Year ME 753 August

He looked at the watch and frowned. "Where is she?" He thought as he looked up to the street.

"Didn't you say Selene was coming to get us?" Prompto asked as he leaned against the wall of the school gate.

"Yeah, she told me, she could be a bit late, since she was finishing up the training with the Glaives…"

"But, it's been 45minutes." Prompto gave him an amused smiled. "Maybe she fell asleep again, it wouldn't be the first time, she fell asleep the other day while we were playing Assassin's Creed."

"Yeah…" He sighed, that was definitely a possibility. "Want to come over and play some games?"

"Yeah!"

When they arrived home, Selene wasn't there… after a while Ignis stopped by with Gladio and the four friends enjoyed a good evening. But even as the night approached Selene didn't return.

Ignis looked at the hour and then at Noctis. "I'm starting to get worried… I'm going to call the Immortal, the two of them were going together to the training grounds."

They waited for a while, as Ignis performed all the procedures to contact Cor. When he finally went through Noct and the others watched as the color on Ignis face disappeared, even though he maintained a calm appearance they could tell something was up, when he hung up they rushed to the Citadel.

Regis watched with a heavy heart as they took her in for surgery. He'd asked for the best doctors the royal family could provide… His bodyguard remained by the door, his clothes were still wet and dampened in blood.

He couldn't look at him, for he wasn't sure which blood that belonged to, him? The monsters? Or… Selene's?

He pressed his hand against his face and sighed. "How did this happen…?"

Cor clenched his hands and without saying anything else he brough himself to his knees and bowed to the king.

"I'm sorry! I should have protected her!"

The King and his shield stared at the man, unsure of what to say when the doors opened and he raised his eyes to see his son, staring at him and Cor with a terrible expression on his face.

"Noct…" He mumbled as Noctis approached him.

"What happened?" The prince demanded his gaze shifting from his father to Cor who remained kneeling on the ground.

Ignis followed with Gladio and Prompto, the one who spoke was Gladio's father.

"There… was an accident… Cor and Selene went to handle a monster infestation outside the city… There were too many and Selene..."

His eyes widened at the words, and he felt something plunder in his stomach. A strange sensation made his entire body tremble.

"Wh-what?" He asked with a shaky voice, his gaze shifting to his father. "What does that mean!? It was just a training! Selene said it was just training with the Glaives! Like usual!"

His father's expression was one of regret and sadness. "Yes… but Selene received other orders… so…"

"YOU MADE HER GO THERE!?"

"Prince Noctis! His Majesty would never place Selene in danger." Gladiolus father reprimanded as he looked at the boy.

"Noct…" His father placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You know, there are others who have the authority of giving orders to Selene…"

He stared confused at his father, what was he saying? Who else but his dad could do that? And then he recalled…

"You don't receive orders from my dad?"

"Well, I could, but Regis-sama has never ordered me in all my life." Selene said as she sat at the counter, smirking at him while he glared at her.

It was a weekend, and he had to work on his part-time, which was exactly why Selene had come, to embarrass and annoy him. They were on the corner of the restaurant, the owner had been kind enough to let them be alone, while she ate.

"Then… Luna?"

"Pff, hahahaha!" She laughed.

"What? She's the Oracle, and you're her bodyguard!"

"Oh? Are you going to order me then? Prince Noctis, oh chosen King?"

He blushed and continued to cut the fish like he was taught, he decided to ignore her.

Selene smirked as she ate the last piece on her plate, she sipped her tea and stared at the rem of it while she spoke in a soft tone, that she knew only he could listen. "There are certain pledges a Guardian must make before we are given our masks…"

Noct stopped what he was doing and looked at her, suddenly feeling like Selene was being serious.

She reached for her chopsticks and piked the pickled ginger.

"One, you pledge to fight and protect Eos. One, you will only use your abilities in times of greater need. One, you will place the will of the gods and of the chosen Royal families, above everything else. One, you will follow all orders given to you, with the outmost loyalty…" She smiled, such ridiculous pledges, her gaze shifted back to him. "I must obey any and every order given to me by either the royals, or by the Grandmaster, if a Guardian goes against the orders of the Grandmaster, they are excommuned and as such… they are seen as a traitor, to the world, to the gods and to the royal families…" She placed the chopsticks down and drank the rest of her tea. "Thanks for the meal, I'll be waiting at home." She said as she placed the money on the table and prepared to leave.

"W-wait! What happens if you become a traitor?"

When her golden eyes fell on him Noctis felt a strange shiver travel down his spine, he'd seen those cold eyes before, every time he asked her about her life with the Guardians.

"Well, it's quite simple…" Her lips curved into a smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. "We are hunted down and killed by our fellow comrades."

He took a step back, he remembered that conversation very well, because, he'd been horrified by her calm statement… she'd received orders…

Regis noticing his son's emotions placed a hand over his shoulders. "Noct… you know what it means for her to receive an order, don't you?"

"B-but… she…" 'She didn't have to risk her life! She didn't have to get hurt!'

"A Guardian must follow every order they received." Cor said in the middle of the silence, making them look at him surprised. They never expected the Marshal to know. "That is the curse they were given… because, the original Guardians… were sinners, and for them to receive gods clearance they had to sacrifice their wills." He raised his eyes to meet the prince and king's gaze. "That's… what Selene's father once told me…"

She was falling.

