This chapter features Ravus and Luna, because I owe you an update on those two.

The Darkness Within

One might wonder why they went through the trouble of repairing Regis' old yacht, when the Imperial chancellor could have just given the order to lift the blockade on the ferries from Accordo to Qualdin Quay. Of course, Ardyn never admitted anything, but Noctis had figured out all by himself that any further abuse of his political power bore the risk of exposing him as a traitor, given for how long he been travelling with the prince and his retinue already. At this point, he was practically part of the team. The annoying, infuriating part sometimes, but a part all the same.

After having spent the past evening in pleasant company, they set the figurative sail in the early morning, waving Iris and Talcott good-bye as the ship left the harbour underneath of Cape Caem's light house.
Cid accompanied them on their trip to Altissia, simply because none of them had any experience steering a boat out on the open seas.
The ocean was calm that day, allowing a safe and swift journey. Noctis sat down on one of the benches at the rear of the boat, and it was not long before his thoughts turned towards the challenges that lay ahead of them.

"It's been a while since we've heard from Luna," he thought out loud. "I really hope we'll be able to meet up with her in Altissia."

"We will because we have to," Ardyn responded vaguely. He was standing in the shade behind the windscreen and casually leaned against the side window. "All the pieces must be in place before we take on the Tidemother. To Leviathan, men are no more than insignificant insects, to be crushed at her leisure. She will not enter into the covenant willingly, and brute force, I am afraid, is the only argument she listens to."

"That is not all," Cid added, his eyes never straying from the horizon. "You'll have to go through Camelia first to even try and awaken the Hydrean."

At the sound of his voice, Prompto managed to tear his camera and eyes away from the glistening waves and joined Noctis on the bench.
"Who's Camelia?" he asked.

"Camelia Claustra is the first secretary and state leader of Accordo," Ignis explained briefly, and Cid took it from there.

"You might wanna imagine she's got a word to say in this if there's even the slightest chance the Tidemother's gonna level Altissia in a fit of rage. Accordo's under Imperial control, but has forces of its own. They'll keep Luna from performing the rite at the Altar unless one of you can convince the first secretary to let her."

"Oh, I get it," Noctis said, crossed his arms and turned back to Ardyn, sighing. "There's going to be a negotiation and you wanted to know I got what it takes to secure terms. That's what the discussion with Monica and Dustin was about."

Ardyn slowly clapped his hands. "Congratulations, your Majesty! You have finally figured it out."

"Can it, Ardyn. You could've just told me, you know?"

"But where is the fun in that?"

In the meantime Ignis had wandered over to them.
"We can't say for sure what Miss Claustra's terms will be. Do you feel well enough prepared to handle the negotiation?"

"Don't worry. I'll get it done," Noctis replied, adding "Somehow" in his thoughts. It would be the first time he spoke as a state leader – even if Insomnia had fallen – to another state leader. Yet still, the notion of calling himself "King" of anything did not feel right. Could anyone ever be prepared for so much responsibility? Noctis liked to think even his father had struggled sometimes.

A man-made waterway, barely any wider than Regis' yacht, rose out of the sea before them. Its steady incline led towards the gate into the elevated harbour of Altissia, past a number of monumental statues. Cid steered their board masterfully along the narrow passage until the guard post waiting at the gate signalled for them to stop.
For a moment, Noctis tensed. At first glance, he could not tell whether this guard belonged to the forces of Accordo or Niflheim. If someone ran an identity check and they were found out by the Empire, they might just had to fight their way into Altissia.
Lucky for them, all the guard wanted to see was an entry permit for the boat, and Cid just so happened to have one at hand. His entry permit was 30 years old, but valid nonetheless. The old mechanic continued to drive them up to the pier, but stayed behind with the boat once the prince and his companions had hopped off.

Noctis passed through the area where people used to wait for the ferry to Galdin Quay to arrive up until the Imperial blockade had taken effect. Beyond of it, the first buildings of Altissia came into view. So did another checkpoint, unfortunately. The only way into the city led through. When Noctis neared the narrow passageway of the guard post, Ardyn pushed past him.

