-Began writing this back in 2018 after playing through the game and reaching that bittersweet ending. Feeling compelled to fix it, after playing through the Episodes, I believed Noctis needed one as well. Based on several moments, tried to tie in the first three Episodes, including the Platinum Demo. i know there are alternate (happy) endings and a new one called "Dawn of the Future", but this story follows the original vanilla one, sprinkled with the other Episodes without changing the original plot.
Hope you'll enjoy reading this 41 paged story as much as I enjoyed writing it.-

.-.-.

.-.-.

EPISODE: NOCTIS

It was like a flashing light in the distance, resembling a star exploding. The sky, usually calm, lit up like a bonfire, the inhabitants of the forest below reacting to the sudden burst in wild panic; the birds screamed and took off, filling the sky with feathery screeches; the ground animals, though hidden by the foliage, still made themselves known by frenetically trying to run in the opposite direction towards safety. If one didn't know better, one could say the forest itself was on fire.

And yet, once the light subsided, it was as calm as it always was. The clouds in the sky lazily returned to their drifting, the river's water continued to flow, and the wind blew a few loose leaves off the top of the trees.

But he knew that this calm was only temporary. Soon the Wheels of Fate would be set into motion once again. And it was time to set off on the final track of their journey, to accomplish what was started so long ago.

Turning his gaze away from the once brighten horizon, the canine's trained eyes followed another movement amongst the bushes. His ears flicked about in search of potential danger, but his keen senses told him there was nothing to worry about. Still he maintained his vigilance; his mission was of vital importance. Too much was given, too much was lost to reach this point. There was no way he would allow all that effort to go to waste. Even if it cost him his very life, he would see to it that the mission was fulfilled, especially now when the last gate was to be opened. They needed to hurry.

Climbing down from the rock he was standing to peer into the horizon with the same grace he leapt onto it, the canine silently stalked towards the bushes, stopping just a few steps away. His tail flicked softly behind him while his head tilted to the side in curiosity. Just what was taking so long? Surely it couldn't be that difficult. Then again, the brush was extremely thick and he couldn't be much of a help as his long fur kept getting stuck on the leaves and branches. So, his charge took it upon himself to search alone. Without much to pinpoint in the right direction, the canonical 'needle in a haystack' would be fitting.

Deciding to continue to scan the area for potential hostilities, the canine kept pacing around, the occasional rustle catching his attention. The sun was already high, though in this place, it truly didn't mean much. Still, time could be of the essence and wasting it might not be a good idea. So, he returned to the front of the bushes, trying to locate his charge. No, that was a rabbit. Mouse. Scratch that, family of mice. Snake. Not venomous. Birds in the trees, looking for a snack. There he is!

He couldn't help, but smile proudly. So that's what was taking so long. Believing they could spare a few more moments, the proud beast took a few steps away and sat himself in front of the thick brush, waiting patiently for his charge to return. He just didn't have the heart to bark at him, to tell him to hurry it up as they had places to be. Perhaps in the beginning, when they first met, but now... no, the little one grew too much on him to the point he'd do anything to see him smile. There was just something enticing in that smile and laughter, something that pushed him to protect the little one at all costs. Something he has been doing for quite a while now. Yes, ever since they entered this part, they have been together, inseparable, two parts of one entity.

And that's when his smile faltered. Once they passed through the gate, what would happen? Would they be separated? Surely, they couldn't remain together; why with the light and all... mh, he would have to consider it, but all in its proper time. For now, he would wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. Until the rustling of the leaves caught his attention and a small figure stepped out, leaves, dirt and branches covering a good part of the small body. And were those scratches? Sighing softly, the canine stood and walked over to his smiling charge who proudly presented his findings.

"Took a while, but I found it. Sorry I made you wait, but-" the young one began to tell his story how a little fox got trapped in its burrow and unable to ignore the cry for help, he took it upon himself to rescue the little critter. Well, that would explain the bite marks on his hands. Licking them softly, as well as the scratches on his legs, the beast listened intently on the little one's tale before raising his head, a smile evident despite the long snout.

"Seems you had quite the adventure. But now it is time for us to move on. Did you see it?"

"The bright light? I did. What was it?"

The beast turned his head towards the source of the now gone light, ears flicking softly in the breeze. "The birth of light. The prophecy has been fulfilled, the final gate now stands open. We can pass through."

A small frown appeared on the young one's face, a contrast to his usually happy demeanour. "Fulfilled? So that means..."

"Yes. The King of Light is no more. His life has ended, and his very soul perished in the final battle, returning the light to the star, as was foretold." The head turned towards his charge, a serious gaze upon his own features. "Now your own journey will also come to an end, little one. Every step you took let to this. Are you prepared to walk the final path and fulfil your task?"

He watched the small hands shift and tighten around the discovered object, thoughts and doubts rushing over his features, a face too young to bear such worries, but still old enough to know the hardships of life and what was at stake should he falter or fail. The memories made sure of it.

Regardless, pride filled his chest when the young face looked up, a fire of determination burning deep within his eyes; he was ready and prepared to face whatever was thrown at him. As he always was. Such a kind, brave soul. No, never would the canine regret having made the choice he did so long ago. It was worth it, he knew deep within his heart, this was the right thing to do. They all knew, without a doubt. To Hell with everything else.

"I'm ready. You said yourself this was the last one, right? So it will be enough." The young voice spoke with a tinge of bravery. An adult in a child's body. Or maybe a child in the mind of an adult? How would that work? Doesn't matter. The beast turned sideways towards his charge, eyes never leaving his small, fragile form.

"Then let us be on our way. The light will have drawn attention, and we should hurry if we want to pass that attention, leaving it behind". The young one nodded softly, placing the object in the satchel he was handed at the beginning of his journey, now filled to the very top with similar objects, all glowing in a bright hue, resonating to each other's presence. It was time.

With a deep breath, he closed the satchel and secured it safely, before climbing up to the beast's back, quick and graceful, not clumsy and painful as he was in the beginning. Once safely seated, hands gripping the canine's fur, the young one's gaze turned towards where the light was born and died.

"Once we pass through, as before, there will be no turning back. Therefore, I ask once again; you are certain you are prepared?" the beast asked, his gaze towards the horizon as well, an ear turned back towards the charge on his back. He could feel the small hands tightening on his fur, painless, but still there. The little head nodded, a soft 'I'm ready' passing his lips, barely audible through the breeze were it not for his keen hearing. Nodding softly, the canine turned towards the horizon, walking towards the edge of the cliff overlooking the forest below. Both took a look at the scenery, beautiful, calm and peaceful, as a dream of pure perfection.

And with a single leap, the giant beast gracefully took off, his destination clear, and his mission at the very forefront of his mind. Nothing will harm the boy. He would make sure of it.

After ten long years of darkness, seeing the first rays of sunlight should bring an ounce of happiness to anyone. After years of fighting daemons, of struggling to survive, of watching the once beautiful world fall into chaos, the sun pushing it all away should be a sense of hope; a sign of a new beginning. And it was for many who cheered and basked in the warmth so long forgotten. It was the end of a long nightmare.

But for the three individuals standing in front of the once proud Citadel, watching the sunrise after so long meant something else. It meant it was done. It meant he was gone. They may have won the war, but they lost something far more precious; their brother. Their friend. Their King.

Ten years ago, when he disappeared into the Crystal, they could still hold onto the hope that he would return one day and fulfil his task; to defeat the darkness, eliminate the Scourge and bring back the dawn. And even though he did, none would have ever imagined throughout those long years that it would be at the cost of his very life. His words on the final campsite still rang clearly in their minds. 'I've made my peace'. He was prepared. But they surely weren't. Nor would they ever be. What should they expect? Should they go? Should they wait? Regardless of the choice... it would always hurt.

Determined, Prompto kept staring at the imposing towers of the Citadel before turning and beginning to walk his way towards it. The fight with the Daemons pushed them a bit away from the entrance where they last seen their friend and King, but now, after the first rays caused the monsters to dissipate and vanish, this time forever, the blond could see how far they were. He reached the lower steps in just a few strides, but it felt like a walk all the way to Lestallum. He wondered how the people there were celebrating the coming of the light and how they would react once they learned what the light had cost. Would they even care? They would mourn, no doubt, but soon move on. That's how people were; they were no different with King Regis' death. Only Lunafreya's was mourned more deeply, and it was understood; she was the Oracle, the source of hope for the ill and forgotten. So of course, people would mourn her more than anyone.

The blond didn't go further when a deep rumble of a voice called his name. He didn't turn, didn't need to. His gaze rested on the first step of the stairs that ascended to the Citadel's entrance; he would loath those stairs for years to come.

"Prompto... where are you going?" the deep voice called from behind, another pair of footsteps close behind. Though a touch of frustration, there was worry and something close to sadness and understanding in that voice. After being together for so long, it wasn't hard to discern the small frequencies in his tone, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. There was also the fact that they all felt the same; facing their dead friend within the throne room. Though sentiments varied, they still flushed themselves on the same sense of dread and discomfort; of uncertainty. They were all aware, but still refused to accept it until they set eyes on his lifeless body. Until then, nothing else mattered.

"Don't try to stop me, Gladio. You know exactly where I'm going and what I'm doing" Prompto's voice shook ever so slightly, but his clenched fists were set on to pull this through. He wanted to get this over, to eliminate that false hope. He was his best friend after all, he owed him that much. "He deserves better. He shouldn't be alone, not now. I'm... I'm going to his side." 'Ever at your side'. That was the promise the blond made to his friend back in Gralea. He wasn't going to break that promise now.

A strong hand rested on his shoulder and his head turned ever so slightly to allow him to see the taller man. There was a small glimmer in his eyes, something he hadn't seen in a while. But he understood; he felt the same. He too wanted to cry, but kept it in check. He... they needed to be strong.

"I'm not going to stop you, you know that." Gladio's voice was soft and calm, as much as his deep tone allowed him to. It reminded Prompto of how he always spoke to Iris, his younger sister.

"But we are going with you." Ignis. "The sun may have returned, but there is still a task left for us, I believe." Prompto saw how the blind man adjusted his glasses, a habit he never really lost, despite his missing eyesight. The blond associated it to something close to a nervous tick, a form to avoid looking someone in the eye. Like breaking the moment only to resume it a few seconds afterwards. The blond head only nodded, thankful to have them with him. He wasn't certain he would be able to do this alone. In fact, he was fairly certain he'd chickened out at the very last part, right in front of the doors to the throne room. So any support he could get was more than welcome.

"Thanks, guys..." was all he whispered, eyes anywhere but them. They all looked worn from the battle, but alive. That's what should matter, but deep down, each was struggling with a battle of their own. Prompto looked up to the Citadel, taking another deep breath, hoping to gain courage to continue his path.

But before he could even raise his leg for the first step, a strange noise resembling close to a howl resonated in the distance. Three heads turned towards the noise, never before having heard something similar. Even the howls of the Fangs and its familiars wasn't even close to what they heard.

"What was that...?" the freckled man's voice was low, afraid that whatever made that sound could hear him if he spoke any louder, but also to check if it could be heard again.

"Don't know... never heard that before..." True to his nature of being a Shield, Gladio stepped forward, placing himself in front of the other two. Whatever it was, it was close.

"... Quiet..." Ignis listened into the distance, his keen hearing picking up the noises far better than his companions ever would. "... There..." True enough, another howl in the distance, and before anyone could explain its source, a strange blue light appeared in the far distance; like an explosion it rang and shone, seemingly distorting everything around itself. At first it seemed calm, just the initial blast, but when another howl rang, the light literally exploded, bursting into a giant bubble and like a wave racing over the destroyed city of Insomnia, reaching the Citadel in mere seconds. Gladio, seeing the strange wave coming towards them, quickly turned, spreading his arms and using his body to shield his two friends from the possible impact.

But there was none. It was like a cloud of steam hitting them, evaporating, but still making its way further until it could no more. A strange sensation overcame the three men; as if they've been here before, but at the same time not. But they didn't move; the Citadel was still behind them, proudly towering over, despite the damage. The sun still shone, the streets still bore the destruction of a ten-year long absence and previous war. And yet...

"You hear that?" Ignis' voice broke through the silence and stupor of the other two, who turned their eyes to the adviser, then focusing their own hearing towards whatever it was he was picking up. Nothing. There was nothing. Only the wind howling through the ruins. It gave the city an eerie sense, as if they were the only ones alive, although the Glaives were still in their Underground hideout. That's right, they still needed to inform them. But...

"Look!" Prompto's arm shot out in a swift motion, adamant to his quick trigger finger, pointing towards the gates that lead into and out of the Citadel's yard. Sure enough, something was racing towards the gate. And something was following it. Wait, were those Goblins? But how? The Daemons were all but destroyed with... It was a large beast. A dog, perhaps. No, too big to be a dog.

Before the beast could reach the gate, a sudden wave of darkness appeared between the creature and the gates, forcing it to take a sharp turn and escape to one of the side streets, the mass of monsters following it close behind. The wall that formed also took off after the beast, clearing the path once more.

"The hell was that?!" Gladio near shouted as his eyes followed the blob of dark matter moving as a unit after the four-legged beast that raced off down the street. Unseen to them, the canine took another sharp turn, circling around the ruined buildings and leaping over the wreckage as if it were nothing. Once on top of the pile, the beast howled once again, its loud voice shaking the very earth to the point it cracked open and engulfed a large mass of the blob, hundreds of Goblins tumbling down, others being smashed by the hurling rocks the long howl produced.

Once it stopped, the beast leapt off the pile and darted towards the main street that lead to the Citadel's gates. With the way free for now, the beautiful creature took speed and in one fluid motion, gracefully leapt over the gates as if it were but a small brook, gently landing on the other side and continuing to race towards the stairs where the three men were waiting.

Watching the large animal coming ever closer at an astounding speed, Gladio readied his sword, Ignis following suit with his daggers, and Prompto pulling his gun and pointing towards the beast. "Don't miss" was all the larger man said when the blond stared, took aim... and fired four precise rounds, all of them hitting their designated target.

The beast continued its way towards the men, completely unharmed. "Prompto, what the hell are you doing?!" Gladio shouted, readying his sword to take a swing, when a hand stopped him from doing anything.

"I don't think it wants to harm us. Call it instinct, call it stupid, but... there's something... there" Prompto said with disbelief as he watched the four Goblins that appeared behind the canine evaporate into nothing. The ten years sure honed his aim to perfection.

"Prompto's right. I feel no malice in that beast, but there is something else... something... familiar" the adviser spoke, his hand on Gladio's wrist squeezing softly, causing him to lower the weapon just enough to not appear threatening. And true enough, the beast came to a slow, leaping over the three men and taking a few more steps towards the stairs, before turning sideways. The creature was completely ignoring the three men, but it allowed them a closer look.

It was a wolf. A silvery wolf with long ears and tail, its long fur shining like moonlight. There were tinges of blue along its shoulder blades and on its long tail, as well as a few bits on its snout. The talons appeared sharp on both its front and back paws, which were large enough to possibly smack a bolder like it was a simple ball. The beast's size did nothing to abscond that thought either; the wolf's back alone was taller than Gladio by at least a head, its lengths, from nose to tail, about the size of three to four chocobos aligned. It was truly an impressive and magnificent creature.

But what caught their attention wasn't the wolf, per se. But the small, black form riding on its back. It was hunched over and gripping the wolf's fur tightly. It looked almost like...

The small child rose its head when the wolf stared at the Citadel, revealing a mop of raven black hair. And although its back was turned to them, they all knew; felt it. It made no sense, but it was right there. It was-

"This is as far as I can carry you. You will have to go on without me" the wolf's voice resonated in the air like soft music mixed with a growl, even though its mouth did not move. The small child swung its leg over the wolf's back and gently slid down, its feet softly hitting the ground. Now hidden by the wolf's body, all they could do was debate on whether any of this was real or not. And then...

"But what about you? You promised to stay as long as you could" the boy's voice was soft, gentle even, despite the quiet tone of sadness and betrayal.

"I'm afraid that is not for me to decide, little one." The wolf's head rose to the Citadel's entrance, its tail flicking ever so slightly. "We can only go so far, however, that does not mean we cannot be together." The wolf lowered his head so its snout could gently nuzzle the boy's cheek. "As long as you carry us in your heart, we will always be together. Those were your words, were they not?" The wolf's head moved ever so slightly before the beast slowly moved forward and around the young boy, revealing the child to the three men. "And besides, it is not like you will be going alone, Noctis. These three will accompany you the rest of the way" the wolf spoke, its silvery eyes trained on the three adults standing dumbfounded in front of it.

The small child turned around to face his new companions for this part of the journey. And sure enough, three grown men stood there, staring at him as if he had just sprouted a second head and a tail. His blue eyes studied each of them in a quick glance. He couldn't quite tell why, but something about them felt... familiar. He knew them. Or more his heart knew them. The wolf's voice confirmed what his heart was already telling him.

