Blessings of Eos
Chapter 10
Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy.
Regis felt a familiar presence appear in his office. "I don't suppose You could make the paperwork disappear?" He asked without looking up.
"Your secretary's replacement hasn't quite learned just which papers are critical and which are optional." A familiar voice answered.
Regis looked up to see Aerith occupying the chair across from him. "My Lady." He said as he greeted Her properly.
"Your Majesty." She returned the greeting, smiling at him.
"Not that I don't appreciate Your visits, but there is usually a reason behind them." He admitted, pushing aside the file he had been half-heartedly reviewing.
A gesture of Her hand dropped a stack of folders on the desk before him. The first bore a simple label: Magitek Trooper Process. The two below were identical, bearing the name 'Prompto Argentum' on the front. Raising an eyebrow, Regis opened the first folder. "I was led to a base where the empire's magitek troopers are created. Needless to say, the details are fairly disturbing. I saved Prompto from there. We'll be arriving at the Wall in a few hours."
Before he could begin to ask the reason She was informing him of this, She continued after a deep breath. "They inserted an 'emergency termination device'. The Wall will neutralize it in a way that is safest for the City, but will poison him from the inside. I didn't dare remove it Myself, so it would be for the best if there was a team on standby to operate. The details of the insertion are in the medical history of his file. They took fucking pictures." Regis's head shot up at Her use of profanity. While he had heard Her curse before, he had never heard Her use such a word before.
Regis closed the folder he had been examining and opened one of the 'Prompto Argentum' folders to the section labeled 'Medical History'. It didn't take long for him to come across the pictures She referred to. The quick look he had before he had to slam the folder shut was enough to understand Her choice of words. "…how old?"
"Barely three at the time. They had to wait until he was big enough for it to fit inside him. He's only a few months younger than your son." Aerith was blinking rapidly, holding back tears. "They never hid the ultimate outcome from him or any of the others. Nor did they regard them as human. Evidently, they stopped being human once they were exposed to the Scourge. In utero."
"I knew the empire had been experimenting with daemons, but I never imaged they had sunk so low." Regis drew in a ragged breath. "You know he'll have to be questioned."
"Can you have the questioning take place when he's still out of it from the anesthesia?" She looked down at Her lap. "He's already going to remember far too much as he gets older."
"Of course." Silence reigned as Regis took all of this in. "May I ask why you've brought the boy here and get a straight answer?" He finally asked.
"…I can say that it's related to your son having been Chosen. I can also say that this is Me stacking the deck for success." She admitted.
"Why does he have a birth certificate?" If the boy was meant to become a magitek trooper, what was the need for a birth certificate?
"Any of the 'units', as they are called, could at any time be drummed into the Imperial Army Officer Corp. They would need to have a legal existence if only to keep outsiders from looking too closely. My understanding is that names are randomly generated based on the letters denoting the maternal and paternal genetic sources. They could also be killed at any time so the scientists could study the bodies." Aerith sighed. "It would be for the best if anyone looking at the files has a bucket on hand. There are even more pictures."
Standing up stiffy, Regis walked around his desk and placed a hand on Her shoulder. "Our best pediatric doctors will be on standby. What time can you be expected?"
"…around 2PM? We spent the night at Hammerhead, but I want to tell him about the bomb before the first checkpoint. There's a cliff nearby that gives a nice view of the skyline."
"I'll let the Crownsguard know." He hesitated. "How is Cid?"
"Perfect vision of a grumpy old man. I heard you two made up by phone?" She looked up at him. "You know that's not the same as doing it in person."
"There is absolutely no reason why he cannot come to visit." Regis declared by way of answer.
She just laughed. "He said much the same thing." She rose to Her feet. "There's two copies of his file because I want him to have that information one day. It would be safest in your keeping."
"Of course." Sensing the visit was reaching an end, Regis bowed.
"Stop that; you know you don't have to." She protested.
"It's because I don't have to that I do it." He explained.
She just shook Her head with a gentle smile. "Is your son still intent on sleeping life away?"
He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I think I have a cat instead of a boy with how much he sleeps. No insight from the doctors behind the reason why."
"I hate to break it to you, but his sleeping habits are a result of the Crystal forging its bond with him. Given his future role, the Crystal had to start the bond at a younger age, to give it enough time to deepen and strengthen to the necessary point. With that said, sleep has also become his hobby." Aerith told him.
It was Regis's turn to sigh. "I had a feeling that was the case."
