Remnants of Brothers (The Archaean)

Noctis and his friends opted to spend the afternoon and evening with Iris, Jared and Talcott at the Leville instead of setting out to the Disc of Cauthess immediately. Although Gladio hardly showed it, Noctis imagined that he was more than relieved to see that his little sister was unharmed, especially so after learning from old Jared that his father Clarus, Shield to the King, had most likely fallen along with Regis in battle, effectively turning Iris and Gladio into orphans. It was one of those moments in which Noctis wished he was better at talking about feelings. He knew Gladio was acting strong because he needed to protect him at all times and, perhaps, because Clarus had died in fulfilment of his duty, as had been expected of him, but there had to be some emotional turmoil beneath his calm and collected facade.

Likewise, even though Iris offered to tell Noctis anything he needed to know about the invasion, he could hear in the way she forced out the words that she was not really up to the task and merely wanted to help. Thus, he did not dare ask for details. Regis was dead, the city was in ruins, and with the help of Ardyn, they were going to reclaim whatever was left of it as soon as Noctis had build up his magical strength using the Royal Arms of his ancestors and the gods' blessings. He did not really need to know any more than that.

It seemed that there was something like a collective sigh of relief when Jared turned their attention towards potential locations of Royal Tombs in the region of Duscae. His grandson Talcott, a boy no older than seven or eight, immediately cheered up when they discussed local legends and rumours. He promised to find the location of a Royal Tomb by the time Noctis returned from the Disc of Cauthess.

All throughout the evening, Ardyn continued to act like he had no hand in the invasion or the trials that lay before them, keeping to the background and watching them talk with indifference. More than once, Gladio had glared at him, possibly to try to invoke some sense of guilt for the pain the Empire had caused to people, but without success. Either Ardyn really felt like his deeds in the name of the Empire had nothing to do with it, or he was so good at detaching himself from it all that he could have straight up lied to them and neither Iris nor Jared or Talcott would have seen through it.

Noctis was inclined to believe the latter, feeling that lies had become second nature to Ardyn a long time ago. He put little effort into concealing them sometimes and yet Noctis recognized probably half of them at best. One, admittedly minor thing Ardyn had not lied about that day, was his car. It was indeed a convertible, and a commonly seen model at that, even if it was easily spotted due to its red colour and the white stripe running from front to back.

After resting for the night at the hotel, they switched cars at the car park near the outlook in the morning, and set off to the Disc of Cauthess with Ardyn behind the steering wheel. The Empire had erected yet another blockade right where the road descended into the Disc, which meant that, by using a less conspicuous car and the Chancellor himself in the front, they were able to pass through almost without stopping. Noctis could not help but notice, however, how strangely few soldiers and airships were stationed inside of the fortifications.

"Shouldn't there be more MTs about?" Prompto voiced his thoughts.

Ardyn turned his head to look at the few remaining magitek engines as they passed by. "I do wonder why."

"You don't know?"

"I happen to be a little out of date concerning the Empire's movements."

They kept driving along the road that spiralled into the centre of the Disc of Cauthess, the crater that had been left behind when the Archaean had caught the meteor during the War of the Astrals, hundreds, if not thousands of years before even Ardyn had been born. Apparently, the god was still down there, underneath of the burning hot meteor. The area had obviously gotten its name from the ring or disc-like geological faults that had formed around the depths of the crater, though Noctis had seen similar structures all over the otherwise lush landscape of Duscae. The impact of the meteor had truly sculpted the entire region.

The road eventually became too rough and narrow to keep driving. Ardyn turned off the engine and opened the driver's door. "Out with you lot."

"So, where do we go from here?" Prompto asked once they had all gotten out.

If there had ever been a proper path ahead, the recent tremors must have caused it to be buried underneath the rocks. Noctis spotted a narrow passage through the rubble. "Let's try over there."

He was the first to squeeze through the opening, all the while trying not to think about what would happen if one of the rocks further up came loose.

On the other side of the path, pieces of man-made stonework laid scattered about the terrain. Increasingly more of them came into view and eventually led to what must have once been the burial chamber of a King of Lucis. Although the foot of the stone table had crumbled, the effigy holding the Royal Arm was still there and intact.

"Is that what I think it is?" Gladio asked.

"Wouldn't Jared have told us if there was a Royal Tomb this close to the Disc?" Prompto noted.

"Perhaps it was recently unearthed by the tremors", Ignis tried to explain. "It is in a pitiful state, after all."

Gladio nodded in the direction of the King's statue. "Grab that Royal Arm and let's be on our way before the tomb collapses further."

"Right."

