Because he was a little disoriented from the fall, it took Noctis a few seconds to right himself. The shaking ground combined with the thundering crashes of rock caving in overwhelmed him, and he knew Gladio couldn't support his full weight for long, even with all his strength.

"Come on!" Gladio shouted, tightening his grip on Noctis's arm. "Pull yourself up!"

Pushing through the fog inside his head, Noctis flung his arm up and grabbed the ledge above him. It took all his power and Gladio's combined to pull him to safety. Noctis fell onto his stomach and then rolled over, gasping for breath as he tried to recover from the shock. He didn't have long to rest, though, before a gigantic figure began to rise from within the crater, kicking up dust and rock along the way.

"What the..." Noctis murmured, lifting his head as a massive, human-like figure with one glowing red eye and black crystals sticking out of the side of its face emerged from the rubble. And with one arm, it—or he—seemed to be holding up the meteor itself.

"Goddamn..." he whispered, gazing up at the gargantuan creature, which was easily 200 times the size of himself. "Is this the Archaean?"

As he pulled himself to his feet, he realized Gladio wasn't the only one down here next to him. Lydia was also busy brushing herself off on the side. She'd been next to him when the ground gave way, so she must have fallen when he did.

Almost blinding pain seared through Noctis's head as Titan spoke. His voice was powerful enough to shake the rock they were standing on, but his words were completely unintelligible.

Noctis grabbed his forehead and groaned. "He's... trying to tell me something. But what?"

"Something about a blessing..." Lydia murmured, looking up at the Archaean thoughtfully. "He wants to test your strength."

"Wait..." Noctis said. "You can understand him?"

Don't be an idiot. She's one of them—of course she can.

"All the Astrals have some level of telepathic power," Lydia explained quietly. "I can sense their feelings—their thoughts—when they open themselves up to me."

"Well, what does he mean, then?" Noctis asked. "Test my strength—what is he talking about?"

Lydia didn't answer at first, instead simply staring up at the Archaean and having some conversation he couldn't understand. Then, she glanced back at him and said, "I think he wants you to go down there and take it up with him personally."

Oh, yeah! Just go down below and challenge the big rock monster. Simple. Damn it, he's gonna crush me like a bug.

Just as Noctis was trying to plan his next move through the butterflies building up in his stomach, a voice from above shook him. "Hey, Noct! You okay?"

He turned around to find the tiny figures of Prompto looking down on him from above. "Thank goodness you're safe!" Ignis called. "Is there a way back up?"

Noctis glanced around, trying to determine his options. Climbing back up there didn't look like an option at this point. It was too steep. The only way forward now appeared to be a path that led further down into the crater.

He made the effort to keep his voice steady when he called back, "No, but there's a path! We're gonna see where it leads."

"You two try to get down!" Gladio shouted.

"Very well!" Ignis said. "We'll look for a way! Be careful, now."

"You too!" Noctis replied, before turning with a sigh and marching forward past Lydia.

As he headed down the rocky path, he tried to move quickly so as to escape the oppressive heat. As usual, it didn't take long for Gladio to start chastising him. "Don't rush off on your own."

"Don't get left behind," he retorted, stepping past an open flame as he continued on. He stopped abruptly when he saw a flock of some very large, creepy-looking birds taking off from a distance. Their squawking sounded strangely ominous now that the ground had become silent.

"They're restless," Gladio said as he pressed forward. "Better not ruffle their feathers any more."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Um, try shutting your beak."

"Just offering sound advice."
"Yeah, like a parrot in my ear."

Lydia groaned, lagging behind both Noctis and Gladio and looking extremely uncomfortable when he looked back at her. "Are you two gonna bicker like this the entire time?" she asked. "Any other day, it'd be cute, but right now it's just making me want to die."

"Not a fan of heat, huh?" Gladio said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I'm usually okay when I have to travel in heat," she murmured, her body sagging slightly as she pushed herself to move faster. "But this place is just draining my energy. It's like there's this massive weight pressing down on me."

"I feel it too," Noctis admitted. And in that moment, he realized that it was more than just the oppressive heat making him feel heavy. There was something else... something far more powerful exerting force on him. He thought back to the moment he saw the Archaean rise up, holding the Meteor of the Six on his back. Could that be... what he was feeling?

"Come on, guys," Gladio said, patting Noctis's back. "We need to keep going. I'm sure Titan won't like to be kept waiting."

Noctis let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, you're probably right about that."

