bonum ex malo non fit
Noctis feels sick to his stomach.
Dropships buzz about over head, the thin canopy of the trees they parked under providing shade and cover. Noctis leans against a tree, his hand scraping against the rough bark.
"He left when he realized we did not know your whereabouts." Ignis keeps his voice cool, but the words spread like a poison through Noct's veins. The very hair on the back of his neck stands on end.
Ignis and Prompto had been left alone with Ardyn.
They had no idea how close they were to death.
Noctis swallows and shakes the idea out of his head. Ardyn wouldn't have killed them, not yet at least.
The world still feels tilted on its axis as Noctis straightens up. Overhead, another dropship passes by. Leaves disturbed by its gust fall like rain, and everyone holds quiet until all the trees fall still once more.
"Careful..." Noct rubs his face in his hands and moves closer to Prompto and Ignis, "He's dangerous. We can't trust that man."
"You can say that again." Prompto replies. Leaves fall around them, making way for the rumble of an engine and causing the group to still.
Another dropship looms by, and Noctis recognizes that it is travelling northwards - either to Lestallum or to Aracheole Stronghold. Of the two, Noctis hopes it's the latter.
The forces that had overtaken Lestallum during the last timeline had likely been supplied by Aracheole. While Caligo had been in command during the takeover of Lestallum - and the subsequent death of Jared - Ravus was the one they actually met while taking down the stronghold.
Noct could only guess if either of them would be there this time.
And in the worst case scenario - Ardyn would be there.
If Noct intended to take down Aracheole Stronghold, then he would have to do it immediately and do it fast - leave before Ardyn even arrived, that is, unless he didn't head straight there after leaving the Disc.
Noctis frowns, he would have to hope nothing had changed since the last time and that Ardyn wouldn't already be lying in wait.
The hush is broken by the ring of Gladio's phone, he pulls it from his pocket and looks at the ID.
"Iris." He mumbles as he pulls it to his ear and turns a few steps away from the rest of them.
Noctis walks up to him and rests a hand on Gladio's bicep to gain his attention.
"Those airships are headed their way, tell her to take the others and lay low for a while."
Gladio nods at him and Noctis backs off to give him some privacy as he talks to Iris. He rejoins Ignis and Prompto and the three pretend they can't hear Gladio as he gets frustrated with something they can only guess is Iris.
With a huff, he hangs up and wanders back over to them.
"Says she got tickets to a play next week and wants to know how long to lay low."
Gladio snorts and pops his neck, "Told her to suck it up and deal with it, and let us know if she sees anything out of the ordinary."
"Aww, I'll feel kinda bad if Iris misses it." Prompto adds.
"Yea?" Gladio quirks a brow, "She got us tickets too. Apparently they are a gift from Jared."
"What? Then we have to go!" Prompto looks at them, gaining more excitement when Ignis nods and Noct shrugs.
"Hmm," Gladio no longer looks like he is paying attention, instead his gaze is skyward, searching for any dropships, "That is, unless we find out where those Nifs are really headed."
He looks back down at them, "They are headed too close to Lestallum's direction for comfort."
"Aracheole Stronghold lies between us and Lestallum, it would be a safe bet that they are headed there to restock fuel and supplies." Ignis adds, "But I agree, it is too dangerous to have so many Imperials right on Lestallum's doorstep. It may be wise to take action."
"I agree!" Prompto says and turns to Noct, "What do you think?"
"Uhh," Noctis says, caught off guard by the fact that he no longer needed to convince them, "Yeah, but I think we should do it as soon as possible."
"Noct," Ignis furrows his brows, "You and Gladio haven't rested. We shouldn't rush into this."
Noctis looks to Gladio, who looks just as eager to fight.
"We'll be fine. The sooner we do this, the safer Lestallum and the surrounding areas will be."
Gladio nods in agreement with Noct and Ignis frowns.
"Besides, wouldn't this be safer to attempt at night? Gladio and I will take the time to rest while we wait for it to become dark enough to sneak in."
Ignis sighs, "Very well... Let us make for a haven and prepare further."
...
He treks silently through the base, Ignis's footsteps nearly as quiet as his own while Prompto and Gladio's seem to almost ring out. The cloudy night works in their favor as they cling to the shadows and out of sight.
