Crystal Chronicles - Shattered Illusions -

This version of Eos Luna found herself in looked nothing like the Eos of her present. A wide dirt road, flanked by fields of wheat to either side, led into a nearby village of simple, stone-built houses with thatched roofs. In place of glass windows, thick curtains or wooden shutters covered the openings in the walls of houses. The architecture reminded Luna of settlements depicted in history books about the humble beginnings of Lucis' culture.

Since she had been left with no instructions on how to find Ardyn, Luna made her way to the settlement to find someone who might have seen him. In the middle of the village square, merchants were packing up their goods and stalls and loading them onto wagons drawn by Chocobos. It seemed Luna had only just missed the market.

Many of the people shot curious glances her way as she passed by. Compared to their plain and simple garb, her modern-day „adventuring gear", from her laced boots and jeans, to her beige-coloured jacket, must have looked very foreign. The ceremonial dress she had worn during the rite at the Altar of the Tidemother would have allowed her to blend in more easily, perhaps, but this was not the time for a change of clothes. Even if time moved differently between the realms, it still moved forward, relentlessly inching closer to the destruction of her home world by an upset god.

Luna approached an elderly man who was tending to a Chocobo harnessed to the front of a wagon. „Excuse me, kind sir," she said. „I am looking for a man by the name of Ardyn Izunia."

„Hm?" The moment the man turned around to her, he too, regarded her choice of clothes with a curious look, before his expression changed from surprised to thoughtful. „Izunia, you say? Now, where have I heard that name before?"

„You might have noticed him passing through. He is dressed in a dark coat, and moves like a man without hurry or destination." Luna was about to describe him further when she remembered what Noctis had told her. Ardyn had been born in the founding era, as a son of house Caelum. „Perhaps you know him better as Ardyn Lucis Caelum?"

The old man's face lit up. „Why, yes, our Healer King! Why didn't you say so sooner? I'm afraid you only just missed him and his wife," he said and pointed down the road, to where it led back out of the village. „They were on their way back to their summer cottage. You only need to follow this old path to its very end."

His mentions of Ardyn being a Healer King and having a wife confused Luna slightly. Through the Crystal's facets, she had seen other versions of Ardyn. Could it be that there was more than one of him in this world, and that the man was talking about the wrong one? Either way, any lead on his whereabouts was better than none. Luna bowed politely. „Thank you kindly," she said, but as she was about to walk away, the old man continued talking.

„Oh, now I remember! Izunia was the maiden name of the old Lady Caelum."

„Lady Caelum?"

„The mother to our two kings," the man explained „They say her eldest son took after her. Oh, it must have been decades since I last heard the name of her family." He shook his head. „Never mind this old man's ramblings. You must surely be on your way."

„Indeed, I do." She nodded. „Thank you again."

Luna picked up her pace as she made her way out of the settlement. Even if the path would lead her to another version of Ardyn, the one she was after should be nearby. Common sense told her that he had likely not strayed very far from where their worlds intersected. At the very least, if she were in his position, she would have liked to find out what kind of life that other version of her lived.

Bathed in bright and warm sunlight, she continued along the dirt path through the fields. In passing, she gently ran a hand over the ears of wheat. They promised a bountiful harvest. Sounds of cicadas and songs of birds filled the air. A kind of peace ruled this version of Eos, the kind she hoped her own world would come to know one day.

It would have been a pleasant walk, had it been not for the prickling of pins and needles on her skin. Her infection acted up, worse than before she had entered the Crystal. Only the occasional tree offered a bit of shade, but Luna never stopped to rest. She considered retrieving the vial from Noct's armiger, the one gifted by the Tenebraen research team, but hesitated. It was thanks to the Starscourge in her that they had been able to make it as far as they had and perhaps there was some more use for it, still.

The path had grown narrow and Luna's legs were starting to become weary when, finally, a stone cottage came into view. From afar, Luna spotted Aera in front of the cottage, alive and healthy, tending to her own little garden of red Sylleblossoms.