With little else to say, Aerith bowed to him and vanished. Turning back to his desk, Regis saw that She had in fact taken care of the paperwork for him, leaving only the files relating to the boy present. Sitting back down, he turned to what he supposed was a recent picture of the boy. Staring down at the blue eyes, he couldn't help but notice a spark of life in them, unrepressed by the circumstances. Perhaps that was why Lady Aerith had saved him out of all of them.
Tabling his thoughts, he picked up the phone to contact Clarus and have the team ready for the boy-Prompto, he should really be calling him-once he was inside the Wall.
It was after dinner with Noctis that Regis made his way to the infirmary where Prompto was recovering. He was asleep, having barely been awake for the required questions according to the report the doctor on hand passed him. "Were there any complications?" He asked, noting how pale he was against the white of the infirmary sheets.
"No Your Majesty. The greater part of the surgery was making sure we didn't miss anything, given how fiendishly tricky Niflheim tech can be." The doctor, who in an ironic twist had the same surname as Prompto, informed him. "It will be about three or four days before he can be cleared to go…wherever he is going."
He stood quietly with the doctor as he read over the interview. "Are you and your husband still considering adoption?"
The doctor, Eleanore Argentum, blinked at his question. "Given our schedules, it…really wouldn't wise. No matter what we may wish for otherwise." Not a slow woman, she immediately picked up on what was only a half-formed idea in his head. "Are you suggesting…?"
"He looks like he could have been yours." Regis told her.
"Even so, the council would never approve the adoption of a Niflheim 'refugee', even one his age." 'Refugee' was the closest legal term for Prompto's technical status.
"They would…if it was put to them along the lines of the two of you monitoring him for something missed." He proposed gently.
Dr. Argentum was quiet. "Do you think we missed something?"
"I have too much faith in the lady who brought him here to believe that is possible. It would simply be a ploy for them to approve the adoption, as any active intervention on my part would only draw suspicion." He stated. "Such an outcome, however, would only happen upon agreement by all parties."
She bowed before she departed, to talk to her husband Michael about his proposal. Turning back to the glass dividing the room from the hall, Regis glimpsed Lady Aerith, improbably cradling Prompto's head in Her lap as She kneeled at the head of his bed. Raising Her head to meet his glaze, She simply smiled sadly, before returning to Her vigil.
Michael Argentum sat with his chin resting in his hand, considering what his wife had told him. She sat next to him, idly braiding and unbraiding locks of her hair. "Do you think we should?" He finally asked her.
"Are two overly busy people really the best choice to raise a boy given his past circumstances?" She countered.
"Would child services do much better, given the trend towards Nif-hate?" Came his counter. "He wouldn't worry about having to suddenly reveal anything."
Husband and wife sighed in unison.
"Don't worry." A young woman dressed in pink suddenly appeared in their line of sight. "You will do fine."
Eleanore opened her mouth to address Her, recognizing Her, but paused, not remembering Her name. "Aerith. Aerith Gainsborough. I brought Prompto to Insomnia. The two of you will do fine as parents." She reassured them, taking a seat across from them.
"…Tell us about him?" Michael found himself asking.
"He comes off as shy when he's not comfortable, but once he is, he's a ball of sunshine. Very perceptive, it is always best to be honest with things regarding him, explaining to best of your ability. He's fascinated by photography, loves chocobos and chocolate, and hates snakes. I was surprised how quickly he became comfortable around me."
"Is there anything that concerns you?" Eleanore asked.
"His 'killer instinct' has been strengthened because of the infection. Photography helps the 'itchy trigger finger', and his will is such that I'm not overly concerned regarding that. It would only be a problem if being able to pick out kill spots easily stopped bothering him, and the likelihood of that happening is remote. My main concern is his memory, since between the genetic manipulation of his healing and the enhanced senses from his infection rate, he remembers more from an earlier age. I'm afraid that easily remembering his previous circumstances could inhibit his ability to enjoy life now." Aerith informed them. "You missed nothing, and as his infection rate will only decrease going forward, there are no problems lurking on the horizon."
"Are you sure we'll do right by him? I'm worried that our time-consuming jobs could…" Eleanore trailed off here, not unable to articulate her worries regarding her and Michael's parenting ability and how their jobs would interfere with that.
"It would be a lie to say that there wouldn't be any resentment. The key is to be honest. After learning I wouldn't be able to stay with him here, he was fine after I explained the reasons. It would be naïve to think he may not resent my inability to stay, however…" Aerith chewed on Her lip, and Michael and Eleanore could see how it was near bleeding. "Frankly, Prompto is more likely to blame himself when you can't spend time with him. Nothing can change how he was told he wasn't human for the first five and a half years of life, and he will probably tend towards feeling that you can't pretend to like him for very long." She raised a hand to cut off their protests. "I'm not saying he will feel like that all the time, or that any affection on your part will be faked. As long as the quality of the time spent with him is high, he will be fine. Everyone has days when demons of the past cloud the sun of the present."