"Don't worry, little one. You may trust them with your very life. They will follow you. Stand by you. Protect you. Just as we have up to now. You are safe" the wolf's tail flicked to the side as its eyes never left the three men. He understood what this revelation meant to them. Unfortunately, there was no real time to explain any of it. No. Time here flowed differently. And they knew where to find them. Knew they were vulnerable now. They would do whatever they could to stop them. He would not allow it. Even at the cost of his own life. "You must go, Noctis. Time is fleeting. They must not catch you"

"But Fenrir" the boy's expression changed from curious staring to sheer worry and fear as his head whipped around to look at the wolf. "What about you? What if something happens to you?" A growl, something of a snicker, tuned in the wolf's throat. He was laughing.

"I will be just fine as long as I know you are as well. We've come this far. Gained and lost so much." Fenrir's gaze turned back towards the Citadel, Noctis' eyes following. Yes, he knew exactly what the price was. "All to reach this point, this moment. And now it is all up to you." Fenrir looked back at the boy in front of him, blue eyes locking with his silvery ones. He smiled. Gods, how he adored this boy. He would follow him to the very end if he could. "You have a task to finish. And now there is no turning back."

He saw how the determination spiced with fear crossed the boy's features. He knew what that meant; spent too long a time with him not to realize it. He was going to see this through, no matter what. Fenrir lowered his head until it touched the side of Noctis' face, gently nuzzling it. He was grateful when the small arms surrounded him in that warm, affectionate hug they learned to share. He would miss this.

"I know you can do it. And I am happy to have met you. The adventures we've had, the laughter we've shared, I will never forget them. And I hope you won't forget about me either" he felt the arms tighten softly around his head/snout, the small head nuzzling into his while it shook in denial.

"Never." Fenrir smiled softly. He knew that was true. He didn't forget the others. That's why they managed to get so far so quickly. Little did the child know how much power he truly held. He allowed himself the small moment of peace as the three men stared and observed the exchange. It was Prompto who finally found his voice.

"... Noct...?" the freckled man stepped forward, his voice barely over a whisper. How? How was this possible? Was this a dream? A sick joke? But if so, who was behind it? Who in their right mind would play such a disgusting trick on them? And then...

Hearing his name being called in a voice he never heard, but still remembered, Noctis pulled his face slightly out of Fenrir's fur and looked at Prompto, blue eyes studying the man that just addressed him. He saw the fear, the confusion, and the questions swirling around his head. He wanted to answer them; but the truth was he knew just about as much as any of them. All he knew was that he needed to do something. And this was the final stretch of that something.

"...Is... is that really you...?" the blond man spoke, gently kneeling down in front of the boy, but still far enough to stay away from the wolf- Fenrir, so Noctis called it. He wanted to reach out, to touch him, to make sure he was real. He just needed to. But his fears kept him in check. What if his hand passed right through him and all of this was but a dream?

"It... most definitely sounded like him... A younger one... from so long ago..." Ignis' head was low, his hand once again adjusting his glasses. Gladio noticed how he was trembling, despite the adviser's efforts to hide it. He too was struggling on whether to believe this or not.

The boy moved away from Fenrir, his hand still on the wolf's head. It always felt like a lifeline. His eyes never left Prompto's face, searching for something, anything, he knew was there, but still wasn't. Something to call it, to give it a name. Just... something...

"Noctis!" a tiny female voice spoke, all attention pulled towards the source. Prompto looked over his shoulder at whatever just gave that squeak, but saw nothing nor anyone.

"Sylph. What are you doing here?" Noctis asked, eyes trained on the sky. The blond noticed and turned his head to where Noctis was looking and sure enough, there it was; a small fairy-like creature flying straight towards them in a glimmer of light, a trail of sparks following her.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you! You must hurry, Noct! He knows where you are and is trying to reach you!" the fairy, now hovering in front of the boy, spoke in a frenetic way. She was no bigger than a cat, but her colourful wings flapped as fast as a hummingbird's. Whoever she was talking about, it seemed to worry the child.

"What?!" he turned to Fenrir. "But you said he couldn't follow us! Wouldn't follow us!" It wasn't accusing, as Prompto spotted the fear in the young boy's face. Whatever was following him sure left a mark somewhere along the way.

"I said he would have difficulty following, not that it would be impossible" Fenrir stated as-a-matter-of-factly, calm as his eyes shifted to the child still holding his side. "But don't worry" he spoke as he stepped forward, stopping at Gladio's side before looking back at the boy who was his charge for so long. "He won't follow, not if I can help it."

"Fenrir..." Noctis said, reaching towards his long-time friend when a heavy stomp next to him made him both jump and stop. Prompto stumbled back at the sight with a surprised cry, Gladio gritted his teeth, sword ready, and Ignis' head tilted gently to the side, waiting. Only the boy seemed unfazed by the presence of the giant that appeared out of nowhere, his head leaning as far back as it could to be able to look at the newcomer.

"The pup is right, little one." A soft growling came from the wolf, his tail swishing from side to side, but nothing else. Gladio wasn't feeling very comfortable at standing so close to this beast, but something told him if he moved, it would seem... disrespectful? It made little sense, but that was what his instinct told him. So he stayed put, waiting for whatever was to come. His eyes returned to the giant, towering over the small boy. It was about as big as an Iron Giant, just as broad, but with gold and blue adorning its frame. But what truly caught his attention was the giant amphora on its shoulder, a chain attached to it. Why did this seem so familiar?

"He will try to reach you, but as long as we stand, nothing will harm you. That was the promise we gave and to which we stand" the giant spoke, his booming voice reminding of thunder in the distance.

"Didn't expect you to be here" Fenrir's voice rang in the air, but was promptly ignored by the addressed one.

"Don't fight!" the fairy quipped, her head whipping back and forth between the giant and the wolf.

"Famfrit..." Noctis had to take a step back to speak to the giant, the strain in his neck a bit too much to bear. Famfrit, also known as the Water Bearer, looked down at the child. Leaning forward, using his hand on the ground to be as low as possible as well as close to the boy he once carried on his shoulder, protected from the raging storms, and helped gather the pieces until their time was over and he continued his path with another, the giant gave him a small nod.

"Don't worry, young one. Not even the storms of old could stop us. And I am certain even the pup has a thing or two to deliver." Another soft growl went ignored. "Your way stands open to you. We will help however we can, but know that we are limited here." His gaze (or so they thought) turned to the three men, Noctis' following suit. "These three are not barred. They can follow where we cannot. Trust in them." They all exchanged glances with each other, until all three addressed rested their eyes (and senses) on the young child, who simply nodded in understanding. His heart had already told him he could, and he learned to always trust in his heart.

And just like the blue light that exploded before, a sudden burst of black smoke, though, further away than the blue one, heralded in the distance, a rather familiar shout ringing in the distance. It sounded like an Iron Giant, but far more grotesque. All heads snapped in the direction of the sound, four knowing exactly what it meant, three wondering what else is there to come.

Famfrit rose from his position and stepped forward, jug on his shoulder ready. "Go." He pointed up at the Citadel, back turned to the boy. "You must reach the very top of the tower. There you will find the last piece and all will come together. Remember" the arm lowered to his side, taking a battle stance. "All is for a reason; nothing bears without thought." He stomped his left foot into the ground. "Good luck."

"Keep the boy safe. One scratch on him and you'll have to answer to us" Fenrir spoke next to Gladio before following suit next to Famfrit, battle stance ready. The tall man stared at the wolf before nodding softly. If this was real and that was indeed Noctis, there was no need to worry; he'd still give his life for him. Hell, if that had been a possibility, to take his place, they wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.

"You have my word" was all he spoke. He gave Ignis a small nudge and helped Prompto to his feet, walking over to the boy who never left his eyes off the creatures until the man was close enough to get his attention. And that was when it happened; the young boy and grown man stared into each other's eyes, brown locked on blue. It was like having been taken back in time; he saw a young Noctis, clad in protective gear and wooden sword in hand, trying desperately to perfect the move Gladio taught him a few moments ago. And then he just gave up and did his own thing, hitting the taller one unexpectedly. Noct was like that. A victorious grin spread over the young face as the older male rubbed the pain in his arm, a slight sliver of annoyance on his face.

"What? You never said I couldn't adapt" the shorter grinned, knowing full well he was in trouble now. Gladio smirked back, readying his training sword.

"If that's how you like it, let's see how far you can take that adapting of yours." And with that, both launched into another fray of attacks, enjoying the time and fun they had together.

Shaking his head softly to get rid of the images, he noticed that boy had already walked up a few of the steps, but turned to see the growing dark clouds in the distance, determination and worry written all over him. Prompto and Ignis were at Gladio's side, still at the foot of the stairs. They too weren't liking the strange feeling those clouds and noises were giving.

"And Noct!" the fairy suddenly called, gaining the boy's and the adults' attention. She smiled softly at him, a staff in her hands. She too was ready to fight. "Don't forget: Never. Trust the Ascending one!" she strained the word 'never' to a near breaking point, her face stern and serious. Noctis squared his shoulder, taking a deep breath before giving a quick nod and turning around to race up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. The three adults were quick to follow suit, chasing the child close behind, this time set on to following him to the very end. Not because a giant wolf, a humongous talking armour and a fairy requested them to; but because this was Noctis. The very same Noct they followed all these years, shared laughter with, went through hell and back. Even if it was just his child form and probably didn't remember them, it didn't matter. It was Noctis. That was all that mattered.

Even the red giant with a big fan / key standing close to the doors of the Citadel's entrance wouldn't shake them off their task. It really didn't look friendly with its solid horns, four arms, and- were those goat feet? Never mind, the two body parts were strange enough.

Noctis however didn't slow down and raced straight towards the giant, the three men close on his heels. Gladio thought about grabbing him, pulling him away from potential danger (as was his job as his Shield), fighting the monster, but...

The being took a stance once it saw the boy reaching the top of the stairs and running towards the doors, hands firm on what Gladio assumed was its weapon. It was ready to strike and just as he was prepared to defend the child, the giant pulled back and in one powerful swing, rammed its weapon into the Citadel's closed doors, smashing them open with a loud crash, splinters of wood, ice and crystal scattering in all directions. The way was open.

Noticing the boy did not stop and continued to aim for the door, the giant now in a more relaxed pose as the small group drew closer, the brunet noticed how the monster nodded softly at them, after Noctis called out "Thank you, Belias" when passing by. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the bulky form take up the entire door, prepared to fend off whatever was to come its way. They would surely have a hard time.

The lobby was just as they last seen it. Rubble was everywhere, the lights still burning, but there was an eerie feeling hidden in the corners. Prompto couldn't pinpoint it, but it made him feel queasy. Following the raven haired towards the entrance, he didn't hesitate to press the button for the elevator, stopping in front of the door, the other two stopping next to him.

"What are you doing?" Noct's young voice (it would take some getting used to) spoke from the other end of the hall near the stairwell. The blond pointed at the elevator door, raising an eyebrow.

"Taking the elevator. It's a long way up, you know that" he said as-a-matter-of-factly to the child staring at him as if he just sprouted horns. And then he frowned.

"Didn't you hear what Sylph said? Never trust the Ascending one. They lie."

"What do you mean by lie?" Ignis said in his usual calm and trained voice. He would never admit it, but hearing Noct's voice, even if that of the child he long remembered, was a treat in and of itself. He could listen to it all day.

"They just... lie. They say they go up, but actually go sideways, sometimes around, and then leave you somewhere where you're not supposed to be. Sometimes they fall too. You'll get lost and they don't care, they won't help. That's why you shouldn't trust them even if they say you can."

Admittedly, that made little to no sense, even to the sharp sense of the adviser, but the child's voice spoke with clarity and confidence and he felt inclined to believe him, even though his rational side told him different.

"Then what do you suggest we do, your Highness?" it slipped out before he could catch it, but Noct didn't seem fazed by it. The boy simply pointed towards the stairs, unaware the man he spoke to couldn't see the gesture.

"Take the stairs. They're weird, but at least they can't hide where they lead. As long as we go forward, they won't mind. They might even take you straight there." Yep, it really didn't make sense. The soft ding of the elevator caught the blond's attention as the door opened. He felt tempted to ignore the child's strange explanation and just step into the elevator, allow it to take them up to the upper floor.

"But... elevator. Nothing wrong with it. Looks normal to me" he tried, waving gently at the innocent box.

"Throw a rock in it" Noctis said a bit impatiently, not liking them not believing him. Raising an eyebrow, Prompto scratched the back of his head, uncertain what to do, when Ignis bent over, grabbed whatever object was closest to his feet and tossed it into the elevator. As soon as the object- a piece of a broken chair, passed the door, they expected something to happen; the walls closing in, the doors shutting unexpectedly, spikes coming out to impale whatever unfortunate soul decided to step in, the floor to open up and swallow whatever was there.

But the wooden piece hit the wall, bounced off it and clattered on the ground unceremoniously, the three men staring at it, their expectations clearly vanishing. Two heads looked up from the piece of wood to the child patiently waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Only one kept listening. Waiting. The soft ding tuned again, the doors closing soon after as if nothing happened. Everything seemed normal, even the sound of the engine starting to take the elevator to its destination.

That was when Ignis gasped softly, stepping away from the doors, urging the other two to follow. Just when they stepped far enough, a growling tuned from the inside of the elevator, mist and a strange light emitting from it as the growling was replaced by something that resembled a very fast turning wheel that scrapped a metal wall. The whole event lasted about a few seconds, when it stopped, the soft ding tuning again and the doors opening.

Prompto leaned inside, Gladio's hand on his wrist, ready to pull just in case. Sure enough, the box was empty. Nothing was there, no monsters, no people... and no wooden piece. And for some odd reason, Prompto could swear even the walls looked different. What?

"Are we done? Because we have a long way to go" the boy's voice called out to them, the blond head snapping out of the box to stare at him. He sighed softly.

"But... stairs..." Gladio patted him hard on the shoulder as a form of encouragement.

"C'mon, Prom. Nothing like a good exercise to get your blood pumping. Keeps you alive, doesn't it?" Prompto responded with a huff through closed lips. He hated stairs, but of course Gladio would take it easy. Seems he forgot the Jug guy told them to go all the way to the top. 'You must reach the very top of the tower.' He remembered the words clearly. 'There you will find the last piece and all will come together'. The gunman frowned a little at the second part. What last piece? And what would come together?

"Shall we then?" Ignis shook him out of his thoughts, following after Gladio, Prompto close behind. He was certain they'd get their answers soon enough.

Sure enough, the stairs seemed normal to this point, the first flights easily taken with large strides. The incident with the elevator still nagged Prompto, however, and the silence, apart from the patting and clomping of shoes and boots on stone, was starting to get to him. So he asked.

"What exactly happened back there? With the elevator, I mean"

"Ascending one." Noct corrected. He saw the boy shrug. "Everything that goes up lies. Unless they have wings."

"Or steps" Gladio added.

"It's not the going up, it's the covering. You know, when you can't see where you are going? That's when they lie. They send you somewhere else. It's always good to see where you're going, easier to trust." Noctis paused for a bit, then looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised ever so softly. "Does that make sense?"

"Not really, but I suppose we don't have much of a choice" Gladio barked slightly. Prompto snorted at the retort, knowing full well he too wanted to use the elevator rather than hit the stairs.

"I believe it will make sense once we reach our destination." Though he couldn't see it, he felt the small smile form on the young boy's lips upon hearing those words. Ignis trusted the child knew what he was doing.

Turning his head back front, Noct continued to race up the steps, oddly fit despite his small frame compared to the others. Then again, although it seemed they have been running up the stairs for some time, none felt particularly tired. And the steps seemed endless as well. They should have passed a few levels by now, but the walls just kept going, just like the stairs.

"Noct, are you sure we're going the right way now?" Prompto asked when the lack of windows also became apparent. He wasn't liking this one bit. Noctis kept silent, only continued to run when his expression suddenly lightened up, his pace picking up. The blond understood why; there, up ahead, was a door with light. Did they make it all the way up? In such a short time? Or were they here longer?

Not really waiting, the raven-haired reached the top of the stairs, making his way towards the door, slightly blinded by the light. Just when he recovered his sight, though, he noticed something out of place. His foot missed the ground, gravity quickly doing its job pulling the boy down, his body tumbling forward. Noct tried desperately to recover balance, his arms outstretched, and a gasp escaping his lips. It definitely was a long way down as he couldn't even see anything beyond darkness.

An arm shot out and quickly wrapped itself around his waist and chest, securing and pulling Noctis back to solid ground. He felt himself being gently pressed to a broad chest, and the racing heart within did not escape his attention. He couldn't help, but hold into the strong arm around his form; it felt safe and warm.

