…1…

The sound of a sharp, irritated sight was the only sound to be heard in the deserted hallway. For the beating the Citadel had taken, there was very little damage to this wing. To be honest, if one hadn't been aware of it, they might not have been convinced of the attack at all.

Another sigh and the shuffle of footsteps, a throat clearing.

Ardyn Izunia cast a long suffering and amused glance over his shoulder at the young white haired man standing by the opposite wall. The glance was quick, framed with a smile, but edged sharp and deadly. The white haired man looked away.

"High Commander, you are not required to babysit me." Ardyn's voice was jovial as ever. "Why don't you go find something better suited to your… skill set to pass your time with."

"Chancellor, the Emperor ordered me…"

"Dear Ravus," Ardyn interrupted. "I was not asking for an excuse. I was telling you to leave."

Ravus's jaw clenched, his still human hand clenching into a fist, but he turned sharply on his heel and left, his white robes barely a whisper in the air. As soon as the large wooden doors and the end of the corridor were closed, Ardyn turned his attention back to the problem at hand.

Propping his hands on his hips, he tapped his fingers on his belt. He'd shed a number of layers when he'd reached this hall, his items folded and stacked on a small table to the side. He was in a simple white dress shirt over his pin striped pants. Without all of his layers and the oversized jacket, Ardyn was actually a lot smaller than he seemed. Tall, he was quite toned, athletic even. People tended to underestimate him because no one could really get a good read on his physique. As he liked it.

Amber eyes stared up at the greatest obstacle he'd come against in years.

And it was a gods damned door.

Marble and machinery and magic. A carved and chiseled work of art. Massive. Impassible. Except to those who knew how. And therein lay the crux.

Of course, Regis would know how to get in, but alas, he was no more. And Clarus, but… no. Alas, both had perished in the fall of Insomnia.

Next, the dear sweet young prince Noctis, but, again, a resounding no. He was too young to be told the clues to opening the door. Too young and there had been no time before the boy had been sent away for him to learn.

Ardyn smiled, his eyes hard on the door. "I know your secret. I know where I have to look. I know which young mind I need to pick and prod."

With a short laugh, gleeful and echoing, Ardyn gathered his pile of clothing, tucked it under his arm and followed the corridors back to the outer levels of the Citadel. He redressed as he went, and he was putting his hat back one as he stepped out into the sunlight.

Smoke still billowed out of some of the neighborhoods surrounding the Citadel. Magitek armor and soldiers patrolled the streets, ships crisscrossed the skies. Looking up, Ardyn closed his eyes, soaking up the sun's glow. The smile was still on his face as he went down the massive stone stairs to the circular drive. Magitek soldiers came to attention as he passed, but he ignored them. They were nothing to him. He had his objective; he knew where he had to go. Who he had to see. The trick would be to find them out there in the wide wild world. But, Ardyn had nothing but time.

Nothing. But. Time.