Summary: Long ago when the words of the gods resonated in the hearts of men... A saviour lived that could cure those afflicted. But a jealous king, one not yet chosen by the Crystal, attempted to ostracize and demonize this healer of the people. Only through the divine intervention of the King of Kings, did the first Chosen King Ascend, thus forever altering the fate of the Star.

In other words: Noctis is minding his own business in the Beyond, supposedly dead, when he sees a woman who looks a lot like Luna about to be killed. He's not about to let that happen.

...

Author's Note: So I started writing this with the intent of posting it when the DLC was released. But then I couldn't decide how to end it, got distracted by playing Ardyn's DLC, and never came back to it. As part of NaNoWriMo I've been revisiting older stuff whenever I get stuck on the main thing I'm writing, and suddenly this became a lot longer!

This went through a couple revisions as I played around with ideas for the ending. Hopefully I caught everything, it is consistent and it all flows ok.

In Episode Ignis, it says that the Crystal spoke to him. Whereas in Ardyn's Prologue, Area says the Crystal has no will of its own (or something like that). I'm going with Episode Ignis' interpretation. Also technically, I don't think Noctis should have access to the Royal Arms once his ancestors' spirits pass on but I'm pretending the weapons are no longer linked to them.

...

Noctis let out a relieved sigh, the darkness of the Scourge finally evaporating into the hazy nothingness of the Beyond. Around him the glowing blue spirits of his armoured ancestors faded away, their purpose spent, at last allowed to rest.

With the Scourge - with Ardyn - gone he could only trust that the Crystal would do as Bahamut claimed. Cleanse the Scourge from their Star and end the Eternal Night. He could only hope that his friends would live to see the Dawn. That there was even enough of a world for them to see.

Would the world recover from a decade in darkness? What horrors would the dawn bring to light, as Ardyn had threatened? Well… it wasn't his problem anymore, he did his duty, he had to trust in his people and his brothers to lead humanity into a new future.

After floating in the Crystal for 10 years with only his memories for company, the whole time knowing that when he awoke it would only be to kill his ancestor and bring light to a darkened world, the only consolation was that he succeeded.

But oblivion was slow to come, for the words of his defeated enemy continued to haunt him.

"So you are the Chosen King… but you are a second choice, at best."

He tried to forget Ardyn's words. Forget the lingering anxiety he'd felt while they'd fought. The worry that came from blindly following the will of the Gods. Forget that even in defeat, Ardyn would get his revenge.

"It's finally over," he breathed. He looked down and the only emotion he was able to muster up was relief at the sight of his body slowly disintegrating into little particles of light. He wanted to rest.

"Chosen, indeed. Chosen to die!"

Bahamut had told him of the man Ardyn used to be. Of how he was chosen to contain the scourge and in death cleanse all of Eos. Though it was only in questioning his ancestors, that he knew the right questions to ask of the Draconian, and therefore gain that understanding. And Noctis couldn't help wondering if Ardyn had known he was to be a sacrifice from the beginning. Just as the truth had been kept from Noctis, until it was too late.

He remembered his own words to Ardyn, his promise, his attempt at giving him absolution. Some of them the very words the Founder King had implored of him.

"I will drag you from the Darkness. Out of Solitude. Out of Emptiness. You are a slave to the Dark. Until you are free, you suffer alone! Return as you were. A kind and noble king!"

Instead the words had only enraged the first Chosen King.

"You claim to know me. You fancy yourself benevolent and worthy… Yet when your father died… you were off playing with your friends! When your beloved died… you lay watching, powerless to stop it! And now you dare speak down to me?"

...

"You think ten years is a long time!? It is nothing to me! I have lived in darkness for ages!"

...

Noctis had time for one last thought as his body broke apart in the emptiness eerily similar to his time in the Crystal. It was a part of the history that Bahamut had refused to explain clearly. Questions that the spirit of Somnus, the Founder King, had also refused to answer.

What happened all those centuries ago, that stopped the first Chosen King from succeeding? Could the Star have avoided the near extinction of the Eternal Night?

Noctis closed his eyes.

...

...

It was time to rest.

…

…

A voice pierced the void, "However!"

Noctis grimaced, brought a hand to his face and groggily thought, just five more minutes Iggy.

The feeling of rough callouses shocked him into opening his eyes, gasping in a startled breath. He pulled back his hand and stared with wide eyes. Hadn't just moments before… his body been disintegrating…?

"…necessary … to lure … seditious traitor… today!"

The voice hit his ears in fits and starts and he frowned, looking around for the source, but saw nothing but the emptiness of the Beyond.

Wasn't he dead? Shouldn't he have faded away like all the others? Was there something more he needed to do? What more could the Gods possibly ask of him? He'd been content to banish the darkness at the cost of his life, why was a voice shouting about a traitor?

"Do you truly covet my throne that badly?" The voice sneered. The endless expanse swallowed up the voice, and yet it reached his ears as if he was standing right next to the source.

Noctis rubbed at his whole and normal feeling face. After everything he'd been through, he just wanted to rest now. Isn't that what the prophesy had promised? What Bahamut had promised?

