"What?" Prompto said intelligently, taken aback. He remembered now. He'd run into this man in Galdin Quay when they'd passed through. Back then, he didn't understand the thrill of fear the man invoked, but maybe it was because deep down he knew who he was.

But that didn't explain why Ardyn Izunia was looking at him all the world as if he was greeting an old friend over drinks. Amusement danced in sharp golden eyes, the man leaning his head to the side as if sharing an inside joke, and Prompto shifted uncomfortably, eyes flickering away and back again nervously.

Ignis and Gladio exchanged a serious look before Ignis stepped forward, grabbing the man's attention. "Chancellor Ardyn Izunia, I presume. I don't believe we've ever made your acquaintance."

Ardyn's unassuming gaze slipped over to the other man, smile condescending. "And you're Ignis Scientia, royal advisor to the would-be king." His gaze turned to Gladio as well, the larger man standing calmly but ready at Prompto's side. " And Gladiolus Amicitia, the loyal Shield. My, my, the whole King's retinue, here to greet little old me. But wait, where is your precious kingling? Not getting into any trouble, I hope."

"That is none of your concern," Ignis answered coldly.

"Oh, but that isn't quite true, is it, my dear Ignis?" Ardyn said with feigned warmth, holding his arms out widely as if to embrace the prickly man. Ignis' lips curled in disdain. "The wellbeing of the fledgling King of Lucis is the concern of all."

"Yeah, you look real worried," Gladio drawled.

"Tisk, tisk, such hostility. Is that the way you greet a foreign dignitary in the Crown City? Such poor manners."

"You will have to forgive us," Ignis said. "But we don't show civility to enemies of the State."

Ardyn placed a hand over his heavily clad chest, expression falling disingenuously. "That's not very nice. I only want what's best for your precious king."

Prompto didn't need a voice in his head to tell him that Ardyn was lying through his snake teeth. When Ardyn received nothing but suspicious glares, he let out an aggrieved sigh. "Not very friendly then. You know, your new friend was much more...accommodating when I made his acquaintance. Now, what was his name?" Sharp canines flashed. "Ah, yes. Jason."

The name sounded vile on this man's lips, tongue curling around the syllables as he would a particularly decadent dish. A well of disgust rose up within Prompto, a sharp spike of protective fury setting his teeth on edge. Beside him, Gladio widened his stance. "What did you do to him?" the large man growled heavily in his chest.

Ardyn waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing much, a assure you. I just wanted to take a closer look, that's all." He smiled salaciously, and Prompto's hackles raised. It seemed that Gladio shared the sentiment, practically vibrating at his side. Only Ignis seemed to keep an outward veneer of calm, perhaps the only thing that kept Gladio from leaping forward and ending this creep. Only the tightness of his eyes gave away his equal desire to slit Ardyn's throat where he stood. The next time Prompto saw Jason, he was never going to let him leave his side again, recalling the haunted look in his gaze. What had happened between them? Was it more than Jason's account of events, as Ardyn so mockingly insinuated?

As if they discussed nothing more unpleasant than the weather, Ardyn went on. "You see, I sensed a change, a shift in the wind, as it were. When poor, sweet Noctis fell ill at Galdin Quay, I just knew I had to find out what ailed him so."

"You were there?" Ignis demanded cooly. "I don't recall your face."

"Well, you did seem a tad...distracted," Ardyn said. "What with the little king so down in his health."

"He was there," Prompto said lowly. "I ran into him as we were leaving." Ignis shot him a look, but Prompto shook his head, brows pinched. He hadn't thought the encounter important, not with Noctis in the predicament he was. Back then, his one and only concern was finding Jason before he could do any more damage. It appeared he hadn't been aware of the real snake in the grass, the one hiding behind the debonair smile of a friendly stranger. Inwardly, he kicked himself. Jason had outright told them that they first met Ardyn at Galdin Quay, and still, Prompto hadn't remembered. Stupid, stupid...