"That was close..." Gladio's voice was soft, but rigid as always, his eyes staring out into the depths below. A few seconds later, and they would have lost Noct. Again. He didn't comment when he felt small arms squeezing his larger one, only pulled the small body closer to him in response. His eyes scanned the area before him, a large corridor with no solid ground, a frown taking over. "What is this? I don't remember this part in the Citadel, and certainly no loose grounds either." And even if there were, they most certainly would be able to see the lower levels. Not pitch blackness.

"Don't see a way across..." Prompto leaned forward, checking the depths for himself. "Let's head back and see if there's... another... what?!" the blond stared at the closed wall behind him. The same wall that just a few moments ago was a passage that lead to the stairs, the very same they just came from. The gunman walked over and laid a hand on the cold stone, expecting his hand to pass through, but the material was as solid as it should be. Sure enough, the only way out was forward. Over the gaping hole. With no real means to actually cross. "Now what? There's no way back and no way forward!"

"Mh, this might be an excellent moment to address a thought I had before passing the gates." Ignis adjusted his glasses, the three looking up to him.

"What's up, Iggy?" Gladio drew away from the hole in the ground, pulling Noct with him, who was still holding onto his arm; a younger brother seeking comfort and safety in the older one. The man didn't mind.

"It appears we are no longer in the real world."

"Come again?"

"Do you remember what happened before our encounter with the wolf- Fenrir of its name, and consequently with Noctis?" Prompto nodded, recalling the event.

"Yeah, there was this howling and then the light and the mist. What's your point?"

"My point is, Prompto, that this mist, or perhaps the howl, which I believe was a manifestation of Fenrir's power, seems to have somehow carried us to a different place. An outer realm of sorts."

"Dream Realm..." a small voice spoke from in-between Gladio's arms. Two sets of eyes and a pair of ears turned towards the young boy staring up at them. "That's what Carbuncle called it."

"Carbuncle?"

"My friend. And... Guide and guardian, I suppose" Noct looked down, frowning a little. He never considered Carbuncle's words before, but now hearing them from someone else, they kind of made sense. "When I first woke up, he said this was a realm between waking and sleeping, where anything was possible. But there was also danger. They call them Nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Gladio asked softly and the boy nodded, looking up at him.

"Those things you saw chasing us? That's them. They can take any form, but have no real one. They hate that. So they attack anything that does and want to steal it for themselves." His eyes shifted to the other two. "That's what Siren told me when I reached her area."

"Siren? The Bard?" Ignis was partially surprised to hear that name, but given the previous ones, it all came together.

"Who?" the blond asked from his side.

"Siren, also known as the Bard, is one of the twenty-four Messengers of the Gods. Just as are Fenrir, the Wolf, Famfrit, the Water Bearer, and Belias, the Gigas" the blind man explained, remembering the old stories he read to Noctis when they were children. The young Prince always had a fascination for the Messengers and the Astrals, a fascination that strangely disappeared after the... incident with Marilith. Could it be...?

"Well, that doesn't really help us with our current problem" Gladio's head turned to the pit separating them from their goal.

"Indeed, it doesn't." the adviser agreed, his brilliant mind racing for a solution, but always coming up short. He hated to admit it, but this was a bit out of his league. But he refused to simply give up, considering all possibilities that presented themselves to him. Until-

"Ixion!" Noctis shouted in delight as the bulky beast appeared next to the adviser, a soft snort and clomping of the hoof on solid stone catching his attention. The boy removed himself from his Shield's gentle grasp and sprinted over to the horse-like creature, his hands reaching up to softly touch its muzzle before resting his forehead on it. A soft snort made his raven locks blow softly out of his face, which earned a childish giggle. "You going to help us?"

The Messenger clomped his hoof on the ground, his horned head bobbing ever so slightly, another snort coming from its nostrils. Prompto grinned at the exchange, drawing closer to it.

"Then I guess we're gonna go horsey-express all the way- aaahh!" the gunman quickly removed his hand from the sudden shock he felt once his fingers touched the beast's back. Shaking it, he couldn't help but glare at the Messenger after he ever so slightly turned his massive head, the intelligent eye glaring back at the human. That oughta teach him! Noctis only laughed softly.

"Ixion doesn't like being called a horse. Even if he looks like one" he stepped back a little, a smile still in place when the big head turned and tried to nip the top of his head in a playful manner. Noct chuckled gently and placed his hands back on his friend's front, looking at Prompto. "Don't worry, he's not mad."

"If you say so..." the blond said, but still preferring to keep his distance. Gladio had other worries.

"So it's going to carry us... no offense, but I don't think it'll be able to carry all four of us at once. And I really don't trust us getting separated in this place."

"True enough, given the stairs just disappeared on us." Ignis agreed, with his thoughts somewhere else.

Sensing their distress, Ixion reared softly, his neigh echoing in the darkness. Soon enough, two more neighs joined in and just like Ixion before, two creatures appeared out of nowhere, their powerful hooves clomping on the stone.

"And these are...?"

"Unicorn and Kirin" Noct answered as he walked over to the two and greeted them the same way he did with Ixion, before turning to the adults. "They'll carry us over"

"No offense, but wouldn't we need something with... wings?" Prompto's freckled face stared at the three horses and the wide gap, uncertain how they will perform the task, despite them being divine beings and all. Noct only shrugged softly.

"They said they knew the way, so we shouldn't worry."

"Right. Prompto, you and Noctis ride on Ixion-"

"What?!" the blond argued, but was easily dismissed.

"Gladio-"

"Unicorn" the taller answered without hesitation. He noticed the interested glances of his friends and simply shrugged. "It looks more capable of carrying my weight than the smaller one. No offense, of course". Kirin snorted and clomped her hoof twice; none taken. The smallest of the three walked over to Ignis and waited for the adviser to climb onto her back. Gladio had helped Noct to get on Ixion's back, whereas Prompto still hesitated. It was Noct's stretched hand that shook him out of his stupor.

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you. You just need to trust him"

"No offense, bud, but I have difficulties trusting something that shocks me because I called it a horse." The angry snort made the freckled man tense even further. Noctis, on the other hand, only laughed softly, stretching his hand even further.

"If you don't trust Ixi, then trust me." It came out so naturally. So fluid. So trustingly. Prompto's eyes met with Noct's and their gaze locked. The blond heard the school bell ring in the distance, knowing he was in trouble for being late. Again. He was nearly throwing up when he reached the gates; he just needed to catch his breath.

"Late again?" came a familiar voice. Prompto looked up to see his best friend smiling at him. "You'll be in trouble for it, you know. C'mon, let's go" he didn't even wait, turned and walked towards the school entrance. The freckled boy gulped and ran after him.

"What are you doing? You'll be late too!" he asked once he reached his side. Noct just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Was waiting for you. And just so you know, I'll be waiting for you every morning now. So, if you'll be late, I'll be late. Better take responsibility for that" he said as if discussing what to have for lunch. Blue eyes stared in disbelief at him. Was he serious? He can't be serious... is he dead serious? Sensing the unspoken question, the raven only smiled mischievously. "Trust me, I am". Knowing that smile and tone of voice, Prompto swallowed hard, following his best friend to their first class of the day. Noct leaned out, taking the blame for that lateness when the teacher barked at them for it, but he promised it was the last time; 'the princely charm only works so many times' he had said. Prompto was never late again, and his best friend was always there to greet him every morning and spend the first few minutes of the day together.

"...Prompto" a deep voice cut through his thoughts and the blond shook his head slightly, blinking the memories away. He chuckled a bit embarrassed, as Noct was still waiting for him to take his hand, even though it were just a few seconds, but to the freckled man, it felt much longer.

"Sorry about that" he apologized, rubbing the back of his head. Noctis' head tilted to the side, cocking an eyebrow.

"For what?"

"Uhm... for..." just what was he sorry for? For being late? For still standing there, making the others wait? Or for having failed his best friend when he needed him the most? He shook his head, eyes turned to the ground. "Nothing... never mind, it's... it's not important" he finally said in a near whisper. Little did he know the tall brunet staring at him from the side understood what he was referring to. And what he just went through; his shaking hands were evidence enough.

"Don't worry... it'll be fine. I promise" Noct's young and gentle voice cut through all of their hazes like a flaming sword through snow. The innocent child spilled with confidence and kindness; they couldn't claim he remembered any of them, possibly didn't even know them, and yet, here he was, fully trusting them, waiting patiently, and offering whatever reassurance he could muster. It was a trait Noct usually only showed to those he truly trusted and cared for.

Smiling at the thought, Prompto stared at the offered hand, laying his own in the smaller one, his full trust placed into the contact. The smaller squeezed gently, pulling the adult towards the waiting beast. Swallowing down his fear as the creature turned his head towards the freckled man, the eye staring at him patiently, Prompto hesitated at first, but after feeling another squeeze and seeing the smile on the raven's face, all doubts vanished like a puff of smoke in the wind. He placed his free hand on Ixion's back, smile widening as nothing happened, and pushed himself up and over, one leg swinging to the other side. Sitting comfortably behind Noctis, the blond adjusted himself a bit before wondering where to hold on. A soft chuckle caught his attention.

"Just hold onto me" the boy offered, his own hands already secure on the Messenger's fluffy mane. Without much thought, the adult placed his hands on the boy's waist, feeling the powerful body underneath him begin to stir and move. They were ready. "Hold on tightly" the raven instructed the group as the beasts softly clomped their hooves on the ground, signalling their readiness for whatever it was they were planning on doing. "And whatever you do, don't look down" he added as Ixion moved closer to the edge, staring into the distance.

The beast snorted at the bottomless pit as if it had offended him, took a few steps back before reeling and taking speed towards the massive hole. And with an elegance unbefitting its bulky form, the Messenger leapt into the air and over the gap, Kirin and Ignis, Unicorn and Gladio following suit, their neighs echoing through the elongated hall. Prompto couldn't help, but let out a shout of excitement as they leapt over the hole, that excitement soon replaced with dread as the beast began to descend and the ground was still pitch black.

"Uhh, Noct...?!" he yelped, hands squeezing the addressed one's waist. But the raven only kept silent, straightening his back as Ixion descended, his front legs outstretched, ready to land on nothing... only to clomp on something and taking off again, like a graceful deer leaping into the air towards the next target. Surprised, the blond looked back and saw something where the beast had stepped, Kirin's sudden landing clarifying it yet again; it was like a rock in shallow water, the ripples of the landing making it noticeable to the naked eye as they shone brightly against the dark underground.

This continued all the way over the extended pit, Ixion leading the way, Kirin following his steps, Unicorn close behind. The older one was right; the Messenger was indeed capable of carrying his weight without so much as an effort, whereas Kirin appeared far more graceful than what Ixion appeared to be. He had to admit, Prompto was getting more and more curious as to what story linked these beautiful beings to his best friend, what adventures they had and how they even met. He'll ask. Later on, he'll ask for sure.

"There!" Noct exclaimed, pointing up front. Blue eyes snapped up and spotted the source of happiness; up front was an opening, much like the one they saw at the end of the stairwell before they entered the bottomless room, light spilling out of it, hiding whatever was on the other side. In front of the opening was a wide landing, similar to the one they left behind. Ixion landed on it and stepped a bit forward to allow the other two to land as well, each walking to either side of the bulkier Messenger, who clomped his hoof on the ground, telling it was safe to step on it.

Noct nodded softly and swung his leg over to the other side, slipping off the creature's back and landing on the ground with a soft thud. Prompto followed him close behind, entranced by the light coming from the door.

"Think there's more bad surprises on the other side?"

"Probably. Doubt whatever is messing with this place would make things easy on us" the Shield spoke as he walked up behind him, Unicorn's proud form right next to him. Seems the two bonded during their little leaping adventure. Not much of a surprise, Gladio kept commenting on the Messenger's ability to leap, praising its beauty and grace as he watched the other two in front of him. Sure, Kirin was far more graceful, but less powerful, so it struggled a bit to keep pace with Ixion's lead. Unicorn on the other hand, followed without much effort, despite the heavy weight on her back. She was more than delighted and would most certainly miss this mortal.

"Thank you for your help..." Noct told Ixion who lowered his head once more to allow the child to hug it tightly, similar as he did with Fenrir before they parted ways. "I'll miss you..." he whispered ever so softly, snuggling the white, blue and grey fur dearly.

Prompto approached him with a small smile, gently placing a hand on his neck. Ixion looked up to him, a small question shining in its eyes.

"Thanks... it was fun. And... Sorry for calling you a horse. You're definitely anything, but" he spoke ever so gently to the beast before him. He could swear it was smiling back at him.

"You are welcome, Prompto" a male voice tuned, but one he never heard before. It was softer than Gladio's, but deeper than Ignis' and a far fetch from the voice he remembered from Noctis. It sounded almost like a wise, elderly man. He stared dumbstruck at the beast before him who only nodded gently. "And do not worry... I'm not angry. Never was" the Messenger spoke ever so gently that it made the freckled man smile thankfully at him. He gave him a good scratch on the neck as a form of thanks before taking Noct's side.

Unicorn gently bumped Gladio's arm, earning his attention. A female voice, soft like velvet and clear like water, echoed in the distance, "Take care from here on. Other dangers lurk where eyes cannot see. Trust in each other and your goal will be in reach" her black eyes shining like opals in the light coming from the door. The Shield only nodded, though, he was surprised to learn the creature was a female. He spotted Ignis gently petting Kirin's mane, whispering something to it. He was certain they too shared a quick conversation.

They both joined Prompto and Noctis, who were waiting at the door. All four shared one last look with the three Messengers who carried them all the way, now gathered next to each other, watching the mortals take off. Noct was the first to turn around and walk away, stepping through the light, his companions close behind after they waved them good-bye.

Blinded by the bright light as before, it came to a surprise to them when the ground suddenly felt rather mushy, as if they had just stepped into-

"A swamp? Seriously?" Prompto complained, his eyes darting around at the swampy scenario. Tall trees covered the walls and ceiling (at least Prompto hoped there was still walls and ceiling), thick vines lacing through the branches while the ground was covered in shallow water, Duck leaves, Cattails, Waterlilies and other typical swamp like flora. It would have been nice were it not so dark and oddly smelling.

"Guess we have no choice, but to go through. Let us hope we do not get stuck somewhere" Ignis tried to get a better sense of his surroundings, but what truly got to him was-

"Say... is it me... or is it quiet here...?" Gladio's soft boom broke through the silence like a stone rippled through a calm surface. It was out of place, they knew it. Ignis nodded gently at the affirmation.

"Indeed. I cannot sense or hear anything beyond ourselves."

"Well, let's hope, apart from not getting stuck, that this is just some weird illusion like before and if not, that we're the only ones here." As if to answer Gladio's question, he felt a tiny squeeze on his larger hand, a small body pressing into his side. Eyes shifting down, he saw a mop of raven black hair sprouting from his arm. "Mh? What was that, Noct?" the larger man leaned down a bit to listen to the child's soft voice. It was as if he was afraid to stir the silent should he dare speak just a bit over whisper. 'Lamia' he managed to decipher.

"Lamia? What's a Lamia?" the gunman spoke a bit over a whisper, noticing how Noct appeared stressed, while clinging for dear life to his Shield's arm. He wondered if the kid knew or at least felt who Gladio was to him and that was why he was so glued to him.

"Whatever it is, I doubt it's friendly" the taller spoke, aware of how close to hyperventilating from stress the boy next to him was. And he could feel tiny fingers dig into his flesh, despite the cloth and leather covering his arm. A soft rustling of the leaves drew his attention away from the charge at his side to where the sound appeared to have come from. Keen eyes spotted the leaves moving ever so gently as if something just brushed against them. Not liking the odd feeling this place and Noctis' near panicky reaction gave him, the Shield followed his instincts and bend down, pressing a knee to the ground. Brown eyes met with blue, and with a silent request, he gently snaked his arm around the small body, lifting it up as if it were a small bag of cotton.

Noct's small hands grabbed onto the man's jacket, one behind his neck, the other closer to the chest, his bottom rather comfortably resting on the large, muscular arm. The oddly familiar warmth pushed much of the fear away, but it was still there. No. There was truly only one who could fully push the fear and darkness away. Only one. And he hadn't seen or heard him in so long... Still, this was strangely close enough, and Noct accepted it whole heartily. After having spent so long with the Messengers (not that he was complaining, it was nice, they were his friends and he wasn't alone all the time), it was still comforting to have another human, one who reminded him of his father no less, one who felt like home in every sense of it, so close to him. The tall man even slightly smelled like the halls of the Citadel he so often played in.

With his thoughts filled of home, the young boy held onto the man and allowed him to carry him, placing his full trust in him. He didn't even flinch when the large sword he was carrying on his back appeared on his hand, ready to strike and defend his friends. He knew he was safe with these people. His heart told him so.