But a tiny part of him couldn't help but be curious. Now, after he'd given everything for their Star, who was coveting the throne? The line of the Caelum's died with him. So what…?

Noctis looked down at his hand and the Ring of the Lucii shone innocently back at him. It had fulfilled its purpose. The souls of his ancestors were no longer stored within it. He could feel it. He'd seen them pass on. So why was it still on his finger? He could have sworn he felt it shatter just before he lost all sense of self. Before…

He looked up from the ring and blinked in surprise, but was unable to summon any further emotion, at the strange sight that greeted him. What looked like a window into the outside world now floated a scant couple meters before him.

Through it he could see portions of a cavernous room. Blocking most of his view was the back of a woman in white with golden hair braided into a halo around her head. Next to her, a man in armour stood with one hand resting casually on his sheathed blade. Beyond them, two figures faced each other. One clad in black and the other in white. Both dressed in the kind of robes he remembered seeing in ancient paintings in the Citadel.

Noctis had to look down to see them, as if his window was on a raised platform. His eyes flicked briefly around what he could see of the room, noting the people watching on the sidelines, and the red carpet leading up an open flight of stairs where the blond woman and man in armour stood.

It looked like one of the old temples of the Gods. Like something out of a history book.

"The God's have spoken," the same voice spoke again, only this time Noctis could see it was the man in black who was speaking, for he was facing towards Noctis' window. Noctis frowned and looked around and behind him, almost expecting to find the Draconian, but Bahamut was nowhere in sight.

Movement brought his eye back to the woman in white. She had jerked forward, as if to run down the stairs, but was blocked by an outstretched armoured hand. A distraught "Why?" reached him in the Beyond.

Whatever the two below were arguing about was clearly upsetting her. And the man in ancient armour was blocking her from interfering. He said something in response to her, but his voice was soft and obviously only meant for her.

She reminded him of Luna. Who… was she?

"And I," The man down below proclaimed raising a hand in the air, "Somnus Lucis Caelum," Noctis gasped and took a half step forward, at both the name and the sight of the sword that formed in his hand, proving the truth of his name, "am King."

What is this!? Noctis thought desperately, sudden energy tensing his muscles, unable to tear his eyes away from the man in black. In the black of a Lucis Caelum, it now seemed. The Founder King, his ancestor, Somnus Lucis Caelum. Though he'd never seen his face, he now recognized his voice.

Was he observing the past? Was Bahamut giving him the understanding of what led to Ardyn becoming the Accursed? But if so, where was Ardyn?

The man in white said something too quiet for Noctis to hear, voice pitched for the Founder King, not the crowd at large that Somnus was posturing for. His back was to Noctis, a white arm gesturing as he spoke.

Noctis stepped closer to the hovering window to the past, curiosity overwhelming him. Close enough that he could reach out and touch it, if he wanted, for he found himself surprisingly eager, his previous exhaustion forgotten, to see the truth of the past with his own eyes.

Was this how Somnus was declared king?

Somnus Lucis Caelum smirked at whatever the man in white said, running forward with sword at the ready. Noctis held his breath, barely aware that it was weird he even had breath to hold, tensing further in anticipation. Just as Somnus reached the man in white, a flash of blue was followed by a clash of steel on steel. The long haired man, whom Noctis had assumed was a priest of some sort, expertly deflected the blow with his own summoned sword.

What was happening? Was the man in white also a Lucis Caelum? Did Somnus kill him for the throne? But again, given what he knew of history, shouldn't Ardyn be down there somewhere? Was there even more truths that had been buried or forgotten in Lucis' long history?

They clashed swiftly and viciously, Somnus obviously trying to end the fight with a quick, decisive blow. But the man in white fought with skill, forcing Somnus to step back.

They separated, their positions reversed from when they started. Noctis frowned at what little he could see of the man in white's face. He looked… familiar somehow. Long brown hair, originally neatly tied back, was starting to come loose and now slightly obscured his face.

The unknown man said something again. And again it was too quiet to carry up to where Noctis was observing. Whatever he was saying, it appeared he was sick, for he ended up in a coughing fit.

A gasp brought his attention to the woman in front of him. Whoever the sick man was, was she concerned for him? But Noctis was fairly certain, given that Somnus had just declared himself king, that this was a fight for the throne. And if so… history told him who would win.

Even so, the sound she made caused him to instinctively reach out to her. His hand touched the "glass" of the window, causing minor ripples to obscure the scene.

Below them, the fight started up in earnest once more. Only this time it seemed the mystery man had the advantage, his powerful swings making Somnus take a step back with each blow. Something about the way the man fought nagged at the back of Noctis' mind, but he couldn't quite place it. It didn't take long for one powerful blow to send Somnus skidding head over heels across the ground.

But like any good user of the Armiger, Somnus summoned a new weapon. The spear flew with a marksman's precision at his target. A target who deftly caught it, to Noctis' slight surprise, barely preventing the tip from impaling him.

In the flash of a blue warp, Somnus was right in front of his adversary, and with both hands steady on the shaft, drove it into the man's chest. It had been a trap.

The woman screamed, the sound cutting through Noctis better than any blade, and ran down the flight of stairs. The armoured man reached for her, but was too slow to stop her.

