For almost three days, Ardyn slept soundly, not even stirring once. It was only a matter of time before he would awaken, and then they would be able to determine if the Starscourge was truly banished from his body.
Regis could only hope every inch of it was gone, not wanting to have to watch Ardyn go through the pain he went through the first time again.
While he found himself waiting, he wandered the beautiful halls of the manor. Seeing such lush flora was enough to ease his worries, giving him a good distraction until it was time to face the subject once again.
As he walked around, he eventually came across the young Tenebraen prince coming from the opposite way.
Regis gave a welcoming smile as he bowed. "Ah, Prince Ravus, lovely to see you today."
The young boy stopped and looked up at Regis. "It's good to see you, King Regis. Is your uncle still sleeping?"
"Yes, I believe he is. I do hope he is able to wake soon."
"But he had a lot of corruption from a dark plague in him… at least that was what mother was telling me," Ravus replied.
For such a tender age of seven, Regis had to be impressed with how well spoken and mature Ravus made himself sound. "That is true, but now we can hope for the better in his recovery."
"Then what will you do?"
"I suppose we shall return home and help my uncle adjust now that he is cured."
Ravus hummed. "Alright. That makes sense. Have a good rest of your day, King Regis."
Without another word said, Ravus walked past Regis, walking onward to whatever it was he had planned for the day. Regis chuckled, finding the seriousness of the child rather amusing. He was the complete opposite of his sister, but still he was a good kid, if not just a bit socially awkward. Regis was sure in time he could grow up into a fine young man, but only time would tell for something like that.
After that, Regis carried on with his own walk, going back to the main thoughts and concerns that he had. All of them were about Ardyn, and what the future held for him, as well as the rest of the world.
With no Bahamut, there was no fear for the Prophecy, but that didn't remove the Starscourge and Daemons that still plagued the land. That would still persist to be a problem, until a way could be found to deal with it.
One thing was for certain however, Regis wouldn't let Ardyn try to heal anyone. From what Regis could figure, Ardyn's healing abilities probably would return now that he had been cured. But that still meant they would function the same as before, absorbing the Starscourge into his body while curing others.
It would be a cruel endless cycle if Ardyn had to keep taking on the plague only to be healed, and Regis definitely didn't want to put any more pain on poor Sylva.
"Perhaps I should contact the Lucii, maybe they can think of an answer I haven't thought of," Regis muttered as he stopped to look out one of the open window hallways, overlooking the grand gardens.
"There is no need for that, for I shall give the answers you seek."
Regis turned around quickly, finding himself face to face with none other than the Glaican herself; Shiva. Thankfully she somehow had shrunk her form to be no more than a few inches taller than him, floating only a little bit above above the floor.
Though he had learned Bahamut was one who truly had no care or compassion for humanity, he couldn't be certain for the rest. Ifrit was one he figured also didn't care, due to the history he had read it the Cosmology, but as far as he could tell, the Astral was still under Ardyn's control. It reminded him that they would probably need to find a way to cure him sooner or later… just another thing to discuss with the others later on.
But right now he had to deal with Shiva, trying to figure out if she had a motive or not for appearing before him
"M-My… Mighty Glacian," he said as he bowed. "I'm humbled by your presence. To what do I owe the honor?"
"I come before you to help. The Draconian is no more, and we are free of his tyranny."
"Is it fair for me to assume that you never agreed with his plans?" Regis inquired.
Shiva shook her head. "His plans were vastly complex and far from what you would say are humane. I have held compassion for humankind for many years, so knowing what his plans were for your son as well as the would-have-been king saddened me greatly. But I could not oppose it. Bahamut held too much power over the rest of us, and we could do nothing more but submit to his whims."
"Then what are you able to offer? There is much that needs to be fixed if we still want to ensure a future for everyone."
"Yes, that is correct. I believe I would wish to start with the healing ability that Ardyn Lucis Caelum was bestowed."
"You'd still let him heal? After everything that led to now because of it?"
"He was the great healer of his time, many praised him for his compassion towards his people, unlike his brother. I wish to merely correct how the ability works, to ensure he no longer would take the Starscourge into his own body. Instead, it will be completely purged from whomever's body he is healing, all with no ill effect on himself."
It was a little surprising that Shiva would still want Ardyn to be able to heal, considering everything that led up to this point. It made him wonder just how much an Astral could actually do in helping to heal the world.
