Caution: might contain traces of Luna / Noct and Aera / Ardyn
Sounds of Silence
Emperor Ideolas Aldercapt released a press statement earlier today saying that the Niflheim chancellor, Ardyn Izunia, has been executed this morning on the grounds of various acts of high treason. His crimes were listed as fraternization with the enemy, sabotage, espionage and the intentional spread of misinformation. These news fall in line with rumours of the chancellor's sudden resignation we picked up a week ago. Further reports claim that he has conspired with Lucis for weeks, if not months, prior to his arrest. This marks the abrupt end of several decades of Ardyn Izunia's service to the Empire as Aldercapt's right-hand man and his contributions to the magiteknological research of Minister Besithia.
Only the monotone voice of the news reporter pierced the heavy silence in the guest room of the Altissian government residence. After having turned on the radio on the cupboard, Gladio dropped back into the lounge chair next to the one Prompto was sitting in. There was a twinge in Prompto's heart upon hearing of the chancellor's fate. Perhaps the others thought differently, but he had begun to consider Ardyn a friend sometime after he had saved him from being torn to shreds by that one-eyed Behemoth.
"So, they, uhm … They killed Ardyn already?" Prompto brought out.
Gladio appeared to be unfazed by the news. "Don't believe everything they say," he said and crossed his arms. "You know he's not that easy to kill. Besides, even if they found a way to relieve him of his immortality, they'd probably do him a favour."
"Don't say something like that! He's still got a lot to live for I bet."
"You never sparred with him. The man has a death wish, I tell ya."
Ardyn, suicidal? No way. Not him, out of all people. Prompto refused to believe it, and yet … The mere thought that Ardyn might just give up on everything they had achieved so far added to his worries. Agitated, he got up from his chair and began to pace around the room.
"Ok, so what are we going to do, now that he's no longer around to guide us?"
"The choice is up to Noct, like it should have been from the very beginning. But I don't know where we might be headed next, either. Best ask Iggy about it."
"Yeah, I will." With a nod, Prompto walked to the door that led to the adjacent bedroom, where he had last seen Ignis keeping watch over the sleeping prince. He halted once more before stepping through the doorway to listen to the rest of the news report.
In other news, first secretary Camelia Claustra expressed her relief that both the Oracle and prince Noctis of Lucis have made it through the Tidemother's fit of anger unharmed. Thanks to them being alive and well, we have much reason to hope for a bright and peaceful future, she claimed. Miss Claustra also praised Imperial High Commander Ravus Nox Fleuret's efforts to keep the structural damages to Altissia to a minimum. Nevertheless, the Empire has suffered great losses in the battle, and we have yet to receive an official statement from Niflheim regarding the High Commander's actions.
Contrary to Prompto's expectations, neither Noct nor Iggy were present next door. The impressive double bed Noctis should be resting in was empty, its cover lay neatly folded on top.
"Noct?" he asked into the room. Pointless though it might be, perhaps someone answered.
A hand touched his shoulder. Startled, Prompto jerked around.
"Oh, it's you."
"Come," Ignis said.
Iggy led him out and into the guest room on the other side of the corridor, which was equal in size and furnishings to Noct's, but had been given to Lady Lunafreya instead. The Oracle was sleeping soundly and did not even stir at the noise of Ignis and Prompto entering the room. Only Tiny - well, Pryna– who laid near Luna's feet on top of the bed, raised her head. The little white dog sure had grown in the past years.
In the chair at Luna's bedside sat the missing prince with his elbow up on the armrest and his head propped onto his hand. Despite his thoughtful appearance, he too, was fast asleep. Umbra had joined him to rest at his feet.
It was a sight begging to be captured. The Oracle and the prince, battered, exhausted, but together at last.
Prompto took out his camera.
"No flashlight," Ignis instructed him quietly.
"Got it."