"Let's be quick to go through. Whatever's lurking here, I'd rather not waste time fighting it." Gladio said as he took the lead with Noctis securely on his arm. Prompto took Ignis' arm, the blind warrior allowing himself to be guided through the unknown terrain, serving as the team's ears instead. He was far better at picking up the small oscillations in the movements their produced and what was around them; and he since long picked up a sound that was not beast, but not human either. And whatever it was, it was big. Ignis' senses focused solemnly on tracking that distinct feeling, silently guiding Gladio ahead, and keeping tabs on their surroundings.

But even the upmost precaution could not prepare them for what followed as a giant creature as large as a small bus suddenly slithered behind them, cutting off any possibility to run back. Four heads snapped back as the deafening screech echoed throughout the swamp, preparing to attack. Prompto did not hesitate to pull his gun and fire a few good shots, but none of them seemed to have the desired effect as they bounced off like popcorn on a wall, the odd monster not even fazed by the attempt.

"Uuhh, guys?"

"Run!" The order came from the boy on the Shield's shoulders, but was taken as seriously as if he were the twenty-year old (or thirty year old) King he was meant to be; not because it was from Noct himself, but because it was firm and direct, not a hint of fear in his voice despite the initial freak out after entering this place and having walked a good while.

The three adults took their legs and ran as fast as the muddy underground allowed them to, but the monster was fast for its size. Prompto occasionally turned around to fire a few shots, hoping it would be enough to at least slow it down, but it didn't have the desired effect; in fact, it just seemed to anger the creature further.

"What should we do, guys?! It's catching up on us!" the blond shouted, running as fast as his legs managed to carry him. He was certain if the snake-like monster caught up to them, they'd make a fine meal for it.

"Hide!" the boy suddenly yelled, pointing at what seemed an alcove between the trees further up ahead, urging Gladio to rush over.

"It'll see us, Noct!"

"But we cannot keep running at this pace; it'll either catch us or we'll get stuck in the mud!" Ignis reasoned. The Shield gnawed his teeth, but reluctantly followed the instructions, dropping Noctis near the appointed location who was quick to make his way into the alcove, brushing the leaves to the side, ignoring how the branches and twigs scratched his arms and legs. The three adults followed him suit, shrinking as far as they could to follow the child. Gladio was the last to slip through, and to his surprise, the Lamia was far too big to follow; its claws still tried to reach out and catch the tall brunet, its hissing screeches echoing through the trees. With one last screech, it glared at Gladio before making a hasty retreat to whatever hole it crawled out from.

Following his friends down the path the boy had led, he found all three trying to catch their breath in what appeared to be some kind of meadow. It was secluded and the trees were close enough to keep anything bigger than a grown person out.

"What... what was that thing?" Prompto asked between breaths, swiping the sweat from his chin. He's seen a fair share of monsters and daemons, but something like that was new; a snake-like creature with the upper body of a woman and the pissed off attitude of an angry Zue.

"Lamia..." the timid voice spoke, all eyes falling on the source. "They're very territorial... I'm sorry, I didn't remember they like swamps..." the child apologized sincerely, looking at his shuffling feet. He only looked up when a strong hand rested on his shoulders, a build form entering his line of vision. Brown eyes met with blue in a sincere way, an older brother to a younger.

"It's alright. You can't be all-knowing, but knowing when to react in the right moment is essential to success."

"Gladio is right. And it was your quick thinking that spared us a lot of trouble" the gunman chimed in.

"But we are not out of the woods yet" Ignis interjected, his usual thinking demeanour taking over. The other two wondered if the pun was intended or not, but didn't dare to ask if they didn't want to be greeted with a clever remark as it was typical of their smart friend. "I believe you may have an idea on how to solve this problem?" the blind man proceeded calmly. Noct nodded slowly, wondering how he should phrase it.

"There is a way... but..."

"But?" the child looked at the three, a seriousness in his eyes that seemed out of place for a face so young.

"It will take a lot of effort. But if we manage, she won't notice us at all."

"Okay, so what do we have to do?"

Noctis stared at all three one more time before sharing his knowledge on the monster known as Lamia. Soon after, the swamp found the four intruders lurking in its mucky water, silent as a mouse in a church. None of them dared to breathe, the only sound coming from the water under their feet. The boy leading the way kept vigilant as he stepped carefully over a large root, lowering his small form silently back into the water. Doing this while holding your breathe wasn't as easy as he thought, but then again, last time he had to do this, he was safely on a wolf's back who did all the walking. Looking back on it, while he was with Fenrir, few were the denizens that tried to approach, let alone harm him. He had to smile on that simple memory.

His eyes shifted behind him, watching the three adults scanning the trees and shadows, awfully aware of anything that moved. The blond one, Prompto, he remembered, held his gun ready just in case, but his focus was unwavering. The taller bringing up the rear, Gladio as they called him, made sure nothing followed, his strong form a pillar of reassurance. And the blind one, Ignis, though a broken appearance at first, quickly dispelled it with his nimble and elegant moves, following Noctis' steps as if they were his own. If they managed to keep this up all the way to the end, they might actually make it.

The young boy nodded softly, mostly to himself, before turning to continue to lead the way. It didn't take them long to spot the exit amongst the trees branches, and with a smile he pointed towards it. Two heads nodded gently, careful in their stepping. A small rustling in the leaves, though, caught their attention and not really wanting to risk it, the boy waved his arms to indicate to quicken the pace. With the exit so close, he was willing to risk it, given they had kept Lamia at bay for a good run. He was certain they could make it.

Making a decision, the young leader looked over his shoulder, determination plastered on his face. The two adults saw the boy nod gently, realizing what he was planning. Without hesitation, Prompto took Ignis' arm, telling him to get ready. The adviser did not need any more indication on the plan to be executed as the rustling noise was growing closer; only a gentle, but firm tug on his arm was enough for him to break into a controlled mad dash towards the exit he knew was close by.

The quartet rushed through the swampy, but thankfully now more clear area straight towards the light shining through what seemed to be a gate of sorts. And just as he had expected, as soon as they broke into a run, the Lamia would come out of its hiding and chase them, intend on killing the intruders. It was a shame they were so vicious, Noct was sure he could persuade it to let them pass, as unlike last time, they really were just passing through. But even at the time, when they tried to reason with the monster did it not listen and merely attacked. Had it not been for Fenrir's quick action, the boy would have been torn to shreds in mere seconds.

But for some reason, Noctis could not blame the beasts to be so protective of their belongings. After all, the Nightmares were taking more and more of their world and no one was truly save of who or what shape they could take. So not to run the risk and reap the consequences, they simply kick out anyone who dares to cross. It was understandable.

Understandable, but still irritating, as the blond man had pointed out during their small meeting in the clearing when they were elaborating the plan on how to get out of here without being noticed. Turns out, Lamias have an excellent sense of hearing and developed the amazing capability of locking onto their preys breathing patterns. Now that it memorized theirs, it was only a matter of time and bad luck for it to find them again. So by holding their breath, they were keeping their whereabouts concealed, and with their steps matching the noises of their surroundings as close as possible, the Lamia had more of a hard time to find them.

Hard time, but not impossible, as the current chase was proving. Still, luck was on their side as it only prepared to pounce when they were extremely close to their goal; and it showed when they crossed the threshold, blinded by the very light that also kept the beast at bay, a loud screeching noise breaking through the light, and allowed them to escape.

Not wanting a repeat of his previous performance, Noct slowed down once they passed the light and the Lamia's screeching could no longer be heard. He did catch a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was insane...! Thank goodness those things aren't for real or Hunters all over would have one HECK of a job!"

"Aye, a fair bounty they would provide" Ignis chimed in amused, fixing his glasses, though he was just as out of breath as the rest of them.

"Wonder if those things even have some kind of weakness. Fast, good hearing, vicious, probably strong as heck too..." the tall brunet swept the back of his hand under his chin before a grin took over. "Wouldn't mind trying my luck against one of them some day."

"Yeeaahhh, I'm sure you're muscle head is super excited for a death challenge like that."

"Garlic."

All three heads turned to the young boy standing a bit away. His expression was so matter-of-factly, as if he just announced the most obvious thing one could think of.

"Beg your pardon, Noct?" he would never admit it, but the adviser savoured saying that name as well as hearing that young voice. He'd never grow tired of it. Too bad he couldn't see the nonchalant shrug the boy gave before repeating;

"Garlic. Just throw one right at their face and they don't know what to do"

"You mean it stuns them?" the Shield boomed ever so slightly, a hint of annoyance in his voice. It didn't help when Noct shrugged again, kicking the ground.

"Not... stun, but rather... I don't know, scare them?"

"Scare?" The boy nodded towards the blond.

"Yeah, they seem to really hate it. Or rather the smell of it. Fenrir told me once they go wild and disorientated and that would be the best to either strike or leave... ... what?" the raven stared at their shocked expressions, well, one shocked, one annoyed and one amused expression to be more precise.

"You mean all we had to do was just throw our supply of garlics at it and we could have avoided all this?" the tall brunet boomed a bit angrier than he intended, the sudden flinch not going unnoticed.

"I... Garlics are very rare here... I'm sorry I forgot..."

"Don't worry about it" Prompto reassured the boy, kneeling in front of him with the usual confident and care-free smile that always painted a smile back onto his best friend's face. "You couldn't have known that we have a large supply of ingredients. If you did, I'm sure you would have come up with something else. Right, Iggy?"

"Absolutely. I would also believe throwing something so small at something so fast with such accuracy within such conditions would be a challenge of its own" the adviser chimed with a smile of own, causing Gladio to huff ever so slightly and Prompto to snicker in return. Watching the three men interact made the raven haired smile at them; they seemed close, very close. Close like

"Brothers."

Three faces all turned to the source of the smiling young voice. It was Prompto who found his voice first, though it was barely above a whisper. The other two, who have known the young man for so long, could also detect a hint of surprise and apprehension in it.

"What...?" The raven tilted his head slightly to the side, the smile not faltering. It was so innocent and pure, befitting of a young child such as he was.

"The three of you. You're really close, probably know a lot about each other too. I guess it's what it's like with siblings."

"What makes you say that?" Prompto watched the small shoulders shrug ever so slightly, a small hint of sadness taking over the younger's features.

"Not sure. I don't have siblings, and there aren't many who share such a relation here..." blue eyes turned to the ground, confusion taking over. "I really don't know why I said that..."

"A spur of the moment perhaps?" Ignis tried to offer, but was met with silence. Whatever the boy was thinking, it seemed to have him caught.

"Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. We've got a long way to go and who knows what else is waiting for us" the taller man interrupted, walking past his companions and into the light to the other side. What awaited them was something they would never expect inside a building, but after going through a bottomless pit and a snake infested swamp, nothing seemed to bother the Shield at this point. "So... how do we cross this?"

Standing on a simple cliff-like shore, a vast body of water stretched itself before the quartet, the blue sky appearing so clear, it seemed more artificial than real. It really was like a dream of sorts.

"Mh. I don't see a boat or anything we can use" the blonde looked around, but apart from the vast sea and the rock they're standing on (yes, because the door once again disappeared on them and instead of actually being a cliff or shore, they were dropped on a rock in the middle of what seemed to be the ocean), there wasn't much to look at.

"And even if we could swim, after that Lamia thing, who knows if something's lurking in the water" Gladio's annoyed voice spoke, glaring at the water as if it offended him and his whole line personally. How much longer would they have to play this ridiculous game? Who or what was even behind it? Why was who or whatever so adamant in keeping them away from their goal? Or maybe this was a test? And if it was, a test for what exactly? Who was being tested? Them or...?

"Ah!" Noct said before hoping into the water below, causing all three men to have their souls leap out of them. Without hesitation, the Shield jumped after him, frogging his way towards the small body floating just below him. He noticed the boy didn't move as he stared at whatever was down there. And whatever it was didn't wait long to make itself noticeable as a large- correction, a massive shadow began to form in the depths, growing in size as it seemed to be coming their way. Gladio nearly choked as he spotted two eyes staring at them, quickly paddling down to grab Noct and swim back up, but as soon as his hand connected with the boy's wrist, the small head only turned to him with a soft smile and that was all he needed to calm down. Before the brunet could register anything else, something large hit them from below, the pressure of being carried back up pressing them against what felt like a scaly body.

As soon as they broke the waters, air filling his lungs, coughing any remnants of liquid out, the Shield looked at whatever carried them back up and was stunned by what he saw;

A giant snake-like head stared at him, its golden eyes unblinking as it studied the man on its back. Purple scales adorned its neck along with purple horns and turquoise fins on its rather large head. A head that tilted slightly to the side.

"Hi, Syldra!" Noct shouted through a laughter, the giant head turning to the source, a small rumble from its throat sounding delightfully like a laughter as well.

"It is good to see you, little Noctis" a female voice resonated in the air, much like when Fenrir or Ixion spoke. This voice sounded soft like a mother's, but mysterious and open like the ocean. Her large head bowed down to allow the boy to hug her, taking the chance to nuzzle him as well. "I truly missed you" the motherly voice spoke.

"I missed you too... you going to help us...?" The soft rumble sounded again.

"That is what I intend to do. After everything, all that is required is a small leap." The large mouth opened, revealing a fair set of very white and very sharp teeth. "And not only shall I savour this small moment, but I will tear anyone apart who dares try stop us!" the voice as much as growled, a hint of anger caught in the wind.

"Glad to see you haven't changed" the raven-haired laughed, twisting the water from his clothes. "It feels like so long since we were together..."

"Indeed" the giant serpent turned ever so slightly to allow Ignis and Prompto to hop on, revealing more of its body as it rose from the water. Gladio had thought he was laying on a rather large body for a snake, but in truth, he was making himself comfortable on a dragon's back. "And although time was irrelevant before, now it is of the essence"

"If I may" Ignis' wise voice tuned up, the serpent-like dragon head turning to him. "How exactly is time of the essence?" The three humans had settled on the dragon's back, Noct sitting close to her neck. A soft hum filled the air.

"I suppose you may have many questions" Syldra hummed before turning to the open sea and starting to swim, first at a lazy pace before slowly picking up speed. "Though the distance is short, I shall answer whatever questions you may have". Ignis took that as an invitation.

"Then perhaps you may explain to us what exactly is going on? Why are the Messengers of the Astrals providing assistance? And to what end?" The soft hum tuned again and if Ignis could see, he would have noticed the small raven head turn ever so slightly to look at him. A move that didn't go unnoticed by the other two.

"Then I shall start from the beginning." Syldra stole a glance towards the sky before peaking to the cargo on her back and back front. "When Noctis was attacked by the Daemon named Marilith, he was thrown into our world. Or rather his consciousness." Ignis remembered those days with dread. When King Regis brought an injured and unconscious Noctis home, part of him fled out the door they came through. And when the doctors mentioned the boy was in a coma and they could do nothing but wait, the King deflated visibly. After losing his beloved wife, his son was all he had left. The sheer thought of losing him as well must have been devastating.

"But Noct came back. He woke up after a week or so" Gladio interjected, also remembering those times. "And he never mentioned anything"

"That is because the part that would remember, remember clearly, that is, remained here" the motherly voice responded, the head never turning to them, but young eyes remained on them nonetheless. "When Noctis was knocked into our world, we knew he needed to return to his own as he would not be safe here. Carbuncle, under the request of His Majesty, guided him towards the entrance, but something happened that should not have happened, and yet, was a fortunate turn of events nonetheless"

"What?" the blond asked from behind Ignis. His eyes shifted slightly towards the boy still staring at them.

"Noctis was attacked" Syldra simply answered, her keen ears not failing to spot the small gasps coming from the humans. "A daemon had slipped through and attacked him. As a child he did not have the power to defeat it and return to the waking world... so the Astrals interfered and allowed him to grow"

"To grow?" The head nodded.

"The child became an adult and received the needed strength to defeat the monster and return home. However, that bore consequences. Part of the child was separated from the adult and before they could reconnect, the adult left towards the waking world, leaving a part of himself behind". Three faces turned towards the boy riding in front of them. So that's what happened...

"So you're saying Noct or rather part of him has been stuck here since then?" the Shield asked, his eyes never leaving his charge. He saw the head nod again.

"I recall Noctis mentioning feeling odd after waking up. As if something had been missing. His Majesty also commented that Noct had lost part of his power, limiting his abilities to use them."

