3.

'You wished to see me?' Somnus asked as he entered the room.

Galen sat on a sofa, attended by only Gentiana. Her face pale and Somnus thought that she looked about ten times older than she did at the beginning of the Ceremony. Her frowns and creases amplified her wrinkles and made her age apparent. She was by no means young and it was only then that it dawned over Somnus.

Galen nodded and motioned for Somnus to take a seat on the armchair opposite her. 'Yes, my boy,' she muttered, almost inaudibly.

Somnus sat down without a word, waiting for her to initiate the conversation.

Galen took a sip of water from her chalice before she began. 'I… I must offer you my apologies before anything,' she said, her voice shaking. 'You warned me… I did not heed it… And for that I apologize.'

Somnus shook his head. 'It's ok…' he muttered.

'It is not okay,' Galen said, 'the Chosen King himself… a daemon… What has become of this world… have the Gods truly forsaken us?'

Somnus shrugged. 'You can communicate with them. Have you?'

Galen massaged her temples. 'I… I did try. But there was no reply. This happens sometimes, but at a time like this…'

Somnus remained quiet. He did not know what to do or what to expect out of her.

'There can only be one way out of this,' Galen finally said. 'You need to ascend the throne.'

Somnus stared at her. 'W-What?'

'Izunia cannot function without a King,' Galen said. 'And at times of peril like this, the people need a leader to look up to, more than ever.'

'What if the Gods don't accept me?' Somnus asked quietly.

'You'll find out if they accept you,' Galen replied, 'when you complete the challenges at Steyliff Grove and receive the light of the Crystal.'

'I will not go through the rites based on such vague directions,' Somnus asserted. 'You, as the Oracle, are meant to advise us, Kings of Izunia, what to do according to the Gods' will. If you can't give us an answer…' he stopped halfway.

Galen looked downcast. 'I must admit… whatever happened with Ardyn was my failure as an Oracle. But if we were to stand any chance of reversing this situation, then it can only start with you.'

Somnus remained quiet for a little while. 'All right,' he finally said, 'but I'm going in there alone this time.'

This time, Gentiana spoke up. 'But the dangers in Steyliff Grove!' She exclaimed. 'We barely made it out alive the last time with the three of us!'

'If the Gods approve of me, they'll help, won't they?' Somnus replied, coldly. 'If I have to prove myself to them, then that's what I'll do.'

'If you so wish,' Galen said after a long pause.

…

'Somnus,' Gentiana called out after him as he ascended the steps to Steyliff Grove.

Somnus turned around as she rushed up the steps after him. 'What is it?'

'I know it's hard on you,' she began, a frown adorning her beautiful face, 'you don't have to do this alone.'

'I know,' Somnus said. 'But I want to. Otherwise, I won't be able to get it off my chest, you see.' Gentiana remained quiet and waited for him to go on. 'Ever since I was young, I was always annoyed at how people always compared me to Ardyn. The way they looked at me… they don't even treat me as a spare. No… the title of the "Chosen King" was not passed down just like that. So even if it was just my own selfish desire, even if the Gods won't crown me "Chosen King" after this… I want to prove to them that I'm just as capable, if not more so, than Ardyn.'

Gentiana did not reply.

'Don't get me wrong,' Somnus said, 'I don't hate Ardyn. If anything, I love him. He's my brother. But I… I just want to prove that the Gods can be wrong.'

'They've already proven themselves wrong,' Gentiana said gently. 'With what happened to Ardyn… They didn't foresee this coming.'

Somnus smiled. 'I didn't expect such a statement to come from you.'

'I learn from my mistakes,' Gentiana said with a chuckle.

'Well, I'd better get going,' Somnus said.

'Hold on,' Gentiana said as she opened her arms and summoned forth a blade. 'The Oracle wants you to have this,' she said as she handed the blade to him. 'Forged by Solheim, this blade has served the Old Kings of Solheim for ages. At this dark moment in mankind's history, it's time the sword served a King.'

'You don't know if I'll pass the rites,' Somnus said, warily eyeing the blade.

'If you don't pass this rite, then mankind will be finished,' Gentiana said. 'The Chosen King of Light will become the Chosen King of Darkness and Starscourge will spread only further and consume the world.'

'Did the Oracle say that?' Somnus asked.

'Strangely, she didn't,' Gentiana said, softly. 'For years I've wanted to hear the voice of the Gods, and I've finally heard her whisper…'

Somnus finally took the blade from Gentiana but was taken aback when his hands touched hers — they were icy cold.

'Gentiana…?'

'When we meet again, I may not be me anymore,' Gentiana said, a single tear rolled down her beautiful face. 'Farewell, my King.'

…

Somnus walked down the same hall within Steyliff Grove that he had been with Gentiana and Ardyn only days prior. The statues, however, were not there to greet him. Instead, a strange figure stood on one end of the hall, with a sword in hand. The figure was clad in black armor and had sword-like wings and a dragon's tail. He looked as though he had been expecting Somnus.

'I have been waiting for you,' the figure spoke in a strange language that Somnus has never heard before and yet could bizarrely understand.

'The… Draconian…?' Somnus asked in disbelief.

'My name is Bahamut, the Draconian, Bladekeeper, leader of the Astrals,' the figure replied.