With Ardyn by his side, Noctis approached the intricately detailed stone figure. By looking at the handiwork alone, he had already gathered that this must have been one of the oldest tombs, but the weapon in the statue's hands made it clear that it was the oldest Royal Tomb of all. The longsword looked almost identical to Ardyn's except for the blue tint of its blade. Clearly, the other half of what was once a pair.

"The Blade of the Mystic", Noctis stated.

Ardyns gaze grew bitter and cold.

Knowing his story, Noctis decided to tread with caution. "Do you mind if I …?"

He shook his head and took a step back. "Not at all. Please, go first."

In the meantime, the others caught up to them. "What's the hold-up?" Gladio wanted to know.

"The Tomb of the Founder King if I am not mistaken", Ignis clarified.

"But the effigy looks nothing like him", Ardyn said disapprovingly, still staring at statue and sword.

Prompto took a closer look at the tilted stone table as well. The statue was that of a middle-aged man with long, wavy hair and a large beard, wearing ornamented robes, a cape and a crown. "What did he look like, then?"

"A lot like me, actually," Noctis replied, just as the spectral copy of the Founder King's sword passed into his armiger.

He turned to leave, but Ardyn made no move to acquire the soul of the blade himself.

"Need a moment?" Noctis asked. Sentimentality did not suit Ardyn and his blank expression betrayed no emotion, but who was Noctis to claim he truly understood his relationship to Somnus?

"Just go. I'll catch up with you in a moment," Ardyn replied and so he let him be.

Prompto, Gladio and Ignis joined Noctis as he walked away from the tomb. There was, however, that sinking feeling, that Ardyn was up to no good. And Noctis was not alone with this premonition.

"Three … Two … One …" Ignis counted down, and just as Prompto was about to question why, Ardyn's voice sounded behind them.

"You treacherous bastard!"

Sighing, Noctis turned back. "I knew it."

"You've never deserved this sword to begin with!" With one foot on the stone table, Ardyn was trying to wrestle the original sword from the statue's hands. Needless to say, the statue did not budge.

"Hey, that's grave robbery!" Prompto shouted. "Or, uh … is it?"

"After everything he's taken from me, it's my right to take anything that's left of him!" He readjusted his grip on the sword's hilt and pulled even harder.

"Should we stop him?" Ignis asked.

Noctis crossed his arms and thought about it for a moment. "Nah."

"The Founder King's spirit might get mad," Gladio argued.

That thought did not bother him. Besides, he was curious to see whether Ardyn would succeed or begrudgingly be forced to give up. At the very least, it did not look like the sword would come loose anytime soon. He continued watching him struggle for another couple of seconds, until the ground started shaking again. A stone pillar next to them toppled over, causing Noctis and his entourage to move back into the burial chamber.

"Told you so," Gladio said.

"C'mon, Ardyn. Leave it be," Prompto begged, but Ardyn halted his attempted grave robbery only due to a wall of the chamber collapsing next to him.

"Blame me for the Starscourge, if you must," he said to Prompto, "but I have no control over the earth."

The tremors grew worse. More and more structures of the tomb caved in, and the stones Noctis stood on shifted precariously. He barely caught a glimpse of the large crack running across the tomb's floor before it broke away underneath his feet. In the blink of an eye, Gladio was beside him and caught his arm, but more rocks came loose and they both fell. Noctis and Gladio landed on a large outcrop, suffering only minor scratches from the fall, and, by some miracle, did not end up buried among the tomb's remains which had fallen with them.

The stone table laid not far away, cleanly broken in half. Black particles drifted down from above, and, as expected, Ardyn materialised next to the table and removed the sword from the statue's crumbling fingers with ease. "You truly ought to be grateful, Somnus. If I wasn't taking your sword, it might get lost."

At the escarpment above of them, Ignis and Prompto stood, looking down. "Are you alright?" Ignis called down.

"Yeah," Noctis replied, following the newly created rock face with his gaze. "There's a path over there. Let's try to meet up ahead."

Ignis signalled his understanding and left, taking Prompto with him.

A thunderous voice boomed down on Noctis from behind and instantly brought on another pounding headache. Lifting a hand to his temple, Noctis turned around only to come face to face with the Archaean himself. The sight of the colossal Landforger was equally frightful and breathtaking. Save for his size, the god's appearance was, for the most part, that of an extraordinarily strong built and bald man, although the texture of his skin resembled earth and rocks with white markings running across them. The meteor that was visible from nearly all places in Duscae rested on his shoulders and Titan held it seemingly effortless in place with one hand, although splinters of it had pierced the god's face and body. With an unblinking, red gaze he stared at Noctis and, even though his mouth was moving, Noctis understood nothing, except that the voice of the god was the reason for his headache, a roaring and pounding that threatening to split his head in two.

