Hey guys sorry this is a day late, had a very long difficult 2 days at work and was just too tired. So here's chapter 10 a day late.
Noctis joined her in the tent some time later and was a bit surprised to find her napping after they had slept for so many hours. He hadn't intended to leave her on her own for so long, but he had grown concerned over Gladiolus. His attempt to talk to his Shield had proven fruitless, the man stating he was fine; finding solace that his father died an honorable death and was confident that Iris would reach out to him as soon as she was able. The sound of him entering the tent woke her from her fragile slumber, and she answered his apology with a smile and a dismissive wave.
"Want to watch the stars with me Noct?" She asked after a yawn. She had intended to ask him earlier but had drifted off instead.
"Oh. Yeah, sure." He answered her, realizing he hadn't taken any time to notice the sky. They left the tent together and he was pleasantly surprised to find how much it looked like the nights of Tenebrae. Insomnia was always so illuminated with city lights you were lucky to see a handful of stars in the sky. With no grass to lie on they opened the top to the Regalia and reclined the seats. Lunafreya reached across the gap and grasped his hand.
"I never thought I would get the chance to do something like this." She stated after a few moments of quiet.
"Stargaze? We did this all the time." He answered, lifting a brow and turning his head to look at her.
"No… I mean… sitting here with you, with no guard, no brother." No fear of our affection being seen by Caligo. "To see Lucis with you. Sit in this car you used to tell me about all the time." She rambled. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him before turning her gaze back up to the sky. "And I don't have to give you back." She nearly whispered the words, her cheeks heating up.
"I'm not going anywhere." He assured her.
"I think I could get used to this." She found herself musing.
"Would you think I'm lazy if I fall asleep in this seat?"
"You woke me up from a nap. Would be just a touch hypocritical of me." She chuckled.
"I'll call you lazy." A third voice answered. Noctis turned his head to see Gladiolus approaching the car. Noctis stiffened, feeling the hairs on his arm begin to rise. "I finally heard from Iris. She's safe." He added the second line quickly, holding up a hand to forestall his question. "Talcott and Jared too. They fled with a bunch of refugees to Lestallum. They were led by one of the glaives, Libertus."
"A glaive? One that didn't turn on my dad? Why wasn't he with my dad then?" Noctis sat upright, "You want to head to Lestallum?"
"What I want and what's smart are two different things. Driving to Lestallum in the dark is suicide, and if this covenant stuff will stop the blight then getting that royal arm is pretty important. I know Iris is safe… so I gotta put on my big girl panties and wait." The man was speaking quickly, shifting his weight between his legs, flexing his fingers by his waist the way he did before he summoned his sword.
"We can go there once we get back from the Tomb." Noctis suggested. "I talked to my dad we're gonna leave once it's light out so we don't get eaten by daemons. The drive back from Galdin was enough fun." He wondered if there was a tomb closer to Lestallum so they could check on Iris, then come back to Hammerhead later and the Tomb of the Wise later. He had known her since she was a baby. Hell, he remembered being shown a picture of him as a child holding the black-haired infant in his arms while his shield stood beside him looking ready to strangle him.
"Sounds like a plan."
"You look like you're about to crawl out of your own skin. Wanna beat the shit out of me, I mean train me a bit, burn off some energy?" Noctis offered, his eyes flicking to his shield's bouncing leg and tapping hand.
"Sure you can handle me?"
"Bring it on big buy." Noctis got out of the car, summoning his Engine Blade while Gladiolus's sword filled his flexing fingers. They walked a bit away from the garage to avoid causing any collateral damage. Once they began the others came to watch the sparring match, with little else to do the Prince trying to fend off his Shield was proving to be better entertainment than the grainy music coming from the analogue radio on Cid's small table.
Noctis rolled his shoulder to twist himself to dodge Gladiolus's opening attack, countering by bringing the dull-edge of his Engine Blade across the man's shoulder. The Shield laughed, twisting faster than it looked like a man his size could move and finished his turn to bring his blade down on Noctis, the Prince bringing the Engine blade up to greet it with a loud clang, and the whine of grinding metal as his blade was forced into the ground. Noctis leapt back to dodge Gladiolus's rapid second blow, willing his blade to vanish and reappear in his grip in a series of blue flashes. He warped towards his shield but felt a sharp pain in his left thigh when the great sword swept his leg from under him.
"Man rusty already? Should we go back to Galdin Quay later to train up some more?"
