I realized I was accidentally posting chapters 2 and 3 of another story I was writing instead this one. It's been fixed now so things should make sense now, lol. I will post the other one later, hopefully without issue this time.

First posted on Archive of Our Own. Some tags to be aware of before reading:

Non-Con, Physical Abuse, Violence, Incest, Manipulation.

It's not super descriptive as most of it is being overhead by one character.

Noctis sat on the bed of Ardyn's room, eyes downcast, as the man in question spoke. He refrained from fidgeting, uncomfortable in Ardyn's presence despite what they had just done together the night before.

The Chosen hated being here. He hated what he had to do. He hated how scared he was.

But this was Noctis's life now. He had failed his sacred duty. He had been infected with the very plague he had been tasked to cleanse. And now he was just a plaything for the monster before him.

"Do pay attention." Ardyn commanded, noticing the younger man's attention beginning to wander. His elaborate clothes rustled when he moved closer to Noctis. The daemon in human skin seemed to be quite fond of his Chancellor's attire, despite there no longer being any sunlight to burn his exposed skin.

The dark-haired man flinched slightly, suppressing the urge to pull the sheet covering his body tighter around himself, and focused his attention on the Accursed.

"As I was saying, my brother will be joining you. But first, he just needs a little convincing to see things our way." The man chuckled darkly. "He had been able to elude my grasp for some time but no longer."

Noctis shuddered at the words spoken. Ardyn noticed and took hold of the younger man's chin, forcing his blue eyes to meet his golden ones. "I can't let myself have all of the fun, of course. You will share in it."

Noctis didn't want to. But he nodded anyway, dejectedly.

"And do remember, boy. You will not speak to him. You will not make your presence known. You know what will happen if you defy me."

Noctis nodded again, eyes widening with terror at the thought. Yes, he knew what would happen.

The Chosen King also knew the fate that would befall Ardyn's new victim. The same thing that happened to himself. The Accursed wanted Somnus here, badly. It was part of the reason he had gone after Noctis. Their resemblance was uncanny.

Now that the Founder King was finally here, infected by the Starscourge and locked away, Ardyn would soon get everything he wanted.

Once again, Noctis shuddered. He prayed someone would save them, but knew it would not happen. The Gods could do nothing against the Accursed. Their Chosen had been their final hope… And Noctis had failed them. He had failed everyone who had counted on him to defeat the darkness.

The failed King could hear them. There was a speaker in Noctis's room. One that he was not to touch under any circumstance or face Ardyn's wrath. The accompanying audio device that would broadcast what the older man wanted him to hear was no doubt planted somewhere in the Founder King's room. This was how Noctis would 'share' in the fun. He would have to listen to all of it when it was turned on.

"You are not my brother." The Founder King snarled at the Accursed. There was a hard smack, the sound of something hitting flesh, and a muffled sound of pain. Chains, no doubt keeping Somnus immobile, rattled with movement.

"Is that what you think?" Ardyn hissed, voice full of fury. Noctis was rather surprised to hear that Ardyn was already angry. The man did not lose his composure that fast.

Noctis found himself of the same mindset as the Founder King. He could not see Ardyn as Somnus's brother. That seemed too human a term for him.

Ardyn was just as a monster.

"No, my brother. This is still me. This is what this world made me. You'll see that soon." Ardyn continued, the rage in his voice growing. Noctis winced. That voice meant nothing good for the one it was directed at.

The Chosen was correct.

Somnus cried out then, his voice full of agony and the chains rattled again. Noctis wondered if Ardyn was using the knife. The same one he had killed Lunafreya with. The same one he, on many occasions, used on Noctis to wrench the cries Somnus was now emitting. He had not used it on the first encounter for Noctis but it seemed Somnus was not going to be so lucky.

The dark-haired man clenched his eyes shut. He didn't want to hear this. The man plugged his ears with his fingers but that did not help.

Afterwards, when Somnus's voice had been lost from his many cries, when he had exhausted himself in his thrashing, when Ardyn had decided he had done enough damage, Noctis heard Ardyn move away from his brother. He returned shortly, and Somnus's chains clinked softly as they were loosened.