And so they pressed on, continuing down the path despite the scathing heat. They spent most of their time avoiding unstable ground and dodging isolated fires burning around every corner. The deeper they went, the hotter and heavier it seemed to get.

After a long stretch of what felt like nearly endless walking, Noctis emerged onto another platform that looked out over the crater. Much to his frustration, it also appeared to be a dead end.

"Over here," Gladio said to get his attention. He followed his friend's lead, stopping with a slight grimace when he looked past his shoulder and saw a narrow ledge. Did Gladio really expect them to walk across that?

Lydia didn't seem any more thrilled at the news. "Oh good," she said, the sarcasm thick in her tone. "I've been working on my balancing act precisely for situations like this."

"Let's just get moving," Gladio said gruffly. He was all business as usual. "No room for error here."

"No room to chill either," Noctis said. "Just make it quick."

Gladio took the lead, side-stepping onto the narrow ledge and carefully sliding his way across. Noctis and Lydia followed close behind. While it was a definite scare for all of them since there was nothing but their own balancing skills to keep them from falling, the walk was clearly easiest for Lydia, since she was the smallest of the three. She stayed silent while they side-stepped along, patiently waiting for Noctis and Gladio when they had to slow down.

A crashing sound erupted through the crater as the ground began to shake again. "Tremors! Hang on!" Gladio called out, prompting Noctis to push as far back against the wall as he could while rocks and dust tumbled around him. Meanwhile, he tried his best to ignore the newly ignited throbbing sensation in his head. Even focusing on where his feet were located relative to the ledge was difficult at this point, and Lydia put a hand on his shoulder to steady him as they went along.

Yet another tremor shook the ground as some unseen force destroyed the massive rock formation in front of them. Stones and boulders came flying toward them, and all Noctis could do was turn his face away and hope none of them struck him. As the rocks cleared, a hand with fingers larger than his own body reached out to him, coming within inches of his nose.

He gritted his teeth and glared up in rage, sick and tired of these games. Why couldn't the Archaean just tell him what the hell was going on instead of screwing with his head and trying to intimidate him like this? He just wanted this pain in the ass to be over with.

"Hey, Titan!" he shouted as the massive creature's fingers swept at the air in front of him. "What's the big idea?!"

"Save it!" Gladio snapped. "We need to get to solid ground first!"

"Then go faster," Noctis hissed, throwing his arm up to shield himself from Titan's reach.

"Don't panic," Lydia said. "Just keep moving. He can sense that you're afraid, and it's not making a very good impression."

He wanted to ask what the hell he was supposed to do, in that case. Noctis may have been the "Chosen King," but he was no hero. He was just a guy with a really beefed up arsenal of weapons. What could a divine, all-powerful being like Titan possibly expect from him?

Nevertheless, he kept going, tensing up as loose pieces of rock fell away from the ledge. "Almost there," Gladio said, grabbing onto a tough tree branch that hung over the ledge. Noctis moved in beside him, ready to finally get back on solid ground. But he nearly stopped breathing all together when another tremor shook the ledge. He stumbled and lost his balance, thinking for a split second that he might be a goner.

At the last second, Gladio grabbed his hand and swung him around, tossing him to the side. The world rushed by in a blur before Noctis felt his body connect with the hard ground. Lydia came next, although she landed slightly more gracefully than he did. And a second later, Gladio leapt to safety just in time for Titan's earthquakes to completely destroy the ledge they'd just shimmied across.

Gladio scoffed, turning his gaze out toward the Titan, who continued to reach for them with his long, wide arm. "If that's his welcome, I'd hate to see how he treats intruders," he said, reaching out a hand to pull Noctis to his feet. Once he helped Noctis up, he did the same for Lydia.

"Some of the Astrals have a funny way of showing hospitality," she said. "To be entirely fair though... I'd probably be pretty pissed after waking up from a 2,000-plus-year-long nap, too."

"Well, that's something I can kinda relate to," Noctis murmured, taking a few seconds to catch his breath before casting his gaze down the path ahead of them. Only one way forward, no way back. Now he wasn't quite sure how they would make it out of here once it was all over—but he supposed they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

They continued on, their destination seeming ever so far away as they grew closer to the Archaean. He was exhausted and about ready to drop, and it occurred to him that he was going through all this trouble to face a so-called "test of strength" that he probably couldn't even handle in this state. How in the world was he supposed to go up against Titan like this? He questioned those capabilities on his best day, but now? Shit, he was so doomed.

Feeling defeated, Noctis murmured as they trudged along, "I'm sick of this endless walking..."