"State the purpose of your visit," the city guard demanded of him.

"We'll be taking the alternate entry passage, thank you very much," Ardyn said as though he had done it a thousand times before, pulled something out of his coat pocket and slid it over the counter. No small amount of money, Noctis surmised.

All of a sudden, the guard lost all interest in holding them up.
"I wish you all a pleasant stay."

Walking past the guard post, Ardyn turned to the others and opened his arms. "Allow me to welcome you to the Walls of Water, resting place of the Tidemother and home to the greatest collections of wine and art in all of Eos!"

"You've been everywhere, haven't you?" Ignis rather stated than asked.

The architecture they had seen on their arrival into the city had already been breathtaking, but the city itself was simply overwhelming. Historical buildings, each painted in a different colour, lined the streets to one side, to the other flowed the canal with its azure waters and beautifully crafted gondolas bopping up and down on the waves. Wherever Noctis looked, he discovered flowers and floral patterns, sculptures or reliefs. Street stands offered framed paintings, floral arrangements, ice cream and - yes, even the Cactuar statuettes Talcott collected.
Not even Insomnia had been this rich in art and culture. No wonder tourists from all over Eos flocked to Altissia.

"This city is so photogenic!" With his camera in hand and a beaming smile on his face, Prompto ran from the canal to the buildings and back. "Someone tell me where to point my camera, cuz I don't even know where to start!"

"How about you point it at us?" Noctis suggested confidently.

"Great idea!"

Gladio, Ignis and Noctis came together in front of the gondolas at the harbour and Prompto had the tripod set up in no time.
"One group picture comin' right up!"

Noctis waved the chancellor over to them. "Hey Ardyn, come and join us!"

He pointed at himself, perplexed. "Me?"
Admittedly, this would be the first group picture with him in it.

"Can't have a group picture without our tour guide, can we?"

"Very well."

They were still figuring out how to reposition themselves so that everyone was in the frame when voices coming from a group of tourists drifted over to them.

"Did you hear? They're extending the exhibit for Lady Lunafreya's wedding dress."
"The Vivienne Westwood? But wasn't that a memorial for her passing?"
"Well, now it's a memorial for her safe return. They say the government took her in."
"Was that an official statement? There's so many rumours these days. Like, that terrible disease people are talking about …"

#-#-#

For all its beauty, Altissia was rotten underneath. The Empire's influence had brought a creeping corruption into the city, causing officials to turn a blind eye to any crime as long as enough money was involved. A fertile grounds for businesses of the rich and heinous.

Many things these days were not what they seemed, and if they were not rotten on the outside, they were most certainly rotten within. The Empire, of course, was no exception. Ravus knew from recent reports that the Starscourge was spreading unchecked in Gralea, but Emperor Aldercapt withheld that information from the public at any cost, trying to maintain the appearance of an unyielding force at the cusp of world domination.

It was all about appearances in the end.

"Please remind me why I am here again," Commander Caligo said to Ravus as the two of them walked up one of Altissia's many staircases, accompanied by a number of MT riflemen. His presence alone strained Ravus' nerves. This man was so vain, he actually had his Magitek Armour painted gold just before he came to Altissia. And not just in gold, but with actual gold.

Ravus was done with all the idiots of the Empire. If he did not need the military power Aldercapt still extended to him to slay the Astrals, he would have completely severed his ties the day the ring fell into his hands.
"To upkeep the image of a united Empire to the public," he eventually responded. "Certainly, you narrow-minded imbecile realized that when you were ordered to bring your forces here?"

The commander trailing behind him made a disgruntled noise. A dying noise would have been preferrable to Ravus.

As if by a supernatural force, his' gaze was drawn to a well-dressed and black-haired woman standing in a side alley. A woman that was usually seen accompanying the Oracle.
Gentiana beckoned him to come closer.

In order to keep the commander's attention on himself, Ravus turned back to Caligo. "Go ahead and continue the preparations without me," he ordered him. "My presence has just been requested elsewhere."