"Was just tryin to take it easy on ya old man. Can't go breaking those fragile bones of yours." Noctis quipped back. He warped away from Gladiolus's fist rushing towards his chest in response, staggering to keep his balance on the loose sand behind the garage. The fight continued, Prompto and Ignis placing bets while Luna stood a few steps away worrying her bottom lip, hands gripping her forearms. She wondered if their training sessions were always this aggressive, but kept her question to herself. When the men were finished, Noctis sat on the ground panting and massaging the thigh on his bad leg, Gladiolus rolling his shoulder; Lunafreya knelt beside her Prince and offered him her light.
"That sounds like a brilliant idea." He answered her, and couldn't hold back the slight smile when her hands brushed his cheeks, her forehead warm against his. She whispered her prayer, and he sighed as his pain left him, her light felt like a hot drink on a bitter winter day. He thanked her, assuring her he felt much better. "Thanks." He smiled at her and stood, feeling like he had just woken up from a solid night's sleep.
"I'll pass." Gladiolus stated, holding up his hands to halt Lunafreya who had stood up and offered Gladiolus treatment. "I like feeling sore after a good fight. Reminds me how much worse I made the other guy feel." He winked at Noctis who gave him a rude hand gesture in reply. Lunafreya gave him a small smile and a nod. Gladiolus walked away, pulling his phone from his pocket, head down staring at the screen as he made his way to the chairs outside the trailer.
"You really wanna heal the guy who beat the crap outta your Prince?" Noctis teased, grinning at her.
"I suppose in the future I could turn petty and refuse to heal either of you." She shrugged, managing a neutral expression for long enough to make Noctis knit his brows and lift his hand to reach for her, but she laughed before he could find his voice. "I'm merely teasing you." He finally returned her smile, giving her a light shove on the shoulder.
A fresh pot of coffee gave everyone a second wind when combined with the rising dawn. Ignis lamented missing his Ebony, but was willing to agree whatever brand Taka used in his diner was still tasty. Gladiolus had passed on the drink, stating he would probably crawl out of his own skin if he had some caffeine and was anxious to get into the car and head to Keycatrich Trench. Ignis was quick to volunteer to drive.
Regis and Nyx sat at a table at Takka's diner where they had been discussing the logistics of traveling through the notoriously dangerous trench thanks to temperamental coeurls while playing a round of cards. He trusted Nyx to keep him safe, and Gladiolus had yet to fail as Noctis's shield. Which brought to mind the issue that Lunafreya should be designated a shield of her own. He knew the young woman was as stubborn and dedicated as she was as a child and would not suffer the insult of being left behind in the name of safety. He parted from Nyx explaining he had a solution to this predicament.
"Crowe, if you have a moment." Regis beckoned, approaching the glaive as she sipped her coffee at the diner counter.
"Of course your Majesty." She replied quickly with a bow of her head.
"I wish for you to be Lunafreya's Shield. She is to be my daughter, and as such falls under the protection of our family. As one of my last loyal glaives I trust you to keep her safe." Crowe coughed, thumping a fist against her chest as her eyes went wide, tears flashing in her eyes as she swallowed hard, and coughed again.
"You… want to promote me to the Oracle's Shield?" She asked, and her brows shot up. "Of course. I'd be honored." She added quickly, not wishing to question his orders.
"Usually there is a ceremony involved, I'm sorry to drop this on you so… informally. But circumstance is twisting my arm, and I have little time for formalities. Noctis is anxious to head to Keycatrich, and surely Luna will be as well."
"I understand your Majesty. I should find her immediately if we're setting out soon." She got up from her chair, brushing donut crumbs from her shirt and bowed to Regis, "Thank you for this opportunity." She mumbled, her voice still slightly hoarse, the effort of talking causing her to cough several more times.
"I believe she is sitting near the trailer with Noctis." Regis told her, and excused her with a nod. She bowed again, and carried her coffee mug with her as she walked across the small parking lot to where her charge was sitting and reading. Gladiolus was also nose-deep in a book, Noctis and Prompto preoccupied with their phones a series of odd chimes and shouts coming from it, echoed by the occasional curse from the gunman.
"Well now you really can't get rid of me." She greeted, waving to them.
"What's up?" Gladiolus asked.
"I think I deserve a ma'am now." She tisked, tapping her chin, "as your fellow Shield I'm owed a bit more respect." She winked.
