When Noct woke next, he thought he was finally dead.
How else could he be in such bliss, pain free for what felt like the first time in eternity?
He was resting on something so beautifully soft and cool, he nuzzled his cheek into it, wanting to stay, and rest in such peace for the rest of forever. His body felt simultaneously weightless and weighed down, but it was the pleasant kind of heaviness, the one that occurs when you're more asleep than awake, safe in your own bed, secure in the knowledge that you don't have to get up any time soon, free to relax and cherish the sensation. A moment to yourself, where nothing else in the world matters but that you continue to lie there and dream.
Unfortunately, this moment, however long it seems to last, cannot last forever.
The world around Noct slowly became more and more real, sounds going from a muted buzzing into a grating cacophony. The previously cool blanket draped over him suddenly became stifling, far too hot, and Noct felt weakness creeping as he struggled to shove the bunched up material away from his face. As he moved, he became more aware of his body as well as his environment, and all of the discomfort and pain rushed back, not half as bad as the agony of before, but still debilitating.
A choked scream escaped Noctis as his eyes flashed open, panic gripping his heart, which… which…. He couldn't hear pounding in his ears.
His good hand reached up and grasped at his throat, searching desperately for a pulse- but there was none.
His breath rasped loudly in his throat, and he screamed again, the paradox overwhelming his mind.
What's going on?
The world around him was a hazy blur, and he could only make out vague colors and shapes as his eyes stung and teared up, the most prominent thing he could make out being blinding, pulsating lights that hovered just out of clear sight, suddenly giving off sparks as he cried out. The lights all seemed to converge on him as one, rushing in from their various positions and Noct cringed back into the bedding, too weak to move his body the way he wanted to.
"!" A garbled voice exclaimed, and those same burning lights were suddenly looming overhead. Noctis curled up as best he could, ducking his head into his arms, which were pretty much the only thing he could move, to hide away from the creatures- and just as suddenly Carbuncle was there again, and Noctis hadn't even noticed that the little Esper was curled up next to him on the...bed? Sleeping bag? What was going on?
‹Don't worry Noct! You're safe now! No one else can hurt you, it's just your friends!› Carbuncle assured him, his voice sounding as exhausted as Noctis felt, and Noctis froze.
What…? My friends? But…. they were…
‹It took a lot of help, and I used up a lot of my power to do it, but I was able to bring you and Luna back to the past, from the moment of your deaths. Luna came back to the Citadel, and Nyx Ulric is helping her, he got dragged in while protecting Luna, and I had to do some complicated magic to get the both of them out of it safely, which is what drained most of my power before I could get to you.›
Noctis tried to wrap his mind around what the little Esper was telling him. He and Luna had time traveled? How was this possible? He knew his childhood guardian was powerful, but he didn't know he was this powerful!
‹Because of that, and because of what that Cursed Ring did to your soul itself, I haven't been able to restore you fully the way I should have if everything had been normal. I'm afraid I'm not as good as my Mother or my sister at pulling souls through the different spirals, but I got both of you here, so that's a plus! ›Noctis could hear how much Carbuncle was struggling to project his old bubbly self into the conversation despite how tired the Esper sounded. He appreciated the gesture immensely, it helped to ground him, reminding him of the good times, back when the world made sense.
‹Anyways, we got off to a bit of a rough start, but for now, you, Luna, and Nyx are safe, and I can work on healing you a bit more while I recover as well!›
Carbuncle nuzzled his head against Noctis' right hand, the one that had worn the Ring, and a new wave of cold washed over him, calming the burning of his skin and soothing his eyes. Noctis blinked, and, feeling more confident because of Carbuncle's words, forced himself to stay awake by sheer force of will as his exhausted body refused to budge from its fallen position. He wanted to stay awake and confirm to himself that he was in the past. He was too tired to move again right now, but he could feel Carbuncle channeling more of his cold energy to Noct, slowly giving him more strength as the minutes trickled by.
Oddly enough, even with his eyes shielded by his arms, he could still kind of...see. Well, he could see those weird lights at least, with a weird tunnel vision. He couldn't make out much, especially because those same lights kept moving around energetically- jumping and weaving and waving tendrils around, all the while making loud, upset noises that Noctis' fried brain couldn't make sense of.
...at first.
Slowly, another eternity passed, during which one of the lights became louder and angrier, while the other two started to become quieter. Noctis simply stayed silent, trusting in Carbuncle that the little Esper knew what he was talking about. The loud, red light had stormed out of sight, and it was then, with only the quiet lights remaining, that Noctis' overwhelmed brain slowly began to calm down and comprehend the words being spoken as his bad eye tracked the movement of the bright lights as they settled down to the floor across from him.
Feeling the violence leave the air, if not the tension, Noctis forced his heavy arms to move the slightest bit, so his good eye- the one that could see mostly regular things, not these weird lights-could catch a glimpse of his surroundings, hoping the two different signals would balance each other out and let him better understand what was going on.