The many troopers they had come across were quick to fall against Noct's blade - his stealth and ability to warp allowing him to cut into the base easily.
Pushing up against a wall, he peers around the edge and spots the generator powering Aracheole.
"Dismantling that should render this entire base useless. In fact, if we succeed, we will be able to deal the Empire a powerful blow." Ignis says from over his shoulder.
"Yeah, but look at all those mechas. We can't do it without blowing our cover." Noctis replies.
He turns to look at his friends, "You ready?"
They nod and he brings a sword out and spins around the corner. He warps straight at the cockpit of the biggest mecha, driving his sword in as deep as possible but fails to disable it.
Alarms blare, the spotlights all focusing on him. Gunshots ring out from behind as Prompto shoots them out.
Noctis warps away from the mecha as it starts whirring, taking out a soldier as he lands.
A bullet lodges itself in the pavement next to his foot, and Noctis targets the sniper that fired it.
The sniper falls in a single warp-strike, and Noctis spends the next few moments taking out the rest of them.
Fire and dust collect in his eyes as he lands too close to a missile strike, the blast causing him to stumble back.
"Gah." Noctis turns back to the mechas, warping to the one that Gladio was trying to stumble.
It falls to the ground, Ignis moving in for the kill as another mecha moves in to back Noctis and Gladio away. Backing away from the downed mecha, Ignis barely makes it out of range as it ignites.
Noctis squints his eyes at the explosion, walking forward a step as the world suddenly seems to tilt. Prompto and Ignis join them in front of the last mecha, but Noctis is forced to steady himself as a rumble painfully bounces through his skull.
The atmosphere seems to change - reminding Noct of the sweltering, unearthly heat at the Archean's feet.
"Whoa, what's wrong with your eyes?!" Gladio asks, concern thick in his voice until it almost sounds like panic.
Noctis clutches his head, hunching over, "I'm answering a call."
He falls to a knee and Prompto tries to catch him with a "Gah!"
Ignis is already standing guard over him before he can check everyone's location. Seeing them near, he summons Titan.
The pressure lets up instantly, and as he attempts to stand the ground roils.
The minuscule light that the moon had been providing them is suddenly snuffed out, leaving them in inky darkness. Noctis turns around, seeing a pair of glowing golden eyes almost in place among the stars.
Titan stands tall above him, and Noct senses his friends instinctively shrink back.
It was likely a good thing that they did, Noctis thinks as Titan reaches down for him. He winces against the brief crushing of the Astral grabbing him, and braces himself as he is jolted rapidly upwards.
The sound of Titan striking down into the earth beneath them is bone-shaking, and despite the fact that his friends had never been hurt by his summoning before, he worries.
Metal crunches and towers collapse as spires of jagged rock erupt from the ground. Dirt and rock continue to fall from the sky as Titan gently sets him back down in the ruins of the base.
The clouds of dust and darkness of night prevent Noct from seeing the total damage done. He can hear the last few spires fall, but can't see through the dust suspended around him.
"Noctis!" He hears Ignis call out. The cloud swirls in disturbance as his friends run towards him through it.
Noctis holds a hand up to his face, a red-violet glow from the magic in his eyes illuminates it - fading away only as he looks to his friends.
Sweat beads at his brow and he wipes an arm across it, "We should probably get out of here now."
Ignis blinks a few times, "Noct, that was..." He trails off, opening his mouth a few times before finally saying, "Are you alright?"
Noctis nods, "Just tired."
Prompto jogs up to him and whoops, "That. Was. Wicked!"
They turn towards the exit, Noctis raising an eyebrow at Prompto's antics. Light from the morning sun begins to peek over the horizon as Prompto continues to chatter.
The sound of tumbling rocks cut Prompto's 'bust-a-base' speech short.
A man stands from the remains of a building, dirt falling off of him and blood trickling down the side of his face. He turns to them, metal arm finding the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Ravus.
Noctis swallows, other than a scrape, Ravus appeared to be unharmed. Instead, he looked angry as he walked towards them. Apprehension fills Noctis at the sight.
A man who could strike as fast as Noctis could warp - Ravus was a threat.
But he had the potential to be an invaluable ally, at least from the background. Ravus had nothing left except for Luna, Noctis had no doubt that he would keep the last thing he loved safe.
Even if he hated Noctis, he could trust him with this.
