The trip back to Hammerhead was a crowded, uncomfortable one.

Cid had brought a regular, old, beat-up truck to pick them up in, and there was not nearly enough room for them to all sit in the front; Noctis's fresh burns still bothered him greatly in the hot sunlight, so he (and Nyx, once Noctis realized the glaive had been hiding a sensitivity to sunlight since his daemonification) were piled in the front of the truck with Cid, shielded from the sun by a thick, suffocating blanket, an unconscious Carbuncle cradled in Noct's lap.

Cid had thrown a big fuss when he saw that Noct fully intended to bring Carbuncle with them, the older mechanic thinking he was just a dead animal, but the second Noctis had mentioned Carbuncle's name, and that no, he wasn't actually dead (although Noct wasn't sure if that was technically true), Cid had gotten real quiet and speculative, looking over the Esper's form in a new light.

Noctis wasn't sure if Cid recognized the significance of just what exactly Carbuncle was, or if he just knew the same vague stories Noct had been told by his father.

After Luna and Noctis (with some help from Prompto) took turns in the privacy of the tent to change into clean clothes, Noctis had happily tossed his blood-stained garments into the Haven's blue, purifying fire. Even if Ignis could have maybe gotten all the blood and grime out, Noct didn't think he could stomach the thought of ever wearing that particular pair of pajamas ever again.

It was very odd seeing Luna in something other than white- currently, she was clad in one of the many pairs of simple black pants and t-shirts that he had packed so long ago. The particular top she was wearing was black but for a tiny sprinkle of faint stars cascading down the shoulders, falling towards a barely-visible, grinning skull on the bottom right hem.

Upon seeing her dressed so, and that she and Nyx were pretty much in matching outfits, Prompto had begged for a photo of her and Nyx, and the two had delighted him in obliging- as long as they got to pose with Noct.

A sudden wave of amusement reached his soul, interrupting his thoughts, right before a delicate laugh reached his ears- Luna was piled in the back along with Cindy, Iggy, Gladio, and Prompto, who was telling muffled jokes to try and impress the two women.

Noct and Nyx both snorted quietly in shared mirth- simultaneously- then shared a glance, before abruptly bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of their situation, feeling Luna joining in at the same time.

"I must be a better comedian than I thought." Noctis faintly heard Prompto say- or was he hearing it through Luna's ears?

Like his dead eye healing, the soul bond between him, Luna, and Nyx seemed to only be growing stronger with time.

Now, even when he had an obnoxious and irritating makeshift eye patch covering his eye, he could still see the lights… even if the feel of fabric so close to his eye was distracting.

Now, even when they weren't in direct physical contact, he could feel a vague itch on his stomach and in his lungs, just on the peripheral of his consciousness, only flaring into small jolts of pain whenever Luna moved too quickly. Nyx's wounds were too similar in placement to his own to really cause him any discomfort, but he felt horrible for Luna, who had to feel both his and Nyx's burns- it was why he had not complained about having to hide under a blanket in the truck; he would never willingly make her or Nyx feel any of his own pain, let alone make them feel worse.

"Y'all're odd, even fer city folk, ya know?" Cid's voice grumbled from the driver's seat after Luna, Noct, and Nyx had finally stifled their laughter, mindful of the flares of pain that echoed through their bond from Luna's water-damaged lungs.

"You don't know the half of it." Noct chuckled, stroking Carbuncle's fur, watching as the silver skin of his hand started the last stages of its darkening. He could only hope that the scars would fade even more with time…

He wondered how much he should tell Cid, or if he even should. To be honest, he personally didn't like him all that much, even after Cid had "softened" towards them all. He also wasn't sure how the old mechanic would react to the announcement- would he believe him? Would he scoff, call him insane, or even worse- would he believe him, and be ashamed?

Would he hear of the ten years of darkness, and blame Noctis?

Nyx quirked an eyebrow at him, and Noctis nodded, forcing himself to set the negative thought aside. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

A particularly harsh bump in the road elicited a gasp from Noct as his stomach and back wounds were jostled. Regret and guilt ate away at him as he heard Luna's accompanying gasp of pain in the back, while Nyx merely stiffened next to him, wincing silently.

"Lady Lunafreya! Are you okay?" Cindy exclaimed from the back, and Noctis saw Cid's soft jasmine-yellow light twisting as he presumably looked over his shoulder in concern.

"I am as fine as I can be; please, do not concern yourself, it is not my own pain." Luna replied, and Noctis felt a ghost of a hand on his shoulder lifting; he did not want to risk twisting around to see, but he could only guess Cindy or one of the others had placed their hand on Luna's shoulder in comfort.

