Memories of Solheim

It was almost exactly one year later when Lunafreya heard that Chancellor Izunia visited King Regis in the Crown City - with no protective detail at all, no less - and demanded that she and Prince Noctis be wed, as part of a cease-fire between Niflheim and Lucis.

"What is this about?" she asked Lady Gentiana, utterly baffled.

"I could not say," Gentiana replied. "The heavens do not hear the Accursed's prayers. Thus his ways are enshrouded from our sight."

Lunafreya thought back to the night they'd met, and the feeling of hopelessness that filled her when she touched him. She had encountered thousands of daemons in the course of her work, and not a single one had felt like that. Whatever else he may have been, she was certain he was still a person - one whose despair was unmistakably, heartbreakingly, human.

#

A few weeks later, Lunafreya was on a healing tour in a wet part of the region of Cleigne. For her, these ventures never got old - every time she healed someone and felt their relief, felt the gratitude from their family, the sense of satisfaction of setting something wrong to rights, she felt closer to the common folk. Like a part of each family she touched. Although she more often thought of seeing Noctis again, she also had an abiding wish that she would be allowed to spend her time healing until the end of her days.

She was daydreaming a bit, at the end of a long day, as the sun set. The crowd was mostly dispersed and it was nearly time for her to retire for the night. And then, with a flourish, the Accursed stood before her, hat in hand.

"Good evening, Lady Lunafreya," he said, bowing, as was his custom.

"Good evening, Chancellor Izunia," she said, feeling a thrill up her spine.

He held out his arm to her. "Would you do me the honor of a short stroll?"

Lunafreya looked around to see if Ravus was still positioned at her right hand, as usual. He was, a short distance away, watching them and looking sour. Of course, Ravus looked sour most of the time nowadays. She took Ardyn's arm and they set off.

"As soon as you return to your room, your Lady Gentiana will no doubt tell you to stay away from me. It is one of her duties. The Six would rather not be held accountable for how they treat their toys. You know that your gift is killing you, yes?"

"I consume a small amount of my life force every time I heal someone else," she said calmly. "No one has ever tried to keep that knowledge from me."

"Is that how it works for you, it burns your life away? How fascinating."

"That's how it has always worked, ever since the first Oracle was blessed with the first gift."

"So the official histories say. They have cleverly omitted the rough draft of the Oracle and the King. The Six first attempted to combine both roles in a single person. It came out - how shall I put it? - misshapen? Misconceived? Mistakes were made."

"What happened?" Lunafreya wasn't ready to buy any of this wholesale, but she was intrigued. She had studied the history of Eos and the Astrals her entire life, and never heard of anything like this.

They came to a wide-open clearing. A tableau appeared in front of their eyes: a crowd of people, gathered in what looked to be a town square, surrounding a man in black robes with long red hair. The clothing was different, and the buildings, which shimmered hazily as if through desert heat, but the scene was unmistakable. Lunafreya had seen it depicted in artwork created throughout the centuries, and had been at the center of such a scene herself earlier that very day.

The healer placed a hand on a young child with the telltale black spots of the Starscourge. Fascinated, Lunafreya watched as the blackness pooled together and ran into the healer's hand as if it were magnetized, then disappeared into the healer's skin.

"The Founder King," she said. "Somnus Lucis Caelum."

"No. There was another."

The scene changed; it was now nighttime, in a lavishly appointed room. There were now two men, one with golden-blonde hair and one with vivid red hair - the latter clearly the same man who now stood next to Lunafreya. He was partially undressed, and Lunafreya could see purplish-black bruises undulating beneath his skin.

"It's getting worse," said memory-Ardyn. He winced as he laid back in bed, appearing to be in some pain.

"We're nearly finished," said the other man, whom Lunafreya took to be Somnus. "The Gods will reward their chosen once the task is complete."

"So they say," memory-Ardyn grumbled. "Do you think that shiny rock will truly draw the scourge out?"

"So it has been promised, so it shall be done. In the meantime…" Somnus laid out a set of black robes, to which he added gloves, a long-sleeved shirt, and a scarf. Layers upon layers to hide the disease.

"I can't hide it forever. Soon there will be nothing left of me," said Ardyn, fear slipping into his tone. "What if the crystal destroys these creatures and there's nothing mortal underneath?"

"Have faith, brother," said Somnus sternly. "The path may be long, but we have no choice to follow. You alone have the gift to save all humanity - will you fail us now, when the goal is in sight?"

Memory-Ardyn shook his head, defeated. "Of course not," he said quietly, but the anguish did not leave his face.

The scene faded. The sky had darkened and stars were beginning to poke their way out of a bluish-purple blanket.