Slowly, his eyes-or rather, his good eye- began to heal enough to make out shapes and colors beyond the odd, colored lights and shadows. Shades of brown and blue and white began to bleed into the black, and then, like a switch had been flipped, Noctis could understand the words being exchanged even if the world was still a blur.
"-nis, what do we do? Do we turn back? Can we even do that with the signing ceremony going on?" An uncertain voice, tinged with pain was suddenly coherent, mid-sentence. Noctis jolted as he recognized the voice, and at his side, Carbuncle snuggled in closer, seeming to shiver slightly as the little Esper let out a quiet, almost inaudible whine, but was obviously too tired to project his voice to Noct again.
"I- I'm not sure. None of our phones are working after that strange power surge last night, and while one of us could walk to the rest area to call for help, it will be dangerous without the Regalia, and we still do not know what or...who caused this." Ignis' unmistakably accented voice said, equally as quiet as Prompto.
He sounded upset, and far more uncertain than Noctis had ever heard his advisor, even after Altissia. "If this is the work of an assassin, they could come back to finish the job. Splitting our party up will only put us in further danger, but if Noctis does not recover soon, it is a risk we may very well have to take. Until then, we will be safest remaining on the Sanctuary grounds."
"But...if it is an assassin..then that means they've gotten past the Sanctuary's wards already." Prompto pointed out, leaning forward into Noctis' limited line of sight as the young man focused on the royal advisor.
The blur of blonde hair, highlighted from within by an equally bright yellow light, turned in Noctis' direction. Barely visible blue eyes widened, then Prompto gasped, apparently realizing that Noctis was indeed awake and watching him. Vision clearing by the second, Noctis could clearly make out when Prompto jerked and grabbed his chest with a wince, the yellow light in his chest sparking brightly, before Prompto tugged on Ignis' sleeve and stage whispering "IGNIS!" while pointing at Noctis urgently.
Ignis turned, the green light in his chest sparking like Prompto's had, but Noctis wasn't paying any attention to the light- he was captivated by Ignis' face, his eyes.
There were no scars on his face.
Ignis was wearing his normal glasses.
Ignis was okay!
Noctis gasped, and both Ignis' and Prompto's lights sparked again, apparently a sign of alarm or concern, because that's the expression that filled his friend's physical forms. The two froze up, Prompto wincing all the while, then Ignis slowly lowered his hands from the air where they'd been gesturing, turning slowly until he was facing Noctis, as if he was afraid of spooking him… Noct didn't really blame him, from the few snippets he could remember of his blind panic the night before.
He really had traveled back to the past.
"Noctis? Are you with us, buddy?" Prompto finally managed after the tense silence had stretched out for too long. Stunned at the revelations, Noctis nodded slowly, if a bit awkwardly from his sideways position. Immediately, the tension drained out of Ignis' shoulders, but Prompto was still pressing one hand over his heart, staying sitting against the wall where he was slumped. His face was pale and Noctis' best friend looked shaky and sick.
Noctis frowned, concern flaring through him, and if his body would have cooperated, he would have been across the tent in a moment, to make sure his friend was okay. The last he had seen him before the Crystal, Prompto had still been recovering from his torture at the hands of the empire. The older Prompto he had gotten a glimpse of during that last day...he had seemed better, but it was obvious Noctis' absence and the ravage of time had affected all of the survivors greatly. He didn't know how well Prompto had actually coped before, but now…
...Now, Carbuncle had given him a second chance. A second chance to save everyone.
He wouldn't pass it up.
Licking his lips, Noctis had to focus a ridiculous amount just to get his tongue to cooperate with the syllables he wanted. "Pr-Prompto, are you okay?" Despite his best efforts, it still came out slurred.
Prompto let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, wow buddy, you're worried about me? I think we should be asking you that question." Prompto smiled, though it looked forced as he levered himself up a bit and began scooting closer to where Noctis was lying with Carbuncle. Prompto's face twitched minutely as the blonde tried to hide the obvious pain he was in, and Ignis let out a sound that was part exasperated sigh, part worried mother-hen as he placed one hand out to help support Prompto into sitting cross-legged position, leaning against Gladio's massive backpack as a seat rest.
"Just a bit of heartburn ." Prompto said, fishing around in his own smaller pack, before he pulled out a familiarly-packaged, generic five-hour energy.
Carbuncle stiffened.
The blonde gunner twirled the colorful little bottle in his hands nervously as Ignis took charge of the situation now that Noctis was awake. Prompto was unabashedly staring at Carbuncle, who was tracking the Potion's path with his eyes warily, but so far neither Ignis or Prom had mentioned him yet.
"Noctis, are you in much pain? If you feel up to it, I believe I can cast a healing spell, but it may exhaust you even more if I were to perform it." Ignis said, playing with the hems of his driving gloves as he surveyed Noct, "We have avoided using any spells thus far, as we know how much it affects you to be our conduit, and we are still unsure of the...origins of your injury." Here, green eyes leveled a stare at Carbuncle, who let out a growling squeak at the implication. "So far, every time we have tried to use any potions or similar items, or even to get near you, your… companion has prevented us."
