Chronicles Four: The Heir of Nothing

"Sh-she…She w-will. She'll help me bring her back. Just…Just have to find-find…"

"Breaking news out of Insomnia, an attack on the Citadel happened around 3 AM, Eastern Lucis Time. Emergency services rushed in to get the remainder of the fires under control. But the northwestern tower of the Citadel has been destroyed. According to the Kingsglaive commander, Cor Leonis, the blast was concentrated near the King's chambers."

"Emergency services were able to find survivors under the rubble. Their Highnesses, the captain of the Crownsguard and the King's Hand were found with minimal injuries. Other Glaives were found, uninjured despite being trapped underneath the rubble for several hours."

"The Crownsguard and Kingsglaive are investigating the blast believed to be the work of Lucian nationalists. Prime Minister Lukahn has vowed to bring those who attacked to justice."

"More breaking news out of Insomnia today. Investigators have found the remains of what was purported to be left of the Lucian King. Wait, what? King Noctis is…dead? How? Why? This is a dark day for Lucis, indeed."

"Authorities out of Insomnia have recovered the charred remains of the deceased king of Lucis, Noctis Lucis Caelum. Lady Etro Calais of the New Age party has vowed to work with Prime Minister Lukahn and other MPs to bring those responsible to justice."

"It is with great sorrow that we announce the death of King Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV of the Lucian Kingdom. His Majesty's health had been declining since the incident at the Ravatough Mountains three years ago. He was a man who worked tirelessly to break down the borders between the nations of the world, trying to heal the wounds of war and disease. Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Solara Aldercapt sends her condolences to the new queen and her siblings and hopes that both nations can continue to work towards everlasting peace and prosperity."

One month later, Monday, June 17th…

"We only found what looked like ashes and charred bits of clothing…" Libertus said, sitting in his office on the 2nd floor.

Despite the attack on the Citadel, most of it was spared. After structural testing, the palace was deemed safe to reenter. The entire northwest tower was gone, being a noticeable scar in the skyline of Insomnia. And it was a grim reminder of what happened to the king.

The man did nothing to deserve to go out like that. All he wanted was to break down the borders and come together as one people. Was that so wrong? Sure, the Niffs did some dirty things during the war, but some of them Libertus still had a hard time forgiving. But if he was able to be forgiven for not protecting King Regis when Insomnia fell, he was sure that the Niffs deserved forgiveness too.

And with Empress Solara in charge, the empire scaled back its borders, returning Tenebrae and Midgard to their rightful places. Lucis returned autonomy to Galahd, so the Glaives from that region were able to return home and rebuild during Noctis' tenure. And for that, Libertus was grateful. But there were those in Lucis who didn't see it that way, namely the young around the triplets' age and Lucian and Nifl nationalists.

And then some called themselves the "New Ageists". That included politicians such as Lady Calais. They believed that Noctis did his job so the Royal Family and others weren't needed anymore. Why suddenly turn on the guy that helped ya? Libertus hadn't a clue.

"Reminded me of when we found Nyx…" the Glaive, Sadda, said.

That struck a nerve and Libertus said nothing. Another Glaive, Lucia, asked, "Is Her Majesty even going to attend the late king's funeral? He was her dad. I would if I was her."

"Well, she was caught in that blast along with her siblings. So, I wouldn't rush them to do anything they don't want to do," Libertus told the young Glaive.

"It was a miracle that they even survived that. So, I wouldn't push them either," a third Glaive, Nelly, said.

Cape Caem, house…

Sitting in silence, the triplets sat up in their beds, still trying to process and recover after the incident a month ago. None suffered major injuries as Regina's barrier protected them and the others who were trapped underneath the rubble. The one person she couldn't get to was…

"Regina, don't. It's…It's not your fault, okay? None of us knew that someone planted a bomb in Dad's room," Cato said.

That still didn't help. Their father was gone and it was all her fault, Regina thought.

"No, it's not! You did what you could and protected us! So, stop it!" Cato shouted, reading his sister's thoughts.

Stella agreed and signed, "None of us knew that was going to happen. So, let's just…not think things like that, okay?"

"Easy for you to say…" Regina muttered.

Silence engulfed the room again and Regina went back underneath the covers. Throwing them over her face, she just wanted to wake from what she thought was a bad dream. Everything that happened had to be her fault. She drove her mom to find a cure for her dad, but Lunafreya only found death. Then, she never reconciled with her father. Instead, she hated him and refused to help him when he needed it most. And now, he's dead and it was all her fault…

Cato groaned, sensing that Regina had those intrusive thoughts again. He got out of bed, still in his pajamas, and cast on his right arm. He had to get away from the negativity before it took him too.