Caligo looked around, confused by the sudden change of plans, but eventually left, taking the magitek infantry with him.

Once he was out of sight, Ravus dared to check on the side alley and was glad to find that Gentiana had waited for him instead of miraculously disappearing like she often did. No words passed between them while she led Ravus through the streets. He simply knew Lunafreya was summoning him, and he was more than willing to answer his sister's call. Crowds of tourists parted before him, seemingly frightened of him and the military power of the Empire he symbolized, but they were barely aware of the messenger.
To his surprise, Gentiana brought him into the government building. The guards did not stop him from entering, and not even the first secretary showed up. In front of one of the guest rooms, Gentiana stopped.

"She is already expecting you," she said in that unwavering, calm tone of voice.

Upon opening the door, Ravus found a young woman sitting gracefully in an arm chair with her head bowed. She wore a black, long-sleeved bolero and a white scarf, as well as a pair of matching gloves and a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a stylized Sylleblossom. The hem of her white dress, however, was frayed and had clearly seen better days. It was only when she raised her gaze to meet his that Ravus recognised the soft features of his sister's face.

She looked worn. Worn and unusually pale. She tried to suppress a coughing fit, but failed.

"No."
In a heartbeat, Ravus stepped forward and sank to a knee before her. He reached for her face and she took his hand into hers, grateful for his concern.
"How could this be?" he asked, dismayed at the state she was in. "You are the Oracle, blessed by the gods."

"This is my punishment," she said. "For believing that mankind could find its own way out of the darkness."

Her words shocked him even more than that horrible disease which had befallen her. Anger welled up inside him, and he withdrew his hand.
"You have abandoned your calling," he accused her.

Luna shook her head vehemently. "No! It is the Oracle's calling to aid the Chosen King. This is what I have been doing and will continue to do, for as long as I can."

Abruptly, Ravus rose from the floor.
"That insolent boy is no longer worthy of the title." he said with conviction. "He is weak and cowardly, just like his father before him. Have the gods not told you? The Draconian himself has chosen me to fulfil the prophecy in his stead."

A mix of sympathy and determination shone from her eyes. "The Draconian is using you, Ravus. He is the one luring you in with false promises. Mankind will be thinned out by the time the Chosen King has acquired all he needs to dispel the darkness, and he, himself, must give up his life as well."

"It takes a greater man to sacrifice his own life, and I am well prepared to face this fate – or any. The darkness will come, whether Noctis ascends the throne or not. Someone must seize the mantle of True King."

"But his sacrifice will be pointless."

"Then you would call the sacrifices of our forebears pointless as well?"

"They gave their lives in hope for a better future," she argued. "We owe them to accomplish this goal, but by which means is ultimately left to us. A path has been laid out before me that will lead mankind not only to the light, but to freedom from the Bladekeeper's machinations as well."
She placed a hand on her chest, taking deep breaths. All this fighting did not mix well with her illness.

Ravus tried his best to adopt a calmer tone.
"And who is to guarantee that such blasphemy will not doom us all?"

"There is no guarantee," she replied. "We must have faith. Not in the gods, but in mankind."

It took him a while to connect the dots. When Caligo had handed him a bunch of military reports in preparation for their upcoming cooperation regarding the slaying of Leviathan, one report had stood out among the rest. Minister Besithia himself had recently raided a research facility in Tenebrae in response to a number of rumours saying that Tenebrae had begun to develop a substance with the ability to dissolve plasmodium – the very same stuff Magitek cores were made with. Darkness in its most basic form.
The wording Besithia had chosen presented his operation as a necessity to keep the enemy from developing Anti-Magitek weaponry, but given Tenebrae's expertise in the healing arts, it was unlikely they had been researching anything but a cure to the Starscourge. Something else that was unusual about the report was its lack of a list of confiscated items, indicating that either Besithia did not want anyone to know what he had taken or there had been nothing for him to take because evidence had been destroyed or moved in time.
Whether Lunafreya had simply heard of it or even funded the research, progress on a potential cure had been halted.
There was no way that mankind could free itself from the plague before the Long Night descended. Not with this kind of opposition, and not with the bearer of the Starscourge still out there – whoever he was.

