Hello, everyone! Welcome to Chapter 24 of Frozen Heart. I appreciate your patience with these, as I know I am not updating super regularly these days. This chapter was pretty tough to write, but I really wanted to put out a second part to my Starscourge flashback chapter I published a while back. Hope you enjoy! I'm expecting the next chapter we will learn a bit more about why Lydia left Ardyn, and we'll get some Shiva, so - hopefully that is something to look forward to.

Thank you so much for the follows and the kind reviews. See you next time! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own FFXV.

Chapter 24: The Starscourge Part II

The Summer of the Starscourge...

About an hour after the dawn, Viessa was alone outside Mira and Ariel's home, arms held close to her chest. After explaining the very real danger of their plight to Ardyn and Somnus, she thought it would be prudent to give them some time to process what she told them. Luckily, they had a bit of time to spare. It was still early, and their young bodyguard, Gilgamesh, had been elsewhere doing his best to minimize any damage inflicted by daemons during the night.

But Viessa still saw the fear in the villagers' eyes. And she shuttered when she thought back to the harrowing moment she watched those deadly little imps latching onto Ardyn and Somnus. She dared not imagine what might have happened if she failed to arrive when she did.

Viessa's thoughts were interrupted when she felt something soft brushing her shoulders. She reached up instinctively, and her fingertips briefly touched a pair of hands just as they were pulling away. As she pulled the fabric of the cloak forward, she craned her neck and let her eyes follow Ardyn as he maneuvered around her and sat nearby.

"I thought you looked cold," he said, looking blankly off into the distance. "It's a bit crisp this morning."

Of course, Viessa had a higher tolerance for chill than most humans did. It was one of the few advantages to her powers. However, she didn't tell him as much, choosing to simply accept the kind gesture and pull the warm garment closer to her.

"Have you discussed everything with Somnus and Gilgamesh?" she asked softly.

"Hm," Ardyn replied. "In truth, I don't think they quite know what to make of all this. And neither do I."

Viessa thought of her Mother, still sleeping soundly in her resting place. She thought of her relatively happy life here, and how quickly a surge of darkness blight could snatch that away. "It seems cruel that this should be happening now, of all times," she whispered selfishly, prompting Ardyn to turn his head and look at her.

"You said this has happened before," he pointed out. "So does that mean you have any idea how to stop it?"

Regrettably, Viessa shook her head. "There's no stopping it. The darkness does what it likes." When he clenched his teeth and looked away, clearly dissatisfied by her answer, Viessa turned her body so she was fully facing him. "I'm sorry," she continued. "I wish I could have come here bearing glad tidings, but you are out of your depth. This is something... greater than you. Or me. We should leave now, while we still can, and hope... hope..."

She trailed off, wondering if there was any point in hoping at all. Ardyn, however, was not focused on the sentence she failed to finish. "How do you know this?" he asked. Then, meeting her frightened gaze, "Just who are you?"

A loaded question indeed. She would just as soon have gone on imagining that her friendship with Ardyn could be something pure, simple, and easy. But he, despite his strength, was merely mortal. She was... something else. And she'd feared the day she would have to tell him just how incompatible they truly were. He would leave her eventually, just as everyone did.

She hugged herself, not from cold, but for comfort. "I have so many memories," she whispered. "Memories spanning across multiple lifetimes. Some memories I'll cherish forever, and others so painful I dare not speak of them. Some close to the heart, and others... distant. As though I experienced them through the eyes of someone else. But I know, deep down, that they all belong to me."

Ardyn shook his head lightly in confusion. "I... don't understand."

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm—I'm not mortal, Ardyn. Or rather, my present body is mortal, but it only conceals my true nature. I was first born hundreds of years ago, before the War of the Astrals, by my Mother, Glacies. I'm a direct descendant of Shiva, reincarnated."

For a long moment, he was silent. As she expected, her confession left him speechless, and at first she wondered if she had pushed too much on him too quickly. But then he seemed to recover more quickly than she expected.

"So your power..." he whispered, "Comes from the Goddess herself?"

"Well, yes and no. My power is my own, but she passed it down to me. My father was... well, that doesn't matter. At any rate..."

An awkward silence passed between them. She didn't know what else to say, and she suspected Ardyn didn't either. Either that, or he had questions on his mind and was simply too afraid to ask.

Finally, he spoke. Although instead of further questioning Viessa about her powers or lineage, he cut right back to, "So these people... there's no hope for them? They're simply fated to... fade into darkness?"

"If I knew of a solution, I would tell you," Viessa said. "A God can resist the power of the Scourge with much willpower, but they cannot control it or stop it. And if the Gods have no way of protecting the world from it—what chance do you think mortals have?"

