ALTERNA Chapter Six - Taking Chances, a final fantasy xv fanfic

Chapter Six - Taking Chances

"Congratulations, you just managed to intrigue me even more. How about this: I'll bring us a cup of coffee and then I'll release you from the binding spell you're currently under. Seems like we will have a nice, long and proper conversation and for that you'll need to have your voice back, won't you? You mentioned wanting to polish your conversation skills, so how about we start today and you tell me about that riveting future you are supposedly coming from?"

...

As promised, General Roth gave Noctis the means of movement and speech back and invited him into the man's temporary quarters for a light supper, consisting of sandwiches and a cup of coffee; a welcome pretense. After all, complete privacy, especially for the revelation and discussion of such fringe topics as Noctis' future timeline, was hard to come by at any of Solheim's highly guarded research facilities.

Noctis stared suspiciously at the calm looking General currently sitting at the table in front of him. He felt that strong, compelling impulse of sharing everything about his origins with this man, of all people. Where did that irrational impulse arise from? The compulsion to trust was obviously foolish and dangerous. But no matter how hard he tried to reason with himself, Noctis heart told him that he should confide the General into his secrets. He had to gather loyal allies if he ever wanted to fulfill his new purpose. Eos only knew, he might even feel that way because of General Roth's close resemblance to Luna's brother, Ravus...

The General poured his guest and himself some coffee and then relaxed back in his chair. "Finally some peace. We can talk freely now," the man said after several, silent seconds have passed.

"If what I am now is such an important asset to Solheim, won't you be questioned about inviting me to your private quarters?" Noctis asked, his movements cautious as he took a bite of his sandwich and a small sip of his coffee.

The silver haired man snorted amused. After connecting the light blue eyes to Noctis' darker ones, the corner of the man's lips quirked up. "No. It wouldn't be the first time I would invite people to my room at night," the General replied in that low, husky voice of his.

Noctis chewed on the fluffy bread and felt his face grow hot at the blatant innuendo. The conversation seemed to go in a direction he hadn't had any experience in, nor was this a direction Noctis felt confident treading.

The General smiled slightly at Noctis' bashful reaction and said, "Nothing wrong with invitations of that special kind. Everyone living here hungers for some semblance of comfort because life is extremely short nowadays. As handsome and captivating as you are, I'm sure you've had your own share of bed partners in the past."

Noctis coughed and swallowed down with difficulty, almost chocking on the coffee he sipped in a futile attempt to soothe his throat. What would he know about bed partners? Back in his teens, he might have imagined a few times sharing sweet kisses with his beautiful childhood friend, Luna. And years later, he might have thought once or twice about what it would feel like to make love to the person he cherished with all his might. But he never allowed himself further dreaming or obsessing about things like that. After Luna's demise, the prophecy and the safety of Eos' people had been the only thoughts constantly consuming his mind. Adding to all that ten years of his young life lost while bound into immersion with the Crystal, with his fond memories of his family and friends as his only saving grace from loneliness and madness, only for him to return to a world in ruins and despair; returning to his people overcome by fear and hopelessness. No, there simply had been no room for romance or nights spent in frivolous activities with strangers. Noctis didn't feel any regrets about having missed out on those experiences. But... he would lie if he would say he wouldn't be interested to know how it would feel like if an opportunity would come along his way in the future.

Noctis was in no way desperate enough to take General Roth's badly concealed invitation serious. Not when he didn't know enough about the man and certainly not when Noctis had to save Eos once again. And so, Noctis only cleared his throat and chose not to comment on the General's underlying curiosity about his nonexistent sexual trysts.

"Right, let's cut to the chase," General Roth said, reading correctly into the tension of Noctis' shoulders and laying all intended teasing and playing aside - for the time being. "You're not native to this timeline. Who are you and why are you here?"

With that, Noctis regally straightened his back in his chair and met Safay Roth's eyes evenly. The air around him began to crackle with a hidden strength and power only the deities of old would have been able to control. The sudden serious change in Noctis' aura and demeanor made the silver haired man visibly shiver and narrow those light blue eyes at Noctis' growing, impressive presence.

"I'm Noctis Lucis Caelum, 114th and last King of the Lucian throne. I arrived from a timeline that's parallel to yours, which exists two thousand years into the future. I'm here to assist Eos and her people in the ascension process."

By the General's shocked silence, the man evidently hadn't been prepared for receiving such outreaching information.

"Allow me the same courtesy. Who are you and what are your intentions regarding your alignment with Solheim's agenda of war?" Noctis asked when no other reaction came from the speechless man sitting before him.