The crunching of sand and earth underneath of Luna's boots caused Aera to look up. She rose from where she had squatted beside the flowers and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. „Oh, hello." Aera greeted her with a smile. „I wasn't expecting a visitor. You seem like you've travelled a long way. May I ask what led you out here?"

Luna bowed respectfully before entering the garden. „Please forgive my intrusion, but I've come to seek the counsel of Lord Caelum."

„I see." There was a sympathetic look in Aera's eyes, as though Luna had told her of her affliction. „I'm afraid he can't do much for you at present. His last pilgrimage has left him exhausted, and he is still recovering."

„I promise I shan't be long. A few moments of his time are all that I've hoped for."

Aera's gaze strayed to the distance as though she was seeking the advice of someone else. „Well, I'm loath to turn away someone who has travelled so far just to see him, and all by themselves, too." She pointed Luna towards a figure sitting in the shadow of a tree, just beyond the nearest field of wheat. „You will find him by the tree over yonder. When you speak to him, please bear in mind that he is still weakened. Be patient and gentle, and I'm sure he will help you as best as he can."

„I shall," Luna said and bowed once more. „You have my thanks."

No sooner had she begun walking towards the figure in the distance than her sixth sense for the divine and the daemonic alerted her to the ominous presence of the Accursed. It was strong this time, not just the faint traces she had sensed back in the realm of the Astrals, and it was, without a doubt, centred around the man sitting by the trunk of the tree, dozing.

With the long, brown hair and the layers of clothes in white and off-white, the image of the man before her was a far cry from the Niflheim Chancellor of the modern era. At first glance, he looked to be sleeping peacefully, but there was something about his expression that suggested otherwise.

Still, Luna hardly dared to rouse him. „Ardyn," she addressed him quietly.

At the sound of her voice, he blinked himself awake and sat up, rubbing his eyes. When he gazed up at her, a look of surprise was painted across his features. „Pardon my confusion, but have we met before?"

Luna was slightly taken aback. Why did he not recognise her?

He got up from the ground. „I must say, your face has something distinctly familiar about it. Are you related to Aera, perchance?"

„In a way, yes," she replied.

Ardyn smiled at her. „How very kind of you to stop by. And right in time for tea, too! I'm certain my dearest Aera will be delighted to meet you." He turned around to walk back to the cottage.

„Ardyn." This time, as she addressed him, she spoke with concern for him and their Eos, and he stopped.

„Don't you feel out of place?" Luna asked.

He looked back at her, still with that blissfully cheerful expression on his face. „Whatever do you mean by that, my dear?"

„I know how strange this must sound to you, but …," she began cautiously and stepped closer to him. „There is a world that desperately needs your help, and it is not this one."

Slowly, the smile faded from his features. It seemed Luna had struck a note.

„Open your eyes to the Bladekeeper's machinations, Ardyn," Luna continued, determined to make him see the truth. „You are being tempted to give up everything in exchange for this fragile dream of light and peace. I beseech you not to be selfish. Not now out of all times." As much as it pained her to shed light on it, but he was neither healer, nor king or husband. He could not be, not with this amount of daemonic energy enshrouding him. „It appears that you have only taken a place that belonged to another. It won't be long before everything falls apart around you, and then there won't be a home for you to return to."

He closed his eyes and scoffed at her. „What home is there for the eternal wanderer, if not the world with all its wonders?"

The sounds of quick and heavy footfalls and the rattle of metal armour drew their attention back to the dirt path winding down from the village through the fields. Four men on the backs of Chocobos hurried towards the cottage. Two of them were foot soldiers clad in metal and leather, one was a white-haired warrior, tall, old and proud, and the one leading the party was the black-robed younger brother of Ardyn. Unlike the others, Somnus' bird was one of the rare, black feathered kind, befitting his status as a regent.

He brought his steed to a skidding halt, jumped off and ran up to Aera. The hurry in his steps told of a matter of great importance. The wind carried some of the words that passed between them over to Luna and Ardyn.