A new wave of cold energy flowed out of the Esper , stronger than before and Noctis smiled as he felt the healing energy sinking deep into his bones, mending breaks and knitting the flesh of his back and stomach tighter together. There was still an ache and a soreness throughout his body, but most of the agonizing pain had slowly faded until it was just tolerable.
Shifting slightly, Noctis gingerly pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring his friends' startled and concerned exclamations about not trying to move. A wave of lightheadedness and slight nausea come over him, but he grit his teeth and pushed through.
Finally sitting upright, Noctis reached down and gratefully stroked Carbuncle's back, "No, I'm pretty good, guys. Carbuncle has healed most of it."
‹ You can't use any of your old potions, or any magical healing items, › Carbuncle suddenly whispered, sounding as if he were on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, ‹ Because you are now of the Unseen like me, they will harm you instead of heal. The same goes for Luna; unless someone uses an enchanted phoenix feather on you, you cannot die, because you are not truly alive. But please, do not be reckless, as you can still be, and are still grievously injured, and until we can find a way to make you all or at least partly Seen again, my magic will be the only thing that can heal you reliably, and I myself am injured… Please, let your friends know, as I don't think I can stay awake for much longer... › Carbuncle's voice trailed off, and Noctis knew his poor friend had completely passed out.
Blinking his eyes, which he could see almost perfectly out of thank's to Carbuncle's last push of magic, Noctis straightened fully and looked down at his poor friend, only to see that his childhood guardian's words were more than true- his friend was not merely injured, he looked as bad as Noctis had felt last night. The once pure-white fur was now streaked with red, and black scars rippled across his flank and back, looking like infected chemical burns. Carbuncle's deep purple light was flickering weakly around the edges, but inside him, the core appeared to be burning strong still, thankfully.
Noctis wasn't sure yet what these strange lights were, but they seemed important, and despite the healing, this odd vision distortion hadn't disappeared, only strengthened. He had a feeling he was going to be stuck with it.
"What do you mean 'Carbuncle has healed most of it?'" Ignis questioned, gloved hands shooting out automatically when Noctis gently shifted Carbuncle onto his lap, but Ignis seemed to flinch back at the last second. Noctis watched curiously as the ivy-colored light tendril in Ignis' hand flickered back as well. "Who is Carbuncle? Do you know what happened? What manner of... creature is that?" Iggy demanded.
"Yeah, and what did he mean by you're 'of the Unseen'?" Prompto pipped up.
Ignis and Noctis both stared at the gunner, who blushed at the sudden attention.
"I uh, it started last night, I can hear a tiny bit of what he's saying," Prompto stuttered, "Only bits and pieces, mostly its just this weird whispering I can't really hear, but just now I heard something like, something about Lady Lunafreya, um, that part about you being...invisible? And how potions will hurt you instead of heal you?"
The potion that Prompto had been fidgeting with was suddenly snatched out of his hands and chucked across the tent.
Noctis snorted at Ignis' quick movement, but internally conceded he must still be quite the sight, despite the (relative) lack of pain. His entire right arm was a mass of crisscrossing silver scars, which reached up the entire right side of his body, making the skin of his face and chest feel uncomfortably dry and tight.
"Well," Noctis said, figuring he should probably get this out of the way pretty soon, "Apparently potions and other magical healing items will hurt me now because of the 'Unseen' thing, which also affects Luna probably because...uh, we're both from the future? And also undead?"
Shocked silence met this proclamation.
Noctis let out a whooshing breath, feeling his shoulders drop as he considering everything he would have to reveal. He stared down at the bright white and silver scars dominating his hands, and was glad that the Ring was not there. He didn't think he could bear the sight of it. "Maybe we should get Gladio back in here for this, it's gonna take awhile."
After a moment, Ignis stood up and silently left the tent, leaving Noctis alone with the sleeping Carbuncle and Prompto. It felt like the temperature dropped ten degrees.
Prompto was staring at his hands, fiddling with his bracelet, looking like he was thinking too hard. Noctis could just barely make out the barcode underneath the strips of leather.
Glancing at the entrance of the tent, Noctis watched as Ignis, visible only as an earthy, green light, walked further away from the tent, heading towards a bright red light he could only guess was Gladio in the distance. It looked like the bodyguard had stalked away from the tent earlier, when Noct had first woken up and been unable to comprehend the world around him.
He wasn't sure how long Ignis and Gladio would be gone, but he had a feeling he wouldn't get another chance alone with Prompto like this for awhile.
"I know, Prompto, and it doesn't matter to me, you'll always be the real you." Noctis blurted out, wanting to waylay any fears his friend was harboring, but unable to think of any more eloquent ways of expressing it when he was so pressed for time.
Prompto jumped slightly at the sudden exclamation, and twisted his head to look up at Noctis. "Wait, what now?"
