Chapter 10
Lightning streaked through the air, crackling around the airships but only destroying one or two of them. In the center of the storm was the Sublimis Fuga, moving slowly but inexorably towards the coastline. Nothing they managed to throw at it made even the slightest scratch on it.
"Shit." Noctis ducked behind Gladio to catch his breath as his eyes returned to their normal colour. Ramuh was already fading away, leaving only his lightning to indicate he'd even been present. "If we don't find a way to destroy that Six-forsaken ship then we're screwed."
Gladio grunted as he used his shield to toss a soldier away. Within a single breath, he'd changed from his shield to his greatsword and cut down all the enemies within reach to give Noctis some breathing room. "Iggy's working on it! We just have to hold on until he figures something out."
Prompto skittered into the open area, hissing as he shook his hands out. "This is getting bad guys! Cor just sent a message. They're being attacked as well and can't come help!" Noctis and Gladio both swore.
Noctis grabbed his last ether and crushed it, feeling only a bit of relief at the replenished magic. The battle had only been going for 20 minutes or so but the sheer amount of fighting they'd done so far was forcing them to their limits. He could see it in the shaking of Prompto's hands, in Gladio's slight grunt with every movement, and in the increase of bodies strewn across the battlefield.
They were being pushed back.
Noctis gritted his teeth as he took the brief moment of peace to gauge the battlefield. His hand reached up to grab his necklace as he took in the amount of wounded and dead. Should he put it on? He wasn't sure if doing so would actually make a difference now, not when the Niflheim army was easily four times as numerous as the hunters, glaives and trainees combined.
But if he didn't then they would undoubtedly lose.
Noctis tugged the necklace out of his shirt, ignoring the worried looks Prompto and Gladio sent his way. The Ring of Lucii glinted in the sunlight, the power within whispering for Noctis to wear it as it had since Noctis had first touched it. Part of him hated the Ring and everything it represented, but it held power; enough power to at least provide some measure of safety for a full retreat.
His free hand reached it and snapped the Ring from the necklace. He allowed the chain to drop to the ground as he straightened. The rays of the sun appeared to warp around the edge of the Ring, almost as if the light was being absorbed by the Ring.
Time seemed to slow down as Noctis extended a finger and started to slip the Ring on it.
BOOM!
The cliff side erupted, sending rocks flying through the air. Five figures appeared amidst a shower of crystal magic. Four of them jumped straight into the fight, leaving a swath of bodies behind them. The remaining figure headed towards them.
From the entrance to the Trials, streaks of lightning exploded outwards, zig-zagging through the air until they hit an airship. Some of the lightning streaks curved upward to the top of the cliff, sending earth and soldiers flying. Some of the lightning shot out inland, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Are those...Coeurls?" Prompto muttered, eyes squinting to see through the flashes of lightning.
"They are the previous Hosts of Kaitiaki, the past Rulers of Galahd." Ravus stated as he strode over. He kept watch as the coeurls jumped from one airship to another, powerful strikes of lightning causing them to explode where Ramuh's lightning hadn't bothered them. The coeurls among the soldiers roared and echoed the movements of the one in the air.
Ravus didn't hesitate as he reached out to Noctis and grabbed the earpiece. "All troops are to withdraw from the battle, grab anyone injured and make their way to the medical area." He turned to the trio with a raised brow and said, "That means you three as well."
Gladio grinned and clapped Noctis on the back gently. "You heard the General. Put that ring away and let's go check up on Iggy." Prompto dropped to his knee to scoop the chain off the ground. He handed it off to Noctis, who moved slowly as he returned the ring to where it had lain mere moments ago.
"Cor and Dad…The others!" Noctis muttered. "They were…"
Ravus smiled, "They'll be fine, though I suppose it would be best to warn them of our new allies. The new Ruler of Galahd is not going to be happy if they get hurt."
A sudden tornado cut off any attempt to question Ravus on who the new ruler was. They turned to watch as the Sublimis Fuga, metal screeching as it fought against the gale winds, roared its engines and made a slow retreat. An engine was torn off and exploded, sending a wave of fire into the tornado. The fire grew and grew until the tornado had become covered by it.
Steam rose where it touched the ocean. A copper-toned coeurl landed not far from the group, and after a glance in their direction the coeurl roared loudly. At the sound, the tornado exploded in size and the coeurls playing catch with the few remaining airships jumped down to stand beside the first coeurl.
The sky quickly emptied of airships, leaving only the Sublimis Fuga puttering about in as quick a retreat as it could make. Noctis frowned at the leaving ship, "Shouldn't we try to destroy it?" He glanced between Ravus and the amassed coeurls.
Ravus shook his head, "If it survived the tornado, then I doubt we could cause it any permanent damage with what we currently have at our disposal. Best to let it go for now." Noctis stayed silent for several seconds before he sighed and nodded.
Prompto tapped Noctis' shoulder and pointed towards the cliff. The copper- toned coeurl was walking towards them. After a few steps, its appearance changed slowly but surely into that of a familiar person. Noctis, Gladio and Prompto starred in complete surprise at them.
"And that's one thing down!" Selena said happily as she greeted her friends. Her eyes were now golden and slitted like those of a coeurl."Saeclum just confirmed they dealt with the other Niff soldiers that were bugging the Marshall and the others. They'll be going through the islands to ferret out any other intruders overnight."