The camera gave off a quiet click as he snapped a picture. Even with her hair undone and the plaster on her cheek, Luna exuded grace. There was something mystical and divine about her that made Prompto feel undeserving of her presence. It reminded him of the time Noct had granted him access to his armiger. Being able to pull stuff out of thin air used to be so awe-inspiring. It had been a privilege to use such incredible magic. Prompto had vowed to treat it with respect and only use it to store his firearms.
That vow had lasted … about three days? Give or take one. Seriously, having your own pocket dimension was just too practical to keep running back to the Regalia's trunk for every little thing. It made Prompto wonder whether that air of mystic and divine about Luna would fade over time, too.
"How is she?"
"The physician said there are still traces of the scourge left, but it appears the disease is not progressing."
"That's good, right?"
"I think so ,yes. Apart from that, she and Noct have suffered nothing a decent amount of rest cannot fix."
Prompto laughed. "Ha! Noct will be back on his feet in no time. He's, like, the king of naps!"
By the time Ignis hushed him, it was already too late. Lady Lunafreya came to, groaning.
Prompto clapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you."
She slowly sat up and pulled the bedcover a little closer.
"No, it is … quite all right," she said. From the end of her bed, Pryna walked up to her, whining softly and wagging her tail. Umbra, too, had gotten up to place his chin on the edge of the mattress. Both dogs looked glad to see their owner awake and Luna pet their heads in greeting.
"We were just checking on Noctis," Ignis explained, directing her attention to the prince at her bedside. She smiled at the sight of Noctis still sleeping despite their ongoing conversation.
"How are you feeling?" Ignis asked.
"I am much better already. Thank you for everything."
He adjusted his glasses. "There is no need for thanks."
"How are the others?" Luna continued.
"From what I've seen, Lord Ravus has left Altissia along with the remaining Imperial troops shortly after we've brought you to safety. They appeared to be headed towards Gralea."
"I see. What about the chancellor?"
"The Empire has captured him, although it might be best Noct told you how it came to that."
"Sheesh! Just five more minutes, Iggy," Noctis grumbled, still half-asleep. He swayed his head from one side of the chair's backrest to the other and lazily opened an eye.
"My apologies," Ignis said, but Prompto, and Noct, probably, too, knew he did not mean it.
Once Noctis had managed to sit up straight, his gaze wandered over to Luna, and the grumpy expression immediately fell from his face. "Luna …" He clearly struggled to find something to say. A blush crept onto his cheeks, much to her amusement.
"Still such a sleepy-head, are you?" she said with a chuckle in her voice.
"Are you okay?"
"If it was not for you, I might not be alive any more."
"Ah, well …" Trying and failing to meet her eyes, he sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Thanks, but … You know, it was a combined effort. Ravus kind of started it, Ardyn kept the Starscourge from flowing back into you and everyone else helped us escape from the battlefield."
She nodded politely. "And I am grateful to all of you."
"We were just talking about what happened to Ardyn," Ignis explained. "Perhaps you could shed some light on the matter?"
"It was the Founder King's fault, I think. I don't know exactly why or how, but Ardyn saw him and flipped, and then Somnus tried to manipulate me into fighting him."
Prompto crossed his arms. "Can't leave those two in a room together, huh?"
"I am afraid I do not understand what this is about," Luna said.
"Did Ardyn not tell you everything?"
"He told me a lot, but everything is a pretty big word, Noctis."
"Sorry. I meant; Did he not tell you he is the elder brother of the Founder King?"
In response, Luna shook her head. Considering Noctis just told her someone from the founding era was still alive 2000 years later, she looked pretty unimpressed. Tales of the supernatural had to be pretty commonplace when you were as close to the gods as the Oracle.
"He used to have healing powers not entirely unlike yours," Noctis continued, "but his brother had him branded a monster and hunted down for absorbing the Starscourge. Their feud only got worse from there."
"So that explains why he thought I might turn out like him."
"Ravus eventually pinned him down, and then the Empire moved in," Noctis finished his retelling.
Just then, Prompto remembered what he had been trying to tell Iggy this entire time. "There was a news report on the radio just now. They were saying Ardyn had been executed."