"But we can still fight the daemons," Ardyn said, and she frowned upon the realization that he'd either ignored or disregarded what she said. "They can be defeated, can't they?"

"They can," she admitted. "But more will only taken their place. It will only delay the inevitable, Ardyn."

He turned to her with fierce eyes. "But we need to try, don't we? The people in this village are relying on us to help them."

Viessa shook her head slowly, turned meek by the sinking expression on his face. "I don't think we can, Ardyn. The best we can do is..."

"Don't say it," he told her, pushing himself to his feet abruptly. "Don't say we have to leave." In response, she also hopped to her feet, but had to step back so she could look at him without craning her neck.

"I fear there may not be a choice," she said.

"No, there is a choice. We fight, or we run. And Viessa, if I'm to be King, I cannot run. Not now, not ever."

Viessa gazed at Ardyn in astonishment, realizing she had never seen him so passionate and sure of himself. It broke her heart that it had to be now, of all times. How could she convince him to leave this quest be? Oh, she wasn't ready to lose him. And not to this, of all things.

"What good are you to your people if you and your brother die here?" she asked. "What will be your legacy? Have you considered it might be better to live and lead another day?"

"How can you say that?"

He said it so softly, but Viessa grimaced when she realized he was genuinely offended. Was she being selfish to ask him to prioritize himself over the lives of these strangers? Perhaps—but she had to think that if he understood what they were truly dealing with, he would have considered her words more carefully. Even if he thought she was being selfish, she couldn't stand idly by and let him be so tragically naive. It was unacceptable.

"I am simply thinking strategically and realistically," she replied in an equally soft voice.

But in the next moment, Ardyn's tone went cold, and he glared at her with an intensity she had never seen. "Is it strategy that moves you? Or is it fear?"

She stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"We have a chance to help these people. To make a difference. Isn't that what you want?"

"I never told you that's what I wanted."

"But you long for it just the same," Ardyn insisted. "To be part of something greater, as I do. I know it. What I don't understand is why you want to run the other direction now."

Because for the first time in many years, I feel I have something real to lose.

Viessa didn't translate these words from her heart to her lips, however, and she stayed silent. Ardyn sighed, and turned to Somnus, who waved at him as he exited Ariel and Mira's tiny dwelling not far away. Her eyes flickered back up when Ardyn looked over at her again, not a trace of humor or gentleness in his gaze this time. "Viessa, I'll respect your decision if you decide to walk away. But rest assured—I will not walk away, and I hope you extend the same courtesy to me."

A lump rose in Viessa's throat, and she couldn't bring herself to reply before Ardyn left her side to join Somnus and Gilgamesh in the distance. In something of a daze, she turned away to look on the horizon once again, as reality slowly began to sink in. Yes—Ardyn and his company were knee-deep in this mess now, and she was powerless to stop them from fighting their battles.

But still—in that moment when his eyes locked on hers and he stood his ground, she couldn't help but notice he seemed more king-like than he ever had in her presence.

Ardyn and Somnus agreed to spend another night defending the village against the daemons. Their hope was that if they could cut through the majority of them, it would provide the people with, at the very least, some temporary relief. Even Viessa was unsure at this point whether the daemons themselves were spreading the disease or if the people were spreading it amongst themselves. Regardless, everyone in town was strongly urged to remain isolated. Ardyn, Somnus, Gilgamesh, and Viessa managed to secure a few hours of sleep in the middle of the day—and then around sunset, Viessa joined the rest of the group in town to discuss the plan. Ardyn was visually pleased that she decided to stay, but didn't mention it. Instead, Viessa cut right to the chase.

"Keep in mind that last night may have been fortunate for all of us. Imps are far from the worst monsters that can come out at night when the land has been tainted by Starscourge. We may have a real fight on our hands—depending on what decides to show itself tonight."

"Then we had all best be prepared," Gilgamesh said in a low, serious tone.

Ardyn folded his arms across his chest, thoughtful. "I suspect we are all as prepared as we will be. My hope is that tonight, we can drive off the daemons and protect these people—and perhaps learn a thing or two about the daemons in the process. The more we learn, the more of an advantage we will have."

"You think that will be enough?" Gilgamesh asked.

Somnus shook his head, drawing the older man's attention. "No—but it's a start, right?"

"Hm," Gilgamesh observed, neither approving or disapproving. "We have a long night ahead. At no point do I want either of you to be caught on your own. As such, Young Lord..." He turned to look down at Somnus. "I would recommend you accompany me. And you," he continued, glancing at Viessa. "Well, I hope I can trust our unexpected guest to keep you out of trouble."