"Shield?" Gladiolus asked, jerking back slightly and knitting his brow. "Am I fired?"
"No you idiot. You have such a man-crush on the prince pretty sure you'd fight Bahamut himself to keep him safe. Naw, I'm here to watch over this one," she thumbed over at Lunafreya who tilted her head and glanced between Noctis, Gladiolus, and Crowe. "The King made me your Shield. Guess I'm at your service my Lady Lunafreya." She offered, giving her a bow with a flourish of her arms. Lunafreya stalled, unsure if the gesture was sarcastic or the brusque woman's attempt at respect.
"Luna will suffice." She corrected. "Does this mean you're my… bodyguard? For lack of a better word. Like Gladiolus is for Noctis?"
"I'm enough for the both of them." Gladiolus grunted. "Besides, these two are attached at the hip. I protect one, the other just happens to be in range of awesomeness."
"Well our King saw it fit that our little Princess here he owed his family's protection." Crowe shot back, crossing her arms before her chest. "Don't think I can live up to your awesomeness?"
"Well guess we're about to put you to the test, heard the Trench is full of nasties."
"Guys we're going there to collect a royal arm, not to decide who has the bigger dick." Noctis interrupted. "If everyone is good and buzzed from coffee I really want to get going," he looked up at Gladiolus, "and then we can head to Lestallum. Any more news from Iris?"
"Not for a while, she was pretty exhausted and said she needed some sleep. But she's staying at the Leville with Jared and Talcott." Noctis nodded at his answer and stretched, hearing a few pops from his back and shoulders that were loud enough to make Lunafreya flinch. She stood herself, tugging on the bottom of her shirt to try and better cover her midriff. She remained quiet on the subject of leaving so soon, wishing to see everyone rest more before heading out to face more danger already, but understood the need to check on Gladiolus's sister.
"Well I am honored to have you as a Shield." She remarked, giving Crowe a small smile. The group walked over to the diner where Regis was sitting with Nyx. With Crowe's appointment as Lunafreya's shield Gladiolus felt a sudden urge of bitterness, wondering if his father had already been replaced. He bit back any questions, not wishing to show disrespect for his King, but certainly intended to have words with that braindead bruiser if he could find ten seconds he wasn't busy licking the King's boots. After a brief discussing between father and son debating setting out versus further rest it was decided that they would set out.
Ignis sat point as driver with Regis sitting in the passenger seat beside him. Noctis sat in back with Lunafreya to his right, Nyx on her other side sitting behind Regis. Gladiolus reluctantly sat behind Crowe on her motorcycle after a long argument over who would drive and who would 'ride bitch' as she was far too delighted to call it. Seeing the crowded car Prompto volunteered to stay behind in Hammerhead and help Cindy around the garage, insisting he was not offended at being left behind with the plethora of machinery around the garage to tinker with and take pictures of.
The paved section of road ended several miles away from the entrance to the trench. The ground was level enough that Ignis felt satisfied he could bring the Regalia just a bit closer, but he was less confident about the trailing motorcycle and it was decided that they should make the rest of the journey on foot. Each member of the party stubbornly insisted that they were well enough for the long walk, despite how uneven the terrain grew as they drew closer to the trench.
"What the hell are those?" Gladiolus asked, stepping ahead of the group and gesturing for them to stay behind. Crowe walked up beside him, and he turned his head quickly at her, lips thin, brows knit, but simply turned his attention back to the strange creatures a few dozen meters away and bristled when he felt Nyx approach as well.
"They look like coeurls." He remarked.
"Not like any coeurl I've ever heard of, since when do they have those things growing out their backs?" Gladiolus asked.
"Since when have you seen shit outside of Insomnia?" Nyx shot at him, and Gladiolus's fist clenched, pressed tight against his thigh, biting down on his bottom lip and shook his head. Punching the King's shield wasn't likely to go over well.
"Maybe some new cross-breed?" he answered instead.
"A coeurl getting' freaky with a behemoth?" Crowe offered, jerking her head back and knitting her brows when both men looked at her, "what? You don't see it. Seriously, and that tail?"
"The blight." A soft voice interrupted, and the three Shields turned to see Lunafreya had stepped ahead of the group. "This is mid-stage. Not quite at the stage where it grows weaker but…" she sighed, eyes flicking from the trio to the diseased animals. "soon."
"And what does a sheltered Princess like you know about it?" Nyx questioned, turning away from the expression she was giving him.
