Chapter 14: Restoring

{Citadel: June 7th 2002, 9:04am}

"Noctis…" King Regis spoke the name of his child as he watched the boy sit in a chair by the window of his room, watching the activity of the courtyard below.

Since the boy had woken up three days prior, he had remained catatonic, unwilling to speak, and barely making eye-contact with anyone around him. King Regis knew that he had brought back a companion from his coma that appeared to be a Carbuncle, known as Cari. Noctis only interacted with her but other than that, the boy never spoke or engaged others which was starting worry the King of Lucis. Today, he was in his son's room with Dr. Acrux, waiting to hear the verdict on what had caused the boy to become so remarkably isolated towards the others. It was as these thoughts surrounded his mind, that the doctor cleared his throat and King Regis looked to him.

"Well?" he asked as Dr. Acrux took in a steady breath while tilting Noctis's head this way and that, checking the reaction of his pupils.

"He doesn't have any neurological damage; however, he does have some severe psychological trauma to sort through. This is a state of catatonia, it happens sometimes when people suffer extreme shock….this is how their bodies continue to repair the damage done to their brain function." King Regis looked at his son as the Doctor felt of the boy's neck and then went to checking his pulse before going to examine the boy's legs.

"Then how come he won't talk? Or interact with people?" King Regis inquired as Dr. Acrux sighed.

"He's nine-years-old and just went through a highly traumatizing experience. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the beginning stages of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Noctis is going to need time to heal away from anything that could trigger him. But, having people interact with him would be a good idea….otherwise Noctis could shut himself down from around people…." King Regis looked down.

"Noctis brought back a familiar….a Carbuncle…" as he said that Dr. Acrux rose an eyebrow.

"How did he…."

"Reehh!" the two looked to the small, white foxlike creature with a ruby horn upon its head that appeared from nowhere. The Carbuncle jumped into Noctis's lap and the boy turned his head towards the creature, placing a hand upon her head and slowly petting her.

"Cari…." Noctis muttered her name, continuing to pet her as she chirped.

"Well, I'll be…a Carbuncle is his familiar? How did you get here?" asked Dr. Acrux as he looked at the creature.

"Reh…." Noctis glanced to the man.

"She….helped…." the boy took in a steady breath, trying to clear his throat before looking onward at the two adults with him.

"Noctis, she's very pretty…." The boy glanced to him.

"Mhmm…." King Regis sighed.

"He's hardly said a word since he first woke up except for a few moments where he'll say singular words, but normally he won't speak period," he stated as Dr. Acrux nodded.

"Noctis is recovering, therefore I wouldn't worry about it too much right now. The biggest concern we have is of him walking and starting to rehabilitate his stamina," he stated as King Regis took in a steady breath.

"He can't walk….or he won't…" Dr. Acrux shook his head.

"There's no damage to his spine or legs. He's just weak and his body is recovering from shock as I've said before. Now, Noctis, can you ask…" King Regis looked at his son who looked to the Carbuncle.

"Cari…." Dr. Acrux nodded.

"Can you have Cari get down? I'm going to help you walk across the room okay?" he asked. The boy nodded slowly and Cari got down, standing next to the boy as Dr. Acrux slowly helped the boy stand.

Noctis felt his legs shake a bit, but he continued to grip onto the Doctor's arms and slowly walk his way across the floor, his body feeling tender like the soles of his feet as the icy marble floors bit into his skin before he walked further along the way until they reached the bed and the boy sat down, taking in a series of deep breaths, his form shaking as he did so. This was the first time he had walked since he had woken up and been taken back to his room; however, the pain that it forced on his body somewhat surprised him while he sat there, steeling himself for the walk back to the chair across the room. Midnight-blue eyes glanced towards the doctor and the boy nodded as he was slowly pulled back up and started walking back, holding the doctor's hands as he did so until finally he was back in the chair, with Cari settled on his lap.

"You did fairly well. Now, listen to me Noctis; you'll have to do this three times a day and after the first week it'll get longer and longer and after a while you'll have to walk this on your own. We'll start there and by this time next year you'll be back to training and doing things on your own," Dr. Acrux stated.

"Will he recover that swiftly?" the doctor looked to King Regis.

"Yes, you see…children are remarkably resilient and they tend to recover quickly. By working with him he'll recover sooner; however, until he's fully capable of doing things on his own, I think that having him go somewhere that he can recover in peace would be a wise choice," he stated as King Regis felt a sense of realization come over him.