The injured man stumbled back with a cry, hand on the spear piercing his chest. He managed to remain standing but was swaying on his feet. Blood now stained pristine white robes red.

Somnus stepped back, a smirk on his lips. In a flash of blue, the spear left the man's chest, recalled to Somnus's Armiger. The red stain ran down the centre of the man's robe.

Noctis pressed his hand harder against the "glass", the faint light of the ring glowing on his finger, as the blond woman reached the base of the steps.

As a sword reformed in the Founder King's hand, Noctis could see that the fight was at an end. Whatever this conflict was about, whether it truly was for the throne or something else, his ancestor had won. Whatever Bahamut or the Crystal wanted him to take away from this, he didn't know or understand why he had to witness the unknown man's death.

"Stop!" The woman screamed, throwing herself between the two men.

At this, Noctis' eyes widened. The world outside the window slowed. Somnus had his sword raised high, about to bring it down on the woman.

"No," he whispered. He couldn't let this happen. Not again. Luna was about to die. And here he was again, able to do nothing. Nothing but watch! Powerless!

"No!" he yelled, pressing into the now soft surface. For a moment, it pushed back against him, trying to keep him out. To stop him from saving Luna. He snarled and the ring flashed.'

...

Go forth with my blessing, O King of the Stone.

Who…?

Decide the fate of the Chosen King.

But aren't I the…?

...

Next thing he knew, he was rolling down a flight of carpeted red stairs, screams ringing in his ears.

A flash of yellow was all he needed to aim a weapon, the Trident of the Oracle cutting through the air. Noctis could only pray to the Six that he was in time.

The trident flew with pinpoint precision, embedding itself in the stone floor just in time to block the worst of Somnus' attack.

Luna still screamed in pain, sword biting into her shoulder, and Noctis was in front of her in a flash of blue.

One hand on the trident, Noctis was gratified to see Somnus cry out in surprise and take a few steps back.

Behind him, he heard a thump and turned. Luna was in the strangely familiar man's arms, both kneeling on the floor. A red line cut itself down Luna's back, her shoulder a mess of blood. But that was it. Noctis let out a breath of relief. He'd been in time.

"Who…?" The man asked, wide eyes almost obscured by the dark brown hair that had come loose in the fighting.

Noctis blinked at him. Hard.

Wait a minute… That face…

"How dare you interfere." Somnus snarled at his back.

Noctis didn't have time to think any further, the tapping of boots on stone warning him as Somnus raced towards him. Noctis released the Trident of the Oracle back into his Armiger and turned, Sword of the Father forming in time to block the strike.

His ancestor scowled at him over the clash of swords. Behind him, Luna and the man gasped.

They exchanged a few rapid fire blows, with Noctis refusing to give any ground, hyper aware of the woman at his back.

"Get away from her." He growled, voice scratchy and weak from disuse.

"Fool." Somnus backed up out of range, and when Noctis didn't follow raised his head in a haughty gesture. Noctis internally winced, seeing the Founder King of Lucis behave like one of the egotistic self-important Lords from Insomnia was not what he'd expected of the man dubbed 'The Mystic'.

Somnus' eyes slid slightly to the side, clearly talking to one of the two behind Noctis, "The Gods have spoken."

Yeah, but which ones? Noctis thought uncharitably.

His eyes snapped back to Noctis and he pointed his sword dramatically, "Who are you to defy their will!"

Noctis opened his mouth to answer, although uncertain what exactly he would say, when a horrible coughing distracted him. He turned to look back at the strangely familiar man, keeping his sword at the ready should Somnus attack.

The brown haired man was bent over his knees and hacking into his hand, whole body shuddering as he tried and failed to suppress it. Luna had her good arm hovering hesitantly over his back as she knelt by his side, blood trailing down her injured arm.

"Ardyn …" Luna whispered, in a voice that didn't sound quite right.

Noctis went rigid. There's no way… No way that man is Ardyn!

Before the thought could pass his lips, the Ardyn look-alike stopped coughing and tried to push Luna's hand away.

"Aera… you…"

Noctis brought his free hand up and clenched his head, giving it a shake. Nothing was right. It wasn't as it should be. Ardyn's voice shouldn't be choked up in grief.

And the woman in his arms… that wasn't Luna. He'd known that from the beginning. So why… Or how, had he briefly convinced himself it was her? Well… he knew the answer to that. The whole scenario was uncomfortably close to a day that had burned itself into his memory.

Unbidden, a memory assaulted him. One he'd spent the last 10 years contemplating. Obsessing over.

'In Lucis lived a saviour that could cure the afflicted. His body would come to host myriad daemons, that countless lives be spared. But a jealous king, one not yet chosen by the Crystal, ostracized and demonized this healer of the people. Making a true monster of him.'

Noctis ran his hand down his face, stubble scratching his palm. Was this what Ardyn had been talking about? Was this the moment Ardyn was turned into the monster? Is this what turned him from the kind and noble king he should have been?

Luna- No. The woman, Aera, had a hand pressed against the wound in Ardyn's chest, tears in her eyes and a faint yellow glow at her fingertips. The man who looked so much alike and yet unlike Ardyn grimaced in pain.