General Roth apparently needed a few moments to gather his wits. Leaning forward, the silver haired man crossed his fingers upon the table and regarded Noctis subtly with something akin to admiration and relief. "Officially, I'm known as General Safay Roth, High Commander of the Imperial Army. Off the record, I'm the last, rightful heir to Solheim's throne and my current high ranking position therefore the only means of providing my people long-term protection. The way Solheim operates nowadays is disquieting. There's an evil oriented Cabal hiding in the shadows, pulling the strings of our world; their knowledge and power not of this dimension. It's my duty uncovering those shadows which govern and direct Eos toward destruction and it's my goal of reclaiming my throne and nullifying this meaningless war."

It was Noctis' turn to be surprised. "It seems we follow similar goals. How much intel do you have?"

The silver haired man huffed dryly. "Enough intel to reclaim my throne. Not enough intel to secure my position in order to end the war and, unfortunately, not enough intel to expose and bring down the Cabal," the High Commander said, looking at Noctis expectantly. "'What about you?"

Noctis emptied his cup of coffee with a last sip and then served himself a glass of water while contemplating how much he should reveal. Like previously with Ardyn, something inside the fair man's determined looking eyes convinced Noctis laying it all out in the open. Roth seemed to be around the same age as Ravus. Noctis was reminded again of his old rival and of the tragedy of that man's former life. Back in the days, Noctis wished he could have gotten along with Luna's older brother. Like Noctis himself, Ravus had lost everything; his family, his kingdom and his life. What would Ravus' life have been like if Noctis' father had been open and honest with the Fleuret family from the start? They all would still have been alive long enough to watch the dawn arrive. Hence, Noctis was fed up with all the secrecy and manipulation. Hadn't he decided long ago that he wouldn't want to repeat the same mistakes his ancestors did?

"I have enough intel for you to reclaim your throne, enough intel to end the war and, fortunately for everyone, enough intel that could expose and bring down the shadows you have been speaking of," Noctis said, leaning back in his chair. "But to achieve all that, there will be many challenges along the road. I'm ready for the journey. The question is, are you?"

The High Commander held his breath, his attractive features changing as the man gawked somewhat unbecomingly at his time traveling guest. Noctis silently observed the man's breathing becoming a little bit more heavy and he silently watched how Roth stood up from the chair and paced in evident excitement around the spacious room.

Only after several minutes of mindless pacing did the man stop to look at Noctis. The sudden warmth, hope and reverence Noctis found in those eyes made his own mind spin. It was the same look Ravus would have had on his face if their former fate would have allowed them both the luxury of compassion and forgiveness toward each other. Noctis only hoped his feelings of a long lost camaraderie with the foreign yet familiar man standing before him wouldn't color his decisions and perceptions too much if they were to embark on this journey together. Especially with Ardyn on their side, who has been coloring Noctis' decision and perceptions from the very start...

When he thought about it, it was kind of eery how tightly intertwined Noctis felt toward the companions he has met along the way. Quicksilver, Ardyn and now Roth. Odin had mentioned the Gods have paved his way so far with so called synchronicities. Were they all destined to meet each other from the beginning? Was this the main reason for their sudden connection and similar goals?

"You being here seems far too good to be true..." Roth finally whispered, grasping a hold of the top of the chair in front of him and painting a picture of a dying man finally having found his lifeline to hang onto.

For how long had the man held on, fighting and protecting his people all by himself? Noctis certainly could relate to that.

Noctis sent him an understanding smile. "I assure you, I'm just as real as you are, High Commander."

Roth shook his head. "Please, call me Safay. I think we are now long past superficial formalities."

"The same. Noctis is fine," replied Noctis softly.

And that was the moment when time suddenly seemed to stop, the moment of something vital clicking into place in the same way Noctis experienced with Ardyn last time. Both of the men's eyes locked, both not exchanging any words and only watching each other with a familiarity that almost scared them. This time Quicksilver was not there to interrupt the process and this allowed for something magical to happen.

Noctis' eyes welled up with unshed tears when he realized what exactly was happening.

"From the moment I've met you, there was something about you that drew me in. I knew there was something special about you. I couldn't quite put my fingers on it. When I read your mind, blurry images of another life appeared in my mind... I felt as if we have already met, as if we already knew each other, but thought to myself how could this possibly be the truth?" Safay marveled, his wide eyes not leaving Noctis' face for one second. "Now I understand why."

"Ravus..." Noctis said softly, as if afraid the person in front of him would disappear if he uttered the name aloud.

What followed after would be impossible to describe accurately. They shared a sudden rapport with one another as the download of information and memories continued to take place. Past feelings of elation, happiness, sadness, anger, frustration, brotherhood and love charged the air around them and gravitated their welled up tears down their anguished looking faces. So many words had been left unsaid, so many emotions were left unexpressed. So many mistakes and misunderstandings left unattended and unresolved. They could read each others minds like an open book, both compelled by some invisible force to just go and embrace and hold onto each other for dear life. But there was too much history between them; too many raw, unprocessed emotions and sensations of old, which were holding both men back from openly displaying such feelings of affection and relief. Fate had once not allowed them to find that kind of closure which they both craved right at that moment...