Of course, he'd been talking to himself more than anyone else. But he was caught by surprise when a few seconds later, a strong hand grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. He recoiled and gritted his teeth as an aggressive Gladio bunched up the collar of his shirt in his fist and pulled him forward. "And I'm sick of your endless whining," Gladio snarled. "Calm down, already."

"Get off my back!" Noctis snapped in response, pushing against him to get away.

"Guys, are we really gonna do this now?" an annoyed Lydia asked in the background.

But Gladio held on fast. "Are you a man of royal blood or aren't you?"

Noctis paused, caught off-guard by the question. What was that even supposed to mean?

"Of course I am!" he said, quickly mustering up enough strength shove Gladio back. "I couldn't forget even if I tried. What about it?"

His friend straightened his back and looked Noctis in the eye, his eyes stern but calm as he said, "I ain't saying you've forgotten. But you've gotta know something. You're not the only one who's having a rough time right now. We're all on edge."

He continued, his tone softening as he took time to reflect. "We Amicitia are the King's sworn shields. We guard the King with our lives. I've embraced my duty, and I take pride in it. So when you can't focus, I do it for you. That's my job, so just let me do it, okay?"

Guilt washed over Noctis as he realized how selfish he was being. Gladio and Ignis worked so hard to hold it together for him, and when it came down to it, he couldn't do the same. He was so distracted by doubts about whether he was capable that he continually failed to focus on the big picture. It didn't matter what he could do—he just had to keep giving it his all, because that's what the world—and the people he loved—demanded right now. He couldn't afford to hesitate or question himself.

During his few seconds of silence, Lydia came up beside Noctis and squeezed his arm. It surprised him, as it was the first time she'd ever touched him like that. "Remember what I told you on our way to Costlemark?" she asked. "Let's keep our heads. And try not to be so hard on yourself."

Noctis gave her a short nod, and then with a heavy sigh, he said, "All right. We got this." Come hell or high water, he was ready to take on this challenge. Regardless of his feelings, he had no choice. So he might as well roll with the punches.

He walked past Gladio, a new strength and willpower pushing him forward along the path. After a moment of silence, his friend fell into step with him and said, "Sorry—but I had to get that out."

Noctis gave a small smile. "It's—all good. Hey, listen, I... your Dad—I'm grateful to him."

"Just doing his job," Gladio said in a nonchalant tone.

Still not quite sure he was getting his feelings out clearly, Noctis prepared a reply in his head. But he was interrupted when a familiar ringing noise came from his pocket.

"Do you actually have service down here?" Lydia asked, pulling out her own phone to look at her bars.

With a low grunt, Noctis reached into his pocket and saw Ignis's name sprawled across the screen. When he answered, his adviser's jumbled, distorted voice came from the other end of the line. "You're safe. Good. Listen—imperial troops are near—"

His voice disappeared abruptly, and Noctis realized they'd been cut off. When he looked up, he saw a wave of frustration washing through him at the sight of multiple magitek engines flying overhead.

"Looks like we'll be having Imperial company," he said. "We'd better hurry."

The group of three ran the rest of the way, continuing along the path until they finally came to a low ledge that looked out into the crater. And the Archaean himself was glaring down on them, as if he'd been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for Noctis to arrive.

Noctis felt a twinge of fear as he gazed up at the gargantuan God, but he beat the feeling back and held his head high as he approached the ledge. But the Archaean nearly brought him to his knees just seconds later, the sound of his incomprehensible voice sending sharp jabs of pain through his skull.

"That's enough!" Noctis bit out, glaring up at the creature in defiance. "Just tell me what you want and quit screwing with my head!"

The Archaean didn't answer, instead simply glowering down at Noctis with his dark, piercing gaze. With a low grunt, he slowly raised his arm—and Noctis didn't realize how how fast it was picking up speed until it was too late. "Oh, shit," he muttered, throwing his blade out in front of him as the Archaean's fist collided with his body. An instant later, he felt himself falling freely, his body flailing helplessly as he tried to find something slow himself down.

He held his blade close, preparing to perform a warp-strike in hopes that it would break his fall, but he stopped when he felt something solid hit his back. Wind rushed by his ears as he effortlessly slid down at an angle, somersaulting to a stop when he reached the ground. As soon as he righted himself, Noctis glanced back to see a slanted wall of ice running into the ground. Lydia must have erected it to protect him from impact.

As it turned out, Noctis didn't have much time to dwell on this. When he looked up, he saw the great Titan towering above him, raising its leg as if preparing to squash him. At this point, he was becoming convinced that was the God's intention. If this was a "test of strength," as Lydia so lightly put it, it certainly seemed a bit overkill.

