Day 48:
They had little to do but wait. Whether the First secretary truly meant to use those three days for preparation or simply wished to delay Lunafreya's plans for the sake of it, she couldn't say. Either way, Luna heard nothing more from her and didn't expect to.
They walked the city. They toured in the boats that moved along Altissia's endless waterways, though Ravus had initially refused to climb into one at all. They found the display in a shop front containing the dress Lunafreya was to have worn for her wedding to Noctis. And she stopped there, trapped in front of it and unable to tear her eyes away.
Weddings were always built up to be magical and beautiful affairs; a woman's wedding day was one she should look forward to for her whole life—or so was the societal wisdom—as it signified not just a day when she could be beautiful and queenly at the center of attention, but the day when she was unified with that one person she loved more than anyone else in the world. Weddings were supposed to be a Happily Ever After.
She was foolish for having believed any of it. Much as she was foolish for believing the lies the Astrals had fed her and her mother and her mother's mother straight down the line for two thousand years. It seemed most things she believed were foolish these days. But she had so been looking forward to wearing that dress and standing beside Noctis.
"It's only a dress," Ravus said.
"I know," she said.
But it wasn't. It was a broken promise. Not their engagement—that had been made politically—but, for nearly as far back as Luna could remember, she had been pledged to him. The Oracle was meant to stand beside her king. To aid him in any way she could. Instead she was miles away chasing a dream he didn't even believe in because… why? If Reina and the others could truly destroy Bahamut then they could destroy all of the Six. And she was right. Noctis was right. No Astral would ever listen to Luna, Oracle or not.
They should just go back to Lucis.
"Why? So you can be with Noctis?" Ravus asked.
She hadn't meant to say it out loud. She tore her eyes from the dress and looked up at Ravus. "What are we doing here? This whole plan is absurd. We could both be of more use in Lucis."
Where they were planning to kill the Draconian.
"We are here because you need to be."
"But I don't. I only told myself I did because… I don't know why. I feel like I should be doing something and it was the only something I could think of."
"We're not here because you've lost your sense of purpose," Ravus said blandly. "We're here because you need to be. If you didn't try to resolve this peacefully you would no longer be Lunafreya."
"Who would I be?"
"Reina," Ravus said. "And the world already has enough of her."
"I thought you liked Reina."
"I love her." He said sharply. "But that does not stop me from understanding that she is not a good person." He glanced away. "It's part of what draws me to her."
"Because you think she's like you?" Luna asked gently.
He glanced at her. "Yes. Are we through?"
"I suppose we are."
"Good. I tire of standing in this crowd."
Altissia was a beautiful city in most every way. While it wasn't as regal as Insomnia or as earthen as Tenebrae, it held an almost magical quality. In spite of that, Lunafreya found herself unable to enjoy the sights. In two days she was meant to summon the Hydraean. If she was meant to be here—as Ravus said—then she was meant to be here, but still something grated on her nerves. She tried to shake the anxiety while they shared breakfast at an outdoor cafe. It only grew.
"Something is wrong," Lunafreya said, unable to contain it any longer. "It feels like… I don't know. Water boiling underneath a calm surface."
Ravus watched her fidget in her chair. He broke a piece of bread from the fresh loaf and chewed it thoughtfully.
"I feel it too," he said.
It should have been a comforting revelation: she wasn't going mad. Instead it was a terrifying one: whatever she was feeling was real.
"Power is stirring in this city," Ravus said.
"What do you mean?"
His only response was an unreadable stare. And then, "Where is your faithful Messenger companion?"
"Gentiana? I don't know. She comes and goes as she pleases." But that wasn't quite right, was it? Usually she didn't go far, not without some prior discussion of it, but now Luna couldn't feel her at all.
That terrible boiling sensation was growing more distinct. Even the ground seemed to vibrate with it, though no one in the cafe or on the street seemed to notice. It made no sense. Altissia may have been surrounded by water, but it wasn't on top of water in most places. Yet it felt like some great power was stirring below.
"The Hydraean is awake." Lunafreya was on her feet nearly before the words escaped her mouth. Ravus rose without hesitation.
She shouldn't have woken. Lunafreya hadn't even begun to call her and the only other person with the Oracle's power to awaken the Astrals was standing across from her. Ravus hadn't woken the Hydraean.
"Only the Draconian can wake the Six from their slumber," Ravus said.
Bahamut. What could he want the Hydraean for? Surely he had no idea of Lunafreya's plans—although, admittedly, she had no notion what the Draconian could see of human lives.
"Let's go," she said. "The shrine."
They raced through narrow streets and across arched bridges, hand in hand and earning several curious looks along the way. Beyond that, no one else in the city gave any indication of feeling the Hydraean's awakening. It might have been faster to take a gondola, but then they would have had to find one. And it always felt more productive to run than to stand on a boat, even if the boat was ultimately faster. Eventually they did reach the shrine—or as near as they could without ever touching the water.
The ocean was still.
"Where is she?" Luna asked.
"Luna." Ravus was looking over her shoulder. He nodded back down the street; when she turned to look, she found Gentiana standing not ten feet away.
"Gentiana." Luna took a step forward. "What is happening? We can sense the Hydraean."
"The Draconian reaches out to the others. He awakens the Hydraean, Archaean, and the Fulgarian. He calls the Glacian. The Infernian remains—corrupted and unresponsive."
"Why?" Luna asked. "What does he want them for?"
"The Glacian has been ordered to freeze the Oracle's blood."
Luna's blood went cold just at the words. "Me…?"
"And I have refused," Gentiana said. "But the others are not so amicable toward humankind. The Hydraean wakens to destroy Altissia and the Oracle with it. The Archaean sends tremors throughout Lucis. And the Fulgarian descends on Insomnia. With this diversion in place, the Draconian gathers his power on Angelgard island to cleanse Eos of the Starscourge."
Something about the way she said it made 'cleanse' sound dangerous.
"Mankind is not to survive the purge of this plague," Gentiana said.
"We have to warn them." Luna glanced at Ravus. They were stuck in Altissia with no convenient way of getting word through. It would take hours to return and they couldn't leave Altissia behind unprotected, not with the Hydraean intent on its destruction. Weskham would have some way of reaching King Regis, but every second seemed precious. They couldn't afford to seek him out.
"Gentiana," Luna said. "I ask you as my friend. You have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Will you now act as my messenger? Warn Noctis and King Regis. They need to know the danger their kingdom is in."
"They will learn soon enough," Ravus said dryly.
"Every minute we buy them is worth the effort," Luna said.
"The Messenger will do as the Oracle asks." Gentiana bowed. "And she will return to stand against her sister."
She took a step back. Luna blinked and quite suddenly Gentiana was nowhere at all.
"And now, dear sister?" Ravus asked.
"We warn the First Secretary," Luna said. "And we prepare to battle a god."