"If you don't mind my asking, is there nothing that you or the other Astrals can do to purge the Starscrouge?"
Shiva shook her head. "At the time, we gave the gift of healing to a human so that they would be able to surpass any healing that we could ever have. Even now, we would not be able to purge our Star, not without wiping most life out. The Draconian once had plans to do that, but we are thankful he reconsidered, even if the results led to where we are now."
The ominous thought that Bahamut would have been willing to wipe out almost all life didn't sit right with Regis. It made him all the more glad that they had actually taken the Astral down, preventing any chances of that happening in the future.
"But can the entire Starscouge be cleansed from Eos, just Ardyn, and possibly even Sylva and her children? I fear that may be asking too much of them."
"Perhaps I can look into different alternatives. There may be a way, but until then, healing is what must be done. And the first he must help is the Infernian."
Regis sighed. "Very well. We will make do with what we have for now."
"Indeed."
"Is there anything else I should know for now?"
"Yes. When you are to return home, bring Ardyn Lucis Caelum to the Crystal."
"The Crystal? Whatever for?"
"Eons ago, he was meant to ascend, but due to the Starscourge that tainted his heart, the Crystal refused to grant his ascension. In the process, Bahamut played a cruel trick… stealing the man's soul to harbor within the Crystal until the time of the prophecy was at hand."
Regis gasped, finding yet another reason to despite Bahamut. It seemed now that they were rid of him, all of his misdeeds were easily resurfacing, showcasing what a terrible Astral he truly was.
"And what reason did he have for doing that?"
"So that his prophecy may come true, and that the once famed healer, then deemed the Adagium, would live immortally for eons until the day he was meant to battle the Chosen King."
"That's horrendously cruel… But it does answer how Ardyn was able to live to this point. I had always assumed that it was due to the Starscourge… But bringing him to the Crystal will restore his soul so he can aptly age once more?"
Shiva gave one single nod. "Yes, and I shall return at that time to ensure it is done."
Regis bowed again before the Glacian. "I must thank you again, Mighty Shiva. You have my thanks a hundred times over."
"You need not to thank me so much, I only am lending whatever aid I am able. But I shall see you again soon, but for now I take my leave to go and heal Ardyn Lucian Caelum," Shiva said before she vanished in a flurry of snowflakes.
When she was gone, and the chill in the air faded, Regis finally had time to properly catch his breath. To interact with another Astral in such a short amount of time, was still very overwhelming. He couldn't even begin how he was ever going to explain this to the others, but he knew he was going to have to start somewhere.
"So, you are saying that Shiva was here? And she has fixed Ardyn's healing?" Clarus asked after Regis had finished his explanation.
"I did," Regis nodded.
Sylva hummed. "I had sensed that there was a presence of an Astral… but I haven't been able to determine who they are."
Clarus still seemed to have a few more questions on his mind, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. "So when Ardyn wakes and Shiva fixes his power, we have him heal Ifrit and see what happens? And just hope for the best?"
"That's all we can do for now," Regis answered. "Shall we go and see if Ardyn is ready to wake?"
Everyone in the group nodded and headed down to the room they had placed Ardyn in for his recovery. To their surprise, when they entered the room, they found Ardyn already sitting up in the bed.
"Ardyn! You shouldn't be sitting up yet! You are probably very exhausted!" Sylva exclaimed as she moved over to his bedside.
"A thousand pardons, but I have never felt so… so light and freed in… I'm afraid I can't say when."
"You're cured, it shows in your demeanor and your eyes," Regis offered as he stepped closer. "It's understandable that you feel this way."
Ardyn nodded. "And I do have you to thank for that. Your plan worked just as you had hoped."
"And it has worked more than I ever expected," Regis replied as he moved over to a chair.
"How so?"
Regis placed his hands together, getting himself comfy in the chair. "Shiva seems to favor the side of humanity, and she has said she will come to your healing methods."
Ardyn's eyes widened. "She has said what?!"
"She wishes to do it so you could heal without taking the Starscourge into your body. You'll never have to worry about being tainted by it again," Regis explained.
Ardyn slowly looked down at his hands, he seemed completely captivated, lost in thought as he stared at them. Regis could only imagine what was burning in the back of the man's mind.