"There's also the part where Noct seemed like a different person; more withdrawn and quiet. As if he had been switched out. Even the Citadel staff mentioned it on occasion after the incident, but dismissed it as being some sort of trauma" the brunet added, frowning at the memory of everyone gossiping about the event that killed Crownsguards and Noct's attendant. He was guilty of it too. It wasn't soon after when the young Prince was discharged as healthy, that he was put under Gladio's wing for training. Something he loathed deeply for that time as Noct appeared to be a spoiled brat who was using the injury as an excuse to skip or have a snotty attitude. It was only after the whole thing with his sister Iris where he took the blame that Gladio saw him in a whole different light. People may have considered him snotty, mainly for being the Prince, but deep down he was just a kid dealing with a lot of things; things he thought he had to deal with on his own. Rarely did Noct confide into someone, but Gladio, thanks to Ignis' insight, learned how to read in-between the lines on understanding what was going on. He still remembered how Noct reacted to his father's deteriorating health and his own responsibilities, mainly because taking the throne meant his beloved father had passed away.

The Shield shook his head; now was not the time for this. He noticed how the young boy was still staring at him from the corner of his eye, head tilting slightly, but saying nothing at all.

"The Astrals were not content about it, however. And with our world falling into disarray, having an outsider was seen as the cause of it. A breech, if you will"

"So you're saying Noct was responsible for your world being messed up?" Prompto couldn't hide the tone of anger in his voice. Blaming his best friend, a child at that, for something he wasn't directly responsible for was unforgiveable. The small rumble in the dragon's throat made him slightly relax.

"In a way, although, we knew our world was being affected long before little Noctis appeared. Carbuncle guided him out and to safety. That was also when we came to know of his role and what was to happen. And although the Astrals were not satisfied with the child's presence here as it could interfere with his fate, Carbuncle stood against them. In the end, as long as the child made itself useful, he was allowed to stay"

"And how exactly did he make himself useful?" the brunet asked.

"Having been separated, the adult would not have the needed power to fulfil his duty. As a result, the young King had to regain his strength within the Crystal, filling in the void left by the child. However, this meant the Crystal itself losing all power as it harboured it within the King of Kings. By fulfilling his duty, the power of Kings, and thus of the Crystal itself would be lost forever."

The three men remained in silence, mulling this information over. So the Crystal was no more... it was now nothing more than a piece of pretty rock hanging over the throne. They did notice that the Crystal wasn't shining any longer as it did back in Gralea, appearing as a mere dulled out piece of common crystalized rock, but never mentioned it; it just wasn't important then. But looking back on it, it made sense when paired with Syldra's explanation.

"In the light of all this, disposing of the child would cause nothing but an unnecessary loss. And although the power of Kings would disappear, that did not mean that an innocent life had to vanish as well. So the child was tasked with collecting his most treasured memories."

"Treasured memories?" the blond asked. His eyes turned to Noct as he started to shuffle softly, removing a satchel from under his clothes and opening it, revealing some sort of glimmering stones that shone brightly. Upon closer inspection, they appeared as tear drops in crystalized form, glowing in a gentle blue hue, some sort of power resonating within each. There was quite a decent number within the small satchel. Hs hands slightly twitched to reach out and grab one of those stones for closer inspection. There was something warm and enticing about them.

"Memories of the adult formed in the waking world, which took the shape of tear drops falling from the sky. Though these memories alone do not compare to the power of the Crystal the King of Light accepted, when put together, they are more powerful than the Gods' themselves" Syldra spoke with an enigmatic grin. At least they assumed it was a grin. After all, they never saw a dragon before, let alone one that grins.

"So Noct has been collecting these ever since" the adviser spoke, feeling the humming power of the stones. He too felt oddly drawn to them, causing him to wonder what type of memories Noct had considered important enough to keep. After the incident, Noct became fairly secluded and drawn into himself, hardly speaking about himself or things that bothered him. Before he had been lively, always a smile on his face, ready to cheer up anyone despite his own turmoil, but after he woke up, he hardly smiled to anyone, except maybe his father. Ignis knew he kept much to himself and never dared to press him to relief his burdens on him. He still remembered the time when he pushed the young man when he was battling himself and his father's current state of health and it backfired terribly in them almost having a bite-the-head-off argument. Even though apologies never fell that day, Ignis knew Noct wasn't angry with him, confirmed when the young man changed the subject to how to properly clean a frying pan. The long term adviser wondered if Noctis had kept this memory and if it lingered now in the form of a solidified tear in his younger self's bag.

"Hey, Ignis...?" a soft voice spoke, breaking through his usual haze. It felt almost like a lifeline, a gentle shove to make him return to reality after diving deep into his own subconscious, lost in thought. He always mused how it was like a fishing line and he was the fish who gladly took the bait.

"Yes, Noctis?" he turned to the young prince starring at him with his curious eyes only a child could have. He sometimes wondered if he still had those kind of eyes.

"Uhm... am I bothering you...?" the young prince cowered a little, hoping he didn't. A soft laughter, however, made him come out of his invisible shell, gracing his features with a smile.

"Not at all. I'm thankful for your calling. I feel like I was getting lost again." Ignis ever so slightly adjusted himself to face his future King. "What may I do for you, Your Highness?" He had to laugh at the little frown appearing on his young face. "Apologizes, Noct. Bad habit, I know" he chuckled softly at the gentle huff the boy in front of him gave. Ignis had to admit he did like to have this rather open relation with the young prince. While everyone else always squirmed around him and be polite and addressed him properly, Noctis had vehemently requested for Ignis (and later Gladio) to not refer to him as royal or anything, at least when they were amongst themselves. Part of him just wanted something normal and although his Father did everything to give Noctis a normal as possible childhood, one could never deny that he was still the Crown Prince and needed a different upbringing than most "normal" children. So Ignis imagined that having someone like him in his life, someone of his own age to talk to, would be somewhat of a release from his royal shackles. Someone he could be close and childish with. Someone he could call 'friend'.

And Ignis be damned if he wouldn't do all within his powers to fulfil that innocent wish.

"What were you even doing?" the young prince spoke with a light of fascination and curiosity. The adviser adjusted his glasses ever so slightly.

"Studying. There are a lot of things that need to be learned if I am to be of use. But I seem to have lost track of time again..." It had indeed been late and the young adviser had been riffling through his books and notes for hours. For what exactly, he couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?

"Well, if you're kinda sorta done with that, may I ask a favour of you? Please?" There was that pleading tone the young raven just knew would melt even Shiva's frost, and the other only shook his head, a soft smile adorning his face.

"You know you may, though I have a feeling I know what that 'favour' is about, if that book is any indication" he replied with a playful tone, nodding towards the massive tome behind Noct's back. It was his favourite and he loved going through the pages once in a while, often using his imagination to bring them to life and create new stories. Ignis in the beginning did not think much of that book; it was just another encyclopaedia of sort, one he had skimmed over the pages long ago, merely memorizing the basics as per necessity.

But ever since he came to the Citadel and became Noct's official (well, more or less official) future adviser and chamberlain, he was often hooked by the young prince to have the tome read to him. Not that Noctis didn't know how to read; quite the contrary, he was able to decipher difficult words at a very young age and reading had been somewhat a secret passion of his.

"There's just that special something when you read it. Besides, I like the company" the raven grinned enthusiastically over the rim of the tome as it was presented to his friend. The Cosmogony, it read it beautifully calligraphic letters.

Ignis slipped out of the chair and walked over to him, carefully taking the book in his own hands. Although The Cosmogony was a fairly widespread book throughout the world, this one was very special; not only was it a first edition only accessible to the royal family of Lucis and close relatives, but it was also the most complete version. While others often appeared in smaller series like comic books of sorts and had only the basis of information, this one was one single tome of over 300 pages, retelling the different stories and legends revolving not only around the Astrals and the creation of their star, but also the Messengers down to the tiniest detail. Those were Noct's absolute favourites.

"Very well, if you insist" he continued in that playful tone he adopted whenever they were between them. It made Noct giggle and he liked that. "Which part shall we go over again? The Astral War? The Path of the Messengers?" he asked, tome under his arm as he followed his prince outside.

"I was looking through it the other day and there's a section called 'The Descend'. We can read that one. It's not very big either. And it's connected to The Astral War, which we read before, so it would make sense-" the young Noctis kept on rambling as he took Ignis' hand, who listened carefully to every single word as the two made their way down the corridors of the Citadel towards Noctis' room for yet another divine adventure. He was definitely looking forward to it.

"Iggy? You okay?" Prompto's voice shook him out of his thoughts, a soft shiver running down his spine. Though once lost in the rivers of time, that memory now stood at the forefront of the adviser's mind. And he knew very well the reason, as that night was the last time he had read to Noct, especially from that tome. As the raven haired enjoyed these times together, he would sparse them with long periods between them to make them all the more special. Ignis remembers when the prince had confessed it felt like having an older brother staying up until late doing things together. Part of him thought at the time they would be doing those things well into their teen years, however, about two weeks after that night, Noctis went to see the fireflies and his caravan had been attacked by a daemon. His father had saved him, but he still sustained severe injuries that tossed him into a coma. The adviser would often visit him during that time, tome in hand, and would read his favourite passages in hopes it would reach him.

But it never did. And when Noctis finally awoke, he was a different person. Quiet, withdrawn, often doubting himself... it pained the adviser to see the one he loved as a younger brother in such a way, he decided to do everything he could to coax him out of that odd shell.

But nothing seemed to work. And even when Ignis had offered to read The Cosmogony to him as he used to, Noct only shook his head and simply said 'that book is stupid...' Those words still burned in the recesses of his mind and after three failed attempts, Ignis put the tome away forever, believing that on that very day he was also shelfing part of his prince, friend... and brother.

"I'm alright. Just a thought of old, is all" he replied to the gunman's inquiry, adjusting his glasses. Was it really just a thought? Or was it more? He felt a pair of eyes on him and somehow knew that Noctis was staring at him intently. To what purpose he couldn't say.

"So Noct has been collecting these stones. What are they good for?" Gladio's voice brought his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Their purpose is to lighten the path towards his final task while also providing the needed strength to cross said path. Each collected memory bears a small amount of power belonging to the one of the waking world. And although as of now the child would not be able to wield it, when the time is nigh, all pieces shall set into place"

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blond raised an eyebrow at the dragon. "And what has your role been? You all seem fairly friendly with Noct. How's that?" The rumble tuned once more.

"As a mortal, Noctis could never be able to walk through our realm unscathed. As Carbuncle had done first, he guided the child to the next realm and the Messenger awaiting him there. Then Carbuncle left to protect and guide the one in the waking world, leaving the child in our care." The giant head turned ever so slightly to look at them. "Many of us took upon ourselves to guide and protect the child, serving him as long as he remained within our realms. Once all memories had been collected, he would depart towards the next realm where the next Guardian would await"

"How many of these realms did Noct visit?"

"Most of them. The Circles of Fire, the Range of Wind and Ice, the Vast Waters, and even the Dark Abyss" Syldra spoke recounting some of the realms existing. She still remembered when Valefor came to her with the boy on his back, both extremely agitated and out of breath, and requested her to look after him. She frowned softly as she recalled a dark cloud seemingly following them. Valefor had urged her to leave and to stay clear from anything suspicious as the Nightmares were growing. She then watched him leave towards the cloud, attacking it with his wind and quickly disappearing, the cloud following him. She had assumed he was luring them away and did not think twice before telling the boy on her back to take a deep breath and then dove as deep as she could and remaining out of sight. Their journey, unlike most of the others, was fairly calm as they spend most of the time swimming from one island to the next with the occasional dive to an underground cave or grove.

"So he's met a handful of Messengers along the way, making friends with them, huh? Sounds like something Prompto would do" the Shield said with an ironic tone that caused the blond to fake laugh before telling him off.

"Oh, that reminds me" the gunman turned back to the Messenger. "Noct said something about Nightmares. We saw those gooey things chasing him and Fanfear-"

"Fenrir" Ignis corrected.

"Fenrir and he told us they had no form." He saw Syldra nod, a frown growing on her face.

"The Nightmares are a result of the Scourge seeping into our world. More specifically, the negative manifestation of hatred, fear and anger in physical form"

"You mean the Mist produced by the Daemons?"

"Yes and no. It is complicated. When the Scourge first appeared, Lord Bahamut made decisions many did not agree with. In the end, although the Scourge was 'imprisoned', it was still active, and only a matter of time before it would manifest itself again. It was necessary to harness a power that would destroy the source of the Scourge without destroying your world. However, simply bestowing a mere mortal with god-like powers would be devastating. As the Scourge itself was imprisoned, it was possible to cultivate the power within many generations until the one chosen would come to be"

"The King of Kings prophecy..." Prompto muttered ever so slightly, the others turning their gaze away.

"Yes. While eating away at his heart, the Scourge inside The Cursed One not only made him immortal, but also twisted his heart and soul, strengthening his anger, and having him scorn the very existence of all Astral beings. As a result, the anger and hatred grew in the forms of Mist and slowly crept into our world, growing, but never truly taking form."

"Like what nightmares would do" the Shield spoke and received a nod from the dragon.

"But Ardyn's dead. Noct made sure of it. That's why..." the blond head shook and frowned at Syldra. "How is it possible that his powers are still manifesting themselves when he's long gone?"

"The Nightmares have gained hold and created a new source within our world. It does not require an outside one any longer" the large head turned to the three, her wisdom and warning shining through the gold. "And now it is hunting after the only light capable of destroying it. It will not stop until it succeeds. You must protect it will all you have. That is your task entrusted by the last Messenger. A task only Guardians can pursue"

The three companions looked at the dragon staring at them before turning their gaze to the young boy whose eyes never left the trio during the conversation. They understood, but even if they didn't, even if a divine being such as a Messenger or even an Astral wouldn't have ask them to, they would remain at Noct's side.

"Oh, that reminds me!" the gunman turned back to his swimming vessel. "Fenrir said they could not follow inside and that the three of us had to make sure everything goes well" He watched in silence as the large head's eye turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "So how come you, and those other three appeared to help us out? And why can't you follow further if you're in here anyway? Wherever 'here' is." He heard the soft rumble again.

"Tell me, young one, why do you follow? What is your reason to being here?"

"What?" Prompto had to admit that caught him a little off-guard.

"Why did you come here? What is your purpose, your reason to be here, now? You could be somewhere save. You already admitted you don't even know where it is you truly are, and yet you remain. Why is that?"

Admittedly, Prompto was a bit at a loss for words. Why did he follow? Part of him was screaming impulse, another screamed stupidity. But one glance at his best friend and the answer just rolled off his tongue like ice on a slippery slope.

"I'm here because Noct is my friend. My best friend. And I made him a promise long ago. One I couldn't keep then, but want to keep now, no matter what" 'Ever at your side', the promise he made a decade ago and always felt he never fulfilled, but rather failed tremendously. Light blue eyes turned and locked with darker blue ones and something within him sparked to life; something he couldn't quite identify, but at the same time knew was always there. And just when he tried to reach for it, he saw himself sit on a bunk bed, mulling things over when another joined him and they shared words. Noct's guilt hit him like a rock and he couldn't have stayed mad even if he tried. And then... 'You with me?' Noct smiled at him and he replied with his promise, the same smile returned, sealing it.

And that's when Prompto noticed it; that smile, the smile Noctis had given him a decade ago in that small smelly room in Gralea, before he vanished... it was now on young Noct's face...! It looked so foreign and yet so familiar. Did... did Noct remember? Was this one of those treasured memories Syldra spoke of? The rumble shook him out of his thoughts.

"Loyalty and friendship, as well as love and care, can break boundaries even of the unknown. When we felt our aid was needed, we answered the call. That was all"

"So it wasn't duty, but friendship that called you guys here" Gladio commented. "By the way, where is 'here'?"

"'Here' is between the waking and dreaming. What you see is both reality and illusion."

"That makes no sense..."

"You are still in your world, climbing the towers of your Citadel. However, due to the influence of the Astral realm, its shape has been distorted to suit its needs"

"What needs would those be? Slowing us down?" Prompto replied with a hint of irony in his tone.

"Precisely. As with all realms visited, so does this one demand trials. And you have mastered the first four with expertise and cleverness. As well as a little bit of help" the dragon flashed her pointy teeth in a smirk at them.

"Four?" the blond thought back. "But... there were only three. The bottomless pit..."

"The swamp" Gladio added.

"And this ocean area" the adviser finished.

"The Ascending One" Noct concluded, speaking for the first time since they began the watery journey. "That one counts too. Sylph warned us, remember?"

"Oh yeah, the elevator thing. Still not sure what that was all about..."

"So how many trials are there still to be done?" the Shield sounded a bit impatient.

"Not many. If all goes well, you should only have two more ahead of you" Syldra's head turned back to them. "However, do not take these lightly. The final ones are of the hardest for they require strength, both of mind and heart"

"Not of muscle? Guess Gladio's out of these, then" Prompto snickered softly while dodging a heavy hand aimed at the back of his head. He'll get him for that yet.

"Your individual strengths will be needed when they are needed. You all will have your time, so be prepared for it. Remember; a flame can only burn in a storm if it has the walls to protect it" The three men nodded softly, yet with determination.