Their soul bond was definitely getting stronger the more time went on… he could only hope his injuries would heal quickly so that he could avoid causing Luna and Nyx anymore undue pain.

He would have to be… exceedingly careful when they met Ardyn in battle.

If this car trip would ever end.

A habitual sigh worked itself from his throat, and Noctis let his eyes drift shut as he futily tried fanning himself with his hand- ever since being Pulled back as an undead, Noctis had made some concerning discoveries about his new anatomic functions- the obvious lack of a heartbeat, not needing to breathe except for speaking or habit, and right now, the part that made him feel like he was slowly dying of heatstroke: he couldn't regulate his body temperature anymore.

Leide was a barren, blazing-hot wasteland on a good, 'back when he was still alive' day… being stuck in a hot car with no A/C, with the sun blazing down on them and he couldn't even sweat to cool himself down? Surrounded by his Seen friends, whose body temperatures were at actual living-being temperatures, and felt like mini suns? He felt like he was melting.

He really, really really hoped Takka's diner had air conditioning.

He hadn't been there in ten years so he honestly could not for the life of him remember the particulars.

"Woo! Finally!" Prompto called out, slightly awkwardly from the back. He could only imagine the tension the others were under, being yet unaware of the soulbond, or in Cindy's case, not knowing about the time travel and not being able to speak freely.

"We're here." Cid agreed, slightly less grumbling than Noctis would have expected- he could only guess having an obviously-injured Oracle in the back of his truck was quelling the mechanic's usual ire.

The truck rocked as the others hopped out of the back, and within moments, the bright lights of his friends were circling around to the passenger side, and with an ominous creak, the door was forced open, with much tugging and swearing when the ancient handle refused to budge the first few times.

...Noct was feeling more and more better about having Cindy drive them by the minute.

"C'mon, c'mon, we haven' got all day!" Cid said, forcing his driver's side door open and then slamming it shut with an audible crack. Noctis could see Cid's light veritably stomping towards the others as the mechanic crossed around the front of the car.

Yeah. He was really glad it was going to be Cindy driving them.

Still hidden from the sun under the blanket, Noctis cradled Carbuncle to his chest with one hand and eagerly followed Nyx as they slowly maneuvered themselves out of the car practically blind-suddenly, Nyx stumbled as he was stepping out of the car, the Glaive's knee buckling under him as a flare of sharp, fiery pain lanced through their bond.

Instinct alone had Noctis lunging across the seat, trying to stop Nyx from falling; he managed to grab hold of the sleeve of Nyx's borrowed shirt with his free hand, but then the pain of his sudden, jarring movement reached his awareness and he regretted it instantly.

Outside the car, Luna's sudden scream shattered the air and Nyx crumpled to the ground, a hoarse shout leaving the glaive's lips as Noctis' pain reached the both of them at the same time. Nyx falling had dislodged the blanket, which was ripped off of Noctis as he fell onto the musty, torn seat of the truck, narrowly avoiding squishing Carbuncle under his weight as agony tore up and down his spine.

Screams and shouts were echoing all around the gas station parking lot, but all Noctis could focus on was pushing his pain to the back of his mind, trying to hold as still as possible so he could stop hurting Luna and Nyx already!

Screwing his eyes shut against the harsh glare of the sun, Noctis felt his skin crawling with pinpricks of pain that were gradually building, the longer Nyx was uncovered by the blanket and the longer his burns were exposed to the hot air. Clenching his jaw so he wouldn't bite his lip (or scream), Noctis could have cried with relief when someone (he was pretty sure it was Ignis, judging by the shade of ivy green) hastily tossed the blanket over Nyx, blocking the sun from the daemonized man where he was cringing on the ground, hunched over his stomach.

The momentary reprieve from the sun must have been enough for Nyx to gather his wits, because the man immediately reached out to Luna, pulled her under the blanket with him, and with the two of them on their feet, they lurched towards him, crowding in the car door until all three of them were huddled under the blanket, clutching each others hands, pale as death. Outside, the freaking-out forms of Noctis' friends was lighting up the exterior of the car in a dazzle of blinding lights as random citizens and Hunters crowded around the car, worried over the screams.

‹...Noct?...› A very quiet and confused voice whispered, barely audible underneath the cacophony Cid and the others were making-Cid sounding almost as freaked out as the random bystanders, while Ignis was trying in vain to act as though nothing was amiss and shooing bystanders away with little effect.