"Whoo! If looks could kill. Man Nyx, I think you almost set a record as the first person to ever die-by-Oracle."
"Okay fine. Assuming these things are blighted, can we get around them? Or maybe you can do something about it? You're the Oracle, right?" he turned back to Lunafreya who was standing with her limbs rigid for a moment before she relaxed her posture and sighed.
"If you would like to go give a coeurl a hug and whisper a prayer then please, show me the way. Otherwise, I do suggest we attempt to take a path around those creatures."
"So Regal, running from danger." He quipped back.
"Nyx Ulrich you will watch your tongue." A deep baritone interrupted the argument. He turned his head to the movement beside him and saw Noctis walking quickly towards Nyx, fingers flexed by his thigh.
"Apologies. I merely think the sheltered Princess is not the best to-" his voice stopped short when a palm reached his forehead, a quiet whispering voice replacing the silence left. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground, garnering a collective gasp from the group.
"Oh." Lunafreya spoke, tilting her head slightly. "I merely wished to help him relax. The situation seemed to overwhelm him so he couldn't quite think clearly. I suppose I overdid it. I do apologize." Crowe's laughter followed her proclamation, the Shield giving Lunafreya a hard pat on the shoulder.
"Man remind me never to piss you off. You sure she's the one needing protection your Majesty?" she laughed, then quickly straitened and cleared her voice.
"Settle Crowe." Regis lifted a hand, sensing some apology or formality. He was sporting a smile of his own, and then sighed. This Nyx was no Clarus. His smile dropped and he wondered how his old friend would have felt about this adventure heading back to the ancient Lucian tombs so Noctis could echo his father's journey from so many years ago. "I do apologize Luna."
"It's quite alright. As I stated I do believe he was simply overwhelmed and lashing out." A groggy moan caught their attention and they all turned to see Nyx stirring on the ground, sitting up and rubbing at his forehead.
"The hell you do to me?" He complained.
"I do apologize. I wanted to help you relax slightly, I suppose I overdid it." Lunafreya explained. "Shall we carry on?" She inquired, looking to Regis and Noctis. The royals agreed, and much to Nyx's chagrin it was decided that avoid combat with the blighted coeurls was in their best interest. The animals were difficult contenders on their own, and they weren't sure how their bodies would react to the blight. They stayed as close as they could to the trench walls, Shields staying close to their charges as the abnormal acoustics of the trench made it difficult to tell if the surrounding sounds posed a nearby danger.
The tomb stood at the edge of the trench, and looked just like Regis remembered it. A flat dome-shaped stone structure sat in the center of the platform, a small stairway leading to closed doors where it would lead further underground. For a structure that was hundreds of years old it was surprisingly intact. Noctis stood beside his father unsure how he should feel. The structure looked so simplistic, yet it intimidated him. He shifted his weight between his legs and ran a hand through his hair to brush away the sweat from his brow, leaving his hand atop his head for a moment before letting his unruly black hair fall back in front of his eyes.
"This one is the Tomb of the Wise." Ignis broke the silence. He had been so quiet during most of the walk Nocits jumped at the sound of his voice, nearly forgetting he had joined them in the confusion of Nyx's sheer assholery. Ignis recited an old lesson Noctis vaguely remembered listening to as a teenager, and promptly forgetting. He wanted to try and remember it this time, figuring it was only right to try and retain information for once if he was going to be carrying around this weapon.
"Are you ready son?" Regis asked when Ignis was finished speaking.
"Yeah." He answered simply.
"Do you wish for me to wait outside?" Lunafreya asked. Noctis turned to her and pondered the question for a brief moment before he shook his head.
"No. The Oracle and…" he paused, the words stuck in his throat for a moment before speaking The Crystal's Chosen "should do this together, right? Side-by-side?" he wrinkled his nose when referring to himself by his prophetic title, feeling awful foolish and somewhat conceited using the name. He wanted to just be Luna and Noct. Not their damned titles.
"I'll keep guard. Make sure Nyx and his comments stay outside." Crowe winked. Nyx made a sound that sounded like a growl, and he jut his bottom jaw out and thinned his lips. "Awe, you look adorable right now. Guess the sheltered Princess's little relaxation trip worked. You look so rested. And devilishly handsome because of it. What is your secret?" she put her hands on her hips and grinned, waving off the Royals.
