Momentis
Part VII: The End

The Coming of Dawn
by Philippe de la Matraque

Ignis woke to someone shaking his shoulder. He jerked awake, for a moment forgetting where he was. "Noctis?"

"Not here," Gladio answered. "We're in the throne room. Must have knocked us out."

Prompto helped Ignis off the floor. "Ardyn's gone, too."

"The fight must be outside," he surmised. "I really don't know which way I'm facing right now."

"We've got you, Iggy." Prompto's hand on his back turned him around, and soon they were in the elevator. It seemed like they'd been there only minutes before.

It stopped and they rushed for the doors and the long steps.

"Noct!" Prompto cried excitedly. He ran down the steps. Ignis followed, counting as he went. He didn't want to fall now. He could hear the others greeting Noctis, and he met up with them a few feet away from the bottom of the stairs.

"Is it over?" Gladio asked, confusion lacing his words.

Noctis sounded exhausted. "Only the first part. You're all okay? I was worried."

Gladio answered for them. "We're fine, just knocked out."

Ignis felt a knot growing in his stomach. He knew what the next part was.

"What's next?" Prompto asked.

Noctis sighed. "The part where I finish it. You guys can't go with me for this one."

"Noctis, I—" but Ignis couldn't finish.

He felt Noctis's arms come around him. "I know, Iggy," he whispered. "You must have played it over in your mind a hundred times."

"A thousand," he breathed. There was a lump in his throat now, too.

Noctis pulled back. "You'll lose the magic, the armiger, when—" he didn't finish either. "Leave out the weapons you'd like to keep." He took a few more breaths. "I love you guys. Take care of everyone, like you've been doing. Iggy, you can see a little light, right?" It started to rain.

Ignis didn't trust his voice, so he just nodded.

"Good, I want you to see the dawn." Noctis sighed again.

And Ignis found his voice. "So this is farewell?"

"Yeah," Noctis replied. "Here we are."

"It's all you," Gladio offered. His voice was still strong.

Noctis turned and started up the stairs.

Prompto finally spoke up. "No turning back now."

But Ignis heard Noctis stop. And turn. "Prompto. Gladio. Ignis. I leave it to you. Walk tall, my friends."

"Godspeed," Ignis wished him, "and take care. Majesty." He put his fist to his chest and bowed.

The sounds behind them almost drowned out Noctis's next words. "The time has come." They must have drowned out his turning. Something big was behind them. Gladio turned to face them. Ignis did likewise. "One for each of us?"

"Looks like."

Ignis heard him turn back and set a few swords on the steps. Ignis chose his best daggers and lance and did the same. Second best would have to do. He ice-bound his daggers and stepped toward the one on the right. He dodged the great sword and struck at its legs, maneuvering to get behind it. As he felt it weaken, he switched to his lance, jumping high to add power to the blow.

He dodged again and threw the lance, going back to daggers. It was loud and lumbering, making it easy to avoid its attacks. He felt gravity gain in one side, so he threw a dagger at the source of it, an iron giant's hand. The gravity well disappeared. He called the dagger back and kept at it. He felt it weaken again. He threw the lance at it, then pulled the daggers to ice-bind them.

But the cold ice didn't come. He tried fire, lightning. Nothing. He froze as the lump in his stomach tightened and moved into his chest. He didn't hear the giant get back up, but he felt the kick at the back of his knees that dropped him to the ground. Gladio's breath came from above him, and he heard a large sword strike metal, causing Gladio to grunt. "It's done," the bigger man said. "Why are they still here?"

Ardyn was still in the afterlife. But Ignis couldn't tell him that. In his mind, he saw King Regis thrust his glaive into Noctis's chest.

"Hit them with everything! Protect those men!" Cor shouted at a distance. There were others running toward them.

A whirl of leather, and a sharp strike at the giant. "This one's mine," Aranea snarled. Strike after strike he heard, until the giant finally fell. More men came, but more fighting met them.