Ardyn tipped his hat in acknowledgment. "You see, my curiosity was peaked. After all, this kind of aberration of fate hasn't happened in an age, a hand played from an opponent I thought long defeated." His eyes passed over Prompto and the blond shivered, chin dropping and wishing he could be anywhere else but here. Maybe holed up on an obscure haven somewhere, all of his friends safely bundled in their tent, no imminent disaster hanging over their heads in the form of this creepy old guy. Yeah, that sounded nice...

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gladiolus scowled, shifting closer to Prompto, and though the younger man might have felt cosseted at any other time, he could only be grateful for Gladio's welcome support. Ardyn's eyes felt like oil on his skin, and he didn't understand the terrible familiarity of it, the recognition in his heart.

"All in due time, Mr. Amicitia, all in due time…" Ardyn dismissed with a condescending sniff. "Much more interesting than that tired drivel; when I went to investigate this little anomaly, what do I find but a Messenger, the brightest of lights in your unworthy midst?" He paused, taking in their guarded faces with relish. "Or at least, something very much like it. Such an exotic-looking fellow…Wherever did you find him?" He looked into the distance, smiling at some pleasant memory before saying flippantly, almost an afterthought, "Do forgive me, by the way, for tampering with your memories. The encounter was a deviation on my part, and I do so like how this all plays out…" Ignis' eyes sharpened, and Ardyn placed a hand over his mouth, theatrically abashed. "Oops. I've said too much."

This–this–he was playing with them, teasing them with hints without telling them anything. Prompto's fingers itched for his gun, but they remained civil, painfully aware of the people around them. They received a few odd looks, but no one seemed overly concerned with their altercation.

"You bastard," Gladio growled. "What makes you think we're going to tell you a damned thing?"

"Oh, but I think you will." Ardyn smiled. "If you don't, I may just have to find out for myself. I confess, I wouldn't mind spending a little more quality time with dear Jason. He's just so interesting, you see. And while I do enjoy this little drama, it can get so very dull after a time..."

"You–" Gladiolus stepped forward, the desire to attack infusing every line of his body. Ardyn's smile finally dropped into and annoyed frown. And yet, it was still only passing, as if he'd stepped in something mildly unpleasant.

"That's quite enough out of you two, I think. I have much more pleasant company in mind."

He lifted his hand and Gladio tensed, summoning his shield to stop whatever would come next. Ignis followed suit with his own weapons.

They didn't even get the chance to raise them.

"Good night."

Prompto flinched as Ardyn waved through the air, ready for an attack. But it never came. Instead, something pulled in his gut, a familiar magic that had his eyes widening in shock. He looked around, trying in vain to spot someone who just wasn't there. Jason? But that was impossible…

Yet the world greyed out, golden street lights fading to sepia and white noise filling his senses with silence. Time stilled, freezing passersby and halting the ever-present music of Lestallum to numbing quiet. Prompto's breath came faster, loud in the sudden stagnance as he peered between Ignis and Gladio frantically, their faces frozen with tension and skin pale as death. They may as well have been statues for all they were living, breathing men moments before. "Wha–"

Then his eyes locked back onto Ardyn, heart jumping so hard in his chest he was afraid for a moment it would give out completely. A small whimper interrupted his breath, and he took a step back. With the world faded around them, Prompto found himself alone against…

Well, he wasn't sure what he was. Because the moment the spell took hold, Ardyn changed. A sick, cloying blackness slipped from his lips and eyes like macabre blood stains, and a miasma of hate and abrasive unrest hummed in the air, setting Prompto's teeth on edge. He stood frozen with fear as Ardyn's satisfied grin grew, once pristine teeth tainted with black.

Prompto blinked and then the illusion was gone, leaving only that smug smile in its wake. So quickly he almost thought that he'd imagined it. Starscourge, his mind supplied, remembering what Jason had told them. That must be the Starscourge… He could see it clearly now, everything Jason had ever warned them about this man, worse and more tangible than anything he could have possibly conveyed. Prompto quaked, terrified by what he'd witnessed beneath the unassuming mask.