The failed King remembered that Ardyn would treat the wounds he inflicted. He would clean the blood, pour potions to heal, and bandage them up while telling him how things didn't have to be this way . The Accursed would be rather gentle after each of these 'sessions', even wiping away the tears that fell.

With the Starscourge in his body, Noctis was able to withstand more damage than his uninfected body could have. As well, whatever wounds Noctis had endured would be fully healed by the Scourge within days. Ardyn did not even have to treat him because of this but he seemed to enjoy it. It was just another way for him to break his victim.

The Accursed also enjoyed inflicting violence, but Noctis had noticed that his enjoyment, for that specifically, was not sexual. It did not make it any better but it gave more insight into Ardyn. He got off on the power he held over Noctis, over how he could manipulate him and his body.

Noctis knew all of this from experience. Somnus would learn it too.

Noctis wasn't allowed to interact with Somnus.

Ardyn, now the new King of Lucis, and the entire world really, had forbid it until the Founder King accepted whatever designs his brother had for him. The Chosen did catch a glimpse of his ancestor however, but always in the grasp of his captor. Their captor, Noctis supposed but he wasn't fighting it anymore. He wouldn't attempt any escapes.

That was why the failed King was given permission to wander the Citadel and the surrounding grounds. He was given a curfew, however, having to return to his room before a set time. Even if there was no longer daylight, clocks still worked. Power was still running in the Citadel.

There wasn't much to see outside, though Noctis explored what he could. Even if it brought back painful memories to see the demolished ruins of the places he had once frequented. Humanity had long since fled in the eternal darkness. Only daemons roamed around Insomnia. And the creatures left Noctis alone, sensing that he was as afflicted as they were.

Even if Noctis ran, he would not be able to go far. The Scourge in his body made it easy for Ardyn to find him, wherever he may be. Noctis had been startled many a time when Ardyn would show up exactly where he was when he just wanted some quiet in what he believed was a hidden place in the Citadel. The Accursed had revealed the reason easily after the Chosen asked him about it.

If needed, Ardyn could even control the disease in Noctis's body, making him a puppet to the older man's will. Ardyn had done that only once so far, only to show the failed King what he was capable of. Noctis never wanted to experience that again. It had been both agonizing and terrifying. To have his body lose its very autonomy to Ardyn was too much after everything he had taken from him already.

Noctis realized after that Ardyn could have used this ability during his time chained up and locked away. He hadn't though. But maybe for the man it would have been too easy.

The Chosen wondered if his compliance in staying with Ardyn made him just as much responsible in what was happening to Somnus… Probably, the man thought and felt a pang of worthlessness. He was weak. He had failed and now was just a toy to the man that he was supposed to vanquish. And what was even worse, he was now allowing the same to happen to another.

… But the last of humanity's lives depended on Noctis's compliance. The lives of his friends depended on him. Prompto, Gladio, Ignis. They were among the living. Ardyn had let them go. They were safe in Lestallum.

For now.

The few times Noctis saw Somnus in person was only briefly. But even then, he could see that his ancestor was covered in wounds and bruises, usually naked, and barely able to stand.

Ardyn rarely let him out, only to be cleaned up and maybe even to show him how the world was now. To try and get him to realize there was nothing left to save. To make him feel despair at his failure.

The Accursed hadn't shown Noctis that humans still lived until after he had given in to him. It had given the Chosen hope for the future to know that his friends and humanity lived but not the strength to resist. They were now another thing that could be used to control Noctis. His resistance would cost them everything.

Nothing could cleanse the world now that the Chosen was infected. All he could do now was allow Ardyn to do as he wished so the rest of the people could survive.

But oh, how the failed King wanted to resist. He wanted to help the Founder of their bloodline. He did not want anyone to go through what he had.

But...

Noctis also did not want to be hurt again. He could hear everything that Ardyn did. All it did was bring back memories of his own time with him. He did not want to have Ardyn go through with his threat of dragging back his friends one by one, only to be brutally tortured. He promised to make them bleed, to cry, to beg. He had been rather descriptive of what kind of horrors he would inflict on each of them. And then he'd have Noctis himself join in on it and deal the finishing blow.

Ardyn was unforgiving towards defiance. Only once had Noctis tried to run.

Never again would he attempt that.