Viessa smiled, rubbing her fingers together to concentrate magic into the tips. Inside, she was screaming—but she couldn't afford to let anyone see it. "Don't worry," she said. "I won't let anything happen to him."

"As if I need protection," Ardyn murmured, his tone a little resentful.

"A swordsman as arrogant and foolish as yourself requires a comrade with a level head," Gilgamesh pointed out.

Ardyn cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm arrogant, am I?"

"Clearly more than you realize."

"Brother," Somnus interjected before Ardyn could respond with something snide and cold. "The sun is setting. Perhaps you and Gilgamesh could finish your conversation later?"

Viessa bit her lip to hold back a laugh. She was surprised to find that the younger brother—a boy at the most problematic and transformative age of his life—was the most relaxed and level-headed person among them tonight.

Gilgamesh then frowned and turned his back on Ardyn. "Quite right," he said softly. "We have no time to waste on such trivial matters." Somnus beamed at the young body guard, seemingly glad to be praised. Meanwhile, Ardyn looked positively vexed as Gilgamesh continued: "Just whistle if you find yourself in trouble. And please do avoid being reckless."

"I planned on it, thank you," Ardyn said. But then, to Viessa's surprise, his expression softened just slightly while looking over at Somnus. "Be careful, Brother."

"I will," Somnus replied with a smile, although she could see the tightness in his jaw as he spoke. Clearly he was not the kind of child who had any dangerous illusions of grandeur or invincibility. And when he bowed to her nervously before heading off and falling into step with Gilgamesh, she wondered if he really would be all right.

After that, Viessa and Ardyn fell into an uncomfortable silence, and it upset her to think that might have been her fault. But she couldn't allow her emotions be in charge tonight. She silently decided she would not bring up any part of their earlier conversation now. They would have time to talk later... hopefully.

Once the sun completely disappeared, it didn't take long before daemons began to spawn in the area. The darkness made it easy for imps and goblins to prowl the village streets, although not all were destructive unless provoked. Now that Ardyn understood these tiny enemies from his experience the previous night however, he showed no hesitation while cutting them down.

As Viessa expected, the issue with trying to fight daemons was that no matter how many they defeated, more of them seemed to return. And as they headed later into the night, they began to see other, more threatening manifestations of the darkness, like Wraiths and large, spider-like beings that could attack like lightning. Ardyn and Viessa had to adapt quickly in order to stand a chance against the capabilities of such monsters. While she was the faster and more precise attacker, she could not protect herself adequately against the spider's swift movements and often had to rely on Ardyn to shield her. It was a messy last-minute arrangement, but they worked well enough together to survive, at least.

Unfortunately, as the night wore on, the near-constant onslaught of enemies began to take a massive toll on their stamina. Ardyn could see that she was frustrated and tired, and watched she collapsed onto one knee. "We are quite an impressive pair, wouldn't you say?" he asked, a little breathless but still refusing to let his spirits wane. She let out a small laugh, and she shook her head helplessly when he reached down to offer her a hand. When she took it, she barely had to use any of her own strength to reach her feet. He pulled her up as if she weighed nothing, despite his labored breaths and the thin layer of sweat on his head glistening under the dim light of the moon. "Just three hours until dawn," he said. "Ready to go again?"

She sighed and opened her mouth to answer, when a low grown alongside with a deep rumble shook the ground beneath them. Viessa and Ardyn briefly grabbed each others arms for support and turned their heads wildly. What kind of monster were they up against this time?

From their position, they couldn't see the beast that had caused such a soul-shaking rumble. The creature was a few blocks away and they could just barely make out its horns poking up from behind a building. There was light—red hot light—coming from that general direction, and Viessa couldn't help but fear whatever was awaiting them.

Suddenly, Viessa heard a loud bang and some screaming from the direction of the daemon. Ardyn took off running, and without taking another second to think, she followed right after him. A whistle rang through the air. They ran faster, weaving between buildings until they arrived on a lonely dirt street—lit by the bright flames of a 6-foot-long blade, which was in the hands of 30-foot broad-chested daemon. And it was completely made of iron.

Viessa darted immediately across the street to a distraught Somnus, who was trying desperately to awaken an unconscious Gilgamesh. He was slumped against the wall of a building, which had a massive crack in it directly above him. Clearly this monster hit hard.