"I'm here!" Noctis shouted over the noise. "What do you want from me?"

"There it is, your date with divinity," Ardyn announced, turning towards the god with a sweeping gesture. Past him, Noctis saw a fleet of Imperial airships approaching the centre of the Disc. MTs armed with red glowing lances dropped out of them in great numbers, possibly preparing to fight the Archaean.

"And with that," Ardyn said and waved goodbye to Noctis. "I bid you farewell for now. Good luck with Titan's trial!"

He dissolved into miasma, floating upwards and disappearing.

"Seriously!? You're gonna leave us now of all times?" Noctis called after him, but to avail.

"Forget about him," Gladio said and urged him to move as soon as the first MTs spotted them.

Despite the stinging and pounding in his head, Noctis began to follow the path ahead.

Titan stretched out a hand to grab him, but it looked like the meteor was keeping him in place. His gigantic fingertips barely scraped the outcrop. Even so, his movements caused another small tremor, making this so-called trial no easier.

#-#-#

The airships had finally moved into place, the magitek infantry was on its way to attack the Archaean, and Ravus was just about to head out to fight the false True King as well. He had already ordered a dropship to dock next to his that would bring him down to Titan's feet.

"Leaving already?"

That voice. Ravus stopped abruptly and turned around. "Chancellor Izunia."

That man's ability to show up out of nowhere irritated him to no end. Ravus greeted him with a cold stare, before he actively reminded himself to stay calm. This might be an unexpected opportunity to settle things with the Empire. After all, the Chancellor must have been sent by either Besithia or the Emperor. Ravus was well aware he had made himself some new enemies by ordering the Crystal back into the capital of Lucis, and if this conversation kept Aldercapt out of his way, it was worth it. The outcome, however, depended on how long his patience with the Chancellor would last. That man was the most infuriating person he knew, and this was saying a lot, given Tummelt, Besithia, and the other idiots of the Empire.

"Allow me to congratulate you on your promotion, Commander. Or, should I say, Your Highness, King of the ruined city of Insomnia?" He bowed deeply with the obvious intention to make fun of him. "Have two nationalities not been enough for you?"

"You have been there the day Fenestala Manor fell into Imperial hands," Ravus stated. "You know that joining Niflheim was my only choice to see King Regis' to his end." By raising his hand, Ravus granted the Chancellor a glimpse of the Ring of the Lucii. "That used to be my mission, but now I have a new one. The line of Oracles communes with the gods, but one god came to commune with me. I have a divine calling to fulfil."

"And yet here you are, about to kill a god."

"Titan was awoken to aid that Lucian brat, the so-called Chosen King, and if the Archaean will not ally with me, I will have put him to rest."

"Isn't it funny to think that you and I were planning this exact operation, except for a different reason?"

Ravus bored into the Chancellor with his gaze, trying to see if he would buckle when threatened. "I happen to know that Noctis is down there at Titan's feet, which, by the way, is on your head, Chancellor. You spread the news of his death."

Of course he did not buckle. "An honest mistake," he said, shrugging. "You cannot expect a man of my rank to plummet down some dark hole after him, now, can you?"

Certainly, the world would be better off if he had. Ravus felt his patience wearing thin already. "Seeing how you failed to take care of the problem, I will take care of it now," he announced and made another attempt to move towards the door to the walkway outside of the airship.

"Would it not be safe to assume that, if the prince is still about, your dear sister is as well?"

The mentioning of Luna caught his attention immediately. Ravus halted again. "What do you know about it?"

"Let's say I have a hunch where she might be." Naturally, he knew more than he let on.

"Tell me," Ravus demanded.

"It is only logical that she cannot be left to travel the world and rouse more Astrals. She would be much safer at home, where the Empire can guarantee her safety, don't you think?"

"You brought her back to Fenestala Manor?"

The Chancellor lifted his hands in defence. "I never said that!" Damn it. His demeanor was as obscure as always.

"You are bluffing," Ravus claimed. "I would have been informed of her capture."

A sly smile spread across Izunia's face. "But why would I be bluffing?"

"That is the question indeed." There was absolutely no telling for him whether the Chancellor spoke the truth. Ever since his alleged betrayal, Ravus had been cut off from some of the Empire's internal communication. A circumstance the Chancellor was using to his advantage, without doubt. Yet it did not matter. Even if Luna was back at Fenestala Manor, there was no way for Ravus to travel there in an instant.