"Carbuncle!" Noctis gasped, turning his head with difficulty to see that the tiny esper was stirring, ears twitching and rotating as Carbuncle rejoined the land of the living.

‹Noct! There you are! › Carbuncle chirped happily, hopping to his little feet and then looking around in confusion when he noticed they were under a blanket. ‹ Noct, what did you do? › The exasperation in Carbuncle's tone was clear, ‹ I told you to be careful with your injuries! › The little fox scolded, nuzzling against Noctis' face, then turning and displaying the same easy affection to Nyx and Luna, who were staring at Carbuncle with wide eyes from faces still etched with Noctis' pain.

‹ At least you're all three together, that will make this a bit easier! › Carbuncle chirped, wiggling around excitedly, before becoming more serious as he looked at each of them, ‹ Okay, I know only Noct, and maybe Luna have experience with this, but I need the three of you to reach out to each other with your souls; try to do what you did when you were reunited. It's hard to describe, but since you are all three soul mates, I should be able to heal all of you at once. ›

Noctis nodded shifting a tiny bit where he was lying awkwardly on the upholstery, "Let me see if I can, and I guess i'll… try to show you guys how?"

Nyx nodded, but Luna raised one delicate hand, wariness echoing from her as she spoke: "Before we begin, I believe it would be better to heal the three of us in a less… crowded area? Somewhere with more room to work?" She asked, indicating the car with a wince, as well as the shouting crowd that still surrounded them.

Oh.

Yeah.

"Good idea," Noctis agreed, letting go of Luna's hand so she, being the 'least' injured out of the three of them, could disentangle herself from the blanket and duck out from underneath. Carbuncle nuzzled Noctis' cheek again as he watched her go, an odd sense of abandonment ghosting through his mind as she left his sight, but he did his best to shrug the sensation away.

"Thank you everyone, for your concern," Luna's voice rang out, loud and clear, "But please, may we have some space? My comrades are injured, and we must have room to carry them into a safe space where they can receive medical attention."

"Ya'll can use the back room o' my diner, ma'am, if it's to your likin'. The local Hunters use it as a med room, I've got it set up in case o' emergencies."

"Splendid! Gladiolus, could you carry… Nox for me? Prompto, Ignis, could you assist Nyx?"

A round on confirmations from his friends preceded the slow, careful shifting of the blanket, and as Nyx was lead away, arms tossed over Iggy and Prompto's shoulders, Gladio leaned in, draped his jacket over Noctis, and carefully scooped him and Carbuncle up. Noctis winced at the light and adjusted the jacket with one hand, cradling Carbuncle to him as Gladio carefully straightened up, leaving his face and arms hidden in shade, his clothing doing the rest to cover his legs.

Even as Gladio was carefully carrying him towards wherever they had taken Nyx, Noctis could feel his bond to Luna stretching, anxiety beginning to creep upon him the further away they got...

"Thank you, everyone, for your help. If anyone here has any spare supplies, such as medicines we would be grateful. The injuries are not too severe, merely painful; we just made a bit of a wrong move, lost our footing and aggravated the wounds. Cid, could you go ahead with the others; Cindy, you follow me, and Mr…?"

"Takka, Miss. My name's Takka."

"Mr. Takka, you have my gratitude, for allowing us to use your lodgings. Do you get many injuries here, outside of the kingdom's wall?"

The sound of footsteps behind him signalled that Luna, Cindy, and Takka were leaving the soothed crowd behind, and Noctis marveled at Luna's ability to take command of a crowd with such authority and precision. Glancing over his shoulder as Gladio ascended some short steps, he peered past Gladio's cerise light to see Luna's purple-jade following behind, surrounded by Cindy's sepia, and…

White?

A sea of white lights? Plain, and colorless?

He was about to ask Carbuncle why all of these people weren't as colorful as everyone he knew, but then a wave of the most heavenly-cold air he'd ever felt rolled over him, accompanied by the blessed sound of old air conditioners chugging away, and he was distracted from his thoughts as the heat of the sun was left behind.

He sighed in relief, relaxing a bit more as the cold seeped into his skin, chilling him and bringing him new energy. He did feel a bit bad for Gladio though, who was already shivering from his contact with Noctis.