For a moment, the room fell completely silent. Luna lowered her gaze, looking concerned, whereas Noctis stared at him in disbelief. "They wouldn't do that, right? He's been invaluable to the Empire for decades."
"Given his unique condition, I don't think they were able to execute him," Ignis replied.
"Gladio said that, too."
"I may assume the Empire is trying to remedy some of the damages Ardyn's unofficial resignation has caused by releasing this press statement. They will most likely keep him immobilized and locked up if they cannot dispose of him."
"So, this means we could just go and bust him out, right?" Prompto asked, feeling hope blossom in his chest.
A thoughtful look formed on the prince's face.
"Noct, before you consider this option," Ignis intervened, "remember there is no reason to act in Ardyn's favour. He is no longer around to nudge you into whichever direction he thought was best. From here on out, your decisions are your own."
"What other option have we got?" Noctis asked.
"I'd say we could just as well return to Lucis and prepare to take back Insomnia, or march onto Gralea. Ardyn's arrest and Ravus' dubious allegiance, as well as the military losses during the fight against Leviathan, have weakened the Empire considerably."
The hope Prompto had felt earlier faded when Noctis turned his attention to Luna. He was not just going to ignore a friend's plight, was he? The Empire could have captured any of them. In fact, if Caligo was to be believed, he had captured Valyria already. Or killed her, which seemed more likely, but that was another thing Prompto did not want to think about.
"Say, what more do I need to acquire this power to surpass the gods and banish the dark?"
"The prophecy speaks of the sacred ring and the light of the Crystal," she dutifully answered.
"No offence, but I'm not keen on wearing that ring again. It's caused too much harm to my family already, and I don't want the Crystal's light, either, if it means leaving Eos in darkness for ten years or so. Let's get Ardyn back. I'd rather rely on him and his darkness than listen to Somnus again."
"Yes!" Prompto rejoiced.
"I must warn you, though," Ignis said. "There is no guarantee Ardyn will have recovered from what happened in Altissia. He might still turn hostile toward you."
"Then we'll deal with that when we get to it," Noctis argued so firmly and with such confidence, Prompto actually thought his friend was growing into the role of a monarch.
"Very well," Ignis relented. "In this case I shall try to contact Aranea to help us figure out where they might have brought him and how to get there undetected." He turned to leave and apparently Noctis took this as a sign to get going as well.
"We really should let you rest," he said to Luna, rose from his chair and bowed awkwardly. "Sorry for disturbing you like that. I should not have entered unasked."
His unusual display of politeness brought a smile back to her face. "It's all right, Noctis. I did not mind your presence. Please stay if you like." Her gaze wandered over to the red notebook lying on the nightstand. "It has been so long since we last spoke. We could take a trip down memory lane and fill in the gaps in between the pages."
"I'd love that, actually," Noct admitted, looking somewhat sheepish. He sunk back onto the chair as Ignis pushed Prompto towards the door.
"But, uhm …" Prompto meekly protested.
So, right; It was not in his place to listen in, but unless Ramuh struck him down now, he was sure to die of curiosity!
That awkward ship right there? He had to watch sail!
#-#-#
When he regained his conscience, Ardyn was greeted by a most familiar darkness. It was the black backdrop in front of which his Starscourge-addled mind had staged many a play during the two-thousand years of his imprisonment at Angelgard. Not all of them had been unpleasant, however. Like the figurative angel and devil on one's shoulder, there had always been two key actors in his hallucinations and nightmares: Aera, who provided comfort, warmth and hope, and Somnus, who crushed all of the above.
Thankfully, neither of them were present. Not yet, anyway. Imaginary though they might be, Ardyn did not want them to see him defeated, stretched out on a metal table with white translucent blades keeping his limbs numb and unresponsive. Billows of miasma bled from him, slowly drifting upwards and disappearing.