„Somnus, what is the matter? Has something happened?"

„Aera, I … I bring grave news." From his armiger, he summoned a red long sword to show her. With his head bowed, he told her of whatever had transpired, too quiet for Luna to hear, but his gestures spoke of grief and guilt.

Aera gasped, clasping both hands over her mouth.

In consolation, Somnus reached out to pull her into an embrace, but she pushed him away, shaking her head. „No!" she shouted. „No, it can't be! He's alive!"

In an instant, her and Somnus' gazes flew over to Ardyn on the other side of the field. Fright and confusion became apparent in the Founder King's features. He looked at his brother as though he had seen a ghost.

„Here I am, reduced to a phantom once more," Ardyn said with a sigh, and all of a sudden, there was no more trace of the forgetfulness or false cheer he had displayed earlier.

„But – I saw your body!" Somnus pointed the red blade at him. „Who are you, then? Reveal yourself, imposter!"

„No! Somnus, don't!" Aera tried to push past him, but the white haired warrior stepped in to keep her out of the impending fight.

Ardyn watched the scene unfold before him with an aloof, sombre expression and a glint of hatred in his eye. „Again, tragedy repeats itself," he said. „It appears there is no place for me in either past or future."

Luna stepped up to his side. „But there is always a place for you in the present," she argued. „Stand with us."

In a wink, he turned his attention to her and gave her a smile, seemingly grateful for the reminder. „Has anyone ever told you that are a blessing to our world, Lady Lunafreya?" He gestured towards the distance. „Please, lead the way."

She folded her hands in prayer, closed her eyes and focused her thoughts on the Astral realm. „Carbuncle, can you hear me?"

„Sure do!"

There was a shattering sound right next to her, reminiscent of thin glass splintering and breaking. When she opened her eyes again, the very fabric of space had burst open beside her and Ardyn like a broken mirror. Loose shards floated around them. Beyond the hole in space lay the Astral realm, and the little Messenger of dreams sat on the other side, with his bushy tail swishing behind him. Aera's ghost was not with him.

In the Eos of the founding era, time had ground to a halt. Somnus had been frozen in the middle of running towards them, and Aera remained trapped in the moment she tried to wrestle herself free from the warrior's grasp.

Luna could not help but notice the sad look Ardyn cast back at the First Oracle before he walked through the opening to the Astral realm.

Once both of them had passed, the shards reassembled behind them into a single, smooth surface. The image of the abundant fields of wheat faded, and Luna's and Ardyn's reflections appeared in their place.

The way he stared at the mirror image of the healer did not bode well. His features hardened, anger rose to his eyes and for a moment, Luna worried to see him smash the Crystal's facet with his bare fist.

„Never again shall I pray to the light!" he declared, his voice seething with anger. „The gods and their games be damned!" Shadows fell over his face as dark wisps rose from his body. The scattered miasma particles in the Astral realm were drawn to him.

Carbuncle sought cover near Luna. With flattened ears, the little messenger peeked out from behind her legs.

„Hear me, O wretched Bladekeeper!" Ardyn turned around abruptly, his white cloak billowing behind him, and clutched the knot of the cord that held the garment in place around his shoulders. „This dark blessing of yours is mine, mine alone to command, and by the accursed heavens, I shall wield it against all who have wronged me!"

With force, he tore the cloak off. White fabric dispersed into particles, and his appearance shifted back into the dark-clad, red-haired and daemon-eyed Accursed all the while dark energy continued to swirl around him.

„Ardyn! It's so good to see you."

Aera's laughing voice wiped the deadly determined look clean off his face, leaving him baffled. The wisps of shadow rising from him disappeared and the dark energy calmed back down.

„Aera?" He looked around. „My Aera?"

Her spirit materialised before him, smiling.

„Is this another dream?" he asked.

„This is as real as it can be," Aera explained and walked up to him. „Though my body has perished, my spirit remains to stand watch, for as long as the King to this Oracle lives." When she caressed his cheek with her weightless touch, his expression grew soft again.