A shadow fell over Noctis as Titan's bare foot came down on top of him. A force pushed him back at the last second, and he let out a groan of pain as he hit the ground. Violent shaking jarred his whole body when the Archaean's foot crashed into the rock nearby.

"Noct—you all right?" Gladio asked in an urgent tone, running to him and pulling him to his feet. Lydia wasn't far behind.

Fighting to steady himself, Noctis tasted a little blood in his mouth. He must have bitten his tongue when he fell.

"I owe you one," he said between shaky breaths. "Both of you."

"This isn't gonna work," Gladio said as he pushed Noctis back up the path. "We've gotta run."

"Best advice you've given all day," Noctis said. "Lydia, how the hell am I supposed to fight this guy?"

"Why are you asking me?!" she shouted, glancing back fearfully while the Archaean prepared to pummel them again.

"Because you know more about the Gods than I do!" he said. His lungs burned while he sprinted up the hill. Titan attacked with his fist, and Noctis let out a cry after narrowly dodging death by pulverization. The force of the blow brought dozensof rocks flying down on them, which Lydia blocked with her magic.

Lydia quickly formed a thick layer of ice above their heads by splaying her hand out on the wall next to them. Noctis grimaced at the sound of it cracking under the weight of falling rocks. "Your confidence in me," she said in a gravelly tone as they sprinted along, "Is truly touching. But honestly, Prince—I don't even know where to begin."

"Less talking and more running!" Gladio shouted. "We're sitting ducks here."

"Don't need to tell me twice," Noctis said, avoiding another attack as Titan decimated Lydia's ice barrier. After running in heated silence for another eternity and a half, the group came to a flat wall. Because it was too high to jump up, Gladio lifted both Noctis and Lydia onto the ledge so they could help him up behind them. They didn't have time to stop and catch their breath, so they kept going, adrenaline high as Titan's fist followed close behind. Noctis heard the stone cracking as the Archaean destroyed ground at their backs, and it didn't take long for them to come to another dead end.

As Noctis tried to come up with a plan, Gladio pushed him a long and pulled out his blade. "I'll hold him! Get clear!"

"Gladio!" Noctis shouted, whipping around as his friend met the Titan's fast-approaching hand with sword in fist. Gladio groaned from the impact, and it was clear he wouldn't last long in that position against the Astral. So Noctis did the only thing he could do and locked his sights onto a position he could warp to. Without waiting for permission, he grabbed Lydia around the waist and threw his weapon, warping instantly to the other side of the gap.

Unsurprisingly, she stumbled as soon as he let go. He knew warping could be a bit disorienting for people who weren't used to it—but he also knew there was no time for hesitation.

Next, he had to prepare for the Archaean's next blow. "Here it comes..." Noctis said, summoning his broadsword as Titan brought his arm down on top of him. It took all the strength he had to block the attack, and he felt like he might break his teeth from the grinding as he pushed back against the force of Titan's body.

"There's no way we can take him down," he said breathlessly, nearly pushed to his breaking point as he blocked another attack.

"I don't think taking him down is the point," Lydia said from behind him. "You just need to show you're strong enough to match him. We focus on one thing—maybe debilitating that arm of his—we'll be in better shape."
Not a bad plan, and he was willing to give it a shot. Now, if only Prompto and Ignis were here...

As if right on cue, Prompto's familiar voice cut through the fight. "Miss us?"

"Apologies for the delay," Ignis said appearing beside him and eliciting a low sigh of relief from Noctis.

"Your timing couldn't be more perfect," Noctis said. "Let's destroy this guy's arm."

"You got it, Noct," Gladio said after throwing his sword over his shoulder.

As relieved as Noctis was to see Prompto and Ignis, he felt sick to his stomach as he saw magitek engines surrounding the area. Titan seemed to ignore the MTs as they poured in, attacking the Astral with explosives. If it were anyone else, Noctis might have been glad for the assistance. But seeing as they were here to serve the interests of the Empire and probably would have just as soon destroyed the Archaean or stuck him under a microscope, he was less than thrilled about their presence.

Unfortunately, he didn't have time to worry about them for long in between attacks from Titan. It proved more manageable with his friends at his side, Noctis and Gladio taking the brunt of the blows on the front lines while Ignis, Prompto, and Lydia remained on the sidelines and attacked from a distance. Noctis learned from his earlier mistake with the Armiger and used his Royal Arms more wisely, attacking with them only when he was certain he had a clear shot. Adrenaline rushed through him and his ears rang while the Empire continued their assault—but despite the blows they delivered against Titan, it seemed to be having little impact.