Prompto slid into Ignis and embraced him. Gladio kept the shield up, but added his other arm. Ignis couldn't stop the tears. He dropped his daggers to his side and put his arms around Prompto. he could feel the younger man's breath hitch.

And then all was quiet. Ignis could only hear Prompto's tears, Gladio's breath. The shield fell to his right, and Gladio caught them both up in his arms.

Someone smaller knelt in front of him. "I'm here, my love. As I promised I would be." Her hand caressed his face, wiping the tears on that side.

Others gathered close around. "Block them from sight," Cor's voice was quiet. Other steps where gathering, too, farther back. The rest of the Glaive, Aranea's men perhaps. Ignis didn't care. Noctis was dead. Aranea was close. Prompto and Gladio alive.

"It is done!" Cor shouted behind them. He must have climbed a few stairs. "The world is cleansed. The kind is dead!" There was a collective gasp. "It was long foretold," Cor went on. "Prophesied. It fell to Noctis Lucis Caelum to be the Chosen! He has defeated the Accursed forever! Dawn is coming!"

The rain had stopped. Gladio's arms lifted him, and Aranea's helped him stand. Gladio took Prompt and the four of them turned east. Ignis lifted his face, wiped the tears from his other eye. Already, ever so slowly, the darkness grew a shade lighter.

"It's beautiful," Aranea whispered. "Like a rainbow laying on the horizon, a red ball of light peeking over the edge."

"He did it," Ignis breathed. "I want him back."

"I know," she replied, squeezing him. "He'll be honored for the rest of all time. But let it go, Specs. The vision. Don't go replaying it anymore. Imagine what I see. The clouds are parting; the sky is turning blue. I can almost feel its warmth."

Ignis pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He'd brought a few. He dried his face and cleared his nose. He could feel it. Noct had saved the world. The darkness lightened a tad bit more and then stayed that way. He held out his hand to the left with two more handkerchiefs. They left his hand quickly.

"Before he left us to come to the Citadel," Cor spoke again, "King Noctis wrote a decree. Today we grieve and welcome the sun. Tomorrow, we witness the King's last words."

Ignis heard Cor coming down the steps. "He also wrote three letters. Sorry, Ignis, no Braille." Ignis held out his hand and accepted a folded piece of paper.

Aranea kissed his cheek then left him. But Ignis heard Biggs and Wedge directing the Glaive back. Something large was coming down from above. "Let's go boys," Aranea said. "Camp is all set up."

She pointed him toward the ship. "I'll be right behind you. I'm getting the weapons."

Gladio's big arm fell onto his shoulders. "Sorry for knocking you down like that."

Ignis shook his head. "I froze."

"It's okay," Prompto added from his other side. "The cavalry was coming."

Several people entered the ship behind them, laden with swords, daggers, a lance, a shield and Prompto's guns.

"What will we do with ourselves now?" Prompto asked.

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow," Gladio replied.

Ignis shook his head. "We rebuild. We have a plan."

"I need to make a call," Gladio said, and he left to approach one of the others. Ignis found a spot on the floor and sat down. Aranea sat on his left. Prompto was standing on his right. This ship began to lift.

"We'll bring you back just before dawn," Aranea told them. "But Cor is right. Today we grieve. We rest. It's a beautiful day with nothing to worry about."

Ignis handed her the letter. "Please read it."

"Hmmm." She handed it back. "I can't. It says, 'Do not open until after the decree.'"

"Mine, too," said Prompto's voice above him.

Finally, Gladio came and sat down with them, and Prompto lowered himself to the deck. Gladio took a breath. "Her name is Margaret, and she'll be here tomorrow. A lot of people will be here tomorrow."

"What of his body?" Ignis wondered aloud. "We can't leave him there."

"Cor's on it," Aranea assured them. "He'll be at camp. We can have a quiet ceremony. There can be a big to do later."

Ignis had a horrible thought: decomposition. "Won't he—"

"Then he'll be taken to the hospital in Lestallum. He'll be kept cold and secret. You can plan the procession to his eventual tomb."

Ignis didn't want to think that far ahead just yet. Except to promise Noctis, it would be a grand affair.