"W-what did you do?" he choked, heart hammering and palms stinging with adrenaline. He wanted to reach out to Ignis and Gladio, but he daren't take his eyes off the threat in front of them.

Ardyn's face lit with satisfaction and he breathed in deeply as if enticed by a most delicious scent. He ignored Prompto's words, speaking as if continuing a conversation that Prompto wasn't privy to. "Ah, it's so much fun in the beginning. Still so innocent, so pure." He lifted his brows as if sharing a secret. "Don't you think so, old friend?"

Prompto bit his cheek until he tasted blood, letting the sharp sting center him. "What are you talking about? H-how do you know me?"

Ardyn looked down at his gloved hands, idly picking non-existent lint from the fabric of his heavy sleeves. "Know you? Why, yes, we've known each other for a long time…In many senses of the word." He tilted his head, golds flashing unnaturally in the dimness as he looked around slowly. "This is the earliest I think you've managed to alter things, if I'm not mistaken. Usually, I have more time to play." He licked his lips. "I do so enjoy our little encounters…"

So they had met before. But Prompto got the feeling it wasn't him Ardyn was talking to. How could it be? More importantly than that, why did Ardyn keep insinuating that he'd done all of this before? Did it have something to do with the memories that Prompto couldn't quite reach, the ones that simultaneously felt like his, and yet not?

"Now, I know I've forgotten something important. Hmm. What could it be?" He hit his palm into his hand as an exclamation point. "Ah, yes! Pray tell, where is young Noctis and your new friend? I would so like to see that one again. We had such fun together!"

Prompto's clenched his teeth, not liking the possessive lilt of this man's tone. He wouldn't be goaded. He wouldn't. He took an imperceptible breath, steadying his nerves.

O-okay. He was on his own. But he could handle this. This was what they came for. A buzzing started low in his ears, but he ignored it, concentrating on the task at hand. He had to distract this man so that he couldn't interfere. Hold it together, Prompto! This is no time to be distracted by this man's duplicitous words.

Ardyn's lips turned down in a disappointed pout, looking almost ridiculous on such an older man, for all that he held himself with easy grace. "Not going to answer? No matter, I suppose. No, I'm much more interested in your new pet."

Prompto's eyes widened and Ardyn latched onto the weakness with a sneer. "I dunno what you're t-talking about," he insisted. Like hell he was going to give anything away.

The older man sighed, lifting his brows as if disappointed in a child. "Tiresome. How long are you going to hold this farce, my dear? As much as I enjoy the charade, don't you think it's time to wake up?"

Frustration rose in the young Crownsguard, enough to drown out his better sense. "What are you talking about," he snapped, hating how his voice cracked past he lump in his throat, the desperate desire for some godsdamned answers. He was so sick. Sick of the confusion and the secrets and the stress of not knowing. He wanted to pull out all the hair on this smug bastard's head, fingers clenching past the fine tremor that shook them.

Ardyn chuckled, not at all affected by Prompto's outcry. "You really don't know anything, do you? And here I thought that something about this time around was different."

"I do know." Prompto said, drawing himself up as much as he could. This time? That was the second time he'd heard that. The first had been in the dream that he and Jason shared…

This time, we can win. This time, we have you.

"I know that you're actually Ardyn L-Lucis Caelum and that you're the source of the Starscourge. A-and–" he gulped, intimidated by the continued smugness in Ardyn's mein, "And we're going to stop you!"

Casually, Ardyn went back to fussing with his sleeves, picking at the hem and making sure they were well dusted. He began to walk slowly around the three until he leaned against the railing, looking out over the canyon below and the Disk in the distance. It made hot flashes of anger ignite in Prompto, and though trepidation nearly held him immobile, he stepped around Gladio, putting himself between Ardyn and his two vulnerable friends. A pathetic, insufficient barrier, but all the shelter he could give.