"Long has it been, Noctis." The cry of metal pierces the air as Ravus unsheathes his sword. His expression is grim, and hate pools in his mismatched eyes as he stares down Noctis.
"Ravus."
Gladio and Ignis tense, readying to jump in front of Noct at a moment's notice. Prompto, sensing the unease of the other two, readies himself as well.
"You have received the blessing of an Astral, yet you know nothing of the consequences." Ravus sneers and points the end of his blade to Noct's neck.
"Watch it." Gladio moves forward and suddenly finds the sword at his own throat.
"Ravus." Noctis warns. Sword lowering, Ravus advances closer.
"Where is she?" There is a sort of desperate lethalness to Ravus's voice, one that had not been there the last time Noctis had met with him. It catches him off guard, and he senses Gladio and Ignis tense further to compensate for his lowered defenses.
"What do you mean?" Noctis asks honestly. There was only one person Ravus could be talking about, and Noctis had not seen Luna since Insomnia.
"Don't be foolish, I have a report of her being witnessed in your car!" Ravus grabs his collar, letting go as Gladio grabs him. Without batting an eye, he backhands Gladio, sending him flying back into the ruins of a tank. "A weak shield protects naught."
Noctis steps forward, cursing the height difference between them as he tries to back Ravus off, "Enough."
"And you - the Chosen King?" Ravus spits, bitterness lacing every syllable, "Witness his splendor and glory."
"Awful high and mighty for an Imperial rat. Do you intend to help Luna by joining the people who hunt her?" Noct tosses back.
"I intend on saving her! And what have you done? You are a poison to everyone around you, misfortune trails every step you make. Or have you forgotten what happened in Tenebrae?"
Glaring, Ravus watches him genuinely wanting an answer. There is hate in his eyes - for Noctis, and for what the world had wrought upon him and his sister.
Although the memories had become hazy with age, Noctis remembers a time when Ravus cared for him too.
That had been taken from them, and now Ravus stood to lose Luna as well.
"You must feel so alone."
Pain erupts in his cheek as he narrowly dodges the flash of Ravus's sword. Blood trickles down the side of his face from where the blade nicked him. Ravus snarls, and Noctis dances a few steps back, holding his hand out to keep the others from interfering.
"And who was the cause for that?!" Ravus slashes at him again, and Noctis brings his blade forward to meet it. He sidesteps and jumps back, Ravus hot on his heels.
"I may have been the target, but it was Niflheim that took everything from you." Noctis paces back and Ravus pauses, lips curling into a sneer. Noctis wipes the blood from the cut on his cheek, noting that the magic of the Crystal was already working on stitching it back together.
"Have you disillusioned yourself, boy? Your father left us to die. He left my mother to die, for me to be captured - and then, even when she was within arm's reach, left Luna behind so she could suffer the hell that our home had become." Ravus pulls himself tall, head tilting heavenward and platinum hair falling away from his face. The morning sun makes him look serene.
Slowly bringing his sword up, he points it at the clouds and Noctis braces himself, "I hate you."
Ravus brings his sword down with a crackle of lightning, it sends Noct stumbling back a few steps and before he can catch his bearings Ravus is already upon him again.
He pulls his sword up just in time to block Ravus's downswing, arms shaking against the other's strength. Ravus drives his free hand, bursting with unnatural electrical energy, into Noct's unprotected gut. The attack sends him rolling away, and he can hear his friends cry out as he staggers to his feet.
Anger ticks at him, and he charges to meet Ravus halfway, meeting every strike of his sword with one of his own.
"Niflheim bore no ill will towards Tenebrae until you arrived. You are the cause of all of Luna and I's suffering. You are the cause of my mother's death!" Ravus's anger is punctuated with the clang of his sword, and Noctis struggles against his overwhelming strength to push it back.
"You were the cause of my father's death - the cause of Insomnia's citizens' deaths!" Noctis venomously cries back. Their swords shriek as they grind against each other, both equally desperate to gain the upper hand. With a cry, Noctis pushes forward and the two break apart.
Ravus has nothing to say, instead he waits, staring coldly at Noctis. Noctis pants, exertion and the sudden swell of emotion taking its toll.
He regrets his words instantly. Although Ravus had had a hand in the fall of his city, he wasn't to blame for orchestrating it.