Opening the door and seeing the dining room downstairs, he saw that it was dark in the home, which was "out of their own protection" according to Cor. Most didn't know that they were spirited away from Insomnia by him and his father's friends, despite their injuries. They didn't know if someone would try to come after them next. And since Regina was queen now, her protection was a top priority.

Going into the fridge, Cato saw that the bare minimum was inside. The few things Uncle Prompto bought were a jug of milk, some Duscaen OJ, and some bread. He would have to go back out again to get more food since it had been about two weeks since they were fully stocked. And none of the triplets wanted the old cans of beans that were in the cupboards. Cato figured that they all got it from their father, who avoided beans like the plague. If anything, he would've probably introduced the people who thought beans were a good idea to eat to Madame Guillotine.

"He wanted to ban all vegetables from Lucis…Heh…" Cato said, smiling.

Another snicker as he remembered how their mother warned that parents would storm the Citadel, thinking their king would deprive them of something "essential to their health". Vegetables were okay…But it wasn't like they couldn't get nutrition from vitamins or something.

"Dad would be so mad if I said veggies were okay," Cato laughed.

Closing the fridge, a sad smile came to his face as he remembered all the funny times they had. Times like that wouldn't come again. A sigh and Cato heard, "What's so funny?"

Ignis and Prompto returned with bags of food and drinks. After placing them on the dining room table, Prompto asked, "How're you holding up?"

"I'm…not as sad as I was before. Regina's still depressed and Stella…Well, she's not letting anyone in her thoughts, so I don't know about her," Cato told them.

"Well, we'll get through this together…Noct wouldn't want us to be sad all the time," Prompto said.

Ignis said nothing and the bedroom door opened. Regina appeared, looking terrible, and she said, "What would you know about that?"

"Well, I was friends with him since high school, so…I understand the pain of not having him around," Prompto told her.

"No, you don't. Your pain's not the same as ours. Not the same as…m…Never mind. None of you get it," Regina said.

She stormed off, leaving the house still in her pajamas. Cato thought to stop her but Ignis shook his head. He then said, "She'll come back. Just leave her be."

"So, the dragon managed to get to Lestallum when it just…stopped?"

Lunafreya, returning to the secondary hideout of the resistance in Saxham Outpost, nodded, seeing her three children among the group. Sitting down at a table in one of the few remaining cabins, the former Oracle said, "Yes. It did."

Ignis, the former Hand of the King, asked, "Did…Was there anything left of…?"

"No. There's nothing left. So, if confronted, you must flee as it recognizes no one and sees everything and everyone as a potential enemy," Lunafreya explained.

Regina, her eldest daughter who survived the attack on her by the Mad King, looked at the floor, seemingly ashamed. Cato was silent and Stella asked aloud, "So, that means…?"

Signing at her, Lunafreya explained, "If you are to see the black dragon, you are to run as there's nothing left of him in there. Whatever Etro did…she succeeded."

Heading towards the coast near Cape Caem, Regina walked barefoot along the paved road and entered the darkened tunnel. She just wanted to get away. From everyone. From her supposed duty. From the guilt. From the shame. From the hurt. From everything.

Light at the end of the tunnel caused her to run and she exited, stopping suddenly as the scenery was much different from Cape Caem. Instead of a beautiful coastline, the landscape was charred and the skies were red as blood. Regina backed up, ready to run back into the tunnel, and she could see that any wildlife was long deceased.

Black mist appeared in front of her and shadowy creatures with blood-red eyes appeared. They were humanoid in appearance, but Regina had no time to look further as they suddenly attacked. Before she knew it, the teen held out her hands and screamed, "Go away!"

A plume of fire blasted out of her hands and struck the monsters. Once the flames made contact, the teen ran, heading for the only haven in the area, the Caem Shore. Dodging more shadow monsters, the girl saw the haven and dove into the protective space. The runes began glowing fire red and the monsters began pounding on the barrier that surrounded the haven.

Cowering, covering her ears, and closing her eyes, Regina muttered prayers and wanted the creatures to go away. When she wanted to get away from everything, she didn't mean to step into a hellscape to do so. Why couldn't she do anything right?

"Hey! Are you okay?!"

"Go away, go away, go away…" Regina whimpered, not wanting to look as she heard gunfire and sword swipes.

Everything had gone so wrong. It was her fault that her mother was gone. It was her fault her father was gone. How can someone who couldn't protect those she loved be a ruler of Lucis? And now she was trapped in such a terrible place. Maybe it was best for someone like her.

"Hey! Wait…Regi? Regi!"

Regina opened her eyes, seeing what looked like Cato. He ran towards the haven, but Regina didn't believe it was him. He was joined by someone who looked like Stella and another who looked like…her. She held up a hand, summoning fire and her counterpart yelled, "WHOA! Whoa! Whoa!"