"Hm, perhaps this will be interesting after all. Was it that young man who told you, or have you been able to break through after all?" He tilted his head, eyeing Prompto's tense form out of the corner of his eye, assessing. "No, I suppose you haven't quite yet. No matter, I'll find out who he is on my own. How exciting!"

"You stay away from him," Prompto snapped, then bit his tongue harshly. No! Don't give anything away. But he didn't like the devious glint in Ardyn's eyes, didn't like the sick twist of his lips that set his stomach roiling in disgust. There was no way he would let this creature near the most vulnerable member of their family. No way in hell.

Ardyn hummed noncommittally. "We shall see. Now, more importantly, it's not time for you and I to play, dear Prompto. I'd much rather speak with him."

"WHO?" Prompto all but screamed. "I'm me. There's no one else!" But there was something else, something clawing its way to the surface. Prompto cried out, clutching at his head as a wave of dizziness rushed over him with all the unstoppable force of the rising tide.

"Ah, ah, ah," Ardyn drawled, far off through the static shuttering Prompto's ears. "Don't try to fight it, my boy. After all, it's going to happen sooner or later. Why not spare yourself the pain? It'll be just. Like. Falling. Asleep." He sang in staccato.

"NO! S-stop it!" Prompto groaned, stumbling to the side and leaning heavily against the railing. The world spun and he felt as if he were falling into the bottomless ravine below, stomach swooping and hands scrabbling to hold him steady. "Stop!"

I need to break through. It was with a firm, indefinable voice that an answer filtered through him, the entity that intruded in his dreams, messed with his memories, and controlled him manifesting like written words on the back of his eyelids.

"No," Prompto whimpered. "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

I have to. I'm sorry, but I can't lose them again. It was remorseful and Prompto felt tears rise to his eyes, whether his own or this person's, he couldn't tell. But still, he struggled. He wouldn't let this–this being do what it wished. This was his body! His life! He didn't want to disappear, to be pushed out. But he could feel himself slipping, his soul being repressed and his vision darkening. No! Ignis, Noctis, Gladio, Jason–he wouldn't leave them. He wouldn't! Fear rose within from the deepest part of himself, an animal instinct so powerful that it felt as if his heart was physically breaking under the strain.

"Who are you…?" He gasped again.

I'm–

"Hm. It appears you still need a little push." A rough hand grabbed Prompto's chin and wrenched up his face, the younger man's eyes fluttering in a mamothian effort to stay conscious. Ardyn loomed over the slumped blond, expression nonchalant and uncaring in the face of Prompto's struggle. He tsked, the distinct smell of rot filling Prompto's nose and making him gag. "Such a pretty young thing. I wish I could reincarnate as such, so virulent and pure as I once was. But alas, my body was already middle-aged by the time I became immortal." He shrugged nonchalantly before his grip turned harsh on Prompto's jaw, eyes darkening into the depthless pools of black that Prompto had only caught a glimpse of. "What will it take to bring you forth, old friend? Should I have a little fun with dear Ignis and Gladiolus?" He looked over to the two frozen men, vulnerable in the spell's sinister grasp. A wave of unmitigated anger rose in Prompto, drowning him and stealing his breath. He struggled through it.

"No–" he choked.

"Or perhaps," Ardyn continued mercilessly. "I should find out what the fool prince and his new friend are up to, their little quest you all are so desperately trying to distract me from…" His gaze landed on the Disk in the distance. No. He can't know. He can't!

"Don't–" But Prompto was losing, the tide rising. He felt cold, as if truly engulfed by water, ice slipping over his legs, his hands, his heart, numbing him.

"Do you honestly believe that Noctis can change his fate?" Ardyn interrupted, voice deepening and smirk turning into a cruel sneer, all pretenses of friendliness banished in sudden malice. "How many times have you tried, and failed, like a child never learning when to give. Up. Even if you've somehow managed to bring another player to the game, I always win…and you always die." He snapped his fingers.

