Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts

Part 22

Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.

Tenebrae

"Lady Lunafreya

I have received your letter from your adorable pup Umbra (please give him extra tummy rubs for me). You honor me and my friends with your kind words, and worry not, Noctis and his brothers have been good to us in return, I owe his shield for saving mine and my beloved's life a while back. I look forward to meeting you in person, Noctis has said nothing but splendid things about you, and congratulations on your matrimony.

I wish this letter would be filled with nothing but good news, but unfortunately, my friends have very deep concerns about your brother, Ravus. I cannot pretend to know how he deals with serving the people who took your home, nor do I know how much of what transpires with the Niflhiem military, but I fear for his safety.

If you know as much as I believe you do about us and the light, then you should know how dangerous the darkness is. He's been using the darkness to gain incredible power, but the costs are too great for him to use recklessly. Please your grace, speak to your brother and talk him out of using the heartless, otherwise, he will become a heartless himself.

May your heart be your guiding Key, Your grace.

Cordially, Kairi".

Re-reading the final paragraph several times, the Oracle lowered the response to her with a hefty sigh. Lunafreya settled the letter on her table and stood up from it, approaching the balcony to see the sun slowly rise, bathing the city of water in the gentle light. Lowering her head to waters below her "apartment", the Oracle's mind went to the other world princess' words. She was not a fool, despite how the empire's general takes her for, the last time she had seen her brother she knew there was a horrible change within him.

Since that man of the darkness, Xigbar if memory served her right, had come to the empire with promises of power for his ever-growing military forces. The empire is slowly becoming something worse than before; it was deplorable how they made their mechanical abominations before, now with heartless and nobodies filling their ranks the Oracle feared just how much the darkness was spreading around the empire's people. Ravus had been adamant in her remaining ignorant of their plans, keeping their talks short and very narrowed onto irrelevant subjects.

Yet when Lunafreya had finally gotten to see him again recently, his presence was tainted by something. Her heart sensed a growing darkness within him, not like the blight or be the evils of the empire, but it felt worse. His light was growing dimmer and fainter, the shadows in his eyes were slowly shifting into something inhuman and evil. Lunafreya knew that man in black had done something to him, but worst of all she was powerless to do anything about it. She was kept away from Ravus by the empire's guard and if it wasn't the mechanical monstrosities it was nobodies.

She wouldn't be able to even open the door a smidgen without bringing down a horde of those monster on her. That was when she knew her answers lied with those guardians of light, and luckily for her, she had the friend to assist her in these trying times. It was a risk of course, but she knew Umbra would evade the heartless and nobodies easily, clever pup.

Sitting down on her bed, she picked up her pencil and started to prepare another letter for Kairi, not adding anything of importance other than her gratitude, and it was nice to speak to someone else. Plus, and this may be her romantic side, she was curious about her "beloved".

Just as she finished the first paragraph though, there was a knock on the door. She stiffened as her two dogs, Pryna and Umbra, sat up in alarm of the knock. 'Sister? Are you awake?', her brother's voice called out. Slowly placing her pencil down, she approached the door and opened it to greet her brother. 'Come in, Ravus', she said softly, allowing him to enter the room. Again, the Oracle felt the dark power that resonated within her brother, and just as Kairi had warned, she senses his light was growing fainter.

Her brother turned to her as the door closed, his mismatching eyes showed the rare affection he could possess but it was tainted by the drive to protect her. He looked to the letter, narrowing his gaze. 'Another letter for the brat?', he questioned, 'So soon?'. 'I was writing to one of his companions', Lunafreya responded, her tone was soft and gentle but carried an edge within them. 'She's told me something that has been plaguing my mind for quite some time about you, brother'.

His brows furrowed as his eyes darkened, she knew it. 'This darkness within you, it's not of this world, and you know it', she lectured. Ravus scoffed. 'And you trust the word of those who follow the false chosen king?', he barked bitterly. Ignoring that growl she wanted to let her brother hear, Oracles have teeth as well, she crossed her arms. 'Noctis is not the subject of this talk, but his companions carry a light like my own, and the darkness you carry is disturbingly close to the heartless', she said.