"I'll wait out here too so these two don't kill each other and Ignis doesn't collapse into a black hole of irritation from all this lack of proper decorum." Gladiolus stated, flourishing with his hand. Regis, Noctis, and Lunafreya walked away from the group and approached the door to the tomb. Regis stepped ahead, placing his palms against the door and pushed with the gentlest nudge, remembering how odd it felt for such a heavy stone object to move with ease. Inside the tomb was far colder than outside, but Noctis managed to keep the comment to himself.
"I haven't been to this tomb since… well. Since I was your age." Regis commented, and looked around the dark room. "It looks exactly the same."
"Can I still collect it if you still have it?" The question won out the fight in his mind amongst the hundred other questions he wanted to ask. He stopped his fidgeting when he felt thin fingers entangle within his own, forcing him to stop tapping his palm against this thigh. He looked at her and returned her fragile smile, and turned his attention back to his father who had walked to the other side of the stone carving of a man clutching a sword.
"It is not a singular object. Think of it as… an echo. When you shout into a ravine you hear your voice brought back to you more than once, but it all comes from the same one sound. These weapons are the same. I may hold the Sword of the Wise, but it is merely an echo. You my son, the blood of Lucis, must also collect your own echo." Noctis nodded, reaching his hand out and resting it above the sword. He tried to remember the lessons and the words. He wanted to ask what will it look like? Will it hurt? How will he know if he did it right? I'm worthy. I'm worthy. He tried to reassure himself that his ancestors would not reject him, decide that the last of the Crystal's line had been his father, rather than himself.
He felt a strange tug, similar to when he would play with magnets as a child but only it was his entire palm that felt the pulling. He forced his hand to stay where it was, and his fingers tingled. He jerked back, eyes wide when he saw a flash of blue. He followed the light and saw a sword hovering above the sarcophagus. His hand followed the magnetic-like tugging upwards, and saw the sword turn in the air. His breath began to quicken, pulse throbbing in his ears. He flinched, the blue sword moving too quickly for him to properly react. The sensation was so brief he managed not to cry out, but it was intense. It was a white-hot burning pain that flashed in his chest, the heat rolling through his limbs and vanishing as quickly as the blue light did when it impacted his body. The sound of shattering glass had him scanning the room, fearful that he had done something to damage this flawless tomb that had stood the test of time for centuries only to be harmed by his rejection. But he saw no such damage.
"Noct?" A careful voice drew him back to himself. He turned with the gentle tug on his shoulder and looked at Lunafreya, brows knit and lifted, lips thin. She reached up, hand moving to cup his cheek but she placed it on his shoulder instead. "Are you all right?" she asked. He opened his mouth but felt his voice stuck in his throat and swallowed hard, nodding as he cleared this lump.
"Yeah." He placed one hand on her shoulder, the other he looked at, flexing his fingers. "Did I do it right?" he turned to his father, whom he was surprised to see was bearing a smile. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes pulled, the laugh lines around his mouth exaggerated as he allowed himself to feel this great pride in his son.
"You did well my son. Let's go outside and see the others. And if you're anything like me, I shall not deny you the desire to call forth that Sword and show off. Though I warn you, these weapons they… drain you, when you use them. So use them wisely. The Engine Blade you have trained with for many a year should still be your first companion into battle." Noctis nodded at his father's advice, and wondered what it felt like to use a weapon that drained you. It made him reflect on watching the Glaives try to show off with double-edged swords, and how more than once the wielder landed themselves in the hospital for stitches, or worse.
Noctis led the way out of the tomb, wondering if calling the weapon was the same as summoning his Engine Blade. He wanted to ask for a moment to try summoning it in the tomb, but then wondered if that would be disrespectful to the ancestor who gave him this… echo. He blinked as he stepped outside, squinting and blinking hard for several seconds to adjust to the brightness of the daylight. Lunafreya and Regis were shortly behind him, and the rest of their friends approached the Royal trio.
"So?" Gladuolus asked. Noctis stepped away from the group a few paces and reached out his hand, remembering the magnetic feel, and how he would call forth his trusty blade. A flash of blue and his fingers wrapped around the hilt that felt far too cold, pulling his arm down with surprising weight before he lifted it back up to allow Gladiolus a proper look. "Ha!" Knew you could do it buddy." He walked up to Noctis, patting him roughly on the shoulders.
"Guess those lessons sunk in better than you thought." Ignis chuckled as he approached to give Noctis a congratulatory hug.