"You know my brother as the Founder King," said Ardyn. "And as for me...I am known as the Accursed, if I am known at all."

Lunafreya looked up at him, looking for his intentions in his eyes, but they were opaque to her. "Why did you show me this?" she asked.

"From one plaything to another, I felt it only fair to let you know where the Astrals' path leads. Why don't we follow it and see what happens next?"

They continued to walk around the lakeshore until they came to a weeping willow tree trailing branches into the water. The path led underneath the branches, where they stopped to look out at the moon rising over the lake.

A breathtaking palace appeared to rise out of the lake as Lunafreya watched.

"Where is this?" she asked, awed.

"Solheim. I was born here."

A gleaming path led to the entrance; to her astonishment, Ardyn walked right out onto it and towards the castle. Lunafreya followed him. Inside the palace was a glittering throne room. Everything was so bright here it nearly hurt her eyes. The corners shimmered a bit, as the last vision had. Again, however, Somnus and Ardyn appeared as clear and solid as if they truly stood before her. Gentiana also was there, looking exactly the same as she ever did. They were gazing in awe upon the great crystal, which Lunafreya recognized from artistic renderings. She had never seen it in person, ensconced as it was in Insomnia.

Memory-Gentiana handed something to Memory-Ardyn. Moving closer, Lunafreya could see it was the Ring of the Lucii - that artifact she had seen on King Regis's finger. Memory-Ardyn was looking rougher than he had in the last vision; nearly all of his visible skin had turned a virulent purple-black color. He put the ring on his finger and was immediately wracked with pain. Screaming, he reached out for the crystal only to recoil as if it had burned him - and indeed, it did look like his flesh was being torn away somehow.

"Gods above," Memory-Ardyn shouted, "Give me strength!"

But it was not the Six who answered his prayer.

As Lunafreya watched, Memory-Ardyn's wounds began to close. Oddly, he seemed to be bleeding even more now, but he didn't seem any worse for it. Something like black smoke was swirling in and out of the wounds, almost as if it was pushing the blood out.

Somnus and Gentiana wore identical expressions of wide-eyed, open-mouthed shock.

"What should I do?" said Somnus to Gentiana, but she had no answer.

The purple cast of Memory-Ardyn's skin receded into a more normal but very pale tone. At the same time, his brown eyes darkened to a sinister crimson. The way he moved now was strange, as if he were new to having a bipedal body.

Somnus' face set into a hard scowl. With a smooth, decisive motion, he unsheathed his sword and sliced Memory-Ardyn's ring hand clean off. The hand melted into black ooze, leaving the Ring of the Lucii behind. Somnus put it on his own finger. Memory-Ardyn hardly noticed. He was busy watching his missing hand regrow itself.

"With regrets, brother," said Somnus, "It seems this is the only mercy left to you."

Lunafreya gasped and covered her eyes as Somnus raised his sword to strike.

The scene melted again, and Lunafreya found herself back on the lakeshore under the willow tree.

"Clearly, he wasn't able to destroy me. Instead, your Founder King declared me persona non grata. I was banished from his kingdom, expunged from history. Ever since then, every King of Lucis has upheld his order to make me a phantom in my own homeland."

Lunafreya shuddered. Being cast out, without friends, family, or even the Gods to watch over her, was absolutely unthinkable - the worst nightmare she could imagine.

Ardyn was looking at her oddly. He silently handed her a handkerchief, and it was only then that she realized she was crying.

"I'm sorry," she said, dabbing at her eyes.

"Don't apologize. I'm rather touched, actually," he said reflectively. "No one has ever mourned for me before." He watched her as she collected herself, a blank expression masking his thoughts.

"It must have been terrible, to be so utterly alone," she said.

"Yes…and no. Observe the ants on this tree." Ardyn pointed to a bustling ant colony nestled between the roots of the willow tree. "The ants support the tree by clearing away dead leaves, repelling invaders, and such. The tree gives the ants food and shelter. They are entwined - if one were to perish, the other would too. The daemons aren't companions as such, but they, at least, have always been with me."

"Are they...very loyal, though?" Lunafreya asked doubtfully.

Ardyn laughed. "Not at all, no. Loyalty is a transient gift that may always be rescinded on the giver's whim. Daemons are self-interested, and you can always rely on that. They're quite consistent about it."

"As long as your interests and theirs align, at least."

"Of course, but can you truly say that men are any different? More fickle, perhaps. They do what they will, for whatever reason, or for no reason at all. They are like their creators that way."

Lunafreya took a deep, steadying breath. "Surely a few tears aren't all you want from me."

"To business, then. You intend to form the Covenants on behalf of the young Prince Noctis, yes?"