So she was like Luna, an Oracle.

Whispers filled the room. One in particular caught the attention of the self-proclaimed King.

"What? He came from the Crystal? That's impossible." The arrogance in Somnus' voice was really starting to grate on his nerves.

Still not sure what to do with the realization of who was in front of him, Noctis turned to face the man that had come seconds away from killing an Oracle, thoughts racing. The man in armour had now joined him, and was speaking quietly to him.

Was he in some vision of the past? But how was he able to interact with it? Or was this some sick game of Ardyn's…? No… Noctis shook his head. That, at least, didn't fit.

What should he do? Can he, should he, continue interfere in his own history? Or was this just a memory of the past?

Glancing up the stairs, the Crystal gleamed.

O King of the Stone, who sacrificed all. In recompense for what was wrought, the King of Kings may determine the Chosen's fate.

That voice again. The tone and the cadence sounded a lot like Getianna but it didn't quite match.

Right Noctis thought, guess that's my answer. Used by the crystal one last time huh? But… if it could really prevent the Darkness that is to come…Guess my duty as the protector isn't over yet. Thought I was supposed to protect the world from Ardyn and the Daemons, not protect Ardyn himself. But if it means he doesn't turn into a monster in the first place…

Noctis brought his attention back to the present, eyeing Somnus. He was speaking heatedly yet quietly to the man in armour, sword no longer in hand.

Deciding to take the chance that he wasn't going to suddenly attack, Noctis backed up until he was right next to the two on the ground.

Ardyn was gasping and wheezing, the hole in his chest no longer gushing blood. And wasn't that a strange sight. During their whole confrontation in Insomnia he'd never shed a drop of blood. A fight that had only been moments ago from Noctis' perspective, and at the same time felt worlds away. The anger and hatred he had once held for the man cooled in the wake of his victory.

Ardyn was eyeing him warily while Luna's look alike had been quietly apologizing to him over and over. She was still bleeding badly from her shoulder so Noctis did the only thing he could do in a situation like this and summoned an elixir, vaguely surprised when it worked.

Ardyn flinched.

Seeing Ardyn in pain, seeing him actually weary of him… it was something his younger self had dreamed of during the long train ride to Gralea.

Now it just made him feel tired.

"Here," He motioned to the blonde, "Take this."

She accepted it with the hand of her uninjured arm, and tentatively said, with an odd reverence, "Thank you, Divine Messenger…?"

When she did nothing with the bottle, Noctis sighed and gestured, "Drink it, it'll heal your shoulder." Did they not have potions and elixirs back in the day? She immediately drank it after that, almost treating his words like an order. It was weird.

Did they really think he was a Divine Messenger? Noctis looked down at his clothes while the two kneeling before him marvelled over her healing shoulder. Yep, still as dusty, stained and ragged as they had been when he ascended the throne to sacrifice himself. His long, shaggy hair fell into his face. He used a hand to sweep it back, still not used to the new length.

Another coughing fit took Ardyn. Only this time, he wasn't able to partially suppress it. Noctis frowned when the coughing quickly gave way to choking.

Aera gasped and leaned away from him, hands covering her mouth.

Ardyn cried out as a black mist crept over his body. The man tried to hunch into himself and hide the effect but Noctis could still see that what little skin was visible showed veins pitch black with the Scourge.

Noctis took a half step away from him, eyes a little wide, briefly worried it had been a mistake to stop Somnus. Was he about to turn into that daemonic form Noctis had destroyed in the Beyond? Had Noctis only delayed the inevitable?

But then the choking stopped. And the mist dissipated, sucked back into Ardyn's body.

"I'll be fine, Aera." The shaking voice came from the hunched over form, "I just need.." he wheezed in between coughs, "the Crystal will cleanse me."

Noctis almost didn't hear what the blonde said next over Somnus' shout.

"Geeze, why did I get saddled with such a troublesome fiancé." She smiled weakly.

"You see now!" Somnus' voice echoed in the hall, commanding attention. "My brother has become corrupted by the Scourge. He is turning into the very monster he claimed to protect you from."

Noctis looked up to see Somnus addressing the crowd. All had varying expressions of shock, fear, and disgust on their faces. While Noctis was internally reeling at hearing the word 'fiance.' He felt like his whole worldview had been shattered once again. In his rush to protect the person he'd thought was Luna, he'd just spared Ardyn from witnessing the death of his fiancé. A death that would have come at the hands of the Founder of Lucis. His own brother.

"When your beloved died… you lay watching, powerless to stop it!"

The parallels between them made everything so very messed up.

"Messenger!" It took Noctis an embarrassingly long moment to realize he was being addressed. "I will pass your trial, defeat you, and ascend to my rightful place as King!"

Noctis only had time to blink and think a bemused 'what the fuck.' Before Somnus was on him.

It was thanks to the long practice sessions with Gladio that let him hold his position and keep the Founder King back. Their blades clashing in a shower of sparkling glass and magic.

In a few swift strikes, Noctis managed to gain the advantage, pushing Somnus away from the two at his back.