Ravus huffed, looking at his prosthetic as he emitted a dark fire within the palm of his hand. Lunafreya subtly shivered from this, the fires her brother created was nothing like the blight, but it certainly felt eviller. 'This power helped me to stand against the false king's companions, and once I master it, none will stand a chance', he assured. 'And the cost of mastering such a thing is too much for you', Lunafreya argued back, grabbing his human arm. 'Brother, this darkness, it will consume you', she started but Ravus turned to her.

'If it means keeping you safe from him, then it is a price I will pay', he growled. Lunafreya's eyes turned steely at him, her will undeterred. 'You are acting foolish! What nonsense did that man put in your head to make even CONSIDER this offer?', Lunafreya demanded. 'Protecting me from Noctis? My fiancé? How noble of you!'.

Ravus ripped his hand from her and gently despite his frustration, grabbed her shoulder. 'Protecting you from that foolish prophecy!', he near shouted, his eyes nearly taking a golden gleam within them for a fraction of a second. 'Look at yourself sister! You grow weaker and sicker with each Astral you awaken! Summoning the Tidemother will kill you! And you'd do it all for that false king!', he berated. Though she hears the anger and ridicule in his voice, she mostly heard the concern and love her brother carried for her.

Lunafreya was not as naïve as her brother thinks, she is very aware her body was falling apart, he strength waning and weakening her with each Astral she meets. Yet she knew this was ordained, Noctis will become the King of Light, she believes in him despite her brother's insistence of the incompetence of the king. 'It is my choice, brother', she said, gently taking his hand and lifting it off her arm, Ravus didn't even attempt to resist. 'Just like it was your choice to use this dark power'. They stared down at each other, her brother's expression unreadable and it hurt the Oracle that he'd gotten so good at hiding his emotions from her.

Without a word, Ravus left his sister behind to resume his tasks. Alone, the Oracle sat down at her table and resumed her letter, adding a bit more to it. She wished she could ask Kairi more about this darkness, and if there was a way to save her brother from it, but until she could speak to her face to face, secrecy was a must for now.

She finished her letter, both, and placed them on Umbra's person. She smiled and gave her puppy an extra tummy rub, a request was a request after all. The pup barked in delight as Pryna yipped happily when Lunafreya ruffled her neck, her only companions to keep her happy. 'Please deliver this to Kairi and Noctis as soon as you can', she pleaded. Umbra yipped in response, trotted off to fulfill his task for his master and disappeared out of the room.

Lunafreya turned to Pryna skipping merrily to the bed, sitting before a pair of feet and placing her paws on the legs. Lunafreya smiled at her guest. 'I apologize for my brother…he's, very protective of me', she sighed. 'He's every right to be afraid of what you're doing does indeed harm you as grievous as he says', her guest said, softly and warmly. Pryna barked insistently, likely demanding affection, and the guest gently rubbed her head with her ethereal hands as best as she could, but the dog feels the affection behind the attempt.

Lunafreya sat down on the bed, turning to her guest. 'I do appreciate your company as much as your assistance in saving Noctis', Lunafreya confessed.

'Thank you again…Naminé'.

*Vesperpool*

On the road in the Regalia, Ignis drove the prince and keyblade wielders to their destination. 'So, this place is supposed to have what we're looking for, right?', Kairi asked, on her knees to sit up and see the large woodlands on their right. As the sun was high in the sky in the early afternoon, giving them plenty of time to find a haven and place their vehicles. 'We hope it is', Ignis said, 'According to the guard this region was where most of the mythril was mined and processed'.

'But wait a second, didn't one of them say this place was under imperial lockdown?', Sora asked, remembering overhearing some akin to that. As the drove into the tunnel, Ignis spoke up: 'They all but turned the key and left the gates open for us, and anyone else I suppose'.

'Just suddenly? That seems like they were expecting us', Kairi said, sitting back down. 'It's like the empire knows everywhere we're going and going to be'.

'Certainly, seems like it', Ignis agreed. 'And very likely we know who will be waiting for us. Chancellor Izunia'.

'You know him?', Sora asked.

'Unfortunately, we've had several run-ins with that man', Ignis said with contempt in his voice, 'For better or for worse, many situations we found ourselves trapped in he was the rope that pulled us out of it'.