Gladio stammered, "You... you're the new Ruler?"
Selena Ulric tilted her head with a grin. "What? Didn't you think I could do it?" She chuckled at the hurried clarification from Gladio that that wasn't at all what he meant. "I'm joking. Let's meet up with everyone and I'll explain what happened."
"Selena! Don't forget to create the barrier!" Another coeurl shifted into human form and shouted to her. Selena waved in acknowledgement but otherwise did nothing else. Yet something in the air changed within seconds.
Noctis took a deep breath and was pleasantly surprised to notice his magic was now regenerating at a really fast pace. "What did you just do?"
Selena grinned, "Like I said, I'll explain once we're all together. It's a bit of a long tale and I'd rather not repeat it." Ravus seemed to agree with her as he patted Noctis on the back and left to deal with his glaives.
A few hours later saw them sitting around one of the fires in Cunabula, listening as Selena finished explaining her link with Kaitiaki. Nyx was by her side as he had been since the fighting ended. Luna was deep in thought after listening to Selena while Cor, Regis, Clarus and Lance listened with fascination.
Noctis could already see the gears turning in Cor and Clarus' brains, probably considering how this changed the war. He himself didn't intend on asking for much from the new Ruler of Galahd but if she could somehow extend the barrier around Galahd then it would make things so much easier for everyone. He doubted it was possible but it was a nice hope to entertain.
Ignis cleared his throat. "In other words, you are now linked with the Guardian known as Kaitiaki, and able to use all of its abilities?"
Selena nodded, "Pretty much. The barrier I made is similar to a high pressure zone but it contains and concentrates magic. I can create any weather pattern that involves wind, change shapes, channel lightning, and now have an innate knowledge of every Galahdian on Eos."
"That's very versatile." Cor remarked. "But it's limited to Galahd itself so we won't be able to make use of those powers in the war against Niflheim."
"Perhaps not, but if Selena is willing-" Regis tilted his head towards the young lady in question. "we could make use of Galahd as a point of refuge for anyone seeking to escape from Niflheim's oppression and a base to safely train anyone willing to fight for us."
Selena shrugged, "I don't have a problem with that since Galahd already has a hundred and three thousand Insomnians and Lucians within our borders. You'll still have to talk with the Council to get the details down." She pointed her skewer in his direction for a moment before going back to eating it.
Regis smiled, "I'm sure that between myself, Noctis and Lance we will be able to figure some kind of agreement that will suit all involved." The discussion devolved into who would be likely to support the idea, who might be convinced to do so, and who would not.
It was a discussion Noctis was glad to escape as Luna motioned for him to follow her. With a nod towards his lovers, family and friends, Noctis walked with Luna until they came to stand out of sight and hearing of the festivities. "Something on your mind?" He asked softly, tilting his head up to look at the stars.
Luna stayed silent for a while before she answered him. "The Guardians are not mentioned anywhere in the Cosmology, nor has Gentiana ever told me of such beings." Noctis hummed an acknowledgement but didn't say anything just yet. She continued, "I... I am starting to doubt them." She didn't have to say who they were. "First the Prophecy and what it required of us. Then this original Healer King you have spoken of, and now these Guardians?"
"What else have they been hiding? What other secrets do they keep from us? Secrets that could have... Could change everything?" She turned to Noctis, a desperate look in her eyes. "I can't keep following them blindly! Not after this!"
"Then don't." Noctis said simply. He had already made peace with the Astrals, or rather kicked them to the curb and resolved never to deal with them again unless absolutely necessary. He met her gaze with a firm expression. "Lestallum has been able to restart the production of the cure. Most of Lucis has already been vaccinated. Selena and her pride of coeurls can heal and protect Galahd. There is no real need for you to remain here if you don't want to."
Noctis reached out and gently took Lunafreya's hands. "You've been such a big help to us since this all started. You told me about the prophecy, stood by my side as I tried my best to become the Chosen King in my own way. You told the Astrals off when they decided I wasn't their Chosen any longer." Noctis laughed at her surprised expression.
"Yes, I know all about how angry you got after Leviathan's Trial. Carbuncle showed me." He squeezed her hands. "You've been stuck in this Prophecy as much as, no, probably even more than me. But that's no longer something you need to worry about, Luna. So if you want to spend some time figuring out what you believe in now, or what you want to do, then you have my blessing to grab anyone you want and go do just that."
Luna raised a brow, "Even if I wanted to take Prompto with me?" Noctis pouted but, giving an exaggerated sigh of defeat, nodded. Tears filled her eyes as Luna lunged forward and hugged Noctis. "Thank you, dear Noctis."
Noctis smiled, rested his head on hers and hugged her closer. He would be sad to see her leave, but knew it was something she needed to do.
A/N: Thank you for everyone still reading and leaving comments/kudos. As I said in previous notes, I haven't been able to concentrate on writing for the Cure Au due to health issues and the pandemic stress as such there won't be further updates for a while as I try to write slowly.
If you want to read fun drabbles, I started a quarantine prompt drabble fic on AO3. Please go check it out and leave me prompts if you want!
Hope you are all staying safe and sane where ever you are 3