Random images floated around her. Images of older times, of past times… of people who were no longer living and of people who should have lived…

She stared at them without really noticing them, she felt weak and the deeper she fell the sleepier she grew.

Tick-tock, tick-tock…

The clock is ticking, time is running out…

The golden lights float around her, engulfing certain images and pulling them together to a grand clock that floated far away from her.

She looked at the needles and the hours that were filled…

Time, time was ticking, and she had to gather every moment. 16 hours were filled, only 8 left, and she could already see the needle shifting to the fifth hour…

'Seven… seven hours left…'

She closed her eyes, the loud sound of the grand clock reaching her ears.

"Tick-tock… goes the clock…" She chanted.

When she opened her eyes, the sun still hadn't raised itself in the horizon. There was silence in the dark room.

Selene sat up, as she did, pain shot from all over her body forcing her to lay back down.

She stared at the IV cord that was attached to her hand, and she felt the oxygen tube that remained in her nostrils. She could feel stitches had been made, and that she had several ligatures in her abdomen and in her arms and shoulder.

Movement made her look to the side, where she saw Noctis sleeping in a chair, a blanket around him and a pillow behind his head.

Suddenly she felt a hand brushing hers, when she looked opposite to Noctis she found Regis looking down at her with a smile.

"Are you awake?" He asked in a whispered voice.

She opened her mouth to answer but all that came was a strange hiss noise. Selene closed her mouth and frowned, as she noticed she had a dry throat.

Regis reached for the table next to her bed and poured some water into a cup. He brought it up to her lips, with a straw and watched as Selene drank the entire cup.

"Better?" he asked fondly.

The girl nodded her head and looked back at the king. "w-ha… ha-p-ned?" She said in a hushed and rough voice.

"… Cor told me you received orders, to enter a dungeon… he went with you and while you were killing the Daemons, he was distracted and failed to notice an attack… and you…"

Ah, yes… she remembered it now… the dungeon the Daemons and… the shadow that approached Cor, without warning. Selene clenched her hands, she was able to stop it, but that shadow… after that she remembered nothing else, not even collapsing did she recall… she looked around again and looked back at the king.

"This is the Citadel, Cor brought you here…" His hands gripped the cane he held as he looked at her. "Selene, I have never regretted more in my life the fact that you are a Guardian. To see Cor, bringing in your bloodied body, made me think… how many times have you gone on missions like that? How many times did you suffer to the point of collapsing, and how much more will you suffer? Just because you are a Guardian?"

He pressed his hand against his eyes as he tried to suppress the tears from falling. "I promised your father I would keep you safe… and now, this…"

She frowned at his words and tried to reach for his hands, however, her body couldn't move.

"No… fault…" She tried to say. "My… decision… my… blood." She placed emphasis on the last word, hopping the king understood what she meant.

Regis looked at the child before him, her blood, the cursed blood… he sighed and gently patted her head.

"I understand, but Selene, to me, you are like a daughter, and I don't want to lose my daughter… please?"

She smiled, he recognized that smile, he remembered that smile, so carefree and innocent but also full of warmth and pain… The king closed his eyes and rose from his seat, he had to tell the doctor Selene was awake.

"Rest, I turned off your phone." He looked at her. "Your friend kept calling, his name was Sirius? He sounded quite worried, I told him you were alright."

She smiled back and nodded, she would have to contact Sirius as quickly as possible, it seemed her suspicion was real, there was a spy inside the Glaives.

When the King left, she was left alone to her thoughts until…

"Don't do it again."

Her gaze turned to the other chair in the room, she'd forgotten Noctis had been there as well. His blue eyes were shining with rage as he looked at her.

"No-ct?" She whispered as he rose from his seat and stood before her.

"Don't you dare do it again!" He shouted, his shoulders tense and hands trembling. "Don't ever do anything that might take your life away! Don't ever fight until you're barely standing! RUN! Don't EVER get hurt! Don't EVER…"

Her eyes widened as she noticed the tears flowing down from his eyes. Ignoring her pain, she pushed herself to sit up.

"Noct." She called him, her hand reaching for his.

The prince sat on the bed and hugged her, gently. "Don't die… and ever scare me like that again…"

Selene wished she could hug him back, but her body was a mess, just sitting had cost all her energy, she was glad the pain killers were working but… now she regretted all of this, because if she hadn't been injured, if she hadn't accepted that mission then she wouldn't have noticed it.

His reaction, his words, his tears, his hold on her… the look he'd given her… Selene clenched her jaw tightly and closed her eyes as she shoved everything deeply in her heart. 'No… it's just your imagination… don't think about it, it means nothing! He was like this in the past as well! And even if it meant… you can't… so, shove it in, shut it up, just… silence it…'

AN: Hello, my precious, it is I! ... the author... hum, well I don't know where I was going with this... oh, whatever. New chapter! Yay! Happy! I actually haven't been writting on this story as much as I wanted... too busy and maybe a bit of laziness... hehe, but anyway I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. The next one may take a while, but I already have the idea on what I want, so no worries!

Thank you for everyone who is reading and following, and who liked it so much they placed it on their favorites. I'll see you all in the next chapter!