'And you think he's the one who ordered the lockdown to be lifted? Just on the chances, we'd have to come here?', Kairi said, summarising Ignis' concerns. 'Astute as always, Kairi', the older man praised. 'Hey so long as he's opening up the paths for us, can't complain', Noctis said in response, looking at his advisor. 'But whose to say he'll let us out?', Ignis countered, not taking his eyes off the road. 'Take note that we're three allies down'.

'Iggy's got a point, we're not really at the top of our game now, even with everyone else here', Kairi agreed, sitting deeper into her seat. Sora placed his hands behind his head, humming. 'Hope Gladio and Aqua are gonna be ok', he said to no one. 'Yeah, the big was pretty ticked after that fight with Terra…', Noctis voiced his concerns. 'And Aqua doubly so', Ignis added. 'I just want them to come back safely, after everything that's happened', Kairi said with worry.

As the cars left the cemented roads in favor of nature's paths, they found the rest of the journey would have to be commenced on foot. They parked both cars near the Haven and decided against making camp immediately at Ignis' suggestion that their search for the ore may take some time. He pulled out a map and rolled it open on the hood of the Regalia. 'If the map is correct, the location of the ore should be right around here', he said, pointing at near the corner of the map.

'Guess we're going on foot', Noctis groaned, looking the woodlands ahead of them. 'Better hurry up fellas looks like we're gonna have some rain soon', Goofy pointed out, gesturing to the darkening clouds above them. A mixture of groans and moaning from the party, they headed off into the woodlands.

They stuck with the pathway, no sense in risking wild animals attacking them, especially when Donald pointed out large alligator-like beasts prowled in the waters near them. Aside from that, they had no other issues traversing through the woodlands without hassle. While walking, Noctis hanged back with Sora as the others followed Ignis leading them into the woods. Sora looked at the prince. 'So…how do you feel about marrying Luna?', he asked. Noctis scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, letting a breath of agitation. 'I guess… I was ok with it…', he said lamely.

'Huh? Thought you'd be…I dunno, happy you were marrying her. She sounds like she's special to you', Sora asked, confused. Noctis shook his head. 'She is…it's just…well…', Noctis started but awkwardly fumbled his approach. Truly the boy had poked a question and concern that the prince had not considered with everything that has occurred since he learned the dreadful news of his home being conquered and destroyed.

Marriage was never something he'd ever considered before the whole arrangement, and when his father had brought this up to him, he willingly accepted it. His memories of Lunafreya were minimal but cherished. 'I haven't seen her in years, we've only been able to keep in touch using the notebooks', he said, 'When I was told I'd be marrying her to end the war…guess I just went along with it…'. He scolded mentally at himself, the excuse sounded so lame even Prompto couldn't defend him.

'Huh…I guess, that makes sense', Sora said, looking at the sky in thought. 'What about you? Thinking of proposing to Kairi when all this is over?', teased the prince, smirking at him. Sora turned bright red, nearly tripping over himself, and then looked ahead of them to see Kairi chatting with Prompto, the blonde showing her the camera. She was smiling away at him as they took selfies and when they weren't, she was taking in the beautiful pictures he did take of their adventures.

His gaze softened at her, subtly glancing down to her fingers and imagining a ring around her finger, being his…wife…

'Can't…say I don't like the idea…', Sora confessed, smiling dreamily at the girl. Noctis rolled his eyes with a grunt. 'That's it? No dilemma? No, "I dunno about that", or any form of "probably should think hard on this?",' he listed.

'Well…I guess the real question I should be asking, is would she say yes?', Sora said, smiling at the prince. Noctis let out a groan, that boy is too optimistic for his good. Sora gave the prince a weird look as he lowered his hands. 'Why does it have to be so confusing for you? If Lunafreya means that much to you, then wouldn't you want to be with her?', he asked, his voice wasn't cheery, but it carried something in it.

Crossing his arms in thought, Noctis looked to the boy. 'Because…what if, I dunno…we've grown apart for so long, maybe we're not as compatible?', he explained. 'The letters you get from her though says she still cares a lot about you', Sora argued, 'Heck, if you weren't as special to her why would she go out of her way to send letters to you?'.