„Does this mean you have been beside me all this time?"

„Closer than you think," she replied quietly. „Though I am afraid that our reunion has to wait." With a wink and a smile, she turned back to Luna. „I know now where Noctis is."

A sigh of relief escaped Luna's lips.

„We best make haste," Aera continued, casting concerned looks at Ardyn and Luna. „I am worried that the Chosen King may be in acute danger."

Ardyn chuckled to himself. „Ah, yes. How could I forget about my ever incautious nephew?"

#-#-#

In the world of darkness, Noctis was still walking away from the Citadel. His pace was brisk, his mind was elsewhere, and the collision with a daemon inevitable.

He did not know how much time had passed since he had fled from the sight of his own murder, nor did he care. Although the fear that had painfully clutched his chest had subsided, it had left behind a gaping hole of hopelessness. There was no way out of this decaying world, no indication that his friends would come to help, and if he had to stay, his choices were not looking any better. Either he went up against the murderous Ardyn seating Insomnia's throne, which very likely got him killed – or he looked for the friends of his other, dead self, which was less likely to get him killed, but they were very unlikely to forgive him, either. If Noctis were in their place, he would never forgive himself.

He slowed his steps. Near a crossroads, Noctis stopped and leaned against the crumbling wall of a building. Eventually, exhaustion and despair had drained him of his energy. Without the will to go any further, he let himself slide down to the pavement and lowered his forehead onto his knees. All this time he had been staring into the dark, trying to make out anything, and it had led to a dull headache deep in his eye sockets.

The distant screeches of daemons still filled his ears. This world was a never-ending nightmare.

For a minute at best, he had been sitting there, when he felt the ground tremble with heavy footsteps. Noctis looked back up to see a daemon walk onto the crossroads – the largest he had ever seen, if only slightly larger than the daemonified Behemoth. It resembled a three-headed dog, its skin glowed a fiery red, and embers flew from its open jaws. Many parts of its body were covered in thick, black plates, like armour fused to its skin.

A sense of self-preservation kicked back in, and Noctis rose from the ground as he saw the daemonic beast sniff around the crossroads for prey.

He backed away slowly and carefully, but to no avail. In a heartbeat, all three of the daemon's heads turned towards him. The Cerberus let out a low growl. A thin, long tail whipped behind it.

„As if this day couldn't have gotten worse," Noctis uttered bitterly. Fighting this thing seemed pointless. Why fell one daemon, when there were ten others ready to take its place? He turned and ran, and the Cerberus bounded after him.

#-#-#

The moment Luna set foot into the world Noctis had become trapped in, she could see his predicament. Or rather, she saw that there was nothing to see, because the unnatural darkness of the never-ending night made it near impossible to make out her surroundings, let alone to find her way through the maze of Insomnia's ruins.

She fumbled with the clip-on light Noctis had given her back when they had explored the Fodina Caestino quarry. It was meant to turn on automatically when the light was dim, but now that she desperately needed it, it refused to work.

„Will you be coming along, Lady Lunafreya?"

Even though Ardyn had only gone a few steps ahead, Luna could hardly make out his face.

„Yes, it's just …"

„Try this one, if you will." The red glow of his magic illuminated his features for a brief moment as he summoned a flat, round object from his armiger into his palm.

Luna took another, seemingly functional clip-on light from his hand. When she attached it to her jacket, Ardyn shielded his eyes from its cone of light.

„Our dear prince gave it to me, though little did he know that I have no need for it," he explained. „Why don't you allow me to be your eyes for the time being?"

„I'd be much obliged."

Smirking, Ardyn went ahead into the darkness. For once, there was a semblance of hurry in his steps, and Luna kept her eyes trained on the back of his coat so as not get lost.

Walking through Insomnia's ruins at daytime had already been disheartening, but the state this world was in was nothing short of terrifying. Despite of the bitter taste of miasma-polluted air in her mouth, Luna tried her best to think not too hard about what had caused it. She could hear the buzzing of the insect-like Ahriman daemons somewhere overhead. The creatures of the night had to be thriving in this environment.