"Huh, future hubby living up to all that prophecy nonsense it seems." Crowe commented to Lunafreya, crossing her arms in front of her chest and smiling. Nyx was biting down on his lip several paces away and Crowe managed to reign in the commentary in her head to prevent herself from goading him into speaking whatever doubt was likely running through his head. Lunafreya flushed, then nodded in response.
"I'm quite proud of him." He didn't complain about the moment the sword stabbed him, or lament the difficulty in getting here for just one of the weapons. He stood beside her and didn't beg to hide or run away. She smiled as she watched him swinging his blue sword a few times before vanishing it, turning down Gladiolus's offer of a sparring match to put the weapon to the test.
"Come on, we should get going." Nyx asked after a few moments. "Those weird coeurls can see better in the dark than us and the weird walls of the trench puts this place in shadow pretty early." Everyone agreed with his logic and retraced their steps through the trench back to the Regalia and drove back to Hammerhead.
"Dude! Check it out!" Prompto laughed when Noctis summoned the sword again to show it to Prompto when he had nearly charged at the car begging to see what a royal arm looked like. "That thing is so cool! Can I hold it?" he asked.
"I don't think it works like that." Noctis answered, shrugging, but tried to hold the hilt out to him nonetheless. He opened his fingers to allow Prompto to reach for it, and it vanished into blue sparks the moment the gunman's fingers touched it.
"Whoa. I barely touched the thing and it was like trying to touch an ice cube. How do you hold that thing?"
"I dunno… it's really cold but it doesn't hurt if that makes sense?" he answered. He left the sword in the astral place where it slept until he summoned it, flexing the ache from his fingers. Regis gave Noctis a hard pat on the shoulder, smiling and nodding when Noctis turned to him.
"You did good today son."
"Thanks dad. Umm. We were going to head to Lestallum today." He stated, leaving the question in the air.
"I will be staying here in Hammerhead for now. I owe Cid more than a few favors, and this old leg would only slow you down." He answered. Noctis sighed, nodding at him. He tapped his foot, shifting his weight back and forth as he watched his father walk away. He had never expected his father to join him on his journey for his royal arms, but he couldn't shake his unease at leaving him behind. He watched Nyx follow his father, and suddenly remembered the words he had said to Drautos when he left Insomnia, choking back the request to keep his dad safe and instead settled for silence.
"We should get going, it's a long drive to Lestallum and as we saw night sucks." Noctis suggested. Gladiolus was quick to agree, pulling his phone from his pocket to glance at the empty screen and shove it back into his pocket. Ignis inspected the trunk of the Regalia to assure himself all their camping gear was there, having Gladiolus perform his own assessment as a double-check. Lunafreya made a brief stop in the garage to ask Cindy if she could borrow the clothing she was wearing for an extended time, Prompto following her to bid the mechanic goodbye.
"Everybody prepared to depart?" Ignis asked once they regrouped by the car, getting multiple affirmatives.
"While sitting on the big guy's lap would no doubt be fun, I think I'll follow with the bike." Crowe commented. "I'm a badass mage from a distance anyway, I'd probably only blow the car up if I sat with you guys and needed to defend Luna." She paused momentarily before saying her name, having debated using her title but remembering being corrected and while it felt awkward to be so informal with her charge, wanted to respect her preference. Ignis smiled as he started the car, settling into the driver's seat as he adjusted his mirrors despite the fact no one had touched them since arriving back in Hammerhead. Crowe whooped when she started the bike, proclaiming the machine her new best friend.
Regis watched from the tattered lawn furniture outside the garage as his son and his retinue departed, sighing and bouncing his bad leg to get the feeling back into it, hearing the familiar jostling of the metal brace, his fingers massaging the muscle just above the knee. Cid groaned as he sat down in the seat next to his old friend, cursing how low it was. He followed Regis's gaze, watching the Regalia vanish into the distance, remembering the feel of sitting in that driver's seat.
"If your son is anything like you, the Astrals help them."
Okay so I know Nyx seems like a LOT more of an asshole here than in Kingsglaive, but what I'm going for more is he fully believes in the rumors of Noctis having a reputation as a lazy Prince who dodges his role, and thinks of Luna as just a sheltered Princess since remember, no one really knows about her abuse. He also holds resentment against Lucis for what happened to Galahad. So I'm not just making him a dick because I ship Luna/Noct, there's a reason behind his behavior and yes I have a plan for him beyond angry-guy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and my interpretation of the collection of Royal Arms. Let me know what you think :)