He really wanted to peek around the jacket, to see Takka's diner again without the windows boarded, the surviving counters strewn with weapons, without having to see tables flipped into makeshift barricades…

But he had waited ten years; he could wait a bit longer.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer to Nyx, and he focused his eyes on Nyx's purple-gold light, surrounded by the now-familiar colors of Prompto, Ignis, and Cid. Finally, after a minute that seemed to last an eternity, he was within arm's reach of Nyx, and the sound of a door shutting gently behind them was enough motivation for Noct to shove the jacket from overtop his head so he could see the room with his living eye.

The room was surprisingly clean and organized, albeit small. Chairs and two raised, folding cots were arranged in the corners of the room, with Nyx perched on one of the beds, surrounded by a pale Ignis and Prompto, faces tight with worry; Cid was leaning against a counter on the opposite side, clenching his fists tightly on the edge of the counter as he glared a hole in the floor.

"Noct!" Prompto called in relief, "You okay? What happened out there, buddy? Mr tight-lips over here doesn't want to tell us," Prompto said, jerkin his thumb at Nyx with a pout; Nyx just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Hey, I told you it's…. Well, not 'nothing', but it is… private." Nyx said, shooting a glance at Noctis. "Hey, Nox, you good now?" Nyx asked Noctis, bopping Prompto on the shoulder with a significant look in the blonde's direction.

Noct sniggered as he saw Prompto blanch when he realized he'd forgotten to use Noctis' hastily-concocted pseudonym, but Noct didn't mind; he trusted Takka, even if the blind restaurant owner didn't know them just yet.

"Yeah, I'm good for now, sorry about that; I was trying to catch you…" Noctis said, trailing off in embarrassment. Faking a cough and clearing his throat, Noctis gestured at Carbuncle with his free hand as Gladio set him down on the cot across from Nyx. "But hey, Carbuncle here says he should be able to heal us the rest of the way."

"Oh thank heavens," Ignis breathed, covering his face with his hands; Noctis' advisor whispered something Noct was not meant to hear, and he felt guilt welling up in his heart as Nyx heard Ignis' heartfelt whisper of I could not bear this much longer.

Cringing at the pain he was causing his friends, Noctis gently deposited Carbuncle beside him and reached out silently to Luna and Nyx; his bondmates quickly converged on him, Nyx hopping off his own cot, waving off Ignis and Prompto's concern.

"We've got to be close together for this to work," Noctis explained, seeing Gladio's mutinous expression as Nyx sat beside him on the cot, between Noctis and Gladio. A sense of smugness and slight anger from Nyx's side of the bond told Noctis that this was not a coincidence, but he didn't really have any privacy to ask him what was up with him and Gladio. He would have to deal with it later.

"So, what all're ya'll gonna do?" Cindy asked curiously, "I thought Lady- uh... Lady… Lulu said she couldn't heal ya'll?"

"Please," Takka suddenly interrupted, fidgeting nervously with his hands as he tilted his head back and forth as though scanning the room, something that Noctis recognized from Ignis after Altissia; "There's no need ta' be using fake names or nothin', I'd heard the Lady Lunafreya enough on the radio ta' recognize her voice, an' I heard yer acceptance speech on the radio for the treaty last week, Prince Noctis."

Huh. Noctis did vaguely recall having to make a short acceptance speech about the treaty, as well as announce his impending marriage to the Oracle, but he didn't realize that it had been broadcast this far out past the Wall.

"Well, traveling incognito didn't last long." Prompto chimed in, smiling nervously.

"No worries," Noct said, smiling at Takka even though the restaurateur couldn't see it, "I trust you, Takka."

"Oh, er, uh, thanks, though I'm not sure why ya'll think I deserve it…" Takka mumbled, his demure personality making itself known again as he backed towards the door, "Did ya'll want me ta' leave so you's can work yer fancy royal magic, or…?"

Noctis almost said he didn't mind Takka staying, but then he caught sight of Gladio's thunderous expression, and thought better of it. No need to stress his friends out anymore than they already were.

"That actually would be a big help, we really are trying to travel under the radar, and the less people knowing the specifics, the better." Nyx said, sensing Noctis' reluctance.

Takka nodded one of his quick, jerky movements, and with practiced ease, let himself out of the room, neatly side-stepping past the countertops and bolted-down bar stools as he made his way back to the kitchen area, only visible until Gladio veritably slammed the door, flipping the lock as he did so.

"Can we get on with the magical healing already?" Gladio demanded, sending a glare at Carbuncle, whose ears quivered, but the esper did not make a verbal response at the hostility.

Looking sadly at Noctis, Carbuncle titled his head, ears drooping, and Noctis realized Carbuncle didn't like causing his friends pain anymore than he did.