Noctis bit his inner cheek, not exactly certain how to counter that argument. As short and sweet as the letters were, the prince felt the emotions behind them, the love she carried for him. He'd take his time to find the best way to respond to her, how to convey his feelings in words. The time when he'd receive the letters was spacious sure, but each one was worth the wait because he felt her message carrying weight to him, like a constant message to cheer him up even at his weakest moments.

'Maybe when you see her in Altissia, maybe you'll see her differently', Sora said hopefully. 'If we have the time…knowing the empire', Noctis bemoaned, fully aware of how hectic things are going to be when they arrive. 'Every moment with the special person can be precious', Sora said wisely, 'Sometimes even for a little while, those moments are enough'. Looking ahead of them to Kairi and Prompto, Sora said: 'This is the longest time I've ever gotten to spend with Kairi and Riku since our journeys first started'.

He smiled at Noctis. 'So, when you meet up with Lunafreya, even if it's just for a few minutes, you make that a moment to carry with you and her, so when things get bad, you can look back to that moment'.

This prince was speechless at the words, as childish as he put it there was wisdom in them. Somehow though, Noctis couldn't help but feel like Sora had some first-hand experiences with what he was saying. Behind that smile, the prince sees a sadness within, like he just remembered something painful…

*SNAP*

Both boys were blinded by a flash of light that startled them and made them groan in pain from the sudden light. They looked ahead of them rubbing their eyes to see a cheeky Prompto grinning ear to ear with an equally smiling Kairi. 'Got them!', Prompto declared, showing Kairi the photo. She gave him two thumbs up of approval, looking like she just won the lottery. 'Perfect capture Prom!'. 'Prompto I swear to the Six I'm going to shove that camera down your throat…', Noctis growled.

Prompto and Kairi looked at the photo, totally ignoring the threats of the prince and gushed the photo. 'Wow, you captured the spark in their eyes!', Kairi praised. 'Lookout Luna, you've got competition~', Prompto laughed. Noctis rolled his eyes at him while Sora just looked confusedly at Kairi. '…is Kairi trying to pair us off?', Sora asked, looking at Noctis. 'I think she is…', Noctis hummed in response.

Hearing this, Kairi looked at Sora, who then wrapped an arm around Noctis' shoulders. 'Well, if she wants it~', he said. Noctis did the same and together they walked off, leaving the two behind. 'I'll be sure to send you a postcard from Altissia Kairi, never thought I'd be married to a wife and husband!', Noctis declared. As they watched the two walking off, Prompto whistled. 'Luna is gonna be a very lucky woman', he mused.

'…NOPE!', Kairi declared.

She dashed and practically snatched Sora from Noctis, catching them both off guard as Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora and held him away from Noctis. 'This boy is mine! You've got Luna!', she said sternly, glaring at the prince. Sora didn't say a word, just enjoying how protective (and possessive) his girlfriend was when it came to him. Noctis smirked in response and looked at Sora. 'It should be his choice shouldn't it?', he asked cockily.

'Oh, don't worry, he knows the right choice~', Kairi assured. She helped him stand up properly, then cupped both his cheeks and then pressed her lips his. Sora stiffened before he ultimately relaxed into it and kissed her back, holding her against him. Noctis let out a mock disgusted groan before walking away, 'Okay, okay! You win! Just stop sucking faces already!'. Unashamedly behind them, Prompto was taking pictures of the two.

Breaking the kiss, Kairi looked at her boyfriend with a smug look, wiggling her eyebrows at him. 'Who do you belong to Sora?', she asked. 'You, duh!', he said with a dumb smile. 'Darn right you do', she affirmed, pecking his cheek affectionately. They turned back to the road ahead of them before seeing the rest of the path ahead of them leads into the woods and what appeared to be ruins of some sort. However, that wasn't the only thing that had caught their attention, because there was a red car parked right at the end of the pathway.

'What the heck…?', Kairi asked, folding her arms, 'Who left this here?'.

'Gentlemen, what a pleasant surprise'.

The four other world heroes turned to see Ardyn standing by two broken architecture near the lake. Immediately upon seeing him, Kairi felt a shiver down her spine, a cold sensation that reminded her of seeing Ansem for the first time. There was an inhuman sensation around this man, despite his over-the-top sense of fashion, his speech seemed warm but she sensed the falsehood with every syllable. She sub-consciously took a step back from him, which must have been seen since Sora almost instantly stepped in front of her protectively.