Noctis leaned in, trying to ignore how the skin of his neck seemed to stretch uncomfortably with the movement and how his stomach roiled; he wanted to be as earnest as possible. "I know that you were born for the Magitek Troop program, but I also know that you're my best friend, and you always will be." Noctis said, taking one hand off of Carbuncle's flank and clapping Prompto reassuringly on the shoulder, feeling a momentary shock at how hot Prompto's skin felt, as of he had a fever.
Prompto shivered at the contact, and then just stared at him, mouth agape. "Uh, I have literally no clue what you're talking about, Noct. Are you sure you're feeling okay, buddy? Your hands are like, ice cold?" Prompto looked like he wanted to stand up, to hover, or perhaps fetch Ignis faster, but the gunner had barely leaned forward to stand when he abruptly gasped and fell back against the backpack, clutching at his chest and wincing.
"Prompto!" Noctis said, jerking forward and accidentally jostled Carbuncle, who didn't stir. "Prom, what's wrong?"
"Owww, no, no i'm fine, it's just this stupid freakin' heartburn." Prompto said from between gritted teeth, flexing his jaw and screwing up his eyes. "It doesn't help that I kinda hit my head last night too, when, uh, ow, Carbuncle? When Carbuncle healed you or whatever."
Noctis frowned, then spotted the energy drink that Ignis had tossed across the tent. "Did you try drinking a potion? Or if that didn't help, an elixir?" he demanded, knowing they had plenty of the cheap knockoffs in their stock, and quite a few of the high-end energy shots for emergencies.
"No, Ignis said we need to run more experiments with your healing magic, and he didn't think it would help, or could make it worse." Prompto said, reaching out (with some effort) and picking up the tiny bottle. Prompto fiddled with the cap as he stared surreptitiously at the bright silver scars that were slowly darkening on Noctis' hands. He sniffled suddenly, "Ignis he pretty much said uh, he pretty much said we shouldn't waste anything on me when we didn't know if you were going to make it through the night…"
Noctis forgot to breathe for a second. "I'm so sorry Prompto, I didn't even consider what you guys must have gone through last night, and please, know that he didn't mean that in a bad way." He'd also forgotten that, no, they apparently haven't even started using potions and stuff full time yet. "Well, we already know i'm going to be fine, now drink that freaking potion already. You've used it for heartburn before, and it worked just fine."
Prompto nodded, and without further prompting, unscrewed the little cap and knocked back the shot in one go, grimacing at the taste. Noctis laughed a bit at the sight of Prompto scraping his tongue on the back of his hand frantically as the gunner briefly glowed with the healing magic. "Ugh, oh wow, I forgot how disgusting those things are," Prompto moaned, chucking the empty bottle across the tent again, continuing to make faces at the taste.
"Don't worry, you get used to it," Noctis assured him, "And some of the Mega-Elixirs actually taste pretty good after awhile."
Prompto goggled at him. "Wait, what the heck, are you telling me we get rich enough to afford Mega-Elixirs? Those things are like, a thousand-gil a piece, and they're only one ounce. No, no, wait, I'm getting distracted. What were you saying about Magitek Troop programs?"
Noctis stared at Prompto, feeling as flabbergasted as Prompto honestly looked. He looked so sincerely confused but how… how could that be?
'Not exactly something I could tell people, growing up in Lucis'. He was remembering that right, wasn't he? Prompto had been acting like… he'd been acting like he had known his entire life what he was.
"Are you saying… you don't know where you got the barcode?" Noctis asked. "You don't know where you were born?"
"Wait, you know about my barcode?" Prompto looked surprised, then-
- And Noctis could literally see the second that Prompto registered the second part of his question; the golden light in his chest, which had been flared brightly, sparked, sputtered, and then curled in on itself. Prompto physically flinched away from Noctis, as if struck. Prompto shuddered and rubbed at his arms, goosebumps erupting on his pale skin as the golden flame retreated, making his extremities look dead.
Prompto, in a quieter, more subdued voice whispered, "You…. you know I was born in Niflheim? That I'm… that I'm not even a real Lucian?" Prompto's eyes were full of dread as he looked at Noctis, "My…. my parents, my adoptive parents, they never did like me, could barely stand the sight of me. They said I was a burden, a disgrace to Lucis, and, and they only kept a…. a rat like me because they owed someone a debt…"
Noctis was simultaneously horrified and relieved. At the very least, he now knew Prompto hadn't suffered his entire childhood, tortured by the knowledge that he wasn't even human- but he'd had no clue that Prompto's parents were that bad; he knew they were horrible parents, negligent in the extreme, absent more than they were present, but to actively tell their child they were a rat, that you only kept them because of a debt? Noctis' jaw worked as he fought to keep the fury at Prompto's parents locked away, somewhere the rage would not show in his eyes and make Prompto think it was directed at him.
Noctis quickly cast his gaze outside the tent, and saw that Ignis had apparently finally convinced Gladio to come back; he could see the green and red lights of his friends slowly making their way back... probably discussing Noctis himself. He didn't have a lot of time before they were here again and would hear everything personal he wanted to tell Prompto in confidence.