"He'll be happy for the most part, then?" Michael sought to clarify.
"Yes. As long as you are honest with him." Aerith responded.
Eleanore and Michael looked at each other. "…guess we'll need to clear out that junk room at home." Michael finally said.
Aerith smiled at the two of them, an impossibly maternal one, and Eleanore felt a question come to mind. "Who are you, exactly?"
Aerith stood up, cupping Her hands together under Her breast. "Who do you think I am?" Replying with a question of Her own.
Looking into Her warm green eyes, Eleanore felt her breath catch in her throat. She had felt this presence before, this encompassing warmth that made her think of her mother, ten years in the ground. "…Dawn Mother?" She whispered, feeling that to speak louder would break the spell.
Aerith just smiled brighter before fading away. Staring at the spot where She had been for several minutes, Michael finally spoke. "When I suggested praying to Eos for a child, I was kind of joking."
Eleanore felt dazed. "…I didn't think Eos answered prayers. She hasn't been felt since the Astrals descended."
"Prompto must be something special, for Her to have personally saved him. I thought all those stories of Her personally saving people were wishful thinking, given the whole 'friend of a friend's cousin's dog walker' feel of them." Michael admitted.
"Maybe the reason She hasn't been felt is that people haven't been paying enough attention, distracted by the Astrals." Eleanore mused, rising to shaky feet. "I should go give His Majesty our answer, and be there when Prompto wakes up."
"Yeah. I'll head home, see what all we need to get." Michael said, already thinking of the logistics of moving the things out of what was known as the junk room and wondering where the best place to buy child's furniture would be.
Given Prompto's age, his agreement to the arrangement wasn't technically required, but given the past circumstances everyone felt it was best if he felt like had some control over his future.
Prompto slowly settled into his new life in Insomnia. He wasn't really sure what to make of all the changes, least of which was having these things called 'parents'. He kept in mind his promise to Miss Aerith to be brave, while new parents Eleanore and Michael kept in mind Her advice about being honest with him. Prompto and Michael bonded over photography and machinery, the two spending hours coming up with overly-complicated devices and photographing the stages of construction. With Eleanore, the bonding happened when they curled up on the sofa, Eleanore massaging his head with one hand as she read out loud from whichever book had caught her interest. Privately, Prompto felt that the best days were the ones where he didn't think about how he was different, where it was easy to pretend that he had always been here, living as 'Prompto Argentum' and being a normal kid.
Other days it wasn't easy, when his parents' jobs meant quick greetings and farewells in the wee hours of the morning. The kids at school slightly intimidated him with their noise and antics. Most of them already knew each other before starting school, he was left trying to break into groups that had already formed.
One day, Eleanore arrived home to discover Prompto in the bathroom with a knife, having cut off the barcode on his wrist. He broke down at her horrified look, sobbing about how he just wanted it gone. She cried with him, silent tears as she bandaged his wrist and hugged him tight to her. They cried together again two weeks later, when the bandage came off to reveal the barcode, still as black as ever against pale skin that bore no trace of the self-inflicted injury.
Michael discovered him the second time he tried cutting off the barcode. There was anger on Michael's part at the time he discovered his attempt and when it healed perfectly, not at Prompto, but anything and everything that would drive a child as young as Prompto to such a drastic step.
Prompto was undisturbed during his third attempt, biting his lip to the point of bleeding as he sprinkled salt in the wound, hoping that maybe that would be the magic trick to keep it from coming back. Miss Aerith came to him in his dream that night, holding him tight as he sobbed into Her lap, the violent mix of his emotions spilling over. He told Eleanore and Michael when he woke, guilt curling into knots in his stomach. It broke their hearts to punish him for this, taking his camera for two weeks, yet both knew it had to be done. It would have been a month, were it not for the utterly defeated look he had when revealing undamaged skin for the third time.
Aerith cried for him when She Saw these things. His demons seemed to gaining strength, and She was at a loss as to how to help him when a chance event occurred.
Not a hundred percent satisfied with this, but I also don't want to drag Prompto's adjustment to having parents and life in Insomnia out for five chapters. I make no apologies for the cliff hanger. I really do want your opinions. Gave Prompto's adoptive parents the names of my paternal grandparents, if anyone's interested.