"Hey, I think we made it!" Noct's voice cut through the silence that fell like a warm knife through butter, all attention moving forward to their destination. Truthfully, after seeing so much water, a lonely rock peeked through the surface, breaking the monotonous landscape, a light shining through the door as they have seen before.

"Doubt the next part will be as easy and relaxed as this one was" Gladio stretched his arms, feeling some of the bones pop before giving his neck a good twist. If what Syldra said was true, there were only two more to go and following experience, the higher one climbs, the harder it would get and the more probable a fall would be. Before he had to stay at the very bottom of the Citadel. Now he was prepared to go to the highest point and beyond. And he knew the others felt the same as all three watched the young Noctis stand on Syldra's back while holding onto her neck. He seemed to be conversing silently with her as the giant head had turned softly to look at him and nodded ever so slightly. For some odd reason, part of the Shield's inner parts were churning with jealously. Wait, why would he be jealous? There was no reason to be jealous. ... Was there?

"Hey, Gladio? Can I ask you a small favour...?" The Shield sighed softly, but turned to the source regardless, knowing all too well what that 'favour' would be. A smile only confirmed his suspicion. "Can we go fishing tomorrow? Please?"

"You know that tomorrow's a busy day" the brunet said while closing his book. This was going to be one of those discussions because once Noct put into his head he wanted to go fishing, not even the Astrals' fury would keep him from going. A huff made him snort.

"Every day is a busy day, what else is new? Besides, I've been swimming in papers for the last couple of weeks, both school AND the meetings"

"So now what, you want to take a break?" the large man stood up, moving towards the shelf to put the book back. "Kings generally don't take breaks, you know"

"Well, I'm not King yet" that sounded more hurtful than it should and Gladio knew he had hit a sore spot. Also knowing that an apology would simply be brushed off, he pulled out another book, an old map of the city discovered some time ago. One of the pages held an information that might cheer the teen up again.

"You're still growing, so I guess you still need your little breaks now and again. Still, you gotta follow up with some of the stuff tomorrow instead of dumping it all on Iggy. Again."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." the young prince huffed softly, feeling the sting of rejection creeping over. "Fine, you could have just said no-"

"Hey" Blue angered eyes turned towards relaxed and understanding ones. "Far as I know, you'll only be busy in the morning" Gladio handed him the book. "The rest of the day and night you'll be free. School's pretty much over, ain't it?"

"Yeah, so? All the fishing holes in Insomnia are only available in the mornings. Afternoons it's pretty much boring"

"Open to the marked page and stop complaining, you brat" the brunet grinned mischievously at him. The grin turned to a cocky smirk when he saw a black eyebrow raise as blue eyes scanned the aforementioned page. "Wanted to keep this for your birthday, but since you're being a royal brat about it, I suppose you can have an early present"

"You serious? Where did you find this?"

"Old archives. Well, Iggy found it and since there was some stuff about ponds and such, he said to look through it. There's also some training grounds close by" Gladio leaned down a bit so to lower his voice, the young raven moving in closer, a grin on his face as well. Secrets amongst brothers. Both enjoyed it to the max. "I'll just hog you up and say we're off to some serious on the field training. I'll whoop your ass good and then we can go fishing, see who gets the biggest one. Sound good?" He watched blue eyes turn back to the page reporting about an old lake within Insomnia's borders in the far north-east where an old base was also stationed. That one had been abandoned for years, but the grounds are still useable and the lake is still there. Gladio did some digging and according to some enthusiasts, there are a lot of night time critters circling in those waters. Noctis hardly ever was allowed to go so far, so he knew this would excite him. And excite him he did; the young prince nearly trembled as he gripped the book. "It'll be our little secret" That was the cherry on top as blue eyes shot up with a fire burning in them.

"Sure...! I'll be double as thoughtful in my morning duties so we can go earlier too"

"Can't push forward the meetings, there, your Highness" the Shield laughed.

"I can try. Or get them to finish earlier. Prince, after all" the fake cockiness in his voice made Gladio laugh all the more and the two of them shared a laughing fit together. The brunet silently wondered if they would continue to share these moments even long into the future.

"Yo, big guy! You coming?" Prompto's voice cut through his hazy thoughts and Gladio found he was the only one still sitting on Syldra's back; the other three had already started to climb the rock towards the door.

"Are you alright, Gladio?" Ignis' voice joined in as the Shield remained silent. Unbeknownst to them, two pair of eyes stared at him silently, one knowingly, the other curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... a thought was all" he said as he started to get up and prepare for the short climb. Noctis was already at the top near the door waiting for them, Syldra's head close to him. Once again it seemed they were talking between them as the raven nodded softly at whatever the Messenger had told him. Gladio couldn't help, but frown a little at it.

"You sure you're okay?" the blond asked, helping him up. Of course the shortcake noticed something was amiss. He knew all three of them a bit too well when it was on an emotional level. Maybe because Prompto was an emotional bundle himself and could easily pinpoint changes based on his own experiences. And he hardly ever missed.

"Yeah, don't worry" the taller brushed him off, stepping onto the platform and examining the door. Something felt like a heavy cloud over his head. This was the second time... was this supposed to happen? And if so... why? For what reason?

"Shared memories" Syldra's voice cut through his thoughts once more, all three turning to the water dragon. "What you are experiencing are remnants of the stones' power. Don't fear it. Embrace it instead. You will provide them what they need for the final trial"

"So... what we're seeing... it's not a coincidence?" Prompto asked, earning a side stare from the taller one. Did Prompto too have such a moment? ... Wait, he probably did. When he seemed to have zoned out back when they met those horse Messengers. So perhaps Ignis too...

"It all will become clear to you in the final trial" The large head turned to the door, a frown suddenly gracing her features. "Now go. You have a long winding path ahead of you. You won't be alone, but you must take care. Time is running. The Source has reached the Citadel and has begun its ascension. The light is in danger"

"What?!" this news caught them all off-guard, but it was Noctis who stepped forward.

"What about the others? Fenrir, Famfrit? Belias and Sylph? Are they okay?" He seemed to relax when the head nodded softly.

"I still sense their presence. Right now they are all fighting, assisted by the others. But the dark powers managed to slip through. It will only be a matter of time before you have to face them should you not hurry"

Noct's worry was immediately replaced by determination as the young boy nodded, the satchel once again secured underneath his clothes. Too much was risked to collect these; he would not, for the life of him, lose that satchel. And his three companions would not lose him.

"Go with our blessing. Even the smallest light can cut through the deepest of darkness"

The quartet nodded, thanking Syldra for everything before rushing through the door, once again blinded by its immense light. Once through, however, they were met with the same stairs they climbed in the beginning, though, there was something fairly different about them now; most of the steps were either missing or partially destroyed, the walls were severely damaged, massive holes allowing to peek outside. Dark stormy clouds could be spotted from these holes and the blond could have sworn he saw some figures gliding through them before massive lightning bolts shot through the clouds and onto whatever was below them. Probably more Messengers trying to help Noct reach his goal.

"Did you hear that?" Ignis suddenly said, all attention turning to him. The door they came through had become a solid wall and in turn an excellent form of enhancing sounds coming from the opposite direction. "It's coming from there...!" he pointed towards the upper part of the stairs and sure enough, moments later a massive cloud of dark mist came rolling down the stairs, the noise nearly unbearable. Noct gasped before his vision was engulfed by a large body, two others circling around him, keeping him safe. 'Gladio', his mind supplied. 'Prompto'... and 'Ignis'. They would get hurt... they will get hurt because of him... no... He can't allow it. He won't allow it. Not again.

Holding tightly onto the satchel beneath his clothes, onto Syldra's words and the images flooding his mind, he reached deep down, calling onto that little bit that was always there.

And like a sharp blade piercing through cloth, a deadly red claw ripped through the veil of darkness before another reached out, a bubble of dark matter surrounding the group in a protective manner before the cascading darkness could engulf them yet again. Taking a deep breath, the Shield looked up ever so slightly, the smaller body safely against his own surrounded by his arms, Ignis supporting one side further, while Prompto took the other.

"Now what?"

"You've grown stronger, little one. I am impressed" a voice that sounded deep, yet empty, rang through the darkness. "I guess I must apologize to you. You do have what it takes, even in the deepest of despair."

Noct peaked from over Gladio's arm towards the source of the voice and sighed in relief.

"... Diabolos..."

"Next time, however, try not to shout so loudly. You almost woke up the dead" a figure formed slightly above them, the darkness parting as massive bat-like wings swished the swirling mist to the side like it was nothing, revealing a horned demon-like figure, its tail swishing softly behind it. Despite its dark eerie aura, there was something trusting about this demon. And the fact that Noct knew it by name meant only one thing; it was another Messenger. One of the purest of darkness. Yes, unlike the black swirls that came rushing down the stairs, this dark pit surrounding them was void of evil, born from Diabolos' wings. It would protect them for the time being.

"What should I do...?"

"Focus. You already have hold of it. Now use it."

"I don't know how..."

"Of course you do. You've done it before. Even if out of impulse." Diabolos' arms and wings spread widely, showing how massive the Messenger of Darkness truly was. He was an imposing creature to be sure. "Look around you. If you do not wield it, all will be for none. These three will parish and everyone fighting right now will also succumb. Is that what you want?"

"No...!" Noct's voice sounded scared and that did not sit well with the three adults as they embraced him further, glaring up at the Messenger.

"Hey, who do you think you are, talking to him like that?" Prompto shouted, though, part of him wondered if it was wise to do that to a divine being. Said being only grinned at him.

"Reach down, Noctis. You know what to do. You will have to if you wish to see this to the end. Didn't you harp on how you would help everyone? Help fix everything?" The wings flapped strongly, causing a gush of cold air brushing over them, the raven shivering ever so slightly in Gladio's arms. His breathing was picking up as he desperately tried to do as he was told, but despite all his efforts, that which he needed kept slipping away and it only increased his frustration.

"I..."

"Don't make excuses. You've come this far. You've grown. Do you truly believe we would be here if we did not believe in you? In your words? In your strength?" Although Diabolos' tone came out harsh and violent like a dark thunderstorm, his words were filled with an odd kind of care. "Protect everyone. You can do it. Break that wall down and take hold of what has always been yours!" The shivering grew fiercer as the boy struggled with whatever it was. Not knowing what else to do, Prompto gently squeezed his best friend's shoulder, whispering 'You got this, bud'.
Ignis on the other side gently passed a hand over his back as he had done so many times before to sooth his fears, his own words echoing in the recesses of his mind, 'We are with you, Noctis'.
Gladio's arms surrounded him a bit tighter, his breath brushing over him in loving manner, 'You're not alone'.

Those words circled around him like tiny fireflies in a darkened pond. It made everything so much clearer. Turning to the brightest light, Noctis reached out his hand and finally grabbed hold onto, the energy exploding in a fierce ball of light, pushing the darkness away and clearing the way. Above them a very proud and satisfied Messenger smiled with satisfaction at them.

"See? Knew you got it."

The trio looked up, once again greeted by the destroyed staircase, but now it seemed a bit brighter than before despite the storms and battle still raging outside. A sudden ball of flames exploding just beneath the nearest entrance (or exit, depending how one would look at it) grabbed hold of Diabolos' attention, when a giant fire bird rested next to the nearest hole, its strong wings sending sparks of living flames at whatever is trying to get too close.

"Go. The Nightmares are approaching fast. We are doing all we can to ensure your passage." The bird's head rose to the skies, a loud screech echoing through the halls. Small wisps of fire formed in the air surrounding them, popping gently and restoring their energy. The three adults were surprised how the apparent fatigue left their bodies, feeling energized and ready for anything. Oddly enough, they didn't feel tired at all, most likely from the adrenaline rush they've been experiencing since they heard that echo in the distance.

"... Phoenix..."

"You heard the bird. Go. We'll hold them off as long as we can" the Dark Messenger spoke before slipping through the hole and joining Phoenix in attacking a massive blob of dark matter making its way up the outer walls. Gladio nodded and looked at his charge; Noct seemed slightly out of breath despite the energy boost given by the Fire Messenger. Frowning, he gently picked up the boy in his arms and made for the stairs, avoiding the destroyed steps and trying hard to ignore the fight and other noises coming from outside. Ignis and Prompto were close behind, following his lead as the raven held onto his neck for dear life.

"Oh crap!" the blond shouted, pulling out his gun to shoot the sudden array of Nightmares appearing from one of the holes when a beam of fiery light destroyed it in one powerful blast. Looking through the hole next to them, they spotted what appeared like a massive lion with wings, pure and majestic. "Uhm..."

"Thank you, Madeen!" Noct shouted, seemingly feeling a little bit better. The lion only grinned before returning to its task of keeping further nuisances at bay.

"You okay, Noct?" The raven mop nodded slightly.

"Yeah... I'm fine"

"Wanna walk the rest?" the Shield looked at him, not surprised when the mop shook his head.

"If that's okay with you..." Gladio only laughed.

"Course it is", he was already running again before the words were even ushered, the stairs winding further and further. This time they seemed to stretch infinitely, the only thing telling them they were actually moving were the cavities of different sizes in the walls allowing a peek outside, the battle raging as different Messengers fought seeming clouds of mist and darkness. They spotted both Diabolos and Madeen joining their powers of Dark and Light to create a powerful blast that decimated what appeared like flying Nagas of sorts, prompting the gunman to sigh in relief and comment how glad he is those things didn't fly in their world.

Passing through a massive hole that took a fair bit off the stairs, the trio leaned close to the wall, circumventing the broken stairs and continuing on their path when a noise from behind caught their attention, turning just in time to see another blob squeezing itself through the damage they just passed by and taking form of another daemon, an oversized Arachne, its loud screeching echoing through the hall as it marched over wall and ceiling to reach its target. Before Ignis could ready his weapons, however, a powerful whirling wind crashed through the outer wall and into the Arachne, slamming its body into the opposite wall and breaking it down in mere seconds, its body disintegrating into mist during the process. Looking outside, what appeared to be a woman with large wings and sharp claws, one of them outstretched towards them, hovered in the distance.

"And that is..." the gunman asked, silently awaiting Noctis' response since he knew all the Messengers by name. When no answer came, however, the blond turned to his friend and was stunned to see a surprised expression on the young one's face. "Noct...?"

"I... I don't..." the boy started, but when the Messenger smiled at him, followed by a nod, he could have sworn he heard a whispered voice in his head. A voice he heard before, though only once, and never put a face to it. "... Garuda...?" the raven repeated in the same low voice as it was whispered to him. It felt strange, yet familiar. His heart knew he was connected to this Messenger, but not on the same level as the others. The image of a storm, a battle, a stranger never seen before... torn from reality... brought face to face, even if just for a short moment with no time to exchange words... the boy shook his head slightly to get the haze out of his mind, but the image was clear as day.

"Are you alright?" Gladio's voice cut softly, concern sweeping the surface. Noct's eyes turned to him and he saw the same face of concern with the sun beating down on his features. 'You sure you're okay, there, sleeping beauty?'

"Gladio..." Noctis' voice was low it was almost drowned by the noisy winds outside, but the one being addressed still responded with surprise. It was the first time since they entered the Citadel that this young boy referred to him by name. And it felt so oddly familiar as if he had been saying it all his life.

But before any further exchanges could be made, an explosion from the outside shook the entire staircase, forcing them to duck and regain their balance before taking off back up the stairs. Still, during their ascend, Gladio's mind was stuck on an important detail, one he's certain did not escape the others, or at least Ignis as his hearing is as sharp as a new blade; Noct's voice, though, still young... it partially sounded like his older self sifted through for a short moment when the young one pronounced the Shield's name. It wasn't even a question as when he uttered Garuda's name moments before. No, there was certainty, confidence, and knowledge behind it. He knew who he was...!

After escaping more attacks from the Nightmares thanks to Gladio's sword, Ignis' blades, and Prompto's excellent gunmanship (in one instance he shot a Ronin dropping from above to attack Phoenix, and although he didn't kill it, it was enough to distract the Nightmare and allow the bird to incinerate the nuisance, a screech of gratitude sent their way), the group finally managed to reach the top of the stairs, a familiar sight welcoming them; it was the entrance hall towards the throne room, fairly much unchanged since the last time they were here. That is if one would ignore the massive giant living stone structure guarding the first door.

"That's one big bolder..." the brunet commented, putting Noct down as the boy requested.

"That's Alexander, the Holy." The raven spoke looking at the massive Messenger before turning to the three of them in a silent whisper. "He's a bit weird, though, hardly ever says anything. But the Nightmares seem to be afraid of him, so I guess that's good" Noct's voice appeared as the child-like one they've grown used to, no mix of his older self mixed within. Maybe it had been just them...?