"Listen Prompto, in the future, we found out where you were born, and you were really worried about us not accepting you, but please, never doubt that you are my best friend in the entire world, and I could never not love you for who you are." Noctis said quickly, plowing through the explanation, and ignoring for now the shocked and awed look in Prompto's eyes when Noctis said the word 'love'.
"We found out you were born in a facility in Niflheim, as part of an experiment to make cloned soldiers, the Magitek Troops, and I only just now realized you didn't actually know this yet, but in the future you found out in like the worst way possible, and I'm probably screwing this up royally but just know this doesn't change anything and we love you, Prompto, and nothing could ever change that, you're an invaluable member of the group, and I don't know what I would do without you." Noctis finished in a rush, seeing that Ignis and Gladio's lights were almost to the tent.
Prompto was staring at Noctis, apparently dazzled. "You… you really mean that? You… you don't think I… slow the group down, you…. You love me?" Prompto said, his voice trembling, and his eyes suddenly getting shiny.
Noctis felt his unbeating heart breaking further. How on earth could he and Prompto been best friends for so long, and he had never seen just how far the hurt went, how poorly Prompto thought of himself? Resolve like steel, Noctis gently shifted the unconscious Carbuncle onto a nest of blankets next to him, crawled over to Prompto, and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.
Noctis had never been one for physical affection. It made his skin crawl, it made him feel trapped, like there was a spotlight shining on him, and a million people expected something from him that he couldn't understand.
But he also knew that Prompto needed this, he knew that Prompto always craved contact with people, because Prompto's childhood had been loveless, and his infancy before being rescued had undoubtedly been just as cold and sterile as his absent parents. Prompto needed to know he was invaluable, that he was loved.
It felt like he was hugging a sun, the heat radiating off of Prompto was nearly overwhelming against his burns, but he refused to back down now and make Prompto second guess himself.
Prompto stiffened in his arms for a moment, probably shocked that Noctis was initiating something so intimate, then just completely melted, arms wrapping around Noctis and clutching at him desperately, and Noctis could already hear Prompto's breaths turning into gasps, feel his shoulders shaking from emotion, at knowing he was accepted, even if he didn't fully understand what Noctis was telling him about the future and his own past.
Noctis could see the golden light in Prompto flaring brightly again, could feel Prompto's heart pounding against his chest- and wondered if Prompto would notice that Noctis' own heart was not beating. He hoped he wouldn't, he didn't want Prompto to worry anymore than he already was.
The tent flap rustled, a wave of heat gusted in, and Noctis immediately heard Gladio's rough voice bark out, "What the hell, Prompto? Noct shouldn't be moving around! Are you trying to kill him?"
Prompto jumped at the harsh exclamation, flinching away from Noctis as if he'd been the one burned. Noctis barely caught a glimpse of Prompto dashing tears quickly from his eyes before Noctis had turned and rounded on Gladio, still crouched on the floor because he knew if he tried to stand, he would probably prove Gladio's point by falling over.
"Knock it off Gladio! Prompto's done nothing wrong and you will apologize right now." Noctis snarled, and briefly enjoyed the look of surprise on his bodyguard's face. Obviously, Gladio was under the impression that Noct was still incoherent and catatonic, or at least not going to fight back at the injustices Gladio dished out without waiting for an explanation.
Gladio scoffed, narrowing his eyes. "How about you stand up and say that to my face?" he challenged, crossing his arms.
Noctis clenched his teeth. You know what? Nope. Not this time.
He'd had enough of this the first time around. This Gladio, he was…. He was so immature. While trapped in the Crystal, Noctis had spent all of his time haunted by visions of the world being overrun by daemons; he'd had to watch, crying, screaming, raging, as men, women, and children were murdered in their beds, not only by daemons, but also by the various factions that rose up in the lawless land, pillaging and raiding settlements for their resources in a survival of the fittest fashion.
He'd watched his friends break apart in the dark, as their friendships shattered, either through misplaced aggression, or in silence when they should have stood up for themselves and each other. He'd watched as they split up, as they went out on their own, regret and frustration fueling them until they'd eventually, slowly, reunited, caution and kindness matured over time to displace the harsh words and silence of their youth.
Gladio…. Gladio had been the one to run away first. He'd stormed off, full of rage, spitting insults and condemnations at Prompto, at Ignis, for failing in their duties, for slowing them down, for lying about their past- and it had been Prompto that eventually brought them back together, years later, through his own rage and frustration, through forced reconciliations and maturity granted through the darkest of times, until Gladio finally revealed he had left because of his own failings.
Noctis wasn't going to let Gladio destroy their friendships again, and he most certainly wasn't going to take Gladio's self-conscious retaliating bullshit anymore- Gladio needed to realize he was hurting the ones he loved, and he needed another outlet than harsh words and hits. Noctis still clearly remember the look of pain and betrayal in Prompto's eyes when Gladio had effortlessly shoved him to the floor on that damned train.