Noctis prided himself on his situational awareness. Years of Gladio hammering it into him, and then those long months on the road fighting with his brothers cementing it. All this let him notice the armoured man approaching the crouching Ardyn, who now had a sword in hand and a desperate look on his face.

"Gil, not you too."

Noctis really wasn't sure if he should keep interfering. Even with the voice asking him to decide the fate of the Chosen king, he had to wonder… which of the brothers was the voice talking about?

The one Bahamut had labelled The Usurper? Or the Founder King of legend. The one who began the line that ended with Noctis? Or the one who sought revenge against him?

In the end, it was the last memory of Ardyn, calmly speaking to him, his anger and spite finally drained. Accepting his fate.

"What will you do… Erase me from history once more?"

It was with those words ringing in his ears that Noctis made his decision.

He switched to the heavy Sword of the Tall, and with a mighty swing sent Somnus stumbling back across the floor. With one hand, he dismissed the sword for the Star of the Rogue and hurled it in front of Ardyn, while his other hand threw an ice flask at Somnus' feet, and warped.

Only a slight hesitation in the armoured man's steps betrayed his surprise at Noctis appearing before him, for he quickly brought his large sword down on the Shield of the Just Noctis quickly called.

In a move that had Galdio's voice echoing in his head with a 'great job, Noct!' He used the weight of the shield to send the man stumbling back.

Screams were now echoing in the chamber as some of the onlookers finally started to run for the exit. The ice from Noctis' flask having caught some of them in the blast radius.

Out of the corner of his eye, Noctis saw Somnus scrambling to his feet. Another thrown sword and Noctis was on him, not letting him get his balance, making him stay on the offensive.

A kick to the gut had the Founder King sliding along the ice on his knees and saw Noctis again warping between Ardyn and the charging knight.

Only this time, instead of a perfectly timed block and counter, Noctis stumbled, vision suddenly swimming. He managed to get the Sword of the Father up in time to block, but stasis was hitting him hard. All the worse for its unexpectedness.

He might have actually been in trouble, if Ardyn hadn't decided to stand and fight, and forced the armoured man back.

Noctis summoned the Sceptre of the Pious to lean on and let Ardyn take the lead.

He'd forgotten, somehow, that he'd used up almost all his energy in the battle just moments before this one. And yet here he was, with his Armiger intact, the ring on his finger, and his magical stamina slowly returning.

Somnus was on his feet again, a ferocious scowl on his face. In his free hand, lightning gathered in a blinding flash in his palm.

Noctis didn't have time to think, only act and raise his hand.

The flash of exploding lightning was huge, the attack charged to its strongest extent. Stray bolts separated from the main blast, about to hit everyone behind Noctis in collateral.

But it was stopped, breaking around Noctis, a crystalline shield forming as the lightning tried to crawl around it. Not really knowing what he was doing, only wanting to protect, the shield followed his will and cut through the two duelling behind him.

Leaning heavily on the sceptre, Noctis let his hand drop, the shield dome staying in place. The surprise on Somnus' face probably mirrored his own. He'd never been able to do this sort of thing with his magic, not like his Dad. More weirdness.

Coughing dew his attention. He turned to see Ardyn with one arm around the woman's shoulders as she supported him, the other at his mouth as he coughed again. Any sort of exertion seemed to worsen his symptoms.

Noctis frowned, even Ardyn's skin looked pale. "Hey," he called, unable to completely keep the exhaustion from his voice, "You ok?"

"Only thanks to you timely intervention, Divine Messenger." Ardyn's voice was strained, and weirdly deferential. It kinda gave him the creeps. Every time the man opened his mouth, Noctis was staggered by how different he sounded from the man he knew.

Noctis sighed, but wasn't sure if he should correct the 'Divine Messenger' assumption. Would a Divine Messenger say, 'you look like shit'?

Another crackle of lightning broke across his shield, Somnus yelling in frustration when it did nothing to break through. The armoured man followed up with multiple strikes of his sword, but the dome around them held firm.

"So… what's the plan?" They both looked at him in question. "I can't keep this up forever, you know?"

Ardyn and Aera shared a glance before the brown haired man replied, "You speak… quite peculiarly for a Messenger of the Gods." They both looked like they didn't know what to think of him.

"Whatever," Noctis winced, leaning more heavily on the sceptre, his exhaustion creeping up on him. "Plan?"

"If I…" Ardyn began hesitantly, "Receive the crystal's blessing in front of the court, Somnus … must concede." He didn't sound certain of that fact.

"Ardyn …" The blond woman spoke hesitantly, "I don't think…"

"Aera, have I not done my duty, as the Gods bid?" His voice gained a desperate edge as he continued, "Or did Somnus speak true? Was he Chosen?"

His last words to Ardyn, on the darkened steps of the Citadel, had been to bid him to return to the kind and noble king he once was. And now he was witnessing that person firsthand. He'd seen flashes of who he was during his reflection, but it still hadn't prepared him for the reality.

Aera shook her head, "You've done all they've asked of you and more," she stated fiercely.

"Somehow, I don't think getting the Crystal's blessing will be that easy." Noctis muttered to himself, and sank to one knee, eyeing the Crystal, ignoring everything else outside his shield.