When the intense connection faded, Safay sat down on his chair and tried to compose himself, drying the tracks of his tears off with his hand.

Likewise, Noctis rubbed his face dry and looked down at his empty cup. The situation turned awkward quickly. He didn't know how to continue the conversation. Safay remembering future memories of Ravus was an unforeseen event and because of that Noctis didn't know what to expect next.

After long minutes of contemplation, Safay was the one to speak first. The man aimed to lighten up the air around them. "I feel the need to profusely apologize to you. I've taken too many liberties with you and been too forward earlier. Sister won't leave me alone once we meet again in the afterlife. Her own brother, unknowingly molesting her betrothed and planning on further advances to win his affection and passion, imagine that. She will forever torture and haunt my hide and nobody will dare come to my rescue."

Noctis couldn't help it, he chuckled and then laughed out loud. It just came to him how funny the first half of his evening with Safay had been. The entire scene of how he met the man, the subtle yet intent touches on his skin, the innuendos afterwards and the badly concealed desire the man had thrown at him before their conversation turned serious; simply hilarious and it just begged to be shared with his friends back home.

Safay joined the laughter with soft chuckles of his own. "Have you at least met my sister before coming here?"

Talking about Luna in the afterlife seemed safe, so Noctis grasped at every straw Ravus' memories were willing to hold out to him. "Yes, I've met her. She helped us from the other side, twice. I probably have been able to talk to her more after I joined the Astral plane, but for some strange reason, I can't remember what has been said. I'm sure it was about something having to do with my mission here."

"I miss her greatly..." Safay whispered, his voice wavering.

Their eyes met fully, both sharing a past and future full of pain and longing.

"I miss her just as much," Noctis replied softly, finally admitting to his own feelings in front of Ravus. He was surprised at how easy that felt to do compared to his old self in the past.

Was the connection between Safay and himself still open? How unusual for them to be that emotionally open with each other...

"Noctis, you brought back the dawn. I've seen the events as if they happened right in front of my eyes as they have been downloading into my mind. You have accomplished what I've been unable to do on my own. I know it's not worth much coming from me but... I'm proud of you and immensely grateful for your sacrifice," Safay said, offering a soft, bittersweet smile.

Noctis sent a small, sad smile back. "Your words are more worth than you might realize. I understood far too late that everything I had accomplished had been a team effort. It's all thanks to everyone, yourself included, who had been bravely holding the daemons back and protecting people from behind the scenes, that I was able to fulfill the prophecy. I came to appreciate humanity as a whole. It's amazing what we all can do once we focus on our universals instead on what separates us from another. In this timeline, I wish to awaken people to that same potential."

Safay stared at Noctis and regarded him in a serious manner. "You have my full support. That those memories of my other life have reached me today, I consider a blessing. There is much knowledge and wisdom to be gained from mistakes done by a foolish man. Shall I accompany you back to the place where the infantry initially has captured you?"

"No, not yet," Noctis replied, looking thoughtfully around Safay's private quarters. "Can you bring me back to the sensory deprivation chamber?"

The silver haired man snorted in disbelief. "Why? You wish to do another mind-melt with the dark side? The mass of daemon essence almost killed you the last time you were there."

"Even though, it's worth the risk. It's the only way for me to find out the places where the other Astrals are being purposely kept hidden. I have to find and release them from their captivity, otherwise we'll have a scant chance of surviving the global events that are yet to come."

"What other Astral beings are you talking about? You mean, there are more Deities out there than The Six?" Safay asked, looking flabbergasted.

Noctis sighed, feeling a headache incoming. "There's so much about our true history we've had no way of knowing, so much lost knowledge that we all have been left in the dark about. We have many secrets to unravel and not enough time. Let's go, I'll explain about the other Astrals on our way down to the laboratory."

In an instant, Safay stood up from his chair and gathered his weapons and belongings, preparing himself to leave his quarters for good. But not before he turned around one last time and pierced Noctis back down on his seat with an unforgiving stare. "Promise me you'll come back alive. I'll hunt you down and kill you myself a second time in case you pull another foolish stunt like the one you did back at the citadel. Understood?"

Noctis smiled mildly to humor him. He had no intent to die this time. This timeline needed Noctis alive to reach its divine directive. Safay apparently has fully awakened to his future brother-in-law mode and Noctis never had been happier to comply to his former rival's protective orders. Finally, they would have their chance to reconcile and heal old wounds.

...