While she reached down to check Gilgamesh's pulse and briefly examine him for life-threatening injuries, she could still hear screaming as the people inside the building frantically ran out to take shelter elsewhere. Ardyn, meanwhile, took it upon himself to protect them all. He rushed in front of Somnus, Viessa, and Gilgamesh as the daemon brought its mighty blade down upon them. She heard the violent clash of blades as he blocked the attack—but while he was strong, he certainly didn't have what it took to go head to head with this behemoth for any length of time.

Ardyn dug his heels into the ground and let out a cry as the monster pushed its blade down atop Rakshasa. And poor Somnus was now just this side of panicking. "Viessa, how do we stop it?" he asked frantically, looking to her for guidance for the first time. She certainly wasn't about to leave Ardyn hanging, so she channeled as much power into her fingers as she could and drove her palm down into the ground. A sheet of ice exploded forward, shooting through the soil and upward, encasing the monster's legs. While it didn't do much harm to the creature, it distracted the giant enough that it drew back to focus on freeing itself. Ardyn gasped and fell to the ground, shaking madly.

It was Somnus then who, emboldened by her action, shot to his feet and ran to his brother's aid. He helped Ardyn up and summoned his own blade, looking resolute despite the fear in his eyes. "Perhaps combined—our strength would be enough this time," he said. A smile then appeared on Ardyn's face and he clapped his hand down on Somnus's shoulder. The two princes were ready to take their stand.

Viessa, who was cradling Gilgamesh's head and holding a cloth on his bloody wound, turned her head down to look at him as he stirred. His eyes fluttered open, but he appeared more dazed and confused than his usual cold and focused gaze. "Where are the young lords?" was the first thing he asked.

Viessa motioned to the fight nearby, where Ardyn and Somnus were dealing the monster a series of heavy blows to keep it unsteady on its feet. Gilgamesh pushed himself up into a sitting position. "And why have you not joined them?"

"I expected they would want me to attend to you first."

He gave an ungrateful grunt while watching them. "Perhaps they do not need a bodyguard such as myself after all."

"It does appear they're stronger when they are together," she said, flinching only slightly as Ardyn dodged a potentially deadly blow. Then she leaned over to hand him the bloody cloth she'd been using. "You should hold that against your head until it stops bleeding." He watched her carefully as she sprang to her feet, preparing to join in so they could end this. She hoped that this would be the last large daemon to appear tonight. She didn't think she had the energy to fight for much longer.

But all her internal complaints died as she watched Somnus's impressively fluid movements dodging the monster. It seems he was acting as a distraction in order to give Ardyn an opening for a deadly strike. However, in the process he caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. He had backed up against a tree unwittingly, unable to escape as the monster raised a hand to swing its sword. "Hey!" Ardyn shouted at the last second, drawing the creature's attention. It turned at just the right angle, now swinging its sword in the direction of the elder brother.

It was only Viessa who foresaw what was about to happen.

"Ardyn, don't!" she cried with futility, letting out a gasp as the monster swiped its sword, taking an entire building with it. Ardyn hopped on its fist in the meantime, and then completed a flawlessly executed warpstrike. He plunged his blade into the giant's head. Deep. And after its low, strangled cry shook the ground for one last time, it collapsed—right on top of the house next to it. The whole side crumbled, and she could hear more screaming as the giant slammed against the ground, several tons of debris falling on top of it before it shimmered and faded into darkness.

Much to Viessa's dismay, that wasn't the worst of it. Ardyn turned around and looked on in horror at the building the giant had cut through with its flaming sword just seconds ago. It was now ablaze, with material cracking heinously as the flames spread and the house began to crumble under the weight of its now-missing side.

"Ardyn, what did you do?!" Somnus shouted as people started racing out of the building for their lives.

"It was an accident!" Ardyn snarled back. "Would you have preferred to take the brunt of the blow yourself?!"

Viessa ran over to grab Ardyn's arm and pull him away from the nearby buildings. Point up to it along with the house next to it, she said, "We must evacuate everyone in the area. The lack of recent rainfall will make it easier for the grass and other homes to catch fire."

And so Viessa, Ardyn, Somnus, and Gilgamesh began running from door to door, imploring everyone in the immediate vicinity to take shelter elsewhere. Viessa told them if they could get everyone evacuated quickly, she might have a chance of containing some, if not all, of the blaze. But she didn't dare try while people were still inside their homes.

As they continued to escort individuals out of the area, a woman started running from person to person, tears streaming down her face. It was difficult to hear her clearly over the roar of the blaze. "My son!" she cried, her frantic voice cracking while she spoke. "Has anyone seen my son?!"

Ardyn, who was near Viessa, caught the woman by the hands to make her slow down. "Your son, your son!" he nodded as she continued to cry. "Tell me what happened."