Time resumed with a splintering gasp, air rushing with renewed wind, voices filtering into the night and music jangling off key in the distance. Gladio stumbled to a halt, looking around wildly for the man who was simply no longer there. Ignis spotted them first, making a strangled sound of alarm as he took in Prompto's pained expression, trapped in Ardyn's hands. Gladiolus and Ignis moved as one, the larger man snatching the front of Izunia's heavy coat and Ignis stepping around Prompto, throwing out a protective arm with an audible growl. Prompto struggled to keep his eyes open, chin slumping without the support of Ardyn's touch, breath no more than choked whimpers.

Ardyn lifted his hands in surrender in Gladio's grip, smiling unconcernedly in the face of the larger man's fury. "My offer still stands, pet," he called, and Prompto met his eyes beneath Ignis' protective guard, lashes fluttering. "We could finally end this cycle if you would only give in."

"What are you talking about?" Gladio demanded, all calm abandoned. But between one blink and the next, Gladio stared down at his now empty hands and Ardyn stood three paces away, straightening his jacket from its rough treatment with a delicate brush of his sleeve.

The tide finally slipped over Prompto's head and he sank, watching the world through his own eyes, but as if an observer through a shrinking window, a cool, iridescent blue engulfing him totally. His body, however, stood of its own volition, stance open and strong as he faced down their enemy.

"And so does mine," Prompto said, voice strong and sure. Ignis and Gladio turned, shocked at Prompto's sudden calm. But Prompto was not calm. Fear prickled in his heart and he felt himself slip further. No...no! Stop it! Ardyn, however, lit up in delight, as if the winter solstice had come early. "We could end this, here and now, if only you would let me save you." Prompto was overwhelmed by a terrible sadness then, choking him and smothering his consciousness. He drowned in it, his own emotions muffled by the intensity.

Gladio, Ignis...help! P-please...

If Ardyn was put out by that answer, he didn't show it, grin unwavering. "Always the hero, hm? It seems we are at an impasse once more. How very disappointing."

Gladio stepped towards Prompto, hand outstretched as Ignis looked on in open alarm. "Prom?"

Prompto's gaze slipped to the taller man, staring at him long and hard, as if looking on a nostalgic sight he hadn't laid eyes on in a long, long time, and missed terribly. Prompto felt himself smile sadly, every action feeling like water slipping through his fingers; no matter how he grasped, he couldn't catch hold. "Eheh. Not quite, big guy." Gladiolus drew his hand back as if stung, eyes wide.

"Who are you?" Ignis stepped forward. "Where is Prompto?"

Slowly, Prompto placed his hand over his heart, his own eyes following the gesture as if stunned by the simple ease of movement. "He's here. Safe with me."

"Mm, is he though?" Ardyn interjected, placing a taunting finger against his chin. "You and I both know that others haven't been so lucky."

Prompto's gaze sharpened into a glare, piercing the smug man idly fiddling with his fedora. Ignis and Gladio however, did not take their horrified gaze from their blond friend. "Give him back," Ignis whispered, voice like ice. Prompto felt a sting in his chest, his body regarding the other man with a disheartened frown. "Give him back," and Ignis was there, grabbing the front of Prompto's damp shirt, getting into his face. "He doesn't belong to you!"

Prompto, the real Prompto, cried out, screaming as loudly as his ethereal form would allow. Ignis! I'm here! Igniiiiiiiis! But his possessor only experienced and slight pain, wincing in discomfort.

"Ignis. It's alright," they said in Prompto's voice, lifting a hand to touch the taller man's lightly. Ignis bared his teeth. "I–"

But all of them staggered as energy, powerful and raw as the very forces of nature, began building unbearably in the air, beneath their feet, in their very skin. It was unlike anything Ignis, Gladio and Prompto had ever felt before. The two older men glanced around wildly for the source of the crushing pressure, Ignis stepping back to draw his daggers and Gladio at his side. But it was too immeasurable, too powerful to be anything they could fight.