"I believe I have somewhere in mind…"

It was a few hours later, that King Regis, and Dr. Acrux left and Noctis was stuck with Cari alone in his room. The slight therapy that he had endured made him have hope that he could eventually get back to moving around on his own in time; however, it also caused him to wonder how much longer his body would be this weak. Naturally, he had expected his body to not be nearly as agile as he had been in his Dreamscape, but he found his lack of strength, stamina, and ability to maneuver himself suffocating and in addition to it his voice was failing him often, almost as if his vocal chords had been paralyzed during the attack. Midnight-blue eyes looked around the room and then slightly towards Cari who was sleeping in his lap.

He was miserable, trapped, and confused about the events in his dream world and what was happening to him in reality. Noctis sighed, considering how his life would progress with his physical limitations and anxiety alongside the fear that something within him was changing him and his personality towards others. During the last three days, Noctis had started to show a much more aggressive nature that while mild was beginning to startle some of the staff. The boy sighed again and closed his eyes ignoring the world around him and hoping to hide in the realm of his dreams where he could at the very least move about alongside Cari.

"Somewhere that I can escape from this nightmare…."

"Noctis, don't worry….someone special is going to come into your life and you'll become stronger…." The boy flinched a bit in his sleep as he heard Cari's voice.

"I'm tired….I don't want to do anything. I want to hide away….from this nightmare I woke up to…I want to change who I am….because, I…." he could feel Cari move a bit.

"Why? Why do you want to change?" Noctis flinched once again.

"Because, I'm….weak…..I can do nothing…..that is not who I want to be…I need to become stronger….please…."

"Noctis, I know you can become stronger….please hold out for now….believe in yourself."

Unbeknownst to the two of them, four people had entered the room, planning on checking up on the boy currently sleeping in the chair by the window. Marshal Leonis sighed, looking at the child in relief at seeing him resting peacefully while the others checked up on the boy. Iris moved forward, worry etched on her face as she took in the appearance of someone who had played with her on occasion when they were children. Iris and Noctis had been playmates since they were quite young; however, they didn't get to see each other that often now that Queen Aulea had passed away. Noctis had stepped back from the girl after his mother's death and now when Irish came to visit him the black-haired boy would typically teach her about the stars, and even go as far as to teach her how to sew and cook.

However, this was the first time that Iris had been able to visit Noctis since the night he woke up, and because of that, the girl was anxious. Ignis sighed as he glanced to Gladiolus who merely looked onward at the scene of his little sister growing closer towards the future King of Lucis as she checked up on him and Marshal Leonis came closer as well. The four of them had been granted clearance by Dr. Acrux and King Regis to visit the boy, but they were hesitant to wake the child up only because they had supposed Noctis was still remarkably washed out from the ordeal; nonetheless, they let Irish get closer until she started to reach out for the boy.

"Noct….hey…Noct! Wake up!" Iris said as she shook him a bit. The boy took in a steady breath for a moment and then fell back into a deep slumber while Ignis frowned.

"He's still white as a ghost," Gladiolus stated, Marshal Leonis thumped the teenager in the back of the head.

"Noctis has always been pale. Perhaps if you hadn't been so coarse with him and bothered to pay attention you'd have noticed more about him." Ignis continued to look at the boy while he continued to sleep.

"This is the first time I've heard of him actually sleeping during the day time hours. Is he recovering well?" he inquired.

"Yes, he is. According to Dr. Acrux he's going to have to heal for quite some time and has put us in charge of his rehabilitation; however, we must do it slowly and gently." Ignis took in a deep breath as Gladiolus rolled his eyes and Iris looked to the Marshal.

"Can I help?" she asked. The man smiled as he came over and patted her on the head.

"Of course you can help. I wouldn't see why you shouldn't….after all, you are a member of the Amicitia family and it is the onus of your family to protect the Caelum family. Besides, you and Noctis are friends….aren't you?" Iris looked down at his statement.

"Kinda….Noct doesn't really make friendships with people," she said as Marshal Leonis sighed.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be fine as he gets older. For now though, just be strong for him…" Iris nodded as nudged the boy once more.

"Noct! Get up!"

The reaction they got instead was something that unquestionable scared the daylights out of them, and potentially shaved a good six years off their life spans. The boy who had been sound sleeping shot awake with a startled scream of fear, his eyes wide and his body shaking as he tried in vain to get a full breath in as Iris backed away and Marshal Leonis came towards the boy, grabbing him by the shoulders as he forced the boy into a sense of calm as the noise drew the attention of Clarus, Dr. Acrux, and King Regis who had been returning to check up on the boy as well. Within the next few seconds, Iris, Ignis, and Gladiolus were outside while the four adults saw to the child within who had reacted so violently to being woken up.