"Hold up! We're not here to fight you! We saw you getting chased by those monsters," the Cato look-a-like said.

"Go away, fakes!" Regina shouted.

Her counterpart sighed and said, "I really hope he's not doing what I think he's doing…."

"What?" "Cato" asked.

"He's probably trying to find another me to get her powers of the Phoenix. Since mine was taken…a long time ago, he needs to find another to bring 'Mom back to life'," the other "Regina" said.

"Stella" signed, "Well, we need to make sure she gets back home. Like, she's kind of here and kinda not. But he can't find out that there's another you."

"I know, Stel. Um…" "Regina" said.

The younger stared at her older counterpart and could sense that they were telling the truth. She dismissed the flames and the trio entered the haven. The barrier allowed them to pass, so they weren't monsters at least.

"Who are you and what…?" Regina started.

Her older counterpart sat on the haven's grounds next to the younger. She had a sad smile and said, "You lost your dad recently, didn't you?"

Regina said nothing, turning away from her older self. She had telepathy like her. So, she should know.

"Cato" sighed and said, "And she tried running away. Man, she's nothing like you, Regi."

"Well…she's trying to cope. I remember that I wasn't too friendly with people when I thought you guys and Mom died," "Regina" told her brother.

'Wait, Mom's alive here?' Regina thought.

The younger was about to ask her older counterpart about it when she said, "How did you get here? And why are you here?"

"I don't know. I was just…" Regina started.

Her older self seemed to understand and said, "You tried to run from your troubles, right? I did the same, leaving the Citadel and ignoring my dad's phone calls. And I regret doing so every day."

"It's not your fault that he fell for Etro's machinations," "Cato" quipped.

"Stella" nodded and signed, "You didn't know, just like how we didn't know either."

The trio explained, telling her that their father was tricked by an ash blonde woman dressed in black named Etro. She appeared out of nowhere and got their father to do horrible things. So much so that he became more monster than human. When their Regina went to confront him after avoiding him for so long…he attacked and blamed everyone but himself for what happened. After that, the man became a monster and has been looking for a way to "bring back his family" ever since.

"And that's why you need to go home. Now," "Regina" warned.

The younger didn't believe her. Noctis would've never attacked his children…Right? Neither would he have trusted Etro Calais. If anything, before he died, he had a great distrust of her and that New Age movement in politics.

'Wait, I was actually paying attention?' the younger Regina thought.

Surprised, as politics wasn't her forte, the teen shook her head and said, "Even if I was to go home, I don't want to."

"But you have to. If the Mad King finds you, he'll rip your heart out and take all your powers. Then he'll be unstoppable!" "Cato" shouted.

"Ripping people's hearts out is a bit much, don't you think?" Regina said as it sounded like something from a fantasy show she used to watch: A Long, Long Time Ago.

"But he can and will do exactly the thing the Evil Queen used to do to her enemies. Odd, that you took her name when you were trapped in that dreamscape, Reg…" "Cato" said.

The other Regina rolled her eyes and said, "Either way. You need to leave. If you don't, you'll put yourself and your world in grave danger. And…I suspect that it already is."

The scenery around them rippled like water and the other Stella began signing in panic. All Regina got was, "Run!"

Her older self grabbed her by the arm and summoned Lunafreya's trident. She slammed in into the center of the haven and a portal opened up. She then pushed her younger self into it and yelled, "Please, don't return here! And watch out for anyone named Etro!"

"And anything that looks like a big dragon!" Cato shouted as everything went dark.

"Hello? Hello? Hello! HELLLLOOOO?! HELLO!"

Carbuncle, after sensing something happening to Noctis and rushing towards Cape Caem as he sensed his family there, arrived at the Caem Shore, seeing a sleeping Regina at the haven. She didn't stir and Carbuncle thought she was dead. He couldn't have another monarch gone on his watch. But…

"Hello!" Carbuncle said, his horn glowing with the use of telepathy.

He whined and chirped, trying to get the new queen to wake up. She was much harder to wake up than Noctis. Almost as if she didn't want to wake.

Regina's eyes opened slowly and she saw him. Her eyes widened and she shot up, looking around in fright. She calmed down a bit and said, "Carbbie? What are you doing here? Where's…?"

"You were sleeping out here. And it looks like you were out here all night," Carbuncle told her.

"That…that didn't feel like a dream…" Regina muttered, holding her head.

She was still panicking and Carbuncle tried to use Ruby Light to calm her. She noticed and said, "Don't. I'm…I'm fine. I just…I need to get away."