Prompto only had eyes for one man, locking his horrified gaze with the smug golds of Ardyn Izunia. Ardyn smiled slowly, head tilting before flicking his gaze into the distance.

"No," Prompto whispered, eyes involuntarily drawn to the horizon as well. The air pulsed, a thrumming, silent boom that popped his ears and filled his sinuses with pressure, every bird, creature and daemon crying out at once in a cacophony of flight.

"What's going on?" Ignis demanded over the din, turning on Ardyn and pointing his dagger at his heart viciously. "What have you done?!"

"What have I done? Why, I've been here the whole time."

A bright flash lit up the sky, nearly blinding the three men, nearly blinding Prompto and his possessor both. No, he screamed inside his head, and it wasn't only his heart that cried out, their two souls syncing in that moment as one. NO!

Ignis, Gladio and Prompto watched in horror as the meteor burst into golden light, an immeasurable roar echoing off the land in thundering waves that shook them to their cores.

"Ah, the Archeon wakes," Ardyn intoned, honeyed voice dripping with smugness and mocking lilt. "It looks like whatever you were trying to do has failed." He drew no response from the three shocked men, their eyes glued to the light show punctuating their failure. Around them, the alarmed voices of the citizens grew in volume, the sight of the meteor dissipating to nothing inciting panic. Ardyn lifted his voice in order to be heard. "Good show, but it appears it's time for me to wish you adieu. However…"

He paused as he strolled past them, leaning over to murmur in Prompto's ear, fetid breath washing over his shaking form. "I can't wait to pay your new plaything a visit. After all, we can't have any more...surprises." And then he was gone, no trace that he'd ever existed in the first place remaining.

A wail of frustration screamed in Prompto's head, and he wasn't sure if it was his own voice or the Other's, but the next thing he knew, his legs were giving out beneath him. Like a marionette with its strings cut, he fell harshly on his knees with a jarring crack against the concrete. The pain shocked through him in waves of blistering agony and he whimpered, coming back to himself fully and breathing in the free air like a man drowning.

His thoughts were silent. He was alone.

With tears welling in his eyes, he looked towards the horizon where the last of the glow was fading from view.

The meteor was completely gone, its unearthly shine diminished to nothing and leaving not even a shimmer in the moonless night. Only the echoes of the terrible roar remained, haunting in their minds.

"They failed," Ignis whispered, voice weak.

"Fuck," Gladio growled.

"W-we have to get to them," Prompto stuttered, scrabbling painfully to his feet. His body shook heavily, nerves lighting in stinging waves as if reconnecting one by painful one. "We have to–"

"Prompto, wait!" Ignis said, alarmed, but Prompto was already falling. Ignis lurched, but Gladio was quicker, catching the smaller man by the shoulders and holding him steady. Prompto slumped against him, exhausted, tremors wracking his muscles and sending involuntary spasms through his body.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Ignis fretted.

"Are you really you?" Gladio tightened his grip, and Prompto winced.

"Y-yeah. It's gone. I'm me."

"Fuck," Gladio said again, carefully lowering Prompto to a sitting position. "This has to stop." He looked around, scanning the surrounding area. "Where the hell did that bastard go?"

"Gone," Prompto rasped. He grabbed onto Ignis' sleeve, pulling the man close, a terrible dread rising in him. Ignis looked down at him with wide eyes, glasses askew. "Guys. We have to get to N-Noct and Jason. Now!"

But it was too late. A concussion rent the air, the men staggering to stay upright. The horizon lit once more with all the brightness of the morning sun, a massive fireball engulfing the Disk's remains. The earth around them trembled beneath their feet, the roll of thunder across the hills deafening all those in its wake.

Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto could only watch impotently as the heart of Lucis went up in flames, and Jason's light went out.