"You want me to perform the rites on your behalf instead," said Lunafreya, wondering whether he would try to kill her outright when she refused, and whether Ravus would be able to stop him. But Ardyn just smiled.

"Not at all, my dear. I'd never ask you to waste your time on anything so pointless. I want to see you fly to your prince's aid. More importantly, I want you to live through it. And I can help you."

Lunafreya's eyes widened. That was the very last thing she expected him to say, right after "I have a chocobo under my hat and I want you to meet it." In fact, it was a thought so tantalizing she did not allow herself to think about it. It was impossible, and it was what she wanted most, and therefore it could only serve as a distraction from her duty.

"That...is impossible," she said.

From a pocket, he withdrew an object. At first, Lunafreya couldn't tell what it was. He held it up, and from her perspective, it looked like he had somehow put a hole in the moon. Then he looked down at the ground, and Lunafreya followed his gaze, seeing to her amazement that there was an equally dark shadow there, as if the moonlight could not escape in any direction around this thing.

"You're familiar with the crystal of light that resides in Lucis," he said. "This is a piece of its sister, a byproduct of the creation of the shiny one. Unlike the other, this unloved little gem absorbs light rather than sheds it."

"A byproduct? What does that mean?"

"It was not imbued by its creators with any purpose. No great destiny to fulfill. It's nothing more than the antithesis of the other one, a shadow to the light. Yet it does hold its own kind of power, just waiting for someone special to claim it."

That made her raise an eyebrow. Even a woman as sheltered as Lunafreya knew a sales pitch when she heard one. "Oh? Then why don't you claim it yourself?"

"The power of this crystal resides in the line of Oracles rather than the line of Kings. Thus, I cannot wield it. I do know where to find it, though."

She took the crystal chip from him and held it in her hands. It was a strangely comforting feeling, not unlike being back in her childhood bedroom. Did he feel the same thing when he held it? He was wearing full gloves tonight, so perhaps not.

"Well, sleep on it. You wouldn't want to make a hasty decision," Ardyn said, a touch sardonically.

He waved casually at some particularly deep shadows, then walked off without a look back, leaving Lunafreya shivering in the cold night.

Ravus stepped out of the shadows Izunia had waved at, from which he had been observing. He slipped a cloak around Lunafreya's shoulders and led her back to the hotel.

"What in all the Gods' names is the Chancellor telling you?" demanded Ravus. "Did he threaten you?"

"The what?" Lunafreya asked distractedly.

"Izunia," said Ravus. "Red hair? Hat? Dresses like a hobo who robbed a pirate?"

Lunafreya nodded. "What can you tell me about him?"

Hmph, thought Ravus, Imperial ties come in handy sometimes, don't they.

"He's supposedly from Duscae, although nobody can confirm that. He used to work closely with Verstael Besithia, some time ago, on the imperial army's magitek weapons. I suppose it should come as no surprise that as chancellor, he funnels a tremendous amount of money into that very same division."

Lunafreya looked pale, although maybe it was just the moonlight. "He didn't threaten me. He said…" she hesitated, almost not wanting to say it out loud. "He said he had a way for me to survive the Covenant rites."

"That sounds a little too good to be true," said Ravus evenly, although internally he was shaken. He, too, desperately wanted to believe that Lunafreya would live through this year. She was the only family he had left, and there was little he wouldn't sacrifice to keep her safe. "Actually, a lot too good," he muttered.

They made their way up to her room, where Ravus called down for dinner. He took off his armored jacket and Lunafreya's cloak, hanging them up neatly together.

"If I decide to go with him, will you watch over me?" Lunafreya asked.

"If you're truly intent. This may seem profoundly obvious, but please don't trust him. He's the most appalling phony I've ever met in my life."

Lunafreya nodded, still thinking over what she'd seen. A bowl of soup was placed in front of her and she sipped it absently.

"Lady Gentiana, are you there?" she asked, at last.

Lady Gentiana appeared from...where? Ravus had no idea. Although he was pretty much used to it at this point.

"Did you see the vision?" asked Lunafreya.

Gentiana nodded.

"How much of what he showed me was the truth?"

"It was accurate. Yet, there are ways to lie with the truth," said Gentiana cryptically.

"Who is he really?" Ravus asked. "Obviously not just some rabble from Duscae."

"Ardyn Lucis Caelum was to be the first King of Light," Gentiana said. "Eldest son of a noble house, he fought alongside the Astrals against Ifrit, in a bid to save all humanity."

Ravus closed his eyes. "One moment. Are you speaking of the War of the Astrals? The one that occured two millennia ago?"