"To be free to heal as I desire, without the fear that I will be consumed by it," Ardyn muttered. "But granted by an Astral… it was the Astrals who granted me my abilities in the first place."
"It wasn't all of them, was it?" Regis asked. "I would assume only one, most likely the Draconian?
Ardyn clenched his hands into tight fists. "Yes. It was him who bestows the gift upon me, claiming I would be our Star's savor. He never once mentioned the effects it would have… I had to experience it for myself."
Sylva sighed sadly. "That's quite unfortunate that you had to suffer that way. But if Shiva truly wants to help, then who are we too oppose?"
"It may be hard for you to understand, dear Sylva, but after how I was treated and imprisoned with no one coming to save me… I have much disdain towards the Astrals. Even if all of them did not play a hand in the Draconian's game, they sat on the side and watched."
"Opposing Bahamut was never a safe option, even for the remaining five of us. As you learned yourself, trying to make a move against him only enrages him."
A chill ran through the room as snow flurries fluttered to the side of Ardyn's bed. Before everyone's eyes Shiva formed, her size looking smaller than she had been out at the balcony.
"Mighty Glacian, we thank you for blessing us with your presence," Sylva replied while she bowed.
"So… You've come here to fix the mistakes of your leader," Ardyn huffed.
"Yes… The Draconian had made many mistakes… He had much disdain for humanity and refused to fix things accordingly. I wish to make things better for all."
"And how can I trust that?" Ardyn scoffed.
Regis nearly stood up from his chair. "Ardyn!"
"I can say what I please. I've grown bitter over these years, so I should be allowed to speak my mind," Ardyn replied stubbornly as he crossed his arms.
"Resentment is understandable. The mistreatment that fell upon you due to our negligence is warranted of that."
"Then you should know I don't wish to trust your motives," Ardyn huffed. "How can I be sure that you are truthful about all of this? That you don't actually side with the Draconian?"
Shiva slowly shook her head. "No. I never once cared to side with him, nor do I intend to ever."
"And what of your own selfish desires? It's no rumor that you once held love for the Inferian," Ardyn declared.
Regis gasped softly as he watched how Ardyn so boldly confronted Shiva. He wanted to stand up and oppose this, knowing how disrespectful it was to speak to an Astral who was willing to help them. But he realized Ardyn did have a point. In history from long ago, there had been many tales about Shiva and Ifrit and their special love for one another.
"My love never has faltered. I still hold his heart close to my own, even if he lost his faith in everything else. I will not deny I wish to see him restored. But my love and admiration for humanity is in equal balance. Surely, you understand the balance between your people and the one you hold in your heart."
Ardyn cast his eyes down, the anger in his face fading away. He breathed in deeply before speaking, "I suppose you make a fair point. If that is the case, then you may do what you must. Though, I cannot say how your beloved Inferian will react even once he is healed."
"I can tame his heart again once he has been cured. But now, Ardyn Lucis Caelum, I shall correct the wrong, and give you the proper method of healing."
Waving her hands above Ardyn, a shower of golden light sprinkled down onto him. Ardyn closed his eyes, taking several deep breaths as the magic flowed over him. It lasted no more than a minute before the light faded away and Shiva bowed.
"It is done. I will return when you have recovered enough to heal the Pyreburner, but until then I take my leave."
Much like how she came, she vanished in a flurry of snowflakes.
Ardyn chucked with amusement. "I suppose I must wait to properly offer my thanks to the Glacian. Once my strength has fully recovered."
Sylva came over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Yes, so until then, please relax and I will have some of my servants bring you food. We'll make your recovery as easy as possible."
Ardyn bowed his head. "Thank you for your kindness and hospitality. I… It's something I fear I will never be able to repay."
"There's no need for that. Your recovery is enough, there doesn't have to be anything more," Sylva replied, giving an understanding smile.
"Yes uncle, please just take the time to rest. There is much we will have to do in the future, but I want you to be at your best," Regis added.
Letting out a long sigh, Ardyn laid back down on his bed. "Very well. Rest is required for recovery anyways, I might as well comply."
Regis stood up from his chair, moving towards the door. "Then shall we give you your space?"
"Yes, I believe I will rest my eyes. I'll make sure to alert any staff if I need anything," Ardyn said before laying himself back down on the bed.
Regis smiled. "Very well, uncle. We shall talk later."