Noctis inhaled a slow, deep, deliberate breath, then released it. He gathered all of the cold energy that Carbuncle had sent to him, and used it to bolster himself as he rose to his full height from the floor, willing himself not to stumble as his knees shook and lightheadedness made his head spin. He squared his shoulders, raised his chin, and stared Gladio directly in the eye, seeing the blazing red fire behind it match his intensity..
"Apologize to Prompto, Gladio. I know you're worried about me, but you need to learn to take your aggression out on something other than your friends." Noctis said sternly, voice calm and collected. "As Ignis has undoubtedly told you already, I've been partially healed by Carbuncle, and I can move around fine."
Gladio scrutinized Noctis' face, taking in the defiant but strong stance, then averted his gaze. Gladio sighed. "Fine, fine. You're right, I'm sorry, Prompto."
It was probably because Gladio had only actually looked at Prompto in that moment, but the bodyguard's expression quickly transformed from gruff remorse to astonished concern at seeing Prompto's tears. "Woah, hey, Prom, you know I didn't really mean to yell at you, right?" Gladio asked, reaching out to Prompto, who had remained on the floor, hiding his face.
Prompto shook his head and chuckled weakly, and Noct saw how one hand clutching at the barcode under his bracelet. "No, no, I mean, it's okay, it's not like I could even kill Noct if I tried, since he's one of the restless dead and all now."
Noctis frowned at Prompto when he didn't defend himself, but conceded that self-confidence was something they all needed to work on. He could reassure Prompto of his worth all he wanted, but he knew a two-second speech and a hug was a drop in the bucket after years worth of self-doubt, especially if his parents had actively contributed to it.
Noctis reached out with his good hand and tried to pull Prompto to his own feet- only to release his grip with a cry as a sharp pain tore through his back and stomach when he tried to lift.
Knees buckling, Noct would have hit the ground hard if Ignis hadn't caught him, and both of them staggered to the floor under his weight as the scars from the Armiger, only partially healed, ripped open again.
There was a minute or so of frantic questions and shouts before Noctis waved the others off, reminding them that they couldn't actually do anything to heal him with magic. He let out a morbid, weak chuckle as he observed the dark red blood that now stained his hands as Ignis shoved a bunched up t-shirt against the wound, trying to staunch the flow.
Ignis' touch felt like a brand.
"Well fuck," He gasped out, "This is probably what Carbuncle meant when he said 'don't be reckless.' Good thing I can't actually die again, seeing as I already am..."
Ignis shook his head at his blasé response, then sighed. "Noct, please, do not make light of this situation, we have some very burning questions for you."
Prompto let out a strangled laugh.
Noctis rolled his eyes.. "Really, Iggy?"
"Well," Gladio butted in, "You've certainly let us stew in anticipation long enough."
"These puns are really getting out of pan, guys." Prompto stuttered out, clutching at his arms.
Noctis groaned, then made sure he was near enough Carbuncle to run a hand through the burned, white fur. He needed something to ground him for the explanation to come, even with his friend's efforts to lighten the grim mood.
Noctis sighed. "Okay, so what do you guys know about the Prophecy, and about my father's Ring?"
He saw his friends exchange glances.
"Well, we know what pretty much everyone does, right?" Prompto finally said, "That in the past, the Six gave mankind a prophecy about a True King who would one day arise and save the world from a great Darkness. There's like a million movies and plays about it, even Little Malby had an episode where the King rose and tried to kill all the Marlboros until Malby convinced him not all of them were bad." Prompto supplied, counting off of his fingers, "People've also written like, a million AUs where their favorite ships find out one of them is the King or something."
Ignis nodded along, before adding, "One of my classes in college focused entirely on studying the Prophecy, and the various interpretations of it; some schools of thought even think that the Prophecy has come to pass already. Would you like me to recite it?"
"Please, Ignis." Noctis said, knowing that his own memory was patchy when it came to the exact wording.
"Yeah, my dad never really cared much for that kind of thing, so I only know what the shows and plays have said about it," Gladio admitted, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
Ignis cleared his throat, pushed his glasses further up his nose, and began to speak, voice ringing strong and clear as he recited the prophecy in the traditional form:
"O'er rotted Soil, under Blighted Sky,
A dread Plague the Wicked as wrought,
In the Light of the Gods, Sword-Sworn at his Side,
'Gainst the Dark the King's Battle is fought,
From the Heavens high, to the Blessed below,
Shines the Beam of Peace long besought,
'Long live thy Line and this Stone divine,
For the Night when All comes to Naught.'"
Noctis waited for Ignis to recite more, waited for him to mention the Sacrifice, waited for him to mention the Price, but Ignis was the one looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for Noctis to add on to it.
"Uh, Ignis, are you sure that's the entire thing?" Noctis finally asked, voice rasping as he tried to remember ever hearing a longer version of it. Most of the cartoons and even the plays he'd seen in his childhood never gave the exact wording, except for a sentence or two. But surely the Prophecy, the thing that had doomed him in early childhood, would include the fact that the True King would Sacrifice himself for All?