Iris felt guilty, not because she had done anything wrong – just as her father had told her – but because of the look of terror upon Noctis's face as he looked to her with unrelenting fear. Ignis and Gladiolus had seen the reaction as well, taking note that none of it had a lick of humor to it – as it could sometimes be a bit strange if someone was startled awake – but bore an edge of discontent and ill-boding instead. Noctis's reaction had been one of fear and confusion as he looked around frantically, and attempted to figure out where he was and what had happened despite the fact that he was in a familiar place and had familiar people around him.

Within the room though, Dr. Acrux had finally managed to sedate the boy that Marshal Leonis had struggled to hold in place while King Regis and Clarus stared on in abject horror at the situation. Dr. Acrux had worked tirelessly for what the four of them knew was a decent hour straight before he was able to subdue Noctis to the point that they could get him calmed and set to treating the panic-stricken boy. Marshal Leonis had watched the events unfold from the start, and he knew something was terribly wrong on a far greater level than any of them could even begin to comprehend.

Noctis was now lying on his bed, eyes half-open and complexion far too pale, dark circles evident under his eyes, and a sense of confusion apparent upon the boy's face as he looked at the two of them. Marshal Leonis took in a steadying breath as he shared a look with Dr. Acrux who easily read out his message before closing his eyes while King Regis and Clarus looked onward until the Doctor stood from the bed and started towards him as he considered what they were dealing with. Any questioning of what was wrong with the boy from before was now completely gone, leaving nothing but unadulterated concern in its wake.

"Doctor Acrux?" asked King Regis as he stepped a bit closer.

"Noctis had an anxiety attack. He was startled when Iris tried to wake him up…." The two glanced to one another as Marshal Leonis sighed.

"Atop the anxiety attack; he's refusing to speak, he's detached himself from others….in addition to it he's showing signs of post-traumatic-stress. He's going to need some help," the Marshal stated.

"What should I do?" Clarus frowned for a moment.

"Take him to see the Oracle," he said. All eyes turned to him at the statement, some appearing startled, while others seemed to be getting the gist of what he was implying.

"You mean that King Regis should take him to Tenebrae? Now of all times?" Clarus nodded.

"Queen Sylva can treat his distress for the most part, and she can help him heal without over-stimulating him. Between her, and Princess Lunafreya, I think Noctis will find himself rather at peace. Besides, the flowers in Tenebrae are known for their healing affects. Noctis could benefit from the medication available there to ease off his duress for a bit," Clarus stated. King Regis looked down.

"What do you think Doctor Acrux?" the physician nodded.

"I believe it would be a wise choice. Allowing him to experience new things, in addition to the medicinal values of Tenebrae…not to mention that this could be a good opportunity for the Prince of Lucis and the Princess of Tenebrae to learn more about one another as you were hoping to kindle a friendship between them," Dr. Acrux stated this to the King who nodded.

"Then I will send word to Queen Sylva….I'm certain she'd be most excited to see Noctis again and I suppose I could speak with Iedolas, I haven't seen him in quite some time…." Marshal Leonis nodded.

"Very well, we shall prepare for your departure my King," he stated.

"Thank you, Cor….Clarus? Would you please inform Ignis, Gladiolus, and Iris about this. I know that they were hoping to help Noctis with recovery, but this will be the first step; tell them to be ready for when we return." The man nodded.

"Of course, Regis." The two men left and Dr. Acrux glanced to King Regis as he came to sit beside his son's bed while the boy slowly started to drift off to sleep, the Carbuncle coming out of her invisible hiding and curling up to the boy who slowly curled his fingers in her white fur.

"That little creature is going to be a great help for him," stated Dr. Acrux.

"I believe so too. Now, can you prepare a few medical aids for him along the way to help keep him calm until we arrive?" the doctor nodded.

"Naturally, I merely hope that you can help him recover…he's young Regis, that is why I have hope that he'll be okay," he said.

"As do I…" the doctor left at that and the King took the boy's hand once again, taking in a deep breath as he kept his gaze upon his son while he slept.

"Noctis, have faith….and don't worry….everything will be fine. I swear it," he said.

{…}

You don't have to worry, reach for my hand. I know you're gonna be okay…..

{…}

Author's Note: Whew, we're finally on the brink of the Tenebrae Arc. I hope you guys have been enjoying the story thus far and I hope that you will continue to read and review. Thank you for reading this far, if you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.