A squeak had him glancing at the two. Ardyn had fallen to his knees and taken Aera with him. He pushed her away from him and was taking in great gasps of pain, arms around his stomach. He bowed his head, but once again, Noctis noticed the black veins spreading up his neck.

"Ardyn, what have you done to yourself…" Aera looked horrified, perhaps not fully grasping how much of the Scourge Ardyn had inside himself until now.

"The Crystal… it can heal me… it must…" Ardyn gasped out.

He didn't know. It hit Noctis like one of Gladio's shields to the gut. Ardyn had no idea that the Gods were going to treat him as a sacrifice. No idea that he would be rejected by the Crystal and deemed 'impure of heart' by Bahamut.

Noctis grimaced and thought he could see how this had gone. In the past, Ardyn must have approached the Crystal with this thinking. But the Crystal, or Bahamut, had rejected him. As he was now, with the Scourge thick in his veins, Bahamut's only solution was to wait two thousand years for Noctis to be born and absorb the Light of the Crystal. But Noctis could stop that from happening here and now. How much would change in a world where the King of Lucis used the Crystal's power not to destroy the infected like monsters, but to heal them instead?

"It can't." Noctis quietly spoke, Ardyn blinked in disbelief at him.

"What? No… that can't-" His voice broke. "Divine Messenger, please…"

Noctis averted his eyes, surprising himself with how uncomfortable it was to see Ardyn desperate and begging him. Blue eyes froze at a slight glimmer from the hand holding the sceptre, the Ring of the Lucii sitting deceptively innocently on his finger. A plan began to form in his mind.

"But…" He took a deep breath, it was a crazy plan, but it might just work, "I think I can. I think that's why I'm here."

"How is that possible? That you can do what the Crystal itself can not?" Aera asked, blue eyes narrowed.

"I think… as the King of the Stone, I can cleanse you of the darkness. So you can be the one who ascends the throne and … yeah." He finished lamely. For how could he properly articulate; 'And avoid 10 years of darkness that almost wipes out all life on Eos in 2000 years. That you caused'.

"First, we need to get closer to the Crystal." Noctis glared as a fireball exploded over his shield, "And that asshole needs to back off."

Ardyn choked on a slightly hysterical laugh, once again shocked at Noctis' language. He probably wasn't selling the whole 'Divine Messenger' bit very well. Aera's deepening skepticism showed that but... well, it wasn't his fault they'd made that assumption.

Noctis got to his feet, feeling recovered, no longer needing to lean on the sceptre. "Come on."

With Aera's help, whispering soft encouragements, Ardyn was able to stagger to his feet.

"You two get to the Crystal, I'll handle the pompous ass." He spoke loud enough so that the whole room could hear. Those who hadn't fled gasping at his language, while Somnus sneered at him.

"Imposter!" He cried. "No Messenger of the Gods would speak in such a manner."

Noctis ignored him, dismissing the Sceptre of the Pious to the Armiger. He pointed at the armoured man, that Ardyn had called Gil and channelled the aura of the man he admired most.

"A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back."

He channelled his Father, and proclaimed, "This is a battle of Kings. You have no place in it."

The man turned his eyes to Somnus, a question on his face, the tassel on his sword shifting with the motion.

The Founder King sneered, "There is only one King here."

"So be it." Noctis intoned, keeping his frustration from showing.

Maybe he should set up what he planned to do a bit. He wasn't one for grand speeches, preferring to hide from the spotlight. But he just couldn't stand here and let his ancestor do as he pleased. It had been much harder speaking to the remnants of the Kingsglaive, who had safeguarded the world until his return, knowing how much they'd sacrificed for him. This was easy. He could do this.

"Hear me, people of Lucis. I am here to see to it that the rightful King ascends the throne. And in the name of the King of Light, I will see it done." His eyes started to glow with the reddish hue they gained when he summoned the royal magic. Finally, Somnus and his knight looked hesitant. Especially Somnus.

Hear me, O King of the Stone. Is this your choice? Both are worthy of Ascension. Both worthy of your aid.

Noctis decided to let his actions speak for themselves. He flung both arms out dramatically, and with the motion banished his domed shield, and summoned the Royal Armiger.

Gasps echoed around the cavernous room.

Somnus recovered from the shock first, determination shining in his eyes. "You are nothing but an imposter. I name you Usurper!"

Noctis wanted to shake his head at the man. Why wouldn't he just give it up? What was driving him to do this? Ardyn had named him 'a jealous king'. But...

"Brother. Why?" Ardyn's soft voice came from behind him.

Somnus spared Ardyn a quick glance, before his eyes hardened even more, "That monster cannot become King." He snarled, charging Noctis with his sword raised.

But could all this really boil down to jealousy? When in another time his spirit had implored Noctis to free his brother in the Citadel?

Noctis engaged Somnus in battle, Royal Arms rotating around him as they fought, trying to pin down what it was about Somnus' actions that was bugging him so much.