"He'll let us pass, though, right?" Prompto asked, his eyes never leaving the massive structure-like Messenger.

"He has no reason not to" the boy replied, following Prompto's eyes.

"We should move. I doubt these things have let up any and we're sitting ducks out here" the Shield commented, moving forward, his eyes trained on where they had come. Unlike before, where a wall would take over the passage they had come through, this time the stairs remained in place, providing an entry to whatever may be chasing them. "Let's go"

Just one step towards the entrance hall when the whole building suddenly shook as if hit by a powerful earthquake, causing Prompto to fall back, Noctis to fall forward and grab hold onto Alexander's arm, while Gladio did his best to stabilize Ignis. And out of nowhere, a powerful roaring sound, the same they had heard when the three Messengers first ordered them to look after the prince, although now it sounded closer and far angrier than before. From one of the many damages in the wall, the blond could see the flying Messengers scramble to stop whatever was climbing the wall, but constantly being pushed away by other Nightmares, fighting a fair losing battle against whatever was coming.

"Guys...!" the freckled man shouted, trying his hardest to get back onto his feet, when a giant hand appeared, grabbing hold onto the ledge and pulling its owner up. "Ooohhh craaap!" The massive monster kept shaking the building when its visage appeared; a gargantuan distorted Red Giant, black mist oozing from its eyes and mouth, its growl a gurgling noise as if it was drowning in its own blood. "What is that thing?" The giant's eyes scanned all until it fell on the smallest presence, which stiffened against the Messenger when it felt its eyes on him. Eyes that turned into ones of focus and desire, locked onto its target at last.

With a loud gurgling shout, the Giant pulled itself further up, not caring if it destroyed anything in its path, and right now, there was a blond gunman right beneath its large hand, which was descending rather quickly and heavily.

"No!"

"Move!"

"Aaaahhh!"

"Prompto!" Before the hand could reach the cowering blond and squish the life out of him like a frog, another shot out from the opposite direction, placing itself over the mortal like a giant stone tent, taking the full brazen impact of the Daemon's hand. Looking up at the stone ceiling above his head after feeling very much alive and not squished, the blond followed the arm and saw Alexander leaning over, his own eyes targeting the Nightmare. He then saw Gladio shocked and Ignis breathing in relief before his eyes fell on the small figure in-between Alexander's... what were they? Legs?

It was Gladio's booming voice that snapped him out of his stupor, calling him to get a move on, and the blond didn't hesitate to respond, scrambling from underneath his protective tent and over to his friends. He would have said 'Thank you' to the Messenger who saved his life as they all ran between his legs, following the boy towards the throne room door while Alexander busied himself at keeping the Nightmare in check. Both were equally gargantuan, so it probably would be a close call.

But something preoccupied the freckled head. Something he heard right before he saw his life passing by at the speed of light. Something he first thought was a memory, something from those visions of his past life, but when he saw Noct's form trembling a few steps away from Alexander, his eyes filled with worry and fear... he understood. That last shout, calling his name... that was Noct... This Noctis right here...! But it didn't sound childish nor young; it sounded almost like the Noctis they practically said goodbye to at the steps of the stairs towards the Citadel. When the boy had called out Gladio, it was a mix of young and old, but there, it sounded more old than young. Not only that, but just like with the Shield before, this was the first time Noct had called him by name. And those eyes... those knowing eyes...!

It was the brunet who pushed the doors open, allowing his friends to slip through, giving his thanks and good lucks to the Messenger now fighting back the Nightmare, before closing the doors shut. Prompto and Ignis grabbed hold of whatever was in reach to block the doors as good as possible. Oddly enough, when before things seemed surreal, like a waking dream, right now, they seemed more real. Was it because they reached their goal?

"What was that thing...?" the freckled man asked, trying to catch his breath.

"The Source..." All eyes turned towards the young boy just a few steps away, also catching his breath. "Syldra told you about it. That's the source of the Nightmares in this realm"

"That's thing's huge. Wouldn't something like Alexander be able to beat it, though?" the brunet frowned as the raven mop shook his head.

"Alexander is of the strongest Messengers, but not without his flaws... his most powerful attack, which could do harm, can only be used once. After that, he needs to recharge"

"And I'll wager that would take some time" Noctis nodded softly at the blind man's response who sighed softly.

"Hey, Noct...?" it was Prompto, stepping forward. "If you don't mind me asking... do you uh... did you...? I mean... I thought..." He didn't know how to word it. 'Did you remember me? Were you the one calling?' It sounded strange and he wasn't certain if asking this would be the correct thing or if it would bear consequences.

But before he could continue, a small humming light from the centre of the room caught their attention, the boy turning towards it, back to his companions.

"This is..." he walked over to the light, a shard forming as he drew closer, hovering gently in front of him.

"Is that the final piece Famfrit spoke of?" the adviser asked, moving closer as well. He didn't need his eyes to know that Noct was nodding gently, turning his attention instead to the upper level. The level where the throne stood...

"...This is harder than I thought..." Prompto said from behind.

"Yeah... we didn't have much time to think about it while going up, but now that we're here..." Gladio added, standing next to Ignis. The three stared from the upper level to the child still examining the shard. It looked similar to the ones in the boy's satchel, but a bit a bigger and brighter as the water underneath the stone bubbled softly. "You know what to do?" The small head nodded again before turning up towards the throne. Due to his height and position, he couldn't see beyond the small balcony as to what was being displayed there. Part of him, however, somehow knew.

"Will you go with me...?" the shy voice burned through the silence, despite the raging battle outside the doors.

"Of course" the blond responded without hesitance, moving towards his best friend. Staring at your older dead self probably wasn't something he was looking forward to, and Prompto couldn't blame him; he wasn't prepared to see his dead friend either.

"Let us go, then" Ignis' calm voice seemed to sooth the child as he walked towards him, gently offering a hand, which was taken almost immediately, a gentle squeeze pronouncing his gratitude. As the adviser and his small charge stepped towards the stairs, a loud explosion rang from behind the doors, causing all four heads to turn to it.

"What was that?" Prompto asked, pulling out his gun out of instinct, pointing it towards the doors as a roaring noise grew stronger behind them.

"Bad news..." Gladio readied his sword, taking a battle stance when the roaring started to bang viciously against the barricade, attempting to break it down. "Iggy. You take it from here. No point in all of us going" the brunet would never admit it, but the thought of seeing his friend and brother dead didn't sit well with him. And since Ignis was, well... he would be the least one affected by the sight. Besides, whatever was coming needed to be held back, but letting young Noct go all by himself after he so shyly requested for them to accompany him was completely out of the question.

A soft squeeze to the hand made the blind man nod at his friends, turning towards the stairs leading up. Just before they made up the first few steps, the door broke down and a wall of Nightmares made their way in, Gladio swinging his massive blade to cut right through them while Prompto took care of all those that he missed, his bullets straight and true. Not hesitating any longer and knowing what was at stack, Ignis drew one blade and squeezed Noct's hand before quickly dashing up the steps towards the final part.

"Will they be okay?" the small voice spoke while staring back.

"Gladio and Prompto have always been efficient warriors. They can handle just about anything" the man fixed his glasses once, gently squeezing the small hand in his as a form of reassurance when he was no longer able to hear any battle noise or anything similar. Part of him felt it odd, but his thoughts were somewhere else. His mind had carried him back to their last campsite before they entered Insomnia, and the conversation he had shared with Noct. 'Thanks... thanks for everything, Iggy'. They were truthful and full of gratitude. But also sorrow... a sorrow he wished he could take away, but knew he couldn't. So he did the only thing that came to mind as the memory of their first meeting flashed through, extending his arm and allowing his emotions to take hold just for a bit as he felt the hand of memory and the hand of reality both taking his hand and squeezing it gently with the same strength, love and care he would come to know and cherish. The strength of his friend and King whom he loved as a younger brother.

The same hand now squeezed his hand once more, as they both climbed the stairs, together this time. 'You won't be doing this alone' Ignis thought, taking one step after the other.

"Odd... I do not recall there being so many steps on these stairs..."

"... They're stretching... I think it's my fault..."

"What makes you say that, Noct?" His question was met with silence, and the adviser understood. "You are afraid, I'd gather..." Sighing softly, Ignis stopped in their tracks, feeling secure enough to do so, and knelt down in front of the boy, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "It is alright to feel afraid, but you should never allow that fear to take hold of your actions. You have managed to come this far"

"Yeah, but I had lots of help..." Ignis laughed softly.

"And I am no help at the moment?" knowing he was taking a jab at his own disability, he felt through his hand on Noct's shoulder how the boy shook his head furiously.

"No, that's not it. I just... I don't know if I'll be able to take the last step... what if I mess up...? What if there's just one shot and I miss it...?"

"Mh, valid reasons to feel fear, indeed. However," Ignis' hand squeezes his shoulder, "I know that you will accomplish it. When the time is right, you will make the appropriate choice and everything will be well"

"You really think so...?"

"No... I know so" He didn't need to see the smile growing on the boy's face, feeling a nod through their contact.

"Thanks... I'm glad you're here... I don't know if I could be doing this on my own..."

"You'll never be on your own so long as I can help it" the hand holding the boy's gently tightened its grip as a silent promise. What did shock him however, was when the small body moved forward and wrapped its free arm around his neck in a loving embrace. It took every ounce in his body to not let his emotions again take control, and in response he put his arm around the boy, caringly returning the moment of affection. He didn't know how long it lasted, but for him, it was a lifetime.

"We should go..." Noct said breaking the hug, albeit reluctantly. Something about this man felt so... familiar. Like the others, but deeper, stronger. As if there was a long lasting connection between them, one forged many years ago, and still held strong to this day. There was only one other who held such a strong bond with him that he could remember. A word began floating in his head, one he wanted to utter, but it escaped him whenever he tried to reach out and take it. He had the same feeling before, with the taller one- Gladio, when a memory of a strange event bubbled from beneath and took over. Was it that Messenger's doing? Garuda? But what about the freckled blond- Prompto? She was nowhere near, but when the Nightmare was about to kill him, an unknown sense of fear and dread shot up from his stomach towards his throat, and out came his name, along with watching him fall from what seemed like a moving train. He thought he would never see him again...

Syldra's words came back to him when he asked her why he was feeling so close to these three as he took the man's hand and continued their track through the darkened corridors towards their end. 'You have been feeling the stones' power. They are bound to you. These humans are part of you as much as you are part of them. Complemented lives. Loyalty. Friendship. Love. Once you take hold of these, you will have all you need, little one.'

After seeing Gladio and Prompto and feeling their connection snap back into place, he understood what those words meant. It also meant that this man held some kind of link as well, but one that seemingly kept escaping him; he just couldn't put a finger on it. But not because he didn't know how... but because he didn't know which one.

With Gladio, the memory of the stranger from another world flooded into his mind probably by Garuda was solid and just there. It was what broke down that already crumbling wall between him and the three adults. With Prompto, it was fierce like being run over by a giant bolder. Fitting, considering he watched him almost die twice, once in memory, once right in front of him.

But with this man, there were so many, he didn't know which one he should turn to. And whenever he tried to reach out, it would escape him, over and over again.

And then there was that word. It too kept evading his attempts to grab it like a humming bird of sorts. Still he felt compelled to chase after it. He needed to know. Filled with confidence, the boy looked up at the blind man and just there and then, it all just... made sense. Opening his mouth to usher that word...

"I believe we have arrived" the adviser said as he felt the final step followed by a landing, but there was also something else, like a strange warmth. Noctis looked ahead and confirmed they had arrived. "Noct... if you don't mind, could you... could you perhaps... describe what you see?" Ignis knew what he was asking, it had been Gladio's intent to send him up because he wouldn't be shell-shocked by the initial sight, but part of him still needed to know. He felt the small hand squeeze in his.

"A throne. There's blue light around it. And someone's sitting in it."

"How does he look...?" his voice came out small, waiting for the boy to respond.

"Like a King" the smiling voice replied and it filled the blind adviser's heart with joy and pride. So Noctis finally took his place as King and appears the part, even though in death. "Looks like he's sleeping. I think I need to wake him up"

"Sleeping?" Ignis couldn't keep the surprise from his voice as the small hand detached itself from him, ears following the boy's steps towards the throne. He didn't move far forward, however, as the noises from before finally caught up with them, approaching quickly through the stairs. Not hesitating, Ignis pulled his daggers and took a position between the stairwell and the boy, prepared to give his very life to protect them both. Before Noctis could say anything, he shouted "Do what you must, Noct. This is your trial. I will do what I can to give you as much time as you need"

Filled with dread at potentially seeing this man perish right in front of him, Noctis turned to the one sitting in the chair. He really did look like he was sleeping... were it not for the familiar blade piercing his torso. Noct did not have the heart to tell the blind man about this part. He seemed to care too deeply for this man. Strangely though, there was no blood.

"What should I do...?" he asked the sleeping man who reminded him so much of his father. The growing noises pulled him from his thoughts and he did the only thing that came to mind;
His small hands quickly took hold of the sword's handle, pulling with everything he had to offer, but the sword just wouldn't budge. "Pleeeaaassee..." he asked to whatever was left to help, summoning all he had and some more. "C'mon...!" The roaring noise kept growing and fear began to take over him once more. Were Gladio and Prompto...?
No! He would not think of it! The blind one said they would be okay so he would believe it! "Please...!" Tugging strongly at the handle to remove the sword proved to be quite the challenge, but he was not about to give up. He had to do this or else... "Please..!"
From the corner of his eye he saw the living darkness finally take form, plunging forward onto the landing with a sickening sploshing noise, ready to consume everything. The blind adviser stood proudly ready to defend them.
A tear slipped through as he saw the wave raise and prepared to devour the blind man and then him, fear bubbling underneath, along with something else, something far more powerful. The boy reached out, took hold and strongly pulled it towards him, filling him with everything. "No!"

And time stood still.

"Where am I...?" Noctis looked around. He had never been in this odd place before, and yet there was a strange sense of familiarity again. It was engulfed in blue light, much like the stones he had collected, except this hue was a lot duller as if devout of life. "Hello?" His voice echoed, but nothing was returned. "What do I do now...?" he asked no one in particular when the memory of the blind man fighting off the Nightmares came to him. "Oh no...! Where...?" His eyes darted around, but he saw nothing. He was alone. "No, please... please...!"

And then he gasped. A warmth coming from beneath his clothes caught his attention and he quickly moved to retrieve the precious satchel from underneath. He was surprised when the stones inside shone with such an intensity, one he had never seen before, not even when he held the stones in front of the sun or any other light source. Could this be...?

Taking out the larger shard he had collected in the room before, it too was shining intensely. Gripping it tightly, he thought of the Messengers who had helped him collect each and every single stone, how they protected him from the Nightmares and other dangers, how Odin was severely injured when he tried to protect him from his first encounter with the Source, but still managed to get away. He thought of his adventures and the friends he had made. He thought of all the good and bad things because one would always complement the other.

And then he thought of Gladio. How the tall man was prepared to follow and protect him no matter what. How he felt impelled to believe and trust in him, how that strong sense and aura of loyalty sipped from every part of his being.

Prompto's smile crossed his thoughts as the blond man held out to him. Those sparkling eyes every time he looked at him, silent promises and moments hidden behind them. Moments of friendship that the man shared and kept deep within his heart.

The blind one... why couldn't he put a name to him? He knew it... but it still wouldn't be there. What was there, however, was something else, something far stronger and deeper. It was precisely that which he held onto and catapulted him into this place. He had felt it on occasion. But when he was holding onto that man's hand, it felt like a burning fire in the deepest recesses of his inner self. And it was onto that very fire he was holding onto.

In that moment the shard in his hand shone brighter than ever, the stones reacting to its light as they came to life within the satchel. Filled with the thoughts and memories, the stones darted out of the bag, fuelled by the shard's power, circling around the strange place before settling down one after the other, lined perfectly towards somewhere, their light pushing the dull hue away and replacing it with their own magnificent one.

Feeling strangely at ease, the boy followed the stones, each shining brightly and then softly dulling out as he passed them by, the larger shard safely in his hands. It didn't take long for him to reach his destination;

There, where the last stone sat, was the man in the throne, still sleeping, but without the sword. This time he truly did look like he was just sleeping.

Noctis approached the man with small caution, his eyes never leaving the other's face. He was so still. How would he even go to waking him up? Was that even possible? After all, he was impaled by a sword, for Heaven's sake.

"Noctis." The sudden voice startled the young boy, causing him to look around for the source, but found nothing.

"Who's there?"

"It is alright, Noctis" the voice sounded distant, yet close by. A mix of a man and woman, both known to him and at the same time, were complete strangers. "There is nothing to fear."

"Are you here to guide me?"

"Something like that. The choice, however, is still yours."

"Choice?"

"Yes, Noctis. You have the choice to either change everything or keep things as they are now."