She shook her head, eyes big and puffy with tears. "I—I don't know. I had him with me and then he was gone. Oh, I'm afraid he ran back to grab the cat. She w-wouldn't come out from under the bed, so—so I forced him to come with me because their wasn't t-time!"

"Which house?" Ardyn asked.

The woman pointed to a building in the center of the block, which was almost completely up in flames. If the boy was in there, Viessa wondered if it was even possible for him to be alive. But it seemed Ardyn didn't consider that, and simply told the mother to wait before running off toward the house.

Terror overtook Viessa as she realized what she was doing. Somnus and Gilgamesh noticed it too.

"Ardyn, stop!" Viessa shouted, running after him. Meanwhile, the younger brother moved in behind him and grabbed his hand.

"Don't be foolish!" Gilgamesh called.

Ardyn pulled against his brother's grasp. "A child is in there," he said resolutely. "I must try."

"Brother, we have saved as many as we can," Somnus insisted. "Please, don't."

Ardyn paused for a few seconds to look back and forth between his companions. It was clear he knew none of them would support this. But he was just too stupid to care, Viessa thought bitterly. And as he pulled away from Somnus, promising to be back, she clenched her teeth in anger. She wasn't about to let him throw his life away like this.

Ignoring the further protests of Somnus and Gilgamesh, Viessa charged in right after him. The air was suffocating inside. She lifted her sleeve over her face in defense, but it did little to combat the stinging pain of smoke in her eyes and nose. Debris fell down from the ceiling and flames shot up from the floor in nearly every direction, making it almost impossible for her to see.

She tried calling Ardyn's name, but her voice was drowned out by the roaring of the fire. Her powers also didn't seem to want to agree with her anymore, either. She'd overextended herself—and just barely managed to create a path forward with a sheet of ice—which the flames melted in seconds. She feared that she might not be able to prevent this block from turning to scorched earth after all.

After a struggle, she made her way upstairs and found what she assumed was the boy's room. She found Ardyn, who was on his knees hacking up a storm with a cat in one hand and an unconscious little boy over his shoulder.

Immediately, Viessa rushed to his side. "Ardyn," she wheezed, covering the floor in ice in an effort to ease the effect of the flames. "We—we have to go. Come on, stand up." She grabbed the cat from him, stuffing the small animal under her arm, and then did her best to pull him along out of the room and down the stairs. He stumbled and tripped multiple times, nearly dropping the boy but remaining focused enough to keep going while she was at his side. Just before reaching the front door, they narrowly escaped getting crushed by a falling beam, which crashed to the floor and left a massive plume of dust and smoke in its wake.

They rushed outside, all desperate to breathe in the clean air. Viessa collapsed as soon as she dared, still holding the cat—while Ardyn and the boy weren't far behind. Gilgamesh, Somnus, and the concerned mother rushed over to them right away. She heard the mother saying, "Thank you, thank you," over and over again as she grabbed her little boy, who woke up and started coughing and retching once they were safe outdoors. Meanwhile, Viessa lay flat on the ground petting the weak animal while Somnus fawned over his brother nearby.

Gilgamesh knelt down next to her. He took the liberty of going through her supply bag and fetched her some water so she could sit up and drink. "Thank you," she said, her voice feeling quite loud even though she was sure she was only whispering.

"I almost expected such recklessness from him," the bodyguard said. "But I certainly didn't expect it from you."

She tried pointlessly to clear her throat. "I—couldn't—just abandon him in... in there."

Gilgamesh was thoughtful. "Ardyn has spoken of you before. But I suspect his family would be surprised to find he has a young woman in his life who loves him as you do."

Viessa didn't have the energy to be embarrassed, or even surprised by his comment. She didn't respond to it either, instead turning her attention to Ardyn and Somnus. When she saw Ardyn was still breathing and conscious, she looked back up at the burning buildings up the street. Oh gods... Hopefully no one else was still inside.

Darkness started chipping away at the edges of Viessa's consciousness, but she couldn't give up yet. Certainly not when Ardyn had just rushed into a burning home to save a child he had never met. She thought she heard Gilgamesh say something as she pushed herself up and started walking toward the disaster once again. Her legs felt like gelatin and her head was spinning—and she couldn't tell if it was from the smoke inhalation or from her body rebelling against magic overusage.

Nevertheless, she put herself into position on the street in front of the flaming wreckage and dropped onto her knees, pressing her palms to the ground. If she could just summon enough strength—she would be able to encase this site in ice and suck away any oxygen giving this fire life. She just needed to focus. She just needed to focus.

And that was her last thought before she lost consciousness.