"Yeah, sure." Noctis said, making sure he was holding hands with Luna and Nyx, before looking at them both, "Okay guys, I know you heard some of what Carbuncle said before, but I'm not sure if you've ever done it? Here, uh try to feel this…"

Concentrating, since it was harder in his physical form, Noctis slowly pushed the purple-blue flames of his soul outside of his physical form, inch by inch, until it just barely brushed against Nyx and Luna's shoulders; the two of them jumped slightly at the feeling, and he saw recognition light up Luna's face. "Oh! This feels… similar to how I performed the Covenants…" The recognition in her emotions turned to worry.

‹ Don't worry, Luna! This is nothing like forging a Covenant! When you forged a Covenant, you were reaching out with your soul, and having pieces… torn… from you as the price › Carbuncle informed them, cringing as he spoke the last few words, his large ears going flat against his skull as he glanced sideways at Gladio, ‹Actually Summoning an Eidolon from Beyond would be even worse.›

Noctis glanced at his Shield, and saw that Gladio was still glaring at the wall over their heads, his cerise-red soul flaring brightly with his obvious rage and frustration at the situation.

Instead, today, you're going to reach out for each other, just like you did when you reunited. Once you are all three connected fully again, I can heal you- it will not bring you back to life, you will still be Unseen until we can figure that part out, but you will no longer be so grievously injured.

"Fine by me," Nyx said, "It'd be real nice if I didn't have a bullet hole in my knee forever."

"A WHAT?" Ignis exclaimed, then paused, and buried his face in his hands again. "Never mind, never mind, just... continue, please."

Noctis saw Prompto shooting Ignis a commiserating look, before Noctis took Ignis' plea and continued pushing his soul out until it was brushing Luna and Nyx's sides again, having retreated back to his core when he lost his concentration.

The next few minutes passed in relative silence, as Luna and Nyx slowly copied his technique; it was tiring, and more than once he lost his grasp on his magic and had to push it out again, but he found by the fifth time, he could hold out longer, and it was easier to push out.

By the time Luna successfully melded her magic with his, he could hold a half-decent conversation without losing his hold, and by the time Nyx joined his soul with theirs, Noctis found he barely had to make any special effort, though the entire session was wearing him down, and the artificial chill in the air that he had welcomed on arrival, now had him wishing he could shiver for warmth.

"You guys ready?" Noctis asked aloud, for the benefit of his Seen friends who wouldn't be able to hear his thoughts.

Luna and Nyx nodded, and around the room, Prompto, Gladio, Ignis, Cindy, and Cid all backed up to give them space. Carbuncle did a happy prance in place before skittering back a few steps as his little black eyes surveyed the soul magic that had blossomed around the trio.

Okay, you three! You got it perfect! Ready? Steady? Here we go!

Carbuncle back up, the purple fire of his soul growing in intensity-

He leapt into the air, the purple fire blasting out of him like a mini nova-

And right before the healing energy washed over Noctis, he caught a glimpse of Gladio's cerise soul, perfectly matched with the flicker of flame burning at Carbuncle's core.

Then the wave of magic hit him, and the world was awash in purple fire.

The fire coated his skin, sank into his bones, filled his lungs, and all he could see was that deathly hue-

But the fire was cleansing, it was cool, refreshing, even as it burned its way through his wounds, retracing the charred paths the Ring's silver fire had left. He could feel the last of his wounds closing, strengthening, and even his old, old knee would had suddenly lost its stiffness. His awareness of Luna and Nyx had also grown three-fold; he could hear their wonder and relief as if it were his own, he could feel his own hand clutching theirs,he could feel the raging elemental magic that burned in Nyx's core, contained by his will but vicious in its hunger for combat. He could feel the brilliant green of Luna's magic, shining like a star in her core, and the green tendrils like living vines that nestled under her skin, ready and waiting to reach out and share the breath of life at her command.

Then the moment was over; he opened his eyes, and he could see perfectly from his living eye, even better than before. His dead eye was still dead, but now he could see the flames of everyone's souls as he'd never seen: before they had been mere flames, now they shone like stars, beating and flaring in small novas in time with their owner's hearts and emotions. The area beyond their little enclosed room was awash in a sea of stars, all the ordinary citizens milling about outside, their lights all that oddly blank white.

"Well?" Cid suddenly barked, "Are ya'll healed or what? I don't wan't ya'll gettin' blood in any more o' my cars." Cid's words were gruff, but from the aura around him spoke the truth: he was filled with genuine concern.

You should be fully healed now! Carbuncle chirped, I managed to get your old injuries too. You should be good as new!