She worried for Noctis' health, both physical and mental.

#-#-#

Noctis was still running when the burning Cerberus leapt past him. Its massive, clawed paws slammed down in front of the alleyway Noctis had been heading for, blocking his path. Noctis stopped so abruptly that he tripped over some piece of debris in this gods-forsaken darkness. By the time he had scrambled back to his feet, the hellhound stood right before him, growling and spitting flames.

All three of its jaws opened. Deep down in its maws, the fire grew brighter.

Noctis summoned the Engine Blade into his hand and readied himself to warp to safety.

Yet before the Cerberus could release its fiery blast, there was a flash of red in the darkness, a sword spiralled through the air and connected with the one of the Cerberus' heads. Its jaw was knocked shut, and fire burst from the gaps between its teeth as the daemon dropped onto its side.

Between Noctis and the hound, the darkness condensed, and the accursed „King of Darkness" appeared from it.

Noctis tensed.

„Oh my, what big teeth you have!" Ardyn said to the hellhound and cast a glance over his shoulder. „All the better to chew your new-found toy with, I suppose."

Although Noctis could hardly make out more than his silhouette illuminated by the red glow of the Cerberus' body, he could tell by the sound of his voice that it was accompanied by a sinister smirk.

„Unfortunately, I cannot let you have it. You see," Ardyn said and turned around. „This one already belongs to me." With the Rakshasa Blade in hand, he walked slowly towards Noctis.

The blood in Noctis' veins grew hot. His survival instinct was screaming at him to strike first. There was no way he could outrun this particular daemon. „Stay the hell away from me!" Noctis yelled, pointing the Engine Blade at the Chancellor's heart.

To his surprise, Ardyn dropped his sword back into his armiger and raised his hands to shoulder level. Noctis' clip-on light revealed a startled, innocent look on his face. „Is this a way to greet a dear family member?" Ardyn asked and extended a hand past the blade. „I'm only here to help, you know?"

The friendly gesture rekindled a spark of hope, and by the gods, Noctis wanted Ardyn to help so bad, but for all he knew, it could be a trick. Feeling torn, Noctis ground his teeth. „Don't try to mess with me! I know your stupid games."

„Pardon me?"

At that instant, an all-too-familiar, female voice broke through the darkness. „Wait up, Ardyn! Where are you?"

The spark of hope ignited a fire. „Luna?"

„Noctis!"

„Over here, Your Highness!" Ardyn replied, and Lunafreya emerged from the shadows, running towards them with the Trident of the Oracle in hand.

Noctis' heart took a leap at the sight of her. Luna was here, alive and real! She had come for him. The clutches of fear fell away, and relief overcame him. From his lungs ran a shiver all the way to his arm and the hand that still held the Engine Blade pointed at the former Chancellor.

„You must excuse me for leaving you behind," Ardyn said to Luna, nonchalant as ever, and pushed Noctis' blade with the tip of his finger away from his chest. „The situation called for immediate action, as you have surely noticed by now."

„You ass!" Noctis spat at him, though he nearly burst into laughter at the same time. „You nearly scared me to death!"

„Hm? If so, it was entirely unintentional, I assure you."

Behind of the former Chancellor, the Cerberus had risen back to its feet. When its heads turned to look at Luna, the fear to lose her again drove Noctis to sprint over to her. „Watch out!"

Unafraid of the daemon, Luna had stopped running and raised the Trident to the black sky. „Messenger of dreams, send me your light!" A golden glow enveloped the tip of her weapon that quickly intensified until it formed a bright and dense ball of light.

Noctis was still running when he noticed the Cerberus switching its attention back to him. Cursing his carelessness, he phased out of the way of the hellhound's triple bite and put a bit of distance between them, yet the daemon gave him no second to breathe before it pounced.