Somnus switched between weapons with the practised ease of a seasoned fighter. Now that his earlier shock had worn off, he was fighting with a singular focus. And while he was a masterful fighter, possibly more skilled than Noctis, he just couldn't match Noctis' power. Each weapon of the Royal Armiger singing with the extra abilities they granted him, building on what Noctis naturally had.

As they clashed, Noctis kept an eye on Ardyn and Aera's progress towards the Crystal. They were blocked from continuing up the steps by the knight with the familiar sword. A hushed conversation was had, but Noctis was too busy blocking a strike with the Axe of the Conqueror to hear.

Somnus was starting to get more and more frantic with his technique, pushing himself to the limit in order to overcome Noctis.

"He can not be King!" Somnus cried between panted breaths." He will lead our people to ruin!"

The desperation in his voice almost gave Noctis pause. Did he truly believe that? Was that the real reason he was against Ardyn's Ascension? Noctis may be missing some context in his judgment of the two brothers. But... Somnus couldn't only have noble intentions. Not when he would imprison his brother for 2000 years.

Noctis didn't answer him, instead sending him flying with a well placed blow from the Mace of the Fierce. As Somnus flew through the air, Noctis threw one of the dual swords of the Swords of the Wanderer, warping between the knight and his raised blade. With one hand he blocked the downward strike, and with the other he stabbed the man in his right shoulder, kicking him aside and whipping his blade free.

"Get moving." He panted at Ardyn, showing the toll all the fighting was taking on him.

A spear sang through the air, aimed for Ardyn's exposed back.

Noctis phased through Ardyn, and inserted himself in its path, putting himself in the same position Ardyn had been in before he'd been impaled. Noctis slapped the spear to the side, just as Somnus warped to it, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Aera and Ardyn hurried up the steps.

Somnus stayed down in his awkward tumble, desperation written all over his face. "A sinner like him can not sit the throne!" He begged.

Noctis stayed at the bottom of the steps, ready for an attack by either Somnus or the injured knight.

"I have seen the path your ascension will set our Star on." Noctis said, frowning at the man. "You can not banish the darkness from our Star, only contain it." The memory of his Father's slow decline due to the Ring, made his mouth twist bitterly, the long, painful, personal cost of Somnus' ascension.

"He can." Noctis pointed behind him.

An emotion bloomed over the Founder Kings' face that could only be jealousy.

"The Scourge is a sickness. A disease. Only a healer can avert the ruin you'd bring to our Star."

Gasps and whispers filled the hall at Noctis' words. A different kind of desperation filled Somnus' face.

"No! Don't tell me you're considering the words of this Usurper!" Somnus staggered to his feet, using his spear to lean on. The reason for him hesitating to resume attacking Noctis evident by the fact he was reluctant to put weight on his right leg.

The clank of armour caused Noctis to glance slightly to the side, keeping Somnus in his peripheral vision. The knight was slowly, painfully, positioning himself onto one knee, his sword flat on the ground before him. Noctis nodded, grateful at least someone was backing down, accepting his knelt surrender.

"Gil!" Somnus gasped, betrayal alight in his blue eyes.

Noctis turned glowing red eyes up the steps to the Crystal. Ardyn and Aera weren't at the top yet but... screw it. They were close enough. He was tired of dealing with the Founder King. Though maybe he should stop thinking of the dark haired man like that, especially since Nocts' plan was to make Ardyn the Founder.

Noctis warped up to the top of the dais. If Iggy were here, he'd have scolded his younger charge for abusing his sacred powers out of laziness.

"Ugh, your brother is exhausting." Noctis muttered as soon as Ardyn was close enough to hear.

Ardyn choked on a bout of slightly hysterical laughter, his face clearly showing his worry at laughing in the face of what he thought was a Divine Messenger.

As Aera and Ardyn ascended the final step, Ardyn slipped his arm free from Aera's shoulders, kneeling before Noctis.

The dark haired King of Kings blinked, trying to contain his surprise. He couldn't get over how weird it was to see Ardyn acting this way. At the same time, it only firmed his resolve that he was making the right decision.

"You spoke of our Star falling to ruin." Ardyn clasped his hands before his face and lowered his head in prayer, "Please, I beseech thee Messenger, how can it be stopped. What must I do."

"It's not gonna be easy." Noctis sighed, the red glow fading from his eyes, returning them to their natural blue.

"The Gods assured me that they have a plan." Aera, the Oracle, was still looking at him with skepticism, on hand resting on Ardyn's shoulder. The man tilted his head to look at her as she spoke, though Noctis couldn't see his expression due to his long brown hair covering his face. "They blessed Ardyn with the ability to cure the afflicted. What more must be done?"

Noctis had to wince a bit at that. Was all that he went through Bahamuts's plan from the start? If that was the case, then it was even more important that he see this through to the end. He wondered again how long Ardyn had known. Not from the beginning, definitely not. He'd been too filled with spite and the drive for revenge to have known.

"Trust me, their plan sucks." Noctis knelt down so he was eye to eye with Ardyn, who briefly looked up and met his eyes at Noctis' words, then quickly lowered them. Blue eyes. Ardyn had blue eyes. When did they turn amber?