Noctis smiled at Carbuncles words and was, touched by the affection he could see in Cid, past the man's outwards exterior. "You don't have to worry, Cid, I have literally never felt better!" Laughing, Noct launched himself off of the cot and did a little jig on the spot, kicking out with his formerly bad knee and delighting in the lack of discomfort. It had been so long since he'd been free of pain, and it was exhilarating.

"My knee doesn't even hurt!" Noctis called over to Ignis and Gladio, who were watching him with mutual, skeptical expressions bordering on alarm at his antics. Grinning broadly, Noct scooped Carbuncle up into his arms and spun around, listening to Carbuncle's happy chirps and squeaks as the esper nuzzled him under his chin.

"Mine neither," Nyx said, chuckling. He too hopped off of the cot, gave a stretch, and then offered a hand to Luna and pulled her to her feet. Luna was practically glowing with her restored health, and as she breathed deeply with her undamaged lungs, Noctis could feel a sense of peace and joy emanating from her- he knew it had been too long, far longer than him, since she had not suffered from the price of her Covenants or her Calling.

"So, now that ya'll are okay, didn't you say ya'll needed to call Reggie?" Cid ventured, crossing his arms over his chest as Prompto cheered and rushed forward to join in the celebration; Carbuncle chirped a greeting and leapt off of Noctis' shoulder onto Prompto's; the blonde was startled, but quickly started stroking Carbuncle's fur, laughing in delight when Carbuncle began to purr and squeak in joy.

‹ Oh yeah, this one's a keeper! › Carbuncle called over to Noct, practically vibrating in happiness as Prompto worked at the itchy spots and loose fur from the esper's coat.

"Yeah, I do," Noctis said, knowing he would have to warn his father about the planned invasion of Insomnia, "Does Takka have a landline? I need to call my dad-"

The words were barely out of his mouth before a wave of vertigo washed over him, along with an very familiar ache in his head.

Thunder boomed in the distance, and-

‹ VERBOTEN EIDOLON! › roared through his mind.

As quick as it came, it was gone, and Noct was glad he had been leaning over to look at Carbuncle, because it let him disguise his stumble as a little skip. Nyx and Luna both snapped around to stare at him at the same time, looks of alarm on their faces.

"I'm guessing you guys heard that, too?" Noct asked, rubbing at the uninjured side of his head.

"That was the voice of the Fulgurian!" Luna exclaimed, reflexively clasping her hands in a prayer, before flinching and shaking her hands out frantically. Through their bond Noctis felt a ghost of a noose around his neck, but knew from Luna's relieved emotions it was a memory, not reality. "But why is the Stormbringer speaking to you?"

Somewhere in the background, Noctis heard the others talking, trying to ask him questions, but he could only focus on solving this mystery- none of the other gods had ever tried to contact him, until Luna had already completed her Covenants, and then it was only for him to complete their Trials. What was going on?

"I'm not sure, I think I heard him before, but I wasn't sure if I imagined it…" Noctis said to Luna and Nyx, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I heard him before, when I was thinking of warning Dad about the invasion-"

‹ VERBOTEN! › Echoed in his head, sounding much weaker than before, and Noctis flinched reflexively, but even the pressure in his head had lessened until it wasn't even painful.

"Oo-kay, but what the heck does that even mean?" Noctis demanded, "Why does Ramuh keep warning me about a Verboten Eidolon? Isn't that what he is? Or, like, Leviathan?"

"Well, they're two of the known Verboten Eidolons, there's also Alexander, and…" Nyx trailed off, a feeling of horror washing over him, "The Knights of the Round."

Phantom swords flashed before Noctis' eyes and a full-body shudder worked its way through him, the image of his father's Eidolon form seeming to float before him again, sword poised…

"Oh my gods." Noctis gasped.

He met Nyx's gaze, and knew that the glaive had come to the same realization.

"The Olde Kings…they all became Knights of the Round." Noctis whispered, seeing again that dastardly Ring, sitting so innocently in his palm, "They had their souls stolen and corrupted by the Ring. And they needed me to summon them. But if they're a Verboten Eidolon, where would they get all of their sacrifices?"

"The people of Insomnia." Luna realized, her voice hushed. "Regis… he never wanted me or you there for the Signing Ceremony. He recalled all the Kingsglaive from the borders, his best magic users, and instead deployed them in the palace…"

"He knows." Noctis said, feeling cold and hollow. "He knew, and he let it happen. He's going to let Insomnia burn to summon the Verboten Eidolons."