"Yes. After the war spread a terrible disease, a scourge which even the Gods themselves were powerless to end. They granted to the Accursed the power to cleanse this filth, though it came at a cost to his own body and soul," said Gentiana. "Before receding into slumber, the Astrals produced a crystal with light resplendent, bright enough to eliminate the Starscourge forevermore."

"Then...why didn't it?" asked Lunafreya.

"In that crucial moment, rather than submit to the will of the Six, he forged an alliance with the daemons. I cannot tell you why he refused the gift."

Lunafreya smiled sadly at her guardian. For all Shiva's power, there were some things that remained outside her grasp. "He was afraid. He didn't want to die. As failings go...they don't get more human than that."

Gentiana opened her lovely eyes to look into theirs. It had taken her some hundreds of years to learn why humans did this, and she still did it only sparingly.

"The Lady's compassion extends to even this most corrupt of creatures. It does you credit, yet heed my words: the Accursed does not walk the path of the Gods. Anyone who chooses to walk beside him leaves the Light behind."

Ravus assumed that would be the end of that. Above all, Lunafreya had always been dutiful. Given an explicit warning like that, there was no chance she would stray.

"I would like a word alone with my brother," said Lunafreya.

Gentiana obligingly disappeared, but she looked ruffled.

Lunafreya showed Ravus the crystal. He held it in his bare hands, turning it over, and holding it up to the light. "What on Eos is this?" he said, finally.

"A piece of a dark crystal. He thinks it may be tied to the line of Oracles, as the Lucian crystal is tied to the line of Kings. A previously unknown and untapped source of power."

"This is highly dubious," said Ravus, still turning the stone over in his hands. "And yet…."

"You feel it too. It resonates with our blood."

He nodded. "Could it be a trick of some kind?"

"I don't think so. I would like to go with him and see it for myself."

Ravus peered thoughtfully at the crystal shard. "How about that? This world can still manage to conjure up a wonder or two."

#

Back in his own hotel room, Ardyn picked up his cell phone and called one of his favorite little elves.

"What can I do for you, Chancellor?" said Aranea Highwind.

"I was hoping you'd be available for a little extraction mission," he said smoothly. "I'm going sightseeing with Lord Ravus and Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. Ideally you'll pick up all three of us, but if things go south, just myself will do."

On the other end of the line, Aranea made a WTF-face at Biggs and Wedge. "Sightseeing, sure…. Where to?"

"Tenebrae. I'll send you the coordinates with your payment. Half up front. If I make it out alive, I'll be able to send the other half. If not, well...not."

Aranea pinched the bridge of her nose, suppressing a sigh. "Is this going to entail anything that will jeopardize my commission? Drugs? Animal poaching? Smuggled gems, paintings, or artifacts?"

"No, none of that."

"Human trafficking?"

"Goodness, no. What kind of a man do you think I am?" he said, sounding amused.

"Hmm," she said, letting skepticism permeate her tone. "Murder of a superior officer?"

"Oh, I certainly hope not, but one never knows," he said brightly. He tapped at his phone, transferring a payment into her account, then waited for her to receive notification.

"All right then," she said, looking at the number and waggling her eyebrows at Biggs and Wedge. "You have yourself a pilot, Chancellor."

#

The daemon rattled around in its fleshy cage. Uzuloth had never been entirely comfortable inhabiting a human, with their ludicrous spectrum of thoughts and feelings. Daemons did not require nearly so many, although after considering the matter for several centuries, he had concluded that it was sometimes useful to understand them. It made the children of men so much more predictable. The Host had shown him that.

Over the years, their alliance had proven fruitful. The Host spread Uzuloth's minions everywhere he went, slowly and patiently working towards a shared goal: to bring eternal night and thus free the daemons. Until that happened, daemonkind was relegated to underground labyrinths and the cramped armor of the Imperial Magitek Infantry. Sunlight was so toxic to them that they dared not roam while the star was in the sky - except inside the skin of the Host, of course.

Still, while the Host allowed Uzuloth to move through the daylight, the daemon remained essentially a passenger. The Host maintained control of his own body at all times, never letting his guard down. Recently he even stopped sleeping, and Uzuloth had thought he would never leave behind that peculiar human weakness. Had he not taken that precaution, Uzuloth would have taken control and killed the Oracle by now. She was dangerous - far more so than the Host realized.

Then again, the Host was not as clever as he liked to think. They shared a body, but Uzuloth kept his own counsel. And he had been making plans. Plans, counter-plans, backup plans. That was how he had lived for ten millennia, and that was how he would survive for ten more.

Uzuloth coiled like a snake, remaining vigilant. The opportunity to strike would come sooner or later. It always did.