"Hey." Noctis didn't try to hide how uncomfortable Ardyn's deference was making him feel. "Don't do that." He reached out and lowered Ardyn's hands, causing the man to look up at him, confusion written on his face.

A small, vindictive part of himself wanted to enact his plan with no explanation. Just drop the whole thing on the other man's lap and retreat into his well deserved rest. No one had explained it all to him after all, except at the end, when it was too late. And even then they'd left key facts out, that this trip to the past was making abundantly clear.

"Look," He blew out a breath, disturbing his long dark hair, "What we need to do is too complicated to explain completely, I wish I had more time." Noctis could feel the sickness in Ardyn, just from briefly touching him. The quicker he enacted his plan, the easier it would be. Not to mention it lowered the chances of someone interfering. He could hear Somnus getting into a loud argument with the people below.

"I'm going to give you this ring," Noctis held up the hand with the Ring of the Lucii on it.

"And cleanse the Scourge from you." Ardyn nodded, a pained sort of hope in his eyes, " You took on too much." Noctis admonished him, "Don't do that again."

Ardyn gaped at him, while Aera squeezed his shoulder and quietly said, voice tight, "I warned you, you dummy."

"Work with the Oracle," Noctis nodded up at her, "Don't take on more than she can handle. If you ever need the help of the Gods, and they refuse... then make them."

That last sentence seemed to settle something for the Oracle, for she instantly proclaimed, "You aren't a Divine Messenger." Aera narrowed her bright blue eyes at him, "What are you?"

"Aera!" Ardyn looked up at her, scandalized.

"I'm not really sure, at the moment." Noctis awkwardly scratched his head, after being given 'power greater than that of the Six', was he something else now? "The Gods named me the King of the Stone, if that means anything to you."

Aera's eyes slid to the Crystal, her mouth opening in a surprised little 'oh'.

"I went through hell to get here. But through it all, I had friends. The... the best of friends, to see me through the darkness. Without them I-" Noctis tried and failed to swallow through the lump in his throat.

"The point is, it's not all on you. The Scourge is too big for just one person. It will take generations to cleanse the Star. But I trust you to set us on the right path. Just do me a favour?"

Ardyn nodded, looking completely overwhelmed. Perhaps at being told he'd been going about it all wrong, or maybe at his claim that the Gods had led him astray.

Noctis turned to Aera, "Make sure he's never in this alone."

She huffed, then smiled, "Of course."

Noctis stood, holding his ringed hand out for Ardyn to take, "And I'll be there too of course, call on me if you need." Ardyn reached up with both hands to clasp around his. With his free hand, Noctis reached out to the Crystal. He steeled himself for one final sacrifice.

Am I really going to bind myself to him? At least this time it is my choice. Not the Gods'.

"Thank you, King of the Stone." Aera spoke.

"Oh yeah," It was weird to hear that title from someone other than a God. "My name is Noctis Lucis Caelum. But call me Noct."

Not giving either of them time to reply, Noctis slapped his hand against the Crystal. He immediately felt Bahamut stir, but ignored the Draconian. Instead he focused on channelling the Crystal's energy, augmenting it with what remained of his own, and funnelling it through the empty ring, and into Ardyn.

Let the will of the King of the Stone be done.

The man convulsed over their clasped hands, screaming in agony, while a black mist rose over his hunched form, only to be purified with the light of the Crystal. The light blinded all in the cavernous room, allowing no room for shadows. No space for the darkness to escape.

Eventually the light faded. The screaming faded into harsh panting breaths.

Blinking afterimages from his eyes, Noctis slumped in place. His eyes drooping. The power of the Crystal no longer flowing through him.

"Guess I'm done," Noctis whispered as the magic faded, and the last of his strength left him, "Be the kind and noble king I know you can be." He sighed, fading into crystalline blue light, which dissolved into the ring floating between Ardyn's cupped hands.

Shakily, Ardyn put the ring on his finger, grunting when its magic latched on to him. Not trusting his legs, he crawled the slight distance to the Crystal. Somnus' voice echoed through the hall once more. It apparently would take an act of the Gods themselves to shut his little brother up.

With Somnus and the remnants of court watching, Ardyn raised a gloved hand to the Crystal and said, "Answer me, O Gods above. Who is your True King?"

Another flash of light blinded all in the room. A silhouette formed within the light, with wings made of blades and a long tail that wrapped around the raised dais. It was only there for a short moment, and when it cleared, the hall was silent once more, with Ardyn Lucis Caelum standing tall before the Crystal.

...

Mini-Epilogue

Ardyn sat in his new personal rooms, examining the ring gifted to him and the magic he could sense it contained within. Feeling a little ridiculous, he followed the strange sensation he'd had all these months since his ascension, and whispered, "...Noctis? Are you there?"

"..."

"Noctis Lucis Caelum?" Maybe it only worked with the full name?

A soft whisper sounded, not from any location in the room, but as if it spoke directly into his ears. "Ugh... gimme...five more minutes..."

Ardyn blinked as in a seat across from him, a hazy blue image formed of a slouched man, his elbow on the armrest, and his head resting against his palm. A small, awed smile bloomed on Ardyn's clean-shaven face.

"...and it's Noct."