"It pains me to hear that you have been mislead, too," Ravus concluded. "Nonetheless, even if you will not accept me as the new Chosen King, I will strive to relieve you of your burden in any way I can."

All of a sudden, Luna stood up from the armchair and slapped him.
There was no time for him to react. Ravus knew her as strong-willed, but even he was stunned.

"Were you not listening!?", she said harshly. "There is no need for you to shoulder this burden! Your sacrifice is unnecessary!"

Such strong emotions came not without a price, however. Writhing in pain, Luna sunk back onto the seat.

The sight left him speechless. Despite everything that separated them, watching her suffer tore his heart in two. She was still his sister and moreover, all that was left of his family. Throughout his life, he had never been gifted any special abilities like she had, but now that he possessed the power of light and the Draconian's blessing, was it too much to hope he could undo her punishment? Ravus lifted his hand with the blessed ring.

"O Lucian Kings of yore, I beg of you, grant me the power of light to purge this darkness from my sister."

A glaring light, not unlike the holy spell, spread out from the ring. Channelling all his strength and his faith, Ravus pointed it at Luna. Already, the magic of the Lucii bit into his flesh again, demanding a blood price for what he was trying to do, but Ravus ignored the stinging and burning. The light grew ever brighter and wider until Luna's form vanished beyond a wall of white.
Alarmed barks broke Ravus' concentration, causing the light to suddenly fade away.
Pryna had appeared besides the armchair and was threatening him with growls. She only calmed down when he finally lowered his hand. It was also just in that moment that he noticed black particles hanging in the air, and Luna, who was wincing and still trying to shield herself from the light.

Although he had managed to burn some of the scourge away it took mere moments for the particles to reattach themselves to her.
"What is this?" he asked, confused. Perhaps, if he only tried harder …

Before he could summon the light again, he felt Gentiana's hand on his arm.
"The light of the Bladekeeper alone grants no mercy" the messenger explained. "It burns but never heals."

"I am so sorry," Luna said, avoiding his gaze. "But I need this. Just until the covenant with Leviathan has been forged. These trials have taken a lot out of me, and I am afraid the Starscourge is all that keeps me going."

Ravus turned his head abruptly away, no longer able to hear her talking like this, so deeply corrupted by foreign thoughts. There was nothing he could do for her if she kept refusing his help.
"Why have you sent for me?"

"I know Bahamut has tasked you to kill Noctis, but I will not ask you to spare him," she explained. "I ask of you to save the people of Altissia instead. With the ring of the Lucii, I believe you will be able to project a barrier around Leviathan and keep her destruction within. Enough people have lost their home and lives in this war already. I beg of you, not as the Oracle, but as your sister, to prevent this needless suffering."

"Then you ask me to spare Noctis as well. I cannot uphold the barrier and fight at the same time."
When Ravus sought eye contact again, her gaze bore into him. Those innocent eyes, such a humble request … She always thought of others first. In fulfilling her request, there was nothing for him to gain, but nothing to lose, either.
Most importantly, however, Ravus had never liked fighting with his sister.
"I will think on it," he promised.

There had been a time when Ravus had hoped his sister would join him once she knew of this new calling he had been given. That by taking on the title of True King, he could pay the blood price demanded by the gods in her stead as well, and enable her to life and love as she pleased.
Cleary, he had hoped for too much.

"We will meet again once Leviathan has been put to rest," he said as he turned towards the door. "I will not allow you to succumb to the darkness that has befallen you."

There had to be way to save her. Gentiana had said the light of the Bladekeeper alone was not enough, which implied that something else was needed. The blessing of another god, maybe? But which? Given Leviathan's temperament, the Tidemother appeared to be an ill fit to grant the power of healing.

I know I did this to Luna, but believe me, I'll be undoing it, too.
Luna is precious.
Luna needs to be saved.

This is the first of a couple of chapters that will deal with the events at Altissia. The next one will feature the negotiation, and Luna's speech (perhaps), and then we'll head into the fight with Leviathan.