Ignis shook his head in the negative, "Apologies, Highness, but that is the only verse that was ever transcribed- and it is not always taken literally, word-for-word; For instance, the placement of commas and pauses can drastically alter the meaning, and many scholars believe that the Dark could be the darkness of mankind, our greed or our rage manifesting itself in war or poverty-"
"No, it's literal." Noctis interrupted, head spinning. "The Darkness is literally a darkness that swallows the world in eternal night, giving daemons free reign to infect and transform the masses, apocalypse style."
"...You might need to work on your delivery, there, Noct. We're still lost over here." Prompto said slowly, staring at him with wide eyes.
Noctis growled in frustration- trying to explain things calmly and slowly obviously wasn't working. Well, short and sweet had kind of worked with Prompto, right? He never really was one for talking so much anyways….
"Okay, long story short, the Prophecy is real, it's literal, it's about me, you guys are my sword-sworn, the Empire invaded Insomnia during the signing Ceremony, my father died, somehow Luna was in Insomnia during the bombing instead of Altissia so my father was able to give her the Ring to bring to me, which is a conduit to the Crystal that steals the soul of whoever wears it, and is the key to destroying the Scourge, um, with Cor's help we went around and collected the glaives of the previous kings so we could fight back the Empire while also making Pacts with the Six, finally got to Altissia to meet up with Luna and gain Leviathan's support, where she destroyed the capital, and then Luna died, and Ignis was blinded and then we went to Cartanica to get the last of the royal tombs and Prompto got kidnaped and we went to rescue him and I got trapped in the Crystal for ten years by Bahamut who finally let me out just so I could die by summoning the past Kings to kill the Accursed to fulfill the prophecy, and then I woke up here, last night. Carbuncle told me that he was able to bring Luna and I back to the past, and that we're now Unseen like he is, which apparently means we're undead, and healing magic will actually hurt us instead of help."
Oddly enough, Noctis didn't even feel breathless after saying all that in one quick go, though he'd had to pause for breath during it. His hand crept up to his opposite wrist as he watched his friends absorb his spiel, feeling again for a pulse, but there was nothing, despite the cold blood now coating his fingers. Curious, he decided to hold his breath, just to see how long he could.
"Are you… are you saying you died?" Ignis voice suddenly asked, his voice sounding brittle, like he could shatter. "You died for a prophecy?"
Noctis nodded. "Yep." He said, still holding his breath. 'The Ring gave me these scars."
"And Lady Lunafreya, she died too…. But you said she traveled back in time with you?" Prompto asked, sounding both disturbed but relieved; Noctis now knew that Prompto idolized Luna, for being the one to give him his confidence in childhood.
"Why are you guys focusing on that stuff?" Gladio suddenly thundered, and Noctis jumped.
Gladio rounded on Noctis, leaning forward so he could stare into his eyes, "You said the Empire invaded Insomnia during the Signing! That's not for another five days! We can stop it!"
Noctis stared at Gladio. He gusted out the breath he'd been holding, surprised, "Wait, what? You mean the signing hasn't even happened yet?"
"No! We literally just left Insomnia yesterday morning! The signing's not due until the 16th! It's only the 11th! We just need find a phone, call the King, and make sure he's prepared! Do you know how it happened? Did Niflheim start with an all-out attack, or did they send in spies? What kind of machinery were they using? How did they get past the wall? How-"
"Wait, stop, stop, hold on," Noctis said, leaning forward himself, until Gladio himself had to take a step back, lest they bump noses, "The only thing we heard about the invasion came from a newspaper that said insurgents had bombed the ceremony in protest, and that Dad, Luna, and I had all died in the explosions. The empire took the Crystal for 'safekeeping',and pretty much all of Insomnia evacuated to Lestallum over the course of the next year, since it's the most advanced city outside of the Wall. Not even Cor knew all the details of what happened." Noctis said, shaking his head. "Jared and Talcott weren't able to tell us much about what happened, but they were able to get Iris out safely. Your dad… he died defending mine."
Gladio's face was ashen when he leaned back, but he did smile in sad pride at that revelation. "No better way for an Amicitia to go." He whispered, seemingly trying to convince himself.
"Besides, Carbuncle said that Luna and Nyx, one of my father's Glaive, are on their way to meet us as we speak. We have to wait for them before anything else... Actually, where are we, anyways?" Noctis asked, only realizing at that moment that he hadn't actually seen past the walls of the tent since he woke up.
"We are currently in the Leide region, a few miles from Hammerhead," Ignis supplied, "We had taken on a hunt this morning to raise funds to repair the Regalia, and night fell before we were able to return to the rest area, so we set up Gladio's tent here, at the Cotisse Sanctuary."