He felt raw, less like a man and more like a piece of meat cut from a man, exposed and bleeding. His worst emotions laid bare for the world to see. Looking back on it, he should have known better than to assume he could take on so much miasma, along with all the memories and feelings that came with it, and not lose himself in them. He remembered times when he wandered the world to spread the scourge, daemonifying so many innocents that he would wake up the next day, thinking he was late for work before realizing he had mistaken someone else's identity in his head for his own.
Even now, he could feel the miasma from the Infernian and Lady Lunafreya still trying to find its place in the make-up of his body.
Fragments of the Oracle's past played before Ardyn's eyes. The death of her mother at the hands of General Glauca, her brother's pain, King Regis' escape with the young Noctis, the imposing figure of the Niflheim Chancellor in front of the burning manor as Lunafreya and Ravus were taken away. Given some time, or a lot, perhaps, these memories would fade, but until then being able to remember two versions of the same event was endlessly confusing.
Thinking of it, the day the manor burned had been when he had really begun to stray from his fate.
"Oh, but what does it matter?" Ardyn muttered to himself and sighed. "Has it mattered at all?"
Bahamut surely had allowed him free rein for a very long time, but perhaps there had been an inkling of truth to the Draconian's threats. Perhaps there was no escaping fate, after all. He had tried to save the Oracle and failed. Somnus had materialised just like he had in his fight against Ravus and killed the Oracle.
Except, on second thought, he had not.
In hindsight, Ardyn was fairly certain this Somnus had been but another hallucination. At least, it would explain why he remembered so very little of what had happened afterwards, apart from all-consuming hatred fuelled by fresh miasma and Somnus' mocking laugh ringing in his ears. It was probably for the best he did not know who he had truly fought. All that mattered in the end was that he had fallen back into the role of the villain.
Well. Playing the hero's guide had been fun while it lasted.
Ardyn chuckled to himself in desperation. All those everyday niceties the prince and his friends had extended to him had almost made him feel like a decent and – dare he think it? - caring person again. Their gratitude, the meals they shared, their unspoken consideration for his sensitivity to sunlight. Oh, should his thoughts get any more sentimental, he was going to make himself sick. Submitting to fate seemed so easy, enticing even, but the very idea of giving up everything he had worked towards tore him in two. Those conflicting emotions pained Ardyn far more than the blades running through him.
A golden light shone in the corner of his eyes.
He turned his head – due to the swords, there was little more of his body he could move – to see the ghostly form of the First Oracle approaching him. With her white robes and golden hair, she almost seemed to glow in the darkness.
"It has been a while, Aera."
"It has." She smiled softly. "This is a good sign. It shows how much your mind has improved."
"Tell me, have I strayed too far? Did I long for too much?"
His fiancée knelt down beside him, leaned onto the table and lowered her head onto her hands until she was almost at eye level with him. "There is nothing wrong in longing for affection and praise, silly. It only shows you are human."
"Humans do not bleed black, I am afraid," he argued.
"I never thought of you as a man who would let the colour of his blood define who he is. You have defied fate for so long. Why submit to it now?"
"Perhaps it has escaped you, but any good I do ends in disaster. Here I am, bound once again with only the ghosts of my past for company. What could I possibly do in this state but accept my defeat?"
Aera brushed a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. "Have a little more faith in the prince. You might have inspired him to follow your example more than you think."
She truly must be a figment of his imagination, to utter such nonsense.
"He will not come for me," Ardyn claimed and closed his eyes. "He now has the Infernian and the Oracle at his side. Even if he continues to tread the path I laid out for him, he does not need me to take the fight to the Bladekeeper."
"The boy has grown on you," she noted, smiling.
"Hardly. He is a means to an end."
It was a blatant lie, of course. He had no intention of ever admitting it, no matter how pointless it was trying to fool what was essentially a part of his own mind. Over the course of their travels, Ardyn had come to appreciate the ways in which Noctis was different from his once-young and innocent brother. Endlessly naive, but sympathetic and considerate, as well as blessed with the ability to rise to the challenges he was presented with. He also took on Ardyn's tutoring quickly, which was an added bonus. Perhaps Ardyn should change the name of the contact in his phone from "Regis' stupid kid" to something less insulting. Then again, it still got a chuckle out of him just thinking of it.