'UGH! Iggy called it!', Prompto grunted. 'He was waiting for us!'.

'With my imperial friends, no less', Ardyn chirped happily, waving a hand aimlessly. Sure enough behind him deeper into the waters, there is indeed a platoon of imperial soldiers, not the magitek kind but riflemen and military personal. An airship docked just by the giant ruin before them. 'Great…so what, you're planning on capturing us?', Noctis accused, eyeing the man.

Ardyn, however, was unfazed by the prince's glares, wistfully smiling at them all. 'Fret not, prince Noctis, I'll put in a good word for you, and your companions', he said, so sickly suave and charismatically. He turned to Sora and company, the boy staring at him with a tense look while Donald and Goofy stood beside him, ready for whatever came next. Ardyn's smile hadn't shifted, though Kairi saw his eyes were gleaming with intrigue. 'Ahh, these are the new friends of yours?', he asked.

'Allies to the crown, what of it?', Ignis asked, eyeing him.

'Nothing to worry about, I assure you. I've heard so much about them it's rather amusing to meet them face to face', he said. 'The keyblade wielder has caused quite the commotion within the empire'. None of the party were surprised by the statement, it made sense Xigbar would have spoken about this to Ardyn, but how he told him was another story. Still, Ardyn turned to Kairi. 'Princess Kairi, an honor to meet you', he said, bowing to her.

'O-Oh, thank you…', she said, more so out of mannerisms, but his name was lost to her. 'Ahh, my apologies, I am Ardyn Izunia, chancellor of Niflheim', he introduced. 'How did you know about Kairi?', Sora asked, his voice was tense and from the look on his face he looked ready to smash his face in. Ardyn however, smirked. 'Oh? She *is* a princess?', he questioned shrewdly. Sora grunted and flexed his fingers to summon his keyblade but Kairi caught his hand stopping him.

He looked back at her as she leaned into his ear. 'The empire is right behind him. If we attack him, we'll have to fight them too', she warned. Sora looked back at Ardyn, before relaxing his stance but not taking his eyes off the man. 'Come now, I believe you have business to attend to', he said casually, walking ahead towards the ruin.

Reluctantly the seven followed him, though Kairi stayed in the back with Sora. As the man was reminding them to avoid causing a ruckus, IE a fight likely, Sora turned to her. 'You ok?', he asked, lowering his voice. 'No…there's something off about him', Kairi responded, 'Didn't you feel the darkness from him?'.

'Kinda? I know he's got it but it doesn't feel any stranger than Xigbar's', he shrugged. Kairi shook her head. 'No, he's different…almost, like a corruption', she tried to describe, but this darkness was new and unclear. Unlike Sephiroth where he was manifestation of Cloud's darkness and is nothing but darkness and Xigbar who once possessed light within her heart, this darkness feels like something had changed Ardyn from the inside.

'Don't worry, he doesn't look that tough. Push come to shove, we can take him on', Sora assured, grinning at her. Kairi smiled back in reply to his smile, nodding. 'Yeah, you're right', she hummed.

Walking to the ruins as Ardyn went on talking. 'So, might I ask why you are here? I highly doubt it has anything to do with research or archaeology', he questioned. 'Is it perhaps…mythril you seek?'.

'Guys, he's reading our minds!', Prompto gasped, spooked.

'No, he isn't you doofus…', Donald groaned. 'Isn't mythril a rare ore?'.

'Correct my feathered friend. It is indeed a very precious resource, we can't let just *anyone* get their hands on it', Ardyn rambled.

'But how come you're letting us through? Aren't you helping us?', Goofy pointed out. Ardyn gasped dramatically. 'I never said that!'. 'Of course, ya didn't…', Prompto mumbled. 'Now why would I? Wouldn't you want to earn this ore yourselves? Far more rewarding do it yourself', Ardyn chastised playfully like a teacher lecturing a student.