Luna swung the Trident once around and cast the ball of magic at the Cerberus. With a hiss the light seared the daemon's faces, causing it to tumble to the ground behind of Noctis. By the time the Cerberus had struggled back to its feet, black and purple scar tissue had already knitted its skin back together.

Another, smaller ball of light drove the daemon further back, and Luna stepped up to Noctis' side whilst keeping an eye on the daemon. „Now's your chance, Noct!" she exclaimed.

A number of red spectral blades rained down on the Cerberus and held it in place. Out of the darkness, Ardyn had silently reappeared next to Luna and Noct. „The stage is set, Your Majesty."

It was in that very moment that the realisation sunk in. Noctis was not alone anymore. He had the two most magically talented people by his side. What had he ever been afraid of? Noctis could feel his smile stretch into a grin. „Don't mind if I do!"

Laughing, Noctis threw his sword high above the hellhound. He warped after it, into the blackened sky, only to release the Sacred Arms from his armiger and warp back down, at the middle one of the Cerberus' heads.

The Sacred Arms zipped ahead, piercing the daemon with devastating force, and Noctis' warp-strike landed not a split second later. As his blade sunk deep into the hellhound's middle skull, a cloud of miasma burst from the wound and the creature's body began to dissolve. Noctis quickly point-warped to safety. Behind him, the dying daemon collapsed into a puddle of half-liquid, half-gaseous darkness.

„I am so glad you are safe!" Luna exclaimed, running up to him. She threw her arms around him, suddenly and unexpectedly – and let go of him just as quickly again.

Noctis had not minded the hug, not really. His fingers trailed her arms as she drew back.

„You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, blushing softly as though she had overstepped a boundary by accident.

In response, he shook his head. „I'm fine now, all thanks to you." Noctis eventually cast a glance over to Ardyn standing behind her. „You have literally no idea how glad I am to see you guys."

„Now, here's the reaction I had hoped for," Ardyn said and looked down the street, into the pitch-black darkness. „As much as I hate to interrupt this sentimental moment, but it appears our little scuffle has garnered the attention of more daemons."

Noctis was not sure what he had seen, but the screeches of daemons did seem louder than before. „You don't happen to know a way out of here, do you?"

Luna raised the Trident once more. „Carbuncle, hear my plea!" she called to the skies, and a moment later, space itself burst open beside them as if it were a thin sheet of glass through which someone had punched a hole. At the same time, the swirling particles of miasma in the air around them had stopped moving, like the world was holding its breath.

„Woah, nice," Noctis exclaimed.

Beyond the hole in space lay an otherworldly realm of bright and colourful hues. It looked so strange, so different from anything he had seen before, that he assumed this had to be the Astral realm.

And there, amidst the colours, sat a little, familiar, green-furred fox.

„You've got to be kidding me. Carbuncle is here, too?"

Noctis cast a glance back at Luna and Ardyn to make sure he was not leaving them behind in Eos' waking nightmare before he cautiously stepped through the opening into the other realm. Feeling solid ground beneath his feet but not seeing it was a bit disorienting at first, but he adjusted quickly.

„Does that mean I was dreaming?" he asked as he took in the wondrous scenery.

„The world you were in was an alternative of our Eos," Luna explained, and the hole in space closed itself behind her and Ardyn. „Is is akin to the worlds experienced in a dream, but real to the people within."

Noctis squatted down in front of the little Messenger. „Hey, old friend. Long time no see, huh?"

Chirping, Carbuncle nuzzled into the palm of his outstretched hand.

„He says he's happy to see you, too."

Noctis looked up to find a woman dressed all in white standing nearby. The First Oracle looked just like she had in Ardyn's memory of the day she had died.

Aera did a curtsey. „Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The longer Noctis stared into her direction, the more ghosts of the past seemed to fade into existence. Behind of Aera, men and women in black regal garb from all centuries of Eos appeared. It took a moment for Noctis to realise that those were the spirits of his forebears, the Lucii, as they had been in life. They looked different, much more human than the statues of the heavily armoured warriors that had been revered all around Insomnia.

And of course, Somnus was with them, leading the lot.