A victim of circumstance, just as Noctis, who had made the wrong decisions while fueled by hate - and now has to live with the blood of thousands of innocents on his hands.
Noctis doubts Ravus actually wanted such a sin bearing down on his shoulders.
Closing his eyes and trusting Ravus to not strike at the opportunity, Noctis releases his breath slowly as he calms.
"Luna will not die for me. I won't let her." He looks to Ravus, searching for all the right words. Ravus sneers, but does not bring his sword back up to face Noctis.
"And pray tell, how can you stop it?"
Dropships loom their way over the horizon, headed straight for Aracheole. Noctis doesn't need to guess that Ardyn is likely with the reinforcements.
"Ravus, I vow on my life that I will die before I let her forge a covenant. I want to keep her safe. But I need your help." Noctis says with all sincerity.
The sneer falls to Ravus's normal frown - he was listening to Noctis for the first time that Noct could remember.
"You and I both know at this rate she will die, we need to get her to safety. Once you find her, don't let her escape."
"What you suggest sounds akin to imprisonment." Ravus points out, but doesn't reject Noct's train of thought.
"It's better than letting her die. I know you can offer her safe passage to Tenebrae. Although it won't always be safe, we will have to keep her there in the meantime." Noctis says.
Ravus 'hmms' and Noctis continues, "She is likely on her way to Fociaugh Hollow to meet with the Fulgurian. But if you miss her then she may already be looking for passage to Altissia."
Ravus remains quiet as he listens, his gaze falling to the ground the longer Noctis talks.
"I know you hate me. But I don't hate you. And I want Luna to live. I want her to be happy." Noctis pleads.
Ravus sheathes his sword with a long exhale, looking far older than his years. He looks to Noctis, and there is pain in his eyes.
"Don't make me regret this." For a moment, Noctis sees him as the young man he had first met. When Ravus had watched over Luna and him with a gentle maturity, when the love Ravus expressed for Luna with such loyalty had almost extended to him too. No bitter memories between them, just a young Noctis pretending for a moment that Ravus was his older brother.
Twelve years and a near-endless war had completely changed that - and even if Noctis could travel a thousand times to the past, it would never erase the scars that fueled Ravus's hate for him.
"Thank you." Noctis says. Ravus turns and dismisses them, leaving them to run for the exit.
...
Noct's limbs drag and protest at him as he climbs to the motel's roof. The neon light of the sign forces his eyes to adjust and he squints in discomfort.
Sleep had eluded him, flashes of velvety red nightmares preventing him from falling into a much-needed slumber.
To Noct's surprise, Prompto was already sitting on the edge. The blond hears his approach, tossing him a wave and a "Heyaz."
"Were you waiting on me?" Noctis asks.
Prompto huffs, "Nah, was expectin' you to stay asleep... but it's nice to have company."
The fresh night air pulls gently at his hair, and Noctis catches sight of Prompto's expression.
It looked sorta solemn.
"That was one hell of a day, huh?" Noctis pulls from his memory, hoping to spur the conversation he knew Prompto needed.
It works, as Prompto replies and Noctis lets the talk play out like it had in the last timeline.
Noctis finds the familiarity uncomfortable, unlike his other repeated conversations. The sincerity of his words more unnatural - but not quite forced. His eyes widen halfway through Prompto's sentence.
It just doesn't feel real anymore.
Noctis scrambles to push more emotion into his words as they continue to talk, hoping that Prompto wouldn't notice. It was unfair to treat Prompto like that - his problems were real, and they were still plaguing him at this time.
"You think I make time just for any old loser?" Noctis asks, remembering that these words had once been enough to ease his friend's fears.
"Huh? Why, you mad, bro?" Prompto laughs off. The smile fades from his expression however, and he sighs deeply as his gaze falls somewhere in the distance.
Sensing Prompto's sudden drop in attitude, Noctis sits up straighter and focuses on his face.
"Hey, listen," Noct bumps his shoulder against Prompto's, "Trust me when I say that I couldn't have done this without you."
Prompto whips his head up, "...trust?" He clenches at air before running a hand through his hair, "But what can I do that you can't? What if I am a burden?"
"Prompto." Noctis scolds, "I'm serious. I wouldn't have made it this far without you by my side. Please, don't ever think otherwise."