'Would be nice to have something handed to us now and then…', Donald muttered. Walking closer to the ruins as the sun started to descend basking the world in dusk, Kairi tried her best not to show how disconcerted she felt as she started to count the number of imperial soldiers around the area, mostly just riflemen with no magitek soldiers. It was odd to see normal humans prowling the area, and worryingly it did nothing to calm her nerves.

Where were all the nobodies?

They stopped at the entrance to the ruins, the man with flaming hair raising a hand to halt the march. 'Worry not, I'll be but a moment', he announced and approached the archway. The party looked to one another before Sora tapped Kairi's shoulder and pointed at Ardyn speaking with an all too familiar face.

Aranea.

After a few seconds, he gave them the all-clear and gestured them to approach the woman, Kairi and Sora more so hesitant. The dragoon gave the prince a bemused look, then smirked at Kairi who gave her a friendly wave. 'So, you're the "new recruits" they sent for "special training", right?', she asked, not even remotely pretending to be professional. Catching on to the speech, Kairi stepped up. 'That's us! We look forward to learning how to jump like a dragoon!', Kairi said with some form of sass in her tone.

Aranea smirked with a small twitch in her eye. 'Oh…think you're gonna need some extracurricular later with that attitude… "recruit"', she said with a restrained comment. Kairi merely smiled innocently but her eyes showed mirth and amusement. The dragoon turned to the prince. 'Nice cover, Runaway Prince', she said with a smirk.

Noctis didn't say anything, feeling the eyes of the imperials around him as Ignis gave the young wayward prince a look the ushered caution. Sensing their tension, the silver-haired woman waved her head and shook her head. 'At ease "recruits", there isn't anything in it for this ex-mercenary to turn you in', she said, calmly and coy. 'Let's get this show on the road'.

'Yeah, we better get started on our training!', Goofy said with a nod.

Sora and Donald glanced at each other subtly, slightly worried the captain may have bought the recruits part to heart. It wouldn't be the first time Goofy made a blunder like this.

'But what exactly are you meant to be doing?', Ignis asked. 'I'm just here to escort you, that's all I'm being paid for. So watch yourselves in there', she explained. Aranea nodded to Ardyn, who with a wave said: 'I trust you to be civil. Commodore Aranea Highwind, I leave them to you'.

As he left, the four other world heroes glanced at each other as Aranea leads the prince and his brothers to the entrance after giving orders to the two men stationed at the entrance. ' "Highwind"? Wait…wasn't that the name Riku wanted to use for our raft years ago?', Kairi asked, looking at Sora. 'Yeah…and that was the name of the gummi ship…', Sora agreed.

'Gwarsh, who would have thought it was a common name? First Cid, the that my-thrill-

'Mythril', Donald corrected with a grunt.

'Mythril stuff, and then Highwind? Gee, there's a lot of things similarities here', Goofy finished.

'Who knows? Let's just go and find that ore, then we can get out of here', Kairi said, gesturing to the entrance. 'Right, let's go!', Sora said. They followed the rest of the party into the dungeon…

*Unknown location*

Reaching the shore, at last, he hacked and coughed up the seawater he swallowed accidentally, resting on his arms on the shore. Gritting his teeth, he exhaled and rolled onto his back, panting heavily as the night sky watched over him, clear skies with a blanket of stars. He raised his head to see the small speeder finally sink into the ocean before him, joining the airship in a water junkyard.

Slowly he got to his feet, grunting with exertion and after some joints cracked, he stood up, rolled his shoulders and neck. Turning to the hill that would eventually carry him to the road, he narrowed his gaze when he sees daemons manifesting before him.

'It never ends, does it?', he asked himself, summoning his sword. 'Oh well…'.

A/N:

Hello Naminé~

So Naminé has been with Lunafreya, likely giving her some details…or did she? It will be explained in the future, promise!

Next time our heroes will be searching for the mythril ore, what sort of troubles will they encounter?

Questions?

Q1: How did I do with Ardyn?

Q2: Do you think Kairi and Aranea should have some form of a rivalry?

Q3: Did anyone see the RE-Mind DLC trailer!? I did it was awesome! Just disappointed with one aspect, sure you can figure out what.

Q4: Should Aranea have a bigger role in this tale?

Q5: Did any get the my-thrill reference?

As always, thanks for reading! Stay awesome but more importantly Stay Safe!