Somnus let out a hollow laugh. 'So the leader of the Gods himself had come before me,' he seethed. 'Are you playing us for fools!?'

'What happened with your brother was unfortunate,' Bahamut said. 'He was overconfident in his abilities and his calling. His arrogance was his downfall.'

'You call that arrogance?' Somnus barked. 'He risked his life to save countless people! And when he fell from grace, you abandoned him!'

'The prophecy never told him to absorb the Starscourge into his own body,' Bahamut replied, indifferent to Somnus's anger. 'He went ahead and decided that all on his own.'

'Then tell me what you had in plan for him!' Somnus demanded.

'He was meant to lay down his life and purify the world with the Crystal's powers,' Bahamut said. 'Only then can the Starscourge be eradicated. What he did was only scratching the surface.'

Somnus was taken aback. He shook his head in disbelief, '…Who created that prophecy anyway? Who decided that this was the only way to heal the world? What in the world is Starscourge in the first place?'

'I take it that you're familiar with the Great War of Old?' Bahamut asked to which Somnus wordlessly nodded. 'When we took down Ifrit, the Infernian, we burned his body at the Rock of Ravatogh. However, we did not foresee that this very act would release the Starscourge into the world. It was a culmination of Ifrit's irrevocable hate towards mankind and the simple fact that his body was that of a God's and therefore possess divine self-defence mechanisms.'

'Knowing the damage that we have caused to the world,' Bahamut continued, 'we accumulated the light of Eos, the world, and created a Crystal out of it. To protect the remaining light of the world and to hone its powers, so that one day, when combined with the blood of the King, the resulting power will be great enough to even surpass that of the Six and cleanse the world. This is the light that cannot be reached by Starscourge, no matter what, and therefore the inextinguishable hope left for humanity.'

Somnus was silent for a few moments, before finally saying again, 'and what would you have me do…?'

'Prove your worth,' Bahamut replied. 'Ascend as King. Defeat the Accursed. And Establish a new line of rulers to protect the Crystal, until the True King arrives.'

'So you're saying that I cannot eradicate Starscourge because I'm not the True King?' Somnus let out another sarcastic laugh.

'You will be remembered by history all the same as founder of a new era,' Bahamut said. 'The True King is chosen by the Crystal, not us Gods.'

'What era…?'

'If you defeat the Accursed, you will bring in a new era of dawn and halt the advancement of Starscourge,' Bahamut said. 'So come now, let your test begin!'

Somnus drew the blade that Gentiana had given him and blade-warped towards Bahamut. Bahamut countered the attack but Somnus was quick to launch another blade-warp which hit Bahamut's shoulder. Bahamut retaliated by spreading his wing and taking off to the high ceilings with Somnus still holding on to him.

Somnus jumped off Bahamut's shoulder and warped towards a nearby balcony. Bahamut aimed straight at him with his sword readied. At the last second, he leapt up, dodged Bahamut's sword and climbed atop it, striking a blow at Bahamut's head.

Bahamut fell backwards, but with a mighty flap of his wings, managed to regain composure and this time, summoned more swords which circled around him. Somnus clicked his tongue and evaded the swishing blades with greater difficulty. Just as he leapt out of the swords' reach, he felt a cold chill from the blade in his hand. Acting out of instinct, he swung the blade towards Bahamut and a gust of cold blizzard attacked Bahamut.

This took Bahamut by surprise. The chilly snowstorm froze his sword-like wings and he came crashing down. Seeing his chance, Somnus threw down his blade at the fallen Bahamut and blade-warped all the way down to the bottom, dealing significant damage to the Draconian.

'Shiva…' the Draconian called out.

Somnus turned around and found Gentiana at the end of the hallway, looking calm and serene. But there was something different about her, and something odd. For one, she did not look as though she was a mortal who had just fought through multiple floors of demons within the dungeon. And for the other, she was walking with her eyes closed.

'So you have decided…' the Draconian said.

Gentiana walked past Somnus, barely acknowledging his presence and in the blink of an eye she transformed into the blue-skinned, pale Goddess of Ice, Shiva.

'The other three have decided,' Shiva addressed Bahamut, 'that we'll stake the fate of the star on this man.'

Bahamut stood up. 'Then so be it. He has proven his worth.' He then turned towards Somnus. 'Take the vow, King of men. That you'll fell the Accursed and delay the scourge that blights our star.'

Somnus turned his gaze down and nodded ever so briefly. Bahamut, satisfied with his resolve, sent apparitions of his blades down forwards him and one by one, the fourteen blades dissolved into his chest, just as the Old Kings' did Ardyn. When he tried calling forth his newfound powers, the swords of light circled him before forming the visage of wings reminiscent of Bahamut's.

'Go forth then,' Bahamut declared, 'and bring back hope unto our world.'

A single tear rolled down Somnus's cheek.

...

Somnus raised his hand towards the Crystal, a little hesitantly at first. He did not know what to expect after what happened with Ardyn, but the Crystal's warm light engulfed him ever so gently. He felt warmth in his chest. Is this the Crystal's blessing?

Galen looked on, wide eyed with wonder beside him. The Crystal's message was clear; this is the new King.

And when the ritual was complete, Somnus raised his blade to the deafening cheers of the crowd in the room.

...