"You're already away from Cape Caem. And Insomnia. But why are you running? Are you scared or something?" Carbuncle asked.

The teen sat down, looking ready to break down at any moment. She stared at the water and said nothing. Carbuncle sat next to her and looked up with his beady eyes. He then asked, "You feel…guilty or something?"

Again, no response. Carbuncle whined and asked, "You think you'll be a terrible ruler? Because you blame yourself for what happened to Lunafreya and…"

"Stop. Just stop. There's nothing to talk about," Regina said.

"But you're queen now. The Queen of…" Carbuncle started.

"Nothing in particular. Everyone's right. We've no purpose and I was just an heir of nothing…Fitting for a 'daemon child' like me," Regina said.

Daemon child? Who called her that?

Carbuncle stared and said, "Why are you calling yourself that? No one thinks of you like that."

"Then how do you explain everyone tiptoeing around me and being so afraid? Why every time I have a nightmare, something burns? Why…why do I have these powers and can't even protect everyone I care about? Why…?" Regina snapped.

"Why do you think people are thinking that way? Are you reading everyone's minds? Or are you just assuming?" Carbuncle asked.

Regina said nothing, turning away and tearing up. She thought that she wasn't worthy of the title "Queen". Daemon children like her weren't worthy of anything…

"Stop that! You're not a 'daemon child'! Sure, you got fire powers. But that's not the sign of a daemon! Whoever or whatever gave you these thoughts, you need to rid yourself of them!" Carbuncle told her as her thoughts were growing far too dark.

Before Regina could ask, Carbuncle said, "And yes. I remember what the daemons were like and you're nothing like them! Sure, you have fire powers like the Infernian, but that's not a bad thing. Power is what you make of it. You can use it for good or evil. And with everything I've seen, you use your powers to help others, just like how the Infernian did until Solheim…betrayed everyone."

The teen was silent, but her shoulders were shaking. She was sobbing. Whatever it was that made her think that way, it wasn't true. She was a good kid, Carbuncle thought. She just had to remember that. Lucis Caelums always had awesome powers and she's just one in a long line of powerful royals. Royals who needed to stay to help the world.

"It was a group of…maids…They…they were angry about something and when I eavesdropped, they were talking about me. It was a few weeks after Mom died…and they…they thought me begging her to go back to Tenebrae to help Dad…was the reason why she…" Regina said, choking up.

Carbuncle repositioned himself in front of her and sat down. With as stern of a look he could give since he was a tiny little fox with a ruby horn on his head, Carbuncle said, "You think they blamed you for the Oracle's death? That's very shortsighted of them."

"But it's true. And they said, only those of darkness would want the Oracle gone. And those from the darkness are 'daemons', right?" Regina said.

How long did she hold onto such a lie? Miffed, the tiny Messenger said, "You didn't know that Lunafreya's airship would get destroyed like that. And you didn't know that someone would attack your father. It's just like I said to Noct as he blamed himself. No one knew all of this would happen. And if this was allowed by Eos, there's got to be a reason for it."

"A reason for my parents not being here and everyone thinking that it's all my fault?" Regina asked.

"No, no, no! Not everyone thinks like that. Say it with me! It was NOT your fault!" Carbuncle told her.

Regina didn't say anything and the Messenger repeated himself. Reluctantly, she said, "It's not my fault."

"Yes! And you're worth it! And you're the Queen of Lucis! THE Queen! Not nothing as you've never been nothing! You were always something! Something AWESOME!" Carbuncle said, chirping.

He then danced around and the ruby horn started glowing. Hopping onto her shoulders, the tiny Messenger finally got a reaction as Regina said, "Hey! What are you doing? Leave my hair alone!"

"See? You didn't set me on fire instantly! And I see a smile! See? See?" Carbuncle said, noticing Regina's mood shift.

The teen turned away and muttered, "You're such a dork…"

"Yup! Going on about 10,000 years of dorkiness!" Carbuncle chirped proudly.

After a few moments of staring at the ocean and calming down, Regina stood up and said, "I'm not a daemon or a daemon child. I'm me. No one else."

"That's the spirit!" Carbuncle cheered.

The teen headed for the fishing pier and did something that frightened the Messenger. She screamed, releasing a massive shockwave that parted much of the water near the shore. After a few seconds, the water came crashing down and the teen seemed calmer. She turned to Carbuncle and said, "I'm sorry. I…I just need a bit more time alone. I'll be back at the house soon."

Sensing she was telling the truth, the tiny Messenger left, disappearing in ruby red light.

Yep. It seems that Noctis is really gone and each triplet is dealing with the loss in their own way. And the dreams of the alternate Eoses are starting to seem to be turning into reality. Just like in the previous fic.

Anywho, review?

-miano53