"What I know for certain, however,", he said and eventually stepped out onto the walkway, where hot winds whipped about him, "is that Noctis is down there right now."

The Chancellor's footsteps resounded on the iron grating behind him. Holding his hat, Izunia leaned over the railing.

From the hovering airship, Ravus had a clean view of the fight between the Archaean, his magitek infantry, Noctis and his retainers. Although Titan's movement was restricted due to the meteor on his shoulder, he destroyed mechanized soldiers of the Empire by the dozen with every sweep of his arm. Ravus hardly cared, since his supply of soldiers was near endless. Not even a god could withstand the continuous assault indefinitely. The Empire's triumph over the ice goddess Shiva had proven it. How Noctis was holding out in the midst of it all, was beyond him, but Ravus spotted him occasionally.

"Such a foolish boy," the Chancellor noted. "Does he not realise that, once Titan is gone, there is nothing left to keep the meteor from dropping onto his head? It must be though down there already, given the heat of the meteor, and it looks to me as though this god won't last much longer."

Ravus had never considered himself a cowardly man, but he did wonder whether the Ring or the Draconian would save him from an early demise if needed. The MTs were meant to be sacrificed, and if Noctis died buried underneath the burning meteor – all the better for him, but there was no guarantee he would make it out of that hole in time if he engaged Noctis and Titan in direct combat. On the other hand, chances were that he would cross paths with Noctis again soon if both of them survived the battle. Huffing in frustration, Ravus went back inside of the airship.

"When you report to the Emperor, tell him that I will be willing to negotiate once I have fulfilled my mission. Until then, I absolutely need the Crystal to power the Ring of the Lucii."

Chancellor Izunia did not follow him, which led Ravus to assume he was content with what he had seen and heard.

"Of course," he replied and turned towards the smaller airship docked at the side. "By the way, I'll be taking that dropship of yours as compensation for my travel expenses. You made me surrender my car to an earthquake just to get here, and I'd very much like to save it from further damage."

"Suit yourself."

Watching him leave felt to Ravus as though a thorn had been pulled from his side. Yet just as he was about to return to the cockpit of his airship, it occurred to him that the Chancellor had not once mentioned why he had come to meet him. It left him with a most uneasy feeling.

#-#-#

The heat of the meteor was slowly eating through the frozen surface of the grounds while Titan disappeared in a golden light. A full round of magic flasks filled with ice magic seemed to have done the trick to defeat him.

"I-I think we did it!" Prompto exclaimed and slapped Noctis' shoulder.

Noctis was not so certain about it, because he could not tell whether he had received the god's blessing or not, but he assumed it was a good sign that Titan had seemingly disappeared by choice and not fallen to his knees before the magitek infantry.

"Great, now what?", Gladio asked, looking at the trembling meteor above them. It was a matter of mere minutes until it came crashing down on them, and there appeared to be no way out from the centre of the disc unless they somehow sprouted wings.

Ignis stepped back as flames burst from the ground before him. On top of everything there were still a few remaining MTs about which were slowly turning their attention to them. Most of the magitek engines were leaving, save for one. It descended into the pit not far from them and its front opened, revealing a familiar figure standing in the cargo bay.

"Need a lift, Your Highness?" Ardyn called, smiling.

The very last traces of the Archaean disappeared and with a rumble, the meteor above of their heads began to move.

"Quick, everyone!", Ignis shouted.

They broke into a sprint towards the airship, and the very moment the last of them had climbed aboard, Ardyn gave a seemingly non-hostile MT unit the signal to take off.

Through the slowly closing front part of the MT engine, Noctis watched as they moved away from the centre of the Disc, the distance increasing by the second, until the meteor came crashing down, narrowly missing their aircraft. The MT engine shook as it was hit by smaller pieces of the meteor that had broken off, but once they had made it out of the Disc's centre, the ride became as smooth as though they were no longer moving at all. It was difficult to tell from there on out, really, because once the front had fully closed, they were stuck looking at the bland interior of the cargo bay.

Sighing in relief, Prompto let go of the pipe he had clung to and sat down on the floor. "Talk about a close call!"

Noctis turned to Ardyn. "So that's what you've been up to."

He smiled, looking very pleased with himself. "You don't even know half the things I've been doing to keep the Empire off your backs. Now then, let's collect my car and be off to our next destination."

Are you still keeping up with Ardyn's lies?

I like to imagine that everyone at the Empire is more or less annoyed by him, perhaps with Aldercapt being the only exception (because Ardyn knows better than to mess with the one person he gets his political influence from).