"As they are now?"

"Yes. That man in front of you... he too made a choice, one that changed things. Now you must do the same"

"How are things right now? And what would change?"

"Listen to me closely, Noctis." The boy gripped the shard even tighter. "You have overcome many obstacles to reach this point. You have grown wiser and stronger. You have made many friends along the way. Never were you alone. It was all for this moment." The voice kept changing between the man and woman, but spoke with such clarity as if the one speaking was right in front of him.

"What should I do?"

"It is simple, really. Much like the man in front of you chose, so must you."

"What choices do I have?"

"On one side, young Noctis, you may choose to remain as you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You may remain as a child, return to the realm and live with your friends. You would become a part of that world and live for all eternity." The boy was surprised to hear this. Up until now he was always told he had to collect the stones in order to fulfil his role, and now he had the opportunity to just go back and live with his friends he ventured with for so long. But...

"And the other option?"

"The other is the man in front of you" the voice spoke, never changing tone. Noct's eyes shifted over to the sleeping man. "If you decide to change things, he will awaken and take his place as King."

"What will happen to me?"

"You will become a part of him" the voice responded softly.

"So I'll disappear...?" the boy considered the choices. One would remain a child forever... the other would become part of an adult and potentially vanish.

"Think it over, Noctis. But keep in mind, for choosing one path will forever block the other."

"If I choose one... I won't be able to go back...?"

"No." the voice replied and Noct was left in silence to weight his options. Syldra was right; the final trial would be the hardest of them all. How could he choose?

"I... I don't know..." gripping the shard in his hand even tighter, Noct mulled it over. All the memories from his adventure in the realm of the Astrals kept pulling themselves to the front. He had a lot of fun, even if there was a fair share of danger along the way. But that's just how life was; full of fun and danger. He was inclined to it.

'Noctis...' Noct gasped, his eyes shooting open at the so silent voice that almost went unnoticed had it not been so silent in this place to begin with. He knew that voice... it was...

'Hey, Noct! Smile! Haha, another great shot'

'Hey, where did you learn that one, Noct?'

'Trouble you a moment, Noct?'

This was... the shard in his hand shone brightly as the memories from the stones had collected within it and were now flooding through his mind. He looked at the sleeping man. He saw his face reflected in these memories every so often, although, it looked like a younger version of him. He too had many dear memories, especially with those three and...

"Father..." memories of his dad surfaced as the images passed by him. He had almost forgotten how the man looked like.

Laughter, tears, anger, friendship... it all came rushing towards him like a tidal wave. These were the man's memories, the ones he spend a lot of time collecting. They both had a reason to hold on.

'You know... looking back... It wasn't all bad'. Noctis gasped softly at that voice. He heard it before, but always in a far distance. Now it sounded loud and clear. Was it because...?

Another image flew by; he saw the man again, but without the beard, and wearing clean clothes. He was sitting on the same throne, sleeping. There was a woman next to him, also sleeping. They looked so peaceful... something about that scene made young Noctis' heart quell with something. Something that he felt would make his decision easier...

"Noctis, you must choose which path you wish to walk." The voice sounded again, but the boy had already made up his mind. He smiled gently at the sleeping man.

"There is no real choice, is there? I know what I have to do" And with that the boy shattered the shard within his hands, the blue light accumulated within engulfing both his form and that of the sleeping man, drowning the whole place in shimmering liquid. "After all..." the boy said with a smile on his lips and tears in his eyes before disappearing in the blue hue. The disembodied voice merely laughed at the whole display.

It felt like time had frozen when the wave of Nightmares appeared on the landing and prepared itself to strike Ignis who was ready to strike back. But just when the adviser was about to swing, knowing full well he would not stand a chance, a shining blue light from behind pierced through, cutting the darkness surrounding the room.

"IGNIS!" The light grew fiercely, dissipating the Nightmares as they vanished in a hissing and screeching manner, leaving merely the stairs and landing. And even though Ignis could not see, he still felt compelled to cover his eyes with his arms as the luminosity grew in intensity as well as in size. It did not take long for it to reach the lower level where Gladio and Prompto were fighting off the Red Giant when the blue shimmer caused the Nightmare to first take heed of what it was before it pierced through it like thousands of sharp blades, its grotesque growling replaced by one of pain and hatred as the radiance attacked and slowly dissolved its form into clouds of mist and finally nothing.

As the Red Giant evaporated, all the other Nightmares dispelled as well, confirming that it indeed was the Source of them, the Messengers finally being able to breathe easily.

"You did it, Nocti" Sylph said, her eyes staring up at the highest point of the Citadel, Fenrir joining her while Famfrit and Belias stood to the far side, their own acknowledgement visible in their relaxed posse. The boy had truly done it.

"Never thought he'd actually made it" Diabolo commented in a half-mocking tone. "Guess one shouldn't judge by size after all." Phoenix and Garuda both nodded in agreement, while Madeen merely laughed softly. She knew the Dark Messenger had a soft spot for the kid after he dropped him off with her, threatening her if something happened to him, he would personally make sure she would regret it, but would rather bite his tail off than admitting to it.

"Is it over...?" Prompto looked around, gun ready as if to expect another Goblin to jump out of nowhere and strike.

"Looks like it..." Gladio took a deep breath, his own eyes scanning the room. It took quite the damage from the battle. Thankfully it had seemed that Alexander's blast had been a bull's eye as the Red Giant was badly injured and gave the two mortals some playing field, albeit they still had to be careful. It was thanks to that they had managed to push them back for so long, but a mass of Goblins had escaped and made their way up the stairs after Ignis and Noct. Prompto wanted to follow, but he knew leaving Gladio alone could cost him his life. Noct would have never forgiven him. So he hoped the two of them had reached their destination before those Goblins did and that all was well.

"So this means..." the blond stared before putting his gun away and making for the stairs. The Shield followed him without words, the two racing up the steps like madmen. Prompto never knew he actually would take stairs two at a time and not feel tired, but the thought of two of his friends potentially being injured gave him that adrenaline.

Reaching the very top, the blond stopped just a few steps onto the landing, speechless by the scene presented to him.

Ignis was kneeling in front of someone, his whole body covering the one he was talking to. The throne now sat empty and young Noctis was nowhere in sight. Taking a small step forward, the gunman gathered all his courage.

"Ignis...?" The one addressed moved his head a bit to the side, acknowledging their presence. "Where...?"

"It is alright, lads... Everything is alright..." the adviser spoke, turning his head back to the one in front of him. "Can you stand...?" A silent nod. "Shall we then...?" Ignis offered his hand as support, slowly getting onto his feet while gently pulling the other one with him. The other two had expected Ignis to not rise to his full height, but rather remain slightly hunched due to Noctis' small stature as a child, but...

"... Iggy...?" Gladio's hopeful tone broke the silence and the adviser knew he had to give an answer. Turning slightly to look at his two companions and brothers, he smiled at them.

"Everything is alright now..." he said as a raven haired head rose a bit behind him and then turned towards them as well, blue eyes staring back at his brothers. He seemed fairly out of breath, but...

"You're alive..." Prompto whispered ever so softly, tears welling up in his eyes. Screw the looks. "You're alive...!" the blond shouted, racing forward, Ignis stepping out of the way just in time, to throw his arms around Noctis' neck and giving him the fiercest hug he could muster.

"Owowow, easy there, blondie..." the raven's voice was hoarse as if it hadn't been used in a millennia, but dammit, was it good to hear it. It only made the freckled man squeeze him more, earning a gentle hug in return, which caused the waterfalls to grow stronger.

"But... how? I don't understand..." the Shield said, when realization struck. "Wait, where's...?"

Gently peeling Prompto off him, Noct looked at his long-time friend and bodyguard, a soft yet tired smile on his lips.

"Don't worry, he's right here..." he said, placing a hand over his heart.

"I'm lost..." Prompto said, his hand still on Noct's shoulder. He feared that this was a dream and if he let his best friend go, he would disappear on them.

"Noctis needed to make a choice. And a choice he made."

All heads turned to the origin of the small voice. There, on the balcony, a small white fox-like creature sat and stared at them with bright beady eyes.

"Hey... I thought you were gone..." Noct stepped forward, a little hunched over, from pain or from exhaustion, it was hard to tell. The little fox stared at him with fond eyes.

"I made you a promise to stick around until the very end. And you did it. All of it."

"Wouldn't have done it without you nor the others, though"

"Maybe, but the last choice was still yours. I'm glad you chose this path, Noct. I'll be sad to see you go, but we all have to be where we are meant to be"

"Didn't you say 'true friends are never gone so long as you remember them and carry them in your heart'?" The little fox squealed softly, which sounded adorably like a laughter.

"I guess I did. And it was that which showed you the way. You'll do fine from here on, even without us. You're not alone, after all. You've got..."

"Loyalty. Friendship. And love." The man said gently, looking over his shoulder at the three who meant everything to him. Carbuncle nodded.

"And as long as you have these, you won't need any other power, but your own. Trust in it, Noct. Just like you always have"

"Where will you go? Will I see you again?"

"Back to the Astral Realm. And I'm sure we will. Perhaps in your dreams or in the far future when you cross over" the little fox squeaked softly, standing up. Noct offered his hand and arm as he always did with the little one and the small Messenger did not hesitate to climb it up and onto his shoulder, nuzzling his face ever so caringly as he always had. Turning around to his friends, Noct introduced his Guardian.

"Guys. This is Carbuncle." All three were astonished by the small Messenger. When Syldra spoke of him, they imagined something as big as Fenrir. But seeing this little guy, who not only has been protecting and guiding Noct since childhood, but also stood up to the very Astrals in his defence... that was truly something. It was Ignis who addressed it with a small bow of his head.

"Thank you for protecting Noct when we couldn't" The small fox peeped softly.

"My thanks be returned to you, Ignis. You all did the same when I couldn't." That caused the adviser to smile thankfully at the Messenger.

"You're quite something, standing up to the Astrals and keeping steps with Noct" the Shield commented and Carbuncle nodded.

"His Majesty had requested it. Without it, I would have never found my way to him"

"Guess big surprises do come in small packages" the blond added, earning a happy feep from the fox. "Uhm... I know you have to go and all, but... you said Noct had to make a choice... Could you... could you explain?"

Carbuncle looked at Prompto before staring at his charge, then back to the three men.

"Two paths, only one may be taken. The Path of the Child. Or the Path of the King." The small fox looked back at Prompto. "Let's say you all made his choice easier." Carbuncle squeaked softly before leaping off Noct's arm and onto the ground. "I guess this is goodbye." He turned his small head to Noctis eyes filled with fondness. "Promise you won't forget about us? Even when you're really old?" Noct nodded with determination.

"Of course. I could never forget you guys nor what you all did for me." He saw the small fox smile at him before leaping up to the hole in the ceiling.

"Then I guess it's not a goodbye, but a 'see you later'." Carbuncle turned to look at the four men staring up at him, although his eyes remained locked with the blue ones he knew for so long and knew would miss dearly. "We'll always remember you too, Noct. With all our hearts." The small Messenger was joined by the other flying Messengers, all of them looking at the small group of mortals, the presence of the other Messengers also seeping through as they all regarded the small boy now turned King, but still a child to them, with fondness and care.

"Thanks... For everything" Noct said with the upmost sincerity he could bring to the surface. He watched the Messengers nod at him before disappeared from sight, the only thing telling them they had vanished be the sudden flashing light and rumbling noise like a thunder in the far distance, followed by the sky returning to its blue colour as if the events it just witnessed had never happened.

"I doubt anyone would believe us if we told them..." the blond said, before turning back to his best friend. "Noct?"

"There really wasn't a choice..." he turned to his friends and what they saw astounded them; the child was smiling at them from the face of the adult. "After all..."

'After all... you are me... and I am you... my memories are yours, just like yours are mine. Two lives of the same coin'

The adult opened his eyes as life began to fill his broken body and he saw his younger self smiling at him, tears in his eyes.

'Why...?'

'You have lived so much already. It wouldn't be right to take it all away. Besides, it's not like I will disappear forever. I will just... grow up. And I don't think it would be fair to them either. They miss you so much. And you miss them. You're not happy there, not truly.'

'What makes you say that?'

'I felt your heart. And I followed it. It told me what you wanted. So I answered to it. Are you angry?'

The adult smiled and shook his head.

'No... No, I'm not... that 'life' can wait... this one... cannot... thank you...'

The child smiled brightly, causing the adult to do the same as both were bathed in the blue gleam of their memories, the child becoming the adult, the adult returning to the waking world just in time to see his older brother being attacked. In a shout of despair, the remnants of his powers shot forward, strengthening the light and protecting his friends from certain death.

Noctis smiled softly as he recalled the exchange with his younger self as the memories of his journey filled in with his own, the ten years he had spent in slumber suddenly feeling less empty. It also felt like that part that has been missing for so long had finally returned home.

"What about your powers?" Gladio asked, remembering Syldra's story. Noct's headshake confirmed his suspicion.

"The power of Kings is no more... Guess I'm just a regular guy now..." Prompto moved forward and put his arm around his best friend's shoulder.

"Regular guy who's also King. Lucis can't rule itself after all" he stated matter-of-factly and the raven only laughed lightly at it.

"So long as you guys are with me, I think I can make it work"

"Of course, Noct. We never planned on going anywhere else" the adviser said with a smile on his face. The raven looked up at him, his relaxed featured morphing into surprise.

"Iggy... you're..." Noct's reaction caused the other two to look at their brilliant friend, realizing the discovery and joining in Noct's surprise.

"Yes, it appears to have happened when you uh... became one, I suppose..."

"Wait... aren't we still in the dream-waking world? How do we know it's permanent?" the gunman interjected, letting go of Noct and running over to the opening in the hall. Truly, the sun was rising as it was before they stepped onto the Citadel's stairs, before Fenrir had appeared and started this whole messy journey. The city still stood in ruins, despite the ferocious attacks performed by the Messengers and Nightmares alike, and although it felt like days had passed by, the outside world seemed to have merely gone through a few seconds. Time had stood still during their ascension, but now that it was all over, it flowed normally again.

Blue eyes shot back inside and fair enough, the throne room looked exactly like when they had confronted Ardyn, the stairs up to the throne area being just a few steps instead of an endless stretch, and the lower level empty with all the rubble, traces of the previous fight with the Nightmares completely erased from existence. Well, this existence at least. Prompto looked back at his best friends, mouth hanging in awe.

"Didn't you say your remaining powers joined in? Maybe that was it. After all..." Gladio suggested, inspecting Ignis' visage carefully, waving his hand in front of the adviser's face before it got slapped away.

"Yeah... that might have been it. It was what took it away in the first place, so it would make sense if it was also the one to return it" Noct responded, smiling at his adviser and oldest friend. Ignis blinked slightly at the explanation, finding no flaw in it.

"I suppose you are correct" he closed his eyes, opening them again, satisfied to see the floor and his feet as well as those of everyone around him. After ten years in complete darkness, he would need some getting used to using his eyes again. His other senses, however, appeared to remain as sharp as before, which was partially a blessing to him. He could make this work.

"Not fully healed, but hey, I'm not complaining" the blond walked over, tapping his own nose, referring to Ignis' scar there. Although his blindness had been cured, some of the scars remained. The adviser sighed softly, shaking his head after passing a hand over said scars.

"Trinkets, Prompto. Mere trinkets in the massive treasure delivered to us today." The blond grinned and nodded in agreement.

"So, what'll we do now?" the Shield asked, taking a deep breath.

"First, we take a nap. It's been a long night. Then" blue eyes turned to the rising sun, feeling the warmth on his skin for the first time in so long, the others savouring the same feeling. "Then, we'll see. We got all day to figure it out..."

"Indeed" Ignis chimed in, placing a hand on Noct's shoulder.

"You betcha" Prompto agreed, putting his arm around Noct again.

"As long as you don't sleep in again" Gladio boomed, ruffling his little brother's hair. The four shared a good laughter long overdue, warmed by the rising sun as they made their way back down to the entrance of the Citadel where the Insomnian Crownsguard had gathered to witness what had happened. Cor was pleasantly surprised to see all four of them battered, but alive and well. Words were exchanged, but no real explanation fell, which suited them just fine.

It would take a long time to rebuild their world. But with King Noctis' guidance, Ignis' wisdom, Gladiolus' strength, and Prompto's insight, they were certain they would build a better world, one where all could live in, including the survivors of the Empire who someone managed to escape the Vanishing Disease. Tenebrae would be rebuild as well in honour of the Oracle's family line. Much effort would be needed, but after everything, they doubted this would be seen as an impossible step to take. The survivors had learned a knack on building with little they could find, after all.

Yes, it would be a bright new world full of hope, dreams, and a sun to light their way, cutting through the darkness and bringing a new dawn to a new era. An Era of Humans.