"I have an idea!" Ignis shouted from behind, after realizing they needed a new approach.

Noctis grunted as he dodged a nearly fatal attack from Titan. "Lay it on me."

"We should use ice magic to immobilize the arm," Ignis continued. "Lydia will be a big help, but if we all have a powerful spell on us, we can pitch in so she doesn't exhaust herself like last time. Then you and Gladio rush in and destroy it."

"Sounds like a pretty solid strategy," Lydia said.

It was worth a try. And in most cases, Noctis didn't spend much time questioning Ignis when he came up with a plan. He wasn't about to start today.

So while he had an opening, Noctis reached into his pocket and pulled out a blizzard spell. He glanced back at all his friends while they prepared to follow his lead. Lydia even rolled up her sleeve and stepped forward, her boldness impressing him as usual.

"Okay," he said. "Is everyone ready?"

They all gave their confirmation, so Noctis gave them the go. The group attacked all at once when the arm was in just the right position, and Titan let out a deafening growl as his entire hand froze to the ground. The effect was so powerful that a few seconds later when Noctis and Gladio jumped into land their finishing blow, the Archaean's arm cracked and then shattered to pieces, disappearing into nothing within seconds.

Noctis fell down on his knees after the attack, followed closely by the Archaean himself. Titan made no sound as though he was in pain, but instead said something else that Noctis couldn't understand. Searing pain shot through his skull, and lowered his head to the ground in frustration. "Ugh, what is it now?!"

When he looked up, he was surprised to see light enveloping the Astral. The light grew brighter and brighter, forcing Noctis to shield his eyes until everything turned white, and a new vision came into view. The sight of Luna within his reach nearly took his breath away, her eyes resolute and her trident held high as she regarded the massive Titan.

And in that moment, Noctis realized the truth—that Luna was here. She was the one who awakened Titan, who asked Titan to call him to the Disc. And now the Archaean wanted to forge a covenant with him, to lend his power to the King.

The vision disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving Noctis confused and unsteady on his feet as he looked back up at the Titan. He realized suddenly that he had so many questions. He had to know if Luna was okay—to know what she said the day she was here. He longed to see her again, even if for only a moment.

But the Archaean refused to oblige, having nothing more to say. Instead, light continued to wrap around Titan, blinding Noctis once again and leaving him breathless as he disappeared entirely. The blast from his abrupt disappearance destroyed several of the nearby troopers and magitek engines.

Under different circumstances, Noctis might have been glad for the help, but soon the group found itself in the middle of a much bigger problem. The carnage the Archaean left behind was causing the crater to collapse, and all the magma below was quickly rising to the surface. They would be burned alive if they stayed.

"Doesn't get much worse than this," Gladio admitted, backing up to Noctis as fire from the rising lava cornered them. Noctis tried to think of a plan, but nothing was coming to mind. They couldn't go back the way they came, and there was no other way out of this place. In effect, they were trapped—meaning Noctis forging a covenant with Titan was all for nothing.

Before he had time to let the hopelessness set in, a magitek engine came into view. With an angry sigh, he murmured, "Right now...?"

But the figure who appeared when the door opened was not who he expected. "Fancy meeting you here!" an older, larger man with violent red hair and a trench coat said, his chin jutting out at them from above. "It occurs to me that I never formally introduced myself!" he continued casually, as if they weren't all about to be burned to death and buried in Cauthess. "Izunia! Ardyn Izunia."

"Imperial Chancellor Izunia?" Ignis gasped.

Meanwhile, Noctis just stared. This creepy guy they spent last night with was the Imperial Chancellor? Seriously? He had to be joking.

But, in fact, he made no indication that he was joking at all.

"At your service," he said calmly. "And more importantly, to your aid."

Oh sure, and he expected them to believe that, too.

Ardyn could apparently see the hesitance in their faces, and said, "I guarantee your safe passage. Though you're more than welcome to take your chances down there. Buried among the rubble, is it?"

Noctis felt his eyebrows furrow. He wouldn't have minded accepting the guy's help so much if he didn't look so smug. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why Ardyn seemed to be enjoying this so much. And he hated the idea that he was somehow playing right into his hands.

But Ignis, being the straightforward and rational person he was, pointed out that they didn't have much choice. And so they decided to trust the Imperial Chancellor. At least, for today.