Noctis nodded along, he remembered camping out here the first time, too. Of course, he hadn't randomly woken up in the past with fatal wounds the first time…
"Can you help me up? I want to see outside. I want to see the sky." Noctis asked, looking up at Gladio, before checking himself. Noctis glanced down at the bundled up shirt that had been pressed against his stab wound, and found that the blood there had coagulated into blackish scabs, that still seeped red if he stretched too much or tried to pull the shirt away. He shot his bodyguard a pleading look, knowing he was in no shape to be moving around like he'd been earlier- Carbuncle was probably going to throw a fit when he woke up… but he also desperately wanted to see the clear sky again for the first time in years.
His desperation must have been evident, as Gladio rolled his eyes, then sighed. "Fine, fine. Iggy, you mind getting some 'proper' bandages on his cuts and burns first? There's some shirts in my bag I don't mind being shredded, now that that little rat is letting us near Noct."
"Hey," Noctis said, offended on Carbuncle's behalf, "If it weren't for him you'd probably have tried to use a potion or cure spell on me." He reminded as Ignis dutifully sliced some of Gladio's huge shirts lengthwise with his daggers, before showing Prompto how to as Ignis moved closer to Noctis, a small pair of hairdressing scissors in his hand.
"I will have to remember to thank this… Carbuncle, when he awakens." Ignis said fervently, "I can only assume that as you said you are…. 'Unseen' like your friend, then the elixir we attempted to use last night would have given you the same chemical burns as it did when it spilled on him." Ignis said, pointing out the bubbled, black burns that decorated Carbuncle's white hide, regret and pain clear in the advisor's green eyes. "
Ignis shivered as he began to gently cut Noctis' ruined shirt off. "I shudder to think of what the internal damage would have been, if we had gotten you to drink one…"
Prompto made a gagging noise at the thought as Ignis slowly peeled away the ruined shirt pressed against Noctis' stomach, and then re-wrapped the wounds in the new 'bandages' until Noctis was so covered in strips, he looked like a mummy. When Ignis started loosely wrapping his arm as well, Noct began to seriously worry he wouldn't be able to move an inch with so much fabric covering him.
Noctis observed anew the wounds on his little friend. Those were caused by a lowly potion? He wondered if there was anything they could do for the little Esper, but wasn't exactly sure how his physiology differed from a mortals, seeing as how he was usually on a completely different plane than Eos.
Deciding that attempting to help (without magic, obviously) was better than nothing, Noctis beckoned Prompto closer and asked if he could try cleaning a few of Carbuncle's wounds, seeing as Prompto was an animal lover who had adopted out dozens of stray or injured animals he'd rescued from the streets of Insomnia.
Prompto's eyes lit up at the invitation, and Noctis' friend was quick to scuttle closer, no longer wincing with every movement, the tear tracks dried and scrubbed from his face to reveal his usual optimistic self. Prompto was quick to borrow a few of the smaller, black scraps of fabric from Ignis, who had nearly finished wrapping a large wadding of fabric around the bad side of Noctis' face, obscuring the magical vision and leaving him feeling oddly disconcerted at the lack of multi-colored lights he had been able to see glowing from his friends.
With just his 'good' eye, Noctis found he had trouble judging distance, and everything looked a lot flatter without the fires that had sparked and wavered wherever he saw a living thing. It was especially weird since he'd only had that ability for an hour, at most, but it felt like it had always been a part of him, something vital and necessary.
Watching Prompto work at expertly tying little bandages around the worst of Carbuncle's exposed burns, Noct had to fight himself not to rip off the cloth covering his bad…. No, his dead eye.
When Prompto had finally finished covering the Esper's wounds, Gladio stepped forward and slowly, gently, hauled Noctis up into his arms, being careful to keep him in one position so his back and stomach wounds wouldn't open again from stretching. Noctis winced slightly at how hot Gladio's arms were, but kept his mouth shut- he could feel Gladio shivering already, and he knew they would probably refuse his request to go outside if he showed any more discomfort- he could see the worry on all their faces, and knew it was a miracle they hadn't been overwhelmed already.
Ignis hurried forward to hold open the tent's flap, and immediately reddish-gold light filtered in. Noctis' breath caught in his throat at the sight, and he found himself eagerly leaning forward. He'd been assuming it was still the middle of the night, but… but it looked like the sun…
"Is that a sunrise?" He whispered, and heard the pain and awe in his own voice. His hands were suddenly trembling, and he found himself clenching his good hand around the knee of his pajama pants, trembling, wanting to reach out to the light.
Wordlessly, Ignis stepped back, moving out of the way as Gladio ducked through the flap, bringing Noctis out into the first sunrise he'd seen in over a decade. The warmth of the sun washed over Noctis, and a warm breeze ruffled his hair as he stared at the horizon- as he stared at the way the whole world seemed to be a riot of bright colors, and even the fluffy, white clouds in the sky were painted the brightest of pinks on their back sides.
"It's beautiful." Noctis whispered, reverent, and in that moment, he knew:
He would never, ever let the world fall into an endless night, ever again.
They were going to save the world, and it wouldn't take ten years of hell to do it.
He wouldn't allow it.
Not this time.