"How can you be so sure?" Prompto replies. Noct's blue eyes are steely, forcing Prompto to look away in guilt for doubting him.
"I know so. I can't do this alone."
Muscles relaxing, Prompto slouches. The howl of a voretooth from far off has the pair falling silent to listen. It howls once more, but there is no reply. Noctis lets his mind wander, content to sit in the silence with Prompto.
"You always seem to know what to say and do." Prompto says after awhile, startling Noct back into the present.
The wear from that day is present on Prompto's face, but a tired smile is pulling at his lips. Noctis rubs at his neck, "Ha, I only act like it."
A familiar bark breaks their calm, Umbra stands in the empty street looking up at them.
Prompto looks at him and Noctis waves him off, "Go catch some sleep. I'll be back in a minute."
They stand and stretch, Prompto loudly cracking his back.
"Right-o." He finger guns Noctis, "...and thanks."
"Anytime, Prompto." Noctis nods. With that, Prompto leaves and Noctis makes his way down to the street below.
Umbra runs up to greet him, licking at Noctis as he sits against a tree.
"It's good to see you." Noctis says as he runs his fingers through Umbra's fur. The notebook sits in its usual spot, and Noctis opens it to the newest page.
The elegant handwriting Noctis had long come to recognize as Luna's sits neatly in the center of the page. Her letter is characteristically short as always.
"I hope this journal finds you well, the Archean
had already been awakened when I spoke to him.
My prayers are with you Noctis."
Noctis frowns, Luna would soon find out that Ramuh was already awake as well - that is if she hadn't spoke to him already. Travelling to each of the gods would be pointless and risky, but she likely only had Leviathan left.
He intended to stop her before that.
"Thank you Luna, I have
received the blessing. Please, return to
Tenebrae for the time being.
The burden is no longer yours to bear."
Noctis writes. He shuts the book, taking a moment to rub a thumb over the gold pattern of the sylleblossom embroidered on the front. Umbra bends to allow Noctis to slide the notebook back in.
He leans back into the tree, stretching his feet out on the pavement and yawning. The Crow's Nest is still bright at this hour, but from this position Noctis can't see any customers.
The click of heels on pavement reach his ears. He cranes his neck around and sees Gentiana.
"Gentiana." Noctis stands.
"O King of Stone." She greets, "How do you fare, in this time passed?"
Noctis pauses, grateful of her patience and caught off by such a personal question. In his eyes, she had always been the most human.
It was easy to forget she was an Astral.
"...It's fine. I am already farther than I was last time, I'm ahead of schedule. I won't let anyone down this time."
"Chosen, I asked how you were faring." She smiles and opens her eyes.
"Uh..." Noctis stammers, "Why do you-... I'm alright, I guess..."
He looks away, unwilling to meet her eyes. She steps forward, and Noctis forces himself not to step back. He winces as she gently cups her hand around his cheek.
"Where are you going, Noctis?"
Noctis remains quiet, letting the temperature of her hand seep into him. She was cool - not cold.
When he finally builds the courage to look up, he finds her frowning, her eyes looking a little sad.
"Why choose a path you have already walked?" Gentiana asks.
"I don't know any other way." He answers.
She lets her hand fall and backs a few steps. Noctis wants to hide from the way she looks at him - his attempt at a smile twists into a grimace.
"Walk your own path. The light is yours, don't shy away." With that, Gentiana leaves, taking Umbra with her.
The Mark of the Glacian stays with Noctis.
Sorry for the long wait! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it was a toughy!
IMPORTANT UPDATE NOTICE: I will be going on a geologic excursion, so will have no access to internet. I will be gone for almost all of June and maybe even July. That means the next update may be as late as August. I am incredibly sorry for this, and will try to find a spot where I can work on the next chapter. (If you want to see how my progress is going, or want to see any previews, message me at RoosaurusRin on tumblr)
I want to say thank you again to all those who have commented again, so thank you so much to KHLostEmpress, Oracleshadow, Ms. Zeal, This Is Sarcasm, Beta117, KeeperOfTheCreed, Misaki Murakami, John Smith, Twinwolfsister, aemj9277, and any guests that left a review! You guys don't know how much it means to me and I am so grateful! Thank you so much!
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Thank you so very much for reading! Have a great summer(or winter if you're in the southern hemi)!