Aera pushed herself back up from the table's edge. "He still might choose to save you," she whispered.
When her otherworldly glow faded, she left him with a flicker of hope in his chest. A mere spark, whose light was swallowed by the all-encompassing darkness all too quickly.
He did not deserve to be saved. In light of all the lives he had taken, Noctis would do best to let him rot. The crimes of Lucis' worst enemy could not be forgiven, and Ardyn had stopped pleading for forgiveness decades ago. He was beyond redemption.
#-#-#
The Magna Fortia was an impressive example of Imperial engineering, even Noctis would say that much. Be it because it was actually impressive or simply because Lucis did not have a railway system, let alone a train as big as this one. They had booked second class, which meant the seats were plain and somewhat uncomfortable, but the view easily compensated for any small amount of discomfort. At first glance, Cartanica was scenically about as interesting as Leide, a dry wasteland filled with ghost towns and industrial ruins. Still, Noctis could watch the landscape fly by for hours. Luna, who sat opposite of him, was also staring absent-mindedly out of the window.
Being in his childhood friend's presence still made Noctis nervous to some degree. He could not even quite tell why. Perhaps those unspoken expectations were to blame. He had been looking forward to their reunion for a very long time, independent of whether they were to be wedded or not. To him, Luna was everything he had hoped she would be after all those years and more, but he did not know whether she felt the same or whether she had expected more of him. He did not even dare touch the subject of their arranged marriage. Apparently she had known from the very beginning that the arrangement had been a mere excuse to get them both out on the road and out of the Empire's reach before Insomnia's fall. Which was not to say that perhaps she had hoped for the marriage to come to pass, after all. Sheesh, why was this so complicated?
Talking to Luna was so easy, almost like old times. But thinking about her had him all tied up in knots.
"Are you looking forward to return to Tenebrae?" Noctis eventually asked her to stifle the thoughts running through his head.
She nodded. "I would have preferred to accompany you to Niflheim, however."
"I know, but I can't have you do all this infiltration and survival stuff we do. If this goes awry, we'll have to fight our way through half of the Empire's state-of-the-art infantry and you barely escaped the battle at Altissia alive."
"I just want you to be safe" was what he really wanted to say, but the words would not come. From what he had seen he knew she was ready and willing to give her life for their cause. Clearly, she did not care about her own safety as much as his and no amount of persuasion could change that.
"If I may." Ignis moved over from the seats across the aisle to the empty spot next to Noctis. "Such a mission is best executed with a small and properly trained team. As glad as I am to expand our list of allies, our increase in numbers will grow into a problem if we wish to approach certain targets undetected."
"I am aware of that," Luna replied.
"Besides," Noctis added, "I'll leave Gladio with you, so we have to meet again. And I can count on him to help you find me in case we don't make it back in time."
"So you're giving me away as security?" Gladio asked from across the aisle.
Noctis put on a smug smile. "Hey, you're the best I got."
"I hope that, when we meet again, I can tell you more about the Draconian," Luna mentioned.
"Just try to avoid getting into fights with the Empire while you're in Tenebrae, all right? We can still figure out how to take down Bahamut once we got the chancellor back on our team."
"Ex-chancellor," Ignis corrected him. "He renounced his title in front of Miss Claustra and let her spread the news of his resignation."
It struck Noctis as odd that Iggy knew so much more about it than he did. "When did that happen?"
"On the evening prior to your audience with her. I followed and questioned him about his meeting, but he asked me to keep quiet about it so as not to undermine your confidence."
"How considerate of him," Noctis scoffed.
"It was mostly a strategic move, to strengthen your position, weaken the Empire's influence and beat the Emperor to the presentation of Ardyn's treason all at the same time."
"Now that sounds more like him."
Always one step ahead of everyone else, Noctis mused. Or so Ardyn had been, until Ravus had handed him to the Empire on a silver platter.
Ignis directed his gaze out of the window. "By the way, this train will stop at Fodina Caestino shortly. According to the information provided by Cor, there should be another Royal Tomb located within. Since this is Niff territory, however, it might have been plundered already."
"We won't know unless we check it out, I guess" Noctis replied.
Ardyn doubtlessly could have told them all about it, if he had not obtained the image of the Royal Arm already, which then again only went to show how much Noctis had relied on him thus far. For better or for worse, he was intent to prove he could shape his own fate without anyone's guidance.
"Then we'll best have a look," he decided.
"And I will come with you," Luna stated. "If I remember correctly, the Empire has abandoned the quarry of Fodina Caestino a long time ago."
Her resolve only added to Noctis' concern. "It will most likely be inhabited by monsters now," he argued. "The terrain might be tough, too." He failed to picture Luna, delicate, well-dressed Luna, trudging through knee-deep muddy waters, fighting slimy gigantoads or scaling rough walls.
She chuckled, appearing bemused by his worries. "I was there when Insomnia was invaded, you know? You will find that I can handle a little bit of danger just fine."
Noctis felt the blood rush to his head. "I didn't mean it like that, I just …"
"I know, Noctis, I know," Luna said and alleviated his nervousness in an instant. "But I'll be more useful healing the bloody scrapes of you and your friends than waiting for you in a run-down train station under the watch of the Empire."
"The Lady has a point," Ignis supported her.
"Right then. Come with us," Noctis gave in. "But we'll stick to our original plan regarding the magitek production facility."
She nodded. "Agreed."
A tingle of anticipation ran through Noctis at the thought of Luna fighting alongside them with the power of light at her command. Her magic was nothing to scoff at, that much he knew. Perhaps he could imagine her in the depths of the quarry after all.
Noctis wondered what kind of Royal Arm they might find, so far away from Lucis, and, thinking of Royal Arms, there was one new addition to his armiger that made him feel uncomfortable just knowing it was there.
The Blade of the Mystic. Somnus' sword, robbed by Ardyn and taken by Gladio in an opportune moment during the battle at Altissia.
Now it was in Noctis' possession, but he had wanted it as much as he wanted the ring of the Lucii. In Ardyn's hand, the sword had been a tool to exert vengeance on the Founder King. In his own hand, Noctis was afraid to fall into the role of the Founder King. They already shared similar features. By wielding his blade and, in a way, associating himself with Somnus, he was bound to make himself an enemy of Ardyn, and rightly so.
Somnus had not even denied the atrocities he had committed.
Yet despite all this, the Blade of the Mystic was imbued with magic and strengthened Noctis' armiger considerably, more than the mere image of the weapon. Moreover, Ardyn had told him that his and his brother's swords were once a pair, which implied they had been meant to be used together.
Noctis directed his gaze back out of the window as he contemplated what hidden power this pair of sacred weapons might hold.
I will most likely skip the Fodina Ceastino dungeon, because I find it rather uninteresting, and there is little to nothing I can use from the canon storyline.
Of course, I might still come back to it later when and if I think of a scene with Luna and the boys fighting the Marlboro.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I've retroactively added a new chapter in between Episode Gladiolus and the first Altissia chapter, called "Gone Fishing", featuring Iris and Ardyn entering a fishing tournament, which is more light-hearted in tone than the current plot.
So go back and check it out if you like.
PS: I just noticed there exists a mod for the Windows version of FFXV that lets you play as Ardyn in the main game with all his fun abilities from Episode Ardyn (including phantasmal leap!). It was released only this September, not too long after I started this fanfiction. Now is that coincidence or what?
There are very few videos of the mod, but damn - the gameplay looks so close to what this fanfic might be like if it was actually playable. The mod creator even uploaded a video of fighting Gilgamesh as Arydn (which takes a couple more mods, but still - awesome!) If you like this fanfiction, I seriously recommend having a look at the mod; you can look it up on nexusmods and Youtube via the mod creator Fell Cleave